Chapter Text
Come Saturday, the case was three days old and Satoru was nowhere near the station.
Miraculously, Megumi had not only agreed to let Satoru meet Yuuji, but he had gone so far as to suggest inviting him to their monthly zoo visit.
If Satoru were to be honest, he’d already liked Yuuji before he’d even met him. How couldn’t he when Megumi had smiled as he’d briefly told Satoru about him? Clearly, Yuuji was already dear to Megumi, and Satoru liked him on that principle alone.
Satoru had a tendency to run on his own schedule, but Megumi had made sure that they were at the entrance to the zoo ten minutes before they were supposed to meet Yuuji.
Luckily for them, Yuuji arrived only a few minutes after they did.
“Hey! I hope you weren’t waiting too long for me.” Yuuji greeted, running up to them with a friendly grin.
“Not at all!” Tsumiki reassured with an equally amicable smile.
“Phew,” Yuuji exhaled in relief before he looked up at Satoru and then proceeded to bow. “Hello! My name is Itadori Yuuji! It’s nice to meet you, Gojo-san!”
Satoru grinned when Yuuji straightened back up, already taken with how bright and earnest the pink-haired boy seemed. He was the exact opposite of Megumi, yet they still managed to complement each other.
Seeing the cherry-blossom pink shade of Yuuji’s hair was interesting, considering there weren’t many people who had that color naturally. Satoru doubted the kid dyed it; he was a little young for that. In fact, the only other person with pink hair that Satoru knew was…
“It’s nice to finally meet you too, Yuuji-kun. Megumi and Tsumiki have told me so much about you.” Satoru laughed, making Megumi turn red and Tsumiki’s smile grow.
“Really?!” Yuuji’s eyes widened in disbelief, looking thrilled at the revelation. “What kind of things?” he prompted excitedly.
Any similarities Satoru had made of Yuuji with a certain yakuza who wanted him dead stopped there. There was no way Yuuji could be related to such a man when he was the complete opposite of him.
Satoru was more than happy to oblige Yuuji’s request, talking over Megumi’s attempts to stop him. Yuuji’s responses only matched his energy, and Satoru was already trying to figure out how to steal adopt him. The two of them were getting along like a house on fire, much to Megumi’s chagrin.
Satoru had already bought their tickets while they’d been waiting for Yuuji, so all they had to do was show them for admittance and enter the zoo.
The happy, smiley trio of Satoru, Tsumiki, and Yuuji combined with the sole exception of the reserved, placid Megumi made for an interesting group as they navigated through the crowd.
“Fushiguro mentioned that you come here once a month?” Yuuji prompted, looking up at Satoru.
“Yup, we have a whole itinerary we follow and everything.” Satoru hummed.
As if to contradict him, instead of going down the path that led to the reptile house, Megumi stopped and jerked a thumb in the opposite direction.
“Let’s go this way,” Megumi said.
Satoru blinked in surprise, sunglasses sliding down his nose a little, but he and the kids followed Megumi. The black-haired boy led them to the big cat exhibit, specifically the tigers. Satoru wondered why Megumi would take them here first, especially considering how much the boy disliked changes in routine.
“Wow! Look at the tigers! They’re so much bigger in person! They look so cool! Fushiguro, are you looking?” Yuuji cried out in excited glee, his entire face lit up as he dragged Megumi with him by the hand so that they could get closer to the glass.
Megumi hid a pleased smile as he let himself be tugged along.
Finally, it clicked for Satoru.
The white-haired man looked at Tsumiki, jaw dropped and eyes wide. She simply smiled serenely, and Satoru realized this was what she’d meant earlier. Yuuji was definitely a sweet boy, and now Satoru could see that he’d managed to be one of the few that Megumi had completely accepted into his small circle of people he cared about.
Megumi’s devotion was a quiet but powerful thing, and Satoru could only hope Yuuji would appreciate it.
After they finished looking at the tigers, they began with Megumi’s itinerary. This meant they saw the reptile exhibit containing a large albino python, the amphibian house next door with all of the frogs Megumi had not-so secretly named, the bird sanctuary where the four of them took selfies, and the section that had all the steer animals including oxen before they finally decided to take a break for lunch.
“Let’s sit over there.” Tsumiki suggested, pointing at a shaded spot underneath a large tree.
“Good eye, Tsumiki!” Satoru praised, patting her head and letting the sound of her giggle settle into his ears. “Why don’t I set up while you kids go buy lunch?” He suggested, reaching into his pocket to pull out his wallet.
