Toji wordlessly takes in the scene that confirms his fears. Elska on her knees, Satoru behind her, Naoya in the front and all of them naked on the bed with the exception of her blue lace bra and Gojo's pants at his ankles.
---------------------------
Once he'd finished with his shower, Toji found Choso standing by himself wide eyed and nervous.
"What's wrong?", he asked the being with foreboding scorn.
Choso didn't know what to say or how to explain what he just witnessed.
"Ummm..."
He's still amazed at the fact that Gojo was licking her there since he didn't know that was something that was done. The being feels his pants tighten but doesn't want to upset Toji so he refrains from adjusting himself.
"I'm…supposed to tell you to catch up with them."
Toji immediately straightens to this with blood boiling as soon as Choso's awkward smile forms.
"I think Gojo was trying to uhh…extort that threesome thing."
The being felt dirty even saying the words and imagines what that would entail.
"WHAT THE FUCK!?"
Toji hollers, feeling as though there is no stopping the silver shaman because no matter what Toji does, Gojo keeps pushing it. He becomes further pissed off when memories of their first time like that replay in his mind; worried Satoru is going to hurt her.
"That slimy fuck."
Then Toji thinks about Naoya.
"Zenin TOO?!"
Choso nods with cautious eyes.
"Yes…although I can confidently say that Naoya tried to stop him..."
"OBVIOUSLY HE DIDN'T TRY HARD ENOUGH!"
Toji huffs and throws his dirty clothes against the wall.
"I'm going to fucking wring their necks!"
He looks at Choso to say more but his own eyes widen when he thinks about the lace set. Toji darts back into the steamy bathroom to see the bare hanger where it used to be, snatching it from the towel bar with disdain.
"So they thought this as an excuse? Those motherfuckers..."
He's pissed.
There's a knock on the door.
"WHAT!!!!?"
But once Megumi pushes the door open, the giant changes his tone.
"Shit… sorry Megs."
Megumi walks into the room and scans it; seeing all of the bags and clothes on the bed which leads him to waft in confusion as he was expecting to find Elska, Gojo and Naoya as well. While watching Toji's expression soften, he leans a hand into the top of the couch but jerks it away after feeling the different material.
"What…is…"
Megumi pinches the lingerie and with complete irritation holds it up to eye level while scowling at Toji through it.
"Are you making her wear this?!"
Choso blushes at the black lingerie that he admires so much.
Toji stomps toward his son and snatches the bundle out of his hands.
"NO! I wouldn't do that!"
He knows its too late to really explain though as Megumi's lips purse with narrowing eyes.
"Why is there so much of it?"
Megumi looks around the room again, noticing the details but the longer he breaks the room down, the most he realizes that he's actually a little more freaked out than flustered. Megumi's doing his best to not picture her wearing it while wrapping herself around his dad.
"Where is SHE?! WHERE IS ELSKA?"
Toji scoffs.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out, kid!"
The giant orients towards Choso but the being backs away as Toji walks closer.
"Where are they bud? Cough it up!"
"I…I don't know!! It happened so fast! One minute everything is fine and the next…"
Choso gulps air.
"…Gojo was…licking her between her legs…"
Toji sees the indignation beam across Megumi's face and mirrors the same exact rage.
"Alright, that's it…"
Toji grabs Choso's arm.
"Use your observer technique NOW. FIND THEM."
He feels bad because he knows poor Choso was only caught in the middle of everything but fears of Elska being treated poorly surge his thoughts.
'Naoya better not fucking be condoning this…'
Choso immediately produces the window while holding his breath but he's also plagued about what they'll see on the other side since Toji seems to be barely keeping his anger at bay.
"I swear I didn't have anything to do with this!"
When what is shown is mostly darkness, Choso takes finally breathes and explains.
"Wherever they are, there're only shadows."
All three of them are staring intently, trying to make out any signs of the others through the weak lighting.
"We should just go so you can beat them up, dad!"
Toji hears something though and motions for them to remain quiet.
"It's muffled but I can definitely hear something..."
After a few seconds Elska cries out.
"Master!"
Toji is immediately alarmed.
"SHE HAS NO MASTER! SHE IS THE MASTER!"
Megumi jerks his head towards his dad and then glances to Choso but sees the being was confused by that reaction too. Turning back to his dad, Megumi quietly wonders about what kind of things Toji and Elska do behind closed doors.
'Is she some kind of dominatrix?'
He then gasps quietly as multiple moans are being heard, fearing he knew who the voices belonged to.
"Are they…"
Megumi clenches his jaw angrily.
"no..."
Toji looks at Choso again but with less malice.
"I'm not mad at you Choso but I need you to get me over there ASAP. Who knows what those two are making her do right now?!"
The giant sneers as he attempts to control his presence that's beginning to overwhelm his own senses.
"I have to get over there right now!"
He's planning on putting those two back in there place.
"I'm coming with you! They need to get their asses beat!"
Toji interjects.
"Like hell you are, you don't need nor want to see this I can assure that boy."
He feels Megumi push him although it doesn't even shift Toji's balance.
"What do you think you're doing?"
He peers down to his son with a snarl and his arm begins to sting but he controls his dark urge to shove him back. Toji now actually retracts his expression fully as he doesn't understand why attacking Megumi would even cross his mind.
"You always say boy but I am a MAN now!"
Megumi scoffs but continues with consistent agency.
"You obviously didn't do that great of a job protecting her otherwise we wouldn't be here, would we dad?!"
