Archive of Our Own ^beta

parenthood with satoru is pretty easy—for the most part. even with two toddlers running all over the gojo estate, him behind their little heels, and being the reason for their squeals and giggles.

he's the playful and doting father, unless his wife's safety is compromised.

you couldn't erase the wide-eyed looks of your two sons from your mind. their usually cheeky grins pulled down into pouts as they sniffled.

"baby, talk to me. can you move your leg?"

their cries were cut off as satoru slammed the door of your bedroom in their scared little faces, hovering around you frantically after placing you down on the mattress, all while checking your injured leg.

"don't shut them off," you ignored his question and immediately tried to sit up, only to feel your knee throb in pain. but even with distress all over your face, you scolded your fretting husband. "they're scared, let them in."

so when the door opened and revealed their tearful eyes, the two boys quickly ran towards you, tiny arms wrapping tightly around you while hiding their faces in your neck.

"it's just an ouchie." the gentle words of reassurance from you quickly got their attention.

big, curious eyes stared at you as the sniffles subsided, satoru took this as an opportunity to wipe the snot from their faces.

your oldest was first to speak after his dad helped him blow his nose, "we can kiss it better."

with an eager nod and a wobbly pout, the youngest gojo agreed with his brother, looking adorably alike to his father.

satoru remained silent, feeling shame for how he had acted. in his defense, his heart dropped when he saw his dear wife fall to the ground with a scream of pain—all because of a lego.

the two boys kissed your cheeks and waited, watching for any signs of your ouchie being nursed back to health. so, with an exaggerated gasp, you brought them closer and squeezed them in your arms.

"oh my gosh, I'm healed! it doesn't hurt anymore!"

satoru found himself deflating against the wall, watching his little family fondly. he could see the purple bruise forming on your knee, and still, you showered your babies with kisses. his heart jumped when your hand reached out to his, calling him towards the family hug.

"I should've caught you."

the ghost of his lips against your neck felt soothing, the weight of the three gojo boys on top of yours a reminder of how fortunate your life is—to be blessed with a loving husband and two healthy sons.

with tender caresses to the back of his head, you hoped to ease your husband's guilt. "like I said, it's just an ouchie."

but when that didn't seem to work, his pouty lips turning into a frown, you turned to your sons.

"and my sweet babies already healed it. right, nuggets?"

"yes, mama." once again, your oldest was quick to reply, nodding vehemently at his sulking dad. "papa, we healed mama. okay?"

"ouchie, buh-bye!"

"let's see if we got somethin'!"

your five-year-old grins excitedly at you, tugging at the rope attached to the perch trap. the sun is bright, and the waters of the lake are pretty calm, making it a perfect day for your two sons to see the fishes.

with your phone in hand, you make sure your husband can watch this too through the videocall, his smile matching your son's as he encourages him.

"hurry up, mochi! did you catch any fishies?"

you flip the camera, so now you and your toddler are in frame, your hand resting on his tummy to make sure he doesn't run off to the edge of the dock.

"say hi to papa."

the bright blue eyes of your toddler watch satoru through the screen and your husband beams at the sight of his cheek squished against yours.

"hi, baby." his little fingers wiggle at his dad through the screen. ever since he picked up on your husband calling you that, he's been saying it back at him. "fishie."

satoru coos at his two-year-old, wanting so badly to munch on his chubby cheeks. he fell victim to cuteness aggression as soon as the first baby was born.

the excited gasp of your other son brings all three pairs of eyes back to him, "I got one!"

flipping the camera back at him, you tell him to show off the fish to his dad.

"woahhh, that one's giant!" satoru is quick to praise him, giving a thumbs up through the screen, "good job, mochi. that's my boy!"

the toddler squirms out of your grasp and joins his brother, wanting to see the fish as well.

"gimmie fishie." he demands, but only half a second goes by before his eyes widen, looking back at you in slight fear before adding, "pwease."

you and satoru observe the two boys as they marvel at the fish in their hands, your toddler cradling it close to his chest, and you can't help but wince—his shirt is definitely going to smell.

"you wanna thwow it in?"

his brother asks him, and a little nod is all you get before he's letting it fall from his little fingers and onto the water without a second thought.

"buh-bye fishie, mwah."

you watch, in horror, as your toddler sends a flying kiss to the fish with the same hand that held it.

"o-kaaaay... time for a bath."

"nice house, uncle 'kuna."

little yuuji looks impressed, raising his eyebrows in approval while walking past the threshold and towards the living room as if he were the owner of the place. his little ohh's and woah's already have sukuna's patience thinning out—fast.

with an unpleased grunt, he places a generous amount of cash on choso's hand. you're out with friends, and he's supposed to meet up with toji in twenty minutes, so his only option was to get the teenager to babysit the twins.

"keep the brat outta trouble."

upon hearing his uncle's warning, yuuji's attitude immediately switches back to a childish one, pouting and tugging at his brother's shirt. he's ready to throw a tantrum, but the thought fizzles out as soon as he catches sight of the twins in their playpen.

"hello, baby!" he leans down to hug your daughter, patting her back twice before switching to your son. "hi, baby! uncle yuuji is gonna play with you."

"kid, you're the same age as them. you're not their uncle."

"nuh-uh! I'm five!" he extends his chubby fingers at sukuna, showing five little fingers, "I'm gwon up."

sukuna scoffs, scrunching down to lift his babies up, one in each arm. and the sight seems to upset his nephew.

