#family + loyalty au

[aurorasgate]

family + loyalty

chapter one: mafia & mangoes | 9.1k+ words

satoru gojo x fem!reader | mafia au

chapter warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI, explicit sexual content, illegal activies, alcohol drinking, profanity, jealousy, pet names

series masterlist

the navy blue sky starts to brighten into an early morning azure, the sun's rays peeking from behind the city's buildings, just as you knock on the hollow metal door at the back entrance of the hanami ninth night club. the routine clicks of the locks follow shortly after and you're welcomed with a tired, if not slightly hung over, smile from shiro. even this early in the morning he’s dressed in a brown suit that’s a bit big on him, his dark brown hair slicked back and smoking a cigarette.

this was how he looked every time you came by, you swear his suit was the exact same too, but this morning in his slouched, bloodshot eyes, he looked particularly haggard.

“you’re one of my more demanding business partners, you know that?” he says, blowing smoke from his cigarette to his side before tossing the still burning bud on the ground and stomping it out with his shining designer shoes.

“you complain yet answer every time i come knocking,” you retort, holding back your smile, knowing this is just how he was with you. 

the morning air that’s not quite warm enough for the t-shirt you’ve chosen to wear lingers on your exposed skin as he flips through the cash you hand him. he knows you’re good for it, you’ve been doing business with him for over a year now and you’re not about to ruin it nor are you dishonest by nature. but you know it’s just routine and wait patiently. 

he pockets that cash and steps closer inside, leaving the door open so you can hear him while he grabs your things. “don’t get it wrong, i like doing business with you little lady,” his voice muffled as he moves further back into the club. “you may only be a small time customer but even still, your business is appreciated. even if it means gettin’ up this early on a saturday morning,” he return with the wooden crate full of goods. “here you are,” gently he places the box into your arms ensuring you can support the weight before letting go. “see ya next week?”

you smile and nod, shift the crate to sit more comfortably, “see you then. thanks again shiro.” 

he waves goodbye as you turn around and begin to head back into the main street. it’s not far to your destination and you take your time enjoying the early saturday morning that brings a normally unseen beauty to this side of the city. the dozens of small locally owned shops around this area are at least an hour away from opening and the streets are almost empty aside from the handful of early risers taking leisurely walks and the coffee shop that has the sweet, nutty aroma of their specialty coffee lingering in the air. it wasn’t so bad getting up this early when you got to take your time enjoying the little things like this, if anything it helps you prepare for what would be another busy day. the calm before the not-so-bad storm. 

and yet, a storm nonetheless.

as you round the street corner, you support the heavy box with one arm and your hip as you search through your bag for your keys. wallet, chipstick, receipts from the grocery store, loose change but no keys. you make a mental note of how messy your bag is since it’s nearly impossible to find what you’re looking for. just as you’re about to put down your things and dump out the contents of your purse on the sidewalk your fingers find the keyring- 

“getting into trouble, are we?”

you nearly jump out of your skin at the sudden and unexpected voice from behind you, almost dropping the box and your found keys barely hooked onto your index finger in the process. 

with a racing heart you try your best to think clearly, were you about to be caught? get arrested? god dammit, you knew you shouldn’t have gotten so comfortable with this dealing just in case you were caught in the open like you were right now.

“did i scare you? sorry about that, sweets.” his teasing tone doesn’t say he’s actually all that sorry.

in your hurry and the sudden fright you hadn’t registered the voice of the man behind you but the nickname is a dead give away. and now that you think more about it, who else would meet you here this early in this morning if not your number one customer? 

“good morning satoru,” you greet, unable to hide the shakiness in your voice or the fact that your heart rate has not gone down since he made his appearance. you swore it was echoing in the quiet street, only growing louder when he comes into your view, his figure towering over you.

“what’s got you so jumpy?” his dark sunglasses may hide his playful eyes but you know it’s there and see that the smirk on his lips is devilish. “doin’ something you shouldn’t be?”

your breath hitches and slightly paranoid thought passes through your mind, making you fill with guilt and worry.. did he know? 

“haha, i don’t know what you’re talking about,” you reply but god you barely even believe what you’re saying. “i’m just trying to get to work and you show up out of nowhere,” not that it’s an actual complaint and you don’t sound the least bit mad. you liked seeing satoru very much.

he's got the looks of a man chiseled by the delicate hands of the gods themselves and it doesn’t help that he wears gorgeous, perfectly fitted suits and ties that bring out his already breathtaking cerulean eyes from under his snowy, messy undercut. he may be the most gorgeous man you’ve ever seen.

he lifts an eyebrow, no doubt questioning your odd behavior and a little convinced you really were doing something you shouldn’t be but when he smiles wider, almost like he knows your secret or knows he’ll pry it out of you, you think you would spill it if he asked. 

“you’re a terrible liar,” satoru says through his smile and takes the box from you, standing behind you as you unlock the doors to your little bakery and follows you inside. 

you don’t mind him coming in before the bakery is open, it's not the first time and you're sure it wouldn’t be the last. it was a few months ago he wandered in dressed in a similar black suit that he’s wearing today and ordered one of everything you were offering. he's come in almost every day since then and spent enough money that his funds alone could pay for the rent on the shop but truthfully, even if he didn’t spend a small fortune here, you enjoy his company more than you’d like to admit out loud.

satoru places the box down next to the cash register and leans against the counter, silently watching you tie your apron over your light blue jeans and black shirt, preparing for the weekend morning rush. 

aside from miwa, who was god sent working the front of the bakery, you basically run this place by yourself. you baked, you bought supplies, you balanced the books and dedicated your life to this bakery. a dream you shared with your parents once, one you hope they could be proud of had they survived that fateful day.

“tell me, what were you up to this morning?” satoru questions when you come to open the box from the opposite side of the counter. you pretend the shimmer of his beautiful eyes don’t affect you as he pulls down his glasses and flashes his baby blues at you, batting light lashes to try to get it out of you.

you can feel the heat rising to your cheeks under his flirtatious gaze, your heart hammering under his attention and his playfully sweet tone that might get any person to spill their secrets. “i told you - nothing!” 

your denials are not convincing even to your own ears and his devious expression, still partly hidden by his dark glasses, told you he wasn’t believing a word you were saying but he knew he was close to getting what he wanted. 

he was right before, you are a terrible liar. 

“you can trust me,” he adds and your heart lurches like it believes him. “i won't tell. i’m just curious about what kind of trouble you’re getting yourself into,” he smirks, pulling off his glasses entirely, leaning in closer to you.

you can feel the butterflies from your stomach in your throat as you find it hard to speak with his scent filling your nose, his warmth palpable but still so far away. it's not fair, you think, he knows just how to fluster you and ever since you met him he’s been shameless in doing so.

what started out as compliments you thought was just him being nice, or just enjoying your baking, had turned into intense flirting starting after he showed up as you were locking up one night about a month ago and pleaded with you that he’d pay anything for whatever you had left over from the day. just as you do now, you found it impossible back then to say no to his charm and ended up spending the whole night at the shop talking over cake and mochi.

“come on sugar, tell me.”

“fine!” you break your gaze away from his and focus on the box, hoping you're hiding your burning cheeks well. after you’ve opened the box you grab his hand, putting the contents he wanted to know so badly about in his palm. 

his mouth opens slightly, eyebrows knitting. “a mango?” he questions, looking between you and the fruit in cute confusion.

“yes, a mango that could get me into some trouble. it’s imported from africa, but it’s against customs so i buy them and some other fruits and sugars.. illegally,” you whisper the last word as if someone might hear you even though the shop is empty besides the two of you.

satoru chuckles in amusement but to your surprise, he doesn’t tease you. “why all that trouble for a mango?”

“for someone who eats the goods i bake almost every day you should be able to tell the difference from the other fruits i use versus other places you’ve been,” you tease, taking the fruit from him. “these mangoes are sweeter and creamier than ones you would get here. i’m hurt you can’t tell the difference,” you clutch onto your chest dramatically.

without skipping a beat, he says in an oddly serious tone, “i thought it was because you make them that they taste like that.”

it’s as if your heart is doing somersaults in your chest as you stare at him. god dammit, why did he have to be so adorable and handsome? you might be more happy about it if you knew he wasn’t like this with every pretty girl and handsome man he sees. you’ve seen it first hand with some of your other customers. it didn’t stop you from indulging a bit. his attention is nice and harmless flirting never hurt anyone. right?

the chiming of the bell above the door breaks the trance he had put you in and you’re thankful for the interruption before he was able to poke fun at your flustered state or see the crush you had on him written all over your face.

“morning miwa,” he greets your assistant and only employee.

miwa has gotten quite used to satorus presence in the bakery as well. not long ago she insisted that you should go out with him despite his flirty nature. ‘he’s so beautiful. i bet he’s strong too,’ she sighed dreamily before going on about how she could never go after him, as her heart was already spoken for, and you have his attention so you must go for it.

easier said than done miwa.

“morning mr. gojo,” she replies, pumping her light blue eyebrows at you when she passes by, as if to say ‘go for it girl!’ before disappearing into the back to clock in and get ready to help with preparations for the morning rush. 

you roll your eyes at her and turn around to return to your own preparations. 

satoru watches intently as you cut mangoes, mix dough, run into the back to place things in the oven and get the display case ready simultaneously. he’s sat and watched you prepare for the morning rush a few times by now but you still find the time to talk with him, admire him as he texts on his phone but quickly pull your gaze away when his eyes find yours, and reply to the other questions he has about your illegal activities. 

where are you getting them from? you sure they’re trustworthy? how much are you paying? is this the only dealer you’ve worked with? and the questions go on and on.

“i thought you said you were a businessman, not a cop.”

you try to play it off innocent but a part of you is worried that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to tell him. you trusted shiro and whatever means he used to procure your imported goods and you know better than to tell anyone of him or what he does for you. 

he hasn’t said it out loud but you’re not naive. your little deals are only small time compared to his normal business but he didn’t need anyone looking into him for any reason. you weren’t about to get in the middle of that or find out what the consequences might be if you did. 

“i’m no cop,” he answers with a sneer. “just looking out for you, don’t want you to get ripped off.” 

a small ‘oh’ comes from under your breath and you avoid his eyes. were you being too paranoid? maybe but you’d rather be safe than sorry in situations like this. after all the effort you put in for this bakery; all the money, sweat and tears you poured into this shop and your treats, losing them wasn’t an option. 

truthfully you don’t believe he is a cop and feel the truth in his words when he says them, though you aren’t sure exactly what it is satoru does for a living but it’s better you not tell him of shiro. 

“i appreciate that,” you mean it honestly despite your defensiveness before. “i shouldn’t say more though..” satoru may be attractive, easy to talk to and affecting your heart more than you want him to but indulging his curiosity to the full extent was not something you could do this time around.

the phone in his pocket begins to ring before he can reply. relief, you’re thankful to end this conversation quickly before he can press more.

he motions with his finger to give him a moment and turns the other way to stand closer to the door of the bakery. you focus your attention on the dough in front of you but it’s hard not to listen in when the shop is so quite. 

“what is it? … this early? ... k, be there soon. … no, i’ll call him and we’ll meet you there.”

he doesn’t sound pleased when he hangs up and immediately goes to make another phone call but you don’t stay around to listen to what he’s saying. instead you slip into the back to get the pastries from the oven and put a couple in a to-go box for satoru.

he’s just getting off the phone when you return and searches his suit pockets for his car keys. “sorry sugar, duty calls.”

“as if i’d let you hang out here all day anyways,” you tease, coming around the counter to stand in front of him and hand him the togo box, stopping him when he reaches into the wallet. “it’s on the house today.” 

his smile could melt your heart and it almost distracts you from the unreasonable amount of yen he drops into the tip jar; way more than what the treats you’ve packed for him cost.

“you don’t ha-”

“i’ll see ya later,” he gives you a wink before slipping his glasses back on and taking the bag from your with a brush of his fingers against yours, making his way out the door. “don’t get into too much trouble without me,” he calls behind him but doesn't look back.

you are trouble, you think, watching him leave and hating the disappointment you feel when his tall figure disappears into the distance as the bell chimes when it closes. you know you shouldn’t be falling for customers and especially ones such as satoru gojo at that- an undeniable flirt. you had your fair share of experiences with men like that in the past and normally stay far away from them but something about satoru has you unable to hold back and, even if it’s to your dismay, he knows just how to pull you in more.

honestly, he seemed rather shallow at first. nothing more than good looks, sweet words and money but the more time he spends around you the more mysterious and deeper he becomes, even still. you can tell he’s really dedicated to his work and works hard. he’s never said exactly what he did besides being a ‘businessman’ but plenty of times it called him away and each time he went without question, not without his dilly dallying. more than that, just today his comment about how he wanted to look out for you didn’t seem like the man you had first thought he was. he didn’t seem like the type to care about other people's business and if they’re being taken advantage of but you could tell he was honest when he said that, none of his normally teasing and playfulness behind his words.

“i don’t understand why you two haven’t gone out yet,” miwa breaks you from your thoughts, coming from the back with two large trays of jelly filled donuts, melon pan and other goodies to fill the display case with.

you sigh, overthinking about what could be if this were more than a little crush between a baker and her handsome customer with an insatiable sweet tooth.

would you say no if he asked? probably not. you doubt anyone says no to gojo. is it a good idea to go out with him though? you honestly couldn’t say. 

it’s not that you were looking for commitment, being a small business owner took up most of your life and you were fine with that; living the dream you had since you were a child, fulfilling what you shared with your once complete family, meant more to you than falling in love. baking was the only love you needed; it didn’t leave and came in all sorts of different comforts. 

you could always make something delicious that made people smile, that was a reminder of a bitter sweet past or a brighter future. like the first taste of a comforting treat after a long day or the familiar scent of a pastry shared by two lovers long ago. seeing those moments and more unfold because of what you baked was enough for you, it brought you happiness in its own way after so much of your own loss.

you aren’t even sure if you could handle a relationship, if it was in the cards for you, but maybe going out and sleeping with him, getting it out of your system would be the way to go. just maybe it would quiet or stop the bubbling feelings instead of you. or maybe it would make it worse.

but you’d be lying if you said you haven’t thought about what lies underneath those designer suits and you know satoru thinks he plays it cool when you wear small summer dresses or plunging necklines and tight pants but you’ve caught those cerulean eyes lingering on your figure more than once.

the other side of this dating coin was going out with him and ending up falling for him; getting yourself caught in something you didn’t particularly want to be a part of. it’s not that you couldn’t put in the hard work that relationships require, though it may be hard to find the time but for the right person you would give it your all. but was it worth the potential loss? could you even handle any more loss? 

satoru didn’t seem like the type to settle down and you weren’t interested in playing games with a man who liked to play them exclusively. putting your heart out there for more than just baking was easier said than done but there was always the possibility your heart didn’t need to get involved, despite how unlike you that was.

a part of you wonders if your heart is already wading deeper than the ankle deep waters of those unbelieve blue eyes.

none of it even matters though because he hadn’t asked you out and it would be inappropriate for you to ask him out as the owner of an establishment he visits frequently...  or maybe it’s the thought that the rejection would hurt just too bad and then you’d likely never see him in your little bakery again, which seems much worse than the rejection, that stops you. your little flirtatious moments when he dropped by were enough, it didn’t need to be more. for your sake and his.

but a girl can still dream. 

