#greycaelum

You glared at him as you slowly stood up to walk around the room. The white walls are suffocating despite the open window. It's now 10 in the evening, four hours since your labor started.

It's the same when you had Kouki, that little one who was a tough munchkin during the labor... Saika was a lot easier when it was time to give birth, except for the scare everyone had at her premature labor. Now there's these little ones, hopefully, they come out healthy. Your doctor gave you a run-through of what could happen, one is caesarian to get both the babies out and the other is normal delivery, the doctor said there's a very high possibility of giving birth to both of them despite the babies being weeks apart and there's low risk of any complications despite the peculiar condition of your pregnancy.

Satoru's been buzzing like a bee to have several of the best doctors that money could afford to ensure you and the babies are perfectly fine.

Satoru didn't speak anymore as he held you from your back, acting like the back of the chair for you to lean on, as he gently kept his hand under your belly. He held you like that, supporting you in each contraction ripping through your stomach like lightning, sometimes writing down your hips or through your bum. His thumb gently stroked your navel, trying his very best to give you any kind of comfort through the pain...

"We're getting you an epidural... Are you sure you don't want to have a cesarean, Love?" Satoru wiped your sweat as he sat down with you between his parted thighs after an excruciating wave of contractions. He wants you to have the very same smooth delivery you had with Saika... To hell with the elders fervently suggesting you have a natural birth delivery. They should shove a pole in their asses and give birth to a basketball for all he cares.

You covered your mouth and heaved. For some reason, the white walls seem to be waving to you.

"I think I'm gonna vomit... But I think I can do this in a normal delivery."

Satoru reached for the paper bag and gave it to you. Rubbing your back to soothe your groans and all. Well, he does agree with you, this will be the last... Four brats running around the house is more than enough. As he stares at your pale face, enduring the pain of giving birth to his babies, he is so proud of you and at the same time so worried you might lose your breath with every contraction. He could feel it in his throat that in every grunt you do, he also holds his breath.

The nurse came in to take your dilation, and Satoru insisted on talking to both your OB and anesthesiologist about what pain relief medication you should get to ease the delivery, since you are giving birth to two babies.

As your labor progresses, so does the intensity of pain, and so does the need to crush Satoru's hand seems like a guilty comfort.

You feel it rise before it even hits—an ache low in your back, coiling tighter with every breath. Then it clamps down. Your abdomen tightens like it's being wrung out from the inside, slow and merciless. The pressure moves lower, spreading through your hips, and it's as if your pelvis is being pulled apart by unseen hands. A grinding, splitting force pushes outward, deep and primal. Your spine feels like it's locking up. You try to shift, to breathe through it, but the pain doesn't allow room for thought. It drags on, twisting, squeezing, stretching your bones from within, and all you can do is hold on until it passes—until the next one comes.

"This is the last... Swear on it, Satoru." You gritted your teeth. "Swear on it or I'm not giving birth!" You know that's a lie, but still! Childbirth will never be easy, especially with this one where you have to push out TWO. You already feel like you'll lose your breath over the first one, what more of the second?

You could see him biting his lips as he wipes your sweat and tears with the towel.

"Then should I book a vasectomy?" He looks apologetic as he dabs the towel over your forehead and neck.

The glare wasn't a nice one, so he animatedly zipped his mouth and held his hand up for surrender. "I was joking, c'mere." Satoru opened his arms and gently rocked you... kissing your temples over and over, whispering sweet nothings to cheer you up, kissing your neck, your ear, your cheeks... "Y'know, I won't mind a vasectomy, I'd gladly do it for you." Inhaling your scent whilst he rubs your back.

"I had our room extra soundproofed so you won't be woken up while you're sleeping. Also, I asked someone from the clan to stay with us for a month until you're feeling better... don't worry about waking up at night to feed the babies..." His fingers trace your nose, brushing off the stray hairs fanning your face.

"Mnnn..." You buried your face in his chest... "I think I'm gonna need that epidural now." 

Satoru knew the drill. He knew better than to watch a huge ass thick needle be inserted in your spine. He just held your hand during the process, rubbing your knuckles, kissing the back of your hand while you both waited for you to be fully dilated. "I'm here, Love. I promise this will be the last. I really promise." He prayed as you waited the labor out.

Now you're stuck in the bed of the delivery room with a needle inserted near your spine, relieving you from pain. Kouki and Saika have called a few times, checking in on you and increasingly getting excited to meet their siblings. They're staying with your in-laws' place for the time being.

"Kouki told me he wants to go to high school in Kyoto... a normal school. He's just eight, but he mentioned it to me some time ago..." You started and chuckled a bit. "He's just a third grader..."

Satoru looked at you, he took your hands, intertwining your hands together. He smiled as his other hand carefully caressed your bump.

