midnight texting

[lowlaw]

The Midnight Texting Meme It's the middle of the night and you're trying to catch some z's — or brooding alone in the alleys, as one does — when your phone dings and suddenly a stranger or a friend is texting you. What could they possibly want at this hour? Is it important? Stupid? Are they drunk or maybe just needy? Do they need help hiding a body??? Pick up your phone and find out! Rules: ● Post with your character's name and canon on the subject line, indicate preferences as needed ● Tag others ● Have fun!

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[unequally]

[ that IS a thing megumi has noticed about itadori that he finds himself weirdly charmed by; his normalness. is that a word? no it's not. normal...way?! in any case, he doesn't hold it against him in the least, or wouldn't if he knew. megumi has had to deal with gojou satoru for nine years. he's an absolute ace at I Do Not See It.

speaking of gojou however --

-- that elegant tea sipping is replaced with a choking noise.

excuse me?

once he is, you know, not about to asphyxiate due to chamomile tea and a rude awakening that prods at some of his own feelings that get Immediately Stomped Down Into The Grave Where They Belong And Stay There You, he clears his throat. lightly. says, in his very regular voice... ]

Who?

[ he doesn't call nanami 'sensei'. megumi knows that. why is he fucking asking a question he knows the answer to? his hands grip his cup of tea a little tighter, unconsciously. ]

[mightswitch]

[ well, he didn't see that reaction coming. itadori blinks, half-tempted to give megumi a small pat on the back, you know— in case he's actually choking here. but, ah, false alarm. ]

Gojou-sensei ... ?

[ in the haze of his tired mind, he somewhat doubted himself for a moment, and it triggered a tiny panic. is there something wrong about what he just said? is he not supposed to ask anyone else for help? wait, is he being a burden right now by dragging more people into his drama?

that sobered him up real quick, eyes fluttering wide open, back straight- ]

I knew it! I shouldn't bother him about this stupid thing, right? He must be super busy, and I'm being so damn useless! Ahh! You're right! I take it back. He doesn't need to know!

[ he'll just ... return to his google search, yup. ]

[unequally]

[ megumi stares down into his tea. thoughtfullyTM. well. that's. something. ]

It's up to you, Itadori. But either way, you're not useless.

[ ...poorly socialized doesn't begin to account for megumi's failure to string together sentences with a proper segue. in lessons he's fine. when they're 'at work' ostensibly, he's fine. it's just one on one where he sometimes comes up short, well, or one on two as it were -- he can almost feel/hear kugisaki's ice cold opinion on this one.

he, on the other hand, has a more complicated take that would require too much disclosure for his tastes. he makes the prudent decision of setting his cup down on the bedside table -- its only other occupants a first aid kit and a bottle of painkillers that are the usual residents. ]

Do what you want.

[ when he says this, it's neither coddling nor cold. megumi just says it honestly, the sincerity of a child really and the wording too. perhaps it's offset by how serious he is (as usual), but whatever the case, he keeps his gaze steady on his friend.

he does, frankly, wonder how a crush on gojou and a recurring dream about something possibly stalking itadori might connect and then decides they probably don't. dreams are just weird sometimes. ]

[mightswitch]

[ megumi's lack of words, or explanation to his own thought process didn't necessarily bother him. he respects and accepts that's who he is, and again, this calm energy fits perfectly into his life. itadori can act chaotic with the others, but when he needs a moment of peace— when he's struggling to find his own, he'll cling to megumi's.

just like right now. megumi was the first who came across his mind, the one individual he thought he could help in this specific problem, and he had been nothing but welcoming to him.

it brought a smile to his face; while others might take megumi's silence as cold and dismissive, itadori found it warming, reassuring even. ]

Okay! If I fail to get some sleep tonight, I'll ask him for help! He can say 'No' if he doesn't want to.

[ with that said, he finished off what remained of his drink and placed his mug aside. he then stood up, stretching his arms upward and flexing. ]

Thank you for the tea! I think it helped a bit, so I'll hit the bed and get comfortable! Sorry, for keeping you up so late ... please get some rest.

