Chapter Text
Sukuna focused his attention on the methodical motion of scrubbing the food off their plates from breakfast, making sure that the water didn’t run for too long. The water bill for last month was too high and if they rack up one like that another time, they’ll have to cut back on groceries. Again. Sukuna wasn’t opposed to making sacrifices so they could have hot water and electricity but the thought of Yuuji going without plunged something cold into the deepest pit of his stomach.
Speaking of Yuuji, “Aniki, where is the hospital bag?” His voice filtered throughout the small apartment, bright and cheery for so early in the morning. “I could’ve sworn I put it in the entry closet.”
“It’s on the sofa. I was packing lightweight clothes in case the facility hasn’t turned on the air-conditioner. Ojii-san will complain the whole visit if he’s hot.”
Yuuji made a light “Ah-ha!” noise as he found it and continued to bustle around the cramped space as Sukuna cleaned. They had a system that worked, even if it meant that the older by 15-minute sibling had to do most of the dirty work.
As Sukuna rinsed off the last dish, his attention was redirected towards the scraping noises he heard in the wall farthest from him. It was always this way. He at first thought it was rodents or snakes, but then he noticed that the noises only came at a distance away from him. Any time he tried to approach them to see what was causing the ruckus it would disappear. He had accepted years and years ago that he was absolutely out of his mind. Apparently, everyone else thought so too, as he asked grandfather what the noises were as a child and was stared at like he had grown a second head.
He has a set routine now when something like this happens. If he sees them, he has to close his eyes and steady his breathing until the feeling in his chest goes away. If he only hears them, he levels his breath and waits until the feeling dissipates. Either way, he takes his medication.
Fishing one supply of antipsychotics out of the kitchen cupboard, Sukuna popped a round chalky tablet into his mouth and closed his eyes against the bitter taste. Within seconds, the almost eerie feeling in his body began to fade. It was unnatural how quickly these medications worked.
When he opened his eyes again, Yuuji was standing in the conjoined living and dining room and was staring directly at him. The younger Alpha never seems to know what to say in these situations. He’s used to Sukuna’s episodes but it never gets easier to see his older brother in such a distressed state. Although Sukuna has a calm demeanor, his scent always gives away how much these hallucinations freak him out.
“Ready to go? Your bag is by the door.”
“Yep.” Yuuji bumped his head against Sukuna’s on his way to the front door, a subtle sign of comfort and a little scent marking. Not that it did much, the twin's scent was almost indecipherable from a lifetime of living together and already having the heaviest note of sage.
The two headed out the door and on their 20-minute walk to their school campus. It wasn’t an ideal arrangement, especially during the rainy season but they didn’t have a bus route that came into their neighborhood. Thankfully, today the sun was shining and Yuuji had a skip in his step as he prattled on about the outing they were planning in his little occult club.
The pink-haired boys parted ways as they went to their first classes. Sukuna had always been in more advanced classes than Yuuji, who learned at a slower and steadier pace. The material they taught always bored Sukuna, as he found his eyes glazing over before his second class had finished. There wasn’t ever anything new or interesting to catch his attention. Everything was just so boring. He needed something fascinating to finally focus on, but he wasn’t going to hold his breath. After 16 years of waiting for a miracle, he had resorted himself to taking care of his family until the day he died.
Walking in the halls between passing periods was always the worst part of Sukuna’s day. He found that was when the wandering eyes got under his skin the most. People always stared at him. It wasn’t like he could blame them necessarily, but it still never felt good.
For as long as he could remember, Sukuna had black lines adorning his body. His face, chest, arms, legs, you name it. He never knew how they got there and when he asked Ojii-san, it seemed like the old man wasn’t exactly sure either. So, without a clear answer, teenagers will do what teenagers do and spread misinformation. Rumors that the Itadori parents had tattooed Sukuna to be able to tell the twins apart made waves around the campus when the school year first started. Sukuna is pretty sure that bothered Yuuji more than him, as Sukuna was used to these comments about his appearance. Yuuji, however, was livid that people would assume something nefarious was happening within their family while also implying that there was something wrong with Sukuna.
Sukuna laid down against the bleachers, staring up at the clouds passing. It was nice to have the sun on his face for a moment. It was also a distraction from the large creature he could see resting atop a light post, watching him. It was too soon to take another dose of his medication.
Yuuji was too kind for his own good, especially too kind to be his twin. There was something always radiant about the energy around the younger and slightly smaller of the two. Sukuna guessed there was something to be said about not seeing monsters that your mind created. However, he would always take the label as the deranged sibling if it meant that people left Yuuji alone.
But, Yuuji has never thought that Sukuna was crazy. The word never left the boy's mouth. He knew that his brother was troubled by the things he saw and the feelings that came over him, but he never blamed him for what was happening to him. The unconditional love from his sibling meant more to Sukuna than he’d ever tell the punk, and Yuuji certainly had a lot of love to give. He burnt himself on both ends through school and taking care of their grandfather. He decided that he should be the one to shoulder the responsibility of Ojii-san’s ailing health since Sukuna took care of the living arrangements.
Sukuna tried to convince Yuuji ages ago that their grandfather was not their responsibility but it just led to a huge fight that he’d rather not repeat. Sukuna and Wasuke never got along well, as Wasuke also thought that Sukuna was a demon child. He would never explain why but just stared at the older twin in distaste throughout his childhood.
All this reminiscing of his grandfather reminded Sukuna of the present. The present that said Yuuji very much should’ve already come down to the athletic field so they could regroup and go to the hospital.
