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“… If there is anything wrong or something you’re not sure about, just give us a call,” Maki said as she fixed her glasses and stepped into the genkan, changing her shoes.
Yuta, on the other hand, smiled at the older men, “Thank you for taking care of her.”
“Don’t be afraid to call. We will have our phones on all weekend, night and day, just in case –
“Maki, sweetie, it will be alright,” Yuta said as he gently stroked her arm. He turned back to Nanami and Gojo. “Again, thank you for taking care of her.”
“It’s no problem!” Gojo shook his head. Even after a few decades, the efforts of his dazzling smile hadn’t reduced one bit. “You kids go and have fun! This little angel loves me! See you in a few days!
“The day after tomorrow,” Maki corrected, giving the scarf around Yuta’s neck a tug to straighten it.
“Yeah, yeah, same thing,” the white-haired man dismissed her with a wave. “Go! Shoo! Have fun!”
“Be careful on the road,” Nanami said. “And try to enjoy yourselves. The little princess is in good hands.”
Maki looked half-way convinced. Scrunching up her nose while watching Gojo.
“Mizuki will be fine,” Yuta said. “Nanami is here.”
Maki let out a sigh, “you’re right.”
And with that, they left.
Closing the door, Gojo hurriedly went into the bedroom to see if the baby had woken up from the noise and sighed in relief when he saw Mizuki still sleeping with her mouth lightly parted with the white star plush next to her.
So cute.
Taking out his phone, he made sure the flash was turned off (because the last time he clicked a photo with the flash on, Mizuki had started crying, and Maki had looked like she was going to kill him) before taking a few dozen pictures. Proud of his accomplishment, he sent some of them to Megumi and Yuji and all of them to Shoko, who blocked him.
“What do you want for dinner?” Nanami asked when Gojo came out of the room.
Years had passed, but Gojo’s habit of draping himself all over Nanami like a cape hadn’t changed one bit, and he hugged the blonde man from behind, sliding his arms around Nanami’s shoulders as he hummed in thought. “Whatever you’re in the mood for.”
“The usual, then.”
“Mmm, sounds good.” Closing his eyes, Gojo inhaled Nanami’s scent, feeling almost drowsy. Nanami always had this effect on him – calming down his senses and giving him a feeling close to euphoria.
As the pleasant smell of food being cooked filled the air, Gojo almost fell asleep while hugging Nanami. The first few times he did this, the blond man had a lot of trouble moving around as he cooked, but after years of intense Gojo-clingy training, he had gotten used to it and easily manoeuvred everything. It was… endearing.
“What’s that sound?” Gojo asked, half asleep.
Nanami listened closely and faintly heard a sound other than the sizzling of vegetables. Oh. “It’s Mizuki,” he said, turning the flame low. “She must have woken up.”
“I – I’ll go get her,” Gojo hastily straightened, all traces of sleep gone from his face as he walked briskly to the room.
Seeing that it was taken care of, Nanami went back to cooking and preparing a bottle of milk. Maki gave them (Nanami) strict training on how to prepare milk, which had included a quiz at the end.
A few seconds later, Gojo rushed into the kitchen with a panicked look on his face, and Nanami turned off the stove instantly. “What happened?” he asked, clearly remembering that he put away everything that could be a choking hazard or –
“I don’t know if I’m holding her right. What if I drop her?”
“Satoru…” Nanami said, “Maki taught you how to hold the baby. And she reminded you an hour ago because you were so scared.”
“I know! But… but a baby is so delicate…” Gojo trailed off, looking genuinely scared of holding a few weeks-old baby.
“Come with me,” Nanami said. He gently took Gojo’s hand and led him out to the living room. Dinner could wait. At least Mizuki wasn’t crying anymore and was looking around with wide eyes. When her eyes landed on the two men, her hands and feet started to move with more energy, and she opened and closed her mouth a few times, incoherent noises coming out.
Nanami reached down and gathered her in his hands before picking her up and bringing the baby close to his chest. Adjusting the quilt covering her, he smiled tenderly at Mizuki before directing that same smile at Gojo, who was looking at the scene with his mouth parted lightly in a daze. Nanami had never seen him this concentrated before.
