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permanentswaps · 26 days

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Nonno’s Globetrotting Adventure

Part One

I sat in my modest apartment, the weight of my years heavy upon my frail shoulders. My once-strong body now betrayed me, confined to a wheelchair as age and illness took their toll. But despite my body, I still felt young at heart. And, more importantly, I had a burning desire to experience the world beyond the confines of my small Italian town before my time was up.

One day, my grandson Nico came to visit. Although it feels weird to say about my grandson, Nico is a very attractive young man.

He’s currently working as a waiter while pursing his dream of getting signed by a modeling agency in Milan. While Nico certainly has the looks to get signed, he seems to lack the discipline and patience needed to succeed. Every time he comes close, he finds a way to sabotage his chances – oversleeping for a final callback, not bothering to dress nice enough, always something.

Seeing that Nico was struggling, I had an idea for how to help us both get what we wanted.

“Wait, so let me get this straight,” Nico said. “You want to use my body to travel the world, while I stay here in yours?”

“Exactly,” I replied. “I know it sounds strange, but think about it. You’re young and full of energy, it’s really the only way I could see some sights before I pass.”

“But how would it even work?” he said.

“I have these enchanted necklaces. If we both wear them at the same time, we’ll swap bodies. And then, when the summer is over, we can switch back by both removing the necklaces,” I explained.

“Wow, that’s… That’s a lot to take in, Nonno,” he said.

“I know it’s unconventional, but I would be willing to pay you double what you would make from waiting tables over the summer. That way, you would have a cushion to focus full time on landing a modeling gig when you get back. And I’d be sure to take a bunch of pictures for you while I’m away to help build up your portfolio.”

“I don’t know, that’s a great offer, but I’m still not sure.”

“Well, let’s try now and see how you feel,” I said, quickly clasping the necklace around his neck before he could say anything.

Then I threw on my own. I felt my soul rush out of me and slam into my grandson. Standing up tall and taking a deep breath, I felt my strong muscles. Then I looked down at my hands and saw thick veins. Damn, I hadn’t felt this good in years.

Sensing some reticence from Nico, I quickly said “Oh! Thank you so much Nico, it really means the world to me.” Hoping to guilt trip him before he could say anything.

Clearly still worried, he tried to play it off and said, “Alright Nonno, you’re welcome.”

Taking in this body, I snapped this photo on the way to my new home:

Part Two

The first stop on my world tour was New York City. Since I was a little boy, I had always dreamed of visiting America, but I had never gotten the chance.

As I stepped out of the metro and up to ground level, I couldn’t help but stare at the skyscrapers touring over me. Walking down the street, I could tell that guys and girls were checking me out, which was a new feeling. Sure, I was attractive when I was younger, thats part of where Nico gets it from. But even then, I’d never really gotten these types of looks back in the day, especially not from such hot guys … I think I like it.

At the youth hostel, I met a bunch of really cool guys – we hung out in a crew and went to do all the iconic landmarks like Times Square, Central Park, and the Statue of Liberty.

Walking through Midtown one of the guys, Adi, shouted to me, “Hey Sal, check this out!” as we turned a corner, revealing a perfect view of the Empire State Building. I couldn’t help but marvel at the sight, feeling a sense of awe wash over me.

Adi slapped me on the back, grinning widely. "Pretty awesome, huh?"

I nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, it's incredible. I never thought I'd get to see it in person."

We bar-hopped around the city together, sharing stories and laughter late into the night. At one point, we stumbled upon a street performer playing the guitar, his soulful melodies filling the air with a sense of nostalgia. Adi nudged me with his elbow, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Sal, you ever played an instrument?"

I shook my head. "No, never had the chance."

Adi grinned. "Well, there's no time like the present. Grab that guitar and let's see what you've got!"

With a mixture of nervousness and excitement, I hesitantly approached the street performer, who handed me his guitar with a friendly smile. As I strummed the strings and attempted to mimic the chords he had been playing, I felt a sense of exhilaration wash over me. Despite my lack of experience, the music flowed through me, filling me with a sense of joy and freedom I had never known before.

The guys cheered me on, clapping and cheering as I played. In that moment, I felt alive in a way I hadn't in years. It was a feeling I never wanted to end.

I made sure to snap some more selfies of myself, and get my new bros to take some shots for my modeling portfolio too:

After bidding farewell to the bustling streets of New York, I traveled westward. From the majestic mountains of the Rockies to the tranquil plains of the Midwest, each destination had its own unique charm.

But it was in California, with its sun-kissed beaches and sprawling landscapes, that I truly felt at home. As I walked for what seemed like endless miles along the rugged coastline, the salty breeze tousling my hair and the warmth of the sun on my skin, I couldn't help but marvel at the beauty that surrounded me.

With each step, I felt the strength and vitality of Nico's body coursing through me. I would’ve never been able to do this trip in my own body. Gone were the aches and pains of old age, replaced by a sense of boundless energy. I couldn't shake the feeling that this was somehow meant to be, me in Nico's youthful body.

Part Three

After about a month of traveling, I found myself in India. While I hadn’t really though about traveling there before, so many people had recommended it to me as my next stop. So I decided, why not check it out.

Arriving in Mumbai, I checked into my hostel and made a conscious decision to introduce myself as Nico, not Salvatore, this time. While my fellow travelers were none the wiser, I couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement every time someone addressed me by my new name. It made feel even more at home in this body than I had in California.

Among the eclectic group at the hostel, one stood out to me – Emilio. Another Italian adventurer like myself, Emilio had a warm smile and an easy charm that immediately put me at ease. With his curly hair and striking green eyes, Emilio was undeniably handsome, and I found myself drawn to him in a way I hadn't expected. We spent our days exploring the bustling streets of Mumbai, immersing ourselves in the sights, sounds, and flavors of the city, and going to some nearby hotsprings.

One fateful night, after returning from a night out on the town, Emilio found himself locked out of his bunk. Immediately, I offered him a spot in my private room, and to my delight, he accepted without hesitation.

Since it was so hot in Mumbai, we decided to strip down to just our underwear. As we lay sharing my small bed, I feel his hand trace up my inner thigh. My breathing getting heavier, Emilio decides to increase the pressure of his strokes. In reponse, I reach over to his thigh and work my way up to his cock, which I can feel is massive. That was all the sign he needed.

Emilio gets up and splits my legs, now rubbing both of them and playing with my waistband. As he does that, he also leans over and begins sucking my nipples. While this wouldn’t have done anything for my old body, Nico’s nipples are sensitive as hell.

“Fuckkkk” I said in a low grunting whisper.

As he switched over from one nipple to the other, Emilio then reached into my trunks and began jerking my uncut dick. Eventually, he flips me over and pulls down my underwear before taking off his own. I can feel his cock now teasing between my ass cheeks. The anticipation is agonizing as I wait for him to put it in.

He reaches underneath me and pulls up my chest so that I am on my hands and knees. Nibbling on my ear he whispers “you’re the fucking sexiest guy i’ve ever seen,” as he shoves his 25cm cock inside me.

Thrusting in and out of me, he uses the hand that he has across my waist to play with my nipples again, which drives me crazy. Before long, I feel pressure growing, and without him even touching my cock, I feel myself shoot my load across the bed.

Smirking at me as I turn my head around, Emilio takes his fingers, runs it through my seed, before then showing those same fingers into his mouth. He then lifts up his arm, flexes his biceps for me, which makes me tigthen my hole. The tighthness is too much for him and he shoots his entire load inside me. We collapse onto the bed, his cock still inside, where it stays for the rest of the night.

From that night on, Emilio and I became inseparable. We decided to travel together for the rest of our journey, visiting South Africa, Kenya, and Egypt before finally finding ourselves in Greece at the end of the summer.

The beaches of Greece were a paradise. We spent our days basking in the warm Mediterranean sun, swimming in the azure sea, and indulging in leisurely walks along the shore. In the evenings, we treated ourselves to sumptuous dinners at quaint seaside tavernas, savoring the flavors of Greek cuisine and the company of each other.

One night towards the end of our time in Greece, over a sunset dinner, Emilio turned to me with a serious expression.

“These past few weeks have been beyond anything I could have imagined,” Emilio began, his voice soft but filled with emotion. “I've had the time of my life, Nico, and I don't want it to end when we return to Italy.”

His words echoed the sentiments that had been swirling in my own mind, and I felt a rush of anticipation at what he might say next. Meeting his gaze, I couldn't help but feel a surge of affection for this man who had become so dear to me.

"Me neither," I replied, my heart pounding in my chest as I gazed longingly into his eyes.

With a determined look, Emilio took a deep breath before continuing, "Will you be my boyfriend?"

The question hung in the air between us, charged with the weight of all that we had shared and all that was yet to come. And in that moment, I knew with absolute certainty what my answer would be.

“Yes, of course,” I replied, a smile spreading across my face as I reached out to take his hand in mine. “I've been waiting for you to ask since the night we met in India.”

He looked at me, his eyes glistening, before pulling me in for a deep, passionate kiss.

Part Four

Eventually, Emilio and I made our way back to Italy. We'd been back about a week, and I was eager to share my adventures and introduce Emilio to the rest of my family, which I planned to do at dinner tonight. However, there was a significant problem: none of them knew about the body swap. I hadn’t spoken to the real Nico since I'd left three months ago, but I'd see him tonight. I knew what I was going to do, but I didn’t know how it would go over.

Walking hand in hand, we approached the familiar doorstep of my family's house. I could feel Emilio’s nerves radiating, but I squeezed his hand reassuringly, confident that my family would adore him as much as I did. Stepping into the warm embrace of my family, I proudly introduced Emilio to each and every one of them.

My mother’s (formerly my daughter) eyes lit up with delight as she embraced Emilio warmly. "Oh, it's so wonderful to finally meet you, Emilio! Nico has spoken so highly of you."

Emilio returned her embrace, a smile playing on his lips. "Grazie, signora. It's truly an honor to meet you all."

My father clapped Emilio on the back, a jovial twinkle in his eye. "Welcome to the family, Emilio! Nico here has been a bit of a handful lately, but it seems like you've got him under control."

We all shared a laugh at my father's jest, and Emilio's cheeks flushed with warmth. "I'm doing my best, signore," he replied, earning a nod of approval from my father.

As we sat around the dinner table, sharing stories of our travels and adventures, Emilio chimed in with anecdotes of his own, effortlessly weaving himself into the fabric of our family dynamic. With each passing moment, I could see my family growing fonder of him.

As we sat around the dinner table, I asked, "Hey, where’s Nonno?"

My mother's expression softened with concern as she replied, "He's in bed, nico. He's been resting a lot lately."

A pang of guilt tugged at my heart as I excused myself from the table, my footsteps heavy with apprehension as I made my way upstairs. "Nonno," I said softly, approaching his bedside with a mixture of sorrow and determination. "I need to talk to you."

"I am so relieved you’re back," he replied weakly, his voice raspy with exhaustion, "but, why did you call me that?"

Taking a deep breath, I summoned the courage to tell him. "I... I met a guy," I began, my words faltering slightly as I struggled to find the right way to express myself. "I've never felt such a deep connection before, and I need to see where it leads."

His brow furrowed in confusion. "But... what about our agreement?" he asked, his voice tinged with disappointment.

