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“Hey, Gumi. Want to come with me and Nobara to Shadow Garden after school?”
Megumi hums before he glances up at Yuji from his notebook. Yuji know very well that Megumi has plans to stay home and study tonight. He also know that Shadow Garden is his absolute favorite place to eat. It’s pricey, though, and Megumi’s wallet is not really heavy right now.
“I’ll buy,” Yuji adds.
“Okay. But I can’t stay long. I have to get quite a lot of stuff done before next week.”
“Heat coming up?”
“Yeah.”
The old ass hierarchy between alpha, beta and omegas is rarely causing Megumi any problems. Long ago it had been a twisted thing, omegas seen as submissive, breedable objects for others to claim, alphas fighting each other over the smallest things, being nothing but bothersome menaces for the whole society, betas being forced to be peacemakers. A bizarre ranking of worth based on genders, so bizarre it is hard to believe the stories told about how it had been not too long ago.
Nowadays there are plenty of different kinds of suppressive medications, and while some old goats still raises debates regarding the right or wrongs of suppressing what is “natural”, a much more functional society has been taking shape over the past decades. Even Megumi being a male omega, something considered very rare, does rarely cause a stronger reaction than a raised eyebrow.
Megumi’s father sometimes mutters under his breath about how fast things have changed. He does not protest against the suppressive medications, thank the heavens, but his scars from those older times are still present, and he was evidently skeptical the first time Megumi brought Yuji home.
“He sure does not like me,” Yuji commented after they had shut themselves in Megumi’s room.
“Don’t mind him,” Megumi had answered. “He is stuck in the past. He believes it is impossible for omegas to befriend something else than other omegas.”
“How do you think he would have reacted if I had been an alpha?”
Megumi did not answer, and he still to this day has not brought an alpha friend home. Only a small part of the reason is that he does not want to hear any of Toji’s commentary. Mostly it is because he honestly does not have many other friends besides Yuji, and Nobara, who is also an omega.
All that aside, there is still one thing that do cause him serious problems, and that is his damn heats. Suppressants helps to some extent, but not nearly as good as they should since he is a male omega. It is not unheard of, but rare enough for it to be a hassle. Several different doctors has tried their best to help him find a mixture that is effective but are yet to find something that helps him not being a shivering mess during his heats. The only option is therefore for him to stay indoors and wait it out. Like old times.
The school day ends, and they leave campus together. Megumi lives in a small apartment not far away, and he and Yuji head over there first so Megumi can leave his stuff and change into clothes better suited for a visit at a semi-fancy restaurant. Yuji sits in the couch while Megumi heads into the bedroom.
After considering his options, which is a fast process to get through since his wardrobe is more or less fifty shades of black, he picks out a simple, long-sleeved shirt with a turtleneck and matching black cargo pants. Covering his neck is an old habit that took shape with all the turtlenecked sweaters Toji has brought him since he was a kid. It was not until later he understood what it represented, and by the time he figured that out, he found himself feeling naked and exposed whenever his neck was not covered.
“Hey,” Yuji calls from the living room. “Just got a text from my bro. He is apparently nearby. Should I ask him for a ride to town, so we don’t have to take the bus?”
“Sure,” Megumi answers. “If he don’t mind.”
If he is to choose between a crammed bus and riding in a car, it is an easy pick. He is yet to meet Yuji’s brother, but considering Yuji’s kindness and easygoing personality, he has a hard time imagining that it can go wrong. It’s just a car ride.
They leave the apartment complex when Yuji received and affirmative text that his brother is parked outside. The black car that is waiting on them looks rather expensive. Megumi knows little about Ryomen Sukuna and is slightly surprised to see the resemblance between the brothers even through the car’s window. Sukuna is older, Megumi knows, and it shows on the maturity of his face. Chiseled nose, sharp jaw. Handsome, to say the least. The tattoos on his face certainly adds something special to his character as well.
Sukuna raises his hand in a nonchalant gesture when he spots them. Yuji opens the door to the passenger seat at the same time Megumi opens up to get in the backseat. The scent from inside the car is so strong he nearly flinches, and for a moment he stands completely frozen while his stomach twists to a hard knot. Two thoughts comes to mind: a) could Yuji not have warned him that his brother is a god damn alpha and b) why does said god damn alpha not take any suppressants?
Megumi has smelled alphas thousand times before, but suppressants makes it subtle, mild. This whole car reeks of alpha, and his body responses immediately to it. Sukuna turns in his seat, eyes wide when he catches Megumi’s gaze. Megumi’s mouth goes dry. His suppressants should hide whatever happens with his own scent, but something about Sukuna’s eyes makes him doubt that they are.
“Megumi?” Yuji’s voice pulls Megumi back to the real world again. Megumi rip his gaze away from the demon in the front seat, takes a step back and slams the car door shut.
“I can’t ride in this car,” Megumi manages.
His voice almost cracks, his hands are trembling. Never has he experienced something like this. It is actually one of the things people fighting the suppressants brings up: the lack of resistance caused by never having to learn how to fight the urges. If it hadn’t been for the twisting and tugging in Megumi’s body he would have been way more embarrassed by how he is making himself look in front of Yuji and his brother.
“What?” Yuji furrows his eyebrows. Sukuna leans towards the passenger seat. It seems like he is trying to catch Megumi’s eyes again. Yuji straightens and takes a step towards Megumi, which thankfully blocks Sukuna’s view. Perhaps he does it on instinct. “What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?” Megumi hisses through gritted teeth. He lowers his voice to a whisper, leaning closer to Yuji so that Sukuna won’t hear him. “I can’t get into a car with an alpha that doesn’t take fucking suppressants, especially not when I’m this close to my heat. You should know.”
Yuji stare at him and Megumi wonders if he really has to repeat himself. While Megumi might take loads of suppressants to keep his scents from alerting alphas, Yuji is well aware of the problems Megumi have experienced with the ones regulating his heats. Not even Megumi know what is going to happen if he is to sit in a crammed space with an untreated alpha.
The door on the driver’s side opens. Sukuna steps out the car and walks around it and Megumi can’t help but stare. The man is huge. Much taller than Yuji, who is anything but short. A wine-red T-shirt snug on broad shoulders, well-fitting jeans, bulging muscles making him look strong enough to hurl that car across the street. Not to mention strong enough to tear Megumi apart. He is an alpha, all right. The very splitting image of one.
“But Sukuna takes suppressants. You do, right?” Yuji look up at Sukuna.
“Of course I do.” Sukuna’s voice alone is enough to send a thrill through Megumi’s spine. His eyes are fixated on Megumi, body poised, chin raised. “Strong ones, I might add.”
Megumi swallows thickly. If he smells like that while on suppressants, how would it be without them? While Megumi has experienced some lacking effects regarding his suppressants during heats, he has never been affected by an alpha like this. Not even the few untreated ones he has encountered before. He parts his lips to answer, but the words gets stuck in his throat. Sukuna swats Yuji’s shoulder.
“Can’t you fix this?” He nods towards Megumi.
“What?” Yuji quickly look up at his brother. “How?”
“I don’t know. You’re the beta. Aren’t you supposed to be able to do something about it?”
“I don’t know if that is how it works.”
“It’s all right,” Megumi manages. “Sorry.”
Megumi has no idea what is going on, but if he can’t handle this, Toji would have been right all along. He can ride in a car with a damn alpha, smelly or not. It is not even far. Yuji rests a hand on his arm. It is unusual for Yuji to touch him, but the calming gesture actually helps Megumi relax a bit.
“Are you sure? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you Sukuna is an al-“
“It doesn’t matter,” Megumi says. “I can handle it. I was taken by surprise, that’s all. I am not used to someone reeking so much.”
“I’d much prefer if you called it scent,” Sukuna says and raises an eyebrow.
Megumi ignores his remark, and they all get inside the car. It had been manageable while standing outside, now surrounded by the heavy scent in a small space it is threatening to give Megumi a headache. Sukuna meets his gaze through the rear-view mirror several times during the short ride to town. Neither of them speaks. Not even Yuji.
Sukuna stops near the bus station, and Megumi stutters out a thank you for the ride and gets out of the car as fast as he possibly can. Yuji lingers while Megumi makes his way to Nobara, who is standing next to a streetlamp, waiting for them. She looks up from her phone when Megumi walks over.
“What’s up with that face?” she asks. “Something wrong?”
“We got a ride here with Yuji’s brother,” Megumi begins.
“Sukuna?”
Megumi looks over his shoulder. Yuji is resting his arm on the roof when he leans in to speak with Sukuna. It is not hard to imagine what, who, they are talking about.
“Yeah. Have you ever met him?”
“Once,” Nobara says. “He didn’t say much. A rather classic alpha-kind of dude, as far as I could tell. He is honestly not really my type.”
Megumi hesitates. There is no reason for him to keep what happened hidden from Nobara. As a fellow omega, she is also the best shot he has if he is to understand what just happened. Yuji is with no doubt his best friend and while he always tries his best to support Megumi in every way possible, there are some things a beta simply won’t understand.
“His scent,” Megumi starts. “Did you notice it?”
“No, not particularly. It was like it usually is. Why? Did you react to it?”
“Badly,” Megumi says. “I’ve never felt anything like it. He claimed he is on suppressants, but it really felt like he was untreated. It might be because my heat is coming up, but it was still… Bad.”
“Oh. Well, when I met him he sure was on suppressants. Either that, or he is the weakest alpha on earth.”
Megumi frowns. It was strange to hear when to him Sukuna’s scent had been shockingly strong, like a raging, wild forest fire. When he looks over his shoulder again, Yuji is walking towards them. Sukuna’s car is still there. Megumi swear he can feel his eyes on him. It’s honestly hard not to turn and run back into the car to indulge more of that scent. When he realizes that he has lifted his hand to rub his neck, he freezes and quickly takes it down again. Nobara must have noticed but is kind enough not to mention it. Instead, she turns to Yuji.
