#there's soo much more to say about this but for today I'll leave it at that

[meimi-haneoka]

Musings

I was scrolling through my TL this morning and I stumbled again on a certain scene from volume 8 of xxxHolic.

I went "...ah" and shook my head, smiling.

Then I started writing a thread with my musings, but it became so long that I decided to pour them here instead.

The scene in question was this one. The Spider Lady and Watanuki.

Kimihiro Watanuki and Yuna D. Kaito. Two boys who have initially no idea what they're doing on this earth, what their life is worth for, growing up alone, quick to throw their life away to make others happy. Although in personality Watanuki and Kaito are very different, this one complex aspect brings them closer.

I couldn't help being reminded how CLAMP love to portray this particular theme in several of their stories, almost as if they were tormented by it.

Clear Card Arc introduced the theme of self-sacrifice, with all its devastating effects, in a series where it hadn't been explored deeply yet. First in a milder way with Syaoran, but I think we all agree that the character who brought that message home the most is indeed Kaito.

Yet, I really appreciate how this doesn't turn everytime into the "same reheated soup", as we say in italian, because each series' approach is different from the get go.

Holic addresses several thematics straightforwardly, without sugarcoating them. All the volumes are brimming with life lessons and impactful lines that corner you and force you to think about life and your relationship with others. Sometimes those truths are hard, like a slap in your face. It's no wonder that the entire "Phrase" area of the CLAMP exhibition was all dedicated to Holic. Its portrayal of the thematic of self-sacrifice follows the same pattern, and one example is the criticism from the Spider Lady directed at Watanuki in the aforementioned volume. He will leave that encounter having learned something very important from those words.

For CCS, on the other hand, CLAMP have always chosen a different approach, fitting for its genre and demographic.

Although there are several nourishing lessons we can get from it as well, the messages are usually always passed without judgement. It seems CLAMP prefer letting the characters go through things, make their own decisions, their own mistakes, learn and grow firsthand from them. The thing we hear the most in the entire series is "Look in your heart, find the answer in yourself".

And despite how often Momo gets angry at Kaito, as an impartial magical beast she's prevented from doing a speech similar to that of the Spider Lady. While many might think that would've worked best, the world view and narrative structure of CCS is different from that.

In the same way, CLAMP leave the readers free to perceive and take the message home as they want, guided by the characters' actions rather than their explicit thoughts and spelled out words of wisdom.

While in Holic it's clearer what their stance on a certain topic or thematic is, in CCS things are more blurred and nuanced. The events are presented as they are, resting on a delicate balance, as if asking you "This is what happened. Everything considered, what do you think?", making an effort to not pass a judgement along so you can make your own idea of it.

We never get anyone lecturing Kaito for what he did, nor looking down upon him, because that's not CCS' language and there's no need for it. The characters understand the sentiment that moved Kaito, even though that's not treated as a justification for the path he chose. The message will be conveyed eloquently enough by facts - Akiho's tears full of anger in chapter 78. Rather than choosing to make a character lecture him harshly, CLAMP "left" Kaito dealing directly with the consequences of his actions, in order for him to look into his heart and learn a lesson from it. More than the act of deciding her happiness on her behalf, Akiho is furious because Kaito crumpled his life and threw it away in the trash in the attempt of saving her and giving her a happy life.

This approach is totally in line with CCS' compassionate world view. A world view that tries to cause changes in the world guided by kindness, refraining from applying prejudices and dispensing judgement upon others.

But beware, comparing the two approaches to the same thematic doesn't mean that one is better than the other: depending on the situation, sometimes we need the frankness of Holic, sometimes the sensitivity of CCS.

It is in my opinion pretty wonderful how the same theme can be communicated in different ways, choosing different paths, approaches, just like in these two examples here.

Two different approaches for the theme, but same conclusion: once we form connections with others, we don't belong to ourselves alone anymore. We're not free to dispose of our life without affecting other people who share that bond with us.

We may think we're not important, that we can come second or third or last behind everyone else as long as they're happy, but that's not true. Seeing us suffering, or missing our presence will ultimately make other people cry. Even people we didn't really think they could ever love us.

So cherish your life, always. Today you're doing it for your loved ones, tomorrow you'll learn to do it for yourself, too. ❤️

[reaperexe]

Bakery ♡

Summary : your bakery is struggling till one evening a cute guy steps in through the doors.

warnings : none just fluff <3

There was nothing you got out of your little bakery other than unpaid bills and reminder for deadlines of other bills. It was rough to say the least but your will to make things work out was stronger.

You knew your breads and little pastries were good, even if they didn't sell you knew from their taste and the few friends that tried them that they were good.

The big conglomerate in front of you would say otherwise though, as none of their little workers would even turn to look at your little shop across the street. They all just flocked to the little coffee shop next to you.

What was so interesting about the small place, the coffee was fine from what you had heard, nothing special.

You pull another batch of cookies out of the oven seeing the office crowd march it's way back from the coffee shop with the signature cups of coffee in their hand.

As you closed that afternoon with little to no business as usual, you were taken aback when that angelic looking man stepped into the bakery.

He walked up to the counter with a sheepish smile ordering a couple things which you quickly packed.

"Hi" he muttered softly "Hope i didn't interrupt you packing up" he says as you chuckle softly telling him it wasn't a problem.

The man seemed attractive enough to let it pass but what he uttered next made you still.

"I run the cafe next to you" He spoke smiling as if you were gonna smile back but the scowl on your face said otherwise. This was your sworn enemy.

You still threw him a fake smile and handed him his food. He pulled out a cupcake proceeding to take a bite. "This is soo good" He remarks his eyes dripping with love.

You just fake smiled before telling him how much he owed, he frowned at your hostility but still proceeded to praise your food.

It felt hurtful to be rude to him when he was being so nice as he stood there with bit of the sugary icing smeared on his upper lip.

You motioned for him to wipe it but he just tilted his head to the side with a soft "Hm?".

God you couldn't be mad at him not when he took the small tissue from your hand while smiling cheekily and wiped away the sugary icing.

"I bake too but not as good as this" He says and you couldn't tell what was more sugary his words or your cupcakes. He muttered a "I'll see you around" before turning around and leaving.

No you definitely didn't love your sworn enemy, no you didn't think about him as you fell asleep last night or when you added icing too the fresh batch of cupcakes.

Something felt different today when those robotic looking office workers didn't instantly bee line to the coffee shop, when some of them didn't instantly turn their feet back to their building.

Even weirder when their coffee clad hands pushed open the doors to your bakery, buying a good amount of baked goods which you eagerly packed.

Closing up felt better today when you had practically empty shelves but you felt disappointment when the familiar coffee shop owner walked in and frowned at the empty shelves.

"No cupcakes?" he asked before his eyes fell on the only remaining two in the tray and his eyes lit up. I smiled packing up the two for him

"I didn't know recommending you to those office guys would lead me to have no cupcakes" he spoke pouting as you froze. 'He did this?' you thought, handing him his cupcakes.

Like clockwork he took one out again biting into the sugary treat. Your eyes were stuck on him as he ate, how could someone make even a cupcake look so delicious.

Next day you found yourself making an extra batch of cupcakes just for him and saving them at the side. The smile on his face is worth the extra effort when he sees the cupcakes on the tray.

But this time he brings a cup of coffee along, handing you the small cup as he takes the cupcakes from you.

This went on for a week, your feelings growing for him with the small interactions.

You set out the tray of cupcakes you made for him expecting him to come in any minute but when the door opens a mysterious man steps in.

He walks up to the counter, his stature blocking your view of the exit, he looks at the counter before pointing at the only remaining cupcakes.

You gulp at how to explain to this scary looking man that those cupcakes were saved for a special someone who you prayed would walk in any minute.

You thank whatever god heard your prayers as you hear the door open again followed by the familiar sound of footsteps before he finally comes into view.

He glances between you and the man, your frowning distressed face enough for him to sense something is wrong as he clears his throat.

The scary man asks for the cupcake again before being cut off by him "Sorry man i already ordered those" He says smiling but his face is threatening enough.

The man doesn't take the hint as he stands there looking between the two of you.

"Leave my cupcakes and my girl alone man" He sighs crossing his arms. The scary guys eyes widen at his words, he grumbles something before walking out.

'My girl?' the words he spoke still left you in a daze but you came back to reality as he cleared his throat, you looked up at him noticing the pink hue on his cheek as he stood looking at you awakwardly.

Embarrassed you quickly packed him the remaining cupcakes as he pulled out his wallet to pay but you quickly stopped him "No no this ones from me, for saving me from that guy"

"Nonsense i still wanna pay" He says but you insist he doesn't have to, he sighs putting the wallet back in his pocket before turning back to you.

"I'll only agree if you let me take you out on a date" He says crossing his arms as he refuses to take the cupcakes from you.

Your eyes widen at his words but you nod with a small "sure" and he smiles taking the bag from you.

"You know i meant that 'my girl'' He says as he walks out of the store leaving you blushing.

[nisuna]

Are my reoccurring kinks becoming more and more evident hmmm I wonder

But anyway, let's just say I finally got inspired over the weekend 🤫😉

<3masterlist<3

Strictly 18+ MDNI

TW: stepcest, doggy, bj, camgirl!reader x yuji, different positions; use of good girl, nii-chan, whore once; creampie, consensual filming, sex tape, sex stream, mentions of ass fucking, spanking, yuji's an ass man through and through, he's crazy strong as always<3

You never got along with your parents, but you liked your brother very much, he was always there for you so you missed him a lot when he moved out and just tried to survive day by day, but as soon as you turned 18 you packed your bags and moved in with him.

He was a bit confused when he first saw you at his doorstep but he understood. Things are hard at home. So you've been living together for a few years now and everything was going well. You could even hide your little secret from him this whole time. You always made sure that he wasn't at home before you started your stream. Until you didn't one day. You swore he told you that he'll be gone for the night, probably at some friend's party you didn't really pay attention. You even went down to see him off and told him to have fun.

"You guys wanna see my brother fuck me? Oh god he always fucks me so good I wish you guys could see that!", you sighed and continued "You should see his arms, god I bet he could fuck me while standing. And his fingers are so thick and long he can reach much deeper, better than my tiny ones." you splayed your fingers out while you took a sip of your drink. Immediately a couple donations came in either begging or saying ME NEXT.

You chuckled to yourself, "Alright alright, I'll try to ask him, but he's very camera shy guys I'm sorry.", you pouted at the camera. As you proceeded to chat and pick out some toys for today you unfortunately failed to notice the door opening and your brother lean against the door frame

"You fucking minx", he thought to himself. When he first heard his friends talk about a new hot camgirl they found he didn't pay much attention. But when they eventually got him to look his jaw dropped as he quickly snatched the laptop from his friends.

"Eeyy not fair we saw her first!", they protested, but Yuji was having none of it. That's definitely you and that's defintely your room in HIS house. So that's why you always want him out of the house especially on weekends. Is that the reason you wanted to move in with him so quickly, to slut yourself out? What happened to his sweet little sister, maybe he shouldn't have moved out so soon. He felt guilty for leaving you alone he, felt like wasn't a good enough brother for you to resort to something like that-

"Aww I wish you guys could see my my brother he's soo big it just doesn't feel the same without him", you whined while drilling yourself with a dildo. You have got to be shitting me.

"Yeah she talks about him all the time I wonder what he looks like. Chat always goes crazy whenever she mentions him."

Yuji thanked the heavens that they haven't met you yet. God have you mentioned his name before please no.

"Want me to moan his name? Guuyyss he's shy, but because of all of those donations I'll make an exception this once." you winked and went on with your little show, "Yeah you're so good oh god Yu-", nope not doing that, he thought while he slammed the laptop shut.

"HEY party pooper she was about to say his name and be careful that shit was expensive."

"Yeah sorry."

So that's when he set up his plan to catch you in the act. He pretended to leave like usual, but as soon as he heard you run up the stairs he snuck back in and got ready to pounce.

"Y-yuji what are you doing here", you choked as you tried to cover yourself with whatever was laying around.

"Me? You're asking me what I'm doing in MY house?"

"No.. I mean aren't you supposed to be at that party..", you trailed off.

"You wish huh.", he sighed, walking in and closing the door behind him.

You didn't know what to do with yourself as you felt him get closer to you. As soon as you reached out to turn off the camera he stopped you.

"What are you-"

"Don't play coy now, lets go do what we alway do right?"

You were dumbfounded. Huh.

"Cmon, put that mouth to good use."

So that's how you ended up here with your step-brothers cock down your throat while he was filming your face. He had an iron grop on your hair, almost suffocating you with the way he was moving. He was not only bulky and buff body wise but his cock definitely wasn't lacking.

yn's footstool: how do we even stand a chance if he looks like that and he's your standard?? no womder you always talk about him

yn's cumdump: whoa that's better than when she's sucking the dildo

yn's doormat: cumshot cumshot cumshot cumshot bukake

feetluvr77: whoa i can see it in her throat

"C'mon put on a show they are loving it. This is what you've always wanted to do right?", he pulled you off his dick making you cough and suck in a deep breath. Oh you felt so fucked out already, eye make-up smeared and he hasn't even started yet.

"Cmon lay down, 'm gonna fuck you like you always tell them I do." As soon as you laid down on your back he pulled you close and pushed right in without a warning. Your eyes shot open as you tried to muffle a moan.

"Oh that was a good shot, keep it up."

You were so so embarrassed but all of that faded when he started to move, making your eyes roll back and tongue loll out. You always knew he was big, seeing him without a shirt around the house was nothing new but seeing him right now while he was drilling his cock into you it just hit different.

"Yn?"

"Hmm?", you mewled through teary eyes.

"Play with yourself, don't just lay there this is work afterall right?"

You groaned but still reached over to roll your hardened nipples between your fingers and looking directly into the camera.

"That's it, that's a good girl.", he praised while squeezing your thigh and keeping a steady rhythm. "God I can see myself in your tummy, you're so tiny."

Donations were through the roof right now, flooding your ears with requests and remarks.

"Oh, someone said do a peace sign!"

Definitely not-

"Don't be like that, give the people what they want." and with a particularly hard thrust he had you throwing your head back while reluctantly holding up two of your fingers.

"Now smiiileee for the camera. Good girl~"

Oh this was so embarrassing, but it was starting to get you off so you played along. His rhythm faltered for a bit before pulling out and turning you over to your stomach with one arm. He really was strong you always forgot.

"Now, on all fours gotta give them a view of that perfect ass.", you obeyed, turning around and giving the audience the deepest arch you could manage.

"Oh yeah thats it"

After zooming right in to where you two were connected, he went to town. There was already a white ring frothing at his base. God how has he never noticed your ass before, that thing's huge and in this position your waist to hip ration looked ridiculous. His huge hand just looked perfect when spreading and spanking your cheeks. Careful or he'll cum in a few strokes.

He felt like you were reaching your limit, so he pushed even further.

"Fucking whore wants to get railed by her brother. You should've just told me you wanted me to fuck you. You didn't have to lie to your audience, I would have fucked good everyday if you said so sooner.", between his words he spanked your reddening asscheeks and god you were getting close. What you didn't expect though, was for him to spit on your ass and massage it over your puckering rim.

"Stay tuned for next stream, I'll fuck her ass."

"Nooo~", you whined reaching back  only for him to grab your arm and force it against your back.

"Don't lie to me, we all know you want everything stuffed don't we, guys?"

Yn's cumsock: Hell yeah!

Feetluvr77: "Make her call you nii-chan or some shit"

You tried to muffle your sobs in the pillow below you, but Yuji had other plans. Before you could react he pulled your back flush against his hard chest kissing and licking down the expanse of your neck while flipping the camera and getting a nice view of your smeared fucked out face.

"For old time's sake tell your nii-chan how good he's making you feel, what do you say? If you do you're allowed to cum, alright?"

He felt you hesitate in his hold.

"Hey what's wrong? You were always soo", thrust, "cute when you called me nii-chan when you were little, what happened to you? Gotta get my cute and obedient little sister back.", a particularly hard thrust almost made you topple over, but his strong grip held you up without a problem.

"Ah- no it's embarrassing..", you moaned at his mean thrusts.

"Say it or you won't cum."

He's as annoying as ever, but you couldn't hold back anymore.

"Feels good, yeah so so good nii-chan thank you. Please can I cum I'm such a good little sister right? Letting you use me however you like please~~"

"Yeah? Good job. Now play with your clit and cream on my cock.", he groaned into your ear and you thanked the heavens. Your hand immediately went to play at your sensitive nub. And with his praises and mean thrusts in his strong hold you felt yourself come undone. Luckily he got the money shot of your blown out eyes and gaping mouth right on camera.

"Thaaaat's it good~", he mused fucking you through your high and holding your limp body before stuffing you to the brim and filling you up as well. "You better take it all, 'm gonna make ya nice and plump."

After he sent you down he pointed the camera at your exposed cunt. "Now push some of it out" when he didn't get any reaction from you he gave you a spank and that did the trick as you felt his cum drip out of you and down your leg, "oh yeah that's it look at that guys." You could see how proud he was by his smug grin and you had to stop yourself from rolling your eyes at the camera.

"Any last words?", he questioned while he saw your huffing form as he directed the camera to your face.

Feetluvr77: God I never came this quick and much holy shit best stream so far

A couple comments came as you were saying your goodbyes and with a wave and kiss the camera was turned off. As soon as Yuji laid it back on your desk and was about to comment, a pillow came flying his way, almost knocking him over.

"Ayoo what was that for??"

"Shut up!! Why did you do that?"

"What do you mean? You liked it didn't you?"

You definitely couldn't argue with that, so you just huffed and tried to cover yourself with your blanket. He felt a little panicked at that and went to sit by your side.

"It was okay right? That we did it on camera I mean."

"Yeah it's fine that's what I do. I've always wanted to invite someone over to do it, but I never expected it to be you.." you trailed off not daring to look at him.

"Ohoo, but you always talk about me don't you? Why did you not just ask me?"

"Because it's weird asking my step-brother to have sex with me, it's that cringe step bro porn trope I didn't think you'd be interested in that. And what if someone recognizes you isn't that weird?", you looked at him, cheeks still pink.

"No, we can do it again, I don't mind. Actually I kinda-", he trailed off and you felt a little hopeful only to be let down. "Depending on my cut of course. By the way how much do you even make and will I see some of that for my hard work?"

You groaned and tried to shove him away, but he's built like a wall and didn't even budge.

"I do make quite a lot" when you told him the exact number his eyes shot open.

"That much a month??"

"Per week most of the time."

"What? Then why the hell do you even still live with me?", he was dumbfounded.

"I don't know, it's comfortable and I like being around you I guess.", you said honestly, he was not only easy on the eyes but actually really kind and helpful most of the time.

"Unbelievable, but fine by me" he chuckled shaking his head but came right back, "soooo when do we do it again and what do we do? Also I gotta practice my camera work. I have a lot on my mind, how about-"

Before he could finish you slapped a hand over his mouth and let out a drawn out sigh. Oh boy this will be more work than you anticipated.

-------

Feel free to send me your Hot Takes as well ^^

[hitomisuzuya]

hello suzuu! congrats on 1000 posts 💞💞

soo i was thinking of some thighfucking with mouchie, im not really sure about the plot, so it's up to you!

dont forget to take care of yourself and eat well 💋

scaramouche x fem!reader. smut. thigh fucking. teasing degradation. i hope you all look at my blog in dark mode.

thank you, dear 🥺 you take care of yourself as well.

scaramouche sat back in his chair, and enjoyed the show. he knew he had a meeting to go to, but why on earth would he be in a hurry to leave for a meeting he planned on being late for, anyways? especially since there was quite a vision perched on his lap.

you, in nothing but your panties grinding your pussy into a sopping mess on his thigh while you cling to him.

he knew he could help you along, maybe steadying a hand on your hip to help guide your pace. but, he was getting off watching your struggle to get off on his thigh in your desperation for him. he grazed his fingers feather light up your stomach to your ribs to see you shiver in the pure pleasure of his fingers grazing against your skin.