[unequally]

[ a creature of observation, calculation, and results that vary more than he would like, megumi continues to process what he's been told while also just watching itadori and listening to him in his own deliberation. he doesn't feel like he knows itadori well enough to understand the extent of his nerves or his feelings in this way; megumi, to that point of fact, doesn't even fully understand his own -- or refuses to.

he can say no if he doesn't want to.

for some reason, megumi is unsettled by the fact that he's not sure that gojou would say 'no'. more likely he'd give a non-answer. such is his way. and that might mean nothing or it might mean something.

his head hurts.

as itadori stretches, megumi's eyes follow as if drawn up by some invisible string to the boy's wrists, his palms, his fingers. understandably, hands are something of a quiet fixation of megumi's. he wonders, not quite idly, if itadori will happen to sleep well tonight through sheer dumb luck and let it all go.

somehow, that doesn't seem itadori's style -- so to speak.

megumi blinks, nods, standing up too, collecting itadori's mug and bringing it to the counter with his own. he'll probably rinse them with the remaining water outside then wash them properly later. at the moment, he takes a step forward as if to follow itadori to the door, which he sort of does, speaking as he does so, ]

Itadori why--

[ why do you like him?

megumi is shocked by how childish the question on the tip of his tongue is. then offended. then irritated. then...unnerved. he reforms it as quickly as possible, clumsily. ]

-- um. Never mind.

[ awkward. ]

Sleep well.

[ for his part, megumi will not get any sleep.

he'll wonder if itadori does tell gojou, what gojou will say, if it even matters given the trajectory of things. then he'll feel bad about that, such immature feelings. and then, humorless, he'll wonder if for whatever reason gojou lets itadori...whatever... well. what does that mean about the thing inside of itadori? it's none of megumi's business, regardless of the fact that itadori came to him though. so he'll do what he often does: box up those thoughts and slot them away behind others. ]

[mightswitch]

[ itadori wasn't worried before, nor did he suspect something is legitimately troubling the other boy, but he knew that's not the case anymore. he watched the variation of expressions, reflecting a series of conflicted emotions on those usually stoic features— itadori was patient, attentive but he didn't rush it; allowing megumi enough time to recollect his thoughts.

and then, nothing. ah, he's retreating again.

itadori had a grip on the handle, he was ready to leave the room before those words captured his attention. instead of complying to megumi's dismissal, he pushed the door shut, slowly turning to face the other. ]

What's wrong? Why did you stop?

[ blunt and straightforward, itadori didn't comprehend the art of diplomacy, too honest for his own good at times. however, there's innocence in the way he urged megumi to speak up, leaning in slightly so he could have a better view under the dim lightning of the room. ]

You can ask me anything, you know.

[ and he'll answer. in all honesty. with precise details—

which might be something megumi wouldn't want to indulge in. regardless, his body language spoke a thousand words: he's not leaving until he makes sure his friend is okay. ]

[unequally]

[ he doesn't expect itadori to stay, doesn't expect him to ask about the aborted sentence, doesn't expect to have to deal with any of what's just been brought up. suffice to say, megumi ends up just staring at him, face blank except for the slight widening of his eyes, the barely perceptible part of his mouth.

...

ah. itadori has That posture, the one that says he's sincerely ready to wait out megumi's awkward silence for whatever his reply is.

honestly if itadori weren't such a nice, good person, they wouldn't even be in this situation; itadori would never have swallowed sukuna's finger; he wouldn't be here, period. megumi would frankly, probably be dead unless gojou showed up at the last last second. maybe he would have. impossible to know.

his gaze drops from itadori's steady countenance to the floor, which is a little easier to look at without feeling this weird mix of guilt and self-awareness. ]

No... I...

[don't want to? well. yes. but also...can't? also probably yes.

again, he shakes his head. ]

It's not any of my business.

[ which is true. not the real answer though of course. a nervous tic, he reaches to touch his left shoulder as if pulling or testing an old injury that never fully rehabilitated. ]

Honestly. I'm just tired.

[ half true half not true -- yes, tired, no not 'just'. where itadori yuuji is honest to a fault, fushiguro megumi traffics in a variety of lies he tells others because of the lies he has to tell himself. things that seem harmless and not worth noting but probably are exactly the opposite. ]

[mightswitch]

[ again, he falls into silence as he observed megumi's stubborn reluctance; it was clear to him by now it's not something he could dismiss as insignificant. how could it be? when this boy is struggling that hard to speak his mind.

when he's left with nothing, again, itadori didn't give in to frustration. instead, megumi would feel the heavy weight of his hands on each shoulder; a touch so warm in its nature. it's his choice if he didn't wish to return their eye contact, but he will hear the smile in itadori's voice regardless. ]

Of course you're tired. We had a long day. Would you like to sit down, then?