"I know, Nonno, and I'm sorry," I replied, my heart heavy with guilt. "But I can't ignore how I feel. I hope you understand."

Anger flared in his eyes. "You can’t do this to me," he said, his voice trembling with emotion. "It's not fair."

With a sudden surge of frustration, Nico ripped off his necklace, the enchanted chain clattering to the floor with a finality that echoed through the room. "I want to swap back right now," he demanded, his gaze locking onto the necklace that now hung around my neck.

I leaned in towards my old body, my guilt giving way to slight confidence as I made my declaration. "I understand it's hard to accept, Nonno, but this is my life now," I asserted, my tone laced with a sense of superiority.

With a swift motion, he reached for the necklace around my neck, his fingers trembling with desperation. But as he tore it away, his expression twisted with shock as he realized that nothing happened.

I looked at him with a face of pity. “It’s not going to work,” I said.

"I melted down the necklace and had it made it into a bunch of different pieces of jewelry while I was in India," I confessed.

His eyes widened in disbelief, his feeble grasp on the situation slipping away with each passing moment. "You... you did what?" he stammered, his voice tinged with incredulity.

"I wanted an insurance policy so that I could ensure nothing would stop me from pursuing Emilio," I continued, my resolve unwavering.

"I knew you probably wouldn’t think to take off the necklace until I cam back. So I took the opportunity to melt mine down into jewelry that I can wear all the time and nobody can just accidentally take off or force me to take off – earrings, bracelets … cock piercing. Emilio thought they were so hot."

"You couldn't get them off me even if you were in the best shape of your life – and well, now I am in the best shape of your life and you’re in the worst shape of mine," I added with a touch of irony.

"I’m sorry, but this is my life now," I concluded, my voice firm. "I hope you can understand."

With that, I turned and walked back downstairs to rejoin my family and my beautiful boyfriend, leaving behind a bewildered Nico in my former body, grappling with the weight of my decisions.

Epilogue:

A week later, I get a call from my mom early in the morning while I am still in bed. Nonno passed away in his sleep. I feel a pang of sorrow mixed with relief, this body was officially mine forever.

I roll back over to see Emilio sleeping peacefully beside me. Leaning over, I gently kiss him on the lips, waking him from his slumber. He stirs and without opening his sleepy eyes, a soft smile graces his lips and he pulls me down into a big hug. In that moment, as I feel his skin on mine, I know with absolute certainty that this is exactly where I belong.

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blackexcellence · 1 year

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Welcome to Black Excellence 365, where we celebrate all things Black and Excellent every day of the year. This month, for March, we will be taking a look at a new theme and source of pride & expression: Hair ✂️.

This month is all about hair, and its importance to Black style, culture, music, history, politics, and, most of all, Black Excellence. Black hair is an essential part of the Black experience. You name it, we’ll look at, explore, and celebrate it: cornrows, box braids, natural coils, knotless braids, goddess braids, twists, pixie crops, locks, wavy hair, crochet braids, and everything in between. Black hair goes hand-in-hand with every aspect of Black life and touches every corner of the world. Care for Black hair is a labor of love ❤️and a long, long process that involves washing, detangling, combing, oiling, braiding, twisting, and decorating the hair, which creates not just a sense of beauty but honors its spiritual power. And this legacy lives on today across Black life. In the 60s, the Afro was a big expression of Black power, pride, connection, and revolution popular with artists, performers, youth, and activists. Some artists would use their hair as an expression of art, as they do today, while young Black Americans would ‘fro their hair to emulate the style of the civil rights heroes like the Black Panthers and convey Black pride, as pioneered by the Queen, Angela Davis. Since that time, Black hair has become a symbol of celebration, a reminder of our roots, and a call to embrace heritage while politically rejecting Eurocentric ideals. Today, the Natural Hair Movement is carried with pride and power. Black hair has always been political — in the same vein, in 2019, The Crown Act (sign the petition|email your legislator) was passed as a starting point to support Black Folx in their appreciation of their hair — their CROWN 👑. Whatever the period, whatever the style, It is all Black Excellence and is here to be celebrated 24/7.

But BE365 is nothing without you: so POST your favorite hairstyles, iconic Black cuts, shapes, and styles, and your cutting-edge hairdressers and stylists who turn Black hair into art, and Black Excellence. And don’t forget to tag your content with #blackexcellence365 for the chance to be featured. And last but not least, join us for our celebration and of the very best in Black hair of every shape and every style. Make sure you join in, follow, and smash that share button using the tag #BlackExcellence365.

Welcome to March in #BlackExcellence365 ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽!

#blackexcellence365 #blackjoyisblackexcellence #blackjoy #blackexcellence #black exceelence #black excellence 365 #all black everything #celebrating black history #black history matters #black history #black culture #black lives matter #today in black excellence #black tumblr #blktumblr #celebrating black hair #black hair

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hotvintagepoll · 5 days

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Propaganda

Toshia Mori (The Bitter Tea of General Yen, Blondie Johnson)—i think Toshia Mori is a great example of someone who clearly had the makings and charisma of a star & who its easy to imagine thriving in a less white supremacist system than 20s and 30s hollywood. she began acting in silent movies in the late 20s, and in 1932 was selected as a "WAMPAS Baby Star" which was an annual promotion of promising up-and-coming young actresses by the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers, becoming the first Asian woman to do so. previous baby stars included Clara Bow, Joan Crawford, and Joan Blondell, and another 1932 honoree was Ginger Rogers. this likely led to her most sizeable role in The Bitter Tea of General Yen (unfortunately a movie with a lot of orientalism going on and white actors in yellowface). she was well received but the studio seemed to lose interest in her career and she largely continued to get bit parts; her last appearance was in a Charlie Chan movie in 1937. she deserved better!!

Veronica Lake (I Married a Witch, Sullivan's Travels)—her look is so iconic they used her as a visual model for jessica rabbit in who framed roger rabbit and a bunch of other femme fatale types in cartoons and live action alike. i didnt think i liked women and then i saw her in sullivans travels and said gee i hope this doesnt awaken anything in me! every role ive seen her in she absolutely oozes an aura of "i know people would ask me to step on them" and her EYES bro every photo ive looked at for this submission its like shes piercing thru time and space to judge me <3

This is round 4 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Toshia Mori:

Veronica Lake:

Her HAIR, her FIGURE, her VOICE, the way she wore LEATHER AND SANG SONGS FOR NO REASON.

I don't believe there's a person on earth who can watch Veronica Lake in I Married A Witch and not be struck by how gorgeous she is. She had that youthful wonder about her that almost every Hollywood starlet was trying to achieve. Her hairstyle (peekaboo bangs) became an iconic Hollywood style after she popularized it, and made her signature look all the more suggestive. Also, witches are tumblrs favorite!

ICONIC hair sweep

The US government literally begged her to change her hairstyle because it was TOO HOT to handle and women who copied it were getting their hair caught in machinery

Her hairstyle was so iconic and popular that the war department had to come out with a PSA instructing lady ironworkers with ways they could pin their hair up to avoid it getting bound in machinery. [https://veteranlife.com/military-history/veronica-lake/]

She played a lot of femme fatale roles but my favorite is Sullivan’s Travels opposite Joel McRea, which is a comedy. She became famous for her hair style at the time—she wore it long and parted on one side so it would fall over half her face in a very sexy way. They called it a peek-a-boo I think. You’ve definitely seen Bugs Bunny dressed up like her, so I think if she’s being honored in such a way she’s very cool.

look at her

she's GORGEOUS in her little witch outfits that she wore for promos and also in the oversized coats and pajamas she wore throughout the movie...she's got RANGE

My Grandpa supposedly dated her in high school, he drove her to school in his car every day. This is legend in the family.

She has gorgeous hair, has got the smouldering look over the shoulder down PAT, and is just drop-dead gorgeous too!

Schizophrenic icon, popularized the peekaboo hairdo long before Jessica Rabbit

She’s just so prettyyyyy

So much hot in such a tiny package. She was no more than 5 feet tall, and some reports claim as small as 4'9"

If you picture a femme fatale in your head, almost certainly Veronica Lake had a hand in shaping the image you think of. She came to embody the look of the noir leading lady as well as the sound and the performance. Certified Noir Baddie.

#veronica lake #toshia mori #hotvintagepoll #fuck that old woman #ladies 4

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omgthatdress · 9 months

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Barbie's "Gay Parisienne" look is one that copies directly from couture: the Yves Saint Laurent bubble dress!

In 1957, Christian Dior died unexpectedly, and creative control of his brand was given to his young protegée, Yves Saint Laurent.

Saint Laurent was only in control at Dior for a very short time, but the collections he created were some of the most iconic in fashion history. His trapeze collection brought youthful freshness to Dior's sumptuous designs and helped set fashion towards the future.

One of my all-time favorite fashion stunts was when Dior sent three of its models to Moscow. The chic, bright clothing stood out among the drab, frumpy every day clothes of the women of Moscow, making a brilliant display of the luxury that was missing under communism.

#1950s #Yves Saint Laurent #Dior #Barbie

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silvermoon424 · 5 months

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wait, the Golden Girls were allies irl? That's awesome!

Yeah, all 4 of them were amazing ladies who championed progressive causes throughout their lives.

Estelle Getty (Sophia): Was a huge advocate and ally during the AIDS crisis. She personally cared for her gay nephew as he was dying of AIDS and later opened up an AIDS hospice in his hometown in his honor. As of 2023, the hospice is still operational. She also just outspokenly supported the gay community in general during a time when it wasn't popular to do so.

Bea Arthur (Dorothy): Another outspoken supporter of queer rights and even left an endowment worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Ali Forney Center (an organization for homeless LGBTQ+ youth in New York City).

Betty White (Rose): She was not only an LGBTQ+ icon and ally, but also an ally to the black community and an animal rights advocate. Like Estelle Getty, she was very active during the AIDS crisis trying to spread awareness. She also told off racists in the 50s when they cried about her having a black dancer on her show (she literally told them to "live with it" which is ICONIC).

Rue McClanahan (Blanche): Another outspoken LGBTQ+ supporter. She advocated for same-sex marriage in the US.

Additionally, a lot of the writers for Golden Girls were young gay men, and there are stories of how open and accepting the actresses were towards them.

#asks #Anonymous #golden girls #estelle getty #betty white #bea arthur #rue mcclanahan #lgbtq+#lgbtq #lgbt #the golden girls

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cdragons · 4 months

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Bound by Embroidered Chains - Aemond Targaryen x Seamstress!OC x Jacaerys Velaryon - Chapter One

Prologue

Summary: Dragons have a habit in hoarding the prettiest of jewels, and pearls are of no exceptions.

Warnings- MDNI 18+ Obsessive Behavior (we all knew this was coming), tiny!Aemond is delulu, tiny!Jace is delulu, Dark Themes, not betaread we burn like Harrenhal, etc. Also translations for Valyrian will be added at the bottom! Also I used an online translator for the High Valyrian, so it may not be great 🫠

Author's Note: Hello everyone! Thank you all so much for the amazing support for this story's prologue, I did NOT expect so many positive reviews! I'm sorry this took so long, but I had a ton of applications and finals. But since I am on winter break, hopefully I will be able to upload more fics! Happy Holidays and big shoutout to @valeskafics, who continues to be the HOTD fanfic writing ICON that we all know and love! If you liked reading this work, reblog and comment if you want to be tagged in future installments of this work! Also I apologize for any grammatical errors, I wanted to post this as soon as possible.

