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Megumi woke with a start as a weight landed on his stomach. He was having a horrible dream just a few minutes before. One that was filled with bloodshed and carnage as a curse burst forward from the shadows and stabbed him right in the heart and jostled him from sleep.
He opened his eyes, still disoriented from his odd dream and maybe even a little scared to be faced with whatever landed on him. Instead, he was thankfully met with a wide, toothless smile, leaning over his prone form. His little brother, Sora.
“Morning, Sora,” Megumi grumbled, trying to keep the sleepy edge out of his voice. Little Sora didn’t deserve his morning wrath, he was only seven, after all. And he was sure his parents would be less than pleased by an incident so early in the morning.
“Morning! Dad says it’s time to wake up,” the little boy smiled, poking Megumi in the cheek. His expression hardened for a second, as best as a little, happy boy could manage, that is. “You have your first alone mission today, remember!”
Megumi rubbed a hand over his eyes, throwing his head back against his pillow. Yeah that was right, it was his first solo mission, and his first mission ever as an official first year of Jujutsu High Student. Of course, he’d been on missions with Gojo and even some with Geto, but he couldn’t deny the dread that clawed at his stomach at the prospect of being alone on a mission for the first time.
He peaked open an eye to find that Sora was still looking at him expectantly, his big Gojo-blue eyes staring into him. “Are you scared, Gumi?” Sora asked, frowning a little. That wasn’t right, Sora shouldn’t have a reason to frown, Megumi thought as he smoothed the tiny frown line between his little brother’s eyebrows.
“I’m a little scared, I guess,” Megumi shrugged.
Sora’s jaw dropped, as if he couldn’t fathom that his big brother could fear anything, maybe he couldn’t. “But, we’re the strongest!” Sora reminded him, flicking Megumi between the eyebrows. No doubt he’d learned that little trick from Gojo.
“Hey, you’re right,” Megumi managed a smile, sitting up in bed and jostling Sora to the side. “Let’s go downstairs.” Sora nodded excitedly, pulling Megumi by the hand.
His sisters were lined up at the kitchen table, each perched over their breakfast. Tsumiki was in high school and flourishing, unsurprisingly given her good nature and kind heart, and definitely the favorite child (if all Geto and Gojo’s passwords with her birthday in it were any indicator). The twins were still in junior high, just a year from joining Megumi at Jujutsu Technical School. His youngest sister, Ryo, was only five and was plastered to Geto’s side as he sat at the head of the table, scrolling on his phone.
Suguru was pregnant again because Gojo was the worst. Like really pregnant, to the point where it was hard to watch him attempt to carry out his daily tasks, for fear he might just give birth in the kitchen or something. Megumi gagged internally at the thought. He hadn’t presented yet, and he really didn’t remember that much about his biological parents to even guess what he might be. But seeing Suguru so pregnant, the thought of presenting as an Omega made Megumi a little squirmy.
Suguru looked up from his phone when he heard Megumi and Sora shuffle into the room, a smile stretching across his tired face, making Megumi feel bad for being grossed out a second ago. He also couldn’t help but remember all the times growing up when Suguru had shown up for his kids, even when he’d been exhausted and days away from giving birth.
“How are you feeling this morning?” Suguru asked. The girls all whipped their heads around from their breakfast to look at Megumi, no doubt feeling the anticipation of his first solo mission just a couple of hours away.
“I’m okay,” Megumi shrugged, grabbing the bowl left for him on the counter. When he sat down next to Suguru, the man was frowning, his eyebrows drawn together.
“Just okay?” Suguru prodded. Megumi rolled his eyes, because he was a teenager after all and groaned out an affirmative. Suguru didn’t look convinced, but didn’t press further—raising teenagers was a minefield.
“Hey,” Nanako poked an elbow into Tsumiki’s side and teased, “We still have to figure out what we’re gonna turn Megumi’s room into after he moves out.”
Tsumiki and Mimiko snickered at the statement, and Megumi knew they were joking, but the wave of dread and anxiety that he hadn’t been able to shake for the last few days (or weeks, even) flared up, making him want to push his breakfast away.
“Hey, stop,” Suguru scolded, “We’re not turning Megumi’s room into anything.”
Megumi looked up from his bowl and at his adopted father. He saw a sure, steady expression on his face, but the swell of the man’s gravid belly poking out from under the table’s edge planted doubt in Megumi’s mind. After all, they had an impending reason to turn Megumi’s room into something else, and he felt himself wilt just a little bit at the thought.
Megumi could feel Suguru’s imploring gaze on him, no doubt trying to decipher what was going on in the teenager’s mind. Suguru opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by his partner’s entrance into the kitchen.
Gojo was wrapping his blindfold around his eyes, but he still managed to let out a hearty exclaim, “Megumi! Are you ready? Are you excited? I’m excited,” Gojo prodded, coming around to shake Megumi’s shoulders, ignoring the unhappy grunt from the teenager.