“Hey.”
“Hey!” Yuji gives her a quick hug. The rest of their conversation disappears to the background when Megumi glances towards Sukuna’s car. It still hasn’t moved. “New shirt? Super cute! Anyway, we should probably go, or else we are going to risk losing our reservation.”
Megumi tries his best to fight the way his minds threatens to wander as they make their way to the restaurant. Not even the soft atmosphere of the Shadow Garden is enough to distract him though, but after the first drink he is starting to feel a little calmer, and like he can forget about what happened in the car. If he concentrate, he can still imagine the scent of Sukuna, so he makes absolutely sure to not think about it. Instead, he does his very best to focus on having a pleasant evening with his friends.
*
In preparation for the upcoming heat, Megumi heads to the store the next day to stock his fridge with food. He is already starting to feel feverish, which is worrying, since he usually does not suffer much at all from any symptoms of pre-heat.
The items he picks is almost at random. He is most likely not going to eat during the worst days but can at least make sure that there is something at home that is easy to prep for when the heat fades. He picks out a jar of pickled ginger and puts it in his basket. That always works. A bead of sweat slides down his temple and he quickly wipes it away. He wants to get home as soon as possible, curl up underneath his pile of blankets. Well, at least his body wants him to, a thought that makes him inwardly sigh.
Megumi stirs when the smell of wildfire tickles his nose. It is only a matter of seconds before he spots Sukuna, passing the isle Megumi stands in. The instinct to take a step towards him makes Megumi grimace, and he quickly curls up instead, shying away. What is wrong with him? Upcoming heat or not, something like this has never happened before. He has read about it, heard of it; how omegas are supposed to react at the sight and smell of an alpha. He always thought it had been exaggerations, stories partly made up to scare people into taking their suppressants.
Sukuna halts in the middle of his step when he spots Megumi. Megumi’s entire body freezes. He can’t do anything but watch when the large man approaches him. There is something strange about the way he walks, Megumi thinks. It is tentative, like he is closing in on a prey. Hunting. Megumi shudders.
Sukuna stops in front of Megumi, a little too close for comfort. Megumi takes a step back, bumping against the shelf behind him. Sukuna frowns and takes a step back as well.
“Hey,” Sukuna says. His eyes flickers over Megumi’s face, down his body, up again. “Sorry, I didn’t- are you okay?”
“I’m… fine,” Megumi mumbles.
His grip on the basket is so hard his hands hurt. Sukuna’s presence is overwhelming, rough, red eyes piercing right through him, fiery scent burning his nose. Before he realizes what is about to happen, Megumi takes a step forward, inhaling deeply. Sukuna strokes the tip over his tongue over his teeth, offering Megumi a glimpse of his fangs.
“I thought you said I reek?” Sukuna murmurs.
There is a hint of something teasing in his voice, but it also drops an octave, and his pupils dilate, overshadowing his tries to joke about it. A small part of Megumi is terrified, at loss of what to do. A much larger part of him knows exactly what to do.
Megumi flees. Dropping the basket right there on the floor, he darts away towards the exit, zigzagging past the people and things in his way, throwing himself out the doors. He doesn’t hear it, but he know Sukuna is following him, all the way outside. Megumi sprints over the parking lot and a car is forced to break hard not to hit him, something he just barely notices. He hear Sukuna call his name then, sounding far away. Allowing himself a quick glance over his shoulder, he sees that Sukuna has been stopped by two men. They are holding his arms, struggling to make him stay put.
Megumi runs all the way home. He taste blood in his mouth when he throws himself inside and lock the door, entire body trembling when he sinks down on the floor, panting hard, rubbing his legs together.
“Fuck,” Megumi groans.
It’s like his blood has been replaced by sparkling water, and a pathetic giggle slip from his lips. He wanted Sukuna to chase him. The thrill, the hunt. He must have been so close to being caught, so close to having strong arms wrapped around his lithe frame, forced down the ground, the weight of a massive alpha on top of him, suffocated by his scent, his power. Megumi leans his forehead against the door and presses his eyes shut.
“Fuck.”
Megumi presses both hands over his mouth, fighting the urge to shove them down his pants. The excitement mixes with shame. These urges were not his. The mind should be the ruler over the body, not the other way around. He does not know Sukuna; he knows nothing at all beside that he is Yuji’s brother. And that he smells like the best damn thing in the world.
*
Megumi’s heat arrives that very same night, which is early, and frankly speaking, terrible. The memory of Sukuna’s strong scent is clouding his mind, and he has never sweated as much as he does this time. Megumi is usually somewhat collected during the first two days, but now it is like the peak comes right away, and it does not fade even the slightest, not even for a minute. Trashing around in his bed, Megumi whines, panting, shivering, aching. Despite doubling his usual dosage of suppressants, his body is sticky with sweat and not to mention slick, so much it ends up dripping down his thighs.
Aware that fingering himself does little to nothing to release the pressure, Megumi still finds himself with his face down the mattress while digging his fingers as deep as he can inside himself. He has to do something, anything.
“’Kuna… S-hnn…-kuna, please, please…”
Megumi is delirious. Normally his body is aching for any alpha in the world, whatever cock to fill his hole to take this clawing longing away from him. This time, all he can think of is Sukuna. His eyes, his hands, his towering frame, his damn scent. Megumi ruts against the bed, suffocating his whimpers by biting his pillow, eyes tearing up when he comes. The ache does not let go, not even the slightest. He need an alpha to help him with it. It is the most insufferable heat he has ever experienced and if it does not fade any time soon, he is going to get sick.
*
Megumi must have fallen asleep, somehow. He is still weak and trembling when his phone starts to ring and startles him awake. How long has it been? He does not even have the energy to reach for it and pick up. It is probably Yuji that wants to check up on him, and if Megumi does not answer, he is going to turn up at his place after a while. It is an agreement they’ve had for a while now. Megumi has told Yuji again and again that his heats aren’t any danger to him, despite how he might look, and that he does not have to come there. Yuji always do, either way. The presence of a beta is nowhere what Megumi actually requires, but it usually works to calm him at least a little to have his friend there. He is fairly sure it won’t work this time.
The phone goes silent. Megumi slowly, slowly pushes himself to sit. He has left a pile of clothes on the floor next to the bed and he puts a shirt on despite being unpleasantly sticky. There is no use taking a shower before his heat is over, but he can at least wash his hands and face. Meeting his gaze in the mirror is something he would rather have skipped. His eyes are glazed, face flushed and hair a complete mess. Whoever came up with the lie that omegas in heat is when they are the most beautiful, deserves a punch in the face.
The sudden knock on his front door is so hard it causes him to jolt, and he stumbles towards the hall. It can’t have been more than minutes since Yuji called, so there is no reason for him to get worked up that he has to bang the door like that.
Megumi realizes his mistake the second he opens up and the scent of Sukuna pours in the apartment. If it had been intense the first time they saw each other, when he smelt it in his car, it is nothing compared to how strong it is now. Sukuna steps inside just in time to catch Megumi as he is about to sag down on the floor. Megumi grabs Sukuna’s biceps, stare up at him with wide eyes, his entire body shivering like a leaf in a hurricane. Sukuna’s crimson red eyes are set aflame, teeth bared, shirt sticking to his sweaty body.
“I tried,” Sukuna manages, close to stuttering. “I tried to stay away.”
Sukuna is trembling just as much as Megumi and his breaths are jagged, like he has been sprinting to arrive, but it might as well just be how hard his body is reacting to Megumi’s heat.
“Please,” Megumi whines.
Megumi weakly paws Sukuna’s arms, urging to pull him closer, his body screaming to be touched. The resistance still felt in Sukuna is close to driving him insane. There is also a small, small part of him that understands that this might not be something he wants, that the urges he feels are not mirroring his mind. It is hard to care when his instincts speaks so much louder.
“You smell so good.”
Sukuna nuzzles his face to Megumi’s neck and sucks in a deep breath before he pulls the collar to his shirt down so he can swirl his tongue over Megumi’s sweaty skin. A soothing, rumbling thrill is heard from deep in his chest, a mix of a purr and a growl, and Megumi purrs softly in response. Sukuna’s grip on him tightens, like he is never, ever going to let him go. Megumi’s eyes roll back into his head when Sukuna’s teeth scrapes over his neck. Sharp fangs, anticipating, shuddering breaths.
“Megumi,” Sukuna sighs out his name, opens his mouth wider. His teeth are so close to piercing his skin. “I can’t…”
Megumi melts into it, body turning limb and pliant, arms falling to his sides. Gone are the thoughts of his own will. His body speaks clearly enough for him. He wants this. He needs it. Megumi closes his eyes, pulse pounding so hard he can feel it in his lips.
“Get off him, you fucking animal!”
Megumi falls to the floor when Sukuna is yanked away from him, and a burning scent of another alpha pours into the room, strong enough to make Megumi nauseous. Sukuna is a large man but compared to Megumi’s father he is as imposing as a kitten, and no suppressants in the world are going to be able to handle Toji’s rage. Toji drags Sukuna across the floor with a grip in his hair, eyes burning fiercely enough to make them look more like Sukuna’s than Megumi’s, flaming red with anger.
“Don’t,” Megumi manages. “D-don’t hurt him.”
Sukuna grabs Toji’s wrist to hard his knuckles turns white, manages to get Toji to release his grip and scrambles up on his feet. Toji quickly moves to block Sukuna’s way to Megumi. A rumbling growl slips from Sukuna when Toji takes a step forward to force him to the door.
“Did you just growl at me, pup?” Toji scoffs. “I’m stuffed with this suppressant shit, but don’t think I won’t tear you apart for coming after my kid.”
