"Are you nervous?"
"Of course not!" Satoru grinned, "this is the first time I get to show you off to the other daimyos! I can say, look everyone! I have the cream of the crop! I am so much better than you all!"
"Am I that great a prize?" you teased, "you should hope Noritoshi-san does not get jealous."
"Everyone is jealous of me, woman. Even Tengen would like to have you."
You gave him a smile in response, looking out the window of the carriage. "You have made no further steps toward war, have you?"
"I cannot divulge. For now, I just figure that everything should be fine as long as the Zen'in stay off my fucking land," Satoru said back, touching his feet with yours. "Except for the ones we harbor, of course."
"We cannot speak of them."
"Well, it's just us in this carriage!" You gave a warning smile that said we can never be too careful, and in response he giggled at your worry. "They're good."
"How far are we now?"
"We should be at the ryokan by nightfall, and the Kamo estate by midday tomorrow."
"I've heard rumors that the Kamo's inn is miles better than Haibara-san's. Is this true?"
"I would have no idea," Satoru said, tucking his arm around you and kicking his feet up on the empty bench across from you. You leaned your head on his shoulder and prepared to sleep. The sound of crunching grass, whinnying horses and your husband's heartbeat combined were making you tired. "Haibara says they make more money, so it must be true."
"Haibara runs a great place."
"That he does," he said, "although I could run it better."
"Silence," you chuckled. He really did think he was the best at everything. "Say there is no hot water left. What do you do then?"
"Tell everyone to shut up and deal with it."
"And when your customers complain?"
"Exile!" he sang, "anyone who does not agree with Gojo Satoru gets exiled!" He clapped his hands for effect, making you roll your eyes and shake your head. "That reminds me! Would you like to play my favorite game?"
"The name something you like about Gojo Satoru game?"
"Yes! Top three things you like about me, go!"
You put your finger to your chin and thought. I have to come up with just three? "I am having a hard time coming up with that many," you teased him, to which he stared at you dully, like you were a liar. "Kidding!"
Satoru gave you the most sarcastic laugh you'd ever heard, ending with another glare. "Very funny. Everyone hates me."
"I love your dramatics, your warmth, and that face of yours."
"I am not dramatic," he scoffed, "wait, you think I'm good looking?!"
--
Fushiguro (Zen'in) Megumi had never been so worried in his fucking life.
Upon the announcement that you and Satoru were setting off for the Kamo wedding this morning, he felt himself getting worrisome over breakfast. What was he supposed to do in your absence? Help himself to your estate? Order your workers around? What happened if it was attacked, what if--
"Don't worry about anything in that big head of yours," Satoru said with his mouth full of bread, "make yourself at home. You've been living here for a week anyway."
"I'm not the one with a big head." Megumi grumbled, followed by Satoru gasping, rude!
"Yuji and Nobara can help you if you feel out of place."
"Yep!" Nobara cheered from across the table. "I don't do anything besides train with him anyway. We're gonna have the whole place to ourselves for the whole weekend! Should we host a party?" You seriously wonder how she kept herself busy.
"Aren't parties supposed to be kept quiet?" Jun chuckled while she walked by. "Who are you going to invite?"
"I don't know! But maybe I'll take a whack at your liquor cabinet, Gojo-sensei..." She teased. Satoru glared.
"It's expensive stuff. Just ask Shoko to drop some off."
"You're letting this happen?!" You and Megumi asked at the same time.
"They're teenagers!" he defended. "Don't act like you haven't done wild stuff, Maeda. I know me and Suguru did."
She walked away without a word, then you heard a scream of surprise in the next room. Heads turned but you made sure to keep the kid's eyes on you.
"Besides that, we actually did find a chaperone for you all." you informed.
"What?" Nobara gave you a glare, "you're not serious."
"He's actually in the next room if you want to meet him." you egged on. Satoru could barely contain his excitement, he had to cover his face with his hands to keep from bursting.
Now Megumi was confused. Why is he acting even weirder than normal?
No matter, because now he can hear Yuji talking excitedly in the room where their chaperone was supposedly held, and Nobara is grabbing his arm, saying, "let's go scare him away." He followed her out of the dining room hesitantly, hearing you laugh quietly and Satoru basically scream from excitement. What the hell is going on?
"Oh my god, it's Mai and that really hot guy!" Nobara shouted, then ran past him in the opposite direction, presumably to her room. Satoru is howling with laughter at this point. So is Jun, who's bent over on her knees cackling.
With a quickness, Megumi turned the corner and saw his fucking father chatting with an excited Yuji, and he could no longer move. Maki and Mai were standing next to them, and by god did they look exhausted. All that time Megumi spent worrying about these three, and here they were, all together and safe and sound in their clan's rivaling house.
"Dad?" he croaked.
Toji whipped his head over to the dark haired boy and immediately let out a sigh. "God, Megumi, you almost gave me a heart attack," The man stood up with a dramatic sigh and the moment he extended a hand to his son, the boy was already barreling into him with shaking breaths. "You alright?" Toji asked. He's clearly taken off guard. Everyone is. But Toji exhales with relief and wraps his much larger arms around his son, who's squeezing him tighter than he thought he'd be able to.
Maki and Mai are staring and giving each other looks that say we are going to debrief this later, Yuji is surprised but also smiling, Nobara is still flushed but shocked, you and Jun smile on at them, and Satoru is pointing a finger while laughing at him.
"Stop, Gojo!" Megumi shoves the man away with an angered look before turning back to his dad who's a little weepy while staring at him. "Are you crying?"
