Chapter Text
His dad had returned from a month-long mission overseas that very morning, and Megumi, had purposefully spent the night at his parent’s house, so that he could catch his dad as soon as possible. Luckily, his plan had worked. He’d silently waited for his dad to enter their kitchen, and promptly asked him to go for a walk. His dad, never one to decline a request from any of his children, readily agreed. He’d briefly felt guilty delaying his parents’ reunion, and yet, he had stayed over precisely to be there for his dad’s return home. He needed him.
As they strolled through a neighborhood on the outskirts of Tokyo, the anxiety he had been experiencing for weeks on end, grew exponentially, until he forced himself to stop walking. He held onto a nearby guardrail and forced himself to identify every red object he could find. Red made him think of Yuji, and Yuji brought a sense of calm. His dad did not question him, and instead waited beside him.
For twenty minutes, they stood silently side by side, leaning on the slightly rusty railing that overlooked a long-abandoned train track.
Megumi looked at his dad out of the corner of his eye, and noticed that he seemed perfectly content. He had a small smile on his face that Megumi noticed showed up most when his dad was spending time with him or his sisters.
He was impressed with his dad’s patience, though he knew he should not have been. His dad had proven himself capable of taking situations seriously when it mattered, and he seemed to have an eerily accurate read on when Megumi needed it most from him, which is what ultimately gave Megumi the courage to break the comfortable silence between them.
“How did you know…?” Megumi asked. His voice was rougher than he intended. He watched as his dad’s smile widened just slightly in response.
“How’d I know what?” His dad’s voice was calm as ever. It quelled his anxiety to hear the familiar cadence.
“That pops was the one you wanted to be with forever.”
Megumi could see his dad’s eyebrows rising, pulling at his blindfold.
“Truthfully, Megumi, I’ve always known, at least, my heart and soul knew long before my mind caught up with them. When we were young, I wasn’t mature enough to admit it to myself or Suguru, but as soon as we met, it was inevitable that our lives would always be connected and that we’d change because of one another. There will never be anyone else for me.”
Megumi sighed. He had expected as much. He rarely voiced it to his parents, but he was grateful that he had grown up in a household seeped with love. Outside of his family, he had never seen a love like the one his parents had for each other, and for years, he had been terrified that he might never find the same, and then he met Yuji, and everything changed.
He truly could relate to his dad’s experience. It felt deeper, spiritual, like it was fate that brought him and Yuji together. Megumi wasn’t one to typically care for such sentiments, but here he was, putting his faith into the cosmos. He was more like Satoru than he cared to admit.
“But how were you so sure?”
His dad pulled his blindfold off, and looked directly at him, “I wasn’t,” he said, earnestly.
“What’d you mean?” A spike of anxiety rocketed through him, adding to the already present distress in the pit of his stomach. He never would have expected this response from his dad, who always seemed so certain of his strength, his family, and his husband.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always loved your father, Megumi,” His dad said reassuringly, placing a hand on his shoulder. His dad’s hand was heavy and warm. Megumi instantly felt more grounded.
His dad’s eyes scanned his face. Once he seemed satisfied with what he saw, his dad smiled, and continued, “But… our circumstances were very different from yours with Yuji. Suguru was in a very dark place before we got together. After… what we went through, he pushed me away, and he asked me to give him space to try and figure out what he needed without me there to influence him, which I respected. But even when he did allow me back in, he continued to struggle on and off throughout the early years of our relationship. I was never uncertain about loving Suguru, but I wasn’t sure if we would be able to overcome our past. I’m so grateful that we did. The life we have now is beyond anything I’d ever dreamed of for myself.”
Megumi knew his parents’ history, and still, it was hard to imagine. He had been so young when Satoru found him and Tsumiki, and while he remembered some details about his life before Satoru and Suguru, he chose not to dwell on them. His dad and pops would always be his parents and, if he was being completely honest with himself, his saviors. He did not like to think about before, not when his after had completely altered his life and its trajectory. He was not sure if he would even be alive had they not taken him in.
“I don’t know if you remember, cause you were so little at the time, but you used to give Suguru some pretty intense death glares, and apparently, even threatened him before giving him your blessing for us to get married,” His dad chuckled good-naturedly, lightly nudging Megumi’s shoulder as he did.
“He told you!?” Megumi blurted out, instantly mortified by his reaction. He was normally much better at keeping himself in check; he could feel heat blooming across his face.
