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It wasn’t like Gojo had expected the siblings to fall at his feet with appreciation and love, but he didn’t think Megumi would keep up the grouch persona this long. He was beginning to think that it wasn’t just a persona anymore.
It had been almost a month since their first meeting and Gojo had added visiting the kids during weekends to his already busy schedule. The trio began to settle into a loose routine - Gojo would crash on the ragged, stained couch at the Fushiguro apartment from Friday to Sunday evening before heading back to Jujutsu High for the week. During that time, Gojo would bring or cook meals and persuade Megumi and Tsumiki to watch movies with him.
Despite trying his very best to play the role of a caring and fun guardian, Megumi didn’t seem to budge one bit (save for occasional looks of relief when Tsumiki looked relaxed or happy). Tsumiki, too, seemed reserved; while she was more open about her thanks and always sat next to Gojo during movie nights, he had a feeling it was more out of politeness than anything else.
They didn’t trust him yet. And that was okay.
Although, it may make his later suggestion a little harder to present.
That weekend, Gojo decided it was time for them to go shopping for clothes, toys, books, whatever they wanted, really.
He’d brought them to a mall that had a store for just about anything you could want. The shopping center was bustling with middle-aged women swinging shopping bags from their wrists, families hurrying their small children along through the crowd, and young teens laughing in between sips of bubble tea. Tsumiki’s eyes were wide with wonder, her gaze shifting from store to store. She had never seen anything like this except for in movies.
Megumi seemed much less excited about the endeavor. He stared at the floor, hands stuffed into his pockets.
Classic grouchy little sea urchin, Gojo thought, somewhat annoyed at how difficult it was to impress or get this gremlin of a child to, I don’t know, show some joy? At some point?
Tsumiki pulled one of Megumi’s hands out from his pocket, holding it firmly as they began their trek through the crowd. Gojo noticed how Tsumiki’s eyes would linger on things–a bunny plush toy, a pair of warm boots, a pale pink coat–but she would always shake her head and keep moving. Instead, she’d point out stores that had things Megumi or Gojo might be interested in buying.
Eventually, Gojo dragged the children into a department store, as they both seemed reluctant to express wanting anything.
“Seriously, pick anything you want! It’s really not an issue, okay?” Gojo reassured them.
“But Go- Satoru, we can’t have you buy everything for us…” Tsumiki explained quietly, her free hand pulling at the tattered edge of her sweater and her other hand still grasping Megumi’s.
“Miki-chan, don’t worry about it! I’m your guardian now, and you guys are kids. It’s okay to want and buy things. I promise it isn’t a problem. In fact, it would make me really happy if you picked at least a few things you like. Maybe pick a jacket since it’s getting colder. Oh, and maybe some stuff to decorate your room! The possibilities are endless here!”
“I don’t know…”
“If you and Megumi don’t pick, I guess I will just have to pick for you~ What do you think about this?” Gojo held up quite possibly the ugliest sweater in existence.
Tsumiki let out a small giggle, and Gojo let out a small sigh as he saw her shoulders relax a little. She turned to Megumi who occasionally looked around before turning his gaze back to the floor. She pulled him along as she began to tentatively explore some of the articles of clothing she’d been eyeing earlier. She was clearly having some difficulty with inspecting her potential purchases with one hand.
Gojo let out a small huff, “Miki-chan, it’ll be a lot easier for you to look at stuff with both of your hands and without having to drag around a little urchin.”
Tsumiki looked up with a small smile, “Ah, it’s okay. I don’t mind.”
Megumi shuffled closer to his big sister, sending an icy glare in Gojo’s direction. Message received.
The trio slowly continued exploring the department store, Gojo holding the items Tsumiki had accumulated. So far she’d taken interest in the pink coat from before, a white sweater dress, and a warm pair of pajamas. The seasons were changing quickly, so most of the clothing was in preparation for the coming autumn and winter.
Tsumiki was currently debating between two variations of a sweater, one green and one purple.
“You could try them on in the fitting room and see which one you like?” Gojo suggested.
“Hmm, good idea,” Tsumiki replied. “I can try on the other stuff too to make sure it all fits.”
Gojo nodded in agreement, walking with her to the fitting rooms. He handed her the items as she entered the room, giving Megumi’s hand a small squeeze before letting go. Gojo knew that the siblings must be close (after all, they were essentially raising themselves and living alone for over a year), but Megumi seemed more clingy and grumpy than usual.
As the two waited near the fitting room area, Gojo joked, “Did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed today, Megumi-kun~”
Megumi didn’t respond, didn’t even react. That was odd; Megumi would always take any opportunity to scowl at Gojo or react with some harsh remark.
