Chapter Text
Oh I’m no longer a kid
And everything has changed
There’s nothing in my heart
And lightning in my brain
So listen up, you kids
And hear what I say
Don’t listen to your brain
And follow your dreams
— — —
Megumi could already tell by the way that Ms. Ieiri was staring at him that he must’ve interrupted her smoke break that he definitely didn’t know she took every other hour. Lunch time is almost over meaning that technically she was about to come in anyways, so he didn’t feel too bad about it. As he sat down on the worn chairs in front of her desk, his hues followed her gaze down to his knuckles, which seemed bruised more often than not these days. This time in particular, though, there were a few spots of broken skin but they weren’t bleeding, so it was fine. This is all fine.
“So,” Ms. Ieiri trailed off, “Are you going to tell me what happened?”
“Stupid people don’t know when to stop talking,” Megumi huffed while crossing his arms across his chest. He wasn’t sorry about his actions and he wasn’t about to front like he was either. It wasn’t his fault that people lacked the ability to know when to shut the fuck up. If they haven’t learned the skill by now then they should learn how to handle the consequences of their stupidness at least.
“Fushiguro, you know how bad this is, right?” Ms. Ieiri scolded while leaning back in her chair. “He’s on his way to the hospital because there’s a threat of internal bleeding, kid. There has to be a reason why you went so hard this time, especially after having such a good streak.” A good streak is relative for him. He doesn’t believe in his so-called good streaks since he always seemed to be getting into tiffs with his teachers during them. “The family could press charges against you, Fushiguro.”
The black haired male stayed silent as her statement settled in his mind. His teeth gnawed on his inner cheeks as his knuckles pulsed once again. It’s true that he normally didn’t go so far, a few punches was enough to make his point. Though of course, no one knew what had actually set him off as the boy’s stupid friends ran off like the cowards they were. They so boldly talked shit about not only Satoru, but Tsumiki , a fucking thirteen year old, as if she was some kind of sex doll all because of that stupid video.
It’s hard to write off her statements because he knows that she cares even if it is just a little bit within these four walls. From the few times that he’s been too open, too raw in her office on days that everything just became too much; she always digs for a deeper reason. It’s more than what he gets at home regardless. She’s a weird combination of sternness and fondness that made him yearn for a closer connection to her outside of this hellscape. She’s dangerous. She lights a desire deep within him to just spill his guts out for her to dissect so he won’t have to carry them anymore.
“You know Yaga-sensei and I have already tried to reach your parents, but we haven't received any call backs. I’m sure you’re already aware of that though,” Ms. Ieiri muttered the last part, but it still made Megumi tense up slightly at the mere mention of those two. Megumi’s long past trying to make excuses for them, but if he could avoid bringing them up as a whole then he’d rather do that.
“Listen Fushiguro, I’m just going to give it to you straight. My hands are tied here. With your parents never responding to our calls or even showing up to your disciplinary meetings and your behaviors still persisting, the higher up’s are making a referral to Child Protective Services about your family for possible child neglect on an educational basis and—”
He knew it. He knew nothing would come of allowing himself to get close to an outsider .
“Fushiguro, hold on,” Ms. Ieiri moved like an agile cat around the sharp corners of her desk, making a move to block Megumi’s only exit. He refused to look her in her eyes, the heat of his flushed cheeks rushing through his body. He fucked up, he finally fucked up to the point where Satoru was really going to get it when Toji realized what was going on. Even though none of this would’ve happened if Satoru wasn’t a fucking who— “Just hear me out— I didn’t have anything to do with the initial referral being made, but I do have connections in the CPS system, okay? It’s a shitty situation and the last resort, I know, but there’s a way that we can keep things from going left if you would just give me two more minutes to explain,” She gently encouraged Megumi to sit back down, but all that he gave her was standing in front of her desk with his backpack still tight in his arms ready to bolt. It must’ve been enough for the older woman as she returned behind her desk, matching his stance, leaning back against the chipped window banister.
