#Could Be a Train Station kinda day shirt
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One of my fave jackets is this green jacket with a fur hood im wearin rn because 1.) its green 2.) my dad gave it to me 3.) it reminds me of saejima. Who also reminds me of my dad
#snap chats#p sure i talked bout this jacket before but idc read my diary#sorry that every other middle aged man i see i say reminds me of my dad its a compliment#tbh love how i clowned on ichi for being on premium copium bout arakawa but highkey i woulda done the same bout my dad.. i get it ichi..#anyway :) i legally get to talk about my day with him now :)) HE SAID THE FUNNIEST SHIT UPON SEEING ME#HE SAID ‘oh wow we dress similar :)’ and keep in mind. he was wearing a latte brown coat with a black turtleneck and pants and shoes#meanwhile. i approach With Black Pants And Shoes Admittedly but then im in this goofy old ass jacket with a red scarf#and a crane-decorated dress shirt that i got two buttons undone on like DAAD you are senile. hes so funny#so fun my dad actually recognized this was the jacket he got me- it was one of the first things he bought for me after i told My Secret 🙈#also i finally asked how tall he was and i can’t believe my dad matches the criteria to be an rgg character he’s fuckin 6’1 like i thought#AH but today was really nice- i got to hang with my sis and her husband as well as my dad’s wife :)#it was awful tho cause the second my sis saw my dad’s outfit she’s just like ‘it’s so kdramacore’ AND SHES RIIIGHT 😭😭#we later found out dad’s wife loves kpop…. and she bought him his new clothes…. so we are no longer surprised….. AWFUL.#honestly i could write a drama based off my dad’s life i really could it has elements for it. i mean ig i kinda do that already dont i#i borrow. anyways. today was fun :) even if i almost lost my mind trying to take the train the first time#this train system was weird… it wa worth tho it was great seein popop again#yeah….. ugh i have to still drive home from the station. and hope my car is still there#i get very paranoid leaving my car alone so openly i dont like it…#anyways. bye bye :) i might nap til my stop or work on a fic i started#‘snap what happened to’ dont worry about it i need to look at something else or ill scream#ok bye 👋
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Ok so I was thinking about this the other day. You know how Dick is usually a detective or a cop? Imagine Jason as a firefighter.
Mans will lift you like you’re nothing and I bet he’s in one of those firemen calendars.
I honestly think he would be amazing as a firefighter.
IM SCREAMING!! Here are some firefighter!Jason headcanons, I hope you like them!
- firefighter!Jason has a sleeve, his tattoos are all over the place, but they’re cohesive and very aesthetically pleasing
- he has a small calcifer (the little fire demon from howls moving castle) tattoo hidden somewhere on his arm
- he adores his job because he loves helping and protecting people
- he’s kinda cringey and he makes fire/heat puns and jokes when he’s on duty
- children LOVE him because he’s so kind
- he always volunteers to do tours of the fire station with kindergarten and middle school kids
- he hands out lollipops and stickers at the end of each tour
- he’s really strong and can lift anyone (regardless of their weight or height), he spends a lot of time training his body and is very proud of it
- he is low key a SLUT!!! let me elaborate: yk when firefighters wear their uniform only around their waist and legs, and the top half is like a normal shirt…? yeah so imagine that with Jason.
- he walks around the fire station wearing a black compression shirt and it’s hugging his body so deliciously. you can see bits of his silver chain sticking out and his tattoos are on display… he looks so HOT (noo im turning into cringey fire pun Jason…)
- when he first joined the force, he thought that saving cats and animals from trees wouldn’t be a common occurrence
- it was. and he took home two strays.
- he named them arson and sparks (shout out to the two cats i saw at the pet store)
- as much as Jason is a silly little guy, he also takes his job very seriously
- he spends time comforting victims and trying his best to make sure that they’re safe
- if there’s a house fire, he tries to save everything but definitely does prioritize items that could be sentimental or of value
- he never leaves candles burning for too long, same with irons and stoves
- he is very careful and constantly warning people about potential fires and the consequences of not being careful around hot objects
- okay let’s go back to silly
- this one time the guys at the station made a bet and the loser had to take pictures for a “hot firefighter” calendar… yeah… Jason lost…
- his shirtless pictures were plastered all over the station the next day and he wasn’t even embarrassed
- he’d just smile when people mentioned it
#jason todd#red hood#jason todd x reader#red hood x reader#jason todd headcanon#red hood imagine#jason todd imagine#red hood headcanon#batfam#firefighter!jason
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Yandere! Kento Nanami
Cross posted from my AO3
Tags: NSFW kinda. Yandere themes. Kidnapping. Restraints. Threat of violence.
MINORS DNI ---
Word count - 2.4k
“Don’t be unreasonable.”
Kento Nanami sat just out of your reach, hunched over on a small upturned bucket, feet planted firmly on the ground, but his personality flying away with him. You couldn’t see his eyes in the darkness of the poorly dim lit overhead light, but he was definitely staring at you like he always did.
You couldn’t help but laugh until it turnt sour. “Unreasonable? Really?! I’m being unreasonable; you chained me up like a fucking animal! You psycho!”
Oh, yes. He had put you down in his basement for however long after managing to find you again. The train station of all places like he had access to the cameras, he was just always there, in the house seeing your every move, he tried calling you before you even managed to get to the end of the road to dispose of the phone he gave you.
“You are being unreasonable, I buy everything you want, anything you could possibly ask for, but you never let me in. So yes you are, and this is for your own safety, you were going to leave me.”
“I don’t know you, I don't ask for anything!” The metal cup on the floor you’d scrambled across the room for flew from your hand and only just missed him, the water never touching him either.
He was just out of reach, just out of reach to strangle, to beat or maim in a way to get him to hand over the keys and he knew that much too, never bringing the keys with him, a coward's insurance because he must have thought little old you would take his built existence down.
A fucking coward.
“Then let me, I thought we were past this.” He leant on his closed fist and shifted onto his side. “All I want is to take care of you and you are making this incredibly difficult because I was very concise from the beginning in exchange for your compliance. You had nothing to your name, but I have everything you need. Let me help you.”
He was looking more gaunt in later days, a scruffy shirt and drawn in posture uncomfortably contorted as his legs folded in half at the knee being so low to the ground. You were on your knees, arms stretched out to lengthen your body past your chained ankle .
You noticed that the skin around his nails was dry and bitten, uncomfortably nibbled with anxiety and stress to which you could only speculate that he hadn’t been sleeping.
“When was the last time you slept? Don’t go passing out on me.” You would not call an ambulance if he did, but either way it would fuck you getting out.
“Those are kind words.” There was a hint of a small smile on his lips. “If you want to know, I’ve found myself lacking sleep because you aren’t up there to join me. I’ve grown used to it now.”
That was laughable. A man who handcuffed you to him upstairs to make sure you never left, and would wake him every time you moved. You hoped at first when he took the cuffs off he would trust you enough, because he was only human and would have to fall asleep eventually. Then came the nightcaps and warm tea to knock you out until morning with no recollection of anything until you figured it out and found his stash.
But Kento Nanami was an incredibly intelligent man, you had to give him that. He noticed a mile off when you suggested making the tea yourself, what a fucking stupid mistake that was to make when he insisted you drink it first. He was a very sly, knowledge welding demon who came back from anything you threw at him like a cockroach in a nuclear blast, a gross limpet indefinitely stuck to the hull of a boat.
Anything. Everything. He was three steps ahead.
“Well you’ll be lonely for a while then.” You wouldn’t sleep next to him again if you could help it and if you had to, you'd just scream in his ear and pinch him to destroy his sleep. Lack of sleep was a dangerous thing.
Part of you wondered if you weren't that lucky you escaped on your own, but rather he had actually let you leave, a sick game to find you and therefore have a twisted reason to punish you. Kento Nanami was undeniably clever and the more you thought about it, that thought cemented inside your head like a tick, burying away into self doubt.
You weren’t lucky, the only luck you had was that he didn’t kill you, but even that he had made clear he wouldn't do, you were sure he’d stop at nothing to keep you there short of forcing you to survive just so you could exist.
He stood and straightened himself up. “I’m going to sleep down here with you while you learn to behave, I’ll have to teach you manners again on how you should act.” He wandered over to the stairs that lead up to the rest of the house that was out of sight, but you could still hear him clearly. ”No one can see into the future, but maybe I’ll let you take a walk with me when the ground thaws out… If you listen and behave.”
Behave, telling you to behave like a fucking child whilst he had his arms full of sleeping gear for a fucking camping trip. This wasn’t a luxury resort, the basement was freezing and dark, even worse when it rained when the wind whipped against the small vent.
The shackle chain dug into your ankle, pulling, tugging on the skin which reddened it and rashed. He was so hard to entertain, to say the right things before he retreated into his shell and shunned you for a day to ‘collect himself’.
Another attempt wouldn’t hurt. You stood up and got as close as you could without appearing pissed off. Maybe desperate would cater to what he wanted instead, because he hadn’t actually broken you yet. Not properly at least. “I’ll behave. I-I will, you'll see. I’ll be the best… whatever you want me to be, ever. I’ll make you proud.”
Was it a little too strong? Maybe. He stepped forward to you, the overhead light highlighting his features. “Nice try Darling. I know you're still angry at me so please don’t test my intellect.”
You blankly glared at him, he even talked to you like shit in a nice way the fucker, talking down like he was the smartest man in the room, even his friend Gojo had picked up on that when you met him. The pair of them were horrid, more alike than Nanami gave himself credit for. You hated him, you hated the house, the basement and the way the fucking door at the top of the stairs creaked when it opened.
You hadn’t realised how close he was but you spoke anyway in all of the red you saw. “You fucking-”
Nanami took a hold of your arm and pulled you towards him, his breath tickled past your ear, but he wasn’t whispering. “You know, Gojo feels about his person exactly the way I feel about you and she isn’t so lucky. You know what kind of man he is, don’t you?”
The vibration of his words made your eardrum tingle and covered you in standing hairs. “W-what’s that supposed to mean?”
He didn’t let go, but squeezed his hand a little, a warning shot you assumed. It didn’t hurt, but you knew he was there. “Gojo plays with his things, because she was exactly like you, trying her damndest to leave him. That broke his heart and he took much more restrictive measures to keep her safe, away from bad influences. I can be like that, would you like to see it?”
“N-no.” You had only met Gojo once and Nanami often mentioned him as a scare tactic and it worked every time. The only thing it seemed that put you in your place.
He huffed a sigh of relief it seemed and loosened his grip on your arm. “Good. Because that would absolutely break my heart Darling. Gojo is cruel to keep the person he loves safe, I don’t want to extend that type of courtesy to you.”
Gojo was arrogant and a bastard. You were uncomfortable before he even stepped foot through the door when he came to the house, you didn’t even try to plead with him when Nanami left the room. He came to you, not the other way around.
“If you were mine, you wouldn’t have this much freedom.” You always remembered that fucking look in his eyes over the rims of his sunglasses, it would have made most people piss themselves.
You weren’t sure what to say to back to Nanami. “How generous of you.”
He picked up a strand of loose hair and fiddled with it between his fingertips, rubbing the pads on the texture as though to take it in to remember what it felt like. “I know you don’t believe me and I hope you do with time, but I do love you. I would never be like Gojo, not to hurt you intentionally, so please don’t back me into a corner with no choice.”
Nanami always claimed that he was infatuated with you, looking at you with adoring eyes even when you shouted obscenities and threw dishes at him. Gojo, he was nothing like Nanami and that’s what terrified you, that power imbalance was astronomical and the only thing stopping Nanami from doing the things Gojo did was his self proclaimed love for you.
Gojo wasn’t in love, he was a psychopath with far too much power at his fingertips. But Nanami wasn’t in love with you either and you lost so much sleep trying to understand him, to work out why he was drawn to you.
A blank slate every single time because the situation was totally ridiculous.
He leant in and you were sure he inhaled you. “I hate seeing you upset.”
There was no helping a man like Kento Nanami, so set in his deluded ways that there was no getting through to him.
You tried your best to explain and maybe if you couldn’t escape, you could make things easier. “If you don’t want to hurt me and prefer it when I’m happy, then let me go from the basement. Maybe we could work something out, but treating me this way won’t make me love you back. Love is earned, built up over time.”
Though you weren't about to bend over backwards for him. You’d make your escape eventually even if it took a whole year.
“And I have done none of that?” He backed away, his brows lowered in a hurtful expression and narrowed eyes. “You have been here almost a year and you’re still the same from when you first arrived, I don’t know what more I can do.”
A year, already? Everyone definitely thought you were dead, or eloped somewhere. Who were you kidding? Definitely dead.
“I-I’m not saying let me leave from here, just out of the basement. A relationship is built on trust a-and I know I haven’t been exactly trustworthy, but have faith. I won’t disappoint you again; I won't disappear on you again.” It made you want to vomit, a churned stomach at those bullshit words that somehow came out genuine.
Nanami must have seen it too because he hesitated, just for a moment in his own confliction. Were you telling the truth? Not completely, but he seemed to process it as fact but never confirmed it.
“I’ll give this a go, but you need to try and trust me. Can you do that?”
Nanami came back to you, so close and bushed down your arms that gave you goosebumps, you wanted to pull away from him, slink into the corner and tell him to fuck off, but you stood your ground in his deafening silence.
You whispered, breathless enough to entice him, enough to keep yourself from grimacing. “Let's go upstairs, hm?”
His hands found their way to your cheeks, cupping them like a romance novel, inclined to kiss you softly. You wanted to back away and push him from you, kick his shin, but you stayed firm even when his nose brushed yours.
He was attractive in your eyes had you met him in a bar or club you probably would have gone back to his for a quick fuck or two, maybe even a casual thing and allowed his twisted self to remain beneath the surface without a care because that’s all he was, a stranger.
To his defence which you regretted supporting, he had never touched you inappropriately that had any sexual undertones. But with the look across his features locked on to you, he had a different thought in mind.
Would you do it? Could you do it?
Nanami had his hands at your waist now after dropping from your face, pulling you closer, lips almost touching. “Let me take care of you. I want you to feel good being here with me.”
The first proposition since you had been taken, at least it lasted this long, but could you actually go through with it? Get access to the keys while he slept and smother him with a pillow, that would be too quick, he'd overpower you in. a heartbeat. You would need to play the long game.
You could do it, no words left your lips so you only nodded.
His lips were far softer than you thought, though his hands were even more so, holding you there in a firm yet gentle grasp. The weight on your ankle stayed heavy, aching but keeping you grounded enough to see the wood for the trees.
The kiss was slow, sensual and you tried your best to keep with it and even went as far as to rest your hands on his muscled chest. There was no tongue, not a feverish expression in sight with an almost innocence about it, a first kiss but far more control than you initially thought Nanami had.
Then he pulled away. “Tomorrow, let's sleep first.”
It was like he knew, but didn’t say and he walked away like it hadn’t happened and picked up his stuff to sleep on.
Did he know, catch on to your tricks? You didn’t want to know, but the night was going to drag on forever. His guard was up and there wasn't anything you could do that wouldn’t arouse suspicion.
You just prayed he would never show a side like Gojo.
#dead dove do not eat#yandere nanami#x reader#yandere#yandere jujutsu kaisen#fem reader#jjk#reader insert#kento nanami#nanami x you#jjk nanami#nanami kento#nanami x reader#jujutsu kaisen nanami#jjk kento#kento x reader#kento x you#one shot#archive of our own#jujutsu kaisen kento
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Jinx | Sukuna Ryomen
mma fighter!sukuna ryomen x femalecoach!reader
Part 1. The King Of The Ring.
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Spynosis: Sukuna is a world champion with anger issues. It's believed by many that he is untrainable. Yeah, you can't train him, but you can dominate him. Contents: Fighting. Sukuna being Sukuna. female reader being dom. Jinx AU (the BL, not the character from lol) Warnings: Cursed words. Sexual harassment. I only read it once, lmao Word count:3016 words. A/N: Hiya! Well, I am up-to-date with Jinx, and even tho it's so fun to read, I just fucking hate Joo Jaekyung so much! So, I decided to kinda write my own version with my favorite toxic man. Hope you like it, folks!
“Sukuna Ryomen, ladies and gentlemen! He showed us once again why he is the king of the ring!” The excited narrator exclaimed, meanwhile the king flexed the golden belt around his waist after another amazing fight.
His body glossed in sweat, his proud smile and the blood of his opponent sliding down his tattooed skin. A dangerous beast who just caught his prey. They showed the repetition of the final hit in slow motion, a perfect punch in the perfect moment. Luck doesn’t exist in the world of mixed martial arts, we have unique opportunities instead. I used to believe that, until I witnessed it myself.
“It’s here,” I thought out loud when I saw the giant sign that read “Team Black MMA Gym” in bright white and red letters.
It was the most important MMA gym in Tokyo. I heard that they only accept the fighters with the most potential of the country. My trainer used to tell me to at least try out to be surrounded by professionals. As a woman, I wasn’t particularly interested in entering a male-exclusive gym. The only other woman there is the physiotherapist.
I took the elevator to the gym’s floor. When the doors opened, the smell of sweat and the sound of the metal weights welcomed me. I just stepped inside, and I already had eyes on me. I was expecting it to be honest. A woman in a gym filled by rugged men isn’t something you see every day. It didn’t help that I was using an oversize gray hoodie which covered my shorts, making it seem that I wasn’t wearing any pants.
The gym was divided into training areas for different martial arts. In the corner, there was a ring that stood tall for fighters to simulate real combat. Along the gym, there were several punching bags, weight stations and resistance equipment.
The sound of the punches and kicks, mixed with the instructions of the coaches, created a threatening and energetic environment. You could easily notice who were the fighters with discipline. Those working hard to perfect their skills, showing off their determination in every move. The place was impregnated with a spirit of self-improvement and sportsmanship, where the passion for martial arts was in every corner.
“Welcome, miss.” A tall blonde man called me.
“You must be the manager, Nanami Kento,” I greeted with a bow, which was reciprocated.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you in person,” he greeted back. “Let me introduce you to your trainee.” He led the way through the heavy equipment to the outstanding ring.
Sukuna was simulating a fight with another member of the gym. Nanami and I just waited for them to finish so he could introduce me formally. Sukuna was constantly moving towards his opponent, creating closure enough so he could punch him better. The power difference could be noticed from what they were wearing. The King of the Ring was just wearing a black compressed shirt and gray shorts, showing off his defined abs and powerful legs, meanwhile his black haired opponent was wearing the gym uniform and all the protection equipment available.
