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Dark clouds rolled in as the sun set over the horizon. A drizzle quickly grew into a shower of cold rain, sending people caught outside running for shelter. Stumbling through the nearly empty streets, Gojo paid no mind to the rain as it soaked his clothes and hair. Rain was no threat to his life, so infinity didn't automatically protect him.
Gojo probably should have activated it manually, but after the week-long mission he was forced to go on, he was frankly too damn tired to care. The curses weren't anything special—barely above grade three—but there had been an exhaustively large amount of them. For every curse he cut down, another ten or twenty would crawl out of the woodwork. After an entire week of it, Gojo was ready to go home and collapse for a good day or two. However, Gojo had something he needed to do before he could go home.
Stopping in front of the old apartment door, Gojo fished out his key and fumbled with the lock before finally unlocking the door and stepping inside. The apartment was quiet, which, given the time of day, made sense. It was Wednesday, so the kids had school the next day. Gojo's eyes adjusted to the dark as he quietly crept his way through the living room and down the hall. He stood outside the first door, listening for any signs that the kid was awake. When he heard nothing, Gojo cracked the door open and peeked inside.
Tsumiki was fast asleep, warm and safe underneath her blanket as she clutched a stuffed cow to her chest. On the bed, a small army of plush animals surrounded her. One or two were from before Gojo became a fixture in her life. The rest, Gojo had brought back from his missions. There was everything from dogs to sharks to some ungodly hybrid of a chimp and a chicken Gojo found at some thrift store. Tsumiki—bless her sweet little heart—had loved that abomination.
They were initially his way of apologizing for disappearing all the time, the guilt of leaving these kids—no matter how short—always weighing on his mind. Even after Tsumiki made it clear she knew he'd always come back, Gojo continued his gifts, selfishly looking forward to the smile and hug he'd receive in return. Lip quirking up into a soft smile, Gojo watched her for a few seconds before carefully closing the door and moving on to the next room.
Figuring he'd have been asleep before his sister, Gojo didn't wait before cracking open the door. His smile grew wider as he stepped into the room and over to Megumi's bed. As expected, the kid was sound asleep, his usually unruly hair an absolute mess as bedhead took hold. Megumi had kicked off his blanket at some point, no doubt before the cold, rainy weather rolled in. Half crushed under his head was a black wolf plush, a trail of drool wetting its fur. Glancing down, Gojo found its white twin on the floor.
Although Megumi didn't care for plush animals like his sister, Gojo couldn't help himself when he spotted the two wolves during one of his earlier missions. Megumi had recently learned to summon his divine dogs, something that Gojo had been so proud of. How could he not get the kid some matching plush wolves to celebrate? Of course, Megumi had made some snide comments and brushed his gift aside, claiming he was too mature for that kind of stuff.
Gojo initially believed him, as he never saw the kid show any interest in them. That is, until Gojo returned late again from another mission. To his surprise—and immense joy—he'd found Megumi curled up in bed with the two wolves held firmly in his arms. Something he learned Megumi only did when he thought Gojo was away. Despite his desire to tease the boy, Gojo knew to keep his mouth shut and accept the small victory.
Reaching down, Gojo picked the white wolf off the floor and put it back where it belonged, cuddled up beside Megumi and its twin. With as much care as he could, Gojo pulled the blanket back over Megumi's body and tucked him in, resisting the urge to ruffle the kid's hair. He made a mental note to stop by when the kids were awake, after he'd gotten some much-needed sleep.
Slipping out of Megumi's room, Gojo walked back to the living room. He paused beside the couch, his body aching for some rest as he glanced from it to the apartment door. Eyeing the couch wearily, Gojo took two seconds to make up his mind. With a heavy sigh, he flopped onto the couch and stared blankly at the ceiling. He'd rest his body for a few minutes, enough to make it home without passing out.
Closing his eyes, Gojo relaxed into the soft cushions, the pitter-patter of rain hitting the old roof slowly fading into the background. Just a few minutes…and he'd be right as rain.
- - -
A loud clang startled Gojo awake, his body tensing as his eyes flew open. Sunlight filtered into the room, casting the living room in a soft orange glow. The rain had passed, the sun now shining bright. Gojo blinked up at the ceiling, his brain working overtime to fully wake up. Hushed voices filtered in, their words slowly coming into focus.
"Megumi, you're gonna wake Gojo," Tsumiki warned her brother.
Megumi scoffed, his voice filled with the usual sass Gojo came to love. "Am not! I bet he could sleep through a tornado if he wanted to."
"Whatever, help me with the eggs, will you?"
"You're so bossy," Megumi grumbled before Gojo heard the telltale sound of an egg cracking.
Moving to get up, Gojo froze as he glanced down. A couple of blankets had been thrown over his body and haphazardly tucked around him. They were the spares Gojo kept for when he'd spend the night or when the weather got too cold and one blanket simply wasn't enough to keep the kids warm. Resting atop the blankets was what truly surprised Gojo and caused his heart to swell.
That cursed chimp/chicken was laid across his chest, its arms—or were they wings?—spread out in a mock hug. The gesture alone was already too much for Gojo's heart to handle. It was no surprise that what lay beside him—wedged between his body and the back of the couch—brought tears to his eyes. Megumi's twin wolves. Although they'd been tucked away, the fact that Megumi was willing to part with them for the night, entrusting them to keep Gojo company, held a special kind of meaning he knew he'd likely never hear the kid say aloud.
As he stood up, Gojo was careful in placing Tsumiki's plush abomination down beside Megumi's. Strolling into the kitchen with the brightest smile he's ever worn, Gojo pulled the kids into one hell of a bear hug, which Megumi would argue was an attempted murder. Tsumiki met Gojo's enthusiasm in full force, returning his hug as best she could.
Gojo only let go once Megumi pointed out that the eggs were burning, his offer to help met with loud resistance from both siblings. Resigned to his fate, Gojo left the kitchen with a dramatic huff, but not before ruffling Megumi's hair, much to the kid's annoyance. Flopping down onto one of the dining room chairs, Gojo closed his eyes and propped his head on one of his hands. He listened to Tsumiki and Megumi as they bustled around the kitchen, his smile growing fonder by the minute.
It was nice to be back home.