Archive of Our Own

“We should tell Gojo-Sensei,”

“No, I am fine, you are fine, there’s no reason,” Megumi argued.

“Us getting cursed isn’t enough of a reason?” Yuji asked.

Yuji hurried to keep up with Megumi as he strolled through the campus. Itachi had just dropped them off from their joint mission. Yuji thought that they would immediately go to inform a teacher, but Megumi had quickly shut that down.

“Not if there are no side effects,” Megumi said. “All Gojo would do is lecture us.”

“We don’t know for sure that nothing will happen,” Yuji argued, “what if we are slowly growing tails? Or fur?”

“It wasn’t even an animal shaped curse,” Megumi said, “we are fine.”

He fought the urge to snap at his boyfriend just to drop the topic. Neither of them were injured, there was no need to drag out this any longer.

“Ok, if you are sure,” Yuji said hesitantly, “but if I wake up as a tiger tomorrow, I’m saying I told you so,”

“You would be overjoyed to wake up as a tiger,” Megumi replied drily, “plus tigers can’t talk,”

“But you would also change into one, so we would still be able to communicate,” Yuji said, “aw, wait that’s sweet. We could be a tiger couple,”

“We are not going to be a tiger couple,” Megumi said.

“It would be good for the tiger community,” Yuji reasoned, “they need more gay icons,”

“There’s plenty of gay tigers,” Megumi said, “and it’s not like we would be released into the wild anyways,”

Yuji hummed. Megumi continued his trek, aiming for his bed so he could finally wash off this god awful day.

“Do you think Gojo-Sensei would put us in a zoo?” Yuji asked after a couple more minutes of walking.

“Honestly, yes,” Megumi replied, “but only after laughing at us for hours on end,”

“I still think we would be sweet,” Yuji said.

Megumi rolled his eyes.

At least he had convinced Yuji to keep the mishap between them. Megumi didn't want this embarrassment going into the report, showing his dad or any of the higher ups his mistake.

Megumi had been making so much progress, his stats higher than ever before, grades perfect, the last thing he needed was written proof of him getting distracted. Showing that he wasn’t living up to their expectations, that he was exactly who they thought he was.

But god fucking damn, his head was killing him.

Megumi prays to god that this isn’t a side effect from the curse and it’s just courtesy of him skipping lunch. He can’t believe he miscalculated so bad, letting himself fumble.

He had his calorie counting perfected to a tee, added up to ensure he stayed at his best performance. Just enough that he maintained a weight that wasn’t casting warning signs to those around him, while being low enough he could gradually slip off the pounds to keep himself fit.

Megumi had it figured out so perfectly. He realized that as long as he only lost two pounds a week, no one would verbally say anything, likely not even noticing since they all saw him so regularly.

When he noticed the scale number increased that morning, Megumi should have slightly shaved off a few calories for the week. He was already consuming so little that the slight push would have been all he needed to get back on track. Instead, he skipped lunch, reasoning that the missing three hundred calories would be all he needed to fix this slip up. It just left his thoughts fuzzy, leaving him distracted for that curse to manage a hit that both himself and Yuji.

Yuji was right, he should say something. Tell his dad they got cursed, at the very least for his boyfriend’s well beinging. Megumi had tried to get Yuji to go alone, to claim only he had been hit, but the boy was adamant that it was together or nothing. And Megumi was not about to go in there.

That would mean Shoko would have to do a full body check. And a full body check included weight, and Shoko would definitely snitch that his weight was below what she thought was par. Then his dad would throw a fit and Megumi would have to work extra hard to convince them it was fine. And that meant he would have to increase his calorie intake, which would mean he would gain weight, which would mean he would worsen in his training. Then he would fall even further behind his peers, and would be a joke of a prodigy. He had worked way too hard to keep this hidden for something so trivial as a curse misfire that had left no side effects to ruin everything.

Megumi shook his head, trying to rid his brain of his devolving thoughts.

It was fine, it wasn’t that serious.

He looked fine, he performed fine, he was a better sorcerer than he had even been before. Today was just a fluke, a small miscalculation. Megumi had been getting better. Even Nanami had noted that he saw an increase in Megumi’s skills last week.

Megumi also knew his dad was nothing short of protective, already breathing down Megumi’s neck ever since he moved on campus. He would never listen to Megumi's voice of reason, immediately jumping to worst case scenarios that were beyond dramatic.

Speaking of which, Megumi needed to make up an excuse to get out of going home this weekend. Megumi suspected that the excess weight he had gained was from those days. The days where Gojo would make some high calorie food, set it in front of Megumi, and stay at the table with him until it was all gone. Those purges were ruining his progress, something he couldn’t stomach much longer.

“Megumi? Megs? Are you listening?”

“Sorry yes, just zoned out,” Megumi said, tuning back into Yuji, “I actually need to go talk to Gojo Sensei,”

“Did you change your mind?” Yuji asked.

“No, it’s unrelated,” Megumi said, shaking his head. “I’ll catch up with you later,”

He gave Yuji a quick kiss before peeling off from him, heading in the opposite direction of the dorms and towards the teachers offices.

Megumi gave the door a quick knock before slipping in.

“Meg’s! What do I owe the pleasure?” Gojo said from his chair, smiling at him as he shut the door behind himself.

“I can’t come home this weekend,” Megumi answered.

Gojo raised his eyebrows.

“And why not?” He asked as Megumi sat in the chair opposite of him.

“Because you assigned an insane amount of homework due Monday,” Megumi replied.

“So? You always do it at home anyways,” Gojo said with a shrug.

“I was going to work on it with Yuji and Kugisaki,” Megumi countered.

“You hang out with your boyfriend everyday, you can sacrifice two days to be with your old man,” Gojo brushed off. “But I’ll also give you an extra week on the assignments,”

“I still want to stay,” Megumi argued. “I’m the only student who leaves over the weekend,”

“You are also the only non orphaned student,” Gojo countered.

“Doesn’t mean I should have special privileges,” Megumi said. “And biologically, I am still an orphan.”

“Legally and socially, you are not,” Gojo said with a shrug. “Just bring them too. Make a fun weekend out of it,”

“You know I can’t,” Megumi groaned.

“Oh, right,” Gojo said with an eye roll, “extra privilege,”

“I don’t want them to think I get everything easy,” Megumi said, “what if they think that I get off the hook because you're my dad? Or that that’s why I am a higher grade then Kugisaki,”

“I still think you are over estimating how much they care,” Gojo said, “I think Yuji would say it’s cool and Nobara would ask if you have your own copy of my credit card,”

Or they would realize just how pathetic it is that Megumi was raised by the strongest yet is barely classified as a grade two. Inherited one of the strongest techniques and was raised by the strong sorcerer only to barely keep up with his peers. It was like his life had been handed on a silver platter and Megumi had just stomped on it until it was a dented waste of metal.

“Come home, Megumi,” Gojo said, “One day when I’m old and senile, you will wish you came home more,”

“I highly doubt that,” Megumi muttered.

“I’ll pick you up Saturday morning, ok?” Gojo said.

Megumi knew he had lost, letting out a defeated sigh and making a mental note to conveniently be missing during that time Saturday.

“Ok,” Megumi said..

“So,” Gojo said, “how was Yuji and your mission?”

“It was fine, nothing to really report on,” Megumi said with a shrug, “got it wrapped up in under an hour.”

“That’s my boy,” Gojo said, “anything else noteworthy?”

