#osu incident

[the-football-chick]

Dec. 1, 2023 -- A mutilated, dead longhorn cow was found on the lawn of an Oklahoma State University fraternity on Friday, one day ahead of the Big 12 Championship Game between the Texas Longhorns and the OSU Cowboys. 

*Statement from OK State:

*Statement from Fraternity where the longhorn was found in their frontyard.

That's messed up, the pictures were pretty disgusting.

[obsessedfics]

Remade Gojo x Reader (Mature/Explicit)

Gojo Satoru Fanfic 

Rating: Mature (Explicit Sexual Scenes)

Word Count: 12k+

Summary: It has been 10 years since you left behind the world of being a sorcerer. You experienced too much hurt to ever want to step back foot in that world, even if it meant never getting to give your heart closure. You worked behind the shadows, executing curses to alleviate pressure on the students who attend Jujutsu High. One day on your way back from your mission, you meet an unexpected guest...

I wrote this because this man has been living rent-free in my head for the past couple of weeks and it needed to be done. I simply can't just write smut, I need substance. So here is my dirty little fic for ya'll. I hope you enjoy it!

Note: I posted this on Ao3. This is all my writing I promise, just posting of different platforms for more people to enjoy. 

Faster…  I have to run faster.

You ‘stumbled’ on a nest of cursed spirits. You were now running at a deadly pace to lure them into your trap – hundreds of cursed tools poised and ready to kill every last spirit. 

Sweat ran down the length of your spine as you finally rounded the corner of the alley, immediately skidding on the concrete, using your cursed technique to shoot the weapons forward, meeting their destined targets.  

Shrieks rang out through the alley from the dying spirits, blood staining the stones beneath their bodies. 

Without looking back, you summon your own cursed spirit, Osu. You named it, even though you knew you shouldn’t. With the raise of your hand, Osu opened their mouth as you summoned the cursed weapons, funneling them one by one into Osu. 

“Good work,” you smiled, affectionately patting the top of Osu’s gray leathery head. The spirit seemed to pur in response, leaning into the warmth of your hand. 

With that, you sent the cursed spirit back to the in-between, which is what you called the shadows you send your shikigami to. 

You sighed deeply.

It seems there are more and more cursed spirits these days. I left the sorcerers of Tokyo 10 years ago, but it seems I am still doing their dirty work. 

With a look at your blood-stained clothes, you sigh once again as you make your way back to your apartment. 

The citizens of Tokyo walk by, blissfully unaware of the danger that lurks in each of their mundane thoughts. Lights of neon billboards light the smoggy night air as cars speed past your relaxed figure. 

You used to hate them. People who didn’t have a cursed technique or couldn’t sense cursed energy. For how weak and useless they were, how they contributed to the problems you had to clean up. The lives of friends that have been lost that you’ll never get back. 

After the Star Plasma Vessel incident, you were convinced that you no longer wanted to be a sorcerer. You were on a mission in Nagasaki when it happened. You were ordered by the higher-ups to return immediately to protect the vessel, Riko Amanai. 

As soon as you received the order you moved, getting to Tokyo in just 6 hours. 

But you were too late.

Toji Fushiguro had successfully killed Riko Amanai, and disabled Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto. This was the first update you got. The second was when you arrived in Tokyo. Satoru killed Toji Fushiguro and secured Riko’s body. 

You shivered as you entered your apartment. You remembered Satoru's face that day of Riko’s memorial service, cold and emotionless. 

That day changed everything. For everyone…

“Hiiiikaaarrriiii~?” you called into the room, flipping on the light switch to find someone sitting on your couch. 

“Yo,” 

The familiar voice called and you stopped cold, keys falling out of your hands. 

Your cat, Hikari, lay in his lap, soft belly up, purring at the sensation of his long fingers scratching her. 

Traitor. 

You quietly cursed your cat as you crossed your arms over your chest, pulling a cold mask over your shocked features. 

“Satoru,” you say coldly narrowing your eyes at the man who you haven’t seen in 10 years. Instead of heavily tinted sunglasses he now wore a black band around his eyes. Now he dressed casually instead of his usual black uniform. 

He’s not here on business.

His laugh sounded through the room, light and airy, but you knew it was fake. You had spent too much time with him, even now, you knew him like the back of your hand. 

“I never thought you would be so cold towards me, y/n!” he smiled, the kind of smile he displayed when he wanted to be friendly, but knew he would win whatever argument he was in. 

I’m annoyed. 

“Satoru, I am no longer a sorcerer. I have no place in your world. I declared as much all those years ago. Leave.”  your voice was so stern it made Hikari rise from her place in Satoru's lap and come caress your leg as if comforting you. 

He paused for a moment, smile dropping from his face, as he studied you. He peeled off his blindfold, exposing those brilliant blue eyes. A stark contrast against his moon-pale skin and silver hair. The world seemed to rest in his eyes as they seemed to sparkle with life. 

You didn’t falter. Instead, you held his piercing gaze, refusing to bow to the man you once loved hopelessly. 

“I came to warn you. So before you try to kill me, hear me out.” 

Your eye twitched at his words. A taunt mixed with sincerity. He had always been a cocky arrogant bastard, but his expression was so serious it scared you. So much so that you nodded and sat across from him. 

“Nice place, by the way.” he offered and you scoffed in return, telling him with your eyes to get to the point. 

He held up his hands, took a deep breath, then spoke. 

“In the next few years, the Jujutsu world is going to change.” 

If it were anyone else, you would’ve punched them for telling you bullshit that doesn’t involve you but… That serious expression didn’t leave his face. 

“Which curse is it?” Satoru held no fear for himself, but rather for everyone around him, including civilians, ever since Riko.

“A first-year name Yuta Okkotsu showed up with a cursed sword imbedded with a high-class curse named Rika. Geto attacked him…” 

Geto? I knew Suguru defected, but to attack a student? How far gone is he?

Satoru swallowed and then continued. 

“Geto is dead… But y/n, this is just the beginning. There’s a group collecting Ryomen Sukunas fingers.”

You didn’t hide your shock. 

“They’re trying to resurrect him…” you whispered, nearly to yourself but he heard you while nodding, confirming your suspicion. 

“That’s why the curses are gathering in greater numbers, they’re feeding off the chaos. My guess is the group is trying to bring the glory days of the curses back. Which means –”

“They’re going to raise the number of sorcerers, but they can’t do that with you around.” 

Your eyebrows knitted together.

What are you getting at, Satoru?

“Exactly, I don’t know how they plan to disable me. But when that happens, they’re going to need you y/n. Innocent lives will be lost if you don’t step in, but it has to be at the right moment. They’ve forgotten about you, about your skill how your strength was second to mine…” 

You were already shaking your head. The thought of going back to that power-hungry world. That bloody world… 

“Y/n think–”

“No,” you said breathlessly, Satoru's emotionless face of that day flashing in your mind. How he was a hollow shell for the remainder of that final year. 

It broke something inside of you. You had seen so many deaths, but to see him, the man who smiled so carefree and bright be rendered to… That? Sure, he gained a deeper connection to his power, but at what cost? 

“Y/n,” he said your name, voice softer as he reached across the coffee table, his warm fingers brushing yours. 

“No, Satoru. You don’t know what you’re asking me to do.” 

How could he? Your feelings were one-sided, to begin with. 

Back then, you watched as girls flirted with him as he flirted back. Yet you were always there. You always listened to him when he needed someone to talk to about his scars, about the shadows that chased his light. He did the same for you, but perhaps it was out of pity. 

You pulled your hand out of his touch, foreign and familiar. Even after all this time, your skin still missed him. 

“You’re asking me to step back into the world I hate the most, but only after something horrible happens to you…?” your eyes stung as you finally met his gaze. His features were blurry, but you could see his fair eyebrows knitted together as he bit his inner cheek. 

“I won’t die,” he promised, voice soft and vulnerable, a voice that you had only heard once before. 

Your lip quivered. 

“There are things worse than death, Satoru Gojo. I rather die, than watch you suffer again,” you admitted. 

His eyes widened at your words, shock plain on his face but you didn’t care, you pressed on. 

“I will not go through that again… When I got that call saying you had been disabled by Toji Fushiguro I felt like I couldn’t breathe. It was as if all the air in the world had evaporated. I traveled through the in-between to get to you. Only to find you…” your words died in your throat as salty tears fell from your eyes. 

Shaking your head, you ran your hands down your thighs to ground yourself to reality. 

—

Satoru was wordless. Which was rare for him. 

He hadn’t stopped looking for y/n for the past 10 years. 

When she suddenly announced her separation he felt lost. He had gained a lot, but he lost everything important to him. She had been there for him since the beginning, and he for her. 

He recalled the first time he had ever seen her cry. There was a rumor that she had no feelings, that the strong female sorcerer was all ice with no heart. But when he saw her high up in a tree, knees tucked into her chest, rocking slightly, he realized they couldn’t be more wrong. 

It’s not that she didn’t feel, it’s that she felt too much, lost too much to the point where she didn’t want to let anyone close to her fragile heart. 

Satoru stared at y/n’s current crying frame, he watched as she tried to steel herself. Hands rubbing her thighs to try and soothe her pain, to ground herself. She chewed on her bottom lip as she concentrated between his eyebrows, unable to truly meet his eyes. 

Memories of their past flashed in his mind. Particularly the night he opened up to her about growing up in the Gojo clan, and the things he had done leading up to attending Jujutsu High. 

They were stuck on a mission together, the atmosphere was awkward and they only talked when discussing how to swiftly dispose of the lower-level cursed spirit. Satoru was particularly annoyed because he thought he was given such a remedial task, one that was without Suguru which at that point the two of them had become inseparable. 

“Y/n, are you always so serious?” Satoru drew out his voice while leaning over her shoulder, lazily craning his neck to meet her eyes over his glasses. 

She simply waved him off with an elegant hand while rolling her eyes. 

“The sooner we finish this mission the sooner I can be done with you.” She sighed, popping a piece of gum in her mouth as she pressed on. 

What is wrong with this girl? Usually, women kill to get a chance to be alone with me.

“Hey hey hey aren’t you being a little too mean? After all, you should feel grateful that I am here.” he boasted, stuffing his hands into his pockets, matching her brisk pace easily thanks to his long legs. 

Her features further dropped into annoyance as she eyed him sidelong with one eyebrow raised, as if in a warning. 

“I have no idea why we got put together. Anyways Gojo, we’re going to be entering the area where the cursed spirit was sighted. Even though it’s reported as a low-level curse we should still be cautious.” the woman scolded as she pushed a piece of her long hair behind her ear. For some reason, that act alone distracted him. 

“I’m not worried since nothing can touch me. Unless I want it to of course.” he shrugged and she rolled her eyes again. 

“Yes while you may feel invincible, I am not blessed with your lovely Infinity skill. So I will continue being careful.” another bemused sigh escaped her full lips. 

Why am I so distracted right now? Is it because I know she’s putting up a front? 

He was lost in thought for a while till her voice called out into the silence. 

“This should be it. You remember the plan, right?” her eyes meet his over her shoulder, a coy smile tugging on her lips. 

“Of course.” he returned her smile. 

—

“Well, that was easy.” Satoru whistled looking at the pathetic excuse for a curse. Its corpse lay motionless on the floor of the abandoned skyscraper. 

“Too easy…” y/n said, voice wary. 

She crouched down in front of the corpse, face emotionless, eyes dissecting every aspect of the curse trying to find its secrets. 

Scary. She’s too smart.

Her plan went effortlessly. She had him drop his technique entirely so they couldn’t be sensed. She went in alone since the curse was reported to only attack young women. He was to tail her, concealing his existence until the curse showed itself. Once it did, all he had to do was attack it with his cursed energy. 

“Such a weak curse.” Satoru clicked his tongue, hands returning to his pockets. 

Why did we even get put on this mission? Y/n maybe I could see, but me? Why couldn’t I go on the mission with Suguru? I can’t–

“GOJO MOVE!” 

At that exact moment, he felt a huge amount of cursed energy that he didn’t sense earlier, but he was too late. 

Y/n had jumped in front of his body, shielding him from the attack. 

Y/n looked at Satoru with wide eyes as the cursed spirit stabbed through her abdomen. Blood spilled from the wound and her mouth as the spirit pulled back. 

In a second he killed it, but it didn’t matter.

Y/n fell to the ground, hand tightly pressed to her wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. 

Panic bubbled in his chest as he quickly ran to her side, taking off his jacket and shirt, beginning to rip the fabric into ribbons. 

“What’re you?” she asked weakly, color already draining from her face. 

“Don’t talk, move your hand.” she hesitated, but she moved her trembling hand from the wound. 

Shit, I need to stop the bleeding. I could use the Reversed Curse– no, too risky. I haven’t practiced enough. 

He moved her jacket and shirt up, exposing her bright red stomach. Taking a deep breath in, he begins stuffing her wound. 

Y/n screams out in pain as Satoru stuffs the hole, packing it as tightly as he can and he does the same to her back. Despite the pain she was in, she forced her body to be still for him. 

“Almost done,” he promised to her, she only nodded through gritted teeth. Her skin was clammy and cool to the touch. 

She’s going into shock.

Hastily he secures the packed wound with the remainder of his t-shirt and then wraps her in his jacket. He watched her face for a minute, her breathing is ragged and her eyes are tightly shut as if she was trying to block out the world. 

“I’m going to move us now, can you hold onto me?” she nodded weakly as she reached up wrapping her arms around his neck. 

Her blood smeared all over Satoru’s bare chest and stomach as he stood. He pulled her higher to have her head rest in the crook of his neck to try and return some warmth to her skin. 

I can’t take her to a hospital right now… There will be too much of a commotion if I do that. Better if I take her to a hotel for the evening and call someone in secretly to treat her. 

With one last look down at her he prayed for the first time in years that she survived the night. 

—

“I’m happy you have half a brain Gojo.” Shoko chided as she finished healing Y/n’s wound. 

They both had been dressed in fresh clothes thanks to Shoko. 

“If you didn’t act when you did, she would have died because you’re trash,” she added, pulling out a cigarette and making her way to the balcony. He followed behind wordlessly, lost too much in his thoughts to truly take in her words. 

Shoko was always with Suguru and Satoru, and she is skilled with her Reversed Curse Technique. Thankfully she answered when he called, if she didn’t he might’ve had to do it himself…

“Thank you for coming,” he said in reply, and she eyed him while she lit her cigarette, taking a long drag of smoke. 

“Where’s Suguru?” she asked instead of responding to his thanks. 

“Another mission. They stuck the two of us together. It was supposed to be just one curse. But…” his words died. 

It’s my fault. I got distracted. I let her get hurt.

Shoko sighed, reading his mood, and took another pull of her cigarette.

“She’s alive, that’s all that matters.” she flicked the ash over the edge of the balcony.

“I won’t tell the higher-ups, I’ll keep this a secret. But learn from this and be more careful in the future. Not everyone can protect themselves as you can.” she took another long pull, blew out the smoke, and put out the bud. 

“I am leaving, call me if anything changes.”

He watched as Shoko left and then positioned himself on the chair in front of the bed that housed y/n. 

The pain was gone from her features but she was still far too pale. The blood that colored her cheeks was gone. The tips of her fingers felt impossibly cold. He had to keep watching the rise and fall of her chest to remind himself she was still alive. 

Hours passed like that, guilt wracking his mind as he watched her sleep, then she woke up. 

“Gojo?” she called weakly, hand immediately going to her once wounded abdomen.

Her face twisted in confusion as she continuously touched the skin there, feeling for the hole. 

“Shoko healed you.” 

His voice was soft and raw, he had no masks to put on today. He couldn’t, not after what she did for him. 

She nodded once, wincing as she positioned herself on her side so she was facing him. 

“Why do you look like that?” she asked while running a hand through her messy hair. 

“Like what?” he knit his eyebrows together. 

Why is she already picking a fight?

“Like a wounded puppy.” with a huff, she flicked his forehead. Of course, he had let her, but it still left him surprised. 

“See, that’s better. That face suits you way more.” she smiled softly with cracked lips.

“What face?” some life returned to his voice. 

“The face of a surprised idiot.” nodding as if proud of herself, she burrowed further into the blanket. 

“Why’d you do it…?” 

“Hm?” 

“Why’d you jump in front of me, y/n? You know about my skills and yet you…” he shook his head, unable to finish the sentence. 

She seemed to ponder the question for a moment, eyes on the ceiling.

Clearing her throat she spoke. 

“You may not have noticed it, but you let your technique drop. I felt the difference in the energy. As soon as I noticed the spirit's attack there was no way I could counter-attack in time to save you. So if you look at the scales, and ask what life holds more value, it’s yours. So I choose you.” she said it so matter-of-factly, the blatant disregard for her own life, saying it held less value than his own. 

“What?”

He couldn’t wrap his head around it. From a young age, people have tried to kill him. He was positive even the old higher-ups wanted him dead but didn’t want to face the consequences of killing the head of the Gojo Clan. Yet here this girl, who he barely knows, is saying that his life is more important to her than her own. 

She smiled as if reading his thoughts. 

“Although I hate to admit it, you have the power to change this world. I do not. If I could save the world's savior, then maybe my tarnished soul could be spared.” her voice was sweet like honey, but her words struck him deeply. 

 “Tarnished soul?” he repeated her words like an echo. 

She smiled again, though this time sadness traced her features, settling into her eyes. 

“You saved my life, so I suppose I could share some of my demons.” she ran her hands along the blanket. 

“I discovered my curse technique when I was young. Being able to sense cursed energy and summon Shikigami came very easily to me…”

 She considered something for a moment, then continued. 

 “You see, my home life wasn’t what you would call a ‘Happy Family’. So I was glad to have a distraction.” she paused, again running her hands along the blanket as if she was soothing herself. 

