#and yuri is like a second mother to him | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

doobea · 6 months

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BORN TO MAKE HISTORY - RIN ITOSHI

synopsis: After his brother takes a nasty fall and calls out before the new season starts, Rin has to step up as your new figure skating partner.

✰ ✰ ✰જ⁀➴ PLAYLIST.

contents: an ice skating au fic (very much yuri on ice inspired), fem!reader, ice skating terms and irl figures thrown around but not that super important, lmao probably inaccurate depictions of figure skating, sfw, kinda enemies to lovers but its really just rin being anti-social and cold, sae is a decent brother in here, characters are in their early-mid 20s, talks about ISU grand prix, mentions of mental health (depression, anxiety, burn out, imposter syndrome), heavy narration, rin centric, multiple parts will be added but no set scheduling of course word count: 4.3K (sigh there will be more) a/n: you know... whenever i feel like i hit a writer's block... thinking about rin always helps me break out of it so thank u...

For as long as Rin can remember, he's always followed in his brother's footsteps.

Whatever that meant being interested in the same shows, books, and sometimes even hobbies, Rin would always be one step behind. It was a long-time habit that he picked up ever since he was little. There was a small running joke that if you wanted to find Rin, all you needed to do was find Sae. If anyone were to ask him why, he would probably shrug and refuse to answer, though his parents would gush on about how much he looks up to his older brother, and… it’s not a complete tall tale.

His brother is talented and not in a ‘he can totally balance a stack of rocks in one try’ type of talented—though Rin is pretty sure that Sae can do that—but in a ‘he’s born with a natural gift to be absolutely perfect at everything he touches’ type of talented. So, regardless if Rin is always one step behind his brother, he knows deep down that it will always be Sae standing on the very top of the podium with a gold medal around his neck.

Sae delved into figure skating at the age of eight, and Rin quickly followed suit. It began on a family night in, the brothers gathered around their small, worn-out television, fixated on the Winter Olympics in muted colors. Although ice skating initially served as mere background noise while their mother knitted, they both felt an undeniable pull.

Rin was only thirteen when he first won silver at his junior debut competition. In that same year, Sae also moved up to the senior-level groups and gave his first professional appearance during the Japan Figure Skating Championships. Unsurprisingly to no one, Sae effortlessly won gold, putting the whole world on notice and overtaking the competition by over 40 points. From that moment forward, Sae was recruited by an international coach and was sent aboard to different training facilities.

It burned in Rin’s memories of all the irregular Facetime calls they would have of Sae giving him a walking tour of the cities he stayed in. New York was too loud and bright. Chongqing felt like something out of a fairytale and a cyberpunk city at the same time. Saint Petersburg was too cold but Sae liked grabbing pirozhki from a street food vendor before practice every morning. Despite being only two years older, he sometimes felt like he was worlds away from his brother’s place.

Still, after everything, Rin looks up to him. It doesn’t bother Rin that he’s always ‘second best’—according to those poorly written sports magazines—because this is something they can bond over, something that only they can understand.

And maybe this is Rin’s motivation to eventually surpass him.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t go exactly how he imagines it.

“You’re going to sub in for me.”

Sae is sitting up on his bed, his right leg bandaged tightly all the way up to his knee, and he’s saying this with his usual straight-laced expression. Their mother has always complained about being unable to read Sae’s emotions and Rin always thought it was pretty amusing growing up. But now, he finally understands what his mother was talking about.

Rin straightens his back in his seat, a colorful plastic chair from their childhood that’s now too small for a person his size, and almost drops his phone. “Did you hit your head too?”

His brother rolls his eyes and continues, “I know you’re taking a break this season but I promised one of my juniors that I would compete with them. Luckily,” and he points to his injured leg, “this isn’t a permanent issue but I think it’ll also be good for you.”

Sae’s injury happened during practice overseas at a training facility in Madrid. It’s a mild ankle and knee sprain from overexertion and stress factors from jumping too often. He was treated briefly before their parents suggested flying back to Japan to fully recover. It’s not uncommon for skaters to suffer from these types of injuries but why does Sae feel the need to bring Rin into this?

During last year’s Grand Prix Final, Rin had barely finished in the top ten. He fumbled with his short program and free skate, failed to land his quad jumps three times, and had a sloppy step sequence, both of which were supposed to be his strong suits. That day, he didn’t bother joining his coach at the kiss and tell, ignored all the swarming paparazzi self-proclaimed journalists, and uninstalled every social media app on his phone. His fans, coaches, and his family were all concerned as to how someone like him was able to fall that low compared to his higher-than-average stats. Rin had blamed it on something he can’t even remember, maybe a stomach bug, he thinks.

Obviously, that wasn’t the case, everyone could see right through the lie but not entirely the truth of it. News outlets flooded the market with headlines shaming him for not living up to his older brother’s standards, not being a good representative for his nation, and that it was all karma for having an ‘unbearable’ personality to work with. His coaches retired after his flimsy performance and all but two of his sponsorships dropped him. Rin hasn’t officially given out a statement regarding anything.

Depression is a hell of a thing to deal with. Rin’s dealt with it in the past when Sae first moved aboard. Luckily, Sae is perceptive to this kind of thing. The daily calls helped, despite the harsh timezone differences, and eventually Rin was able to move past it. The reality of it though, is that depression never really fades away, it’s almost like an addiction. Sometimes it takes hold in a moment of weakness, one that Rin doesn’t even realize he has until it’s too late. Maybe it’s all the rigorous training, all the comparisons to his brother—he tries not to think too much about it.

He didn’t know when the feeling hit him or why it decided to affect him that day.

For the past several months, he’s been spending time gliding around their local ice rink, teaching some kids on the side to keep his mind preoccupied because, if not that, then he’ll probably end up laying in his bed all day. It works and it’s at least a healthy distraction but, at the same time, he can’t shake the gnawing feeling in his chest every time someone mentions his last performance.

Rin feels like he’s hit a wall. A thick, towering, uninviting wall. And he doesn’t know if he’s ready to face his baggage yet.

“I’m not going to do that.” He finally answers and watches as his brother’s face stays unfazed.

“I need you to.” Sae presses on. “You need to get out of whatever rut you’re in. You’re not happy and going back might help. Forget about competing in singles and join pairs.”

Sae might be talented in everything else but, like Rin, he’s bad at choosing his words and comforting. Rin knows what he means though and he can’t exactly blame him. He’s lost weight, most of it being muscle, and whenever he does get back from work, Rin holes up in his room playing horror games all night long. Rinse and repeat.

At least there’s a level of concern and sincerity behind Sae’s tone, unlike the vulture-like glee from the tabloid reporters.

“I’m…” Rin’s throat feels heavy all of a sudden and he struggles to find an excuse.

Instead of answering, he fixates his attention back to his phone, it’s a news article about Sae’s injury and his withdrawal from the skating season. The article also has a photo of you posing next to his brother, elbow resting on his shoulder while your other hand raises a peace sign towards the camera. Rin hasn’t heard much about you, not that he actively keeps up with any of his competitors, but Sae has mentioned your name here and there before since you both share the same coach.

From what Rin knows, you started skating around the same age as him. You won a few local competitions and managed a bronze medal in the women’s singles category during the Japan Skating Championships. Supposedly, this year you’re attempting to take a shot at qualifying for the Grand Prix Final for pairs. With Sae out of the picture, Rin really hopes the responsibility doesn’t fall on him.

The look that Sae is currently shooting at him is making him backtrack his thoughts.

“It’ll be good for you,” his brother reiterates. Sae scoots closer to the edge and plucks the phone out of Rin’s grasp. “Plus, I already told her that you would do it.”

Rin’s eyes widen. “You did what?”

Sae hums, and taps his fingers away at the screen, before handing it back to him with your contact information placed in. “She’s actually on her way over here.”

“I haven’t even—”

Sae throws a hand up. “No, you don’t get a choice, Rin.”

Despite being three years younger than Sae, you had no issues barging into his room, suitcase in hand and hair in a frenzy. Rin is still seated, having to process his brother’s ridiculous request and now having to make himself semi-presentable to you. He also eyes the suitcase because… there’s no way that you’re actually staying with them right?

“Hope the flight here wasn’t too rough,” His brother starts casually.

Your cheeks are puffed out, eyes slightly baggy from the presumably restless flight, and you let out an exasperated sigh. “I hope you know that I didn’t tell coach about any of this.”

“Any of what?” Sae asks slowly. Now Rin is internally panicking.

Your eyes fall on him and they sparkle in recognition for a brief moment before you turn your attention back to his brother. “Um, that I flew all the way from Madrid to Tokyo?”

“I thought you said he approved of it.” Sae looks visibly annoyed.

You give a sheepish shrug and try to smile. “Yeah, I might’ve lied a bit.” It looks like you can’t decide if you want to be embarrassed by this fact or want to burst into tears.

Now it’s Sae’s turn to sigh. “Well, you’re already here so there’s no point. I’ll come up with something if Ego asks.”

You’ve made yourself practically at home within the next hour. Sae had told you that you could transform their home office space into your bedroom for the next several months in preparation for the competition, much to Rin’s protests. Right now, your makeshift living space composes of a shitty air mattress that Rin had in his closet since childhood and one of Sae’s extra pillows and blankets. You still need an actual mattress and a bedframe, and Rin doesn’t know if he wants to suggest the local hardware shop down the street. Because, if he does do that, it’ll mean he’ll be accepting his fate for the next upcoming year.

“Are you guys both hungry for dinner? I can whip up something real quick!” You’re saying this as if you’ve been living with them forever. It throws Rin off but Sae is unphased by your informality.

“Pork katsu curry sounds nice.” Sae muses from the living room couch. He’s streaming a figure skating compilation video from the previous Winter Olympics on the TV while jotting down some notes on his phone. “Why don’t you help her out, Rin?”

“Do I have to?”

“Yeah,” and Sae lifts his eyes away from the screen to give him a knowing look. “You have to.”

Three protein shakes. A pack of half-eaten grapes. And two boxes of forgotten leftovers from god knows how long ago. There’s not much in Rin’s fridge. His parents have been traveling around the world ever since he got back and usually, Rin would just get himself takeout to save some time. When he rummages through his pantry, he almost feels embarrassed by how barren it feels. A box of cup ramen, some curry cubes, and a small bag of rice on the bottom. It would honestly be better just to order takeout than to bother cooking up something less satisfying.

“We should—”

“Let’s go to the store!” Of course, you offer that up. Rin can feel his shoulders immediately tensing when he sees you grabbing your jacket and wallet.

Sae throws him another penetrating gaze and Rin recedes. “Give me a second.” And maybe a drink or two.

You’re the complete opposite of what Rin expected.

Bright, bubbly, and almost downright annoying. It reminds him of how he used to act when he was younger.

The first few minutes of the walk are silent not because Rin doesn’t know what to say but because he doesn’t want to say anything. His mind drifts off to an MMO he’s been currently playing with two of his ‘friends’ that he made during his last competition — if you count only exchanging numbers for the sake of playing games and talking about nothing else. That’s what friends do, right? It’s evening and, if it weren’t for Sae and you, he could be online right now, clearing a dungeon with them. This week is a double drop event and he’s going to miss out on it because you want to buy katsu curry ingredients.

After passing the third block in the neighborhood, you start to see a few local shops and grocery stores lined up down an alleyway. There are more locals around, some are walking their dogs, others sweeping the sides of their house entrances. You decide to take this time to finally talk to him.

“Who’s your favorite skater?” It comes out as a blurt like you’ve been holding it in.

Rin blinks. “What kind of question is that?”

“A normal one,” You pick up a small shopping cart by the entrance and make a beeline towards the produce section. “Plus it can tell you a lot about a person.”

Can it really? “You first then,” Rin tells you.

You answer without much thought, throwing a couple of apples and potatoes into the cart. “Has to be Nathan Chen! He’s super bold and flashy with his programs.” He’s heard of him before, Rin thinks he’s around the same age as his brother.

“Yuzuru Hanyu.” He answers right after.

You make a noise, and Rin assumes it’s a good one by the way you’re smiling. “I can definitely see that, he’s really elegant when he skates.”

The two of you fall silent again but it’s a bit bearable. You finish off by buying pork, onions, and a few soft drinks before heading over to the self-checkout. Rin pays for the entirety of the grocery run since it’s mainly his fault for having an empty fridge. If he had kept up with a healthier lifestyle then maybe he wouldn’t be in this current mess.

Dinner, for all things considered, doesn’t go horribly. It’s been months since Rin has picked up a knife, let alone use his cutting board, and you’re nice enough to show him how to properly score meat. And yeah, he just learned what scoring meant outside of sports. He’s learning a lot today.

Adding apple chunks to the curry really made an immense difference. Tastes a lot sweeter but also comforting. The pork comes out crispy and tender enough for him to easily bite through and practically melts on his tongue. Maybe he should get back into cooking soon.

Sae wipes his mouth before setting down his utensils. “I’ve also taken the liberty to coach you guys too, so don’t let me down.”

You blink. Rin looks like he’s going to drop his fork on his plate. He seems to catch himself though, and for just a moment. Your heads both tip to the side, and there’s a strange moment of eye contact, one where you are nervously glancing at Sae, and Sae is caught in a strange back-and-forth with Rin.

Yeah, Rin is learning more today compared to the average person.

The next day at the ice rink is a surreal experience for Rin. A year ago, when he did skate professionally, he was used to practicing alone or occasionally sharing the rink with a few other skaters, but now there's a new dynamic—a pair dynamic. You and him. The thought alone sends shivers down his spine, and not the good kind.

Sae is sitting on the side, his injured leg propped up on a chair, and he's observing with a critical eye. Rin can feel the pressure, not just from the expectation of his brother, but also from the fact that you're now involved. His comfort zone has been invaded.

“Let's start with some basic warm-up moves,” Sae suggests, and Rin reluctantly nods.

The two of you glide on the ice, trying to synchronize your movements to a random classical tune that his brother placed on shuffle. Claire de Lune—he’s warmed up to this song plenty of times before. It's awkward at first, the pacing and speed is off, and you’re both too tensed to initiate physical contact.

“You need to trust each other,” Sae instructs, his voice echoing in the cold rink.

Rin shoots him a dirty glare. Trust has never been his strong suit, especially not with someone new.

You decide to break the ice, quite literally, by attempting a lift. Rin braces himself as you come at him with speed, and then, in a moment that feels like slow motion, he lifts you off the ground. Success. You're now spinning in the air, and Rin is holding his breath, hoping he doesn't drop you.

“That was good, Rin!” you exclaim when you land back on the ice.

He's slightly out of breath, both from the physical exertion and the anxiety that came with it. “Yeah, great,” he mutters, avoiding eye contact.

After what seems like an eternity, Rin begins to find a rhythm. It's still not perfect, he’s not used to skinship so he can tell his grip around you is either too firm or barely there. Sae’s a rough teacher and quite possibly the king at micromanaging, the two of you bond quietly over the fact. Rin also learns that you’re pretty good at hydroblading and the Biellmann spin. Well, you’re pretty good at a lot of things. He’s surprised that you haven’t tried out for more international competitions prior.

By the end of the day, both of you are exhausted—well, you look fine, it’s more like Rin feels like his quads are about to burn off. This is the most he’s done physically and with his career in the last several months. Sae, with his usual unreadable expression, nods approvingly.

“You’ve got potential,” he comments, and Rin is unsure if it's a compliment or just a statement of fact. “So, what’s the theme?”

Right. They need to figure out that first before deciding on anything else. Rin has always struggled with coming up with themes and settles with essentially the same one every year since he feels comfortable with it. The past years he’s played around with ‘solitude’, ‘dormant’, and ‘night’—and all of his programs contained dark, moody instrumentals that went along with it.

You’re shuffling awkwardly by the benches, fiddling with your gym bag, and raise a hesitant hand. “How do we feel about ‘love’?”

Rin tightens his lips. “Isn’t that kind of vague?”

“Weren’t all of your themes the same?” Sae shoots back and it makes him quiet. “What songs did you have in mind?”

You’re quick to pull out your phone, a playlist pops up with songs that you’ve either wanted to skate or skated to. The song choices aren’t bad, most of them being soundtracks from musicals and pop artists.

“This Love.”

Rin lets out a loud scoff. “Guess you’re into that sappy stuff.” He remembers one of his skating colleagues was floating around the idea of skating to that song when they first jumped into a relationship but decided to shelve it once they found another person.

“It’s a good song,” You say with a huff, to which Rin only rolls his eyes.

“Guys,” Sae claps his hands three times, a signal that Rin recognizes from his earlier childhood days of basically saying ‘shut the fuck up’. “I need you to work together.”

Your index finger jabs into Rin’s ribcage. He manages to hold back every fiber in his body to not yell at you, especially not when Sae is staring right at him. “If you’re going to make a comeback, I think maybe you should get back on social media again to promote!”

“I’ll sleep on it.” He says with a clenched jaw and furrowed brow.

“We’ll see you later back home, gonna do a couple of laps around the neighborhood before we end the night.” You’re lacing up your sneakers while Sae grabs his car keys. Rin assumes his brother is just going to be ‘encouraging you’ from the driver’s seat. Classic big brother move.

“Sure thing,” It’s the tone that says he’s decided. He’s done. End of discussion. Rin just really wants to lay in his bed right now.

As he walks home, Rin mulls over your suggestion and decides to reinstall some of his social media apps. Surprisingly enough, he still remembers his passwords (he definitely does not have the same password for everything, nope) and immediately logs onto Instagram, fighting back the weird twists and turns in his stomach as the app slowly loads.

There are maybe over a hundred notifications in his DMs, most of which are from random strangers giving half-assed ‘advice’ on how he can be a better skater and some messages from people he’s skated against asking how he was doing. He starts from the bottom of his inbox and recognizes a few of their usernames.

itsyoiboi — sent ten months ago are you doing alright? let me know if you need anything

hyo.chigiri — sent nine months ago Just checking up on you. Coach told me that you left.

megugu_skates— sent nine months ago (。┰ω┰。) rinrinrin!! dont tell me ur quitting for good?? =͟͟͞͞ =͟͟͞͞ ﾍ ( ´ Д `)ﾉ (⋟﹏⋞) u have to come back!!

baroushouei — sent eight months ago Hey, get your head out of your ass. We’re all worried about you.

Ignore. Ignore. Ignore. Rin semi-appericates the sentiment but he didn’t ask for it. He doesn’t need any of them checking up on him for the sake of it. None of them were ever close to him so why bother?

He eventually reaches back to the top of his inbox. What Rin didn’t expect was to see a message from you.

yn.is.here — sent a week ago um hi there!! sorry we haven’t officially met before but your brother said you’ll be able to help me compete in skate pairs?? he told me that you’re thinking about coming back this season. sorry if this comes off as weird!

Ugh, of course, his brother would plan this whole thing behind his back. It doesn’t surprise him, and it explains why any of this is happening.

When he finally gets back home, he kicks off his shoes and heads straight to his bedroom. Rin plops and eases his back into the mattress, thumb rummaging through his photo album and trying to find a dumb professional photo to post on his page for stupid promotion purposes. He’s about to pick out an old photo from nearly two years ago when your text notification pops up. You sent over ten attachments—guess Sae took photos and videos from today’s practice run.

Rin shifts through the options before settling on a photo with the two of you in it. You’re both gliding side by side, hands barely touching. He looks scruffy, well he looks scruffy in all of them, the smile he tried to make came out more like a scowl, while you look like a complete natural—what’s new? On top of his skating, Rin needs to work on smiling and his skincare routine next.

Rin uploads the picture with a simple caption, ‘im back’, and turns off his notifications. He’ll worry about the lousy reporters tomorrow morning.

[DISCUSSION THREAD] Rin Itoshi's Icy Resurgence, Unraveling the Mystery Girl, and the Journey Without His Brother by [MOD] Dooby

In the world of figure skating, Rin Itoshi is no stranger to both triumphs and challenges. The seasoned skater, known for his graceful performances and technical prowess, recently made headlines by returning to the ice after a brief hiatus. Taking the place of his brother in the figure skating pairs category, Rin has partnered with the talented and rising star, Y/N, to form an unexpected yet promising duo.

[yurio.fan.cl0b] - 17 minutes ago he’s going to make an embarrassment out of himself AGAIN just go back into hiding [VICChan] - 15 minutes ago Lololol he thinks that piggybacking off another skater it’ll guarantee a gold medal lolol who is even y/n anyway… never heard of her???? [porkkatsu] - 14 minutes ago shes a nobody just like rin *shrugs* [ISAGINUMBERONE] - 12 minutes ago ^ been a rin itoshi fan since day one — i believe that he’ll make a great comeback!! rin if you’re reading this please ignore the haters! [itsJJStyleX0X0] - 9 minutes ago are you actually an idiot? there’s no way that they’re going to take gold, not at the level he’s currently at. compared to his brother, rin’s past performance was sloppy and weak. if he’s going to win gold then he’ll probably end up doping himself [SaeItoshisWIFE] - 7 minutes ago Can we please refrain from spreading rumors like this? Doping is a serious accusation to make…

next rink!

a/n: ok... i meant to keep this in my drafts until i finish it but then i realized it would've been like... way too long with the number of scenes i wanted to write.... so here's some content until the next part bleh >:(( i need to fixate on one project at a time but at the same time i love sharing stuff w you guys haha

#blue lock #bllk #blue lock imagines #bllk x reader #blue lock x reader #itoshi rin #rin itoshi #itoshi rin x reader #rin itoshi x reader #blue lock x female reader #heavily inspired by yuri on ice duh #rin is katsuki yuri here (kinda)#also posted during the grand prix figure skating comp!!#cw: depression #cw: mental health

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seeingivy · 5 months

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high infidelity

satoru gojo x f!reader

do you really wanna know where I was april 29th?

**part of my satoru as taylor swift songs series

content: infidelity (omg who knew), yn is a doctor, satoru gets injured and haha ur still my emergency contact's his way back into your life, megumi and yuuji flirting side quest, a big hot flaming mess of writing this is actually so bad

an: no one say anything to me about this fic actually. or the fact that I made everyone do a poll about which taylor as gojo to write just to not write either of those options and produce a flaming, hot wreck of garbage. anyways, live love high infidelity this song will always be special to me because on april 29th, I was indeed, at the eras tour seeing mother for the first time

You swallow hard as the waitress walks up again, with that sheepish, awkward smile on her face. And you dread the unrelenting, embarrassing question that’s going to follow. One that she’s already asked, three times.

“Are you still waiting for someone or would you like to order?”

And you’re not sure why, but the fact that she asks the question, in that phrasing, in that tone, is enough to aggravate the very thin patience you already have. Because really, it’s quite possibly the stupidest question she could have asked.

Clearly, you are still waiting for someone. You’ve been sitting here for the past hour and a half. If you were really intent on eating at this restaurant alone, then you would have ordered the second they seated you.

And it’s rude, abrasive even. To ask, to relentlessly question, three times. Because obviously, you feel horrible for taking the table, when there’s a line of people patiently waiting by the door. And it’s not your fault that your boyfriend is late. And really, it’s just humiliating, that she keeps throwing it in your face, that you’re sitting here, alone when he should be here making you feel special.

You sigh, giving her a halfhearted smile.

“Can I have twenty more minutes? I promise I’ll leave after that and let you give the table to someone else.”

She smiles, genuine and sweet, as she places her hand on your shoulder and makes a promise to bring some more bread before you leave.

The premise of it - the fact that she smiled in earnest and must know that you feel horrible, that she has her own deposit of pity for you - has you bringing your fingers up to your forehead and massaging that small, pulsating feeling by your temples. Because here you were, mentally cussing out the poor girl working minimum wage at the restaurant when the real subject of your wrath couldn’t even be bothered to show up.

And you hate that the negativity, the frustrations of the situation, seem to bleed into everything else. Because you’ll find yourself being upset with Yuri, but then suddenly it turns into a blind agitation to everything. The barista, for not making your coffee right, your co-workers asking to switch shifts so they can go on a trip with their partners, the laundry machine when it stops working.

Your phone starts incessantly buzzing on the table, the smallest glimmer of hope sparking in your chest at the sound. And instantly dies, when you realize it’s just the Emergency Room calling you.

You slide open the call, pressing the phone to your ear.

“This is Tokyo Metropolitan Hospital. Is this a miss Y/N L- wait.” Megumi states into the phone, mumbling off the speaker.

You press the phone harder to your ear, to try to catch the end of the conversation that Yuuji must be having with Megumi.

“Y/N. Right, hi!” he states, voice halfheartedly cheery, which is already odd enough for him.

“Hi Megumi. Why are you calling me on my day off?” you deadpan, that backlogged deposit of irritation coming in hot and fresh for the sweetest resident you have.

“Right. Um, we have a mister Satoru Gojo in the Emergency Room who has you listed as his Emergency Contact. He’s kind of in bad shape so we were going to call regarding-”

“Gojo? I’ll be there in ten.” you respond, shoving the phone into your purse and leaving the tip flat on the tablecloth. You give the waitress - standing there with that restocked bread in her hand - a polite wave on the way out and speed as fast as you can to the hospital.

You march into the ER, rubbing warmth into your biceps, to find Megumi at the nurses station, as always, flirting with the pink haired student nurse he’s taken a keen liking to.

“Hey. Where is he?” you ask, Yuuji and Megumi turning their heads to give you half hearted smiles. It’s only the start of the night shift, but by the way their shoulders are already sagging, you can tell whoever has to deal with them has a long night ahead of them.

“Right sooooo. We can’t decipher any of his paperwork. We need you to read it first and then you can see him. He’s in room eleven.” Yuuji states, giving a peachy smile, as you scan over Gojo’s characteristic illegible handwriting.

“Jesus. He still writes like a twelve year old.” you murmur, filling out the sheet at the side with all the information Yuuji needed.

“You’re all dressed up, teach. What’s the occasion?” Megumi asks, lazily leaning his cheek in the palm of his hand.

“Ah. It’s my one year anniversary with Yuri. We were supposed to go to dinner.” you mumble, scratching the last of the information on the sheet and handing it to Yuuji.

You feel a hand sling around your shoulder and a distinct smell of smoke, only to find Shoko hanging off your frame.

“And yet here you are, because he didn’t show up.” she murmurs, earning you a set of wide eyes as you glare at Shoko. Because at their core, Yuuji and Megumi are first, definitely crushing on each other, and second, nosy as hell.

“And here you are. Destroying every last cell in your lungs, that are eagerly, earnestly begging you to stop.” you deadpan.

She flicks your nose as you finish filling out the sheet and reading through the paramedics report that was attached to his paperwork.

“Please tell me you attacked Yuri at the dinner table and that’s why you’re here. Fork to the hand? Spoon in the eye? Knife to the dick?” Shoko asks, excitedly.

“Didn’t you like take an oath? For the preservation of human life?” Megumi deadpans.

“No. I skipped that day of medical school.” Shoko replies.

“Gojo’s here, I’m still his emergency contact.” you respond back, giving her a pointed glare.

“What happened?”

You turn your head expectantly to Megumi, who obliges.

“His car got t-boned. He’s pretty roughed up.” Megumi responds.

You give Shoko a weary look, as you march to the other side of the unit, preparing yourself for whatever roughed up version of Gojo you were about to be greeted with. Because every interaction with Gojo was a rush of emotions - good, bad, sweet, and ugly - but this might be the biggest thing you’ve ever had to stomach yet.

“So. Who is this Satoru guy? I’ve never heard of him before.” Megumi asks Shoko, giving Yuuji an all knowing glance.

“Her ex-boyfriend.” Shoko responds.

“No way. Before that asshat Yuri?” Yuuji asks, suddenly too invested in the story all together.

“Well, obviously. He taught as a professor at the same medical school she attended.”

“Y/N dated a professor?” Megumi asks, tone incredulous.

“I mean that’s one way to get through I guess.” Yuuji adds.

Shoko smacks the top of Yuuji’s head, earning a fit of laughter from the two of them for his stupid comment.

“You need to focus on your nursing exams instead of flirting with Megumi on your fifteen. It would do you some good to flirt with your preceptor. And no, he was just a fellow doing research at the time. They were best friends for a good few years, had that whole will they won’t they vibe going on.” Shoko responds.

“So….did they?” Megumi asks.

“They did. To be honest, I can’t really remember why they broke up. Something stupid.” Shoko shrugs, giving the two of them shoves on the shoulder before walking past the hall, to find you standing in front of the door. Your hand is resting against the handle, but you have yet to yank down and push yourself in.

“Are you warming up the handle or…?”

You’re thrown out of your train of thought to find Shoko at your side, hands buried deep in her white coat as she gives you a weary glance. To anyone else, Shoko would seem wildly disinterested, almost annoyed at how you were acting. But you know better and can see that small twinge of concern buried under her long eyelashes, the hint of it in her voice.

“Oh. Um…no. Just got lost in thought.” you murmur, staring at the faded eleven on the marker.

“About?”

You swallow hard, the warm tears filling your eyes.

“I haven’t talked to him in so long. And the last time we talked we were arguing over…..leaving dishes in the sink. Breaking up. If I walk in there and he’s dead, that’s going to be the last thing I ever said to him.” you whisper, air grating against your throat.

Shoko puts a hand on your shoulder and squeezes once..

“He’s not dead. The monitor tech would have picked up on that.”

“The monitor tech? Are we talking about the same monitor tech? Because Nobara is too busy flirting with the phlebotomist Maki to ever do her job. They’re worse than Megumi and Yuuji.”

Shoko scoffs, before rolling her eyes at you.

“No one is worse than Megumi and Yuuji. Yuuji knocked the entire crash cart over when he clocked in because Megumi complimented his Star Wars themed scrubs.”

You snort, shaking your head, as you take a deep breath in and push the handle down. Shoko gives you a warm smile as you walk in and flick the lights on, only to see Satoru, sitting up in bed and lazily scrolling through the TV channels.

He looks over at you first, his eyes going wide, as you walk up to him and cup the side of his cheek. The tears that were welling in your eyes are falling in full flesh, at the sight of him all battered and bruised.

His snow white hair is matted red, an angry, glaring scratch on his forehead. His arm is littered with tiny cuts, with a good amount of dressing on his torso, the red blood already seeping through and the look on his face so broken and tired that it makes your heart twinge.

“Satoru.”

He smiles, albeit a little confused, as he looks up at you and brings his hand up to yours, where it’s resting against your face.

“Hey princess.”

You laugh through your sprout of tears, which has the smallest smile turning up on his cut up lips and the soft, faint smile lines appearing near his eyes.

“You here to patch me up, doc?” he whispers.

You shake your head incessantly, which has him rolling his eyes.

“Not today.”

“Shame. I heard having sex is really good for patient recovery.”

You smack his shoulder, biting hard down on your cheeks that Satoru Gojo, in full flesh, is okay. Because he still has the audacity to flirt with you, even when he’s near death in the hospital.

“I’m going to look at your chart, okay?”

You let go of his face and find yourself in front of the computer, logging in with your credentials, and trying to pull up his chart as fast as you can.

“If I found out you got into this accident because you were trying to find the perfect song before you got home, I’m going to put your head on a stick, Satoru Gojo” you murmur, earning a laugh from him.

“First and foremost, you always have to close the drive home on a banger. Sue me.”

“I think I might just.”

“And contrary to your beliefs, this accident actually wasn’t my fault. They crashed into me, naturally, because I do no wrong. Ever.” he states.

“Right.” you chuckle.

You read over the report, making it a point to berate Yuuji for his shitty charting later, as you look through his vital signs and blood cultures that were taken when he arrived here.

“So do all doctors dress like they’re about to go clubbing or is it just you?”

You look down, only now noticing that you’re still wearing the a-line dress from the dinner you were supposed to have with Yuri. You make a mental note to shoot him a text after checking with Satoru after, knowing all too well that with how busy Yuri is, you standing him up would throw him over the edge.

“Just me. I really love to put on a show for my patients, Gojo. And what clubs are you going to where people dress like this?” you mutter, clicking through the scans that were taking.

“I appreciate the lengths you go to for me. It’s always what I loved about you. And I exclusively attend Taylor Swift night at the Underground” he states, placing his hands on his chest.

You look over and glare at him, before reading through the treatment plan. When you look over Nanami’s notes, you feel your heart drop and turn over to look at him. At his bright, blue eyes so wide and unaware, the look on his face so…innocent it bothers you. That in a few hours, he’s going to be in unspeakable pain while he recovers.

The door opens and Nanami and Yuuta are standing at the door, Nanami already scoffing at you.

“That’s confidential patient information, Dr. L/N.” Nanami states, voice stern. He hands you a jacket, which you pull on, as you hike your hands under your biceps and talk to him.

“You were going to tell me all of it anyways. So…what’s the plan here?” you grumble, settling next to Gojo at the side of his bed, placing your hands in his nearly pink hair.

“Well. I’m going to-”

“The surgical resident has to be Yuuta, I don’t trust that dumbass Todo to do it. You have to use prolene stitches, I don’t want his skin to scar and don’t leave him under for too long. He’s never been one to suit medications well. Don’t play any rap music when you’re operating, he hates that type of stuff and-”

Nanami puts his hands square on your shoulders, squeezing once.

“Thank you, Dr. L/N. We’ll talk all details after, okay?” Nanami states, voice soft, as you turn over to look at Gojo.

Gojo gives you a weak smile, which you return, before pushing his hair off of his forehead, and lightly brushing through the white tresses as he looks at them.

“Give it to me straight, Kento Bento.” Satoru states, earning an eye roll from Nanami who's clearly unamused. But you can tell he doesn’t mind it all too much, because in the monotony of shitty patients, he’s always been one to appreciate the sweet jokesters. And Satoru’s the biggest clown there is.

“It’s a relatively easy procedure, Satoru. We’re just going to go in and repair the damage that you sustained to your digestive tract from the crash. Do you have any questions for me?” Nanami asks.

“Can I request that she’s not in there when it happens?” Satoru asks, looking up at you.

“Hey. I can-”

“Yes. We’ll make sure of it.” Yuuta responds.

“Thank you, Yuuta.” Gojo responds, giving him a smile.

“We’ll be around in an hour to take you to surgery.” Nanami states, ignoring the pointed glare you were giving him as he strolls out of the room.

You turn to Gojo, the overstimulation of the past ten minutes really hitting you, as you feel your brain short circuit while he’s looking at you. You try to focus on the sensation of his hair in your hand and that pulsating beat that you’ve been feeling for his wrist, but you can’t really process any of it.

Every high and low you’ve experienced in the past few minutes - the elation in Gojo’s voice, the pain from seeing him suffering, how he’s still the same as you left him- it’s enough to abandon any rational thought processes from occurring in your head. And it leaves you standing there, silently, with your hands on him.

“Hi Y/N.”

“Hi ‘Toru.”

He smiles at the nickname, reaching forward to lace his fingers through yours.

“I was driving and then…I wasn’t. I looked up and all I could see was the stoplight above me, then the flashing lights of the ambulance, and now…you….looking at me like that. Your brain isn’t the only one hurting right now.”

“Looking at you ike what?” you murmur.

“Like you’re in pain, Y/N.” he states, emphasizing his syllables.

You shake your head, fighting down that wave of worry that’s sitting in your skin.

“You know, Kento’s a really good doctor. And Yuuta…he’s like the most promising surgical resident. And even then, I-I can get another senior surgeon if you don’t want a student. And-and it really won’t hurt that bad and I’ll make sure they give you all the good meds and-”

“Y/N.”

“Sorry. I’m sorry. I’m rambling. I know you’ve always hated that and I just-”

“I don’t hate it. Just, slow down for a second…talk me through all this because I really don’t know what’s going on and you know I don’t like not knowing.”

You pull up the chair, messing with his hands as you talk.

“You have to get surgery. The impact you had when you crashed led to-”

“Y/N. I know all of that already. I’m asking about you.”

You frown, swallowing hard, as you run your fingers along the scratch on his knuckles.

“You never update your current information.”

“Huh?”

“You….you never canceled the stupid Hulu subscription when we got the Disney Plus bundle. And you kept having to trek all the way across town to get the mail, because you forgot to change the address when we moved, and you-”

“I don’t really see how-”

“You forgot to change your emergency contact, Satoru. After we broke up, you-you forgot to call them and tell them that they shouldn’t call me.” you hum, as Gojo’s hand tightens in it’s hold around yours.

“Oh shit, Y/N. Sweetheart, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

You lurch up from your chair, tangling your arms around his neck as you crackle his head into your frame, that incessant stream of tears pouring down your eyes as he brings his own arms around yours.

And it feels too fast, because suddenly Nanami and Yuuta are back at your sides, giving you sympathetic glances as they wheel Gojo away and you’re left standing in the hallway, flat against the wall, every horrible outcome of the next four hours playing through your head.

On hour five, already a bad sign, you’re sitting flat against the floor with a jello cup in your hand and in Megumi’s spare pair of scrubs. They’re both sitting at your sides, the dead quiet of the night shift leaving them with you.

“Kento likes to be really careful, Y/N. That’s all it is.” Megumi states, giving his best attempts at calm reassurance.

“And Yuuta’s great. We all love Yuuta, he’s sweet….intelligent. He’s more than capable to do this.” Yuuji adds.

You crack through every last bone in your finger, the entire interaction playing over in your head.

“I-I just went in there so fast. And the time was so…so short that I didn’t even say much to him.” you respond, sighing.

“When’s Yuri coming?”

You turn your head to the side, in confusion, before you register Yuji’s words all together.

“Why would he-”

You panic, remembering that you had never texted Yuri back, that he’s probably fuming in his own pit of rage right now at his apartment, cursing your name to god knows what degree. You reach for your phone in your pocket, only to find no notifications from him. You scroll up on the chat, only to find that he hadn’t texted you the entire day, yesterday.

His last text read April 28th, a reminder that he needed you to pick up his drycleaning for his golf game this weekend.

“He’s really an asshole, isn’t he?” you spit.

You see Megumi and Yuuji give each other wide eyed looks over the top of your head, as you click your phone shut and let it fall to the ground.

Because in the dim lights of this hospital, with Satoru’s blood, some of it still smeared on the side of your hand, you feel like you’re seeing clearly for the first time in years.

That really, Yuri in actuality, is not the one for you. And it’s not that he’s a bad guy, he’s honorable in some sense really, but what he gives isn’t even a fraction close to what you want.

He’s tall and lanky. The type of guy to represent every portion of the food triangle in the three meals he ate. He wakes up at five in the morning to go to the gym before an entire day at work, and still somehow finds time to read and run a personal wellness blog when he gets home.

He’s classy, in every sense of the term. The exact type of man you envision when you think of someone put together, wholly and fully. On top of their shit, living their best life, one that people aspired to.

And that was in no way what you wanted.

You wanted Satoru. Satoru who convinces you that there’s still enough room for a little treat after dinner, despite the fact that you both stuffed yourself full at the restaurant. He sleeps in late on the weekends, pressing lazy kisses to your skin to wake you up before entirely botching the whole breakfast in bed thing he was trying to impress you with.

He was real, in every sense of the term. The type of person you envision when you imagine the person you wanted to spend the rest of your life with. He’s funny, he’s kind and he most certainly would never leave you stranded at a restaurant on your one year anniversary. Because Satoru Gojo certainly wasn’t classy, but he was honorable. And if he promised to be somewhere, he’d be there early, making sure everything was perfect before you got there.

And right now, two of your most trusted co-workers had their hands inside his body cavity, trying to fix the mess in there.

When Gojo comes to, there’s an aching soreness in his torso and neck. He can feel the tense pressure around his arms too, bandages wrapped around every square inch of his body. But that warm feeling around his wrist was entirely different from the rest.

He opens his eyes to find you, fast asleep with your head down on the side of his bed and your hand secured tightly around his wrist. Your breaths are slow, so deep in your sleep that you don’t even process Satoru moving around you amidst your slumber.

He brings his hand down to your hair and watches you lean into his touch, nuzzling your head closer to the blanket. Your hair is messy at this point, bunched up at the top of your head in the messiest knot he’s seen you sport yet.

There’s a knock at the door and Yuuji is standing there, a small smile on his face.

“Good morning, Mr. Gojo. Welcome back.”

Satoru smiles as he moves to his side and starts to hook him up to the monitors, taking a set of fresh vitals.

“How are you feeling?”

“Just sore, Yuuji. How are you?”

“Ah. Night shift. Same old.”

“Is that little emo you like here?”

Satoru watches Yuuji’s cheeks go bright pink, as he starts fumbling with the cuff around his hand.

“Ah, you mean, Megumi? Y/N’s resident? No, he-he’s off tonight.” he stumbles.

“Shame. Nothing like flirting on the night shift.” Satoru states, clicking his tongue.

“Oh, I don’t flirt with-”

“Well, you should. He’s cute. And a doctor. Someone is going to snatch him up real fast.” Satoru states, definitively.

“Mr. Gojo, I don’t know if-”

“Trust me. I know all too well. People swoop in for the doctors before you can even fight to get them back.” Satoru states, reaching down to tuck your hair behind your ear.

“Well, I-”

“I’m just saying, kid. Swoop in before it’s too late.” he states, giving him a smile.

“Yeah. Sure, I-I will. Do you need anything else, Mr. Gojo?”

“Can you get her a blanket? She always gets allergies when it’s too drafty in the room she’s sleeping in.”

Yuuji smiles, tapping on the railings of the bed.

“Sure thing.”

And Yuuji curses himself for doing it, for meddling, but he pokes his head into the room one last time before leaving.

“And just so you know. You….sometimes you think it’s too late to swoop. But it’s actually like…the perfect time. To swoop….like a bird or something, I don’t know-” Yuuji stammers.

And when Yuuji leaves and Gojo is able to process his words, he’s trying his best to wipe the smile off of his face.

“Hey, Megs. How are his vitals today?” you ask, swiveling over in your chair.

Megumi, irritated with your constant pestering, has had enough of his fill today. He swings his own chair around, tugging at the stethoscope around his neck, as he glares at you.

“For the hundredth time, your little boo boo bear is just fine. We’re planning to discharge tomorrow.”

You frown, reaching for the closest item - a roll of gauze - and throw it square in his face.

“He’s not my boo boo bear. And I’m just checking. You know he could have complications after the surgery like inf-”

“Infection, hypotension, septic shock, multiple system organ failure, yeah yeah. I know. I graduated top of my class at medical school, you know?”

“And yet here you are, being taught by Shoko. You’re clearly not that great if you’re being trained by a girl who cheated her way through medical school.”

“I’m going to leave. And when I’m gone, you’re going to be really pissed because you’re going to be stuck with some idiot that can’t even take vitals.” Megumi deadpans, swiveling back to his computer.

“No, you’re not. You’d never leave your boo boo bear hanging. Especially since he’s planning on asking you on a date tomorrow.”

“He’s not asking me on a date.” Megumi responds.

You smile, trying to swallow your laugh as you respond.

“Oh, sure he is. And-”

Your phone timer goes off, as you gleefully sprint out of your chair, and down the hall to Satoru’s room. Nanami’s in there, unwrapping his bandages, as you knock and enter to make your presence known. At the sight of you, Nanami’s glaring as you drag the chair up and sit at his side.

