Work Text
how I felt when I saw you—
straight to a new state without passing
through expected ones—as though enough
of me left at the moment you appeared that
I could never be whole without you—apply
heat—I turn straight into ether.- jason schneiderman (sublimation point)
────────────
megumi and nanako's rivalry had begun at the start of the school year, when she'd stolen his black crayon, and, in retaliation, megumi had snipped off a few strands of her hair. that had also been the first time satoru had laid eyes on getou suguru—a stunning man who had burst into the principal's office looking completely flustered and disoriented. after getting his daughter to apologize to megumi, suguru had raised an eyebrow at satoru, as if expecting megumi to do the same.megumi had just smirked at satoru, knowing full well that satoru believed in revenge and karma. if someone wronged you, you wronged them right back.satoru had, of course, lightly smacked the back of megumi's head instead and forced him to apologize to a smug nanako, much to megumi's annoyance.when they’d gotten home, megumi had been furious. he’d stormed off to his room, only reappearing later when tsumiki told him her theory, that maybe satoru had made him apologize because he had a little crush on nanako’s dad.that night, megumi had approached satoru while he was washing dishes, and in a low, serious voice, he’d said, “if you ever marry nanako’s dad, i’m disowning you. i hate nanako, and i’d rather die than live in the same house as her.”so, yeah, satoru’s love life was going to go great.today, nanako had bullied yuji itadori off the swing so she and her sister could use it instead. when yuji went crying to megumi, megumi wasted no time in running over and shoving nanako off the swing. she wasn’t hurt—the swings were low, and she’d barely fallen—but that didn’t stop her from throwing a tantrum to get megumi in trouble.now, gojo satoru sat in the principal’s office, waiting eagerly for suguru to show up.gojo tuned out the principal’s blatant flirting (as an heir to a fortune 500 company, he’d learned to ignore peoples' romantic advances) and shot up from his seat the moment suguru walked in, who looked frazzled as usual. as the class teacher recounted the incident, suguru let out a long, weary sigh."nanako, apologize."nanako sighed. "i’m sorry, yuji... and megumi."yuji clung to gojo’s coat, his face still streaked with tears. gojo absentmindedly ruffled the poor kid’s hair, his mind wandering as he wondered if suguru had gotten a haircut recently. he looked gorgeous, even in the middle of all this chaos."ahem?"gojo blinked, snapping out of his thoughts to find seven faces staring at him, one of them silently pleading with wide eyes not to make him apologize. gojo sighed, rolling his eyes, and gave megumi a gentle push toward a smug nanako."i’m sorry, nanako," megumi mumbled under his breath.the principal sighed heavily. "this is your last warning. i’ve let ten fights slide already. i can’t excuse any more.""what happens if they mess up again?" suguru asked, his low voice making gojo’s heart skip a beat."i’ll be forced to suspend them," the principal said with a casual shrug.gojo blinked again, this time fully snapping out of his stupor, turning to her with an offended look. "they’re 10-year-olds! suspend them? what are you talking about?"at gojo’s sudden outburst, the principal faltered, her earlier confidence slipping. “w-well, maybe not suspension…”both suguru and satoru stared her down, silent, waiting.“maybe just... a harsher punishment? detention?” she offered weakly, eyes darting between them.satoru glanced down at megumi, who looked horrified at the mere mention of detention. he smirked, then turned back to the principal. “i’ll take it,” he said, casually leaning back before sneaking a look at suguru.damn, suguru’s eyes were incredible.“i’ll take it too,” suguru added with a shrug, his tone smooth and unbothered. they locked eyes for a beat, something unspoken passing between them, before suguru turned away, herding his girls out of the office.satoru’s heart stuttered in his chest, his eyes tracking the flex of suguru’s arm as he reached for the door.god, he really needed suguru to just wreck him—“mr gojo?”satoru blinked, his daydream shattered, as the principal’s voice pulled him back. she was smiling again now, a little too warmly. “if you ever need help with anything, i’m always available,” she said, implication heavy in her 'charming' voice.satoru forced a polite smile, nodding stiffly as he made a quick exit. not a fucking chance.megumi and yuji trailed along behind him, whispering loudly to each other. satoru ignored them in favour of trying to spot suguru and his girls in the parking lot, but when yuji eventually let out a distressed noise, satoru gave up his search for the dark-haired man of his dreams, and turned to face the two kids instead.“what now?” he raised an eyebrow. the pair exchanged a glance.“can i sleep over at your place tonight, mr gojo?” yuji asked, sticking out his bottom lip and widening his eyes in an attempt to look pitiful. satoru sighed, instantly KO’d by yuji’s puppy-dog look. “fine. of course, yuji. why don’t you guys invite nobara too?”yuji cheered, his face immediately lighting up, while megumi gave satoru a small, grateful smile. satoru returned it warmly before narrowing his eyes. “we’re still going to talk about you pushing that poor girl off the swing, though.”megumi groaned dramatically, and yuji giggled.satoru passed his phone to megumi so they could invite nobara, and as he led the kids toward his car, his mind wandered to the inevitable grocery run he’d have to go on now. he could probably drop the kids off at home first, and just let tsumiki babysit for a while. as much as he just loved spending time with them (read: it made him want to jump off a cliff), it was easier to drop them off first—he needed to grab his sticky notes before heading to the store anyway.he grinned to himself at the thought. maybe he could take out his frustration about losing track of suguru into further annoying the mysterious "FrustratedShopperSG," the guy he kept beating to the last everything bagel at the café within the store. he'd already been leaving teasing notes about the man’s ineptness, and today felt like the perfect day to up his game.