“There’s a worker there that I know personally. He routinely takes a less restrictive approach to cases that have more complex needs such as yours. If I let him know that this case is coming in, he’ll make sure that it lands on his caseload. From the seven years that we’ve been working together, he’s only removed a child from a home once and it was a foster home, okay? Fushiguro listen—” Ms. Ieiri took a deep breath before continuing, “I know how you feel about outsiders, but you can’t live like this forever. You, your sisters, even your mother too, you all deserve something better than how you’re living now.”
It’s tempting. It’s too tempting to trust and yet, Megumi finds himself fantasizing about a life where Satoru would be out and about with Nanako and Mimiko running freely around him. Tsumiki would be trailing behind him along with himself, just absorbing their surroundings and enjoying each other’s presence. The fantasy shattered into reality in a flash as memories of the white haired male rotting away on their couch filled his mind once again. Whether it was due to Toji leaving them again or Toji dragging him through yet another “punishment”, it would always end the same. Satoru would be unable to bring himself to eat, move, sleep, or even wash himself. Instead of being familiar with the way Satoru’s words often slurred and swayed, he’d be familiar with the sound of genuine happiness and laughter. It’s tempting to think about a life where he could just simply be without having the responsibility of always finding food, clothes, and having to babysit the twins and Satoru when he’s in his moods. He can’t even remember if there was such a time where he felt like his home was an actual home instead of a prison that had him chained to the wellbeing of five other people.
“Okay,” he mumbled after a few drawn out moments of silence.
Ms. Ieiri let out a sigh of presumed relief as her shoulders sagged slightly, “You really had me going there for a second kid,” she muttered as she sat back down behind her desk. She pulled out her phone, a sleek black iPhone, it looked like a new edition with no case on it— and a piece of paper. Megumi watched as she scribbled down a set of digits and a name below it before sliding it over to him. The spiky haired boy picked up the piece of paper with uncertainty swirling deep in his stomach.
“Getou Suguru?” He questioned before glancing up towards her for a moment. “This is who my CPS worker will be?”
“He won’t only be assigned to you, but yes he’ll be your family’s assigned worker. I’ll forward him your family's information and you and your sisters’ educational files as well. He’ll probably get in contact with you sometime next week, okay? Don’t forget to save his number in your phone so you know it’s him reaching you. I—” Ms. Ieiri’s thin lips puckered for a moment before continuing, “I won’t bother with giving him your parents’ information, I’ll just give him yours okay?” He knew it was for the better that his parents stay out of this process all together so that Toji had no way to prepare or stop it from happening, but there was still a familiar weight seeping into his chest. Yet another responsibility pushed onto his plate to organize with his family’s fucking CPS worker.
This was good though. This was a way out. This could lead to something better , whatever that may be, especially for Tsumiki, Nanako, and Mimiko.
“Can I go now?” Megumi inquired after a beat of silence.
With a heavy sigh, Ms. Ieiri nodded. “I’ll get this going. Everything should be in place on my end by tonight. You keep that phone near and your fists to your sides,” she offered him a small smile before turning to her computer, signaling that he was dismissed.
— — —
Getou Suguru. Getou Suguru. Getou Suguru.
“—Megumi? Are you listening?” Tsumiki’s tone bordered on agitated, but the natural airiness of her words made the sting less.
“Now I am,” Megumi replied honestly as he gripped the handles of his backpack tighter. This Getou Suguru has to be somewhat of a good person, right? Ms. Ieiri wouldn’t just give him an empty promise of this magnitude, right? Even though he entered the stranger’s contact information into his phone immediately, the paper still burned a hole in his pocket. He pondered about if he should tell the other about what’s about to take place, but just as the thought began to marinate in his mind, he quickly decided against it. As much as he loved his sister, she couldn’t keep a secret or a straight face for the life of her. The only way that this would work is if everyone’s blindsided, especially Toji. With the extra eyes on everyone, he wouldn’t be able to lash out against them— against Satoru , right? Right. Of course. It would be like putting a rabid animal in a cage and even if the bars were made of sticks instead of steel, it should do something for the time being.