“Leave him alone,” Suguru sighed, pulling Ryo closer to him and pressing a kiss to the little girl’s forehead. Ryo didn’t like going to school, so the poor girl required a lot of hugs before heading out for the day. Not that Megumi could blame her, he remembered pulling a lot of similar stunts to stay home with his adopted parents when he was a kid.
“Hey, I’m just getting him pumped up,” Satoru defended himself, holding his hands up like he was caught for a crime, “First missions are exciting! Don’t you remember our first one together?”
“Yeah, how could I forget? Maybe I should’ve run then,” Suguru smiled brightly, bringing a hand to rest on his swollen belly, “Look where it got me, all these years later.” He wiggled his eyebrows a bit at Gojo and a sound of gags erupted from the kids.
“You’re terrible,” Gojo scolded, “And you’re traumatizing the children!”
Suguru seemed totally unfazed by this statement and went right back to scrolling on his phone. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Geto could be just as much of a hellion as Gojo.
“Alright, Megumi,” Satoru clapped his hands together, “Are you ready to hit the road?”
Megumi inhaled deeply, but nodded, trying to seem steady and sure as he looked up at Gojo. Satoru smiled fondly, “Aww, should we take his picture, Suguru? Come on take his picture, we have to document this.” Megumi tried to squirm away but Satoru held him in place and Suguru snapped a photo with his phone.
“Come on, you might look back at this fondly, someday,” Satoru smiled, flicking Megumi between the eyebrows.
Megumi couldn’t help but think of those words as he stood before Sukuna, the King of Curses, incarnated in the body of the boy he’d met a couple of hours ago, Yuji Itadori. He would’ve given anything to be back with his family instead of here, possibly facing his last moments. This mission had been going wrong from the start, with the cursed object going missing, but Megumi never would’ve imagined it would end here with him screaming, “I will exorcise the curse known as Yuji Itadori.”
Then as fast as it had happened, Yuji was Yuji again, or so it seemed. And Gojo was on the roof top next to him. He felt relief was over him at the sight of the white-haired man and he resisted the urge to act like a kid and throw himself into his arms. But that would be really embarrassing, probably. He’d been scared, so scared. Faced with the prospect of losing not only his life, but of the kind and strong and kind of annoying boy he’d met just a few hours ago.
Well, he wasn’t sure that part of the equation was even solved yet, though. He knew one thing for sure though, he didn’t want Yuji Itadori to die.
“Oh, my god, Megumi,” Satoru gaped, stepping closer to examine the damage, “You got roughed up… oh, god, Suguru is gonna kill me.”
“I’m glad that’s what you’re worried about right now,” Megumi bristled crossing his arms over his chest, wincing a little at the soreness there. Leave it to Gojo to bring Megumi back to reality and remind him of his asshole nature with his tasteless humor.
Gojo’s expression stilled, even with the blindfold Megumi could tell he was trying to be serious as he clasped Megumi shoulder. “Of course, I’m worried about you, too. You’re my kid,” he cracked a half smile, “Now hold onto this Megumi, will ya?” he tossed a paper bag into Megumi’s lap, “Or else, Suguru is actually gonna kill us.”
“You were buying souvenirs,” Megumi shouted, even as Gojo was preparing to fight. Gojo laughed, which made Megumi’s anger increase ten-fold, “No! It’s Kikufuku Mochi and one day when you have a very pregnant omega at home, you’ll understand. Don’t worry I brought you something, too.”
“Okay, question for ya,” Gojo asked on the car ride home, Yuji passed out in the backseat next to Megumi. “What do I do with him?”
Megumi looked over at the sleeping boy next to him. It felt wrong to call the Vessel of Sukuna just a boy, but that’s what he looked like as he lay peaceful in the backseat. Suddenly, Megumi felt overcome with a sense of urgency to protect Yuji, to ensure that he would be alright. It was unlike anything he’d ever felt before and it was overwhelming, the need clawing at his throat and stomach. “I don’t want him to die,” Megumi choked out, though it came out sounding more like a plea.
Gojo turned around from the front seat to look at him, pushing the blindfold up his forehead. He was eyeing Megumi suspiciously, trying to make sense of something in his express that not even Megumi was aware of. “Leave it to me,” Gojo nodded, turning back to look at the road in front of him.
Megumi should’ve expected that his injuries were going to cause a big stir, but sometimes he forgot that Satoru’s easy-going nature was a foil to that of his other adopted father. He remembered quickly when Suguru burst through the door of Shoko’s office. He was in his pajamas, looking extremely ruffled, his hair pulled back into a sloppy half-up, half-down style. Megumi cringed as Suguru waddled over to him as fast as he could, taking in the state of the teenager.
“Are you okay?” Megumi nodded speedily, not wanting to awaken the beast of Suguru’s anxiety any further. “Where’s Satoru,” Suguru said hotly, looking towards Shoko.
