Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Looking back, Yuuji’s earliest memory, or at least the earliest one he could remember, was spotting that snow white hair. It shined under the sunlight, reflecting it amidst a sea of dark winter coats, and it drifted farther and farther down the crosswalk, away from where Yuuji stood.

Yuuji remembered letting go of the comforting warmth of his big brother’s hand to chase after it with a waddling gait, his footsteps unsteady but his hand firmly outstretched. Reaching and reaching. 

All he had known then was that he needed to push through the grain of the crowd to reach out, for he knew that hair, that back, that boy, and he needed to catch up, and—

And then he did. Maybe a little too much. 

Having diverted all his energy to chasing, Yuuji hadn’t thought of stopping until his hand made full contact and then some on the back of that boy.

That boy, who was startled, jolted forward by Yuuji’s hand before he managed to hold his ground. He whirled around, looking around for his perceived attacker, before frowning as his cold gaze shifted lower.

“A potato?” the boy said, squinting. “A pink potato?”

“Blue!” Yuuji said brightly, for this was one of the few words that he confidently knew. He reached up with grabby hands. “Blue!”

“Yuuuuuuuji!” Choso called from a distance.

“Yuu-ji…?” the boy said slowly as he picked Yuuji up to examine him more closely. Yuuji’s two small hands immediately pawed at his face, pulling at rosy cheeks with a giggle. “Yuuji,” the boy repeated, softer.

Yuuji’s toothy grin widened at the sound of his name in the boy’s voice.

The boy’s eyes widened at the sight of this grin. 

And as Yuuji threw out his arms and said, “Hug!”, something in that boy’s gaze began to thaw and melt.

“Hi Yuuji,” the boy murmured close to his ear. The familiar rumble of it made Yuuji squeal in delight, snuggling closer. Despite the boy’s frosty appearance, his hands were warm and his skin was soft. “I’m Satoru.”

At two years old, Yuuji hadn’t known much, but he was certain in that moment that he and this boy, Satoru, were meant to walk into the future together, side by side and hand in hand.

And just like that, they would both live happily after.

20 YEARS LATER

“He’s cheating on you!” Nobara says, a burst of static.

“Kugisaki!” Yuuji squawks, scandalized and fumbling to take her off speaker. A few of his teammates glance over curiously, and he waves them away with an awkward, gritted smile before turning back to his phone. “No way! He just…hasn’t been home in awhile, is all, and he told me it was for a physics conference. In Germany.” And Switzerland. And America. And—

Honestly, Yuuji’s not really sure himself how someone is supposed to attend multiple conferences in multiple countries over the course of a single week without the ability to teleport, but Nobara doesn’t need to know that.

“I can’t believe you’d still—ugh!” Nobara scoffs. “Who the hell even holds a conference during the holidays?” 

“You should see Satoru’s newest publication in quantum research,” Yuuji says, defensive now. “World-changing stuff. I’d hold a conference over the holidays for him—I mean, for that.”

“Yeah, because you’re the only idiot in the world stupid enough to want to spend more time with that asshole,” Nobara snaps.

Yuuji frowns. “Oi, this ‘idiot’ and that ‘asshole’ spent all of last weekend helping you move into your new apartment!”

“False!” Nobara cuts in. “You were great, and I admit that. With sincerity and gratitude. He, on the other hand, spent the entire time lying on my couch while scrolling on his phone—”

“Well, Satoru did single-handedly carry that couch in,” Yuuji says. “He got a splinter from it too, so he was just taking a break—”

“A splinter!? What kinda bullshit—”

“—and why would you even need an oversized couch, anyway? We could barely get it through the door—”

“It’s called being accommodating! I can’t believe you’re making excuses for that lazy asshole even now—”

“He has a name, you know—”

“—the only time he got up was to eat food straight from my fridge and then complain about it—”

“What happened to being accommodating?! You said we could help ourselves—”

“I said you could help yourself, not—”

“Um, Itadori-kun?” a gentle voice interrupts, tapping his shoulder. Yuuji blinks and turns to see Junpei, his newest teammate. Junpei’s smile, small and hesitant, grows slightly when Yuuji grins back at him. “Sorry, am I interrupting—?”

“You’re good, you’re good,” Yuuji assures. “I’m just on the phone with a friend with zero appreciation for free labor—”

“Oi!” Nobara says, loud enough to be heard through Yuuji’s hand.

“Oh, okay,” Junpei says. “Well, uh, Todo-senpai sent me over to ask if you’re coming to the afterparty.”

Yuuji sighs. “When does that guy ever take ‘no’ for an answer? Fine, I’ll go with you all for a bit, but I gotta leave early.”

“He feels more like our coach than our actual coach, huh?” Junpei jokes. His shoulders seem looser than before. “Is it true that—”

“No, we didn’t go to middle school together—”

“—you’re aiming to go pro?” Junpei finishes, chuckling. “Todo-senpai says he’s certain you’ll be drafted by multiple teams, and that they’ll all be fighting over you.”

