#Sports Drinks
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Gatorade (1998)
#Gatorade#y2k#1998#90s#1990s#y2kcore#90s kid#1990s nostalgia#1990s style#90s aesthetic#90s nostalgia#90s ad#1990s ad#90s food#90s drinks#1990s food#1990s drinks#food#drinks#90's#1990s aesthetic#y2k nostalgia#y2k aesthetic#y2k style#2000s style#y2k vibes#sports#sports drinks
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ăă«ăȘăčăšăăăăąăŻăšăȘăąăč
#ăăă°é ćŒ”ăŁăŠăăŁăŠæăŁăŠăă ăăŁăăăăŻăȘăăŻăăŠăăă ăăăšïżœïżœăăăă§ă#â ăăă ăăŸă !#sports drinks#drink#water#blue#summer#coconut girl#key west kitten#key west cutie#beach#sea#ocean#tropical#beachcore#seacore#oceancore#tropicalcore#summercore#kawaii#kawaiicore#food#pocari sweat
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SHE-DEVIL FOR A SPORTS DRINK -- SUPER-MODELING MEETS SWORD & SORCERY.
NOTE: I'm gonna be knee-deep in Japanese beverages later today, so, I thought this was pretty kool. Nijiya Market, anyone? And it's such a treat whenever I'm able to go!
PIC INFO: Spotlight on American supermodel Cindy Crawford donning fantasy-style/sword & sorcery armor (designed by Kow Yokoyama) in a print ad for the Japanese sports drink Pocari Sweat, c. 1986.
OVERVIEW: "In 1986, two years after dropping out of her chemical engineering course and moving to New York to give modelling a go, Cindy Crawford graced the cover of "Vogue." That same year, unbeknownst to many, she also starred in a particularly wild Japanese sports drink ad. The video has Cindy donning Gladiator-esque armour and raising a sword to the face of a laser-eyed black panther. The visual was designed by famed French cartoonist Moebius, who was also responsible for this Labyrinth-like follow up in which Cindy rides on the back of a giant bird over barren landscapes covered in prehistoric animals. All we need now is a surreal recreation with Kaia Gerber."
-- i-D MAGAZINE, "9 celebrities in surreal Japanese commercials," by Frankie Dunn, November 8, 2021
Source: https://i-d.vice.com/en/article/m7e458/celebrities-japanese-commercials.
#Cindy Crawford#Pocari Sweat#Drinks#Sports Drink#Modeling#Print Ads#Kow Yokoyama#Japanese Sports Drinks#Vintage Ads#Sword and Sorcery#Photography#Costume Design#Fantasy#Health Drinks#1980s#80s Style#Hair and Makeup#Photoshoot#1986#Photosession#Japanese Advertising#Sword & Sorcery#Japanese Adverts#Japanese Drinks#Sports Drinks#Adverts
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Kobe Bryant invested $6 million into a sports drink called Body Armor â 7 years later, Coca-Cola bought Body Armor for $5.6 billion. His $6 million investment grew to $400 million.
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some experimenting in gimp :^)
inspo below
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#can you tell i have a thing for beverage packaging#graphic design#my design#digital art#i'm not sure what aesthetic this is actually#âfreshâ something#sports drinks#aes
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WATERMELON SPORTS DRINK đđŠ
If you are looking for a hydrating drink with natural electrolytes, give this a try! Itâs so refreshing and always leaves me feeling so good! Let me know what other flavors you would like me to share!
đ„Start complete 21-Day DETOX Smoothie Diet Plan with over 36 daily meal-replacement smoothie recipes, shopping lists, whole food meals, snacks and more. â â đ Click here to Discover Delicious, Easy-To-Make Smoothies For Rapid Weight Loss, Increased Energy, & Incredible Health! Â đâ â
Youâll need: 4.5 cups of watermelon, cubed 1 lemon, juiced 1 cup filtered water ÂŒ tsp pink Himalayan salt
Combine your ingredients in a blender, strain (save the pulp for later) and enjoy! â€ïž
#sports drinks#electrolytes#watermelon#healthyfood#healthy diet#health & fitness#self help#fat gut#juice#health and wellness#healthy eating#diet plan#smoothie#usa#trump
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Elevate your sports performance with our premium sports drinks. Designed to replenish electrolytes and keep you going.
Click here :Â https://revivalshots.com/blogs/news/rehydration-sachets-for-hangovers-the-perfect-recovery-drink
Revival Shots
Our brand strap line is âLive Your Best Lifeâ. This simple yet powerful statement encapsulates everything our products are designed to do.
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Elevate your sports performance with our premium sports drinks. Designed to replenish electrolytes and keep you going.
Click here :Â https://revivalshots.com/blogs/news/the-importance-of-hydration-for-cyclists
Revival Shots
Our brand strap line is âLive Your Best Lifeâ. This simple yet powerful statement encapsulates everything our products are designed to do.
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for the monaco gp next year instead of the regular commentators can we have like ten retired drivers on a yacht with copious amounts of alcohol instead? like imagine jenson feeding nico multiple rounds of tequila shots and convincing him to drop brocedes lore so fucking insane it makes lewis' spidey senses tingle live on air. meanwhile, seb is trying to stop kimi from falling off said yacht every five seconds and mahk webbah is trying to either rope everyone into karaoke or is gushing about his adoptive son oscar. david is calling every driver who fucks their car into a wall a cunt and mika is on facetime with his husband and sipping a mai-tai in the hot tub and a least one of them is puking off the side of the boat in the end
#formula 1#kimi raikkonen#sebastian vettel#nico rosberg#mark webber#jenson button#mika hÀkkinen#david coulthard#brocedes#makkinen#simi#sky sports can we please have this next year i beg of you#do it for the memes#it would only take like three shots of tequila for nico to spill some clinically INSANE fucking brocedes lore#mika sipping his drink in the hot tub facetiming michael showing their kids drunken attempts of hijinks and shenanigans
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All Sport (launched 1993)
#all sport#Al sport drink#pepsi#pepsi cola#Gatorade#90s#1990s#90s drinks#1990s drinks#90s snacks#1990s snacks#2000s#y2k#00s#2000s nostalgia#2000s kids#y2k nostalgia#2000s style#y2k aesthetic#y2k style#2000s kid#sports drinks#y2kcore#y2k vibes#00s nostalgia#00s aesthetic#2000s aesthetic#90s kid#1990s kid#1993
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Gatorade, is BS?! Powerade, WHY YOU GOTTA SUCK SO HARD? This week we talk about electrolytes. How do you they hydrate you? Is Coca-Cola lying about Powerade? Why are nurses so concerned with your sodium levels. Electrolytes are fascinating and we even had tons of arguments, the SCIENCE IS HEATED!
In short, unless youâre actually dehydrated, an athlete, or directed by your doctor, the average diet more than makes up for any electrolytes lost. Listen to find out why.
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the beautiful carefree public drunkenness of baseball vs the foul and menacing public drunkenness of football
#drinking#alcohol#public drunkenness#drinking in public#sports#beer#drinking beer#drinking beer in public#bathroom stall hand stuff
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gojo satoru x reader | college au [18+]
kickoff ch.9 words you've been wanting to hear
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á° pairing. college au - soccer player! gojo x film major! reader
á° summary. gojo satoru is the most popular guy on your college campus. he's tall, funny, hot, not to mention he's the most talented soccer forward the school has seen in years. but he's also a frat dude, which puts him in a world very different from your own, as he spends most of his nights partying & drinking while you spend most of yours working on your annoying film major assignments. but when he reaches out to you for a favor, you realize that helping him out might have something in it for you too.
á° warnings/tags. 18+, fem reader, fluff, angst, smut, college au, fraternities, sororities, partying, drinking/alcohol, romance, jealousy, pining, slow burn, opposites to lovers, friends to lovers, she falls first he falls harder, gojo being an idiot, marijuana use, sexism, sexual harassment (verbal only)
á° chapter. 9/x (probably 12)
á° words. 15.6k (WHY DO THEY KEEP GETTING LONGER)
a/n. HELLO MY DEAR KICKOFF READERS IVE MISSED YOU ALL SO MUCH i am soooo sorry for the wait on this one. this chapter felt very vulnerable to write for some reason lmfao, but i really hope it was worth the wait :''') see you at the bottom!! if there are typos or some things don't make sense i'm so sorry i literally gave up on proofreading this i just ended up raw-doggin it and then posting it
nav. masterlist
âŸÂ·Ì©Íêł moodboard no.1
âŹ.*ïŸplaylist
an additional author's note. hellooo ellie here. there are some additional warnings/tags for this chapter, i added them to the tags above, so if you know you have any sort of triggers, please refer to them before reading! but if you don't have any and don't want to be spoiled ab anything then you can keep reading lol. thank youu <33
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The restaurant address that Kai sent you was just a ten minute taxi ride away, save for the five minutes you spent trying to evasively maneuver through the hotel lobby in order to avoid running into people youâre not too keen on seeing right now, a list that stacks up to just one person at this moment.
Itâs a Korean barbecue place, itâs been ages since youâve been to one, probably since theyâre way too expensive for any sort of outing you could afford these days, but the crisp sizzling sounds of the grills and the savory air has your mouth watering in a way that makes you indifferent to the cost. Anything to get this churning feeling out of your stomach.Â
Itâs instantly brought to your attention that Hanaâs tipsy off of Soju because sheâs slid out of the booth the second you emerge to the tablestide, and sheâs onto her feet to pull you into a hug. You hug her back.
âIâm ssssoooooooo glad youâreâhicâhere,â she says, voice sounding loud near your ear, but her embrace is surprisingly calming to you.
Her face appears flushed when you pull away, and you give her a smile and a kind hold of her elbow. âIâm happy to be here, sorry for coming late, I just decided I wanted to have dinner with you all.â
Minato is pulling on Hanaâs arm to get her to sit down, which she finally agrees to, and you glance to the left side of the table where Kai sat, meticulously turning over pieces of meat on the grill. His eyes are on you, and the seat next to him is empty.
âYou look nice,â he says, eyes falling to your lap under the table once youâve taken a seat next to him.
Your eyes fall to your lap as well. âOh. Thanks. I wasnât really trying to look any sort of way, though.â Just faded jeans with a few rips & holes you made yourself, way back in high school when that sort of thing was trendy.
âI know,â he says, smirk heard perfectly through his words, âI like that.â
You ignore him, a fleeting thought passing through your head of how annoyingly forward men are to women theyâve met within a day, just something youâve noticed recently, and then youâre accepting the glass of Soju that Minatoâs poured for you. Quick to tip it back, you feel a burn on your tongue thatâs just enough to distract.
