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When Satoru first began caring for the Fushiguro kids, the house was always quiet.
It was reaching the end of the school year when they first fell under his care, so despite Shoko’s insistence that he should move them closer to Jujutsu High, he decided to leave the kids where they were, showing up as often as he was able to put food on the table and make sure they were being taken care of.
Tsumiki was always excited to see him. She would meet him at the door every time he arrived, holding some kind of project she’d made at school that day or offering him part of whatever after-school snack she’d made for herself and Megumi. It had taken her a while to warm up to the idea of this strange man who was now such an important fixture in their lives, but after a month of mostly-consistent visits on Satoru’s part, she seemed to accept his presence.
He was still getting through to Megumi.
The little sea urchin was far more reserved than his sister, often lurking in the doorway to whatever room Satoru found himself in. He was polite, always thanking Satoru for whatever meal he had cooked for them and for the new clothes he’d bought, though usually after some admonishment from Tsumiki. But he didn’t seem to care about anything past that.
The day that school ended for the children and Satoru was the first night he spent at the apartment. Though the events of the previous year had significantly softened Yaga’s attitude towards Satoru and Shoko, the two of them were still required to attend most of their classes unless they were on missions or otherwise occupied with training. He was sympathetic towards the Fushiguro siblings, but not enough to let Satoru off easy.
He’d considered crashing with them on weekends, when he’d come in with takeout after a difficult mission, knowing that the kids had enough food to last until his next scheduled grocery day but wanting to treat them anyways. These were the moments Megumi came out of his shell a bit more, the key to the kid’s heart being fried food.
But this day was different. He greeted the kids when they walked in the door from school, Tsukimi dropping her randoseru as soon as she’d walked in the door and running over to hug him without even removing her shoes. He always took his Infinity down around the kids, after one particularly hard-to-explain incident in which Tsumiki had attempted to hug him in public and ended up looking to passersby as if she’d just walked into a glass door. Megumi held back, taking care in putting his shoes away neatly, standing Tsumiki’s bag up and then depositing his own next to it before looking at Satoru and saying, “What are you doing here?”
“Megumi!” Tsumimi chided, turning back to look at Satoru.
“I’m sorry, Gojo-san, he didn’t mean it!”
Satoru was already beginning to chuckle when Megumi muttered, “Yes, I did.”
“It’s okay, Tsumiki,” he said, patting the girl on the head. She smiled up at him before turning to shoot another glare at her brother.
“Since you kiddos are done with school, I thought we could have a movie night! Whatever you guys want to watch,” Satoru said, watching as Megumi’s eyes betrayed his surly attitude and they lit up slightly.
“Anything?”
“Well, maybe not anything, ” he replied, turning to walk into the kitchen and speaking over his shoulder. “I don’t think any horror movies should be on the menu. I wouldn’t be a very responsible adult if I gave you kids nightmares.”
“You’re not a responsible adult now,” Megumi replied, pulling himself onto one of the kitchen stools. Satoru just stuck his tongue out and began unpacking the snacks he’d purchased earlier. After years of surviving on school food and candy, Shoko had given him a much-needed lesson on feeding healthy children on one of her first visits. For the most part, the kids had a very balanced diet, but he wanted to give them some more options tonight.
Megumi grabbed a bag of popcorn almost instantly, opening it and sniffing inside. Unlike Satoru and his sister, he didn’t like sweets much.
“Don’t eat too much now or you’ll be full before the movie starts,” he told him, watching as Tsumiki, now shoe-less, made her way into the kitchen and grabbed a candy bar. She reached up somewhat timidly and grabbed Satoru’s hand. He squeezed it back.
“Then let’s start the movie now!”
Before he knew it, Satoru was being dragged into the living room, led by the surprisingly strong girl in front of him. He sat on the couch, and Tsumiki clambered up next to him, depositing herself as close as she could to Satoru.
Megumi appeared shortly from the kitchen, climbing up a decent space away from Satoru but holding out the candy bar he’d left behind after following Tsumiki. Satoru smiled at the boy, who nodded in return before picking up the remote and turning on the TV.