“Not really,” Megumi said, “just same old, same old,”

“Are you sure you are doing ok?” Gojo asked.

Megumi squinted at him.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be,” he answered.

“You seem distant,” Gojo replied.

“I’m getting older,” Megumi replied, “I am busy. I have lots of missions, hanging out with Kugisaki and Yuji,”

“That’s true I suppose,” Gojo said with a sigh, “enjoy it, these will be times you look back on,”

Megumi rolled his eyes, he did not want to hear anything else about Gojo's dead boyfriend right now.

“Yes I know, treasure Yuji in case he becomes homicidal," Megumi groaned.

“That not what I meant,” Gojo said, “I mean appreciate your youth, don’t stress so much about the stupid shit,”

“I would enjoy my youth more if I didn’t have to go home every weekend,” Megumi muttered.

“Nope,” Gojo said, “part of enjoying your youth is spending the weekend with your awesome dad,”

Megumi just hummed.

“Have you been using the lotion I got you?” Gojo asked suddenly.

Megumi followed his gaze, looking at the back of his hand where it was bright red, dry and cracked.

“I forgot today,” Megumi said.

“You forgot all week,” Gojo said, “it’s supposed to help,”

“It makes me feel like a slug,” Megumi said.

“Slugs are cute,” Gojo replied.

“Slugs are dirty,” Megumi said.

Gojo blinked at him for a second.

“You can’t keep scrubbing your skin off and doing nothing about it,” Gojo said.

“You know I am not trying to do that,” Megumi snapped. “It’s fine, just a bit red,”

“It’s getting worse,”

Megumi knows he doesn’t mean his skin, he knows he is talking about Megumi himself.

“I am fine,” Megumi said.

“I’ll try and get you some cleaner spots for the next couple missions,” Gojo reasoned, “can you please try being nicer to yourself?”

“It’s not like it hurts,” Megumi said, “my skin's just sensitive,”

Megumi could see Gojo holding back his argument. He wants to point out that he already paid for Megumi to have sensitive skin soaps, that nothing could be giving him the level of rash but himself. Megumi had always been like this, Gojo knew that. Sure, maybe he got rougher the more stressed he was, the more aware he was about his level of contamination. But Megumi had always been like this. This was just the first time his own body wasn’t staying with him, blistering like he was injured.

“Ok, we can chat more this weekend,” Gojo said. “Go have fun with your friends,”

“Ok, bye,” Megumi said, heading out the door.

“Love you,” Gojo called as he shut the door.

Megumi walked a couple paces away before stopping. What if Gojo died and the last thing Megumi said to him was bye? Or the last conversation they had was a disagreement. A disagreement that Megumi thought was unnecessary, but still.

He backtracked, opening back up the office door and returning to his seat.

Gojo looked slightly confused, not verbally questioning him.

“Let’s talk about something else,” Megumi said, “before I leave,”

Gojo nodded.

“Want to hear about how Maki managed to drop a kick panda?” He said.

“How the fuck?” Megumi muttered.

When he left the room ten minutes later, Megumi felt less internal dread. More comfortable with the conversation being fine if something were to happen to either of them.

Megumi bypassed Yuji’s room once he made it to the dorms, quickly going into his own. Once he had turned on his shower, he left the water to heat as he continued through his routine.

First, he washed his hands. Methodically scrubbing away any dirt and grime that could be caught in the small folds of his skin or under his fingernails. Once he was satisfied, he returned to his room and pulled out clothes for the evening, careful to only let them touch the parts of him that were clean.

When Megumi was done, he returned to the bathroom, quickly stripping and depositing the uniform into his dirty laundry. Once bare, he stepped onto his small scale, wrinkling his nose at the fact it had gone up another pound despite him skipping lunch. He reached into his cabinet, pulling his small notebook out and jotting down the number under the row of other numbers.

Megumi hid the scale and notebook away, hidden from loved one’s eyes who wouldn’t understand what or why he was doing this, then he stepped into the shower.

First he shampooed his hair twice. The first time scrubbing deep, trying to get any trace of dirt out of his hair. Scrapping his fingers harshly along his scalp and trying his best to get every individual strand. The second time he was slightly more gentle, trying to at least slightly take his dads words to heart. Next he coated a minuscule amount of conditioner on, careful not to let any touch his shoulders. Once done, he counted to a hundred before rinsing it out.

Megumi grabbed his shower net, coated it in soap before scrubbing his entire body raw. Megumi ensured that he didn’t miss a single spot, every inch of skin turning a bright pink by the time he was finished. He then grabbed his first washcloth, repeating the motions again and scrubbing himself down m. Since the material was much less coarse, it did more to remove any dead skin the net had left behind rather than truly cleaning him. He then took the last washcloth, one clean from all prior grime, and just did a final wipe off.

Satisfied he was clean, Megumi turned off the water, opened the door, then used the same cloth to cover his hand as he picked up the other two and dumped all three in his laundry.

He dried himself off with his towel before moving it to join. He froze when his hand lingered too long, accidentally touching his dirty uniform from earlier.

It was unnecessary, he could just wash his hand. But Megumi knew that he had re-contaminated himself, letting the outside onto his cleaned self. He could wash just his hand, but what if it got moved up his arm as he washed.

Megumi let out a frustrated breath as he turned the water back on, getting back under the spray to redo all the progress he had made.

Megumi's skin was burning when he was complete, but at least he felt clean.

He washed his face. Applying the cleansing oil, then foaming wash, then his exfoliating wipe, then rewashing to ensure there was no lingering dead skin, before reentering his room. He put on his clothes, making sure no part touched the floor before he got under his covers.

He picked up his phone, sending Yuji a text that he decided to go to bed early that night, but would talk to him tomorrow. Once he got a reply wishing him a goodnight, Megumi turned off his phone and let himself drift to sleep.

-

Everything hurt.

What the fuck.

Yuji let out a groan, trying to shift his body into a more comfortable position.

All of his joints ached, and his head felt like a ton of bricks had been dropped on it. Yuji lifted his arm to rub his eyes, hoping to relieve some of the pressure, wincing as his muscles strained from such a simple movement.

Yuji blinked his eyes open, squinting at his hand. He blinked a few more times, tilting his head in confusion. Why was his hand so pale?

He rotated his hand around, seating the large irritated spot. The fuck? Had Megumi gotten some weird disease and accidentally spread it to him? Yuji had brushed off his eczema from the fact his boyfriend tended to wash his hands too often in the cold air, but if he passed it to Yuji maybe he should have been more concerned.

Yuji shook his head, throwing away the thought. Megumi had had it for weeks, no reason for Yuji to freak out. He turned his head to see a bookshelf in front of him.

He sat straight up.

Yuji didn’t own a bookshelf. He looked down at the sheets, just now taking in their blue color as opposed to his red comforter.

This was Megumi’s bed, why the fuck was he in Megumi’s bed? Megumi wouldn’t even let him touch it, barely allowing Yuji into his room unless he had showered. He only chooses to occasionally crash into Yuji's bed, but there was an unspoken agreement that they never swapped and Yuji never touched his bed.

Oh fuck. Had he wandered here in his sleep? Where was Megumi?

Yuji hurried to stand before promptly facing planting.

Huh?

He rolled to sit up straight, just now looking down at his legs.

