Trust has been a very hard concept for Megumi for as long as he can remember.
In the Suns of Shiro, trust was the main component of their operation. Growing up in it, he was supposed to trust everything they said, kill this person, steal this document, do this duty. Never question orders, never stray from the Commander's goal.
It was an easy enough mantra, a clear enough order.
But for some reason Megumi never really trusted it.
He never trusted them.
The truth of the matter is he saw the Suns of Shiro for who they really were. He knew from experience just how bad they could be. So after a few more minutes of denial, his instincts kicked in. His supposed bio-parents' story wasn't really a hard concept to wrap his head around. Of course, the Suns of Shiro faked his death, of course, they stole him, trained him, and lied to him.
It makes sense, it sounds like something the Suns of Shiro would do.
And yet, a part of Megumi still can't trust Gojo and Utahime.
Apart of him really wonders if this all is just a test. If the Commander is watching.
If he is failing, and what will his punishment be this time?
He shakes his head, trying to rid himself of the bad thoughts and the horrid memories. Gojo noticed, at least Megumi thinks he did. Despite still being outside his room, and out of earshot, the giant gives him a weird look. He stares down at the kid with an ominous gaze of understanding. It's almost like he just knows what's going on in Megumi's head.
Another reason not to trust him.
Still, Megumi tries to not dwell on it, he tries not to even think about Gojo or the Commander. Instead, he fixes his glare out the window and tries to pretend he's somewhere else. Anywhere but this stupid hospital bed. He tries, but it doesn't really work. Because with every second he peers outside, another worry pops into his head. Another punishment echoes in his mind. And before he knows it, his brain isn't pretending to be somewhere else, it's planning how to get somewhere else.
Escape routes, he's already found five. He's on his sixth when Tsumiki notices.
Which to be fair, wasn't all that surprising. It's not like the kid was being discrete.
Megumi was a fidgety mess. He was glancing around the room every five seconds. His light blue eyes tracing routes, assessing boundaries, and stalling at exits. At one point he even sized up Shoko.
He's gonna try to leave, she would almost bet money on it.
As a kinship caregiver, Tsumiki Morrow has seen her share case of runners. She knows all the big tells for a flighty kid. Even more so for Megumi. The little heathen actually holds the record for the most successful escapes from her facility. Sometimes the kid was so good, it would take Tsumiki hours just to find him.
And that was with her cursed technique.
So it's probably best she stop Megumi now. She definitely should stop Megumi now.
But-
She bites her tongue, the pain comforting but also telling. Time is ticking, he's bound to find his perfect route any second now. She should say something, she should do it soon, before Megumi disappears and they're all scrambling in a search.
But what could she say? How could she get him to understand? She knows that he belongs with Gojo and Utahime…
But he's lived with her for almost a year now. He's a part of her home, a part of her family.
And a part of her wonders; if she lets him leave, if he doesn't become theirs, could he still stay hers?
It's stupid, she knows. Selfish too. But, as optimistic as she is, as much as she believed he was Gojo's son. She never believed he would really have to leave.
She didn't want to believe in a future where Megumi leaves. Most of her kids don't, her adoption rate is damn near zero. No one wants a dangerous kid. The ones that pretend they do, usually give them back in a day or so.
And with his background, and his attitude Megumi should be no different.
But…. he is. He is so different from any other child she has housed. His parents are so different from any other parent she's seen.
If they get him, if he goes with Utahime and Gojo, he's not coming back.
He'll be the light of Jujitsu society. The miracle child of a Zenin and a Gojo.
No longer her Fushi but their Megumi.
But if she doesn't stop him if she keeps him….
Can she really say she cares about Megumi?
Can she say she's any better than the Suns of Shiro?
She starts to walk over, her feet dragging like cinderblocks in the ocean. Eyes watery as her heart pumps so loud, and her brain screams at her to stop.
Think of what she's giving up.
Wait.
Think of who she's giving up.
"Don't", she whispers, halfway now to Megumi's bed, it's unclear if she is saying the words to herself or to him.
It didn't matter anyway, Megumi wasn't even paying her a lick of attention. Instead his gaze shifts, his beautiful blue eyes focus on the far right door, then the top left air vent, then the hallway exit.
"I'm serious Fushi, give them a chance", Tsumiki tries again, but it falls on deaf ears as Megumi begins tracing the measurements of his left window.
They're on the fifteenth floor, gonna be a bit of a nasty fall, but he's been through worse.
Way worse.
His lack of care, causes Tsumiki to grab his chin, his face turning towards her before his eyes. When he finally does look at her, he blinks.
Reality sets.
He realizes she wasn't the only one trying to stop him.