Tsumiki insisted on some kind of animal movie, and Megumi shrugged in feigned nonchalance. Satoru laughed and put it on, unwrapping his candy bar and settling in next to Tsumiki.
By the time the movie ended, both children were antsy, hungry for the dinner Satoru had called to order when Megumi had requested a bathroom break. When the pizza arrived, both kids ate quickly before turning on Satoru with pleading eyes to watch the sequel to the movie they’d just finished. He relented since it was the rare occasion that he didn’t have to run off to his own dorm or for a mission.
They’d barely made it through half of the sequel when he felt a thunk on his left shoulder and looked down to see Tsumiki, asleep. A look to his right told him that Megumi was still awake, although barely, his head falling and snapping back up repeatedly. Satoru chucked and turned off the TV, picking up Tsumiki and carrying her to her room. The girl clung to him as he deposited her into her bed, tucking her in once he’d broken himself free.
Though he half expected to find Megumi asleep on the couch when he returned, but the boy emerged from the bathroom, having just brushed his teeth. He swayed slightly, clearly moments away from falling asleep standing, but he met Satoru’s eyes anyway.
“You haven’t left yet.”
“Nope,” Satoru replied, popping the ‘p’ at the end. “I thought I’d stick around, see what you two get up to at night while I’m gone. But that means I can cook you kids breakfast in the morning!”
“Okay,” Megumi replied, not matching Satoru’s enthusiasm. “Then I’ll see you in the morning, I guess.”
Satoru ruffled Megumi’s hair on his way past, earning him a sneer from the young boy. He swatted at Satoru’s arm before opening his bedroom door and disappearing into the shadows.
With both of the kids asleep, Satoru busied himself with cleaning up from dinner and doing the dishes before making his way back to the couch. He’d never entered Toji’s bedroom on any of his visits to the apartment and had no intentions of changing that. It was just one night; the couch would be fine. He considered turning the TV back on and watching something to fall asleep, but by the time he’d laid back on the couch and taken off his glasses, his eyelids were already drooping.
He felt like he’d only just closed his eyes when they snapped back open, the street lights streaking through the window and casting shadows across the table in front of him. He looked around dazedly, trying to locate the noise that woke him up, and turned his attention towards the door across from him: Megumi’s bedroom.
As he stood, he focused his Six Eyes toward the room, hoping that no curse was stupid enough to break into a house with Satoru Gojo inside. Despite not sensing anything, he still was apprehensive as he opened the door, focusing on Megumi’s small, thrashing frame in the bed. Ears ringing, Satoru crossed the space in two steps, crouching next to the boy. Sweat was beading on his forehead, and the wolf plush that Satoru had bought him the first week that he’d met the Fushiguro children was discarded on the floor.
“No, don’t,” Megumi muttered, eyebrows furrowed. “Don’t leave.”
Satoru reached out hesitantly, placing his hand on the boy’s shaking shoulder. He started in his sleep, jerking away from the touch, only serving to tangle himself into his blankets even more. Satoru paused, wracking his brain for the best course of action.
He distantly remembered a time after Toji when he’d heard similar sounds coming from Suguru’s room, and he and Shoko had sat with the other boy as he’d come down from his nightmare-induced panic. Shoko had held his hand while Suguru’s head rested on Satoru’s shoulder, and after he’d fallen back asleep the three had remained together in his bed until morning when Yaga had appeared outside the door because they were late for class.
He moved his hand down from Megumi’s shoulder and instead grabbed his hand, lacing together Megumi’s small fingers with his own. The other hand squeezed his immediately, and the furrow between the boy’s brow softened. He made no indication of waking up, but Satoru feared that if he removed his hand, the nightmare would just start again, so he resolved to sitting on the floor and resting his head on the edge of the bed.
When he woke up next, it was once again to light through the blinds, but this time it was sunlight. He was still on the floor next to Megumi’s bed, though at some point during the night, the boy had rolled over and their hands were no longer held together. Satoru stretched, wincing as his back cracked, and stood.
As he made his way out to the kitchen to start on breakfast, thoughts began racing through his head. How often did Megumi have nightmares? Did Tsumiki have them too? Should he ask about it over breakfast? Would the boy tell the truth even if he did? Suguru always steadfastly refused to talk about his nightmares. He bottled everything up instead.
