Chapter Text
By the time Maki’s sleek black car pulled into the parking lot of Megumi’s new dorm, the sun was low in the sky and the bright full moon had emerged. The exhaustion of registration day had long killed any excitement he felt for starting college, and the only thing he wanted to do was lay down and be alone.
Toji had still been sleeping when he left, sprawled on the couch, still in the clothes he went out in last night with a half-drunk beer on the floor in front of him. Megumi briefly considered waking him up for a proper goodbye but decided against it, grabbing the remote instead and turning off the tv that had been on all night.
His cousins, Mai and Maki, had arrived to take them to campus, but he was aware of that that well before Mai texted him that they were waiting downstairs; by the time he heard the bass from Megan thee Stallion’s “Cocky Af” blaring through the streets of Tokyo, he was already heading down. He climbed in the seat behind Mai and before he could fully close the door, Maki’s foot was on the gas. The sudden acceleration made him jolt back, already extremely annoyed.
“Look at little Megumi,” Mai said, turning to look at him with exaggerated affection. “Fushiguro’s finally a college student.” Megumi resists the urge to roll his eyes. This is going to be a long drive, he thought.
“I know, right?” Maki added on. While they rarely see eye to eye, the twins always seem to coordinate when it comes to irritating Megumi. “Don’t worry, Megumi, we’ll take good care of you.”
This time, Megumi did roll his eyes. “I’m sure,” he stated dryly. He already didn’t want to attend a school that his family had ties to, but it’s not as if he had much of a choice. When Toji left the Zenin family behind for Megumi’s mother, he left behind their access to their family fortune as well. If it were up to him, Akutami University would be the last place he would attend – it’s the alma mater of several Zenin family members, including that asshole Naoya, and the very last thing Megumi wants is to follow in their footsteps. In fact, the only thing Megumi could say he actually wants is to get as far away from the Zenin’s as possible. But when he realized that his family’s legacy qualified him for a scholarship that covered over half of his tuition, he knew it would be stupid not to apply.
Megumi’s body jerked to the side as Maki realized way too late that her turn was coming up and the car swerved, his bag toppling off the seat beside him. Maki continued to rap along to the music like nothing happened and Mai barely reacted. Despite his general distaste for his family, Megumi was grateful to the twins, especially Maki. Although Toji tried to keep him and Tsumiki away from the Zenins as much as possible, Maki and Megumi ended up at the same high school. The pair quickly bonded over their shared shame in their Zenin blood, though at least Toji granted his son the kindness of taking his mother's last name. Though Maki was a year older than him, for most of high school she was really his only friend. Well, her and Tsumiki.
He knew he would have to give his sister a call once he got to campus, that is if he makes it to campus without Maki wrapping them around a tree. He was hoping to sleep a little on the ride there, instead he gripped the back of Mai’s chair and pressed invisible brakes from the backseat.
After over an hour of anxiety-inducing driving and sisters bickering, Megumi saw the huge, bright red “Welcome, Students!” sign on top of a building and the sprawling campus of Akutami University suddenly emerged before them. Droves of cars meandered through the dense crowds, parents trailing behind their children tearfully watching their excitement as they entered their new lives, annoyed upperclassmen shoving past them and just trying to get to their dorms.
Megumi felt his shoulders relax, not realizing how tense he had been before. I’m actually here, he thought. There was a long time where he believed he would never get away, especially not somewhere like this. The campus sat on a hill, surrounded by lush, green trees and overlooking metropolitan Tokyo. That cramped, cluttered apartment with Toji felt hundreds of miles away. For the first time in a very, very long time, Megumi felt like he could breathe.
The rest of the day was quite tiresome. The girls dropped Megumi off at registration – although Maki did almost hit a girl with her car due to her addiction to speeding – where he sat in front of an elder man who clearly didn’t want to be there as he explained his course schedule. Since Megumi’s major is undeclared, he’ll have only general education classes for the next two semesters. His overexcited orientation leader then led him and the other 50 students in his group through a series of awkward ice breaker games. By the time the girls came back to drive him to his dorm, the forced-fun atmosphere had drained him quite quickly.
___
Megumi taps his phone against his dorm room door and steps inside. The bare windows face west and the setting sun bathes the room in an orangey-red light. There’s not much; a wardrobe, dresser, desk, some shelves and a single-sized bed. He stands there for a long time, letting the silence wash over him. I’m alone, he thinks. Finally.
Although falling into bed (once he puts some sheets on) and sinking to sleep sounds incredibly inviting, Megumi pulls out his phone and calls Tsumiki. She answers after one ring.
“Megumi!”
“Hey. Just wanna let you know I’m on campus.”
“Oh, this is so exciting! Are you excited?” She’s almost squealing.
He lets out a short laugh. “Clearly not as excited as you.”
“Oh shut up,” she snaps back. “Did Toji drop you off?”
“Nope, the twins.”
“Oof,” Megumi hears her wince through the phone. “Did Maki drive?”
“She did.”
“And the car was in one piece when you arrived?”
“Mostly.”
