Chapter Text
When he was first sent to the Gojo Estate, Yuuji didn't feel very good about the whole thing.
The butler, awaiting his arrival, took his modest luggage and instructed a servant to wash and change him into a fresh set of clothes. The young man didn’t see much before being ushered into the house but made sure to take a brief look at the elegant yet traditionally vintage house. It took a considerably long while to wait for the servants to perform the menial, tedious task of cleaning him up.
The chance of becoming a vessel, let alone a cage, for Ryomen Sukuna only happened once in a thousand years, and ever since he was a child, Yuuji knew that his freedom would be abruptly cut short. However, he never expected the sorcerers to be so impatient that they would send him off when he was only fifteen. Even though the law clearly stipulated that the minimum marriage age for Omegas is eighteen years or above.
Forget it. The law also preached about the freedom to love– so this feudal, unconstitutional marriage contract, made to rip one away from their freedom, could persist.
It was already evening when he’d finished tidying up. Yuuji was brought to a room in the Northwest corner of the courtyard. Entering, he smelled the delicate incense smoke, but no light greeted him. He obediently sat on the futon laid out and listened to the chatter of the grey-haired butler. He said some things that Yuuji pretended to understand, but before he left, he respectfully informed him that the head of the house would return home soon.
The head of the Gojo house is none other than Yuuji’s fiancé. Yuuji’s only understanding of him was that he was a rich “sorcerer.” Grandpa seemed to have been in contact with him for some time, but he couldn’t recall much in detail because he was still young. The only thing that he told Itadori Yuuji was that his fiancé was trustworthy.
He wasn’t sure how long the butler’s “soon” was. Seeing that the sky outside was getting darker, he grew tired of waiting. He thought that the man of the house might not come to visit him, so he laid down on the floor. His eyelids began to tremble under the weight of the day’s fatigue, and he didn’t realize that he had fallen asleep.
It wasn’t until the sounds of the wooden boards under him were creaking and the sliding door to his room was being opened that Yuuji realized someone had come inside his room. His vision was blurry from the sudden awakening, and when his vision came back, he laid eyes on the person’s snow-white hair that was stuck straight upwards, with a blindfold concealing nearly half of his face.
Weird, but handsome. Those were the first words that popped up in Yuuji’s mind.
“Good evening?” And this was the first thing Gojo said to him.
Before he was sent off, Grandpa repeatedly reminded him that the Gojo family was part of a huge family, where it acted as their head. He pleaded that Yuuji should be mindful of his etiquette and not be made the subject of a joke. Now, however, he laid splat across the floor like a frog fished out of water, and he kept in this strange position as he stared at his supposed fiancé for at least three seconds.
“U-uh, sorry…!”
Immediately, his senses returned to him as he clambered off the floor. He wasn’t used to the kimono gently draped across his body, let alone the wooden high shoes he was instructed to wear. His movements were unnatural and clumsy, and he almost fell because his shoes had caught on his kimono. Dusting himself off and looking up, he saw Satoru Gojo with his arms folded, studying him with mild interest.
It’s over, Grandpa. The Itadori name is forever tarnished, thanks to me. He thought. Yuuji was so nervous that he had no idea where to place his hands, and all he could do was lower his eyes and mutter out a curt, “Good evening.”
“Itadori Yuuji, that’s you, yes? Nice to meet you, I am Satoru Gojo.”
“Hello, Satoru-san.”
“My apologies. I was late due to some road delays, so I got back much later than expected. You must’ve waited for a long time.”
“No, no… it’s okay.”
Is this an illusion? He’s much gentler than I expected. Yuuji raised his eyes and studied him, but only then did he realize that he was much, much shorter than the man before him. He was too tall.
“You’re only fifteen, correct? And it’s your first time in Tokyo, right?”
Yuuji nodded obediently.
“How is your grandfather doing? I presume he’s good and healthy?”
“He’s doing very well. Thank you, Satoru-san, for keeping him in your care.”
“Was the journey here good? Did you bump into any trouble? Did my servants treat you well?”
“Yes, everything is fine. Please do not worry about it, Satoru-san.”
“Ah,” Gojo took a step forward, bending down to match Yuuji’s height as he spoke in a slightly disappointed tone. “You don’t have to be so tense around me. Do I look that scary to you?”