“Earth to Megumi?” Gojo waved his hand in front of the young boy’s face. Megumi continued to stand still.
It wasn’t until Gojo looked a little more closely that he noticed. Megumi’s gaze was downcast, his chest moved slightly faster than normal, and his hands alternated between clenching into tight fists and wringing together. Now that Gojo was paying attention, he could sense the small spikes of cursed energy surrounding Megumi as well.
Oh, Gojo thought. For someone who held the Six Eyes, he sure was pretty blind.
Megumi wasn’t being grumpy, he was anxious. Gojo hadn’t really considered how overwhelming and overstimulating such a busy environment might be for a child who spent his life mostly isolated.
He lowered himself down, his eyes at Megumi’s level. Hesitantly, he placed a hand on the child’s head, letting his fingers rest lightly on his raven spikes of hair. Megumi didn’t turn away, so Gojo took that as a sign that physical touch was okay right now.
“Is it too much here?” Gojo asked, hoping that his tone would come off as comforting and inviting.
Megumi hesitated before he gave a short nod and quietly muttered, “I don’t like crowds.”
“Okay, we can leave after your sister is done,” Gojo responded with a small ruffling of the child’s hair.
Megumi shook his head as Gojo retracted his hand.
“You wanna stay?”
“I want Tsumiki to have fun. I want her to buy more things.”
Gojo’s eyes softened at that. As much as Megumi tried to act tough, apathetic, and annoyed at all times, he really did have such a kind and considerate heart.
“Okay, but if you feel too uncomfortable, we’ll go. Just let me know, alright?”
Megumi nodded once more.
“How about we go look at some stuff for you while she finishes trying her stuff on?”
“I don’t want anything.”
“You’ve barely looked! Let’s just explore a little to kill the time, okay?”
Megumi pondered the suggestion, before finally giving in. Gojo smiled, standing up fully and offering his hand to the young boy. Megumi stared, unmoving.
Am I pushing it too far? He began to retract his offer, when Megumi quickly closed small fingers around Gojo’s much larger hand.
Normally, this would be a prime opportunity for Gojo to tease Megumi, but he held back for the sake of maintaining this huge step in their relationship. That, and the fact that the small lump in his throat (from relief, from accomplishment, from happiness) would definitely ruin the delivery of the remark.
His hand was warm and soft, not yet calloused or cracked from the harsh realities of the world.
Momentarily, Gojo felt a small sense of sadness for the hands (and maybe even heart) that would one day be hardened by the inevitable experiences of a sorcerer - pain, injury, tragedy, trauma, death. For just one second, he wondered if he should take these children away from the demands of the jujutsu world, if he should spare them from that life.
Despite them already having grown up too fast for their age, he would have to settle for protecting what was left of their youth as long as he could.
“How about some stuff to put in your room and play with?”
Megumi followed his guardian’s lead, wandering into the room decor aisle. He poked around at some wall decorations, his eyes widening slightly at some glow-in-the-dark stars.
“Want them?”
“Glow-in-the-dark could be cool…”
“Very cool! Let’s get a bunch! We can make the whole ceiling look like the night sky!”
Megumi wondered why Gojo grabbed so many packs, way more than what would be needed to cover his and Tsumiki’s room. As the two walked back to the fitting room area, packs of plastic stars in hand, Megumi voiced his concern.
“I don’t even think we have enough wall and ceiling space in our entire apartment for this many stars.”
“Ah… well you see…” Gojo started, unsure of how to bring up his proposal. He paused, everything he had rehearsed in his head over the past week now gone. Megumi looked up at him expectantly.
Well, now is as good a time as ever.
“There’s plenty of wall and ceiling space at the new apartment I was planning to get for us,” Gojo stated simply.
Megumi stared blankly, not quite processing what had been said.
“For us?”
“Right, for us.”
Gojo was met with an awkward and tense silence. Once the pieces clicked, Megumi dropped the stars he’d been holding. Gojo quickly scrambled to his knees, picking up the packages.
“Why would we be moving to a new apartment?”
At that point, Tsumiki bounded out of the fitting room area, holding all of her items and sighing, “I still can’t decide which one I like more. I’ll just need your opinions.”
Still picking up the stars, Gojo grinned brightly at her and shrugged, “I say just get them both! That way, you’ll have one for the days you feel green and one for the days you feel purple!”
Tsumiki giggled and opened her mouth to respond, when Megumi interrupted.
“He wants us to move out with him.”
Tsumiki’s eyes widened slightly and her voice caught in her throat.
Gojo stood back up fully, trying to read her expression. He couldn’t tell if her face was saying Wow, how surprising but exciting, I am so happy! or Wow, what a bad idea, I am horrified.