────────────
suguru let out a long, exasperated sigh as nanako and mimiko giggled at his frustration. he glanced up at the barista, who just shrugged. “maybe he’s got a faster car than you?”“that’s not the point!” suguru grumbled, running a hand through his hair in frustration. he couldn’t believe he kept missing out on the last bagel at the groucerant. every morning, without fail, he’d see a smug little note left by SonicTheHedgehog (and really, what kind of childish name was that?) taunting him about his timing and speed, or lack thereof.today's note was particularly obnoxious, mocking suguru’s chosen name for their game, FrustratedShopperSG, and suggesting that if he added numbers to it, he’d sound like a weird Reddit user. it also, of course, called him slow. suguru crumpled the note in his fist, feeling a surge of irritation, and shoved it into his pocket.he ordered three muffins instead, and wondered how he could possibly one-up this sonic guy. maybe he’d set an alarm, something early enough to beat the crowd, though that felt a bit extreme for a bagel. he had briefly considered asking the barista to hold one aside for him before, but the guy made it clear that he wasn’t paid enough to indulge in their petty game.“when does he even show up?” suguru had asked once, desperate to catch sonic in the act.the barista had shrugged again. “he’s just always here before you, man. must be fate.”as suguru paid for the muffins, his mind wandered back to everything that had happened at the principal’s office earlier. nanako had gotten in trouble again, but seeing gojo satoru made it... sort of worth it. there was something infuriatingly charming about that man, with his ridiculous confidence and his strange tendency to zone out whenever they made eye contact. suguru caught himself smiling at the memory before shaking his head. he wasn’t about to let some cocky bagel-thief or a ridiculously good-looking guy throw him off his game.
────────────
satoru was more than a little irritated. this time, the bagels had been completely wiped out long before he’d even reached the store. he should’ve grabbed one before browsing the aisles, but he hadn’t wanted to risk getting caught by FrustratedShopperSG mid-victory. still, even in his defeat, he left a cocky note mocking the man’s name and lack of speed, and then ordered a sweet mocha latte to soothe his frustration before heading home.when he walked through the door, he was greeted by the aftermath of what could only be described as a pillow fort apocalypse. the living room was in complete disarray—blankets draped over chairs, cushions everywhere, a toppled lamp in the corner. satoru stared hopelessly at the mess, and silently vowed to never leave the kids alone with tsumiki again, who’d retreated to her room to pass out as soon as satoru had walked through the door."mr gojo, do you wanna come into the fort?" yuji’s head suddenly poked out of the blanket doorway, eyes wide with excitement.before satoru could respond, megumi yanked him back. "no, don’t let him in here, idiot! he’ll ruin it!"satoru narrowed his eyes playfully. "just for that, we’re going to talk about the swing incident right now. come out, gumi."a loud groan echoed from inside the fort, followed by nobara’s gleeful laughter. reluctantly, megumi crawled out, his expression sullen, and he followed satoru towards his bedroom for the inevitable lecture.“so.” satoru crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow.“so.” megumi mirrored him, arms folded, adding a defiant pout.satoru sighed, crouching down to megumi’s eye level. “why on earth are you always picking on nanako, huh? you don’t act like this with any other kid. is it something personal?”megumi shifted uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact for a moment. he glanced up at satoru’s piercing blue eyes, which were filled with genuine concern. after a beat, he spoke up hesitantly.“she’s just... annoying. and bossy. she thinks she can get away with anything because she’s a girl and girls never get accused of bullying.”satoru tilted his head. “you know, you could just ignore her. walk away. that’s what you’ve been doing with bullies since you were a kid.”megumi huffed. “but she doesn’t stop! she gets in everyone’s face. she practically pushed yuji off the swing too, but i’m the only one who got yelled at for it. it’s not fair!”satoru studied him for a moment before raising an eyebrow. “and does getting back at her make you feel better?”megumi frowned, thinking about it. “no,” he admitted after a beat, scuffing the floor with his shoe. “but it feels like if i don’t, she’ll keep winning.” he added with a whine, and satoru sighed. he wondered how he could convince megumi to stop indulging nanako without sounding like a total hypocrite. after all, he was just as relentless in his petty war with FrustratedShopperSG over bagels of all things.like father, like son, he supposed.