#Football Antics: Part Two

[thecandlewasters]

A cheeky lil celebration of 10 Years of NMTD

Nostalgic for early tumblr? Craving that Dracula Daily mineral? Perhaps obsessed with a certain enemies-to-lovers Shakespeare play?

Look no further, NMTD(Taylor's Version) is here!

A new player entered the field…and here is why!

[starsinthesky5]

wait so cus joe was there after tee and ja’marrs signing.. would our songbird have joined him as well? i can kinda see her being there just telling the camera ppl ahead of time to make sure she isnt in frame or smth

i could be wrong tho

───────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆───────

you know she had to be there ;)

over the past few months, her bond with tee and ja’marr had grown just as her relationship with joe had. they weren’t just his best friends anymore—they were hers too. like brothers, really. the kind that raided the fridge without asking, made themselves at home on the couch, and somehow always roped her into their ridiculous antics.

they were over at the house all the time, which made sense—ja’marr only lived down the road, and he and tee were basically a package deal. outside of football, the three of them were always together, and now? she was part of that, too.

so, of course, she was there for their signings. there was no way she’d miss a moment like that. she even told joe, with full seriousness, that if the deals didn't get done, she'd personally hold a strike outside the front office.

"they're about to turn me into the voice of the entire fanbase without even realizing it,".

but, as always, she kept things low-key, telling the camera crews ahead of time to make sure she wasn’t in frame, slipping in and out without drawing attention to herself.

because this wasn’t about her—it was about them. about celebrating two people she adored and had come to consider family.

the second tee and ja’marr stepped into the locker room, joe was already on the move.

without hesitation, he leapt onto tee, arms wrapping around him in a tight hug, nearly knocking the both of them off balance. "congrats, bro," joe smiled, voice thick with emotion. they held it for a second—long enough for the moment to settle, for tee to pat joe’s back firmly before pulling away with a grin. tee was like a brother to joe, someone he confided in about everything from love advice (early on in your relationship) to what he should order from jeff ruby's for the team dinner after practice. he was his go-to guy, his most emotionally intelligent friend, and someone he could never imagine playing without.

then, joe turned to ja’marr.

this one was different—deeper. their bond ran back to LSU, back to the grind, back to the moments when they swore they’d be here one day. and now? they were. and they'd get to stay together through it all.

they started off together as just kids, slowly working their way to the top. to the natty. they reached new heights together in college, and now? in the league? they were constantly breaking records and simultaneously etching their names next to the all-time great QB and WR duos. this was a special connection, an unspoken understanding joe could never replicate with anyone else.

joe pulled him in for a tight hug, his grin wide as he shook his head "big money now," joe teased, laughing as he squeezed ja’marr’s shoulder. "congrats, man,".

the cameras were all over it, catching every second, but you just leaned back against the wall, watching it all unfold. watching joe, watching them, soaking in the raw happiness of it all.

you knew how bad they all wanted this, you heard all the unfiltered conversations behind the scenes. so seeing it come to fruition? yeah.

you were ecstatic as hell.

but then ja’marr spotted you.

"ayeee!" he called out, grinning as he gestured you over. "wassup, my girl?!".

you laughed, pushing off the wall as you made your way over, arms outstretched. "congrats, ja’marr," you laughed, pulling him in for a hug.

"thank you, thank you, mrs. quarterback," he chuckled, squeezing you back before letting go so you could turn to tee. you lightly punched his shoulder because of his little comment as you shifted your focus to tee.

"and you," you said, wrapping tee up next. "big-time deals, huh? you excited to put that fishtank in the wall now?".

tee chuckled, shaking his head. "you already know," he said, giving you a tight squeeze before pulling back.

you grinned, nudging joe playfully. "so does this mean i’m surrounded by stable multi-millionaires now?".

"oh yeah, we ballin' now. you too, miss big money superstar," ja'marr smirked with a wink.

tee snorted. “nah, we're all ballin' but joe's still cheap as hell," he joked, pointing at joe, who just rolled his eyes.

“not cheap,” joe corrected, smirking as he wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you into his side. "just smart,".

"whatever you say, lover boy," ja’marr teased, shaking his head.

"oh, so was it smart to drop 3 mill on a batmobile you can't even drive legally?" you questioned him while winking at the boys, letting them know you were on their side.

ja’marr and tee howled.

"ohhhh shit," tee cackled, slapping ja'marr's shoulder. "nah, she got you, joe,".

joe just sighed, shaking his head with a smirk. "first of all," he started, tightening his grip around your waist, "i can drive it,".

"yeah?" you challenged, tilting your head. "drive it to the police station? because that's exactly where you'll end up if they see your ass cruising down the banks in that obnoxiously large car,".

ja’marr was losing it. "man, not even we be callin' him out like this," he wheezed. "she fearless,".

joe looked down at you, his little half-smile betraying the fact that he loved every second of this. "you know what?" he mused, voice dropping just enough for only you to hear. "you won't hate it so much if you and i took a trip to the backseat,".

your lips curled. "maybe," you admitted, running a teasing finger along the seam of his shirt. "you gotta put on the batman costume for the full effect though,".

joe sighed dramatically, pressing a quick kiss to your temple before pulling back. "you’re so lucky i love you more than anything else," he murmured, just loud enough for ja’marr and tee to catch.

because that's the only part they needed to catch.

ja’marr grinned. "awww, look at him," he teased. "whipped and reckless with his money,".

you just smirked, leaning into joe’s chest. "eh," you shrugged playfully. "reckless or not, he’s my lover boy,".

and just like that, the jokes kept rolling, the locker room buzzing with laughter, teasing, and nothing but pure celebration.

[venussaidso]

Mekhi Alante Lucky and Jeremy Meeks are two male models who got spotted from their mugshots.

It's very likely that they could both have Ketu-ruled Moons — Mekhi Alante Lucky with Mula Moon and Jeremy Meeks with Ashwini Moon.

The 'reformed delinquent' is something I've noticed a lot for Ketuvians, especially the men. For example, Ashwini Moon Matt Dillion was discovered by a casting agent while bunking off school, being rebellious early on — only to then play an actual delinquent fictional character. “I wasn’t in class, you could say that. I think why I ended up doing that movie was because I connected so much with the character. I recognized this kid, he was a juvenile delinquent – he was in a much worse place than I was, probably.”

This took me back to the character Roi, from the Spanish series Berlin, played by Mula Moon Julio Peña. Roi is literally a reformed delinquent — I touched on his character a bit more in my post Ketu Dominant Themes — 𝐍𝐚𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 (part 2) 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟑.

And Roi randomly reminded me of Fontaine from They Cloned Tyrone, who's played by Magha Moon John Boyega. Fontaine's initial purpose of existing is to be a hard ass drug dealer, maintaining the cycle of violence and stagnancy within his community — which he means to transcend when he discovers that everything about his role in his town is simply manufactured.

This arc supporting the reformed delinquent.

Also, Matt Dillion talking about bunking school reminded me of an old guy friend of mine that I went to high school with throughout. He had Ashwini Moon. He used to bunk class regularly since the ninth grade, and was a heavy drinker already. He was always caught up in violence and conflict. I'm not sure if he's reformed, but last time he drunk called me at night before a school exam, telling me he accidentally stabbed someone– that person is luckily alive. Anyway, not all Ashwini natives will be like this or are like this — before someone lectures me in the comments. But he was a dangerous individual. Unfortunately, at that time, I didn't see that side of him fully. We used to walk together everyday after school, we would talk about everything and anything. The potential to reform or rehabilitate is there [but I don't trust men to change].

And just last year, I encountered a Magha Moon guy, who is the ex boyfriend of my Magha stellium friend. We were all talking about some random shit before he started talking about dark stuff. He looked me straight in my eyes and told me he stabbed his stepdad the year before. He's a very scary individual, and unfortunately I still cross paths with him on campus. Being random as I am, I had asked for his birth details upon first meeting — because his ragged appearance looked very Martian/Ketuvian and I just wanted to confirm my suspicions. His nature is very, very draining and abusive.

Ashwini Moon Dennis Rodman has been also known for his delinquent antics for his entire career, never caring for others and what others think. This level of detachment from Ketu definitely makes these individuals possibly dangerous as they don't care about rules or crossing boundaries. For example, Rodman had been attacking cameramen while he's literally playing in the game [basketball] — one day he violently kicked a cameraman in the groin and got this guy hospitalized, paying him $200,000 in settlement.

Mula Sun, Ashwini Moon Jared Leto is also known for being creepy & abusive towards his cast members and other celebrities. He's also a cult member. He's also known for attacking his fans.

And finding out that Suge Knight has Sun in Ashwini was quite shockingly validating as he reminds of that former Ashwini guy friend of mine. Suge Knight has always been violent since high school, being kicked off football teams due to his headless nature and drive to cross the lines — always using the game as an excuse to destroy his opponents, but gaining nothing material at all from it. This is extremely Ketuvian of him, as his Moon is conjunct Ketu as well. And his Ketu is exalted, being in Jyestha nakshatra.

Also, you might notice that Venus nakshatra natives will have an overlap with Ketu nakshatra natives. I know for sure that Venusians can be inclined to violence. Chris Brown is the most typical Venus nakshatra man I could think of right now.

Sidereal fire signs, and sidereal Scorpios, tend to show up in people who behave dangerously. Xxxtentacion had sidereal Scorpio Moon, and he was a delinquent.

Erykah Badu has sidereal Scorpio ASC.

[burrowdarling]

Sweet Nothing

Summary: A super-fluffy lil blurb based on Sweet Nothing - Taylor Swift

Pairings: boyfriend!Joe Burrow x girlfriend!reader

Requested: Yes | No

Warnings: none, just pure fluff

Note: Heyo! Thank you for all of the love on my writing recently, it means so much to me that you're all enjoying everything! Thank you to this lovely anon who submitted this idea :)

Word Count: 838

Check out my Masterlist here!

Taglist: @burrowbarbie @definitelynotdomanique @one-sweet-gubler @plushkhiii @enchantedinfinity @iosivb9 @hellsingalucard18 @hotburreaux Feel free to comment or message me if you'd like to be added to the list!

I spy with my little tired eye, tiny as a firefly

A pebble that we picked up last July

Down deep inside your pocket, we almost forgot it

Does it ever miss Wicklow sometimes? Ooh, ooh

It was the littlest things that would remind him of you. Joe could be driving home and see your favorite restaurant, a billboard for a show you mentioned, or simply a street sign that made him think of a conversation you two had a few nights before. It could be different license plates from your goal to find every state wherever you go or your need to always play eye spy on every road trip the two of you took. You were sentimental, getting him to slow down and take a breather every once in a while. It wasn’t always something Joe was good at, having a narrow focus and one end goal for multiple months out of the year. He loved his job but he loved being with you more. You loved to find small treasures to bring back home with you on your trips. Small tokens of memories compounding into your relationship, able to bring you both right back into any moment. You were nostalgic, loving to reminisce on different milestones in your relationship together. For example, you always saved the flowers Joe would get for you in hopes that one day you could spread them down the aisle at your wedding. It reminded Joe that the little things do matter. Even when it felt like he couldn’t slow his pace, he had you there to pump the brakes for him.

'Cause they said the end is comin', everyone's up to somethin'

I find myself runnin' home to your sweet nothings

Outside, they're push and shovin', you're in the kitchen hummin'

All that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothin'

No matter how loud the noise was inside his head, Joe was always able to find a sense of solace in you. It was like you were a security blanket, able to quiet the myriad of voices that tried to overtake his thoughts at all times. Coming home to you was the favorite part of his day, no matter the time or mood he was in. Finding you in his kitchen, making his favorite meal while you danced around, singing your favorite song at the top of your lungs while it played lightly from the speakers. You never let his presence stop you, continuing to sing while grabbing his hands, making him join into your antics. Joe would feign resistance, but deep down he loved every second of being home with you like this. You had a carefree nature about you, allowing him to let his guard down, even for a moment, and bask in the warmth that was your love. Being home meant there were no restrictions, no standards, all that he had to be was 100% himself. You were able to tell when he would need certain things like space to himself or to be held. It was something he thought was a superpower of yours, convinced you were able to read his mind somehow. 

Industry disruptors and soul deconstructors

And smooth-talkin' hucksters out glad-handin' each other

And the voices that implore, "You should be doin' more"

To you, I can admit that I'm just too soft for all of it, ooh

Sure, there was something about the spotlight that Joe reveled in, finally getting the recognition for his hard work and effort all these years. He didn’t need to hold any type of facade around you, though - able to see right through any of his fronts. To you, he was Joey - the boy from Athens whose dream was to play football for the love of the game. He was always striving to make other people’s lives better, spread kindness and joy in his hometown community. 

“Do you ever think that maybe I’m not cut out for this life? Sometimes I wonder what things would be like if I didn’t make it.”

These were questions he would ask you in the dark, basking in the security of the night, a time for confessions he would come back to in the morning.You always knew what to do in these moments, never discounting his feelings or telling his mind to quiet. His favorite by far was when you would be in bed, ready to rest for the night after a particularly hard day. You would hold him in your arms, light scratches down his back, whispering any and every thought you had about him while he drifted off. Your sweet nothings were something he cherished, finding himself thinking about them on the nights when you could be there with him.

Home didn’t have to be a place, it was a feeling. That feeling was something he had with you always. Joe was able to call anywhere home as long as you were there by his side, taking life one step at a time. You were his sweet nothing.

[tojiscrack]

𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒

summary: 12.1k words — you attend jujutsu high’s saturday football game on time, but arrive unintentionally late to another event, which spurs more consequences than you initially imagined

notes: it’s extremely late as i type this up (nearly 4am) but i wanted to get this one out asap for my two talented artists @kickingcat and @azr3na ! <3 you guys have made writing this story so much more enjoyable knowing that i have some AWESOME art to check out every once in a while, and it motivates me to write better quality work 🤧 for that, this chapter is dedicated to the both of you! tysm for ur hard work, it truly shows in the quality of your drawing! <3

tw: swearing, mentions of infidelity and cheating, demons, rituals, mentions of brutal murder, i think that’s all lol

previous chapter :)

next chapter :)

i do not own any of the characters of jjk, i only own the character of y/n and her mother. the other characters belong to gege akutami.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・

the late saturday afternoon sun beamed brightly over jujutsu high's football field, casting long shadows across the trimmed grass.

the stands were packed with spectators, a sea of navy blue with pops of lighter blue from the cheer squad's uniforms, which shimmered with metallic accents under the sunlight. the players, clad in their dark blue jerseys with gold trim, huddled on the sidelines, their helmets glinting. you could spot players number one and two — yuji and megumi — from where you were positioned with satoru, who had you held up over his shoulders to showcase the large poster you and nobara had spent hours decorating; she was currently lined up with the rest of the cheerleaders on the track, pom-poms shaking in time to a peppy chant, while the faint scent of hot dogs and popcorn wafted from the concession stands.

on the opposing side, ridgeview high prepared for battle. their colours (a striking crimson and white) stood out against the green field as their players jogged through last-minute warm-ups, their jerseys spotless and sharp. similarly, their cheerleaders wore matching crimson skirts with white trim, their coordinated cheers echoing across the field as they tried to rival the noise from you and your peers on the stands.

the game had begun with ridgeview high immediately showing you why they were team you should be worried about, their offence tearing through jujutsu high's defence with precision passes and swift runs. by the end of the first quarter, ridgeview had been leading by two touchdowns, their crimson-and-gold-clad players celebrating wildly under the late morning sun.

panda, your school mascot that had been part of nobara's cheerleading group at the front, had let out a roar of disappointment. you raised your brows at the sound — he truly was yaga's son.

"they bulldozed us," you commented, your arms growing tired from holding up your pink, sparkly poster. you held it to your chest as coach yaga called back the team for a pep talk: he did not look pleased. "it's gonna be so embarrassing if we lose. i was talking so much smack to one of their players on twitter."

"we're not gonna lose," satoru reassured you from below, patting your thigh as though your worries weren't rational. "but if — we won't, obviously — but on the very rare occasion that we do, we know who to blame."

you nodded. "player number two."

"exactly! player number t— wait that's megumi," satoru frowned, throwing his head back so he could look up at you. you thought he looked odd upside down.

"mhm," you hummed, waiting for the next play to commence. "it's his fault 'cause... 'cause i say so."

"nah, that's a shitty reason," said satoru, looking back at the field where the players were preparing to commence the second play. "it's only okay if i say so — don't pull my hair, ow!"

you had given him a firm tug, fed up with his antics as he shook your hand off his head, causing you to sway slightly on his shoulders. you quickly regained your balance, gripping his head tightly.

"stop squirming," you muttered, giving him another light thump, to which he groaned but didn't retaliate. instead, he tilted his chin up defiantly.

