NEW LIFE : GOJO SATORU & GETO SUGURU
Chapter 3 - Fears and Fun
Synopsis: When you are thrust into a new life of motherhood you find yourself overwhelmed.
Warnings: Angst (with comfort), fluff, satosugu x reader
Part 1 Part 2 >Part 3<
You laid on the closet floor, holding him in your arms, drying his tears.
You laid there for heavens knows how long.
Laid there until you found yourself roused from sleep by your alarm.
It rang, singing a repetitive blaring tune over and over again. Quietly you groan, body shifting as you snuck a hand out from beneath the sheets, going through the familiar motions of shutting off your alarm, fingers smacking your phone screen until the song lay itself to rest. With a sigh you rest your head back down and you realize suddenly, this wasn't where you had fallen asleep.
Slowly you let out a breath, opening your bleary eyes before you catch sight of a tuft of white hair. "Hmm," you grumble, processing your surroundings. The room is dim, your still clicked on phone screen casting a pale light on the walls. You don't remember how you got here, don't remember how you fell asleep. But here you were cocooned in the familiar sheets.
Satoru's face is smushed against a pillow, lips lightly parted as he snores softly. Tilting up slightly you realize your head is on Suguru's chest, his heart thrumming a soft lull beneath your ear.Â
Your world feels lightly flipped, suspended in between a trance of sleep and wake as your magnetic mattress pulled you down, comforting warmth flickering beneath your aching bones as you heard the far off sound of passing cars. How did you get here, you question again, no trace of the moment you surrendered yourself to sleep lingering in your mind, no memory of travelling to the bed in your brain. Yet here you are tucked beneath covers with your two lovers. Wiggling your toes to try and dispel the curse of fatigue weighing on you, you realize that your leg is flipped over Suguru's torso, resting on Satoru's thigh who lay on the other side of the man.
Your back aches as your push yourself up. You fell asleep on your stomach, Suguru was in the middle, coddled between you and Satoru. Slowly you retrieve your travelled limbs, moving gently as to not wake them.Â
They look so peaceful. Satoru's pale face relaxed, his unnervingly long lashes fluttered closed. You honestly don't want to believe you argued with him. You can't believe you were able to argue with him. His words echoed in your ears. He had said you were weak with such confidence if felt real. He said that you shouldn't have been touched in a fight, that you should've been able to come out unscathed. You reach out, fingers barely brushing his cheek. He was trying to say he didn't like seeing you hurt, he was trying to say that you shouldn't overwork yourself. You knew that and you trace down the apple of his face. Your argument felt silly now, sillier since you didn't even get to apologize.
His face twitches, you pull back.
Slipping the blanket from your body you sat at the edge of the bed, sitting up, taking in deep breaths as the warmth floated from your figure. Pressing your feet to the floor you shudder at the cold hardwood, but you stand anyways. Limbs sore, head heavy, you grab your phone and trudged to the bathroom.Â
He watched you go, you seemed to sit so far away as your back faced him, shoulders slumped. He stared as you sat for a few beats before padding off, the click of the light switch, a twist of a lock, the swish of the sink turning on.Â
Satoru Gojo didn't know how to feel when he opened the closet door and found the two of you passed out on the ground, didn't know whether to laugh or feel bad as he found you basically sprawled out on top of Suguru. Your head was on his chest, your hands raised up, cupping his face, however your legs were curled like a monkey, one straight down as the other bent at the knee. Suguru was just on his back, both of his hands on your waist as though you'd roll off.Â
To put it simply, he looked composed and you looked feral. It was funny, but the sight of your puffy eyes had a spider of guilt forming a web between his ribs. He blinked, staring at the rumpled sheets where you lay moments ago, listening to the clatter of porcelain in the room close to him.Â
He didn't know what happened but all he could think was that he played a role.Â
He pretends to sleep, shutting his eyes as you shuffle back into the room, shrugging off your clothes, fabric scraping the floor as you slip into your uniform. He can smell the faint scent of your perfume, the sound of it spritzing, once, twice, before you are leaving through the door.
You are quiet, mindful as the door creaks open slowly. He barely hears it, but he catches your whispered, "I love you, I'll be back soon," and you're gone, the muffled noise of clattering shoes before your key clicks in the lock.Â
The day moved on, shifting from the ungodly hours of morning when you left, to more manageable times as he got the children ready for school, tying pigtails with pink rubber bands and filling up water bottles before sending them off. He kissed Suguru goodbye before leaving for his own in mission in the afternoon while Suguru went off to pick up the twins from their half day, grabbing them early so he could take them to Shoko for some final check ups.Â
The clock continued to tick, the empty home filling with two bodies as the first to come home were the Fushiguro siblings, Tsumiki using her own house key to push open the door, padding inside, urging Megumi to wash his hands before they grabbed their afterschool snack waiting in the fridge.
Minutes continued to pass as they sat in the living room, plates on the coffee table, bodies sprawled comfortably on the floor as they watched the cartoon flash bright colours. It was serene, the sun slowly growing dim as clouds clustered and they thought nothing of it as droplets began to pitter down onto the glass of the windows.
They preoccupied themselves as the clouds blocked the sun, forcing them to draw the blinds and flip on the lights. The TV still played one of their shared favourite shows but their attention was spread. Tsumiki sat on the couch, blanket wrapped over her shoulders, legs curled close as she doodled with her crayons while Megumi sat on the floor right in front of the coffee table, stacking a tower of bricks in an intricate structure.Â
The pitter patter escalated, transforming into a rhythmic drumming that threatened to drown out the cartoon's already loud soundtrack that Tsumiki clicked up every so often, struggling to hear the sounds as the cozy afternoon morphed into a low, almost imperceptible unease. Tsumiki, who could usually get lost in the swirling colours of her drawings, paused, her crayon hovering close over the page as her eyes flickered about the room, staring at the blind covered window, the steady thunking of rain against glass causing her to tug the blanket tighter.Â
Megumi seemed to catch her actions quickly, eyes lifting from his blocks, steady fingers pulling away as he followed her gaze, a little frown tugging at his lips. "Tsumiki," he started softly, grabbing her attention as he turned around to face her.
