Chapter Text
"Bye Bye!"
Children left to right waved goodbye to one another as they left the kindergarten with their guardians. The teacher watched as most of the children left the school grounds with a smile on their faces making the teacher smile unconsciously at their cheeriness.
Stretching out her arms, she took a deep breath as another day passed. With a satisfying pop in her shoulders, she went back inside to finish up cleaning and head home for the day. She was surprised to see a familiar pink-haired boy still waiting inside. He was usually one of the first to be picked up.
"Yuuji-kun, did no one come to pick you up?" Mindlessly pushing the blocks, he sullenly shook his head.
"I'm sure they'll be here soon. I'll wait with you until someone comes, okay?"
Smiling at the thought that he wouldn't be alone, he nodded. Sitting beside the boy, she began playing blocks with him. Minutes passed then to hours. They were very late, and Yuuji's guardians were never late. NEVER.
It wasn't like them.
Even if the rare times' someone were late, they would call in, and someone else would come in place to pick up Yuuji.
Glancing at the clock, they were 3 hours late. Not even a phone call or anything. Yuuji glanced at the door almost every half an hour, expecting someone to come for him, but no one came.
"Yuuji-kun, I'll try and call one of your guardians, okay?" Not looking up, he nodded and stared at the now fallen blocks. Not wanting to leave him for long, she quickly hurried to the phone and began calling the first person of Yuuji's guardians.
"Hello-"
"Ah, Kento-san-"
"You've reached Kento Nanami, please leave me a message, and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Gojo-san, please do not call me nor leave me a message; I will delete it without listening."
Beep.
'Perhaps he's still working... let's try someone else...'
Ringing another number, she waited for the line to go through.
"Hello, you've reached the Itadori's residence; we aren't here right now, but please leave us a message, and we'll try and get back to you.
If it isn't severe, fuck off.
Sukuna-!! Yuuji is right here!!
Oh, fuck- ah, I mean shit-! NO!
Fk? Shin??
SUK-!!"
Beep.
Softly chuckling at the recorded message, she quickly recovered and sighed at the second failure. Humming to herself, she scanned down the book to the next person and wondered if she should even phone this person. She was warned multiple times that this person was not to be called not unless necessary and to be a last resort.
Nobody else was answering, so this would be a good excuse as any.
"...."
"...."
"...."
"...."
"Hiya! You reached the awesome Gojo Satoru-"
Immediately hanging up, she heavily sighed and wondered what to do. Nobody was answering; it was well after hours, the sun was slowly going down, and Yuuji needed to eat. She didn't have much choice, did she? Should she call Megumi's father or Nobara's aunt? That'll have to be a last resort if nobody comes for Yuuji.
"Yuuji-kun? Want to get dinner with sensei?"
"Nobody come?" Sadly smiling, she shook her head.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I think everyone is busy." The sadness on the poor boy's face broke her heart as tears began to well up in his eyes and small sniffles.
"Oh, sweetheart." Gathering up the sniffling boy into her arms, she tried to calm the boy as she began to reassure him. "Sensei will yell at them for leaving our sweet Yuuji for so long."
"N-No. Don't yell. Not their fault."
Holding back the urge to coo at his kindness, she smiled. "Yuuji is such a kind boy."
"I want Cho-nii and Suki-nii." Biting his lower lip, he held back the urge to cry aloud as the teacher tried to console the boy.
"I know, sweetheart. Hopefully, they'll come soon. But while we wait, why don't sensei get you some food?"
Wiping away the stray tears, Yuuji's stomach growled right on cue. Chuckling, she asked. "How about some ice cream?" Screw food; ice cream is the best answer to cheering up a sad boy.
"But Cho-nii said no dessert if not finish with food."
"Our little secret, hm?" Contemplating the decision, Yuuji smiled and nodded.
"Yes!"
The two sat on a bench outside the kindergarten with ice cream in hand, watching as the sun slowly set. The teacher was worried that something may have happened, and Yuuji's mood wasn't getting any better; the ice cream only lifted his mood until he had finished it all. There was nothing left; Yuuji's mood grew worse- nobody was coming for him.
"Sensei..."
"Yes, Yuuji-kun?"
"Cho-nii and Suki- nii not want me? Nanamin too? That why they no coming?" Tears brimmed to the edge; she quickly brought Yuuji into her arms to try and went back inside trying to calm down the distressed boy.
"No. No, Yuuji-kun. That's not it at all.
They are just-"
"They not come for me-!! They leave like Mama and Papa!! And Jii-chan!!"
She remembered when she heard about Yuuji's grandfather's passing; the poor boy hadn't been himself for a few weeks. Having met the elder a few times before he passed, although he was pretty strict, it was evident that he genuinely cared for Yuuji just as the boy loved his grandfather. He had practically raised Yuuji since the day he was born.
It was heartbreaking to see Yuuji so down- she's seen his friends; Megumi, Nobara, and Junpei, try and cheer up the poor boy, but he wouldn't respond in his cheery self. Every day when he was dropped off, he wouldn't let go of his older brother or Nanami's pants or shirt in fear they'd go away like his beloved jii-chan. It always took a lot of convincing and promised that they would always come back for him.