"as i was saying," he continued, his tone matter-of-fact, as though explaining the newton's law, "it's not megumi's fault when you really pay attention to player nine's form."

you looked around, brows furrowed.

"player nine?" you repeated lowly, searching for the number on each jersey. the players had begun to disperse, but you spotted nine next to seven, his arm extended to pat his friend.

you frowned, confused when the realisation of who was beneath the helmet had clicked to you.

"that's kamo," you spoke aloud, both to yourself and to satoru, who let out a low whistle below you.

"yeah?" he responded, before lowering his voice down to a level where you were certain that if you had not been sitting propped up on his shoulders, you would have missed it. "unsurprising."

you pulled down your poster to hit his face, his immediate reaction to become frantic, risking you falling off.

"stop!" you demanded, panicked.

"your fault for being smart enough to pick a fight with the same person who's holding you up."

he wasn't wrong there, you accepted to yourself silently.

the game restarted with renewed energy, and you and satoru had started loudly cheering for both megumi and yuji, your voices blending with the collective roar of the crowd. you continued to wave your pink, sparkly poster energetically above your head, waiting for megumi to catch sight of it, for it had been tailored to specifically piss him off.

midway through the quarter, the ball was in yuji's possession, who skilfully dodged two ridgeview defenders with quick footwork. he spotted megumi sprinting downfield, and with a perfectly timed pass, the ball soared through the air. megumi leaped, catching it cleanly despite pressure from a ridgeview line-backer. and with incredible focus, he charged forwards, weaving through the defence, and managed to cross the goal line just before being tackled.

all at once, the crowd erupted as the referee signalled a touchdown, jujutsu high having finally closed the gap in the score. you and satoru cheered wildly, his excitement nearly knocking you off balance on his shoulders.

from the middle of the celebratory huddle, megumi's gaze wandered upwards, begrudgingly enduring the pats and slaps on his back from his ecstatic teammates. his expression (though difficult to see very well from where you were) was one of mild irritation, his posture stiff among the jubilant chaos.

you tried not to laugh.

he hated hugging, especially when it came from people he was not particularly close with, and anyone could tell. he did not do much to hide his distaste, after all.

as his eyes drifted above the sea of helmets, they landed on you and satoru in the stands, and when his expression had become stonier than it was during the hug attacks from his fellow teammates, you knew he spotted the poster.

amid the sea of sparkly pink glitter, obnoxiously bold bubble letters read "YUJI AND MEGUMI <3" in a mix of hot pink and light pink, glimmering in the sunlight. the glaring issue, however, had been the centrepiece: a photo of him, clearly edited, showing a toothy, radiant smile he had never once produced in real life.

you'd used a face app since he never smiled.

yuji's face was on the other side of the poster, but you'd made sure to decorate his side normally. after all, his picture had remained unedited due to the fact that he knew how to smile.

the over-the-top embellishments, featuring musa from winx club and draculaura from monster high, made the megumi's side of the poster even more ridiculous.

you laughed when he took his helmet off to pinch the bridge of his nose in exasperation, though his teammates mistook his reaction for post-touchdown exhaustion.

"woohoo! porcupine!" you cheered supportively.

he only slammed his helmet back on his head and turned away, returning to the game with more drive in his steps.

"sir!" someone from behind you called out loudly. "mr gojo! we can't — we can't see! you're in the way —"

"you'll get over it," satoru called back cheerfully.

the game had eventually ended with jujutsu high sealing a victory in the final moments. the cheerleaders' blue pom-poms shimmered in the afternoon sun as the football team huddled together in celebration, and you had realised with ringing ears, how you'd never heard such loud cheers erupt from the stands the way that they had that saturday afternoon.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・

the room was chaos.

sukuna moved like a predator, his every step deliberate, his grin wide and mocking as he toyed with nobara. still, in her anger, she lunged at him, fist raised, her ferocity unshaken despite the bruises already darkening her skin. each of her attacks had been met with infuriating ease, sukuna parrying her strikes with casual movements that radiated his overwhelming strength. it was clear she was losing — her breaths were ragged, her stance faltering, but she pressed on regardless.

megumi was holding his sprained ankle, trying to find a way to stand on it that didn't feel like his entire leg was going to give.

every instinct told him to intervene, to distract sukuna long enough to pull nobara out of his reach, but doing so would be futile anyway, for his ankle had been annoyingly holding him back.

he gritted his teeth, glancing at the time on his phone.

you weren't here.

you had promised you'd come.

despite your tutoring session with kamo, you'd insisted that you wouldn't miss this. but now, with sukuna wreaking havoc and nobara barely holding her own, your absence stung, and megumi bitterly wondered to himself...

were you running late? or had you decided that turning up just wasn't worth the trouble?

his fingers tightened into fists. he didn't have time to dwell on your absence, yet it still lingered at the back of his mind like a haunting ghost, sour.

sukuna laughed for the nth time within the same hour — a cruel, echoing sound — as he knocked nobara's hairclips (which she'd been using to fight, somehow) out of her grip, sending her sprawling. megumi cursed under his breath, standing on his injured foot and pulling nobara back by her shoulder, putting himself between her and the demon possessing his friend's face.

"why do you keep coming back every twenty-ninth like we summoned you?" he demanded angrily, scowling when sukuna tore through another one of yuji's hoodies. this was getting really annoying.

"because you did summon me, megumi fushiguro!" sukuna roared back, his expression manic as he swung at megumi, his nails elongated to try and poke at his eye. megumi was pulled back by nobara's quick reaction time. "you summoned me once, now i'll return every month on the same day!"

"where's y/n?" megumi asked nobara, his head tilted slightly so he could glance at both sukuna and nobara at the same time. "she should be here by now —"

"i killed her!"

megumi and nobara exchanged a glance at sukuna's words, their reactions starkly contrasting. nobara's face flickered with confusion, her brows knitting together as if trying to decide whether sukuna was being serious or merely taunting them — it wouldn't be the first time, after all.

meanwhile, megumi's lip curled in pure disgust, his sharp glare piercing through sukuna's smug grin. the idea of you being dead — especially as an offhand joke — churned something bitter in his stomach, but he knew better than to react, for sukuna thrived on eliciting emotion, and megumi wasn't about to give him the satisfaction.

it was a stupid thing to say anyway. megumi did not like dramatics unless it came from you.

"is that... even possible?" nobara began, sounding uncertain.

"no," said megumi, brows furrowed, "obviousl—"

"— how would you know?" sukuna snapped, suddenly dropping to the floor to grip at megumi's injured ankle. megumi let out a hiss of pain as he kicked him off, but it had not been an easy feat, for sukuna's grip was iron-tight. "i ripped her body apart!"

nobara and megumi both worked simultaneously to take sukuna away from megumi's foot, but he was too strong.

"she said she's running a little late but she'll be here!" nobara hurriedly explained to the injured male, pulling at yuji's — sukuna's — hair.

he did not like that, choosing to release megumi's ankle in favour of jumping at nobara's neck.

"the library's not too far from here —" megumi snapped, throwing his arms over sukuna's shoulders from behind and pulling him away from nobara, holding him against his chest as hard as he could, "— hold and tie his arms — it shouldn't take her this long to — shit — get here!"

sukuna laughed menacingly. "she is in her tomb —"

"she — didn't — explain!" nobara said through heaved breaths; sukuna had been making it difficult to grab at his arms, swinging them back and forth with clenched fists, attempting to punch her away.

megumi let out a pained grunt, trying to shift his weight on his other foot. "well text her again —"

nobara widened her eyes at him, her pupils darting from sukuna to megumi to the mess made out of the room.

"— how?"

"SHE IS DEA—"

nobara karate chopped at sukuna's head, apparently having had enough of his constant interference with her conversation.

"can you speak when you are SPOKEN TO?"

furious with her attack at him, he roughly shrugged megumi off his back and immediately grabbed nobara's hair, pulling it harshly so she'd fallen to her knees before him.

"how dare you?" he began, contorting yuji's friendly brows into something more menacing. "this is where you belong, woman. at my f—" he stopped himself, looking over his shoulder at the sound of megumi's clumsy footsteps closing in on him. he immediately spun around and wrapped his hands around megumi's neck, tightening them to cut off his airways. nobara sprung into action immediately, trying to ease the iron-tight grip the demon had on her friend.

"what the he—"

"let go of him — oh my god —"

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS ONE MENTIONING THE OTHER BRAT!" sukuna stated stormily, eyes glinting a dangerous red. megumi could see the extra sets of eyes blinking back at him as he choked for breath. it was not a pleasant sight. "YOU WANT TO KNOW WHERE SHE IS? HOW ABOUT I LET YOU JOIN HER —"

"she's not dead!" nobara argued indignantly, her face growing pale at the vulnerability of megumi's state, "and would you get your disgusting claws off him?"

megumi's annoyance towards you burned in the back of his mind, barely tempered by his dwindling focus on survival.

you should've been here by now — how much longer was a simple tutoring session supposed to last? controlling sukuna was already a monumental challenge with three people; with only him and nobara, it felt like a hopeless endeavour, for the demon was too strong, too fast, and far too unpredictable. if you had been present, your support could have made all the difference...

or so he angrily justified to himself, as sukuna's nails bit deeper into his neck.

suddenly, the demon's grip loosened, and megumi had stumbled backwards, gasping for air.

but his reprieve hadn't been born of any mercy; it was a deliberate, mocking act.

sukuna had simply grown bored and wanted a new target.

with a sinister laugh, he threw megumi to the ground like a discarded rag doll before turning his attention to nobara, his lips curling into a gleeful sneer, his red eyes narrowing dangerously as he advanced towards her.

"why are you looking at me like that?" asked nobara, and while it might have sounded like she was being fierce and angry, megumi could sense the underlying fear in her voice.

"famous last words," sukuna teased, and megumi could have sworn he'd seen the tattoos on his body move in excitement.

but before anyone could say or do anything, sukuna's ears had wiggled, almost like demon dog's when he spotted satoru's expensive dog treats.

then, his head spun to glance at the door, which was now opened to make room for you, panting and wide-eyed, one hand holding onto the knob, the other closed around the spare key yuji had given you the night before.

your gaze swept over the chaotic scene: the dishevelled nobara, the bruised and gasping megumi on the ground, and sukuna's imposing form towering over them. the blood drained from your face as you locked eyes with the demon, his sinister grin widening like a predator spotting new prey.

"finally!" sukuna hissed, his voice dripping with venomous delight. his head tilted unnaturally, the extra eyes on his face narrowing with malevolent excitement. "the stupid chatterbox is here!"

"lock the door!" nobara ordered you as sukuna sprinted in your direction.

you slammed the door shut behind you with a resounding bang, shoving the key into the lock with practiced precision, and just as sukuna's body crashed against it with a deafening thud, you deftly sidestepped to avoid the impact, letting out a sigh of relief at how he had narrowly missed you.

with a swift twist of the key, the lock clicked into place just in time, and you tossed the key at nobara with wide eyes.

sukuna let out a loud howl of frustration. "you haven't even been here a minute and you are already such a NUISANCE!"

"i didn't even do anything — woah!"

megumi had speedily scrambled to his wobbly feet to pull you away from the danger that was sukuna by your shoulders. your back had met the wall harshly, making you let out a gasp of something in between pain and stupor, brows furrowed at his eerily cold expression.

it seemed that you were not aware of just how much wreckage sukuna could cause with one less person.

"where were you?" megumi asked, as sukuna made an attempt to rip the doorknob off; nobara had reached up and pulled his hair so he was stumbling backwards away from the door.

"the library —"

"— for that long?"

the crease between your brows had started to deepen as you blinked up at him.

"i never said i'd make it on time," you responded, as he stepped back and looked over his shoulder to see if nobara was in any danger; she had everything handled. "i told you i'd be late," you added, eyes widening as you pushed past him to help nobara with sukuna, but megumi had let out a pained grunt, making you stop in your tracks and eye him carefully. "are you okay?"

"fine," he said, failing to hide his limp.

you looked between nobara, sukuna, megumi, and the rest of the mess around the room, blinking confusedly.

"all of this happened 'cause i was gone for a bit?" you marvelled, shocked.

"can barely survive with three of us," nobara huffed over sukuna's loud threats, throwing the key that sukuna had been actively trying to retrieve over to megumi, who caught it with ease. "he nearly escaped six times with just megumi and i! shit, help me!"

you sprung into action, throwing your school bag aside to pull sukuna away from nobara.

"why is he shirtless again?" you said, squeaking when he shoved you away, stumbling into megumi by accident.

"how dare you touch me with your female fingers —"

"okay i'm sorry oh my god!" you cried, hands going up to shield your face from his onslaught of punches, but this action had done nothing to hide the level of pain that had shot up every area he targeted. "ow — stop!"

the room descended into more chaos as sukuna launched into a furious assault. his movements were wild yet calculated, his strikes unrelenting as he aimed to incapacitate everyone in the room.

he had decided to lunged at you first, his nails raking through the air as you ducked just in time, tripping backwards into megumi once again, but this time, megumi had instinctively shoved you aside to take sukuna's punch directly. he had stumbled as a result, but remained upright, apparently determined to shield you and nobara from further harm.

nobara, meanwhile, had grabbed the nearest object — a chair, for the sharpest objects had been wisely taken out of the room for everyone's safety — and swung it with all her strength at sukuna's back. the impact had barely fazed him, but it gave you just enough time to grab a textbook from your bag and hurl it at his head; the book smacked him squarely in the face, and he growled, red eyes glowing with rage.

"really, woman?" sukuna snarled, wiping his face with yuji's arm. "a book?"

he picked it up and tore it in front of your eyes, grinning grimly at your expression.

the book was a hardback.

"hey, kento lent that to me!" you complained angrily, before quickly scrambling out of reach as he advanced again, reminding yourself that you were talking to a demon.

nobara tackled him from the side, trying to pin his arms, but he effortlessly shrugged her off, sending her crashing into the desk.

megumi, visibly struggling, grabbed a metal ruler and jabbed it at sukuna's ribs, drawing a rare wince of discomfort.

"get the rope!" he barked at you, and you immediately darted to the corner of the room, pulling out the frayed cord you'd used before to subdue yuji when he'd started acting erratically.

the three of you worked in frantic synchronisation, trying to dodge sukuna's attacks and pull the rope taut around him whenever an opening appeared. nobara distracted him by tossing books and binders from your bag in his path, while you and megumi spent the time looping the rope around his torso.

sukuna's strength had been overwhelming, but each loop of the rope restricted his movements a little more, and you had managed to tie a final knot with shaking hands, backing away as he thrashed against his bindings.

for a moment, silence fell, save for sukuna's heavy breathing and the sound of everyone else gasping for air. then, with a sinister smirk, he chuckled darkly, the sound sending shivers down your spine.

"you think this will hold me?"

"let's hope so," megumi muttered, leaning against the wall, his ankle burning, "because i'm out of ideas."

in the brief moments the three of you used to catch your breath, the respite proved to be tragically short-lived...

sukuna, his muscles rippling with unrestrained malice, had managed to tear through the ropes with almost insulting ease. the frayed ends of the cord fell to the ground as he stood there, grinning like a wolf savouring its cornered prey, rolling his shoulders as though loosening the tension in his body.

"since you're all so determined to waste my time," he sneered, his voice dripping with cruel amusement, "why don't we take a little trip down memory lane? after all, it's only fitting to reminisce before you all meet your end." his voice lowered into a chilling purr. "let's relive our first encounter, shall we?"

"what does that mean?" you began slowly.

he did not clarify...

and with that, sukuna's movements became terrifyingly calculated.

in a matter of minutes, he recreated the chaotic tableau from the day he had first terrorised your group: you found yourself yanked by the arm and hoisted up onto the curtain rail, your body dangling precariously as the flimsy structure groaned under your weight. nobara was shoved to the ground, her hair a wild, tangled mess as she clutched her arm, a fresh scrape bleeding through her torn sleeve. and megumi, breathing heavily with one hand braced on the wall, was forced to limp to the side, his injured ankle trembling under the strain.

sukuna stood amidst the wreckage, laughing with unrestrained glee at his handiwork, savouring the helplessness etched into each of your faces.

right, he thought to himself, watching the room and remembering the exact position he'd been in several months ago in february. this is what he meant...

his eyed had met sukuna's, and the demon's patience wore thin.

"where's the key?" he demanded, his tone sharp and unforgiving.

megumi felt for it in his pocket of his pants, but defiantly refused to give it up, his silence very obviously fuelling sukuna's frustration. with a growl of annoyance, the demon's lips curled into a sinister grin, and he made a split-second decision.

if words wouldn't pry the information from megumi, brute force would suffice, apparently, for he marched to the door and, with a single powerful strike, shattered the doorknob entirely.

megumi knew it was too late, and so did you, for he heard you groan from the ceiling.

