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Gojo Satoru rolled out of his bed with a groan, wincing at the pain from his headache. His entire body is sore and his Six Eyes is pissing him off. The last thing Satoru remembered was sending Megumi off to school, but the lack of sunlight made him realize that was a few hours ago. Looking around, he sees that he’s no longer on one of the couches in the lounge room at Jujutsu Tech where he fell asleep, but in his room in his and Suguru’s apartment.
Shit, it’s almost dinner time and Satoru was supposed to pick up Megumi at two. “Crap,” he says to himself as he pulls on his jacket and glasses and practically stumbles into the hallway in a manner that the Strongest Sorcerer of the Modern Age has no excuses for doing.
“You look like shit,” Shoko says from the kitchen. “And don’t worry about the kid, he’s with Geto. He said he’d watch the kid for you.”
Oh good. Satoru doesn’t think he could handle Megumi hating him even more than he already does. And his favorite student likes Suguru enough. “Good,” Satoru replies to Shoko. “The last thing I need is another thing for the kid to hold over my head.”
Megumi had been in his care for about five months now, but they’ve known each other for seven months. A few weeks after killing Fushiguro Toji, Satoru remembered his killer’s last words and met the young four-year-old outside of the apartment he was living in. Luckily he had a sister five years older than him living with him, but Satoru made sure to drop by at least once a week with enough food and new clothes.
But it was just his luck that the Zenin clan found the kid soon after and sent some curses their way. On the bright side, Megumi developed his curse technique— Ten Shadows, the coveted technique of the Zenin Clan and the only technique that can defeat him. On the dark side, one of the curses cursed Tsumiki, the kid’s older sister and she hasn’t woken up since.
It broke Megumi’s heart but ended up being the perfect motivation for him to actually want to learn jujutsu rather than it being something he’s forced to do. That night, Satoru bought his own apartment and moved both himself and Megumi into it with Suguru moving in the next week. Yaga wasn’t too happy about two fourth years living off-campus but agreed when Satoru convinced him it was in Megumi’s best interest.
It was a huge shock to everyone when Satoru announced he had adopted the kid of Fushiguro Toji, the man who killed him and who Satoru later killed. Especially since Satoru himself was only seventeen. He wanted to wait until he was eighteen to take the kid in, but then the Zenins came after him, and Satoru was forced to speed up his plan. He still remembers the fear he felt when he heard Megumi’s terrified voice over the phone.
The missions were getting to be too much for even Satoru Gojo to handle. With classes, missions, and homework to do, everything was too much even for him. Satoru was lounging around Suguru’s room while his boyfriend was in the shower when his phone started ringing.
Satoru ignored it and continued playing his game. His phone rang again and he ignored it again. It wasn’t until his phone rang for a third time that Satoru picked it up.
“What?” he groaned into the phone.
“Gojo,” the whisper of Megumi’s voice made him sit up. “There’s so many of them. The curses are everywhere and the men outside keep calling me names and Tsumiki… she won’t wake up.”
“I’m coming,” Satoru replied and hung up.
Within seconds he was inside what was left of the Fushiguro apartment and exorcised the curses there with ease. Usually, he would have some fun, but Megumi’s life was on the line. Two wolves, one black and one white were there, attacking whatever they could sink their claws into while the shadows of the apartment were much larger than they should have been at three in the afternoon.
When all the curses were gone, the shadows receded and Megumi came running out of them, hands reaching for Satoru. The teenager hugged the kid to his chest, thankful, proud, and scared. The kid had developed the technique he was taught was the only one that could kill him.
The darkest part of him that killed Fushiguro Toji told him to kill Megumi right then and there, to eliminate the threat before it can grow. It wouldn’t be hard, not with how similar the kid looks to his father, the only difference being Megumi’s feminine features and spiky hair. But it was that same kid who was hugging Satoru like his presence would solve everything.
“Where’s your sister,” Satoru asked in a soft voice, still holding on to Megumi.