"Well, if he still thinks the same thing by the time he graduates from junior high school, then I don't see why not..." Satoru hums. "He doesn't seem like that interested in being a sorcerer apart from our training sessions.

It seems so... Your son never seems to have an interest in carrying out the tradition of succeeding his father. It's Saika who's quite enthusiastic about jujutsu and training with Satoru and Kouki has become a thing since she was two years old, also she's adamant about spending with her Auntie Shoko around, and your daughter never fails to make a point that she wants to learn jujutsu.

"I hope these two won't have a hard time and may they choose what they want to be in life..."

The hours pass by quite fast with the nurse checking up on you constantly, Satoru helping you to walk around to ease up the pain. Meanwhile, offering his hand for you to crush whenever a sharp contraction spikes...

"Does it still hurt so bad?" Satoru gently caresses your tummy. He hopes the epidural is doing its job. 

Over your two pregnancies, you notice how sensitive he becomes in the hospital room before the birth. A part of him known to the outside world is shredded off to hold you up and soothe labor pains. 

"It's bearable..." You sighed, closing your eyes as you felt his lips graze the tip of your nose, pressing tiny ticklish kisses until you squirmed. "You named Saika and Kouki, so this time I'm gonna name our babies..." You huffed.

A grin broke on his lips. Well, that is true and fair. Kouki and Saika were named by him. He's not a fan of planning. So it's no surprise he named his kids spontaneously. Something that just popped into his head the second he saw the baby in your arms. And oh boy, he got a nice naming sense after all.

"Uh-huh? Tell me about it, Hun." He hums and gazes at you with all of his attention.

"Something about the stars..."

Satoru's brow raised.

"Stars?"

"You named the two something related to the skies... I want to keep it that way."

Satoru looked at you in disbelief as he broke out in a sweet chuckle and kissed your forehead.

"You... what am I gonna do to you, baby?" He buried his face to your neck, holding your hand in his. "Why do you have to know the smallest of things in me?" His bright ocean eyes looked at you as he brought the back of your hand to his lips, kissing your knuckles one by one. 

"I thought you were gonna name them something related to the sun, we called them our sunshines..."

He watches you chuckle.

And you can't help but look back into his eyes staring at you and you alone. Every time he stares back at you with those ocean eyes you can't help but think of the rare times he takes off the damned blindfold but at home, it's always off and it's you and the kids that are reflected on those ocean eyes. Those seas of stars reflected in his eyes what seemed like held your universe and void.

"The sun is a star..."

He chuckled. Always witty.

"I see." That was all he said and kissed your forehead.

As your dilation progressed, Satoru remained beside you, holding your hand, kissing your knuckles over and over while he talked. And by the time you were ready to give birth, he was sure you'd already rearranged his phalanges.

It's the third time you've gone through this, and he'd like to believe he has learned the art of how to support you while giving birth. But then there's his heart pounding like crazy hearing you grunt between your deep breaths as you push out. Is there any difference between giving birth to one normal baby and two babies in one birthing? He believes there's hell yes because that means twice the pushing and probably twice the rip. And he doesn't want his wife to bear that kind of rip.

"Deep breaths, Mrs. Gojo, okay, one, two, three. Push."

You let out a long push... one hand holding Satoru's. Your heart hammers—not just from the pain, but from something deeper, older. Every nerve is lit. You're shaking, but not from weakness; it's adrenaline, raw and rushing, filling every limb. The room narrows—voices blur, faces fade—and all that's left is the rhythm of your breath and the force building inside you. You're not thinking anymore. At once, you feel fragile, like glass held too tight, and unstoppable, like a storm breaking free. There's fear there, yes—but it's tangled with awe. You're standing at the edge of something vast and irreversible, and somehow, in all the chaos, a strange, fierce joy flickers inside you. At this point, nothing matters anymore but getting your babies out."

"One more, we can see the baby's head crowning."

You see Satoru about to look down, but one of the nurses told him not to.

"It's better not to, Sir, many fathers fainted doing that."

If you weren't giving birth, you would've laughed at how his spine immediately straightened out and swallowed a huge lump down his throat. He looked at you, and you knew that in his already fair and white face, he got even paler.

"Mrs. Gojo, deep breath and give me one big push, one, two, three, push."

"Push, baby, I got you." Satoru held you.

Your body tightens again, a deep, raw force rising through you like a tidal wave. You cry out—more from instinct than choice—and then you feel it: the burn, the stretch, the unbearable fullness. You brace, fingers clawing at the sheets, breath catching in your throat. The pressure is so intense it's blinding. You don't think—you can't think. Only feel. Only push. The world narrows to that one unbearable place, the edge where pain meets something holy.

Then, the shift. They give. The first baby begins to slip through.