“He wants me,” Sukuna snarls. “He needs me. Move, old man, or fight me.”
Megumi gasps. Even in this state does he understand that Sukuna is not thinking clearly. He simply cannot be stupid enough to talk to someone’s father like that, and most certainly not another alpha. The deep breath Toji releases is the last of his patience leaving him.
“Listen to me and listen well. He is in heat; you are in a rut. Neither of you have the slightest idea what you want. You are not touching my kid, ever again. I will kill you if I have to.”
Megumi grabs Toji’s leg, clinging onto him like a pathetic child. The raging alpha pheromones filling the room makes his head spin. He does not know if he manages to speak or if it is all in his head, but he swear his lips are at least moving, begging for Toji to let Sukuna stay. The last thing he wants is for him to leave, not now when he was so close to getting what he needed.
A calming breeze washes through the room when Yuji rushes into the apartment. Sukuna’s shoulders softens, and even Toji seems to relax a little at his arrival. Yuji flickers his eyes to Megumi, up to his brother, to Toji, then down to Megumi again. It does not take long for him to solve the little puzzle presented in front of him.
“Is Megumi all right?” Yuji asks.
“He is,” Toji answers. “And your brother is too, but not for long. Get that piece of shit out of here, before I rip his arms off and shove them down his throat.”
Yuji does not ask any more questions, grab Sukuna’s arm and pulls him towards the door. Sukuna bares his teeth, growling again, louder now.
“Stop that,” Yuji sneers. “Don’t you dare growl at me, you bastard. Come now.”
Sukuna is strong enough to easily fight Yuji off, so at least some of his sanity must still be remaining, as he finally surrenders and leaves, although it is apparent that he has to force himself to. Megumi whimpers at the sight of him disappearing out the door, throwing a last, quick look over his shoulder, brows furrowed.
“No! Don’t leave me. Sukuna, please!”
But he does. He leaves when Megumi need him the most, being a sobbing mess on the ground. Toji hushes at Megumi’s wailing, easily hoisting him from the floor and carries him to the bedroom and put him back into the little nest of blankets and pillows that Megumi has made himself. Megumi is shivering more than ever when Toji pats his sweaty hair.
“Relax,” Toji says. “I’ll tell your beta-friend to come and check on you when he has gotten rid of that bastard, okay?”
“No,” Megumi mumbles. “I need Sukuna. Please, I need him.”
Toji lingers for just a while before he takes his leave. If it wasn’t for the comforting feeling of his nest, and the weakness in his body, Megumi would have chased after Sukuna. Now he is left there alone, fighting the worst heat he has ever experienced in his life, and it only got worse with Sukuna turning up there.
It is not until Yuji returns to him with Sukuna’s shirt that he calms down at least a little. Megumi spends the rest of his heat curled up under the blankets while rubbing the shirt over his face, his neck, his wrists, his entire self.
*
Five days later, Megumi feels somewhat like himself again. He washes his messed-up sheets and takes a well needed shower and manages to eat a light breakfast, despite the lack of appetite.
The aftermath is quite different this time. He does not feel as shaky as he usually does despite the heat being so strong, and he is convinced it is thanks to Sukuna’s scent.
The thought of Sukuna makes him inwardly groan. His behavior had been seriously shameless, at best. Crawling all over him, defenseless, delirious, so stupidly pliant. Toji’s arrival had been so perfectly timed it was almost comical. Megumi is yet to contact his father, but that can wait. At least Toji did not smash Sukuna’s head in with his bare hands despite finding Megumi in his talons. That’s something. And Yuji. What happened after they left? And how the hell could Sukuna go into rut despite his suppressants? That is not supposed to happen.
Megumi skips school despite him being rather okay. He already made sure he was good to be away for the whole week anyway, so he might as well take the day off to really recover. Later that afternoon, he receives a text. Expecting it to be Yuji checking on him, Megumi’s heart skips a beat when he sees that it is from a number unknown to him.
I am really sorry about what happened. I hope you are okay. Yuji told me you should be out of the heat now. I understand if you don’t want to see me, but I would really like to talk about it. Take care. /Sukuna
Megumi chews his bottom lip while he reads the text over and over. Proper spelling for a guy with his looks, he thinks. Perhaps that is judgmental. The hardest part is trying to figure out what to say. He want to see Sukuna, and he want to apologize as well. Considering how this man has made him react up until know, he should be careful. His heat is over though, he should be much more resistant now. If he could sit in a car with him, he is good enough to meet him for a chat, he reasons. Megumi quickly types his reply after making up his mind.
*
They meet up at a café. It was Sukuna’s idea, and he is already there when Megumi arrives. A simple, white T-shirt and dark jeans should not be able to make Megumi feel like mush on the inside. Especially not right after a heat, when his sex drive is supposedly at its lowest. The sight of Sukuna sends a tickle through his spine.
Sukuna gets up when Megumi walk over to him, hesitating for just a moment before he proceeds to pull out the chair for Megumi to sit. Megumi does, rather awkwardly so. No one has ever pulled out a chair for him.
“Thanks,” Megumi manages.
“I…” Sukuna pushes the chair in before taking a seat across the table. He folds his arms over his chest, but quickly unfolds them again. Finally, he settles with resting his hands on the table, fingers interlaced. “I’m glad you agreed to see me. I really did not think you would after what happened. I’m really sorry about what I did.”
“It’s all right. It’s mostly my fault for opening the door in that state anyway.”
“What?” Sukuna raises one hand in a dismissive gesture. “You are not seriously blaming yourself, are you? I am the one that went to your place despite knowing damn well what would happen.”
Megumi licks his lips. That much is true. Besides, Megumi honestly did expect it to be Yuji outside his door that day. Truth to be told, however, he would probably have flung that door open if he had known it was Sukuna. He does not have to say that. They both know it.
“I thought suppressants are supposed to keep alphas ruts in control,” Megumi says instead.
“Yeah,” Sukuna lets out a short laugh. “Supposedly. I’ve never felt anything like it. I spiraled into the worst damn rut in my life after meeting you at the store. I think I actually felt when your heat came. Sunday night?”
“Y-yeah.”
“It was fucking crazy. I also… Want to apologize for chasing you.” Sukuna looks down at his hands. “I didn’t understand what I was doing until we already were outside. If those guys hadn’t stopped me, I…”
Megumi swallows. “It was your instincts.”
“Sure was. Doesn’t excuse it, though.”
“Not even a bit? I can’t say I blame you. I mean, my suppressants does barely help with my heats and… Well, you saw what happened.” Megumi grimaces. He has always found his behavior during his heats to be embarrassing. It doesn’t matter how many times people has told him that it is perfectly natural. “I know what it is like.”
“I almost claimed you.” Sukuna hold his thumb and index finger millimeters from each other to emphasize how close it had been. The memory of his fangs brushing over Megumi’s neck is enough to make him shudder.
“Yeah,” Megumi says. “But you didn’t.”
“Because your father came. By the way, how the hell does an alpha like that get a tiny omega kid? No offense.”
Sukuna smiles now, raising his eyebrows. The mood lightens some at that. Megumi’s shoulders relaxes when he leans back in the chair. It is far from the first time he gets that comment, and he cannot say he blames the ones that are curious about it.
“I have no idea,” Megumi says and shakes his head. “One would have expected me to turn into at least a beta.”
“Perhaps that’s why your scent is so strong. You inherited that power from him either way, somehow.”
“It is? I mean, during my heat I get, but is it now as well? It should be the weakest right now, and I’m still on pretty strong suppressants.”
“Oh, yeah.” Sukuna nods once. “Definitely one of the strongest I’ve ever felt, if not the strongest. I took double dosage this morning, by the way. Just so you know.”
“I appreciate it. Even though I don’t think it matters.”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
They are silent for a moment, each disappearing within their own minds, trying to comprehend what is going on between them. Megumi is the one that breaks the silence.
“You are… Not getting that shirt back, by the way. Sorry about that. I’ll buy you a new one.”
Sukuna’s smile grows wider. “Can’t you just wash it?”
“Well, I did, but...” Megumi clears his throat. “Let’s just say that you are not going to want it back.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Sukuna muses. Megumi grimaces and parts his lips to answer, but Sukuna is faster: “I’m teasing. You keep it. No need to get me a new one, I wasn’t that fond of it either way.”
Sukuna looks at something over Megumi’s shoulder. Megumi takes the chance to inspect his face closer. He and Yuji are alike, no doubt about it, yet there is also some major differences, the biggest being the shape of their eyes. Yuji’s brown eyes make him look almost like a doe, while Sukuna’s crimson eyes are sharp and predatory. But his smile is kind, his whole aura much calmer than it had been when he was at Megumi’s apartment.
“Let me buy you something,” Sukuna says. “Coffee?”
“Okay,” Megumi says. “Sure.”
While waiting for Sukuna to return, Megumi looks out the window, at the few people passing by the café. It must have been a conscious choice to pick a place with few customers so that they could talk without risk of being heard, yet not secluded enough to risk it feeling unsafe. Or like a trap.
Sukuna sets down a tray on the table after a couple of minutes. Two cups of black coffee and, to Megumi’s surprise, two slices of cakes. One of them is dark brown, probably chocolate. The other is lighter with chunks of pink fruit on top. Megumi leans over the table to inspect it closer.
“Rhubarb?”
“Yeah. Rhubarb and ginger. Don’t know if you like cake, but I’ll eat both if you don’t.”
Sukuna flashes him a grin and takes one of the cups when he is seated again. Megumi’s chest is fluttery when he reaches for the light brown cake. It could be a coincidence, or a lucky guess. Sukuna could have seen the jars of ginger in the basket that Megumi rushed away from at the store. It feels like it is more to it than that, however.
