[ This is ... new. He was fully expecting Yuuji to brush him off, assert that he was fine when it's clear as day to someone as attentive as Megumi that he isn't. He fully expected to be left with that uncertain feeling that he could be doing more to reassure his friend, but his hands are tied because the comfort is not being accepted. There's more honestly here, that admittance to weakness he rarely ever sees from his usual headstrong friend. It compels his attention, like nothing around them - not the children playing at the side, not the chatter of passersby - matters at all. His full attention is on one boy.
It still hurts.
Of course it does. Yuuji's gone through trauma after trauma and he's been bodying it all with a smile on his face. At times it's left Megumi wondering how genuine his bright smiles truly were, if the light within him was starting to dim.
The thud of the bag on the ground is startling, but he doesn't feel compelled to remind his friend to treat those objects with delicacy, far more important matters commanding his attention right now. The distance that is closed between them comes as a surprise as something that happens so rarely, and the weight on his right shoulder is heavy, but not from any actual physical load.
Megumi allows proximity, feeling none of his usual aversion towards touch. He takes a moment to consider what to say in response. ]
It's okay to feel hurt ... [ For the friend who hides the more vulnerable and suffering sides of himself, that feels like the right thing to say. Megumi initiates the contact this time, hands encircling Yuuji, one settling by his back and one resting on the back of his neck, allowing him closer. ]
You've had a very difficult time so far.
[ It's my fault, the voice from within cuts in to remind him. It's my fault that Itadori was stripped from his mundane life. It's my fault he has to go through all this suffering and do things outside his nature. If he's here in Hell because of those things he's had to do, that's my fault too.
He doesn't say any of that, however, because he won't make this about himself. Holding the boy closer, Megumi gives him a few reassuring pats on his head. He doesn't know what Yuuji is actually seeing, but he can hasten a guess. Megumi thinks about what to say next, before deciding that the only thing he can really offer right now is his honesty. Anything else would feel cheap and disingenuous. ]
Even so, you keep trying to do the right thing, and ... I think that makes you kinder than anyone.
[ There's a pause. He doesn't want to talk too much, but he does feel like he needs to reaffirm this: ]
no subject
It still hurts.
Of course it does. Yuuji's gone through trauma after trauma and he's been bodying it all with a smile on his face. At times it's left Megumi wondering how genuine his bright smiles truly were, if the light within him was starting to dim.
The thud of the bag on the ground is startling, but he doesn't feel compelled to remind his friend to treat those objects with delicacy, far more important matters commanding his attention right now. The distance that is closed between them comes as a surprise as something that happens so rarely, and the weight on his right shoulder is heavy, but not from any actual physical load.
Megumi allows proximity, feeling none of his usual aversion towards touch. He takes a moment to consider what to say in response. ]
It's okay to feel hurt ... [ For the friend who hides the more vulnerable and suffering sides of himself, that feels like the right thing to say. Megumi initiates the contact this time, hands encircling Yuuji, one settling by his back and one resting on the back of his neck, allowing him closer. ]
You've had a very difficult time so far.
[ It's my fault, the voice from within cuts in to remind him. It's my fault that Itadori was stripped from his mundane life. It's my fault he has to go through all this suffering and do things outside his nature. If he's here in Hell because of those things he's had to do, that's my fault too.
He doesn't say any of that, however, because he won't make this about himself. Holding the boy closer, Megumi gives him a few reassuring pats on his head. He doesn't know what Yuuji is actually seeing, but he can hasten a guess. Megumi thinks about what to say next, before deciding that the only thing he can really offer right now is his honesty. Anything else would feel cheap and disingenuous. ]
Even so, you keep trying to do the right thing, and ... I think that makes you kinder than anyone.
[ There's a pause. He doesn't want to talk too much, but he does feel like he needs to reaffirm this: ]
That's why I saved you.