Work Text:
Satoru loudly sighed for the third time in five minutes. Ijichi, while momentarily losing his stride, continued to prattle on about his schedule for the day. It was annoying. Everything was annoying him today. It was unbelievably hot in Tokyo today, and Satoru had been prepared to call the whole day a wash before it even began. He’d been gun-ho about taking the kids on a well-deserved beach day.
However, right as Satoru was packing away his water guns, Megumi arrived downstairs, seemingly content to rain on his father’s beach day activities. What did it matter if Megumi had a test today or not? The kid was smart. Satoru knew that he’d pass the test even if he didn’t study the night before. Besides, if Megumi’s teacher even thought about giving him a hard time for missing the test, Papa Gojo would make quick work of them.
Alas, Megumi had insisted on going to school today, and Satoru was thus forced to head to the office. The only bright spot of his day was dropping Megumi and Tsumiki off at school. Satoru made sure to call out extra loudly to Megumi to have a good day at school and to do well on his test. The way that Megumi scowled and hid his face in embarrassment gave Satoru enough of a boost to get through traffic and his early morning meetings.
However, it was midday now, and Ijichi insisted on updating him on his afternoon appointments even though they hadn’t even stopped for lunch yet. It was seriously annoying him, and as Satoru finished up the remnants of his milktea, he wondered if he should throw a paper airplane into Ijichi’s mouth. That would likely shut his assistant up for a bit. Still, Ijichi had a weak constitution. The guy might die from something like that, and Satoru shuddered to imagine if the company actually managed to send him an assistant with a spine. Any hope for future beach days would be over for him and his sweet kiddies.
Satoru was bored. His hand hovered over his phone as he wondered if he could discreetly play some games under his desk without Ijichi noticing. It seemed a higher power was looking out for him, as Satoru was delighted to hear the beginning notes of Shame on Me signaling that he was receiving a phone call. Satoru held a finger out towards Ijichi to signify to his assistant that he should stop talking now, and he accepted the call as he brought the phone up to his ear.
“Yo, this is Gojo.” Satoru greeted the caller casually as he spoke into the phone. Ijichi sighed and shook his head, but it wasn’t like he gave his colleagues and associates his personal number. All of those peons got his work cell number. Only the important people in his life got his personal cell number, which essentially consisted of the kids, Shoko, Suguru, and Ijichi, unfortunately.
“Hello, this is Principal Yaga from Saitama Urami East Junior High. May I presume that I am speaking to the guardian of Megumi Fushiguro?” The principal’s tone was no-nonsense, and Satoru immediately sat up at the mention of Megumi.
“I am his guardian, yes. Is Megumi alright? Is he feeling sick? I thought it was usually the school nurse who called home regarding that sort of thing.” Satoru was already standing up from his desk chair, and he silently ushered Ijichi to follow him out of his office. Ijichi was quietly protesting behind him, but Satoru simply tuned him out.
“Megumi was caught fighting with three other students earlier. We are calling in all four boys’ parents and guardians to bring them home for the afternoon.” Yaga’s tone is already exasperated, so Satoru has to wonder if he was the last parent contacted on his list. His eyebrows practically shot up into his hairline in shock. Sure, Megumi was quick as a whip when it came to verbal retorts, but he’d never known the kid to be violent.
“Well, did he win at least?” Satoru asked as he slid his sunglasses off the top of his head once they exited the building. The sudden inhale of breath over the phone let Satoru know that Yaga had not been expecting that sort of question.
“Please come collect Fushiguro as soon as you can. I would like to discuss this matter further with you in person.” The sheer disdain in Yaga’s tone was rather funny, and Satoru was practically howling in laughter when he realized that the principal had hung up the phone without further discussion.
“Geez, that was rude, and that’s coming from me. Come on, Ijichi. Megumi had his first fight, and I have to hear the story behind this.” Satoru called out to his assistant, who was desperately fishing for the car keys out of his briefcase. Ijichi nearly fumbled the keys, but his assistant was able to unlock the door without any further fuss. Good. They couldn’t dawdle too much, or Yaga sounded like he’d blow a gasket. However, Satoru figured that Megumi might be craving some caffeine after a fight against three other kids. Surely there was time for a pit stop.
