Chapter Text
Of all the things Megumi had expected would change his life, he never suspected something as ridiculous and trivial as the small jingle of a bell to be it. More specifically, the jingle of a bell attached to the front door of the coffeeshop where he – unfortunately – worked. He had spent months listening to the small, harmonic sound, day in and day out with no real reason to pay attention to it. Sure, it brought about a plethora of customers and patrons, but why should he care? They were probably just going to annoy him anyway.
Especially if they had pink hair, a bright smile, and a sickening sweet tooth.
Yuuji Itadori, he had introduced himself upon his first visit as if Megumi were supposed to care who he was, or why he was there in the first place. And, frankly, he didn’t really care… or at least he had convinced himself he didn’t – kind of. Maybe. Not really.
Yuuji Itadori had come through the glass door, bringing with him the signature chime, and Megumi’s life had never been the same.
Yuuji was — kind of — an aspiring photographer -- he didn’t have any real hopes of making a career of it or earning a living, it was more so something he simply enjoyed with minimal effort. He had picked up a worn-down, well-used camera from a local thrift shop on a whim, and decided to make it a hobby then and there. Hobby or habit, Megumi wasn’t entirely sure, because Yuuji seemed to be enthralled by taking photos of the most obscure things all the time. There was no pattern or likeness to any of his photos -- each of them were seemingly random and unrelated. Some flowers here, a bird or dog or stray cat there, sometimes strangers or just what he had for lunch. His subject matter seemed to be only things of unimportance, simple but rather mundane images that, for some reason, Megumi couldn’t wrap his head around.
Yuuji had appeared one seemingly unimportant day, bringing with him a charm and delight that reignited something within Megumi. A nervousness, an uncertainty, a feeling that he couldn’t shake when in the other’s presence, despite how much he tried to. The first time Yuuji had ordered his usual — a large coffee with three sugars and two creams — Megumi had visibly cringed at the sweetness. But his unfriendly and uninviting demeanor didn’t turn Yuuji away, for he simply flashed a sheepish smile, stating: “I know, it’s kinda sweet.”
And, entirely unironically, Megumi’s first thought was: So are you.
“I’m Yuuji Itadori!” He had beamed, obviously interested in befriending the suddenly taken-aback and terrified-of-his-own-thoughts Megumi. Since he had worked there, Megumi had never once allowed any sort of emotion to drive a conversation with a customer — whether it be anger, irritation, or frustration. But somehow, in that moment, beneath the gaze of a radiant and smiling, pink-haired man, Megumi faltered.
“Um, I— uh.” He had cleared his throat with a scowl, refusing to acknowledge the heat on his cheeks. “Fushiguro. Megumi Fushiguro.”
“Fushiguro.” Yuuji repeated with a smile, sounding almost as if he were pondering the taste of Megumi’s name on his tongue. “I like it here.” Yuuji continued, casting a glance behind him to ensure he wasn’t holding up a line. “I work at the flower shop down the street,” He pointed forward, signifying which direction the shop could be found. “But I needed somewhere quiet to come look at my pictures.”
“Pictures?” Megumi raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t sure why he was even continuing the conversation, he should really just turn around and pour Yuuji his cup of coffee. It wasn’t that he was particularly interested in whatever pictures Yuuji was referring to, but he found himself undeniably intrigued nonetheless.
“Yeah!” Yuuji replied excitedly, holding up an old, beat-up and worn camera. “I found this thing at the thrift shop and thought to myself: ‘Why not start taking pictures of things’? Know what I mean?”
“Not really.” Megumi deadpanned. It wasn’t a hobby he had ever put much thought to, but he supposed he wasn’t necessarily opposed to it, either.
Yuuji laughed at his response, a genuine and hearty giggle that made Megumi’s ears ring with the sound even after it was over. It was whimsical and easy-going, two things that Megumi was not, but assumed he could use more of in his life. And that’s when he found himself wishing to hear it again. Maybe even again.
“That’s okay, I’m probably just weird.” Yuuji rubbed at the back of his neck, and Megumi’s stomach dropped with an unfamiliar feeling. A feeling of worry, that maybe somehow his stoic response had blown his chance with Yuuji – Wait? What the fuck am I even thinking? My chance with Yuuji? Megumi had to force himself not to cringe or curl away at his own idiocy. Get a grip. You’ve known him for five minutes. Why do you even care?
“I don’t think you’re weird.” Megumi blurted out, despite his initial plan to not say anything else. At all. To move on with his day, with his life – to pack away whatever had begun to bubble inside of his chest and ignore it forever.