Just as he was about to grow impatient, the sound of his brother bickering with his soccer coach made its way to his ears. The athletic director appeared to be challenging Yuuji and as the two lined up in shot-put, Sukuna could already see how this was going to end. There was something abnormally freakish about his brother's strength. And hearing. And flexibility.
There was something freakish about his brother.
As Yuuji smoked Coach, Sukuna stood and began to repack his things. When he directed his attention back up, a shout on his lips, he was startled to see his brother talking to another boy.
A beautiful boy.
He had dark, messy hair that complemented his lean composure, being just barely taller than Yuuji. His fair skin tone contrasted greatly against the dark blue slacks that clung devilishly to his long legs. The sleeves of his white button-up were rolled up to his elbows, showing off his frail wrists and milky arms.
Sukuna couldn’t make out what was being said between the two, but he saw Yuuji’s eyebrows pinch together, shoot to his forehead, and then his finger point directly at him. At that, the Beautiful Boy's face turned towards Sukuna.
In the few seconds it took for the dark-haired wonder to walk in his direction, Sukuna swears his palms went from dry as a desert to clammy as the ocean. There was something breathtaking about this person. When Beautiful finally got close enough Sukuna glanced over his face.
Spikey black hair, long lashes, green eyes, pink pouty lips…
Sukuna discreetly scented the air but found nothing. Either the boy was wearing scent blockers or he was a Beta. But, Sukuna didn’t wear scent blockers and he could see the smaller male taking shallow breaths through his mouth. Interesting.
When Beautiful finally lifted his eyes to meet Sukuna’s, he could swear time itself slowed for a moment. There was something electric in the air between them, sparking the most dormant parts of Sukuna’s senses awake. Apparently, Sukuna wasn’t the only one grappling for control of his secondary gender. There was a resting fire behind the pools of green that stared up at him.
After breaking their unspoken staring contest, Beautiful finally opened his mouth to speak:
“Itadori Sukuna, correct?”
Oh fuck— even his voice was hot. It had a deep timbre while being smooth as silk. There was something academically monotone about it, and fuck if his lips didn’t just pull the whole thing together. They were so full and pink –
“I am correct, right? I already got this wrong once.”
Oh right, he had to reply. That’s typically how these things went.
“I’m your guy,” Sukuna grinned down at the black-haired Omega, “what’s a pretty little sweetheart like you doing wandering over to someone like me?”
“Sweetheart?” Beautiful raised an eyebrow, either curious or irritated. Sukuna couldn’t tell from the lack of scent but the boy had a terrible poker face. “Whatever, do you have a moment? I would like to speak with you but it may take a bit.”
“Gladly, gorgeous. Yuuji will be fine for a bit, right brat! ” Sukuna pitched his voice up purposely so his brother heard him. Yuuji– who had been working his way over to the pair– whipped his head up and lightly snarled at the childlike treatment, flipping Sukuna the bird.
“Do whatever! Just be ready to go in fifteen!” He took a seat on the bleachers, pulling out a sheet of homework. As if suddenly remembering his manners, “It was really nice to meet you by the way, Fushiguro-kun!” Yuuji beamed at Beautiful. Fushiguro.
Fushiguro bowed slightly to Yuuji then grabbed the sleeve of Sukuna’s hoodie and pulled him around the side of the school building, out of sight of his peers. The noise from the athletic field died away and Sukuna could focus his attention on the light breaths that were coming from the smaller figure as he collected his thoughts.
“This is awfully forward of you. I’m flattered but we just met, Fushiguro.” Sukuna purred his name, leaning against the wall. Megumi cast him an unamused look but the slight redness to his cheeks didn’t go unmissed.
“How long have you had those tattoos?”
The question caught Sukuna sideways, causing him to pause and stare. God damn it, he was one of them.
“Listen, if this is some prank you can kiss my–”
“I’m just curious, Itadori. How long have you had the tattoos? When did you get them done?”
What was it with this kid? He comes from nowhere like a hidden gem and starts asking intrusive questions about Sukuna’s appearance. If he didn’t go to West Junior then there was no way for him to know about the rumors, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a friend of a student. But, dammit the kid seemed genuine. Maybe he actually just likes tattoos? It was unlikely but…
Fuck. What do I do?
“I’ve always had them.”
To Sukuna’s utter shock, Fushiguro’s lips ticked upwards ever so slightly. “That’s what I thought. I just wanted to check.”
“Excuse me?”
What the actual hell was this kid talking about? The longer the silence stretched, the closer Fushiguro looked at the different lines adorning Sukuna’s face.
“Are they just on your face? Or are they everywhere?”
“They’re everywhere,” Fushiguro shifted closer, trying to see, “What the hell? What is going on, sweetheart?”
As Fushiguro stood below Sukuna, he reached out to grab the Alpha’s arm. With Sukuna’s permission, he pushed up the hoodie sleeve to admire the rings of black ink wrapping around the tan muscle. A pale finger traced the band closest to Sukuna’s hand. From this angle, Sukuna could see past the high collar of the white button-up. Thick scent blockers were stuck to the collum of Fushiguro’s neck. The skin around the application was red and irritated. Sukuna felt a few more traces around his arm, light humming accompanying the touches.
Fushiguro took a step back, to Sukuna’s relief and disappointment.
“My name is Fushiguro Megumi. I’m a student at Tokyo Jujutsu Technical High School. How long have you been seeing curses? Have you always been able to see them?”
“See curses? I still don’t don’t know what you’re saying, kid. Talk in stupid people terms.”
“The creatures that look like monsters from children's books. I saw one out there on your turf. It was on top of the light post. Blue, big eyes, a weird tuft of brown hair? Surely you saw that too?”
