Work Text:
Megumi is tired.
He's been as this camp for three weeks, and while it's not as bad as he'd expected, it's more tiring than he thought it'd be.
But finally, it's the Friday of his third week, and the only thing in the way of him getting on the academy bus and going home is his last activity: swim.
"Alright, Group 19," his counselor Sarah yells. "Boys, go with Jacob. Girls, you're with me."
Megumi sighs, wiping his sweaty face. Maybe he should ask Gojo for a portable fan like he'd seen the other kids using.
"What cheer should we do, guys?" Jacob asks as he leads them across the small baseball field.
"Beep beep!" A blonde boy yells, jumping excitedly. Jacob chuckles, but complies. He cups two hands over his mouth and takes a deep breath.
"BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP!"
Other kids in Megumi's group join in, their voices colliding in a symphony of yells. "WE'RE WALKING DOWN THE STREET! WE'RE GROUP 19!"
Megumi frowns as they continue. He hadn't expected summer camp to be so loud. Well, he hadn't expected to be at summer camp at all. It all started three weeks ago…
~
"No."
Megumi's small arms twist over his chest as he sets his chubby cheeks in a stubborn pout.
Gojo sighs, running a hand over his face in exasperation. "Megumi—"
"I don't wanna go. You can't make me." He scowls. "I hate summer camp."
"How would you know?" Gojo throws his hands up, "You've never even been!"
Megumi doesn't respond, instead glancing away in a frustration too great for his young self to articulate. Gojo's at a loss for words.
Megumi isn't a difficult child. Well—okay. Maybe he is a bit difficult at times. He's stubborn, and often uninterested in doing normal kid-like things, but he's not usually this uncooperative.
A thought dawns on Gojo, then. "Megumi," His voice softens in sympathy, and he crouches to Megumi's height. "Is this because Tsumiki can't go with you?"
The white-haired guardian normally strives to keep them together. Megumi's only condition for being adopted was having Tsumiki with him, and Gojo has held to that, placing them in the same school, allowing them the option of sharing a room, etc.
This stays true in the summer. The past two summers, as they've been with Gojo, the months off were spent lazing around. Eating ice cream, watching movies, going on walks. This summer, though, Tsumiki asked to go to a sleepaway summer camp with her friends.
Gojo had never thought to send them to camp before, but after further research (asking Shoko), he'd learned that it's great for development and had agreed with a smile.
Looking at Megumi now, he's not so sure.
"Satoru? Megumi?"
Tsumiki drops her bag at the door, locking it behind her before approaching the two. "What's going on?"
Gojo sighs again, looking at Megumi expectantly. When the boy doesn't say anything, Gojo responds. "I figured that since you're going to camp this summer, I'd send Megs to one too."
"Ooh!" Tsumikig claps her hands excitedly. A grin spreads across her face. "Megumi, you're going to camp too?"
Megumi's pout wavers at his sister's obvious enthusiasm.
Gojo hides a smile. "Well, I thought it was a good idea, but he doesn't seem to agree." He winks at Tsumiki, who nods discreetly and smiles.
She gasps dramatically. "Megumi! You don't want to go to camp like me?" Her voice is stiff and dripping with false shock, but Gojo knows it'll work. After all, Megumi would rather give in to Satoru's whims than disappoint his sister.
Finally, Megumi frowns. "Fine."
Gojo can't help but tease the boy, a triumphant smile threatening to spread across his face. "Sorry, what was that?" He cups a hand over his ear dramatically, leaning down as if he can't hear the boy.
"I said fine," Megumi says loudly, stomping off into his room. Gojo grins and high-fives Tsumiki, who giggles. "Great work, 'Miki."
—
A month later and here he his, dropping Megumi off on his first day of camp. Megumi has made peace with his fate of going to camp, and Tsumiki left for sleepaway camp one week ago.
"Gumi~"
Megumi frowns, kicking a rock as they walk to the bus stop. "What. And don't call me that."
"We're here early, looks like," Gojo says as they approach the nearly empty section of sidewalk.
Leaning on a nearby pole is a counselor who looks around 20. She wears a black staff shirt, and her backpack is slung on her shoulders.
"Good morning! Are you here for Camp Gummy Bear?"
Megumi scowls at the name. Camp Gummy Bear. What kinda name is that for a camp? He bitterly remembers watching Gojo cackle over it, depositing the money instantly.
"Get it?" He'd laughed, tears welling up in his eyes. "Gummy Bear? Like 'Gumi Bear'?"
Megumi'd thrown a pencil at him.
Gojo smiles his big, cheerful smile, and nudges his sunglasses back up. "Yup! This is Megumi. Well, I'll leave him in your care, then. Bye!"
Wait, what? Megumi clutches Gojo's pants in a tiny fist, bewildered. He hadn't expected to be left alone so fast.
"Uh," The counselor steps forward like she wants to block Gojo's path. "One second, are you in a big rush to leave?" She flicks a brown braid over her shoulder. "It's just that you're supposed to sign in with our supervisor before leaving, but he's not here yet."