“i can’t believe we’re doing this shit right now. doesn’t he know it’s only eight in the fucking morning?”

“what the hells gotten into you this morning?” geto questions, tossing the black duffle bag into the back of the cadillac with a loud clunk and a slam of the door. there were no off hours with a job like this, both of the men knew that and accepted it, not that it stopped either of them from bitching every now and again but satoru was unusually irritated today. “you know the boss likes these things dealt with quickly.”

both men slide into the car, gojo behind the wheel and geto stuck with all the items left in the front seat by his companion. he tosses what he can in the back or sticks it in the center counsel but satoru can feel sugurus eyes on him the entire time.

he doesn’t look back at his partner as he turns on the car and puts it in drive. “there’s nothing quick about this.” 

he knew suguru couldn’t argue about that. there was absolutely nothing quick about chasing someone that was already a full 12 hours ahead of you, even if you have good intel on where this problem may be. countless things could go wrong and there would be hell to pay if they couldn’t finish the job and bring back what was taken. not that he or geto are worried about that. they were chosen for this job because only they could see it through better than anyone else.

it makes gojo a little less sour knowing they asked him and geto to fix this little problem together since no one else was capable of handling it but he hadn’t had nearly his fill of asking about whoever it was his pretty little baker did illegal business with.

before he can think about his subconscious calling you ‘his’, satoru catches his companion opening up his white togo box full of an assortment of goodies and immediately puts the car back into park after not moving an inch. he wasn’t going to get a chance to stop for more treats while on this mission so he’d have to make them last and he wasn’t planning on sharing anyways.

“these are mine,” satoru reaches over and shuts the lid over sugurus fingers, moving the box to his lap aggressively.

“what? are you five years old all of the sudden?”

“shut up. she made these for me and i’m not sharing,” he reaches into the box not caring what he grabs out because no matter what it was it was bound to satisfy his craving. 

bite sized mango turn over, and damn were these illegal mangoes good. 

he can’t help but smile at the memory of you all sweet and guilty. worried over illegal mangoes. your innocence is so cute. he didn't know what kind of trouble to expect you to get into but that was not it.

gojo knows suguru recognizes the mochi and sakura leaf logo of your bakery, various boxes and containers were always in his apartment or car and gojos raved about your cakes and mochi like it was made of gold. he made geto try it so could he understand the craze from his best friend who has no impulse control and a sweet tooth from hell but satoru also knows he’s dropped plenty of hints he thinks you’re attractive as well so it’s no wonder he keeps going back. 

“she makes them for everyone, dumbass. that’s her job.”

“i’m still not sharing.”

“a paloma and extra shot of tequila, please,” you order before your butt even hits the cushion of the bar stool.

slumping into the seat you close your eyes and let out a long exhale. it’s been a long and exhausting few days with miwa on vacation with her boyfriend, kokichi, and you running the bakery by yourself. she works so hard, puts in so much effort for your little shop so how could you say no when she asked for a few days off for a get away with her beloved? she was sweet enough to plan her vacation on weekdays instead of the weekend too so that you didn’t have to suffer the weekend rush by yourself. 

you don’t remember the days before miwa being this busy and exhausting but business had grown a lot since then. it might be time to look for additional help but that would have to wait for another day when you could go through the shop's finances and see if you could even afford it on top of paying miwa what she deserves.

tonight, all you want is something stiff to help let all that stress slip away before you head home and get ready for another solo day. 

the bartender puts your peach colored drink and shot glass in front of you without a word and walks to the other side of the island to attend to a couple who arrived right before you. you don’t come to the bar often, never really finding the time and not really having anyone to go with but when you do decide to come out by yourself, you always come to the light ox bar. it’s quiet and modern, playing all your favorite songs over the speakers and the bartenders are generous with their drinks, lowkey enough to wind down after a long day and it’s right in between your apartment and the bakery.  

you quickly take the shot, the clear liquid burning your throat, though not unpleasantly, on the way down. oh yes, this was exactly what you needed before getting back to grind tomorrow.

“haven’t seen you here in a while,” a familiar deep voice comes from behind you after a few minutes of nursing your drink in silence, stewing over issues that you wish you could have left at work.

toji fushiguro, a man you met at this bar two years ago and have only ever seen at this bar. very handsome and equally mysterious. you know only 2 things about the man; his name and that he loves to drink whiskey. 

at least those are the only things he’s confirmed about himself, you’ve speculated other things plenty. you don’t know his age; he’s older than you for sure but not quite old enough to be the age your father would have been and not quite young enough to be your brother. the scar on his face and his muscular build had you guessing he’s ex military or police but his personality doesn’t quite fit either occupation. 

he’s not married or if he is he doesn’t wear a ring or say anything about his spouse. he ‘s hardly told you a thing. you don’t mind not knowing much about him though. he may say otherwise but you know he’s a decent guy. he’s been good company on some hard and good nights; scaring away a few unwanted suitors and listening to you rant or talk about whatever's on your mind but never judging you for it.

he’s been one of the only people you’ve opened up to about your past, your parents demise, why baking even matters so much to you.

“yeah.. the shop’s been keeping me pretty busy,” you admit, sitting up straight in your seat but not turning to face him. you stare into your drink, stirring the ice with the small black straw, watching the droplets of condensation soak into the coaster as he takes a seat next to you.

out of the corner of your eye you see him sip on the golden liquid in his glass and smile. “means business is good then, yeah?”

“it’s good,” you reply, though your tone doesn’t sound like you’re happy about it and toji quickly catches on. 

he lets out a quiet huf, moving in his chair to rest his elbows on the glass counter top of the bar and looks over at you with dark emerald eyes. “you don’t sound too happy about that.”

i am happy about it.. right? you ask yourself while taking another sip of your drink. yes, successful business was what every business owner hoped for, what your parents hoped for. you had to be happy about that. what you weren’t happy about was the exhaustion, the long nights, the loneliness despite being around customers all day, the fact all you think and worry about is your business. baking was the way to get out of reality but it’s hard to feel like that on days like today when you didn’t have enough hands, money or time.

you force a half hearted laugh. “i am.. it’s tiring living and breathing business.. if i was able to just bake i’d love that but it’s everything else i don’t like. i don’t like having to worry about hiring people or about making rent on the shop or how to advertise or bring new customers in.. all that stuff, it’s not me.. not what i’m passionate about but there’s no one else to do it for me.” 

you only ever do it because you have to in order to keep your bakery dream alive and normally you wouldn’t complain. responsibilities weren’t always things you were passionate about or loved to do, it was what you had to do no matter how you felt but it gets hard to put on a brave face when all you do is worry and stress about responsibilities, when it feels like it’s you against the world. you didn’t have anyone to lean on, no one to reach out to for help that didn’t require you to pay first.

you were.. alone.

as much as you don’t want to admit it to yourself, satoru provided you a small relief from all of this. he may not be able to help with the books and workload overwhelming you but he made you smile, made you laugh and loves your treats more than anyone else. it was a breath of fresh air in your busy work life to have him stop by, like a rest stop on a steep upwards hike where you can catch your breath and enjoy the view instead of worrying about getting to the top. he hadn’t been by the past few days though, not since saturday morning and, a little begrudgingly, you find yourself wishing to see him walk through the door and tease you to his heart's content. perhaps that’s got you in a bad mood too.

“too much responsibility for such a little girl?” 

finally you turn to look at him with narrow eyes that shoot daggers into his side but it’s hard to stay too mad when you’re met with a smug ass look on his face. you playfully shove him in the arm and continue trying your hardest to glare at him but he’s got one of those smiles that rubs off on others and your toughness is broken though almost instantly.

“i’m an adult, alright?” a fact he already knows about you. “not some little girl who's too far in over my head.” though you're starting to doubt that slightly tonight. your business may be successful for now but maybe it was more than you could handle, more than you wanted to handle. were you ever meant to do this alone?

“anyone would feel like it’s too much if all they thought about was work,” he acknowledges and downs the rest of his drink. “sounds like you could use a break.”

“a break.. hell i’d even take a distraction just so i don’t have to think about it for a little while.” 

you follow suit and drink the rest of your paloma in a few gulps, finally feeling the warmth from your first shot helping your body relax. a break, a distraction.. neither of those options seemed possible at a time like this. if you take time off you have to close the shop and then you don’t make money and then you can’t pay rent on the shop or your apartment or buy items you need or pay miwa. you want to cry just thinking about it. so many things relied on you working and trying to figure this all out. a few drinks before bed was the most of a distinction you could afford.

toji calls for the bartender and doesn’t say anything before he’s pouring tojis brand of choice whiskey and two shots of tequila. you sit in silence, feeling the alcohol warm your insides, and watch the bartender pour your drinks. you’ve always known toji came here a lot, every random time you’ve shown up he’s usually here but you’re still not used to how he doesn’t even have to order because they know him so well.

he slides you one of the shots and takes the other for himself, clinking them together before you drink them and put the glasses down in tandem. your worried, tired eyes don’t go unnoticed by him when you reach up to play with the ice from your paloma with a straw once more.

he leans back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other, his ankle on his opposite thigh, and washes away the taste of tequila with his whiskey. you can tell by the look on his face he’s not a fan of tequila and whiskey was not a great chaser but one shot wasn’t going to kill him. 

“i could distract you,” he says too casually but implying too much for your liking.

your cheeks burn and you find yourself speechless under the gaze of his narrow green eyes through dark lashes.

“what? scared of me all the sudden?” he raises an eyebrow and the corner of his lips turn up ever so slightly at the embarrassment on your face. like he was enjoying this embarrassed side of you.

“no!” you say probably too defensively and definitely too loudly but somehow you get your voice to quiet and slow. “it’s not that..”

you aren’t even sure what it is, what’s got you tongue tied and excited at the same time. you know toji to be cool and straight forward, he radiates the confidence of a man who gets what he wants, does what he wants and doesn’t let anyone stand in his way. so it shouldn’t surprise you that he’d say something as bold as this, as casually as he did. maybe it's the fact you can’t believe you’re actually considering taking him up on his offer.

“then what is it?” he doesn’t wait for you to answer before he uncrosses his legs and leans in closer to you, one hand on the back of your chair, the other still holding onto his glass. he’s giving you space to get away, tell him no but you don’t. he smells of cedar and whiskey; and right now you find it more intoxicating than the liquor in your system. “worried i wont be nice? you should know by now, i’m not a nice guy.”

✧˚ · .

you don’t even make it past the entryway of your apartment before toji's lips, hungry and primal latch onto yours, traveling down your jaw and to your neck, his black hair tickling below your ear. the weight of his chest pins you against the door, his strong hands grabbing onto your ass and lifting your feet off the ground in the process. you take the opportunity to encase him between your thighs, feeling his hardening cock against your clothed core.

it’s impossible not to grind against his length but toji is having none of it, using his forceful grip to still your eager hips. 

the cold air on your neck when he pulls away from your supple, reddening skin has goosebumps littering your body. his eyes are dark and focused on your every moment, down to the heaving of your chest and the hot air escaping your lips; a predator locked onto its prey. 

“eagerness will get you nowhere with me kitten, you’d better behave.”

you nod in agreement, unable to get the words out of your mouth as you fight for breath. you’d listen perfectly if it meant he’d distract you.

his lips find yours once more and your hands make their way into his hair, tangling in the soft black locks more and more with each deepening of your kiss. with ease he supports your weight and carries you from the front entryway to your bedroom, following your breathless instructions between devouring kisses.

your body meets the mattress with force, your hair scattering behind you, your legs remaining open for him. you stare up at tojis face in the moonlight coming from your window. he doesn’t look like the man you thought him to be under the dark, silvery night; his figure towering over your much smaller body and his intense gaze sends a shiver down your spine and wet warmth between your legs.

his defined core and arm muscles ripple and flex as he lifts his shirt off of himself, relieving the unexpected mural that is spread across his entire chest and arms; tattoos of black clouds and flowers and in the center of it all, a large red snake baring its bloody fangs.

your eyes widen, your mind thinking of all the times in media you had seen art like this on others and you can feel your palms getting sweaty. what had you gotten yourself into? swallowing the saliva caught in your throat, you ask, “a-are you in the yakuza.. or something like that?”

“something like that,” he admits, looking down at his tattooed body and then back to you. “have you changed your mind? i warned you i wasn’t a good guy.”

despite talking and drinking at the same bar with him for a few years, you may not know much about him personally but you never thought or got the impression he’s put you or would put you in danger. it’s not like you were planning to date toji anyways, dating a mafia member was out of the question but fucking one didn’t seem like the worst idea you’ve had. who even knew if you’d even see him again after this and truthfully you aren’t sure it’s worth overthinking. 

no, you hadn’t changed your mind.

3 months ago

“you wanna stay for dinner?” yuki asks gojo as they both find their discarded clothes on the ground and redress.

annoyance immediately fills satoru. she always asks and the answer is always no. why must she persist each time he comes over? he had meant to stop this little fling they had going on a while ago but each time after a hard time at work he found himself at her doorstep and in her bed; he just needed something to take the edge off, something to remind him he’s more than a man who’s only use is to eradicate problems and people for this family. more than a tool.

yuki had been apart of the family for years since her father is a higher up in the organization. she knows about his and satorus way of life and was happy to provide satoru some kind of release; after all she benefited just as much while in between boyfriends and lounging around until she was needed by her father.

and even when they did fuck, satoru wasn’t in a relationship with her and he never would be so why play pretend and sit together for a meal like a normal couple?

he looks behind him at her, watching her tie up her long hair into a ponytail from the other side of her queen sized bed. she raises an eyebrow at him when he doesn’t answer. 

truthfully he is starving but whatever yuki could cook, or order because she doubt she does her own cooking, was not what he was craving. he needed something much sweeter after the day he had. 

“not really,” he grumbles and returns back to buttoning up his shirt. 