"you have two babies. s'not fair." he pouts, but a thought quickly pops in his head. "gimmie one?"

"no."

"why not?"

"'cause they're mine."

sukuna's smile is smug, bouncing his toddlers softly before planting a loud smooch on his daughter's cheek.

there's a pregnant silence that makes choso uneasy. looking worriedly at his baby brother, he sighs as he sees his bottom lip starting to quiver.

"yuu–" he tries to stop the waterworks, but he's immediately interrupted.

"meanie!"

it takes sukuna and choso half an hour to get little yuuji to stop crying and unlock himself out of the toddlers' room.

sukuna never makes it out of the house.

it's a nice day.

the twins are with you having a much needed girl's day, and suguru gets to spend man to man time with his little one.

(he spent all morning at the grocery store with the baby strapped to his chest.

the little boy was not happy with being subjected to such torture.)

and now they're on their way to pick you and the girls up.

nothing could ruin his day.

with the baby safely buckled in his car seat, suguru drives swiftly through the traffic, focused on the road ahead until the baby's little squeals catch his attention.

"what's got you all giggly, huh?" he smiles through the rear mirror, watching the baby's gummy smile.

it makes suguru feel as if the very sun warms up his soul just by seeing the glee in his son's eyes.

"aren't you the cutest?" he coos and the baby answers with a babble, making suguru hope for a miracle—to hear his son call him papa. "c'mon little guy, 'pa-pa', you can do it."

the unintelligible babbles and squeals continue as suguru parks the car, the baby making grabby hands in the air.

"I'll be with you shortly, my sweet boy."

excited to have the baby back in his arms, suguru feels elated upon finally getting some of the affection directed at him, quickly opening the car door to see his son—only to be faced with heavy disappointment.

kicking his little legs in delight, the baby makes grabby hands at you—well, the printed photo of you hanging at the back of the car seat (a hack to keep the little one calm that he completely forgot about).

"papa, look! mama got us matching bracelets!"

the twins approach him with you following closely behind. suguru barely acknowledges you, staring at the little one with a disheartened look.

"hi, honey. oh- hiiii, baby!" you lean in to rub your son's belly, cooing and kissing his cheek, "did you two have fun today?"

but when your husband remains silent, clearly not matching anyone's mood and visibly sulking, you approach him worriedly.

"sugu- honey? are you okay?"

"papa?"

wordlessly, he pulls the twins close to him, holding them and resting his cheek on the top of mimiko's head.

his face is the epitome of despair.

"I need a moment."

"look at her."

tsumiki and megumi tilt their heads to the side, questioning their dad's sanity. surely something must be wrong with him because why does he look so annoyed at their baby sister?

little megumi—still with question marks all over his head—frowns, ready to defend the baby. but he's interrupted by your coos.

"I knooow, isn't she the cutest!?" you grin while lifting her in the air, her little pink shoes matching her strawberry shortcake overalls.

"ridiculous." you're about to scold your husband when suddenly, his scowl turns into a grin, "ridiculously adorable. I'll eat you!"

her squeals have the puppies' ears perking up, watching toji grab his daughter and blowing raspberries on her cheek. the two dogs decide it's none of their business and go back to licking their paws.

"daddy, noooo!" her tiny hands try to keep her dad's mouth away, his kisses on her cheeks tickling. "'miki! 'gumi!"

her cries of help are answered by little megumi, who quickly dashes towards his baby sister, ready to aid her against his dad's attack.

"monster!"

with a mischievous little smirk, megumi kicks toji's shin.

"what was that for!?"

toji looks down at the troublemaker, furrowing his brows but the ghost of a smirk on his lips. the toddler giggles happily in his arms, momentarily getting his attention back on her.

not happy with having his threats ignored, megumi places his hand on the hilt of his toy sword.

"leave baby alone."

"or what?" toji smirks, clearly amused at his son's reaction.

your daughter gasps before bursting into a fit of giggles, covering her mouth with her tiny hands as megumi points his sword at toji.

"you'll die."

your husband blinks, thrown off guard by his son's behavior

"okay, samurai, put the sword down." you sigh, equally as weirded out as your husband but can't help but laugh at megumi's serious tone, "and you, give me my daughter."

back in your arms, your toddler seems happy as a clam with all the attention on her little self, tsumiki and megumi entertaining her by kissing her cheeks.

but when toji takes a step forward, he's stopped by megumi's stare, your son's lips curling up into a little smirk.

"you can leave now, monster."

satoru has a plan for your birthday—a very detailed one.

it takes him less than two minutes to get the oldest out of bed, and there's really no point in waking up his baby girl since there's not much an eight-month-old can do.

the problem is your toddler.

"c'moooon, don't you wanna give mama her gifts?"

satoru's tone grows exasperated the longer his son refuses to cooperate, kicking his legs and throwing his nemo plushie at his face.

"no!"

the five-year-old immediately shushes his baby brother, only making the latter whine even more, tears now running down his chubby cheeks.

satoru feels his face fall upon seeing his son so upset, he should've expected the little ones not to take it too well to be woken up at six in the morning.

"hey," he tries softly this time, caressing the soft blond hairs of his toddler, "I'm sorry, mochi. can you forgive papa? go back to sleep, I'll wake you up when breakfast is ready, okay?"

the sobs end and now there's only small sniffles coming from the sleepy kid.

"oki."