It was a different experience watching a fighter like him live in action live. The details like the sound of his punching winds and how Sukuna’s muscles flexed with every move were lost on the TV. When Sukuna threw a definite left jab that left his opponent on the floor, I couldn’t help but gulp hard. He was a killing machine.
“Great job!” Nanami applauded along with some other fighters who were witnessing the fight as well. I clapped so I didn’t look so out of place.
Sukuna turned to my way and a grimace of disgust appeared on his face when his eyes landed on me, a total stranger with no pants on. He took his gloves off and threw them to my feet. “So this is how it is going to be?” I asked myself, not even bothering picking them up. Sukuna gritted his teeth when I didn’t pick his expensive gloves up.
“What an awful cleaning lady you hired, Kento,” Sukuna said disdainfully.
“She is not a cleaning lady! She is your new coach,” Nanami introduced me, ashamed by the attitude of his star athlete.
“Kick her out, I don’t need a new coach,” Sukuna groaned.
“If I knew this was going to be like this, why am I here?” I asked myself in my mind, starting to take back my decision of becoming the coach of a well-known fighter with anger issues. Ah, I remember now. I needed to see something for myself.
“Hello? Am I talking with Y/n?” A couple of weeks ago, Nanami Kento called my gym, desperate.
“You are talking with her,” I answered, thinking he was a sponsor or someone in the UFC.
“My name is Nanami Kento, and I am Sukuna Ryomen’s manager.”
A famous fighter in the MMA world. The world champion in the light heavyweight weight class. The king of the ring and a wild tiger during interviews due to his lack of humbleness. A horrible person to the simple eye, a magnificent opponent in the ring.
“I’ll be straight forward. I don't know if you saw his last fight…”
Sukuna’s last fight was against Suguru Geto in Las Vegas, another amazing fighter. The interesting thing about that encounter was seeing two great fighters specialized in opposite areas. Geto specializes in floor fighting, while Ryomen is an incredible boxer. Everyone went crazy when the fight was announced, could Sukuna beat him with just his bare punches, or would Geto be able to bring him down to his advantage?
In the middle of the fourth round, Geto pulled him to the floor and Sukuna was in trouble. Obviously, Sukuna has some training in floor fighting, but that wasn’t enough when you are against the best. Geto caged him like an anaconda, ready to choke him to surrender him. Sukuna tried to set himself free by force, but his punches weren’t good enough to win the fight.
“It will be a technical knockout.” I thought out while watching the fight from the comfort of my living room. I was eating chips mindlessly until I saw a unique opportunity.
Sukuna, somehow, freed himself from Geto’s strong grip to reach for his head. With great momentum, he punched him precisely in his jaw, completely knocking Suguru out. I knocked my bowl of chips when I jumped from the couch to watch the repetition closely. I had seen Geto do that chokehold a thousand times, no opponent can just simply "free” themselves like that. My eyes couldn’t believe how clean that killer punch was.
“The thing is that his coach and I believe he must improve his floor techniques,” Nanami explained the situation.
“There are many more renowned coaches who specialize in floor, why me?” I asked, curious at the whole conversation. I have heard rumors that Sukuna is pretty picky with whom he lets in his gym.
“You are right. You have been the tenth coach I have called today,” Nanami answered honestly. “Sukuna is too stubborn and doesn’t want to admit that he was also beaten in his last fight. He goes out of his way to get rid of every coach we bring him.”
“Why do you think I will accept?” I asked. If he was calling me, a famous woman for a specific quality, there must be a reason.
“If I believe someone can humble him and teach him some discipline, it’s you,” he declared.
An offended smile appeared on my face. I wasn’t going to let Sukuna Ryomen treat me like I was a slack to deal with. Now I understand why every coach gave up on him, you cannot train something that doesn't want to be trained, but you can tame it.
“Sukuna, we already talked about this. You should train with someone who specializes in floor so what happened in Vegas doesn't happen again,” his coach, Satoru Gojo. A tall white haired man in an all black coaching uniform. He was standing beside him with his arms crossed, clearly stressed from dealing with his bratty attitude all day.
“What happened in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas. I don’t need another stupid coach,” he defended himself while he brushed his hair back with his fingers.
“You win, I won’t train you,” I said in defeat. I turned around to make my way to the elevator. “Either way, I don’t train assholes,” I said loud enough with a sly smile. A howl from the fighters who heard me echoed through the gym.
“Stop!” He barked. I turned around to see what he wanted.
“Didn’t you want me to leave?” I asked, trying to keep my act together.
“What did you just call me?” He dared me to repeat myself.
“Gotcha!” I thought, proud of myself. I know how the male brain works. They can’t let anyone challenge them just like that. I hid my smirk and faced him again.
“Did Geto hit you so hard that you went deaf? I said, ‘You are an asshole!’” I shouted from my place.
Nanami quickly got to me, so I behaved better, but I couldn’t back down now. Sukuna scoffed and snapped his fingers at me.
“Get up here,” he demanded as another fighter gave him back his gloves. He wanted to fight me.
“You don’t have to, miss,” Nanami warned me in a whisper.
“I know what I am doing, don’t worry,” I answered in the same volume.
I put the mouth guard I brought with me on my pink shoulder bag. I wrapped my hands in bandages while Sukuna was analyzing me from top to bottom while preparing myself for the fight. It was understandable, I was a dangerous wasp in his bee hive. The rest of the fighters stop training to get around the ring to witness the match.
When I finished wrapping my hands, I took my hoodie off, revealing my abs and toned arms. Some whistled and applauded as if I was a stripper, when I could shut them up with a kick in the nuts. Sukuna, on the other hand, just kept staring, looking for weaknesses. He could be an asshole, but he respected his opponent at least.
“You better not be wasting my time,” he angrily barked. His red eyes still looked at me from head to toe without shame.
“You are already wasting mine,” I answered. Sukuna smiled, not believing what I just said to his face.
“We are really going to let this fight happen?” Nanami asked Gojo.
“It looks like it's the only way he will accept her,” Gojo shrugged before stepping inside the ring. He told us the basic rules for the match, asked us if he was clear, and we just nodded. “Touch gloves so we can start.” I placed my gloves in the middle so Sukuna could bump them, but he just backed away. “Fucking pussy” I thought, backing up to my side.
A small audience gathered around the ring for an unusual show. A light heavyweight champion against a random girl that just showed up. It looked like the possibilities of winning weren’t on my side. I started moving my legs and arms to warm up. If Sukuna was a lion, I had to be a fast gazelle. His prying eyes were on me all the time. I smiled at him. He could look at me everything he wanted, he didn’t scare me. It was my time to show him who was boss.
“Fight!” Gojo shouted.
There is a golden rule in mixed martial arts: “The first hit is the most important.” Sukuna flew towards me with a superman punch. He was open. I dodged it fast enough so I could jab him against his left cheek. The surprised audience gasped collectively. Sukuna quickly got used to my rhythm and changed his posture towards me. I created distance between us, so I could evaluate my options. I didn't have anything other than going for his legs, but that wouldn’t be a simple task. His legs were too strong to just sweep him off his feet with a single kick. I needed to do something more drastic.
Sukuna kept closing the distance between us to punch me directly, he was looking for the knockout. He was more of an offensive than defensive fighter, like I already knew. Sukuna hit me a couple of times and was celebrated by the public. They stung with power and intense pain. He was giving the best of him. I needed to answer with the same power, but in a more clever way.
I kicked him in the stomach so he could back down, but he pushed my hand down just in time, so my kick didn’t connect well. I tried kicking the other side, this time he stopped me by grabbing my ankle. Big mistake. I impulsed myself with my other leg to kick him on his face to knock him to the floor. Sukuna fell with a big slam that made the whole audience howl in surprise.
I quickly got onto him to lock him down against the mat with my legs around his neck and torso. He tried getting up, just like with Geto, but I wasn’t going to let him. This was the only chance I got to beat him. I could listen to Sukuna growling under his breath. He punched me against my sides, but I couldn’t give up. I latched my left leg on his right arm, making him turn around slowly. The audience screamed confusing instructions to Sukuna because they knew if this continued, the fight was over. I made Sukuna turn on his belly. I reached for his head, so I could choke hold him in between my biceps. The screams kept getting louder, but I didn’t give a damn. I needed to end him, if I wanted a place in his gym. Sukuna started to breathe with difficulty while his hands tried to loosen up my powerful grasp. He was reliving what happened in Las Vegas.
“Come on, Sukuna! Finish this!” Gojo ordered among the hollering.
Sukuna sighed and obeyed. He tapped my arms three times in surrender. A technical knockout. I quickly released him and I stood tall, leaving him space so he could breathe.
“Y/n “Medusa’s snake” Y/ln is the winner,” Gojo announced while raising my arm in victory. The fighters applauded me in approval. I took my dental protector to breathe comfortably through my mouth. Even though I won, I wasn’t finished.
“Good fight…” Sukuna groaned under his breath, giving me his hand to shake. I shook it, even though he was visibly mad. I could understand why, I just kicked his ass in front of his entire gym, but I didn’t give a shit.
“This means you will train Sukuna?” Nanami asked me with hope in his voice.
“No, I said I didn’t coach assholes,” I shrugged. Sukuna’s face turned from angry to offended in a hot second.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?! I am a world champion, you should be honored to train me!” He shouted in my face, but I didn’t budge. He wasn't upset that I had to train him. Now, he's just mad because I didn't want to train him anymore. We were making progress.
“I am not interested in training the world champion of assholes,” I seriously said before putting my hoodie back on.
I hung the bag on my shoulder and quickly walked away from the whole situation. I dodged the other fighters on my way out. Nanami kept following me, asking me to reconsider the offer. I took the elevator, leaving the chaos behind me. Once the doors closed, I collapsed against the wall behind me. Fighting against Sukuna was an entire workout. The bruises started to show up in purple hues, my legs were trembling weakly, and my lips were begging for water. Dealing with Sukuna wasn’t an easy task.
The elevator’s doors opened on the first floor. I stepped out just to rest my body for a minute. I took my water bottle out to drink some while I waited. What I was waiting for? I really didn’t know, but I needed to wait for someone to come chasing after me to beg me to stay. Maybe it was going to be Nanami, Gojo or any other fighter. It could be anyone.
“Wait!” The last person that I thought would come for me said behind me. It was Sukuna, looking tired and agitated. He was wearing a black hoodie, and he wiped the sweat off his forehead.
“What do you need, asshole?” I asked without taking the straw off my mouth.
“Don’t call me like that,” he groaned.
“I will once you stop acting like one,” I said, putting my water bottle aside. Sukuna rolled his eyes and sighed. He was so done. “Now you know that you need me?” I asked with a confident smirk.
“I don't need you, but you are good. I want you in my team,” he corrected.
“Fine, on one condition.” Sukuna raised his chin at me to continue. “You must accept that you are terrible at floor fighting.” He laughed at the “absurd condition.”
“I am a world champion, I am not terrible in floor fighting,” he said angrily.
“It’s not good to lie so much,” I said, replicating his condescending tone. I turned around to exit the building. “If you don’t want to fulfill my condition, I can’t train you.”
“Wait!” Sukuna grabbed me by the arm to stop me. “Fine,” he sighed again. “I am terrible at floor fighting, are you happy now?” I turned to him with a bright smile on my face.
“See? That wasn’t that hard.”
“Hush,” he groaned, clearly embarrassed. His cheeks were a bit flustered, it was kinda cute.
“When do we start?” I asked with a proud heart. The Medusa’s Snake had beaten another terrible man.
“Right now,” he pulled me with him, back to the elevator.
Next Part→
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#fanfic#fanfiction#jujutsu kaisen#fluff#jjk imagine#sukuna ryomen#bullet fic#jjk fluff#modern au#ryomen sukuna#jujutsu kaisen sukuna#sukuna#jjk sukuna#yuuji itadori#sukuna x reader#gojo satoru#jjk art#jujustu kaisen#satoru gojo#nanami kento#nanami x reader#nanami x you#kento nanami#kento#nanami fluff#getou suguru x reader#geto suguru#jjk geto#geto x reader#gojo
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Kiwis
pairings: Shidou Ryusei x ()reader
summary: kiwis are sour but you'll grow to like it. (I saw it on a tt, I forgot the user and didn't save the vid so if you'll find the person please tell me 😭😭)
warning: takes place before blue lock; there will be a creep; swearing
masterlist
Being new to a school has always been hard for everyone, especially if you're nowhere near as social as the people in your new class. One guy is especially 'social' as you may call it.
Shidou Ryusei.
He manages to not only anger every teacher by not doing his stuff but also pisses of the school director by disrespecting the school uniform code. His messily dyed hair and his not fully buttoned shirt, aswell as his rude (non-existenting) manners, annoys every elder.
Even you have been questioning his ways but never voiced it. Why should you? He is a violent guy after what you've heard. Classmates and people from other classes say they like him but also fear him, they just try to not say it.
Two weeks after you've started to attend this school some girls tried to befriend you but even though they seem nice and funny, all of you know you won't be actual friends. They may talk and help you with small work problems but you wouldn't really call them friends if you were honest. So that's why, waiting for your train after school was boring.
Waiting in the cold train station with the only light being from the exit and the cold and neutral lamps, you've grown to hate, you stand there next to your 'friends' who were in their own world and excluding you completely. But apart from them you've also noticed a few other people from your school, whether they were older or younger or even the same age as you in the same train station. One of them being Shidou Ryusei.
As the next train arrived and drove further and further, the wagon got less and less crowded. You've managed to now sit down infront of the one and only guy who stays himself even with with many people not liking it. All of his friends got off the train a few stations ago so it was only him and you sitting there now.
He wasn't bad looking and apart from his looks, his way of talking and acting got you kinda interested in him even if you would never talk to him. Looking at him while he was looking boredly out of the window felt like stalking and made you sigh as your gaze parted from him.
As your stop got announced you stood up and walked to the door not looking back. It, again felt like a boring and useless day. Like there was nothing you could be happy or proud about.
Days passed and you're still using the same train, going out of the same stops and sitting infront of Shidou Ryusei. At this point he even acknowledged you but didn't care that much to start a conversation.
As the electronic voice said the next station you got up a bit early to just be save, considering today was a rather full day. What you didn't notice in the other hand, was that behind you was an older guy who seemed to be in his own world. With his phone in his hand he went closer to you and while not noticing it yourself, Shidou did. Because then, he pushed the guy away.
"Fucking freak" He said in a loud way not enough to yell but enough for everyone to hear him.
"Taking pictures of girls half of your age, disgusting." He explained in a rude and disgusting way. Before the man could say or do anything, the doors opened and the boy took your arm in his hand and pulled you out with him.
After getting out he nodded at you and left to go his own way.
Standing there looking at his back was like remembering an important core memory. You were so thankfull for him that day, and maybe you miss-charactized him a bit too much.
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As the next chilly day approaches, you had to thank the blond-pink-ish haired classmate of yours. And ehat could be better than a home-cooked lunch? Considering he never seemed to have one of his own, you'd hoped he would appreciate it.
Soon you were on your way to school next to your 'friends' All of them in their own conversations to notice how your hands were shaking. Was it okay? Would he like it? Questions liked these made you more and more anxious as you walked further into school ground.
Never in your life would you have thought you would be searching for the brute first when entering thr classroom. And seeing him there laughing with some other guys made you even more nervous to walk up to him, so you didn't. You waited until lunch break.
As lunch time hits, people stood up fast to go to either the cafeteria or to just go out of the room. So ypu took your chance and walked up behind him while hebwas talking to two other guys who you still didn't learn the names of.
Tipping him on his shoulder felt dreading and even more when whispering, because your voice seemed to got lost, "This is as a thnak you for yesterday." With a small smile you gave it to him (or more like pressed the box in his hand) and walked fast away. That was until he put his hand on your shoulder and answered in a calm and seemingly boring way a simple thanks.
____________________________________________
After that day you noticed the two of you grow closer and closer to eachother, you realized he was your first real friend in your new school now that your'friends' left you. He had his own humor and way to talk but it didn't change much in your relationship, it was really refreshing to be honest.
____________________________________________
ᯓᝰ: Idk why but at the end I lost ideas to write something, it's so bad 😭😭
#blue lock#shidou ryusei#first post#bllk x reader#bllk#blue lock x you#bllk x y/n#help idk what to tag#bllk shidou#shidou ryuusei x reader#ryuusei shidou#shidou ryuusei
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Am I the a**hole for screwing someone out of a job from them creeping me out?
A couple of months ago I was given a business card from a photographer while working. They said I’d be a great model with my nice hair (My hair is my pride and joy so I take care of it to the best of my abilities. Which has resulted in many compliments and most people grabbing it) so I pocketed the card and went on with my day. Later on I told some of my coworkers about it being excited to try it. They informed me that the photographer was known to give out their business cards. Then with the strong implication that they were a creeper that did things to the models. Which resulted in me throwing away the card and not thinking about it.
Fast forward about two to three months and the photographer is back. I recognized the design on their shirt as the same one that had been on the card. They ask me where one of my managers are for a job interview. I ask them to give me a moment to see if I could find them. So I go to the manager working my section at the moment to tell them that someone was here for a job interview. They stare at me in confusion and state that there weren’t any scheduled for today. I clarified that they were looking for a specific manager by name. They try to contact the named manager to verify so I go back to tell the photographer the situation. They acknowledge it and I tell them to head to our H.R office to possibly help. They decline so I informed them that it could take a while if they waited since our building is big. They brushed off my suggestion to state that they’ll just wait for the manager next to my station. I go back to work seeing that I completed my task. For about a half hour they stood there watching me. Before they told me they were moving to one of the tables. I acknowledged this and went on with my job. Until I could feel someone intensely staring at me and turned to see them watching me. I’m a pretty oblivious person, often times just functioning in my own world. It’s how I survive in life, by escaping reality. So believe me when I say that this person had to have been staring holes into me for my notice. I try to ignore it but kept catching them staring at me for about another half hour. Then the required manager finally arrived and they warmly greet each other while moving to the back. A little bit later the photographer comes back up to my station. They happily tell me that they’ll be my new manager. They point right behind my back as they state that they’ll be right there. Then offer a hand shake which I hesitantly reciprocated to be respectful. I don’t know about anyone else but this marked me as strange. This is from there usually only ever being one person working my station. Managers only coming up to fix issues which are pretty rare. Then the fact their handshake seemed strange in someway. So to verify I asked my coworkers (different ones from the business card) if they had been off putting to them. My coworkers kinda shrugged it off and I told myself it was just my paranoia acting up so give them the benefit of the doubt.
