Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Gojo moaned as Toji tossed him onto his bed. Making out in the kitchen had been entertaining, though Gojo's new pregnancy-fueled libido had urged them to speed things up. Toji had easily agreed, following Gojo’s muffled demands to the letter as he had picked him up and carried him to the softest surface in his shitty, run-down apartment.

“I can hear you judging,” Toji said as he tugged his loose sweater over his head. There wasn’t any defensiveness in the alpha’s voice, only playful teasing, Toji knew that his current apartment was pretty terrible.

“I’m judging how slow you are,” Gojo scoffed as he propped himself up on his elbows, clearly enjoying the show. “Hurry up, old man.”  

“Yeah, yeah,” Toji mumbled, kicking his sweatpants off before reaching for Gojo.

The teen jolted into action when he remembered he was still fully clothed, helping Toji by pulling off his shirt as the eager alpha stripped him of his trousers.

“No belly yet, huh?” Toji said as he climbed onto the bed, knees spreading Gojo’s thighs open as his wandering hands groped the omega’s body.

“Fuck you,” Gojo said with more annoyance than heat. Toji only chuckled and leaned down to kiss the pout from his lips.

“Getting there,” Toji promised with a smile when he pulled away. “Let’s give you an orgasm or two, baby. You seem a little tense.”

“It’s your fault,” Gojo complained, crossing his arms over his bare chest, and looking away in a huff. Though Toji was amused to see his legs open a little wider. “I wasn’t an omega, a pregnant omega, three months ago, you know.”

“Uh huh,” Toji said, barely listening to his complaints. Instead, he pulled Gojo’s arms to the side, kissing down the omega’s chest and belly, and wondered when Gojo would get nice and soft from his pregnancy. He didn’t think the idea would appeal to him, but Gojo smelled like a dream, and the omega had looked amazing on his knot, so Toji was eager for a repeat performance.

“Are you even listening to me?” Gojo asked after another minute of talking. However, when Toji glanced up at the huffy omega, the slight flush taking over the delicate skin of Gojo’s face told him everything his mouth wouldn’t. So instead of answering, he licked the head of Gojo’s cock, chuckling when the teen jolted away. “Fuck-“

“Hush,” Toji said, fingers curling around Gojo’s hips to hold the other down before he started pressing sloppy kisses down the twitching cock to the plump balls laying underneath. He hadn’t spent too much time with this part of Gojo’s anatomy, but Toji pulled back, squinting before deciding it was just a little bit smaller than it had been three months ago. The miracle of bitching, apparently.

“Stop staring at my junk,” Gojo ordered, a hand thrown over his eyes as his hips twitched in Toji’s grasp. “God, why are you my baby daddy?”

“You like my knot,” Toji reminded him, hands sliding down Gojo’s hips to circle his pretty thighs. He pulled them up and spread them open a little wider. And there it was, the prettiest little pussy he’d ever fucked, already wet with slick for him.  

“Not that much-ch- oh!” Gojo yelped and squirmed when Toji ducked his head, lapping at the clit hiding between his ridiculously long legs. Any time Gojo made another attempt at speaking, Toji sucked and teased the little nub before working his tongue a little deeper into Gojo’s hole.

“Looks like you haven’t been playing with yourself, baby. You’re all tight again,” Toji commented when he came up for air. He used his thumbs to pull the slick folds back and spat on the little hole winking up at him.

“Ah! What?” Gojo gasped. He pulled his hand away from his eyes and stared at Toji, his expression aghast. “D-did you just spit in me? And no, I don’t touch it, why would I touch it?”

“To feel good? I didn’t know I had to explain masturbation to you,” Toji said with a wry grin before pushing a finger into Gojo’s tight hole. “Not surprised that the Gojo Clan neglected your sex ed, but I thought the school would pick up the slack. Oh well.”

“S-shut up,” Gojo groaned. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

“Sure,” Toji said, mesmerized by the sight of his finger sinking into the tight cunt. It was going to feel amazing when he broke the boy open on his cock again. “Well, I’m not complaining too much. Kept yourself nice and tight for me, did you? You’re so good to your alpha.”

The sound that Gojo made in response was incomprehensible, so Toji continued to ignore him, instead focusing on slipping another finger inside. He was looking forward to fucking Gojo open, of course he was, but it wouldn’t be any good if he was too tight.

“There, there,” Toji cooed, grinning as he scissored Gojo open, his other hand left Gojo’s thigh to play with the omega’s clit, and he was soon rewarded with a fresh gush of slick. “You’re such a good omega. It suits you much better than being an alpha.”

“You would say that,” Gojo said, his voice strangled. He was breathing heavily, glowing blue eyes locked onto Toji’s hands as the alpha played his body like a finely tuned instrument. “I don’t get why you’re so good at this. Probably the only thing you’re good at…”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Toji leaned into Gojo’s thigh and scraped his teeth against the delicate skin. Gojo yelped, his body flinching away, but Toji felt the squeeze around his fingers and saw Gojo’s cock twitch against his belly. “Like that, do you? Don’t worry baby, I’ll sink my teeth into you as much as you like. You got really horny when we bonded the first time, we should do it again.”

“Ugh, not worth it,” Gojo turned his head and moaned into the mattress, his body squirming. “I don’t even know why I let you do it. Worst idea ever.”

“You liked it,” Toji laughed. “Stop overthinking everything.”

He wiggled a third finger inside, stretching the tight cunt open carefully. His thumb abused the little clit, trying his best to distract Gojo from any discomfort. He was rewarded with a gush of slick for his actions, and Toji smiled as the glide of his fingers became smooth and easy.

“S-someone needs to think around here,” Gojo shot back, but considering how he was arching his back and squeezing around Toji’s fingers, Gojo’s head would be emptied out soon enough.

“Sure thing, babe,” Toji humored him.

He pulled his fingers from Gojo’s cunt, and he chuckled at the loud groan Gojo let out in response. Toji playfully slapped Gojo’s thigh before heaving himself forward to lay down between the omega’s legs. His stomach brushed against Gojo’s hard cock, and the omega gasped at the sudden contact.

“We can talk later,” Toji said before leaning in for another kiss. Gojo seemed to accept this, his brain finally turning off as he melted into Toji’s embrace. The kiss was good- for some reason, it was always good with Gojo -and Toji didn’t break away as he reached down to grab his cock, stroking just a little to get himself fully hard. He grabbed Gojo’s hips and pulled him further down the bed, positioning him just right.

Gojo gasped against his mouth, soft lips parting just enough for Toji to slip his tongue inside. He panted, cock rubbing against Gojo’s slick pussy.

Toji tore himself away from Gojo’s lips to grin down at the befuddled omega. His eyes were already glazed over with pleasure, his blush burning brighter from the kissing, and his lips were wet and bruised.

“Wha-“

“Tell me you want it, baby,” Toji said, hips thrusting against Gojo, his cock teasing the hot cunt pleading for his knot. “Beg me for it.”

“N-no,” Gojo said, a different kind of heat blazing in his eyes as he glared up at Toji. “I’m not doing that.”

“You’re gonna,” Toji said as his hands spread Gojo’s thighs open a little wider so that his cock had more room to tease Gojo’s pussy. The head dipped inside the slick folds for a moment before sliding up against Gojo’s swollen clit, and Toji caught the desperate desire on Gojo’s face before it was hidden away. “Beg me or else I won’t fuck you.”

“I- you-“ Gojo sputtered.

“I can do this all day, Gojo,” Toji said as he plastered on his best shit-eating grin. He really couldn’t, but he was confident he could outlast a sexually frustrated teenage omega.

“I- fine!” Gojo yelled, the tiniest pout on his lips as he turned his head away from Toji’s leering gaze. “I want it. Are you happy now?”

“Well, I wanted a little more begging, but that’ll do for now,” Toji said. “Plenty of time for more later. I remember how sweetly you whined for my knot last time.”

“You fu-“

Gojo was cut off when Toji’s cock finally parted the folds of his sweet little cunt and plunged inside. Toji stifled a groan and bit his lip as hard as he could to distract from that tight, tight heat closing around his cock. It felt better than Toji had remembered, and even without the thrill of a bitching assignment and an omega’s heat scent, Toji felt the same urgent arousal fogging his senses.

“Ohhh,” Gojo moaned, his head thrown back against the bed and his hands twisting the sheets. Toji gripped Gojo’s thighs hard enough to bruise, only relaxing when he finally bottomed out, his cock twitching as he filled Gojo’s cunt.

“Feel so good,” Toji muttered against Gojo’s throat, lips absently kissing and licking smooth skin as he waited for the teen to relax around his cock. “Gonna fuck you so good, baby.”

“Ah, please,” Gojo sighed as he rolled his hips, his tight cunt squeezing the life out of Toji. “I need it.”

“Y-yeah,” Toji panted, grinding his dick into Gojo’s pussy and trying not to blow his load two minutes in. “Me too. It’s been too long.”

“Your fault,” Gojo muttered, but he finally relaxed around Toji’s cock and the alpha spread Gojo’s thighs a little wider and started thrusting, the sweet cunt taking his cock perfectly.

Toji wondered if Gojo’s body remembered him, remembered the cock that had fucked a baby into Gojo’s womb. He released one of Gojo’s legs, hiding his smirk against the omega’s neck when the leg wrapped around his waist, and pressed his hand against the omega’s flat tummy. He tried to imagine a little bump there, he’d probably start showing soon since his omega was pretty skinny.

“Maybe I can fuck another baby into you after this one,” Toji whispered into Gojo’s ear, hips stuttering when the teen moaned and tightened around his cock. “You like that? Want me to breed you again?”

“N-no,” Gojo protested, but the leg squeezing tight around his waist and the tight clench of the omega’s pussy told him otherwise.

“It’s not nice to lie to your alpha,” Toji teased, but he didn’t torment himself by slowing down. Instead, tilted Gojo’s hips a little higher, fingers bruising the soft skin of the omega’s thigh and waist as he fucked the teen as hard and deep as he could.

The moment he hit Gojo’s sweet spot, the omega moaned louder, the wet shlick of Gojo’s folds as he swallowed Toji’s cock echoing in his ears. Everything after that was a blur of pleasure, their bodies melting together in a mess of heat and pheromones.

“Gonna knot you,” Toji panted, teeth nipping at his shoulder as the swelling knot teased Gojo’s cunt.

“Please, please, please,” Gojo begged, and Toji felt the warm glow of satisfaction deep inside his chest. His omega was begging for his knot, begging for his alpha, and he was more than happy to deliver.

The slap of their hips grew louder as Toji slammed his cock in deep, his length swelling inside of Gojo’s wet cunt. He reached between them and cupped Gojo’s leaking cock, stroking the slick length with his thumb like he would Gojo’s clit.

“F-fuck,” Gojo gasped, fingers clawing at Toji’s shoulders as his body shuddered in the alpha’s embrace. “Knot me, please knot me.”

Toji huffed with laughter. “I said I would, baby. Don’t, ah, don’t worry.”

He released his grip on Gojo’s other leg, wrapping it around his waist to join the other. The omega was moaning loudly into his ear, body writhing as Toji gripped Gojo's waist and fucked the teen as hard as he could. His hips were a blur as he pounded the omega into the mattress, both of them desperately chasing the explosive pleasure they hadn’t experienced these past three months.

Toji shuddered when his knot finally slipped into Gojo’s tight cunt, the hot squeeze around his throbbing cock was nearly unbearable. He panted, eyeing Gojo’s smooth, beautiful neck that was laid out before him like a feast. The omega had dropped his head back against the mattress in his pleasure, blue eyes wide and unseeing, his lips open and panting as he was finally knotted. 

Toji’s mouth watered at the sight of this temptation. He had never been good at denying himself, and today was hardly the day to begin. He lunged forward, too fast for Gojo to react in his knot-drunk stupor, and sunk his teeth into the omega’s scent gland. It was delicious- his teeth ached and his knot throbbed as he renewed his claim on the omega.

Gojo gasped, fingers weakly tugging at his hair before he went limp in Toji’s embrace, huffing as Toji’s weight pinned him to the bed. The alpha's cock was twitching as it pumped him full of cum, marking the omega from the inside and reminding them how Gojo had gotten pregnant in the first place.

“I’m so stupid,” Gojo muttered, but the happy little purrs rumbling from deep within his chest told Toji a different story. “Can’t believe I let you knot me again.”

“Don’t worry, baby,” Toji whispered against his throat when he finally released him. “You found me, didn’t you? So clever. We’re going to have such a pretty, clever baby.”

Toji cut off any protests as he began lapping at the omega’s throat, soothing any pain from the renewed bonding.

Gojo hummed, the emotional turmoil clearly taking its toll on him as he began to drift to sleep. “You better stick around… dumb alpha… I’m not having this baby alone.”

Toji snorted in response but resigned himself to his fate. It felt like it was time for a change anyway, and luckily, he’d bagged himself a new mate that was beautiful, powerful, and rich.  

“Well, at least it’ll have an older sibling,” Toji said thoughtfully as he nuzzled his cheek against Gojo’s soft hair. He winced when Gojo’s hand gripped a large chunk of hair and pulled his head back. Blue eyes blazed as they stared into his soul.

“What.”

Chapter Text

“I can’t believe you already have two kids,” Gojo hissed into Toji’s ear as they approached a plain-looking apartment complex.

“I already explained it, didn’t I?” Toji sighed, but he wrapped his arm around Gojo’s waist and tugged the omega in closer. “And it’s just the one kid. Tsumiki is my ex-wife’s, not mine.”

“Whatever,” Gojo mumbled, but he leaned into Toji’s side and bumped his head against the alpha’s shoulder. Toji hid his smirk as he laid his hand on top of Gojo’s stomach, the little bump just barely noticeable now when touched.

His alpha instincts had been well satisfied the past few weeks. In between fighting and fucking, Gojo had proven an affectionate omega, constantly purring and snuggling up to him. It wasn’t something Toji had imagined for himself, not after the tragic death of his first wife and the disastrous divorce of his second, but Gojo was something else entirely, a class of his own. Perhaps sharing such a similar background helped in that regard, they both knew how rotten jujutsu society could be, though from completely opposite perspectives. They both knew how awful the “great” families really were with their cutthroat politics and outdated worldviews, all glued together with toxic masculinity and misogyny.

They’d had more serious conversations about the future than Toji could ever remember having, discussing what they wanted for a child who would most likely become a sorcerer. It was strange, but not terrible, and Toji felt better than he had in years.

“I think you’ll like Megumi,” Toji said thoughtfully. “But anyway, I had a talk with my ex-wife last week. I need to pick him up and get him settled by the end of the day.”

“I still can’t believe you left your kid with your ex-wife,” Gojo scoffed, but he did look curious. A child with the fabled Ten Shadows technique was nothing to scoff at, after all.

“Well, I finished setting up our nice new apartment,” Toji said, nudging the pouting omega with his hip. “Now it’s time to start filling the nest.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Gojo sighed. “Got me paying for all your shit already.”

“Hey, I’m being a good house husband, aren’t I?” Toji asked playfully, mock offended. “You didn’t have to lift a finger.”

“Best stay like that,” Gojo grumbled, patting his belly over Toji’s hand. “You piss me off, I’m throwing you out onto the streets, I don’t care if you fucked your brat into me.”

“Don’t be like that, baby,” Toji purred against Gojo's ear. But the omega swatted him away, and he laughed. Not even the looming sight of his ex-wife’s door could dampen his mood.

However, when Toji knocked and his ex-wife’s daughter opened the door with no adult in sight, Toji began to get a bad feeling.

“Hi,” Tsumiki said, opening the door wide enough for both Toji and Gojo to step inside. The apartment was small, a little rundown but clean.

“…hi,” Toji said after a long pause. “Where’s your mom?”

Tsumiki didn’t answer, only shrugging before she walked further into the apartment. Toji craned his neck to watch her before finally deciding to kick off his shoes at the door and follow her inside. Gojo followed his lead with only mild grumbling, but Toji couldn’t help but think it was strange this was all very strange.

Entering the living room, he saw his own brat on the living room couch, looking just as moody as he remembered him. There was a brightly colored cartoon playing on the television, which Toji vaguely recognized as Megumi's favorite, and Tsumiki joined her brother on the couch.

Megumi glanced up briefly at his father before looking away with a displeased humph, his arms hugging the couch pillow in his arms closer to his chest.

“Hey,” Toji said, unsure how to begin. He really thought he would be dealing with his ex-wife when he walked in the door, not the kids...

Megumi turned his head to look at him again, but he said nothing. Toji wasn’t sure if there was an accusation on his young son’s face or just indifference. Unfortunately, his son had inherited a healthy dose of the Zen’in facial features and it was difficult to tell.

“Who are you?” Megumi finally said in a mild tone.

Gojo, who Toji had nearly forgotten about, cracked up behind him, his obnoxious laughter filling the small apartment.

“You’re funny, kid,” Gojo said as he shoved his elbow into Toji’s side, pushing him away so that he could step fully into the room. He let his dark, black-out sunglasses slide down the bridge of his nose and fixed Megumi with his unnerving blue gaze. “And you’ve got a lot of potential. Nice.”

“Huh?” Megumi said, his stoicism falling in the face of Gojo’s bizarre greeting. Tsumiki glanced nervously between all of them, fingers plucking at the frayed edge of the couch. “…whatever. I know you’re here to take me, but I won’t go without Tsumiki.”

“Oh?” Gojo said, “That’s cute. Loyal to your sister aren’t you?”

“That’s not up for me to decide, Megumi,” Toji said, already exhausted from the first conversation he’d had with his son in nearly a year. “Tsumiki, where’s your mother?”

The ominous feeling returned when Tsumiki only looked down at her shoes and shook her head. Toji was startled when the girl scrambled to her feet and ran deeper into the apartment and wondered if he should follow. Perhaps his ex-wife was running a quick errand and they’d accidentally dropped in when she was away. He didn’t think he had the right to go comfort the girl, not when he had only acted as her stepfather for a few brief months before promptly fucking off, especially if his ex was due to come back any minute to ask him why he was upsetting her daughter.

The dilemma was solved when Megumi gave him a sour look and followed after Tsumiki, and Toji breathed a sigh of relief when both children were out of sight.

“Well, that wasn’t so bad,” Gojo said. Toji shot him a look of disbelief before wandering further into the apartment. Maybe his ex-wife was taking a nap? He didn’t want to start rummaging through the apartment without her permission, but…

“What? No one’s screaming or throwing anything,” Gojo said as he followed Toji into the kitchen. Neutral ground, as far as Toji was concerned. The long hallway where the bedrooms and the bathroom were located were another matter entirely. “Or dead.”

“This isn’t a soap opera,” Toji said with a roll of his eyes.

The kitchen was empty, but Toji froze when he caught sight of a letter sitting neatly on the open counter, Toji’s name printed in neat kanji on the envelope. “Shit.”

“Oh my god, she left you a letter?” Gojo grinned as he leaned against the kitchen table and leered at Toji. “Sounds pretty dramatic to me. What’s it say?”

Toji ignored Gojo and grabbed the letter, the thin paper crinkling in his hand as he carefully ripped the envelope open. He scanned the short paragraph within, his heart dropping to his stomach as he realized what his ex had done. “Shiiiiit.”

“Haaa?” Gojo said obnoxiously as he attempted to lean in and read the letter. Toji moved it away, reading the short message over and over, hoping each time that it said something different. But no, it only confirmed his suspicions. His ex-wife had abandoned the kids soon after their conversation about picking up Megumi the week before. It seemed he’d overestimated her willingness to look after his own spawn, but Toji didn’t think she’d leave behind her daughter.

“Megumi?” Toji called, his voice raised just enough to carry.

“What, did she bail or something?” Gojo said, finally snatching the letter from Toji’s hands when he refused to answer. “Oh shit, that’s awkward...."

Toji watched as cursed energy crackled in the air and Gojo's eyes turned a hypnotic blue behind his dark glasses. He scanned the apartment, obviously looking for something.

"Uh- so it looks like your kid is in the far bedroom with his sister… there are no other adults here….”

Toji glanced around the kitchen and then craned his neck to look back into the living room. The place didn’t look like two children under the age of ten had been running rampant without adult supervision, but from what he remembered, Tsumiki was an unusually responsible child.

He sighed, threw the letter back onto the counter, and decided it was time to hunt down his son. It wasn’t a mystery why Megumi had acted so coldly toward him. Toji honestly couldn’t remember the last time he visited… maybe six months? It hadn’t been long after the divorce, but Toji wasn’t great at keeping track of time, especially in recent years. He was probably the last person who should be taking care of the children, but it looked like they were all stuck with each other now.

“Megumi?” Toji called again, trying his best to keep his voice level and calm. Everything was fine, after all. Not perfect, but fine.

“Go away!” Megumi’s voice came from the end of the hallway.

The kid’s bedroom was the only one with an open door, and Toji soon discovered his son sitting in the middle of his bed, a picture book in his lap as he frowned down at a picture of a dog. When Toji entered the room, his head jerked up, a terrible scowl on his face as he glared up at his father.

“Just leave,” Megumi said, pointedly looking back down at his book and flipping to the next page. “We thought you ran off anyway, just like Tsumiki’s mom. We don’t need either of you.”

“…” Toji sighed, unsure of how to respond to that. It wasn’t like Megumi was completely wrong, after all. “Did you pack anything?”

“I’m not going,” Megumi said, his tone sharp. He flipped the page again, using more force and almost ripping the page. “You’re going to leave Tsumiki here, and I told you I’m not leaving without her.”

“I’m not going to leave Tsumiki here,” Toji sighed. He leaned against the door frame and stared at the bedroom full of brightly colored children’s toys. It was going to be a bitch to move all this… maybe he could use Gojo’s platinum card to just buy the kids all new shit instead. “Even I'm not that mean.”

“Really?” Megumi said at the same time as Tsumiki’s high-pitched voice. Toji startled and glanced around the room, finally noticing the girl’s head popping out from under the other bed.

“Why are you… nevermind,” Toji sighed again. He had the feeling he would be doing that a lot in the upcoming days. He’d have to try and get in touch with his ex-wife again, but this was probably payback for dumping Megumi on her for so long. “Just pack your bags with anything you don’t want to leave behind, I don’t know if we can come back for the rest.”

