Archive of Our Own

A baseball bat hits him between the legs, exactly where it was supposed to land if the look on the sea urchin-hair kid is anything to tell by, and Gojo decides he’s going to make Fushiguro Megumi like him before the project ends. It’s not like everyone falls in love with him as soon as they meet, it’s actually quite the opposite. Even Suguru and Shoko had to come around, but no one is usually that violent towards him.

Gojo prides himself in understanding kids, simply because half of his mind works like a kid’s. He gets along with them, because he remembers how to be one.

As a second-year college student, he had to sign up for one of the projects third-years do as a major last-year assignment. It was Suguru’s idea to check this one out, ‘Baseball Coaching for Orphans’, and to sign up, but Gojo can’t say he hasn’t seen some appeal in it, even though it’s Suguru who majors in coaching while Gojo’s entirely focused on judo. Dealing with kids is always more fun than with adults.

The kid he got assigned by Nanami, the coordinator of the project, Fushiguro Megumi, is an asshole. He seems to be a part of this project only to make his friend happy. Megumi himself seems like he’d rather be anywhere else, and he would certainly prefer someone else than Gojo to teach him baseball. Say nothing of the fact that Gojo is learning baseball himself as we speak.

The initial reaction was panic. Suguru seemed a much better choice to tame an asshole child, and Yuji, Suguru’s kid and also Megumi’s best friend and the only kid not from the orphanage, is a walking sunshine, which would match perfectly with Gojo. Suguru told him not to be an asshole, and Nanami said he won’t be changing the pairs. Apparently, he knew what he was doing when he was creating them.

So Gojo, a fan of a good challenge, will do everything to make Fushiguro Megumi like him.

It’s fucking hard, if not impossible. 

They meet with the kids three times a week. Megumi’s favorite part of the whole thing seems to be inflicting pain on Gojo, especially when Gojo tries to be friendly. The friendlier he is, the more Megumi seems to hate him. So Gojo stops being that friendly. 

He starts being himself. 

When Megumi swings a bat into his face, Gojo grabs the kid by the ankles and holds him up in the air. Megumi crosses his arms on his chest, glaring at Gojo menacingly, and Gojo only puts him down when Suguru asks him to.

When Megumi refuses to practice with Gojo, Gojo throws the balls anyways, not hard enough to hurt the kid, but enough to bother him when they hit his arm, leg, shoe, another arm. 

Two weeks – six practices – later, Megumi is still not convinced. Gojo has life besides it. There’s getting closer to Shoko without her realizing it until it’s too late - otherwise she might close up. There’s a judo competition coming up - not that he needs a lot of practice, but he can’t just not practice at all. But, day by day, Fushiguro Megumi occupies more of his thoughts. 

On the sixth practice, when Gojo tries to be a little bit friendlier, Megumi refuses to even look at him for the rest of the day. He trains with Geto and Yuji instead, but his heart is not in it.

Gojo pretends not to be bothered, as he sits on the grass and tries to analyze that kid. He asks Nanami about him.

“His father left him in the orphanage two years ago,” Nanami says. “He was no good father before, emotional neglect and such. Then he got kicked out of his job. It only made it easier for him to leave Megumi in the orphanage.”

Megumi doesn’t trust him. He doesn’t trust adults in general. He’s only training with Geto now because Yuji is there, and Megumi trusts Yuji.

Megumi doesn’t believe that Gojo, an adult, could actually be good to him. Certainly not after what his biological father did.

Gojo softens. 

It’s not about making Megumi like him anymore. Not only. Gojo may have the access to the infinite family money, but he’s no stranger to neglect and being abandoned. The only reason they’ve been giving him the money is to cover up the fact that they haven’t wanted anything to do with him for years now. College, high school, maybe even earlier. 

Gojo knows what it means to be alone, especially when you’re a kid. And later, when you’re a teenager.

They’re walking home one evening, him, Suguru and Shoko, after their first ever bowling session. Gojo is satisfied and in a good mood. Shoko’s new friend, Utahime, the one whose project Shoko signed up for, was supposed to be a master at bowling, and Gojo annihilated her. A good opponent always thrills him, and winning is all that much exhilarating.

Gojo turns his head instinctively. For no reason. There’s a closed bank on their left, and Gojo has never stepped foot in an actual bank - he’s from the Internet generation, okay? But he turns his head, and he spots Megumi curled on the window sill of the closed bank, hugging his legs close to his chest.

“Megumi?”

It’s late. There’s a lot of people walking by. Gojo is both glad that no creep bothered him, and frustrated by the fact that no one is even looking at him. A kid shouldn’t be here now, alone.

He walks up to Megumi and crouches in front of the low window sill. “What the hell are you doing here, kid?”

Hesitant - embarrassed, considering how pink his ears get - Megumi mumbles, “I got lost.”

“What?”

“I got lost, okay?!”

“And where were you going at that time of the night?”

“I left in the morning.”

“What the hell, Megumi?” Gojo sighs. “What were you even thinking?”

“Shut up,” says Megumi. “I want to buy a gift for Yuji. They didn’t want to take me to the store so I went by myself. I got lost. I’m here. And I don’t know why, out of all people, I’m seeing your annoying face.”

Suguru insists they should take him back to the orphanage, but if that damn orphanage was any good, they’d have already found him. 

With Shoko’s support, Suguru gives in, and they take Megumi with them to eat sushi. 

After sushi, they part, Gojo and Megumi going to the supermarket. Megumi is buying gummy worms for Yuji. I’m hoping he’ll eat gummies instead of trying to eat actual worms, said Megumi. Gojo follows him through the aisles, as the kid studies all different kinds of candy.

“Which is your favorite?” Gojo asks, gently making his way in.  

Megumi, too busy studying all the packages to remember to ignore Gojo, shows him a few different candies. “I haven’t had most of these, so I don’t know,” he says. 

“And what are you buying for Yuji?”

Megumi dives into his pocket and takes out some change. He sighs. “Whatever I can buy for this.”

“Where’d you get it from? You get allowance there or something?”

“Are you crazy? It doesn’t matter where I have it from.”

“Megumi.”

“What?”

Gojo raises his eyebrows.

Megumi rolls his eyes. “I found it on the ground, okay? Next time you want me to embarrass myself, just say it.”

“Megumi, you’re a kid.” Gojo chuckles, ruffling his hair. “Obviously you don’t have cash. But don’t you worry, ‘kay? Just add whatever you want to the basket, for Yuji and for yourself. I’m paying.”

“You’re a college student, aren’t you? Aren’t you guys supposed to be poor and stressed?”

“Lucky you, I’m rich and carefree.” Gojo smiles, holding the basket out for Megumi.

Megumi scowls at him, looks at the basket, then at the candy.

Finally, he starts adding candy to the cart, for Yuji on the left, for Megumi on the right. Gojo fills the space in between with his own gummy worms. Later they head to the aisle with gift bags and, out of curiosity, Gojo asks Megumi about other things he and his friend Yuji are into.

As they walk back, they’re eating ice cream. 

“Can I leave my number at the orphanage?” Gojo asks as the building comes into view.

“What for?”

“In case you need something,” he says. “Bet you don’t have a phone. If you wanna do something or go somewhere, you can give me a call.”

Megumi doesn’t say ‘yes’, but he doesn’t say ‘no’ either. “Do whatever you want. I don’t care.”

He leaves his phone number, anyway.

The first call comes through four days later, on Monday, as Gojo is hanging out with his friends at his house.

“Hello?”

A beat of silence. “It’s me.”

“Hey, Megumi! What’s up?” As stupid as it may be, Gojo is fucking euphoric. He knew the call would come through, but now that it actually did, Gojo wants to giggle. Megumi may not be entirely convinced, may hold up all the walls a child is capable of building, but he’s reaching out.

“Do you wanna go with me to Yuji’s birthday party?” he asks. Megumi sounds like none of that means a single thing to him, but Gojo wonders if he’s as nervous as Gojo is excited.

“Today?”

“Tomorrow after school.”

“Oh, okay.”

“You’re probably busy.”

“No, okay. It’s fine.”

“So you don’t have a life. I should have known.”

“Hey! Don’t be an asshole.”

“What about the party?”

“I’ll be there,” Gojo answers, without a second thought.

“You can bring your friends if you want.” With that, Megumi ends the call.

Smiling to himself, Gojo quickly changes the contact name - from the orphanage to Megumi. He looks up at Shoko and Suguru, both watching him like he’d suddenly show up in front of them bald. 

“Are you up for a birthday party tomorrow afternoon?”