Shoko laughed, despite the situation. Megumi envied how immune she was to the antics of the two. “Chill out, Mama Bear,” Suguru all but growled at that, not really doing much to disprove Shoko’s point, “He’s with the other kid they brought back. Sukuna’s vessel.”
Suguru dragged a hand over his face and groaned, “Oh, god. What a mess.”
“Are you okay?” Shoko asked. “Not going to have a baby anytime soon, right?”
Suguru looked at her and then down at his belly, like he was considering the question in real time, “Nah, I’m good...” he paused and took a deep breath, “I think… no, yeah I’m okay.” Shoko and Megumi rolled their eyes in tandem, because that was the least convincing answer ever, and Suguru didn’t really have a great track record for admitting he was in labor.
“Go home, Shoko. I’ve got it from here,” Suguru said, sitting down on the edge of Megumi’s cot. Shoko gave her usual spiel about how Megumi should continue to rest, even if he thought he was feeling better, and all that boring stuff that Megumi was glad he could drown out with Suguru next to him.
After Shoko was out of the room, though, he could feel his façade of strength and bravery start to crumble in the presence of only Suguru. He prematurely wiped at his eyes even though they were still dry for the most part and sucked in a deep breath.
“Megumi,” Suguru pressed, bringing a hand to rest on his shoulder, “Are you alright?”
Megumi nodded, scared to speak for fear that his voice would come out cracked and watery. But, when Suguru gestured to him with his arms spread open, Megumi complied, not even caring about strength anymore and surged forward to hide in his adopted father’s embrace. Well, as best as he could manage with Suguru’s belly and Megumi’s recent growth spurt. Still, it felt just as nice as it had when Megumi was a kid. It made him sad to think that he wouldn’t be able to get these hugs whenever he wanted in just a couple of hours, when he moved into the dorms.
Suguru rubbed his cheek against the top of Megumi’s spikey hair, scenting him. Since Megumi hadn’t presented yet, he still smelled like a pup—a mixture of Satoru and Suguru after years of living with them. He could tell that Suguru was holding on to it. Maybe Megumi was holding on to it, too. He didn’t know how much longer he’d get to experience this before he became a full-fledged Jujutsu Sorcerer.
“You smell kinda weird,” Suguru pointed out, warily, “Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”
Before Megumi could respond, a booming voice interrupted their nice moment, as Gojo burst into the room; a very common occurrence in the Geto-Gojo Household. “Hey, why are you guys hugging without me?”
“You snooze, you lose,” Suguru shrugged, sticking his tongue out at his partner. Megumi had to roll his eyes again, at that.
“Hey,” Satoru said, sounding very wounded. “I’ll have you know I was not snoozing, I was working hardcore. Fighting the higher-ups,” he took a fighting stance, like he was ready to take Geto on the spot, pregnant or not. Suguru rolled his eyes.
“Can you be serious for a second, what’s going to happen to the Itadori boy?”
At that, Satoru’s face fell a little bit, and he removed his blindfold. Megumi’s stomach clenched, it was never a good sign when Satoru did that before relaying news. “Well, the higher-ups agreed to postpone the execution—.”
Megumi bristled, his face scrunching up into a scowl. That wasn’t what Gojo had promised. “Postponed? What does that even mean?”
Gojo sighed, squeezing the bridge of his nose. “They agreed to postpone it until Itadori can consume all of Sukuna’s fingers, then—.”
Now, that set Megumi off completely. “What?” he practically growled out, “So, that’s it? You’re just going to use him like that?” Megumi wasn’t sure why he was feeling so protective over this kid he barely knew, but it was like a fire raging inside of him.
Suguru looked a little stunned at the display between his partner and adopted son. He waved his hands, trying to placate the situation, “Megumi, I don’t think it’s like that. You know how delicate these matters can be. You remember how it was with Yuta?”
Sure, he did, but that didn’t make him feel any better. He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled.
Satoru stepped forward, taking Megumi by the shoulders, “Look, I know this sucks. But, I’m doing everything I can to make this better. Itadori will have the option to decide what he wants to do, but either way he’ll have a place here. I’m sorry, I wish there was more I could say right now.”
Satoru’s eyes were genuine as he said this, but rage and sadness still clawed at Megumi’s gut. He knew he was being a little unreasonable, but it wasn’t fair.
“But you promised,” he muttered, hating the way Gojo’s expression fell as he said this. Megumi couldn’t handle being in the room and he broke free from Gojo’s hold and stormed out onto campus, set to make the walk home. His mind was spinning and his heart was pounding in his chest.
What’s wrong with me? He wondered briefly. But that thought was quickly countered by more negative thoughts. His parents had broken a promise to him, had deferred to the wills of the stupid, old higher-ups. Weren’t they supposed to have the best interests of the next generation in mind? Wasn’t that their mission? Their goal?