“well i guess i better tell you now then,” she smooths out her baggy sweater and looks at him with an expression that makes him wonder if she’s happy or upset.

god, if we were together you’d think she was getting ready to dump me, satoru thinks to himself, trying to anticipate what news she might be breaking to him.

“my father is discussing an arranged marriage to help strengthen the ties with the kusakabe clan so.. we should probably stop whatever this is,” she motions between them with her hand. 

perfect timing. it’s much easier on him for her to put a stop to it anyways. it doesn’t come as a surprise that she’d be married off either. the relationship between the kusakabe clan and the gojo clan are in the beginning stages of a conflict that could stop their business together entirely. they’re getting more and more fed up with the treatment from the gojos but satoru knows it would be quite a loss if they were to cut ties entirely.

“fine by me.”

she walks him to the front door, giving him a smile when she looks between his legs and then back up to his face, as if to say goodbye to his dick because he highly doubts she’ll miss him all that much and he can say the feeling is mutual.

“know of any good bakeries nearby?” he asks with cold indifference.

she gives him a deadpan look. 

“are sweets really the only thing on your mind right now? right after denying having dinner with me too?”

sure, things were supposed to be casual with him and gojo could admit she never tried to make it anything more than that, offering dinner was supposed to be casual he’s sure. satoru isn’t the kind of guy who you wanted to date anyways, she had to have known that upon first meeting him and since then he has no doubt her opinion on that has only grown stronger since they started this thing. 

she punches him in the arm, “you ass. i thought you were going to give me some sweet goodbye.” 

there’s only silence as gojo awaits the answer to his question. it’s not like he was never going to see her again, he’d probably be at her wedding along with the rest of the family.  

she sneers in response to his silence, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes. “there's one on the corner up the road. take a right when you get out of here and go up a bit, it’s by the park.”

unexpectedly to even him, he pulls her into him, blonde hair brushing against his ear with her tall height. a friendly hug and one that's reciprocated, though it may even be the first one they’ve ever shared.

“thanks for all you’ve done for me,” he says quietly, giving her a squeeze. “take care yuki.”

normally satorus body feels a little lighter after leaving yukis place but that isn’t the case tonight. even when he found himself balls deep he couldn’t shake the thoughts that plagued his mind. very rarely did he question his choices but tonight he wonders if he’s doing the right thing sticking with the family, following orders - albeit on his own terms - and doing everyone else's dirty work. did he even deserve a better life after all he’s done? at what point are you in too far and there’s no turning back, no second chance at happiness? since when did he even care? and most of all, had he doomed the others he brought into it thinking he was protecting them?

he doesn’t even know what happiness looks like at this point. he thought it was the money, power and rising through the ranks until he could have it all but the deeper he gets the more he dislikes it and is convinced this isn’t happiness and that no one, not even the boss, ‘has it all’. 

it hadn’t always felt this bad and he’s sure tomorrow he might feel differently but for tonight, it keeps his shoulder slumped, hands bunched in his pockets and snowy hair covering his eyes as he walks down the street kicking rocks as he goes. 

just like yuki said, on the corner of a strip of shops across from the park is a small bakery; pink sakura leaves and a small mochi emblem on the door leading inside. when another customer exits, the smell of vanilla and sugar fills the air around satoru and his stomach grumbles. he just might die if he doesn’t eat something sweet soon.

“welcome!” the blue haired girl behind the counter greets him before turning to help an elderly lady standing at the cash register.

it’s a cute little shop; small but manageable and easy to get in and out of. there are two tables and some chairs sitting by the big window with the shades pulled up, bringing in the lights in the street and from surrounding shops. a big display case is at the end of the counter white counter, some smaller display cases on both sides of the cash register, only a few more things of bread left in each.

gojo heads straight to the main display, not nearly as empty as the others but still telling of the good day you must have had. his eyes sparkle and his mouth waters at the tasty looking treats still inside. the purin looks beyond perfect; caramel glaze dripping off the top of the custard and onto the little plate like it was about to be a part of a magazine. assorted cookies, strawberry shortcake, dango and a little sign saying ask at the counter for mochi, with the flavors of the day listed. 

“what can i get you?”

the friendly voice tears satorus attention from the baked goods and he’s met with the face of a woman that looks just as sweet as any of one of these treats. your sparkling eyes are illuminated by the lights of the display case, they are the most beautiful eyes he’s ever seen and your beaming smile is a sight for sore eyes; honest and kind. it helps him throw all his worries out the window, all that’s on his mind now is the pretty girl and sugary sweets in front of him.

everything looks so delicious, including you, how could he possibly pick?

“one of everything, please,” he says. he doesn’t have to say much to lay on the charm, he lets his eyes do most of that and it seems to be working.

your pink cheeks and surprised eyes only makes you look that much more adorable. oh, was satoru glad he made his way here tonight.

“e-everything?”

“everything,” he smirks. ✧˚ · .

satorus mouth waters just thinking about all the treats he ate that night while he makes his way to the bakery. he may buy one of everything again today since gas station candies were not cutting it for him these past couple of days while he was gone for work. nothing was the same as your pastries, no gas station clerk was as pretty as you or made him smile the way you did.

he couldn’t get to the bakery fast enough.

he also couldn’t be more disappointed about the line out the door once he arrives. this busy on a thursday in the early afternoon? he’s come by at this time before and it’s never been like this but he supposes he has no choice but to wait. as the line moves forward and he’s able to peek through the window he notices the shop is missing its blue haired cashier. you come from the back with a tray full of freshly baked cookies and an aura satoru swears he’s never seen from you before.

coming in as often as he did, probably overstaying more than he should but he couldn’t help and you never complained, meant that satoru got to see some sides of you most customers didn’t. he’s seen you frustrated and overworked, he’s also seen you in relief, amusement and content happiness. but even through all his flirting with you he’s never once seen the pleased smile that’s on your face today or the glow behind it; not even a little stressed with how busy it is and the fact you’re running things by yourself. 

he’s seen this glow, this smile before - he himself has provided it to others - but he’s never seen it on you and it lights an unfamiliar, uncomfortable, feeling in his chest that he can’t swallow down. 

it’s not necessarily that he was hoping you’d be sad in his absence. okay maybe he was, knowing you were missing him would boost his ego quite a bit. but he never thought he’d come back to see you basically illuminating the bakery in your after sex glow or that he would be annoyed about it.

you’re a grown ass woman. so what if you were having sex? why should that matter to him? you aren’t his girlfriend or even anyone he’s dating at all. it shouldn’t matter that he’s wondered before what you would look like underneath him or how pretty your face would be after he makes a mess of you. he made himself hold back because he wanted to keep coming back here and he knew if he fucked you and never asked you out again that would have to stop. 

you haven't had sex yet because he made it so but that didn’t mean he wanted to see you like this because of somebody else. plus, he knows he could make you feel a million times better than whoever this guy was.

the line dies down as he walks in and he wonders if you spot him near the door behind others. either way, you are unable to give him your attention with the last dozen or so customers that remain in the shop waiting to be taken care of, himself being the last one. he approaches the counter just as the couple sitting at one of the tables near the window walks out, the door bell jingling behind them.

“hey satoru!” you greet with a smile that was somehow brighter than the one you had worn when he first saw you today. “it’s been a few days, i was starting to worry about you.”

so you were thinking of him in his absence? good.

normally he’d take off his glasses, showcase his ocean eyes but today he keeps them on, thankful the dark lenses would hide his deep stare that he’s trying to keep from you entirely. 

like you were unsure if he heard your welcome, you try again and he catches the unsteadiness in your voice. “i’ve got some new cake i’ve been trying to perfect, it's german chocolate. want a piece?” 

“you must have been getting lonely trying new recipes by yourself.” he can hear the hostility behind his words.

“i don’t really mind baking by myself,” you say and he watches you bite your bottom lip and look down before trying to meet his gaze again with more confidence, a flirty lace to your tone. “but having a taste tester is always better.” 

a very unwelcomed image of someone else tasting you pops into his head. 

“i’m sure,” he replies through a clenched jaw.

hurt is painted all over your face and he feels his chest tighten knowing he was the one that made it so but your expression, dropping down to his tie instead of his face, is quickly morphing into something more akin to shame and then confusion.

if he’s being honest, he’s feeling just as confused as you look. 

satoru didn’t get jealous, he’d swear up and down he’s not even now and yet, the thought of you with someone else has his blood boiling. the thought that while he was gone another had your attention made him beyond irritated, left his heart beating out of sync. 

what were you doing to him? 

it’s not too late, he decides in the awkward silence permeating between you. after all he was satoru gojo; handsome, charming, funny and he already had you on his hook. he may have to stop coming by after making you scream his name in bed, he’s not one for second dates or these particular attachments, but it was worth it to satisfy this annoying sting in his chest and finally give into his desire. 

he calls your name, bringing you from your own thoughts and when he finally looks at you without his glasses on, the way your eyes light up, a complete 360 from your previous expression when you were deep in thought, brings him to smile and leaves a comforting warmth pooling in his chest. 

you were too cute and he couldn’t wait to eat you up, show you there’s no one better than him.

“may i take you out on a date this weekend?”

✧˚ · .

main masterlist | chapter two: maybe not so lonely ➮➮➮

[threepandas]

Bad End: Loyalties

Did you know? That one of the unexpected benefits to being reborn, with your memories intact, is that you carry your first life's cultural taboos with you? All your knowledge, all your superstitions, every horror movie you've ever so much as glanced at. Like a dowry, brought with you, into this, your new life.

You end up not giving as much weight, to local superstitions. Especially the ones you know are not true. How? Well, sometimes? In the mad, random, overwhelming blur of the Cosmos? You end up in a Reality that to YOU? Was once fiction. Living in a snapshot of that world's history, as it plays out. Just as it was prophesied.

It's kinda disorienting. But? You get used to it.

Though you DO have to make a choice. Quickly. And decide where in that prophecy you want to stand. After all... there are many ways it could go. It WAS a "game". A story of romance. That other's lives would be impacted? That nations might rise or fall? That people could and will DIE? Oh, that is irrelevant! Isn't it?

They are young.

In LOVE.

Obviously, I could not risk my life on such irresponsible grounds. Plant my flag and swear loyalty, to such fickle hearts. I would die. They would get me killed, for their love story. No... No, what I needed? Was something stable. Selfish. Someone who would claim, but would KEEP.

I needed someone who rewarded loyalty. Someone who praised cleverness. Protected his own. Had (and would again) kill any who set untoward eyes upon those who served him. Someone guaranteed to survive until the end. Machiavellian, scheming. A soft and twisting word. Whispered kindly, in so many, many ears.

The power behind whichever throne he chooses.

Most Senior Royal Advisor, Iwamoto Nobutoshi. My boss. Or, really, Master I guess. Boss was for gangsters. Which was still weird for me. Part of me still twitched violently, every time I said the word "master". My brain insisting, it was either a sex thing or a slavery thing, and that I should respond with Immediate Violence at being told to call anyone that.

Yeah... there ARE downsides to keeping your memories. It really is a mixed bag, all told.

But, hey! All those horror movies I've seen in passing? Scary Horror-Terror Stuff I've absorbed through cultural osmosis? Has been really coming in handy, not gonna lie. So has my understanding of what constitutes "psychological warfare" and "mindfuck-y, liminal, torment".

It should NOT be as cathartic as it is? But... not gonna lie. I've gotten weirdly GOOD at this. Learned to become one with the shadows. Sneak into and out of places, I rightfully should not BE. Usually with a bucket of animal blood from a butcher's. Occasionally, if I KNOW they have someone who can test it? I get the bucket from the morgue.

Which? Is gross as FUCK. And disrespectful. But I have to believe they'd be totally down for fucking with some Evil Rich Assholes. Plus I donate funds to their family's anonymously. So I like to think it balances out? Still don't like to do it, though. I feel like the longer I've been here, the more my morals have chipped away...

Where was I? Right! Tonight's "art"!

I forget where that quote was from, exactly? But? It was true. People do not look up nearly enough. Worse yet, most manors around here? Had attics and weird pockets in their ceilings, with easy access to the floors below. I had? Gotten past? SO many patrols this way. So, SO many.

Frankly, an ALARMING number of patrols.

I'd taken to putting traps in the ceiling, back home.

What I was aiming for, here, was the private rooms. Not the hallway outside the private rooms, oh no, those would be patrolled to hell and back. But inside. Plus? It would have that added, spicy, "we can get you where you sleep" fear factor. And? Having their oh so TRUSTED, highly trained gaurds? See NOTHING? Perfect~

Cause? We? Were doing a good ol fashioned "Sins of The Past" Haunting!

The trick, if you don't actually have any good oppo-research available? Is to be vague, yet aim for things you do know about them. Let them fill in the blanks. Such as? The VERY convenient deaths of Lord Jackass's other brothers, which cleared HIS way towards power. There's no PROOF of any wrong doing... but~? Guilty hearts DO tend to tell on themselves~!

Slinking down the rope ladder silently, into the frankly hideously overdecorated room. I got to work. On silent feet, I began to set the stage. Furniture, lifted and silently stacked, around the snoring Lord and his equally unconscious wife. Expensive pottery, covered in a thick and padded bag, before it is struck.

As though some silent blast of power had gone off. Each piece, placed right back where it had been, now broken, on the floor. Next? The most time consuming, but subtle, one. Also the one that would spread farthest as gossip. Using a custom made seam ripper, tear out the eyes of every example of his family's crest on his clothes. On his bedding.

Yes, ALSO on the robe he wore to bed. That one takes very gentle movement. Very nerve-wracking, not gonna lie. You gotta go slow. Once you DO? Good ol "tears of blood." Just paint it right on the cloth, let it stain. As though the crests were weeping.

THEN, you paint the room in nicely vague horror movie script.

"Brother. Why?" "We know. We know EVERYTHING. How could you?" "We are tired of waiting, join us. Join us Brother." "We are witness, a shame upon our blood."

And other such gems! Plus the good ol hands scrambling, covered in blood, to a point in the center of the room. Put a round painters cloth down, and~? Gently sift ash and bone dust (I dried up bones from the kitchens, then ground um! Also great for gardening.) over the floor. Step UP, to my ladder, kit away, grab the cloth, and? Off we go!

Room successfully haunted.

Couldn't happen to a nicer asshole, really. Is it a BIT much? Yeah, probably. People lose their SHIT. I apparently have "a talent", according to my teammates. Which is nonsense. It's all B-grade horror move nonsense and house of horrors gross outs. Visceral ick. But it's NEW here, so I guess that counts? Even if I am plagiarizing the FUCK out of somebody.