“alright. let’s just… talk about this in the morning, okay?”megumi looked up, surprised, before shooting satoru a small smile and dashing off to rejoin his friends. satoru rubbed his forehead, and prayed the store café would have a bagel left tomorrow. he would need one desperately to get through the day.his mind drifted back to the early days of his and FrustratedShopperSG's ridiculous game. it had all started so innocently—satoru had spent an entire week taking the last everything bagel from the display, silently thanking his luck everytime. then one day, the barista admitted to him that somehow, he always came into the café just a few minutes before another man (who was apparently just as obsessed with bagels as satoru) would visit the café, and stole that bagel from right under his nose, leaving him endlessly vexxed. satoru, being the little shit that he was, had been delighted by this. he’d immediately asked the barista for a piece of paper, leaving behind the first note:
“better luck next time! :P
- SonicTheHedgehog”
the next day, he took the last bagel again. as he paid, the barista handed him a folded piece of paper with a raised eyebrow.
“This isn’t over.
- FrustratedShopperSG”
...thus their game had begun. and honestly, this ridiculous bagel rivalry was probably the most exciting thing in his life right now—aside from, of course, the ten times megumi had been called to the principal’s office, which had given satoru the perfect excuse for those fleeting yet tension-filled (and no, shoko, he was not imagining the tension) interactions with getou suguru. the day satoru finally lost the bagel to ‘FrustratedShopperSG’ might just be the day he’d have to gather the courage to ask suguru out, because otherwise, he was practically doomed to a life of misery.
────────────
if you asked nanako why she went out of her way to bully megumi gojo and his friends every single day, she’d give you the easy answer: it was hilarious.but the more complicated response? she’d seen the way her dad looked at satoru gojo, and there was no way she was ever going to end up as step-siblings with that black-haired boy. even if his elder sister was cool, and even if satoru gojo was rich and stupidly attractive, nanako refused to let that happen.she’d told mimiko this, and that if she fought with megumi enough, there was no way their dad would ever ask satoru out. after all, if the kids couldn’t get along, how could their dads even think about dating? it was a foolproof plan.mimiko, however, had pointed out that all these fights were just giving suguru and satoru more reasons to interact—and that it might actually lead to them dating faster. nanako had just shrugged her off, refusing to believe it could backfire.she realized now just how wrong she’d been as she stared at their dad’s google search history on the family computer:
gojo satoru
gojo satoru pictures
gojo satoru paparazzi
gojo satoru heir
gojo satoru net worth
how to date rich guys wikihow
am i a bad anti-capitalist if i date a millionaire
“you know, i never realized how rich gojo satoru was,” mimiko said with a shrug.nanako shot her sister a glare. “that’s not the point! this means dad is seriously into gojo satoru. this is bad!”mimiko rolled her eyes. “what can we even do? we’re just kids.”“yeah, but you and i are gonna have to–”“i didn’t mean just us. megumi’s a kid too.”nanako snorted. “what does megumi have to do with this?”“well, i doubt he wants us as his step-sisters, and mr gojo isn’t exactly subtle when he’s eyeing dad either, so…”nanako blinked, then turned to mimiko, her face lighting up. “that’s it! you’re a genius!”“i am?” mimiko titled her head as nanako began cackling near-maniacally.“yes! all we have to do is team up with megumi to keep them apart. of course—" she paused, suddenly grimacing, “—the idea of teaming up with megumi for anything is horrifying, but desperate times call for desperate measures. let’s corner him in school tomorrow!”mimiko sighed. “this is not going to end well.”nanako shot her a determined look, ignoring her sister’s doubt. “it’ll be perfect! he’s gotta hate this just as much as we do.”“or,” mimiko muttered, “he might just hate us so much he will run away the second we try to talk to him.”nanako just rolled her eyes at mimiko’s pessimism. this was going to work. it had to work. she was going to make sure of it.
