Summary:
The meeting with the clan head goes well, all things considered. At least it does by Toji's standards. He doesn't even get into one physical altercation.
The meeting with the clan head goes well, all things considered. At least it does by Toji's standards. He doesn't even get into one physical altercation.
Granted, he is keeping himself in check more than usual. As confident as he is in his own abilities, Toji isn't dumb enough to go head-to-head with a compound full of people capable of using Limitless. Plus they're employing him. Staying on their good side would be ideal. And speaking of good sides—
"Zen'in," the Gojo clan head says slowly, rubbing her temple with a stiff finger. "What is this?"
Toji looks down at Megumi, currently asleep in his lap with his tiny mouth hanging open. He nudges it shut. "My kid. It's Fushiguro, by the way. I took my wife's last name."
He'd already told her that when they met, but she's either being difficult or she genuinely doesn't care enough to remember. Either way, he tries not to let it bother him too much. There's too much on the line here for him to pitch a fit or show enough disrespect that he gets kicked out. The woman's brow wrinkles as she stares at him, like she can't tell whether or not he's being serious.
"Let me rephrase," she says, voice dripping with derision. "What is your child doing here? This isn't a daycare."
"I know, I know," Toji replies, holding up a placating hand. Megumi's limp head starts to slide against his chest and he quickly catches him. Yeah, he definitely needs to consider purchasing one of those baby carriers. "Here's the thing—actual daycare's kinda expensive, y'know?"
She stares back, unsympathetic. "We're paying you more than enough to afford it. You aren't living paycheck to paycheck anymore."
Well.
Okay, so he has some bad spending habits! And maybe a bit of a gambling issue! No, he isn't as broke as he used to be, but daycare is an unnecessary expense in his correct opinion. Toji squares his shoulders and whips out his trump card.
"Satoru asked me to bring him," he tells her, and watches as the clan head's eyes widen.
For all their formality and bluster, the clan has trouble denying their golden child anything, it seems. He's the first in over a century to wield both Limitless and the Six Eyes or whatever, blah blah blah. They're so obsessed with him it's almost sad. But Satoru's influence is an advantage for Toji, and he plans on making full use of it.
"He likes my kid," Toji elaborates, pointing at Megumi's face for emphasis. His mouth slides back open again, breath puffing softly against Toji's knuckles. "Makes him feel like a big brother or something, I dunno. So I promised to bring him. Don't worry, it won't interfere with how well I do my job."
The clan head doesn't look convinced, but Toji can see her wavering, caught between refusing his ridiculous proposal and giving in to what Satoru wants. Man, she'll definitely love his second request.
"Satoru asked you to bring him," she repeats, hands folded into her sleeves. "How did he come to know about your child in the first place?"
Toji tries not to squint at her. What did she expect, that Toji would just hover silently over the kid's shoulder like a ghost? "Well, I do spend eight hours a day with him. We talk. I told him about my kid and he was curious."
The fact that the clan head looks surprised about that is kinda telling. He'd already sort of guessed, but the Gojo clan isn't all that different from the Zen'in clan when it comes to the way things are done. Toji was mostly left alone when he lived there, but the heirs usually had a body or three shadowing them when they went out. Creepy men with shades and muscles. Never said much.
"Hm," she mutters, like she can't decide whether she disapproves of that or not. "I hope you're not coddling him. He needs to be watched, not babied."
Toji swallows his snort. The last thing he's doing is babying that kid. It's just fun to mess with him and watch how riled up he gets. "Yeah, don't worry, he's all grown up. He exorcized a Grade 2 curse yesterday while we were walking and barely blinked."
"I see," she says, and then: "He used to sneak away from his other bodyguards all the time and wander the city by himself. It's dangerous with so many bounty hunters after his head."
"I never let him out of my sight," Toji lies confidently. So he can't be assed to keep his eyes on the kid all the time, so what? The brat's independent. "He likes my company too much to want to leave anyway."
"Mm," she replies. He can't figure out if she believes him or not. "You bringing your son along with you wouldn't impair you at all? Understand that I'm asking you this because I have seen your prowess. You're not someone to scoff at, even if your idiot clan head doesn't see it."
