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Megumi hadn’t meant to do it. He really hadn’t.
It had been a natural instinct, one that had been developed now for far too long considering he was only seven years old.
He hadn’t meant to punch those kids.
But they just wouldn’t stop.
“No one wants to be your friend cause you’re cursed!”
Their voices echoed in his mind as he trudged back from school, gripping his backpack tighter as his wet clothes stuck to his tiny body.
The few people that passed him as he walked in the pouring rain didn’t seem to notice the bloody cuts and grazes on his knuckles. Or maybe they did notice. Maybe they just didn’t care enough to stop and ask if he was ok.
Megumi sniffled quietly as the droplets stung his bloody knuckles, the rain hiding the tears that ran down his face.
He could remember yelling back at the kids, telling them that he wasn’t cursed for what felt like the hundredth time. They didn’t seem to care though.
They had simply screamed back words that stung much more than the cuts Megumi had gotten from the fight.
“Well, if you aren’t cursed then why does everyone end up leaving you then?”
That’s when Megumi had snapped, his fist colliding with the nose of the biggest guy in his group of tormentors.
He had won the fight, obviously, but it didn’t help him feel any better.
Because they had been right.
Megumi was cursed.
Why else had everyone ended up leaving him?
Megumi stepped into the lobby of the fancy apartment building, completely soaked and dripping water onto the ritzy carpet.
He didn’t really care though.
He simply made his way to the elevator, shrinking in on himself to draw as little attention to him as possible.
It seemed to work; no one gave him a second glance.
Standing on his tip toes to open the front door to the apartment, he practically fell though the threshold, dumping his wet school bag onto the ground without even bothering to unpack it.
He couldn’t even find it in himself to get changed out of his damp uniform, instead choosing to drag himself towards the bathroom, pulling over a small stool he used to reach the sink.
Megumi started back at the person reflected in the mirror, wincing slightly at what he saw.
His hair was wet, which was to be expected. What Megumi hadn’t accounted for was that the water would flatten his hair significantly, causing it to stick to his forehead in a way that made his stomach churn.
He really did look like him, didn’t he?
Megumi couldn’t remember the man who was supposed to be his father very well. He was barely present even before he had unexpectedly left, so his permanent departure wasn’t really much different to his previous fickle and sporadic presence anyway.
However, Megumi remember enough to know that he looked like that man. His wet hair that now laid flat instead of its usual spikiness was simply more than enough proof to show that.
He wasn’t sure why the connection made him so uneasy. Megumi knew that man wasn’t a good person, at least not to him.
Megumi couldn’t remember much, but he could remember the glare that man gave him, one that caused him to hide within the shadows. He could remember the low growl of his voice, the angry temperament that seemed to follow him like a storm cloud.
The memory sent shivers down Megumi’s spine, the clap of thunder outside causing him to flinch even more.
He didn’t understand why those memories still affected him so much. It wasn’t like he had seen that man recently, it had been at least nine months at this point.
Besides, the man probably had good reason to treat Megumi like that. After all he was cursed and he was sure the man knew that. That was probably why he had never liked Megumi. That made sense.
The cold water from the tap stung much worse than the rain drops as it hit Megumi’s knuckles.
He inhaled sharply, biting his lip to stop himself from crying out in pain. A metallic taste filled his mouth as new tears pricked the corner of his already red, puffy eyes. He knew no one else was home to hear him cry so there was really no point in stopping himself from doing so. It was almost a reflex, something he had grown so accustomed to over the years.
It’s difficult to break such a habit.
The water turned a familiar shade of red as silent tears slipped through Megumi’s lashes. The cuts weren’t deep and the grazes would heal pretty well. He had gotten off a lot better than the other kids anyway. At that thought, a small smirk crept onto Megumi’s face, one that tasted salty from the tears as he licked the blood off his lip.
He must have also been insane as well as being cursed.
That was defiantly why everyone had left.
Well, almost everyone…
“Megumiiiii! I’m homeeeee!”
Megumi froze in terror, his hands stilling under the cold stream of water. The cheery voice filled the apartment; a voice that Megumi had become far too familiar with.
Because not everyone had left Megumi.
Well, not yet anyway.
“How was your day Megumi? Where are you?”
Gojo’s voice rang around Megumi’s mind as he internally panicked. What would Gojo do if he found him like this?
