Play Hell With ✔ // MEGUMI X SUKUNA

[ 22 ] When You And Your Bestie End Up At The Principal's Office (Again)

As expected upon arrival, Megumi and Itadori were at once escorted away. Over his shoulder, Megumi found the cursed object handed off to one of Nanami's colleagues. A discussion was already in place.

Megumi glanced at Itadori as he turned back around.

Once again, they would find themselves sitting outside Principal Yaga's office.

How many times is this going to happen?! Megumi thought, hands clenched into fists against his crossed arms. Impatiently, he checked his phone.

It was barely past noon. He and Sukuna hadn't established an exact time for the switch, but he imagined they had at least five hours.

Pressure on his arm drew Megumi's attention to Itadori. Itadori leant close, his chin tucked to his shoulder so he could whisper conspiratorially, "Should we... maybe let Sukuna out for this?"

"No," Megumi said, unintentionally swift.

"Why not? If he's really innocent—"

"And if he isn't?" When Itadori merely shrugged, Megumi rolled his eyes. " You're the one who suggested he wasn't."

"Yeah, but talking to Principal Yaga is so scary—!" Itadori bemoaned, cheek now pressed to Megumi's shoulder. Megumi rolled his eyes as Itadori said, rather pathetically, "Free me..."

Megumi lifted his hand up to pat Itadori's cheek several times, hard enough on the last pat to make him flinch.

"Oi!"

Megumi cupped his chin, raising it up and ensuring Itadori was looking directly at him. His cheeks pushed up under the force of Megumi's fingers, doe eyes blinking owlishly.

"If we go in separately," Megumi said, "you didn't see the scroll."

"But—"

Though he didn't want to share them, Megumi knew the scroll would work in Sukuna's favor. And having hidden it from Nanami would implicate Itadori. They might believe Itadori would keep them for himself to do with as he pleased. He wasn't unlike Gojo in that way, but neither Gojo nor Itadori were stupid enough to feed Itadori one finger after another in such great quantities.

The conditions of Sukuna and Itadori's binding vow was borne out of a failsafe against Megumi's domdrop. Itadori was Megumi's soft spot, and Sukuna had likely underestimated the effectiveness of a sub's instinctual punishment.

He was no longer the sole contributor to the switch. Megumi was. And Megumi postulated that the fingers might tip the dynamic scales in Sukuna's favor.

He closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were fierce. "I'll be the one to tell them if we have to, but say that you didn't see the scroll."

Itadori resisted again, so Megumi gave his face a wag. "Ey! Okay, I will."

Megumi's fingers left pink dots on Itadori's cheeks. The moment he released, Itadori rolled jaw and rubbed at his cheek.

A muscle spasmed at his cheekbone, slackening. He flinched, glancing down at the telltale raise of the eyelid on his cheekbone. Itadori started with a squeak, "S-Sukuna—"

"You know why I gave them to you," Sukuna said.

Megumi expected to stare, but found he couldn't meet Sukuna's eye. A flush took over his face, hand clutched to the front of his hoodie. The scroll sat there, bound by the leather straps.

He'd spent the better part of the drive home walking up and down Sukuna's thought process. The note made it clear that the fingers were intended for him , not the higher ups, and Megumi took that at face value.