Those weren’t his spider spider man pants, these were Megumi’s favorite sweats. The ones he only wore in his room after showering, the ones Yuji had only seen him in a couple of times when he had scrubbed himself down to Megumi’s standards enough to be allowed to sit on his bean bag chair. Yuji knows for a fact Megumi would sooner skin himself before letting anyone touch his bed clothes.

Yuji quickly got his feet under him, hurrying into the bathroom to confirm his suspicions. Sure enough, his reflection showed wide green eyes and a mess of spiky black hair

“What the fuck,” Yuji breathed out.

He was in his boyfriend's body.

His boyfriend's body which was annoyingly painful. God, how did Megumi survive like this?

A banging came from the bedroom's door. Yuji hurried over, swinging it open to make eye contact with himself.

Or more likely, Megumi in his body.

Yuji didn’t know his face had the ability to make such an expression, one of such horror, like this was his worst nightmare come true.

“Yuji?” His mouth moved.

Yuji nodded.

“What the fuck what the fuck?” Megumi chanted, hands pulling at Yuji’s hair, “how did this happen?”

“The curse,” Yuji said, “the one you said was fine,”

“I thought we were fine,” Megumi shot back, “because what the fuck,”

“Shoko can fix this, right?,” Yuji said.

Megumi nodded.

Yuji waited, expecting Megumi to make a move. Drag him down to the infirmary or something. But instead he just blinked at Yuji, looking slightly dazed.

He was distracted, why was he distracted. Yuji looked around, looked down at himself.

“Ok, I’ll go change,” Yuji said, “you wait here,”

“Wait,” Megumi said, before cutting himself off.

“What? You ok?” Yuji asked.

“Yeah, yeah,” Megumi said.

“What’s the matter, I can tell something’s the matter,” Yuji said.

“Nothing, go change.” With that Megumi sat on the hall floor.

Yuji closed Megumi’s door. He took off the pants, bringing them to Megumi’s laundry before pausing. Wait, he keeps his room clothes and outside clothes separate. He returned back to the main room, finding a different laundry bin by the desk with other sweatpants he knew he saw Megumi wearing last night.

Yuji then went and washed his hands. He knows it was nowhere near the standard Megumi does, but he scrubbed his best before returning and grabbing Megumi’s jeans to pull on. He repeated the whole process with his shirt as well.

“Ok, pants and shirt changed, hands washed, and laundry is the room bin not bathroom one,” Yuji listed as he exited the room. “Anything I missed?”

Megumi shook his head.

Yuji offered his hand to Megumi, getting pulled down instead of helping him up. Yuji took it in stride, making himself comfortable on the floor next to Megumi.

“Can we please not tell Gojo,” Megumi asked softly.

Yuji looked over at his own profile that was staring straight ahead.

“I really think he could help, Megs," Yuji said softly, “he knows a lot of stuff,”

“But he will also make fun of us,” Megumi countered.

“He already makes fun of me all the time,” Yuji said.

“I don’t want him to make fun of me,” Megumi admitted. “It should wear off in twenty four hours, most personality curses do anyways if Shoko can’t help,”

Yuji nodded.

“Ok, but if we are still like this tomorrow, we have to ask,” Yuji said.

Megumi nodded in agreement.

“What’s wrong?” Yuji asked.

“What do you mean what’s wrong?” Megumi asked, finally looking over at him.

“I mean, normally you would have grabbed me by my hoodie and dragged us to Shoko to demand we be switched,” Yuji said. “But your just kinda, sitting here,”

Megumi blinked at him.

“You never told me how loud he is,” he whispered.

Yuji’s eyes widened. Fuck. He hadn’t even considered Sukana being an issue.

“Oh shit,” Yuji replied, “what’s he saying? Ignore all the threats, he just saying that for fun, he can’t actually do shit”

Megumi shook his head minutely.

“He’s not making threats,” He said, “just taunting me,”

Yuji examined his boyfriend. He knew Sukana's taunts, how he had poked and prodded until he found Yuji’s weak points before berating at it constantly. Yuji had learned how to tune his out, letting his irritating words wash down his back.

But, Yuji knew Megumi stayed a lot closer to the edge of tweaking out then he did, and it was a lot easier to push him over the edge. Between him being constantly prepared to summon Mahoraga to his list of control issues, it was no secret Megumi was not the most attached to his own life or sanity.

Yuji jumped up, navigating his, or rather Megumi’s, body to his own room. Grabbing his headphones from his desk, he returned to the hall and snapped them on Megumi’s head before selecting a playlist.

Yuji sent a questioning thumbs up. Instead of answering, Megumi grabbed his phone, turning the volume all the way up, and leaning back against the wall.

They sat for a couple more minutes, the tension slowly easing out of Megumi’s shoulders, giving Yuji a second to ponder what the actual fuck was going on. He was sitting next to his own body, his own body clad in his pajamas and red headphones. Instead of his normal smile or slightly confused face, his features depicted the annoyed face that Megumi regularly wore.

Eventually, Megumi stood, grabbing Yuji’s hand and silantly led them to the infirmary.

When they got there, the rooms were empty with a note left saying Shoko would be back late that night.

.

 

Megumi generally didn’t mind class. He often thought of it as a waste of time, especially considering how often Gojo tended to branch off topic. But Megumi normally paid attention, at least better than his peers.

He takes back every slightly annoyed thought he had had at Yuji for zoning out during class, because Megumi had only been in Yuji’s body for a couple hours and he doesn’t know how much longer he can take this.

The headphones helped drown Sukana’s incessant voice out, but the second they sat down Gojo had motioned for him to remove them.

“Your jeans are too tight at the knees,” Sukana said within his head, “there’s a fold in them under your thigh. Your lower back isn’t touching the chair.”

“When you breathe, the small hairs on your lip feel it,”

It was worse than his own intrusive thoughts, just a constant barrage to make Megumi squirm uncomfortably. He was getting better about tuning him out, focusing on his Dad’s lecture instead.

“The way the brat is sitting makes your stomach roll show,”

Megumi felt like ice got dumped over him.

“Oh, found a nerve,” Sukana taunted, “go figure, no one with that build has it without some disorder,”

Shut up, Megumi thought strongly.

“Maybe tell that to Yuji,” Sukana said, “all the brat does is eat, and we both know your metabolism isn’t the same as his. Can’t you feel it in how easily he moves, that he’s better built for this life?”

Megumi took a calming breath, accidentally making it audible enough Gojo glanced back at him.

“Even he knows you aren't good enough,” Sukana said, “if you weren’t in his body, he wouldn’t have given you a second glance just now,”

“Ok, great class everyone,” Gojo said clapping his hands together, “I’ll see you guys in the field Monday,”

Kugisaki groaned, muttering about how boring class was despite Gojo only being a couple feet from her.

“Yuji,” Gojo called, “stay back for a second,”

Yuji started to turn back.

“Just Yuji,” Gojo said, “don’t worry Megs, we will talk later,”

Yuji’s eyes went wide with understanding, shooting a look at Megumi who just nodded. Once he had left, Gojo turned towards Megumi.

“What’s going on kid?” Gojo asked, “You seem a bit out of it today?”

“I’m fine,” Megumi said.

He tried to smile, but muscle memory failed him and it just came off as a grimace. It was weird, seeing the man who had raised him through different eyes. How much quicker he was to accept Yuji’s response compared to his own.

“It’s because he trusts Yuji, not you,” Sukana added unhelpfully.

“If you need anything, you know I can help, right?” Gojo said.