"you are making such a mess on my thigh," his finger curled under your chin, "what do you have to say for yourself, slut?"

the throbbing in your clit made you unable to form words at first. you opened your mouth, however what came out was only a whimper of pleasure, your panties clinging and unsticking to your clit with your movements. "i..i'm sorry," you moan shakily.

scaramouche chuckled, tightening his grip on your chin a little. "use that pretty mouth of yours, and repeat what you said when you crawled into my lap like a needy whore," he finally put a hand on your hip, rubbing his thigh against your pussy.

your back arched as you shamelessly grinded on his thigh. "i don't want you to go. i'll miss you. take me with you, you won't even know i am there," you moaned, tears welling in your eyes as your body twitched in pleasure. your pussy was clenching around nothing, making you squirm slightly in his lap.

scaramouche looped an arm behind your back, and sat up, moving your chest closer to his mouth. "you are so cute when you beg. all pathetic and needy," his tongue snaked out to swirl around your nipple. "do it some more."

he knew very well he could take you with him. sit you on his lap and keep you quiet, letting you rub and nuzzle against him while he gave the mission briefing. but he was feeling extra possessive today. he didn't want to share you with the outside world today.

a loud cry of pleasure sounded from you, sharp jolts of pleasure brought on from the sensation of his tongue working your nipple to harden zapped right to your clit. your cheeks were flushed in utter adoration for him, your orgasm tightening to an agonizing degree in your core.

"promise you won't take too much time?" your lower lip trembled, your grinds on his thigh increasing in urgency. your legs shook from the effort, chasing the dizzying pleasure of his thigh rubbing your panties on your clit. "i'll miss you so much. please, i love you, scara. your thighs are so beautiful," the building of your orgasm was making you babble.

"adorable little slut," he cooed, scooping your nipple into his mouth to suck on. now he definitely wasn't dignifying his squad the right to even look at you today. you are all his.

scaramouche is always extra greedy when it comes to you.

louder moans that made his cock hard sounded from you. you are absolutely quaking with pleasure, barely able to hold yourself up. sighing, he supposed to should go easy on you. he didn't want to break you too early.

you whined in protest as he took his mouth off your nipple. his hand swiftly dipped into your panties. feeling the merest brush of his fingers against your messy folds made your hips automatically twitch to grind on his fingers. he pressed slow, form circles on your clit.

mewls of pleasure keened from your throat. scaramouche smirked and waited for the inevitable. a few moments later, you choked back a sob of bliss. scaramouche sat back in his chair again, feasting his eyes on you cumming hard and further soaking his thigh. "are you going to be a good girl and wait for me?" he asked, putting a hand on your cheek and forcing you to look at him.

"mhm. will you fuck me when you get back?" you turned your cheek into his hand, nuzzling against it.

"my pretty, not only am i going to fuck you," he groped your ass roughly, "i am going to breed you full. how's that sound?"

[lukolabrainrot]

Nicola's Easter Eggs from This Weekend/Week (and What it Could All Mean)

First, I am going to list the most important pieces of information (imo) that N posted on her IG grid or stories this weekend/week (and I will put the date it was posted- I'm on PST so some of these MIGHT have been posted on a different date for N):

Posted on N's stories on Friday, 8/9/24

Posted on N's grid on Saturday, 8/10/24

Posted on N's stories on Sunday, 8/11/24

This song was posted on N's stories on Tuesday, 8/13/24

Also, I want to stress I've been DEEP in delulu this weekend/week over all this because it's made me soo excited, but I analyzed the figure in the sunglasses from her milk tshirt pic for such a long time last night, and I swear... I am like 98% certain I see L's VERY distinct tattoo on the person in the sunglasses (and it's totally in the correct placement). I'll put the pic below. It helps if you zoom in a little bit. And after the song that she posted today, I am 99% certain at this point that L took that photo of her in the tshirt 😭😭😭 I could be wrong about the tattoo lol, BUT I still am almost certain that's him based on the arms!

What Could This All Mean??

I feel like we all have seen the theories at this point around all of these posts/stories, and the MANY Easter Eggs they all contain regarding L OR certain people adjacent to L. Therefore, I am not going to talk about all of the Easter Eggs and what they might be implying. This is what I will say:

If all of this content had not been released publicly in such a short period of time, I don't think I would really have paid that much attention to it, or have been THIS excited. However, it is precisely because N (who is VERY intentional on SM) posted ALL OF THIS in such a short period of time, knowing very well how the fandom would be interpreting it and leaving TONS of Easter Eggs that she's with L, that makes me fairly confident that there has been a VERY positive shift between L/N.

Could I be wrong? Yes. However, the song that she posted today (which I have ALWAYS loved btw 😍), clarified to me that everything she has posted since Friday wasn't just random. That song is a BIG statement! We know that N communicates through music, and this song's lyrics don't leave a lot to interpretation. It is a very sweet and happy love song! Now, could this song be about someone else, or could she just have liked the song and wanted to post it? Yes. But after EVERYTHING she posted on IG since Friday, NOBODY can convince me this song isn't about L!

I don't know what this EXACTLY means right now BTS for ALL parties involved in this situation. However, if L was going to officially acknowledge A as his girlfriend in the near future, would N have posted all of this content in such a short period of time that is very obviously related to L in the fandom? Absolutely not. I think (and a LOT all people might not agree with me on this) that this was an official acknowledgment to the fandom, specifically, that her and L are together currently and happily in love 😭😭😭 I still feel like the situation is probably a little complicated BTS, but something in my gut, based on all this public content the last few days from N, makes me feel like something BIG has changed between her and L, and N therefore feels more comfortable and confident with sharing this type of content with the fandom (and the public). I don't believe that we will get a lot of this type of content from L for a while (for LOTS of different reasons that I think are totally understandable), BUT we might get a couple of little crumbs from him (I'm thinking maybeee through songs). I also don't think they are in any place yet to go officially public, but I DO think that N will continue posting content like this if my theories are true 👀 I also feel like they may make a public announcement sooner than we expected based off of everything from the last couple of days. I have said this before, but I believe that both L/N are aware that this relationship would get serious pretty quickly if they were able to get on the same page. And I think they have 😭😍

Does this mean that L/A are done? I think so. Will we still see some material from A related to L? Maybe. I wouldn't rule that out. I get the sense though, and I have been feeling like this for a while, that L/A really haven't been doing that well in their relationship for a long time based on all the evidence that we now have.

A lot of people might not agree with all of my thoughts here, but I feel pretty confident that the song N posted today is a statement to the public, particularly the fandom, about her feelings currently for L. And it just makes my heart really happy 😍😍😍

[princesspastel8]

Chapter 6: "It's good to be back!"

Dipper POV

I wake up with a splitting headache. I groan as I sit up, pressing and rubbing my fits against the temples of my forehead. I swing my legs off my bed and hiss out in pain from moving to fast.

"Damnit....Bill.." I said while standing up and leaning against the wall for support. "My head...hurts so much."

I hear Bill laugh before he speaks. "Sorry, pinetree, I couldn't help myself. Seeing the fear in those meatsacks' eyes brought so much joy!"

I tense from his shouting. "Please...no screaming." I beg while slowly walking to the restroom next door to my room.

"Right, you had a pretty memorable night, huh?" Bill chuckles.

I take off my t-shirt and sweat pants, turning on the shower to warm water setting. I step inside, letting out a sigh as my tense body slowly relaxes. I lower my body underneath the showerhead, humming to the feeling of the warm water running down my body and soothing my headache.

"Yes, but enough with games. My plan is to bring you back today, but I can't think of who my last sacrifice will be."

"Haha, oh come on, pinetree. I'm sure there's someone out there who's stupid enough to get close to you -"

Bill is cut off by the sound of the bathroom door opening. "Oh! Oops, my bad dude. Didn't know anyone was in here." I hear Soos say.

I sigh heavily, pushing my wet hair from my face. I peek my head out of the shower currant. "So you're saying you didn't hear the water running through the door?"

Soos shrugs his shoulders. "Nope! But I'll wait until you're done. See ya later, dude." He said while walking out.

A smirk plays its way onto my lips as I pull my head back under the showerhead. "I think I found the idiot I can lead to their death...hehe." I chuckle while washing my hair and body.

"I forgot all about good old question mark! This is going to be hilarious to watch playout! Hahaha!" Bill laughs.

"Indeed." I said as I turned the water off and stepped out of the shower.

I wrap a towel around my waist and walk to my room. I open the door and walk inside, locking it behind myself. I drop the towel while walking to my dresser and pull out black shorts and a black tank top along with some boxers.

I dry my body, putting on my clothes. I place the towel on top of my head, and I walk down the stairs. I raise an eyebrow at everyone. No one's in the kitchen, but everyone is in the living room.

"Uh, why is everyone..." I trail off while walking into the living room. I look at the tv blankly. The news is on.

"A crazed serial killer is still on the lose. The bodies that were found and identified as Robert Stacey Valebtino, Tambry, Susan Wentworth, and Pacifica Elias Northwest. The police haven't figured out a clear motive nor how the murders could possibly be linked. I'm Jessica Jimenez, leaving a warning: be at home before sunset, lock your doors and possibly your windows, and stay safe. And now for the weather -"

Stan turns the Tv off to comfort a crying Wendy and Mable. Ford, however, is taking notes on his notepad, possibly writing everything the reporter stated. I sigh, walking over to Wendy, rubbing my hand up and down her back.

"Ahahahaha! Look at all the chaos and fear you put into those meatsacks! So proud of you, pinetree!" Bill cheers.

I feel my cheeks begin to heat up at Bill's words. I shake my head at the sound of Ford's voice. Everyone turns their attention to him.

"Stan and I will be leaving to hunt down this killer. My thoughts are that whoever is doing this has found out how to summon Bill."

Everyone's eyes widen at the mention of Bill, but my eyes hold shock for a different reason. "Just how did Ford figure it out? The deaths aren't linked in anyway....Unless he's referring to me killing two members of the cipher wheel." I thought to myself.

"What makes you think that grunlke Ford?" I question out loud.

"This killer only needs one more life to take. The fact that this killer killed two members of the cipher will speak for itself. So, in order to prevent such a thing from happening, Stan and I will find this killer and turn him or her over to the police."

Everyone nods their head in understanding as the two prepare to leave. "And no one is allowed to leave for any reason. Do I make myself clear?" Stan said rather sternly.

I sigh heavily while everyone else nods. They walk out the front door, leaving Wendy, Soos, Mable, and me.

"Soooooooo....duck detective?"

Wendy drys her tears and stands up. "I c-can't right now....I have to plan h-his funeral." She whispers, her voice cracking.

"And I have to talk with Candy and Grenda like we promised." Mable said while standing up and walking into her room.

"Oh...alright." Soos said sadly.

I watch as the two leave with a smirk on my lips. I glance at Soos as I stand. "Hey Soos, remember how we used to be dino bros?" I ask.

"Yeah, dude! It was so much fun....you know before the fight we had and almost being killed -"

"Right, right. How would you like to be killer hunters?"

"That would be awesome! It's been a while since I've been on an adventure."

"You didn't understand what I asked. Would you like to come with me to find the killer? Stan and Ford are too old to do it alone."

"Uh...I don't know, man, Stan did say not to leave no matter what." Soos points out with uncertainty.

"Oh come oooon Soos! They'll thank us for catching them!" I answer back.

"Well....if you say so! I trust you, Dipper."

"Great! Just let me get a few things, and we'll be on our way." I said while turning to leave the room.

"Hehe, things just got interesting.", Bill hums.

I chuckle while walking up the stairs to my room. "They have...yes they have."

■■■■

Mable POV

I sigh as I lay back in my bed, petting waddles with my good hand. I still can't believe that Dipper did that to me....he changed ever since that day. I blame myself for everything....I was drunk and just wanted to be cool. I can never forgive myself for that.

I sit up, hearing the door open to my room. It's Wendy. She's been down and out since Robbie was killed. She mentioned how he never came home last night but didn't think too much of it. I always thought Robbie and Tembery would last....I wonder what happened.

"Hey, uh Mable, have you seen dipper? I want him to look after the shack while I make a quick run. Soos isn't here either, so...." She trialed on.

"Huh?! But Stan said not to leave....should we tell them?"

She shrugs, "eh maybe...I'm sure they're safe."

But I don't believe it. Something feels off... really off. Dipper is different, far darker than he was back then. I never knew that he got the Cipher wheel on his back...I would sometimes hear him whispering in his room in the middle of the night. I don't know if it's me or the Mable juice, but Dipper isn't... dipper.

I hear Stan and Ford enter my room with a strange expression.....fear? "Grunlke Stan? Grunlke Ford? What's the matter?"

"No time to explain. Where's Dipper and Soos? We looked all over the shake but couldn't find them. We were hoping they were in here..." Ford said while nervously looking around my room.

"I don't know. I saw them walking into the forest through the window, just thought they were going to help you two find the murderer." I point out while smiling.

"Uh kid... we already know who the murderer is." Stan said in disbelief.

"Well, say it, old man." Wendy said in an impatient tone.

"Dipper. He's the killer." Ford finally said, his voice full of dread.

Wendy laughs as if it was a joke, but the look on my grunlkes faces says it all. The feeling in my chest grew heavier. How could my twin brother..be a killer?

I feel tears fill my eyes as I stare down at my broken wrist. "Wh-what makes you think that -"

"No time to explain! Get ready. We are leaving now before it's too late."

"What do you mean?" Wendy questions warily.

"Before Dipper brings back Bill."

□□□□

Dipper POV

As we get closer and closer to Bill's stature, the wider my smile becomes. So close...so so close...

"Aye dude, where are we going?" Soos asks while glancing around. "Isn't this where that Bill guy stature is?"

I turn around and chuckle, my vision flashing to yellow. "Yes. Yes, it is."

I can sense the fear coming off of Soos. It only makes my excitement grow. We approach his stature. I see tree veins wrapped all around his poor stature. I groan at the sight but smile as I hear Soos backing away from me.

"I don't know about this man. Dipper, I think w-we should head back..."

I chuckle, my chuckles changing to laughs, my voice becoming mixed with Bill's. "Sorry, question mark! But pinetree has other things planned."

I drop my bag, pulling out a pistol I took from my father before leaving for gravity falls. I turn around, aiming the gun right in between his eyes. "Dino bros... yeah, sure, when I was twelve. But things are different now....very different. Think about it this way! Your sacrifice will soon bring me happiness!"

Soos eyes begin to fill with tears, which only makes me laugh more. "Dipper, you can't do this, dude! Wh-what about your family?...you can't do this to us!"

"Family?....Bill is my only family." I frown before shooting him, killing him instantly.

I watch his eyes roll back as blood spats on my face. I place my gun back into my bag, picking up Bill's stature and placing it in the middle of an open space. I pull out a can of blue spray paint, drawing a huge circle around it. I then draw a star, the corners over the star with circles on the tips. I reach back into my back for the jars and 5 candles and a lighter.

I quickly place the jars and candles inside the circles on the tips of the star. I quickly open each jar, lighting up the candles. I watch as the red flame quickly turns blue. I stand before my art, my hard work finally paying off.

My smile disappears as I hear my name being called. I ignore it, holding my arms in the air as the palms of my hands glow with blue flames. "L-T-O-L-O-X-A! His time has come to rise! I invoke the ancient power that Bill has returned!!" I shout to the top of my lungs as my body begins to float from the ground.

"We're too late...." I hear Ford whisper in grief.

I watch as Bill's stature begins to float from the ground as the souls merge with it. The sky darkens, and reality freezes, turning to black and white. A bright yellow glow comes from the stature, causing everyone's eyes to shut tightly. Once everything settles down, I'm greeted by the voice I've yearned to hear from outside my head after all these years.

"Oh, gravity falls, it is good to be back! What is this? The second time?"

[sexyandcringe]

Hopeless romantic

Part 1 ◇ Part 2

Warnings: none except mentions of readers past traumas, mention of sexual objectification.

Content: osamu x reader, Angst (to fluff in the next chapters), hurt no comfort.

A/n: it's my first long-fic, please be nice :)

You're not used to being loved.

Your parents were always strict, hardly ever showing their affection, you didn't even have any close friends until you started working, where you found your best friend who showed you the blessings of a platonic love; but time passes and things happen, you had to move out of the town, leave your one true friend behind.

You are not used to love but especially romantic love, because all men did was see you as the object of their sexual desires, or maybe a good time-pass until a better one came along. Never as a person with feelings, never as a woman who loved them more than they loved her.

Sometimes you were too much, sometimes you weren't enough.

Too affectionate, too clingy, too dramatic, too loud. Not pretty enough, not smart enough, not horny enough. You tried and tried to be more, to be less, to be loved, but despite your efforts, love remained elusive, even with women.

So, after years of hoping and yearning, you resigned yourself to a loveless existence.

It is not to say that you never felt happy; even if you didn’t have love, you had fun and drama, you had friends to drink with (accompanied by the ting of pain the day after), you had a lot of books to read (leaving a bitter taste in your mouth whenever you finished one), you had dates and clothes and all the good and beautiful things in life and you've learned to appreciate these fragments of happiness.

But sometimes you get lonely.

You are used to it at this point, the crushing weight in your chest at 11 PM is your daily ritual before you finally give in to sleep.

So when you see Osamu Miya’s warm smile as he greets you in his restaurant, you battle to stop your stupid crazed heart, which is currently trying to jump out of your mouth.

You are just a client, his smile doesn’t mean anything, he is only doing his job, and you have seen him give the same smile to the old ladies who only order a coffee and linger to chatter for more than two hours, too. He’s a professional, after all. You are a regular and all he wants is your money, the bastard.

(you completely ignore the fact that he remembers details about you that no one bothers to remember; like the colour of your jewellery, the names of the dogs in your shelter or how your eyeliner is a little glittered today.)

Still, you are glad you got to know him. If anything, at least he is a good friend to you, always listening to what you have to say and filling your stomach with delicious food.

“ ‘Evening, Y/N. The usual?” He asks. You nod as you sit on the corner of the counter, the same seat you sat on the first day you came in.

(Osamu puts a “Reserved” sign on it every day until your arrival, not letting anyone else sit on it because it’s yours. But you don’t need to know that.)

You chatter with Tsumoto, the part-timer student who works in his shop, about his new crush, giving him advice you wouldn’t listen to nor follow from somebody else, and just as you are about to tell him that he should just write love letters to his crush, the doorbell rings; a pretty girl with dark long hair and the body of a goddess walks in, looking around for something, or better, for someone.

“‘Samuuu!” she calls him just as he comes out of the kitchen, and his face lights up, his arms envelop her figure and her lips meet his cheeks in an affectionate gesture.

… what?

“Emi! How are you, doll?” his voice holds tenderness as he guides the girl to one of the seats available, “Have a seat, I'll fix something up for you.”

She is a beautiful girl indeed, her hair flutters in the air like sea waves and her deep green eyes would make any man weak in his knees. She graces him with a smile, her flawless teeth gleaming.“A coffee is enough ‘Samu, I’m going to meet a friend soon.”

“Roger that!” he nods, signaling to Tsumoto for the order, before returning his attention to her.

He looks happy, you don’t think he has ever looked at you with this much fondness, and you’ve never witnessed any girl embrace him, let alone kiss his cheek. Hell, you didn’t even know if he had any female friends who were not his friends’s girlfriends.

(You feel your vision blur and something clenches in your chest. You swallow it down.)

You have no idea what they are talking about, you are not listening, all you can think about is how much you feel so so stupid. You didn’t hope for anything, you tried not to hope for anything at all, but feelings are hard to get rid of, especially if you see the one causing these feelings every week.