"Mhm," she nodded, that smile that never seemed to reach her eyes gracing her face, Megumi had never seen her cry much.
"Is it supposed to rain this much?" he questioned before returning to his tower, brows furrowing in concentration to try and distract himself from the nerves that seemed to grow with the roaring winds outside, carefully placing a small red block on it's side.
"I-" she paused letting out a sigh and he could feel her eyes on him but he didn't return her gaze, much too busy attempting to preoccupy himself. "I don't know," she mumbled "maybe," she shrugged, but the way she let out a fretful sigh had Megumi guessing the indifference she tried to display was wavering.Â
He himself tried to remain unbothered, after all rain was just rain, something common, something boring. But even though he was forcing himself to settle, the rain just didn't relent. It hammered down with an increasing ferocity of a beast scorned, slamming like nails against the tiles of the roof, and a slow concern at the possibility that the glass could somehow shatter beneath the pressure of the howling wind tightened in his gut.
People who said rainstorms were calming were stupid, he thought, and he couldn't stop his anxiety from peaking the louder the downpour grew. Maybe it just sounded worse than it was, he wanted to ration, standing up from where he sat on the floor near the coffee table, pushing himself to stand as he padded closer to the window, sock clad feet hesitant as he rose to his tip toes, lightly lifting the blind when a sudden flash struck before him.
A pure white illuminated his face as it encompassed his vision, a low growl burrowing beneath his ear canals. "Tsumiki!" he yelped, head whipping towards her as he let the curtains fall shut once more, spooked.
Already on her feet Tsumiki grabbed him by the shoulders, tugging him back from the glass, her grip tight as her fingers dug into his skin, abandoning her papers on the sofa. "Maybe we should call Gojo or something," she suggested, voice tight with anxiety.
"Um," he murmured still staring at the now covered window, he could feel the whisps of fear begin to rise . Swallowing down his unease he shook his head, snapping himself out of it. "H-He's probably busy," he grumbled, "besides, it- it's just a storm. We'll be fine" he tried to reassure when a second clap of thunder shook the house, his blocks fell to the floor with a clatter, a door at the end of the hall slamming shut with anger.Â
He could feel the vibrations of the storm slither beneath the floorboards. "Megum-" and before she could finish the speakers of the television fizzled, hissing with radio static for a breath before the joyous cartoon music returned.Â
"We'll be fine," he mumbled again, eyes darting across the room and Tsumiki gently pulled him in for a hug, slowly pushing the two of them closer to the couch.Â
"Yeah," she nodded in agreement until abruptly the room plunged into a darkness, the TV screen painting the furniture with a pink glow before dying soon after. "It's just a storm," she whimpered, holding him tight as the world around them fell to black. "I mean, l-look on the bright side," she attempted a laugh, "maybe we'll get a really good puddle to jump in tomorrow!"
"Tsumiki," he huffed clutching at her shirt, his fear now transparent and she bit her lip, staring at her younger brother. What to do, she panicked, what to do.Â
Ripping the blanket from the couch she guided the two of them to the kitchen, running to the counter to pick up the phone that lay there before rushing to the dining room table, slowly pushing a chair to the side before crawling beneath the furniture. "Come here," she reached out her hand and Megumi clambered in behind her, pulling the chair back into place like a make shift wall.Â
The tiles were cold against their knees but Tsumiki tugged the fuzzy fabric in her hands over their heads, covering their view of the world outside as they huddled close together. "It'll be fine," she comforted but Megumi wasn't sure whether the words were for him or herself as her fingers found his tightly, patting his hand. "Let's call, we can call," she thought for a moment, going through the only contacts she knew before the device sprung to life beneath her fingers itself, causing her and her younger brother to flinch.
She was quick to respond despite the scare, clicking the accept before pressing it to her ear, letting Megumi lean his head onto the back of the phone, both of them listening closely to the voice. "Hey you guys are home right," it was Geto they recognized.
"Yes," she responded.
"Are you guys okay, the rain is really coming down huh," his voice came out light, a type of airy that loosened their tightened muscles, "did the power go out over there?"
"We- We are fine," and she glances at Megumi, "the lights turned off."
"Mmm," he hums in thought and Tsumiki can hear the faint sounds of Mimiko and Nanako in the background, voices far too muffled to make out their words. "You two take care of each other okay, (Y/N) and Satoru will be back home soon so don't worry alri-" and a loud crash booms outside and the line crackles, "ri-i-igh-ght..." and it falls silent.
Their cocoon is quiet, the phone in their hands slowly beeping. "Uhm," and Tsumiki's voice wobbles, her lower lip beginning to shake as she finds Megumi's gaze, his fingers winding the blanket tight in his fist as he pulls it closer over their heads. "I-It'll be fi-" she squeaks as a roar of thunder booms.
An inching bug of dread wormed it's way beneath their skin. Then a quiet sniffle, and then a muffled sob and Tsumiki feels the tears brim in her eyes as she watches in sync, Megumi's eyes fill as well, and she pulls him close.Â
"I'm scared," she whimpers, resting her chin on his head as a droplet falls down her cheek, flinching as the wind howled a taunting tune.Â
They held each other tight, frightfully listening to the world outside fall to the tatters of the weather.
"Tsu...ki....Meg..u," and they heard a far off voice, boisterous clattering drowning out the sound as they felt heavy footfalls shake the floor beneath them, the creak of the front door closing loud as steps hurried down the hall. "Are you home!" it called again, louder, closer and they recognized it, the voice that remained unheard throughout the day, the voice that spoke softly and slowly to them whenever it made it's presence known, the voice that Megumi could recall being full of rage and kindness all in the same day.