“Well, at least you made it,” she sighs. Her voice picks up with excitement again. “Soooo, how was your first day on campus? When do classes start? Is your roommate there yet? Are you in your dorm?”
“Oh my god, Tsumiki,” Megumi says, exhaustion stinging his eyes. He pulls his sheets out of his old duffel bag.
“I’m sorry Megumi, I’m just…” she trails off. He hears her sigh. “I’m just so proud of you.”
Despite himself, Megumi smiles softly at his sister's words.
“I know it was hard for you when I left,” she continues. “But knowing that you’re finally out of the house and becoming your own person…sorry, I know I’m being sappy, but I’m happy for you. Really I am, Megumi.”
Her words pull at his chest, but he ignores it. He’s not one to be sentimental. “Please don’t start crying.” he states dryly.
“Ugh, whatever,” she says, but he catches her voice wobbling. She clears her throat. “So, what happened? Tell me everything.”
“Well, classes start tomorrow. I’m still undeclared so I signed up for a bunch of general classes.”
“I thought you wanted to study history?”
“I do, but…” he starts, then stops. Megumi had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. He honestly still couldn’t believe he actually survived high school and made it to uni in the first place; there was a time when he couldn’t imagine living past 18. He sighs. “I don’t know.”
When Tsumiki left for college, Megumi was 16 years old. He always knew that there would come a time when it would just be him and Toji in the apartment alone, when Tsumiki would finally put herself first. He had thought about it so often that he thought he would be ready when it happened, but actually experiencing it was a whole other torture. Her absence made the cramped space feel even smaller somehow, the roof felt lower, the lights seemed dimmer. Toji made no effort to fill the gap Tsumiki left, and there were several times where Megumi went days without eating, showering, even going to class without his father even noticing. By the time anyone realized something was wrong with him, his depression had nearly consumed him. He still feels it sometimes, a dark feeling that clouds his head and pulls at his chest, though it’s not as intense as it used to be. Still, it’s hard for him to think about his life in the long term.
Tsumiki sighs. “Well, that's okay!” she says. “You have plenty of time to figure out what you want.”
“...Yeah. I guess.”
“How are you feeling?”
Megumi looks around the bare room. The sun was all but down now, but he could hear the campus still bustling. For the first time in a while, he felt completely calm. Content, even.
“I’m good,” he says honestly. “I’m okay.”
Tsumiki’s voice tinges with worry. “And you would tell me if you weren't, right?”
“Yes, I’ll let you know.” He pulls his phone from his ear to check the time. “Don’t you have class tomorrow too?”
“Yeah,” she sighs. “I should probably start winding down for the night. I’m teaching my first art class tomorrow, too.”
“Oh, cool.” Why his sister wanted to become an elementary school teacher was beyond him, but just last week she told him about her new part-time job as an art teacher at a rec center near her school. “Well, call me after.”
They say their goodnights and Megumi drops his phone on the bed. He closes his eyes. There’s no Toji to worry about stumbling inside in the middle of the night, no one to tip toe around to avoid waking up and angering. Megumi smiles, despite himself. He has never been so happy to be alone.
___
Megumi’s first class is College Algebra at 10am. He is one of the earliest to arrive, the large lecture hall echoing as he walks down to find a seat. More students file in, other freshmen with their nervous hands and darting eyes scanning the room, trying to be as silent as possible. So when the girl with the brown bob walks in huffing a sigh, black boots clacking the ground only slightly louder that the jangle of the jewelry adorning her wrists and fingers, it’s quite the juxtaposition. Even Megumi looks up at her, meeting her eyes. She kind of looks familiar.
She squints at him for a moment, then points, walking up to him quickly. “You!” she half-whispers, her voice echoing off the walls anyway. “I know you!”
Megumi’s looking around, confused and annoyed. “Do you?”
She makes a face at him. “Don’t give me that, you were in the car with that girl with the glasses who almost ran me over yesterday.”
The scene springs to mind; after Maki dropped Megumi off to register for classes, she was about to pull off like a bat out of hell when the girl with the bob was about to cross the street.
“The fuck?” She yelled at the car. “Slow the fuck down! You almost hit me, motherfucker!” Knowing Maki, Megumi assumes she just rolled her eyes as she sped off once she was out of the way, the bob girl flipping the car off as it disappeared.
“Um…” Megumi isn’t sure what she wants him to say. “Sorry?”
“Eh, it’s fine,” she says, dropping her pink fluffy tote down beside him, which clangs harshly as her loud ass water bottle hit the table beneath. Megumi breathes deeply. His very first class on his very first day of college and his patience is already wearing thin.
“Why are you…” he didn’t know how to put it nicely. “...sitting here?”
She looks around the lecture hall, most of the seats already filled with anxious new students. She looks back at him. “Well you’re the only person I know.”
“We don’t know each other though?”
“I know you,” she states. “Your name’s Megumi.”
Now he’s really confused, but she points to his open laptop with his class schedule pulled up, his full name in bold letters across the top.
“And I’m Nobara. Now we know each other.”
