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Yuji Itadori is the epitome of sweetness. He's caring and thoughtful in ways that children often aren't. Intrinsically, he wants to see people happy. It's by his very nature that Yuji loves others.
Wasuke Itadori is incredibly proud of who he's growing up to be.
Unfortunately, his grandpa didn't like to say that to his face. Something about making sure he didn't grow too big of a head. He often chided Yuji for being too reckless, too energetic, and quite frankly, too loud. He gave him a heart attack, or at the very least something close to it, practically every day. Nonetheless, he was a good kid. Good, and stupid.
Wasuke had turned for a second. Just a second, and Yuji had bolted off. He realized rather quickly that the insistent chirping in his ear had stopped, and the tug of a tiny hand on his pant leg was no longer. Yet when he whirled around, bewildered on how Yuji had gotten away so quickly, his eyes searched and found nothing.
There wasn't even a pink head of hair bounding about, trying and failing to hide from the scolding his grandpa was sure to give him for running off. Usually, Wasuke would indulge him for a bit before catching him and letting him have it. How was he meant to do that now, if he couldn't even catch sight of the kid?
Wasuke exhales through his nose. There's only two places Yuji could be right now. Where, just this week, he'd had to drag him away from multiple times.
The first option is the park next to their apartment complex. They were on their way home, and like any normal kid, Yuji enjoys playing. Much to Wasuke's dismay, he especially likes to get all muddied up and then complain about bath time. Brat.
The second option is the apartment just down the hall, home to a fresh set of neighbors, and alongside them, their two kids. Maybe Yuji had sprinted home in hopes that his newfound playmate might be around. After all, it's all he's been talking about since the second he spotted another boy his age walking down the hall.
To his relief, he hears the familiar giggle of his grandson as he nears the building. At least he could avoid a run-in with his new neighbors. It was starting to get embarrassing having to come upstairs and retrieve Yuji, who would be begging at their door to let their son come play. Yuji would even kindly offer to let their daughter come too, if they would just 'Please, please, please let him join me!'
Most of the time, with a fond smile and a gentle push of their son out the door, they did. Judging by the way Wasuke can see a small boy with spiky black hair running after Yuji, that had likely just happened.
Calling him back inside would be of no use. Yuji, like him, could be very stubborn when it came to the things he liked. There was no harm in letting them play a little longer.
Wasuke gets some housework done in the meantime. He folds the laundry, sweeps the floors, organizes the sea of toys Yuji left strewn about. What a mess, this kid...
He hears the door crack open long after the sun has set. Upon his return to the living room, he finds Yuji with his cheek pressed into the soft fabric of the couch, snoring quietly. A thin sheen of sweat adorns his body, littered about with splotches of dirt and grime. Fresh new scrapes cover his knees, surrounding the previous scabbed over injuries.
What a klutz. Wasuke briefly wonders how the other boy manages to deal with all of his grandson's energy. He hopes the boy's parents don't think too poorly of Yuji if their son had also come back a mess. He had always meant well, with a heart full of love and an endless stream of kindness to give.
Fushiguro—he recalls the boy's name as— is the lucky new recipient of that.
The sun is beating down the following morning. Far too hot given how early it is, Wasuke thinks. His daily coffee isn't as enjoyable as he'd like it to be. Not so satisfying when their fan isn't doing much to cool him down, and the thin fabric of his shirt is sticking to his back. It's only spring.
He glances over the rim of his mug to find Yuji padding out of his room, stumbling as he attempts to slide on his shoes while he walks. "Boy," He raises an eyebrow at the sight, watching as large honey eyes peer curiously back up at him, "Where are you going?"
He's greeted with the sight of his toothy grin, a small gap right in the center. "To play with Fushiguro!"
Wasuke only finds it in himself to grumble. He sets his mug down on the table, coming to join the boy in the kitchen. "You need to have breakfast first." He barks out, "What do you want?"
"Watermelon!" Yuji rocks back and forth on his feet, "Can you cut some for Fushiguro too?"
Sometimes Wasuke worries about how he's raising Yuji. But it's moments like this when he realizes he's got nothing to be concerned about. His generous nature was still there. Thankfully he hadn't managed to squander that somewhere along the line.
