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#Chapter 11
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Finding Your Roots- Chapter 11, Page 39 Next > Cover
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manga-meow · 3 months
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derikisu · 1 year
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rai-in-hell · 2 months
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I love how they sit on the couch as if there was no more space.
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a-forbidden-detective · 4 months
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Curious add-ons, Episode 10 (Part 6), The Blush and other things
Like what I’ve mentioned before, Wataru Watari and co. edited out Akira’s dialogue and panels in the manga and added a few things that ante up RonToto’s relationship.
(If you listen to the RKDD voice actors, Youhei Azakami especially, they say RonToto when referring to their—his and EnokiJun’s— characters often during their radio show out of laziness, heh, and habit maybe.)
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The blush after Ron notices that Toto is looking at him. Probably caught by his bashfulness, in the end, he smiles at Toto, but realises that there’s something off after Toto sighs loudly.
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Honestly, this is so sweet. The anime writers are invested making use of Akira’s panels where Ron loves to smirk so we can hear him say “heh” with the movement of his lips and giving emphasis on the quiet moments where the characters can interact without words but still heavily imply that emotions are surging. I particularly like the scenes between Toto and John Grizzly where the BLUE instructor was interrogating Toto’s relationship with Ron. That was a minute of no dialogue only the reaction of their faces shown.
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“So, that’s how much… she likes you” is replaced with this nicer statement from Ron. Anyone who treats his friend Toto nicely gets a star from him.
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With the following scenes Toto has come out more dominant than in the manga.
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And yesterday new merchandise had been unveiled just in time for the upcoming Jump Festa. Two of them are these images of the two. Ron is wearing a trendy attire with harnesses on his chest area and a dog tag. Whereas Toto is wearing a sort of street-smart urban outfit. The joke on X Twitter is who’s the “dog” and who is the owner.
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Yes. It is all coincidence. And I am probably projecting.
They definitely removed Ron’s “I feel the same way” line and instead included the dialogue suggesting two things. 1)Ron sees that Toto is fond of ordering takeouts that it is implied that he cooks for the police officer from time to time. His recipes are mostly drenched with black syrup. 2) because Toto is not into cooking, he wishes that one day he does break this habit. Maybe because it is not healthy. This is where my head canon and speculation collide. Seeing that cooking is chemistry and Ron has been a hikikomori for five years and had lots of time during those times he probably had so many things tried and experimented.
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From an outsider’s point of view, like Chikori, who has been wondering what the hell is the relationship between these two.
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alkalische · 15 days
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to defend yourself and your homeland
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meirimerens · 9 months
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this is literally just lore of mine so feel free to ignore i just got angry at having to pull 4 different images That don't even Match everytime i wanted to draw him with the scars so grigri of the future i am talking directly into your ear. do not go scrolling in your folders in search of this it is here. the reference is here. i am talking directly into your ear i am inside of your ear.
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damn-stark · 5 months
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Chapter 11 It almost worked
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Chapter 11 of Sugar
A/N- PLEASE THEY JUST WANT TO BE A HAPPY FAMILY!!
Warning- Swearing, Sweet tooth rotting FLUFF, angst, pregnancy talk, spoilers, long chapter, intended sexual activities and just soft and small sexual scene
Pairing- Suguru Geto x Gojo!fem-reader, (future) Choso x fem!reader
Takes place during- Jjk 0 movie
(Let me know if you want to be tagged)
————
“You’re late,” he whispers and hands you the book he carried in his hands.
You sigh deeply and glance at the door he walked out of before you look down at the tiger-like curse protecting the door as if some stranger is going to just waltz in and take what he’s protecting. You’ll have to thank Suguru for that, he didn’t want her to be left unprotected when the both of you weren't around; even if she's safe living in a community full of sorcerers, and is taken care of by a sorcerer.
Then again it’s not like it actually matters now; the tiger curse bonded with whom it was assigned to protect; the same way Toji was bonded with that worm that Suguru only got after his death.
“And you’re here,” you deadpan and walk past him to knock on the twin’s door. “Nanako, Mimiko, I’m home,” you announce in a softer tone than what you used with Suguru.
“Yeah, we heard!” Nanako shouts, and neither of them bothers to get up.
“Goodnight!” Mimiko shouts back. “Love you!”
You smile. “Me too! Good night!” You exclaim and then sigh as you turn to make a beeline towards your room without stopping by Suguru’s side.
“What did you do?” He asks calmly.
When you enter your room you put the book down on the shelf and instead grab your pajamas. “I went to a bar with Yuki,” you share. “Did you…end up going over there?”
You don’t need to be specific, he knows. So he answers. “Yes, but I didn’t get any of the action. I only saw the aftermath…the children were saved,” he reveals, making you stop just as you were getting other stuff, and turn to face him with a soft pleading look.
“Tell me Suguru that what you did had meaning,” you say quietly and put your clothes down to step closer to him. “Not everything else, but what you just did today.”
Suguru’s eyes soften and he closes the gap by grabbing your cheeks and pulling you closer to him. “Of course, there was, baby. And we are so much closer to our goal because of it,” he shares with growing excitement. “The curses that littered that school were excorized within seconds after Orimoto Rika was released. All of them, even the bigger one I let out. I didn’t get to see it, but the aftermath…” he trails off and smirks deeply. “It was truly promising. So yes, it has meaning.”
You let out a deep relieved breath and nod lightly. He nonetheless continues. “I’m so much closer to giving you and the girls the world I promised,” he whispers, causing your lips to tug to a smile. “We’re so much closer to ending this misery. I just need that curse and it will all be worth it.”
You hold his gaze and see only reassurance in his dark eyes. So that’s what you feel, comfort. There’s no ounce of doubt anymore, he never lies to you for you to have doubts, and he always accomplishes the promises he makes to you and the girls. So the guilt and hesitation you felt, melt away with his words, and with his fired-up excitement and loving gaze.
Others would see this, hear this, and call it madness perhaps, but all you hear is comfort and hope.
“Okay,” you whisper softly. “Okay, I’m sorry I got upset.”
Suguru shakes his head and caresses your cheeks. “It’s okay don’t apologize.”
You smile wider and grab his hands. “I’ll help you,” you let him know confidently. “We’ll get this curse together, whatever it takes.”
Suguru grins and nods. “Whatever it takes,” he repeats and brushes his thumb over your bottom lip before he begins to kiss you slowly as if teasing you.
You try to deepen the gesture, but he pulls back and begins to press a trail of kisses down to your neck.
“I need to take a shower,” you say breathlessly as you try to focus on anything else but his soft lips. “Suguru,” you muse.
Said man moves up and smashes his lips on yours, this time he’s quick and rougher, he shoves his tongue in you, making you gasp and go weak in the knees. Just as you’re about to stumble he slides one hand down to the back of your knee and slides your leg up to hook it around his waist, while he uses his other hand to grab your ass and lift you up to then throw you on the bed.
You laugh and before you know it, he’s taking his shirt off and flashing a smirk.
“Suguru,” you repeat again. “I’ve been out all day, I need to change out of these clothes at least.”
He snickers. “I’ll help you with that, after all you promised earlier didn’t you?”
You beam at him and welcome him with open arms. When he’s on top of you neither of you wastes any time to rip each other's clothes off and leave each other completely nude.
“Did you lock the door?” You ask him as you wrap your arms around his neck.
Suguru nods as his eyes roam your body. “Yeah, yeah,” he says breathlessly before he leans down and begins to press kisses on the collar of your neck and slowly moves his way down, making you ball the material of the bedsheet as your heart races, and your breathing gets heavier as he fills you with burning desire.
“Suguru,” you gasp breathlessly.
“Hm?” He hums and pulls his mouth away to grab your legs and pull them apart to plant kisses on your inner thigh, making you close your eyes and get lost in the sensation of his lips, of his breath unfurling over your skin, and his warmth over the part where you desire his touch the most.
“I asked for the pictures from your shoot today,” he says between kisses. “And darling, you looked absolutely breathtaking.” He pulls back and you groan in protest, making him snicker. He then moves up to hover over you again.
You would be impatient and flip him over, but instead, you look into his eyes and smile with awe. He mirrors your smile and leans in closer to you, causing his long hair to fall down like a gentle stream around your head, and shielding the single light you had left on in your room.
Neither of you say anything, you just watch each other, study each other's nude bodies basked by the dim light, and look up again. It’s been 11 years since you’ve been together and you still grow flustered under his gaze.
“I love you,” he muses endearly, “Mrs. Geto.”
You giggle and gently cup his cheek and tuck strands of his hair behind his ear. He leans into your touch and kisses your palm.
“I love you, Sugar,” you whisper with a beaming smile.
He grins and then nuzzles his face in the crook of your neck to begin kissing you again. “Mrs. Geto,” he whispers against your flesh.
——
*FIVE YEARS BACK*
You to Nanami: Can we talk, please?
You rapidly knock your knuckle on the table and wait. He might not respond right away, he might not even look at it at all. After all, it's been years since you’ve last talked and seen each other, but you have time to wait; the twins are at school, and Suguru is at his Religious group. You can wait.
Nevertheless, only a few minutes pass before a message comes in from Nanami.
Nanami: Yeah, where? When?
You sigh with relief and feel happy tears fill your eyes. You just thought he’d never want to talk to you again.
You: Right now? Uhm maybe your place? Or somewhere quiet?
Only seconds pass this time before you get a response.
Nanami: Okay, we can meet up at my place. Want me to get a car for you?
Oh? He’s changed, he doesn’t sound so moody anymore. He would’ve never offered to get you a ride before. He would’ve made you pay actually.
It’s a nice change.
You: No, I’m fine, I have my ride. Just send your address.
Nanami doesn’t fret to send his address, he doesn’t interrogate you any longer and just assures you that he’ll be right there. Albeit when you reach his apartment complex you end up waiting in the lobby for him.
You still have plenty of time before the girls are out of school so you don’t grow anxious, you read a book and ignore the wandering stares of the passersby who recognize you from magazines, billboards, and runways they've seen you in. You are a bit nervous to see Nanami again after 4 years of going without contact, but your current concern outbeats that so thankfully that’s not your top priority.
“Y/N?” You suddenly hear your name being called.
You close the book and stand up off the chair.
“Sorry I’m late,” you recognize your friend's voice. “There was traffic.”
You turn around and finally face him, noticing that he no longer has bangs, his hair is a lot shorter and more neatly styled. He looks a lot more muscular now too, or at least it seems that way, he used to be so skinny before. And he looks so formal in his suit. He honestly looks great! A little tired, but hey, who isn’t?
“Nanamin!” You exclaim and run over to him to throw your arms around him.
Regardless of the previous anxiety, and your current concern you still do feel excited to see him.
“Y/N,” he mutters as he gently taps your shoulder before he grows more stiff and pulls back slowly to look down at you. You follow his line of gaze and smirk before you step back and sigh. “I’m sorry, were you working?” You ask with guilt. “It looks like you came out of work. I’m sorry, you should’ve told me to wait—”
“No,” he cuts you off as he reaches for his blue tie to loosen it. “It’s fine, the day was boring anyway. Are you okay? What’s wrong?” He asks and meets your gaze, catching the difference in your eye color and blinking repeatedly with surprise. He doesn’t ask about it though and you don’t comment on it either, you just exhale deeply and feel your concern take priority once again.
“Uh, can we go to your house or something?” You ask.
“Yeah, sorry.” He quickly says and doesn’t waste any more time, he leads you to his apartment. And you have to admit the walk there is pretty awkward, neither of you knows what to really say, and you both have questions ready to ask, but neither of you makes the first move.
When you walk into his studio apartment that’s a different story though. It may not be big, but it’s still very neatly kept, and pretty fancy. The view is great too; you can see the city from his apartment.
“Wow, Nanami, this is very nice,” you muse as you take your coat off while you study his place. “Very organized too.” You smile and look for any sign of a partner just so you can be prepared if they walk in and think the worst.
“Are Geto and you still together?” He finally manages to ask.
You nod. “Mhm, we're married now,” you share with a nervous laugh. “We’re going on almost three years now.”
Nanami scoffs softly. “Sounds like him. Where is he?”
You put your coat on his rack by the entrance and continue to give him your back as you take your shoes off. “He’s at his facility. So working,” you share. “I wanted to talk to you alone.”
“Are you okay?” He asks again as he waits for you by his entrance.
You exhale deeply and share a breathless laugh. “Well, it depends,” you mutter and turn around to face him and catch him off guard.
“Uh,” he breathes out as he looks down at your belly.
“Big breakfast,” you tease as you see him continue to look at you with shock.
Nanami clears his throat awkwardly so you burst out laughing and tap your swollen belly. “I’m fucking with you,” you assure him. “Yeah, I’m knocked up. Don’t worry, it’s not yours.”
Nanami rolls his eyes. “Glad to see you haven’t changed,” he remarks.
You giggle and follow him as he guides you over to his couch. Before you can sit though, he props up pillows and pulls over his footrest like a nice gentleman.
“Nanamin,” you whisper and grab his arm. “It’s okay, I'm just pregnant not invalid. Thank you though.”
He doesn’t listen and tries to make your spot as comfortable as possible before you sit down. “What do you want to drink?” He asks as he steps back. “I have uh, day-old bread. Or crackers. I can make you something.”
You flash him a smile. “No, I just ate breakfast not so long ago. But some water is fine.”
He nods and walks off to his kitchen.
“Do you have a partner?” You probe. “I don’t want them to come home and freak out because they see me here. I’ll feel bad.”
“No,” he quickly answers as he grabs a glass cup. “No partner. You’ll be fine.”