"Are you guys here!" you shouted again, flinging open their bedroom doors only to find nothing, your hair was damp, clinging to your cheeks and yet you couldn't be bothered to brush it away as you stumbled into the living room, the only light peeking in a small beam from your phone, casting a glow on the fallen tower of bricks and disarrayed crayons. "Megumi, Tsumiki!" you shout, eyes scanning the vicinity and from your call, behind the roaring winds, you make out a stifled sob. A sob that tugs at your heart and you follow the sound, eyes roving the kitchen before you notice the blob beneath the dining table, huddled close together.
"Megumi? Tsumiki?" you try again, voice less frantic as you pull away one of the chair to crouch down in front of them, ignoring the cold tiles biting into your cut knees as you peek under the table, "are you under there?" and you hesitantly grab at the blanket, lifting it slowly.
Two pairs of wide, tear filled eyes stare back at you, irises shaking, bodies close like frightened animals, a palpable fear radiating from their figures.
"Hey," you whisper, at a loss for all other words as you hold the blanket up, merely staring into their shaken gaze. "What's going on? Why, Why are you under here?" you question and a pang of stupidity lurches as you quickly formulate your own answer.
Tsumiki's lower lip trembles as she looks at you and you pause, fingers flexing as you wondered whether to reach out. "The storm..." she croaks, "the, the power went out... and...and," she's stumbling over her words, her breath hitching as she spoke and you watch her lips pull into a pout as she fights back a sob "and, and."
"Take your time," you murmur, carefully pulling the blanket from their heads, cringing as you felt it dampen beneath your wet palms but you continue to drape it around their shoulders regardless.Â
"Geto called," Megumi continues for her, "but then the line cut off..." he trails, staring at the detached bluetooth landline that lay discarded on the floor.
"Ah," you nod in acknowledgement, "one of the cell towers must've gotten messed up," and you quickly realize those were some of the worst words you probably could've said as they flinched in worry. "B-But it's fine," you attempt to recover, "well, uh" and you glance around "uhm how about," and you find yourself stumped, what the hell were you supposed to do.Â
If only Geto were here, if only Gojo were here then maybe, maybe they could handle this, and you bit your lip, fingers curling into fists before shaking your head, no, you could do this, you had to do this, you shouldn't keep on pushing this responsibility onto them. After all you were the one who decided to stay.Â
You notice as Megumi clings to her, his small body trembling and his fear seems strange, even when he punched that boy and was brought to the principal's office he didn't exhibit any sign of wariness, yet now...and you suddenly understand.
He doesn't say anything, but his eyes say it all. They're not just scared of the storm, they're scared of being alone in this still unfamiliar house.Â
You settle your cell phone on the floor, placing the screen to the tiles as you let the flashlight illuminate the alcove created by the table and you crawl further beneath the wood, scootching in beside them.Â
"It's okay," you nod, curling your knees to your chest as you glace at them with a lopsided grin, "I'm here now, and Satoru will be coming soon too," you assured "we're safe," you state with finality, reaching hesitant hands to ruffle the hair on their heads, joying in the way they leaned to your touch.Â
"You're gonna get my hair all wet," Megumi scoffs suddenly and your eyes widen a fraction, shocked, before you puff out a laugh.
"Oh, right," you snicker and you pull away, "I'll go get quickly changed and then..." you crawl out from the furniture pushing to stand as you glanced around the kitchen, eyes drawn to the cabinet above the sink, "how about we play with some glowsticks, huh?"
"Glow....sticks," and you can tell you've got Tsumiki hooked, and you nod.
"Just let me dry off, give me a sec," and you move to pad off but hear stumbling bodies trail after you and you send a peek back, watching as they clambered out to follow, their hands interlaced and they watched you hesitantly, right, they probably didn't want to be left alone even if for a few moments.
Pursing your lips you flick your chin, urging them to follow as you walk to your room, lighting the way with your phone's flash as you pushed open the door, quietly gesturing for them to hop on your bed as you moved for the bathroom, drying off your hands quickly before grabbing a random set of clothes from the closet.Â
You keep your phone on your nightstand, letting them feel the comfort of the illumination as you entered the dark bathroom. Shutting the door before shrugging off your soaked uniform, fabric clinging to your agitated skin, practically peeling from your body before falling with a wet slap.Â
You are fast with your movements, rubbing the fibers of the towel over your flesh, ignoring the way it stung when you pressed too hard on your bruises as you hung it back up before slipping into a new outfit, fleece warm against your skin as you realize you had unintentionally plucked one of Satoru's hoodies.Â
The scent filled you with equal parts relief and dread, the echoing words of your unresolved fight still resonating as you attempted to hang your clothes atop the glass of the shower to dry before quickly exiting.Â
As you emerged you noticed the way Tsumiki's fingers danced in front of your phone lens, the big glowing circle on the ceiling painted by the flashlight accompanied by a dainty looking dog shadow puppet, it's mouth slowly moving open and shut as it pranced from side to side.Â
You grinned at the way Megumi's own mouth fell open, awed.Â
"Alright, let's get those glowsticks!" you announce, capturing their attention as they move to sit straight up, seemingly excited and yet their intense gaze made you momentarily self-conscious, a careful worry creaking beneath your weary bones but you plastered on your best smile, hoping it looked genuine enough for their keen eyes.Â
You found yourself as a mother goose in a game of follow the leader as your two little ducklings trailed behind, tracing your steps with their tiny feet as you brought them to the kitchen, quickly grabbing at a black box.Â
You crouched to their level, pulling open the cardboard, "take some," you instruct with what you hoped was an encouraging expression and Tsumiki was first, latching onto the plastic.
She observed it for a beat before glancing at you expectingly, "you have to crack it," you explain, offering an open hand to show her and she placed it in your palm, watching the way you snapped the item, twisting it until the expanse buzzed with a radioactive neon pink light, washing her face in a blush glow as she gaped at it, clearly amused.Â
"Here Megumi," and you break one for him as well, noticing as he jumped in surprise at the new colour, a cool blue painting his palms as he grabbed at it.Â
The kitchen soon became a sea of pigment, handing out stick after stick, pulling a few into circles with connectors, placing them around their necks and wrists, grinning as they shook their limbs around, watching the after effect of the glow trace the air around them.Â
The magical lights chased away the eerie shadows and you laughed at their jubilated faces, giggles overwhelming the sound of rain.