"Oh." Gojo goes silent for a moment. "Alright, I'll wait, I guess."
Megumi is relieved despite himself, loosening his grip on Gojo's pants slightly.
Gojo resists the urge to coo at the six-year-old.
Oh, who's he kidding? He can't resist at all.
"Awww, Megumi~ are you gonna miss me? Are you? Are youuuu?"
Megumi's cheeks flush, and he mumbles a quiet 'shut up,' but he doesn't release Gojo from his clutches. The white-haired man's heart warms, and he pinches Megumi's soft cheeks.
"Oh, hello!" The newcomper is a tall, skinny man with brown hair and a tank top with weirdly skinny sleeves. Gojo resists the urge to wince at the unblended white sunscreen streaked across his face. "I'm the supervisor for this bus stop, Leo."
"This is Megumi; I'm Gojo."
"I'm Sarah."
Leo pulls out a clipboard, checks something off with a blue pen, and nods. "Alrighty then, welcome to Camp Gummy Bear, Megumi!"
Megumi thinks he's too cheerful for 8 AM on a Monday in the summer. Satoru must know what he's thinking, because he nudges Megumi and shoots him a grin. Megumi glares back.
"Am I good to leave him here now, or?" He drifts off, leaving the sentence open-ended. Leo nods and goes back to looking through the clipboard. Gojo has to be honest; he's not too sure about leaving Megumi in the hands of these people.
Neither is Megumi, apparently, because he stares at Gojo pleadingly while he walks away until he rounds the corner and disappears
"Hey," The girl counselor squats to Megumi's height. "Megumi, right? I'm Sarah."
"I know," he says shortly. Because he does. Because she introduced herself earlier.
"Okay. Are you excited for camp?"
Megumi sighs. "No." He knew he should've brought a book. Maybe they'd leave him alone.
Luckily, Sarah's attention is drawn by another kid quickly approaching with his mom. Slowly, three more counselors arrive, and the sidewalks fill up with kids.
Megumi stays by himself, standing silently in the corner of the group. Every once in a while, he finds Sarah watching him, but he tries to ignore it.
After what feels like three hours of waiting, Leo gathers everyone up to get on the bus. Megumi silently files into line and onto the bus, immediately moving to the farthest back seat he can find.
~
Now, three weeks later, he finds himself in camp. Sweaty and hot, trudging behind his screaming group. He wants to go home.
"What's wrong, Megumi?" Elijah, a boy in his group who Megumi finds a bit too talkative, walks next to him. "Aren't you excited for swim?"
Megumi shrugs. "No." It's not his favorite activity. He doesn't like having to change, and he can't swim anyway, so he's forced to stay in the kiddie pool.
"Okay." Elijah moves on, joining everyone in the next cheer while Megumi follows along.
When they're in the locker room, Megumi finds himself dozing off slightly, the warmth from the sun lulling him off while he waits for the others to change.
Before he knows it, Jacob is calling his name. As a group, they make their way into the pool and meet up with the girls.
Megumi shivers when he gets in; the water is cold, but a welcome refresher in the heat.
He doesn't remember much of swim. He's pretty sure he just floated in the corner for the majority, zoning out. Exhaustion pulls on his every bone, and he can't wait to get home so he can sleep.
After swim, they all begin to walk back to their base. Megumi walks next to Sarah, who he's grown to like over the past few weeks.
He even lets her hold his hand as they walk, if only to prevent himself from tipping over from drowsiness.
It doesn't work, though, because the second Megumi lets go of Sarah's hand to rub his eye, he trips over a rock and plops onto the ground.
"Megumi!"
He feels two arms grab him and place him back onto his feet. He feels a sharp stab of pain in his left knee, and swallows a cry.
"Uhh, okay," Sarah sounds panicked. "You're okay, Megumi. Let's get you to the nurse, alright? Yeah—-Jacob? I'm gonna take Megumi to the nurse, okay?"
Jacob shoots a thumbs up at Sarah, and she drags Megumi along.
The more he walks, the more exasperated he gets. It's hot, he's tired, and his leg hurts. Pressure builds behind his eyes, but Megumi fights it back. He will not cry, because only babies cry, and Megumi is six years old now.
"Does your leg hurt a lot, Megumi?" Sarah asks.
He shrugs. "A little."
Sarah keeps talking mindlessly. "You'll be okay. We'll slap a Band-Aid on it, give you an ice pack, and you'll be right back on the bus to go home!"
Megumi perks up at the mention of 'home' and walks a bit faster.
—
"Hmm. Looks like a minor scrape. It's bleeding a bit, but a Band-Aid will do." The nurse hands Megumi a large square Band-Aid.
Megumi doesn't like her much. She's an old lady with dyed red hair who always says everything much more aggressively than he thinks a nurse should.
It's funny, Megumi thinks, that he feels this way. Before Saotur, it was normal to be spoken to uncaringly, with little thought spared for his feelings.
