Chapter Text
The only sound that could be heard in Shoko's clinic was the soft rustling of papers. Megumi's eyes peered down at Gojo's knee, annoyingly bouncing up and down. He was glad the man had set him down on his own chair so he wasn’t bouncing on his lap.
“I told you not to get that Starbucks Frappuccino before this meeting,” Megumi chided the antsy man.
Shoko peered over her clipboard. Such a precocious child he was, more adult-like at seven years old than Gojo at twenty.
"Well," Shoko glanced over the results one more time, "based on the blood test, Megumi will likely present as an alpha."
"Woo-hoo!" Gojo shot up like he just won an extra popsicle. "Megumi-chan is going to grow up to be a big and strong Alpha just like me!"
"You know we're not related, right?" Megumi replied flatly.
The sight of a muscular man with pecs bigger than Gojo’s head flashed in his mind and the white-haired sorcerer barely repressed his shudder. Dear gods, please don't let him grow as big and strong as the man he stole Megumi from. That would truly be the worst karmic retribution. To have this cute, little boy—the one he swiped from right under the Zenin's noses—grow up to be a gargantuan alpha that would literally overshadow him? No way in heaven or hell.
"Awwww," Gojo took this chance to ruffle Megumi's sea urchin hair with unbridled affection. "But you're mine," he declared. Shoko side-eyed the possessive tendency of a typical alpha, but Megumi didn't protest that statement.
"Your test results did come back with some omegan markers. Was your mom an omega?" Shoko asked as she squinted at the dots on the graph.
"I don't know. She died when I was young. I don't have any memories of her." Shoko nodded in understanding. Gojo immediately reached out to grab Megumi's small hand to squeeze it.
The prickly, touch-adversed boy did not pull away to the doctor's surprise. It appeared Gojo had wormed his way into the black-haired boy's heart deeper than the boy would admit.
"Well, when a child is born to an alpha and an omega, there's a 50-50% chance that they're going to be either one. But I think your father had such strong alpha genes that it overpowered your mother’s. Basically, there's very little chance you'll present as an omega in your teens." Shoko tidied up the papers and put them in a folder to hand to Gojo.
"The chance isn't zero, since it's a nature versus nurture thing, but based on your test results, you wouldn’t have to worry about that." She seemed to grow bored of her own lecturing. This was why she never sought out to be a teacher. “Hopefully, they’ll educate you more about this in your middle school biology class.” The doctor’s hand itched to grab a thin cigarette, but stopped herself since Megumi was still too young to be exposed to second-hand smoke.
"But honestly, I wouldn't worry about it. It's more than likely you'll present as an alpha and a strong sorcerer like your nii-chan here."
"I don't call Gojo-san that," Megumi immediately deflected. It was casual teasing between two old friends, but the child took it seriously.
"It's true," Gojo sighed disappointedly, wilting like a flower someone forgot to water. "I've been begging him for months."
"Good," Shoko replied, ignoring her long-time friend to direct her gaze at Megumi. "Don't give into his whims and let his ego grow bigger than it already is."
"Yes, Ieiri-sensei," Megumi nodded dutifully. Such a stalwart, polite child. Where had he learned his manners? Gojo was obviously not the one teaching them. She gave him one of her rare smiles and patted his hair.
Gojo was right. She wasn't particularly fond of children, finding them too loud and grating (much like miniature versions of a certain white-haired man), but Megumi really grew on you.