You look at them talking like best friends who haven’t seen each other for a long time and the feeling of inadequacy gnaws at you. You wonder if you ever even stood a chance to begin with. You yearned to be someone close to Osamu, someone who could give him hugs and kisses easily, someone who knew everything about him; you yearned to be part of his inner circle, but now you feel utterly stupid and delusional. Of course, he would never see you in that light, his affection is reserved only for a pretty girl like her. Of course he wouldn’t even think about getting physical with you. What were you even thinking?

Of course, you can’t be part of his world.

Reblogs are really appreciated! - Part 2

[songsofadelaide]

Asleep Among Endives

Chapter 4 — Side by Side

You never thought it would be the prelude to a never-ending nightmare.

[A Gojo Satoru x Reader fic, completed]

tags and content warnings: Gojo Satoru x (f) jujutsu sorcerer (rct user) reader, childhood friends to lovers, soulmates, original characters, manga spoilers, canonical character deaths, arranged marriages, canon-typical violence, implied sexual content, futurefic in later parts of this chapter. wc: 14.6k

⚜ This fic will not use 'yn' and instead follow my usual naming convention. Please kindly see yourself out if you're uncomfortable with fics using placeholder names for the reader. I do not use 'yn' in any of my fics. I still use 'you'/second-person pronouns and write with a generic (f) reader in mind. I use "Otome" as a placeholder as it means maiden, or Maiden-chan, which pretty much translates to 'yn'.

✾ Fic Masterlist ✾ Chapter 1 — Twilight ✾ Chapter 2 — The Sun ✾ Chapter 3 — Ordinary Days ✾ Interlude — In The Quiet ✾ Epilogue

"—I have silently watched him lying beside me    in the early morning, I know his loneliness, like mine, human and sad, but different, too, his private pain  and pleasure I can never enter even as he comes closer, past trees and cars, trash and flowers, steam rising from the manhole covers, gutters running with rain,�� he lifts his head, he sees me, we are strangers again,    and a rending music of desire and loss—"  — Chance Meeting, Susan Browne

— Love Me Tender.

~ February 2017.

"Is Nanami-san really married like everyone says he is? You don't look like the settling type at all."

Nanami actually expected that kind of question from this kid. Ino Takuma was a fresh graduate but definitely had the skill and talent to quickly rise up the ranks. The pair were on their way to a mission when the younger man asked the question to break some ice. 

However, the blonde turned away from the boy's curious gaze and instead rested his eyes on the road as they were being driven to their destination. "Let's not ask irrelevant questions."

"See?! I have great respect for you, Nanami-san! But I really can't picture you happily hitched when you're so uptight. Maybe the others were just messing with me…"

"Perhaps," Nanami replied. The boy was eager to learn more about him if anything, but he had to learn how to ask the right questions the right way, too. 

The mission mandated to them was the exorcism of a second-grade cursed spirit that loomed over the famous Shiki Theater in Minato. While it was already common practice for the seasoned sorcerer, this would be one of the first tasks that could either make or break Ino's character and career. 

"There are no shows today, but only rehearsals, which means civilians are still present. We should move to evacuate them once we get there."

"Good attention to detail, Ino-kun. But we don't have to worry about that. I had some help from an insider."

"An insider? Are they a sorcerer, too?"

"You could say that," Nanami remarked. "What do we do once we're before the threat?"

"We exorcise it as soo—"

"We assess the situation and confirm if the threat matches the description," the older man cuts off his subordinate's enthusiastic reply. "We'll proceed with the exorcism only if the cursed spirit's grade matches the threat level. If this is a second-grade cursed spirit as indicated, then I'll leave you to it."

Ino swallowed to himself as he took a mental note of what his more experienced partner stated. He envied how Nanami remained cool and level-headed even though they were headed to dangerous territory. The older sorcerer's clean work has always been a source of veneration for him and his classmates, but seeing Nanami in action in person left Ino awestruck. 

He needed to leave an impression on Nanami, too! 

So after the pair assessed the situation as previously mentioned by the seasoned sorcerer, Ino was handed the reins of the mission: to exorcise the cursed spirit sporting a Kabuki mask. It seemed to be terrorizing the actors rehearsing onstage. Though the place was clear, a single person remained onstage, drawing the curse's attention to herself while the rest of the theatre's crew escaped. 

"There's still one person left! She's—" Ino stated, a hint of panic in his voice. "Nanami-san, I'll—" 

He was surprised when Nanami barred his movement, choosing to enter the fray himself even though he said he would leave the work to the rookie. From across the floor, Ino watched how his mentor took to the stage and battled against the masked curse, a protective arm around the remaining person there, too. He found it odd that Nanami would try to protect that person on his own rather than urging them to escape while they could.  

"Wait a minute, is that—?"

The rookie couldn't believe his eyes. The woman was laughing as Nanami threw her over his shoulder like a piece of luggage. It took the skilled sorcerer a few slices and jabs before the curse was completely exorcised. 

"Nanami-san!"

Ino made his approach, and he was met by the giggling of the woman on his mentor's shoulder. Nanami placed her back down on her feet, to which she responded by dusting herself and straightening out her yukata. 

"Ino-kun, this is Koganei Chiemi-san. Not only is she the star of this theatre company, but she's the insider I told you about earlier," the older sorcerer stated as he introduced the rookie to Chiemi. "Chi, this is Ino Takuma-kun. He just graduated from Jujutsu High, but is proving to be a capable sorcerer so far."

Pretty is the very first thing that the young sorcerer thought of when he locked eyes with the older woman. She must be a hafu, or a quarter like Nanami-san. 

"I-It's nice to make your acquaintance, Koganei-san! If I may be so bold, I'd like to call myself Nanami-san's apprentice…" He said with a small bow. "Th-Thank you for your assistance with the evacuation of your production crew."

"Oh, so you're Takkun! Kento has told me so much about you!" She stated with a smile as she baptized the younger man with a new nickname and held out her hand for a handshake. "You can call me Chi, but my name is actually Nanami Chiemi. I'm your mentor's wife, after all." 

The rookie couldn't believe his ears this time, his hand only halfway from returning to the older woman's handshake when he recoiled. "N-N-Nanami-san's… wife?!"

Chiemi brought her hand to her lips in surprise. "Oh, did you not know? I thought it was already some kind of open secret in jujutsu society."

"H-He never— Nanami-san! So they weren't messing with me after all!"

"I simply didn't confirm nor deny it is all," Nanami stated, allowing his wife to take hold of his weapon as he fished out his mobile phone from his pants pocket. Chiemi concealed yet another laugh under the sleeve of her yukata. "But if he asked more politely, I might have said something."

"Don't tease Takkun, Kento! He's such a sweetheart like you said!" She looked up at her husband, who was still trying to call someone on his phone. "Well, now that you know where I work, you should drop by sometimes, Takkun! Come visit me when you aren't busy and tell me all about how cool my husband is!"

"I-I'd be happy to, Chi-san!"

A low grumble of complaint left Nanami's lips, though he didn't mind hearing his wife sing his praises with that saccharine voice of hers. Not that he'd ever let her know. 

— A Glimmer of Hope.

~ April 2017.

Jujutsu Headquarters did not have the gall or the courage to upturn your home, even though they knew it was where Gojo Satoru kept one of his most prized discoveries. Immunity was one of the many things the Koganei Clan enjoyed under the protection of your husband's influence— under the protection of the Gojo Clan. 

After being released from his slated execution, Okkotsu Yuuta was housed and placed under your guardianship for a month while your husband ironed out the boy's enrollment at Tokyo Jujutsu High. Now that he was set to enter the magic college himself, the boy had to steel himself to another changing reality. 

Yuuta was awfully timid during his stay with you. He was entirely convinced that he would bring forth a deluge of bad luck to your family if he continued his stay there, and even tried escaping your watchful eye multiple times. Kazuya was responsible for your estate's security, and he ensured the boy would never be able to leave the place, no matter how hard he tried. When he eventually realized there was no leaving this place until Satoru personally came back for him, he surrendered to his fate and eventually warmed up to the idea of a home, though only for a month. He even tried asking for menial work to not be a burden to you and your clan. 

"Yuuta-kun, you're a guest here. I won't have you doing housework," you told him from across the table as you shared breakfast one morning. "If you wish to burn off some energy, you should train with my brother."

"K-Kazuya-san? But he's— I-I wouldn't want to bother him…" The boy meekly replied to you. "I-If there's some heavy lifting that needs to be done, please don't hesitate to put me to work, Otome-san…"

You sighed and set down your utensils before gently reaching for the young man's hands. "Satoru told me to take care of you while you're here, Yuuta-kun. I can't claim to know what kind of torment you've been through… but you don't have to worry about that anymore. You being here is one of the very few moments my husband chose to rely on me and I'm happy for it. I understand you don't wish to impose on us, but I'm reminding you that everyone here considers you a guest. You are not a burden for staying here."

Yuuta took notice of the small calluses on your otherwise soft hands. Your hold was warm and kind and the way you squeezed his hands gave him the slightest amount of courage. 

"I'm sorry, Otome-san… You and your family have been nothing but kind to me even though all I've brought is doom and gloom… I'm not even sure if I deserve this kindness, or this life, in general."

"Don't say that, Yuuta-kun. Don't say you don't deserve this life when you haven't even lived to the fullest yet," you said with a tender smile, one that eased the cloud of worries that hung over his head. "For what it's worth, I don't think you're cursed. But you will just have to find out the reason why you feel as though you are… when you enter Jujutsu High yourself."

As you gently let go of him, you filled his bowl with another scoop of rice, much to his surprise. "If I remember correctly, your classmates are from sorcerer clans like mine. Don't let yourself be pushed around, though."

"I'll… I'll do my best then, Otome-san." 

— The Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.

~ December 24, 2017.

"When it comes to class reunions, this is probably the worst," you stated, the disappointment in your voice evident as you knelt before yet another injured sorcerer to heal them. The young man in black winced in pain as you pressed down your palm on his side, where blood spilled out from a gaping hole the size of a fist.

When the curse user Geto Suguru made a declaration of war against Tokyo Jujutsu High, his threat was unveiled in the form of countless curses raining down on Shinjuku, the magnetic melting pot for curses in general, and Kyoto, the heartland of jujutsu society. Every sorcerer capable of fighting was called to the fray, and that included you, though you did not take to the field as instructed by your husband.

You were not present when Principal Yaga held the meeting with the sorcerers on duty. It was there Satoru explicitly stated that Suguru wouldn't start a war he didn't think he'd win. The 2000 curses weren't a bluff, especially when you saw the stream of wounded sorcerers coming into the makeshift infirmary Shoko established as the fighting raged on… The streets of Shinjuku were filled with the remnants of exorcised curses and remains of slain sorcerers, some of which were far too young to even be part of this battle.

Surely Satoru didn't— He wouldn't have— 

"Get to work, Otome!"

You didn't take it personally when she started ordering you around, calling for you to heal every injured person who came in. You were already short-handed as it was and the last thing she needed was you dawdling around and losing yourself in misplaced nostalgia. This person who declared war wasn't the same Suguru you knew. Or maybe he was. He was a curse user now, unfortunately misguided but at the same time enlightened by his choice of principles to follow.

"Of course, Shoko."

Shoko had a furrowed brow as she surveyed your surroundings, her complete annoyance showing as injured— and even mutilated sorcerers— piled up at her feet. You really made so much trouble for us, Geto. 

You heard your stomach gurgle all of a sudden, followed by a rush of acid and vomit you tried so desperately to hold back in your mouth. Your hands were soaked in the blood of your fellow sorcerers, some of which were far too young—

Jujutsu sorcerers live short lives—

You are seventeen again, your body weak as you knelt before Haibara's lifeless body—

No, you had to pull yourself together. You and Shoko had important things to do. But the blood on your hands unsettled you further. Surely this wasn't the world you envisioned, Suguru-san… Or is this the price you're willing to pay for it? 

In the aftermath of the incident, documents released by Jujutsu Headquarters to the clan leaders showed Suguru as deceased, but you can't recall Satoru or Shoko saying anything about it. It was Yuuta, of all people, who told you that Suguru died by Satoru's hand. 

Yuuta was set to leave for Kenya in the next few days after one of Suguru's family members, Miguel Oduol, was forced by Satoru to take the boy under his wing. The boy was a shadow of his previously shy self, and you liked his newfound confidence even more than he did. 

"That's all I know, Otome-san. I apologize for not being able to tell you much," he said from across your shared table. He has taken a liking to Cafe Lilico, too, and he even remarked how he'd love to take his friends there one of these days.

"Don't be sorry, Yuuta-kun. It's Satoru who hasn't told me anything at all…" You said as you caressed the edge of your cup of hot chocolate. "I'm a poor excuse of a wife if my husband can't even confide in me about these… things."

"O-Oh, don't be so down, Otome-san! Gojo-sensei holds you in high esteem. But I think there are things he would rather do on his own…" Yuuta exclaimed as he saw the glumness sink into your features. "I'm sure sensei trusts you in many different ways…"

"Of course. Even after all these years, the bond they share is still so extraordinary," you said with a small smile and an even smaller sigh of defeat. Even after all these years, you could never hate Geto Suguru. You questioned his motives and his misplaced goals, but the thought of him disappearing from your lives forever hurt you more than you let on. 

"Suguru-san would have been the Best Man at our wedding. He would have been the godfather of our first child. He was the first person I'd call if I couldn't reach Satoru—"

Suguru was dead, and none of them even thought to ask you if you would have wanted to grieve for him. He was my friend, too.

When Shoko visited you at your home the other day for a routine checkup, you bravely decided to open the topic of Suguru's death, but not after being met with her annoyance and displeasure once more. 

"Did Gojo not tell you? He never turned over Geto's corpse to Jujutsu High. I was never able to examine him in the end. We weren't the ones who held his funeral."

What?

"Geto had this… 'family'. Two young girls grieved his death the most and Gojo felt inclined to hand over Geto's body to them instead. So they could mourn him," she said as she placed her stethoscope down next to your futon. "Does that answer your question, Otome?"

You nodded at her before letting out yet another sigh of relief. "I suppose it does my heart well to know that Suguru-san was surrounded by the people he cared about…"

"It's an idea, for sure…" Shoko replied as she fixed her belongings. Playing doctor to her friend was a good change of pace for her, and she appreciated you drawing her out of the school's morgue every once in a while. "Now, are you trying to get pregnant or not? If Gojo wants to put a baby in you, tell him to stop wearing rubbers the next time you do it."

"Sh-Shoko!" 

— Bound by Fate.

~ September 2018.

Gojo Satoru was sixteen when he first asked for your hand in marriage. While it was a proposal at face value, the main family knew it was more of a veiled threat if he didn't get what he wanted. He had wanted you longer than that and it was clear that you reciprocated his tender feelings, despite the danger that came with your ties. It was an age of impetuousness, so you came to understand why Satoru's student grew impatient in his situation. 

On paper, Itadori Yuuji, the chosen vessel of Ryomen Sukuna, was dead. 

But here he was, living and breathing and walking around the aged corridors of your ancestral home after you agreed to safeguard him for your husband— only the second time Satoru has ever asked you for such an important favor. 

"Ah, Otome-san! Do you need help with that?" 

"Yuuji-kun!" 

"Here, let me," the younger boy happily took the light cardboard box off your hands. "Where to?"

"To my office," you replied as you walked beside him. "I'm sure you miss your friends, Yuuji-kun. I know I did whenever my classmates were on missions and I had to stay behind at school."

"Yeah, I do, Otome-san! But I also understand why… I mean there's some stuff I hafta learn and all," he chuckled. "I'm pretty sure they're with Gojo-sensei at the moment… And I know we'll be meeting again soon. I'm always looking forward to our rest days!"

"Oh? What do you usually do on your days off?" 

"We just hang out, sometimes eat lunch out, too. Oh! Kugisaki loves shopping a lot, so we're always around to carry her stuff. Sometimes we watch movies, too… We go to karaoke, too! Though Fushiguro's always just sitting there with a placid look on his face!" Yuuji beamed at you, making sure he matched your pace as you walked alongside each other. There was a certain vibrancy about him that seemed so familiar to you, pulling at your heart almost painfully to the point where you felt tears prickle your eyes. "Is something wrong, Otome-san?"

His question cut through your poignant reverie. "Huh?"

"Did I say something wrong? You look like you're about to cry."

"No, I… I'm sorry," you managed a smile for the boy. "Your days off… sound like a lot of fun. That sounds just like what Megumi-kun would do, too. I suppose you could say I'm a bit jealous. Make sure to enjoy those moments with your friends."

"Now that you mentioned it, weren't you and Nanamin classmates?" 

"We were. The three of us—" You started, only to correct yourself midway. "The two of us… Kento and I are very close friends, but he's more like a brother now…" 

"Because he's married to your sister, Chi-san?"

"Technically, he is my brother-in-law…" You said, pausing to admire the gentle rain of ginkgo leaves from across the garden. "There were three of us back then, too, but only Kento and I were able to graduate."

"Did something happen to your other classmate?" The boy inquired with genuine curiosity, only to be met by your tear-filled eyes. "Gah! I-I'm sorry if I'm being too nosy, Otome-san! P-Please don't cry!…"

"D-Don't worry, Yuuji-kun. I just remembered something is all… I'll take it from here," you told him with a rather tired smile as you slowly took back your things from his arms. "Now remember what I said. Enjoy your time with your friends once you're allowed to return to Jujutsu High."

"O-Of course, Otome-san!"

"And take it easy! Satoru placed you under my care so you could rest and relax. There's no need for you to be running errands or so while you're here," you told him with a defeated smile this time. "Though I understand where your antsiness stems from. There's nothing to do here, after all." 

"Let me give this boy something to do, then," came a sweet voice from the other end of the corridor, followed by elegant padded footsteps and the sheen of a lilac yukata. Chiemi had her golden hair pulled up in a relaxed rope lazily draped over her shoulder. "You know I never tire of hearing just how cool my husband is on the field, Yuuji-kun."

"Oh, Chi-san! Welcome back!" Yuuji exclaimed with his usual cheer as he approached the other lady of the house. "Otome-san and I were just— Oh, she's gone…?" 

True enough, you disappeared from the corner of his eyes and into one of your estate's many winding paths and halls, perhaps to silently cry your heart out.

"You know, Chi-san, I think Otome-san's kind of lonely. Does Nanamin ever come and talk to her?"

"Whatever do you mean, Yuuji-kun?" Chiemi asked as she linked her arm with the younger boy, his verve gone as a perplexed expression washed over his youthful features. Still, he managed to press his palm over the older woman's cool knuckles as she looped her arm over his own. 

"It's like… How do I put it? She's looking at me, but it's like she's talking to another person…"

"She's like that sometimes, isn't she?" She said with a small smile as she led Yuuji to the estate gardens. "I suppose Kento is like that with you, too. All because you remind them of something."

"I do?"

"Yes, Yuuji-kun. You remind them of a time of romance," Chiemi stated as she looked up at the endless sky and rain of golden, golden ginkgo leaves. "And a time of heartache."

Yuuji turned his bright brown eyes upward, amazed at the perennial and evergreen ginkgo tree and how it seemingly shed its leaves for a spectacle of grandeur. Under the curtain that shielded your clan's home from the rest of the world's peering eyes, it seemed like you were encased in a snow globe perpetually being shaken about, golden leaves swirling around like a dream. 

"Kento and I first met when we were your age. I was a brat back then and always drew a lot of attention to myself, both good and bad. When I asked for his contact details back then, he rejected me! How could anyone reject a face like mine, right? But Kento did. And for good reason, too… Because if he hadn't said what he said back then, I might still be a brat today," the older woman said with a laugh. "He and onee-chan have always been close, but there were three of them before. And they were close in a way that even made Satoru-kun a little jealous… but they simply had a lot of respect for each other."

"I see…"

"They lost him during a mission. Onee-chan wasn't even there with them when it happened, but Kento remembers how she nearly bled herself dry of tears…" Chiemi said with a small sigh. "And even now, sometimes the two of them still look like they're chasing after death, huh?" 