“Y/N. You should be working.”

“I’m on my lunch. And I’m allowed to do whatever I want for lunch.”

“You should eat something, Y/N. Instead of bothering our patients.” Nanami scolds, as he shuts the door behind you and you turn to Satoru.

Satoru looks way better, the bruising on his skin fading to yellow and the cuts all around his skin healing. He’s smiling softly, a hand cupping your cheek as he talks.

“Good morning, Y/N.”

“Hi Satoru.”

“You know, you really should eat something on your lunch break.”

“You know, you really should keep your annoying opinions to yourself.” you respond.

He scoffs, moving his hand to mess up your hair, as you swat his hands off.

“So.” Satoru states.

“So?”

“A little birdie told me that you broke up with Yuri last night.”

“Well, your little birdie was wrong. As nosy as he is, he clearly doesn’t know how to listen.”

You both laugh, Gojo slightly dejected by your response, as you lace your hands through his, and smile at your hands firmly pressed together.

“Yuuji’s got a bad case of the chismosa virus.”

“And you don’t? I heard you giggling with Shoko at the nurses station about how the emo is going to ask Yuuji on a date.”

“No, Yuuji's asking Megumi on the date. And okay, but that’s actually a big deal. I’ve been trying to set that up for months.”

“Well, you can’t take credit because I’m actually the one who got Yuuji to do it.”

You frown, reaching forward to pinch his cheeks.

“Shut up. It’s only the months of build up, that I basically created, that’s making him do it.”

“Well, I pushed him over the edge. So it’s my victory.”

You sigh, sitting back in your chair as you smile at him, at how easily you both fall back into this.

“How about we both did it?” you ask, giving him a smile.

“Sure. We always did make a good team.” he responds, making your cheeks burn.

You reach for his blanket and start moving his gown to inspect the incision, trying to make sure that the site wasn’t getting infected, from when you checked yesterday. .

“Okay, pervert. I didn’t realize you were into voyeurism.” Satoru says, incredulously.

“Gojo. Do you even know what voyeurism means?”

“Yeah. It’s people who like to have sex in public.”

You snort, moving the edge of the gown as you note the clean sutures, healing well along the length of his torso.

“That is not what voyeurism means, dumbass.”

“Sorry. I didn’t realize I was fighting with the sex kink expert here.”

“I-I’m not a sex kink expert! You’re just fucking stupid.”

“Oh, shut up.”

You roll your eyes, as you settle back into the chair, reaching forward to cup his face. He smiles, soft and warm, which you return.

“You’re healing really well. It’ll just be a faint line, right around your torso when you’re out of here.” you murmur.

“It kinda looks like I got my legs cut off and someone sewed them back on.” he murmurs.

“That’s not funny.” you deadpan, glaring at him.

“Kinda funny. That’s a really unfortunate way to die.” he responds.

“I know there’s a universe out there where that actually happens to you. And I know for a fact that Satoru doesn’t think it’s funny at all.”

“Okay, Doctor Strange. Let’s pipe down there, alright? Even if that did happen to me, I’d come back from it. Because guess what?”

“Don’t say it.” you groan.

“Because I’m the strongest.”

“You know that never gets less annoying right?”

“You love it.” he responds, reaching forward to pinch your cheek.

You look down, at your hand tangled in Satoru’s as you find a way to broach the topic. That for all intents and purposes, that you want nothing to do with Yuri. That you want him, that you do love his stupid jokes, that you’d beg on your hands and knees for him to take you back because-

“Do you want to go to the aquarium on Friday?” Satoru asks.

“The aquarium?”

“Yeah. We can take a picnic basket, eat on the lawn outside afterwards.” Satoru says.

You swallow the lump in your throat, aggressively nodding in response.

“Yeah. That sounds nice. We can um-carpool.”

“Sure. It’s a date.” he responds, leaning into his pillow with a soft smile on his face.

You bite down the stupid smile that’s rising to your cheeks, as you close your eyes, humming in agreement.

“Yeah. It’s a date.” you whisper back.

Eight days after the fact and Yuri, in his infinite wisdom, finally comes through. That’s when he musters the courage to bring himself to your apartment, where Satoru has been staying with you since he was discharged. And when Satoru answers the door, Yuri’s all levels of pissed.

“Who are you?” Yuri asks.

“I’m the owner of this house.” Gojo responds, trying not to laugh at his own joke.

“Did Y/N move?”

“No, dumbass. It was a joke.” he responds, rolling his eyes.

Satoru leans off of the door frame, calling for you, as you join him at his side.

“Hey, you okay? I was planning on making lunch for- oh.”

Satoru smiles, reaching forward to ruffle your hair, before he shuffles away.

“Holler if you need me.”

You shoot Satoru a grateful smile, infinitely thankful that the two of you were able to pick up right where you left off, as you turn to Yuri in your doorway.

“Where were you on Saturday?” he asks, arms crossed over his chest.

You swallow hard, rehearsing the speech you had prepared with Satoru when you were tangled in his arms last night, and make your best attempt to deliver the blow the best you can.

“Yuri. I think we should stop seeing each other.”

“What?”

“I just don’t think that we’re really compatible. You and I are…on different wavelengths. And you deserve someone who is better suited to you and your….interests.” you murmur, awkwardly rubbing your arms on your arms.

In actuality, you feel a little bit bad. That technically, you might have been…a little bit dishonest with Yuri. Because you’re having this conversation with him, days after the fact, when you’ve already done god knows what with Gojo in the past few days he’s been back with you. He’s all but living in your apartment at this point, under the premise of needing twenty four hour medical support, when really, you’re both just soaking up on time you lost.

Time is so precious, that you forgot to tell Yuri until he showed up, on your doorstep. You finally understand why Yuri was late to things, because whatever he was doing when he wasn’t with you, must have been keeping him occupied the way this was keeping you occupied.

Because you kept planning on calling him, but then Gojo would take you out to breakfast. Or you’d sleep in too late and then knew that you’d be interrupting Yuri at work. And the list, it went on and on and led you to this moment and it’s painfully awkward.

And maybe it’s bad, a little bit evil even, but that small bit of bad feeling is overshadowed by every bit of good that you’ve felt in the past few days. At Gojo ordering dessert out of nowhere, that he insists he’s sharing with you before he eats almost the entire thing, or when he drags you to the bathroom when he’s doing his night time hair care routine.

“Where were you? On Saturday?”

“Look, I just got called into work, okay?”

“Are you…are you serious? Don’t tell me you’re really dating that dumbass who just answered the door?”

“Frankly, it’s none of your business who I date anymore because you…you aren’t really a part of my life anymore. And we’re not dating, we’re just-”

“God. He flashes one pretty smile at you and you go running back to him? Need I remind you, that you complained about him for months on end. About how he’s messy, he’s careless, he’s-”

“That stuff doesn’t matter. At least not anymore.”

“You’re a bitch, you know that?”

You feel Gojo padding behind you, and you put your hand up in the air, signaling for him to stay where he is.

“Do you really want to know where I was on April 29th? On our one year anniversary, I was sitting in a shitty restaurant, for an hour and a half waiting for you to show up. When I hadn’t heard from you all day. And then I got a call, that the man that I love was in the hospital, and then I was at his side. Willing him to wake up, because I would be so fucking angry, so fucking pissed if he died and I didn’t get to tell him that he meant the world to me.”

Yuri swallows hard, the look of betrayal etched on his face.

“Are you trying to hurt me right now? Do you get some kind of sick gratification from killing the one you love?” he asks.

“I’d argue that my way is nicer actually. One fell swoop, with the truth out there. The slowest way to kill someone is never loving them enough. And honestly, it’s just cruel. And of course, something that you were too skilled at.”

You’re not sure what it is about what you said, but suddenly Yuri’s stomping down the hallway and you’re shutting the door, as the tears start pouring out of your eyes and you’re leaning against the door.

Now that Yuri’s gone, Satoru’s shed all his inhibitions and he’s cradling you straight in his arms, his soft voice cooing in your ear as you hiccup into his chest.

“Hey. You did so good, princess.”

“I-I’m not crying because I’m sad. I still…I still want you, you know?”

Satoru smiles, bringing his hands up to cup your cheeks in his hand and wipe your tears away.

“I know that, sweetheart. I’m irresistible.” he murmurs.

You lightly shove him, before resting your head against his torso, hearing the rapid beating of his heart under your ear.

“I’m just really relieved. That you-that you’re-”

You look up, at his sparkling blue eyes, the tiny fractals of color like perfectly constructed, charted constellations in his eyes.

“I’m glad you’re here. Again.”

He smiles wide, leaning forward to press his lips to your forehead.

“Me too, yeah?”

the satoru as taylor swift songs series masterlist

taglist:

@porridgesblog @k0z3me @kayleegomez @yihona-san06 @bsenpai @sweetenertea @skzismyhome @mykyoon @violetmatcha @rebeccawinters @luna0713hunter @shotenvinsoot @itzmeme

lmk if you would like to be added to my taylor as gojo or my general masterlist in the replies or inbox <3

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thehighpriestess1 · 10 months

Text

August : 14

Synopsis : The final part.

Pairing : Gojo Satoru x y/n

Genre : Angst, smut, fluff

Warnings : Gun, blood, torture, smut, Minors do not interact.

Masterlist ✨ Previous

✨ Ask box ✨

Whatever you do to me I’ll do to her. You have one week to decide :)

Gojo stared at the text. His hands shook as he locked the phone and clasped his hands in prayer. “Please!”. He whispered to himself. He didn’t know whom he was praying to or if anyone would even answer his prayers after all the sins he has committed. His mind came up with thousand different solutions but not one of them would save his relationship with you. He stayed that way for a while and stared at your phone in his hand. Yuri had your number. She can contact you any time. He opened your phone and deleted the chat before blocking the number immediately.

He walked inside and stared at you sleeping peacefully in his white shirt. His skin crawled thinking about sharing the bed with anyone but you. He felt disgusted at himself for letting that happen. You deserved better than this. He sighed and wiped his eyes and got in the bed. He held you close like you would evaporate into thin air.

“Satoru..”. You murmured in your sleep.

“Yes love, I’m here”.

You opened your eyes slowly, “Why are you up?”. Your speech slurred.

“I had to get water. Go to sleep baby. I’m here now. I love you”. He pecked your forehead with quivering lips.

You relaxed and fell asleep within seconds. Gojo wasn’t sure if you’d remember any of this but he was sure of one thing. He can not lose you again.

-X-

You sat across Gojo at the breakfast table, watching him type aggressively on his phone. You sipped your tea quietly and tried to gauge the situation. Gojo had been restless since last night and you could only think that it was something to do with you. “Are you okay?”. You asked, placing the cup back on the saucer.

Gojo looked up from his phone, “Yeah. Why?”.

“You seem..disturbed”.

Gojo sighed, and locked his phone before placing it face down on the table. “Just work”. He brought his cup of coffee to his lips. This was another usual thing that you had noticed. Gojo didn’t like coffee. Gojo pressed his lips together and placed the cup back on the table. “I think we should get your medical test done at home”. Gojo said.

“At home? Is that even possible?”. You frowned.

“Of course it is. I don’t want to tire you out with all the hospital procedures. I could have a medical team visit us and another one can stay on the grounds”.

“Why? The visit would hardly take a couple of hours and..”. You looked at him and then at his phone and smiled. “..Satoru, if you’re busy then we can postpone it or I can go alone or with Jerry”.

Gojo stared at you blankly. How he wished he could tell you that it was not his schedule that concerned him but rather a psychopathic woman. “No, it’s none of that”. Gojo smiled and reached for your hand across the table. “I have been thinking of doing this for a while. It would give me more time to spend with you and Keisuke and it’s always better to have doctors on call. Safe for all of us”.

Had you not known about his mother, you would have argued with him, called him paranoid, But his paranoia was not misplaced or meant to cause you harm, it steamed from losing people close to him time and aga. It was for you and your son. “Alright then”.

Gojo brought your hand up and kissed your knuckles.

“Will I see you for lunch today?”.

Gojo’s smile dropped. “I’m sorry, I have to take care of something”.

You got up and walked around to his side and gently ruffled his hair. “That’s alright. I’ll send lunch to your office. Don’t skip your meals”.

Something about the domesticity of the whole situation made the coldness evaporate from his body. Never had he ever had someone dote over him like this but now he had you, his wife. Before you could walk past him, Gojo grabbed your wrist and pulled you towards him. He wrapped his arms around your waist as you stood between his legs and molded his lips to yours. It wasn’t a chaste kiss. It wasn’t a kiss a husband gives before leaving for work. You knew very well what this kiss meant when Gojo swiped his tongue between your lips.

“Satoru! You’ll get late for work!”. You protested as Gojo moved his trail of kisses to the mark on your collarbone.

“But you said I should not skip my meals. How can I skip the most important meal of the day?”. Gojo replied with a smirk as he slowly scrunched up the silk nightgown you were wearing.

His words made you blush and his actions sent shivers down your spine. But you were in the kitchen and anyone could come in. “You..”. You breathed out. “...need to go”.

Gojo chuckled, “I need you”. He groaned when he realized you were completely bare under the nightgown. He slid two fingers inside making you choke on your moans. “How can I not want you where you’re so wet for me already”. He whispered against the shell of your ear as you clenched around him.

Gojo pumped his fingers as he sucked on every exposed skin he could. But as soon as you were about to cum he pulled his finger out and smiled.

“Why?”. You whined.

Gojo smiled and picked you up by the back of your thighs and sat you down on the top of the counter. “Because I want to taste my meal”.

Before you could voice your concern about someone walking in on the two of you and finding you in this position, Gojo had his mouth on your core. You balanced yourself on your elbows and threw your head back when he parted your folds with his tongue. Your thighs tightened around his head as he set a perfect rhythm between sucking on your bundle of nerves and abusing the spot inside with his tongue. He knew your body like it was made for him.

“Satoru…”. You breathed out.

Gojo groaned in response which sent a jolt of spark inside you. Your homely kitchen was now filled with sounds of heavy breathing and slurping.You clenched around his tongue which made him even more desperate to please you. Within moments Gojo had you gushing around his tongue. He sighed in satisfaction like a man who had just finished eating his favorite dessert. He licked you clean before standing up to kiss you, giving you a taste of what he had.

“Want me to carry you to the bedroom?”. Gojo asked as he gently picked you up and placed you down so you were almost standing on top of his shoes.

“I’ll be fine”. You smiled and pecked his lips.

“Please let me carry you”. Gojo whispered against your lips making you chuckle. “That’s a yes”. He said and scooped you in his arms. He walked through the marbled corridor carrying his wife and everyone in the path stood aside and gave him the way you blushed and hid your face in his chest. He was not the ice Prince anymore. He was a doting husband that radiated warmth and comfort.

He walked in the bedroom carrying you and placed you softly on the bed next to Keisuke. “There you go”. He said and placed a kiss on top of yours and Keisuke’s head. “Don’t be a naughty boy and take care of your mom for me”.

-X-

Geto sat silently, ankle crossed over the knee, left index finger pressed against his lips, his fox eyes fixed on the phone in his right hand. He was reading through the text for the third time. He felt guilty. Angry. He felt responsible for all of this. How can he introduce someone like this in Gojo's life?

He kept the phone back on the oak coffee table and let out a heavy sigh.

"It's not your fault". Gojo said for the second time in the past one hour.

Geto shook his head ever so slightly, silently disagreeing with Gojo. But this wasn’t the time for wallowing in the guilt. He needed a way to help his best friend. “Have you told y/n about this?”. He asked, lighting a cigarette.

“No. I can’t”.

Geto frowned, “Why not?”.

“I can’t hurt her. The video is real”. Gojo’s hands were shaking at the thought of your reaction to the messages. “She will never trust me again”.

Geto hummed. The situation was complicated. “We can’t let her leave the estate”.

Gojo shook his head.

“We can’t tell her about this”. Geto added. “Though on one hand it could prove that you did not kill Hiro, but then we have the video..”.

“Even if I show her the video, even if she believed that I did not kill Hiro, she would never look at me the same way”. Gojo said. He was helpless. It felt like Yuri cut both of his arms off and asked him to save you from drowning.

The two men sat silently thinking about a way out when the phone rang again. Gojo and Geto exchanged a quick glance before looking at the message notification from the same number. Gojo took a deep breath before picking up the phone.

It was another photo.A mirror selfie .Yuri was standing with her one leg stretched out and her phone hiding half her face. She was wearing the same dress that you had worn to the hospital.

Yuri : It looks better on me ;)

Blood drained from Gojo’s face. He felt disgusted with himself.

“Shit”. Geto muttered. “She is clearly stalking y/n. Does y/n have any social media accounts?”.

“No. She doesn’t”. Gojo replied. Eyes still fixed on the photo. Before Gojo could reply, another image popped up. Geto was the one to open it this time.

A photo of you and Hoshi talking while Gojo stood by your side with Keisuke.

“She was at the hospital!”. Gojo frowned.

“It doesn’t have to be her. Maybe someone else is doing the work for her. I will get the security camera footage from the hospital”. Geto spoke as he types away on his phone.

Gojo leaned back in his armchair. Yuri wanted him to be scared. She wanted him to act out of fear. He looked at Geto, “I will call Yuta and have a tracking system set up in the office. We can track her location every time she sends a message”.

Geto nodded in response. “You’ll need more security around her and Keisuke”.

“Or less”. Gojo added. “More security would mean we will have to keep an eye on more people. I think we should have a small team of closest people around them”.

Within two hours the office looked like a scene from a cybercrime movie. Yuta ordered two men on laptops, Geto and Gojo were giving orders on the phone, two men were interrogating househelps lined on the outside of the office, men were checking every corner of the house for hidden cameras and other devices.

Gojo cut the call and ran his hand through his hair. “I am moving them on the other side of the house”.

Geto stared at his friend, “You mean..?”.

“The left wing. It might need some renovations but I can’t let y/n stay in the same room and sleep on the same bed”.

“Just get a new bed then”. Geto suggested. He knew that for Gojo stepping foot in that part of the house was like taking a trip down horrifying memory lane. It was going to open a pandora’s box of emotional trauma.

“No. I..I can’t let her stay in that room”.

“What will you say to her?”.

“I don’t know…I’ll come up with something”.

The two men stood in silence. Gojo had never stepped foot in that part of the house for the past ten years. When his father spent his final years overlooking the lawn, Gojo would stay on the other side of the house. He didn’t want to give his father the company of a son. For Gojo, his father deserved to be alone in his final days. The thought of bringing up Keisuke in the same rooms as he was brought up made bile rise in his throat. But that can be changed. Once all of this was over, Gojo was determined to move somewhere else. Away from this cursed house.

“Yuri is not in Japan”. Yuta’s voice made both men snap out of their thoughts.

“What do you mean she is not in Japan? Where is she?”. Geto spoke first.

Gojo remained silent. A part of him knew that Yuri would not dare threaten him in this country.

“Where is she?”. He asked coldly.

Yuta remained silent.

Gojo stepped forward, “Yuta, do we know where Yuri is?”.

Yuta shook his head, “The signals are bouncing across different servers in different countries. For all we know she could be in the next street”

Gojo’s phone rang and your name flashed on the screen, He walked away from the group and onto the balcony. “Hi, love”.

“Were you busy?”. You asked.

Gojo could hear Keisuke giggling in the background and wished he could be there with you. “Not really. Had your lunch?”.

“Yes and so did Keisuke”.

“Did you take your medicine?”. Gojo asked.

“Yes.I have sent lunch for you”.

“Okay. I’ll eat it”.

You chuckled. “I have also sent lunch for Geto and Yuta. I heard the three of you were working together”.

“You didn’t have to. I could have asked the kitchen to make it”.

“It was no trouble. By any chance are you on your office balcony?”.

Gojo frowned, “Yes. Why?”.

“Look down, to your right”.

Gojo looked down to the cobbled walkway stretching from the inside of the estate and leading to the gazebo at the back and smiled widely when he saw you standing there in your white floral wrap around dress that he loves so much, holding Keisuke with one arm and your phone with the other. He leaned with his elbows on the granite railing. “This is a nice surprise”.

You chuckled and moved the phone from your ear to Keisuke’s. “Say hi to dada”.

Keisuke babbled and blew spit bubbles.

“Hi baby”. Gojo said, smiling fondly at the two of you.

You put the phone back to your ear, “Why do you look so tired”.

“Because you're away from me”.

Even from this distance Gojo could see you rolling your eyes at him. He chuckled on the phone. "It's because you skip your lunch".

"Maybe I should skip it often if that means you'll come to see me".

"You're unbearable, you know that right?". You asked, shaking your head slightly.

"I know that you love me". Gojo said. Even though you hadn't said it and maybe you didn't love him like you used to but Gojo was sure you loved him.

You bit your lip, "Go back to work Satoru".

Gojo blew you a kiss, "I love you".

You brought Keisuke's tiny arms to his lips and blew a kiss in Gojo's direction.

Gojo stood there watching you disappear inside the building with tears in his eyes. Each day he fell for you more and more. He was ready to face the trauma he had buried for a decade only to see you happy. Nothing else mattered to him in the entire world. Not Yuri, not his past, not his life. He was ready to die for you right now. For him you were his world. His wish granted. His reason to live.

Gojo walked inside and found Geto and Yuta sitting around the table with food in front of them.

"Tell y/n I said thanks!". Geto smiled.

Gojo walked over and sat with them. "Will do".

"Can I call her my sister in law?". Yuta asked innocently with his plate in his lap.

Gojo blushed a little. Until now you were just his wife but now you were a part of his entire family. "I guess you can".

Geto bursted out laughing, "you guess? You have a child with her!".

Gojo groaned and picked up his plate. "You can call her sister in law".

Yuta smiled gleefully. He was young compared to the other two men. But he was smart beyond his age. His talent in risk assessment made him a close aide to Gojo. He had looked up to Gojo since the day Gojo started defying rules of the clan. In a way, by doing so he saved Yuta's life. Had Gojo not set the precedent, Yuta, at the age of 23 would have been married to an heiress whose name he didn't bother to remember. It was Gojo who stood up for him when he told his side of the family about his intention to marry his girlfriend, Rika.

He had met you twice and he was sure you wouldn't remember him. But from everything he had heard about you, he was sure that you had a good heart. It is not easy to make the decisions you had made and for that he respected you.

"Y/n-san cooks really well".

Gojo beamed visibly, "Yeah she does".

Geto remained silent as Gojo and Yuta discussed something about Keisuke. His brain was still trying to get around the fact that Yuri did this. Yuri. "I think you should divorce y/n".

Gojo's words died down this throat. He turned towards Geto, "Suguru". He warned.

"Just to convince Yuri. A fake divorce".

Gojo weighed this option. "But I'll have to tell y/n about it and if Yuri finds out that it's fake she can get worse".

The three men discussed every possible solution and it became clear that it was imperative that they find Yuri first. She was unpredictable. Psychopathic. Powerful.

Geto and Yuta realized the complications it would bring with telling you about all of this. It might save your marriage with Gojo but it would leave some permanent scars.

-X-

It was well past midnight and Gojo walked groggily towards the bedroom. The hallways were silent with most of the staff retired to their quarters.

His phone rang, he smiled thinking it could be you asking about his whereabouts but his smile dropped when he saw Yuri's name pop up on the message notification.

Yuri : You have 6 days to go :)

Gojo chose not to reply.

Yuri : I know something about y/n that you don't :)

Gojo frowned at the message. This could be a trap. A way to get a reaction out of him. There was no way Yuri could know more about you than he did.

Gojo's finger hovered over the text box. He swallowed harshly and locked the phone. If there was something you were keeping from him then he would respect your decision.

Yuri : Did you know that Y/n had to be resuscitated?

Gojo almost dropped his phone. He knew about your anemia. He knew that you suffered excessive blood loss. But this….this couldn't be possible. You would have told him about something this serious.

Yuri : Now that I think about it, y/n's fate is the same as your mother's. She ran away with your child, almost died during the childbirth, wouldn't it be better if you let her go? Free her from the curse of the Gojo clan?

Gojo : What do you mean?

Gojo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Praying that Yuri reveals it to be a cruel joke and that he had fallen for her prank.

Yuri : Your dear wife didn't tell you that she knew that going through with the birth could kill her? Maybe she forgot to mention how doctors advised her for abortion but she refused and risked her life for the baby? How heroic of her!

Gojo's hands trembled. This was like living through a nightmare…..again..

Gojo : prove it.

Gojo received an email from an unknown email address. He opened it to find multiple attachments, medical reports, prescriptions. He read to each of them carefully.

Yuri : Let her go, Satoru. Unless you want a dead child and a dead wife :)

Gojo locked the phone. He briskly walked towards the bedroom. Determined to get an answer.

You were sitting outside the bedroom, in the living room attached to the bedroom, reading a book, wearing one of Gojo's shirts with your hair in a claw clip.Your legs sprawled over the velvet couch. You flipped through pages intently, so immersed in the story that you couldn’t see him standing at the doorway. Gojo leaned on the doorframe and folded his hands over his chest. If what Yuri had told him was true and all those documents were original then he wanted to know why did you risk your life? Would you have come with him if Keisuke was not in the picture? Would you have stayed with him if it wasn’t for Keisuke?

Gojo cleared his throat as he walked in with his hands in his pockets.

“Hi”. You looked up and smiled at him. You closed the book, placed a bookmark between the pages and put it on the table.

“Why aren’t you in bed?”.Gojo sat on the other end of the couch and put your feet in his lap.

“I was waiting for you”. You said, as you rested your head sideways on the backrest.

Gojo smiled and gently massaged your feet. “Geto and Yuta thanked you for the lunch”.

You smiled. “What do you want to ask me?”. You asked.

Gojo chuckled, looking down, tracing circles on your calf. He looked at you, “You know me that well?”.

“Very well”. You retreated your feet and sat cross legged on the couch, facing him,

Gojo opened his mouth to say something but then closed it immediately.

You placed your hand on his, “Satoru..”.

Gojo gulped harshly and turned towards you. You could see he was in pain. The kind of pain that couldn’t be fixed easily.

“Was there any complications during your pregnancy?”. He asked. He crafted his words carefully, he couldn’t say ‘how dare you risk your life?’

You knew he knew. In that moment with the sadness in his eyes and his careful choice of words, you knew he knew. You didn't want to hide it anymore. You didn’t want to keep him in the dark anymore.

“I…I don’t know how you find out but..yes there were complications. But nothing to do with Keisuke”. You squeezed his hands gently.

“What about you?”. Gojo asked, still looking down.

“Yes. There were”.

“When did you find out?”.

“Satoru..it doesn’t matter now”. You pleaded, scooting closer to him.

“It does”. Gojo nodded his head. “It does. To me. So please, tell me”.

You took a deep breath, “In my second trimester. The doctor told me that I was at a higher risk for hemorrhage and…it could be fatal to ..”. You bit the inside of your cheek, you didn’t have to complete that sentence. You didn’t want to. You still remembered receiving that news and crying the entire night.

“What happened during your delivery?”. Gojo asked with tears in his eyes.

You didn’t want to answer. Knowing very well how triggering it could be for him. You remained silent.

“Y/n please…I..I need to know”.

Your lips quivered and you intertwined your fingers with his. “Everything was fine until Keisuke was born but after that…it happened. They couldn’t stop the bleeding and I..-”.

“You had to be resuscitated”. Gojo finished the sentences for you. In any other case finishing each other's sentences is seen as a romantic gesture but the gesture was nothing but grim.

Your silence confirmed everything about his worst fear. For the longest time Gojo cursed his mother for dying with his sibling instead of living with him. He needed to know why would you condemn him to the same fate. Was he that unworthy of love? Was he that rotten of a human being? Did he not deserve love? Why didn’t you choose him? Why didn’t you reach out to him if there was a threat to your life?

“You were given an option to terminate the pregnancy”. Gojo said, it was neither a question nor a suggestion. It was a reminder.

“I was”. You agreed.

Gojo squeezed his eyes shut and let the tears roll down his cheeks. This was the first time he was openly crying in front of you.The ache spread across his body. “Why? Why? Why?”. He turned towards you.

Your heart broke seeing him like this. You took both of his hands in yours, “I had to, Satoru. I …had to”.

“Why?”.

You swallowed the lump in your throat harshly. “Because …you are you and I am me but..Keisuke is a part of both of us. I didn’t think we could ever be together again or if you even cared that I was alive, but Keisuke was the only way a part of me could ever be with a part of you and that was more important to me than my own life. For me just wanting to be with you was enough. It has always been enough. Even when I saw you with…Utahime I still hoped somewhere that one day I'd be with you and …someday you'll love me so…when the doctor told me of the risk, I was ready to accept it…”.

Gojo’s heart skipped a beat. You didn’t have to say anything else. You loved him. You didn’t have to say it. Keisuke was proof enough that you loved him how he loved you.

“I knew that even if I don’t survive, someday you will find him…and he will be proof that I..I ..love you…”.

Gojo let out a shuddered breath. This was the first time you had openly confessed your love to him, “Why didn’t you reach out to me? I could have done something..anything…if you loved me then why didn't you trust me that I would come for you”.

“It wasn’t that simple, Satoru. What was I even supposed to say? I couldn’t just call your office and say ‘hi I am alive and I am carrying your child and I might die?’. No one even knew about us, who would have believed me?”.

“I would have..I..if you would have said one word I would have left everything and come to you”.

You remained silent. You put your arm on his shoulder and kneeled on the couch. “I promise I will call you next time ”.

Gojo chuckled and wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you on his lap with your legs resting neither side of his waist. "Next time? There will be no next time. I am not letting you go anywhere y/n Gojo. I have only ever loved one woman in my life and if she asks for my life I'd give it to her". Gojo tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. "Even when I was with Utahime, I only thought about you. Even when I didn't know you were out there I only thought about you. The thought of you kept me alive and kept me going through the day. It still does. When I'm at work all I can think about is coming home and lying in bed with you. So don't you ever think for a second that I'm not thinking about you. You occupy my mind, heart and soul y/n Gojo".

You blushed, "Alright then. I will call you even if I don't need you".

“You promise?”.

“I promise”.

“You’ll call me even if it’s for something small”. Gojo kissed the tip of your nose.

“Yes”.

“Even if you’re just missing me?”.

You cupped his face and wiped the tears off of his cheeks. “Yes”.

“Even if you need a massage?”.

You corked an eyebrow. “You’ll leave work to give me a massage?”.

“Obviously”.

“Then, Yes. I’ll call you”.

“Even if you need help reaching the top shelf?”. Gojo asked, smiling.

“You’re pushing it now”. You pinched his nose and Gojo laughed.

"Just tell me if anything is bothering you. Even if it's the house temperature".

You smiled and kissed the tip of his noses "Okay".

Gojo rubbed your arm as you lay next to him with your back pressed to his chest.

“Y/n..”.

“Yes?”.

“Aren’t you going to ask me how I..found out about..”.

“No”.

Gojo frowned. “Why not?”.

“I’m sure you have your ways”. You said flatly.

“Are you mad at me for..finding out?”.

“No”.

“Why not?”.

You turned around to face him. “Do you want me to be mad at you?”.

“No”.

Gojo lay awake wondering if it was right of him to confront you. Do you really think that he can…he would find out whatever he wants to know instead of asking you about it? Sure he might have done that in the past but this was different. Gojo made a mental note to never do this again.

“Then stop asking stupid questions”.

"What you did for Keisuke....was really brave. He is lucky to have you as a mother"

-X-

Gojo stood uncomfortably inside the closet, waiting for you to get done with dressing Keisuke.

When you walked inside you saw Gojo standing between the rows of clothes. "Why aren't you ready yet?". You asked, putting away Keisuke's clothes in the laundry basket.

"I want to talk to you about something".

"What is it?". You asked, ruffling through the clothes, looking for your yellow dress.

"Y/n..". Gojo called out.

You picked out the hangar with the dress and turned towards him. "Yes?".

"We are moving". Gojo said abruptly.

Your arms fell by your side and you frowned, "What do you mean we are moving? Where are we moving to?".

Gojo stepped forward and caressed your arms, "It's not that kind of moving. I am just shifting everything to the left wing of the house".

You looked up at him, "Left wing?". You didn't know what prompted Gojo to make this decision but you knew that something was going on.

"Yes".

"Why?".

"It's better".

"How?".

Gojo chuckled, "I grew up there and it's ideal for a family. There is a nursery which we can renovate for Keisuke".

You bit your lip, "Satoru, that wing has been closed off for years. I wasn't allowed to go there and now you are asking me to move there? What is going on?".

Gojo frowned and took a step back. "You tried to go there? Why?".

You cursed yourself mentally. "I was just….exploring".

Gojo studied your face and nodded slightly, "Yes it's true. I had closed it off because of-"

"I know". You admitted, shamefully.

"What… ". Gojo tilted his head, "...what do you know?".

You sighed heavily. There was no turning back now. "Everything. I think…. everything. You never spoke about your family and that wing was forbidden from me so I…I got curious and I asked around".

"To whom?!". Gojo frowned.

"Jerry".

Gojo sucked in a sharp breath and looked away.Of course out of everyone Jerry would be the one to tell you. "Y/n….". He didn't care that you asked around. You had every right to do so. He wondered why you didn't ask him?

"I know that it's something you didn't want me to know and I'm sorry that I went behind your back". You looked down, playing with the hem of Gojo's shirt.

Gojo stepped forward and wrapped his arms around you, "No need to apologize". He kissed the top of your head and smiled to himself when he felt you relax.

"But why are you asking us to move there? You don't have to. I am perfectly happy here". You said, resting your chin on his chest.

"There are some security issues. I can't go into the details but I also don't want to keep you in the dark. It's for yours and Keisuke's safety. Please trust me on this".

"Safety?". You stepped back.

"Yes".

"Why? What's happening?".

Gojo could sense the fear rising inside you and put his arms on your shoulder,"It's nothing to worry about. Just a precaution".

"If it's nothing to worry about, then why are we taking precautions?".

"Because…I don't want to take any risk".

"But…. Satoru, that part of the house can be very…disturbing for you. I mean…it has some bad …memories attached to it".

Gojo smiled, "That's why I want to make good ones there. It's also closer to the office and much more secure".

You took a deep breath "Okay…. If it's for Keisuke's safety then sure".

"Thank you. You don't have to do anything. Just call me if you need anything".

You nodded your head. "And you can also tell me if you need anything". You smiled.

"I need a kiss". Gojo said, immediately.

"I gave you a kiss this morning". You hit his chest gently and moved away.

"Since when did we start counting kisses?".

You giggled and stood on your toes to peck his lips. "There you go".

Gojo wrapped his arms around your waist and didn't let you move away, "One for last night"

You rolled your eyes and gave him another peck.

"One for this morning".

"I kissed you this morning!".

Gojo raised an eyebrow letting you know that he could tell when the kiss wasn't genuine.

You gave him a pressed smile and kissed him again but this time Gojo didn't let you break the kiss so easily. Instead he placed a hand on the back of your head and deepened the kiss.

You moaned loudly when he sucked on your lower lip and ran his tongue across it.

"Now that's how you're supposed to kiss your husband".

"Are you my husband though?". You teased him.

Gojo looked at you, "You wanna get married again?".

Your laugh died down, "What?".

"Do you want to marry me?...again?".

You moved back and tucked the strand of hair behind your ear. "I … I…guess...I mean …I was just…teasing you".

Gojo held your hand and walked over to the shelf with all the jewelry. "Whenever you're ready you can wear the ring". He spoke as he wrapped his arms around your waist and kissed the side of your head.

Your smile dropped. "I don't want to wear that ring".

"Why not?". Gojo asked and turned you around to face him.

"Too many bad memories ". You smiled sadly and Gojo understood. You were right. You didn't have to start from where you left off. You can start from a new chapter.

Gojo smiled and walked around you to open the glass case. He looked at all the rings he had bought and smiled to himself when he found the one he was looking for. He picked out the carrier Trinity ring and got on one knee. "Y/n Gojo, will you do me the honor of marrying me again?".

You laughed and nodded your head. Gojo kissed your hand and slipped the ring in your ring finger.

"But where is your ring?". You teased him. Gojo stood up and tugged your hand and walked over to his side of the closet. He opened the glass case with his watches and cufflinks and picked out the silver Cartier ring that he had bought along with yours.

"There you go". He gave you the ring and you couldn't hold your laughter.

"Are we really getting married in a closet?".

"Yes ma'am we are". Gojo replied. Laughing along with you.

You slid the ring in his ring finger and while you were giggling the entire time, chalking this as another one of Gojo's playful tactics , Gojo almost had tears in his eyes. Yes you were wearing white, his white shirt. He was in his black trousers. Yes you two love each other and for him this was a wedding.

"Congratulations, you are now my husband!". You smiled at him and Gojo chuckled before picking you up in his arms and carrying you out of the closet.

He held his and your left arm in front of Keisuke and gloated ,"look your mum and dad are married".

You couldn't stop giggling and Keisuke followed suit which made you laugh even more. You didn't remember the last time you had laughed this much or you were this happy. You tiptoed and pulled Gojo into a kiss which he happily returned.

-X-

There had been no message from Yuri this morning and it relieved Gojo but also scared him. What if all this was a silence before the storm? He had questions he wanted to ask her but he knew he wouldn't get an answer. How far did she dig to find out about your pregnancy? What else does she know? What else can she find out?

A team was already cleaning up the left wing of the house. Gojo had gotten a new wardrobe, one that was untouched by Yuri's filthy hands. He was sure you wouldn't know the difference given your lack of interest in those clothes. There were more cameras in the bedroom. Even more in Keisuke's nursery. Gojo was apprehensive about keeping Keisuke in a separate room under these circumstances but the architecture of the room made the nursery even safer.

The master bedroom was big, almost twice the size of one he was living in. A semi-living room was at the entrance of the suite. The entrance to the bedroom was at the far end of the living room. No one could enter the bedroom without passing through the living room.

Inside the bedroom, the bed faces the ceiling length windows that opened up to the balcony. On the left hand side, little further from the door, was the ensuite followed by the walk-in wardrobe. On the farthest end of the bedroom was the entrance to the nursery. Making it impossible for anyone to enter the nursery without crossing the length of the bedroom.

The nursery possessed the ceiling length bulletproof glass window, a crib, a bed, wardrobe, toy shelf and a bookshelf. It had been Gojo's nursery when he was born. The walls were freshly painted baby blue with little clouds and carrots on it. All of Keisuke's toys were thoroughly inspected for any hidden cameras. All of his clothes had a tiny GPS tracker stitched under the collar. Gojo didn't tell you about this detail to retain your peace of mind.

The only downside was that the kitchenette was farther from the bedroom than it had been before. But Gojo dismissed it as a tiny sacrifice.He needed to buy time to execute everything so he had told you this morning that he would take you and Keisuke to the left wing in the evening to familiarize you with it. So for now, to his annoyance, you were still in the same bedroom.

Before leaving for work, he had told Jerry about everything that was happening. He had to know to protect you. Jerry was given strict instructions to not let anyone near you or Keisuke. Even limiting your movement inside the house to the bedroom and his office. Jerry understood of course and gave his word that he would do his best to protect the family. Gojo was grateful that you chose Jerry to help with Keisuke. It made everything a lot easier.

"What do we know about her location?". Gojo asked, typing on his laptop.

Yuta stopped up, balancing his laptop on his forearm and walked over to Gojo's desk, "We have zeroed it down to Japan and China". He said, placing the laptop on the table and showing Gojo the screen that flickers with red dots over the suspected areas.

Gojo nodded. It was not enough but it was progress. It was only the second day. He had to track down Yuri at all costs. "Send me the list of places that are in and around Tokyo, we'll start from here".

Yuta nodded and took the laptop back to the conference table where he and his team were working.

Geto walked in and gave a quick nod to Gojo before walking over to the coffee table and chugging down the entire jug of water.

Gojo watched him intently, "What happened?". He asked.

Geto walked over and sat opposite him and lit a cigarette. Gojo brought over the crystal ashtray he keeps in his office only for Geto and placed it in front of him.

"Did you talk to y/n? About moving to the left wing?"

"Yes. She agreed. I told her it was for security reasons".

Geto nodded and took another drag.

"What's up with you?". Gojo asked, frowning.

"Yuri..messaged me". Geto said and placed his phone in front of Gojo.

Unknown: Are you sure moving y/n to the left wing will save her?

Gojo's jaw dropped. How did she know? How could she know? You hadn't even moved yet?

"Yuta, take everyone with you to the seco office". Gojo said, still staring at the phone.

He looked up at Geto and Geto nodded, confirming Gojo's suspicion. "It's someone on the inside".

"But we interrogated everyone!". Gojo said, slamming his hand on the table and walking over to the window.

Geto rotated his chair to face Gojo, "Not everyone".

Gojo turned around, "What do you mean?".

Geto took a deep breath and ashed his cigarette. "Y/n… We didn't interrogate her".

"We don't need to interrogate her". Gojo said.

"Look, all I'm saying is, isn't it suspicious how y/n has suddenly developed this trust in you? She ran away from you! She hid the baby from you! If you hadn't found her then maybe…she would have continued that way. For all we know she has conspired with Yuri and this is her way to get a divorce from you! She wouldn't even have to share custody!".

"Suguru!". Gojo glared at him. "That's enough".

Geto scoffed, "You love her. You went insane because of her! That's the effect she has on you! I don't blame you for wanting to punch me in the face right now but I am just looking out for you!".

"Keep y/n out of this". Gojo warned, glaringly.

"Satoru"

"Even if y/n is behind this, I can't let her go. I won't let her go".

Geto let out a heavy breath. "Fine. Can I at least talk to her?".

Gojo raised an eyebrow, "talk to her?".

"Yes". Geto smiled. "I swear I'll just talk to her".

"In my presence". Gojo added and walked back to his seat.

"Come on, you have to trust me on this. I swear I will just talk to her. I haven't even met Keisuke yet!".

"No. If you want to talk to her then either do it in my presence or don't ".

"20 minutes. You can come in after that"

Gojo groaned and closed his eyes. "Fine. You get 10 minutes, that's all. Meet Keisuke, talk to her, But not a second above 10 minutes".

"Perfect".

When lunch time rolled around Gojo and Geto made their way towards the dining area. Gojo had already told you that Geto would be stopping by for lunch and you were genuinely looking forward to seeing him. The last time you had seen Geto was years ago, before everything went down. You didn't even know what to say to him but good food is a universal language.

When you saw Geto walk inside the dining room alone your eyes immediately went to the empty space behind him. Why was Gojo not here?

"Hi, y/n". Geto Suguru said as he stood in front of you.

"Hi".

Gojo stood outside, at a distance from the dining room. He checked his watch every minute, waiting for the 10 minutes to pass by. He trusted Geto. But he knew you were smart.

As soon as the 10 minutes were up he walked into the dining room, concerned, ready with explanation, but his worries faded away when he saw Geto holding Keisuke and playing with him while you watched them.

"Sorry I'm late". Gojo said and walked over to you. He placed his hand on the small of your back and pulled you towards him gently.