“Oh, I probably should’ve mentioned this earlier, but I kinda made us food.” Yuuji piped up, looking bashful. “I got all excited because this is my first time going on an outing like this and I think I maybe went a little overboard.” He laughed as he unzipped his backpack and showed the plethora of onigiri and giant bottles of barley tea he had inside. “It’s all homemade, so I hope it tastes okay…”
“Yuuji-kun, you’re a literal angel and sunshine personified.” Satoru swooned, clasping his hands together. He was very, very close to just saying fuck it and stealing Yuuji to bring him into his little horde.
Yuuji blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. Megumi was being very unsubtle in how hard he was trying not to look at his friend.
Tsumiki helped Satoru set up their blankets and then Yuuji with doling out their picnic spread.
“Itadori-kun, you have to give me the recipe for these later. They’re so good!” Tsumiki praised, eyes sparkling as she munched on her onigiri.
“They were super easy to make; I’m sure even Fushiguro could do it.” Yuuji replied brightly, already beginning to list off the ingredients.
Megumi let out a little huff at the jab, and Satoru couldn’t help the fond smile that overtook his face as he watched the kids.
After lunch, they resumed following their itinerary with Tsumiki’s favorite animal: the elephants. Satoru took a very amusing video of Yuuji imitating a trumpeting elephant that had Tsumiki keeled over in laughter while Megumi rolled his eyes and hid another smile.
After the elephants, it was time to see Satoru’s favorite animals: the swans.
“Why do you like swans so much, Gojo-san?” Yuuji questioned as they looked over the railing into the pond. Tsumiki and Megumi had left with Satoru’s coin purse to get them all some drinks.
“Hm, I don’t know. They’re pretty to look at, I suppose. And they’re quite romantic,” Satoru answered with a considering hum. “Did you know that swans mate for life? They fall in love only once, and that love remains until even after death.”
Yuuji was awed by the fact, and he looked at the swans with a new fascination. “That is really romantic. Kinda sucks though. What happens to the swans when they lose their partner? Won’t they be really sad?” he frowned.
This was all hitting a little too close to home for Satoru, and he had to clear his throat.
“Yeah, they probably do get really sad.” Satoru agreed, searching for a particular set of swans before pointing at the only black and white pair. “There, do you see those ones?”
Yuuji squinted before zeroing in on the swans Satoru was talking about. “Yeah,” he nodded.
“Well, those two have been mates for fifteen years now.” Satoru revealed. “I found out when I asked one of the zookeepers a while back.”
“No way! Their relationship is older than me!” Yuuji gasped, making Satoru laugh.
“Don’t say that, otherwise you’ll make me feel old!” Satoru teased, gaze sweeping back to the swan pair.
Satoru still remembered the first time he’d come to the zoo, back when he was eighteen and naive. He’d told himself it was just a visit with a friend—a friend he may or may not have been quickly gaining feelings for—but he’d managed to enjoy himself without worrying about the implications for the majority of the trip. And then, his friend had gone and pointed out the black and white swan pair was just like them.
To this day, Satoru will maintain that he had a completely normal reaction to that. (He had not.)
Sue him, Satoru was attached to that stupid pair of swans and always checked to make sure they were okay every time he visited the zoo.
Megumi and Tsumiki finally returned with their drinks, and they decided to move onto the most anticipated portion of the visit: the petting zoo.
“Bunnies!” Yuuji squealed, immediately zeroing in on the fluffy little critters and hopping over. Predictably, Megumi followed.
“The deer are always so sweet,” Tsumiki cooed as she gently petted a doe that came over to her.
“Why am I always running from the goats?!” Satoru complained, lifting his arm up when one of said goats tried to nibble on his sleeve. He escaped over to where the sheep were, sighing in relief and sinking his hands into plush wool as he relaxed with a little lamb.
Twenty minutes later, the group left the petting zoo with their hands washed and cuddled out for the time being.
“I think it’s the perfect time for ice cream, don’t you?” Satoru proposed. “Get me my usual! A triple scoop, extra sauce, fruit-topped, brown sugar cone,” he said as he handed his credit card over to Megumi. “I’ll be over here saving us this bench.”
Megumi tsked. “You just don’t wanna wait in line.”
The line was sizable, and Satoru just flashed him an innocent smile as he shooed them away.
Satoru claimed the bench as promised, stretching his long legs atop it since he knew it was only one large enough to hold the four of them left available. He hummed under his breath, flicking through the pictures he’d been taking from their zoo visit so far and adding cute little stickers to them. He made the selfie he took of himself cheek to cheek with a bunny his home screen.