“See? It’s easy. You just got to support her head like this.”
“Okay… I got it!” The white-haired man pressed his fist in the palm of his other hand and then reached forward to take the baby from Nanami, making a few funny faces as he held Mizuki and walked around.
Nanami watched his husband interact with the baby for a few minutes before quietly walking back to the kitchen, not wanting to disturb whatever calm energy had possessed Gojo. He left the room to the sound of Gojo talking to Mizuki as if she could understand him.
And according to Gojo, she could.
Nanami finished the dinner in silence; the only sound was Gojo’s soft ramblings about what sweets were a priority to try and Mizuki’s mumbles. He turned his head when he heard Gojo’s footsteps getting closer to the kitchen.
“She must be hungry,” Gojo deduced with a slight panic. “She is making weird noises.”
Nanami smiled. “I’ll take care of her. You eat dinner.” He took the baby girl from Gojo and picked up the heated bottle of milk he prepared earlier to stay on schedule as Maki had warned him. “She eats around every 3rd hour. That’s when she gets fussy,” she had said.
That worked for Nanami. Finally he had someone else in the house who valued structure and schedules.
The baby fell asleep almost instantly after her meal. Nanami took her back to the crib, placing her gently inside, and then headed to the kitchen to have dinner.
“This is delicious,” Gojo whispered.
“Why are you whispering?”
“I don’t want to wake her.”
Nanami smiled, taking a bite of his own food. “I think we will be fine,” he said, reaching out to give Gojo’s hand a squeeze.
It was quiet as they ate. Sometimes, the silence proved to be a bit too much—not something they were used to—and they would turn on light music and dance. Gojo always initiated it and still stepped on Nanami’s feet sometimes, more out of mischief than genuine mistakes.
After leaving his career as a sorcerer, Nanami decided if they didn’t get some peace and quiet in their lives, he might go crazy, and hence, here they were. This house was the one they bought and arranged together, far from the hustle and bustle of the city—a place where they could simply be.
Whenever Megumi and Yuji came, they stayed in Megumi’s room upstairs, and Tsumiki had her room right next to it, just like they had in their previous home. Whenever the kids decided to come, it always became lively, and even though Gojo never said it, Nanami always noticed how his face would radiate joy whenever they came over.
***
“Nanamin!” Yuji’s voice was loud over the video call as he exclaimed as if they hadn’t talked in a long while, even though it was just yesterday evening when he was showing Nanami and Gojo the fish he bought and bragged about it on a call.
“Oh, it’s Yuji!” Gojo was putting on his shirt after coming out of the bath when he heard the voice and hurried over. “Yuji! What’s up? Miss me too much?”
Nanami reached over and straightened Gojo’s shirt with a roll of his eyes as his husband settled next to him.
“Gojo-Sensei! I bought more sweets for you! Don’t tell Megumi though…”
“I heard that,” Megumi’s voice said from the background, making the older men chuckle, and Yuji let out a sheepish laugh.
“Megumi is just cold on the surface,” Gojo said. “He’s just like our Nanamin! Cold on the outside but soft on the inside.” As soon as he finished saying those words, Nanami pushed him out of the frame.
“What are you doing?” the blond man asked, letting Gojo finally slip closer when he started pouting. You would think an old man would look weird with a pout, but somehow, Gojo managed to look adorable, no matter the age or expression.
If someone like Maki or Megumi heard him say it, they would just shake their head and say that he was a whipped man.
Well, they were correct.
“We are about to head out for hiking!” Yuji answered, making space for Megumi to sit next to him on the bed and naturally slung an arm around his waist.
“Isn’t it cold?” Nanami frowned lightly, remembering that Yuji just recovered from a cold a few days ago. His adventurous spirit knew no bounds.
“Yes, yes, but we will dress accordingly this time, don’t worry!