"Wow," Tsumiki breathed, captivated, twirling her little chemical wand around, creating swirling patterns as she ooed and awed. The luminescence seemed to have a similar effect on young Megumi, a small smile playing on his lips as he stared at the blue toy, standing still as you clasped a little green glowstick necklace around his neck.
Relief washed over you, light chasing away your own fears as you watched a childish wonder overtake their features and you are quick to flicker off the light from your phone, letting the glowsticks illuminate your home.Â
"(L-L/N)," Tsumiki quietly calls up to you, and you hum, slightly taken aback with the formal usage of your last name, "come here," she waves and you squat down, grinning at her as she prances up to you.Â
You waited as she giggled before snapping your very own necklace onto you, a light red flashing off your skin.Â
"There, now you match!" she chirped, stepping back to admire her work with a smile. Oh, you thought, feeling a pang split in your chest. This was.... strange, was the only thing you could think, befuddled by the strange emotion that overtook you.Â
"You're like a dragon," Megumi suddenly pipes, and you flash him a devious smirk, a snicker bubbling from your lips.
"Oh yeah," you sigh, rising to your full height before raising your hands, grinning wickedly and you watch as he takes a wary step back, "and what does a dragon do?" you cackle, a clearly villainous look crossing your features, evil gaze only further pushed by the deep red glow that painted your expression. Megumi shrank away a little, clearly regretting his word choice as you took a step closer, watching his frantic eyes dart around for an escape route.Â
Tsumiki, however, clearly amused by his discomfort, giggled, "they breathe fire!" she exclaimed, raising her pink wand higher.
"That's right," you laugh and you lunge forward, relishing in the way he jumps before taking off, scrambling to get away from you.
"W-What are you doing!" he shrieks, darting out from your grip.
"What do you mean, I'm an evil dragon aren't I," you snicker, emboldened as you corner him.
"Megumi you gotta fight back," Tsumiki huffs, running over to stand in front of him, raising a protective hand, the other pointed at you with her glowstick as though she was readying a sword. "If you want him you've gotta get through me first," she declares.
She holds steady her small frame standing like a tall defiant beacon of pink light. "Oh ho~," you scoff in your best evil snicker, "my, my a valiant knight has arrived to defend the helpless prince!" you exclaim, throwing your hands up in mock surrender.
Tsumiki puffed out her chest, pink glowstick sword unwavering. "I'm not a knight," she declared with furrowed brows, "I'm a magical girl!" and she suddenly struck a pose that you swear you've seen on tv.
"Oh," you smile "my mistake," you teased, playing along. "My deepest apologies, valiant magical girl," and you make a show out of bowing.
"That's right," she huffs, "now for my special attack," and her eyes narrow as she yanks apart her glowstick bracelet, now duel wielding her weapons as she took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment, concentrating.
Then with a dramatic flourish, and a wave of her hands, she threw both sticks at you and shouted, "Sparkle Blast!"
You gape for a second and despite yourself, you couldn't help but burst out laughing as they hit your stomach before falling to the floor with a clatter. You stare at them for a moment, biting your lip to keep back more laughter as you dramatically throw yourself to the floor. "I-It's very effective, I've b-been defeated," you say between laughs, and you watch as a blush begins to creep on her cheeks and you feel slightly bad, but you still can't stop your amusement. "Your sparkle blast is far too powerful," you let out an over the top sigh, raising one hand to the sky as though the heavens were calling for you.Â
"Really?" she gasps, almost surprised, "wait no I-Â I mean that's right, it...it," she pauses, "it overwhelms the enemy with sparkly goodness," she points an accusatory finger at you, as though explaining the reason for your glitter induced injuries that have left you fallen.Â
Megumi tentatively stepped forward, clutching his blue glowstick for dear life as he peaked from around his sister, staring at her triumphant grin as she rested haughty fists on her hips. "Did you really win?" he asked in disbelief, staring at your collapsed body with apprehension.
"Of course, I did!" she whirls on her heel to face him, puffing out her chest yet again. "Magical girls always win!" and you giggle at her declaration.
Megumi stares at you once more, furrowing his brows as his wary eyes slowly transformed into a look of exasperation. "You're so stupid," he mutters, though a smile smile tugs at the corner of his lips and this time you can't help the hearty laugh that has you choking on your spit, pushing yourself back up to sit.Â
"Hey!" you protest with a whine, reaching out your foot to nudge him playfully and he shrank away, swatting at you with his blue glowstick.Â
"Well," you sigh, straightening up as you abandon you role as a villain, glancing down at the two now ecstatic children. "I guess that means the evil dragon in going to have to find something else to do if she's not allowed to terrorize you guys," you sigh wistfully, as though you were disheartened by that fact.Â
"Can we build a fort," comes Tsumiki's excited voice, all lingering thoughts of fear exterminated as she beamed up at you with bright brown eyes.
"Yeah," you nod, attempting to mirror her glee, "we can."
"With blankets and pillows and, and everything!" she bounced on her heels, "like a super secret, glowstick fort of, of awesomeness?!" and her lips curled even more. You weren't used to this. You weren't used to this type of pure, unfiltered joy. You stumbled for a moment, flailing for the right words, none of the children had yet to smile at you so excitedly. None of them seemed eager to spend time with you.
Perhaps that was your fault though. "A super secret, glowstick fort of awesomeness is exactly what we need," you parrot amplifying her enthusiasm. You were exhausted, your limbs wept for relief, brain begging for a time out, you weren't even sure if you were handling this properly, but as you glanced at Megumi, still holding his blue stick, saying "What do you say Megumi? In or out?" with a grin you realize it, it didn't matter how tired you were, right now these kids needed a dragon, a wizard, a fool who'd distract them from the creeping shadows and battering rain.Â
You might not be Gojo, you might not be Geto, you might not be the best parent in the world, but you could still try to be better, you could still learn. You were horrible at this new job, but that didn't mean you had the option to quit.