The next day I’m going about my day as normal until they appear. Then kinda situate themselves at the corner of my station. I asked if they needed anything which they declined before resting their chin in their palms and elbows on the counter. I try to ignore the fact that they are now dead eye watching me as I work. Which would have been fine if I was training them or if they asked me about some of the things I was doing. But they just stood there for roughy a hour unmoving. After which they asked me why I worked so hard, I stated that I’m naturally a hard worker. They then say that I’ll be their favorite which made me extremely uncomfortable. I urgently ended the conversation by pretending to be busy. Which they returned to their watching after.
The next time I came in I pulled my manager aside and explained that the new hire was creeping me out. I told them how they were just staring at me unendingly. My manager stated that they had asked them if they needed anything while they had been watching me but they had declined which I remembered. My manager told me they would look into it and I insisted that they double check the camera footage of the security camera that was above my station. I also told them that it could be just my paranoia acting up.
My next work day one of my other managers inform me that they decided not to hire the photographer. I asked if they found that my suspicions had been correct about them. Only to not get a clear answer, so now I’m wondering if I screwed someone out of a job just because they creeped me out.
Which I don’t take lightly because the economy in my area is really bad so I could have ruined this innocent persons life for no reason!
What are these acronyms?
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kinda pre s1 au alt bucktommy meeting probs ooc buck
Buck had been training at the fire academy when he saw him. He had been doing training on the ropes when he looked over and saw a man with dark brown hair and broad shoulders. Buck had almost fucked up the training with the way he paused and forgot what he was doing, focusing on the KINARD written on the back of the man's shirt. However, he did make it safely down while trying to work out a way to go meet this KINARD and maybe get to know him (and possibly his number as well, you can't fault him for wanting a hot guys number).
When Buck did finally get a chance to see if he could find the mysteriious KINARD, he wasn't anywhere to be found so Buck had to resort to some good old subtle asking about KINARD'S whereabouts (he most definitely was not subtle, almost everyone knew that Buck wanted to fuck the guy). He managed to get out of someone that KINARD's name was Tommy (Buck would deny it but he had sighed when he heard the name, already picturing it with hearts around it) and that he worked for the 118.
So now Buck was on a mission to somehow get to the 118 and meet tommy (he would deny to everyone that he would dreamily sigh and get heart eyes when he thought of Tommy). First Buck hoped that maybe he would see Tommy again at the academy but no neither the 118 or Tommy were scheduled in for training (he wasn't meant to know this but he knows how to wear down people (read: he annoys them into breaking)). So now he definitely had to get to the statio. Somehow.
This plan did not involve him standing outside the house from across the street trying to work out if he saw Tommy or not ("So do you think that guy is okay?" "He's out there whenever we leave the station, its creepy." "He's not hurting anyone, but keep an eye."). It did not involve him trying to work out ways to go inside and talk to them, and him chickening out. Eventually he gave up. He was not destined to meet Tommy Kinard no matter how hard he tried. So he threw himself back into training, getting close to graduation. This was when he would find out the best news.
He was going to the 118 as a probie! The Captain had asked for him and of course he had to say yes, the 118 was in the perfect location, he had heard good things (and Tommy was there!).
He was all prepared for his first day and was ready to go into the firehouse to work (some might say he had chosen his best clothes and spent extra time getting ready but Buck would not be one of them). He walked in, climbed the stairs ready to meet the team, introduce himself (impress Tommy) and be ready for work when the best news turned into the worse news. Tommy wasn't there. Fuck. Maybe he's on a different shift? Or off? Well nevermind he's a firefighter! Let's focus on that. The shift was amazing, he cemented that he had chosen the right job and it was where he belonged.
At the end of the shift though... he found out about Tommy's whereabouts. He had Transferred. TRANSFERRED! He had a totally normal reaction to that (at work maybe but at hime he screamed into a pillow). Transferred to the 217, flying helicopters (how could he get hotter). Well Buck just decided to give up on Tommy Kinard it wasn't meant to be.
(Until a hurricane 7 years later brought him to Tommy.)
#buck is probs ooc but i enjoyed writing this#bucktommy#911 abc#evan buckley#tommy kinard#winnie rambles#<3
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(Tickle) Fight Club
Panda's Notes: Hello, hi, yes, I have been slightly obsessing over this AU for the past few months, and I finally finished...a part. >w< Buckle in, kids, this is a lot longer than I first thought it would be. You can once again thank the lovely @rosileeduckie for facilitating my nonsense.
...What? No, I totally don't have recent commitments that have an encroaching deadline. What are you talking about?!
[Ao3] || [Commissions] || [Ko-fi]
[1] || [2]
Warning: ~10K words about Miles brutalizing some folks. Enjoy. >w<
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Miles had a terrible habit of getting drawn in by Ganke’s nonsense.
“Hey, that character looks sick; you make that?” turned into binging episodes of an anime every night through junior year. He wasn’t complaining, but somewhere between the third movie and the 700th episode, it was a miracle his grades hadn’t completely tanked.
“Dude, nice shirt! Do those, like, spell something, or…?” became an entirely different binge through half of senior year. And Miles maybe fudged the truth a bit with one of his art teachers when he submitted a project that was only loosely inspired. Again, not complaining!
“Oh, nice mash-up, man; I loved that song when I was a kid, but I don’t know where it’s from.” You’ll never guess what happened after that. Those games were fire, though, and at least this time, he could move at his own pace, even if Ganke was nagging him over text every few days while he was away at college to geek out.
When Freshman year ended—finally, thank the gods—and Miles returned to New York, he was met at the train station by Ganke and immediately dragged to the apartment he was sharing with—
“You moved in with my brother?!” He asked in disbelief. “Wait, I didn’t even know he left home!”
“Well, technically… Your parents don’t entirely know yet—”
“What?!”
“—And he hasn’t actually moved out. I did. We just split rent here. Both of us have jobs and projects going pretty well, and he kinda just tells them he’s hanging out at my place, which is technically still true; they just don’t know my parents aren’t here—”
“Hold up, wait—” Miles flailed a bit to interrupt Ganke’s rambling. “Gross; is this like ya’ll’s love nest or something?”
Ganke’s arms dropped to his sides, a bright blush coloring his pouting face as he glared at Miles. Miles just snickered and crossed his arms tauntingly. “I’m not hearing a no, Mr. Lee~”
“Y’know, when he tossed out the idea of letting you borrow his room while he’s at school—just, like, use it as an extra little art room or whatever—I thought ‘wow, just like when we were roommates at Visions; how funny!’. But now, I’m gonna tell him you’re banned.”
“Pfft, what?!” Miles giggled, following Ganke toward the back of the apartment.
“Yep, calling him right now…” Ganke pulled his phone out of his pocket all dramatically, pretending to scroll through it.
“Ooh, I bet you have him saved under something dorky~” Miles had lunged forward, hands squeezing playfully at Ganke’s sides as he made obviously fake efforts to peek at his phone. He had a sort of squawking-type laugh whenever he was caught off guard, and Miles loved it. Even when they first met back in high school, Miles had made a habit of sneaking up and prodding him. They liked to get into little fights, usually ending in Miles wrestling Ganke into an easy pin while sneaking scribbles up his sides.
This is important information, because today, and today alone, Ganke suddenly wrenched his arm out from under his own weight, hooking Miles by the arm and rolling both of them into a reversed position. He sat heavily on Miles’ waist, his hands quickly moving to try and worm fingers into his armpits. Miles’ legs kicked as he hugged his arms tight to his sides, and his voice was tangled in nervous squeaks and giggles.
“Someone’s awfully squeaky for starting a fight with the one who knows your weak spots.” Ganke sneered, pressing lightly along the edges of Miles’ ribs to try and slip through his defenses.
“W-When did you get good at wrestling?” He asked through clenched teeth, trying to twist to one side.
“Hm, probably around the time you started sucking at it.” Ganke taunted, raising his hands slightly and wiggling his fingers.
“I do not!” Miles argued with a laugh, his leg kicking out when a few fingers traced along his neck. There was a jarring thump, and despite Miles apparently not feeling pain all of a sudden, both of them were concerned when a few things fell off of the dresser he’d kicked.
“Goddamn, you have been here for ten minutes, and you’re destroying the place!” Ganke teased, pushing himself up off of his poor guest.
“That was not my fault, and you know it.” Miles giggled as he sat up, picking up the picture frame that had fallen beside him. He glanced at it as he stood up, curiosity taking over his face as he realized something.
“Hey, wait a second; I’ve never seen you wear this!” He noted with a laugh as he got to his feet. Ganke peeked over his shoulder, and a chuckle slipped out as he remembered the photo. He was in some costume, mostly purple and some bright green. Looked like a cut-off t-shirt under a biker jacket. There was a paw print drawn on his stomach and whiskers drawn on his cheeks, and he was grinning like a champion as he held up what looked like a gold medal. If it was the same medal dangling from a hook next to the mirror, it was definitely plastic.
“Haven’t worn it in a while either.” Ganke shrugged, taking the frame and setting it just so under where the medal hung. “I should probably bring it home and wash it, actually.” He reached up and pulled the medal off the hook, smiling fondly as he ran his thumb over the feathers embossed in the plastic. He smirked slightly as he caught Miles staring at it in that all-too-familiar way.
“You wanna know how I got it~?” He asked almost tauntingly, and he laughed as Miles slapped his arm and pouted.
He seemed to be physically struggling with himself, crossing his arms as he kicked childishly at the carpet. “…Yeah.” He admitted, smiling in defeat.
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“Okay, so, final checklist: the safe word is Blackout.” Ganke explained as he led Miles down the hall from the changing room. “It’s the real deal though; we basically shut the whole thing down. Very different from tapping out. Do not confuse the two. What’s the safe word?”
“Blackout.” Miles said firmly, wrapping the last loop of tape around his hand and cracking his knuckles softly.
“Nice.”
Miles was wearing a slightly loose t-shirt—kindly loaned by Ganke—and some old basketball shorts. Ganke had been pretty coy about what all this was supposed to be. He seemed to struggle with what to tell Miles without giving the whole thing away. He eventually settled on saying it was somewhere between wrestling and improv club. And, coincidentally, there was an “open tournament” coming up. It was one of the ways they invited new members; the “hands-on” way, so to speak.
“Let me see your nails…” Ganke murmured, taking each of Miles’ hands for a moment as they walked. “Okay, so, we have a little side room you’ll be waiting in. You’ll know the signal when you hear it. You’re still cool with the audience, right? It’s just the theater dorks from the other side of the building; twenty people, max.”
“I’m fine with a little crowd.” Miles chuckled, shifting closer to elbow him gently. “You still haven’t told me what’s going to happen though.”
Ganke laughed lightly and shrugged. “What’s to know? You either pin your opponent for ten seconds or you tap out if you can’t handle it. Nothing else at all~”
“You are awful.”
They chuckled with each other for a moment before quick footsteps suddenly approached from behind them. Two people jogged past them with hoods up, laughing casually as they waved at Ganke and kept running.
“Hey, you guys are late!” Ganke scolded playfully as they disappeared through a door.
“Oh, we’re late?” Miles almost flinched at the sound of a third, heavily accented voice, and someone purposefully shouldered past him. More like elbowed past him, really, which Miles realized when he turned to see a man at least a head taller than him sauntering by. “Shouldn’t you be in the booth then, mate?” His hair was done up in thick locs, and those were tied back behind his head. The man’s dark eyes fell on Miles like a weight, but he smirked as he lifted a hand from his pocket and lightly tapped Miles’ shoulder with the back of it. “Ey, you brought a new fish. Looks like he won’t last a minute.”
Miles scoffed silently, managing to contain his offended face as the man sneered and stepped away. “What’s his problem?” He asked Ganke, trying not to smile.
Ganke shrugged and snickered. “We wonder that every day, man.”
“He thinks he’s the final boss or something?” Miles asked just a bit louder than necessary, a grin pulling his lips as the man stopped and looked pointedly back at them.
Ganke looked between them for a moment, grinning a bit himself as he moved to block them. “Okay, I see where this is going. Save it for the ring, you nerds!” He teased, pressing his palm to Miles’ chest and shooing the other man away. “On ya bike, then!”
The tall man snorted, throwing his hands up as he turned and went through the door the others had used. Ganke smirked as he nudged Miles to a different door.
“You go in through here. There’s an exit on the other side. Like I said: you’ll know the signal when you hear it.” He instructed, giving his shoulder a squeeze. “Good luck! You know I’m rooting for you—Oh! Real quick, uh…” He pulled his hand back with an apologetic wince after grabbing Miles’ arm. “Since this is just a trial thing, we usually don’t use challengers’ real names. Privacy; just in case. You, uh, got a name in mind?”
“Geez, put me on the spot, why don’t you?” Miles wrung his hands a bit, looking away as he itched the side of his head. “I…I kinda like New Fish…” He admitted a bit hesitantly.
Ganke snorted, almost giggling. “Seriously?”
“Shut up…”
“Hey, I’m not judging~ Much.” He taunted, shoving Miles playfully before starting to pull the door closed. “What’s your safeword?”
“Blackout.” Miles spoke with an audible pout as Ganke still smirked at him.
“This is going to be great.” He snickered, motioning to Miles with one hand. “No shoes in the ring, man. See you out there.”
Miles rolled his eyes, pulling his sneakers off as he sat on a bench to wait for this supposedly obvious signal.
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There was always something about the ring. Okay, look, it’s not actually a real fighting ring or anything, but just—Here, try to imagine:
There’s the timbre of the crowd: the rhythm of applause and little echoes of folks calling out their favorite cheers. When Ganke jogged into the room and the cheers redoubled, he couldn’t stop himself from basking with a grin before continuing his rush to the “Commentators’ Booth”. Frankly, they owed the theater club a lot for being such good sports; it almost felt like it was grander than eighteen chairs situated around a large square arrangement of blue gym mats.
“Little late, aren’t we, Mr. Lee~?” The young lady in the chair beside him taunted as Ganke slid into the booth. “I almost wanted to start without you.”
“Very funny, Margo.” He chuckled, leaning under their table to fiddle with the volume knob on the boombox their microphones were plugged into. “I wouldn’t miss tonight for the world; not with this turnout either!”
The audience cheered in response. They knew their roles well for not being around in a while.
“Ooh, I do love a good crowd.” Margo readjusted the cat ears clipped into her braids. “More importantly, though, we finally have a challenger again. Feels like it’s been forever.”
“Hasn’t it been, though?” Ganke sighed dramatically, resting the back of his hand on his forehead. “Reminds me of our time in the ring; those were the days.”
“Ganke, that was only, like, four months ago.”
He leaned back in his chair, draping his whole arm across his face as he pulled his microphone closer with the other hand. “An eternity in my heart, Margie.”
Margo rolled her eyes and snuck a poke at his exposed side. “Anyway, I hear this one’s a friend of yours. Any details you can sneak us?”
Ganke snickered and bat her hand away. “Nah, you’re not getting anything out of me that easily. Just know I’m betting on him. Honestly, I can’t believe he didn’t join sooner.”
“Only thing I can’t believe is that he actually let himself be called New Fish.” Margo murmured intentionally into the microphone, earning chuckles from the crowd. She blinked as her watch buzzed against her wrist. “Ooh, the gang is getting restless. Make noise; make noise!” She hit the table with open palms, signaling the audience to clap and stomp while she stood from her chair. “Yeah, get hype! And let’s welcome our newest challenger!”
Right on cue, the “challengers’” locker room door opened, and the audience cheered as Miles walked out into the small gym. He seemed just a bit nervous, but he smiled as he walked, fidgeting with his hands while he approached the mat.
“Ooh, you didn’t tell me he was cute!” Margo giggled as she sat back down. “Looks a bit familiar though, doesn’t he~?” She’d placed her hand slightly over the microphone, sneering at Ganke as she elbowed his side.
“You shut up.” He shot back, looking away as he blushed. “Absolutely irrelevant. Although, actually, I don’t really know why he never came until now.”
“Did you tell him what we’re all about?” She glanced between him and their guest waving shyly at some audience members.
Ganke leaned back in the chair, unable to keep the mischief out of his grin. “Oh…I told him enough.”
She laughed softly, giving him a little kick under the table. “Terrible.”
He smirked, letting his chair’s legs thump on the floor as he hopped to his feet. “Alright, Fish!” He called, motioning Miles over to the so-called ring. “Let’s get you in the tank, because we’re bringing out your first opponent!”
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The second locker room door was pushed open, and the small crowd cheered excitedly. Miles watched warily as one of the robed figures they’d passed in the hallway casually walked out. Halfway to the mat, they finally lifted their hood off, revealing a young man just about Miles’ height with light brown skin, the brightest, most joyful eyes, and some amazing shiny hair that he started to tie under a gold headband after handing his robe over to Ganke.
He was dressed almost identically to Miles in terms of shirt and shorts style—which he was quick to point out as he stepped onto the mat—but he had several different spider shapes tattooed—or maybe just drawn—up and down his arms in glittery gold ink.
“If I had known we were going to dress the same, I’d have asked Claw to give you a color to match, machhalee.” He spoke with an Indian accent, and he took a few steps slowly to hint Miles to do the same. His eyes seemed to light up as Miles matched his circular movement, but he schooled his expression and casually set his hands behind his back. “Sooo, New Fish, since you’re new, Fish, we’ll be using our names too. They call me Sona here. Well, they call me a lot of things, but Sona’s the one I picked out.”
Miles chuckled softly, resting his hands in his pockets as they circled each other. “Sounds nice. Kinda like it means something when you say it like that.”
“Oh, it does.” Sona grinned playfully. “If you survive, I’ll tell you what it means.”
“Survive?” Miles brought a hand on his chest, letting his face act shocked. “Oh, it’s a death match, eh? I see you.”
Sona paused, giggling as he started to walk again. “He didn’t tell you, did he?”
Miles shrugged with a grin. “Well, I’ve known…Claw?” He glanced over at Ganke, who nodded smugly. “I’ve known him a while. ‘No Spoilers’ is one of his Nerd Laws.”
“Hey!” Ganke called as the audience chuckled. “Pretty sure I didn’t drag you out here to insult me!”
Sona snickered. “Ah, I don’t really know how I feel about them hiding stuff from challengers, buuut, I admit I like a little surprise. So, I guess I’ll give you a hint.” He stopped, and Miles grew wary as he closed a bit of distance with slow steps. “…Tickle fight!” He laughed as he lunged.