It was thirty minutes later when Ijichi finally found some street parking by Saitama Urami East Junior High. They would have arrived sooner if Ijichi ever actually drove above the speed limit. His assistant acted as if he would suffer a heart attack the second that the odometer went even a mile above the speed limit. Fortunately, Megumi’s iced Americano hadn’t melted too much in the time between when they left the cafe and parked. Satoru’s melon soda float was already nearly finished by the time he got out of the car.
“Here, toss this for me. I should be back with Megumi and maybe Tsumiki in ten.” Satoru called back to Ijichi as he tossed his drink behind him. The sound of spilled ice and liquid hitting the ground let Satoru know that Ijichi’s hand-eye coordination still needed some work. It’s fine. They’d get there one day.
Satoru was more convinced than ever that they should have all skipped today. Oh, well. Hindsight was twenty-twenty, after all. Besides, if they left now, they could make it to the beach by nightfall. The bags that Satoru had packed were still by the front door from earlier. It’d be easy for them to head back home and collect them. Besides, tomorrow was Friday anyway. It wouldn’t kill the kids to have a three-day weekend. Ijichi could cover for him. It wouldn’t be the first time, and it most certainly wouldn’t be the last.
Satoru’s whistling filled the silence in the empty hallways as he entered the school and headed immediately for the office. He wondered if any of the classrooms that he was passing were Megumi’s or Tsumiki’s classrooms. He’d have to ask his kids as they were walking out. That did remind him to take his phone out of his pocket to text Tsumiki and ask if she wanted to leave school early. There was zero mention of Megumi’s fight in his message as he figured that the teenage boy would likely fill his sister in on the details when he saw her next.
The school secretary looked up to greet him, but Satoru blew past the woman as he made his way directly into the principal’s office. Satoru recognized the stern-faced man standing up as Principal Yaga. The principal’s expression seemed to fall at the sight of him, which honestly left Satoru a little giddy. Two teenagers were sitting on the sofa in the principal’s office. His sour-faced Megumi was on one side of the sofa with a pink-haired boy sitting on the other side. The other two boys’ parents must have already collected them. Satoru was pleased that Megumi seemed to be unharmed except for one large bruise on his cheek. The pink-haired teenager seemed to be otherwise unharmed. Interesting.
“Figured you might need a pick-me-up,” Satoru noted as he held out the iced Americano to Megumi. His son looked skeptically at the drink for a moment before nodding his head and accepting the drink from him. Satoru knew from experience that this was the closest he was going to get to a thank-you from the moody teenager. Americanos were quite possibly among the most disgusting concoctions the beverage industry had ever invented, but since they made Megumi happy, Satoru put up with buying them.
“So did you win?” Satoru asked with a wide grin on his face. Megumi wound up spitting out the little bit of Americano he had just drank. There was furious coughing coming from the teenager; however, before Satoru could even react to make a joke, the pink-haired teenager was patting Megumi on the back. Normally, Megumi only tolerated physical touch from Tsumiki and himself, and Satoru knew that he was pushing his luck most days when he fussed with Megumi’s hair. That’s why it was so interesting to him that Megumi was letting this random teenager touch his back.
“That is an inappropriate question, Mr. Gojo. Despite how you are acting, this is no laughing matter. Saitama Urami East Junior High will not tolerate any acts of violence on school property, especially those directed towards other students. One of those boys nearly had his arm broken by Fushiguro.” Yaga’s tone sounded just as annoyed in person as it did over the phone. Satoru hardly paid him any mind as he directed his attention solely to Megumi. He’d been in Megumi’s life since the boy was seven years old. Megumi was not a violent kid. Satoru did not doubt that whatever the little twerps did was enough to justify Megumi’s reaction.
“I didn’t break his arm. I dislocated his shoulder.” Megumi bluntly responded as he took another sip from his iced americano. He deliberately avoided eye contact with Satoru, which told him the teenager was leaving something out. It was so cute that Megumi still had the same tells when he was lying as when he was a little boy. Satoru hoped Megumi would never truly grow up.
“One, how do you know that you dislocated his shoulder as opposed to breaking his arm? Two, that is equally as bad as breaking someone’s arm. How do you not see that as a bad thing?” Yaga was squeezing the bridge of his nose, and the principal looked like he was approximately five seconds away from yelling. Right now, Yaga looked like every other authority figure that had lost their patience with Satoru over the years. It was hard to believe this guy was a principal. Surely, Yaga was used to teenage nonsense at this point?
