#protective behavior

The words cut through the air. With an eyebrow raised Gojo looks around, daring anyone to answer him.

Silence.

A silence so loud and smothering he feels it lodged in his throat. His throat constricts, making it hard to breathe. He's starting to feel suffocated beneath the weight of the silence and what it may mean.

"Where. Is. She?"

A beat.

Gojo feels his eye start to twitch the longer the silence persists. He starts tapping his index finger against his thigh, counting to ten.

A choked sound ripples through the crowd as the tapping begins, the atmosphere becoming more suffocating as the staff grows more anxious. As the head of staff, Ichiji knows it’s his duty to speak up, but his fear is causing the words to be clogged in his throat.

Gojo can taste the fear permeating the room, but he doesn't care. If he doesn't get an answer soon then–

"She's gone!" A voice from the back squeaks out.

Gojo stills. Slowly, he turns his head towards the brave man who spoke up, appraising him with a slight tilt of his head.

"Hmm… I don’t believe that’s what I asked."

He watched as the man's mouth opened and closed, struggling to come up with a response. In a blink, he appears directly in front of him—his hand wrapped around the front of his throat, pointer finger slowly tapping against his pulse point. He leans down to whisper directly in his ear—loud enough for the rest of the staff to hear. His body is tense, coiled tightly as he holds himself back.

"Where"

Tap

"Is"

Tap

"My"

Tap

"Wife?”

"We don't know!" The man cries. "She disappeared! We woke up one morning and she was just gon–” SNAP.

Dropping his lifeless body to the ground Gojo looks at the useless staff around him, struggling to keep his fangs in.

He is seething.

How can an entire castle lose a single person?

Fighting the urge to desecrate the entire staff, Gojo feels like he's been hit by a ten-ton truck. His head starts to twitch as he bites back a snarl. He tries to maintain a semblance of control, but the noise in his head begins to rise. The phrase repeats over and over, each echo sharper than the last.

Mywifeismissingmywifeismissingmywifeismissing…

My. Wife. Is. Missing.

___________________

It's been three months since your disappearance. The staff—what's left of them—feel the suffocating weight in the air. What was once a lively mansion filled with joy and laughter, gives the mimicry of a graveyard. They're terrified to even look at Gojo, afraid that one wrong move will cause them to never see the world again.

When Gojo isn't prowling the village in search of you or terrorizing the mansion, he sits before the fireplace. In a sullen silence, he soaks in the warmth with your favorite blanket as a poor substitute for your absence. His thoughts are filled with you—every second, and every minute of the day. You're never not on his mind. He wonders if you're okay, his head is filled with countless questions, each one worse than the last.

Are you scared? Do you miss him? Did you run away? Are you… alive?

Each day, he feels himself withering away. His mental state deteriorates every passing hour. Gojo has been alive for 3 centuries and has lived through countless trials and tribulations, yet nothing has ever compared to your disappearance. He feels each layer of his psyche dissociate each night he sleeps on a cold bed, in an even colder room. If Gojo doesn't get you back in his arms soon… he fears he might annihilate the entire kingdom.

Ichiji has been with the young master for two centuries and he's never seen him so… depressed. It's as though he's become a husk of himself. The staff may be fearful of Gojo, but they don't despise him for how he's acting. They're only filled with guilt and understanding.

Even before you entered Master Gojo’s life, he has never been this miserable. The Gojo they knew always wore a smile, generous and kind—though a little annoying at times, always teasing, never malicious.

Yes, there was a certain sadness and loneliness that came with living as long as he had, but they watched him blossom into something truly special in your presence. His smiles began to reach his eyes, his laughs turned deep and genuine, he finally had a reason to keep living. Now they watch him stroll through the mansion as a cheap imitation of the person he once was; an empty shell struggling to navigate through the hollowness your absence carved out.

Day by day, the staff of the Gojo estate watched as the light within their master slowly faded. Worry settles heavily among them—worry for you, worry for their master, and for what he may become should you never be found. Worried for the world if you are found… dead or harmed.

___________________

The day was unnaturally warm.

The birds outside were singing melodies they hadn’t sung in months, as if they sensed something good on the horizon. Gojo sat slumped on his throne, half-listening as Ichiji droned on about God knows what, when a maid came barreling through the doors.