When the silence persisted, Gojo sighed.
“Look, I know this came a little out of nowhere, but I’ve been thinking about it for a while and I feel like it would be good! You’ll be living in a much nicer space and we’ll be a short distance from your school and mine. I’ll also be able to spend a lot more time with you and watch over you more.”
“Oh so this is out of convenience for you?” Megumi asked, his coldness making an ever un-welcome comeback. It was almost impressive how fast his mood shifted.
“I mean, partially… but it’s also for you! For us! You know, so we can bond and-”
Megumi scoffed and rolled his eyes, crossing his arms.
“I… I think it could be okay,” Tsumiki chimed in.
Gojo looked at her hopefully. God, he felt pathetic, looking to a 7-year-old for comfort and reassurance.
“I don’t want to,” Megumi said. His voice was firm, the warmth that he and Gojo had shared only moments ago long forgotten.
“But Megu-” Gojo started.
“I don’t want to! You can’t force me!”
“It’s okay,” Tsumiki interrupted, resting a placating hand on Megumi’s shoulder. “We don’t have to go anywhere you don’t want to go, Megumi. I’m sorry, Satoru, but maybe another time. I really appreciate your offer though.”
Gojo caught a small waver in her voice. Megumi must have noticed too, as his eyes flashed ever so subtly with a shade of guilt.
“Oh, alright… the offer always still stands at any time if you change your mind, okay?”
And he meant it. He couldn’t help but feel some of the crushing weight of disappointment sitting on his heart. Maybe it was too soon to have brought this up. Maybe they weren’t ready for this big of a change, for this leap in closeness. He just hoped he hadn’t ruined any and all progress he’d made.
Tsumiki let a small and sad smile spread across her lips, “Thank you.”
The rest of the day was quiet after that. They made their way to the register, buying Tsumiki’s clothing and the plastic stars, although Megumi showed no more interest in them. They picked up donburi on the way home, although Gojo felt that it might be better for him to give the kids space tonight.
“You’re leaving?” Tsumiki asked, just as she had grabbed him a pair of chopsticks.
He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as he knelt down and quieted his voice to keep the conversation between the two of them.
“Ah, I think it might be good for me to give your brother some space. He didn’t seem too happy about what happened earlier. I’ll come back in the morning, okay?”
“Oh… I’m sorry, Satoru. He just- It’s just a big change and I don’t know if we’re ready yet. But thank you for everything today. And everything the past few weeks.”
Gojo smiled softly. I don’t know if we’re ready yet. It was sweet how Tsumiki didn’t want to throw Megumi under the bus, as Gojo could sense that Tsumiki wanted nothing more than to leave this space. She was as polite and considerate as ever.
“It’s okay, Miki-chan. You don’t have to apologize. I understand.”
She nodded, nervously wringing her hands together.
“You’ll be back in the morning?”
“Bright and early.”
“Okay. See you tomorrow?”
Gojo felt a pang of sadness at how much Tsumiki felt the need to clarify to him, or herself, that he would return.
“Of course, I’ll see you tomorrow, I promise.”
He would reassure her as many times as she needed. In the past few weeks, he felt more and more like he would move mountains for her if she simply asked.
“Okay.”
With that, he wished her a good night, patting the top of her head gently. He looked around but Megumi was nowhere to be found, more than likely hiding in his and Tsumiki’s bedroom. He let out a silent sigh, giving Tsumiki a small wave on his way out.
~ ~ ~
Megumi sat on the thin bed he and Tsumiki shared. With a blanket acting as a shield from the dusty room, he curled forward, resting his forehead on his knees.
Guilt gnawed at his chest as he replayed the fallen look on Tsumiki’s face at the store. Of course, being the considerate person she is, she had quickly regained her composure, but the expression of disappointment had already burned into Megumi’s mind.
The door to the bedroom slid open.
“Megumi?”
Tsumiki shuffled over to the bed, sitting beside her little brother and tilting her head to try to meet his gaze. He looked up from his curled position.
Tsumiki looked tired, her eyes much less wonder-filled and child-like than earlier in the day.
“I know you’re not ready, and it’s okay. But… I have a good feeling about Satoru. I think he’s a good person.”
Megumi spoke before he registered his own thoughts.
“We barely know him.”
Tsumiki hummed, “I guess that’s true. But he’s done a lot of things for us, things he doesn’t have to do.”
Megumi broke eye contact with her, but stayed silent so she could continue.
“He helps us with paying for everything. He always comes to visit, even when he seems tired. He never forgets to make sure we have something to eat. He remembers that you love ginger and hate red bell peppers. He lets me pick movies that I want to watch, and even pays attention so that we can talk about them together after.”
