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The snow was something Yuji had always loved. Whether it was when he was a little kid making snowmen, or when he was watching it from his grandpa's hospital room window, he still loved it. The day his grandpa died, he thought about snow. It was June, but that didn’t matter. From the long, mundane days to the somber nights that seemed to stretch on forever, the snow had made a home within him, and it would become one of those things that would follow him forever.
He wasn't even given an hour after his death for someone new to come into his life. His name was Fushiguro, he noted. His hair was dark black and spiky, and he had these dark blue eyes that were framed by long eyelashes – a striking feature. His skin, however, was what reminded him of snow. He was a pale white, but with the lightest freckles that you’d only notice if you were really looking. It was as if it was snowing, in the middle of June, right there in that hospital lobby.
Somehow, they became quick friends. Yuji's personality completely clashed with Megumi's –- Yuji was loud and obnoxious at times, while Megumi was quite the opposite – he loved his quiet time, and being alone, and he seemed to be angry with Yuji all the time.
Megumi was aversive towards Yuji at first. He shut him out, yelled at him, and honestly, it didn’t seem like he even liked Yuji a little bit. Yuji, however, being the ever persistent person he is, didn’t give up on becoming Megumi’s friend.
Yuji missed him when he ‘died.’ Or, died for a little bit, but then was hidden from them for weeks. Of course, he missed Nobara as well, but he had an insatiable need to be near Megumi again. It hurt to know that his friends – Megumi – were out there and he couldn’t get to them. And then he was allowed to go back to Jujutsu High, and he ‘surprised’ them with a distasteful prank, and suddenly, everything was back to normal. Of course, though, things are never normal when you’re a Jujutsu sorcerer.
But, even though it felt like everything changed, one thing changed for the better. Yuji grew closer to Megumi than he had ever been with anyone, and it came right on time for the both of them.
It’s snowing again, but this time, Yuji isn’t happy. This battle that feels like it’s never ending is a weight that’s getting harder and harder to carry. All he has is this one break, this one, short time to gather himself before it’s time to be pushed to the very limit of his abilities. Yuji sits crisscrossed on the concrete floor of a barren building, looking through a large broken window out at the falling flecks of white, when he feels someone standing behind him. He doesn’t need to look to know who it is.
“Hey.” Yuji says, and he sounds exhausted. He finally looks over when the presence slowly sits beside him. Yuji’s eyes roam over Megumi’s face – he’s tired, too. Bone tired. He has growing eyebags, and he’s getting paler with every passing day. Yet, he still manages to stay beautiful. “It’s all gray outside.” Yuji gives out a hollow laugh, looking back out the window.
“It is.” Megumi’s voice honestly might sound even more tired than Yuji’s. “Didn’t you say you liked the snow?”
“I did – or, I mean, yeah, I do. I just… I wish I could enjoy it right now.”
Megumi’s silent for a moment, before he scoots a little closer to Yuji. “You can enjoy it. Don’t think about anything else for right now, just the snow.”
Yuji’s eyes meet Megumi’s, and he freezes for a moment. He’ll never get tired of the way Megumi looks at him. He sighs, soft, before saying, “I wanna go out in the snow, though.”
Megumi laughs a little, more than he has in a long time. “We’ll go in the snow together, when this is all over. I promise.”
Yuji’s breath hitches – the fear of there not being a future where that can happen creeps up into him. His eyebrows twitch, and Megumi catches onto that.
“I promise.” He repeats, his tone firm, confident. Maybe a little too confident for someone who knows that he has almost no control over what happens next. “We won’t get separated again, okay? We won’t.”
Yuji lets out a frustrated breath. “You don’t know that, Megumi. You know Sukuna’s planning something with you. I don’t want to be the reason something happens to you. If we get separated, you’ll be safer. That’s all I want.”
“No. I know the risks of being with you, but I’d rather take them and possibly be part of Sukuna’s plan than be apart from you and never know if you’re okay or not. I can’t just do that.”
Yuji’s eyes widen, and then his brows furrow. “Megumi-”
Megumi cuts him off by placing a steady hand on Yuji’s cheek. “Yuji.” Yuji instantly stops talking. He swallows, looking straight into Megumi’s deep, navy eyes that are so determined that he almost stops breathing for a second. “Please. I need you by my side.” Megumi whispers, emotion cracking through.
Yuji stays silent. His eyes stay fixated on Megumi, like if he looked away, his warmth would disappear, along with Megumi himself. After a few moments, he closes his eyes and resigns.
“Okay.” His eyes open again, and the smallest smile appears on his face. “I need you by my side, too. I always will.”
Megumi smiles too. It’s a subtle, blink-and-you'll-miss-it smile, but Yuji sees it anyway. Yuji brings his hand up and covers Megumi’s with it, before taking it off of his face and intertwining their fingers. Yuji closes the small gap between them and presses his arm against Megumi’s. His head tilts until it rests on Megumi’s shoulder, and they seem to fit perfectly together. Yuji focuses his attention back on the snow outside, and a sense of hope arises within him. No matter what happens, as long as he’s with Megumi, he knows that they’ll be okay.