"like this?"

satoru leans down to inspect his son's work, brows furrowing as he tries, and fails, to read whatever gibberish his son tried to spell on top of the freshly made waffles.

with a loud smooch on the kid's cheek, satoru squeezes him in a tight hug, grinning proudly the way a father would. "a masterpiece. mama's gonna love it."

dad and son work surprisingly silent, focused on their own tasks. it doesn't take them long to have plates full of food and fruits, as well as freshly made juice.

"why don't you grab these," satoru hands his son two bags with the names of expensive brands on them, "while I go get your siblings. okay?"

"on it!"

"happy birthday, mama~"

"ma-ma!"

you wake up with a start, surrounded by four pairs of blue eyes staring down at you.

"happy birthday, love of my life, mother of my kids, my one and only!"

satoru pecks your mouth as your brain processes the beaming faces of your three nuggets. your boys sit next to you, one on each side, while satoru holds the baby in the air right above your face.

your confused face finally eases into one of happiness (and relief).

"thank you, my little babies!" you smile drowsily, urging yourself to blink the sleep away as you smooch the faces of all three of your children. "mwah, mwah, mwahhh–"

your husband can't help but smile upon seeing you smothering the kids with kisses. and with his hold still on his baby girl, satoru tugs her away from you and nods at your lap.

"open your gifts, baby. we got you aaaall of your favorites." he winks at his son and the little one covers his mouth behind his tiny hand, giggling. "and we also made breakfast for mama, right?"

with a pointed look from satoru, your toddler remembers the plate of food on his lap.

"eat waffu, baby." your two-year-old offers you the plate full of waffles, pushing it towards your mouth, insistent. "eat it."

your two boys happily run across the gardens while your baby girl crawls on the grass, squealing right behind her brothers.

"liked the surprise?"

your husband's arms wrap around your middle from behind. his hold is the greatest comfort you could've asked for.

"you mean waking up with three of your clones staring down at me while I sleep?" you snort, but there's no real bite in your tone. "I loved it. especially their drawing of me surrounded by blue-eyed mochi."

your eldest had insisted on drawing their little family—with you right in the center—and satoru thought it'd be funny to add the mochi instead of the kids.

"oh, but I'm not done yet, sweetheart." he spins you around in his arms, now grinning at you. "an entire weekend. you and me. what do you say?"

a groan slips past your lips and he immediately frowns, indignation clear on his face.

"c'mon, pretty. it's been a while since it was just the two of us." satoru goes for the puppy eyes, knowing that by doing so he already has a fifty percent of chance of winning. "you're not only a mother, but also a wife. let your doting husband pamper you."

"and who's watching over the kids? the baby??" you try to reason, glancing at your nuggets as they giggle their little hearts out as they play together. "satoru, we can't just leave."

"sweetheart, relaaaaax. ijichi got us covered."

oh, that poor man.

you make a mental note to give nanami a call.

every morning—without a fail—your daughter bursts into tears as soon as she opens her bleary eyes.

you've tried everything.

to let her sleep in (she still cried because no one was there and she felt alone), waking her up gently, putting on a kid's song—but nothing seems to work.

and sukuna has grown concerned.

"what kind of father can't help his own daughter?" he sighs, exasperated but mostly full of guilt for not figuring out what's making his princess upset. "it breaks my heart to see her cry every morning. a kid her age should be happy and safe!"

for the next few weeks, you make sure to be within her eyesight for when she wakes up, both you and sukuna watching for any hints of what the cause of her distress might be.

"baby, can you tell me why are you crying?" you try a gentle approach. "does your tummy hurt?" she shakes her head and hides in the crook of your neck. "are you having bad dreams?"

"what is it, princess?" sukuna butts in, caressing her soft hair as she cries in your neck. "you are safe with us."

her little sobs break yours and sukuna's heart.

another morning, another crying session. that's what sukuna thinks as he watches her daughter stir in her sleep.

"hello, little princess." he coos, smiling down at her.

he's the first thing she sees as her eyes open, and she looks startled, her big eyes immediately glossing over with tears and her bottom lip quivering.

sukuna's smile falters as the little girl scurries away from him and into your arms.

"oh, god."

"it's you!"

two pairs of blue eyes stare at each other (one of them is already brimming with unshed tears).

"satoru, you can't be serious."

"she has no idea!"

your eight-month-old grins at her dad, blissfully unaware of what's happening while he dreads what's about to come.

the nurse side-eyes him but says nothing besides instructing him on how to hold her hands so they won't get in the way and accidentally hurt her.

"oh god." he whispers, staring up at the ceiling and forcing himself to ignore the baby's babbles. "i can't watch this."

funny, you think. because all these years, he seemed just fine with holding your boys as they got their shots. even going as far as encouraging them with promises of gifts and ice cream after braving through the pain.

but now, god forbid someone—or rather, something, like a vaccine—hurt his princess.

you snicker behind your hand at his worried face while he bounces his leg in anxiousness, murmuring to himself as he stares at the ceiling.

and that must've been the last straw.

"sir, don't ever get your eyes off of your child."

satoru quickly turns his head towards the nurse, eyes wide as if he just got caught committing a crime, but he's met with their blank stare.

"you have to make sure i administer the vaccine correctly." the nurse continues, lecturing your husband—respectfully, of course.

his jaw opens, but nothing comes out, closing it again when he realizes his mistake. his eyes move down to watch your baby, still smiley and babbling nonsense.

a small smile grows on his lips as he carefully maneuvers her little hands in his, and a similar one appears on your face as you watch the interaction.