Megumi and Tsumiki stared at him for a long moment before they both jolted into action. Toji watched them, a headache forming behind his eyes when he thought about how stressful the next few months were going to be.

“How’s it going?”

Toji startled slightly when he felt Gojo’s presence. The teen dug his pointy chin into his shoulder, wild hair tickling Toji’s ear as he squinted obnoxiously at the children frantically sorting through their toys. “Not too bad then. You know, he looks like your clone. Is the fetus going to look the same? Bleh.”

“Hey, I make pretty kids,” Toji protested, shrugging his shoulder to push Gojo’s head away.

“There’s only evidence of one so far,” Gojo grumbled halfheartedly. “My genetics will have to pick up the slack, I guess. As long as she doesn’t get the Zen’in face, I’ll be happy.”

“Stop acting like the Gojo aren’t as inbred as the Zen’in,” Toji complained. “You just got lucky that you don’t look as bug-eyed as the rest of your cousins.”

“Whatever,” Gojo muttered.

Toji snorted, shaking his head as the omega started poking him in the back, seemingly determined to be as annoying as possible. It was nice to have something to take his mind away from the current situation, but after another minute of watching the kids try and decide what to bring with them, Toji realized he would need more than just their toys and clothes.

“Can you watch over the kids for a second?” Toji asked Gojo, turning his head to catch the teen’s eye.

“Sure?” Gojo said with a frown. “What’s up?”

“Need to see if I can find their documents,” Toji said, tapping his chin. He hoped they would be somewhere easy to find otherwise it would probably be a bitch to get Tsumiki and Megumi enrolled in school. If he had to replace them, he didn’t know what he’d do. Megumi’s mother had taken care of everything after the kid had been born and his ex-wife had handled enrolling the kids in elementary school. Figured it was coming to bite him in the ass now.

“Right,” Gojo said, scratching the back of his head and sighing. “Ugh, I hate babysitting.”

“Hey,” Toji said, getting the attention of both children. Megumi was holding a stack of books too large to fit into the bag he had open on his bed while Tsumiki was neatly packing a pile of dresses. “Gojo is going to help you pack while I look for some stuff, he’s going to be living with us too.”

“Hiiiii,” Gojo said cheerfully, arm waving in the air over Toji’s shoulder in greeting. “I’m here to help!”

“Hello, Mr. Gojo,” Tsumiki said with a polite nod of her head, eyes wide as she stared at the tall, white-haired stranger in wonder.

Megumi said nothing, only staring at Gojo suspiciously before giving him a very small nod. Toji bit his lip, trying not to laugh, but he backed out of the doorway, slapping Gojo on the shoulder and pushing him into the room.

“Be nice,” Toji said, ignoring the twin looks of aggravation that both Megumi and Gojo were now sending his way. “Don’t burn anything down.”

Toji left them to it after that little pep talk, stepping back into the hallway to investigate the other room.

“Ah, so… do you guys watch Digimon?”

Toji paused when he overheard the strange question, glancing back at the children’s bedroom, and held back a laugh when he heard Megumi’s disgusted scoff and Gojo’s squawk of indignation.  Toji shook his head and continued with his own task. He opened the door to the master bedroom and poked his head inside.

He had shared this bedroom with his ex-wife during their short-lived marriage, but Toji didn’t think he’d ever seen a room that looked more foreign to him. It probably didn’t help that his ex had cleaned everything out—the mattress was bare as were the side tables and the dresser. The closet was empty except for two small cardboard boxes. A quick inspection revealed a few shirts that Toji had left behind, some knickknacks that Toji thought were maybe Siwoo’s, and a heap of papers.

“Score,” Toji said, crouching down and pulling the box out of the empty closet. It was everything that he needed… well, probably, but Toji figured that government forms and health records were a pretty good start.

He flipped through the pages, relieved that he didn’t have to try to navigate the legal system to get his own copies when he heard a loud thump from the other room.

“Hah?” Toji said, standing up with the box in his hands as he tried to listen for any other weird noises. Maybe it was a mistake leaving Gojo to watch over the kids.

He shuffled out of the old bedroom, leaving it completely empty now, and crept quietly down the hall. Gojo’s voice was audible, loud and clear, as he made an impassioned speech about… Digimon? Toji thought the name sounded familiar, but probably only because it sounded so similar to Pokémon, which his son had a mildly troubling obsession for.

“I don’t care if Mewtwo gave a good speech, Digimon is a hundred times more relatable than trying to make your pets fight each other.”

“You’re just old. You don’t get it, old man.”

Toji didn’t know what to think when he poked his head through the doorway and saw the two of them facing each other down. Megumi was standing on the bed to get closer to Gojo’s height, but it was only enough of a boost to make him eye level with Gojo’s nipples. Toji very carefully kept his face expressionless, but a quick glance over at Tsumiki had him fighting back a chuckle.

The little girl was still folding clothes, but the unimpressed scowl she had on her face was pretty entertaining. Toji wondered if she was second-guessing her decision to come with them.

“Getting along?” Toji asked as he opened the door wider with his shoulder and rested against the doorway, box on his hip. “And are you done packing, Megumi? We don’t have all day.”

Megumi gave him a fierce scowl and pointed at Gojo. “Is he coming with us?”

“… yes,” Toji replied.

“Why? Can’t we just leave him here?”

“Hey brat,” Gojo said, a demonic grin on his face as he pointed at Megumi in turn. “You’re going to have to get used to me, whether you like it or not. I’m the most powerful person you’ll ever meet, and unless you want to go off and train with your dad’s shitty family, I’m going to be your teacher. So you have to respect me.”

“Nuh uh,” Megumi said, his face red with anger.

“Fuck you mean, nuh uh?” Gojo spat back at him, and Toji figured this would be a good time to intervene.

“My dad is stronger than you,” Megumi said, though it looked like it pained him to say so. “He’s bigger than you, so you can’t be the strongest. So you’re a liar.”

“Uh- hey,” Toji said, setting the box down on the kids' dresser before reaching out to grab Gojo by the collar.

“He just looks like he’s strong,” Gojo protested. “I could definitely ki-“

“Hey, none of that,” Toji cut the teen off. “And no fighting.”

“Megumi, you should apologize to Mr. Gojo,” Tsumiki piped up. Her hands were on her hips as she stared Megumi down. “That was really rude.”

To Toji’s surprise, Megumi was startled by Tsumiki’s scolding and looked away with a sullen expression.

“….sorry,” Megumi mumbled, before climbing down carefully from the bed.

“Alright…” Toji said, looking from one child to the next before staring at the teen he still had by the collar. Gojo was giving him a glare over the top of his blackout sunglasses, but Toji only raised an eyebrow at him. Fighting with a six-year-old was pretty ridiculous, after all. “Well, good on you for apologizing, I guess. You’re going to have to get used to living with each other after all."

“Why is he living with us?” Megumi asked as he stuffed a set of twin plush dogs into a bag with his books. “Is he homeless?”

“You-“

Toji shook Gojo by the collar a little to interrupt the argument before it started up again. The look in Gojo’s eye was near murderous now, however, and Toji wondered if they would be leaving with the apartment intact.

“He’s with me,” Toji explained, wondering how much a six-year-old and eight-year-old would understand about being paid to bitch the strongest sorcerer of their generation and accidentally falling into a relationship with him when said sorcerer found out he’s three months pregnant and hunted you down. Probably best to keep things simple.

Megumi gave Toji a look that reminded him strongly of his ex-wife for some reason and hummed in displeasure. Gojo sighed, shrugging Toji’s hand away. He gave Megumi a considering look, a slight frown on his face that made Megumi frown harder in return.

“Ah well, I guess we are stuck with each other,” Gojo admitted with a shake of his head. “You’re a really weird kid, you know?”

“Whatever,” Megumi said, glancing away from Gojo to focus on his haphazard attempts at packing.

“All done,” Tsumiki said, and Toji turned his head to see two neatly packed duffles and a large backpack full of what Toji assumed was all her essentials and a handful of toys. “I still need my soap and toothbrush from the bathroom though.”

“Yeah, we can grab all that stuff on the way out,” Toji said thoughtfully. “Come on, Tsumiki. These two need to finish packing, you can show me where everything is. Megumi, pack some clothes too.”

Gojo went straight to the kid’s dresser and started to rummage around, much to Megumi’s chagrin. Toji watched with amusement as his son tried to push Gojo out of the way, an impossible task as the kid would soon learn, when he was distracted by a gentle tug on his sleeve.

“Um… Mr. Toji?” Tsumiki said, a shy blush on her face as she looked up at him, one hand nervously gripping her skirt.

“Yeah, Tsumiki?” Toji said when she didn’t say anything else, wondering what the girl was trying so hard to ask him. He hoped it wasn’t about her mother…

“I just wanted… wanted to ask if it was okay,” she finally managed to say, though she ducked her head and hid behind a curtain of hair before continuing. “If it was okay for me to go with you. I know you only wanted Megumi…”

“Oh…” Toji said, feeling awkward. Shit. It was true that he hadn’t really thought of his stepdaughter. Hadn’t thought of her much when she actually was his stepdaughter, but he was reminded of his own shitty childhood as an unwanted child—no cursed energy to speak of and constantly shunned for being a non-sorcerer. He placed a hand on Tsumiki's head and gently tussled the long dark strands between his fingers.

“It’s okay, Tsumiki,” Toji said. His tone wasn’t soft or gentle, he didn’t think he was really capable of that anymore, but it was confident and firm, something that Tsumiki probably needed more than she needed coddling. “You’re not unwanted. You're Megumi’s sister, after all, and family should stick together.”

Tsumiki beamed up at him, bright eyes shining as she gave him a quick hug around his waist. Toji flinched, not expecting to receive such easy affection from a child he barely knew, but he managed to smile, just a little.

“And you’ll be a big sister to another brat soon,” Toji continued, pointing a thumb at Gojo.

Instead of packing like they should have been, both Gojo and Megumi were shamelessly staring at the two of them. If they didn’t hurry up, they might even have to spend the night here, which was the last thing Toji wanted to do. “That’s exciting, right?”

“Eh?” Tsumiki said, blinking up at Toji in surprise before turning to look at Gojo.

The teen was wearing a pleased grin, probably reveling in the shock on Tsumiki and Megumi’s little faces, and he patted his stomach with deliberate slowness.

Megumi’s shock quickly melted away and anger soon took its place. He glared first at Gojo and then his father before opening his mouth.

“What.”

Chapter Text

“Ugh,” Gojo grunted as he got to his feet. He smacked Toji’s hand away when the older man reached out and tried to pull him back down to the couch where they’d been having a midday nap.

He’d experienced more inexplicable discomfort in the past few weeks than he ever had in his life, and he was barely showing at this point. The nosebleeds had definitely freaked him out more than the random dizzy spells, but Shoko had explained that his body was producing more blood and sending it to new places, that his blood pressure was going to be all over the place while his body was adjusting, that he was going through massive changes in a short period of time, blah blah blah. Gojo just wanted to know why his head spun when he reached down to tie his shoes.

And his chest. He couldn’t go a day without mentioning how sore his chest was, though he’d stopped doing it around Toji. The dumb alpha always took it as an invitation to play with his nipples. Which usually led to some pretty good sex, if Gojo was being honest, but it was the principle of the thing. Sometimes a man wanted to complain about his sore nipples without getting groped.

“Come back,” Toji mumbled, eyes squinting up at Gojo as he attempted to stretch the kinks out of his back.

“Nope,” Gojo chirped. He kicked the alpha in the side, wondering if he could transfer his discomfort through sheer force of will. Shouldn’t the old man be the one feeling awful? “Need to eat.”

Toji snorted but closed his eyes, rudely ignoring Gojo’s physical attacks. He could at least pretend that they hurt.

“Are you going to mix together strawberry ice cream and bacon and then call it a meal again?” Toji asked, lips twitching with amusement. It was a shame that his eyes were still closed since he couldn’t see the blazing glare that Gojo was sending toward him.

“… if we have it…” Gojo admitted after a long pause. “Unless you ate my ice cream again, asshole.”

“Hey, I went out and got it at 2 am, I’m allowed to take a little,” Toji protested. “I’m pretty sure there’s still more though. Go check.”

Gojo scoffed, but he took the alpha’s advice and wandered into the kitchen. He smiled when he saw both Tsumiki and Megumi at the table, all their school supplies sprawled out between them.

“Miki…” Gojo groaned as he slumped against the doorway. “Is there any more strawberry ice cream?”

“Um,” the little girl said, looking up from her homework to stare thoughtfully at the freezer. “There was yesterday, but I think Toji ate some last night, so it might be gone. We still have some cake hidden in the back of the fridge though.”

“Why don’t you go check for yourself?” Megumi griped, only glancing up from his doodle, something that definitely wasn’t homework, to glare at Gojo before he went back to drawing.

“Don’t be mean,” Tsumiki said absently, obviously more out of habit than any desire to scold.

“No, no, he’s right,” Gojo said with a laugh. He tussled their hair as he passed them by, taking joy in Megumi’s disgust and Tsumiki’s delight at the physical affection.

His new… (stepdaughter? Ward? No, too weird…) his new pint-sized housemate was an unexpected godsend as Gojo navigated his new and aggravating pregnancy symptoms. She was better at home management than all three of them combined, though Toji occasionally felt guilty and sent Tsumiki to go play while he took over the chores. Of course, that was one of the rare occasions when the usually obedient Tsumiki failed to listen to her new guardians.

It was usually adorable to watch, Toji messing up the wash while Tsumiki went behind his back to fix it. And Gojo understood what Toji was trying to do, he really did. He didn’t want Tsumiki to think she had to do anything to earn her place with them, but she really was an extraordinarily dependable person. And at the age of eight too. Gojo wondered if her mother had taught her everything, or if Toji’s elusive ex-wife had neglected the house until Tsumiki had taught herself.

Both kids were pretty tight-lipped about their time living with Tsumiki’s mother, so it was hard to tell. Either way, Gojo tried to show the girl that he appreciated her efforts when he could, and he was feeling perfectly willing to share some dessert with her if Toji hadn’t eaten the one treat he was really craving.

“Hmmmm…” Gojo hummed as he rubbed the small of his back and squinted at the fridge. Open the fridge and find a delicious treat? Or open the fridge and find crushing disappointment? “Want to go with me to the crepe place around the corner, Tsumiki? You’ve been studying for agessss.”

The girl held a hand up to her mouth to stifle a giggle, the noise bringing a smile to Gojo's face, though he tried very hard to ignore the abnormally strong surge of emotion that followed. He wouldn’t cry because his pseudo-stepdaughter/housemate giggled. He wasn’t that far gone yet.

“What about me?” Megumi asked, his usual ire morphing into an adorably worried face at the thought of being left behind.

“Yes, yes,” Gojo said, waving his hand at Megumi before he stroked his chin in solemn contemplation. “…do you think they’ll add bacon to the strawberry crepe if I ask them to?”

“Yuck,” Megumi muttered, and even Tsumiki looked a little unnerved, but she gamely forced a smile for Gojo. The attempt resulted in a grimace instead, and Gojo burst out laughing. Who knew that babysitting could actually be fun?

“Don’t worry, Tsumiki-chan, I won’t make you eat it,” Gojo reassured her. “Anyway, it’s only if they agree to do it…”

“It’ll be embarrassing if you ask in front of us,” Megumi protested. “Wait until after we leave with our crepes.”

“Oh, what's that? You're paying for your own crepes, Megumi?” Gojo asked, a sly grin on his face as he watched the boy start to sweat nervously. “That’s what I thought. Don’t worry, I’ll just get a savory crepe too. A crepe in each hand sounds pretty nice, doesn’t it?”

Megumi rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything in response, only closing his notebook and hurrying to put his shoes on. Gojo sighed, rubbing the back of his head, before telling Tsumiki to follow after her brother.

“Oi, Toji, we’re going out for crepes,” Gojo hollered toward the living room. “And you’re not getting any.”

Toji grunted in response, and Gojo held back the urge to pout when the older man didn’t complain about the blatant exclusion. He shook his head and followed after the kids, waiting for them to finish pulling on their little shoes before grabbing his.

A large hand on his hip startled him from his thoughts, and he turned his head to see Toji’s scruffy chin.

“Hey kids, go wait for Gojo downstairs, he’ll be right behind you,” Toji said, a sly grin on his face.

Megumi scrunched his nose at his father in disgust before grabbing Tsumiki’s sleeve and tugging her to the door.

“Ah, bye Mr. Toji!” Tsumiki said, quickly straightening her little blue dress and checking her hair in the hall mirror before letting Megumi tug her away.

“Bye, Tsumiki. Bye, brat,” Toji said back, and Gojo bit back a chuckle. The alpha had been very indulgent with Tsumiki since they took her in, and it honestly seemed to be good for the both of them. Megumi, on the other hand, still had plenty of attitude to go around, especially for his father, but it seemed Toji accepted that he deserved at least a little difficulty after being away for so long. The resulting spats were hilarious to watch as a result, and Gojo was beginning to grow fond of Megumi’s persistently moody behavior.

“What’s up?” Gojo asked, turning in Toji’s grasp, doing his best to hide the full-body shiver threatening to roll through him as the alpha leaned in close.

“Just wanted to say goodbye properly,” Toji teased before rubbing his cheek against the side of Gojo’s head and then down to his neck. Gojo went bright red at the blatant scenting, something he wasn’t used to Toji doing outside of the bedroom, but it was strangely soothing. It was the affectionate kind of scenting he hadn’t experienced since he was deemed 'too old' for it at the advanced age of five.

Well, maybe not entirely like that kind of scenting. Gojo bit back a moan as Toji’s hand slipped under his shirt and rubbed his swelling belly. The alpha stopped scenting and started pressing wet kisses to Gojo’s neck instead, a hint of teeth teasing him into mild arousal.

“A-ah, stop,” Gojo said breathlessly, fingers digging into the meat of Toji’s thick forearm, though he did little else to discourage him. “I’m still, ah- still not getting you anything from the crepe place.”

Toji snorted in amusement, placing one last kiss on Gojo’s neck, and finally let him go. Gojo stumbled to the side, but quickly righted himself, slapping away Toji’s hands as they reached out to help him.

“I’m horny now,” Gojo complained as he grabbed his shoes and shoved them on his feet. “You’re going to make me look like a pervert.”

“Nah, you mostly just smell pregnant,” Toji said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall as he leered at Gojo. “Don’t let anyone cause you trouble. A pregnant omega without any alpha scent on them? You might get some weirdos.”

“Got you, didn’t I?” Gojo scoffed, tilting his head back to glare at Toji over his shoulder. “Don’t worry about your fucked up scent glands, I don’t need to have your stink on me to warn off the perverts. You remember I’m the strongest sorcerer, right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Toji said, rolling his eyes and waving him off. “Sorry for caring.”

Gojo just rolled his eyes in return and shuffled out the door, anxious to grab the kids and then dessert. He’d already waited longer than anticipated for his treat, and he didn’t want to delay it any longer, no matter how calm he felt after receiving some affection from his partner.

…Partner? Gojo frowned to himself as he hopped down the stairs two at a time. Well, I guess that’s an accurate term. He’s not just a boytoy or whatever.

Gojo set aside the troubling thought of labels and commitment when he caught sight of the kids. He quickly pasted on a big grin, spread his arms wide, and hoped desperately that his face still wasn’t flushed from Toji’s attentions.

“What took you so long?” Megumi demanded as soon as he saw Gojo walking toward them. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his cargo shorts, a gloomy pout on his face that clashed with his bright green Bulbasaur t-shirt. Gojo had tried valiantly to get rid of the thing the one time he was allowed to do the wash, but the disappointed face Tsumiki had leveled at him had thwarted him and stopped any future efforts. “You weren’t doing anything gross with Dad, were you?”

Gojo startled at the accusation before he busted up laughing, not expecting such an accurate callout from a kid who had just started grade school.  

“Megumi,” Tsumiki sighed, the long-suffering sweetheart that she was. “Kissing isn’t gross.”

Megumi made a face like he disagreed, and Gojo finally regained his composure, though a few more chuckles still escaped despite his best efforts.

“Hey, come here,” Gojo said, waving at them to come closer. They both looked at him curiously, but obeyed, closing the short distance between them until they were both directly in front of him.

Gojo leaned down, quickly rubbing his cheek against Megumi’s soft mop of hair, and then he did the same to Tsumiki, the soft silky strands of hair tickling his neck. He stood up when he was satisfied with the scenting and grinned when he saw their wide-eyed looks of wonder.

“Nothing gross,” Gojo said as he reached out and tousled their hair with his hands and pulled them both up against his body for a small hug. “Your dad is just a little shy when showing affection, that’s all.”

“But… um, Mr. Gojo?” Tsumiki mumbled against his stomach, the fabric of his shirt clutched in her hand. “I thought only family scented each other…? Not that I didn’t like it! But um… yeah.”

Megumi said nothing, but Gojo felt his little hand clutching the back of his shirt as he pretended not to lean against him. Internally, Gojo sighed and realized that he couldn’t half-ass this. Tsumiki and Megumi were good kids, and they deserved a real family, something better than what Toji or Gojo had received, and something better than they’d had before.

“Well, we’re a family now, aren’t we?” Gojo patiently explained, deciding to have his existential crisis later. Tsumiki, at least, needed affirmation from him, and probably Megumi too, even if the little terror would never admit it. “You’re going to have a new baby sister soon, the both of you, and it’s important to show affection. Scenting is a good way to do that, and you can always tell me to stop if you don’t like it.”

Megumi didn’t answer, but he buried his face in Gojo’s side, and Gojo wondered when the last time someone had scented him. He still rejected most physical affection from his father, unlike Tsumiki who soaked up any kindness like a sponge, and Gojo didn’t think Tsumiki’s mother had been the affectionate sort.

“I’ll be the best older sister,” Tsumiki promised, her chin digging into Gojo’s side as she stared up at him. Her soft brown eyes were bright with excitement. Megumi tugged on his shirt and made a promise to be a good older brother, his voice muffled since he still refused to lift his head. Gojo felt something warm spread through his chest, distinctly different from the on-and-off heartburn he’d been experiencing the last few weeks. Another pregnancy symptom to discuss with Shoko… probably.