Tears stream down your cheeks. You're shaking. Exhausted. But you whisper it anyway, barely a breath:

"Come on, baby. I've got you. Just come out."

One long push and a piercing cry echoed in the delivery room.

"One baby out! Take a long breath, Mrs Gojo."

You took several labored breaths, regulating your breathing... Listening to the loud crying, you see Satoru sigh in relief.

"She's healthy, Love, she's l-loud." Satoru laughed, his breathing stuttered.

But in the corner of his eye, you saw a glinting gloss gathered under his lash.

"Are you crying?" You can't help but laugh between bouts of inhales.

"Yes." He looked at you biting your lower lip as he watched the little princess cry.

The other nurses giggled with you. Your doctor softly set the baby down on your chest.

"W-Well, hello there, sweet one..." You coo as the little one immediately snuggles for your warmth.

Satoru leaned down to kiss your temple, gazing at the little one on your chest.

"How about our other baby?" Satoru looked up to the doctor.

The doctor waited for an hour, but it seems like you're not giving birth to the other baby yet. After several checkups and discussions with your final say, you decided to wait for the baby to little boy to come out in his own time. A delayed interval delivery to let the younger one develop as he is 2 weeks behind from his older sibling, with the doctors assuring you that it will not take long and they will monitor you very closely.

Your babygirl, born healthy at 6.8 pounds in the late 5pm sunset of October 22.

"Are you very, very sure that you don't want caesarian, Honey? We're lucky you didn't get any rip pushing this little one here... But... I'm sure you must be feeling not so good down there, how much more if you're pushing another baby out?" "I think, I would feel more better and feel safe if I do a normal delivery... I really think I can do this." You assured him.

The doctors closely monitored you and your baby boy. 

It's been three hours, you are now eating small meals in between to stave off the hunger. There's the spikes of pain but you can feel that it's not yet time... You held your daughter who is eagerly suckling milk, her hair is just like yours... You can't help but chuckle as you envisioned Kouki and Saika's excitement in knowing that their baby sibling has your hair after all their prayers of wanting a baby sibling looking like you...

"She has my nose." Satoru leaned in close, hovering over you both. He's been without an glasses or blindfold for hours now that you're worrying if he might be overstimulated at this point.

"It's mine, what are you saying?"

Satoru shrugged and just leaned closer, letting you lean on him and supporting your arms holding your babygirl. After 12 hours from his sister's birth your baby boy finally decided to come out as well. 

You grip the edge of the hospital bed, knuckles white, breath shallow and rapid. The room is dim—the sunrise of 5 am slowly creeping in the private delivery room, yet time has twisted into something shapeless. You feel it before you hear anything—a slow, creeping cramp deep in your core, a familiar wave returning, this time sharper. Meaner.

The OBGYN shifts beside you. Her smile is practiced, but her eyes flicker with something else: she knows what's coming. "please give a long push Mrs. Gojo," she says gently, but you already know.

Satoru held your hand, this time he could only whisper you prayers and 'just one more', knowing you're just desperate to finish this.

Your body aches in a way language fails to hold. Not the clean crescendo of the first labor—this is jagged, like something old and rusted being pried open again. You've already crossed the finish line once. And now, impossibly, you're being dragged back to the starting gate.

Your thighs tremble. Muscles protest like they're tearing down your resolve from the inside. The first grunt rips out. But there's no pause button. No bargain to be made. Only breath and bone and fire.

The pressure builds, like the world narrowing to the circumference of your hips. There's shouting—maybe yours, maybe theirs. A cold sweat clings to your skin, and your tears taste like metal. The space between contractions is a blur of heat and helplessness. You close your eyes and see nothing but red. "Just one more time, Mrs. Gojo, the head is out..." The OB coached you calmly.

And you push. Because this is not a choice. It's a surrender. A storm tearing through the same broken shoreline for the second time in one day. "I got you baby, I got you... One more Love." Satoru 

And then, through the pain, a cry.

A second cry. A new voice. Fragile, furious, alive.

You collapse back, spent. Shaking. Silent. But this time, there are two small hearts beating beside yours. The piercing cries of your son echoed in the room as they slowly put him on top of you. His warm skin is so comforting, grounding you to the fact that your babies are finally here.

Your breath catches the moment they place the tiny, warm body against your chest. The world around you softens and fades, shrinking until all that exists is the gentle rise and fall beneath your trembling fingers. You trace the delicate curve of a cheek, amazed that something so small can hold so much weight. Your eyes sting, the edges of tears shimmering in the dim light. A shaky breath slips out, barely a whisper, as a fierce wave crashes through you—love, awe, and a deep ache you never knew possible—all tangled in this one fragile heartbeat pressed against your own.