"I got you." he murmurs while briefly making eye contact with the needle going in her tiny arm. he grimaces, and the baby tenses up after a second, her eyes never leaving satoru's. "you're so brave, my little mochi. papa is so proud of you."

he coos and keeps whispering sweet things as the baby starts to cry, her face red and eyes screwed shut. satoru's tearing up too, but he doesn't seem to realize or simply doesn't care because he continues on comforting your daughter.

once the nurse has placed a little bandaid on the baby's arm, they hand out a lollipop to satoru.

"let's go home, my two babies." you kiss your daughter's cheek, before smiling at your husband.

and once you return to the comfort of your home, you spend the afternoon watching over them, father and daughter deeply asleep and with matching blotched faces.

"stay fuckin' still..."

sukuna murmurs as he stands slightly crouched down, camera in hand, and ready to pop a vein because the kids refuse to stay still for the picture.

the twins sit on each leg of the bearded man, your son interrogating him while your daughter cries her little heart out. the only one smiling towards the camera is yuuji, but he keeps turning around to tell every single item in his list to santa.

"...and two dog plushies." little yuuji makes sure to get his point across by lifting two chubby fingers, looking so serious that santa immediately nods. "my friend likes dogs, his name is megumi!"

"where are the gifts?" your son butts in, tilting his head and squinting. "santa wikes cookies?"

and your daughter... well, she's just staring up at santa as she sobs—loudly.

sukuna curses under his breath (again), as he tries (and fails) to take a decent picture, the queue standing behind him growing restless.

"these brats." he groans, knowing he'll have to settle for an old classic. after a heavy sigh, he whistles, and the three kids instantly shut up. "oi, squirts! mama's here!"

at the sound of her favorite word, your daughter snaps her head towards the crowd, her eyes looking for you.

sukuna has one chance, and he uses it to finally snap a—somewhat decent—picture.

by the time the kids realize you aren't there, sukuna is already looking all smug and proud for coming up with the idea all by himself.

he would pat himself on the back if he could.

deciding to put the kids out of their misery, he grabs the crying girl once she starts making grabby hands at him, cradling her against his chest and letting her hide her face in his neck. with his free hand, he helps his son jump down from santa's lap and yuuji follows right behind.

"bye-bye santa!"

little yuuji waves the bearded man goodbye, following his uncle and babies to the bench a couple meters away.

"not so scary anymore, heh?" sukuna smirks, patting his daughter's back soothingly, but there's obvious happiness because he's finally some sort of a 'hero' in his baby girl's eyes.

and that's when you finally come back from getting the kids' presents, your smile dying down once you see three upset little ones.

"what happened!?"

"sensitive topic."

"take that out of your mouth, little miss."

your daughter freezes right as she is about to put the glittery ornament in her mouth. her brows furrow in annoyance, a faint little grunt rumbling from her chest in rebellion against toji's demand.

"mine!"

taken aback by the outburst, your husband's eyebrows raise when she grips the ornament tighter in her chubby hands.

"you're shitting me."

toji lifts her up and holds her with one arm, her diaper-clad butt on his forearm, and his hand on her tummy to keep her steady.

"that's for the tree, not your mouth." he mumbles as he pries the ornament away from her hands, fighting with all his might to ignore her adorable pout and doe eyes.

"i help tree..."

her dejected, whiny tone makes toji sigh and you snicker, his head snapping your way when he hears it. pretending to be busy fluffing the christmas tree, you ignore those two and make small talk with tsumiki and megumi.

"yes, you help decorate the tree." he sighs again, correcting your daughter while agreeing with her, handing her one of her toys. "so don't eat the ornaments. tastes bad anyway."

"no yummy?"

toji grins in amusement. "nah, tastes icky. bleurghhh!"

it takes her a few seconds to process the sound, but once her brain seems to get the hang of it, she sticks her little tongue out and mimics the sound.

"bleurgh~"

amid your husband's deep laugh, megumi pauses to look at his dad and baby sister, probably wondering what's so funny. after a few seconds of watching them, he turns to look at you, face serious with a hint of disgust.

"dad is being gross again." with a shake of his head, megumi goes back to fluffing the christmas tree.

you give him a sorry look, patting his head, while father and daughter giggle and continue making the retching noises. but as you're about to tell them to knock it off, tsumiki interrupts them.

"dad. stop, please."

"stop what? this?" he makes the retching sounds over and over, your little girl copying them and giggling her little heart out.

"mom–" tsumiki turns to you but is interrupted by her own gagging, face pale and eyes glossy while drool drips from the corners of her mouth. "mommy, I'm gonna puke."

toji finally stops, watching you rush tsumiki to the bathroom.

"oh, shit."

"shit~"

nanami stands by the gates, observing and greeting everyone with a smooth 'good morning'. he's already making mental notes about each kid, their behavior during drop-off, and who their parents and siblings are.

there are lots of new faces, but most of these new alumni are related to kids he's already familiar with.

he sees the gojo sons walk in with matching 'Nemo' backpacks, and the youngest, with his red-rimmed eyes, clutches his brother's hand tightly.

a crier, he notes.

but before he can keep watching them, he feels a little one hug his legs with all their might.

"nanamin! meet my babies!"

with a small smile and raised brows, nanami crouches down to yuuji's height. he notices a boy and a girl who look incredibly alike, staring at him with curious eyes.

"hello." he waves at the twins before turning back to yuuji. "are they your cousins?"