A small hand points to a corner where the shadows were still guarding. They yielded when Megumi and Satoru walked over to reveal a sleeping Fushiguro Tsumiki. To a human, it would look like the young girl was sleeping, but a sorcerer could feel the intense amounts of cursed energy around her.
“A curse hit her and now she won’t wake up,” Megumi told him. For the first time since Satoru met him, there’s emotion in his voice. In any other situation, Satoru would be rejoicing over the kid showing emotion, but this was not any other situation. “Can you help her?”
No, he wanted to say. Satoru had just exorcised the curses that were attacking them, which should have woken her up. But it didn’t, and he didn’t know why. “Not here,” he told the kid. “Go pack your bags quickly.”
They didn’t have much longer before the assholes from the Zenin Clan realizes the curses were gone and came upstairs. Satoru’s Six Eyes told him there were only three men outside, but they had more curses with them. He looked at the destroyed apartment and wondered what could have possessed the Zenins to unleash Grade 3 curses on a kid who hadn’t developed his technique yet.
Or maybe that was why they did it. So his technique would have no other choice but to form if Megumi wanted to live. After all, cursed energy relies on negative emotion more than anything. Those bastards.
“I’m ready.” Satoru turned around to see Megumi holding two backpacks and he didn’t have the heart to tell the kid his sister wouldn’t need the bag. He may be an ass, but he’s not going to crush this kid anymore.
Satoru turned off his infinity to pick up Tsumiki and hold Megumi's hand. He felt the young boy’s shock at feeling his skin, but ignored it and teleported them to the school where Suguru and Shoko were waiting for him.
And since then, his relationship with the kid has improved. Megumi no longer turns away from him and listens to what he says. Life was much better now that Megumi trusted him and Suguru was living with him. His two favorite people got along smoothly. What could be better than that?
The door to the apartment opens to reveal Suguru and Megumi. “You’re not dead anymore,” Megumi says as he walks past Satoru to drop off his backpack in his room.
“Aw,” Satoru replies. “Was Megumi worried about me?”
“No,” the kid says, crossing his arms. But the slight blush on his cheeks warms Satoru’s heart.
“Were you worried about me?” Satoru asks Suguru.
“Nope,” his one and only says before kissing him. Satoru smiles against Suguru’s lips and laughs at Megumi’s scoff. The two Special Grades remain attached for a few minutes until Shoko announces that dinner is ready.
As they sit down, Satoru turns to Megumi. “So what’d you do with Suguru?” Hearing Megumi’s story about how Suguru took him to a bookstore rather than to get ice cream for a change was nice. This is how it was for a while, with Shoko coming over for dinner whenever she felt like it and sometimes Nanami and Haibara would join. Satoru had never felt happier.
About ten years later, Gojo Satoru wakes up with a headache and feels more sore than he ever has been. He swings his legs out of bed, wincing at the motion.
“Sensei!” Yuji’s hopeful voice says from the doorway. Standing next to the pink-haired teen is Shoko. They both had red eyes like they’d been crying. Satoru feels like he should know why, but his mind comes up empty for an explanation.
“Yuji!” he replies. “Got any food for your beloved sensei?”
The boy nods and holds out a sandwich for Satoru, who takes it and digs into it, feeling more hungry than he thinks he’s ever been. “I’ll go get you some water,” Yuji tells him and then runs off.
Shoko watches him go before walking closer to Satoru. “Your injuries have healed, right?” she asks. Satoru frowns from her voice, not her usual teasing tone, but shaky. Almost like she’s scared of his reaction.
“I’m fine,” he says. Then he looks around realizing someone’s missing. “Where’s Megumi?”
Shoko’s eyes go wide and glossy. “He’s with Geto. He said that he’d watch the kid for you.” A tear falls down her cheek, but she quickly wipes it away.
Satoru nods and goes back to his sandwich, not noticing the way Shoko’s looking at him with pity. After all, Suguru and Megumi are fine, waiting for him back at the apartment.
Right?