"Sir!" She yells, out of breath and nearly tripping over her own feet. "We have news!!"

"You can't just barge in–" Ichiji starts towards her.

"We found her!" She chokes out, stopping Ichiji in his tracks.

The room stills, followed by the sharp clatter of a clipboard hitting the floor.

“What?” His voice low and hoarse, fragile with hope. “What did you just say?”

“Mr. Gojo…” She releases a shaky breath. “We found her. We know where your wife is.”

___________________

You’re on your way to your room when you pass a door left slightly ajar and catch the sound of whispering inside. Lately, everyone around you has been on edge, moving with a nervous urgency you don’t understand. Each day it feels heavier—like something is building just out of reach. Something is happening; you know it. But no one will tell you what.

Drawn by curiosity, you linger by the door. Holding your breath, hoping to catch a fragment of what’s being said.

"Maybe we should let her go..." a hushed voice slips through the cracked door.

"Don't say that!" Another voice snaps, voiced filled with indignation.

"I'm just saying… half the village is destroyed–"

"And is that who you want her to return to? Especially in her condition?"

"He didn't start doing that until we took her!"

A beat of silence follows. You stand frozen at the door, your mind racing as you try to make sense of what they’re saying.

"I don’t know if this was a good idea..."

"We saved her!"

"Did we save her or did we just kidna–”

"I don't want to hear another word. If you don't agree with what we're doing then you can leave." The tone leaves no room for arguments.

Footsteps approach the door. You waddle quickly and as quietly as you can back to your room when the sound of your name stops you.

"Are you okay?"

You turn to see Ellie, the woman who's been taking care of you ever since you were rescued, walking toward you.

"Yes, I just needed to use the bathroom."

"Okay… let me help you back to your room."

The sound of the door catches your attention, and you notice her sister, Rose, slipping out of the room. Your brows furrow as you recall the conversation you'd just overheard. Noticing your focus drifting, Ellie gently rests a palm against your stomach, bringing your attention back to her.

"I'll bring you a glass of water okay?" She says softly, guiding you towards your room with a hand wrapped around your arm. "Have you taken your vitamins today?"

"Not yet." You murmur, your thoughts still elsewhere.

"Okay go lay down and I'll bring them."

As you lie down cradling your stomach, your thoughts drift back to over the last three months. Each day you’ve grown bigger, the evidence impossible to ignore. Five months pregnant—and with no memory of how it happened or with whom. Most people at this stage would be planning a baby shower, buying supplies, arguing over baby names with their partner, yet here you are. 

Alone.

In a lonely room, in a cold building hiding from God knows what. You had no recollection of how you even found yourself in this situation.

Ellie says your amnesia was caused during your escape from an evil tyrant, though you don’t remember any of it. You’ve tried asking for more details, but they always tell you it’s for your own good—that remembering would only distress you and the baby, that recalling your time as a prisoner would do more harm than good.

Though for some reason, you don't feel like you were ever a prisoner. There’s a memory lingering at the edge of your mind, straining to surface, always just out of reach. Lately, it feels like you’re forgetting something important. Everyone’s been very kind, but there's something off. Something you can't quite put your finger on. 

Feeling a headache coming, you decide to push those thoughts aside for now. You let out a small sigh and continue to lay down while gently caressing your stomach staring blankly at the moon through the window, willing yourself to fall asleep.

___________________

The small building at the edge of town, deep within the forest, lies still beneath the moonlight. Inside, its inhabitants plan, talk, laugh, and prepare for bed—some sleeping soundly, others lying awake, anxious over the consequences of taking the King’s wife. Wondering whether they made the right choice, or if it’s already too late to leave before everything blows up in their faces—unaware they’ve already been found. Unaware they’ve been under the careful gaze of the Vampire King for an entire week now, as he waits in the shadows for the right moment to strike.

Gojo has never been so focused in his life. He remains perfectly still, tracking everyone who enters and leaves, observing the smallest movements—from a mouse scurrying through the underbrush to a passing human. His eyes never leave the building. There have been no signs of you, but still he feels your presence. 

Being so close yet unable to touch, let alone see you has him feeling as if he's losing his mind.

It was an unusually cold, windy night when he finally got a whiff of you. The moment he catches sight of your shadow, he's at the large window before a single thought could pass through his head. He instantly feels the tension from the past three months melt the second he lays his eyes on you. The noise in his head quiets for the first time in months.