"they're my babies!" little yuuji yells excitedly, running over to the kids and grabbing the girl's hand. "uncle 'kuna says I'm not their uncle! but I am! and-and cho–"

"good morning." megumi greets nanami politely, interrupting yuuji's rambling. he has a small girl holding his hand—his younger sister, nanami recalls as megumi pecks the top of her head. "my baby."

nanami can't help but let out a chuckle. "oh? you come with a baby of your own, too?"

the itadori twins can't keep their eyes off of the zenin toddler, the extroverted girl already showing them the glittery nail polish on her fingernails.

nanami faintly hears the geto twins chatting with tsumiki right outside their classroom while the gojo kids chat between themselves. and after realizing he has almost the entire preschool surrounding him, he rises back to his full height and offers them a gentle smile.

"why don't we put those backpacks away?"

and that's how nanami kento starts his day, with a small army of kids that look like baby ducks following after him.

GOJO FAMILY

ZENIN FAMILY

ITADORI FAMILY

GETO FAMILY

nanami's arts & crafts class quickly grew a buzz around the preschool once he broke the news to the children.

"we'll be making valentine's cards today."

their excited squeals and cheers immediately took over the classroom, his soft chuckle drowned by the kids' celebratory hollering.

"please pick the materials you need. we have colored paper, crayons, and stickers." he gestured to the basket full of supplies sitting on his desk. "if you need to use scissors, please ask for help."

"what's a valentine?"

the youngest zenin stood on her tiptoes as she tried to catch a look at nanami's desk, the bright pink colored paper drawing her in.

"a valentine is your... sweetheart." was the best explanation he could come up with (for a two-year-old, of course).

"sweet-hart?" she repeated, tilting her head slightly at the familiar word. she had heard it before, especially when her parents were in a good mood!

her little fingers wiggled in hopes of catching the end of the sheet of paper until nanami finally noticed and brought the basket down to her eye level.

"thank you!"

he began to hand out the material, the kids immediately claiming a spot on the floor and decorating their cards. everyone seemed too focused on their tasks, especially the youngest gojo son, as he furiously dragged the crayon back and forth against the piece of paper.

nanami decided to make small talk, not knowing the chaos it'd follow.

"who are you asking to be your valentine?"

"my mama." "mommy!"

"daddy!"

nanami watched the look of indignation in the youngest zenin's face as every kid mentioned their moms instead of dads, her little fingers gripping the crayon.

"why not daddy?" she frowned at the itadori twins since they sat directly in front of her.

the gojo kid stayed silent, clutching the card close to his chest as if protecting it while his eyes switched from the angry toddler to the twins.

"scary." mumbled the girl while her twin brother shrugged, not really having a reason.

yuuji had his hands full with several sheets of paper and crayons. "one for cho... one for mommy, one for daddy... one for babies–"

"that's a lot." the eldest gojo pointed out, looking at megumi, who immediately nodded his head, agreeing with him.

"that's alright." nanami quickly interrupted before things escalated, patting the gojo kid's back and guiding him back to his seat, and little yuuji frowning as he too walked away. "we can have more than one valentine."

"that's cheating." megumi's tone was nonchalant, but it was enough to ruffle yuuji's feathers.

"no, it's not."

"is."

"no!"

"is!"

yuuji spent the rest of the class hiccuping and wiping his red-rimmed eyes as he sat on nanami's lap, the exhausted teacher helping him with his multiple valentine's cards.

"she can't read yet, but I'll write a letter to my baby sister!" tsumiki stated proudly, picking a handful of pink stationary to make a card for her sister.

the geto twins instantly cooed at the thought.

"awhhh!" "we should do that for our baby brother!"

happy to encourage such gesture, the eldest zenin joined mimiko and nanako as they brainstormed ideas and shared their colors with her.

for once, nanami allowed himself to relax as the girls gushed about their younger siblings, glad that things finally went smoothly.

GOJO FAMILY

ZENIN FAMILY

ITADORI FAMILY

GETO FAMILY

"i think it's time."

your husband's tone has you placing your book down on your lap at the concerning amount of seriousness seeping from it. it's unusual to hear him (or see him) this humorless, so your heart sinks a little in panic.

"wha–"

the words die down in your mouth when he pushes your youngest son forward.

"repeat what you said."

your son's blue eyes glance at his dad, doubtful, before switching to you.

"what's mochi?"

satoru lets out a disappointed sigh, rubbing his temples as he seems to need a moment to collect himself. but all you can seem to convey is confusion, your toddler looking back and forth between you and your husband, not understanding what's going on.

"explain to me how a child of mine does not know what mochi is." satoru walks in circles around the living room before stopping abruptly with an accusatory finger pointed at you. "this is–"

"satoru gojo, don't point your finger at me."

"yes. sorry, honey." he immediately drops his arm and pouts. "when he thought his name was mochi, I thought it was hilarious. it was cute! but this?"

ignoring the weird rant from your husband, you pull your son closer and offer the explanation he's waiting for.

"it's a sweet treat." you say softly, his little mouth parting in understanding. "but papa and I call you and your siblings 'mochi' because we think it's cute."

"swee-tree!" he claps enthusiastically, a happy grin on his face.

he knows what a sweet treat is. he makes sure to pout extra extra hard to get his dad to give him an extra cookie for snack time.

craddling your son in your arms, you head to the kitchen and get the mochi from the freezer, leaving a sulking satoru behind.

"this... is mochi."

the powdery ball of rice sits on the palm of your hand like an offering to your toddler, his gaze curious before breaking into a cheeky grin.

