beautiful one, sharer of my longing

34: Unease

If that should ever happen, Toji was sure he would wipe out the whole compound.

"Uncle," Toji pushed open the door of the great hall and strode in to see an unusual sight. The family head, drunk of course, slumped over in his seat with his shoulders shaking. "What's going on?"

"Leave me." The man called out, but Toji could roll his eyes at the weakness of his voice.

"Where is Megumi?" No answer. Toji was getting impatient. "He came back with you, didn't he?"

"Forgive me, my nephew, but I am not the slightest bit concerned about that bastard."

"Excuse me?"

"He was born out of wedlock, was he not?"

"I was married," he grumbled, "now where is he?"

Toji's steps echoed on the tile while Naobito stood up with a glare.

"Enough of this," he whispered to himself, "now where did I put my drink?"

"Hello? I'm talking to you, ya know."

"You heard me. I have more to worry about."

"Like what? You cause more drama with the Gojo clan, you dick?"

"Get out of my sight, Toji."

He turned his back on the former mercenary, his arm willing itself to reach back for the sword that used to be slung across his back, but Toji had it no longer. In any case, Toji was ready to kill the family head without the fear of consequence.

Silent footsteps heard all too late when Naobito grunted in surprise, only to find Toji leaning down with a murderous glare. As angry as Toji was, he was more uneasy. Losing his wife was one thing, but losing the precious boy given to him by that wife would be a different level of pain for him.

"Where the fuck is my son, Naobito?"

"Are you feeling okay?"

"I am fine, y/n."

You sat beside Megumi in the covered patio, five days after the new year. Two days he had been on edge and uneasy, confiding in his worries about the twins and his dad now that he could not see them. You could only do so much to settle his mind, but it seemed to you that Yuji and Nobara were keeping him off the edge of constant worry. He loved them. You could see that much.

The two were currently seeing how far they could go on the iced-over pond while you only watched with a careful eye. "You have not asked us for anything."

"I don't require anything."

"We want to help you."

Megumi fell silent for a moment, sighed, and then slumped forward with a frown. "I just...fuck, I hate this whole situation," he said. You did not say anything in return, but watched him thoughtfully. His hair was wild, cheeks red from the temperatures, with a deeper frown on his face than normal. "I don't want to go back. Not at all...but if it meant I could be with my dad, I'd go."

"Well, I'd bet that your dad is going to come here anyway."

"You think so?"

"Yes, Megumi," you affirmed quietly, "he loves you."

"He doesn't ever tell me that."

"He does, I promise," you smiled, "I believe when you turned ten, he began crying because you turned double digits too fast. And when you both came back to the family, he did not even want me near you."

"Why?"

You shrugged. "He's protective of you, Megumi."

Megumi shook his head with a scoff, and then the both of you stood up when you heard a short shout in the distance. Nobara shouting up the yard for help as the ice collapsed under Yuji's weight.