Thankfully, though, dispite my "talent"? Master Iwa- ...No, wait, didn't he tell me recently to call him by his name? Uncomfy. A good sign, obviously, but... uncomfy. Don't Like that he knows who I am. I was aiming for, you know, mid rank? Not disposable but pretty forgetable? But now I have a Useful Skill. Have proven to be INTELLIGENT.

Fuck, I even made the mistake of cleaning up and organizing PAPERWORK. You know, paperwork? A thing you would have to READ and MAKE SENSE OFF, to be able to organize? Have to create some kind of workable and efficient system, by WHICH to sort? I thought it was an assistants! Not HIS!

One fuck up is all it takes.

He will find you, he WILL rip the secrets out of you, and yes! He WILL smile pleasantly the entire fucking time! It's horrifying! Kinda cool! I'm pretty sure my life flashed before my eyes! Ha ha... Holy SHIT.

Right, where...? Right! My "talent"! Master Nobutoshi? Big on "right piece for the right purpose". Yeah, you could FORCE people to go against their ideals, their beliefs, their very nature... but you can only do so, for so long. Fear fades. Pain can be overcome. Not everyone fears death.

He regards it as foolish, inefficient, to drag and force and scream.

No, no! He? Oh, he merely... suggests. A softly spoken recommendation. A guiding hand, to show you, the best use of your skills. And if that guidance just so happens to serve his interests? Well... what a wonderful coincidence~ How fortuitous.

Heavy hands get broken. Snapped at and slapped away. But a gentle touch? A little nudge? Sweet whispers in your ear? That tell you what you want to hear? Guide you where HE wants you to be? Well, THAT is so much harder to notice, isn't it. So, SO much harder to fight.

I chose pretty well, I like to think. Because no matter the game? He'll come out on top. Probably laugh, as all the other players, dance to his tune. Who WOULDN'T want to be on his team? His team wins.

And winning? Means I survive.

Dropping off my kit in the shed at the back of the Iwamoto guest residence gardens (where, should it be found, the presence of such things could be blamed on unscrupulous guests), I trudge back towards the servants quarters. I'm tired and filthy. It's the kind of late? Where it's flipped right around to become early.

Luckily, me and my teammates plan ahead, so there is a still moderately warm bath waiting for me. God bless Aiko and all she stands for. For this? I'll even carry her back to our room. Since, once again, she's decided "fuck it" and just curled up on the stack of towels. Doesn't even fit. She just shoved her upper body in the cubby and called it good.

I snort and step over her. Get my fuckin bath. Late night shifts are the worst. But we all take um. I focus on getting clean, grabbing my passed out lump of a roommate, and heading to bed. Fucker drools on me. Snorkels right in my ear. Takashi laughs silently as we pass him, hold the door for me. Seems to be heading out as we head in.

Master Iwamoto's shadow network never truely sleeps, after all.

Always someone doing something.

Dumping us both in our beds, I greatfully pass out. Do not dream. Greet near mid-day as my dawn, ready to start it all over again. Up, a quick bath, dressed and ready to go. Nothing to seem here but us identical servants. We go in shifts. All the better to be as disorienting as possible, to outsiders.

Everyone who looks like each other? Grouped on a shift. Taught to use make up to make themselves even MORE indistinguishable. We pick someone about in the middle, appearance wise, of each group, as the Standard. Everyone is to copy them. For my group, it's me.

I pick up the whispers and news, that have been collected since this mornings report. Second one of the day. At least, second one when we're not on "war" footing. As I walk, I glance down. Technically not supposed to read these, but I'm fairly sure he knows I do at least read the top page. Is amused by it. I'd have seen punishment otherwise. Or removed from delivery.

Oooh~ lookie THERE! How SCARY~☆! It appears someone was HAUNTED last night! By the ghosts of their dead brothers, you say? Angry ancestors, you say? Wife hysterical? Fled to her parents house? Sister, in tears, before the king? Oh my, oh my~!

I struggle not to grin. That would give the game away. Me? Reading something I'm not supposed too? I would NEVER. He he he~

Casually weaving through other servants, I keep reading. Climbing stairs and ducking down halls. Huh. Wait a second... slowing, I step to the side of the covered walkway. Re-read that last paragraph. Near the end of the page? Is something... strange. Not right.

I REMEMBER the Plot.

Made SURE I would remember. Wrote it down, then again and again. Memorized it, like my life literally depended on it, while it was still somewhat fresh in my mind. Because, frankly, it DID depend on it. Even now? Decades later? I can recite it by rote.

So why? Pray tell? Did our blushing Protagonist? Have a BROTHER.

Furthermore, why the FUCK have I not NOTICED this before?

Glancing around, I see far too many watchful eyes, to properly investigate. So I straighten. Pleasant, vague, expression in place. I walk forward. In no hurry at all. Definitely going to deliver these papers. Certainly not delaying in the slightest. Nothing to see here, everyone! Go about, what you were. We are all friends here, RIGHT?

I step into the building at the far end of the covered pathway. Resist diving into the first room available. That? Would be too predictable. I go for the THIRD. One quick grab, slide, and side-step? And~? Poof! Like I was never there. Servant? WHAT servant? These halls are EMPTY. You're clearly seeing things... are you okay?

Immediately, I lift the reports. Well, immediate after a look around the room, of course. Don't want to get CAUGHT. Flipping to the second page, I start reading. What's this about a Brother? What BROTHER?! There IS no BROTHER!

....except there IS.

Somehow.

And HE? Is a very, VERY clever man. One who lived quietly. Like a ghost. After the failed assassination attempt that nearly killed him and his mother. Wait a- ...failed? That sounds...? Familiar.

I have to close my eyes and think, to remember. Lean my head back and let my brain churn. It's... obscure. A tiny detail, mentioned offhand. Single line of dialog, in only one of the routes. Not even the MAIN routes. But one of the Secret ones, that you have to unlock... in the... collectors? Edition? I think? There was that play through video, right? We were eating... a noodle dish of some kind...

Fuck, I can't remember it. Not fully.

But I remember ENOUGH.

I REMEMBER? That it WASN'T a FAILED attempt. That Protagonist-chan's family didn't talk about them. For vaguely plot relevant reason. There was healing and good vibes. Follow your dreams, kids. Buy now. Etc etc...

He... survived? How? Damn it. Doesn't say. But... shit. He's cause a LOT of trouble, isn't he? And it looks like he's kind... railroading his sister into a specific route. That, or keeping her from emotionally cheating on her fiancée. Can't tell. Haven't met her. Looks like he's also patented a few... is that a fucking WHISK? Holy shit. These are all early industrial revolution!

Looking up from the reports, I stare blankly into space. Is... is the Protagonist's brother... ALSO a Reincarnator? What do I do with that? Do I contact him? Say "hello"? "I'm here too"? I thought I was... was completely alone in this world. But of all the places he could BE. Smack dap RIGHT in the middle of all the action?! Holy SHIT.

I'm going to have to think about this. A LOT.

Correcting the reports, I step back into the hallways. Casual as you please. Continue on my way, even as my mind churns and churns. Why is he gathering allies? Why hide for so long? Is he counting on his sister's plot armor to carry over? Or does he have actual military training? He's amassing loyalists. For WHAT?

And the reports said he's searching for something. Seem to suggest that WE are keeping it AWAY from him. What are we hiding? Protecting?

People? Resources? A mine?

I reached Master Nobutoshi's study, in his private wing. The halls quite, as only the most elite and trusted servants were allowed to travel here. Kneeling, I knocked on the door frame, waited to be acknowledged.

Receiving an almost absent-minded acknowledgement, I slide open the door.

Framed by delicately painted screen and thickly stuffed book shelves, Iwamoto Nobutoshi was, as always, the very picture of an elite scholar. Beautiful and refined. Slow and deliberate in movements, as though each had been pondered and found acceptable. I had never met a man more graceful. Not in this life, not in the last.

To my right, the sliding door to the gardens were open. Giving a picturesque view of summer, as it faded into fall. To the left, painted screens. Done by some Master's hand. With a splendid level of detail that still caught me off gaurd, even now. There were birds, in those painted trees! Had there always been? I wished I could look closer.

Nonetheless, I respectfully offered the reports for perusal.

"Right on time. This One had begun to worry." He said as he set aside his brush, smile mild as ever, even as his eyes swiftly cataloged each new discrepancy. There were several. "Bruises. Did the new padding in your suit, not sufficiently protect? This One will be most displeased if we have been lied too. We were promised it would."

No, and that was the thing, wasn't it? My kit? Had never been better. But... I had been damn near ambushed on my way TOO my job. Had to take evasive maneuvers. Do a LOT more parkour then I was comfortable with. Those fuckers had been... persistent. Weirdly so. Which made no sense, since they didn't seem affiliated with anyone I recognized.

"Oh?" The question was less a question and more a flat note of outrage. He held a hand out for the reports, began to read. "How... interesting. They certainly seem to be getting bold. This One begins to wonder. If he has perhaps been too kind, that they would see fit to harrass his-"

An ominous silence fills the room as he cuts off mid-sentence, as his eyes find something on the page he's reading. He has gone utterly still. The gentle curl of smoke from his pipe, wafting around him like the warning trails of a dragon. The deadly hidden embers of a forest fire, flaring up. His pleasant smile had frozen upon his face. Like a mask.

"He certainly does love to push his luck, does he? Make demands, for things he has no right too. Things which are ours." The words weren't even so much addressed to me? As the were a hissed accusation, towards the report in his hand. Someone, somewhere, seemed REALLY dead set on pissing Master Nobutoshi off.

Honestly? That seemed really unwise, but it's their funeral... I guess...?

Master Nobutoshi turns so suddenly I only barely avoid flinching. Jumping like a newbie. He's doing that "pick you apart at the seems" stare again. Looking into my soul. I remain politely deferential, patient, as I wait for him to work through his thoughts. He rises from his desk. Elegant and prowling, as he stalks towards me. Gaze intense, fixated. I... I am missing something.

"Tell me, my loyal little shadow. What would you do? If some... upstart, dared begin to covet, that which was yours? Started panting after your dearly beloved trusted, like a filthy dog? Trying to steal them away? Would you take that? Tolerate such disrespect? I... This One... can not imagine you would."

"You are so very loyal. So diligent. You serve me not for fame or glory, power nor wealth. You ask for so little, offer so much. I would give the world to you. My precious, loyal, little shadow. Forever by my side. No doubt, we shall grow old together. That they would covet you? The audacity is unthinkable."

Soft yet warrior calloused hands, come up to cup my cheeks. And... ah. Yeah. T-That's pretty fucking CLEAR on what I'm missing. My boss? Has a thing for me? Crush? Or... or is it "is in love with"? W-what was that about people coveting?! Hold on! Roll things back a second! What's happening?! I never thought I was blind... about apparently I need a stick and some GLASSES.

Because there is "missed some subtext" and then there's "dude, how do you miss the silent war with guerrilla tactics, right fucking IN FRONT OF YOU?!", so like? Either I was being DELIBERATELY kept seperate? Or... actually? No. That actually sound exactly like what probably happened. An information diet.

FUCK.

Before I could decide how, exactly, I felt about that? The same door I had entered through, opened again. This time sharply and with an audible snap. Dragging urgently along it's tracks and hitting its end, in a way the delicate crafting had never been meant for. I swear it nearly cracked. Alarmed, I spun, breaking free of Master Nobutoshi's hold on my face, to face whoever was at the door.

Aiko.

Shouldn't she be near the front gates? "Sweeping" and listening to gossip for the Shadows? How. Why!? My eyes catch on slowly spreading red. Stark against her... our uniform, she's hurt. Badly. Gripping her side and the door frame like it's the only thing still holding her up. Her face ashy pale and sweating with terrible pain. Eyes determined. Her jaw set in that stubborn, stubborn grit.

"Master. You need to leave. Now! They...!" She wavers, starting to blackout from the pain, before forcing it back. "They've attacked! We're holding them back. A-As best as we c..can! Please! Lord Iwamoto, I BEG you! You must go! If you don't survive this, then everything is lost!"

As if to underline the terrible wait of her words, an explosion goes off, shaking the austere foundations of the ancient house in which I serve. My mind immediately flits and races along the emergency protocols. W-was that one of ours? Did we..? No. No, we would have... DID set up barricades. This is our house. We've already trapped it.

They are the ones who brought explosives.

You don't bring things like those, if you plan to leave survivors. You bring those? When you plan to make EXAMPLES. Aiko is right. We have to go. Now. Heart hurting, I nod to my roommate, one of my best friends, and know that this is it. I will likely never see her again, alive. There are... so many goodbyes, words, I wish I had time to say.

In the look she shoots me? I see the same.

We knew this might come.

Just... just hoped it never would.

My boss's crush can wait. His LIFE is more important. I turn and reach for him, to guide him towards the screens, leading deeper into his wing. Get to him easily. But do not get more then two steps before an arm, like steel, is suddenly around my waist and jerking me back.

Jerking US back. Towards the wall of scrolls and decorative pieces, that sat behind Master Nobutoshi's desk. Startled, my gaze shoots down to see Master Nobutoshi's arm, unhesitating and possessive, wrapped around my waist. There is... a lot more muscle under those flowing robes, then I ever suspected. But-?

I do not even have time to think, to ponder, the question before it is violently answered. The masterfully painted screens, that I had long admired, smashing and tearing as bodies crash through them.

Takashi, dead on the floor, sword still in hand. Around him, his teammates dying, as they still tried to by their Lord even a few moments more, to escape. The large, ever polite Shadow, a man who had been like a brother to me... dumped upon the ground like little more then trash. To be tossed aside and discarded. Stepped over, on some other man's campaign.

His blood mixed with the ruins of the Hunting Tiger screen. Two proud, quietly noble wonders, destroyed. It had been his favorite.

Aiko howled with rage and grief. Threw herself into the fight.

We had been family.

I turned, away, hating myself for it. Knowing it's what they would want. Tears threatened but I could not let them come. Not... not yet. Not yet. There was an emergency exit. Where? Where!? I remembered it. I knew, I knew it! But the grief was muddling my mind, making it slow. Damn it. DAMN IT! WHERE WAS IT!!!??

Master Nobutoshi reached past me. Gripping the hilt of decorative sword, he lifted and drew. It.. it was not decorative. Merely disguised. A masterwork blade. It sang ominously as it cut through the air, entering the scene. Then... a face, breathe, pressed to the side of my head. Like.. like a lover? A terrible discordance, in this already awful event.

"Behind the Three Mountains and a Shrine, My Love. I will be with you shortly."