He wishes he could tell whether she's genuinely complimenting him or if she just hates Naobito that much. Well, either is fine. "Yeah, Megumi'll be alright. I'm gonna get one of those baby slings for him soon so my hands'll be free."
Is it working? It does seem like he's wearing her down, little by little, if only because Satoru's supposedly advocating for him. The clan head's hands burrow deeper into her sleeves.
"By requesting this, you're telling me," she says doubtfully. "That should it come to it, you'd save Satoru over your own son? Because that is what we would expect of you."
Probably not, but what she doesn't know won't hurt her. "Yeah, without hesitation. 'S what you're paying me to do, right?"
"Hah!" Her bark of laughter is short and amused. "You're a Zen'in, alright. I can't believe I'm humoring this, but it will be taken into consideration after I've spoken with Satoru. Until then, leave your child home."
Then she pauses, shaking her head in slight disbelief. "You're lucky you're a valuable man, Zen'in."
Toji blinks at her a couple times. It's still weird to hear those words from anyone, even if the woman delivering them probably wishes she didn't have to. What did Naobito like to call him? A talentless monkey? Hah, let him chew on that. He'd probably pitch a fit, listening to it come out of the mouth of his rival.
But anyway, this part of the ordeal went a little better than he expected it to. Aside from her insistence on calling him 'Zen'in', but they can work on that. Toji knows a dismissal when he hears one.
"One more thing," he says, and internally cringes at the look of displeasure he receives. Just a little more, a little longer.
"What is it?" she asks, tapping a finger against the side of her tea glass. Toji already drained his a while ago, but she hasn't bothered serving him more.
"Well," he begins, resting a hand on Megumi's knee when he kicks a little in his sleep. Please, for the love of everything, let his infant son stay asleep until the end of this meeting. "Satoru and I also discussed his training regimen. I thought it would be valuable if he focused more on hand-to-hand."
Now she looks annoyed. "Limitless protects us a majority of the time, yes, but we aren't foolish enough to rely on it entirely. We've already begun hand-to-hand instruction. What's your request?"
Smart woman. Toji's face twitches as he maintains his polite smile. "Let me train him."
To her credit, she doesn't appear very shocked. There's the slightest lift of her eyebrow, but maybe his appeal isn't as unreasonable as he expected it to be. "You want to teach him? Why?"
Toji straightens up. Time to sell it. "If I can be blunt—"
She interrupts him with a scoff, and Toji purses his lips to keep from grinning. Deference doesn't really come easily anymore; resentment and pettiness is a hell of a motivator.
"If I can be blunt," he presses, pretending he hadn't heard. "You hired me because there's next to no one that can match me in physical combat, with or without cursed tools. Given the right circumstances, I could probably even break through Limitless."
Her eyes sharpen at that, and Toji instinctively loosens his posture. He is only working for them because they're paying him the most money, after all. And because it drives Naobito crazy. Better not to get her hackles too far up.
"What I'm saying is, I'd be his most valuable teacher," Toji explains, adjusting Megumi in his lap again. "And I'm willing to offer up that knowledge. It's only to your benefit."
She studies him, a considering look on her face. Well, it isn't outright refusal. "I see. You aren't necessarily wrong about that. However—"
Her gaze turns sharp again, eyeing him with the calculation of a woman who's been around the block several times over. "What is it you want in return?"
This time Toji lets a toothy grin loose, leaning back in his spot. Megumi begins to squirm more insistently, tiny fists coming up to rub at his eyes.
"A pay raise."
—
Satoru pounces on him the moment he steps out of the building, much to the dismay of the bodyguard who handles him whenever Toji clocks out at five. Toji leans away from the assault of white hair and bad attitude. "What did she say?"
"What did who say?" Toji asks just to be obtuse, Megumi balanced in one arm and his black baby bag hanging off the other. "Sorry, I'm off the clock. Ask me again tomorrow."
Satoru stares at him like he's considering punching him in the nether regions. Toji tries not to laugh even as he shifts his bag to protect himself, just in case. "What? Stop looking at me like I kicked your puppy."
There's an odd beat of silence, and then:
"I killed my puppy when I was five," Satoru blurts out. Toji stops snickering and squints at him. That's deeply disturbing information, actually.
"Accidentally crushed it with Limitless," the boy elaborates with a shrug. "It wasn't on purpose."