___________________

You’re discouraged from being upstairs during the day as a safety precaution. Once the sun goes down, you take the opportunity to leave the basement and stretch your legs by walking through the house. You were taking one of your nightly walks when you noticed it.

Blue eyes.

The intensity of them nearly knocks you over. They were like sparkling blue diamonds in the ocean, hypnotizing you, pulling you further into its depths. You've never seen eyes so magnetic, especially not on a… human?

Your gaze flickers up, taking in the face those eyes belong to. Your breath hitches at the sight of him, heart racing, unable to believe your eyes.

He's beautiful.

You don't think you've ever met a creature so otherworldly gorgeous. Ghostly pale and breathtaking, an icy air surrounds him, making him feel as though he doesn’t belong in this world—certainly not amongst you. You feel intimidated simply standing in his presence.

A beat of silence passes as you take him in. There's a familiarity to him you can't put your finger on. You feel a strange pull drawing you closer to the man at the window.

Gojo feels his chest tightens as he watches you, anticipation and longing filling his lungs. The second you make eye contact, his heart drops to his stomach. He can tell from the look on your face.

You don't remember him.

You aren’t looking at him like a wife reunited with her husband who’s been gone for months, nor like a woman being rescued by the love of her life, but as a stranger. Your brows are furrowed with a look of confusion and a little fear flickering in your eyes.

It's a look you should never wear when looking at him.

Gojo realizes that this situation is more complicated than he initially thought. He has to handle this delicately if he wants you back in his arms willingly and safely. 

___________________

The moment you're at arm's length from the window, you stop. You and the man fill the silence by staring at each other. You, wrapped in the darkness of the room, and him, illuminated by the moon—transfixed. No words spoken. Only the sound of your breathing and the soft rustle of leaves outside. The air hangs heavy, still, thick with a quiet, mutual awareness.

You notice him assessing you, his gaze roaming over your body—a faint scowl forming when his eyes land on your left hand, a brief pause when they settle on your stomach. Once he seems satisfied with whatever he’s searching for, his gaze softens as it lifts back to your eyes. He still hasn’t said a word. He only watches… waiting. Waiting for what, you don’t know.

Faintly clearing your throat, you decide to break the tension.

"Can I help you?"

Gojo's breath hitched at the sound of your voice. After living in the silence of your absence for so long, the sound of your voice has him utterly enraptured. He can't believe he finally has you back… sorta.

“No love, the question is how can I help you?"

His voice matches his looks — beautiful, soft, and melodic with a teasing tilt. It's a voice you could never get tired of hearing.

Distracted by his voice, it takes a moment for you to register his response. Your face tilts slightly in confusion as you study him.

"How can I help you?"

"No.” A low chuckle slips past his lips. “I’m asking how I can be of service to you.”

"Why would you think I need help?"

“Well… a beautiful lady in a seemingly dark, abandoned house in the middle of a forest. One would assume–”

“You’re very smooth, aren’t you?”

“I try to be.” His lips twitch, a smile threatening to break through.

"Well,” You sniff, “Thanks for the concern, but why are you in the middle of the forest?"

“And if I did need help, why would I take it from a strange man lurking out here?” Your voice takes an accusing tone. "Who stands there staring at a woman through a window… at night like some creep?”

Gojo fights back a chuckle before you can think he's laughing at you. Even without your memories, you're still as tenacious as ever.

"You're right to be suspicious." He replies with a small smile. "Truthfully, I heard through the village pipeline that a group of people were keeping a princess hostage, so like the gentleman I am–"

"Princess?"

"Queen." His smile stretches.

You blink at him.

"Okay. If it's trust you want, then how about we start with names." He bows slightly. "My name is Satoru, and you?”

You give him a false name. Despite the strange pull you feel towards this man, he is still a stranger nevertheless. And you already have too much on your plate; the Kenjaku group, your condition. Adding a wildcard like Satoru to the list is the last thing you need right now.

Gojo can’t suppress the flicker of pride at the name you offer. Even without your memories, you're still the strong, smart woman he knows.

Which begs to question... how did you get in this position? There has to be a leak in his court. He files that thought away for now. He'll deal with that later, for now he has to get his wife back where she belongs.

With him.

He repeats the name. "A beautiful name for a beautiful lady."