He grinned and messed up the kid’s hair a little more, waiting until they squawked with displeasure and pushed his hands away.

“Well, that’s enough of that,” Gojo said cheerfully, taking a little hand in each of his own and tugging them toward the shops. “Now, it’s time for crepes!”

Gojo groaned, slumping against the door as he kicked off his shoes and rubbed his neck. The kids had been full of energy after eating, and so Gojo—fool that he was—had taken them to a nearby park to hopefully tire them out. He’d underestimated the appetite two small children had for playtime, however, and Gojo had to practically drag them away two hours later.

Even Megumi, who usually preferred less exciting activities unlike his sociable and energetic sister, had miraculously found a group of children to play tag with. He’d pouted and stomped his foot when Gojo grew tired of scrolling on his phone and had tried to hunt both kids down. He’d relented the first time, which had been mistake number two, and another hour later had Gojo nearly begging them to come home with him.

One of the parents sitting by the playground had taken pity after Tsumiki giggled and ran away after tagging him as ‘it’ (whatever that meant), and told him he needed to be firm if the kids were ever going to listen to him. Gojo had thanked her, but unfortunately for him, the woman took this as a sign that he wanted all her advice and prying questions.

He’d barely made it out of the conversation alive, the invasive questions only growing in number when a nearby group of parents overheard their one-sided conversation and decided to ‘greet’ Gojo as a new parent to the neighborhood.

“My, you look so young to have children that old,” one of the older omega parents said as he stared between Gojo’s youthful features and the Fushiguros running around with their new friends. “What’s your age again?”

“Thirty,” Gojo shot back with a grin, enjoying the omega’s dismay as a hand quickly shot up to touch the crow’s feet surrounding their eyes. 

“Oh, your skincare is amazing!” said a different parent, a kind look on their face as they leaned in close to examine Gojo’s flawless skin. Gojo almost burst out laughing at that point, but only just managed to keep it in.

“Good genes, that’s all,” Gojo said airily, waving the compliment away. “Anyway, thanks for the, uh, welcome. But I really have to get the kids home. You know how it is.”

Sympathetic murmuring rippled throughout the small crowd that had formed around him, and that was all Gojo needed to escape with a brief wave and a smile. He powerwalked over to Tsumiki first, put on the puppy eyes, and said his back was hurting terribly, what with being pregnant and all, could she help him get Megumi? Which worked like a charm, much to Gojo’s relief, though he was mad he hadn’t thought of it before. Tsumiki had snatched Megumi up quickly and Gojo was marching them back home in less than five minutes.

Now, the patter of feet echoed through the apartment as the kids went back to their room to continue playing, leaving Gojo an exhausted mess. He wondered if he was experiencing karma for lying to the parents at the park since now it felt like he really did have the body of a thirty-year-old.

“Toji?” Gojo called, poking his head into the living room, wondering if he could get the man to rub his shoulders for him. Unfortunately, the couch they’d been nesting in earlier was empty, a conspicuous alpha-shaped space where Toji usually was in the afternoon.

“Ugh,” Gojo said, turning his head side to side and grimacing as the bones popped. “Dumb alpha, he’s never where I need him…”

Toji's absence continued well into the evening, and Gojo was forced to fend for himself with the kids for dinner and bedtime. Luckily for Gojo, the kids were fairly easy to please when it came to food, and Tsumiki was always more than happy to help, so three omurice and two bedtime stories later, Gojo was finally lying down in the large king-sized bed they’d bought after moving in.

“I’m gonna…” Gojo’s sleepy grumbling was cut off by a wide yawn as he stretched out on the comfortable bed. “Gonna kill him…”

With thoughts of murder comforting him, he drifted into an uneasy sleep. Well, until a familiar arm curled around his waist, hot breath fanning across the back of his neck as Gojo was startled from his slumber.

“Wha…?” Gojo grumbled, eyes squeezed shut as he grabbed the thick forearm trapping him up against a wide, muscular chest. “Toji?”

“Miss me?” Toji’s voice purred into his ear, one leg slipping between Gojo’s.

“Not at all,” Gojo grumbled, but he couldn’t help leaning back into Toji’s warm embrace. “Where were you anyway?”

“Meeting up with an old… well, not really a friend,” Toji said thoughtfully as his hand slid down Gojo’s front and played with the hem of his briefs. “Agent, I guess? A guy who gets me jobs sometimes.”

“Ah, playing hitman again?” Gojo snorted, his thighs twitching around Toji’s knee as the alpha’s hand finally slid into his underwear. “You don’t have to work, you know.”

“I know,” Toji said, nibbling gently on Gojo’s neck. His teeth were nowhere close to Gojo’s abused scent gland, but it tingled all the same, remembering the times Toji had claimed him. “But I like to keep my eye out for anything interesting, you never know.”

“Hmph,” was all Gojo said in return, but he gasped when his alpha’s hands stroked his half-hard cock before dipping down a little lower.

“And I got you some more strawberry ice cream…” Toji said teasingly, fingers now playing with slick folds, but they didn’t go anywhere Gojo really wanted them, much to his increasing frustration.

“Ah, that’s… um, good,” Gojo gasped, pressing against Toji’s hand as hard as he could. The dumb alpha kept his distance, however, not allowing Gojo to grind against him or receive any satisfaction. Instead, the gentle teasing continued, slick practically gushing from his cunt as he waited for Toji to finally satisfy him. “Toji, please.”

“Aw,” Toji sighed with disappointment. “I wanted to take my time, we haven’t done anything in a while.”

“We fucked three days ago,” Gojo said, turning his head to stare at Toji in disbelief.

“Too long,” Toji said with a smug grin, but he leaned in close and brushed his lips against Gojo’s, a kiss that was barely a kiss. It shouldn’t have forced a shiver down Gojo’s spine or made him wetter, or his body hotter, but it did.

“Please,” Gojo gasped, thighs clamping down on Toji’s knee where it kept him spread open.

“How can I say no to that?” Toji asked, voice strained and face flushed, finally starting to look affected. Gojo groaned when Toji kissed him again, deeper this time, his tongue sliding against the crease of Gojo's lips and begging for entrance. Gojo eagerly gave it to him, desperate for more contact. He moaned against Toji’s mouth when his fingers finally slipped into his wet cunt, Toji’s thumb gently stroking his swollen clit.

“You’re so wet,” Toji gasped when he broke their kiss, two fingers now plunging deep into Gojo, stretching him open for more. “I want to fuck you just like this.”

“Okay,” Gojo said, his voice weak, but he shoved his underwear down just far enough for Toji to have access. The hand in his cunt pulled away, punching a disappointed groan from Gojo, but the quick kiss on the side of his head and the awkward shuffling behind him as Toji shoved his sweats down was enough to reassure him.

Gojo shivered when he felt Toji’s hot cock slip between his legs, an embarrassing amount of slick leaking from his cunt as Gojo spread himself open as wide as his underwear would let him.

“Good boy,” Toji whispered, his knee helping to prop up Gojo’s leg while his cock slid against the wet pussy impatiently waiting for his attention. “You’re so good to me, you know that?”

“Ahn,” Gojo moaned as he pressed back against his lover, his hands clenching hard around his pillow as he waited for Toji to put him out of his misery.

Thankfully Toji seemed just as impatient as Gojo now. The thick cockhead split him open wonderfully, the hot length slowly plunging inside and stretching him to his limits.

“A-Ahh-!” Gojo started to shout before Toji’s other hand slipped under his head and wrapped around his mouth. He panted, moaned, thrashed in Toji’s hold as the thick cock sunk deep into his cunt, throbbing and pulsing and driving him absolutely insane. He could only hold still as Toji controlled the pace, but his quiet moan was matched by the deep groan that Toji muffled against his neck, cock finally filling him almost to the hilt.

They lay there for a short while, and Gojo enjoyed the warm stretch of Toji’s cock sitting inside him. It felt so good, it felt right, and he wondered how much of that he could blame on hormones and how much was just him. Truly, he had never known pleasure like this before Toji, not as an alpha who chased after pretty betas and omegas, eager to get his knot wet. He hated being wrong, but at that moment, if anyone had been bold enough to ask, he might have admitted that he made a better omega than he did an alpha. Maybe.

“You like cockwarming for me?” Toji whispered against Gojo’s neck, sending a jolt of electric pleasure through him and making him clench down onto Toji’s cock. The alpha laughed at his reaction, the hand around his mouth sliding down to wrap around his chest, his large palm rubbing against a very sensitive nipple, while the other kept a tight grip on his hip. “Maybe one day I’ll have you on your knees, cock sitting in your pretty throat for the whole day while I’m watching TV. You like the sound of that?”

Gojo didn’t want to admit it, but he really, really did. He panted against his pillow, trying desperately not to moan too loud.

“Hm, we’ll explore that idea some more when the kids are at school,” Toji promised him.

“Hnnng,” Gojo groaned, body trembling as Toji began to withdraw, the slow slide of his cock setting his nerves on fire. And just when Gojo thought Toji might slip out of him completely, the hard cock filled him to the brim once again, punching the air out of his lungs, and almost jolting him off the bed. At least, he would have if not for Toji’s firm grip.

Toji picked up the pace after that, much to his relief. The strokes were still maddeningly slow, but they went deep, satisfying an itch Gojo hadn’t realized he was feeling.

“F-fuck…”

Gojo hooked his foot around Toji’s shin, trying desperately to keep his legs open wide enough for Toji to fuck him deeper. He whined in frustration when his underwear got in the way, his hand releasing its tight grip on the pillow in order to paw uselessly at the restricting cloth.

“Need help, babe?” Toji panted in his ear, the hand on Gojo’s hip already tearing the thin fabric from Gojo’s legs.

“Ah, hey-“ Gojo’s protests were cut off when Toji hiked his leg up into the air, allowing him to finally fill Gojo completely, the last inch of cock stretching him completely open and the fat cockhead kissing his cervix. Gojo bit the pillow, trying desperately not to wake the kids while Toji tried his best to fuck his brains out.

Gojo shuddered in Toji’s embrace, soaking in the comforting warmth of the alpha at his back, his hands holding him securely. Gojo was just so overwhelmed—the sound of their skin slapping together, the hot puffs of air against his neck, the sweat dripping down his forehead—all of it added to the swelling wave of pleasure that threatened to crash over him. And all without a touch to his clit or his cock.

“Cum for me, baby?” Toji panted. “Want to knot you so bad, but I want you to cum on my cock first.”

Gojo only moaned in response, his lips unable to form a snarky comeback or even a breathless agreement. But he wanted it, wanted to cum so badly. He’d been so uncomfortable today, in both body and mind. His stupid pregnancy hormones wreaked havoc on anything they could latch onto. But this would make up for all of it. He just-

“Ahn!” Gojo moaned loudly before Toji could wrap a hand around his mouth again.

Toji maintained a nice even pace, fucking the orgasm out of Gojo so thoroughly that the omega convulsed on his cock once, then twice, and then he was fucked straight into his next orgasm. He whined against Toji’s palm, leg thrashing in the alpha’s grasp as he mercilessly continued thrusting.

Gojo felt tears roll down his cheeks, his eyes rolling back in his head as slick gushed from his cunt and slid down his thigh. The wet squelch filled the air along with the dull slaps of skin-against-skin, and Gojo trembled in Toji’s embrace, completely at his mercy.

“Gonna… gonna knot you,” Toji panted, forehead pressed into the crook of Gojo’s neck as his thrusts finally started to falter. The thick knot teased Gojo’s entrance, and he clenched in anticipation, eager to feel that familiar, comforting weight plugging him up with his alpha’s cum.

They both groaned when Toji’s knot slipped inside, cock twitching as he pumped his cunt full of cum, hips pressed tight to the omega’s ass. Toji bit down on his scent gland, his hand lowering Gojo’s leg back down before sliding over to cup the gentle swell of his belly.

More tears were falling from the corner of Gojo’s eyes and onto the pillow below. He felt so overwhelmed by his alpha’s tender affections, the pleasure from both the knot and bite frying his brain as it usually did, but the utter security he felt in Toji’s arms was undeniable.

Gojo wanted this moment to never end, wanted to always feel this wonderful mix of emotions, even though he knew that Toji’s knot would eventually shrink, knew that they would part ways in the morning to start their days, knew that forever was a dream, an impossibility.

But as exhaustion tugged at his mind, lulling him to sleep, he hoped the dream would continue, and Toji would never leave his side.  

Chapter Text

Gojo didn’t think it was possible to be this bored, but the Gojo elders had always surpassed his expectations when it came to unnecessary blustering. He stared blankly at the entire row of geezers sitting above him, watching as their lips moved and their jowls quivered, but unfortunately for them, his mind was elsewhere, stuck on the events of a few hours earlier.

Toji had made good on his cockwarming promise, and Gojo had grown to love the ache in his knees and jaw as he kept Toji’s fat cock warm on his tongue. He’d only been able to sit comfortably for a few minutes at first, but he had already made it to an hour, and Gojo was strangely proud of the achievement. Of course, it was always easier to warm Toji with his cunt, sitting on the couch together for hours until it was time to pick up the kids from school, but there was something indescribable about being on his knees, overwhelmed by Toji's scent and the large hands gripping his hair.

And when everything came to a crescendo, when his mind was finally blank, Gojo was at peace. Maybe even for the first time in his life. He was able to think of nothing and no one, his eyes seeing but with no true comprehension. It was something Gojo didn’t know was possible, and he quickly became utterly addicted to the feeling.

Toji, of course, was happy to indulge his new fixation. They ended each session with Gojo's mouth or cunt filled with plenty of cum, and Toji was fond of playing with it. He especially loved catching the seed on his finger as it dripped down his cheek or his thigh and putting it back where it belonged. An act that Gojo secretly enjoyed as well.

And overall, Gojo was happy to use it as a new distraction; the last month of pregnancy had hit him hard. The little baby bump was steadily growing larger, and his back pain was growing with it. And of course, all the dizziness and heartburn of the first few months followed merrily along. It wasn’t all terrible, of course. And some of the symptoms Gojo had read about online sounded ghastly, but he also knew that the next three months would only get rougher. Gojo was just happy to have the support of both his baby daddy, his new stepkids, and Shoko-- he could readily admit that he'd probably be a mess without them.

But now he had to deal with a summoning from his clan on top of everything else. Gojo had rolled his eyes when he'd received the pompous summoning, but he figured it would be less of a headache to indulge them now instead of riling them up by ignoring their request. Gojo's newfound maturity truly was a wonder, and Yaga should reward him by putting him on maternity leave a few weeks early. 

He focused briefly on the senior citizen actively lecturing him. Gojo didn’t remember their name, but he thought they might be the oldest person he had ever seen. Their wrinkles had wrinkles and he couldn’t tell what their gender was from their strained, reedy voice. A voice that was currently reminding him of his responsibilities concerning the family’s reputation and values. Snore.

Gojo tuned them out again, focusing instead on his bruised knees. The dull ache radiated through him as he shifted on the overly embroidered cushion separating him from the cold hardwood floor. Thankfully he could use all the fun bodily aches and sensations to distract himself. The ache in his legs, the sting of Toji’s bite marks, the taste of cum still coating his tongue. Infinitely more pleasant than the itchy fabric of his kimono, or the endless droning of the elders, or the growing baby currently nudging his left kidney.

“Gojo Satoru, are you listening to us?” one of the Elders called out to him from their raised dais. Gojo recognized this one as his mother’s great-uncle (or was it great-great?), a geezer of untold self-importance whose name he could never remember, but one that he’d unfortunately been acquainted with the longest and therefore couldn’t drown out quite as easily.

“Not really,” Gojo answered honestly, his tone cheerful and flippant. His grin grew wider at the wave of indignant muttering this triggered and wondered if he should pick up something for the kids on the way home. He was close enough to Kyoto proper that he could swing by one of the fun shops and still be home in time for dinner. Tsumiki would probably enjoy some konpeito….

“You are this clan’s greatest achievement, Satoru,” his great-whatever-uncle said sternly, his milky blue eyes glaring at him from underneath wispy eyebrows that probably hadn’t been trimmed in the last half-century. “A treasure that we have fought desperately to keep safe, a sorcerer that we have pinned all of our hopes and dreams on.”

“… uh-huh,” Gojo said, barely holding back a sigh as he stared blankly up at the old man. “And?”

“And,” the man spat out, clearly enraged by the obvious lack of respect, but Gojo wondered if they were finally going to get to the point. “You’ve hardly been living up to these expectations.”

“Uh-huh,” Gojo said, blinking a few times and wishing they’d let him wear his glasses when he visited the compound. He was probably going to have a killer migraine later on.

“Satoru,” the man tried again, his frown growing harder by the second. “We did not want it to come to this, but you leave us with no choice. We’ve allowed you the freedom to do as you wish since leaving for Tokyo, but with your recent… changes-”

He paused, the group now leering at Gojo and his ‘changes,’ which Gojo assumed was just his pregnant belly. It wasn’t a small bump anymore but it was still easy enough to hide under an oversized sweater, so he doubted many people had even noticed. Plus Gojo had always used scent blockers if he wasn’t at home or enjoying a day off, so his new dynamic wasn’t easy to pick up by scent. And he wasn't slacking on his missions. He was ‘representing the clan’ just fine in his opinion, not that anyone asked him for that very often.

Mostly he was impressed that they had the balls to bring the topic up. The few sorcerers he’d bumped into since returning to the Gojo compound had quickly learned not to comment on his body, and now it seemed that he’d have to teach these old bats the same lesson.

“What of it?” Gojo interrupted rudely, arms crossed over his baby bump and eyes flashing as he stared his great-uncle down. A few of the elders shifted nervously in their seats, and Gojo repressed the urge to smile.

“And,” the man continued, his face starting to purple slightly as he narrowed his bulging eyes at Gojo. “It casts a poor reflection on the reputation of this clan. The change in your… biology is reprehensible enough, but your living situation with the Zen’in reject is-“

“Listen,” Gojo interrupted again, true anger starting to burn through his veins. His cursed energy simmered, his fingers aching to form the hand signs for Hollow Purple, but he managed to leash his emotions long enough to continue. “Despite what you might think, my personal life isn’t any of your business. I get my job done, and then I clock out. But I’m ready if you want to challenge me on that.”

Gojo leaned forward, channeling more cursed energy into his Six Eyes despite stabbing pain in the back of his head. He needed to make a statement that even the most stubborn senior citizen would obey. Gojo wasn’t just a scion of the Gojo Clan, he was the Gojo Clan. He was the pinnacle of Jujutsu society and the very reason they could all condescend to the Zen’in and Kamo clans at political get-togethers, especially now that he’d come into his full power. They owed everything they’d gained in the last two decades to him, and that gave Gojo more political and personal leeway than most sorcerers ever could dream of, even within his own stuffy family.

“It’s not just your business,” his great-uncle continued, though his flush of anger had disappeared, and sweat dotted his temples now instead. Good. “T-the man is a hired contract killer, a sorcerer killer. You have no idea what he-“

“He’s told me about his work,” Gojo said, rolling his eyes. “I don’t really care about that. Anything else?”

The elders shifted nervously, eyes glancing and papers rustling as one of the servants kneeling by the door came forward, a manila envelope clutched in their hands.

“There is,” he said gravely, reaching for the envelope, which the servant dutifully placed in his withered hands before shuffling away. “You give us no choice. We tried to reason with you, but your willfulness-“

“Oh my god,” Gojo groaned, setting a hand on his stomach as he clambered to his feet. He ignored the nervous rustling of kimono-clad fools as they shuffled backward on their dais. “Just give it to me.”

Gojo walked up to the edge of the platform, enjoying the sight of so many pompous assholes cowering in fear. He knew that was probably a bad thing, but after enduring so much discomfort both physically and mentally, he thought he deserved a nice treat.

His great-uncle was sweating more than ever, the collar of his robes was soaked and Gojo could practically smell the fear wafting off him. He wasn’t cowering though, something Gojo found slightly impressive, so he decided to grab the envelope without comment.

He turned around, not willing to look at the fools if he didn’t have to, and shook out the contents of the envelope into his hand, wondering what was so important that they decided to summon him here for the world’s most boring lecture.

“Hah?” Gojo blurted out, staring down at a picture of himself. Well, it was a little blurry, like the picture had originally been taken with a shitty cellphone camera, but he recognized his side profile and the bright white hair with relative ease, even if he wasn’t very familiar with the point of view. The positioning… the knot clearly plugging up his puffy red pussy… it wasn’t hard to tell who took the picture or when. He crumpled the picture in his hand before stuffing it in his robe and flipped through the papers next.

It was a fairly standard contract, one between the weird cult of non-sorcerers that worshipped Master Tengen and the Sorcerer Killer, Toji Fushiguro. However, instead of an assassination, the objective was bitching. Gojo felt ice pumping through his veins as his eyes scanned the page. The date, the price, and even the tools that were provided... everything was slotting into place, and his perfect recall filled in all the gaps.

Toji must have had an easy time of it, Gojo thought morosely. He remembered being the one to pursue the supposed beta and had been the one to corner Toji in a cramped alleyway outside of the club. Gojo had been panting for it from the very beginning, and apparently, he had fallen straight into a planned bitching.

Gojo closed his eyes, waves of shame now washing over him. And then he’d pursued Toji further, had hunted the man down afterward, had let the alpha use him like a wallet and a babysitter. Even when he knew, he knew that-

“Are you ready to see reason now?”

Gojo twitched at the sound of that hateful voice. The obvious glee and satisfaction in Gojo’s own foolishness were nigh unbearable, and Gojo grasped onto the surge of anger, desperate to push away all the awful realizations that were making his stomach turn. He ignored the kick against his stomach, the baby clearly picking up on its mother’s agitated state. He didn’t know what to think about anything right now, didn’t know what he should do, but there were a few convenient targets sitting smugly behind him...

“You will listen to us, Satoru,” the geezer continued, confidence slowly returning to him the longer Gojo remained silent. “You might be the strongest sorcerer alive, but this incident has proved that your-“

“Proved what?” Gojo asked, voice low and quiet. He turned his head just enough to stare at the clan elders, all of them staring back at him with varying degrees of triumph. But unfortunately for them, Gojo’s superior eyesight could still see traces of fear. “All that you’ve proved is that someone other than you needs to be put in their place.”

