HEAVEN CAN WAIT- ITAFUSHI

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"There. That's all the paperwork we need from you." The nurse smiled, gently collecting the papers and organising them neatly to the side. Her soft, updrawn hair and fluttering brown lashes exuded gentleness.

Every few seconds, her eyes would flicker up to Yuji, half-nervous and half anxious.

Though the girl was objectively attractive, Yuji's eyes wandered, distracted by the gut-wrenching urge to claw at his own skin. The overwhelming desire to curl up and sob felt both pathetic and foreign to him.

Nonetheless, it was the reaction his body had chosen after watching the life slip from his grandfather's eyes one hour and two minutes ago.

He furrowed his brows, conjuring the sensation of his grandfather's withered hands against his own once more. The touch was phantom and euphemistically dreamlike, and Yuji couldn't help but wonder how long it would be until the image of his granddad faded from his mind completely.

It was a jarring thought.

Moments earlier, Yuji had been choking down his sobs in the hospital room. It was uncharacteristic and disappointingly ineffective at curing the gaping hole in his heart. All that embarrassment for nothing.

"Thank you." He muttered, his eyes flickering to the clock above him.

It was late. Time to return home.

He dragged his feet toward the exit but paused, glancing back at the nurse, her eyes soft with gentle sympathy.

It only convinced him to leave further. After stringing together the little dignity he had left, he dragged his feet to the exit.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" She blurted, biting her lip anxiously.

"I've... never done this before, so it doesn't feel real yet. I can't believe..." He offered, but her lip quivered as if another word from him would result in her collapsing into tears. The last bus would leave in a mere four minutes, so Yuji was already cutting time short with this conversation. But in good conscience, his feet wouldn't allow him to move. So despite his exhaustion, he drew his lips into a grin, bright enough to light the room. "But then I know Grandpa would snap at me if he saw me moping around like this. So I guess I'll just have to laugh as I roast him!"

She chuckled at his words and gave a light scolding before turning back to fill out his paperwork with meticulous care. Yuji seized the moment to take the deep ragged breath his lungs and heart had been craving, accompanied by a lone tear-  quickly brushed away. His shoulders remained tense, every muscle tight with stress. The thought of returning to his cold, empty bed sent a chill through him.

However, his thoughts were interrupted. His head snapped to the left, jolting as he heard ruffling. A dark figure rose from the shadows.

"Yuji Itadori."

At the mention of his full name, Yuji's heart stopped. The dark-haired boy was unknowingly clutching it in his palms. But then again, he exuded an air of nonchalant confidence, which implied that maybe he did know how cold-hearted he seemed. Maybe he didn't? There was no way to know from his blank expression.

His face was a scrambled jigsaw puzzle. His lips drawn into a tight, apathetic line, yet his eyes filled with intrigue and a subtle softness. His posture was tall, looming, and commanding, yet his hands were writhing and drumming against his side. His clothes were meticulously neat and orderly, yet his hair was boyishly and confidently dishevelled.

The dark-haired boy continued, his tone straight and confident. "I'm Megumi Fushiguro from Jujutsu Tech. I'd like to have a word with you."

Each word sent a jolt down Yuji's spine, the solemnity embedded within them not going unnoticed.

His head rang out in a chorus of agreement; he wanted nothing more than to converse with this mysterious boy and hear more of his monotonous inflection, yet under the scorching heat of his gaze, he muttered, "I'm in mourning right now."

Megumi's eyes flickered with something unfamiliar and unreadable. Yuji took cautious steps towards him.

"I understand." Megumi stated, his voice unwavering at the revelation. His minty-cool breath harshly brushed Yuji's face, emphasising the slight height difference between them.

It prompted Yuji to turn around, unusually shy but expertly disguising it as intrigue in the nurse who he'd just realised had left. But Megumi was burnt into his mind as an inmoving yet forbidden image. His Willowy frame, towering a few inches over him, almost translucent skin shimmering and sparkling like a prized pearl wretched from the grip of a resistant hard-shelled clam, and deep blue narrowed eyes, carefully concealed by long dark feminine lashes.

Megumi was totally unlike anyone else Yuji had ever met.

Yuji waited patiently for the meaningless sympathy and empty condolences. After the well wishes, he'd shoot Megumi a reassuring smile and finally retreat home and fully conceptualise the gravity of his newfound loneliness.

But Megumi was silent and expression neutral. When he finally spoke, his words held not an ounce of regret, warmth, or interest.

"But unfortunately, this is more important."

It didn't seem unfortunate to Megumi at all.

In fact, Yuji was sure he'd have held the same expression if he'd told him to go kiss his dead grandfather's ass instead.

Yuji's face lit up with a big, goofy grin, immoveable and comfortingly normal. There was no logic to the delightful thumping of Yuji's heart. He was giddy like a little kid on the first day of school. But It was a refreshing change from the drudgery of the last hour.

So, when Megumi took off in a sprint, reluctantly explaining curses and talismans, Yuji didn't hesitate to stick right by his side, blissfully unaware that this close camaraderie would continue far longer than a few mere minutes.

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A/N: I'm forcing myself to write again but I also just love Itafushi so I'm having a jolly ol time 😜

Also I wanna publish this on A03 as well but 1. I don't even know how to make an account on that damned website ( I'm still a guest after reading on there for like 2 years lol) 2. I fear that everybody there will be a better writer than me. Let's have a f in the chat for me being a pussy.

Anyways. Buh-bye!