“I mean, it’s okay if I am.” Yuuji moved over to the side of the counter, resting an elbow on it and placing his cheek in his hand. Megumi assumed this would be the end of their conversation, the end of this horrid interaction, that Yuuji was now only waiting for his coffee and nothing else. So Megumi turned, and with a frustratingly shaky hand grabbed a steaming coffee pot and a white, ceramic mug, silently praying he wouldn’t break the fragile ware or himself in the process. But even with his back turned, Yuuji continued to speak to him.
“So, how long have you worked here?” He asked, completely casual and unphased by Megumi’s previous blunder.
“Too long. Long enough.” Megumi quietly replied with a sigh and flutter of his eyelids. Relief overcame him, and he hated it. He hated that he was so invested, so concerned with what this random man’s opinion of him was, or how he perceived him. He felt so self-conscious doing something that was second-nature to him – he really shouldn’t have been this nervous pouring a cup of coffee.
Yuuji giggled, and it was like every nerve ending in Megumi’s body responded. His skin prickled with a wave of sensitivity, his knees suddenly feeling weak as he bent down to retrieve the cream from the fridge beneath the counter.
“Do you not like working here or something?” Yuuji tilted his head, and Megumi forced himself not to acknowledge how puppylike and cute it was.
“It’s… not that. I just don’t really like people.” He answered mostly honestly, but his brain repeated: Except you.
“Yeah, I kinda got that vibe.” Yuuji snickered, and Megumi scoffed as he stirred in three uneven spoonfuls of sugar.
“But you’re still here.” He didn’t mean to sound so touched, so desperate, but he came across that way anyway. His ears turned pink at the implications of his own words, and he needed this Yuuji Itadori guy to leave and preferably, never come back. Without another word, he slid the cup the small distance across the counter, the action feeling like some sort of goodbye.
But he was wrong. So, so wrong. For this was only hello.
“So, when do you go on break?”
“I—Sorry, what?” Megumi stammered, taken aback by the unexpected — but not entirely uninvited — question.
“Your break? Or… did you already take it?” He sounded almost defeated, like a glimmer of hope was depleting from his words.
Mechanically and way-too-stiff, Megumi pulled his phone from his pocket to check the time. 2:37pm… so he must’ve gotten here around 2:30… I wonder if — wait, what am I doing?
After staring at his phone like an illiterate idiot, Megumi cleared his throat and responded: “About twenty minutes. Are you planning on staying that long?”
I hope he says yes.
And he held his breath awaiting Yuuji’s reply, but released his tension upon seeing the other’s face crack a wide smile.
“Of course! I want to show you my pictures!”
Oh. Right. His pictures. Megumi forced himself not to sigh, draining the idea that maybe Yuuji had been interested in him, too. But, then again, maybe this was a way in, the first step. Maybe Yuuji enjoyed the intimacy of sharing his work or hobby or whatever it was, and decided he wanted to share it with Megumi, too. And if that’s the case…
“Okay.” Megumi whispered in agreement, heart fluttering as he temporarily suspended their conversation with: “See you at three then.”
Yuuji smiled at that, his face lighting up and maybe even turning pink as he took his coffee from the counter with a small wave. Even as he turned to go find a place to sit, Megumi’s line of sight was trained to him, gawking with wide eyes in an attempt to process what the hell had just transpired.
“Wow, someone’s chatty today.” Nobara appeared from the back room, having been peeking through the cracked door. She had a sly smirk across her face, and the look in her eyes read mischief.
Megumi chose to ignore her with a scowl, turning around to put the cream from Yuuji’s coffee back in the fridge. He silently pleaded that a sudden wave of customers might come through the door, bringing with them an excuse to avoid her.
“Don’t ignore me!” She swatted a random dishrag at him with feigned playfulness as she giggled. “You were totally into him.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Megumi lied, attempting to keep his face as straight and indifferent as possible.
Nobara cackled at him, seeing right through his fib and continuing her antics. “Yeah, okay, sure.” She leaned against the back counter with her hands on either side, her eyes never once leaving the quickly-heating-up Megumi.
“Okay…?” He trailed off, shaking his head and walking past Nobara. “I’m gonna go use the bathroom. Think you can handle being alone for five minutes?”
“Oh, please. First off, I know damn well you’re just going to go panic about your little date in ten minutes, second –”
“Date? Are you insane?” Megumi stopped in his tracks, glaring at her with the most what the fuck? expression he could manage.
“Don’t interrupt me, Fushiguro.” She pointed a threatening finger at him. “You’re the only insane one here if you seriously think I’m buying your clueless act.”
“It’s not an act. I genuinely have no clue what you’re talking about.”
“Right, because you just talk it up and agree to go meet with every one of our customers, yeah?” She crossed her arms over her chest, raising an unconvinced eyebrow.