The birthday party is less of a party and more of a gathering, but Gojo likes it more than the only college party they’ve gone to since starting school last year. There’s him, Suguru and Shoko. Nanami, who’s a family friend, and helps Yuji’s grandpa take care of the kid. There’s also Utahime, the one Gojo destroyed in the bowling alley, who he’s also destroying now in the musical chairs. Yuji’s grandpa is grumpy, but only on the surface. Like he’s just trying to appear badass. A hardcore and old version of Megumi, really.

Gojo plays the musical chairs, and he plays with the Dragon Ball figurines they got Yuji as a part of their gift, and he tears the package of the gummy worms open for Yuji when he’s asked, and he has an epiphany.

It’s unclear, but he knows that all of this just feels unusually right. 

Yuji’s grandpa leaves them be at some point, enough of the party for him. Megumi and Yuji are all over the place, doing their own thing. For a moment, it seems, Megumi forgets they’re not alone. He does whatever Yuji wants, plays all the games Yuji comes up with and, catching Gojo off guard completely, laughs. Gojo tries to focus on what the rest of the people his age are saying, but his eyes keep drifting to the back of the room, where Megumi is laughing. 

At some point, in the corner of his eye, Gojo notices Megumi glancing his way first. Then he whispers something to Yuji, and Yuji glances his way. Gojo holds his excitement back. There’s no reason to get excited. Not yet.

Not until Yuji runs up to him.

“Do you want to play with us?” he asks. “We need a third player.”

Did Megumi suggest asking Gojo?

Either way, Gojo is once again thrilled.

“Sure,” he says, letting Yuji drag him outside, into a small garden behind the house. “What are we playing?”

“Piggy in the middle,” Megumi says, picking up a rubber ball the size of a handball. “You’re the pig in the question.”

Gojo turns to him with his hands on his hips. “Never missing a chance to be a little shit, do you?”

Megumi smiles. Megumi smiles at him. It’s playful, teasing, annoying, but it’s a smile. A win.

Gojo stands in between them. “How do you imagine that? I seem to be a little taller than you.”

“You’re a giant, but we’re smarter,” Megumi says. 

Gojo whirls around just as the ball flies by his legs. On one side, on the other side, between them. By the time Gojo thinks to protect his legs, they start throwing the ball higher.

It’s not the last game they play together. There’s red light green light, with Gojo being the lights. There’s cops and robbers, and Gojo is a robber, and his legs may be long but there’s not much space around to run, so he’s quickly caught. Then they decide to test Gojo’s strength, hanging on his outstretched arms, having him carry them both on one arm, doing squats and such. 

Gojo obliges to everything, mostly because it makes his heart melt to see Megumi simply have fun. Have fun like a child should have. 

He believes children are precious, and should be surrounded by adults that open doors for them, show them the world, let them experience it and find who they are and what their place in the world is.

He’s also always believed that being a child doesn’t end with a certain age. Being a child as you grow older means experiencing life, getting to know the world, and seeing it with more love and curiosity and trust. It means enjoying life instead of drowning in it. Life’s not innately bad or hard. It’s not out there to get everyone. It’s easier to blame life instead of your own attitude.

When the party ends, Gojo feels like something new grew in his mind.

He watches Yuji hug the hell out of Megumi again and can’t help asking.

“Hey, kid, what was your birthday wish?” Gojo asks.

Yuji looks at him, eyes wide. “I can’t tell! It won’t come true!”

“No way.” He waves his head. “We’re all gonna wish for it to come true, so it’ll only become real faster.”

“Really?” Yuji giggles. “But I don’t want all of you to hear it. But I’ll tell you.” He waves at Gojo to get closer. 

Gojo doesn’t think much of it, until Yuji whispers into his ear. “I actually don’t want Megumi to hear so never ever tell him, okay? My wish was that Megumi finds a home soon.”

Gojo melts. The urge to just hug that kid tight is overwhelming, but he keeps to ruffling his hair. 

“I’ll wish really hard for you to make it come true. Promise.” He turns to his friends. “You too, everyone. I expect the three of you to wish as hard as you can.” Yuji’s smile widens when everyone promises they will. 

He and Suguru split with Shoko and Utahime on the way to the orphanage. They decided on it earlier, because Gojo is pretty sure that Shoko wants to spend more time with Utahime but doesn’t want to ask for it.

Megumi is heavy in his arms, asleep, drooling on Gojo’s shoulder. He’s fine with that. 

“I didn’t think you were actually good with kids,” Suguru says, smiling.

“Am I?” Gojo speaks quietly. 

“You seem to be, from what I’ve seen today.”

“I just want the kid to like me,” he says. 

“Yeah, I know, but it seems much more natural for you. When you were playing with them, or just the way you handle kids. And look at that.” Suguru points at Megumi. “He wouldn’t fall asleep if he didn’t feel safe.”

Gojo doesn’t stop thinking about it. Not that night, not for the next few weeks, as phone calls from Megumi become more frequent. At some point, Gojo starts to call, too. What are you doing after school tomorrow, Gumi? Wanna go with me and my friends to the playground?  

They go to the playground. They go shopping. Megumi holds back the first time they’re in the shopping center, like spending money is not something Gojo loves doing. That’s what he tells Megumi. 

“Relax, kid,” he says. “I’ll buy this whole store and still have a lot of money.” It’s an exaggeration, and Megumi is too smart not to realize it, but he finally chooses the books he wants.

“There’s not enough books in the orphanage,” he says. “I read them all three times already.”

“When did you learn to read?”

“When I got to the orphanage,” he says. “I taught Yuji, too. But I’m not a good teacher. I’m not patient.”

Sometimes Megumi tells him things like this, about himself. In turn, Gojo tells Megumi things about himself. That usually happens when it’s just the two of them. 

One day, when Gojo finishes classes early and doesn’t have any training, he texts the group chat he has with Suguru and Shoko, and tells them he’s picking Megumi up from school today. It’s new. It’s a first. Gojo is so fucking excited. 

Important people pick kids up from school. It’s a privilege.

He’s standing there, in front of the gate, stepping from one foot onto another. He presses his lips together, not to appear too excited. Waiting as the kids pile out of school.

When Megumi leaves, he’s not alone. He’s not with Yuji, either. Yuji doesn’t seem to be anywhere around. Megumi, with the same scowl he often has on his face, walks down the stairs with some kid in tow, waving his hands around like he has some serious problem with Megumi.

Gojo waits, even as the kid yanks at Megumi’s arm. Kids want to be their own heroes, especially boys. They don’t want adults stepping in for them, not when it’s just another kid bothering them. It’s their battle. Gojo gets it.

So he waits to see what Megumi will do. He says something to the kid. In response, the kid - a bit taller than Megumi - bawls his fists and strikes. That’s when Gojo moves. Megumi might have gained some weight since he started hanging out with Gojo and his friends, who all like to feed him all sorts of stuff, but he’s still on the scrawny side. And hell knows he’s not a fighter. The whole ordeal probably annoys him, and the idea of having to fight back probably annoys him too.

So Gojo slips through the bunch of kids that surround them, grabs the kid by the backpack and hauls him up. He’s tall, he’s strong, and the kid hangs in the air like a bag of potatoes, eyes wide on Gojo.

“Kindly, if you have an issue, let’s talk it out. The two of us. Seriously, Megumi has better things to do.”

The kid clasps his hands together, head down. “I’m sorry, sir. I don’t know what came over me, sir. I really don’t have a problem with Megumi. Please let me down. Sir.”

Gojo lets him down, but doesn’t let go yet. Only after he says, “This better be the last time.”

Megumi grabs his backpack and, as the kids disperse, some still staring at Gojo wide-eyed, joins him on the way out. He’s not looking at Gojo, but he’s not throwing a tantrum, either. Maybe Gojo didn’t mess it up all the way.

Far behind the gate, as they’re walking without any direction, Megumi says, “He doesn’t bother me usually.” Gojo glances down at him. “Definitely not when Yuji’s around. He’s scared of Yuji. But he got it through his head that I was ‘flirting with his girlfriend’. Like I have any interest in his girlfriend, or girls in general.” A moment of silence. “Thanks. I really didn’t feel like dealing with this. Such a hassle.” He sighs, pinching his nose bridge. Gojo smiles.

He didn’t step in because Megumi wouldn’t have handled it. He would have if Gojo wasn’t around. In case Yuji wasn’t around. In case the teacher didn’t step in. That’s not why he stepped in. If it was someone else, someone stronger and more hostile; if Megumi was older, dealing with some ruthless bullies; if someone really meant to hurt Megumi, Gojo would barge right in, not because Megumi isn’t capable of dealing with it, but because Gojo cares about him.