You hum softly and gently fiddle with the edge of your skirt.
“How,” he interjects as he serves water in two cups. “How far along are you?”
You smile softly. “Five months,” you announce. “So halfway there.”
Nanami returns and places a cup of water in front of you before he places his cup down and sits down across from you. “Does…your brother know?” He asks, making you grow stiff and annoyed.
“No,” you deadpan. “He doesn’t know. I haven’t seen or talked to him in four years.” You sigh and take the cup of water to take a long sip, feeling every ounce of excitement, relief, and joy wash away.
“Look,” you change the subject with a more melancholy look on your face. “I’m sorry I made you get out of work, I just didn’t have anyone else to turn to. Tsukumo is away, and…Shoko…I haven’t talked to her in four years, plus, I don’t think she’d want to talk to me, so I thought of you. I hope that’s okay, and I know it’s bad that I call you just to come here and burden you with my problems, but I couldn't think of anyone else.”
“It’s okay,” Nanami assures you softly. “I know it’s been a while, but we’re still friends.”
Your eyes fill with tears and you can’t help but flash him a sad smile at the mention.
“So please don’t be afraid to share your burdens with me,” he adds.
You draw out a deep breath and place the glass down as you gather up how to express yourself without bursting into tears. He never rushes you, he waits until finally you find a way to share. “You know my stance with non-sorcerers. Suguru thinks the same way,” you interject softly. “Albeit he hates them a little more than me, he has no tolerance for them. He…killed his parents so as to not make an exception…” you trail off and draw in a shaky breath and take another sip of water as you grow nervous and scared.
“And,” you add. “I guess I'm scared. I mean, he loves the idea of having the baby. He’s so excited and protective, but what happens when the kid doesn’t have cursed energy?” You finally manage to express your concern. “What happens then? He’ll hate me and the baby. And I’m scared because of it. I mean I can deal with him hating me, but the kid?” You ask rhetorically and feel tears escape from your eyes. “And I know it’s way too soon to tell, but I’m still scared.”
“Why should you be though?” Nanami questions, making you sniffle and look over at him—“you come from a long line of strong sorcerers. Geto is a strong sorcerer. I’m sure your kid will be just as exceptional.”
You manage a faint smile, but that fades away quickly. “The Zen’in’s had Toji,” you explain. “He was born with no cursed energy. And I hear that they have another one who’s just the same. It’s not rare for kids from sorcerer families to be born like non-sorcerers.”
Nanami sighs and nods softly. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he says and then goes quiet for a moment. “But,” he then adds. “I don’t think that’ll be your case. Even if it was, that’d make Geto a deadbeat bastard if he’s willing to hate his kid because of something they couldn’t control.”
He might be right, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that you’d feel like it was your fault. And it doesn’t take away from the fact that you’d live with guilt for the rest of your life for your child because her father couldn’t love her.
“Yeah,” you mumble. “I guess you're right.”
“And if it happens you always have your brother,” he adds, making you grow stiff and annoyed.
“Please,” you mutter with that clear emotion. “I don’t want to talk about Satoru.”
“Y/N,” Nanami scolds you. “I can’t tell you to forget what happened, but he’s still your brother.”
You clench your jaw and shrug. “I don’t care. He left, so I’m leaving him behind. So please don’t bring him up anymore, and don’t tell him about anything. Don’t tell anyone.”
Nanami sighs and nods. “Okay.”
You hum and wipe away your tears.
“Look,” he continues to say. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. I’m sure your kid will turn out to be a sorcerer. I’m sure that they’ll be as strong as you…”
You smile softly.
“And if they don’t then…you always have a place here. You and your kid.”
You gasp softly and tears rush down your cheeks. “Thank you,” you murmur. “You’re nice. Nicer than before that’s for sure.”
Nanami scoffs and smiles softly at the ground. “I was a moody teenager then.”
“Weren't we all?” You agree. “Are you still a sorcerer?” You can’t help but ask since there’s really nothing either of you can do about your situation right now. You just needed to talk to someone and hear their advice.
“No,” Nanami reveals. “I quit that. I’m a working stiff now. You?”
“Well,” you sigh and sit back. “I hunt curses, yeah. I do odd jobs with Tsukumo, but right now I am on maternity leave.” You laugh softly.
“Besides that,” Nanami adds. “I see you’re doing well for yourself. I mean you're doing your dream job.”
You grin and nod. “Yeah, you remembered! Yeah,” you repeat. “Well after I dropped out, I worked to get stronger, but after that, I said what the heck, I’m going to try, and next thing I knew I’m walking down runways and shooting for magazine covers.”
Nanami smiles and nods softly. “Good for you. I'm glad you could follow that dream,” he shares. “I don’t think it would’ve been possible if you stayed at school.”
You hum in agreement and drink more water, and as you do, you feel the baby kick so you jolt up and rush over to your friend. “Oh my god, give me your hand,” you say quickly and grab his hand regardless. “She’s kicking, wanna feel?”
Nanami looks down at your belly and hesitates before he mutters his response slowly. “Okay?”
You beam at him and press his hand against the spot where you feel her kick. Rather than looking down you watch Nanami, and see his breath catch, and his eyes widen slightly as he feels her.
“Cool, huh?” You muse. “The twins love to lay on me and feel her move.”
“Twins?” Nanami asks as he pulls his hand away.
You nod. “Yeah, we adopted twin girls that Suguru rescued…Maybe we can hang out again and you can meet them. They’re my pride and joy.” You mention with a soft smile.
Nanami hums softly. “Yeah. That’d be nice,” he agrees.
You beam at him and then sit back in your seat to add something else about the baby. “Suguru and I wanted to name the baby Yu, if it was a boy, just like—”
“Haibara,” Nanami finishes for you as his lips tug to a soft smile.
You nod softly. “Yeah,” you whisper. “But it turns out we’re expecting a girl, so now, we’re clueless as to what we want to name her. Suki is up in the air, or Kiko, but we’re still debating. So if you have a suggestion that’d be great.”
Nanami chuckles. “I wouldn't have a clue,” he says.
“Well,” you sigh. “We still have four months left to decide, so.”
“Are you scared?” Nanami interjects. “To have your baby, I mean.”
“A little,” you admit. “But mostly I’m excited. I can’t wait, I want to meet her already.”
“You know out everyone I never expected you to have a kid,” Nanami shares softly, catching you a surprise. “I thought your brother would, but not you. Now that you’re expecting one, I’m happy for you, y/n. I’m happy that you found a way to live your life outside of our messed-up world. I know you'll make a great mother.”
Happy tears fill your eyes and your heart skips a beat. “Thank you, Nanami. Thank you for everything,” you tell him sweetly. “I hope we can continue to talk and hang out so you can meet her. So we can continue to be friends as well. I missed you, you know.”
“Yeah,” he whispers. “School was never the same after you left…I missed you too,” he admits, making you grin softly.
Your fear about your child’s future won’t go away, but you’re happy that you got your friend back in your life. You really missed him.
——
*NOW.*
“Hello! Can I come in?!”
“Oh, your child’s awake,” you whisper against Suguru’s chest as you’re snuggled up against him after you exhausted yourselves after last night's passionate activities.
“It was getting late,” he comments on the fact that your daughter always wakes up at the same time every morning and never fails to come to your room first—“Yes, Satori, you can come in,” he addresses the visitor as he caresses your back.
The door opens and the sound of stomping paws rush in and skid to a stop by the bed.
“What did I say about that curse in the room?” You question as you keep your head on Suguru’s chest.
“Mommy!” Satori ignores you before you feel her jump on the bed and crawl over to throw herself on you. “You’re finally home.”
You hum. “I got home late, sorry, Chipmunk.”
Little arms wrap around you and her long strands of hair fall over your face. “We missed you,” she muses.
You pull your arm out from under her and hug her tightly against you. “I missed you too.”
“Guess what?” She asks, making you open your eyes and meet her dark brown eyes looking at you already.
“What?” You whisper.
She leans close to your ear, causing her black hair to cover your eyes as it falls all over the place now. “Daddy said we’re going to buy your birthday present soon,” she whispers loudly.
“Excuse me?” Suguru cuts in. “That’s supposed to be a secret, Chipmunk.”
Satori giggles. “But daddy, I didn’t tell her what it was.”
You smirk and glance at Suguru. “You’ll tell me, huh?” You ask your daughter.
Satori pushes herself up and stabs her knee in your ribs as she does, making you groan.
“Well,” she mumbles. “No, because Nana said she’d take away my dolls if I did.”
You giggle. “Oh, don’t worry she won’t.”
“But last yesterday—”
“The other day,” Suguru corrects her.
“Oh…the other day, she hid my doll! And she didn’t want to give it back,” she whines and pouts. “She’ll do it again. Daddy, you have to tell her something,” she complains and throws herself on him, making sure to squeeze herself between him and you even though his other side is empty.
She always does this. She’s like…Satoru in that way, always wanting Suguru’s attention for themselves.
“I’ll talk to her,” Suguru assures his young daughter. “Okay?”
Satori nods and continues to push you back with her feet so Suguru can hug her instead. “Are you going to work today?” She asks him.
“No, I’m going to be home all day today,” he says with a smile, causing her to squeal—“what do you want to do today?” He asks. “Maybe we could go harvest some apples with your mommy and your sisters?”
“Apple pie?” She asks. “Uncle Larue makes the best.”
Suguru smiles brightly and nods. “Yeah, we can definitely ask him.”
“Yay!”
“What about me?” You complain as you’re left on the edge. “I’m cold over here.”
Satori and Suguru both look over at you at the same time, and their resemblance shows off as they’re side by side. She’s literally a mini him except for in personality, she probably takes after you in that. Or…he who shall not be named anymore.
“Well,” Satori mutters as she lays her head on Suguru’s neck. “I guess you can be with us.”
Suguru snickers, and you move yourself back to lay beside your daughter.
“You know,” you muse as you cover her with the blanket. “You used to sleep on your daddy’s chest all the time when you were a baby.”
Satori rolls her eyes. “Yes, Mommy I know, you tell me all the time.”
You smile brightly and drag yourself closer to Suguru. “And I used to lay right here and watch you guys sleep,” you add.
Satori can’t help but smile as she clutches onto Suguru as if he were going to disappear out of the blue. If she could, she’d go with him everywhere, she’d even go with him to his religious facility, but he says she’s still too young to be there so she stays home with Belinda, or you, or the twins instead. She’s attached to him though, and infatuated with the curses he can manipulate. She’s not scared of them like you were at her age. It makes you glad.
But regardless, this attachment is born out of how spoiled she is by Suguru, which is why she wants to go everywhere with him, he spoils all three of them. And you too. And you can’t say you don’t like it because you do, especially when he spoils the girls, it makes your heart flutter.
“Hey!”
You look over at the door and see Nanako walk in with her hand on her hip. “When is breakfast going to be ready? We’ve been waiting,” she complains.
“Maybe you and Mimiko can make breakfast?” You suggest teasingly as you sit up.
Nanako doesn’t like your joke though, and scoffs before she walks over and throws herself on the bed. “Hey we should catch that scary movie that came out last week,” she says, making Satori gasp.
“No! We’re going to pluck apples today!” She exclaims.
“We can do both,” Nanako argues.
You look at her with concern. “Maybe something not scary?” You suggest.
“You lost the bet,” Mimiko interjects as she slowly makes herself inside the room. “You promised one scary movie.”
Tsk.
You groan softly in protest. “This totally sucks, but I guess you’re right.”
“So what about it, Geto?” Nanako presses as she places her phone down.
Suguru looks up at the ceiling and speechlessly recoils over the fact that he’ll have to be stuck in a theater with non-sorcerers, but he doesn’t actually express his complaint, he sighs instead and nods. “Okay, that’s fine.”
Nanako grins and goes back on her phone, letting you glance over at Mimiko and smile at her as you pat the empty spot beside you.
She looks at the spot for a second before she slowly makes her way to your side to lie beside you.
“For now though,” Suguru adds. “Why don’t we go eat, hm? Satori why don’t you come help me?” He asks.
The little girl finally gets off him and claps joyfully. “Okay! Yay!” She exclaims and quickly climbs off the bed to run to the bathroom first. Suguru follows her and helps her brush her teeth, leaving you with the girls alone.
“So,” Mimiko interjects. “Are you guys closer to getting that special grade curse?”
You sigh and feel her head fall on your shoulder, letting you lay your head on hers as you explain the situation. “Well, not really. But we want to get her soon, Suguru just made his first move though, so we’ll wait a bit until we make our next move before we finally go for the win.”
And you did wait, a few months. You didn’t want to get caught before you could come up with a good strategy to take the curse, so you waited a few months before Suguru decided to make his next move to finally lure Okkotsu out to see the power Rika was blessed with for yourselves.
“Do you really think he’ll release her?” You doubt Suguru as he helps you up on the end of the beam that’s several feet over the abandoned shopping center.
“I’m sure he will,” Suguru assures you as he summons the worm curse to wrap it around his shoulders. “With the semi-first grade curse I’ll release, he’ll have to if he wants to save his friend.”
You hum and lean against the wall to wait for the students they sent out for this mission. “Well if he doesn’t and I get some kind of disease up here,” you complain. “I hope you’re ready to cremate me.”
Suguru scoffs at your over-dramatic comment and stands across from you to watch the entrance.
“If he doesn’t bring out Rika then what?” You ask seriously this time. “The cursed-speech user has his limits, you know. Knowing my brother and the school, Okkotsu is probably already training with something else, so if he doesn’t bring out Rika then what?”