Sukuna heard Megumi but his ability to form a response had stopped. Sukuna had closed his eyes on the bleacher and waited until had was certain he wouldn’t have to look at that hallucination any longer. Megumi could see that thing too? There was no way for that to be possible.
Distantly, Sukuna was aware of his phone buzzing in his pocket but he made no moves to pick it up. He couldn't be bothered with answering Yuuji. Not when the answers he’s been searching for were right in front of him.
“How do you know that? Do you have it too? My disorder?”
Megumi snorted, “Your disorder? Having cursed energy certainly isn’t a blessing but it isn’t a disorder. You’re just unlucky, like the rest of us.”
Sukuna could feel his mind actively shutting down. “Cursed energy?” Sukuna’s phone rang again and he ignored it again. The last thing he expected today was to have his world flipped upside down by the personification of the word ‘beauty’. There was so much he wanted to ask, but it was as if all the moisture in his mouth had been sucked dry and the knowledge in his head had been knocked out through his ears. He could only stare dumbly, mouth slightly agape.
“Yep, cursed energy. You might be able to feel it coming off of me. Here,” Megumi placed a delicate hand on Sukuna’s shoulder and locked eyes with him once again. At once, the brightness in Megumi’s eyes increased and that feeling in Sukuna’s chest when he had a hallucination began to swell. He sucked in a sharp inhale. “You can feel it. I figured as much. Your cursed energy is suffocating but it’s more precise than I would expect.”
“Sweetheart, nothing you’re saying is making any fucking sense. You have to start explaining or I’m going to flip my shit.”
The comment didn’t have his intended effect, as Megumi just pushed his shoulder back and let out a belly laugh. His full, boyish laugh was only mildly distracting from Sukuna’s internal warfare. Only mildly.
“Gojo-sensei will explain this all to you much better than I can. But, that requires you to come to my school. It’s a place for people with our… disorder .” Megumi smirked at him, raising his eyebrows in question. When Sukuna doesn’t react, Megumi lets out a breath and drops the act. “I’ll level it with you; you’re incredibly powerful and I was sent to recruit you. I would appreciate it if you came with me to Jujutsu Tech. Makes it less complicated for everyone, Itadori.”
A loud yell beat Sukuna to answer.
“Sukuna! Where the hell are you?!”
“Yuuji?” Sukuna’s brows furrowed, and he broke away from Megumi to bolt around the side of the building to where he could hear his brother's shouts coming from. The action resulted in him running head-first into Yuuji, both of them latching onto each other's arms to steady themselves from falling.
The first thing Sukuna noticed, Yuuji reeked. His scent was drenched in distress and panic. It stirred an uncomfortable protectiveness deep in Sukuna’s chest, and an involuntary coo began to work its way out of the taller man's throat.
“The hospital called,” Yuuji gasped, “We have to go, Suku. I don’t– I-I can’t–”
Yuuji’s breaths were coming out short and clipped. He struggled to take in a complete inhale and was quickly sending himself into a panic attack. Sukuna had enough comprehension skills to understand that something was wrong with their grandfather, but Yuuji was in no state to show up at the hospital in his condition.
Sukuna increased the volume of his coos, pulling Yuuji closer to his scent glands. He pressed his forehead to his brothers, attempting to guide his breathing. Sukuna reached up to stroke a soft spot behind Yuuji’s ear in an effort to stimulate calming pheromones from the smaller twin. It wasn’t working, Yuuji kept huffing through his choppy breaths.
“Let me help him.”
Megumi. Fuck, Sukuna forgot about the other current situation. Fushiguro approached the two of them, surveying Yuuji’s situation. His brother had evolved from being upset to shaking into pieces from the weight of a full-blown panic attack. Sukuna’s protective side flared, upset at the thought of anyone being close to his brother in this state.
“What, are you going to tell me we have a secret ability for calming people down too?” Sukuna snarled.
Megumi rolled his eyes and then did the unexpected. He reached up and down the top of his shirt, pulling off one of his scent patches. Immediately, Sukuna’s nostrils flared as the crisp scent of freshly picked lavender and a cold winter night flooded his senses. Sukuna suddenly became aware of a feeling that he didn’t know he had been missing. It was like living in black and white but then finally being able to see color. An invisible spark flashed between the two of them, linking them together.
This person, this Omega, was his.
Megumi pushed back against Sukuna, making more room between him and Yuuji. The soft scent of Omega began to fill the small space that existed between the three of them. The lavender blended with the identical sage, swirling into both Sukuna and Yuuji’s senses and easing their distress.
Yuuji began to relax into Sukuna’s hold, eyes flickering upwards in his hunched position towards Megumi. Sukuna also looked in Megumi’s direction but for an entirely different reason. Each lung full of that potent scent drove him further and further from sanity, pushing his instincts toward the beautiful Omega in front of him. Megumi must’ve picked up on Sukuna’s struggle, as he locked onto the red, frustrated gaze and pulled back the scent.
“Are you okay, Itadori-kun?” Megumi questioned Yuuji, leaning his head towards the pinkett.
Yuuji breathed in deep and let out a shaky exhale. When he looked up once more, his eyes flickered between Megumi and Sukuna, before finally settling on his brother. Tears welled in Yuuji’s eyes as he tried to collect his words.
“He’s gone, Suku.”
Then the floodgates open Yuuji fell forward onto Sukuna, openly sobbing. All Sukuna could do was loosely lift an arm to wrap it around his brother, still processing the news himself.
Their grandfather was dead. That was their final family member, and now it was just the two of them. Holy fuck. What the hell are they supposed to do?
“I’ll give you guys some time. I’m sorry for your loss, Itadoris.” Megumi slightly bows to the two of them in condolence and turns to leave.