“…no,” Yuuji leaned back subconsciously. Any closer, and their lips would be touching. “Satoru-san, you’re… very kind.”
“Ah, we need to work on the honorifics, though. Something more familiar,” the man pondered and fiddled with his chin. Then, as if a good idea had come to mind, he raised his index finger and smiled.
“The few students I brought under my care are about the same age as you – how about calling me Gojo-sensei? Just like they do?”
“…Gojo-sensei? Is that okay?”
“That’s right! Doesn’t it sound much better now?”
Gojo found that he didn’t dislike the now unexpectedly relaxed Yuuji. In fact, he was pleased that he had such a good personality. The two sat and shared a pleasant conversation, and their initial discomfort and estrangement melted away almost immediately.
“This might be rude, but I have something to ask of you,” Gojo inquired. “The higher-ups… well, they’re concerned about my marriage to you.”
“I completely understand! Grandpa explained it to me before coming to Tokyo. No matter how you want me to act, I will do my best.”
“Perfect! So, let me come clean. I need them to let their guard down and think that everything is going according to plan,” Gojo smiled, snapping his fingers. He seemed very satisfied with how things were going. Hence, we need to appear as a loving couple. In return, I will give you as much freedom as possible.”
“Appear as loving as possible…” Yuuji muttered to himself as he nodded. “Okay. I will do my best.”
“Plus, I’m often away from home in the day. You might get bored if you’re alone at home, so if you’d like, I could get some CDs delivered so you can watch some movies.”
“Really? Could you get me the complete collection of [Earthworm Man]?”
“No problem.”
“Alright. Thank you, Gojo-sensei!”
“We’ll talk more about it later when we have the opportunity. You were waiting for me, correct? You must be hungry,” Gojo stood up, stretching his hand to Yuuji. “Well, let’s have dinner, my future little wife.”
His little joke livened up the atmosphere, and Yuuji was no shy Omega. He laughed as he accepted Gojo’s broad palms.
Technically speaking, this wasn’t a marriage. It was cohabitation. Just as Gojo promised, their life of ‘cohabitation’ was not what Yuuji was initially worried about. He had very few things he was required to do – get up on time to eat with his fiancé, act appropriately intimate to put up a show for the servants; there wasn’t a need to pretend either, considering the two of them got along well. With how passionate and natural their conversations were, nobody would doubt their relationship.
There was nothing but leisure around noon, and Yuuji would immerse himself across the entire estate or the surrounding mountains. He found that he enjoyed running into the hills.
Even though he was protected under the Gojo family, the butler was still very worried. After all, he was an Omega. Each time, they would send a few trusted servants to tail behind him secretly, but they would still lose him thanks to his unexpected physical strength and speed. Today, seeing that he had yet to return, they panicked and dispatched 80% of the house to find him.
Gojo was the one who ended up finding and then pulling him down from a tree. Yuuji had lost time while picking wild berries, and since there were few berries on each tree, he spent a considerably long time picking out an entire basket. He washed a handful of them and shared them with his husband.
“Why these berries?” Gojo asked, so Yuuji explained that his grandfather had picked some for him when he was young, and they were very sweet. Yuuji wasn’t a big fan of really sweet things, but Gojo was, so he wanted to pick out some for him to try!
At night, the engaged Alpha and Omega would cover themselves with a quilt and watch movies together. However, their movie night would be cut short because of family responsibilities, such as exorcising cursed spirits and reviewing funds and documents linked to external companies. Gojo would usually flip through two pages and then sign the documents if he felt there were no obvious mistakes.
However, Yuuji was a boy of detail, and although he didn’t understand all the professional jargon written on the papers, that didn’t stop him from reading them. Gojo thought it was cute and liked how serious his little wife would appear. Seeing how engrossed he was, Gojo handed him a pen to sign the document. Yuuji trembled at first, but when Gojo insisted, he mimicked his signature and signed the document to the best of his ability.
However, the document would be returned immediately. First, the signature was in the wrong position; second, it was obviously not Gojo’s signature; third, an oil stain was in the document—the innocent, fifteen-year-old, pink-haired teenager had accidentally flipped through the pages while eating fried chicken.
However, Gojo was curt: “Well, my little wifey signed it, and I read through it. There is no issue here.”
Little wife. Gojo has always called Yuuji that in front of the servants. It’s not just a matter of affection; it was literal, too, considering they were thirteen years apart.