Now, he's too used to Satoru's cheerful voice when teasing, and soft voice when comforting. Megumi sniffs. He wants to go home.
"Alright, Megumi," Sarah unwraps the bandage for him and plasters it on his knee gently. He hops off the chair without help, reluctantly grasping Sarah's outstretched hand.
"To the base!"
—
"Red bus!" Leo yells, waving his hands in the air, "Get in a single file line please—-Jordan and Eliza, you can either be in front of or behind each other. Two in a row is not an option."
Megumi frowns in annoyance. Why can't these people just line up? The faster they can go, the faster he can get picked up and go home.
"You okay, Megumi?" Sarah walks over, leaning down to peer at Megumi with concern.
The five-year-old stares up at her through his dark eyelashes, his lower lip jutting out slightly.
Sarah melts. He's adorable.
"Are we getting on the bus soon?"
"Hmm," she looks ahead, squinting in the sunlight. "Yeah, we should be. The bus is here already."
—
Megumi knows he's really tired when he almost falls asleep on the bus. Curled up in the back, his knees pulled to his chest and small head bouncing against the window.
Usually—-no matter how tired he is—-it's nearly impossible to fall asleep when he's not at home. Well, unless Satoru is there. He guesses he can fall asleep anywhere that Satoru is.
Which, unfortunately, is not on the bus. So no matter how much he wants to, he can't seem to cling to the strands of sleep tugging on his eye lids. His eyes well up in frustration as he closes them only to open them back up five seconds later for the fifth time.
At least he doesn't have to deal with the incessant cheers the campers do on the way there.
When Megumi finally gets off the bus, he nearly starts crying again. Because Satoru isn't there yet.
Two kids leave, and he still hasn't arrived. By the time there's three kids left besides Megumi, he's crouching in a little ball with his head on his knees.
I wanna go home. I wanna go home. I wanna go home. I wanna go home. I wanna go home. I wanna—-
"Megumi~"
And he's already standing, practically running towards his guardian, who walks up at a leisurely pace.
"Megumi? What's wrong?"
Megumi, who'd clenched two fiss in the front of his shirt, burying his face in the fabric, looks up at Satoru.
His large green eyes are glassy, and his lower lip juts out in a pout.
Satoru's heart squeezes, and he tries to hide a smile. Oh, he's horrible. Absolutely horrible.
His baby is distressed, but he can't help it. Megumi is just too cute.
Megumi isn't always one for physical affection. He's prone to slapping away Gojo's hands and frowning in distate. The one exception is when Megumi is tired, sick, or scared. Then, he becomes a total velcro baby. Almost like a whole new kid.
"'Toru—-"
"Hi, sorry to interrupt." Megumi frowns harshly at Leo's voice.
"Could I just have you sign him out here?"
"Oh!" Satoru is surprised; he's never had to do this before. "Sure."
"Hi Mr. Gojo," Sarah waves, walking over from the pole she's always leaning on.
"Hey Sarah."
Megumi shifts impatiently. He wants to go home already, and based on the lack of car, Satoru plans on walking back with him.
"I was wondering if I could talk to you for a second?" She shoots Megumi a warm smile. "It won't take long."
Reluctantly, Megumi releases his hold on Gojo's shirt.
Sarah leads Gojo a few feet away to talk discreetly.
"Is this about Megumi?" Gojo peers at her from above his sunglasses. "Did something happen?"
"It's nothing too serious," Sarah reassures. "He's been a bit down all day, maybe tired. And he scraped his knee pretty badly. He didn't cry or anything, but I just thought you should know."
Megumi wonders what they're talking about as he watches them, still pouting. When Gojo wants back over to him without Sarah, Megumi could sob in relief. Finally time to go home.
"'Toru," he whimpers, "I'm tired."
Gojo's dead. He's absolutely dead. When Megumi reaches his arms up, flexing his fingers in a clear request to be carried, who is he to deny his baby something he so clearly wants?
He takes an extra pair of sunglasses from his back pocket, sliding them onto Megumi's face. Then, he scoops Megumi up and settles him onto his hip.
"Aww, Megs~," He coos, finally beginning to walk down the block. "Does your leg hurt?"
"Hmph," Megumi hums, nuzzling his face deeper into the warm area between Gojo's neck and shoulder.
Surrounded by both Gojo's infinity and his arms, Megumi finally drifts off.
By the time they make it back to their apartment, the raven-haired boy is fast asleep on Gojo's shoulder.
"Megumi," Gojo murmurs, jostling him slightly in his arms after he opens the door.
Megumi groans.
"Megumi." He takes the sunglasses off of Megumi's face with one hand, supporting him with the other.
"Do you want to take a nap? I'm gonna start dinner."
Megumi nods sleepily into Gojo's neck, allowing himself to be deposited on the couch and tucked in. Gojo presses a kiss to his forehead, taking advantage of his sleepiness while he can.