Work Text:
~1~
The first time Megumi called Satoru Dad was short, sweet, and simple. It had been a couple of months since Satoru took in the Fushiguro siblings. Megumi woke up in the middle of the night, drowsy, clearly half asleep. “
Dad
, I threw up.”
Satoru initially wanted to get annoyed but couldn’t bring himself to, seeing the kid’s state. He never expected himself in a million years to take in children as an adolescent himself, let alone get attached to them. Yet, here he is. “Alright. Let’s get you cleaned up. Where did you throw up?”
He texted Shoko at four in the morning after he put Megumi back to bed, excitedly telling her about the ‘dad’ remark.
~2~
“You’re Megumi’s…father?” The principal asks, genuinely confused and concerned. “Okay, well, Megumi’s at the possible risk of expulsion. He, um, beat up a pile of students. I will say that I’m impressed, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s wrong.”
Satoru, feeling the need to understand the situation better, asks, “Could you please explain what led to this incident? What might have provoked Megumi to react in such a way?” He turns to Megumi, “SON, can you shed some light on this?”
“They had it coming. They’re useless delinquents who think they’re above everyone else because they have a little tough skin.”
The principal coughs, “Which leads to our problem. We have a strict code of conduct that goes against violence, primarily when it’s used against violence. Don’t fight fire with fire. We are considering expelling him.”
“You can’t—Look, have some mercy here. This is the fourth middle school Megumi has been transferred to these past few months.” Satoru tries to reason. “He’s always had some aggression problems, it's not easy.”
“I’m aware. I’ve seen his transcript. This is why expulsion is just in question. I believe Megumi has the potential to have a change of heart, but he has to want to change.”
“Megumi, son, are you willing to change your antics? If you don’t, you know how difficult things will become for not only you but Tsumiki, too. I don’t think she wants to leave her friends behind again.”
“Yes, d…” Megumi mumbles the last part.
Satoru beams, “I can’t heaaar youuu.”
“Yes, DAD. I’ll change my ways. Or whatever.” The teen turns his face away.
“And what else?”
He doesn’t answer.
Satoru crosses his arms, “Megumi.”
“...I’m sorry.”
~3~
Tsumiki poked at her brother, “Come on, Megumi, it's break, and we’re not doing anything! Just tag along with me and my friends to Disneyland. Maybe you’ll even find a cute girl your age there.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Megumi puts his earbuds back into his ear.
She yanked out one of the earbuds, “Don’t be so lame. Ugh. I just want you to have fun instead of always sitting around and listening to that sad band—what was it called? The Neighborhood? You need some fresh air and a mickey shaped pretzel.”
Sighing, “Let’s ask Dad about this first.”
Silence fell between them for a brief moment.
“I’ll tell him.” Satoru would never let him forget if he discovered he was Megumi’s ‘Dad.’
“I’ll come if you keep your mouth shut.”
~4~
“Sorry! Came as soon as I heard. Arms up, I need to check for injuries.” Satoru’s three students had been sent on a quick and dandy mission but accidentally encountered a Special Grade. He inspected his students. There were just a few scratches; they were all in one piece.
Megumi rolls his eyes and says in a sarcastic tone, “We’re fine, Dad .” Seeing how meticulous Satoru was being, he meant the last part to be a joke…but none of them caught onto the sarcasm.
Satoru freezes, “Did you just call me…Dad?”
Yuji and Nobara started to die from laughter. “Fushiguroooo, I didn’t know you were related to Gojo-Sensei.” Yuji teased. “I knew you knew him before high school, but you seriously don’t tell us enough about yourself.”
Nobara added, “Now that I think about it, there is a resemblance.” She was bluffing at first, but then she actually started to see it.
“No! Ugh, I didn’t mean—” Megumi stroked his temple.
Satoru pulled the angsty teenager into a suffocating bear hug, “Oh, my baby, c’mere.” His voice impersonated an emotional middle-aged woman. “Let’s get you home and into your jammies, okay?”