"oh my god..."

the door had creaked open, but before sukuna could take a triumphant step into freedom, he stopped short.

his confidence wavered for the first time as his gaze met the person standing in the doorway.

it wasn't choso, as it had been during everyone's first encounter...

it was satoru.

megumi had never been so pleased to see the tall man, not that he'd ever tell him that.

he looked amused, his own grin widening as sukuna's faltered, and for a moment, the room held its collective breath.

and then he spoke:

"what, you're a gangster now, yuji?"

sukuna's expression twisted in disdain the instant satoru referred to him as yuji.

his lip curled, baring teeth in a snarl as he raised a fist, ready to strike, but before the blow could connect, satoru had moved with lightning speed, effortlessly grabbing sukuna's wrist and twisting his arm behind his back in one fluid motion. you could barely register what was going on from where you were hung, viewing the world from an upside down lens, but you caught how satoru, with a well-placed foot, swept sukuna's legs from under, sending him crashing to the floor with a resounding thud that made the entire room tremble.

"heh, that's sick! — i got your text, y/n," he grinned as he ignored sukuna's furious growl beneath him and straightened up, brushing imaginary dust from his sleeve with an air of exaggerated nonchalance.

his attention turned to nobara.

and a laugh erupted from him, loud and unrestrained, as his eyes took in her disheveled state.

"but i guess i'm a little late," he declared with delighted amusement, eyes sparkling as nobara swatted her wild hair in annoyance, "i've never seen you this ugly."

he helped her up despite his teasing, her eyes widening as she glanced at sukuna, who was speeding towards the open door.

"the door!" she yelled, but satoru's long legs were proven to be convenient, slamming the door shut before he grabbed sukuna by the shoulder and forced him backwards.

"gonna have to do an exorcism," he explained all the while, pulling out a small, plain, and black book from the wide pocket of his large jacket.

at that, sukuna's roar filled the room, a feral, deafening sound that reverberated through the walls like thunder.

"AN EXORCISM?" he laughed, his back against the lower wall. it seemed that the mesh of yuji's and sukuna's strength was no match for satoru's adult strength, which made sense, as sukuna did not have full control over yuji as of now. you thanked the lord silently. "I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY!"

yet satoru moved through it as if his bellows were the soothing hum of a lullaby, steps measured and unhurried; his eyes, sharp with amusement and calm confidence, flicked to you, still dangling precariously from the curtain rod like a forgotten puppet.

he looked even more like an idiot to you upside-down.

but you would tell him that after you got his help.

with an effortless grace that betrayed his strength, he reached up and steadied you, his hands firm but careful as he eased you down.

"upsie daisy!" he said, as the world spun right-side up again the second your feet had touched the floor.

you slumped against the wall with exhaustion, the blood that had rushed to your head moving back down again.

but you could not rest there for long, for satoru had swiftly ushered everyone out of the room with a wave of his hand. nobara had stormed ahead, muttering about how this should have been handled earlier, while you followed, glancing nervously over your shoulder.

was it safe for satoru to be left alone with the demon, who was now eyeing nobara as she began closing the distance between herself and the door?

megumi had lagged behind, wincing with every step, which did not go amiss by satoru, who tilted his head slightly to meet his eye.

"i'll drive you to shoko's, yeah?" he asked, his tone gentler but still carrying a teasing lilt.

but megumi shook his head firmly, refusing the offer as he bit the inside of his cheek.

"i'm fine," he said, and that was how the three of you found yourselves lingering outside yuji's door, leaning against the wall as tension hung heavy in the air.

from within, the sounds of sukuna's fury erupted.

a guttural roar rattled the walls, followed by a sinister, bone-chilling laugh that sent a shiver down your spine. there were loud thuds and crashes as if furniture was being flung across the room, and knowing sukuna, there was absolutely a chance that that was exactly what had been going on behind the door, each sound punctuated by the sharp crack of splintering wood.

amidst the chaos, sukuna's mocking snarls could be heard over satoru's carefree chuckles, his taunting voice carrying effortlessly through the door.

"that all you got?" satoru teased, his words dripping with amused arrogance. "i was expecting more — hah! nearly got me there! — the way she described you."

another earth-shaking bang followed, sukuna roaring in frustration while satoru continued to laugh, as calm and amused as if he were playing a game instead of exorcising a feral demon.

the three of you exchanged concerned looks with one another.

"he's gonna get himself killed, teasing sukuna like that," nobara muttered, leaning against the wall opposite the door in the dark hallway.

"he's survived worse," you responded, moving your head away from the door with a flinch at the sudden bang that had followed.

nobara raised a brow. "like?"

"toji —"

"watch it," megumi growled from below without missing a beat; he had been sitting against the wall, a hand on his injured ankle.

the three of you waited in silence, the sounds of sukuna's threats, satoru's chuckles, and every other bang and crash that followed filling the space like white noise.

you glanced down at your friend's ankle, lips pursed.

"is it sprained?" you asked carefully.

he didn't look up when he replied.

"don't know," he shrugged, his tone clipped. "it's fine."

there was a short pause.

bang!

BANG!

megumi scowled. "how come you were late?"

the weight of megumi's question settled heavily in your chest, sharp and pointed, like a blade that hadn't quite drawn blood but hovered threateningly close.

he wasn't being harsh — not exactly — but there was something probing about his tone, and the way his eyes flickered to yours at your silence, dark and expectant, made it feel more like an inquiry than casual conversation.

you couldn't blame him.

sukuna's near-escape had been catastrophic enough, and now megumi was injured because you hadn't been there on time. still, the timing of the question prickled at you, as though he were peeling back layers you hadn't offered to reveal, and for a fleeting moment, a sense of guilt tangled with unease tightened in your throat.

"the bus was delayed," you answered honestly, "so i texted satoru."

the way megumi's glance had intensified was almost comical. "you thought he'd come on time?" he asked.

"no, but he was better than anyone else," you said, pressing your ear to the door again and remaining unsurprised when sukuna had let out an excited laugh.

"if maki didn't have wushu practice right now, we could've called her," said nobara, who was now standing by the hallway mirror and flattening down her hair to make it appear less dishevelled. "she'd give sukuna a good run for his money."

"you should visit shoko," you suggested, looking down at megumi with raised brows. your ear was still pressed against the door, but it was eerily silent now. you frowned. "she can patch you up," you added wisely.

megumi shook his head. "she'll also ask questions."

he had a good point.

the silence behind the door stretched, unnervingly still. you could hear the occasional creak of floorboards, but no sounds of sukuna's chaotic laughter or the clash of any furniture that had been so familiar only moments ago.

it was almost as if the battle behind the wall separating you from him and satoru had never happened, leaving behind a heavy stillness that made your skin crawl.

frowning, you glanced at the others, noticing they were all waiting with bated breath for some sign from the other side, but nothing came...

not a peep, not a whisper, just that oppressive quiet.

suddenly, the door had swung open, and the faintest scuffling noise echoed in the hallway. you had instinctively taken a step back, eyes widening as satoru reappeared, a half-conscious yuji draped over his shoulder like a ragdoll, his limbs limp and face pale. the sight alone was enough to send a wave of unease through you: you hadn't realized how much you'd been holding your breath until now.

"all right, everyone, move it," satoru called out, his voice as casual as ever. "car's outside and— stop looking so worried! ijichi's not here! c'mon now."

his tone brooked no argument, and you all instinctively began to shuffle towards the exit.

nobara, ever the sceptic, gave a sharp look at the limp form of yuji. "why's he coming with us? can't he just stay in his room and sleep it off?"

satoru's expression was serious for a fraction of a second before his usual smirk returned. "just in case sukuna decides to pop back in for round two," he replied, his words matter-of-fact but laced with an edge that made it clear the situation was far from over.

he pulled out his car keys and clicked it with a smile. "better safe than sorry."

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・

"you're basically saying i should die."

"i never said that."

"but you're implying it."

"how?"

"making me sit next to him."

the car hummed softly as satoru drove you all through the quiet streets, one hand lazily resting on the steering wheel, the other tapping rhythmically against the window frame. nobara sat beside him in the front passenger seat, her elbow propped up against the door, head tilted towards the window as she basked in her victory of claiming shotgun without competition from yuji, who laid unconscious in the backseat, slumped against you, his head resting heavily on your shoulder as his soft snores filled the cramped space.

sandwiched between him and megumi, you shifted slightly, careful not to wake him while still trying to find a comfortable position for yourself, but it was difficult, knowing that there was a possibility that sukuna could open his eyes at any moment and lunge for your throat.

you were, after all, the one he hated most.

on your other side, megumi sat stiffly, staring out of his own window with a distant expression. the occasional glances he'd cast towards you and yuji  were starting to irritate you: if the way his brows would furrow slightly whenever yuji shifted in his sleep meant anything, then he should have swapped seats with you the second satoru placed yuji on the seat behind nobara.

as your argument with megumi ebbed and flowed, each sharp remark from him met with an equally cutting retort from you, nobara, blissfully detached from the chaos behind her, busied herself with exploring the various compartments in satoru's car. she gleefully unearthed a collection of canned sodas, neatly stored candies, and small bottles of fresh water, shooting the man driving beside her a dirty look at how well organised everything was.

"impressed?" he grinned, a dimple on his right cheek.

"don't get ahead of yourself," she sniffed, annoyed at the way he shrugged, looking pleased with himself.

"stop yelling at me," you had been saying from the back, eyes narrowed at megumi's cold expression, "'cause you're gonna wake him up! and then he's gonna come for me first! what then, huh? you're just gonna sit there and let that happen?"

megumi eyed the canned sodas and shot you a deadpanned look.

"you've got it handled," he said, and at your confused, furrowed brows, he elaborated. "i'll help you out."

he undid his seatbelt and leaned over you, extending an arm in between satoru and nobara to grab a water bottle and retreat, presenting it to you with a bland face.

your gaze hardened.

he felt the need to continue.

"you can drown him with your mermaid powers—"

"i know what you meant!" you snapped, angrily smacking the water bottle out of his hand.

"he's not waking up for hours, y/n," satoru called out loudly, shooting you a glance before keeping his eyes on the road. "stop worrying."

"easy for you to say," you shot back, pinching megumi's thigh as hard as you possibly could. he hissed and peeled your fingers off. "you're not sitting next to him!" your eyes widened suddenly. "wait... what if after you've dropped us all off, he comes back and strangles you from behind?"

satoru laughed at that.

"careful," he chortled, "it might sound like you're worried about me."

"only 'cause if he gets you, he's coming for me next," you scowled, brows furrowed.

the man driving the car met your eyes through the wide mirror. he hadn't put his glasses back on yet, so you could see every bit of amusement dancing around his blue irises.

"don't concern yourself with that. i got it handled," he answered at last, and despite his carefree tone, you still found yourself falling into a pit of worry, head first. "so! you four have no idea who ryomen sukuna is?"

"we know who he is," said nobara, and she maintained a dramatic pause before continuing. "a demon."

satoru shook his head. "that's not what i meant."

the girl in the passenger seat shot him an exasperated glance.

"look him up," satoru added, offering no other thoughts or help except that.

nobara, alert in the front seat, began scrolling through her phone with a determined focus following satoru's suggestion. for a moment, it seemed that nothing had come up, and that satoru was simply messing with the rest of you for fun.

but it was her gasp that made both you and megumi sit up straighter in alert.

"what?" megumi demanded, watching as you leaned forwards to push your front through the gap between satoru and nobara, and then raising your brows in realisation when yuji dropped onto your seat in your absence.

you hurried back and lifted him up again, letting him rest on you with a frightened frown.

"what did you find?" you asked her urgently, your voice low as yuji shifted in his sleep.

"ryomen sukuna..." nobara read out, her brows knitted together as she read about his origins, "was a fearsome demon figure said to have terrorised villages during japan's heian period. known for his monstrous strength and sadistic tendencies, sukuna was infamous for his brutal acts of violence, particularly against women and children. eyewitness accounts described him as a towering figure with crimson eyes, tattoos that writhed across his body, and an insatiable hunger for destruction."

you gulped. "sounds just like him..."

an unsettling silence filled the car, thick and heavy like a fog. the only sound that reached your ears was the low, haunting whistle of the wind as it brushed against the moving vehicle.

"is that it?" said satoru, who sounded disappointed.

"no..." nobara muttered, before heeding the hand satoru had kept on the wheel that gestured at her to continue. "a particularly gruesome aspect of sukuna's legend revolves around his penchant for mutilating women and consuming children. these horrific acts were carried out with the aid of an accomplice: u— u— ura... uraume, a mysterious and cold figure who served as sukuna's cook. stories claim that uraume prepared the remains of sukuna's victims into meals, feeding the demon's appetite for chaos and cementing their role in his legacy of terror."

"wait," you began, brows contorted in fear. it didn't help that every snore yuji let out triggered the memory of sukuna's roar in your mind. "that's the name he used when we first used the ouija board."

"keep going," megumi added icily.

"while some dismiss these accounts as exaggerated folklore, others believe that sukuna was not merely a tale to scare children, but a real and malevolent force that thrived on fear and destruction, leaving a legacy that endures in whispered myths to this day... what the fuck?"

nobara's hands trembled slightly as she lowered the phone, her expression an unsettling mix of irritation and unease. she glanced at satoru, her brows furrowed in a scowl.

"you really had to make me look that up, didn't you?" she snapped, though her voice was tinged with a nervous edge. despite her tough facade, it was clear the vivid descriptions had unsettled her.

you couldn't blame her. only a psycho would he unfazed with what you had just heard.

but satoru only chuckled lightly, one hand still on the wheel.

"oh, come on. you're the ones who decided to play with a ouija board," he said with a lopsided grin. "i'm just saying, if you're going to mess around with stuff like that, at least don't act surprised when you wake up a demon older than the concept of personal hygiene." he gestured vaguely, his tone only half-serious. "rule number one: don't poke the supernatural bear. rule number two: if you do poke it, don't be surprised when it growls."

"this one doesn't growl," you shivered, feeling uneasy. "it roars."

"everyone else gets something less terrifying once, maybe twice," nobara groaned, tucking the strands of her short hair behind her ear. "but the one time we mess around with the board, we end up summoning ryomen sukuna — professional cannibal!"

"eh, not surprising," satoru shrugged, looking way too unbothered with how terrified everyone else seemed in the car. "what? the east asian population in this town is large, specifically japanese people. you don't think that didn't have something to do with the fact that you summoned a demon that originated from japan of all places? even your high school used to specialise in jujutsu."

"why'd they stop?" you asked curiously.

"cultural diversity," satoru answered easily.

"hey," megumi had voiced firmly, his voice cutting across the tense conversation.

satoru's eyes had flitted to his through the mirror, brow raised expectantly.

"you okay, megumi?"

as they continued to converse, you glanced down at yuji and listened to the soft breaths he let out, shuffling uncomfortably. your lips in a straight line, you brushed his hair out of his eyes in disgust. if the fear of sukuna being behind those closed lids hadn't been looming over you, you would not have put up such a fuss: yuji was a peaceful sleeper.

"i don't want you to tell my mom about this," said megumi, his brows knitted together in annoyed certainty.

satoru hummed, looking all too pleased with himself. "you asking me for a favour?" he responded, sounding both smug and curious at the same time.

there was a slight pause, the sounds of yuji's quiet snores and the movement of vehicles outside of the one you had been sitting in filled the space.

"yes," said megumi, and when you turned to glance at him, you found that he looked quite serious (more so than usual).

satoru's smile stretched wider, his eyes sparkling with amusement as he leaned back in his seat.

"a special request from my precious student?" he teased, his voice dripping with playful mockery. at megumi's scowl, satoru's grin only grew, his usual confidence turning into something almost mischievous, as if he'd just caught megumi in a rare, vulnerable moment, but there was a glint in his eyes that suggested a certain pride in knowing that megumi had some form of trust in him — albeit reluctantly. "consider it done! my lips are sealed. you're gonna have to come up with a story for that ankle though."

nobara sat up as satoru had begun entering her neighbourhood.

"ugh, my mom too," she said, sounding desperate. "she probably wouldn't believe you anyway, but she'd find a way to try and get 'compensation' for my non-existent 'trauma' or something... you know how she is..."

you did know how nobara's mom was: a nice woman, who cared deeply about her daughters, but had a hunger for money that even toji could not compete with.

and satoru knew that like no one else...

"yeah, you've got nothing to worry about, i'm not going anywhere near that woman," he grumbled, before shooting the girl sitting next to him with a glance that was meant to be apologetic, but looked like anything but. "no offence, nobara."