────────────
of course, mimiko had been right, but there was no time to dwell on that. they had finally managed to corner megumi at the end of the long hallway he’d run off to, and now, panting, they tried to explain the whole situation to him.after a brief moment of consideration, megumi nodded. “alright, i’m in. but what can we even do? i heard dad telling tsumiki his life’s going to be so boring when he loses the last bagel that he might just have to ask out ‘the hot dad from megumi’s school,’” megumi said the last part with air quotes and a disgusted look, which made nanako and mimiko grimace too.“what does the last bagel even mean?” nanako asked, frowning.megumi just shrugged. “who knows? point is, we need to act fast. i do not want to be related to you two.”“trust me, the feeling’s mutual,” nanako said, crossing her arms and glaring at him.“alright, let’s not fight. that’s what brought our dads together in the first place,” mimiko sighed.“so, isn’t the best plan just to avoid each other forever? that way, our dads will never meet again,” megumi suggested. the getou sisters exchanged a glance, then nodded in agreement.“fine. goodbye forever, megumi,” nanako said solemnly, extending her hand for a handshake. megumi just stared at it.“why are you being so sentimental about this? that’s so weird.” he said flatly.nanako’s nostrils flared, but before she could lash out, mimiko quickly dragged her away, waving goodbye to megumi as they walked off.megumi coolly watched them go, shrugged, and went back to yuji and nobara on the playground.
────────────
satoru was suspicious.megumi hadn’t gotten into a single argument with the getou sisters since their little talk. all satoru had given him was a half-hearted lecture about how detention would suck and he’d hate it, so maybe he should stop bullying the girls. but if he’d known this would be the result, well… he wouldn’t have said anything.because satoru missed getou suguru.he miserably chewed on the last bite of the bagel he'd snagged. maybe it was for the best. after all, what if suguru was straight? or worse—what if he couldn’t accept everything about satoru?even today’s note sucked—he just scribbled a, ‘sorry about the bagel. had a shitty day. :( be faster next time’ and went on his way.the next day, though, he was surprised by a shockingly sweet note.
‘Oh… are you okay, Sonic?’
he sighed as he grabbed the last bagel again. ‘yeah thank u for asking :3 sorry about today’s bagel btw im not losing even if u were sweet to me’the day after, another friendly-ish note awaited him.
‘Honestly, I’d be offended if being nice to you was all it took for me to get a bagel.’
satoru giggled, writing back, ‘well, today all the bagels were out, so i didn’t get one either. hope that makes u feel better xoxo.’then, finally—
‘I think the barista’s sick of us. Here’s my number: XXXXXXXXXX.’
satoru squealed.
────────────
everything at school was blissfully normal, forcing satoru to start moving on from suguru, which was more painful than he’d expected. in the meantime, his texts with FrustratedShopper had quickly become the highlight of his mornings. the man was genuinely entertaining, sweet, and, to satoru’s delight, typed like a total DILF. he’d excitedly recounted this revelation to shoko once, only to realize she’d hung up on him the second he started rambling.at least tsumiki was at the age where she loved gossiping with him. while satoru couldn’t exactly tell her how badly he wanted to hook up with FrustratedShopper—his secret being the only thing holding him back—he kept her thoroughly up-to-date with their SFW conversations. tsumiki seemed amused by his new obsession, though she often gave him a look that suggested she saw right through his innocent updates.despite his mature texting style, the man was only five years older than satoru. he also had two daughters—a fact that had immediately reminded him of suguru and his… striking purple eyes… and his big, broad shoulders… and no. satoru had had to physically shake his head to clear the image of suguru from his thoughts. he needed to move on.this, of course, was easier said than done, because exactly one-month-and-a-half after the swing incident came… the right hook incident.