Miles flinched, nervous excitement shooting through him at the call before he really processed what had just been said. He planted his feet firmly, catching Sona’s hands in his own and holding him back. “W-Wait; what?!” He asked in disbelief.
“Ooh, subtlety be damned; let’s go!” Ganke called as the audience cheered them on.
“Shine bright, Golden Boy!” The girl beside him—Margo, he was pretty sure—laughed, picking up her microphone.
“You’ve got some reflexes on you, huh?” Sona teased, curling his fingers where they were caught between Miles’.
“Were you actually serious?” He felt like he’d been blindsided, and, well, he had been. “It’s a tickle fight?!”
“Well~ We try not to be too serious around here.” Sona giggled. “But I wasn’t kidding.” He leaned suddenly to one side, and Miles stumbled as he yanked his hands back and shoved them against Miles’ sides. Sona followed him as he fell to the mat, kneeling beside Miles and scribbling across his stomach.
“Little early in the game to be floundering, isn’t it, Fish?” Sona teased, grabbing at Miles’ wrist as he giggled loudly. The audience groaned around sparse snickers, and Sona nearly giggled too.
Miles let out a harder laugh of his own, trying to pull his hand back. “Oho, he’s got jokes, huh? I—Hey!” He squeaked and twisted as Sona’s hand moved to squeeze up and down his flank.
“You what?” Sona smirked a bit as Miles’ free hand caught his wrist, letting his fingers scratch insistently at his hipbone as he squirmed. “You’re ticklish? You still seem a little shellshocked.” Sona walked his hand up Miles’ side, clawing quickly into his ribcage.
Miles tried to glare up at his opponent, but he couldn't fight the grin on his face. Sona was goofy and gentle; he didn’t seem to weigh much—Miles tested with weak pulls on his wrist. Oh, this was definitely going to be fun. In a quick, fluid motion, he let go of Sona’s hand and grabbed ahold of his shirt, pushing off the mat with one foot as he pulled Sona down. The audience cheered excitedly when Miles managed to roll them over, and he boxed his knees firmly against Sona’s shins.
Sona’s eyes were lit up with panic, and his cheeks ran a bit red as he laughed nervously. “Hi…” He giggled, holding his hands close to his chest.
Miles smirked, resting his hands on Sona’s wrists. “Hey.” He pulled the other man up suddenly, wrapping him in a hug and squeezing tight to pin his arms against his ribs.
“Oh, my God.” Ganke snorted, holding the mic away from his face for a moment. “I know this one.”
His cohost sat up straighter, leaning to nudge him with her shoulder. “Yeah? You want to clue us in?”
He started to say something when Sona let out a loud squeak and writhed.
“Aw, seriously?” Miles chuckled just a bit overdramatically, drawing one finger slowly back down Sona’s spine. “You totally seem like the type to have Angel Wings. Hm, maybe…” He shifted both of his hands, scribbling his nails across his shoulder blades and grinning as Sona giggled brightly and seemed to try more not to move.
“Ohh, I see now~” Miles teased right in Sona’s ear, smiling brighter at the way his giggles escalated. “That’s almost a shame.”
“N-No talking!” He whined halfheartedly, just barely managing to twist his hands enough to scribble at Miles’ waist. This quickly backfired when Miles’ flinch made him squeeze Sona closer.
“But if I don’t talk…” Miles nearly bit his tongue as he stifled a squeak. “How am I going to count these ribs of yours?” He pressed circles against the highest bone on his ribcage, sneaking his hand to that spot right under his armpit.
Sona let out a loud laugh, wrenching his arms out of Miles’ hold—almost as if he wasn’t holding him at all, actually—and shoving against Miles’ shoulders. The effort wound up pushing Sona’s back against the mat, and Miles was happy to reward him with all ten fingers digging into his ribs without a hint of mercy. This time, he didn’t even bother to grab at Miles’ hands, his arms wrapping loosely around himself as he laughed loudly.
Miles chuckled and shook his head, kneading along his lowest ribs and smirking when he squealed. “Shine bright, Golden Boy~!” He taunted, grinning brightly at the incredulous noise he heard Margo make behind him.
Sona blushed and put one arm over his face, the other flailing light slaps on Miles’ shoulder.
“That’s a tap!” Ganke called excitedly, standing up as the crowd applauded. “Sona is out!”
Miles blinked, letting his fingers go still as he glanced around the room. They were cheering for him—for both of them, really. Sona smiled up at him as he giggled and caught his breath.
“Don’t clap too hard now,” Margo snarked a bit teasingly while Miles was pulling his opponent to his feet. “Literally everyone beats Sona.”
Ganke scoffed, clearly in disbelief. “Oh, yeah?! Where was that energy when he had you on the mat last week?”
They took their time with their playful argument, and Miles took the opportunity to shake Sona’s hand, which he returned excitedly.
“You were amazing.” He said in a near whisper, his eyes bright as giggles still lined his voice.
“Yeah?” Miles said coolly, leaning a bit closer to him. “Well, next time, I want a real fight.”
Sona visibly prickled, his face running a bit redder before he just…smirked. His eyes had gone from playful to almost devious. “Oh, I don’t know if you’re ready for all that, Fish.”
It gave Miles a bit of pause. He might have just been hooked. Sona grinned again, bright as the sun, and caught Miles in a hug before taking his walk of shame. He grabbed his robe off of Ganke’s chair as he passed it and slung it across his shoulders, speeding up to a jog as he went back through the locker room door he’d originally come from. Miles stood just a bit awkwardly alone on the mat, a slight smirk pulling his lips as he fidgeted with his hands.
“Someone looks proud of himself~” Miles shot a slight glare at Margo, and she sneered back tauntingly. “Hey, keep that attitude, tough guy. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together; because we’re giving up the Ghost!”
The audience was suddenly loud and talkative; Miles could hear playful teases and jabs—particularly some coos about Ghost being adorable—under the clapping as the door opened again. Sure enough, it was the second character he remembered passing in the hallway. Pale-skinned hands came up to pull the hood back and…Miles was definitely not going to survive today unscathed.
“Ghost” was a blonde with bright blue eyes and one side of her head shaved down, and when she grinned over at Miles, he caught the piercing on her eyebrow. He gave an internal pout as he remembered his studs were with his jacket. She seemed to whisper something to Margo before letting the robe drop from her shoulders and handing it off. She was wearing a cropped t-shirt, cut just above her stomach, a loose long-sleeved jacket that stopped under her chest, and, frankly, Miles was pretty sure those were just pajama pants. Something that quickly caught his eye was the spider drawn on one side of her stomach in blue and pink. He couldn’t help but grin as she stepped onto the mat, stepping back slightly as she took a mark and rested her hands in her pants pockets.
“Eyes are up here, thanks.” She teased with a little wave; he could tell she couldn’t resist.
Miles almost laughed too, resting his hand slightly over his mouth as he tore his gaze from her little tattoo. “I’ll have you know I’m actually terrible at eye contact.”
She snickered, shaking her head as they started to circle each other, and Miles already knew he had to hear her laugh.
“Ooh, she’s hooked him.” Miles had a feeling he and Margo would get along.
“That quick? No way.” Ganke snickered.
“That’s Ghost; she’s a cutie!” Margo laughed. “It’s why everyone loves her.”
Miles pouted as he felt his face heat up, and Ghost chuckled, twirling casually as they continued to walk.
“Don’t worry, Li’l Fish,” She called playfully. “You learn to ignore the peanut gallery.”
“Excuse the hell outta you?” Ganke said firmly, causing Ghost to freeze, and Margo and the audience “Ooh~”-ed teasingly.
Ghost cringed and blushed, covering her face with both hands as she giggled.
Miles had kept walking, and he let his shoulder nudge against hers as he spoke. “So…how’s that ignoring thing workin’ out for you?”
She gave him a playful shove as the audience snickered, putting the distance between them again and smirking. “You hush.”
Miles smirked back, resting his hands on his hips. “So, why Ghost? You don’t seem so scary.”
“You think that now, sure.” She fished under her sleeve and pulled a hair tie off of her wrist, pulling her hair up into a ponytail before putting one hand back in her pocket. “But I’m told I can be haunting.” She wiggled her fingers teasingly, showing off brightly painted nails, and Miles chuckled.
“Okay, okay; you’re cute. Is that what you want to hear?”
She nearly froze up again, hints of red filling her cheeks as she smiled shyly. “Am not.”
“You so are, though. And besides, between the two of us, I’m not the one with their weak spot all exposed.”
She eyed him warily, giggles lining her voice. “You’re asking for it, huh?”
“Why don’t you come over and give it to me, then?” Miles was glad his back was to the crowd by now, but he found himself smirking as they shouted playfully. Margo and Ganke watched him with shocked smiles, and she pawed at his shoulder.
“Where were you hiding this guy?! Definitely my new favorite.” She laughed.
Ghost, similarly, had laughed in disbelief, and Miles almost sneered as he shrugged.
“Hey, if she giggles herself half to death before I even get my hands on her, do I still win?” He snickered as Ghost looked absolutely offended.
“I’m gonna say yes!” Ganke said quickly, grinning as Ghost glared at him.
“You guys can’t just change the rules!”
Ganke looked to Margo. “I think we can.”
Margo nodded with a shrug. “I think we should.”
He smirked back at Ghost. “Just for you. Since we love you so much.”
As they spoke, Miles had inched forward, lifting one hand to aim a poke at her very exposed stomach.
And she sidestepped him easily, her hand clutching tightly on his wrist. She grinned toothily as he looked up at her, and she yanked him off balance as she swept his legs with one foot. Well, this felt familiar. He managed to keep his chin from hitting the mat, and he felt Ghost’s hand press on his back as she leaned over him. He glanced up at her, but as he made eye contact, she smirked and pushed herself away.
He felt her weight settle on his thighs, and before he could try to twist, he burst into loud laughter as her nails snuck under his shirt to scribble against his lower back. He pulled his hands in close to his chest to keep himself from flailing before reaching to grab at one of her wrists. She seemed perfectly fine to let him, and her other hand was quick to zip up his spine and pinch gingerly at the back of his neck. Miles would definitely deny the shriek he let out, but he laughed and tried to push himself over. Ghost chuckled, twisting her wrist to get ahold of his while she stood up again. She pulled him quickly onto his back, straddling his waist this time as she slipped her wrist suddenly out of his hand by pulling it back through her sleeve. She snatched his wrist with her free hand when he tried for her stomach again, and she grinned nervously as he sneered up at her.
“I’m so gonna get you~” He taunted, laughing lightly as her face went red again.
There was a hint of a stalemate, with Miles trying to read her eyes while she watched his face. All of a sudden, her sleeve was yanked out of his grip, and her hand was shooting to scribble her nails against his neck. Instantly, he cracked, laughing loudly and flailing to grab ahold of her wrists. Even when she let go of his wrist to get both hands against his neck, he couldn’t help but focus on trying to block her, and, dammit, she was much stronger than she looked.
He could hear the audience going wild as he tried to struggle, and Ghost giggled softly as she leaned closer to him. “What happened to all that big talk, Li’l Fish~?” She whispered into his ear. “Not so tough now, are we?” She took a breath before blowing gently into his ear, and Miles kicked against the mat as he practically shrieked again. The audience got a bit louder as Ghost looked expectantly at the judges.
“Aw, he kicks; that’s so cute!” Margo laughed, only for a bit of panic to shoot through her expression when Ghost turned to them. “Wait, does kicking count?! We didn’t talk about that.”
Ganke had bit his lip, glancing between the two women and the audience, and he realized he wasn’t containing his smirk very well. “I’m gonna say kicking doesn’t count today!”
“Wha—Since when?!” Ghost’s voice was pretty close to real outrage as her hands suddenly stopped, and a select few audience members backed her up with jeers.
“Since I said so!” He said more firmly, chuckling. “Consider it a perk of being in the peanut gallery.”
The audience laughed, and Ghost rolled her eyes before looking back down at Miles. As she did, he’d moved his hands, managing to land them on her waist and pressing his thumbs into her hips. She squeaked and shoved herself back, stumbling slightly as she scrambled out of his reach.
“Now she wants to run, huh?” Miles snorted, his hand catching around her ankle only for her to slip his hold before he had a full grip. She was quick to return the gesture, yanking his ankles before he could try to get up and kneeling on one of them. He struggled to push himself up onto his hands, only to nearly fall again when she dug all ten fingers into his socked sole. Keeping his hands still now was definitely nearing impossible, but he tried to also keep in mind to not kick her off of him. But, wow, she was merciless.
“So, toes are bad, huh?” She teased over his laughter, scratching under his toes as they curled tightly. “Not your weak spot, but you might get along with—Eek!”
Miles couldn’t tell if she actually didn’t expect it or she just got cocky, but she didn’t duck away this time. He’d pushed himself forward, snatching the back of her hoodie and pulling her into his arms before falling backwards. The audience was loud again as she tried to flail out of his grip, her voice already tangling itself in giggly protests as he fought to wrestle both of her arms against her sides without losing his grip on her.
“Quit that!” He giggled along with her when she kept trying to shove his face. “And what are you laughing about? I haven’t done anything yet!”
“Shut up!” She squeaked, laughing softly as she tried to catch her breath.
“You tired now, li’l fish? Flopping all over the damn place like that.” Miles taunted into her ear, smirking as she cringed and giggled. He spoke a bit louder as he heaved them both upright while keeping her square in his lap. “I’ve figured you out, by the way, they call you Ghost ‘cause you’re slippery, right? You ‘phase through’ grabs like that a lot?”
Ghost turned her head, not that she could really look at him from this angle, but he saw her grin as she shrugged casually. “Well, y’know, it’s what stuck.”
Miles scoffed, squeezing her a bit tighter. “Stuck like you, huh? I’d love to see you slip this one.” Without any more hesitation, he let one of his hands drop to her stomach and skitter across her bare skin, and he was definitely not disappointed. She squealed and immediately started to struggle again, giggles jumping to loud laughter within a fraction of a second.
“No, no; I wasn’t ready!” She whined through her squeals.
“Oh, she’s not ready…” Miles huffed with a roll of his eyes, letting his fingers go still as he dragged his hand slowly.
“You bastard…” She spat in a giggly half-whisper.
“Ghost, be nice!” Margo called down to them.
Miles teasingly blew into her ear again, dragging his nails softly before sneaking a few squeezes on her side. “Tell me when you’re ready for tummy tickles, okay?”
She blushed, shaking her head as she whined and squeaked at each little pinch. “You’re terrible! N-No…”
“Mm-hm?” He curled his fingers and tapped them against her stomach before tracing one slowly around her bellybutton. “If I press this button, will you be ready then?”
She’d had a full-body flinch at the tracing alone, kicking against the floor as she giggled loudly. “Don’t you dare!”
“Aw, c’mon~ You have to work with me here.” Miles poked her a few more times. “You ready now~?”
“Stop teasing!” Her head tipped back on his shoulder, and she yelped when he blew across the side of her neck.
He laughed, smirking softly. “You said you weren’t ready! I do have to tell you, though…” He let his fingers walk to about where he remembered that little drawing on her skin. “You’ve had this spider on you this entire time and it hasn’t moved at—” He suddenly started scribbling his fingers, absolutely relishing in the surprised shriek it got out of her. She kicked hard, knocking them both over, but he didn’t dare let her go. She barely got a chance to protest between her squealy laughs, and Miles could hear her feet flailing against the mat under the cheers of the crowd.
“Think she’s happy we let them keep the kicks now?” Ganke asked playfully, leaning on one hand.
“Yeah, she looks like she’s having fun.” Margo snickered. Both of them flinched a little when Ghost squealed again.
“Hey, do you think he can get one?” Ganke asked with a smirk.
Margo let out a cackle. “If he gets her that bad in his initiation, she will hate him.”
Miles, meanwhile, was starting to have a little bit of pity on the poor Ghost. She seemed to have tired herself out again, having stopped kicking in favor of trying futilely to curl up. She was tough; he could admit that in a heartbeat, but, frankly, his arm was getting tired.
“I’m still wondering what this does, you know.” He mused, and the only bit of mercy he offered her was slowing his fingers down just a little as he finally focused his tickling on her bellybutton.
She absolutely lost it, breaking into loud cackles as she struggled to move her arms. “N-Not there! Please, I-I can’t—!” She squealed, snorts breaking through her laughter as her cheeks ran red. The crowd went wild with cheers and teases, and Miles was pretty sure his heart was melting.
“Tap! I tap! Let go…” She cried out through squeaks, and Miles lifted his hand away and let her go. She curled up beside him, pulling her hood up to hide her face as a few more snorts slipped into her giggles.
“Ghost is out! Make some noise!” Ganke shouted, grinning as they already clapped excitedly. Miles smirked back at him, softly rubbing one hand on Ghost’s back while she caught her breath.
“You good?” He asked quietly, trying not to tease too much. “Need a hand?”
“You’re a natural.” She whispered back, smiling a bit tiredly as she looked up at him. “But you’re not ready for Spider-Punk.”
“Wha—?” He was about to ask, but she started to get up, and he stood quickly to help her.
“And anyway,” She spoke up this time, for the others to hear. “You wouldn’t have won if you weren’t pals with the judges.”
“No, honey,” Margo called back. “You might not have lost if you didn’t run your mouth off.”
Ghost pouted, crossing her arms as she levelled a glare. “Fuck you both.” She huffed, rolling her eyes and smirking.
“Ooh, Swear Jar. Five seconds.” Ganke said quickly. Without being told, Miles grabbed at her sides. He made sure to be gentle this time, barely scribbling with his nails, but she still burst into giggly squeals as she tried to push away from him. It was definitely more like three seconds, but Miles didn’t mind giving her some grace, except for the poke he landed on her bellybutton before pulling his hands back. She didn’t snort this time, but she did punch him in the arm while she grinned at him, and he could settle for that.
“Make nice, you two, let’s get moving.” Margo insisted. Miles offered his hand to Ghost, smirking broadly when she actually hesitated to take it. He might have itched the palm of her hand with one finger when he went to shake it, and she snickered and shook her head.
“You might want to think about whether you want to stick around, because I’m getting you back.” She said softly, grinning.
“Yeah, alright, Tickle Button.” He taunted playfully, laughing as she punched his shoulder again. She squeezed his hand as she turned to do the walk, snatching her robe off of Margo’s chair and flicking the side of Ganke’s glasses.
“I’ll see you in the ring next week, asshole.” She growled with a sneer, and Ganke smirked back at her.