Gojo cares about him. He wants him to eat well, to have fun, to get all the books Megumi wants to read, to feel safe and supported. Gojo wants Megumi to have dreams, big or small, and he wants to help make them come true. He wants Megumi to experience life to the fullest, to open all the doors for him. 

Gojo cares. Why? Who knows? Who cares? 

They were thrust together. They could have hated each other all throughout the project, and then never talk again, or they could have taken an entirely different path. They did, here they are, and Gojo is willing to do a lot more for that kid than he thought he would.

The next time Gojo is supposed to pick Megumi up from school, he waits in the same spot. This time, Megumi leaves school with Yuji. As soon as they’re out, Megumi looks up, searching for Gojo. Gojo towers over every parent here, and his hair draws attention on its own, but he still tiptoes and raises his hand as high as possible, waving until Megumi notices him. 

He’s just… proud. He’s proud to be here. He’s proud that he’s the person waiting for Megumi at the end of the school day.

Picking Megumi up from school is not all. One day, a call from Megumi comes through when Gojo is eating morning ice cream with Suguru and Shoko. 

“Yes, child?”

“You’ve got school on Monday?” Megumi asks, no ‘hello’ or anything.

“Why?” 

“Nothing. Do you?”

Gojo has a feeling Megumi wants the answer to be ‘no’, so that’s exactly what he says. Because he doesn’t have classes, he has a competition, but he’ll see where this conversation goes before mentioning it. “I have free Mondays, why?”

“Are you lying?” Megumi asks.

“Why are you asking, Megs?”

Megumi is silent for a moment, either because of the nickname or what he’s about to say. “Because… Look, it’s cool if you’re busy, alright? I just… There’s this thing in school. I don’t wanna do it, just so you know, but I kinda have to. Yuji wanted me to, so I’m doing it. So there’s a thing at school, and parents are invited, but I obviously don’t have any, so do you wanna come?”

Gojo doesn’t know what to say. It’s one thing to pick him up from school, another to sit there among parents and watch Megumi do whatever it is he’s going to do.

“Just say ‘no’ if it’s a ‘no’. Don’t try to come up with a last-minute excuse.”

“Wait a second,” he says, moving the phone aside. He whispers to Suguru and Shoko, who have been watching him this whole time, “Guys, I’m going to cry, prepare tissues.” He moves the phone back to his ear. “So, I’ll be there. What time?”

“If you can’t-”

“Megumi, I asked about the time.”

Megumi sighs. “10am.”

“I’ll be there,” Gojo says. “Anything playing in the cinema you wanna watch tonight?”

With a bit of hesitation, Megumi says, “There’s this… movie about a man and his dog. At… 5pm.”

“I’m picking you up at 4pm. See you!”

Giggling, Gojo puts his phone away. “So,” he says. “You guys know the competition I was going to go to on Monday? Well, screw that.” His smile widens.

On Monday morning, Gojo’s piling among the parents in a big classroom. At first, he sat in the first row, but everyone - very politely - asked him to move to the back because his head was in the way. Yuji’s grandpa is also here. Now Gojo is standing in the last row, with his phone out, waiting for ‘something’ to start. Megumi refused to tell him. He doesn’t care what it is. He’s too excited to be here. 

“Excuse me,” a woman next to him says. She’s shorter than Shoko, young looking, but not as young as him, with short black hair. “I’m sorry if it comes out as rude, but I feel like I have never seen you around before. Do you have a child in this class?”

“Oh, no.” Gojo chuckles. “I’m just… I’m a friend. Of Megumi. He invited me.”

She raises her eyebrows in what looks like a positive surprise. “Oh. I’m… I’m sorry. It’s just… no one has ever… been here for him. He doesn’t usually take part in such things.”

“We haven’t known each other long. Are you… a friend or…”

“I’m just familiar with all the children. My daughter’s a class president. She talks a lot about her classmates. I mostly know Megumi from her stories. Still… It’s nice that someone’s here for him.”

Gojo gives a kind smile, simply so that he doesn’t explode. He wants to tell all of those people that he’s here for Megumi. He will find a way to let them all know.

Soon after, the performance starts. Gojo is not surprised to see Yuji come onto the ‘stage’ (front of the classroom) first, the main character of the play they’re doing. An adaptation of ‘Snow White’, but instead of a princess, there’s Yuji, a prince. Yuji is easily a star. 

There are dwarfs and an evil queen, and then… then there is Megumi.

Megumi. Is. A tree.

As soon as he walks out there, in his tree costume, he gives Gojo the scariest of glares. Gojo puts his hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh, but his cheeks hurt from the grin already. He whips his phone out, snapping pictures.

When the play ends, the kids walk out to bow. Megumi avoids eye contact with everyone, looking absolutely ridiculous in this damn tree. The parents clap and clap, and Gojo claps, too, and then everyone walks up to their kid. Gojo runs for Megumi before he can take the tree off, and Gojo bursts out laughing before he even reaches Megumi.

“I can’t believe you’re a tree!”

“I regret telling you about this,” Megumi mutters. 

Gojo crouches in front of him, keeping Megumi in place. He laughs more. “You were an amazing tree, Megumi. I am so proud of you.”

“Sarcasm doesn’t make you smarter, Gojo.”

“Hey, but I really am! Not because of the tree. I heard it was your first time.”

“It’s not like I wanted to do this.” Megumi rolls his eyes, arms crossed on his chest. “And Yuji wanted me to be the evil queen at first. I only agreed if I was given a role without lines.”

“Oh, you would have been a perfect evil queen, Megumi.” Gojo grins.

With a shade of smile on his lips, Megumi says, “Only if you were Snow White. Can I take this stupid costume off of myself?”

“Do you have to?”

“I know you have a hundred pictures. I think it’s enough.” Megumi sighs and walks away to free himself from the costume.

“Gojo!” Yuji runs up to him next. Gojo smiles, high-fiving the kid. “I’m glad you’re here. It was Megumi’s first performance, you know?”

“So I heard,” Gojo says. “Hey, and you? You are a star of the show, aren’t you?”

“I had to fight this one girl for this role, but I got it.”

“Good. Very good. You were the greatest Snow White. And Megumi was a decent tree.”

Yuji groans. “He should have been the evil queen. I almost convinced him. I was so close.”

“Hey, I’m sure he’ll take a role with more lines next time. Small steps, you know.”

Yuji's smile softens. "He only agreed to take part because he knew you'd come. So thank you for coming."

"Hey. Any new performance or an event? You guys call me. I'll be here."

“Don’t gossip about me,” says Megumi, joining them. “I know what you want. To give me a speaking role. You wish. ”

“Never say never, Megs,” Gojo says. “So, any classes left?”

“Nope!” Yuji smiles. “We’re free today.”

“No way. So am I. How about we go out? Anything you wanna do?”

Yuji actually has a whole lot of ideas. Megumi will do anything Yuji wants to do. Yuji brings his grandpa into the meeting.

“Ah, right, I remember you,” he says, nodding at Gojo. “You sure you wanna be taking care of the kids?”

“Of course I do.” Gojo chuckles. “I love hanging out with them.”

Grandpa looks glad that someone younger can now take care of the kids. He gives a nod. “Alright. Then I’ll head home. Yuji, be kind and don’t get in trouble.”

When Grandpa leaves, Gojo leans in and whispers, “It’s fine if you get in trouble. We’ll get you out of it.” 

Yuji giggles. Gojo catches Megumi smile.

Weeks go by. Summer break is close. 

They meet every day. Gojo does homework with Megumi, even though it’s more about emotional support from Gojo than actual knowledge. They hang out with Gojo’s friends, with Yuji. They eat together, shop together, go to the playground together, cinema, libraries.

They get to know each other slowly, the banal and the deeper stuff. As deep as it can get with a kid that grew up too fast, at least.

They’re alone in the playground one day, messing around in the sand pit, when Megumi says, “I don’t hate people. I’m scared of them.” He moves the sand around with his foot. “I mean, a lot of people are straight up annoying, sure. Like, you know that lady at the orphanage with red lipstick? Annoying. But I still don’t hate them as much as it seems.”

When Megumi says things like this, Gojo opens up in his own way. 

“My family kind of abandoned me, too. I pretended not to care at first. Then I cared a lot, and then I was happy. They messed me up when I was a kid.”

For that, Megumi tells him, “I think I wouldn’t have a good life if my father stayed.”

They share lower moments as easily as the good ones. 

Like when they go out to eat dinner one evening but Gojo can’t find it in himself to be as cheery as always. 