He would definitely ask questions; questions Megumi wasn’t sure he could answer.
Would he be mad?
Of course he would be. That was a stupid question.
Maybe Megumi had gotten blood on an expensive carpet, one that would cost a lot of money to clean out? Maybe that’s why he would be mad?
Maybe he would find out how messed up Megumi really was? Maybe he would find out he was cursed?
“Megs?”
The sound of footsteps echoed around Megumi’s mind, and he had to remind himself that they were not nearly as heavy as the ones that had belonged to the man with the terrifying glare and scary growl.
His hands were still frozen under the steady stream of water coming from the tap. He should call out and respond, to reassure Gojo that he was fine, and nothing was wrong.
But his voice failed him as he opened his mouth.
He could feel the heart beating loudly against his ribs, fearful of what was to come. Surely if Gojo saw him like this he would just leave him.
Just like everyone else had.
“Megumi?”
Megumi whirled around so fast he almost toppled off the stool he was using to reach the sink. Hastily, he curled his hands protectively to his chest, hiding them from the piercing gaze of the man who now lent against the bathroom doorframe.
Gojo had a confused look plastered across his face, his sunglasses removed so there was nothing to stop his bright blue eyes from feeling as if they were staring straight into Megumi’s soul. Megumi hated that feeling.
Again, words failed Megumi, who could do nothing but stare back at Gojo, his knuckles stinging as he clenched his fists tightly.
“What’s up Megs?”
Gojo’s voice seemed so distant to him. Megumi was almost just waiting for the soft voice to turn into a deep growl. A deep growl that plagued his memories even to this day.
There was nothing Megumi could do as Gojo’s gaze flicked to where Megumi hid his bloody hands against his school shirt that was still soaking wet. He simply squeezed his eyes shut, terrified of what was coming next.
He could hear Gojo moving closer to him and he felt himself flinch as the man crouched down in front of him.
He was prepared for harsh words, or a sharp pain on his cheek. He was prepared for disappointment, dismissiveness, and disgust.
But none of it came.
“Can I have a look at your hands Megumi?”
The soft words drowned out the buzzing in Megumi’s ears. Gojo’s response shocked him so much that he was unsure what to do next. He hadn’t planned for this reaction.
Megumi carefully opened his eyes ever so slightly and was met with that sight of Gojo knelt down in front of him, so they were at each other’s eye level. It was odd, seeing Gojo with an expression on his face that was so warm, almost caring. Almost as if Gojo cared about him.
The feeling made Megumi’s chest fuzzy.
“Please.”
Tentatively, Megumi unfurled his hands from his body before holding them out slowly for Gojo to look at. He wasn’t sure why he had done it. He had always tried to maintain a safe distance from Gojo, trying to not get too attached to the man.
It was only a matter of time before he left anyway.
Megumi braced himself once again for a barrage of hurtful comments to be hurled at him. But he was once again very wrong with his assumptions.
Instead, Gojo gave a small tsk before lifting Megumi up by his armpits and sitting him on the edge of the bathtub. The motion was so quick that Megumi almost didn’t notice that Gojo didn’t have his Infinity up. Almost.
Gojo grabbed a cloth, running it under the water that Megumi had left running before turning the tap off. He crouched back down in front of Megumi and carefully held his wrist as he cleaned the cuts and grazed with much more attention than Megumi had given them.
“This is going to help get rid of any dirt or dried blood so I can see how bad the injuries are, alright?”
Megumi could do nothing more than nod at Gojo’s words, still in shock at Gojo’s reaction to his bloody knuckles and red-rimmed eyes. He was even more shocked at the feeling of the man’s slender fingers encircling his wrist so gently.
Megumi could count of one hand how many times Gojo had touched him without his Infinity on. He had asked about it once, purely out of curiosity and Gojo had simply said that he forgot that it was even on most of the time.
That explanation only made it stranger that Gojo had remembered to lower his Infinity now. Why would he do that? It made no sense to Megumi.
The cloth was much more gentle against Megumi’s skin than the harsh stream of water had been. It almost felt nice, despite the dull sting that the cuts still caused.
Gojo soon placed the damp cloth to the side, instead turning toward as small tube he had placed next to him.
“This is just an antiseptic cream. It might sting a bit but I’m going to put it on your cuts to stop them from getting infected, ok?”