âTodayâs game was pretty interesting,â Minato speaks up, picking up a few pieces off the grill with his chop sticks and placing them on Hanaâs plate first before taking some for himself. You find the gesture sweet. âThe first half was intense.â
Hana nods enthusiastically, elbows rested on the tabletop as she waves her hands around in the air. âUh huh, uh huh, the boys kicked the ball like whoosh. Goes all over the place! Canât get aâhicâcanât get a single shot. No, I mean me, I canât get a camera shot. Not them, they can get the shots of goals. The goals of shots? Huh.â
âAlright, youâve had enough,â Minato grumbles as he drags the glass of Soju that she was nursing away from her.Â
Kai lets out a laugh beside you, his knee bumping against yours under the table. âIâve watched so many of these soccer games for this job, and Iâve still got no damn clue what the rules are.â
You blink down at your empty plate for a second before grabbing the silver chopsticks laid neatly on your napkin, and taking some food from the center of the table. âReally? Iâve only been to a couple, and I feel like I get the gist of it.â Maybe itâs because you had a personal interest, though.
Kai lets out a low whistle next to you. âOkay, youâre a smartass then.â
You give him a sidewards glance. âMaybe youâre just dumb?âÂ
Your own words startle you a bit. Minato lets a laugh out, but under his breath, while Hana does absolutely nothing to conceal hers. Kaiâs eyes just widen. You bite down on a carrot stick.
âHey, hey, hey, y/n,â Hana chirps, tapping at your wrist, âdo you know any of the soccer players? Utahime said you doooo.â
You swallow slowly to buy yourself time, but give a preliminary shake of your head before answering, âno, not really.â You catch a whiff of the cologne on your wrist when you lift your glass to your lips.
âOh,â she sulks her shoulders and then sinks down into the booth again, her head falling onto Minatoâs shoulder. The man stiffens a bit and then thereâs a content smile playing at his lips. A hint of a smile develops on your face too at the sight when you put two and two together. What an adorable little crush. It makes you feel sick.
Kai pours you some more Soju the second you drink down the last of it in your glass, and you nod to him as a thanks. âPretty sure most of my photos from the first half are fucked,â he says, dragging the opening of the bottle against the rim of your glass before pulling it away, âdidnât realize until way later that my aperture was way off.â
You bring the glass to your lips, inhaling before taking a sip. Youâre about to speak up about that when Minato beats you to it.
âAre you serious?â he asks, disappointed, like theyâre suddenly talking business now. âI better see some good shots. Your side was where most of the action took place. Like that through-pass, tight behind the defensive line, from Nanami Kento to Gojo Satoru before he sunk it a couple mins before the half ended.â
You choke a little on your Soju at the mention of Gojoâs name, and then all three of them are looking at you. You wave a hand in front of your face. âSorry.âÂ
Kai grumbles something under his breath and then stuffs a piece of pork belly into his mouth. âYeah, whatever, man. Iâm pretty sure I got some good ones. Donât worry.â
Dinner goes on like that, where you count the number of times Kai thinks that someone saying something funny across the table is an excuse to press his thigh against yours, but at least the cute way that Hana and Minato seem to inch closer to one another all night is enough to put you at some sort of bitter ease. But that unsettling feeling in your stomach from a couple of hours ago still lingers.
The four of you stand outside the restaurant, heels rocking back and forth in the cold as you all take up the last chance to debrief the day, and then Minatoâs glancing at his watch.
âAlright, itâs probably time to head back. We can all share a ride to the hotel, itâs cheaper that way,â Minato says. Hanaâs clinging to his sleeve.
âOh, uh, I was going to stay here. Thereâs a cool camera shop around the corner. I was gonna check it out,â Kai says, pointing over his shoulder before glancing at you. âWanna come? I saw theyâve got used film cameras.â
You twiddle with the hotel key card in your pocket. Itâs cheap plastic, could break easily with just the right amount of pressure. Like your resolve right now. âSure.â
He smiles at you.
âAlright, well I need to get this one back to her room,â Minato says with a sigh, pointing to Hana, âso Iâll see you all at the next game?â
You and Kai nod at him and then watch as he walks away with Hana on his arm towards the curb, pulling his phone out to call for a ride.
âWhereâs this camera shop at?â you ask Kai once the silence between the two of you stretches out a little too long.Â
âIt really is just around the corner,â he says, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jacket. He starts walking down the row of miscellaneous shops and establishments under dim street lighting, and you follow after him before the two of you circle to the adjacent end. A tiny shop in the distance catches your eye. The LED sign above the storefront was blinking sporadically, and read 17th St Camera & Rentals, except half the letters were extinct of any light. Next to it was a 24/7 liquor store.
Itâs only when you walk right up to it that you realize the sign dangling behind the glass door that says closed.
âOh. Bummer,â Kai comments in a flat tone. âI swear it was open before I got to the restaurant.â
You sigh, pulling your phone out to glance at the time. âYeah, at 8pm? Itâs past 10 now.â
He looks at you and taps the camera case still hung at his neck. âThatâs fine. Iâve still got a camera to show you, anyways.â
You blink your eyes at him, suddenly feeling a bit exhausted and then glance over your shoulder at the curb of the street to see if Minato & Hana were still there waiting for a ride. You donât see them anymore.Â
A distraction. Wasnât that what you wanted?
âYeah, show me.â
Kai seems to know the area better than you, since he walks down the haphazardly lain sheets of concrete across the ground with more confidence than a tourist would. The thought occurs to you that maybe the newsletter photographers have eaten here before during their time in Kyoto.
âWhat made you start working with the newsletter?â you ask, glancing at him as the two of you walk down further, into what seems like a neighborhood.
He shrugs. âFirst job I could find out of college. I had a lot of freelance experience, so Iâm assuming thatâs why they hired me.â He nudges your arm with his elbow. âWhat about you?â
âIâve known Utahime for a while. She was impressed with my work.â
âAhh, connections,â he muses, âsmart. Thatâll get you far as an artist.â
He suddenly stops walking and peers off to the right, into a darkness that you canât really make anything out of until youâve spent a few seconds staring too. He walks in that direction, the loud echoing stomps of his boots on concrete no longer audible once he crosses the threshold onto grass, and you follow behind to what seems like a deserted childrenâs park. You wish there were more trees in the city. There are a lot here in the countryside, and it makes you homesick for something youâre not even sure of.
A gust of wind brushes through, rattling the set of swings hung on rusty chains. The wood chips underneath your feet feel stale, with no snap to them at all as you follow Kai through the playhouses set up in connected fashion. There are two picnic benches, one looks like itâs been freshly painted with faux effort to improve its image in the line of sight of the street, while the other has red paint peeled back to reveal bronze underneath the moonlight, neglected and tucked behind a few trees. The latter is what he chooses.
He slides into the bench, and he shakes his head when he sees you try to take a seat on the other side before patting at the seat beside him. âItâd be easier for you to take a look at my side.â
He has a point, so you sit next to him instead. Although at this point in the night, you were feigning interest. He zips his camera bag open and you take a better look at the lens. Thereâs no way it was as cheap as he told you it was.
âThereâs no way this was as cheap as you told me it was,â you say.
He laughs, pulling the camera out and handing it to you. âYeah, maybe the guy cut me a deal since Iâve bought from him before.â
Youâre smart enough to put the strap around your neck, even though youâre only holding it a few inches above the table, because a camera like this deserves the care and respect. The material is minimalist and sleek, and itâs heavy in your hands. You click the shutter button, screen coming to life with a few mechanic chirps. âWoah. Is it LCD or OLED?â
âLCD.â
âThatâs nice,â you say, âpaying for the OLED just seems silly to me.â
âI concur, Canon. Color accuracy is king.â
He shuffles to pull something out of his pocket while you continue to inspect the camera in your hands, and you see him fidget with said thing over the table in the corner of your eye. The flick of something and the light of something makes you turn your head to face him, and heâs pinching the end of a joint to his mouth, lighting the other end.
He gives you a glance when you stare for too long, inhaling from it before pulling it from his mouth. âWhat?â You can see the smoke leave his mouth in the chill of the air.
âIs that why you chose the secluded bench?â
âI did? Didnât even notice.â
You blink at him, and he places his elbow on the table to lean closer to you.Â
âDo you mind it?â he asks.
âNo, not really.â
âWanna smoke with me?â Two fingers pinching the origin of smoke tilt towards you. âThis is my good weed, though, so, I charge by the drag.â
âThatâs ridiculous, and no thanks. It doesnât suit me.â
He lets out a laugh, releasing whatever tension he was building in your space, and the smell of weed is nauseating, but at least it's a new sensation to you.
âYouâve gotta be the only film major on the planet that doesnât smoke weed. How do you manage?â he asks, the orange flicker of his joint being the only color you can distinctly see under the similarly flickering street lights.Â
Your finger traces the rim of the camera lens and is careful to not smudge the glass. âI think I manage just fine.â
âYeah. With delusion,â he says, coughing, scattering smoke into the air this time instead of a clean blow.
You turn a bit in your seat to face him more, placing the camera down. âYouâre extremely blunt.â
His eyebrow raises in amusement and you close your eyes with annoyance at the pun. You brush it off.
âI mean, seriously, I get youâre probably just looking out for me, I guess. I appreciate that. But do you really think my dreams of becoming a filmmaker are that far-fetched?â you ask. Thereâs a crack to your voice at the end that you didnât like.
He sighs, setting his wrist down on the table. Thereâs a long pause where he thinks about what to say. Probably the most youâve seen him consider what words leave his mouth next. âI was in the same shoes as you, y/n. A couple years ago. I, too, had big dreams of making movies. I was going to apply to film grad school as well, although youâre shooting higher than I was at the time. Thereâs no way I wouldâve gotten into UTokyoâs.â He tilts his head to the side a few times while looking straight off ahead. âI sent scripts in everywhere. To every fucking production company, creative agency, you name it. Never got a callback, not even once. While all my fellow grads were landing decent, respectable jobs.â He brings the joint to his mouth again, but he doesnât inhale, just bitterly bites it. âI couldâve went on like that, but,â his brow furrows, âIâve seen my peers torture themselves for years for those dreams of theirs. I swore I wouldnât be one of them. Because theyâre all delusional fucks.â He finally glances at you. âAre you one, too?â
Your shoulders drop a little and your lips purse. âI donât know yet. Itâs too early to say.âÂ
âItâs never too early to say, if the outcome is all the same,â he tells you.Â
You consider his words for a moment. Itâs the easy way out. You should consider yourself lucky. Everyone wants a reason, a sign, to turn away from the one thing theyâre scared to think about. And here he was, giving that to you on a silver platter.
But if what you wanted was really all that fragile, then it means thereâs nothing to show for any of it. For all the effort it took you to get here, and all the effort youâre still willing to give.Â
âIâll keep going until I fail,â you say, âor until I succeed.â Itâs not really something you say for him, but for yourself.