Megumi chews the cake slowly, while Sukuna wolves down the chocolate one in a couple of bites. Megumi expected this meeting to be a lot more awkward, and Sukuna seems to be at ease as well. Sipping his coffee, licking his thumb to collect the last crumbs of the cake.
It is rare for Megumi to feel like this in a stranger’s company and while it does not matter what their secondary gender is, he is admittingly more guarded in the presence of an alpha. There are some things that requires more than medication to change. With Sukuna, he does not feel that at all.
“Do you want this? I’m full.” Megumi offers Sukuna what’s rest of the cake, which is nearly half of it.
“Really? No wonder you are skinny.”
“Don’t comment on other people’s bodies like that,” Megumi mutters. “My appetite gets funky after a heat.”
“Sorry.” Sukuna shoves a large piece of cake in his mouth and hums after chewing it. “Oh, this was surprisingly good. Not as sweet as I expected it to be.”
“You don’t like sweet things?” Megumi asks.
Sukuna looks to be the type of guy that complains over stuff being to sugary and sweet, so it would not surprise him. Sukuna’s eyes sparkles when he glances up, a smug smile tugging his lips, just enough for his fangs to show. He is dangerously handsome like that.
“Depends.”
“Don’t push your luck.”
Sukuna huffs out a small laugh. Once again Megumi’s body betrays him as his stomach twists. He crosses his legs under the table, trying to be discreet, but there is no mistaking how the air shifts just then. He can smell on Sukuna that he is able to smell it on Megumi.
“Listen, Megumi.”
Sukuna shoves the last of the cake into his mouth and puts the now empty plates aside, rests his hand around his coffee cup. Megumi is unsure what to think about Sukuna using his name with such ease. Do people really call each other by their name that often?
“What?” Megumi mumbles.
“You are not going to deny there is something rather special going on between us, right?”
“No,” Megumi says. It would be completely futile to, and not to mention ridiculous. “You made my heat come early. Has that happened before with other omegas you’ve been with?”
It is not like it matters. Not really. He is simply curious, which is a perfectly normal thing to be. Him feeling a slight relief when Sukuna shakes his head, is harder to explain.
“No, but I don’t sleep with omegas. I barely hang out with them. It’s bad enough as it is.” Sukuna clicks his tongue and looks out the window when he lifts the cups to his lips. “Have you ever sent an alpha on heavy fucking suppressants into a rut before?”
“Not that I know of,” Megumi mumbles. He shifts in the chair again. “What do you mean, it’s bad enough as it is?”
“Well, you know. Being an alpha. Don’t get me wrong, I’m aware that being on top of the “chain” or whatever…” Sukuna makes quotation marks in the air with his fingers, raising an eyebrow. “I don’t have much to complain about. At least I’m not reduced to being seen as a baby-machine, but I really have no need of being labeled as some animalistic, rapist kind of guy. Staying away from omegas is really just doing myself a favor.”
Sukuna’s scent suddenly gets strong enough to feel sticky in the roof of Megumi’s mouth. Bitterness, old and sour. Sukuna frowns as he notices Megumi’s discomfort, sucks in a deep breath and hold it for a couple of seconds.
“Sorry,” Sukuna says. “I’m not used to people taking such notice in my scent. You really are sensitive.”
“It is you who are overpowering,” Megumi says. “Do people really say such things about you, if you were to hang out with omegas? That’s shallow as hell.”
“Well, perhaps not to my face. But you know how it is, don’t you? Things have changed, but much of that is still only on the surface, as far as I regard it. I bet you don’t get to hear that you are born to produce pups often either, but there are plenty of geezers that are still living like it’s fifty years back in time.”
Megumi slowly nods. This is the first time he has talked with an alpha about it like this, and Sukuna’s views are actually really interesting. When thinking about it, there are plenty of signs even in his life that confirms what Sukuna just said.
“My dad has always told me to stay away from alphas. He barely even accepted Yuji at first.”
“I don’t blame him for wanting to protect you.” Sukuna raises his eyebrows. Megumi honestly doesn’t either. Not after witnessing what happened to Sukuna in a rut. “Again, don’t get me wrong. It’s a good thing we are getting raised to not see you as our property, and that we are all humans. Not omegas or betas or whatever. I’m just saying it is not that easy.”
Sukuna takes another sip, humming when he swallows. Megumi realizes he has forgotten about his coffee and hurries to copy him. It has cooled to just the right temperature, allowing him to take a deeper chug.
“When I was younger, I really didn’t get what the deal was,” Sukuna continues. “I hated being reduced to some… creature. And I hated to be forced to take suppressants, as if I was going to turn into a beast just by sniffing an omega?”
A short laugh slips from him, almost like a bark, when he gestures to Megumi. Megumi can’t help but smile.
“Let’s just say I get it now. Something about you really fucked me up. It was unlike anything I’ve felt in my life. I don’t even want to know what I would have done if I had been untreated, because I felt like a damn animal. I wanted to tear you apart.”
Megumi nearly flinches at the heat that comes rushing through his abdomen. Sukuna most definitely notices it on his scent, as his grin twists to something feral. Catching himself in the act he suddenly frowns, strokes a hand over his mouth, wiping the smile away.
“Shit. Sorry.”
“I thought you said you doubled your dose?” Megumi mutters.
“I did. God damn. I really don’t want to blame you, but I honestly have never more felt more like an alpha than when I’m close to you.”
Megumi looks down his cup. How is it that whatever Sukuna says, it makes his insides jolt? That was not even meant as a compliment, yet it really warms like it would have been.
“I have never felt more like an omega than when I’m with you either. I wanted you to tear me apart, so... I get it.”
Heat washes through the air, threatening to set Megumi’s lungs aflame, making him instantly regret he phrased himself like that. He barely dare to look up at Sukuna, the hair on his arms rising at the sight of crimson red irises. Sukuna leans his elbow against the table and his chin in his hand.
“So… What are we going to do now?” Sukuna asks.
Megumi drinks what’s left of his coffee. It is one thing knowing what he wants to say, and a whole other thing to know what he is supposed to want to say. They should be able to become friends, at least. It is only outdated views and hierarchies that tells that such a thing is impossible.
They cannot, and should not, deny how badly things would have ended unless Toji came to Megumi’s place when he did, however. Whatever it is that makes Megumi and Sukuna react like they are to each other, indulging in that is like accepting societal constructions people are fighting to get rid of.
And not to mention his natural instincts. And Sukuna’s. Are they really strong enough to work against them? It’s a big risk to take, because Megumi’s mind is obviously not stronger than his body. At least not in heat. A heat that triggered Sukuna into a rut.
Megumi can only imagine what would happen if Toji found out he is meeting with the alpha that was seconds away from claiming him just like that. He had hesitated to agree to this meeting at all, terrified of what the consequences would be if Toji for some strange reason would get the idea of coming here and spot them together.
On top of it all, Sukuna is Yuji’s brother. Megumi should stay away from involving himself with his friends’ siblings. That’s just… Common sense.
“There is really not much to think about, is there?” Megumi finally says.
Sukuna knits his eyebrows with a resigned smile. “I guess there isn’t. It’s a shame. It really feels like this could have been fated.”
“That’s just something that happens in movies.” Megumi brushes a hand through his hair. “Even if it had been a thing, life is far more complicated than that.”
“I suppose so. But I get it. It might have been different if you hadn’t been friends with Yuji.”
“That’s the reason?” Megumi asks.
“No. Not really.” Sukuna strokes a hand through his hair and lets it rest behind his neck. “Not at all. I think you get it.”
“Yeah.”
Megumi does get it. Sukuna is trying to protect himself, just like Megumi is. It is as simple as that. Mind over matter.
There isn’t anything else to say, there are no coffee left to drink. It is time for them to leave, and yet neither of them move. Sukuna glances up at Megumi, smiling when their eyes meet and then looks out the window instead.
Megumi finally stands, and Sukuna instantly copies him. Talking about the whole thing was good. Megumi feels both lighter and heavier at the same time. Part of him wants to apologize, but for what? It would do no good, either way. When Sukuna holds one arm out, Megumi flickers his eyes down to his large hand, the veins on his forearm, the curve of his bicep.
“Think you can handle a quick hug?” Sukuna asks.
Nothing about his voice is pleading, his body is relaxed, but he is not fooling Megumi. Ignoring the alarm going off in the back of his mind, Megumi takes a step closer.
“No scenting,” Megumi says.
He planned it to be a quick hug. He really did. The second Sukuna wraps his strong arms around him, Megumi melts into it. He buries his face to Sukuna’s chest, grabs the fabric of his shirt with both hands, but soon let go to slide them over his muscular back instead, up to his broad shoulders.
Sukuna presses him tight to his body, one hand resting in the small of Megumi’s back, the other between his shoulder blades. The embrace is engulfing him completely. Right then, Megumi is safer than he has ever been in his life. When Sukuna leans down and rubs his head against his neck, despite Megumi telling him not to, he doesn’t protest.
Sukuna’s reluctance to let him go makes it even harder for Megumi to step away. Sukuna grabs hold of Megumi’s wrists, scenting them as well before releasing him. Megumi’s legs are jelly-like, his heart hammering against his ribs. Sukuna’s strong, flaming scent is all over him.
“Thank you for coming,” Sukuna says. “I still feel like there is a lot left to be said, but I also think you understand already. You take care now, okay?”
Megumi opens his mouth to answer, but when he tries to speak, no words come out. They are stuck in the pit of his stomach. Sukuna reaches for him again, an instinctual motion. Megumi forces himself to shy away from his touch.
He leaves without even thanking Sukuna for the coffee and the ginger cake, and much less saying goodbye.
*
“Earth to Mimi. Hello? Me-gu-mi?”