[ he'll take it one step at a time, rather of forcing it out of megumi. that's not the best way to encourage someone to feel at ease around him. to be fair, it's difficult not to feel a bit hurt by it? a little? he really thought they were close enough to talk about anything—

he shakes it off; guilt-tripping is not an option. ]

And then when you're ready, you can ask whatever you want. It's super hard to offend me, you know! I doubt you can do that! Unless you made fun of my hair or something. That's a red line!

[ he's— trying to ease some of the tension with lighthearted jokes. maybe? regardless of his playful vibe, itadori is adamant about not dropping this subject until he gets his question. ]

[unequally]

I like your hair.

[ it comes out a knee-jerk response, quite honest, if a bit childish; maybe the childishness is offset by how serious megumi is. either way, he means what he says. itadori's hands are warm and the weight of them not a bad thing. even though megumi is accustomed to the lack of care for personal space via gojou, this is rather different. he's not annoyed by itadori, nor resigned. he swallows down a sigh. it's not like itadori's stubbornness is anything new. megumi just failed to realize it could apply to something like this.

still standing, megumi hesitates. if they sit, any sliver of a chance of itadori leaving before his answer is effectively squashed. he's not really a person who has 'friends'. he has peers he respects or admires or both, peers he does both of those to and also is annoyed by, so on and so forth. he trusts them, especially in a fight; but that's not necessarily a friend.

to megumi, if anything, throughout his life, his shikigami, one by one have been his 'friends', the divine dogs and nue most of all.

a person who is a 'friend' as itadori seems, as kugisaki sometimes seems...it's sort of new.

he's not ungrateful; just ill equipped.

on top of that, the subject matter is...

--confess. that is what itadori said. gojou sensei. right.

right.

what a headache. ]

Please, [ he says finally, steady voiced, calm,] I don't want to ask anything. I thought I did, but I don't.

[ as lame as that sounds, it's actually incredibly true. he hopes itadori isn't upset because that's not what he wants at all, and he lets his gaze lift now as if to check. itadori is shorter than him, but megumi tends to hunch down a little, as if a subconscious desire to not be noticed like the shadows he works with. he tilts his head; waits. ]

[mightswitch]

[ ah—

pushed away. again.

he's only human, so it's nearly impossible not to slip, and for a brief moment, itadori looked genuinely taken back; eyes wide. only for a second, a glimpse, and then his lips curl up again with a sigh. ]

You're so stubborn. Damn.

[ he gives those shoulders a light squeeze, sympathetic, before his arms dropped to his sides again.

for the sake of not taking it personally, itadori refused to dwell on it, even when he's terribly tempted to do so. the smile lingers, slowly losing it's usual spunk— but he's just exhausted, right? megumi knows that he didn't sleep for a few days, so it's okay. no need to hide it. ]

Okay, if you ever change your mind ... you can talk to me anytime you want. I mean it.

[ it felt like a broken record at this point, but he's unsure megumi gets it. he relaxed a bit, making a casual gesture with his hand, a subtle 'good night' before he turned toward the door to leave.

yeah, he's not getting any sleep tonight. that's for sure. ]

[unequally]

[ even though he knows itadori is exhausted from nights of either no sleep or troubled sleep, megumi still can tell his refusal to speak has caused some upset. at the same time, he can't change his stance on this. he's not even sure entirely himself what he would say if he was willing. the questions that come to mind aren't quite what he wanted to ask, but that doesn't help megumi to figure out what he does want to say. either way, he'd be left awkwardly not knowing what to tell itadori.

processing things, depending on the thing, takes megumi more time usually, to the point where he'll overthink it into the ground. kugisaki was right in saying not everything has an answer, and megumi had even agreed with her then, but habit is habit. he still looks for answers anyway. for example: why should it bother him that itadori may be confessing to gojou? it has nothing to do with him.

part of him wants to stop itadori, apologize, but it feels like it would fall flat since he has nothing to back it up -- an explanation, or a conversation even. so he lowers his head in a nod, murmurs ]

Thank you. I know you do.

[ knows itadori means it, and feels bad he can't meet him in the middle by unloading his thoughts.]

If ... [ how does he say it... ]...if I think of something, I'll...try to remember that.

[and even though the likelihood is extremely low, he does mean it too. if he does, he will try.]