You can't help the faint smile that tugs on your lips at his flirtatious nature. Gojo's smile widens at the sight of it, pleased to be the reason. He's always loved your smile and being the cause of it even more.

“I should go before someone catches sight of me at this window,” You murmur. “When will I be able to–”

“I’ll be here tomorrow. Same time." He cuts in gently.

“Okay… tomorrow then.” You say softly.

"Tomorrow then." He says with a soft smile. Those intense eyes staring into your soul.

You linger for a moment, lost in his eyes, neither of you quite ready to pull away. Eventually, you pull away at the sounds of footsteps.

Later that night, you both lay thinking back over your conversation. You're laying supine, hands resting on your stomach with a rapidly beating heart wondering why this random strange man is affecting you in this way. 

Gojo is lying on his side, his hands clenched while fighting the urge to fly back and snatch you up. It took everything in him not to shatter the window and carry you away, but with this new development regarding your amnesia; he knows he has to be more delicate with you. He doesn't want to scare you more than you probably already are. He'll get you back home soon— he just needs you to be a little more comfortable with him first.

___________________

Gojo spends the next week visiting you every night. The two of you talk about anything and everything. It's hard for you because your memory only goes so far, so you spend most of the time listening. That doesn’t seem to bother him. If anything, he looks perfectly content to carry the conversation. He always has a story to tell you, something funny, ridiculous, or just strange. You learn about his love for sweets, his friends, and the many troubles he's gotten into with them. He even spoke about the love of his life that's gone missing; a soft, melancholy smile sketched on his face, while staring at you intently like you have the answers he's searching for. 

Sometimes your conversations revolve around you—how you ended up here, how you found yourself in this situation. He asks a lot of questions. What you do when he’s not around. Who you spend time with. And a lot about how you got here. You tell him about waking up in this building, surrounded by the Kenjaku group.

“No, not the cult,” You correct him. They hate that comparison. “They’re a vigilante group. They rescue abused women.”

"Is that the story they're going with," He scoffs.

"They just have the same name," You explain. "They've been super nice to me."

He looks at you with clear doubt and a little judgment in his eyes. "Right…”

"Well, I haven't received any cultist vibes from them." You say defensively.

"How would you know?"

You scowl in offense, ready to snap at him. He lifts his hands, palms out in mock surrender.

"I'm just saying. Even if they aren't, why pick the same name. Don't you find that a little weird?"

You don't have a response to that.

You explain how your memories don’t stretch beyond that first morning. Everything you know about yourself comes from what they’ve told you. They say they saved you from an evil man who’d been keeping you hostage. They believe your memory lapse is the result of the trauma you endured under him. 

He did not like hearing that.

It took you a while to calm him down. He looked ready to force his way inside and start a fight with them before dragging you out himself.

That’s another thing you’ve learned about Gojo—he’s intensely passionate. He feels everything deeply. You can hear it in the way he talks about the people in his life and see it in the way anger flashes across his face when you speak about what you’ve supposedly been through.

Every so often, in the middle of your conversations, you catch his eyes drifting, flickering downward with a look of confusion on his face. You hesitate to ask why. You’ve kept yourself wrapped in the thick wool shawl Rose gave you, the room dim, the lantern light low. You’re fairly certain he can’t actually see anything, and you’re not ready to bring it up. At least not yet.

You enjoy talking to him. He's made your long empty days so much better and you don't want to lose that. You’re not sure how he’ll react if he finds out you’re pregnant. He might decide you’re more trouble than you’re worth and disappear. Or worse—he might become even more determined to “rescue” you. And you’re terrified to find out which it would be.

There’s also the small, humiliating detail that you don’t even remember how it happened. Who the father is. Anything.

___________________

One evening, as the two of you are talking about your daily routine, the topic of your vitamins comes up.

“What are the vitamins for?” He asks, head tilting slightly as he studies you with a look of suspicious concern.

Before you can answer, his gaze hardens. “Someone’s coming."

The second it takes you to turn and look back, the spot where he stood is empty. Your brows furrow in confusion, unsure of how he was able to leave so fast.

“Who are you talking to, sweetie?” You look back to see a couple of the members at the basement door studying you with confusion in their eyes.

They must have heard you speaking to the window.

"Oh I'm just–" You trail off to look at the empty spot Satoru was standing a second ago, unsure of what to say.