"He's so…..small". Geto said as he gently tugged on Keisuke's cheeks. "...and soft".

"Now you understand how tough it is to leave this and go to work". Gojo added.

The three of you sat around the table and talked like old friends catching up. But beneath the laughter and nostalgia, one of the three of you was hurting.

"You okay?". Gojo asked as he stood at the doorway.

"Yes".

Gojo studied your face. It was blank. "Are you-"

"I need to change Keisuke. I'll text you later". You smiled and pecked his lips.

Gojo smiled, and kissed you back. Geto called for him from a distance and Gojo left you standing there at the doorway.

"Are you alright?". Jerry asked as he brought Keisuke to you.

"Yes Jerry. I am".

"Your medicine ma'am". Jerry handed you the pills and you swallowed them with water.

"Thank you".

"What did you ask her?". Gojo asked Geto as soon as they were out of sight from the dining hall.

"Just questions". Geto shrugged.

"What questions?". Gojo stopped walking and stared at Geto who stopped two steps ahead.

Geto turned back and sighed, "I just asked her how she was adjusting to this life".

Gojo studies Geto's face. "She might look strong but she isn't. It's not easy uprooting your life every year and starting fresh. I hope you were…gentle".

Geto looked at the genuine concern in Gojo's face and bit the inside of his cheeks. "I was".

-X-

The cool breeze of the evening brought you relief as you sat cross legged on the balcony chair.You didn't know what was going on but you knew you were a suspect. You twirled the tea spoon in the lukewarm tea and thought about your conversation with Geto. He was trying to get something out of you, trying to get you to confess to something, but what could it be?

You also knew that Gojo was probably in on it. Did he not trust you? Why didn't he ask you directly what he wanted to know? Could you confront him about this? Should you? Would it affect his and Geto's friendship? Or would it put you in trouble?

You leaned back in the chair and watched the birds fly against the setting sun. They were on their way home. But what about you? Could you ever be home? You had moved here with Gojo and yet he was doubting you. There was no right answer. No right way to approach this. You knew Gojo would come any minute now. He said he was going to come home early today. While he wanted to move to the left wing tonight, you had messaged him after lunch to move tomorrow morning because Keisuke was being fussy today and changing his environment seemed like a bad idea to you. But now you wondered if that put you under more suspicion.

Your head was spinning conjuring all these theories. But you had to look out for yourself. Gojo loved you, you were sure of it. But did he trust you?

"Hey". Gojo walked in on the balcony.

You craned your neck back and smiled. "Hi".

"Why are you out here?". Gojo asked as he sat down next to you.

"Just…needed to be alone".

"Why?". Gojo asked, moving his chair closer to yours.

You shrugged with your eyes fixed on the distant point on the lawn. You were human, you had your limits and you were tired.

"What did Geto ask you?". Gojo asked, looking at your hands folded on your lap.

"Just questions".

Gojo bit his lip in annoyance. "What questions?".

"Why don't you go ask him?". Your words came out sharper than you had expected. Maybe it was because you were reaching your tipping point.

"Y/n... If there is something bothering you then I want you to tell me".

You scoffed. "Why don't you tell me what's bothering you?".

Gojo's heart dropped to his stomach. He was at a loss of words.

"Nevermind. I'm going to bed". You got up but Gojo stood up and blocked your way. "Satoru, move. Please".

"Let's talk about it. Please".

You looked up at him, "I have nothing to say to you except that whatever it is that's…going on, I have nothing to do with it. You want to put me under surveillance then go ahead and do it. I don't care anymore". You tried to walk past him but his hand on your waist stopped you.

"I know you have nothing to do with it. Geto just wanted to talk to you". Gojo spoke softly.

"I know when I'm being talked to and when I'm being interrogated".

"He didn't mean any harm. I'm sorry if he was harsh with you. He just wanted to be…safe".

You nodded your head. "Okay".

"No no no. Don't give me an okay ".

Gojo's hands dropped by his side. He'll fix it later. When he has an answer or an explanation.

"Just ….let me go. I need to rest".

"y/n.... please talk-".

"I don't feel good. I should sleep now".

-X-

There was a heavy silence at the breakfast table this morning. No morning kisses were exchanged. By the time Gojo had woken up you were already done getting ready for the day and so was Keisuke.

"The left wing is ready to move in. Let me know whenever you're ready". Gojo asked, giving you a short smile that was not reciprocated.

"Okay".

"I won't be coming for lunch". Gojo added. Hoping to get a glare from you but was meant with the same icy expression.

"Okay".

Gojo bit his lip. "You look beautiful today". He smirked.

But your expression didn't change. You opened your mouth to say something but Gojo cut you off. "Please don't say okay".

"Fine".

Gojo groaned and let his fork clank against the ceramic plate.

"If you're mad at me then just be mad at me!". He whined.

You kept your fork down on the plate and looked at him. "I'm not mad at you".

Gojo scoffed, "I can see that. All he did was ask some questions y/n! For your safety!". Gojo closed his eyes in regret as soon as the words left his mouth.

You gritted your teeth and looked at him. "Satoru I uprooted my whole life! Moved here with you! Tried my best to give us a chance! And now I am being questioned by you and Geto?You...Who has always lied to me from the beginning! Why am I the one who is being questioned here when you were the one who left me for someone else, lied to me, drugged me, forced me to move here by threatening to hurt people I care about! Why?! Why am I expected to trust you when you can't even do the same for me!". Tears rolled down your eyes as you let out your pent up frustration.

Gojo was frozen in his seat. He knew it was a bad idea. He should not have listened to Geto. "Y/n….".

"I'm fine. I'll be fine". You wiped your tears with your palm. "I'm sorry I got carried away. I didn't mean to bring up all that". You got up to keep the plates in the sink and Gojo followed you.

He wrapped his arms around your waist and turned you to face him. "You have nothing to be sorry about. Nothing. You don't have to be fine with all of this. Complain as much as you want to. Demand what you want. But don't be …fine".

"Okay". You relaxed in his arms.

"Don't say okay".

"Fine". You replied, a smile tugging at your lips.

Gojo looked down and shook his head. "Don't say fine".

"Alright". You chuckled.

Gojo smiled and kissed your forehead. "I'm sorry for letting Geto talk to you".

"No it's alright. He was just doing his job".

"I'll punish him, don't worry". Gojo winked at you. Trying to ease the tension. When you voiced out your frustration it dawned on him just how stupid and hypocritical the whole idea was. His eye drifted to your ring finger and his tension eased a little when he saw that you were still wearing that ring. Maybe this is what a secure life feels like, when even when you fight and disagree you still stay by each other's side at the end of the day.

You silently wrapped your arms around him and took a deep breath. "Promise me we'll be fine".

"I promise". Gojo hugged you tighter and kissed your forehead. "We'll be fine".

You nodded your head and pulled back. "You should go now. You'll get late".

"I can stay with you today. Work can wait". Gojo said, studying your face. You looked shaken up. Tired. Your eyes were sunken in and your face looked pale.

"I'll be fine".

Gojo studied your face. You were not fine. He took his phone out, "I'm staying with you".

You kept your hand on his arm that was holding the phone and brought it down. "No need to stay. Why don't you go and stay after lunch? That would be better".

Gojo bit his lip nervously, "You sure?".

"Yes".

"I'll send in a doctor to check on you. You don't look so good".

You nodded your head. He was right. You had been feeling more tired than usual and your bones ached with every moment. But hopefully you'll get to rest with him after lunch.

"Okay".

Gojo texted Jerry on his way.

Mr.Gojo : Keep an eye on y/n. I want an update on her every hour.

Jerry : Yes sir.

Mr.Gojo : If she seems slightly distressed, call me immediately.

Jerry : Yes sir.

Gojo glared at Geto the moment Geto walked inside the office.

"I'm sorry". Geto said firstly. "I ..I might have gone overboard but I didn't mean any harm". He raised his hands by his side.

Gojo remained silent. "You should be apologizing to her".

"She should have fought with me".

"She didn't fight with me. She was upset but she understood that we are doing this for some reason".

"She didn't ask you the reason". Geto asked, lighting a cigarette.

"No".

"Why?". Geto smirked. You were still under his radar.

"Because she was saving me from lying to her".

Geto hummed. "Did she tell you that?".

"She didn't have to".

"Right….cause couples have telepathy".

"She understood that you were doing your job. But I want you to remember that it's not easy for her either…living here with me. Dealing with all of this? She didn't sign up for this. You can doubt her if you want to but at least be gentle with her. She might look strong and collected on the outside but…she's going through a lot".

Geto hummed. "We'll if you put it that way…then you're right. I do owe her an apology. I'll meet with after lunch…in your presence of course and apologize to her..but she's still not in the clear*.

Gojo scoffed. If Geto hadn't been his best friend Gojo would have buried him six feet under yesterday. "Why don't we find Yuri first and then we can confirm your suspicion?".

"We can do both".

Gojo frowned, "How?".

"We send y/n to Yuri".

Gojo's glare turned icy. The temperature in the room dropped and everyone was aware of the shift in mood.

Geto straightened up. "Not alone. Obviously. We will be tracking her".

"No".

"Satoru".

"No".

"Alright. I'll find another way".

Gojo leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. No. There was no way he was going to let you go to Yuri.

-X-

Yuri sipped on her coffee and twirled the phone in her other hand. She was waiting for the good news. If everything was going according to the plan then Geto must have confronted you somehow and that would have pushed you and Gojo apart. Little by little.

Mr.Man : Didn't work

Yuri looked at the text and her self reassuring smile dropped. Fucking Geto! She wondered whether the plan fell through because of Geto or because of Ms. Goody two shoes attitude. If exposing your pregnancy to Gojo didn't push you two apart, if Geto's suspicion didn't push you two apart then she knew none of her other minor plans would. She had to pull out the big guns.

She gulped down the searing coffee and slammed the mug on the table. The ceramic mug broke in her hand and sliced her thumb. She chuckled. Tears rolled down her cheeks as her throat burned and hands bled. She brought up the sliced thumb and smeared the blood across your photo on her desk. She brought up Gojo's photo and put her thumb on his lips. "I'll burn for you, I'll bleed for you…soon you'll be mine"

Yuri : Plan B.

-X-

Gojo and Geto were going over different locations where Yuri could have been. Geto had a stack of paper in front of his hand which outlined every connection to Yuri.

"What about the man at the hospital? The one that clicked the photo?". Gojo asked.

Geto shook his head, still flipping through pages, "He was picked up randomly on the street and paid to click her photo". Geto looked up at Gojo. "He thought y/n was a celebrity and the paparazzi wanted a photo of her. He had never seen the man who approached him and paid him for the job. We have his sketch and the police are still looking for him".

Gojo cursed under his breath. Geto was calm, he was moving in a calculated way but Gojo on the other hand was getting restless. There was no text from Yuri and it was not a good sign. He knew that Yuri was playing with Geto. He knew Yuri would do everything in her power to pull you two apart but Gojo was not going to let that happen.

His phone chimed and both men exchanged nervous looks. Gojo carefully picked up his phone and frowned.

Geto took his phone from his hand. "What does this mean?".

Yuri : Run.Run.Run.

Before Gojo could reply Jerry barged through the door, sweating, panicked, scared.

The three men stood outside the bedroom,waiting for Shoko, as you lay unconscious inside. The medical team had left an hour ago and Gojo was counting each second pass by. He had asked Shoko but she refused to say anything until the blood reports were back.

Keisuke cooed in Gojo's arm, oblivious to the condition of his mother. The sun had set long ago and it had been over 5 hours. Gojo was going restless with each passing minute. Geto had been watching CCTV footage of the house the entire day to see if there had been any intruder but he found nothing. Gojo hadn’t asked anything to anyone while Shoko and the medical team were here but now he wanted to know. “Jerry tell me what happened, exactly".

Jerry wiped the sweat off his forehead and took a deep breath. "Mrs.Gojo had just finished with master Keisuke's bath and she was going to dress him up. She walked out of the wardrobe but master Keisuke started crying so she picked him up and asked me to get his bottle from the kitchen. But before I could reach the kitchen I heard her call for me so I came running inside. She looked ..pale. the color drained from her face and she was gently swaying. I sensed something was wrong so I rushed to where she was standing. She asked me to hold master Keisuke and call for a doctor and then…then she collapsed on the floor. Then I called for the medical team before calling you".

Gojo gently rocked Keisuke in his arms. "Did she take her medicine?".

"Yes sir". Jerry replied.

"Did she ever skip a dose?". Geto asked next.

"No sir. Never".

Geto turned towards Gojo and he knew by the look on his face that Yuri had hit her mark. "Maybe it's because of stress or fatigue".

Gojo took a deep breath, "Do you really believe that?".

Geto closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. Keisuke stared at him over Gojo's shoulder and smiled. Geto returned the smile and winked at him.

"Satoru, can I talk to you?". Geto asked standing upright, "Alone?".

Gojo nodded at Jerry and Jerry took his leave. Gojo put down Keisuke in the pram carefully and covered it.

"You said, there were cameras in the room?".

"Yes". Gojo replied and handed Geto his phone which showed the camera feed.

Geto watched it carefully. Then, he replayed it again. "Interesting…" he hummed.

"What?". Gojo asked, looking at the phone screen.

"Everything happened just as Jerry had described it".

"He was there. He saw it all".

"It's still weird that he was able to describe it scene by scene. Usually when people go through such an experience, their recollection varies slightly from the reality but he was spot on".

"Suguru, I trust you, but you suspected y/n and we know how that turned out. Now you are suspecting Jerry? He has been with my family forever. He was the one who alerted us and the medical team. If he was involved in this then he could have run away".

Geto listened to Gojo carefully. "He stays with them everyday?".

"From 9 am to 9 pm".

"Is y/n close to him? Do they discuss her problems?".

Gojo bit the inside of his cheeks. "Yes".

"Has he ever interfered with your…". Geto shrugged for the lack of words, "..marital issues?".

Gojo scoffed, "Not in a bad way".

"But he has?".

"Yes. He has".

Geto nodded and looked down at the pram, "Who chose him to be with them?".

"Y/n did"

"Interesting. Why didn’t she choose anyone else from the staff?”.

Gojo sighed, “Because she was not close with anyone else. We both trusted Jerry and decided it is best to have someone like him to stay with them”.

Geto sensed Gojo’s frustration and refrained from talking further about it. It was best to wait for Shoko’s analysis.

“Y/n will be fine”. He put an arm on Gojo’s shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

Gojo nodded. “She has to be”.

Shoko walked in, glaring at Gojo. The two men immediately straightened up in her presence. “How is she?”. Gojo asked.

“You knew she had anemia”.

Gojo frowned and looked at Geto, “Of course I did. I called you ..remember?”. He added.

“I do. I also remember looking at her reports and prescribing her medicines which she had to take daily”.

“She was taking them daily”.

Shoko looked at Geto, who corked a brow. “No she wasn’t”.

Gojo’s pulse raced. “What..what do you mean?”.

“Her reports are back. Her anemia has worsened”.

Gojo’s world stood still on its axis. “That’s..that’s..not possible. She was taking her medicines daily”.

Shoko shook her head. “I had my suspicions so I sent her medicines to the lab and they were not the ones I had prescribed. Well one of them was. The others were Dapsone”.

“Shoko I don’t understand….what do you mean?”.

Shoko sighed. “Satoru, let's sit down”.

Gojo pushed the stroller and sat down opposite her and Geto. “Shoko what’s going on? Is she going to be fine?”.

“I have my suspicion that someone switched her medicines. Her blood count was too low so I sent the medicine in the lab and out of five only one was the medicine that I had given her and the rest were a drug called Dapsone. Dapsone is used to induce Anemia, not cure it. I can estimate that she was administered this drug for no more than five days but given her condition it could have been fatal”.

Gojo’s mouth ran dry. “Fa..fatal? You mean…”

“Life threatening”.

Gojo’s shoulder dropped. “Is she going to be fine?”.

“Yes. But she needs rest and care”.

“Who gave her the meds everyday?”. Geto asked,Gojo looked at him . The two men exchanged nods and Geto was already on his phone.

Gojo nodded his head. Had Yuri continued to torture Gojo, he would have beared it all. Had she asked for all his wealth, he would have given it all to her. Had she asked for his life in return of yours, he would have given it to her. But she made the most fatal mistake of her life by going after you. No one was safe now. No one was in the clear now. No more interrogations. No more suspects. Yuri had declared a war and now she would have to fight it.

Gojo thought about the fight last night and how this morning he didn't even tell you he loved you. He made the same mistake he made last time, leaving you when his gut told him to stay.

"I don't care who gave her the meds..I can't hurt her anymore. She deserves to live a happy life". Gojo picked up his phone and called Yuta, "Get me the divorce papers".

The man on the other side of the wall listened to the conversation. He smiled. The plan had worked.

-X-

Yuri : I need updates!

Yuri : Why are you ignoring me?!

Yuri : Is that bitch dead?

Yuri : Where the fuck are you? Pick up my call!

Yuri : Did they move her to another location?

Mr.Man : Things might have gone out of control.

Yuri : I told you we should have gone for a lighter dose!

Mr.Man : Have faith.

Mr.Man : He might reach out to you. I overheard him talking to the detective.

Yuri : What should I do?

Mr.Man : Strike when iron is hot.

Yuri : What does that mean? Should I meet him?

Mr.Man : Yes. But ask him to meet alone. He might come with a backup. He has agreed to the divorce.

Yuri : What? Really?! Why hasn't he texted me yet?!

Mr.Man : Have patience.

Gojo finished typing the last text and locked Jerry's phone and stared at him. Jerry's gaze remained fixed on the floor. Five men surrounded him as he sat in handcuffs.

Gojo kept the phone on the table and pulled a chair to sit opposite to him. He stared at Jerry, the man that he respected like a father, the man that he trusted enough to be around his wife and son, the man that took care of him in the darkest days, but he was no longer any of that. Now, to Gojo, he was the man that tried to kill his wife. When Gojo saw the messages between him and Yuri he wanted to put a bullet through Jerry's brain. But he knew he needed him to reach Yuri.

"Why?". Gojo askedz crossing his one leg over the other and folding his arms over his chest.

Jerry remained silent.

"Why did you try to kill y/n?".

Jerry looked up at him with anger in his eyes. "I didn't try to kill her".

"You drugged her. Knowing well that it could be fatal to her".

"She wouldn't have died. I wouldn't have let her die".

Gojo bit the inside of his cheeks. "Why help Yuri?".

Gojo scoffed at the silence. "I know where your family lives. Your daughter is at Ginza, waiting for her train to Ueno. Your son is 300m away from your home. Your wife is at the neighbor's house and she will be leaving in the next 5 minutes when a man will tell her that her son has been hit by a truck and her daughter fell on the train track. Do you think given her heart condition she would survive the news?". Gojo smirked.

Jerry had tears rolling down his eyes. His chest rose and fell with each breath. "No. You can't hurt my family!". Jerry yelled.

Gojo let out a chuckle. "Are you really in the position to ask for that? Fine. You're right, you have served the Gojo house for a long time and I should honor that. How about…I get you convicted for pedophilia? The word would spread around quickly, I'll make sure of it, your daughter will be ostracized at the college and your son will probably kill himself. Your wife…dies anyway".

Jerry was sweating and shaking. He hid the details of his family from Gojo and yet he found out. Gojo smiled and got up to get his phone. He stood in front of Jerry and showed him the live video of his family members. The first video was of a man moving through the crowds at the station and standing just behind his daughter. "What are the chances that the safety door in front of your daughter malfunctions and the crowd pushes through?".

Gojo played the second video, it showed another man walking behind his son on the bridge less than 300 m away from his home. "I have heard that this bridge is quite dangerous. You see the speed with which these cars are moving? It would hurt so much if he got hit by one of them".

"Please…not my kids. Please". Jerry begged.

"Hmm okay. I won't kill them. Just injure them enough so they spend their entire life in a wheelchair, unable to talk, walk, react.."

Gojo chuckled and played the third video which showed a man standing outside a neighbor's window and Jerry could see his wife on the couch talking to her friend.

"Imagine when your wife's friend finds out that you are a pedophile! They would be so disgusted".

"No no no. Please". Jerry cried. His tears fell on Gojo's ostrich leather shoes.

Gojo walked back to his chair and assumed the same position. "Then start talking. You have 3 minutes left to save your family".

Jerry shook his head. "I didn't want to hurt Ms.y/n. I didn't. But I couldn't let her stay with you. You don't deserve her! You're just like your father! I…". Jerry paused. "....I couldn't save your mother. I wanted to. I even helped her run away but you monster of a father brought her back!".

Gojo gritted his teeth as he listened to the sick man.

"I loved your mother. I wanted to help her…but I couldn't". Jerry looked up with a frenzied expression. "...Ms.Y/n reminded me so much of your mother. She is kind. A good mother. Doting wife…and you". Jerry's gaze darkened, "…a monster. A selfish man who is only capable of thinking for himself…the day you made her cry, I knew that this time I will save her!".

Gojo swallowed the lump in his throat. "So you tried to kill her?".

"No no no no. I would neve hurt Ms.Y/n. I just wanted you to realize that the life you live puts the life of others at risk".

"You were there with me! You raised me! You out of all the people know what I went through!". Gojo screamed, making Jerry flinch.

"I pitied you as a child. But as you grew up you became his splitting image and as much as I wanted to help you, I felt disgusted by you! You were treating her the same way you dad treated your mother"

"Y/n trusted you. She was the one who suggested that you should be the one to help her with Keisuke".

"I know. I would rather die than let anything happen to Ms.Y/n. That's why when Yuri asked me to kill her, I made this plan. I was going to kill Yuri after you divorced Ms.y/n".

"And then?".

"Then then…I would have asked Ms.Y/n to stay with my family. So I could care for her like she deserved to".

Anger rose inside Gojo. "You're a sick man".

Jerry chuckled. "Love makes us sick, Mr.Gojo. I used to wonder how a man could go insane because of a woman..who was this woman that made the great Gojo Satoru lose his mind. But then…I met her and I got to know her. It all made sense. Anyone would go insane over-".

Gojo stormed out of the room wiping the blood off of his knuckles. People stopped in their trail as they saw him walk past. No one had seen the Ice Prince in the last one month but now he was back. Gojo didn't care if Jerry thought that he was just like his father. Gojo didn't care that Jerry called him a monster, maybe he was a monster. But he loved you. If he was fated to love you as a monster then so be it. He will become the monster that will protect you, avenge you, love you.

Before Jerry could finish a sharp blow landed on his jaw. Jerry fell on the floor with his hand cuffed in front. Gojo grabbed his collar and lifted him off the ground, "That's my wife you're talking about you sick bastard!". Gojo threw him across the room and Jerry's head collided with the wall as he fell on the floor leaving a red streak in the trail. Jerry thought about all the times he saw with Gojo, like you were a happy family when you were nothing but a trophy for him. He remembered when he first heard yours and Gojo's moans mixed together it made him throw up. Gojo didn't deserve a woman like you. Every time he looked at Keisuke he was reminded of the love you had for Gojo and he would have killed Keisuke first if it hadn't been for you. Losing Keisuke would have broken your heart, especially when you risked your life to save his.

Gojo sat on his toes and glared at Jerry. "Did you kill my mother?".

Jerry chuckled, coughing out blood. "I didn't mean to kill her. I just wanted that child of hers to die".

Gojo gritted his teeth. He felt sick. He got up and kicked Jerry in his guts. "You are going to pay for what you did".

He took his phone out and texted Yuri,

Gojo : You win. I have the divorce papers. Where should I meet you?

Yuri stared at the text and bit her nail. She was scared to face Gojo. Maybe she can ask him to drop the papers somewhere. Instead of texting Gojo she texted Jerry.

Yuri : Gojo texted me. Where should I meet him? Does he really have the divorce papers?

Gojo unlocked Jerry's phone with his other hand and replied,

Mr.Man : Call him at the warehouse near the pier. He has the divorce papers.

Yuri : How did y/n even sign it?

Gojo rolled his eyes and huffed.

Mr Man : She was slightly conscious. She doesn't know yet that she had signed the Divorce papers.

Yuri : Serves that bitch right. I'll call him tonight at 12.

Yuri took a deep breath and texted Gojo,

Yuri : warehouse number 12 near the Pier. 12 am.

Gojo : okay.

Yuri : come alone. If I see another guard or officer with you, y/n will be dead before you even reach home.

Gojo looked at her text and chuckled.

Gojo : Okay.

He walked over to where Geto and Yuta were sitting with Keisuke. Yuta gently rocked Keisuke in his arms and walked around the room but as soon as Keisuke saw Gojo he started crying and stretched his hands towards his father. Gojo's icy exterior melted as he smiled sadly and took Keisuke from Yuta's hand. "Thank you for looking after him, Yuta".

"No problem. He seemed to like more than his uncle Geto"

Geto, who was sitting cross legged, rolled his eyes. "He would only calm down with Yuta".

Gojo chuckled and rubbed Keisuke's back. He immediately calmed down as soon as he took in the scent of his father. Gojo kissed the back of his head as he sniffled. "Any update on y/n?".

Geto and Yuta shook their heads.

"I called Shoko and she said y/n might be unconscious for the next 12 hours. Something about her body needing time to recover. They are changing her drop every hour".

Gojo nodded his head. "Can I go see her?".

Geto and Yuta exchanged looks, Yuta hesitated but spoke first, "Ms.Shoko didn't say you can't but she didn't say you can either..so I guess you can".

Gojo handed both the phones to Geto, "I'm meeting her at 12 tonight. Yuta go through the texts and see if we can find anything else on her".

Gojo rubbed Keisuke's back and walked inside the guest bedroom where you were lying unconscious.

He let out a shuddered breath as he saw you lying still with tubes going into your arms. Your face pale like a ghost, cheeks sunken in, he swallowed his tears as he moved slowly towards your bed.

"Hi, love".

Keisuke turned around at the mention of your nickname and moved in Gojo's arm, stretching his arms towards you. "No baby. Mumma is sleeping". Gojo gently put his arms down but Keisuke fussed in his arms and continued to get out of his grasp and into his mother's.

Gojo kneeled by the bed and gently put Keisuke next to you. Keisuke stretched his arm out and grabbed your dress and tugged it to have you turn and face him. Gojo pressed his lips together and hung his head low as he let out a silent cry. How can he explain to Keisuke that you can't play with him now? If anything were to happen to you how can he explain to him why his mother is not there with him? He prayed to God that if he wants a life then he will hand over his only for you to live. Gojo cried as he watched Keisuke pout trying to get you to turn to him. He sucked in a sharp breath and mustered his strength. He had to be strong for him. When you wake up, you will be so proud of him for being a good father. A strong father.

"Mumma's sleeping. You want to give her a kiss?". Gojo asked and picked up Keisuke so he could softly kiss your cheek. Keisuke tried to grab your face but Gojo picked him up immediately "no no no. We can't disturb mama".. Gojo leaned down and kissed your forehead softly, "By the time you wake up, this will all be over. I promise".

Keisuke cried as he hopped in Gojo's arms to be free and lie next to you. It didn't make sense to him as to why his mother won't play with him? Why won't she hold him? Why won't she feed him?

Gojo walked out before Keisuke's cry could disturb you. "It's okay baby. She will be up soon. Then we'll all stay in bed all day". Gojo cooed as he rocked Keisuke gently.

It was around his dinner time so Gojo walked straight to the kitchen, he tried to prepare the formula while carrying Keisuke in the baby carrier. It was evident that Keisuke missed his mother as he would start wailing every half hour. Gojo struggled to make a formula while talking to Keisuke at the same time. He was too scared to let anyone either hold his baby or make his food. He could only trust himself. A task that usually takes about ten minutes took him 30 minutes to complete. Gojo sat down on a couch, draped a towel over his shoulder and held Keisuke in his arms as he tried to feed him with the bottle. But Keisuke refused and continued to cry. Gojo sighed and looked around the empty kitchen. He didn't know what to do. He had tears rolling down his cheeks.

His wife was unconscious, his baby was crying and he didn't know what to do. But then, like a message, he remembered your advice. Gojo carried Keisuke and the bottle to yours and his empty bedroom and sat down on the bed. He put Keisuke on the bed gently and ran inside the wardrobe to fetch your cardigan that you were wearing this morning.

"A baby recognises the mother by scent". Your words rang in his ear. He wrapped your cardigan around his arm and went back to hold Keisuke. Almost like magic, Keisuke stopped crying immediately. He sucked on the bottle gently and looked up at Gojo with wide blue eyes.

Gojo chuckled, "you're a mama's boy". Gojo shook Mr.Carrot above gently and continued to talk to Keisuke while he drank. When he was done Gojo put the cardigan on his shoulder and Keisuke smiled when he put his head on the cardigan. Gojo breathed a sigh of relief as Keisuke burped twice and dozed off happily.

Gojo walked around the bedroom with Keisuke in his arms. He thought about his own childhood, how when his mother had run away his father did not even bother to check on him. If it wasn't for the help he would have gone to bed starving. He would never let Keisuke feel that way. In a way he was glad that Keisuke is too young to remember any of this.

Shoko stood by the door and gestured to him to come out. Gojo walked out and gestured to her to be quiet as Keisuke was asleep. Shoko simply rolled her eyes.

"Is everything okay?". Gojo whispered.

Shoko nodded her head. "Y/n's vitals are fine. I am here to look after my godson". She nudged her chin towards Keisuke.

Gojo smiled. It was a relief that he had someone he could trust to look after Keisuke as he goes after Yuri. "Thank you".

Geto walked in with his hands in his pocket and smiled at Gojo. "Looks like he is finally asleep". He whispered.

"Yeah. It was quite hard".

"I am looking after him so you two be safe out there". Shoko said as she gently took Keisuke from Gojo's arm. Keisuke,wrapped in your cardigan, cooed in his sleep and grabbed her hair strand. Shoko remained still for a moment. She has always been the stoic one, the sassy one, but now as she held Keisuke in her arms she glared at the two men in front of her. "If anything happens to this baby I will burn this world down with my lighter".

Gojo chuckled and nodded. He leaned in and kissed the top of Keisuke's head and when he pulled back Geto leaned in and kissed the top of Shoko'a head. "a kiss for my baby".

"Thanks". Gojo smiled at Shoko.

"If you do something stupid I will steal your baby".

Gojo chuckled and nodded. In her own twisted way it was Shoko's way of saying she wanted him to be safe and that she loved Keisuke.

"Do I really need this?". Gojo asked, holding the bulletproof jacket in his hand.

Geto fastened the jacket over his black shirt and tied his hair in a neat bun.

"Obviously! Y/n would kill me if anything happened to you!".

Gojo chuckled and took his shirt off to put on the jacket. It was better if Yuri didn't know that he was prepared. He felt like he was going on one final battle of his life and on the other side a good life awaited him.

He buttoned his shirt and turned towards Geto, “Hey..”.

Geto, who was tying his shoelaces, looked up at him and crooked a brow.

“If things go south and if anything were to happen to me..there is a letter for y/n in the first drawer of my desk, give it to her”.

Geto chuckled, “Fuck off”.

-X-

Gojo had never felt so sure of his destiny. But now he knew. He knew as he kissed you and whispered his promise in your ear. He knew as he checked his gun. He knew as he walked out of the estate with Geto. He knew as he drove his black lamborghini huracan.

He stopped the car at a distance from the warehouse. He stared at the silver band on his finger. There was no set plan to follow. There was nothing to talk about. He got out of the car and glanced at a distance where Geto’s car was ready with the back up. He grabbed the papers and made his way towards the warehouse.

Yuri paced around the warehouse. She had kept it simple, at least tried to. A metal table at the center. Two chairs on either side. She had tried to keep her attire simple but sexy. Leather pants and a leather corset top. He knew Gojo hated loud makeup and stuck to her no-makeup makeup look. Her heels clanked on the ground as she paced from one end to the other. Jerry had texted her a while back, assuring her that Gojo had left alone.

Yuri stilled as she heard the approaching footsteps. She went and sat on one end of the metal table with her legs crossed, like a tigress waiting to pounce on her prey. The rolling doc doors opened, revealing a silhouette of a man. Yuri recognized Gojo right away. Gojo stepped in and the doors closed behind him.

Yuri took in a deep breath and shifted in her seat as Gojo walked towards her. Her breath hitched when his face became visible. Sunken red eyes, disheveled hair, tense jaw, arms flexing by his side.

Gojo didn’t say anything. He walked over and sat on the other side of the table.

“Hello, Satoru”.

“Hello, Yuri”.

“I’m sorry to have done this to you. I hope you know that I didn’t mean to hurt you”. Yuri spoke softly. “None of this was meant to hurt you”.

Gojo smiled. He wanted to get up and bash her head against the metal table but he held his ground. “It’s alright. It was best for both of us anyway. Y/n does not fit in my life”.

Yuri smiled, ear to ear. “Exactly! That’s exactly what I wanted you to see!”. Yuri took a breath of relief and relaxed in her seat.

Gojo smiled and nodded. “How did you get Hiro’s video?”.

Yuri chuckled. “Satoru..you are too innocent for this world! You see, I knew you way before Geto introduced me to you. Or should I say I introduced myself to Geto”. Yuri laughed.

“What do you mean?” Gojo asked. Trying his best to keep his demeanor pleasant enough.

Yuri took a deep breath. "You see.. I saw you for the first time the day you killed Naoya Zenin. I didn't even have to ask around much to find out about the history between the two of you". Yuri chuckled. "I just knew I wanted to be with you. You were strong, so sure of yourself. But I couldn't just approach you right?".

"Right…".

"With Naoya's death the clan was in pieces and I gathered all the important information I could. That's where I found the security footage of his townhouse and I was going to delete it. It seemed useless until I saw your face in one of those. So I kept it with me. I didn't know who Hiro or y/n were but I knew who you were".

Gojo stared at her blankly. "So you used the information you had on Zenin to gain Geto's trust?".

"Bingo! When I saw what you had become it broke my heart. I thought to myself whoever this dead woman was, she should not have this hold on you! But it turns out the dead woman was alive!!!!". Yuri threw her head back and laughed.

Gojo didn't want to hear your name from her mouth anymore. "Give me Hiro's video and I'll give you the divorce papers".

Yuri took out a phone and played the video for Gojo. "There you go". She slid the phone across the table. Gojo picked up the phone and sent the video to Geto, as a backup and to let him know that it was time to move.

He smiled and slid the papers across the table to Yuri. Yuri grinned and picked up the stack of papers. She flipped and her smile dropped and pulse picked up. These were not divorce papers. They were photos of Jerry, handcuffed and tied to a chair. Yuri blinked and looked at Gojo who was smiling at her.

"You made a huge mistake going after y/n".

"I…I…Satoru…Satoru..I..". She fumbled with the words and stood up immediately letting the metal chair fall to the floor. "..nno…this was all his idea!". She yelled, pointing at the photo of Jerry.

Gojo smiled and stood up with his hands in his pocket. He took out Jerry's phone and tossed it on the table. "Regardless of whose idea it was…". He walked around the table and Yuri took a step back for every step towards her. "...you should not have even thought about hurting my y/n".

Yuri trembled with fear. "I didn't want to! I swear I didn't want to hurt her!".

Gojo pouted and bent down to her eye level, "Right, you wanted to …kill her. You wanted to kill my y/n".

Yuri shook her head and stepped back. "No no no I…I didn't. You…you can take the video. I…I swear I won't ever hurt her again…please…please let me go". Yuri fell to her knees and begged.

Gojo sat on his toes and cooed at her. "Come now Yuri…where did your confidence go?".

"Please Satoru…please…don't kill me".

"Kill you?". Gojo clicked his tongue. "Why will I kill you? You didn't kill my y/n did you?".

"No no I didn't!". Yuri shook her head and swallows her tears.

"Exactly..you hurt her!" Gojo grinned in her face. "So now I will hurt you". Gojo said, pushing her forehead back with his index finger. He stood up and walked over to the table and pressed the button opening the rolling doors. "You're terrified of water right?". Gojo asked, tilting his head.

"Satoru please! No no! I saved your life! Do you not remember any of that?".

Gojo's smile dropped, "You're right". He said glaring at her. "You saved me. Then you drugged me. I can still forgive that. But you hurt y/n. I will never forgive you for that". He smiled as men rushed around him and stood in a semi circle around Yuri.

"As much as you love surprises, let me tell you what's going to happen to you. I owe you that much". Gojo cracked his knuckles and stretched his neck. "You are going to be taken to the middle of the sea. Then your arms and legs will be tied and you will drown in a metal cage…not killed. Of course not killed. I cannot kill someone who saved my life right?". Gojo shrugged.

Yuri stood up with trembling legs. She regretted telling Gojo about her worst fears.

"And this will continue the entire night, or till my y/n wakes up. Whichever comes later. Then you'd be given a choice…to either shoot yourself in the head or drown to death".

Before Gojo could turn and walk away, Yuri grabbed a gun from the holster of the man standing to her right and fired in Gojo's direction.

As soon as the noise rang every gun around her was pointed in her direction. Gojo stared at her blankly. His right hand went over to the left bicep and touched the wound. Gojo brought his hand forward and looked at the red coating his fingers. "You missed". He smirked devilishly. Yuri watched in horror as her shot missed the mark. Bullet that was aimed for his heart simply scratched his bicep. A wound that would recover in a few hours.

"You know salt water really stings on wounds? How about a wound for a wound?". Gojo smirked and took out his pocket knife. He held Yuri's trembling hands and made a long diagonal cut on both of her palms.

"That should do. Enjoy your night Yuri. It's your last one". Gojo winked and walked away as Yuri's screams faded in the background.

Gojo sat at the back seat of the G wagon with doors open as a medic patched his wound. Geto, who stood outside, glared at him with his arms folded over his chest.

"Fine you were right! I am glad I listened to you and wore the vest!".

Geto shook his head and lit a cigarette. The air was cool and this wasn't their first post fight banter. He watched as the men took Yuri away in a blacked out car at a distance.

"Why drowning?". Geto asked, staring at her flailing silhouette.

Gojo chuckled, "Because it's her worst fear. She can't swim and has been terrified of the open waters since she was a kid".

Geto nodded his head. It was fair game. She played with Gojo's worst fear and he played with hers.

"Any news on y/n?". Gojo asked.

Geto shook his head. "Shoko said she's stable and Keisuke has been sleeping well".

The medic was done wrapping a bandage around his bicep and Gojo got out of the car and stood next to Geto.

"Does it hurt?". Geto asked.

"Why? Are you going to kiss it?".

"Do you want me to?". Geto smiled and looked at Gojo through the corners of his eyes.

The van carrying Yuri went past them and Gojo finally felt free.

"How are you going to show y/n the video?".

Gojo sighed. "Maybe when she is awake and a bit more stable, I will tell her that you helped me find the video and that can also help justify your interrogation".

"I owe her an apology".

"She'll understand".

Gojo checked his watch, it was 2 am. "We should head home".

-X-

Yuri screamed and shouted as the guards locked her in a 6ft metal cage. By the time the cage was suspended in the air above the vast black ocean, she had accepted her fate. These men won't listen to her. She offered them money, sex, power but they wouldn't dare go against Gojo Satoru.

"Oh god of god of god". She muttered as the cage was slowly lowered to the ocean. She closed her eyes and held her breath as it completely submerged in the dark water. She flailed around in the cage like a fish. Her lungs burned and the scars on her palm stung badly. As soon as she thought she was going to drown the cage was lifted in the air. She fell on her knees and coughed out the salty water. Her wounds burned even more now as she tried to wipe them on her pants. She hissed and cried but her eyes burned with every tear that rolled down her cheeks..this was worse than hell and it was only the beginning of her long night.

As soon as she caught her breath the cage was dropped in the ocean again. Unlike last time when she was given a moment to catch her breath, this time the impact had her screaming under water. She grabbed on the rails on the roof of the cage and tried her best to stay above water but her palms hurt so bad that she immediately let go of the rods and floated in the cage, screaming, crying. Once again, as soon as water began to fill her lungs, she was brought up again.

The cage was brought up and Yuri looked down at the vast black ocean. Open water bodies terrified her but open water bodies at night was a whole other ballgame. She felt dizzy and disoriented. All she could taste was salt. All she felt was pain.

She remembered Gojo's words, "Don't worry Yuri. When you reach hell, the devil will pity you". Yuri smiled. Gojo always stood by his words. She looked up at the sky and prayed to fall unconscious so she wouldn't have to feel anything. Ironic, she thought to herself, how she wanted your fate right now. She laughed and then the cage fell again….

-X-

As soon as Gojo reached home he rushed through the doors to see you. It was around 3:00 am and though he was tired, mentally and physically he needed you. He was hoping that when he sees you you'd be up and waiting for him to get into bed but as soon as he reached your room, his heart fell.

You were still asleep.

He walked silently and kneeled by your bed and held your hand gently. "It's over. It's all over". He kissed your knuckles and smiled.

"When you wake up, you'll be in a new world. Where we will live happily. I have so much to tell you but all of that can wait. We have all the time in the world now". He kissed your cheeks and whispered three little words that he hoped you'd hear.

"Satoru?". Geto called out in a whisper, standing at the doorway.

Gojo kissed your forehead and walked out.

"Did Yuri tell you anything about how she got the video?". Geto asked.

Gojo walked alongside him with his hands in his pocket, "She used to work for Zenins and when Naoya was gone, she stole information from them to gain our trust. Somewhere in that pile of information she found the video…pure stroke of luck".

Geto cursed himself for not running a thorough background check on her. Had he known she had worked for Zenins he would have never employed her. How could he let that go under his radar?

"Drop it already, will you? It's not your fault".

Geto nodded.

"Why don't you and Shoko take the guest room? It's been a long day and I am sure she's tired too".

Geto smiled and nodded his head. He too was tired from everything that had happened. His added guilt only amplified his need for a good sleep.

-X-

You let out a heavy breath and suddenly were conscious of every muscle in your body. You felt awake but in a dream. Your arms felt heavy by your side. Your legs felt heavy. Your head felt heavy. You tried to raise your hand but could only manage to twitch your fingers. Was it night? Was it noon? Where was Keisuke? Where was Satoru? You opened your eyes slowly and saw the darkness around you. Something was attached to your arm, you moved your eyes to the side and saw a tune going into your wrist. Then it all clicked.

Your heartbeat picked up, you remembered feeling dizzy, you remembered calling for Jerry but you didn't remember whether he came or not. Shit did you faint with Keisuke in your arms? Did you hurt him? Was he okay? You tried to call for help but your throat felt painfully dry.

"..toru". You managed to whisper. Your vision was still clouded and the lack of visible light only added to your paranoia.

You took a deep breath and swallowed painfully to muster up courage to call for help.

"Satoru!". You managed to call in a hoarse voice.

You felt someone's hand on yours. You looked down and saw the tuft of Arctic hair. You smiled. Of course he was here.

"Satoru..". You called with tears rolling down your cheeks.

Gojo woke up with a jerk. He heard you call for him. He looked up and before the single tear could reach your jaw he was on his feet and leaning over you. "I'm here. I'm right here, love!".