“Well, I said that you shouldn’t be getting into fights like that. You know it was really scary seeing you like that,” the younger of the two trailed off, her hues never leaving the pavement.
The black haired male swallowed what seemed like jagged rocks down his throat as the meaning of her words bounced back and forth through his skull. You’re acting just like him.
“He kept talking shit about Satoru,” Megumi shrugged slightly, deciding to leave out the full details of the altercation. It wouldn’t have done anything anyways. It’s bad enough that the other knew about the video anyways, courtesy of some bitchy girls in her grade that no longer wanted to be her friend because of it.
“They always have something to say about mom since that video spread around. Mom said that he didn’t care about it, so you shouldn’t fight about it,” his sister wasn’t going to give this up. Her stubbornness was less harsh, less demanding of attention, yet it was still persistent and just as annoying. She just didn’t know. She couldn’t know. It’s not her job to know. “They had to pull you off of him! Three people had to do it!” her head finally turned towards his, hues wide, yet his own remained looking ahead.
Satoru didn’t care, huh? So that’s what he told her to keep Tsumiki’s concerns at bay. He wondered if it even worked. Probably not. Even if she didn’t know the full truth, she’s not slow. Unfortunately.
It started two months ago. Megumi’s day at school had been hell on earth. He was used to the stares due to his hair and reputation, but this was on another level. Even Tsumiki had told him that she was getting weird stares all morning as well. It all came to a head during lunch when Megumi sat down by his only friend Yuuji who had also been strangely avoiding his eye.
“What is it?” Megumi questioned, fed up with even his friend acting weird towards him. “Tell me what it is now, Yuuji.”
Yuuji’s cheeks flushed slightly as his hands fumbled with his bento box’s cloth tie, still avoiding his eye. A few long moments of silence passed before Yuuji leaned closely to him, “I think there’s a— uh— there’s a video that’s been circulating through the school since yesterday and um— it’s a video of, like, your mom and someone else, you know, like, having sex…” the pink haired male trailed off with an awkward cough.
Megumi shot back from the other as if he had been slapped, “How do you—” the inquiry died on the tip of his tongue as dread washed over his body. Unfortunately, Yuuji had seen Satoru before, just in passing, but still. Once you’ve seen Satoru, you can’t mistake him for anyone else. Stark white hair and piercing blue eyes were hard to come by in this neighborhood. He could feel his throat start to dry as the welling behind his hues started to grow exponentially. He couldn’t do this, not here at least. The black haired male shook his head while wiping his hues until they were uncomfortably dry. “How many people have seen it?”
Yuuji winced slightly before shrugging, “I heard about it from Sukuna. Him and his friends were talking about it last night… it’s probably just been circling around our grade and above, I guess,” Yuuji glanced over towards him, but now it was Megumi that couldn’t meet the other’s eye.
How could Satoru be so fucking stupid?
“Oi, Fushiguro!” Aki, a wanna-be bully, called out to him. Not fucking now, he had zero patience to deal with whatever this dumbass had to say to him. Everyone in the room had turned their attention towards them as well. Just great.
Aki came close into his space, practically inches away from their desks, “Do you think you could put me on your mom’s radar? He should be pretty cheap—”
Megumi didn’t let him finish whatever he was going to say as he shoved his knuckles straight into the other’s jaw. The class immediately broke out into complete chaos which caused three teachers' aides to flood into the room to break up whatever was happening. By the time everything was said and done, Megumi was once again sitting in the principal's office, staring down at his own knees while Toji's short voicemail played for the third time. A failed call home and a week of detention ended up being his punishment, which would cause him to be late to work as well. Just amazing.