You have known your entire life that you were going to be one of the many seamstresses that serviced the Royal Family.

By the age of three, your mother would teach you how to begin your very first stitches, which soon shifted to learning the most complicated patterns of embroidery. You still remember the tears in her eyes as you presented the silk-woven handkerchief that had lovely little purple and blue flowers embroidered on the borders for her birthday. Your face flushed to an almost too bright red when she insisted on showing all the other royal seamstresses and tailors your first handkerchief. But it made you smile in remembering how big her smile was that week, as she was so pleased by how much you’ve progressed at such a young age.

When you were only six, your mother had begun to teach you how to properly extract the dye from beautiful flowers and the scales of brightly-colored insects. So skilled and nimble were your fingers that you even gave your childhood playmate, Aemond Targaryen, a thick green wool cloak with green and silver dragon embroidery. The cloak’s wool had been dyed by your hand with copious amounts of goldenrod and indigo flowers. You then carefully stitched silk to line the inside of the cloak to prevent him from overheating, as even the harshest winters in the Crownlands were hardly anything compared to the summers in the North. It had caught you off-guard in the almost too-tight embrace he locked you in, but you eagerly reciprocated as you could tell he appreciated the gift more than words could describe.

It was not just a gift for is name-day from a childhood companion, but also a way to reassure him that he will one day have a dragon. And even if the gods do not grant him worthy in their eyes, he would always be considered a prince worthy of the Targaryen name in yours. After all, there were not many princes that would willingly spend all their free time with a lowly seamstress’ daughter – even if the supposed seamstress that was your mother was so heavily favored by the Queen.

“Pearl,” came a voice with a tone far too serious despite its youth, “what are you doing in the Godswood?”

You lifted your head from old tome you were studying, only to see a young boy of only nine name-days, that stood as straight as one of the stone pillars that stood in the Sept of Baelor. His white locks nearly blinded you with how the sunshine seemed to reflect on them.

“Well my prince, as you can clearly see, I have decided to take advantage of this fine day to do a bit of studying of my own.” You lifted the near ancient tome on your lap to show him the title, Myths and Legends of the Jade Seas.

Whatever outwardly beauty the book possessed had long diminished, the spine was bent from the hundreds of hours spent looking through its contents and the letters were near faded to a dull grey as the pages yellowed from age. But the colors of the ink remained as vibrant as when they were first painted on the frail sheets, accompanied by beautiful imagery of magical dragons and elusive mermaids. The details were so fine and intricate that it felt as if you only needed to touch the ink in order to be transported into the stories. You remembered how you begged either your mother or father to read it to you every night, as utterly transfixed by the colors back then as you remained so now.

“You are more than welcome to join me, but if – and only if – you share one of those apples hiding in your knapsack.”

Finally showing an expression appropriate for his age, the young prince reached in his pouch to show two gorgeous apples – the skin was practically gleaming in the sun as your mouth watered for its taste. Aemond handed one to you as he sat by your side underneath the plentiful shade of the heart tree. Scooting over to make room on the overgrown root you sat on, you eagerly showed him strange text.

“Look Aemond!” you exclaimed as you shoved the book to his nose. “This book says that there were dragons in Yi Ti! Isn’t that amazing?”

Aemond looked at you as if you had suddenly grown two heads and five eyes. “How can there be dragons in Yi Ti? All the dragons save the ones in the dragonpit and the rocky shores of Dragonstone had perished in The Doom that sunk Valyria. Everyone knows that pearl.”

“These dragons are different! According to my kepa, Yi Ti dragons don’t even need wings to fly!”

The young prince rolled his eyes at that. “How could they fly if they don’t have wings? Even Carraxes the Blood Wrym has wings, and he looks like an overgrown red snake.” Honestly, his pearl could be so silly. “Besides, what would your father know? He’s a bastard from the Iron Islands, that’s nowhere near the Jade Seas.”

Now it was your turn to roll your eyes. “He heard so on his travels with Lord Velaryon and Prince Laenor! Apparently, these dragons use magic and live in the ocean. And they don’t even breathe fire! They make it rain and control the oceans!”

“…Pearl, I think you’ve been spending too much time making those dyes. The fumes must have gotten to your head.”

You openly gaped at your friend’s comment, completely in shock for how blatantly he dismissed you. It made you want to pound your fists on his person until he took it back. So naturally, you did just that.

“Aemond Targaryen, you take that back right now!” you shrieked. Although your actions told otherwise, the smile on your face showed that you took no true offense to his words. If anything, it pleased you to know that you could still make the stone-faced prince giggle as a boy should at his age.

“Never!”

As the two of you giggled and played, several pairs of wandering eyes spied and grimaced at the distasteful display. Although your friendship with the next generation of the royal family was no secret, much of the court disapproved of how highly the royal family thought of you and Prince Aemond’s friendship. After all, he was the second born prince of House Targaryen, born of King Viserys and Queen Alicent. By the time the Targaryen prince could toddle, great things were expected from him. From a very early age, he immersed himself in his studies befitting of a prince of Westeros. You, on the other hand, were only the daughter of a seamstress and a bastard knight who became a lord of a holding so minor that it had no name. You only skills were that you could make pretty dye, and stitch pretty pictures with a needle and thread.

But he always treated you kindly and defended you whenever his eldest brother decided to use you as his latest target for mockery. You were a precious pearl – his precious pearl – Aegon may be his brother, but he could never love Aegon as much as he loved you. True, your father being a bastard did you no favors in the Red Keep’s court, but Aemond would never tell you that himself. Instead, he openly acknowledged his bravery and commended his loyalty to the Crown. After all, how many bastards can boast that they saved the Lord Corlys Velaryon, holder of the Driftwood Throne, from a siege of pirates during one of the lord’s many voyages to Essos?

In turn, you always made sure to provide comfort and support whenever his brother and nephews decided to pick on him. Without fail, he would seek out your company – his eyes red and puffy, while his cheeks were wet from hastily wiped tears. You would take his hands and the two of you would venture out to the library’s more secluded sections. You made sure to pack whatever you have been working on with you. While you were glad that he came to you for comfort, it would do little good for either of you if you were to be punished for not completing whatever tasks your mother assigned you.

“Who cares if you don’t have a dragon?” you once asked him as the two of you laid next to each other, surrounded by books. “There are plenty members of the Targaryen line that did not have dragons, but they still lived out important lives in serving their family however they could. King Jaehaerys was considered a great ruler for how he served the realm– not for riding Vermithor. And even if you had a dragon, is that all you wish to be known for? Your grandfather, Baelon the Brave, was wise and beloved by the small folk for how he tried to make their lives easier. But all he is known for in history books is how he burned down Dorne with Vhagar.”

“Better to be known for a dragon than to disappear, not being known for anything – not even a dragon worthy of the Targaryen name.”

Sitting up against a bookshelf, you repositioned Aemond to lie his head on your thighs. Luckily the candlelight made the area dark enough so that you wouldn’t see his ears turning red. Instead, he buried his face in the soft cotton of your blue tunic as you stroked his soft silver white locks. Although his heart was beating erratically, your sweet scent along with your body’s suppleness was enough to take away any ire left in him.

“Stop that,” you ordered, “you will not be forgotten, don’t be so dramatic.” Eyes softening at his tense shoulders, you eased on the sternness of your tone. “Nyke pendagon iksā brilliant. Eman dōrī rhēdan anyone else qilōni kostagon ȳdragon Valyrio Eglie hae sȳrī hae ao. Kostā solve problems bona aegon ēza trouble lēda during aōha lessons lēda se Giēñatī. Aemond, iksā ñuha sȳrje raqiros. Gaomagon daor ivestragon kesā sagon daor rūnas.”

You pretended not to notice how tightly he clenched your dress as you ignored the how warm the spot where his hot tears grew.

As you continued to stroke his hair, Aemond made a silent vow that when he finally claimed a dragon, you would be the first person he would ride it with. He thought about how his bastard nephews would always try to take you from him, especially Jace, how he despised that boy. No, your touches would belong to him, and only him. Your sweet words and kind demeanor were his to cherish. You were his pearl – his pearl – and no one else’s, especially not the pretend Targaryen that was Jacaerys Strong.

Yes, it pleased Aemond to know that he was your best friend. But sometimes it frustrated him in how you refused to take him seriously as a man. For example, he once announced that when he claimed his dragon, he would finally be a noble dragon knight who would protect you from the most vicious of beasts. No matter how he insisted on his sincerity, you only rolled your eyes at the proclamation. You told him that you had no need for a knight, let alone a dragon knight. You had your dearest kepa for protection, and there was no finer knight in all the Seven Kingdoms in your eyes. So silly was his pearl indeed.

“Ashi’!” a new voice called out, interrupting the comfortable silence between him and his pearl. It belonged to the king’s eldest grandson, Prince Jacaerys Strong Velaryon, heir to the Iron Throne after his mother, Princess Rhaenyra. “Your mother is looking for you! She said that she needs your help with Mother’s clothes!”

“Alright!” When you stood from you spot, you made sure to brush away any dirt or debris left on your skirts. You gathered your mother’s book in both arms when you made your way to the prince. “But why did my muña not send one of her attendants instead? It would not have been difficult to find me. Everyone knows that I enjoy reading under the Hearts Tree in the Godswood during my spare time. Are you not busy with your own duties, my prince?”

Straightening his posture to appear taller, Jace did his best to sound as authoritative as his father had taught him. “I just finished my lessons for the morning, and I volunteered to escort you. Besides, I figured that it would do me some good in practicing escorting you. I’ll need to do it in the future when I am king after my mother.” His round freckled cheeks reddened to a rosy hue at that last part.

Not at all catching the terribly obvious implication, you shrugged off his words as you figured that he meant that he was using you as practice for whichever future noble lady he would court in the future. However, the suggestion was not at all lost on your friend, who was still sitting on the overgrown root, glaring at his eldest nephew with a fury that rivaled the Great Doom that sunk Valyria.

“Well, we should be on our way then. Come on Aemond, we should get going!” You held out your held for your friend to hold on to, but were quickly interrupted by the brown-haired Targaryen at the side.

“He can’t! I mean-” stammered Jace as did his best in thinking of an excuse, “-I’m afraid my uncle cannot join us. You see, um – his mother, the Queen, requested his presence in her solar.”

“I’m sure my mother won’t mind waiting for a few moments while I join you in escorting my pearl to her favorite friend, nephew.” This wasn’t a lie on Aemond’s part. While he didn’t like the idea in keeping his mother waiting for him, he despised the thought of you being alone with the Strong Knight’s eldest bastard even more. Besides, his mother adored you as if you were her own daughter. It would have gone without saying that she would be happy with her son spending time with her best friend’s daughter.

“But why would you want to risk it, uncle?” Jacaerys wasn’t going to let his selfish uncle hog all of your attention. You were his friend too! It wasn’t fair that he had find crumbs of your time and affections, while his uncle got to feast on your smiles and laughter. He had spent hours with the dragon keepers of the dragonpit to help him train Vermax, all so that he could finally show you how close he was in riding him! But you were always too busy comforting his stupid dragonless uncle!