Suguru rubs his chin and looks over at you to meet your gaze. “Well then if they're in trouble you can jump in and help them, we can’t risk Okkotsu dying without having her out. The veil will give you cover so you won’t be seen when the job is done.”
You scoff with amusement. “Jump in and look like some whack job just hanging out ready to save kids in veils? They’ll figure us out on the spot.”
“Well,” he argues. “You wouldn't have to get down, an air technique will be discreet and execute the curse without you having to be seen.”
You sigh and nod. “Yeah, that’s right, but he’ll know for sure.”
Suguru nods. “He’ll know today regardless of what happens,” he says. “So it won’t matter. Let’s just hope they don’t protect the kid and make it impossible to reach.”
You chuckle. “Yeah,” you comment on that matter sarcastically. “That’ll happen.”
Suguru snorts softly. “Yeah, you’re right,” he agrees with you. “But he is Satoru’s student, who knows maybe he’s different.”
You avert your gaze and frown at the thought, but you also hope that Suguru’s right about Satoru protecting Okkotsu, because at least he’ll protect the kid better than he protected you that day nine years ago.
“Look,” Suguru breaks you from your thoughts. “They’re here.”
You take a peek past the wall and see a skinny boy in the school uniform with short white hair and a scarf around the bottom of his face—that must be the cursed speech user.
You then spot Okkotsu next to him. Suguru had found his school ID, so you knew what he looked like, but what’s way more visible now is his dark eye bags. Plus he wears white rather than a usually dark-colored uniform. Why?
Yet that’s not the most outlandish thing about Okkotsu, now that you’re close to him you can’t help but freeze and gasp with shock as you quickly feel his cursed energy. It’s impressive and terrifying at the same time. It’s also a lot more than Satoru’s ever was. It’s so…unbelievable.
It would’ve been nice getting to know him now that you see how special he is, but, oh well.
“Come on,” Suguru whispers excitedly. “It’s almost time.”
A veil is drawn so you push yourself away from the wall, but continue to hide under the shadows until a pack of low-level curses create some tornado in the middle of the shopping center. You use that as cover and walk further down the beam to sit in the middle with Suguru beside you.
The curses are busy with the students so they pay no mind to Suguru or you, letting you watch as they form an orb and get louder. Before you know it though, you make out the cursed-speech user walking to the curses, so you use your cursed technique and form a thin water shield in front of Suguru and you, just in case.
The cursed-speech user is strong, so it’s unknown how far his sound waves will reach, and water catches sound waves so it’s better to be safe than sorry.
“Explode!” A voice booms out through the silence, and with that single command all the curses combust, and luckily only the aftershocks of the explosion reach you.
“Truly amazing,” you muse. “I’ve never seen that in action…I would’ve liked to have that technique, it’s cool.”
Suguru glances over at you, you can feel his stare from the corner of his eyes—“like you would've actually enjoyed not being able to speak,” he interjects.
You tilt your head to the side and meet his gaze with a smile. “Ugh, so true,” you agree.
“Maybe our next kid can have that,” he comments.
You snort and retort. “Now how are they going to have that, it’s an inherited technique, dork.”
Suguru smirks and shrugs whilst you both look back down at the scene. “It can happen, it can be a rare case, but it can happen.”
You shake your head and listen as he proceeds to lower a veil, “emerge from darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure,” he chants.
The person who lowered the other veil must be weak if Suguru can cover it with ease. So your brother isn’t the one supervising his students today. That’s good to know.
“Here we go,” Suguru murmurs as he releases a short light blue curse with a big nose and tusks.
Once the kids see it you see Okkotsu reach for his weapon, so you lean forward with curiosity and hope to see the curse attached to him. But Suguru’s curse attacks first, and the cursed-speech user counters by only managing to twist the curses fingers.
“Nice try,” you praise the boy while he falls down. Your eyes then drift to Okkotsu as he runs over and drags his comrade away from the curse, letting you sit back and focus back on Suguru as you wait for their next move.
“Anyway, how many kids do you want?” You ask.
Sure you’ve asked before, but answers change.
“How many ever come out,” he says and turns his head to meet your gaze.
You huff. “I need a clear answer,” you counter. “I’m going to be the one carrying them, and popping them out.”
Suguru draws in a deep breath and drifts his gaze away as he thinks
“Maybe until we have a boy?” You suggest.
“Well,” Suguru breathes out. “What if we have a boy next? I want at least three more.”
You laugh softly. “Three? Man. Okay.” You nod softly in comprehension. “Well, you might get your fourth soon after this morning.”
Suguru’s lips pull to a smirk and he tilts his head. “Well, I can make that a definite possibility later.”
You mirror his smirk. “Oh? Is that a promise?” You tease.
Suguru leans towards you. “We can make it a binding vow,” he whispers in a soft and soothing voice.
You watch him with an enamored look before you beam at him. “No need,” you assure him. “Let’s do it. Maybe go on a nice date, and not do it at home? A hotel?”
Suguru grins. “Well, okay. That works,” he agrees, “I know where to take you too.”
“Oh?” You probe excitedly.
“It’s a surprise though,” he teases.
You hold his gaze for a moment before you smile timidly and then look back at the scene as you see Okkotsu walking out to face the curse. You expect—hope he’ll display Rika, but he only imbues his blade with cursed energy.
The curse gives him everything it has, but Okkotsu proves to be what you expected, a trained swordsman. Even when he gets wounded he keeps Rika in and instead helps the cursed-speech user come out and give the finishing blow. Much to your disappointment.
“Well,” you breathe out and stand up while the kids walk away. “This blows.”
“Oh, what do we do about the veil?” You hear Okkotsu ask.
“What a shame,” Suguru interjects as he swings his leg off the other. “We came here to see Rika,” he says while the worm curse gives him the ID. “As a fellow special-grade, I was hoping to meet him soon. I needed to deliver something he dropped, too.”
“Well,” you groan with distaste. “Looks like we’ll have to move to plan b.” You press your hand on your hip and groan.
Suguru gets up and while he lowers the veil, the worm curse drags itself over to you to drape itself on your shoulders. You smile at it and scratch the top of its head before you caress his head with your cheek as he presses himself against you.
“Let’s have a family reunion first,” Suguru says as he makes room for you to walk past him. “Go over our plan and then move to plan b.”
It’s been ten years. You did good at avoiding your older brother for ten years, now you’ll break that streak and probably see him again at the place that holds the most memories of your cherished teenagehood.
“We’re going to have to lie to Satori,” you mention as you walk out of the emergency exit. “If she finds out who we’re going to see, she's going to want to stick along.”
“You don’t want them to meet yet?” Suguru queries.
You sigh and drop your head when you land on the alleyway by the shopping center. “No,” you deadpan. “Not yet. At least…not there. I don’t trust people not to go tell my family about her. The school is too public.”
Suguru hums in comprehension. “They’ll eventually know you know. We can’t hide her forever.”
You lift your gaze to look at the end of the alleyway and nod softly. “I know, but I want her to at least know how to defend herself a bit before they find out. If they—”
“They won’t,” Suguru cuts you off to assure you. “I won’t let them hurt her.” He reaches over and grabs your hand, not caring what people might say since he’s wearing his Buddha costume. “The curse I gave her won’t let it happen, and you and our family would never let it happen.”
You hold his gaze and feel the comfort you seek by that simple look. When you walk out of the alleyway and join the sidewalk to go to your waiting car, you go back to the previous topic.
“I was promised a show,” you comment as you let go of his hand to hug the worm's head. “We only got to see the fucking preview. If you can even count that as a preview,” you grumble.
“Well I didn't—” Suguru cuts himself off as he hears you mimic him.
“Stop that,” he mutters.
You mirror his serious facial expression and do it again. “Stop that.”
Suguru groans and rolls his eyes, making you and the worm smirk.
“You know Satori has started that habit too,” Suguru points out with annoyance. “I see where she gets it from now.”
You ignore him and wrap the worm around your shoulders before you interject seriously as if you’re upset. “Do you know what’s not right?”
“What?” Suguru doesn’t fret to probe.
“Left,” you interject with a growing smirk as you try not to laugh at your own joke.
Suguru sighs deeply and quickens his pace to try and reach the car faster. You finally burst out laughing and don’t wait to run over and throw yourself on his back.
“It’s a joke!” You say between laughs. “Laugh! It’s funny, I totally got you.”
“You’re such a dork,” he murmurs with a soft smile.
——
*THE NEXT DAY*
“Please! Help me! It’s been months and Geto has not accomplished his duty to me!” Kanemori, one of Suguru’s donors exclaims through heavy and exhausted pants.
“Duty to you?” You mock him and laugh softly before you look away from your nail to look at the sweaty man with disgust. “You see,” you sigh and prop your elbow on the armrest. “I would, but I hear that you’re behind on payments, so I will recommend talking to my husband about your condition,” you roll out and offer him a feigned smile. “Albeit I'd watch my tongue if I were you, my husband isn’t as merciful as me.”
Mr Kanemori drops his head and groans before he mutters. “Bitch.”
Nanako gasps as if he had offended her, but you simply smirk with amusement.
“All these years and you’re still nothing but Geto’s slutty housewife,” he sneers out of anger over the fact that you didn’t help him exorcize the curse that clings onto him.
“Well,” you sigh nonchalantly and only seem to piss him off more since you remain calm. “Maybe that’s true, but just remember the only reason you’ve lived this long is because of me. He could’ve killed you the first month you fell behind on your payment, but I told him to give you time. So do you have it?” You ask.
Mr Kanemori swallows thickly and parts his lips to make an excuse, but you cut him off. “Oh, well, what a pity. It looks like it’s time I be a good housewife and take out the trash.”
You swiftly flick your wrist and shoot off a blast of wind that slams into him so hard that he flies out of the room.
“Anyway, what were we talking about before?” You move on quickly as the man stumbles on his feet and begins to yell.
“Geto! Give me Geto! Geto!” His footsteps recede and his voice lowers as he gets further away. “Geto, control your wife—”
Before he can finish his complaint he gets cut off by Suguru, you imagine, he really hates it when people try to bad-mouth you; both non-sorcerers and sorcerers alike. It’s something he’s done since you were teenagers, but now as he’s grown more ruthless, he doesn’t tolerate it whatsoever. It’s something you can say you’re very proud of.
“Oh, that’s right! Miguel,” you bring up your previous conversation before you were so rudely interrupted. “What did you want to show me?”
Said man approaches you and shows you his arm to point at a dark spot. “Come on tell me, does that look cancerous.”
“I’m no doctor,” you mutter as you grab his arm and take a better look. “What does that look like to you Mimiko?”
Mimiko leans over and glances at the spot, and shakes her head.
“You know what?” You snicker. “It’s an age spot! You’re just getting old.”
Miguel pulls his arm away and shoots you a pointed look that makes you shrug.
“I don’t know what you expected, I’m not a doctor,” you remind him. “But maybe it’s that cream you’re using. It’s not a good product. I can give you something better if you give me that recipe I’ve been wanting.”
Miguel folds his arms over his chest and shakes his head. “No, it’s a recipe passed through generations of my family,” he says. “I won’t just hand it out to anyone.”
You scoff. “We’re family,” you point out.
Miguel shrugs. “Yeah, and I still won’t give it to you. I’ll keep making it myself for all of us.”
You pout. “You suck.”
He snickers and Mimiko joins him. You frown and before you can counter, Suguru bursts through the doors with a smile on his face as he comes in shouting. “The time is right, my family.”
You shift in your seat and watch him approach you, and your family gathered around you at the end of the room.
“Let’s lower the curtain on the age of monkeys,” Suguru adds joyfully and stands beside you. “And build a paradise for Jujutsu sorcerers. First, we must tell the cornerstone of the Jujutsu world, Jujutsu High.”
What a pain in the ass. You really don’t want to see him again. There’s a chance he might not be there, he could be busy, but you feel like there’s a higher chance that you will see him when you go shortly. What will he do? What will you do?
You can’t attack anyone yet, but will your anger heighten, or will you not feel it anymore? When you think about what he did you get annoyed and upset all over again, you hate that he left, but seeing him face to face can be a different story. It can bring a rush of many unwarranted emotions.
And sure, you can keep your cool and control your emotions when it matters, but you worked so hard to try and suppress the agony, and getting reminded of that won’t be good. But then there’s the other possibility…and that is that you might not feel anything at all anymore and you’ll just have to live with the fact that he hates you now, that everything you once were is a simple memory.
Maybe that’ll be the worst of all. You can live with being upset at each other, you can tolerate not talking to each other, fighting too, but having him hate you?
Then again why should it matter if he hates you? You stand on different sides of your world, no matter what happens he’ll never come to terms with the ideology you follow. So should it matter if he hates you or not?
No…
“Why not catch them off guard?” Toshihisa interjects. “Won’t that work better? If we plan it good we won’t even have to fight long.”
“A surprise attack is often beneficial,” Suguru says. “But not this time. If we go in with a surprise attack all the sorcerer's that work at the school will be there and foil everything. We need them to be distracted and away from the school for our plan to work, which is why we’re letting them know.”
“What if they try and attack you now?” Manami questions.
“It’s highly doubtful,” you cut in. “They won’t risk putting the students at risk, but if they do try anything that’s why I will go with Suguru.”
“I’ll go too,” Miguel volunteers.
“No,” Suguru rebuttals. “I don't want them to see you yet. Your weapon is an advantage against Satoru Gojo, I'd rather keep that a surprise until the battle.”