Without complaint, Wasuke slices up enough for the two boys. He can see Yuji getting antsy, drumming his little fingers on the cool metal of their fridge as he waits. He hurries up, scolding as he works. "Don't get so dirty today, you hear me?"
His words fall on deaf ears as Yuji mindlessly nods. The second Wasuke hands the container over, the boy is reaching, then bolting out of the apartment.
Yuji skips a few steps on the way down, a loud thud echoing through the stairwell as he reaches the landing. His knees buckle slightly from the impact, but he hardly even registers the feeling. Fushiguro had promised he'd be out today!
His hand comes up to fumble with the lock of the parks gate, aimlessly reaching around before he gets a hold of it. The metal creaks loudly, paint chipping in small flakes as he pushes it open. Almost immediately, he spots his friend.
Megumi is lying on his back, sprawled out against the soft grass. Yuji thinks for a moment that he might have fallen asleep, but he registers quickly that his eyes are open, and he's staring up at the sky.
His view, however, is interrupted by the sight of Yuji looming over him, on all fours as he tilts his head curiously. "What are ya doin?"
Megumi blinks up at him, letting out a displeased noise as his view is blocked.
Yuji's shadow is a nice break from the light that's been beating down on him all morning. Sunlight filters through his tousled hair, and Megumi can't help but think that the soft glow around him almost makes him look like an angel. "Get out of my way."
"Not until you tell me what you're doing!"
"I'm watching the clouds, dummy."
"Can I watch them with you?"
"...Sure." Megumi's touch is rather gentle as he wraps a hand around Yuji's wrist and tugs him down on the spot of grass next to him.
Yuji lands on his back, squinting. A pained noise slips past his lips as his gaze travels from his friend to the sky.
"Don't look at the sun."
"I wasn't!"
Megumi lets out a hum. He definitely doesn't believe that. He stays quiet for a moment, before raising his pale arm in-between the two of them to point at a big, fluffy cloud. "I see a bunny."
Yuji's face scrunches up in the cutest manner. "A bunny? I see an elephant."
Megumi snorts. He can see a smile forming on Yuji's face at the noise. He was always extra proud of himself when he got Megumi to laugh. "How are you seeing an elephant?"
Yuji raises his own hand, playfully knocking into Megumi. He's determined to make the other see it. "Look at that! That's it's trunk! Well... actually, it kind of looks like a dog."
Megumi's own smile widens as he hears the boy trail off dejectedly. He doesn't have to look over to know without a doubt that he was pouting now. "An elephant or a dog. Which is it?"
"I don't know anymore!" Yuji frowns, letting out a troubled sigh. This was serious business!
His little sour mood was as gone just as quickly as it came when he remembered what was next to him. He turns on his side to face Megumi, elbow digging into the soil as he beams. "My gramps cut us some fruit!"
Megumi, intrigued by his words, tears his sight away from the clouds and brings it to Yuji. "What kind?"
"Watermelon!" Yuji sits up in excitement, bringing the container between the two of them and cracking the lid open. The sweet scent fills the air. It reminds him of summer. He hopes Megumi will still want to play with him by then.
His little hands reach out to grab Megumi a piece, handing it to him as if he wasn't perfectly capable of doing so himself. "I know you like it, so I put it in our cart. Gramps got a little mad, but he still bought it!"
"You're kind of an idiot." Megumi remarks, biting into the sugary fruit with a crunch. Still, something in his chest feels a little funny at his thoughtfulness.
Yuji only grins, chomping down on his own slice. He can't really argue with that. "It's really hot today. I think the flowers are gonna start blooming soon!"
"Do you like flowers?"
"I like smelling them." Yuji speaks matter-of-factly, "What about you?"
"I like them." Megumi nods, "Sunflowers are my favorite."
He takes a small bite of his fruit, watching silently for a moment as Yuji picks up another piece and unceremoniously shoves it in his mouth. "They're kind of like you."
Yuji tilts his head. "How so?"
"I dunno." Megumi speaks a bit shyly, carefully picking a seed out of his watermelon. "They're bright. And they're brown in the middle, like your eyes."