"Huh," Toji mutters, processing that. He unwillingly learns something new about the kid every day. "Remind me not to let you around Megumi anymore."
Satoru whacks him in his stomach and Toji lets out a small oof. The brat's stronger than he looks. "I have better control now! I said it happened when I was five!"
"A word of advice, kid," Toji says. In the background, he can hear the other bodyguard sigh mildly in exasperation. "It's probably better to keep the fucked up shit to yourself. Oversharers are weird."
He looks a little put out at that, crossing his arms over his chest. "Whatever. Are you gonna tell me what she said?"
"Uhhh." Toji can't tap his chin with his hands full, so instead he knocks it gently against Megumi's soft head. "Let's put it this way: you're gonna be seeing a lot more of me from now on."
Satoru looks so disappointed, it's almost offensive. "Just you?"
"Hey," Toji says with a glare. "It's good news whether Megumi gets to come or not, right? Me saying that means I got the okay to be your teacher."
By then the kid is so crestfallen, Toji almost feels a little bad. Almost. The sadistic little brat deserves a taste of his own medicine.
"Megumi's more interesting than you, though," Satoru grouses, crossing his arms, which is really fucking annoying considering he'd had the audacity to call his kid 'boring' just a few hours ago.
The kid really does get away with saying whatever he wants, huh? If Toji ever talked back like that as a child, he'd be feeling it all through the next day. "You're just gonna have to wait and see. Put in a good word for me with the clan head if you really want it bad enough."
Satoru chews on his lip but miraculously doesn't complain. Toji smirks, nudges him in the leg with his foot, and makes sure Megumi's head doesn't loll too far off his shoulder as he gums sleepily on his pacifier. "Alright, heading out. See you tomorrow, pest."
"Money leech," Satoru mutters, and Toji resists the urge to slap the back of his head. The kid should be glad Toji's accepting the money from his clan instead of off the dark web in exchange for his head.
He chooses to very maturely be the bigger person and ignore him. Then he adjusts Megumi one final time and heads towards the gate where his own private (private!) driver takes him to and from the Gojo compound every day. It's partially to keep an eye on him and partially because Toji doesn't have a car.
The man nods curtly to him as he slides into the backseat—Toji's pretty sure he doesn't like him much, considers him riffraff probably given his lineage and previous profession—and pulls away from the compound. Toji lifts Megumi's tiny hand and waves to him in the rearview mirror. The driver shoots him an unimpressed look and doesn't wave back. Rude.
He makes a face at him and settles into his seat, Megumi huffing softly against his neck as the pacifier slips out of his mouth. His son's really wiped today; the new environment must have tired him out. Toji has to stifle his own yawn, drained from negotiating and somewhat lulled by the tinted windows of the black sedan.
Despite what he'd told Satoru, the truth is that he's already come to a half-concession with the clan head. Nothing is set in stone, but if it goes according to the terms they set, there'll be a few changes in his day to day life.
She'd given him a choice—or rather, an ultimatum. if he wants to get more involved in Satoru's training, as well as keep his son with him, he'll need to relocate to the Gojo compound. It isn't exactly what Toji intended when he walked into that room, but that's what he walked out with. She's paying him three times his current salary to fully relieve Satoru's other caretaker of his duties and take on a full role as a bodyguard and teacher.
It's no secret why they'd want to keep him closer. Training with the Gojo clan means becoming intimately familiar with their techniques and hidden abilities. She'd told him in no uncertain terms that there were aspects of Satoru's training he wouldn't be allowed to oversee. They won't risk a leak to anyone outside the family, and Toji's pretty sure it was implied somewhere during that conversation that he'd pay with his life if he ever tried.
As confident as he is in his own skills, he's not stupid enough to assume he'd make a clean getaway from the Gojo clan if they came for his head. Not that he's planning to provoke that; Satoru's bounty only pays once, after all. If Toji accepts her proposition, he'll be seeing returns for life.
So it's not the worst deal all around. It is, however, a bit of a lifelong commitment. Quitting after digging up Gojo family secrets will undoubtedly be interpreted as selling them out to the highest bidder. Really, it's a matter of choosing between a fully paid future and the stifling of some of his personal freedom.
Thank god he's so ambitionless.