Satoru shuddered. He wouldn’t let the same thing happen to Megumi.
Tsumiki woke before her brother, emerging from her bedroom with a yawn and padding into the kitchen. She smiles up at Satoru before clambering into a seat. “Good morning, Gojo-san!”
Knowing that it was pointless to convince the girl to use his given name, Satoru just smiled back. “Good morning, Tsumiki. Did you sleep well?”
“I did! I’m glad we don’t have school today,” she said, yawning and looking around. “Did you come back early this morning?”
“No, I decided to spend the night with my favorite kiddos,” Satoru replied, trying to get over the feeling that settled in the pit of his stomach over both of the children expecting him to have left them overnight. He was the one who set that precedent, he couldn’t feel upset by their expectations for it to continue. “So I could cook you both breakfast this morning! Would you like to help?”
The girl grinned in response, sliding off the stool and making her way over to him, putting her arms up. He picked her up and set her on the counter next to him, allowing her to add the spices to the eggs in the pan. He knew she often cooked for Megumi and herself when he wasn’t around, and he delighted in the idea that he could teach her some more recipes when she got older.
By the time the rice was cooked and their meal was almost complete, Megumi’s door was still closed, so he lifted Tsumiki off the counter and placed her at his feet.
“Why don’t you go wake up your brother? I don’t think he slept too well last night.”
Tsumiki frowned.
“He told me he was sleeping better,” she replied, sounding far older than her years. Satoru’s brow furrowed again.
“Is this something that normally happens?”
“Right after my mom and his dad stopped showing up, he started sleeping worse. He was always tired. He said it was getting better though! So maybe last night was just weird,” she said, her normal cheeriness seeping back into her voice as though it had never left. She bounced off to Megumi’s room, and Satoru could hear her brother’s noise of complaint when she turned the lights on. He resolved to ask Megumi about the previous night after breakfast, hoping that he’d get an answer from him without his sister in the room.
Unfortunately for Satoru’s plans, the three had only just sat down to eat when he got a call from Yaga.
“I don’t know if you have a calendar, old man, but I’m not late for class,” he said, rolling his eyes and pushing back from the table. Megumi’s eyes followed him until he left the room.
“Good morning, Satoru,” Yaga replied, a deep sigh coming through the speakers. “You’ve got a mission.”
“I-“
“I know. I know you’re spending time with those kids. I tried to find someone else, but Utahime needs backup. It’s an unregistered special grade. Go to Osaka. Please.”
Satoru sighed. As much as he wanted to have a talk with Megumi today, the opportunity to swoop in and rescue Utahime was almost too much to pass up. Osaka wasn’t so far that he couldn’t get back in decent time, assuming that it really was just one unregistered special grade. There was no chance of deception from the higher-ups if Utahime was already on the ground and facing it.
“Fine. Do you think she can at least wait until I finish my breakfast?”
Yaga groaned in response, and Satoru swore he could hear his eyes roll. The phone call cut off.
Two sets of eyes were on him the moment he walked back into the kitchen, sitting back down in front of his meal and beginning to eat quickly.
“You’re leaving again,” Megumi stated, and when Satoru lifted his head, green eyes were staring daggers into his.
“Unfortunately I am, kiddo,” Satoru replied, not missing the way Tsumiki deflated. “I’ve got to go help my friend Utahime on a mission!”
“You don’t have friends. Only Shoko.”
Decidingly not telling the boy how accurate that was now, Satoru moved on.
“I shouldn’t be gone too long. If I’m not back by the time you two go to sleep, I will be tomorrow morning. Then we can go shopping and go to the playground!”
This seemed to be enough for the kids, who tucked back into their food and began chattering back and forth. Satoru finished his breakfast and washed his bowl and the other dishes, knowing that Tsumiki would take it upon herself to finish whatever was left and wanting to leave as little for her as possible.
His phone began ringing again, and he answered it without looking. He was already opening his mouth to assure Yaga he was going when he heard, “Gojo! Where are you?”
“I’m coming, jeez. Good morning to you too.”
Satoru did not make it back by the next morning.
