Chapter Text
“Today was our graduation,” you start with a small smile. “Gojo-sensei cried, believe it or not.” You laugh quietly. “But I think it was because he was imagining you being there with us.” The smile on your lips wavered, threatening to fall. “We all did.”
You trace your fingers against the engraving on the cold stone in front of you.
“I don’t know if they told you already, but Nobara wants the three of us to move in together once we leave school.” you add on, remembering. “Megumi said no, but I think he low-key wants to and is just holding out until we beg him to.”
The only response you receive is the thundering in the sky from behind, signaling the incoming storm.
“Umm,” you try to think of something else, trying to fill the silence. “Oh yeah, Jennifer Lawrence got married recently. I know you said you didn’t like her anymore, but in case you were having second thoughts. I thought you should know she’s really taken now.”
Intermittent drops of rain fall on the cold stone, wetting your fingertips.
A hand rests on your shoulder breaking you out of your trance. From behind Megumi gives you a worried look, an opened umbrella in his hand covering the both of you.
“It’s going to start pouring soon.”
Your eyes shift to the dark grey clouds above, realizing how dark the sky had become.
You nod with a small smile. “Go ahead. I’ll catch up with you guys in a second.”
He nods back, handing you the umbrella before walking away. He joins Nobara, who was giving you the same look of worry from under her umbrella. They exchange a few words, before she turns to you for confirmation. You give her a reassuring smile that convinces her to follow Megumi to the entrance where the car was waiting for them.
You turn back to the grave. “I have to go. Sensei’s treating us to wagyu and sushi for dinner.” you smile, remembering Yuuji’s love of food. As your finger finishes tracing the last character etched in the stone, you quietly stand up from the wet ground. “I’ll be sure to eat a lot for you too.” you joke, trying to keep up your smile- at least until you left.
The rain suddenly picked up, pouring down from above- to the point where it was hard to see in front of you.
“There’s no chance you’re gonna jump out of a box again like last time, right?” you shout over the heavy rain. Hoping.
But you knew there would be no response.
You could cry. Or scream his name, clutching his gravestone like how you acted the first time you came to see him. No one would hear you in the midst of the rain.
But you didn’t. You knew he wouldn’t be happy seeing you do that because of him. You couldn't rid of the thing he had worked hard to keep up on your face. So the smile remained on your lips, no matter how small it was- no matter how pained and forced it was.
“I’ll come see you again soon, okay?”
You take one last look, before walking away to the meet with the others waiting for you.