“One day I came home early from school with my report card. I had gotten straight A’s so I wanted to show my parents. I entered our small home only to find my father stabbing my mother… Out of fear and rage, I attacked and killed him. It was also then that I discovered I possessed the Reversed Curse Technique. I tried for hours to heal my dead mother to no avail. Her wounds closed, but her heart didn’t beat. The police found the scene two days later, with me hugging my mother's body…” By the time she finished, her words were barely a whisper. 

Silence fell in the room, only the sound of their breaths filled the space. For some time, neither of them spoke. 

“I have never told anyone that.” she professed, voice shaky and unsure. 

Not knowing what to say, he reached for her hand. She accepted his touch, and he enclosed her fingers with his, her hand feeling impossibly small.

“Your soul isn’t tarnished.” 

She met his eyes, hand trembling in his. Something about her expression was so raw, so vulnerable that he felt that he needed to wrap his arms around her and protect her from the world that had taken so much.

“I killed my blood,” she shakily whispered, tears pricking her eyes. He soothed her by rubbing soft circles into her palm. 

“So have I…” 

—

“I can’t promise you anything, y/n,” he answered honestly, recalling the pain she shared with him. Knowing full well how much of him she held in her heart, and how much of her he held in his…

She ran her hands down her face, nails lightly digging into her skin. 

He read the reports of her movements when Mei had found her. She did networking remotely for a hospital but still went out of her way to hunt down cursed spirits. Going after nests or high-grade curses, to help alleviate the risks for students training at Jujutsu High.

When he got the reports months ago, he almost dropped everything to see her then. But everything got so busy with Yuta. 

Now that he’s here, all the things he wanted to say died in his throat. The sight of her shaking and crying, the tears he only ever got to see, made his knees weak and his resolve crumble. 

Women were always interested in him, some he entertained, but none he cared for. Not in the way he cared for Y/n… No one compared. 

“You’re those kids' best hope if I get taken out of the fight,” he said honestly.

He thought of his new dream, and re-strengthened his mind, trying not to let his resurfaced feelings sway him. 

Her eyes met his, and his breath caught in his throat. 

Time had been kind, and her beauty only grew. Eyes mature and loving, face kind and warm. So different from how she looked as a sorcerer. 

She took him in for a moment, for the first time since she arrived she truly looked at him, she saw him. 

He felt naked under her gaze, he had never been self-conscious, but with her, he felt nervous. Fearful he wasn’t enough, that he wouldn’t ever be enough. 

“You’re playing dirty, Satoru Gojo, by bringing the next generation into this.” he watched as she sighed, shoulders curving inwards as she leaned back against her chair. Her blood-stained clothes clung to her skin. 

“Then you’re agreeing?” she nodded, stress already lining her face. 

Before he could talk, she spoke. 

“Now if this concludes your business, leave.” the edge from earlier returned to her voice. It threw him for a loop. 

“You don’t want to talk?” his voice, though sounding normal to anyone else, sounded pathetic to his ears.

She eyed him again, eyelashes wet from her tears.

Beautiful.

“Satoru… What do you want from me?”

—

Your heart was in your throat. 

You agreed to sign yourself back up for pain because Satoru was right. If he was taken out of the fight, those kids will need someone to help them, your personal feelings aside. 

But how could it not be personal? When the man you loved, who you still love, sat across from you with an open unguarded expression. Practically begging you to continue talking to him.

You spent years trying to forget him. The memories you both shared, the internal wounds you healed together. You tried finding your peace in others, but it was futile. The sight of his smiling face still shined brightly behind your eyes. The stories of his achievements chased your ears. 

You sighed, running your hands through your hair whilst awaiting his answer. 

“Do you still feel the same about me, y/n?” 

Bastard. Answering my question with a question.

“Does it matter? You never saw me in that light, to begin with,” you answered him bitterly, some of your anger returning to the surface. 

Genuine shock filled his beautiful eyes. 

“I. Why do you think that?” he cocked his head to the side as if studying you. 

“It was obvious, Satoru. In many people's eyes, you are a God. Women practically threw themselves at you, and you greedily took in all their advances. I watched it happen time and time again. If you harbored feelings for me, you wouldn’t have acted that way.”

The truth hung between you. You ran your hands along your thighs to calm yourself, not wanting to cry for a second time this evening. 

You made to stand, but Satoru caught your wrist, halting you in place.

“I took you for granted,” he admitted eyes on the floor. 

The warmth of his hand spread to your flesh. Your skin sang at the feeling, your pores drank him in, missing him as much as your heart did. 

You stayed silent. The air between you two was impossibly heavy as your heart pounding against your chest, like a bird trying to escape its cage. 

“I won’t apologize with my words…” he stood, now towering over you, even with the coffee table separating your bodies. 

Those beautiful, intense eyes pinned you in place. You now truly looked at him for the second time this evening.

He grew into his features more, now even more beautiful than he was when you were a teen. He was unreal, like that of a painting. All silver as if he was pure moonlight with eyes like the clearest sapphires. You resisted the urge to take his face in your hands, to greedily bask in his warmth – in his scent. 

Satoru walked around the table as he gently let go of your wrist. Instead, he place both his hands on your cheeks, cupping your face as his long fingers tangled themselves in your hair. Despite yourself, you leaned into his touch, closing your eyes. 

I’m still so weak to you.

“Will you let me make it up to you?” his soft voice whispered, thumbs rubbing your cheeks. 

You trembled at his touch. He was close enough that you could smell him, the smell of fresh summer rain and jasmine. Beautiful and alluring – it was home. He was home…

Satoru crouched down now, his face just mere inches from your own. Your breaths mixed as he stared at you so sincerely it made your chest hurt. 

You gently grabbed his wrists. 

“I can’t lose you…” the words came out of your throat in a croak. The thought of him being hurt or worse frightened you. It made your blood run cold and your stomach churn. 

“I am yours, y/n.” 

Not a promise that nothing will happen to him, but a promise of his heart, and that it belongs to you.

You nearly wept, the words you thought you would never hear now filled your ears. You almost thought this was some twisted dream, and that at any moment reality would slam into you the way it always has. 

“And I am yours, I have been since that day you saw me crying in that tree.” a confession of your heart fell from your lips. One that you held so close and suppressed like a child's dream thinking it will never come true.

He pressed his lips to yours. A soft sweet pressure that made your stomach flutter. You fit so perfectly together that it was dizzying. His lips moved smoothly and passionately against your own, tongue licking your bottom lip asking for permission which you granted. 

The taste of him caressed your tongue, the smell of him filled your senses, the press of his warm body against your own it all made your toes curl. Your tongues danced as your fingers found their way to his silken hair, tugging slightly, pulling him deeper into the kiss. 

You had been kissed before, but nothing compared to this. The way his tongue teased yours, the loving press of his soft lips, and the reassuring pressure of his hands against your face; made your knees weak. There was a painful desperation between you two. The unspoken fear that you’ll never see each other again. 

His hands slid from your face to your waist, pulling you closer to his body. You gasped at the contact, heat spreading from your face to your chest at the feeling of his firm muscles against your torso. 

You were so lost in the feeling of him you forgot you had to breathe, so he pulled away first– a string of saliva connecting your swollen lips as he rested his forehead against yours. 

You both breathed heavily, eyes hooded and dark with desire. 

He caressed your face as if he was trying to remember every curve, dip, and pore that resided there. 

“Y/n,” he whispered breathlessly, desperation coating his voice. 

“Satoru,” you answered, just as winded as him.

“Don’t run away again…” 

Your eyes widened. 

He pulled his face back, allowing himself a full view of your features as he lovingly massaged your scalp. 

“I understand why you left. But you didn’t even say goodbye.” 

Blue eyes searched yours as if trying to find answers to the questions he’s had for years. Your mind went blank as your blood still sang with praise from the press of his lips, already missing his warmth. 

You overlapped his large hands with your small ones, gently rubbing the sides of his palms. 

“I won’t run,” you promised. 

He didn’t move, his eyes still searched yours indefinitely. Almost as if he was holding his breath, waiting for you to change your mind. 

“I won’t run, I'll fight for you, and for our future.” those words removed the invisible chain that shackled your heart. For so long, you held everyone at arm's length, but where did it get you? You were tired of pushing away your feelings. 

A smile slowly spread across Satorus's face. It was a dazzlingly unpracticed smile, a real smile. One that was only for you. 

“Our future?” he repeated while humming as if thinking your words over. 

You bit your bottom lip in embarrassment as the blush on your cheeks deepened. You got carried away by the moment and perhaps spoke too honestly. 

“I think I like the sound of that,” he murmured then began planting feather-soft kisses on your cheek. 

 You bit back your giggle as he continued trailing kisses to your nose, forehead, jawline, then the corner of your mouth. 

“Satoru” you called softly, running your hands down the length of his strong arms, hands settling on his shoulders to steady yourself. 

“Hm?” he purred innocently into your skin, lips ghosting over the expanse of your neck. The heat from earlier returned to your bones at his touch. 

“I am exhausted,” you admitted. 

You had spent all day tracking the reported nest. You then used up a fair amount of your cursed energy for the attack. On top of that you just went through a whirlwind of emotions you still have yet to process. 

He pulls his face from your neck, eyes now filled with concern as he traces your body for any sign of injury. 

You half sigh half laugh as you take his face in your hands, shaking his head slightly. 

“I.Am.Fine.” you drag out each word from your lips, tilting his head at each word as if it would make it reach his brain. 

You watch as his eyes gloss over as if missing your point entirely. 

You sigh, gently stepping out of the warmth of his embrace and gesture to your still blood-soaked body. 

“I need a shower, hot tea, and decompression time. It’s been a long day with surprises.” you smooth your hands over your face as the weight of the day settles over you, the excitement of early slowly dissipating. 

A smirk pulled on the corner of Satoru’s full lips as a mischievous look filled his eyes. 

“It’s quite late, isn’t it?” he mused, playfulness in his tone as he rubbed his chin. 

“Yes, it is,” you confirmed slowly, not quite catching what he was planning. 

“Well, it would be troublesome for me to leave at this hour, due to the trains stopping for the night. I mean, you know how far Jujutsu High is.”

Your eye twitched. He wasn’t wrong, of course, but what he was implying–

“So I guess I have to stay the night!” he said cheerily, extending his arms over his head like a child spinning in a circle. 

I only have one bed… The loveseat is too small for his stupidly long figure. 

Heat rushes to your cheeks as you briskly brush past him. 

“I am sure you make enough money, go find a hotel,” you say hurriedly, making your way over to your bathroom.

You hear his light footsteps right behind you, entering your bathroom with you. 

“Awww, why are you being like that? After we just kissed too?” though he pursed his lips to a pout, his eyes were full of humor. 

He’s enjoying this too much.

“Are you saying because we kissed you have earned yourself the right to be in my bed?” you crossed your arms over your chest, making sure to push your full breasts up while jutting out a hip. You wore a breezy white button-up shirt and black pants. A plain outfit sure, but one that complimented your silhouette. 

If he was going to tease you, you were going to return the favor.

You watched as he swallowed his saliva, eyes taking in your figure as they danced with desire. He stood several inches taller than you, and it didn’t help that you were in the confined space of your restroom. With your back pressed against the wall, he peered down at you, eyes hungrily taking in the sight of you. 

He placed an arm above your head, pinning you in place. 

“If I said I won’t do anything unprovoked would you believe me?” he asked his voice deep and low which made your stomach flutter. A smirk was playing on his lips, one that would make most women swoon. 

You licked your lips, throat suddenly feeling dry.

“You always do what you want. You get what you want when you want it. So no, I do not believe you.” you continued to meet his heated stare, which seemed to please him. His fingers tilted your chin up further, making you crane your neck up to him. 

“Are you suggesting I want you, y/n?” he purred, already knowing your answer. 

You rubbed your legs together, trying to relieve some of that growing pressure between the apex of your thighs. A movement that didn’t go unnoticed by Satoru. 

“I’m sorry, am I supposed to assume otherwise when you follow me into a bathroom and pin me against a wall? Or do you do this with all your friends?” there was one thing you never lacked, and that was your quick temper. Thanks to that, sarcasm tended to lick your words at all times. 

His hand gripped your face, fingers lightly squeezing your cheeks. 

“But are we truly just friends, y/n?” he brought his face closer to yours, hot breath tickling your skin. 

“I recall,” he hummed as he took his free hand and trailed it down your clothed sternum. “You called yourself mine earlier.”

Your mind was cloudy, dizzy from the proximity of his face, the warmth of his hand gripping your cheeks, the smell of his skin, the soft caress of his voice; all of him was a drug, one that you could get high off of forever. 

“I did,” you confirmed swallowing your dry saliva, trying to keep your voice steady. 

Anticipation coursed through your veins as his finger continued to travel down your abdomen, hooking under the hem of your ruined shirt.

“Would you like me to show you how well I take care of things that are mine?” Satoru hummed, hot finger swirling around your belly button. 

His long eyelashes lowered, making his intense gaze turn sultry and possessive. You forget to breathe for a moment, the heat between your legs spreading like a fire to your stomach, responding to his soft touch. 

You bit your lip, your weak attempt at trying to resist him; crumbling with each mixed breath. 

“What do you say, y/n? Will you let me worship you?” he dragged his finger up your stomach, playfully pushing under the band of your bra, just below your breast. Your breath hitched as he pressed his lips to your ear, tongue licking your soft lobe. 

“Will you let me claim what's mine?” teeth grazed the soft shell of your ear and you gasped, head tilting back as the feeling went straight to your sex. 

“Y-Yes,” you whispered, giving up your control, dropping your last barrier. 

You felt him smile against your skin as he wrapped his hand around your waist.

“Good girl,” 

You had to bite back the moan that threatened to escape your throat as he roughly kissed you, the press of his lips hungry and desperate. Strong hands wrapped themselves around your soft thighs, hiking you up the wall so he could press his hips into yours, hard cock pressing against your need. 

Locking your legs around his waist you tangled your hands into his hair, fighting his tongue for dominance, clinging to the taste of him. He let a satisfied moan escape into your mouth as you dragged your teeth along his tongue, pulling it further into your mouth, sucking on the muscle.  

He grabbed your ass shaking it roughly, the action making your clothed clit rubbed against his throbbing cock. You moaned greedily into his mouth as he possessively bit your bottom lip, tongue swirling along the swollen flesh.

Pressing his body further into yours, he removed his hands from your rear and began undoing your blouse, lips never leaving your own. He teasingly brushed his fingers over your clothed peaked nipples as he tantalizingly exposed you to him. Expert fingers crawled up your spine to your bra, undoing its clasp.

Supporting your weight with one arm, he took one step backward so he could remove the clothes that kept your skin from him. 

He pulled back from the lull of your lips so he could admire you. Your breasts were heavy against your chest as your nipples ached, crying to be touched as the rest of your body did.  

Satoru let out a satisfied sigh, eyes taking in your breasts as well as the tattoos that decorated your ribs and sternum. 

“My fucking God you are perfect,” he praised, freely tracing his hand over the ink of your tattoos, lighting your skin ablaze. 

“Mm, Satoru,” you whined lightly, tightening your legs around his waist to try and give yourself some relief. 

He laughed darkly, his pupils swallowed his eyes entirely as pure desire resided in them. 

“Eager for my dick, are you?” he hummed, two fingers pushing past your lips. You obediently sucked them, hollowing out your cheeks as you coated his flesh with your saliva as if this was your answer to his question. 

You reveled in his pleased expression, he played with your tongue a bit while marveling at you. Ever-so-slowly, he removed his fingers from your mouth. He then scissored your thick, stringy saliva between his fingers, placed them in his mouth, and hummed in satisfaction. 

Your insides turned molten at the sight. His eyes never left yours, even when he dragged his fingers out of his mouth. It was as if he wanted to drink you in, commit your every reaction to memory. He had barely touched you, but you could feel your wetness soak through your jeans. Your walls throbbed, practically begging to be fucked by him. 

He read your expression easily, smirked, and then pressed his lips to yours instantly claiming dominance over your swollen lips. You were too lost in him to even noticed he had moved to your room, gently placing you down on your bed. 

Lips trailing white-hot fire down your neck, he hooked his sinful fingers under the waistband of your jeans. He made quick work of taking the fabric off your skin and he kissed, sucked, and nipped at your neck. You moaned, all earlier pride washing away while being steadily replaced with lust.

You spread your legs wide for him, your sex, still clothed, had completely soaked your panties. Cool air kissed your heated flesh and you hissed, earning yourself a chuckle from Satoru. He rubbed gentle circles into the plush of your thighs, making you squirm with impatience. 

He stepped back and you trailed him, sliding your fingers under his shirt, tugging it off his deliciously toned body.

“It’s maddening that you still have clothes on,” you admitted, bringing your knees under you, and planting kisses on his abdomen. He cursed at the touch, fingers entangling themselves in your hair as his gaze burned through you. 

“Mm, you look so pretty on your knees for me, y/n.” he encouraged you as he lightly dug his fingers into your scalp. 

You began taking off his pants as you trailed your tongue up his torso, his body shuddering against you as began sucking right above his hipbone. 

You ensured to leave his boxers on, as he left your panties on you. It was driving you insane having a barrier between you two, but it was also a fun game you knew he was playing; who will cave first?

Ensuring to keep eye contact, you ghost your hand over his clothed length as you dip your tongue under the waistband of his boxers, feeling the stubble of his regrowing pubic hairs against your tongue. His eyelashes flutter as the hand in your hair trembles, you could tell he was holding back. Seeing him this way made your core throb. 

“Are you trying to tease me?” he breathed heavily, chest rising and falling above you. It served as your encouragement. Purely drunk off the sight of him being so sensitive to your touch. 

For a response, hummed innocently as you didn’t stop your teasing. With your other hand, you slid it up his left leg ensuring it entered his boxers, skillfully avoiding his balls and shaft while you softly swirled your fingers dangerously near where he wanted your touch. 

