Chapter Text
It wasn't late but Gojo was tired. He wanted to go to sleep but couldn't there was still so much to do, he had to think up a plan on how to teach his students. It's not like he had to create a lesson plan, but he shouldn't just send them into fights they might loose to see what happens. He was lost in thought when Megumi came into the room, he took a deep breath and said the worst thing he could have.
"Something has changed with in me, something is not the same. I am through by the rules of someones else's game." Megumi's voice was different, and he looked like he was holding something back. Gojo didn't know what to say, what to do.
"Megumi!" Gojo exclaimed in an exasperated sigh that Megumi either didn't hear or ignored him. "What are you talking about?"
"Too long I've been afraid of loosing love, I guess I've lost. If that's love it comes at much too high a cost." Megumi said before he tried to duck out of the room. The last time Gojo had heard dogma like this it was before Suguru had defected. Had he lost Megumi too, was this his curse to loose everyone he loved? Not Shoko and not Nanami but they hated to be around him so didn't count. He caught Megumi at the door.
"What do you mean? Is there anything I can do to convince you its worth it not to leave? You're only 15, do you even have a plan? Where would you even go?" Gojo asked, his voice was harsher then he meant it to be but if he could snap him out of this he could save Megumi from the dark side.
Then he heard it, laughter. This was a joke Gojo opened the door and found Itadori and Inumaki. "What is going on here!?"
"We we playing a game of — actually its not important— and Fushiguru lost so he had to sing to you and we all settled on the first few lines of Defying Gravity from Wicked." Itadori wheezed through his fit of laughter. Of course it was a joke what reason did Megumi have to defect, then again what reason did Suguru have.
"Salmon." Inumaki agreed with Itadori's explication.
Gojo's face must have betrayed him because Itadori looked concerned, but before he could say boo Gojo laughed even louder. Wrapping his arm around Megumi and squeezing his shoulder to reassure himself that Megumi wasn't going anywhere. "That would explain why your voice was all squeaky, and off key. Hilarious! I'm glad that I could help you boys embarrass Fushiguru here." He said hiding all the fears he had conjured up as quickly as they appeared. All he knew his students were none the wiser on how upset he was by this little prank. At least he hoped, it would we be awkward to explain his discomfort with a little musical theatre. Or he could just ignore them too, like he did most things he didn't particularly enjoy.
"Haha. I did the thing now can we go, I'm sure Gojo has stuff to do. Right sir?" Megumi asked trying to squirm free.
"Not really, but still it is almost curfew so I would go to your rooms and hide from the bed check." When he said that he wiggled his fingers like ghost to intimidate them, then chuckled to himself. "Now, off you trot little geese."
"Geese? Isn't it normally ducks?" Itadori asked.
"No, he means geese. Because we're fledglings, and baby geese are called fledglings. Plus you are all some ugly ducklings." Megumi remarked.
"I'm sorry but I am not an ugly duckling." Nobara said in her sleep clothes, as if on cue. Maybe she was also in on the joke but probably not.
"You're right Nobara, you're a gorgeous goose." Itadori offered.
"Spot on Itadori! I am gorgeous, what are we doing?" Nobara asked settling in next to Inumaki.
"We are embarrassing me because I lost a game of slaps, I had to sing to Gojo." Megumi explained.
Nobara looked thrilled at the idea she hit his arm and asked, "What did you have to sing? Something embarrassing, was it showtunes I bet it was showtunes?"
"Yes." When he admitted to that she threw her head back and laughed. It was like looking in a mirror when he was still in school Gojo and his friends had pulled similar stunts. Why had he doubted in Megumi, maybe it was because he also didn't believe in the system. Was it time for an overhaul, he had mentioned it before when Yuji died but thought better of it.
"Gojo, are you okay?" Megumi asked, looking at Gojo with concern.
"What are you talking about! I'm doing great. It's like 8:30 I might attempt a total overhaul before Nanami gets in at 9." He said without a hit of seriousness, but he did mean it the idea was burrowing deeper into his mind. In a perfect wolrd the kids would laugh it off and leave for bed leaving him to his thoughts.
"What are you talking about?" Nobara said, exchanging glances with the other students.
"Mustard leaf, bonito flakes." Inumaki mumbled to himself.
"Why before Mr. Nanami gets in?" Itadori asked. He had a bad habit of asking the right question. "I mean if you're doing an overhaul, obviously we're sparred because we're fledglings; but isn't Mr. Nanami a part of the organization you'd be overthrowing?"
"Only from 9-6. My game is that if I do it before he gets in then boom! Problem solved!" Gojo said, this plan was coming together. He could take down a large part of Jujitsu society in the next 10 hours, then convince him to join him.
"That sounds like a great plan! But first, can we go out to ice cream before the stores close?" Nobara asked, as if she wasn't in her PJs and slippers.
"What, no. We can't go out you're in your PJs, plus I'll need time to effectively overthrow Jujitsu society." Gojo responded, laughing at the bizarreness of her request to leave while she looked like something the cat dragged in.
"So we can go out if I change? Thank you!" She yelled as she ran down the hall to her room.
"Gojo, can you drive? I mean how are we getting where we're going?" Itadori asked.
"Or course I can drive."
"But you're always getting driven around?" Itadori said so sincerely Gojo couldn't get mad at him. Then Itadori pulled Megumi aside and asked him a little to loud of a whisper, "Why aren't we more worried about him going all Anakin Skywalker on our asses?"
"Because, then he would loose his chauffer and I don't think he wants that. Plus we would try and stop him and I don't think he'll kill us." Megumi answered giving Itadori a condescending pat on the back. It was comforting to see how unwavering Megumi's faith in him was.
"Okay, I'm back. But now I want Froyo. Is that chill with y'all?" Nobara asked, returning dressed for a late night outing to the froyo shop.
"Salmon, salmon." Inumaki said, he had apparently went and got Maki Zenin.
"I'm also down for froyo. Cute shirt Nobara." She said. which made Nobara blush.
"Wait, do you—" Gojo began before Nobara stopped him.
"NO!" She yelled.
"You do!" Gojo said grinning like an idiot, Nobara had a crush on Maki. "Now all of you lets go!"