Silence was all Gojo received in response to that statement.

“You-“

“Shut up,” Gojo says, stuffing the papers back into their envelope before firing up a sizeable Blue with the tip of his finger. He gave them five seconds to move out of the way before destroying the entire room.  

Fragments of dark wood and embroidered cloth fluttered around him, and Gojo sighed as the late afternoon sunlight poured onto his face through the hole in the wall. The elders had evacuated faster than he thought them capable, which was probably a good thing. Funerals were a bore.

The rage inside him still burned hot but venting some of that frustration on the Gojo compound had taken the edge off. Gojo sighed and absently patted his tummy, silently urging the brat to calm down before gently maneuvering toward the exit. He had to change out of his horrible formalwear before deciding what to do about his baby daddy.

Toji had a bad feeling.

The day had been like any other, the only difference was Gojo’s absence while he visited his clan back in Kyoto. Maybe that was it? The old clans always brought up bad memories for him, and Gojo’s pregnancy was finally starting to show. Toji was probably just feeling territorial.

But no… that wasn’t quite right. He sipped his coffee and watched the kids play a nonsensical card game, one of the newest cash grabs aimed at grade school children. It wasn’t something Toji would have picked out for them, but Gojo had been happy enough to buy the kids whatever toys they wanted, and Toji was willing to nod along as Tsumiki explained to him what a ‘trap’ card was in great detail.

Maybe it was his last meeting with Siwoo that had him on edge. He’d never denied his oldest acquaintance for this long before, but every time a new assassination request came in, Toji just thought… why bother? He didn’t need the money anymore, didn’t need the thrill when his days were now filled with laughter and affection. Siwoo hadn’t exactly been thrilled when he realized Toji wasn’t just playing coy with his refusals, but the look on his face hadn’t been disappointment either.

“You’ve changed,” Siwoo said as he flicked the ashes from his cigarette onto the sidewalk. His dark eyes watched Toji carefully as he shrugged and leaned against the concrete wall behind him. “And I never thought you’d actually pay for our meals… are you dying?”

“Nah,” Toji said, a smile tugging at his lips as Siwoo squinted at him with suspicion. “Just have a little extra, figured I’d try to even the score a little bit.”

“You’ll be paying for the next ten years if you’re really trying to balance the ledger,” Siwoo chuckled, taking another drag from his cigarette. “I guess the honeymoon period suits you, but aren’t you worried the Gojo brat is going to get wise to your shit and turn you into blood splatter?”

Toji thought about that for a second before shaking his head. “Nah. He likes my dick too much.”

“Well, I hope it doesn’t all blow up in your face. For Megumi’s sake, at least,” Siwoo sighed, exhaling plenty of smoke in Toji’s face. “You really are the worst.”

“Speak for yourself,” Toji shot back, waving the cloud away from his face.

Toji didn’t know why that conversation came to mind now, nearly a month later, but perhaps his conscience wasn’t quite as corrupt as Toji thought. He should tell Gojo everything, especially now that they were building a life together. There probably wasn’t a good way to explain his past as a professional alpha bitcher, but knowing Toji’s rotten luck, it would come up eventually.

Later, Toji thought to himself. He’d find some time to address the issue after the kids were put to bed.

But the hours continued to pass by, and there was still no sign of Gojo. Toji made dinner, supervised bath time, sent the kids off to bed, and then begrudgingly agreed to let them stay up late to watch their favorite movie, and Gojo still hadn’t returned.

“Shit,” Toji muttered, glancing around the empty kitchen and wondering what to do now. He took out his phone, flipped it open and stared at his contacts. He’d never had to call Gojo before. They’d texted a few times, mostly about picking something up for one another or the kids, but Toji had never… well, checked after someone’s well-being. He wasn’t really the worrying type, and Gojo was more capable than he was in many ways.

“Just a few more minutes,” Toji said, glancing at the clock on the microwave before turning toward the living room. He’d watch whatever cartoon the kids were obsessed with for a little bit before succumbing to his urge to be an overbearing alpha spouse.

The sound of the door finally opening nipped that plan in the bud quickly, and Toji perked up when he heard Gojo sigh and kick off his shoes. He resisted the urge to go straight to him, feeling slightly embarrassed by his thoughts today.

He decided to lean as casually as he could against the kitchen counter, his fingers fiddling with the buttons on his flip phone. He glanced up when Gojo walked into the kitchen and frowned when he saw the omega’s blank expression.

Gojo was pale and his scent was slightly sour with stress, and Toji wondered if he needed to pay a visit to the Gojo compound, potentially risking restarting a proper feud between the Gojo and the Zen’in.  

“Hey,” Toji greeted, quickly flipping his phone shut and shoving it into his pocket. “How was-“

Gojo turned around without saying a word and walked into the living room, stunning Toji into silence as he slowly followed behind. He peeked around the corner and watched as Gojo smiled at the kids, ruffling their hair and scenting them. The oddness of his behavior was still blatantly obvious to Toji, and it seemed the kids had picked up on something too. They accepted his affections easily, though Megumi always with a tinge of exasperation, but when Gojo asked them what they were watching, smile a little more pinched than usual, both Tsumiki and Megumi visibly wilted.

Gojo waved away their concerns before ruffling their hair, claiming his business in Kyoto ran a little longer than expected, and that fatigue had caught up to him. Toji felt his hackles rise when Gojo’s eyes flickered toward him, face strangely devoid of expression again for that brief moment before the omega chuckled and reminded the kids not to stay up too late.

Toji wandered back into the kitchen, questions piling up quickly in his mind. He wondered if Gojo planned to tell him what happened, wondered what his clan had said, wondered if he should listen to what his instincts were telling him, what they were probably telling him to begin with.

Run.

“Hey,” Gojo said, his voice purposefully lacking inflection, but he pinned Toji down with his eyes, the otherworldly blue shining bright in the dim light of the kitchen.

“…hey,” Toji said back, fingers scratching at his neck.

“So, you want to know what the old geezers back home had to say?”

Gojo said this, not like a question, but more like an opening statement, one that he didn’t expect a response to. Toji didn’t answer, and Gojo didn’t make him, he simply pulled something out of his jacket and smacked it down onto the kitchen table separating them. Toji leaned forward, frowning when he saw a crumpled envelope, the type used for large documents.

“Want to guess what’s inside it?” Gojo said in the same tone. He smiled this time, an unpleasant expression that cut his face in two and made his normally pretty eyes look psychotic.

“Something bad?” Toji sighed, not keen on playing guessing games with an upset Six Eyes Sorcerer.

“Something bad,” Gojo said, nodding his head in agreement. He picked up the envelope and spilled its contents onto the table separating them. Toji winced when he saw a familiar contract and a very familiar picture staring back up at him. “Imagine my surprise when the old bastards try to use this as a bargaining chip with me.”

“Mm,” Toji hummed. There wasn’t really anything he could say to that, was there?

“Mmm, yes,” Gojo said, mocking Toji’s response. “Very surprised. Super surprised even. Especially when I realized that the piece of shit I’ve been shacking up with has just been using me as a cash cow from the first moment I met him. Then he got me knocked up and decided to use me as a wallet, and for free babysitting, and for free sex. What a bargain.”

Gojo bit his lips and looked away, visibly crumpling up. Toji was frozen, wondering frantically what he should do.   

“And...and I’m the idiot who went along with it… just spread his legs and-“ Gojo continued, his arms starting to curl around his middle.

“Hey,” Toji said, trying to keep his voice low, a soft burst of laughter from the other room reminding him that the kids could walk in at any moment. “No, that’s- ugh, that’s not what it was.”

“Really?” Gojo said, his voice flat again now. He turned his head back to stare at Toji, and the alpha was startled to see tears starting to well up at the corner of his eyes. But the stare pierced through him, more terrifying than the disturbing mask Gojo had been wearing before. “Then what? How did you explain all this.”

He gestured at the picture, and Toji flinched when he realized that every old man in Gojo’s clan had seen the picture he’d carelessly snapped and sent to his mediator.

“I can’t excuse it,” Toji said after a long time. “I… yeah, it was a job. They gave me bitching serum, gave me a list of places you liked to hang out, and dangled an obscene amount of cash in front of me.”

Gojo said nothing, just waited, the awkward silence building up between them as another burst of laughter filtered in from the living room.

“I… I’m not big on morals,” Toji said, his gaze fixed on the contract staring up at him from the table. “Never was. Doesn’t come naturally… not for anyone raised like we were, I think, so I did my job, I had fun when I was with you, and I figured that was it.”

Toji sighed, hand rubbing more violently at the back of his head as he tried to find the right words. What did he want to say? Gojo wasn’t wrong. Toji had been using him from the very beginning. Had built up this mockery of a domestic fantasy, and now reality had come knocking. It was the story of his life, but this time Toji was the architect of his own misfortune. He couldn’t blame things on his shitty family, couldn’t curse fate like he had when Megumi’s mother had died. He couldn’t even say that Gojo had contributed to their mutual misery, like the marriage of convenience that had fallen apart between Toji and his ex-wife. This was all him.

“But then I hunted you down, like an idiot, and believed whatever you told me, like an idiot,” Gojo prompted him to continue.

“You’re not an idiot,” Toji sighed, slumping down into one of the kitchen chairs. “I’m just an asshole.”

“Yes. You are,” Gojo said, his lips pursed and distress still wafting from him in waves. Toji tried not to grind his teeth, tried to ignore the itch in his fingers telling him to reach out and touch. “I should just kill you, shouldn’t I? No one would blame me. You’re the Sorcerer Killer, the black sheep of the Zen’in Clan. No one would say a word.”

Toji just stared, eyes locked onto Gojo’s face as he tried to think of a response. The teen was right, he knew that. His clan had hovered between indifference and attempted homicide whenever they were reminded of his existence, the rest of the Jujutsu society shunned and feared him in equal measure… Tsumiki and Megumi would move on quickly if he died, they were young enough, and Gojo had nothing to gain from being with him.

It had been foolish to think he could be a different person, that he could build a home with someone and belong there. And Toji really had no one to blame but himself for that.   

 “I understand,” Toji said, resting his elbows on the table as he looked back down at the photo and the contract before looking back up. He met Gojo’s glowing blue gaze and decided to give up. “If you need to kill me… I won’t stop you.”

Gojo snorted at that. His eyes were rimmed with red, a frown still on his lips, but the look Gojo was giving him now was considering, a guarded look tinged with curiosity.

“You won’t, huh?” Gojo drawled. “Thanks. That's very generous of you.”

“Or I can leave,” Toji sighed. “I get it, this whole thing was fucked up from the beginning. But these last few months, I think they’re the happiest I’ve been in a long time. Not that it's an excuse. I guess… I don’t know… it wasn’t all bad, was it?”

“…not all bad, no,” Gojo admitted, sighing and looking off to the side.

“Just… don’t let Naobito get his hands on Megumi,” Toji said, leaning back in his chair. “If you’re going to kill me.”

“I’m not going to kill you, I was just… I don’t know, saying stuff,” Gojo said, rolling his eyes. “But I’m upset. Really, really upset. What you did was fucked up, and even if things are… okay now, it’s not-“

Gojo cut himself off with a frustrated growl, running a hand through his hair as he tried to find his words. Toji stayed silent, waiting for Gojo to think everything through. He owed him that much at least.

“You’re a bastard, you know that?” Gojo said. “… but I don’t… completely hate the way things ended up. I… I like your kids, I like this life, but I’m not sure what kind of relationship I want to have with you now.”

“That’s fair,” Toji said, chewing the inside of his lip. “I can move out if you want.”

“No,” Gojo sighed, crossing his arms. “No, let’s just… keep going, I guess. For now. I have to think, but I don’t want to rush and make a decision I’ll regret either.”

Toji shrugged, his hands itching to reach out again, but he didn’t want to make Gojo uncomfortable, not after this. And if there was any chance that Gojo could forgive him… well, Toji wanted to make sure he didn't squander his second chance.

I never thought that during my divorce, Toji thought with amusement.

“I get it,” Toji said. “Whatever you decide.”

Gojo hummed in agreement, the anger receding slowly from his face. It left him looking pale and tired, and Toji felt a stab of guilt when he realized what a long day he must have had. Maybe it would be okay to offer…

“Can I touch you?” Toji finally asked, trying not to sound too eager. Gojo twitched, his lips twisting thoughtfully as he considered Toji’s request.

“…fine,” Gojo said after a long moment of awkward silence. Toji tried not to smile, thinking it might come off the wrong way. He slid out of his seat and walked around the table toward Gojo, the omega’s eyes watching Toji carefully.

He slid his hand over Gojo’s cheek, thumb gently rubbing the silky, smooth skin. Gojo’s eyelashes fluttered briefly before he scowled and stood up, knocking Toji’s hand to the side.

“If that’s all…”

Toji sighed and pulled Gojo into his arms, tugging the omega to his chest and breathing in the sweet scent of his hair. He didn’t get frisky like he usually did when Gojo was pressed up against him. He wasn't in the mood for it, and Gojo might actually kill him if he tried. But Toji knew that Gojo loved to be touched, whether it was sexual or platonic, and they both needed this simple sort of affection right now.   

“You’re such a dick,” Gojo mumbled against his neck, but Toji could feel the faint purr bubbling up in his chest. “You do all this awful shit and then act like this. It’d be easier if you were just a piece of shit all the time, you know.”

“Yeah, I know,” Toji huffed. He rubbed his cheek against the omega’s silky hair, hands slowly rubbing his back as they leaned into each other. He almost pulled back when he heard Gojo sniffle, but the omega gripped the back of his shirt tighter, his face digging into the crook of Toji’s neck as hot tears began to fall.

“It’s not just sex, is it?” Gojo sniffled. “Maybe it was at first but… the last few months, they’ve meant a lot to me too. We’re both fucked up, maybe it’s our dumb clans or maybe it’s just us, but I feel like we understand each other, like we’re both trying to do better. You're just... ugh, you're just such a piece of shit too sometimes.”

“… yeah,” Toji replied, arms gripping Gojo a little tighter. He thought over the other’s words and thought they sounded right. Fucked up but trying, it might as well be his motto. Along with, just a piece of shit too, apparently.

“Fuck you,” Gojo groaned, his purrs growing a little louder. “I want to make it work, want things to be better for the baby, for Megumi and Tsumiki too."

“You sure?” Toji asked, frowning down at Gojo.

"I want to try," Gojo admitted. "… I need a little space for now, but I think I’m willing to let the past go.”

"Okay," Toji said, "...thank you."

“Just don’t fuck it up again,” Gojo warned, sounding tired. “I really will rip you apart if you do.”

He doesn’t say anything in response, not right away. Toji just listened to the soft purrs vibrating against his chest and the gentle laughter coming from the living room, and he realized he would rip himself apart first if he did anything to harm the family they were creating.

“Sounds good,” Toji agreed, and they held each other for a few moments longer.

Chapter Text

“Fuck,” Gojo gasped, stopping halfway up the towering staircase so that he could lean against the railing. Summer had finally given way to Autumn, but Gojo could still feel the heat of the summer sun burning through his windbreaker. Gojo rubbed his lower back, groaning as the tense muscles spasmed a little, and then curled his hand around the sizeable baby bump instead.

If it wasn’t for the fact that Shoko had forbidden him from using teleportation, Gojo would have zipped up to Yaga’s office in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, because he was forced to do things the old-fashioned way, Gojo was now powerwalking up the winding staircase he hadn’t climbed in at least a year.

Shoko had also forbidden any high-ranking missions, so now Yaga was refusing to assign him anything more difficult than a grade-three exorcism. Gojo never thought he would miss the days when first and special-grade curses were assigned to him one right after another, but he was tired of being treated like an invalid just because he’d gotten knocked up.

“This is Toji’s fault,” Gojo grumbled to himself. He wiped the sweat from his brow and continued up the stairs, thankful that his long legs made the journey a little quicker. “Got me pregnant, now I can’t even climb stairs. I should rip his dick off…”

His words trailed off as he thought of his problematic baby daddy. Things had been tense between them the last month or so, ever since the awful truth about Gojo’s bitching had been revealed to him in the worst way… well, it might have been worse if the Zen’in had done it instead, but it was a close call. But luckily, they were managing to work through it.

Despite genuinely needing some space, it had only taken Gojo a week to miss having Toji in his bed, but he’d waited before giving in and inviting the alpha back. Only for sleeping though, despite Gojo’s raging libido, he knew he couldn’t handle anything more strenuous than cuddling. Thankfully, the kids didn’t seem bothered by the tension between their two guardians. Tsumiki carried on as she usually did, doing too many chores and having the most active social life of them all. Megumi seemed a little more sensitive to the change, but one dismissive glare at Toji before settling down to watch morning cartoons told Gojo that Megumi knew who to blame.

But things had slowly mended between them over the last couple of weeks. Toji had given him space, only gravitating closer when Gojo was ready, and it had done wonders for Gojo’s mental and emotional well-being. He’d been in a dark place after leaving the Gojo compound, but the physical affection Toji had offered to him that night, affection free of any expectations, had calmed his anger and frustration.

And now… it wasn’t perfect, but they were getting there. Gojo sighed when he thought of how severely underfucked he was nowadays, but it had felt right to enforce the distance. It had soothed the nagging thought plaguing Gojo’s mind, a thought he hadn’t realized bothered him until his clan elders had forced a confrontation. Was sex the only thing keeping them together? Well, sex and a baby, he supposed, but they’d spent so much time fucking, that part of him had wondered if they would start to get bored of each other without it.

Fortunately, he needn’t have worried too much. These last few weeks spent with Toji made Gojo realize they’d been doing more together than just sex for a while now. His days were filled with naps and cooking and gentle conversation about the latest absurdities of jujutsu society. They shared baffled looks over Megumi and Tsumiki’s latest trading card game obsessions, but they both listened carefully as the two kids tried to explain the appeal.

The change in dynamic was a little strange, he wouldn’t lie, but it felt good. It felt like everything was finally slotting into place, and Gojo felt better than he had in months. Maybe even in years. Now he just had to pop out the kid currently stepping on his bladder, and then he would really be set.

“Made it,” Gojo groaned when he made it to the top. Could he have asked Ichiji to drive him? Technically yes, but he wasn’t a quitter, despite what his back had to say. And if there was less time left for his meeting with Yaga? Well, that wasn’t his fault. He’d been told not to teleport after all.

“Gojo-san!”

Gojo rubbed his sore back one more time before turning his head and frowning at the figure waving in the distance. Gojo squinted and was surprised to see Kusakabe, the new first-year teacher, flicking a cigarette to the ground before he jogged over to Gojo.

“It’s been a while,” the man said with a strangely warm grin on his face. Gojo could only stare. They weren’t all that close, in fact they had barely spoken since Gojo had graduated from the school, so why…?

Kusakabe’s eyes flickered down to Gojo’s stomach, and then back up, the annoying and out-of-character grin still plastered on the man’s face. Kusakabe must have been the family-oriented type since Gojo didn’t get the feeling he was interested or anything gross like that.

But ugh, Gojo had learned over the past month or two that some people got pretty stupid when they thought you were pregnant. Some of it was okay, like when people held open doors or gave him their seat or gave him free snacks, but he could do without the inane small talk and fake concern.

“Uh, yeah,” Gojo said, his voice flat as he stared at Kusakabe over the rim of his dark glasses, trying to look as unfriendly as possible without being blatantly rude. “What’s up? Have you seen Yaga around?”

“Just left his office,” Kusakabe said quickly before changing the topic. “I didn’t know you were expecting though! Congrats, when is the baby due? You know, my sister is-“

“Oh, there’s no baby,” Gojo said while patting his sizeable belly, a terrible grin spreading across his face. “I just had a big lunch, you know how it is. Anyway, bye, gotta go find Yaga.”

“Uh-“ Kusakabe froze, his mouth left hanging and his face turning red before he started coughing violently into his fist. “U-uh, sorry, I just- I um-“

“Bye!” Gojo said cheerfully, waving as he hurried to the closest building. He breathed a sigh of relief when the sun was finally off his back and Gojo wondered if it was worth taking off his windbreaker. He was a little more obviously pregnant without it though, so maybe not. He doubted he’d be able to pull the same trick again if he did.  

Maybe he should swing by Shoko’s office first and waste a little more time. He was due for a checkup, which was half the reason he’d even bothered coming up to the school, and it would be a funny way to miss Yaga’s meeting. Right now, he was only late by-

“You’ve kept me waiting for forty minutes, Satoru!”

Gojo flinched, before turning around and facing his irate former teacher. He tucked his hands politely behind his back, coincidentally emphasizing his large belly, and gave Yaga his best smile, trying very hard to look innocent and heavily pregnant.

“Yaga-sensei!” Gojo called back. “Sorry, it’s just so hard to move around these days. You know how it is.”

Gojo looked pointedly down at his stomach and felt a flicker of triumph when he caught the guilty expression on Yaga’s face. Unfortunately, annoyance overrode guilt quicker than Gojo would have liked.

“Then ask Ichiji to drive you!” Yaga spat back, one hand waving in the air though he stopped before actually hitting Gojo.

Damn, never mind, pregnancy perks are totally worth it, Gojo thought as he smiled wider, body leaning a little closer to Yaga and practically daring him to smack him on the head.

“Anyway,” Yaga said, coughing into his fist before crossing his arms and looking sternly down his nose at Gojo. “As… irritating as your inability to ask for help is, I didn’t call you here for a lecture.”

“Oh?” Gojo said, eyebrow raised as he playfully imitated Yaga and crossed his arms over his belly. He held that pose only for a second before grimacing and dropping his arms. “I was pretty sure you were going to scold me about the mission I did in Akiba.”

“No, that was- wait, why? What happened in Akiba?” Yaga demanded. Gojo only smiled, the expression feeling a little more strained when he realized he’d outed himself. “Ugh, no, never mind. I wanted to talk to you about Zen’in Toji.”

“What about him?” Gojo asked, trying not to sound too defensive. The whole debacle with the Gojo elders flashed before his eyes, and he tried to shove away the awful memory.

“Shoko told me… well, she might have alluded to a… difficult situation between the two of you, and I wanted to know if you…” Yaga trailed off awkwardly, a slight blush on his cheeks as he directed his gaze to a particularly boring spot on the hallway floor. “If you needed any help.”