Gojo pressed the button and was about to run out to get help but your feather light grip on his band stopped him.

"Stay". You whispered and Gojo relaxed.

"You're alright. Everything is fine". He assured you as he kissed your forehead.

"Ke.. Keisuke..".

"He's fine. He is sleeping right now. He's fine. You're both fine".

You smiled as you let out a sob.

The nurses rushed in and Gojo kneeled on the other side of your bed and held your free hand. "It's going to be alright". He assured you again.

A part of you felt like he was assuring himself. Like he was trying to convince himself that you were alright.

Shoko walked in rubbing her face and stood by your side and smiled. "This is not the reunion I had expected but good to see you y/n".

You smiled. "Can't…move".

Shoko smiled. "It's alright. You have just woken up and the dose I gave you was quite high. It'll take some time". She sat down on the chair Gojo had been on and checked your pulse. "Low but good". She stood up and gently helped you sit up slightly.

She helped you drink water with a sipper and wiped your face with the towel that Gojo handed her.

"What happened?". You asked meekly. Your voice lacked strength but at least you were able to talk now.

Shoko and Gojo exchanged looks and before Gojo could start she turned towards you and smiled. "You fainted. But luckily we were able to get you the help that you needed and you are stable now".

You frowned at her. "I..took meds".

Shoko's smile dropped and it concerned you. "Someone…Jerry switched your meds".

You tilted your head to register to what she just said. Jerry switched your meds? Was she talking about the same Jerry? You turned your head towards Gojo and his guilt ridden face confirmed your suspicion.

Gojo turned to Shoko, "Can I talk to her alone?".

Shoko nodded and got up. "Call for me if you need anything".

You turned to Gojo and fear in your eyes made his heart drop to his stomach. Gojo held your hand with both of his and explained everything that conspired in the past 24 hours. You listened with your heart on the edge as Gojo showed you the texts between him and Yuri.

Anger rose inside of you when you saw the video but it was soon replaced by sadness knowing that Gojo was in such a state where people like Yuri took advantage of him. Yet here he was, more worried about you than what could have happened with him. You wanted him to be angry for himself but instead he was worried about how you'd look at him.

Anger rose inside of you when he showed you Hiro's video. How could you let that happen? Had you stayed for a minute more then Gojo would have witnessed the birth of his son. You were angry at Hiro for taking this one thing away from you. Sure he wanted Gojo to suffer but what about you? What did you do to deserve not having the love of your life by your side? How could Hiro disregard your feelings? You were thankful to him for giving you an escape but did you even need one? You needed to have Satoru by your side. You needed a peaceful sleep. You needed to feel loved. You needed to hold Gojo's hand when you thought you were dying…and Hiro took all of that away from you.You sobbed as the video finished playing. "I'm so sorry". You sobbed in your hand. "Oh god…what have I done….I'm so so sorry".

Gojo stood up and wrapped his arms around you as he let you sob in his chest. "It's not your fault y/n. It's not your fault". Gojo let out a shuddered breath when he felt your body tremble in his arms. He sat down on the bed and rested your head on his chest. "It's going to be fine. We are going to be fine. Breathe, please".

"No no no no…I…I'm so sorry". You clenched his shirt in your hand. “I..shouldn't have listened to Hiro…I..Oh god..I’m so sorry Satoru. I..I am so sorry”

"No love. You have nothing to apologize for. You did what was best for you and our son. You did a good job".

You looked at him, “But…you..you couldn’t be there because of..If only I would have stayed for a minute longer..”.

“Y/n…You didn't do it with the intention fo hurting me, okay? You were just protecting yourself and our son”

"What about Jerry? I let a man like that near Keisuke and …if only I hadn't…".

"No no no. It's not your fault that people are bad".

"Satoru , he could have hurt Keisuke…oh god ..He could have hurt my baby!".

Gojo sighed. "It's my fault y/n. I told you I'd take care of you and Keisuke and I…couldn't".

"It's not. You did everything right. It just happened to be Jerry. Nobody …could have expected it”.

Gojo kissed your head. "Okay".

"Where is…Jerry?".

You closed your eyes, and Gojo cupped your face with one hand and wiped the tears off your face.

"Why didn't you tell me about this? I would have believed you".

Gojo was at a loss of words. He looked down, ashamed and shook his head. "What was I supposed to tell you? I know the look on your eyes y/n. You love me but I know a part of you is also scared. I see that. I wanted to tell you about Hiro but I had no memory of that video. I ...I told you there was nothing between Yuri and I and then....this...I couldn't do that to you. I couldn't let you go"

You looked down. You had been too harsh on him and you felt bad for making him feel that he had to hide things from you and Jerry used it against him. He knew Gojo would not confess to you. He knew Gojo would be scared of the video and that's why they sent both the videos together. You were so angry at everyone for hurting him.

Gojo shook his head, "You don't have to see him, love".

"I just… How could he even think when you would be anything like your father when he has practically raised you? Satoru, you are nothing like your father…You are kind and attentive and you always prioritize us over your work …. Keisuke is so lucky to have a father like you…I am lucky to have a son with you".

Gojo looked at you and smiled sadly, “Do you mean it? Really mean it?”

“Yes!”. You said, immediately. “I mean it with every fiber of my body”.

“Thank you”. Gojo kissed the side of your head.

“I hope Jerry rots in hell for everything he has made you and Keisuke go through”.

Gojo smirked, "As you wish".

"And Yuri too..but where is Yuri?".

Gojo took a deep breath, "She's there. Do you want her to live?".

You remained silent. You didn't know whether you had it in you to kill someone. But Yuri threatened your son, drugged Satoru…"No. I don't think she deserves to live".

"Okay".

Your eyes drifted to the white band under his shirt. You sat upright and touched it gently. "What happened?". You looked at Gojo.

He sighed. "It's nothing"

"It doesn't look like it's nothing. What happened, Satoru?".

"Y/n ..You need to rest right now".

"No…no I need to know what happened to you?".

Gojo sucked in a sharp breath. "Yuri…. shot me".

Your mouth hung open as you tried to get up but Gojo put his hand on your shoulder and calmed you down "What…what do you mean she shot you? …why are you not in a hospital?".

Gojo smiled sadly and pulled you into him."Because it wasn't serious and I wanted to spend time with my wife".

"Satoru…it’s not ..corny. It can be serious and It can get infected or something". You glared at him.

Gojo smiled. It was adorable how your knowledge of getting shot comes from movies and his’ comes from his experience.."Y/n…It's just a scratch.I am more than fine. I'm here and you're here and that's all that matters".

You shook your head disapprovingly. What happened to all the safety and security when he was almost shot? “No no. You should still get it checked once again”.

“Okay, I will but not now. I need to be with you now”. He grinned.

"Did you have a hard time with Keisuke?". You asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Gojo took a deep breath and thought about how he had never seen Keisuke cry this much. How clueless he felt every moment you were not around. "He missed his mom for sure".

"Did you feed him?".

"Yes".

"Did you bathe him?".

"No. He was too fussy and I didn't want to risk it".

"Where is he now?".

"With Suguru"

You breathed a sigh of relief.

“Are you mad at Suguru?:. Gojo asked.

“No. I understand now. I am glad you had him”.

You yawned and groaned, feeling the tiredness creep in.

"You should sleep now y/n. It's been a tough day". Gojo got off the bed and helped you lie down. He pulled the duvet and tucked you in how you do for Keisuke.

"Can you…. stay with me? …..Please?". You bit your lip nervously. After hearing everything that happened while you were unconscious a part of you was scared to be without Gojo. You needed him to feel secure. You needed him to tether you to reality and save you from spiraling into your what ifs.

Gojo nodded "Of course I will", and got in bed with you. He winced as he lay on the arm that was injured and you glared at him. "just a scratch?".

Gojo smiled and rubbed your back. "Yes, love. Just a scratch".

-X-

When you woke up again you were no longer ridden with anxiety. Instead you felt even more relaxed when you saw Gojo walking around the bedroom with Keisuke in his arms.

"Good morning". You said, sweetly.

As soon as Gojo turned towards you Keisuke started crying and stretching his arms out to you. Gojo brought him to you immediately and you took him in your arms.

"Did you miss me, munchkin? Sorry mummy took a long nap". You cooed as you wiped his tears. Keisuke buried his head in the crook of your neck and wrapped his tiny fingers tightly around your necklace. His wailing stopped the moment you kissed his chubby cheeks. "I'm so sorry. I promise I'll never leave you again". You kissed his head as he sniffled. You peppered kisses on his face and it made him relax in your arms. "Were you a good boy? Did you give daddy a hard time?"

"Did he give you a hard time?". You asked, looking at Gojo.

Gojo sat down next to you and stretched his legs, wrapping one arm around you and resting the other one on your lap. "Not at all. But he missed you. I was so scared for him. I couldn't even explain anything to him".

You smiled sadly and pecked Gojo on the lips. "You did a great job".

"You think so? It took me over 30 minutes to make the formula".

You chuckled at him. Sure that was surprising but you didn't blame him. "That's alright. You still did a good job". You understood that it wasn't easy to take care of a baby when everyone around you was a possible threat, when your wife was lying unconscious, and there was a psychopath out to get you.

"I'll call Shoko. You still look weak".

You kept your hand over his and looked at him pleadingly, "Few more minutes.. please".

Gojo smiled and sat back down pulling you into him.

You rested your head on his chest, brought his hand up and kissed his scarred knuckles. You felt safe in his arms. Somewhere in your heart the last crack closed up and you finally…after four years…felt like you were home.

-X-

1st August,

You stared at yourself in the full length mirror and smiled. You looked like those dolls on top of the wedding cake. The lace veil draped behind you and the white silk gown fit you like a glove. The diamond earring that Gojo sent for you this morning casted a kaleidoscope pattern on your collarbone. Your eyes drifted towards the calendar on the wall. August 1st. The weather outside wasn't gloomy. It was surprisingly pleasant. Not too windy, not too sunny. Gojo had wanted a grand wedding but you insisted that you get married in the lawns of the estate that you had spent months taking care of. You didn't want a grand ceremony. You wanted to get married at a place that you called home.

Contrary to advice of the wedding planner, you had decided to do your hair and make-up yourself with help from Shoko. You wanted to keep it all very minimal. You looked at your hands and smiled at the imperfect white nailpolish painted by Gojo. He wanted to add his own touch to your look and you couldn't say no.

You picked up the sapphire brooch and pinned it on your left, your something blue belonged to Gojo's mother. Your something old was your own mother's hairpin that you had treasured for years. You wondered if your parents were her would they be happy? You hope that wherever they were, they were smiling for you.

You needed this time alone in your bridal suite to gather your nerves. The last few months passed by like a gust of wind. Keisuke was not almost 7 months old and Satoru decided that it was the right to get married for the second time…or third. Though you didn't demand for one as you were already officially married, Gojo insisted that you have a ceremony. You agreed.

Though he didn't need to propose, Gojo still went on a knee when the three of you took your first family vacation to Ginzan Onsen. It was your Ghibli dream come true and you said yes to the ring once again. You still remembered being so in love as you walked along the streets with Gojo’s one hand in yours and the other pushing the stroller. You were no longer with Gojo because you had to be. You were here because you wanted to be. You wanted to welcome him home and make his lunches. You wanted to write notes for him and pack it in a bento box. There was something adorable about the most feared man in Tokyo blushing over a note in his bento box.

Now you stood here, on the 1st of August, thinking about how a year ago you were pregnant with Keisuke and had just found out about the risks of pregnancy. In the August before that you were sitting in a bus, on the way to the office where the love of your life was engaged to another woman. Now you are about to get married to the man you love .Funny how life changes in three Augusts.

As you walked down the aisle with Mr.Itadori on your right and Mrs.Itadori on your left , with your bouquet of orchids in your hand, you saw the man you had loved for the last five Augusts stand on the other end. Everyone was looking at you and you were sure you should have acknowledged them and smiled at them but you couldn't tear your eyes off of the man in the deep blue tuxedo. Handsome as ever.

Gojo felt like someone punched the air out of his lungs as soon as he saw the doors open. The wedding march faded in the background and his world stopped moving. This is what he lived for. Everything that he had endured till now led up to this moment and he would do it all again just to see you smile at him as you walked down the aisle. You were his sun, his moon, his star.

“You look beautiful”.

“Thank You”. You smiled and took his hand.

Gojo had boasted that he would not be the one to get emotional but here he was, fighting his tears as he read his vows. He lost the battle when you read yours and you chuckled as you wiped the tear off of his face. You cried a little too when he kissed you. But Gojo was quick to wipe it away with his thumb.

Geto stood next to Gojo with Keisuke, in a matching blue tuxedo, in his arms. He looked at Shoko and they exchanged smiles.

Instead of a flower girl you had Yuri happily scattering flowers for you. It was surprising how quickly he bonded with Satoru. During the reception Yuji ran up to you and introduced you to another kid, who Yuji claimed to be his best friend even though they had met an hour ago. Megumi,whom you recognized to be Toji’s son. He seemed like a quiet kid, opposite Yuji. You smiled and patted both of their heads as they ran away hand in hand. You turned and continued to talk to the man who was taking over part of Gojo’s business so Gojo could spend more time with you. Nanami Kento. Few minutes later you saw Megumi and Yuji being scolded by a girl, about their age, and smiled. You wished that these three retain their youthfulness even when they grow up.

Months later when you and Gojo took Keisuke to Gyoen park. The lake smiled. Years ago two hearts broke by its shore and now they had found their way to each other like waves to shore. Gojo smiled as he saw you show different flowers to Keisuke. It was surprising that his first word was "addada" and Gojo rubbed it in your face for weeks. He claimed that he had won the bet but you only rolled your eyes at him. Even now as you point to a flower Keisuke looks at Gojo and calls him in a come here motion. "Addada", Gojo gave you a smug grin, reminding you that he had won the bet. Gojo smiled and walked to his son. In that moment Gojo was grateful that he never stopped fighting for you. If there was anything worth fighting for in this world, to him it was you.

A.N : Thank you to everyone who has supported this story. It's been a long and happy journey and I hope you enjoyed your time with the story. I hope it brought you comfort and happiness when you needed it.

It's 2 am as I write this and I can't describe how emotional I feel having completed this story. I hope it was everything you had expected and that you are happy with how things turned out. Thank you for supporting me so far and I promise that I will continue to do my best for you 💗

With lots of love,

Your Priestess.

@hiqhkey @chemtrails-club @simplyrosesxr @foggyperfectiondragon @sofi786 @vesta-ro @kimvmarvel @mykyoon @shintin @attackonsimpp @pyschopotatomeme @lilith412426 @shuxjodie @sagejin @cloudsinthecosmos @hecateria @froggylust @lightblueexorcist @watyousayin @creolequeen11210 @s13nnnna @shartnart1 @the-crane-wives @musababy @loquia @ackerstain @allofffmypeaches @regalillegal @erintaro @commandertorinshepard @gojo-sunglasses @tspice283 @iam-mia9 @screwyou3 @denypipa @smolkazumi @winter-bearv @mc-reborn @pangolynnn @sindela @daintyazra @purpleguk @iam-mia9 @sammyiguess @ritsatoru @5seos @kirby-star @vr00m-vr00m @qualitygiantshoepsychic @littlemochabunni

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nyanggk · 1 year

Text

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. SIM! — s.jy

PART 2 : MY SHY HUSBAND

PAIRING enhypen jake x female reader

SYNOPSIS after marrying the man of your nightmares, your husband, jake, shows you that he's actually an angel labeled with bad manners.

GENRE romance, arranged marriage, comedy

WARNING profanities, suggestive content, piercings, MDNI

wc. 5k+

— happy birthday to this pervert :)) ! I didn't have the time to write a full smut so the rest is up to yalls imaginations, hopefully you guys still find it funny.

To be wed is the practice of both hearts joining one another in a matrimonial ceremony. There, they swear in front of everyone; their families, friends, and to God. They promise to become one, to console in another, to love each through thick and thin until death do they part. But how can you surrender yourself fully when you have no such feelings for the man in front of you?

When the pastor instructs the both of you to conjoin your palms, through the white veil you wore, you watch with quiet eyes as your groom shies away from your hold. Vengeance and malice are hidden behind your irises and you almost audibly scoff.

In the background, the pastor continues to lecture the both of you about the principles of a wedding, how God should be the center of your everything. Yet your world has been taken away from you, and therefore, your center is filled with void.

"Mr. Jaeyun Jake Sim," You hear the man cloaked in white call for the boy who stood in front of you, Jake, pulling you out of your plotting thoughts.

"Do you take Miss YN to be your lawfully wedded wife in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, 'til death do you part?"

Not even a second passes, he says, "I do, father."

He wants this, wants to marry you, however, you don't. You may not be able to avoid this marriage, but you will try in every way you can to avoid him.

Jake is handsome and every bit of his physique makes him seem like the sweetest angel. Today, his hair is nicely parted and styled to perfection. He's clad in a typical yet dashing suit, the dress shirt underneath hugging his frame to the point where you can see the outline of his pecks whenever he breathes. You caught the stylists gossiping with each other a while ago, the contents being your grooms natural beauty. They were going on and on about how naturally his face glowed, and how adorable his smile is when he curled his lips upwards. Not to mention, how nice and accommodating he is. If the two of you met under different circumstances, you have no doubt that you'll be the one making the first move.

"And do you, Miss YN, take Mr. Jaeyun Jake Sim to be your lawfully wedded husband in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, til death do you part?"

I don't.

But you have no choice and so, you gulp, letting empty words fall out of your mouth. "I do."

"Now, with the power vested in me, I pronounce the both of you, husband and wife." The pastor in charge announces, and right then, cheers erupt inside the small cathedral as echoes of their claps resound all throughout. You wince when you look at your parents' smile, clapping in an excited manner as they gush to those beside them about how happy they are. Your mother even shedding a tear. However, this is all fluke, something that they had forced onto you regardless of the fact that you despised it.

You didn't think arranged marriages were still a thing in the 20th century, but your parents have proved you wrong. There's not an ounce of them that felt guilty, even when you lashed out, and told them how you don't want to be wed with a stranger just for the company's benefit. But they said it was good for you.

"Don't you see?" Your mom asks as if it's the most obvious thing, grabbing both your arms to make you face her. "Finally, your image of being a whore—"

"Yuri!" Your dad lashes out in anger as he never calls your mother anything but their pet names for each other. This case is different as she's not only making you do something that you don't want, but is calling his own daughter a slut.

You and your mother had never seen each other eye to eye when it came to your nightly agendas. Well, neither did your father, but he loved you too much to tie you down.

"Fine." She breathes out, composing herself. "A playgirl. Your image of being a playgirl can all be erased. Jake is a sweet boy. I have no doubt that you'll fall in love with him eventually."

Oh, the misogyny.

First of all, you're not a playgirl nor are you a whore. You'd prefer the term "An Anti-Romantic that Sleeps Around a lot." Yeah, that's way better.

But all your efforts to sway your parents' minds were in vain— though your dad agreed, your mother didn't, and if there was something more powerful than your father, that was his wife— as by early November, they already had the whole wedding and reception planned, and here you are now, being announced as Sim Jake's beloved wife, his last name now being attached to yours.

Fuck your mother. Fuck your dad for not stopping her. Fuck Jake for agreeing.

If he truly has a heart as pure as milk, he wouldn't have agreed, but milk goes rotten eventually, and you assume the same case has happened to Jake. Yet, the fucker still acts like he's an angel.

"You may now kiss the bride." He says, gesturing to your now husband.

Just when you thought Jake would happily lean in and kiss you, he doesn't. He shakes in his spot and bites his lip, a nervous habit you've concluded after meeting him just a few times before. He'd done the same when the two of you were introduced for the first time, when the two of you met for dinner with each other's parents, and many other occasions.

You're not going to lie, but you found this habit cute. So, you tell yourself that you're the one leaning in because you want this to be over with, not because you want to get a taste of the strawberry chapstick on his red lips.

At first, Jake's whole body becomes rigid, and you're about to pull away when he loops his arms around your waist and deepens the kiss. Now, it's your body's turn to become rigid. Nevertheless, you keep kissing him because he just tastes so good, completely disregarding the supposed fact that you hate his entire being, reasoning to yourself that you're just acting.

When the time comes to pull away, Jake watches your reaction with nervous eyes, afraid that he's overstepped his already small boundary with you. He knows you don't want this, knows that you don't have any sort of romantic feelings with him, but he can't help it.

The first time he saw you was at a club his friends dragged him to. Jake can't hold his alcohol well, and always proclaimed himself as the driver, meaning that he wasn't going to have a drink at all.

From where Jake sat, talking to a drunk Heeseung, he caught sight of you on the dance floor. He was so in awe of the charisma you showed. He knew the alcohol must've had a part in it, but that didn't matter because to Jake, you were a goddess partying within a sea of mere mortals. You were one of a kind and the spotlight was on you. At that time, Jake was having doubts if he was sane or not for how can someone be this attracted to a stranger they've never even talked to beforehand? He has no idea if it was because of the way your body moved or if it was the way your hands clumsily wrapped around his neck after he had made the daring move to approach you.

Without the alcohol, Jake had the time of his life listening to your drunken rants beside the sidewalk, and his heart started beating laps when you leaned in to rest your head against his shoulder.

"You're such a sweet guy." You slurred out, hand absentmindedly fidgeting with the loose threads of his woolen sweater. "Can I kiss you?"

Taken aback, the boy stutters on his breath, and he looks at you for confirmation. He knows you're drunk, but the determination between your eyes is so adorable, how can he possibly say no? He knows you're drunk, but giving his first kiss to you shouldn't be that bad of a crime, right?

When he timidly nods, you take the initiative, and lean in. When you do, it's like a billion butterflies suddenly fluttered their wings inside his stomach, and he coils into your touch, melting into your body.

Your lips lay against each other for a while before Jake instinctively opens his lips, not wanting to part but needing to breathe, and you take that as your queue to put your warm tongue inside his mouth. That's when Jake feels the small metal bead pierced onto your wet muscle, the piercing on your tongue rubbing against the roof of his mouth and tongue, and Jake can't help but release a small whimper into your kiss.

Jake never wanted something so bad in his life before. He was always willing to give, and put others first. Maybe, just for this time, he can be selfish, and have you.

You probably had no recollection of him, but he had every bit of you reserved in his mind. Your meeting has become a core memory, and Jake will cherish it forever. With that, he'll show you he's worth putting yourself down, and make up for what he's done. Forgive him, but he just can't continue to bear watching you sleep with random men anymore when it should be him that you come home to. You'll be safe with him and he'll treat you right. He just hopes you give him a chance despite your resentment.

Jake watches with sadness as you pull away from each other, and acts nonchalant about the whole kiss as for a moment, he thought that you enjoyed it. The priest then catches his eye and the boy thanks him for leading the ceremony of your wedding while you completely ignore everyone's existence.

It's been about a week into your marriage. Currently, the two of you are still at your honeymoon, your parents deciding to give the whole month to the two, hoping for a baby by the end of it. It's definitely not going to happen, Jake knows that much as with the way you still act cold and dismissive towards him, even Jake doubts if he can hold a civil conversation with you soon.

Though he's been trying to get close to you, it seems as if Jake still hasn't made any sort of progress. He's made sure to be extra nice and charming, accommodating to your every need, being there for you whenever you need a helping hand, but nothing is working. He doesn't want a baby with you. Well, he wants one but he's willing to wait, and if you don't want one then he'll personally make up a lie saying that he's infertile to your parents. He's never lied before, but he'll do it for you.

All Jake wants is for you to acknowledge his presence, to at least spare him a glance. He's been craving to hear your voice and he's willing to beg.

"Good morning." He greets when he sees you coming out of the room, hair tangled in a sleepy manner as you grumble out a response.

The both of you had agreed that you would have the bed all to yourself— well, you claimed it and he complied— seeing as there was no way in hell that you would sleep beside him. Jake gladly accepted the couch, not a single peep of complaint was thrown your way which saves you more time if you were to argue.

Jakes is sitting on the couch, watching a cartoon. You would've thought it was cute for a grown married man to watch children's shows if it weren't for the earful of complaints and lectures your mom threw at you in the early morning.

She knew fully that you hadn't been treating Jake like a human being. The other day, she found out through the guards that you left him to go party at the hotel's club, and when you were on the phone talking to your mother and Jake just so happened to trudge in and ask you a question, you brushed him off.

It was safe to say that your mother is the least bit pleased with your behavior, and rang your phone to death while you were happily fast asleep in dreamland. When you picked up, she continued on with her rant, effectively ruining your day even before it began, burning your eardrums off in the process.

Being the bright guy that Jake is, his cheerful mood picks up upon seeing his wife, talking to you excitedly about his plans for today as if you hadn't been the shittiest person to him for the past week. "Do you want to go out today? I was thinking we could go to the beach—"

"Sure, Jake." You answer dismissively as you pull open the fridges door. "Whatever you want."

Jake's mood deflates after hearing your lack of interest. "Oh... uhm, Okay..."

Later on, you and Jake venture out to the beach, and you watch him by the shores as you sit on a blanket, a shade put up prior by Jake. He wanted to block off the sunlight from hitting your skin, knowing full well that you hated the heat.

Now, after setting up your rest area, he runs to go and meet up with a tan man sporting stylish dreadlocks, soon finding out that he's going to be learning how to surf.

Ohh this is going to be so amusing to watch.

You watch as he keenly listens to the surfing instructor about the do's and dont's when it comes to surfing, nodding along here and there. The board he chose was a sea blue with two bold yellow stripes along the middle. Wet, his hair clings to his forehead, him having to sweep it back from time to time whenever it comes in the way of his vision.

It seemed as if their little pep talk had already come to an end as Jake readjusts his grasp onto the board before looking at you with elated eyes, a huge grin forming across his face. Right then, you notice the way the ends of his mouth curl up into adorable hooks, and you suddenly feel the random urge to trace it.

Dazed, you wave at Jake and give him a small smile. That seemed to be enough to boost his morale as he unconsciously rewards you with the most adorable look you've ever seen. It was unbelievably charming. A smile so sweet that it puts you under a trance. One where he didn't show his teeth, his mouth forming into a straight line while his cheeks bunch up, his eyebrows raising themselves up. A type of smile that made his cheeks look like soft bread, and he nudged his thumb towards the sea as if to tell you that he's heading into the water.

When Jake turns his back, you snap out, scolding yourself as you ignore the way your heart's beating.

At first, you had planned to leave while Jake is preoccupied, but now, you find yourself stuck to the same spot, looking at your husband as he loses balance on the surfboard and dives headfirst into the water for the sixth time since he went in. You tell yourself that you've stayed because his clumsiness amuses you, not because of the proud smile he throws your way at each progress he makes. He's looking at you as if he's searching for your validation each time he manages to prolong his balance on the surfboard, the eratic oceans doing nothing to help. But regardless, you reward him with a cheer and a thumbs up, him breaking into a boyish grin soon after receving his prize.

He looks overwhelmingly charming like this, and each time he falls, he makes sure to go down in a variety of poses. At his antics, you can't help but laugh at the boy and shake your head, unbelieving at the fact that you're laughing at your husband whom you supposedly hate.

Lying chest down on the surfboard, his hands paddle at his sides to gain momentum when he notices a wave soon to crash, clearly looking excited. However, you aren't.

You can't help but let the panic in you grow as this isn't just a normal sized wave. It's huge, and comparing it to his body, he looks like he's going to get devoured into the water, especially since he's still a beginner.

You stand up from the beach towel you've been laying on, a hand to your chest as you hold your breath. When Jake manages to get on top of the wave, he looks at you in victory, but before you can return the gesture, Jake loses his footing and disappears into the water.

"No…" You inch closer to the sea, feet getting soaked into the water as you wait for Jake to come up. From the corner of your eye, you watch as Jake's instructor begins to grow worried, and you watch him paddle his surfboard close to the area where Jake had disappeared.

"Jake!?" You call out his name yet you don't get a reply. Jake always replies to you. Even when you scream or scoff his name out, he still answers. So, why isn't he now?

Wanting nothing more than to dive into the water and find him yourself, you chuck your dress off, and swim towards where his instructor is heading, following his lead so the both of you can search for your husband.

With the wire on the surfboard strapped onto Jake's ankle, you can only hope that his board soon floats up, and after a few long seconds, it does. Finally, you release a loud sigh, quickly paddling your hands to its location, finding your husband passed out. Your heart only sinks deeper at the thought of something terrible happening to him.

Without wasting any more time, both you and the instructor drag Jake's body up to the shore, carefully placing him down. With fear stricken eyes, you cup Jake's cheek in the palm of your hand, shaking it gently in a desperate attempt to wake him up.

"Jake? Wake up, please." You beg as your hands shake when you grab a hold of his own, clutching them in yours and kissing the back of it as you watch the instructor perform CPR on your husband.

The man presses down on his chest a couple of times before putting his ear next to Jake's mouth, searching for signs of breathing. When nothing happens, the instructor tells you that he's going to have to give Jake mouth to mouth precipitation, and you quickly agree. As the man's lips inch closer to Jakes', your husband suddenly bolt's up, stunning both you and the instructor as you realize that your husband was faking everything all along.

"I'm awake! I'm awake!" He says, frantically pushing the instructor off, and your jaw hangs in disbelief.

"You asshole!" You scream out, slapping his chest as you feel stray tears trickle down your face at having been worried that he had been gone forever. "Why would you do that, huh? W-Why the fuck are you laughing?! Jake, stop!"

Ugh, how dare he laugh?! You feel so frustrated right now that you just want to punch that sick grin off his face.

Once Jake notices that you aren't taking his joke the same way he is, he immediately gets serious. He pulls you in for an embrace, and you gladly take it without much resistance, tears stopping soon after as you're just happy that he's alive.

Soon, annoyance comes rushing back into your senses and you dig your palms to his chest, pulling away from him. "Fuck you! I can't believe I bothered to give a shit about you! You pull that type of stunt again Jake Sim, you're not only going to lose a wife, but your kids too!"

And it's safe to say that mixed with the fear of losing his dear wife, Jake felt awfully guilty for trying to sneakily steal a kiss from you. Now that he thinks about it, he couldn't be anymore stupid to do such a horrid prank on you. His intentions might have been for his own selfish desire, but he didn't think you'd shed tears.

You're a fucking asshole, Jake. You just made your wife cry.

It's safe to say that due to his theatrics, your day of wild surfing and sitting by the beach has been cancelled. Not only that but it's as if the heavens sympathize with your mood, the sky turning gray and dark, a foreboding sign that a storm is about dawn.

It's currently night time and you still feel as sour as a sweaty armpit. You've been mercilessly ignoring Jake since the events earlier this morning, wanting him to learn a lesson or two in comedy because none of that shit was even close to funny! It was scary; the thought of him leaving.

Everytime he tries to strike up a conversation with you, you shut him down with short answers and snide remarks. The same topic of "Oh, why don't you just pretend to drown yada yada." recurring on and on and Jake is forced to retreat, though, the idea of trying again never leaving his mind once.

Even Though he's back in phase one— the phase where you hate his guts— he knows he can get past this. He can do it. He just needs to take his time and give you yours. All he wants right now is to beg down on his knees, and tell you how much he regretted doing it. If only you'd let him, he would lick your feet if you asked.

The two of you were supposed to have dinner outside when the rain started pouring, barring the two of you inside your hotel room as for some reason, the hotel made the bright idea to build the restaurant without a roof. Even though you detested having to be in the same room as Jake, you wouldn't dare getting wet. Luckily for the both of you, room service was a thing.

A part of you feels like you should act nicer towards the boy, besides, he is your husband. During your stay here, he's been nothing but a sweetheart; paying for everything, guiding you, and entertaining every childish plan you have to spite him— well, save for the stupid shit he pulled this morning— obviously, nothing worked. He just took every dumb thing you did as adorable, even when you ignored him.

"Room service!" A man announces from the other side of the door. Being the gentleman that he is, Jake gets up before you do, telling you that he'll get it.

When the door cracks open, pops of confetti and a series of cheers erupt inside your suite. The whole group of staff shows up, and they all start singing him a happy birthday. One of the staff drags in a cart full of intricate looking dishes placed gently on top, a large bottle of champagne sat nicely inside a bucket of ice, and a lighted cake with the writings "Happy 20th Birthday!" written on it.

Of course today just had to be his birthday! Now, how are you supposed to maintain your cold exterior once finding out that you've not only forgotten your husband's birthday, but also ignored him the whole day while he was just trying to get a kiss from you. It sounds so dumb yet you assume that it's an idea Jake is willing to entertain.

The poor boy gets taken aback, speechless as they surprise him on his birthday, but nonetheless, he starts clapping smally and humming with them. When he sees that they're putting the dishes down, he goes in to help them, however they shoo the boy away.

"Happy birthday Mr. Jake!" They all cheered in unison, and as their song came to an end, a staff lifted up the cake, and gestured for him to blow the candles off.

Before he does, he closes his eyes, a boyish grin on his face and you almost blurt out the word "Cute" in front of everyone. It certainly won't be out of the ordinary for them, but you can only guess the inner turmoil it's going to give you.

When he's done with his wish, he blows out his candles, and once again, cheers and claps erupt, you joining in and smiling at him, realizing that you can stop being an asshole just for today since it's his birthday.

"Mrs. Sim," A staff member calls out and asks excitedly, "Aren't you going to give the birthday boy a kiss?"

Both freezing on the spot, you and Jake lock eyes with each other, but no one notices as everyone shoots up in hoots, telling you enthusiastically to give your husband a kiss.

You take Jake by surprise when you suddenly stride towards him, pressing your lipstick coated lips on his in front of everybody. Like the first time you've kissed him, his cheeks burn, and his heart beats faster. It's like he's reliving his first kiss all over again; this version being done in front of a crowd.

His eyes are wide and unbelieving, and upon seeing his adorable reaction, you laugh, dragging your finger across the cake's icing and smearing it on his cheek before walking back with a shake of your head and he doesn't miss the giggle that escapes your lips.

Once he regains his composure and the rave eventually dies down, he thanks the staff, and bids them all a nice farewell, escorting them outside. Jake, being the kind and respectful boy that he is, doesn't forget to bow, showing his gratitude, and you're once again reminded that you're married to a literal angel, and not a devil reincarnate like how you make him out to be.

Maybe being married to Jake Sim isn't so bad. You're still angry at your parents for approving this, and you still haven't proved the hunch you had that Jake is an accomplice. However, if you find out that he is, would it change your perspective of him knowing that this kind and angel like persona is his natural self? Is it so bad to be stuck with this man for the rest of your life?

Gosh, it sounds like you're developing a case of Stockholm Syndrome, or are you just plainly bat shit crazy because are you really coming to terms with your situation this early on?

Regardless, you don't know why you've been fussing so much. You're not obligated to fall in love with the man. You just have to treat him how he deserves, like a normal human being. Sure, your endless nights reigned with sex might come to a holt for a few— you'll surely have to if you don't want to be perceived as a cheater by the media. God knows what your mother would do if she finds out you've broken poor little Jakey Wakey's fragile heart and it's safe to say that you don't want to hear any of that bullshit soon.

"Uhm…" Is the first thing he says to you after the kiss. Poor Jake is unsure of where the two of you stand. Maybe you were just pressured and kissed him so as to not raise the suspicion that you have absolutely no feelings for him. If that were the case, then he feels like it's his fault. "You hungry?"

Of Course he asks you. Jake always puts you first regardless of the situation.

"A bit." You reply to him with a soft sigh, feeling unsure yourself after the act you impulsively did.

Jake looks a bit disappointed for a moment as he genuinely thought that you might want to spend some time with him. It's his birthday after all, but he guessed that he had to try even harder for you to accept him if he truly wanted you.

You can see the heartbreak inside his puppy-like eyes, and you bet that if he had a tail, it would've stopped wagging right then. Now, you immediately regret what you said. You could've just lied and said you were hungry for his sake. Read the room you dumb bitch!

"Oh, then we can eat later when you're hungry. I'll heat it up later so it's still hot. For now, I guess—"

"Are you hungry?" You cut him off, placing your book down, sitting up and leaning forward so you can admire the food, and act as if your question didn't just send him into overdrive, this being the first time you've asked a question that showed even a sliver of interest in regards to him.

"Y-Yeah." He says, stuttering out his answer.

You sit up, feeling determined to make up for your bad behavior. "Then we eat." Gesturing for him to sit beside you on the rug right in front of the coffee table, you serve him a plate.

You feel Jake's stare at the side of your head as he watches you put noodles on his plate so, you look up with questioning eyes, knitting your eyebrows as if to ask if there was a problem. "What?"

"N-Nothing." He says quickly before seating beside you, making sure to put an appropriate amount of space between the two of you so as to not overstep the boundaries that he's already thankful to have with you.

"Eat up. I wouldn't want your mom scolding me for not taking care of her baby boy."

It was as if something in Jake had been ignited when the pet name came out of your mouth. It wasn't in the terms that he wanted it to be in, but just hearing your voice along with those words sends his body on fire, and Jake can only wish you would call him that.

The night goes on with the two of you talking over dinner, Jake being giddy and jumpy the whole time. Despite the grim night, Jake lights up the room with his golden aura, and it's as if there weren't thunder clapping outside.

Surprisingly, the boy is fairly clumsy. He knocked his glass of water, your glass of water, smeared pasta juice all over his face in a delirious attempt to make you smile— which he succeeded as he even made you laugh— and lastly, spilled wine all over your white shirt.

"I still don't understand how you managed to knock the wine onto my shirt." You scoff out an unbelieving laugh, not at all angry with your shirt being ruined as you make your way to the small of your suite's closet.

"I'm really sorry." He apologizes cutely, following behind you like a puppy, and you can't help but want to pinch his cheeks. "I'll get you a new shirt tomorrow if you want?"

"You're so sweet Jake." You comment, pulling your stained shirt off your body, exposing your bra cladded chest to your husband as if it wouldn't drive him nuts.

It's the wine working its way into your system that's making you act so shamelessly as you and Jake had a few glasses prior whilst eating. The both of you are a bit tipsy, but there's no decision you can't make in this state of mind.

Taking the chance, your husband rakes over your body, but not before catching himself slipping. He slaps himself for being so perverted, but does it again either way, and to Jake's embarrassment, you catch him.

He's about to blurt out another apology again, but you stop him by tangling your arms around his neck, pulling his body flushed against yours in the heat of the moment. "If you're going to be a pervert Jake, might as well own up to it, right?"

Jake can only stare at you with unbelieving and shaken eyes at having been caught, all the while having your naked skin pressed against his. His body is burning in want and need, and his lack of judgment and the heat of the moment overtakes his stature as he grasps onto your hips in a fit of desperation, hopelessly gripping them ground himself and have you closer.

"I asked you a question, Jake." You draw out, fingers digging themselves into his cheeks to catch his focus.

"I… I…" He's at a loss, finding it embarrassing having to confess his desires for you in such a scenario.

"Come on, puppy. You can do it." You urge on, and Jake releases a pitiful whine at the pet name, one he could only dream of you giving him. "I'm not going to fuck you otherwise."

At that, Jake's ears perk up, eyes wide and onlooking at your claim. His black boba eyes are addicting to look at. The hand that was pressing on both of his cheeks went to trace the curve of his lips, biting your lip in the process as if to contain yourself from smiling too wide. "Yes, I'm a— fuck — I'm a pervert."

"There he is," You cheer, smirking at how compliant your husband is already. "And what else?"

What else is there? Do you really want him to confess how much he's been dying for you to fuck him? Is that it?

Jake's mind is jumbled. The wine didn't make him drunk, you did as now, he’s tipsy from both the words that fall off your lips and your touches.

"You're a whore. That's what you are. " You say, answering for him as you release the grip you had on his cheeks. "Do you think I never noticed the way you'd peep into my room in the middle of the night, hm? Or, the time where you were humping the pillow you took from my room? You thought I didn't know what you were doing, didn't you?"

From the millionth time, Jake becomes speechless, and he's unsure if you're angry at him or not, though it seems to be as if you're just trying to make him own up. However, one things for sure, his dick is getting hard.

"At the end of the day, our little goody two shoes Jake is just a whore." You spit out with venom.

"Why don't you show me how desperate you are?"

TAGLIST: @amarillyis @samanthaaaa1 @meowmeowhoon @wonswondrland @axartia @heesflor @caty-catts @enhacolor @donghoonie-3 @artstaeh @kuleo26 @heestart @kyanmeai @jjongbadnae @alex-is-sleeping @avbie @love-4-keum @wtfsuhani @lumiseung @jaylaxies @hoon-lvr @kimchijjajang @gobighee @notsimpingforbangchan @wonyofanclub

let's all wish jake a happy birthday!

#enhypen #enhypen smut #enhypen jake #enhypen hyung line #enhypen x reader #enhypen sub #sub enhypen #enhypen au #enhypen fluff #enhypen crack #sim jaeyun #enhypen imagines

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gayandfairycore · 11 months

Text

Do you see right through me?

A/n: I am back! Restarting my streak of posting a fic every few months, XO kitty is my new obsession atm and I have seen no fanfics about the loml, so here’s an unrequested kitty x femreader! This doesn’t really follow everything in the show, but nevertheless I’m happy with it! As always all chaste aged up side note I am curious of your thoughts on the show? I’m sad people disliked the show as much as they did, I actually thought it was pretty alright? cringey at moments, but isn’t that all Netflix’s shows…

Summary: falling in love with kitty covey when she comes to K.I.S.S and your fellow students surprised by your care for the girl. When kitty hears Minho talk about how untouchable you were to anyone. She begins to hope that you feel for her what she feels for you.

Warnings: bullying, panic attacks, mentions of slurs but no actual use of slurs, (not so) unrequited love, homophobia, internalised homophobia, purposely getting someone drunk, daes a smidge homophobic in this fic, this fic is also not proof read because I’m lazy 😌

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

You knew she was with dae, hell you knew since the moment she met you, rambling excited about her true love, and The fact that she had flown half way around the globe for a boy.

It felt blaringly obvious that if she were to do that there was no way that she would be into women. Plus you’d never. Ever. Want to steal someone’s partner That was just wrong.

So you would watch from afar, hold on to any touches the girl would give you, and you would force yourself to feel happiness for the girl. Force down any feelings of bitterness when she would stare at dae with love in her eyes.

Kitty song-covey was just so magnetic. It was like she vibrated on a whole different plane of existence. No matter how hard you tried You couldn’t stop half of your heart from breaking whenever she told you the details about her quest to get back dae.

You felt anger burn in you, boil your blood at the audacity of the boy lucky enough to hold her heart. To cheat on her it made you feel sick.

She deserved better, you hoped that maybe better would be you… from the moment you saw her she caught your heart. The illusive y/n l/n.

If she were to ask any student at KISS she would find out the rumours of your name. You were the girl who was smoking hot and yet had never had a boyfriend, despite many boys asking you out in grandiose ways.

You were, too many, The untouchable girl.

And for a girl with such a reputation It felt embarrassing how quickly you began to feel things for her. Non platonic things.

you felt a sense of duty when you saw her slip in those cupcakes. you moved without a second thought the click of your heels on the polished floors as you bent to her level.