"none taken," she sighed, for all of you knew how her mother would shamelessly flirt with the white-haired male for his money. it was both amusing and disgusting to watch (satoru found it horrifying, even if he did seem flattered the first time around).

then, his eyes flicked to you in the rearview mirror, catching your gaze with a certain glint of amusement. he studied you for a moment, his expression unreadable, before his lips curled into a smirk and he shifted in his seat, clearly enjoying the unease he was about to stir like the man-child he was.

"you're not gonna ask me to keep it from m/n?"

you stared at him, deadpanned. "she literally would not care."

"fair point," he nodded. "what about your dad?"

"the signal in antarctica is bad," you responded easily. "and also, don't stress that man out. he already has to deal with angry polar bears."

there was a challenge in satoru's gaze, as if he found amusement in seeing how you'd react, how you'd handle the weight of being almost blackmailed by him.

"didn't know you were such a snitch," you commented sourly. "well... snitches get stitches."

"you're gonna need stitches with that mark on your forehead," said satoru, and your hand had instinctively reached up to rub at your head where sukuna had hit you.

"it's fine 'cause megumi's gonna snitch me up."

"no i won't."

"what the hell, porcupine?"

"let me get this straight," satoru interrupted, preventing another round of arguments between you and the grumpy boy sitting next to you, "you kids have been dealing with ryomen sukuna for an entire year and didn't think to tell anyone?"

"how was that conversation meant to go?" said nobara, before her voice raised an octave as she continued. "'hey, mrs itadori! we need help 'cause your son gets possessed by an ancient demon every month on the twenty-ninth and has the literal potential to kill anything in its vicinity!' i mean, who would believe us?"

satoru gawked. "me!"

"yeah..." she said, looking exhausted, "that's not a good thing..."

satoru continued as though he hadn't heard her. "you guys messed around with a ouija board, but i'm the reckless one."

"i have a headache," you groaned, rubbing your temple with a pained expression.

megumi glanced down at his injured ankle, wincing slightly as he flexed it before settling into a frown. his gaze shifted towards you, a scowl forming on his face as though silently reminding you that he had the worse end of this ordeal.

he shifted uncomfortably, clearly still irked about your late arrival and the chaos it had unleashed, not that he planned on voicing that at all.

"that's karma for all those people you lied to about evil entities," said megumi, watching as you sneered at him.

"that was different though!" you declared heatedly. it wasn't like those people from kindergarten would even remember that anyway.

satoru looked back at the both of you as he eased the car into a smooth stop outside nobara's house, a compact, modern two-story home with clean, angular lines and a white-and-grey facade. a narrow path of neatly arranged stone tiles led from the sidewalk to a red-painted front door, framed by simple black lanterns. potted plants flanked the entrance, adding a small touch of warmth to the otherwise minimalistic exterior, while a lone bicycle leaned against the side of the porch. it was nobara's, you silently noticed.

"why was that different?" satoru asked curiously.

you had pulled megumi's ear for his response:

"sukuna hates her."

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・

megumi found himself seated before his mother in the living room, her figure covering the television behind her, arms folded over her chest.

"you injured your ankle," she began, kind eyes narrowed in suspicion, "by being slammed into during football?"

megumi nodded.

you weren't around, so it would be easier to keep up the act without worrying about pinching your side and silencing you when your lies went too far.

she did not look convinced; megumi remained unsurprised at that. she had always been harder to fool than his father, and called it a sixth sense that, according to her, all mothers had.

"megumi," she sighed, brows contorted in concern. it made him feel bad for lying, but also reminded himself of the fact that she'd be overwhelmed in fit of worry if she ever knew the true reason his ankle had ended up swollen. "this is the, what, third time this has happened now? was it by... what's his name...? todo? was it him?"

it obviously wasn't, but megumi believed that to be a good excuse to go with.

he nodded again; she sighed again.

"the first and second time, i can understand, accidents happen," she said, replacing the bag of peas that she'd kept on megumi's ankle (perched on the coffee table) with another frozen set. the first had become warm now. "but a third time? i'm starting to think he has it out for you."

that wouldn't be against the truth at all, megumi mentally decided to himself with furrowed brows.

he watched as she handled the bag of warm peas with a pout pulling at her lips. it had been times like these that he wished she wasn't so concerned all the time, for it would make lying a whole lot easier.

"can i watch tv now?" he asked, sounding a little more dismissive than he initially intended.

she raised her brows at him.

"you're making a face, megumi," she responded, easily avoiding the question.

megumi had made a move to frown, but found that he had already been doing it.

he silently cursed himself.

"i'm not," he mumbled, averting his gaze and trying to get a good glance at the ice hockey game playing behind her. she only moved her head where his eyes went, pressing.

"you are," she said, smiling. "if y/n was here, she'd agree. ah, where is she anyway? i feel like it's been years since i've seen you two in the same room."

"friday —"

"aside from friday dinners," she cut across him with a raised brow.

without meaning to, he found his face mindlessly deepening his default scowl. he immediately softened his expression, but it had been too late, she'd already spotted it.

"there it is!" she pointed at him, accusatory. "what's got my son in a mood?"

megumi tried his hardest to maintain a neutral expression, but it proved to be more difficult than he expected.

her eyes never did not leave his face as she crossed the short distance between them, watching as he tensed immediately, the scowl slipping away into something more guarded, more composed, as though retreating behind an invisible wall of indifference would make her retreat too.

but she didn't.

instead, she crouched beside him, her hand resting gently on his knee, warm even through the fabric of his jeans. her touch was soft but unrelenting, and the concern in her gaze felt heavier now.

"i'm always like this," he said quietly, she had to lean closer to hear him.

"you've lived under my roof for sixteen years," she responded, brushing his hair out of his eyes. he shook her hand off with an exasperated exhale. "i think i'd know when you're acting different... except for that time that you stole a rabbit even though you know i'm allergic —"

"— mom —" he grumbled.

"— and in my defence, i trusted my son," she continued as though she hadn't heard him, her smile still present. "why are you grumpy?"

"i'm not —"

"do you want me to call your dad?"

he scowled, and this time, he did not try to hide it, for the threat was enough to get him talking. it wasn't the fear of toji being called on him, it was the fact that he did not want to have a heart-to-heart with that man out of anyone.

he'd even prefer satoru to him when it came down to therapy sessions.

his mom pursed her lips at him, her expression grave. "did y/n frame you for disturbing mrs daphne's tea party again?"

"no," said megumi, cringing at the memory. he had still yet to get you back for that — the old ladies at the tea party had slandered his name for things he hadn't even thought of doing. "it's not that."

"but it's something to do with her, isn't it?" she pressed with a gentle smile. and at the way he peered back at her, she went on to explain herself. "you made that cute angry face when i asked where she's been."

"how can someone be cute and angry?"

"you'll know when you have kids of your own —"

"mom."

"i'm only joking, megumi," she said, as she took her hand off his knee and placed it beneath her chin, waiting for him to answer her.

he looked away, jaw clenched as he stared at the far corner of the room, anywhere but at her face, hoping she wouldn't wait for his answer, but he knew her... he knew that she would do exactly that.

megumi let out a slow, frustrated breath, the weight of her patient, unwavering gaze pressing down on him like a vice. he clenched his fists for a moment, the tension winding tight in his shoulders before he felt it unravel in resignation. there was no escaping her persistence — not when she had already pieced together more than he was willing to admit. she would wait him out, as always, and the battle of wills would inevitably end with him surrendering, he could tell.

reluctantly, he eased the tight set of his jaw and prepared to give in, knowing there was no point in dragging it out any longer:

"we're both really busy," he admitted, abashed. he was also simultaneously trying to find a way to explain his problem without revealing too much about how your absence had indirectly caused such trouble with sukuna. "i see yuji and nobara in classes. or in between classes. but not — stop staring at me — not y/n."

she hummed. "she lives right across from us," she reminded him thoughtfully. "why don't you go over there now?"

"don't want to right now," he shrugged, and even though, to an outsider, it would sound like he didn't want to see you out of spite, he knew that his mom knew what he meant: you'd just seen each other, both of you had still got mountains of homework to complete. "i'd get distracted. we still have a lot of school work to complete. she has to rehearse her lines for her next play."

he did not mention how you were spending more time with an outsider nowadays than with him. after all, that wasn't what bothered him that much.

it was more about the fact that said person was supposedly interested in his sister, but was spotted with you every other day.

or, that was what megumi had kept replaying like a mantra in his head. he wasn't too sure whether he had successfully convinced himself yet.

"a little time apart doesn't mean anything, megumi," his mom laughed, her voice soothing as he peered back at her expectantly. perhaps her advice was necessary. perhaps he ought to listen. "that time she showed me your timetables at the beginning of the school year, i wasn't worried in the slightest."

megumi remained silent as she went on, for he was starting to really pay attention to her.

"you guys have — what was it? — english together?"

"math," he corrected, trying not to sound bitter, but it must have seeped into his voice because she chuckled as she went on.

"math," she nodded, smiling again. "only math, right? ... you two have remained friends, best friends — don't make that face, you silly boy, you know it's true — you two have been best friends since you were in kindergarten! not many people can say the same, you know? your friendship won't end just because you spend less time in class together."

he knew that, he had concluded to himself. he knew that that wasn't his concern.

how could he figure out what he was so annoyed about if he was unable to fully communicate the whole truth with sukuna, your lateness, etc?

he'd have to tiptoe around the topic.

"what's on your mind?" she asked, and he cursed himself for making his discomfort so obvious.

"you're saying everything would still be the same," he started slowly, unsure whether he'd regret where he was going with this if he completed his sentence, "even if we're friends with other people."

his mother's gaze softened, but her expression remained unreadable, the kind of calm that always left him unsure whether he'd stepped too far or not far enough.

she studied him quietly, her eyes searching his face as though piecing together a puzzle only she could see. the silence stretched just long enough to make him shift uncomfortably, his fingers tapping restlessly against the arm of the couch.

before finally...

she nodded, a slow, thoughtful motion, her lips pressing together in a way that felt both understanding and reserved.

"exactly," she said, her eyes twinkling with excitement. "she makes friends with everyone. she's friends with the... dark-haired child... the one with the side bangs —"

"the emo kid," said megumi, blunt. "malakai."

"megumi," she said firmly, her tone scolding but not unkind. "but yes, him. and don't you go around calling him that."

she smiled at him then, her eyes crinkling warmly at the corners as she leaned back into the couch. her relaxed posture made him feel slightly less on edge, though a flicker of grumpiness still lingered within him, but it was tame, nothing like it had been earlier back at yuji's.

megumi noticed the gentle rise and fall of her shoulders as she breathed, the way her face always seemed to soften when she looked at him. the familiar scent of her jasmine tea filled the space between them, calming in a way that made him feel understood even when words failed.

"smile, megumi," she teased, her voice light and coaxing, but he remained stubbornly impassive, his lips refusing to budge.

she sighed playfully, shaking her head before leaning forwards again, her fingers curling into a mischievous grin.

with another soft chuckle, she placed her pointer fingers on each corner of his mouth, gently tugging his cheeks upwards.

"there you go," she murmured, her grin matching the exaggerated one she had crafted on his face. "see? it's not so bad, you should do it more often!"

he let out a resigned sigh, his eyes half-lidded, but beneath his feigned annoyance, a trace of warmth began to settle in his chest.

her eyes had grown distant, gazing at something behind him. it was when she'd removed her fingers from his face, did he know what — or rather, who — she'd been staring at.

"toji, why are you just standing there?" she asked, her tone playful.

megumi didn't need to turn his head to know his father was simply lingering. when it came to his mother, there was a rare stillness in his posture — a quiet reverence — as if he were gazing at a masterpiece, a painting too precious to touch.

"he doesn't know how to smile because of you," she jokingly accused him, standing up, "so you need to smile too!"

toji averted his gaze, silently unwilling.

she shook her head at him, raising her arms to present her pointer fingers.

"i'll make you smile," she warned him.

"run, dad," megumi grumpily muttered from where he was seated on the couch.

the older man turned away with furrowed brows.

"don't gotta tell me twice," megumi heard him grumble, followed by his mother's rhythmic laughter.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・

bonus scene:

there were many things mrs fushiguro had seen in the short time she'd been married to toji for.

she'd seen him yell (never at her), she'd seen him fight (never with her), and she'd seen him curse (never to her).

but she had never seen him in such a fit of rage, that he could only fold his muscly arms over his chest and resort to a quiet stillness, choosing tense tranquility over violence.

although, the way his jaw clenched had said otherwise.

she sat on the arm of the long couch as he stared down the lineup that started with a scowling suguru, a frowning satoru, a glaring megumi, and a blissfully unaware you.

honestly, she thought this was a bit much. you and megumi were barely even seven. so what if you had blindly followed the older two in believing that toji was cheating on her? you were kids. being influenced by older people was natural.

apologies were necessary, she understood that much, but lining each of you up with apology letters like you were part of some military?

that was a lot.

toji started off with the young man who had his hair in a dishevelled man-bun. dishevelled, for toji had shaken both him and his best friend till she had stepped in to stop him.

"go," her husband demanded.

suguru was halfway between rolling his eyes before he caught the sharp glare the buff man before him sent.

"i'm sorry for accusing you of cheating on your wife," he said, looking down at his lined sheet of paper with exhaustion. he then looked up and began improving. "and i also apologise on behalf of the people whose apology letters won't be any good —"

"dude," satoru interrupted, looking offended. the sight only made her smile, especially when her eyes moved down the line and you and megumi had been sporting the exact same expression, the three of you collectively staring at suguru in disgust. "the hell are you implying?"

"you apology letter is literally blank, satoru —"

"— i like to improv!"

"shut up!" toji snapped, taking everyone by surprise. "both o' you." he glanced at suguru with narrowed eyes. "whatever, you're done, monkey."

megumi's mom found herself watching with interest as suguru gritted his teeth. she still did not understand what the hatred for monkeys was about.

"you —" toji continued, glaring at satoru, who was scratching the back of his neck, looking confused. "you're next."

this would be interesting...

she watched as satoru cleared his throat with theatrical flair, holding up his paper as if preparing for a grand speech. he scanned the page, squinting at god-knows-what, seeing as she (and everyone else in the room) had been well aware that the paper was blank, before glancing at toji, whose glare grew sharper by the second.

and under the crushing weight of that look, satoru's bravado faltered. his fingers crumpled the paper into a ball with a slow, deliberate motion.

tossing it aside, he straightened up, forcing a grin as he placed one hand over his heart.

"toji fushiguro," he began with exaggerated sincerity, "i deeply regret the events of today, and i humbly offer my —"

"you little shit —" toji growled, his eyes narrowing further.

satoru's grin stiffened. "right. sorry. freestyling it is."

if his glasses had been taken off indoors, she would have been able to read his real thoughts through his eyes. instead, she was made to sit back and guess, watching the events play out before her like a sitcom.

it was unpredictable.

especially when it came to her husband and the godfather of their son.

"i'm... sorry."

toji was not happy with that:

"for?" he pressed, head tilted expectantly.

satoru shot him a disgusted look:

"the hell you mean 'for'? i apologised —"

toji turned to look back at his wife with a scary level of calmness.

"i'm holding myself back —" he told her through gritted teeth.

"okay, toji —" she began, trying to be the peacemaker but failing miserably.

satoru let out a loud groan, running a hand through his hair tiredly.

"fine," he said, exasperated. "i'm sorry... for accusing you of cheating on this gorgeous, beautiful, stunning, breathtaking, ethereal —"

toji instinctively stepped forward. "you tryin' to take my wife?"

"no," satoru scowled, "i'm married —"

"he's not," suguru coughed.

satoru recoiled dramatically. "whose side are you even on?"

toji clenched his jaw, his patience wearing thin as satoru's antics grated on his nerves. his eyes had darkened with a sharp, warning glare, fists curling at his sides as if holding himself back from throwing a punch.

his wife watched as the tension radiated from him like heat, his broad frame stiffening as he muttered under his breath about what he'd do if satoru kept running his mouth.

"anyway, i'm sorry for accusing you of cheating on her... not that you could find anyone better," satoru continued, his left dimple becoming more prominent the longer he grinned. "she's gorgeous. she's amazing. you hit the jackpot with her —"

"erm... thank you, satoru?" she smiled, visibly and audibly confused. "i... don't know if i should take that as a compliment, or..?"

"it's a compliment!" satoru assured her, his grin toothy and bright. "from the first most handsome person in the world to the second prettiest in the world."

"what the—" toji began, looking disgusted. he grunted, looking down at his own son with a glare. "fine. megumi —"

megumi looked up at his dad with a scowl. his mom could only bite back a laugh at his expression, a carbon copy of the man she married.

"— i didn't do anything wrong," he snapped.

stubborn like him, too.

toji took a deep breath in, and everyone in the room glanced at megumi, expectant.

but megumi had seemed firm on his stance, stagnant, no chance of moving. you were staring at him like he'd grown two heads.

she should have seen this coming, to be fair. unlike everybody else, megumi had not been holding an apology letter to begin with.