“That’s ten seconds, Ghost.” He chuckled, covering the microphone. “I’ll see you too.”
Her face nearly faltered, but she ruffled his hair, and the audience cheered as she walked back to the locker room.
Margo stretched her arms over her head—Ganke smirked knowingly toward Miles and the audience, but he didn’t do anything—and she shook her hands out with a sigh. “My, oh my, Mr. Lee. Our first challenger in months, and he’s tearing through us. Maybe we should have gotten back in the ring instead of letting these cute little bugs handle it.”
There were claps and murmurs from the crowd, and Miles couldn’t help but be curious about that story.
“At this rate, I think you might be right, Kitty.” Ganke sighed dramatically. “But, then again, if we destroyed him first try, we wouldn’t have anything for this great crowd!” The audience cheered, and Miles couldn’t help but clap along. “And you all really have been wonderful tonight; thank you all so much for coming out—”
“You do know we’re not done, right?” Margo asked playfully.
Ganke pulled a face and pretended to wince. “Are you sure we can’t be done now?” He groaned, resting an arm over his eyes. “You know how he gets.”
Margo smirked, thumping a rhythm on the table that the audience was quick to copy with their hands. “Ladies and Gentlemen—and, of course, our dear New Fish—I want you to give me your best!” The volume grew louder, and Miles felt tingly with the energy swelling. “It’s down to the wire; the last roundup; this one’s for all the marbles! Let’s hear it for Spider-Punk!”
The audience roared—as much as, like, twenty people could compare to a roar—and a good number of them stomped as they clapped. The locker room door opened, and, predictably, Miles saw the tall British man that had inspired his dumb stage name. He bounced a bit on his toes, smiling excitedly as he watched his approach.
Spider-Punk walked confidently, with his robe already thrown over his shoulder instead of being worn. He was also wearing a cropped shirt, funny enough, but it was underneath a battle vest covered in cool patches. He wore a pair of pajama pants too—much more obvious than Ghost’s just by the pattern—and they were cut off just below his knees. He was wearing black lipstick, which he definitely hadn’t been the first time Miles had passed him. He motioned to the crowd with one hand as he purposefully draped the robe over Margo’s head, encouraging them to get louder before he stepped onto the mat.
“Well, well, well…” He practically purred, and Miles felt like a shock ran through him. “Big fish in a small pond, aren’t ya?”
Miles’ eyes lit up, and his hands flapped a bit as his brain failed to process a response.
“You’re doing the thing.” His opponent half-whispered to him, gesturing to his hands, and Miles flinched just a bit nervously. Spider-Punk grinned, chuckling. “Not sayin’ you should stop, love. Ghost’ll get you wound up like that, she’s pretty fun.”
Miles let himself giggle at that and nodded. “I mean, yeah, she’s pretty cool for a ghost.” He said coolly. “Shrieks like one, too.”
Spider-Punk snorted, shaking his head as he smirked. “Fair play, fair play.”
Miles crossed his arms as they started to circle each other. “So, turns out you actually were the final boss, huh? What was that about me not lasting a minute?”
“Oh, you remember that, eh?” He laughed just a bit mockingly, his eyes scanning over Miles before his grin somehow grew even more smug. “I still stand by it.” He asserted with a shrug, resting his hands on his hips.
Miles scoffed, mimicking his little pose and rolling his eyes. “You really want to say that when you know I just wrecked two of your friends?”
Spider-Punk suddenly broke from his path, walking straight toward Miles and spooking him into a half stumble. “Do you really want to ask that when you don't know why they saved me for last?” He reached out quickly to grab Miles by his shirt to stop him from falling, pulling him sharply into a tight hug. Miles flailed slightly, bringing his hands to rest on his opponent’s arms where they squeezed softly around his neck. His own arms were completely free, but his brain also might have been overheating. He could hear the sneer in Spider-Punk’s voice when it tickled his ear. “Your freckles pop up when you blush~”
Miles fell into squeaky giggles, pulling at Spider-Punk’s arms as best he could, and his opponent only hummed casually at the effort, rolling his eyes as he rested his chin on Miles’ head and scribbled gently at his shoulders. Miles quickly switched tactics, digging his fingers into the punk’s armpits. The taller man flinched pretty hard, half a snort slipping out as he let himself laugh. Or, actually, he kind of giggled. It was rough and bass-sounding, almost scratchy, like he was just barely resisting. The crowd behind him murmured softly.
“Oh, not this again.” Miles chuckled teasingly, keeping his voice mostly low this time. “You just want to get tickles, tough guy?” He squirmed just a bit when long fingers trailed down the center of his back.
“Wouldn’t you like to kn—” Spider-Punk’s voice hitched on a louder laugh when Miles dropped his hands to scribble on bare skin and squeeze his sides, and he flinched backwards when Miles pressed his thumbs against his hipbones. Miles grinned a bit smugly as the punk stepped back, and he crossed his arms as he stepped forward.
“I wouldn’t have thought someone so cool would be so cute when he gets a few little scratches.” He taunted before faking a pout. “I expected more fight out of you though, punk.”
Spider-Punk chuckled lightly, making a bit of a show in slightly covering his sides. “You sure know how to make a girl feel special, don’t you?” He teased right back, setting his chin on one hand and batting his eyes. His nail polish matched his lipstick perfectly. “You should watch yourself though~ Could be in bigger trouble than you think.”
Miles laughed, cracking his knuckles. “Well, the bigger they are…”
“That doesn’t even work for—” Spider-Punk didn’t put up much resistance when Miles hooked his arm and more or less dragged him to the floor, and he laughed brightly Miles tickled across his stomach.
“Ooh, he’s got him on the ropes, huh~?” Margo asked playfully, nudging Ganke with her elbow.
Ganke shot her a sideways glance, pout set on his lips. “Shut up.” He huffed with a chuckle, and she laughed.
Miles’ focus was stuck on Spider-Punk, his grin turning more playful as he let his fingers skitter lightly on his opponent’s back and relished the giggles it brought out of him. He had pulled Spider-Punk’s arm across his shoulders, clutching his wrist in his left hand while he tickled along his back and opposite side.
“Y’know, ‘Spider-Punk’…” Miles mused softly. “If Claw had told me that I’d just be thrown into a fake tournament to tease a bunch of adorable lees to death, I probably wouldn’t have even believed him. I’d say I’m disappointed, but it’s been pretty fun.”
The punk huffed out a laugh, sounding much more derisive than ticklish all of a sudden. “Is that what you think?”
Without any warning, Spider-Punk shifted the hand in Miles’ grip, his fingers managing to scratch along his ribcage and chip some startled giggles out of him. His other hand shot to dig into Miles’ side, completely exposed with how his arm was wrapped around the punk’s back. Miles yelped, immediately letting go of the wrist he held to flee; his opponent snickered, keeping his arm hooked across Miles’ shoulders and holding him close as he pulled some squeaky laughs from his side.
“And there it is.” Ganke fake-pouted as the audience started to get riled up. “Every time with this one.”
Margo was absolutely ecstatic, giggling brightly as she leaned on his shoulder. “If it ain’t broke, y’know? Maybe you should have warned him~”
Miles laughed and tried to flail, but the tickles he landed on the punk’s ribs were hardly distracting him. Instead, Spider-Punk leaned back, pulling his arm from around Miles’ shoulder while his other hand shoved him down to the mat. He was strong. Like, way stronger than Miles expected. When Miles tried to grab at his arm and pull, he couldn’t move an inch, and he wasn’t even sure if Spider-Punk was using his full weight. The giddy sort of panic must have shown in his eyes, because the taller man sneered as he loomed over him.
“Caught in a web, poor thing.” He taunted as he locked his knees around Miles’ legs, ruffling his hair with his free hand before leaning close. “You got a lot to learn, New Fish. For example…” He took a deep breath, and Miles didn’t even get time to panic before he was squealing with laughter as a loud raspberry was blown into the crook of his neck. His legs tried to kick, but his opponent gave him zero leeway. It didn’t help at all when he tried to push him away, only to get scribbling fingers in both of his armpits as another raspberry hit him.
Miles might have broken a little under all that; sue him.
“Oh, yeah, he’s dead.” Margo snickered as their challenger shrieked and writhed under Spider-Punk’s hold.
“Yeah…” Ganke admitted, but he glanced at Margo with a smirk. “You would know though, wouldn’t you? You have a thing or two in common with him.” He snuck a poke just under her arm, and she nearly whacked him with her microphone with how hard she flinched.
Miles, meanwhile, was trying his best to be tough, his hands gripping Spider-Punk’s sleeves to keep from flailing. Those long fingers drilled right into the center of his hollows, and his head fell back against the mat as he cackled. Spider-Punk chuckled over him, finally pulling away from his neck to whisper in his ear again.
“So, who’s the adorable little lee here again, bruv~? You talk so big, but I break brats like you.”
Miles tried to shove the punk’s face, earning some faster scribbles whenever his arms moved an inch. Spider-Punk sneered and pulled one of his hands back, catching Miles’ wrist and blowing another raspberry against his palm. His reaction was much squeakier than attacks on his weak spots, but Miles more or less collapsed in a slight daze. The punk slowly lifted his hands, chuckling a bit deviously as the poor fish tried to catch his breath.
“I’ll give it to ya, mate; you’re a tough one.” Spider-Punk taunted, slipping his hand into his pocket. “Or you’re a hypocrite. Hopin’ it’s the former, since a funny thing happens to hypocrites around here~” He drew his hand back up, and it was covered by a strange-looking glove.
“Oh, Murder Claw!” Margo shouted, and the audience went wild.
“You actual cheating bastard!” Ganke scolded with a grin. “I told you not to bring that!”
“Murder Claw! Murder Claw!” Half of the audience chanted with Margo leading on her mic.
“Margo, don’t encourage this!”
She elbowed him teasingly before playfully punching his side. “Aw, c’mon, Tiger, where’s that Panther blood?!”
“We're supposed to be behaving!” Ganke couldn't help but laugh as the energy swelled.
Miles watched nervously as Spider-Punk wound a little dial on the wrist of the glove. Something about the sound of the mechanism clicking felt…familiar. Coiling springs? It all happened within a few seconds; Miles tried to grab Spider-Punk’s sleeve, only for him to snatch his wrist and pin it firmly over his head. The pure mischief on his face was going to kill Miles before his hands did.
“Go on and give ‘em a show, lovely.” He whispered, showing off the glove on his hand before pressing one of the fingers to the side of Miles’ neck. He felt a sort of click, instantly followed by rapid vibrations that had him nearly screeching. It was barely more than two seconds, but it was almost worse than the raspberries. When the four other fingers pressed into his armpit all at the same time, Miles knew it was over. Quick as it was, that buzzing sensation had him hysterical, and his free hand flailed against the mat as he tried to writhe.
“The Fish is cooked! It’s all over!” Margo shouted over the roar of the crowd.
Spider-Punk gave him another smirk and a cheeky-bastard wink before pushing himself onto his feet, except Miles caught him gently by his wrist.
“That…was definitely more than a minute.” Miles said softly through quiet breaths.
Spider-Punk seemed to light up, barely stifling an incredulous laugh. “You don’t quit! I like it.” He said softly, taking Miles’ hand in a quick handshake before letting it fall. He grinned smugly as Margo ran to his side and hugged him with one arm.
“Your reigning champion, folks!” She called out to the audience. “Give it up for Spider-Punk!” The tall man raised his hands dramatically as the crowd clapped excitedly, seeming to relish in the attention as they started to get up and talk to him and each other.
Miles was content to stay on the mat for a moment with his tired giggles, and Ganke approached to offer him a hand. He might have gotten a little dizzy when he was heaved to stand up, but he played it off with a smirk. Ganke ruffled his hair and snuck a tickle behind his ear, and Miles shouldered him playfully as he went to do his walk of shame. But Ganke grabbed him by his shirt, pointing him toward the locker room door that his opponents had been entering from. Miles glanced at him for confirmation, getting a quick nod and a shooing motion before Ganke went to stand beside Spider-Punk.
“What a freakin’ upset, huh?” Margo said teasingly, leaning to look at Ganke.
“Yeah, I’m upset!” He insisted exaggeratedly, shaking his head as Spider-Punk hugged him to his side. “Should have known you’d let him cheat again.”
Margo laughed right back. “Well, since you want to be boring all of a sudden, and the crew’s on leave, someone has to keep up the Panther vibe, yeah?!”
--------------
Miles let them and the crowd’s chatter fade behind him as he entered the locker room. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous. It wasn’t even any different from the first one. Except, well, this one had a ghost leaning in from the door leading to the hallway. She quickly motioned him to follow her, holding the door open before jogging away.
They wound up at a meeting room upstairs, where Sona opened the door after they knocked.
“Told you so.” Ghost said playfully as they entered the room, and Miles rolled his eyes as Sona laughed. There were six pizza boxes on the tables in the back and a cooler stashed underneath next to what he assumed were their bags and things.
“He cheated, didn’t he?” Sona asked once the door was closed, playfully nudging Miles with his elbow.
“Is it really cheating when we know he’s going to do it though?” Ghost rummaged in the cooler for a juice pouch before also snatching a half-finished water bottle from the edge of the table.
“I feel kind of cheated.” Miles said with a shrug, crossing his arms.
The pair of them looked at him with wary expectation, seemingly worried about him.
“I mean, I had a whole fight with you—” He looked pointedly as Ghost. “—And I didn’t even know raspberries were legal. Seems unfair to me.”
He let a taunting grin spread across his lips as Ghost glared at him with a rising blush. Sona had burst out laughing, patting him on his shoulder.
“I really hope you stick around, Fish; you’re hilarious.” He giggled.
“Yeah, you’ll be laughing, all right.” Ghost pouted for a moment, but she started to laugh along with Sona.
“Oh, that reminds me!” Sona stood in front of him, resting his hands on his hips as if he was a superhero or something. “My name is Pavitr. Forgive me if it’s forward, but you’re Miles, right? It’s so cool to finally meet you!”
Miles was a little surprised, but he quickly realized what had happened. “I take it Ganke talks about me a lot?” He asked with a chuckle.
“Oh, definitely.” Ghost nodded, smiling as she leaned slightly on the circular table in the middle of the room. “And somehow, he neglected to mention that you’re a five-alarm tease.”
“Well, time and place, y’know.” He shrugged, chuckling. “Although, I guess I haven’t teased him in a while~”
“You are something else.” Ghost said, playfully flinging the now empty water bottle at Miles’ head before offering a handshake. “I’m Gwen, by the way.”
Miles accepted it without any mischief this time, and she smiled much more genuinely this time. Pavitr approached him from the side, pressing a cold bottle of water against his arm and giggling as he snatched it from him.
“You can grab a plate, by the way.” He offered, opening his own water bottle to take a drink. “We kind of got them for you. Oh, except those two big ones on the end.”
“Oh, yeah?” Miles chuckled, as if he hadn’t been eying the table since he’d walked in. Of course, he had to have been raised to never take the first plate.
Gwen nodded, pushing herself up to sit on the table. “We haven’t had a tournament in a long time, and it’s been even longer since we had a new challenger. We’re celebrating a little, and since somebody didn’t win, it’s more a little party for all of us.”
“You really do snark a lot for someone in a crop top.” Miles grinned and shook his head.
“Maybe, but at least I’m not the one with spider bites on my neck.” She taunted, and Miles could feel his face heating up as he realized what she meant. She laughed teasingly as he covered the side of his neck with one hand.
The door opened suddenly, and a very loud Spider-Punk burst in with Ganke, Margo, and a couple of faces from the audience in tow. “Oi, oi, what’s up, losers?!”
Gwen sighed loudly. “There goes the neighborhood.” She rolled her eyes and smirked as he approached her first.
“Love you too, Gwendy~” He said playfully, ruffling her hair as he leaned to kiss her forehead. His smile widened as he spotted Miles, and he strode up to him like he could definitely tell Miles’ head was spinning. “You stuck around, huh?” He offered his hand and that stupid wink. “Hobie Brown, at ya service, love.”
Accepting the handshake was apparently the wrong decision, because it ended in Miles being yanked into a tight hug as Hobie laughed a bit mockingly. He wasn’t even doing anything, but Miles couldn’t help laughing with him and trying to squirm away, only for Pavitr and Gwen to pile on the two of them.
Ganke had placed Miles’ shoes and things under the table with the others’ stuff, and Margo had done the same with their boombox and microphones. She grabbed the two set-aside pizza boxes, handing them over to the theater club members along with heaps of gratitude for their presence. They happily accepted both before waving to all of them as they left. As soon as they did, the pair of former hosts turned to the interesting little hug-fight their four friends had gotten into.
“Guys!” Margo called, managing to get their attention. “You were all fantastic out there! Miles, they loved you! Hell, we loved you!” She stepped forward, and Hobie let Miles go so she could grab onto his hands excitedly as she spoke. “I wasn’t even kidding, Ganke, where on Earth were you hiding this one?!”
Ganke shrugged, crossing his arms. “What can I say? I like to have an ace or two up my sleeve.” He said with a smirk. “It has been a while since I’ve seen you go all out like that though, hasn’t it?”
Miles grinned a bit proudly. “You know I like to make a good first impression.”
“I have literally never heard that about you, but go off, I guess.”
Miles pouted a bit as the others laughed.
Within minutes, they were all around the circular table, plates piled with pizza slices and cracking soda cans. Miles leaned on his hand to look Ganke in the eye.
“So, how long has this been going on anyway?” He asked, just a bit incredulously. “You never mentioned it while I was gone.”
Ganke nearly glared at him halfway through a bite of pizza. “I told you I made some new friends after you left! And I definitely remember telling you I joined a club.”
“Yeah, and I thought you meant a robotics club or something, not, like, tickle tournaments! You didn’t think I’d be interested in that part?”
Ganke chuckled. “It’s not that I didn’t think you'd be interested.” He set down the slice and leveled a sneer at him. “I just know you get weak around too many cute people.”
Miles nearly choked on the sip of water he’d taken, and he could feel eyes on him as the table got quiet. They were all smiling, some more smugly than others, and Miles buried his face in his hands.
“Asshole…” He groaned, only to flinch a little when Gwen poked his cheek. He glanced at her, and she giggled, and Hobie smirked, and Pavitr grinned.
“Especially cute lees~” Ganke whispered, blowing across the side of his neck, and he barely stopped himself from jumping out of the chair. The others stifled laughter as Miles felt like he was going to melt from the heat rushing to his face, which he promptly dropped into his arms on the table.