“Are you okay?” You’d ask the girl

No reply left her lips, with orange frosting sticky and coated to her dress, tears shone in her eyes. As she looked up at you, with a tearful gaze, her eyes glazed over in embarrassment as she searched her surroundings. Staring down the lens of a phone camera she started to think maybe coming to Korea was a mistake.

The girl begun to replay every unfortunate incident over, and over in her head. There was virtually no one good here.

From her meeting with Minho at the airport, being swerved by principal Lim about her mother, meeting yuri, meeting her long term boyfriend again in person only to find him with a different girl she felt ridiculous.

As the lenses of cameras continued to stay pointed at her, kitty appreciated your kind smile as you pushed yourself off from being knelt beside her

“hey! Nothing to see here people. Go about your merry business.” Youd announce loudly to the leering students as they stared at the girl.

Feeling exasperated when no onlookers attempted to look away you spoke again. With a demanding and expecting.

“Go on! Shoo.” Only turning back to the red head once they made hast to look away, sighing and brushing your hair from your face you took the girl by her fore arm and pulled her up.

Before you could speak daes figure had made himself comfortable at her side rambling on about how it wasn’t what it looked like.

Kitty was clearly overwhelmed, from the jet lag, and the terrible experience she endured it was almost as if the room was closing in on the girl, the crushing weight of what seemed to be her mistakes crashed over her in unkind waves.

When the girl looking around the room, daes rambles became almost muted to the girl as the murmurs in the crowd of people were the final straw for the girl. Your hand on her arm the only thing grounding her from her onslaught of tears, And embarrassment.

Breaking your hold on her arm as the girl ran out of the room you sent an angry glare to the boy standing next to you, sending him a look that says something like ‘aren’t you going to go after her??’

Shaking your head at the raven haired boy when he averted his gaze as yuris perfectly manicured hands wrapped around his arm and lead him away sending an almost apologetic smile towards yourself it wouldn’t fix this mess.

Taking a deep breath you made a move to go after the girl, walking steadfast towards the exit your steps only faltering when the murmurs of the party goers no longer pertained to just kitty.

Gossip started far too quickly for your liking, their words thick with speculation as they questioned your sexuality, slurs muffled by hands into friends ears targeted at you made you begin to feel sick.

The beady eyes of students set heavily on you. The air thick, with each click of heels on the floor, and fast beat of your heart you felt bile rise to your throat. panic set deep in your heart.

Shaking your head and taking a breath, you wanted to leave, no. You needed to leave. With every watchful, beady, speculatory eye that stared seemingly right through you.

The thought kept repeating through your head they see right through you. Slamming through the door to the corridor, kitty is of course long gone, yet you still crane your neck in hopes to catch a glimpse of her. When you come up empty you hasten your steps rushing into the stall of the girl’s bathroom setting down the lid of the toilet and stifling your sobs with your hands stop crying. Stop crying. Stop crying.

You repeat it like a mantra, you know you look like a mess, but all you care about is not showing that they’ve gotten to you. Hardening your expression they will not look right through you, you won’t let them. You can’t.

But for this moment you will not hide. Leaning your head against the stall walls, you say it for the first time.

“I’m a lesbian/bisexual/pansexual/your identity”

“I know.” You hear through the door, fear spikes ypur heart jumping to your throat as Q pokes his head over the stall.

“Q? This is the girls bathroom?”

“Yeah…I just wanted to you know make sure you’re alright?”

“I’m not but- how are you in here? Minhos outside distracting the girls from entering the bathroom…”

“Really?” You mutter wiping your eyes with the back of your hand

“Yeah sweetheart, open the door and we’ll take you back to your room.”

“Okay” you chuckle, unlatching the lock the sound of minho frantically trying to come up with excuses as to why the girls toilets are off limits won’t hold out for much longer.

His voice getting increasingly higher as he scrambles to block the door, sharing a look with Q you both grab the door handle, Minhos figure stumbling backwards into your body’s, you and Q both look to the ground grabbing his hand and bursting through the crowd of girls.

Their outraged cries consisting off “was that a boy in the girls bathroom?!?” And “what was he doing in there!” All three of you begin to laugh at your heist.

All three of you trying to catch your breath outside the auditorium, dae comes walking hastily towards your group pointing a finger back in there he asks “why did I just hear one of the girls say Q was in the girls toilets?”

“And that they couldn’t enter because minho said he was hiding a giant cake in the bathroom…”

“A giant cake?” You and Q both ask the boy turning expectantly for an answer

“This feel’s suddenly very judgemental, I didn’t have to help you, you know.” Minho defends, his face hard before dropping his facade after minutes of awkward silence.

Locking arms with the boys you make hast towards the dormitory’s as a teacher locks eyes with the four of you.

“Go, go, go, go” Q pushing, at first your group speeds off with small hurried steps, getting faster until it’s an all out run, when the teacher bursts out of the door. Laughter fills the cool night air as you all rush to your dorms.

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

The loud ring of your alarm clock waking you up, your roommate still not here, you began to strip yourself of your dress from the night before. Instead sporting the school uniform. Slinging your bag over your back you set off to the cafeteria to buy yourself breakfast.

Your converse scraping against the ground, as you walked the path. A familiar head of hair came into view, biting down your smile you stepped closer.

The sight of Her cannery yellow suitcase bringing a frown to your face, along with the silouette of the boy next to her. You watch in discomfort, hesitant to move, to speak, to breathe. As you watch them embrace, the expression of hesitant love on the boys face is painful. You are painfully aware of just how in love they look.

when the sight of a black car and a silhouette of a girl steps out, you Release a breath you didn’t know you were holding when yuri breaks the two apart and steals dae away. It’s almost as if things aren’t so bad, You suddenly aren’t suffocating. Your converse clad feet walk closer to the red head, calling out her name.

A smile forms on her face as she sees you “y/n! Hey..”

“Covey, it’s nice to see you.” You smile rocking back and forth on your feet. Sizing her up you speak again with a shy smile

“I’ve got to say orange is not your colour.”

your eyes glance down to her suitcase as you tease the girl, any semblance of humour fades as she catches your gaze.

“Oh! Don’t worry!” The bubbly girl reassures “I’m not leaving, atleast not anymore.” She persists smiling with her teeth.

A soft look crinkles your eyes, you’re dead serious when you speak “good im glad you’ve decided to stay here.”

A bashful smile overcomes her face as she takes a look around you both. It’s silent for a few moments. It’s not an uncomfortable silence. Throughout that minute of silence you both seem to rake your eyes over eachother.

You’re the first to break it when you clear your throat. “Um you might want to take your things back to your dorm before classes. here I’ll help you.”

You nod toward her suitcase, and before she can stop you you’re picking up her suitcase, she smiles kindly. The walk to her dorm is quiet, you don’t mention the boys dormitory. Instead you bid the girl goodbye at the door.

And just like that time begins to fly with the girl, Days turn to weeks, stray touches and friendly hugs begin to linger too long. Far too long to be friendly. Atleast from your side.

Something held you back, from telling her, her relationship (if you could call it that) with dae, the fact she wasn’t into girls, or the fear of coming out.

And as Kitty spends her time chasing after dae, you spent your time chasing after kitty, whilst she was determined to be proved right that yuri & daes relationship was fake.

A part of you hoped it wasn’t, it felt cruel to think that as you were actively helping her, but part of you wished on every stray fallen eyelash, and every shooting star you saw. That maybe she’d like you too.

Maybe your touches set her skin on fire like hers did for you. When the day of Minhos party arrives and kitty asks you to do her makeup you jump at the opportunity to be closer to her.

With every stroke of your makeup brush against the apples of kittys cheeks it felt like you were buzzing with excitement just being so close to the girl.

Wanting to savour this moment you went slower, when kitty asked the harmless question of is you could do her lipstick your cheeks almost grew just as red as the blush you applied.

Before you started to dab the red pigment on your finger, tapping it gently against her lips the pads of your fingers bouncing off of her plump lips.

You couldn’t help imagining what it would be like to kiss her, your gaze lingered on her lips as your finger slowed its movement.

Turning your gaze up to meet kitty’s eyes, only to find the girl was already staring back at you.

Q watched intently from the doorway of his room, before he broke your stare on her lips with a “everybody ready?” Both kitty and yourself breaking eye contact simultaneously you Fling yourself away from kitty. Embarrassment begins to creep up your cheeks at being caught.

“You okay Y/n? We don’t have to go if you’re feeling sick.” Kitty speaks her eyes searching yours for any semblance of a lie.

“No, no! I’m alright let’s go.”

And with that you made your way to the door Qs hand gripped your upper arm with enough force to stop you but not hurt

“Hey y/n, yknow I saw you looking at kitty’s lips. If it’s any consolation I think she likes you too.” He smiled, his voice soft and comforting.

You wanted to say ‘really? You think so?

But instead your gaze dropped to the floor and you say an emotionless “she doesn’t like me like that.”

With a sigh from Q he opened his mouth as if to say more, his words dying in his throat as you broke his hold making your way down the hall to kitty’s figure.

Side stepping the girls attempt to hold your hand, her previous excitement dropped from her face for a moment before she cleared her throat “I’ve ordered us an Uber so let’s-let’s go.”

Walking ahead of the girl in a hurry, you miss the disappointed glance she shoots Q he rubs her arm in a comforting manner.

When you arrive to rubik the air is hot and stuffy, sweaty bodies dancing and drinking when florian orders you a fruity mock tail spiking it with what you assume to be vodka you drink it in silence, florian whispering to Q if you were okay.

You block them out, opting to instead dance your feelings away when you begin to dance to whatever was playing you began to feel a sense of freedom, your dance wasn’t anything special, wasn’t even particularly graceful. But you still felt eyes on you, as you turned to look to the pair that was staring at you eagerly you instead are met with the leering face of a fellow kiss student the buzz of alcohol dimming your senses as he leans down to whisper to you.

“We’ll aren’t you just beautiful, tell me can I buy you a drink?”

You don’t think. The alcohol numbing you, all you think is what can you do to take your mind off of kitty.

And before you know what you’re doing you grip his hand and lead him towards the bar, he buys you a drink, the familiar burn of some cheap vodka dances over the back of your throat before youre gripping his hands and you’re dancing with him.

And you dance for what feels like hours, and when you aren’t dancing you’re drinking, the burn of the alcohol stings the back of your throat.

And yet you keep drinking, seemingly oblivious, blissfully unaware of the fact he’s been buying, and buying, and buying, you drinks. And yet he hasn’t once touched a sip of alcohol.

The red flags aren’t red to you anymore, YPU can’t even hear the alarm bells ringing.

Sometime through the night you come to the realisation you’ve lost your friends, you’ve danced for as long as you can your feet aching and now all you feel is sick and exhausted.

“H-hey I think I’m gonna find my friends.” You tell your date, your words slurring together as vomit rises to your throat you take your hands off of the guy.

Ready to go back to your friends, even with dulled senses you’re on high alert when his soft smile leaves his face and his gaze hardens on your chest, his hands spring out to grip your arms in one hand. With bruising force, tugging

before Q sees you begin to wobble as the boy leads you to the exit of the club he walks past Q and florian.

The boys feel an immediate sense of urgency to protect you. They ask if you want to go with this guy, when they get your shaky “no” it’s enough conformation. Florian is pulling you into him as Q is telling the guy to leave you alone.

Breathing shakily, bile rises to the back of your throat, your eyes burning, as you gaze up at the boys their sympathetic faces giving you a once over.

“I just wanted to stop thinking about her.” You cried, slamming your head into Florian’s chest

“Oh dear” florian says looking you over “find kitty.” And just like that Q’s off in search of the girl, when teachers burst through the doors of the club. Principle lim pulling the plug to the speakers.

The club grows silent before the onslaught of people start running for the door, Florian leads you toward the exit. He doesn’t mind listening to your drunk rambles as you walk. Your legs unsteady, your mainly being supported by florian.

Taking the water he hands you with gratitude you take slow sips. Time seemed to barely move, as your memory felt funny. One moment you were in the club a flurry of lights disorienting you the next in your dorm bed room.

Cracking an eye open and groaning from the splitting headache behind your eyes you sluggishly roll out of bed.

Opening the bedroom door Qs figure slouched over the arm of the couch as minhos making coffee in the kitchen.

“Hey, y/n. We have Saturday detention by the way. Since someone got the party busted.”

Watching kitty on the stage her hair pinned up, you think she looks gorgeous in traditional clothing, adoration clear on your face.

Time seemingly slows as you watch her perform, with each movement of the fan your stare is still looking at the girl.

Conflict I’d happening on the stage, you can’t hear what they’re saying but you’re already concerned for the girl. Your heart leaps to your throat as you watch her trip.

Loud cracks of fireworks fill the gymnasium, time stops slowing, your ears block out the sound of scampering feet trying to exit the gym. you’re fully competent and you know what you’re doing when your shoes squeak against the floor you’re running toward the panicked girl.

Ripping off your jacket you throw it over the girls flaming skirt, easing her to the ground as you do so.

Kitty is panicked, frantic breaths leaving in puffed out pants, looking up at her through your lashes, your heart clenches at the sight of her scared face.

“Hey! Hey! I got you, you’re alright.” You state, your fingers that were previously patting wildly at the skirt, stop.

“Th-thank you.” Kitty whispers gratefully, her body visibly relaxing, yet She still looks scared with an emotion you can’t quite make out swimming in her eyes.

you make a move to comfort her more but your hand still’s outstretched towards her when dae comes rushing to her side.

His eyes wild, as he asks the girl if she’s okay, he lets out a breath when she tells him you helped.

“Yknow I would’ve helped her-“ nodding at his words, you feel guilty that you don’t quite believe the boy.

“I know. but I got here first.”

“I’m here now.” He exclaims coldly, his eyes nonverbally telling you to leave, bowing your head you look at kitty,

“I’m just glad you’re okay” and with that you turn and make your way of stage, meeting up with Minho by the door.

A knowing look on his face prompts you to ask “what’s that look for?”

“Nothing! No nothing. Aside from the fact you practically raced up there to save her…”

“You didn’t even think you just…went.”

Trying to no avail to hide the blush dusting your cheeks you cross your arms over your chest “well what’s it too you? I mean you’re famously anti kitty.”

“Mm you’re right, i don’t think she’s right for dae. I think she’s right for someone else…” he trails off making eye contact with you.

He sends you a comforting smile. His eyes flicker to dae as he marches up to both Minho and yourself. slamming Minho into the wooden wall dae sneers out “a you call yourself my friend” In Korean.

Minhos confusion seeps out as he asks “what’s all this about?!?” Also in korean, dae sees red slamming the boy harder into the wood before continuing “don’t pretend like you don’t know!”

Looking frantically around you, you decide to try and pry the boy off calling out a:

“What are you doing dae? let him go!” You cry pulling at the boys arm to get him to loosen his grip. His eyes hard as he turns to you, flinging his arm out, your feet falter at the abrupt movement when he pushes you off him His push sending you colliding with the gymnasium floor. Your hands slap against the ground, tears well in your eyes at the sting of your hands. and the bruise forming on your butt.

Despite your efforts Dae is still glaring at the boy infront pf him, Seemingly not caring that his shove sent you to the floor. “Dae, stop. Stop it! it’s not min Ho!” Kitty cries, “this has nothing to do with him”

“What you’re gay?” Dae laughs, sparing a glance at your form on the floor, Confusion and realisation dawn on the boys face before he mutters an apology to Minho.

sparing a hateful glance toward you on the floor, looking kitty in the eyes, the girl is clearly distraught in her hanbok. Her makeup runs down her cheeks as embarrassment boils. Dae shakes his head as he bursts from the door to the room.

Minho does a double take before giving you his hand, asking tentatively “are you okay?” His eyes rake your figure trying to asses the damage.

“I’m fine, I’m okay.” You stress putting yours hands in the air in attempt to reassure the boy.

“Good, good.”Minho mutters, clearly not believing you in the slightest. pulling you up, He shares a look with kitty watching as she diverts her gaze.

You shoot a glance to the red head, as Minho leads you away. Your concern for the girl outweighs any confusion about dae.

The cool air stings your face as Minho leads you outside, sitting you down on a concrete seat, “are you okay?” He asks.

Sighing shakily you look him in his eyes “yes-“

“And don’t lie to me.” He cuts you off, pointing his finger, he nods for you to continue his hard serious face still there.

“No? I mean! Ugh I really like her? But she clearly likes someone else…and she still has dae. And I don’t know what I’m supposed to do?”

“I’m failing pretty much all of my classes, and I’m gay. But I can’t be.”

“Oh you sweet thing.” Minho says pulling you into his chest, running his hands over your head as sobs break from your chest, wetting the boys suit.

“You know it’s okay to be afraid of your feelings for someone, but I can see it Kitty likes you, Not dae.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“God are you really so oblivious?!?” Exasperation reeks from the boy as he stared at you.

“She’s in love with you, you didn’t see it but her face when you saved her was enough to make dae realise she doesn’t like him anymore.”

“Oh my god. That’s what that was?”you question, your stomach dropping in anticipation. Vomit rising to your throat,

“I have to go!” You call breaking from Minhos hold,

“Another job well done” Minho smiles, shaking his head at the wet patch on his suit.

Your feet slam against the ground as you run to find the girl, bursting back into the gym she of course isn’t there.

Doubling over breathing heavily, panic grips your chest, as you look around. Closing your eyes you feel defeated.

“If you’re looking for kitty she’s in the dorm.”

Your eyebrows furrow, as you turn to face dae, an apologetic and yet reserved expression takes over his face.

“I-what? How did you-“

“It’s pretty obvious… no offence. But hey I’m happy for you.” The boy smiles, before turning to go

“How do you know she’ll like me back?” You whisper, daes steps halt as he turns to look at you.

“I’ve seen the way she stares at you when you aren’t looking, she used to look at me like that…” he looks sad as he remarks the girl’s feelings. but when he smiles at you with a watery smile and the nod of his head it’s his way of giving you the go ahead. And suddenly everything lightens up, the weight on your shoulders suddenly dissipates as you accept daes consent to make a move.

To let yourself be happy.

So you do, turning around you jog up stairs, and dodge various people as you make your way through the crowds of students in the halls.

Making your way to the boys dorm had become like a ritual, it was no longer buzzing with joy and laughter as a game or movie was in full swing Minho cooking something in the kitchen or rambling about the films his mum was in.

Instead the warmth in your chest was no longer there, You suddenly feel apprehension, as you stand there, your hand hovering over the door handle, you question if kitty will want this, if you should just turn around and couch surf until you go home.

When the door swings open to a sad kitty, in comfortable clothing, her hairs a mess, and she’s wearing an old ratty tshirt, but she still looks at gorgeous as ever as she stares up at you.

“Y/n?” She asks, her eyes glancing you up and down.

“Hi.” You whisper, bringing your hand up to caress her cheek, you ask her “can I kiss you?”

When she nods it’s all the permission you need, before you place a passionate yet gentle kiss on the girls lips, you pull away when the girl doesn’t move to kiss you back.

Only to be pulled back in my kittys soft hands against both of your cheeks pulling you in her lips crash against yours, the kiss isn’t perfect the techniques all wrong, and it’s sloppy, but you can’t help caring because you’re kissing her.

Tangling your hands in her unruly hair, you smile into the kiss.

When kitty pulls back, you look alarmed the girl feels a sharp guilt at breaking from the kiss, the pads of her fingers run over your cheek gently as if she is afraid you’ll break. The girl takes a breath in

“I’ve begun to learn a lot on Korea, about my mother, my friends, myself. And more Often then not my friends helped me realise things.” Kitty breaths she looks almost afraid to speak as she collects herself you can visibly see the cogs turning in her head as she speaks.

“And well, Q made me realise my feelings. They were confusing, and fun, and scary? But I think i really like them?”

“I think I really like them as well.” You smile, placing a kiss on her lips before continuing “And hey remind me to thank Q for all this.”

“No need you two, this is all the thanks I need.” Breaking from her hold you both turn to face your roomates their smug (mainly Minho) proud faces staring at you both.

“You know For a match maker you’re a bit oblivious.” Q speaks before planting himself on the couch

“I- what do you mean?” Kitty exclaims offended

“Kitty I’ve been in love with you since the moment I saw you...”

“WHAT!” Kitty exclaims in outrage “but- no- I’m supposed to know these things!!” The girl slumps over dramatically

Sharing content looks with your fellow roommates, none of you can hold it in bursting out in laughter.

It made you realise how much you wish you could stay in this moment forever before tomorrow comes and everything good hangs in the balance…

For now, you all were happy.

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

#xo kitty #xo kitty x reader #kitty covey #Katherine covey x reader #kitty covey x reader #to all the boys x reader #to all the boys trilogy #x fem!reader #anna cathcart #sang heon lee #choi min young #netflix xo kitty #xo kitty x fem!reader #wlw yearning #wlw #sapphic #gayness

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aleksanderscult · 4 months

Note

I loved your analysis! Can you analyse the (barely there, not enough) Darklina scenes from the KOS duology? I could not rationalize some of what was going on there.

First of all, I'm so sorry for taking that long to reply, anon! (Hasn't it been over two weeks since you send this or what??😭😭)

Second, thank you so much for your kind words! 💗💗

Third, you and I both friend 🤝🤝

'Cause honestly I didn't know what the fuck was happening in that interaction too 😭

I'll actually analyze the only Darklina scene we got in RoW. But if you want another one too, just send me an ask!

So! Let's dive in and analyze that hot mess, shall we?

(note: I had to go back and read this scene very carefully in order to understand what the actual fuck they were saying💀)

⚠️TW!: PTSD, trauma⚠️

The way he's so obedient with her even in this life 😭

If somebody else had ordered him to do that, he wouldn't obey. But Alina? Alina is a different story and this is the first time he hears her voice since his death in R&R.

'Any little victory'

Uhh....okay...??

You made him wipe his feet. I'm.... impressed??

(confusion levels 📉)

LMAO MY BOY WOKE UP AND CHOSE VIOLENCE

I always believed that the dynamic between Aleksander and Alina involves lots of teasing. But not in the fun sense. But in the sense of "I'm getting under your skin. My words to you sting".

And that's what the Darkling does here too. He's a prisoner. Their prisoner. So he tries to gain the upper hand by using his wits, his past with Alina and the latter's trauma against her to get even.

Pretty clever, huh?

See what I mean?

He tries to weaken her confidence and it's interesting that back in Keramzin he also tried to get even (and he did) by killing her mother figure.

Aleksander: "Wanna fuck with me? Wanna mess with me? How about that time when I burnt that orphanage and killed your "mother"?"

*Alina's sure confidence is gone and now the Darkling has the upper hand in her feelings*

OUTSTANDING MOVE 👌

Excuse me, Misha? Who the Hell gave you the permission to interrupt or talk at all??

Also, do you really expect from the Darkling to remember a little boy while he was too busy trying to rule a nation, win a war and persuade Alina to join him?

And if you also expect him to remember you from that time when Baghra went out to confront her son while you escorted her, then you're also wrong. 'Cause he was too busy being furious that his mother sided and helped the opposite side and too busy being distraught because he was watching her fall to her death.

You're not important, son.

Sit down.

LMAO THIS IS SO HILARIOUS

Misha you're still an infant. Please shut up.

I honestly liked him in the Grisha Trilogy (I found him a cutie) but now I want to slap him and everyone else in this duology except Aleksander

The Darkling has survived numerous murdering attempts against him. He was finally killed by Alina not because of some grand display of her powers but because the former was so heartbroken by Alina's fate (and his own because he would be alone) that he just gave up on his life. Basically he committed suicide.

Misha, you wouldn't be able to kill him even now that he's powerless and in chains. Probably you would stumble and fall in the effort or smth.

Uhh actually no, Mal.

Threating him only makes you sound like idiots, honestly.

Also, since when did Mal gained ✨wisdom✨?

Wasn't he the hot-tempered one in the trilogy who always got angry with the mere mention of the Darkling? And the one who wanted to kill him as well?

Alina, you know damn well what his name is.

Honestly, I think she didn't say it because she wanted to respect the fact that he trusted her to keep it.

And I agree that Yuri is a horrible name for him. Makes him seem like a fisherman 😭

Meanwhile Alina in S&B:

So either Bardugo kinda forgot these scenes or we're led to believe that these scenes weren't her being happy, but we thought she was happy.

(me casually ignoring that theory because I choose to believe only the things that MAKE SENSE)

The fact that Bardugo made Alina believe that she was unhappy when she was whole with her powers and surrounded by people like her but totally happy now that she has no powers (a part of her soul actually) and living with a man that slut-shamed her in a toxic, childhood place is umm... yeah. Not good.

So basically:

Aleksander: "You look different. You look like shit. What the fuck did they do to you? This is not you"

Alina: "No bro I'm happy now that I live in toxic conditions where the teachers mock me, Mal takes me out for a walk to forget my psychological traumas and I raise some Grisha children that will fade because they don't use their powers and some others that I probably am in no condition to raise. At least that's what the author said is happiness, bro."

Aleksander: "......."

Alina: "......"

The readers: "........."

ALEKSANDER IS HONESTLY ALL OF US FRR WITH HIS LINES

"In peace"

Yeah, having PTSD certainly is peaceful. And knowing that you abandoned your country and left its fate to chance certainly makes you sleep like a baby at night.

"We chose the life we wanted"

Alina, you didn't CHOOSE to lose your powers. And before that you didn't even know what you wanted to do with your life. It was a last minute decision for you.

"I fell pray to the same greed that drove you"

Girl, are we the only ones who did our homework??

In his POV in RoW he confirmed that he tampered with merzost in the past because he wanted to stop Ravka's wars. So as far as we know he never used power exclusively for himself.

"I paid the price for tampering with merzost"

Now hold a second. I thought that the reason Alina lost her powers is because Morozova wanted that said power to be shared by any otkazat'sya around. It wasn't that much of a punishment as much as a need for Morozova to share that power.

Unless it was..... both?

I just want a guy that will believe in me and my abilities the way Aleksander does with Alina, man 😭

He strongly believes that she could become a Queen even without her powers. And he's actually so right when he says to her that her wounds won't heal. Because no matter how much you try to convince yourself that you are alright. No matter how hard you try to persuade your mind that you're not broken, reality will always hit you. Some wounds never heal and Alina's certainly will not. She didn't lose a toy, she lost a part of her soul and witnessed many die. How the hell does she think she's suitable to raise children, when she herself is NOT okay psychologically?

"In the wake of your wars"

Excuse me. Why is the Fjerdan and Shu wars always the Darkling's fault??

"And maybe when our country is free, then that wound will close"

She sounds so brainwashed bye--

And just like I said, wounds like that never close unfortunately. It can only become more bearable with time. But not forgetable.

Ah yes. Bardugo makes us watch how cute their relationship is.

Am I supposed to take off my camera and snap pictures of them whispering with tears in my eyes: "They look so adorable"?

'Cause I won't.

The way Bardugo has made Mal unfazed by the Darkling's comments. A thing that completely contrasts his nature in the Grisha trilogy.

He also made him have "sassy" lines because we've got to like him somehow, right? 🤗

Still hate him

Basically, dear anon, the author has made Mal more "likeable", immune to the Darkling's insults, patient and witty in order for us to change our mind about him and finally like him.

(mission failed btw)

He is literally nothing like his trilogy counterpart and, if possible, she made him more annoying.

(how the hell she managed to do that, I don't know)

I just feel sorry for Aleksander who has to deal with all these jerks. If I were there, I would have helped him kill them and bury their bodies.

Because you let your heart and feelings get the better of you, Aleksander. Because you proved to be the most human of all these characters here. You let her come close. And that's what killed you.

(also, shut up Misha)

Alina, you could have said "no" to that invitation. So stop acting like they dragged you from the hair here.

"Do you think you could manage it?"

Do you, Alina? 'Cause really, what did YOU do to make the lives of Grisha better? At least he built a palace for them.

"It's not like you didn't get a fair try before. Hundreds of tries"

Yeah, and half of them failed because you got in the way. You refused to listen to him and, even if you didn't like the way he dealt with the persecution, you chose to run away (again) instead of deciding to stay and do better.

SHE DID NOT JUST SAY THAT ZOYA AND NIKOLAI COULD DO BETTER LMAO 😭😭

Zoya, the very fact that he mentioned you should feel like a badge of honor.

And yet Ravka is in its worst condition ever.

Sorry Alina but I don't see shit from them.

The fact that the Darkling keeps mentioning that he's eternal is to remind them that he has seen everything and done everything. He has more experience than they will ever have. Not to gloat about it. And yet Alina takes it as the latter.

And it's funny that Alina turns him down for the job saying he has no powers when Alina herself suffers from the same condition 😀

Finally someone with self-reflection.

THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING!!

PREACH!! PREACH!! 👏👏

When you have the "villain" exposing the true problem in the story, the flaws and failures while having the heroes screaming "EVERYTHING IS FINE. YOU'RE WRONG!" then you know that something is wrong.

How the Hell are they gonna provide eternal peace in Ravka and to the Grisha when:

They have no experience

They are too busy criticizing the villain instead of looking at their own flaws

They doubt themselves

(you can add to the list, guys)

And he's not shaken because he's talking with a Saint, Zoya. He's shaken because he's talking to Alina. She always had a way in getting under his skin. He said it.

"Fine. Make me your villain" fits here 'cause he never perceived himself as the bad guy but he knew that this is what others thought of him.

I think it still stung to him to know that others saw his every action in a negative light but he still kept going. And sometimes he even used it (at the end of R&R).

Alina still wants to believe that there's something redeemable inside him. Her POVs were always the "kindest" in the way they painted the Darkling.

MISHA COULD YOU PLEASE SHUT IT

What about his mother, huh??

Who, despite the abuse he suffered from her, he still cared about??

Alina?? Oh boy, he was in love with her, obsessed and gave her so many chances. Something that he almost never does unless he's desperate.

So PRETTY PLEASE STOP TALKING

Meanwhile the Darkling in R&R, chapter 11:

"I have regretted many of the things I’ve had to do in this war."

So either Bardugo forgot that or Alina did or Aleksander changed his mind.

Or (my theory) Bardugo changed his perception in order for us to feel less sympathetic towards him.

Nevertheless, at least he has a spine and knows where he stands.

And Alina wanted the Darkling to say it not for him but for her. So she can feel okay. Unless Zoya is talking bullshit.

YES ALEKSANDER WHY DIDN'T YOU LIE SO OUR HEROINES COULD FEEL BETTER ABOUT THEMSELVES???!!

HOW DARE YOU?? 😠😠

He tries so hard to persuade her that the reality she lives in will not pay off anything. First off, this is not who she is or what she was meant to become and second, why does she teaches children stories that are lies? Feeding them false hope, repeating a circle that others had also been doing.

"Do you *really* believe..."

He wants to make sure that she stands by that. He just can't believe that this is her opinion. Her choice.

He just wants her to shine people!! 😭😍

"Those stories tell us the only people who matter are Kings and Queens. They're wrong"

Now tell me, Alina, which stories do YOU tell them? What do you teach them? That the world is as rosy as the orphanage they live in, where they only eat sugar and play the piano? Do you imagine what kind of reality check will those children get once they live in the real world?

And here, ladies and gentlemen, we see the Darkling having reached his limits and saying "Fuck this shit I'm out"

Congratulations, Aleksander! You survived that meeting with these buffoons and their groundless arguments!! 👏👏

Here, have this! 🏅

He saw his chance (Alina holding Mal's hand) and seized it. But I think he really meant all those questions he asked to Alina.

So, dear anon, what we have here is the villain making his effort (again) to be heard and understood. He tries to make them see his own point of view: Ravka is in serious danger and Zoya and Nikolai are in no position to protect it. He, on the other hand, can since he has more experience and balls to deal with these issues. The Darkling is no pussy. He truly makes hard decisions when he must, something that essentially all rulers must do when the situation calls for it.

But! We have the good guys silencing him and threating him (even having a little child to do the last one) in order for the reader to understand what he has left in his wake. How much pain he has caused.

Mal has gotten ✨magically✨ wiser and calmer and has actual wits to repel the Darkling's insults in order for us to get to like Mal and see how much he has changed.

Alina sounds like a brainwashed woman who is convinced that her lifestyle is great! That wanting something more (idk. a throne and changing the world maybe) is sinful and unfitting of her.

Aleksander is the only one who thinks otherwise for her, though. Thank God, I mean!

He sought Alina out both to reclaim his powers and because he just wanted to see her.

Personally, in this scene only the Darkling makes sense. The others either want to feel good about themselves by threating him or want to convince him that "Hey, we're the good ones here. We know what we're doing, okay?" and his own ways are shit.

Dear anon, if you have any other questions or want me to analyze any other Darklina scene from this book or duology that I didn't include, then just say so!

And please any others who want to add something about this scene, feel free to criticise in the comments! 💛💛

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thatcatsalem · 4 months

Text

lily of the autumn equinox; the web of curses

Pairing: Sukuna x OFC (Yuri)

Disclaimer: This particular piece is AU, where Sukuna is a sorcerer, Yuji’s older half-brother, and gotten his cursed energy from his mother.

Warning: Spiders, Strong Language, Canon Violence.

Summary: Sukuna calls her Higanbana which is Japanese flower of dark symbolism, and it means “flower of the autumn equinox”; Spider lily.

On a rainy day in Tokyo, when the world was busy condemning Russia for invading seaside city of Crimea in the power grab, Sukuna Itadori was having a coffee. It was a drip coffee, served in a dark black mug, and he begrudgingly had to admit that overpaying for this was somewhat worth it.

“Coffee here is sufficient,” noted Kento Nanami, finishing his sandwich, and Sukuna attempts to not roll his eyes. Sufficient either meant mediocre or truly phenomenal in Nanami’s case. Even though Nanami was often doing exasperated him, Sukuna could not complain - on his list of shittiest sorcerers, Nanami was not scoring too high. Leadership board right now belonged exclusively to Satoru.

He fucking deserved it.

Cup of coffee clutched in hand, Sukuna takes a tentative sip before glancing out the window. It’s a cold day. Thankfully, inside the small shop is warm from all the people and steam.

Yet Sukuna stills abruptly, shoulders tensing in agitation. He knows that he’s is being watched before turning his head around. Can feel the weight of sharp eyes, and how the space between him and danger grows smaller, and he notices a woman gliding towards them.

“Morning gentlemen,” she acknowledges them politely, hands clasped behind her back, “Nanami, you looking sharp,” she beds over and leaves a kiss on sorcerer cheek. Sukuna cannot explain why he felt a flare of genuine envy but one look at his senpai makes him take that thought back. Nanami is always stoic and rarely shows any sign of fear or discomfort, but for a section of a second it was clear that he was unnerved by the presence of the woman.

She looks directly at Sukuna, unblinking and unnerving. At the moment in time, stars have aligned perfectly, creating an absolute point.

Under no circumstances was Sukuna Itadori to be considered soft. He is intimidating, mean and outright bully, unless, of course, you ask his younger brother who would die on the hill of “he just needs warning up to!”. He is incredibly powerful for someone quite young, and prides himself to be a master of combat. And for someone so terrifying, he is absolutely embarrassed to admit that for the first time since his puberty he is speechless at the sight of girl.

She is stood by the table, tight black dress hugging her pale body as a glove, sleeves almost covering dark nails, sharp like claws. She definitely was not purebred Japanese, as it was obvious by her porcelain features that she was most likely a foreigner if not a migrant.

“Kumo-san,” Nanami stands and bows in greeting, yet she doesn’t reciprocate, only sits down on the vacant chair, picking up dust from her dress. She is wearing heels and she has metal spiders hanging from her ears. Now to think about it, she had impressive amount of rigs on her fingers, most of which resembled some form of a skull, spider or something equally creepy.

Sukuna never felt remorse for killing a spider, but something told him that kind of behaviour won’t fly past her.

“This is Sukuna Itadori, semi-grade 1 sorcerer; he is accompanying me on this mission today,” introduces him Nanami, and Sukuna makes no movement towards shaking hands or bowing, only staring the woman down. She is not an easy person to intimidate, and he finds that incredibly annoying.

“Nice to meet you,” she says in perfect Japanese, but she does have a slight accent that hinted that it was not her first language. She has piercing in her nose that she was able to hide masterfully, and Sukuna could see outline of a tattoo on her collarbones and was immediately intrigued. It wasn’t such a big deal for a foreigner to have tattoos but it still was rare sight in Japan.

“I have heard of you, Sukuna Itadori,” she says with slight tilt of her head, “Rumours say that you have been on the streets killing curses since you were barely twelve.”

She does not break the eye contact.

“I expected a more menacing presence, I confess.”

“I can show you menacing.”

She irks an eyebrow, malicious mirth in her face.

“Oh yeah?”

He doesn’t respond. Jaw setting, he glares at her. She returns the frigid stare with burning dark eyes. Nanami pinches the bridge of his nose with a sigh.

“Itadori-san,” there is underlaying warning in his tone, “please show Kumo-san your outmost respect. She is a powerful sorceress, and is also semi-grade 1.”

“No need for flattery,” scolds him Kumo-san, finding her coffee more interesting than either of the men, “but it’s now grade one sorceress, if you must.”

Sukuna thinks that he would like nothing more than to see that smirk disappearing off her face.

#sukuna #ryomen sukuna #ryomen sukuna x reader #Ryomen sukuna x oc #sukuna x oc #sukuna x you #jjk fanfic #jjk #sukuna x reader

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wonwoonlight · 1 year

Text

everything and more; chapter 1 / choi seungcheol

➝ Seungcheol x single mom!Reader (feat. original characters, Jisoo, Jinyoung, Jeonghan, etc.)

➝ best friends to lovers // single mom!Reader // slowburn // fluff // angst // slice of life-ish

➝ wc: 5.2~k

➝ chapter warning: character death (its literally the plot sjhdfhsjbf), curses, cliche probably lol, not entirely proofread, nothing more that i can think of

➝ everything and more masterlist

[✾✾✾]

You used to say you wanted at least three children growing up.

But then your sister gave birth to one beautiful son, a nephew you love with everything your heart can offer and more, and, after seeing the hardship she went through, you decided motherhood isn't for you. You had never thought motherhood was easy, but seeing someone so close to you going through it was another experience altogether.

The thought of being the aunt that spoils their nephew to no end definitely seems like the better choice. Given, your sister's journey is probably harder than most because the father isn't in the picture and God knows how cruel the world can be to single mothers, especially those out of wedlock.

Still, you had lived with her for the first three months after she gave birth to help her around, and you’re 99% sure (the 1% you keep around just in case your words will bite you back in the ass) you would never be able to care for a child 24/7. Even babysitting during the day was hard, but she had to care for Seungyoon during day and night and you don’t even dare to imagine the amount of patience it took her to do that.

“Seungyoon is… how old now?” Jisoo asks as she bounces your nephew on her lap. You’re on babysitting duty today, as Yuri has a business trip to Suwon and you’ve convinced her to let you babysit Seungyoon. That sister of yours can be too hard headed for her own good when it comes to her son, which you understand to a certain point, but you don’t see why she should bring her toddler son to a business trip when you don’t even have work today and you’re her sister for a reason.

It’s always been you two; three now, with Seungyoon. You don’t have any other family and it’s okay as long as you have each other. You’ve found a lot of family along the way in other people: like Jisoo, your best friend since high school, and Seungcheol, another best friend of yours from university. Not to forget Jinyoung, Yuri’s only and closest friend who’s basically your big brother. You’re happy with this family and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

"He's three next month." You grin as your nephew giggles uncontrollably on Jisoo's lap, the way Seungcheol is poking his belly making his giggle louder by the seconds.

"Already?" Seungcheol exclaims, his mouth turning into a small 'o'. "Wow. Felt like it was just yesterday we visited Yuri after her labor."

"Right?" Jisoo sighs as she hugs the kid closer to her. She has always had a soft spot for him, to the point where she was probably more excited about Seungyoon's birth than you were almost three years ago. "Now this brat can already talk back if we try to make him eat his carrot."

Seungyoon scrunches in distaste at the mention of the vegetable, frowning at Jisoo like she has personally offended him. "Auntie. No carrot."

"Why do you not like carrots though?" Seungcheol intercepts, indulging him.

"Yuck." His frown deepens, followed by a yawn that makes its way out of his small lips.

"They're good for your eyes, you know." You poke his cheek to gain his attention and, just like that, the little kid turns to you and extends his arms so you'd take him to your lap instead. It's something he often does when his mom isn't around; seeks for your warmth when he's sleepy or uncomfortable. Because you're you and you're always there together with his mom that his mind already registers you as another safe place for him. It's something that Yuri has taught him too, to find you or Uncle Jinyoung if she's not there.

"Sleepy?" You take him into your arms and whisper with a soft kiss on top of his head, the way you endlessly caress his hair lulling him to sleep. "We'll go home in a bit, okay?"

Seungyoon doesn't answer, simply buries his face in your chest as sleep overcomes him bit by bit.

Almost an hour goes by just like that, with the three of you quietly continuing the discussion in the cafe, talking about work and whatnot as your fingers absentmindedly comb through Seungyoon's hair even if he's already asleep at this point.

"Hey, didn't you go on a date or something last week?"

Seungcheol looks at you, nods, then shrugs, not giving any details until Jisoo prods, prods, and prods. You're thankful she does it for you, because you're actually also curious but don't really have the heart to force it out of him.

Seungcheol is a romantic. Has always been particular with the girls he wants to date. If he's not interested, then he wouldn't spare them a glance. If he's only remotely interested, he'd still be skeptical and find a hundred reasons not to agree on a date. There's just something bothersome about going out with someone he doesn't know without anyone else present.

You and Jisoo have been encouraging him to go on dates though, if only because it's been too long and you recognize the longing in his eyes everytime he sees his friends with their partners. He claims he's not currently looking for a relationship, but it's also been quite some time since he even goes out with anyone other than you two, and that's why you've been telling him to be more open at least for the first meetings. If he doesn't want to continue from then, then it's up to him. But how would he find someone–anyone if he doesn't even want to go on the first date?

"It was okay… but, nothing special. She's nice and we have some common interests but…" His gaze falls on Seungyoon on your lap, then caresses his head as if seeking some sort of comfort from the little boy. "Not interested in a second date."

Jisoo is about to argue, probably meaning to convince him to tell more, but her phone rings and she immediately picks up when she sees her fiance's name. Jeonghan rarely calls when she's out with you both, that's a rule they've decided together: to respect the time they spend with their friends. So she knows it must be important if he calls her instead of leaving a text.

You see her panic the longer the call goes, hand already busy packing up her stuff as you barely hear Jeonghan's faint voice calmly speak through the phone.

"Jeonghan’s sister got into an accident." Jisoo relays the information once he hangs up, voice shaking, and worry floods over you despite not knowing the girl personally. "I… I need to go. She's being taken to the hospital now."

"Want me to drive you?" Seungcheol offers, but Jisoo shakes her head and says she's going home first, that she'll go with Jeonghan because the accident isn't in Seoul and, even if he didn't mention it, she knows he needs her with him.