"Maybe she’s gone crazy,” They whisper among themselves.

“She shouldn’t even be near the window. Move her away before Ellie finds out."

"Whose turn was it to watch her?"

"It’s not healthy keeping someone locked up without–”

“Just one more week. Once we get everything in order, we’ll take her to the neighboring village to live her life."

Their whispers blur together, hitting you all at once. You watch as one of them walks towards you with a gentle expression.

"Let's go, you need to rest. For you and the baby"

You let them gently guide you back to your room while Gojo watches from the shadows, a scowl firmly in place. A growl sits low in his throat, fingers twitching as he holds himself back from attacking the strangers touching his wife.

A fleeting question crosses your mind as you're walking away—how did he know they were coming?

___________________

Unable to get the topic of your vitamins out of his mind, Gojo brings it up again the next day.

"When did you start taking these vitamins?"

"I don't remember. I've always taken them."

"How often?”

"Every night. Why?”

"I just wonder if they're related to your memory loss…"

Before you could reply, he vanished. Taken aback, you stare out the window. You were looking directly at him this time and yet didn't see him leave. One second he was standing there, the next he just blinked out of existence. It happened so fast you almost wondered if you've been imagining him this whole time. It's like he literally teleported, but that couldn't be possible… could it?

A minute later you hear footsteps so you hurriedly move away from the window before you're seen. Ever since you were found by the windows you've noticed the members looking at you more with concern and worry. They must think you're going crazy.

___________________

That night you can't help thinking about your prenatal vitamins. You decide to stop taking them for a few days to test the theory. When Ellie's looking, you pretend to swallow them, hiding them under your tongue. The second she leaves, you rush to flush them down the toilet.

You've been off the vitamins for three days. You felt fine the first day. The second day came with headaches and by the third day you'd get random flashes — a man's laughter here, a bright smile there, white hair, shared kisses. All that does is leave you disoriented, confused, and hurt. Satoru was right.

They're drugging you.

You don't know what to believe. You were led to think they rescued you from a horrible situation, but that's not the message you're getting from these flashes. They're too brief to make sense off but one thing is clear — you were happy.

You're not sure if these memories are before the supposed man holding you captive or during. Which would mean you were never in an abusive relationship in the first place. You don't know what to think, but what you do know is that the Kenjaku group lied to you for whatever reason.

You can't trust them.

___________________

"I think you were right.”

"What do you mean?"

"About the vitamins," You lean closer to the window, speaking under your breath, afraid someone might overhear. "I stopped taking them and lately I've been getting little flashes here and there."

Gojo’s face darkens. His hands clench at his sides. Your heart drops into your stomach when you hear what he says next. You knew it. Even though you didn’t want to believe it, you’d come to the same conclusion yourself but hearing him say it makes it all too real.

“So they’ve been drugging you.”

You thought they were helping you. Yes, lately you’d started suspecting they were hiding something, but to drug you? You can't help the feeling of betrayal filling your chest.

You think about Ellie and her straight-to-business, but still kind attitude. Rose and her warm smile. The other members—how kind they’ve been. Checking on you, making sure you’re fed and well. They seemed to genuinely care about you and now you wonder if it was all just a facade. You don't know what their motives are, but you're not willing to stay to find out.

You have to get out of here.

Before you could respond a sharp voice cuts through the air.

"Get away from that door!"

You whip around to see Ellie rushing towards you with a fearful expression.

"You can't speak to him, he's a monster! Do you wanna get killed?!”

You turn back to Satoru and stiffen at the dark expression on his face. 

“Don't listen to her.” His eyes locked onto Ellie's form, voice colder than you've ever heard it. “You shouldn't trust her.” 

His eyes snap to yours, forcing your attention to remain on him. “Don't forget she's the one who's been drugging you.”

You’re confused. You’re unsure of what to say and don’t know what to believe. You can’t stay here—not after finding out they’re the cause of your amnesia. But you also don’t truly know this man. He could very well be the monster Ellie says he is. Her face is pale, her eyes blown wide as she rushes over to you—like she’s seen the devil himself. Her voice is harsh but shaky, filled with fear. That's not an expression you can fake so easily. 

She's genuinely afraid of Satoru. And for a moment, that makes you second guess everything.