“Wait, please!” Sukuna extends his free hand toward the retreating Megumi. When Megumi turns to look at him, Sukuna fishes his phone out of his pocket and tosses it at the mysterious Omega. “Your number. We’re not finished.”
Megumi quickly punched his number in and tossed Sukuna’s phone back at him. “We’re far from done, Sukuna. Text me and I’ll be seeing you soon.”
Regardless of the Omega’s farewell, as Megumi disappeared around the far end of the wall, Sukuna couldn’t help but feel like the one chance to understand a single thing in his life had slipped through his fingers. But, now he had to focus on his family. Yuuji needed him and that would always come over a pretty Omega. Even if Sukuna was sure said Omega was the love of his life.
Sukuna set the manilla folder down on the kitchen counter, breathing deeply for a few beats. Going to the hospital had been an uneventful quest. Ojii-san had passed peacefully without any last words. Sukuna was left to sign the certification of death and make arrangements to move the ashes to the family plot out of the city limits. Yuuji had been quiet through the whole affair, smiling at the nurses who sent them pitying looks. They had spent so much time at the facility over the past few years that they were well-known entities among the staff.
Sukuna looked over at his brother who was toeing off his shoes. Yuuji still had a prominent pinch in between his eyebrows— lost in his own head. Sukuna wasn’t sure what Yuuji was thinking about, but he hoped it wasn’t the same thoughts as him. The same thought that had been circling since Yuuji first broke the news of Wasuke’s passing.
What was going to happen to them?
“Aniki, when do you want to go to the plot?” Yuuji still wouldn’t meet his eyes, instead walking over but keeping his gaze fixed on the counter. He dragged his finger across the ceramic countertop in unidentifiable patterns.
“I think they said his body should be ready for us in two days. We’ll go after the cremation ritual. There’s a bus that’ll take us for pretty cheap and not too far out, so.”
Sukuna’s voice pittered out. There wasn’t much to say anymore but neither wanted to leave the other alone. Slowly, the noises of Yuuji’s soft sniffles made their way to Sukuna’s ears. Then followed the hiccups, then sobs.
“ Fuck, Suku. What are we going to do? He was all we had left.” Yuuji’s head dropped into his arms as he let out dispaired cries. Whimpers began to escape his brother's lips but Sukuna was frozen in place. He was unable to offer any comfort to the smaller Alpha because he himself didn’t know the answer to the question that plagued them.
They were minors. At 16 years old, there weren’t many options for the two of them when their only living relative bites the dust. Wasuke owned the apartment that they lived in and as far as the government was concerned, he still lived in the space with the two boys. But, Sukuna knew it wouldn’t be long before Child Safety Services would be knocking on their door and demanding that they come with them for their own good. The absolute last thing Sukuna could fathom was Yuuji ending up in a foster home or, god forbid, the two of them getting separated. Living apart and having to crawl their way back to each other two years later was a thought that he couldn’t stomach.
As his mind went deeper down the rabbit hole, he remembered the number that resided in his phone, filed neatly under the simple title of Fushiguro M. An opportunity, a school for people like him. Pretty boy wasn’t so forthcoming about anything but there was a chance that there could be a solution here. There was a slim chance, but Sukuna knew he was quickly running out of options.
The night dragged on and Sukuna did his best to make sure that Yuuji ate dinner and worked on his homework. There were times that he felt more like a parent than a brother but that's what siblings were for. He knew that Yuuji would do the same for him in a heartbeat if their roles were reversed.
After making sure that the younger boy was actually going to get some sleep, Sukuna went to his room and flopped down on his bed. Although he was glad that Yuuji was going to get some rest, he knew that sleep was going to be a far-fetched concept for him tonight. His mind couldn’t stop drifting off to the raven-haired Omega and his monotone, irritated voice. There was something so captivating about the way he presented himself, and fuck, if Sukuna couldn’t get his scent out of his mind.
He wanted another chance to talk to Megumi and every re-evaluation of his current situation made it more likely that this was going to happen. Something deep within Sukuna, a more primal part of him that he refused to accept existed, stirred at the thought of being able to see the Omega again. It was like an insatiable itch that he longed to scratch, despite the unfortunate circumstances that would lead them back to each other.
Sukuna knew that he couldn’t just trust the pretty boy but if the mythical school kept Yuuji from the foster system, then he would dive head first into whatever gibberish Megumi was talking about.
With a huff, Sukuna pulled his phone out.
Sukuna: Hey, sweetheart. I think we need to talk.
Well, there's no turning back now. Much of their conversation played on repeat in Sukuna’s mind. The way that feeling had swelled in Sukuna’s chest when Megumi touched his shoulder and his brilliant green eyes burned brightly. It was all too familiar with the feeling when Sukuna saw one of those creatures.
What had Megumi called them? Curses?
Speaking of Megumi, Sukuna felt his phone buzz from where it rested against his chest.
Fushiguro M: When and where?
Sukuna: Didn’t expect you to be so forward, Megs ;)
Sukuna: My place tomorrow? Yuuji will be at school late.
Megs: Send me the address in the morning. I’ll be there at 6 P.M.
Sukuna: It’s a date!
Predictably, Megumi did not reply to his last message.
As Sukuna looked over their cramped living space, it was apparent that it was housing two teenage boys. The room was covered in empty cans, chip bags, and unfolded blankets lying strewn about. It was far from an acceptable level to welcome a guest into their space.
“Remind me again, why are you skipping? If the whole point of me going is to stay on track with my education, I feel like the same rules should apply to you. Y’know, we’re still the same age even though you like to act so much older.” Yuuji gestured with his spoon that had been dipping into his bland cereal, an eyebrow cocked at his brother.