Megumi states it again.
"I am going with you…"
He's secretly ready to prove himself to everyone…his dad, Gojo, her.
Choso wipes away the window and draws in energy to form the portal.
"This will only take a minute…"
His eyes blacken as the shadow-like swirling energy forms the circumference of a tall standing oval and maps he the path towards Naoya's presence, the one he's most familiar with. The being forces himself to ignore Megumi's discomfort to his appearance so he can continue his technique without any time lost.
—————————————————
"What the FUCK do you think you guys are doing?"
Toji's grimace chills the atmosphere of the sweaty room. He walks up to Gojo who is trying to scurry away from Elska but Toji catches him and decks him in the face, causing Satoru to fall backwards. Toji notices that his arm felt relief from that burn after doing so but only momentarily wonders why.
"You twisted cunts!"
Naoya wraps his arms around Elska to cover her but sees his cousin's red glowing eyes now aiming at him and thinks its best to release her so she's not caught in the crossfire. He tries to run away in his complete bareness.
"SHIT-SHIT-SHIT-SHIIIIT!"
Gojo stands up holding his jaw, astonished that it actually hurt.
'Is he going to really try and kill us?'
The thought races through his brain with an unusual potency but Satoru's soon looking toward the portal in surprise when Choso and Megumi now walk through it.
"MEGS?!"
Gojo's slightly mortified that the boy is about to see them all as they were and has already picked up on the fact that he has a little crush on Elska. He pulls up his pants hastily while trying to plan a way through the shit river he's constructed.
Megumi sees Naoya trying to flee from Toji but the Zenin doesn't get far when Toji calls for his wings and uses the wind to hinder Naoya's footing. Elska cries out for Toji to stop but when Megumi hears her, he refocuses on making sure she's okay. In a complete blushing mess he approaches Elska who is pretty exposed so he takes off his shirt and throws it over her head, forcing her to shove her arms through the sleeves.
Elska is embarrassed that Megumi is even there but is also worried about Naoya who has already received a blow to the face from Toji. She jumps up on the bed, apologizes to Megumi but then launches into their direction with the intention of stopping the fight. She's jerked back by Megumi though who grabs her arm and forces them to hit the floor and she's soon screaming when the junior shaman tumbles on top of her. While being restrained she hears Megumi's calloused voice enter her ear.
"They need to learn Elska..."
It chills her, this strange new side of the young man she's come to know but when she can feel the difference in Toji's energy and how its darkening, it sends her into a flailing panic. She continues to combat against Megumi's handling but loses her breath when Gojo can be seen charging her beloved.
Satoru squirrel jumps onto Toji's back to pin his wings and attempts using his leverage to choke the giant out.
"Naoya, RUN."
But almost instantly, Gojo feels a sharp grip on his arm and is thrown over Toji's shoulder and into the wall where Satoru slides upside down next to Naoya. The Zenin wheezes with anxiety with his cousin's effortless attack.
"Fuck, Gojo! Why are you getting your ass kicked right now?!! It's freaking me out!!"
Satoru chuckles to Naoya's nerves but quickly stands up with more serious and wide eyes.
"Toji, you have to stop this."
He meets with Toji's fist again though and is knocked back into the wall, stumbling from the pain he's not used to feeling.
'What is going on with his presence? It's so fucking evil right now!'
With Satoru being used as target practice, Naoya is able to get out from against the wall but now feels obligated to rescue Gojo back. He figured Toji would be upset but had no idea it would turn into this so he uses his projection technique to swiftly grab Satoru, saving him from an energy infused hit but barely. Naoya's shaken by the ferocity Toji is displaying and worries that if Toji doesn't calm down soon, things will likely escalate.
'It's almost like before...'
Naoya's forced to recall the fight that broke out between them when he went to Toji to work on a strategy and ended up getting violated.
'…but it feels intensified...'
Megumi is still holding down Elska, feeling horrible about straddling her to the floor with arms wrapped behind her back like she's some kind of criminal.
"Elska, please, just calm down!"
He's trying to ignore their position and her bareness while the shirt creeps up from their struggle.
"I'm just trying to protect you!"
"MEGS HE'S GOING TO HURT THEM!"
She could easily get out of this but doesn't want to injure the junior shaman so in desperation, she calls out to Choso.
"PLEASE this is a misunderstanding!"
She has a feeling that Toji was probably thinking there was a repeat of last time's brutality but doesn't know how to efficiently get through to him that she allowed it all.
"TOJI!!"
Gojo is catching his breath while patting Naoya on the arm.
"Tha…Thank you for that. It's why you're my favorite Zenin..."
He now stands up to fend off the incoming and irate Fushiguro, catching the next punch thrown but realizes that he'll lose the battle of strength.
"YOU NEED TO CHILL OUT, TOJI!"
But it only seems to enrage the winged man further. Satoru tries to dodge the spinning kick but wasn't quite quick enough and didn't even have time to warp away. Holding his jaw, flashes of their brief match when he found Elska's wing auto play behind his eyes and are accompanied with the belief that something is very, very wrong here.
'He's waaaaay fucking stronger than last time too, what in the fuck is going on?!'
Naoya zips past the frozen Choso and towards Megumi and Elska.
"GET OFF OF MY PRINCESS!"
He doesn't like how she's being pinned down. The glare of the younger Fushiguro shoots through him with cursed energy following right behind. It doesn't hurt Naoya badly aside from some 1st degree burns but it caught him off guard and slowed him down.