“You’re all rosy, mate.” Yeah, like Hobie really needed to tell him that.
He recognized Ganke’s hand patting him on the back. “Sooo~?”
“’M free on Friday…?” He offered.
“We’ve got an Initiation Day!” Ganke shook him by the shoulder as the whole table cheered, and Miles felt himself smiling as hands ruffled his hair and pat his back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Panda's Extra Notes: Some minor things for consideration.
*I might go back and retcon it, but I'm considering using one of Hobie's beta designs for this AU. Specifically the one with his long braids.
*Miles falls under the Ace umbrella here, hence the joke Ganke makes toward the end. He is very vulnerable to "tickle-crushes", though. And actual crushes, obviously, but we'll get to that later. >w<
#tickling#a panda writes a thing#hobie brown#atsv tickle#miles morales#across the spiderverse#gwen stacy#pavitr prabhakar#ganke lee#margo kess#atsv tickling#spiderverse tickle
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Rope Him In ( Cato x District 10! Reader x slight! Marvel) Pt. 3
Summary: (Y/n) is a horse girl.
A/n: I love Pradain
Pt.2 Pt.1
____________________________________
Chapter 3: The Capitol
Buckley’s laughter subsided as the train stopped. Pradain hurriedly gathered his belongings and made sure the two of you were ready and presentable.
“God, we’ve got to do something about that blood-stained shirt of yours.” Pradain said, looking around the room. “You, give her your shirt.” He ordered Ramsey, who was already unbuttoning his flannel.
The tall mentor draped his cologne-drenched flannel on top of you and you fixed it onto your body. “Thank you.”
The station was large, the structure looked so futuristic you wondered how they managed to build it up so high.
“Alright, so first you’re going to go check in.” Dolly explained to the two of you. “Then you’ll get taken in to get groomed.” She continued.
“After that you’ll meet your assigned stylist and you’ll get your clothes fitted onto you.” Ramsey butted in. “After that we head to the chariots. There’s time in between where the tributes just wait, so you’ll have time to scope out the tributes, don’t form any alliances yet.”
“Save that for the training days, and don’t make enemies.” Dolly said, looking both of you and Buckley in the face.
“So… When do we get to eat?” Buckley said, looking around for any signs of animals.
“Don’t worry ‘bout that bud. You have about a week or so to enjoy the food.” Ramsey said.
Your little group walked and you could see other trains arrive behind yours. Up ahead were other groups, walking into the station that would lead to one of the city's entrances.
“‘S kinda cold,” Buckley whispered to you.
“It is, isn't it? Not warm and cozy like home.” You said a little sarcastically commenting on the Texan heat.
It felt like miles until you made it to the Capitol’s entrance. Your mouth was open like a little kid witnessing Christmas lights for the first time. The Capitol looked advanced yet so bland. There were people everywhere crowding around barriers to witness the tributes fresh from the trains. You felt like a zoo animal, everyone’s eyes trying to peek at you.
When you made it to the tribute building you had to line up with the female tributes as the workers pricked your fingers and gave you a quick physical. The people here looked so clean. Not a single blemish on their skin. Even their beauty marks were drawn on. You wondered if they were even human. To you it seemed like an alternate universe run by alien creatures.
You managed to look over at the male tribute line looking for Buckley. Unfortunately, your eyes caught green-blue eyes with a brown tint. He raised a blonde eyebrow at you and you quickly looked away from the tall boy.
Dolly led you to some doors and behind them were people who were dressed in white smocks holding magnifying glasses. The victor handed you over to a tall dark skinned lady and a shorter man with green eyebrows.
“(Y/n), these are Silica and Depil. Now don’t be scared, they’re not going to hurt you, they're only here to help you ok? You’ll be fine.” The curly haired woman told you as the pair grabbed you by your arms and led you into a room with copious white lights.
“We got a lot to work with.” Silica said as she handed you a hospital gown. “Put this on, take off everything.” She instructed you as she and her partner gathered their first materials.
They hosed you off first then threw some white powder all over your body- your guess was that they were trying to de-flea you, not like you needed it anyways. They rinsed you again, this time scrubbing your body. It felt so dehumanizing. You had to zone out in order to not cry through the whole thing. The two worked to wax you, groom your facial hair, and polish your nails until they were sparkling. They even cut a few inches off your hair, making it a little shorter than how you liked it.
When they were done they rolled their carts away, leaving you alone to look at yourself. The smell was fragrant, sweet almost like candy. It was good and you couldn’t help but sniff your arms where the perfume lingered. Mid sniff was when your stylist walked in. She wore a huge purple wig that ran down her back. Her caramel skin shimmered with glitter as she stepped into the lit room. Her icy blue eyes looked at you and she smiled, “Oh you’re the perfect canvas,” She said, and you couldn’t help but notice the gems on her teeth,
“Hello darling, I’m Sashay.” She greeted you, her skin-tight outfit hugging her body as she shimmied closer to you. “Now, you’re from 10 right?”
“Yes.” You told her, eyes fixed on her beauty.
“(Y/n)? Right? Or do you prefer something else?” She asked, picking up your arm which you retracted at first but then eased into her touch.
“(Y/n)’s fine.” Your body shifted on the cold metallic bed.
“Alright well, I want to congratulate you for being so brave.” She started taking your hand. “I’m going to style you during your time here. I’m here to make sure you look stunning in the eyes of the Capitol.” Sashay smiled, kissing your hand. “Do you have any questions?”
You could still feel the ghost stings of the wax strips as you stood up to walk to Sashay’s studio. “Not at the moment.”
“Alright then.”
The two of you walked into her studio where colorful clothing littered the racks they were hung on. She had a portfolio displayed on an easel, and a large sketch of a cowgirl outfit on another.
“Me and Buckley’s stylist worked together on these.” She said holding up a clothing hanger containing your outfit.
On the hanger was a cowboy button up, it was white and gold and had tassels alongside the arms. The bottoms were golden chaps, also tassel. Just as you were about to ask where the rest of the pants were, Sashay turned to you.
“You’ll be wearing shorts with those.” She told you. “There’s a matching hat and boots.” Sashay tells you as she gets out her sketchpad and pencil and begins to scribble on it while staring at you intensely.
“I’ll help you get dressed in a moment dear.” She speaks, her sultry voice powerful.
Red creeps up to your face. Were you actually going to wear this costume? Your legs would be out and about in front of millions of people. You were nervous to say the least. You wondered if Buckley would have to wear the same exact thing.
“So cowboys huh?” Cowboys were basically eradicated 50 years ago, since the President thought they were a group of rebels. Of course he wasn’t wrong, but cowboy and vaquero culture had been long gone from 10. “Isn’t that against the rules?” You asked, but you were glad that you weren’t going out dressed as a giant chicken or pig.
“Oh please sweetie, last year the tributes from 12 were practically naked. There are no rules when it comes to fashion. Except the ones that prevent people from wearing horrendous clothes.” Sashay tells you as she finishes her sketch. “Alright then love, let’s make you pretty.
Taking a huff of air you nodded and hesitantly took off the hospital gown. Sashay delicately placed the golden undergarments on your body, soon following them up with the actual costume. “Hair and makeup will be done by your grooming team.” She explained as she buttoned up the shirt. “So hold onto the hat and put it on when you’re on your chariot.” She buckled the belt on you, making sure the chaps weren’t falling off.
“Sadly I couldn’t get you a lasso, it would’ve added so much, but Snow said no props.” Her hands tied a little bolo tie around you. “You look so dashing.” She stepped away to take in her work.
You felt like a little girl’s doll. The costume fit you well, except Sashay had to pin a few things into place and sew in an extra button. You held onto the golden hat and looked at her with scared eyes. She pointed to a mirror covered by a curtain. As you walked to it and flung the curtain to the side you almost gasped. This was the first time you saw yourself since arriving. Your hair was shiny, your skin looked flawless- all previous scars were gone, the costume hugged you in all the right places. The only thing really bugging you was the lack of pants, though the chaps managed to cover a majority of your legs. The little golden shorts were too skimpy for your taste, but you had to admit that Sashay really worked her magic on you.
“Come on now, 15 minutes until curtain. Let’s see if Silica and Depil can work under pressure. Oh who am I kidding? Of course they can!” She laughed as she took you out of her studio and back out into the grooming room.
“No time- turns out we start at 10.” Depil says, his brows straight and serious. “We’re gonna have to walk and work.” He told Sashay as Silica came to your right side. Together the two pampered your face with creams and oils, brushing color into your skin as the four of you walked out the building into an overpass leading to an outdoor stadium. Once you were out there your vision was filled with chaos.
There were tributes still getting dressed, chariots the size of two cows, tributes boarding said chariots, and mentors walking around and socializing.
“Goodness Depil, you’ve got to get that clock fixed. We have 20 minutes until the chariots start.” Sashay scolded, realizing there was no need to rush.
“My bad.” The green haired man apologizes as he seats you down to work on your hair.
He works quickly, braiding your hair then lifting it up into a milkmaid hairstyle. He added golden tinsel extensions to your hair, creating the illusion of twinkling locks. Gold eyeshadow was patted all over your lids, a sweet cream of gloss added to your lips, and as the finishing touch- they unbuttoned the top two buttons on your shirt.
“Stunning.”
“Gorgeous.”
“Fabulous work.”
The team of three admired you.
“My goodness you made her so pretty!” A lady who Sashay called Effie smiled brightly, as she awed at you.
Warmth filled your face and a shy smile found its way to your lips. “Thank you for your hard work.” You said bowing your head in a slight curtsey.
“Thank you for cooperating (Y/n.)” Sashay grinned.
Dolly eventually ended her conversation with another mentor and came over to ogle at you as well. “I’m not just saying this because I’m your mentor, but I think you’re the prettiest one here.” She winked.
“You can say that again.” A voice came from behind you. It was Buckley. He too was wearing an outfit similar to yours, except he had actual pants. The front two buttons on his shirt were undone as well.
“You look like your dad.” Came your reply trying to avert the comment.
District 10 was one where everyone knew everyone. You included. You had previously met Buckley’s dad before his passing, he was quite kind to you and Amaranto, in fact he was one of the people who suggested you start working out at the slaughterhouse to make more ends meat.
“Damn, Do I look that old already?” He joked, looking at himself in the reflection of your eyes.
“Alright Kiddos, all you gotta do is go on the chariots and wave. It’s like a parade-” Ramsey said behind Buckley.
“It is a parade.” Dolly corrected. “You need to make the crowd love you so smile, blow kisses, throw out a few winks if you need to.”
“Oh! Tip your hats, they’ll love that.” Pradain said emerging with a wine glass. “You two look stunning.” He complimented.
“First time you’ve said something nice to us.” Buckley said with a joking smile.
As your little district 10 team chatted away, your gaze wandered around the room. You had to admit, your costumes were one of the best. The first place prize has to go to the tributes from 12. They looked sharp in their all black costumes, made them look powerful even. District 11 wore clothes similar to the fancy clothes in 10, and you wondered why their stylist didn’t put more effort into their costumes. As you scanned the room your eye was caught by another pair of gold wearing tributes. The careers from two, armored with gold plates. It was obvious their costumes had to be the most expensive ones. You were almost done looking at the other tributes when pink filled your eyes.
Like a routine you made eye contact with the male from 1. He looked silly in the shimmering pink outfit and you tilted your head in confusion. He took notice and grinned, his own eyes looking you up and down before the girl from 1 snapped him back into the conversation she was having with their mentors.
“Don’t stare too much.” Ramsey whispered to you. “They might think you want to kill them.”
Nodding you spent the rest of your wait time talking to Dolly, asking her about her time in the capitol when she was a tribute in the games. Immediately you could hear the roars and cheers of the citizens as more of them began to fill the stadium’s seats. As if on time your heart started beating and the realization that you would be out in a crowd of people made you break into a sweat. As your head began to spin and the room seemed more cramped a harsh poke distracted you from your thoughts.
“(Y/n), Look!” Buckley exclaimed, attracting stares. “Horses!”
Whatever nerves you had were gone out the window when your eyes landed on the dark elegant creatures that trotted gracefully into view.
“Horses..” A whisper came from your mouth and you were teleported to your childhood.
The golden sun sets on the dry grass as your laughs fill the scene. Your mother with (h/c) hair and (s/c) skin waves you towards her as she grips onto the hair of a horse. Her boots bounce slightly at the sides of the animal as it trots her further along the field. You follow closely behind her, gaining speed as your own surpasses her. “Look Ma! Bet ya can’t catch up to me!” You giggle as you continue to ride into the light.
Without warning your legs move you towards the black animal. The handler looks at you curiously but her face relaxes as you pet the animal’s side. Slowly more horses come in, each of them assigned to a chariot. You had forgotten all about the horses, since the cameras only ever focus on tributes and their faces.
“They’re beautiful.” You tell Buckley as the two of you stare at them longingly. “I wanna ride one.”
“What?” He looks at you as if you’re crazy. “You can’t be serious right?”
“Dolly said all we had to do was get their attention.” You reminded him.
“That is true… Do you even remember how?” He asked, “Is that even allowed?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’ll have to find out.” You said with a determination that Buckley hadn’t seen since middle school.
The stage directors flooded the area once there was three minutes left. They ordered everyone onto their respective chariots while stylists did their finishing touches. Your team waved at you as the chariots were ordered, the first one heading out already as the drums played them in. One by one the chariots were let out, your turn inching closely. You had a plan however, a plan so crazy you had zero chance of knowing if it would work. Buckley watched you intently, wondering if your crazy ass would actually go through with it.
You waited for your chance. Outside the people were cheering at the tributes, throwing flowers at the ones they liked, hooting and hollering at the ones they really liked. The announcers’ commentary boomed throughout the stadium, their backhanded compliments making the Capitol citizens giggle. As your chariot neared the path 's opening you hopped off the chariot, making Buckley laugh and your mentors curse profanely.
“What the hell are you doing, get back on!” They yelled as peacekeepers were starting to make their way to you.
The tributes both in front and behind you looked at your chariot wondering what all the commotion was. Hastily you ran up to the animal, struggling to get up on the horse. You repeatedly apologized to the horse as you grabbed onto its hair and finally fixed yourself on top of it. The horse neighed and bucked around a bit as you finally got out the arch and into the path of the parade.
“What the!” Caesar Flickerman exclaimed as the cameras focused in on you.
“What in the Capitol’s gem is happening ?” His fellow commentator yelled.
You struggled to calm the horse down, your body tightening its grip so as to not fall off the horse.
“Careful!” Buckley told you.
“I got it!” You exclaimed as you soothed the horse. “SHhh it's ok, it's alright.” You had no idea how lucky you had gotten.
The horse finally calmed down and you were finally able to look up at the crowd. Your face was being displayed on the holographic banners, the cheers and screams so loud your ears began to ring. Buckley waved eagerly, tipping his hat and taking it off to wave with it. You smiled, out of joy- not for being the star of the minute, but for being able to ride a horse for the first time after a long time. Your hand went up to wave at the crowd and people were smiling at you, throwing roses and other accessories at both you and Buckley.
“What a hoot!” Flickerman laughed, “(Y/n) Cuernos from district 10! Riding one of the chariot horses! You don’t see that everyday!” He smiled at the camera.
“Now those tributes are proud members of 10, look at them! They’re quite brave aren’t they?” The other announcer said, “And those hats! Who knew an old worker’s hat could look so dapper!”
Eventually the cheers died out, the crowd erupting once again and louder when the tributes from 12 came out, their bodies on fire, yet not burning. As the chariot reached the end you came face to face with other victors who were already displayed below the president. One haunting almost threatening stare stuck with you. It was the tribute from 2. The one with golden armor. He clapped his hands as you trotted by, his green eyes not leaving your person once. During the president’s speech you looked over and of course he was still boring eyes into your clothes.
As the tributes were dismissed you could hear Buckley from behind you on the chariot. “There’s the (Y/n) I remember.” He said, his accent thick on your name.
“They’re gonna kill me aren’t they?” You asked the boy.
“Oh yeah. Dolly’s gonna freak.” He chuckled.
And of course he was right. When the two of you got backstage, a furious Dolly was fuming. Ramsey helped you off the horse and patted your back. “You are one crazy son of a bitch.” He laughed.
“(Y/n)! What the hell were you thinking!” She said, her hand on your shoulder.
“You told me to-”
“I told you to get their attention! Not ride the damn horse!” She huffed.
“I think she got their attention alright.” Pradain said, sipping his glass of wine.
“You’re gonna get us in trouble!” Dolly feared.
“Please, she’ll be fine. If anything they’ll take it out on her in the arena.” Ramsey soothed the curly haired mentor.
Buckley only smiled at the interaction.
“Well if it isn't a little Miss Badass.” A deep voice interrupted your exchange with the mentors. Turning around you spotted the blonde haired roman soldier from 2. “You’re smart, you know that? What you did out there.” He continued. His presence was threatening, you felt as if he was going to kill you then and there. “That was a good move on your part 10, stealing all my sponsors.” He shook his head disapprovingly. He wore a menacing smile. It was far from friendly. “Can’t wait to see what else you have up your sleeve. If you even have anything up there.” He finished before walking back to his team.
“The hell is his problem?” Buckley asked, standing in front of you as to shield you from the career’s stare.
“Don’t know and don’t want to find out.” You replied. “How is it that I already made an enemy?” You asked.
“That’s Cato from 2.” A district 7 girl told you as she walked by, taking her headpiece off and placing it on a nearby table. “I heard he’s a real jerk. Threatened one of the Avoxes for bumping into him before the parade started.” She finished.
Slowly your pupil went to the corner of your eyes, seeing if you could get another glance at the unit of a tribute. Unfortunately for you, his gaze was permanently fixed on you. A smile- that of a psychopath stuck on his lips.
There was no way you were going to survive the games with him around.
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Tags: @randomgurl2326
#fanfic#xreader#reader insert#x cato#cato hadley#the hunger games fanfiction#74th hunger games#the hunger games#katniss everdeen#marvel#romance#tribute#district 10#xtribute reader#peeta mellark#coriolanus snow#jack quaid#x reader
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What if after the whole “the town thinks I killed my friend and went on a serial rampage” thing Eddie is fucking FREAKED.
And he decides this is it I’m gonna walk the straight and narrow I’m gonna be better I’m gonna be a model fucking citizen. No more selling, no more doing even.
And it really shocks the shit out of everyone how cold Turkey eddie is able to get off the shit and give Rick his inventory back (“take it man don’t even pay me back I want this off my hands for good”) but he’s just had the most intense horrifying beyond scared straight experience ever.