“Because, brat, someone has to deal with the legal side of shit and I don’t trust you anywhere near paperwork. I’m surprised you’re passing your literature class.”
Deflect. Deflect. There was no possible way to explain to his brother that the random boy from yesterday somehow knew about the condition that had plagued Sukuna his entire life. Although Yuuji didn’t think he was crazy, that didn’t mean it wasn’t subject to change.
Yuuji sighed and rested his chin in his palm, “When do you think we’ll have to move?” The question was hesitant, almost unsure of the volatile reaction it could provoke in his older brother.
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll handle it.”
His tone held a firm command. Drop it.
After seeing Yuuji off and making sure the punk actually walked in the direction of their school and not the manga store, Sukuna began the rapid task of cleaning the mess of a den. Although it was bad, Sukuna still prided them on the fact that it definitely wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been.
After putting all the socks in the laundry basket and washing the dirty dishes that had begun to accumulate around the flat, Sukuna could feel more at ease in bringing Megumi into their space. One less thing to worry about then. He swiftly pounded back a bowl of oatmeal, then proceeded to cycle through either sleeping on the couch or researching guardianship laws. It was always good to have a plan B.
Sukuna hadn’t been aware of how much time had passed until he heard a knock.
Swallowing his nerves, Sukuna walked over and opened the apartment door. Same as he remembered but just as breathtaking, stood Fushiguro Megumi. This time the boy sported what appeared to be a school uniform jacket. His whole outfit was blue and stuffy but clung to him in a way that cast aside all of Sukuna’s rational thoughts. But Sukuna was starting to think the Omega just had that effect on him, regardless of what he was wearing.
“Itadori.”
“Megumi, come inside.”
Megumi hummed, flattening his lips into a straight line at the use of his given name but stepped inside anyway. After slipping off his shoes, he made his way into the living room and sat down on the sofa. Sukuna caught no hints of lavender in the air, to his relief and mild disappointment.
“Tea? Coffee?” Sukuna asked, making his way over to the kitchenette.
“Coffee, please. No cream or sugar.”
Sukuna could feel his brain filing the little piece of information away.
Sukuna brewed Megumi and himself a fresh pot and walked over to the living space with two mugs. After handing one to the smaller male, Sukuna sat across from him on the floor, wanting to be face-to-face with the unruly-haired boy.
“I’m sorry again about your grandfather and also my timing to spring something like this upon you.” His voice was detached, rehearsed. This was a speech that he had given many times, almost like a nurse going back to a family to tell their loved ones that they didn’t make it.
“It’s all good. Wasuke was bound to kick to can soon. I’m more interested in all the magical shit you were spewing at me before Yuuji showed up.” If there was one thing Sukuna had mastered, it was nonchalance.
Megumi didn’t acknowledge the crude statement, instead, he nodded and leaned back into the couch, thinking about how to proceed.
“The things I see, you said you know what they are.” Sukuna felt desperate, hell, he sounded desperate. This was his one chance to prove that what he had been facing wasn’t a figment of his broken mind.
“I know what you see.”
At once, Megumi brought his hands together in a gesture that resembled the shadow puppets that he and Yuuji would make to each other as children inside a blanket fort, lit up by a singular flashlight.
Except, when Megumi’s hands collided, that swell in Sukuna’s chest returned and the shadows in the room morphed around Megumi, forming two black and white dogs sitting patiently at his feet.
Sukuna stared dumbly at them, almost expecting to blink and for them to vanish. Megumi looked on in amusement at the Alpha.
“You can touch them, they won’t disappear.”
The blackhound walked up to Sukuna and he hesitantly reached out a hand to stroke through its dense fur. The dog leaned into the touches, basking in the attention.
“Oh, what the hell?”
“That one’s Kuro and this one is Shiro,” Megumi pointed to the white wolf, “They’re my Divine Dogs. They’re constructed from my cursed energy. Y’know, that feeling you got when I touched you back at the school?”
Sukuna stared inquisitively up at Megumi, like a forbidden door that held all the answers.
“Explain it to me. Everything.”
And he did. Megumi walked Sukuna through the ins and outs of cursed energy, how curses are formed, and Cursed Techniques. Sukuna listened with rapt attention, feeling as though everything he knew from an uneducated standing was being taught to him in rapid motion. It seemed unbelievable if it wasn’t for the two sets of blinking eyes telling him that it was possible.
“So, this is your…Cursed Technique?” Sukuna questioned, “Making dogs with shadows?”
Megumi rolled his eyes, “It’s not just that but yes. Part of my technique is making dogs with shadows.”
“Cute.” Sukuna stroked Kuro’s fur, appreciating the happy panting from the overgrown pup. He traced the red triangle on the wolf's forehead and it seemed that Megumi picked up on his curiosity. He whistled and both dogs bounded over to their master, sitting patiently at Megumi’s feet, awaiting a command.
Megumi pointed to the contrasting triangles, “These are their curse markings. Each one of my shadows has a different marking and they all have differing abilities. I can only hypothesize that the lines on you are similar to what they have. It’s just a marking of their Cursed Technique. It doesn’t hurt you at all, does it?” Sukuna shook his head and Megumi hummed. “So yeah, probably just curse markings. Each strong sorcerer is usually easily identifiable in some way.”
“How the hell am I strong? I didn’t know until very recently that I wasn’t psychotic. It’s not like I’ve been building my skills.”
“Some people are just born strong,” Megumi had a bit of a faraway look in his eye and something told Sukuna that the shadow sorcerer probably wasn’t thinking about him anymore, “There’s no need to build up the strength of their ability, it’s just innate. It’s more about finetuning it. It doesn’t matter what you want to do if you are born this way. It’s cliche, but for some people, the life chooses you. You don’t get to have a normal life.”
