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Gojo Satoru wasn't looking at the woman who was dolled up for him, he was staring at Toji's brother. His brother who was only present because he was part of the main branch and the clan head couldn't resist showing off their Ten Shadows user. Even though Megumi needed to be in bed. He could barely stand up on his own because he lacked the strength.
Toji wasn't sure he liked the way Gojo was already claiming something that wasn't his. No, that was incorrect. Precisely, he definitely hated it. The brat was clearly mistaken and his Six Eyes was useless. How could he not see that his bride was literally in front of him?! The poor girl had to go through gruesome training until she was deemed worthy enough to present to the Gojo heir…and he didn't even glance her way!
No one else seemed to notice anything amiss however as they proceeded to celebrate with their political jargon how fortunate it was that Gojo was going to take a bride from the esteemed Zenin clan. How the future Gojo/Zenin babies would one day be the most powerful sorcerers, and shake the foundations of the jujutsu society. It was all grating to Toji's ears but he mostly found himself wanting to hurl Gojo Satoru into the sun so he'd burn into a crisp, for how invincible everyone was making Gojo Satoru out to be then he figured the boy needed an extreme measure of assassination.
Gojo wasn't paying attention to any of the old coots. Formality was all a procedure and no one truly meant any of the niceties and only wanted to seize more power, but Gojo actually seemed to be mesmerized, struck completely dumb by Megumi. Toji didn't get it. He didn't want to, but he absolutely fucking hated it.
If anyone called Toji a good, responsible older brother then they would be naive idiots or lying through their teeth. He was decent at most, since he hadn't been warm to Megumi at all in the beginning, but he came back. That was all Megumi seemed to think mattered anyway. The betrayal of abandonment had been forgiven because Toji wasn't gone for too long. He'd come back into his life. Toji wasn't sentimental enough to understand, but a part of him was relieved, because it struck him that he would not have liked it much if Megumi resented him. His brother was the one born with the most sought after curse technique, his whole life was set on course for him after it was discovered, but the drawback was how ill Megumi became. The kid had been forced to summon all types of shikigami at a young age to please the clan head, he wanted to see the extent of Megumi's powers but Megumi wasn't properly trained, so the consequences were severe.
No one seemed to care though. They called it a day and hired a doctor to keep track of Megumi's health but other than that no one visited or tried to encourage him. He was seen as a disappointment when he failed to summon even a full fledged shikigami. His reserves required great rest otherwise he'd look like he did now…deathly pale, with baggy eyes and sunken cheeks. He was pushed to this extreme, and Naobito only give Megumi a break when he seen how far he pushed him. Not out of concern for the boy, but because he didn't want to lose his weapon too soon. Megumi was still useful even though it was seen as a disgrace how he couldn't be on par with the Gojo heir.
Maybe Megumi could have been this healthy, and strong, maybe he would have been glowing and exuding confidence, yet he was frail and hunched, trying to make himself small. He didn't want to upset anyone with his presence even though no one remembered he was there unless they needed something from him. Even Naoya didn't go out of his way to bully Megumi. Although, Toji's tendency to hover around his brother might have helped with that as well, since he'd given their cousin the deadliest glare he could muster before picking him up and tossing up into a tree when he caught the rascal trying to push Megumi down the steps.
Naoya was a wimp despite how he was supposed to be the promising heir of their esteemed clan.
While all of that rankled Toji to his core, he never experienced this amount of hatred before, or rather murderous intent. He found himself observing Gojo Satoru, looking for weaknesses he could exploit as he imagined a thousand ways to get rid of him, even things that were purely fantasy would give him satisfaction. Stepping on a mouse sized Gojo, and crushing him was a pleasant scenario.
Don't look at him, don't mock him with your Six Eyes! Toji, a monkey, had envied his brother before, but now he pitied him, because look at what happened. Singling out the weak, he thought, because Gojo Satoru had spotted Toji once before even though he shouldn't have.
Megumi was weak in the ways that mattered, he couldn't defend himself in a physical fight, and he wouldn't be able to use his technique at this moment. He needed to rejuvenate first.
“Satoru,” one of the old coots said, but the Gojo heir didn't even turn at the sound of his name. For all that it appeared, they all only existed to be in Gojo Satoru's periphery as they revolved around him, so the world was on pause for him as he was too busy staring with his wide sky blue eyes.
