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Gojo knew something was up the second he laid eyes on Megumi. The kid was patiently waiting for him near the school entrance. Megumi was anything but patient when it came to Gojo, especially when he was running an entire twenty minutes late. That Megumi hadn't already left and walked home by himself was enough to earn Gojo's suspicion.
Then there was the piece of paper Megumi was holding, its contents so enthralling he hadn't noticed Gojo until he was almost on top of him. Before Gojo could get a peek at what was so interesting, Megumi shoved it into his pocket, all while avoiding looking at Gojo. It only made Gojo all the more curious.
"What's that you're hiding in your pocket, Megumi?"
"Nothing," Megumi answered without missing a beat, his eyes trained on the ground.
Megumi's ever-persistent stubbornness when it came to opening up and sharing things with Gojo wasn't anything new. After four years of practically raising the kid, Gojo was lucky if he got Megumi to talk after the fourth try. The longest he held out was an entire three days. Three days before Gojo learned he'd been hiding a pretty nasty cut on his knee that needed antibiotics. Gojo could only hope that Megumi's teenage years would be easier. Wishful thinking, he knew.
"Nothing, huh?" Gojo grinned mischievously as he crouched down, head tilted like a curious puppy. "Be honest with me, Megumi…are you looking at pictures of naked women?"
"W-What?!" Megumi sputtered, finally looking at Gojo. His face turned bright red, like a tomato, and oh, how Gojo wished he had his phone out to snap a picture. "Of course not, you pervert! I'm only ten!"
"Exactly, it's the perfect time for you to start exploring!" Gojo exclaimed, pushing his shades down so he could look Megumi right in the eyes. "So, who is it? Oh, let me guess, it's some celebrity, right?!"
"Gross! Stop being so weird!"
Megumi shoved past him and hurried on ahead, ignoring Gojo's call to wait up. He made it far enough that Gojo had to jog to catch up, his laughter only spurring Megumi into picking up the pace. They made it home in record time, and Gojo wasn't at all surprised when Megumi stormed off to his room. Sometimes, Gojo wondered if he should tone down his teasing. Not that he believed he could—poking fun at others was hard-wired into his brain.
Still, at times like this, it had the opposite effect of what he wanted. While he was thankful it didn't appear to be anything pornographic—despite his jokes, Gojo was not ready to have that particular conversation—it didn't quell his curiosity. If anything, it made him more antsy to know what his kid was hiding.
Megumi was a bright student with nearly straight A's. Gojo had seen his last report card—which was still stuck to the front of the fridge beside his sister's—and knew his next one wasn't due for a while, so that couldn't be it. There had been no calls from the school regarding any misbehavior either, something he double-checked on the way home.
Did Megumi receive a low test score? No, the last time Megumi failed a test, he didn't hide it. He had solemnly presented it to Gojo when he cheerily asked how he did, expecting the best from his kid. Sure, Gojo wasn't perfect at raising two kids—he was barely an adult himself—but he thought he handled the situation well. After all, Megumi seemed to perk right up when Gojo offered to take him and Tsumiki out for some yakisoba.
What are you hiding, Megumi?
Usually, Gojo would have asked Tsumiki for help. Although Megumi still put on a front with her, Tsumiki was an expert at getting him to open up to her. Gojo was sure if she asked, Megumi would show her without much fuss. Only, Tsumiki made plans to hang out with one of her friends after school. She wouldn't be home until after Megumi's bedtime. That meant Gojo had no choice but to go it alone if he wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery. As he thought over what he could do, Gojo got to work on making dinner.
Half an hour later, Gojo was putting the finishing touches on dinner when Megumi shuffled into the kitchen, that piece of paper clutched in his hands. He had it pressed to his chest, keeping its contents hidden. For Megumi to bring it out again without more prodding from Gojo meant one of two things: the kid was finally lowering his defenses—wouldn't that be nice—or it was concerning enough that even Megumi knew better than to hide it for long.