"YOU stay back! Fucking Zenin scum!"
Megumi is done with this shit show and has been proudly watching his father mop the floor with those two up until this point.
Choso sees Elska's distress and wants the boy off of her as well, not liking the manner she's being handled. He rushes over and grabs Elska's wrists and unbinds them before looking up at Megumi with precaution.
"I'll take her back right now, just let her go..."
Before the being has a chance to soothe anything however, Elska defiantly screams no and yanks down on Choso, sending him forward towards Megumi. He collides head first into the junior shaman, knocking both of their skulls while Elska manipulates their daze to crawl from beneath Megumi and head towards the fight.
"MY BELOVED, PLEASE!"
She has to duck behind him when he pulls his massive elbow back to hit Satoru again. Instinctively, she grabs his arm but is flung forward as it didn't slow down Toji's force one bit. She flies into Satoru who clumsily catches her and closes her eyes as her Sweet Sati uses his body to shield her.
"SATI!!"
She hears Gojo grunt from the impact but he dutifully holds her tighter. It happens a few more times but each dense hit pushes Elska into culpable tears.
Once the initial onslaught is over, Gojo lifts his head up with stormy eyes; having lost his patience now that his love is involved.
"You want to fuck her up too, big guy!?? IS THAT IT?!!!!"
Gojo wickedly pushes his foot out to kick and bend Toji's knee in the opposite way it's supposed to function and warps them to the other side of the room as the giant screeches in pain.
'We have to get him under control before I fucking kill him.'
Satoru understands that this is very unlike Toji but he's struggling to work his sympathy for the situation at this point. He glares into the lone glowing eyes that light up his immediate vicinity, taking in the deep burgundy they've become.
Naoya goes to help Satoru guard Elska but sees Megumi charging them head on and reluctantly uses his projection to dash Megumi into the bed.
"God DAMN IT! What has gotten into you two!? CHO!!! MAKE THE PORTAL!"
Zenin fights to hold down the boy but hopes he can toss Megumi's ass right through the portal once it's created. Toji's wildly twisted presence amps up a few notches which steals his attention.
'What the fuck is going on with him? Toji's never acted this way towards me, not once! Did we go too far? Will he really kill us!?'
To be fair, Toji isn't sure why he's losing control like this eiher. He was pissed, sure but right now he's starting to hurt the others and can't stop. He's barely heard Elska calling out to him during this but when it does occasionally reach him, the sound of her voice reminds him why he's there in the first place. A furious wave of dark energy erupts from within but Toji feels like he could breathe during the moment it spilled out. It's almost as if he's drowning in his own fury and is overcome by the hatred he feels for Naoya and Gojo taking advantage of her.
Choso is trying to focus on making the portal as the world around him falls to shit.
'How do I deescalate this?!'
Once he maps the route, he calls out to Naoya to let him know its ready. Simultaneously, the being considers putting Toji to sleep now since this is growing more violent by the second but with blackened eyes he looks around and discerns that they need to remove Megumi first before things get worse. Choso flexes every muscle to the max in order to expand the portal and endures the strain of his limits being tested.
"N-NAOYA! DO IT NOW!"
Choso sighs his soon to be relief when he witness Naoya engage projection again and it leads to him successfully yeeting Megumi through the opening. The junior shaman is sucked into the nothingness but there's no time to relax as Gojo is being pummeled into a corner. As if they shared the same exact thought, Naoya and Choso relay their plan in frantic unison.
"He needs to sleep!"
Naoya glances over and sees Gojo back to brawling with Toji but Elska is also sneaking up on the giant from behind. The golden light travels over Naoya and momentarily brightens the room.
"BABY DON'T! GET AWAY FROM HIM!!"
Satoru notices that Toji became distracted by Naoya calling out to Elska but is bathed in fear when he can also tell that Toji is aware of her attempt but obviously doesn't register that it's her.
"STO-…"
Toji wraps an excessively suffocating grip around Satoru's throat but also is now building up energy to attack behind him.
'NO! FUCK! LOVE!!'
Gojo tries burning Toji's hand with an energized grip but even with the skin sizzling into a foul aroma, the pain doesn't seem to phase the giant much at all.
"L-uuuv-"
Elska isn't fast enough to move out of the way nor do her legs respond. She's watching Toji's energized back-handed fist in slow motion as it closes the distance towards her face. The blind rage that masks his sanguine eyes send her into perplexity as she doesn't understand where this rage is overtly coming from.
'One thing is for sure...I could never fight him…'
Elska accepts this and has only a fraction of a second to brace herself; her heart breaking knowing that Toji is going to regret everything that's happened and surely what was about to.
'Toji…'
She feels the gust of wind against her skin and her hair wafts to the side but she never feels the hit. Slowly opening her eyes, Elska immediately is presented with Toji frozen in shock, teary eyed and staring down at her with regret. She smiles though in response, with emotional relief.
Toji snapped out of it just as he was about to connect a devastating blow to Elska but he stands there confused and silent as Choso runs up to remove her from his immediate vicinity.
"Doll…I…"
Toji doesn't know how to speak nor know what to say in this moment as he looks around and sees everyone in their roughed-up state. He takes a few steps back, shaking to the fact that he was so close to pummeling her. Right as he's about to try and explain himself, Toji's vision flashes white to a soft glow. There's a strong ringing in his ears and before he knows it, he's suddenly on the floor losing consciousness with the last thing he struggles to view being a progressively blurring image of Elska reaching out to him from a few feet away.