Megumi wanted to scream. A new anxiety clawed at his mind, as he considered his move into the dorms that was set to take place the next day. Satoru and Suguru had fought the higher-ups for years to keep Megumi in their care and out of the possession of the Zen’in clan. He’d always assumed it was because they loved him, or saw him as a son. They’d said as much. But as he considered the situation with Itadori, were they only housing him so they’d have a hold on his technique, or have a say in how his future played out. The thought made him sick to his stomach and he tried to dismiss it. Even so, he couldn’t ignore the doubt and fear rising within him.
Megumi woke up in a horrible mood the following morning. Whether it was with news of Yuji Itadori’s impending execution, the lingering ache in his bones that not even Shoko’s reverse cursed technique could assuage, or the fact it was the day he was moving out of the family home and into the dorms, he wasn’t even sure. He couldn’t pinpoint the prime cause of his foul mood was, but he was consumed by it.
“Hey,” Gojo peaked his head around the corner of Megumi’s door, because of course he didn’t knock. Megumi burrowed further under the covers. Gojo gasped in feigned surprise and placed a heap of boxes in the center of the room, “Okay, rude. I was going to ask if you needed help packing.”
“No,” Megumi grumbled from underneath his heap of blankets, even though his response was far from the truth, he really hadn’t packed at all. Had been putting it off to be honest.
“Wow, so he’s rude and he’s a liar,” Gojo deadpanned and situated himself on the floor. Megumi just heard him settling on the floorboards, he was still hiding. “Who raised you and forgot to teach you manners?”
Megumi promptly ignored that.
“Fine, I guess you’ll just have no say in what you bring with you to your new dorm room,” Gojo sighed, starting to throw some random stuff off the desk and into a box. “Come on, it’s fun in the dorms, you should pick my old one. Lots of good memories there. Heh. Wait, what’s this? Oh aww, I remember when I got you this wolf plushy, cuz you publicly humiliated me. Good memories, good memories. This has to come, right?”
Megumi threw the blankets over his head and sat upright in bed. He was positively fuming when he shouted, “Stop!” Gojo paused his movements and looked up at the teenager, eyes wide with shock. “Leave me alone. I can do it myself, or are you that desperate to get rid of me?”
Satoru looked stunned, but his expression also softened a little, his eyebrows drawn together worriedly, “What are you talking about?”
Megumi was too overcome by anger or annoyance or sadness or whatever to make sense of what he was feeling, so he just decided to shout again, “Get out!”
Gojo’s eyebrows shot up, but he quickly shuffled out of the room without another word, a rarity for him. So rare that Megumi felt a little bad, almost. The bad feelings were still too much though and he had to push down the urge to cry. He swallowed hard before getting out of bed and deciding to pack for himself.
When the essentials and trinkets were packed away neatly, Megumi turned to look at his room a little barer than it was earlier that morning. His eyes stopped at the wolf plushy still abandoned half underneath his bed. He groaned at the sight of it, hating that he was proving Gojo right just a little bit, but still threw it in the box before he taped it shut.
He grabbed the two boxes and readied himself to head downstairs. It was always a little embarrassing to face his family after a big outburst, especially because they all gossiped amongst themselves, no doubt. Lucky for him, the downstairs was quiet. Suguru was seated on the couch, surprisingly alone for once.
He looked up in Megumi’s direction and smiled softly, “All packed and ready?” Megumi nodded. “Where’s Gojo?”
Suguru hummed, tilting his head towards the window showcasing the backyard, “He’s outside with Ryo and Sora, but he’s good to take you to campus whenever you’re ready.” He paused for a moment, “Just try to go easy on him, please. I know it’s hard.”
Megumi scowled, but nodded anyway, deciding to sit next to Suguru on the couch. “Are you coming?”
Suguru looked a little guilty, “I can if you want, I’m just not feeling great today.” He smiled sheepishly.
Megumi tried not to visibly wilt, he was supposed to be stronger than that. “It’s fine. You’re not having a baby today, right? I don’t want you to steal my thunder.” He managed to tease, it was hard to be mad around Suguru, especially when he was like this and exuding all his calming, loving pheromones.
“No, this one is just being extra hard on me today. Somehow it was easier to do this when I was younger,” he shook his head.
Megumi couldn’t help but laugh, “Yeah, twenty-seven is so old.”
Suguru chuckled and shrugged, “You’ll understand someday.”
It was easy to forget that Suguru and Satoru were still so young, had taken in the kids when they were still teenagers. Hell, just a few years older than Megumi. He couldn’t image how scary that must have been, even for the two strongest sorcerers. But, he also couldn’t help but think about how he’d be moving out in just a couple of hours. Would he not be part of the family anymore? Suguru and Satoru had kids of their own—flesh and blood. Would they just become a totally new family once the four oldest were out of the house? Would Megumi be alone in the world again?
He knew he was reeling, falling into a spiral of negative thoughts. But he couldn’t convince himself that these were just insecurities, remnants of old, abandonment issues rising to the surface. Surging forward in a way they hadn’t since he was a small child. No, they felt totally real.