He juts his bottom lip out and raises his eyebrows, slowly nodding his head, like heâs impressed by you. But his posture remains lax. âI mean, youâre working this job. Youâve got some sort of plan, at least. Itâs not like Iâm your parent to tell you what to do and what not to do.â He finally takes another drag, eyebrows pinching together at the same time his fingers pinch close to the burn of his joint to pull it away. âWhatâs that one saying? You can take a horse to the water, but you canât make it drink.â
âWow. You donât sound a day older than sixty-five.â
He smirks at you. âYouâve got a lot of attitude, Canon. Where does it come from?â
You sink a little in your seat, turning away from him to look down at your hands that were still messing with the features of his camera. âMy annoying feelings lately.â
âFeelings about what?â
You consider telling the truth. But you donât. âMy car is in repair and Iâm not sure I can afford to pay for the bill, since things keep coming up with it.â It was the thing at the top of your mind at the moment though, for some reason, so partially truthful.
He laughs. âYeah, cars have a way of doing that when youâre finally getting caught up on bills.â
âAt what point does spontaneously picking up random, obscure jobs go from omg Iâm so excited to have this opportunity to I just need the money?â you ask.
âYou mean youâre not already at that point yet?â he says with a scoff. âSoon, then.â
You sigh.
âYâknow I used to work at this lousy cinema a few miles away from Central,â he tells you, hand tapping the table with a rhythm that makes no sense. âBusted my ass working minimum wage on night shifts because I thought Iâd catch a big break in conversation with a director, as if Martin Fucking Scorcese would choose to host his opening night at a random Edwards in Tokyo.â His tapping on the table stops. âTell me that isnât pathetic as hell.â
âThatâs pathetic as hell.â
âThe things youâll do for money,â he says with a sigh. He sounds detached, like itâs really just a message for you.
You lick your lips, skin feeling dry from the wind that occasionally brushes by, and when you glance at Kai again, thereâs a grit to his jaw.
âShouldâve been born as one of those damn college athletes,â he grumbles, sucking in fast through the joint that was close to withering away. âThose fuckers donât pay tuition.â
The harsh colors of the soccer teamâs color-coded practice schedule on your phone are visible when you blink, as well as the exhaustion under Gojoâs eyes in the warm lighting of the hotel lobby earlier tonight. âThey work hard.â
He looks at you. âI work hard, too.â
Your shoulders tense. âIâm sure.â
âYou work hard as well.â Just to include you.
âYeah.â
âI mean, you canât tell me that itâs fair.â
Your mind wanders to some of the people youâve met on that team, who have been nice to you. You think of Gojo, and the memory of him makes you wish you were with him right now. Despite everything.
âI guess itâs not fair,â is all you say, a tactic to diffuse the conversation, one that youâve had to use twice with him today. The sound of the swing chains clinking together from the wind in the distance runs a chill down your spine.
You feel heavy in your chest, and you glance at the joint pinched in between Kaiâs fingers. Heâs not keeping an eye on it, so itâs easy to steal, and you bring it to your lips before sucking in. You instantly let out a few coughs. Heâs looking at you with surprise. And youâre still in desperate need of that distraction youâve been craving.
âHow long does it take for it to kick in?â you ask, coughing again and pressing a hand to your chest.
âSuper long when you can barely stomach a single drag.â
You try again. He watches you. You swear you feel a buzz this time, and you hand the joint back to him. You feel like youâre having an out-of-body experience.
âHow are you feeling?â he asks.
âGood,â you tell him, âreally good.â
âThatâs gotta be placebo, Canon.â
âNo, really,â you sigh it. Even if it was, maybe your mind was just blessing you with a single moment of reprieve. âI feelâŠreally good,â you say with your head in a haze. âBest IâveâŠâ you donât know why you have to blink back tears, âbest Iâve felt this whole week.â
Kaiâs silent next to you. You look over at him, and heâs got a scrutinizing expression on his face. His eyes are glazed. âYou seeing anyone right now, Canon?â
Itâs the savory question you know has been on the tip of his tongue. Ignorantly asked, as if you wouldâve been sitting here with him right now in the dead of night if the answer was yes.Â
âNo.â
Heâs leaning towards you, and youâre dazed and also sleepy. His face is close now, thereâs an urge to giggle, which means thereâs no way this is all just placebo, and when his lips dip towards yours, youâre conscious enough to push him away by a weakly fisted hand pressed to his collarbone.
âOh. I. Um,â you stutter.
âWhat?â he asks, eyebrow raised, still close to you.
âNo. No thanks.â Because it felt wrong.Â
He fully pulls away from you, and runs a hand through his hair, a deep sigh leaving him. âAlright.â
Youâre breathing faster now, surroundings feeling vague, like youâre in sweltering heat but the air only bites cold.
You stand up suddenly. âIâŠI want to go back.â
âGo back where?â
âTo the hotel. To my room.â You pause. âI mean, by myself. Not with you. We can share a ride, though.â
He stands up too, hands reaching for you, gripping the straps of his camera still hung around your neck and he pulls it off to place it back into the case. You feel like youâve lost favor with him somehow. âOkay. Sure.âÂ
âBut not with you.â You felt the need to clarify again.
âI get it, Canon. Itâs fine.â
â
âMaybe you just need to fuck him aggressively without mercy.â
âI beg your finest pardon?â
Youâre sitting in a booth inside this streetside KFC with Mina sitting across the table, waving a fry around in the air, and with Nobara next to you as she tries to open a packet of ketchup with her teeth. The hangout the three of you have been hyping up all week, just to be sat in the same place you always go to. You were about to take a bite out of your sandwich, but you set it back down on your tray.
Mina points the fry at you and shrugs. âIâm saying. Maybe youâre having such a hard time getting over Gojo because you got so close to fucking him in that bathroom, but you didnât, and now youâre in, like, this constant state of edging.â She bites down on the fry. âThe clit knows what the heart doesnât.â
âYour theories never fail to amaze me,â you mumble, sinking further into the booth.Â
âPerhaps itâll take the edge off.â Mina sucks through the straw of her Diet coke. Nobara finally succeeds in opening her packet of ketchup.
âI doubt it. Besides, I technically already gave him an invitation to,â you say, fingers rubbing at your eye with a swipe as you wince from the memory, âand he rejected me, so, still swimming in the self hatred from that one.â
Mina hums. âThereâs no way heâs not foaming at the mouth for it, y/n. Men never let a meal they were craving go unfinished,â she states, dramatically stabbing a chicken nugget with a fork.
âWhat kind of pigs do you guys associate yourselves with?â Nobara asks. Sheâs a lesbian, by the way.
âI raise another question. Why are we talking about this in a public restaurant?â you offer.
âListen, babes,â Mina continues, like your words fall on deaf ears because sheâs got some point to make, âitâll either poof. Make your feelings go away like the drop of a hat because you find out heâs a bad lay. Or itâll be so good that you realize youâre never getting over him and youâll be thinking of his dick instead of your husbandâs on your wedding night.â
âWeâre. In. A. Public. Restaurant.â
Mina steals a biscuit from your tray. âIf it ends up being the first outcome, then the whole thing was my idea. If itâs the secondâŠthen just know that Nobara has steered you wrong.â
âWhy the hell do you have to drag me into this?â Nobara asks.
Youâre about to take a bite from your sandwich again when youâre interrupted by the buzzing of your phone in your purse. You pull it out and glance at the caller ID, then let out a sigh.
ïżœïżœïżœSorry, I have to take this,â you mumble, slipping out of the booth and towards the restaurantâs exit, pushing the tense door open with a gust of fresh air brushed through you.
âHello?â Itâs the car repair man. âReally? I thought you said it was fixed.â Apparently something else came up. âOkayâŠhow much longer will it be in repair?â Much longer than you had thought. âAnd how much will it cost?â Much more expensive than you had thought. âI donât know what to say. I mean, really, I feel as though every time Iâm on the line with you all, I have to wait longer to get my car back, and the bill just racks up higher.â Theyâre trying their best. âI know. Is it necessary to fix in order to drive, though?â State laws require it. âOkayâŠthanks for the update.â And then you hang up without another word, and with all the frustration in the world.
You head back inside and grumble about your car woes to Mina and Nobara, who try their best to respond with interest.
âWhy canât your insurance cover it?â Mina asks.
âApparently they canât claim itâs because of those rocks I drove over,â you sigh, âsince it looks like itâs been a problem for longer than that.â
âCan you afford it?â Nobara asks.
âNot really,â you say. âIâll just have to postpone having my car for a bit.â
You sigh with a glance out the window of this fine dining establishment, into the blue skies just beyond, head drowning out the voices of Mina and Nobara as they continue to grill you about all sorts of questions that you donât have the energy to answer right now. You had another student loan payment to make once you got home today, and just the thought of it makes your heart drop a little. And you realize you just canât afford to be picky about your financial situation anymore.
â
âThanks for helping me out with this,â you say, footsteps over familiar grassy hills as you head towards the UTokyoâs practice field, your digital Canon EOS hanging from your neck.Â
âSure,â Kai says as he keeps pace next to you, âwhy the sudden mission, though?â
Youâre gazing off straight ahead, a nervous pit in your stomach since itâs been a while since youâve walked across this landscape towards the field.Â
âI just feel like I need to diversify my income somehow,â you sigh, the buzzwords leaving a bitter taste in your mouth as you say them but it was the reality of your situation, âto make ends meet. When you mentioned freelance work during our conversation last week, it made me think itâs time for me to pick that up too.â
Kai hums. âYeah, itâs a good plan. Iâll try to show you what I know.â
Once youâve made it to the top of that hill, the one that oversees the field, your eyes instantly scan the field for familiar silhouettes, and your breath catches in your throat when you spot Gojo passively kicking a ball back and forth between one of his teammates for warm-ups.
Itâs the second time youâve seen him since that argument the two of you had in the hotel lobby, the first being at the post-game conference in which you did everything in your power to swiftly avoid him, and you plan on keeping that up. Thereâs also an urge to run away, but youâre starting to realize thatâs not much of an option anymore.
âHonestly, you donât really need to worry too much about shutter speed with freelance like you do for shooting sports,â Kai is mumbling next to you as he messes with the settings on his camera, the two of you making your way down the hill towards the field, and youâre not really listening because your eyes are on Gojo, whoâs yelling something across the field to his teammates with a look of concentration on his face.
âUh huh, I see,â you say. You see Kai glance at you in his periphery.
âYou again!â you hear a familiar harsh voice call out, and you turn on your heel to face Coach Yaga whoâs standing a few feet away in his custom UTokyo tracksuit with his arms crossed against his chest. âWhy are you on my field?â
You hold your breath for a second. âHi, Coach Yaga, so sorry, but Iâm just here to take some more photos.â
He lets out one of his hmphs, unrelenting. âYouâre a distraction. Get off my field.â
âD-Distraction?â
âCoach!â Suddenly, Getoâs in your line of sight as he emerges with a light jog up to your side. âYou should really be nicer to our photographers, they give us a lot of publicity for our games. And publicity means funding.â
Coach Yaga narrows his eyes. âI need all my players focused right now. Even during practice.â He gives you a disapproving glance and youâre still confused, but also weirdly angered.
âExcuse me, Coach Yaga, but last time I checked, this field is technically open for all students. And Iâm a student,â you say to him, crossing your arms across your chest now. âSo, I can be here if I want.â
You have no idea if thatâs true at all, but sometimes youâve just gotta fake it âtil you make it.
