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Yuuji and Nobara had tasked with waking Megumi up, who had uncharacteristically not woken up before them, they hadn't really but it was almost noon so why not?
They also couldn't do it normally, of course because they'd never have this chance again.
They had a feather and lying in front of them was a defenceless Megumi, it was time to attack.
Nobara, who had insisted, was tiptoeing her way into Megumi's room while Yuuji held the camera.
She slowly put down her foot and brought down the feather onto his nose, Megumi twitched slightly at the touch his nose scrunching up, and his hand swiping at it, but not before Nobara managed to lift the feather back out of his reach.
They waited a minute for him to settle before trying their luck behind his ears, this time he moved his head out of reach and then spoke with his eyes closed.
“Go away, Gojo” he grumbled, his voice still laced with sleep.
At that, Nobara raised her eyebrow asking the silent question: why would he think it's him? In return he mouthed it's Gojo-sensei and that seemed to lead her to the realisation that he would indeed tickle a student awake, poor Megumi.
They tried again, this time Megumi got up so fast he almost hit Nobara's arm with his forehead.
“Gojo, I will punch-” he stopped mid sentence as soon as the people in front of him seemed to register, he then asked
“Why are you two in here?”
“To wake you up, it's almost noon, idiot. ” came Nobara's reply.
“ Well now you have, so leave.”
They were then quickly escorted out of the room by a very annoyed and tired Megumi, so that when Nobara tried to ask why he referred to Gojo-sensei so casually the only reply was a grumble.
They had been aware of the fact that Megumi had been here longer than the both of them, often referencing the past that only one other person seemed to be aware of, but they had never known exactly how long Megumi had been at school they'd both assumed it had been a few weeks or so before them, an ordinary student from the city with a bit more experience.
They would soon learn that they were wrong.
A few weeks after the event, the three had been lounging in Nobara's room when a sudden insistent knocking started, actually it sounded a lot more like pounding.
By now everyone could tell who it was and sure enough, behind the door was a white-haired man carrying a bag almost bigger than himself, clutching it with both arms, that explained the knocking then.
“I've brought souvenirs” he exclaimed as he walked in before unceremoniously dumping everything on a counter.
He started pulling out random articles of clothing, including a replacement of the clothes that had been ruined in Nobara's fight with Mai, and threw them at the recipients.
By the end, Megumi was the only one standing without a pile of clothes to balance, arms crossed and face blank as usual.
Gojo then scrounged around in his pockets, before bringing out a CD and presenting it to Megumi.
“and this if for you, gumi ” gumi? Nobara looked equally confused, neither of them would be able to get away with a nickname.
“Where are you going?” was the reply, Megumi grabbing the CD without really looking at it.
Gojo laughed.
“ How about a thank you, I went through trouble to get you that” he said pointing at the CD.
Silence.
“ How do you know I'm going somewhere? ”
Megumi only held the CD in front of Gojo and shook it slightly as though it was very obvious.
Apparently it was, because Gojo replied that he had a mission to head off to, but before anyone else could speak Megumi started with a barrage of questions.
“ Where. You haven't answered. ” It was more of a demand than a question really.
For a few more minutes, Gojo managed to avoid the question somehow but Megumi was stubborn and repeated the question the second Gojo ran out of things to say and managed to weasel a reply out of the most powerful sorcerer in the world.
As soon as he heard the reply, Megumi's face dropped for a short second before he managed to school it into its natural state.
“Again?”
“ Yes, but it'll be fine just like last time, I-” Gojo spoke, seemingly starting another tangent but Megumi cut in with
“Last time, you ended up half bleeding to death ”
“Aw, are you worried? ” teased Gojo tilting his head slightly to the left ”
“ Yes, why wouldn't I be ” came the almost inaudible reply, Megumi staring holes into the floor, he was shaking.
At that Gojo's eyes visibly softened and he took a step wrapping Megumi into a hug, not like his usual ones, invasive but slower, hands hovering behind Megumi's back, as if asking permission, Megumi immediately accepted head falling onto Gojo's shoulder.
At this Yuuji looked over at Nobara who's shock was written over her face, she was apparently so shocked she was no longer in control of her voice because in the quiet, when Yuuji was planning on leaving with Nobara she spoke.
“ What's going on? ” Realising she'd spoken aloud she put her hands over her mouth.
Gojo laughed and pulled himself out of the hug holding Megumi by the shoulders, looking him straight in the eye and saying
“ You haven't told them about me? Why not? ”
“ It's embarrassing. ” Megumi said, his voice strained.
“ I raised you for ten years and this is how you talk about me, I'm hurt. ” he puts his hand over his heart for dramatic effect.
“Raised?” both Yuuji and Nobara splutter out at the same time, even more shocked.
“ Yes, raised. Can you believe this, my child hates me, what ever will I do? ” Gojo's voice raises in pitch as he says it.
“ I've been telling you for years.” His voice is now steady.
“ Oh, It hurts just the same every time. ”
They continue like this for a while, Yuuji and Nobara joining the conversation after recovering from their surprise.
The “thank you” Gojo had asked for is not said later that evening, or the morning he leaves but two weeks later when he returns, exhausted.
And then and only then is the music allowed to play.