“Ah…” Gojo said, feeling awkward. So, the Gojo Clan were keeping things quiet—probably because they realized it might nuke the clan’s reputation if they admitted their prized sorcerer had been bitched by the Zen‘in clan’s most infamous non-sorcerer. He’d only told Shoko the whole story, both the situation with Toji and what had happened with his clan, but it made sense that she might have let a few things slip to their old teacher. “Help with Toji? Nah, I can punt him into the sun if he bothers me.”

“Right,” Yaga coughed into his hand. “Well…”

“If you want to help out, I’ll probably need a babysitter in a few months,” Gojo laughed, sliding his glasses down a little so he could wiggle his eyebrows obnoxiously. Yaga sighed and shook his head, but he looked less tense than before. Gojo didn’t know this had been weighing on his teacher so much, it was oddly touching.

“We’ll come back to that later,” Yaga said wryly. “Though we also need to address finding coverage for your maternity leave. We’re already short staffed as it is.”

“What do you want me to do?” Gojo asked, wondering what Yaga was getting at. “Call Nanami?”

“No,” Yaga sighed, the bags under his eyes growing more pronounced as he rubbed the back of his neck. Gojo almost felt bad for reminding him of his wayward junior, Nanami was almost as sore a subject as Suguru for Yaga. “Actually, since everything seems to be… fine between the two of you, I was wondering if Zen’in Toji would be willing to step in.”

“Toji?” Gojo asked in surprise. “Huh… I’m not sure if he’ll agree, but I can ask him. Why though? I’m pretty sure the higher-ups will have a fit.”

“I’d rather they have a fit than send the students on missions they aren’t ready for,” Yaga said darkly, and Gojo grimaced, now thinking of his other unfortunate classmate. “The Sorcerer Killer isn’t exactly my first, or second, or frankly even my tenth choice, but he’s been inactive for over a year now, and if you can vouch for him…?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Gojo said, waving his hand at Yaga dismissively. “He’s been a good househusband. And I think he was only ever in it for the money, not for like… a vendetta or anything. Well, there’s probably some bad blood with the Zen’in but not regular sorcerers.”

“Hm,” Yaga snorted. “And I understand he has quite the arsenal of cursed weapons. We can also provide glasses for him to see curses.”

“Oh, he doesn’t need those,” Gojo said, shrugging when Yaga sent him a questioning look. “Eh, he only explained it to me once, but he’s got zero cursed energy because of his heavenly restriction, not just low cursed energy. Apparently, that means his senses are dialed up to a thousand, so he can’t see curses, but he can still sense them… or something? I’m not really sure how that works. But yeah, he can fight curses just fine without special glasses.”

“Oh,” Yaga said, clearly taken aback, though his expression quickly turned thoughtful. “That’s… hmm, that’s interesting.”

“Makes you wonder how much easier our lives could be if the old clans weren’t full of bastards, right?” Gojo said with a grimace. “What a waste.”

“I wouldn’t put it quite like that, but… you’re right, it does seem a waste,” Yaga admitted. “Well, please ask him. We need someone for a grade one by next week.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Gojo shrugged. “I’ll give him your number. Anything else?”

“No, that’s it,” Yaga sighed. “Go see Shoko.”

“Roger!” Gojo said cheerfully, spinning on his heel to head toward the infirmary. “See ya later, Yaga!”

“Hmph.”

“So, he’s been treating you okay?” Shoko asked while she rubbed the sonogram’s wand over Gojo’s belly. He shivered at the slimy, cold sensation before tipping back his head against the padded gurney and humming.

“Yeah, it’s been pretty good,” Gojo said, eyes locked onto the ceiling as he tried not to blush. The creeping warmth spreading across his cheeks told him he was probably failing, and the amused laughter coming from Shoko told him he definitely was. “I mean, he’s kind of a dick sometimes, don’t get me wrong, and you heard all the shit that happened with the senior citizens. Thanks for reporting that shit to Yaga, by the way. Most awkward conversation of my life.”

Shoko only snorted as she maneuvered the wand across his belly, fingers tapping away.

“But yeah, mostly it’s been nice though,” Gojo said thoughtfully. “He listens to me. And not in like a, “I’m the most powerful sorcerer you’ll ever meet so you better listen,” kind of way but like he actually cares, you know? And he’s been okay with the no sex thing. I’m not even okay with the no sex thing.”

Shoko only hummed, eyes flickering between the sonogram machine and her medical notes, though Gojo could tell she was listening. Probably.

“And he’s even been rubbing lotion on my stomach,” Gojo said brightly, remembering all the long, frustrating evenings when Toji decided to be extra sweet and pampered him. “To make sure I don’t get stretch marks. It looks pretty good, right?”

Gojo tilted his head back down and pointed at his fairly large stomach. It was weird to think he was still two months away from his due date and was going to get bigger. He already looked like he’d swallowed a volleyball.

“Sounds like you’re pretty happy,” Shoko said with a wry smile, finally removing the wand and throwing a tissue onto his stomach. Gojo took it with a scowl and started rubbing the slime off. Gross. “… have you thought about telling Suguru?”

“…no,” Gojo said, turning his head as he finished wiping. He tossed the tissue to the side and covered his belly back up with the loose sweater he’d stolen from Toji that morning. “What’s the point? He left, didn’t he?”

“Yeah,” Shoko said, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. Gojo could tell she wanted to light up, but she’d stopped smoking around him since they’d discovered the pregnancy. “I think I have his number… if you change your mind.”

Gojo hummed but didn’t answer. He knew he could reach out to Suguru, knew that he and Shoko still met up on occasion, but some part of him still felt betrayed by Suguru’s sudden defection.

Suguru had been having a hard time for a while, Gojo knew that—it had been hard to miss. And he’d tried to help him, he’d tried so hard, but every attempt had been rebuffed, every concern brushed away, and in the end… Gojo didn’t know what he could have done differently. It just hadn’t been enough.

Did he want his best friend back? Of course. Gojo had thought that he and Suguru would always be in each other’s lives. That he would share every burden with Suguru, every heartache and every triumph. But their world had been cruel to Suguru, and he had cracked when others might have broken. And now Gojo didn’t know what to say or do, except to say and do nothing.

Gojo couldn’t help someone who didn’t want his help. And he couldn’t share precious moments in his life with someone who didn’t want him in their life. Nothing more to be said.

“It’s alright,” Gojo said after a long moment of silence, a somber mood hanging heavy in the infirmary. Shoko looked thoughtful, maybe even wistful if Gojo was being poetic, but he only felt tired. Suguru’s living ghost would have to continue haunting the space between them.

“Want to see the sonogram?” Shoko asked in a slightly awkward segue, but Gojo latched onto the idea immediately, already feeling his hormones turn against him. The last thing he wanted to do was burst out crying in front of Shoko, she’d never let him forget it.

“Yeah,” Gojo said, reaching out his hand eagerly. “Gimme. I want to see if this kid has ugly Zen’in features or not.”

“That’s not how it works, dummy,” Shoko said, sending him a look of disgust. “You can’t see its face.”

“I’ll know,” Gojo said confidently with an obnoxious grin. He heaved himself up, one hand on his stomach as he carefully swung his legs over the side of the gurney.

“Whatever,” Shoko said, rolling her eyes. “Anyway, I’ll print that out for you. Any other questions? Concerns?”

“Ehhh,” Gojo said thoughtfully. “Not really? Those books you gave me helped a lot. And I’m taking all the vitamins you gave me… I’ve even started doing those dumb breathing exercises.”

“It’s Lamaze, and it’s supposed to make birth a lot easier,” Shoko told him. “And since you’re refusing to go to an actual doctor, you better do everything you can to make this easier on all of us.”

“But Shokoooo,” Gojo said, leaning forward and batting his eyelashes. “I truuuuust you.”

“At least hire a midwife or something,” Shoko sighed. “But whatever. You’re just going to do whatever you want, as usual.”

“You could cut it out of me,” Gojo said thoughtfully, looking down and rubbing the curve of his stomach. “And then you could just heal me.”

“Dummy, I’m not far enough along in my courses,” Shoko scolded, pointing her thumb at the small mountain of books and paperwork strewn about her desk. “Just suck it up and pop the brat out naturally when the time comes. I’ll even get an epidural for you, how about that?”

“Ugh, fine,” Gojo relented. “Any other advice, Doctor Shoko?”

“Not a doctor,” Shoko said, “but yeah, make sure your househusband knots you a bunch. Maybe stretching you out will help you give birth.”

“S-shut up!” Gojo sputtered, his face burning at the suggestion.

“And it could help ease your stress,” Shoko kept going, a teasing smile on her lips. “His too probably. He’s been in the dog house for a few weeks now, and he’s been soooo sweet, rubbing your belly and everything. Treat yourself a little. Sounds like you both deserve it.”

“Oh my god,” Gojo said, turning his head away in disgust. “Just give me the damn baby pics and let me leave.”

Shoko got to her feet, and turned toward her computer, chuckling as she went. Mortification was a new emotion for Gojo, but one he’d been getting intimately acquainted with during his pregnancy. But the smile had returned to Shoko’s lips, and that was all Gojo needed, even if it was at his own expense.

Gojo sighed as he kicked off his shoes and stretched his arms above his head. He’d caved and let Ichiji drive him home instead of walking to the train, a decision Gojo was grateful for as the aches and pains of the morning finally began to set in. There was also the added bonus of teasing Ichiji, another person who apparently lost the ability to use their brain around pregnant people. Gojo was half tempted to hunt down Nanami to get his reaction.

“I’m home!” Gojo called before groaning softly and rubbing his back.

“We’re in here!” said Tsumiki’s sweet voice in the direction of the living room. Gojo smiled and reached into his pocket, fingers curling around the sonogram pictures Shoko had printed out for him (after an additional ten or so minutes of gentle teasing.)

“What’s going on?” Gojo asked as he stepped into the living room, peeking curiously at the television set, which was turned off, and then to the floor which had a curious set up of stuffed animals and pillows.

“We’re playing sorcerers,” Megumi explained, a frog plush in his hand and a defensive pout already on his lips as he stared up at Gojo from his position between the couch and the giant elephant plush he’d won during the summer festival.

Gojo bit back a snort of laughter, wondering what ‘playing sorcerer’ meant, but pleased that Megumi and Tsumiki were having fun. Before taking in the kids, both he and Toji had planned to explain the Jujutsu world before their daughter was born. But when Tsumiki had asked what Gojo did for work one week over dinner, they figured it was a good opportunity to get it over with. Needless to say, the conversation over dinner that night had been interesting.

Tsumiki had been skeptical at first—she couldn’t see cursed spirits, after all. Not like Megumi who had already begun seeing grade fours at his school. But they had taken Gojo’s explanation in stride, and both had been impressed when Gojo crushed a soda can with a mini-Blue.

And now it was apparently the best new game to play in the living room.

“Sounds fun,” Gojo humored them as he plopped down onto the couch with a heavy sigh. “Want to see something cool, though?”

Both Tsumiki and Megumi perked up, watching carefully as Gojo pulled the sonogram from his pocket. He grinned as he waved the image in front of his face.

“Want to see your little sister?” Gojo asked, chuckling when he saw the excited sparkle in their eyes. “She’s not done cooking, but I think she still looks pretty cute.”

“I want to see!” Tsumiki yelled, dropping the owl plush on the ground and scrambling onto the couch next to Gojo. Megumi dropped his plush too, the same excitement on his face, though he was a little more shy as he sat down on Gojo’s other side.

“Here you go,” Gojo said, holding it up for them to see. The two children leaned forward, heads hovering over his belly as they examined the black-and-white image.

“Huh,” Tsumiki said, tilting her head. “I can see her head and her hands, but why does it look like that?”

“Well, I can’t exactly eat a camera to get a better picture,” Gojo snorted. “So it’s like an x-ray, they put a little wand against my belly and take a look at what’s going on inside.”

“Oooh, I see,” Tsumiki said, leaning in to get another look. “So when is she going to be here?”

“Two months… so in November if we’re lucky,” Gojo said thoughtfully. “Might be sooner, it just depends.”

“How come you don’t know for sure?” Megumi asked, his wide eyes still tracing the image of his younger sister.

“She’s the one who decides when she’ll arrive,” Gojo shrugged, handing the picture over to Megumi when he held out his hand. “We don’t really get a say.”

“I like her already,” Tsumiki laughed. “But I hope she doesn’t keep us waiting for too long!”

“Ugh, I know,” Gojo sighed. He threw his head back against the couch and patted his stomach. “She’s been kicking me all day. It’ll be nice to have my organs to myself again.”

“Can we feel it?” Tsumiki asked eagerly, her eyes locked onto Gojo’s round stomach with intense curiosity. Megumi had placed the sonogram down onto the coffee table and was looking at Gojo with equal curiosity and excitement.

“Hmmm, she’s not kicking right now,” Gojo said. “She’s probably happy to be home. I’ll let you know next time though.”

“Okay…” Tsumiki said, pouting.

“Where’s your dad?” Gojo asked instead, trying to distract her from any disappointment.

“Sleeping,” Megumi said, rolling his eyes as he slid off the couch. “He went to lay down ten minutes ago.”

“Loser,” Gojo snorted and was pleased to catch a hint of a smile on Megumi’s face. “Let’s go out to eat and teach him a lesson.”

“What lesson?” Tsumiki asked with a frown on her face. “And that’s not very nice. He’ll be hungry later.”

“We can pick something up for him,” Gojo reassured her, gently patting her head. “And the lesson is, you snooze you lose. Literally in this case.”

Tsumiki only giggled in response, and Gojo was able to wrangle the two kids out the door in record time. He knew better than to try and wake Toji from a nap until at least another hour, the man slept like the dead in the afternoons.

And they were back soon enough, a takeout bag full of fried rice waiting for Toji and cups full of ice cream in their hands. Gojo watched fondly as Megumi happily shoveled down the last of his ice cream and followed his sister back into the living room, eager to go back to playing ‘sorcerer.’

It was nice to see him acting like a normal kid. Megumi had been so defensive and moody the first few months of living with them, but he’d slowly thawed, week by week, as he realized Toji and Gojo meant to stay.

Gojo threw his finished ice cream cup in the trash along with Megumi’s and shoved the takeout into the fridge, groaning as he rubbed the back of his neck. It’d been a long day, but he chuckled remembering the looks on Kusakabe and Ichiji’s faces. Despite the physical discomfort, the trip to the school had been pretty amusing. That thought reminded him of the sonogram still sitting in his pocket, and Gojo decided it was finally time to go kick Toji awake.

He poked his head into the bedroom first, squinting at Toji’s large figure. He was lying on his side, his breathing steady as he slept, oblivious to the racket Gojo and the children had been making. Gojo grinned, his socked feet softly padding across the floor as he prepared to shock Toji awake.

He hovered over Toji’s vulnerable body, wondering if a punch to the face or a kick to the stomach would be more satisfying when a hand whipped out and caught Gojo’s wrist.

“Ah!” Gojo cried, immediately tipping over onto the bed and into his lover’s arms. “What?”

“You breathe really loud,” Toji mumbled, easily manhandling Gojo onto the bed next to him until only Gojo’s sizeable belly separated them.

Gojo squawked, denied the accusation, and poked Toji in the chest while the man squinted at him with bleary eyes.

“How was your trip up to the college?” Toji asked when Gojo had run out of steam.

“Ugh, fine,” Gojo scowled. “I get tired so easily now, and I can’t even teleport. I had to get Ichiji to drive me home.”

“You mean someone told you to get Ichiji to drive you home,” Toji snorted, clearly amused. “And your check-up with Shoko went okay?”

“Yeah,” Gojo sighed, shifting to lay on his back instead and grabbing one of the pillows to support his head. “Everything went well. She complained about me making her deliver the baby, but I think this fulfills some kind of course requirement for her, so I don’t feel too bad about it.”

Toji snorted and tugged Gojo’s pillow out far enough to lay his head down as well. Gojo nuzzled up against him, enjoying the warmth of his alpha’s body while desperately trying to forget Shoko’s teasing words about knotting.

“Oh, I have the sonogram, actually,” Gojo said, digging his hand into his pocket and pulling out the slightly crumpled picture. “Looks like the brat is doing pretty good.”

He nudged Toji with his shoulder until the alpha picked his head up and took the sonogram from his hand. Gojo had already stared at it plenty—the image of the child, noticeably bigger and more developed than the first time he’d seen it, was strangely mesmerizing.

Toji seemed to feel the same. He held the image in his hand and stared long enough that Gojo wondered if he should say something to break the silence. The atmosphere was tense, but Gojo didn’t get the sense that Toji was upset. Regardless, he was reluctant to interrupt.

“Hmmm, I haven’t seen one of these since Mariko was pregnant….” Toji said softly, almost too quiet for Gojo to hear.

Gojo’s heart thumped in his chest when Toji mentioned the woman’s name. Mariko… she must have been Megumi’s mother.

“Oh?” Gojo said, turning his head to see Toji’s expression more clearly. His eyes were soft, a tender look on his face as Toji traced the outline of the baby’s head with his finger. Gojo felt something flutter in his chest, for once unrelated to his usual pregnancy symptoms. Instead, Gojo felt warm and giddy, excited that Toji seemed so attached to the little piece of paper.

“Yeah,” Toji said, shifting his gaze from the sonogram to Gojo’s face. “I remember feeling so confused, panicked almost. Megumi… he wasn’t really planned, but Mariko was really excited to be a mother.”

Gojo stayed quiet, but leaned into Toji’s warmth, his hand reaching out for Toji’s wrist and grabbing it tightly. Toji didn’t react, but he kept speaking.

“After… everything that happened with the Zen’in,” Toji continued and Gojo’s eyes flickered to the scar that marred Toji’s lips. “I wasn’t even sure I wanted to be a father. Didn’t know if I could do it properly. But Mariko was so confident and happy about everything that I couldn’t help feeling the same. And we were happy when Megumi was born, it was wonderful. I named him Megumi, called him a blessing, because I couldn’t think of anything more fitting to name him.

“But when Mariko died… it felt like I’d lost the part of myself that could be a good father. I really…” Toi averted his gaze. “I really thought it was better to leave. I could barely keep myself alive, let alone a child. And I didn’t… I didn’t want to….”

“You didn’t want to be like your own piece of shit father?” Gojo prodded him when Toji seemed lost for words. He remembered what Toji told him about the man, though it was fairly common knowledge among the three major clans.

Everyone knew about the non-sorcerer son of the old Zen’in Clan head. Knew that he’d thrown his ‘useless’ son into a pit of cursed spirits, expecting him to die. But instead, a monster had emerged from the pit and the Sorcerer Killer had been born, or so it was said. It was better to hear the story from Toji’s perspective. It had been difficult for Toji to choke out the words, but instead of the modern-day folk tale Gojo was familiar with, it had just been the story of betrayal, of a shitty father and a son who paid an awful price for trusting him.

“I don’t think you could be like him if you tried,” Gojo said, thinking of the one time he’d met Toji’s father. A thoroughly unpleasant man, as most of the Zen’in were, but he’d had an air of coldness about him that even the man’s brothers lacked. Needless to say, not a single tear had been shed during his funeral.

Toji shrugged before reaching over Gojo and setting the sonogram down onto the bedside table. “I don’t have to be as awful as my father was to be a bad father.”

“Hmmm, I guess,” Gojo sighed. “But you’re trying, aren’t you? And Megumi is warming up to you.”

“He spit in my coffee this morning when I wasn’t looking,” Toji said with his eyebrows raised, and Gojo held back a snort of laughter.

“Well, he feels comfortable and safe enough with you to do it, I guess?” Gojo offered, honestly trying not to laugh. Megumi didn’t do that shit around him, but Gojo wished that he would. It sounded hilarious.

“Sure,” Toji said with a shake of his head. But there was a hint of a smile on his lips, and Gojo felt better seeing it.

“I mean, I’m not going to say you didn’t fuck up or anything,” Gojo said, thinking of Tsumiki’s mother. “But trauma does weird shit to you. At least you didn’t kill a whole village… and then your family… and talk about how you need to kill non-sorcerers for the good of jujutsu society.”

“Uh yeah,” Toji said, shooting Gojo a concerned look. “I mean, I kill people sometimes, but I’m not a mass murderer. The fuck?”

“Ah, my… uh, friend,” Gojo explained. “Back in school. His mental health was suffering after a pretty shitty year. You know how the higher-ups are, so of course we were all worked to the bone. He fixated on the idea that non-sorcerers were the cause of all our suffering…curses come from people with untrained cursed energy, after all, and curses are what kills most sorcerers. And then one day he snapped. Took out the village where he’d been assigned a mission, and then killed his parents… said that he might as well commit to his new worldview.

“…so yeah, the jujutsu world sucks, it chews most of us up and then spits us back out, and then it moves on to the next person. But I think you’re actually doing pretty good… comparatively, you know? With taking care of your mental health and trying to be a better person.”

“Thanks,” Toji snorted before wrapping his arm around Gojo’s waist and pulling him closer. “You really know how to cheer a guy up.”

“I thought we were sharing!” Gojo protested, but he accepted an apology kiss on the mouth. “Anyway, the bottom line is, don’t worry so much, you’re doing pretty good. Megumi is good at holding a grudge, but he’s still young. He’ll probably forgive you… in the next ten years or so.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Toji sighed.

“And it’ll work out in the end,” Gojo continued, nuzzling the side of Toji’s face.

“Yeah, yeah,” Toji said, rolling his eyes. But he placed his hand over Gojo’s stomach, stroking the skin with his thumb, and placed another kiss on Gojo’s lips. “You’re right. Thanks, Gojo.”

“I always am,” Gojo said with a dopey grin. “And… uh, you can call me Satoru, you know….”

Toji paused for a moment, dark eyes staring at Gojo through the dim lighting. Then he smiled and pressed another kiss to Gojo’s lips, the touch lingering and sweet.

“Thank you…Satoru.”

Chapter Text

Toji sighed as black cursed blood splashed onto his pants. Usually that sort of thing dissolved quickly, but Toji always swore it left a residue. His eyes flickered around the room, confirming the lack of enemies, and he fed his sword back into the cursed worm hanging off his shoulder.