Coach Yaga grumbles something and then waves his hands in the air. âFine! Iâve no bandwidth to argue about this anymore! Just donât distract my players.â
Youâre shocked that it worked, and Geto nudges you with an elbow to correct your expression so that Coach Yaga doesnât catch on to the bullshit you just spewed.Â
âAre you here to take some photos?â Geto asks, facing you. Heâs got his hands on his hips, breathing slightly fast, some of his hair falling onto his forehead.Â
âYeah, I am, just for practice though. Iâm here withââ you glance at Kai, whoâs standing with his fists shoved into his pockets, âKai. Heâs also with the newsletter.â
Thereâs a moment where Geto studies the two of you for a second before speaking. âI know,â he says, extending his hand out for Kai to shake, which he does, âI think Iâve seen you around. Not sure if weâve formally met, but itâs nice to meet you.â
âYeah, likewise.â Kaiâs hand is then shoved back into his pocket.
You feel awkward suddenly, and then quickly say something to Geto about how he should probably get back to practice, which he agrees to, and then youâre standing at the chalk sideline with Kai as he shows you the ins and outs about digital photography.
âHave you tried shooting in burst mode?â he asks, switching the feature on your camera and then handing it back to you. You sling the strap around your neck.
âHmâŠâ you start, pointing your camera across the expanse of the field to multiple areas. The trees off into the distance, the goal posts, Coach Yagaâs yapping Pomeranian. âNot reallyâŠâ The grass beneath your feet, the sky above your head, and then blurrily focused before settling on Gojo who stood in the distance straight ahead.
You see through your viewfinder that heâs caught sight of you too, a look of surprise on his face seen only by the level of zoom, and you glance up from the screen to make eye contact with him in reality. Heâs fully staring at you, and you can barely see the way his expression relaxes from that one of athletic concentration to something wistful and strange that youâve had a hard time reading lately.
âCanon? Are you even listening?â
âHuh?â you snap out of it and look at Kai. âSorry. Could you repeat that?â You quickly glance toward Gojo again, and his line of sight points towards Kai now.
âI was asking if youâve tried panning before,â he says, reaching for your camera, pulling it towards him, but the strap around your neck means youâre pulled closer to him too.Â
âSatoru!â Coach Yaga yells in the distance. âEyes on the ball!âÂ
âJust got to set your camera to manual mode first,â Kai mutters, confusion in his voice. âWhere the fuck is it?â Heâs turning your camera in his hands, which only has you stumbling with another small step towards him, your chest pressed flush to his arm, and he looks down at you for a brief second with a smirk on his face.
You hear the sound of a ball being kicked on the field, followed by the shout of one of the players.
âAh, here, found it,â Kai says, handing your camera back to you, and just as youâre about to say thanks and you hold your camera up, youâre hit straight in the face by a flying object and fall backwards onto the grass with a painful thud.
What the fuck?
Where are you?
Who are you?
Okay, thatâs dramatic, it wasnât that bad.
Thereâs shouting in the distance as you hold your head with a groan, eyes shut tight with images of your life flashing behind your eyelids, and when you open your eyes again from where youâre sat up on the grass, youâre surrounded by soccer players.
Gojoâs suddenly in your line of sight, knelt down beside you and heâs holding your shoulders, trying to get you to look at him but youâre still blinking away the stars youâre seeing. âFuck, y/n, are you okay?â he asks, and you register the concern on his face.
âDude,â one of his teammates kicks the heel of his cleat, âwhere the fuck were you looking? It was clear as day I was tryna pass to you.â
Gojo grumbles something to him, his brow furrowed, and heâs lowering his head to try to make eye-level contact with you but youâre still holding your head with a wince.
âOh shit,â Kai comments, âsheâs bleeding.â
You pull your hand from your face to glance down at the wetness that you feel, and bright red color stains the tips of your fingers.
The next thing you register is Gojo picking you up off the hard grassy ground into his arms, and starts carrying you away down the field.
âW-What the hell are you doing?â you ask, his pacing across the grass is fast and you have to wrap your arms around his neck to keep from getting dizzy.
âIâm taking you to the hospital,â he says, voice strained in his throat, and youâve never seen him look so worried before.Â
âThe hospital?! Please donât, I donât have health insurance right now.â His face is so close and youâre distracted from the pain of your headache.
âYouâre bleeding on the face, Iâm taking you whether you like it or not,â he grumbles.
You dig your nails into his shoulder through the nylon of his shirt, and he hisses from the pain before stopping in his tracks. âI donât need to go to the hospital, Satoru, I just need a fucking bandaid.â
âYou could have a concussion.â
âA concussion?!â You kick your feet for him to let you down but his grip on you only tightens. âYouâre being ridiculous. Let me go, or Iâll bite you.â
He scoffs at that and continues walking forward. âYouâre gonna bite me? Thatâs the most threatening thing you could come up with?â
âIâm being so dead serious, Gojo Satoru. No hospital.â
He grumbles something under his breath at your use of his full government name, and then says âfineâ but heâs still walking down the grass until his cleats begin to tap on concrete, and then on what sounds like tile as he carries you into a building a few yards from the field.
He seats you on a cold counter, your hand gripping the faucet of a sink, and you finally take a comprehensive look at your surroundings. light blue, faint scent of chlorine in the air
âIs thisâŠa locker room? The men's locker room?â
He sighs, bending his knees a bit to look at your face closely. You flinch when his hand reaches out, and he pauses, but you relax slightly and then he rubs his thumb over your cheek. You feel the smear of a droplet of blood. âYes. I need running water.â He turns the faucet of the sink on to run his thumb under.
âFor what?â you ask. His thumb is running over your cheek again.
âTo take care of this cut.â He disappears behind a tile wall for a moment. You can hear metal clanking, probably of a locker opening and closing, and he re-emerges with a first-aid kit.
You slide your butt across the counter to the edge, about to hop off and make a run for it when he grabs your hips and puts you back into place. âDonât even think about it,â he grumbles. He leans forward, grips you strongly, and you see that heâs still breathing heavily from practice, strands of hair stuck to his forehead with sweat, and you can practically taste the salt on his neck.Â
You press your shin to the front of his thigh, desperate to put some space between the two of you. âI donât wanna be in here. Men are scary.â
âWell I canât take you into the womenâs locker room,â he says, ripping the packet of an antiseptic wipe open with his teeth, âIâd get registered as a sex offender.â
You attempt at an escape again, and heâs quick to get his hands on you to stop it.
âQuit manhandling me, or Iâll scream,â you threaten through gritted teeth, because youâre still mad at him. For everything.
âGo ahead,â he says, using his knee to spread your legs apart, then finds a place to stand between your thighs to get closer to you. âIâve got a lot of ways I could shut you up.â
You blink at him, breath catching in your throat, and the expression on his face tells you heâs not interested in dealing with your stubbornness anymore.
âJust hold still,â he grumbles, placing the packet down on your thigh and then stepping off to the side to wash his hands under the sink.
âWhat exactly happened?â you ask, watching him dry his hands off with a few paper towels. One moment, Kai was trying to explain good digital photography to you, and the next you were dizzy from being knocked back onto the ground.
âYou got hit by a soccer ball.â
âI know, but how?â You remember your camera hit your face from the impact too, and now youâre worried about it.
âIâŠwasnât paying attention when my teammate passed it,â he admits with a sigh, finding his place in front of you again, the knuckles of his clean hand brushing across your cheek, caressing. Your expression softens slightly. He uses a hand spread across the small of your back to push you forward to him, then he gently passes the wipe over your wound.
âOh okay so, you failed to protect me from a flying soccer ball.âÂ
He pulls his hand from you to read the lettering on the back of the packet. âIâm patching you up now, arenât I?â he says, annoyed. ââŠoh fuck, I was supposed to go in with water first.â
âSo glad to be in such good hands right now.âÂ
He gives you a pointed look, but you ignore it and turn your torso to see your reflection in the mirror for the first time. You had a small wound on your cheek, right over the bone, with some bleeding and itâs wider than it is deep. But when you look at Gojo again, whoâs putting some ointment onto a Q-tip now, the look of guilt and worry on his face makes you feel satisfied for some reason, and you wanted to make it worse.
âDoes it hurt?â he asks, brow furrowed, applying the cold gel to your cheek.
âMhm. A lot.â Not really, no.
âFuck. Iâm sorry,â he sighs, head dipping towards you slightly to get a better look, âcan you feel this?â
âAhh, yeah. Ouch. So much.â Barely.
His other hand is placed flat on the counter next to where youâre sitting, and you allow it when his thumb starts to run soothing circles over your hip.
âHmmâŠâ you start, wide eyes looking up at him as he seems to lean closer and closer to you with every word that leaves your lips, âI really wonder if itâll leave a scar.â
He looks tortured. His hand that was maneuvering the Q-tip in his hands drops to the counter now, and he brings his other one to your face, cupping your cheek. His eyes dart from the wound, thumb pressing at the plush of your cheek, and this time, it hurts a little so you wince. His expression is tense, some sort of inner turmoil you could read across his forehead, and then his jaw hardens.
âWho was that guy you were talking to earlier?â
You blink a few, then tilt your head slightly. You feel like youâre on a game show, where thereâs four options and only one right answer. New boytoy, gay best friend, fuck buddy, orâ âHeâs my coworker.â
âThatâs it?â
âMhm.â
âHas he tried anything funny with you?âÂ
You almost roll your eyes. âNo, dad, he hasnât.â
âWoah. Say that again but make it daddy.â
âHey just a quick question for you. Where do you get the audacity?â
His bent index finger finds a place under your chin, tilting your head up so youâre forced to look at him. âItâs your fault, really. I canât help it sometimes,â he says, voice lower now. Youâre squirming a little, wanting to push him away but his lips get close to your cheek, brushing near your wound, like he wants to make it all better somehow. âI really am sorry,â he whispers, near your ear. Thereâs a whimper you have to stifle in your throat. He pulls aways just enough to where he can look into your eyes. âA cutâŠâ he starts, thumb now passing over your bottom lip, âon your pretty face.â He sighs. You shouldnât, but when he prods, you tuck his thumb under your front teeth and your tongue presses slightly against the padded skin of it. He looks like heâs being driven to insanity, and his other hand has no shame at all in pulling you towards him, to seat you at the edge of the counter, and you miss the texture of his thumb on your tongue when he pulls it from your mouth. But itâs so he can dip his head down to kiss you instead.
Of course the sensation of his lips on yours only lasts for a second, because the universe really fucking hates (or loves?) you, so the loud clanking of a metal water bottle against tile interrupts with harsh reverberation throughout the locker room walls, and he pulls away from you when you jump at the sound.
You both turn your heads towards the origin, located at the curved end of the entryway hall, and one of Gojoâs teammates is standing there with his duffle bag slung around his neck and hanging heavily to his thigh, his water bottle clutched in his hand. He blinks at the two of you.
Oh. Itâs the one you kissed at that party a few weeks ago.
