The morning lecture was boring as usual. Or maybe it was boring because Yuji didn't understand too much of it. Either way he was tuned out entirely, his mind wandering to other things.

"This was my first kiss."

Megumi's words echoed in Yuji's mind. It didn't even count as a proper kiss, it was just an indirect kiss. But a blush still crept on Yuji's face. 

Yuji didn't even like choco buns that much but suddenly they became his favorite food. Who knew choco buns could be so delicious?

He turned his head right to look at Megumi, his eyes subconsciously drawn to Megumi's lips.

Kiss.

Suddenly the classroom phone rang. The teacher paused the lecture to go answer it. 

"Yes hello? Hm....Alright." 

"Itadori-kun, it's for you." The teacher gestured for Yuji to come to the front of the class where the phone was. 

Yuji took the phone and spoke "Hello, Itadori Yuji speaking, what is it?"

And then Yuji heard the news, and his mind went blank. 

⤜-------⤛

After that phone call, Megumi noticed there was something off about Yuji. He acted strange and...stiff. And a bit disoriented. Sort of like he was haunted by a ghost.

In fact, Yuji was about to head first into a wall before Megumi stopped him and grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey Yuji!" Megumi shook him. "Yuji! Are you okay?"

"What?" Yuji smiled. "Yeah I'm fine, I sort of just need to recollect my thoughts." He continued walking forward.

I wonder what happened, Megumi thought. But somehow he didn't get the chance to confront him about it.

He tried to ask him during lunch, but Yuji was nowhere to be found. Megumi even asked his friends if they ate with Yuji, but even they didn't know where he was. 

And then when they went back to class, Yuji continued on as normal. He acted seemingly happy, but stiff and disoriented, like something was off. Was he okay?

And then the bell rung, signaling the end of school. Yuji headed straight to the door.

"Hey are you okay?" Megumi asked. "You seem....off. Did something happen?"

"Yeah my grandpa died." He replied, a bit too nonchalantly. Yuji leaned against the wall.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Were you close with him?" Megumi asked. 

"Yeah." Yuji confirmed. "I would visit him at the hospital after school everyday. I didn't get to visit him yesterday though. And now he died this morning." His eyes wouldn't meet Megumi's.

"Uh.." Megumi scratched his head "Sorry I don't really know what else to say. Um..what do you plan on doing now?"

"Oh I'm going to the hospital after school to sign some papers, and then maybe see his body if they'll let me, I guess." Yuji said.

Megumi was about to ask if he could come with him if he needed support, but then he realized he had work at the café after school. Darn. 

"I hope it goes well." Megumi patted him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I'll see you!" Yuji waved and walked away. 

⤜-------⤛

"Thank you for signing the papers Yuji." The nurse at the front desk thanked him. "I know you were really close with your grandpa, especially since you came to visit him almost everyday. Will you be okay?"

Almost everyday. Almost. He visited everyday.....except yesterday, when he followed Megumi to the café.

Yuji plastered on a grin. "Yeah I'll be okay! It'll hurt a bit, but you know, that's life! What can you do right?"

The nurse had on a smile of sympathy. "That's true. You get home safe now, alright?"

"Will do!" Yuji replied. He felt a lump in his throat, and sadness growing inside him, but he forced himself to push those feelings down and cast them aside. 

"Bye." He waved to to the nurse. And he left the hospital. 

⤜-------⤛

Yuji walked solemnly to his apartment, his head held down. 

He came home to find Megumi, sitting outside the door.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Yuji asked, a bit surprised. "Don't you have work?"

"Yeah, but I decided not to go today." Megumi explained. "I wanted to go to hospital but I realized I didn't know which hospital you would be at so I was thinking of calling you. But I don't have a phone. And even if I did I don't have your number." 

"Ah, I see." Yuji replied. "You know, you didn't have to skip work for me." 

"Yeah I didn't have to." Megumi agreed. "But I wanted to. B-because......I was worried about you."

Yuji smiled. He was touched that Megumi was concerned about him. 

"Thanks for worrying about me, Mii-chan ~" Yuji teased.

"Don't call me that!" Megumi yelled. He stood up. Yuji went to unlock the door.

"It's kind of funny to see you just crouching near the door like that. You looked like a stray cat." Yuji said, amused. The door opened, and he went inside. Megumi followed him.

"Well I don't have a key so I couldn't go in, besides, I didn't know when you would come home from the hospital so I wanted to wait for you here." Megumi replied.