The unregistered special grade hadn’t been too difficult to deal with. He’d shown up, gotten screamed at by Utahime, exorcized it, and the two of them had shared a halfway civil meal of dumplings at a restaurant downtown together. Utahime would be starting a new job at the Kyoto school in the fall, and he offered her updates on Shoko, Nanami, and the new first and second years.
He had been only moments from warping back to Tokyo (and possibly leaving Utahime with the dinner bill) when they’d both felt a huge surge of cursed energy, discovering – not quickly enough – that a veil had been lowered.
“I knew this was too easy,” he muttered, dropping well over the cost of their meal on the table and running outside.
“What are you talking about?”
“A random unregistered special grade when you were assigned a second? I thought for sure the higher ups weren’t trying to pull something this time, but you felt that surge. There’s something else here, and they’re going to make us find it whether we want to or not.”
The something they were meant to find was in fact, one of Sukuna’s fingers. When the veil was finally broken and the finger retrieved, it had been a full day, and Mei Mei and Yaga were waiting for them on the other side.
What followed was an irritating number of meetings at the Kyoto school with principal Gakuganji, who seemed to conveniently have no knowledge of one of the fingers being so close to his school. Yaga was furious. Utahime was injured, and Satoru was fucking exhausted. After days of being unable to release his technique, his eyes were red and sore, and he reluctantly allowed Yaga to wrap bandages around his face to provide some relief.
If he fell asleep against his sensei’s shoulder on the train ride home because he was too tired to warp, neither of them said anything.
Shoko had refused to let him out of her sight when he’d returned to Jujutsu High, eyes and hands flitting over him worriedly. They shared his dorm bed that night, close enough to touch but not, instead, just existing in each other’s presence. She apologized the next morning, once he’d been able to remove the bandages again, for acting so out of character.
They both knew why she had.
They both knew who should have been there with them.
It was nearly midnight three days later when Satoru stumbled back into the Fushiguro apartment, already wracking his brain on how to make his absence up to the kids. Tsumiki could be easily appeased, but Megumi was the more significant concern. They still hadn’t gotten to discuss his nightmare.
Satoru padded up to Tsumiki’s door, carefully blocking the kitchen's light with his frame. She was sleeping peacefully, chest rising and falling in time with her quiet snores. He closed the door again, stepping over to the next room, taking a deep breath before opening it.
The scene was almost identical to what it had been the other night; Megumi was thrashing around the bed, though this time he still held his stuffie, his hands in a vice grip in the wolf’s white fur. Satoru crossed the room quickly, crouching down and gently pulling Megumi’s fingers from the plush. The boy relaxed slightly, and Satoru grabbed the boy’s hand just as he had previously.
He didn’t care if there was another special grade, another finger, even if Suguru Geto himself showed back up into their lives, nothing was going to stop him from helping this boy.
Waking up the next morning was not as peaceful of an experience. Despite it still being dark out, Satoru startled awake to a harsh poke to his forehead, opening his eyes to an equally harsh glare from the sea urchin in front of him. The boy’s hand was no longer in his.
“-gumi?” he asked, brain moving too slowly to process the fact that he’d been caught. He’d intended to work on his excuses last night after making sure the kids were asleep.
“You lied,” the boy replied, glare not lifting. “You said you’d come back that night. You didn’t. You lied.”
Satoru blinked back, fog clearing from his mind. He stifled a yawn with his right hand before focusing on Megumi.
“I’m sorry, buddy. My mission didn’t go so well,” he said, failing to stifle a second yawn. Shoko had told him he’d be exhausted for a few days, the strain he’d put his body through only partially worn off. He wasn’t used to this feeling of fatigue, having largely relied for years on his technique to keep his cursed energy from getting too deplenished. Attempting to protect both himself and an injured Utahime was more than he was used to handling.
Satoru scrubbed a hand over his face before continuing, “I came back here as soon as I could.”
“You still lied,” Megumi replied, bottom lip wavering. The boy was blinking furiously, evidently trying to stop the tears gathering on his lower lashes from falling. “You left and you said you’d come back and then you didn’t.” He punctuated the end of his sentence with a meager shove to Satoru’s chest, small hands finding folds in the fabric.