Miguel doesn’t argue, he nods in comprehension, letting Suguru then look at Larue. “Will you come, Larue?” He asks. “There’s a high chance they won’t attack, that’s not my intention today either, but if they do then can you help us?”
Larue rolls his head to the side and then nods nonchalantly. “Yeah, sure.”
You offer him a thankful smile and then get interrupted by a shout. “Hey, I want to go too!” Nanako exclaims as she puts her phone down. “Plus there’s this crepe spot close to there that I want to try, so can we go?!”
Your eyes brighten and you sit up and cut in with the same excitement. “Hey, and there’s that shopping center near there that I want to go to too, so that totally works out, yeah, Suguru?”
Suguru and you look at each other, and he hesitates but ultimately gives in. “Yeah, that’s fine. Now as to battle plans let’s discuss that after dinner tonight? It’s been a while since we’ve all been together like this.”
Without hesitation everyone agrees, making you and him happy.
“So now,” he moves on smugly. “Let’s go declare war.”
You sigh deeply and don’t feel your dread go away at any moment during your way there. So it’s a good thing Suguru decided to use one of his flying curses to travel on and make things quicker, or else you would have lost yourself in your wandering mind.
Then again it’s not like returning to Jujutsu High actually resolves anything, or makes things quieter within you. It’s only a trigger for memories of your past to rush through you and make your complexity only feel worse.
“Ugh, what a piece of junk,” you complain as you take a look at part of the school and notice that it hasn’t changed in the past nine years since you’ve last been here. “This place never changes.”
Suguru grabs your hand to help you out of the bird's mouth, while he also takes a look at the school. “Tell me about it,” Suguru agrees.
“Yuck!” Nanako exclaims with disgust as she leans over the bird's mouth. “Geto, Y/N, is this really Tokyo? Feels like the sticks.”
You put on sunglasses and scrunch your nose in disgust as a wave of nostalgia hits you while you keep studying this damned school.
“Nanako,” Mimiko interjects softly. “That’s rude.”
“What? But don’t you think so, too, Mimiko?”
You finally look down and see Okkotsu and the speech-cursed user along with one of Yaga’s cursed corpse, a panda, and one of the Zen'in girls, the one with no cursed energy.
“Come on!” Larue exclaims as he leans towards Nanako. “Get off already!”
“Aren’t you cold?” Nanako rebuttals, causing you to snicker.
“Yeah or do those nipple covers come with built-in body warmers?” You tease, making Nanako laugh while Larue glares at you.
“Who are they?” Mimiko interjects, pulling your gaze back to the students.
“Whoa!” Nanako exclaims as she points ahead. “It’s a panda!”
You sigh and share a knowing glance with Suguru before you cut in. “Bunny, it’s not polite to point,” you gently remind her.
The girl ignores you and proceeds to take pictures. “How cute!”
“And who are all of you!” The Panda directs at all of you. Which they should've done the moment you all landed. You could’ve easily killed them already—“Intruders aren’t allowed in, by Yuta here.”
“Kelp!” The cursed-speech user agrees? Or disagrees? Is he hungry?
“Huh?” Okkotsu rebuttals in confusion.
“No sign of him yet?” You ask Suguru.
“Not yet, but someone will be here shortly, hopefully,” he says.
“Go home before you get beaten!” The Zen’in girl bounces off the others' comments. “By Yuta!”
“Huh?!”
Suguru lets go of your hand and zooms over to Okkotsu to take his hands and finally introduces himself while you wait for the others to get here. “Nice to meet you, Okkotsu. I’m Geto Suguru.”
The other kids look at your husband surprised at how fast he got to Okkotsu, while the boy looks at Suguru nervously and kind of confused.
“Huh?” Okkotsu says. “Oh…nice to meet you…” he trails off.
“You possess a truly wonderful power, I see,” Suguru continues to say. “I believe that great power ought to be used toward great ends. Have you ever questioned the current state of the world? This world where Jujutsu sorcerers act in secret in order to protect the order of commonplace society.”
“Did Geto and you really come here?” Mimiko asks as she approaches you.
You watch Suguru as he pulls back from Okkotsu and nod. “Yeah, a long time ago now,” you say quietly.
“You see,” you listen to Suguru add while you watch him walk around the boy. “There’s this established paradox saying the strong must accommodate the weak.” He turns and throws his arm around Okkotsu’s shoulders before he dramatically expresses himself. “It’s so deplorable!”
You walk over to the short fence with a smile on your face as you find his whole act over dramatic. “He’s so dramatic,” you mumble to the ground as you hide your smile.
“I’ll say,” Larue agrees with you. “How much you wanna bet he was rehearsing that on his way here.”
You snicker and lean back against the fence as you look over at Suguru with a straight face and a stifled laugh.
“The apex of all creation has halted its own path of evolution!” Suguru adds louder. “It’s nonsense.”
You have to admit though, that he does look pretty when he makes those faces.
“It’s high time mankind reconsidered its strategy for survival!” Suguru says. “Which is why we’d like you to help us.”
“Help with what?” Okkotsu asks, and as he does you gasp softly as you catch the glimpse of short white hair through the trees. And you know it can only be one person.
“We’re going to kill all non-sorcerers,” Suguru reveals nonchalantly. “And create a world with only Jujutsu sorcerers.”
The kids react to what was said, and you react with the same disbelief as you finally see him after nine years. It’s a good thing you have sunglasses, it’s actually why you brought them, so he wouldn't look you in the eyes, but the shades don’t hide your face nor do they block his.
You see him clearly, you notice he actually looks like he got fucking taller. He wears bindings over his eyes now instead of shades, which is probably more convenient. His hair doesn’t like it’s that shaggy anymore, it looks more neatly styled now which suits him better. And he looks like he got more muscular, but you can’t tell all that much with his baggy clothes.
And another thing is clear, your anger, that resentment you felt after he left you in that house with your abusive family, is all still there. You still feel it raw and burning within you. It’s still alive—or is it something else? Anger for what could’ve been if he had taken you home that day, if he had come in any of those 5 days that you spent getting tortured. Is it guilt too?
No…it can’t be that…
It’s just pure anger.
“Could you stop preaching your crazy beliefs to my students?” Satoru speaks in a voice that has grown a bit deeper, but not that much.
Nevertheless, he then turns his head and you see him face you. His eyes are hidden, but you can feel his stare linger on you even as you look away.
“Satoru!” Suguru exclaims happily. “Long time no see!”
Mimiko seemed to have noticed your reaction to seeing your brother so she gently hooks her arm around yours, making you look at her and smile softly as you grab her hand and caress it gently.
“First of all, get away from those kids, Suguru,” Satoru adds, making you look up and see that more sorcerers have joined this confrontation; Muscle-head Yaga, Mei-Mei whom you just saw a few months back, Nanami whom you actually saw a couple weeks ago when you went to hang out at a bar. You also see Ijichi whom you haven’t seen in over ten years, he looks so much older, like, older than your brother even.
There are other sorcerers you don’t recognize, and there’s no Shoko. But that’s good, you don’t want to see her disappointment, you can’t face it. That’s why you avoided speaking to her over the years, no matter how much you miss her.
“I had heard this year's first-years were all outstanding students,” Suguru says with a smirk. “Now I understand, it was all your doing. A special-grade cursed human, a cursed corpse mutation, the descendant of the cursed speech users, and…the Zen’in clan's failure.”
The girl swiftly points her blade at Suguru and sneers, “you piece of—”
“Watch what you say,” Suguru cuts her off with no ounce of remorse, his voice is cold and his threat is sincere. “Because I don’t need any monkeys like you in my world.”
With that said the shy-looking boy slaps Suguru’s hand off his shoulders and counters. “I’m sorry. I don’t really understand what you’re talking about, but…I can’t help anyone who insults my friends!”
You smirk at his sudden confidence and speechlessly praise the boy for defending his friends; even the Zen’in girl whom you actually don’t dislike, after all, if she does have heavenly restriction like you’ve heard she has, then she’s special. Just like Toji Zen’in was.
“My apologies,” you hear Suguru tell Okkotsu. “It wasn't my intention to upset you.”
“Then what exactly did you come for?” Satoru asks as he puts himself between Suguru and his student.
“To declare war,” Suguru reveals with a smug smirk before he faces all the other sorcerers. “Everyone gathered here, open your ears and listen closely! On the coming December 24th, when the sun sets, we shall conduct the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons,” he says and steps back so everyone can see him as he makes himself clear.
“It will take place in the crucible of curses, Shinjuku Tokyo, and the holy land of Jujutsu, Kyoto. We will unleash a thousand curses upon each place,” Suguru shares. “And of course, their command will be massacre. If you wish to avoid a scene straight out of hell, come and stop it with all your might. Let us freely curse each other!”
You smirk confidently as everyone falls in shocked disbelief at the horror that was announced, but then through the tension, Nanako screams, causing Mimiko to lean towards you, and you and Larue to lean away out of embarrassment.
“Geto!” Nanako breaks the tension. “The store’s gonna close! And Satori and Belinda are already there!”
“Oh, it’s already that late?” Suguru asks as he looks back at her calmly before he looks over at your brother again and speaks to him one last time. “I’m sorry, Satoru. These girls just insist on getting crepes from Takeshita Street.
“Hurry!” Nanako interrupts.
Suguru begins to turn but adds one more thing. “So I’ll be taking my leave.”
“Bunny,” you mutter with annoyance as you turn to walk back to the bird. “What did we say about interrupting?”
“Okay, but don’t act like you don’t want some too, plus the faster we get out of here, the faster we get to go shopping!”
You grin. “That’s so true! You’re so smart,” you praise her.
“Good grief,” Suguru sighs as he walks back to the bird. “I don’t see what’s so good about a place with so many monkeys,” he says.
Mimiko lets go of you, and you help her back on the bird as you peer back to look at Suguru. “Okay, I changed my mind,” you interject. “No shopping center, we want to go to the mall.”
Suguru proceeds to grab your hand to help you up. “You and who?” He asks as he dreads it.
“The twins, Larue, me, and Satori of course!”
Suguru scoffs. “Sure she does, you know how much she hates spending time there. So how about you guys go, and Satori and I go home,” he tries to make an excuse.
You flick your wrist and brush him off. “No, I want your opinions on things,” you whine. “Plus,” you add with a growing smirk. “I forgot my wallet at home.”
You didn't.
Suguru sighs deeply and just as he’s going to agree, he gets cut off by your brother. “Did you think we’d just let you leave?” He questions.
“You don't want to do that,” Suguru warns him whilst he pulls out a giant curse before him, and multiple smaller ones to surround the students. “Your precious students are within my range. And my y/n has made sure to keep your co-workers out of range.”
Just as he says that you make sure to use your cursed technique to raise a wall made of dirt from the ground to block the other teachers, and the other sorcerers from reaching the students.
“Well, everyone,” Suguru finally brings this all to an end as he grabs onto his bird. “See you on the battlefield.”
The bird closes its mouth, leaving you basked in darkness and your thoughts as it ascends and flies away.
——
*LATER*
“Suguru?” You call out and then slide the back door open to see Nanako standing behind him with his long and dark hair in one hand and a brush in the other. You see Mimiko sitting on the ground beside him, hugging her stuffed creature. Satori’s tiger curse is here of course and makes itself small as it lays under the chair, while Satori is, of course, snuggled against Suguru as they sit on a chair under the grand and naked Momiji tree.
“What does that word say?” You hear Satori ask.
You don’t want to interrupt the moment so you lean against the doorframe and watch the way Nanako brushes Suguru’s hair, the way Mimiko finds peace in her silence, and the sight of Suguru reading a book while Satori tries to read her own.
“Well,” Suguru says, and you watch him point to the page. “Can you try and pronounce it?”
Satori blinks and looks up at her father with a pointed look before she rebuttals. “Well no, silly, that’s why I asked.”
You hold back your laugh, and Suguru scoffs in slight disbelief but he can’t help but smile with amusement.
“Okay,” he breathes out before he helps her. “Well, it says, remember.”
“Oh,” Satori mumbles. “I knew that.”
“I know you did,” Suguru says with a stifled laugh.
You grin at the interaction, and then quickly pull your phone out to take a discreet photo of this adorable moment of Suguru with his girls. And after you take it you admire it with a soft smile as you affirm to yourself that one of your emotions that you know you didn’t feel when you saw your brother, was regret.
Moments like these are why you will never regret the choices you made and the path you followed. It’s all you wanted even when you didn’t even know you wanted it. So if it meant having to live without your brother for the rest of your life just to see sweet and tender moments like these then you’d take it. You don’t want to let go of this moment. Peace and a home is all you’ve ever wanted and you don’t want to let it go. Even if there’s an empty little gap, you could still live happily here in moments like these.
“Y/N?” Suguru breaks you from your stupor. “What are you doing over there? Why don’t you come and join us, Firefly.”
Okay, you can live without that name.
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t call me that,” you mumble as you walk over to them. “What are you reading?”
Suguru lifts his book to show you the cover before he responds. “Colors of a Mother, the book you told me about.”
You grin. “Really?” You ask as if he doesn’t read every book you recommend to him. “Do you like it?”
Suguru nods. “I do,” he says. “It’s a very good read…” he trails off and pushes himself up to give you his seat, but you shake your head.
“No, you can stay there I’ll sit on the ground with Mimiko,” you tell him and unfold his leg to sit on the ground between them. “What are you guys doing out here anyway?” You probe. “I was looking everywhere for you. Miguel and the others are on their way now.”
“Well the girls caught me brushing my hair so they asked if they could do it,” Suguru lets you know. “So we all came out. And Satori is doing her reading homework.”