The grade-one sorcerer accompanying him during his trial period, Kusa-something, lurked in the corner of the abandoned warehouse, his eyes watching Toji like a hawk. He wasn’t quite sure if it was out of suspicion or fear, though perhaps the distinction didn’t matter too much.

This was the third mission he’d completed for the school, and Toji was still surprised they even let him on the campus grounds. Ever since Satoru had given him Yaga’s number and Toji had accepted their oh-so-gracious offer to make him an ‘auxiliary’ sorcerer, he'd been waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it had been oddly uneventful since he'd begun working.

Although the pay was shit, that was undeniable, especially compared to his assassination work. Not that Toji was really in it for the money nowadays, but it felt unfair, especially since Satoru’s special grade salary would remain the same whether or not he took missions. So he was essentially doing the same work for a fraction of the pay, an insult that would have made any normal person seethe with indignation. But Toji's long and intimate familiarity with the Jujutsu world’s fuckery meant he wasn’t exactly surprised when he’d learned the terms of his new ‘employment.’

And so now Toji found himself doing errands for the higher-ups, a task no one coveted, fully aware that the only reason he was "allowed" to work as a sorcerer was because of Satoru's absence in the field. They'd probably never admit it, but they needed high-caliber sorcerers desperately, and it seemed even the infamous Sorcerer Killer would do in a pinch.

They were lucky, however, as the only reason Toji had agreed to this arrangement was because it kept them from bothering Satoru during the last few months of his pregnancy. And well, it was nice to flex his muscles every once in a while too. Toji had already stopped taking jobs from Siwoo, and he’d been a little restless the last few months. The first mission he’d been given—a particularly nasty first grade curse—had actually been fun.

And Toji also liked imagining the look on his uncle’s face when he realized his ‘useless’ nephew was doing the work of a sorcerer. It was a guilty pleasure, and if Toji had been ten years younger, he might have even taken these missions with spite as his only motivation. Luckily, Toji had standards now (and someone else to pay the bills) as well as better priorities.

....but he also might just make a trip home to see if the look on Naobito’s sour face matched up to his imagination. One day.

“That was some pretty interesting swordsmanship,” Kusa…tabe(?) said, walking carefully through the dissolving chunks of curse flesh. “I’ll make sure to recommend you for a promotion.”

“Thanks,” Toji snorted. He placed his hands on his hips and scanned the abandoned warehouse. “Looks like it’s all clear, we heading back?”

“I have something else I need to do first,” the sorcerer shrugged before digging into his coat and pulling out a packet of cigarettes. The familiar motion reminded Toji that he should go bother Siwoo. It had been a while, and he was sure that the mediator would think Toji’s new job was hilarious. “The manager will take you back to the school to make your report.”

“Alright,” Toji said with a shrug, sharp eyes catching the small flinch Kusakabe made at the motion. Interesting.

“Ah… by the way,” Kusababe said as he lit up, eyes averted as he fiddled with his lighter. “You and Gojo…”

“Yeah?” Toji asked, his eyebrows raised. He hadn’t met anyone yet who’d had the balls to bring up his strange relationship with the Six Eyes sorcerer, Shoko being the only exception. Satoru’s classmate had cornered him in a hallway after his first mission and gave him a very interesting lecture about vasectomies and how they could go wrong. This guy wouldn’t have been Toji’s first pick, or even his tenth, for a possible shovel talk.

“Is it… uh, are the two of you…?” the sorcerer cleared his throat and made a vague hand gesture. Toji wondered if he was supposed to know what that meant.

“Sure,” Toji said with another shrug. He walked past the jittery sorcerer, clapping a hand on the man’s shoulder when he opened his mouth to speak again, cutting him off. “But you don’t want to know about that, right?”

“…r-right,” Kusarabe muttered, taking an anxious puff of his cigarette.

“Great, let's keep it that way,” Toji said before gently shoving him to the side and exiting the warehouse. Satoru probably didn’t want their dirty laundry aired as common sorcerer gossip, so it was better to discourage people from asking in the future.

Thankfully, the trip back up to the school was uneventful. Toji shrugged on his jacket in the car, his t-shirt doing little to protect him from the crisp autumn air. The manager, a mousy-looking man in an ill-fitting suit, remained silent during the drive and Toji returned the favor. Now he was just looking forward to the return trip home—Tsumiki was planning to make hotpot later today, and he needed to pick up a few things. And hopefully, if Toji was quick enough, he could spend some quality time with Satoru before the kids got home.

The grumpy omega was bigger than ever, but Toji loved seeing him waddle around the apartment. Pregnant Satoru really was a delicious sight, something he might never get tired of. Pregnancy belly aside, his lanky body had remained fairly slim, but Toji loved the new plumpness of his tits and ass, and he took every opportunity to grab them, even if this usually earned him a sour look and a whap on the arm. Toji figured if Satoru really hated it, he would let him know. His omega certainly wasn’t shy about setting down boundaries when he needed to.

He'd really thought Satoru was going to end their relationship after the whole Gojo Clan debacle. Their conversation had been intense, and he knew Satoru’s anger had been justified. Toji had braced himself, ready for his life to fall apart again because of his own rotten luck and terrible choices. It had already happened so many times now, it wouldn’t even surprise him.

What did catch him by surprise was that he actually wanted to hold onto the life they were building together, even if it had only been a few short months. Toji had been disconnected from the world for so long, it was strange to find himself tethered, connected to someone larger than life and willing to stand by his side.

And when Satoru had told him to use his given name… well… Toji was still in shock. He’d never expected that sort of tenderness from a person whose life he had objectively ruined, but he was glad for everything Satoru was willing to give him. And strangely enough, Toji found himself willing to give Satoru more of himself in return.

Toji was jolted out of his musings when the looming traditional architecture of the college emerged from a sea of golden leaves. The scenery during the long drive up was beautiful, but the natural charms of the campus were mostly lost on Toji. He’d grown up surrounded by a similar splendor, and that sort of thing had been hard to enjoy when every minute of his day had been filled with misery. Even after a decade of freedom, the bitterness still lingered, but Toji reminded himself that things were different now. The air around the school, though thick with cursed energy, had a lightness to it that the Zen’in compound in Kyoto had never had.

And at least finding Yaga was quick and simple enough since the man never seemed to leave his office. Toji knocked on his open door a few times, hiding his smirk as the large man startled at his appearance. The reactions to Toji’s lack of presence never got old.

“Ah, Toji,” Yaga said, clearing his throat and pushing aside the stack of paperwork sitting in front of him. “Kusakabe told me you did well on your mission. Anything unusual to report?”

‘Huh, that was his name?’ Toji thought before answering. “Nope.”

Toji prowled deeper into the office but stopped just shy of Yaga’s desk. He could have sat down in one of the uncomfortable looking chairs Yaga kept for scolding students, but Toji enjoyed looming over Yaga’s desk, it kept everyone on their toes. “Everything went pretty well. Took out a few grade threes and then found the grade one lurking at the back of the warehouse. Took about… twenty minutes total?”

“Yes, that lines up with everyone else’s reports,” Yaga nodded his head before leaning back in his chair. It was hard to tell what the other man was thinking exactly, he’d started wearing sunglasses after their second meeting, and Toji figured Yaga liked having an air of inscrutability. The intimidation factor probably worked well on first years, but Toji had grown up with his shithead Zen’in cousins and uncles, so it was less effective than the man was probably hoping for. “Kusakabe also recommended you for a promotion. The higher-ups have their reservations, however.”

“I’m sure they do,” Toji said, a smirk curling the edges of his mouth. “But what do you think? You’re my boss now, right?”

Yaga snorted and shook his head, an eyebrow poking up over the rim of his shades. “I don’t think either of us really believe that.”

“Well… the guy who signs my checks,” Toji shrugged. He wasn’t the type of guy that was big on semantics. “So? Do you think I still need training wheels?”

“I think you can handle any curse we could throw at you,” Yaga sighed. “And you work well enough with the managers. I’m still a little reluctant to have you around other sorcerers or any of the kids, but… well, you’re different than what I imagined.”

“Oh?” Toji said, blinking in surprise. He thought he’d been doing pretty good at living up to his Sorcerer Killer reputation so far. “How so?”

“Hard to say exactly,” Yaga deflected glancing off to the side. He probably knew exactly what he wanted to say but didn’t want to risk pissing Toji off. Fair enough. “But I think Gojo is having a good influence on you. If you’d asked me a year ago, I would have said it wasn’t possible, but life always surprises me.”

Toji snorted and shook his head. Yeah, he’d hesitate before saying Satoru was a good influence too, but it was funny how it was actually kind of true.

“Anyway, you’re dismissed,” Yaga sighed, waving Toji away with his hand before looking back to the pile of paperwork with a resigned expression. “You’ll be granted the full pay for a Grade Two sorcerer going forward.”

“Oh?” Toji said, an eyebrow raised.

“I can’t get the higher ups to agree to Grade One status,” Yaga shrugged. “But maybe in a year or so, with the proper sponsorship.”

“Hm, we’ll see,” Toji scoffed, wondering if this was all part of some elaborate plot. Well, he doubted the higher-ups or Yaga would use Satoru as bitching bait, hoping that he’d eventually be too pussy whipped to kill sorcerers, so… probably not.

Toji turned, waving lazily as he exited the cramped office, his mind already focused on home.

“Ahhhh,” Toji sighed in contentment along with the rest of his little family.

Megumi’s head was resting on the table, and Satoru was sitting back in his chair, his comically large belly stretching out Toji’s old sweater. Tsumiki slurped up the last of the noodles with a grin, her long bangs sticking to her sweaty forehead. Toji refilled her water glass from the pitcher sitting on the table, a little worried by her love for insane spice.

“Thank you, Tsumiki-chan,” Satoru purred, pressing his cheek against the girl’s head and scenting her gently. Tsumiki glowed with pride, receiving the affection gladly before finally taking the waterglass Toji was nudging in her direction.

“You’re welcome!” she chirped before taking a long gulp. “I’ve been wanting to make it for a while, but the weather only turned cold enough last week!”

“Global warming,” Megumi mumbled against the wooden table.

“We should do it again next week…” Satoru said thoughtfully as he finished scenting Tsumiki. He plopped a hand down onto Megumi’s wild hair and started squishing him further into the table, much to his son’s muffled displeasure. His little hands smacked at Satoru’s wrist, but the omega ignored him, fingers ruffling Megumi until it looked like a sea urchin was nesting on top of his head.

“Blrgh!” Megumi said when Satoru finally let him up. He turned to Satoru, poison dripping from his eyes.

“Aren’t you guys heading over to your sleepover soon?” Toji asked, wearily trying to stave off the impending argument. “Megumi, did you finish packing?”

“Yes!” Megumi said, but the wide-eyed panic on his son’s face as he scrambled down from his chair told Toji there were still one or two things he’d forgotten.

“I’m all done!” Tsumiki said, and she also stood up. Toji stopped her when she went to take the dishes from the table.

“Go help your brother,” Toji said, pointing toward the bedrooms with his thumb. “We’ll clean up here. Do you need us to walk you over?”

“No, it’s okay,” Tsumiki said thoughtfully. “Yuki and her brother only live a few blocks away.”

“Then text us when you get there,” Toji shrugged. Might as well use the expensive flip phones Satoru had shelled out for.

“Okay!” Tsumiki chirped, following after her brother with a cheerful skip in her step. Toji was just glad she’d left the dishes on the table without a fight. Sometimes it was difficult to convince her she didn’t have to prove herself by doing all the chores, but Toji figured that ‘helping’ Megumi probably took precedent in her mind.

“Bleh,” Satoru sighed, stretching out in his chair until his long, lanky legs bumped up against Toji’s ankles. “Let’s leave the dishes for later, old man. I’m tired.”

Toji snorted and nudged Satoru’s feet away as he stood up and grabbed some dishes. It was truly amazing how only four people could make such a mess.

“Then sit down while I put all this in the sink,” Toji told him. “It’s not like I’m going to make you do dishes if you’re tired.”

Satoru giggled and patted his belly. “Best excuse ever. I think I might actually miss this when it’s all over.”

“You want to get knocked up again that quick?” Toji teased, bumping his hip against Satoru’s chair as he passed him on the way to the kitchen. "We can make that happen..." He could practically feel Satoru’s scowl, and the small ‘harrumph’ that followed confirmed it.

Satoru had been having a rough time the last month or so, his pregnancy symptoms ramping up despite his usual good state of health. Insomnia, fatigue, and constant heartburn had plagued him from the very beginning, but now he frequently found himself short of breath while doing even the simplest of tasks, not just when climbing stairs or otherwise exerting himself. Needless to say, Satoru had been rather displeased with that development. As a healthy young teenager, even one that would soon be twenty, tying his shoes wasn’t something that usually exhausted him, and the quiet frustration Satoru had been feeling had radiated throughout the entire apartment.

Toji hoped a night off from the kids would help, especially when he had something special planned for their increasingly rare alone time.

“Hey, go relax in the bedroom for a bit,” Toji said as he came back for a few more plates. He nudged Satoru’s chair with his foot. “I got something planned for later, so go rest up.”

“Ugh, I’ll rest on the couch,” Satoru said, shaking his head. “If I lay down on the bed, I might not get up again.”

Toji snorted but didn’t argue with the omega’s logic. It would be better if Satoru remained somewhat alert even if Toji was hoping he dozed off a little. It would give him time to prepare without the omega getting in the way.

Thankfully, washing the dishes and getting the kids out the door didn’t take too long. Afterward Toji popped his head into the living room, happy to see that Satoru’s head was slumped against the large mound of couch cushions, his phone still playing whatever video he’d been watching. He carefully closed the door, feet shuffling over to the bathroom in order to ready the surprise.

Ten minutes later, and Toji had a nice bath set up for both himself and his very pregnant omega. When they’d been hunting for apartments, the one thing Satoru had insisted on was a bathtub large enough to fit the both of them comfortably, and now Toji was happy to reap all the benefits.

Toji had also made the bath a little fancier than he normally would, adding in bubbles and lighting a candle or two. He hoped that Satoru would remember this instead of their first night together when remembering hot bathtub sex, though the omega insisted his first heat wasn't a traumatic memory and had actually been very enjoyable. Toji wanted to make better memories for them, ones that didn't make him cringe when he remembered the shitty circumstances. He had plans for Satoru's next heat too, and Toji figured the omega would hardly complain if his alpha wanted to give him a good time.

When everything was as ready as he could make it, Toji closed the bathroom door and went to go collect Satoru. He was pleased when he saw that Satoru was still sleeping, thankful that he probably didn’t hear the bath water running.

“Satoru,” Toji said, sitting on the edge of the couch as he gently shook the omega’s shoulder. “Wake up.”

“Hm?” Gojo jerked awake, looking around in dazed confusion as he blinked the sleep from his stupidly blue eyes. He caught sight of Toji and instantly relaxed, and the small thrill in Toji’s stomach turned into a comforting warmth. “Time for my surprise? Is it cake?”

“No,” Toji snorted, shaking his head in disbelief. “But I can get some if you still want it later.”

“You know I will,” Satoru laughed, tossing his phone to the side and making grabby hands at Toji. “You’re not going to make me walk to my surprise, are you?”

“Of course not,” Toji said, his tone probably a touch too serious in comparison to Satoru’s, but it had never crossed his mind to make the sleepy omega walk anywhere if he didn't want to. He leaned forward, letting Satoru slide his arms around his neck before scooping him up, one arm underneath his knees and the other curled around his back.

“This is nice,” Satoru sighed as he laid his head against Toji’s shoulder.

“Mmm,” Toji hummed in agreement, walking swiftly through the apartment until he was kicking the bathroom door open with his foot.

“Oh!” Satoru said, glancing around the spacious bathroom, wide eyes taking in all the preparations Toji had made. “Wow, I don’t think I’ve seen anyone light candles in a bathroom outside of a movie before.”

“Like it?” Toji asked, a smile on his lips as he gently set Satoru down onto the closed toilet seat.

“Seems nice,” he said, craning his neck to see the bubbles slowly drifting in the bath water.

“The other part of your surprise is getting to sit on my knot while you relax in a warm bath,” Toji chuckled. “Figured it might be easier for you in the water.”

He caught the blush on Satoru’s face, and his grin turned into a smirk. It took only a few seconds to strip himself naked, and then only a few seconds more to do the same for Satoru. It took a little longer to position themselves in the bath, but soon Satoru’s pregnant belly was bobbing in the lukewarm water, his soft ass rubbing against Toji hard cock.

“Can’t you make the water any hotter?” Satoru whined as he sunk deeper into the tub.

“And cook the kid? You know it's bad for you and the baby,” Toji countered, laughing as he wrapped an arm around Satoru’s belly and pulled him closer, his cock now slipping between plump ass cheeks. “Don’t worry about the temperature babe, how do you feel?”

“Ugh, better,” Satoru sighed. “Maybe I’ll just stay floating here until the baby comes.”

“You’ll get wrinkles,” Toji teased, his hands rubbing all the insanely smooth skin he could get his hands on.

Toji wasn’t entirely sure which changes were due to pregnancy and which were due to Satoru’s omega transition, but his skin and hair had never been softer or more beautiful. His ass had become plumper, his thighs just a little bit rounder, and it took everything for Toji not to pinch and squeeze the very pregnant omega whenever he saw him.

“I don’t have any wrinkles,” Satoru snorted, sighing as Toji caressed his body. His hands dug into Toji’s knees, his back pressing harder against Toji’s chest. “But I will by the time you actually touch me properly.”

“Oh?” Toji said, his hands coming back around to fondle Satoru’s giant belly. He moved slowly downward, rubbing in large circles as he felt Satoru’s fingernails dig deeper into his knees. “Where do you want me, baby?”

“Asshole,” Satoru hissed, his hips bucking as Toji’s hands slipped under his stomach, cradling the massive bulk but ignoring the perky cock begging for his attention.

“We haven’t done butt stuff yet,” Toji said thoughtfully. “I thought you’d want my hands around your cock, but you’re always surprising me, aren’t you?”

“Oh my god,” Satoru sighed, his head falling back against Toji’s shoulder with a dull thump. “Would you just touch my dick? You’re the worst baby daddy in the world, I swear.”

“Hey, I doubt that,” Toji protested, but he decided to stop teasing his poor omega and finally wrapped his hands around the cock begging for his attention.

Toji was certain that Satoru’s cock was half the size it used to be, a permanent change most likely due to his transition from alpha to omega. He wondered if Satoru had even noticed yet since he doubted the new omega had been able to see his cock these last few months, but Toji enjoyed measuring the difference with his hands every now and then.

The plump little balls underneath were much smaller as well, and he abandoned the needy cock to play with them, rolling them in his palm briefly and ignoring the omega whimpering on his shoulder. He quickly abandoned them too, his fingers dipping lower to find his true prize. Satoru’s thighs shook around Toji’s arm slightly as he plunged two fingers into his cunt, enjoying how wet and ready his omega was for him.

“Feels like you need a knot in here,” Toji whispered against Satoru’s neck. “That something you want, Sa-to-ru?”

“Hnngh,” Satoru moaned, his soft thighs clenching around Toji’s forearm as his hips bucked desperately against his alpha’s hand. “P-please… ah- Shoko, um, said it’s good for me.”

“Oh well, if it’s doctor’s orders,” Toji said smugly. He hooked his fingers, thrusting a few more times just to feel the sweet cunt tighten around him, and he then laughed as he pulled out, Satoru’s whines bouncing off the bathroom tiles.

“J-just get in there,” Satoru said through gritted teeth, his legs spreading open as far as he could get them.

“I got you,” Toji said, lifting Satoru in his arms until he could hook the omega’s legs over his thighs. He reached down between their bodies and lined them up, lifting Satoru just a little bit higher until his cockhead was tapping gently against the omega’s hot cunt. “Get ready, baby.”

Satoru groaned when Toji plunged inside, his thick cock spreading the omega open like it was their first time all over again. He was so tight, so wet and eager that Toji bit the corner of Satoru’s shoulder to muffle his reactions. Satoru clenched down rhythmically, his greedy pussy desperate to be filled completely, and they both moaned when Toji bottomed out. Satoru’s plush ass pressed up against Toji’s hips, his long neck stretched sweetly over Toji’s shoulder as he panted.

“You feel so, so good,” Toji groaned, fingers digging into his omega’s soft hips as he fought the urge to thrust.

“Ahhn,” Satoru whined, a hand reaching up to curl against Toji’s cheek, a purr building up in his chest as he nuzzled Toji’s neck. “Fuck me, alpha. I want your knot sooo baaad.”

Toji snorted at the blatant provocation, but he finally thrust his hips, driving the last bit of his cock into Satoru’s pussy and loving the startled clench he received in return.

“Oh yeah?” Toji teased, nibbling and kissing the neck blatantly on display. “Well, I can fix that.”

He used the water's weightlessness to pull Satoru up and down his cock, completely controlling the pace and enjoying the feel of his omega’s body gently squirming in his embrace.

“F-faster,” Satoru gasped, his back arched as small waves of bathwater splashed his pregnant belly.

“As you command,” Toji whispered against the omega’s damp skin. He thrust harder, the wet clap of their skin echoing against the bathroom tile though it was nearly drowned out by Satoru’s loud moans and the crash of water against porcelain.

“Right there!” Satoru cried out, fingernails digging into Toji’s arm, his cunt spasming around his cock. “A-ah, k-keep g-“

Toji dipped his hand beneath Satoru’s belly, ignoring the erection and homing in on Satoru’s clit instead. It only took two firm rubs until the omega was gushing around his cock, legs locking around Toji’s thighs as he pressed himself back against Toji’s chest.

“Good boy,” Toji muttered, cock still drilling into the poor overstimulated omega as he chased his own orgasm. He could feel his knot begin to swell, just a few more thrusts and-

“Ahn!” Satoru shouted when Toji’s knot slipped into his wet folds. The alpha held his omega still while the knot fully inflated, hot cum already pouring inside. Toji bit Gojo’s neck for good measure, letting his instincts guide him as the omega collapsed against his chest, purring with satisfaction.

They held this position for a few minutes longer, both of them reluctant to let go, but eventually Toji’s jaw began to ache, and he released Satoru’s scent gland in favor of licking the reddened skin instead.