“To be fair, none of them have ever asked.”
“As if you would’ve agreed anyway!” She scoffed, mouth dropping in disbelief at Megumi’s ridiculousness. “I’m not stupid, y’know.”
“That’s debatable.” Megumi rolled his eyes, and Nobara gasped in offense.
“You’d better hope I don’t crash your little get-together with Yuuji Itadori. Tread lightly, Fushiguro.” The scariest part about her threat was the fact that she might a ctually do it, and something about that felt extremely unsettling to Megumi. She probably had a ton of dirt on him, some that he likely didn’t even know about, and he didn’t need anyone else ruining his chances. He had proven to be fully capable of that himself.
“Did you seriously stand there listening to our entire conversation?” Megumi asked, obviously annoyed with how pleased Nobara seemed to be with herself.
“Duh. How else would I know his name?” She rolled her eyes, and Megumi simply shook his head, deciding to drop the subject and continue with his previous intention of hiding in the bathroom until three.
He left her with a sigh, while she stood at the counter, smug and knowing. Pushing open the door to the back room, Megumi walked through racks of storage to the run-down – and kind of gross – single-stall bathroom for employees. Ensuring to lock the door behind him, he pressed his back against it, heaving out a deep breath as he pulled out his phone.
2:53. Shit, I don’t have much time.
Pushing himself from where he was leaning, Megumi planted himself in front of the mirror, giving a once-over to his appearance. He was tired, and it showed, and he scowled at the dark circles beneath his eyes. He definitely didn’t look friendly or inviting, and he couldn’t fathom why Yuuji might have wanted to spend time with him. Maybe Yuuji had been right – maybe he was just weird.
Running cold water, Megumi dipped his hands into the freezing stream, wincing slightly as he washed it over his face. He used his dampened hands to smooth out his untamed, black locks, before drying them on his pants absentmindedly as his train of thought remained on his prior interaction.
Why was I so flustered? I mean, he’s just some guy who came into our shop, that’s literally what I deal with all day, every day. What makes him so special? Megumi gulped, unable to even convince his own mind that he wasn’t weak for a pretty, tan face with rosy hair to accent it. Especially when that same, beautiful countenance came with a kind and soft personality, a harmonious laugh, and genuine interest in Megumi himself.
What the fuck.
He sighed, a heave of a breath that was full of nervousness. Scowling at his own emotions, Megumi reopened the door and stepped back into the storage room. With a slight tremble, he verified the clock had struck three, before calling to Nobara.
“I’m taking my break!” He said, quieter than usual and hoping she would just ignore him. To his left was the door that led from storage to the rest of the small coffee shop, and he pushed it with more aggression than necessary. It swung open into the nearly-empty shop, and with it Megumi appeared on the opposite side of the counter. With a groan, he halted in his tracks, a blush creeping up his cheeks as his annoyingly shaky hands began to untie his embarrassing apron from around his waist. Nobara watched him with amusement, and he tossed the garment in her surprised direction.
“I forgot to take it off, can you just put it in the back for me?” He asked with pleading eyes.
“You’re lucky I like you sometimes,” Nobara rolled her eyes, taking the ugly piece of cloth and walking away. “Enjoy your date!”
Megumi tsk'd her insinuations, balling up his fists at his sides as he pretended to search for the tufts of pink he was looking for. He already knew where Yuuji was sitting, in the back corner and enraptured by the small screen of his camera, occasionally stopping to shoot a quick text or look at his phone. Megumi couldn’t help but wonder what Yuuji was doing. Who are his friends? Who is he texting? Would I want him to text me?
“Hey! Fushiguro!” It was like being ripped from a trance, as Megumi hadn’t even realized his feet were carrying him in Yuuji’s direction. He paused, dumfounded, as he stood approximately a foot away from the small, wooden table and the man almost-too-big to sit at it. He tried to muster a smile as he lowered himself into the chair opposite of Yuuji, unsure what to do with his hands.
“Did.. you like your coffee?” He asked dumbly, knowing fully well he would be offended if Yuuji said no. For some reason, Yuuji’s approval of Megumi’s coffee-making skills suddenly seemed dire, and he silently pleaded for Yuuji to say yes.
“Yep! See?” He tilted the ceramic mug toward Megumi to reveal it was empty, and something like relief flooded into his system. “I almost never finish my coffee, I usually get too distracted and then it gets cold.” Yuuji rubbed at the back of his neck and smiled, making Megumi’s stomach plummet.
He nodded in understanding, mind already racing with possible follow-up questions or scenarios where he let Yuuji take control of the conversation. But before he could settle on which idea was most desirable, he blurted: “Why not get an iced coffee?”