Tsumiki leaned against Megumi’s side.
“I know we haven’t known him for very long, but I can tell that he has a good heart. He’s trying his best.”
He’s trying more than anyone else in our lives ever did, goes unsaid but is understood by both of them.
In the silence that followed, Megumi thought about this place they called home. It wasn’t a nice apartment by a long shot, but it was the place where he and Tsumiki had stayed together, even when everyone else left.
He remembered days of playing tag in the alleyway with her. Walks home from school down the familiar streets, jumping over cracks. Re-reading books together, sitting back to back on the mini balcony to escape the stifling heat in their apartment during the summer. It wasn’t a perfect place, but it was theirs.
But he also remembered days of standing hungry in front of the fridge, Tsumiki rationing out what they could afford to eat to last through the week. Tsumiki, barely older than him, staring down at bills and notices with tears in her eyes and fear in her chest. Nights of dragging chairs and tables in front of the door when there were loud noises outside because the lock was unstable.
Megumi hadn’t seen Tsumiki this happy and carefree for a long time.
And maybe Megumi felt a little bit of that too sometimes.
It’s not that he hated Gojo. It’s not even that he hated the idea of moving in with Gojo either.
But to go with Gojo meant that they’d really be trusting him and letting him in. And letting him in meant that he could leave them too, and it would hurt. He didn’t want Tsumiki to get hurt. He didn’t want to get hurt.
If they stayed here, at least they’d be keeping some distance. At least then, it would hurt a little less when Gojo left.
“I know things have been hard for us, Megumi. But there are good people who do good things. I think we deserve good things too.”
Megumi startled out of his thoughts, looking at his sister once more. She smiled through glossy tears.
“Tsumiki-”
“It’s okay if you’re not ready. Satoru will wait until we’re ready, because he’s good. I just wanted you to know that I have a good feeling about him.”
Megumi wondered how Tsumiki could be so hopeful after everything they’d been through. But then he thought about Gojo’s patience and comfort in the store today, hand ruffling his hair and guiding him through the aisles. He thought about Gojo watching the entire Twilight Saga with Tsumiki, not only paying attention but even becoming invested and cheering the characters on with her. He thought about his glow-in-the-dark stars and Tsumiki’s new sweaters.
He made up his mind then. If Tsumiki could be happy and hopeful, who was Megumi to stand in the way of that? Wasn’t her happiness the reason he had agreed to Gojo’s care in the first place?
And maybe he also realized that underneath all the apprehension, he felt a little hopeful too. Not that he’d ever admit it out loud.
~ ~ ~
The next morning, Gojo arrived just as he promised, and with plans to make pancakes. He unlocked the door, unsurprised that the kitchen and common areas were empty. The kids must’ve still been sleeping.
He started organizing the pancake ingredients when he heard some shuffling in the bedroom. Did he wake them up?
Gojo walked the short distance from the kitchen to the bedroom door, knocking lightly.
“Megumi? Tsumiki?”
More shuffling noises continued. He knocked a little louder.
“If you’re already up and moving, come help me cook breakfast!”
He hoped he wasn’t coming off as too casual after what happened yesterday. He wasn’t really the type to have emotional heart-to-hearts, and Megumi didn’t seem like the type either, so he figured he should just act as he usually did for now.
Gojo heard the children’s muffled voices before the door slid open abruptly. He was looking down at a beaming Tsumiki.
“Good morning, Satoru!”
“Morning Miki! What are you-”
He stopped short, eyes scanning the room behind her.
“We need you to go get some boxes,” Megumi stated flatly, not looking up from the blanket he was folding.
Gojo felt frozen in shock. They were packing up their belongings. They wanted to go with him. They wanted to go with him.
His state of disbelief was quickly melted by Tsumiki’s sweet voice, “We can still move in with you, right?”
Gojo smiled tenderly at the young girl, “Of course.”
Her grin widened, and Gojo felt like if the world could see the pure happiness of Tsumiki in this moment, curses would no longer exist.
“Boxes!” she reiterated.
“Boxes coming right up!”
As Gojo turned to rush over to the nearest open store, Megumi called out, “And strawberries to put on the pancakes.”
Gojo nearly tripped over his own astonishment. Megumi had asked him for something. It wasn’t much, but maybe that was the start.
“Anything for my favorite children!”
As Gojo hurried out and called the apartment complex, Tsumiki giggled before turning back to gathering a few of her and Megumi’s books.
For the first time, they didn’t wonder at all about whether Gojo would be back, too busy debating about what other extra pancake toppings and sweets Gojo would definitely return with.