He was embarrassed not only at his own behavior as a child but that his dad had known about it. He did not blame his papa for sharing it with his dad, because if he and Yuji ever had kids, he’d want Yuji to share it with him, too. He felt his blush spreading at the thought of him and Yuji having their own family. He was getting way ahead of himself, and yet, was that not why he asked his dad to talk in the first place?
His dad was laughing jovially, as he wrapped his arm around Megumi’s shoulders, “Megs, of course, he told me. And honestly, when I found out, I cried.”
Megumi was shocked to hear that. He’d very rarely seen either of his parents cry. He knew that they both did, but that they were very careful not to cry in front of him or his sisters. They seemed determined to not place any emotional burden on them, and while Megumi admired that, he also thought it might have been healthier for all of them if they had expressed those feelings more freely and more often.
“Why?” Megumi asked, perplexed. He struggled to recall his words to his papa. He remembered being asked if he would give his blessing, and he remembered feeling excited that he was going to be part of a family. He’d also never been asked to help make such an important decision, and he remembered feeling valued in a way he rarely had.
“You never called me dad back then, which was understandable. You and Tsumiki lived alone for so long, and even when you weren’t you had very little adult supervision or support. When I showed up, and found you two, I was… immature. I was 17. I never really had my own parents in my life so I had no idea what a parent even did, and I knew nothing about raising elementary aged kids.”
Megumi laughed, “No shit.”
“Megumi, no cursing! You know I’m too fragile to hear my beloved son use such a word!” His dad said dramatically, feigning distress, before laughing once more. He had never had a problem amusing himself, and frankly, Megumi loved this about his dad.
Megumi rolled his eyes, but couldn’t stop himself from smiling, “Yeah whatever.”
His dad grinned, then spoke again, tone serious once more, “By the time Suguru and I got together, you were clingy with me, but you also actively disliked me on a good day. I think you were scared that I’d leave you, yet you so clearly wanted to be loved.”
Megumi leaned closer to his dad, “I was… scared, I mean.”
“I know,” His dad acknowledged, nonjudgmentally. Even though he often lacked tact, he typically reacted from a place of acceptance. It may be the trait he most admired.
“You essentially told Suguru that he couldn’t make me cry anymore, because, even though you thought I was annoying, I was your dad. I cried when I found out, because, even though you hadn’t ever called me dad to my face- you still saw me as your dad, and knowing that meant, and continues to mean a lot to me.”
“Oh,” Megumi was dumbfounded and genuinely surprised to hear how much this had affected his dad. He did not know what to say, and as he struggled to come up with an adequate response, his dad took pity on him, and smiled reassuringly, before he ruffled Megumi’s hair, a habit Megumi had begrudgingly accepted. It had remained within their dynamic since their first meeting, and at this point, who was he to break tradition?
“But, we’re not here to talk about me or my relationship with your father, so what’s going on with you and Yuji? Please don’t tell me you’re considering breaking up with him, Megs.”
“What? No, dad, it’s the exact opposite. I’d never leave Yuji.”
“The opposite… Oh my god, are you going to propose to Yuji!?” His dad’s voice raised an entire octave as he excitedly shouted additional questions, “Megumi, when?! Where!? Do you have a ring? Can I see?”
Megumi laughed, and shoved his dad’s shoulder, “Stop, you’re being ridiculous.”
“I’m always ridiculous, Gumi! Stop deflecting and answer my questions,” His dad was pouting at him now, and Megumi purposely rolled his eyes for his dad to see. It was a welcomed and familiar song and dance, and it helped Megumi feel more at ease.
“I want to propose. But I haven’t figured anything out yet… I keep getting stuck.”
“Stuck? What’d you mean?”
“I know I want to be with Yuji. I’ve never been as sure about anything as I am about him.”
“And?”
“And it scares me… to feel so sure about this.”
“Why?” His dad’s eyebrows furrowed in concern.
“I mean, what if Yuji doesn't feel the same? And I’m the only one who’s certain…”
His dad looked incredibly unimpressed, and Megumi understood why. He knew his worry was unfounded. Yuji was very obviously devoted to him- it was clear to everyone around them, including to Megumi, and yet, he could not ignore the irrational fear that had slowly festered at the back of his mind ever since he decided he was going to propose.
“Megumi,” His dad said incredulously, but paused, he appeared to be considering his words. He sighed and pulled Megumi tighter against his side. Megumi allowed it, “It’s normal to feel worried. Any change, even one you want, is going to feel unsettling at first. And it’s also one you and Yuji get to go through together. But don’t be ridiculous, Megumi, there’s absolutely no way Yuji doesn’t feel the same. That kid adores you. And as your dad, I’m so happy that this is the kind of love you’ve found. You know you’ve got my full support.”