Satoru was in the process of making his lock screen the picture of the four of them together when he felt it.
Satoru knew the feeling of being watched all too well, especially when there was ill intent fueling the gaze. He straightened, keeping the movement casual and making it seem like he was stretching as he surveyed the area around him from behind his sunglasses.
Even considering the fact that there were so many people, Satoru usually didn’t have this much trouble trying to locate someone amiss in the crowd. It meant whoever this was knew how to conceal themselves. They also probably knew exactly where Satoru’s very tiny blind spot was and had adjusted accordingly.
A bead of sweat that wasn’t from the heat trickled down Satoru’s neck. He hadn’t felt this particular prickling in years. The question was whether Satoru was just paranoid, or had the highly unlikely possibility Satoru had been dreading come to pass?
“We’re back with your monstrosity of an order.” Megumi sighed as he and the kids returned, keeping Satoru from getting any further with his train of thought.
“Thanks, Megumin~” Satoru crooned, taking his cone from the boy. He swung his legs over the edge, making room for the kids to sit down on the bench.
“Don’t call me that,” Megumi’s expression soured as he claimed the opposite end of the bench.
“Megumin!” Yuuji repeated with glee as he plopped down next to the other boy. “Please let me call you that too! It’s perfect!” he begged.
“No,” Megumi huffed.
Tsumiki didn’t bother hiding her giggle as she scooted in next to Satoru. “You totally should, Itadori-kun. He’s not actually gonna do anything about it if you do.”
Yuuji’s eyes lit up as Megumi’s scowl deepened.
Thankfully, the sugary treat and seeing the kids banter helped Satoru’s nerves—they always tended to, but Satoru was still tempted to call it a day. However, he knew Megumi wouldn’t forgive him if they left without seeing his favorite animals. The boy always liked to leave them for last.
So, they enjoyed their ice creams and then headed for the wolf enclosure. Now, Megumi loved all animals, and he definitely had his favorites, but nothing compared for the affection he held toward anything lupine.
Satoru could tell that Yuuji understood this, because when Megumi was unreservedly telling the other boy not just about wolves but specifically these wolves that he’d spent so much time watching and studying, Yuuji’s responding enthusiasm was gentle and receptive, listening intently to every word. It was a stark contrast to his loud and boisterous responses to the animal trivia Megumi had been feeding him all day.
Satoru wasn’t going to lie, seeing them together had his chest bursting with a tenderness he hadn’t felt this strongly in a while. It made him feel equally as fragile as it did touched. Satoru wanted to protect them—wanted to protect this budding affection between these two kind, innocent boys so that the world couldn’t hurt them the way it had hurt him and…
Tsumiki slipped her hand into Satoru’s, giving it a squeeze as she looked up at him with a light, reassuring smile.
“Good?” Tsumiki whispered questioningly.
Satoru wiped off whatever emotion must’ve shown on his face, replacing it with a grin as he swung his and Tsumiki’s hands around and made her giggle.
“Good,” Satoru replied with an equally soft tone. He was supposed to be the adult here, but somehow Tsumiki always seemed to have the emotional intelligence to know what was wrong and she would unfailingly try her best to fix it.
Satoru truly didn’t deserve her or Megumi, but he had them now and he would make sure that nothing would ever happen to them.
Megumi and Yuuji returned to Satoru and Tsumiki, marking the end of their visit to the exhibits. They made their way to the exit, but before they hit the gates, both Yuuji and Megumi stopped.
“I’m going to go to the gift shop real quick! Pardon me!” Yuuji blurted before running off.
“That guy…” Megumi’s brow furrowed. “I’m going, too.” He declared before stalking off as well.
Satoru decided to wait outside, he could see clearly into the gift shop and wouldn’t be able to lose sight of the boys, so he would give them these few minutes of semi-privacy.
“You should go too, Miki.” Satoru nudged the girl. “Pick out whatever you want. It’s on me, of course.”
“No, thanks.” Tsumiki shook her head, keeping her small hand clasped in Satoru’s larger one. “I want to stay with you for now, Gojo-san.”
Satoru felt his chest tighten again, and he squeezed Tsumiki’s hand. “Alright, then. Whatever you want,” he repeated in a softer tone.
When Megumi and Yuuji returned, both of them were lit up and had blushes high on their cheeks. Yuuji’s smile was as bright as the sun whereas Megumi’s was gentler but no less radiant, much like the moon. The way they complemented each other was starting to get ridiculous, and Satoru didn’t know how much more of this he could take.