This will be the last time... You stared at your two babies sleeping in the small bed beside you... Four kids with 4 years apart... It is more than enough.

Satoru noticed your stare and came closer... He's holding several paper bags of your favorite food and a large canteen.

"I brought you food, Love?" Satoru pulled out the bedside table and started to open the food he brought for you. A wide array of onigiri with varied fillings, tuna, spam, and the like. There are also side dishes of gently simmered carrots, daikon, and kabocha in light soy/dashi broth, lightly salted and grilled salmon, tamagoyaki, there's even niku jaga (meat and potatoes stew).

"Where did you get all of these, Honey?" It's just too many that it's hard to choose where to start.

"I had my mother prepare it. I know you'll be hungry after all of it." He opened the canteen and poured a warm roasted barley tea for you.

Satoru sat beside you and stared at your face... It was still puffy, which gave him the urge to pinch it for himself.

"Wha-"

He chuckled and leaned forward, pressing a gentle forehead kiss to your temples.

"Eat, baby..."

He made sure to refill your bowl when your soup was dwindling, adding an extra spoonful of rice and plenty of meat. He made sure to keep the water at the exact temperature you want it while watching you go through the several food boxes.

"Is it good?" He asks as you eagerly chew on the warm food, wiping the corner of your lips.

"Yeah..." You mumbled between mouthfuls, making him chuckle and add more food, knowing you deserved it so much and you were beyond exhausted.

"After this, let's stay in our villa." Satoru thought of this since yesterday. It would be more convenient for you if you all stayed in the villa he built behind the Main Hall of the Gojo Estate. There you won't have to stress yourself about any preparing food or taking care of the baby, there are several nannies and his mother who will help you to focus on resting and bonding with your baby.

"My mother called, she said she'll come over with my father."

You've never tried doing any satogaeri. The Gojo Clan (Satoru) has always been the one mostly arranging things when you get pregnant and the first month of caring. Satoru always made sure you could heal from the operation before letting you truly take care of your baby.

"They can stay with us in the villa, there are a lot of rooms there." He chuckled, seeing your excited smile, knowing your parents will come and you'll be more comfortable.

You just nodded, knowing he would take care of it. After the meal, he fixed your bed and checked up on your babies. The two babies never left your private room and have been very good to you, they are sleeping soundly after nursing. 

Satoru peered over the two sunshines, placing a finger under their noses to check if they were breathing. Even after two kids, he still cannot get off the habit of watching their chest rise up and down to make sure they are breathing just fine. His forefinger hovered over their noses to check if they were taking in oxygen just fine.

You stared at him, deeply entranced by the sleeping babies. He was quiet, but at the same time, you could almost hear the racing of his heart as he kept checking them. Two children have taught you that your husband, independent and wild as he is, is too attached and sentimental about the smallest of things. And even now with four kids, it hasn't waned. In a country where having babies is treated as such a rare thing, moreover, having not just one but four, you cannot blame him or your family for being so spoiling to the children.

And deep down, there's an inkling thought that maybe Satoru wants so many children because... he was used to being alone. Before you came into his life, and in honesty, maybe after your marriage, there is still a part of him that has that loneliness on his back. And again, deep down, you know that a part of him is scared, scared that with the uncertainty of life, if ever anything happens to him or you, he's the most scared of what could happen to your kids. Maybe that's why he's always reminded Kouki and Saika to stick up for each other...

"Baby, when are you going to tell me about their names?" He looked back at you with a smile as he rubbed the cheeks of the two sunshines...

Kouki, sky, and hope.

Saika, fortune, and moon...

Satoru chose those names so poetically perfect.

"We have the sky, a moon, and the one missing is the sun... but even the sun is a star..."

You looked at the little one, your daughter is the first to come.

"For this little one, 星 a star filled with light even in the dark, 愛 and love, a little star, that will bring love even during the dark. Seira, 星愛..." She was born close to dusk

"Seira... Seira..." Satoru nodded and smiled... "We now have our little star." He chuckled, kissing the little girl's head. "You hear that, Seira? You're our little star, loved by us."

You smiled and looked at your little son. The little boy who surely got your hair but made sure to announce those white specks of hair littering his tips. He was sound asleep, calm and snug.

"This one..." smile "A little star so calm and gentle... serene. 奎, stars littered like a constellation, may you always shine brightly,  冴, and bring that same serenity with you always. Keigo, 奎冴."

"Gojo Seira and Gojo Keigo..." Satoru smiled. You got the sky, moon, and now the stars. He chuckled and went to your side to pepper your temples with kisses. "I love them... you picked great, Love."

The doctor was ready to discharge by day three, but they insisted the babies stay at least three days or a week max in the NICU, which... well, didn't sit well with your husband. He can be truly overprotective, which includes leaving the babies in the hospital. It's simple to say you stayed for three days to take the babies back, which made everyone, especially the two kids back at home, desperately miss you both.