Megumi looks up from his notebook when Yuji lightly taps his arm. Yuji’s eyebrows are furrowed when he smiles at him. People are moving around the room, making Megumi understand that the lesson is over. The page in his notebook is empty. Yuji tilts his head to the side.
“You good?”
“Yeah.”
Megumi puts his things down his messenger bag. Damn it. Spacing out during a lesson is not a big deal, he can easily enough make up for what he missed by reading at home. The problem is that it happens a lot lately. He doesn’t worry about his grades, he always manages it just fine, but it is annoying as hell that he can’t focus. It is not like him, and while Yuji has been kind enough not to bring it up, but they both know that he know exactly what it is about.
While they are walking through the long corridor to get to the main entrance, Megumi can feel Yuji glancing at him. Something is sitting heavily on his mind. Megumi let him takes his time.
“I am worried about you,” Yuji finally says. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“I am fine. You have nothing to worry about.”
Yuji pushes the door open with his shoulder and holds it so Megumi can slink outside. The air is cool and fresh, the light headache prodding in the back of Megumi’s head fades some when he takes two deep breaths. He loves autumn and the freshness the crisp air brings to his mind.
Yuji stick his hands into the pockets of his baseball jacket after he has come up beside him again. There is clearly still something left on the tip of his tongue. Megumi gives him a quick, impatient glance.
“Perhaps you should tell your doctor about what happened,” Yuji says.
“Why?”
Megumi grimaces. The truth is that he despises doctors, hospitals and everything related to it. It could be because he hates to come off as weak, or because he simply does not trust that he is going to get helped. Either way, he has a hard time believing it would be necessary.
“I thought that it might be… I don’t know. It’s been weeks, and you are still like this.”
“And you want me to call them and tell them what, exactly?”
“Well…”
Megumi shakes his head. All of this is going to fade, and no doctor in the world is going to take him seriously if he called them and said he is losing his mind over an alpha. What he need is time. The memory of Sukuna’s body pressed against his is not going to surface as often, and eventually it will fade completely.
“I need a rebound,” Megumi says, only half joking. “Not a doctor.”
“Really?” Yuji’s interest perks. “Well, let’s get you one! Nobara was actually talking about going out this weekend. We can tag along, and I can be your wingman.”
Yuji’s apparent enthusiasm is contagious enough to make Megumi consider it actually being a good idea. Moping around and feeling sorry for himself is definitely not going to make anything better, and he has done quite a lot of that lately. Even he can enjoy a night out from time to time, and what better time to do it than now?
“Okay,” Megumi says. “You better find me someone hot, though.”
“What do you take me for? Although, now when I know about your taste in men, you could just use me as a rebound.”
Yuji nudges Megumi’s arm with his elbow. Megumi scoffs and nudges back. At least Yuji can joke about it. After meeting up with Sukuna, Megumi has not heard from him, and while tempted to ask Yuji about him, he has refrained from doing so. It does not seem like Sukuna has told Yuji about them meeting up, and Megumi hasn’t either. He does not know why.
“That has nothing to do with taste,” Megumi says.
“Is he your type, though? All things aside.”
Megumi shrugs. The answer is undeniably a resounding yes. Sukuna is an attractive guy, to say the least, and while Megumi still doesn’t know him very well, he had been surprisingly kind too. Kind in a way that made something vital shift in Megumi, softening a part of him he hadn’t been aware was hardened. He has no plans of letting Yuji know that. Him going into an early heat after meeting his brother is awkward enough.
“Doesn’t hurt to look at,” Megumi finally says.
*
When it is decided that Megumi is coming with them, Nobara arranges to take Megumi with her to buy him new clothes. What’s in his closet is apparently too “homeless-like” to wear on a night out, and for once, Megumi might actually agree. His preferred style of clothing is undeniably more suited to wear at home, not when going out to look for a rebound.
It takes Nobara some coaxing to convince him to try and show off a bit more skin, and they find a rather good compromise when he finally agrees to try on a sleeveless shirt with a turtleneck collar. The most important thing, according to Nobara, is to get him new shoes. She forces him to try on a pair of black boots, and even pays for them. Anything to get him to stop wearing horrendous shoes, she says. Matching it with a pair of well-fitting jeans is going to give him a whole different kind of look than usual, which was the whole point.
At first he is not that sure about the way the shirt leaves an inch of his stomach bare, but after seeing how Yuji’s eyes widens at the sight of his outfit, flickering his gaze in a manner that is rather unlike him, Megumi feels better about it.
They down two shots before leaving Megumi’s place and head to the heart of the city. There are a couple of clubs to choose between, and while they have certain places they usually go to, tonight Nobara has her eyes set on one of the larger clubs. While she does not specify what it is that is so special about it, Megumi understands the second they arrive inside.
“Seems like a popular place among alpha women,” Megumi says to Yuji, who grins.
“Who could have known,” Yuji says. “But I bet we can find you some nice guy as well.”
“I was mostly joking when I said that.”
“Yeah, I know, but still doesn’t hurt to look. We can at least rank them. Come on, I’ll buy you a drink.”
If it hadn’t been for the soothing embrace of the tequila they drank earlier, Megumi would have been more bothered by the crowd. It is still early but there are swarming with people, and Yuji holds his hand when they make their way to the bar. Nobara is already gone, as to be expected.
With a Moscow in hand, Megumi follows Yuji to find a good spot to sit and observe the people. Lucky enough, they find an empty booth to sit in, and while sipping their drinks, they start their ranking. A lot of fours and fives when asking Megumi, and seven to eight according to Yuji. Yuji accuses Megumi of being too picky, something Megumi would like to think is a healthy habit.
“What about that guy?” Yuji nods towards a gigantic alpha with a prominent scar on his face. Megumi frowns, considering it for a while. Nice body, sure, though almost a bit too bulky. Rowdy, probably loud.
“Three. He looks like he could destroy a house with his bare hands.”
“I thought that was your thing?”
Yuji grins at him. His voice is a bit slurry, and his eyes dulled. Megumi slowly blinks and takes the straw between his teeth, chasing the last drops, slurping around the bottom of the glass.
“Are you ever going to give me some slack?” Megumi mutters when he has swallowed. “I’m sorry for wanting your brother to ravage me, okay?”
Yuji laughs. The wrinkles around his eyes making him look boyish and adorable. It really is a shame that Megumi doesn’t feel attracted to him. Even Toji might have accepted him, seeing how he has actually slowly, slowly warmed up to him. Yuji probably got a lot of bonus points after getting Sukuna away from Megumi too.
“It’s cool. I mean, it’s the omega inside you that causes it, right?”
Megumi grimaces. He despises having it phrased like that, even though it is very much the truth. He puts the empty glass down the table and folds his arms over his chest.
“Just be glad you are a beta.”
“I am,” Yuji grins. “I’ll go get us another one, don’t get into any trouble, kay?”
Megumi watches when Yuji heads toward the bar again. His jeans are hugging his strong legs, the pink T-shirt tight over his broad shoulders and loose around the waist. Yuji’s visits to the gym definitely pays off well. Megumi should be more attracted to him. It really makes zero sense that he isn’t.
Megumi lazily stirs the straw in the empty glass, looking around to see if he can spot Nobara. The club contains two floors and there are large, tainted windows on the second floor, making it so that people up there can spy down on the first floor. He gazes up, trying to spot any movements up there, but it is no use. While he knows that Nobara can take perfectly good care of herself, a part of him is a bit uncomfortable with her moving around alone. She is an omega, after all, and this place is packed with alphas.
“Hey, pretty thing.”
Megumi tears his eyes from the window. A man has approached the table and is smiling down at him. His hair is dyed purple and thin, slitted eyebrows makes him look sharp as a knife. He is holding a bottle of beer in his hand, the other lazily resting on his hip. Megumi does not feel much scent from the man, but he does not have to. Nothing but an alpha would waltz over like this when spotting a lone, drunk omega.
“Are you here alone?” the man asks.
“No. My friend is getting us drinks.”
The man gestures to the empty seat and Megumi merely shrugs. He sits down.
“I’m Kinji,” the man says. “Kinji Hakari.”
“Fushiguro.” Megumi quickly check to see if Yuji is on his way back but can’t spot in in the crowd. He better not take much longer, because small talking with strangers is much more Yuji’s thing to handle.
“That is a pretty name. Suiting for such a pretty omega.”
“Thanks,” Megumi says with a bored tone.
There was once a club exclusive for omegas not far from here. Megumi and Nobara went there from time to time. She claimed it to be too boring, while Megumi had quite enjoyed the calm atmosphere there. Suppressants puta a calming blanket over alphas rowdy, dominant nature. However, mixing it with alcohol can make it less efficient, and there are still some alphas that refuses to use them at all despite that being illegal, so having a place just for omegas had been like a safe haven. A group of both alphas and betas got worked up about being excluded and it ended up being shut down after just a few months in the end. This guy looks to be just like someone who could have been involved in that happening.
“You’re that type, huh?” Kinji leans the bottle to his lips, smiling. “Playing it coy and hard to get. It’s cool, I can handle that.”
Megumi leans his crossed arms on the table, sweeps his gaze over the man, deliberately slow. Obnoxious flirting is even less his thing than small talk. This Kinji-guy is for sure used to have people appreciating his looks and well-built body. Megumi is definitely not one of them and he is already bored with this conversation.
“I hardly think so.”
“Feisty.” Kinji grins at him and pours beer in between his parted lips, chin tilted back. He drinks like that to show off his fangs, for sure. He gestures to Megumi when he has put the bottle down again. “I tell you what, little omega. Let’s make a deal. If I can get you to crack a smile before your friend comes back, you owe me a favor. If I don’t-“
“No,” Megumi interrupts. “I don’t make deals with obnoxious dudes. I know your type, and your behavior is ridiculous, not to mention dated. It is time for you to figure out a better way to get someone laid.”