And he’s kinda struck like shit, I don’t know where to go from here. The town still hates me, I have 0 marketable real world skills, I don’t actually know how to be a person.
And Steve, every the beautiful and daft, in the middle of one of Eddie’s freak outs suggests “why don’t you just like, ask hopper how to get your life together? He’s like the chief authority on getting your life back in order. And you know, he’s a cop, so”
And half of Eddie wants strange Steve because that’s so stupid Hoppers a cop he’s horrified of those things.
But on the other hand… that beautiful man is right.
So he goes by the station during business hours (“hopper might as well be on the clock to deal with my shit”) to do just that. To ask hopper what the fuck he’s supposed to do now. With his life, with his new need for a job, anything.
And hopper is like “well, I could use a new secretary”.
And Eddie looks at him like he has 6 heads.
“Listen kid, it’s not a bad job. You file paper work, you man the phones, sometimes you run some stupid errands. You get good pay, you can get a real place for you and that uncle of yours, type of pay. You’ll have pretty decent insurance because you’ll be a state employee. Trust me kid it’s a good deal. You’re not fucking qualified but… listen, I know what you and Steve are and I love that boy like my own so, consider this some father in law nepotism. There’s no better way to look clean than working for the cops right?”
And Eddie feels like he should say no but… he really can’t.
Hopper starts training him that afternoon. He’s gotta get real people clothes, hopper hands him a $50 to get some slacks and shirts at the mall, and begs him to Atleast put the hair in a pony tail or something.
Eddie comes in the next day looking like a kid who borrowed his fathers suit for a funeral, it fits but he’s awkward and he’s got a fucking manbun that almost gave Steve a heart attack that morning.
His uncle said he was proud of him with a little sniffle and Eddie had to bolt out of the trailer before he started sobbing.
He looks every bit the functioning professional law abiding citizen, if a bit of a hippie with that hair.
He got his life in order: he’s got a real future he didn’t think he’d ever have.
I just think it’s nice.
#steddie#Eddie munson#jim hopper#this is fueled by my horrible anxiety#writing this made me a little better tbh
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Green Dayyyyy
Going to live events was never really my THING but Green Day being one of my favorite bands on this planet, I will move heaven and earth to see them live.
Anyway, adventure chronicled after the cut:
BART'ed into the city from the East Bay. Our transit system has gotten a bad rep over the years since COVID but the few times I've had to use it, I've never had any issues or weird interactions or anything. I'm probably too nondescript to be bothered with lol
Anyway went with my partner of 25 years who is also a massive Green Day fan (I wouldn't be with him if he wasn't tbh lol), and we managed to navigate to Oracle Park without getting lost, even though I was kinda worried that we'd gotten on the wrong MUNI train but we got to the stadium easily
I'm not a baseball fan so I've never been to Oracle before (and I didn't go to the Hella Mega Tour with Green Day, Weezer, and Fall Out Boy because I was still anxious about COVID) but it's a really nice stadium! And even though the A's are the East Bay team, the whole rigomarole and bullshit about moving the team to Vegas kinda soured me on the A's. But I will be a fair-weather Giants fan, sure. But yeah, Oracle (or AT&T Park as it was known for a while) is a great stadium. And the staff were all cool and helpful and friendly and a lot of them were also excited for the concert.
As soon as we got through the gates, I knew I wanted to get some merch. So I got a Saviors Tour shirt and one for the Linda Lindas too. And I picked up a patch because I'd heard that the patches were specific to each city and the one of San Francisco is pretty simple, but I kinda like it that way?
We got seats on the club level (because I am smol and old and I would not survive in the pit or floor) but I didn't realize how nice it was. Easy access to lots of food and more importantly, bathrooms. We passed by a ton of conssessions options getting to our seats, but we got garlic fries for a snack before the show. And then during the show, (right before Smashing Pumpkins took the stage) I hurried off to get pizza. The counter is run by Tony's Pizza (which is kind of a Bay Area thing, and one of my favorite pizzarias in our area).
And then Green Day happened and everything else is kind of a blur...
They played Dookie AND American Idiot in their entireties and along with some songs from their newest album Saviors (and also Minority and a few others). It was clear that Billie's voice was kind of faltering near the end, but he still had energy and passion and he was powering through it all because it was the homecoming show.
I also think the venue was the best venue because you could see San Francisco Bay and the fog rolling through made it so surreal and magical. Like...when the spotlights shot through that lingering fog and smoke from the pyrotechnics and became shafts of pure light shooting across the crowd
and idk about anyone else but Death of St. Jimmy hits SO MUCH HARDER when you're hearing "he blew his brains out into the Bay" and that's the fucking Bay, that's the Bay, right there. It's the Bay in the song. You can fucking see the fucking Bay. aldkjalsjdlsjkl lsdkjalksd
I sang along and so many other people did too and it was a fantastic experience, almost transcendent and i guess that's the power of live music and an energized crowd
I was trying not take too many photos and videos and just live in the moment but I did get some videos of the crowd when they had all their camera flashlights on and it turned out kinda magical
Had a bit of a walk trying to get back to BART because I didn't want to wait for the next Metro train (which would've taken 20 minutes and walking back to the BART station took less than that) and again, the BART ride back home was uneventful and actually pretty comfortable because I'm still enthused about the new traincars
honestly taking BART to the city and seeing Green Day is probably one of the most Bay Area things to do and I'm so happy that I've gotten to do this both at Oakland and now in San Francisco
i thought Billie roasting Vegas for stealing Oakland's sportsball teams was great and also a little ???? because hey, Vegas is where his very public rant/meltdown happened during that late I Heart Radio Festival set and then he went to rehab soon after so yeah...nothing good happens in Vegas :P
I'll be carrying the memories of last night for the rest of my life
some photos:
View from our club level seats. I was a little worried because Ticketmaster for some reason put in "Obstructed View" on our tickets after I'd bought them but the only obstruction was one of the speaker towers and honestly it wasn't much of an issue because I could still see the screens and most of the stage:
The poles at the stadium had Dookie & American Idiot flags, along with a Saviors tour flag, and also here's a view of the Bay:
The Linda Lindas were greattttt
#it's my life#these things i think#green day#my most favorite band#like...ever...#suicide mention cw#for death of st. jimmy lyrics
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Top Surgery/ Recovery Experience
I’m currently 3 days post-op from having peri with Mr Kneeshaw and his team in Hull so I thought I would write about my experience. This is everything that happened across the last 4 days from travelling up to Hull to surgery and my stay in the hospital to the journey back home. Apologies for weird layout, I’m on mobile.
I was scheduled for surgery on the 8th of March at 7:30am so my partner and I travelled up the day before by train and stayed in the Ibis near the station. We arrived at about 9:30pm as we left Cardiff at about 4pm due to me only being able to get a partial day of work. The train journey up wasn’t too bad, we had reserved seats that were close to each other (not always next to each other due to how busy it was but that was ok). We made sure to pack everything into one suitcase, one backpack and one small gym bag that was used as my overnight bag while in the hospital so that my partner could carry everything back on his own after surgery. As I wasn’t allowed to eat anything past midnight we stayed up pretty late to eat before going to bed. I was also rather anxious too so I wouldn’t have been able to sleep right away. Ive never had any kind of surgery before so I was worrying about what could happen and what it would feel like for a few days before which lead to several nights of not sleeping well.
On Wednesday we woke up at 6am, I had my final shower for a few weeks which I did take my time with and savour. It's only been 3 days so far and I already feel disgusting even though my partner has been helping me wash with baby wipes every morning since getting out of the hospital. Since my overnight bag had already been packed I didn’t need to do much in the morning except make sure my phone charger was added to it. In the end, I only ended up taking my dressing gown, slippers, a pair of joggers and a button shirt to wear as pyjamas and my phone charger. We left the hotel a little later than we had planned so we had to run to the bus station so that we would get the bus in time.
Hull does have a lot of buses that go to the hospital which is very good. We got on the 105 at 6:40 and we ended up getting to Entrance 2 of the hospital at about 7:10. We had to ask where ward 16 was at the main reception as the signs didn’t really make it clear but it wasn’t far and we arrived at the ward at about 7:20am.
Once we arrived they showed us to my room. They are all privet rooms with their own bathrooms which is very nice. While we waited for Mr Kneeshaw and his people to come to see us several nurses came around with things for me. They gave me a gown and a pair of compression stockings, and then someone came over with the evening meal menu for me to select what I wanted to eat in the evening. The food options were more extensive than I was expecting which was nice. Mr Kneeshaw came round shortly after to talk me through the procedure and to draw on me. We agreed on my nipples being in a slightly lower position than the average cis guy's nipples as my nipples sat kinda low anyway. I knew this would be happening when we discussed it in my initial consult back in August 2021 and I'm happy with it since it's not a big deal for them to be slightly lower than average to me. I then got changed into the gown and stockings and a nurse collected me from my room at 9am. They let me keep my own underwear on with the gown which I was thankful for. My partner left the hospital when I was taken down to the theatre as he wasn’t allowed to stay while I was in surgery. He got the bus from the hospital back to the hotel and waited for me to let him know I was awake.
When they took me down I had to sit in a little waiting area for a few minutes while they got my paperwork. After confirming my name, date of birth and allergies for the 10th time that morning they took me into the operating room. It was very cold there. I was in a thick fluffy dressing gown and I was still starting to shiver. They got me to lie on the table and gave me a warm blanket so that I wasn’t as cold. The people were all lovely and chatted with me as they got me prepped for surgery. They put a sticker on my glasses so that they knew they were mine before taking them off me. The anesthesiologist put the cannula into my hand which didn’t hurt that much but still wasn’t pleasant and then they gave me the oxygen mask and told me to take some deep breaths. Apparently, the anaesthetic was a multiple-part thing but I only saw the first part get put in as I was unconscious before the guy could even finish his sentence about what he was doing.
I woke up in recovery at 12:30 roughly, there was a clock on the wall in front of me so that was the first thing I saw. People are right when they say it doesn’t feel like any time had passed. It felt like I had blinked and, at that moment, had gone from the operating table to a bed in recovery. It was a little disorientating but since it had already been explained to me that’s what it would be like it didn’t take long for my brain to catch up. When I woke up I wasn’t in pain at all and I didn’t feel sick either, something they told me would likely be a possibility. I just felt a little sleepy. They took me back up to my room not long after I woke up and gave me my phone as I had left it on the bedside table. I text my partner to tell him I was awake and that he could come and see me now. Because of how far away we were staying and the bus times (it takes 40 minutes roughly for the bus to get from the bus/train station to the hospital) it took him about an hour and 15 minutes to actually arrive but that was ok because I knew he would be on his way so wasn’t worried. After texting him I called the nurse to help me get up to use the bathroom. As it was my first time standing after surgery she helped me get up off the bed and into the bathroom. I felt a little weird about having her there while I used the bathroom so I told her I would be fine on my own and she agreed to wait outside to help me back into bed after. It was difficult at first trying to sit down on the toilet since my legs felt really weak and I couldn’t put any pressure on my arms either to help lower myself. I got there eventually though and it was easier to get up after than it was to sit down. The nurse helped me back into bed and I slept for the remainder of the time before my partner arrived. About 5 minutes before he turned up a nurse came in to check my blood pressure, temperature and pulse rate so I was awake when he got there. Oh, I should mention that when I got up to use the bathroom they gave me two fabric bags to put the drains in and hang around my neck. These make walking around a lot easier.
Mr Kneeshaw and his team came to see me at about 4pm. He very briefly undid the post-op binder to check my chest was ok and he even quickly took a picture for me. I asked since I couldn’t get the angle myself to do it. After that, he put the binder back on tight and told me I couldn’t take it off at all now until my drains came out the next Friday. He said that everything went well with the surgery and looks good so left me to rest for the evening. Roughly every 2-3 hours someone would come in to check my blood pressure, pulse rate and temperature, this continued all the way through the night altho I didn’t mind too much as they were always polite about needing to wake me up.
After Kneeshaw had left, now that the binder was on slightly tighter than it previously had been I felt a little bit of pain down the centre of my chest. The nurses gave me paracetamol but told me I could have tramadol too if the pain got any worse. Luckily it didn’t and the paracetamol was all I needed. My partner stayed until about 6pm and then left so that we could both get some sleep. I spent the rest of the night in and out of sleep with the nurses coming in every few hours. At one point in the night, at about 1am I thought I could feel liquid dripping down both my sides so I called for someone to check I hadn’t dislodged a drain. I couldn’t feel any pain though but at the time I thought that was because whatever pain medication they gave me in the operating room was still in my system. Two nurses came to check on my dressing and it turned out it was just sweat I could feel and my drains were perfectly fine. The room was incredibly hot in the hospital and the blankets they use are extremely good at keeping you warm. No matter what I did in the room I was still too hot so in the end, I had someone turn the fan on and then I used the blanket to cover me from the waist down only so that I could sleep without melting.
I was woken up again at 6am by someone who emptied my drains for me. He did show me how to do it but because I was still half asleep I wasn’t really paying attention. At roughly the same time another person wanted to check my blood pressure again and after they had both left I went back to sleep. I was woken up again at 7:30 by someone letting me know breakfast was on its way and asking what I wanted. I ended up having a bowl of Weetabix at about 8am with a glass of milk. After I had finished my breakfast I went back to sleep but that didn’t last long as at 8:45 roughly I was woken up again by another nurse wanting to change my bedsheets and give me a fresh gown. I got the option to stay in the bed while they changed sheets or sit in the chair, I opted for the chair as I could walk around a little anyway and staying in the bed just seemed like it would be weird and uncomfortable. The nurse helped me get my slippers on and get into the chair before she changed all the sheets for me. She also helped me into a clean gown which I am thankful for as moving my arms wasn’t very easy at the time. I slept again until Ralph, one of Mr Kneeshaw's team came in to check on me and see if I could be discharged. He said that everything looked good and I could go back to the hotel when I was ready.
Because of the way the hotel bookings worked we had to change hotels on Thursday as the Ibis didn’t have any space for us for Thursday night. The split booking was the cheapest way to do things and since travelling alone was costing a fortune we decided this was the best way to do things. Due to the difference in check out/ check in times my partner was set to come to the hospital with all our bags at about 12 and then we would be able to check in to the new hotel at 3pm. When I explained this to Ralph and the nurses they said It was perfectly fine to wait until the afternoon before leaving and I couldn’t leave without my partner coming to get me anyway.
My partner arrived shortly after 12. He helped me eat some lunch as I was still having trouble lifting my arms enough to reach my mouth with a fork and then he helped me wash with baby wipes and get changed into the joggers and shirt I had bought with me as pyjamas since I never ended up using them as such and just stayed in the gown while in the hospital. I asked for someone to come and show us how to empty & reseal the drains again as I was half asleep when they did it in the morning and my partner needed to know anyway. After we were shown that they handed me my discharge papers, an information leaflet about the drains, a sick note to give to my work and a feedback survey to fill out. I completed the survey while my partner made sure everything was packed up and then we left. We got a taxi down to the hotel as we both thought getting on the bus might have been too bumpy for me to handle at the time which im grateful for.
We checked into the Gilson Hotel, close to the train station when we got back to the city. I hadn’t really looked up the hotel before booking it as my only priority at the time was making sure It was close to the station and cheap. It had stairs leading from the entrance door to the reception, with no lift. While not ideal this wasn’t too much of a problem as I could walk up the stairs, I just had to do it slowly and one step at a time with a little pause in between each one. There was a lift from the reception to the other floors though which was good. We were on the 2nd floor but since there was a lift it wasn’t an issue. I didn’t know the layout or design of the hotel before I booked it and it turned out that there were two steps in order to get up to the hotel door from the hallway. Again not ideal but not a massive problem for me. This hotel definetly isn’t accessible though.
Sleeping in the hotel was a little difficult, the bed was low down which was great for getting up and down for me since I am rather short but it also had really thin pillows which made it difficult to prop myself up. We ended up using 3 pillows to create a slightly slanted back rest against the headboard, rolled up my jacket and put it under my left elbow to keep my arm propped up since that was the only comfortable position for it that didn’t hurt and I used only my dressing gown to cover me up since the hotel room was even hotter than the hospital room was.
After a somewhat uncomfortable night where I only slept for about 4-5 hours I woke up and my partner helped me empty my drains at roughly 8am. We were told to do them once every morning at roughly the same time and keep track of what comes out so we measure the ml of each one with a little jug and keep a note of it. We had breakfast and then discovered that the snow had caused mayhem with our travel plans.
We needed to be back in Cardiff by 5pm as we had a house viewing scheduled (I know, it’s a really awkward time to be doing this but our Landlord gave us notice to leave on the 28th Feb so time isn’t really something we have on our side for this situation. We did try arranging the viewing for before we left but unfortunately that just wasn’t possible). Anyway because of the time restraints and our tickets being valid only on off-peak trains we had planned to get the 10:23am train which would have gotten us back in Cardiff at 3pm. Unfortunately, this train was cancelled and the train before it wasn’t considered off-peak so we couldn’t get on that one. This meant that we had to get on the 11:26am train from Hull and that we had lost our reserved seats. This wasn’t ideal but it would still get us back just before the viewing so that’s what we did.