“Oh, that’s easy to answer. I used to have Aunt Shoko babysit them all the time while she was attending medical school. She used to practice for all of her anatomy quizzes with Megs and Miki acting as her walking, talking skeletons.” Those were good times. Satoru could always count on Shoko to watch the kids if he got held up by business dinners or evening meetings. Now that Shoko was actually practicing, she was far too busy to watch the kids. Fortunately, Megumi and Tsumiki were basically independent these days.
“Regardless, there isn’t any justification for violence-” Yaga was interrupted by the pink-haired teenager sitting on the couch, who had previously appeared suitably chastised. Satoru did not doubt that Yaga had been yelling at the two boys before his arrival.
“But what if you are preventing bullying from occurring? Surely that justifies some violence!” The pink-haired teenager was very loud, but Satoru could clearly hear Megumi snort in response to his statement.
“For the last time, Itadori, I wasn’t bullying them. They started the fight.” Megumi argued, though Satoru noticed that his son still hadn’t supplied a reason for why they were fighting in the first place.
“Yeah, but those guys were weak. You beat them until they were pleading for mercy. You should have stopped once you got your point across. Nanamin says it’s not good to pick on the weak.” The pink-haired teenager, Itadori, apparently, was very passionate about his argument. Satoru had no idea who this ‘Nanamin’ was. Satoru imagined it was some plucky, good-natured cartoon character with a name like that.
“And you beat me until the homeroom teacher broke us up. I’d say fair is fair at this point.” Megumi was arguing with Itadori, but Satoru noticed that the teenager didn’t sound as upset as he thought he would be. Megumi's comment left Satoru curious if his son had sustained any other injuries besides the bruise on his face.
“Given that Fushiguro has still not supplied the reasoning for why the fighting occurred, I am dispensing the same punishment to all four boys. Their after-school detentions will commence once they return to school on Monday." Yaga’s tone was firm as he had clearly made up his mind regarding the matter. Itadori’s and Megumi’s faces fell at the punishment. Satoru knew that Megs typically preferred to walk home with Miki after school. He’d send Ijichi to pick Megs up from the school, so that the teenager could get some more time with his sister.
There seemed to be some commotion in the reception, and there was a heavy knock on the door. However, before Yaga could even respond, the door opened, and seemingly, the man of Satoru’s dreams entered the room. His angel had blond hair and hazel eyes that were darting around the space. The man looked nervous, but Satoru figured that he could settle his nerves with dinner and a movie. Damn. Maybe the kids could go to Shoko’s tonight. They did not need to hear the sorts of things he wanted to do with this handsome stranger. The stranger’s eyes landed on Itadori, and Satoru saw relief settle into his shoulders.
“Yuuji, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?” The stranger's eyes were slowly and methodically looking over Yuuji’s entire body as if to discern if there were any lingering injuries. Satoru recognized the look all too well. He exercised a similar level of concern whenever Megumi’s or Tsumiki’s tears lasted just a bit too long after a fall when they were children. The man of his dreams was clearly Yuuji’s father.
“Nanamin? I’m sorry, I told them not to call you. Did you get in trouble at work?” Yuuji frowned, and it was evident that he was just as worried about his father in this instance. So this was Nanamin? The name totally didn’t match up with his appearance. It was only then that Satoru took note of the suit that the love of his life was wearing. His lover was evidently an office drone of some sort. That’s fine. Satoru’s company went head-hunting all the time, and this would be a personal mission for him.
Satoru’s hand landed flat on Megumi’s head as he began obnoxiously rubbing his son’s hair.
“Stop it.” Megumi hissed as he looked up at Satoru. However, Satoru was already leaning down to voice his complaints to Megs.
“What the hell, Megs? Why did you not tell me Yuuji’s dad is hot? Do you not want your father to be happy? Do you not want your Dad dating?” Satoru’s complaints seemingly fell on deaf ears as Megumi covered his own face with his hands. It was only the sound of someone clearing their throat that led Satoru to pause in his complaints.
“This seems like the sort of conversation that the two of you should be having in private. However, I can assure you that this is the first time I have ever seen your son before.” Nanamin was frowning at him as he pushed his glasses up his nose. Even disdain was cute on this guy. Satoru really was in for a treat.