“What happened, huh?” Megumi asks.

“It’s… nothing.” Gojo sighs and sits back, finally feeling like he can let go. He’s felt responsible for bringing the cheery vibes to their meetings, but not even kids live in paradise. He wants to make life as good as possible for Megumi, but he doesn’t want to sugarcoat stuff. "I had a fight with Shoko."

"About?"

"I want what's best for her. She's running away from it." 

"She should know better what's best for her."

"Oh, but she knows it very well. She's just scared to ask for it."

Megumi drops his gaze, moving his food around. Gojo wonders what that made him think of. 

"So she's mad at you," Megumi says, stirring it back to Gojo.

“Partially, I guess. It’s… strange.”

“Why? No one’s ever mad at you?”

Gojo huffs a small laugh. “Lots of people were often mad at me when I was younger.” But then his mind takes him back there, and he knows they were mad only because the way he was wasn’t in alignment with what they wanted. 

But then Shoko and Suguru came, accepted him the way he was, even became his best friends. At some point Gojo stopped entertaining the thought that he could ever piss them off.

“It’s on me,” he says with a sigh. “I thought they’d always go along with everything I do, cause that’s what they’ve been doing all this time.” He gives a small smile. “It’s fine. I’ll make up with Shoko soon.”

When they’re walking back, Megumi stops them in front of a convenience store and says, “Wait here.”

“What are you-”

“Just wait.”

He disappears inside for five minutes and, when he’s back, without looking at Gojo, he hands him the ice cream they’re always eating. 

“We can go,” Megumi says, with an ice-cream of his own, already walking away. 

Gojo smiles at the colorful packaging of his favorite ice cream. He doesn’t remember mentioning it’s his favorite, but he must have somewhere along the way. That doesn’t faze him, but the fact that Megumi remembered. 

“Where’d you get the money?” he asks, joining Megumi.

“I earned it.”

“You earned it.” Gojo huffs amused. “How?”

“Taught a high school kid at school a topic in chemistry.”

“How much?”

“3000 yen for the lesson, 1000 for renting a room in Yuji’s house. This guy basically does gardening for them sometimes. 1000 for the fact that I had to bring my own book, 1000 for the fact that I’m literally seven years old and he’s seventeen and it should probably be the other way round. And 1000 for losing my patience, but I called it additional necessary study materials. ”

Gojo laughs. “You’re a little shit.”

“And now we’re eating ice cream.”

Gojo drops his hand and ruffles Megumi’s hair. “Should I be proud that you managed it on your own or be strict and tell you that scamming high school kids is probably a bad idea?”

“Okay, how about this. You’re a high school kid and one of your neighbors, an old and cranky grandpa who’s taking care of a kid, asks you if you could take care of his garden once a month. He says he’ll pay, just give him the price. How much do you say?”

“I don’t know. Depends. Do I have as much money as I have now?”

“No. You’re a normal student.”

“Dunno. 500 yen?”

“Yeah, and this guy took 5000.”

“Wait, you scammed the kid because he scammed Yuji’s grandpa?”

“What? You think it was wrong?”

“What if the kid needed that money? For something important?”

“Did he have to scam an old man?”

“People do all sorts of things out of desperation. I’m not saying it was right, but you never know what he needed it for.”

“Well, I do, because I was there when he took the money. I saw him later in that store with adult stuff.” Megumi shrugs. “If he needed the money for something important, I guess I could deal with it some other way. But if he didn’t, I don’t see why I should be a good person to people who are not good. I’ll be good to those I think deserve it.”

“What did you do with the money you made?”

“I took 2000 yen and put 5000 in Grandpa’s wallet.”

If Gojo was a ‘model adult’, he’d probably go into a monologue about morals and shit. But instead of being a model adult, and thinking like an adult that wants their own beliefs to be reflected through their kid, and trying to make it about himself, he thinks about Megumi. Gojo doesn’t want to teach him any beliefs. Megumi’s too smart for that. He’s his own person, and Gojo believes that the most important thing Megumi can learn is to think for himself.

Gojo can stay true to himself, and he can help Megumj make sense of the world when it gets too much. 

He makes them stop, crouching in front of Megumi. "You're a good kid." He ruffles his hair, adds, “Thanks for the ice cream," and gets up as he bites a piece off.

Megumi stares at him in disgust. "Did you just bite the ice cream? No, nope. I don't know you anymore. Please walk six steps behind me."

"Tsk." Gojo bites into the ice cream, keeping it between his teeth, and uses both hands to mess up Megumi's hair, much to the kid's protest.

Two weeks later, Gojo sits in the auditorium at college, watching Nanami’s presentation about his project. Nanami interviewed him, because apparently Gojo and Megumi exceeded his expectations when it came to the results of the project. Gojo forgot a long time ago it was only supposed to be a school project.

Nanami asked him simple questions - what he thinks about Megumi and about spending time with Megumi outside of the project. Gojo watches the video of himself answering, nervous to hear Megumi’s recording. It comes on next. 

Gojo doesn’t move. He listens. He has a vague idea of what Megumi thinks about him, but he knows it’s gonna be different now, when Megumi speaks for an interview, and not hides his feelings from Gojo.

“He’s just so annoying,” video Megumi begins. Typical. “That’s what I thought at first. Don’t get me wrong, he is annoying, but I actually grew to like it. He’s annoying in a good sense. He’s annoying when he says he’s rich so I can get all the books that I want, and he’s annoying when he forces me to do things I feel weird doing, but I know he does this for me, not to actually get on my nerves.

“His friend says he’s very intelligent,” Megumi continues. “I wasn’t so sure about it when he kept getting into petty fights with me at the beginning. I thought he did it because he was simply stupid enough to argue with a kid, but when I got to know him, I realized I was wrong. He is very intelligent. That’s why I like talking to him. Most adults treat me like a child, which for them often means they treat me like I’m dumb. Gojo… treats me like a child, but not because he thinks I’m dumb. He knows I’m not, and that’s how he talks to me, but he treats me like a child in a way that he thinks I should… enjoy life more.”

“Has something changed since you’ve known him?”

Video Megumi nods. “A lot.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Before I met Gojo, I only really had one friend, outside of the orphanage. We met at school, so he’s my age. All the adults I knew… they made me feel scared and lonely. Gojo was the first adult- I mean, you know, as much as you can call him that - he was the first adult I wasn’t scared of. That changed everything. He… oh my God, is he going to see this?”

“Probably,” video Nanami says. 

Megumi sighs. “Great. I’m never gonna hear the end of this. Anyway, he made me want to keep living. I know I’m a kid, you know. And my best friend, he always made everything better, but since I’m a kid, trying to walk through a world that’s run by adults and not always kind to kids was difficult without a single adult I wasn’t scared of. So, yeah… That’s all I have to say.”

Gojo feels weak. Having Megumi call him and want to spend time with him is one affirmation of the fact that Megumi likes Gojo, but hearing something like this is a whole different story. He made me want to keep living. Only now he realizes what they’ve become not only from his perspective, but from Megumi’s too.

Before he knows it, Fushiguro Megumi is not only a project kid that was supposed to like Gojo. It’s Megumi, Gojo’s tiny and very precious diamond. An asshole kid, who actually cares a lot, grew up too fast and is more scared than he lets on.

A kid Gojo would go out of his way for in a heartbeat, every single day.

And night.

So when his phone rings at 2am - Shoko asleep on the couch with Utahime, Gojo tangled between Suguru’s arms on the floor - and the contact name is ‘Megumi’, Gojo picks up.

“Hello? What’s going on?”

He forces his eyes open, scrambling to his feet, and leaves to the kitchen not to wake his friends up.

“Is this Gojo Satoru?” a woman asks.

“Yes, this is me,” he says, heart rate picking up and waking him up. “What’s wrong?”

“We… are having a bit of a situation,” she says. “Megumi has gotten upset over something, and we thought he would calm down eventually, but he’s still throwing a tantrum and he refuses to calm down unless… unless you come around.”

“Did he say that?”

“Give me a second.” The line rustles. The door opens on the other side. The sounds are weird, like things being thrown around. “Megumi.” The woman doesn’t speak to Gojo, but she lets him hear. “Do you think you could calm down now? It’s late and-”

“I said I won’t calm down unless you let me see Gojo!”

The line rustles again. “As you could hear.”

Gojo is already in his room, putting his clothes on. “Tell him I’ll be there soon.”

He leaves a piece of paper for his friends, telling them he’ll be back soon, and runs to the orphanage. There, he's led into what looks like a meeting room. There is a coffee table and two armchairs, and also toys for kids of different ages. 