âWhatââŠWhy is there aââ his teammate starts, panicked, turning his head to double check the sign on the locker room wall as if heâs hallucinating, and when his eyes land on you again, they widen with recognition. His gaze shifts, and his chin tips down at the sight of Gojoâs irritated side eye from where he was still all up in your personal space. ââŠyou know what. Nevermind.â
His teammateâs eyes are on you again, and you give him a shy little wave, just a fluttering of your fingers in the air paired with a small smile, legs swinging back and forth under the counter. He lets out an amused scoff from the entryway, lifting his hand to return the gesture, some cheeky grin on his face as he then scratches the back of his head before turning on his heel to leave the locker room, out of sight. You let out a sigh, hand dropping to your lap, and you donât need to look at Gojo to tell that heâs staring at you with disbelief.
âWhat the fuck was thatââ
âYou,â you interrupt him, finger jabbing at the center of his chest, âhave seriously got a lot of fucking nerve,â you hop off the counter, âto not only allow a soccer ball to sock me in the face,â heâs taking a step back with every harsh jab of your finger, âbut to also hold me hostage in a mensâ locker room,â his back is pressed up against cold tile wall now while he just looks down at you with wide eyes and something akin to fear, âand then, oh my god, the audacity to kiss me?â
âIââ
âI donât wanna hear it!â you yell, which shuts him up. âYou really are just a fucking player.â
Heâs stiff, not wanting to catch a punishment from you right now.
âBut it doesnât matter,â you grumble, still drilling your finger into his ribcage with the intent to cause pain. You didnât need to be this close, but his body is warm, probably due to the blood pumping from practice, and it feels nice to be pressed up against. âBecause I donât have feelings for you anymore, so just fucking get over yourself.â It was a lie if youâve ever told one, but you wanted to believe it so much that it could come off as the truth.
His eyes narrow down at you, eyebrows flattening. âYou donât have feelings for me anymore?â
âNo, I donât.â
âI donât believe you.â
You roll your eyes. âWhy? Because you want me to keep suffering?â
He grabs your hips, then makes a motion that is evident of his desire to pull you flush to him, but he stops himself. Thereâs a moment where he just takes a few deep breaths and looks at you with a hardened expression, then a split second where his eyes fall to that little cut on your cheek, and every single feature of his face softens, and then he lets you go.
You take a small step back, breathing heavily of your own, and you feel the ghost sensation of his fingertips wrapped around your hips. It makes you feel dizzy, and your thoughts are a mess.Â
He sighs. âSorry. For the soccer ball, and this locker room. But Iâm not really sorry for kissing you, and if that makes me a jerk, then so be it.â
Your heart is beating fast. âYou are a jerk, Satoru,â you say. He doesnât like you, he doesnât want you. A mantra played over and over in your head that youâve started to hear it at night. âA real fucking jerk.â And you leave him standing there in a way that feels like the hundredth time.
â
2:34pm kaito (work): yo
2:34pm kaito (work): i had my guy look at your camera
2:35pm kaito (work): itâs pretty fucked up
2:37pm you: :( oh okay isee. does he have an estimate for the fix? the lens is okay though right?
2:39pm kaito (work): yeah lens is fine, you should really count your blessings on that.Â
2:40pm kaito (work): but nah, fix would be around the same as the cost of it, so youâre better off getting a new one
2:42pm you: i donât have thousands of yen laying around unfortunately. my car bill has sucked me dry
2:44pm kaito (work): well let me check with him. maybe he can hook you up with a good deal on a used one
2:45pm kaito (work): i got a 50% off on one of my canon cameras i bought from him a few years back. maybe heâs still got some like that
2:46pm you: yes could you check with him please? thanks so much, really
2:48pm kaito (work): sure. although i think the guy that kicked the ball to your face should be paying for your camera replacement
2:51pm you: they were just practicing. itâs their field
2:56pm kaito (work): alright. btw, you free tonight?
You blink at your phone screen from where you were sprawled across your bed. Before you have a chance to type out a response, your phone lights up with a phone call from kaito (work). You accept the call.
âOh, hi,â you say.
âHey, are you free tonight?â
âOh uhh, I was just about to check my schedule.â You shake your head at your inability to come up with an excuse on the spot.
âOkay,â he says on the other line. You hear the sounds of cars honking in the distance. âWell let me know. I just left my camera guyâs shop, and he was telling me about how one of his friends does visuals for a short-film director, and that the director is looking for an assistant.â Kai grumbles something about someone he walked past being rude. âI think the directorâs agency is Verve Films, so.â
You sit up in bed, eyes wide at the mention of the name. âOh, oh wow. Thatâs insane.â
âYup,â he says, âanyways, apparently the director is busy as fuck, so he left the hiring process up to my camera guyâs friend. I told him I knew someone that might be interested. Are you?â
You take a deep breath in and out. âYeah, I am. Most of my experience on my resume lines up with short-film, so Iâd be able toââ
âAlright great,â he interrupts, âso we can hold the interview tonight.â
âWe?â you ask.
âWell yeah, me, my camera guy, the hiring guy. Maybe go for drinks or something.â
Your brow furrows. âThat hardly sounds like an interview.â
Kai sighs. âWell, itâs not an interview for a desk job or something. Itâs more of likeâwell, like building connections. I know you know all about that, since Utahime got you the newsletter job.â
Well, yes. She put a word in for you, which helped get the interview, but you still went against qualified applicants. âI guess.â
âItâll be like that. Most opportunities youâll get if you still want to pursue filmmaking are going to be like that,â he tells you, âif it feels informal, it means youâre doing it right. You might not think so now because youâre still in school, where they practically serve opportunities to students on platters, but itâs going to be different in the real world.â
You lay your head back onto the pillow, feeling like youâre receiving a lecture you didnât ask for, and your first instinct is to pretend that you know better than he does. But when you think about all the stress recently, all of the not knowing, and the unsure, you question if you should start leaning into the advice of the people around you, and start to accept this career path for what itâs known to be. Unruly, unconventional, and a lot of times, unfair.Â
âI see. Well, can I think about it? Tonight is too soon, Iâd need time to research the director, put a portfolio together, and also do some interview prep,â you say, pulling your phone from your ear to glance at the time.
âWell, tonightâs the only night that works since their teamâs shooting abroad for the weekend and they leave tomorrow morning,â he says.
You purse your lips together.
âBut also,â Kai says, âitâs the nice thing to do, yâknow, since my camera guy is taking the time to look at your camera for free, you could at least help his friend out. By the way, he just texted me, he does have some used Canons available at discount.â
You close your eyes for a second, just trying to process this conversation right now. Kai was speaking too fast, hardly enough time for you to even think.
âSo do you want to do the interview tonight?â
âYes, sure. Okay. Justâ just send me the details. Iâll be there,â you say.
âAlright cool, will do.âÂ
You say bye, and then he hangs up.
A few hours pass by, where you spend some time putting together a flash drive of a couple of your best short films youâve worked on in the past with other directors, as well as a portfolio of some recently developed film photography. The last thing to do was grab your emergency stash of print outs of your resume, and then you stuff it all into a folder before glancing at the mirror to take in your reflection. It felt extremely weird to show up to a job interview in something as casual as what you were wearing right now, but Kai insisted to not wear anything business. But at least you opted for jeans that donât have any DIY holes in them.
Your face is glued to the navigation on your phone screen the second you get out of the taxi, and you walk down the bustling nightlife streets of Tokyo to get to this bar that Kai sent you the address of. But just as youâre about to turn the corner to your destination down the bar strip, you bump into someoneâs chest due to lack of paying any proper attention.
âAhâ Iâm so sorry,â you say, your grip on your phone tightening when you realize it was about to get knocked out of your hand, and then you look up to see a familiar face.
âOh!â Geto exclaims from where heâs standing right in front of you, âYouâre everywhere, y/n. What are you doing here?â
You open your mouth to speak, hesitate for a second, and then continue. âIâm here toâŠget drinks with some of my friends.â
He gives you a smile. âThatâs nice. I am too.â He points over his shoulder to behind him. âNanami got into his MBA program earlier this week, so, Satoru, Choso and I are buying him a few rounds. Or possibly a million. The plan is to incapacitate him as punishment for giving up on playing in the national league with us.â
You humor him with a laugh. âThatâs sweet. Or not? Well anyway, tell him I said congrats.â Your heart starts to beat a little faster, because from the direction Geto came from, it meant Gojo was likely just around the corner somewhere. âWhere are you heading to now?â
âWeâre bar hopping, and I think I forgot my phone at the last one we went to over there,â he says, pointing across the street. âSo Iâm going to go look for it.âÂ
âOh alright,â you say. âGood luck with that. Iâm going to go find my, uh, my friends.â
Geto tilts his head at you and had a slightly more serious expression on his face, glancing at the folder in your hands. âThanks. And stay safe.âÂ
You nod at him and then walk past him to round the corner onto the street that had groups of people loitering in front of restaurants, bars and all sorts of establishments as they wait in the cold to get inside or be seated. You recognize the name on one of the signs hanging as the one Kai sent you in his message, and when youâre a few feet away from it, you spot Kai. Heâs wearing his typical street photographer wear, with a red flannel over a gray shirt and pants that are possibly a size too big for him, but thatâs likely the style he was going for. Heâs standing with two other people.
âHey,â you greet Kai first, who has a pleasant look on his expression before he greets you back and gestures to the two people he was with.
âYo, this is Junichi, my camera guy,â he says. âDonât bother shaking his hand, heâs a germaphobe. Gotta keep âem clean for the electronics.â
âOh,â you say. Junichi is a big man, broad shoulders and thick muscles. His neck is almost as thick as his bicep, and he has no hair on his head. His arms are crossed. âItâs nice to meet you. Thank you for taking a look at my camera.â
He nods at you in acknowledgment. âSure thing. Pretty Boy here says you want to buy one of my used Canons. I donât refurbish them, so youâd better know how.â
Kai sighs, nudging Junichi a little with a fist. âRelax, dude, we can talk about that later. Also, stop calling me that.â
Your eyes flicker to the right, where another man stood, who you assume was Junichiâs friend and this Verve Films directorâs visual effects specialist. Heâs similar in stature to Kai, with that casual artist look, and he has a scuffle of facial hair littering his jaw in less of an intentional fashion but rather a five-o-clock shadow fashion. You vaguely register the scent of weed, familiar to the one that lingers in the photo lab on campus after class hours. He reaches his hand out to you first.
âHi, Iâm Ren. I work in visual effects for director Akira Ko at Verve.â
Your eyes widen as you shake his hand. âThatâs amazing. Iâve studied a lot of his contemporary works, Iâd love to learn more about his process.â
Ren lets a fast exhale out through his nose. âYeah, youâll learn a lot under him.â He pauses to shove his hands into the pockets of his jacket. âMost of his assistants always do.â
âWeâve been waiting for too damn long,â Kai interjects before you could ask any questions about the assistant position, and he glances at his watch, âand thereâs still a lot of people ahead of us.â
You glance around to the small groups of people gathered in front of this bar on a lively Friday night, eyes jumping from one area to the next, until a familiar silhouette catches your eye.