“I’m good,” Megumi confirmed, “I’m going to go find, um, Megumi,”

Gojo smirked slightly.

“Ok kid,” he said, slapping Megumi quite harshly on the back.

“See how much less careful he has to be when it’s not you,” Sukana said as Megumi left the classroom.

Megumi ignored him, going to find Yuji.

-

Yuji was sick and tired of this body.

He promised himself to buy Megumi epsom salts, pain meds, literally anything to regulate this pain. There was no way it was normal to walk about like this. His stomach had been cramped since he woke up, all his joints burned, his muscles ached from even the most simple of movements.

When was the last time Megumi ate something?

When Yuji had stood from his desk, he almost dived to the floor before managing to catch himself before anyone noticed. He knew that he should be more concerned that Megumi got called to stay back, but right now he thinks he will die if he doesn’t eat something.

“Don’t eat that,” Megumi snapped, the second he walked in on Yuji making a sandwich.

“But I’m hungry,” Yuji whined, watching as Megumi threw it in the trash.

“No, you are not, it’s only one in the afternoon,” Megumi replied.

“That’s two hours later then I normally eat,” Yuji complained, “and your body in starving,”

“No, it’s not, it’s fine,” Megumi snapped.

Yuji furrowed his brow.

“Meg’s, I’m not sure it is,” Yuji said softly, “you need to eat,”

Megumi rolled his eyes, an action that looked unnatural in Yuji’s body.

“I eat, I just ate a late snack last night and we haven’t worked out today,” Megumi argued. “Fine, eat the sandwich, I don’t care,”

Even as he said it, Yuji saw the small twist of a flitch. Like someone had said something particularly harsh.

“Where are the headphones?” Yuji asked.

“In your backpack,” Megumi replied.

Yuji moved away from the kitchen counter, grabbing his backpack from the floor.

“You should have told Gojo-sensei you had a headache or something,” Yuji said. “He would have let you keep them on,”

“It was fine,” Megumi said, “I am getting better at tuning him out,”

Yuji didn’t believe that for a second. The way Megumi kept minutely flinching, his eyes darting around, was so out of character that it made Yuji want to vomit. Sukana was saying something, likely having found the correct string to pull to make Megumi unravel.

“He trying to get you in your head,” Yuji reiterated, “Here,”

He handed back over the headphones.

“Lets just go sit in my room for the rest of the day,” Yuji reasoned, “You can listen to music and I can pretend to be academic like you,”

Megumi huffed, but took the headphones.

Yuji took his hand. He ignored the clench of his stomach and led them back towards Yuji's room.

-

There was a quick knock on Yuji's door, making him look up from his DS.

“Yes?” He called.

Megumi had fallen asleep a while ago, headphones secure over his ears.

Nobara poked her head in, blinking in surprise.

“Hey Fushiguro,” She said, slipping inside, “I expected you to be the one asleep if anything,”

“Yuji has a headache,” Yuji replied with a shrug, “What's up?”

“Whats up? I think you have been around Itadori too long,” She remarked, “But I was going to ask if you could help me out with the essay Gojo assigned.”

“We have an essay?” Yuji said without thinking.

She blinked at him.

“Yes, we do,” She said, “You haven't started it?”

“Um, I will right now with you,” he said.

She nodded.

“Well, come on,” She said, leaving the room.

Yuji followed after making sure Megumi was still ok. He settled next to her in the living room, opening up his laptop.

“Why are you using Itadori’s computer?” Nobara asked.

Shit.

“He’s not feeling well, so I will just knock out both of our assignments,” He said.

“Aw, what a nice boyfriend,” She said drily, “Now, why not just do mine as well,”

“I am not dating you,” Yuji replied.

They worked in silence for a while. Yuji wished only his conscious and not entire thought system had switched because he could really use Megumi’s smarts right now.

“Hey, Fushiguro,” Nobara said.

Yuji looked up, furrowing his brow when he saw how nervous she looked.

“Are you doing ok?” She asked.

“Yeah, I am fine,” Yuji confirmed, “Are you doing alright?”

“Yeah, I am fine,” She confirmed, “You have just seemed off recently.”

“I am fine,” Yuji confirmed, trying to give her a soft smile.

“I didn’t want to say anything,” She started, “But I notice, ok?”

“Notice what?” Yuji asked.

“The things you work so hard to hide from Yuji and Gojo,” Nobara continued. “You forget that other people care, even Maki said something.”

Megumi’s keeping secrets?

 

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Yuji said, “Maybe you are miss understanding what you think you see,”

“You haven't been eating,” Nobara said. “You only take bites when one of them is near you, and half the time you spit it into a napkin after.”

“What?” Yuji said. “You saw that?”

“Yes,” Nobara said. “Listen, I’m worried about you. If it’s stress, or something else entirely, I’m here to talk. Ok?”

Megumi wouldn’t, right? But that would certainly explain some things. Things like why he got so stressed when Yuji tried to eat earlier, or why Yuji felt so light headed in his body. And that would explain all these aches.

But why would Megumi be starving himself? He had been thin the entirety of the time Yuji had known him. Now that Yuji thinks about it, he doesn’t remember his ribs sticking out quite so much. Yuji would have noticed, right?

Megumi was his boyfriend, and beyond that his best friend. He would have seen the effects.

That mission the day before, they got hit because Megumi suddenly lost consciousness, fainting for a few seconds. Yuji had brushed it off, but could that have been a result of his light headless he was feeling ever since switching bodies.

“Nobara,” Yuji said, “I am going to say something insane, and I need you just to go with it,”

She nodded slowly.

“I need us to redo this entire conversation tomorrow,” He said, “And pretend we never had this conversion,”

“Fushigruo?” Nobara said carefully, “What are you talking about?”

“I need you to trust me,” Yuji said.

“Are you saying you are going to forget this tomorrow and then just asking me to trust you?” Noabra said, “You sound insane,”

“I know, I know,” Yuji said, “Please?”

“Fine,” She said, “Whatever. But we are having a much longer, much more in depth conversation or I am going to Gojo,”

Yuji nodded, turning back to his work.

The words swirled on his computer screen, Yuji’s brain unable to get her words out of his thoughts.

“Do you think he's ok?” Yuji asked softly.

“Who?” She said, not back looking up from her own screen.

“Megumi,” Yuji answered.

He didn’t look up, but could see her pause and move to look at him in his periphery.

“Me and him kinda got cursed to swap bodies,” Yuji continued.

Yuji risked looking up at her, seeing her expression of wide eyes and a dropped jaw.

“Me being Yuji, by the way,” Yuji clarified.

“You guys switched bodies and you didn’t think to tell me?” Nobara said, immediately reaching over to repeatedly hit his arm, “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“He didn’t want anyone to know,” Yuji explained.

“And you listened,” Nobara shouted.

“Well, yes,” Yuji replied.

She huffed, leaning back.

“I think you are right,” He said, “Everything hurts, I had no idea he was living like this,”

“Megumi!”

Yuji turned around, wide at his teacher who was walking into the first year common area.

Gojo being here wasn’t the most shocking, frequently poking his head into the dorms and stealing their food from the fridge. But it was a Friday afternoon, and Gojo always went home by now. Alas, the man was standing, open armed and smiling in the doorway.

“Oh, um” Yuji stammered, looking around the room like the actual Megumi would appear.