“Shut up.”
The ride back to the school nearly gave Megumi a migraine. Nobara and Yuji just couldn’t let it go.
~5~
Megumi knocks on the classroom door and hesitantly asks, “Gojo-Sensei…can I borrow some money?”
“Hm? For what? Is the monthly stipend not enough? Because if not, I could always take it up to Yaga.”
“No, it’s sufficient. It’s just…it’s for Shoko. Her birthday is coming up, and I wanted to buy her a gift. And, well, I have already spent my last stipend. I’ll pay you back in no time.”
Satoru chuckled and pulled out his wallet. His fingers brushed against the bills, counting a random amount. He pulled out a wad of cash, more than Megumi could ever need. “This one’s on me. Let me know if you need more.”
Since Satoru took him in, Megumi’s taste in things has become refined. He always went for quality over quantity, even if the price tag hurt a bit. This also meant he always knew the best of the best brands. He bought Shoko a designer wallet at a flagship Balmain store in one of Tokyo’s more luxurious shopping districts. It was the least he could do for the school’s healer and the woman who watched him grow up.
“This is lovely, Megumi. How did you…?”
He said it so casually, “Dad gave me some money.” Shit. He choked, “Gojo-Sensei. I meant–”
“Don’t worry.” She shushed him, “Secret’s safe with me.”
~+1~
Megumi lived in Satoru’s lavish penthouse all the way until his move into Jujutsu High. That being said, Satoru gave him fingerprint access to the front door and let him drop by whenever he wanted. He brings Nobara and Yuji over sometimes, mostly when they’re hungry but doesn’t feel like paying for food.
It was the weeks approaching Christmas, and at this time of year, Satoru always had good quality Swiss hot chocolate and marshmallows on hand. Megumi brought his two friends over, and Nobara took pictures posing in front of Satoru’s gigantic Christmas Tree with Yuji as the photographer. Megumi made them three mugs of hot chocolate, specifically using the matching Santa and elves mugs Satoru bought him and Tsumiki their first Christmas together.
Satoru got home around 11 pm. The three teenagers spread out on the couch, watching a Christmas movie. “Oh, hey. Wasn’t expecting company.” He spoke as if he wasn’t carrying an unconscious Shoko on his back.
Unlike Satoru, Megumi only had accidentally called Shoko ‘mom’ once throughout all the years they knew each other. He was seven, and it was when she was babysitting the two siblings when Satoru was out on a mission. Shoko had read him a bedtime story while sitting beside him on his bed. He yawned and said, “Goodnight… mom. ”
Megumi immediately stood up and rushed towards them, “What—what happened? Is mom okay?”
Yuji and Nobara looked at each other to ensure they heard the same thing.
“Oh, yeah. She’s all fine and dandy; just had to pick her up after an outing with Mei-Mei and Utahime. Too much adult juice.” He paused, “...Did you just call her mom?”
“What? Wait–No…I didn’t mean–”
Nobara started laughing first, which then spread to Yuji and Satoru. “Now we know who the mom is,” she snickered.
“We are not having this conversation again.”
~Drabble Bonus~
Shoko never wanted to have kids. She decided that when she was thirteen while looking over the neighbor’s daughter for some extra cash. She hated it; nothing about her was maternal. But when Satoru started bringing around Megumi and Tsumiki and relying on her as their ‘pediatrician,’ she grew slightly attached, if that’s the right word.
Satoru was the same. He was an immature, prideful jerk who was forced to mature and soften up unless he wanted to be responsible for two kids being sold to the Zenin clan. He’d kill for those two (literally).
It was a pleasant surprise when Shoko found a bouquet of flowers sitting on her desk on Mother’s Day. There was no tag or note—just a beautifully organized pile of Carnations. She didn’t bother to ask around and went with her gut feeling.
Satoru was a bit jealous when he saw the flowers. Then Father’s Day rolled around. In his classroom, a box of Swiss chocolates and a brand-new mug sat.