"Dinner's almost ready!" Gojo smiled at him despite his worry, hoping he didn't look too goofy, as Megumi liked to accuse him of. He wanted the kid to talk to him, not change his mind because Gojo looked like he couldn't take anything seriously. "Is there something you want to show me, Megumi?"
Gojo cut right to the point, opening up the floor for Megumi while giving him the chance to back out. Rather than answering him, Megumi stepped closer—hesitating for a few seconds—and held out the paper. Turning the stove off, Gojo took the paper and turned it over, his eyes quickly scanning the crumpled-up sheet.
Written at the top of the page in large, bold font were the words, 'Third Annual Spelling Bee!'. Below it were a bunch of stock image letters and details about the spelling bee, like when it was to take place. It was only a week away. The prize wasn't cash or anything extravagant; the winning student's homeroom class would get a party that included a bounce house. Blinking in surprise, Gojo reread the page a couple of times, each time leaving him with more questions than answers.
"You want to participate in the spelling bee?" Gojo asked, unable to hide his surprise.
Megumi was a smart kid, and there was no doubt in Gojo's mind that he'd win, but he was a little stumped as to why Megumi would want to participate. From the sounds of it, there wasn't much in it for him. Despite Gojo and Tsumiki pushing him to try, Megumi didn't care about making friends at school, so a prize that rewarded all his classmates didn't sound like something that would entice Megumi. The thought of Megumi doing it for the bounce house was…hysterical if Gojo was being honest. He was practically allergic to childish things.
"Yes—" Megumi answered bluntly, providing no reason—"but my homeroom teacher says I need permission from a parent to join. I have the permission slip, but if you think it's a waste of time—"
"What, of course not!" Gojo cut him off. "I'd be thrilled to sign it, Megumi! Why on earth would I think it was a waste of time?"
Megumi shrugged as he looked down. "It's just a silly competition; it's not like it means anything in the end."
In the end, meaning when Megumi is eventually enrolled at Jujutsu High. Megumi was right, once he began his life as a Jujutsu sorcerer, a middle school spelling bee wouldn't mean anything when it came to fighting cursed spirits. However, that didn't mean it was a waste of time. Gojo wanted Megumi to have as much of a normal childhood as possible before being forced into that kind of life. That included making memories he could look back on fondly; memories that weren't tainted with blood, death, and pain.
Gojo tapped Megumi's head to get the kid to look at him, wanting his full attention before he spoke. "Listen, if it makes you happy, then it's not a waste of time. You're allowed to like and want things, Megumi, no matter how mundane. You don't need to justify that to anyone."
Megumi looked like he wanted to argue that Gojo was wrong. As much as he hated it, Gojo was reminded that Megumi had already lived a hard life despite only being ten. He and his sister both had been scraping by—barely able to afford essentials—when Gojo barreled into their life. For Megumi, things had always been about logic and need. There was no room for frivolous desires.
"It doesn't," Megumi mumbled, continuing when Gojo's brows crinkled in confusion. "The spelling bee…it doesn't make me happy. Spelling bees are stupid."
Gojo couldn't believe his ears. Why would Megumi want to participate if he thought they were stupid? This wasn't some form of bullying, was it? The thought that someone might be forcing Megumi to join crossed his mind, but vanished as fast as it had appeared. There was no way anyone—except maybe Gojo—could bully the kid into doing something he didn't want to. Megumi would sooner throw punches than give in to a bunch of punks.
"Alright—" Gojo crouched so he was at eye level with Megumi—"we're gonna start from the top and you—my moody little sea urchin—are going to explain it to me as though I'm ten years old."
"You already act like a ten-year-old."
In retaliation, Gojo flicked Megumi on the forehead, ignoring his shout of anger as he held up the flyer and pointed to the bold header. "See this here? What does it say?"
Megumi glared at him, refusing to answer, but Gojo merely smiled back and tapped the paper, refusing to budge. Eventually, Megumi gave in with an annoyed sigh.
"Third annual spelling bee."