"I initially thought Nanamin and I would never get along, but he is a thoughtful man who is always looking out for me," Yuuji said with a small smile. "And I wouldn't really call their actions 'chasing after death', Chi-san. I guess he's always on the field with a no-regrets mindset, especially after we encountered that cursed spirit Mahito… But Nanamin's so strong and cool and I think it's sweet of him that he's always so excited to see you!" 

"He is just the coolest, isn't he?! And the sweetest, too! I wholeheartedly agree with you!" She gushed rather excitedly, the warm smile drawn out of her beautiful face once more. "Yuuji-kun, nothing gives Kento greater satisfaction than being able to protect young sorcerers like you, though it is also his heaviest responsibility. I always fear for his life, but I believe his strength is meant to guide kids like you… But can I please ask you to look out for him every once in a while, too?" 

"Of course, Chi-san! You don't have to ask me twice! I'll always have Nanamin's back!" 

One of the very first things you salvaged from your old things from your days as a student was the set of purikura photos you took with Kento and Yu. You had it scanned, digitized, and saved on your smartphone. It was a relic of a time gone by, of innocence crushed by the weight of a devastating reality— jujutsu sorcerers live short lives. You just didn't expect that one to end so soon. 

You swiftly swiped a hand over your moist cheeks as the shoji of your office slid open, followed by the soft glimmer of Chiemi's silk yukata as she leaned against the wooden panel. "A little birdie told me you were feeling a bit down." 

You knew there was no use in denying anything now that Yuuji and Chiemi had spoken to each other.  

"It hurts to look at him sometimes," you stated with a small smile. "Yuuji-kun reminds me so much of Yu that it's kind of scary. Kento hasn't spoken a word yet, but I suppose he feels the same. He must be pretty taken by that boy to accept him as an apprentice of sorts. And to think he hosts something so… malevolent inside him." 

"Yuuji-kun is a surprisingly mature thinker, despite how he looks," your younger sister stated. "I don't think he intends to break your heart a second time around. They aren't the same people."

"I… I know," you said as you swallowed the lump in your throat. "And it would be unfair of me to treat Yuuji-kun as though he's—"

Your conversation was interrupted by the sound of your mobile phone ringing on your ornate walnut chabudai, which Chiemi urged you to pick up. "Is it Satoru-kun? It might be important."

So you did, placing the call on loudspeaker. "Hello, Satoru?"

"Otome-san! Please, we're begging you!" Came the exasperated voice of a young woman from the other end of the line. "Please tell your husband to come home! We are sick and tired of training and all of these inane missions he keeps on sending us to!"

"N-Nobara-chan?" 

"You tell her too, Fushiguro! She might listen to you better since you're their kid and all!"

You heard shuffling from the other end of the call, followed by a tiresome sigh you could only recognise as Megumi's. "Ghk—! What are y—"

"Oh? Why do you guys have my phone?"

There's Satoru, you thought to yourself as you let out a similarly tired sigh. There was the sound of white noise and shuffling once more, with Megumi seemingly talking over your husband's mobile phone. 

"It's Otome-san."

Silence from the other end, before the sound of your husband's usual cheer and saccharine voice filled the air. "My dearest darling sweetheart!" 

��Prompting a stifled chuckle from your sister, who shook her head and dismissed herself from your presence, but not before mouthing to you how corny your husband was.

"Give the kids a break and come home to me, Toru," you said. "Or are you perhaps so bored stiff here at home with me?"

"Are you kidding? I'm never bored when I'm with you!"

"Do you truly enjoy spending time with me, Satoru?"

"Of course I do! I must have made it clear by now! Not to mention all the summers I spent there at your family's estate. Do you still remember the summer I first visited you at your home? And you know how cold it gets in Kyoto… But I've never seen such a bright gold all my life. You were like the sun to me back then," Satoru stated point blank, the memories of your shared childhood bubbling in the corners of your mind. "You still are."

"And you were like the sky, so clear and so vast… I remember that one morning when everyone in the estate was panicking because you weren't in your bedroom, only for them to find us still fast asleep in my bedroom—"

"—Fingers intertwined. Because I didn't want anything else. I just wanted to be around you as much as I could. I just wanted to bask in that sunshine for as long as I could." 

There was a word your mother used to describe your relationship with your husband— the mysterious force that ties you two together. While you considered everyone in your life a fated encounter, what you shared with Satoru was an otherworldly bond you had no logical explanation for. 

Enishi. A destined encounter. An eternal promise made in a previous life. Who or what you were in your previous life mattered little— all that mattered was the promise at present— the destined encounter after a slight fall from grace, his soul warm on your hand… 

"Oh, now I miss you terribly. Coming home to me doesn't sound like such a bad idea now, does it?"

"It sounds like a lovely idea. In fact, I'm going to release these kids from their torment and head right back home to my dear wife."

You could hear the faint sound of Nobara's cheering from the other end of the call, closely followed by a short yet reassuring farewell from your husband. 

"I'll see you later."

Yes. 

"I'll see you, Toru."

— Une Douce Folie à Deux.

~ Third Day of the Sister School Goodwill Event.

Your last visit to your alma mater felt like an eternity ago, even though it was only earlier in the year that you'd been here to assist the Doctor, Shoko, with Yuuji's supposed dissection. This time was different since you were there for leisure— initially, at least. You planned on visiting the event to cheer for Tokyo, but when you received yet another distress call from your friend, you were brought in as an auxiliary healer to patch up everyone's injuries from the skirmishes. 

It was there that you were also reunited with your senpais Mei Mei and Utahime, the former still trying to get you to cry into a vial she planned on passing as an elixir to sell for a fortune, and the latter cringing at how even more unbearable and uncharacteristically tender Satoru was whenever you were around. 

And there was Nanami, too, who had just clocked out for the second day even though it was only just beginning. 

"Oh! Kento!" You called out to the figure about to depart from the school grounds. "Heading home already?"

"Yes. I promised dinner with Chi, after all."

"Ever the dutiful husband, I see," you nodded in assent, the kind he knew you were teasing him with. "Don't get lost on the way out."

"Don't talk to me like that. I know you're here only in part because of the students. You're mostly here for your husband," he replied to you with a small scoff meant to get a rise out of you. 

"Wh— I'll have you know that Toru and I haven't even seen each other yet! And I am here for the students! As are you, I know that much!" You retorted with hands on your hips. "Kento… I still dream of a world so similar to what Suguru-san envisioned! A world for us sorcerers. It doesn't have to be exactly ours, but just enough for us to be able to… to smile more freely… without the threat of death looming over us so wickedly. So… Let's do all we can to help them!"

"Still an idealist, I see. But that isn't a bad thing…" Nanami chuckled mirthlessly, but he turned to face you and gave you the same nod of assent to your statement. "If that's what we're working towards, then I have no qualms."

After a day of reprieve, each of the students was fitted with baseball uniforms, gloves, and steel bats, a change of pace from the traditional individual battles you would often see on this day of the Goodwill Event.

"—en he burst out of the box with that stupid 'Oppappi!' comment of his! It wasn't funny at all! It was infuriating!"

A soft pfft left your lips as the young girl sitting next to you continued her tirade following Yuuji's reemergence in Jujutsu society. This year's Goodwill Event took a different turn— and you only heard from Nanami how the Kyoto students went rogue and attempted to assassinate Yuuji during the group spirit bash-slash-battle royale, followed by the cursed spirits infiltrating the campus. 

"Anyway, we're so happy to see you, Otome-san! You being here means Gojo-sensei won't be as annoying," Nobara said as she gently laid her head on your shoulder. "I still find it so odd that you married that mess of a man. He's all over the place and you're so well put together, after all!"

"There, there. If you think he's an annoying teacher, you should've met him when he was younger," you laughed softly as you gave the younger girl a pat on her head. "Megumi-kun knows all about that Satoru."

"Otome-san has the patience of a saint," the dark-haired boy remarked from his seat. "You could say that her love for him outweighs all the headaches he's given her."

"I recall Satoru isn't the only one who gave me a lot of headaches back then," you said with a small hum. "You are that man's son, after all…"

"Talk about a problem child! Did you always give your mom a hard time, Fushiguro?!" Nobara burst out laughing at your statement, while Megumi shot you a look of slight annoyance and embarrassment, a rare sight now that he's older and mellowed out.

"Only because she has the patience of a saint," he chuckled, a hint of defeat and acceptance in his voice. "And only because she knows me so well."

Megumi rarely asked you for anything nowadays, so when he (was coerced by Nobara and Yuuji to) ask you to treat him (them) to cold drinks from the school vending machines, you happily obliged. 

"Hello."

You were surprised to see one of the girls from Kyoto approach you, her sharp yet charming features a clear indication of which clan she belonged to. 

"Hello. You're Mai-chan, aren't you? Maki-chan's sister," you replied to her, stepping away from the vending machines to give her your full attention. She was alone, and it was clear to you now that she intended to talk to you.

About what, you didn't know exactly.

"And you're Otome-san. Growing up, we've heard much about you," Mai stated. "And how you brought the Zenin Clan's heir to his knees—"

"—Physically and figuratively," came another voice— and a face more familiar to you as she made her approach. "Hello, Otome-san."

"I normally wouldn't want to be anywhere near you, Maki, but seeing as we both have the same question, it'd be better for Otome-san to explain it to us in one sitting," Mai said with an exasperated sigh and a shrug. "I assume you have the same question for her."

"I do. Great minds think alike, after all," Maki scoffed. "And not even Megumi or that blindfolded brute had an answer to it. Not that they really care."

"That person is the victor, so of course he doesn't care," Mai shook her head. "But enough about them. Let's not waste any more of Otome-san's time."

"I have a lot of time, so ask me whatever you want," you told the girls with a smile on your face. 

"Why didn't you marry him?" They asked in unison, much to their mutual annoyance. 

Do they mean…?

There was a glint of curiosity in their similar amber eyes, but they didn't look like they were burning for an answer. They simply wanted to know— to satiate the wonder they felt and to resolve the mystery their family had long tried to entomb. 

"Naoya-san was nothing but kind to me in our youth. In fact, I was this close to marrying him," you stated as you brought your thumb and index finger close together, though not touching at all. "There was something odd about him, though. Like he was trying too hard to be someone he wasn't."

"You mean he was trying hard to be kind," Maki stated pointedly. "Because he isn't, Otome-san."

"Whatever image you have of him likely isn't his true disposition," Mai said in agreement with her sister's statement. "He is such a great pretender, after all."

Naoya had always been a puzzle to you even in your youth, but the simplest things always made him incredibly happy. He always said it himself— your presence, your warmth, your smile— Though you've heard time and again of his real personality… Then where exactly did the truth end and the lie begin? 

The sisters gave you a long look as you stood there in silence, obviously taking in the weight of their words. 

"There must be truth to your statements if you are in agreement," you told them. "Can you tell me, then, what kind of person he really is?"

"He's—"

"—A devil." 

"He…"

Oh. Then the truth begins here, I guess. The twins looked like they wanted to comfort each other as their words spilled out, truth upon truth about the Zenin heir's proclivity for treating the women of their clan like utter trash. It made you wonder how you could have been exempt from it. The Naoya you knew— the one you thought you knew— You'd never learn the truth about who he was without anyone telling you. He was an unfinished puzzle you placed in a box never to be seen again, but these girls handed you the missing pieces in the form of revelations— things they thought you ought to know. Even though you chose not to marry him. 

"I think you dodged a bullet, Otome-san." 

"More like a bomb."

"I understand it must have taken a lot of courage to speak up about… all of that. And I have no idea how differently things could have gone if I ended up marrying Naoya-san," you started. "But he and I… We knew from the start that things would never work out between us. We never saw visions when we touched, either…"

The visions and colors were only part of what they had to anticipate as sorcerers. The girls exchanged equal looks of confusion before Maki eventually asked you, "Can you explain to us what the colors mean, Otome-san?"

"Oh, of course! It was said long ago that when you touch someone and see colors, you're touching that person's very soul. Satoru and I— Well, it first happened when we were children, s-so…" You continued until your embarrassment slowly started settling in. "A-Anyway, since you're here, would you girls like a drink, too?"

There was no doubt in your mind that these girls were twins from how their eyes twinkled in excitement at the thought of free sweet and fizzy drinks. "If you're buying, then don't mind if I do, Otome-san!"

"Oh, but, Maki-chan, you looked like you wanted to say something… about the colors," you said as you handed the twins a ¥500 coin each. "Have you perhaps… with someone?"

"W-With all due respect, th-that's really n-none of your concern, Otome-san!" The girl clamored, though it was clear from the blush that painted her face that it must have already happened. You stifled your laughter in fear of offending the Maki, who was already arguing with Mai, a smirk on her face as she laughed at the older girl with distinct derision.

The week's exhaustion settled easily in your body, the ache soon forgotten the moment your head hit your pillow. How your husband managed to run through the day without ever getting tired was no mystery to you anymore, but he must have his limits. 

You and Satoru rarely shared your bed ever since he started teaching, and you accepted that as a reality of your marriage. Neither of you blamed each other, nor did you find any fault in your current circumstances. His job as a teacher was a noble calling, and on top of that also came his many missions mandated to him by Jujutsu Headquarters. He only ever dropped by the estate to see you whenever he could, at varying intervals, too. While sleep was the least of his concerns, it was something you took incredibly seriously. A lack of sleep meant a lack of concentration, and that was your currency as a healer. 

So you simply learned to be an afterthought— and to sleep without your husband's presence— because so many other important things warranted his attention more. On yet another dreamless night, you stirred in your futon as you felt movement in your bedroom. It was a person sliding right next to you, lifting your kakefuton just enough for them to be able to scoot over and take their spot as the big spoon. 

"Did I wake ya, sweet thing?" 

Oh, it was Satoru. You didn't bother to blink away the sleep in your eyes and simply nuzzled the warm body right next to you. A strong yet tender hand made its way to the back of your head, holding you close as you drifted back to sleep once more. 

"Hhhello… I love you… Good night…" You mumbled against his chest, to which he replied with a soft but low laugh. His heartbeat and voice reverberated through your body, and you wanted nothing more than to be as close to him as possible after having missed him for so long. Satoru's whispers were lost to the air, your half-asleep brain no longer registering anything aside from your husband gently brushing up the hair on your forehead, lulling you into an even deeper sleep. He placed a kiss on your forehead, running down to your eyes, your cheeks, your jaw— until the sleepiness in your body was chased away by the warmth of his caress, his large hands slowly but contentedly peeling away at your yukata.

What was supposed to be yet another dreamless night was colored a pale powder blue, like a spell cast upon you that guaranteed nothing but sweet, pleasant dreams. 

You never thought it would be the prelude to a never-ending nightmare. 

— The Shibuya Incident.

The Koganei Estate was nearly caught in the crosshairs of the Shibuya Incident. Though not called on to the field of battle, you decided to assist by opening your gates to shelter wounded sorcerers and non-sorcerers alike. You were at the forefront of the deluge of people seeking refuge, hearing from those who managed to escape that it may soon be the end of human society in Japan as they speak.

The golden haori you now wore signified your status and duty as the head of your house, and all of your clansmen deferred their decisions to you, choosing to trust your instincts

"Koganei-sama, please! We must close the gates this instant! Harboring any more would—"

"No! These people have no place to run! We have a sworn duty to protect everyone from this—"

"What a noble heart you have. It looks like some things never change."

It was a presence, a cursed energy so strong and distinct that you froze in your tracks, your eyes quickly scanning your vicinity to confirm if what you were feeling was true.

"No… No way… You— You're not—" You tried to stop the crack in your voice, only to fail the moment you started angrily questioning the man standing before you. "Who are you?!"

"You're right about that, Priestess of Suzaku. I am not Geto Suguru, though you could say I still am him," Suguru stated with a smile— oh, it was so painful to look at. "This body holds fond memories of you and your little youth… Your time as sorcerers in the making. Before his disillusionment."

Bittersweet remembrances of two years of your youth passed by in the blink of an eye as you stood face to face with a man you once called your senpai and friend. A person you could never hate, no matter how much your society did. 

And something inside you snapped, an unrecognizable lust for carnage boiling in your veins as you got into a battle stance. I know I probably don't stand a chance against this anomaly, but— "I won't allow you to desecrate my friend's body any longer! Give him back!" 

"You're also the Bride of the Six Eyes now, correct?" He had a thoughtful hand on his chin before declaring, "I suppose Gojo Satoru taught you to fight, then, if you're this eager?"

"Otome! What are you doing?!" 

The gates to your estate were closed shut now by your order, followed by the electric appearance of the Koganei Clan's strongest sorcerer of your time: it was Kazuya, or so people call him— Raiden incarnate.

"Ah," Suguru exclaimed, the light of an epiphany in his eyes as he gazed at your human shield, the lightning he inherited from his father coursing through his whole body as he shielded you from the stranger's slow approach. "What a discovery. Yes, he'll do perfectly. You must know of your ancestor's insatiable greed. He and I made a pact a long time ago, and I'm here to fulfill it. But until then, your… brother can play the role you intended for him."

"Kazuya—" You didn't like the sound of Suguru's declaration, even more so now that he turned his attention to your brother. "Leave m—"

"Are you crazy?! I'm not leaving you alone with this… this madman!"

While Suguru busied himself in taking control of jujutsu society, he made a special exception for a certain sorcerer family, but only because they may prove useful in the future. He is further elated by the looming possibility of recovering the primordial and most potent Golden Tears of Suzaku itself with the discovery of an ideal host for the pathetic patriarch of the Koganei Clan— a man long dead but his ambition kept alive by every head of your clan.

Koganei Masahito.

"Oh, but before I forget. Your outrage is a little misplaced, isn't it?" The person wearing Suguru's face turned to you this time, a hand in his sleeve as though ready to pull out something unexpected. And unexpected it truly was, the heavy, unexplainable feeling in your chest a while ago now making perfect sense to you.

"You—"

The rest of your words were caught in your throat again as you laid eyes on the cursed object in the impostor's hand, a taunting smirk on his face that made your blood run freezing cold and piping hot at the same time. You were both frightened and furious at the inexplicable sight— the solid proof of your husband's detainment and the inevitable truth spoken by the sorcerers you rescued mere moments ago.

It may just be the end of human society.

More than anything, someone most precious was taken from you— again.

"GIVE HIM BACK TO ME!"

All your common sense left your body as you lunged past Kazuya, replaced by a fury that would unmistakably scorch anyone who got in your way. Unfortunately, you were painfully knocked back by a single stroke of Suguru's cursed energy. 

"Otome!" 

In your days as young students, Geto Suguru always took it easy on you when engaging in combat training. Everything you learned from your teachers and upperclassmen was supposedly your means of defending yourself in battle. You were no combatant, no fighter, but a talisman instead— your greater purpose always lay in mending what was hurt. You knew right from the start that you had no hope of ever defeating Suguru, but never in your wildest dreams did you even consider going against him. Until now. The real Suguru would never hurt you. 

Your tears burned your cheeks as they blurred your vision of the impostor's receding figure, the essence mixing with the dirt of the ground as you lay there at a complete loss.

"Satoru…"

~ November 3, 2018

"Ah!"

There was something uncanny about this, though the scenario was completely familiar— you were sixteen again, in your jet-black school uniform while listening to the sound of the coffee table jazz that softly emanated throughout the cafe. 

This was Cafe Lilico. And across the table laden with all of your favorite afterschool snacks sat your two closest friends. Nanami and his furrowed brows as he sipped from his cup of black coffee. Haibara savoring the umami goodness of his bowl of katsudon. They sat there, faces as clear as day, as though you three were reliving a precious moment suspended in time.

"What's the matter, Otome?" Haibara asked, a look of concern on his face and a grain of rice on his chin as he gestured to your slightly melting cream soda. "Not hungry?" 

"I'm not surprised you don't have much of an appetite," Nanami stated with a pensive smile on his face as he placed his cup back on its saucer. "And I'm not going to ask you if you've been well…"

"I… Huh. What was I doing again?" You murmured to yourself, your voice just loud enough for the two of them to hear. "Where have we been?"