"Mama c-come home a-already..." Saika was sobbing, clutching her little unicorn as she talked to you through the phone. She looks so pitiful with her red nose and damp eyes.

"Mama, Mama, are you okay? Come home now, please." Kouki was pushing his face to the phone, but despite your firstborn's calm, collected voice, you could see the hue of pink on his nose and the tips of his ear, which always comes out after he cried.

"Oh, babies, we are, wipe those tears." You tried your best to coo Saika, but her eyes are not drying up soon. You can't blame her for a four-year-old who has always been at home with you.

"And we are coming home this afternoon." You promised, hoping to soothe them both, the longest they've been away from you is three days maxed, and that is the weekends with their grandparents.

"How about me? You don't miss me?" Satoru popped up. "C'mon, munchkin,s give Papa some lovin'?"

"B-But Papa, you came home this afternoon?" Saika interjected... the two kids are now talking better without hiccups and tears. "Mama, Papa brought us doughnuts," Kouki added.

"Wait! We agreed, no telling!" Satoru just ended up laughing as his kids threw him under the bus. These two kids. They looked so much like him but they suck up to you more than to anyone. He can only sigh. He loves you the most, so it doesn't come as a surprise that his children will love you the most too, because they too are a part of him.

"Okay, Papa and I will be home in a few hours with your baby sister and brother."

You barely registered the ride home—Satoru had taken over, a calm presence in the whirlwind. Your only focus now was the weight in your arms: two tiny bundles nestled against your chest, warm and breathing in sync like a lullaby. Their cheeks were plumper, skin flushed a healthy pink, milk-drunk and dreaming.

The car eased to a stop. Gravel crunched under tires. As the villa came into view, the front door burst open.

"MAMA!"

Two voices—high and shrill with excitement—pierced the air as little feet thundered down the steps. Saika and Kouki flung themselves at your legs, clutching you with all the force their small arms could muster, their heads tilting back to search your face, eyes bright enough to rival any starlit sky.

"We're home," you laughed, breathless, your heart full.

Kouki spotted the bundled infants and gasped, already tugging at Satoru's sleeve. "Mama, is that them?! Is that our baby sister and brother?"

"Papaaa, lemme see! Please, please, pleaaaase!" Saika had latched onto Satoru's leg like a koala, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Satoru squatted with a patient sigh, ruffling Kouki's hair with one hand, then Saika's with the other. "Let's get inside first, okay? Your Mama's gotta sit down."

He ushered the little ones gently, his arms stretched like wings, herding them forward. A mother hen in a blindfold and designer clothes—clucking under his breath about the heat, doors left wide open, and where the hell the hand sanitizer went.

"Okay, okay, c'mere you two, let me see you properly. Our video calls were blurred." The two children immediately climbed up to the couch and snuggled up to you. Saika immediately rubbed her face to your side while Kouki just inhaled your scent for a long time.

Satoru smiled and gently sat down beside... He can see Seira and Keigo's lashes flutter open, their mittened hands fussing around.

"Papa, Mama..." Kouki finally peeked up to see the two bundles, and his eyes immediately widened.

"Mama!" Saika gasped. "Yes! I knew it! They're so pretty! They got your hair, Mama!" Saika vibrated in glee as she gently touched Seira's chubby cheeks with her finger. "Hello... marshmallow..."

Satoru chuckled at the nickname. Typical Cat...

"Mama, what's their names?" Kouki looked up to you and back to Keigo, gently playing with his small, mittened hand... "You smell so milky..." He looked entranced by his new brother.

"Your sister is the first one to come... this little sunshine is Seira..." 

"Seira..." The two chorused... "She's so cute, she has your hair, Mama... with small pecks of white like stars."

"She's so prettyyyy~" Kouki leaned closer, pressing his nose to Seira's hair, inhaling it and looking up to you with a wide grin.

Saika softly kissed Keigo's cheek and giggled.

"Mama, look! He smiled!"

"He did? He's your youngest brother. His name is Keigo."

"Keigo..." They pronounced after you.

"He's so adorable!" Saika piped up, kissing his cheek again, holding herself from smooching her little brother too much.

It was needless to say that the two children were all over their baby siblings. They lay with them, watch over them, and help around when it's milk time. It's only been one day since you brought them home, and it feels like a long time when you see the four of them all huddled up on the mattress placed on the living room floor.