Gojo asked a few questions about where they were going hiking and suggested a few more places since he knew the good places in Europe very well, thanks to Nanami. Right after the house was bought, they had travelled through Scandinavia.
“Is Mizuki with you?” Megumi asked, looking around to see any signs of the baby.
“Oh, yeah!” Gojo nodded, and a small yawn escaped his lips. “We put her to sleep just a little while ago. But I’ll show you. She is so cute!”
Getting up, Gojo took the phone from Nanami and walked over to the crib, pointing the camera at the sleeping baby with a soft smile on his face. Nanami looked at the scene from afar and leaned back in contentment.
“See? She is not like you at all; you were such a brat, Megumi,” Gojo snickered. His habit of teasing his son still hadn’t gone away. And probably never would.
“You’re saying that like you actually saw me when I was that small,” Megumi rolled his eyes.
“What are you even talking about? I’ve known you all your life, Gumi. I gave birth to you. I was pregnant.” Clicking his tongue, Gojo leaned against the crib as he talked, voice closer to a whisper. The nostalgia present in his voice was heard by everyone. Nanami thought back to that one time when Gojo had said, `I wish I had found him sooner…` The blond man always knew that despite all the teasing and jabs, Megumi was like Gojo’s own child, and he felt the same way.
“You’re going senile,” Megumi shook his head, but it was easy to hear the smile in his voice. “Alright, it’s late over there, so go to bed, old man, before you stumble over.”
“Who are you calling old?”
“Bye!” with a smug smile, Megumi hung up.
Gojo continued looking at the phone with a baffled look then walked over to Nanami and settled in his arms. “So rude.”
Reaching forward, Nanami ran a hand through Gojo’s soft white hair, lightly scratching his scalp, making the older man nuzzle closer. The soft moment was soon broken when the baby’s cry echoed through the air.
“Do you think she is hungry again?” Gojo asked, slightly panicked. He got up and walked over to the crib, picking up Mizuki with a delicate grip.
Nanami got up and walked towards him, glancing at the now silent baby who was moving her arms and legs. “Not yet. But I think she really likes you.”
“Really?” Gojo’s eyes lit up as he looked from Nanami to Mizuki.
“She stops crying whenever you hold her,” the blonde man pointed out with a smile when the baby started babbling.
“Am I holding her right?” Gojo asked a minute later with a grown. Worry started to appear on his face.
“Yes, you are.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to wreck the baby, Nanamin.”
Nanami chuckled. “Yes, I am sure. Look how calm she is. You’re doing great.”
Mizuki stayed awake for an hour, apparently having a lively conversation with Gojo. Before she fell asleep, Nanami brought another bottle, looking sleepy as she finished it. He picked her up and hugged her, patting her gently on the back, waiting for her to burp.
When she did, some of the milk came out, and Gojo was instantly terrified. “What’s that? Why is she vomiting milk?? Did she get sick?? Oh no, Maki and Yuta will never trust us with the baby again!” The next second, his phone was in his hands. “I’ll call Shoko! She will know what to do.”
Nanami glanced his way with an exasperated look on his face, grabbing a tissue and gently cleaning Mizuki’s face before putting her in the crib. “Satoru, sweetheart, that is normal.”
“She didn’t do it earlier!”
“Yes, but babies do this sometimes. She is perfectly fine,” Nanami took the phone from the older man's hands and pulled him close as he sat down.
“Alright,” Gojo said but still looked a little unconvinced. Leaning forward, Nanami kissed him, parting a few seconds later when the white-haired man finally looked reassured.
“Let’s go to sleep. Mizuki is probably going to wake up a few times during the night, so don’t be alarmed.” Reaching for the lights, Nanami turned them off and pulled Gojo into his arms after getting under the covers.
They shared a few kisses, tasting each other’s lips before finally settling down and going to sleep.
Nanami’s words proved to be right, and they were woken up a few hours later by Mizuki's crying. Nanami took care of her, with Gojo sitting down next to him. He watched them with his head resting in his hand. The sleepy look in his eyes made him look hazy, and Nanami leaned in to kiss his forehead before going back to rocking Mizuki back and forth as she slowly stopped crying.