"Update us?" You try to be calm for her, your palm caresses her arm in comfort.

"I will." She bites her lip in worry, looking at the map on her phone that indicates the location of the taxi she's just ordered. "She's… she's on a trip with her friend and she's supposed to come home today. But there's an accident on Seocho and it's quite a big one because a loading truck caused it."

You blink at the location, the transition between your heart dropping then speeding up as the worst case scenario goes through your mind is a matter of seconds. Yuri would need to go through Seocho too on her way back from Suwon.

It's only 3PM now. If she's on a business trip, surely she would go home later in the evening, right? Fuck, your phone is in your bag and you can’t take it without waking your nephew. You just had to put it on ‘do not disturb’ too, though you’ve made sure to let it ring if a call goes through.

Your tendency to spiral into worst case scenarios makes it hard to convince yourself everything’s fine because it hasn’t rung. You’re dying to just call Yuri and listen to her calling you dumb for worrying; because she’s okay and she’ll be home in a few hours. That you need to calm down because she promises she’s okay.

Jisoo doesn’t seem to notice the shift in your mood due to her own stress, but Seungcheol does and he doesn’t address it until Jisoo bids you two goodbye along with a soft kiss on Seungyoon’s head. He shifts closer to you, his palm reaching your shoulder before he asks if you’re okay.

“Can you get my phone, please?” You say instead, the tremble in your voice worries him. He goes through your bag like you ask him to, then hands you the device as he notices the way your arm tightens around Seungyoon.

You’re so tense that he almost reminds you to breathe, he sees you scroll but it seems like you find nothing by the way you’re biting your lip. Then he sees you type, another sigh escapes your lips as you anxiously stare at your screen. Before he can ask if something’s wrong, you bring your phone to your ear, an endless ring greeting your ear because whoever you’re calling isn’t picking up.

“Okay, talk to me.” Seungcheol finally says, his voice soft but firm. The way you’re looking at him isn’t helping at all, and he sees you gripping your phone like it has personally wronged you. “What’s wrong?”

“Yuri is in Suwon.”

“Okay?”

“She–she’d need to go through Seocho to go back to Seoul, right?” He nods, finally grasping your worry. “She’s not replying to my texts nor my calls and I’m–I don’t know, I’m freaking out.”

He doesn’t want to brush off your worries, because he knows how much Yuri means to you and he understands how your train of thoughts might’ve gone in the short span of time between Jisoo’s news and your current condition. But he’s not sure how to calm you down without sounding like he’s downplaying your worries; so he takes the one route that he knows would at least remind you that you need to get it together.

“Hey. Breathe, okay? You’ll wake Seungyoon up.” He whispers like it’s a secret, and you take a long, deep breath as you nod. Seungcheol has always had that effect on you; to make you calm down and be your pillar when you need someone to be. Jisoo is a little blunt and harsh at times, another type of friend you’re glad you have in life because you definitely need someone like her to knock senses into your head. But that means you don’t always go to her when you’re looking for comfort and validation. That role is Seungcheol’s and, while he can be strict at times, he’s better at sympathizing with your feelings (or everyone else’s, really) than anyone. “Maybe Yuri’s in a meeting and she’s not with her phone?”

He’s probably right, but the feeling inside your gut is starting to root deeper and deeper within you the more time passes by, it’s ugly and it’s unpleasant. Like you can feel something is going entirely wrong though you can’t tell if you’re making things up or not at this point. You try to find comfort in Seungyoon’s sleeping form, his cheek pressed against your shoulder and his arms limp on his sides.

It works along with the deep breath Seungcheol reminds you once again to take, and when your phone does ring thirty minutes later, it’s Seungcheol who takes it because Seungyoon squirms in your arms at the sudden noise.

It’s an unknown number, but the way his jaw tenses at whatever he’s hearing is making your heart twist with worry. You can’t even try to understand what they’re saying, because Seungcheol doesn’t say anything but ‘yes’, but it must be important if he’s still listening, and the last thing you heard before he hangs up is not a sentence you wish to hear in midst of your worry. We’ll be there as soon as possible. Thank you for informing us.

The way he looks at you makes your throat tightens, you can probably feel dread at the tip of your tongue. You hold Seungyoon tighter for the sake of your sanity, the toddler has fallen back to sleep. When Seungcheol speaks, your eyes blur with tears and you hate the way you already know what he’s saying before he even finishes his sentence.

The one time you wish you were wrong, you just have to be right.

“Yuri’s in the hospital. She’s in the ICU and we need to get there immediately.”

You’re trying your best not to bawl on your way there, thankful for Seungcheol as he drives as fast as he’s allowed to, Seungyoon no longer asleep but cluelessly plays with your hair as he obediently stays on your lap. It’s like he knows you’re not okay, knows not to throw a tantrum and not to ask to sit by himself at the back like he usually would.

Like he knows you need him with you to keep you sane.

Seungcheol looks calm, but the way his palm grips yours obviously indicates otherwise and you try to distract yourself from all the worst possibilities in your mind by thinking of how lucky you are to have him with you of all people. You know he’s worried out of his mind too, but he still takes your hand because he knows you need it, knows that it helps to keep you grounded even if you have your nephew on your lap.

It doesn’t last for long though, and you don’t know what to think of Seungcheol’s lack of explanation. Yes, he confirmed that Yuri is also involved in the same accident as Jeonghan’s sister, but he didn’t say anything else. But does he really need to when he’s already said Yuri is in the ICU? If she had been okay, she would be in the ER at most; but they felt the need to take her to the ICU and that must be saying something.

Did the speaker not say anything to him? Or does he simply not want to give you empty hopes?

“Hey.” His voice brings you out of your trance and you squeeze his hand out of reflex. “I’ll be here, okay?”

You tear up again and nod, your arm that’s around your nephew tightens.

Seungyoon shifts at this, buries himself in your neck and wraps his arms around your neck like he knows you need it more than you do.

[✾✾✾]

Jinyoung is already there when you arrive, and he hugs you tight like he’s preparing you for bad news, like he needs to calm you down because whatever follows after isn’t going to be pleasant.

Seungyoon is in Seungcheol’s arms, breaking the older man’s heart by asking why they’re in the doctor’s place over and over again. Seungcheol assures him he’s not going to get shot when the toddler almost cries saying he doesn’t want to see the doctor today, promises to buy him ice cream later on if he doesn’t cry and stays in his arms.

“Is… is it bad?” You manage to choke between your tears. Jinyoung is rarely unkept, but he’s disheveled and if he’s like this then you don’t know if you want to hear what he has to say. You’re sure the doctor has filled him in on something, Jinyoung is registered as both your and Yuri’s emergency contact and if he’s here before you do, they must have told him something.

He takes a few moments to compose himself and arranges his words, his hands holding yours like it’s his lifeline.

“They aren’t sure she’s going to make it.”

More tears spill out of your eyes, though you try to contain your sob because Seungyoon is right behind you with Seungcheol, though when Jinyoung gives your friend a look, he’s quick to take Seungyoon somewhere out of sight so you can finally cry, cry, and cry until your tears dry out.

Yuri might not make it. You swallow the words like needles between your throat, your lips trembling as you stubbornly try to contain your despair. But when Jinyoung pulls you once again into his chest and whispers words of comfort you wish you could tell Yuri who’s by herself in the operating room, the dam breaks and you grip the front of his shirt like it’s the only thing you know how to do.

You don’t want to think of the worst case scenario. Don’t want to think of a life without your sister. But how can you not when you’ve been there in front of the OR for two hours? How can you not when your consciousness is going in and out of your head and the only thing that reminds you you’re awake is Seungcheol’s soft breath and the steady pattern of his heartbeat?

“Drink something?” He asks, his voice hesitant. You haven’t talked at all since Jinyoung told you Yuri might not make it, and you’re thankful Seungcheol doesn’t force you to either when he comes back with your nephew in tow. Jinyoung fills him in quickly between whispers before taking the kid with him and Seungcheol doesn’t waste a second to hold you because you look like you’re seconds away from fainting.

You shake your head even though your throat is dry and you honestly feel like you’re about to pass out any moment now. The only thing that’s keeping you here right now is Seungcheol: he’s basically plastered to you and he refuses to let go of you since earlier, which you appreciate so much because you don’t know if you even have it in you to sit straight without him by your side. You’ve just been spacing out in his embrace for two hours straight, his arm around you and your forehead on the juncture of his neck.

“Mommy?” Seungyoon’s voice brings you out of your trace, and you find him with Jinyoung, though the boy immediately lets go of his hand once he sees the state you’re in. Seungyoon only calls you that when he thinks you’re sad, a nickname that Yuri has always encouraged him for because even if he doesn’t have a father, she makes sure to let him know that he has two mothers who would do everything for him and you’re one of them.

He calls Yuri Mama, and he usually calls you ‘Mi’ because it’s easier than ‘Mommy’. He very rarely calls you by the latter because no one refers to you as such and he’s not used to it most of the time. But he knows you usually smile when he does it, which is why he only calls you that way when he thinks you’re upset.

“Mommy okay?” He climbs into your lap, making your eyes water once again. God, this precious child might lose his own mother and he doesn’t know. He doesn’t know a thing and you pray once again to every deity in existence that you wouldn’t need to tell Seungyoon he wouldn’t be able to see his mom again.

He frowns when you don’t giggle like you usually would, though you do force a smile as you pull him into a hug.

“I’m sorry I left you with Uncle Jinyoung.” You say instead, not wanting to lie to the kid when you’re obviously not okay. “He’s boring, isn’t he?”

His small giggle warms you a little, but then he shakes his head and tells you Uncle Jinyoung is fun today and he buys him food earlier. You hum as he continues to blabber, mouthing a ‘thank you’ to Jinyoung when he catches your eyes.

“Yoon, will you tell Mi to drink water?” Seungcheol hands the bottle to your nephew, knowing full well you can’t resist him. You pretend to glare at him, aware that Seungcheol knows how grateful you are with him by your side. Seungcheol has just texted Jisoo that you’re both in the hospital for Yuri, and she promises she’ll drop by as soon as possible after informing him that thankfully Jeonghan’s sister is okay even though she has a minor concussion.

“Mi, water.” He repeats after the older man, his hands can barely hold the water bottle straight.

You thank him as you take a gulp, only now realizing how thirsty you actually are. Seungyoon shifts to play with your hair, still blissfully unaware why you’re all in the hospital, though he’s just happy in his bubble to be surrounded by you and his uncles.

For a second, you let a little bit of hope pass through you. You hope it can stay peaceful like this, with Seungyoon in your arms as you pretend you’re waiting for Yuri to come home.

Yeah, you’re waiting for her to come out, aren’t you?

Right–you’re so going to give her hell for all the worry and tears she made you shed. For making you lose it in front of Seungyoon and making you cry in front of Jinyoung, of all people. Yuri is in for a lot of nagging once she wakes up. Sick or not, you’re still going to scream at her and you’re going to hug her tight because it doesn’t make sense how deep the dread she makes you feel right now.

Yeah, that’s what you’re going to do.

She’s going to make it. She might not wake up immediately after the surgery, but you’re going to do all that when she wakes up and–

Min Yuri’s family?

And you’re going to lock her in a headlock like you usually would when she’s being annoying–

We’re sorry…

And you’re going to bawl into her chest like you used to when you were six–

…tried out best…

And she’s going to laugh at you because she never knows what to do when you cry–

…too weak and…

But she’ll still hug you back because that’s what sisters are for–

…we’re sorry.

Because you only have each other.

Only have each other.

Had each other.

Your eyes get more and more blurry by the seconds, everything came crashing all over your body from head to toe, it’s getting harder to breathe, someone is holding you and—

You don’t know what happened after.

[✾✾✾]

On your eighteenth birthday, Yuri gave you a silver band and said you’re not allowed to take it off unless someone she approved of proposed. That you’re only allowed to take it off on your wedding day where she’d definitely be your maid of honor because who else would?

It’s a promise that I’ll be with you until I’m sure someone else will take care of you as well as I do.

You have never taken off your ring since then, never had any intention to, either. But now that you stare at it as you pack her belongings in her place, you want nothing but to rip it off your finger like it burns.

Didn’t she promise to be with you until then?

Didn’t she promise to make sure that whoever’s going to marry you is worthy of taking her ring off for?

Didn’t she fucking promise you she wouldn’t leave you behind like your parents did?

“Hey. Maybe it’s time to rest?” You look up at Seungcheol who’s hovering on the door. He looks only a little better than you are, but who can blame him when he hasn’t gone home at all since that day in the hospital? He’s been with you since then; Jisoo and Jinyoung take turns going back and forth, even Jeonghan stays for a bit when he has the time.

Seungcheol was with you when you spent that night in the hospital, when you cried next to Yuri’s body before they closed the coffin, when you went home with Seungyoon to your place because you couldn’t bear to go to Yuri’s place just yet, and now, when you finally gathered the courage to go to her place and pack her stuff because who else will?

“Don’t you have work?” You ask instead, feeling bad that he’s been with you basically 24/7 the past week.

“You know my work allows me to work from anywhere.” He smiles a little before taking the seat next to you on the floor. “Let’s get lunch? Seungyoon says he wants jjajangmyeon.”

Seungyoon. Your poor child. You don’t think he really understands what’s happening. Jinyoung had kindly taken over your role to relay the information to the kid, but he had simply asked if his mom was going somewhere when Jinyoung said he wouldn’t be able to see her anymore.

You’re sure he would’ve cried seeing you bawl if not for Seungcheol quickly pulling you with him and holding you in his arms as you tried your best to block your sob, barely making out the conversation between the two.

Mama is in heaven now.

“Is it nice?”

Hmm. The best. But you won’t be able to see her anymore.

“Even if I miss her?”

Yes. It’s too far and if she has to come here, she’ll get very tired and might even get sick. We don’t want that, right?

“But what if I want see Mama?”

Then you’ll have to wait until the sky turns dark and the stars are visible. Mama is one of the stars now. Is that okay?

“But… there are so many…”

Seungyoon is smart, though. Aren’t you?

“Hmm..”

Then I’m sure you’ll know which one is Mama?

“Mmm… Want Mommy… Where’s Mommy?”

“Mommy?” Seungyoon has been calling you that often now. You’re not sure if he’s simply too confused or if it’s because you’ve been looking too upset these days, but his small voice always makes your heart clenches in the most painful way possible because it sounds like he knows he can’t call his own mom anymore. It’s getting harder and harder to hear him call you anything of the sort because it reminds you that his Mama is no longer around. “Hungry.”

Jisoo looks at you in apology from the door. She’s been with Seungyoon earlier, telling him they have to pack his toys because he’ll be moving with you and no longer live there. The boy has been more quiet these days, and you feel bad because you think he’s quiet because he’s tired and he doesn’t know what’s happening; why you barely talk and why his mom is not here.

“Uncle Cheol said you want jjajangmyeon?” You say as you take him in your arms, the boy suddenly shy as he nods and buries himself in your neck. “Do you want to eat outside or here?”

“Out okay?” he asks, almost hesitant. Then continues to make your heart hurt when he says his next words. “Mommy always inside these days…”

“Oh, baby.” You bite your lip and murmur an apology against his forehead. The way you hug him is more for you then it is for Seungyoon, but he tightens his arms around you also and asks once again if it’s okay to eat outside. “We can. Let’s go with Uncle Cheol and Auntie Choo, yeah?”

Seungcheol opts to go to the jjajangmyeon place you used to go to during university instead of the one nearby. It takes almost an hour to get there, but he thinks you need it and he’s sure the owner of the jjajangmyeon place near Yuri’s apartment would definitely be asking about her–which you definitely don’t need.

It’s been quite some time since Seungyoon went anywhere too, so he figures he could at least give that to the kid.

“Been some time since we went here, huh?” It really has. The last time was probably a year ago or something, because life gets in the way and even though you’ve been saying you wanted to come here again, the both of you are always too lazy and the university seems too far away even if it’s not really.

Still, the owner recognizes you two and happily takes your order which hasn't changed since the time you were in university.

Apparently, the old lady hasn’t changed either, because her eyes sparkle with interest as she sees Seungyoon in your arms. You dread her question already, knowing what she’d ask before she even does.

But as much as you expected her words, nothing prepared you for her whole sentences.

“Oh my. Is this your kid? He looks so much like you. I knew you two would get married one day.” She says as she addresses you and Seungcheol, way too excited to notice the horrified look you share with your best friend, nor Jisoo who’s trying her best not to laugh at the sudden turn of events.

You don’t even get the chance to deny her statement, because she already turns back to the kitchen then returns just as quick, giving Seungyoon a pack of jelly that’s supposedly her grandson’s.

“What a nice kid.” She smiles at Seungyoon who thanks her with a cheeky smile, the boy clutches the jelly like you’d take it any moment now. “My grandson used to cry all the time at his age. What a nice mom you have, hmm? She’s brought you up really well.”

“Mommy the best.” Seungyoon replies cheekily, which concludes the conversation because that seems to be enough for the owner to leave your table.

Once again, you’re thankful Seungcheol is beside you as you exhale a deep breath and try to swallow your tears on his shoulder. This is just a taste of what you’d need to deal with more in the future; people mistaking you as Seungyoon’s mom and you’ll somehow get the credit for everything Yuri did to make sure Seungyoon grew up well.

It’s not fair.

Nothing is and you hate that there’s nothing you can do about it.

“Mommy?” Seungyoon tugs softly on your hair to catch your attention. “Feed me?”

You tear up again at this, because Seungyoon has actually been insisting on eating by himself the past few months, saying he’s a big boy and that he can manage eating by himself. Does he know? That you need him to depend on you? That you need something to distract you?

“Want Mommy to feed me.” He repeats, his voice faltering at your lack of response. How long have you been neglecting him? How selfish can you be, drowning in your own sorrow like Seungyoon hasn’t lost his own mother? He’s probably even more lost than you are, with Yuri gone and you disassociating for a whole week.

You’re lucky Seungyoon has always been a nice kid, that he simply accepts that his aunt and uncles were to take care of him for the week.

How fucking selfish can you be?

“Yeah.” You square your shoulder and drop a kiss on his head. It’s not only you that needs him, you remind yourself. Seungyoon also needs you and you’re going to give everything you have and more if it means he’s happy and healthy. “Mommy will feed you, okay?”

[✾✾✾]

A/N: i hope you enjoyed this aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa pls do send me your thoughts and feedbacks through ask or anything bc i'm still a writer that needs ur words to continue writing lol<3

series taglist: @cheolctrl @nap-of-a-starr @shiningstar-byulxx @itsveronicaxxx @shuahoshiscoups

➝ taglist is open, pls send me an ask instead of replying to the post so it's easier to keep track of the taglist!

[I don’t allow any reposting or translation, so please do tell me if you find anyone reposting my works. You can only find me on tumblr or my Ao3. –wonwoonlight.]

#caratwritersclub #seungcheol angst #scoups angst #seventeen angst #seventeen fluff #seventeen au #seventeen fic #seventeen imagine #seventeen scenarios #seungcheol scenarios #seungcheol fluff #seungcheol scenario #scoups imagines #scoups scenarios #scoups fluff #scoups fanfic #seventeen x reader #log: everything and more

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yesitsmewhataboutit · 2 years

Text

Intimacy

Shoto Todoroki x Reader

➤ A chill morning with you and Shoto. However, you forget you’re having company. Spoiler alert: you guys like to cuddle naked

Masterlist

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Shoto's soft breaths pan over your skin. His chill fingers rest on your stomach, his face tucked in your neck. You don't know how long you'd been laying there after you woke, but you didn't dare move, wanting to soak up all the time of cuddling you had left.

At some point, you finally decide to turn around. Slow, turning in Shoto's hold and pressing more against his chest. You loved times like these. You could run your hands through his hair, down his chest, and just feel close to him.

Even after all the years, you've been together, lying with him never gets old. You adapted to stripping away all your clothes when you guys slept. It's perfect for both of you. Sensual, intimate, the skin-to-skin makes you both feel happy, connected.

"You know they'll be awake any second now, right?" Shoto's voice pulls you from your tranquil thoughts. You blink and look up at him. His tired eyes barely cracked open as he looked at you, a small smile trying to pull at his lips.

"Yeah, well, we can probably stretch for a few more minutes," you say.

You both knew the twins would be up soon, wanting breakfast as they always did, but if you could, you'd stay in bed with Shoto as long as possible.

Shoto tightens his arm around you, pressing your naked body closing, feeling content and at peace. You close your eyes again and shift up a bit so you can bury your face in his neck, feeling yourself slip back asleep.

Sure enough, though, within seconds, you hear the patter of two sets of little feet racing down the hallway and bursting into your room.

"Mommy! Daddy! Wake up!"

"Yuri, Yuki, what have we told you about coming into our room when the door's closed. You have to knock," Shoto gently scolds, discretely lifting the blankets a little higher over your body for security. With you and Shoto's cuddling habits, plus how close and comfortable you are, ever since the twins could walk and get around on their own, you guys told them if your door was closed, knock. You never knew what you two could be doing or what the situation was, and you didn't want them to see something they shouldn't.

"But grandma told us to wake you!" Yuki chirps happily, standing next to your bed.

Your eyes snap open, and you pull away slightly to sit up and turn around. "Wait, grandma-"

"Good morning!" your mother coo as she enters the room, tray table in hand.

Your eyes widen, your hand flying to secure the blanket over your chest as you completely sit up. "Mom! You- I-I forgot you were coming today. How'd you get in?" your surprise quickly switches to confusion.

"My lovely grandkids, of course," she says, happy, as she sets the tray on the edge of your bed. "I made breakfast."

"Mommy, are you naked?" Yuri asks, a confused look on his face as he stands directly next to you, able to see your bare back.

"Oh, I- I-"

"FREEZY!" Yuki shouts as she appears at the other side of your bed, activating her quirk, little icicles forming in her hands, and presses them to Shoto's back. Shoto hisses and jumps, his body pressing against yours as he scoots away from the little girl.

It's something she picked up on doing ever since she found her quirk. She'd surprise Todoroki and press her cold hands to his body randomly. Usually, his legs, maybe even his butt since that's all she could reach, but since he was laid down on his side, she could get to his bare skin, immediately taking advantage of the opportunity.

"Where did she even learn to do that?" Shoto groans and turns over, burying his face into his pillow as he tries to warm his back.

"Mom, can you please take them and wait outside while we get ready?" you plead, wanting a few moments for you and Shoto to collect yourselves. "And Yuki, Yuri, I told you both not to open the door for anyone. Do not do that again, even if you think you know who it is," you give the five-year-old boy next to you a stern look.

Your mother nods and starts to turn back to the door. "Come on, kid. Why don't we let your parents start eating and get dressed, and I'll take you to the park."

Yuki has always been the twin you have to watch out for the most since she's so outgoing and energetic. So once again, you don't notice as she pulls the chair that's next to the bed from Shoto's desk, settling it next to the bed and climbing on it, then jumping on you two, effectively startling you both.

As a reflex, you put your hands out to catch and stable her in your lap, but that also makes the blanket fall from your chest, plus ruffling the covers and moving them off Shoto as well. “But I wanna stay here,” she says when she lands.

Yuri gasps, "Mommy is naked!" his little face scrunching up as he points.

"Daddy is too!!" Yuki shouts as she looks at Shoto.

"Ewwwwww." They both say in unison.

Shoto is quick to try to cover himself up as you do the same, trying to shimmy the blanket back between you and the little girl on your lap. “Alright, alright, come on, let’s give them some privacy and you can join them for lunch later,” your mom tries again. This time it works, the kids sigh and begin to exit your room. “Next time maybe they’ll be ready for the surprise company,” your mom says, giving you a teasing look.

“Mom!”

“What? Not my fault you two do it like rabbits,” she teases.

“Do wha-“ Yuri starts.

“We weren’t-“ you say at the same time.

“Byeeeee!” your mom interrupts as she closes the door.

You and Shoto sigh, relaxing back into the bed and taking a moment. “Those kids,” you sigh.

“That mother,” Shoto snickers.

“Our family,” you look over at him, both of you erupting in laughter.

Masterlist

Ahem: @fandomsuggestions @izukuisbaby @motzgurke

#shoto todoroki #todoroki shoto x reader #shoto todoroki fluff #todoroki fluff #dad!todoroki #dad au #dad!shoto #shoto x reader #shoto fluff #shoto x y/n #todoroki shoto scenarios #todoroki x y/n #todoroki x fem!reader #shoto x female reader #todoroki x black!reader #Todoroki x poc!reader #bnha shoto todoroki

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ladyloveandjustice · 4 months

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2023 Anime Overview: SHY and Migi & Dali

SHY

Premise: In a world where every country has a superhero, 14 year old Teru is Japan's. Her hero name is Shy, and that's exactly what she is-- she's a bit of shrinking violet at times and deals with social anxiety, which makes the public part of being a hero a struggle for her. But with a mysterious boy going around and turning people's hearts and pain against them to make them into dark, painful threats, she and the other heroes are going to have to step things up.

SHY is very much a magical girl show with am American-style-superhero coat of paint, and that's really what draws me to the series. Powers are based on your heart and emotions, the heroes friends and loved ones have their pain and despair manifest as terrible powers when induced by an outside force and then our heroes having to reach out to these people with love and compassion...it is so magical girl core. There's even a magical battle where mother and daughter must reach out to each other!

Also very distinctly magical girl-esque is how a lot of the series is focused on Teru and her cute girl bff having yuri undertones. Said friend calling out her name even activates Teru's "heart" and her powers truly awaken. IDK Teru that's pretty gay.

It does some things that are cool to see in a superhero show- like centering female characters and featuring a disabled superhero. This Anifem article also has an interesting take on one of the fights.

It's also not overly fanservicey so far either, though Teru mentions once that her leotard is skimpier than she's comfortable with (apparently magic assigns them their clothes) which sucks, (and it highlights her rear more than I'm comfortable at times considering her age). Let her have pants! But hey, after dealing with MHA's bullshit, I'll count my blessings that it's a regular leotard.

SHY is often a little silly-- the fact that apparently every country getting a superhero ended ALL WAR somehow is so ridic it wraps around to being endearing. It's also engages in some national stereotypes --for instance the Russian superhero who is Shy's mentor whole schtick being that she's always drunk (but you see it's okay because her alcoholism is based in her childhood love for her parent and she's fine and). There's a weird moment where an adult acts like she's going to kiss a teenager as a prank, and the pacing is a little uneven.

But when it hits, it really hits, and you really root for Teru. Seeing a superheroic take on struggling with social anxiety is fun, and Teru's passion and strength shines through. I'm excited to see more of her adventures, and fortunately a second season is confirmed!

Migi & Dali

Premise: Orphaned twins Migi and Dali perform an amazing con to get adopted by a couple (who mention preferring to adopt only one child)-- they decide to pretend to be only one person, a boy named Hitori, with one of them always just out of sight as school or at home. They go to absurd levels to keep this up because they have an important goal-- their mother was murdered in this town, and they're going to do all they can to find her killer. But what mysteries does this suburban town hold?

It's hard to put Migi & Dali into words, but I'll do my best. It starts out as an utterly absurd show that plays it's "spookiness" so ridiculously that it becomes comedy (Mother's Basement compared it to the potato chip scene from Death Note, and I think that's apt, though it's very much intentional with this show). Seeing the ridiculous lengths the twins go to in order to keep up their con is amazing. Situations like them assuming their foster mother must be scalping children because they don't understand what a wig is or one twin throwing on a wig on so the other twin (who should know what he looks like because he can LOOK IN THE MIRROR) doesn't recognize him are hilarious.

But then the show also becomes a tightly plotted and genuinely tense murder mystery that is incredibly moving at times? WHAT? All while keeping up it's signature brand of goofiness and absurdity! Side characters I did not expect to care about go through great development, Migi and Dali have some great character arcs, there's some genuine commentary on abuse, the damage you can do to children by forcing perfection on them, the struggle of being a foster kid, grief and recovery and more.

There are some things to warn for--parental abuse, rape through deception (def framed as bad, but yep. that happens), general harm to children, a very uncomfortable strip search of a child that involved ass-grabbing, and the weird bits where teen characters are kidnapped and forced to dress up and act like a baby (which turns out to be very thematically important and follows an interesting arc of being played partly for comedy at first then becoming deadly serious later) and of course the murder and stuff you'd expect from a murder mystery. (There's also some stuff involving infertility I think is fraught, but I can't really get into it without spoiling).

I know that's a huge list, but the show is definitely very rewarding--entertaining and full of more incredible twists and turns that one show has any right to be. Including the greatest housekeeper of all time, i would follow her into hell.

I can't get into more without spoiling, but yes, if you can handle this weird, wild ride, you should absolutely go on it. Sano Nami was a true talent.

#migi and dali #migi to dali #migi & dali #shy anime #shy teru #teru momijiyama #fall 2023 anime #my reviews #anime overview #anime

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dragonwritersblog · 12 days

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She Was Like A Sunflower

Read on AO3

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12

Yeah, I just finished this so there may be some spelling mistakes. I just didn't want to delay the second chapter any further so I'll fix them when I wake up. Also, WHO PUT DOOMED YURI IN MY FUNNYBUNNY FIC?!?! Also, come support me and Pandora's new au on our shared tumblr called 'The Amazing Digital Redacted AU'. If you love indie horror like Bendy and the Ink machine, Poppy Playtime, FNAF then you'll love this AU. Here's the link Don't forget to check out twitter as well All that said, enjoy chapter 2! (and dont kill me pls)

2. Marjorie

What died didn't stay dead

You're alive, so alive

And if I didn't know better

I'd think you were singing to me now – Marjorie by Taylor Swift

Cloudy skies, not a hint of light coming through. It was going to be that type of day today, and that type of mood by the way Winter observed Riley’s behaviour this morning. The redhead was at the table, drinking coffee and bouncing Percy on her knee. Winter could tell whenever a smile was pretend, and the way her wife smiled right now was no exception.

Could she blame her? Winter was a wreck when Jack went missing and knowing how close Penny and Riley were, it made sense for her wife to behave the way she did. But the thing is, Riley didn’t, or scream, or get angry. The passionate, loud, amazing women she married wasn’t the one holding their son at the table. There was only a shell. And after that visit she had with David, Riley’s shell had only gotten tougher.

If Riley said anything that related to Penny, it would be to trying to find her. She never spoke about how it made her feel, never saw a tear, or the grieved anger that one would expect. Riley was always so loving towards anything about her sister, it unnerved Winter seeing her wife like this.

“Look at him,” Riley cooed at the little baby on her lap. “We have the cutest kid in the world, look at him.”

Percy giggled as his mother held him up under the arms, thrashing his legs about as he peered at his mama over the kitchen island. “He is the cutest baby in the world,” Winter agreed. “Um, I know Captain Rae is okay with you working on this case. But are you sure-”

“We should get him a new mobile,” Riley cut her off, focusing her attention on Percy. “I think the other one isn’t working to well, he never pays attention to it.”

Winter pursed her lips, tapping her fingers on the kitchen counter. She wanted to at least say something about Penny before Riley had to leave to drop Percy off at Laura’s. “Listen, Riley,” she spoke, making her wife turn to her. “You have been nothing but patient when I found out Jack went missing, I know this type of this is so fucking far from easy. Whatever you’re feeling, I’ve felt it too. You…you know that right?”

“I know,” Riley smiled warmly. “You know, you can say if you’re missing Jack again. You don’t have to be light about it to make me feel better, okay Hun?”

“No, no, that’s not what I’m trying to say,” Winter pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’ve heard you in the night, waking up crying. I understand what you’re feeling, you can talk about Penny-”

“-Okay Percy,” Riley turned back to her son. “Are you ready to see Grandma?” She immediately stood up, holding him by her hip as she grabbed her own bag, Percy’s baby bag and car keys from the table.

It was as if a switch was flipped, a wall was put up and the shell was hardening. “Riley, wait!” Winter went round the kitchen island as she chased her wife to the door, “Riley.”

Riley froze as she opened the door, facing the outside, her face hidden. Winter heard her take a sharp intake of breath before facing her with the same faux smile that she had been wearing ever since she came back from David’s “Yeah?”

“I…It’s just,” Winter tried to find the words, to say something that didn’t involve her life leaving without at least finishing a conversation. But she knew that no matter how hard she tried, Riley would find an opening in order not to face it, and it would only make Winter’s efforts even harder. The dark-haired woman sighed, “I’ll see you at work later. I…love you.”

A glimpse of a real smile appeared on Riley’s face, “I love you too carrot cake.” The redhead pressed a kiss to her wife’s cheek, “I’ll see you soon.”

“Yeah,” Winter nodded solemnly, “See you soon.”

With that, Riley turned her focus back on Percy and shut the door behind her. Winter let her soldiers sag, a painful ache forming in her heart. She knew Riley was hurting, she saw it flicker in her eyes every time a dead end came up for Penny’s case, she heard it when Riley awoke crying from nightmares – yet Winter pretended she was asleep in order for Riley to not feel ashamed – and she felt every single anger and grief that she knew Riley was having because she had felt it when Jack went missing.

So why wouldn’t Riley talk to her?!

Winter took a deep breath, trying to cancel out the negative energy. Everyone copes differently with these types of things. Besides, she and Riley were as strong as cement, they could work through this despite how bleak everything seemed.

Riley would come to her eventually…maybe…hopefully.

So why did Winter feel so lonely?

“Okay, let me understand this as best as I can,” Ragatha started. Pomni and Jax had set up some bean bags for everyone while they sat on the bed, just finishing up their rundown of everything that happened in the last day. “You two have your memories back?”

“Yup,” Jax nodded.

“And you two were engaged before you got sucked in here?” Zooble questioned.

“That would be correct,” Pomni agreed.

“And now you guys might know a way to escape this place?” Gangle asked.

“That is a plausibility,” Jax replied.

Ragatha pressed her hands together and held them near her face, taking a long, deep, exhausted breath, “This is a lot to take in.”

Pomni bit her lip nervously, “I know this is the last thing you were all expecting, but you’re all handling this well all things considered.”

“I’m just confused on how you managed to fall in love with Jax of all people,” Zooble muttered, glaring at the rabbit.

Jax rolled his eyes, “Thanks Zooble.”

Pomni frowned, taking his hand into hers and squeezing it tight, “Because he loved me despite everything, saw me at my worst yet stayed because he knew I could thrive into my best. And right now, he helped me find a possible way to get everyone out of here. Do I excuse what he’s done to all of you? No. And I’m still not happy with how he treated me and Ragatha on my first day. So don’t think I’m taking sides, I’m simply observing.”

Zooble sighed, almost feeling guilty…almost. But they trusted Pomni’s word, not Jax’s (they didn’t know if they ever would) but definitely Pomni’s. “Fine” she muttered.

Kinger looked more lost than he usually did. The usual quiet brainstorm he would have in the middle of the room increased like wildfire. “Memories…returning,” he mumbled. “This…I don’t…I haven’t seen anything like it.”

Jax turned to the chess piece. He didn’t like this reaction, not one bit. It brought up too many painful flashbacks of someone similar to Kinger going through the same thing a long time ago, “Kinger, buddy, stay with us.”

It was like going in one ear and out the either for the royal character, still shaking like a leaf, “How…what is…something is…a trip?”

Trip? Jax didn’t want to see how far this would go, how far Kinger would go unless he’d – no, he wasn’t going to finish that thought and he wouldn’t let this continue. “Kinger!” Jax clapped his hands, the sound ringing through the room and snapping the chess piece out of his mumblings.

Kinger blinked. Once, twice, “Oh Jax.” And once again, he was back to himself, “Apologies, I must have been lost in a dream. But it’s so nice to know you and Pomni were together, young love finds a way.”

Despite the chess piece giving them all a scare, that statement alone made the rabbit and jester blush. Would it be rude if he kicked everyone out and smother his fiancé with attention? Yes, yes it would. And while it was tempting, Jax couldn’t afford to indulge. Not when the giant elephant in the room was still being addressed.

“It is really sweet,” Gangle whispered. It sounded like a genuine compliment from the masked woman – and it was don’t get her wrong – but there was something else lacing her tone. Something else that suggested the bodied ribbons couldn’t be as happy as she wanted to be. But she didn’t say, it wasn’t her place. No one could even tell from that slight lilt in her voice that she felt this way.

But Zooble noticed.

“Okay, still a little confused but I think I’m getting there,” Ragatha finally spoke up again. “Listen, Pomni. You know I trust you whole heartedly, but we’ve been here for years and no one has seen an exit until now, are you sure that what you’ve seen is accurate?”

Pomni’s face fell. Despite the door in front of Ragatha, despite everything she told her, why did the ragdoll still doubt her? “But we told you. The exit door is right there,” Pomni pointed to the door on the wall, desperation filling her eyes. “I know it seems impossible but I really think we can get out of here!”

Ragatha gasped, covering her mouth with guilt at what she said, “Sorry, sorry Pomni I phrased that wrong. It’s just…we’ve all tried looking for a way out and it always backfired, even when we think we’ve gotten so close. I don’t want the same thing to happen to you.”

Pomni opened her mouth, about to speak when-

“Ragatha,” Jax spoke. Everyone’s eyes widened, he never said Ragatha’s actual name, and so seriously either. “We saw her mother. She saw us send out a message to her. She knows we’re alive.” He paused, watching the ragdoll process everything with shock written all over her face. “Someone knows we’re here now. I know you’re scared, but this is a real chance of finally leaving.”

Ragatha’s mouth opened and closed, cutting off words before they even arrived at her lips. She thought she knew everything about the circus, had accepted that no matter how much they tried they could never escape. It was a horrible thing to accept, but she had to if she wanted to stay sane and not end up like…she could still feel herself almost crumbling away when Kaufmo’s abstracted form attacked her. No, no! She can’t lose herself now. She should be grateful that Pomni and Jax managed to find a way to be free, so why did it feel so hard to grasp onto that hope? “Okay,” she sighed. “I trust you, Pomni. But what about Caine, do you think you’ll tell him-”

“NO!” Pomni cut her off, fear swimming in her red and blue eyes. Even everyone seemed shocked by her sudden volume. Jax held her close, hugging her trembling form as the jester took a few breaths to calm herself down. “No, I-I don’t think that’s a good idea. He already had a weird way of trying to make things ‘fun’ here, I don’t know how he’ll feel when we say we’ve found a legitimate exit. What if he tries to take that away?”

The rest of the group nodded slowly. Even before Pomni arrived, Caine had always shut down the possibility of an exit being possible. And every time it was shown to him, he would twist it and prove to them that it was just another part of the circus. It was like he feared an exit even existing.

“It’s just your imagination!” he always said, leaving them to doubt if what they saw was actually there. And if you lost yourself in those thoughts, then it was a one-way trip into the cellar. And nobody wanted that.

“Well in that case…” Ragatha trailed off, closing her eyes for a moment. When they opened, they were fierce and determined. “Keep doing what you’re doing. This actually seems like a true way to finally get out of here. But do not let Caine find out. Keep pretending that everything is the same, you two are just friends, you don’t remember your past and that there is no way an exit is even here.”

“Got it,” Pomni and Jax said in unison.

“Which means that you two should stop acting like a couple whenever you’re in public,” Ragatha stated.

“Oh we know,” Pomni smiled innocently.

“Yeah, it’s not as hard as it seems,” Jax replied cooly.

Ragatha raised a coy brow at the two of them, “Pomni, darling, you’re sitting on Jax’s lap.”

Oh, right, the two of them forgot about that. They were both quick to slip back in to how they used to be before the circus, which meant a lot of trusting physical contact that the two were proud to have developed over the years. But then again, Ragatha was right. Something like that would be extremely obvious to Caine that something was up.

Pomni slid of the rabbit’s lap, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly while Jax coughed nervously behind his fist. “Right, sorry,” Pomni laughed sheepishly, while Jax pouted at the lack of contact.

Ragatha pinched the bridge of her nose again, this is gonna be a disaster.

Riley paced back and forth in her mother’s living room, her phone held to her ear as she chewed on her fingernail. “Oh god I fucked up, I really fucked up,” she mumbled as the dial buzzed in her ear.

“Riley, sweetie, it’s gonna be okay,” Amber put her hands on her daughter’s shoulders, ceasing her pacing. “If this Samual boy is as nice as you say he is I’m sure he’ll listen to you.”

“I was really awful the last time I saw him, Mom,” Riley winced as she remembered his cries, ignoring him as the elevator doors shut behind her. “And the worst part was, I genuinely believed he was telling the truth. You always told me to trust my gut and I did! With him! But then Jason Wood said stuff that sounded plausible, and I feel so fucking stupid because even my head was screaming at me not to believe him. I didn’t know whether to trust the facts because both of them were laid out to me and I-”

“Hey, hey,” Amber’s voice was soft yet firm. “This isn’t like anything you’ve ever worked on before. We are dealing with something that we didn’t even know existed, and its personal since both Jack and Penny are involved in this. In a normal case, maybe someone like Jason is right about this. But this isn’t a normal case, and we have proof that this Jason guy isn’t to be trusted.”

Riley nodded, “I have to let him know how sorry I am. This kid, he’s been through so much, all I did was make his situation worse. If Jason really treated him like that them…oh god…oh god Mom we really need to help him!”

Amber nodded feverishly. When Riley told her what Samual went through, with his parents going missing and how Jason was like to him whenever they were brought up, all the mother saw was nothing but red. The only time Amber looked like she was ready to kill was with David after the car crash all those years ago, and again when he showed up at both of her daughters’ homes unannounced.

Riley was about to speak when-

“Hello?” Samual’s voice answered through the phone.

“Ah, Samual!” Riley gasped, keeping the phone tight to her ear. “Samual you were right about everything! We couldn’t trust Jason!”

“M-miss Riley?!” His tone was small and frightened, almost trading on eggshells at the sound of her. “What are you talking about?”

Riley only wanted that type of fear from the voices of those who wronged her, not from innocent kids trying to help. She wanted to slap herself in the face for making that mistake, “Samual, you know the emails you showed me? Of the mystery person? The same thing happened to my Mom, my sister, I think she’s trying to get into contact with us.”

There was a small pause on the other line, before the boy spoke meekly, “You…you believe me?”

“Yeah, yeah kid I do,” Riley was nothing short of breathless. The last twenty-four hours have been nothing but a blur. But the way she spoke to him, at the height of her anger. Even if this situation wasn’t real, she shouldn’t have spoke to a hurting kid like that. “Samual, I owe you an apology.”

“Oh no, you don’t need to-”

“Samual, please,” she gently cut him off. “The way I spoke to you was nothing short of cold and rude. I was in a bad place and me and my family have gone through so much pain, but that’s no excuse and I should never have taken my anger out on you. I’m so sorry Samual.”

There was a pause, Riley waited with bated breath. Mere seconds felt agonisingly long until Samual finally answered, “I forgive you.”

Riley felt her lungs fill with air, finally letting herself breathe, “Really?”

“Yeah, I get it. Jason has a history of getting people to believe his stories,” Samual said. “I don’t blame you. And now I’m guessing we have more proof that he’s lying?”

“That’s right,” Riley confirmed, “Are you free to come check it out?”