“You’re right. I’m a bit too loud for a public setting like this. Tell you what, why don’t the two of you come around for dinner? That way, we can truly apologize, especially given that you had to miss work due to this mess.” Satoru was confident as he pushed his sunglasses down his nose so that he could wink at the man of his dreams. Nanamin seemed to be a foreigner, given his blond hair, so Satoru figured that he might appreciate his blue eyes. Damn. Their babies would be so cute. Megumi was sputtering behind his hands, but Satoru affixed his attention solely to tall, blond, and handsome.
“Yuuji and I will be declining your offer for dinner at this time.” Nanamin’s gaze never left him, even as he was breaking his heart. “Given that I have no idea the context for which our children fought, I do not believe it is a good idea if they have continued contact with each other going forward. We will be taking our leave, Principal Yaga. I will be sure to instruct Yuuji to make proper apologies to you and the staff upon his return to school on Monday.” The love of his life was going to walk out of his life forever if Satoru didn’t do something to stop him.
“Wait!” Satoru shouted out the word before his brain caught up with him. Everyone was staring at him as the principal’s office went silent. Given that Nanamin didn’t interrupt him, Satoru saw fit to continue.
“Did you take the train to collect Yuuji? At least let me offer the two of you a ride home. I wasn’t lying about wanting to apologize to both of you. Besides, Megumi and Yuuji are going to continue being classmates for the foreseeable future. It’s better to curtail any lingering awkwardness or bad feelings now before they fester into something worse, especially given that they’ll need to focus on their high school entrance exams soon.” Satoru came up with his proposal on the fly, but he could tell that Nanamin was giving his proposal some thought. Sure, their meet-cute was a bit awkward, but they could make it work.
Satoru watched with bated breath as Nanamin looked between him, Megumi, and Yuuji before sighing and nodding his head. “Fine, but I expect us to exchange information if either boy's injuries worsen overnight.” Nanamin’s tone was firm, but Satoru felt like he was floating on a cloud. He’d get to sit with Nanamin in the front seat, and he would get his future boyfriend’s number. Things were really heating up for the two of them.
“Alright! Sounds good. You don’t need the kids for anything else, right, Yaga? We’ll head out then.” Yaga was saying something behind Satoru, but he didn’t pay it any mind. His one goal was to get Nanamin in the front seat of his car. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to confirm that Miki had seen his earlier message. His daughter responded affirmatively, so Satoru sent a follow-up text to let her know to head to the front of the school to meet them. Unfortunately, there was still one last matter to settle. Satoru opened his texts with his secretary to let Ijichi know he would be driving himself home this evening and would not be completing any further work. Ijichi would need to find another route home. His phone immediately lit up with a call from Ijichi, but Satoru silenced it as he turned his attention back to Nanamin.
“We have to wait for my daughter before we can leave. She’s a year above Megumi, but she should meet us at the entrance.” Satoru explained to Nanamin as the two adults and two teenagers made their way out of the principal’s office. Yuuji and Megumi were seemingly having a conversation of their own. Still, the two of them were walking further ahead, so Satoru couldn’t exactly make out what was being said by the teenagers. Maybe Megumi was talking about his cool dad with Yuuji. Satoru fantasized about that for a moment before his daydreams were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.
“So your daughter is a second-year, and your son is a first-year?” Nanamin’s eyebrows furrowed, and Satoru could tell that the other man was likely confused. His youthful good looks likely made it seem impossible that those cute kids could be his flesh and blood.
“While in my heart they are mine, I adopted Megumi and Tsumiki when he was six, and she was seven.” His explanation still seemed to perplex Nanamin, which made sense, since it was uncommon for someone who was twenty to adopt. Satoru had felt a lot of responsibility for the Fushiguro’s since he was the reason Megumi’s father and Tsumiki’s step-father was behind bars right now. It was shockingly easy to get approval to adopt the kids once he brought his company’s resources and lawyers into it. Still, that wasn’t the sort of story that he wanted to tell Nanamin before their first date.
“Besides, you’re awfully young to have a twelve-year-old yourself.” Satoru enjoyed the obvious embarrassment that appeared on Nanamin’s face upon being called out for his nosy question.
“Yuuji is the son of my cousin and his wife. They passed away in a car crash not long after he was born, so Yuuji lived with his grandfather for several years. His grandfather passed away when Yuuji was eight, and he’s been living with me ever since.” Nanamin looked forward to Yuuji as he offered his explanation. He was speaking quietly enough so that neither of the teenagers would overhear. It explained why neither Yuuji nor Nanamin seemed to refer to each other as father or son. Still, Nanamin couldn’t have been much older than he had been when he adopted Megumi or Tsumiki.