When the lady that talked to him on the phone brings Megumi in, Gojo asks her to leave them alone. He plants one knee on the floor, crouching in front of Megumi when the kid doesn't budge. 

"Hey, Megs. I'm here. Will you tell me what happened?"

Megumi stays quiet, but that's probably because of the quivering lower lip and the excessive blinking. He puts his hands on Gojo's shoulders, gripping the material of the hoodie, and looks away, sniffling. It's a first, Megumi crying, but it's not a surprise. The kid's not emotionless.

"Come here," Gojo says, gently nudging him forward. The first step is hesitant. Megumi gulps and glances around, then lunges forward, arms wrapped tightly around Gojo's neck. Gojo picks him up with ease, pacing around the room and caressing his hair, waiting for Megumi to calm down. He waits patiently. It sounds like Megumi has been holding it in for a long time. 

When the crying eases into sniffles, Gojo sits in one of the armchairs, Megumi curled on his lap.

"Wanna see something?" Gojo asks, keeping his voice soft. The big light is off, only a lamp behind them, and when Megumi turns, Gojo catches the light with his hands. "Can you do shadow puppets?"

Megumi shakes his head. 

Gojo's rusty with that, too, but he remembers how to make a shadow dog and a shadow bunny. Megumi focuses on his hands long enough that his breaths become deeper and the sniffling stops entirely. He even smiles when Gojo pretends to boop his shadow dog with his own.

"So? What happened?"

Megumi looks down at his hands. "They told me I can't hang out with Yuji anymore when I accidentally broke this kid's toy earlier. Like, as a punishment. I didn't mean to, I even said I was sorry, but they were so mean about it. Then they said one more time and they won’t let me see you." Fidgeting with his fingers, he adds, "This place is horrible. I don't want to be here anymore."

Gojo’s heart breaks. He knew the orphanage wasn’t a good place for Megumi, but a big part of Gojo didn’t want to acknowledge it, because that would mean he couldn’t just leave it alone. He’d have to do something about it. Gojo took an easy way - he spent more and more time with Megumi, taking care of him to some extent, but always waited for someone else to swoop in one day and save the day.

“I want to go back with you,” Megumi says, resting his head on Gojo’s shoulder. He scrunches Gojo's hoodie in his small hands. Gojo freezes. “I want to be with you, not here. Take me from here. Please.”

The obvious answer, the one that pops in his head right away, is “yes”. 

Megumi was only supposed to tolerate him. Like him, in the best case scenario. How did they get here? 

“Are you sure you mean it?” Gojo asks. Megumi doesn’t say things for no reason. He’s too smart for that. But he’s also emotional now, and Gojo, for once, has to be the adult part of him. The very adult and responsible part of him.

“I do.”

Gojo feels insane. He knows, he just knows that he should say ‘yes’. Yes, one hundred percent. He should grab Megumi and whatever he owns and take him home. He should, he knows, and yet the word doesn’t come out. Not yet. Not because of him, but because of Megumi.

“You’re gonna have to think about it, okay?” he says, one hand on Megumi’s back. “You know it’d be a big decision. So give it a thought, okay? I’m not going anywhere.”

Megumi hums. Gojo doesn’t move until he falls asleep, and when he does, Gojo doesn’t move either. He’ll stay. He takes his phone out and messages Suguru, letting him know he’ll be back later.

He stays. Gojo closes his eyes and stays with Megumi for the rest of the night.

The topic doesn’t come up for the next few days. They hang out, do homework, eat dinners and watch movies at Gojo’s place.

Then, a few days later, the topic comes up again when they’re on a playground.

“Are you seeing Yuji just fine?” Gojo asks, pushing Megumi on a swing. 

“Yeah. You talked to them, didn’t you?”

“Of course.”

When the swing goes down, Megumi says, “I meant it.”

“What?”

“What I said that night,” he says. “I know I was crying and emotional. I thought about it. I thought about it before, too, but I didn't know how to talk about it. But… you know… if you don’t want to, then it’s fine.”

Gojo knows it wouldn’t be fine. It would break the kid, even if they were still hanging out every day. 

He rounds the swing, makes it stop and crouches in front of Megumi. 

“I don’t know a single thing about it, but I’ll do what I can, okay?” Megumi blinks, knuckles turning white around the chains of the swing. “I’ll do everything to make it work. I promise, Megumi.”

Megumi gulps. He stares at Gojo for a long time, like any moment Gojo is going to change his mind. 

Gojo is not going to do that.

“Thank you,” he says, voice quiet, and every word broken. At that rate, he’ll start crying.

Gojo smiles, gets up and ruffles his hair. “What haven’t we eaten yet, huh? I feel like we could have something new.”

Talking to Megumi was nothing. Now Gojo is about to talk to Suguru about the whole thing, and honestly, it scares the shit out of him. They’ve gotten together not that long ago, weeks. A bit over a month. Their lives were simple up until now, school, sports, Shoko’s crush on Utahime, dates. Now Gojo is about to inform his boyfriend he’s going to adopt a child.

He’s going to adopt a child . Gojo is still growing used to that thought, but he loves it just as much. 

He decides to do it as they’re waiting for Shoko outside the school gates.

“There’s something I decided to do,” Gojo begins. His lungs are not working properly. Why is he so damn nervous? No one has ever understood him like Suguru does. He’ll get it.

“What is it?” Suguru asks, voice as soft as always.

Gojo searches for the right way to say it, but there is only one way.

“I’m going to adopt Megumi.”

The silence stretches for far too long. Suguru isn’t even looking at him, and Gojo doesn’t like it.

“Say something. What? You don’t think it’s a good idea?” 

“Satoru…” He sighs, slowly turning his way. “What are you even talking about? You can’t adopt a child.”

“What do you mean? I’m a grown man. Yeah, okay, I’m 22, but-”

“You’re 22, exactly. What do you know about parenthood? You’re gonna take the kid in, and then what? What if you get bored? What if you can’t do this? What, you’re gonna give him back?”

“Why would all of this be the case? Because I’m young? In college? I’ll be done soon. I’ve got the means, and I-”

“You’re practically a child yourself.”

Gojo presses his lips together, looking away. “I’m not a child.”

“You act like one a lot of the time.”

Gojo loses the will to fight. He thought Suguru understood him. Understood that Gojo being and acting the way he does isn’t random or wrong. He knows how he acts, and he’s not going to change. It’s always been deliberate, keeping the child-like part of him alive, and he’s not going to be himself without it.

But it doesn’t make him irresponsible.

At least he thought so, but maybe he doesn’t have a good perception of himself.

Suguru knows him. He knows him best. 

He’s right.

But Gojo doesn’t want him to be right, so he does the most childish thing he can, which only nails the point in.

“You guys go without me,” he says, walking past Suguru.

“Satoru-”

Gojo ignores him. He walks past a confused Shoko on his way.

“I’m going home,” he mutters, almost sprinting. 

He stays home for two days after that. He doesn’t pick up the calls, even from the orphanage, and he doesn’t open the door. Thankfully he didn’t get around to giving his friends extra keys, yet. It’s on a to-do list.

It’s still on a to-do list, along with repairing the hinges in the bathroom door, and watering the plant upstairs that has already died, and maybe that’s because Gojo is irresponsible. Maybe he’s not a good adult. What was he even thinking? That he would bring up a child ? Take in a small human being and take care of him? 

A kid he cares about, sure, but is this enough? Thinking about ensuring a good life is one thing, but then Gojo has to actually do it. 

Gojo can’t avoid the orphanage any longer, he can’t keep avoiding Megumi. It’ll only hurt more. They meet after Megumi’s classes end. Gojo takes him to eat lunch, then ice cream. They even stop by a bookstore and get a couple new books. It feels too final.

They sit on a bench under tall trees, a walking path behind them as they look out at the river.

It feels like a goodbye.

“Megumi.”

“Hm?”

His throat is tight. “I can’t do it.”

“Can’t do what?”

Gojo doesn’t answer. It’s obvious.

In the corner of his eye, Gojo can see Megumi’s fingers tightening on the edge of the bench.

I’ll do everything to make it work. 

A liar.

“But you said…” Megumi stops, grinds his teeth so hard Gojo can hear it. He gets off the bench. “You said you would. You… you promised.”

Sometimes it's easy to forget Megumi is just a child. Gojo remembers it now all to well.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Megumi, but I-”

“You what?! What stupid excuse do you have?”

When he takes a step back, Gojo is up on his feet. “It’s not a stupid excuse. I can’t do this. I’m not a person that should .”