"When the fuck did you get here", he muttered to Atsuya. His hand already pushing the man's large grip off of his face. His eyes set as he realizes this is the third time Agent Kusakabe has caught him by surprise. The first time the man has managed to sneak up on him.
Fuck, that has to be drugs, or maybe it's the cuts? He does still feel woozy from the blood loss.
He must look it too. Kusakabe actually has the nerve to frown, his strong hands returning to Megumi's chin to grip his face and turn his neck, "You sure that poison is out of his system", he mutters over to Shoko.
The good doctor blinks, her eye bags have eye bags at this point. " Poisons out, but the kid is not 100%. His white blood cells are dangerously low, and I can't heal him without taking off those cuffs you put on him. He'll need to take hydroxyzine for atleast two weeks before he's back to normal.", she said, her usual montoned voice almost scarier now.
Hydroxyzine?
She has him hooked up to hydroxyzine?
No wonder he's so fucking out of it.
Megumi shifts instantly, throwing Kuskabe back as his arms furrow and feel over his torso. So many wires, so many fucking holes. He has to get them out. He tries his damnest to get them out.
But no such luck. He barely got five needles out of his arm before that stupid machine started screeching, and that even stupider idiot rushed back in.
"Okay no, Megs you need the needles to get better. Don't pull them out", Satoru starts, his voice colored down as if he speaking to an infant. As if Megumi didn't understand how IVs work.
Like he was stupid or something.
Instantly Megumi's eyes narrowed, he really was starting to hate this idiot.
"You need to let me go", he sneered, his hand already poised for an attack near Gojo's neck. A common human weak point the young assassin always exploited, but when he shifts his fist, he doesn't jab Satoru's throat like he wanted. Instead the boy's small hand juts forward and pauses. His knuckles hit an invisible ball of energy, the skin around them for sure bruised.
Satoru's infinity, Achilles, and a tortoise. Fucking hell on the six-year-olds already weak body.
"Gojo stop it's hurting him", a loud voice barked from beside them. The volume so blaring and sudden, that Megumi almost flinches.
Utahime? Just when did she get back in the room?
Fuck, he has to get this bs medicine out of his system.
He moves his hand from Gojo's neck and tries to grab the needles once more. But as soon as he moves the giant grabs his arms and locks them above both of their heads. And once again, Megumi finds himself pushing against a force field. The pain wide and slow.
It's annoying, he's trying his hardest and he can't even get a wince from Satoru. Everything is slow, groggy, hard.
He can't tell if he's really that weak? Or is Gojo just that strong?
He hopes it's the latter. Thinks it may be, even when Utahime tries to help him and push Satoru back, Gojo doesn't budge. The fucking idiot barely even blinks. His blindfold held loosely across his neck like some dumbass necklace. Blue eyes piercing as he stares and waits.
And he keeps it up, even as Megumi's wrist begins to color and the child grits his teeth. Even as Utahime begins swearing amongst her pushes, and Tsumiki quietly tries to talk them all down.
Satoru just keeps staring and waiting. He does this until Megumi's frown weakens. Until the the difference in the strengths are blaring obvious. He waits until Megumi gets it.
Megumi hates that he gets it.
In the next moment the child huffs, and stops. His tiny fist falling onto his lap, a quick white flag of surrender.
Satoru Gojo is strong, one of the strongest he has ever seen. Megumi doesn't stand a chance.
Especially without his powers.
He's never been one to fight a hopeless battle.
And somehow Gojo seems to know that.
The stupid idiot grins, like he won a race or something. He then turns to Utahime, his voice poised with a teasing light, "He's fine, see. Kid just needed a readjustment is all.", Satoru chirped. His smile only widening as both Utahime and Megumi glare up at him.
Twins, grumpy cute little twins.
It's stupid, but Satoru's smile irritates Megumi more than he'd care to admit. He's not even embarrassed that the giant is stronger than him, he's irritated as hell though that the idiot flaunts it. In all honestly Megumi would like nothing more than to wipe that stupid smirk off of the tall lug's face.
But as he stews on this his anti-cursed cuffs blink, a friendly reminder to keep his cursed energy and attitude in check.
As if the idiot didn't already make that clear.
So with nothing, literally nothing to expel his anger on, Megumi is forced to actually sit there and face his reality. He sighs again, as all thoughts of escape die. He knows his chances of success drop down to zero with Senor Smiles around.
The giant won't let him pull a needle out of his arm, he'd doubt he'll even be able to take a step out of this room.
Still, he was never known for his complete compliance.
So once Shoko begins gently putting the IV's back into his arm, and everyone else relaxes just a little. Megumi decides to throw in the only hand he has left.