"Correct!" Gojo cheered as he ruffled Megumi's hair, laughing when the kid slapped his hand away. "Now, explain to me why someone who thinks spelling bees are stupid would want to join one. You never cared the other two years. What's so different about this year?"
"My stupid teacher," Megumi answered with such prominent disdain that it left Gojo speechless. Thankfully, for once, Megumi seemed more than happy to share his grievance. "He refused to hand out the flyers this year because he thinks it's pointless. Apparently, our class is too stupid to win."
"Your teacher said that?" Gojo asked, trying to wrap his head around that.
What kind of asshole teacher calls a bunch of fourth graders stupid? Isn't it his fucking job to teach these kids? Gojo debated whether he should storm down there the next day and give that teacher a piece of his mind. If it resulted in Gojo speaking with the principal, then all the better. No one talked to his kid like that!
Megumi nodded, a spark of determination shining in his eyes. "He said the first graders could beat us and made some of my classmates cry. He's nothing but a bully, and I'm going to prove him wrong! I'm going to win and—and ban him from the bounce house!"
Despite his best efforts, the absolute seriousness with which Megumi declared his intentions sent Gojo into a fit of giggles. He barely heard Megumi's complaint as he laughed until his side hurt. While Gojo wanted to use his words to instill a sense of fear and regret in the man, Megumi planned to prove him wrong by making him eat his words. Both wanted to teach Megumi's teacher a lesson, yet the ten-year-old had the more mature plan. Who was actually raising who?
Once he finally calmed down, Gojo flashed Megumi his biggest grin. "Well, alright then! Sounds like a plan!"
Megumi stared at Gojo in disbelief before he broke into a smile that lit up his entire face. Gojo could only stare after him as Megumi ran back to his room and reappeared seconds later with the permission slip. He signed the slip without a second thought, Megumi's smile becoming forever ingrained in his mind.
- - -
"Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia."
Megumi froze like a deer in the headlights, staring at Gojo like he'd finally lost all his marbles. Maybe he did because even Tsumiki—who learned to smile through his antics—was wearing a face of concern from her place at the kitchen table, her breakfast temporarily forgotten.
"Are you having a stroke?" Megumi asked, a surprising amount of concern in his usually stoic tone.
Tsumiki frowned as she glanced between Megumi and Gojo. "Should we call Shoko?"
"What, no! I'm not having a stroke!" Gojo waved off both of the siblings' concerns as he slid a bowl of ochazuke, topped with ginger, in front of Megumi. "The spelling bee is only a week away, so we need to start practicing. The more words you can spell, the better. So, your first word is hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia. Spell it for me!"
"Hippopota—hippo—that's not a real word!" Megumi argued as he angrily shoveled food into his mouth. "You made that up!"
"First of all, don't talk with your mouth full. It's gross." Gojo easily sidestepped Megumi's throw, sighing dramatically at the wasted rice now splattered on the wall. Tsumiki was doing her best to stifle her giggling. "And secondly, it most certainly is a real word; one you'll need to learn if you're going to win this!"
"Gojo—" Tsumiki spoke up, wearing her usual polite smile despite the amusement shimmering in her eyes. "—I don't think they'll include words like that in the spelling bee. First graders are participating, too, remember?"
"And that's why you're the smartest one in this household, Tsumiki!" Gojo praised, an idea hitting him like a freight train. "I know, why don't you help me figure out some challenging words for Megumi? We can create flashcards using a bunch of colorful markers and stickers! I'll even order takeout for dinner, your choice!"
"Really?" Tsumiki practically bounced with excitement as Gojo nodded. "I'd love to help!"
"Great!"
With that, operation Ensure Megumi Wins the Spelling Bee commenced. Gojo quizzed Megumi the entire way to school, throwing out whatever ridiculously long and complicated words he could think of. Megumi barely knew one-fourth of them, and even then, he had no idea what they meant, let alone how to spell them. Gojo reasoned that if Megumi knew how to spell complicated words, then the simpler ones should be a breeze. Megumi reasoned that Gojo was dropped on his head as a baby.