"Haibara's been here a while. I just got here," the blonde said. "And you…"

Your table glistened with every single thing you've partaken with your friends in his very place— black coffee, sweet teas, creamy frappes and cream sodas, berry tarts, classic New York-style cheesecake, salt and pepper fish and chips, and sweet potato fries—

"Can you do me a favor, Otome?" 

"Of course, Kento. Though it's rare for you to ask…" You answered him, your fingers reaching for the fork on the floral table napkin. 

Huh. Did that chandelier always look like that?

"Can…" He paused to carefully consider his choice of words. "Can you tell Chi that I love her?"

"What?" You chucked at him. "Kento, what do you mean by that? You can always tell Chiemi that—"

"And that I'm sorry. For leaving like this."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Nanami! So you did get married to Chiemi-san! How lucky you are!" Haibara exclaimed excitedly.

"Luck had little to do with that marriage," Nanami stated with an uncharacteristically warm smile on his usually calm face. "Chiemi changed by her own will." 

"Wait, Kento. I-I don't understand! What do you mean you're leaving?"

"You know I always thought that your selflessness would get you killed," he remarked as he turned in your direction once more. "I never realized it might be your stupidity instead." 

"Don't say that, Nanami! She isn't dead yet!" Haibara elbowed him before reaching out to ruffle your hair. "This will always be our favorite place, but you really shouldn't be here yet, Otome." 

"Haibara's right. As much as we'd enjoy having you here, it isn't time yet. Your time, that is," Nanami stated as he moved to reach for your hand, only for him to stop midway and sit back once again. "We'll always save you a seat, so don't worry."

"…?"

"Sh… She's awake! Otome's awake! Okaa-sama! Kanade-san!" Your older brother's rumbling voice shook you awake even further, and he rose to his feet to call for your mother, who stood vigil outside your shared bedroom with your husband. The kakefuton over your tired body felt insanely dense, but you fought back the weight and sat up, only to be met by Chiemi's red face. 

"Onee-chan! K-Kento is—"

"Oh, is he finally back home? I had the strangest dream about him…" You said as you rubbed away the bleariness of your eyes. "He asked me to tell you that he loves you dearly. I don't understand why I have to be the one to tell you when—"

The silence that enveloped your room was palpable, the servants attending to you furrowing their brows in evident sorrow. Your confusion was only confounded by the way your sister's face contorted with tears as she wailed and sobbed into your shoulder, her tears of agony soaking your yukata.

"Kento is gone! Onii received the report in your stead and—" Chiemi hiccuped, her face red and blue with so much pain she couldn't even breathe anymore. "WAAAAAAAH!"

…What?

But that can't be. You were only talking to him just moments ago. 

"A-And p-papa— Papa! He—"

No, not otou-sama, too… Is that why Kazuya only called for your mothers when you awoke? Kyouya was a father figure to both you and Chiemi, a man of integrity who did not think it was a tedious chore to raise children who weren't entirely his. His kindness was in stark contrast to Suzuna's dictatorial and mercurial methods. You placed a hand on your sister's shaking head and fought the urge to collapse. Your surroundings blurred into a mess of gray, her cries drowned out by the rush of blood in your ears. It was deafening.

You could hardly hear a word your mothers said as they clamored over you, with Suzuna trying to pull Chiemi away from you. Her eyes were just as red from all her crying, unseen it was to you. From what you gathered after finally being briefed by Kazuya, you were asleep for three days. You didn't expect the impostor's cursed energy to be so potent that it nearly brought you to death's doorstep.

Yet Kazuya took the liberty of steering your clan in the direction he thought was best despite the loss he felt. A patch of darkened skin now ran across his forehead. It was a burn mark— one meant to obscure a symbol that appeared on him unnaturally. Even with your clan's most elite healers, the burn now scarred his otherwise handsome face, though he preferred it that way since it now served as a reminder for him. 

And for you. And everyone else in your estate. 

With all of your family, guests, and rescues accounted for, you surveyed the estate with uneasy steps, your older brother leading the way. "Kazu-nii, I'm sorry about otou-sama."

Kazuya shook his head at you as you walked alongside each other. "Otou-sama did what he wanted. When he saw me changing form, he just did what any father would have done…"

He recounted the incident that occurred while you were unconscious. As though heeding the sound of a war gong, Kenjaku awakened hundreds of sorcerers from ages past, the mark on your brother symbolizing his selection as a vessel of that man. 

"Our souls fought for dominance over my body. Rebelling against him was difficult, even though it should've been easy with my concentration. I'd never let that man— That man… he started all of this. Our clan's obsession with birthing his most perfect heir," he stated as he led you to the estate garden, the ground nearly flooded with fallen ginkgo leaves. "I was very much similar to a tsukumogami at that point, but they seemed to have forgotten my father's ties to the Tokyo Saenome, who specialized in sealing such things."

"If otou-sama sealed away Masahito, where exactly…"

"Here," Kazuya touched the aged tree trunk. It towered over the place, the golden foliage as thick and rich as it always was. 

"In the tree?" 

"Masahito was never meant to return to our realm. Men like him… don't deserve any second chances at life. Otou-sama made sure of that."

You approached the tree and rested your forehead against the old bark. Tears threatened to flow from your eyes but you desperately fought them back. "Kyouya otou-sama… I'll be sure to protect everyone…"

"I understand that you're worried about Satoru, but there are certain things we need to do. We're still harboring refugees as we speak. And there's that… thing with Jujutsu Headquarters. Something about how unsealing Satoru is tantamount to a criminal act." 

"I don't give a shit what headquarters think, Kazu-nii," you stated with gritted teeth. "I know they'll be keeping tabs on us because I am his wife, after all. But I have faith in Satoru and his pupils. They'll find a way to free him. And he would want me to act however I wished to. He said it himself when he made that silly declaration of marriage."

"Ah, that we'd be free to do whatever we wanted?"

"Yes. Right now, I want to talk to the sorcerers who managed to escape the curtain in Shibuya. I need to gain a better understanding of the situation before I make my next steps."

Those three days you were unconscious felt like an eternity with everything that had transpired. You wasted no time conversing with the handful of young sorcerers who managed to flee from the setting curtain that enclosed Shibuya like a trap set to lay waste to the city— and another that kept them out instead. There was no doubt in your mind that all of these incidents were strung together by a single malefactor… Or worse— a group of them… 

And the fact that they managed to seal Satoru in the Prison Realm meant they already had a foothold in whatever it was they were planning to do. 

As you continued to compare the recent reports your house received from Jujutsu Headquarters and the recollections of the sorcerers you spoke to, Chiemi entered your messy office. Though she changed into a clean yukata, she looked even more emaciated than you remembered her to be, her eyes red and sunken and golden hair tied in a neat braid. It was clear that Nanami's death impacted her so, but her single statement sounded clear and precise to you. 

"Onee-chan, I'd like to ask for your permission to leave our home. To leave Japan."

"Chiemi, what are you…?"

The younger woman said no more and soundlessly left your office, her presence replaced by the appearance of her birth father, Prospero. The older man wasn't spared from the chaos left in the wake of your coma. You heard from Kazuya how he assisted in protecting your estate and the refugees that flooded your home using his cursed technique. He's a master of barriers, apparently, Kazuya mentioned. Most importantly, he grounded Chiemi after receiving the shocking news of her husband's death while in action. 

"Hello, Miss Otome. I'm so glad to see you're doing better now," the older man greeted you with a smile so akin to his daughter's. 

"Prospero-san, If you hadn't been here, we all would have died," you replied and lowered your head to the tatami. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart… For protecting my family."

"Please, there is no need for you to prostrate yourself before me. I simply did what any father would have done to protect his daughter and all those precious to her," he said, clamping a hand on your shoulder to gently pull you up to your feet. "I am sorry I couldn't do anything about Mister Kyouya…"

"No, don't be," you shook your head at him. "Kazuya told me you did all you could to save him, too. Otou-sama simply did what he thought was right— what he wanted…"

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, holding it in for a moment in fear that you may burst out crying. Now wasn't the time for any of that.  

"I heard from Chiemi that our family received that report…" You stated, pursing your lips before your voice could crack any further. "I've no intention of barring your departure, but where exactly does she intend to go?"

"As you know, she was inconsolable for the last few days… When she said she wanted to go to Malaysia, I… told her that we could."

Something in your head clicked. Malaysia. 

"She said that it was Kento-kun's idea. Something they spoke about before… Perhaps they were planning a trip?"

No, it was something more. You recalled Nanami talking about the same thing sometime back. 

"Otome, do you think Chi will be happy to go with me if we move somewhere far?"

"Kento, Chi would follow you to the ends of the earth if you'd let her."

"If you're worried about her, rest assured that I'll take care of her. I can help her find a home and get settled there. Chi has been doing her best to take care of herself because if she lets her broken heart get the better of her, it won't do the baby any good. My grandchild will gro—"

As though the weight of the circumstances couldn't be any heavier— "The… The baby?"

"Has… she not told you yet? Chi is pregnant," Prospero said, his eyes widening in shock as you scrambled to your feet and gave chase to your sister, who was simply standing in the middle of the estate gardens. "M-Miss Otome?!" 

"Chi! Chiemi!" You tried to scream, but your throat wouldn't let you. Your hoarse voice still caught her attention, and she turned to you with the same practiced elegance you've always been familiar with. 

"Onee-chan? What's the matter?" 

You fell to your knees, clinging onto the skirt of her yukata before eventually breaking down at her feet. "Did… Did he at least know?! A-About the baby!" 

Chiemi visibly trembled before she crumbled to her knees as well, coiling her arms around your tearful form as she shook her head at your question. Her sorrowful sobs filled your ears as she tried to speak. "I only f-found out on the day of his m-mission…"

Why are these things happening? Wondering will do you no favors. You returned her embrace and cried, your warm tears soaking her braid. "Please… If you're going to leave, please take care of yourself!… Eat well, drink a lot of water, and sleep well… A-And if anything happens, call me! C-Call us! W—"

You two wept like children that afternoon, crying over things of the past, the tragedies of the present, and the hope of a future, one where this blessed child can live without the shadow of your society looming over them. 

"As I thought, normal comms are a bust. I can't contact Shoko or anyone else in Shibuya," you stated as you tossed your mobile phone into your favorite purse. You were no longer dressed in your clan's traditional garb but in civilian clothing this time, donning a favorite outfit of yours from your closet as you made up your mind…

With all of your affairs set in order, along with a faked story about an "illness" not even you could cure yourself from, you intended to steal away and reach out to the sorcerers attempting to unseal your husband from the Prison Realm without Jujutsu Headquarters ever noticing your disappearance. Suzuna "claimed" her clan had always been "detached" from Gojo Satoru and only enjoyed the privileges that came with being under his protection, but that did not mean the Koganei were accomplices to his "plot" surrounding the Shibuya Incident. The Koganei Clan kept up the appearance of a neutral and indifferent front, pacified by the threat of expulsion from headquarters. 

Kazuya was more than capable of protecting the estate if anything went awry, not to mention the presence of Chiemi's father Prospero, who vowed to hold the fort with the eldest son of the house— at least until order is fully restored in Tokyo.

"The city's a ghost town. We're lucky the warzone didn't even reach us," Kazuya shook his head. "Though if you look at things now, we're only fortunate to have been spared from the destruction thanks to Chi-chan's old man."

"You ought to start addressing Prospero-san properly, Kazu-nii," you pointed at him. "We owe him a great deal, after all."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," your older brother shrugged in dismissal. "All of this is flying over my head, you know. Satoru is the greatest sorcerer of our time. I never thought that headquarters would actually want him gone."

"They originally wanted him to be more… tame," you replied as you eyed the eerie and starless night sky. "Maybe I should leave tomorrow instead… But I can't afford to lose any more time."

The two of you were on high alert the moment you sensed a foreign cursed energy seamlessly pass through the curtain over the estate. Kazuya stepped forward, his lightning coursing through his arms as the presence made itself known. 

"Oh, it's you!" You remarked in relief at the sight of that familiar pristine white Jujutsu High uniform. "Yuuta-kun!"

"Good evening, Otome-san, Kazuya-san," the young, dark-eyed sorcerer approached and gave you a short bow, to which you replied by taking his hands in your own. 

"I'm so relieved…" You murmured to him, a tired yet relieved sigh leaving your lips as you finally turned to face him. "I'm used to being an afterthought, Yuuta-kun. After all, Satoru is much more important than I am…"

"You're not an afterthought, Otome-san," Yuuta shook his head at you. "I'm here because I have my orders. Orders I intend to follow. One of which is your safekeeping—"

"Take me to Shoko. I'm not so brittle that you'd have me hide away. I can help heal people. I will help heal people. And I certainly don't intend to wring my fingers in anticipation of his unsealing, Yuuta-kun. I'd rather be helpful. To you. And to everyone else," you stated, cutting off his further explanation. You turned to your older brother and gave him a low bow. "Kazu-nii… I'll leave the estate to you." 

Kazuya acknowledged your resolve with a stern nod, reflecting his own. "I will protect this place with my life, Koganei-sama."

"Gojo-sensei said you'd be like this… But I guess this is also who you are as a person, Otome-san," The young man sighed in defeat before eventually acknowledging as well that there was no stopping you. "Shall we be off to see Ieiri-san, then?"

With your husband's pupil guaranteeing your safe passage, there was nothing else stopping you from unraveling the mysteries of this eternal night in Shibuya. "Yes, let's go."

The endless nightmare has only just begun, after all.

— Dreamless.

~ November 18, 2018.

"Is your marriage to Gojo all you've ever imagined it to be, Otome?"

The question was incredibly random, and it evidently caught you off guard by the sound of the utensils you were washing clattering against the stainless steel sink. 

"Are we so tired of waiting that you've decided to cross-examine me, Shoko?" 

"I know you guys fucked when we were still in school, too, but you didn't hear anything from me," Shoko retorted as she stubbed out her finished cigarette. "Just answer the question."

"Sh-Shoko!" 

Not long after escorting you to Jujutsu High, where Shoko had returned to resume her normal operations, Yuuta departed to complete the "mission" assigned to him by headquarters, though you'd called his bluff earlier on. When you first arrived at the morgue to assist her, it took every fiber in your being to hold yourself back from hurling at the scent and the state of the place. 

It smelled of death. 

The days blurred into a single mess of death, and defying the grim circumstances dealt by the malefactor parading Geto Suguru's body as his own. Your pride as a jujutsu sorcerer didn't let you admit that the losses piling up at your feet were hurting you more than you let on. It would be embarrassing to be upstaged by younger sorcerers, who bravely took to the field of battle despite all the heartache they felt. 

Despite it all…

You counted each loss, each one just as woefully dense as the next. First was Nanami, then your father figure Kyouya, then Tsumiki— that girl who wanted nothing more than to live a life in harmony with you and Satoru, and Megumi. It was foul enough that Sukuna stole your boy's body, but to have used it as a weapon against his own sister was the cruelest. Yuuji had nothing but apologies for you when you last met, the boy lamenting his lack of strength for everything. 

What do you mean, you asked Yuuji, tears blurring your eyes at the sight of his scarred visage. None of this is your fault. None of this is your fault, Yuuji-kun— 

Despite it all…

"I've loved Satoru for the longest time. Ours has always been a case of, 'he fell first but she fell harder'…" You replied to your friend's earlier question with a small smile on your face, a thoughtful hand on your chin as you recounted your very first encounter with the little godling who became your husband. "Though it's really more like, 'I fell in front of him and he thought I was weird but also cute'."

You told her all about the ordeal that was your seventh birthday and how your younger sister pushed you off the engawa while you were stretching your legs, falling face first in front of the enigma that was Gojo Satoru. 

"To say I was happy that he reciprocated my feelings is an understatement," you said as you sat on one of the vacant couches across from your friend. "I was… elated. And Satoru and I made the most of whatever time we had together because we each had our responsibilities to our families… and all of that whatnot."

"And your marriage. Is it all you've ever imagined it to be?" 

"I…"

You could wish time and again for things to be entirely different. A different life, a different timeline, a different world— but now was all you had. The "now" you had was still better than any image of a perfect present you could ever conjure in your mind. Now was imperfect, but it was all you had. Now was everything. 

Despite it all…

"I couldn't ask for anything better. We wouldn't dare ask for anything better," you told her with a slight quake in your voice, a slight hint of regret in your voice that betrayed your thoughts. "This is the world we were born into, after all. This world has you, our friends and allies, Satoru's promising pupils…"

And hope, despite it all, you thought as you followed Shoko to where Kurusu Hana and "Angel" were recovering after receiving treatment for the grave wounds inflicted by the Sukuna-possessed Megumi. 

"Are you sure you don't want to be around when your idiot husband is unsealed?"

"It's fine. I'd rather not be around to dampen everyone's mood with all of my crying, which I'm sure to do," you said in confirmation as you raised your hand in defense. "Besides, I'm used to being an afterthought, Shoko."

"You're just as much of an idiot as he is," the dark-haired woman scoffed at you, but only out of worry, you easily noticed. "Explains why you're still in complete marital bliss after all that's happened."

~ November 20, 2018.

With Gojo Satoru's release from the Prison Realm came the hope of a victory against the rampaging King of Curses. But hope didn't mean complete optimism about things. Satoru himself wanted to know all about the contingency plans his company had if the worst ever came to pass. 

Having caught up with everything that occurred in his absence, he figured he was at least entitled to his own moment of reprieve. His students haven't had enough of him, though, and Yuuji was particularly curious where he was headed to with such a relaxed disposition— and appearance. 

Satoru was known as an impeccable dresser, so for him to be walking around the school premises in nothing but a hoodie and jogger pants meant questions. 

"Where are you off to, Gojo-sensei?"

"What do you mean, 'where am I off to?' I'm going to see my wife! A man can do that much, can't he? I haven't seen her since I got out of that damn box!"

"Huh… Now that you mentioned it, where is Otome-san? I haven't—"

"Oh, that's just mean, Itadori-kun. Otome-san's been helping take care of everyone for quite some time now, you know," Yuuta remarked with a small laugh, his comment sending his underclassman into a slight panic. 

"You can't blame Itadori for not noticing every single person here," said Kinji, who slung a strong arm around the spooked younger boy. "Your wife doesn't speak much, does she, Gojo-san? She's so typically genteel that people can't help but wonder why you married her." 

"Genteel? I'm not sure if we're talking about the same person," Satoru laughed at his pupil's statement. "And for the record, I asked her to marry me. Now if you guys can excuse this old man for just one second?" 

"So you know where she's been staying?"

"Of course I do! And it's not just because of my Six Eyes. I know the way a husband knows his wife," the silver-haired man stated with his usual cheer. 

And the way the sky knows the sun can't hide itself, he thought to himself as he leisurely strolled past the kids and headed to one of the school's older buildings

"You think Gojo-sensei's mad that Otome-san wasn't the first to greet him when he was unsealed?" Yuuji mused out loud, to which Yuuta replied with another low laugh.

"I'm sure Otome-san would've wanted nothing more than to be the first to greet him, but she was just being considerate of everyone else."

While it was true that you wanted to be at the forefront of the people greeting your husband once he was released from the Prison Realm, you couldn't promise anyone that you wouldn't be a sobbing mess… So you busied yourself with other things— like keeping inventory of the infirmary, a duty you were most familiar with since it was your primary task as a student of Jujutsu High nearly a decade ago. 

But since your graduation, there has been a lack of reverse cursed technique users, leaving the infirmary unused and eventually converted into further storage for the school to use. Boxes piled up and filled nearly the entire room, and all that remained from the days of your youth was a single dusty and rickety bed, which you converted into a little nook for yourself to rest whenever your assistance wasn't required. While you liked hanging around Shoko, you didn't like how everyone else walked on eggshells around you. 