His eyes darted around the living room, catching pictures of himself and the girls throughout the years framed on the wall. Would they be taken down and replaced someday? Was this just a temporary situation, after all? Just housing some of the next generation of Jujutsu Sorcerers before they were cast out into the field?
Had he just figured it out? Was all this talk of a family fake? Just another way to bring about their new vision of the Jujutsu World? They were quick to take Yuuta in a year prior, and Maki, and even quicker to take Itadori in, but was that only to further the vision as well? Still, they hadn’t welcomed them into the family as children of their own. Had they only done that with Megumi and the girls since they were just kids? Megumi felt sick to his stomach. He wanted to storm across the room and wretch the nearest picture frame off the wall.
Megumi realized that he hadn’t responded in a while and Suguru was eying him with an expression wrought with worry. “What’s going on in that spikey head of yours?”
Megumi felt caught for a second, struggling to find a good excuse or explanation. He wanted to hide that he’d figured out their rouse.
“Nothing,” he said tersely.
As expected, that didn’t do much to assuage Suguru’s worries and he pursed his lips together, “Are you sure you should be moving out so soon? I mean, you’re still recovering.”
Megumi shook his head, maybe it was best not to put off his inevitable disappointment, as much as he wanted to stay home. He needed to cut the tie, before it could be taken from him.
“No, I want to go. I want to get out of here as soon as I can.” It came out a little more intense, more heated than he expected, or even intended. Suguru was left with a surprised expression on his face, filling Megumi with instant regret.
The tension was nearly palpable in the room. When Satoru entered through the backdoor with the kids in tow, it was clear he felt the shift, too. Sora and Ryo flocked to Suguru, telling him about all the fun they’d had outside in the yard, and totally oblivious to the now-sad expression gracing their father’s features. Oh, god—was he about to cry? Megumi’s gut twisted and coiled in regret and shame, his face burned as he felt Satoru’s eyes on him, all of six of them, probably trying to figure out what exactly was going wrong.
“I’m ready to go,” he muttered, eyes still downcast.
“Uh, are you sure?” Satoru asked, maybe a little nervously, which was always a little jarring coming from someone as strong as him. Megumi rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed huff, shouldering his backpack and heading for the door.
“Yes, I’m sure. Stop asking, let’s go,” Megumi grumbled, opening the door and stepping through the threshold. Just like ripping off a Band-Aid, yeah just like that.
“Hey,” Satoru called out, “Aren’t you going to say goodbye to your papa? Your siblings? Before we go?”
Papa. Siblings. The words felt disgusting and cruel falling on Megumi’s ears. He turned around quickly and mumbled out a terse bye, not even willing to meet Suguru’s eyes.
Annoying, Gojo decided to be a parental figure, and sternly said, “No, come on. A proper one.”
Megumi stared at his feet, his anger fuming inside of him. “Why, it’s not like we’re actually related or anything.”
At that, he stormed out of the door, scared to see what he left behind him. He felt a little guilty about not saying goodbye to Sora or to Ryo, they probably didn’t deserve that. But his emotions were too much to handle right now and he really wished he had a blindfold like Gojo’s so he could hide his eyes. Instead, he settled for resting his head against the headrest and squeezing his eyes shut, ignoring the way his chest ached.
Gojo joined him in the car a couple of minutes later, his shoulders stiff with tension. For some one incredibly skilled at physical combat, Satoru floundered when it came to strife in his relationships. He was never good at expressing his feelings, or knowing what to say when push came to shove, not like Suguru. He relied on humor to get his emotions across, but he was having trouble finding anything funny to latch on to in this situation.
Megumi was silently thankful that it was a short drive to the campus. Hardly more than five minutes of having to sit in this uncomfortable silence.
Of course, Gojo just had to open his mouth, “What was that all about?”
Megumi huffed, “What? I’ll see him on campus in a few weeks, it’s fine.”
Gojo gawked, “A few weeks? What are you talking about?”
Megumi didn’t dignify him with a response, because Gojo had just pulled in front of the residential building, and he hopped out of the car. Satoru was too quick for him to truly make a run for it, and grabbed the boxes from the backseat. Unfortunately, Megumi was pretty sure he had the keys to his dorm, too. Still, Megumi bound up the stairs and wretched open the door, not wanting to leave any more space for unwanted conversation. His eyes darted around for the first available dorm, though his options were not very limited, given he was the only first-year here.
“I want this one,” he said.
Gojo sighed, unceremoniously dropping the boxes and fishing for a ring of keys in his pocket. “This used to be Suguru’s, just so you know.” He sounded a little sad as he said this, and Megumi felt his chest clench a little bit. He really didn’t want to think about the implications of that right now.
“Okay,” he responded as Gojo unlocked the door.
Megumi scooped up the boxes and darted inside, while Satoru swayed awkwardly in the doorway. “Do you… uh, do you need any help?”
“No, I want to be alone,” Megumi said, hardly more than a whisper. It was happening, this was the last shred of a family before it was wretched away from him and his once parents were nothing more than teachers to him.