"Ah, I guess I should give you a spare key then. I'll go find one right now." Yuji said. "I think it's in my room somewhere" Yuji pondered, about to go to his room to look for it.

"Hey, before you do that," Megumi walked in front of Yuji, blocking his path. "Are you really okay? You don't seem like it."

Yuji trembled a bit, but made himself stop. He forced out a smile. "Yeah of course I'm fine!" He answered. "People come and go, it's all a part of life. I think my grandpa lived a fulfilling life, and now he isn't in pain anymore. So it's all okay!" He gave a thumbs up. 

"Do you really believe that?" Megumi questioned. "You look like you're forcing yourself to be okay, with your fake ass smile. If you're sad, just show it. I won't judge you." Megumi said, in a monotone voice. 

Yuji's smile faded. He was aware that Megumi was trying to help him, in his own way. But instead of feeling comfort, Yuji felt annoyance. Hurt and anger started welling up inside him, and after a day of suppressing all of his emotions, in that moment, Yuji decided to lash out.

"Oh yeah, how about you Megumi!?" Yuji yelled. "Always acting okay, like nothing's wrong, when YOU have to sleep in an alleyway, and you barely even eat!" He accused him. "And you have the audacity to tell me not to pretend like everything's okay, when you won't even open up to me! You're...you're...." Yuji's voice trailed off, struggling to find the right words. 

"A hypocrite!" Yuji shouted. And then he fell straight to the floor, on his knees. 

"I-...." Megumi was dumbstruck, having no idea how to respond. He crouched down and sat on the floor, right next to Yuji.

"I-I guess you're right." He held his face in his hands. "This is probably why I have no friends. Because I distance myself from everyone and never tell people anything."

Yuji turned to look at him. "Megumi, why is that?" He asked. "Why do you try to isolate yourself?"

Megumi looked down. "I.....don't know." He paused, then began speaking again. "All my life I've been abandoned and cast aside, like no one wanted me. My dad, my former friends. I guess I'm afraid of getting too close to people, I don't want to attach myself to someone and have them leave me. So that's why I chose to isolate myself. It's sort of a defense mechanism."

"Because actually I-...." Megumi's voice was soft, just a bit louder than a whisper. "I hate being alone."

Yuji felt sympathy. Even though Megumi always chose to be by himself, it turns out that he was lonely. "I feel alone now too," Yuji related. "My grandpa is gone, and he was the only person I actually considered to be real family. My parents are overseas, but I barely even talk to them. I see them once every 3 or 4 years, and then they leave again."

"My grandpa was the only family I really had.....and then I ditched him on the last day I could've visited him before he died," He explained. "I'm the worst really. I-I left him to die, all by himself. I was his only family left, and I wasn't there to visit him." Yuji's lips started trembling, his eyes were moist. 

Megumi rubbed Yuji's back in comfort. "Don't be too hard on yourself. Even if you weren't there for one day before he died, you were still there everyday at the hospital. You're grandpa is lucky that he has a grandson like you."

Yuji looked at him. "Thanks." He wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "That makes me feel better."

"Really?" Megumi asked, scratching his head. "I'm not really good at comforting people...."

"No really, it did." Yuji assured him. 

"You know Megumi," Yuji began. "Even if I'm alone now, and you're all alone. We're both not really alone.....because we have each other."

"I know I'm just some guy that's in your class that let you stay at his house," Yuji went on. "But I'm here for you. And I won't leave you." He turned to face Megumi, and held his hands. 

Megumi trembled a bit, shocked at the words that Yuji told him. Words he had never heard before. I won't leave you.

Megumi managed to put out a small smile, in immense gratitude. "Thanks Yuji. Even though I'm the one who's supposed to be comforting you, since you're the one grieving and all."

"But you did comfort me!" He confirmed. "It makes me feel better, that there's someone I can be with. After I left the hospital, I could've came home to an empty apartment and sat here all by myself." He explained. 

"But you were here, waiting at the door, so I wouldn't be lonely." Yuji said. "And I'm thankful that you're by my side right now."

They looked into each other's eyes, a tender expression on both of their faces. Yuji leaned on Megumi's shoulder. He relaxed and closed his eyes, feeling safe from the warmth Megumi provided him with.

"Me too." Megumi agreed. "I'm thankful that you're here with me too." He squeezed Yuji's hand and leaned against him as well.

And that night, they both fell asleep on the floor, holding hands.