“Aw, don’t look so excited,” Gojo said, “Come on, lets go,”

Yuji blinked at him dumbly. He looked over at Nobara for answers, or at the very least help, but she just shrugged.

“Go?” He repeated.

“Yup,” Gojo confirmed. “Hurry up too, This week has been too exhausting to spend any more excess time in this building,”

Yuji nodded.

He flipped his mind around, trying to think where Gojo would possibly need to take Megumi on a Saturday morning. Yuji normally didn’t see Megumi much on the weekends, always having assumed the boy was reading or off on missions.

Yuji stood, wishing Nobara a good weekend before following Gojo out of the dorms.

“You feeling ok?” Gojo asked.

“Yeah yeah, I am fine,” Yuji confirmed, nodding awkwardly as he trails after the man.

His instincts told him to smile off his words, but Yuji caught himself. Megumi doesn't smile like he does, not big and toothy. His smiles are soft, hidden like a surprise if you happened to catch his favor.

“Ok, then let's get home,” Gojo said.

Yuji furrowed his brow but followed after him. Home?

Gojo yapped and yapped, thankfully not leaving much room in the conversation for Yuji to have to figure out how to reply in his best Megumi impression.

He sat stiffly in Gojo's nice car as Gojo drove, terrified that one wrong word would expose them. Yuji could do this, Megumi was his boyfriend and furthermore his best friend. He should know how to act like him.

But he was also so insanely confused.

Yuj can’t think of a time he has ever seen Megumi and Gojo act so casual together. Yuji, along with everyone at the school, knows that Megumi is Gojo’s favorite. He had asked Megumi about it once, months ago before they had become close. Megumi had grown quickly defensive, saying that Gojo gave him no special treatment compared to anyone else.

Yuji had been quick to amend his words, saying that Gojo just seemed more fond of him. Megumi just brushed him off, saying that he had known him a long time and that it was just a reflection off of that.

But now? Now Yuji was doubting.

Because Gojo seemed awfully relaxed right now, and he seemed to expect Megumi to be as well.

“Megs?” Yuji blinked out of his thoughts, not even realizing the car had stopped, “You ok?’

“Yeah, sorry,” Yuji said, “I just zoned out,”

“You have done a lot of that today,” Gojo pointed out.

Shit. He mis-calculated how silent Megumi would stay.

“I just don’t feel great,” Yuji said, “Just a bit tired,”

Yuji jumped a bit when Gojo leaned closer, pushing up his bangs to put the back of his hand on Yuji's forehead.

“Hm, you don’t have a fever,” Gojo noted. “Did anything happen on you and Yuji's mission yesterday?”

“What? No,” Yuji answered way too quickly, “Why would you think something happened?”

Gojo squinted at him.

“Your cursed energy seems fine,” Gojo mused, “You are sure nothing happened during the mission?”

Yuji nodded.

“Just to be safe since you have a long reputation of lying,” Gojo said, “Head to bed right after dinner,”

Yuji nodded.

When Gojo opened his car door, Yuji finally noticed that they were parked in front of an apartment complex, one significantly nicer than any Yuji had ever lived in.

He followed dumbly behind Gojo as he made his way through the halls, using his phone to unlock a door.

Yuji tried his best not to show his impression. Megumi wouldn't be surprised, he had likely been to this place before.

“So, I am thinking just rice balls for dinner,” Gojo said as he made his way deeper into the apartment, “I trained with the second years this morning and inomaki left me starving,”

“Yeah, sounds good,” Yuji said, trailing after him.

God, this place was huge. The kitchen he followed Gojo to felt larger than the entirety of his grandfather’s old apartment.

“Do you want to change?” Gojo asked, "It's going to be at least another thirty minutes,”

“Oh, yeah yeah” Yuji said, “I will go do that.”

Despite its massive size, it was a relatively basic layout. Yuji followed the hall down until he found a couple sets of doors. He blessed every being above that they were all open.

One was clearly Gojos, several extra uniforms thrown around and a blindfold sitting on a bedside table. The room next to it must be Megumi’s. His uniform hanging on his closet door, a book on his desk, and bed perfectly made.

Yuji stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him.

Ok, so Megumi lived, or at least stayed, with Gojo on the weekends.

Megumi had said they had known each other a long time, so it made sense that Gojo would let him crash here and ensure he was fed. Yuji himself had crashed on Nanami's couch several times so it's not like he should be that surprised.

Yuji washed his hands in the bathroom before finding some comfortable sweats, switching quickly to retain some of Megumi's privacy.

Yuji then sat down stiffly on the floor, unsure what to do with himself. If he were Megumi, he would likely read. But Yuji doubts that his dyslexia didn’t leave his brain during the switch and honestly doesn’t care enough to find out. Megumi would probably also look at his homework, but Yuji definitely doesn't want to do that.

So instead he just sits. Staring at the clock as it twitches. He only lasted a couple minutes before he pulled out his phone, only to remember that it was Megumis and that Yuji does not have any idea what his password is.

He can see on the homescreen that he has received four messages from himself, but without Face ID, he has no idea what Megumi is trying to tell him.

“Dinners ready,” Gojo's voice called.

Yuji pocketed the phone, getting up and heading back into the kitchen.

“I put your plate on the table,” Gojo said, finishing up his own plate from where he stood by the counter.

“Thanks, Gojo-sensei,” Yuji said, sitting down.

Gojo visibly stiffened, bright blue eyes rising to meet Yujis.

Yuji froze. He messed up. But where?

“What was that, Megumi?” Gojo asked.

His tone was playful, but his eyes were scanning Yuji's face.

“I said thanks, Gojo,” Yuji said.

Gojo nodded minutely.

Yuji withheld his sigh of relief when the man came and sat across from him. It must have just been the usage of honorifics. Megumi likely didn’t use them in Gojo’s own house.

He took a bite of his rice ball.

“So, what's Yuji up to today?” Gojo asked.

“I think he said he was going to finish his Manga,” Yuji said.

It was true, had this not all occurred.

“How about Nobara?” Gojo asked.

“I am not sure, probably shopping,” Yuji answered. “We were working on your paper earlier,”

“I told you you could have another week,” Gojo said.

Yuji made a mental note to ask Megumi if that extension was for all three of them or just himself.

“Yeah, I just wanted to get a jump on it,” Yuji replied.

“You talked to your dad recently?” Gojo asked.

Yuji froze.

Fuck.

He didn’t even know Megumi had a living father. That meant it was probably a no? Right? But Megumi was also very secretive. Especially about his family, never wanting to even acknowledge that he was Zenin.

“No more than usual,” Yuji answered.

There, now it was up to Gojo to determine what that meant.

“Hm, good answer,” Gojo said.

Wait.

Yuji gave up on eating, putting his chop sticks down to lean back. Gojo hadn't touched his food, clearly more focused on interrogating Yuji. or Megumi, he guessed.

“Its the truth,” Yuji said, raising his eyebrow in a way that he hopes comes off similar to the way Megumi does it.

“I suppose so,” Gojo said, “Suguru called, asked how you were doing,”

Yuji had zero idea who that was.

“I am doing fine,” Yuji answered.

Gojo squinted at him again.

“Are you and Yuji still dating?” Gojo asked.

“You know we are dating?” Yuji said without thinking.

“Oh, thank god,” Gojo said, putting his hand over his heart, “Jesus, you scared me kid,”

“That we broke up?” Yuji asked.

“No, that you were someone else,” Gojo said, with a laugh.