Enough was enough. Jacaerys may have been a Velaryon like his father, but he was also a Targaryen like his mother. It was he who carried the dragon’s blood, and dragons took what they desired or felt what they deserved. And he desrved to be with you more than Aemond.

“It’s alright Aemond, we’ll talk more later! Let’s go Jace, we shouldn’t keep our mothers waiting any more than we have.” Grabbing his hand before walking out of the gardens, you weren’t able to see the younger prince throw a triumphant smirk to his uncle before once more facing you with the story of how Luke accidentally got egg in his hair.

Watching his literal bastard of a nephew walk hand-in-hand away with his pearl, Aemond Targaryen felt his fury grow more potent with each step. He hated that you called his nephew by his nickname, all while he had none. What’s worse was the fact that you allowed him to refer to you as “Ashi.” What a ridiculous name, only a lowborn such as his nephew would refer to someone as precious as you as something as study and simple like “Ashi.” You were a pearl – his pearl, in fact. A fact that he felt was important to emphasize as he watched your head being thrown back in laughter. His anger grew to an all-time high when he watched you ruffle Jacaery’s hair with abundant affection.

Not wanting to make a scene, he walked to his mother’s chambers in fuming silence. While her presence wasn’t yours, maybe he could think of a plan to get you away from his whore of a sister and her illegitimate offspring.

If worse comes to worst, he might need to recruit his sister to his cause. He knew that Helaena would especially be thrilled in receiving your presence. You were the only one besides your parents that did not treat his beloved sister like an oddity. If you were not with Aemond, you were often found stitching with the young princess. It seemed that you were the only person in the entire world that could get her to smile.

Such a sweet girl, his pearl. Someone so kind was not meant to endure the presence of lowly bastards – even if they did technically carry royal blood.

He needed to come up with something fast.

Translations:

“Nyke pendagon iksā brilliant. Eman dōrī rhēdan anyone else qilōni kostagon ȳdragon Valyrio Eglie hae sȳrī hae ao. Kostā solve problems bona aegon ēza trouble lēda during aōha lessons lēda se Giēñatī. Aemond, iksā ñuha sȳrje raqiros. Gaomagon daor ivestragon kesā sagon daor rūnas.” - “You’re brilliant. I’ve never met anyone else who can speak such fluent High Valyrian, especially at your age. You can solve problems that Aegon has trouble with during your lessons with the Maester. Aemond, you are my best friend. Don’t say that you will be forgotten.”

Tagging:

@valeskafics, @faesspace, @aphroditesmoon, @dreaming-for-an-escape, @nellychick, @asa-do-your-thing, @arcielee, @bellamys-girl1, @immyowndefender, @xxlovingfandomsxx, @elinedjarin, @meg-egg-blog, @marvelescape, @mandiiblanche, @lokiofasgard12, @boxedpandas, @anewpersonthatexists, @toodlesxcuddles, @mckiquinn, @cvspians, @aemondslove

#house of the dragon #hotd #hotd au #house of the dragon x you #house of the dragon fic #house of the dragon x reader #house of the dragon x oc #jacaerys velaryon x reader #jacaerys velaryon x oc #aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen x oc #jacaerys x reader #jacaerys x oc #aemond x reader #aemond x oc #reader insert

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fairyhaos · 8 months

Text

seventeen as seventeen songs

requested by @nishloves

notes: honestly this was hard to do 😭 i kept thinking about songs that are most iconic for that member rather than which song they fit, but hopefully it's still somewhat accurate <3

[the spotify playlist with these songs in too]

masterlist

seungcheol

clap. if there's any song that screams "i'm the leader of seventeen and we're better than any of your lazy asses", then it's clap. it's also such an iconic song, and the hypeness and brightness and the coolness and suaveness it radiates all at once is very very seungcheol, if you ask me. it also doesn't hurt that he looked so so good with his silver hair in the mv.

jeonghan

snap shoot. okay, this one sounds really unusual, but hear me out. snap shoot gives encore song vibes, goodbye song but not quite goodbye, "today was fun and i hope to see you soon" vibes. it's like standing back and watching everyone have fun because of something that you did. it's being happy n having fun by seeing that you made others have fun. and that's jeonghan.

joshua

falling for u. it's such a delicate song, all polite and sweet and delicate and therefore it's just very very much joshua. the youthful, almost playful edge to the melody reminds me of him, along with the kind of naive, "you're so pretty so i fell in love" kind of loving that the song feels like makes me think of josh. also a bonus that he has tons of lines in this song, since it's just a duet w him and jeonghan haha

junhui

my my. the hope!! the sweetness!! the little funky music in the intro that adorably reminds me of junhui's voice!! it's all just so him. the way this song just encapsulates feelings of youth and life and being forever young and forever going towards your dreams... that never-failing optimism is so junhui it almost hurts

hoshi

hit. if you don't think the constant "woah woah woah woah woah"s and "let me drop the 음악" aren't the most hoshi things ever then idk what you're on, man. it's hype, it's powerful, it's "im better than you and even you know it" and so cocky but also so True that you can't even refute it. it's about always doing better, always going further, and that's just so hoshi.

wonwoo

lean on me. jazzy, chill, dependable vibes are a very very wonwoo thing, actually, and that's what this entire song is about. it's laid back, and yet loving at the same time, caring and comfortable and ready to be by your side. it feels like a song you'd listen to while on a walk with him at night, his camera up to his eyes, his hand wrapped around yours.

woozi

247. it's romantic, but also a little wistful at the same time? elegant, yet nostalgic, thoughtful and sweet and like dancing across a glass lake. it's what woozi feels like, with his intelligence and how delicately he feels things. to be honest, a lot of the ballad-style, romantic earlier songs of svt fit him rlly well, but 247 even more so

minghao

hit song. it's a smooth feeling song, like running a cloth over a black marble countertop. honestly, finding a minghao vibe song is really hard for me, but some of their gentler songs seem to fit him, full of devoted, almost shy love that feels very minghao to me. that devotion, that softness and yet the determination also present feels like him

mingyu

boomboom. purely based on the vibes of the song tbh, and the prominent drums and chromaticism of the melody feel like mingyu, along with the brass accents and the confidence and coolness is just all so very very there that it makes me think of mingyu practically almost instantly.

dokyeom

kidult. not only because his vocals in this song are both iconic and utterly incredible, but even its message is very dokyeom. it encapsulates his innate urge to help people, to heal people, to make sure they smile and that they know they're loved. it's a precious song, and a song about letting others know they're precious, and has me crying and smiling, just like dokyeom does.

seungkwan

'bout you. it's a devastatingly romantic song, like a simple, easy love. it's like the type of love with zero complications, just full of two people laughing and running through fields hand in hand and hearts full of love for one another. the entire song feels so fresh, almost citrusy, and never ever fails to bring a smile to my face. just like seungkwan, actually.

vernon

crush. im gonna be real with u i have no idea how to explain this one but yeah. crush gives me vernon vibes and idk, maybe it's the funky vibes of the song with its mild chromaticism that give me a vernon feeling, but yeah. vernon is crush. (maybe it's because that's what i have on him-)

chan

domino. it's a light song, like floating but not quite. almost as if bouncing on your feet in midair, leaping across clouds which just gives me chan vibes. it also gives me movie ending credits song vibes after a bright, high school-set rom com learning-to-grow kind of movie which is very very chan in my opinion

request guidelines

reactions tags: @jeonginssa @magicaltonaru @weird-bookworm @minhui896 @turningcarat @zarara @bunnyiix @slytherinshua @haowrld @belladaises @iheartyujin @summery-bat @newgirlygirl @moonlitskiiies @ejspencer14 @mirxzii @wonranghaeee @saythename-chess @yonabutnotyuna @youthoughtiwasfeelingyou @crackedpumpkin @wqnwoos @sunshinekyeom-sang @ocyeanicc @zozojella @thesmellofcoffeeandrain @kthstrawberryshortcake-main @kawennote09 @a-wandering-stay @icyminghao @nananacomeonnnn @valenhui @sweet-like-caramel @hansolaria @gam3bo1z @marisblogg @evasaysstuff @odxrilove @kyeomyun @chansburgah @pepperonijem @jeonride @kellesvt @butiluvu @sakufilms

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lovelicht · 3 months

Text

PAC: Your current situation and advice

Disclaimer: As I am not a professional reader, all of the posts are to be taken with a grain of salt. This is a general reading so some things might not resonate. Regardless of the situation, please remember that tarot portrays only one of the multiple scenarios of your life and you choose whether to follow it or not.

(1->2, 3->4)

Group 1

Cards: The Chariot, The World Rx, Knight of Wands (bottom of the deck: King of Swords Rx)

Your current situation:

You are currently in the phase of your life where you are actively navigating through diverse situations in the pursuit of your goals. It can reflect itself both on a professional/academic level and a personal/interpersonal one, given that the effort you are putting in serves to your development. Considering the presence of the reversed King, it’s highly probable that you might find yourself losing the emotional balance in course of your trial, but you keep pushing forward nonetheless. The said misbalance could manifest itself as impulsivity, impatience, arguments with colleagues / friends / family when things do not go your way, as well as a lingering sense of frustration towards oneself at the slightest failures.

The advice:

Embrace your imperfections, for they are what makes you human and teach you to strive further. As I have previously mentioned, at the moment you might be very sensitive to failure, because you give your all on your way to attaining your wish, however this drains you both emotionally and energetically, holding you in the self-made prison of frustration. It is natural to misstep sometimes, because it shows us aspects of ourselves that we still have to work on, and once we finally do so, we will become closer to our goals and inner peace in general. Make a habit of being grateful and happy even from apparently small successes, as, in the end, it’s the small steps that make the journey.

What can you do to follow the advice?

Give yourself the freedom you deserve! The expectations you have put on yourself tie you down and do not allow you to fully embrace the experience of living your passions. Wands are a suit that speaks of life and the fire inside each one of us, let that fire guide you through the dark of your mind. For example, if you have an idea you really wish to try, whether hobby or simply an experiment at work, do it, because even if it doesn’t work out, by the end of it you will be able to learn what should be done next time so it becomes better! Do not fear other’s judgment either, for they make mistakes too, whether they choose to show it or not. You are your own person and you live your own life, do not let yourself be confined by your fears and other’s thoughts!

Group 2

Cards: Page of Wands Rx, The Tower Rx, Five of Coins Rx (bottom of he deck: Strength)

Your current situation:

You are trying to embrace your youthfulness, embody the present you always wished to have, but for some reason it all seems to go downhill regardless of how much you try. For some it might be a blockage related to not being capable to let yourself remorselessly behave free, while for others it can be described through a series of unpleasant or even unfortunate events that seem to haunt them every time they try to step out of the box. It’s highly probable that in this group are a lot of children who had to grow up fast, and now that you are given the freedom of age, you are trying to become the wild icon your child self wished to become, but it simply doesn’t work out. An example could be the typically introverted young adult going to a club, and once they finally try to let go of their fears they meet someone there, get into a relationship with that person and they get hurt so badly that it makes the young adult retreat back into their shell.

The advice:

There is some stuff you have to let go of, in order to truly feel the freedom you blindly seek through the said activities. Many of you struggle with unresolved trauma, whether it’s about bullying, parental issues or other sorts of painful experiences. By trying to be the conventional active youth, you are showing your resilience in rapport to your past, but the problem is that some problems bind you, unless you learn to diminish their impact on your life. It is never easy, but a wound cured now, stops a dormant infection in the future, that could potentially affect both yourself and everyone you will grow to care about.

