𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 | 𝐣𝐣𝐤

chapter 31

NAOYA WAS YELLING AT

yuta for something that you didn't care to listen to. your mind was focused on seeing megumi today, if he happened to come to rehearsals. it will be the first time you'd see him after your fight in his room, after 2 full weeks where he's been ignoring your existence completely.

the ache in your chest was unbearable, it wasn't just the heartbreak that hurt but the feeling of losing someone so important in your life. you blamed yourself every night, every moment you caught yourself zoning out. even yuuji seemed to be avoiding you everytime you two crossed paths. it was understandable though.

the door to the room opened and a sluggish megumi made his presence known. you stared at him, at the noticeable dark color under his eyes, his messy and tangled hair that was way longer than he was used to, at his crumpled clothes. everything about him screamed that he was going through tough times.

toji was the first to approach him, leaving his seat on the red couch. "megumi, how have you been?" toji's tone was cautious as if he was talking to an enraged beast. megumi just side eyed his father and kept walking. you thought he was coming for you, maybe he finally put aside his childish tantrum and decided to listen to you. but like he did with his dad, he passed right past you with little to none eye contact.

he only talked when he reached his uncle's side, with a voice so broken and low you might think he hasn't talked in years: "i'm leaving the band. don't ask why, don't call me to come back, anything. forget i even exist" the room fell silent at his words, the atmosphere turning into something grim. naoya only nodded back, speechless. nobody said anything, not even nanami who watched from the doorframe, not even yuta who was looking confused at his ex band mate. everyone seemed to know the reason and nobody wanted to put it into words.

megumi moved again to get out of the room, only for you to grab his arm and stop him. this was your only opportunity to talk to him, you couldn't lose it again. " 'gumi please" you pleaded. megumi just turned his head a little, enough to watch your saddened face. he swore he wouldn't feel anything if he saw you here, he swore to strengthen his heart, to delete any feelings for you that remained. but after not seeing you for so long, he felt that spark again, the rapid beating of his heart against his chest.

then, those words you said, the truth about you and what you did, it all came back making that little hope die. "you lost the privilege to call me that a long time ago" and with a snatch of his arm, he left the room. you were left there, in the middle of it being the centre of attention. gojo stood up and approached you, "y/n i know it's sad but-" your harsh tone broke his sweet one. "don't even get near me again. none of you" and with that you also left the room.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈•ﾟ｡

days passed by in the blink of an eye, then weeks and months until the last day of school. it was maki's graduation and she wanted you to go with her as her plus one. maki was the only one that stood with you through it all, even though she scolded you for what you did and how you approached things. she also updated you with megumi's well being; he seemed to be doing well in class and started going out more with yuuta and yuuji. she didn't talk about any love interests and you thanked her for that, it did hurt still.

and about maki's love life, she was fully in love with that girl nobara but your stupid friend hadn't confessed just yet. you tried to push her into doing it since it was cristal clear that nobara also had feelings for her, but she still refused and doubted it.

it was maki's turn to go on the little stage to pick up her diploma when a girlish voice screamed from the last row of the seats, a few rows behind you: "maki zen'in i have feelings for you! would you be my freaking girlfriend?!" when you turned your head it was nobara who was yelling. thank god, you thought. maki on the other hand, blushed hysterically trying to compose herself in front of every student that looked between the two of them. picking the microphone that nanami held in his hand she answered back: "of course i will dickhead"

everyone clapped and whistled, even the first row where all the teachers sat down. when you looked back to the front, you met megumi's stare causing the air to stop flowing to your lungs. after all this time you haven't crossed paths with him and now looking at his blue eyes directly was shocking for you. he looked even more breathtaking than he did before, he looked more mature and taken care of. suddenly, he turned back and a notification popped on your phone.

megumi
"can we talk?"

with no hesitation you answered, trying so hard to not sound needy.

you
"of course"

megumi
"back door of the gym, after the celebration"

you weren't preoccupied of maki then, since she had escaped with nobara as soon as she got her diploma. but now you were a little anxious about what megumi had to say, will he scream at you? will he try and amend things? he didn't give away anything when you two made eye contact so, what did he want exactly?

2 YEARS LATER

"i'm telling you y/n, he was definitely staring at your tits the whole time" said megumi while stopping the engine. "and i'm telling you that he was looking at my face. he was just shorter than you. it looked different from my point of view" you answered back, closing the passenger door. "i'm going to have to agree with megumi though, he was definitively salivating." megumi and yuuji laughed while you just shook your head.

this was something that happened often: when a random man talked to you they would twist the interaction in some kind of way just to annoy you, even though the old man was just trying to ask you for a direction.

you stayed behind the duo, reminiscing the good times that you three shared together. after that period during your third year of college you promised not to do anything that could break this friendship again. megumi had talked to you indeed on maki's graduation night. he was sincere and straightforward, he was hurt for what you did but he also agreed that you two were important in each others lives, so you would start again. it would be hard he said, since you broke his trust for you completely.

it has been tough, all this time you tried really hard to come back to this, to the get togethers and sleepovers, to the laughs until you couldn't breathe anymore, to hugging each other, to your best friends. the wound was still open but with each passing day it seemed to close a little more, healing little by little. there would be days, like today, when you three would spend the night at megumi's and toji would disappear completely. you haven't heard of him or the others since you graduated and megumi didn't talk about his father either.

"y/n can you please take the groceries to the kitchen while yuuji helps me with something upstairs?" you nodded your head before entering the fushiguro's household. the bags were heavy but you managed to get them out of the car to the front door. only when you entered the house you acknowledged the figures sitting on the living room who grumbled and snickered at the monopoly game in the middle of the table, making your knees to buckle a little. megumi didn't warn you about them being in here, just the thought of his father alone scared you.

let's say you didn't end the game like you were supposed to. now it was the first time in years that all the players were on the same place at the same time. their wide eyes replaced by some teasing smirks, looking between each other as if the could communicate with their minds. your legs wouldn't move even if your brain was telling you to run far away, to get out that house and never come back. toji was the first and only one that talked while the rest looked at you with dark eyes:

"hello princess. wanna play a game?"

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐃

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