"I'm in..." he mumbled, glancing between you and his sister, "but no dragons allowed."
"Hey! I've reformed," you protested, feigning offence. "I've had character development," you slap a hand to your chest, you wouldn't quit, not when they laughed at your words, not when you've finally made some progress.
Rest be damned, you could sleep when you were dead, right now it was time for you to make a fort of awesomeness.Â
"Also not to mention dragons know all the best fort building secrets," you wave your hands, "I know the best pillow placement for structural integrity and the optimal angle for blanket draping," you flaunt, "I was even certified by OSHA."
"What's an OSHA," Megumi grumbles under his breath, still unconvinced but didn't argue as he spun away from you to let his sister tug him along.Â
"We need to get the good blankets," she huffed prancing down the hall to the linen closet. You followed eagerly behind when Megumi slowed a little to stand next to you.
"You're able to beat up an old man but can't even take down a magical girl," he sends you a pointed glare and you startle, eyes widening a fraction before you let out an airy laugh, reaching down to ruffle his hair.
"Obviously, your principal was ugly and mean but magical girls are cute, and nice, how am I supposed to fight against glitter and kindness," you state as though it's a well known fact and he shakes his head. "But for the record I'm supposed to say when I hit him I made a mistake, you should never hurt people," and he snorts at your words as you pull open the closet door.
Carefully you helped them drag blankets and different sheets, grabbing pillows from the couch before slowly transforming the living room.
Blankets hung over furniture, chairs pulled from the dining room to build supports, thick pillows stacked high thanks to your strategic placement and couch cushions propped for walls.Â
Tsumiki meticulously arranged the glowsticks, ensuring an even multi-coloured light distribution throughout your constructed alcove as she instructed Megumi to tie some thread to the sticks, taping the ends to the fabric roof to create a neon night sky of chemical chandeliers. Â
Rolling out a spare futon you installed your very own comfortable flooring. "Wow," Tsumiki smiled, laying down onto her back, star fishing as she created an invisible snow angel. "This is so cool," she giggled, kicking her feet lightly.Â
"This is...nice," Megumi mused as Tsumiki urged him inside, patting the space next to her to sit. You climbed in after them, taking in the cozy little space you built together. A warmth ebbed at your frigid fingertips. They were happy. "Uhm, (L-L/N)," Megumi's voice piqued, a little hesitant.
"Yeah," you turn to him "and you guys don't have to call me (L/N), you know that right," and he nods in acknowledgement before continuing.
"Can we do shadow puppets," he asked eyes darting to the phone that rested in your pocket.
"For sure!" you nod, quickly grabbing the device and flickering on the light, angling it so the light hit one of the walls outside your fort and Tsumiki was fast to crawl over, hands curling into a peace sign in front of the illumination.
"Look it's a bunny," she mused, bouncing her hand up and down, the shadow mimicking her actions. Megumi watched, captivated by the picture before Tsumiki took his hand and forced it into the same position. "Look they're friends," she smiled, flexing her fingers to make her rabbits ears twitch.Â
"Mhm," you hummed, curling your legs close as you watched them play, before you heard a small yelp. Jolting to sit straighter you look out at the puppet show, spotting a third suddenly on the wall, a little wolf.
"You better run quick or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down," a low voice grumbled and you recognized it instantly as you watched the shadow animal snap its mouth open and shut, pretending to gnaw on one of the rabbit's ear.Â
Carefully you tried to peek out from the forts entrance watching as he neared the opening, plopping right outside the wall where Tsumiki sat, moving his shadowy wolf around the scene, pretending to howl in pain as Megumi's bunny began to throw left and right hooks and you couldn't help the snort you let out when Satoru full on shrieked when Megumi reached to grab his hand, his rabbit body slamming the poor animal.Â
"Whoa, whoa! Time out! Time out!" he yelped, his wolf freezing as it lay dead on the canvas of light floor as Megumi's bunny sat on it's chest, victorious. Tsumiki's giggles grew infectious and you couldn't help but join in her laughter. "I just got here and my poor widdle wolfie is already getting beat up!" he cooed, shaking his head and he dramatically sighed as Tsumiki's rabbit joined her brother on dancing atop Gojo's grave. "Hey, (Y/N) are you gonna let these mangy little bunnies bully my majestic predator," he whines, peaking a head back to look at you, his lower lip jutted out in a pout.
"Aww what's wrong Satoru, has the strongest finally been defeated," you muse, watching as his pout grew.
"They're bullies," he huffed and you snickered.
"They're defending themselves as far as I'm concerned," you waved a dismissive hand. "Besides, last time I checked wolves eat rabbits, not the other way around, and you crack a laugh at the way Megumi WWE elbows slams the wolf with his shadow's ears.Â
"Details, details," Satoru shook his head as his wolf shuddered in pain. "The point is, my wolf needs some backup!" he cried and you sighed.
"Fine," you grumbled with ill hidden amusement, pulling up to sit next to Megumi, sending a glance to Satoru before a conspiratory grin alights your face. "What should I be?" you whisper to Megumi, eyes flickering to where Satoru remained focused on creating the appropriate amount of angst in attempts to drive pity from Tsumiki's rabbit that continued to slap him.Â
Megumi tilted his head in thought for a moment. "A turtle?" he poses and you furrow your brows in confusion, staring at your hands.
"How am I supposed to make a turtle," you wiggle your fingers.
"Like this," and suddenly you watch as his rabbit morphs.Â
"Well aren't you just a puppet master," you shake your head, carefully mirroring that way both his hands curled to create a little turtle before he returned to his simple bunny. Man you thought for a beat, it'd be embarrassing if your hands cramped up as you stared at your misshapen blob, clearly not gathering the correct memo, but hey, it was the thought that counts. "He just has a turtle essence," you justify the moment you catch Megumi's judgmental stare.Â
"Here comes the turtle!" you announce, your voice low and croaking, like master Oogway from Kung Fu Panda, your inspiration. "He's slow, he's steady," you begin inching the blob closer to the bunnies and you snicker at Satoru's sigh of relief.