────────────
nanako’s testimony to the principal had been, “really, it was a minor incident. i just lost my temper. you don’t need to call our dads for this—it won’t happen again, i swear.”megumi, on the other hand, had deadpanned, “she broke my nose, but it’s fine. you really don’t have to call our dads. really. please don’t. just make her dad pay for my medical bills—” only to be cut off by nanako’s indignant, “isn’t your dad a millionaire?”, to which megumi had growled in response, and then nanako had bared her teeth like a feral cat, and megumi had promptly threatened to break her teeth, and nanako, without missing a beat, had reminded him of his already broken nose, and really, what could the principal do except just tiredly dial satoru and suguru’s phone numbers?satoru wasn’t sure whether to feel giddy about seeing suguru after almost two months, proud of megumi for not punching a girl back, or disappointed that he’d managed to get into yet another fight.after reviewing the CCTV footage of the altercation, satoru landed firmly on disappointment.“i can’t believe you called her motherless. you’re motherless!”“yeah, but it’s different for her,” megumi mumbled, his arms crossed. satoru dragged his hands down his face in exasperation. beside him, suguru was delivering his own lecture to nanako.“i cannot believe you threw a punch! and with a right hook! this is not why i’m paying for boxing lessons!”“mr gojo, mr getou, please calm down. we need to discuss punishments,” a very exhausted principal called out to them. she hadn’t even flirted with satoru since he’d entered her office, which meant she must be really sick of the kids.“look, i’m giving them both detention today. even though megumi was defending his friend from nanako’s... harsh words—”(she’d called yuji a “pink-haired freak.”)“—i did warn you both about what would happen if they fought for the 11th time. nanako will, of course, formally apologize for breaking megumi’s nose and serve a week of detention.”nanako groaned, but suguru’s sharp glare silenced her immediately.was it wrong that all satoru could focus on was how hot suguru looked when he was mad? probably.“i’d also recommend,” the principal’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, “that the two of you,” she pointed at satoru and suguru, “arrange a supervised playdate for them. maybe if they’re forced to spend time together, they’ll learn to get along. it would certainly help everyone here.”satoru nodded, embarrassed. suguru just sighed, and bowed his head. the pair walked out of the office, and a very stressed looking class teacher escorted the kids to detention.“so…” satoru started off. they stared at each other for a second, before bursting into laughter.“i can’t believe nanako called yuji a jigglypuff,” satoru wheezed, barely catching his breath. suguru, laughing even harder, shook his head.“i can’t believe megumi called her a drowzee dupe. she’s definitely going to make me dye her hair a different color now,” suguru grinned, running a hand through his own hair, while satoru sighed dramatically.“and i can’t believe he made a pokémon joke. i literally raised him on digimon, and now he’s out here calling people drowzee dupes.” satoru moaned, mock-wiping his eyes beneath his sunglasses.suguru chuckled softly. as their laughter died down, a quiet moment settled between them, and when their eyes met, satoru felt a blush creep up his cheeks.“so, i should probably get your number for that playdate, huh?” satoru asked, trying to sound confident, but if he was a teenager right now, his voice might have cracked just then. suguru shot him a knowing smile.“probably. give me your phone.”suguru took the phone, quickly typing in his number, but when he finished, his face went pale. satoru frowned, noticing the sudden change.“is everything good?” he asked, reaching for the phone. suguru wordlessly handed it back, looking as if he’d just seen a ghost.satoru glanced down at the screen—and his jaw dropped.the number was the same as FrustratedShopperSG’s.FrustratedShopperSG, the complete stranger satoru had been texting for weeks. FrustratedShopperSG, the man he exchanged flirty banter with every morning. FrustratedShopperSG, whom satoru had saved in his phone as DILF—which suguru had definitely seen.FrustratedShopperSG… who had been getou suguru all along.“holy shit,” satoru mumbled, his heart racing as the realization sank in.suguru, still processing, nodded dumbly in agreement.a few minutes passed in silence before satoru nervously decided to break it. “so… can i buy you a bagel while we wait for detention to be over?”suguru blinked, and then a slow, amused smile spread across his face. “i would love that, satoru.”satoru tried—and failed—not to blush at the way suguru said his name.and of course, at the café, as fate would have it, there were exactly two bagels left in the display. the barista, catching sight of them, raised an eyebrow, glanced at the bagels, then back at them with a knowing nod. “destiny is a wonderful thing,” he said with a sage tone before turning to serve another customer.satoru and suguru exchanged weirded-out glances, before biting into their bagels.
