take my breath away megumi fushiguro x reader hanahaki au
cw: angst (except i never write angst so i suck), also i just haven't written in a long time so i suck. was
you are six when you meet megumi for the first time. it’s a hot summer day, one where the buzzing of the cicadas rings so heedlessly it’s like a melody stuck in your head, where the humid air makes your clothes stick to your body like glue. on this day, like many others, you and tsumiki are taking respite by the river, splashing each other with water to lower the heat you feel from the scalding sun, your giggles harmonizing alongside the wind and the cicadas like a melodic orchestra. when the sun finally begins to set, you two finally set off out of the water, running like you will somehow beat the cold breeze that is chasing after your doused bodies.
“wait for mee!!” tsumiki yells after you as you laugh, turning around almost mockingly,
“but your mom is making karaage tonight and i wanna be first!” you argue, yet you slow your jog down to a more leisurely pace, letting tsumiki catch up to you.
having been to tsumiki’s house more times than you could possibly count, it was no surprise that the first thing you noticed upon arrival were the unfamiliar tiny boyish-looking shoes that graced the entryway. flashing a look at tsumiki, it was obvious they were unfamiliar to her as well, but as you both veered closer and closer to the kitchen, you soon discovered the shoes owner, a tiny boy with wild raven hair that went in every which direction. he flashed a look at you and tsumiki, bringing his head back down politely before returning his gaze to his thumbs that twiddled with each other on the table.
“ahh, [name], tsumiki, welcome back!! the karaage will be ready soon, take a seat,” she paused herself, turning around, “oh! and this is megumi! introduce yourselves and get along with him.”
you and tsumiki shared a look with each other, a look sharing a message of ‘she barely explained?’ but you both walked towards the table and took seats next to and across megumi.
“hi! im [name] [l.name]!” you gave a small wave towards him,
“and im tsumiki fushiguro!” she offered.
you both looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to offer his own introduction in turn. his voice came out lowly, barely above a whisper, there was a tangible uncertainty, as though he wanted to shrink into nothingness, and just speaking might have been too imposing.
“mmm, that’s a pretty name! what about last name?” you quipped..
in return, he shook his head ‘no’ offering nothing else. instinctively, you know not to pry further, so instead, you tell him,
“mm, ok! in that case, i’ll let you call me by my first name!”
“and you can call me tsumiki!”
to this megumi looked up at you both, a slight glimmer in his eyes, and for the first time since meeting him, he smiled. it wasn’t a bright smile with all his teeth, but there was a noticeable raise in the corner of his mouth, and a slight curve in his eyes, as he responded,
at that moment, tsumiki’s mother placed the platter of karaage on the center of the table, and to its left and right places the side dishes,
“dinner is ready!” she chirps, laying out the dishes before taking her seat.
all four of you dig in, enjoying the food while making light conversation, but you’re all far too invested in the crunch and taste of the chicken to fully engage in anything worthwhile.
you do find out two things, the first is that megumi is 5 years old, about a year younger than you and tsumiki. the second, is that tsumiki’s mom was adopting him, and therefore, he was to begin living with the fushiguros for the foreseeable future.
by the time dinner is done and you have all helped ms.fushiguro clean up, the sun has already set, and the sounds outside that were once buzzing cicadas, are replaced by the distinctible chirping of crickets. you quickly make your way to tsumiki’s room, grabbing the bags you had foregone earlier in the day, dashing out the door with a promise to return the following day.
as kids do, it doesn’t take long before the friendship among you three blooms, and by the time the summer humidity is gone and replaced by the crunch of fallen leaves and chilly breeze, you three are joined at the hip and cannot imagine being without one another. megumi retains his shy nature, but you and tsumiki make a habit of dragging him out with you on your adventures, and soon, you get to see a few of those bright smiles, with more than a crinkle in the eye, those smiles with all his teeth that drag from one ear to the other.
one of such times, was a night when you and tsumiki had plans to sneak out for a rare chance to see the northern lights. the news were talking about how it was such a rare event to see with the naked eye, particularly in japan, so naturally, your curiosity was peaked and when tsumiki urged you to sneak out with her, you didn’t need much convincing. you had put your warmest coat on, a layer of thermals and were waiting outside the fushiguro household when tsumiki plopped out the window, and within seconds, megumi followed behind her. you hushed each other as your little feet pitter pattered till you made it to the peak of the mountain, mouths and eyes falling open as you gazed upon the beauty of nature. when you looked over at megumi, he smiled the brightest you had ever seen him, saying
“this is the most beautiful thing i have ever seen!”
good things do not last long, however, and puberty hits all three of you like a truck. megumi’s quiet streak has been replaced by a rebellious one, marked by phone calls home and an authoritative presence that follows even you and tsumiki. tsumiki often tries to talk sense into him, but you’re left silent, with the ghostly memories of a quiet and sweet boy you once knew.
well, you know better than to chalk this entirely to a rebellious streak, you’ve borne witness to the fact that some of these beatings have been handed out as retaliation for harsh words directed at you and tsumiki. megumi in many ways, is still the sweet boy you once knew; he simply changed his mode of expression, and that was something you could live with.
“tsumiki stop licking all the batter, please, we’re gonna have no cookies”, you jokingly scold tsumiki, the ever chipper girl giggling in response,
“well if we’re eating them anyway, does it really matter?”
“ahh whatever, there’s no point in arguing with you anyway, you always manage to trick me into agreeing, let’s just get them in the over now.”
the turn of a lock interrupts your sentence, and you’re greeted by megumi’s irked face as he takes a step into the room.
“hi megumi.” you and tsumiki offer. expecting a curt nod of his head, as he has typically given you during the preceding months. you’re both shocked when he instead stalks towards the kitchen counter and asks
“what are u guys making?”
you all fall back into the swing of conversation as though the awkward silences had never happened, as though tsumiki hadn’t cried for megumi to please, please, just please, talk to her even once.
you talk about your classes, you and tsumiki’s recent excursions, the field trip your class is taking soon, the woman next door whose husband brought in another woman for the fourth time this year, you all keep talking as though words were your sole lifelines and once you stopped you’d find yourself nose deep in the pacific ocean, choking as water seeped into ur lungs.
it’s almost daunting how true that turned out to be.
an: this was supposed to be a oneshot but i can't be trusted to do anything and this was taking far too long to write and if i don't get atleast one part out it will never get published so im just gonna split it up. this is kinda just a thing to get me back in the swing of writing but when i was 12 - 13, i had a phase where i was severely addicted to the hanahaki aus and i was kinda like hmm maybe 12 year old me was on to something. anyways lmk what u think!!
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