By the time he got home, the twins must’ve been sound asleep since Chi’s Sweet Home couldn’t be heard from their shared room. His sister’s shoes were neatly placed by the entrance of the door as well, but Toji’s shoes were missing. He couldn’t bring himself to be sad about the fact. He couldn’t be sad about anything pertaining to Satoru at all right now. The white haired male wasn’t in his normal spot on their ratty brown couch like he normally would be. Though, it didn’t take long to find him as his hues reached the kitchen area. There was a near empty bottle of vodka on the counter with his normal assortment of sugar-y syrups that took the sting away surrounding it. Megumi rounded the kitchen counter to find Satoru laying there as he had taken to laying down on the kitchen floor instead of at least making it onto the couch. If he had been on the couch then Megumi wouldn’t have felt bad about leaving him there, but no. Everything had to be ten times more difficult for the teen right after getting yelled at by a bunch of tourists that he could barely understand over fucking chicken. The black haired male inhaled deeply before turning to the supposed adult in this situation and began the routine.
“I know you’re still awake, Satoru. Use your strength,” Megumi huffed while curling the white haired male’s arm around his shoulders, lifting with all the strength that a teenager could muster. No matter how many times he did this, he never got used to it. “Get up Satoru!” he couldn’t help growling at the other, his patience for this wearing thin after the day he’s had.
“Gumi—” Satoru slurred slowly, “I’m tired,” he elongated the vowels before pouting.
“All you have to do is move your body,” Megumi couldn’t find it in himself to sugarcoat his irritation with the white haired male. With how drunk the other seemed to be, it wouldn’t have surprised the teen if he wasn’t aware of anything that was happening in the moment. Half of the battle was basically over. All they had to do was make it to the couch, then they’d be golden.
Ignoring the whines and mutters coming from above, he let Satoru roughly drop onto the couch. He was just about to leave Satoru to his own devices when he felt a grip tighten around his wrist. The teen stared down at Satoru, a bored expression overtaking his features.
“Gumi’s mad at me, why?” Satoru dragged out the last syllable while tightening his grip around his wrist.
Maybe if he had a better day he would’ve been able to satiate whatever was going on but now, the simple question just threw him over the edge.
“You want to know why I’m mad at you?” Megumi confirmed which caused the other to eagerly nod his head. “I’m mad at you because you don’t think about anyone else when you’re out doing whatever it is you do. I don’t care what you do outside of here, but you know it would be nice if you could at least just make sure that your face isn’t in the middle of the fucking camera when doing so. You know you have a family right? Nothing on the internet stays anonymous and the real kicker is that you weren’t even trying to be anonymous! You just didn’t fucking care.” The look of confusion that he was met with made the teen even more agitated. He was struggling to keep his volume in check, “If Toji doesn’t care about you being a slut then fine, but can you at least think of Tsumiki and I when you’re doing it,” his volume never went above a whisper, even through his outburst he was still nervous that he’d wake Tsumiki or the twins from their slumber. “It’s not fair that we have to deal with the consequences of your actions all the time, Satoru,” he finished with a deep inhale, just now realizing that his wrist had been made free a while ago.
“I didn’t know they were taping me, I’m sorry ‘Gumi—” Satoru shook his head slightly, his knees raising up to complete his usual fetal position. Megumi paused slightly, his eyebrows furrowing before shaking his head. He couldn’t process that, not now. Now, he just wanted to be angry with his fists balling and clenching repeatedly at his sides. “No one was supposed to see that—” Satoru’s statement was halted by a hiccup. The teen was ready for the waterworks to start, but they never came.
“Well, people have seen it, Satoru. People at our fucking school have seen it,” Megumi crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for a response from the other, but instead he was met with silence. Satoru wasn’t even looking in his direction anymore, it didn’t seem like he was looking at anything honestly. The black haired male wanted to just leave the other, however there was something in him still pulling him to stay by the other and make him presentable.
Megumi pulled down the other’s oversized shirt, most likely Toji’s, to recover his bare lower half. He ignored the discolored skin around his collar bones popping out with the readjusting of the other’s shirt. As Megumi was turning to leave, Satoru’s slim fingers gripped at his own signaling that he wanted yet another thing. Probably Toji or a piece of fruit or a blanket, something idiotic—
“Don’t end up with an omega like me, okay Gumi? You deserve to be with a good one,” Satoru sniffled once again before taking a deep breath. As if he didn’t just wreck his own son’s brain, he curled his hand under himself, resuming his balled up position, and closed his eyes.