"Oh finally some back up!" he cheers but your turtle's head, or what was supposed to be its head, whips back to Satoru's puppet, "and he's gonna bite your wolf butt!"
"Huh," Satoru gapes, staring at you with utter betrayal in his eyes as you lumber the animal onto the makeshift stage, moving with exaggerated slowness.
"Three against one, you're supposed to be my ally."
"Mmm," you pretend to ponder, "but I don't want to be," you grin, meandering your blob closer languidly, the speed a stark contrast to Megumi's jittering bunny who appears to be on a caffeine high.
"Leave me alone," he whimpered as Megumi's bunny launched yet another attack, your turtle providing moral support as it boogied back and forth, amorphous head peaking out to swat at the wolf every so often.
"Go Turtle go!" Tsumiki cheered, retracting her puppet as she clapped her hands. Satoru, of course, milked the drama for all it was worth, crying in desperation.
"This is unfair!" he sobbed, voice laced with faux outrage. "It's a turtle bunny conspiracy, the tortoise and the hare are supposed to be enemies," he pointed out in anger, bringing up the old fable.
"It's called the power of friendship Toru, we united over a similar goal," you snickered "destroying you!" and he shrieks.Â
"I surrender, I surrender," he yells and Megumi's bunny lands one last hit before it disappears.
"We won," you cheer raising your palms to Megumi he slammed his back in a high five.
"We did," he nodded, it was a mumble but his lips were upturned in a giddy grin. Suddenly Satoru dramatically fell backward, landing with a soft thud on the floor outside the fort.
"You guys are the worst," he groaned, but the smile on his lips betrayed the feeling of annoyance he attempted to portray. "Now," he huffed "you cheaters should let me into your fort at the very least, considering you harassed me."
"Harassed," you gape, "isn't someone a sore loser," you snicker, moving aside as he crawls beneath the fabric tarp, long limbs compressing to fit in the tight space as he sat criss cross on the floor.Â
"Not a loser," he defended, "you only won because you ganged up on me."
"I would've won on my own either way," Megumi scoffs, sticking his tongue out before swatting away the hand that attempted to ruffle his hair.
"It's okay Gojo, your wolf at least looked kinda cute," Tsumiki tried, comforting the lanky man as he smiled.
"See at least one person is on my side," and he tugs her into a hug, pressing their cheeks together as she laughed, his blue gaze sending you the nastiest stink eye. "My poor hands," he sighed as he let her go, staring at his fingers as though he himself had been attacked instead of a shadow.Â
"Mhm you big baby," you tease, reaching over to playfully poke his cheek. "I didn't know all it took to defeat the strongest was to duel him with shadow puppets, I should start spreading the word to all the curses in the area."
"I'm serious, (Y/N)! That was intense," he insisted, holding up his hands for inspection. "I think I pulled a muscle... in...my finger?" and quietly hidden behind his second hand as to block curious gazes....he flips you off.
"Satoru!!" you shriek, swatting at his hand, busting out a laugh before he recoils from your apparently painful slap as he presses his hands to his chest. "Oh how will I deal with this pain," he slumped to the floor, resting one hand over his eyes like a princess about to faint.Â
"Oh, get over yourself drama queen," you roll your eyes, but a smile tugs at your lips nonetheless. "Should I go get you a band-aid for your invisible boo-boos your highness"
"It looks like he needs a whole cast," Megumi snickers, eyes twinkling with mischief as he plays along.
Satoru feigns a gasp. "Cruel, all of you! I'm surrounded by monsters," he groans as he turned to the little girl next to him, "Tsumiki can you believe them."
"You're silly," she laughed at him and he dramatically sighed.
"Really there are so many people in this house and yet I don't have a single ally, what is a wounded man to do," he cries.
"Oh give it up Toru, what do you want me to do, kiss your ouchies away," you joke but he peeks at you from beneath his hand, a mischievous glint in his blue eyes.Â
"Yes a kiss," he sighs and his fingers bend into the shape of a wolf once more, "only a true loves kiss can heal the pain inflicted onto me," and you snort.
"Are you saying my true love is a germy dog," you scoff, cringing away.
"I may not be your love, but you are mine," and he puppeteers the animal as though it was its own being, "this is the least you could do after murdering me in cold blood."
"If I murdered you why would you want to kiss me, huh you freak," and you poke at the so called wolf, pushing it away from you.
"Because I'm.." and he pauses, "I'm just weird like that," and that has you laughing and you let out a long sigh.Â
"You're just weird like that," you echo with a chuckle, "well isn't that the understatement of the century," and you reach out to grab his wrists. "But I suppose I'll heal you," you shake your head, the glow of cracked glowsticks illuminating your vision as you leaned forward.
Your lips brushed gently across the tips of his fingers and as you pulled away, the world lit up.Â
Blinking slowly you stare up through the fabric ceiling, "the power came back on," you gasp in disbelief, and a sudden soundtrack to some cartoon echoed from the speakers of the television. "You'll never defeat us!" a tiny high pitched voice emanated and Tsumiki sprung to her feet, "my magical girl show is on," she jumped, clambering out the fort before you even had a chance to say anything. "Megumi c'mon they're gonna transform," she squealed and the boy groaned, a long over the top suffering sigh, that he clearly learned from the taller man in front of you, before moving out from the fort.Â
"That was quite the coincidence," you snort as you let go of his wrist, watching as the little puppet dispersed.Â
"Coincidence," he mused, "I think your kisses are linked to global phenomena," he flatters, twirling an all too short piece of hair that failed to give the effect he's trying to convey as he bats his lashes. "Your medical assistance has already healed me and restored power to our home, think about it, a few more kisses and you could solve world hunger," he winks.
"Satoru," you roll your eyes, but your cheeks still warm.Â
"I'm just saying, we could probably fix every problem, if you kiss me again you could probably fix the broken ice machine in the freezer," and he leans in closer.