“Uh, okay,” Gojo said, devoid of his usual flare and confidence, “Well, you know we’re only a couple minutes away if you change your mind. And you can come home whenever you want. I’m sure your brother and sisters are already missing you. Suguru, too.” Megumi scoffed, that was rich, and probably an empty promise. “Did you hear me,” Gojo said, more firmly this time, “We’re always here for you. We’re the—.”
Megumi cut him off completely, not wanting to hear him say the words. “Yeah, yeah. I know. Bye.” Then, he stood to shut the door in Gojo’s face.
He was officially alone now. Just another pawn, Jujutsu Sorcerer in a cruel, cruel system. This loving childhood had been nothing more than a farce. He wanted to cry, to scream, or do anything to make the ache in his chest go away. Instead, he focused his energy on unpacking his belongings.
He didn’t have much, but it still took him a couple of hours to set up his room the way he wanted.
A few hours into his unpacking endeavor, he heard chattering coming from the hallway. That wasn’t right, he was supposed to be the only one here, at least for a couple of more days. He creaked his door open and was met with the sight of Yuji Itadori, smiling widely like he hadn’t experienced a lifetime’s worth of trauma in the last few days.
“Hey, Fushiguro! You’re finally looking better!”
Megumi’s heart was weirdly pounding in his chest, which only soured his mood more. What was going on with him? His bad mood was officially recertified when he spotted Gojo walking out of the dorm next door, which he assumed was going to be Itadori’s. Ugh, leave it to Gojo to orchestrate something like this, for what? To try to get Megumi to be friendly, to make friends? He didn’t like this one bit, after all, he moved to the dorm to focus on building his skills as a sorcerer. Not to be distracted by things like friends.
“There are a bunch of empty rooms, aren’t there?” Megumi groaned, directed towards Gojo. He tried to ignore the way Itadori visibly wilted at his words, and his chest clenched slightly in tandem.
Gojo frowned, awkwardly swaying on his feet, and shrugged, “I thought it’d be more lively and fun this way.”
Lively and fun? Megumi wanted to scream. Their house was lively and fun, but he was cast out of there, wasn’t he? Megumi couldn’t handle Gojo’s façade of positive thinking and care for Megumi’s social life, when he was throwing him into the lonesome world of a Jujutsu Sorcerer. He leveled a glare at his adopted father—no, just his teacher—and stormed back into his dorm, trying not to feel self-conscious about Itadori’s eyes on his back.
He focused his efforts and anger-fueled energy back into unpacking and rearranging. By the time he was done, it was winding down into the evening hours. He pulled on a pair of sweats and decided it would be an early night. He didn’t feel that good, after all. His head was pounding and his muscles were sore, probably from overexerting himself after being injured.
He promptly ignored the texts from the girls, blowing up his phone in their "sibling" group chat.
Tsumiki: Are u okay?? Why’d you just leave??
Nanako: No goodbye!!! I miss u !!!!!!!!!
Mimiko: You made papa cry :(
Okay, that hurt a little bit, and made him feel even guiltier. But, it was necessary. They’d get over it eventually. He would, too. Still, it was hard when he was alone in his bed without any distractions, staring up at his ceiling. He tried not to think about the fact that Suguru had once been his age, a new sorcerer in a new world, scared and alone in his dorm room, staring at the same ceiling. No, he wasn’t going to think about that. But, if a tear escaped and streaked down his cheek, well there was no there but him to see it.
Megumi woke up barely a couple of hours later, if the clock on his side table was a correct indicator, blaring 2AM in harsh, red symbols. He was drenched in sweat and his brain felt like it was swirling in his skull. In a sleep-addled state, he didn’t think much of it. He downed a bottle of water, shucked off his t-shirt, and huddled back under his covers.
When he woke up for real the next morning, it was clear that something was very wrong. He was completely covered in sweat, still. His mind was hazy, he couldn’t focus on anything. Was he sick? Did he have a fever? He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been sick, but there was always a possibility.
The sheets on his bed were soaked when he pressed a hand to them and his hair was drenched, pressed flat against his forehead.
“What’s going on,” he said out loud, a little dazed and his speech slurred. Suddenly, he felt a tight heat coiling in his belly and he barked out a cry as his midsection cramped hard.
This wasn’t just any sickness. He was presenting. A wave of anxiety rushed over him. He was alone and in a new place that didn’t smell anything like him, anything like his family. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do.
He knew presenting was supposed to be mild, but it was dangerous to spend them alone. Young Omegas needed to be in the presence of their families, protected by their pack to ensure that they didn’t get too sick with the transition.
Megumi was terrified, he couldn’t even think about the implications of his new designation, he still felt so scared. There was a sudden, quick wrapping at his door and he all but snarled, huddling back under his covers.
“Fushiguro? It’s me—Yuji. Are you okay?” Yuji called from outside the door.
“’M okay,” he slurred.
