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The doorknob clicks. There's a rustling, like someone shaking off their clothes and dropping their shoes in the hallway. A heavy, exhausted sigh.
"Gojo?"
"I'm back!" Gojo calls cheerfully. He's smiling, but the corners of his mouth wobble like he's not sure if he should be smiling or not. Megumi steps closer, trying to get a look at his face. He doesn't come home often in the evening, since he sleeps at Jujutsu Tech.
"Hey, kid." Gojo ruffles his hair, and Megumi bats his hand away. "Tsumiki around?"
"Yeah, she's making dinner. What are those scratches on your face?"
"Scratches? Oh. That's nothing. I fell. Just a little clumsy." He smiles again. "Are you worried about me, Gumi?"
"You wish," he snaps. "Go take a shower. You're filthy."
"You got it."
The water runs for a long time. Tsumiki calls out from the kitchen, asking Megumi to set the table. Megumi goes without complaint, and by time they're done, Gojo comes in freshly changed, the marks on his face hidden.
“Satoru! Please have some!” Tsumiki chirps. He obliges and sits down with them.
"It tastes so good, Tsumiki is the best chef~"
"Don't talk with your mouth full, it's disgusting," Megumi grumbles.
Tsumiki kicks him under the table. Gojo laughs, his usual bright self, despite Megumi noticing his trouble sitting up properly.
"What's on the agenda for tomorrow?" asks Gojo.
"We have school," says Megumi.
"Boo, boring. Anything fun happening after school?"
"No."
"I have ballet practice!" Tsumiki exclaims. "I've been getting much better at it. The teacher says I'm very graceful."
"That's great," says Gojo, sincerely, and Megumi looks away. "You'll have to show me."
"And I'll show you how far I can go on the monkey bars," she adds, and Gojo laughs.
"I'd love to see that too. Maybe Megumi can join us for that one."
"No."
"Oh, come on, Megumi." Tsumiki hisses.
"No."
"What do you have to do that's so important, hmm?" asks Gojo. "Are you gonna spend all day reading manga in your room?"
"I'm not some kind of Otaku."
Gojo smirks and turns back to Tsumiki.
"He's lying. He read all of the Naruto manga the other day. Twice."
"I didn't!"
"I think I'm gonna have to have a talk with you, young man, about the importance of realistic lying."
Megumi shoots him a glare and goes back to stuffing his face with rice. Tsumiki and Gojo keep chatting animatedly about nothing, and Megumi doesn't mind it, even though he's not saying much. He doesn't feel the need to.
When they are done eating, Gojo and Megumi clean up the kitchen, while Tsumiki goes to her room to get ready for this sleepover she's having with her friends. She's only 11, but she's already a social butterfly. She'll be the most popular girl in her class, Megumi has no doubt.
"Hey, kid," Gojo says, and Megumi looks up from drying a plate. "How about we go out somewhere this weekend? You and me? We could go to the park or get some ice cream. What do you think?"
"Do you really have time for that?"
"Sure. I have all the time in the world. What do you say?"
Gojo is really annoying, but... Megumi likes the park and ice cream.
"Fine."
"Yes! It's a date. We'll go somewhere super fun, and then when we get home, we'll have a movie night. We can watch a scaaary movie and eat lots of candy," Gojo declared, wiggling his fingers.
Megumi rolls his eyes and throws his dish towel over Gojo's face.
"Hey!"
He hears a familiar giggle from the doorway. Tsumiki is there, watching the two of them.
"What are you laughing at?" Megumi demands.
"You."
"Shut up."
"Alright, alright. Tsumiki, I'll take you to your friend's place in an hour. Let's pack you a bag."
Gojo helps her pack a bag, and Megumi goes into his room to get a headstart on his homework. Gojo and Tsumiki chat in the hall for a while. Then, he hears Gojo enter the bathroom next to his room.
It's silent, for a while.
Then, Megumi hears a retching sound.
He drops his pencil and rushes out of his room to the toilet. Gojo is hunched over it, emptying the contents of his stomach into the bowl. His body shakes, and he coughs, spitting up more bile.
"Um. Are you okay?"
Gojo sits up, panting.
"Fine," he wheezes. "I'm fine."
He throws up again. Then again. And again.
He vomits too much. Too much for it to be normal. Megumi has been sick before, and it was never like this. The whole time, he stands in the doorway, useless and frozen.
He vomits until there’s nothing left, until he’s shivering and dry heaving. Gojo lets out a miserable groan, and slumps against the toilet. He reaches up and flushes, tries to push himself up, and sinks back down. He rests his head on the toilet seat, limbs trembling, looking tired and weak.