“Speaking personally?”
Megumi tensed, his shoulders raising ever so slightly towards his ears. “Kinda. More so about Gojo-sensei, the third and fourth year teacher at Jujutsu Tech. He’s the strongest, always has been.”
Jujutsu Technical High School. Megumi had explained the ins and outs in the quickest but most efficient fashion that he could’ve. Sukuna could gather that although it was a school, the student body was extremely small and made up exclusively of up-and-coming sorcerers. They trained, went on missions to exorcise these curses, and lived on a campus together.
This all sounded ideal to Sukuna if there still wasn’t one pink-haired issue.
“I’m picking up enough of what you’re putting down, sweetheart. I don’t really have much of an option, right?” Sukuna squinted his eyes at Megumi, who, unphased, looked over the Alpha.
“No, you don’t. Even if you tell me no, they’ll just keep sending more sorcerers to your doorsteps until you eventually give in. Or, they’ll just take you by force.” Megumi huffed out a sigh, clearly irritated with the thought. “Not that I agree with that method, but you’re too much of a timebomb to have walking around. You attract curses with your cursed energy.” Megumi was so calm discussing these matters. All of it made Sukuna wonder just how long the boy had been doing this job. “Once you complete your time at Jujutsu High you’ll have more of a choice on whether being a sorcerer is something you want to pursue. It all depends on how well you can learn to control your cursed energy output and Cursed Technique.”
Sukuna mulled this over. “I would pack up and head out with you right now,” He leaned back into the palms of his hands, purposefully trying to look more relaxed than he felt. “But, I’m responsible for Yuuji and he’s normal.”
Megumi snorted at Sukuna and shook his head lightly, “No, he’s not. Your brother has a Heavenly Restriction. He can’t see curses but he’s far from normal.”
Now, what the hell was a Heavenly Restriction? All of this felt like too much information for such a short period of time and although Sukuna was a good student, he could feel his brain cramping. He put his head into his hands and groaned. “I’m not sure I even want to know. Does it mean he can come with me? I won’t be separated from him.”
Megumi smiled at the display of brotherly protectiveness. “Yes, he can come.”
“Then, I guess there’s nothing else to it.”
Sukuna thought over all that needed to get done before they could leave for campus. They still needed to take care of Wasuke’s ceremony and they would have to take what they wanted from the apartment (not that they had much at all). It was all doable within the next few days.
Sukuna could feel his defenses coming up at the idea of being in a new and unfamiliar place but he was keenly aware at this point that there were no other options for the two of them. But, Sukuna was aware that he has never done well with authority, and from the way Megumi spoke about how Jujutsu Tech and this whole shaman world was run, it sounded like kissing ass to those in charge.
Then, there was Megumi. He would be the only sorcerer he already knew going into this. The pretty Omega was good with his words and Sukuna craved more time with him. It would be foolish and naive to think that any of the reasons Megumi was so adamant about Sukuna becoming a shaman was because he was interested in him, but an Alpha could dream. And dream would. He already knew his mind would be filled with pale skin and lavender. Yuuji would also be comforted by having someone he knew there, so hopefully Megumi would help him speak to Yuuji.
Fuck, he has to talk to Yuuji.
It had completely left Sukuna’s mind that a portion of this life-changing move was discussing it with the person he shares half his DNA with. Especially when Yuuji was going to be making this move and career change with him. Sukuna could feel guilt bubbling up in him at tarnishing his brother's goal of being a firefighter. How was Yuuji supposed to be a Jujutsu Sorcerer if he couldn’t even see curses? There were some things that Sukuna couldn’t conceptualize about this world yet.
“What?” Megumi’s flat tone interrupts Sukuna’s train of thought. Megumi’s got an eyebrow cocked at him, “You’re getting upset. Why?”
Sukuna scowled. How could the raven-haired shaman know that? Certainly, he wasn’t giving it away with his scent. He was stepping outside of his normal and wearing scent patches today in preparation for being in such close proximity to the lithe Omega.
“We have to talk to Yuuji. He’s a good person so he’ll understand it’s what needs to be done, but explaining everything you just told me to him sounds like a nightmare. He’s also pretty stupid so we’ll probably have to do it a few times.”
“I think we can manage.” If Sukuna looked close enough, he could almost convince himself that Megumi was flirting. The slight smirk of his lips and down-tilted head was going straight south and he desperately needed something else to think about. “He should be getting out sometime soon right? It’s late to be at school.”
Sukuna checked the time and yep, Yuuji would be getting out of his nerd club soon enough. “I should go to the school and get the shit out of my locker. I also need to withdraw us from the school so no one goes looking.”
“Don’t worry about withdrawing, Gojo will take care of that. I’ll go with you, in case Yuuji has any questions off the bat.”
The two of them locked up and headed on the short walk towards West Junior. Although Sukuna was thrumming with adrenaline from the quick turnaround of life events, his Alpha was purring from all the attention he had managed to snag from the pretty boy. He was anxious to explain everything to Yuuji, however, these emotions were easily outweighed by the delight that rushed through him every time he caught Megumi’s green eyes.
They chatted back and forth lightly on their walk. Megumi provided further insight into what Sukuna could expect from being a sorcerer. The job sounded miserable but maybe Megumi was just a major pessimist. He hoped so, or else he was signing himself and his brother up for a miserable next few years.
Once they arrived at the school, Sukuna led Megumi up to the second floor where the hallway split into two.
“My locker is that way,” He pointed down one direction of the hallway, “Yuuji’s club is in that classroom down there,” He pointed down the other direction, “I can grab the stuff out of my locker and meet you and Yuuji? Does that work?”
