Shoko was lying down in bed, her laptop slid off of her stomach and was on the right side of her body. She was attempting to do some research and reading for her upcoming tests and papers but she was so tired mentally that once the screen became dim because of the low activity she just let the laptop go black on its own. She felt so debilitated.
She was looking to the left of her room and noticed how the candle on the dresser was almost out of wax, I need to get a new one soon. It should last me the night, she thought to herself.
She looked back up to the dark ceiling and let out a breath. She was almost done with medical school but she was facing a dilemma of whether or not to rejoin the sorcerer life she left all those years ago. It was easy to get guilt-tripped to go back— but god, she wants a life of her own. It had been on her mind constantly, even if she has more pressing issues to deal with in the moment.
It’s easy for people to understand that Gojo is needed in the sorcerer world as much as Gojo needs the sorcerer world. But for Shoko— they need her much more than she needs them…but at the same time she often thinks that she was born for the sole purpose to be in that world forever. She was born into this world with one goal and one purpose. If she was to defer and choose a different path— then what was the point of her existing at all?
She turned her head again and watched as the flame danced around within the glass jar; how it would jolt and flicker. How the wick was slowly and gradually disappearing.
Her phone buzzed. Her hand slowly reached for her phone which was tucked under her pillow and held it above her face. There was a message on the screen, ‘How the hell is your fridge so empty?’ it read. It was from Gojo.
A light smile graced Shoko’s face. He was in her apartment, just on the other side of the wall or door. She didn’t hear him come inside or sense a presence. I’m getting rusty, she thought to herself.
She clicked on the message to reply, ‘I’ll be moving out soon so there’s no point’ Immediately three dots appeared on her screen indicating Gojo was typing.
‘Aren’t you moving out in a month?’
She smiled as she let out a breath of air in amusement.
‘Means I’m talking to a ghost?’
‘Would you be sad if I died?’ She typed without thinking and sent it without much thought.
‘I mean of course’ He sent. ‘Don’t wanna lose you either’ he double texted.
Either… Shoko felt as if she could never fully separate herself from Geto in Gojo’s eyes. It was a weird and uncomfortable thought she had. But that either brought it back to her attention. Gojo has very limited people in his life that he considers precious, but sometimes Shoko thinks he blurs them all together.
‘So don’t go dying on me. Deal?’ He texted again after Shoko didn’t respond immediately.
‘Gonna drop being a doctor to be a comedian?’
‘Yup! But first gotta come back to life’
‘I’ll say a few jokes at your funeral in your honor— a career never fulfilled :’( so sad’
‘Will you shed a few tears for me?’
‘I’ll be the first one there and the last one to leave’
‘That makes me feel a little better’
‘O_o what does that mean?’
‘Nothing just didn’t expect that answer from you’
‘I'm a nice guy I’ll have you know’
‘You broke into my apartment lol’
‘And you still haven’t come out yet >:(‘
‘Never said I'm a nice person’
Shoko smiled slightly. She stared at her phone until it went black automatically. The only light source was the candle again. She looked over the dancing and flickering light. The flame slowly started to become more and more still. The wick eventually was reduced to nothingness and the flame diminished on its own.
Shoko stared up at the dark ceiling once more. She took in a big breath and reached for her phone, ‘You can come in’
And almost instantaneously the door of her bedroom opened.
“Was wondering when you were gonna let me in,” Gojo said as he closed the door.
He took off his mask and took off his shirt and set them on the bottom corner of the bed and crawled onto the mattress where Shoko was lying. He wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace.
“It smells good in here,” he commented.
“I have to buy a new candle,”
“Don’t worry— we’ll buy that and groceries tomorrow,” he smiled into the crook of her neck.
A few minutes pass and Shoko hears light snoring coming from Gojo. She ran her hand through his hair. Regardless of the path she chooses to take, going back or leading a ‘normal life’, the only assurance she has is that she’ll always have Gojo there with her. She felt a light bit of peace for the first time after weeks of internal conflict.
The streetlight’s radiance spilled through the cracks of the blinds in her room. The hit the top of her dresser, Shoko noticed how there was still wax within the candle jar. Even though the light was no longer there and the wick burnt away— there was still something there.
There will always be something there.