“So, Yuuji-kun, what did you end up getting?” Satoru prompted curiously.
“We got each other matching charms!” Yuuji replied brightly, brandishing the cute little tiger charm that Megumi had bought him hanging off his phone.
Satoru’s grin was an excited, teasing thing, honing in on the already bristling Megumi.
“Me-gu-mi-chan~” Satoru sang, “won’t you show us what Yuuji-kun so thoughtfully got you in return?”
Megumi crossed his arms, scowling so impressively that he could give Kento a run for his money.
“Oh, c’mon, show them! I found you the coolest one and everything!” Yuuji pouted, turning puppy eyes onto the black-haired boy.
Of course it would be Yuuji that got Megumi to cave. He sighed, taking out his phone and letting Satoru and Tsumiki ogle the wolf charm that dangled off his device.
Ugh, they’re too precious. Satoru thought, taking in a deep breath. However, Satoru being Satoru, opened his mouth and said everything but the true thoughts on his mind.
“Megumi, how could you?! After all the times I brought you to the zoo, you’ve never bought anything for me!” Satoru cried, an arm going to cover his eyes as he sniffled dramatically. “Does my love and hard work mean nothing to you?!”
Tsumiki and Yuuji both started to giggle, and Megumi let out an aggravated grumble.
“Okay, that’s it, we’re going.” Megumi grabbed Yuuji’s wrist and started to drag them off, not wanting to deal with Satoru’s teasing.
Normally, Satoru would let them be, give Megumi a few minutes away from his overbearingness. However, after the uneasy feeling of being watched earlier, Satoru didn’t want to risk it.
“Now, now, wait for us! We can’t have you wandering off into the parking lot and getting snatched up.” Satoru tutted, ushering Tsumiki along with him by their still-joined grip. Satoru would rather Megumi be annoyed with him than risk any threat to his safety, so he continued on. “Now, Yuuji-kun, I insist we escort you home.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Yuuji tried to assure him.
“It’ll make me feel better seeing you dropped off at your doorstep,” Satoru shook his head. “Chalk it up to the public safety officer in me.”
“If it’s no trouble then…” Yuuji gave in, giving Satoru a small smile.
Even Megumi had perked up, looking forward to spending more time with Yuuji.
If the outing proved anything, it was that Yuuji fit seamlessly into their little trio and that Satoru and Yuuji had truly hit it off. On the bus, the two of them carried conversation with animated gestures and nonsensical trains of thought that had Megumi staring in judgment and Tsumiki observing with fascination.
Satoru was elated with how well he was able to mesh with Yuuji, and he’d go so far as to say the boy reminded him of his coworker Yuu’s infectious, sunny personality. Satoru couldn’t wait to gush to Kento and Yuu about Yuuji when he showed them the pictures and videos he’d taken from today.
The walk to Yuuji’s house was about ten minutes from the bus stop, and the sun was already setting. Satoru got on his phone and ordered a cab so that it would be at Yuuji’s address (which he’d gotten from being a nosy detective with full access to a people finder and hunting down information on Yuuji’s grandfather) by the time they finished dropping him off.
“This is a nice neighborhood,” Tsumiki remarked wistfully as she glanced around. The houses were older and cozy, looking especially more appealing in the golden rays of the setting sun.
Satoru felt a pang of guilt, knowing that she probably wished to live in a house too. He already knew Megumi wished for the same; he’d always wanted dogs but of course Satoru’s apartment didn’t allow them.
The easiest solution was to move. It wasn’t as if Satoru couldn’t afford it, but Satoru couldn’t bring himself to leave the apartment he’d bought with his partner. Part of him still hoped that one day he’d return from work to find his one and only had come back home to him.
“This is it!” Yuuji chirped when they reached his house, drawing Satoru out of his thoughts. “Thank you for letting me come along with you all today. It was super fun and I hope we can do it again!” He grinned, wrapping Tsumiki and Megumi up in a huge hug before giving one to Satoru too.
“Of course,” Satoru smiled down at the boy as he patted his head. “You’re more than welcome to join us going forward if you want, Yuuji-kun.”
Yuuji beamed up at him, waving as he headed up his walkway.
“Bye! See you at school!” Yuuji said before swinging the door open and going inside. They could hear the muffled sounds of him calling for his grandfather.
A few moments later, the cab Satoru ordered turned down the street and Megumi and Tsumiki looked at it in surprise.