“That didn’t really sound okay,” Yuji pointed out, still on the other side of the door, “You should really call your dad to come get you. I’ll bring you some food and water and leave it out here, okay? But, for real—call your dad.”
His dad? Who was he talking about? Gojo? Who had told Itadori that?
Megumi couldn’t focus on that (or just how kind this Itadori kid was shaping up to be) too much, because he was still filled with anxiety. He clumsily reached over to his side table, scrambling to grab his cell phone and find Gojo’s contact photo.
The phone didn’t even ring for more than a few seconds, “Megumi?” came the quiet response.
Megumi opened his mouth to speak, or to even say anything, but let out a sob. Gojo was clearly shaken by this, quickly rasping out, “Megumi, what’s wrong?”
“Can you come get me?” His voice shook, a little wobbly. “Please,” he added desperately.
Megumi felt a wave of relief was over him. It was going to be alright, he was going to be safe and home soon. He breathed a sigh of relief and then promptly passed out. He regained consciousness for a second when two strong arms hoisted him up and then there was the distinct buzz of cursed energy and the whoosh of a warp—Limitless.
Later, when Megumi regained consciousness for the third time that day, his head was still pounding, but one deep inhale told him he was back home and he was safe. The scent of his family surrounded him, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He opened his eyes and propped himself up on his elbows, finding that there were pillows and blankets practically caging him in—he was in Suguru’s nest. He sniffled a little at the realization, Suguru still cared about him enough to let him into his nest. Only his Alpha and pups were allowed in his nest, especially so close to giving birth.
The door of the bedroom cracked open and Suguru popped his head around the frame. His eyes lit up when he saw Megumi was awake and he rushed over to sit on the edge of his bed, bringing an offering of a water bottle and fruit. Megumi graciously accepted with a sheepish smile and bow of his head. His initial relief at seeing Suguru was starting to be replaced by the guilt and shame of his abrupt exit the other day.
Suguru didn’t seem to have any of that on his mind as he reached out to push Megumi’s sweaty hair off his forehead, “How are you feeling? You gave us a scare there for a second.”
Megumi took a second to assess himself and decided that he was feeling better. He was still sweaty and felt gross, but his mind was clearer and he didn’t feel as frantic.
“Yeah, I feel better. What happened?” He was puzzled, the way Suguru was looking at him like he was something breakable didn’t align with what he remembered.
Suguru let out a shaky breath, “You were in a rough spot when Satoru brought you home, running a super high fever and really out of it. You started off in your own room, but you were freaking out and wouldn’t let me leave you, so I figured you’d be better off in my nest, since you didn’t have time to make your own,”
Suguru frowned, pulling Megumi closer to his side and resting his cheek on Megumi’s head. “I’m sorry, Gumi. I should’ve realized something was going on sooner.”
Megumi tried to suppress his sniffle as he leaned in closer, reveling in the feeling of being back with his dad Suguru. Even if he knew it was going to be short-lived. A soft knock tapped at the door and Satoru poked his head around the doorframe this time, examining the situation.
“Can I come in?” he whispered, a slight frown on his face like he was already expecting rejection. Suguru pulled back to look at Megumi for his approval.
Oh, right. He forgot he was in charge of the situation here as the new Omega, and he nodded. Satoru stalked forward, still looking a little glum as he paused at the edge of the bed. He was hesitating, swaying back and forth like he knew what he wanted to, but wasn’t sure how to go about it.
“Are you okay, kid?”
Megumi sighed, he really did feel better. He figured it was time to head back to the dorms and let them go back to their real family.
“Yeah, I’m feeling better. So, I guess I’ll head back to the dorms. Sorry for bothering.” Megumi swallowed down the urge to cry, turning away from the two. A hand grabbed his wrist, forcing him to turn around, meeting the confused expressions of Satoru and Suguru’s faces.
“Megumi,” Gojo frowned, eyes furrowing together, “Why all this talk about leaving us?”
Megumi stuttered, feeling exposed and vulnerable underneath the intense and puzzled gaze of the two men in front of him. “Is that not what you wanted?”
Satoru and Suguru pulled apart to look at each other with equally confused expressions, so Megumi continued. “You—you just were raising me until I was old enough to go to school—to be a sorcerer. So, now you guys are just my teachers.”
He wished he could blame the excess hormones coursing through his body, but Megumi’s voice was shaky and watery, and he fought the urge to cry with clenched fists as he explained himself.
When he found the nerve to look up from his fists, Satoru and Suguru were staring at him with expressions of equal shock and hurt. “Where did you get that idea?” Suguru whispered.
Megumi couldn’t bear to face them, yet again and cast his eyes back down. “I—I mean, you guys wanted me to move into the dorms, and you have your own kids, and you guys don’t need me to need you anymore. And I was a kid when you guys took me in, so I couldn’t just be a sorcerer like Yuta, or Maki, or even Itadori. So, you were just taking care of me until then,” he knew was rambling, not really making much sense or getting his point across that well.