"if you don't start apologising, now, boy," toji threatened, his fists clenched.

perhaps now was a good time to step in:

"toji, he's just a —"

"smart brat is what he is," he interrupted grumpily, glaring down at his son. "apologise."

megumi let out a long, exaggerated sigh, the weight of frustration pressing his small shoulders down as if the air itself had turned heavy. his dark eyes slid shut briefly, and when he opened them again, they were filled with a mix of irritation and reluctant obedience, a reflection of his father's unrelenting will.

the sigh wasn't just a breath, his mom noticed with an apologetic glance — it was the embodiment of every ounce of exasperation he felt, a drawn-out gesture that spoke louder than words, as though he were releasing the burden of dealing with his family's antics all at once.

"fine," he grumbled, taking her by surprise. it usually took a bit more probing before megumi was made to bend at anyone's will. "i'm sorry for following them around even though i didn't do anything wrong."

"YOU —"

"my turn!" you beamed excitedly.

"oh here we go," satoru mumbled under his breath, being shot a warning glance by the woman shifting on the arm of the couch, her brows furrowed.

toji regarded a glaring megumi with one irate look — one that read 'this isn't finished' — before glancing down at you, the glittery strap of one of your sandals left undone like the messy child you were.

where toji found it to be a headache, his wife found it cute. she'd always wanted a girl at some point in her life.

"okay, so!" you began, clearing your throat dramatically. your little fingers had clenched your apology letter hard enough to crease every part you touched.

you took a deep breath in, before noticing all the eyes that had been placed on you, and then began looking around anxiously, as though everyone was staring at something behind you instead.

"what's the delay?" toji grunted, impatient.

"everyone's keeping on — everyone's keeping on looking at me!" you said, fidgeting where you stood.

"it's 'keeps on'," megumi corrected you icily.

"you better shut your mouth," toji started on him, only pausing when his wife scolded him for toeing the line that determined what was too far and what was not.

"it's — it's fine!" you smiled, your baby cheeks looking soft enough to squish. she had to refrain from doing so. you were in the middle of your apology, after all. "i'm gonna just close my eyes!"

and so you did.

you closed your eyes, your hands still clutching the sheet you were meant to be reading from, before you realised your mistake.

"'m sorry for... er..." you hesitated, your brows furrowed with how tight you had closed your lids. "wait! where did my apolology letter go?"

"'apology'," megumi had corrected yet again.

satoru snorted. "open your eyes, genius — ow!"

suguru had kicked his foot.

"y/n, honey, open your eyes," mrs fushiguro told you politely.

"that's what i just sai— ow, suguru, cut it out!"

with a deep breath, you opened your eyes and glanced down.

realisation had dawned as you spotted the crumpled apology letter clenched tightly in your small hands. a sheepish laugh escaped your lips, soft and warm, as if even you couldn't believe your own antics.

toji groaned in growing impatience, rubbing his temple with an exaggerated sigh that only made the moment funnier to his wife, who had hid her smile behind her hand, trying to maintain decorum for your sake.

determined, you squared your shoulders and lifted your chin.

"i know what to do!" you declared brightly, clutching the letter with newfound resolve. "i'm just — i'm just gonna turn around 'cause no one will see me!"

without waiting for anyone's input, you spun on your heels to face the television, ready to deliver your heartfelt apology with dramatic flair and a focus all your own.

only to be submerged by a fit of giggles, turning around with a wide grin.

"what now?" toji snapped angrily.

"turning around — turning around is so funny!" you laughed, before choking on your own laughter at the grave expression on the older man's face. "okay, okay! calm down... angry man!"

you finally started on your apology.

only for it to go absolutely no where...

in other words (she hated to admit it) but the same reaction satoru had been scolded for earlier was the same one that was found to be right.

you were talking just for the sake of talking, the apology going no where...

"i'm sorry," you started, eyes drifting down your lined paper, "that i — that i listened to the two old mans next to — next to megumi fushigo right now. my mommy says to listen to older people! so — so i listened to older people! but, toji the angry man says that — that he will crush satoru and suguru like a ladybug! and even though my mommy says i like ladybugs, i don't want to keeping on being shouted to! so now i have to say sorry because i have to be safe from toji the angry man —"

"right, that's enough," toji growled, waving a hand at you.

it seemed that just like his wife, he did not seem to know what to make of this apology.

all he knew was that you talked way too much.

"her mouth moves before her brain does," he said, turning to his wife who sent him a sharp look, one that easily translated to 'be nice!'.

"my — my mommy says —"

suguru leaned closer to his best friend. "either she's a serial liar, or her mom's been lobotomised."

"can i leave now?" asked megumi, looking past his dad and at his mom for her approval.

but before she could respond, toji leaned forwards with a casual grin that didn't quite reach his eyes, cutting off her words before they could form, but there was a sharpness in his movement, like a blade waiting to strike.

"no," he said, his darting from you to satoru and back again. "no, i'm not satisfied yet. this bastard's still grinning —"

you turned to megumi with a frown. "what's a bastard?"

his mom stood up almost immediately, but megumi had already begun his explanation:

"when a man and his mistress —"

"megumi!" she interrupted, alert.

the two of you looked up at her, one of you wide-eyed, the other with narrowed ones. she hurriedly ushered her son away from you, glancing at toji, suguru, and satoru all the while.

"well this has been nice," she mumbled, trying to smile despite her slight irritation towards this entire ordeal, "and i appreciate the apologies, but toji, let's wrap this up now.

toji's eyes lit up with a glimmer of mischief, his grin spreading slowly as though a particularly devious idea had just taken root in his mind. his gaze flickered between satoru and you, and the sharp arch of his brow hinted at a plan already forming, a dangerous sort of amusement playing at the corners of his mouth as he leaned back slightly, the picture of a man who had just found the perfect way to make things even more chaotic — and far more entertaining — for his own amusement.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・

the door had clicked shut behind him with an ominous finality, and satoru stared at it in horrified disbelief, hands pressed flat against the wooden surface as if sheer willpower could force it open again.

his shoulders sagged with defeat as your voice filled the small, stifling space, a rapid-fire stream of chatter that had no clear beginning or end. you were halfway through a story about some incident involving your dad, a rogue basketball, and uncle ogi's furious tirade, and satoru groaned quietly.

his fingers twitched at his temples as if rubbing them would make it stop. he glanced at you, half-distraught, half-bewildered, mouthing a silent help me to the empty room, realising there would be no escape.

"— and my mommy says we're just keeping on staying here!" you added at last.

but you weren't done; you tugged at the fabric of his jeans.

"wanna play i spy with my little eye?"

he banged on the door angrily.

"get me out of here!" he begged desperately, and when you had gone on a long tangent about why every single grey-haired person on the planet was a long lost relative of satoru's, satoru found himself nearly detaching the door knob.

"i will break this door down!" he threatened loudly.

but the only sounds that could be heard behind it were the calm chatter between the fushiguros, and the little fushiguro who had settled on sitting against the other side of the door to correct your english where necessary.

even suguru had left him behind (which he should have seen coming, ever since the kfc incident).

satoru would never accuse toji of cheating on his wife ever again.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・

notes: i lowkey hate the way this chapter turned out lmao, so it'll probably undergo some editing, idk. i wrote it in a rush, specifically for my two talented artists. i hope you guys enjoyed it anyway! <3 i meshed a little plot AND filler so you get the best of both worlds! :)

previous chapter :)

next chapter :)

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© tojiscrack (previously ack4rwoman)

i do not own any of the characters of jjk, i only own the character of y/n and her mother. the other characters belong to gege akutami.

if you enjoyed my writing, i’d really appreciate it if you tipped me — tumblr no longer has the tip function, so maybe here in my tip jar :)

[pedropascallme]

Yes, Mr Miller

Pairing: dbf!Joel x babysitter!Reader

Summary: "You yourself wouldn’t consider Joel a friend, he was more so an acquaintance who paid you to hang around the house with his kid. A very handsome acquaintance."

Warnings: SMUT (18+ MINORS DNI), age gap (reader is 20-22 age range, Joel is mid 50s), dom/sub dynamics (dom!Joel x sub!Reader), verges on exhibitionism but isn't quite, fingering, cum play, degradation, praise, Joel has an absolutely filthy fucking mouth, no outbreak, Sarah is like 9, if I missed anything please let me know!

AN: Part 2 here!!

If you had to choose one word to describe Sarah Miller, it would be “firecracker." Not only was she the most energetic child you had ever met, but there were days you genuinely couldn’t keep up with her antics; she ran circles around you, bouncing excitedly before jumping into the pool and demanding you race her—so that she could show you how easy it was for her to win.

And you loved it. Babysitting her was a brief respite from your days of research papers and early mornings. You considered it luck that your parents had moved into the Miller’s neighborhood after you left for college; it meant job security when you returned home from school.

Your father had quickly bonded with Joel after the move over their shared, niche interests; the watch brand they both wore, the tools they used for odd jobs—it was sweet, really, to see two men with little outward emotion confiding in each other. Though you'd never heard either of them say it outright, the long nights they spent in your family's garage drinking and muttering football scores to each other was enough for you to deem Joel Miller your father's best friend. You yourself wouldn’t consider Joel a friend, he was more so an acquaintance who paid you to hang around his house with his kid.

A very handsome acquaintance.

When he called you that afternoon to see if you were around, you nodded against the phone, wrapping the wire in your fingers and enthusiastically accepting the offer to babysit. An opportunity to spend time with Sarah, and the opportunity to speak to Joel—no matter how short the conversation—was not one to waste.

It wasn’t like you actively planned to seduce your father’s best friend, but in your head, it was a fun game to amuse yourself with; you had never exactly been the sexually-outgoing type, and it was exciting to play around and flirt poorly with a man as stoic and flawless as Joel Miller despite the fact that you knew he would never acknowledge, let alone cave, to your shy advances. Who cared if every interaction was fuel for your late-night activities, alone in the dark with your fingers pressed against you? Who cared if you remembered every time he looked at you, and all the ways he brushed up against you?

Nobody had to know.

Clad in a sundress that let you show off maybe a little more skin than you should as a caretaker, you meandered down the path to the Miller household from your own. You rang the bell, always hesitating to walk right in despite the fact that Joel had told you countless times in the past that you could come and go as you pleased. Joel opened the door and gave you a brief up-and-down, letting out a playful whistle.

“Just babysittin’, darlin’, didn’t have to get all gussied up.”

 “It’s an old dress, Mr. Miller,” you blushed, always referring to him with the honorific, “not anything fancy.”

“Fancier than anythin’ I ever wore.”

You examined the well-loved flannel and jeans he wore, “That’s not saying much, is it?” You smiled up at him.

Chuckling, he ushered you into the house, and you leaned against the counter. You weren’t uncomfortable around Joel; he was a nice man, despite the grumpiness he exuded, and you’d known him long enough now to feel at ease in his presence—never mind the fire that ignited in you when he spoke. “Sarah’s out in the pool. You can order dinner, ’m good for it,” he grabbed his keys, “don’t know when I’ll be back.” He crossed his arms, biceps bulging through his shirt, mulling over any other details he had to share with you. “Remember where everythin' is? Food, bandaids?”

“Yes, Mr. Miller.” You spoke up. This had become the usual back-and-forth between the two of you: he would over-explain the job you’d been doing for two summers now, and you would let him.  

“I’ll have cash for you when I’m back.”

“Don’t need it.” This was another game you enjoyed—pretending you didn’t expect anything out of him. Obviously, you’d watch Sarah for nothing, you loved her, but a college student living with her parents didn’t necessarily have the room to deny money being offered to her. You did it more out of courtesy than anything, with the added bonus of getting to see the roguish frown he directed at you.

Joel made a noise in disagreement before opening to back door to call for Sarah. “I’m leavin’!”

You watched as Sarah, sun-kissed and still soaked from the pool, bum rushed her father, letting him kiss her on the head and exchanging “I love yous” and “be goods” before she turned her attention toward you, grabbing your hand and leading you outside. You smiled a goodbye at Joel as you were pulled through the door to the backyard.

~~~

You didn’t remember falling asleep. Not that anyone ever really could, but you had no recollection of setting yourself up on the couch and nodding off.

You woke up to the feeling of something gently brushing at your knee. Opening your eyes and looking toward the source of the touch, your hazy brain registered Joel standing in front of you.

“Sorry ‘m so late, darlin’.” He was speaking softly, but his voice still managed to come off gruff. You savored the gravelly sound, and the way the nickname made it seem as though he was apologizing to a significant other for coming home late, rather than a babysitter he paid to be there.

“It’s alright,” you rubbed your eyes, trying to delay the post-nap grogginess you already felt seeping into your bones, “what time is it?”

“Little after two,” Joel frowned, brow knit “should’a called you.”

“It’s alright,” you reiterated, “Sarah just ran me kinda ragged.” You explained why you were passed out on his sofa. “Gets harder to keep up with her every summer—makes me feel old.” You grinned, tugging the hem of your dress down to cover the bare skin of your thigh to retain a bit of modesty.

Joel watched your movements before quickly refocusing his attention to your face. “How’d’ya think I feel ’round the two of you?”

You smiled at each other, too tired to grasp the atmosphere of the compromising situation you had found yourself in. “I should get going.” You stood, but Joel blocked your path.

“Not this late on your own, y’shouldn’t.”

“It’s a five-minute walk.” It was more like ten, but you didn’t bother with details, trying to quell Joel’s anxieties.

“I’ll drive you.”

“Mr. Miller…that’s excessive,” you argued, “I’m a grown up.”

“Like hell—don’t want you walkin’ on your own. It’s dark," he put his hands on his hips, leaning down to meet you at eye level, "what would your daddy say?"

“Don’t want you to drive me if you’ve been working all day.” You muttered, ignoring the way his phrasing and tone nearly made your knees buckle.

“That’s sweet,” he quirked a brow, “get in the truck.”

~~~

You liked Joel’s truck, it smelled like him; sweat and shampoo and sawdust, with a hint of the cologne he wore. He’d driven you around plenty, but usually it was still light out, and Sarah or your father would accompany the two of you.

You were comfortable with Joel—but that comfort went out the window when you were tired and alone, with the man that consumed many of your private thoughts, late at night. You felt somewhat self-conscious sitting next to him now, watching him fumble with the keys and white-knuckle the steering wheel.

“Seatbelt.” Joel reminded you, bringing you out of your thoughts and allowing you to rejoin him in the waking world. You buckled yourself in.

“So…” Joel seemed to be aware of the tension, “What’s your plan, when you get your degree?” He attempted small talk.

“Dunno,” you were honest, “wanna stay here.” He nodded, starting the engine and peeling out of the driveway. “Don’t really see myself joining the work force. Not yet. I’m only a junior—still got time.”

Joel laughed softly, “Give it a few years. You’ll get sick of doin’ nothin’.”

“I’m not doin’ nothin’,” you mimicked his thick drawl, “working for you, aren’t I?”

“Hardly,” Joel glanced over at you, “not payin’ you nearly enough.”

“It’s a good thing I like Sarah, then.” You joked. You enjoyed this, the repartee you were experiencing with Joel. You had known him since you were 18; fresh and unsure of yourself. Not that much had changed, personally, but it was rare that you got to experience Joel all to yourself; it was riveting, and a little nerve-wrecking, but it was nice to be the center of his attention, especially considering he had always seemed to regard you as an equal.

“You’re a good kid, sweetheart.” Joel smiled, thumping a hand on your thigh, just below the edge of your dress. This was new. He had put a guiding hand on your waist or shoulder in the past, but this placement felt more intimate. You stared at it, letting the warmth that radiated from him drain into you.

“Thank you, Mr. Miller.” You squeaked, still enjoying the weight of his hand on your thigh.

“Why don’t you call me Joel?”

“Do you want me to call you Joel?” You peeked over at him.

“Can do what you want,” he explained, “but you’re the only person that ever called me that.”

“I like it.”

“Bein’ the only person to call me that?” He rubbed his thumb over your skin, and you could feel yourself blush, the fabric of your underwear damp.

“I guess. Like how it sounds.”

“Makes me seem respectable.” He grinned, and you leaned back in the passenger seat to appreciate his side profile.

“Aren’t you?” You pushed, emboldened by his sudden physicality and wrapping a hand around his forearm, tracing your fingers across the tanned flesh. You felt like a high schooler, so unfamiliar with flirting and making awkward somatic advances instead of addressing the crush you had head-on. Still, a shot like this wasn't one you were inclined to miss.

Joel pressed the brakes at the stop sign at an intersection concealed by foliage. “Do you think I am?” He felt closer to you now, despite being the same distance in his seat as he had been for the duration of the ride. He let you continue to clumsily hold onto him, his own hand tightening the grip he had on your thigh.

