Chapter Text
Death was a weird thing, something familiar in the Itadori family yet somehow this was the first time Yuuji felt like he was actually grieving. His parents had died when he was too young to remember so it was a grief of an absence, not people. So as he stands in the hospital, signing paperwork and talking to the nurses he’d grown close to, he grieves for the first time in his life.
Earlier that day Wasuke Itadori, his grandfather, had passed away having given Itadori his final message, to live a proper life surrounded by people. After he’d gotten over the initial shock Yuuji tried calling Sukuna, his estranged older brother.
Growing up Sukuna was never really part of the family, he spent all his time out of the house, only coming home to sleep and get into arguments with their grandfather. Even then sometimes he wouldn’t come home. As soon as Sukuna turned eighteen he moved out without a word. It took years to get into contact with him again.
So even now as he’s sent to voicemail Yuuji isn’t surprised, Sukuna was 7 years older than him so they never had much of a relationship. Though it still stung, feeling lost as he wanders out of the hospital and starts to walk home.
The last few times Sukuna had come to visit their grandfather all they talked about was Yuuji, their grandfather grilling Sukuna to be there for him. He’d made a promise to be there after he passed, so Yuuji wasn’t alone but as he enters the apartment they shared he’s happy Sukuna isn’t here. Yuuji’s always been an emotional person, never afraid to cry but something tells him he wouldn’t have let himself break down around his brother.
-
It isn’t until late the next afternoon that Yuuji’s phone rings, Sukunas contact information popping up. By this point Yuuji already had his stuff packed, he was just waiting for the call. Wasuke had gotten rid of a lot of his things before he entered hospice, saying he didn’t want to burden Yuuji with having to deal with his things once he’s passed. So it didn’t take long to put all his belongings in bags.
“Hey.” Yuuji answers the phone, trying to keep his voice steady.
“Hey,” Sukuna’s voice is deeper than usual, making Yuuji think he’s just woken up. “I just saw you called, what’s up?”
It takes a while before Yuuji can say the words out loud, the lump in his throat growing everytime he tries to get it out. “Grandpa passed.”
“Oh shit,” sheets rustle in the background. “Uh when? Are you home?”
“Right before I called,” his voice wobbled as he spoke, eyes burning with the effort to not cry. “Yeah I came back after some paperwork.”
“Shit!” there's a loud bang. “Fuck! Uh give me like an hour okay? I’ll be there in an hour.”
The call ends before Yuuji can even think of a response and then he’s crying again. His phone falls out of his hand and onto the floor and he’s choking back sobs. It feels like his whole body is shaking as his vision blurs and tears stream down his face. His chest feels like it’s caved in as he's trying to force air into his lungs.
By the time Sukuna gets there, there’s no evidence that Yuuji had broken down other than the slight redness to his eyes. Sukuna shows up at the front door with a bag of fast food and a solemn look on his face, looking Yuuji up and down before he comes into the apartment.
“Wow you’ve got the place cleared out.”
Yuuji gives Sukuna an odd look, unsure if he’s trying to make a joke or not. “Yeah Grandpa got rid of everything before…”
“Right,” Sukuna pauses awkwardly. “So do you need help packing?”
“I’ve got everything ready.”
Sukuna frowns at this statement. “You sleep last night?”
“No.” Yuuji mumbles, averting his gaze.
Sukuna’s response is a sigh before he’s tossing keys at Yuuji. “Go wait in the truck, I'll grab your stuff.”
Not having it in him to argue, Yuuji just nodded, watching as his brother walked down the hall towards the bedrooms. For a moment he felt like a child, small and helpless. All he wanted to do in this moment was fall to the ground and cry, to hug his grandpa and hear that everything would be all right.
Taking one last look around the bare apartment, once full of memories and belongings. Shutting the door behind him felt like a punch to the gut, his stomach churned knowing he’d never go back there. The thought of what was left of his grandpa’s furniture being sold off, Sukuna and his height markings being painted over hurt in a way he couldn’t describe. This is the apartment he grew up in, the only home he’d ever known and now he’d never step foot in it again.