You watch over them from the comfortable rocking chair while Satoru comes from the kitchen holding a bowl of hot chicken soup for you and a tall glass of orange juice. He was quiet, but you could see the smile playing on his lips as he saw your four children snuggled up with a small blanket on their stomachs, keeping them warm. Saika and Kouki were careful not to snuggle up too much on their baby siblings, afraid that they would roll over them

"Look at them, they look like a small litter of kittens." Satoru chuckled and sat beside you, kissing you before starting to blow on the spoon of hot soup to feed you. He gently wiped the corner of your lips and put the bowl down and stared at your four little munchkins together with you.

The small specs of white on the two babies' hair mingled together with the pure white of their older siblings. Earlier, you could feel how Saika is just holding off the cute aggression for her younger brother and sister by hugging her Kiku-nii instead.

"... This is more than I've ever wished for since we got married, 'Toru." The smile on your lips cannot be erased. After almost a decade of marriage, the struggles and joys, and four children... sitting here on your home's engawa with your husband, time has proven your resilience and love for each other.

"I can't say the same." Satoru looked at you with the same dazzling ocean eyes from 10 years ago, softer and more loving as time passed. "Every day with you and our children has always made me keep wishing for one more day longer..."

In this uncertain life, where there's no telling when or where it begins or ends. One more day makes a difference.

Satoru’s hands found your cheeks, calloused thumbs tracing the soft curve beneath your eyes. His breath was close, warm, carrying the faint scent of the familiar kikufuku cream and the evening air. You didn't need words — not anymore.

He leaned in slowly, as if the years had taught him there was no need to rush something sacred. His lips met yours with the same tenderness he used to cradle your newborns — reverent, deliberate. The world around you blurred. Only the press of his mouth against yours remained — not hungry, not hurried, but full of the quiet ache of love that had lasted seasons, storms, and time.

He kissed you like a man who had known your youth, held your hand through exhaustion, and memorized every line time had written on your face — and loved them all.

The kiss deepened only slightly, not in urgency but in meaning — a silent promise folded into the space between heartbeats: I am always yours... always...

When he finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against yours, eyes half-lidded, lips parted just barely — as if even that short distance between you felt like too much.

“I love you, my wife… I love you.” His voice barely rose above a breath, but it carried the weight of years — like a devotion spoken at the altar of everything you’d built together.

Before you could answer, Satoru leaned in again, his lips finding yours with deeper intent. This kiss was slower, surer — not the soft brush from before, but something fuller, drawn from the quiet well of longing he still carried for you.

His hand slipped to the nape of your neck, holding you as though anchoring himself in the moment. His mouth moved over yours — patient, reverent — like he was relearning you, even though he never forgot. He never did, and never could.

The wind chime on the engawa clinkled as the gentle breeze blew in, reminding you that this is home...

—GreyCaelum

// I missed you guys! It's not proofread, but it'll do for now. I hope you enjoyed!//

PLAGIARISM IS A CRIME

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With a cute bouquet of carnations and pink roses, the fairy lights shimmering softly against the perfectly curated greens, he can't help but grin at the bouquet he got for you. He can't wait to see you smile when he gets home. You would probably call out his spending, but then again everytime he sees you smile and giggle at his gestures, it's always worth being nagged by you. 

Satoru looked at the time and decided it was better to wait for a taxi than call Ijichi to drive him home. Contrary to popular belief, he needs to take transportation like any normal guy rather than teleporting... Gotta spend money to contribute to the economy.

"C-Can you please just... just one flower..."

He knew it wasn't his business... After all, he's just a stranger. But then again, curiosity got the better of him as he turned around to see a high school boy asking for the owner of the flower shop earlier.

"We're closed, and we have no more flowers." The shop owner shrugged and locked the place while the boy asked again, imploring...

"I... It's for my mother, Sir, even just one stem, I'll pay." The boy hastily pulled out his worn-out wallet...

Satoru pulled up his blindfold a bit and saw that the boy barely had half the money to pay for a decent bouquet. The shop owner sighed and shook his head, telling the boy no for the last time before leaving...

Well... again that's not his problem... Satoru shrugged and looked forward, waiting for a taxi... where's a taxi when you need one? If he solves every problem he faces, then he should retire from being a sorcerer and do a 360° career change.

The boy stood beside him... a downcast look on the young and tired face. The flower shops are all closed at this time, or if not closed, have little to no more flowers to arrange after being bought earlier in the day.

The boy's phone rang. And now Satoru can't help but be hyperaware of the boy beside him. He barely reaches Satoru's shoulders, clearly still a boy in his early teens.

"... Ma, did you drink your medicine?" The boy answered the call with a sheepish smile on his lips. "I told you not to go outside and wait for me; it's cold. You'll catch a cold again... Me...? Of course, I'll visit you, wait for me at the hospital, okay?"

The call hung up, and the boy started to walk in the opposite direction, blowing on his cupped palms to warm them up from the cold February.