“Ahhh, I feel so good,” Gojo sighed, his ass wiggling as he clenched around Toji’s knot. His own omega instincts probably wanted to make sure the connection between them was secure. “We should do this more often.”

Toji snorted, his hands curling around Gojo’s belly as he dug his nose into the omega’s neck. “It’s hard to find a good position for knotting nowadays.”

“Ugh,” Gojo said, wrinkling his nose as he stared down at his biggest obstacle to getting knotted properly. “Well, this isn’t too bad, right? Let’s keep doing this.”

“Sure, maybe when the kids are at school.”

Toji’s hands slowly caressed the soft, tight skin of Satoru’s stomach, admiring how few stretch marks there were even after months of dramatic change. Toji had worked hard to pamper his omega, using both his patchy memory of his first wife’s… of Mariko’s pregnancy and all the information he could find online.

His hands slid upward, cupping the soft swell of Satoru’s modest breasts. They’d only recently began to fill with milk, but they were still deliciously sensitive, and Toji enjoyed teasing whenever he could. Satoru whimpered, his pussy clenching around Toji’s cock as he flicked his thumbs over pretty pink nipples, but the omega didn’t complain, only panted and shivered in Toji’s embrace.

“You’re so beautiful,” Toji hummed, kissing Satoru’s neck again, trailing upward until he could kiss the omega’s petal-soft lips. “Such a good omega, so good to me.”

“Mmm,” Satoru moaned, fingers digging into Toji’s hair as he pulled him closer.

Eventually the water grew cold, and Toji’s knot deflated, but the affection between them only grew, and Toji knew true contentment when he held Satoru closely in his arms.

Chapter Text

“Ugh,” Gojo sighed, slumping against the wall of his sizeable living room nest, a child squished up against each side. The last month of pregnancy had hit him hard; his stomach had swelled up to whale-sized proportions, making it harder to do much more than sleep, eat and cuddle.

This, of course, made the surprise baby shower that Yaga and Shoko had thrown together an absolute nightmare. Gojo was mostly stuck wearing the ugliest of maternity wear nowadays, so his patience was at an all-time low. That, in addition to constant backache and kicks to his bladder, made it difficult to tolerate Ichiji stuttering at him or Shoko snickering next to him. Luckily for everyone, they’d brought out the cake right away, which did wonders to placate him. He’d also enjoyed the look on Nanami’s face as he realized who the pregnant omega of the baby shower was.

Shoko’s shit-eating grin told Gojo that Nanami had been kept ignorant on purpose, and his surprise had been amazing to behold. For a boy who was normally very stoic, he showed his stronger emotions very plainly—eyes widening, jaw-dropping, and full-on stuttering when he saw Gojo’s obnoxiously pregnant state. It reminded Gojo that he hadn’t seen the other boy since he dropped out of Jujutsu Tech the year before, and he genuinely enjoyed hearing about Nanami’s non-sorcerer schoolwork. Gojo even teased Nanami about his graduation, promising to drop by with a large bouquet of flowers, which earned him a very adamant refusal to tell him anything about his upcoming graduation ceremonies.

Afterward, Gojo had let the kids open all his presents, too tired and too occupied with cake to bother opening ten packages of diapers. The baby blankets, bath toys, and little baby clothes were cute, Gojo could admit, and he enjoyed Megumi and Tsumiki showing off the different presents as if they were in a competition to show off the best baby product.

The felted stuffed animals Yaga had bashfully presented him with—after promising they weren’t cursed corpses—had Gojo tearing up, much to his embarrassment. Luckily Gojo was able to turn around and tease Nanami for his sensible gift of bland-looking baby bibs and binkies to calm himself. The blonde’s splotchy red face was gratifying, especially since Gojo knew he was biting back some choice insults because of the kids.

But that had been two weeks ago, and all the baby shopping was more or less complete at this point. The only thing Gojo could do now was indulge his omega instincts, building and rebuilding his main nest in the living room and tucking the children inside it every chance he could get. Tsumiki and Megumi were very indulgent with him, thankfully, eager to take naps with him or play video games while he groomed their hair.

Megumi in particular was being very cute, his usual grumpy demeanor had melted away as he brought Gojo whatever he needed—sweets, drinks, extra pillows. The only thing Gojo needed to do in exchange was let Megumi and Tsumiki feel up his bloated belly, their little voices whispering to each other and giggling as they felt their baby sister press up against their hands.

It was extremely heart-warming, Gojo had to admit, and Toji had taken enough pictures and videos to max out the memory on his phone. Gojo just wished the baby would just pop itself out already and give him his body back. He honestly felt like he’d been hijacked by his little parasite, and he woke up every morning filled with hope and anxiety, wondering if today would finally be the day.

Gojo groaned as he banged his head against the side of the couch. His oversized pillows were carefully arranged around him, and Tsumiki was humming sweetly as she folded another blanket over his legs.

“Wait right here,” she told him sternly, standing up from the nest and shaking her finger at Gojo while he stared up at her in misery, a bottle of water jammed under his armpit. “I’ll go ask dad to pick up crepes for dinner.”

“I want three!” Gojo called after her. “Strawberry Dream, Chocolate Lava, and a savory one, doesn’t matter which.”

“Kay!” Tsumiki called back, her ponytail swinging against the back of her dress.

Gojo sighed, shifting awkwardly in his nest and jostling Megumi who was cuddled up against his side, a Gameboy in his hands. He shot Gojo an annoyed look before turning his attention back to his game. Gojo sighed again, a little more obnoxiously before sliding down just enough to see what game Megumi was playing.

Pokémon. Of course.

Gojo groaned and twisted his body until he was sitting up straight again. He kept an arm around his heavy stomach, wincing as the baby kicked him for the millionth time that day.

“Stop moving,” Megumi sighed. “You keep hitting my arm, and then I miss the button.”

“Sorry, Megumi-chan,” Gojo teased. “It’s hard to get comfortable with a whole baby in your belly.”

“Hmm,” Megumi hummed as he glanced up from his game to look at Gojo and then his stomach. “Do you need me to get you something?”

“No, I’m good,” Gojo smiled, raising a hand and ruffling Megumi’s hair. “Want to put something on the TV while we wait for crepes?”

“Kay,” Megumi said, pausing his game and tossing it onto the pillow next to him as he got up to find the remote.

Toji knocked on the door just as Megumi had settled back against Gojo’s side, his face scrunched in concentration as he flipped through the channels.

“Tsumiki is coming with me to pick up dinner, you want to come with us, Megumi?” Toji asked as he entered the room, silent on his feet in a way Gojo often found unnerving. He always expected a big man like Toji to make more noise.

“No,” Megumi said, his eyes still locked onto the television as he flipped through the channels even faster. Gojo wondered if he could even tell what was playing.

“Alright,” Toji snorted, before leaning over Gojo’s nest and kissing him on the lips. Gojo felt an embarrassing warmth flooding his body as Toji slid an arm around his waist and deepened the kiss.

“Gross.”

Gojo heard Megumi scoff and could see him stick out his tongue from the corner of his eye, but Toji’s tongue was still holding all his attention. The kiss broke sooner than Gojo would have liked, but it left him breathless and dizzy, his discomfort forgotten as he finally began to purr. Toji rubbed his cheek against Gojo’s hair, face and neck, scenting him until he was satisfied.

“Are you done yet?” Megumi asked, his little hand pushing fruitlessly at Toji’s giant shoulder.

Toji chuckled and finally pulled away, leaving Gojo feeling a little colder than before. The alpha ruffled his son’s hair until he was batting at Toji’s hand instead.

“Be good,” Toji said as he got up, arms stretching above his head, and Gojo admired all the muscles visible under his thin t-shirt.

“Annoying,” Megumi mumbled as he cuddled back up to Gojo, a pout on his face that quickly melted when Gojo tucked him under his arm. He placed his chin on top of the child’s head and basked in the comfortable warmth, feeling much better than he had before.

Until the baby kicked him in the bladder again.

Gojo thumped his head against the fridge, one hand wrapped around a pint of double chocolate chip ice cream and the other rubbing the taut skin of his obnoxiously pregnant belly.

“Just come oooout,” Gojo moaned around the spoon in his mouth. He’d woken up at three in the morning to pee for the seventh day in a row, and he was beyond tired. He was done. Over it. The baby was three days overdue, and everyone was waiting with bated breath for Gojo to finally pop the kid out, none more urgently than himself.  

Shoko had offered to induce labor. Well, truthfully she’d told Gojo to “go to a damn hospital” but was willing to get the necessary drugs to start his contractions. Gojo was tempted, really really tempted, but he figured he would wait a couple more days before okaying Shoko to drug him.

“Urgh,” he grunted before burping and throwing his dirty spoon into the sink. He put the lid back onto his ice cream and opened the freezer door, but paused when he felt a strange popping sensation between his legs, liquid spilling down his legs and soaking his flannel pajama bottoms.

“… the fuck?” Gojo said, his voice straining as he grabbed his belly, the other hand flinging the ice cream into the freezer and closing the door. He leaned against the counter, breathing heavily when he felt a dull ache in his lower stomach, similar to the practice contractions he’d been feeling but strangely more intense. “Are you fucking serious?”

Gojo’s eyes darted around the dark kitchen, the sun barely a thought on the horizon, and he wondered what he should do.

“Toji,” he said breathlessly, his hand still gripping his stomach as he wondered if it was okay to move. Then he scolded himself, of course, it was okay! Pregnant people needed to move around even when they were in labor… “Oh my god, I’m in labor…Toji!”

Panic coursed through him, and any consideration he had for the late hour disappeared when he realized he was In Labor, that he would be having a Baby. And not in the distant future, or the maybe-near-future, or the maybe-tomorrow-or-maybe-next-week future. It was right now.

Gojo moved quickly, feet flying across the hardwood floors faster than they had in months, and he slammed open their bedroom door, hand slapping the wall in search of the light switch. Toji jolted awake before he managed to find it, the room was blindingly bright when Toji groggily sat up in bed, blankets pooling around his waist as he stared up at Gojo without comprehension. Gojo slapped his arm a few times out of urgency, but the words ‘I’m in labor!’ wouldn’t come for some reason.

Toji blinked up at him, eyeing the hand Gojo had around his middle and then at his wet pajama pants before his eyes widened in sudden realization.

“Oh shit,” he mumbled, grabbing Gojo’s hand and pulling him gently onto the bed next to him. “Did it just happen?”

“Yes!” Gojo hissed, though he went down easily enough. He’d been standing for longer than he usually did nowadays and moving quickly had also fatigued him. “We need to go! Call Shoko!”

“Hush,” Toji said, putting an arm around Gojo’s shoulders and nuzzling his hair.

Gojo felt some of the tension leave his body, though the dull ache in his lower stomach remained, reminding him that it was Time!

“How many contractions did you have?” Toji asked, lips pressed against his hair.

“Uh, one?” Gojo answered. “It happened just now… don’t we need to get going?”

“Yeah,” Toji sighed. “But it’s-” he turned to check the alarm clock beside their bed. “- three thirty in the morning, and it’ll be a while before your body is ready to give birth. We should time the contractions though… didn’t Shoko give you a book about this?”

“… I didn’t read about this part,” Gojo admitted sheepishly, turning his face to the wall and studying the interesting uniformity of the white paint. “I figured I’d head up to the school and worry about it then.”

Toji snorted but patted Gojo’s side. “I’ll give her a call, she’s probably still up anyway.”

“Probably,” Gojo said, leaning back against the bed, one hand propping him up while the other still curled protectively around his middle. “Ugh, why’d this have to happen so early in the morning?”

“Looks like our kid is just as dramatic and troublesome as you are,” Toji snickered, patting Gojo’s head before standing up to grab his phone.

Gojo sighed, wincing as his muscles tightened up, and leaned farther back against the bed. He breathed out slowly, trying to remember all the lessons he’d endured about breathing. The breathing worked to relax him, better than he’d planned since he found himself blinking awake thirty minutes later, another contraction rolling through him and waking him up.

“Hey,” Toji whispered, his face hovering over Gojo’s as he set a pile of clothing next to Gojo’s head. “Got someone from the school to pick us up. I already have the kids ready in the car, get dressed and we’ll head out.”

“Huh?” Gojo said, wincing as he pushed himself up. Toji wrapped his arms around Gojo’s waist and pulled him to his feet, the alpha helping Gojo out of his pajamas and into a loose-fitting sweater, just big enough to fit his sizeable stomach, and a pair of stretchy sweats.

“Shoko is up,” Toji explained. “And waiting for us at the school. Yaga agreed to watch after the kids, so they’ll be staying with him in the dorms until the baby’s born.”

“Oh, okay,” Gojo said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he lifted his leg and watched Toji stuff his feet into the thickest pair of socks he owned. “Is it really cold outside or something?”

“It’s snowing,” Toji snorted. “And it’s early morning in November. Yes, it’s cold.”

“At least it won’t be another December birthday,” Gojo joked. “Already three of us in one month.”

Toji only shook his head, but Gojo was pleased to see the smile on his face. It made him feel a little better, seeing his alpha so calm and happy. The pain was still there, dull and insistent around his belly and between his legs, but he didn’t feel scared.

“Let’s go,” Toji said, holding out his hand.

Gojo took it gladly and followed him out the door.

“Shokooooo,” Gojo whined as he plopped down onto the hospital bed Shoko had acquired from somewhere. If she actually bought it, he hoped she billed the Gojo Clan for the expense.

“Gojo,” Shoko replied, her voice a dull monotone as she pulled out a bag full of tubes and syringes. Her eyebags were more prominent than usual and her hair pulled up in a messy bun. “Have you been timing your contractions?”

“Uh,” Gojo said as he laid down and swung his feet up onto the bed. “They’re getting a little faster… every twenty-five minutes?”

“Okay,” she sighed and rubbed her head, desperately looking like she needed to smoke. “I need you to pay attention. First thing, I’m not an expert on any of this so if we start having problems I’m transferring you to a hospital immediately, okay?”

“Ugh, fine,” Gojo rolled his eyes, wincing and breathing through the pain when another contraction rolled through him.

Shoko gave him a look but made a note of the time.

“Two, this is going to take a long time,” Shoko told him. “You need to be dilated at least ten centimeters before you can give birth. You’re a new omega, and this is your first kid. We could be here a very… very long time.”

“I’ll be done in less than an hour!” Gojo said with a wide grin. He was just trying to rile Shoko up now, and he laughed when he saw the annoyed look on her face.

“Try twelve hours,” Shoko shot back. “If we’re lucky. And don’t interrupt me.”

“Right, right, okay,” Gojo said, resting his head back against the pillow. “Go on.”

“Three, I’m going to place some monitors on your stomach and check on the baby every half hour or so. If I get tired and lay down, I want you to pay attention to the machines. Anything weird, you call me.”

“Uh huh,” Gojo nodded. “Real question though, can I watch TV in here?”

“Take this seriously!” Shoko groaned before throwing a plastic glove at him. Gojo caught it with an explosion of laughter, though a wince of pain cut him off.

“Another contraction?” Shoko asked, looking startled.

“No, no,” Gojo waved her away. “I’m just sore, laughed too hard, blah blah.”

“Ugh, you’re such a pain. Where’s your boytoy, by the way?”

“Putting the kids in my old dorm room so they can sleep a little longer,” Gojo shrugged. “Yaga’s going to watch them tomorrow.”

“He’s already sweating bullets,” Shoko shared with a conspiratorial grin. “You know how he is about kids, you’re going to have Uncle Yaga knocking on your door with new creepy toys every day now.”

“Ha!” Gojo laughed as he rubbed his stomach, trying to soothe the baby twisting around in there. “I’ll get Tsumiki to tell him they’re ugly, he might even cry.”

“Terrible,” Shoko shook her head at him. “Anyway, that’s it for now. From everything I’ve read, this part is gonna suck and take forever, but it’s important to manage the pain.”

“Ugh, I mean it hurts, don’t get me wrong,” Gojo said with a grimace. “But it’s not like… unbearable or anything.”

Four Hours into Labor

“Fuck!” Gojo yelled between gritted teeth. His contractions were getting stronger, and he was starting to get tired. How much longer was he going to be doing this?

“How’s it going?” Shoko said, her feet propped up on the bed as she peered over her textbook. Gojo was hunched over as he sat with his legs spread, hands firmly grasping a pillow to his chest. He’d already ripped two of them to shreds, and Toji had made sure to get him memory foam pillows after their first feather cleanup.

“Fine!” Gojo yelled at her. “Where’s Toji?”

“Getting me a coffee,” Shoko said, flipping to the next page. “Thought you would have noticed him leaving, he was petting your hair when he said goodbye and everything.”

“Ugh,” Gojo grunted. “It’s hard to keep track of him sometimes. Lack of cursed energy and all that. I have to concentrate if I’m not, ah- shit… ow, ow, ow-“

 “Stop talking and just focus on breathing,” Shoko recommended as she glanced up at the monitors. “And let me know when you want the good drugs.”

“I don’t need them!” Gojo hissed at her, but he took her advice and focused on his breathing. It was basically like meditating, something his family had drilled into his head at an early age, so it was easy to do at least.

“Oi, Shoko, come get your coffee,” came Toji’s voice from the doorway. Gojo glanced up in the middle of his breathing, eyes locked onto the tall figure holding a coffee cup in one hand and a brown paper bag in the other. “Hey Satoru, want a donut?”  

“Yess….” Gojo hissed out, letting go of his pillow so that he could make a grabby hand. “… what kind?”

“Chocolate frosted or jelly,” Toji said as he sat down next to Gojo’s bed.

“Both,” Gojo said, still trying to breathe properly, but food was enough to distract him from the pain for now.

“You’re going to regret it later,” Shoko said as she sipped noisily from her mug.

“Shut up, Shoko,” Gojo said as he stuffed the chocolate donut into his mouth and chewed vigorously. “I’ll regret it now if I don’t eat them, what about that?”

“Well, you’re only dilated about four centimeters, so we have some time I guess,” Shoko mumbled.

Eight hours into Labor

“Looking good!” Shoko said as she looked between Gojo’s legs and gave him a thumbs up. “Eight centimeters now.”

“Ughhhhhh,” Gojo groaned, his head pressed back against the bed while sweat poured down his face. “Why did I think this was a good idea? What the fuck, why do people do this?”

“To continue the human race?” Toji offered, and Gojo glared up at him.

He tried to grip Toji’s hand a little tighter, even putting a little cursed energy into it, but the man remained infuriatingly stone-faced. Dumb alpha with his stupid heavenly restriction.

“Too late to back out now,” Shoko told him as she pulled back. “How are you feeling about pain meds?”

“…fuck, I dunno,” Gojo groaned, gritting his teeth and staring down at the large baby bump under his hospital gown. “H-how much longer do we have to go?”

“Hmmm, the way you’ve been dilating… another hour or two? You’re actually doing much better than I expected,” Shoko said thoughtfully as she sat back down at her makeshift desk. “Once you’re at ten centimeters things will go fast.”

“Oh god, ugh,” Satoru grunted, fingers digging into Toji’s skin and cheap hospital bedding. “A-ask me again in an hour.”

“I can’t give it to you if you’re close to giving birth,” Shoko warned him. “If you make it to nine centimeters in the next hour, you’re doing it without. Just to be safe.”

“Fuck you,” Gojo mumbled. “Can I do just a little?”

“I’ll give you a half dose,” Shoko rolled her eyes, but she shuffled quickly over to her supplies. Probably wanted to drug Gojo before he changed his mind.

“Hey, no shame in easing the pain,” Toji said, drawing his attention back toward him with a brief hand squeeze. Gojo turned his head, eyes squinting, while he tried to ignore another wave of contractions. He opened his mouth to complain again, but the large fingers combing through Gojo’s hair cut him off, nails scratching his scalp in just the right way.

“Ah, keep doing that,” Gojo said as he pressed his head against Toji’s hand, a weak purr bubbling up his throat.

“Of course,” Toji replied. He moved in closer, nuzzling the side of Gojo’s neck carefully as he pet his omega into complacency. Well, until the next contraction hit and Gojo hissed, the purrs abruptly cutting off.

“Here we go,” Shoko said, holding up a syringe full of Gojo’s salvation. “Let’s get this over with. I want you out of my infirmary as soon as possible.”

Ten Hours into Labor

“Push, you fucking idiot!” Shoko yelled, frustration etched into her face alongside dark eyebags. “Come on, we’re almost done!”

Gojo yelled back, his face blazing hot and sweat pouring down his neck. The collar of his hospital gown was soaked with sweat and it had started chaffing his skin, but it was nothing compared to the utter agony of pushing out a baby.

“Keep pushing, Satoru,” Toji said beside him, and Gojo turned his head to glare at the infuriatingly calm alpha.

“Fuck you!” Gojo spat, before turning back to Shoko and continuing his damn breathing. “Don’t… tell me… shit…this is… all…your fault!”

“…right,” Toji sighed, but he held onto Gojo’s hand, which was honestly all that he wanted from his alpha just then.

Gojo was thoroughly sick of this, he was so close to being done, but the baby was taking its sweet time. His mind felt like it was floating, an endless cycle of breathing and pushing and yelling until finally, finally…

“Here we go!” Shoko yelled, looking just as delirious as Gojo felt.

He leaned back, lungs working overtime as he gave the final push, and Shoko delivered his daughter into the world. He held his breath, pain and relief crashing through him, but he waited, wondering when-

Gojo breathed out a sigh of relief when he heard the baby cry, tears sliding down his cheeks as pure joy overrode every other feeling. He was done, it was over, his daughter was here, and she was healthy. Everything that Gojo had been anticipating for the last six months… it felt so surreal now that she was actually here…

“Hey,” Toji said, pressing a quick kiss to Gojo’s forehead to get his attention.

Gojo turned his watery eyes up toward the alpha and blinked through his tears. He saw the smile on Toji’s scarred lips, subtle and gentle, the kind of smile that only appeared when he was genuinely happy. Gojo felt a smile spread across his face in response, unable and unwilling to stop it.

“You did it,” Toji said, pressing another kiss to his cheek before pushing back Gojo’s sweaty bangs.