────────────
they talked about everything. now that they knew each other in real life, there was nothing left to hide—well, almost nothing. satoru talked about taking over gojo industries, while suguru shared his life as a private investigator and ex-cult member—a detail that had satoru laughing in disbelief. satoru told suguru about adopting megumi and tsumiki after their father, toji fushiguro (satoru’s old bodyguard) had died protecting him. at that, suguru had comfortingly rubbed his back and confessed that he had adopted nanako and mimiko after finding the two infants alone in the aftermath of their family's massacre during one of his investigations.then they shared bittersweet stories. satoru recalled the first time megumi had called him "dad," while suguru fondly remembered mimiko’s first word being "papa." satoru revealed tsumiki's latest crush, and suguru sighed about how nanako seemed to hate every man on the planet except for him.satoru couldn’t remember the last time he’d opened up like this. it was terrifying—especially with his secret still hovering between them. and yet… he just wanted to keep talking to suguru forever.as they neared the school, suguru pulled the car to a stop. just as satoru reached for the door, suguru gently patted his thigh, got out first, and opened the door for him. satoru giggled, and suguru smiled at him, before leaning down and pressing a chaste kiss to his temple.“EWWW!”satoru and suguru jumped apart, and turned to face their kids, who looked like someone had just gutted their favourite toy. even megumi, who was usually stoic and unbothered, wore a look of genuine horror.their reaction might’ve been comical if satoru wasn’t so annoyed about having his moment ruined. he exchanged a look with suguru, who seemed equally disappointed by the interruption.suguru told his kids to get in the car, then turned back to satoru, almost shyly.“y’know, we still have that playdate to arrange,” he said, his voice soft.satoru barely suppressed a grin, ignoring megumi’s exaggerated “blegh” sound in the background. “sunday? 11 a.m.?”suguru's smile grew. “it’s a date.”
────────────
on friday, nanako and megumi spent their entire recess scheming ways to sabotage satoru and suguru’s "date." mimiko sat with her hand on her cheek, clearly bored, while nobara chimed in with a few ideas of her own. yuji, however, wasn’t as enthusiastic about "messing with mr gojo’s love life."megumi ignored him. he could not have three girls in his family.
────────────
the first incident had been minor, and entirely unplanned by the children.megumi had been playing on his ps5 while nanako and mimiko were busy with tsumiki's lego sets since the girl was out with her friends. when megumi got up to use the washroom, he accidentally stepped on a lego. his screech echoed through the room, prompting nanako to laugh so hard that, in retaliation, megumi threw the lego piece at her head.meanwhile, satoru had been in the middle of info-dumping about digimon to suguru, who watched him with quiet fondness, when they heard the commotion. they rushed in to find a broken lego set—mimiko staring miserably at the pieces—and nanako holding megumi's controller just out of his reach as he jumped desperately to grab it.satoru and suguru exchanged a tired look, and told them to just get along and play a game together or they would be grounded. satisfied with their half-hearted solution, the dads happily returned to their date in the living room, leaving nanako and megumi in shared misery.the second incident was only slightly unplanned. they’d definitely intended to mess around in the pool, but nanako’s decision to drown megumi had been more spur-of-the-moment—a choice she regretted deeply as suguru stood over her, arms crossed, staring her down."he called me a rude bitch! i'm not rude!" she pouted. megumi let out an offended huff. "you were literally about to make fun of me for using floaties, but when i told you they were yuji's, you called him a 'wittle crybaby'! plus,” he turned to satoru, “notice how she has no rebuttal for the ‘bitch’ part?”nanako’s jaw dropped in disbelief, and she turned to mimiko for backup, but mimiko just shrugged and continued her backstrokes, completely unbothered. satoru and suguru whispered amongst themselves for a moment, before they separated and suguru cleared his throat.“because you tried to drown megumi and both of you used bad words, we’ve decided that mimiko gets to choose where we order lunch from later.”mimiko pumped her fist in triumph, while nanako let out a long, soul-deep sigh. her sister’s taste in food was awful, and suguru knew it all too well.when satoru and suguru walked back inside, giggling together, megumi groaned, glaring at nanako. "are you happy now? that did nothing to separate them. they’re literally laughing at us together!"nanako waved him off casually. "okay, maybe not my best work, but don’t worry. the next scheme will definitely make dad want to leave."thus, the third one was fully planned and choreographed—from the way megumi flung his noodles straight at nanako’s face, right down to nanako launching gravy at megumi’s shirt.(the noodles were slightly cold and gravy-less, and megumi had already changed into an old shirt before lunch. perfectly schemed.)but, of course, it had backfired, and nanako and megumi sat miserably, watching their dads laugh and clean up the mess together. mimiko, entirely unimpressed, rolled her eyes. "even if it didn’t work, it was still fun to plan," she offered, and nanako and megumi exchanged a glance before quickly looking away.“whatever,” megumi grumbled. nanako, this time, stayed silent.