You see Gojo standing with Nanami and Choso a few strides away, near the lamppost. Heâs mostly turned away from you, Nanami nudging his arm annoyed at something he said, and the sound of his laughter in the air makes your heart feel like itâs at stray. Like that was where you were supposed to be right now, not here.
You watch him from the distance as he sighs, shrugging his shoulders up and down slightly before crossing his arms when Choso gestures towards the entrance of the bar, and so he looks in that direction too. Heâs frowning slightly and he brushes some of the hair fallen over his forehead away from his eyes, in that boyish way that makes your heart skip a beat, and you know heâs just doing it to see a little bit better, but it makes you want to cry.Â
Geto walks up to them and rejoins their little circle, and holds his phone up in the air, and then thereâs the melody of their voices bouncing off one anotherâs again. Geto rests his elbow up onto Gojoâs shoulder, leaning in a bit closer to tell him something, and when Gojo hears it, you see his entire body tense before his wide eyes are searching his surroundings, until those eyes land on you.
Your breath catches, and you hold his eye contact for only a moment before you look away, because it almost felt like too much to bear.
âWhatâs that folder in your hand?â Ren asks you, and you turn completely to face him so you canât see Gojo in your periphery at all anymore.
âI just brought some of my work, for yourâer, I guess Mr. Koâsâreference if heâd like to see it after todayâsâŠinterview,â you say. âThereâs a flashdrive, too.â
Ren has an amused look on his face and he shoves Kaiâs shoulder with his palm. âDude, you didnât tell her?â
Kai shakes his head. âTell her what?â
âOhh, I see how it is,â Ren muses.
âWhat?â Kai asks, starting to sound annoyed.
Ren tips his chin up slightly to study Kaiâs face, and then his look of amusement dissipates into one of understanding. âNothing.â
âTell me what?â you prod.
âJust that you didnât really need to bring all of that with you,â he says. âSorry for the trouble.â
You shake your head. âItâs fine, but if you could still give it to himââ
âIâm surprised Kai suggested someone when I asked if he knew anyone,â Junichi jumps in, âIâm used to him grumbling on and on about how shit the work is in filmmaking. Wouldâve thought heâd convinced you to look the other way by now.â
You blink at the gruff man, then look at Kai, and heâs just staring down at the dirt of his shoes. âWell, we had a conversation about it. But Iâm pretty set on what I want to do,â you say.
Kai lets out a scoff. âYeah, I donât really know how else to warn you about the shit show youâre in for, but if you want to be in debt to grad school for the next couple decades of your life, then itâs up to you.â
âHey, jackass, try to be a bit nicer,â Ren speaks up. âSheâs got some goals. Big fuckinâ deal.â He turns to you. âAlthough, heâs got a point sweetheart, schoolâs not going to get you anywhere in this industry.â
You frown. âA lot of directors I look up to went through graduate schooling. Most, I would say. I donât understand where this rhetoric is coming from.â
âItâs coming from real people with real experience,â Ren says, and you dislike the way he takes a step closer to you to reiterate his point, âhonestly, you should save yourself some time and give up on applying. Itâs not worth it.â
âIâve already put my application together,â you say, brow furrowing slightly, âIâve asked professors for my references, spent the past four years working on my profileââÂ
âBut working under a director, I mean really getting to work under one, beats all of that. Which is why youâre here, right?â Ren asks, but itâs not curious, itâs testing.
You feel a sheen of sweat build at your forehead, even in this cold, and you clench your hand into a fist once, twice, thrice. Youâre breathing fast, and the three sets of eyes that are staring so scrutinizingly into your soul right now have you faltering, like if they took another step forward, tried to intrude what you thought you knew one more time, youâd fall backwards over the cliff.
Suddenly, a hand wraps around your upper arm, and when you turn your head to the left, you see Gojo standing there.
âHey,â he says to you, sparing one single sidewards glare towards Kai, who immediately averts the eye contact, before Gojoâs eyes are on you again, âcan I talk to you for a second?â
You look at the three men in your circle, who suddenly adopt skittish body postures, and Gojo doesnât really wait longer than a few seconds before heâs pulling you away from them over towards the edge of the curb towards the street.
âWhat?â you ask once he lets go of your arm.
âWhat are you doing here with those guys?â he asks.
âIâmââŠwhy does it matter to you?â you ask.
âIt matters to me because of the fucking absurd conversation I just overheard,â he says, ânow answer me.â
His tone annoys you, and you cross your arms. âAre you eavesdropping?â
âIâm going to ask you one more time,â he says, taking a step forward to you, âwho are those guys, and why are you here with them?â
You blink at him, furrowed brows relaxing slightly as you drop your crossed arms to your side, and you stare straight ahead at the blankness of the white t-shirt heâs wearing, as your mind runs blank to his question. Why were you here with them? Was it because you had no other plans? Was it because the opportunity sounded too good to be true, and you just had to see for yourself? Was it because youâve been unable to sleep at night from all the stress, the financial worries, the rejection, and you just want to finally feel like youâve done one good thing for yourself? To feel like youâre at least making one step in the right direction, no matter the cost?
âIâm here for a job interview,â you say to him. Your tone is flat, and you feel numb.
âA job interview?â he asks, with just about as much incredulity you wouldâve expected to hear from him at that answer, âAt a bar? How does that make any sense?â
âItâŠâ you start, âsounded fine.â
âIt sounds shady as fuck.â
âThis doesnât concern you, okay? IâmââŠIâm just trying to make my goals work for me, Satoru, and I really donât expect you to understand.â
âWhy wouldnât I understand?â he asks. Thereâs confusion in his voice, and maybe even a little bit of hurt.
âBecause you canât even understand how unfair and painful it is for me that you keepââ you have to purse your lips together briefly to fight back the knot in your throat, ââŠthat you keep interfering with my life everywhere I go.â
His expression softens, and he silently stands in front of you for a moment. His eyes dart across your face, and then he reaches out to grab your hand. âListen, if you still want to get drinks tonight, then just get drinks with us. But donât hang out with those guys. Theyâre bad news, especially the dude with the flannel, and I donât think youâre in a good place right now to see that.â
Your eyes see white fury at that, and you all but snap. Because the irony of this whole situation, is that youâre not in a good place right now because of him. Because of all the pain that heâs put you through, for promising to stay away but then always being near, for saying he doesnât want you but then acting like he does.Â
âYou know what I think, Satoru?â you ask through gritted teeth, yanking your hand from his grasp.
Heâs looking at you, studying. âWhat?â
You take a step forward, threateningly, and he takes a step back so that he steps off the curb and onto the road, and youâre at eye-level with him now. âI think that youâre jealous,â you say, eyes glaring daggers into his.
He blinks at you, almost dumbfounded for a moment before he says âwhat?â
âYouâre just fucking jealous that I seem to be moving on after you rejected me, because for some weird reason, you think itâs okay to not want me, and yet not want me to be with anyone else,â you say, practically hissing the words. âYou donât like seeing me with any guys other than you? You donât want to believe me when I say that Iâm over you? Youâre not sorry for kissing me? Even after knowing,â you take a pause to breathe, because you feel like you canât, âeven after knowing that I like you,â eyes blinking fast because you donât want him to see you cry right now, âyou know that I like you so fucking much, and that itâs hurtful, and that itâs wrongâ and even after all of that, you act the same, and still wonât promise me any commitment of your own.â
Heâs looking at you with an expression you canât read, but youâve lost all interest in trying to understand it anymore.
âYou donât want me hanging out with them?â you repeat after him, âIâm not listening to that. Because itâs possessive. And itâs wrong.â
At the mention of them, Gojo clenches his jaw. âThat has nothing to do with you and me, right now. What theyâre trying to convince you of doesnât make any sense, and it wonât help you achieve your dreams either, y/n.â
âYou donât know anything about my dreams, Satoru,â you say, just to hurt him. But you think about the sincere expression on his face the first time you met him when you told him that you wanted his help with your assignment. You think about the playful nudge of his elbow that night he stayed with you on the curb, and told you that you just had to try to put yourself out there, because you couldnât accomplish anything without facing your fears. You think about how heâs always the first to like every single one of the slideshows you post of your pictures on Instagram. You think about the adoration in his eyes, reflected off the moonlight through the hotel window, when you told him about a little cottage on the countryside, one youâve always wanted, and those eyes told you that he was really rooting for you. âYou donât know. Because youââ thereâs an echo of words in your head. Someone elseâs words, not yours, âBecause youâre a college athlete. Andââ you let out an exhale, âand you donât pay tuition.â
His brow furrows. Thereâs a beat of silence as his confusion settles in. âWhat?â
âYou were born blessed with talent, and youâre popular, and people adore you, and you donât have to worry about internships, or jumping from job to job just to make something of yourself,â you say, picturing your life in your head along with all the strife, âor about all of the sinking debt, and the worry, and theâ and the car repair bills,â you say, almost with a scoff, eyes sheening with tears, like youâre losing your mind, âall of the fucking car repair bills.â Your chest is heaving as you shake your head. âBecause youâre set for life as long as you kick a fucking ball.âÂ
His lips purse together, like he can tell thereâs more on your tongue to say, more hurtful words, and he wants to hear you say them. And so you do.
âYouâve never had to suffer or worry about a single thing in your life. So donât pretend like you understand what Iâm trying to do here tonight,â you say, inflection signing off on the end, to tell him that youâre done.Â
He stands in front of you, practically motionless except for the slow movement of his chest as he breathes. His expression, tense and hurt, softens slowly, and you see him digging his nails into the skin of his palms through fidgeting clenched fists at his sides. And then he relaxes them, too.
âDoes that make you feel better?â he asks.
His question confuses you, and for some reason, regret washes over you. âWhat?â
âDoes thinking of me that wayââŠdoes it make you feel better about all of this? Between us?â
Youâre breathing fast, eyebrows pinching upwards to look at him, and the defeated expression on his face makes your heart ache. Heâs waiting for an answer, and so you give him one. âYes.â
He glances down at the ground for a moment, then at your collarbone, before meeting your gaze again. âIâm sorry. For everything. And Iââ the words catch in his throat briefly, âIâll try to leave you alone tonight.â
His use of the word try doesnât escape you, but you give him a furtive nod, and he studies your face for a few moments before he steps back up onto the curb and walks past you. You watch him walk all the way, no longer with that confidence or conviction youâre so used to seeing in him, as he steps back into his circle, to Getoâs side. Geto gives a small glance over his shoulder to look at you with discerning eyes before looking at Gojo again, and then heâs turned away from you.Â
Heavy feet drag you back to Kai, Ren, and Junichi, and you feel feverish. They mention something about the table being ready, and you nod. The bar is rustic, with more tables than barspace, and the four of you are seated and then presented with a small food menu. Youâre seated next to Kai, Ren is right across from you, and Junichi is to his right. You watch a waitress usher Nanami, Choso, Geto and Gojo to one of the tables as well, two away from yours, and you forcefully blur your vision so you donât have to catch sight of the expression on Gojoâs face.