“I’ll be there as quick as I can,” Samual’s excited and curious tone returned. “I can’t wait to get started on our secret FBI work!”

The line cut off before Riley could say another word. She grinned, shaking her head.

He forgave her.

“I’m guessing it went well?” Amber asked, her own smile gracing her lips.

Riley nodded, relief washing over her again and again, “We might actually be getting somewhere.”

Amber faltered a little. For a while, she was starting to lose hope that she would ever truly hear those words. But somehow, mercy was gifted to her and her family. “We’re gonna find her,” she stated firmly to her eldest daughter “We’re gonna get Penny back.”

“We will Mom,” Riley agreed, “We will.”

Yes the option to not go on Caine’s adventure was always available, but it didn’t mean that the ringmaster was too happy whenever someone decided to stay behind. Right now, Zooble was idly walking down one of the hallways on the tent, kicking their foot against the carpet a few times. Ironically enough, Zooble wasn’t the first and only one who volunteered to stay behind for the day. Nope, it was Gangle who asked first.

Normally the ribboned lady wouldn’t mind tagging along on an adventure with everyone else, but today she turned away at the offer trudging back into the circus. Zooble had instantly recognised that it wasn’t Gangle’s usual behaviour and decided to stay back too. He would deal with Caine’s shenanigans once the pair of dentures came back with the rest of the crew.

Zooble paced up and down the hallway, the day was nearly up but she hadn’t actually worked up the courage to see if Gangle was okay. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but Gangle was one of the sweetest and sensitive people here. Zooble cherished the fact that someone like her wanted to be friends with someone like him, to the point that they even got a bit nervous when talking with her one on one. But right now, there was something obviously wrong with Gangle and Zooble made the choice to stay behind to make sure that she didn’t feel less alone. Yet here she was, keeping a distance from the masked lady because he was nothing but afraid.

But then they stopped. When he was in the gloink hole, Gangle was the only one to realise he was missing, even being brave enough to try and bring her back. It would be selfish of Zooble to not at least try to comfort the girl and see if she was okay. Swallowing both his fears and pride, Zooble marched themselves down the hall to find Gangle.

He found her sitting on the stage, her silk legs drawn up to her chest as she sighed to herself, her comedy mask was once again broken and she had to rely on her secondary, sombre one instead. Under Zooble’s stoic expression, she was absolutely terrified. They didn’t know why, Gangle was their friend. Why did they feel afraid to start a conversation alone with a friend. Their sweet…kind…pretty friend. Ah! Pull yourself together! Gangle needs you!

Zooble took a deep breath, he could do this. And so, he walked up to the stage, slipping into their usual and calm posture, “Hey Gangle. No adventure today?”

She jumped a bit at the sound of her name, relaxing when they saw who it was, “No, not today. I wasn’t in the mood.”

“Oh,” Zooble nodded awkwardly. They weren’t really good at the emotional fluffy stuff, every time they tried she somehow always reached a dead end. But he didn’t want Gangle feeling this lonely, he had to at least try and help her out, “Any reason why?”

Gangle rubbed her arm, giving Zooble a sad smile, “It’s okay Zooble. If you have somewhere to be then you can go, you don’t need to stay and talk to me if you don’t want to.”

“No I do!” Zooble said a bit too quickly, making Gangle squeak. “Gah, sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to sound like that. It’s…ugh how does Ragatha do this so easily?” They closed their eyes for a moment, breathing deeply before opening them again. “I’m here because I want to be. And I’m always willing to lend an ear if you need to talk. Gangle, if there’s anything you wanna say or do, I’m here.”

The ribboned woman seemed to be taken aback by that, not fully expecting that level of support from the usual reclusive assortment of parts. But she wasn’t complaining, she liked seeing this side of Zooble. “Well, it’s just…” she started, fiddling with the ends of her ribbons for a moment. “I’m happy that Pomni and Jax have their memories back, really I am. And it really is sweet that they used to be together, but…”

“But?” Zooble asked.

“…Jax has done nothing but torment us, prank us and make our lives miserable,” Gangle spoke. “Every day, he’s done nothing but go out of his way to annoy us just because he likes seeing funny things happen to people. And now he has his memories back and we’re suddenly happy for him?! After all he put us through. As if it erases everything he did to us! With Pomni, I’m glad that she remembers who she was. She was so scared when she got here and Caine has done nothing to help her, so it’s good finally seeing her smile. But with Jax? It might be wrong for me to say but it doesn’t seem fair! We’ve been trying everything to remember who we were, all the while he laughed at us for doing so! Like he hadn’t tried doing so in the first place as well yet he still made fun of us! And now he gets them back just like that! I wanna remember! I tried so hard to! Yet he berated me for trying and he-”

She covered her mouth, ashamed. She said too much. “Oh gosh, that’s horrible what I just said!” her eyes darted round the area. “I need to find my comedy mask, that why I’ll stop talking like this and be happy! Where is it? I swore I had it here somewhere, it’s not broken. Oh god, what if it is?! No, no, no! I need my comedy mask! I need it! I wanna stop feeling like this!”

“Gangle! You’re okay!” Zooble quickly caught Gangle’s flailing hands in theirs, holding them firmly yet gently. “You’re not a horrible person for saying that and I get what you’re trying to say. I know you don’t mean anything bad by it and I understand your frustration. Am I glad that bozo has his memories back, sure. But it doesn’t mean that I forgave and forgot all that he put us through, and you don’t need to either. If someone as weird as Jax can get his memories back, then someone as amazing as you can get yours back too.”

Gangle lips parted for a moment, speechless at the honesty in Zooble’s tone. “Y-you think I’m amazing?” she whispered.

Zooble’s voice got caught in her throat, her entire face flustering up as she removed his hands from Gangle’s. “Well, yeah,” they replied nonchalantly. “You don’t overwhelm me like Caine or annoy me like Jax. Plus I like your acts you put on.”

Gangle practically beamed at that, “You like my acts?”

“Hehe, of course,” Zooble’s eyes gleamed. “You got a real talent for that.”

The masked lady giggled, “You know, for someone who doesn’t think they’re good at soft stuff, I think you did a pretty great job with talking to me.”

“Oh,” Zooble blushed, clearing their throat before mumbling, “Thank you. And your comedy mask, you wanna leave it or…”

“No I can’t leave it,” Gangle quickly told her. “Everything just gets too much in here, I need my mask to make it easier, to make me happier. That way I won’t bring everyone down and I’ll be as happy as I need to be.”

Zooble furrowed his brows at Gangle’s statement, “But you don’t bring-”

“Oh, I think I know where it is!” Gangle grinned. “I’ll be back soon! Thank you Zooble!” She then tore off down the hall, all the way back to the bedroom quarters.

“Wait but…” Zooble reached out an arm to her, but Gangle was already gone. “But you don’t need your mask to be happy.”

They sighed. They had seen Gangle smile without the mask, a real genuine smile that wasn’t forced by some code from the character model forced onto her. If anything, Zooble swore that the mask only made things worse for Gangle, making her rely on it more and more. Zooble wished to see that real smile again.

Their train of thought was interrupted by the sound of a group of voices, tired and groaning. She turned, looks like the adventure was over for today. “Jeez, what happened to you guys?” they asked.

“Football stadium adventure,” Ragatha mumbled, rubbing her lower back. “Turns out when you put four inexperienced players against a group of NPC’s coded with tons of knowledge about it, you tend to face a lot of back pain.”

Zooble hissed through his teeth, “Yikes.”

“But it’s all a part of the adventure!” Caine boomed, making them all jump. “After all! How boring would it be if you didn’t learn at all!”

“You couldn’t at least give us a tutorial?” Jax grumbled. “Was that really too hard for you to do dentures?” He wasn’t really angry for himself. Well, he was. But Pomni had a really hard time on her feet during the whole game, easily being outnumbered and beaten by the NPC’s.

At one point, one of them kicked her in the leg instead of the ball, sending her to the ground. For a moment, Jax had forgotten all about the pretending, tackling the NPC to the ground before checking on his secret fiancé. Thankfully, Caine saw it as Jax thinking they were playing soccer (despite him literally kicking the ball for hours on end) and being a good teammate. Jax had never been more thankful for the AI’s naivety, especially when it gave him a chance to take Pomni to a nursing room and dressing her wound (he wouldn’t forget about how her cheeks turned red when he kissed the side of her bandaged knee).

“Anyhow!” Caine fiddled with his cane before tossing it away, a cartoonish sound effect resonating from where it landed. “I suggest you all rest up! We’ve gotten even more adventures planned for tomorrow and you’ll all need a good feast and rest before that!”

“Oh great, its not as if we heard that line before,” Jax muttered. Pomni crossed her arms over her chest, raising a brow at the rabbit. Jax only grinned, rolling his eyes at the pair of dentures before circling his finger at the temple of his head, clearing stating his opinion of the ringmaster. Pomni scoffed, failing to hide a smile at her fiancé. Jax’s face softened, he’ll never get tired of making her smile.

“I’ll leave everyone to themselves before dinner!” Caine boomed with his usual, yet unsettling, toothy grin. “Take care my superstars!”

Like the same song and dance he had done many times before, the pair of dentures vanished in a puff of smoke. Jax waited a few seconds, making sure that the ringmaster was gone before rushing over to Pomni. “How’s your knee? Does it still hurt?” he asked, brushing his hand over the bandage.

“Yeah Hun I’m okay,” Pomni reassured him, petting behind his ears. “I’m sure it’s just a bruise now with the way things work here.”

His brows furrowed worriedly, “You sure? No more aches?”

“No more aches,” Pomni repeated.

“Good, good,” Jax let his thumb brush over the bandaged skin one more time before standing up. “So, you ready to get back to business.”

Pomni took in a sharp breath, both excitement yet a hint of nerves washing through her, “Yeah, let’s go see my Mom.”

Jax nodded, the two of them going down the hall again, unable to feel the gaze of everyone else’s eyes on them.

“Still having doubts Rags?” Zooble turned to the ragdoll.

“A little bit,” Ragatha nodded, a bit of shame shown on her face. “It’s not that I don’t trust them. I guess I’m just…scared. We never had anything like this. It could go either really well or…” She didn’t want to finish that sentence. She didn’t want to finish that thought! Never before had they tittered on a tight rope so close to collapsing. If this went wrong, then all of them could suffer a fate worse than abstraction. No, no she wasn’t going to think about that. It she was brought down, then so would everyone else. And she wasn’t going to allow herself to act so selfishly, “Never mind, how about I go see if Bubble would like help making dessert?”

Zooble frowned at Ragatha’s shift in mood, “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?” Ragatha questioned innocently.

“You always do that, act like you’re not sad when you are,” Zooble told her. “You’re allowed to not have good days, you know that right?”

“Oh Zooble, you worry too much,” Ragatha patted his arm. “I’m absolutely fine, no bad thoughts in my head whatsoever. Now, I think a pie would do well for dessert for tonight, don’t you think?”

With that, the ragdoll turned on her heel and headed to the kitchen. That was two people in a row that pretended to be happy to Zooble. He hated when that happened, when they forced down any type of negativity in the fear of being abstracted. It wasn’t fair that this threat kept hovering over everyone’s head, and Zooble hated it that Caine didn’t do anything to sooth their worries, instead leaving them to wallow with shallow adventures that they all hated. It was another reason why Zooble felt bitter with Jax, he kept pushing them on the brink every single time while knowing how much they all feared the fate of the cellar, yet he never stopped. Zooble felt frustrated tears at the corners of her eyes, allowing them to fall. The others might be too scared to cry, but they didn’t want to (part of them was glad that Pomni felt the same way as well).

He felt a hand cover her shoulder, rubbing it carefully like a parent would do with their child. Zooble turned his hand, it was Kinger. His eyes didn’t meet theirs, still lost in his own worlds of chaos and insects. Yet his hands moved on their own, as though another part of his mind wanted to reach out and sooth them. Zooble sniffed, if they could smile then he would be smiling at Kinger right there and now. As crazy as it sounded in her head, Kinger somehow seemed to be the sanest of them all.

Knock, knock

Riley rushed to the door, opening it wide as it revealed the startled face of one Samual Abel. “Samual,” she gasped. “Thank you so much for coming! I’m so, so sorry!”

“Miss Riley, it’s okay,” he smiled softly. “I already told you I forgive you.”

“I know, I know,” Riley brushed back some of her red hair. “But you didn’t need to. You could have just accepted my apology and moved on, but you forgave me. Why? The way I spoke to you was awful.”

Samual shrugged, “When I was a kid, my Dad always taught me that forgiveness is a heavy thing. Many people will feign an apology just so they can unburden themselves with forgiveness without actually being sorry. I don’t forgive a lot of people, I don’t think I can forgive some of the people at C&A for lying to me and letting Jason control me, I know that if they said sorry it wouldn’t erase all that happened over the years. But you, you didn’t know. You were tricked and I know that you meant how sorry you were. That’s the difference that my Dad taught me about, I’ll know the right people to forgive and not to bring myself down with the people I don’t choose to give that right to.”

This kid was just too kind, speaking with a wisdom many people who lived longer on this earth lacked, “Your father sounds like a good man.” Not many people have that luck.

“Both he and my mother were great people,” Samual’s eyes were warm, lost in a memory of love and comfort from so many years ago. He blinked them away, his face simple yet determined. “Anyways, you got something to show me?”

Riley nodded, slipping back into business, “Yeah, let me introduce you to my Mom. She’s the one who got the messages.”

She led Samual into the house, shutting the door behind him. Amber came into the room, her hands clasped together and a cardigan wrapped around her shoulders. “Oh, hello,” she blinked in surprise at the sight of the boy. She turned to Riley, “Is this Samual?”

“Yeah, this is him,” Riley confirmed.

“Hi, it’s so nice to meet you,” Amber walked over, wrapping her arms around him, his eyes widening in surprise. “Riley told me what happened, I’m so sorry all this happened to you.”

He stood frozen for a moment, as though he wasn’t used to someone wanting to hug him back. But his arms wrapped tight around Amber like Riley expected, burying his face into her shoulder. He was shaking a bit, she couldn’t hear any sobs but Riley was certain that the kid hadn’t received this level in security in a while. Hopefully with how things were going so far, that would change soon enough. Soon, Samual pulled away, trying to still his shaking hands. “Right, so,” he took a step back, his hands shoved into his pockets. “Ready to get to work?”

Amber nodded, grinning, “This way.” She guided him to the sofa, letting him sit down as the computer switched on next to him. “It was so bizarre. I’m not sure what your experience was like, all I know from Riley was that you only received messages.”

Samual lifted a brow, “I guess yours had more to it.”

“Yes,” Amber confirmed. “Before I got the messages, all my lights were flickering, like something or…someone was controlling it. That’s when I got these.” Once the computer was up and functioning, Amber clicked onto the documents that held the words from her daughter.

Samual shifted closer, “Yeah, this is certainly…different. I only got emails, but it looks like someone wrote this if it’s on a document.”

“That’s the thing,” Amber turned to him. “I don’t know how but Penny was in this room. I couldn’t see or feel how but she was there, controlling the lights and writing to me.”

Samual’s eyes widened, no disbelief was seen but rather surprise at this new revelation, “Your daughter is trying to communicate with you. She even managed to be here with you somehow.”

“Yes, yes!” Amber exclaimed, grinning. “She was right here in this room.”

“But you said not physically?” Riley asked, her tone curious rather than accusatory. “She managed to speak to you but her body wasn’t here?”

“Unfortunately,” Amber’s face fell slightly.

“So wherever she is, she’s still trapped,” Riley sighed.

Samual got up, facing the two women, “But it doesn’t seem impossible to find her. If she managed to get here the first time than its possible that she could come back.”

Riley bit her lip, “But how would we know?”

“Riley’s right,” Amber agreed. “I might have spoken to her then but I don’t know how to get in contact with her again-”

The lamp flickered, the trio’s attention focused in on it. “I’m guessing that wasn’t my eyes playing tricks on me?” Riley observed, her toes curling at the thought of who she hoped it was.

“Nope,” Amber’s grin returned, whipping back round to the computer. “Penny, is that you baby?”

Hey Mom

I’m back

Riley’s hands covered her mouth, her knees dropping to the ground, “Penny? Is that really you?”

Unbeknownst to Riley, Pomni had done the same thing. Matching her sister as she tried to stifle a sob, “Hey Jax, do you mind?”

The rabbit chuckled behind her, watching the exchange go down. There were no memory-like pathways this time, just a simple walk through the door and they arrived right back in the living room, “Yeah babe, I got it.”

She’s here, she just got a little overwhelmed seeing you all again

Hi Mrs Reed

It’s good to see you again

Amber brows furrowed in confusion for a moment before realisation struck. There was only one other person that she knew who disappeared the way her youngest daughter did, “Jack?”

Yup, that’s me

Hope you’re not too disappointed

The older woman let out a breathless laugh, about to reply with how happy she was to see him…until she was interrupted by another voice, “YOU SON OF A BITCH!”

Jax’s ears pressed flat against his head as Riley stood from the ground, fury written all over her face. Pomni, Amber and Samual had to take a few steps away from the raging woman.

“YOU TELL MY SISTER THAT YOU DON’T WANT TO MARRY HER AND TRY TO MOVE AWAY ON THE DAY OF YOUR WEDDING! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!” Riley screamed loudly. “YOU’RE SO LUCKY I CAN’T SEE YOU OTHERWISE I WOULD RIP OFF BOTH YOUR ARMS AND LEGS AND FEED THEM TO WOLVES WHILE WATCHING YOU BLEED OUT!”

Jax gulped, he should have known this was coming. After all he heard from Winter how Riley slammed someone’s head against a table just because they looked at Penny funny, if he wasn’t in the circus he would be on a missing poster by now. He took a deep breath, typing away on the keyboard.

You’re allowed to be angry

Furious

What I did was unforgivable and I understand if you won’t forgive me

But please understand then when I say sorry, I mean it

I’m so sorry Riley

For hurting your sister the way I did

For everything

Riley crossed her arms as she scowled, letting herself think long and hard about it, emphasise on long (she wanted to make him suffer at least a little bit). Jack was an asshole for what he did, but she knew what he went through as a kid and how hard he tried to make things right both for himself and for everyone else. She looked to Samual, the boy giving her a smile and a thumbs up before she turned back with a sigh, “Thank you for your apology.”

Jax’s stomach did a flip. There was a thank you, but no forgiveness. It was expected, a bit disappointing, but also a good start.

You’re welcome

Riley’s face turned soft again, shifting her feet on the rug below her, “Penny, are you…can you speak to me?”

Pomni clenched her hands, grinning and trembling with excitement as she rushed over to the computer.

Hey Riles

Please don’t kill Jack when we get back

Riley sniffed, wiping a stray tear from her cheek, “I’ll try not to, but I’ll do it for you Pen. Oh my god I missed you so much.”

Pomni bit back her sob, if she missed her mother so much already, then the weight of missing Riley hit like a bag of bricks.

I missed you too

You’re making me cry Riles

“I can’t help it,” Riley laughed. “You’ve been gone for three months.”

I know

You have no idea how much I wanna hug you all – Penny (did that so you can tell who you’re talking to)

Jax hummed, amused by her quick choice, “Smart.”

She gave the rabbit a quick grin before she turned her gaze to the boy in the living room, tilting her head curiously.

Who’s that guy?

Jax followed her gaze, letting out a small gasp of realisation at who it was, “Samual Abel?!”

“Wait, you mean-?” she realised now who he was talking about.

“Penny, Jack,” Riley walked over to the boy. “This is Samual Abel, son of Kaleb and Quinn Abel. He’s gonna be helping us get you home.”

“Uh, yeah,” Samual replied nervously. “Hi again Mister Jack, nice to meet you Miss Penny. Um, I’m really sorry I couldn’t do more for you when Jason came up to you that day Jack.”

Jax frowned as his fingers reach for the keyboard again.

It was nobody’s fault but my own kid

I was the one who took up Jason’s offer

Don’t beat yourself up about it – Jack

“Copycat,” Pomni stuck her tongue out at him.

Jax chuckled, “Couldn’t help it little lady,”

“But I should have done something!” Samual stood so fast it nearly gave him whiplash. “Jason always does this! He knows it’s dangerous when people touch that stupid game! The moment he said where he was sending you I knew what job he was talking about! I could have stopped all this!”

Riley faced the boy, confused, “Game? What game?”

“That fucking game!” he cursed. “It’s been the root of all of our problems yet he never got rid of it! It started small with people disappearing in the company with headsets left behind, but then it started spreading somehow to the public! And now we lost the file! It keeps jumping from place to place and we can never catch it! All because Jason was too stubborn to get rid of it!”

“Sam, Sam, hey,” Riley clicked her fingers in front of his face, his attention solely focused on her. “What game are you talking about.”

Samual’s buried his face into his hands, a stressed groan leaving his mouth, “It was supposed to be a VR remake of the first game my dad made, but Jason kept making too many shaky choices with it. Then my parents disappeared. I hate that game… ‘The Amazing Digital Circus’.”

Pomni gasped, “That was the game I saw when I tried to find you!” She turned to Jax, “We’re stuck inside the game!”

“I-I remember!” Jax clenched his hands. “When I disappeared! That was the file I saw!”

It fell on deaf ears. “The reason why Jason wanted to send Jack away was because that was where the last person went missing, the last time we saw the file,” Samual told them. “He wanted to send Jack there as a way to retrieve the file and get back to working on the game again, even if he knew it wasn’t safe. Unfortunately the file routed its way back to this city and took Jack with him.”

“And then it took Penny,” Amber whispered.

“Okay,” Riley gathered herself, her mind settling back into business. “Jason sent Jack away and lied to everyone for all these years. That wasn’t your fault Samual.”

“But I-” he tried to speak.

“You told me that whenever you tried to speak up to talk to someone then Jason would get in the way and scare you into stopping,” she stated firmly. “Don’t blame yourself because a grown man was enough of a coward to bully a child.”

He looked like he was about to retort, but a stern glare from Riley was all that he needed to heed what she said, “Ok Miss Riley.”

“Next,” she moved on. “What should be our second course of action.”

Pomni quickly moved back to the computer.

No one else in the circus has their memories

Is there a way we can try and help them get them back? – Penny

“Oh, oh wait!” Samual piped up, an idea bright in his mind. “I overheard Jason talking about this. He has USB files of each person that went missing, including their past leading up to this point.”

“You overhear a lot of stuff kid,” Riley crossed her arms. “I didn’t mean that as a criticism, just observing.”

“Hehe, well, when you’ve been isolated from everyone and everything all your life you tend to get a bit bored,” Samual replied with a wry smile. “Case in point, eavesdropping on the guy you’re suspicious off in order to gather information.”

“So if we get the USB files and hook them into this computer,” Amber started to catch on.

“It could help get their memories back,” Samual finished. “I’ll get to see if my parents are there!”

“This is amazing!” Amber cheered. “Well, not fully amazing because their all still stuck but we’re getting somewhere. Oh wait till Winter hears about Jack being alive!”

A wide grin appeared on Jax’s face. Winter, his sister, he could finally see her again! Reassure her that he was alive-

“-Wait! No, no!” Riley quickly interjected, making everyone become quickly confused at her sudden outburst. “We can’t tell Winter, not yet at least.”

Amber blinked in surprise, “Honey, she’s your wife. She’s been missing Jack for so long, she needs to know the truth.”

Pomni watched as Jax’s ear twitch, a slight scowl was on his face. He didn’t like this one bit.

“I know that,” Riley said. “But you weren’t there when Jack was gone. She went nearly catatonic, unable to move, speak or eat. The devastation of losing him for so long nearly broke her. We nearly lost Percy in birth because of the impact. I…I can’t risk that happening again.”

A slow, angered breath released through Jax’s nose as he started to type again.

This is a mistake Riley

Winter deserves to know

You can’t keep this from her – Jack

Riley shook her head, “I’m doing this to protect her. It’s for her own good Jack.”

He wasn’t convinced, turning away from her. Riley shouldn’t have to make that choice for Winter, it wasn’t fair! She needed to know, not be kept in the dark!

Pomni patted his hand softly as she went to the keyboard.

But he’s right Riley – Penny

“I’ll tell her eventually,” Riley reassured everyone. “J-just not now, until I know for sure that everything will be fine.”

Pomni sighed. Riley was as stubborn as they came, there was no changing her mind with this.

Both rabbit and jester jumped when they heard the dinner bell ringing from outside the exit door. It was time to go.

We have to leave

You better know what you’re doing Riley – Penny

“What? But you just came back!” Riley cried.

Amber put a hand on her daughter’s shoulder, “Don’t worry. If this interaction has proved anything, they’ll be back.”

Riley was unconvinced, but if there was anyone she trusted more than anything, it was her mother. “Ok,” she nodded, “Just…please be safe Penny.”

I will

And like that, both rabbit and jester rushed out the door. They were able to make it on dinner on time, and Caine was none the wiser about what happened. But despite the feast laid out in front of him, everything that Riley said left a bitter taste in Jax’s mouth. After Penny, Winter was the one he was closest to out of anyone in his life. He might not have been the greatest person, but Winter was the furthest thing from bad. She was the reason that he started to believe that good things could happen in his life, and now Riley was refusing to tell her that he was here and alive.

It felt so wrong.

Pomni’s hand was on his leg, still yet reassuring. It was a silent confirmation that she was on his side about this. He laid his hand atop hers, making sure it was out of Caine’s sight. He squeezed it, hopefully things would be okay…they had to be.

“Riley…”

Black, everything was black.

“Riley…”

It was like she was stuck in inky tar, unable to move her feet, stuck in the black substance.

“Riley.”

She looked up, the redhead gasped as she saw one very familiar, visible figure.

“Penny?” Riley’s voice sounded louder in her ears.

The brunette was wearing the same outfit Riley had last seen her in, a plain white T-shirt and grey leggings. Though it looked dirtier than she last remembered, and why were her eyes shut?

“Why did you leave me?” Penny’s voice echoed.

Riley was startled by the sudden statement, “What?”

“You’re my big sister,” Penny mumbled. “You’re supposed to protect me…yet you didn’t.”

“No, Penny I didn’t mean for you to get trapped!” Riley yelled out for her. “I’m doing everything I can to bring you home!”

“You said you would always be there for me,” Penny whispered back. “You said that no matter what happens I would be safe if you were there…but you weren’t…you didn’t save me…you’re a liar.”

“I’m so sorry Penny,” Riley sobbed, hands on her leg as she tried to pull them out, but to no avail. “I’m really sorry!”

“Liar,” Penny repeated.

“Liar!”

“LIAR!”

“L̷̩͚̯̲̖͖̙͔̹̬̮͉̲̝̑̊̀́ͅỈ̸̢̹̝̝͓͔̟̠̌́́̆͝Á̵̬͎͛̐̑̔̃̈́̓R̶̳̪̩̹̳̬̻̜̫͇̓̏̀͐͒͂̚͠͝͝”

Riley gasped, trying to run but she was frozen solid in the ink. Suddenly, the darkness was replaced by thousands of multicoloured eyes staring at her as Penny drew closer.

The brunette grabbed Riley by the collar of her shirt. It was nothing but silence.

Then her eyes opened.

Riley screamed when she saw that they were as hollow and black as the ink.

Penny opened her mouth again, the same ink leaking out from her lips as she screeched one more time.

Ļ̷̨̛͚̙̭̖̩̥̝͇̮̻̼͍͎̗͉͍̦͖̹͎͔͈̞̰̟̯̩̝̠̻̫͕̱̝̎͊̽̈́̇̀͊̄̑͋̅͊̔̄͒̃̀͌̈́̏̈͆͐̋̓͐̾͛̊̈́̈́́̏̋̀̄̏̈̚̚͘͘̕̕͠ͅÌ̶̧̧̧̛̛̪͔̝͚̫͎̝̬͈̺̫̭̱̞̹͖̞̹̳̻͖̫͉̋̓͋̈́̓͂͗͐̈́̐̈͐̒͗͆̏͛̈̏͌͗͑̈́̐͐̔̂̊͊́͆͆̒̓̾̀̀̾͘̚̕̕̚͜͝ͅͅA̷̢̧̛̛̻̳̞̬̟͇̟̟͉͔̻̻͙̩̣͈̖̘͙̪̱͎̰͙̝͚̣͈̓͒̎͛̆̓̋͌̅̈́͂̏̎̈́̅̍̈̈́̆̕͜͝͠͝ͅR̴̡͈̞͔̮̻̩͋͂͑̚ͅ

Riley awoke with a scream tearing from her throat, her hands fisting the bed sheets beneath her. She failed her, she failed Penny, she couldn’t save her, she was nothing but a failure-

“Riley, Riley!” Winter reached out, taking her wife’s hands in hers. “It’s okay, see, everything is ok.”

Riley was still trembling, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Breathe with me babe,” Winter told her, taking deep breaths in and out again. Riley gulped down a sob, repeating her wife’s pattern. Eventually, she breath was even again and she was calm enough to see her surroundings. There was no ink, no eyes. She was in her bedroom with Winter as the other woman turned the lamp on beside the bed. “It’s okay, it was just a nightmare.”

She was about to bring Riley back into her arms, before the redhead pulled away and stood up, “Sorry I didn’t mean to wake you. I’ll go sleep in the guest room, to let you rest before work.”

“No, wait, Riley!” Winter shouted as her partner gathered up her pillow and a spare blanket. “I just wanna talk, you don’t have to do this.”

“I want to get some sleep before work, alright? Conversation over,” Riley stated, gathering what she needed in her arms before marching to the door.

“Riley enough!” Winter yelled, making Riley freeze in her tracks still facing the door. “We can’t keep doing this.”

“Doing what?” she retorted bitterly.

“You avoiding me,” Winter told her. “Especially when you’re hurting. You can’t keep pretending that I don’t exist just because you’re too scared to talk about Penny.”

Riley bit her tongue, nearly drawing blood, “I’m not scared Winter. Stop it.”

“Where were you last night?” Winter questioned, unrelenting. “Yesterday you wouldn’t answer your phone after I tried calling you for hours. Where were you?”

Riley couldn’t say, she couldn’t. If Winter was told about Jack, she feared about what could happen. She still remembered Winter’s pale face, nearly slipping in and out of consciousness during Percy’s C-section. She nearly lost both her wife and her son that day. She couldn’t tell her, it’s for her own good.

“My mom’s house, my phone was on silent,” she said, her voice void of emotion. “I’m tired.”

She slammed the door behind her, leaving Winter all alone. The black-haired woman brought her knees to her chest, too exhausted to cry. Too tired to keep having these moments with Riley. She would give anything just to have her wife back.

“Well good morning little lady,” Jax bowed as he walked out of his room the next morning. “And how was your sleep last night?”

“Aren’t we supposed to be subtle?” Pomni placed her hands on her hips. “Cause as far as I can’t tell, I don’t think this is what it’s supposed to be.”

“But it made you smile, right?” he smirked.

Pomni blushed, he was right, she was smiling, “Shut up.”

He chuckled, nudging his head to the direction down the hallway, “Hungry?”

“Yeah, I could eat,” Pomni nodded. She was about to walk beside him when she noticed something in the corner of a door from one of the past circus members. She cocked her head to the side as she inspected it further.

Jax paused in his tracks when he noticed that his fiancé wasn’t next to him, “Pen?” He saw her staring at the door of an old string-worm character, coming up behind her carefully so he wouldn’t spook her. “What is it?”

“Do you see that?” she inquired.

“See what?” he asked.

She pointed to the corner, “That.”

Jax’s eyes squinted as he followed her fingers, they widened when they finally noticed what Pomni was talking about. The corner was glitching, similar to how Ragatha was when Kaufmo attacked her on the jester’s first day. “How is this possible?” Pomni observed.

“I…I don’t know,” Jax replied honestly. “I don’t think we’ve seen anything like this.”

Suddenly, the glitch sparked wildly and loudly, making them jump back in surprise. It started to spread across the door, erasing the face of the string worm with its flashing colours. Jax held Pomni protectively, guiding her away from the door as they stepped away slowly. They watched as little by little, it swallowed up the door, before disappearing entirely.

Both of them panted in surprise, this wasn’t good. It wasn’t good at all. “I think we need to hurry with our escape plan,” Pomni told the rabbit holding her.

“Agreed,” Jax nodded. “We’re on a timer Pomni.”

“The question is how long do we have?” her voice shook slightly, gripping onto him.

“Long enough for us to get out of here,” he told her, reassurance in his voice. “That much I know.”

“O-okay,” Pomni hated that she was stuttering, but the sudden fright of what happened didn’t seem to be letting go of her anytime soon.

“Come on, let’s get downstairs before Caine tries to find us,” Jax stood, holding out his hand and helping up the jester.

While the two walked down the hallway, they couldn’t ignore the sinking feeling of what just happened. Did they really not have enough time? Was it just another strange part of this world?

Those questions rung through their mind as they walked down the hall, unaware of a second little glitch behind them in another little corner of the hall.

#the amazing digital circus #jax #pomni #pomnijax #funnybunny #ragatha #gangle #kinger #zooble #caine #bubble #my writing #dragon rambles #fanfiction #fanfic #ao3 #jax x pomni #pomni x jax #jaxni

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mins-fins · 8 months

Text

GENESIS (P.GW)

SUMMARY . . . even with everything hectic going on in his life, he will always be there for him.

PAIRING . . . park gunwook x male!reader

GENRE . . . fluff, angst

WARNINGS . . . mentions of sleep deprivation, and neglectful parenting

WORD COUNT . . . 1.7k

NOTES . . . this is how i cope with the fact that pretty much no one in my household cares about me or my well-being, or even respects me (the baby who can't speak loves me more than the sentient adults and children do) enough of that depressing stuff though because i love gunwook yay!

"seojun chew your food! stop spitting at haneul!"

"i— yuri! don't throw your food! i have to clean that later, you know!"

if you can't tell, y/n is currently at the end of the line right now. he groans and lets his head fall onto the counter, listening to the back and forth bickering of his three child siblings. it's 6:49 pm, and he is so so tired.

for the past four hours all he's simply been taking care of his brothers and sister, like he always does on the weekdays when he isn't working. he dislikes feeling tired; because there's still so much more to do even if they're already in the evening.

y/n can't remember the last time he earned a proper break, or was actually treated his age. his mom (who he absolutely despises at the moment and will probably despise forever), decided to have kids right when her son began high school, which means that he is now an eighteen year old high school graduate with two four year old boys and a three year old girl on his hands.

and y/n is as stressed as can be. it's not like before his mother was this amazing, flawless parent who did a good job at raising him, she wasn't, he had to learn every single basic life skill on his own because his mom was busy gambling away their money.

when he was ten she swore to him that he'd get better.

but she never really did.

and now she's out throwing all her money away at the casino, whilst he stays over at home making sure her kids are well fed, can sleep properly at night, and don't kill each other as they're trying to do now.

y/n knows it's not his job to do this, these aren't his kids, he can move out any time he pleases and leave his mom to actually have responsibility over her own children for once in her life, but he just doesn't have the heart to leave them.

he's practically raised these kids since the first day they came home from the hospital. he's the one who gave the twins their nicknames, the one who was present when all three of them walked for the first time, spoke their first words, began responding to him and what he'd say.

they're not his kids, he didn't choose to bring them into this world, but at the same time, he won't just leave them. he's been.. searching, trying to find a place whilst also trying to provide for his siblings at the same time, he barely makes minimum wage, he doesn't even know if he could rent a place.

as he stares at his young siblings, now cleaned up and simply watching cartoons while sitting on the couch. he sighs, simply wanting to collapse onto the floor and not get up for a long amount of time and just.. not exist anymore.

sometimes it gets so difficult, having to go to school five days a week, pick up his siblings from daycare then proceed to take care of them until their bedtime, make sure the house is clean, then watch as his mom strolls in at midnight, having wasted her money and usually wasted herself. he'd then work for a full 10 hours on saturday and sunday.

wow, his life is crazy is it not?

and he just turned eighteen like.. yesterday.

it pisses him off, yeah, but at the end of the day, he just deals with the circumstances of his life. he's gotten used to being the responsible one, being the one who takes care of the kids and is constantly sleep deprived.

y/n is about to fall asleep on the kitchen counter, the sound of the tv playing just melting into the air as he feels his eyes grow heavier and heavier by the second. his head is about to fall onto the counter when the doorbell rings, startling him.

y/n rubs his eyes, attempting to blink away the tiredness as he stands up and walks towards the door. he tells his siblings to continue watching tv and ignore it, when he opens the door, he smiles at who he sees.

"gunwook".

gunwook smiles, holding up a plastic bag. y/n tilts his head, raising an eyebrow. "what is in that exactly?" he inquires, and his boyfriend chuckles at him.

"candy" he responds simply. the three kids on the couch immediately perk up at the sound of the word "candy", toothy grins coming to their face.

"candy!?" haneul squeals, practically sprinting his way towards gunwook, he jumps up and down, seemingly energetic before even eating the sugary treats.

"if you want candy, sit down okay?" y/n places his hand on his head, ruffling his hair. haneul stares at his older brother, his boyfriend, then back at the couch where his own siblings are kicking their feet.

haneul shuffles his way back to the couch, and gunwook closes the door. y/n stares at him tiredly, but he smiles at the sight of him. "candy at seven pm? really?"

"what? your siblings deserve something sweet!"

"well, you didn't just witness them trying to kill each other with spaghetti, did you?"

gunwook shoves his partner's shoulder lightly, and y/n laughs. "okay, not too much candy, they have to sleep at night" he just earns a grin from gunwook, who nods.

"i got it y/n, you tell me all the time".

"you buy my siblings sweets all the time".

"because i love them" gunwook opens the bag as he says those words, and haneul gasps in delight. "just one piece, okay? your bedtime is soon".

seojun agrees, his voice muffled because of the treat he's chewing. haneul nods happily, and yuri gives a thumbs up, kicking her feet. gunwook gives the three a huge smile, enamored but their cuteness.

y/n stares at the scene unfolding before him, smiling fondly as he watches. gunwook isn't a kid person, but gunwook adores his siblings, always willing to come over to just see them.

the two have been dating for maybe half a year, but they've been friends for much longer than that. gunwook knows about y/n's situation, how he's stuck taking care of siblings because even though he wants to leave, he doesn't have the heart to leave them because his mom can't provide for them.

gunwook usually always comes over, whenever y/n is especially tired and simply feels like he can't do anything, gunwook will keep his siblings company as he collects himself.

of course, having to take care of your three child siblings whilst just becoming an adult yourself can take a huge mental toll on someone, and y/n isn't really doing well in this situation.

he blinks and sighs, covering his face in his hands as he feels his body about to slump over. he really just wants to fall on the floor and not wake up for a super long time.

when he focuses again, gunwook is now coloring with the three, who (surprisingly) stopped eating their candy and didn't ask for any more. gunwook has always had this power, he's always been able to easily calm down the kids amazingly.

a sort of charm, maybe.

gunwook notices his partners silence and turns to look at him, blinking. "y/n? everything okay?"

y/n hums, focusing once more. "yeah just.. tired".

gunwook stares, a knowing glint in his eye. he then looks back to the three coloring and smiles at them. "you guys continue, okay? i'm just gonna go talk to y/n".

the three nod, quickly going back to their coloring sheets and completely ignoring when gunwook stands up and turns y/n's way.

y/n is confused for a moment, he's about to question what gunwook meant but he quickly wraps an arm around his waist, nudging him lightly in the waist as they begin walking down the hallway.

"when was the last time you got a full eight hours of sleep, babe?" he immediately asks when the two of them are far away enough from the kids, y/n chuckles depressingly, because they both already know the answer to that question.

"do my eye bags not give it away?"

y/n laughs awkwardly, and gunwook simply glares at him.

"y/n" gunwook grabs his hands, and y/n shuts his eyes. "you really need to leave, what? are you gonna do this forever?"

"i'm not i just—" y/n pauses, god he's so tired, he feels like he can barely get his words out at this point. "i can't leave, it feels selfish to leave".

"it's not selfish to leave if your already doing everything, y/n, think about yourself, please?"

gunwook's words are said simply, he doesn't raise his voice, his tone doesn't change, he just tells it to y/n how it is, he tells him his opinion calmly and without issue.

ah, charms.. as usual.

y/n grasps his hands harder, as if he never wants to let go. he processes the words but he can't find a way to respond to them, for some reason. he blinks, staying quiet.

"i'll find you something y/n" gunwook whispers. "and you'll finally be able to live your own life, and take care of yourself, and.. you'll be fine".

y/n laughs silently. "your corny".

"corny? really?"

y/n laughs again.

"y/n, i just want you to be happy, you deserve to be happy, you deserve good things" gunwook says, and y/n somehow keeps the tears from falling from his eyes.

y/n lightly nudges him, and gunwook puts his arm around his waist once again. "you are corny".

"you love my corniness".

"yes, yes i do, how'd you know?"

they laugh, and y/n takes a few more seconds to simply stare fondly at gunwook. of course, his life wasn't ideal, his life wasn't amazing, he had many struggles it'd take a while to deal with.

but he had gunwook, gunwook was there for him, and that was more than enough.

gunwook was there for him.

and he's always will be.

#park gunwook #zerobaseone #zb1 #zb1 gunwook #park gunwook x reader #zb1 imagines #zb1 scenarios #zb1 drabbles #park gunwook imagines #𑁍 ࣪˖ 𓂃 isa's works!

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yumeka-sxf · 1 year

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A chronological analysis on Twilight and Yor - Part 5

*This is part of an ongoing post series. If you missed the Introduction/Part 1, click here*

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Anya and Yor have their first mother/daughter bonding experience when they go to the tailors to pick up Anya's Eden uniform. No doubt due to raising Yuri on her own, Yor is a good mother to Anya right from the start (despite her one slip up during their first outing where Anya read her thoughts about accidentally breaking Yuri's ribs…but Anya got over it quickly!) As she watches Anya in all her childhood innocence, showing off her uniform to everyone she meets, Yor thinks to herself that she wants to be a better mother even if their family is just for show. We see that she still has her default "robotic" expression that she had since her introduction episode.

As I mentioned before, Yor doesn't have Twilight's aversion to becoming attached to others. Her whole life up to then had revolved around her attachment to Yuri after all. While at this point in the series she's still prioritizing her cover up, she sees nothing wrong with growing closer to Anya, especially after remembering that Anya said she wanted to be with her mama and papa forever.

When the thugs kidnap Anya, Yor again goes "mama bear" mode. But unlike during the interview, she has no reason to hesitate with showing them her full strength. She seems particularly angry that they think she's Anya's nanny, probably because she had just decided she wants to be Anya's mother, yet even these lowlifes can't see her as mother material.

Even though she scares the thugs away, she immediately thinks she's a failure of a mother because she ruined the groceries during her outburst. But after Anya tells her that she loves her cool, strong mama and wants to be like her, Yor's confidence comes back. This is the key moment where she decides that even if she can't be like other mothers, she still wants to do her best in the role.