“Taxi for Gojo-san?” The driver rolled down the window.
“That’s us!” Satoru confirmed, opening the door so the kids could get in first.
“Is there a reason we can’t take the subway like always?” Megumi questioned warily as the three of them got into the cab.
“Eh, it’s been a long day and I don’t want to deal with the crowds on the way back.” Satoru brushed him off. He wouldn’t admit aloud that he was starting to feel antsy about staying out in public. If they were to get on the train right now, they’d just become sitting ducks if they really were being targeted.
Satoru didn’t relax until they were back at the apartment, and he shooed Megumi and Tsumiki into the living room to go unwind as he heated them up some leftovers for dinner.
It was a calm affair, Satoru less rowdy than usual and content to let Tsumiki and Megumi’s conversation wash over him as they ate.
The wind-down to bedtime passed in a blur, and after the kids had gone off to their respective rooms, Satoru went and plopped down on the couch so that he was facing the front entrance. He didn’t go so far as to keep his gun on him, leaving the firearm secured in his gun safe, but he did keep his phone clenched tightly in his hand and he had Megumi’s baseball bat propped up next to him.
Satoru stayed like that until his phone rang with his morning alarm. Sighing, Satoru rubbed his tired eyes and gathered up the scraps of motivation he needed in order to get off the couch and get ready for the day.
✧•✧•✬•✧•✧
Satoru spent his Sunday with Megumi and Tsumiki, tucked away in their apartment and doing his best to not think about what the next day held. By this point, both of the kids knew the eve of the anniversary was upon them, one of three different days of the year where Satoru would make himself scarce for a period of time only to come back clingier and starved for closeness.
All Satoru had ever disclosed to Tsumiki and Megumi was that the anniversary was of a girl he’d lost during a case. What he didn’t tell them was that while he’d regretted what had happened to her, Satoru didn’t clam up out of grief.
No, the anniversary was the one day a year that he would call Satoru.
The only good thing about it was that the call could only come in on Satoru’s work phone at the station, so he wouldn’t be around the kids when he did receive the call.
Satoru wondered if he could convince Shoko to go out for drinks with him tomorrow night. He could never stand alcohol, but he knew she preferred it. Maybe it would even help them open up to each other again. Satoru missed her.
Thankfully, for today at least, Megumi and Tsumiki were amenable to letting Satoru try to distract them through playing board games and then trying and somewhat succeeding at a new recipe for cookies.
The day passed too quickly for Satoru’s liking, and he found himself staying behind on the couch again when Megumi and Tsumiki retired to bed.
Megumi paused when he saw that Satoru hadn’t moved. “You’re gonna sit there all night again?” the boy asked him.
Satoru propped his cheek on his fist. “Why do you think I didn’t go to bed last night?” he returned.
“Because I didn’t hear your door. Stop being difficult,” Megumi crossed his arms. “What’s wrong? You’re not usually this worked up.”
“You know,” Satoru waved his hand in a vague motion, “the anniversary is coming up. That’s all. Just a little jumpy.”
Megumi narrowed his eyes at the white-haired man, and in that moment, he looked like the spitting image of him. Granted, a miniature, spiky-haired version, but still close enough that Satoru felt his brow twitch.
“If you say so,” Megumi finally said. “Goodnight. Try to get some sleep this time.” He sighed as he turned and went down the hallway.
“Goodnight,” Satoru echoed as Megumi’s door closed shut. He sighed as he leaned back into the couch cushions, staring up at the ceiling.
It had been a good weekend all things considered. Satoru always treasured the time he was able to spend with the kids.
Tomorrow was going to be a long day, Satoru just knew it. He could only hope that his break away from work would lead to an actual break in the case. He could already hear the earful he was going to get from Yaga for not checking in with any progress. However, the fact that the older man hadn’t blown his phone up meant that he didn’t mind allowing Satoru the reprieve and was dealing with the heat from upstairs in the meanwhile.
Not to mention, Satoru never did like having to talk to him, even if it was just over the phone.
Deciding to follow Megumi’s advice, Satoru allowed himself to rest his eyes and try drifting off.
Satoru felt like he’d only been dozing for a few moments when his phone rang. He inhaled sharply, picking up the device and staring at the screen. It was midnight on the dot and the caller ID was blocked.
His heart hammered in his throat and his stomach churned restlessly, but Satoru still hit the answer call button as he raised the phone to his ear.
“Hello?”
“It’s been awhile, Gojo Satoru.”