"SATIII!!!"
Satoru exhales heavily, guiding his fist back to his side.
"I'm sorry big guy…"
Gojo didn't want to take any chances so he just swung the hardest punch of his life and luckily succeeded in knocking Toji out in one strike.
Not taking her criticism to heart, Satoru runs over to Elska who is now being consoled by Naoya.
"Love! Are you alright?!"
He feels unusually disturbed by everything that just took place but hugs Elska while they all recuperate and settle their nerves. After a few surreal but needed seconds of simply catching their breath, Satoru mentally sorts through all the events with his spite directed towards the being.
"What the fuck did you say to him!? Toji just went fucking CRAZY, ASSHOLE!!"
Choso is now walking over to the giant to make sure he's okay and sighs with respite to know that he's just out cold. While staring down at Toji though, the being's lip begins to quiver as he chews through his poor choice of words leading them all to this terrible outcome. He never wanted Toji to hurt anyone or for Toji to get hurt himself.
"I just told him what happened! He was angry but I didn't think he'd go this far!"
Choso feels emotional as he's carries the false guilt of this being his fault but his anxieties increase when he looks to his portal and feels someone coming through it, again.
Fired up, Megumi launches back into the room. He sees his dad on the ground and rapidly becomes angrier with Gojo and Naoya smother Elska. He charges to them hoping they'd proclaim a fighting stance and smiles when they do exactly that. Megumi uses this opportunity to dart between Satoru and Naoya and snatch Elska up into his arms. She fights against him but he keeps his hold on her until he circles back to the portal and takes her through it.
Naoya screams in frustration.
"THAT SHI-! THE FU-! WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?!"
While scanning the darkness for his clothes, Naoya shouts to Satoru.
"Gojo! Toji was really trying to fucking hurt us and what the FUCK is up with his kid?!"
Naoya dons his shirt while reliving their narrow escape from Fushiguro's wrath but none of that matters now though as he can only think about retrieving Elska. He's hopping into the shaman pants again as he nears the portal but trips on his left pant leg, missing his foot which makes him fall in, instead.
Gojo laughs as Naoya looked so ridiculous he just couldn't help it. He straightens himself up though as he too is bothered by Megumi's actions. He knows the boy isn't going to hurt Elska, in fact he seemed to very much think that himself and Naoya were the danger but it forces Satoru to peer down to the unconscious Toji and frown.
"Like father, like son…"
Somberly, Satoru then dips down to hoist the large, heavy man up and struggles to support his weight until his wings release and make it easier. Straightening his shaky legs, Gojo plays off the strain and instead turns to while nodding to the general area of the bed.
"Can you grab her clothes?"
Choso nods but then sulks with penitence in his eyes but Satoru can't stand to see him so upset.
"For the record, I'm not upset with you…and this wasn't your doing, alright? I'm also sorry for yelling at you a little while ago, that was uncalled for."
Choso sniffles but holds his head high with an expression of amazement.
'Was Satoru Gojo just being nice?"
——————————————————————-
Once they're back in Toji's room, Elska struggles against the junior shaman.
"Megumi…put me DOWN NOW!!"
He walks her to the couch and drops her onto the cushions but then climbs over her again. She has no idea what's gotten into him but she doesn't like it either; she tries explaining.
"I wasn't in trouble why are you acting this way?!"
Megumi is still angry about everything he saw and has come to know but doesn't know who to blame. He cements a heated glare as he looks down to Elska. He's so frustrated and wants to express himself but doesn't know how with the rage still flowing through him.
"Elska..."
She tries to throw him off though so he pins her arms into the cushions and leans down over her; his emotions bursting.
"WHY DO YOU NOT SEE ME?!!"
To Megumi's dismay, Elska's movements come to an abrupt halt and she's clearly confused which frustrates him further. Staring into her, he feels like there may be only one way to directly explain his reasoning. He starts to lean in closer as he finds the courage to show her how he feels instead. She whispers his name in the form of a question but he blocks this, closes his eyes and prepares to kiss her any way; calming significantly as he knows seconds and inches part between them.
Naoya comes through the portal but finishes his fall instead of landing gracefully.
"Fucking OW!"
Naoya presses against the floor to quickly raise his head and search the room but they only burn once finding Megumi trying to make a move on his woman. Something more exuberant than the act of being territorial surges the Zenin with urgency and so after engaging his projection, Naoya speedily topples the boy but takes out the entire couch with him.
Elska rolls over top of Naoya's back who is now crushing Megumi on the floor. Insulted by the predicament Elska was in, the Zenin is quick to collect himself and deal with the junior but a lot of Naoya's temper fizzles when he realizes there's a bra looped around his neck. Megumi soon pops up from under the mess of cushions and lingerie and Naoya attempts a glare but continues to cackle once seeing him.
"I CAN'T…I can't even right now…"
Elska is still completely discombobulated but raises her head to see what was so funny. She looks over at Megumi and can't help but giggle as well after noticing the pink crotch-less panties draping over Megumi's forehead and right eye. Megumi abruptly turns his head out of embarrassment but she reaches over and brushes them off of him before curving her hand to the side of his head.
"Megumi…"
Her voice is soft and lamentable as she hopes she's wrong about his affections but she can't help but be concerned when he refuses to meet her gaze.
'Was that Megumi's...jealousy?'
Naoya now feels like the tension has been cut down so he pushes himself off of Megumi and helps him and Elska to their feet. Turning towards the red-faced family member, the Zenin quells his playful tone to replace it with a much needed message.