Ah... This is so not him... Satoru rubbed the back of his head. It's not his problem... He clicked his tongue. You've rubbed off on him too much. It's messing him up. And the next thing he knew, he was handing the bouquet to the boy, telling him to go to the hospital and give it to his mom. The boy tried to pay him the last cents he had, but Satoru shrugged, opting to have the small melon candy on the boy's hand and walked away.

Satoru sighed, the flower shops are closed at this time. What should he get you instead? Maybe he should just sneak into his mother's garden and pluck some flowers to bunch up, but then again, he sucks at arranging things.

Satoru scratches his head and looks around. He should buy you chocolates for now, at least he has something to bring home to you. He passes a flower shop still open, but no more flowers are displayed on the shelf. He looks up at the name.

Fleur-de-Lis Bouquets...

That sounds familiar... Probably it's a well-known flower shop. Since it's still open, it must still have flowers being sold. He pushed the door open, and the bell chimed. A lady with curly hair dressed in a white polo shirt tucked into her jeans, topped with a brown apron, looked up.

"Welcome, just in time, I was about to close, Sir." The lady smiled.

It's strange... Satoru looked around. The place looked so familiar, as if he had been here before. The whole place was serene, the faint scent of cherry blossom filled the shop, along with the inconspicuous butterflies fluttering around the vibrant shrubs.

"A bouquet... do you have any bouquet left? It's for my wife." Satoru took out his wallet, ready to pay no matter the price.

The lady smiled and gestured for him to sit first.

"I'm sorry to tell you we don't have any bouquets left, only one stem of flowers is left."

The lady turned to the shelf on the wall. There are five rows of potted flower shrubs. None of them is your favorite flower... He's really not a flower enthusiast, so he doesn't know the names. Satoru sighed.

"Which flower on that shelf means 'thank you and I love you'? I'll get that one." Satoru scanned the blooms, remembering the meaning of flowers on the shelf. 

"You must really love your wife a lot, Sir." The florist took a flower from one of the coolers and carefully wrapped the single apricot-colored flower, its cupped shape exuding a delicate, tea-like, peachy fragrance wafting through the room.

"She's the best thing in my life... to our kids and me." Satoru stared at the flower he had never seen before. It's so adorable and at the same time such a rare find.

The florist hummed and took a pot from the lowest shelf, it's a very small shrub with six buds about to bloom.

"I think this would be perfect." The florist gently put the plant and the single-stem bouquet in front of Satoru. It looks like the bloom of the potted plant. Satoru leaned closer. The buds were tight as folded secrets, their outer petals tinted green at the edges, blushing inward to warm apricot. One of them had already begun to loosen, petal by petal, like a breath being let out slowly. The color deepened toward the center—peach, then cream, then something almost honeyed—soft enough to look edible, too precious to touch.

"What does it mean?" He looked at the unfamiliar flower. It looked like a mix peony with a rose and he has no idea what it was.

The lady smiled and adjusted the ribbon around the pot, fingers moving with practiced care.

"It's a juliet rose," she said. "Not the kind that tries to impress at first glance. It opens slowly, petal by petal, as if it's thinking things through. Even at its fullest, it keeps itself gathered—never messy, never careless."

She turned the pot slightly, letting the light settle into the heart of one bud.

"It's given for gratitude that's grown roots. For love that's been proven in ordinary days—meals cooked, hands held, arguments survived. It doesn't say passion." A small smile touched her lips. "It says thank you for staying. And I love you for everything you are, even when no one is watching."

She put it carefully in a paper bag with a transparent front and small holes that let the plant breathe without being squished inside.

"The melon candy in your pocket, that would be enough." The florist once again smiled. "A bloom for each member of your family."

Whatever force it was that prompted him to do her bidding, Satoru couldn't comprehend it at all because the next thing he knew, he was riding a taxi on his way home, the flower in his hand and the pot of shrub on his other arm. He has no recollection of hailing a taxi... Satoru rubbed his temples.

What just happened?

But he didn't have time to dwell on it as the taxi pulled up before his home.

"Satoru?" You opened the door for him with a wide smile, then a confused look at the pot in his hand... followed by the kids rushing beside you to hug his legs.

"Papa!" Saika reaches up for his Papa to carry her.

"Why were you so late, Papa? We made chocolates." Kouki pouts while hanging on his father's leg.

You ruffled the kids' hair and asked them to get their father a glass of water while Satoru changed. Keigo and Seira are asleep in their bassinets despite the loud noise.

"What's that in your hand?" You glanced. Happy to see the flowers, and you're more confused about why he got a potted plant for Valentine's.

Satoru smiled and held your hips to kiss you first. The sweet powder scent of cocoa lingered on you, your vanilla-scented hair was mouthwatering, and he could almost taste all of you in one single intake.