“Oh,” Yuuji says. He tries to keep his smile from stiffening. “Uh, maybe? It’s a pretty uncertain process, so…”

Junpei laughs. “There’s no need to be humble, Itadori-kun. You hit homeruns so easily that people claim to see black sparks every time you bat.”

“Right,” Yuuji says. “Thanks, Junpei.”

“Of course.” Junpei gives him a nod. “Anyways, we’ll be waiting for you.”

As Junpei heads back to join their teammates, Yuuji shakes his head and smiles to himself. Though he joined late, hesitant at first until Yuuji convinced him to try anyway, Junpei’s confidence grew with each day on the team, and he looked nothing like the person Yuuji had first met in a dying cinema club.

“Sorry for the wait—I’m back,” Yuuji says, turning back to his phone.

Nobara huffs. “Time is money, you know.”

“Ah, is that so? Let’s see…how many hours did Satoru and I spend moving your furniture in and around?”

“That doesn’t count! You’re my dear friend who’s literally all muscle,” Nobara says. “What’s the difference between a few shopping bags and a few wardrobes?”

“Should be charging extra for that comment alone,” Yuuji grumbles, resting the phone between his shoulder and chin as he moves to grab his jacket and cap.

“And what’s this about you being drafted?” Nobara asks, and Yuuji pauses. Though she’s trying to sound affronted, Yuuji can hear the smile in her voice. She continues, “Why didn’t you tell me if it’s basically confirmed? I thought we’d be seeing you on TV before—”

“Kugisaki,” Yuuji says, quietly. 

He sits back down on the bench. In the distance, he can faintly hear his teammates laughing together. They must still be waiting for him.

Nobara stops. “What?”

“I’ve been thinking…about quitting baseball,” Yuuji says. It feels like a confession.

“What?” It’s Nobara’s turn to squawk.

“I’m not just gonna leave my team high and dry, obviously,” Yuuji says, quickly. “I’ve got a plan, and Junpei’s already a monster at pitching—”

“No, Itadori, you love baseball,” Nobara says, slowly. 

Yuuji sighs. “I’m close to graduating anyway. If I go pro, then I’ll barely be home for Megumi and Tsumiki—”

“What the fuck? Why do you sound like you’re a single mother?” Nobara demands. 

“…I know you’re speaking out of love and concern,” Yuuji says, frowning, “but I’m kinda feeling attacked.”

“Oh my god,” Nobara says, realizing, “Is that nepo bum cheating on you and a deadbeat?”

“Wha—why do you keep saying that? You sound like Choso,” Yuuji says. He tries to temper down the heat in his voice, but old habits die hard. He had protected Satoru from bullies all throughout their childhood, and even if Nobara means well, her comments about him are starting to sound familiar. 

Yuuji can’t help but continue, “You guys have no idea how hard he works all the time—the sleepless nights, the utter lack of support from his own family. I know it looks like he’s got everything in the world, but he works really hard to make things better for others, even if it doesn’t look like it—” 

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Nobara relents. “Ugh, I can feel your puppy eyes through the audio. Now I feel like the bad guy…” She sighs. “Look, have you talked about this with Gojo, then? If he’s half the man you think he is, he won’t want you to quit either.”

“He wouldn’t,” Yuuji says, knows, “but…a lot of things have changed lately. I’m worried about the kids, especially Megumi. They’ve been alone for so long…I want to be able to spend more time letting them know they’re supported, like my brothers did for me.”

For a moment, Nobara says nothing. It’s not a long silence, but Nobara is never a woman of few words, so Yuuji checks if they’d somehow gotten disconnected.

“Itadori,” Nobara finally says. “Remember when I told you before that there are only so many seats open in my life? And that you are in one of them?”

“Well, technically you said I ‘plopped my sorry ass in your life out of nowhere’—”

“Shut up. I’m trying to make a point here,” Nobara says. “You’re not alone either. You’ve got me, you’ve got your brothers, you’ve got your teammates, and I’m nowhere close to naming everyone else who has your back. If you ever need one or more of us to come help out, we’ll show up, no questions asked.

“So, don’t go thinking like you have to choose between kids and a career, okay? Go become a bigger household name than Ohtani Shohei.”

“Aw, Kugisaki,” Yuuji says, and he doesn’t know what else to say. He feels a pressure in his throat as his eyes grow slightly hot. “I—”

The locker room door slams open. 

“BROTHER!” Todo roars, bursting in. Somewhere between the end of their game and now, his shirt seems to have evaporated, leaving him bare-chested in the middle of a cold autumn. “YOU’RE STILL HERE?! COME WITH US TO CELEBRATE ANOTHER VICTORY!”

Yuuji glances at him once before turning back to his phone.

“Sorry about that—I’m still here,” Yuuji says.

“Anyways,” Nobara continues, breezily, “Maki’s calling so I gotta go, but join us for a drink or two when you have some time off from practice and the kids, yeah? Rika-senpai’s throwing a lil’ party next weekend too.”

“I’ll stop by,” Yuuji says, chuckling as he blinks some tears away. Todo’s footsteps thunder closer. “See you, KugisaAAA—”

The world flips, and Yuuji yelps from the sudden disorientation. Between one second and the next, Todo has lifted him into the air and thrown him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Upside down and flopping against Todo’s back with his every step, Yuuji catches sight of Junpei, who gives him a small wave and smile.