What can you do to follow the advice?

Accept that nobody will come in your life and heal your past, for little who have enough energy to take care both of others and oneself. You are being encouraged to face your trauma on your own and come into terms with it one way or another: whether it’s shadow work that you feel you can do on your own or asking for the help of a specialist, or in general someone you feel that can help you.

This message might not be for everyone, but stop hoping that your parents will heal the pain they inflicted on you, for they are simply not in the headspace to do that. It’s frustrating, but such is the truth: you ought to take matters into your own hands, because they won’t do it for you, nor for themselves.

Group 3

Cards: Nine of Coins, Three of Cups Rx, The Star (bottom of the deck: Four of Wands)

Your current situation:

At the moment, you are in the stage of reaping the rewards of your hard work in the past. Previously you might have put yourself out there a lot in order to achieve certain goals and now you embrace the results and it’s all coming abundantly. Good things come to you almost from every corner, and you might even feel somewhat overwhelmed by how fast everything comes into your life at the moment, whether it’s opportunities, money or other form of creative energy. Those being said though, you might also feel the need to take a break after all the efforts you put in previously, to make some time for yourself and adjust yourself to receiving the abundant energy that is coming your way.

The advice:

Celebrate your successes and let yourself feel the blessings of your hard work. It is finally the time to rejoice after a long period of trials and tribulations. Even though you might still have certain unresolved issues, fear not, everything has its time, and now is the time you show yourself the appreciation you deserve for building a strong foundation for your future development. Just make sure not to go overboard and overindulge in pride and joys, as even the best of medicine becomes poison if ingested in doses too great.

What can you do to follow the advice?

As I have mentioned earlier, you might find your mind still worrying about certain issues, even once abundance started flowing into your life. You are being advised to leave some things in the hands of destiny and embrace an overall positive manifestation stance. Be hopeful and trust the universe to do its works for you have already done a great deal. Do not get me wrong, life consists of one’s continuous development, but some things are better left to the flow, for they are variables we cannot and needn't currently solve, especially when they still haven’t come into our lives.

Group 4

Cards: Six of Cups Rx, Justice Rx, Knight of Swords Rx (bottom of the deck: Eight of Wands) + 8

Your current situation

Before conducting the reading I was repeatedly counting to 8 without any reason at all so I presume this number might either have a personal meaning to you or it could apply to your current life period in general. Eight is overall a number I associate with karma and karmic events that happen both in our and other’s lives, regardless of what we subjectively might think is right or wrong. It could be that you are currently undergoing a series of events you find unfair in relationship to you or someone close to you, to the point you suffer from it personally, via frustration, anger, perhaps with a hint of self victimisation in relationship to the unjust treatment you/they receive from life. Your perception of life might be still rather immature due to your past, perhaps you have been suffering from bad treatment since early childhood, thus you feel like you deserve better than that in the present. Overall you are a fiery and reactive person, to the point where you might show your displeasure in regards to events or actions you deem wrong a little too violently.

The advice:

Some things are better left up to the karmic forces to influence. Doing your own justice isn’t applicable in every situation, especially when it comes to a subjective, misbalanced, red coloured lens that one might own as a traumatic response. Revenge and general state of clouded lucidity does nothing more than suck your energy and hurt more or less directly both you and the ones you might care about. Universe has it’s own mysterious ways of functioning, which transcend both time and lifetimes in general.

What can you do to follow the advice?

Pay less attention to your past and the people in it, and move actively towards your future instead. You are brave and capable, use your intellect and rebellious nature to break the chains that attach you to your past instead. Try cultivating a more healthy action-oriented view of life to balance your impulsiveness and to harness your inner energy that is currently focused on anger. You have a lot of work to do on yourself, and it requires all the energy and courage you can muster!

#pick a card #tarot #pac #pick a pile #tarot reading #tarot pac #tarot pap #tarot readings #pick a card reading #tarot reader

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an0nymousmessenger · 7 months

Text

A Thousand Wishes Unheard

Synopsis: You’ve always known there was a before Gojo Satoru, then there was during Gojo Satoru…you just never thought that one day there would be an after Gojo Satoru. Word Count: 9.06k tags. fluff, angst, hurt no comfort ( a little bit if you squint ) note: A bit rushed. The copium is real. Ao3 Link Part 2.

You’ve always known there was a before Gojo Satoru, then there was during Gojo Satoru…you just never thought that one day there would be an after Gojo Satoru.

You’ve always known Gojo Satoru. Who doesn’t? He was the strongest. He was the holder of the six eyes, master of limitless, the one that went against the King of Curses. He was your classmate. He was your friend. He was arrogant. He was condescending. He was loud. He was careful. He was kind. He was–

Gojo Satoru was a lot of things. Sometimes he was cocky, and other times he was annoying, and well– you suppose despite that, in the little crevices of your memories, he was…alright. As to you, he was just Satoru.

You remember the day you first met him, the memory was clear, and oh so very blue. You had walked past him underneath the school’s Torii gates, the one with many short stone pillars that lined up to the school. It had been a clear day, one of the clearest it had been during the season of summer.

He had been walking with Shoko and Suguru when you first made eye contact. You paid him little to no attention, too occupied with your hair not falling correctly in the right place. It was your first time attending Jujustu Tech and you were curious– excited, and a bit nervous.

You had been born with your clan’s technique, and thus here you were, sent off to attend a school to train and raise you to hone those abilities. Although the path here wasn’t easy, you still made it.

However, this story is for another time…This story…it wasn’t about you...well- it was sort of. It was mainly about him. The boy that you had walked past under the clear blue sky, not even noticing him properly. It was about the boy that you had no idea you would one day spend so much time with.

Little did you know after that short meeting under the stone gate that you would see him again not long after when you walked into your first class. He was leaning in his chair and about to fall off.

He really did fall off when you opened the door.

Back then you were both first years. Young, naive, and free. You would find yourself spending a lot of time with your new classmates, training, talking, going on missions, and small getaways.

Your secret little adventures away from the world of curses.

That summer was one that you couldn’t forget even if you tried.

It was one of the rare collections of memories that you held close, the one where you got to see a side of Gojo Satoru’s youth.

“Yo~!”

A loud and obnoxious voice came from behind, telling you exactly who had been the first one to arrive back at the beach.

Unfortunately for you, it just had to be the annoying white-haired teen of the group.

“Guess what!”

“...What?” You replied a bit late while letting out a long tired sigh.

It had been a long day, and although a few moments before you had hoped the others would hurry it up, now you wished that you could have gotten a few more moments alone to spend watching the setting sun fall beneath the waves.

“Oh c’mon! Guess!”

You could already feel a headache coming up.

Just as you were about to turn your head around and give Satoru a wack on the back of his legs, hoping to trip him with your hand, he bent down to your eye level, meeting your deadpanned gaze.

He put on his iconic pouting face, “Can’t turn around, that’s cheating!”

You couldn’t help but let out an amused snort, “As if that’s above you.”

He grinned, “Are you suggesting I’m a cheater?”

“The very worst,” you nodded.

He did a dramatic fainting gesture to his heart while putting on his best look of surprise and betrayal before gasping aloud, “Me!? Cheat?”

He leaned backward, “How so? How could you think so low of m-“

He was about to continue his nonsensical rant but you had cut him short with a quick jap to his sides.

In the end, you had managed to figure out that he was the one who had brought the firecrackers. Of course, you thought. Though you weren’t exactly sure how he managed to come into possession of them. Satoru with firecrackers was like giving a baby a chainsaw.

Okay, maybe not that bad, but still– the image was still there.

Perhaps he had managed to slip by Suguru’s watchful gaze when they were unloading stuff from the van.

You were interrupted from your thoughts when you heard the sound of tearing.

Looking next to you to where the white-haired gremlin was, you saw that he was already opening the box of firecrackers.

“Not going to wait for Suguru and Shoko?” You asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Nah, It’s not like I’m going to burn through all of them, don’t worry about it!.”

You mutter something like ‘overgrown child’ under your breath as you watch him continue to tear and rip the package apart like a rabid animal.

Though, you knew it was because he was probably really ecstatic at the prospect of a little firework display at the tip of your fingertips. You could tell from the light in his eyes that shined brightly that you managed to glimpse from the side of his glasses.

You held back a laugh, remembering you and Suguru describing what a firecracker to Satoru was earlier when you suggested bringing them out when the sunset as you had packed them the night before.

The shock and look on his face was something that was hard to forget. Being from one of the three top clans he was spoiled, that was a given. But even with that, it came to you as a shock that he had never been able to play with a firecracker.

Though after some thought you thought it did make sense. The elders may have thought it was dangerous, and Satoru being the wielder of those rare eyes after a few hundred years…well it was self-explanatory when you put it like that.

Eventually, he managed to get two out.

‘Like hell, he won’t burn through all of them before they get here,’ you mentally comment, but making no sound or move to stop him. You continue to keep your eye on him.

Just so he doesn’t commit arson– of course.

He held out the long stick before lighting the two of them with his lighter.

Instantly the firecracker came to life, bustling and crackling with little mini explosions. It lit up the surrounding area to a small degree now that the sun had set to some degree, illuminating Satoru’s smiling face.

“Hello? Earth to his highness?” You ask with a light amused tone as you watch him, entranced by the mini light show.

Bringing him back to earth with your words and that nickname that you and Shoko would sometimes call him from how large his ego was, he tore his eyes away from the small firework display to finally look at you.

“Ah! Can’t forget this, can I?” Just as you were about to ask what he meant by that he suddenly offered you his other firecracker with a bright smile.

Satoru has always had a pretty smile. You had noticed that very soon into the time you got to know him. It was bright and contagious. His energy was contagious.

And that light somehow made that smile brighter, and possibly even more unearthly. Though you would never admit it aloud.

A little taken aback, you held out your hand nonetheless and grabbed ahold of the firecracker he was passing to you.

Your hands brushed, if only barely before he retracted them, going back to stare at his own firecracker with that childlike amazement.

You sat there in confusion as you looked at him, unable to take your eyes away, your hands still outstretched, holding onto the firecracker.

It was only after the firecracker was almost ⅖ of the way done that you finally came to your senses and retracted your aching arm.

You brought the mini firework show closer to you, but not too close to get harmed.

The tiny explosions were nice to pretty, you supposed.

You smiled. It was a small but noticeable smile. It was most likely then that you decided Satoru wasn’t so bad…not really, anyway. He was okay…you supposed.

Little did you know that that moment soon became one of your most hidden and treasured memories, kept away behind locked doors and secrets. A memory that you will always hold close, a priceless thing.

It was the first of many times that you wished that moment had lasted just a little longer.

You were too lost in your own thought that you failed to notice sometime later– before the firecrackers died and Shoko and Suguru had arrived and brought the snacks, and before talked late into the night underneath the watchful gaze of the stars while lighting more firecrackers, so many in fact, that someone had noticed them and kicked them out.

Before they were all on the way back to Jujustu Tech in the van with Suguru driving and Shoko playing the music, as Satoru had his head against the window, occasionally bumping against the glass with a few bumps in the road, and with you tapping a soft tune as you looked out the window at the scenery.

Before all that, he– instead of staring at his firecracker, had instead focused his eyes on you at that moment.