“If you didn’t want to do it, then why did you promise?!”

“It’s not that I don’t want to. I can’t.” Gojo tries to get closer. “But we can still see each other. It’s not-”

Megumi slaps his hands away. “Shut up!”

Gojo gulps. 

“I don’t want to see you ever again.” Megumi turns to leave. 

“Megumi, please-”

“Leave me alone!” He stops but doesn’t face Gojo again. “You’re all the same. You promise the world and then you run when it gets too hard, and we’re all left to handle ourselves like we know what’s going on.”

You, adults. We, kids. Gojo doesn’t move. He can’t. He didn’t make Megumi angry. He broke his heart. 

He promised, he said he’d do everything to make it work, and suddenly he’s backing out. It’s for Megumi’s own good. But Gojo failed him, just like his father failed him, like the orphanage staff fails him. The adults fail and fail, and Gojo is just one of them. He never wanted to be like one of them. 

Still, he grabs the paper bag with books Megumi left and follows Megumi a few steps behind, only to make sure he makes it back to the orphanage. He doesn’t. He goes to Yuji. 

Gojo’s house feels so empty now, even though no one has ever lived here with him. Shoko and Suguru stay overnight often, but in the mundane day-to-day, it’s just Gojo. It’s quiet and it makes him numb now.

It’s not that no one will ever take care of Megumi. He’ll come across someone again, someone who’ll be ready to take care of him. 

It’s just that it goes both ways. Megumi wanted Gojo to take him home, and Gojo wanted to share a home with him. The homeworks, the movies, dinners, talking, playing, reading. Whatever it is, Gojo wanted to be a part of his life. Growing up, school problems, teenage crushes, maybe the lack of crushes, changing hobbies, choosing paths. 

His front door creaks open. He forgot to close it.

“Satoru…”

Gojo isn’t mad at Suguru. He’s disappointed that Suguru’s idea of him didn’t turn out the way Gojo wanted it to. He felt understood, for the first time in the longest time. He could be himself, and he knew Suguru wouldn’t leave because of it.

“I’m here.” He sighs.

“Hey.” He walks further in and takes a seat next to Gojo. He slips an arm around Gojo. “Are you okay?”

The normal course of events would be: Gojo vents to Suguru, spills his guts out, they make out, things are great. But now Gojo doesn’t want to talk to Suguru about it, about Megumi, about the way he feels. Not now that he knows what Suguru thinks of his attitude, and not after it made Gojo wonder if he’s been wrong his whole life.

“I’m fine,” he says. “I’ll be back at school tomorrow.”

“Are you still mad at me? Maybe we should talk about it.”

“No, no.” Gojo rubs his eyes. “There’s nothing to talk about. I’m not mad.”

Suguru doesn’t buy it, but he’s also not the one to push it. 

He stays until it gets dark, and leaves only because there’s something he has to do for his family. Gojo doesn’t ask, Suguru doesn’t say. It’s obvious there’s a strain.

It all bothers Gojo so much that when Suguru leaves, Gojo puts his shoes on and leaves, too, turning the other way.

He picks up a bunch of small stones on his way. When he stands under Shoko’s window, where the light is still on, he throws them into the glass one by one.

The window creaks open. “It’s pretty late, even for you. What’s up?”

“Can I come in?”

Technically, he can’t. It’s a common house only for women. “Let yourself in," she says regardless.

He types in the code she once gave him and quietly makes his way upstairs. No one’s around. The lights are dimmed. By the time he gets to the door, Shoko has opened it. 

Gojo walks in and closes the door. He hovers there, swinging front and back on his feet. Shoko looks at him from the bed. 

“Talk to me,” she says. 

Gojo would love to, that’s why he’s here, but the first thing that comes out of him is an ugly sob. Then he’s crying. He drops onto the edge of the bed and cries into his hands, and Shoko pats his shoulder as awkwardly as always, but it makes Gojo feel that much safer and better. 

“Geto wouldn’t tell me what this is about,” she says. “Will you?”

“Shoko, do you think I would be a good parent?”

Shoko looks both terrified and confused.

Gojo wipes the tears from his eyes and pulls his legs up, getting comfortable on the bed. He pulls Shoko’s pillow between his arms. “Megumi asked me if I would adopt him. I, the dumbass, promised I would do everything I can to make it happen. I wanted to, and I thought I could. And then… then I told Suguru, and he went on telling me I can’t do this, I don’t know anything about parenthood and I’m childish, too irresponsible to take care of a child. And I thought… oh, fuck, he’s right. I can’t even fix my goddamn bathroom door on time, you know? And I told Megumi, and… and I disappointed him, and now he hates me, and-”

“Calm down, Gojo. Calm down.” Shoko crosses her legs like he does. “Let’s take it slow, okay? Megumi wants you to adopt him.”

“He asked if I could take him from the orphanage because he hates it. I thought maybe he was just being emotional, because it was after a gigantic tantrum, but then a few days later, he said he meant it.”

“And you want to do it.”

He takes a shuddering breath in. “I want to. I care about him, Shoko. I care so much. I want to… I want to make sure he’s safe, and healthy, and eating well, and having fun, and doing whatever he wants to do, and getting whatever he needs. You know how smart he is? He’s probably some genius, and it should be paid attention to, and-”

“Okay, I get it,” she says. “And… what’s the problem?”

Gojo lets out a sigh. “You know how I am, right? I act like a child, I don’t wanna grow up into the kind of an adult I can’t stand. Besides, I’m young, I’m 22, I’m in college, I’m an athlete.”

“I asked about the problem, Gojo. Not the way you are.”

“The way I am is a problem.”

Shoko sighs softly, tilts his head. 

“What?” he asks.

“I don’t think any of that is a problem, actually,” she says. “I think… I know I don’t say things like this often, but I think you’re an amazing person. And it’s exactly the way you think and the way you act that makes you great.”

“There’s no way-”

“Listen to me, dumbass. You know yourself the best out of the three of us. You stay true to yourself. You’ve seen beyond something that limits a lot of people. I didn’t understand it at first, because I didn’t try to understand. But I do now, and I think you’re great.”

“Great enough to have a kid? Take care of him? Bring him up? What if I mess it up?”

“Everyone can mess it up. You think his father messed up because he was young and child-like? You care about him, Gojo. I’ve seen you two. You do those parent-like things that Geto and I don’t even think about. You adjust his jacket, you finish every food he doesn't eat, you carry him, you carry tissues in case he needs to blow his nose. That’s not all. You’re already doing the things you said you want to do. You buy him the books he wants to read, you show him things and places, you make sure he eats well, you make sure he’s safe. You learned math to help him with homework, because it’s the only subject he’s struggling with.”

“You think I could do this?”

“I think you’re already doing this,” Shoko says. “Things would change a lot, sure. You’d have to have a room for him in your house, take him to school, take care of him if he’s sick, bandage scraped knees, go to the parent-teacher meetings, all that stuff. But if you want to do this, if you’re ready to do this… then the person you are is only going to make all of this better.”

Gojo turns and drops his head into her lap, crossing his legs again to fit on the bed. “I love you, Shoko.”

“I know.”

“I wish Suguru understood me the way you do.” He sighs. “Which is funny because I thought he did.”

“I think he does,” she says, brushing his hair. “Have you thought about what it means for you two? You adopting a child?”

“What?”

“Maybe Geto is scared.”

“Oh, great. Now I’m an asshole.”

“You’re not.” She pats his head. “But what are your priorities in the long run?”

He loves Suguru, and he’s known him longer than Megumi, but right now Gojo knows where his priorities lay. He knows what he can risk losing, and what he absolutely cannot.

“I should do it,” he mumbles.

His phone rings.

With a sigh, Gojo takes it out and frowns at the contact name. 

“Megumi,” he whispers. Pulling himself up, Gojo sits at the edge of the bed. “Hello?”

“Gojo Satoru?”

He frowns at the lady’s voice. “Yes, it’s me. What’s going on?”

“Is Fushiguro Megumi with you?”

“What? No. He’s not with me. What do you mean? Is he lost?” His heart is beating so hard he can’t breathe.

There’s a moment of silence before she says, “He hasn’t come back since yesterday. We checked and his things are gone-”

“What?! And you’re calling me now ?!” 

He hangs up. 

“What? What’s going on?” Shoko asks. 

“Megumi’s not at the orphanage,” he says, up on his feet. “He hasn’t come back, and his things are gone. I need to look for him.”