I froze. The world froze, for all it continued, around me. Distantly... I felt Master Nobutoshi loosen his grip, after... after one last possessive squeeze. Let go. Felt him turn away, as he faced the room. But... but that was... he.... he had....

W-was that? I-Informal? A..And WHAT did he call m-!?

My hand, shaking, found the right scroll. Somehow. Without my numb, panicking mind, they moved dispite me. Somehow determined to keep me alive, dispite my shock. I flicked the right switch. Disarmed the traps in the order they needed to be. And... click. There was the trap door. Our... our way out...

I stared. Blankly. W.. what was I supposed to..? Do?

Was I finally... in shock? That's... probably not good. Bad, actually. I should... should move. There are swords here. It's...? Dangerous? Yes. Dangerous. Bad. I need too... too think. Cry, maybe. Somewhere... not loud. With... with no... no swords.

Stumbling. Stiffly. Like my body was not my own anymore, I knelt. Hands clumsy and far away, I struggled with the trap door. Finally got it. People were... were fighting. Hurting. I... I didn't want to be here anymore. Didn't want to be ANYWHERE anymore. I... I wanted it to stop.

Why? Why wouldn't they all just... just STOP.

Aiko. Takashi. My teammates. Who else? Who else was hurt? G-gone? I was... was supposed to be SAFE. This was supposed to be SAFE. I worked so hard. Compromised and compromised, pushed myself down, and made myself fit. I worked and worked and WORKED, until I had nothing LEFT, b... because this was supposed to be SAFE!!!

I... I was supposed to b-be...!

"Iwamoto!" A voice roared above the chaos and fighting. "Where is She?! I know you're keeping her somewhere!"

Like a lions roar, some primal part of my brain demanded I pay attention. Now. Dragging, with brutal claws, my fragile mind, from its drifting cloud of numbness. One leg already on the steps to the escape tunnel, I turned, and... with horror? Realized I was to blame. For... for ALL of this.

Because? There, in armor, stood the Protagonist's brother. Surrounded by his men, with his sister safely at home, what other SHE could he POSSIBLY mean? If not the one? That ALSO remembers? H...He killed Aiko. Takashi. For THIS?

Monster.

Oh god, he.. he was a MONSTER.

Master Nobutoshi and the Reincarnator squared off. Swords drawn, men at their back. Already, so many were dead. So many I had known. Had worked with. My friends. Just... just pawns, between two powerful men. Dizzy, I realized, they... they hadn't even glanced at them. Didn't even seem to SEE them. Just... just more fodder. For their grand campaigns.

"You know?" Nobutoshi all but purred, as he clashed blades with his opponent. "I really must thank you. You helped me realize, the true worth of the gem I possessed. And, once you're dealt with? I will no longer need to hide her in obscurity. With you dead, little rat, I can finally have her, in every way that matters."

"She'll be a beautiful bride." His grin was a savage thing, full of baring teeth.

The Protagonist's brother raged. A lion, a mountain, and a warlord. Fury twisting what were, no doubt, handsome features into something horrifying. Blade work swift and brutal. How many of my friend's blood? Still painted that blade? Still stained his armor? He dressed himself like he thought he was the hero. He was destroying the only home I had known, for these past decades.

"Pervert! You disgusting CREEP! You think you can just imprison women until they love you?! I always knew there was something wrong with you, but this? This take the cake, you FREAK! I'm getting her out of here! Stopping your schemes! Once and for all!" The Brother roared, something unhinged in his eyes. A lifetime of isolation at last, too much, now that relief might finally be at hand. "You'll never understand her! You CAN'T understand her! Not like me! She was MADE FOR ME! We're supposed to be in this TOGETHER! And I WON'T let you keep me from her ANY LONGER, YOU FREAK!"

They couldn't see anyone but each other, as they fought. Brutal. Savage. Singing blades and madness. Around the room, the two sides clashed. Died. Pointlessly, at the command of their Lords. Sitting at the entrance to the escape route, I could see Aiko from here. Takashi. Both dead, gone, where just this morning we had been joking over our plans for an upcoming festival. We... we were going to hit up the candy booths first. Double back to store our loot. Then enjoy the festivities.

It was a good plan. I was going to pretend... that... that I didn't notice Aiko, stealing all the sour plum candies. I hated them. She loved them. But would never take them if I offered. O.. only fun if she could sneak um. Takashi would save me my favorites. Wasn't much of a sweets guy.

Gone...

All gone.

And for what? Because I "belonged" to the Brother? Because Master Nobu-...no. Because Iwamoto Nobutoshi, picked a FIGHT? All I wanted was to be safe. Live quietly. No plot. No drama. No chaos. Just... just market days and laundry, sweeping and helping make dumplings. Weeding the gardens. Napping with kids and cats. Slowness and the shifting of seasons.

A life, unremarkable.

I looked down into the escape tunnel. Dark, long, and to somewhere unknown.

They did not notice me leave.

[notwarriorswiki]

Jayfeather keeps the secret that his friends aren't actually blessed with powers like they think, fearing for what will befall their friendship should he do so.

But the prophecy won't be fulfilled unless he gathers the true gifted cats.

Spoiler: Does not go well. Jayfeather loses the support of pretty much everyone, including his siblings + best friend/crush, Kestrelflight.

[error-elf-206]

here are some old front costumings i forgot to post of my godhood au

idk if i like them all that much but they do show the ideas well. also left nico does haunt me as, just yeah

[jessicas-pi]

hear me out on this ok. ROTS AU where Anakin still turns to the dark side but that's Palpatine's problem.

So, Palpatine decides last minute that ehhhh maybe dooku could come in handy later and he doesn't encourage Anakin to kill him, and Dooku gets arrested and imprisoned in the Jedi Temple awaiting trial. (Also he didn't get his hands cut off because of uhh plot reasons?)

Fast forward.

Palpatine is encouraging Anakin towards the Dark side, tells him about Plagueis the Wise, etc. etc. But see, the thing is, Anakin is at the end of his tether, probably hasn't slept more than three hours over the past week, and has no remaining impulse control or inhibitions, and upon hearing that the Dark Side can save people from death, his first thought is, "wait a sec, we've got a Sith Lord in-house at the moment!" and he sprints out of the space opera and books it back to the temple.

Now, Dooku has been calmly waiting in Temple custody, confident that Darth Sidious will arrange his escape. But THEN Anakin barges into the cell like OMG THE CHANCELLOR TOLD ME THE SITH KNOW HOW TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM DYING AND I'M HAVING DREAMS ABOUT SOMEONE DYING AND I NEED YOUR HELP TO SAVE THEM

At which point, Dooku realizes Palpatine's plan. He's going to tempt Skywalker to the Dark side and REPLACE DOOKU. this is totally uncool.

So he's like "...who are you dreaming about, exactly?"

Anakin freezes. He can't admit it's Padme because their relationship is top-secret and he can't admit how important she is to him so he tries to think of a good fib and goes "uhhhh OBI-WAN! Obi-Wan, it's Obi-Wan, I'm dreaming about Obi-Wan dying-" and he just throws himself into the drama because now he IS imagining obi-wan dying because Obi-Wan is fighting grievous at the moment and he MIGHT ACTUALLY DIE and that's in addition to Padme dying and he's totally spiraling at this point- "pleasepleaseplease you gotta help me he's like the only father i've ever known I don't know what i'll do without obi-wan I have to save him YOU GOTTA TELL ME WHAT TO DO I'LL DO ANYTHING--"

Dooku begins to smile.

(Would stealing Skywalker out from under his Master's nose be petty? Oh, yeah.)

(But it would also be very, very satisfying.)

---

Obi-Wan calls in to a council meeting to report his defeat of Grievous, but before he can say so, Mace announces that Dooku has escaped and the Sith Master has been killed.

Silence falls between the eleven councilmembers (eleven, not twelve, because their newest one is conspicuously absent. Obi-Wan wonders just what Anakin's up to now. Honestly, that boy will be the death of him.)

Obi-Wan clears his throat.

"...indeed," he says, trying to handle the shocking news with composure. "Well... at least we're down to one Sith, now."

Another awkward pause.

"Yeah, about that--" Mace begins.

[nomsfaultau]

Philza Year Wrap

All my Philza designs for my AUs. Or the more interesting ones, limited space and all that.

From left to right:

Dragon + scaled is from Fault

Lab coat is from Where, then, do your loyalties lie?

Antlers is from Lord, what fools these mortals be!

Suit is from Mandatory Family Reunion

Lantern is from Lighting Lanterns to Bring You Home

Ragged Crow is from Golden Apples (Gilded Atrophy)

And silly little interaction page!

[chaosburning]

@holyfailed said, ❝ did i wake you? ❞

everyone seemed to be on high alert. between atf, the mayans, the irish, and everything else that was going on around the club alexis was running on fumes. sleep eluded him. his mind was racing with possibilities and plans. on the one hand, he was trying to think of what they'd have to do, just in case. on the other, the biker's mine was also swirling with the ways he needed and wanted to keep jordan safe.

he'd been sitting on the couch, boots kicked up onto the small wooden coffee table while waiting for her to stop by his house after work. the more time they spent together, the more he found himself wanting to keep it that way. didn't help that most of the club already gave him shit for what they thought was happening. every time he reminded them it wasn't their fucking business? only seemed to fuel the fire. one of these days his eyeballs were going to pop out of his head from rolling so hard.

the soft click of the front door caused his body to jolt. when had he fallen asleep? hands instantly reach out for a weapon to touch his fingers. " no, babe, " alexis says without thinking. a calloused palm rubs down his face to wipe away the evidence of sleep. seeing jordan at the door means he's abandoned the gun by setting it on the coffee table when his feet move to the floor.

a yawn escapes him.

" c'mere, " he pats the cushion next to him. " how was work? everything ok? "

[higuchisora]

Sometimes I look back at season 1 and wish Vi actually shot Cait in the head ngl. Like I know Cait didn't do anything worth dying for at that point and Vi doesn't like killing people and she feels like she owes Cait and I LOVE that for her, truly, very sweet very kind what a good girl, but like. All of season 2 could've been avoided. All of it. If Vi just popped Cait and Silco ngl.

[musewrangler]

Leia felt it before she saw them.

Between the Emperor and Ahsoka, the Force was thrumming with potency, but this…

…this was immense.

She knew the moment that the Sith felt them too because he whipped about, lips curled over his foul gums in a snarl.

Two beings were effortlessly cutting their way through the Emperor’s troops, their blades marking their locations easily.

One was swinging a blue blade like Luke’s—-a sandy haired man with a beard and rough clothing. Someone she'd seen occasionally on holocoms. The other…

Leia couldn’t see the other, just his blade—a green blur as it scythed through the enemy to reach them.

And for the first time, Leia could sense the Emperor’s fear.

“No…” he hissed, and then he turned and retreated swiftly toward the throne where he turned once more, planting himself and raising his hands.

[pain-is-too-tired]

Voltron-esk space au

Apollo kids being royals from just as Emperor Kronos was rising, but were stashed away to keep them safe and we're found in similar way to Allura.

Clarisse, Frank and Annabeth being children of rulers of their home planets that use to work with Apollo as well and were stashed away with Sunfam

Octavian is, even unknown to himself, a descendant of another of Apollo kids siblings who were taken by Kronos. But he's hardly recognizable as the same species as his family only been with those of Kronos' planet afterwards.

Luke, Chris and the Stolls being born on Kronos' planet, but are only half of the species. Their father was a messenger for the rebels but gone missing. They been pulled into the empire's army, the Stolls are secretly rebel fighters.

Big Three kids are humans, along with the Hephaestus kids, who were captured by the empire from their planet but some managed to escape and found their way to Apollo's castle and plan to go back to save the others.

Aphrodite kids are from a captured planet and are a type of siren like species that get forced to work for the Empire a lot.

Obviously lot of stuff to work out. But brain go brrr

I also have some alien species already made of for ocs that I can use a bit here >:3

[homehauntsyou]

just saw “never let go” and the winchesterism of it…

[aurorasgate]

family + loyalty

chapter three: different | 9.9k+ words

satoru gojo x fem!reader | mafia au

chapter warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI, angst, talk of murder and other mafia related work, mentions of blood/injury (not to reader), angst, comfort, explicit sexual content, oral, fingering, masturbation

series masterlist

loose gravel crunches under heavy rolling tires, the radio in the suv usually playing music turned down to barely audible noises now that they were pulling up to their destination, preparing for a less favorable part of their job. it certainly hadn’t helped that suguru was in a foul mood and had hardly said a word since being told to head out but satoru knew it was because he wasn’t happy that it is the hasaba estate they were rolling up to tonight.

having been the one to be working with mr. hasaba on behalf of the boss as of late, suguru had seen much of their family and had grown a soft spot for the twin daughters. the last time they were here together, satoru had watched them, like plenty of ladies of all ages, be drawn into the pretty dark haired man with a gentle smile.

neither says a word as they step out of the car and easily fall in line. suguru slouching in his stride with his hands in his suit pockets, satoru standing obnoxiously tall, wearing his dark sunglasses despite it already being past sundown.

the house is dark, almost eerie in its silence and not at all how it should have been. while this visit wasn’t planned, today was the deadline the boss had extended for mr. hasaba, and it was to be the last extension, so it should have been excepted, awaited, but there wasn’t a sign of anyone else around.

suguru knocks on the door anyways and when there’s no answer he knocks again, louder this time for good measure but still they are met with nothing in return, the three story house staring back at them silently.

“what a pain,” satorus says, his words a grumble through his tight jaw. the unpleasant now becoming a full blown mess.

