Up, Down, and Around Again (MegumixReader)

Up, Down, and Around Again

The sun was high, the sky was clear, and Megumi finally had free time to hang out. Y/N couldn't wait. They nervously shifted from foot to foot in excitement. In their hurry, they'd thrown on sneakers, denim short shorts, and an oversized t-shirt. Their eyes searched for Megumi from the shady spot near the entrance of the amusement park they'd found, and soon, they found him.

He was wearing a loose, pale t-shirt, black sweatpants, and his usual boots. It was completely inappropriate attire for the weather, but Y/N was uncertain if it was physically possible for Megumi to wear shorts. Unfortunately, they could only imagine what his legs looked like, at least for now.

"Megumi!" They called out.

"Y/N." He replied flatly. He eyed the entrance nervously, but noticeably relaxed when Y/N took his hand.

"You ready?" They asked.

"No... not really." Megumi answered.

"Perfect." They reasoned. After purchasing a ticket and a pass to go on as many rides as they pleased, the two walked in through the entrance.

The first area was a wide open space around a fountain. There were gift shops and cafes, all built to fit a somewhat tacky fairy tale aesthetic.

"Which ride do you wanna go on first?" Y/N wondered.

"Uh, I dunno." Megumi replied.

"How about that?" They said, pointing at a massive roller coaster that was in sight even from where they were. Megumi's eyes widened, and he sharply inhaled.

"I'm not sure... I've never been on a roller coaster." He said.

"Then we gotta try it, come on!" Y/N urged, clutching his hand and running towards it, forcing him to follow behind them. For obvious reasons, the line behind it was long. The whole time, Megumi's eyes were locked onto the roller coaster car, and his ears were locked onto the both thrilled and terrified screams of the riders inside.

"I know it looks really scary, but we're not gonna get hurt, don't worry." Y/N reassured him, slinging their arm over his shoulder. Although, they were shorter than him, so it was a bit difficult. For some odd reason, he looked around, obviously searching for something, his whole body momentarily going tense. Then, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"It appears not." He said. Y/N wasn't sure what he was looking at, but he had a tendency to be mysterious. They still didn't know where he went to school or why he was so busy all of the time. He always dodged the subject, sometimes going so far as to flat out deny them, so Y/N knew the subject struck a nerve. Oh well, that was another thing they'd get to do once they'd known him longer. Besides, they didn't get to see each other too often, so things would progress slowly. Y/N would have to go about their relatively boring life for a lot longer before the two seriously got closer. But, for Megumi, it was worth the wait, they knew that guys like him were rare.

Finally, the two got to the front of the line, and they were put into a roller coaster car.

"You ready?" Y/N asked.

"No. I'm not. But uh, let's do this." Megumi said, a nervous smile on his face.

"You know, I'm not sure if I'm ready either. But you're right, let's do this!" Y/N said, managing to amass far more enthusiasm than Megumi, but it was still watered down by apprehension.

Then, with a sudden jolt, the car began to creep forward and begin its climb. The day was much hotter all of a sudden, and Y/N felt a hand clasp around theirs. The car reached its apex.

And then it all came down. The wind rushed in Y/N's ears, the their weight was heaved and jostled around. One instant, they were surging down towards the ground, and in the next, they were fifty feet in the air cresting another peak. Glancing over, Megumi's eyes were wide in terror, and he was breathing rapidly. With one hand, they clutched his hand that was grasping the safety bar that had descended over their laps, and the other arm wrapped around Megumi, holding him closer.

It was disorienting, it was terrifying, and it was all happening in a blur, but their arm around Megumi seemed to ground them in the moment, and it seemed to help him as well, and that made them smile.

Finally, the ride came to a stop. Megumi crawled out of the car hunched over and dry heaved into the nearest trash can. Y/N rushed to his side.

"Are you okay?!" They asked. Had they screwed up? This whole roller coaster was their idea? How could they be so stupid?!

"I think." He retched again, his whole body briefly convulsing.

"Ughh, I need some ginger ale and a bench." He said.

"On it!" Y/N replied instantaneously, taking his hand, helping him stand up and leading him to a bench that was nestled into the cool mercy of the shade. Y/N's eyes scanned for a vending machine, and they quickly found one. Running over, they purchased a ginger ale as quickly as they could. It was a crappy Canada Dry one, but that was the only thing there, and it would just have to do.

They offered the bottle to him, but he merely placed it on the bench.

"Not yet." He said. Y/N rubbed his back and he sighed with relief.

"I'm sorry, I should have given you something a little easier to handle first, that was going to far." Y/N said.

"It's fine, Y/N, really." Megumi said. His point was not supported by the empty retch that followed it and the groan of pain resulting from it.

"Owww." He complained.

"You sure nothing's coming up?" Y/N asked.

"Considering the last... however many times, I don't think so." Megumi answered. He took a deep breath.

"It's fine, Y/N because... I... I'm not sure how much I can tell you." He said. Y/N's eyes widened. This was a detail from his mysterious personal life, and they could tell from his tone that he desperately wanted to tell them. They wanted to know.

But, they weren't going to pressure him, he deserved much, much better than that.

"I... don't get many opportunities where I can be scared. I... constantly have to be scared, but I can't show it. I just have to face my fear, and it's tiring. I didn't have to do that here. I felt fear, but wasn't expected to be rid of it. I liked that. I really did." He explained. Y/N's eyes widened.

"Megumi... are you okay. Look, do you need to stay at my household or something because if you're not safe I-"

"It's fine, Y/N. It should be and... it's an obligation that I keep this life. I don't like it, but I can't turn away from it, and that's my problem." Megumi interrupted.

"If you say so." Y/N replied uncertainly.

"I just... I want this one part of my life to be separate. So... sorry that I don't tell you anything." Megum said.

"No, don't be sorry, I shouldn't make you do things you're uncomfortable with. But... I kinda just did that." Y/N said, glancing back at the titanic roller coaster. Megumi finally took a sip of the ginger ale.

"Not enough ginger." He complained. Y/N chuckled.

"It's Canada Dry, I wouldn't expect much more than fizzy sugar water." Y/N said.

"Fair."

"So... you said you liked it, do you wanna go on it again in a bit?" Y/N asked. They couldn't say they hated it. Holding Megumi's waist and his hand had been rather nice. Megumi's response was a smile that was almost manic.

"Definitely."