“I—I think so…” You stammered, lips parted, unwavering gaze set upon him.

Joel put the car in park. He leaned in close to you, removing your hands from each other as he shifted, his hand moving to cup your cheek. “Think I can prove you wrong.”

You breathed out, eyes dragging up and down his face, providing the tiniest nod of consent—afraid that if you moved too much he’d take his hand away from you.

He kissed you then, slowly, gently; he let you set the pace with small, closed-mouth kisses. His hand slipped below your jaw and the kiss deepened slightly, leaving enough space for him to lick and nip at your bottom lip. You let out a soft moan at the feeling, the way his stubble rubbed against your lips, and he grunted, smiling. Your hands drifted up to his chest, holding tight to the fabric of his shirt and encouraging him to come closer. He slipped his tongue into your mouth, and you sighed at the feeling. You couldn’t say how long you continued on like that; his hands in your hair and yours planted on his chest, tenderly exploring each other’s mouths.

You felt your panties sticking to you, and you subconsciously began to roll your hips atop the seat you were in, suddenly frantic to find some kind of relief for your aching clit. Joel noticed, chuckling at your desperation.

“Poor thing,” he tilted your chin up to look at him, “need me to help you?” His eyes were darker than their usual shiny umber.

“Yes, Mr. Miller—please.” You pouted, eyes wide, rubbing your thighs together, still hoping to dull the throbbing between your legs.

“Fuck, darlin’,” Joel reached down to help you hike up the skirt of your dress, “such good manners, so pretty comin’ from that sweet li'l mouth.” He traced a finger over your panties, running it along the seam of your pussy. You moaned, bucking your hips gently into his finger, and he smiled, tutting. “I know, honey.”

His smile faded when he felt the drenched fabric of your underwear, eyelids drooping slightly when he let out a gruff moan. “This all for me, darlin’? Tastin’ me get you all wet?”

“Y—es,” you managed to choke out, “yes.” His smile reappeared then, clearly proud of himself and infatuated with you. He moved your panties to the side, grazing his finger over your entrance to collect some of your wet before he began to knead your clit.

You grabbed his wrist, whimpering. “Oh! Uh-huh…” Your mouth fell open and you looked up at him from under your eyelashes.

“Don’t look at me, sweetheart—watch me fuck you with my fingers.” Joel lowered his hand from your clit and plunged two fingers into your cunt. You cried out, squeezing his wrist in your hand, feeling so full from only his fingers. You watched him pump his hand, fingers thrusting in and out of you, accompanied by a squelching noise as your cunt wept for him.

“Oh, yes—yes, Mr. Miller—fuck, yes!” You shrilled the only words you could remember, finally throwing your head back in ecstasy, no longer able to abide by the rule Joel had set for you.

“Young li’l cunt,” Joel pawed at himself over his jeans, still focused on the sounds coming from your mouth and your pussy, “fuckin’ tight f’me.” He pulled his fingers out of you, bringing them to your lips and silently encouraging you to lick him clean. You did, taking them both into your mouth and licking your juices off of him. He slipped one more into your mouth, watching you struggle to handle all three, cheeks puffing out.

His hand came down to your hole once more, and this time he pushed all three fingers into you, using your saliva and wet as lubricant to ensure that they all fit securely inside, stretching you out as best he could.

“That’s it…need’a open you up, darlin’,” he watched the effort it took for you to take his fingers, spearing you on the thick digits while you moaned wantonly. “How’ya gonna take my cock if I can barely get my fingers into this pretty pussy?” You bucked your hips into his hand upon hearing his words, striving to make him proud by fucking yourself open. “Good fuckin’ girl.” He watched you bounce your hips back and forth on his hand.  

“Mr. Miller it—fuck, want—want your cock.” You moaned out, wetness dripping from your cunt and onto the fabric of the passenger seat, the moisture sticking to your thighs.

Joel grunted, punching his fingers up into you and making you scream out. “Yeah? Want my cock, let me fuck you nice ’n’deep?” Your eyes rolled back, and you couldn’t be certain if you were more impacted by his movements or his words, both working in tandem to ensure you were made a mess of.

“Yes! Want your cock!” You let your fingers rub circles over your clit, trying to match Joel’s rhythm, however awkward it was due to the center console he had to lean over.

“Can’t fuck you here, sweetheart,” he didn’t stop, “what would people say if they saw a sweet little thing like you taking Mr. Miller’s cock in his truck?” He was teasing, and he pulled the straps of your dress down, letting the fabric bunch and exposing your chest to him. “They’d know what an easy fuckin’ whore you were.”

You whined, back arched, and he slapped your hand away from your clit, taking over completely. “Want them to know—want them to know I’m a whore for you.” You felt filthy, loving every second of it.

“Comin’ to my house, dressed like a slut every fuckin’ time—this what you wanted, girl? Wanted me to use you like a fuckin’ toy?” You felt his fingers make a beckoning motion, curling up inside of you and putting pressure on your g-spot. You scratched at the headrest behind you, slumping down to let Joel have complete and total access to you, letting him use you up to his satisfaction. Moans and whimpers of his name fell from your mouth as he continued his ministrations. “Yeah, you fuckin’ like that, honey—just needed to whore yourself out.”

“I—‘m gonna cum!” You felt the strain in your body increase, muscles tightening at the impending release of all the tension they held.

“Who’re'ya gonna cum for, sweetheart?” Joel pinched your clit before resuming the massage he’d been providing it.

“You, Mr. Miller, gonna c—um for you!”

“Tha’s’right. Cum for Mr. Miller, darlin’. Be a good girl and cum on my fingers.” He was demanding it; telling, not asking, you to soak his hand with your cum. You felt the gratification come to a head, and your back arched further as you cried out his name. Joel watched with wonder, jaw slack, as your cunt clenched around the three fingers he had buried inside of you. He felt himself try to rut against the fabric of his jeans, horny like a teenager after watching you cum for him with such intensity. But he had meant what he said—he couldn’t fuck you here, at this tiny intersection where anybody could wake up, come out, and see you both. As much as he would’ve liked to fuck you there, it was overruled by the want to do it properly, in a more private space.

“Good fuckin’ girl…so good f’me.” Joel slid his fingers out of you, feeling the aftershocks of your orgasm with every movement he made as you continued to squeeze around him. He sucked on his fingers, eager to taste the juices he had pulled from you. Your chest heaved and your body trembled lightly; when you looked up at him and saw him cleaning his fingers off, you found the strength to lean over and take one of the fingers into your own mouth. The two of you licked at each other around his hand, moaning and panting at the indecent display.

He dropped his hand, focusing on you entirely. If you hadn’t been tired before, you were now, and the satisfaction Joel had given you was enough to put you to sleep where you sat, while his lips brushed your neck and cheeks.

“Think I respect you more after that,” you leaned back in your seat, recalling the conversation that had led you to this, throat verging sore after the screams he had pried out of you. “Been wanting you for so long.” You sighed dreamily, looking up at him through hooded eyes and reaching over to fiddle with the collar of his shirt.

“Could’a said so,” Joel took the hand you had on his chest and kissed your palm, “would’a been happy to give you what you needed.” You rubbed at his stubble, and he kissed your hand again before letting it go. He leaned over to help you fix the straps of your dress, covering your breasts. You sat quietly before he started the car, and he continued to drive you home, placing his hand on your thigh again, holding tightly, as if now that he’d seen you in such an amorous, vulnerable way, you’d disappear. You put your hand on top of his, weaving your fingers around it.

When he parked in front of your house, the clock in the truck read 3:08—a drive that should’ve taken two minutes had taken an hour, and you were glad your parents wouldn’t be awake to question why it had taken you so long to get home. Joel looked at you, tired eyes conveying a glint of gratification when he smiled.

“Thanks for the ride.” You found your voice again, leaning towards him to analyze and appreciate his features.

“My pleasure.” He smiled, just barely, and took your chin in his hand. You stared at each other, not yet wanting to get out of the car despite the fatigue you felt all over. “Y’know,” he spoke again, still holding your face, “think I’ll need you to come over tomorrow.”

“Yeah?”

“Mm. Think you’ll be around?”

You smiled, letting yourself melt into his touch when his hand wandered over your cheek. “Yes, Mr. Miller.”

[lushrue]

thinking about helping your bear shifter husband prepare for winter hibernation (john price x reader)

“john, i’m home!” you call, toeing off your shoes in the doorway. your arms were full of paper bags from the grocery store. you never seemed to be prepared enough for your husband’s appetite before hibernation. somehow, it was always a shock to you when the cupboards came up empty more quickly than usual. it was your third trip to the grocery store in as many weeks, and you anticipated making a couple more before winter finally came.

you set the numerous bags down on the kitchen counter, unwinding the scarf around your neck once your hands were free. the chill of autumn had fully settled in the air, vibrant reds and yellows dotting the treeline of the neighborhood you lived in. it wasn’t cold enough for your winter jacket just yet, but a beanie and scarf kept you warm enough on your walk to the store and back. as you ran your fingers through your hair to set it right again, you stopped to listen. usually, you would have heard john typing away at the computer in his office or watching a football match on the television. instead, it was nearly silent, save for the sound of rustling fabric and frustrated snuffling coming from your bedroom.

you smiled knowingly. price was picky about how the bedroom had to be for his hibernation. he’d already hung the blackout curtains, which you thought made the room feel like a dungeon. he’d also started working on his stash of snacks and water for when he’d wake up enough to eat and drink. but the bed, that was what he spent the most time on. there were certain blankets he only pulled out during the winter, quilts and furs that had belonged to his family for generations. there had to be a certain amount of pillows, even though they would get knocked off when he inevitably tossed and turned. more than anything, though, he wanted your scent all over.

though you would occasionally go in and sleep with john during the winter, you couldn’t stay with him during his whole hibernation period. someone had to keep the lights on, make sure the house stayed clean, tend to the things that john normally did during the year. even when you couldn’t be there, he wanted to feel like you were. so it was little surprise when you walked into the bedroom to see your husband with his face shoved into a pillow.

you couldn’t hold back your laugh as you stood in the doorway. price’s ears twitched, head turning to catch sight of sweet little you watching him. his cheeks flushed and he chuckled with you, the sound deep and rolling like thunder. “caught red-handed, ‘m afraid,” he teased, tossing the pillow back on the bed. “didn’ hear you come in, lovie.” you smile, moving to his side and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “don’t know how you could’ve through all the pillow stuffing.” he swiped at you playfully as you giggled, a laugh of his own joining yours.

“jus’ tryin’ to find the right ones,” he said, fixing his rapt attention back on the bed. he’d already divided the pillows into two piles: ones that he wanted to keep, and the ones you’d be putting in the closet until spring. you reached up to pet his ears, watching the way he melted into your touch. your favorite part of fall was how clingy he got. always needed his hands on you, needed to have you within earshot. one of his large hands wound around your waist, rubbing over the plush curves of your body. he grumbled, pulling you in close to his chest and burying his head in the crook of your neck. “not gonna get much preparation done if ya keep touchin’ me like that, pet,” he said, the barest hint of a growl in his voice. it always sent a thrill through you when he let the bear come out.

“nonsense. i’m trying to help,” you quip back, pulling away from him and running your fingers down his chest. they continue south, over the soft layer of belly fat he always gained in the autumn, and down to his hip. he quirked an eyebrow, trying to anticipate your antics. “and how exactly is this helping?” he asked, unable to hide the way his breath was quickening with each stroke of your fingers. you smile and pull him towards the bed by his hip. “because,” you start, your voice raising into that breathy octave you know he loves. “we can make all these pillows smell like me.”

the growl that comes out of him as he throws you on the bed might just be your favorite sound in the world.

don't love how i ended this, will probably revisit it later

legit didn't mean to take a hiatus, grad school has been kicking my ass and i got married a few weeks ago so life has been a lot 😅

gonna start working on chapter 9 of frozen hearts and hopefully get that posted soon too!

[savannahsdeath]

Can't stop thinking about sporty!Ellie and cheerleader! reader, and I love love love your writing style, would you mind writing smth about em? <33

first of all THANK YOU💞and of course 🙏

SOCCER!ELLIE WILLIAMS X CHEERLEADER!READER

part 1one

part 2two

mdni please<3

summary: ellie, as one of the best soccer players in the campus, is used to get everything she wants..until you

warnings: 18+!! please

writers note: i had this idea for a long time and i literally waited for someone to ask about it omg i just cant decide wether to make a part2 or not😓

"so it's not just gonna happen like that,

'cause I ain't no hollaback girl"

You and other cheerleaders had a rehearsal while one of your school soccer teams practised in the field behind you. This whole 'rehearsal' was just an excuse to meet and watch the footbal game, as you all already knew every move of your not-complicated plan.

You sat on one of the benches, listening to your friends talk, as you watched the players run after each other. She rolled up her shirt to 'wipe the sweat off of her forehead' but everyone knew it's just an attempt to show of her toned body. For a second she revealed hers simple, black, sports bra. Some girls, obviously the lesbian ones, started giggling and biting their lips, even though Williams didn't seem to care. You could proudly admit you're the only one who wasn't eating out of her hand - your friend had to nudge your arm with her elbow, whispering little; "Look at her!" to make you give Ellie some attention.

"That's disgusting." You mumbled, clearly meaning girls' reaction, not the girl herself.

"What? Why does that even matter?" Asked Lucy, nudging you once more. "Just look at her. Look at that body. Don't you want that for yourself?" She chuckled, and you frowned, but you couldn't help but stare at the attractive girl on the field. Her skin glistened in the summer sun, and her abs were defined in the most distracting way possible. Suddenly, the soccer practice wrapped up, and Ellie walked over to the group of girls. Lucy winked at you. "Enjoy the show."

"Hi, ladies." She playfully greeted your group.

"Heyyy, Ellie." Lucy said with a grin. The other girls in the group greeted her warmly as well, but you remained quiet.

She glanced over at you and smiled, noticing your silent and slightly annoyed expression. "Not feeling well?" She asked, her smile becoming a teasing smirk.

You couldn't stop yourself from rolling your eyes. "I'm just fine." You murmured, your gaze shifting to Ellie for a short second.

Her teasing smirk grew wider. "Oh, come on. You can look at me longer than that." She chuckled, raising her eyebrows at you. Ellie leaned in closer, and you could feel the heat on her body as she spoke. "Isn't it a little weird that you haven't been checking me out like all the other girls here?"

"They're the weird ones. Drooling at the sight of you kicking a ball." You pointed at each one, making fun of them, just like always. They all laughed as you turned back to Ellie, fixing your skirt.

"That's fair." Ellie smirked again, leaning closer, which caused your friends to make 'ooh-ing' and 'aah-ing' noises. Suddenly, she bent down and picked up your water bottle. "Mind if I take a sip?" She asked but before you could answer, she was already unscrewing it. You couldn't help but awkwardly look down as her lips touched the spot that yours usually occupied.

"No, actually, I do mind that." You exclaimed, trying to reach for the bottle. But Ellie stepped back, teasing you with it, as if it was some kind of game.

"Aw, come on. Sharing is caring, right?" She said, still smirking.

"You're ridiculous." You said, glaring at Ellie. She laughed, not at all bothered by the tension between the two of you.

Luccy shook her head and whispered; "Jesus, she's so into you."

"Into me? She's ruining our practices with those little antics!" You shouted in a whisper, trying to make it seem unsuspectingly.

"Yeah - to get your attention. Can't you see that?" She stopped for a second, trying to come up with any examples. "Do you remember when you missed one of our meetings? She came to us, immediately asking 'Where's your leader, girls?' even though two other girls weren't there too! But of course she noticed your absence first." She seemed to notice the look on your face - the 'shut up, you're overreacting' one, so she quickly continued; "And when we told her you had to go to the doctor she looked worried. Fucking worried! Can you beli-...?"

Your friend stopped speaking as she saw Ellie getting closer again. She gave you your water back and ruffled your hair, sitting in front of you.

You knew what's going to happen - as soon as other girls will stop paying attention to her, she'll start tease, compliment, sometimes taunt you for a while. Before she could make any comment on your 'too tight top' or 'too insipid water', you stood up and hugged Lucy, murmuring simple; "I'm tired, I'll go home earlier." You waved to the rest of the group and went to an empty, as always in the afternoon, dressing room.

Instead of changing back to 'everyday clothes', you sat down and started pointlessly scroll through the internet. You got so caught up in reading one of the 'See if your cat is healthy!' articles (you don't have a cat) that only someones' footsteps brought you down to earth. You went into one of the changing rooms, hoping to finally dress up, but you were still focused on your phone.

Eventually, someone started speaking.