His only leverage.
"The Suns of Shiro have 100,000 soldiers, 40,000 foot hands, 2000 navy leaders, and five grand captains", he utters out, pausing just the slightest as Agent Kuskabe scrambles to jot the numbers in his phone. When the man finishes, the child sends him a pointed look. "If you want to know how many of them are special grades then let me stay with Tsumiki".
An ultimatum, promising since the kid has never let a single drop of info slip before. Information Kusakabe has waited almost a year to hear. And yet-
"Nice try Megs, but I don't care what 'secret service' says. I'm not letting my kid stay at an orphanage", Gojo interrupts, he then pushes his face next to Megumi and smiles. His infinity off making their cheeks touch.
His baby, god he would never get enough of touching his baby.
The moment is ruined though, as pudgy hands try to smack his cheek away. Tiny fist once again, hitting infinity, "I wasn't asking you", Megumi seethed. Irritated enough to ignore the pain his fist, for another nonsuccessful push.
God, this freak was annoying.
As father and son, struggled/cuddled, Kuskabe rubbed the bridge of his nose and glanced at the women to his left.
This would be hard but from what he's seen, she's far more understanding than the man-child.
"Perhaps we can discuss a shared custody agreement", he tiredly mutters, hoping to God, Gojo is too preoccupied to hear him.
He's in luck, at that moment Satoru has gently strangled Megumi in a full-on hug. His left arm swung around the wild child as his right is held high. In his hand is his phone, the camera setting full on display, and pointed down.
The standard for any group selfie.
Utahime sighs, her gaze shifting from her ex-lover and their child, to Atsuya, "It was hard enough to come to an agreement with each other, I don't think Gojo will allow us to add Tsumiki", she explained. Though if she's honest, that's only half true.
Yes, it did take her and Gojo quite some time to agree on living arrangements for Megumi. They argued the entire time the boy was asleep. But it's not only Satoru who has a problem sharing custody with Tsumiki.
Megumi is Utahime's baby, she's already lost so much time with him.
Anymore and she'd swears she won't be able to handle it.
Still, she does feel a bit guilty. She could see Tsumiki's shoulders fall just the slightest at her answer. She knows Tsumiki took care of him, she knows that women see's him as a part of her family. And she can tell just by how they look at each other. Megumi sees her as family too.
A beat of silence sits in the air. Kusakabe looks disappointed, Tsumiki too, Gojo is still oblivious, and Megumi is still pouting. His little face tilted over, defeated sadness.
He just wants to be with Tsumiki.
He just wants to go home.
"Maybe…. maybe we can visit", Utahime declares, her voice strong and loud even as the words tumble from the darkest pits of her mind and burn her throat. She doesn't want this, she hates this.
But her child has perked up, his face is a little less sad.
He wants this, needs this somehow.
And that's what mothers are supposed to do right. Put their kids first, even if it kills them.
Satoru must agree, for once the loudmouth said nothing. Instead, he plucks, at Megumi's hair, cuddling the child once more as the rest of the adults begin discussing a timeframe.
It doesn't take long, less than an hour they all come to an agreement.
A visit, once a month Megumi will be allowed to spend a week at Tsumiki's. In exchange, he doesn't try to run away, and he gives Atsuya some information on the Suns of Shiro. It's not ideal, but it's something.
And it's fair enough that Megumi doesn't ask for more.
And that's a good sign, right?
It should be okay, right?
So why does Utahime have such a bad feeling about it?
Hello Hello! New Chappie Alert. Today is a writing day, I finally got some of my stories updated. Yay! Truthfully I was supposed to go out with my friends and then didn't so I thought why not write a little.
This Chapter was kinda a bit boring. Really a plot setting kind of thing, dropped a few plot bunnies here and there. Originally it was much longer but I cut it because it just seemed like the whole first day with the parents should be a a chapter by itself. And for this chapter, I mainly wanted to focus more on Megumi coming to terms with his new life. Really wanted to explore his feelings on it a little bit, while also showcasing Utahime and Tsumiki's feelings as well.
Tsumiki and Utahime are both kind of mothers to Megumi atp. Tsumiki emotionally is his mother while physically Utahime is his mother. They are counterparts as they both share similarities with one another but their difference are so apparent as well. Also, each of their identities fuels the other's insecurity about their place with Megumi. So really this chapter was to highlight that and also hint at future conflict lol.
Speaking of conflict, I dropped like four major plot bunnies this chapter. Like vital information that foreshadows future chapters, did any of you catch them. Hint one of them has to deal with the Suns of Shiro.
Welp enough rambling, thank you so much to everyone who read. Please let me know what you think of this chapter.