AU: Single Dadji Age: 28–41 (depending on Megumi’s age) Occupation: Merc / Sorcerer Killer Megumi's default age: 5-7; can be plotted as older (teens)
Small Bio:
He wakes before the sun, not because he has to but because the quiet is the only thing that still listens to him. Megumi’s sprawled sideways in bed, blanket kicked half-off, hair doing that stubborn little spike that looks too much like hers. Toji doesn’t fix it. He just watches for a second longer than necessary, makes sure the kid’s breathing is steady, chest risin' & fallin' like it’s supposed to. (Old habits die hard.)
Mornings are trial & error. Burnt toast. Coffee gone cold. A half-muttered apology to a kid who’s still half asleep. He doesn’t know how to do this — ( never pretends he does ) — but he’s learning. Slowly & Awkwardly. With hands that only know how to kill, not how to brush spiked hair or pack lunches without forgetting something important. He listens more than he talks. Let's Megumi set the pace .... Let the silence sit when it needs to.
By day, Toji is still what the world made him into. A weapon, A ghost. He takes jobs no one else can, finishes them clean, comes home bloodied & exhausted — but never past the time he promised. Never smelling too much like smoke or blood. He washes his hands twice before touching anything that belongs to his son. (Three times, if the job was bad.)
Evenings are quieter. Shared meals that aren’t perfect. Homework he doesn’t understand but sits through anyway. Megumi talking about curses like it’s normal. Toji pretending his chest doesn’t ache, hearing how easily that world is trying to claim him. He doesn’t say don’t. He says be careful. He says I’m here. He says it even when he doesn’t know how long that’ll be true.
At night, when Megumi’s asleep again, Toji leans in the doorway & lets himself feel it — the fear, the love, the weight of stayin'. He doesn’t believe in redemption. Doesn’t believe he deserves this. But every day, he wakes up & tries anyway. & for Toji Fushiguro, trying is the closest thing to hope he’s ever allowed himself to have.