“I did, Megumi, just a little bit later than I wanted to. I’m so sorry,” he replied, knowing it wasn’t enough. It was never going to be enough.
This boy and his sister had been left behind by his father and then Tsumiki’s mother, both from the apartment they were currently sitting in. It shouldn’t have surprised Satoru that Megumi had abandonment issues, and Tsumiki likely did as well, but was just better at masking them behind her need to care for her brother.
Satoru was so lost in thought he almost missed Megumi’s next words.
“What if one day you don’t come back at all?”
What if you’re like him?
A short sniffle followed, and the tears he’d been holding back finally began to spill over. Satoru froze, watching as Megumi curled in on himself, obviously embarrassed by his own question. His hands wrung together harshly.
Resolving to hopefully do the right thing for once, Satoru stood and sat on the bed next to Megumi. The boy’s brow furrowed in confusion for a moment before he turned fully and scooted a little closer. Satoru hesitantly put his arm around Megumi’s shoulder, sighing in relief when he leaned into the touch. Megumi tucked his head into Satoru’s chest, sniffles turning into sobs as the two sat together.
Eventually, as the light from the morning sun began sneaking through the blinds, Megumi broke away. His eyes were read and puffy, and he looked up at Satoru. Embarrassment was written across his features.
“I’m sorry, Gojo-san,” he said. voice small. He seemed to realize what he’d just done, and tried to pull away completely, like a skittish cat. Even now, after crying into his chest for what felt like hours, the boy was scared that he had upset his guardian. “I shouldn’t have -”
“Hey,” Satoru said, cutting him off and pulling him back in. “You don’t need to be sorry, Megs.”
He’d never used the nickname before, but the boy seemed to perk up a bit. It felt natural on his lips.
“You’re right. I said I’d come back and then I didn’t. You and Tsumiki didn’t deserve that, and I promise I’ll try to call next time or have someone come tell you two what’s happening.”
He was sure Shoko wouldn’t mind coming to take care of them the next time he was indisposed. If he begged and pleaded enough, he could probably even get Kento to do it. He and Megumi would probably get along very well. Satoru grabbed the wolf plush from where it had been discarded on the floor, handing it to him with a small smile.
“You’re not mad?”
If Megumi’s head was still against Satoru’s chest, he was sure he would have heard his heart breaking. How terrible of a father had Toji been to this boy, that he was so fearful of showing any emotion that he was the one apologizing?
“Never,” he replied, sliding away from Megumi and crouching on the ground in front of him, taking smaller hands into his own. He leaned forward until he and Megumi were making eye contact.
“You never have to apologize for feeling, Megs. No matter what it is. Even when I don’t do anything stupid, you can feel however you need to feel, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
The boy nodded back, a tiny movement Satoru nearly missed. He stayed in place for a few more moments, shifting his legs under him to stand when he startled, two arms wrapping around his neck and black hair tickling his nose. He hugged Megumi back, burying his face into the spiky hair.
“I hate this place, Satoru,” Megumi whispered, so quiet Satoru didn’t think the boy knew he could hear it. “It's only okay when you’re here.”
He hugged Megumi tighter.
“Where are we going, Gojo-san?”
He smiled down at Tsumiki, who was bouncing along next to him, doing her best to keep the ice cream in her hand from melting over the side of the cone. Megumi trailed right behind her, watching her with a smug expression as he used a spoon for his.
“I already told you, it’s a surprise,” Satoru replied, ruffling her hair. She stuck her tongue out at him.
It had been nearly two months since the incident in Kyoto. He had been correct, Tsumiki was incredibly easy to appease after his absence, using his guilt as leverage to get a few new toys and have cake for dinner.
His relationship with Megumi had changed since then. The boy was still having nightmares, but he’d slowly begun seeking out Satoru’s comfort after them. He’d come out of his room and the two of them would sit on the couch together, often in silence, until he fell asleep against Satoru’s shoulder and was carried back into his room. Even with encouragement to show his emotions, the boy remained incredibly stoic, though Satoru suspected it was now more out of stubbornness than anything else.