This does not scare Kinji off. Not even the slightest. In fact, his grin grows wider, feral. He crosses his arms and leans over the table, copying Megumi’s pose.
“I’ll say, your standards are high.”
“Shouldn’t they be?” Megumi raises an eyebrow.
“Of course they should. Your friend is getting you drinks, you said? I would have loved to buy you one otherwise.”
“To spike it? I’m not an idiot.”
Kinji’s eyes sparkle in a way Megumi knows far too well. Megumi’s resistance is only triggering his desire more, and that is really the worst kind of guy to get involved with because there is no way to win. Megumi is just about to get up from the table and leave when the calming breeze of Yuji’s scent reaches his nose.
“I thought I told you not to get into trouble,” Yuji says. He sits down next to Kinji, pushes Megumi glass over the table. He quickly scans Kinji, down and up. “Are you trying to hit on my friend? Good luck with that, my guy.”
Kinji twists his upper body to face Yuji, raising an eyebrow. He points at him with the bottle. His demeanor changes in an instant, all of the obnoxious teasing gone.
“You are related to Ryomen Sukuna, right?” Kinji asks.
Megumi pauses in the middle of lifting his glass to take sip. Hearing Sukuna’s name makes this conversation a lot more interesting. Are they friends? They can’t be that close considering that Kinji hasn’t met Yuji before, but on the other hand, Megumi hadn’t met Sukuna until very recently either and he hangs out a lot with Yuji. Yuji takes a chug of beer and nods.
“You know him?”
“Everybody does.” Kinji chuckles and makes a vague gesture with his hand, tilting his head to the side. “At least where I’m from.”
Megumi and Yuji quickly exchanges a look. Kinji is not trying to be subtle. He wants to lure them in by sparking their curiosity. Much to Megumi’s annoyance, it works. If he had been sober, he might have reasoned differently. Now, he decides to take the bait.
“And where is that?” Megumi asks.
Kinji raises his thin brows, pauses to take a slow chug of beer, eyeing Megumi while he shallows it down. Slowly licking his lips, he bares his fangs.
“Not telling you.”
“Real mature.” Megumi scoffs. “We could just ask him ourselves.”
“You do that, little omega.”
Kinji grins in a way that shows just how little Sukuna is going to tell. Megumi has not asked Yuji much at all about Sukuna, and now curiosity is bubbling in the pit of his stomach. Kinji might just tease them. It could be another way to get hold of their, Megumi’s, attention, like one would expect from a guy like him.
There is no mistaking Yuji is curious as well. The air around him is vibrating of restlessness. Megumi takes a deep chug of his new drink. He wants to know more about Sukuna, about a part that not even Yuji knows about. Guys like Kinji are easy enough to wrap around the finger, Megumi knows. Encouraged by that, and also the fact that he is drunk, Megumi leans forward again.
“What do you want in exchange for you telling us?” Megumi says.
“No deals with obnoxious dudes, was it not?” Kinji taps the bottle with his index finger, twice. He is already being lured in, though, eyes fixed on Megumi. Megumi holds his gaze, ignoring the way Yuji looks to be shifting in his seat.
“You want something or not?”
“Five minutes.”
“What?” Megumi frowns.
“Five minutes, alone. With you.” Kinji gestures to Megumi. “Give me that, and I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”
Yuji’s shoulders instantly tenses. His expressions twist to a scowl and he suddenly look a lot more like Sukuna. Megumi baps Yuji’s foot under the table. It is hardly the first time he has to handle a man like this, there is no reason for Yuji to ignite, or intervene. Megumi is not stupid enough to spend time alone with an alpha like this, no matter what he might gain from it. It irritates him, though. It really does. Being this close from getting to know Sukuna better, yet so far away.
“Do you take me for an idiot?” Megumi raises his eyebrows. “I am not spending a second alone with you.”
“I would not have taken you for being scared of an alpha,” Kinji says, shrugging. “Too bad.”
Megumi scoots to the end on the booth so that he can get up.
“Let’s go,” Megumi says to Yuji.
Yuji shortly nods, and they leave. Megumi can feel the obnoxious man’s gaze tickle his neck when they move away from there and to find another place to sit.
Megumi finishes his drink, and Yuji gets him another. They spot Nobara in the company of a dark-haired alpha girl, and she is clearly having the best time of them all tonight. Megumi tries not to, but is heavily distracted by the thoughts of Sukuna, and what that Kinji said about him. Kinji was apparently the kind of alpha that was bad news. The kind that still thought of omegas as his property, and Megumi cannot get his head around why Sukuna should even want to be involved with a guy like that.
As it happens, Megumi spots Kinji again later that night. Megumi has stumbled to the bathroom after drinking perhaps one drink too much and pissing for what felt like forever. The door to the bathroom opens when he is washing his hands and the first thing he notices through the mirror is purple hair. Their eyes meet, and Kinji grins.
“Still here? It’s getting pretty late. Shouldn’t puppies like you be home in bed by this time?”
Megumi shakes the water from his hands and turns to face the man instead, swaying some where he stands. He is too drunk to get angry. Kinji looks like he is rather drunk as well, and Megumi can smell more of his scent now, especially when they are not surrounded by a large crowd.
“This is a pretty good opportunity for you to offer me the five minutes in exchange for some information on Ryomen, you know,” Kinji says. “Too bad it’s such a small space. It won’t be much of a chase in here. Takes away all the fun.”
Megumi scowls when Kinji moves in closer, cornering him against the sink. The thoughts of Sukuna has not left him alone during the whole night. The way Kinji behaved, the way he talked, why would Sukuna even be involved with him? Something uncomfortable is starting to stir in his stomach. He wants to know if Sukuna is the way he pictured him, or if it is an image that he has created only for Megumi. He must.
“Pick something else,” Megumi says. “I’m not going to let you chase me, you sleaze. And I am not going to let you fuck me, and I am not going to suck you off.”
Kinji eyes him. Gaze intense, he leans even closer. Megumi curves his back to get away from his face.
“Let me scent you, then.”
Megumi narrows his eyes. Scenting someone when on suppressants is really not going to do him any good, as no other alphas is going to notice it on him. Especially not in a place like this, that is crammed with people. It is an act of pure dominance, then. A way of testing Megumi, see how far he can push him. Megumi raises his chin. He has nothing to prove. Yet, telling him no somehow feel like it would be a way of confirming that Kinji really do have power over him. That he is scared.
“Fine.” Megumi shrugs. “Go ahead.”
Kinji instantly grabs his chin and gets so close Megumi can feel his breath on his lips. The way he acts is just like a predator. Both he and Sukuna are alphas, so it would be easy to think that they would make Megumi react the same. The way his body responds now is nothing like it did with Sukuna. His stomach twists in a way that makes him slightly nauseous, and he has to force himself to stay put. Trying to run is only going to make things worse.
“Purr nicely for me now, will ya?” Kinji growls.
“Just get it over with,” Megumi growls back through gritted teeth.
Megumi looks up the ceiling when Kinji strokes his cheek over Megumi’s. Someone could step inside at any minute, there might be someone inside one of the booths, which he tries to ignore. They can blame the alcohol. Besides, seeing people rubbing and grinding against each other is really not unusual on evenings like these. No one is going to judge him, save for maybe Yuji.
Kinji grabs Megumi’s hip and forces him closer when moving to rub his other cheek. Megumi presses his lips to a thin line. While he can’t smell much of it, and no one else is going to either, all he can think about is the last time he met Sukuna, how he held him, the warmth of his embrace. His scent.
Megumi distracts himself with those thoughts, ignoring the twist in the pit of his stomach when Kinji nibbles his earlobe.
“Ever watched two alphas fight?” Kinji rasps in his ear.
“What?” Megumi mumbles.
“I’m going to take that as a no. I’ve got a place where you get to do that. You should come.”
“And why would I do that?”
Kinji is still holding Megumi’s hip when he leans back. The feral grin on his lips and his dilated pupils makes him look a beast. A shiver tickles Megumi’s spine when he wriggles to get away, can’t help the instinct to flee. Kinji holds him harder.
“You would get to see Ryomen there, and since I can smell how you react just by hearing his name even through your suppressants, I bet you would love it. He is one of the absolute best, and I bet he would become even better if we put you up as a price for the night.” Kinji puts the tip of his tongue in the corner of his mouth. “You know about the abandoned construction site on west side of town? You’ll find us there on Monday and Thursday nights. Consider visiting us, will ya, little omega?”
“Fuck off.” Megumi shoves Kinji away, and he let it happen.
He does not tell Yuji about what happened when he returns to his seat again, but he can feel his brown eyes lingering on him. He does not want to believe what Kinji told him, and he most certainly does not want to listen to the part of him thinking it might be true.
*
Unsurprisingly, Megumi can’t stop thinking about what Kinji told him, the supposedly illegal stuff Sukuna is involved with. He has heard about places like that, fight clubs where alphas meet to let their “natural” instincts shine through.
Telling Yuji about it is not an alternative, because what will happen if Sukuna is actually there, and he gets to see his brother involved in such things? Megumi is going to make sure by himself first, and then he can take care of solving the problem of how to tell Yuji about it all, if Sukuna is actually there.
Megumi heads there a late Thursday night, searching the place Kinji described for him. It is easy enough to find the way there, as he can smell where to go. The whole area surrounding the abandoned construction site is reeking of alpha. As he is sneaking around, Megumi spots two people walking towards a metallic door that leads down to what must be a basement of some kind. He heads over there after they have closed the door behind them. Megumi waits outside for a while before he slinks inside.
The first thing he hears are sounds of an ongoing fighting, grunting, and excited growls. And then the smell of alpha reaches his nose. Strong, and lots of it. The curiosity is still getting the best of him, so he walks down the narrow stairs, closing in on the sounds.