Traitor, Yuuji thinks, fondly.

Mind occupied, Yuuji finds the evening going by in the blink of an eye. Then Junpei, bless him, volunteers to be the drunksitter, giving Yuuji a chance to slip out of the izakaya earlier with the assurance that their teammates wouldn’t end up spending the night asleep on random streets throughout the city.

Of all their teammates, Junpei is most likely to have noticed that something’s been up with Yuuji lately, but he doesn’t push. Yuuji appreciates the break, and it brings him back to Nobara’s words.

You’re not alone either.

Fulfilling his grandfather’s wishes, supporting his newfound family, and achieving his childhood dream—can it really be possible to have it all? 

Would it be selfish to want it all?

As he reaches the crosswalk and waits amongst a bustling crowd, Yuuji instinctively looks for snow white hair though he knows he won’t find it. Not on the right face, at least. Satoru’s probably still thousands of miles away.

Considering how often Yuuji has returned from practice to find the poor guy sleeping on the kitchen table, buried under mountains of papers and manuscripts that overflowed from his work desk, he can only hope that Satoru’s able to get some rest wherever he is. He's been bouncing between various countries so frequently lately that Yuuji wonders exactly how many projects he’s rushing to wrap up at once and why.

Maybe he’s thinking the same thing as me and wants to make more time for Megumi and Tsumiki, Yuuji thinks, moving forwards as the crossing light turns green. He and Satoru tend to unintentionally synchronize like that.

Absent-mindedly, Yuuji rubs at his ring finger. He’s set to graduate college soon anyway, so maybe it’s time…but what if it’s too soon, too much?

Before Yuuji can board his new train of thoughts, his phone buzzes. It’s a text from Megumi.

Megumi’s typing bubble appears and then disappears. Then: 

Was this…a cry for help?!

There were at least two and a half cartons left when he checked in the morning!

Slightly worried, Yuuji calls Megumi, who picks up before promptly hanging up. Tsumiki doesn’t pick up at all. Maybe they’re playing a prank on him, but if they’re not…

Now definitely worried, Yuuji’s footsteps shift from a steady walk to a dead run toward home.

By the time Yuuji’s phone dings with another text, he’s already turning his key in the door and shoving it open. 

He first makes direct eye contact with Tsumiki, who’s holding what looks like a giant bowl of rice. She’s standing over the dining table, which is set with a nice cloth and unlit candles. The table has been moved closer to the balcony window instead of its usual location near the kitchen. There’s a bouquet of red and pink flowers there too, some of which Yuuji recognizes as roses, peonies, and daffodils.

Megumi stands beside her, one hand holding his phone and the other a sleeping white kitten.

Both of their heads whip up at Yuuji’s dramatic entrance.

They look…completely fine.

“Huh?” Yuuji says eloquently. The kitten gives a gentle snore.

Tsumiki gasps at the sight of Yuuji in the doorway and immediately twists to glare at Megumi, who’s visibly trying not to make eye contact.

“Wha—are you serious?!” she exclaims. “You had one job!”

“Huh?” Yuuji says again. Two dogs, a black and white blur, run up excitedly to greet him with happy woofs and tail wags.

“I did my best,” Megumi says, “but then Mahoraga got hungry—”

Tsumiki’s frown deepens. “Oh sure, blame it on the cat—”

“You know how ‘Raga gets whenever he sees us with food,” Megumi protests.

A very familiar head pokes out from the kitchen.

“Wha’s goin’ on?” Satoru says, his glasses hanging askew with steam on the lenses, and then his eyes widen as blue meets gold. “Oh Yuuji! Wow! You’re back early! Why—”

Something in his direction erupts with a bang, followed by the sound of metal hitting the tile with a resounding clatter. 

A trail of smoke floats out above Satoru’s head, which quickly swivels back to the kitchen. Kuro and Shiro run over to bark at it too.

“That’s supposed to happen,” Satoru quickly assures while waving away the dogs, but Yuuji’s already slipping off his shoes to hurry over. Satoru hooks an arm around his waist, and Yuuji is lifted into the air for the second time that night. “Wait, wait, wait, stop, it’s okay, I’ve got dinner tonight!”

Squirming under Satoru’s arm, Yuuji takes one quick glance at the dinner in question and says, “Tsumiki, get the fire blanket—”

“It’ll be fine,” Satoru insists. He adjusts his glasses. “I’ve got it—”

Feet pounding on the wooden floors, Tsumiki charges past them and throws the fire blanket over the stove just in time for an inferno to roar upwards, scorching the walls and nearly the ceiling.

Everyone stands in silence for a moment.

Well, everyone except for Yuuji, who’s still under Satoru’s arm, and Mahoraga, who sneezes once under Megumi’s arm. After sniffling once, the kitten resumes his usual snore.

“That,” Satoru finally says to Yuuji, gesturing quite proudly to the charred remains of the stove with his free hand, “was but a fraction of how much my love burns for you.”