"me!"

he leans forward, and you watch his baby teeth sink into the soft exterior, the mochi melting around his parted lips. the taste quickly hits his taste buds, and the reaction is immediate: an expression full of awe that you've never seen before on him—you can even see his pupils dilating.

"woah..." a mere whisper, but it's heavy with the innocence of child-like wonder.

"is it good?"

"yummy!" he bites again, his little face brightening up with each bite. "mochi loves mochi, mama."

your heart grows warm at his silly words, wondering how come you never thought of this before. your eldest tried it years ago, before your toddler was born, so it must've slipped your mind.

fed up with being left behind, satoru joins you in the kitchen and butts in, staring at the box of mochi with stars in his eyes as he reaches for one.

"can I try?" the question is clearly rethoricall since he takes the bite-sized mochi in his mouth without waiting for a reply.

but your little one squeals in horror, his chubby little hands closing around the fabric of your shirt and looking shaken to the core.

"nooooooo!" he's overcome with despair, dramatically letting his small body fall against your chest as if he just got wounded. he turns to look at you pleadingly, his blue eyes glistening with unshed tears. "papa eat me! papa eat mochi!"

"bwaby–"

your husband tries to reach out to him, wide-eyed and with a mouthful of mochi, only to have your son recoil away from his open arms.

an amused snort escapes you. "yeah... i don't think that's a good idea."

satoru is devastated for the rest of the day, your son giving him a nasty side-eye whenever he gets too close to his liking.

"moooooom! the baby took her shoes off again!"

tsumiki's voice has you peeking your head from the kitchen, trying to catch sight of your little girl. you're about to call your husband's name when he walks into the living room and picks your daughter up from the floor.

"dont like 'em?" he smirks, holding her tiny foot up and inspecting it.

she grins cheekily at her dad, proudly wiggling her little toes and showing off the sparkly nail polish on them.

"spaw-cle!"

finally done with the dishes, you join them and see her crocs discarded by the couch.

"again?"

"let her be, ma." toji has her foot against her cheek, both of them giggling at the silliness of it.

"she has to get used to them, toji."

he finally meets your eyes and sees the stern look in them. slowly, he puts your daughter down while she looks at him in confusion. toji doesn't have the heart to force his youngest to do stuff she doesn't like. but after three kids and years of marriage with you, he knows this is a battle he won't win.

"sorry, kiddo."

—

two days later, he's standing by the gates of the kids' school, waiting for them, when he notices something odd.

his face quickly switches from boredom to concern once he spots nanami holding his baby girl in his arms, her face visibly blotched from crying.

"she wouldn't stop taking her shoes off during class. I'm afraid we had to take... drastic measures." the blond man hands her over, visibly tense at toji's reaction. tsumiki and megumi stand next to him with matching frowns, having seen (and heard) their baby sister's cries. "school's policy."

"daddy!" she's bursting into tears as soon as she's in his arms, her watery eyes set on his concerned ones. "want 'em off!"

toji looks down at her feet and sees the brown tape around her pink sneakers, clashing horribly against it and causing him to sigh in defeat.

"baby, you can't keep taking your shoes off." he's patting her back in comfort, letting her sob against his shoulder while he turns to nanami again. "any advice? my wife and I have been struggling for weeks."

having seen this before, nanami recalls a piece of advice given from a couple who struggled with this, too. "try to find a pair that she likes. they don't have to be sneakers—the school isn't strict with that."

and suddenly, toji has a brilliant idea.

—

"princess, c'mere."

both you and your husband enter your daughter's room, sitting on the floor, and she comes closer with her plushie hanging from her hand.

toji places a box in front of her, your demeanor slightly anxious as you wait for her reaction. for a two-year-old, you're aware that she can be the toughest crowd sometimes.

her eyes are fixed in front of her, watching her dad opening the boring, brown box until pink and glitter are all her brain can process.

"woah..." she's clearly in awe, her little hands quickly grabbing the tiny pink heels and slipping them on her feet. "mommy shoes!"

the heels clack loudly against the floor, her steps uncoordinated and clumsy, but she can't stop giggling happily, walking back and forth.

"what did i tell you, ma?" toji's grin is smug, his arms wrapping around you while you play it off with a roll of your eyes. the sigh of relief is obvious from you two. "problem fixed."

he hasn't even finished gloating when you spot megumi standing by the door with his hands covering his ears, glaring ominously at toji.

"don't be so sure, honey."

it's a no-school day.

it's the weekend.

so, your eldest can't help but groan when satoru shakes him awake. he's allowed to sleep more on no-school days. why is their dad waking them up so early!?

"guys, c'mon. it's mama's day," your husband's hushed words and beaming smile are met with identical mini copies of his own features, their scowling little faces only making him grin wider.

"again?" your toddler's blue eyes seem to burn a hole through satoru's forehead. "when's mochi day?"

"soon."

" when? "

satoru closes his eyes and breathes in. it's too early for him to lose his cool, and he can't have the kids start the day with tears. not today.

"after mama's day. so, if you want your gifts, you have to help papa."

the two boys happily follow after their dad like baby ducklings.

—

there's a rustle followed by incoherent mumbling—incoherent to others, at least.

because to the trained ear of a mother, it's clear how your son mumbles a string of c'mon, c'mon, c'mon in distress.

your eyes open just in time as your toddler knocks over the candle on your bedside table, struggling with the flower bouquet (which is considerably bigger than him).

