Chapter Text
When Gojo and Getou told them they’d been studying to become teachers, they forgot to mention they’d been working to become university professors. Tsumiki takes that personally and only settles down when Gojo reminds her that when you’re 18, you can go to the university we teach at.
Since Tsumiki is the oldest (barely, Megumi likes to remind her every time she brings it up), she should technically be the first one to go to university. She hangs her acceptance letter in the kitchen, goes shopping with Gojo for a new bag, and signs up for her classes as soon as registration starts. She’s ready. Except her body isn’t. She falls ill just before classes start and has to defer her attendance. Megumi is reminded of what he told Gojo the first year he and Tsumiki had been adopted and it scares him.
It scares him, that he’d forgotten that family could just… leave. She looks pale when he visits her at the hospital on his birthday. She’s not leaving.
He repeats it when she wakes up and when she smacks his shoulder and it feels more like a shoulder pat. She must see it in his eyes because she promises, I’m the big sister. I should be there already, but this means we’ll just have to go to school together, huh?
It takes almost a year, but she gets better. It makes Megumi realize how much more he needs to thank Gojo for. If it hadn’t been for him, the medical expenses…For his part, Gojo just pats his head and says, You don’t have to thank me for anything. We’re a family and my job is to protect all four of you
By the time the rest of them have graduated, she’s on her feet again.
While she doesn’t have the year’s worth of experiences she’d wanted to have by now, she does have a few month’s worth and it’s enough to irritate him, especially so close to their first day of classes. She boasts, “If you end up getting lost, don’t worry, I’ll come to your rescue. I’m part of the welcoming committee this year!”
He grumbles, “I won’t get lost and it’s the only year you’ve been there.”
Tsumiki smacks him with her bag and Kuro barks, pawing at Megumi.
He sighs, rubbing his shoulder, “You’re supposed to be on my side.”
Tsumiki pats Kuro’s head and then sneaks him a snack. Megumi eyes him with a frown and says, “You’re taking bribes?” Kuro just wags his tail, walking off like he’s done nothing wrong.
The night before their first day, Gojo decides they need to eat something special. They’re all in the living room as he’s cooking. The TV is on low.
Nanako and Mimiko complain as they print out their school schedule, “Why can’t we just take all our classes with Papa? Why do we have to take classes with,” Nanako squints even though she has perfect eyesight, “Utahime Iori?”
From her own laptop, Mimiko says, “We also have to take classes with Dad. Do you think we’ll learn anything? ”
Gojo, who is in the kitchen, yells, “I heard that!”
Shiro yowls pityingly from Mimiko’s side and that makes Gojo pop out from making dinner. He points his wooden spoon at Megumi, “Are you teaching him bad manners again?”
“I didn’t teach him anything. He just likes making fun of you, too.” As if to confirm, Shiro barks, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth like he’s grinning.
“I will have you know, my wonderful and smart children, that I’m an excellent teacher. One of the best. No, THE best! - teacher at that school! I have full marks on that site, rate your professor!”
“Papa has full marks too,” Nanako counters, then sniffs, “I think something is burning.”
Gojo sniffs the air too and then yells, “The onions!”
As Gojo finishes preparing their food, they start setting the table and Getou comes out of the bathroom, hair damp. He stops for a moment and asks, “Why does it smell like-” But Gojo is faster.
He’s made it to where Getou is standing in just a few strides and takes the towel around his neck, helping him dry the bottom strands of his hair. He looks like he’s pouting as he says, “It was Shiro.”
As if understanding, Shiro headbutts him.
They all laugh and Megumi says, “That’s why he makes fun of you.”
Gojo tries to defend himself, “I looked away for one second! ”
Getou smiles and kisses his cheek, “We can’t be perfect all the time. The Great Gojo Satoru has to have some flaws.”
Mimiko brings their steamed rice to the table and Getou heads over to start serving the rice portions. Megumi is already serving their soup and Tsumiki calls out from the kitchen where Gojo has left his latest creation, “He managed to save it! It’s so good.”
Gojo looks smug…until Nanako leans into Megumi and loudly whispers, “What are the chances we just think the food is good after years of conditioning?”
Megumi chuckles.
“Rude,” Gojo accuses, “all of you!” Shiro and Kuro both nudge their bowls into Gojo’s back and he stumbles a bit. When he turns around he takes their bowls and says, “You two are also included in the list of naughty children. Santa will remember this.”
Megumi rolls his eyes at the dramatics.
As they all settle down and put their hands together in thanks, he briefly thinks about the first note he wrote to Santa. I want Are you real? HaveI been ba Why did you Tsumiki and the new girls and his I want a family
He’d crumpled it after, hiding it in his closet. He hasn’t written one since. He has everything he wants.
The next day Gojo tries to get them to all go to school together.
Tsumiki rejects the idea with an, “I need to mentally prepare them.” He agrees on the condition that they let him take pictures, except that his phone has been snapping pictures all morning. Megumi knows more than one will end up on the door to the fridge by the end of the day
Once they’re guardian-free and on their way to school, Tsumiki crosses her arms and spills.
He rubs the bridge of his nose with every word that comes out of her mouth.
“You’re telling us,” he repeats, “That nobody knows they’re married? ”
Nanako sounds too excited when she says, “And that there’s a betting pool!”
Mimiko sounds skeptical, “...about who will have the most kids drop by the end of the second week? That’s so…”
Nanako finishes her sentence, “...childish! It’s the sort of thing Dad would do! And you know Papa will always play along.”
It’s true, Megumi realizes. He also realizes this means his first day isn’t going to be simple and normal.
Tsumiki sighs, “No, they know they’re married! They have rings. They just don’t know to who. Some people think,” she looks around and whispers, “ Dad is married to Utahime-sensei since he’s always picking on her.”
“I have a class with her,” Mimiko tells her. “What’s she like?”
Tsumiki giggles, “Easy to tease. She always reacts. I think she might have a crush on him.”
“What about Papa,” Nanako asks, “Who do people think he’s married to?”
“He’s more serious,” they all nod, “So people think he’s either married to Ieri-sensei, she’s one of the nurses, or Mei Mei. She’s a teacher in the business department. Oh, apparently there was a time when some students thought he was married to Nanami-sensei! But Nanami-sensei is also serious and doesn’t like to be part of rumors, so he said his wife isn’t a teacher.”
“So there are no rumors about Papa and Dad?” Mimiko asks.
“None,” she confirms.
“Even with this stupid rivalry?” Megumi asks, suddenly wondering if maybe he applied to the wrong university. Jujutsu University was supposedly one of the best universities in the prefecture, but if nobody was even considering the possibility that two teachers with a rivalry spanning a few years were involved …
Then he realizes that’s what Tsumiki meant this morning.
“Oh no,” he says. She smirks and says, “Oh yes.”