Megumi didn’t know how long he stood there watching Satoru. In moments like this, even with being battered, he reminded him of a delicate dog without his owner. Simply sleeping and moping around until he gets back to give him some semblance of importance and affection wrapped into one.
Megumi didn’t ever want to find an omega if it meant ending up like this; a dog owner.
A tight grip on his jacket yanking him backwards brought him back to the present. They were at the crosswalk. How long had he been out? They were at least a few blocks from where they were before, right? Megumi rubbed at his eyes before shaking his head. He could feel his sister’s hues staring holes into the side of his head, but he refused to acknowledge it. However, it seemed like he would be graced yet again as Tsumiki simply started walking once the pedestrian sign turned green. As the pair made their way over to their bus stop, it finally dawned on the black haired male.
“Are you going to cram school tonight?” He questioned as they made their way into the enclosed bus stop to protect themselves from the overpowered shine coming from the sun.
“I think passing on one day will be okay,” Tsumiki muttered, a small pout forming on her lips. “I don’t have another exam until next week and I passed my last one with an A. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“I know, I’m just saying. Don’t make it a habit,” Megumi couldn’t help but press the issue. There was no way that Tsumiki wasn’t going to go to high school. With her current grades and ability to retain information, she was practically made for excelling at the entrance exams. She couldn’t start slowing down now, especially with everything going on at home. She had to leave. She just had to .
“Okay dad ,” Tsumiki nodded, teasing him slightly. He knows that she meant it as a joke, of course he does. It doesn’t stop the way his heart suddenly squeezed slightly at the implication of said joke. Maybe he just didn’t find it funny, yeah, he’ll go with that excuse for today. “I think I’ll do my homework at Kamari’s house. You know her family has a furnished balcony that overlooks a pond. It’s really calming over there.”
“You know how to get home from Kamari’s, right? You take the—”
“—third bus to the city that’ll take me to the red line bus. The red line bus will take me closest to home. When I’m two stops away, I’ll call you on your phone and you’ll meet me there and we’ll walk home together,” Tsumiki parroted. “I know you’re just making sure, but I’ve got this down, you know.”
“Yeah, I know,” Megumi muttered as his fingers tapped rhythmically against his backpack strap. As the bus came closer towards them, he pulled out his worn wallet for their bus fair and handed over the family’s ICP card to his sister.
“Your phone’s charged fully, right?” He inquired one last time.
“Yes, nii-san,” Tsumiki stood up while pulling out said phone. It was an older phone, nowhere near the technology that he assumed her friends had, but it served its purpose enough for her to always be on it. Besides, it was at least a touch-screen phone, so that had to count for something, right? It’s better than his own flip-phone that really couldn’t do much more than call and short form text, but it was all that he could afford after getting Tsumiki’s phone and her line.
As the bus screeched to a halt in front of them, they made their way to the entrance.
— — —
As soon as Megumi cracked open the door to their apartment, a waft of cigarette smoke assaulted his senses. So Toji’s here. He’s not sure if he’s happy or pissed off at the fact. He slid in quickly before relocking the door and securing the chain lock as well. He didn’t need anyone trying to break in again, especially with the two beer cans, presumably empty, staring back at him on the floor. He inhaled deeply as he toed off his shoes and slipped on his house shoes. The two adults barely moved at his entrance, opting to stay in their own little world like usual.
Toji was in his normal attire, sweatpants and his black tank, while Satoru was also in his normal attire, one of Toji’s black tee’s and nothing else. They were in their normal position on the couch, with Toji spread comfortably in a seated position on the end with Satoru draped over him like a blanket with his legs propped up and crossed, foot swinging in the air. The white haired male seemed enthralled in whatever game he was playing on Toji’s phone, a sleek iPhone like Ms. Ieiri’s, with a sucker rolling around in his mouth. There’s no telling how long they’ve been sitting there, probably only moving when Toji would order Satoru to do something like fetch him a beer or suck his cock. He supposed that he was happy to not walk in and see his parents fucking again. Chi’s Sweet Home could be heard faintly from his position in the living room, so that meant that the twins were still awake. Not great, but it could be worse. They could be out here inhaling the toxic smoke. Hopefully their door was at least semi-closed.