“Wait!” Shoko grabs his arm. “I’ll go with you. I’ll call Geto and Utahime.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll-”

“Come on, Gojo.” She opens her wardrobe. “It’s my favorite kid ever. I’m not gonna sit here when he’s lost.”

The four of them meet, and Gojo’s glad Suguru doesn’t say anything about what happened between them earlier. No one mentions Suguru was supposed to be with his family. Gojo doesn't ask why he's here instead. They split. Shoko and Utahime, Geto, and Gojo. Gojo’s first stop is Yuji’s house.

Yuji opens the door. “Gojo! Hey, have you seen Megumi today? He hasn’t come to school.”

Gojo crouches to his level. “That’s the thing, you know. Megumi’s… lost. I came here to ask if you’ve seen him yesterday or today.”

Yuji’s eyes grow, full of worry. “What do you mean he’s lost? He’s missing? Something happened to him?”

“Don’t worry, we’re looking for him. We’ll find him.”

“Let me know when you do! I’ll give you the number to our phone, okay?”

With a new phone number and no Megumi, Gojo continues on. 

He checks all their regular places, one by one. Some are closed, some still open. There’s no one to call. He’s running out of places.

Shoko calls him as he’s headed to the playground. 

“Anything?” he asks.

“No,” she says. “The three of us met. We haven’t found him.”

“Me neither. I’m going to the playground now.”

“Let us know if you find him.”

Gojo twirls his phone in his hand, nervous. The playground is dark. There’s one lamp next to it, but it hardly shines over the swings. The rest stays hidden in the shadows. 

“Megumi,” he calls out. “Are you here? I know you’re mad at me, but if you’re not here, I’m literally going to drop dead. And if you are, and I drop dead, you don’t want people finding dead body around you-”

Someone kicks into the wooden wall of the advanced slides. Gojo’s heart drops, then picks back up. He sticks his head through the chains that hold up the wooden bridge and lights up the inside of the slide with his phone flashlight.

“Megumi…”

Megumi isn’t looking at him. His arms are wrapped around his legs, chin on his knees. A bag full of clothes and books open next to him. Gojo feels ten pounds of worry lighter.

“God, Megumi, where have you been?” Gojo sends a quick text to Shoko, another one to Yuji, then climbs into the shed. A tiny built-up area between the bridge and the slide. It reminds Gojo of a small, really tiny tower. He keeps his legs out on the bridge, and puts his phone up, the lighter making it easier to see.

Megumi looks to the side.

But he's not running away.

Gojo could get mad at him for disappearing and spending the night god knows where, and putting himself in danger. But that's not the point, not at all.

“A lot of people say I’m a child, you know," he says. "Because of the way I act. I know I’m not acting like a model adult. That’s kinda the point.”

“That’s why I like you," Megumi mutters.

Gojo nearly breaks. He holds himself back together. “I thought I could do it, Megumi. I was so sure. But then someone said that it’s a stupid idea, that I won’t manage." He pulls on a thread sticking out from the seam on his jeans. "I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to turn out to be shitty at this. I don’t want the orphanage to take you from me because they think I’m neglecting you.”

Gojo takes a moment to put his thoughts together.

“Why are you listening to other people?” Megumi asks. Eyes still on something beyond the slide.

“Wait, I’m not done," Gojo says. Megumi rolls his eyes. "Because there are also people who think I can do it. Everyone thinks something about me, and I never cared about what they think. I don’t know why I suddenly started now. Maybe because if I fail myself, I fail myself. But if I fail you…” 

But he’s already failed him, hasn’t he?

“I’m sorry that I left,” Gojo says. That’s the whole point. “And that I said I won’t be taking care of you anymore. Is this what you want?”

“Do you really care?”

“Yes!” He springs up, hitting the wall with an elbow. He sits back down. “Yes, that’s the point, Megumi. I’d give you the world, okay? I have the money for it, I have the house, I have everything we could need. I know what I know, and I’d learn the rest. I just… I’m scared I won’t make it. I’m scared the way I am will hurt you.”

Megumi finally looks at him. “But you will hurt me. And I will hurt you. You’re an adult, you should understand it. Things are never perfect. But that’s not the point." He looks away again. "No one has ever cared about me like that and no one ever will. You were no one, a stranger, and you took care of me better than my own dad who left for good. Almost every adult I’ve known until you, I was scared of them. But you… you’re different to me.”

Gojo, throat tight, forces out a chuckle. “Are you sure you’re seven?” 

Megumi hugs his legs closer.

He’s a childish adult, and Megumi’s a grown-up child. They found each other, somehow a perfect match. Megumi wanting Gojo - no one else but Gojo - to take care of him, to take him home, is a blessing Gojo won’t pass by.

People make mistakes. And Gojo has a lot more belief in himself than this. 

“Megumi.”

The kid looks up. 

“I’ll do it.” Whether he tears up because Megumi does, or because he should have done this already, it doesn’t matter. 

Megumi’s hesitant. Those big eyes are full of nothing but fear. 

Gojo made a mistake he’ll learn from. He’ll never abandon that kid.

“I want to do it. I’ve made a mistake before, because I was scared I’d hurt you. But I’ll do it, no matter how hard it is, or maybe it’ll actually be easy. I don’t know, I’ve never done this.” With his lungs tight, he pauses to take a deep breath. “But you have a home with me, okay?”

Megumi huffs, looking to the side. He huffs again, weaker. A moment of silence and he drops his head between his arms, shoulder shaking with silent cries.

"Come here, Megumi," Gojo says, throat tight. "I can hardly move around in here."

Megumi scrambles to his feet in the tiny space and, in tears and snot, falls against Gojo, arms tight around his neck. Those tears and sobs, they don’t sound heavy. It's relief. By the way Megumi holds him, he knows the kid trusts him.

If I ever go back on that promise, strike me dead, he thinks, but there’s no going back. Not for Gojo.

“You’re so annoying,” Megumi mutters, maybe out of habit or to draw the attention away from the tears he just shed.

Gojo laughs through the tears he’s trying to hold back. “I know.”

Megumi’s bag hangs on his shoulder. He carries Megumi out of the playground. With one hand, Gojo orders some food to his house, and puts his phone away.

“It might take a minute before it’s legal, you know,” he says. “I’m not really sure how all of this works.”

“It’s fine,” Megumi says. “I’ll wait.”

“You know it will legally make me your father?”

“Don’t sound so smug about it. It'll make you my legal guardian and I’ll be calling you Gojo.”

“Gojo means dad in japanese, did you know about it?”

“Shut up.” Megumi smiles into the words. Gojo hauls him up, forcing Megumi to lean back - with an eye roll. “What?”

“We’re gonna get you a phone as soon as you’re out of that shithole,” he says. “I nearly got a heart attack tonight.”

“Sorry. I just… I didn’t know what to do with myself. I felt stupid for getting mad at you. You've never mentioned anything like this before."

"Doesn't mean I didn't want it." Gojo lets out a sigh. Gently, he guides Megumi back to rest on his shoulder. “It’s okay. You’ve got me now. I’ll always be here.”

Megumi’s grip tightens on Gojo’s shirt. “These are big promises,” he says, voice hushed. 

“I know,” Gojo says. “I mean it.”

They’re walking to Gojo’s house. It’s too late to go to the orphanage, but Gojo sends them an update text, just in case they care. Because he is a responsible adult. 

Gojo spots them first. 

“Megumi!”

Megumi springs up at the sound of Shoko's voice, turning in Gojo’s arms. Shoko, Utahime and Suguru are waiting in front of his house. Now Shoko’s waving maniacally, her smile wide. Gojo didn’t realize she liked Megumi that much.

“They helped me look for you,” he says, letting Megumi down. 

Shoko squats down in front of Megumi. 

“Aren’t you cold?” she asks, cupping his cheeks. “Gojo! Why didn’t you give him a hoodie?”

“Do you see any on me?”

“You should have torn your shirt off if Megumi was cold.”

“I am really glad he didn’t,” Megumi says. “And it’s okay. I have my clothes, but I’m not cold.”

Shoko’s smile softens. She ruffles his hair. “What’s your favorite movie? We’re about to have a sleepover and we can’t decide what to watch.”

“Oh, for the cartoons, I like The Fox and The Hound, but I’ve also had a thing for E.T. recently.”

“Megumi’s really into American movies from the 80s,” Gojo says, ruffling his hair. 

“You wanna join our sleepover, then?” Shoko asks.

“Sure.”

Gojo is very pointedly not looking at Suguru. He’s scared. He might have as well chosen a life without Suguru, if he doesn’t come to terms with Gojo’s decision. 

It’ll hurt, but Gojo would never make a different choice.