It wasn’t anything drastic, but a slight tilt of the head, a slight breathless intake of breath. He focused, not on the mini lights to call for his attention, but on the way your hair flew with the slight breeze, your small but delicate smile that Satoru had sometimes caught you wearing. The small smile that showcased your dimples, the way your eyes softened as you looked at the tiny fireworks display in front of you.

The sun had almost completely set behind the raging waves, and with that allowed the light to softly hit your face, and to him…at that moment you seem to appear otherworldly.

Perhaps it was then that Satoru…

Whatever he wanted to say then was muffled out by the seaside wind.

Gojo Satoru was not always the strongest. Sure, he had been born with the limitless technique as well as the legendary six eyes, but despite that– there was a period where he was still Satoru. Just Satoru. Not some strongest sorcerer of the century or what-not.

Yet ever since that day– that year– that summer. That blue spring changed everything. Ever since that day Gojo Satoru has been known as the strongest. It was official, there was no doubt.

It was then that the line that you were now so familiar with was drawn between Gojo Satoru and others. Others such as you.

It was then that almost every moment after felt as if you weren’t really with Satoru, no…not really. Despite talking to him, hanging out with him, hell– even laughing with him…it felt as if something was missing.

As you weren’t really talking with Satoru. You were talking with Gojo Satoru. It was as if even though he was right next to you, when you reach out a hand he was suddenly miles and miles away.

Because that was who he was. Untouchable. The strongest.

Years past…just like that. Through those years you had grown into a fine sorcerer. You were capable, and strong in your own league. Grade 1, and later in your late 20s you would be promoted to semi-grade-1.

You trained and trained; you wanted to forget, wanted to better yourself so that what happened that summer wouldn’t happen again. And so you eventually made it, you surpassed your limits and grew as a sorcerer, as a person, and eventually became an author in your off time.

Before coming to Jujustu Tech you were always fond of writing. It was an escape and something that easily passed the time.

A few of your works even blew up, earning you a little extra cash. Not that you needed any, being a sorcerer provided you with enough income.

Though you still kept on writing. It wasn’t for the money, but for the story, you could create.

Although you would never admit it, in many of your famous published works, the characters in your novels were often based on the people in your life.

Which is why you never brought it up.

It had little to do with the fact that one of your most popular and well-liked character who is loved by all of your readers being based on some annoying white-haired man.

It had been an accident. Really!

But you were ready to shoot yourself if your friends ever found out.

Well…it wasn’t like that man, the person you prayed about every day for him to never come across that book, was likely to find out.

As the lot of you grew older and older you also grew distant.

Shoko became a doctor and was mostly too occupied in her laboratory at Jujustu Tech while Utahime, Nanami, who you were glad to rejoin the Jujustu World, and Gojo… were all busy with their missions halfway across the world. You were too, so it was only natural.

You made attempts to get them together again– just to hang out, like old times. But it almost never worked out, everyone was too busy…and on the off chances that a few of them managed to make time, Gojo was never there.

The strongest…that word felt bitter on your tongue. It felt like that was preventing you from seeing your friend again. A friend that you had missed.

Yet there were still those moments, those rare moments where you were able to cross that line and reach him– if only barely. Those little accidents where you manage to slip by.

You remember a few of them, but there was always one that stood out.

It had been a long time since that summer, but you remember finishing up a rather easy mission earlier than expected, so you decided to find a place to relax.

It was a few minutes later that you found yourself on top of one of the Jujustu Tech buildings, lying on the roof as you enjoyed the feeling of the sun against your skin.

Though your break was very short-lasted as you felt a presence, a very familiar presence, join you not a moment after. It had been quite a surprise, but all the same, a welcomed one.

Closing your eyes you breathed in the fall air. Autumn was here, and in your wholehearted opinion, the best season by far. The temperature was just right, not too cold nor hot, the leaves were turning beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow, and everywhere smelled pleasant.

You felt yourself relax as you pressed yourself against the roof, enjoying your little moment of freedom that you found.

But eventually, you spoke up, as if to the air around you, but you knew better. Even if your eyes didn’t tell you, his scent did. It was recognizable anywhere, and if his scent didn’t, then your ears would, and even if that didn’t work, your soul could.

“If you’re here, might as well join me down here, won’t you?”

You peek through one of your eyelids, looking past the hair that had been blown onto your face.

Right past that there he was, the man in all of his glory, the cocky and annoying bastard.

He stood behind your head, a little higher on the part where the roof was raised, leaning down with his hands in his pocket, a little bag at his side, and peering at your unimpressed expression with a grin.

“Now, now, I didn’t think you were the type to–”

You raised your hand, threatening to wack his lanky ankles, which would cause him to lose balance and make him fall off the roof.

But you knew you couldn’t, nothing could get past that infinity of his. But it still held the same effect after all these years as he raised both of his arms in surrender, sighing like a child as he made himself a spot next to you.

You noticed he didn’t wear his blindfold or glasses today. It somehow made him look bare. You suppose you just weren’t used to it…not having seen him without one for a very long time.

You two didn’t speak for a while, and you were afraid, not that you wanted to admit it, but just a little bit that he would leave too soon, and so you started to talk.

“Fancy seeing you here, weren’t you assigned a mission across the world in the Americas a few days ago?”

He replied back with his smug and cocky tone, coupled with that shit-eating grin, the one that he still had despite all these years, “Why? Did you miss me that badly?”

“No,” was your flat-out response.

You’ve grown used to his absence.

But did you really?

“Ouch. Come on! Shouldn’t you be happy I’m back early for once?” He whined. Somehow when it was just the two of you alone he always put on that same overgrown child act.

Not that you complained.

He hummed in fake contemplation, “Hmm. Should I tell you? It’s supposed to be a secret~ a huge one! I’ll probably get in big trouble.”

As if he’s ever been scared of the higher-ups.

You hold back an eye roll as you mutter, “On second thought— I don’t think I’m all that interested anymore.”

You were used to his antics, his usual method of craving for sympathy.

“Well,” he chuckled, “Now I’ve got to tell you, don’t I?”

“...I don’t care.” You say, biting back a tired sigh. You seem to do that a lot in his presence.

“Precisely! Since you don’t want to hear it, then now I’ve got to tell you!”

Great.

He leaned back, his hands behind his head as he began to explain his early return, “Turns out the case wasn’t as bad as the higher-ups thought it was, a misunderstanding. The curse was pretty easy to deal with, of course, it was mainly because I was there.”

Uh-huh.

You rolled your eyes.

He took a breath before continuing, “And so, I finished the mission, bought a couple of souvenirs, and decided to come back early. I figured since I had some free time on my hands I would come and visit.”

To you. To come and visit you.

“How thoughtful of you,” you remark lazily as you follow the clouds slow drift.

“Aren’t I?” He replied sitting up and grinning down at you, “So you’ve noticed!”

This guy–

Just as you were about to smack him he continued- almost hurriedly.

“I even bought you some souvenirs!” He gave you a quick glance at your unconvincing expression and added seriously, “Really! I’m being for real.”

Now that only made you more suspicious, “Did you break something of mine?”

He supports himself up with his arm, “Whaaat? What brings you to say that?”

You scrutinize him further, checking for any signs of potential an apology gift-ing face, “For all the reasons there are.”

He rarely brings you anything, rather keeping them to himself. Though, the majority of the reason for why that is, is because all he ever buys is sweets. Now, you may appreciate having a few every so often, but the problem is the ones he buys are always…too sweet.

So, this was suspicious, to say the least. He must be trying to make up for something.

“And…because you’re you,” You decide to add.

He smiles down at you as with his other free arm lifts the gift bag from earlier, a child-like excitement showing on his face, announcing, “Specialties from the Americas!”

You look at his bag with some curiosity, and a part of you did wonder what foods from another country would taste like.

You decided you would forgive Satoru this time…and perhaps even a little thankful.

However, that thankful feeling for his consideration soon disappeared, as fast as how fast a paper would burn when being thrown into a burning building.

“Fucking shit! Water! Water!!” You yelled as you wrenched the water bottle Satoru handed you with his shaking hands as he was too busy holding in his laughter, watching as you chugged it almost whole in one go.

Your yells echoed off the rooftop and were so loud the whole campus could probably hear you. It was actually because of this that later it was the reason Principle Yaga had found the both of you and kicked you guys out for the rest of the afternoon.

The water didn’t help much, if at all. The burning sensation in your throat only continued to sting, a stubborn feeling that wouldn’t go away no matter how much water you downed.

You gasped roughly as if you were fighting for air, “What…the…hell…Satoru!?”

Satoru, the perpetrator, the man of all your current problems, sat next to you uncontrollably shaking, desperately trying to keep in his laughter.

He managed to calm himself down, smiling to himself as he dug into his bag for something else, “Ah! My bad! I must’ve given you the wrong thing!”

“You're bad!? The wrong thing!?” You shout in disbelief.

You could not believe this man. He knew you couldn’t handle spice and yet he still–!

“This is the one! Here, catch,” he said as he tossed something that looked like another typical piece of sweets into the air.

You caught it with ease, and brought it up close for closer inspection; forcing yourself to ignore the stinging that threatened to make tears spill, you checked the labels and ingredients this time more carefully.

You made a mental note to work on your English skills. Perhaps you could ask Nananmi sometime down the line.

You looked at the packaging before looking up at Satoru with a suspicious gaze.

“What is this,” you demanded, eyeing the manchild sorcerer.

He grinned, “Find out.”

“I’ll pass,” you replied, raising your arm and about to toss the candy over the rooftop when Satoru shouted,

“Hey hey! Don’t toss that!”

You spare him an untrusting glance.

“Don’t you know those are expensive!?”

You laugh at his words, “Are you telling me the Gojo Satoru can’t afford a few more of these sweets?”

Knowing Gojo, he was probably one of the richest people in the country…sorcerer-wise anyway. Actually– scratch that. With how much his clan has, with him being the head, he probably is the richest.

“They’re from another country! It’s a different kind of expensive!” He retorted, crossing his arms defensively and in disbelief at your daring to question his wallet.

You relent, biting back a comment on how he could probably warp there in no time to buy a few more, you bring the candy back down from the air.

The package is clutched tightly in your hands, and if it had a consciousness it would probably be shaking in fear from the intensity of your gaze.

“You promise these aren’t spicy?” You ask him, still deciding not to trust whatever answer falls from his mouth.

“When I ate them they were very sweet.”

You continued to give him a suspicious look.

“Pinky swear,” he reaffirmed, even going all out as to holding out his pinky.

You stare at him, unimpressed.

“What! It’s the strongest bond in the world.”

“Is it now?” You ask with amusement.

He nodded enthusiastically, “A promise from the strongest, so don’t worry about it.”

A promise from him.

You rolled your eyes, deciding to comment, “How childish,” and ignore him.

He sighed dejectedly before looking back up, waiting for you to taste-test the foreign candy.

You slowly unwrap it, before bringing it up to your mouth. Sparing Satoru one more look, you push the candy past your lips and into your mouth.

Your eyes light up. It was…sweet. He wasn’t lying. The candy seemed to dissolve on your tongue and had this light feeling.

It…wasn’t bad.

“It’s sweet, right?” Satoru perked up.

“Yeah– it is…” You answer through the sweetness. You think that if Satoru himself could be a candy it would probably be this one.