It's also at this point that Yor's default expression changes. While before she rarely smiled and was expressionless most of the time, that starts to shift. There's way too many examples to mention, but from here on she's constantly smiling sweetly at Loid and Anya whenever she's with them (even though she does occasionally mistake Loid's spy gusto for fatherly enthusiasm).

But especially whenever Anya does something endearing, she always showers her with motherly smiles and encouraging words. The first good example of this is during their next family outing at the Berlint aquarium.

She also continues to be sensitive to Loid's well being, noticing a few times how tired he seems during the trip (even though he insists on pushing himself).

But, as is the charm of Spy x Family's humor, Yor lovingly misinterprets Loid's discreet cues about his mission and ends up thwarting him further, for example, when she thinks it would help their cover if they hang out with the neighbors to show off what a good family they are, not knowing that would hinder his chances of sneaking away.

We also continue to see how quickly Yor will fiercely attack anyone who threatens Anya – Anya need only say that she's being kidnapped and Yor immediately kicks the guy into the ceiling without a second thought (well, she does admit her haste after the fact). As much as Yor wants to be "normal," all that goes out the window whenever one of her loved ones is being threatened.

After making it through both the mission and the aquarium trip, we get a notable scene at the end of the episode where Twilight buys Anya a giant penguin plush (despite his exhaustion that day, his father skills continue to improve). After putting on his whole Loid Forger act for the neighbors, we see that internally he's fed up with how much work WISE has been giving him. He thinks to himself that he's going to complain about it and request a vacation. However, we then get another "softly emphasized" scene from his POV of an adorably happy Anya clutching her new penguin plush, and Yor smiling at her with motherly tenderness.

I discussed these kinds of scenes previously – scenes that emanate comfort and warmth in his eyes despite him trying to suppress those feelings. In this case, watching Anya and Yor sharing such a happy moment touched him to the point of immediately retracting what he just said. Of course, he won't say that it did or even give a facial expression that matches his feelings. But it's clear that, despite his exhaustion, seeing how happy his (fake) wife and (fake) daughter are living a peaceful life, provides enough motivation for him to continue his missions without rest.

Twilight's perfect spy composure gets broken down further when he snaps at Anya for trying to innocently go into his room while playing with Penguinman. When Anya's crying won't be quelled, he does something extremely unfitting for a spy – he also "plays" with Penguinman, giving it a silly voice, moving its flipper in exaggerated gestures, and having it tell Anya that she needs to stop crying "for the sake of world peace" (Yor follows his lead and does the same with Anya's toy robot).

Even when Anya decides to continue their game out in public, Twilight and Yor go along with it. I definitely think that past Twilight would have tried a more "by the book" tactic, like callously bribing Anya with something she likes to make her stop crying. Even though this is what eventually calmed her down (buying her peanuts), the fact that Twilight was willing to do something super embarrassing but more fatherly, all without any begrudging thoughts, shows his improved parenting skills.

To be continued in Part 6...

Note: Even though the Berlint aquarium episode was the last in cour 1 of season 1 of the anime, in the manga it takes place sooner. Since it's a side story, there are several places in the early part of the episodes/chapters where it fits in the chronology. I felt this was a good place in my post series to discuss it, but the chronology for these standalone episodes isn't strict. Just wanted to mention this so nobody thinks I'm skipping episodes 7-11!

<- Return to Part 4

Continue to Part 6 ->

#twiyor #sxf analysis #spy family #spy x family #sxf #spyxfamily #loid forger #yor forger #loid x yor #loidyor #sxf meta

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artemiszy · 2 years

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THERE IS NO HAPPINESS | Kokushibo X Wife!Reader

Kokushibo x Wife!Reader | One-shot

"Kokushibo was a man who made a lot of mistakes during his life, but loving his wife certainly wasn't one of them, even if she too made the same mistakes."

WARNING. angst, abandonment, weird relationship(?), swearing, death, light gore(I think), manga spoilers. FEMALE READER

The Toyosaki clan was known and prosperous thanks to its reputation for possessing the most beautiful and sweetest women. Sons were kept in their own clan, while daughters were promised to powerful leaders and strong samurai.

And with (Name) it was no different.

As the third daughter of the current clan head and his wife, (Name) was only ten years old when she was betrothed to the firstborn of another clan. It was to be expected, one of her older sisters was already married and the other was engaged too, (Name) just nodded when she got the news.

At least her future husband would be kind. (Name) shuddered to remember that one of her cousins was unhappily married to a cruel, older man, but he was rich and had a reputation, and that was what mattered anyway...

(Name) was a silent child whose expression was always neutral towards everything around her, but she felt relieved when she was informed about the age of her future husband. A boy who was only two years older than (Name), a future samurai and leader. Until she was very curious to meet him.

It took about three or four months for (Name) to meet him in person, the day the clans got together to do business with each other. (Name) stayed with her eldest sister, the second daughter of Lord Toyosaki, who was fourteen years old, was the closest sister to (Name).

— "Nervous?" — Yuri's low words rang in (Name)'s ear.

(Name)'s face rose from her hands clasped under her folded legs above the mat, and she looked at her older sister. — "No."

Maybe it was a lie, after all, (Name) was in new territory, one that he would now live with more often.

— "I can see your little hands trembling, dear sister." — Yuri laughed as he tucked one of (Name)'s (h/c) behind her ear. — "Don't worry, I felt that way too the day I met Yoshimatsu-kun." — She smiled. — "You'll soon realize that things are going to work out for the best."

(Name) remembers that day, it was a year ago when during spring her sister Yuri went with her father and clan companions to officiate her engagement to Yoshimatsu of the Tanifuji clan. (Name) has yet to meet him as at that time she decided to stay with her mother, who could give birth to her younger brother at any time.

According to Yuri's words, Yoshimatsu was like one of the princes of the novels read by her sister, a kind man and a lover of the arts. (Name) still expected her future husband to be kind.

Now it was spring again.

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Her future husband's name was Michikatsu Tsugikuni. (Name) first saw him while walking through the engawa with her sister and other ladies, she saw him training with a master in the estate's garden. At that moment she didn't know it was him, although her eyes met and they both stared at each other for a few seconds before they were brought back to reality.

(Name) only found out a few moments after she was finally alone and overheard a conversation between handmaidens.

— "I feel bad for the Toyosaki girl." — One of the servants whispered to the other within a region of the residence.

(Name)'s footsteps stopped at these words. Wait, were they talking about her? The girl looked into the room carefully so as not to be seen thanks to the half-open door.

— "So it is." — The other agreed. — "How did Lord Toyosaki allow (Name)-sama to marry second choice?"

Those servants seemed not to want to be heard at all.

Second option?

— "Hey! Watch your words." — The first handmaiden gave a whispery cry.

— "But it's true, the stronger son fled and what was left for the Tsugikuni was to entrust the clan to the weaker son!"

— "But look on the bright side." — The other chuckled mischievously. — "With the arrival of the Toyosaki maybe we can meet some handsome boys from the clan..."

The servants laughed and talked to each other about trivial matters now, outside, (Name) was sitting on the floor leaning against a wall now a little far from the room, thinking about what she heard.

Strongest son? Weakest son?

She remembers only once hearing around that Michikatsu had a twin brother, but she ended up putting that aside as she wasn't interested.

— "What are you doing there?" — A boyish male voice caught the attention of (Name), when she looked at him she realized it was the same boy as before, until he widened his eyes when she looked at him with those big confused and beautiful eyes. — "(Name)-sama?!"

(Name) quickly got up and covered the boy's mouth making "shhh", then looking back to make sure the handmaids didn't hear, and seeing that they didn't, she grabbed the boy's hand and pulled him out of there.

— "What were you talking about there?" — The boy asked with a slight distress and concern in his voice.

— "I overheard a conversation and…" — (Name) looked right at the boy. — ...Hmm? Wait. Michikatsu-sama?"

— "Y-Yes..."

(Name) blinked. — "Oh."

The two were silent.

— "..."

— "...So, you are my future wife...?"

— "...I am."

— "Oh."

— "..."

Michikatsu scratched his cheek and looked away with a faint pink blush appearing on his face. — "You... you're beautiful..."

— "..." — (Name) gave a small smile of happiness. — "Thanks."

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It was clear that (Name) wanted a love match, so she was happy when she was able to spend more time with her future husband thanks to certain meetings. Friendship became love in a matter of just a single year.

At sixteen, (Name) married Michikatsu. A year later she had her first child, Tsukihiro.

During this period of time, (Name) watched her husband become a stronger and more skilled man, she admired this, his dedication and talent, although she felt that sometimes something bothered her.

Two more years passed before Michikatsu approached (Name) with news.

— "(Name)..."

— "Hmm?" — (Name) looked at him as her finished feeding little Tsukihiro boiled rice.

There was also a small bulge in (Name)'s belly area below her kimono, indicating that she was expecting a baby in the next few months.

Her husband sighed and sat down on the mat beside her as Tsukihiro's face rejoiced to see his father.

— "My brother is back..." — Michikatsu informed her.

(Name) had a surprised reaction, she had already heard about Yoriichi, her husband's talented twin brother. Michikatsu talked about him in more detail at certain times, such as when Yoriichi had to live in a cubicle room and never said anything to the point where the twins' mother thought her youngest son was deaf.

Or when he ran away just so his brother wouldn't be left out.

— "(Name)..." — He began. — "Have you ever heard of demons?"

Demons. (Name) remembers hearing stories as a child of hungry beasts that fed on humans after sunset. Once, at dawn, Yuri approached (Name) in the dead of night and whispered about having heard around that a beast had torn apart a group of men in the southern mountains, it had been a terrible damage to be the work of animals.

Demons. That was the answer given by people considered crazy.

— "Once... when I was a kid... my father yelled at me and my sister when we mentioned demons." — (Name) whispered, looking down at the small bowl in her hands of nearly finished rice. — "He said we shouldn't talk nonsense."

— "They are real."

— "I know. I believe."

— "I was attacked by one."

(Name)'s eyes widened and she nearly dropped the bowl. Thanks to his samurai duties, Michikatsu often spent days and even weeks away. But (Name) could never have imagined that something related to demons would have happened this last time.

Wait, is that why Yoriichi came back?

— "I lost all my men in a demonic attack, that's when my brother arrived in time and saved me..."

— "What?" — (Name) dropped the bowl on the chabudai table as Tsukihiro was too busy playing with his father's hair to finish eating or even think about listening to the conversation between the adults. — "How did he do it?"

Michikatsu sighed as he felt a slight tug on his ponytail. — "He used a sword with a nichirin blade and... a breath."

— "Breath?"

— "You won't understand if you start to explain... but know that it's something powerful that helps to kill demons." — Michikatsu explained. — "There is a corps of swordsmen who hunt and kill demons, my brother is there and taught the other men derivations of his breath." — He seemed a little hesitant to continue. — "And I decided to join them."

(Name) was speechless, kept her gaze calm. That was dangerous, her husband would be at risk if he went. No…he was strong, one of the strongest she'd ever seen. He could manage, after all, he wouldn't be alone, his brother and companions would be there.

He's going to be fine... or at least that's what (Name) deeply prayed for.

— "I... I..." — (Name) tried to start a sentence.

— "From your reaction I don't think it's something you liked very much." — Michikatsu took a deep breath as he relaxed his body and tilted his head up.

— "I won't deny it, I didn't like that idea very much." — (Name) pulled her adorable restless son close to her so he could finish his meal and then sleep. — "I worry about you..."

Michikatsu tilted his face towards her, gave a small smile and approached her. — "Do not worry, I'll be fine." — He held (Name)'s porcelain face and placed a kiss on her lips, hearing an "eeew" from Tsukihiro. — "Don't you trust me?"

— "I trust, of course I trust!" — (Name) seemed to hesitate a little. — "B-But..." — She felt her baby move in her womb, perhaps because she was a little nervous to imagine her husband in the midst of demons, enemies much more dangerous and powerful than humans.

— "I'll be fine." — Michikatsu leaned his forehead against his wife's while still caressing her face.

— "You'll be back all right, promise?"

— "Promise."

The moment Michikatsu left, (Name) felt a tug on the fabric of the kimono on her shoulder.

— "Okaa-san!" — Tsukihiro exclaimed with a mouth full of rice. — "Where Otou-san is going?"

(Name) laughed and wiped her son's mouth, finding it adorable that he is so playful and already knows how to speak several words, even if he sometimes misses the pronunciation.

— "Work, dear…" — She smiled and hugged her son. — "You're going to miss him, aren't you?"

— "Uhm..." — Tsukihiro grumbled with his face buried in his mother's kimono.

— "Me too..."

Even though she believed in her husband, (Name) didn't feel a good feeling.

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Her husband's presence became less frequent, (Name) received news about Michikatsu's status at the hunters' headquarters and felt relieved that he was well.

However (Name) was furious and devastated when Michikatsu failed to attend the birth of Tsuyami, her newborn daughter.

It didn't take long for her to realize that something was really wrong. Michikatsu's gaze and the way his lips seemed to spit out his twin's name... (Name) recognized that this was not normal, and her suspicions were reinforced when she found her husband in a grueling training session during the night.

— "Michikatsu?" — (Name) strained her eyes to see under the rain her husband soaked by the drops but not letting go of the sword he used to slash the air.

He did not answer.

— "Michikatsu... what are you doing there at this hour?" — (Name) sighed with concern. — "Please... go back inside, I don't want you to get sick."

Again there was no response.

— "Michi--"

— "I have to become stronger..."

— "Hm?"

— "My brother... I have to get over him..." — Michikatsu growled in a mutter.

— "...What?" — (Name) squeezed the handle of the intern. — "...Michikatsu, go back inside." — Her voice was more serious.

Again there was no response, and the samurai continued to slash at the non-existent opponent with his blade.

(Name) dropped her flashlight on the engawa floor and walked quickly across the wet lawn to her husband in the rain, getting wet in the process, but that was not important.

— "Listen me!" — She grabbed Michikatsu's wrist. — "Stop it! You're already crossing the line! I don't want you to harm yourself!" — Her look was incredulous for that situation. — "How long have you been doing this, huh?!"

— "(Name)... go back inside." — He growled.

— "No!" — Her voice was raised as she brushed strands of wet hair from her face thanks to the rain. — "Look at you! Your training is too intense! It's going to end up hurting you!"

— "Fuck!" — Michikatsu turned to face her. — "I need to become stronger than my brother!" — He yelled.

(Name) blinked with a confused face, before her writhed in rage again. — "So that's it?! You'd die if it made you better than your brother by any chance?! What's on your mind?! You're obsessed!"

Michikatsu's jaw clenched.

— "This... this is madness..." — Now (Name)'s voice was one of sadness, melancholy. — "I don't want you to keep hurting yourself..."

He was hurting himself… gnawing and eating away at his blood and sweat and even his last hair to make himself stronger. While his younger brother didn't need any of that.

He was already strong without even training.

That thought was a reminder, and it made Michikatsu furious.

(...)

Days passed, Michikatsu left on a mission and no further news. (Name) feared the worst.

Until when a whole week has graduated, he comes back.

— "Michi?" — (Name) wept with relief to see her husband appear in the doorway.

Tsukihiro rejoices and tries to hug his father's leg, but the grown man walks in a specific direction, ignoring both his children and his wife. The now four year old boy stands static in the same place where his father was before, his face surprised and even in shock at how rough Michikatsu was when he passed by.

— "..." — (Name) looked in the direction Michikatsu had gone. — "Michi! What was that?"

No reply.

— "Otou-san!" — Tsukihiro ran after Michikatsu, disappearing from (Name)'s sight.

(Name) looked down into her arms and saw her daughter fidgeting and whimpering. Before she could get up and go after her son and husband, both of them appear, Tsukihiro trying to call out to Michikatsu and being ignored by him.

— "Michikatsu, why are you ignoring him?" — (Name) asks with concern, feeling the sadness in her son.

He ignores her.

— "Hey!" — (Name) gets up carefully so as not to disturb Tsuyami. — "Why do not you speak?"

— "Otou-san!" — Tsukihiro tries to get his father's attention by pulling on his hakama pants, but the boy just fell back when Michikatsu opened the shoji door without even looking back.

— "Goodbye."

Michikatsu Tsugikuni disappeared after that night.

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Everything was in chaos. Michikatsu's disappearance and his alleged family abandonment had thrown everything into chaos.

Tsukihiro couldn't stop crying and asking where his father was, and his crying resulted in Tsuyami crying. (Name) didn't know what to do, of all there she was certainly the most broken. Her husband left her without a word, left her and her children.

Things got even more tense when Yoriichi showed up at her house to let her know what happened.

Michikatsu abandoned his humanity and was now a demon. (Name) couldn't help but cry, Yoriichi gave her a shoulder for it.

And things got even worse when at the door of her property appeared other slayers demanding that (Name) commit sepukku with Yoriichi thanks to what Michikatsu have done.

(Name) thought about it, but who was she kidding? She wouldn't have the courage.

Two months passed. Two months of pure pain and conflict. During this period of time things became tense internally, Tsukihiro was supposed to become the next head of the clan as Michikatsu had been presumed "dead" and Yoriichi... well, Yoriichi was no longer an option. Tsukihiro was still too young for that, a child barely five years old, so much trouble.

(Name) just couldn't handle the whole situation, the pressure of her "new" clan and the abandonment of her husband, to make matters worse, she still had to live with the comments of people who found her situation funny.

Sometimes (Name) wished these people would die.

Her only hope now was her children, her only joy, though Tsukihiro was still upset and Tsuyami was too young to even understand what was happening. (Name) was doing her best to keep them well.

(...)

Things changed again a few days after the arrival of spring, this time in a much more drastic and intense way.

— "Nice night, don't you think?"

The unfamiliar male voice made (Name)'s eyes widen. The voice had a soft tone but there was still something about it that made its owner scream danger.

(Name) released the flower from the mansion's garden and turned her face towards the subject. He was a man much taller than she was, a handsome man she had never seen before. Curly black hair and eyes the brightest blood red.

How did he get in here?

— "Who are you...?"

The man smiled, a smile that despite looking friendly was still an evil smile. — "I am the one known as the Demon King."

Muzan Kibutsuji.

Silence. Total silence with only the noise of crickets and owls.

A wind hit (Name)'s face before she could say anything. — "...Why are you here?"

— "Your husband misses you." — The man's laugh made her shiver.

(Name) felt her chest tighten at the mention of her husband, but she tried to remain steadfast in the face of the whole situation. She knew how dangerous the Demon King was, Yoriichi had warned her.

— "That... that doesn't answer my question."

Still looking satisfied with the situation, Muzan took a few slow steps forward with the intention of getting a few meters closer to the woman.

— "Why don't you become a demon?"

— "What?"

— "I've been watching you for a while after I got Kokushibo, and I have to admit... you would be a great demon."

It was as if there was venom in his voice, those words were mean and there wasn't an ounce of genuineness in them. He was trying to manipulate her. After what Yoriichi did to Muzan, it was clear that he would need allies.

— "..." — (Name) stared at him without reaction.

— 'Think about it, you will be strong and fear nothing more." — The man's voice was strangely anxious. — "You will never grow old and will remain young for all eternity."

(Name)'s face lowered, her gaze fixed on the lawn as her hand trembled slightly, squeezing the hem of her kimono.

She knew she had no choice, by the time the Demon King appeared before her she was already doomed. Muzan wasn't the type to take a "no" and walk away. No... (Name) was smart enough to understand what would happen. He would kill her and then annihilate everyone on this property.

Including Tsukihiro and Tsuyami.

And it had been almost a month since the last time Yoriichi showed up, he wouldn't be able to help anyone in that situation.

It was the moment (Name) felt Muzan's hand enter her chest and pump his blood that she realized that maybe she wasn't that different from her husband.

She blacked out.

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A again everything has changed.

(Name) did not have the courage to appear to her children after that night, she was afraid that they would fear her or that she would hurt them. So she stood in the shadows watching everything, shedding tears at the loss of the sparkle in Tsukihiro's eyes after losing his mother and father in such a short period of time, before such a joyful and full of life child.

Like Michikatsu, (Name) was also presumed dead. It was at her "funeral" that (Name) saw her sister Yuri for the first time in so long.

She had to walk away after that day.

Meanwhile Michikatsu, no... Kokushibo, now the demon who craved more and more for power to overcome his brother no matter what, his vision was clouded by hatred and rancor that only realized that sixty years had passed when he found his brother again.

A old man, but alive, and even stronger than his brother.

Kokushibo was furious. Why was his brother still alive?! He should have died years ago for the mark!

He got even angrier when even old, his brother managed to hurt him. Nothing changed.

But his mind became even more clouded when the attack that would kill him never came, as Yoriichi had died standing up with his sword still in hand. That's when he realized that not even that man could defeat him, no one could even hurt him.

He made his older brother feel pathetic.

Kokushibo's mind screamed in rage as he cut the other twin's already dead body in two. But his mind was cleared when he saw the flute fall to the ground.

— "I think of that flute you gave me... as if it were you, brother." — A young Yoriichi smiled at the flute in his hands.

— "..."

— "I made a flute for my brother a few years ago, you know?" — A thirteen-year-old Michikatsu smiled at a (Name) of the same age as he practiced with his wooden sword.

— "Serious?" — She smiled. — "How cute! You really love your brother, don't you?"

Yoriichi... (Name)...

— "What did you do?"

That familiar voice... The man felt as if his body had stopped working for a moment.

He looked back over his shoulder and his six eyes widened at the sight of that familiar figure beneath the red moon. There she was, just as he had last seen her. The same simple yet beautiful kimono; the soft skin and delicate face; the same hair (h/c).

She looked at him with an emotionless face but at the same time there seemed to be surprise in those eyes. Those eyes that now distinguished that she was no longer human. The whites of her eyes had been replaced by black and the iris of her eyes were now white instead of (e/c).

Despite everything, she still remained the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

— "...(Name)..."

She did not answer. Instead her eyes were empty but not from sadness or melancholy, it was as if she had forgotten what it felt like to feel something. There was nothing in those eyes.

(Name) just passed by Kokushibo to see Yoriichi's body. — "Bury him, at least give him a decent burial."

Yoriichi was his brother after all.

He could feel it, that woman was a strong demon, something that had killed so many people.

During the short period of time that both of them got together to bury the dead man's body, neither of them said a word, although Kokushibo felt the burning in his chest to confront her, even though at no point did she look at him in the face.

The two buried Yoriichi in the same spot that his now-deceased wife had been buried. Then (Name) disappeared along with a mist that was probably part of her kekkijutsu.

Now husband and wife were two strangers.

(...)

About fifty more years passed. Things change again. Kokushibo, who now held the rank of "upper moon one" received the information that there was a demon rising very fast in the hierarchy, and that he was currently in the rank of "upper four".

Another year later and the demon has risen to "upper three".

Another year and the demon has risen to "upper two".

Afterwards Kokushibo received news that this demon had now become powerful enough to share the rank of "upper one" with him. And that left him seething with hatred.

Who was the bastard who was able to match his strength with his?

His bad thoughts faded and were replaced by surprise when Kokushibo was finally introduced to the demon.

And there she was again. With the same emotionless face and empty eyes.

— "(Name)..."

She didn't answer, but she blinked.

— "When did it get so strong?"

— "Just like you."

The more they feed, the more powerful the demons get. And by how quickly (Name) rose through the ranks it can only mean that she killed a lot of people at once.

You could see in the depths of those soft but opaque eyes, (Name) was a demon that craved power, a blank crockery, there was no emotion on her face other than the desire to have more strength.

And despite being his wife, Kokushibo would not allow (Name) to surpass him as a demon in the same way that Yoriichi surpassed him as a human.

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— "Ara ara~ (Name)-chan is always so serious!" — Douma's irritating voice rang out.

— "Shut up, worm." — Akaza growled.

(Name) just ignored the fight of those two annoying demons in the distance and remained with her eyes closed and an ethereal posture sitting on the mat.

The emergence of Muzan's presence made Akaza and Douma settle down before they lost their heads. (Name) opened her eyes when she felt him close by.

— "Any news on the blue spider lily?"

The demons' negative responses seemed to irritate Muzan. So long and still nothing.

He continued. — "You good-for-nothings are useless." — Muzan growled. — "I should eliminate them once and for all."

The upper moons present at the place felt as if their cells were going to explode, and that hurt a lot, (Name) had to admit, even though she had already gotten used to it thanks to Muzan's temper. When the man seemed to calm down the pain left.

That situation was already common. Muzan would come and ask about such a flower, and when the demons didn't bring answers that pleased him then he would get angry saying things like "I will destroy you all".

Kokushibo looked to the side so that she could see (Name), whose eyes were fixed on the ground. Despite everything, she was still beautiful.

When the noise of the biwa sounded, Kokushibo was now in the middle of a forest in front of an empty rice field. Next to him was (Name) sitting on a large boulder. It was rare for them to be alone together, and for the first time, (Name) didn't leave. She sat there with her eyes closed feeling the cool breeze hit her face.

— "Do you feel it?" — She muttered with her head tilted up.

— "..."

She silenced him by opening her eyes abruptly and leaning her face forward again. — "Shh."

The two were silent, until Kokushibo felt something too.

— "Humans. Nearby." — And then she disappeared again in her mist kekkijutsu.

A few meters away was a group of slayers who seemed to be looking for demons, they didn't look more than twenty years old.

— "Yeah man!" — One of them yelled and scratched his ear. — "I saw a demon pass this way!"

— "Are you sure it wasn't just a boar?" — Another rolled his eyes, tired of the whole situation and wanting to go back to the old village in the interest of seeing some pretty girls.

— "Forget it!" — Another one exclaimed, already irritated. — "Leave the demons alone!" — He snorted. — "Let's go before this mist intensifies!"

— "Wait, mist?"

By the time they finally realized that there was a dark fog surrounding them it was too late. The texture of the mist was similar to clouds, but it seemed to contain twinkling stars, until the mist covered them completely until it looked like the slayers had been transported to a "dimension" of a starry night sky.

— "What the hell is that...?" — One of them looked like he was going to get his pants dirty.

— "A demon!" — He took up his sword. — "Keep alert!"

The darkness mixed with the mist was extremely dense to the point that no human would be able to see anything. The last thing they saw was the flash of a sword's blade cut.

When the mist stopped, the slayers returned to the forest with lifeless bodies.

— "I could have done it without you." — (Name) muttered.

— "Hm."

She just sighed and approached the bodies, there were six in total.

— "Marechi..." — Kokushibo threw one of the bodies in front of (Name). — "You can... you can have this..."

(Name) blinked a little in surprise, as demons didn't usually share their dead prey, let alone marechi. Even if they were the targets of (Name) and Kokushibo he had just meddled.

It was okay, after all… he still had a lot to redeem himself if he wanted her forgiveness. If he ever had.

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Things got weird for the demons when the upper moon six died and shortly thereafter upper five and four as well. For the first time in a hundred years things have changed again, not in a good way for the demons, apparently.

Now only Muzan and his last upper moons remained, Nakime had become the upper four and Kaigaku - a boy who was turned into a demon after his encounter with the upper moon one, felt intimidated and realized he wouldn't have chances to win, knelt in front of Kokushibo accepting his blood while (Name) watched everything from behind. - It had risen in rank and was now in the upper moon six position.

Either way, they've kept to the shadows since discovering a demon that can beat the sun. Who knows what Muzan was planning.

In the sprawling hall full of columns was the spot that (Name) chose to think a little, not long before he came across her ranking companion.

Her husband.

— "Do you feel it?" — He asked in his usual distant voice.

(Name) raised her face and looked at him in silence.

— "It started." — She said.

The slayers were in the infinite fortress. It was only a matter of time before they reached the upper moon one.

Things were changing, now it was fate's turn to decide whether the last upper moons would live or die as their "companions". And if fate were truly merciful, no demons would make it through this night.

Despite keeping in mind that it was one of the strongest demons, still, deep down behind his neutral face, (Name) feared for a moment. Kokushibo sensed this and looked straight at her.

— "(Name)..." — He called out to her, and she looked at him again. — "Before... this all started... I wanted to ask you... why did you become a demon..."

She didn't respond right away, instead looking down at the floor.

— "I... I don't know..." — She replied. — "At first I was scared... I didn't want to accept the change and I even thought that things could be different but... it wasn't worth it. In the end, I just didn't want to die."

Kokushibo listened in silence. — "I see..." — He also averted his eyes to another direction other than the woman beside her. — "I allowed all my hatred for my brother to blind me to the point of leaving for more power…" — Pause. — "My biggest regret... was not coming back for you that night..."

In the end, there was nothing to complain about after all, they weren't that different.

The conversation of the two demons was interrupted as a human presence grew closer and closer.

The moment a young slayer fell from the shattered ceiling and stopped in front of the pair of demons, (Name) felt a strange sensation as her laid eyes on him.

— "You're here... demon slayer..." — Kokushibo started and put his hand on the katana bar, until he finally realized the same thing that (Name) had felt. — "Hm...? For some reason... you look very... familiar..."

(Name) agreed, still in a certain trance thanks to that feeling.

Kokushibo's six eyes narrowed with a calm expression. — "I imagined... now I understand..."

The slayer was silent as if there was a conflict in his mind. The presence of the demons was intimidating, the boy tried to pull his sword but he didn't stop shaking. It was as if there was a dangerous aura in that place.

Very dangerous.

— "What is your name...?

— "...Muichiro Tokito."

— "Right then... the name Tsugikuni must have disappeared then..." — The six-eyed demon looked thoughtful.

For a moment, (Name) felt like her body was going to fall, that feeling...

The female demon stopped her gaze in the direction of the young slayer meters away. That face… it looked like a face she'd long since forgotten about.

No... it can't be...

— "...Tsugikuni? Who was it?" — Muichiro seemed to notice the tension in the demon woman.

— "It's been centuries after all... it was inevitable... my name when I was human was Michikatsu Tsugikuni..."

Michikatsu... it had been ages since (Name) had heard that name out loud...

— "And she remained (Name)..." — The six-eyed demon continued. — "You... are a descendant of a member of the Tsugikuni family that we left behind..."

The Tsukihiro's descendant.

"Okaa-san!"

Muichiro was in shock, trying to process everything he had just heard from the male demon, who remained motionless and unsurprised. The woman on the other hand, despite trying to stand her ground and stoic like the other demon, was clearly just as surprised as the young Hashira, even looking bewildered as if she was going to fall.

As if she was going to cry.

Her mind must have been in a mess. But (Name) tried to put her emotions aside to focus on what was to come.

And the fight began.

The boy's breathing was similar to (Name's) kekkijutsu, so it wasn't that difficult for her to adapt, even if the woman had no intentions of attacking.

At least not yet.

When the mark appeared on Muichiro's face, his attack seemed to get stronger, but it still wasn't enough to defeat the pair of demons. And the moment Kokushibo played his own blade, one of Muichiro's hands flew away.

The next mist was not from Muichiro, but from that woman, who surrounded him preventing him from seeing anything. In the next moment Kokushibo threw him against a pillar keeping the boy there trapped by his own sword.

The mist cleared and (Name) approached the boy standing next to the other demon.

— "Our descendant..." — Kokushibo began. — "Allow me to turn you into a demon... so that you can be of use to that man."

— "It is surprising that you are our descendant…" — (Name) sighed. — "I feel even... happy about it. I'm glad you were born. So there's nothing to fear..."

Kokushibo agreed. — "Let me stop the bleeding... humans are so fragile."

(Name)'s eyes closed a little in anger as she noticed that the hidden slayer really thought she and Kokushibo hadn't noticed him there.

Genya tried to shoot the demons but his arm fell off.

— "GENYAAA!" — Muichiro yelled and tried to break free.

— "Be silent…" — (Name) scolded him. — "Screaming will hurt your vocal cords..."

Despite keeping his eyes fixed on Genya, Muichiro seemed to be listening intently to everything the woman said.

— "You know... you really remind me a lot of someone..." — (Name) sighed, watching Kokushibo practically slash Genya's body. — "Your face is so...familiar to me. It makes me feel strange. Even though I appreciate you being here...it makes me sick to my stomach, makes me feel angry."

The woman's voice was comforting as if she were an angel singing a lullaby. If that situation wasn't catastrophic with Genya's life hanging by a thread, Muichiro could peacefully fall asleep with that voice.

Before Kokushibo rips off Genya's head, the Wind Hashira arrives and saves him at just the right moment.

As Kokushibo was thrown backwards at the moment of impact, (Name) took a deep breath and closed her eyes as her hair and kimono fabric swayed with its dense mist appearing as if it was coming out the back of her body and the ends of her hair.

It's time.

(...)

Despite being stronger than Douma and Akaza, (Name) was still weaker than Kokushibo. After all, she wasn't really a fighting demon.

Her abilities were similar to Nakime's, she was able to create an environment that she was sure humans could not on their own. Her mist had created the same starry night sky, the slayers present there knew that this was bad as the new environment was the work of the female demon, which would clearly favor Kokushibo in the fight.

During the fight, Sanemi seemed to enjoy having an opponent worth killing according to him, even if it was giving him trouble.

Thanks to the mist, neither the female demon nor the other two slayers could be seen. Though Genya seemed to be close and both he and Muichiro could feel the intense battle between Sanemi and the six-eyed demon.

After an attack by Kokushibo, in the midst of the mist pieces of sliced pillars began to fall and Genya's eyes widened in terror as he saw his older brother standing, bleeding.

— "Aniki..." — He gasped.

The wreckage of pillars began to be "absorbed" by the mist. This is bad.

— "Hm... you held on for a long time... but it's over." — Kokushibo observed. — "If you move... your organs... will split..."

The six-eyed man felt his body go weird as he noticed his pulse change. Not only that, the mist seemed to get a little more unstable. Whatever is happening is also affecting (Name) too.

The white haired Hashira started to laugh. — "Rare blood to demons is like catnip." — He took the chance to attack Kokushibo, who staggered backwards. — "Oops man, what's the problem?! You look a little dizzy and this mist looks like it's going to dissolve!" — He laughed. — "The scent of my blood intoxicates the demons! This is the rarest blood among the rare! Feast time!"

(Name) needed to stay focused so that the mist field wouldn't dissolve, so she would take advantage of Kokushibo. She took a deep breath and the mist intensified as she regained her composure after the marechi scent faded, and she felt the demon and the slayer struggle.

Until a new presence appears in the territory and (Name) soon pull him into the mist as well.

— "They keep showing up..." — Kokushibo looked annoyed, despite remaining neutral in that situation.

The Hashira of the stone had joined the fight. Kokushibo was surprised to see a body as perfected as that in three hundred years.

The mist seemed to become a little restless again, but this time not because of (Name) but thanks to Gyomei's fighting moves.

When the chain wrapped itself around Kokushibo's neck - he was able to escape. - he realized that his flesh sword would be destroyed even before he broke Gyomei's weapons.

Despite everything, the mist still favored him making things difficult for Gyomei, who clearly realized the situation.

Meanwhile, Muichiro tried to escape from the wall, with great effort, but managed, falling to the floor panting. And after making the bandages he ran to help Genya, who asked him for the lock of hair ripped from Kokushibo.

— "I want to... fight until the end... I will protect the aniki... I don't want to let him die..." — The boy with the severed body said.

Muichiro nodded. — "Alright, let's fight together until the end. Now... we have to find and kill the demon woman."

"Kill me? How cute..." (Name) mentally chuckled.

Kokushibo and Gyomei clashed and Sanemi did her best to stop the mist from doing anything to itself while he fixed his injuries. Rising with hate in his eyes now with his mark activated.

— "It doesn't matter..." — Kokushibo counterattacked Gyomei. — "Even if we stay here... fighting for hours and hours... you will die anyway. After all... (Name) will absorb all of you through the mist little by little..."

So they had time. Gyomei thought along with Sanemi, who returned to the fight.

— "(Name)?" — Gyomei whispered, it must probably be the other demon he sensed, but he wasn't able to locate it thanks to the mist.

— "It's the wife!" — Muichiro's voice sounded close by. — "She must be killed for the mist to disappear! Genya and I will take care of her!"

Gyomei and Sanemi seemed to agree, even though the woman was nowhere to be seen.

Sanemi smiled and positioned. — "Good thing we did that training, huh Himejima-san?!"

— "Uhm."

"Kokushibo, (Name), how many hashiras have you two defeated? Don't let them get here yet."

Muzan's voice was heard by the demons. And (Name) tried to intensify her mist even more to help Kokushibo finish it soon, which required more concentration.

Whatever they were, it was the first time (Name) had seen such skilled hunters since the sengoku era.

For a moment she felt her pulse tremble, but soon she regained her composure as she felt that the real fight was only beginning after Kokushibo's sword extended absurdly.

Meanwhile, Oyakata-sama's sisters tried to observe the situation, but it was impossible thanks to the mist. But it was still possible to feel the tremor of the intense fight that was taking place.

Muichiro was trying to sense the presence of the other demon, looking for it through the mist behind some trail and even using the mist of his own breath to notice certain differences.

That's when he finally found her standing in the distance. (Name) was motionless and her hair was extremely taut, swaying and floating as if wind was blowing at it. Soon Muichiro noticed that strands of her hair were connected and fused with mist, which seemed to form from the ends.

The young Hashira tried to attack her as quickly as possible, she showed no reaction when Muichiro's blade was almost slicing through the woman's neck. That's when she opened her eyes and the boy felt chills as she stared straight at him.

— "Very slow."

Muichiro's blade slashed through (Name)'s neck as if he had tried to cut through a cloud. Muichiro fell to the ground not far away but tried to reposition himself again.

"I lost an arm and the bleeding is getting worse. I don't have much time." He thought.

Despite this, (Name)'s neck remained intact.

— "Stop looking at me, your face brings back memories, I don't want to remember..." — (Name) sighed, looking away.

Again Muichiro tried to use his breath to try to injure the woman, but to no avail, his blade continued to pierce through her body as if (Name) was made from the mist itself.

— "Your breathing... is quite interesting... matches my kekkijutsu."

Before (Name) could counterattack Muichiro, she felt her body being pierced by something small.

— "Hmm?" — She looked down and saw a small, round-shaped hole in the region of her right forearm.

Soon her body was trapped by roots.

"My body isn't going through this fucking tree..." (Name) mentally growled.

When she looked up she saw in the distance the same severed boy from before, who had consumed some of Kokushibo's hair and sword. The next moment he disappeared from there to help the Stone Hashira and Wind.

That feeling…she didn't like it at all.

Thanks to the conflict with (Name) the mist started to become unstable again, to the point that Muichiro was now able to see the fight involving the other male demon with the other three slayers.

The moment Kokushibo screamed, (Name) could feel that he felt the same way.

The woman glared at Muichiro and tried to make her mist rip him apart once and for all, but the boy managed to counterattack at the last moment with his own mist breath.

— "Your..."

"Okaa-san!"

— "...Huh?"

— "I..." — Muichiro stood up panting after (Name) was able to escape Genya's kekkijutsu. — "I didn't say anything… — He gritted his teeth.

That slayer's face... it was so familiar. It was identical to--

— "Okaa-san!" — The little boy laughed as he hugged his mother from behind.

— "..." — (Name) shivered. — "Stop looking at me..."

Muichiro advanced.

(Name)'s face seemed to fill with hatred and a wave of mist went towards Muichiro. — "I TOLD YOU TO TURN YOUR LOOK, TSUKIHIRO!"

Muichiro was able to dodge the attacks again, but one of them ended up ripping his leg off. But at the last moment his blade managed to reach (Name)'s neck as it turned red.

That face...

It's been over four hundred years... and for the first time, she remembered her son's face.

— "(NAME)!"

Half of Muichiro's body was severed, not by the mist, but by Kokushibo's blade.

The boy's body, still alive, fell to the ground, just as (Name's) head separated from her body to also fall to the ground.

The mist began to disappear definitively along the body of (Name), who was looking at Muichiro with tears in her eyes.

— "Tsuki... hiro..." — She whispered.

Muichiro used the last of his strength to drag himself to the woman's body and placed one of his hands under her back, silently. (Name) accepted this act.

Despite still being under threat from the other three slayers, Kokushibo watched (Name) disappear with silent tears welling up in his six eyes. The woman he loved was dying, and he couldn't change that.

The last thing (Name) saw before her head totally disappeared was Gyomei's destruction ball destroying Kokushibo's head, but instead of disappearing, he turned into a monster.

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(Name)'s eyes opened in a dark place that she knew was not her mist.

She turned her face in all directions in an attempt to find something or someone. Oh wait, that's right... she died. Is this the afterlife?

(Name) felt her arms get heavy and when she looked down, her eyes started to water as she saw what she was holding.

— "Tsuyami..." — The woman smiled in a whisper and hugged the baby.

Tsuyami... Unlike Tsukihiro, (Name) didn't see the baby go past the age of a newborn, which hurt her a lot just thinking about it. She must have aged and become a beautiful woman, (Name) prayed that she had found a good husband with children who loved her.

— "Okaa-san!"

This voice...

The four-year-old boy came running towards (Name) happily, hugging her by the legs.

— "Tsukihiro..." — (Name)'s tears began to stream down her face.

Tsukihiro's merry laughs and Tsuyami's babble filled that dark place.

The boy from before... Muichiro, was a descendant of Tsukihiro. Your lovely son, who must have grown into a gentle boy as he grew older.

— "We missed you!" — Tsukihiro smiled.

(Name) looked at him with sad eyes. — "Me too..."

The woman started to feel her arms become lighter as Tsuyami and Tsukihiro's bodies disappeared into a mist, leaving her there alone again. (Name) knelt down and leaned her face down with her hair falling over her and hugging herself. Now the sound of her tears and wailing was the only thing that could be heard there.

Of course, the woman would go to hell for the things she did. Her children were kind souls who should be kept in heaven.

Then she would be alone, all right… she would accept that.

— "(Name)...?"

Kokushibo's voice made the woman's face rise again.

If he's here... it means he lost too.

Her husband was in front of her, not Kokushibo, but Michikatsu. Now both of them are human again.

— "Michi..." — (Name) cried.

The man was quick to kneel in front of her and pull her into a protective hug. — "I'm sorry…" — He also cried. — "For everything... I'm sorry for everything... please forgive me..."

— "It wasn't your fault... you never forced me to do anything... everything I did for the last four hundred years was because I wanted to do it..." — Her head was against Michikatsu's chest, hugging her husband back.

— "If only I had never done that… if only I had never allowed all that hatred and envy to consume me…" — The man's embrace tightened a little more. — "Maybe you could have watched our children grow up! If only I hadn't made so many mistakes... maybe we both could have been happy..."

— "..." — (Name) held her husband's face and wiped away his tears. — "It's okay…" — She laughed even though her eyes were still sad. — "I think we were both idiots..."

Michikatsu was silent, but then he also gave a melancholy short laugh, and leaned his lips against his wife's forehead, pressing her even more against him in the embrace.

Then everything was covered by flames.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

There wasn't much to do, after all, from the very beginning happiness had already been denied to the two demons who were looking for power.

"CAW CAW! UPPER MOON ONE DEFEATED!"

In the infinito fortress, inside the huge cocoon of flesh, Muzan can't help but close his eyes and give a short laugh.

— "How pathetic."

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