“Yeah,” she grumbles. “But it’s too hard. Why can’t you just read to me instead.”
“Because I’m reading my book too,” he rebuttals. “You just have five pages left. You can do it.”
Satori sighs deeply and goes back to reading to herself. Suguru goes quiet as he returns to his book, and the twins don’t speak as they’re busy with what they’re doing, letting you lay your head back against the chair to smile softly at the blue sky.
You never let go of Suguru’s hand and he gave you all this; a nice and big house that you’re both comfortable in, he helped you start to build your sorcerer community, he gave you your daughters, a protective family, and he gave you peace and happiness. Most importantly he gave you hope that everything you wanted could be achieved, that there can be a better world.
The world and hope was so blurry before, but it’s so clear now thanks to him.
“Geto,” Nanako interjects softly. “Who’s Satoru Gojo anyway? He’s super strong right?”
Oh, but there’s still that situation of your brother…right.
“Hm,” Suguru agrees and goes quiet for a moment before he continues softly. “He was my best friend. But we fought and it’s been like this ever since.”
You need to ask Suguru how he felt after seeing Satoru after ten years. He can act nonchalant but you know there must’ve been some kind of emotion when he saw Satoru.
But when he asks you what will you say? Yeah, well nothing has changed. Which is true. You’re still angry. But…will this anger last forever? You couldn't help but think of that after you left the school.
You managed to be friends with Nanami even with your differences in morals, so can’t that be the same with Satoru? There has to be a point where your anger will slowly fade away won’t there?
“Daddy,” Satori interjects. “When will I get to meet Uncle Satoru?” She asks, making you drop your head and frown at the ground.
You owe it to her to try, don't you? To try and maybe see past that anger and animosity? Ever since she found out about him she’s been adamant on meeting him, Nanami’s and Suguru’s stories of their past only help to fuel her desire.
“Well,” Suguru answers softly. “I’ll be honest, I don’t know yet. Maybe soon, but I can’t promise you anything.”
Satori sighs. “But I want to see him,” she whines. “He’s mommy’s brother, right?”
“Yeah, but things are…complicated right now,” he tries his best to assure his daughter.
“What does that word even mean?” Satori asks in an annoyed voice. “Com—what is that?”
“Hard,” Suguru lets her know. “Things are hard right now.”
“Well,” Satori sasses him. “Make them easy.”
You snort softly and feel Suguru nudge your leg with his foot so you don’t encourage her behavior.
“It doesn’t work like that,” Nanako counters her sister.
“Well Daddy can do anything,” Satori argues. “So yes it does.”
“Not this time,” Suguru lets her know honestly. “Sorry, Chipmunk.”
Satori groans, and your smile falls as you think about that debate whether to look past your anger or not. Regardless of it all, Satoru is the only family member you have who is worth anything, that you actually want Satori to meet and interact with. Everyone else, well, they can all go to hell for all you care.
“Mommy!” Satori exclaims and suddenly wraps her arms around your neck as she rests her cheek on the top of your head, causing her loose strands of hair to fall on your face. “Why can’t you make things easy so I can see Uncle Satoru.”
You swallow thickly and try your best to avoid the complicated topic. “Because,” you mumble. “It’s not that easy. Life is,” you sigh. “Hard that way.”
You know she probably doesn’t truly understand, but you can’t find any other way to explain it but in that way. You don’t want to tell her why she hasn’t met her uncle, why you’ve held a grudge over him for ten years. No matter what, you won’t bad mouth your brother to your daughter.
“Well,” Satori adds. “Can you and Daddy try?” She asks.
You sigh and nod. “I will,” you assure her. “I’ll try.”
“Okay,” she whispers and pulls back to sit back against Suguru.
“Now,” you move and sit up straight. “Why don’t you come here so I can fix your buns.”
“Mhmm, no,” she flat-out says. “I want Daddy to do it, you always leave them funny.”
It’s not your fault she moves a lot.
“Satori,” Suguru scolds her softly. “That’s not very nice.”
Satori exhales deeply. “No, Mom, thank you,” she grumbles.
“That’s okay,” you assure her and can’t help but smile at her. “Anyway,” you roll out playfully and stand up to grab Suguru’s arm and pull it up so you can sit on his lap. He secures his hold right away by wrapping his arm around your waist.
“We should take a picture!” You suggest excitedly as you pull out your phone. “Nanako, Mimiko come here!”
Nanako lets go of Suguru’s hair and wraps her arm around Suguru and you as she rests her chin on his head and beams at the camera. Mimiko walks over and stands by her sister to lean forward and smile softly. Satori presses her cheek against Suguru’s, while he presses himself closer to you and smiles softly.
You grin at the camera and capture this sweet and tender moment of you and your family together.
.
.
.
.
.
A/N- Was Satori created just to be a piece of Suguru for Satoru, after Suguru’s death? Yes, yes she was.
Tagged- @deniseabad1928 @secondary-character-25 @starlightanyaaa
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secretmellowblog · 1 year
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First chapter / Previous / Next  
Webtoons/A03 /Instagram/Tumblr Sideblog Thank you again for reading! ;_: <33333 And thank you to everyone still following this little story despite the long waits between updates :).
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kodared · 10 months
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☆ Welcome home Neighbor~! ☆
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Human Reader x Welcome Home!
The fight begins, but doesn't quite go as planned.
Chapter 11/?
Word Count: 3,255 out of 35,282
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The plan was supposed to be simple, Barnaby and Howdy distract Home, while the others grab Y/N and get out of there. If Howdy had any say in the matter, he would do much worse to Home than only distract them. 
                     Howdy and Barnaby went to Home first while the others prepared, as the two moved closer they could see the eyes that were once in Homes curtains now eerily shut. They had never seen Home without their eyes open, it sent chills up both of their spines.
…Barnaby's paw hadn’t even reached the door before it flung open, revealing Wally leaning on the doorway as if he had been expecting their arrival. 
                      “Barnaby! To what do I owe the pleasure?..” 
    Howdy walked behind Barnaby, placing a consoling hand on his shoulder. Howdy knew this wasn't Wally, and Barnaby knew it as well. 
So with a deep breath, Barnaby let a small snarl take hold of his face as he spoke to Home. 
“Where's Y/N?…”
Home let out a laugh as Barnaby continued to snarl, a faint growl kicking up in the back of his throat as Howdy pulled him back by his shoulder. Clearly not want a fight between the two breaking out before they could save Y/N. 
“My my!... Whats gotten you so upset Barnaby?...” 
Barnaby wasn’t one to calm down easily, and if Howdy wanted any chance of saving Y/N he would have to distract Home. 
         Howdy pushed his growling friend behind him as he stepped forward, putting himself between the two as he tried to make his tone non-confrontational despite how angry and anxious he truthfully was. 
“...We only ask because... We need them for Sallys' play!.. You of all people should know that Wally, you suggested it to happen tonight,” 
Howdy could feel a cold sweat forming on the back of his neck as Home looked up at him, Wallys' wide eyes looking into his very soul as if they could see through his lie so clearly.
           Howdy knew he had to keep a convincing face, so he tried his best to put on a compelling smile as Home began to let out a stoic laugh. 
“HaHaHa, Of course, how could I forget. Well, I hate to say it but Y/N is not here.” 
Howdy held his breath at Homes blatant denial. He and everyone else knew for a fact Y/N was in there, but without Homes confirmation, he and Barnaby would have to distract Home in another way. 
“...Well that's a darn shame, say Wally whaddya say we head down to Sallys right now!.. I'm sure they could use our help with somethin,” 
Howdy unclasped his hands that were once behind his back to make jazz hands, intentionally bumping Barnaby a bit to get him to help persuade Home into leaving with them. 
They both knew this wasn't Wally. But if they got Home away for long enough, they could restrain him and get more time to save Y/N. 
Barnaby gave Howdy a confused look before quickly picking up on the plan to get Home away from the location. Barnaby gave a small smile to Wally despite the way his eyebrows continued to furrow in anger. 
“Yeah..! C'mon bud it'll be fun, an’ it would do ya some good to get out of the house today.” 
Despite the narrowed eyes, Wally gave Barnaby for the comment of getting out of the house, he seemed to let out a sigh and step out of the House. 
“I suppose it would do some good to Get out, Lead the way!..” 
The smile that Wally wore looked strained. As if there was something nagging and chipping away at the back of his mind, and as Howdy looked at him, he knew he was worried about Y/N escaping. 
And he was right to worry. 
…As the Trio walked away, Frank watched from his window as the group approached Sallys house. Frank quickly motioned for Sally to go out the back and help them distract Wally while they got Y/N out safely. 
Sally gave a determined nod before heading out, and once Frank saw all four enter her house without issue, he began Phase 2. 
Frank grabbed the notepad that Y/N had written on and skimmed it over one final time before heading out with Poppy, Julie, and Eddie. Frank couldn't help but feel his anxiety begin to brim in the back of his mind before he pushed it away with a deep breath. 
He couldn't afford to let his own anxiety get in the way. 
They all approached the front door of Home, Frank turned around and gave a final nod of confirmation before opening the door. 
The inside of the house was dark, it felt a little… Damp as well. Frank didn't know what to think before he turned around and went to motion for the others to follow. 
…But there was no door behind him anymore. 
He almost let out a yelp at the sight of the missing door and wall before stopping himself. Frank also could no longer see any windows. The dampness in the air made his throat feel tight, but he had to keep going. 
Frank turned around and walked forward with his hands slightly out in front of him, he had half a mind to begin calling out for Y/N until he heard a small noise nearby. 
If he hadn't been on such high alert he may have brushed it off to be a mouse or even just the building settling, but despite this, he still found himself confused. 
The noise had echoed. Which was something not feasible with the sheer size of Homes interior, or at least he thought he was inside Homes interior. He had been over to visit Wally a few times, and in all of his memories, he didn't remember it being this… Spacious. 
Frank also had no recollection of the ceiling being as high up as it now was. Frank could see the faintest of outlines of what appeared to be overhead lights that stretched higher than he could see. It reminded him of studio lighting that Sally often used. 
He shook his head and continued in the direction of the noise, his shaky breath echoing through the large building as his dress shoes clacked against the hard floors beneath him.
Frank in his fear didn't think to check where he was walking, and as he progressed he felt himself trip on something with his hands taking most of the damage as he fell forward. 
He groaned as he turned to look behind himself to see what he tripped on, and of course, he couldn't see for shit. 
Frank let out a groan as he sat up and felt around the floor, if he couldn't see he might as well try to feel what he tripped on. His hands met a Cube cardboard texture, Frank was confused before it clicked he tripped on a box that was filled with some items. 
Frank pulled the box closer to himself as he tried to pry it open, and after a few moments, he successfully ripped the tape and put a hand in. 
Frank felt past all of the packing peanuts and finally touched a few plastic boxes that were hidden beneath.
The items inside felt like they were individually wrapped, so without much thought, he opened one of the packages.
It felt cylindrical in Franks hand as he held it, his other hand pushing away the bigger box and the now ripped-up packaging. 
He felt a button on the side and clicked it, Frank foolishly had it pointing towards himself and was met with a blinding light. 
Frank was startled for a moment before he moved it away from his face and realized he somehow found a flashlight, which was going to prove to be useful to him, especially in this dark building. 
After a few seconds of blinking away the small tears that formed in his eyes from the bright light, he finally collected himself to look at the appearance of the flashlight and what else was in the box he tripped on. 
The box had a sun and moon logo Design on the side, most definitely a company. As he investigated more inside the Box he saw it was filled to the brim with flashlights. 
…All of which are customized with different artworks of his friends' faces.
He felt unnerved, to say the least. 
Taking a shaky breath Frank finally stood on his wounded ankle, which became twisted after he tripped over the box. 
Frank was able to see the exact flashlight he was holding now in the light that reflected, and he could see it was orange with small envelopes decorating it. Most definitely an Eddie-themed flashlight, it provided him a slight amount of comfort. 
Pushing forward to what was more important he looked ahead and was able to confirm his suspicion that he was no longer inside Home. 
The walls of this building appeared to be worn and aged with time. Various papers littered the floor and posters that used to have designs on them now hung sadly from the concrete walls. 
It all was much too creepy for Frank, but he had to persist to save his friend and find his other friends that he lost somehow by entering Home. 
He walked forward, his shoes that once clacked against the floor now deafened by the number of papers that littered the floor. Frank took care to not trip again on the boxes that were scattered about in no particular manner, the place looked abandoned. 
Frank heard the small noise again to his left and quickly pivoted on his heel to see what caused it, his ears rang as he focused all his attention on the silence to see if he could pick up any other noise. 
…And after a few moments, he heard it again. 
The noise that followed this time was much louder than expected. It sounded as if a chair had fallen over, with something attached to it.
Without missing a beat Frank sprang into action, quickly running towards the noise with little to no consideration to his own wellbeing. The items on the floor also changed on the ground below him as he continued in the large warehouse, he could see the scattered papers become less and less frequent as he continued.
In Frank's haste, he didn't see the large filming camera on the ground, and he found himself falling for the second time today, he was starting to feel like Eddie. 
….Maybe it was the flashlight. 
Frank's funny thought was stopped quickly as he looked up from where he had tripped, and he was horrified at the sight in front of him. 
He was met with a replica of Home perched in the center of the room atop a metal stand. It make Frank freeze for a moment till he realized it wasn't actually Home, it was only a fake. 
The eyes that he could only assume once opened were now rusted over, from what he could only assume was from years of abandonment. Large puppeteering cranks were positioned off to the side, which again he guessed operated it, like a puppet.