"I don't know what you think you were doing with my princess but I'm going to pretend that it never happened…just this once. There will be no next time."
Naoya feels a warning should be sufficient enough considering he still has a few pieces to gather about what the fuck happened with them before enacting any kind of punishment.
Elska hugs Naoya being glad that he's alright after taking a beating from her beloved but she ushers her eyes upwards toward him.
"We have to go get Toji!"
It's a major relief when she can gather through Naoya's eyes that he agrees and isn't upset with her beloved. She turns to Megumi who now is back to scowling at them and releases Naoya to stop any more drama from ramping up. Tuning her thoughts back to her beloved, Elska runs over to a pile of clothes and throws on some new black sweatpants in preparation to cross back through Choso's portal.
Naoya goes to ask her what she's doing but as she pulling her pants up, Gojo arrives with Toji.
"Sati! Thank you!!"
She helps him bring Toji to the bed and tosses all of the clothes to the floor to make a comfortable spot for him. When he's laid down, she hovers over the giant with faint tears, wishing she knew why he got so violent.
"Toji…"
She whispers into his hair and plants a few soft kisses across his head.
"My beloved Toji…"
She sighs remorsefully as Satoru walks over and sits down on the edge next to him, their eyes meeting.
"Maybe I should have done things differently, love…"
Gojo grabs Elska's other hand and studies it while addressing his doubts but instead of commenting on his statement, she makes one of her own.
"I don't know how to make any of this better…it's not fair to you guys..."
Satoru feels the guilt radiating off of her and wants to shut that down.
"Love, no. This is probably 100 percent my fault."
He kisses her hand and continues.
"Because of last time. I don't think Toji trusts me much there..."
Satoru's really uncomfortable with how his actions when the three of them got together have affected things so deeply.
Naoya is watching Megumi closely to see if he's still feeling aggressive but to his surprise the boy actually seems more depressed than anything as he stares at Elska doting on Toji.
'Does this kid really have a thing for her?'
He wonders with an inquisitive expression but his attention is brought back to the portal as Choso finally comes back through it and closes it behind him.
"Cho? What took you so long?"
Choso lays all of the clothes out that he found on the coffee table and sighs before bringing the couch back to its feet and sitting on it.
"I don't have night vision Naoya..."
With his head in his hands, the being exhales heavily and thinks about how strangely Toji and Megumi were acting before.
Elska has since stood up and was searching through some shopping bags like she's looking for something. She pulls out a bunch of clothes and sets them aside while she rummages some more. While watching her, Choso thinks back to a few minutes ago when he was picking up their garments; he couldn't help himself when he found her shirt. The scent that was clinging to it stopped him in his tracks because it wasn't until then did he understand that it comes from her. It's so harmlessly pleasant to him that he just stood there, breathing it in for a few moments in the dark.
'Do all women smell like that?'
He has so many questions from today.
'…and what about their taste?'
Choso hastily attempts to purify his mind as this is not the time.
Accomplished and on her knees with organized piles, Elska claps her hands.
"Okay! I think that's it!"
She wants to do her best to unify everyone again with a distraction; fearing deep down that they would want to pay Toji back for that incident. She stands up with a tired smile and walks to Naoya and gives him a set of pajamas.
"You're the heart for sure."
He takes it with an endearing grin, slowly looks it over and walks into the bathroom with it.
She now goes to Choso and winks.
"You're more of a spade. It's derived from the Italian word spada which means sword! You're very protective over those you care about it so yeah!"
Choso appears almost like he could cry but without the tears. With adoration in his heat, the being gives her a quiet and sincere thank you.
Satoru walks up with an enthusiastic smirk and a hand held out.
"You, my Sweet Sati, are the clubs! I think they look more like clovers and you always talk about your luck…"
"I love it…and yes, love, it's because I am the luckiest… "
Gojo winks to Elska as Naoya can be heard mocking, "And the lamest!"; the joke tickles him too but he corrects the saying while leaning down to peck her lips.
"...And the strongest."
Elska feels herself blushing with how adorable Satoru can be while he boasts. It shouldn't be attractive at all but he has a way of sliding in the right amount of cuteness into the mix when in front of her.
Now walking over to Toji though, Elska sets his pj's down next to his legs and grabs his left hand.
"The diamond in the ruff…"
She feels it represents Toji well because not only is he incredibly tough but he also has experienced a dark and spirit-breaking life yet continues to shine. Brushing bangs from his eyes, Elska fingers soon trace the scar on his lips all while she considers the shock of Satoru knocking him out with only one hit and faintly smiles to herself.
'He must have gotten lucky.'
Megumi sulks against the wall near the bathroom while staring at his father, morbidly embarrassed by how things have gone but is glad to know that he isn't being treated differently for it. More than anything though he's surprised with himself for trying to blunder his romantic intentions onto Elska. He sees her walking up with something for him too. She says it softy but with a smile.
"The Jack! There's a theory that the representation of the Jack was based on a knight of Charlemagne named Ogier the Dane. There are other interpretations too but I like that one the best."
Megumi feels the surprise on his face when she hands it to him. He doesn't say anything back but feels like she can understand that he's unsure of what to say.
'A knight huh…'
Naoya walks out of the bathroom with his black-on-black comfy clothes.
"Baby, these are so damn soft!"