"hey, you."

it takes almost ten minutes for your husband to realize he's missing a little duckling, rushing to look for his whereabouts once he remembers he has two sons, not one.

"mochi," he whisper-shouts, stressed out already. he enters your shared bedroom, looking at the floor for that white tuft of hair crawled somewhere under the furniture. "mochi, what's taking you– oh, no."

drapped on top of you, gently held in your arms, lies your son as he tells you about mochi day.

"–gifts and fishies, mama!"

you chuckle at his enthusiasm, basking in the warmth of the duvet and your toddler nuzzled in your arms, the familiar baby scent still lingering on his skin.

"hey," your husband nervously interrupts, walking further into the room until he's right next to your side of the bed. "good morning, gorgeous."

his kiss on your lips is short and adoring, his lips pulling up into a gentle smile.

"i caught you guys," you can't help but smile cheekily at his failed attempt to surprise you. "where are my other two babies? you better not left them unsupervised–"

"no, 'course not. be right back! you–" he grabs your toddler from your arms. "–are coming with me."

—

a few minutes later, the door of your bedroom opens, and your baby girl walks in with the help of her dad.

"oh my– is that my sweet little baby?"

your coos earn you an excited squeal from your daughter as soon as her eyes notice you. your husband gently holds her hands as she walks towards you, stumbling over her tiny feet before satoru lifts her up and settles her on the bed with you.

right behind him is your toddler.

"for you, mama."

you take the small box from his hands, ready to bring him up on the bed with you, "thank you, baby."

"hold the kisses. there's more, remember?" satoru reminds your son, and he nods, rushing out of the room before you can even demand a kiss on the cheek.

your two boys walk back in carrying a gift bag—a huge one. after a brief struggle to place it on the bed, both boys huff heavily before smiling proudly at each other.

"what do you say?" satoru tries to give your youngest son a cue, which he obviously misses.

"thank you!"

you can't help but chuckle at his proud little grin, his older brother shaking his head next to him.

"no, mochi. the other thing." your son corrects his baby brother.

"happy birthday?"

both your husband and son give up, sighing as the toddler now looks confused and utterly lost.

satoru swiftly launches each kid onto the bed before joining as well, needing the cuddles after a hectic morning.

"happy mother's day, my angel."

nanami couldn't be more thankful for the stand of lemonade next to his arts & crafts one.

kids zoom past him left and right, their giggles and squeals unmistakably loud, even with the sun blazing over the school’s gardens. thankfully, the breeze is cool enough to keep everyone from becoming a victim of a heat stroke.

just as scheduled, his first group is already on its way, leaving him with barely enough time to check his rolled-up sleeves before flashing his students a smile.

“hello, girls,” all thoughts of the scorching sun and the sweat making his sunglasses slide down his nose vanish at the sight of the geto twins.

"hi, mr. nanami!"

tsumiki is right behind them, toji holding her hand as she tugs and urges him to walk faster.

while the rest of the kids and fathers settle on the soft floor mats, nanami hands out craft sticks and paint, explaining the project chosen by the kids themselves. the task is easy and barely time-consuming, perhaps the toughest part would be taking their picture and waiting for it to reveal.

"cheek to cheek?" toji grins at tsumiki, her teacher in front of them with the polaroid camera angled at their faces, ready to snap their picture.

the camera shutter goes off, capturing the dad and daughter moment with their cheeks squished together and bright smiles.

“it should be ready in five,” nanami says before pointing at the stand a couple of meters away from them. “the hot glue gun is over there.”

meanwhile, the twins have been begging suguru to make a silly pose with them for five minutes.

"c’monnnn, it’s just a heart!” nanako protests, huffing and pouting at her dad. and mimiko, always agreeing with her sister, matches her frown.

the sight of his two identical angels scowling at him is enough to have suguru surrender, amused chuckles flowing from his mouth as he lifts his hands in the air. 

“okay, okay, jeez!”

behind the camera, nanami smiles as the girls and their dad form a giant heart with their arms, their eyes closed in that characteristic smile of theirs.

“wait, green paint? are you sure?” toji watches in confusion as tsumiki reaches for the green pot of paint, paying no mind to her dad’s question. “pink’s your favorite, isn’t it?”

“the baby likes pink more,” the young girl shrugs, her brush strokes on the wooden stick practiced and precise. “she starts screaming like, reaaally loud if i have pink. so i picked green, like your eyes.”

toji suddenly can’t remember the last time he saw tsumiki wear pink, easily picturing his youngest throwing a tantrum over a damn color. but he can’t ignore tsumiki’s last comment, her thoughtfulness causing his thoat to tighten.

“sweetheart,” he scoots closer to her, gently smoothing his hand over her soft hair before planting a kiss on the crown of her head. “if you like green, i won’t stop you. but if it’s pink what you want, i’ll get it for you. i’ll handle your sister’s tantrum.” 

meanwhile, suguru can’t seem to take his eyes off of the polaroid photo, his two daughters by his side and looking too grown-up all of a sudden.

“i love you, my girls,” suguru murmurs, his heart at his throat and his arms around his girls, “i’m so proud of you.”

toji and suguru’s heart-strings tug in realization at how much they’ve missed their daughters, wasting precious bonding time by chasing after the little ones.

the attention span of these little ones is alarmingly short, the terrible twos (and even threes) a reality nanami’s very familiar with. and to make matters even worse, the kids are already fussy.

sukuna's hands are full as he struggles to stop his son from running off to god-knows-where, and his daughter from falling asleep. toji isn’t faring any better, the sweet moment he had minutes ago with tsumiki crumbling down as he keeps his youngest from stomping her pink heeled-feet on his groin. and there’s also satoru, shielding his mochi from the sun with a kids-sized parasol.