Since it was such a long trip the journey was split into three trains; Hull to Sheffield, Sheffield to Bristol Parkway and then finally Bristol to Cardiff Central. Hull to Sheffield was fine, we sat in priority seating since I struggled to walk long distances still at this point and definitely couldn’t stand up for long periods of time. The plan was to do this all the way back to Cardiff however unknown to us at the time a lot more trains had been cancelled which caused issues later down the line. Sheffield to Bristol was packed. I mean truly rammed. When we got on people were already standing in the walkways because there were no seats. Since I needed to sit down my partner had me get on the train first and basically b line for a carriage to find a seat. When I got on there were no seats at all. I tried asking several people who were sitting in the priority seats if they would mind giving up their seats for me and explained my condition and that my original train had been cancelled so I no longer had reserved seating. No one would allow me to sit. My partner was still out in the walkway by the doors with the bags since he couldn’t get through, not that there would be much point anyway. After asking a few more people if I could have their seat and being told no the train started to move so I gave up trying to find a seat and shuffled back to my partner. He wedged our suitcase between the wall and one of the internal carriage doors and had me sit/lean on that while keeping his arms around me to stop anyone from knocking into me while the train was moving. After about an hour a lady who was also in the doorway section with us spotted someone getting up from their seat in the other carriage to get off at the approaching stop and told us so that I could go and sit down. By the time I had gotten there though someone else had sat down in that seat and put headphones in. Luckily another lady offered me her seat when I explained that I had just had surgery and needed to sit down. I was very thankful to her and we chatted for a bit. The seat turned out not to be her reserved seat either so she warned me that someone might try to claim the seat later. When the train got to Birmingham a lot of people got off and I saw the display screens say there were two available (not reserved seats) opposite the aisle where I was so I decided to move into one of them so that there wouldn’t be a problem if the person who’s seat I was in did actually come to claim it. Since so many people got off my partner was able to make his way into the carriage now and I text him to let him know the seat next to me was available and asked him to bring some painkillers as I was in quite a lot of pain at this point. He came and sat down and gave me the tablets and then a lady came by claiming I was in her seat and that I had to move. I was a little out of it because of the pain I was in so all I managed to say was that I couldn’t move as I had surgery. The lady wasn’t happy with this and insisted it was her seat, even though there were many other empty seats in the carriage. My partner looked at the display unit and pointed out that it was still showing as not reserved and then when that didn’t seem to change the situation he lifted one of my drains out of the cloth bags the hospital had given me and showed it to the lady saying again that I had just had surgery and there was no way he was moving me now. She went to sit in one of the other vacant seats after that. It was a pretty easy journey from then on. I was in a lot of pain though from when I had been standing up so I had more painkillers and then ended up sleeping for a good chunk of the journey. My partner woke me up a little before our stop in Bristol and then helped me off the train. Bristol to Cardiff was pretty uneventful, we sat in priority seats again and it only took about half an hour to get to Cardiff. We got an uber home from the station since we were both very tired after the day of travelling.
I have to keep the drains in until Friday next week when I go back to hull to have them taken out. The post op binder has to stay on for 6 weeks however after the drains come out I will be able to remove it for a few minuets every couple of days to wash, whereas right not I’m not allowed to remove it at all. I was told I could return to work after two weeks and could drive again after the 2-3 week mark if I felt like I could handle the seatbelt against my chest. I can also start exercising again lightly after 6 weeks.
Recovering is going to be a long process but I’m so glad this finally happened. I’ve been waiting over 4 years since I was first referred for top surgery and honestly it was worth it. I feel so happy that it’s finally here.
#ftm#transgender#transman#transguy#personal#top surgery#mr kneeshaw#top surgery results#top surgery recovery#my experiences#trans#trans man#gay ftm#ftm transgender#transmale#gender affirming surgery#chest surgery
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To the East! Day 1&2 - from Milan to Puglia
It's time to go visit the easternmost train station in Italy, the last one!
Since Italy is really slanted the easternmost station is also pretty far south, so I decided to leave immediately after work, go as far south as I could in one afternoon, and then cover the rest of the distance on Saturday. I'm once again using regional trains with the 3 days train pass, so it's gonna take a lot of trains and a lot of time, but it's also gonna be pretty cheap.
So first train is Milano>Bologna (pretty chill, not too crowded; kind of a boring line that I've traveled a thousand times but it's a windy sunny day and you can see the mountains near lake Garda from Parma which is... impressive).
So many people in Bologna station! I don't have enough time to find something to eat ;_;
Train 2: Bologna>Ancona is packed (I thought the train started from Bologna but it actually came from Piacenza), I had to stand for about the first hour D: When the train gets to the coast is already dark, and I'm a little sad that I can't see the sea (the rail is SO CLOSE to the sea in this part!)
My hotel is literally on the other side of the road from the station XD very nice since it's kinda late and I'm very tired.
(view of the station from the entrance of my hotel that I took the next morning)
~~~
The train I'm supposed to take from Ancona leaves at 11:45, but checkout from the hotel is at 10:00, so I get on an earlier train shares the first half of the line with the one with Pescara, and stop somewhere along the line (Ancona is a big city, and the city center is quite far from the station - also I visited it last summer, and I might as well take a look at somewhere else!).
So train 3: Ancona>Ascoli Piceno (but not really).
(See what I meant? The sea is JUST THERE)
I decided to stop in Grottammare, mostly because I've never been there and the station is pretty close to the sea. The old town is up the hill and it looks very pretty, but I don't have much time so I just stay in the seaside area.
(It's almost November and I wish I brought a short sleeved t-shirt. Most things are closed because the season is over but actually it feels like mid September and the effect is jarring)
Train 4: Grottammare>Pescara is a bit fuller, and I end up in a backward facing seat with only half a window. It doesn't look that different than when I did this route in August, but it is a little greener, and the beaches that were covered in beach umbrellas are now properly visible.
I have a very short time in Pescara to change trains, no time at all to visit anything, but honestly I didn't like it that much last time so that's fine by me. From here I'm basically tracing back the journey I made on the first day of my third leg of the Grand Tour of Italy last summer: same stops, same trains, very different time of day.
Train 5: Pescara>Termoli. The sun is on the other side of the train now, and the sea is SO blue.
I have about an hour in Termoli before the next train, so I get something to eat later and go looking for an ice-cream in the center. In the entire corso there was not one gelateria open. I get that it's the end of October but... Really? No ice cream?
Train 6: Termoli>Foggia. The Molisan coast south of Termoli is one of the wildest, least "developed" in the entire Adriatic coast. Lots of pines, just very long stretches with no building in sight. Beautiful and interesting, compared to everything else (or maybe I should say - compared to what's north of it. Because now that I think about it Puglia also has similar coastlines I think).
And yes, it is not summer and it's SO CLEAR! All the green intermingled with the dark terrain it's just amazingly beautiful. If you want to visit Puglia autumn might be the best season (not if you want to swim in the sea though XD)
All I know about Foggia is that it's been mostly destroyed during WWII and rebuilt hastily, and it's considered one of the ugliest cities kn Puglia. Sadly the train station is quite far from the city center proper and I don't have a lot of time, so I only see the entrance of the Villa (the biggest municipal park) and a bit of a promenade.
Train 7: Foggia to Bari. I'm starting to feel the travel fatigue. I'm ready to be at my destination, but I won't be there for at least another 3 hours probably more. Also it's dark, and the train is older and not very comfortable so meh. Train 7 morphs into train 8 when we get to Bari central station (of course the least comfortable train would be the one that I have to take twice XD). Just an hour, plus 10 minutes waiting for the bus, plus ten minutes on the bus and I'm finally at my uncle's house. It's been A Day. Can't wait to go to sleep XD
#yes i am finally free from school for 5 days so I'm going on another stupidly crazy 'adventure'#to the east!#travel#italy#my photography#mag travels from time to time#i just want a tag for the things i personally put out into the world
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matsuhana_23prompts: being sick
Issei suspected that his heart was going to burst out of his chest when he finally meets Takahiro, something that apparently never changed in the five and a half years they've known each other. On his way from Sendai to Tokyo, and then with every step he took closer to Takahiro's apartment, he just became more and more sure, especially because he was also sickly worried, since Takahiro couldn't come to the train station for Issei due to a very bad headache. I'm going to faint, he thought, when he arrived to his destination, adjusting his glasses with a trembling middle finger.
"Are you okay?" He asked the moment Takahiro opened the door for him. And Issei wanted to hug him so badly, because he hadn't seen Takahiro in almost three unbearably long months, and Takahiro just looked the cutest in a short short and the oversized halloween themed shirt he shamelessly stole from Issei two years ago and bunny slippers, not to mention his new, very short but still very pink buzzcut Issei had only seen in selfies and video calls before ("Because your hair is getting long now, so we complement each other," Takahiro reasoned, as if it was obvious, as if Issei could handle when he said this kind of stuff). But he didn't know how to do that.
"I told you it's only headache," Takahiro sighed with not insignificant annoyance in his voice, and yet, Issei noticed that he was fighting a smile. That really made his worries ease a little. "Just need something sweet. I got the painkillers. Akinori came over last week and brought some medicine."
"Oh, I'm sure he did," Issei remarked bitterly."Stop this now, or my headache will increase again. Will you finally come inside?""I was waiting for you to invite," Issei replied mysteriously, kicking off his shoes not bothering with the laces as he stepped in.
"And I'm sorry. I brought you cream puffs."Takahiro giggled at that cutely, giving Issei even more palpitations and tugged on Issei's shirt, guiding him towards his bedroom, then jumped onto the bed and leant back against a bunch of pillows. He gestured Issei to sit down too, who did so shyly, a bit away, feet still on the floor and fished the box of cream puffs out of his bag and tossed the bag over. Maybe some other people would've minded outside clothed on their bed, but Takahiro never really made a fuss about that, or crumbs even, and by the consequence of this, he also requested: "Okay, okay. Let's eat now. You're allowed to feed me."
So that is exactly what Issei did, and they shared every bite he handfed to Takahiro."You look tired, by the way," Takahiro said lowly, when they finished. "Couldn't sleep. I was too excited. To see you," Issei felt himself blushing. Without explanation, Takahiro leaned a bit closer, removed Issei's glasses and put them onto his bedside table, then cupped Issei's face with his hands. Issei thought about this move a lot later on too, but never really understood it. He didn't notice the empty box falling to the floor. "What..."
Then suddenly remembering something, Takahiro turned to aforementioned bedside table again, snapping his fingers, and started searching for something in the drawer.
"I saw this the other and day and just had to get it," He pulled out something that appeared to be a very big hair tie. It was made of beige fabric, with small white string of pearls around it. "'Cause it made me think of you, it kinda looks like..."
"Teeth," Issei finished the sentence, and Takahiro smiled so sweetly at him, he felt actual pain all over his body. "I never had a hair tie before.""It's called a scrunchie, actually.""I didn't know that either," He mumbled sheepishly.
Takahiro just shook his head, looking amused, maybe his headache really was gone after all, and with confident movements he applied the scrunchie in Issei's hair, making a small tiny ponytail."I feel like I should do more for you," Issei admitted a bit too hungrily.
Takahiro visibly thought about that for a moment, eyes narrowed, then smiled and petted Issei's head a bit."I think what you're doing right now is just enough," He answered finally, laying back on his pillows.
It should have been, by every means, a very reassuring answer. Not to Issei, though. He huffed a bit, then threw himself next to Takahiro, like a tree that has been cut. I think I'm lovesick, Issei thought, or maybe even said it, he wasn't sure, as he buried his face into one of the very soft Takahiro-scented pillows. A "Hey now. I'm just glad you're here," was the last thing he heard Takahiro say, and with that, he fell asleep.
bluesky
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SOUNDING THE TRUMPET OF TRANS REBELLION (Part 4)
SOUNDING THE TRUMPET OF TRANS REBELLION
PART 4
Content Notes:
suicide
Looking like shit in the U-Bahn at 4 am is one of the many traditions of Uberlin. So much so that when I threw myself onto a seat, no one even batted an eye, even tho I looked bigawful and had a lump in my jacket that was suspiciously shaped like one of the poison guns those Reunion Carbide cops had used.
My memory from there on is fuzzy. I was half-dead. Also, it was getting really darn late ... Still, I remember some stuff.
I remember: After sitting down, I fell asleep for a few seconds. It was comfortable, extremely so.
Then, I am sure, I used the pager. I wrote: "imma get home"
No reply.
I wasn't connected to the Ubernet anymore, so I got real bored real quick. That was kinda a good thing tho. The boredom was so quiet and the screetching of the U-Bahn so soothingly loud. It drowned out the noises my exo made.
Then there was a thought I had which I still distinctly remember: "What was all that? What just happened?", but I stopped worrying about it right away.
A friendly AI voice announced my stop at Hermannplatz was coming and I smirked, thinking of a friend. I had to change trains there. Standing up, the poison gun almost fell out of my jacket, yet I didn't even flinch. I just slowly grabbed it and held it in place.
Hermannplatz was all yellow tiles ... still is, actually, even after everything. It is beautiful. It is bright.
I bought a bread roll there, at a bakery that was just now opening up shop at the station. This was the best thing I have ever eaten. The outside was so crunchy, the inside so soft.
While eating I waited for my train.
For some reason, I felt really stupid for standing there. It felt wrong, somehow. It felt meaningless.
Suddenly I got real sad, like I had never felt before.
---
As the train finally came, I had an intrusive thought. Not that I would've done it, but U know how U get sometimes. It just happens. U just think it. Even tho U're ashamed of it.
I wanted to die and that is all I remember.
---
Suddenly I was lying in my bed. Or rather, I was waking up in my bed, unsure if it had all been a dream.
Of course it hadn't.
Next to me lay Valentina, in a sort of huggy, semi-cuddling position. The whole bed was dirty, cuz I hadn't washed up and I was still wearing the clothes from last night.
The same didn't seem true for my friend, who was in fact mostly undressed, wearing nothing but a shirt and a slip. She made me kinda nervous, if I'm being honest. Valentina was Black, had a small frame, rough black hair and a cute snub nose. Her breath was calm and slow. Whatever she did, she looked incredibly pretty, like from a fairy tale or something. U could stare at her for days and not have Ur fill, which was one of the many reasons I hated her.
Without much care for how much she had or had not come onto me while I was sleeping, I pushed her aside and got out of bed. At first she pretended to still be asleep, but my Ubernet was connected now and I knew. For as to why I waited for her, I don't know.
My head hurt. The electric lighting was super bright, it must've been midday.
I waited. I waited a long time, I think.
Valentina had always been stubborn when pretending, but even she gave up after a while. She opened her eyes, silently staring at me; then she sat up. The shirt she was wearing had a ridiculous cat face on it. At last, with dramatic surprise, still staring at me, she shouted: "Astre, U're alive!"
I sat back down on the bed. "Je."
She: "O, I missed U so much." She gave me a short hug. A real awkward hug, as all hugs are awkward when U wear an exo. I didn't like it. "U were being a real zombie when U got home, U know? And cold. Freezing ... I was actually worried your cute little face was gonna freeze off. That's why I acted the human radiator."
"... what?", I asked, avoiding eye contact.
"The name, dummy. I used my name to heat up the room", she said. She let herself fall back into bed. "Frankly, U should be grateful, but I know U're not and je, whatev, it's fine. I mostly did it for Ur face anyways."
I didn't know how to reply to that ... in general. This was the second reason I hated her.
Car noise came from the window. It was closed, but the noise made it thru anyways. U cannot avoid noise in Uberlin. Valentina tilted her head towards me, asking: "Sooooo ... are U alright?"
This question frightened me. The exo felt cold against my skin. Just this umcomfortable piece of metal sticking to my back, my army, legs and nerves. My jamports itched. "I really don't want to talk about it."
"Figures", she said.
My room was the only one in the apartment reserved for a single person: me. Everyone else had to share, but I had the exo and that took up enough extra space to warrant getting a room of my own. Maybe my attitude had helped as well. It was a small room anyways. Barely enough space for a bed, a window through which U could hear the lärm outside, and, of course, piles of clothes scattered upon the floor. I said, absentmindedly: "Sleeping with the exo is always uncomfortable."
"It's always a devil's bargain, isn't it? U must exchange comfort for power or die like a dog", she said. Then she added: "But I suppose it is not real power then, is it? Imagine a hero with the super power to barely scrape by ..."
I just stared at a spot on the wall.
She: "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that."
Cuz I couldn't really reply, I tried moving on. I started to change clothes, picking new ones from the 'mostly fresh'-pile.
She was unimpressed: "I'm not gonna leave just cuz U get naked."
I said: "I don't care anymore. I need to burn these." The shit I was wearing had become thick with mud, blood and sick. "Actually, U burn them."
Valentina looked away, stealing occasional glances at my horrid body. "Well, U can talk about it if U're ready. Everyone was worried about U. We even searched for U." When I didn't say anything, she added: "It gave me quite a shock to see U like that."
I said: "I don't care anymore. Can U burn these clothes for me? Please?"
A sad expression flickered across her face and then vanished. "Not in here. I know the neighbors are terrible and that dog a floor above us starts barking at 3 am, but that's no reason to commit arson now, is it? Or at least it's not a GOOD reason."
I said: "Burn them outside, then."
She did. Or at least she took the clothes and went outside, who knows what that little creep actually did with them. After I took a shower and changed, I sat down in the living room. Well, it was more of a meeting room + the room where Magehunt lived. They weren't present. I sat down on his bed-couch and did literal nothing for probably half an hour.
Supposedly C-Witch asked me if I wanted some coffee, but I have no memory of it, just of us fighting about it way later. The crate was right there with me, next to our small glass table.
It is scary, extremely so, to be unable to form a thought. But only in retrospect. At the time it is happening, it is nothing, and I had yet to feel anything at all. As I half remembered the face of the pilot when he fell, I thought he had looked somewhat like C-Witch, actually. Could've been her sibling.
She was with me in the room, C-Witch. I stared at her, a tall and haggard creature. She was white and had terrible blonde bed hair. The circles around her eyes darkened as she took another sip from her cup of coffee. "U know, when that gu-" I stopped myself. When that guy fell, he had this weird look on his face. Something between despair and serenity. I don't know how to describe it, in fact it was kinda beyond words.
I said: "Did U make coffee? I'd actually like some as well."
Apparently C-Witch mistook this as a sign that I was now ready to receive speech. "Noah went off to work, Brick went to visit their family."
I didn't understand why she told me this. Then, upon realizing I hadn't responded at all for a solid 5 seconds, I quickly said "Yikes!" without putting any meaning behind it.
She said: "Valentina went outside just now. Rue is sleeping. We kinda panicked when U stopped responding."
Now it was clear to me that I wouldn't get any coffee. "What do U mean?", I said.
"The pager. U fucking moron, U just said U were gonna come home and then didn't. U don't remember?"
I remembered the person that had been crushed by the megadrone. There was nothing I knew about her, except for what her body had looked like after being crushed. What a strange way to know a person, knowing only the hard truth of what their body looks like when split open and apart. What a strange way indeed ... "No", I said, "I don't remember much, honestly."
"O", she said, "... understandable. U had a rough night yesterday. We all did, but U had it the worst. We were all worried ... that's all I wanted to get across."
I forced a smile. "Thanks."
She said: "If U want to talk about it, I'm all ears."
How often would I have to hear those words or some variation of them, I wondered. No, I did not want to talk. In fact I didn't want to do much of anything. My jamports itched.
I asked: "Is Destroya here? U haven't mentioned her, I think."
She said: "Emily is asleep. Don't wake her up." Then she took another sip of coffee.
"Ah."
I stood up and went to Destroya's room.
I woke her up immediately.
She was still half asleep when I shouted at her: "Take off the fucking exoskeleton!"
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