Megumi knew that he probably should work on his homework that was three days past due, but he finds himself heading to the refrigerator to assess what they can have for dinner instead. He doubts that anyone other than Toji has been fed for the entire day with the twins practically surviving on half a tit’s worth of milk and Satoru normally nibbling on whatever Toji allowed him to. They’re all more on the slim side, other than Toji, so at first their lack of access to food didn’t really matter since they got free lunch at school. However, everything changed once the twins were born. They were chunky babies that needed to be fed a lot , and that fact still remains. He knew that they must be starving. He didn’t want that to become their norm like it had for Tsumiki and himself. He didn’t know if he could handle witnessing the hallowing of their chubby little cheeks in real time. He just didn’t know if he could realistically stop it.
There was beer, cheap vodka, and a pizza box in the fridge. He closed his eyes and took another deep breath before pulling out the pizza box. This should be enough since he’s sure Tsumiki will be eating over at the Kamari’s. They never send her home without an extra bento too, so that should take care of tomorrow’s dinner for her. There’s only four curled up pieces left in the box. If the twins each eat a slice and a half and feed from Satoru, it should be enough to get them asleep. Satoru never had dinner with them, always claiming that he had eaten previously. He faintly remembers a time when he used to challenge the white haired male with all the indignation that he could muster for a twelve year old, but that feels so long ago now.
Megumi pulled the pizza out of the microwave once they were sufficiently warm. He balanced the three plates in his hand before making his way over to their shared room without sparing another glance over to the two on the couch. Once he pushed open their door, his legs were immediately ambushed by the twins.
“Gumi!”
“Me-Me!”
A smile immediately formed on his facial features at the sight of his sisters. He slightly wiggled them off enough to set the plates of pizza down on the floor before he sat down on the worn carpet himself. He started diligently and quickly at ripping apart the pieces of pizza into palatable bite size pieces that were appropriate for two year olds. Nanako had already bent down in a standing-kneeling position to chew on the pieces of pizza while Mimiko sat by Megumi’s side with her hands sandwiched between her folded thighs. Once he had finished with the pizza tearing, along with adding a few ripped pieces of his own to Nanako’s plate to avoid a breakdown, he slid both plates over to the two girls and watched them start to eat. Megumi ate his own slice slowly to make every bite counted. He listened to their mindless rants about how they spent their day. It mostly consisted of the two of them fighting over their shared tablet, sleek and shiny, and running around the room playing deep in their imagination. He wished he had a moment of peace to indulge in his imaginative side. He wondered what things his mind would come up with if it was allowed such delicacies.
“Gumi, full,” Nanako declared before going back to their tablet. It only took a few moments for Mimiko to finish as well, as she signaled her fullness by pushing her plate away silently.
“T’ank you Me-Me,” Mimiko whispered, almost as if it was a secret between the two of them only.
“Don’t mention it,” Megumi muttered as he finished his last bit of crust.
“Milk p’ease,” Mimiko looked at him expectantly, which caused him to momentarily freeze. It didn’t sound like Toji and Satoru were preoccupied , however he’s been surprised enough times to know that no sound just meant they weren’t outright fucking, not that they were completely decent.
“Let me throw this trash out and see if Sa—Mo—I’ll go see if he’s awake,” Megumi got up quickly on shaky legs before making a b-line out the door. He knew that he was the only one in the house that called their parents by their name, their given names at that, but something about pushing that habit onto the twins felt wrong . However, calling Satoru any maternal name of the sort felt wrong to his core. It was a type of wrong that caused his heart to race and guts to twist into knots with a sense of longing and resentment churning into one. If there was still some sense of motherhood that Satoru possessed for the girls, then who was he to ruin that? They should hold onto that feeling for as long as they possibly can. Lord knows that he regretted severing that connection so soon. Sometimes he wished that he lived in the fantasy, just a little while longer. Or maybe that instead of the slight graying in his facial expression, Satoru would’ve fought him on the lack of maternal name and respect given to him to show him that he cared. Toji just gave him a sneer but nothing more.