The group was walking down the street in Saitama, not far from Jujutsu High. It was quieter here, on the outskirts, with only a few people milling around the streets in the mostly-residential area. They passed a small park and playground, and a few kids waved back at Tsumiki.
“There you guys are,” he heard from ahead, eyes finding Shoko standing outside the entrance to an apartment building. “You’re late.”
“We had to stop for ice cream!”
She rolled her eyes, opening the door behind her and holding it open for the kids. Satoru winked at her on the way past, making sure both of the kids followed him up the stairs. When they reached their destination, he looked down to see an expression of shared confusion across the siblings' faces, both too nervous to say anything. He smiled and opened the door.
Yaga, overjoyed at the prospect of being able to make some new toys, had taken his assignment incredibly seriously. By the time he’d finished kicking his shoes off, he could hear the man talking to the children.
“Yes, these are all for you,” was all it took for the kids to jump into the massive pile of stuffed animals next to the couch. Satoru hung back by the front door, looking to Shoko when she appeared next to him.
“Is everything ready?”
She moved her head to the side and back. “More or less. The kitchen isn’t done, but Kento was finishing off Tsumiki’s room when I came down to wait for you.”
“They won’t care about the kitchen anyway,” he replied, glancing towards the living room before looking back. Shoko was smiling at him.
“What?”
“Nothing,” she replied, knocking her shoulder into his. “It’s just a good look on you. You care about them a lot.”
“I am capable of caring for others, you know.”
“News to me. News to Kento too,” she joked over her shoulder as she pushed past him.
“What’s news to me?” asked the man in question, emerging from the room the group had chosen as Tsumiki’s. It was a rare moment that he wasn’t wearing his uniform, ditching the jacket for a black tee. Before Satoru could open his mouth to respond, Shoko was already cutting him off as she made her way to the kitchen.
“Satoru having normal human emotions.”
“I’m not convinced,” he replied, crossing the room to stand next to Satoru. “Both of their rooms are done. I’ll go start on the kitchen, but I’m not touching your shit. Those boxes are yours to deal with.”
He smiled slightly at the children as he passed, and Yaga took the opportunity to follow him out of the room as well. Tsumiki and Megumi looked up at Satoru, eyes full of wonder.
“What is this place?” Megumi asked, hands fisted in a rabbit plush nearly as large as he was. Satoru crouched down in front of them, looking around the apartment and listening to his friends rummage around in his new kitchen.
“Why don’t I show you?” He put his hand out and Megumi took it, not dropping the rabbit that he was now dragging along the floor behind him. Tsumiki remained in place, still too enamored by the toys around her to pay attention. He took a deep breath before opening the door, leading Megumi inside.
The boy gasped, eyes widening as he looked around the room at all of his belongings, which had been painstakingly unpacked and organized by Kento that morning after Satoru took the kids out for the day. There were still a few more boxes at the Fushiguro apartment, but Satoru would take care of those that night.
Kento had packed up Toji’s bedroom and placed the boxes outside. Satoru told him to keep everything in case Megumi ever wanted to go through it, but he wouldn’t be haunted by him anymore.
“What do you think?”
By now, Megumi had dropped his hand and stepped forward, and he whirled back around to find Satoru sitting in the doorway.
“Is this …“ the boy asked, still not quite comprehending the scene in front of him.
“All yours, Megs. This room is a little bigger than your old one, but I think all of those toys Yaga made will take up the space rather nicely. He went a little over- oomph!”
Megumi surged forward, wrapping his arms around Satoru’s neck so quickly he was surprised his Infinity didn’t activate by accident. He felt something wet fall onto his neck, and he rubbed his hand up and down the child’s back as he shook. He hoped these were happy tears.
“Does this mean we don’t have to go back?”
“Never. Not unless you want to,” he replied, feeling tears start to prick at his own eyes when Megumi squeezed tighter.
“I don’t. I want to stay here with you.”
They remained in place until Tsumiki joined them, and Satoru explained in a little more detail that this was their new home, they’d be going to a new school, and that there was a room set aside for Shoko and Kento to come stay with them if he was ever gone for longer than he planned.
Megumi and Tsumiki wouldn’t have to be alone anymore.
And for the first time in a while, neither would Satoru.