At home, as Megumi takes over the bathroom (“I know how to shower, Gojo, I’m not a baby”), Gojo hands out his shirts and shorts, as he often does during their sleepovers. The pickiest turns out to be Utahime, who waves Gojo away from his own wardrobe. 

He turns to Shoko. “And you support this?” 

Shoko shrugs.

“You lost your privileges the moment she kissed me, that’s all I can tell you,” Utahime says. 

Gojo rolls his eyes. 

There’s one more set of clothes left. Shoko and Utahime leave the room, leaving Gojo alone with Suguru. Suguru’s not making any move, so Gojo takes a deep breath in.

Kneading the clothes in his hands, he says. “I made this choice without you, because it was my choice. I know what you think about it, but I know myself better than anyone else, and I know I can do this. So if you want to leave, I’m not going to be mad.”

“I wanted to apologize.”

“Oh.”

Suguru walks closer. “I knew it would come to this before you talked to me, I just didn’t know when. I could see how fond of him you were, and I knew for sure after Nanami's presentation. When I attacked you, I didn’t mean to attack you. Because, as you said, you can do this, and I know it. There’s no one else that could, I believe. I was just… I was scared you’d want me to do it with you, and I don’t think I could, Satoru.”

“I’m not expecting you to become a father,” Gojo says. “You don’t have to do anything. I am adopting him, not us. I’m not gonna force you to stay if you don’t want to be around. I realize this is an unusual situation, and we’ve barely started going out and suddenly I have a seven year old kid. So if you wanna go-”

“I don’t wanna go. I also don’t know how it’s going to work, but I know we will try our best. If it’s not working, I won’t stand between you and Megumi. But if it works… I am really hoping it works out.”

Gojo’s heart squeezes. The clothes drop out of his hands, and the next moment he’s wrapping his arms around Suguru’s shoulders, squeezing the life out of him. 

He closes his eyes and smiles. “I’m hoping it’ll work out, too.”

Gojo’s couch is hardly enough for the five of them, but they make it work. 

They always make it work.

~~

Gojo is fucking stressed.

But he’s also fucking thrilled.

That’s what happens when you’re converting a ‘guest room’ in your way-too-big-for-one house into a room for your kind-of-a-son. Everyone is helping him, naturally, because next week Gojo will sign all the papers he needs to sign and Megumi will see the orphanage for the last time.

This August, this summer break, Gojo Satoru is adopting a kid. It took a month to get everything to work, but they’re here now, and Gojo might as well combust.

The room is a surprise, of course. Megumi knows nothing about it.

“Where the fuck is Geto? Why am I carrying a bed with you?” Utahime asks, taking yet another break. 

“Because I have noodle arms,” Shoko says helpfully from the floor, where she’s putting together a complicated book shelf. “Geto’s picking up whatever Gojo ordered for the room. He’s our delivery man.”

“And I ordered a lot,” Gojo says. “Come on, pick it up. You trained all those sports for a reason.”

Utahime rolls her eyes and picks up one side of the bed.

A week later, Gojo’s hands tremble as he signs the papers. He picks up whatever belongs to Megumi and puts it in Suguru’s rented car. He takes it to Gojo’s house, where the rest will give the room a finishing touch. (He finally gave them the keys.) Gojo walks to pick up Megumi and Yuji from school. He figured inviting Yuji for the moving day would make Megumi happy, and possibly more comfortable. It’s a change, a big one, no matter how much he wants it.

Maybe Gojo should have asked his friends to stay. He might be just as nervous.

Megumi and Yuji leave school side by side, Yuji talking, Megumi listening. Closer to the gate, they both look up. Gojo waves, catching Megumi’s eye. Everytime Megumi looks at him now, it’s like he realizes, time and time again, that Gojo’s actually here. 

“Hello, you two,” Gojo says. “Anyone hungry?”

“We’re starving,” Megumi says. “Take us to that sushi place.”

“Ooh, sushi. Good idea.”

Gojo holds that word back. It’s never the right time to say it. To break the news. They don’t know, yet. All Gojo said was that they could ‘hang out’.

It’s only when they’re done with food that Gojo finds it in himself.

“Megumi,” he says.

Megumi looks at him, eyebrows raised. 

“Let’s go home, hm?”

His eyes soften. The word, Gojo figured, means a lot to Megumi. 

“Home?”

Yuji’s eyes are huge. Gojo smiles at him. “Would you like to join us, Yuji?”

“You mean, like, at your house?”

“At our house, yes.”

“Let’s… yeah," Megumi says. "Let’s go… home.”

Megumi’s dragging his legs. He’s stalling. Gojo is patient. It all must feel like a bubble to Megumi. Fragile, so easy to pop and disappear. 

Gojo’s hands are still shaking as he opens the door. 

“Come on,” he says. Door closed, bags and shoes by the wall. “I’ll show you your room.”

“My… my what?”

“Your room. What, you thought you’d sleep in mine?” Gojo chuckles, only to relieve the tension in his body. “I’m not moving to the couch, no way.” 

Gojo pushes the door open, but he lets Megumi walk in first. Every step Megumi takes is slow. He looks around. Gojo is not breathing. He’s biting his nails. 

He waits. Even Yuji, the chatterbox, doesn’t say a word. He’s watching Megumi, maybe as nervous as Gojo. 

“Do you like it?” Gojo asks, unable to stand the silence anymore. “All your things are here, you can move them around. If you want anything else, we can buy it later. If you ever want anything, just let me know, and I-”

Megumi puts his face in his hands, shoulders shaking. Yuji’s the first one to react. He runs in, arms around Megumi. Gojo just stands there, too scared to make a move.

“I- I can’t believe it’s all for me.”

Finally, Gojo breaks out of the trance and walks up to them. He gets down to their level. When Yuji moves back, Gojo instinctively wipes Megumi’s cheeks dry. “Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it.”

When neither of them is close to being done with all the fun, Gojo calls Yuji’s grandpa. It takes him a moment to understand who’s calling, who’s Megumi, and why Megumi’s with Gojo, but eventually he says, “Sure, he can sleep over. Aren’t you a little young to be a father?”

“Yes. Yes, I probably am.”

A moment of silence. “Well, okay then. If you need help… don’t call me.” He hangs up. Gojo will call him at least one more time. Probably more. Definitely more.

Gojo’s a late-sleeper anyway, so he dims the lights in the living room, turns the TV on, finds some anime playing, and lets himself process the day. 

That is until Megumi and Yuji run out of the room the moment they hear Dragon Ball theme song and ask if they can join.

“Sure,” Gojo says. “I figured you’re not ready to part, so I called your grandfather, Yuji, and told him you’d stay the night.”

“Cool,” Megumi says, climbing onto the couch on Gojo’s right. “Can we stay up late?”

“Since when are you asking for permission?” 

Megumi shrugs, but gets comfortable with no space left between him and Gojo. Yuji’s on Gojo’s left. 

Dragon Ball consumes the three of them for the next hour.

Megumi falls asleep first. His head drops onto Gojo’s shoulder. Carefully, he maneuvers his arm to wrap it around the kid.

Yuji glances at him, as if to make sure he’s asleep. He pulls his legs to his chest and raises his eyes to Gojo. “Did you do it because of my wish?”

Gojo needs to be careful with words. Yuji sounds hesitant. Gojo doesn’t want to make him feel responsible.

“No,” he says. “I would do it no matter what. But, you know… I think your wish made all of it possible.”

The colors of the screen dance in his wide eyes. “How?”

“Did you wish for the first time on your birthday?”

“No. A long time ago.”

“See? I think that it’s thanks to your wish that things aligned so quickly and so perfectly. You wished the wish, and then the baseball project happened. Then I came along. Then Megumi came to like me. Then the adoption went smoothly.”

If the kid believes that he has the power to wish on a star, or birthday candles, or dandelions, and change lives for the better, he'll never stop. For every wish he has, he'll believe so strongly that he'll always come across the right circumstances. 

“Really? So I helped?”

Gojo nods.

Yuji lets out a sigh. Gojo offers his arm, and now he’s got two kids about to be asleep on his chest.

“You’re always welcome here, too, Yuji. You’re very important to Megumi.”

"I am really glad you came along,” Yuji says, voice quieter as the sleep slowly takes over. “He was so unhappy there. And he is very happy with you.”

As they fall asleep, trusting him enough to put their safety in his hands, Gojo knows exactly what he wants to do.

The next time he meets Suguru, Shoko and Utahime to hang out, he says, "I'm gonna be a teacher. No, I mean, a coach. I'm gonna teach kids martial arts."