His cock twitched, lightly hitting your hand and you smirked, biting into his hip, eliciting a moan from his throat. You moaned sweetly into his flesh, which drove him mad. 

His hands found your shoulders and pinned you down to the bed as his lips found your clavicle, tongue tracing the length of the bone. 

“Who knew,” he whispered breathlessly into your flesh, hands spreading your legs wide, as he began planting slopping kisses down your chest. 

“That the girl who would cry in trees would be so evil?” Satoru licked his way from your sternum to your navel, tongue swirling around the soft skin making you squirm. 

You hummed, fingers refinding his hair which prompted him to enclose your wrists with one hand, pinning them above your head. His mouth wrapped around your nipple, tongue expertly teasing the rosy bud making your toes curl. You mewled, back arching into his mouth as pleasure crawled down your spine. 

“Who knew that the strongest man in this world would be so weak to my touch?” you challenged back, voice breathy and low. You earned yourself a nip to your nipple, making you yelp as your walls clenched at the feeling. 

Satoru seemed to like your comment about him being strong because he happily worked your full breasts with his mouth, giving you a sensation of pleasure you never experienced before. Your soft moans filled the room, which only encouraged him more. Every lick, suck, and bite brought you closer to that edge. 

He noticed too, humming into your skin and then removing his mouth, making you let out a needy whine in protest. 

“Were you close, y/n?” he cooed, lips traveling south.

“Asking questions you already know the answers to?” you answered slyly, hands struggling against his iron grip. You wanted to replace the warmth your breasts had lost; wanting to chase the taste of pleasure he gave you.

“I always do, sweetheart.”

He smiled up at you, face between your legs, his breath tickling your needy sex. He inhaled deeply, making you blush even harder but you didn’t break eye contact, refusing to lose to him.

“Look at you, y/n. You're such a mess for me,” he clicked his tongue and dragged his finger up your wet, clothed pussy. Fire pooled in your gut at the lingering sensation of his finger. Your body trembled. You bit your lip, concealing the throaty moan that threatened you.  

Satoru got on his knees and pulled you closer to the edge of the bed, your dripping core mere inches from his face. Without hesitation, he licked his way up your clothed cunt in a zig-zag-like motion, stopping just before reaching your swollen clit. You moaned loudly at the sudden pressure as your stomach tightened at the pleasure. 

“Your panties are so soaked, and you wore white, too. Almost like you knew,” His voice vibrated against you, making you shiver. 

He planted another lick on you, again stopping right before he reached your bundle of nerves, avoiding where you wanted him most. 

“You taste so good baby.” he praised while continuing to slowly lick your pussy, your legs began to shake as your body screamed for more. He dug his strong hands into your hips, pinning you to the bed to keep you still for him. 

It felt so good, but also incomplete. With each swipe of his tongue, he moaned appreciatively, drinking in your scent, losing himself in the taste of your need, but never fully giving you what you want. 

“S-Satoru, mm, please.” you pleaded helplessly, submitting to him fully. 

“Be a good girl for me and tell me what I want to hear, y/n.” 

Another long lick without relief, you whimpered. 

“Beg for me,” he whispered darkly, tongue licking above your clit just for emphasis. 

“I-I am yours,” you panted, the ability to form coherent sentences increasingly becoming hard for you with each press of his tongue. 

“And?” he coaxed, fingers now joining his dance as he rubbed two of them against you. 

You recalled his words from earlier this evening. 

“I want you to worship me,” you moaned loudly at the slight brush of his finger against your clit. 

“What else, y/n? Tell me what you want.” his teeth are now wrapped around the lace of your panties, ready to pull them down at your words. 

You swallowed your pride, allowing yourself to be consumed whole by his eyes. 

“I want you to fuck me. With your mouth, with your fingers, with your cock. I want you to fuck me however you want, Satoru. I am yours, and you are mine.” as the words left your lips, he peeled your panties off your body. 

Cool air kissed your throbbing pussy making you quiver. 

“I am going to make you forget every man that came before me.” 

The pure promise of his words nearly drove you over the edge, but nothing could compare to what came next.

His tongue licked up your dripping cunt, making your juices drip down to your ass. He growled anomalistically into you as you coated his tongue. You tangled your fingers in his hair, the sweet press of his tongue against your clit making you buck your hips. 

“You’re so perfect,” he praised into your sex, sending sweet vibrations to the deepest parts of you.

His mouth wrapped around your clit, tongue swirling and sucking your bundle of nerves, sending delicious waves of pleasure through your firey veins. Breathing was impossible, you became a moaning mess for him. His name left your lips like a prayer, and he drank it up. Savoring every bit of your helpless moans, knowing they were all for him. 

Without warning, he slid two warm fingers into your slick walls, momentarily stretching you, then removing them entirely.

What?

You knitted your eyebrows because the only noise you could make was strangled pleasure-filled moans. 

But soon, those two fingers enter your ass, as his thumb entered your cunt making you moan uncontrollably. 

You were overstimulated, so much pleasure filled you. His free hand came to play with your breasts, pinching a rolling your nipples between his rough nimble fingers. The edge crept back up, the knot in your stomach tightening. 

“S-Satoru I’m–” you cried, your release rapidly approaching. 

Tears pricked your eyes. No man had ever made you feel this way, let alone make you cum. You were almost afraid of the release. 

“Not until I tell you to baby,” he warned, his tongue flicking your clit relentlessly as his fingers pumped both your holes, driving you closer and closer to the deep end. 

You clenched your walls hard, trying so desperately to hold back your orgasm, which only made Satoru pump and suck you faster. 

“I-I can’t–”

“Cum for me baby,” 

His words were your undoing. On his command, you came hard around his fingers, both of your holes shuddering as pleasurable waves crashed over your body. Stars blotted your vision. Your feet became unbearably hot as your hands held his hair for dear life as if it would save you from your overwhelming orgasm. 

“Good girl, cum for Daddy.” Satoru praised you, tongue tracing slow circles on you as his hand helped you ride the wave. 

You felt like you were floating. Your body was impossibly light as you came down from your high. You tried to remember how to breathe.

Inhale… Exhale… Inhale… Exhale.

Wet lips found yours, the taste of you lingering on his tongue as his body hovered over you. You moaned into his mouth, your body sensitive and mind hazy as the after-effects. 

Through his searing kiss, you began to reground yourself in reality. You hook your legs behind Satoru’s, then flip your bodies, pleased to find at some point he removed his boxers as your slickness coated him.

“Your turn,” you take his bottom lip between your teeth, dragging them slowly along the plump flesh. He gives you an appreciative smack to your ass, the feeling going straight to your groin. 

You trail your lips down his neck, licking and sucking at the supple skin, relishing in the gasp that escapes Satoru’s lips when you lick his ear. Grinding your slick pussy against him, he grunts, hands holding your hips tight enough to leave bruises. 

You smile as you feel him grit his teeth, soft pants leaving his lips. 

“Feel good Daddy?” you ask innocently, pulling your face back to look at his beautiful face. 

His cheeks were flushed with lips wet and parted, eyebrows knitted together, and eyes completely transfixed on your wet pussy grinding against him. 

“Mm, you feel good baby,” he says to you softly and watches as you lean back further, placing your hands on his sculpted chest, moving your hips with a deeper pressure.

“Tell me what you want,” you sigh, enjoying the warm feeling of his thick cock against you. His eyes find your face, taking in your satisfied features, smirking at the sight of you getting yourself off by just grinding on him. 

He takes your face in his hand and traces your lips with his finger. 

“I want you to wrap that pretty little mouth of yours around my cock.” 

The heat in his gaze alone nearly drives you over the edge, so you oblige him. Making a show of you getting on all fours for his lying down frame, wiggling your ass in the air for him, earning yourself another spank. 

You take his member in your hand, pumping him a few times, marveling at his length and girth. Satoru just watched you, sucking in air between his teeth at your touch.

Bigger than anyone I’ve ever had…

Meeting his eyes, you brought your lips to his tip. Sucking and swirling your tongue, humming when the salty yet sweet taste of his precum hits your lips. His expression darkened as you moved your mouth down his shaft, hollowing out your cheeks, allowing him to travel down your esophagus until your nose touched his stomach.

“S-Shit, y/n.” his hands fisted your hair as you happily shook your mouth around him, causing him to curse again. 

Slowly, you make your way back up, licking his underside as your hand cup and gently massage his balls. He’s beautiful, even with the sweat dripping down his brow and his face contours from pleasure. 

You begin to pick up your pace. Ensuring to suck harder towards the tip and make slurping and choking noises to stroke his ego. Your saliva thickened as your throat fucked him and as soon as you could comfortably take him he regained control. 

Satoru began thrusting his cock in your mouth at a relentless pace, you could see the satisfaction in his eyes as your tears formed and you struggled to breathe. 

“You look so beautiful with my cock in your mouth. What a good little slut you are.” 

Your walls clenched at his word as you licked and sucked him as best you could with his pace, getting off on the fact that you were pleasing him. You moaned against him, which in turn made his cock twitch. 

“Fuck, just like that baby.” he hissed while throwing his head back into the sheets, the base of his cock twitching more and more in your mouth. 

Suddenly, he aggressively pulled your head back, completely taking your mouth off of him, saliva dripping from your wet lips. 

He laughs, running his thumbs along your cheeks. He pulls himself to a sitting position as you hungrily stare at his glistening angry red cock that stands proudly against his stomach. 

“You almost made me cum,” he mused breathlessly, peppering kisses along your cheek. 

“Well, that was my intent,” you smile and he groans, flipping your bodies so that you’re under him again. 

He aligns himself with your dripping entrance and smiles at you. He smacks his cock against your clit, sending shocks down your spine. 

“Tell me to stop if it hurts, okay?” you bit your lips and nodded, earning you another world-shatteringly beautiful smile. 

“So perfect,” he murmurs against your lips as he slowly pushes into you, swallowing your gasp.

You tremble as your walls adjust to his thickness, the feeling of him stretching you felt like heaven. Inch by inch he pushes into you, allowing you to adjust to him every step of the way. His tongue plays with yours as he swallows your satisfied moan at the feeling of fullness he gives you. 

“Fuck Satoru,” you breathe between the two of you. He nips at your bottom lip as he grabs your legs, allowing himself to bottom out in your pussy. 

“You’re so fucking tight, y/n,” He presses his forehead against yours as a shuddering breath passes his lips. You nod your head while digging your fingers into his shoulders, a signal to him to start moving. 

He pulls out of you, almost entirely, then rolls his hips back into yours. The feeling makes your stomach tighten, he reached so deep in you as your velvet walls hungrily sucked him back in causing you both to let out a moan. 

He picked up his pace, now biting his lower lip in concentration. You couldn’t help yourself as you reached up and caressed his face, marveling at this beautiful man. 

“Mine,” you whispered, almost to yourself. 

“Yours,” he answered, slamming his hips into you, angling himself to hit that spongey spot that connects right to your clit.

You couldn’t hide the obnoxious moan that left your throat as he hit that spot over and over again, making your eyes roll back. 

“Found it,” 

You both lost yourselves in the feeling of each other. Him in the warm wet bliss of your walls tightly hugging him, you in the friction and stretch of him. Your mouths were a hot mess of skin, teeth, and saliva. Your hands hungrily gripped one another. His hands find your ass, bringing your hips up to reach a new depth in you, which you returned by meeting his relentless thrusts. 

There was a sort of desperation in your movements together, as if you both feared this would be the last time you would be able to express yourselves. 

Your breaths became ragged as you felt the approach of your second release. You hopelessly raked your nails down Satoru’s spine. His thrusts became more erratic as you felt his cock twitch inside of you, which caused you to clench around him. He wrapped his hand around your throat, hard enough to leave a mark, light enough to allow you to breathe. 

“Fuck baby, I’m close.” he breathed into your ear, hot and heavy. The words brought you closer to the edge. 

“I want you to cum for me Daddy.” You said breathlessly, the words falling off your lips in a slur. He grunted, fingers digging into your plump ass. 

He sucked the juncture between your neck and shoulder. He reached between your bodies and rubbed expert circles into your clit, sending you over the edge for the second time that evening. 

Your release crashed over you hard as your walls clenched around Satoru, taking him over the cliff with you. His seed spilled in you, warm and deep which made you feel so full and satisfied. You moaned helplessly into his shoulder as he whispered your name in your ear as if it was the most precious thing in the world. 

—

Y/n’s body shuddered against him as they came down from their highs together. Satoru rubbed soothing circles against her sweaty back while peppering her hot cheeks with light kisses. 

He has had a lot of sex, but nothing ever felt like that to him, ever. His cock was already hard again, deep inside y/n's warm pussy, plugging her full of his seed. 

He had no intention of having children, but he needed to claim her, in every way he possibly could. He wasn’t satiated, not even close. 

“Y/n,” he pressed a kiss to her soft, swollen lips. Basking in the taste of their combined lust. 

“Hm?” she murmured dreamily, long eyelashes fluttering against her deeply flushed cheeks. 

“Turn around for me,” he ordered. She whimpered but obediently did as he said. 

Sluggishly, she unlatched their bodies and crawled forward on the bed, and got on all fours, shaking her ass in front of his face. He sighed at the sight, watching as their mixed juices streamed down her plump thighs. 

Getting on his knees himself, he positioned himself at her entrance, relishing in the way her body shuddered at the contact. Grabbing her long hair and wrapping it around his hand, he slammed his cock into her quivering pussy. 

She moaned loudly into the bed as he tilted his head back, getting drunk from the feeling of her tight velvet walls sucking him back in, taking all of him. Satoru didn’t hold back as he greedily fucked her, watching as her ass bruised with his hand prints bounced on his cock. 

She cried his name into the bed, hands gripping the sheets as her chest fell to the mattress forcing her back to arch at a harsher angle. He watched as drool pooled from her mouth with her face squished, moving back and forth with each hard thrust of his hips. 

“You’re doing so good baby girl,” he moaned meaning every word. 

She smiled, lifting her head slightly to meet his eyes, nearly driving him over the edge. He never came quickly before, which is why he was so shocked when he nearly busted from her mouth alone. She had bewitched him, in ways that no woman could even compare. From the feeling of her lips, moans that were soft and musical to his ears, down to the taste that dripped for him. No one came close. 

“Mm, you feel so fucking good.” her praise was like honey, making his cock twitch and he set an ungodly pace, hands digging into her hips so he could pull her into his deep thrusts. 

“Fuck fuck fuck,” she cursed, her legs shaking beneath him as her walls clenched around him. 

He smiled wolfishly, roughly grabbing her face and kissing her. She moaned into his kiss, unable to control the tears falling from her eyes. 

Tasting the salt on his tongue, Satoru pulled away and sweetly kissed her tears away. 

“Does it hurt baby?” he asked softly, fear suddenly coating his veins. 

“N-No, you’re just, ah, so, you feel–” her words were messy and slow, yet he couldn’t help but think she couldn’t look more beautiful to him. 

She let down each and every last barrier for him tonight, and he knew how scary that was for her. He wanted to appreciate her, in every way possible, starting with giving her the pleasure that he knew no one had given her. He could tell by her reactions, the surprise on her face at each orgasm that she never came through sex before. It filled him with pride and a sense of ownership. 

He slowed his pace, rubbing circles into her lower back to allow her to breathe. 

“What is it, love?” he coaxed, lovingly smoothing her hair out of her face. 

She gulped down air relaxing into his touch, and she sighed. 

“It’s a lot, I-I’ve never.” she closed her eyes, body shuddering against him. Again, he felt her walls clenching him deliciously, it took everything in him not to moan. 

“I know, baby. I know,” he assured her, peppering kisses along her spine. His hips moved in sync with hers, matching her pace while enjoying the full feeling of her.

“Do you want to stop?” he offered, but she shook her head with vigor even with her eyes showing signs of exhaustion. He couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped his lips, she was just as drunk off of him as he is of her. 

He was enjoying this almost too much. He could do this for hours, but he didn’t know if her body would hold up. 

“Good girl,” 

At his praise, her pussy responded, clenching hard around him. 

He smiled, taking his hand and pressing it to the base of her neck, gently forcing her face down into the bed. She screwed her eyes shut, teeth sinking into her lips to conceal her moan. 

With a deep breath in, he picked his pace back up, rolling and hammering his cock into her. Her legs began shaking so much to the point they gave out on her, her body laying flat on the bed as he continued to bring them closer to their high. 

“Fuck, you’re so deep,” she moaned, voice muffled by the sheets. 

He grunted, the compliment filling him with even more motivation. 

“You do such a good job at taking this dick, y/n.” 

She whimpered her orgasm close. He could tell by how tense her body was. Her walls were impossibly tight around him, clenching down hard on his cock as if it was trying to suck him in. 

“D-Daddy I'm close–” 

His eyes rolled back. Hearing her sweet voice say such dirty things for him drove him crazy. 

“I want you to cum all over my cock baby.” 

He pressed kisses to her shoulder, sucking on the skin as his release crept up on him, balls tightening to prepare for the burst. 

Her hands clawed helplessly at the sheets as he overstimulated her body. 

“That’s right, let go, y/n. Let me make you feel good.” 

She screamed his name as she came all around him, dragging his orgasm out of him. White-hot fire crashed over him as he stopped dead in her, shaking violently as he spilled his seed into her for the second time. 

“Fuck,” she heaved, chest rising and falling heavily. He could only nod against her clammy skin, lips pressing soft kisses to her shoulder. 

She reached her hands around their bodies and began rubbing his thighs, small hands trying to soothe him. 

Laughing lightly, he slowly detached himself from her. His cock missed her warmth immediately as he set out to her bathroom, bare feet padding on the cold hardwood floors. He found the towel he sought and returned to her side. 

She whimpered while he helped her into a sitting position. Slowly, he pressed light kisses to her face as he gently cleaned his seed off of her. It had spilled everywhere. Down her thighs, on her ass, on the sheets. Everything was sticky from their various fluids, and it made him feel good knowing he was the one that caused it. 