A crowd of people are surrounding a free space in the middle of a large room. Megumi is not an avid watcher of movies, but he can imagine this being like taken straight from one portraying fight clubs of some kind. The crowd cheers when someone is slammed down the ground in the circle. Megumi stands on his tippy toes to see, but the people in front of him are too tall. Almost everyone must be an alpha, or a beta. No sight of Sukuna yet.
“Oh, it must be my lucky night, little omega.” An arm slings around his shoulder. Megumi freezes. He does not have to look up to know who it is, and he can very well imagine the grin on Kinji’s face. “I did not expect you to show up. Not many omegas dare to make their way down here, you know. You better be careful.”
“And why is that?” Megumi asks, even though he is fairly sure of the reason.
“The fighters are off their suppressants. Makes it spicier that way. You are on yours, though, right? You should be safe, so don’t worry too much about it. Enjoy the show.”
“No wonder this place stinks,” Megumi mutters.
“Well, there is one scent you should like. Actually, I think he might be the one-“
A ruckus among the crowd makes both Megumi and Kinji to look up. Someone is pummeling through the people that watched the fight, coming their way. Megumi stares when Sukuna shoves the last people aside. He is shirtless, shoving off a tattooed, well-built upper body, glistering with sweat, his knuckles stained with blood. Crimson eyes burning wild, teeth bared. Megumi’s body turns to ice when their eyes meet.
Logically, he knew that he would see him there, but was still hoping to be proven wrong. A lump form in the pit of his stomach at the sight of Sukuna’s wild eyes. Is this really the Sukuna he met? The same man that apologized and backed away as soon he noticed he had closed in too much in the store, the man that had texted him after his heat, who pulled out chairs, bought cakes and analyzed problematic gender roles? The same man whose embrace made him feel like the safest person on earth?
The first time they met, he had thought Sukuna was off suppressants. Now, his scent is turning Megumi’s lungs to ash. He wants to get out, but his body won’t let him move. Sukuna turns his eyes to Kinji, who is still holding Megumi’s shoulders.
“Get your fucking hands off him.”
Megumi stumbles away just in time when Sukuna throws himself over Kinji with a roar. The crowd awakens and hurries to intervene, shouting at Sukuna to calm down. It takes three, large alphas to get Sukuna away from Kinji, and as soon as he is free, Kinji grabs Megumi and shoves him towards the stairs. The bottom half of his face is smeared with blood, gushing from his nose.
“What are you doing?” Kinji hisses. “Run!”
Whatever Megumi’s heart might feel about seeing Sukuna like this, his body is not agreeing. His knees are too weak to carry him, his heart fluttering too fast in his chest. Sukuna is struggling hard against the men holding him, trying to make his way to Megumi. Megumi can’t tear his eyes away.
“Get out,” Sukuna growls, baring his fangs. “Get out.”
Megumi is finally able to move. He stumbles in the stairs in his hurry and a sharp pain shoot through his wrist when he catches himself from the fall. Behind him the shouts and barks are growing louder, like the whole crowd is struggling to keep Sukuna down there. Megumi throws himself out the door and darts away.
*
“What happened?”
Yuji is eyeing Megumi’s swollen wrist. It hurts bad enough for Megumi to be unable to write properly, so he is forced to settle with only reading while they study. Megumi looks down at the bloated skin. He had hoped it would go unnoticed, but that is definitely too much to ask.
“Fell in some stairs and caught myself,” Megumi says.
“Damn. Have you gone to get it checked? It looks pretty bad.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“Yes it is. What is it with you? Refusing to seek help even though you clearly need it does not make you cool, you tsundere.”
Yuji reaches for Megumi’s arm, and Megumi allows it. Yuji gently twists Megumi’s arm; a small frown takes shape in his forehead as he inspects his wrist. Painkillers has taken care of the worst of the throbbing, and he can move it, so it’s not broken.
“It’s not about making myself seem cool,” Megumi says.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Not wanting to be a bother, yada yada. It really would not hurt if you tried to rely more on others. Whether it is me, Nobara, or a damn doctor checking your swollen as fuck wrist.”
Part of him knows it to be true. His plan had been to wait for the swelling to come down. It has been four days since he went to the place where he saw a side of Sukuna he wishes he never would have seen, and while he does not want to allow himself to be disappointed, he can’t help that he is.
He allowed himself to think that Sukuna was different. When they had been at the café, Megumi had really felt that there was something special about him, that he was unlike any other alpha he had ever met in his life. In reality, Sukuna was just like that, only more skilled in making himself seem like a gentleman, and the let-down is making Megumi’s mouth taste sour.
Despite having his number, Megumi has not contacted him. A part of him wants to make sure Sukuna was not hurt after Megumi ran away but he also realizes that is ridiculous. Sukuna is fine. It would take a lot to take down someone like him.
Sukuna has not contacted him either. Megumi has checked his phone every other minute since that night, and despite knowing better, his disappointment grows every time he sees that there are no new messages waiting for him.
“I’ll call them if it’s not better by tomorrow,” Megumi says and takes his arm back. “It’s not like it’s broken.”
Yuji sighs deeply but leaves him be.
Megumi usually spends his lunches with Yuji or Nobara, but today he comes up with a half-assed excuse and heads home instead. He is in a way too bad mood to try and make it through the rest of the day.
It has not been long since he first met Sukuna, yet he can’t remember what it felt like in his head before that. Now, it is like it is filled with ants, tickling and crawling all over is thoughts and making him unable to focus on anything at all. Since when is he the type to get distracted like this? Megumi has read about that kind of thing happening a thousand times, seen it in a thousand movie, but never has he imagined it happening to him.
He wants to despise Sukuna. He really do. The kind of guy that skips his suppressants to show off his power in some fucking underground fight club is nothing but trouble, and no matter how sweet he had made himself seem when they met alone, those were not his true colors. Or were they? Megumi clicks his tongue in annoyance. Is he really trying to defend Sukuna? How typical.
Megumi hides his hands in his pockets. He really need to get himself some mittens. The days are getting really cold now, and he is not making himself any favors with being too cheap to get himself some proper clothes for the winter. Perhaps he should make Nobara happy by asking her to go shopping with him again.
A far too familiar scent suddenly filling his lungs makes his body jolt and stomach twist to a hard knot. There is no mistake that it is Sukuna’s scent, and he soon spots him further down the road. He is not alone. Sukuna is leaning lazily against a railing, a cigarette between his fingers, and his other hand resting on the back of a girl that looks to be about Megumi’s age. Younger, even. The girl is looking up at Sukuna, smiling, hands sliding inside his open leather jacket, over his chest. Sukuna says something to her, and she laughs.
Megumi has stopped walking without realizing it. For a moment he just stares, unblinking, before forcing his feet to move again. It doesn’t matter. He stares straight ahead when getting closer. It doesn’t matter. He is soon close enough to hear their conversation and makes sure not to forget how to breathe. They agreed to this. It doesn’t matter.
“Are you sure you are not going to get that checked?” the girl asks. “It is still pretty swollen.”
“It’s fine,” Sukuna says. “It’ll be gone in a couple of days. Trust me, doll, it’s not the first time I get a black eye.”
“Don’t I know it.”
The sound of Sukuna’s deep voice is enough to make Megumi’s stomach churn. He keeps walking. Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. He is almost close enough to walk past them, can see them in the corner of his eyes. Sukuna’s pink hair, maybe even the shade of purple and blue under his left eye.
The shift in Sukuna’s scent when he spots him is unmistakable, and Megumi hear Sukuna inhale, as if he is about to say something. Nothing comes, however, and it takes everything he has to not look over his shoulder, or to speed up to get away faster. He prays it doesn’t show how tense he is.
“’Kuna?” the girl says. Sukuna does not answer, Megumi swear he can feel his eyes on him, burning a hole in his back, all the way through his chest.
He wants Sukuna to do something. He wishes so badly to hear the sounds of hurried steps, to feel that flaming scent growing stronger, a large hand grabbing Megumi’s arm. Megumi would not turn, but Sukuna would force him, holding him gently, yet firm. While he does not know what he wishes to hear Sukuna say, he would settle with anything. He wants a confirmation that lets him know that Sukuna has been thinking about Megumi as much as Megumi has been thinking about him.
Nothing of that happens. Megumi walks away, and he hear that Sukuna says something to the girl, and that’s it. The hole in Megumi’s chest has grown twice as large by the time he arrives home, and he curls up in his bed, hiding under his blankets in an attempt to shut out the world, if only for a while.
*
The doorbell has been ringing several times. Megumi would have been annoyed if he hadn’t been so tired. He wants another blanket, the one he is curled up under is not enough to keep him warm. How long has it been since he got here? All he has done the past couple of days is to lay there, only left the bed to visit the bathroom and drink water, but other than that he just slept. Yuji texted him, he faintly remembers, and he wrote back telling him that he was sick and needed some rest.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Toji’s voice sounds like he is far, far away, but he is right there in the bedroom, tugging Megumi’s blanket to dig him out from the little nest he has made himself. Toji’s annoyance is quickly replaced with the most genuine concern Megumi has ever seen on his father’s face when their eyes meet.
“Wha- Megumi? What the hell happened to you?” Toji touches his forehead and his cheek with the back of his hand. His fingers feels cool on his skin, however that can be when he is freezing like an animal. “It’s that fucking alpha, isn’t it? I’ll kill him. I’m going to fucking kill him.”
Megumi closes his eyes. Toji is still resting his hand on Megumi’s forehead when he takes his phone out of his pocket, and Megumi’s consciousness must be fading; he can hear Toji speak to someone, but it sound like it is underwater.