"I'm not here to repair our house," you scoff but a mischievous smile tugs at your lips, "but if my kisses are so powerful, shouldn't I be charging by the peck?" you hum coyly.Â
"What a steal," his smirk spreads, "I'm a pretty good tipper y'know," and he reaches to cup your face.
"Get out of here!" you laugh, chucking a pillow square into his face, "you weirdo," you laugh, moving out of the fort.
"I told you that just how I am," he calls after you.Â
"Mhm," you hum as you check your phone, the flashing clock on the microwave proving to be unreliable as you watch the numbers begin to grow steeper into the evening. "Is there anything you want for dinner," you ask the two kids, barely managing to grab their attention from the television where a character sends off her special move.Â
"Mac n cheese," Tsumiki just mumbles, eyes never leaving the screen.
"Got it," you nod, pointing an affirmative finger at her, "I like the confidence."Â
Moving to the pantry you grab one of those boxes where all you had to do was sprinkle in the cheese powder with some milk and butter. Quick and easy, you think to yourself, that was a motto you learned your household tended to live by most of the time.Â
Maneuvering around the tiles you grabbed a pot before placing it beneath the sink, letting water pour in before resting it upon a burner on the stovetop, waiting for it to boil.Â
"You need some help," Satoru hums as he pulls in from behind you, resting his chin atop your scalp.Â
"Nuh uh," you mumble, staring at the still water. This was how it was going to go, you suddenly realize, was this how all families became eventually, argue and don't talk about it, words left unspoken as instead of working it out you let time lick the wounds to nothing, pretending nothing had occurred.
You glance at him, should you bring it up, no, right? The two of you were fine now, no anger, no resentment, the fight was over, the heated emotions dissipated, so this means you should move on quietly, that there is somewhere an invisible sense of understanding and agreement that bloomed between the two of you.
Yeah, it was over now, it's fine. "Have you heard from Suguru," you ask, "oh and can you pass me that spoon," you add offhandedly, his body moving fluidly as he responded.
"Yeah, he called, him and the twins are still at school with Shoko," and he hands you the wooden utensil.Â
"Did the rain..." and you wave your hands around, not quite sure what exactly to say, but your gestures seem to be enough.
"Nah they're fine, he said they are gonna crash in one of the dorm rooms for the night though, they'll be back by morning."
"That's good," you hum absentmindedly, ripping open the cardboard box before taking out the powder packet, dumping the macaroni noodles into the now boiling water, steam wafting up close to your face.Â
The hammering droplets had lessened dramatically throughout the evening you acknowledge, listening to the rumble of the pot as you run your spoon throughout the expanse before tapping it on the rim, letting it rest on one of the handles. You can hear him shuffle before his back is leaning on the counter right next to the stove, he's trying to catch your gaze, you can tell, but you train it downward, pretending the way it simmered was some sort of exhilarating show.
He coughs a little, clearing his throat, his finger tapping the stone of the counter but you ignore it and then he speaks.
"I'm sorry."
Huh
"I shouldn't have spoken to you like that," and you barely spare him a glance, pressing a placating smile to your lips.
"It's fine," you parrot your earlier thoughts, attempting to dismiss it, "we've already dealt with it, no hard feelings."
"We haven't dealt with anything," he crosses his arms and you take note of how he's still in his uniform, but his glasses are folded away somewhere.
"But I'm not mad at you anymore, and you're not mad at me anymore...right?"
"I'm not mad but," he sighs, running a hand through his hair, fingers parting his locks, "that's not the point."
"What do you mean, it's over, we don't have to be upset about it."
"But we still have to talk about it," and you can tell he's growing frustrated, you weren't trying to annoy him, but you were and that made you feel your own sense of agitation. With him, with yourself, you couldn't tell.
He pushes off the counter, straightening his posture, his towering height suddenly more imposing as he stepped closer and you can't help the way you shift away, averting your gaze. "Talk about what," and the spoon clatters against the pot again as you pick it up to stir roughly, creating a whirlwind of orange elbows. "Huh, Satoru, that you were overreacting, that I was being sensitive?" and your words bite but you keep your tone low, conversation not one meant to be heard by ears meters away. "I don't care any more, I get it, you apologized now, so we can drop it," you squeeze your eyes shut, swaying ever so slightly on the heels of your feet.
"No," he says with a sense of finality, voice no longer containing its usual playful edge. "I don't want to just gloss it over with a sorry and move on."
"Why not," you shrug, "people do it all the time, it's easier," and you purse your lips.Â
"But that doesn't mean what's easy is what's better," and you feel bad, he's trying to communicate, you know that, but the way your exhaustion crept back into your bones had you shuddering.
"But we're fine."
"No we're not," and you don't want to listen, you don't know why, but a part of you, somewhere deep inside, grew annoyed with him.
"Well I don't want to talk about it," you shrug and you bite your lip, why was this suddenly difficult. The two of you had argued so much in your time together, over even more serious matters. You were always able to get through it, be able to converse calmly, this broiling agitation never festered in you before, so why today. Were you just tired, overwhelmed, you weren't sure.
"Why not?" and his voice is soft, almost too soft, the ebbing sound of sadness causing you to recoil the slightest bit.Â
"Because," you twitch, "it was a stupid fight, about nothing. I- I don't want to relive it again right now Satoru, so just drop it." Your lie hangs heavy in the air, thick as the steam rising from the pot, warm and smokey. You watch as he pauses, voice stopping but his hands reach up to turn on the hood vent, a gentle grumble pouring out as it sucked up the evaporating water.Â
"No," he says again and you suddenly feel a desire to punch him.
Punch him, you clench your fists and hang your head low, why were you feeling like this, you've never felt like this, what the hell was wrong with you. This fight wasn't about nothing, it wasn't just about cruel words said in the heat of the moment, and Satoru seemed to know this, but you just didn't want to acknowledge it.
Sweep it under the rug, if you don't look at it, then it means it doesn't exists. You clench your eyes shut, taking in a steadying breath, there was no where to run. "You're still thinking about it," Satoru points out, his voice gentle but firm, "it's still bothering you."
"So," you murmur bitterly, "I'll get over it."