He looked to y/n. She leaned back on her hands, eyes closed, forehead slick with sweat, lips parted as she tried to breathe. Her nipples were still peaked as he took in the sight of the love marks he had left on her skin. It made him smile. 

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, pushing some of her hair that stuck to her face out of the way. 

“Hm, so are you.” she hummed happily, opening her eyes to meet his. 

His heart skipped a beat. 

The way she looked at him was indescribable. Even back then, she had been one of the few people who were completely honest with him. She didn’t care how powerful he was. She ignored it and accepted him. He showed her the darkest parts of himself, and she still supported him with a smile. This woman, who he failed to realize his feelings for till it was too late, looked at him with nothing but love.

He pulled her into his lap, taking her lovely face into his hands. 

“I can’t promise you it’ll be easy with me,” her eyes widened. 

“There may be a time where I get hurt, or I sacrifice myself for my students, or I make a stupid decision.” 

“You always make stupid decisions,” she chided with a snort, coaxing a smile out of him. 

“But, my heart is yours, y/n. For however long we are here on this earth, I promise to love you, and only you.” the truth of his words clanged between them as his heart pounded against his chest. It was the first profession of love he ever made and meant – it terrified him. Being this vulnerable, knowing now he truly had a weakness. 

She smiled, softly taking his hands in hers. 

“I love you, Satoru Gojo. I will love you through the pain and blood that awaits us. I will love your stupidity. I will accept your demons, fears, and dreams all the same. I will support you. I am yours.” 

His lips found her soft ones, trying to conceal the tears that fell from his eyes. Despite that, her hands found his cheeks, lovingly wiping away his tears. 

He couldn’t stop the flow. He felt so much at once; relief, pain, sadness, longing, happiness, fear, love. It overwhelmed him. He had missed her for so long. The way he would push her buttons so she could spit fire at him. How he was the only one who saw her soft laugh. He missed the way she would hold his body with her small one, promising him he wasn’t a monster as her scent enveloped his senses. He chased the smell of her for years, due to it being the only thing that made him feel at ease. 

He realized then. 

She was home. She is his home.  

—

One year later

“Y/nnnnnnnn~!” Utahime called out to you, arms spread wide and she ran towards your approaching figure. 

You smiled softly, opening your arms to accept her embrace. The woman crashed into your arms, chest pressing hard against yours as she sobbed into your neck. 

“I thought you died! To think that bastard Gojo found you before I did!” she cried and you laughed, rubbing circles into your friend's back. 

“Oi! What do you mean by ‘bastard Gojo’? And get off my woman!” his tone made you chuckle. 

You two haven’t changed much.

“Utahime, let y/n breathe.” 

You look in the direction of the voice and saw Mei Mei. 

Your heart stopped. She looked even more beautiful than she did when you were young. 

Utahime begrudgingly lets go of your frame. Though she pulled her cool indifferent mask back on, you could make out her slight pout. 

Mei Mei grabbed your shoulder, her red lips pulling into a wicked smile. 

“Have you been well? Has this trash been treating you well?” 

“Hey, I’m right here!” 

“Yes, I have been well, how about you?” you smile innocently as you, Mei Mei and Utahime start walking – ignoring Satoru entirely. 

The grounds of Jujutsu High were just as beautiful as you remembered. You chatted idly with your friends, sharing stories of the past ten years. Utahime couldn’t hide her tears at some parts, where Mei Mei reassuringly rubbed your shoulder. Satoru lazily trailed behind, a secret smile on his lips as he watched you smile with your friends. 

As you entered the main building you sighed, memories flooding your mind of your time here. 

“Time sure does fly,” you muse, spinning in a small circle to take in your surroundings. 

“It does,” they all said in unison, making you chuckle. 

“Do they know?” you asked no one in particular, knowing everyone knew what you were asking. 

“Gojo is still hiding your existence from the higher-ups, which is why we’re confused as to why he brought you here. Is it for Itadori Yuuji?” Mei Mei asked carefully, eyeing Satoru side-long. 

You nodded once. He proposed that you meet Itadori Yuuji, Megumi Fushiguro, and Nobara Kugisaki so they could learn your face and trust you in the future. 

As you approached the classroom an annoyed female voice rang through the hall. 

“Oi! Idiot A and B are you listening?!”

“Yes yes yes, we’re listening”

“I want a steak”

“No you idiot I said we’re eating sushi! Sushi! Listen and repeat after me. Su-shi. Tell that happy-go-lucky teacher of ours that we want sushi!”  

You had to stifle your laughter as Satoru opened the doors to the classroom, arms spread wide with a nonchalant smile plastered on his face. 

“No need to fear your good-looking teacher is here!” 

“Huuuh?” the students said in unison, their heads cocked to the side as they stared at the teacher with dumbfounded expressions. 

Mei Mei and Utahime positioned themselves outside the classroom, ensuring to keep an eye out for anyone who might come down the hall and see you. 

You quietly step into the classroom, an awkward smile on your face as you softly wave to his precious students. 

“Hello, I am y/n l/n. It is nice to meet you.” you bow deeply to show respect to the younger generation, but you hear Satoru’s sneaky chuckle. 

“Gojo-sama is this the girlfriend you’re so obsessed with?” a cool-toned voice called out from the black-haired student. 

Toji’s son, huh?

“No way, this is your girlfriend?!” the pink-haired boy called out, voice full of energy and brightness. 

Sukunas vessel.

“Of course, it’s his girlfriend, look at the way he’s standing so close to her.” the young female chided, looking at you with bright sparkling eyes. 

You couldn’t hide your laughter. You used your hand to cover your mouth as the sight of them reminded you so much of Satoru, Suguru, and Shoko. 

“I wanted to introduce you to her, so in the future, if you have to work with her know that she can be trusted. Back in the day, her strength was second only to mine.” Satoru bragged about you shamelessly to his students, making you blush. 

Yuuji blushed while looking at you whereas Megumi simply turned his gaze away. Nobara still looked at you with awe. 

“Why aren’t you a sorcerer anymore?” Yuuji asked, and you smirked bringing your index finger to your lips. 

“It’s a secret.” you threw the students a wink, and Megumi let out a sigh. 

“You’re just as bad as him.” Megumi stuck his chin out towards Satoru, which made you smile inwardly. 

It’s still strange to think Satoru raised this kid, even if it is to spite the Zen’in clan. 

“Don’t be rude!” Nobara slapped his knee, causing Megumi’s eye to twitch. 

“Stop fighting, you’re making me look bad.” Satoru scolded, but none of them listened. 

“Huh? Who cares about that?” Megumi challenged, easily pushing Satoru’s buttons. 

“Eh? What did you just say you brat?” Satoru wasted no time, locking Megumis head in his arm, aggressively messing his spiky hair up. 

You stood, trying to stifle your laughter at the lively sight. Nobara cheered Satoru on while Yuuji remained shocked at his teacher's actions. You could hear Mei Mei sigh and Utahime covered her eyes in disappointment.

You didn’t know how long this would last, but it made your heart feel so full. It healed the very last wound that plagued your soul. Finally, you were whole again. 

You became remade in the brightness of their light. 

[kenzietensei]

Thoughts on sweet pool

So, I installed this game on my laptop a couple years ago, and only played about an hour into it at the time. This past week I was dogsitting and my laptop was with me, so I thought to play through the various endings of sweet pool.

I'd gotten the game because I read a tumblr post about the history of omegaverse, and I thought it would be interesting to see the origin of some of those tropes. I'm not into omegaverse, though I've read one or two fics using that setup. I'm not really into BL either, and most visual novels I've played have been otome or mystery stories. Also not a fan of gore or horror! So, uh, really not the audience for this title XD

Even so, I found the game compelling and it's been rotating in my brain the last few days since I got through the whole thing. There are a couple points in which I think my perspective might be unique so I figured I'd share. Spoilers below. If you're familiar with the plot, you'd also know what content warnings might apply here, so keep that in mind too >.>

First, I wanna go over some points I haven't really seen discussed/explicated anywhere that stuck out to me!

About the parasites:

The infodump that Kitani reads mentions markmeat, which I've seen reviews refer to as the stuff Youji passes. I'm pretty certain the fleshy bits are actually the fleshseeds and the markmeat is the 'bloodlike' pheromone which seeps out of Youji's neck.

The only people who can see this stuff is supposedly hosts. If you're a host, you'll become either Osu or Mesu. But it's unclear when that transition happens. Is it like a secondary puberty? Zenya's issues have been with him a long time, but he's also an unusual case. Tetsuo has had regenerative talent from childhood. Youji's accident was several years ago, but only very recently has he begun emitting pheromones.

There are at least two other people who can see these signs of the parasite who are unaffiliated with the cult as far as we know! There are rumors going around the school of blood and guts in the chem lab, and a separate rumor about blood and guts in the boys bathroom. Both incidents come about through a male student becoming alarmed and upset upon seeing something no one else can confirm is there. If it had been the same kid, I think the rumors would go a little differently (aka such and such has gone mad, that sort of thing) so I think its fair to say that more than one boy is effected. This indicates these boys are hosts, and also that they don't know about the biological aspects, at the absolute least.

Who are these kids? Are they children who were exposed like Zenya was? If they knew about the cult, they probably wouldn't have freaked out in public, so they're uninitiated and possibly not experiencing any symptoms (IE the way Youji was?). Receiving purebreed flesh is the only way we really see discussed for becoming a host, but then how did Tetsuo develop? Do some people just inherit this from their parents?

Speaking of inheritance, Youji's situation introduces some questions too. He seems to have been physically passed along his father's parasite during the accident... like it entered his wound and this ultimately revived/remade him. Whether Youji was going to eventually develop into a host through inheriting that in a different way, had the accident never occurred, isn't discussed. In the pool, Youji can will himself to do the same for Tetsuo - so did his parasite enter Tetsuo? Taken with the state Youji is in during that epilogue, it's pretty vague what happened. But should we take that to mean that a new parasite melding into the body of a host can revive them?

We are given a decent idea of what Osu and Mesu are. But there seem to be others involved with the cult who aren't dealing with these same symptoms. Kamiya is around high school boys every day and not driving any of them mad. Kunihito couldn't see the Sodomites until after he was shot - even though his family were long time participants in the cult. Furthermore, had either of them been Osu, wouldn't they have been interested to learn of Youji the Mesu? So, are they hosts? Interestingly, there's a moment in the school with Kunihito that makes me really wonder. Kitani interacts with his boss, who is alive (even though narration from Youji earlier seemed to indicate Kunihito had died) for the moment. Then Kitani sees a wriggler entering a wound, and it seems to be attached firmly. He rips it away and shoots it, and then next thing you know, Kunihito is dead. Was that his parasite, keeping him alive, or a new Sodomite trying to enter as a parasite and then reform Kunihito's body? Did Kitani's actions here actually doom his boss?

Can you have a host and then lose it? Might Zenya's state have been fixed by removing the inner being? As a fierce believer, it's obvious why Kunihito wouldn't have opted to do that, though. But I feel like the grand ending suggests that Tetsuo has lost this aspect of himself in the epilogue. He takes a long time to heal, after all. Perhaps in wishing they could live together as humans, Youji caused their parasites to detach?

The whole situation with Youji is so bizarre. He's perpetually weak with a lung disorder, lives barely nourishing himself, and experiences numerous intense injuries over the course of like 2 weeks while undergoing debilitating physical changes. I get why, bereft of regenerative abilities, he would die at the end of the plot.

I think the violins version of Miracles May suggests Youji succeeds in saving Tetsuo at the cost of himself. And the grand ending seems to say that in rejecting the Sodomites, in not sacrificing himself for Tetsuo, Youji does not get his wish in full - he wants to live on with Tetsuo as humans, which I think only half works (Tetsuo managed to pull through after being wounded), and Tetsuo speaks his name one last time, but I don't think Youji is truly around anymore. But I feel like Tetsuo is a human at this point. And perhaps Youji died as a human, too. I just don't get why there was an attempt to cover up his passing? Like the scandal at the academy is already pretty bad, wouldn't it make enough sense to say two students stopped into the school that day and both were accosted by the yakuza and one of them perished? It seems like it's vague just to confuse the audience.

About the characters:

Was Makoto sensitive to the pheromones just cause he happened to be? Or like was it because he was attracted to men that the pheromone could harm him like that? Because I feel like either reading is supported by the text. At what point, removed from the impact of the pheromones, would Makoto regain his sanity? He seems himself when we see him in the hospital. But in his ending, a week has passed since Youji disappeared. We can't know how long it's been since only bones remain - like at what point will the Mesu pheromones no longer be present in Makoto's system? He seems to be still outside his own control at the close of his story.

On endings, it's pointed out that purebreeds can use pheromones to control even normal people. But the degree of *control* is something I wonder about. Like, Youji's pheromones elicited control over others, chaining them to a desire beyond their own sanity. But Youji isn't the one holding the leash, so to speak. Tetsuo's scent also caused this to happen to Youji. And like, the ending where they breed & the prominence of instinct in that route suggests that this final choice is something they submit to rather than a choice they make under their own rational control. So I wonder about the purebreeds ability to control others... is it an active ability, or does it elicit an instinctual response in others?

We see the lump of flesh that Kunihito worships, and from his uncle's journal we know he was once a captivating young man. But he "gave too much of himself to his followers" and now is a weakened flesh slab... Honestly this whole bit of the journal is super suspect. It's phrased like that was a thing the purebreed did of it's own volition, but I don't think we're supposed to accept that at face value. As more of it's flesh was taken, it became weaker - so weak, that members of the organization were sufficiently outside of it's "control" to act on a revolt. Up to that point, was the cult compelled to consume the purebreed's flesh, regardless of it's wishes, due to it's outrageous pheromones? Or did the purebreed willingly give of itself but go to far and tipped the balance of control outside it's own favor? Could the cult have failed at this moment, and prevented the events of the story from ever coming to pass? It seems like there are other purebreeds elsewhere in the world, though, or have been throughout history, so I don't know that the japanese branch falling would end the Sodomites' bid to live on.

Uncle Okinaga can't explain why he tried to protect the purebreed, only that he was compelled to do so in remembering the boy's smile. In one route, Kitani encounters the newborn purebreed. Is he a slave from this point on? Will Kitani end up feeding on the purebreed? It's an uncomfortable question I was left with.

Speaking of Kitani, I feel really mixed about him. On the one hand, he is sympathetic. His shit childhood leads to him forming a traumatic bond with Kunihito. This is actually one of the most upsetting moments of the game, for me! Lol moreso than the gore, tbh. He's at his lowest moment, his body is failing, and this powerful man comes and exerts that power over him through assault. Kitani's instincts take over (he struggles to live). Kunihito says, work for me, you might as well die for a purpose... It really mirrors what happens to Youji so strongly! Like, Youji's connection to Tetsuo is in many ways just the same as this - he is overpowered by Tetsuo, and in the horror of his changing biology, Youji finds that being accepted as he is to be worth the discomforting aspects of the bond. Kitani likewise accepts the worst aspects of the Okinaga family as the price for having a place and a people to belong to. It isn't a loyalty earned through goodness or affection. In the Diving Deep ending, Kitani is said to feel aimless and purposeless without his family, and it seems like he might not care about living any longer. We see in different endings Youji submit his own life to the cost of a 'higher purpose,' whether that be procreation or saving Tetsuo. Ultimately, I don't think either of these men really formed healthy attachments to others and it is worthy of sympathy.

On the other hand! Kitani has committed himself to the Okinaga family, to the point that his support of them is more instinctual than rational choice. He knows it's abnormal, but he still goes ahead and does the eyeball thing, supports Kunihito's religious fervor, never intervenes in anything they've got going on (until the point comes where outside forces - Kamiya - threaten his family). He feels horrible about hurting women and children, but he beats a high schooler on orders from Zenya, and helps Zenya kidnap Tetsuo and Youji. Like, I think he'd already looked into Youji's background at this point, so once Zenya's done with Youji for the time being, Kitani knowingly dumps this frail, frequently hospitalized boy who has just undergone a brutal beating in the trash disposal area of the house where he lives alone with no one to care for him. That is abhorrent. Then, he helps Zenya kidnap this same boy a second time, at which point the boy is kept as a sex slave. Kitani is not in the dark about this - he is an adult and knows both Kunihito and Zenya are mentally unstable, and that these actions are not only harmful or illegal, but seriously jeopardize Youji's life. And then, the real kicker? Zenya really loved it when Kitani sewed Kristi a lil yukata to match Zenya's outfit. So, Kitani dutifully makes his new pet, Youji, an outfit as well! I'm sure seeing Zenya so happy really made it all worth it, huh Kitani?

About my feelings:

So, I played this game at a point in time where I was actively on my period lol I still am right now as a matter of fact. And although I initially started it earlier before this was part of my life, in the interim time I had bariatric surgery and have developed a different relationship to food, hunger, my biology, and the often uncomfortable bowel changes that came with it.

It's horrible, but my partner didn't flinch away from the hard truths that came with major surgery. We've had to discuss diarrhea and incontinence and foul gas. Early on, there were days I thought I would die of embarrassment, but he loved me regardless. Thankfully, the biggest problems of the early days are mostly a thing of the past, but it's not something I'm liable to ever forget. I felt so bad for Youji, going through something that altered him intrinsically like that, with no one to support him. When he takes Tetsuo's actions to be unconditional acceptance of his mortifying biology, this leads Youji to bond with the man at the expense of his own being. He becomes subsumed into this bond. Had Erika's situation been different at the time, I don't think Youji would have clung to Tetsuo's lack of repulsion as if it were love.

Further, I felt a kinship to Youji's difficulty feeding himself that was absolutely absent the first time I played any of the game. Having been through a great deal of nausea, food repulsion, and experiencing my body at it's weakest, I was just as worried about his health as before but more sympathetic to the forces at play than last time.