"What? No," he shakes his head, and Megumi fully thinks that this man can't tell he's even crying, so he reaches up and catches the small droplet from under his lashes and wipes it on his kimono. Against the cream colored fabric, Toji can see the small wet spot engraved on his sleeve. He cringes but wipes the rest of the small tears his face. "Damn."
Megumi is staring at his father in disbelief.
"Crybaby." Maki snorts.
"Quiet. I'm not a fucking crybaby," he shot at her. All of you turn your backs to keep from laughing. "Naobito wouldn't tell me a thing. So I came here."
"We invited ourselves," Mai said, "he was a mess, Megumi, it was so funny!"
"Shut your mouth." Toji spit at her.
"You weren't sure I was here but you came anyway?" Megumi mumbled when they sat on the porch later that day. You and Satoru were gone by now.
Just like yesterday, he's sitting while watching his cousins and (adopted) siblings play in the snow. Maki and Mai had never been allowed to do it. They could watch the snow fall from afar, but never indulge in it. Now, Maki and Yuji (who were best friends at this moment) were against Nobara and Mai (who they threatened to put in a this is our get-along kimono) in a snowball fight while Jun is keeping a score.
Guess who was winning the third round? Yuji and Maki.
Megumi looked at his dad, who for once, seemed relaxed. He's just sitting and staring at the teenagers goofing around in the snow while looking for his answer. But Megumi wasn't satisfied.
"You came. Why?"
"I'm your dad," he said, "I'll always come."
Fushiguro Megumi is happy now.
He didn't remember much about life before he came to live with the Zen'in clan. All he really knew was being hauled around by his dad from town to town every couple of months. They didn't have any money, so he's fairly certain now that Toji used underhanded tactics to survive. But through everything, he always knew that his dad was there. Where in another universe he may have given up and left him, Toji was there then, and he's here now.
For once, Megumi is sure that his dad feels safe.
"I don't know if I've talked much about your mom," he said quietly. Yuji just destroyed Nobara's face with a snowball, "but I remember the last thing she said to me was to take care of you."
"You're doing it for her?" How sweet and romantic and jeez--Megumi thinks this is some sappy shit you'd only find in Nanami's young adult section.
"Not anymore," Toji said. "You're sixteen now. You can take care of yourself so I've done my job. But I guess I'm just here if you fuck up and need someone to cover your ass."
Megumi smiled and looked from his dad to see Mai giving up on throwing snow at Maki and Yuji altogether, to now tackling Nobara and fighting with her. It's obvious that Nobara's letting her win. She knows that Mai isn't as tough as she seems.
"In a way, I'm here for you too."
"What does that mean?"
"You said I looked like her once," Megumi said quietly, "I don't see it. But I'm the blessing she left you with, so y/n tells me."
"Don't go reassuring me, you little shit," Toji cursed, before standing up and leaving a silent I love you hanging in the air with his satisfied smile. "I'm going to sleep. Wake me if you need something."
Needless to say, as the day dragged on and Toji still hadn't woken up, all the kids jumped on the bed, and Toji had to pretend he was angrier than he really was. He wrestled with Yuji and almost knocked one of Gojo Sakichi's vases down, took food out to the horses and gave Makoto a piggy-back ride through the house. Then it was Nobara's turn, then it was Yuji's turn before he dug his heel into Toji's side as though he were a real horse and they fought once again.
Soon it was dinner and everyone ate together. Workers came and sat with them from time to time as they did when you and Satoru were here, like it was completely normal. Dinner ended with a food fight that Toji ordered the kids to clean up, and then when it was time for bed, nobody wanted to separate just yet. Megumi, Yuji and Nobara had slept together for the past week, but Maki and Mai wanted to join but since there was no room on the bed anymore, they opted for dragging their futons into the sitting room by the fire.
Toji babysat until they were all successfully asleep, then went into his own room, comfortable for the first time since his marriage.
Yes, Fushiguro Toji and Megumi were happy. They didn't know how long they'd be in the Gojo paradise, but they did know that for the time being, there was a lingering sense of peace.
Megumi could remember the two times that his father told him he loved him. The first was when he was seven, after finding Toji staring sadly at the small drawing of his mother on the floor. Toji paid a man to draw her years ago on a day out in the town. The pencil lines were fading then, and Megumi was sure they were completely gone now, her image imbedded only in Toji's memory.
Toji heard small footsteps coming from behind him and when he found Megumi standing behind him, he stared at him properly, taking in the shape of his nose and the length of his eyelashes, and the hair that was spiked at the ends just like his wife's. He's the spitting image of her, but as he grew up, Toji found that looking at Megumi was like looking in a mirror. Wordlessly, Toji took hold of Megumi's seven year old hand and murmured the three words that he'd never said to the boy before.
But Megumi remembers.
And he knows Toji hadn't let himself seem weak since then.
The second time was the last day of your departure. You and Satoru were supposed to be back by sundown. The weekend was fun, full of nonsensical activities and peaceful sleeping. Toji and Megumi were sitting together on the porch again as the rest of them slept. Megumi is reading, and Toji is staring out into the sunset behind the ponds. It wasn't a special presentation, but it resonated with Megumi just the same.
"I thought you were dead."
"Huh?"
"On the way here I kept thinking that Naobito killed you," Toji said. "Then I remembered that whenever you guys do go on those trips, I barely even say goodbye to you."
"That's fine."
"If I got here and you were nowhere to be found, I probably would've thrown myself off a cliff."
"Dad!" Megumi shouted.
"I'm serious," he argued, "I love you, Megumi. I don't say that often, so savor it."
"You're embarassing." he grumbled.
"Whatever."
A pause as Megumi flipped his page.
"Love you too."