âSo,â Ren speaks up as his eyes peruse the food menu and Junichi waves the waitress over to order a round of sake, âtell me more about your experience, sweetheart.â
You blink at him, eyes feeling heavy, heart feeling heavy. âIâd prefer it if you called me by my name.â
Ren lets out a coo, and you briefly glance at Kai whoâs shaking his head with a sigh. âMy bad, y/n. Your experience?â
Your hands play with the folder sitting in your lap. âI started writing screenplays for small-scale directors when I was a freshman, and was greenlit on a couple into my sophomore year. One of the films I worked on, I had directing credits for, and it was nominated for best screenplay at Etoile Film Festival the year following.â
Ren swallows slightly, shifting in his chair and pushing his shoulders back, like heâs trying to establish himself now. Kai is clenching a fist on the surface of the table.
Ren clears his throat before speaking again. âWow, okay, so youâve actually got some serious shit going on.â His voice is a faux octave deeper. âWhat do you know about being a good assistant? Ever worked in customer service? Secretary?â
âOh, I mean I have worked in customer service, but I wasnât done sharing about my experienceââ you try to say but Junichi cuts you off.
âFirst roundâs on me,â he declares, âfor bringing her out here.â He tips his chin to you and then sends Kai a glance.
A waitress brings by a bottle of sake, and Junichi begins pouring drinks into the glasses, then slides them across the table. Kai gives Ren a pointed look.Â
âDonât get too wasted,â Kai says to him as he brings his glass to his lips, âyou start running that mouth of yours a little too much when you do.â
Ren grins at him and immediately knocks down the glass Junichi barely finished pouring from him in one go, and the gruff man beside him is grumbling. âWhatever you say.â
Something had been bothering you since you came here. âWait,â you say, pointing between Kai and Ren, âdo you two know each other already? Because,â you turn to look at Kai, âon the phone earlier, you sounded like you didnât.â
Kaiâs eyebrows raise in surprise, as though heâs discovered you have some skill for foresight. You glance at Ren, and he gives Kai a puzzled look.
âUh, yeah. Iâve known Kai for years,â he says, âwe go way back. We went to highschool together.â
Kai shifts a little in his chair. âSorry. Probably forgot to mention it.â
You glance down at the glass of sake in front of you, and the way it twinkles under the lighting of the bar. You slowly bring it to your mouth, taking a small sip, and the way it coats your tongue is less than pleasing.Â
âCan you tell me more about the assistant position?â you ask Ren, whoâs emptied out the bottle of sake and waving someone over to order more. He already has a slightly flush to his face.
âYeah, yeah, will do,â he says, âbut first, let me tell you about what I do in visuals.â
Another round of sake is dropped by, and then another, followed by another, as Ren continues to ramble on and on about what he does for work, and how itâs entirely integral to the final piece of the film, although youâve never really had a terrible level of appreciation for visual effects in short-film craft, since itâs hardly much work. But you wouldnât say that, you just continue to nurse your one glass of sake as the three men surrounding you knock back more and more, and thereâs slurs to their speeches now.
âSooo, Iâm so sorry, sweetheartâI mean y/n, for cuttinâ you off earlier,â he says, âbut what was that experience you wanted to talk to me about?â Ren asks from across the table, and his eyes are all traveling over you.
âIâŠâ you start, âwell, I started to work with one of my professors last year, sheâs a two-time Cannes Film Festival winner, and she let me under her wing for one of her projects last year.â
âWho is she? Oh wait, nevermind, probably wouldnât have heard of her anyways,â Ren says, but when you fail to laugh, he waves his hand in the air. âJoking, joking. Whatâs her name?â
âNaoko. Naoko Ogigami.â
âOh shit. I have heard of her,â Ren says, followed by a shallow hiccup. Junichi shrugs his shoulders, and when you look at Kai, heâs nodding slowly and toying with the rim of his glass with a finger.
âYes. Well, anywaysââ you start up again, before Kai sets his glass of sake down particularly loud.
âThis is all bullshit. Really. I told you, filmmaking is a waste of time. Just focus on your photography, and your freelance or whatnot,â Kai says, grit to his jaw, face looking red with possibly something other than just a tipsiness.Â
Ren lets out a laugh. âFuckinâ Kai. What a pessimist. Donât listen to him, sweetheart,â he says, slurred, and you furrow your brow at him with a glare, âsorry. Donât listen to him. Trust me, youâll learn a lot under Mr. Ko. Heâs a suuuper nice guy.â
âWhatâs the compensation?â you ask. Itâs a brazen question, one youâd never ask so soon in a formal interview process, but this table was hardly anything formal.
âReal good. Mmm I think likeâŠ5200 yen an hour, and then also, you get your foot in the door.â
âOh,â you sit up a little in your chair. It was higher than most entry-level anything for undergraduates or even new grads.Â
âYeah, yeah, yeah,â he drawls when he sees youâre more interested. âGood stuff. Kai used to pick these kinds of jobs up, too, back in his college days. I remember. Although, heâs hardly Mr. Koâs type, so I doubt heâd be any good for this one.â
Your head snaps to Ren again at his words, face tensing.Â
âTell her about what a job like thisâhicâentails,â Ren says as he extends his glass out for Junichi to pour him another.
Kai glances at Ren once, and you watch him grind his teeth for a moment, and then thereâs a hint of a smirk on his face.
âOh. Yâknow, clerical work. Stuff like printing scripts out,â Kai starts, Junichi filling up his glass and then he raises it into the air to watch the liquid swish around, âgrabbing him coffee. Making sure his trailer is stocked.â
âBlowing him in said trailer,â Ren says. Itâs something quiet, under his breath with a small laugh, where you could barely hear it across the table. But you heard it nonetheless. And your heart sinks to the core of the earth.
âExcuse me?â you say. The benefit of doubt sitting on your shoulder, watching in disbelief as well.
âHeâs joking,â Kai says, quickly, ârunninâ his mouth.â
âOh fuck off, Kai,â Ren says, throwing his hands up in the air, âdonât act like thatâs not why you brought her here.â
Your head slowly turns to Kai, who canât meet your gaze. Your eyes flicker to Junichi, who looks amused.Â
Ren leans over the table, elbows resting on top, to look you straight in the eyes. Heâs got a sleazy smile, and you can smell the alcohol on his breath, and he dips his tone down low enough to where you can hardly hear it over the sounds surrounding you in the bar. âThatâs how youâll make it in this industry, sweetheart. Whether you like it or not, youâll be working under those directors until you make it.â
You stand up so fast that your chair falls behind you, hand raised in the air, and you swiftly slap the man across from you so hard across the cheek that it leaves his skin even more red than the flush from before, and your palm is stinging.Â
Thereâs gasps all around the bar, hushed voices, eyes on you, but you donât care. Thereâs not a single thing in the world you care more about right now than the anger swelled in your chest.
Ren holds his cheek, surprised, blinking like a pathetic animal. He almost looks like heâs about to cry, and you let out a scoff at the sight.
You turn to face Kai, whose eyes are wide and heâs staring up at you. Your fists are clenched at your side.
âIs this why you brought me here tonight?â you ask. Your voice is trembling, anxiety at the wake, the white anger spotting your vision. But thereâs also pain. So much pain, and youâre just so fed up with all of it. âBecause your belittling, condescending words werenât enough to tear my hopes apart, so you had to humiliate me in front of your friends instead?â
Kai holds his hand up. âWoah, Canon, relax. He was just jokingââŠâ Kai glances at Ren, whoâs still holding his cheek and biting down on his lip, and then his gaze hardens. âYâknow what? Itâs about fucking time you get this wake-up call, y/n. Iâve been trying to do the nice thing to steer you in the right direction, and the least you couldââ
âSteer me in the right fucking direction?!â youâre yelling now, registering the way your voice echoes in the bar. âYou know what I think this is all about, Kai?â You grit your teeth, âYouâre a sick, stupid, sexist fuck who didnât have the balls to go after what he wanted. So miserably pathetic that youâve got no other fucking business than to pull people down to your level.â
Kai pinches his eyebrows together, hand on the table clenching into a fist.Â
You lean down closer, an exasperated scoff leaving your lips. âWhy donât you go be his assistant instead? Since Iâm sure youâre good at taking it up the ass.â
Kaiâs eyes twitch, âyou fuckingââ
You grab his glass off the table and throw the alcohol into his face, eliciting another round of noises around the bar, and his mouth falls agape in shock before he gets up out of his chair, hand reaching out to grab for you. You close your eyes shut with a flinch to expect pain. Any sort of pain. But you donât feel anything at all.
When you open your eyes, you see Gojo standing to your left, veins of his arm tense with the tight grip he has on Kaiâs forearm, and you can see heâs practically shaking with rage. He steps in front of you, guarding, and you canât see the expression on his face, but the fear in Kaiâs eyes is enough to say it all.
âThatâs enough,â he says, the clench of his jaw evident through the strain in his voice, âtry to put your hands on her again, and Iâll split your fucking face in half.â
You can see Kaiâs breathing pick up from where youâre peering over Gojoâs shoulder, and then Gojo shoves him backwards right as Choso kicks the fallen chair to his feet so he trips over it backwards then hits the ground with a loud and indignant thud.
Gojoâs hovering over Kai, his hands shoved in his pockets as he glares down at him, while Geto and Nanami put space between you and the other two men at your table. You feel a searing flush to your cheeks. Youâre breathing fast, the peering eyes all around you are scrutinizing, looking at you with surprise, confusion, shock, and pity. Your mind is racing, and you wonder what your parents would think of all this. What your friends would think of all of this. What the people who support you would think of the fucked up situation youâve found yourself in, and the humiliation courses so deep through your veins that you just want to run away and hide. The ground could swallow you whole right now, and it still wouldnât be enough.
You take one step back, then another, before you turn on your heel to rush out the door into the night, and you barely register that itâs raining. You can feel your heart thumping fast in your chest and in your head, that familiar knot in your throat twisting tight as you walk fast down the street and ignore Gojoâs call of your name from behind you.
You donât want to see anyone right now. You donât want to be seen by anyone right now. Especially Gojo, of all people, because he was right about everything, and the fact that you had shut him down about it, and the way that you had shut him down about it makes your head numb and your breathing pick up fast.
ây/n,â you hear him call out from behind you, his pace is getting faster and so youâre resorting to longer strides as well, puddles of water splashing under your feet with every step, âjust waitââ
âIâm seriously,â you start, and the tears begin to fall, âIâm seriously so, so, so, so, so fucking embarassed right now,â you gasp out the words with no air left in your lungs to breathe as you continue to run away from him, âso please, just leave me alone.â
You can picture it all in your head. Something like I told you so from his lips, because after what youâve been put through tonight, you just want to assume the worst in people.
But just as you round the corner into an alley, feeling lost with the sight of a dead end, you feel a hand wrap around your arm and then youâre being pulled into an embrace.