The card designs on them all only lay over the right pectoral region but on the back of the pants over the rear region lie outlines of their designated symbol so in Naoya's case, he has a heart on each ass cheek. He strikes multiple poses where after he spins to show her the back while everyone snickers, even Megumi. He then strolls up to her like he's trying to be smooth and dips her backwards for a dramatic and deep kiss.
"Thank you, princess…"
He brings her back upright and softens his eyes when he puts it together that she's trying to uplift the mood.
"And don't worry, I know that Toji isn't a monster. I don't feel the need to retaliate...'
Satoru goes ahead and puts his set on right there as he was only in unbuttoned pants to begin with.
"You know, it felt good to let my boys breathe but I'm honestly loving how these feels on the skin!"
He watches Choso go into the bathroom and finds himself rather moved by the being's excitement over receiving the gift. Shaking his limbs to offer the pajamas a more natural way to sit, Gojo approaches Elska and Naoya and thrives off of the much happier atmosphere.
"Love, I think that meant a lot to Choso. It's almost like he's not used to getting gifts from people."
Naoya rubs his chin.
"Yeah...that's probably true. We should include Cho more often."
Megumi walks across the room to the couch.
Gojo's eyes meet Naoya's and words are not needed to explain the Zenin's silent communication of Megumi's behavior being the equivalent to an elephant in the room. Satoru sighs but prepares to make things a little uncomfortable.
"Megs…hey, so this is going to be a hard question but I have to ask. Why did you show up and take my l-"
The door swings open to show a drunk Nobara, Itadori and Nanami. Nobara stomps her foot.
"HEY!!! We've been waiting for you ball sacks for hours!"
She's soon giggling into Itadori who is supporting her weight as she hangs off of his neck.
"You guys look so damn adorable in your matching pj's!"
Nanami walks in with an unusually wide grin, he's pretty toasted by this point.
"I felt Toji's presence a while ago, you better watch out Satoru!"
Kento then laughs to his own words until he sees all the lingerie on the floor.
"Mmmm…"
Instinctively, he makes eye contact with Elska but suddenly chooses to ignore it all as Gojo approaches him.
"Satoru you silver cock, how are you!?"
He then sees Toji.
"What happened to him?!"
Nanami feels like he can never keep up with who's been laid out.
"Nanamiiiiin!"
Gojo steals the bottle from his friend's hand and drinks and doesn't lower it until he's taken a few gulps.
"Well it's a long story but to make it short, Toji needed a nap! He's old you know…"
Naoya cackles to the statement and walks over to them asking for a drink as well.
Choso comes out of the bathroom in his new set and feels like he really just might belong. He took a moment to stare at himself in the mirror so he could fully appreciate his group-matching apparel.
'I'm protective…'
He becomes even happier when he comes out and notices Itadori with Nobara. He walks over to him for a hug as Nobara playfully pouts to Itadori's arms leaving her.
"I got something for you and Elska earlier!"
Choso announces this and quickly walks to the dresser he left his bags on and hands them both their own.
"I like this exchange thing! We should do it all the time!"
The being is excited about the heartwarming emotions his humanity is allowing to flow through him.
Nobara rushes to unwrap the gift but squeals into laughter when she sees what it is. Her eyes meet Choso's who's clearly proud of himself and wonders if he's a creep or just totally oblivious. She darts her eyes to Elska and snickers.
"El, did you open yours?!"
She can't help but wait to see her reaction and struggles to keep her snickers in. Itadori gasps when she secretly reveals it to him and then gives Choso a strange look. Nanami sees the gift and coughs while loosening his tie.
Elska walks over towards all of them while unwrapping the present but stops in her tracks a few steps short with wide eyes and a blushing face.
"A VIBRATOR?!!"
Her eyes automatically trail to the being.
"I got you matching ones! It says on the package that its for really good stress relief!"
Nanami can be heard clearing his throat to hide his laughter, although failing.
'Oh…poor Choso…'
Elska understands that he probably doesn't know.
"CHO! Do you know what this is?!!!"
Naoya holds it up to his face as Choso shakes his head no.
"…something for stress?"
Naoya sighs into a frustrated laugh.
"What am I going to do with you!?"
He looks at Elska with curious eyes to see if she likes it; not even being upset at his innocent friend.
Satoru walks up.
"I told you he needs a sensei!"
Gojo cracks at the awkwardness of the situation.
"Choso…"
But Satoru can't contain his amusement.
"…oh buddy…"
Satoru takes the mouse from Naoya, pulls it out of its packaging and then walks towards his love. Without any kind of warning, he then swiftly places it between Elska's legs for a reaction so it can be explained more clearly. When she whimpers into a yelp Gojo raises a brow to Choso.
"Ladies use this for sexual pleasure."
He then receives a slap from Elska and Naoya on opposite sides that causes him to giggle shamelessly. Naoya's voice rages to his right.
"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!"
Choso glances from Elska to Nobora and then to Naoya.
"I uhhh…I just thought…it say's stress relief!! WHY DID THIS COMPANY LIE ABOUT THAT?!! THIS KIND OF MISLEADING ADVERTISEMENT MUST BE ILLEGAL!!"
He is so embarrassed that he can't make any more eye contact but Nobara pokes him.
"Oh…it does help with stress. I love mine, thank you Choso!!"
He's not sure what's going on again and decides that he'll just smile as Itadori seems to lose his breath. Choso's insecure voice trails off.
"I thought they were cute…".
Gojo smirks with deviancy.
"The faces that are made when this bad boy is in action are cute. I can't wait to try it out…"
Satoru then turns to Elska with a lecherous grin.