"(Y/N)" he pokes and you grimace at his tone "why won't you talk to me, what happened."
"Nothing," you spit too quick.Â
 "Be honest with me," and he reaches out a hand.
"Satoru I told you to stop," and you shrug off his touch.
"And I told you I won't."
You swallow, that curse festered again and you tilt your head back the moment you feel your eyes sting, trying to make gravity keep them in your eyes. You've been crying too much lately.Â
"What do you want me to say huh," you manage to choke out, "you clearly want a specific response."Â
"I want to apologize."
"You're forgiven."
"No I'm not."
"Satoru," you hiss, and you snap your eyes to his, "I said it's fine."
"And I'm saying it's not."
"Well this has been a very progressive conversation," you grumble, pinching your brows as you manage to repeat the same things back to each other over and over again. "We're talking in circles."
"Just tell me what's bothering you," he sighs, head tilting to the side. "I was mean to you, I was cruel with my words but you haven't cussed me out like usual, you haven't fought me back, you haven't done anything," he speaks, a wash of exasperation on his face.
"So this is because you want me to swear at you."
"Yes... I mean no, what I mean is that something besides what I said is obviously getting to you," and you can feel your heart twisting.
"I just don't want to fight, is that so bad."
"We've already fought."
"That's why I'm saying we should just move on, we don't get that much time together these days anyways we shouldn't waste time on such trivial things like this, especially when neither of seem particularly hung up on it," you try to explain "or at least I assumed neither of us are hung up on it."
"Talking to each other about our problems isn't trivial," he points out tenderly, and he leans towards you, "having conversation matters."
"Then let's talk about literally anything else Satoru," and for some reason you find yourself crushing a sob threatening to leak from your lips deep into your body.Â
"This conversation is important though," he shakes his head, "baby please don't try and run from me."
Running. You've been doing that a lot lately haven't you. Or at least you've tried to. You wanted to run from the both of them the day you found out what your new life would entail, in fact you did run, you had left them for hours, but you were drawn back like you always were.Â
"I'm just scared..." and you begin to voice your rampaging thoughts, "things are, are changing," and you send a wayward glance to the two little bodies bouncing on the couch, far too preoccupied to notice your conversation. "Things are changing so fast and I can't keep up," you confess, "we haven't been able to hang out like we used to, ever since," and you pause, guilt gnawing for blaming little kids for your emotions, feeling ashamed for having such thoughts, but his hand runs up and down your arm, urging you, encouraging you to keep going.
"Everything is different, I don't have the same routine, the same house, we moved, so suddenly and I know you told me I didn't have to follow, but, but I wanted to, I wanted to be with you. But I dunno," and you kick your feet lightly. "I just keep finding myself wanting a break from nothing. It's not that I don't like them, at least I don't think it is. I mean I enjoy spending time with them, especially today but I think it all just happened too fast."
"I mean one day I'm going to cafes every weekend and now I'm heading to bed early because I'm scared of having to do a night time routine for a kid that I don't know how to do."Â
"Do you feel trapped," he asks softly, gently, and you find yourself dismissing his words.
"No, no not at all," you weren't quite sure how to explain it, "it just feels like a lot, all at once."
He nods, slowly, his brain absorbing your words as he takes a moment to formulate his response. "It is a lot," he acknowledges, "this has been a massive change, and it happened really fast."Â
"I understand that you want to be with me, us" he nods, "but that doesn't mean you aren't allowed to feel sad about what you've lost. You can still love them and feel like..." and his lips press in a thin line before he continues, "like you are grieving the life you had before."
The word grieving hung lowly over your head. Was that what is was, a type of grief. You had never considered that, a mourning of spontaneity, freedom and consistency. "It's okay to miss it all," and his hand is on your face, wiping a tear with the pad of your thumb that you never noticed escaped. "I miss it," and you crumble, for a second you sway, lip wobbling before you open your arms and he pulls you close.Â
You sniffle, quietly, refusing to make over a decibel of sound. "I miss you," he murmurs and you can feel his lips on the crown of your head. "I've missed you so much, you're always gone when I wake up and seem like you're missing even when you're home," and you shudder in his embrace.Â
"When I brought them home, I never really thought about what that'd mean, I could only think about how exciting it'd be that I forgot to think about what it'd mean for you, for us," he is squeezing you tight and you think back to the day he brought them home, texting you saying he was bringing a surprise. He had ran into your arms that day, grinning so brightly.Â
"I promise we'll learn how to make this work, I promise we'll be able to have time together like we used to."Â
You sway in his arms, "just remember that no one is going to do anything alone, no one has to do anything alone. You have me and Suguru, and we have you. We both... we both want to make this work, for them, for you....for us."
He reaches out, taking your face in his hands. "Take it in at your own pace, it doesn't matter how slow or how fast you need to go."
"We'll be here, we'll figure it out, okay, we'll spend time together," and he's cooing quietly "so don't try and shut me out alright, we'll have time to argue and fight and make up, we won't have to sacrifice apologies because we only want to have good moments together."
"I love you pretty girl," he murmurs as he cups your face, "so don't you worry about a thing, we'll figure it out together, we won't have to sacrifice a thing," he murmurs. "So," he grins "let me apologize my lovely, beautiful, stunning girlfriend who I will never talk like that to again lest I wish to send myself to a life of toilet scrubbing for the rest of my pitiful days."
You snort, he smiles brighter. The two of you were immature in your own ways, but that just meant you had to grow, and you were, together.Â
You pull back, looking up at him and you push to your toes, leaning in and your lips meet, gentle, careful.
He relaxes into you, lips melding into a long awaited hug as he holds you, slowly he moves, unhurried, savouring the moment the two of you began to lack in your weeks of the divide that began to shift you away from one another. But you mend it, in this moment, you close the gap.Â
You pull away reluctantly, lungs aching as you stare into his bright blue eyes.
"That one will make sure we can spend eternity together," you smile.
"And this one will make sure we can spend all the time after that together too," and he leans in again.Â
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"Satoru the water!"Â