As for the menstrual aspect, I can totally vibe with the idea that this bodily change is a repulsive, dirty, shame-inducing experience which alienates a person from their peers and from their own body. When I'm on my period, I do feel like my body is outside of my control, and knowing it's for a function (childbirth) isn't some welcome news. Like I have to put aside myself as an individual person (mind) to deal with the realities of my form (woman) for the time being, and it's jarring and uncomfortable. In this regard, I feel the reason vs instinct system is so well supported by the story's themes!

Also, uh, as someone who has experienced painful sex, anal sex, and painful anal sex in my life, the sex scenes were pretty intense to play through. Like the agony is well written and Youji's lack of consent is ever present. When he becomes aroused, it is not treated as if that is equivalent to consent, which I especially appreciated as this is something of a problem when it comes to discussing the rape of men in particular. Even when Youji is participating in sexual interaction, the way the biological aspect has been laid out, with the pheromones and everything, makes consent not really possible. While Youji comes to feel a bond with Tetsuo, it is due to their biology moreso than a romantic connection, and this seems like something borne from the need to mate rather than driven by who they are as *people.*

I do think it's interesting that this game is so focused on biological functions. The drive to breed, which in some species does indeed come at the expense of the parents' lives, is only one thread of this theme. The need to nourish oneself is definitely very present. And then digestion and expelling waste comes into play in a highly unusual way, lol. I found the mention of the myrmecoleon to be thematically resonant and perplexing at the same time. From Kamiya's comments, each half is biologically at odds with the other. I wondered how this was meant to be taken in conjunction with the story. Like, Youji doesn't eat, but he produces this new flesh and passes it - the flesh seeds are not a product of what he takes in. And it doesn't seem like not eating is enough to kill Youji based on what we see. But Kamiya's statement that maybe one end could survive if it would reject the other is kind of weird. You can read it as saying one part can survive - either the reasonable part of the being (the human) or the instinctual aspect (the parasite). There is no fusion of the two possible, no coexistence. It makes enough sense in regards to Youji, but it's a little confusing if you try to apply it to the Osu-Mesu pairing (two halves of a whole). I kind of felt that it was saying only one of the two could have their wishes fulfilled/their needs respected. Since Youji is getting raped all the time, I thought that's what Kamiya was getting at, at first. And if you take it to the breeding stuff, it is also confusing, Kamiya! What we see of their copulation, producing a purebreed is very much a matter of fusion, so it reads at odds with the myrmecoleon bit. If you see the lion and the ant as humans and Sodomites in their separate species, that's also kinda weird. I think its meant to represent that the hosts are these third kinds of beings - both ant and lion - and that their existence is at odds with both parts of their biology. It really leaves me wondering how the hosts and purebreeds thing is supposed to accomplish anything for the Sodomites. It's not clear what they're gaining from this, though it also isn't clear that any alternative is available to them. The drive to exist is strong enough that they must attempt to continue the species, no matter what indignities it requires, I guess?

Overall, I left the game feeling very unsettled (the music is SO effective, omfg) and on edge. Hopefully having written out my thoughts will help me to move on from sweet pool!! Can't really say I'm glad I played it - I was curious about how it related to omegaverse and it was indeed fascinating to see the root of those tropes being developed - but it didn't do anything for me in that doki-doki kind of way and left me more agitated than moved by its emotional stuff. I do think it was very well written, and well conceived, and well produced. I'd love to talk about it with other people, though I doubt I'd ever play it again or be likely to recommend it.

Thanks for reading this crazy long post :3

[fxggotclown]

omg everyone clap . casper listened to music this year !!! 👏

i love shiina ringo. i love shiina ringoooooo she is so awesome i love her music forever ....

mcr not being numbah one is truly a testament of how much i love sheena ringo bc i liestened to them sooo much earlier this year.

tokyo incidents is sheena ringo's band !!!!!!!!!! they are also really good :)

elliott smith is my favorite musician of all time and i will always love and come back to his music.

i dont like radiohead -_- . i remembered to make this post bc i wanted to talk abt how i ended up listening to radiohead after trying to listen to them a couple years ago and not liking them. earlier this year i was playing osu and i ended up getting the paranoid android beatmapset bc why not , i download any songs that sound even somewhat tolerable on there. and coincidentally not long after playing the song on there i was playing i think it was just the rock heardle ??? and i recognized it immediately as paranoid android and i was like damn this song actually kind of goes. so i went back and listened to the album again and decided i could tolerate quite a few songs and ended up listening to it a LOT at work . and then i tried to listen to their other albums and just .. why do they all suck........ i dont like radiohead. the explanation for bodysnatchers is that my buddy steve sent me that song awhile ago and i like it a lot. its a listen on repeat song bc i dont really like in rainbows. maybe someday i will like more of radioheads discog . also steve if youre reading this thank u for recommending bodysnatchers im sorry i dont like radiohead as much as you do

[blazeshardcat]

hey guys heres my new project sekai event idea

EVENT SUMMARY: ichika wants all the miku items from the fortnite battlepass. however, she's really bad at video games. even though you don't need to do win or get a lot of kills to progress the battle pass, it does take a lot longer, and ichika can only play for so long between school and band practice. how will she finish the battle pass in time??!?!? read more to find out...

during ichika's vocal lessons with nene, ichika mentions she's been playing video games recently. nene asks what game, and ichika explains her plight to nene. being the god gamer she is, nene offers to be ichika's fortnite coach.

while nene's able to teach ichika some basic tips, like how to use shield items efficiently, it doesn't fix ichika's dogshit aim. like its REAL bad. nene says she'll keep teaching ichika what she can, but her performance won't get much better until she gets better at aiming, which could take weeks, or even months...

the next day, ichika's at school, feeling a down about her subpar fortnite gameplay, the leek backbling looking further and further out of sight. kohane notices she looks a little sad, so ichika explains the whole saga to this point, a little embarrassed about the fact that she's upset over a video game.

kohane reassures her that it's fine, and that she also gets a little competitive when it comes to games. ichika asks what games kohane likes- she likes party games, but she also plays a lot of rhythm games. kohane shows her some of the rhythm games she plays, including one akito showed her- it's a computer game where you use a mouse to click dots on the screen in time with the music (its osu. picture attached)

once she gets home, ichika decides to download (osu), and immediately gets absorbed. len stops by to see what she's up to, surprising ichika, who lost track of time while playing. len says the game looks super fun, and ichika promises to bring her computer to SEKAI later, but for now she needs to practice L/N's new song since she got too distracted by games (oops. ive been there ichika)

a few days later, ichika runs into nene, kohane, and minori, who are buying sound equipment for MMJ with nene and kohane's advice, due to an earlier incident where shizuku spent like $300 on an audio mixer that wasn't compatible with the mics they already had. ichika thanks kohane for introducing her to (osu), and says that she's been playing a lot recently. like a LOT. maybe too much.

nene recognizes the game, and tells ichika that some people actually use games like (osu) to get better at aiming in shooter games. and since she got so invested in (osu), ichika hasn't played fortnite in a while, so she has no idea if it's been helping... could this be the breakthrough ichika needs?

at home, ichika opens fortnite again, a little nervous after not playing for a bit... but when she drops in, there's a complete 180 in terms of performance. now that she has the aim training from (osu), ichika is dominating these lobbies. first game back is a victory royale. shes never seen the battle pass gain this much XP at once. in just a few games, ichika's gained levels in the battlepass that would've normally taken her almost a week.

finally, after a few more weeks, ichika completes the battlepass with time to spare. she can't use her new item yet, since she has to go to band practice, but it's all unlocked so there's no need to worry anymore. she heads off to SEKAI happily.

before practice, honami is doing a debrief of L/N's schedule, along with some MAJOR news... L/N's been asked to write & promote a song for a big game called "FORTNITE"!!... but nobody in L/N has played it, and are only vaguely familiar with the game.... except ichika. roll credits

4*s - ichika, nene, kohane. 3* L/N len, 2* minori

[tieflingkisser]

Muslim Women Are Having Their Hijabs Torn Off by Police All Over America

Women across the country are having their civil rights blatantly violated while in police custody.

On the morning of April 25, Sumaya Hamadmad, a research scientist at Ohio State University, was sitting in the center of campus when she was arrested for “criminal trespassing.” Students had formed an encampment to call for the university to divest from Israel earlier that morning, before being dispersed by campus police. When Hamadmad and a friend arrived at the campus Oval—not to protest, but simply to enjoy the sunny morning—there was no crowd left. But the Ohio State Police Department targeted Hamadmad and accused her of attempting to form another encampment. When she started questioning the officers’ false assumptions and orders for her to leave, she was arrested. And when her friend questioned Hamadmad’s arrest, she too was arrested. Hamadmad was then transferred to a Franklin County jail. There, she was strip-searched and ordered to take off her hijab, a religious head covering worn by Muslim women. Despite making multiple requests to have her hijab returned to her, she was denied any sort of head covering for the 12 hours that she remained in custody. Tucking her arms and hair into her shirt, she did what she could to remain covered.

[...]

Hamadmad is not alone in having her religious freedom violated in this way. Multiple incidents of law enforcement officials taking off women’s hijabs against their will have occurred alongside sweeping arrests at pro-Palestine protests. Many of these incidents took place on college campuses. There have been verified reports from students and faculty at least four universities—Arizona State University, Columbia University, Depaul University, and Ohio State University—as well as alleged incidents at several others. The influx of arrests of Muslim women at pro-Palestine protests highlights a critical flaw in the criminal justice system. The hijab is an expression of a Muslim woman’s faith, symbolizing modesty, privacy, and agency over one’s body, and depriving a woman of that coverage can be humiliating and traumatizing. Muslim women have a clear First Amendment right to keep their heads covered for religious purposes, including in spaces where others might have to remove head coverings. Reflecting this, the Bureau of Prisons allows for incarcerated Muslims to keep their hijabs on in federal prisons, and at least 17 states, including New York, specifically allow for religious head coverings to be worn throughout a prison. Yet there are no federal laws that explicitly protect a woman’s right to keep on her hijab while being arrested, in police custody, or in a temporary holding facility, either for a mug shot or otherwise. The difficulty that Muslim women have experienced is also reflective of the general vitriol that Muslim women have been facing in activism spaces. (Just look at this video from the University of California, Los Angeles, where pro-Israeli counterprotesters chant at women, “Take off your hijab and get a job.”) And even before pro-Palestine solidarity encampments spread across American universities, many Muslim activists had already been experiencing violations of their religious liberties.

[...]

Dalal Shalash, a Palestinian who was arrested at the OSU encampment, said at a Columbus City Council meeting on April 29 that she saw three women made to remove their hijabs for mug shots at a Franklin County jail. One did not have her hijab returned until Shalash “made a scene,” demanding that the officers do so. Shalash compared this violation of the women to the humiliation tactics of the Israeli military. “We had women’s hijabs being forcefully removed, which is all too reminiscent of the humiliation tactics of the IOF, who regularly strip Palestinian women they arrest, for no other reason than to humiliate,” she said at the meeting. According to the United Nations. Countless Palestinian women have been subject to sexual assault by the Israeli Defense Forces, which includes strip searches by male officers.

[...]

“Dictatorship doesn’t happen suddenly. It’s chipped away piece by piece. That’s why we need to stop it at the beginning,” said Hamadmad, who remembers asking to be read her Miranda rights, to which the officer replied, “No, I don’t have to.” Unbeknownst to her at the time, the Supreme Court had silently rolled back many of the protections guaranteed by the famous 1966 Miranda v. Arizona case in 2022. “You can sense dictatorship when you’ve been through it, and I could sense it in that moment.”

[findopulencerp]

��                          𝖋𝖊𝖑𝖎𝖝 𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖍𝖚𝖗 𝖒𝖔𝖓𝖗𝖔𝖊

he was born thirty-six years ago, he is a witch who lives in dillon as an ancient languages professor at osu, and is in helka's own. he looks an awful lot like domhnall gleeson.

“Death is so terribly final, while life is full of possibilities.”

tw: accidental pregnancy, animal bones, death

A mistake, never supposed to happen, bastard child. All words used to describe Felix Monroe by his father, Edmund, the moment he learned his maid was pregnant by his hand. The woman did not want her son to grow up in the world of the magical elite, with their rules and regulations, and so left her profession to go back home to North Carolina to raise her son. Felix grew up on the road, his mother Eva traveling frequently for work – most of the time Felix was either in the care of his grandmother or stuck in motel rooms. That didn’t mean he wasn’t happy; in fact, an older Felix would claim these were the best years of his young life. They didn’t have much but they had each other.

And then Felix started to display an affinity for magic. It wasn’t anything big at first, just making people's hair grow at a rapid rate or bewitching crows to attack his bullies. It slowly began to spiral into something bigger the longer it was left as the young boy tried to hide it, building and building until one day his mother found a collection of animal bones, dolls that resembled the children in his class with bent limbs and notes scrawled in a language she couldn't decipher. Felix was 12 when this incident occurred, and it convinced his mother to get back in touch with the Monroe’s regarding her son’s quirks.

Edmund had known she was pregnant but didn't realize she bore a son. Felix was the fabled 7th son of a 7th son, meant to be powerful beyond most normal witches. With persuasion, money, threats, Felix was sent to live with his father and multitude of other siblings. Never would he see his mother again.

Growing up in the household was hard, Felix was immediately put on a strict regime to train him up to the family’s standards. It wasn’t just magic, it was history, elocution lessons to rid him of his drawl, math, building upon what little public and home-schooling had already taught him. Felix was being groomed to be the successor to the Monroe legacy and head of the family, blindsiding his elder brothers and sisters in his prowess. It wasn’t something he wanted, more like an ambition he was trained to have. Though no friends, Felix preferred allies, coating himself in a web of ice – if they would not like him, they would fear him. This carried him through his teenage years, marked by a distinct loneliness and isolation that proved fruitful as Felix seemed to just grow in power and ability. There was little he could do and was set for life.

Then his mother died.

Felix felt it, as if something had been ripped from his core. Abandoning everything, he went back home to North Carolina for the funeral. He was one of the only few, shell-shocked and alone, surrounded by only a handful of people. It had been years since he’d last seen her, of course but it didn’t make it any better – only worse. Felix’s only seemed to grow worse afterwards, erratic, irritable, beginning to try and slippery slope many witches had tried to before him; that of necromancy. For hours he poured over books and accounts, soiling the few positive relationships he had in pursuit of something concrete. It never came, so Felix took matters into his own hands. A dark ritual, a sacrifice needed but Felix wasn’t as alone as he thought he was. A last-ditch attempt by his father to stop the madness his son was spiraling into ended in his demise. The spell did not work. Felix’s mother did not come back, and in turn he had lost his father.

The Monroe siblings were quick to cast Felix out in their grief, disowning their bastard brother and sending him packing. Felix wound up in Opulence, alone and forever marked by what he’d done, settling down as an ancient languages teacher.

“what power did he attain when settling in opulence?”

Upon arrival in opulence, Felix didn’t notice anything particularly different about him. The power he’s obtained is the chance to nullify the abilities of those who had also gained them upon entering Opulence, a sort of invisible field around him he cannot perceive or feel.

this character is…taken

[ponyopk]

Character Lore: Grimoire Epitaph

Hello! I'm posting this from my computer back at home. I'm on kind of a pseudo vacation, bouncing back and forth from state to state. I noticed I've been quite lackluster on the character explanations, and I hope to make this the post that isn't that! This is one of my more recent characters, so I want you to give a warm welcome to...

...Grimoire Epitaph! This character uses concepts from one of my friends, so some things might not be entirely accurate. After this is posted, I'll have to check in with them and make sure that I'm correct. I'll get into this concept soon enough, but in a separate post. Grimoire, assigned male at birth, is from an alternate version of Earth. Growing up in South Carolina, Grimoire was an outcast, the type of kid you'd call "The Weird Kid." His dad, Gryphon Epitaph, was a general in the United States Military, and served to make the country a better place, a place devoid of corruption and crime. Everyday, he would wear an eyepatch. If you asked why, he wouldn't tell you, no matter who you are. But alas, you can't have a world without crime. A group of universal bandits, known as Sym Poachers, hunted down Gryphon, as he had something they wanted. They surrounded him. But he knew this day was going to come soon. Gryphon returned home, and told Grimoire about The Eye. Under Gryphon's eyepatch is an item that is sought after, by the before mentioned Sym Poachers. The item are Symbol Eyes, and they grant unmeasurable power. They can only be created by a certain individual, who is not my character. People born with them are not as strong, as someone who steals it, or has it passed down to them. Gryphon knew he was being hunted by Sym Poachers, so he gave Grimoire his Symbol Eye. It's a heirloom that was passed down, generation by generation, and it has been passed down for the last time. Grimoire inserts the eye, and it fits itself inside. As a result of the eye, she becomes paler. For extra protection, Gryphon bestows his eyepatch to Grimoire.

Gryphon tells Grimoire to run away as far as possible, and hesitantly, Grimoire follows his father's command. A while after this incident, Grimoire did some self exploration. He didn't exactly feel comfortable in his body, and so with the power of the Symbol Eye, she changed her body, to match with her visions. And on the topic of stylization, she puts a flower over her other eye, trims her hair, changes her hair's hue, and fashions her self some new and pretty boots.

...she also gave herself some pretty nails. For a while, she went by the name Grimdwell, but after some time, she decided to return to her name Grimoire, as she thought it was cooler. Trivia: In her first design, she had goggles, a pearl necklace, short sleeves, and a second, more transparent layer of clothing.

If it isn't already obvious, Grimoire is transgender, Male to Female. Grimoire is also pansexual.

Grimoire is a spin-off of one of my friends characters, Lulladora Burgers, who also has a Symbol Eye.

Grimoire's concept came to me while listening to the song C18H27NO3, by Team Grimoire. The artist's name is where she gets her name from.