Yuji forced a laugh himself.

“Yeah, why wouldn't I be myself,” Yuji said.

Gojo shook his head with a smile. He pulled his own phone out, swiping around a couple times before clicking call and putting it on speaker. .

It rang for a couple of seconds before someone must have picked it up.

“You know, you should really learn not to lie,” Gojo said tauntingly into the phone.

“How did you know,” Yuji fought a wince when his own voice came through the speaker

“Probally because you lie to your boyfriend nearly as much as you lie to me,” Gojo said.

“I don’t lie to Yuji,” Megumi snapped.

“Considering I just got called Gojo Sensei in my own home, I am going to disagree with you,” Gojo said.

“Sorry,” Yuji called, loud enough the phone speaker could pick up, “I still don’t know how that gave it away, but I swear I was doing good beyond that,”

“No, he wasn’t,” Gojo clarified.

“Why did you take him home?” Megumi said, “You said we were leaving tomorrow,”

“Because I knew you were going to disappear tomorrow before I could find you,” Gojo respond, “Took me a bit longer to figure out the body swap, just thought you were injured and lying”

“Because I did a good job,’ Yuji said.

“Couldn’t you have just hidden in your room like I told you too,” Megumi grumbled. “Just hurry back, I just texted you that Shoko is back on campus anyways,”

“We will, I will bring you some food,” Gojo said, “I have never seen you eat a rice ball before, it was like an alien inhabited you,”

“Whoops,” Yujis said with a wince.

“You let me eat a rice ball?” Megumi said, sounding disgusted.

“Yup, all part of my long test,” Gojo replied, “I’ll see you in about an hour,”

The phone buzzed when Megumi hung up.

Yuji sat awkwardly as Gojo started eating.

A second later the phone rang again. This time Gojo kept it off speaker, putting it close to his ear.

“Hey,” Gojo said softly into the speaker, “yeah, I know. Go eat something, we will be back soon. Ok, love you, bye,”

He set the phone back down, continuing his meal like nothing had occurred.

“You can eat, Yuji,” Gojo said, “We will get Shoko to fix this after.”

Yuji nodded, poking at his rice ball. He can’t believe he forgot how much Megumi hates them, how much he hates any food that mixes ingredients in such a visible manner.

“So,” Yuji said, before cutting himself off.

“What’s up?” Gojo asked between bites.

“What should I have called you? Instead of Gojo Sensei?” Yuji asked.

Gojo paused for a second.

“Dad,” He answered simply.

Yuji blinked at him.

“Oh,” He said, “Yeah, that makes sense,”

“Does it?” Gojo said, clearly a little surprised by his answer.

“I mean, yeah,” Yuji said, “You guys make the same expressions and I was kinda dumb not realizing you’re his dad,”

“Megumi didn’t want anyone to think he was special or something when he first enrolled,” Gojo explained. “Asked that I kept it on the down low”

“I think he's just scared he would disappoint you if he failed, or ruin your reputation,” Yuji said, "That's why he didn’t want to tell you that we swapped.”

“Yeah, I figured,” Gojo said, “After ten years you would think he would have figured out it's impossible for him to disappoint me,”

-

“Well if it isn't my favorite son,” Gojo said, a big smile on his face as he moved to Yuji's frowning body. “Alive and in new flesh,”

Megumi just glared at him.

“You weren't supposed to be around until tomorrow,” Megumi grumbled.

“If you read your texts, you would have seen I was coming to get you earlier,” Gojo said.

“He took my phone,” Megumi countered.

“Should have told him your password,” Gojo said.

“I did,” Megumi hissed, “He forgot it,”

Yuji just shrugged with a smile, moving to sit next to Megumi on the bench in Shoko's office.

“Where’s Shoko?” Gojo asked, looking around.

“Smoke break,” Megumi answered, “she said she needed it before dealing with this,”

“God, this is weird,” Gojo said, looking between them, “A emo Yuji, and bubbly Megumi,”

“Yeah, stop smiling so big,” Megumi snapped, “It looks unnatural,”

Yuji dropped his smile.

Shoko walked in, taking in the three.

“Good news and bad news,” She started, “Good news is that it's not permanent,”

“Thank god,” Megumi breathed,

“Was that a worry?” Yuji asked.

“Bad news is that I think you just have to sleep it off,” Shoko said. “Should be all fine by tomorrow,”

“Ugh, I have to spend the rest of the day like this,” Megumi groaned.

“Sorry kid,” Shoko said, “I do want to do a quick full physical on both of you before you head out,”

Yuji felt Megumi stiffen next to him.

“I don’t think that’s necessary," Megumi said. “I feel fine, you feel fine too, right Yuji?”

“I mean, it’s not like it would hurt,” Yuji said, pointedly avoiding Megumi’s gaze.

“Yeah, let’s get you boys checked out,” Gojo said. “I would prefer to know neither of you have any other ailments from the mission,”

“I really want to just go to bed,” Megumi pleaded, “can’t we do this tomorrow?”

“We could have done it yesterday if you had thought to mention this in your report,” Gojo said.

Megumi didn’t reply, just glaring at Gojo like it would change his mind. Gojo held his gaze for a few moments before letting out a sigh.

“Here, Meg’s.” He said, “Let's go talk in the other room, then we can decide what’s best. Ok?”

Megumi rolled his eyes, but stood up and left the room. Before following, Gojo did a series of hand gestures towards Yuji and Shoko before shutting the door behind him.

“What was that about?” Yuji asked.

“That was his way of saying to go ahead and examine you while he and Megumi are talking,” Shoko said.

She picked up her clip board.

“Isn’t that like a violation of Megumi’s privacy?” Yuji asked.

“You could look at it that way,” Shoko said, “or you could look at it as speeding this along so we can all go home.”

“I guess,” Yuji replied.

“Any aches or pains?” Shoko asked, looking at him over the clip board.

“Yeah, pretty much everywhere,” Yuji replied.

She furrowed her brow as she wrote something down.

“Consentrated in any particular area?” She asked.

“Joints and stomach,” Yuji said.

“Did you eat anything today,” she asked.

“I had a rice ball at Gojo’s but-“ Yuji cut himself off.

“But?” Shoko questioned.

“I, um, think it was the first time Megumi has eaten in a while,” Yuji admitted.

“You mind stepping on the scale real quick,” Shoko said.

Yuji hopped off the bench, moving to stand on said scale. He wasn’t exactly sure what the healthy weight standards were, but he was pretty sure it wasn’t the double digits that he saw displayed.

Shoko didn’t say anything, just writing it down before directing Yuji back to the bench.

“Anything else?” She asked.

“His skin is all irritated, but beyond that no,” Yuji replied.

She nodded.

“That’s all I need, you can relax until they come back,”

-

“I don’t need a physical,” Megumi argued.

“You could be injured,” Gojo countered, “or Yuji could be,”

“I would have noticed,” Megumi said, “if there was even a slight bruise or scrape that wasn’t normal, I would have seen it,”

Megumi continued pacing back and forth. Gojo just leaned against the wall, eyes following his movements. He had pushed his blindfold up, his bright blue eyes watching Megumi closely.

“Something could have appeared after you switched,” Gojo pointed out. “It will take less than five minutes, just let Shoko look you over,”

“No,” Megumi snapped.

“Meg’s,” Gojo said softly, “you don’t have to be fine all the time.”

“I fucking know that,” Megumi said, “but this is not one of those times.”