As he watched, Gojo thought back to that one time just a few days after he brought Megumi and Tsumiki home with him. At that time, he didn’t know how to take care of himself. Hell, he couldn’t even take care of himself properly, so when the young boy came down with a fever, Gojo really didn’t know what to do. Even now when he thought back to that time, he could still remember the panic he felt. He had called Nanami right away, and it was only when the blond arrived that he felt like he could breathe.
Looking at Nanami now, he was still the stable presence in his life.
When Mizuki fell asleep, Gojo stayed awake. In fact, he hadn’t meant to fall asleep earlier, but Nanami’s embrace was so warm that he couldn’t fight the drowsiness. Now, he kept all of his eyes on the crib, fighting sleepiness as he watched the baby. It was better to stay awake all night… what if Mizuki choked on something? Or couldn’t breathe properly? What if she wasn’t warm enough? What if…
There were too many what-ifs. Yeah. Better to just stay awake the whole time.
So he was fully prepared when Mizuki coughed, darting to the crib and checking around to see what was wrong.
“Satoru?” Nanami’s sleepy voice called him.
“Yeah?”
“What are you doing?”
“Checking on Mizuki. She just coughed. Is the room too cold? I should turn up the temperature. She didn’t catch a cold, did she?” Gojo asked, worry palpable in his voice. “Let’s call Shoko.”
“Satoru,” Nanami sighed as he got up and walked over to Gojo, confirming that Mizuki was sleeping peacefully. He gently took Gojo’s hand and guided him back to bed. “Sweetheart, you don’t need to be so worried. Babies are delicate, but not this much.”
“But… what if something happens to her when we are not looking?”
“There is nothing nearby that can harm her. We made sure of that. Even if something happens, we are nearby and will take care of it.”
“Okay…” Gojo finally nodded. “I… I’ll try.”
“That’s it,” Nanami kissed his forehead, and they lay down again in each other’s arms as they fell asleep.
The next day passed fairly peacefully. There were a few more occasions where Nanami had to reassure his lover that no, that burp did not mean anything other than digestion, that yes, babies do sleep a lot, and that it was okay if he wanted to poke her cheek or hands or feet because he had washed his hands three times already.
But it slowly got better over the course of the day, and by the end of the night, Gojo was reading a storybook to the baby. He actually seemed… peaceful.
Then he was even more surprised when Gojo poked her cheek and didn’t freak out.
“I finally get what you mean, darling. It’s so much fun to hold her…” Then his lips turned down at the corners. “Gah! I wish I had held her more. Yuta and Maki are going to take her back tomorrow!”
“We can always visit them another time.”
“Do you think they’ll notice if I take the baby for a walk tomorrow and don’t come back until after they’ve left?”
“Do I think they will notice if you kidnap their baby? Yes.”
“Arg!”
“It’s okay, you can play with her now,” Nanami said, “and in the morning, too. You bought a ridiculous amount of toys for her today. Try them out in the morning since she wakes up so early.”
“Good idea!”
For a second, Nanami thought that Gojo was probably more excited at the idea of playing with toys than Mizuki would have been if she understood what they were talking about.
Shaking his head, the blond man smiled. If that is what made Satoru happy, then so be it.
***
The next morning, the sky outside darkened as a storm rolled in, painting the room in shades of grey. Rain began pelting the windows, creating a soothing rhythm that contrasted sharply with the chaos inside.
His white hair was messier than usual as Gojo lay sprawled on the living room carpet, desperately trying to entertain Mizuki, who sat in her baby bouncer, babbling incoherently. A few minutes earlier, Nanami’s phone had rung, and he was standing next to the window as he talked, gaze focused on the rain outside with a light furrow of his brows.
“They’re not coming back,” Nanami announced after hanging up, setting the phone down before making his way over to his husband and Mizuki. “The storm is too severe. Yuta said they’ll try again tomorrow once it clears.”