Grimoire has a very confusing romantic and sexual life.

Grimoire is 662 years old.

In text where Grimoire is speaking, it is normally in all caps.

The name Grimdwell comes from me misremembering the term "Gloomdwell." There is a more powerful form of Grimoire, which is called Grimdark. This is a real word, and totally not a reference to a semi-obscure, 8000 page webcomic, which you can read at your own time. cough cough https://www.homestuck.com/story/3643 cough cough

Her eyepatch and eye flower were design choices, based off of beatmap backgrounds for C18H27NO3 in the rhythm game "osu!". (The backgrounds in question:)

[goldfades]

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹ ִֶָ. NHL MASTERLIST !

♡ fluff ✪ angst ✧ suggestive

𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐦 𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐬

⇨ trevor zegras¹¹

soft launch ♡ instagram!au | y/n soft launches her and trev's relationship. |

friends (with benefits) ✪♡✧ | trevor had always hated your guts. you never knew what for, maybe it was your close friendship with his best friend, or maybe it was because he was jealous of you. that was until, he kissed you, of course. |

sloppy kisses ✧ | request: "CONSENSUAL recording with Trevor because they’re long distance? 🩶 " |

⇨ jamie drysdale⁶

butterflies ♡ | no one has ever made you feel the way jamie did. every day, jamie convinces you more and more that he loves you in different ways. |

𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐮𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬

⇨ adam fantilli¹¹

lets compare hands! ✧ | adam fantilli with a size kink |

⇨ kent johnson⁹¹

𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐣𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐬

⇨ jack hughes⁸⁶

everyone wants you, but i don't like a gold rush ✪✧ | y/n had always been in love with jack since she was a kid, but he had always chosen everyone else but her. |

in losing grip, on sinking ships, you showed up just in time ♡ | when you and jack had parted ways, somehow you both knew you'd meet again somehow. |

⇨ luke hughes⁴³

betty ✪ | a small incident at luke's draft party causes a whole lot of drama you never expected to happen. |

worst (best) first "date" [requested] ♡ | request: kind of have a specific request 🫣 im an ohio state fan so it also kinda pains me that i love luke hughes since i hate umich 😭 my request is reader being an osu student and long term devils fan, so when she goes to a devils game in columbus her friends dare her to make a sign for luke during warm ups that says something along the lines of “can i trade you a hat for a puck?” so when luke gives her a puck, she throws him an ohio state hat w her phone number on it. and he finds it really funny and actually ends up messaging her (and then you can end it how you want. fluff, smut, wtv) thank you <33 |

stress reduction [requested] ✧ | request: "shower s-x with luke hughes help" |

tightling ♡ request: "luke hughes + reader doing tiktok couple trends??" part two, part three?

⇨ nico hischier¹³

olive theory ♡ | you and nico have only been dating for 6 months but both of you are convinced you've found the one, and a certain theory proves you right. |

𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐬

⇨ quinn hughes⁴³

you are in love ♡ | 3 times that quinn wanted to tell you he loved you, and the 1 time he finally did. |

cowboy like me ✪ | you and quinn were destined to fail from the beginning. |

the big C [requested] ✧ | "quinn hughes x equipment manager reader smut? maybe it’s the start of the season so the reader is helping him get all his gear fitted and situated and she’s calling him “cap” and “captain” and he ends up feeling some type of way"

cocky ♡ summary | omg could you pls do quinn hughes + couple tiktok trends <3

𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬

⇨ andrei svechnikov³⁷

[hardynwa]

Court remands Fubara’s loyalists over Rivers Assembly explosion

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday remanded some loyalists of the River State governor for their alleged involvement in the explosion that rocked and razed the Rivers State Assembly complex. An explosion had rocked the complex of the state Assembly amid alleged moves by some lawmakers to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara on October 30, 2023. Some loyalists of the governor were said to have been behind the incident. No fewer than five of them were arraigned on Thursday before Justice Bolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court in Abuja. They are Chime Eguma Ezebalike, Prince Lukman Oladele, Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, Osiga Donald and Ochueja Thankgod. In the 7 charges, the defendants were accused of committing alleged terrorism offences by invading, vandalising and burning down Rivers State House of Assembly during the wake of the political crisis that rocked Port Harcourt in October last year. They were also accused of killing a Superintendent of Police, Bako Agbashim, and five police informants in the Ahoada community of the state. The police informants alleged to have been killed are Charles Osu, Ogbonna Eja, Idaowuka Felix, Paul Victor Chibuogu, and Saturday Edi. They are to remain in prison custody till February 2 when their respective bail applications will be determined by the Judge. They were also accused of using various cult groups, namely- Supreme Viking Confraternity, Degbam, Iceland, and Greenland to unleash mayhem on the people of the state and their commercial activities. They all pleaded not guilty to the allegations. Although the immediate past factional Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon Edison Ehie, was not listed in the 7 counts terrorism charges, he was however represented in court by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, Oluwole Aladedoyin, on the ground that his name featured prominently in the alleged offences. He challenged the allegations that he was at large alongside other suspects. Justice Olajuwon did not however allow further arguments on the ground that he was not yet a defendant in the charges. Shortly after the arraignment, the leader of the prosecuting team, Audu Garba, applied for a date for a full-blown trial of the defendants. However, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, Lukman Fagbemi, who stood for Chime Eguma Ezebalike and Prince Lukman Oladele who are 1st and 2nd defendants, sought to move applications for their bail on the ground that they have been in police custody since last year. The government lawyer, Audu Garba, vehemently opposed the reason that he had just been served with the bail applications and needed time to study them and file a counter affidavit. Justice Olajuwon agreed with the prosecution lawyer that the bail applications were not ripe for hearing and fixed February 2 for the hearing of all bail applications. Pending hearing and determination of the bail applications, the judge ordered that the five defendants be taken to Kuje Prison on remand and be returned to court on the adjourned date. “The defendants are hereby remanded pending the hearing and determination of the bail applications,” he said. Read the full article

[lukeevangelista]

How Many Times? - Joe Burrow 

Due to my lack of posting, here you go 🫶🏻

_________________________________________________

“How many times are you going to look me in the eyes and lie to me?”

“Because I’m not!” He yelled before letting out a low chuckle, “If you don’t believe me on this, then why the hell are you still here?” he asked, “Maybe you’re just as naive as everyone else says.” 

“Fuck you Burrow.” You clicked your tongue on the roof of your mouth, “and maybe because I want you to prove me wrong. I want to be wrong that I wasn't just a bet for you to sleep with.”

“You did, don’t forget that.” he shrugged, “Besides, what does it matter? You don’t like and I don’t like you.” he said, “It was just two people getting laid at this point.”

You and Joe had history. Granted, it wasn't great, but you two had known each other for a while, mainly because your parents were great friends; you two, not so much. 

Matter of fact, you genuinely didnt know if you could even classify yourself as friends. More like.. enemies that only spoke because of their family. 

But it didn’t help that you ended up at the football OSU party off campus, which just so happened to be hosted at his and some of his teammates home, you winding up in his bed the night before, leading you to the argument you were currently in now, you dressed in his t-shirt and gym shorts standing in the middle of his room, him sitting on the edge of the bed in just a pair of grey sweatpants.

“Don’t raise your voice at me.” you hissed as he rolled his eyes, looking up at you, “Also you don’t get to speak for me. I never said I didn’t like you, but after this little fucking stunt..” you started, but quickly shutting up as he stood up, taking a step towards you. 

“After this little stunt, what?” He asked as he tucked a piece of hair behind your ear, his touch leaving chills on your body.

“I’ll be damned if- uh..” Your mind blanked as his face was just mere inches from yours. 

“If what?” He asked, his breath fanning on your lips as his head dipped to be closer to yours. 

You came back to your senses, not focusing on the handsome man in front of you as you shoved him back, “I gotta go.” 

You could hear footsteps following you down the stairs, but you chose not to look back as the door slammed behind you.

**

You mom was currently sitting on your bed, a slightly disappointed look on her face as she listened to you explain it all. 

Explain how you hooked up with her best friends son, who you despise. 

“Honey,” she let out a sigh, stopping you mid ramble, “Do you like him?”

“No! Thats the problem!” You flopped back on your bed, “At least I dont think I do.” you whispered causing her to let out a laugh.

“You do.” She grinned as she sat beside you, pulling your arm to get you to sit up, “and there’s nothing wrong with that. We always thought you two would somehow end up together.”

“That’s disgusting.” You fake shivered, “Besides, he hates me as much as I hate him.” “He doesn't hate you.” She said, “I promise you that.” 

“And you know this how?” 

“I have my ways baby.” She replied as you rested your head on her arm, “I’m telling you though, you two would be awfully cute!”

“Mom!” 

She let out another laugh as she continued to talk you off the ledge, you finally calming down about the situation. 

“I will say though, Robin has talked to me on multiple occasions about you and him and this ‘hatred’ you have for each other. She thinks his is just as fake as yours.” your mom said as she tossed quotations around hatred. 

“I think you both are head over heels for each other and you're too blind to see it right now.” she admitted to you.

“Yeah right.” You snorted as she gave the look.

“Y/N.” she raised her eyebrows at you causing you to stop laughing.

“Sorry.”

*****

It had been a couple of days since the incident occurred and you felt like you had eyes on you everywhere you went. 

Not to mention, you were being pinged as ‘Burrow’s new girl’, which you did not appreciate at all. 

So in reality, you probably did have eyes on you, and it was worse the moment Joe pulled you aside. 

“You..” Joe laughed as he watched your facial expressions change, “You told your mom?” 

“Joe!” 

“What? It’s cute.”

“Its.. cute?” You gave him a confused look at he shot you a smirk.

“It is.” He said, “Mom told me all about what your mom had told her.”

“Like?” You asked trying to play dumb with him, hoping he was just bluffing at this point. 

“A little bird mentioned that they think were in love and whatever this is,” he motioned between you two, “is just a facade and bullshit.” 

You nervously laughed, “Yeah, I think she's-”

“But you, you told her we hooked up which is fueling the fire Y/N.”

“At least I didnt tell her it was a bet, you ass.” 

“I still don’t know how many times I need to tell you this,” Joe hissed, “It was not a bet.” He enunciated every word he spoke, “If it was a bet, you wouldnt have found out baby.”

A blush covered your cheeks as you watched his face change, “What did I hear then?”

“He was making a bet for Saturday’s game.” He sighed as he looked up towards the sky, “If I got so many passing yards and won, which obviously I’m going to do, I had to be a man and finally ask you out.” He looked towards you, waiting for your reaction, “If I didnt get them and we lost, I paid his rent for the month.” He continued, “It was not a bet for me to sleep with you.”

“Oh.” You whispered, your mouth slightly dropping as he waited for some sort of reaction, “So our moms were right then, huh?”

“Per usual.” He shrugged, “So we doing this or what Y/L/N?” 

“I guess we are Burrow.” you replied, “On one condition.”

“What’s that?” He asked as he stepped closer to you. 

“No more bullshit bets, especially if it involves me.”

“Now that I’ve got you here, with me, you won't be involved in anything like that.” He grinned as he pressed his lips to yours, “I can’t tell you how long I’ve waited to do that.” “I mean you did it a couple of nights ago.” You joked.

“I mean with you actually being mine.”

[aeoki]

High and Low: The Centre of the Earth - Chapter 19

Location: Australian Land (Night) Characters: Tetora, Hajime, Midori, Mitsuru

Season: Autumn Writer: Akira

Tetora: Ahaha. Looks like Hajime-kun and Midori-kun are even better friends now.

Midori: We had our fair share of troubles too, you know… Although, there weren’t as many ups and downs as you guys.

Tetora: Yeah? Well, if it was an enjoyable trip for the both of us then I’m glad.

Midori: Yeah. …Wait, we were supposed to be in the middle of a fight, but we’re talking to each other normally.

Tetora: Oh, right. Jeez, so much stuff happened it made me forget about it.

And you came to save us, right?

You’re the one who’s always saying you don’t wanna do any of the hero stuff.

Look, you’re a hero too. I’m happy I got to see that with my own eyes.

I’m touched to see that “heroes who come and save you at the perfect time” really do exist.

Midori: No, we’re just the extra bits and pieces.

The one who came to save you guys is Master Artist.

Tetora: Master Artist…? You mean, Fushimi-senpai?

Midori: Yeah. It’s a long story but it looks like Suou-kun was worried about his friend, Harukawa-kun.

So he went back to Japan and brought a rescue team over.

He didn’t know you guys were carrying out the “High and Low” project. It’s like he couldn’t take a hint and did something completely unnecessary, though.

And Master Artist Fushimi was worried about Himemiya-kun’s safety so he responded to the summon and flew all the way here by plane.

There’s an Australian military base nearby… Thanks to Master Artist, we got special permission to use it.

You don’t have to rush and leave. If you take the plane from that base, you’ll be able to reach the town “ES II” is in really quickly.

What do you wanna do? If you wanna hop back on to the bus, we can leave, though…?

Tetora: No, we’re sick of the bus! It feels like I’ve taken a lifetime’s worth of bus rides already! 

That’s why I’ll take your offer of rescue, Midori-kun.

Thanks, hero. For coming to save us.

Midori: I-It’s not like I did it just for you, alright? Shino-kun was worried sick about you guys he got super depressed.

I couldn’t stand to watch him any longer and I’m close with Master Artist Fushimi, so I asked if I could go together with him.

I could’ve waited at the hotel, but I wanted to see your crying face since it’ll probably get cut from the final video.

I figured I’d feel pretty relieved after seeing the pathetic look on your face.

Tetora: ……….☆

Midori: Ow, ow, ow! Can you stop hugging me? It hurts because of a whole bunch of reasons…!

Tetora: Osu. Sorry.

…As I thought, I’m really hopeless. In comparison, I was completely useless this time.

I did my best to cook but I don’t think anyone liked it.

Midori: Oh, so you were doing the cooking, huh… I feel sorry for them.

Tetora: Osu. But that won’t keep me down.

I’m still someone inexperienced that can’t do anything. I became aware of that again after this incident.

But no matter how many times I fail, if I don’t give up and keep going at it…

I should be able to overcome any wall that comes my way. Luckily, I’m surrounded by people who are like my role models and they’re a million times more incredible than I am.

I’ll absorb their light and become an even better me. Slowly but surely.

Midori: Tetora-kun, that’s all you ever talk about… Do you wanna bring back that sour atmosphere by talking about that stuff again?

Tetora: No, I’d like to get along with everyone without butting heads if possible.

I’m not very good with that kinda stuff, after all.

Midori: Yeah. I know. I’ve already given up.

Tetora: You can’t give up, Midori-kun! You should keep trying over and over without giving up!

Midori: How annoying… Ahh~ I regret ever coming. I should’ve stayed in the warm hotel room.

It’s supposed to be autumn but it’s so suffocating, jeez.

Mitsuru: Wahaha. “RYUUSEITAI” is always the best of friends, huh~♪

We “Ra*bits” can’t lose, either! Right~ Hajime-chan? ♪

Hajime: …………

Mitsuru: Hajime-chan? Wait, he’s not breathing, y’know!

Hajime: You’re holding on to me too tightly, Mitsuru-kun.

*Breathes out…* I thought I was going to die. I know you’re fond of hugging others, but please hold back a little.

Right now, I don’t want to get hurt in a place like this.

Mitsuru: Got it! Gotta avoid getting hurt no matter what!

Hajime: That’s true but it’s not only that, we have a big job waiting for us in the future.

Mitsuru: What big job?

Hajime: I’ll tell you along the way. So let’s talk later and get on the bus for now.

No. We should hurry back to our stage.

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[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

I wanted to tell my experience with the whole hiring or accepting students based on minority status and not merit. Now, I am an A student at the Ohio State University. I did initially go to OSU with the purpose of being a psychology major, but after an incident in college I missed the application and just ended opting for a major in social work. I do think my admission was based on my colour, as the programs always make sure to have a certain number of black/minority students. It is different for every program. My sister is in nursing and they are requiere to have at least 4 minority students from my observation of the students since freshman year (2018). From the moment I was accepted into the program, I was unknowingly placed in this sub program for “minority” students in social work called Mwanafunzi. I do want state that I am African, and majority of the students and leaders in the sub program are black Americans (or as they refer to themselves as Bipoc or Ados) so from the beginning I was confused by the fact that they do not want to identify with Africa, but will choose aspects of Africa that they enjoy (mostly the Swahili language). I digress. Their interpretation of Mwanafunzi was incorrect, and when I tried to correct them, I was told that my interpretation was not inclusive. So, I spoke to my advisor and asked why she though I would want to be in a program just for “minority” students. It hadn’t dawned on me that social work had become the face of SJW ideologies and pushing very concerning beliefs to the public. We were not allowed to be nuanced, analytical or even just use common sense. It was kind of like an unknowing indoctrination into some SJW cult. We were sent petitions for things that did not even make sense, told to speak up on cases (Kyle Ritenhouse) that half the student body was uninformed about. Told to reply to people who did not agree with us (liberalism, Democrats, etc.,) by saying that they need to educate themselves. I should have known this was not going to workout for me, I have worked hard to make that I am always unbiased and nuanced when looking at political agendas. This affected my ability to stay and the program, and after refusal to suscribe to their ideology I was chased out the program during the last first semester of my senior year. I am still trying to adjust to the change, and are looking for a new major at the moment. I do take responsibility for my actions that led to my dismissal, from the beginning my family told me that social work would not work for me. But, I was coming from a high school that hosted Hillary Clinton on the basis of gender and would lie if I said that I was not just starting to accept the ideas preached by liberalism and modern day democrats. So, I thought I was rebelling and that these people would be open to discourse. Obviously I was wrong. I do not regret going into social work, I just regret not questioning the ethics and rules governing social work. In conclusion I should have done my research. If you have any suggestions for someone in my situation, I would be willing to try or look into them. Thanks, and sorry for the long rant or if it did not make sense.