"You just got some Mr."
But he modifies her words while dashing his eyes to Naoya and bites his lip while waiting for the reaction.
"We, my love."
Naoya sends narrow eyes back to Gojo, not wanting their business to be put out there like that but he's already walked back to the other side of Elska and can't even hit him now. The Zenin has to play it carefully too because if he starts arguing with Gojo then everyone will have their doubts cleared and all will know. He hears Toji stir in the bed.
"Baby, look."
Naoya knows she's going to go to him but becomes defensive just in case the giant lashes out again.
Toji sits up with a headache and sees everyone over by the door and couch. When his eyes take to Elska who's walking over, he immediately remembers everything that happened and tries to stand up. He loses his balance at first but she catches him and supports him with an embrace.
"Doll, I'm so sorry…"
He hugs her back and then apologizes some more.
"Naoya, Gojo…"
Toji definitely wants to address what they were doing but knows he was in the wrong with how he lost his temper.
"I really didn't mean to do any of that, my bad you guys…"
Naoya nods.
"Yea that was fucking crazy you old coot!"
To which Toji replies with greater emotion than meant.
"Well what the fuck were you guys thinking?!"
He calms himself as he realizes this isn't a conversation to have in from of everyone else. He grunts but then looks down at Elska who alleviates his mental anguish.
"I can't believe I almost did that, I don't know what my deal was."
He holds her into him again as he sighs, being grateful that everyone seems to believe him.
Megumi walks over to Toji and Elska but wears such an unpleasant expression.
"Let's just hope they don't do it again."
He looks to Elska with complete seriousness and watches her retract into Toji a bit.
"...But thank you for these clothes, Elska. I really appreciate it."
She says he's welcome but Megumi can tell he made it weird, again. He sighs and walks over to Nanami and requests the bottle with a soft scorn in his voice.
Toji remembers how Megumi was acting too and is completely unnerved by his son's sudden urge to involve himself in their love life. He waits until Megumi is occupied and drinking before whispering to Elska.
"Has Megs been weird with you at all?"
He can sense her hesitation to answer and feels like that about sums it up.
"I will talk to him."
He kisses her head before hugging her again, not feeling the greatest about himself but notices that everyone has changed into their card outfits; finding his own back on the bed.
"Where's your symbol doll?"
She chuckles.
"If you put on yours, I'll put on mine."
Elska tugs at the remnants of his tattered shirt.
"But don't call for your wings while in it! I should have picked up spares for you..."
Naoya is now walking over to them after accidentally eavesdropping.
"What's your symbol baby?"
Elska reaches over to a bag and pulls out her pair.
"Well after everyone else's was decided, there was a joker and an ace left to choose from. I thought the joker suited me but Toji wouldn't have it."
She holds up her set while handing the bag to Naoya.
"Would you give these out for me while I change? Itadori is the king…a play off of Sukuna and that makes Nobara the queen…and I guess Nanami will be the joker."
Naoya nods dutifully and walks them over to the others so she heads into the bathroom.
"The Joker?"
Nanami almost seems offended but wears a grin when he's handed a pair.
"I will not be including a Christmas gift for Ms. Oda this year!"
He says it loud enough for her to hear him through the bathroom door. Everyone seems to eat the comment up, causing Kento to feel a little more social than normal. When his phone vibrates and he sees who it is, Nanami excitedly steps out into the hall to answer it, collecting back his typical cool demeanor.
"Good evening Shoko, how are you today? We're all having some drinks if you'd like to join us."
"Kento…"
Ieiri releases a momentous sigh.
"I would love to be there but it's best if I'm not."
Nanami frowns to this as her tone seems off again and has been for the past couple of days. He's starting to worry and decides to pry just a tiny bit. He shifts his stance with a furrowed brow and may appear stern but somewhere inside, he has alarm gnawing away at his composure.
"Is everything alright, Ieiri?"
He knows something's wrong.
"I was just calling to ask if there's been any intel updates about Getou and the others. If not, that's totally fine, I can let you go."
Her voice sounds practiced.
"No…I just met up with the others and haven't gotten that far yet."
Nanami's confused because although she directly asked, Shoko also didn't seem to want the answer.
"Do you want me to swing by after I discuss this with everyone?"
"No, no, I'm alright…just getting worked over pretty hard. It makes me think about Elska's wing.".
Nanami's brow furrows even more.
'That doesn't even make sense. What is going on with her?'
He has an eerie feeling about her seemingly random choice of words and starts to talk again but she interrupts.
"I've gotta get back to it, I'll check in with you later!"
Nanami stands there with the phone to his ear listening to nothing before he slowly brings it down to look at her name that fades from the screen.
'I'm going to stop by her place tomorrow anyways. Something's up."
He still hasn't found the right time to tell her how he feels nor is he sure that he even wants to.
'Being alone is so much easier…'
He's afraid to gain anything he could lose and a pitted stomach makes him feel like he would.
Megumi sees Nanami out in the hall and knows he's the best to take advice from. He senses how bothered Nanami is so after taking a swing from the bottle Megumi hands it right back; the manager's eyes lighting up as it seems that was exactly what was needed. Megumi stands across the hall from Nanami and leans into the tan walls so he could still see inside the room; taking in how Nanami's suit colors compliment the surroundings.
"Can I ask you a question, Nanami?"
"Of course you can."
Megumi kicks a foot out with eyes glued to the floor.
"How do you…get a woman's attention? You know…to make her notice you how you notice her?"