“I think it most definitely is,” Gojo said. “Can you please be honest? It’s just me, ok?”

Megumi stopped his pacing, letting out a breath.

“I just don’t understand how he seems so fine with this,” Megumi said, gesturing to the closed door that they had left from minutes before, “I want to gut my insides at the thought of someone else inhabiting my body, but Yuji seems so unbothered of the fact i am in his”

“Yuji has been very respectful,” Gojo said softly, “he’s been doing his best to maintain all your routines. And Yujis had experience not being in control of his body before, he is likely relieved that it's just you and not the other option.”

“I know it’s just,” Megumi said, “it just feels so dirty,”

Gojo nodded for him to continue.

“Like, when I get back, I'm still going to feel him still there,” Megumi explained, “like he’s a stain. And I like him, and I am glad it’s my boyfriend and someone as caring as Yuji, but it’s not me,”

“And it’s not something I can scrub away,” Megumi continued, “and I will know, I will feel it. Feel the lingering of someone who’s not me.”

“That’s completely normal to worry about,” Gojo said, “here, come here,”

Megumi let himself be pulled into a hug. It was awkward, neither of them used to this frame, but Megumi almost wanted to cry at finally getting some familiarity.

“And I know he’s been in my room, and my bed,” Megumi continued, “and I know I shouldn’t care, but I do.”

“We will super clean everything,” Gojo said, “I’ll do it myself, ok?”

Megumi nodded into his chest. Despite how messy the man could be, he knew Megumi and his standards. Megumi wouldn’t trust anyone else to help him.

“Anything else on your chest?” Gojo asked.

“Sukana sucks,” Megumi said. “He had been pissing me off all day,”

“Is he saying anything right now?” Gojo asked.

“Not right now,” Megumi said, “but I can feel him listening,”

“Let’s get those headphones back on, ok?” Gojo said.

“Can I please not do the physical?” Megumi asked.

“Fine, but we are doing one tomorrow," Gojo said. “How about both you and Yuji come back to the house for the night. You guys can sleep in the guest room so you can switch to your room as soon as you are back in your body, ok?”

Megumi nodded. He released Gojo from their embrace.

“Ok,” he said with a sigh.

“Here,” Gojo said, pulling his keys out of his pocket. “How about you start the car? I am going to talk to Shoko super quickly, then we can head out, ok?”

Megumi nodded, grabbing the keys before heading in the direction of upstairs.

-

Fuck.

It was worse than Gojo thought.

He was glad he had already sent Yuji to join Megumi in the car before speaking to Shoko.

“How did I not notice?” Gojo groaned, running a hand down his face, “I see him every day, how could I not tell until recently just how unwell he is?”

“It’s hard to notice things like this when you see him so regularly,” Shoko explained.

“I thought measures were supposed to be put in place after Suguru,” Gojo snapped, “Why is my son apparently not only in chronic pain, but the weight of a small child, and no one has noticed.”

“He was fine at his physical at the beginning of the year,” Shoko started, “I do think this is a sign that we should do them more regularly.”

“Like fuck it’s a sign,” Gojo huffed.

“We will start monitoring his food intake better,” Shoko said, “it’s likely just the stress. We don’t know for sure he’s actively starving himself. Megumi could have just have been struggling to keep his appetite up,”

“No, he doesn’t do anything accidentally,” Gojo said, shaking his head. “There’s probably a notebook or spreadsheet somewhere tracking his calories, or weight, or whichever aspect of eating his OCD latched onto.”

“He has OCD?” Shoko asked.

“Yeah, you're his doctor, shouldn’t you know that?” Gojo said.

“You never mentioned it,” she said.

“Yeah, he got diagnosed a couple years ago,” Gojo brushed off. “Thankfully, it's pretty manageable, but his triggers are constantly growing,”

“I would look into therapy,” Shoko said, “it may have been fine when he was a kid, but now that it’s actively harming him, he needs help.”

“Yeah, you are right,” Gojo agreed. “God, he’s going to throw a fit.”

“He learned that from you,” Shoko said, “also, get him some ointment for that eczema,”

“I have been trying to find one he will use,” Gojo groaned, “he says they make him feel dirty again,”

“Hm, I’ll look into it, see if I can find some that could work,” she said.

“Thanks Shoko,” Gojo said, “I’m going to get them home, but I’ll text you once they have switched back.”

“Sounds good,” she said, “I’ll send you some recommendations for therapists along with the ointment,”

“Wonderful, thanks again,”

-

“You boys should eat something," Gojo said as they entered the apartment.

“No, we are fine,” Megumi said.

He grabbed Yuji’s hand before he could argue, pulling him to the guest room. Megumi wanted to feel relief that his dad didn’t argue, but his gut told him that it was just because a much longer, much more painful conversation awaited him tomorrow.

Megumi paused just before getting into bed.

He always showered before bed, but Megumi didn’t want to shower in Yuji’s body. But then he can’t put on his sleep clothes because he isn’t clean.

“Woah, hey, what’s the matter?” Yuji asked.

“I’m just ready for this to be over,” Megumi said.

“Yeah, me too,” Yuji agreed, “but hey, Shoko said we should be good tomorrow,”

“Yeah,” Megumi said. “Let’s just sleep,”

Yuji nodded.

They both brushed their teeth. Megumi fought the urge to throw up at the fact they were sleeping in day time sweats, that the clothes that had touched the outdoors were now touching the bed.

It was fine, he tried to reason. It wasn’t his bed, it was just the guest room. Tomorrow everything would be alright.

Megumi flipped off the light, settling down next to Yuji. He yearned to cuddle next to him, find some semblance of comfort. But Megumi couldn’t get past the fact it would be like embracing himself, so he just stayed on his half of the bed.

“Gojo told me,” Yuji whispered into the dark, “that he’s, you know, your dad,”

“Yeah, he is,” Megumi admitted, “adopted, but yeah,”

“That’s cool,” Yuji mused, “I bet he was great to grow up with,”

“He’s not bad,” Megumi said, “don’t tell him I said that though,”

“Why keep it a secret?” Yuji asked.

“I just didn’t want the added pressure until I could live up to it,” Megumi admitted, “I already have an inherited technique that I haven’t mastered, I didn’t want everyone to know I was also raised by the strongest sororer.”

“Well, I think you are plenty strong,” Yuji said. “And I don’t think anyone would judge you for not mastering sorcery at fifteen,”

Megumi hummed noncommittally. They lapsed back into silence before Yuji let out a small gasp.

“What?” Megumi grumbled.

“I just remembered you have a technique,” Yuji said.

“You seriously haven’t tried it?” Megumi said, lifting his head from his pillow to squint at Yuji, “I would have thought that would have been the first thing you did,”

“I have been distracted,” Yuji pointed out, “wait, show me how to get a bunny,”

“Rabbit,” Megumi corrected.

He reached for Yuji’s hands, moving his own fingers into the correct shape.

“Now, just focus your cursed energy into your hands,” Megumi directed, “then just say rabbit escape,"

Yuji furrowed his brow in concentration.

“Rabbit escape," he breathed out.

A white bunny popped out of the shadow.

“Awww,” Yuji said, pulling the fluff closer to his chest, “oh, this made this whole day worth it,”

Megumi hummed, settling back down next to him. He let himself drift to sleep, pretending it was Yuji’s body next to him holding the bunny.

He was nearly asleep when Sukana decided to speak up, jolting him back awake.