Oh dear, that's terrible. I'm so sorry that happened to you.

It must be particularly difficult considering the entire point is that you want to help people. It's a good thing to be doing, but it's also not an easy job, but you want to help and make a difference in people's lives.

And to be chased out of a noble profession over this ideological nonsense is just completely unfair.

The timing of your comment is so strange; as just last night I was watching a video of Yasmine Mohammed, who was talking about her experiences, and how she's now teaching. Her own daughter is also at college, majoring in social work, and like you found, it's polluted by this ideology. Her daughter came home and said that she had to lie on an exam in order to pass it. Yasmine said to do what you need to do, lie and pretend to believe it, until you get what you need and get out.

In many ways, it functions like Islam. Telling the truth is blasphemous. To say you don't believe it is apostasy, and apostates are severely punished. Non-believers find each other covertly and discuss dangerous (problematic) ideas. The ideology is more important than the person's values or merits; the number one thing is believing and adhering to a specific doctrine. As-Sirat al-Mustaqim. The narrow path.

People think I'm joking, exaggerating, misinterpreting or being an alarmist when I post about this kind of thing. They often don't believe that this stuff is actually going on, or that activists mean exactly what they say, because it sounds so nuts. Because it is. It has the potential to unpick the seams of society - this is a feature, not a bug of the ideology - and it's hurting people's lives today. Not just some pompous celebrity who is getting their just desserts of mob justice "accountability."

If history is anything to go by, chasing away those who aren't our kind of people inevitably leads to conditional or qualified assistance once it gains inertia. It's already happening in the name of virtue.

I hope you will find another pathway to what you want to do, or something in the same sort of field. Can it be studied off-campus, for example, or online with another university? Don't let them win. Both because you're entitled to pursue your dreams, and because we need more people like you. People who want to help, rather than play stupid political games.

Thank you for sharing your story.

[queerpyracy]

The crab pots are piled high at the fishing docks in Newport, Oregon. Stacks of tire-sized cages fill the parking lot, festooned with colorful buoys and grimy ropes. By this time in July, most commercial fishers have called it a year for Dungeness crab. But not Dave Bailey, the skipper of the 14-meter Morningstar II. The season won’t end for another month, and “demand for fresh, live crab never stops,” Bailey says with a squinting smile and fading Midwestern accent.

It’s a clear morning, and he leads me aboard a white-and-blue crab boat, built in 1967 and owned by Bailey since 1992. He skirts a giant metal tank that he hopes will soon hold a mob of leggy crustaceans and ducks his tall frame into a cluttered cabin, where an age-worn steering wheel gleams beneath the front windows and a fisherman’s prayer hangs on the wall: “Dear God, be good to me. Your sea is so great and my boat is so small.”

The churning Pacific is just one challenge Bailey and his fellow crabbers must face. Recent years have also brought outbreaks of domoic acid, which renders crab unsafe to eat, and increasing incidents of humpback whales getting tangled in crab gear. However, there’s another emerging problem that threatens not only Bailey’s livelihood but the very ecosystem that sustains it. I’ve come today to see a tool that could help crabbers manage.

On the counter in the kitchenette, amid bowls of instant noodles and tinned oysters, Bailey shows me a sturdy black tube, about 60 centimeters long, that fits neatly inside a crab pot. When submerged, the contraption measures oxygen levels in the water and, when retrieved, displays them on a separate box with a screen for Bailey to read. The box also beams the data back to scientists at Oregon State University (OSU).

[Continue Reading]

[lululawrence]

lululawrence’s November 2020 Fic List

Click here for previous months’ fic lists / Fic List Podcast Masterpost

It’s almost December! This month was particularly busy and rough for me and because of that I did not find a lot of time to read, which honestly killed me. That said, what I did read I absolutely loved. Below you will find the list of what I was able to read, and the associated podcast is finally back as well! You can find this month’s episode here.

As always, be sure to show your love and appreciation for all of the hard work our fandom authors have put into their fics with kudos, nice comments, and (when applicable) reblogging their fic posts!

It's a match! by Anonymous (2k, G, Harry/Louis, Alternate Universe, Roommates, Tinder, Pining, Friends to (possible) Lovers, this fic is short and packed with everything I love)

Welcome to The Rivalry by @2tiedships2 / 2tiedships2 (20k, M, Harry/Louis, Alternate Universe, a/b/o, omega Louis, alpha Harry, Neighbors, OSU/Michigan rivalry, Twitter feud, You’ve Got Mail AU...ish?, enemies to lovers, strangers to lovers, I loved this fic so much, it almost reads like a crack fic but not as well)

There Goes My Life by @mizzhydes / MsHydeStylinson (8k, E, Harry/Louis, Alternate Universe, Co-Workers, MP Louis, MP Harry, Older Larry, Friends with Benefits, Accidental Pregnancy, MPreg, MPreg Harry, Lactation Kink, Pregnancy Sex, this fic was everything I never knew I needed OMG I loved it so much)

Eat Your Vegetables by bananaheathen (9k, M, Harry/Louis, Alternate Universe, Footballer Louis, Nutritionist Harry, Banter, Flirting, Fluff, this fic was SUCH a pick me up and happy read, I could not stop smiling the entire time I read it)

You Make Me Wanna Scream by @comebackassholes / dimpled_halo (5k, E, Marcel/Louis, Alternate Universe, Dom Louis, Sub Marcel, kink exploration, this is part 2 and holy shit they’re both so great, I cannot wait until she has the time and energy to write part 3!)

Just Dump Me by BeatingOfTheHideousHeart (3k, M, Harry/Louis, Alternate Universe, MPreg, MPreg Harry, or pregnant trans Harry, the author leaves it up to the reader to choose which honestly I really love, Pregnancy Hormones, Marriage Proposal, Pregnancy Sex, This fic was based off an incident that happened with the author and their girlfriend, and omg I cannot tell you how much I love it)

[13-reasons-ideas]

Marry Me - Monty’s Perspective

A/N: Here it is. I’m so sorry this took so long to put out. I was having a really hard time getting into the right headspace to write this. I hope you guys like it! I recommend listening to Thomas Rhett’s Marry Me when you read this. As usual, feedback is appreciated and much love! -Em

Ellie was coming back into town for her engagement party this weekend. I was the first person she called when Evan proposed. She damn near gave me a heart attack when I answered, and she was scream-crying.

Flashback

I was watching the Chargers game when Ellie called. “Hey Elliebear.”

“Heaskedmetomarryhim.” She screeched on the other line. I had no idea what she said. It sounded like she was crying. And that I would be deaf in one ear. I pulled the phone away from my head until she stopped freaking out.

“What was that?”

“Evan proposed.” What?

“Oh?”

“And I said yes. I’m getting married Montgomery.” Oh.

“That’s great Ellie. Congratulations. I’m happy for you.” I cleared my throat, trying to get rid of the pit that was forming.

“Thank you. I wanted you to be the first one to know, so I just wanted to call you quick. I can hear the game in the background, and we have more people to call so I’ll let you go now.”

“Okay, tell Evan I said hi and congratulations.”

“I will. Bye Monty.”

“Bye Ellie.” I hung up and sat back on the couch. She’s getting married.

End flashback

I was on break at work when I got a text from Ellie.

Hey you. I just got into town with Evan for the weekend. Are you free tonight?

I texted her back a few minutes later, yeah I’m free. What’s up?

She replied right away. Drinks or coffee? Just you and me. My parents are going over some details for tomorrow with Evan that they don’t want me around for.

Sure. Meet you at Monet’s at six?

I’ll save you a seat. Usual order?

You know I don’t change things Elliebear.

I stopped at home to change after work into something more comfortable. I grabbed a clean pair of jeans and a random t-shirt before grabbing an old flannel and running out the door, so I wasn’t late.Ellie barely beat me to the café. It wasn’t surprising really, since she was always the early one.

“Hey, what can I get you this evening?” the barista asked her.

“Can I get a-”

“She’ll get a skinny vanilla bean latte with only one pump of vanilla, a dash of cinnamon, and extra foam in a for here cup. I’ll get a regular black coffee. And she’ll also have the chicken and spinach sandwich.” I said behind her. The barista looked at her, unsure if she should ring it in or not. Ellie nodded and turned around to face me. Before I had a chance to say anything, she jumped into my arms for a hug.

“Hey Elliebear.” I grunted.  

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

Our orders were finished quickly as it was surprisingly slow for a Friday night. Luckily, that meant our table was free. We sat down and conversation flowed easily. It was almost like we had never been apart.

“The ring is nice. It suits you. Bigger than I thought you would like but it’s nice.”

“It is nice, yeah. That reminds me, Evan said he’s looking forward to meeting you tomorrow.”

“So am I. See who finally caught your interest.”

“I was interested in other people before Evan.” She told me, scandalously. Sure, you did El. I didn’t let myself think about the possibility of her liking me that way when we were younger.

“Ellie. That guy from drama class doesn’t count. And neither does your chemistry partner.”

“I was not interested in Adam. And Zach was my chemistry partner. I can assure you I was not into him.”

“Please, enlighten me as to these people you were interested in before Evan.”

“There was,” she paused. “Dylan from sophomore English was cute. Ian. Couple other guys in high school. Peter from my first year anthropology class was… very attractive, and smart.”

“One guy aside from Evan? University of Georgia is a big school. There’s no way you only had eyes for two people.”

“I was busy. I practically lived in the library when I wasn’t in class or my dorm. What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Is there a girl I should be hearing about? Or should have heard about?”

“Nah. Nothing important or anything to write home about. I was busy.” I wouldn’t call what I did, dating. The point wasn’t to find someone to bring home. Who I wanted to bring home was over 900 miles away.

“Oh please Monty, you played ball at OSU. You honestly expect me to believe there was no girl in your life?”

“No, no. There were girls. Just nothing really serious.”

“Uh, huh.” She replied, sarcastically. We reached for our cups at the same time and our hands brushed. I was immediately transported back to the day of homecoming in senior year.

Flashback

“Remember students. The homecoming game is tonight at 6:30. You’ll want to be there early as our Liberty Tigers take on the Hildebrandt Mustangs if you want good seats. It’s sure to be a nail biter.” Principal Bolan’s voice boomed from the intercom during the morning announcements.

“Don’t know why he’s hyping it up to be a nail biter.” Scott laughed.

“We are playing Hildebrandt. We could literally not show up and still win.” I joked. “Have any of you seen Ellie? She’s usually here to force me to English by now.”

“Nah man.” Scott replied.

“Need lover girl to make sure you do what you’re supposed to?” Bryce teased.

“Fuck off. It’s not like that with us.” Unfortunately.

“Sure it’s not Monty. I refuse to believe you never hit it.”

“Don’t talk about her like that.” I threatened, lowly. Don’t push it man. Bryce shut up at my tone. “I’m going to go try and find her. I’ll see you guys at lunch.”

She was arranging her books when I found her at her locker. She was trailed by Clay and Alex. I pulled her into my arms and lifted off the ground. “Montgomery, put me down!” she laughed.

“Never.” I laughed, evilly.

“I have to grab my chem book. And go to chemistry.”

“I’ve got it.” Zach said as he grabbed her book, “you carrying her to class today?”

“Nah, I thought about it but since I had to come find her this morning, I figure she can make it there on her own.”

“I was running late. My alarm didn’t go off when it was supposed to.”

“Excuses, excuses.” I replied, putting her down and shaking my head.

“I’ll see you guys later? Zach and I are running late.”

“Sure. Justin said if I don’t go to the game tonight, he’d tell mom and dad about Ani. And I don’t want to deal with that.”

“Someone has to keep Clay company, so I have to go too.” Alex said, pushing clay lightly.

“Great. I’ll see you then. See you at lunch Monty.”

I sat through just about the driest English class of my life, counting the minutes on my watch. Math was no better. We were reviewing for a test that almost the whole

class failed. Somehow that was our fault for not studying enough. I let out a sigh of relief when the lunch bell rang.

The table was already mostly full when Ellie came and sat next to me. “Ellie, think you could pray for us to not lose this game tonight?” Bryce sniggered from the end of the table.

“Hey, quit being a dick.” I stated. Bryce responded by chucking a grape at me. I threw it back at him. I knew how important her faith was to her. Some things just weren’t okay to be joked about or questioned. When it came to Ellie, faith was one of them.

“It’s fine Monty. Not like he hasn’t done it before.” I know he has. I don’t like it. “It’s going to take a lot more than God to help you win if you don’t learn to throw better than that in the next six hours. But sure.” I watched her from the corner of my eye as she smirked to herself before beginning. I’d seen her pray for real before. This wasn’t that. “Lord, please help the guys win tonight. Give them the ability to not trip over themselves when they make plays. And God, please show Bryce how to make the ball go where it’s supposed to and not hit some poor kid in the head again. Maybe, just maybe, then he will get laid tonight and we all know that’s really why he asked me to pray.” She smirked at Bryce. I choked on my juice. She probably isn’t wrong. Was pretty funny when that kid got hit though.

“You need to quit hanging out with Monty, he’s rubbing off on you too much. And I was serious.”

“I know. I’ll do it for real after lunch. You can sit with me if you want.” She was true to her word. I was late for Geography because I was watching her sit in an empty alcove praying. Bryce didn’t sit with her.

The locker room was abuzz with excitement. It was the homecoming game. Not to mention our season opener. If we wanted to start the season off right, we had to win. Sure, we joked around about Hildebrandt being an easy team to beat-they came in second to last in the league last year-but there was still a chance they would pull off a miracle. Especially if Bryce threw like he did at lunch. “Yo Monty, is Ellie coming to Monet’s tonight?”

“She said she would. Not that she’ll give you the time of day.” I waved off Matt’s question. She’s not interested. Trust me. Find someone else to have your eyes on. Several ‘oooo’s were voiced around us.

“How do you know?”

“Just do, man.”

“I could treat her real nice. She’d beg me for more.” Are you fucking kidding me?

“Oh shit.” Someone muttered, seriously. I didn’t really hear who it was. The sound of my blood rushing in my ears was too loud. Coach Kerba wasn’t in the room. He was talking to Banes about plays. No one in here will snitch. Not when it’s about Ellie.

I immediately turned towards him and cornered him against his locker. The rest of the team stood silently, watching us. I got real close to his face so only he would hear me. “You even think about her like that again and I will bury you so deep they’ll need ground penetrating radar to find you. Not that they’d recognize you if anyone found your body. If you so much as brush against her too hard in the halls, I’ll break your jaw. You understand Carraway?”

“Y-yeah. I got you. Never said a word.” He breathed in response. I had scared the living shit out of him. Good. I stepped away from him and after a few beats the incident was forgotten and the mood was light again.

The game wasn’t that exciting. Had it not been homecoming, most people probably wouldn’t have shown up. As expected, it was in our favour most of the first half. Ellie waved at me between plays. She was practically beaming. During the second half Hildebrandt seemed to find their groove and the game was at least interesting to play. It wasn’t the nail biter Principal Bolan had promised this morning. Everyone knew that regardless of how we played, we would end up winning. The game ended and the team and the crowd were excited. Matt and Garrison were so excited by the win, they tripped over their own feet and faceplanted on the sidelines. The excitement died down for a moment until they shot up and went on celebrating.

I waited for Ellie outside the locker room, as per our tradition. “Good game.” She called.

“Of course, it was. I was on the field.” I smirked.

“Modest as ever I see.”

“Do you expect anything else at this point Elliebear?” “Not really. But I can hope, maybe one day.”

“Maybe, but not likely.”

“Oh hey, while I’m thinking about it, Clay asked me to keep an eye on Justin tonight.”

“Is everything okay?” My brow furrowed.

“I think so. Clay said something about him having issues adjusting and stuff. Do you think you can play nice with him for a while?”

“I suppose, since he is your friend, I can try and be nice for a while. But not all night. I want some Ellie time.” Only because it’s you asking.

“And you’ll get your Ellie time. After you make nice with Justin.”

I sighed, making it seem like a hassle just to get a rise out of her. I was about to respond when Bryce called us, “are you two going to stand there and chit chat all night or are we going to celebrate?”

“We’re coming. Give us a minute asshole.” I called back to him. Bryce didn’t respond.

I turned around so I could give her a piggyback out to the car. “Hop on”. Once she felt secure, I walked us out to the parking lot. I pretended to not pay attention when she stole my baseball hat. She couldn’t see the way my smirk turned into a smile when she did.

“That’s my hat El.”

“I know. I happen to like it though, so I’m wearing it.”

“I’m not getting it back tonight, am I?”

“Nope. It is now mine. Might even write my name in it.”

“You do that Ellie. I won’t care when I steal it back who’s name it has in it.” Already has my name in it. Yours would just complete it.

“Fine. Then I’ll readjust it.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh, I would.”

I set her down at her car. “No, you wouldn’t.” I called her bluff. You’re too sweet to do it. Or you’d fix it right away if you did. She rolled her eyes at me.

“Whatever. I’ll see you at Monet’s in a few with your precious hat.” I waited until she got in her car and drove off, before starting my own engine and following her.

Ellie beat me to Monet’s as usual. I nodded at and stopped to chat with some of my teammates when I came in. Matt nodded awkwardly at me as I passed. I glared in return. My coffee was set across from her when I got to our table. “I see you told the truth. Can I have it back now?”

“No. I think it looks quite fetching on me, if I do say so myself.”

“Fetching?”

“Yes. Do you disagree?”

“No, I think it looks good on you.” Not that anything would look bad on you. Suits her. She’s wearing my shirt.

“That’s what I thought.”

We chatted quietly before Justin showed up. “Hey guys.” He waved.

“Justin! You made it.” She exclaimed, too excitedly. Making him think you were forced to babysit him by being overly happy isn’t going to help Elliebear. I shot her a tone it down look. Justin smiled uncomfortably as she offered up her seat. “Make room.”