This place held a strong sense of deja vu for Frank that he couldn't quite place… Almost as if he had heard about it before. 
Pushing through his sense of deja vu, he stood and lightly brushed himself off before warily pressing an open hand to the worn-down door. He had a feeling the noise came from inside, and now he could confirm his suspicions. 
—------------------
Eddie watched as Frank disappeared into the darkness of Homes interior, he couldn't reach a hand to stop him before the door slammed shut. 
Poppy was the first to speak after they watched him disappear, Julie was much too frantic to get a coherent sentence out. 
“Oh, I just knew this would happen!.. We should have left it be, Franks now who knows where and..!” 
Eddie knew Poppy was just worried for Frank, but it made Eddie feel a twinge of anger that Poppy would insinuate they should have left it alone. 
“They’ll be alright Miss Poppy, if I know anythin’ it's that Frank is strong, and will save them.” 
Eddie took a deep breath as his hand fidgeted with his wedding ring, he hoped Frank would be okay, actually no, he knew Frank would be okay. His husband was anything but weak, and he had all the faith in the world that he would get through this. 
“Now… I do believe we should be headin’ over to Sallys. They could surely use our help keepin’ Home distracted.” 
Eddie turned to look at Julie who was still shaking like a leaf before his eyes, he put a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze, trying his best to ground her back to the situation at hand. 
It worked to some extent, Julie still looked terrified but as she met Eddie's eyes he could see the familiar determined spark that both her and Sally shared. 
Eddie led the group to Sallys' house, and as they approached Poppy couldn't help but have her feathers ruffled at the sounds coming from inside. 
From outside the neighbors could hear something crash and shatter. 
The Shining Stars door was locked, despite this Eddie continued to rattle the handle in a panic. After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal Wally standing in the doorway with his head cocked to the side. 
“Ah, Hello neighbor! You're just in time for the play.” 
Eddie was at a loss for words, this was very clearly not the same Wally he knew and cared for. This Wally spoke more eloquently and more stuck up than the humble and mellow Wally he was used to calling his friend. 
“You're not Wally.” 
The words flew out of Eddie's mouth like venom. The memories and pain of Homes resets stabbing and plunging into his chest like a hot knife.
“And youre off script.” 
Eddie froze at his words and immediately regretted his immediate anger at Home as he felt something melding into his wrist with a burning hot pain, he looked behind him only to see Poppy and Julie wrapped in the same Thread as him. 
“I think its time I fix this Neighborhood.” 
—---------------
Frank's open hand shook as he applied pressure to open the door but to no avail. The rusted door clearly was not going to open without the assistance of something stronger than him. 
He shined his flashlight around the open space to get a better view of what he could use to pry the door open, where his eyes caught something that was hung on the wall. 
Frank's shoes clicked against the concrete floors as he walked to the cement wall with a paper taped to it, his eyes staring in amazement at the poster. 
It was a small article, but it was for some reason taped right in the center of the wall, almost as if it was trying to encapture his attention as he read….
‘Head Producer of Welcome Home missing Overnight!
The PlayFellow Studios' one and only Mr. Domum is nowhere to be found as we approach the busiest season of the year, Many are asking if the supposed Haunted Dolls had anything to do with it! To which we have brought a special guest, Please welco..-!’ 
…Frank couldn't read anymore before he heard something clatter to the ground and shatter inside the replica Home, Frank quickly went back to the task at hand and scanned the area for anything to help him. 
He couldn't find anything, so without a moment to spare he quickly ran to the side window of the house and raised his flashlight, muttering quick apologies to anyone who owned the property before putting his whole body weight into shattering the glass. 
Frank felt the glass give way underneath his light and quickly shined it inside as he pushed the many curtains out of the way. 
“Y/N?!.. Are you there?!..” 
Frank waited for a second in eerie silence as he listened, hearing something slam against the floor with a quiet thump before he decided to go in. 
He carefully grabbed ahold of the shattered frame and hoisted himself inside, he could feel the pressure on his palm as he felt glass go into his hand, but that didn't matter right now. 
Frank made his way quickly to the back room of the house, he knew the layout pretty well seeing as it was almost a direct replica of the Home he's grown to know. 
He could see Wallys' iconic chair sitting in the center of the room turned on its back, and as he shined his light on it he could see torn threads on the arms of the plush recliner. 
He cautiously stepped forward before freezing as he heard a noise coming from the kitchen nearby. It sounded like someone was struggling to stand, and as he slowly turned his flashlight to look at the figure approaching him, he felt his stuffing run cold. 
It was so painfully you, it was you in the flesh. 
And that's why he was so afraid. 
He could see exactly where Home had wrapped their threads into your arms, and precisely where they ended. Thankfully, the red strings stopped as they reached your shoulders, if they had reached any closer to your brain your memories would be good as gone. 
“Y/N!.. Oh thank goodness,” 
Frank quickly walked over to you and helped you stand, he could clearly see you were disoriented and tired. Homes threads act like venom, and he knew it all too well. 
“I know it seems scary, but everything is going to be okay. Just sit for a moment,” 
Frank gently guided you to sit down on the wooden floor as your legs shook, Frank quickly walked to the kitchen and went to look for any sort of scissors to get you out of the situation you were in. 
After finding a decent pair of kitchen scissors he walked back over and propped the flashlight on the floor, he untied his tie and handed it to you as he spoke.
“I want you to bite on this okay? It's going to hurt, but it has to be done, I promise ill be fast unstringing you,” 
Frank spoke with delicate caution as if he had done this before, he hoped you would trust him and not put up a fight with him, and thankfully you where smart enough to know to trust Frank. 
You took the tie in your mouth as Frank positioned himself to snip the first thread that poked out of your skin, you braced and the initial pain didn't come, Frank looked up at you sympathetically. 
“It'll be over fast,” 
He didn't give you time to brace as he quickly pulled out the snipped thread from your skin, an icy hot pain shot through your spine as it unstrung from your very being. You didn't know anymore where Home began and you ended in your mind, you feel as if you've been here for so long. 
Like a puppet loosely strung, you slumped against the wall as you let Frank unthread you, you knew by the end of this you owed him an explanation. 
And oh boy did you have one hell of a story to tell him. 
-------
I hope you enjoyed!! Again sorry this took so long to get out and published! Hopefully since things have slowed down irl i can get some more writing done!
As always i have a Ao3 Where i post too! Feel free to look over there as well!
Koda out<3 ʕง•ᴥ•ʔง
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manga-meow · 2 years
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kelcemenow · 10 months
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Touchdown - Chapter 11.
Pairing Travis Kelce x Reader
Words 1825
Warnings Little bit of strong language, some sexual references and some fluff for good measure!
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CHAPTER 10.
CHAPTER 11.
Travis had called you both a taxi. One for him to the airport and yours to take you back to your hotel. You were glad, as you weren’t keen on walking wearing last night’s clothes. 
“So, I’ll call you.”
Your instinct was to roll your eyes. You’d heard that before, but you stopped yourself. You had exchanged numbers during breakfast but you weren’t holding out for anything. This situation would be easy for you to leave as a memory, no commitment, no problem.
Travis reached for you and pulled you closer, his thumb rubbing the back of your hand, “And you know, if you’re ever in Missouri?” He laughed.
You reciprocated, “Watch out if I am.”
He smiled and bowed his head to kiss you. A closed mouth kiss, but with pressure and you could feel his hand squeeze yours, as if he didn’t want to let go. Once he released you, you climbed into the back of the taxi, flashing him a smile as you pulled away.
You sighed, as if you had been holding your breath. Your heart was pounding and you could almost feel it in your throat. You reached for your phone and sent a quick text to Hannah to let her know that you were on your way when you were interrupted by a call from Jess.
“Hello?”
“Oh, so you’ve prised yourself away from the beautiful man?”
Giggling, you opened your bag to find some lip balm, “Yes, yes I did.” You said proudly.
“Y/N, how on earth did that happen?”
“I really don’t know. But Jess, it was amazing. He is amazing. God, I can’t stop smiling.”
“Good! He’s hot! So, I would imagine you’re exhausted.”
You had found what you were looking for, struggling to open the cap with one hand, “No, no…nothing happened.”
“Nothing at all?”
You wedged the phone between your ear and shoulder, “Well…not nothing at all. Something…but not everything.” You were aware that the taxi driver probably didn’t want to hear all of your details so you tried to keep your side of the conversation a vague as you could. Slicking on the lip balm, you continued, “Look, I’ll tell you later. I’ll be home in a couple of hours maybe.”
“I’ll get some wine in.”
_______________________________________________
You had arrived home, tired and ready for sleep but you knew Jess would have other plans. She wanted to know everything and was practically waiting on the edge of the couch for you to get back. You had managed to get a quick shower at the hotel before Hannah drove you both back home but after the endless talking in the car, you knew you had to do it all again with Jess.
“Okay, tell me everything!” Jess’ eyes lit up when you walked into the living room, two glasses of wine in her hands.
You smiled meekly, “I’m so tired!”
“I don’t care! You kept me in the dark all night and then sent me that photo!” She shifted to make more space of the couch for you, “Come on, explain yourself.”
You sank onto the couch, taking one of the glasses, “He is…just…gorgeous.” You closed your eyes as you spoke, “And…he actually wanted me. Like, I didn’t feel like I was pushing anything or trying too hard. He just wanted to be with me, and even though it was all very respectful…it was so hot. We didn’t have sex; I didn’t even give him a hand job or anything like that. But the kissing, the feeling of his body on mine. Honestly, all it would’ve took is for us to be naked and we would’ve been fucking, that’s how close we were. And he’s so nice, like really really nice Jess, so gentle and kind but at the same time, he’s rough and I just know he would be an incredible fuck. Like, throw me around the room kind of fuck.” You opened your eyes to see Jess smiling from ear to ear, holding her glass up to her mouth. You sighed, “But he’s in Missouri, I’m here.”
“I know, that really sucks. But you can message and call and what not.”
“I don’t think I want a long-distance thing. And who’s to say he does?”
“Well, did he say anything along those lines?”
You pursed your lips, “He said something about a bye-week? And that he would see me then.”
Jess nudged you, “There you go, he’s already making plans to see you again.” She took a sip of her wine, “That’s a good sign.”
Your mouth flickered into a small smile.
“Just enjoy yourself Y/N. This is perfect, you’ve got a gorgeous, successful, sweet guy who wants to spend time with you but you don’t have all of the annoying traits of a boyfriend that is constantly in your pocket all of the time.”
“I’m in the next room, I’m not deaf.” Will’s voice shouted through from the kitchen.
Your head lifted like a flash towards Jess, “Will’s here?”
“Yeah, I heard everything…you little slut.”
You groaned loudly and sipped your wine.
Jess leaned forward and stroked your hair, “Aww babe, it’s fine. I showed him a picture of Travis last night, I think he’s just jealous.”
There was a pause before Will’s voice rang through to the room again, “Yeah, I am a bit.”
Your phone beeped and you picked it up from where it was resting on your leg. It was a notification from Instagram, a direct message from Brittany.
‘It was awesome to meet you last night, you’re so sweet and kind and we had so much fun. We’re about to board our flight and don’t tell him I told you this but Travis can’t stop talking about you!’
You smiled as you read the words on your screen.
‘I really hope we see each other again, you’re always welcome here if you ever want to have a little KC holiday! Kisses!’
“What? What is it?”
You quickly typed a reply as you spoke, “I’ve got a message from Brittany Mahomes.”
Jess looked blankly at you.
“She’s married to Patrick Mahomes. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback.”
Jess blinked and took a sip of her wine, “Well, don’t forget about me now that you have famous friends.”
You laughed as you finished your reply before tapping send.
‘I had the BEST time! You guys are all awesome and made me and Hannah feel so welcome. I hope you enjoyed the rest of your night. And I don’t even want to think about what Travis is saying…it’s probably only half true! So much love to all of you and same to you! Although I don’t know if my tiny flat in London could compare! X’
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Your eyes felt heavy as you grasped the cup of coffee. Somehow, even though you had managed to have an early night, you felt as though you needed another four or five. You had agreed to meet Hannah before work at a nearby café for some breakfast but she was running late as usual.
You took a long sigh as you waited for her when your phone let out a loud buzz as it vibrated against the table.
Facetime call. Travis Kelce.
Your heart began beating a little faster as you swiped to accept the call. His grinning face filled your screen.
“Hey you!”
You smiled back at your phone, “Hey! How was your flight?”
Travis groaned, “Long. I’ve been home for a while but I wanted to wait until it was the right time for you.”
You squinted your eyes, “What time is it there?”
His eyes flickered to the top of his screen, “Uhh about 4.”
“In the morning?” You voice raised in volume and in pitch, “Travis! That’s crazy, go to bed!”
He lowered his head as he laughed, “Nah, I wanted to speak to you before I slept.”
“That’s sweet. So, what are you doing today.”
He rubbed his face as he thought, “Ehh, sleep. And then I’m gonna call my Mom, maybe eat.”
You smiled as he spoke.
“Probably meet up with the guys and then tomorrow it’s back to Arrowhead for practice.”
“No rest for the wicked, ey?” You took a sip of your coffee.
“Are you working today?”
“Yeah, I’m meeting with Hannah for breakfast and then we have to go into the office this afternoon.”
Travis’ eyes creased into a smile, “Awesome, tell her I said hi. I could call you later?”
“Yeah, I’d like that.”
Travis rubbed his face again, “Well, I gotta go.”