Megumi nodded and headed off in the direction of his brother. Sukuna breathed a sigh of relief. He felt a little bad for shoving off these responsibilities on someone he didn’t even know but there was absolutely no chance that Yuuji would take him seriously if he showed up and started spouting about sorcery.
Sukuna dialed in the code to his locker and heard the cool metal click open. The inside was more bare than his classmates, with no family or friend photos to line the inside of his locker door. There had been a few love letters that had been slipped through a few times but those got thrown in the trash immediately. All those Omega’s smelled too sweet and the Beta’s smelled too much like nothing. Pulling out the remaining books and binders and stuffing them in his backpack, Sukuna searched for his supply of pencils he kept crammed in the back of the metal container.
With the sudden force of an unexpected freight train, a crushing panic attack took over Sukuna’s entire being. He sucked in a harsh breath and leaned forward, resting his head against the locker door. The overwhelming sensation caved his chest inwards and made his breathing and heart rate pick up.
Sukuna then realized; it wasn’t a panic attack. There was a curse nearby and it was a fucking strong one.
Yuuji.
Sukuna dropped his bag and instantly broke into a sprint down the hallway. The closer he got to the Occult Club meeting room the stronger the curse's presence became. His feet slammed against the ground as he flew across the school in record time.
“Yuuji! Are you still here?!” Sukuna yelled, panting from fear.
“Sukuna?”
Sukuna turned and saw his brother exiting the classroom quickly, his classmate carried bridal-style in his arms. She was injured, blood dripping from her forehead, but Sukuna could see her breaths coming softly. She was alive and so was Yuuji.
“What the hell happened? Are you ok?” Sukuna barked.
He frantically sniffed the air around his brother, searching for traces of injury or distress. Yuuji smelled panicked but he didn’t smell hurt. “We were just looking at an artifact for our club meeting but when we took the wrapping off, Sasaki got attacked! I don’t know where Iguchi-senpai is.” Yuuji was gasping for breath, but his grip on his classmate never wavered.
Sukuna peered past the top of his brother's head, desperate to see a mop of unruly black hair. “Did you see–”
At once, the wall the twins stood beside erupted into a spray of rubble and pale limbs. Megumi lay spread out across the tile flooring, blood dripping off of his chin. His eyes flickered up to the Itadori’s and he appeared to be scanning over the two of them for any injuries.
“Are you two good?”
“Are we good? Holy shit dude, you just flew through the wall!” Yuuji screeched. A gross bubbling noise made its way from the classroom and when Sukuna looked over he saw it again. The same creature that was looming above the athletic field yesterday. Only this time, it was stronger. What the hell had happened? Megumi’s hands locked together and his two wolves appeared, howling loudly.
“Woah, what! How did you do that?”
Sukuna's head whipped to his brother, who was staring bug-eyed at Kuro and Shiro, who were now lunging at the cursed spirit. Sukuna then turned his head to Megumi, who seemed to have heard what Yuuji said from the expression on his face but was choosing to pay attention to it later.
“You two, get your classmates and yourselves out of here! I’ll deal with this.” Megumi was huffing, his chest rising and falling quickly as he tried to catch his breath after being slammed into the concrete. “I’ll find you once this is over.”
“Not gonna happen, sweetheart.” Sukuna shot back, “No chance I’m leaving you alone against that thing. Especially if it was drawn here because of me.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s your responsibility.” Megumi whistled, commanding his dogs to weave around the curse and bite at its weak spots. Once the creature was distracted, Megumi readied himself to charge. “We’ll talk about it later. Now, go .”
With that, Megumi shot off like a bolt of lightning. He and his dogs work efficiently against the curse, delivering punches and bites to try to wear it down. Sukuna stood dumbly, wanting to help but not knowing how.
“Suku, what do we do? I don’t want to leave him here by himself.”
The twins didn’t get a chance to make a decision because the giant blue curse threw itself and the sorcerer out the wall separating the school from the night air. Sukuna sprinted to the hole that was now letting a breeze drift through the hallway and could see Megumi fighting to get back on his feet.
“Get Sasaki to somewhere safe, Yuuji.” Sukuna squeezed his brother's shoulder and then jumped onto the school's roof. He could hear Yuuji shouting at him from above but he couldn’t stand on the sidelines any longer. He rushed over to Megumi, helping the Omega to his feet.
Megumi blinked through the blood dripping into his eyes at Sukuna. He brushed his thumb over the metallic liquid, cleaning Megumi’s vision.
“How badly did you hit your head?” The lavender-smelling sorcerer was lightly swaying from side to side, regardless of how hard he tried to right himself. Sukuna could see the mental warfare Megumi played with himself as he tried to appear more in charge of the situation than he was. Megumi turned his head up to speak, but a slur of a response was all that left his lips. “Ok, beautiful. I think you have to sit this one out, yeah?”
Megumi frantically, but weakly, hit against Sukuna’s shoulder in an effort to divert him from engaging with the curse. He could hear a jumble of words such as “wait” and “Sensei” but Sukuna lowered the Omega to the ground on the far end of the rooftop. Each clumsy movement fueled the anger that stirred in Sukuna’s soul, driving him closer to pummeling this foul being into hell.
Once Sukuna was certain that Megumi wasn’t going to try something stupid, he stood to his full height and began to approach the curse that seemed to be regaining its strength at the other end of the rooftop. It had grown larger from when he had last seen it. Unexpectedly, the creature began to shake the closer Sukuna got to his hulking form. Was it scared? Sukuna stared down the characteristics, trying desperately to understand how to take this thing down.