Stupid. God, I am so fucking stupid.
Yuuji put a finger to his chin in thought. “Y’know, somehow the thought has never crossed my mind.” Yuuji laughed, and the corners of Megumi’s mouth began to twitch with the urge to upturn at the sound. “I suppose if you made it for me, I’d definitely be willing to try it!”
Oh. Now that. The way Yuuji worded that had Megumi’s stomach doing somersaults.
“Sure.” Megumi quietly agreed, allowing his smile to come forth as it naturally desired to in Yuuji’s presence. “Do you plan on coming back…? Or…?” Megumi trailed off purposely, leaving the question open-ended to not make Yuuji feel any sort of pressure – although, Megumi was almost certain he wouldn’t scare Yuuji off regardless of how he worded it. It served, not only as preparation for days to come, but also as a guard for Megumi’s feelings. If Yuuji decided he would come by occasionally, then Megumi could probably bury whatever it was he was feeling, ignore it and pretend he never felt it in the first place. But, if Yuuji planned on visiting more frequently, then…
“Oh, yeah, for sure!” Yuuji said with unwavering certainty. “I’ll honestly probably be here more days than not.”
“Really?” Megumi’s eyes went wide – whether it was from excitement or panic he couldn’t decipher.
“Yeah, is that a problem?” Yuuji cocked his head in a puppylike way, and Megumi had to cast his gaze downward to recollect himself for a moment.
“No, not at all. Besides, who am I to say? It’s not like I own the place.” He felt a sense of accomplishment when Yuuji snickered at his dry commentary.
“I guess that’s true. I think I mentioned I work at the flower shop up the block, right?” Yuuji asked.
“You did, yes.” Megumi answered, resting his cheek on his palm as he tried his best not to gaze longingly across the table.
“Right.” Yuuji smiled. “I work from 6:30 in the morning until 2:30 each afternoon, except on Saturdays and Sundays. I only work until ten in the morning on Saturday, and I’m off on Sunday.”
Megumi scowled. “I can’t imagine waking up that early every day.”
Yuuji shrugged. “You get used to it, I guess.”
But Megumi shook his head, “I don’t think I could. It’s hard enough for me to get here by eleven every day.”
“Do you get any days off?” Yuuji questioned, and Megumi tried to remind himself it wasn’t necessarily an invitation.
“Kugisaki and I alternate weekends. I work this weekend, so she will work next. Our other coworkers are part-time and usually only work a few hours right when we open, or on busy days, like the weekends.” Megumi’s mind wondered why he was explaining all of this to a complete stranger, but there was an inexplicable draw to Yuuji from somewhere deep within his gut, or maybe somewhere tucked beneath his ribs. It was like his body, heart, or soul knew something he didn’t, but was aching to find out.
“Wow! That’s a lot of hours.” Yuuji exclaimed with raised brows. “What time do you usually leave then?”
“I’m usually the one to close, around nine or so.” Megumi sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Do you stay up late since you get off so late?” Yuuji asked, then added with a giggle: “Maybe that’s why you can’t get up in the morning.”
Megumi smirked. “Yeah, you’ve got a point. I’m usually up reading.”
“Reading, huh? I like to read manga.” Yuuji declared with a thousand-watt smile, and Megumi drank in the sight like he wasn’t sure he would ever see it again.
“So, you like manga and pictures then, yeah?” Megumi asked, bringing them full-circle with the original intentions of this get-together. Yuuji gasped, slapping a hand over his mouth.
“I totally forgot about that!” He scrambled for his camera, turning the device on as he said, quieter than his previous exclamation: “It feels so easy to lose track of time around you, Fushiguro.”
Megumi looked up at him, momentarily stunned, as he softly asked: “Is that a bad thing?”
To which, Yuuji replied: “No. It’s a great thing.”
He went on to quickly show Megumi a few pictures he had taken over the past week or so, filling up their limited time with as much as he could manage. Some flowers from his shop, a dog he saw being walked on the street (Megumi made sure to tell Yuuji that one was his favorite). But then came the most recent picture, a picture of the coffee he had just drank, a picture of the coffee that Megumi had made for him.
“I didn’t really think it was a picturesque cup of coffee.” Megumi blushed, pretending not to feel flustered at knowing Yuuji would have a permanent reminder of him.
“Maybe not. But that isn’t why I take pictures.” Yuuji looked up at him softly, a raw honesty pouring from his mouth like divulging a secret: “I like to take pictures of things that make me smile.” For some reason, Megumi’s heart skipped a beat, his eyes going wide, almost anticipating the next words that would leave Yuuji’s mouth.
“Someday, Fushiguro, I’m gonna take a picture of you, too.”