“let's check it out,” his partner suggests. 

in long strides satoru walks past geto and kicks in the door, hearing the wood splinter and give way around the lock and the next second the door is flinging away from the press of his foot and crashing into the wall behind it, the crashing sound echoing in the quiet estate.

with a place this large, they take off in different directions. every wall is cast in shadow or barely there moonlight and as satoru walks through the house, he uses his phone light to illuminate the way, not seeing a thing out of place. every piece of art, every decorative pillow and porcelain on display sits like it always had, the table set as if dinner was expected soon. it feels like a ghost town, like maybe no one had ever been here and never would be again. 

the phone in his hand vibrates and the screen lights up, the name displaying there making his lips tug upwards.

you: you know i was thinking about what you said earlier and decided you and ‘everyone else’ are still wrong satoru: so you were thinking about me? ;) you: all i’m saying is faramir may be the better brother but boromir gets way too much hate, he’s not bad and he was redeemed! satoru: i can’t believe you're defending boromir right now you: i am!

he watches the three dots fade and light up and fade again as you type away. he imagines the bakery is pretty slow right now, it’s almost closing time and it makes him wonder if they wrap this up quick, maybe he could make it to see you again. somehow the visit he made there earlier today, where this lord of the rings conversation had started, and honestly every day since your date, had not felt like enough of you. 

so many new and different emotions and thoughts have been swirling in his mind and every inch of his body. unlike he ever had been before and ones he could hardly ignore. not when he felt them so strongly. he couldn’t stop thinking about you and it had taken all of his will power to not lean over the counter as you rang him up this morning and capture your lips in front of everyone. he wouldn’t have cared what anyone thought, except for you and had it not been for that, he absolutely would have done it with the words that had been at the back of his mind since you were at his apartment echoing in his ears.

just do what feels right. because when faced with the fact that he was, perhaps, certainly, feeling for you in a way he never had anyone else, he didn’t know what the fuck else to do. and while kissing you felt right, maybe even more than right, he didn’t want to mess this up by kissing you in your place of business like that when you hadn’t told him it was okay, when you hadn’t kissed since back at his apartment. 

yet another unusual feeling because satoru gojo did not worry about messing things up. usually, the situation was already in the palm of his hands and even if it wasn’t, he had the strength and means to adapt and turn the situation back around in his favor. but is it possible to do that with matters of the heart? when the consequence was losing something that money and means couldn’t replace?

he’s pulled from his phone screen, from his thoughts of you, at the feeling of a hand shoving his shoulder lightly and like he was a child doing something he shouldn’t have been, he quickly pockets his phone.

“satoru,” sugurus voice is quiet and serious. “why’re you just standing around?”

ignoring the question, gojo asks, “what did you find?”

“there’s someone upstairs.”

the second floor does tell a different story than what they had seen in the house thus far. every closet, drawer and box in all the rooms are opened or overturned, pieces of clothes and accessories thrown around carelessly and in the master bedrooms adjoining bathroom is where they hear muffled sounds.

with their guns in hand and ready, through the silver moon lit room their steps are cautious and steady, their breaths shallow but calm. like a dance they’d practiced a dozen times and knew by muscle memory alone. without talking they take their respective sides of the closed door and satoru turns the knob, throwing it open.

screeching cries bounce off of the bathroom tile and before satoru can register what’s happening, geto is putting his gun back in its place under his jacket and hurrying through the door with a terrible look on his face.

satoru wasn’t sure what he was expecting. in this life he saw, and at times even inflicted, more than most people should have to but he had never seen a father leave his daughters, with barely their clothes on their back, to the mercy of the mafia family he owes money to. 

family was supposed to mean something. he was taught that from a young age, even if the lines and terms of family were screwed up and jagged and not always from the same blood. though he didn’t know how true some of that actually was the older he got. maybe he was skewed and rough as well but the things he had witnessed family do to each other he would never put the people he cares about through. of that he had no doubt.

there isn’t anything he wouldn’t do for the few he held close and even if they weren’t his family, but maybe the closest thing he’d ever have to one, you would never find geto and ieriri or yuji and yuta left behind like this. never.

it makes him sick to his stomach. your own fucking children left like this.. their futures stolen from them whether it was death or a life with nothing all because of their fathers stupid choices.

suguru soothes the girls, promising them that they are safe with gentle pats to their heads as they cling to him and sob and gojo steps out of the bathroom to move towards the large window in the bedroom, knowing what he has to do next.

“what is it?” as usual, his fathers voice is curt and worn by years of smoking on the other side of the phone.

“hasaba’s fled,” eyes lost in the moonless night, satoru gets directly to the point, not wanting to prolong this conversation any more than he has to.

“mother fucker,” he can hear the slamming of his fathers fist against his desk, the heaving of his breaths for the long moment the older man takes to process this and decide what he’ll have his son do next. “sweep the house-”

“already did. there's nothing here,” satoru doesn’t hesitate to lie.

“of course,” his father hisses, taking another long moment before speaking again. “fine. we’ll do it his way. him and his family are finished.”

“not his girls,” he’s quick and cold to add, his tone telling that he wouldn’t accept anything less.

“you’re not in any place to bargain with me boy.”

“they haven’t done anything,” he argues, his patience slipping quickly. “they’re children.”

neither of them were ever good at backing down, least of all from each other. strength verses authority because that’s really all his father had over him, the authority to tell him what to do. 

“i don't care,” the older man punctualtes every word. “their father knew what was at stake when he borrowed money from me.”

“i don’t kill children,” he can feel the heat in his chest bubbling over, sharpening his words, making his every breath heavy, his eyes dark.

“you will do what i tell you and it doesn’t matter if you won’t. whether or not you’re the one to pull the trigger, they’re already dead.”

as if it was as easy as breathing in the scent of morning coffee, he speaks their death sentence into existence and doesn’t wait a moment longer to hang up the phone like it might stop his son from doing what he wants.

gojo was trying to contain his anger, not do something stupid like simply kill his father and anyone that might take his place - it would be so easy especially with geto by his side - or just leave japan altogether and never look back. 

he had been right all those months ago when he questioned if staying was right. if this is where his future and loyalties lay. if he deserved better.

that night hadn’t been all that bad though, he remembers with a small smile. after all, it had brought something into his life that is better.

“hello? .. satoru?”

when he hears your voice he swears he's imagining it, his mind conjuring it simply to remind him of the night he met you, but he looks down to see he has indeed called your number, the picture he took of you the morning after your date with your sleepy bed head and dressed in his sweater, trying to get him to stop despite the big smile on your face, staring back at him. it's blurry and out of focus but it makes him forget about the mess inside his head.

“satoru? is everything alright?” your voice is soft, full of concern. 

“hey sweets,” he picks up the phone like you hadn’t spent the first ten seconds of your call with him totally silent and he wasn’t feeling a pang in his chest, not entirely knowing what for. “whatcha up to?”

“i’m just closing up the bakery. miwa had to leave early so it’s been a little slower going,” it’s quiet for a beat, like you’re hesitating to say what you want while satoru is focused on your voice, hoping you’ll say more. “are you okay?”

no but he wouldn’t say it outloud. “can i see you tonight?” 

“y-yeah. of course,” god you were so cute when you were all bashful but quick to answer. “i can head over to your place once-”

“i’ll come pick you up,” he still has things to do tonight but that isn’t why he interrupted you. he just.. wanted to see you as soon as possible.

“oh, okay. i’ll see you soon then?”

“see ya soon, sugar plum.”

feeling a little lighter but ready for this to be over, though it will likely follow him for days or weeks to come until they could find hasaba, he heads back towards the bathroom to talk with geto about what they were going to do from here.

the first thing you notice about satoru when he picks you up from the bakery nearly an hour later are his eyes. they’re somber, void of that galaxy-like sparkle that’s normally swirling within them and unusually vulnerable through the smile he plasters on his face that doesn’t pull at the corners of his eyes like it usually does.

the second thing you notice is that he can’t keep his hands off of you. maybe it was too bold of you from the start but after your phone call and your first glance at him walking through the bakery doors, you couldn’t stop yourself from pulling him into a hug as you said your hellos. something told you that he needed it and he had hardly stopped touching you since.

from the walk from the bakery to his car at the curbside, he held your hand, your other holding onto a to go back full of goodies the entire way and only let go as he went to close the passenger door for you after helping you inside the tall vehicle. the entire car ride with his arm resting over the center console, fingers brushing along your thigh and arm, feather light but still making your skin tingle. and now, on the way up to his apartment from his parking spot and in the moving elevator with his arm around your middle keeping you close to him like he had that night at the club. 

he’s been unusually quiet and even when he does try to play it off with a laugh or teasing comment, you can hear the difference in his voice. it hadn’t gotten past you that both times you asked him if he was okay he completely deflected but he didn’t need to say it outloud and you didn’t need him to tell you what it was.

you just hoped you might be able to make him feel a little better.

“what do you want to do tonight?” you ask, looking up at him with a smile, the elevator quietly dinging with each floor it passes.

“whatever you’d like,” he replies, glancing down at you with a soft expression, his fingers flexing against where they rested on your side.

you think for a moment, focusing on the buttons of his jacket before looking back up at him. “maybe we can play another game? i think i could afford to bet you another kiss,” you give him a little wink and nudge with your shoulder as you giggle.

that got him to smile, real and big and breath stealing.

“oh yeah?” a bit of that sparkle comes back to his eyes that don’t break away from yours. he leans down closer to your height, crowding you with his presence. “you know sweetheart, if you want to kiss me so bad all you have to do is ask.”

you had started this but so quickly he took control and had you all flustered and shy. not fair at all satoru gojo. 

biting your bottom lip, watching his eyes fall to your mouth, trying to keep the butterflies in your chest to not come up through your throat, you breath out quietly, “.. will you-”

his lips are pressing against yours before you can get the words out, your hands immediately finding purchase bunched up on his jacket at the way it felt like your knees were going to give way under the tender way he kisses you. he keeps you pressed close to him but unlike your first kiss, there was no tongue or any notion of the possibility of it being more than just this.

when he pulls away, slow and not yet letting you go, you can see the pretty pink dusting his cheeks and a look in his eyes that you feel mirrors your own. it's a look that you once might have considered to be trouble, scary even, because it was one you wanted to see again and again from satoru. but it was also one you could possibly lose.

“c’mon,” he says quietly, pulling you along with him out of the elevator you hadn’t noticed opened and so easily you followed, still holding onto his jacket and staying pressed to his side.

his apartment is quiet and warm and just as you remember it from the last time you were here. when he lets go of you to shrug off his jacket and head upstairs to his bedroom to change out of his work clothes, you walk towards the kitchen and put down the goodies you had brought along with you, wondering what else you might be able to do to help lift his spirits.

a memory flashes through your mind, bittersweet and aching but you’re thankful for it all the same; an afternoon in highschool when you came home in tears. mom asked what was wrong the moment she saw you but you had only snapped at her, yelling nothing! before slamming your bedroom door shut and falling into your bed in a fit of tears. a little while later she peeked into your room with a plate of onigiri in hand and a gentle smile. 

she didn’t make you tell her what was wrong, she hadn’t even asked about it again, but she had climbed into your bed with you and together you shared what she made. it wasn’t fancy or extravagant but you swore every bite of rice and different fillings tasted like heaven with the way it filled your body with warmth and the love she poured into it until you forgot about your horrible day and could smile again.

it’s been so long since you experienced anything like that and you had never had anyone to care for like that yourself. 

dressed in a white long sleeve shirt that displays his collarbones and a pair of black pants, satoru hurries back down the stairs, looking around for you just to see you still standing where he had left you, no doubt seeing the complicated expression on your face at the memory of your mother but it melts into something softer, almost sanguine, at the sight of him.

“have you eaten yet?” you ask with a heartfelt smile as he approaches you.

“not yet.” he looks cute like this, you think the closer he gets to you. comfortable, his undercut a bit messy, that sparkle slowly returning to his eyes, even if they are a bit tired. “what should we order?”

“how about i make something instead?”

✧˚ · .

it shouldn’t come to a surprise that satoru had next to nothing for actual cooking ingredients in his kitchen but as you dug through his nearly empty pantry and saw the even few things in his fridge, there was enough for you to make do with what you had in mind.

he played music from the t.v., avicii that you noticed him playing in the car too, but sat on a stool at the kitchen island next to where you cut pickled plums and spam into smaller pieces, the rice cooker steaming on the counter behind you. your shared giggles and demands for him to stop snacking on everything so you’d have enough for when the rice was done filling the kitchen in a warm glow that seemed to bring satoru back to his normal self.

in order to keep his hands occupied and not poking at you or grabbing food right from the cutting board without a care in the world, dangerously close to the knife you were using, you have him mix together mayo and tuna.

“yes chef,” he teases, and with a roll of your eyes, you watch him reaching to grab the items he had laid out when you told him what you needed and being sure to brush against your hand in the process. “it’s been a long time since i’ve had a home cooked meal,” he admits quietly as he squeezes mayo into the bowl. 

“have you ever had an actual meal instead of just sweets?” your tone is playful even though you’re half convinced it is true. “next time we can get more ingredients and i can make you something better than just onigiri.”

“next time, huh? already want to see me again, sugar?” you don’t need to look at him to know he’s got the devil in his smile. 

grateful you can keep your focus on what you were cutting versus his gaze that you know is on you, with heated cheeks you try to get him back, feigning innocence when you say, “i suppose i could ask another handsome customer if he’d like me to cook for him.”

turning your head only a little, you peek over at him and see an adorable pout on his face that makes you feel a tiny bit bad for saying it, his pink lips in a frown that brought attention to his bottom lip, his brows furrowed that somehow made his azure eyes look even more striking.

after a blink it’s gone, replaced with a mischievous smirk and a quirk of his brow. “so you think i’m handsome?”

“obviously. anyone with eyes thinks that.”

“true but i’ve never heard what your eyes thought.”

you’re left a little speechless at that. you suppose you hadn’t voiced it out loud but you had thought it more than plenty. when you find your voice again you let the words you’d thought a million times come tumbling out. “i think you’re very handsome satoru.” your tone is a bit shy but you meet his gaze through the tips of his white locks and add, “gorgeous even.”

suddenly he’s standing, all rosy cheeks and tender eyes, his tall figure towering over you, not leaving any room between your body the closer he draws into you. instinctively you turn towards him, not wanting to back away even with your heart thrumming in your chest to an unsteady beat. 

he says your name just above a whisper, as if he hadn’t already had your full attention. “do you have any idea how breathtaking you are?”

“satoru-” you tear your gaze from his, not sure where else to look besides down at your chests nearly touching with every breath he takes. you don’t know if you’re breathing too, his words leave you feeling overwhelmed in the best of ways but so unlike anyone else had before.

long and slender fingers rest underneath your chin, bringing your eyes back to his with a gentle pull that you so easily follow, his lips parting to speak and you are ready to hang onto every word but before anything comes out the front door to his apartment bursts open with a loud bang!

you tear apart quickly and you try to ignore the ache in your chest at the distance suddenly put between you. you can’t see to the entryway with satorus large body in the way but you can hear heavy breathing followed by the call of a title you had never heard gojo be referred to as.

“sensei!” 

satoru doesn’t seem to be in a hurry as he stuffs his hands in his pockets and makes his way to the door. when you’re able to see past him, you spot two teenage boys. one with pink hair, bloody and bruised and the other with dark hair and a half hearted smile helping keep him upright. the dark haired boy is a little banged up too but not nearly as bad as the younger looking one. 

quickly you’re on satorus heels following after him.

“wow, you two got into quite the fight huh?” satoru stops right in front of them, speaking as though they aren’t practically bleeding all over his entry way but to your surprise, both of them are laughing and smiling in reply like this was just a normal day.