“Sukuna!”
Sukuna looked up to see Yuuji launch himself out of the hole in the wall and directly at the curse, landing a direct hit on the top of its head. It groaned as it caved inwards at the assault and Yuuji jumped back to land beside his brother.
“Are you a fucking dumbass?” Sukuna snarled, wanting his brother to turn around and go back to safety. But he knew that wouldn’t happen because Yuuji would never leave someone in danger. It wasn’t who he was. “What do you think you can do here? You couldn’t see these fuckers until ten minutes ago!”
Yuuji scoffed, “I can do just as much! Last time we checked, I can bench more than you. Let me at it!”
Turns out, Yuuji didn’t need Sukuna’s permission. The curse made the decision for them when it lunged at the talking pair and swiped Yuuji up in its reaching arm, swinging him through the air rapidly. “Ack!” Yuuji shouted, kicking his legs outwards in an effort to escape. “Nevermind, Suku help! What the hell!”
Sukuna searched for an opening and found one, throwing his body weight against one of the curse’s legs and effectively throwing it off balance. There was force behind his movement but it wasn’t enough as Yuuji remained stuck in the monster's grasp. Sukuna could hear his brother's breaths becoming strained as the grip tightened and then his heart stopped as the giant creature lifted Yuuji above itself and opened its mouth.
“Sukuna! Fushiguro!” Yuuji desperately yelled as he thrashed back and forth, biting at the hand of the curse in a desperate attempt to free himself. Sukuna could hear Megumi grunting as he attempted to get back up behind him but he knew it wouldn’t be soon enough. The curse began to lower Yuuji towards its mouth and Sukuna did what came most naturally.
His hand sliced through the air cleanly in a motion that felt second nature to him. Without any intention other than bringing the foul creature to the ground, he willed all his energy into the swipe. To his utter surprise, a slash went straight through the body of the creature, effectively cutting it in half. Yuuji fell from the now slack grip as the cursed spirit began to dissipate into the air. He dropped to his knees in an attempt to catch his breath.
Sukuna watched the spirit dispersed into the air in awe at how something so powerful could become dust in just moments. He didn’t have the brainpower to think about the move he just pulled off. He chose to group that into the box of Things Fushiguro Would Explain Later.
A sudden wall of pure power with overwhelming notes of eucalyptus hit Sukuna dead on at the same time a fist did, throwing him back into the school's far wall. He grunted at the impact and the pain that shot from his spine.
Who the fuck was this? Another cursed spirit?
No, that couldn’t be it. Sukuna had gotten enough of a smell before being launched across the rooftop to know. This was another Alpha. An extremely strong Alpha with a scent so potent Sukuna had never smelled something like it before.
Sukuna righted himself into a defensive position, ready to strike at a moment's notice. When he finally got a look at his attacker, he was caught off guard. Instead of pursuing him, the man was standing over Megumi, who had apparently fallen back down again in his efforts to get to Sukuna. The white-haired Alpha stroked the hair off of Megumi’s forehead, taking note of the deep gash that was still oozing blood down the young shaman’s face.
Yuuji rushed in his direction, taking a crouched pose in front of his older twin. Sukuna snarled and pushed Yuuji down. “No chance. This is my problem, don’t get in the way.”
“I’m still your brother, even though you never thought to clue me in.” Sukuna could see frustration welling in Yuuji if it wasn’t already obvious from his soured scent. He made a mental promise that when tensions weren’t as high, he would set the record straight and ease his brother's worries.
The tall Alpha turned towards the twins huddled on the ground, his arm supporting Megumi in standing. Something uncomfortable twisted in Sukuna’s gut at the sight. The white-haired man stared the two of them down for a few moments, humming to himself as he read their body language.
He then broke out into a grin, “The Itadori boys! I see Megumi-chan finally found you. Well, he was here only after you, Itadori Sukuna. You’re an odd one, hmm?” The man's smile was unnerving at best and it set Sukuna’s nerves alight. “But, you’re both peculiar cases! That’s just perfect!”
“Who are you?” Sukuna still eyed the non-existent space between the Alpha and Megumi, who seemed to be leaning on the man for support and slipping off into an uncomfortable sleep. No doubt his injuries would be bothering him for weeks.
“Gojo Satoru.” Gojo tilted his head to the side, observing the two. Megumi seemed to fully fall asleep, as Gojo swept the boy up in his arms. “Before this one fell asleep, he told me you agreed to become to newest students at Jujutsu Tech!”
“I did. I agreed for both of us.” Sukuna tried to look at his brother to reassure him but Yuuji was squinting at the man as if he was trying to piece together the strange act he was putting on. “We’re going to go into the system soon.”
“Ah! That’s pretty common.” Gojo shrugged his shoulders, lightly jostling the snoozing Omega. “Well, you two should head home and start packing. I’ll begin preparations for you to start next week.”
Yuuji gasped, clutching his brother's arm. “What about West Junior? Our apartment?”
Gojo approached the two and stopped just short of being too close for comfort. “Don’t worry about any of that. Your new Sensei will handle it!” The man flashed them a pearly white grin. It did little to ease the uneasiness Sukuna had about the Alpha.
Yuuji turned his head to Sukuna, looking up at him with something akin to hope in his eyes.
“Do you think this is the right decision?” Yuuji implored.
Sukuna thought of refusing. Of fighting poverty with Yuuji in their tiny flat by themselves. Of staying students at West Junior until a Social Worker showed up at their house and whisked them away to a group home. Sukuna thought of the possibility of finding out that Yuuji had been assigned a different home. Having to fight for two years to be reunited with his brother.
“Yes, this is the right decision.”
And that was that.