You saw the café door open and Hannah waved at you before heading to the counter to order her coffee, “Yeah, Hannah just got here. Sleep well, Mr Kelce.”
He bit down on his lip and gave you a wink, “Bye, beautiful.”
You smiled and hung up the call as Hannah sat down. She was out of breath with an excited expression.
“I knew I should’ve told you an earlier time to make sure you wouldn’t be late.” You rolled your eyes as you grabbed a menu.
“I’m sorry but I was spending all morning reading an article in US Weekly.” She spoke as she quickly scrolled on her phone.
“And that’s important because?”
She sighed before reading the title of the article aloud, “Chiefs tight end star Travis Kelce celebrates game win in London club with British journalist.” Your eyes grew wide as she continued, “Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and fellow Chiefs players enjoyed a night out in London nightclub with ITV NFL Show presenters. Kelce cosied up to Y/N and looked very intimate sparking rumours amongst fans that a new relationship in on the cards for the Kansas City star player.”
She turned the phone around and your eyes landed on two photographs. The first one was of Patrick and the rest of the group posing for the camera and the second was of you and Travis. Your head was lowered into his chest, your hand covering your mouth in laughter and his hand was on your thigh. His eyes were deeply on you and it made your skin tingle; your cheeks were becoming warmer and your mouth moved into a smile that you almost couldn’t control.
“Look at the way he’s looking at you is…something.”
You paused for a second, “It’s…like…I don’t know.”
“I think he’s got it bad for you.”
You looked away and focused on your menu, “Brittany messaged me last night and said he can’t stop talking about me and then just FaceTimed me before you came in.”
“Oh, Y/N. He likes you!”
You were scanning your breakfast options, “Maybe he does, and maybe I like him. But he’s in Missouri. Can we all stop forgetting about that?”
Hannah pulled the menu away from your face, “Maybe you need to forget it. Relax, enjoy it!”
You rolled your eyes, “I think…I’m…going to get the eggs.”
Hannah sniffed a laugh and looked down at her own menu.
_______________________________________________
I think I'm going to get another chapter out tomorrow! I want you all to get to the juicier bits! If you're enjoying this and you don't want to miss a chapter, just let me know and I'll add you to my Taglist!
Taglist @rd14 @dandelionwrites8 @keiva1000 @fantasywritersstuff @caelipartem @anacarangel @she-lives-in-her-dreams @kkrenae
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darlingod · 1 year
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YOOOOOOOOOOOO Jude really just took her clothes off in front of Cardan and then told him she hated him. Cardan was ready to fall weak to his knees in front of all them folk when he told her to say it again😭😭
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All Along the Watchtower (Chapter 11)
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[Can also be read on AO3]
Pairing: Captain John Price x Fem!OC (3rd person POV)
Word count: 5.2 K
Warnings: Minors DNI - No major warnings this chapter. smoking, swearing, British slang, relationship drama and personal angst. Also, some emotional manipulation from Price because he's like that
Summary:
They've kissed, what the hell do they do now?
Rory and Price deal with the giant elephant in the room and it does not go smoothly
A/N: Rory Sinclair is a dual citizen (both Canada and the UK) who's been living in the UK since she was 14. She is 28 at the time of this fic, Price is 32. This series is set in 2017 before the events of the first MW game. Rory's thoughts are bold and italicized, other italics are used for emphasis
(starting the tag list late with this fic sorry)
taglist: @carlosoliveiraa @cassietrn @finding-comfort-in-rain @justasmolbard @cloudofbutterflies92 @amalkavian @inafieldofdaisies @aceghosts @marivenah @v01dthefae @clicheantagonist @statichvm @josephseedismyfather @la-grosse-patate @peachiicherries @strangefable @nightbloodbix @theelderhazelnut
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The steam curled out from around the door, misty vapor pouring across the floor and floating up through the opened window into the frosty night. Stepping out of the bathroom, the cool air hit her and goosebumps speckled her still damp skin. Her hair dripped, trails of water rolling down her chest and past the edge of the towel wrapped around her, the bruises on her face and neck steadily growing more visible with all the blood removed. Price’s gaze fell on her, lifting from the tablet he’d been trying to focus his attention on. His eyes lingered just a little too long, only to quickly rush back down to the screen in his lap as her stare – marred by sore, red rings under her eyes – fell upon him. 
Rory held the towel around her and moved to the foot of her bed to take a seat, sinking into the mattress as heavy as a rock. Beads of water trailed down her shoulders and back as she slipped her panties up her legs and under the terry cloth wrapped around her. Looking back at him from over her heavily bruised shoulder, she shook her head as she lifted her hips. “You know, you don’t have to look at me like I’m entirely fragile.”
“I’m not.” His voice was deep, made heavier by the nearly oppressive weight that hung in the room.
“Is that so?” 
Sighing, she moved to the side of the bed and pulled back the covers, climbing in under them and tossing the damp towel to the foot of her bed. Rolling over so her back was turned to him, the sheets clung to her still damp skin as she looked out the window at the hint of the city skyline and the twinkling lights that cut through the darkness. She tried to shut her eyes, to keep her breathing slow and steady, even as her throat continued to sting and scratch, but it did little good. The adrenaline might have drained from her system, but that sense of fear still remained. What had happened, even with the shower washing away the last reminders of it, wouldn’t leave her. The taste of blood, the metallic tang, remained in her mouth no matter how many times she brushed her teeth – though that may have been her own bleeding gums at this point. The feeling of hands around her throat, the sensation of choking, fighting for her last gasps haunted each and every rasping breath she still took. The vision of dark eyes staring into hers with no remorse, belonging to a man who had taken lives before and had never let it hinder his mind, if he even had a conscience to begin with. She had never felt so weak, so powerless in all her life. She had always overcome everything that crossed her path. Every loss, every obstacle she managed to power through. A determined woman who stopped at nothing in her career, doing the things others wouldn’t to get the job done. Yet tonight she almost died. Too confident in her own abilities. 
The neon light from the sign outside the window flashed through the thin skin of her eyelids and it made her stomach twist. Squeezing her eyes shut tighter, the phosphenes danced in a bath of red. Her fingers gripping at the cool material of the pillowcase her head rested upon. Somewhere, right now, Zorokov was in a hospital bed getting treatment. Patched up, left with a physical scar as a reminder of what happened when he tried to kill a special forces soldier with his bare hands. She, on the other hand, would have to live with the near-death experience in silence. The bruises would fade, her throat would stop aching, but the memories would live on forever. Trapped inside to swirl within the walls of her skull until the moment of her last breath. God, she wished she went with a better choice of words.  
Her breath shook as she swallowed back the wave of anger that simmered through her. It was as if she was going through the stages of grief all within the confines of her safehouse bed. The turmoil of having to deal with people’s reactions to what she had been through crawled into the back of her head, knowing there would be yet more therapy for her after the Captain’s mission report was complete. Pity. Remorse . A look people gave that she hadn’t been able to escape since she was fourteen years old at her mother’s funeral. Told over and over again how she had everyone’s condolences. Forced to recall how everyone would look at her as two stereotypes in one: the sad, little rich girl and the broken soldier. Add on top of all that the swell of embarrassment that infected her, dreading the coming conversation the next morning, having to face the fact she had made a move on Price like nothing at all had happened that night. Hell, maybe it was just the stress. She certainly hadn’t been acting like herself since the start of this mission. What was it about him that made her stop thinking clearly and act so impulsively? 
A bundle of raw nerves, exposed, stinging with the slightest touches of air. Pulling the covers up tighter over her shoulder, keeping the night air off her, she tried to bury herself under the blankets, staving off the darkness that wanted to settle upon her – what little good it did. The shivering didn’t seem to want to stop, a trembling that had moved past just her hand and arm and now shook her entire body. Suffering in self-imposed isolation. No one wanted to know the things that hurt her inside, not when she could carry on, slap a smile on her face and pretend she was alright while burying herself in work. That was the Rory Sinclair way and it had gotten her this far. Why fix what wasn’t broken? Or maybe she was just too broken to fix. 
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Price couldn’t help but watch her. Laying across from him, only feet away. That protective instinct kicking in like she was his to look after. He had fallen for the ‘Lamb’ and was suddenly treating himself like the sheepdog who needed to keep her safe from the wolves – despite how she belonged right along with them. Every part of him begged to wrap around her, to shield her, and remind her she wasn’t alone. But his mind, the logical and sound part of him, the part that controlled every muscle in his body, restricted him to his own bed, refusing to allow his emotions to override its authority. He was a captain, goddammit, he couldn’t just give in to his desire like that. Didn’t change the fact that it was a special kind of torture having to stand by and watch her shoulders lift and fall with each breath, every little shift of her head against the pillow as she tried to settle squeezing at his gut. Trying to sleep off what had happened like it was a bad hangover, closing off from what had actually happened to her. She didn’t have to act like it was nothing, that she was perfectly fine. He would understand if she needed the release. He had seen soldiers go through horrible things, left changed by it, waking up in cold sweats either reminded of a friend they lost in a battle or one of the many things they had been forced to do in the line of duty – innocent lives they couldn’t protect, those they had to let fall by the wayside to save others. It was never an easy thing to move past and he was aware she had already carried a burden on her shoulders and in her head. 
He needed her to trust him, to rely on him, to know that he would never let any harm befall her like this again. It was only right. This was his mission to lead, it would be a failing to let her fall prey to the viciousness of the world. Someone soft like her needed to be guarded, lest she be broken entirely. 
Placing the tablet on the table beside him, he slowly pulled away from his bed. His brain rapidly fired at him every reason why he should stop, turn around and just go to sleep. How the mission was more important. How she would pull through. Redirecting his thoughts to the moral dilemma of it all as her superior officer. How getting close to her was wrong, how it was dangerous, how it could be the downfall of his entire career – but none of that much mattered to him now, not as he drew nearer to her bed. There was a small portion of the double she was resting in left available, the cold shoulder of the mattress, an empty spot begging to be filled by his warm body. Biting his lip, he ran through a list of pros and cons of his next move and then made the snap judgement to lay on the bed beside her. 
She tensed as he got close, going as rigid as she had when he had first found her. Rory was as stiff as a board as his arm wrapped over her, pulling her into him as his broad body curled around her. Finally, allowing herself to settle against the curve of him, a quiet sigh was breathed out into the room. “Thought you said we’d leave this for the morning?”
He knew he was sending her every mixed signal, confusing the poor woman when she was still coming to terms with what had happened, but he couldn’t help himself. The sound of her strained breathing in his ear, the gasps and groans over the comms, they replayed over and over again in his head like a haunting song. He hadn’t realized just how much it had affected him all the same. He had dealt with fear and stress, listened to the wails of people in pain, those last gasps of someone’s dying breaths, but hearing her fighting for life cut through deeper than any of those sounds ever could. 
“Maybe I’m not quite ready to do that.”
Tugging her arm free of the blankets, her hand trailed down the length of his forearm until she met his hand, lacing his fingers with hers. Her touch was so light it was barely there at all as her fingertips grazed over him. He had forgotten just how smooth and slender she was, how soft her skin felt. Looking down at their entwined hands, he noticed how his seemed to swallow the entirety of hers as he held it tight, fitting together perfectly. Rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand, feeling all the little tendons that she used to precisely control her weapons, he lowered his head and pressed his nose into her hair, nuzzling against her, choking back a soft groan. Being beside her was no longer enough for him, he needed more. He craved her. 
Turning over in bed to face him, her eyes rolled slowly up to stare at him, deep and dark in the night, doe-like as she looked up at him through her lashes. Her hand trailing back up his arm, then over his shoulder, and cradling his face in her palm. So gentle, maybe more than a man like him deserved, certainly more than he expected from a woman who clawed herself to safety. He couldn’t help but lean into her touch, his forehead pressed to hers. “I know we shouldn’t,” he spoke in a quiet husky whisper. “We could both lose everythin’, but –”
Rory’s fingertips drifted through the whiskers on his jaw, until her thumb rested over his lips. Silencing him. She pressed her head to his chest, under his chin, and she didn’t move, simply resting there. “That's just the guilt talking.” Her voice was still hoarse, raspy and low.
Brow furrowing, the lines in his face grew as deep as the pit in his stomach. It wasn't that, he was sure of it. Positive. It was her . He wanted her. His hand came to the back of her neck, giving it a tender squeeze. Protective . “I wish I'd been there to make that bastard pay. Hearin’ that fear in your voice…I wanted to tear him limb from limb,'' he growled.
She sighed. “Didn't think I could defend myself, huh?”
Price exhaled slow and deep, his breath fanning through her chestnut hair. He would never admit that. She didn’t deserve to be questioned like that; her skills disregarded. She was a soldier; a veteran like him. But there was still that nagging part of him that just wanted to keep her safe at all costs. “You’re under my command. ’S my job to keep you alive.”
Shaking her head, she huffed out a laugh. “Do you also cuddle up to everyone under your command?”
He lifted his brow and looked down at her, a small smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. “That one seems to be reserved solely for you, love.”
Her eyes widened. Dark, puffy circles gave her raccoon eyes as she looked up at him. “ Love ? That’s not exactly professional.”
“No, ’s not.”
With an exasperated sigh, she ran a hand down her face and muttered under her breath, “This is such a fucking mess.”
She was right. It was. They had gotten attached. Rules were bending. He had already broken protocol by taking command of an SRR operator and letting her march herself into the middle of a lion’s den. He had made this all personal after promising he wouldn’t let their past compromise the work. It should have been easy to just cut himself off, to not get tied up in whatever he was feeling – he did it with everything else – but he couldn’t justify doing it with her. 