────────────
the fourth and final straw had been more than satoru could handle. he had never been this upset with megumi before, and it nearly broke him.they'd been laughing, making offhand, stupid jokes like they had been while texting each other for weeks now, until suguru, with a teasing grin, made a comment about frotting. normally, satoru would’ve responded with something equally perverse, but this time, he just froze.he couldn’t laugh. he couldn’t joke. suguru’s words hung in the air between them, awkward and heavy. suguru’s smile quickly faded as he noticed the shift, and he immediately reached out, concerned, placing a hand on satoru's arm.satoru took a shaky breath, eyes darting to the floor. he’d known this moment was coming, but not like this. not because of a joke about frotting of all things. "i... need to tell you something." he began, his voice barely a whisper. he couldn't gather the courage to look at suguru yet, but he could feel the man's patient, steady gaze on him, full of silent support.a dozen thoughts ran through his mind all at once. what if suguru looked at him differently? what if this changed things between them? he trusted suguru, knew that he was a good man, but there was still always that nagging fear, that slight sliver of doubt, that he wouldn't be enough. that their dynamic would change in ways satoru couldn't control.that suguru might not even want him anymore.“i’m transgender,” satoru finally said, his voice slightly trembling. “i’m a trans man.”satoru's eyes stayed fixed to the floor, and he willed suguru to say something, anything.satoru missed the soft smile tugging at the corner of suguru’s lips. “did the frotting joke make you realize i didn’t know you were trans?” he asked gently, trying to ease the tension. satoru let out a small, watery chuckle in response, but suguru's eyes widened in panic, thinking he must have said the wrong thing.“oh no, please don’t cry. of course i accept you, satoru. this doesn’t change how i feel about you at all—”before suguru could finish, a loud crash echoed from megumi’s room.satoru jolted up, his heart rate spiking again for a different reason. after everything that had happened today, he immediately feared the worse. suguru cast a worried glance at satoru, and then towards the hallway.sure enough, a second later, megumi, nanako, and mimiko emerged from the room looking incredibly guilty.“we broke the houseplant,” megumi mumbled, shifting uncomfortably. satoru’s jaw dropped. “jellymon?!” he screeched in horror, and megumi gave a sheepish nod.satoru sighed, finally defeated. “alright, i think the playdate is officially over. clearly, you guys just can’t get along,” he said regretfully, throwing a longing glance at suguru, who was staring right back, just as upset.suguru whispered, 'i’ll call you, okay?' into satoru’s ear before leaving with his girls, but satoru didn’t even have the energy to swoon about his voice or stress about the future call. he was too drained by everything that had transpired today. the kids shattering his favorite houseplant right when he was about to come out to suguru had just been the final, cruel stroke.
────────────
as soon as suguru was out the door, satoru turned to megumi.megumi had braced himself for the inevitable lecture, his arms already crossed in defiance. but he faltered when he saw satoru’s face. the man didn't look angry at all, just... inexplicably tired."clean up the mess later, okay? get tsumiki to help," satoru mumbled, his voice distant, before trudging toward his bedroom.megumi stood there, staring at satoru’s slumped, retreating figure. guilt hit him all at once, sinking into his chest. he ran to the front door, yanking it open, but the getou sisters were already gone.that night, when megumi confessed to tsumiki what he and nanako had done all day, she gasped in horror, her eyes wide with disbelief. the guilt in megumi’s chest only grew heavier at her reaction.“dad really liked mr getou, gumi,” tsumiki said, reproachfully.megumi nodded miserably. “i’ll fix it, i promise,” he muttered, but tsumiki just raised an eyebrow, unconvinced, before leaving.and that is how, the next day, megumi, along with nanako and mimiko, found themselves sitting in an empty classroom during recess instead of playing basketball with the rest of their classmates. nobara stood at the whiteboard, scribbling furiously with determination etched on her face, while yuji lay sprawled out on the teacher’s desk, casually chewing a twizzler."alright!" nobara announced, stepping back to reveal her handiwork. "so far, we’ve got: replace houseplant. good suggestion, mimiko," she nodded, and mimiko gave her a small, pleased smile."next, we have: make up a magic spell to make our dads forget each other. not the best plan, nanako," nobara said, shaking her head. nanako groaned."then there's: find a time traveler to go back and stop us from sabotaging the date. also… not ideal, megumi," nobara sighed, and yuji snickered from the desk. "honestly, are you sure you guys don’t want to be siblings? you have the same thought process, just different personalities." he pointed out, waving a twizzler around.megumi and nanako just huffed in unison. nanako stuck her tongue out at megumi, who promptly flipped her off. sitting between them as the designated peacemaker, mimiko smacked both of them lightly on the back of their heads. "focus, guys. we need to fix this. i think i overheard dad crying on the phone last night when he was telling mr gojo that they probably shouldn’t date for our sakes."megumi’s heart sank at that, and nanako’s face fell. yuji, ever relaxed, shrugged and passed a twizzler to megumi. "why don’t you just set up another date?"nobara blinked, staring at yuji in surprise. "wait… that’s actually a good idea. you could drag them both to the park and ‘accidentally’ make them run into each other. then you three run off to the playground and leave them alone for a spontaneous date!"megumi, nanako, and mimiko shared a long look. maybe this could work after-all.