"erm– this will be quick," nanami clears his throat before addressing the class, "kids, feel free to pick one, or multiple, colors. dads, the wet wipes are over there.”

each kid (by the grace of the heavens) picks a color without a hitch—or so nanami thought.

"mr. 'nami?" sukuna’s daughter calls out for her teacher, an instinct at this point since he always seems to know what to do.

"yes, sweetheart?"

sukuna's frown immediately deepens, ignoring the orange mess on his son’s clothes in order to aid his princess.

"i want pink too." the shy girl says softly, her eyes glancing towards the zen'in girl rubbing her chubby hands together with the pink paint.

"i’ll handle it."

nanami’s jaw tenses as he sees sukuna’s broad frame head towards the zen’in family, "sir–"

and while hell breaks loose between the itadori’s and the zen’in’s, satoru has his own struggles with his son.

"mochi, i thought you liked blue," satoru pouts as he realizes his son picked yellow instead, his little fingers struggling to open the lid.

the young boy doesn't seem to pick on his dad’s dejected tone, focusing on opening the lid until the cap finally flies open, and a huge blob of bright yellow paint falls on his chest and lap, "nuh-uh. yewow, for mama."

satoru isn’t proud to admit that it takes him longer than necessary to: one, understand his son’s words and two, remember what you’re wearing today.

a yellow sundress.

"hey, man. your kid's hogging the pink paint," sukuna addresses toji with laid-back familiarity. after all, they’re the undefeated champions of trivia night at shiu’s, "share some with the rest of the class."

toji, ever the instigator of evil, gives him a mocking smirk while leaning down to talk to his daughter, "princess, you wanna share?"

and upon the threat of the enticing pink paint being taken from her hands, the youngest zen’in lets out a petulant whine, tears forming at the speed of light, "no, daddy! mine!"

"oi–"

"here, brand new," nanami mutters as he shoves an unopened pot of pink paint on sukuna's chest, wishing to deescalate the growing tension. he takes a breath before turning to face the youngest zen'in and her father, the politeness almost making his throat bleed raw, "sweetheart, remember to share the materials with our friends. yeah?"

"but… it's mine..." her tone softens, the trademark pout making an appearance.

satoru, without taking his eyes away from his son’s artwork, clicks his tongue while guiding his son’s hands onto the shirt, "so spoiled."

for everybody’s sake, toji settles on conveying his murderous intentions through his narrowed eyes, sukuna chuckling away from the scene and going back to his own troublemakers.

“here you go, princess,” the pot of paint sits on sukuna’s palm like an offering to his daughter, her eyes gleaming happily at the sight of it, “brand new, just for you.”

but satoru isn’t as lucky as he thought he would be, his son fed up with his constant questions and commentary about his artwork.

“mochi, c’mon,” satoru gasps when his kid knocks the parasol off of his hand, tears already running down his cheeks as he looks around, ignoring satoru’s desperate eyes, “just a bit of blue? for papa?”

“no! wan’ mama!”

nanami chugs down two acetaminophen pills in record time.

after a much-needed break (and an extra painkiller in his pocket), nanami is ready to start with the last group.

"oh? couldn’t stop it at two either?” satoru smirks at the pink-haired man sitting next to him, “i mean, i get it,” his eyebrows wiggle with double innuendo and his words fade into a hushed whisper, “i also have three kids, might convince my wife to try for a fourth—i’m still working on the pros and cons list–”

the confused gaze of itadori jin is blocked by little yuuji's head, placing himself between his clueless dad and mr. gojo.

"'tis my daddy. uncle 'kuna is with my babies."

the words die in satoru’s mouth as his eyes follows yuuji’s finger, realizing itadori sukuna is busy throwing his son in the air.

toji snorts, which earns him a glare from satoru and a defeated sigh from nanami.

"kids," the tired teacher easily gets the boys' attention, his barely-there hopeful tone falling flat as he eyes the men in front of him, "dads... this is an easy one."

he hands them each a sheet of paper with a trophy drawn on it, the title ‘dad #1’ right in the middle.

“oh my, see? i’m the best dad,” satoru gushes in his son’s ear, the boy’s giggles making his grin widen, “admit it, mochi!”

a few meters away, megumi drags the yellow crayon back and forth with one hand while rising the other one with an open palm, “red.”

“squirt, don’t be a brat,” toji says half-heartedly, barely hiding his amusement as he’s bossed around by his four-year-old, “say please.”

wordlessly, little megumi doesn’t even spare a glance at his dad, and grabs the red crayon himself.

“oh, you little–” 

meanwhile, yuuji seems to have a heart-to-heart with his dad, father and son staring at each other with watery eyes.

“you’re the best daddy ever,” little yuuji sniffles, which does nothing to stop the snot already running down his nose from getting past his lips, “am i the best son ever?”

besides the crying fest from the itadori’s (the soft ones, as nanami calls them in his head), the activity runs without a hitch this time, each father-son duo walking away with smiles on their faces.

and when the long afternoon eventually ends and nanami finds himself thanking his lucky stars even before he makes it home, he almost falls to his knees once he’s welcomed by the peace and comfort of his wife’s embrace.