Megumi looked down at the rail tracks. They were blurry. He wasn’t surprised when a few tears cascaded down his face.
“Thanks, dad.” He felt better after hearing his dad’s affirmation, and oddly, for Megumi , his admonishment was reassuring too.
“Anytime, Gumi,” His dad paused, then asked, “So, do you really not have any ideas for how to propose?”
“I have a few but nothing that feels right.”
“Well, when you talked with Suguru about this, what did he say? Between us, he’s the one with proposal planning experience.”
“I haven’t told him yet. I haven’t told anyone.”
“Oh, um, really?”
He had considered talking to his papa prior to his dad’s return, but something, deep down, compelled him to seek out his dad first.
He and his dad had gone through so much more together, at least in terms of improving their relationship. With Suguru, once Megumi had accepted him into their family and as his other father, they had never had any real tension between them again. Suguru just seemed to understand Megumi without words. His calm presence and quieter demeanor resonated with Megumi, and yet, with his dad, Megumi had accepted that he would permanently experience some level of hero-worship for the man, despite Megumi’s copious attempts to quell this within himself over the years. His dad would always be the man who saved him, and Tsumiki by extension, from the Zenin clan. He was the reason Megumi and Tsumiki had people to call their family.
“Yeah.”
“Oh, well, I’m honored you wanted to tell me.”
To Megumi’s astonishment, his dad looked like he might cry.
“I care about what you think,” Megumi said earnestly, forcing himself to ignore his discomfort. He knew it was good for him to be vulnerable even if it was hard.
“I know you do,” His dad wiped his eyes, and smiled at Megumi, nodding for him to continue.
“I want it to be private, but I worry that it’s selfish of me. Yuji’s better at showing his feelings openly. I don’t know if he’d prefer something simple or a grand gesture, though knowing him… he’d probably be happy regardless.”
“Have you and Yuji talked about marriage at all?”
“A bit. I know he wants to marry me too.”
“Have you watched any romance movies or anime together?”
“Uh… yes?” Megumi was confused by the line of questioning.
“What does he react positively to?”
“In the movies, you mean?”
“Yeah, Yuji’s always been a movie guy. I used movies as part of his training when he was first learning to maintain his cursed energy flow actually,” His dad tilted his head to the side and smiled fondly at the memory.
“Do I even want to know how that worked?”
“One of Yaga’s cursed corpses punched him if he didn’t maintain his flow,” His dad grinned widely at him and laughed, “He learned quickly.”
Megumi rolled his eyes but laughed at the thought of Yuji fighting off a particularly aggressive cursed corpse while trying to watch movies. It seemed oddly fitting for him. He’d have to ask Yuji to tell him about it.
As Megumi considered his dad’s first question, he was struck with the realization that Yuji gravitated toward the quieter romantic gestures in the movies they watched.
“I think I should propose at home.”
“Awww, just like Suguru did. You kids were all so cute that day, and did such a good job helping Sugu.”
His dad was clearly feeling sentimental now. He always got like this when he had been away from his family for longer than a few days. Another pang of guilt shot through him as he remembered that he had intercepted his dad before his parents had been able to see each other.
“That’s also the first time you summoned both divine dogs together. And now you’re all grown up."
If Megumi did not stop him now, his dad was going to start showing him pictures of himself and his sisters as kids and there was a high likelihood that his dad would burst into full on sobs.
“Dad… the proposal. I need help.”
“Right. Sorry, Megs, I got distracted, but I’m with you now. So, proposal at home?”
“I think so… but what if it’s not enough for Yuji?”
“Megumi, I think you need to remember who it is you’re asking to marry you.”
Megumi stared at his dad, confused. Sometimes he had no idea what the man was saying.
“Anything you do will be enough for Yuji because it’s you doing it.”
And while Megumi understood his dad’s point, it did not quell his worries. He wanted this to be perfect. Yuji deserved nothing less.
“Maybe... but this isn’t just some random romantic gesture.”
“What’s your gut telling you?”
Megumi paused. Beneath his brewing anxiety, there was a warmth, and as he forced himself to push past his worries, he leaned into the embers of joy, sparked by the thought of a life spent with Yuji by his side.
“Oh,” He breathed a sigh of relief. It really was simple. “I know what I’m going do.”
“Really?!” His dad tackled him into a hug. He laughed as hugged his dad back.
“Really.”