Megumi nodded again silently as Gojo unscrewed the lid of the cream. With a small gauze pad, he carefully applied the cream to Megumi’s slightly less bloody knuckles.
The boy gave a sharp inhale as the cream came into contact with his wounds, squeezing his eyes shut to stop tears from falling. But despite his best efforts, Megumi felt a small tear trace its way down the side of his face.
With both of his hands in Gojo’s gentle grasp, there was no way to brush it away. There was nothing to do expect let the tear fall.
Gojo soon finished applying the antiseptic to his cuts. He brought a delicate finger up to Megumi’s cheek, brushing away the stray tear that had fallen. Megumi couldn’t help but lean into the touch.
“Is it ok if I bandage up your hands now?”
Megumi whispered a small yes as confirmation, turning his gaze away from Gojo’s to hide the fact that more tears gathered on his waterline.
He wasn’t sure why he felt like crying. The cuts didn’t hurt that bad anymore.
Gojo’s careful touch was back on Megumi’s hand as he wrapped up the young boy’s hands in white bandage, protecting the cuts from the dangers of the outside world.
He was so gentle, so unlike the Gojo that Megumi had grown accustomed to over these past nine months.
He hated to admit it, but he didn’t hate it. Not in the slightest.
“Do you want to talk about what happened, Megs?”
Megumi winced slightly at the question. He knew Gojo would ask him. He knew he had to answer. The idea frightened him a bit too much.
What if Gojo didn’t want to keep bandaging up his cuts after he found out that it was Megumi’s fault that he had caused them to happen in the first place?
What if he didn’t think that Megumi was worth spending all this time and energy on?
What if he thought Megumi was cursed as well?
But Gojo simply gave his hands a gentle squeeze, causing Megumi to look up at the kind smile that was spread across the man’s face.
Megumi didn’t know why, but he almost wanted to tell Gojo what happened. So, he took a deep breath and began.
“Some kids were saying some stuff about me,” he began, his voice tiny in the echoey bathroom, “saying stuff about how no one wants to be friends with me.”
Another tear fell from Megumi’s eyes and Gojo brushed this one away as well, before continuing to bandage his hands.
“They were saying that everyone always leaves me and that no one would stay with me,” Megumi continuing, his words becoming thick with emotion.
Gojo finished bandaging one of his hands and moved onto the other.
“Well, that’s just not true now is it, Megs,” Gojo replied, his gaze still focused intently on his work, making sure that all of Megumi’s cuts and grazes were covered and the bandage wasn’t too tight.
Megumi hiccupped as he tried his very best to stop anymore tears from falling. Gojo didn’t understand. Gojo was wrong. Because everyone did leave. Everyone would leave eventually, they always did. That was just the way it worked.
“They were right though. Everyone does leave,” Megumi whispered, bringing his bandaged hand to his eye to brush away tears to stop them from falling, “Because I’m cursed.”
Gojo’s hands stilled where they had just finished off bandaging Megumi’s other hand. Megumi knew he shouldn’t have said all of that. He knew that now Gojo knew that he was cursed, he would definitely leave. Because why would someone as strong and powerful as Gojo stay around a little kid was cursed? It made no sense.
“You don’t seriously believe that you are cursed, do you Megs?”
Megumi’s vision was blurred through a haze of tears. Of course he was cursed! Why else would everyone had left?
He stared at the bathroom floor, waiting for Gojo to stand up and leave forever.
But Gojo didn’t leave.
Why didn’t he leave?
Why couldn’t he just leave!
“Please go,” Megumi practically pleaded, his voice so full of emotion he was surprised he didn’t break down just from speaking, “Everyone else has left so just get it over with and go.”
He would surely leave soon. Gojo would see how pathetic and weak Megumi really was and would get the hint to leave him to rot away.
Megumi was clearly not as important as saving the world. Gojo had much better things to do than patching up the bloodied knuckles of a weak seven year old.
“Oh, Gumi.”
The words were so quiet, Megumi was sure he misheard them. That was before he felt a large hand come to rest on his tear-stained cheek, a gentle thumb brushing away any new tears that fell.
The hand guided Megumi’s face to meet Gojo’s. It was gentler than almost any other touch that Megumi had ever received.