Those who weren't familiar with you considered you an anomalous figure. There was no doubt in your mind that some also considered you to be an ill-fitted match with Satoru, someone who wasn't suited to be the wife of the strongest sorcerer of your generation. 

…The strongest sorcerer of your generation… 

"S-Satoru… Y-You're heavy!" You heaved as he comfortably draped his entire weight over your figure, the metal bed creaking as you struggled and thumped at his broad back to move, or you will die from your ribs caving into your lungs. "I c-can't breathe! Ack!"

"What? If I didn't come out looking for you, you would've never shown yourself to me!" Satoru huffed as he lifted himself from you and sat up. "You weren't there when I was unsealed, and you weren't the one who conducted my examination, either…"

"That wasn't my intention…" You told him, lowering your gaze to your hands. "You must've seen it, right? How everyone's been waiting for you… And besides, knowing myself, I know I'd just cry and ruin everyone else's celebr—"

Oh. The tears came uninvited. You pursed your lips and cupped a hand to your mouth to silence your pathetic sobbing.

"My sweet little bird," Satoru couldn't help but coo at you, his larger hands affectionately cupping your warm face as he kissed away the tears that filled the corners of your eyes. "Am I not allowed to be upset anymore? You pull your waterworks on me, and all I want to do now is just hold you."

"I'm sorry…" You managed to whisper to him as you coiled your arms around his neck. 

"Don't be, sweetheart. If anything, the one apologizing should be me." 

"You don't have to apologize for anything, either, Satoru…" 

"Are you kidding? This whole mess—"

"—Is not your fault, Satoru," you quickly retorted, returning his earlier gesture by cupping his face in your smaller hands this time. 

"At least allow me to be sorry for a few things. Like Nanami," he said with a defeated chuckle. "And your old man."

"Oh, now that you mentioned Kento, I just remembered Chi-chan said Takkun should come see her one of these days. I think she has something for him. Maybe we can return to the estate together after all of this…" You mused, taking your husband's hands in yours. "And I know you've got a mountain of tasks waiting for you, but your birthday is coming up…"

"Don't sweat it, sweetheart. I'll always have time for my wife," he said, squeezing your hands reassuringly. "There are some things I have to do before we can celebrate. The first order of things is to defeat Sukuna and bring back Megumi. Then there's this other thing."

"Toru, you rarely ask me for favors. If there's anything I can help you with…"

You caught the glint of danger in his blue eyes, his tempered anger silenced as he raised your knuckles to his lips, his feathery lashes lowered to a close as he sat in contemplation. "No. This other thing… This is something I should've done a long, long time ago. I'll end this vicious cycle myself."  

"The way you're going…" You said, swallowing the lump in your throat as you held his face in your hands once more. "Satoru, you're headed somewhere I can't follow." 

But I understand. 

No, you didn't. Even as Satoru's wife— the one he shared his bed with and sometimes the innermost breathings of his heart— you could never claim to fully understand him… but you loved him, and that was enough for him. Satoru didn't mind being misunderstood even by you, though he knew you were aware of the depths of his loneliness as he stood at the precipice, overseeing everything. 

"I don't want you to follow me. I don't want anyone to."

"I won't." 

You nodded at him, holding back tears. Before you knew it, his palm was on the crown of your head, ruffling your hair. 

"Good girl."

— Side by Side.

~ December 2018.

The candlelight crackled softly between you and your husband, the heat scaring away the chill of this December night. The silver moonlight only seeped into a crack between the closed doors. The Koganei Estate was subsequently vacated, its residents ushered to Kyoto to live under the wing of the existing Gojo Clan. In a sense, it was like you and Satoru were the only people in the world at that very moment. 

"Oh? Are you actually sleepy already?" You teasingly asked Satoru, who lay motionless on your futon, his yukata haphazardly closed. On your desk were two letters that looked to have been completed only recently. "Are these for…?"

His expression was quiet and a bit unreadable, but you could sense the gravity of the moment from the way his eyes clenched close. The all-seeing eyes he's had ever since he was born have never failed him, but for once in his life, he wanted to turn them off for good. You did not speak for a while, the crackling of the little spark filling the silence of the night. 

"I heard Kazuya already spoke to the people at home," he started, referring to his clansmen in Kyoto. "My family will keep yours safe, Otome, regardless of—"

"No, don't speak of likelihoods. You promised," you said, cutting him off from speaking any further. "You and I... We're not saying goodbye tonight."

"Of course not," Satoru chuckled to himself. He was prompted to sit up from his languorous recline when you slowly lowered yourself to straddle him, licking his lips in anticipation as he received you in his arms. Yet all of the mischief he felt receded as you faced him with eyes shining with tears that had yet to fall. 

"I would trade lives with you if I could. If I could spare you from this…" 

He opened his mouth to argue, but he bit his tongue. Rather than miring this evening with arguments and rhetoric, he held back, leaning forward to rest his forehead against yours. The silence spoke volumes of the comfort he felt whenever he was around you, and it was louder than any words could convey. 

Yet you knew deep down that there was no sparing him from this. His lot in life had been decided ever since he was born, ever since he tipped the delicate balance of Jujutsu society. You merely took comfort in the fact that you were one of the very few things he chose for himself. He was never a firm believer in fate, even from before, but you knew he must have thanked his lucky stars countless times now for blessing him with another half he actually liked.  

"I'll wait for you," you said, your voice hardly a whisper as you anchored yourself to him, pressing your lips to his in a kiss that shared a flavor of your intertwined past and the hope of a future yet uncertain. "Come home to me, okay?"

Satoru nodded. He nodded as he pulled you in for another kiss. He was in no position to make any promises, so he just said what you wanted to hear. Fortunately, it was all he wanted to say. 

"I love you."

You wept and you wept and spilled your tears and though his body was stitched back together, you couldn't stomach what the others wanted to do with it. Their reasoning faded in your ears. All you could hear was your pulse and heartbeat and the adrenaline snapping you upright. You thrashed the place and screamed until you tasted blood in your throat, until it spilled from the corners of your lips. Why is no one taking your side? Your husband just died. He just died, and they wanted him to return to the same playing field that killed him. What you felt in the moment weighed little compared to what had to be done. 

"—!"

The blackout was instantaneous, as though the adrenaline that soaked your blood had evaporated. Yuuta rushed to catch you in his arms, his brows furrowed in sorrow and vexation at the circumstances. "Otome-san always thought of herself as an afterthought, that she was neither important nor relevant to anyone. But she is Gojo-sensei's precious wife. You'll have to forgive her for reacting like this."

"I-Ieiri-san! She isn't breathing! O-Otome-san i—" Yuuji said in panic, his expression melting into one of horrified realization as he saw the ominous trickle of blood from under your skirt. "Wh-Why is she bleeding?! Is she—"

"Oh…"

The Koganei Estate was as quiet as you left it when you departed to join the other young sorcerers to watch your husband's death match. Golden ginkgo leaves rained over the gardens as they always did, regardless of the season. 

It was another queer dream, which could only mean you were at death's doorstep again, for fainting, of all reasons. You rubbed your temples hard enough to try and snap yourself out of this—

"Hello, pretty thing." 

It was Satoru, his image of your final night together standing before you, his yukata still haphazardly closed with a sloppy bow done on his sash. 

"Toru?…"

"I wouldn't let this grief take over you. You wouldn't want me to turn into a vengeful spirit now, would you?" He chuckled at you, mirthless but meaningful, but you could only shake your head in response to this phantasm standing before you. 

He wasn't real, but you were brought to your knees in utter desperation, clinging onto him as though your life depended on it. "This must be some kind of nightmare. But even if it is—" 

"It's a curse." 

"What?" 

Satoru knelt to meet your embrace, but it was only for a moment until he raised you to your feet. "I told you before, didn't I? There's no curse more twisted than love. Now, I need you to let me go slowly, sweetheart…" 

"No! Satoru! You can't leave me!" You shook your head in refusal again and again until he placed a soothing hand on your cheek, his blue eyes crinkling as he smiled at you. 

"You're so, so beautiful," he said as he pressed a tender kiss on your furrowed brow, and it drew out the tears as he expected. "I love you, sweetheart. I'll be waiting on the other side, always. But don't rush, okay? Don't follow me just yet. Knowing you, you'll find something worth living for soon enough."

~ 2019, Koganei Estate.

"Otome-saaan! We're here!" 

Padded footsteps against the engawa prompted you to look up from your chabudai, the documents you were reading now set aside, as the door to your office slid open. Three familiar faces stepped in, the sheen of their jet-black uniforms an all-familiar sight to you. "Hello, you three."

"We brought you oranges! They said it's good for the baby!" Yuuji exclaimed as he raised the plastic bag he was holding, only for it to be taken away by one of the estate servants with a low and reverent bow. 

"We'll bring you strawberries next time, Nobara said, and she quickly approached you when you gestured for her to help you up from your seat. "Say, is it all right for you to be sitting like that all the time?"

"Oh, you're starting to sound just like Shoko, Nobara-chan. I'm quite fine," you said with a small laugh as you got on your feet. Megumi bent down on his knee and straightened out the crooked hem of your pale blue yukata. "Thank you, Megumi-kun. Have you all been well?"

"We've been doing just fine, too! If you're craving anything, don't hesitate to tell us, okay?!" The young woman beamed at you. "Oh! We actually have some strange but exciting news to share with you!" 

"Yeah! It's about Okkotsu-senpai and Maki-san! They…"

Megumi, Yuuji, and Nobara were the last of Satoru's students before his passing. In a way, they felt like they had a responsibility to look after you in his stead, but they always did it happily and willingly. Each visit they made was always filled with chatter, laughter, and reproach, as well as anticipation…

"Have you thought of a name already, Otome-san?"

"I have, actually," you said with a small smile as you placed a hand on your round stomach. "Oh, it's kicking me. Such a lively child, this one is!"

"Ah! W-We wanna feel it!"

"All right, all right! One by one, then!"

You don't have to worry at all, Satoru, you thought to yourself as these young sorcerers each pressed their cheeks against the silk of your yukata, their eyes widening in surprise at the sudden movements this little miracle made inside you. This child will be raised with so much love and affection that it'll feel like you've always been here. 

"Ah! I felt it kick! Or was it a punch?! This kid's definitely got Gojo-sensei's moves!"

This child will be strong, I'm sure of it, but they'll never be lonely. They'll never walk alone… Not when they're walking side by side with these wonderful children. 

✦ Asleep Among Endives Masterlist ✦

[romanticizing-writing]

—Meet the Cast!—

(Part Four: The Neglected Rich and Loved)

(Trigger Warning: Patricia's section contains allusions to child neglect, abuse, use by parents, manipulation, and devaluing of self-worth. It doesn't go too heavily into detail, in my opinion, because the entire post is supposed to be structured like an article written from an outsider's perspective, but it's still there. Please consider either skipping the whole thing together or scrolling down to Alzamirano(Actor!Soos)'s section if you're sensitive to this type of content.)

Patricia:

Patricia has made her mark in the world as one of the most famous tweens of this day and age. Originally, her family was just your average one, living in common mediocrity. However, one day the young blonde asked her parents if she could participate in a beauty pageant, believing that it would be fun. They decided that it couldn't hurt and prehaps give their unplanned mistake of a daughter to become something worthy of their attention for once, so she was enrolled into the annual "Sprouting Elegance" contest. She immediately won and was gifted millions of dollars as the cash price. The amount of money was unlike any her parents had seen before, the luxurious life it allowed them to live was addicting. Thus, they became to crave more of it, desiring more and more, so that they would never have to live how they had before. Driven by greed Deciding that it would build character, they soon began to enroll her in numerous other pageants, collecting waves of money. They started a family blog to post updates on their life, displaying just how lovely and wonderful their family was, how they were living the dream. Patricia certainly dreamed; she dreamed of a world where she never came up with the idea, where she had better parents.

Eventually, her mother came to her and suggested developing a career in something that would let her put her pretty face to even more good use — acting! It would build an even more stable living for them her and maximize their her success. It was perfect! There was no reason to decline, no reason at all. So, of course, Patricia accepted and went along with whatever acting roles they were able to find for her. I mean, why wouldn't she? They knew best. Besides, without them, she would have never earned the stardom everyone else could hope of receiving. Without them, she was nothing. They created her. They were the ones who molded her into the perfect child, into who she was today. The least she could do for them was every. Little. Thing. They. Asked.

It wasn't that difficult for her to rise to the top as a child actor, considering she was already famous and of much status. Her most recent role was playing popular, rich girl "Pacifica Northwest" in the TV series "Gravity Falls". When asked on she felt about the character, she gave an intriguing response.

"It's complicated. And to-tally none of your— ... I mean, it's...personal. I feel like I know her very well and not just because I'm her actress. Though, I probably know her the best out of everyone solely because of that. That's all I'll say. You figure it out if you're so obsessed with mysteries (and me), weirdos," she said when delving into her implied love-hate relationship with the character she played.

She can frequently be found hanging out with Hadron (actor of "Fiddleford McGucket"). When she first arrives on set — her dad leaving as soon as she walks through the doors to there — she stands around, her eyes scanning through the clusters of people hanging about. She then will walk on over to where Hadron is ( typically talking to a bushing Stan [actor of "Stanley Pines"]) and tug on the sleeve of his fern green, button-up shirt in order to get his attention. He will turn his head and smile at her, and the two will engage in conversation. The mere sight of him always makes her eyes light up and twinkle, though she will try to act like she doesn't care.

She's also decently close to Mason (actor of "Dipper Pines") and his best friend, Mabel (actor of "Mabel Pines"). Mabel will occasionally drag Patricia over to where she and Mason are, and they'll all talk together as a trio. Mabel will knit a sweater, using Patricia as a model as she does, and will chatter away about stuff that delights her as the blonde and other brunette exchange amused looks, entertained by their friend's antics. In reverse, Patricia will kidnap Mason and paint his face with makeup, promising to turn him into the 'most beautiful boy who's ever lived' as Mabel giggles loudly at the scene. (Mason either swears at her the whole time or fumes in silence when this happens; Patricia only smirking in return.) When their peppy friend is not around, the duo will fire insults at each other like the sun won't come out tomorrow (some of them were used as inspiration for the actual script of the "Northwest Mansion Mystery" episode).

Also, contrary to popular belief, Patricia's hair really is naturally blonde.

Alzamirano:

Alzamirano, or commonly referred to as simply "Alza," was cast as the actor of "Jesus 'Soos' Ramirez" from the show "Gravity Falls". He was an orphan as a kid before he was adopted by a nurturing family. Their love and care allowed him to blossom into a kind person who always looked out for and after others. In order to give other orphans like himself a chance and a better place to grow up than in some of the terrible orphanages they're placed in, he started his own orphanage. That way, he could try his best to help the community and know he was giving every effort to truly assist people.

However, running an orphanage wasn't cheap, so he took up multiple jobs. He became a cook, a bus driver, a tour guide, etcetera, etcetera. Eventually, he stumbled across an ad requiring understudies for a film. It stated that they didn't have to be professionals and the salary was reasonable, so he decided to sign up. Last minute, the main actor he was an understudy for ended up calling off, so he had to take their place. Stepping into the spotlight and performing felt natural, and the crowd loved his show. Soon after, he started to get calls for jobs. He had found a career he could truly become successful with and gain a steady pay from to keep his orphanage stable and thriving.

On set, he's very a chill guy who gets along well with Mabel and, in all honesty, who wouldn't? He inquires about the living conditions for all for the children and has been seen to check in on Patricia specifically on a regular basis. He's bought multiple clothes and packages of food for her after realizing that she pretty much wears the same four pairs clothes all the time, just in different combinations, and how unhealthily thin she appears to be.

"Do you really have to try and spread gossip? Don't you have anything better to do or is your life just so sad that you live off of other people's lives to be fulfilled. Anything and everything about her personal life is personal! It's in the name. She's not required to share anything with you, nor am I. Why Mr. Alzamirano does what he does and what he suspects, if anything at all, is none of your business. You want to know something? He's a nice person and the stuff he does is nice. There you go. There's your hot scoop. Go crazy over it," Mason defensively stated when we questioned him about the Alza's gifts for Patricia.

He's friends with Stan and appreciative of the constant donations he sends towards the orphanage he runs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Next Part:

Previous Part:

[chweverni]

HOW I THINK _ bonedo 'n their love languages ! (pt.1)

pairing; ot6!bonedo x fem!reader synopsis; how would your adorable boyfriend(s) express their love for you? word count; 998 author's note; this is my first time writing sth ot6 soo bear with me!! and thank you all for the immense support on my prev posts it means a lot <33 keeping in mind that there are only 5 love languages, i'll try to make it as accurate as possible ! ♡ read pt.2 here !

edit; i did get two of the members' name wrong at first! im so sorry to previous readers :((((((

-

MYUNG JAEHYUN - quality time/physical affection

jaehyun is known for his bubbly personality and moreover he's an ENFP. so chances are, that he's a sucker for one-on-one interaction with his significant other. so, he would like spending every minute he can with you, be it for studies or just simply sitting together with you, talking about your day. he's the one to sulk over delays in any plans you two make and he'll probably go off like, "so, when are you free if not today?", with a VERY adorable pout plastered on his face. (let's not forget how his eyes sparkle most of the times).

also, i think he's very likely to randomly hug or kiss you in the middle of the day. so be ready for very tight back hugs, fore-head kisses, nose kisses, interlocking of hands or wrapping an arm round your shoulder randomly during classes, or during chores or projects!

"just one kiss! i promise it will happen again!", he'll say with a smile, proceeding to cup your face to plant a kiss on your lips.

"can we hold hands? i'm 'bout to sleep. class is getting boring!", he'll say while pulling your chair closer to him quietly to not disturb the class.

PARK SUNG HO - words of affirmation/acts of service

ENTJs although extroverted, are not known to be big fans of physical touch so he'll be more focused on helping you around, be it for school work such as homework, or assignments, or projects. he'd be the one to prepare notes for a class he's not even taking, just so that you can at the least fulfill your five hour sleep schedule. he'd be the one to prepare playlists and compile them in cassettes or CDs so that you can listen to them while doing anything.

when you're studying together at the library, if you're picking up something from under the table, he'll make sure to cover the edges of the table with his hand, so that you don't get hurt. the type to open car doors, or classroom doors for you.

he'd be the type to want to listen to words of affirmation which assures him that you still love him in the relationship. and this goes both ways, he'll also praise you and your achievements (even the smallest ones).

"ah! i'm so proud of you, love! i knew you could do it.", he'll say, being your biggest supporter at anything you do.

"i love you a lot, and maybe you've heard that a million times already. but, my love for you is exponential."

LEE SANG HYEOK - physical touch/words of affirmation

riwoo is a cutie patootie and for him, intimate actions such as hugs, kisses, holding hands, wrapping arms around your arm/waist and words to affirm that he, in fact, is the one for you, is the best thing one can do to make him feel loved. think of it like this, if you remember every little thing he says and acknowledge his interests, likes and dislikes, he'll probably just wife you right there and then. (not that it's that easy though! he's probably the one who takes long before they let someone in their hearts/lives)

and it goes both ways too, he'll remember the most insignificant thing you say and remind you how cute, pretty, sexy, kind, caring, understanding you are.

"you're a good listener, you understand me so well baby.", he'll say, leaving a short kiss on your lips.

"and a good kisser too! i won the lottery!"

he'll be the one to keep you close to him whenever you both go out for a date. it's like, he loves you too much to let you go. he'll put your hand in his pockets if it's cold (still holding hands there, too!). he'll randomly just go ahead and give you recharge hugs when you're preparing for exams or tests at school.

"i hope you feel better because your warm hugs are like batteries for me to continue with school."