────────────
suguru was far too depressed—and still too upset with his girls—to even consider taking them to the park on a scorching saturday morning.it had been six days since he’d last spoken to satoru. they had agreed to end things, for the sake of their kids, and suguru couldn’t remember the last time something had hurt this much.they hadn’t known each other for long, but after everything they’d been through together—constantly meeting each other in the principal’s office because of their kids, their silly bagel game, their text exchanges as frustratedshopper and sonic—suguru had hoped to know satoru for the rest of his life.he hadn’t even touched a bagel in six days. that’s how miserable he was.when he called his co-worker, haibara, to ask if he’d take the girls out instead, the man just laughed. "get out of bed and go yourself! vitamin d is good for you, suguru!"so here he was, at the park, glancing around at the happy families with their kids, feeling even sorrier for himself. his gloomy thoughts, however, were suddenly interrupted by a loud scream.“MIMIKO!”“MEGUMI!”mimiko dashed toward the boy, throwing her arms around him in a hug that megumi, though reluctant, returned. megumi then gave nanako a small nod, which she mirrored back in silent acknowledgment.and standing just behind megumi…gojo satoru stared at suguru, his eyes wide with surprise. his right hand rested on tsumiki’s shoulder, while the other held the leashes of two large dogs, one black and one white."um… we got them three days ago. this is kuro, and this is shiro" satoru spoke up nervously, pointing to the the black and white dog respectively. suguru could only nod, dumbfounded by the man’s appearance.the kids exchanged knowing glances before tsumiki grinned and spoke up. “why don’t i take you guys and the dogs to the playground, hmm?” and without a second thought, the kids took off excitedly, leaving satoru and suguru alone.satoru blinked, glancing toward the playground where, not so coincidentally, nobara and yuji were hanging around. he chuckled, realizing the kids’ plan, and turned to suguru to point it out, only for the dark-haired man to suddenly grab him by the waist and pull him into a kiss.satoru melted into it instantly, his arms winding around suguru's neck. the world around them—the park, the families, shiro and kuro’s distant barking—faded away. for a moment, it was just them, the warmth of suguru's lips against his, their bodies fitting together like they never should’ve been apart.eventually, satoru broke the kiss, his forehead resting against suguru’s as he caught his breath. he noticed suguru’s gaze was still locked on his lips, the hunger in his eyes unmistakable. satoru let out a small giggle, drawing suguru’s attention back up to his face.“i missed you,” satoru whispered, his voice soft.suguru nodded, his thumb grazing satoru's waist just under the hem of his shirt, making him shudder. "i think i got so used to texting you every day that i actually felt lonely for, like, the first time in months."satoru’s laughter bubbled up again. “you know, i haven’t had a bagel since last thursday.”suguru snickered at that. “neither have i.”then they both turned towards their kids.the children had been trying to discreetly watch them, but the moment satoru and suguru looked their way, all six of them quickly glanced in different directions, pretending to be completely absorbed in anything but the pair.satoru giggled again. suguru, watching him adoringly, felt his chest tighten. god, he could probably get drunk off satoru’s laugh alone.
────────────
as they sat on a nearby bench, suguru suddenly remembered their unfinished conversation. he shifted a little, clearing his throat, and satoru, who had been watching the kids playing fetch with the two dogs, turned to look at him with a slight raise of his eyebrows."remember when you… came out to me?" suguru began, his voice a little awkward, unsure of how to bring it up.satoru blinked, and then chuckled softly. “yeah, i remember it pretty well,” he said with an easy smile, though suguru noticed the flicker of apprehension behind his stunning blue eyes, and the way satoru's hand fidgeted slightly on his lap.“i just… want to make sure you really understood something,” suguru began again, more carefully this time. “i accept you, satoru. completely. this doesn’t change how i feel about you at all.”satoru blinked, his expression softening as suguru continued.“i mean… i like you,” suguru confessed, his voice quieter now, more vulnerable. “a lot, actually. and i need you to know that… even if you don’t like me back—”satoru interrupted him with a cackle, catching him completely off guard. “what are you, a 13-year-old schoolgirl with a crush? what grown man confesses like this, suguru, oh my god.”before suguru could begin to feel embarrassed, though, he felt satoru’s hand slide into his, gripping it firmly. satoru's laugh faded into a softer smile.“idiot,” satoru murmured, his eyes twinkling, his hand warm in suguru's.