Your eyes are blinking with tears streaming, your face buried in a chest that is warm, with a heart beating so fast that itâs keeping time with your own, and the fragrance that surrounds you is so painfully him that it makes you sob even more.
Strong arms wrap around you, pulling you closer, and Gojo rests his chin at the top of your head. âIâm sorry,â he says softly, and you can feel the rumble of his voice, âI just needed to stop you from running.â
Your arms are weakly raised, an outline over his torso but not yet grabbing on, until you hesitantly do. And when you hold onto him, itâs so tight and strong, and you realize that after everything between the two of you, itâs the first time youâve been wrapped in his arms.
âI feel so stupid,â you start, already hating the words because you want to be stronger right now, but you canât.
âYouâre not stupid,â he quickly corrects you, âthose guys are fucking insecure losers. Youâre just trying your best. You always have, for as long as Iâve known you, and itâs something you should be proud of yourself for.â
You donât know what to say to him, you just cling to the damp fabric of his shirt in the rain. Â
âThings are going to work out for you, no matter what, because I know youâve got what it takes and youâre willing to work hard for it,â he says, his chin nuzzling so youâre tucked into him even further, âand if things donât work out, thatâs okay, youâre strong and youâll always get back up. And I want to be there to help you through everything.â
You pull your face from his chest to stare up at him, droplets of rain falling to your face and making you flinch occasionally. âIâm confused.â
His hand comes up to cup your face, swiping at a tear on your cheek, or maybe it was rain. âI thought thatââ he starts, his thumb briefly running over the small cut still healing on your cheek, his brow furrowing, âI thought that Iâd be okay with watching your life from afar, through cropped pictures on a screen,â he says, a chill running through you, âbut I canât. Itâs killing me. And Iâm really sorry that it took me this long to tell you this, but I like you so much and I really want to be with you.â
Your eyes widen at his words, and you donât know how to feel. You push your face into his chest again. His thumb runs circles at your side through the dampness of your shirt.
âThere are a lot of reasons I didnât feel like I could date you, or show up for you,â he says, âbut the pain of not getting to be with you, of not getting to hold you, and just share my life with you is way worse than whatever reasons I kept trying to convince myself of.â
You nod slowly, because there was a part of you deep inside that knew that all along.Â
His grip on you relaxes slightly and you take that as a request from him for you to look up at him, so you do. âI know Iâve put you through a lot of pain, and Iâm really not a perfect person, but if thereâs room in your heart to forgive me, I promise you that Iâll do everything I can to make you feel happy and cared for.â
Your eyes study his face for sincerity. Theyâre words youâve been wanting to hear, words you couldâve pictured in your head, but the adoration in his eyes makes you realize you never couldâve imagined the true sweetness of those words when theyâre said from him.
You press your cheek to his chest again. Youâre not crying anymore. âIâm sorry for what I said to you earlier. About kicking a soccer ball, and having it easy,â you bite down on your lip, because now thereâs tears in your eyes again, âI didnât mean it.â You sniffle a little, âI know you work hard. And it was a really mean thing to say.â
He sighs, holding you flush to himself. His cheek presses against the top of your head. âThatâs okay, you donât have to apologize for that.â
âBut I do.â
There was no grudge at all. There was nothing withdrawn from you, nothing taken away as punishment. He just held onto you, exactly as you are, and you felt so safe in every second you spent in his arms.
You look up at him again. His hair is damp, strands clinging to his face in all the places they usually fall over, droplets of rain falling from his fringe onto your face and he does everything he can to wipe them away. âItâs too late,â you tell him, and he immediately knows what youâre referring to.
He just holds you closer. âI know.â
âI donât have feelings for you anymore,â you say through a sniffle.
He knows youâre lying, and that you say it just out of spite, but he holds your head to his chest. âI know.â
âYouâll have to beg and grovel, and even then, I might not like you ever again,â you say, gripping so tightly onto his shirt for purchase, your voice sounding muffled as you breathe in the scent of him. âThatâs your punishment.â
He presses a kiss to the top of your head. A firm press of his lips, lasting as he takes a few deep breaths. And then he kisses the same spot again, staying still in that position as he repeats himself.
âI know.â
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a/n. phewww thank you for reading, i swear, this chapter felt like a goddamn war to write. my emotions were all over the damn place, i think cause i wrote from a place of bitter experience lol. i dedicate this chap to my lovely friend sheâs a film major (she inspired me to create this story) and i srs wouldnât be able to write kickoff without her đđ dear Mâ„ïž, i thought of you sm while writing this chapter, i can only hope iâve captured even the slightest bit of the understanding i will always aim to have of you, and that you feel seen. iâm incredibly proud of you, always rooting for you, so often thinking of you, and terribly missing you so much rn (plsssssss visit meeeđ©đ ) dedicated w sm love đ -bitchasshoe this chapter is also dedicated to anyone whoâs going through a hard times n maybe just trying to figure themselves out :â) i am so proud of you, you should be so proud of yourself, thereâs still so much to live and learn, and i hope the universe blesses you w everything youâve ever wanted!! big thank u to my lovely m00t @quinnyundertow she pulled me out of my writers block for this chapter and also beta read a lot of it for me thereâs only three chapters left for kickoff (iâm gonna cry just thinking ab it :â)) which doesnt sound like a lot but thereâs still a lot iâve got planned đ iâm just noticing that i very poorly planned the second half of this series. chapters 1-6 combined have less words than chapters 7-9 combined đ
âš sooooo i may increase the chapters from 12 to 14 by splitting them up to make it easier on me, or just stick to the plan and come out with long chapters like the last two. idk. iâll figure it out. thank u to everyone for reading i love you all dearly đđ iâll see you in the next one!!
ïżœïżœ take me to chapter ten!
âž wrote some kickoff headcanons here
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/ba955f1e2315aa019c41878ded1e7d63/447cd10a6ea4a15b-d8/s540x810/ec95a50617b0e910471007c3c3c9aa189779e1f0.jpg)
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taglist: @who-can-touch-my-boob @therealestpussyeater @lost-resonance @hojoslutoru @foulprincesscycle @luniunia @alekssashka7 @bsdicinindirdim @tsukikourito @getitsatoru @slut-4-gojo @cactisjuice @kissofife @tiredflame132 @cliosunshine @ethereally-lyann @btszn @prince-wyiilder @semra4 @gojosimp26 @drthymby @ninitoru @bbyxxm @fvsm4x @sadmonke @zoinks1010 @bakuhoethotski @horisdope @sykostyles @aquaberrydolphin @colouringfrogssittinginleaves @ri-sa20 @purplehallow11 @mwtsxri @ritsatoru @bxddiebloss @chwesuh-imnida @mo0nforme @viware @still-fking-single @megumisthirdog @gintokhi @karvokr @cierocanteat @imjustaweirdnerd @ronniebird @bloopsstuff @mwtsxri @witchbybirth @tetsuski @fffinskye @gh0ulkz @beabadobeee @mandysfanfics @erencvlt @laviefantasie @sukunamylovexoxo @girlkissersco @itzjuliana @yell0wdreams @1dimas7 @strayedjeno @mo0nforme @yungbloode @sullybrothersmate @oaooaoaoaoa @swagangelllamawolf @banenemilk @inniesblog
(hope i didn't miss anyone thank u all sm!!)
#jujutsu kaisen#jujutsu kaisen fanfiction#gojo satoru#gojo x reader#gojo smut#jjk gojo#geto suguru#gojo satoru angst#nanami kento#choso kamo#series#yaga masamichi#alternate universe#college#college au#soccer#sports au#fraternity#sorority#tw drinking#partying#anime#romance#smut#fluff#angst#jjk smut#long fic#jjk series#ongoing series
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I love that even though Isha doesnât speak, we still have such a good feel of her character. She is not less than because she doesnât speak, nor is she looked over. Sheâs bright in every scene she is in, Zaunâs little sun with a toothy smile.
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/84358fcaed14549f443cc8dacbe80105/f44f22865e9b4bf8-77/s540x810/6692613512788ae54f11787e461e46f03e9a987e.jpg)
Just for a moment, we got to see how brightly she too saw the world. A pretty, bright, blue world in which she found someone to love and protect her with a ferocity she trusted instead of feared.
It was that love that strengthened her legs, that gave her the courage to shoot forward. It was that love that steadied her arm with the gun to protect her older sister, when it once shook and struggled to pull the trigger.
Isha âthe one who protectsâ. And she did that as many times as she could, with tiny fists and heart and eyes full of gold.
It was understood that they had a bond before. The way Jinxâs hideout became brighter, and there was a corner made just for Isha. The way that Isha wanted her hair dyed just like Jinxâs. The hugs and laughter and the way she screamed when having to leave Jinx behind. The way she fiddled with gears and markers and drew clouds on her skin with shiny metal securing two braids in her hair.
But it all seems to make sense in that final scene. When itâs just Isha. Itâs no longer the signs or echoes of love but Isha telling the audience directly. This is her song. This is her strength. This is her sacrifice. This is her love for Jinx, in every happy memory she has had with her. She communicates in a way that is so Isha. âThe world is beautiful and so is my older sister. I love her and I want to protect her.â
And it transcends words.
It is simple for Isha. Jinx made her have faith in herself. Gave her a safe space to live freely. Loudly. With wide smiles and explosions. Blue smoke and powder.
Dancing together. Laying together. Coloring beetles and bugs before a dramatic battle. Jumping without fear of the landing or the fall. Covering her eyes in the bath as dye stains her hair. Nails in pink and blue polish securing the braids in her hair. Spray paint in blue and pink (she let her be blue, she let her be blue) as they run after each other. A secret handshake with finger guns. Jumping to scare her big sister, and the smile she earned after.
She was not scared to fall before because Jinx was holding her hand. Her hand shifts to form a familiar finger gun and a silly little âpoowâ leaves her lips. She is smiling. She is not scared now because Jinx was never afraid of the fall and she wonât be either.
Jinx needed someone to love her instead of fear her. And she got it. Isha was not Silco, she did not need to be darkened and drenched in blood to love something so unloveable.
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/e26589b572da4181ef7e7450644091a2/f44f22865e9b4bf8-78/s540x810/89b8344b6cc6b495dbc3dd46321cd7d1cf0dc560.jpg)
âYou feel it? That buzzing behind your eyes? Because you know, in a moment, it could allâŠpoow! Best feeling in the world, kid.â
Close your eyes. Hear the buzzing and it reminds you of her. It rings in your ears like an embrace. A life marked by bad luck but not ruined by itâa life made so immeasurably better.
To Isha, Jinx was perfect. No âundoingâ required.
#Iâm downing a bottle of ready to drink margarita and have been sporting a migraine from how much Iâve been crying#jinx and isha#isha arcane#jinx arcane#jinx#silco and jinx#arcane netflix#arcane league of legends#arcane#arcane season 2#arcane season two#arcane s2#arcane spoilers#arcane silco#arcane show#arcane series#powder arcane#arcane act 2#arcane act two#arcane angst
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