Megumi doesn't know what to do.
"You're sick," he says, dumbly.
Gojo gives a shaky laugh and mumbles something about wasting Tsumiki's dinner.
Then he goes limp.
"Gojo!"
Megumi rushes to his side. His eyes are closed, but he's breathing. Megumi's hands shake, and he's not sure what to do.
His parents used to be around, but they weren't there for him, not really. They would disappear for days and days. And Gojo had always been there. But now it was Gojo who needed help.
He reaches to touch Gojo's forehead, expecting to meet resistance, but surprisingly his Infinity is down. It's weird. It's not right.
Gojo's skin burns beneath his touch; he's feverish. He needs a doctor, Megumi thinks, panicking. Or a hospital. But there's no way he'll get him there alone.
"Tsumiki!"
She's not here. She left.
Damn. Okay. This will be harder to do alone. He takes hold of Gojo's left ankle and pulls.
"Come on, stupid."
He pulls Gojo across the tile floor, grunting from how heavy he is. Megumi hauls him through the bathroom door and into his room. He's too heavy to lift onto the bed, so he takes the pillows and covers from it and gives them to Gojo on the floor.
It doesn't look comfortable, but it will have to do.
"There," he pants. Now...
He goes to the kitchen for the landline and dials the nice lady Shoko's phone number. She picks up right away.
"Gojo?"
"No, it's Megumi. He's sick."
"Megumi?" There's a pause. "Okay. Tell me what's going on."
"He was throwing up. A lot. And a fever. He passed out. I moved him to my room."
"I'm coming over."
"Thank you," Megumi sighs.
"I'll be right there, sweetie. I promise. Try to make him comfortable, alright?"
"Yeah. Okay."
"Good. I'll be right there."
The phone call ends.
Megumi returns to Gojo. His face is sweaty, and his chest is rising and falling. Megumi watches it for a moment, making sure that he's still breathing.
Megumi is not the type to comfort. He has never comforted. Not really. But he knows the basics, and he does his best. He places a cold, wet cloth on Gojo's forehead and sits down next to him, cross-legged.
"Don't die," he says. "Or Tsumiki will be upset."
He doesn't want Gojo to die, either.
He waits there for Shoko. It takes about 20 minutes. She wakes Gojo up and tells Megumi to leave the room for a bit.
He waits outside his room while Shoko does whatever doctors do. He can hear her speaking with Gojo.
"You're a goddamn idiot."
"I'm sorry. What's that look for? I am, okay? Just please don't worry the kid. Please."
Gojo's voice sounds exhausted. And sad. Megumi doesn't think he's ever heard him sound like that. He presses his back to the wall and slides down it until he's sitting. He draws his knees up and listens, frowning.
"He's gonna be worried whether or not you want him to be. He's a good kid."
"I don't want him to be," says Gojo. "I... I want him and Tsumiki to have as normal a life as possible."
"He can use Jujutsu. You know this. He's not normal." They both fall silent. Aside from the occasional rustling, it's quiet. Megumi listens to the clock tick in the kitchen, trying to ignore the anxiety gnawing at his insides.
"Okay," says Shoko, finally. "I'm going now. Drink lots of water. Get lots of sleep. Come back to school tomorrow and you can rest there. I'll tell the teachers not to bother you."
"Thank you, Shoko. I owe you one."
"Yeah, yeah. See you later, Satoru."
Megumi leaps to his feet and meets Shoko at the door. She puts her shoes on, and then bends down to meet his gaze.
"Hi, sweetheart."
"Is he going to die?" Megumi asks bluntly.
"No," she laughs. "It's just a bug. He's going to be fine. It's just a fever. Give him plenty of water okay?"
"Okay."
"Good boy."
"He looked so tired earlier," says Megumi, and Shoko pauses.
"Yeah, he's been a lot lately. Lots of missions, you know what those are."
"They're working him too hard. He's not a machine."
"I know. Hey." Shoko puts a hand on his shoulder. "He's going to be fine. Alright?"
Megumi nods. Shoko stands up straight.
"I'm going now. If anything happens, just call me. I'm a phone call away."
"Thank you."
"No problem. I'll see you later, Megumi."
"Goodbye."
The door closes. Megumi locks it, and then goes to the kitchen to boil water for tea.
Gojo is on his bed now. Strangely, he doesn't mind.
"Here."