Yet over this past week, you’ve grown close to him. And not once have you gotten the feeling that he’s here to harm you. If anything, he seems to genuinely care about you. You've enjoyed the conversations you've had with him and that feeling seems to be reciprocated. Plus without him, you would’ve never found out about those pills.

Before another word could be spoken, the lights flicker on.

The moment Gojo notices the swell of your stomach he freezes. His mind goes blank. Static fills the air. Everything becomes eerily quiet and still. He stands there like a statue, just staring. The world seems to stop for a single breath.

And then he vanishes into thin air.

"You fools!” Ellie screeches. “Who turned the lights on?! Why did you let her out here?!”

She grabs you by the arm and quickly shoves you towards Rose’s outstretched hands.

“Hurry. Get her downstairs.”

Everything happens so fast you don’t have time to think. One second you’re being rushed to the basement in a flurry of panic—then you hear a loud growl before everything descends into chaos. The lights suddenly shut off. The surrounding windows shatter.

Immediately, the house fills with screams of terror.

Ellie rushes to you in the darkness. “Let’s go!” She whispers urgently. “The monster is upon us. We have to get you to safety, quickly!"

The room quickly fills with armed members. You look around, shocked and in disbelief. And then bodies start dropping one after another, something moving among them too fast for your eyes to focus on.

“Please, have mercy!”

You turn to see a man suspended in the air, his hands clawing at his throat as if trying to pry invisible fingers away. Blood drips from his neck. Something flickers in the dark. White hair, icy blue eyes.

A cold chuckle echoes through the room.

You can’t help but shudder at the sound. Then he, too, slumps to the ground—joining the sea of bodies, collapsing into a puddle of his own blood. His neck twisted at an unnatural angle.

"You took my wife… my child. Ask the devil for mercy." A voice whispers without emotion.

Wife? The word makes you trip. Your mind races, but there’s no time to dwell on it right now. The only thing running through your head is — white and blue, white and blue. Blue eyes and white hair flickering through the shadows.

There’s no mistaking who’s causing all this terror.

You risk one more glance back, expecting to see a cold, terrifying expression but what you find nearly makes you trip.

Satoru is smiling.

The smile does nothing to soften how frightening he looks. If anything, it makes it worse. He looks unhinged. As though he’s finding joy in tearing through the crowd separating you from him.

As if sensing your gaze, his head snaps up.

His eyes lock onto yours—so intense it knocks the breath from your lungs.

The sight has you speeding up, nearly tripping over your feet. You’re trying to run as fast as you can with your weighed stomach. “Come on!” Rose quickly steadies you and rushes toward the library with Ellie right on your heels. Ellie locks the door as Rose darts between the shelves, scanning frantically for something.

Cradling your stomach, you feel anxiety bubbling up inside. This brief moment gives you a chance to think—and suddenly, you start second-guessing everything. Something is telling you that the “monster” isn’t here to harm you.

Over the past week, you’ve grown close to Satoru. He hasn’t given the slightest hint that he intends to hurt you. But watching him tear through those people so effortlessly… you’re not sure how safe you’d really be with him.

Your head buzzes with noise, a headache threatening to break through. You’re scared and confused. You're not sure what to think or how to feel.

You hear a sigh of relief, taking you from your thoughts. You look up to see Rose tilting a book out of its spot, revealing a hidden corridor behind the bookshelf.

"Come on!" Ellie whispers hurriedly. "Let's go, hurry!"

She pulls you in, Rose right on your heels. The passage ahead looks like a tunnel—dark, damp, and unwelcoming.

You rush through it, unsure where it leads, hoping it’s somewhere far away from the chaos above. As you hurry along, the distant screams from upstairs echo around you when suddenly, it goes quiet.

You're nearing the opening of the tunnel when Satoru appears blocking the exit. All three of you gasp in shock, nearly tripping over each other. His eyes are locked on yours as he starts stalking towards you — slowly, as though he has all the time in the world. You feel the thump of your heart getting louder the closer he gets.

"Stay back!" Ellie pushes you farther behind her. "Don't get any closer!" She growls pulling out a wooden stick. You jump back, wondering where she had that stick this whole time. 

He doesn't spare her a glance. His gaze is still locked on yours as he strolls.

"I'm warning you!"

"Ellie stop!" Rose begs her sister with tears in her eyes. “Please, let's just go!”