Slowly but eventually, Yuuji was managed to come back to his old cheery self. Everyone was relieved; it was always much better to see Yuuji with a smile rather than in tears or fear.
Soothing the boy's back as she tried to calm his fear, a small side of her also worried that what Yuuji was saying was true. Did something happen? Perhaps an accident? Were they in the hospital? Did they not want to worry Yuuji, so they left him here? But how could they? Leave a child like this-
"YUUJI!!"
The doors swung open, and multiple voices were heard, "YUUJI (-kun)-!!!" Gently wiping the boy's tears, the teacher sighed in relief and half-heartedly smiled at the chaos coming through the doors.
"You are quite late." Crowding around her, multiple voices were all heard at once as Yuuji tried to stop his tears, but it just wouldn't stop. They came for him.
"Yuuji, I'm so sorry for making you wait." Gently picking the boy out of the teacher's arms, a large hand gently wiped away the falling tears.
"N-Nanamin."
"We're here too, Yuuji-kun~" Waving at the small boy, Yuuji glanced to see a familiar pair of blue eyes.
"G-Goyo- sensei." Cooing at the boy, another large hand ruffled the boy's head to soothe, trying to stop his tears.
"Don't be too upset, Lil' tiger; he didn't know you were still waiting."
"That's still no excuse, Geto-san-
Gojo-san, why did you follow me? I had told you that you weren't needed." Staring at the overly happy man, Gojo pouted at Nanami's irritation towards him.
"EH~ But I rarely get to see Yuuji-kun, and you said you were coming to pick him up. Plus, aren't you glad I did? I gave you a ride from the office-"
"My car. You took my keys as I was leaving-" Geto remarked.
"It was a matter of life and death!!"
"You had your car, so why take mine?"
"Would you have driven us?"
"Hell no."
"See?!"
"If Nanami asked, sure since he had to pick up Yuuji."
Dramatically gasping, he leaned against his friend as Geto rolled his eyes and ignored Gojo's dramatics. "How could you? To your best friend nonetheless-!!"
"Nanami didn't even want you coming-"
"But I must-! I had to see Yuuji-kun.
Right~? You missed me, right?"
"As if." Lazily ruffling Yuuji's hair, he could feel Yuuji calming down. Glancing at the boy, his tears had ceased, and small hiccups escaped him.
"Kento-san." Interrupting their bicker, Nanami faced the teacher, "Yuuji's had a long day-"
"Oh, yes. Thank you so much for staying with him. I truly apologize for this-"
"It's nothing, but may I ask why nobody came for Yuuji today?"
"Ah... Sukuna was to pick him up, but..." Heavily sighing, the teacher already knew.
Ah. He got into trouble again...
Itadori Sukuna.
She remembered when she first met Sukuna; that was quite a frightening day. She had thought she would've had her heart taken out when she first saw him. Sukuna wasn't precisely 'approachable'- he had been standing in front of the doors, looming, and the other children were much too afraid to leave. It had ended with most of the children in tears or screaming for their guardians and hiding under tables.
Yuuji hadn't understood why everyone was in such a state as he only saw his loving older brother- if you can believe it, and believe she did. One minute he was scowling and staring down at the children as if they were mere peasants, and the next was his face-melting to a soft smile as he called out in his low voice, "Yuuji."
"Suki-nii!" Beaming with joy, Yuuji ran over to the crouching figure. "You come for me?!" Grinning, Sukuna nodded with a small smile.
"Obviously, brat. Didn't think I'd come?" Shaking his head, he smiled wider, if that was possible.
"Happy, Suki-nii came!" Giggling, he wrapped his arms onto Sukuna's arm. Sukuna smirked and ruffled the kid's hair for such an adorable gesture until his friends came running behind him.
"No! Yuuji!! He's a bad man; get away from bad man!" Nobara pulled the boy away from his brother and pushed him to Megumi, who tightly held his hand while Junpei held his other hand, cowering behind Nobara slightly. Yuuji tried to squirm out of their protective hold, covering him protectively around them.
"Junpei! Nobara-!! Megumi!!! It's Suki-nii!!!"
"Hey, you brats. What do you think you're doing...?" Glaring at the two kids, they flinched at the sudden gaze but held their ground. Nobara glared back and stuck out her tongue in defiance.
"We won't let Yuuji near a bad man like you!" Megumi nodded, glaring at Sukuna.
"Yeah." Junpei stayed silent as he held onto Yuuji's hand tightly.
"Why, you little-!" Gripping their heads, he began muttering curses under his breath. Trying to push his hands away, they started swinging, but to Sukuna, it just felt like flies. Yuuji began panicking, trying to calm them without noticing the children and teachers all cowering in fear.
'They're at the entrance...'
After a few more times of meeting Sukuna, she realized a few things from the few encounters she's had with him.
1. His expression, mannerism, and attitude are soft to Yuuji. Only Yuuji. If it was Yuuji's friend, another child, or an adult, he scowled and glared at anyone near him- all except Yuuji.
2. He always comes half an hour to an hour early to pick up Yuuji no matter what day it is or an hour with a piece of candy in his hand.