The blank expressions furthered this as he was met with on the older men’s faces, which only seemed to confirm his suspicions. He tried again, “Right?”
“Oh, Megumi,” Suguru whispered, his eyes full of nothing but genuine care and concern, “It wasn’t like that at all. Not at all.” He shook his head and squeezed the boy’s shoulder.
“Yeah,” Satoru added, his voice a little shaky, “Don’t you remember?” Megumi squeezed his eyes shut. Yeah, he did. He remembered everything.
He remembered feeling so alone, struggling with Tsumiki to keep warm in their dirty, cold apartment. Remembered saving up their coins to do their best to get a hot meal. He remembered feeling like no one could ever want him, that he’d just be alone in the world for the rest of his life, with nothing but the shadows and scary monsters only he saw to keep him company. Until the weird, white-haired guy had shown up at their apartment one day. Gojo Satoru.
He told him about his dad, about the deal he made to sell Megumi to the Zen’in clan in a couple of years. Then offered him a new deal of his own. To come live at the Jujutsu Campus, to come live with his mate and their twin daughters.
“Aren’t you a little young to be a dad,” Megumi had inquired, a little more than suspicious of this character.
“You’re one to talk, small fry. How old are you, three?” Gojo had retorted, making little Megumi bristle. “They’re adopted. But we’re a family, maybe you can be a part of it too, if you want.” Gojo had shrugged, like it was a flippant suggestion, but the smile that stretched across his face told Megumi otherwise, that maybe he did want this kid to be a part of his growing little family.
And they had become a family, despite the mounting traumas that each member carried. Still, they had done it. Megumi had siblings that cared for him and played with him and were his live-in best friends. There were movie night and forts, and bunkbeds, and stories and hugs before bed. Suguru and Satoru were so young themselves, but they managed to make a good life for the four kids. When Megumi had a nightmare about the curses that lurked in the shadows, he didn’t have to quiver in fear, alone in the darkness. He could stumble into Satoru and Suguru’s room and know that there would be a hug waiting for him.
They cared about him, and loved him, for more than just his technique. But because he was their Megumi, their blessing, their son. They said so all the time.
Megumi opened his eyes and let out a sob. How could he have forgotten all of that, and let himself become consumed by such scary, untrue thoughts. He was still part of the family, even if he was moving out and starting school. He wouldn’t be forgotten. His parents surged forward at the sound and enveloped him in a tight hug.
“We didn’t want you to move out to get rid of you,” Gojo assured, “We thought it would be fun, a good experience for you. But you don’t have to leave, if you don’t want to. You always, always have a place here.”
“You’re our son,” Suguru said firmly, “Whether you like it or not.” He laughed at that, they all did, because it was true and Megumi had never been so glad to be reminded.
“I know, I want to move into the dorms. I just got scared, I think. I think it was the hormones or something,” he added a little sheepishly, scowling when Gojo let out a thunderous laugh, which was quickly quelled by an elbow to the ribs delivered by Geto.
“It’s okay,” Suguru laughed as Satoru wheezed next to him, “Just promise you’ll talk to us next time, instead of just dealing with it on your own. Believe me, that’s never the way to do it. Jujutsu sorcerers are alone enough as it is, we have to lean on each other whenever we can.” Megumi nodded, leaning in for another hug, and feeling glad it certainly was not the last of them as he previously thought.
Satoru caught his breath and ruffled Megumi’s hair, “Hey, we’re the strongest after all, right? But only together,” he added with a smile. Megumi smiled back, because he knew it was true.
The following day, after being cleared and checked by Shoko, Megumi was moving into the dorms for a second time. This time, the whole family came along, which was a bit of a mess as all eight of them crammed into the tiny dorm room.
“Awww, Suguru, doesn’t this bring back memories?” Satoru cooed, wrapping his arms around his mate and resting his hands on Suguru’s belly.
“Please, don’t desecrate my new room,” Megumi groaned, flopping down next to Nanako on his bed.
“Uhh, a little late for that,” Suguru teased, pecking Satoru on the cheek, “This was my room first, after all.”
At that, Nanako and Megumi sprung off the bed with equal expressions of disgust, which only spurred on their parents’ laughter, and the kids couldn’t help but join in, despite themselves. Especially as Sora and Ryo were pleading to know why everyone was laughing, because they didn’t get it and it was unfair to be left out. All Gojo genes, the both of them, Megumi mused.
He didn’t feel sad this time, or alone. But he felt maybe a little excited about the next chapter of his life, knowing he could pop back over to the family house whenever he was feeling lonely. They were the strongest together, and he felt surer of that than ever.
“Fushiguro!” Yuji Itadori popped his head into the dorm, looking shocked at the amount of people. “Woah, uh hello?” he smiled and waved a little, “Uh, who are all you people?”
Megumi smiled a little and rolled his eyes fondly, “This is my family.”
Yuji looked a little shocked, probably still trying to figure out the dynamic of the family, but Megumi had a good feeling that Yuji would fit in soon enough, in his own way.