A choked sob escaped his lips, another sign of weakness.
But for some reason, Gojo didn’t seem to mind.
“Do you know what your name means, Megumi?”
Megumi shook his head slightly, leaning into Gojo’s touch once more despite his best efforts to keep his distance.
It was all so confusing. The look on Gojo’s face, his warm, unguarded touch on Megumi’s cheek. It was almost as if he didn’t want to leave. Almost as if he cared about Megumi.
For the first time ever, Megumi kind of wished that he did.
“It means blessing, Gumi. You are a blessing, not a curse. It’s in your own name.”
Gojo’s words didn’t make sense. He was a curse, someone that always ruined everything. That’s why no one wanted to be his friend. That’s why everyone left him.
Megumi shook his head once more, sniffling as more tears spilled from his eyes. More tears that Gojo brushed away once again.
“I know you think that you are the reason that your parents left, but that is so far from the truth,” Gojo continued, gently cradling Megumi’s cheek, “some people just aren’t made for having kids, and that’s ok. But that does not mean that it is your fault that they left. It is so far from your fault, Gumi.”
Megumi’s breath caught as he let out another sob. Gojo didn’t know what he was talking about. It had to be Megumi’s fault. He had to be cursed. He wasn’t a blessing.
“You’re just a kid, Megs. You can’t be held responsible for any adult’s actions.” Gojo whispered, almost as if he wanted to cry as well, “You’re a kid, Gumi. It’s ok to act like one. You are allowed to cry.”
At Gojo’s words, Megumi dissolved into sobs, sobs that he didn’t even try to hold back this time. He wasn’t sure why, but he threw his arms around Gojo’s neck, burying his face right under the older man’s chin.
Gojo seemed surprised, especially since Megumi has always seemed so standoffish and never seemed to like any of Gojo’s playful touches. But now, it was all Megumi wanted.
Gojo’s arms carefully circled around Megumi, clutching the boy’s tiny body to his chest as he cried more than he had ever cried before.
Megumi clutched Gojo tighter, scared that he would disappear if he let go. He didn’t want Gojo to leave. He didn’t want him to go away.
Gojo brough one of his hands to Megumi’s hair, running his fingers through the damp strands. Megumi practically whimpered at the contact, burying his face further into Gojo.
“Shh, it’s ok Gumi, let it out,” Gojo comforted, gently rocking Megumi back and forth as the little boy clung to him, “I’ve got you, kid.”
Megumi’s body shook with each sob, but Gojo took it all in his stride, hugging him tighter, running his other hand up and down his back soothingly.
“You are my blessing, Megumi. You aren’t a curse,” Gojo whispered, “And I’m not going to leave you. I promise.”
Megumi lifted his head from where it rested on Gojo’s chest, his eyes searching Gojo’s for some form of confirmation that he was telling the truth.
Because Megumi wanted to believe Gojo.
He wanted Gojo to be telling the truth.
He wanted Gojo to stay.
Gojo gave him a small smile, wiping away his tears once more.
“You’re stuck with me now, Megs,” Gojo said with a light chuckle, “You aren’t getting rid of me that easily.”
That was enough for Megumi.
Realistically, he couldn’t be sure whether or not Gojo was telling the truth or not. Maybe that was just what all adults say.
But Megumi wanted to believe him.
So, he rested his head back on Gojo’s chest, peeling his arms away from his neck and curled up in his lap. Maybe he would never know if Gojo was really telling the truth or not. But for now, Megumi just wanted to stay in his arms, letting the man keep rubbing circles into his back and playing with his hair.
His knuckles still stung and stray tears still fell from his eyes, but for the first time in years, Megumi felt ok.
He felt Gojo place a soft kiss on the top of his head, his arms wrapping around him tighter as Megumi’s hands lightly gripped the front of Gojo’s shirt.
“I love you Megumi,” he heard Gojo whisper into his hair, “I’m going to make sure you know that I love you.”
Megumi wasn’t sure if Gojo heard him mumble those same three words into his chest as he felt his eyes dropping out of exhaustion.
He never asked Gojo if he had heard him. It didn’t matter though, because either way Gojo stayed and let Megumi fall asleep in his lap.
And either way, Megumi knew he would have a lot more time to tell Gojo that he did love him.
Because Gojo wasn’t leaving him any time soon.