3. He always carries Yuuji in his arms when they leave or arrive.
4. He seems like a troublemaker & intimidating, but he's polite when he wants to be. Be rude to him first, and he'll snap back without regret or care.
It was amazing how many people Yuuji had wrapped around his little finger without even realizing it.
"I truly apologize for today and thank you very much for staying with Yuuji so late."
"It's nothing; I'm just glad you came for him. I was worried about what I would have done if nobody had picked up their phones or come for him. I had thought of perhaps calling for Megumi's father or Nobara's sister-"
"Truly thank you, what can I do to-"
"It's nothing. I just hope you can perhaps let me know in advance in the future?"
"Of course." Thanking the teacher once more, Nanami turned to leave with Yuuji in his arms, but the teacher stopped him and whispered in his ear to keep Yuuji from listening.
"Yuuji-kun was quite upset; please be extra nice to him tonight. He had thought he was all alone." Understanding, Nanami nodded and headed out to Geto and Gojo, waiting for them.
~~
~~
Thanking Geto for the ride, Geto waved the two goodbyes while forcing Gojo to the back and drove off. Letting out a sigh, he glanced down to see Yuuji had yet to lift his head from Nanami's chest. He was upset. Sadly smiling at the silent boy, he readjusted Yuuji in his arm and headed inside.
Opening the door, he heard multiple voices coming from the living room. It seems like they aren't done arguing as always. He closed the door and slipped off his shoes before helping with Yuuji's.
Thinking it best to help Yuuji wash up before dinner, he made his way up the stairs and to Yuuji's room. Helping him through a quick bath and changing into his pajamas, Yuuji was silent through it all. Nanami didn't like how quiet and docile Yuuji was; by now, he would've tried making a bubble beard or declaring war by having a water fight while Nanami chuckled and chucked water onto the child.
"Yuuji? I'm sorry you had to wait so long today. It won't happen again." Drying off his hair, Yuuji nodded.
"Mmh..." Half-heartedly answering, Nanami brushed through Yuuji's hair.
"Yuuji."
"...." Fidgeting with his shirt, Yuuji refused to look up to Nanami. Sensei asked earlier if he was upset earlier, and he said he wasn't, but he lied. He was. He was upset, sad, and terrified... Just thinking about the long hours he had to wait, he didn't like it. Not being with his older brothers or Nanami made him think bad thoughts...
"Yuuji? Look at me. Please?" Hearing Nanami pleads, he couldn't refuse, so he shyly peeked to see Nanami staring at him with a gentle gaze.
"Forgive me?"
"Nanamin still want me?"
"Of course. We are family." Scooping the boy into his arms, Yuuji nuzzled into his embrace.
"Nanamin won't go away? Like Jii-chan? Mama? Papa?"
"I can't promise that I'll always be here..." He didn't want Yuuji thinking about death at such a young age, but he can't recklessly promise he'll be with Yuuji forever, but he won't be going so soon. He'll most likely fight the grim reaper if he tries to take him away so soon.
Yuuji's shoulders were hunched at the answer but perked up when Nanami continued, "I can promise that I won't leave Yuuji alone as long as I'm alive and I'll never abandon Yuuji to be alone."
"I love Nanamin." Wrapping his arms around Nanami's neck, Nanami smiled and nuzzled his cheek against the soft pink hair.
"I love Yuuji-kun too. Now, shall we get some dinner? I'm sure you're starving."
Choso and Sukuna were waiting as they set down dinner. Seeing Nanami and Yuuji, they were quick to abandon their task. "Yuuji, I'm sorry we left you so long. You must be mad."
"I'm sorry, Yuuji... I didn't think it'd take so long." Sukuna was gentler than usual, and Nanami was shocked to see such a delicate manner from him.
"...Cho-nii and Suki-nii were late." Yuuji wasn't mad, just disappointed... okay, maybe he was a little angry, but he can't get mad at his older brothers for so long. Although it was Nanamin, who came to pick him up instead of one of his older brothers...
"I know, we're sorry." Gently grasping Yuuji's hand, Choso nuzzled it against his cheek as he apologized to the pouting boy.
"Cho-nii and Suki-nii still keep me?"
"Are you an idiot-? OW!! Fu-"
"SUKUNA." Pinching Sukuna's arm, Choso darkly smiled as a warning. Sukuna cleared his throat, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his arm.
"You're not going anywhere, nor are any of us. You're stuck with us if you like it or not."
Choso deeply sighed. That's not how you console a child, but it seemed to do the trick for Yuuji. He was smiling as Sukuna was wiping away any stray tears. Nanami sighed; he couldn't complain because it did the trick.
"It won't happen again, Yuuji. Promise." Sukuna lifted his pinky, and Yuuji wrapped his hand around it, smiling.
"Promise?"
"Mmh." Satisfied with Sukuna's grunt of an answer, he held out his hand to Choso.
"Cho-nii?"
"Of course, I promise, Lil one." Pinky promising, Choso blew a small raspberry onto Yuuji's cheek, making him giggle. Nanami smiled as he readjusted Yuuji onto his hip,
"Shall we have dinner all together?"
"yeah!"