Nanami was not expecting Megumi to openly ask a romantically related question. He sighs into a chuckle though as he would like to know the answer to that as well. With nothing to present to the junior, Kento shrugs.
"I really don't know if I'm the best person to ask this Megumi. I'm not exactly vastly experienced in this department."
The disappointment staining the junior shaman's face compels him to take another swig. When Nanami lowers the bottle, he taps his toes and relays his confusion.
"Why not ask Toji? Or Satoru even?"
"Because I can't ask them…"
Megumi glances into the room at this time and is watching everyone mingle among the absolute mess that's been made over the past few days. Nobara seems to be telling a story that everyone's listening to but he watches his father's hand sprawl out over Elska's right hip; only able to see their profile. Naoya looks comfortable on the other side of her though; lightly bumping hips with Elska every so often.
'Probably just to have contact with her.'
Megumi understands that need but is so annoyed with the fact that their all three of them are related too. He finds it disturbing how cousins could be willing to share in so many ways and feels that Elska shouldn't even be passed around like that. Megumi loves his dad but he's not fond of Naoya and never has been.
'He was cruel and looked down on every body his entire life and all of the sudden he's a good guy? I'm not buying it…'
Gojo's leaning his back against the door frame but seems to be involved in the story as he's reacting to it often.
Nanami wants to help Megumi but really doesn't know how to. He's trying to regain his buzz but stops drinking to offer the best advice he has.
"If she's that important to you, you'll either find a way to be with her or accept that it wasn't meant to be."
Kento doesn't know how to sugar coat things that well and also feels like the truth may save the kid from heartbreak later in case things don't work out.
"As you get older you understand that everything seems to happen for a reason Megumi. The key is to find happiness no matter the result."
Megumi smiles and although that wasn't really the kind of answer he was looking for, he knew it was genuine and useful nonetheless.
"Thank you, Nanami…"
Satoru has been listening to their conversation the entire time. He doesn't feel threatened by Megumi in any way but he's not liking how aggressive he suddenly became.
'He's exactly like his fucking father!'
Gojo quietly pouts as he thinks back to the first time Toji openly hinted to wanting Elska for himself; right before he was tricked by someone mimicking his love's voice to make him drop his guard and order to seal him. Toji was willing to put me away forever in order to get to her. He darts his bright eyes to Naoya and ruminates over the blonde's past with Elska. Satoru sees a pattern but wishes it was something a little more substantial than familial males struggling with dating dynamics.
'Is it a Zenin thing?'
Gojo chuckles to himself though as he admits internally that, despite everything the others have done, he himself is definitely the worst out of them all.
'I need to figure out what happened to Toji earlier. I don't need him losing control again...'
Satoru's still so bothered by how different the giant's energy seemed then but then it hits him.
"HOLY-SHIT-THE-ANSWER-IS-ENERGY!"
Everyone quiets down and looks over to Gojo but Gojo paces over to Choso.
"Do you think Toji's behavior earlier had anything to do with that Titer box?!"
He observes the being retreating into his mind as he seems to mentally sift for an answer.
Megumi doesn't know what is meant by the Titer box but he isn't about to let his sensei escape the blame for his actions.
"I think it was because you and Naoya were using Elska to satisfy yourselves."
The room gets quieter now and the look of horror on Elska's face is undeniable. Megumi doesn't mean to always to do that to her he just didn't think about it as his focus was on Gojo.
"Elska…I'm sorry…I shouldn't have said that…"
The room falls silent again.
Nobara perks up for the rescue.
"You know what El? Don't worry about that…I'm not much different!"
Itadori snaps his head towards her.
"What do you mean by that?!"
Nobara cackles loudly and faces him with total devotion.
"I sleep with you now…but Sukuna is in there too you boob!"
She looks back to Elska and mimics an aristocratic voice.
"I've two men myself, you see?"
Nobara then points a purposefully dainty finger down to the queen card on the pajamas she was gifted.
"Surely that's why you dubbed me the queen."
Itadori's expression lightens dramatically and he laughs to Nobara's humorous display but also hears Sukuna in his head.
"Yea she's built like a real bearer. I rather enjoy watching."
Itadori shouts in his mind for the curse to shut up but he continues.
"I will never cease to annoy you, peasant. Let me out, I need to talk to the feathered wench."
Itadori smiles as he feels Nobara kiss his cheek. He rubs her shoulder sweetly when she secretly nudges him behind the back with Choso's gift. He feels his face become flushed.
"Stop being a fucking pussy… I swear to the Gods…why this body?"
Itadori ignores Sukuna while Nobara tugs on him lightly, signaling that she wants to leave. He stands up with her and juggles all of the sensory stimulation he's processing through.
"Uhhh we're tired!"
He looks down to Choso and grabs his king card clothes but relays his apologies over it being such a short visit. The being merely smiles however and says it's fine.
After they walk out of the room, swaying and giggling into each other, Choso smiles at his brother's happiness. He sits down on the couch, exhaling all of the excitement and rests his head against the cushioned back.
'What a night…'
He grins to himself, happy that everyone is so understanding about the brawl earlier but still wonders about the box and Toji.
'It's…completely possible but what are they trying to achieve?"
Choso feels a surge of energy as his fingertips reach in his pocket to grab the box, having kept it with him when he changed.
"GUYS!"
"Cho what is it?"
Naoya heard the alarmed tone Choso used and is immediately concerned.
"This box...I don't know how...but we're being watched."