“It’s rare to meet someone who understands what it's like to raise children when you are still young yourself. Even though the circumstances for our meeting weren’t ideal, I’m glad I was able to meet you this afternoon.” Satoru smiled at Nanamin as he spoke, and it was obvious that the other man didn’t know how to respond. Fortunately, Nanamin was saved from his awkwardness by the appearance of Tsumiki.
“Are we headed to the beach?” Tsumiki called out eagerly as she rushed to catch up with the group.
“Yo, Miki! You remember how Megs was harping on and on this morning about him having to go to school today to take his test? You’ll never guess what I got called down to the school today for…” Satoru teased Megumi as he offered Tsumiki a high-five in greeting. Megumi was already kicking him, trying to get him to shut up, but Satoru laughed it off.
“Anyway, we will be driving Yuuji and his guardian home this afternoon as an apology. Do you mind sharing the backseat with Yuuji and Megumi then?” Satoru asked the question more as a formality. Tsumiki had always been such an easy-going, well-behaved kid that Satoru didn’t doubt that she would adapt accordingly to the addition of Yuuji and Nanamin.
“Sure… So it wasn’t just a rumour that you got caught fighting at the back of the school?” Tsumiki turned her attention to Megumi, who sheepishly nodded. He’d always hated being chastised by Tsumiki way more than when Satoru did it. It honestly made Satoru’s job as a parent way easier.
Once more, it seemed like Megumi was going to say something, and Satoru wondered if the teenager was finally going to offer the reason why he and those two boys were fighting. Unfortunately, Megumi remained silent on the matter. It seemed Satoru would have to bust out the big guns for this mystery. Some ginger cookies from Megumi’s favorite bakery would likely be enough to get the teenager to crack.
The group of five made their way to Satoru’s parked car. Fortunately, Ijichi appeared to have given up at some point, as his secretary was notably nowhere in sight. Satoru fished his spare keys from his pocket and unlocked the car for all of them. He had been expecting Tsumiki to sit in the center of the backseat with the two teenage boys on both sides of her. However, Megumi slid into the backseat in front of Tsumiki, so that he was sitting beside Yuuji. Interesting.
“So how far do you and Yuuji live from the school?” Satoru asked as he pulled the car out of the parking spot and into the road. He offered his phone to Nanamin so the other man could enter their address for directions.
“I found us an apartment not too far from the school and my work. Hopefully, it shouldn’t be too far out of the way for you.” Nanamin finished typing their address into the app, and Satoru had to laugh when he saw their destination. The other man narrowed his eyes when he heard Satoru’s laughter.
“Sorry, Sorry. This is the funniest coincidence in the world. We live in the same apartment building.” Satoru was already daydreaming about a midnight rendezvous while Nanamin was staring at him as if he had grown two heads.
“How have I never seen you before? Yuuji and I have lived in this building since he started Junior High.” Nanamin shook his head as he double-checked that he had in fact typed in his address correctly into the app.
“I usually drive Megs and Miki to school, so we wind up leaving later than most people who have to take the train.” Besides, the more time Satoru spent with the kids in the morning, the less time he had to be in the office. Satoru didn’t mention that their penthouse suite had its own direct elevator to the lobby. Nanamin would find out soon enough when he came home with him.
“We could start driving Yuuji to school if you’d like? It would save him some time in the mornings,” Satoru offered, and he watched as Megumi suddenly grew interested in their conversation. Megumi seemed to be waiting with bated breath for Nanamin’s response. Oh, this was so very interesting.
“Thank you for the offer, but we couldn’t impose on you in such a way.” Nanamin was polite in his refusal, but Satoru could practically hear Megumi sigh in disappointment. It was now very clear to Satoru why Yuuji didn’t seem to have any bruises after their so-called ‘fight’. A part of Satoru felt bad for pursuing the dad of his son’s crush. However, there was a reason the mantra was ‘you snooze, you lose’. It was an important lesson for the teenager. Megumi should have spent more time confessing and less time getting into fights with his crush.
“Well, if you change your mind, you can text me, and we’ll add Yuuji to the morning carpool.” Satoru was really hoping that Nanamin would change his mind, namely, so that he could steal glances at the other man every morning. There was no way that he wouldn’t be dreaming about the blond’s pout tonight when he went to bed.