“Told you.”

You give him a look that suggested, really? You watch him as he unwarps a different kind of candy before popping it into his mouth.

It was alright…at least he had some sort of skill for picking sweets…

…

You eventually (not too soon after) take that back.

Even though it was sweet at first, the outer layer of the candy soon dissolved and all too soon a flaming sensation filled your lungs again.

Spitting the candy out immediately you find your bottle of water from earlier, downing the rest of it this time before tossing the empty water bottle with all your might (and a little bit of cursed energy) at your now currently laughing backstabber.

He brought his head back as he laughed at your current state. The water bottle bounced off his head with a small thwack, too busy laughing to notice his infinity was off.

Was it intentional? Or was he just so used…to you?

Apparently, the sight of you fanning your mouth and trying whatever antics could help rid you of the prickling sensation now that you have no more water was something he deemed comedy gold. He fell back onto the roof and continued laughing at your misery with even tears appearing.

He tried to say something that resembled barely a sentence before dissolving back into a fit of uncontrolled laughter.

You on the other hand were too busy suffering to notice what the blindfolded man had said and instead focused on how to get rid of this burning feeling of scratching and stinging in your mouth.

That- stupid– bastard!

You should’ve known better! That blindfolded cheating cheater! Yes, you said used the word twice, because that’s exactly what he was!

Yet you weren’t too last in your own misery to notice a rare sight in front of you. He was…smiling. Satoru Gojo was smiling and laughing.

Instead of his now infamous grin, there it was– that pretty smile that often adorned his face back during the times of his youth. That smile that you thought you had lost.

The sun naturally lit up his skin, bright and clear, applying an almost angelic beauty to him.

And his laugh, you could tell this one was a real one, a real laugh. Not the ones he would do for the act, nor the ones where he did it because the situation called for it.

No…this was the real thing.

A laugh just for you.

You almost pulled out your phone to snap a picture but that was when the spice had just gotten too much, and way too out of hand.

Instead, you sigh to yourself, “Blindfolded cheater…”

As you looked at him you found yourself laughing along. It was nice, you thought. Almost like nothing had changed, almost like it was still the same. It was…nice.

You and Satoru spent the rest of the evening up on the rooftop, occasionally popping another candy into your mouths, and this time you made sure to only eat the ones you knew were safe.

It was only a little while later when the sun had started hiding behind the trees that Satoru suddenly spoke up,

“I’m going to kill the higher-ups.”

Okay. That was a little out of nowhere.

“Oh?”

You could hear the smug and determined tone in his response, “Yeah, I’m going to tear down this messed up system.”

You don’t respond.

He lifts himself up to lean down to look at you, allowing you to see his vibrant and unearthly blue eyes in such detail as his hair fell downwards, almost touching your face as it blew with the wind.

It was a bit ticklish.

If those eyes didn't hold heaven, you questioned its very existence.

“I’m being serious. I’m going to do it.”

His expression and tone he had used in his voice already told you this much, and you knew that he had always hated the system. And you understood where it came from. Hell– you even hate the system.

But you knew Satoru was adamant about it, about preserving the youth of others that he himself had been stripped from.

That blue spring.

And because you knew this, you broke out into a small smile and answered in a very quiet voice, “I know. I know you will.”

He grinned, falling back onto his back, seemly satisfied as he set his gaze back up at the evening sky, decorated with purple and orange tones.

“You believe me?”

“Yeah, I do.”

How could you not believe him?

“Well,” he said, “Now I definitely will with your support.”

“Didn’t you say you were going to do it anyway?” You ask, raising a brow, but unable to keep the smile out of your tone.

“Yeah! I did! And I am. But now that I know you have my back I know for sure that I will.”

You snort at his words, knowing that your words alone would have made little effort in his pursuit, but you couldn’t help but entertain the idea anyway.

Peering to the side to look at Satoru, he wore a content smile, illuminated by the setting sun that made his hair almost glow, you find yourself pulling out your phone.

A little longer in this moment wouldn’t have hurt.

You still managed to take a photo.

It was the photo that would become the wallpaper on your phone. Mainly because Satoru had been going through it one day and found it, deciding to set it to your phone screen.

Now whenever you open your phone screen you’re reminded of that day. You think it was the last time you heard him laugh, smile that wide, and truly talk to you about him, and so you’ll treasure it close to your heart as well.

Was it too selfish to wish to see that smile again?

With that photo it was like that moment was forefeet frozen in time, the way his hair was swept up by the wind while his smile was wide and carefree. His eyes even seemed to glow even more heavenly.

If one were to ask you who Satoru Gojo was to you…you probably would have just shown them this picture. But alas you were also selfish, and so you think you’ll keep this one to yourself.

Just this one.

Time passed again.

It was around this time that your worst nightmare had come true.

This time, you heard he had become a teacher. A teacher. If you hadn’t seen it for yourself you wouldn’t have believed it.

Yuta, Maki, Panda, and Inumaki.

They were bright and talented students, and you grew a bit fond of them. They reminded you of when you were once a student, once like them.

But why did it have to end that way?

You often found yourself in your free time helping them train and work on their combat technique. It was to the point where others would wonder who was the teacher, Gojo or you?

But you didn’t really complain, not really. You enjoyed working with them, seeing them improve, and watching them grow.

“Yuta, lower your arms by a few degrees when parrying against that, it’ll help with flowing you into another the next movement.”

Yuta nodded, readjusting her grip on his weapon as he returned back into the first stance.

“I’m ready to go again,” Yuta said.

You nod, smiling at the young boy’s determination while his friends gave him encouragement from the sides.

Yuta took a step back, his sole digging into the ground before he disappeared from view.

Only seconds later did he reappear, his katana clashing with yours.

Clang–!

He pushed off against your weapon, landing just a few feet away.

“Nice one! Again!” You call as you ready your stance once more.

You block and parry each of his attacks, letting sparks fly each time metal met metal. It was after a few times that you finally decided to go on the attack.

Pushing against the ground you flew toward’s Yuta from the side, aiming at his shoulder, only to feint last second and go for legs. To your expectations, your attack was met with his blade; a perfectly executed counter.

You step again, making your movements flow into the next attack, the head, the chest, and legs, every attack was met with a sword similar to yours.

What a scary kid, you thought, proud of his fast adaptation abilities to your attacks.

You were just about to sidestep and swing again when you heard a voice calling out your name.

“Hey! What are you guys up to without me?”

You and Yuta immediately pause mid-attack.

You felt your shoulders sag a bit as you sighed deeply, bringing your weapon back to your side, and wiping the sweat off your face with your uniform; then turning to meet the person who had just interrupted your spar, though you already knew who it was.

“Seems like his highness was a bit busy today, don’t you think? Not showing up for your own class?”

Satoru only shrugged as he continued to make his way down the stairs and towards you and his students, his bandages on and his hair looking like the usual porcupine. Though it did nothing to hinder his appearance.

“There’s no problem, my favorite person in the world has taken care of it for me, didn’t they?”

You roll your eyes, “As if. What if I wasn’t able to make it in today, hm? Or what if I decided I wanted to bail out?”

Not that you would ever.

Yet he only grinned and laughed, “I trust you! So there's no worry!”

You held back another tired sigh as you muttered, “This isn’t about whether you trust me or not.”

What if one day you really couldn’t make it? What if one day something happened to you or the kids? What will you do then?

He then turned towards the students, “Okay everyone! Today’s class is over!”

“What?” Maki asked, leaning on her spear as he gave her teacher a confused look.

Inumaki chirped, “Salmon.”

Which was followed by a very confused Yuta and Panda “Huh?”

Satoru clapped his hands together, “Yup! Lesson over!”

You brought your hand up to your face and facepamed.

It was only later when you and Satoru were walking around on the streets of Toyoko that you figured out why he had ended the lesson early despite his arrival, which also explained his absence in class that day.

“So…what your saying is that the curses are getting stronger? And more intelligent?” You say, summarizing the information dump that he had just given you.

Apparently, he had been cooped up in a meeting with the higher-up, and being the head of the Gojo Clan, it was obvious his attendance was required.

This information would usually cause one to panic or be scared because it would only mean something was wrong, something was so very wrong.

Yet the man-child before you had a grin on his face as he said in an almost relaxed nature, replying through his mouthful of cake that he had bought on the way, “Exactly!”

“What are they planning on doing about it then?”

“Dunno,” he responds simply, more concerned with licking the frosting off his fingers.

…

“Weren’t you in the meeting?!”

“Yeah,” he said, rolling his head off to the side to finally look at you, “said a bunch of nonsense, though.”

You felt like hitting him, “I’m sure curses becoming more dangerous is a bunch of nonsense.”

“Yeah, it was. But do you know what’s more interesting?”

There he goes, switching the topic.

“What?”

“The Mochi Mochi shop’s new cake,” He grinned, holding up the half-eaten cake with only the bottom part of the box present, the lid long gone.

It was lemon-flavored.

There was frosting stuck to the side of that grin of his, and you fought the urge to tiptoe and wipe it off. Just how sweet would it taste?

No! You were getting distracted. Too distracted!

You should be focusing on the sudden bombshell of news that was suddenly dropped on you, and how there should be more urgency to such news, “This is serious Gojo!”

But when you expected his response you look up only to see the edges of his mouth in a downturn line as he grunted.

A headache was definitely coming up for you.

“What?”

“My name.”

His response was short. A clear meaning that something had bothered him. And of course, like the child he is– instead of communicating he will drag this out as long as possible.

“Your name?” You say in disbelief, having no clue as to what you had said to cause such a reaction from him, “What about your name?”

But you received no response as the manchild in front of you continued to pout.

You start to laugh, “Don’t tell me..-! Are you upset that your name isn’t the second coming of Jesus Christ or something?”

He only grunted again, and you could tell from under his blindfold he was scrunching up his face in a way that suggested he was bothered by something.

“Is the title as the strongest not enough?”

Silence.

“Oh come on…what is it?”

As the two of you walked on you continued to relay the past conversation again in your head.

What was it? Did you say something wrong? That couldn’t be it. Was it perhaps something happening around you weren’t aware of? Could it…

Ah.

You knew why he was upset…you think– anyway. He couldn’t be upset over such a small thing…could he? Then again, he was a child stuffed inside an adult’s body.

Wasn’t he 28 this year?

You sigh, before stopping in your strides. You turn around and look up a him, a smile playing on your lips as he looked down at you curiously, his pout still in place.

You gesture for him to lean down, and so he complies, while also using one finger to lift his bandages halfway, revealing one of his blue eyes.

What happened next was something you don’t even know how it came to be. Your own daring had gotten too strong that night, or perhaps you had gotten too drunk off of Satoru’s presence.

Tiptoing to meet him in the middle, you bring your finger up to wipe the leftover frosting from his lips before bringing it to your mouth.

Sweet.

Too sweet.

You smiled up at him, “Aren’t you a spoiled child, Satoru?”

You look up at his eyes, expecting him to quip back. But you were met with wide eyes and complete silence.

Ah- had you gotten too comfortable? Did you go too far?

You watch as he slowly leaned away, tugging the blindfold back down to his eyes, before breaking out into a smug grin, “I-...I am quite a spoiled child.”

He stuttered.

Satoru Gojo never stutters.

He returned back to walking, waving a hand in the air, “And it does require a lot of attention.”