"Thanks, kid," says Gojo. His voice is still weak. "I'm sorry you had to see that."
"It's okay," says Megumi. "I'm sorry I didn't do anything."
"Hm? You did do something though. You moved me here and you got Shoko right?”
“I guess.” He stares at Gojo for a minute. "You're not gonna die, are you?"
"Not if I can help it."
He ponders this. He can't really imagine Gojo dying anyway. But he has to be sure. "Good. If you did, Tsumiki would be sad. So... don't."
"I won't."
Megumi nods. That's settled, then. He helps Gojo sit up and drink the tea.
"You'll feel better," he says, "after you drink stuff. That's what Shoko says."
He drinks his tea, and then lays back down. Megumi stays next to him, watching.
"You should go to sleep, Gumi. Don't worry about me."
His face is flushed, and his hair is mussed, and Megumi wonders when the last time he actually slept was.
"Are you gonna sleep?"
"I'll sleep. I promise."
"Good. Tsumiki is out, so she can't take care of you."
"Oh no, I'm alone with you? How terrible."
Megumi rolls his eyes.
"Just go to sleep, old man."
Gojo chuckles.
"Hey, Gumi?"
"Hm."
"You're a good kid."
"...Shut up."
Gojo smiles and shuts his eyes. Then he opens them again.
"This is your bed."
"So? It’s alright."
Gojo only looks at him. Megumi sighs.
"You're really sick, aren't you?"
"Shoko says it's not too bad."
"And you haven't been sleeping."
He doesn't respond to that one.
"And you've been taking care of us. While also doing your own job. All of this, while you were sick."
"It's not so bad. I'm the strongest, remember?"
Megumi is suddenly furious.
"So you're just going to keep working yourself until you drop?"
Gojo's face doesn't change, but his eyes get sad, and Megumi gets the feeling he's missing something.
"Gumi, I'm-"
"Shut up." He's getting choked up. He's angry. "I don't want you to do that. I want -- I want you to feel happy."
Gojo frowns.
"Hey, I'm sorry. I won't, okay? I won't. I promise. Gumi."
He sits up himself, despite the fever and exhaustion. He holds his arms out, and Megumi is embarrassed, because he's 10, and he's too old for this. But it's been a long day, and he's had a lot of feelings. So he hugs Gojo and tries not to cry.
"It's alright," says Gojo. His chin is resting on Megumi's head. "It's okay. I'm not gonna leave you and Tsumiki. I'm sorry for making you worry."
"I'm not worried," Megumi huffs. "Idiot."
"That's more like it."
Megumi breaks the hug, so that Gojo can lay down again. He could feel how hot he was through the hug.
"Do you want some more tea?"
Gojo shakes his head.
"You should go to sleep, kid. It's late. And you have school tomorrow."
"I don't want to."
"Please?" Gojo bats his eyes stupidly. "I'll be alright. You don't have to stay here. It's not your job."
"You should've thought of that before you passed out on my bathroom floor," Megumi snaps. Without really thinking about it, he flops down next to Gojo and yanks the covers up. Gojo is hot, hot, hot next to him, the fever radiates off him like a furnace. But Megumi doesn't move.
"Gumi?"
" Quiet. If you're gonna die, I wanna be there when you do."
Gojo laughs, and Megumi glares at him.
"I won't die for a long time. And by then you'll be all grown up and you won't need me anymore."
"Don't say dumb things. Of course I'm going to need you."
Gojo falls silent, and Megumi squeezes a bit closer to him. He can feel his heartbeat, a bit of a comforting sound.
"Night, Gumi."
Gojo’s breathing slows, the rise and fall of his chest becoming steady. His fever still burns against Megumi’s side, but he’s not as restless as before.
For a moment, Megumi listens to the silence of the home. No more retching, no more worrying whispers from Shoko, just the sound of Gojo’s heartbeat beneath the steady ticking of the clock. It feels strange—quiet—but also, in a way, safe.
Gojo mumbles something incoherent in his sleep, shifting slightly. Megumi doesn’t move. He doesn’t want to. It’s not familiar, but it’s… right, somehow. The thought lingers, like a fog he can't shake, as he lies there, wide awake.
Megumi looks up at the ceiling, his brow furrowing. Gojo isn’t invincible. He’s always known that, deep down, but seeing it up close like this, feeling it—he doesn’t like it. He doesn’t like the thought of him disappearing.
Megumi exhales slowly and shuts his eyes. He’ll stay awake, just a bit longer. To make sure Gojo’s really okay.
Just a bit longer.