“So, given that we now know we are headed to the same location, are you sure that I can’t tempt you to join us for dinner?” Satoru slid his sunglasses down his nose as he made sure to bat his eyelashes really pretty at Nanamin. He’d be sure to order takeout from somewhere really nice if Nanamin and Yuuji were joining them. Not that Tsumiki’s cooking wasn’t great, but he really wanted to wow Yuuji and his dad.
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible for me. I have to head back to work once Yuuji is home.” Nanamin looked a bit guilty as he spoke. The guilt made sense to Satoru when he glanced back at the teenagers and saw Yuuji wearing the saddest expression he had ever seen. Geez. The kid looked like someone had stolen his dog. How many late nights did Nanamin have to work? Man, Nanamin’s company must really suck.
“I could drive you back to work, and Yuuji could join us for dinner if you want? I imagine that you must hate leaving him alone at night.” Satoru was glad that he made the offer when he saw how shocked Nanamin looked. Nanamin’s shock at his kindness left Satoru frustrated that others had apparently failed to treat the man with the kindness he deserved. However, Satoru was grateful to be the one who could now spoil Nanamin.
“I really don’t think that’s a good idea. May I remind you that we met because Yuuji and Fushiguro fought at school?” Satoru could tell that Nanamin’s resolve was cracking, even despite the other man’s protests.
“Fushiguro never hit me. I was the only one who hit him.” Yuuji called out from the backseat, though his defense didn’t make the situation sound any better. Megumi scowled and sighed as he dragged his hand over his own face.
“Itadori and I weren’t fighting. Two second-years were saying disgusting things about Miki. I took care of them, but Itadori thought that I was bullying them and stepped in. I didn’t hit him because it was a misunderstanding, and I don’t blame Yuuji for hitting me.” Megumi so rarely spoke up for himself, so Tsumiki and Satoru were stunned into silence before all hell broke loose in the vehicle.
“You should have told a teacher. What are you doing, trying to defend my honor like some knucklehead?” Tsumiki argued even as she pulled Megumi into a hug. It was difficult for Tsumiki to chide Megumi at times.
“What sort of nasty things were those boys saying? What are their names? What do their parents do for work?” Satoru tightly gripped the wheel as he glared ahead at the traffic. “Megumi, I want you to go into my phone and text Ijichi the names of those boys.” Ijichi was like a mole when it came to digging up information about people. There was no doubt in Satoru’s mind that Ijichi would be able to find out who their parents worked for before the end of the night. It seemed Satoru would have to make some weekend calls, after all.
“This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell either of you. I didn’t want you to feel any guilt because those guys were being stupid.” Megumi directed his complaint to Tsumiki even as he returned his sister’s side-hug. “And I didn’t want you to threaten their entire bloodline just for saying something mean. I already sprained one guy’s shoulder and broke the other guy’s nose. I’d say those guys were already punished enough.” Megumi met Satoru’s gaze in the mirror, and he couldn’t help but nod as he looked back at his son.
“I’ve never been able to tell either of you no, so if you truly don’t want me to retaliate, I won’t.” Satoru would still have Ijichi look into the kids’ families just in case. It was never a bad thing to have some information in his back pocket, just in case the kids stepped out of line again. “However, I think you could have saved Yuuji and his guardian some trouble if you had simply told Yaga what actually happened.” Megumi did look suitably chastised as he avoided looking at Yuuji or Nanamin.
Nanamin sighed as he looked towards the three teenagers in the backseat. “I can’t say that I am surprised by what happened. Yuuji has always been rather sensitive to students whom he has perceived as being bullied.” He didn’t elaborate further, and Satoru found himself curious as to the sort of incidents that had occurred previously.
“In light of these recent developments, would you reconsider letting Yuuji come over for dinner? We can send him home with some leftovers for you.” Satoru offered as he once more met Nanamin’s gaze. He couldn’t help but grin when he saw Nanamin nod.
“Alright, but I’d rather you stay and watch the three children as opposed to dropping me off at work. I can simply take the train.” Nanamin acquiesced as Yuuji seemingly cheered from the back seat. There was a small smile on Megumi’s face, which let Satoru know that the teenager was overjoyed to have Yuuji join them for the evening.