"Happy Valentine's, baby." He grinned and presented to you the single stem. "I'm sorry, this wasn't supposed to be the bouquet I reserved for you..." His mouth curved like it wanted to say something more than his words allowed, then thought better of it. He shifted his weight, fingers rubbing together once before he looked up again, eyes softened, brows drawn just enough to admit fault without naming it.

"What flower is this? It's so pretty, and I've never seen one like this before." You smiled as you admired the flower in your hand. You brought it to your nose, its mild peachy scent filled your senses. "It's beautiful, 'Toru." 

He could only kiss your forehead once again and presented you with the potted plant. 

"The florist said, it's a juliet rose. And it has six blooms too, one for ea—" Satoru froze before he can finish... 

 "A bloom for each member of your family." 

How did the florist know there were six of them in the family?

"Honey? What's wrong?" You held his forearm.

"N-Nothing... Well..."  Satoru stared at his wife. His beautiful, beautiful wife... "How about you go upstairs and change, baby? I made a reservation for the two of us tonight."

"Really?" She smiled with a small frown. "Where would that be?"

Satoru shrugged and guided you inside, where the two kids were sneakily hiding a KitKat bar. Fully forgetting the glass of water for him. 

"You mentioned you liked the food in Hei Fung Terrace last week..." He nuzzled your hair, pressing kisses to your temples as he inhaled your signature scent. "I already told Mother to watch over the kids until tomorrow morning. You don't have to worry about them."

"But Keigo and Seira—"

"My wife deserves some pampering, too. Our babies will be fine with my mother, and we have hired nannies you personally hired, don't we?" He assured you as he kissed the back of your hands. "I booked us a room in The Peninsula, but if you want, we can always come home after our dinner."

You pouted at him, but soon relented when your mother-in-law came knocking on the door.

"Papa, where are you going with Mama?" Kouki tugged at his sleeves.

"Your Mama and I are going on a date night, son. Mama needs some relaxin' because she's tired from giving birth to Keigo and Seira and staying up late." He explained to his little boy, who looked thoughtful and soon nodded. "I'll take you and Saika to the aquarium tomorrow, how does that sound?" He ruffled Kouki's hair.

"I wanna go to the strawberry farm, Papa..." Kouki pouted. The exact pout he got from you and Satoru couldn't hold back the chuckle.

"Okay, we'll go to the strawberry farm as well."

Satoru carried the heavy boy and went to the mat where Saika is playing with her dolls and the babies are quietly sleeping. Keigo and Seira looked like two apples, red and cute without trying hard... He can't help but chuckle at how thick their hairs are now after all the wishes of Kouki and Saika to have siblings with your hair. But once again, it seems that all the babies you have are the hair. Their faces are simply Gojo genes showing off. Not to add the peculiar eye colors they have...

Seira has a sky-blue eye color on the outer part of her iris, but then it is mixed with your eye color closer to the pupil. Keigo has the opposite, your eye color on the outer edge of his iris, and his sky blue eyes closer to his pupils. He could remember the panic you all had the second they could open their eyes. Thankfully, the doctor ruled out any complications and diagnosed it as a rare condition called central heterochromia.

His children's eyes were breathtaking... If others praise his bright sky blue eyes, then his childrens' are more beyond compare. From Kouki, Saika, Seira, and Keigo. They were all precious and beautiful. Each is a masterpiece, a perfect example that with you, everything is better... Everything is beautiful if it has you and him.

"Let's just go tomorrow... Tonight, I just want to huddle together." You softly whispered, staring at the four little kids all huddled together on your laps...

Satoru knew no persuading could change your mind from moving in this place, not that he would like to, make you do anything against your wishes.

"Alright, tomorrow then, you pamper yourself because I'm coming to get you for a night out just the two of us." He settled in, pressing a gentle but long kiss to your temple, inhaling a deep breath, and pushing you closer to his chest.

"I know it's pretty late, but... Happy Valentine's, love... I hope you know, I can never love anyone anymore as much as I do you." His whisper grazed your ear, sending a soft shiver through you.

Two fingers tilted your chin, slow and sure, drawing your gaze to his.

He paused—just close enough for his breath to warm your lips—before closing the distance in a gentle, lingering kiss.

—GreyCaelum A/N: i hope you all are doing well, uni has fully hijacked my life but here it is a small treat that i hope you enjoy! i miss you all so much and missed writing for our small corner

PLAGIARISM IS A CRIME All rights and credits of the Jujutsu Kaisen character(s) mentioned images(s) and songs(s) used, belongs to their respective owner(s)

General/Kaleidoscope Series Taglist: @ice-icebaby @aeanya @gummy-dummy @tender-rosiey @lexiene @nevermoresworld @loml-riri @pelicanpizza @emichou-chan, @sleepyafcapricorn

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