“satoru!” you chide, hoping he would take this more seriously when these poor boys are beaten up. you have no clue who they are but clearly satoru does and still.. regardless of whether you knew them or not, you didn’t want to see anyone in pain.

all three of them look over at you at the same moment, satoru with that easy smile that tells you it’s all okay, the boys like they have never seen a woman before. perhaps they hadn’t, at least not here of all places.

“don’t worry,” satoru says, his voice a calming, playful melody directed at you when you were worried these boys needed it more. turning back around to them, he rests each of his large hands atop their heads, ruffling their hair in unison, both of them beaming at the action. “they’re just fine.”

you aren’t as convinced as he is. “where’s your first aid kit?”

ushering both boys into the large bathroom on the first floor, you tell satoru what to grab and instruct the boys to sit at the edge of the tub. for whatever reason satoru only seems to own white towels but he didn’t seem to care that they’d get stained with blood when he pulled them from a drawer on the vanity and left to go get the rest of what you asked for.

with your lips in a frown and a warm wet cloth in hand, you start with the pink haired boy since he seems the worst off of the two and gently pat at his cheek, moving to his busted lip and the cut on the side of his jaw. while you wipe away the majority of the blood on him, he sits still and you take the chance to introduce yourself.

“i’m yuji,” he replies with a big toothy smile, seemingly unbothered with the cloth rubbing on his injuries. you’re glad to see he's at least not in much pain. 

“and i’m yuta,” the other chimes in with a shy smile.

“it’s nice to meet you both.”

“are you gojo-senseis girlfriend?” yuji asks with excited curiosity.

right to the point huh? “uhm.. no,” you hesitate to answer even though the answer should be easy. you aren’t his girlfriend, not really anyway, but..

“you run the bakery, right?” yutas voice stops your thoughts from running too far but brings new fleeting questions into mind. you’ve never seen satoru bring them in.. but you guess it wouldn’t be a surprise for people that know him to be aware he frequented one place more than any sane person should.

moving to yujis ear covered in blood you aren’t sure is his, you reply with a smile. “yeah, i do. has satoru brought you any treats?” 

both of them boyishly giggle in unison. 

“i’ve never seen gojo-sensei share anything with anyone,” yuta says, still laughing from behind his hand.

shaking your head, you silently laugh with them. yeah, that sounds like him but another part of it flares something in your chest you try to ignore.

you listen contently as the boys chat among themselves about satoru, finishing wiping the rest of yujis wounds and going back to the vanity to wash your hands and grab a fresh towel for yuta. he’s quieter than the pink haired boy, sits more still and hums or chuckles at yujis words while you clean his few wounds, his eyes closing as you clean just above his brow, his pale skin reddening under your touch.

after a bit, both of them fall quiet and you take the chance to ask, “why do you call satoru sensei? he never mentioned being a teacher.”

it was a bit difficult to even see him in that role. he certainly never looked the part.

“sensei is..” yuta starts but he seems unsure of the right words to use. 

“he is our teacher,” yuji adds, like it explains it all and was the easiest answer. he shifts against the bathtub and leans back, balancing himself from falling into the tub. “sensei said teachers are people who protect us and help us become strong while still getting to be kids.”

“is that who he is to you?” your voice is quieter than you had hoped it would be but there’s something blooming in your chest, making it hard to take in air. 

“yeah,” they both answer at the same time and you see yuta smiling softly as you pull away from him.

“here you are, doctor,” satoru startles you when he enters the bathroom without you having heard his footsteps. he places the wound cleaning solution and ointment on the counter along with every kind of cotton round and swab you can think of that they make and a huge box of bandages. not exactly a first aid kit but it will do. 

the three of them talk and laugh as you bandage yuji and then yuta, smoothing the bandages over their skin delicately and smiling sweetly when you get them the okay. you giggle quietly along with them, thinking about yujis words describing their sensei and though plenty of the things satoru does and says aren’t in line with any teacher you’ve known, you can feel the bond they’ve developed and when you see satoru rub their heads as they leave the bathroom one right after the other, you can see how much he cares about them.

“you know i think i was also hurt,” satoru closes the distance between you once you’re alone, pulling you against his chest with a smile that makes the butterflies in your stomach awaken in an instant. 

“oh, yeah?” you ask with a chuckle, finding it to be the easiest thing to wrap your arms around him, be in his space, and look up to see his handsome features.

“mhm, when we were making dinner.”

“you mean when you couldn’t keep your hands off the cutting board?”

“c’mon sweetheart- i’m already injured.” his adorable pout and puppy dog eyes are quite hard to resist but even without it, you think you would have given in to him. he was so hard to resist. 

“where were you hurt?” your voice drops into something more sultry and playful and he smiles cheekily in reply, wordlessly pointing towards his lips. giggling, you reach up to touch his lips with the same gentleness you had used on yuji and yutas wounds. “it must be serious then.”

“oh, it is,” satoru says seriously, his warm breath against your skin.

“let me see,” your words are barely above a whisper as you stand on your toes to reach him, your fingers still lingering on his face when you kiss him so very tenderly.

the world seems to slow then. the bright lights of the bathroom against the dark tile like a cocoon meant to capture this moment, let you basket in it and feel your hearts beating in sync without any fears or worries or anything to interrupt. it was just you two and this feeling filling a void in your chest that you had learned to ignore for so long.

“better?” you ask, pulling away from him and falling flat to your feet. you watch him slowly open his eyes, the ethereal blue of his eyes so unbelievably striking against his white lashes and when they crinkle with the smile spreading across his face, you can feel your breath catch.

“much better,” he hums contently, pulling you into his embrace and with the same tenderness you displayed, his lips meet the crown of your head.

you stay like that for a few moments that felt too long and not long enough but when you hear yuji and yuta out in the living room, you know you can’t stay in here forever. 

“we should probably make some more rice, huh?” you break the silence and take a step away from satoru, though his arms don’t let you go far. “plus i still think you need to eat a real meal for once.”

hand in hand, ‘healed’ for his ‘injury’, he walks back to the kitchen with you and helps you shape onigiri, a task he’s terrible at but looks adorable attempting and failing at. eventually he gives up and lets you do the rest but not without him sitting on a stool right next to you, his hands still so hesitant to stop touching you but you didn’t want them too either.

it’s more of the same with the four of you gathered around the table, satoru sticking to the not so spicy ingredients while yuta and yuji ate a lot of everything but under the table his foot is rubbing against your own and any chance he gets he reaches for your face, whether he’s claiming there’s rice on the side of your lip or trying to feed you.

when all the plates are cleared, not a single onigiri left and everyone with full bellies, you and satoru gather the dishes, the boys returning to the game they had started playing on the large tv, but not a single dish gets cleaned before satoru is lifting you on the counter top and standing between your legs.

not giving you a chance to speak or say anything, he kisses you again and again, like he had been waiting all of dinner to do so and was making up for the lost time while you ate. each one is sticky sweet and soft and you can’t help but smile into them, every one drawing out more than the last. 

only when you’re both smiling, breathless fools, do you pull away from one another. you see his eyes drop back to you lips before he looks behind him at the clock on the stove that shows just how late it’s gotten.

“we should probably get you home,” he says but doesn’t make any move to help or let you off the counter just yet. turning his attention back to you, he leans in for one more kiss, using a palm at your back and his other hand pulling at your thigh to bring you closer to him. so easily you melt into him, cling to him. 

“yeah..” you agree breathlessly when he pulls away from your lips but really, the last thing you want to do is go. 

satoru takes his time letting you leave too, still keeping you seated on the counter with his forehead now resting on yours, the breath of his words brushing against your cheek, the warmth of which you’d feel long after he bid you goodnight at your front door. “thank you for being with me tonight.”

✧˚ · .

with four glorious hours of sleep to your name, you’d expect to feel more like a zombie as you got ready for the day, slipping on one of your favorite casual dresses, and headed to the bakery but after last night with satoru and falling asleep with his scent all over your clothes, you were practically floating through the street and leaving bubbles of pink hearts in your wake the closer you got to the bakery.

you’d have a lot to consider and overthink about when you came back down to reality but you can’t deny how different, how.. good everything feels with satoru either. how he’s already making a permanent place in your heart. how much you’re falling for him and everything you continue to learn about him only seems to make it more clear to you that you are indeed falling.

as you round the corner the entrance to the shop is on, you can’t help but wonder if maybe you are still dreaming when you see satoru leaning against the glass door, his dark sunglasses on despite the early hour, and two coffees in hand. you blink, not realizing you had stopped walking but satoru must have heard you coming and straightened as he turns towards you, now standing at his full height with a goofy smile on face, somewhere between the sleepiness you had no doubt he was feeling and the way your reaction had clearly inflated his ego.

“surprised to see me sugar?” his tone is all playful and teasing but really, you’re happy to see him acting like his normal self after how he arrived here last night.

you feel your gaze soften, your heart stop and start and just because it’s him, stop again. “a little, yeah,” you admit with a bashful smile. “it’s so early.” taking a step closer to him, he takes two until he’s right in front of you, handing you a warm cup of coffee that you don’t hesitate to take a sip of. “mmm, thank you.”

“well i couldn’t go to work without something to eat, could i?”

you don’t mention the box of pastries and other goodies you left at his apartment last night or the food he could have gotten at the coffee shop. “that’s true,” you giggle, feeling your cheeks warm as you break your eyes from his, taking a step past his incredibly tall frame towards the doors of the bakery. “come on then.”

suguru: headed to you satoru: not at home satoru: [pin dropped] suguru: seriously? it’s barely 5 and didn’t you see her last night? satoru: :p

locking his phone, satoru tucks it back into his inner suit pocket, ignoring when it vibrates again, and instantly his attention is back on you. he likes the space of the back kitchen, it’s easy enough for one person to move around freely but with both of you in here, you’re almost always within arms reach. and how was he possibly supposed to resist you? 

“you really have work this early, huh?” you question, looking like you were getting ready to pull the items you needed today from the metal shelves lining one of the walls in front of where satoru stood resting the back of his thighs against the counter but he doesn’t let you get far into your morning routine before he’s reaching for your hand to bring you into his space, into his arms.

“yeah, i’ll be gone for a few days. maybe more,” he says, having to peer down to fully see you and he can’t get enough of how pretty you look in his embrace, how easily and quickly you wrap your arms around his waist.

“oh.” he loves and hates the disappointment in your tone. he fully pulls you into a hug, pressing you against his body, and the rest of your words are muffled against his chest. “that sucks.”

“hehe. will you miss me?” 

your hands cling to the fabric of his suit jacket, making his chest swell with mirth. “and what if i will?” 

gods you were so cute when you were all shy.

“i’ll miss you.” it’s the first time he’s admitting it to himself too even if it’s not the first time he’s felt it. 

except this time he’s got you in his arms and doesn’t want to let go, much like last night and especially after seeing you dote on yuji and yuta when he wanted your full attention. though there’s no denying what seeing you take care of them, children you didn’t even know, did to him. you handled him with the same care, and then some, like a soothing balm over wounds he had only ignored or slapped a half assed mental bandaid over up until now but they’re getting more impossible to pay no mind to when they itch and ache and even bleed, when it’s only been you that eases them.

“i’ll miss you too.” your confession makes his heart stutter.

“can i have some kisses for the road?” he asks near your ear, smiling into your hair at the way your body shakes with quiet laughter.

“of course.”

satoru keeps you flush against him as he leans down to capture your lips in a slow kiss, addicted to the way you hold onto him for purchase. each kiss after is deeper than the last, so intoxicating, sweet, and when your tongue licks along his bottom lip and he can feel the heat of your cheeks, he leans forward, his hands smoothing over the fabric of your dress until they’re holding onto it and sinking into your soft skin that lay beneath. effortlessly he lifts you off the ground and around his waist.

adorably you yelp into his mouth at the loss of ground and he holds you there while his tongue explores yours without hurry. satoru wants to keep feeling your legs around him and thinks he would carry you everywhere if you let him but he might also insist you kiss him just like this the entire time, rolling his tongue over yours and into your mouth and having your hands brushing along the short hairs of his undercut, tugging at the ends of the longer snowy strands.

he can feel himself getting hard with every swipe of your tongues, each little noise you try not to let out that he swallows, and when he shifts his hold on you, your dress slipping from his grasp and with his hands now on your bare thighs as your dress rides up to your hips, you’re nearly pressed against his growing bulge.

“so soft..” he groans quietly into your lips at the squish of his thumbs against your plush thighs when he holds you tighter.

“satoru-” your voice trembles with want, feathery and breathless.

his own is no better, each breath he tries to take in heaving with desire and heady with your sweet scent, but it’s not as though he’s ashamed of it. he wants you, in more ways than he can admit out loud right now, but hopes you won't deny him when he asks with a warm flush to his cheeks, “can i taste you sweetheart?”

your legs squeeze around his waist and you let out a desperate little sound when he doesn’t give you time to answer before he kisses you again. but you nod anyway, eagerly, clinging to him tighter and he smiles against your lips. “please.” 

taking a step closer to the counter so he can place you down on top of it, he’s quick to gather the fabric of your dress so it won’t get in his way or get dirty before your bum meets the cool wood. quick he takes off his jacket and sets it next to you without breaking away from your lips., satoru kisses slow, becoming sweet, almost chaste, until he backs slightly away from you with a whimper of protest from your lips and is dropping to his knees between your legs that you in return spread wider to accommodate for his broad shoulders. he wants to look up, see the expression you wear as you look down at him but his glacier blue eyes are unable to be taken off the thin lace of your panties that are soaking through with your arousal. 

“you’re so beautiful,” he breathes, kissing high up on your inner thigh and loving the way you sigh under his lips. his next kiss is over your panties, right over your hidden clit, followed by the tip of his tongue traveling down the wet fabric that makes both of you groan.

your hands quickly find their way to his hair, brushing the locks away from his eyes and he can’t help but lean into it, chase after it, want more of it. it’s an odd feeling, one that makes a lump rise in his throat. your touch, even in such a heated setting, was so tender and loving, more than he deserved but he wanted to be selfish, unworthy, and bask in you for as long as you’d have him.

moving in sync with him, your delicate fingers brush along the shell of his ear and cup his cheek as he looks up at you. it’s not often gojo finds himself speechless or helpless but right now, seeing your lovely features and how you look at him with more than just lust filled want but something more, something he was scared to put a name to, made him feel utterly powerless.