It was as if nothing happened, and that he was simply put off by it…is that you would have thought if you hadn’t spotted the back of his neck and the tip of his ears turning a bright shade of red.

You still stood there in place, only moving when he looked back at you after noticing you weren’t walking beside him anymore, “Don’t tell me I paralyzed you with my beauty?”

“In your dreams.”

You run to catch up with him.

Perhaps that night he did manage to successfully diverge you from the pressing topic he had no interest in discussing. But you also managed to make the Gojo Satoru flustered that night, so you wouldn’t take it as a complete loss.

Ever since that day, you notice that he had become a little clumsier with his eating, often getting it on different parts of his face.

He also visits that Mochi Mochi shop a lot more often after that…

That interaction gave you hope that perhaps…that just maybe…there was a chance. But that was all it was and ever will be.

A chance.

Tell me, in another life, would it have been something more ‘than a chance’?

But it seemed fate had other plans.

Fate, you now think to yourself, what a curse it is.

Shortly after that things started going downhill. The vessel for Sukuna, the King of Curses in the form of a child named Yuji, appeared. And many things came crashing after that.

But most of you still made it out okay, and things were looking up. It was okay, you told yourself. Things were…okay. Because things had to be okay.

But it wasn’t.

October 31st.

One of the two dates you will never be able to forget.

The Shibuya Incident.

The Sealing of the Strongest Sorcerer alive.

The Sealing of Gojo Satoru.

You remember the empty panic you felt when you heard the news. It had made your mind blank, and it felt as if it was falling apart. It was almost the exact same feeling from that day, all those years ago. But you were older now, more mature.

So…you didn’t cry. Nor did you act out on your panic, nor did you break down. Even if every single cell in your body wanted to just collapse on itself.

No, you couldn’t. You had a duty to fulfill first, and your emotions came last.

And so you fought, and fought, you fought for your life and for the lives of others. For the lives of the citizens, of the students, and for your home.

He will be alright, you repeated in your mind.

It was constant, never-ending. It was a sort of comfort, and it felt like if you said it long enough it would be true.

It has to be true.

He will be alright because he said so.

Because he said so to you.

He was Gojo Satoru, the strongest sorcerer alive. He was Gojo Satoru, your arrogant classmate. He was Satoru, your…

“Be careful,” You say after him, mere moments before he entered the dark veil. He wore his blindfold and his Jujustu Tech uniform, all prepared for what was to come, and yet his expression showed no sign of worry.

And you almost believed it.

Almost.

He turned around to look at you. It was one of these moments that you wished you could’ve seen his clear sky-like eyes so that you could’ve seen what he was hiding behind his mask of arrogance.

A way to a person’s soul was through their eyes, no matter how high their wall was or how far the line was drawn. But the person in front of you had closed that off too.

You sometimes wondered if you could see those eyes…would they have helped you understand Gojo Satoru a little better?

“Are you concerned?” He grinned, “Worried about me?”

“Yeah, and what about it?”

He brings a hand over his heart, “I’m honored.”

You take a step forward.

You wondered if you could reach him.

“Listen, I have a bad feeling.”

“Don’t sweat. I’m the strongest, remember? I’ll be fine,” He said, waving you off.

That damn line.

“I know. Trust me, I know that…”

More than anyone else, perhaps.

You continue, “But just- just in case-”

Just in case something goes wrong.

“Remind me after to take you cake shopping, isn’t your birthday soon? Don’t worry,” He flashed a peace sign, “We’ll celebrate it,” Was all he said before he disappeared into the curtain with a small wave.

You wished he was there to celebrate all your birthdays to come.

It was only after you arrived back in your cold and empty apartment that you collapsed by the door that you had just closed.

You couldn’t stand up any longer, and even walking from your car to the elevator had your legs shaking.

But you didn’t cry. You couldn’t cry. Because crying would have meant it was over. Crying would have meant you were grieving. You couldn’t grieve, not now. For now, you must remain strong. For your students, for friends, for your Satoru, and for you.

So no, you were not going to cry. You had no one to grieve over.

It was not over. Not yet. Not now.

And so you sat there, collapsed by your apartment door for the rest of the night, unmoving. You felt as if you’d lost a bit of yourself. As if someone had come in and torn it away, tossing it into the deepest depths of the sea.

Your eyes were a bit empty, but still alive, nonetheless.

That night you did not shed a single tear.

It was to your immense relief when you heard the news that Satoru was alive. He was alive, breathing, and unsealed.

You wanted to run to him, to give him a hug, to hold him tight, just for your heart to confirm that he was okay.

He was okay.

You wanted to hear him laugh, to see his stupid grin, and to hear all the weird things he had to say. Everything and anything that told you that he was fine.

But the events that followed did not allow you to see much of Gojo Satoru. He was busy and was away preparing.

Preparing for what could have possibly be his biggest battle yet. You had other words to title the battle, but you didn’t want to say it. You couldn’t say it.

Because it would have made it all the more painful.

You had many memories of Gojo Satoru, many treasured ones that you kept close to your heart, locked away and hidden from sight. Some of the sweetness of youthful ignorance, some were more of a competition to see who could come up with the more creative insult, and some were of the times you managed to steal his love, if only for a few moments.

Could you even call it that?

But this one will forever be the most painful.

A night before December 24th, you, who were walking around the Jujustu Campus to delay the sun from rising, just so happened to pass by the Tori Gate, and to your luck, also see him.

It was almost as if fate decided to play one last cruel joke.

You saw him standing there surrounded by the many stone lanterns that remained intact there after all these years. He stood there silently and unmoving, staring somewhere off into the distance as if he was waiting for you.

He was. But he’ll never tell you. He never managed to tell you many things.

He didn’t wear his blindfold. His hair was down with remnants of water. He must’ve taken a shower not too long ago. He wore a T-shirt with sweatpants, somehow unbothered from the cold of winter’s night.

You silently walk up to him, standing there for a while. You knew he knew you were here. Just as how you always knew when he was there.

The two of you didn’t say anything.

You took a sharp inhale, and then a deep exhale before you raised your head, bringing it to look at him. To your surprise, he was already looking at you.

You stare into his eyes which still somehow managed to bring heaven to you. Looking at those eyes reminded you of many memories, of the past, present, and now…

They provided a sense of comfort…of familiarity in this ever-changing world, because even if the whole city was destroyed one day, it seemed as if those eyes would still be there, to hold you stable.

“Hey,” he softly breathed out.

“Hi.”

“It’s pretty cold out,” he says as a gust of wind passes by, making you shiver slightly.

Ah. So he does know what being cold is.

You take another glance at his outfit, “Says you.”

You could hear a faint smile in the way he sighed.

“Come to wish me luck, hm?” He asks, his voice light and calm.

You raise your eyebrows, “Do you even need it?”

“Of course,” he answers back almost instantaneously.

“I suppose I’ll make an exception today then,” you decide as you tilt back and forth on the heels of your foot.

You offer your best smile.

“Good luck then, Satoru. May the heavens be in your…favor”

Yet you couldn’t help your voice from breaking near the end. You’re sure he heard it as well.

This was goodbye, wasn’t it?

Saying goodbye was hard. It was never your specialty, and even with how many goodbyes you’ve said you could never get used to it.

Yet you were certain this was the hardest goodbye you’ve had to say yet.

He offered a small grin, “Why are you crying?”

You could feel something wet fall down your cheek and onto your shirt, but you didn’t look down and check. It felt as if the moment you looked away from those eyes it would be gone all too soon.

His eyes softened, bringing his hand to cup the side of your cheek so carefully as if you might break any moment now.

You wanted to respond with a quip, insult his hair, or even his attitude, and yet you could only bite your lips to prevent the sobs from breaking through.

This couldn’t be goodbye. It simply can’t be.

And so, you could only softly shake your head as your vision started to blur from your tears.

“Hey, don’t cry,” He laughed quietly, wiping your tears with his thumb, still cupping your face.

“I’m not,” you say, your voice shaky and barely audible.

But he heard you. He always did.

“Sure you aren’t.”

You look down, bringing your arm to wipe the tears from your eyes.

You can’t cry. Not now.

But you couldn’t stop. It was as if apart of you knew that this might be the last time you were going to see him, to feel his warmth against yours, to hear his voice, to–

“Look at me,” he requested gently, using his thumb to draw small circles on the side of your cheek.

And so you do, you look back at him, taking in his white soft hair that almost reminded you of the first snow, the purest of snow. You take in his scent, the smell of vanilla.

You force yourself to etch his voice into your memories so that you will never forget.

“I’m the strongest. I’ll win.”

You wanted to believe him, oh how dearly you wanted to. But he probably even knew better than you did.

Satoru sighs when he still sees your hesitating face, his face lost in thought before bringing up his pinky to you.

And suddenly, you were sixteen again, and not a day older than when you had first walked under this gate. You and him, standing underneath the Torii Gate in the presence of the bluest spring as petals danced around the two of you.

“Let’s make a promise then,” he whispers with a cheeky smile.

You eye him suspiciously through your tears as you force your voice to be stable, “What kind of promise?”

“I’ll win, that’s my promise,” he says.

A promise to you.

“You promise?” You couldn’t help but ask again, like a child seeking comfort.

He nods affirmatively, “I promise.”

You bring your pinky up to his, entwining in a desperate kind of promise.

He smiles down softly at you as the two of you shake on it.

You then take a step closer, wrapping your arms around his waist.

And he let you.

You could feel his warmth. He didn’t have his infinity on.

He never did when it came to you.

He chuckled warmly, “If my memory serves me correctly…” he paused, “A while ago, someone had called the motion childish?”

“Shut up,” you mumble through into his shirt.

You felt his hands wrap around yours, pulling you closer to him.

This was possibly the closest you’ve ever been to Gojo Satoru.

“Don’t go,” You say quietly, “Don’t go.”

“Don’t be silly.”

“I’m not!” You protest.

And all of a sudden you were the child now, all your walls were broken and damaged as you lay yourself bare.

“Not you…not you too,” you beg softly, as if hoping that your words could change his will.

You know it can’t.

“Didn’t we just promise?” He says, “We’ll see eachother again. I’m sure of it.”

And for a second, you believed him.

Gojo Satoru, you are a cruel man, did you know?

Gojo Satoru, what were you supposed to do now with your promise? Tell me, you begged. Tell me, what am I supposed to do now that all there was left was that promise of yours?

Where are you to come and comfort me when I’m no longer able to stand by myself? Where are you to come and dry my tears again?

What were you supposed to do when all there left were memories locked behind your heart? What were you supposed to do now when all the words he’s ever said will forever be played on repeat.

Gojo Satoru was a lot of things. Sometimes he was arrogant, annoying, and rude. But he was also kind, caring, and lonely. He was a child at heart, someone who dreamed, someone who had high ambitions, someone who took care of his students, and someone who had a pretty smile.

He was your friend, your coworker, your classmate, he was someone you confided with, someone that made you feel like home, someone that made you laugh, someone who was close to you, he was always and had only ever been Satoru to you.

You’ve always known there was a before Gojo Satoru, then there was during Gojo Satoru…you just never thought that one day there would be an after Gojo Satoru.

#gojo satoru #gojo x reader #fluff #hurt/comfort #angst #gojo fluff #gojo angst #gojo x you #gojou satoru x reader

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