"No! We said we'd protect–"

"You call kidnapping a wife from her home protection?" Gojo cuts in, suddenly directly in front of the three of us. Rose starts to cry harder.

"No, I think saving a lady from a monster like you–” 

“By keeping her drugged up and locked away.”

Rose lets out a shaky gasp, voice heavy with guilt. She begins stammering, her words spilling out in a chaotic mix of apologies and desperate excuses. 

“Shut up Rose!” Ellie snaps. “We did what we had to.”

She turns to look at you then; her expression softens slightly. “We've always had your best interest at heart; you have to believe me. We just wanted to help you. We'd never hurt—”

Ellie doesn’t get to finish. With a flick of his wrist, she’s sent flying. Rose screams her name and runs towards her sister.

For a moment, neither of you speak. The only sound filling the space is the rapid thrum of your heartbeat as you study one another. His eyes soften. His shoulders relax as if he's no longer carrying the weight of the world. He then raises a hand to faintly brush a finger down your cheek.

"Hi..." He says gently, a faint apprehensive smile curving his lips as he looks at you like you’re carrying the weight of his entire world.

The second you feel his touch, a pained gasp tears from your lips as memories crash into you all at once. Images of the two of you— laughing together, goofing around, kissing, cuddling, enjoying each other's presence in soft quiet moments.

Your body starts to shake. Your limbs weaken, knees buckling as the room tilts. The ground rushes up to meet you when you're suddenly encased in something impossibly cold, yet at the same time warm.

Cradling you in his lap, Gojo lays his hand protectively and possessively over your protruding stomach. He studies you for a moment, eyes intense as they rake over your body.

"You were pregnant this whole time." He whispers to himself. His voice light with disbelief and a little choked. Gojo stares at your stomach with intense wonder — he can't find it in him to look away.

“Toru?” You murmur tiredly, stealing his attention away from your stomach. Your hands reach out to trace his face, making sure he’s real.

Holding you as if you would disappear the moment he let go, he murmurs fiercely, “I got you, baby.” His voice trembles with love and determination. His words sound like a promise, a promise that he’ll never lose you again.

You feel the faintest brush of his lips against yours.

“Let’s go home.”

___________________

<- Masterlist | Epilogue ->

AN: Shout to my bestie for beta-reading and editing for me.

Prompt based on a dream...literally 😩

And it was fine. You were fine.

Except Kinich, the ever-pragmatic hunter, saw right through you.

"You’re going to collapse." His voice was as flat as ever, his lizard-like eyes scanning you with that unrelenting scrutiny of his.

"Me? Collapsing? Don’t be ridiculous." You waved a dismissive hand, the movement a little too wide, a little too careless. "I just finished an important breakthrough—I can’t afford to take a break now."

Kinich said nothing at first, only watching as you turned back to your notes, your fingers tightening ever so slightly around the pen. He had learned long ago that you were stubborn, but he had also learned your tells. The way your sentences ran just a little too fast. The way your posture wavered when you thought no one was looking. The way you rubbed at your eyes, like you could will the exhaustion away if you just tried hard enough.

"If you close your eyes for more than a second, you’ll pass out."

You scoffed, tapping at the parchment before you. "That’s absurd. I’m as awake as—"

Your own yawn betrayed you, cutting through your words like a blade. Your entire body seemed to deflate for a moment before you caught yourself, blinking rapidly. Kinich raised a brow.

"You were saying?"

"...That was just a trick of the light."

His stare remained unyielding, and you hated how much it unnerved you.

A rustling sound came from behind, and before you could react, something warm and heavy draped over your shoulders. You glanced down, startled to find Kinich’s jacket wrapped around you.

"Lie down," he ordered, voice as impassive as ever. "You’re wasting more time fighting sleep than you would just resting."

"I—" You tried to argue, but the weight of the fabric, the scent of the wilds clinging to it, was already working against you.

"Lie down," he repeated, and this time, there was a quiet finality to his words.

For a moment, you hesitated. Stubbornness warred with exhaustion, but Kinich had already read the outcome long before you had. With a resigned sigh, you relented, letting yourself slump onto the cushions beside your scattered notes.

The last thing you felt before sleep claimed you was the subtle press of his fingers adjusting the jacket, making sure it covered you completely.

And, though you’d never admit it, you were grateful.