Chapter Text
Chapter 1
This was the last moment Gojo would spend with his son, Megumi. At least he was able to have one final farewell with him, unlike how he couldn’t with Tsumiki.
Gojo had been taking care of his small family for four years now. He was a bad father; this he knew to be true. During the years spent with them, Megumi had never warmed up to him. He actually became more against Gojo being there. Megumi often pointed out how Gojo wasn’t his father, culminating in him claiming he wished Gojo had never taken them in.
It didn’t help that the higher-ups had been planning to end Gojo’s guardianship soon.
And so, wanting to do the best for his son, Gojo set about finding his kids a better household to live in. Better parents to live with. After weeks of hard research, Gojo found a potential family: two parents looking to adopt kids, and they weren’t going to resell them to the Zenin clan. So, he set up a series of meetings. He had half hoped Megumi wouldn’t open up to them either.
But he was wrong.
After making sure he’d be safe, Gojo had left Megumi there, asking him to please be on his best behavior. Megumi had shrugged and went in, brightening when he saw they had a dog. When Gojo returned, Megumi was laughing and talking more freely than he'd ever heard him do before. His heart split in pieces; he had to steady himself before he went inside. Heartbroken, Gojo took Megumi back to the apartment after scheduling another meeting. Though, he kept the real reason behind the meetings a secret from his son.
And now, standing on the porch of Megumi’s new family, that pain came back tenfold. Megumi’s big judgmental eyes glared up at him. He had his bags collected behind him. His sister would be joining him later, after the new family picked her up from dance lessons. Standing here with his son for the last time, Gojo felt a flood of memories rush in.
He remembered the first time Megumi asked him for help, after a year of being together. He remembered the first time Megumi initiated a hug. He remembered the few times he got him to laugh. He remembered the fun outings he scheduled for his son. He remembered the first time Megumi crawled into his bed for comfort after a nightmare. He remembered the first time he got Megumi to openly appreciate a gift. He remembered how proud he felt when Megumi succeeded at anything. He remembered the first and only time Megumi had called him “Dad,” even though it had been an accident. Most of all, Gojo remembered how much he loved Megumi.
But… he also remembered the tantrums Megumi threw. The time he tried running away from home. The time he started calling him Gojo-Sensei, or worse Gojo-San instead of Satoru like Tsumiki did. When he accidentally didn’t let infinity down, and poor Megumi tried to reach for him, resulting in him being hesitant to reach out. The times he shouted how much he hated Gojo. The times Gojo had made him upset by accident, or gotten him hurt when he slipped out of sight for a second. The times Megumi was upset greatly outnumbered those he wasn’t. The times Gojo had to go away on long missions, leaving his kids behind. The days when nothing he did was correct. Megumi hated him.
And Megumi deserved better than Gojo.
Megumi pulled on Gojo’s pant leg, snapping him back to attention. Kneeling down, Gojo scooped him up, hugging him as tight as he could without hurting him. Tipping his face into his son’s hair, Gojo tried to memorize his scent, and the way he felt in his arms. Megumi seemed to realize something was different, and hadn’t started squirming yet, instead opting to throw his tiny arms around Gojo’s neck. Instinctively, Gojo cooed at him, dramatically kissing his forehead. It would’ve been easier had Megumi not been so receptive. Gojo loved this kid so much. Tears had started to track down Gojo’s face, though his blindfold helped hide them. He gave his son one last kiss before he started to squirm, and went to set him down.
However, he stopped moving when Megumi’s hands went up to cup the sides of his face. Confusion twisted Megumi’s face as he felt the tears that had escaped the blindfold.
“Gojo-sensei, what’s wr-”
“Kiddo. I’m hoping to figure something out, I promise. I left you a note. Please be on your best behavior…” Gojo was trying his best to make sure his emotions did not reflect in his voice.“Go on now, go in and unpack.”
Still confused, Megumi nodded and headed inside, greeted by the sound of excited barking.
Gojo was left alone on the porch. He paused a moment, and headed back to the car. Tears had formed rivers down his cheeks at this point. He knew he had done the right thing. Megumi would be happier now. Miserable, Gojo went back to his now empty apartment, and cried freely on the couch.