HAN DONG MIN - quality time/acts of service

INTJs are a bunch of people who like to focus on more deeper aspects on relationships, such as communicating, understanding and helping each other out during hard and stressful times. taesan would be the type to engage in deep and long thoughts with you, often asking you if there's anything at all bothering you. "can i say something about this baby? or you'd like me to listen?", he'll say, while softly rubbing your back, when you're opening up about your day.

acts of service go both ways for you two. he'd be the type to carry your stuff for you if it's too heavy. or the one who give you a piggy back ride if your shoes hurt your feet. he'll push stray strands of hair out of your face when you're reading something with concentration. and for you, you'll make him food whenever he's late from practice. or save him the work given at school, so that he can catch up without difficulties. you'd make small cards to remember his birthday and plan dates whenever you can to show him that you love him as much as he does.

"love, you didn't have to do this.. you were probably busy with school work too..", he'd say, fiddling with his fingers, feeling bad that you went out of your way to make him food while he practised.

"no! this is my way of saying that i love my hard-working boyfriend a lot and he should learn how to accept my gifts, because this is gonna be a long-term thing from now on-wards!"

"i love you..", he'll reply, sitting down with you to eat together, while you ask him how things went there. maybe you offer back pats and head pats as he talks about it. he'll be thrilled to see little notes you leave at his backpack during practice and will most definitely call you afterwards to return the favor!

-

hehe! i'll update about the remaining two members later! i hope this post intrigued you lol

all creds to chweverni only on tumblr! <3 come back for more!!!

[bethanydelleman]

hi! I finished northanger abbey and do I have thoughts! I really liked it, I'd give it a solid 8.5!

you were right, catherine being a teen girl is relatable, but actually the most "relatable" character I think, is isabella. i genuinely gasped almost every time she spoke because I've met a few isabellas and austen really put it on page. every now and then I almost expected her to say "omg stop teasing meee" or steal James hat/hoodie. she gives me that *friend who leaves you alone at the club while you're drunk to flirt with some rando" vibes. kinda sad because at first she did seem a lesbian in love with catherine.

and john thorphe!! I'll admit he did scare me a bit a few times, him grabbing catherines arm to stop her from exiting the carriage was so creepy. and just like.. him trying so bad to remove her agency and turn her into his little doll. both of them are worse than wickham to me. not necessarily because of actions but like.. they just feel like people who'd be easier to meet irl if that makes sense?

i loved henry tilney so much, you low-key spilled when you said he was the best austen man, im sure. but i will forever be upset that austen didn't delve into his love confession/proposal like whyy.

but God did I love how foils are in this book, with the tilneys opposing the thorphes when it comes to relationships with catherine. her true soulmates!

honestly I kinda wished I'd read this one in my language because perhaps I would have understood the whole subtext re: general tilney better. but I did understand everything so it's fine.

also I have to defend my girl and say she's actually incredibly emotionally smart, she clocks the general and even isabella, she's just in denial for a good while, and james (way more experienced) is led on more than her so im annoyed by the dumb allegations i saw. she's 17 in 1800s leave her alone!

and I love eleanor obv!

alsoo this is kinda off topic but i soo think modern!henry would be a fashion student and modern!catherine would LOVE lisa frankestein! i just know she would. nd it would hit as a concept !

all this to say I really liked it, I'll start with sense and sensibility next! so excited cause I know it's about two sisters so it'll be like getting a book with jane and elizabeth pov! ty btw! your advice was spot on!

Firstly, congratulations on reading Northanger Abbey in your second language! That is impressive. And I'm so happy to hear you loved it.

Secondly, I totally agree about the Thorpes. They really feel like people you could meet today and both of them are so slimy. I think they inspire more genuine feelings of disgust than a more over-the-top villain like Wickham or Willoughby. And they are great foils for the Tilneys, all talk and no substance. The Tilneys are the real, genuine friends that Catherine will value forever.

Catherine does have good instincts. I really think the point is that she identified the evil in General Tilney, she just went a bit far with how that evil would express itself. Some people hate her and call her stupid, but I never would. She mostly got it right.

I hope you enjoy Sense & Sensibility just as much! Report back if you want.

[necromiku]

Snow glazed donuts..

🍩 • • •

ending!Duncan x romantic partner!reader [M4A]

note: there will be no smut here, I dont feel like writing one for my first tbh X). Camille exists here as your friend and you're Duncan's bf/gf. Same AU as the show, setting is right after the tragedy. PLUS. I am a beginner, Obviously I'm not so poetic for a writer. I think this'll be a short comforting ones instead of the heavy romantic soo.. Enjoy!

this story took place in the 2010's

After all the things Duncan went through, he managed to get a partner.. Never thought the Black Kaiser would get a romantic partner would he(?). Well to replace the word 'get' more like he 'found' one. Camille knows you too, matter fact you both blended quite well. Went grocery shopping together, maybe even watch or take pictures of animals while Duncan watches from afar.

The activity today was done, you head back to his car and put all the groceries in the backseat. Seeing Duncan pay for his groceries made you wonder, where did he get all those money?.. Scratch that, your mind went through a way different path. goddamn he's so fine. you thought to yourself.

When he turn back to the entry door, you snapped back to reality. Distracting your gaze to the car control, stabbing the aux cable to your music player. Playing your favorite artist, it was laggy at the start and finally the speakers played lady gaga.

"I know that we are young, and I know that you may love me. But I just can't be with you like this anymore-"

The intro part of Alejandro, by lady gaga in her album The fame monster.

"You're dramatic." He muttered as he entered the drivers side. His eye patch slipping up a little bit give you the urge, to tug it down and fix the position.

From your eye he already knew what you're up to. He fix it and shrugs. What a wonderful man.

You look at the time. 18:19. Not bad.. You look at the sky and its a Shade of peachy orange and pink. or some stupid buffoon will say golden hour, which isn't precisely golden hour right now.

Your stomach rumbled from hunger, before he spoke the usual, 'You're hungry.' You decide to outrun his mouth before he interrupts.

"I'm hungry." - "You're hungry."

You both spoke at the same time. The old man ket out a low chuckle, you can hear it that came from his chest. compared to yours, to the soft spoken words and giggles.

He lower down the speeds down and asks, "Want sone donuts?"

"No, I'll get fat." You replied, he parked anyway and looked at you.

"No you don't." His face the usual, and he cocks his eyebrows.

He watch you pinch your belly, the soft plump you got on your lower stomach. He sighs showing his slight frustration from the comparison. He pinched his belly too and he is much bigger than yours.

"Look. One or two donuts wont get you fat. plus those are enough to fill your stomach since you dont eat like a builder's portion." He added and tilt his head.

You didn't give a single reaction and just look at him. "Alright."

He pulls out from the parking space and you immediately stop him. "No!- no- no- no no no-. I want some donuts." You cuts and he stops, he only move the car a few inch but enough to tell like we're about to leave.

"there you go." He said and you unbuckle your safety belt. So as he, You went down and looks at all the sugar. The toppings, glaze, and the warm looking donuts that made your mouth water.

As you both entered the store, the warm air conditioner embraced you both, rising your body to a comfort temperature. Its still snowing here, Thick, layers are still on the surface. We're surrounded by broad mountains, of course there will be snow.

You look at the display case, where they warm the freshly fried donuts and toppings. Duncan already chose which he wants to buy, plain and caramel, and a coffee. While you were gazing out to the toppings.

Your worry lingers as you kept staring at the glaze. Theres another side of you thats scared of sweets, cause it may ruin how you look. And theres another one that makes you happy. Its a great dilemma to you.

"A few wont hurt. Come on. Pick." He spoke, his voice soothes you. Bringing comfort and reassurance.

"right.. one with vanilla glazing and the other with the jelly filling.." The woman packs four donuts for you and while your pulling out your wallet for a card, Duncan. Beats you again. He's too fast and he always pay stuff for you.

"Dont worry. just get the donut." He spoke, a slight dissapointment crossed you face. Oh you wanna pay soo bad he didn't let you. How cute.

You proceed to grab the box you grab one in the process. Biting one while both of you walk to a nearby table.

till the time you both sit down and relax. You can see the sun sink behind the Mountain, really slowly. You look at Duncan and he bop his head up. Your eyes darts up to the sign.

"Dunkin Donuts.." You muttered.

He wondered what were you thinking about.

"Dont you think it rhymes? Dunkin and Duncan." He chuckles and shake his head.

"I dont know." He said then repeats it.

You both sit there as the snow falls down. A snowflake fell on your donut. Now your donut looks like a snow. You kept it to yourself and eats them anyway. Probably heading home as soon as it gets dark. You take a sip at the coffe, the warmness spreading through your chest remind you of how Duncan hugs you.

• • •

I should learn to put more in depth explanation xwx. I appreciate that you reached this part of the story, which is the end. Thankyou!! Love ya. toots.

[py-dreamer]

...soo...

ok um technically this doesn't count at least in my timezone cause over here its already past midnight... um...

regardless...

weee!!!

I figured I'd make each of these mofos like individual post rather than make one really long reblog making it kinda hard to sort through and just list them using one tag instead.

So I suppose technically y'all get a double whammy today! Just gotta wait quite a while for it, heh...

So with this one I definitely did focus more on cake than the outfit. But hopefully you guys can still see the skrimblo

Anyways those are kiwi fruits, if you couldn't tell, don't @ me pls this is like one of the few times I've drawn fruits. Oh, and that black thingy? It's a tapioca pearl from bubble tea!! I think it's possible...

At first I wanted a more vibrant teal/green for the frosting and a lighter cake color similar to Mk's slice but that bright teal clashed hard with the kiwi fruit so I switched it out for the light light teal instead. Idk what flavor it'd be maybe like a more minty whipped cream.

Cakewise, it is darker than Mk's so I imagine it to be less airy, possibly more dense. Maybe like a ginger? Give any suggestions, but probably something funky for our funky girl!

Those 3 blobs with the weird cookie face on it is meant to be grape tanghulu with a dragon cookie on it! The rest of the cookies are as expected, good ole sugar cookies, though with the gold dragon I was having some trouble since Idk where to put the balloon since it left an empty space so I had to fill it with another cookie that would barely show, so yeah. That was fun

As for the dollops of frosting, I thought Mei is spunky fulunky, and a rich girl to boot! So let her have some pizzazz! I thought it appropriate

I think the balloon and dragon came out nicely, had to look for a reference for the dragon though. They're meant to be a paper decoration on a toothpick originally like Mk's cloud but at this point I leave it up for interpretation

Not much to say about the outfit, pretty similar to Mk's.

I know the KNY girls in their arts had skirts but my friend and I both thought Mei would look better in pants. (Not that she can't wear dresses, she slays in anything just that we thought she'd wear pants in this situation)

And I did try adding a little green skirt but it looked wonky and I didn't want that, bleugh

So I settled for compromise, making her like overcoat/vest thingy longer/ wider and gave her leggings so she also doesn't blend into the cake lol

And um life updates! I had like 4 tests today, I'm not kidding.

Good news is, tests for now are over!

Bad news is, still have an assignment to do...

Again, I'll do my best to keep this up. They are very fun and get my creative juices flowing I feel but no promises!

[elliespassagerprincess]

i love emily im sorry soo much,, do you think u could please write an ellie x reader based on the song night shift by lucy dacus?? i think is a good song to make a fic <3

night shift - (ellie williams x reader)

hi anon! thank you sm for the compliment! And yes it's literally is an amazing song for a angst fic! I hope you enjoy:)

This story is based off the song Night shift by Lucy Dacus, if you can please listen to the song as you're reading:)

Pairing: ellie x fem!reader

Requests are always open feel free to leave one or just send me a song and I'll take it from there:)

Warnings: sadness and cheating

Summary: In which you were the other women

wc: 1.8k + the lyrics

The first time I tasted somebody else's spit, I had a coughing fit

I mistakenly called them by your name

I was let down, it wasn't the same

I'm doing fine, trying to derail my one-track mind

Regaining my self-worth in record time

But I can't help but think of your other in the bed that was mine

The day Ellie Williams asked you out was truly the best day of your life.

It all started with small smiles, gentle touches and loving gazes. You knew from the first day you laid eyes on Ellie, that you wanted to be with her. And never in a million dreams did you think that you stood a chance with someone as beautiful such as Ellie.

You didn't regret asking her for her number. You didn't regret saying yes when she asked you on a date that day. But the more you think about it, the more realized maybe you should’ve said no.

"Hi I'm Ellie’s girlfriend, is she here today?" The girl asked with a smile on her face.

 oh.

Girlfriend?

Ellie was never mentioned anything about a girlfriend to you.

Fuck.

"Oh hey Cat" you heard Ellie’s voice from behind you. You turned around and you and the autumn brown haired girl made eye contact.

Ellie’s eyes widened when she saw you were talking to Cat, but her shock was soon replaced by her signature smirk.

"Hi babe" Cat greeted Ellie cheerfully "can we talk?" She asked. Ellie gave her a quick nod as she walked out from behind the counter. As Ellie and cat walked away she reached down to grab the girls hand and if felt like you've been stabbed.

You quickly excused yourself and you ran down the hall in the storage room where you and Ellie would always meet each other.

Holy shit.

She had a girlfriend? What? You thought she liked you?

You and Ellie were never official, but you went on dates. You held hands. You kissed her for fucks sake. You were the other women. Ellie didn't care for you as much as you thought. She was using you.

You heard the door handle of the storage room rattle. You looked up and you quickly wiped away your tears: "Ellie?" You questioned, with a hopeful voice.

"No it's me!" You heard Dina’s voice yelled back. "Ellie went home with her girlfriend so you'll have to take her shift"

You let out a sigh as you felt the tears flow freely once again.

 You were supposed to be mad at her. You were supposed to hate her. But you called out for her? You would never admit it out loud but you were actually waiting for her. You were waiting for Ellie to come and apologize and to say that this was all a misunderstanding.  You silently sat there crying.

 You were the other women.

Am I a masochist, resisting urges to punch you in the teeth?

Call you a bitch and leave?

Why did I come here? To sit and watch you stare at your feet?

What was the plan? Absolve your guilt and shake hands?

If you truly hated Ellie like you claimed you did, you wouldn't have opened your apartment door that night.

That one faithful evening in September, when you heard a knock on your door.

“Who the fuck could that be?” you muttered to yourself as you got up from bed rubbing your eyes.

You look over to your phone if see it's 1:00am. You yawned as you walked to the front door. You opened it and your eyes were met with the girl who broke your heart all those months ago.

 The girl you thought you would be spending the rest of your life with.

She looked at you, her normally neat hair was a messy, dark circles under her eyes.

god you thought you looked bad.

"What are you doing here Ellie?" You asked.

She could've come to you a long time ago and suddenly she shows up? What does she want? Does she want to get back together? Is she here to beg for forgiveness?

 "Jesse told me that you were serious when you said you wanted to work the night shift" she spoke, as she brought her right hand up to awkwardly scratch the back of her neck.

 You didn’t know if you wanted to punch her or kiss her.

 Ellie’s gaze fell down to her feet and the two of you were surrounded by silence.

Since when is it so quite at 1 in the morning?

"Why are you here?" You finally asked again.

Ellie looked up at you once again. She hesitated. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times. The words weren't coming out.

‘she's so fucking pathetic’ you thought to yourself.

 "Are you here to apologize? To make yourself feel better?", you spoke again.

Ellie looked taken aback, her facial expression morphed into a face of confusion? Hurt? You couldn't tell.

"I love you-" Ellie started, you let out a laugh even before she could finish.

"If you loved me, why was I the other women?" You questioned.

Ellie fell silent. She stared at you. She was at a loss for words. How could you say such a thing? You knew nothing about her situation. You didn't know that she can Cat had been in a loveless relationship for years. You didn't know how much she loved you. You didn't know how alive you made her feel.

Ellie was brought back to reality when you spoke: "You can't even fucking speak to me".

You let out a sigh as you took a step back to close the door. Ellie’s large hand reached out to try and stop it, but you were too quick. You closed the door in her face. Ellie put her forehead against your front door as tears streamed down her cheeks. She heard your voice from behind the door:

"You are such a fucking bitch Williams"

Ellie turned away from your door, her hand gripping her shirt as she started sobbing.

Loud sounds of crying filled the quite streets of Jackson as Ellie stood at your door realizing that she lost you.

I feel no need to forgive, but I might as well

But let me kiss your lips, so I know how it felt

Pay for my coffee and leave before the sun goes down

Walk for hours in the dark, feeling all hell

"I think I should start working the night shift" you told Jesse one morning.

"dude I thought you hated it"

You went quite for a moment. You did hate it. But you couldn't stand working another shift looking at Ellie. Even being in her presence made your heart yearn for her. If feels like you've been starved for years without Ellie’s touch. And you fear that even if your finger just lightly touched her you'd lose your mind.

 You already felt guilty enough when you found out Ellie had a girlfriend, you didn't want to make a fool out of yourself by confessing your undying love to her.

You walked out of Jesse's office and into the locker room. Ellie was in there. You walked right past her, going to your locker you quickly pulled out your bag.

"Wait our shifts are starting right now, where are you going?" She questioned.

"I'm working the night shift from now on" you replied as you made your way to the door. You felt so cold hand grab your wrist and when you turned around and you were met with Ellie’s pleading eyes.

"If you work night shift I won't be able to see you" she spoke softly.

You forcefully removed your arm from Ellie’s grip.

"go see your fucking girlfriend"

You turned away from Ellie, walking to the door and you stopped. It was as if your feet were glued to the floor. You slowly turned around to face Ellie once again.

"I'll never be able to forgive you" you muttered softly and you looked at the girl you had so much love for.

"Please try" Ellie begged.

"I'll leave her" Ellie quickly reasoned with you, to make you stay.

You shook your head as you dropped your bag onto the floor. You made your way towards Ellie as you once again muttered “I can't fucking forgive you" as you wrapped your arms her neck, her lips soon crashed into yours.

The kiss was intense. You've been starved from Ellie, and this was your first taste in months.

Teeth crashing into each other, heavy breathes filled the room, and hands were roaming.

You pulled away and you looked at Ellie for the last time.

Her eyes blown wide, her lips swollen her chest rapidly rising.

 You once again moved from her grip as you picked up your bag.

You stood the door once more. Before you walked out the door you turned to Ellie one last time, giving her a small "I love you" was the last words she ever spoke to you.

Don't hold your breath, forget you ever saw me at my best

You don't deserve what you don't respect

Don't deserve what you say you love and then neglect

Now bite your tongue, it's too dangerous to fall so young

Take back what you said

Can't lose what you never had

You don't even know why you're upset. Why were you so fucking depressed over a relationship that never even happened?

All you do is fantasize over a relationship that wasn't even real.

What you could've been. And you know you were being delusional when you thought you had a chance with her, and yet you still fell for her.

But we all learn the hard way don't we?

You can't be sad over something that wasn't even yours to being with.

All you had to do was suck it up and get to work. You'd eventually get over Ellie. And you'd be happy again, right?

As much as you try to convince yourself, you aren't so sure you can see a happy life without Ellie.

The girl you thought was your soulmate.

You got a 9-to-5, so I'll take the night shift

And I'll never see you again, if I can help it

In five years, I hope the songs feel like covers

Dedicated to new lovers

"Are you sure you want to take the night shift?" Jesse asked you one last time.

"I'm sure" you replied

Even though you hated the night shift it got you away from Ellie. You didn't have to see her at your workplace. You don't have to constantly be reminded about what the two of you could've been.

"Remember Ellie will come in at 9 tomorrow" Jesse yelled as he walked out the front door of the Café. He gave you a small wave, as the bell chimed when the door finally closed.

"yeah I know" you yelled back.

You hoped that one day you'd stop working the night shift.

 And maybe, just maybe you'd be able to move on from Ellie.

But till then you'd rather torture yourself than to be in the same room as Ellie fucking Williams.

Authors note: guess who disappeared and whos suddenly back again? obviously me.... remember you are loved and to always be kind, my requests are always open

yours truly,

Zia<3

[euphoricimagination]

Summary: you team up with Reo and Chigiri and head to the second stage, where you would battle against Isagi, Barou and Nagi, who will win? And who will be stolen?

Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 -> Masterlist

"Reo, wanna team up with us?"

"Leave me alone" he answers, an annoyed look on his eyes

"What happened to him? He used to be so cocky with us" Chigiri asks, a tsk sound coming out of Reo's mouth

"I told you, Nagi wanted to play with Isagi, so he left him behind" you explain to Chigiri before turning to Reo "What? Did you think that Nagi will mindlessly follow you everywhere?"

"Huh?!" Reo asks you even more annoyed than before, making you smirk "aren't you the same with this red hair?"

"Not really, i waited for him because i wanted to, i could easily join anyone and still make it work" you shrugged

"Ouch, I'm hurt Yn" Chigiri says playfully "we wanna to kick Isagi and Bachira asses after they left us being"

"Soo.. You join us or not?"

"Why? Why me? Why would you want me on your team?" Reo asks confused

"Because you're clever"

"Because you're incredible" both Chigiri and you say at the same time, making Reo blush

"Yeah…you're right. I am skilled and incredible, having me on your team gives you value you can’t get anywhere else. And yet… he had to go and leave me… for Isagi! That stupid whiny baby just pisses me off!!" Reo exclaims, making raise your eyebrow

"You know what? I don't want him anymore" you say to Chigiri "I'm sure we can find someone else, i meet this dude called Yukimiya and he was super nice"

"Relax, that could help us" Chigiri chuckles "oi, we want to beat Isagi and you want to beat Nagi, so how about an alliance of revenge?"

"Sounds good to me. It's a pleasure to be working with you, Chirigi, Yn" Reo takes Chigiri's hand, accepting the offer "let's kill the bastards who betrayed us"

"You're talking too far" you say rolling your eyes

"Lets beat them all, elite" Chigiri adds with a smile

You three go to the door to the second stage, one of the fastest teams to form and go through the doors. You enter the next room, a big one with a number three on the floor with a few teams waiting there. The TV turns on the moment you enter, Ego appearing on the screen as he explains how this new stage is going to work.

"So basically we battle and take a player of the other team until there's only one left?" Chigiri asks

"Yeah, pretty much. We basically have to play against someone we want to steal for our team" you add. Suddenly your rankings changed, according to Ego's explanation, it was according to the order in which everyone cleared the first stage, explaining the number two on it

"Damn, N°2 huh? Well done Yn!" Chigiri ruffles your hair

"You finished that quickly?" Reo asks for the first time, he had a number 8 on his arm while Chigiri a number had the number 20

"Yeah, i thought about teaming up with that Itoshi guy, but he's an asshole"

"How come?"

"He said that it didn't matter who he teamed up with, everyone was just a stepping stone for him. Like hell I'll team up with him"

"Yeah, you would say something like that" Chigiri adds

"So, we have 24 hours to choose a team right? Let's train for today and choose someone after"

"Sure"

You three go to the training fields to start practicing, Reo was able to understand pretty fast what our our abilities allowed us to do, so your abilities quickly matched up, allowing you to have a very productive practice.

It was already late when you finished, all of you sweating profusely

"That was some training" says Chigiri drinking

"Yeah, that was exhausting. I'm going to the lockers" you say standing up

"I'm assuming you're not joining me in the showers? Chigiri asks, standing up too

"Not yet"

"What do you mean? You don't shower with the rest?" Reo asks

"Nah, he has a weird complex and doesn't like being with others. Don't really get it, but I won't force it" Chigiri answers for you "what about you, Reo? Joining me?"

"Go ahead, I'll join soon" Reo says, making you and Chigiri start going to the door

"Hey Chigiri, is your leg okay?" You ask him

"Better than ever! What? Worrying about me?" He teases you, passing his arm through your shoulder

"Well, I don't want to hear you whining like a baby if you get injured again? Ouch" you exclaim after Chigiri hitted your head chuckling. You can feel Reo's eyes on both of you.

Chigiri went to the bathroom to have a shower, Reo joined after, while you laid on the seat of the lockers, waiting for everyone to come out and also allowing you breathe freely as you untie your binder. A few minutes pass when you hear the door open quickly; looking up you see Anri in the locker, looking everywhere before her eyes land on you

“Yn-chan” she said with relief “Thank god you're alone here. I need you to come with me quickly”

“Sure, let’s go” you follow Anri towards Ego’s apartment, where he is waiting for you while sitting in his chair rewatching the match of Isagi, Bachira and Nagi.

“Yn-chan” he calls you, turning around “I’ll make it quick. As you know this second selection is an elimination selection too, if you don’t get chosen, you leave. You should try to get eliminated now”

“What?”

“You know that you shouldn’t stay in this project for so long, getting eliminated in this stage would be the least suspicious”

“I’m not losing on purpose” you say, seeing his eyes widen at the sudden opposition “If I can win, I will, losing on purpose is cheap and you should know that; this is not just for me, but because of my teammates too. What if I lose and end up getting chosen?”

“Do I have to remind you that you are getting paid to do this? This is your job, you should do what i tell you” Ego reminds you

"I'm.not.losing" you say annoyed "I'm leaving now, you want to eliminate me? Do it, let's see how everyone reacts" You don't wait for his answer, turning around and leaving, not before you notice a proud little smile from Anri.

You go back to the lockers, Chigiri and Reo were already there with towels on their hips.

"Oi, Yn" Chigiri calls you once you enter "Where were you?"

"I went to drink something. What happened?"

"We may have decided on our opponents, right Reo?" Chigiri looks at Reo, who smiles kinda nervously

"Well…while bathing I encountered Nagi, and I may have told them that we will play them…"

"Alongside with how he only team up with us only to beat Nagi" Chigiri adds "Also, Barou was with them"

"Barou? That means that they already lost once, lost Bachira, and won another match to gain Barou? How the hell did they do all that in such a short time?"

"Who knows, but long story short, we kinda agree to have a match with them without you…sorry" Chigiri looks guilty

"It's alright, we came here to have a match with them anyway, so we just have to win"

"Ha! Well said!" Chigiri ruffles your hair again "the bathroom should be empty by now, you should go and take a shower"

"Sure" you say, taking your things "also..Reo?"

"Huh?" He asks lifting his head, making you hit the back of his head

"Don't you dare to see me just as your tool, you elite idiot" Reo looks at you surprised, making Chigiri chuckle

You went to shower, which luckily was completely empty, and then went to the bedroom, a simple bunk bed and a single bed were the only things in there. You saw some clothes on the single bed one, but considering how things had happened, you just decided to take it over.

"You're back" Chigiri comes in with a tray of food "here, i assumed you hadn't eaten yet"

"Thanks" you take the food, a rare fried chicken, as you sit with your back on the wall

"By the way, Reo claim this bed" Chigiri sits beside you

"Like i care, y'all didn't ask me anything about the match, so i won't ask about the bed either"

"Petty" he laughs

"Oi, that's my bed, move" Reo days, entering the room

"No"

"No?"

"No" you say, making him raise his eyebrow "I'm not Nagi, i won't do everything you tell me to do.. Oh wait, Nagi doesn't do that anymore" you smirk, teasing the rich boy

"You're annoying"

"I bet you're used to people kissing your feet, hey, now you'll experience what a bunk bed is like. Chigiri, do you want top or bottom?"

"Bottom is easier"

"Then it's decided, you sleeping in the top one Reo" you smile at him, he only rolling his eyes "here things won't work always your way"

"I noticed" he scoffs, sitting in your bed too "i hate to admit it, but this is the first time someone treated me like this"

"Get used to it, he's very straightforward" Chigiri chuckles as you keep eating, by now the pronoun 'he' didn't throw you off anymore "but he means well, he always tells you what no one wants to say to you"

The next morning you are getting ready for the match, Reo practically ignoring both of you. You're sitting in the lockers right before the match starts, preparing a strategy.

"Alright" you start "Reo will be the anchor that balances us out, Chigiri and I will try to use our skills and keep attacking from wherever we can"

"Sure, we've trained for this anyway" answers Chigiri "i don't know their plans, but in terms of powerful defense we're probably even"

"We just need to establish who marks who, but…"

"I'll take on Isagi Yoichi, I'll seal his movements and prove to him that he made the wrong decision…ouch!"

"You're being creepy" you say after hitting his head "Neither of us are a great physical match to Barou, but I'm sure i can give him a better fight when it comes to skill"

"I can mark Nagi then" adds Chigiri "also, if we win, who do we take?"

"Both Isagi and Barou are good options, but i want Nagi" you say

"I agree, he had great potential, you alright with that, Reo?" Asks Chigiri

"Well, i was thinking after defeating him that i would make him feel the same pain i did back then"

"I'm kicking your ass, you're just some annoying bast…Oi, Chigiri! Let me go!" You say, Chigiri was grabbing the back of your t shirt, preventing you from getting close to Reo

"We have a match" he hits your head slightly "anyways, let's decide when the match is over, we will choose by majority vote. Let's go now"

You and Chigiri stay behind as you walk towards the field, the purple hair in front of you ignoring you both

"Oi" you call Chigiri "no matter how much i tease Reo, i kinda get him, i guess i would be in a similar mood if you hadn't team up with me…so thanks"

"Don't get too sentimental now" he ruffles your hair "you waited for me, you know? That means I'm pretty amazing"

"You wish, you're lucky that i decided to wait for you"

"I know"

"Let's win this" you say to Chigiri, extending your arm so Chigiri can cross it, which he did

"We got this"

You got into the field, the match starting with them kicking off. The ball goes to Barou, so you immediately go to him; even though you're definitely not nearly as strong as he is, you distract him enough so Reo can come in and snatch the ball, passing it to Chigiri and scoring the first goal. The white team kicks off again, Isagi sending the ball to Barou one more time; you didn't fully understand what was happening, but you were able to intercept him and take the ball rather easily from him, leaving alone as you go to score the second goal for your team.

By the third restart the aura of Isagi and Nagi had changed, Isagi sending a fast pass to Nagi, who does a reverse bound trap to stop Chigiri and makes a goal for his team

"Damn, even Nagi can get better…Also, snap out of it" you say, slapping Reo's head

Now it's your turn to restart the game, sending it to Reo who immediately goes towards Isagi, clearly trying to prove something, he does a quick pass to Chigiri, who is forced by Nagi to pass back to where Reo and Isagi are. With a burst of speed, you intercepted the pass mid-flight, plucking the ball from the air with grace. Your control was immaculate, and without missing a beat, you surged forward, leaving everyone stunned as you started running. You approached the penalty area, making the hologram goalkeeper rush slightly out to close the angle, which led you to do a deft touch, calmly chipping the ball over the goalie. Time seemed to slow as the ball floated elegantly over the line, nestling in the back of the net.

"Oi, we're a team" Reo calls you as both him and Chigiri approach, a small smile contradicting his annoyed voice

"He sometimes gets too in the zone. Well done"

"Shut up" you say, high fiving both of them. You had a chance of winning now.

The white team restarted once again, this time however, Isagi didn't seem to want to pass to Nagi, instead he was going towards Barou. You quickly go to his side, blocking any possible pass towards the self called King; however, you sensed it first, right behind Barou. Isagi was using him as bait. You reacted a bit late to the sudden pass from Nagi to Isagi, or maybe you reacted just in time, but since you were much shorter than the average here, you weren't able to intercept it, only being a few centimeters away from stopping it before Isagi scores another goal. You breathe hard as you sit on the floor.

"That was close, you reacted faster than i did" Reo says to you, offering his hand to help you stand

"Next time I'll stop it" you take his hand,

You restart the match once again, Reo sending it to Chigiri who almost immediately sends it to you; however, you see Barou in front of you trying to take the ball. It's a battle of physique, and clearly you wouldn't be able to win in that aspect, so you pretended to fight against him so he could hit the ball before you quickly ran past him to take it. Barou doesn't yield, so he still runs to take the ball forcibly, Reo arriving just on time to do a double press -which you held onto with all your might so it would be effective- before he kicks the ball away. Reo, however, shoots it just where Isagi is waiting for, who is able to pass Chigiri as he does a pass to Nagi, who scores a goal.

The restart happens again, Reo sending it to Chigiri, instead of a trap to run, which was one of the weaknesses of the red hair, he kicks it forward without stopping, bouncing it in the same direction he was heading. He is able to pass Barou just in the nick of time, but the ball goes slightly higher than he planned, hitting the upper pole of the goal. In that rebound the ball goes higher, close to where you are, but also close to Isagi and with Nagi coming your way too. Suddenly a replay of one of your plays appeared, and since Ego wanted a goal that could be replicated, you were going to give him that.

Time slowed as the ball hung in the air, so you launch yourself into a scissor kick, your body twisting and contorting mid-air as your foot met the ball with an astounding force. The ball exploded off your foot, a blur of white passing the arms of the hologram.

Both Nagi and Isagi were talking before restarting the game, probably thinking of a strategy since they'd lose if you make another point, when Barou intercepts them, taking the ball and immediately shooting it towards the goal. The goalie luckily saves it, so you go to the ball and take it to do a counter attack; you try to pass it to Reo, but almost immediately you feel Nagi's body in your back, blocking your way.

"Try it, chibi-Yn-kun" he says, you can almost feel a smirk in his voice

"Don't call me chibi"

You see Reo getting closer, so you pass it towards him when Isagi tries to intercept it, Reo sliding just in time to kick the ball away. You aren't able to go for it since Nagi was still in your back, leaving Barou almost able to shoot alone if it wasn't because of Chigiri following him.

In that moment something changed in Isagi's aura, and apparently Barou could sense it too considering that it was the first time ever you've seen him pass the ball, letting Isagi shoot instead and making it a draw again.

You feel a hand on your hand lazily touching your head, Nagi looking at you with a tiny enthusiasm in his eyes

"You're really good for being so small" he says, leaving to go and give a high-five to Isagi. You didn't know if you started to feel hot because of anger or because of his actions

"One more goal, whoever makes the next one wins" you say reuniting with Chigiri and Reo

"We can't let Isagi have the ball" says Reo

"I don’t feel like i can stop him" adds Chigiri "But the last play is starting with our ball"

"That’s exactly why we need to score while absolutely not letting them steal the ball!! Think of losing the ball as losing the match!" Reo says

"They're probably expecting for me to go again, should we use Chigiri this time?" I ask

"That would be the best, yeah" answers Reo

"Let's win this!"

After a few seconds of Reo analyzing the play, he's able to send it to Chigiri, however Nagi instead of following the red head, he goes straight to the ball and intercepts it, knowing fully well that he couldn't win a speed battle against Chigiri. The ball falls directly into Barou's feet.

You can see that he was about to pass it to either Isagi or Nagi, but something in you couldn't let him do that. Maybe it was because you still see this as part of your job somewhere inside you, maybe it was because you didn't want to see the King just fall behind

"Don't win like this!" You are still trying to stop him from keeping going "aren't you the king?!"

Something in his eyes changed, he suddenly started doing chop faints with an incredible angle. An awakening that left everyone behind in mere seconds, shooting a curved ball and making the last goal.

You see the other three celebrate their win as you fall into the ground, breathing hard as you process what had happened. Why did you encourage him? Maybe you could have won if you hadn't, but it would have been wrong…

"Well done guys, we couldn't have predicted Barou's move" you say to the other two, trying to make the feel better after seeing their faces

You could hear them talking, but you weren't making up the words from so far away, you were only able to hear the last part of the sentence

"The only one who could mix into this chemical reaction without disappearing could only be you…Yn" you lay there, a few seconds pass before you could process what he said exactly

"Eh?!" You sit up immediately once you realize "me?"

"Come with us" Isagi simply says. Your eyes widen, but you stand up anyways, feeling a deep guilt inside you…you thought Chigiri would be chosen, what if now they lose again and one of them has to leave?

"Chigiri, I'll be waiting for you, don't you dare to leave me alone" you extend your arm

"I'll make sure to catch up" he says, a sad smile on as he extends his arm too; he then ruffles your hair playfully "well played today, you killed it"

"You too"

You notice that Reo was sitting down now, his head looking down after Nagi had come to say something to him

"Oi" you kick his back lightly with your knee as you pass him, a low grunt coming out of him when he raises his head "prove me wrong Elite, prove me that you don't depend on anyone. After all, sheltered kids like you always get what they want, don't they?" You say with a smirk, trying to rizz him up so he doesn't fall down

"You bet i will"

You start walking towards the winner gate, towards the next stage.

[littlelovelunette]

Lunette's Vacay

This means so much to me because me and my family members are almost always busy so we don't have time to visit other relatives or even travel :(

• 27/03/25: Packing and carrying the luggage to the car has taken a toll on me physically, I'm sweating soo much due to the humid weather and I feel disgusting ;-; today night I'll go to bed and wake tomorrow early morning to leave for the roadtrip. Goodnight, lovelies

Episode 1

My eyes are barely open as i get ready it's 4:30 am. we're in the car rn and dad's already cussing out other drivers lmaooo it's 5 in the morning. dad's brain short circuited seeing the traffic at this early morning, we took a u-turn on the highway bc of that but now WHERE TO!?

I had fallen asleep and I kinda wanna sleep more. my back hurtsss. dad drives like a maniac. i have reacheddddd it's 10 am. i feel humbled ngl, city life has softened me up 😭

Episode 2

heat wave made me dehydrated. unexpected wave of depression hit me and now im crying by myself. idk what else to write. im sorry.

Episode 3

It's 12 pm I'm still in bed. Okay so I took a shower and shampooed my hair. But the water here has too much iron so my hair is like 💀. Nevertheless I put this hairmask on after ages of contemplating, it smelled like milk candy so I was convinced it'd be good. Only... MY HAIR IS IN THE WORST STATE IT'S EVER BEEN IN. Why is it so sticky and so weird. I swear we did all the instructions properly. I'm rewashing my hair. That milk shit was dog crap.

I mocked my entire generation of political ancestors lmao. Also, my cousin said smth mean and I'm depressed again. Doing henna bc I will dress traditional tomorrow!!

I got my period, and I'm mad about it. I whispered it to my sis for a reason and she just goes around yelling it to everyone while she goes to get a pad.

Episode 4 (EID i)

Today Eid starts. I can eat properly now and I'm not too happy with it (I'm a picky eater). But it's fine. Uhh, I woke up extremely early for ABSOLUTELY no reason. And I'm currently dying of period cramps and I wanna tear everyone's hair out because they woke me at 7 am but uhhh I'll have to just calm my shit down and take a shower. Need to dress up and wash my hair since that hair mask ruined it.

Today was exhausting! But it's not over yet I gotta go babysit my little niece. SHE'S SO CUTEEEE AHHH

Episode 5 (Eid ii)

I'm on my period with a very heavy flow and cramps but all the things my sister is doing is getting on my nerves. At first, when I told her quietly to give me a damn pad, she embarrassed me by yelling my words in repetition in front of my male relatives and such. If that wasn't bad enough, she kept insisting for me to take the damn phone from her (on a call with a relative) when I kept telling her I NEEDED to go to the bathroom. (Leak situation) She knew but she kept pestering until I snapped. And when I did, she goes around saying I always yell at her. I can't move around a lot because of my period but she keeps rubbing that on my face as if I'm doing this on purpose. I'm so frustrated and so fed up. Istg, I can't get a moment's peace. I just blocked her from Tumblr a few minutes ago.

Today was a disaster.

Episode 6 (Eid iii)

Sitting at dad's side business shop and acting as the clerk but no one knows I'm the owner's daughter hehe. I'm sweating so much though and I might leave earlier than anticipated. Me and my sisters sat at the shop for a while and got a shit ton of makeup, I did my nails in there too. Perks of having a dad who owns a big cosmetics shop hehe. Anyway, the nails, yeah.

I'm leaving tomorrow y'all. Change of plans.

Episode 7

My body is sore from sleeping in the car and dad still drives like a maniac. We're almost already home, honestly I personally think we should've stayed longer than we did. It would've been a good refresher but dad got impatient for getting home sooo... That's it for my vacation