"I don't know, it's weird. Cheerleaders weren't supposed to be so stubborn." You heard Ellie's voice, followed by her footsteps. It sounded like she was nervously pacing around the room. "I mean, they aren't, just the leader. The prettiest, yet the hardest to get." A pause. "What? No! She's definitely into girls. She was dating the captain of the rival's team.. What was her name again?" Another pause. "Right, Vi. What does she has, that I don't?" And another pause, much longer this time.

Vi was your ex girlfriend - you two broke up after she cheated on you. There was a huge drama going on, almost everyone in school turned out to be involved. It was long ago though, you already moved on.

You frowned, trying to hold back your amusement. Ellie's voice was almost... desperate.

She laughed, breaking your thoughts. "I know, I know! But jesus, what is wrong with her? I make it so obvious!... What? Of course, I'm not saying- Look, she's not easy, that's the best part. I don't remember anyone else reacting so negatively to my teasing comments. Her friend told me-... Hush, that's what I'm saying!"

You froze. Of course she was talking about you, you knew she does. Her teammates or other cheerleaders always tell you when she does. 'Ellie was asking, if you-' this, 'Ellie asked me to tell you-' that. She could have everyone she'd want to, except you. That's why she was so obsessed with you, you expected her to rant about it. What catched you off-guard was 'Her friend told me-'. Lucy knew everything about you - the fact you hate Ellie's attitude but it turns you on at the same time, too. The fact you don't check her out in public isn't because you don't find her attractive, quite the opposite - you don't want to get distracted, too. How much of those embarrasing behaviours Ellie may know about from your dear friend?

The call ended but you could still hear her pacing around.

'What am I doing? I'll just change up and go home, like nothing happened ' you thought. And that would be really the best option but when you looked around, you realised you left your backpack outside.

Ellie seemed to notice that too, muttering some curse words.

There was no point in hiding. You came out and tossed your phone to your bag. Her eyes awkwardly followed you, she was waiting for you to speak up.

"I may accidentally overhear something." You said, pretending to look for something in your backpack.

"I figured that out already." She said sarcastically.

"Well..." You turned around to face her. "What do you expect from me?"

She chuckled, her embarrassment fading away. "Any reaction would be good. I just need to know..." She took a few steps towards you and thought about it for a moment, before adding; "Or you can pretend you heard nothing."

Now it was your turn to laugh. "And let you get away with it? No, thanks. That was fucking weird, you should feel bad. Who were you even talking to? Your mom?"

She smirked, leaning on the table you were standing near to. "A teammate, actually. You know Riley? Or are you so busy pretending you're not staring at me the whole practices that you don't remember any other players?"

You decided to ignore her last question. "Oh yeah, yeah, Riley. She's the blonde haired one, right?" You asked, pretending to remember.

"No, she's not. Whatever." Ellie leaned in closer, putting her elbows on the table and looking you in the eyes. "Look, I won't pretend that I wasn't talking about you. I like you, okay? Simple as that."

"Here you are, all that just for shits and giggles." You said, still grinning, obviously taking it as a joke. It's Ellie fucking Williams, of course she's just messing around! "You're lucky I'm not completely cruel, or I'd punch you by now."

Ellie smirked at you, her eyebrows still raised. She seemed to enjoy teasing you, but there was a seriousness in her eyes that she tried to hide. You wondered if she was just flirting, or if these feelings truly meant something to her. "Why won't you just kiss me instead?"

You rolled your eyes.

Ellie was persistent, that was for sure. She was also gorgeous, which only made her all the more seductive. "Why not?" she asked with a grin.

"Because I don't go around kissing every girl that flirts with me." You laughed.

"Am I not special enough for you?" She pouted. She was still a flirty mess, but now you were starting to think she might mean this. She was actually asking you for a kiss, as if she expected you to say yes.

"I don't kiss just anybody." You said, trying to be as serious as possible. "You're going to have to earn it."

Ellie raised her eyebrows, clearly intrigued by your response. She looked at you with a sly smirk, and you could tell she really wanted that. "How do I earn it?" She asked, getting closer to you.

"Win the tomorrow's match." You patted her back and left, not waiting for her reaction.

Tomorrow's match - two best teams and leaders rivaling - Ellie and the well known Vi.

[allgoodnamesrgoneee]

Heyyyyyyy. I love your imagines. I was wondering in honor of Kylian joining Real Madrid today, Can you make an fluff imagine where you go with him to his Real Madrid presentation with his family and friends to support him and it’s cute behind the scenes moments leading up to his presentation ? An already established relationship .

Thank Youuu ❤️

I'm so excited about Kylian joining Real Madrid. So proud of him. I wish him success in his future, and may he accomplish all his goals💛

Sorry if this one is a little wonky, wrote it on my lunch break.

Presentation Day

Masterlist

𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚 — You support Kylian on his presentation day.

𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 — Kylian Mbappé x you

𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 — 3.2k

Warnings! FLUFF, supportive reader, Kylian is playing for Madrid y'all!!!

Today is the day.

The day that Kylian had been waiting for his whole life. The day that would mark a significant milestone in his career. The day that he would be presented as a Real Madrid player.

You're so proud of him. You can't even put it into words. You've seen him work so hard for this. How much he's sacrificed to get here. It's a day that he deserves to celebrate and you can't wait to do just that. By his side.

You still can't believe that you're here for this. You can't believe that he picked you to be here with him for this special day. You can't believe that you've been able to be a part of his life these past three years.

You remember the day you met him. You had just started working at a popular news company and your first assignment was to attend a Paris-Saint Germain game that he was playing at. You were doing some interviews with some of his new teammates and he walked by and you couldn't help but stare at him. He had this air about him, this confidence, this spark in his eyes that made you just want to know him.

When he walked into the room where you were doing the interviews, you almost dropped the microphone in your hands. He was so handsome up close, so charming. You introduced yourself to him and you couldn't help but stare at him. You were nervous as hell but he made you feel at ease. He made you feel so comfortable in his presence and you found yourself laughing and joking with him.

After the interview, Kylian offered to show you around the stadium. You couldn't believe it. Here you were, walking beside one of the most talented footballers in the world, chatting like old friends. He was easy to talk to and genuinely interested in your work. Though the conversation was very surface level you were surprised at how down-to-earth he was.

By the end of the tour, he asked for your number. To your delight, you exchanged numbers, not entirely sure if he would actually reach out. But he did, later that evening, and from that day on, you started texting each other regularly.

It wasn't long after that he asked you to be his girlfriend. You said yes and you two became inseparable. The chemistry was undeniable between you two. You couldn't get enough of each other.

You went to his games, you were there for him when he needed you and you were his rock. He was your everything.

You never could have imagined that three years later, you would be standing in the bathroom of your new home, getting ready for his presentation at the Santiago Bernabéu.

You're wearing a black jumpsuit with a gold belt that accentuates your waist. You've curled your hair and did your makeup. You're even wearing the gold necklace that he bought for you last week. You want to make sure that you look good for him. You want to make sure that he knows that he deserves this day. That he deserves everything that he's worked for.

You're slipping your shoes on when you feel a tap on your ass. Without even looking up you know who it is. You roll your eyes at his antics but can't help the smile that creeps onto your face.

Even after all these years together, you still get butterflies in your stomach when he touches you.

"Kylian," you scold, but the playfulness in your tone tells him you're not really mad, "do you have to do that every time?"

He grins, his touch lingering a moment longer before he steps back, hands in his pockets. "Sorry, couldn't resist," he replies, his tone light but his eyes betraying a hint of nerves. You know he's trying to keep it together, trying to stay calm for what lies ahead.

"Tu es magnifique," he says, his voice softening as he steps closer, his hands finding your waist. His French accent is as sexy as ever. Sending child down your spine as his hands continue to hold you close. His eyes raking your figure in the mirror.

You look perfect.

You blush, your eyes meeting his. "Thank you."

"I mean it," he whispers, his gaze sincere, his grip on your waist tightening. "You look so beautiful." He meets your eyes in the mirror again. "I'm so lucky to have you." He pulls you flush against his chest. "Tu es la femme de mes rêve." His lips brush against your ear. "I couldn't imagine being here without you." He finishes his words with a gentle kiss to your neck.

Your heart melts. Your heart beats faster. You've heard him say these words before. You've heard them more than once but each time still gives you butterflies. Each time makes you love him even more.

You lean back into him, wrapping your arms around his around your waist, savoring this intimate moment with him before you have to share him with the world.

"You ready?" he asks softly, breaking the peaceful silence.

You turn to face him, his hands still holding you close, your arms finding their way around his neck. You bury your face in his chest. You take a deep breath and breathe him in. You smell the cologne he's wearing.

"I should be asking you that" you whisper, your hands resting lightly on his chest. You can feel his heartbeat under your palms, steady but perhaps a beat faster than usual.

"I'm a little nervous," he admits with a small frown, his fingers tracing absent-minded patterns on your waist.

You know how much he's worked for this. You know how much pressure he's under. You know how much he wants this. But you also know that he's going to do great. You know that he's ready for this.

You reach up to cup his cheeks in your hands, your eyes soft and encouraging. "It's okay to be nervous," you assure him with a reassuring smile. "But you're going to do amazing. You're Kylian Mbappé You're going to rock this. I know you will. You've worked so hard for this." You tell him, your hands finding their way to his neck, your thumbs rubbing gentle circles against the skin there.

He's silent for a moment before he pulls you into a tight hug, his head burying in your neck. You wrap your arms around him, holding him close, letting him take comfort in you. You let him hold you like this for a few seconds, feeling him breathe you in.

"I love you, thank you for doing this with me. For being here." he mumbles into your skin, his voice so soft and so sweet.

You smile. Your heart racing at his words.

"I love you too," you whisper back.

He pulls back, his eyes meeting yours. "Seriously bébé," he says, his voice soft but full of conviction. "I couldn't have done this without you. Thank you for being with me every step of the way. You've sacrificed so much to move here with me. I will never be able to thank you enough for all the things you do for me. I promise to always be there for you, to support you, to make you happy. To be the best boyfriend I can be. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." His hand rests gently on your cheek, his thumb brushing against your jaw.

Tears prick at the corners of your eyes as you look at him. You're so in love with him. You can't believe that this man is all yours, that he wants to be with you, that he loves you just as much as you love him. You can't believe that you found each other.

You want to say so much, want to reply to his little speech but you can't find the words to express how much you love him. So you kiss him instead.

A soft kiss, one full of love, one full of affection. One full of hope. Your lips linger on his for a few seconds before he pulls back. You're both smiling at each other.

"We should head downstairs," he whispers softly, breaking the silence again. "We don't want to be late"

You nod and you step back. He lets go of you, letting you walk out of the bathroom first.

When you walk into the living room downstairs, his family is there waiting for you two, chatting animatedly. They look up as you both enter, smiles lighting up their faces. His little niece and nephew are sitting on the couch with their mom when they see you come in. Without waiting a moment they stand up from their spot on the couch and run up to Kylian.

"Uncle Kylian! Y/N!" They squeal in unison.

He bends down and picks them up. One on each arm. He swings them around and they giggle in glee. You watch as his face lights up with a bright smile. His eyes meet yours over his niece and nephew's heads and he grins at you.

"I missed you guys so much," he whispers in their ears.

They're still laughing when they land back on their feet. He sets them down and gives each of them a kiss on the head before they turn to you. "Y/N!" They greet you with equal enthusiasm.

"My babies," you coo, bending down to pick them up. "I missed you two so much too!" You give each of them a hug. You give them each a kiss on the head before you set them back down. The second you set them back down they're on Kylian again, completely enamoured with their uncle.

"Be good for your mom and dad today," he tells them softly. "I want to see you after the presentation." His eyes light up with excitement.

"We will," they reply in unison, giggling.

He pulls away from them, giving each one another kiss on the head before he turns towards everyone else. Kylian's mother approaches you with open arms, pulling you both into a hug. You were in the shower earlier when they arrived so she hadn't seen you yet.

"Mes bébés," she said, tears shining in her eyes. “I'm so proud of you, Kylian. And you, my darling,” she adds, embracing you in turn, ”thank you for being here with us today." she coos, kissing both your cheeks.

Kylian's father pulls him into a tight hug next. He pats him on the back. "Fier de toi, mon garçon," he says, his eyes shining with pride. "

The other family members join you, each expressing their admiration and support for Kylian. His father squeezes your shoulder affectionately, his siblings exchange jokes with him to lighten the mood.

Silently without anyone noticing you sneak a picture of Kylian and his family gathered together in the living room. It's candid, raw, real. Capturing the support and love surrounding him on this monumental day. Kylian's smile is wide in the picture, the kind that radiates insumontable joy. You feel tears prick your eyes as you look down at it, happy to have frozen this moment for him.

As the final hugs are exchanged, Kylian’s agent steps forward, checking the time on his watch. "It's almost time," he announces, his voice calm but firm. "We should get going."

You all head outside, where a convoy of sleek black cars waits.

You would be riding with Kylian. Because today was also the day you would come out to the world as his girlfriend.

Even though everyone knew by now that Mbappé was off the market it was still a hush on who he was dating. At first, you guys had done it for the sake of your job. But now that you would be staying in Madrid with him, the both of you decided not to keep your identity a secret anymore. So this was technically your first appearance together. All the more reason to be nervous.

The plan was to arrive together at the stadium, walk in with him, then get separated to go to where his family would be sitting while he gave his speech.

You two slip into the car together. He pulls you into his side, his hands holding yours. You both sit there quietly for a second, the only sound being the driver's voice talking through the intercom.

He's fidgety, his eyes darting out the window to the passing buildings. You squeeze his hand gently, reminding him of your presence. He looks at you, his eyes meeting yours for the first time since the car started moving.

"Are you sure you're okay?" You ask him softly, his hand squeezing yours in reassurance.

"I'm good, trésor," he assures you. "Just excited and a little nervous."

You nod, your hand rubbing circles into his wrist. "I'm so proud of you," you tell him sincerely, your free hand reaching up to cup his cheek. He closes his eyes briefly at your touch, breathing in deeply before turning to face you fully. His lips meet yours for a brief kiss. He smiles against your lips, his hands finding their way to your waist as he pulls you into a tight hug.

The rest of the car ride is silent.

You're pulled out of your comfortable bubble when the car stops.

The stadium.

You're here.

You both sit in stunned silence for a moment, your eyes wide as you take in the sight. The stadium is already packed with thousands of screaming fans, each holding a white Real Madrid jersey with his name on the back.

Kylian is silent beside you, his eyes wide, his hands resting on his thighs. He takes a deep breath. He looks at you, his eyes locking with yours.

"Ready?" he asks softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

You nod, a smile on your face.

You two slip out of the car together, Kylian holding your hand tightly in his. They don't notice you at first since you're hidden behind him, out of sight, but he pulls you beside him and wraps an arm around your waist. The cheers from the crowd grow louder as the realization of who you are girlfriend sinks in.

You smile shyly, trying to hide your face in his shoulder.

He laughs, pulling you closer to him.

You both walk towards the entrance of the stadium, the screams of the fans reaching an all-time high. Kylian smiles brightly at the cameras flashing in your faces, his free hand waving at the crowd.

You both stop walking for a second, posing for pictures together. You're conscious of the cameras flashing around you, of the fans screaming his name. The whole situation is a little overwhelming but nothing you can't handle with him beside you, holding your hand.

You both pose for a few pictures, then you walk inside, the crowd quieting as you leave them behind.

You're led to a room backstage, where you'll wait with Kylian until it's time for him to go on stage. The room is buzzing with activity – staff members are rushing around, checking last-minute details, and ensuring everything is perfect.

You find a quieter corner of the room where he can take a moment to collect himself. He sits down on a plush leather chair, his eyes scanning the room but his grip on your hand never loosening. You can tell the nerves are killing him.

“Do you want some water?” you ask softly, your thumb rubbing soothing circles on his skin.

He nods, and you quickly fetch a bottle from a nearby table. When you hand it to him, he takes a long sip, then leans back, exhaling slowly. “Merci,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper.

You sit beside him, placing your hand on his knee. “Remember, they’re all here for you. They believe in you, just like I do.”

He turns to look at you, his eyes softening. “I know. It’s just… a lot.”

You nod, understanding completely. “It’s okay to be overwhelmed. Just take it one step at a time.”

He nods, his eyes locking onto yours, drawing strength from your calm presence. The door opens, and one of the staff members steps in, clipboard in hand. “It's time miss Y/N,” he announces, waiting for you at the door.

That's your cue.

You stand up, offering Kylian your hand. He takes it, rising from the chair, his grip firm and warm. He pulls you into a tight hug, his arms wrapping around you with a strength that speaks volumes about the emotions coursing through him.

“I’ll be right there in the audience,” you whisper against his ear gently stroking his back “I’ll be cheering the loudest.”