God, he thinks. It’s just Maki with a bob. Still, he chats with her until the professor arrives and class begins. He learns that she's a fashion major with a communications minor and despite their strangely confrontational introduction, she seems friendly.
About twenty minutes into the class while the professor is reading through the syllabus, the lecture hall doors suddenly burst open and a boy walks in, huffing. He’s flushed, running large hands though his messy pink hair as students turn towards the noise. As the professor tries to regain the room's attention, Megumi watches the boy scanning the room for a seat, his eyes briefly landing on him before skirting around the rest of the room. He finds a seat down towards the front, passing rows of staring students and plopping down in a chair.
“Sorry,” he mutters to the professor with an apologetic smile. The professor continues, the students slowly losing interest in the distracting boy. Yet Megumi watches him unpacking his bag, pulling his laptop and notebook and pencil case and water bottle out one by one in an almost childlike manner. He relaxes back into his seat, then seems to suddenly remember that his headphones are on and sits up again, pulling them off and tossing them into his bright red backpack. He sits back again.
Megumi realizes he’s staring and blinks, trying to refocus on the professors words. But he finds his eyes drifting to the pink haired boy. He just won't stop moving. He’s crossing and uncrossing his legs, folding his arms across his chest, then on the desk, then in his lap. Megumi looks around and no one else seems distracted by him, so he honestly can’t figure why he is. He tries to focus as the professor explains important deadlines and exam schedules, but every time the boy moves Megumi can’t help but glance over at him, as if he expects him to do something more interesting.
As the class ends and students file out of the hall, the pink haired boy goes up to the professor, asking questions about what he missed presumably. I wonder what his major is, Megumi thinks to himself. Is that his real hair color?
“Do you like track & field?”
Megumi turns toward the voice and sees Nobara standing beside him. He’s not sure how he didn’t her all her jewelry clanking together as she put her stuff in her bag.
“What?” he asks.
She juts her chin towards the pink haired boy. “Is that…I think his name’s Itadori? On the track team? That crazy fast kid?”
Megumi shrugs, standing. He glances back at the boy, Itadori, before he leaves, his breath catching for just a moment when he sees the other boy already glancing at him.
___
The rest of the day was uneventful. His two other classes has considerably less distracting students, but he didn’t make any friends either. After meeting Maki for dinner in the dining hall, he heads back to his dorm and calls Tsumiki, thinking she would like to hear about his first day. She’s probably busy with her own classes, he thinks as he presses her contact, yet she picks up in one ring.
“Hey!” she exclaims. “Are you done with your classes for today?”
“Yep,” he said, stripping his jeans off and grabbing a pair of sweatpants. “Math, then History, then intro to business.”
“Business?” Tsumiki’s voice loses its excitement. “That’s not a major course, is it?”
“I’m still undeclared,” he responds, pulling the black sweatpants on and dropping onto his bed. “It’s a gen ed course, I’m not going Zenin on you, trust me.”
“Oh, okay,” Tsumiki breathes. “Well did you meet any new people?”
Megumi sighs. He knows she’s trying to be supportive and worries about him, but her doting makes him sound like a loser with no friends. Well…
“Yeah, a girl in my Math class,” he responds. “She seems cool.”
“Ohhh,” she draws out. “A girl?”
“Stop it.”
Tsumiki giggles. “What? Megumi, are you aware this is the first time you have ever mentioned a girl to me? That wasn’t related to you?”
Megumi furrows his brow, suddenly defensive. “That’s not true. I’ve…been on dates.”
He can almost hear her roll her eyes through the phone.
“And it’s not like that,” Megumi continues. “She’s just someone I met in class.”
“Hmmm,” she clearly wants to keep pressing him, but decides to change the subject. “Well, did anything else happen today?”
“Uhhh,” he thinks. His mind lands on Itadori. “I mean, there’s some athlete or something in that class, too. Itadori, I think. He came in super late and kept distracting everyone.” Well, he thinks. That’s not entirely true.
“Oh, well that sucks,” Tsumiki says. Megumi wonders why he brought Itadori up at all. Neither he or Tsumiki even really watch sports, especially university level. He didn’t even speak to him. He suddenly feels like he said something damning.
“Well,” Tsumiki says cheerily, brushing past his comment. “Other than that, I’m glad you had a good first day.”
“What about you?” Megumi asks, not wanting to talk about himself anymore. “How was your shift?”
She groans. “Exhausting. I didn’t realize teaching art to kids would be this draining. If I’m this tired after a couple hours with, like, twelve kids, I don’t know how I’m gonna teach a whole class.”
“I don’t know why you want to be a teacher in the first place,” Megumi complains. But that’s always been Tsumiki; gentle, nurturing, he knew she’d make a great teacher. But why? Why labor in a thankless job for some kids who won’t even appreciate it?
“Well I did well enough with you, didn’t I?” she retorts. “And look at you know!”
A small smile tugs at his lips. “Yeah, yeah.”
She giggles. “Well, I have a few things to prep for tomorrow, but let me know how your day goes tomorrow, okay? Love you!”
She manages to pull a reluctant “Love you, too,” from Megumi before she hangs up.