Gojo gasped dramatically, rolling onto his back and clutching his chest. “You mean… we are stuck with her for another night?” he grinned, winking at the baby, who was waving her hands around to get closer to his white hair. “Guess you’re stuck with the coolest grandpa in the whole world, huh, munchkin?”
Mizuki responded with a squeal, her tiny fists waving in the air.
A faint smile tugged at Nanami’s lips as he shook his head. “You’re going to wear her out before bedtime.”
Ignoring his husband, Gojo sat up suddenly, leaning over Mizuki. “Hey, Mizu-chan, want to see something cool?” he cupped his hands together and conjured a small orb of blue light using his limitless, letting it hover above his palm. Mizuki’s eyes immediately focused on it, and instead of reaching for Gojo’s hair, she started reaching for the ball of light.
“Satoru,” Nanami said sharply, his voice a mix of warning and exasperation.
“It’s perfectly safe, darling,” Gojo reassured him with a wink, moving the orb just out of Mizuki’s reach, who babbled some more. “See? She loves it!”
A sigh escaped Nanami, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. “That’s not the point. I miss the you from one day ago who was cautious about even holding her right.”
Gojo pouted but dissolved the orb with a flick of his wrist and raised his hands in surrender. “Fine, fine. I guess I'll save the advanced tricks for later.” He leaned back on his hands, watching Mizuki kick her legs excitedly.
“Maybe we should focus on keeping her calm,” Nanami suggested, moving to pick the baby up from the bouncer. He cradled her carefully and Mizuki immediately snuggled into his chest. Her tiny fingers grabbed at his shirt.
“Aw, she likes you better,” Gojo said, pretending to be hurt, but Nanami knew that there was some sincerity in the statement.
“Maybe because I don’t overwhelm her with flashy displays of cursed energy.”
“Flashy is fun!” Gojo stood up and stretched, joints cracking after sitting in the same position for a long time. “Anyway, since it's stormy outside, it's not like we can go anywhere. How about letting Mizu-chan experience her first slumber party, complete with snacks and blankets, and Digimon? Doesn’t that sound exciting?” the last sentence was babbled to Mizuki in a childish way, who drooled in answer, trying to suck her thumb.
“She can’t eat snacks,” Nanami pointed.
“They’re for us. Geez, I know that much, Kento,” Gojo tsked and quickly kissed him before moving away.
Despite the sceptical look he directed at Gojo, he didn’t protest as the older man began gathering supplies. Within minutes, the living room was transformed into a cosy den, complete with a pile of blankets, a spread of snacks on the coffee table, and a small pile of baby toys for Mizuki… despite the fact that she couldn’t play with half of them.
“Alright, princess,” Gojo said, plopping down onto the makeshift blanket fort. “What should we do first? Storytime? Playtime? Or do you want Grandpa Satoru to show you how to use cursed energy?”
“Satoru!” Nanami groaned.
Oblivious to the exchange, Mizuki let out a delighted giggle.
“See? She likes my idea!”
When Nanami gave him an unamused glance, the white-haired man finally relented. “Okay, okay… no cursed energy. For now.”
***
As the evening wore on, the storm outside intensified. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and occasional flashes of lightning lit up the dark sky. Despite the weather, the atmosphere inside was warm and lively.
Gojo had taken it upon himself to “teach” Mizuki how to stack blocks even though she couldn’t even roll over yet. So their version of playing was Gojo stacking the blocks and then helping the baby smash the tower to the ground. Mizuki looked quite interested, even babbling whenever Gojo gently guided her fist to destroy the block tower. Meanwhile, Nanami prepared a bottle in the kitchen.
“Hey, Nanamin,” Gojo called out, his voice muffled from under a blanket he had draped over his head like a cape. “Do you think she will remember all this when she grows up?”
“No. She is too young to even recognise who we really are.”
When Gojo peeked out from the blanket, holding Mizuki close to his chest, his expression was uncharacteristically soft. “Yeah… I guess you’re right.”
Well… even if that was the case, Gojo had made a lot of videos and pictures, and when Mizuki grew up, he would make sure to show her everything. The thought made him smile wide and pinched the baby’s chubby cheek lightly.