The next time his head clears enough for him to be aware that he is awake, Yuji is in the room. His scent is close, and Megumi can hear him talking to someone. It takes Megumi a while to understand that his friend is sitting on the edge of the bed, stroking Megumi’s hair, while Toji is pacing back and forth in the room.
“Have you called the doctor?” Yuji asks.
“To tell him what? We already know this is your fucking brother’s doing. You better make sure he fixes whatever he has done to my son.”
“I am telling you, it’s no use talking to Sukuna. He is sick as well.”
Megumi stirs, his heart twisting to a tight, little knot. Yuji instantly turns to him and leans in closer.
“Are you awake? Megumi? Say something, please. What can I do to help you?”
Toji hurries over and hunches down next to the bed. Megumi blinks, slowly. A small part of him that understands how ridiculous this is. Getting sick over a guy he barely even know? Talk about being a cliché, the worst there has ever been. These lame instincts of his is making him look like a damn fool. Megumi weakly tugs Yuji’s shirt.
“Sukuna… is sick?” Megumi’s voice is hoarse, barely audible. Yuji nods.
“I tried to visit him earlier and he is going completely mad. He has trashed his entire apartment, and he kept screaming at me to get out. It was almost like he didn’t even know it was me. I have never seen him like that, ever. I think… It’s because of you.”
“The hell are you saying?” Toji snarls.
“I don’t mean like it’s intentional, but both of them are completely out of it, that can hardly be a coincidence.” Yuji strokes Megumi’s hair again, fingers sliding slowly through the dark, messy strands. “Megumi, did Sukuna do something to you? Did you…?”
“No,” Megumi says. “H-he didn’t... We haven’t done a-anything.”
It even hurts to keep his eyes open. Nothing about this makes any sense. There are endless stories that romanticise the idea of people losing their sanity over not being with the one that was supposedly fated for them. Megumi never thought it could ever turn out to be a real thing.
“I think I’m losing my mind,” Megumi mumbles. “I don’t know what to do. It feels like… I think I’m dying.”
Yuji keeps petting his hair, frowning deeply when he turns his eyes to Toji. Toji’s expression is stern and his jaw tense. For a long moment he is unmoving, eyes fixed at Megumi, yet he is somewhere far away in his mind. Yuji starts to shift after a while, chewing his lip.
“Mr. Fushiguro, if… If we don’t do something about this, he might actually-”
“Fuck,” Toji grits out. “Fucking hell. If that fucking brother of yours do anything to hurt him, I will kill him myself.”
“I know, and he won’t.”
“Go get him. Hurry.”
*
Megumi is hiding underneath the blanket again. Toji is pacing, back and forth, back and forth. Somewhere is the haze of his mind, Megumi hears him mutter about it taking too long, and he does not understand what he is talking about. The door to the apartment opens again and quick steps are moving over the floor. Megumi hear that Toji walks over to the door leading to the bedroom. Then, a trembling voice, familiar, yet he can’t place it.
“Move.”
“Listen pup,” Toji growls. “If you hurt him-“
“Move.”
A grunt is heard, followed by hands quickly pawing over Megumi’s blanket. He remains unmoving when it is ripped off him. Sukuna’s burning scent fills the entire room, but it does nothing to soothe Megumi. Sukuna is terrified.
“Megumi?” Sukuna leans deep over him, cups his cheeks with both hands, lifting his head from the bed. “I’m here. Please, look at me. Look at me, baby. I’m so sorry for leaving you like this, I didn’t know. I’m here now.”
Sukuna strokes his thumbs over Megumi’s cold cheeks. When Megumi doesn’t respond to it at all, he knits his brows, flitting his eyes over Megumi’s face. With a swift movement, he pulls Megumi up to sit and wraps his arms around him, pressing Megumi to his body. Megumi’s arms hangs limp by his sides when Sukuna rubs his cheek over Megumi’s.
“Come on,” Sukuna says. “Get a grip now, baby. Wake up. I’m here.”
Sukuna keeps holding him like that, his large frame pressing hard against Megumi’s shivering body. Toji and Yuji are both lingering by the doorway, looking equally worried and uncomfortable. Sukuna keeps speaking soft words in Megumi’s ear, stroking his hand over the back of his head and down over his neck.
It feels like it is an eternity before a soft, soft purr slips from Megumi, and he weakly wraps his arms around Sukuna’s neck, nuzzling his face against his warm skin. The relief flares through Sukuna’s scent, stiff body relaxing when he let out a deep, deep sigh.
“That’s it. It’s okay. Are you feeling better?”
“A little,” Megumi mumbles.
“You scared the life out of me. Never do that again.”
“I’m sorry.”
Megumi holds Sukuna harder. The cloud that has been making his head foggy is slowly fading. In the corner of his eye, Yuji grabs Toji’s arm to drag him out from the room. Surprisingly, his father actually comes along. Moments later, the door to Megumi’s apartment opens and closes again. Sukuna rubs his hands in small circles over Megumi’s back.
“Yuji said you were sick,” Megumi says after a while.
“I was. I don’t even know what happened, but I’m sure it was because of you. I thought I was losing my fucking mind, honestly. I went apeshit all over my place. Being irritated over small things is rather usual for me, especially if I have been off my suppressants, but this was something else entirely.”
Megumi leans back. The way Sukuna knits his eyebrows when their eyes meet lets him know that they are thinking on the same thing.
“Why did you go there?” Sukuna asks, voice low. “You could have gotten seriously hurt.”
“Why did you?” Megumi resorts.
“Money. Kinji pay me good to come there and fight. Is he the one that told you about it?”
Megumi nods. He proceeds to tell Sukuna about the night he met Kinji, his obnoxious flirting, the deal he made with Megumi to tell him about Sukuna. He even tells him about Kinji scenting him, and Sukuna’s jaw grow tense.
“You let him do it?” Sukuna mutters.
“As if I owe you anything,” Megumi mutters back. “We agreed back at the café. I don’t belong to you. You were with that girl too.”
“Well, I… Yeah. I was. But you have to admit that we are meant to be together. I think this made that very clear.” Sukuna gestures to Megumi’s chest, whatever that is supposed to mean. “If this is what happens when we are apart, there is no way that can be the right choice. You looked like you were dying.”
Megumi doesn’t bother to say it was what he felt like.
“What are we going to do then?” Megumi asks. “I don’t even know you, and you don’t know anything about me.”
“Does it matter?” Sukuna asks. “When I look at you, I feel like something that has been missing my whole life is there. It feels like home. It feels right. You feel the same, don’t you?”
Megumi combs his fingers through Sukuna’s hair, scratching behind his ears, down his neck.
“I do,” Megumi says. “At least my body does. I feel that it knows that this is right. It does not matter what I try to make out of it, logically. I don’t know what to think.”
“Then don’t,” Sukuna murmurs. He leans in and buries his face to Megumi’s neck. Licking his skin, he lets out a heavy sigh at the taste of him. His large hands slide in under Megumi’s shirt, fingertips trailing up his stomach, over his chest. Megumi pliantly lies down when Sukuna pushes him to the bed. “Just let yourself feel this. Don’t think.”
“Sukuna…”
Sukuna hushes softly. Megumi does not try to speak any more, and he allows himself to relax. Not thinking, only feeling. Feeling the warmth and weight of Sukuna’s body on top of his, feeling vulnerable and still so safe in his arms, feeling the heat of his kisses all over his skin.
*
They spend the rest of the night in Megumi’s bed, mostly nuzzling against each other, but also talking. It turns out that Megumi got sick two days ago, which he has no recollection of whatsoever. It was the same for Sukuna. While there are still things they should talk about and they have things to work out, Megumi is letting that rest for now. He is splayed out on top of Sukuna, lazily trailing his fingertips over the black ink on his chest. Sukuna still gently scratches Megumi’s neck.
“I look forward to getting to know you more,” Sukuna says.
“You do?”
“Of course. But I am guessing you like to read.” Sukuna gestures to the small pile of books on Megumi’s nightstand. “Yuji told me you are good in school as well. That you are smart, but a lot tougher than you look.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“So, you didn’t get into fights with alphas when you were younger?”
Megumi huffs out a small laugh. “He told you about that? Well, they kept teasing me for being an omega, and I got tired of it.”
Sukuna hums. “That’s good. That you stood up to them, I mean.”
“How long have you been going to those fight club places?”
“A couple of months. Speaking of, I would appreciate if you don’t say anything about that to Yuji.”
Megumi is not going to say anything, but he still frowns at the thought of keeping a secret to one of his very few friends. It does not feel right.
“Does that mean that you are still going to go there?” Megumi asks.
“As for now, it is my main source of income, so… Yes. You have to promise me not to come there. It is definitely not a place omegas should visit. Especially not an omega like you.”
“Like me?”
“You know. Male. It’s rare, and you know how people get among rare jewels. And if I am going to ever have a chance to make that father of yours accept me, I better at least keep you away from there.”
Megumi can’t help but smile at the thought of Sukuna trying to convince Toji that he is the one for him.
“I’ll promise only if you promise me to be careful.”
“Always.” Sukuna kisses the top of Megumi’s head. “Even if I am yet to lose a fight.”
“You think you could take on my dad?” Megumi asks, teasingly. A rumble climbs through Sukuna’s chest before he bursts out laughing.
“No, babe. I saw that look in his eyes. I know a man that would tear me to pieces when I see one.”
“Glad to know we have that in common.”
“Yeah.” Sukuna smile wide enough for his fangs to show. “Though I would never do anything to hurt you. Unless you asked me to, little omega.”
Megumi trails his fingertips over Sukuna’s inked chest again, a smile tugging his lips. Never in his life would he have imagined that his chest would feel warm and sparkling by being called that. He found something he didn’t know was missing to begin with. Megumi closes his eyes.
“Don’t push your luck, alpha.”