“Can do sweetheart.” I flirted, patting the chair next to me. The smile and blush she tried to mask didn’t go unnoticed.

“Thanks for the coffee Ellie.” Justin said, taking a sip.

“No problem.” The three of us chatted idly for a while. I was on my best behaviour with Justin and even laughed a few times at couple things he said. There was no mention of what he witnessed in the locker room.

My hand found Ellie’s under the table and I grasped it carefully. I had to make it look like I hadn’t done it intentionally. I could see the pink flare of her cheeks and my lip twitched upwards.

“Hey Justin, come over here and look at this.” Charlie called. He was looking at something on Garrisons’ phone. Justin left us to go investigate. I caught the quick glance at our hands, even if Ellie didn’t. Thank you, Foley.

“And then there were two.” I muttered, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Then there were two.” She repeated.

“That shirt looks good on you. It’s pretty familiar too.”

“Oh, yeah. There may be a reason for that.” She seemed nervous.

“Need to go talk to Mike?”

“Not if you don’t have a problem with it. I think he would agree it was simply borrowing, rather than stealing. No need to involve Jesus.”

“I am. So now you’ve got my shirt and my hat. Anything else you intend on taking of mine?” I slowly inched closer to her. We have never gone here. But there’s no way she doesn’t feel this pull.

“Possibly. Depends what else you’re willing to offer.” She said, coyly. My fingers itched to brush the hair from her face. She beat me to it.

“I think there’s a thing or two I could offer you Ellie.” I replied, leaning in a little more. What am I doing? What if she doesn’t feel the same way. Am I about to ruin our friendship? Do I even care? Before I could kiss her, fucking Bryce Walker beckoned from across the room. Son of a bitch. You couldn’t wait two god damn seconds, could you? This better be important.

I stopped just short of kissing her. “What?” I answered, curtly.

“My place, half an hour.” He called back. That is what was so important you had to interrupt this moment? That could have waited. Fucker. I nodded in response and turned back to Ellie, hoping the moment wasn’t gone. I knew it was though. I sighed internally. She was smiling at me, but it didn’t reach her eyes like it normally did. She’s upset. I didn’t know what to say to try and salvage our moment. Instead, I watched her take a sip of her latte and check her watch.

“Shoot. Is that really the time? I have plans with my mom in the morning. I should get going.” I’ll take bullshit for 200, Alex. She never was a good liar.

“Oh, okay. Are we still on for waffles Sunday afternoon?” I tried to hide my disappointment.

“Yeah. Be at my place around one? I need to talk to Pastor Mike about a few things after service.”

“I’ll be there. Text me when you get home.”

“I will.” She hurried out of the café so fast, someone might think there was a fire.

I threw my head back in my chair and ran my hands down my face. Bryce and Matt were watching me when I looked out at the room again. I mimicked Ellie’s actions and took my half empty cup to the counter. “You couldn’t have waited one minute, could you Walker?” I grumbled as I passed him.

“Sorry dude.” He called after me. “My place-.”

“Half an hour. Yeah. I got that.” I shook my head as I left the café.

End flashback

I turned to watch her take a sip of her latte. She still savoured the taste and licked her bottom lip the same way. “What about the blonde girl you told me about briefly?”

Blonde girl… Lip piercing? No. Was a red head. The sorority girl? That was the brunette with the Adderall. Blonde… oh! Chirpy. “Sara?”

“Yeah.”

“She was nice. Very peppy and chipper though.”

“Ah yes. Need to keep up that stoic exterior. Can’t have someone too chipper, lest people think you have a soul or something.” You always thought I did.

“Exactly.” I laughed. He took a long sip from his cooled coffee. “Can you imagine if I brought her home?”

“Well, knowing your mother, I would probably be attending your engagement party tomorrow instead of the other way around.”

“Oh probably.”

“How is your mom doing, by the way?” “She’s doing okay. After dad died, she was pretty out of it for a few months. She’s gotten better with time though. Really started to come into her own and forge her own path.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“Not going to ask how I’m doing Ellie?”

“No. I know how you’re doing.”

“Oh really?”

“Montgomery. I am your best friend. Your dad was never a parent. DNA doesn’t make someone your family. You’re doing the same as you did the day you left and vowed to never speak to him again.”

Her easy explanation surprised me. “Sometimes I forget how well you know me.”

“I know. That’s why I have to remind you all the time.”

“Yeah, yeah. How did Evan react to Scott on the way from the airport?”

“I’m not totally sure. I don’t think he realized how things worked at Liberty and exactly what you and I being friends meant. Scott told him about the treehouse.” Oh God.

“Oh no. Ellie. I need to look the guy in the eye tomorrow.”

“I know you do. Don’t worry. He didn’t seem upset or anything. I think he found it amusing actually.”

“Did he tell him anything else?”

“About you?”

“Yeah.”

“No, mentioned how you guys fucked up and didn’t study for midterms and I singlehandedly kept you all on the team. And how Matt and Garrison managed to keep themselves above their feet until after homecoming senior year.”

“Of course, he did.”

“Don’t worry. Evan will like you.”

“How do you know?” Why do I care? Because you love her you dolt.

“Because I like you. And even though you think you are, you really aren’t a bad guy.” We talked for about another hour or so, just catching up, before we decided to call it a night.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Three o’clock sharp.”

“Good.” She squeezed me tightly. When we pulled apart, I looked down and saw she was wearing my shirt. She kept it all these years.

“Is that my shirt?”

“Yes, it is.”

“I thought I lost that years ago.”

“You never asked for it back. We agreed that I technically borrowed it, remember?”

“Yeah, but I also thought you would have given it back by now.”

“I mean, I can give it back to you tomorrow if you want it.” She offered.

“No, no. You keep it. You seem comfortable in it.” She smiled and hugged me again before leaving.

No matter how much I tried to talk myself into cancelling at the last minute or just not showing up to the party, I couldn’t do it. As much as I wanted to let her finally think that I was an ass, I couldn’t. I couldn’t hurt her like that. So, I manned up and went to Ellie’s engagement party. I showed up right at three, as promised. “Hey you.” She beamed. Her whole face lit up when she saw me.

“Hey Elliebear.” I said as I hugged her. Evan stood to the side, giving us a moment. He looked so uncomfortable with our interaction. Maybe he noticed how much brighter her face got when she saw me. She pulled away first and turned towards her fiancé.

“Evan, this is Monty. Monty, this is Evan.” She motioned between us. I shook his hand awkwardly.

“So, you found the way to Ellie’s heart, huh?”

“Yeah. She is something special. I thank God every day that she decided to give me a chance.”

“Don’t I know it?” I replied, trying to hide the wistfulness and ignore the pang of jealously in my chest.

Jill called her over for something and she pointed Scott out to me. Trying to avoid a pissing match El? “Coming Mom. Scott is over there by the cupcakes. Try to keep him from eating himself to a sugar high?”

I laughed, “can do Ellie. It was nice meeting you Evan. Congratulations.”

“You too Monty. Enjoy the party.” He doesn’t like me.

“Hey Scotty.”

“I didn’t think you’d show up. Justin and I had a bet going. I owe him fifty bucks.”

“Well, you know. It’s Ellie.” I grabbed a cupcake from the stand and took a bite. Not bad. I see why she wants me to monitor Scott.

“That’s why I didn’t think you’d come.”

“You came.” Justin said, patting me on the back in lieu of greeting.

“Yup. Where’s Sasha?”

“Girl talk with Ellie and Jess and some other girls.”

“Riveting. What choice did I have? My options were come, watch her with Evan, and hate every second of it for an hour or two, or, not come and have her hate me for the rest of our lives.”

“I guess. Are you going to go to the wedding?” Justin asked.

“See if Evan lets her invite me first. He doesn’t seem too impressed so far. Thanks for that by the way Scott.”

“I’m sure he’ll warm up to you.”

“If you’re invited? Which you will be, because you’re her best friend.”

“Then what kind of best friend would I be, if I didn’t go to her wedding? I’d just hate myself for a few more hours then. That’s better than a lifetime of her hating me.”

“Fair. Look, if you want to leave, just say the word. We can go back to my place and drink.” Scott offered.

“Thanks. I need to stick it out. It’s Ellie.” The rest of the party was fine. I talked to Jill and Rob for a while. I even talked to Evan for a bit. It was awkward but we didn’t fight each other. If he suspected anything about my feelings for her, he didn’t say anything. I left that evening, wondering if he noticed Ellie looking for me and not him all afternoon and letting my brain go somewhere it hadn’t gone in years. At least, not willingly gone in years.

I held out some sick hope that maybe, just maybe, the engagement wouldn’t last. I knew it was wrong of me, but I couldn’t help it. This was the girl that I had been in love with since the eighth grade. That’s when she stopped being like one of the guys. When she became something more. Even though I knew it wasn’t an attainable thing, even back then, there was always this little spark of hope. She was the reason I didn’t really date in college. She was the reason no girl was worth bringing home to meet my mom. They were all compared to her. They would always be compared to her. I always hoped that she felt the same way about me as I felt about her. That hope vanished when I checked my mail after work that Wednesday. The fancy envelope and familiar script were enough of a giveaway. I didn’t need to open the card to know what it was. The invitation. I sighed as I went in the house and opened the card. I merely skimmed for the important dates and time. I knew in that moment that I had finally lost her. I also knew that I would go anyway as I signed, sealed, and mailed the RSVP that night. I had to go. It’s Ellie.

**

The day had finally arrived. I had been dreading this day for the better part of a year. It was the morning of Ellie’s wedding. I woke up, forced myself to get out of bed, made coffee, and showered. I stared at the black suit hanging on my bedroom door for fifteen minutes. Arguing with myself about if I was really going to do this was getting me nowhere closer to a decision. If I go, I’ll hate myself. If I don’t go, she’ll hate me. If I go, I’m losing her. If I don’t go, I’m losing her. If I go, then I’ll get to see her. If I don’t go, I won’t see her. If I go, I’ll have to hold my feelings in forever. If I don’t go, I’ll have to hold my feelings in forever. Finally, I came to a decision. I wasn’t willing to risk losing her because I couldn’t show up for her. If I wasn’t going to be able to be with her, at least I could still be in her life. Maybe. But I’d cross that bridge when I got to it. I put the suit on and fixed my hair. Then I went to the liquor cabinet and filled a flask with whiskey. I couldn’t drink it in church because if Ellie found out, she would kill me, Ten Commandments be damned.

I arrived at the church forty-five minutes before the ceremony was scheduled to start. I took a sip from the flask in my pocket on the city sidewalk. Spotting Bryce, I walked over to him. “Hey.”

“Hey man, how’s it going?”

“It’s going, you?”

“Same old, same old.” We chatted mindlessly for a few minutes until Justin showed up with Clay and Sasha. I’m shocked we haven’t gotten a happy announcement from them yet. She looks thrilled.

“Justin, Clay. Hey Sasha.” The trio greeted me, and Clay took Sasha inside. He seemed to pick up on the displeasure radiating off of her.

“Holding up okay?” Justin asked.

“Sure.”

“He’s at his best friend’s wedding.”

“I know. Just trying to be nice Bryce.” Zach showed up and broke some of the tension brewing between Bryce and Justin. Never thought I’d be happy to see Zach freaking Dempsey.

“So, I heard from one of the groomsmen that she looks beautiful.”

“Of course, she does. It’s Ellie. And it’s her wedding day.” I said. Scott found us milling in the back of the chapel and came over. He didn’t bother greeting us.

“Have you talked to her?” he asked.

“No. I wanted to give her space. In case I decided not to come.”

“Oh. You could go talk to her now.”

“And say what Scott?”

“Tell her.”

“Tell her what? It’s her wedding.”

“I know that.” I looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to our little group. They weren’t.

“Tell her what exactly Scott? How do you propose I go about telling her that I think she’s making a mistake and that I’ve been in love with her since we were thirteen? I’m not going to do that. Not today. Not ever. I’m not messing this up for her.” I whisper-yelled.

“He has a point Scott.” Zach pointed out.

“If I say something, I’ll lose her forever. So, to avoid losing my best friend, I’m going to sit here, watch her marry the man she loves, and wish her the best. And then I will go home, get very drunk, and sleep the hangover off for the next two days.”

Scott raised his hands in defeat. “Okay. I get your point. I’m not going to push you into doing something you don’t want to do.” Even though I made a good little speech, the closer we got to the ceremony, the more uncomfortable I became. I couldn’t stop the thoughts of wanting to do exactly what Scott suggested. I wanted nothing more than to go find her and tell her how I felt. But then I looked around the room and saw all of these people waiting excitedly to see Ellie and Evan get married and live happily ever after. I wasn’t going to be the reason that didn’t happen. But the closer we got to ceremony time, the closer I also got to losing my resolve to sit here and watch this happen. I couldn’t watch her marry someone else.

“I can’t do this.” I said suddenly.

“What?” Zach asked.

“I can’t watch her marry him. I can’t sit here and watch them get married. I can’t give her up like this.”

“What are you doing Monty?” Scott asked. I stood up from my seat.

“Tell Ellie that I’m sorry.” With nothing more to say, I turned around and walked out of the church. My friends didn’t try to follow me, too stunned to process what was happening. I got in my car and drove. I wasn’t sure where I was driving until I pulled into the lot.

I opened the door to the quaint café and saw that our table was available. Though, I suppose now it was more my table than our table. I lost her today. There was no way I was getting her back after what I did. I slipped my jacket off and hung it over a chair to save the spot, before going to the counter and ordering.

“Can I get a tall bourbon neat. Make it a double.” Monet’s had been licensed a few years ago.

“Sure thing. Rough day?” The barista asked.

“You have no idea.” I shook my head and took the drink she set in front of me. Back at what was now only my table, I pulled out my phone and scrolled though some old photos. A lot of them were of Ellie. She used to like to steal my phone and leave me with some selfies to surprise me when I opened the app. I scrolled through the seemingly endless stream of photos and ordered another bourbon when I finished the first one. My trip down memory lane was interrupted when I got a text from Bryce.

I need you to tell me where you are.

Why?

Because I do. Now tell me where you are.

Why?

Montgomery. You want to tell me where you are.

Fine. If you must know. I’m at Monet’s. Now why do you need to know?

I’m sorry about homecoming night. I hope this can make it up to you at least a little. I stared at the screen in confusion. Shaking my head, I put my phone down and went back to sipping the amber liquor. What the hell is he talking about? Fucking Bryce. I didn’t look up when I heard the bell chime above the door. Nor did I look up when I heard the click of high heels against the wood floors.

“Is this seat taken?” I heard a familiar voice, softly.

I looked up at her then, my eyes widening in surprise. What is she doing here? She is supposed to be getting married to Evan. What does this mean? Why is she here?

“I couldn’t do it if you weren’t there. You’re my best friend Monty.”

I scoffed quietly before replying, “it’s not taken, no. Sit if you want,” and taking another drink from my glass, not looking at her for fear of letting my guard down again, only to be crushed again.

“Hey,” she started, reaching for my hand. I looked at her hand and paused before letting her take it, “I mean it. I couldn’t marry him.”

“Why not?”

She was quiet for a moment. Noticing I had about fingers width of bourbon left in my glass, she grabbed it, downing the rest of it.

“Hey. I was drinking that.” I protested.

“I couldn’t marry Evan because he wasn’t you. And you weren’t there to say anything by the time I walked down the aisle. You were just going to give me away and live the rest of our lives wondering what if.” She told me while she stared into the bottom of the now empty glass.

“You- really?” Wait, how did she know I was there? “How did you know…?”

“Zach told me.” Of course, he did. I sighed internally.

“I know I wasn’t there Ellie. I just. I couldn’t sit there in that church and watch you marry him. And I knew I was and would be too much of a coward to stand up and say something when I saw you standing up there with him. I had to let you be happy.” I told her, trying to make her understand that I couldn’t be the reason she spent her life unhappy.

“Don’t you get it Montgomery? I wouldn’t have been happy. Not really. Or at least not for long. Not with Evan.”

“So why did you agree to marry him?”

“Because I thought it would be easier? My friends liked him, my family liked him, I liked him. I just thought that it would be easier to ignore my feelings. I could marry him, officially move to Atlanta, come home a couple of times a year, have a couple of kids. It all seemed easier than admitting to myself that I was in love with my best friend and if I really, truly wanted to be happy, I would need to be with him instead. And that admitting that would change everything. But I’ve learned over the past year that easy doesn’t always mean happy. And sometimes what we think is easy in the short term, isn’t always easy in the long term.”

Easier. Sure. She finally admitted it. She’s in love with me. I chuckled lowly, “took you long enough.”

She furrowed her brow at me, “what is that supposed to mean? I just confessed my love for you, and that’s all you have to say?”

“Yeah. It took you long enough to come to that conclusion. You were what? Half-way through the ceremony before you put a stop to it?” I asked, unable to keep the bitterness out of my tone.

“Not exactly. I knew a while ago. I spent the whole morning shaking and waiting for you to come and tell me that I was making a mistake. When you didn’t come, I thought… that you either didn’t feel the same way, or that you were going to do the kind thing for once and not say anything, but I thought at least you would be there. When I saw that you weren’t, I knew I couldn’t marry him. Even if it was the easy choice.” When I didn’t say anything she added, “you picked a great time to do the kind thing.”

“Yeah, well. You knew it would happen sometime. You owe me another shot by the way.” I muttered.

“Oh please. There was barely a fingers width in your glass.” she told me, sighing dramatically.

I looked at her through my eyelashes, “they won’t serve you that small an amount.” she rolled her eyes and stood up to go order me another shot. Before I could chicken out again, I surprised her when I grabbed her wrist to stop her, before pulling her down into my lap, she fell rather gracefully given the fit of her dress and kissing her deeply. I pulled away first and turned to look out the window. Our friends had gotten out of the car and were clapping and high fiving each other.

“How about that shot now?” I smirked.