When Nanami returned with the bottle, he handed it over to Gojo, who cradled her as she drank. Nanami watched them with a smile, pushing away the blocks as he leaned against the sofa.
“She is lucky, you know,” Gojo said after a while.
Nanami looked at him with a questioning glance.
“To have so many people who care about her. To have this kind of start in life.” His voice was light, but there was an undercurrent of something more profound.
With everything that happened when they were at the prime of their sorcerer career… the Shibuya incident, followed by the culling game where they almost lost each other again—it was a miracle that they had survived. Being born at the time they were… yeah, it was best that Mizuki was born in a time like this when everything was peaceful, and the worst emergency they faced was a high-ranked curse that could be defeated by the students.
Nanami understood what he was thinking. When he spoke, his voice was soft, and Gojo could only hear it because he was sitting next to him. “It’s not just about how you start. It’s about the people who stay with you, who guide you along the way.
Blinking, Gojo took in the words before breaking out in a smile.
“Guess that means we are going okay so far, huh?”
***
By the time the storm relented, it was already night, and Mizuki was ready to sleep. Nanami rocked her gently, humming a soft tune as her eyes began to drop. Gojo had entered the room just a minute ago after ending the call with Nobara, who had run into Yuji and Megumi in Italy on a mission. It took a good five minutes of her saying how life wasn’t fair and she wanted to go shopping for her niece (since she had claimed the `aunt` title) before Megumi finally managed to take his phone back.
Gojo really admired her energy, thinking back to his early days. Now, though, he was just standing and watching Nanami and Mizuki with a mixture of amusement and admiration.
“You’re like a baby whisperer,” he said, keeping his voice low.
“It’s just a matter of patience.”
“Patience, huh?” Gojo leaned against the wall, his hands in his pockets. “Maybe I should try that sometime.”
Chuckling, Nanami darted him a small smile. “You? Patient? That will be the day.”
“Hey, I can be patient!” the older man protested. Thought his grin gave him away. “I was patient with you while waiting for you to realise you loved me.”
Nanami let out a huff. “You were so obnoxious. I didn’t think you were serious.”
Mizuki let out a tiny yawn, and both men fell silent, watching as she drifted off to sleep. It didn’t take long before Gojo let out a yawn of his own.
“Tired?” Nanami asked, hugging him from behind. The first time he had done that, Gojo had forgotten how to speak and was convinced he was having a stroke. Now, he was used to it and hummed in response.
“I’m getting old, Kento,” he pouted.
“You’re already old.”
“Will you still like me? Wrinkles and all?”
“Of course.”
“Even if I was a worm?” this wasn’t the first time he had started asking these questions.
Nanami rolled his eyes. “Yes. I would build you a house in the backyard so you could show off to your worm friends.”
“Aww! You’re the best husband.”
He turned around, planting a kiss on Nanami’s mouth.
***
Much to Gojo’s dismay, the storm passed the following day, leaving the world outside fresh and quiet. Sunlight streamed through the large windows, casting a golden warmth over the living room. Mizuki had woken up bright and early, her cheerful babbling pulling both men from their sleep.
When Yuta and Maki arrived to pick her up, they were met with a scene that warmed their hearts as Nanami brought them inside. Gojo was sitting on the floor with Mizuki in his lap, laughing brightly whenever he played `peek-a-boo`.
“Looks like she had a good time,” Maki said. Smiling as she scooped Mizuki into her arms.
“She’s a good baby, didn’t trouble us at all!” Gojo said, taking the bag of desserts that Yuta had brought for him. “But man, I don’t know how you do this every day.”
Maki smirked. “It's called being responsible. You should try it sometime.”
As the couple thanked them and prepared to leave, Gojo and Nanami stood by the door, watching them go.
“Well,” Gojo said, “that was fun. Do you think they will let us babysit her again?”
“Missing Mizuki already?” Nanami asked as he went inside. “Don’t worry. I know we are going to see a lot of her in the future.”
“Yeah. We are her favourite people in the world, after all.”