While the kids were at school, Gojo bought a whole new set of colorful markers and far more packets of stickers than were necessary. It couldn't be helped that he also purchased a few containers of glitter. What arts and crafts project was complete without a little glitter? After school, Gojo picked up dinner on the way home. True to his word, he let Tsumiki pick, which resulted in them bringing home a variety of ramen, the fancy kind, with a variety of toppings.
Gojo and Tsumiki quickly got to work, slurping up noodles in between flashcards. Megumi quietly watched cartoons as they worked, happily scarfing down his ramen. When Tsumiki scolded Gojo for getting distracted, he blamed Megumi for putting on Digimon. By the end of the night, the living room was covered in glitter, stickers, and bits of colorful paper. Running a hand through his hair, Gojo was caught off guard by the purple glitter that fell out, more shaking free as he ruffled his hair.
"Look, Megumi!"
Tsumiki proudly showed her little brother her flashcards, which were covered in cute animal stickers and sprinkled with a rainbow of glitter. Gojo barely caught Megumi's quiet 'whatever' but smiled as he meticulously gave each card a once-over. He didn't miss the way Megumi paused longer on one that had a bunch of dinosaur stickers. What kid didn't love dinosaurs?
"They're okay," Megumi mumbled, which—based on how happy Tsumiki looked—was a pretty big compliment coming from him. "Much better than Gojo's."
"Hey! I put all of my blood, sweat, and tears into making these!"
"Maybe that's why they look so horrible." Megumi picked up one of Gojo's cards, took one look at the word messily scrawled on the paper, and glared at him. "This isn't one of the words Tsumiki told you. You're making up words again!"
"Am not!" Gojo argued. "Loquacious is a real word, it means to talk a lot or somethin'!"
"You would know a word like that."
Gojo stared Megumi down for a few seconds, neither of them backing down, before he reached out and flicked Megumi on the forehead again. Megumi froze, shocked, for a moment before the yelling began. Being the responsible adult he was, Gojo laughed until Megumi threatened to ban him from the bounce house, too.
"Megumi—" Gojo held a hand to his heart as he looked at Megumi in feigned disbelief—"does that mean I'm invited to your victory party?"
"No," Megumi deadpanned, refusing to look Gojo in the eyes as he spoke. "You're too weird."
"I don't think adults are invited anyway," Tsumiki said thoughtfully.
Megumi scowled at her words. "Says who? They can't tell Gojo no!"
"Aw, so you do want me there!"
"I do not!"
Grinning, Gojo ruffled Megumi's hair before standing and taking in the mess they'd made. Cleaning it all up was going to be a nightmare, but seeing how much fun Tsumiki had, Gojo didn't regret it. Tsumiki offered to help clean, but Gojo assured her he had it covered and quickly ushered them to bed. Gojo didn't need to worry about getting a call from their school because his kids fell asleep in class after he let them stay up past midnight.
Besides, cleaning up your kids' messes was part of being a parent, right?
- - -
In the days leading up to the spelling bee, Gojo quizzed Megumi using their flashcards. During the middle of breakfast, on the way to and from school, and even while Megumi was trying to finish his homework, Gojo would suddenly whip out a flashcard and demand Megumi spell the word. While Megumi acted put off by it, he would always spell out the word with enough prodding. As expected, Megumi passed most with flying colors, the few he struggled with making an appearance more frequently until he finally nailed them all, even Gojo's 'imaginary' words.
When the day of the spelling bee finally arrived, Gojo woke the kids up early and took them out for breakfast. Tsumiki easily ate hers while Gojo couldn't help but worry as Megumi pushed his food around, barely having taken a few bites. In the four years he'd known the kid, Gojo never knew Megumi to be a picky eater. Typically, Megumi would have devoured his breakfast before Gojo, something he often poked fun at.