“I know this isn’t perfect. ’S hardly some fuckin’ Hollywood romance, but the thought of losin’ you …couldn’t live with it.”
Rory went quiet for too long, silence cast over the room like being in the eye of a storm and he had no shelter to hide in. Left out in the open, vulnerable to attack. His heartbeat started to pick up.
“If I hadn’t already dealt with him, you would have killed Zorokov.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement, as if she already knew the answer.
His jaw clenched, flexing all the little tendons in his neck, his nose scrunching as he pursed his lips slightly. Christ, this was the last thing he needed . A low growl emanated from deep in his chest and up to his throat. “I would’ve done it ‘cause he fuckin’ deserved it.”
“Because he hurt me?”
He sighed again, brushing his fingers through the soft, slowly drying hair that had begun to form tousled waves. “Yeah, Rory, ‘cause he hurt you.”
A gentle smile pulled at the corners of her lips, the first time he’d properly seen her smile in hours and his whole heart seemed to melt at the sight. She was goddamn beautiful . 
“You know that goes beyond what a CO is supposed to feel for one of his soldiers, yeah?” She looked up at him, pulling the blanket tighter to her chest. “That if the brass heard that they’d strip you of everything?”
“Yeah,” he sighed, his eyes lifting to look at the ceiling. “I know.”
“I’m not worth it, John. I can promise you that.”
He curled his fingers under her chin, lifting her eyes to meet his. “Why don’t you leave that up to the Captain to decide, eh?” He pulled her in closer to him, letting her head rest against his chest once more as he leaned down and pressed his chin to the top of her head.
This was better. This was how it was supposed to be. Nothing could hurt her now, not with him around…
… This was all moving faster than he could control … 
He was making a decision for himself that could have long lasting and dire effects. And yet, it was the mere thought of her pain earlier that night that made him feel entirely justified in doing this. She could have died. It was a very probable outcome that might have been a reality if she hadn’t fought for her life. Hearing that rasp in her voice only made the sounds of her choked noises replay in his head once more. She needed him. He needed her . Damn the consequences. 
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Sometime in the middle of the night, after resting up against the almost too calmly beating heart of Price, listening to his god-awful loud snoring, her eyes had finally shut. Falling asleep, giving into what her body needed desperately. Rest. 
Peace. 
Wrapped in his arms – the arms of her Captain, her superior – she had somehow found a safe haven after all she had been through. The nightmares still came, she still kicked out in her sleep, tossing and turning under the covers, the cold sweat dampening her skin and the sheets, but then strong arms would circle around her, pulling her towards him again while half asleep. Body heat reminded her that it was all over, that she wasn’t alone, and in this state, she gave in, stopped fighting – submitted.
It was hauntingly quiet, in the room and outside. like waking up in a fog, the noise was blanketed. Even the thoughts in her head had paused their neurotic rotations. Outside the window, the dark of night had passed and the lights of the windows had all gone out. It was just dim and gray, lifeless. Her hopelessness from the night before seemingly permeated the very world around her, seeping out into the sky and the ground, turning the coming dawn barren. 
Each little movement of hers caused Price’s mustache to twitch and she found herself simply watching him as she lay pressed against his rigid form of muscle. Waking up in the same bed as the man who gave her orders, who was responsible for the success of the mission she had been selected for, who had left her alone in that bathroom stall after they had agreed to a one-time thing and parted ways was an odd sensation. Yet here she was, spooned up against him as if they had been lovers for years. Strangely intimate, yet wildly awkward. A walk of shame would likely have been easier on her heart and on her head. This was radically out of her comfort zone. 
She pulled away as he continued to sleep, trying her best to free herself of the big bear hug of Captain John Price, and the near sweltering heat she felt as guilt and nerves all started to twist at her for what she had done. There wasn’t even sex involved this time. It was more innocent than that and yet the weight of her actions was more vividly clear. This was more dangerous. This was vulnerability. This was feelings and emotions and trust, and it was something she wasn’t so sure she was ready to give or even offer someone. Least of all, someone whose entire life might be upheaved along with hers if they gave into whatever it was that was happening between them.
Slipping out from the blankets, she crossed the room to where her black duffel still sat waiting for her, checking for her pack of cigarettes. Tossing clothes aside, rummaging in as deep as the bottom, but she couldn’t find them. “Goddammit,” she rasped under her breath, combing her fingers through her hair as she tried to retrace her steps. Hardly a simple task when she’d been borderline catatonic as she was brought into the room last night. Sitting on the foot of her bed, pressing the butts of her palms to her eyes. She could barely remember much of anything at all, time slipping from her in that blank space between the attack and winding up with her mouth on Price’s. “Fuck,” she whispered.
Price’s snoring came to a stuttering stop and his eyes slowly opened, smacking his lips after having his mouth hanging open for half the night. “Rory?” Her hands were quick to slip from her face and she turned to find him staring at her groggy, his fingers running through his bedhead. “Somethin’ wrong?”
“Can’t find my fags.”
“They're on the nightstand. Brought ‘em in and put ‘em down for you.”
She sighed. “Thank you.”
His hand patted at the nightstand and grabbed her pack of cigarettes and lighter, tossing them towards her at the end of the bed. “Sleep alright, sweetheart?”
“Eventually.” She swiped up the cigarettes and the lighter and placed one between her lips, lighting its tip as she inhaled sharply. The cold air brushed against her flesh, a shiver coursed down her back, and she realized that the only thing covering her were her panties as she sat on the towel she had tossed there last night. Swallowing thickly, she turned once more to catch Price’s eyes on her figure, but he no longer seemed embarrassed being caught by her. “I suppose I should put some clothes on, eh?”
“You don’t have to on my account.”
Rory laughed and the smoke sputtered out of her mouth, coughing a few times to clear her lungs.
“What? I’m serious.” His grin grew and every line on his face came to life with the same warmth his eyes had. 
“Of course you are,” she said, giving him a sideways glance and a smirk. 
“It's not like I haven’t seen you –”
“I’m aware.” Her tone was short, cutting him off before he could dig the grave any deeper for himself.
The silence reappeared in the room, and Price’s heavy swallow seemed to fill the entire space. She was sure he was trying to find the next thing to say that wouldn’t be some bullshit sympathetic platitudes he already knew she wouldn’t want to hear, the same way he wouldn’t. 
“Still sore?” he asked, head tipping to the side. 
“Yeah…” She took a long drag of her cigarette as she hunched her shoulders, elbows resting on her knees. Surprised by the shock of warm, rough hands rubbing at the bare skin of her back. She stiffened and stood up like a shot, staring back at the Captain, her arm covering her topless chest. “Dammit, John!”
Stepping away from him, her feet dragging through the carpet, he looked back at her with a little smirk, his hands lifted in surrender. “I didn’t mean to scare ya.”
“What do you think you’re doing?” Her eyes flared with anger, not from the actual move itself but from being caught off guard.
“I just wanted to help, Rory.”
Bringing the cigarette to her lips again, she let it rest there as she rubbed at her brow once more. “We – we can’t be doing this.”
“Need I remind you, you’re the one who kissed me.” His head tipped forward, steely eyes peering out from under his brow at her.
She pulled the cigarette from her lips and wisps of smoke trailed over her full lower pout. “Yes, I bloody know I did that.”
“Do you regret it?”
“No.” She answered instantly, the frustration disappearing from her tone as she looked down at the floor.
“So then what’s the problem?”
“You’re my superior, John! The morals and ethics are –” She looked up at him and his brow was lifted. Okay, fair. Breaking the standards of morals and ethics seemed to hardly be a problem for either of them, and yet this one was a rule she couldn’t seem to break. Not because it was wrong, but because it was him. The idea of giving him a reason to regret all this was a giant obstacle her mind refused to leap over. She had dealt with more than enough people up and leaving her in life, she couldn’t get close just for it to happen once more. 
“Are what?”
“I am your subordinate, John. We promised each other we could be professional. We have to keep that promise. We have a mission to complete, the mission comes first.”
“Sure. But what about after?” He sat forward, resting his forearm on his thigh.
“I go back to desk duty with the SRR and you fight the threats.”
“No.”
“No?” Her eyes widened, surprised by his overly brusque denial of the situation. “Care to clarify that, Captain?”
“It doesn’t just end like that, darlin’. Not after what happened.” 
“John…” Her voice was quiet, almost pleading for him to see sense. 
He grabbed one of his cigars from the bedside table, clipped it, and flicked back the lid of his lighter. The chime of metal filling the quiet he left lingering as he lit the end. That burning orange glow at the tip as bright and clear as his intentions towards her now. He placed the lighter back on the table, his palm resting on it for a moment before turning to face her once more, barely restrained anger held in his clenched jaw. Anger she knew wasn’t really directed at her. “I let you march your pretty arse into danger and for what? Used you like bait, like a bloody tool, and it nearly cost you your life. You deserve better than that. The dress, the makeup, shouldn’t have wasted that on a bastard like Zorokov. Could’ve been you and me… still could.”
Rory huffed out a laugh. “The dress. Andrew…” She had been right about the way he was looking at her, the way he had been acting. “You were jealous, weren't you?”
Smoke drifted from his mouth in a thick cloud. “Of course I was bloody jealous, Rory. Look at you, can you really blame me? I've been with my fair share of women, but Jesus, none of them can hold a match to you, my girl.”
“ Your girl?” Her other arm crossed over her chest; the cigarette held between her fingers burning away.
“Listen, I've been trying my damnedest to keep my composure here. You think I went into this expecting to have this happen with my subordinate? 'S rule number one and I'm here breaking it for you.” He sighed. “I had to listen to you in my fuckin’ ear, Rory. It was a goddamn nightmare.”
He stepped closer to her, his height towering over her and she felt miniscule in that moment. She had always stood her ground, remained confident, nothing and no one seemed to intimidate her. His body heat radiated off of him like a furnace and she wanted that safety of being in his arms, but she couldn’t bear the feeling of being weak. She wasn’t gentle, she wasn’t needy, she wasn’t the lamb… she wasn’t .
“And so what, you want to have that be the foundation for a relationship? The fact that I nearly died and you had to pull me out of there? That’s the foot you want to start on? It’s like I said last night, John. This is a dangerous game to be playing and I am not worth the trouble. I’m not worth your career.”
“And why’s that, eh?” He leaned forward, his brows lifting causing his forehead to crease. 
“I’m a fucking mess, that’s why. I’ve got nightmares, anxiety attacks, tremors, flashbacks. I’m in no place to start anything with anyone. And certainly not with someone who’s life could be upended because of me.”
“I don’t care.” He shrugged and gave a slight thrust of his pelvis as he crossed his arms over his chest. Obstinate, pigheaded right to the bitter end, refusing to back down from anything. This was Captain John Price type behavior through and through. 
“What do you mean ‘you don’t care’?”
“You think all that’s gonna keep me away from you?”
“Well it should.”
“Why?” He lowered his head, looking up at her through his brow. Constantly challenging her. 
“Trust me, after several nights of no sleep from me waking up with nightmares, you’ll understand.”
His eyes narrowed for a brief moment, the crow's feet by his eyes creasing. “Someone else left you ‘cause o’that?”
Rory grimaced and bit down on her molars. Her eyes fell to the floor as she turned her head away from him. She didn’t have to say anything, her body language gave it all away.
Price’s face darkened at her reaction, the look of a man planning on hunting down and teaching whoever it was that did that to her a lesson. “Christ, don’t tell me someone actually did that?”
“Of course someone fucking did that, John. Most people who see that side of me either think of me like I’m holding on by a goddamn thread and if it's not that, it's the whole horde of other shit in my head.” She rubbed at her brow and slipped the cigarette back between her lips. “People don’t want to fall in love with someone like me. It’s too hard to do,” she mumbled.
“Well, lucky for you I’m a bit of a stubborn bastard. I’m willin’ to put in the hard work. I can be goddamn relentless when need be.”
Rory scoffed, “I’d expect nothing less from you.”
He gave her a little crooked grin and stepped forward cutting all the space between them, cupping her face in his large hands, his thumbs stroking her cheeks softly. “I’m only gonna tell you this once, darlin’.” Leaning down, he pressed his forehead to hers. “I don’t care about how much trouble you might be, you hear me? I have to have you, Rory. I need you to be mine, yeah? Simple as.”
It was her turn to ask the question. “Why?”
“Because if there’s anyone who’s going to understand what’s going on in that pretty head of yours, 's me. I wanna protect you. I wanna make sure somethin’ like this never happens again. I can’t even take the thought of you bein’ with someone else ‘sides me.”
“I’m not willing to take the risk.”
He nodded his head slightly. “Well, I’m patient. Persistent. I can wait as long as I have to.”
“Fucking hell,” she said with a quiet chuckle, “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“Not after what I saw last night.”
She pulled away, the ash from her cigarette falling to the floor as it hung from her hand. Flexing her shoulders, Rory stood up taller, trying to regain some semblance of the strength she knew she had. “I’m not someone that needs to be guarded. I’m not some bloody damsel in distress. I don’t need you chaining yourself to me because you feel guilty or like this is your fault. That’s not what I want.”
“Well what do you want?”
There was a list she could give him, one that was a million miles long. But all she really wanted right now was to be looked at like a soldier, to be trusted. She didn’t need to rely on him, didn’t need to lean on him like some bending tree in a tempest. 
“I just want to work.” 
Taking a last drag from her cigarette, she moved towards the window and tossed the smoking butt out of it before grabbing the sweater from her bag and heading into the bathroom to start her morning routine, shutting the door behind her. 
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everyryuujisuguro · 6 months
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