"Oh," Yuji smiles widely at the boy next to him, eyes crinkling at the corners. He doesn't know much about flowers, but if Megumi thinks so, then he agrees. "Cool!"
Megumi cracks a small smile at him back. Yuji continues to talk about anything and everything that comes to his mind as they eat. Eventually, they're left with an empty container and sticky hands.
"Gross." Megumi mumbles, a crease forming in his brow. He stares down at them with an irritated huff.
"Do you want to come inside?"
Yuji doesn't wait for an answer. He stands up, grabbing at Megumi's arm. He tugs him upwards with a small grunt. The boy is an inch or two taller than Yuji. He's a bit older, he'd learned recently- only by 3 months. It's a little difference that only showed when they stood up.
"Is your gramps okay with it?" Megumi inquires as they quickly hop up the steps together. He wouldn't want to impose on anything. His big sister Tsumiki always scolded him about being polite!
"Of course!" Yuji says happily, reaching a hand out to twist the door open. The two of them step inside, and Megumi catches the eye of Yuji's grandfather. He gives a little bow and only receives a nod in return before the old man's eyes are back on his newspaper. Looking at him, he can definitely see the resemblance between him and his grandson. He holds back a smile at the thought of what his friend might look like at that age.
Yuji brings him over to the sink, making enough room so the two of them could squeeze on his stepstool. Megumi is leaning slightly off to the side, trying to keep his balance as Yuji reaches to grab the soap. He pumps the bottle once, stifling a laugh as it lands onto Megumi's arm instead.
"...Oops." With a sheepish smile, he glances up to catch the glare of his friend. He giggles at the sight, watching as his face eases into a smile of his own. The two of them make quick work of cleaning themselves up.
When Yuji steps back down, he moves over to his pantry. He tries his best to quietly open the door, reaching in with sneaky hands to grab a juice box.
Wasuke, of course, sees from the corner of his eye. Yuji was in no way clever, or subtle, especially with the way he was shushing a confused Megumi. He couldn't bring himself to chastise him, despite the fact that Yuji knew he wasn't supposed to have any sugary drinks before noon. He grabbed one, only one, and Wasuke knows he's only taking it to share.
He's a brat, but a very sweet one. He can let him have his fun.
"Fushiguro, I'm gonna go grab my toys!" Yuji calls out suddenly, bounding off to his room.
Megumi feels a little awkward being left with his grandfather. Still, he finds the courage in himself to step forward, peering up at him for a long moment. "Sir?"
"Hm?" He glances down at the boy, watching as he shifts nervously on his feet.
"Itadori said his birthday is soon." His voice is soft as he babbles out, "My mom and dad said I could get him a gift. They wanted me to ask if he could come over, too. Uhm.. the both of you. For cake, and stuff."
Wasuke blinks down at him in surprise.
He realizes, with a twitch of his lips, that Yuji is in good hands. That his sweetness will not go unrewarded, and that he's found a friend who cares for him, with a heart just as big.
He thinks that Yuji may have met his match.
Albeit, a quieter, more reserved version of himself, but someone good for him just the same. But he knows many good things will come from it. He can see how happy his grandson has been. He sees how much he cherishes the boy in front of him. Megumi has already become someone very special in Yuji's little world.
Wasuke clears his throat. "Tell your parents he likes strawberry cake."
Megumi's eyes light up at his words. It's cute, how they're practically sparkling at the prospect of getting to do something special for his friend. He tries to mask his eagerness by simply nodding in return. He didn't want Yuji's grandfather to think he was weird, or anything. Then they wouldn't be able to play!
"Fushiguro!" Yuji had returned quickly and was now waddling over to them with an assortment of action figures, almost spilling out of his small arms. "Let's go back down!"
Megumi reaches out and grabs a few, helping to stabilize Yuji. The two of them step side by side back out the door, giggling quietly on the way out.
His grandson has a lot of love to give. His kind soul had the potential to bring him hurt, and he wasn't dense enough to think otherwise. Wasuke has known this for a long while. Which is why he's so, so relieved to find that there's another boy with just as much love inside of him.
Yuji and Megumi. Megumi and Yuji.
He hopes to watch both of them grow up by each other's sides.