“Good job, Gojo,” Shoko said, an actual smile on her lips too. It made her look younger, more like she did when they were still in school, and Gojo was happy to see it. But then his eyes locked onto the small bundle in her arms.

He reached out for her automatically, and when she was snuggled up against his chest, Gojo couldn’t help but stare. She was so small, so pink and smushed… it almost felt like she was too small. After all, Gojo had never seen a newborn before, had never held one before, or even seen one up close. He used to think babies were kinda ugly, and he guessed she kind of was, but still she-

“Wow.”

It was all Gojo could think to say as he leaned back against the bed. Shoko was grumbling at him, telling him there was still more to do, lecturing him about umbilical cords and afterbirth and clean up, but Gojo was only half-listening. He could only feel his daughter’s delicate warmth against his chest and the comforting heat of Toji against his side.

He felt another kiss against his cheek, Toji’s fringe brushing against his head as the alpha leaned against him.

“You’re not listening to me,” Shoko sighed after a minute or so. “Well, fine. At least tell me what you’re going to name her. You’ve been keeping it quiet all this time, and I have a bet to win.”

“Huh?” Gojo said, finally dragging his gaze away from his daughter. “Name?”

“I left this one to Gojo,” Toji laughed, his head bumping up against him. “I already got to name Megumi.”

“That was you then?” Shoko asked with an amused grin. Toji shrugged in response. “Well, Gojo? Don’t keep me waiting.”

“Ha!” Gojo exclaimed, though he quieted down when the baby grumbled against his chest, her little arms fidgeting. “Well, I thought about it for a long time, I didn’t want to pick anything too boring or unoriginal. Who wants another kid named Yuki, you know?”

“Wow,” Shoko said, her face blank. “Dunking on other names instead of telling me the one you chose. Nice.”

“Shaddup, I’m getting there,” Gojo pouted. “But yeah, so nothing too boring. And I thought it would be cute to have it start with an M, like Megumi, and… Tsumiki if we’re calling her by her nickname, Miki.”

“Ugh, okay, M name, very cute,” Shoko urged him on. “So… what is it?”

“Masaru!” Gojo said with a smile. He enjoyed the stunned silence this earned him, laughing to himself when he saw Shoko’s expression.

“That’s a boy’s name, you ass!” Shoko shouted, her face the very picture of disbelief.

“It matches Megumi!” Gojo protested, affronted at Shoko’s reaction. “And it sounds like my name too, isn’t it cute? I’m going to use the kanji for ‘Excellent.’”

“Coincidentally also used in the kanji for ‘Superiority.’ And you can just use the female reading for the name, you weirdo,” Shoko argued.

“But then it wouldn’t be an M name!” Gojo protested, affronted that Shoko wanted to change his baby’s name already.

Shoko shook her head and groaned, “I need a cigarette.”

“It’s also used for ‘affectionate’ and ‘devoted,’” Toji said thoughtfully, a finger tapping his chin. “And Masaru is unique for a girl… I think it’s cute.”

“Right?” Gojo said, turning away from Shoko and smiling up at Toji instead. He held his daughter up to his face and nuzzled her gently. “Little Macchan, you’re going to be the best!”

“The best at being a baby?” Shoko said sarcastically. “I can’t believe you’d name her- ugh, you know, whatever. Macchan is cute at least.”

“Macchan is super cute,” Gojo agreed, though once again he only had eyes for his daughter. He traced the lines of her face, studied the whisps of thin black hair, and admired the chubby red of her cheeks. Why was she so fascinating?

“Alright, whatever, I lost the bet to Mei-san, as usual,” Shoko sighed. “Let’s get you cleaned up, the kids have been asking after you.”

“Did she really guess the name?” Toji asked curiously.

“She guessed it was going to be something stupid, so the pot goes to her, I guess.”

“Dad! Gojo!” Tsumiki said, her feet thumping as she ran from the door up to Gojo’s bed. Megumi was right behind her, though at a slower and more cautious speed. His eyes were wide as he examined the piles of strange medical equipment.

“Slow down, kid,” the doctor scolded from her desk, a giant mug of coffee at her elbow as she filled out paperwork. “You need to be more careful, there’s a lot you can knock over in here.”

“Sorry!” Tsumiki chimed, but her eyes locked onto Gojo’s sleeping figure. He was more exhausted than she’d ever seen him before, even during the last month or so when it felt like he complained every day about being tired. Now his hair was limp and dark circles bruised the delicate skin under his eyes. But Tsumiki thought, even in his sleep, Gojo looked more at peace than she’d ever seen him before.

“Psst.”

Tsumiki turned her head, eyes widening when she saw Toji hovering over a little bed on the other side of the room.

“Over here,” he said, waving them both over with a smile.

Toji looked mostly the same, though maybe a little more tired than usual, and with a little more stubble than she was used to seeing. She grabbed Megumi’s hand and pulled him over, eager to see their new sister.

“She’s so small!” Tsumiki gasped when she finally caught a glimpse. She slowed to a stop when she saw the baby that they’d all been waiting for. Awe overwhelmed her, and she wondered if she would be allowed to hold her.

“Shouldn’t there be another one?” Megumi asked, a frown of confusion on his face. “She’s really small, Gojo was too big for her to be the only one.”

Toji and the doctor snickered softly at Megumi’s words, but Tsumiki swatted him on the shoulder, understanding the rudeness of his question, even if she was kind of wondering the same thing.

“Be nice, Megumi,” Tsumiki said, before turning back to the baby. “Look, it’s our sister! Isn’t she cute?”

“Mmm,” Megumi said, shuffling a little closer to look down at her scrunched-up face. “She’s alright, I guess.”

“What’s her name?” Tsumiki asked their father, turning her head and giving him her best pleading face. They’d kept it secret for so long, and Tsumiki was dying to know what the youngest member of their family was called.

“Masaru,” Toji said with a smirk, eyes drifting to Megumi.

Tsumiki felt her mouth drop open, and she heard her brother groan loudly.

“Why would you do that?” Megumi demanded, pointing an accusing finger at his father. “Is this some kind of weird hobby you have?”

“Wasn’t my idea to name her that,” Toji said, leaning down and ruffling Megumi’s unruly locks. “Take it up with Satoru.”

“Oh… then did Megumi’s mom come up with his name?” Tsumiki asked curiously, eyes darting between the two. She wasn’t sure if he would answer, Toji didn’t really like to talk about Megumi’s mother that often, but it was always interesting when he did.

“Nah, that was my idea,” Toji snorted, grinning down at Megumi when he let out a squawk of indignation. “Figured I’d let Gojo name this one though. We’ve been calling her Macchan.”

“Oh, that’s cute,” Tsumiki said, slightly mollified hearing the nickname. Still, Megumi already had it bad, and she knew girls could be a lot worse about weird stuff than boys ever could. “But why’d you give Megumi a girl’s name? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of another boy named Megumi. Or a girl named Masaru. It’s a little weird.”

“Hmm,” Toji hummed, leaned back from where he’d been hovering over Macchan, and stared thoughtfully up at the ceiling instead. “Well, I guess I wasn’t thinking about whether he was a boy or a girl. I just thought he was a blessing, so that’s what I named him.”

Tsumiki smiled at the kind words and elbowed a blushing Megumi in the side. He remained silent, however, and stared down at Macchan instead. Tsumiki knew that her brother would rather die than admit it, but Toji showing how much he cared meant the world to him. Maybe one day Megumi would forgive him for leaving...  

“So, when do I get to hold her?” Tsumiki asked, eager to dispel the slightly awkward silence that followed Toji’s words.

“Let her rest for now,” the doctor interrupted from across the room. “Both her and Gojo. It’s been a long day for everyone.”

Tsumiki pouted, but she didn’t voice her complaints. It had been a long day. Toji had woken them up before dawn, and it was almost dinnertime now. She thought it was pretty lucky for it to happen so early, otherwise she might have been at school during the whole thing, only finding out later that Gojo was finally having the baby.

“Do we have to leave?” Megumi asked, his eyes drifting between their little sister and Gojo. Tsumiki was a little surprised to see it, but maybe he was more worried than he’d let on. Megumi had seemed normal when they were hanging out with Gojo’s old teacher, Mr. Yaga, but he could be hard to read sometimes.

“Mm… Megumi? Tsumiki?”

Tsumiki whipped her head around, surprised to see Gojo already stirring in his bed. He blinked his wide blue eyes open, the color still mesmerizing to her after so many months, and she wondered if the baby’s eyes would look the same.

“Hi Gojo!” Tsumiki said, waving her hand, but she paused before walking over to him. There were a lot of tubes and wires around him, and the doctor’s first warning was still ringing in her head.

“C’mere,” he said, waving them both over with a sleepy smile on his face. “Did you see your sister yet?”

“Yeah,” Megumi said as he trotted over, a pout on his face as he leaned up against Gojo’s bed. Tsumiki followed behind and took the spot next to her brother. She stared at Gojo’s stomach, now flat, and really wondered what else could have been in there besides the baby. His belly had been firm, it couldn’t have just been air!

“But do you want to see her up close?” Gojo asked, a knowing smile on his face. Tsumiki nodded quickly, eager to look and touch before they were sent away.

“Why’d you name her Masaru?” Megumi demanded before Tsumiki had a chance to say yes aloud.

“It’s cute!” Gojo said cheerfully, hand reaching out to muss up Megumi’s hair even more than Toji had. “Don’t sweat it, Megumi. Toji, hand her over!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Tsumiki turned her head and watched as Toji carefully plucked her little sister from her bed. If she looked small before, now she looked impossibly tiny in her father’s gigantic arms. Toji was good at holding her though. He didn’t look uncomfortable or anything, not like strangers Tsumiki had seen in public when they were suddenly handed a baby.

He gently placed her sister in Gojo’s arms, and Tsumiki watched as a warm glow spread over Gojo’s pretty features. Whatever fatigue she’d noticed before seemed to fade away, and instead there was only a quiet happiness that drew Tsumiki closer.

“Here,” Gojo said after cradling Macchan for a moment. He leaned in toward them, eyes beckoning. The two of them shuffled closer, Tsumiki following Megumi and peaking over his shoulder at the baby in Gojo’s arms.

“She’s really pretty,” Tsumiki said quietly, admiring the tiny hands, the fluffy whisps of black hair already growing on her head, and the roundness of her little baby cheeks.

“She’s okay,” Megumi said, but the quiet look of awe on his face didn’t fool Tsumiki for a second.

Gojo just laughed softly before pulling away and leaning back against the bed.

“You’re a big brother now, Megumi,” Gojo said. “You’re going to have to look after her. You too, Tsumiki.”

“Yes,” Tsumiki agreed. “Of course!”

“Yeah, I can do that,” Megumi said with a nod. He was looking down at Macchan more seriously now, and Tsumiki had to stifle a giggle.

“C’mon,” Toji said, placing a hand on both their shoulders. “You’ll get to look at her some more later. Let’s get dinner for you guys.”

“Okay,” Tsumiki said. “And I can definitely hold her, right?”

“Don’t worry, Miki-chan!” Gojo said brightly, his face lit up by the late afternoon sun. “We have all the time in the world.”

Six Months Later

“Tsumiki-chan! Megumi-chan! Don’t go too far!” Gojo shouted, trying to make himself heard over the other children screaming in the park. Tsumiki turned back and gave Gojo a little wave before grabbing Megumi and pulling him toward the swings. “… well, I’ll see them in a few hours.”

Gojo sighed and sat back down onto their picnic blanket, the red and white tartan looking especially nice against the bright green grass. He hummed a little, soothing the baby strapped to his front as she slapped his chest. Probably looking for lunch.

“Yes, yes, Macchan,” Gojo cooed, tapping his daughter’s tiny nose before reaching into her baby bag. He’d prepared a few bottles before leaving the house, and he wasn’t surprised his hungry girl was already asking for one. Hopefully he’d brought enough, he really didn’t want to breastfeed in public…

“Ah- Satoru?”

Gojo stiffened at the sound of that familiar voice. It couldn’t be him, what were the chances? But Gojo turned his head, already knowing who he would see.

“… Suguru,” Gojo said faintly, eyes wide as he stared at his best friend’s achingly familiar face. It was comforting to see the same incredulous surprise reflected back at him, and Gojo’s eyes drank in the soft, casual look his friend was sporting. A warm-looking purple sweater, dark-wash jeans, and black sneakers, his hair pulled back into the half-bun he seemed to favor nowadays.

“Ah, it’s been a while,” Suguru continued awkwardly, a disgustingly polite smile on his face. It was the one Suguru used whenever he was in an uncomfortable situation, and Gojo hated that it was directed at him now.

“Yeah,” Gojo said, not sure what else to say.

Suguru hadn’t intended to bump into him, that much was obvious, and considering the two pint-sized pink and purple jackets he was clutching, he wasn’t even in the park for his own enjoyment.

Gojo jumped and looked down when he felt his daughter slap her hand against his chest again, an insistent whine spilling from her lips as she shifted in his grasp.

“Ah, sorry, sorry,” Gojo muttered and finally pulled his hand from the supply bag. He shook the tiny bottle, eyes glancing back at Suguru’s shocked face, before holding it up to his daughter’s lips.

“… a lot has changed since I last saw you,” Suguru continued, edging closer to Gojo’s picnic blanket, though he kept a respectable distance. That was probably a good thing, Gojo was feeling a little territorial, and he wasn’t sure what he’d do if Suguru entered his space uninvited, even though he was a beta.

It was strange to think that way, when once there was no one in the world closer to him than Suguru, his one and only best friend, but the world had changed so much and in so many strange ways recently, what was one more thing?

“Yeah…” Gojo sighed, watching as his daughter gulped down her lunch. “Ugh, alright, this is getting awkward. If you really want to talk and catch up just… sit over there.”

Gojo pointed to the corner of the blanket, only a few feet away. It wasn’t directly in front of Gojo or next to him, so hopefully it wouldn’t be too awkward. But then Suguru gently settled down onto the blanket, his shoes barely touching the tartan blanket as he settled the jackets in his lap, and Gojo realized that it was always going to be awkward, wishing otherwise was futile.

“So, how’d that happen?” Suguru asked, nodding toward Macchan. “And, uh, I’m pretty sure you were an alpha last I saw you.”

Gojo studied Suguru’s face, eyes tracing the familiar features, and wondered how he always managed to have such a good poker face. The awkwardness and tension were still there in his posture, in his voice, in the way his hands gripped the tiny jackets, but his face was deceptively placid. Gojo noticed he looked healthy too, full of life the way it hadn’t been during their final year of school… best not to think too hard about that, however.

“Yeah, well, stuff happened,” Gojo shrugged, pulling the bottle from his daughter’s lips and waiting to see if she whined for more. When she didn’t, he stuffed the empty bottle back into his baby bag and grabbed a towel instead.

“I can see that,” Suguru said, a fond smile spreading across his lips as he watched Gojo skillfully burp his child. “…are you happy then?”

Gojo paused at this question, wondering what Suguru meant by it, before realizing he was being a little ridiculous.

“Yes, I think I am,” Gojo said after a long moment of silence. He stared down at his daughter, now fed and comfortable in his arms. His attention shifted to Megumi’s cursed energy blazing on the other side of the park and then settled briefly on two unfamiliar energy signatures, probably Suguru’s companions.

“And you?” Gojo asked when he turned his attention back to Suguru.

Suguru looked taken aback, but he quickly smiled again, soft and gentle in that special way Gojo was used to. “Yeah, I think I am too.”

And Gojo believed him. More than that, he was happy for him. Gojo would never understand the tangled web of emotions inside his own chest, would he? At least… not when it came to Suguru.

“My only regret was leaving you behind,” Suguru continued, thoughtfully, and Gojo felt a lump growing in his throat. Were they really going to talk about this?

“Ugh, fuck you,” Gojo said, rolling his eyes. But the bitterness was noticeably absent from his voice and from the smirk on Suguru’s face, it was pretty obvious. “I mean, obviously it wasn’t great after you left, but… you had more going on than I realized. I’m just sorry I couldn’t help you back then.”

“You were dealing with your own problems,” Suguru told him with a quiet sigh and a half-hearted shrug. He was looking over at the playground, at the two sorcerer girls playing on the slide, and Gojo wondered if they were the girls from the village. They probably were. “I never expected…never wanted you to solve all of my problems. The world already asks too much of you.”

“I guess…” Gojo said carefully. “I still feel like I could have done more… I used to think about it all the time.”

“Ah…” Suguru said awkwardly, glancing away from his girls and back at Gojo. He chewed his lip thoughtfully. “Satoru… I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but everything that happened, it wasn’t really about you, or about our friendship. You know that, right?”

“Haa?” Gojo said, squinting at Suguru and trying to understand. “Okay, not about me, sure. Even after your whole speech thing- ugh, you know what, fine. Not about me, I get that. It’s about… sorcerers, right? About how we’re being chewed up and spat out at record speed?”

Suguru snorted, “Yeah, I guess if you want to put it that way. But what I mean is… even if you could have helped me, it would have just delayed the inevitable. Jujutsu society, the world, me—all those things would still be the same. So don’t beat yourself up about it, I mean it.”

Gojo sighed and looked away. “That’s a bleak way of looking at it, but I guess… I’ll have to take your word for it. Maybe I should even thank you.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, it got me thinking,” Gojo said thoughtfully, fingers tapping out a steady rhythm against his daughter’s back. “About things that need to change. I’m going to try it my own way though… sorry.”

“I’ll wish you luck then,” Suguru told him sincerely with that same little smile.  

“I wish I could say the same,” Gojo replied, a frown tugging at his lips. “Well… anyway, onto less depressing things. Guess what I named my daughter?”

Suguru laughed at the change of topic, but he looked curiously down at the little bundle in Gojo’s arms and shifted closer to get a better look. A tuft of Macchan’s unruly black hair was poking up from under her blanket, her long eyelashes fanning delicately over chubby cheeks.

“Hmm, she’s very pretty,” Suguru complimented. “Mayumi? That’d be a cute name for a girl.”

“Shit, that’s a good one,” Gojo mumbled under his breath. Leave it to Suguru to pick out a girl’s name that starts with an M and shares a character with Tsumiki’s name too. “Nah, I went a little more original.”

“Then I won’t bother guessing,” Suguru laughed again. “What’s her name?”

“Masaru!” Gojo said with a grin. He lifted Macchan to his face and nuzzled her gently, ignoring the dumbfounded look on Suguru’s face.

“… you can’t be serious,” Suguru choked. Wow, that was an interesting shade of red.

“Super serious,” Gojo said. “We call her Macchan though.”

Suguru was pinching the skin between his brow, and it really felt like Gojo was back in high school again. All they needed were some shitty uniforms and it would be like they never left. Well, the baby kind of ruined the illusion, but whatever.

“Oh my god,” Suguru muttered. “What about the other parent… does, uh, he? She?”

“He,” Gojo said, sticking out his tongue at Suguru. “And he named his son Megumi, so honestly I think Masaru isn’t that bad.”

“… right,” Suguru sighed. “I’m not even going to… ah, sorry, I think the girls are ready to go.”

Gojo looked up and saw the two girls from before waving at them. Suguru stood up carefully and fixed the picnic blanket before stepping back onto the grass.

“It was good to see you, Satoru,” his best friend said with one last smile thrown over his shoulder.

“You too,” Gojo returned with a matching smile, realizing he actually meant it and feeling lighter than he had in years.

“We’re back!” Gojo yelled when he stepped through the door. Tsumiki and Megumi had already gone ahead of him, shoes carelessly stowed away near the entrance. Gojo smiled to see it, happy that his kids were acting like children instead of little adults for once. He kept a steady hand on his daughter’s sling while he kicked off his own shoes and dropped their bags onto the floor.

“Welcome back,” Toji greeted as welcomed them at the door. His hair was mussed and his eyes were sleepy, Gojo must have interrupted a nap.

He grinned and walked up to the alpha, wrapping an arm around the older man’s neck and nuzzling his chin. Toji huffed with amusement and wrapped his arms around Gojo, engulfing him in his warm, sleepy scent.

“How was the park?” Toji mumbled before lifting one hand and gently rubbing their daughter’s head. She cooed and gazed up at her fathers with bright blue eyes. Similar to Gojo’s but without the ethereal glow his Six Eyes tended to have.

“Hmmm, it was interesting,” Gojo said after a moment. “The kids had fun.”

“That’s good-“

“Hey, Toji,” Gojo cut him off, and Toji looked taken aback, but waited for him to continue with an amused look on his face.

Gojo thought carefully about what he wanted to say. The meeting with Suguru hadn’t been life-changing or anything, but he’d come to a few realizations, regardless.

“I love you,” Gojo said with a large grin. “You know that, right?”

He enjoyed the soft blush that spread across Toji’s cheeks, his alpha’s eyes darting to the side as he coughed awkwardly.

“Um, yeah, I kind of figured,” Toji said slowly, his eyes straying back to Gojo’s face, his expression an amusing mix of confusion and affection. “…I love you too.”

“Heh heh, that’s good,” Gojo purred as he leaned in, kissing Toji’s jaw all the way down to his useless scent glands. “Shoko says my body is gearing up for another heat soon, we should have another kid.”

Toji choked this time, his face going red as he stared down at Gojo in disbelief.

“W-what?” Toji stuttered, and Gojo enjoyed how flustered his normally stoic alpha was acting, a rare delight. “Satoru, what the fuck?”

“Yeah,” Gojo said, pulling back a little to tap his chin thoughtfully. “We did a pretty good job with this one, don’t you think?”

“I mean, yeah of course,” Toji said, looking down at Macchan with a fond smile before switching his attention back to Gojo. “But I thought…?”

“I mean, being pregnant was a chore,” Gojo admitted. “But it really only sucked the last few months. Plus I want a bigger family, and Macchan needs someone closer to her age, don’t you think? Megumi is seven years older than her, and Tsumiki is nine years older so-“

“Okay, okay,” Toji said, lifting a hand to cover Gojo’s mouth and shaking his head. “I get it… I think. But we’ll need a bigger apartment if you want more kids.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll buy us a house,” Gojo countered, pleased that Toji was agreeing with him. “As long as you’re there with me to fill it up.”

“Of course, but please stop talking… for my health,” Toji sighed, his face still tinged red, before he leaned in and silenced Gojo with a kiss.