Megumi slowly made his way down the short hallway and peeked his head out to assess the situation. Thank God nothing seemed to be occurring, he didn’t think that he could handle a tantrum right now. Letting out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding, he made his way over to the kitchen to dispose of the trash.
When he was done, he once again turned to the duo on the couch, “Mimiko wants milk,” he stated bluntly.
Toji didn’t seem to move a muscle as if the teen hadn’t just said his daughter needed something of him. However, Satoru perked up slightly, turning his attention towards his direction.
“Bring her to me,” Satoru sang the last syllable to stretch it out, a slight smile overtook his delicate features.
It only took a few seconds to return with Mimiko in his arms. The way that Satoru immediately sat up with his features almost brightening in a way that made envy fill Megumi’s lungs once again.
“ Mommy !” Mimiko wiggled out of his arms, practically jumping into Satoru’s outstretched arms.
“My precious little dove,” Satoru crooned towards her. It seemed like some sort of self-inflicted torture to force himself to watch the tender exchange, but his feet didn’t allow for him to move. The white haired male continued to blow raspberries on her cheeks in between the kisses smooshed all over her face much to Mimiko’s pure joy.
Without a moment further, Satoru maneuvered Mimiko to allow him to pull off his shirt without a care in the world. The discoloration left from Satoru’s last punishment seemed to have cleared up nicely. He chose to ignore the accepted normalcy of his statement. Mimiko immediately attached her mouth to Satoru’s nipple as he laid back to get comfortable. It only took a few seconds for the rhythmic sucking to start as her growing hand splayed out flat against his other nipple, almost as if she was making sure no one else could have it while she was preoccupied with the other one. The teen wondered if he felt territorial over being breastfed, or if he was even breastfed in the first place. His early years were a blur, as if someone had scratched the backs of the CDs containing his memories from one to three years old. Bits and pieces would flash across, but not enough to make a coherent memory worth spending energy on unpacking. He’s made peace with the fact that this coldness was something meant for him to experience alone, that he wasn’t meant to experience the maternal warmth that Satoru so openly displayed now.
It didn’t bother him. It really didn’t.
But as he walked down the block to meet Tsumiki at the bus stop, he couldn’t help but wonder what it would’ve felt like to feel a little slither of that skin to skin warmth. If there would be something there when he looked at Toji and Satoru, something akin to a sense of belonging and love , instead of bitterness and resentment with the taste of scorned love lying layers underneath it all.
That was a dangerous path. It led to nothing but putting Megumi in a bad mood that would drown him to a point of no return. As he approached the bus stop, he saw that Tsumiki was already sitting on the bench waiting for him, head in her phone and bento boxes set beside her. Megumi forced a small smile onto his face before yelling out to her, “Oi! What’d I say about not watching your surroundings?”
The sudden noise made Tsumiki’s shoulders jolt up as she frantically searched for the source of the noise. When she locked eyes with him, an immediate scowl made it onto her features. “The bus just dropped me off! I was simply getting my bearings!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Megumi muttered as he came up beside her. He swiped her bento bag and her textbooks from her lap. “Did you eat at Kamari’s place?”
“Yeah, we had soba and chicken breasts for dinner. They gave me chicken, an egg roll, and rice to take home with me,” Tsumiki confirmed as they began their descent home. That sounded much better than the pizza that she would’ve been subjected to if she stayed home.
She’ll get out soon. You just need to have patience. She’ll be out soon.
“I don’t think Toji or Satoru have showered yet, so there should be enough hot water for you to go first,” Megumi stated to fill the silence.
Tsumiki hummed in acknowledgement as the two walked together. The two didn’t fill the space with anymore words, just deciding to spend this time being with one another without the chaos of their home life.