It was late by the time that Nanamin made it back to his apartment. Nanamin had texted his phone at around 11 pm. Satoru wasn’t going to make Nanamin trudge all the way to their penthouse suite when it was clear that the other man was exhausted. He wound up sending Yuuji back down to his apartment with a plate of leftovers for Nanamin.
Yuuji had wound up helping Tsumiki cook dinner; it turned out the teenage boy was surprisingly good at it. The teenagers voted to put on a movie after dinner, and Satoru hadn’t been about to reject their request. It was nice when they got to use their in-home theater, especially since Yuuji turned out to adore movies. Yuuji vowed to come over every day after school to watch their immense collection of DVDs, and Megumi’s blush was apparent to Satoru even in the dark.
It was such a good night that it almost made it worth Satoru going to work on a Saturday. Unfortunately, Satoru’s last-minute cancellation of several meetings yesterday afternoon necessitated his driving into the office bright and early to meet with his Chief Operating Officer. God, Suguru could be such a hardass when he wanted to be. If he’d known his best friend was going to be such a stickler for work, Satoru would have never hired him. Alas, this Saturday meeting was his punishment for nepotism.
Satoru clung to his hot chocolate for dear life as he entered the front lobby of his company’s building. Visions of Nanamin had haunted his dreams. It’s why it took Satoru a minute to realize that he wasn’t daydreaming, and there was, in fact, a certified hottie walking in front of him.
“Nanamin!” Satoru called out to Nanamin as he wondered what the other man was doing here, especially on a Saturday. Perhaps Nanamin was here to profess that it had been love at first sight for him, too? A man could dream.
Nanamin stiffened before slowly turning around. His eyes went wide at the sight of Satoru. The other man quickly made his way over to him, and Satoru thought that he might swoon.
“What did you just call me?” Nanamin asked in a stern tone as he glared at Satoru. Well, that wasn’t the reaction that Satoru had been expecting, but Nanamin was cute even when he was glaring at him.
“Nanamin? It’s your name, right?” Satoru asked as it was the name Yuuji used to address his guardian.
“Stop saying it.” Nanamin hissed as he shook his head. “My name is Kento Nanami. That is an old nickname that Yuuji has used for me ever since he was a toddler.” Kento’s fondness for Yuuji was apparent despite his agitation over the nickname.
“Ohhhhhh. So what are you doing at my company, Ken?” Satoru relished the expression of annoyance that appeared on Kento’s face upon use of his new nickname.
“Please just call me Nanami. We are not familiar enough with each other for nicknames. Also, what do you mean by your company?” Nanami’s face went pale, and Satoru saw no point in delaying the inevitable.
“Ah, I’m such a dunce, I completely forgot to introduce myself yesterday. I’m Satoru Gojo, Chief Executive Officer of the Six Eyes Group.” Satoru reached into his wallet to fish out a business card, and he expectantly held out his hand for Kento’s business card.
Kento hesitated for several moments, then handed over his business card, which stated that he was the Director of Treasury Services for Six Eyes Group. Most of Satoru’s dealings were with the Chief Financial Officer, Mei Mei, so it makes sense that they had never bumped into each other prior. Still, Satoru was now convinced that there was clearly a guardian angel looking out for him at this point, considering he apparently lived in the same building and worked at the same place as this Adonis.
It was a bit daunting to realize that his company was the shitty one that made Kento stay late last night, but they’d work on it. Satoru would improve employee morale, starting with Kento Nanami.
“Have you eaten breakfast yet, Ken? Walk and talk with me, I want to pick your head regarding something.” Satoru could tell that Kento wanted to say no, but the other man resigned himself to his fate and nodded.
“Do you like Americanos? You look like a man who likes his coffee dark. I know just the place.” Satoru wrapped his arm around Kento’s shoulders and spun the two of them back towards the entrance doors.
“Should I go ahead and plan to come in to complete my work on Sunday, then?” Kento asked as he frowned at Satoru.
“Nah, you’ve got plans already. Yuuji wants to come over for another movie night, and you’ve got an invite too.” Satoru insisted as he grinned even in the face of Kento’s frown.
“It’s a school night. They can’t stay up late.” Kento insisted as he shook his head.
“Of course. I’ll be sure to have you both in bed by seven PM. Promise.” Technically, Satoru wanted Kento in his bed, but he was still obliging by the spirit of the promise. Kento’s expression told Satoru that the other man didn’t believe him.
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re quite the DILF, Ken?” The ensuing slap was worth it in Satoru’s eyes.