"Megumi, you feeling alright, kiddo?" Gojo asked, waiting for a response that didn't come. It took a light tap of his foot against Megumi's leg to gain the kid's attention. "What's going on, Megumi?"
"Nothing, I'm just not very hungry."
The response only made Gojo more worried. Since when was Megumi ever not hungry in the morning? Apparently, his response didn't sit well with his sister either, as Tsumiki's brows pinched together in confusion. Was Megumi sick? Gojo couldn't recall him acting off the night before, and he had no problem eating dinner.
"Oh, then why don't we get it packed up for later?"
"Whatever."
Although he stopped messing with his food, Megumi continued to stare at the plate, his eyes unfocused as his mind appeared to drift elsewhere. Gojo was this close to dragging Megumi down to Shoko's place when Tsumiki spoke up.
"You don't have to be nervous, Megumi." Tsumiki reached over and grabbed her brother's hand, smiling softly when Megumi scowled but held her hand.
"I'm not nervous!"
Let it be said that Tsumiki could be stubborn in her own way as she gently pushed further, Gojo quietly watching. "Are you nervous about going up on stage?"
Megumi didn't answer her directly, but Gojo saw the way he squeezed her hand at the mention of going up on stage. So Megumi was nervous. The more Gojo thought about it, the more it made sense. As much as Megumi tried to hide it, he was still a kid; a kid who usually kept his head down and did his best to blend in with the crowd. While Megumi wasn't afraid to stand up for what he felt was right, he never did so for the attention.
Admittedly, it hadn't even crossed Gojo's mind that Megumi could be nervous. Not with how unbothered he seemed by everything. Tsumiki—on the other hand—had seen right through him, had seen something Gojo and his six eyes couldn't. He still had a lot to learn when it came to raising these kids.
"You've got nothing to worry about, Megumi!" Gojo finally spoke up, assuring Megumi with a bright smile. "Just forget all those nameless faces and focus on me and Tsumiki! We'll be the loudest and liveliest in the crowd, so it'll be pretty hard to miss us!"
"Gojo's right!" Tsumiki squeezed her brother's hand reassuringly. "You've got this, Megumi!"
Megumi shrank further into his seat, his cheeks turning red as Tsumiki and Gojo's yelling caught the attention of the other customers. Well, Gojo supposed it could count as training for when Megumi finally took the stage. Not wanting Megumi to change his mind, Gojo quickly paid for their food and ushered the kids off to school. Gojo gave Megumi one last reassuring smile and the promise of being front and center for the spelling bee.
Gojo wouldn't miss it for the world.
- - -
Despite Megumi's claim of not caring about the spelling bee—I only want to teach that bully a lesson—he held on to the first-place ribbon throughout middle school, keeping it stuffed inside one of his dresser drawers. Gojo teased him relentlessly about it until Megumi refused to let him anywhere near his dresser. When Megumi moved into one of the dorm rooms at Jujutsu High, Gojo helped him move and watched as he carefully packed the ribbon with his clothes.
Somehow, during the move, the ribbon became lost. No matter how many times Megumi searched through the empty boxes—Gojo helping him look—he couldn't find it. Although bummed at first, Megumi eventually moved past it, accepting it as just another part of his ordinary life he'd be leaving behind. In his own words, 'such childish accomplishments meant nothing.'
Megumi couldn't be more wrong. Such childish accomplishments meant everything to Gojo. Maybe one day he'd feel bad for what he did—unlikely—but as Gojo hung the framed ribbon up in his office, the memories that came flooding back from that day made his slight deceit all the more worth it.
Gojo and Tsumiki had kept their promise and cheered Megumi on from the front row, wielding homemade signs covered in stickers and glitter. The bewildered stares and whispering meant nothing in the face of watching Megumi overcome his nerves and kick the other contestants' asses. The look on Megumi's teacher's face when he promptly banned him from joining the party was priceless; his face when Gojo joined the kids in the bounce house making his and Megumi's entire year.
No, Gojo would never feel bad, not when such a precious memory made coming back from his missions feel like coming home.