“did you.. want to stop?” your question and the hand you suddenly lay on top of his own that hadn’t moved from your thighs breaks him from his trance.

with his heart still hammering inside his chest, he swallows the lump in his throat, loving how sweet and warm it tasted despite how unfamiliar it is. would it be so bad to want more of that too? 

slowly his long lashes flutter closed and he tilts his head so he can kiss your palm that lingers with the warmth of his cheek. “not unless you want to sweetheart,” he says against your skin, his eyes flickering back to your face.

satoru grins into your hand at the bashfulness of your pretty face as you shake your head and avoid his gaze, gripping onto your dress and keeping it pressed close to you, leaving you still so exposed to him.

“i wouldn’t want to go without breakfast after all,” he teases and dips his head to nuzzle into your other thigh, kissing it like he had the first moments before. his hands finally move from where they had laid claim over the tops of your thigh and travel up to the hem on your panties where they delicately dip below the fabric and give them a tug.

moving your hand from his face, you lift your hips and brace it on the counter behind you to help keep you up right and satoru shamelessly takes in the sight with a lick of his lips at the string of slick that still connects you to your panties until it breaks and glistens against your folds. he takes great care as he guides them the rest of the way off of your legs and over your shoes before he puts it into his pocket for safe keeping.

the taste of you melts against his tongue as he dips his tongue into you at your entrance but not deep enough to feel him inside of you, parting your sweet cunt as he moves up to your clit and takes the sensitive bud between his lips with a lewd groan and a twitch of his cock.

“oh~”

your fingers tangle into his hair and tug at the roots, your hips lifting with a mewl you try to hold back at a particularly hard suck and a roll of his tongue over your clit. he does it again and again and is addicted to the way your legs spread in a silent beg for more.

“you taste s’ good baby,” he murmurs into your pussy, his eyes nearly rolling to the back of his head, and delves deeper in you.

the tip of his nose is buried in your wetness as he fucks you on his tongue. every deep breath he takes when his drooling tongue isn’t stuffed inside of your tight hole is full of your scent but he’s not worried about air when his lips are unable to leave your sweet essence. 

he can feel the mess he’s making between your legs, the mix of saliva and slick that coats his chin and down the globe of your ass, can hear the wetness accompany your little noises in the otherwise quiet bakery, but it only makes him feel more of a starving man than he already is for you, his cock aching and leaking in his boxers.

you leave your legs spread for him when his hands move from your thighs but he can feel your eyes on him as he quickly unzips his slacks and adjusts them along with his boxers in a swift motion that's just enough to free his cock. he starts to pump it slowly in his fist, up and down in the new movements he sets with his tongue, thick and hot, he licks from your entrance and back to your clit, teasing in his kisses that linger on your bundle of nerves.

“s-satoru..” it’s a sweet plea that burns the tips of his ears and further fuels his desire to make you feel good, so good, show you he’s good. 

“is this okay?” he pulls away from your pussy in order to look at you, bringing his hand not holding onto his cock towards your sex, waiting for your permission before he touches you further.

the hand wrapped around himself stops too, heavy in his hand and unbelievably hard seeing your disheveled state. all because of him.. your lips kiss swollen and panting, your half aladdin eyes that look down at him like you want him in your mouth just as badly as he wants to keep kissing you like this until you cum on his tongue, until all you knew was his name.

“gods yes,” you can barely get the words out and satoru doesn’t wait a beat to sink his middle finger into you slow, knuckle by knuckle, all while watching your face fall into bliss and starting to pump himself again until he couldn’t stand not to have his mouth on you.

he does his best to watch you then too but it’s so hard to do at the feeling of your velvety walls around his singular finger, the way you clench around it when he finds and curls into that perfect spot inside of you and the buck of your hips at every suckle on your sensitive clit. it’s all too much and not enough and he can’t help but close his eyes and moan against you when you pull him ever closer to you.

adding another finger, he hears you in that same pleading tone, calling his name from above him over and over like it might stop you from falling over the edge that crept closer and closer with every thrust and curl of his fingers. but he was so keen on getting you there, needed it just as much as you did, and would undoubtedly fall right after you.

your legs begin to shake, trying so hard not to close around his head, though he’d happily welcome it. he’s so close too, his fist getting tighter and messier over the length of his cock and across his weeping slit. 

your hand in his hair tugs harder when he massage your g spot and his teeth graze your clit but then softens, as if you had realized how hard it was but he wants to feel you, wants to feel how badly you want him too and encourages you to do it again by repeating his actions but for longer this time, a relentless touch and hungry tongue that has you screaming his name in seconds, the tug on his hair harder than before.

the groan he lets out vibrates through you both as he tries to cum in his palm so as to not make a mess of his suit or your kitchen but it’s so much and electrifies his body for so long. like it had with no one else before. there's a part of him that already knew that would be the case. he had never met anyone like you or that affected him the way you do.

he hardly leaves from between your legs as you both come down, the ministrations of his fingers easing but ensuring you ride out every single second of your pleasure, his lips on your clit becoming sweet kisses rather than devouring licks and sucks. he feels your legs shiver and hears your breath hitch at the removal of his fingers from your cunt and with one last kiss and a kitten lick to your clit, he looks up at you, unable to hold back the goofy and delighted smile on his face.

the evidence of your pleasure lingers on your features and in the unsteadiness of your breaths, your adorable shyness coming back as you pull your dress over your pantiless pussy and see the mess you’ve made on his face. and it comes even more so when your eyes travel down to both of his hands sticky with cum and his half hard cock that lay between them. 

your eyes follow their movement as he stands in front of you, that bashfulness turning to something akin to worry but at the call of your name, tender and sugar sweet, you look up and so easily he leans into your lips, smothering that anxiousness.

“i can’t get enough of you,” he says, unable to stop the words from bubbling upwards when it's all he can think about, all he can feel, but he thinks he’d admit much more just to have you keep smiling against his lips like you are now.

with your help his cock gets tucked back into his slacks and the warm water from the metal sink washes away your releases that coat both of his hands. seeing the time on his watch, he quickly dries his hands on a nearby cloth and searches for his phone, patting his pants pockets and feeling your panties but no phone. 

it can wait another minute, he tells himself, pulling your lacie underwear from his pocket and walking to where you were not far away, wiping the little pooling mess he had left on the floor with a rag. he was never really one to be on time anyways.

like it was the easiest thing in the world, he’s on his knees before you once again and you gasp when you turn around to see him in such a position, nearly tripping over him. not that he would let you fall, not without catching you.

“c’mere pretty girl,” he coos, holding your panties in front of you to help you back into them. 

“thank you..” 

you use his shoulders for purchase, stepping one foot after the other, and from under your dress he pulls them up your legs, savoring the feeling of your soft skin until it rests securely on your hips and he hears his phone ding from somewhere to his right where he had left his jacket.

“work?” you ask with a pout as he stands to his full height, towering over you.

he wasn’t ready to part from you either and takes his time before retrieving his phone, instead pulling you into his arms and kissing you softly, the taste of you still lingering on his lips.

“afraid so sugar,” satoru presses his lips to your again, hesitant to move but knowing he doesn’t have much more time. another breathless moment passes and he pulls away from you, the sound of a text coming through just as your lips break apart. 

“what do you do for work as a ‘businessman’? anyway” you ask, using the title he had given you all those months ago and he isn’t quite sure what to say. not when it feels like there’s something on the line, something to lose, if he gives the wrong answer. 

he’s never been in this position before. though he can’t say it's the first time these questions have popped into his mind. he was just usually better at ignoring them as quickly as they came. could you still accept him if you knew? would you still look at him like you do, like you see the good in him and think he can still be loved? does he dare try? his mind is running a million miles an hour but it only takes him a moment to recover and he slaps on an easy grin on his face.

“i’ll have to tell you in more detail next time,” is all he can say for now and he’s grateful when you tease him in return and use his words from the night before against him.

“next time? already want to see me again?”

his reply comes in the form of a deep chuckle and a slow kiss that has you clinging to him and staring after him when he goes to grab his jacket. just as he’s pulling his arm through the last sleeve of his suit jacket, the bell above the store door jingles.

“it’s probably miwa,” you note and head for the front of the store, smoothing over your dress like it might help cover up what happened back here. there’s hardly any evidence aside from satoru himself but he thinks it’s cute nonetheless and unlocks his phone as he watches you walk away.

a couple of texts from suguru show on his home screen and as if on queue, he hears the voice of the man himself from the store front. impatient bastard. pocketing his phone, he stuffs his hands in his pants pockets and makes his way to see his best friend meeting.. his what? crush? that hadn’t quite seemed to fit right but he couldn’t compare you to one of his flings that geto may or may not have met before.

wearing that kind smile and friendly eyes that most could not ignore, suguru is near the front of the store, giving you his full charm. his face shows over your shoulder as he talks to you and offers you his hand, along with his name, but he finds gojos eyes quickly. 

“satoru,” he greets wearing that face that says ‘you shit head, i know what you were doing’ but gojo pays no mind to it as he takes a place next to you.

“suguru, you’re always so impatient,” satoru whines and throws his arm around his friend and scolds him for how he better not have scared you coming in like this. “this is my business partner and best friend,” satoru introduces you with a smile.

“nice to meet another one of satorus friends,” you greet sweetly and he feels his stomach flutter at your honest smile as you give your name to suguru and shake hands. “i know you’re in a hurry but i’m gonna go get something from the back for you to take with you since you.. ahem.. satoru said he hadn’t eaten breakfast yet.”

as if you were trying to hide your flustered state at the remembrance of what he absolutely would have considered a meal, you hurry into the back, flashing a smile at satoru before leaving them standing alone, the atmosphere between them growing cold in the morning light shining through the large windows.

suguru shrugs off satorus touch and looks at him seriously, like he’s trying to see through his friend, find out what some secret that gojos keeping close to his chest. one he no doubt already suspected. “what do you think you’re doing with her satoru? it’s not like you to get so hung up on some girl you’re fucking-”

“that’s not what this is,” satoru replies sharply before he can stop the words or pick better ones that help him pretend it's not more. what's the point of denying it to geto anyways? his voice quiets. “we haven’t slept together.” well not really anyway. “she’s.. different.”

“that’s dangerous satoru,” suguru warns, his gaze moving towards the rustling coming from the kitchen beyond them and gojos follows. “you need to be careful. for both your sakes.”

✧˚ · .

main masterlist | chapter four (coming soon) ➮➮➮

[xhellodollyx]

Amy is pretty much cursed from the moment she's born that her downfall in life will be her parents—that their actions lead her down the path of selling her own soul and ultimately dying later on in life because of them. She knows it, they start to realize it, and nothing can be done about it. 😊

[theheadlessgroom]

@beatingheart-bride

Out of all the problems they had weighing on their minds now, Erika's insecurities was the one that seemed to be the heaviest to Randall, possibly because he knew all too well what it was like to be insecure at her age. He knew what it was like to worry about what others thought of him-both his peers and his elders alike, he worried what they thought of him, and it ate at him for much of his childhood, trying to understand why they didn't like him the way they did others. It was never something he ever wanted for his children, to feel the way he did growing up.

It was especially heartbreaking to him because, unlike his own experiences, where he knew in his gut why he was so disliked, it seemed very clear that their guests were quite fond of Erika already, shyness be damned. Josephine seemed absolutely delighted by both her great-grandchildren, August was making little efforts to try and get her to warm up to him, and although Lon tended to dominate a lot of the conversations with their granduncles, he was sure that wouldn't skew Colin and Callahan's favor towards their grandnephew, and that they'd love to spend time with her as well. She had nothing to fear, but even with that in mind, he could understand her continued nervousness.

"I wish I could help her too," he lamented, as he gazed up at the ceiling. "I was hoping that...her knowing that I was nervous too, meeting my grandparents and my uncles, would help make her feel a little better, and I hope it has, but...I dunno, I wish I knew a way to help her a little more..." Maybe both her and Erika could spend a little one-on-one time with the visitors tomorrow, maybe that'd put her more at ease...

[flashhwing]

warden!Hawke bonding with Cousland’s mabari …

[empty-blog-for-lurking]

Ugh now i'm thinking.... what will happen when Lance, fucked up and irreversably changed, comes back to Earth? How would it feel for him to see his family and friends after everything hes been trough?

(if you can torture him then i might as well join the party)

(I am so sorry this is so late) Welcome aboard on langst train! Here we torture Lance as enrichment for both ourselves and our boy!

Ok i am going to be honest here, i dont really have much planned out for Lance as much as i had Kuron planned out. I do think that part of his spiral is because of differences grown between him and his family. Like i imagine this au taking place a few years after Allura "died" (yes it took years for Allura to like become alive, gather herself, gain back her strength, and search her way back home).

During that time Lance was with his family. And he's Happy! He finally got back to his family! He has achieved his dream! He even met his hero! So he should be happy or atleast at peace right?

Wrong! There is Allura's death he is mourning, he is dealing with trauma from war, he feels guilty and mourning Kuron's death, he feels aimless and directionless, he died, while his family is still alive i am pretty sure his home and earth is not in good shape.

And then there is his family. And at first glance it feels like everything is fine and dandy but as time goes on they realize that well things have changed, specifically they all have changed. Lance is more reserved, isolating himself, ticking all boxes of depression. Like it is still him but also practically a shell of himself. His family has changed too, they are clingier to him and each other while also being reserved themselves. But they are trying! Trying to be the people they used to be! Especially Lance who's acting like Nothing Happened at all!

All of them want to go Back To Way Things Were, but are too changed to do it. They all expect the other to be the same and that Lance returning would have fixed things except it did not. It really did not, if anything it kinda caused the drift to grow wider and wider.

While this is all going on Lance's powers are manifesting, and they start with growing sensitivity towards quintessence, mood swings, knowledge about things he shouldnt have, etc etc. And one day he just snaps and runs away, and no one has any idea where he is, and he is only found when Kuron is alive again (btw he went full fmab on his body, made the body from scratch, stole Kuron from Shiro's mind and succeeded, suck on that Elric bros) which results in his coma where he is actually in astral plane falling more into his powers and the horror and how it is changing him.

And the worst is he is both hating and loving it. To him he can finally do something, these powers can help him help others, right his wrongs, save others like he saved Kuron, so he just throws himself into learning more about it and about quintessence and actively choosing to let it change him more because than he will finally become something that needed for others since "Lance" was clearly not enough. But he also hates it because he just wants to go back to way things were, back to the way he used to be. And his powers are very affected by all this which further affect his mind so it is a downward spiral all the way down.

Also the powers are not good for him at all, or any humans for that matter. It is not exactly killing him anymore but it is not good for his sanity.

In short to answer your question, it will be bad, it will be so bad, no one in this house is coping at all, shit's hitting the roof my dude