“So the strong one is your dad,” his voice taunted, “well, that just makes my plan all the more interesting,”

Megumi groaned, reaching for the side table to grab the headphones. He turned the music back to the max before settling back down and letting himself sleep.

-

Satoru glanced at the clock when he heard the shower start in the room next door.

Five in the morning, a little bit later than Shoko expected.

He let himself go back to sleep, feeling slightly less on edge now that he knew they were switched back.

The next time he awoke, the sun was peaking through the blinds. The shower was no longer on, something he considered a win.

“Hey, kid,” Gojo greeted Yuji when he walked into the living room, “how do you feel?”

Yuji smiled at him from the couch.

“Much better, glad to be back,” he said, “I think Megumi’s in his room, he was gone when I woke up.”

“Yeah, I suspect he’s going to be in there most of the day,” Gojo replied, “you want some breakfast before I bring you back to campus?”

“Please,” Yuji said, “I think I could eat a horse,”

“Well, I have eggs and toast,” Gojo replied with a soft laugh.

He headed into the kitchens, cracking a couple eggs into a pan. Gojo imagined Megumi didn’t eat a thing while in Yuji’s body, likely so used to the hunger pains he didn’t even notice them. The thought made his nauseous, hating the fact he let it get this far.

-

Gojo looked at the room in front of him, figuring out where best to start.

He decided on the laundry, taking both bins and the bedding to the machines down the hall. He then sanitized every surface, getting under the few items Megumi had displayed. When he got to the bathroom, Gojo practically dosed it in bleach.

He opened the cabinet, planning to wipe the inside, but paused when he saw what it contained. Gojo reached his hand inside, pulling out the only two contents.

“Fuck,” he cursed as he flipped through the small note book.

Rows upon rows of numbers, dating back to two weeks into the school year, filled the pages. It was sectioned off, half the book being weight tracking while the other half was calories.

Gojo took a calming breath, packing up both the notebook and scale to dispose of when he was finished cleaning.

-

Megumi’s entire body burned.

Despite the nearly two hours he had spent in the shower, or how many times he stuffed his fingers down his throat, he still felt wrong. His insides felt coated with something alien, like a goo that no matter how much he vomited, he couldn’t quite get it all out.

He had given up, curling himself on the floor with one of his spare blankets, not wanting to touch his bed until he felt better.

Megumi wasn’t sure exactly what time it was. He had heard his dad and Yuji leave a while ago, likely heading back to campus. All he knew was that he would do nearly anything to feel like himself again.

The hunger pains he was so accustomed to were gone, a stark reminder that someone else had been puppetting him around. His body ached in contrast to how easy it had been to move in Yuji’s. Megumi swears he can still hear Sukana’s voice, whispering in his head how this was all proof Megumi was failing.

Megumi didn’t move from his spot on the floor when he heard the front door open, waiting until he heard the soft knock on his door to sit up in his makeshift bed.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Satoru asked, slipping inside.

“Awful,” Megumi answered bluntly.

Gojo nodded like that was the response he was expecting, moving to sit on the floor next to Megumi.

“I cleaned your room,” Gojo said, “I don’t think there is even an atom of bacteria that still exists in there,”

Megumi hummed.

“I did find something I think we should talk about,” his dad continued.

Megumi froze.

Fuck. How could he have been so stupid.

“Can we talk about this later?” Megumi asked.

“I don’t think we can,” Gojo said, ducking his head to try and meet Megumi’s eyes, “Meg’s, this is serious.”

“I’m fine-“

“No, you’re not,” Gojo interrupted, “but that’s ok. We can get you help,”

“I don’t need therapy,” Megumi groaned, letting his head fall back and hit the wall behind them “I promise I’ll eat more or do whatever it is you don’t think is right,”

“It’s not about what I think is right,” Gojo explained, “you are hurting yourself. Yuji said that he felt like he could barely move with how much pain your body is in,”

Megumi scoffed.

“I am not in pain,” Megumi swore, “I feel great,”

“So you are saying you didn’t feel better in Yuji’s body?” Gojo asked, “maybe noticed that you weren’t constantly light headed, or that your muscles moved easier,”

“That’s because Yuji’s more fit than me,” Megumi pointed out, “he can eat more because he can process it better. I eat too much and I lose control and I’m weaker,”

“Meg’s, Yuji weighs nearly a hundred pounds more than you do right now,” Gojo said, “weight is not a good measurement of your strength either. If you don’t eat, you are going to be weaker,”

Megumi rolled his eyes.

He just didn’t get it, didn’t understand why Megumi was like this. Why he had to be like this.

“I’m going to pull you from missions for the next couple weeks,” Gojo said softly, holding up his hand when Megumi started to argue, “no, this isn’t up for debate. You are fifteen. I already don’t like that you are being sent on missions in the first place, but I can’t in good conscious let you out in this condition,”

“I’m fine, dad,” Megumi snapped, “you can’t just ground me for monitoring my weight,”

“I’m not grounding you,” Gojo said, “you can still be on campus and go to classes, I am just not letting you go on missions until you have been cleared by a therapist and Shoko.”

“And what about training?” Megumi asked.

“You will cut back on it for the time being,” Gojo said.

“I will fall behind,” Megumi said, “I am already struggling to keep up, and now Yuji knows that I really don’t have an excuse.”

“I think Yuji knows better than anyone now,” Gojo argued, “It’s just a couple weeks. I think you will find you progress much faster when you are taking care of yourself,”

“I promise I will eat more, just please, don’t make me stop,” Megumi promised.

“It will be good for you,” Gojo said. “Not getting covered in curse goop or mud hopefully give your skin a break,”

“Whatever,” Megumi huffed. “My skin's fine, I’m fine,”

Megumi turned his head from Gojo, tensing his jaw. He wrapped his arms around himself, refusing to look over and let himself cry like he wanted to.

This was so beyond unnecessary. Yuji, Gojo, Shoko, they didn’t have it like him. They were naturally talented enough to keep up with their gifts and expectations, they never had to overcome themselves just to be what people expected of them.

“I love you, alight kid,” Gojo said, softly, “I am not doing this to punish you,”

“It feels like you are,” Megumi muttered.

“I know it does,” Gojo acknowledged, “it’s just a few weeks. You be back sending dogs after curses and stressing me out when I read your incident reports in no time,”

Megumi hummed.

“Now, why are we on the floor?” Gojo asked.

“I still don’t feel right,” Megumi said with a shrug.

“How about I throw the guest room sheets in the wash so you can stay in there a couple nights until you feel better, ok?” Gojo asked.

Megumi nodded.

“Now, let’s go watch tv or something," Gojo said, standing up, “you can help me go through the websites of the therapists Shoko sent over,”

Megumi took his offered hand, letting himself get pulled to standing.

“Oh, speaking of Shoko,” Gojo said, digging into his pocket to pull out a small tube, “she sent me back with this. She said it should help your skin but it doesn’t leave a residue,”

Megumi took the bottle from him, squeezing a minuscule amount onto his hand before rubbing it in.

“Thoughts?” Gojo asked.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Megumi said with a shrug.

He pocketed the ointment.

“Perfect,” Gojo said, “she said twice a day until the irritation goes away,”

“What if it never goes away?” Megumi asked.

The irritations, the failures, his own inadequacies.

“Then we will find a new solution,” Gojo said with a soft smile. “Don’t worry so much, there’s always a solution.”