Megumi's head was ducked so he didn't notice. He only held onto Toji's sleeve to balance himself and he was breathing a little too hard. He was overexerting himself even though it was such a small task.
Toji wanted to whisk his brother away in this instance. For all the right and wrong reasons. He didn't want to continue being part of this stupid ceremony and he didn't want Gojo to stare at Megumi with his too wise eyes. He'd see Megumi's death lines and-
Gojo Satoru suddenly stepped forward, ignoring his own clan and passing by his intended bride completely. No one dared to move or utter a single noise even though the confusion and shock was palpable. He looked like a curious dog, testing the waters as he slowly approached or to Toji's realization, he was the predator that didn't want to startle his prey.
All hell breaks loose after that because Toji wasn't going to stand there and allow it like the other pathetic clan people who were complete bystanders in this situation.
He gathered his brother close and heard the startled gasp released at the abrupt action. Yet Megumi trusted him, so he clung on tightly. His fingers gripping into Toji's arms, as he leaned into him for support. Megumi wasn't petite by any means, but he felt like a little kid sometimes in Toji's arms. It was unsettling in a way, because it always put Toji on edge. Like he needed to be extra careful with something delicate and the protective instinct bordered on animalistic.
Gojo Satoru stopped.
He cocked his head to the side, staring at the closeness between the brothers with a glint in his already abnormal eyes.
Then he smiled, it was deceptively sweet. “Let him go,” he demanded, chin tipped up like he expected to be obeyed.
Toji sneered. “Back away, brat.” He had no qualms with killing the eighteen year old.
Tension skyrocketed after his words, and the clans both reacted, finally but Naobito scolded Toji, “Don't make a scene. Let your brother go!”
“I'm fine,” Megumi muttered after a cough, his voice a rasp but obviously sounded weary. He was confused about the situation, his head lolling as he tried to diffuse the conflict by detaching himself from Toji. His clumsy attempt almost had him falling to the ground, but there was a whiplash of force in the air as something moved quickly enough to cause the displacement and Toji found himself a few feet away from his original spot.
Dumbfounded, he stared at the person who replaced him. Gojo Satoru stood there with his hands holding Megumi up, and his face was too close to his brother's, his eyes unblinking like a creep as he examined Megumi's face.
“Th…ank you?” Megumi's shoulders were bunching upwards in self-consciousness.
“Megumi,” Gojo stated softly. “You're a blessing.”
Megumi brushed that comment aside by turning his head away and shrugging. The amount of discomfort he was displaying had Toji rebooting and preparing to intercept.
“You're literally made for me,” Gojo continued, his tone bordering on a level of ownership that Toji would have wanted to eradicate, there was too much certainty. As if it was fact.
“You're going to release him right now,” Toji said darkly as he towered over the brat, ignoring Naobito's hissing in the background. The man wanted this menace to steal Megumi? Fat chance.
“Satoru, your betrothed...” someone said haltingly, but at least they tried to save the situation.
However Gojo flapped his hand as if swatting away a fly, then declared with a splitting grin, even his teeth sparkled enough to blind people, “I want to marry Megumi! Our babies will be awesome!”
“...”
“What?”
“Hey the fuck! You can't marry Megumi! And you can't make babies with him!” Toji growled.
“Why not?” Gojo said childishly, looking disgruntled.
Then he touched Megumi's forehead with his own, staring straight into his baggy, deadpanned eyes. “You and me are going to change the world together, but I also just really think you're the perfect one for me.” He intertwined his fingers with Megumi's as he locked them into an embrace. “I'm the Sun and you're the Moon, or I'm the galaxy and you're the blackhole hahaha is that right?” He gave Megumi a bashful smile, looking like a lovesick fool.
Toji stared.
No one else moved to counter this escalating scene of complete absurdity. Instead everyone seemed to turn into stones as they watched. The birds in the distance were cawing loudly, trying to awaken their conscience. Yet they failed.
When Gojo Satoru was your opponent what were you supposed to do? Even his own clan didn't know how to properly handle him. Toji decided murder was the only option yet he was trying to process the switch, of the boy that walked in like the world existed at his whim only to be swooning over someone he just met.
That someone being Megumi. Who had not given Gojo Satoru anything more than a slow blink.
Then Megumi responded in the only way he could to escape this nonsense, he proceeded to faint.