He pulls back just enough to look at you, his eyes searching yours. “Je t'aime fort,” The tone of which he says it is the most endearing you've ever heard from him. It makes your heart swell. You wish you could go with him.

“I love you too,” you reply, placing one last peck on his lips.

With a final squeeze of your hand, he releases you and you follow the man to the section reserved for his family.

As you enter the stadium, the roar of the crowd is deafening. The energy is electric, every person present filled with anticipation. You find your seat next to Kylian’s mother, who greets you with a warm smile and a comforting squeeze of your hand.

The lights dim, and the stadium falls silent. The anticipation is palpable. The lights dim slightly, and the murmurs in the stadium grow louder. The large screens display a montage of Kylian’s best moments, a tribute to his journey and accomplishments.

Then, the announcer’s voice booms through the speakers, introducing Kylian. The crowd erupts into cheers, the noise almost overwhelming.

You're crying as you watch him walk to the stage, grateful that you get to witness this moment with him, a moment he's been waiting for a long time.

Kylian steps onto the stage, his presence commanding yet humble. He looks out at the sea of faces, his gaze searching until it finds yours. You smile at him through your tears, giving him a small nod of encouragement. He smiles back, gesturing at your crying.

The jumbotron pans to your face as you laugh at his antics and everyone in the stadium realizes who you are immediately. They start cheering even louder.

The warmth of the moment envelops you as you watch Kylian take center stage. His speech is emotional thanking his fans, his teammates, and the club for believing in him. He speaks with passion and sincerity, his words resonating with everyone in the stadium. When he finishes with his "Hala Madrid", the applause is thunderous, echoing through the massive arena.

You and Fayza hold on to each other as you cry your eyes out, Kylian's words of thanks to you echoing in your ears. You both hug each other tight, both of you overwhelmed with emotion.

It's such a powerful moment one that sends shivers down your spine. The beginning of a new era. The start of your new life together with him.

-Bianca🌻

[notanothersonicblog]

Why I like Sonic and Tails in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.

I was recently discussing AoStH, and one of the things I realised is how good the show is at showing Sonic and Tails as being friends. As opposed to the games where for the most part they feel more like co-workers.

The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog frequently sets up its plots and scenarios by showing Sonic and Tails hanging out - eating chili dogs, reading comics, playing games etc.; before finding out what Robotnik's scheme of the day is or discovering a problem that they wish to solve, usually via a guest character. They're shown as always on the move from place to place and it gives Mobius a feeling of deeper backstory and people.

As well as exposition, these scenes also establish Sonic and Tails as adoptive siblings who look after each other, with Sonic as the older brother, even going so far as to show them doing chores. It does a good job of selling these two as friends who like to hang out and travel the world in search of adventure. The little moments also serve as pauses/breathers in the runtime, which is why the idea of this show just being zany antics is somewhat misguided.

The game's idea of Tails meanwhile is an independent character who happens to be Sonic's superfan/friend, it's a good one but like so many SEGA ideas they half-bake it; past Sonic Adventure 2 Tails more or less only shows up with Sonic because the plot needs it, and serving as the exposition dump/tech guy (the latter role being filled by guest characters like Caninestein in AoStH). Like a lot of the things in the games their friendship feels like something that's told rather than shown. In fact it's one of the things I like about Sonic Unleashed where Sonic and Chip do similar "Let's go to this place and have a snack" moments.

In the games defence, there is an expectation that you don't take too much time away from the player, and what time you do allocate to cutscenes you want to fill with epic action or exposition dumps to move the plot forward. Certainly I wouldn't want a Metal Gear Solid length cutscene where Sonic and Tails are discussing this season's football transfers.

However, I don't think it's impossible to show these two doing something like fishing or watching a movie for a brief moment at the start of an adventure or between acts in a game, it would certainly sell them as friends more. As for the independence bit, to be brutally honest Tails fans it's called Sonic the Hedgehog not 'Middle Aged Man is Bothered by Annoying Teenagers', so Sonic is nearly always going to be central to the plot. At least until we get Tails Adventure 2: This Time it's Personal

[thinkwosolife23]

Reputation, Alexia Putellas

Being a Williamson is great. For the most part. You and Leah had gained quite the reputation both on and off the pitch.

On the pitch, Leah had become one of the best centerbacks in the world. Captaining the Lionesses to winning the Euros and then taken them right through to the World Cup Final. And you had become on of the most well-decorated fowards in the world, top scorer for Arsenal and England. And when you were on the pitch together, well that was a duo that was feared by your opposistion. Leah was able to find you wherever you were on the pitch and 9 times out of 10, you would put the ball in the back of the net. The connection you two held on the pitch was unmatched, it became unstoppable.

But off the pitch, the Williamson name wasn't as appreciated. After the two of you had come out of long-term relationships, Leah with Jordan and you with Katie (McCabe). You had started to become known as, 'players.' The routine of going out, meeting someone, sleeping with them and leaving in the morning became all too familiar for the pair of you. The word commitment no longer exsisted in your world outside of football.

Your teamaties had become well aware of the antics you and your sister shared. This happened because you may have, accidently slept with one of your teamates sisters.

But this season, the Williamson sisters were no longer playing for the same club team.

Arsenal Star, Y/N Williamson leaves childhood club for Champions League Winners.

Barcalona break the current Womens record fee to sign Y/N Williamson from Arsenal.

So, here you were. In Barcalona. Today would be your first day in training, also the day where you would be introduced to your new teamates. Obviously, you had played against some of them in the World Cup Final but we won't talk about that.

Kiera had offered to take you to training, with it being your first day. And for the fact that currently, you don't have a car.

But with the journey to training, you also recieved a lecture.

"You can't mess around here, Y/N. You can't be like how you were in England." Kiera told you firmly just as you had stepped into the training centre.

"Best behaviour. I know, Ke" You replied, almost sarcasticly.

"I'm serious!"

You didn't reply, you just smiled at gave her the thumbs up.

Kiera took you straight out onto the field where all the girls were. They were all quick to come over introducing themselves to you.

But then something else took your attention, rather someone did.

She was beautiful, everything about her was just…. uuhh. She was talking to Lucy about something.

You looked back at Keira who was already giving you a firm look as if she knew what you was thinking, then giving you a strong shake of her head, telling you that your thoughts needed to stop.

Meanwhile, Alexia was just as curious. And Lucy seemed to notice it.

"You can't go there, Ale." Lucy told her, Alexia's eyes staying fixed on you.

"What do you mean?" She questioned, almost confused at Lucy's sudden outburst.

"She's got a bit of reputation for messing people around."

"She's english. You play with her, isn't she your friend." Alexia said, as if she was coming to your defense.

"She is a friend and she's an amazing footballer but that doesn't mean she isn't bad news. You need to be careful." Lucy affirmed before walking off, making her way towards Kiera.

This gave you the perfect chance to go an introduce yourself.

You made your way through the team towards her.

"Hola." You said, holding your hand out for her to shake. (Hey.)

"¿Tú hablas español?" She questioned, gently reaching out to shake your hand. (You speak spanish?)

"¿Qué puedo decir? Me propuse impresionar." (What can I say? I set out to impress.)

"Tienes bastante reputación, ¿no?" (You've got quite the reputation, haven't you.)

"Podría decir lo mismo de ti." You told her, your confidence soon starting to show. (I could say the same thing about you.)

"No creas que nuestras reputaciones son similares." Her confidence almost matching yours, almost… (Don't think that our reputations are similar.)

"Bueno, lo siento, no todas podemos ser tan buenas como Miss Balón de Oro. Pero me ofende un poco que mis habilidades futbolísticas no sean lo que más me conoce." (Well I am sorry, we can't all be as good as Miss Ballon D'or. But I am slightly offended that my footballing abillity isn't what i'm best known for.)

"Me han advertido sobre ti, que me mantenga alejado, aparentemente son tus malas noticias." She told you, her hand still held within yours. (I've been warned about you, to stay away, your bad news, apparently.)

"Entonces claramente debes estar inflado por mí, porque no estás escuchando la advertencia, ¿verdad?" You questioned her, whilst lifting your hands up showing her that she hadn't let go. (You must clearly be infactuated by me then, cause your not listening to the warning, are you?)

"Me gusta pensar que puedo opinar sobre las nuevas jugadoras." (I like to think I can make my own opinion of new players.)

"Mujer independiente. Y no pensé que podrías volverte más hermosa." (Independent woman. And I didn't think that you could get anymore beautiul.)

"Y eres demasiado coqueta." (And your too much of a flirt.)

Over the next few weeks, you and Alexia had become really close. Despite what people were telling both of you.

It was different with her though: something drew you towards her, you didn't just want to sleep with her. She made you feel something. Obviously, she was beautiful - no-one could deny that but she was so many other things. She was funny, she was intelligent, she amazed you everytime she stepped onto the pitch. She was perfect.

Nothing had actually happened between the pair of you, nothing more than the casual flirting on a daily basis. You two had formed an incredible connection on the pitch, similar to yours and Leahs. Alexia always managed to find you on the pitch and you knew that she was either next to you or behind you, words didn't need to be spoken for you two to understand each other.

Tonight, the whole of the Barcalona Femeni team were going out to celebrate a 4-0 win in the El Clasico. You managing to score 2 of them goals, also managing to assist Alexia on another one.

Anyways, you had just got to the bar with Mapi and Ingrid. Since your move to Barcalona, you had formed a really good friendship with the couple. Besides your fellow Lionesses, the two had definatly become two of your closest friends.

Some of your teamates had already arrived at the bar, taking seat in one of the booths in the far corner. Despite the night only just starting, the spanish bar was packed with people and sound.

The three of you made your way over to the group, squeezing through the crowds of people. As soon as you got to the group, everyone was up greeting the three of you before going back to there previous conversations.

After about half an hour, you joined Lucy in getting everyone another round of drinks.

"I'm suprised you haven't already found someone to take home." Lucy casually questioned you.

"Are you being serious?" Your voice raising slightly, clearly irritated.

"What? You can't blame me for thinking that. You and Leah practically bedded most of the girls in London."

"You know what Lucy, it's none of your buissness what I get up to in my own life. I'm done with this." You gestured your hands between you and Lucy, towards the conversations before walking off.

You began making your way outside, wanting to give yourself time to calm down. You went and sat on the kerb just in front of the bar but you weren't outside alone for long.

A few minutes passed before you felt someone's prescence beside you, resting their head on your shoulder.

You didn't even have to look to see who it was. So many things told you that it was her: the way she smelt or the fact that your body instantly relaxed as soon as she was near you.

"Y/N?" Alexia's voice was soft, sensing that something had clearly agitated you.

"Lex, estoy tan harto de todo esto que es como si todos estuvieran esperando que lo arruine todo." You told her, the fustration evident in your voice, complety opposing her soft tone. (Lex, i'm so fed up of it all, it's like everyone is waiting for me to mess everything up.)

"Se preocupan por ti. Sólo quieren lo mejor para ti." (They care about you. They just want what'a best for you.)

"Pero si se preocuparan por mí, verían que he cambiado, que estoy tratando de ser mejor." (But if they cared about me, they would see that i've changed, i'm trying to be better.)

There were a couple of minutes of silence between the pair of you, but knowing that Alexia was next to you brought you more re-assurance that any words could ever do.

"¿Puedo hacerte una pregunta?" She was first to break the silence. Her head head coming off your shoulder, for her boy to turn and face you. (Can I ask you a question?)

You eyes never left the view in front of you but you did nodd so that she knew you were listening. You could feel the intensity of her stare without even lookin in her direction, it felt as if she was almost studying your side profile. Her eyes focused solely on you.

"¿Qué te hizo acostarte con todas esas chicas? ¿Por qué estás tan en contra del compromiso?" (What made you sleep with all them girls, why are you so against commitment?)

"Técnicamente son dos preguntas." (That's technically two questions.)

She let out a slight laugh at your almost sarcastic response before looking back at your face to see that there were tears falling from your eyes. Instinctively, her hand reached for yours; interlocking your fingers before giving your hand a light squeeze. Her way of letting you know that she was there for you.

"Cuando estaba con Katie: pensé que me casaría con ella, tendría hijos con ella, pensé que estaríamos para siempre. Ella era mi todo. Pero obviamente no. Cuando ella rompió conmigo: estaba entumecido, no podía sentir. Después de un par de semanas, el equipo me arrastró con ellos a salir por la noche. Terminé emborrachándome mucho y yendo a casa de una chica. Fue la primera vez que realmente sentí algo. El sexo me hizo sentir, se volvió casi adictivo pero en el mal sentido. Salía, me emborrachaba, traía a alguien a casa, dormía con ellos y luego, a la mañana siguiente, se convertían en extraños y yo me iba." (When I was with Katie: I thought I was going to marry her, have kids with her, I thought we were forever. She was my everything. But obviously not. When she broke up with me: I was numb, I couldn't feel. After a couple of weeks, the team dragged me out with them on a night out, I ended up getting really drunk and going to a girl's house, It was the first time that I actually felt something. Sex made me feel, it became almost addictive but in a bad way. I'd go out, get drunk, take someone home, sleep with them and then the next morning they became a stanger and I left.)

"¿Y qué te hizo querer cambiar? ¿Por qué quieres mejorar?" (And what made you want to change, why do you want to get better?)

For the first time, you head turned to look at her. Her hands came up to wipe there tears from under your eyes, before giving you a smile.

"Lo hiciste." (You did.)

Her smile grew slightly and that mad you break out into a small smile. Before you knew it, your were both leaninig in. Her hands still resting on your cheeks as yours reached to each side of her neck. And then, her lips hit yours, giving you a spark you had never felt before, not even with Katie. The both of you pulled away, resting your forehead on hers.

"Es diferente contigo, Lex. Me haces sentir, me haces sentir tantas cosas diferentes. En realidad me asusta, pero quiero intentarlo contigo." (It's different with you, Lex. You make me feel, you make me feel so many different things. It actually scares me, but I want to try with you.)

[etherealstar-writes]

ORDINARY LIFE | ARSENAL WFC X TEEN AVENGER OC | PT 2

pairings: arsenal women x teen avenger oc (platonic)

summary: in which three close calls occur but thankfully everyone was oblivious.

part two: close calls

part one here

✦ ——— ✦ ——— ✦

Weeks had passed since Ameris had joined the club, and she had settled in quite well. Her laid-back personality and easygoing nature quickly made her a favourite among her new teammates. 

She had hit it off particularly well with Kyra Cooney-Cross, another new signing and a few years older than her. The two quickly became a chaotic yet dangerous duo on and off the field. Kyra's hyper, trouble-causing tendencies were balanced by Ameris' calm demeanour, though Ameris often found herself tagging along with Kyra's antics, subtly keeping her in check.

One crisp morning before training, Ameris strolled towards the benches near the field with Leah and Steph, their hands warmed by steaming cups of coffee while she herself had a hot chocolate.

"So, how are you finding London so far?" Steph asked, taking a sip of her drink.

"It's great," Ameris replied with a smile. "I’m really starting to feel at home here."

"Glad to hear it," Leah chimed in. "We need to introduce you to the best spots around here."

As they chatted, a sudden movement caught Ameris' eye. Out of the corner of her vision, she saw Kyra accidentally launch a football their way instead of towards Teyah and Katie, who were playing nearby. Without a second thought, Ameris's reflexes kicked in. She skilfully caught the ball with her free hand, saving both Leah and Steph from spilling their drinks.

"Whoa!" Steph exclaimed, her eyes wide in surprise. "Nice catch!"

“That was insane,” Leah agreed with a matching surprised reaction. "Maybe we should get you in goal with reflexes like that, give Manu a run for her money."

"Just lucky, I guess." Ameris chuckled, trying to brush off the attention. She tossed the ball back to Kyra, Teyah, and Katie, who were staring at her in awe. Kyra was also relieved that she got saved from another scolding.

"Seriously, Adarlan," Katie called out, laughing. "You’ve got skills!"

Ameris gave a nonchalant shrug and a playful grin. "Just trying to keep you on your toes."

Internally, she scolded herself for not being more lowkey. She had worked so hard to blend in and avoid drawing attention to her extraordinary abilities. But seeing everyone laugh and continue with their activities, she felt a wave of relief. 

No one suspected anything, passing it off as pure luck.

~

And then it happened once again after a few days. 

One afternoon after a particularly tiring training session, the team had gathered in the cafeteria for a much-needed break. The room was filled with laughter and the clatter of dishes as everyone helped themselves to the spread of food laid out for them. 

Ameris was walking with Vic and Kyra, who was in the middle of an animated story about a prank she had pulled on Katie earlier that day.

"And then, just as Katie was about to sit down, the chair was gone! You should have seen her face!" Kyra finished, her laughter infectious.

Ameris and Vic both chuckled, shaking their heads. "You're seriously going to get yourself into trouble one of these days, Kyra."

"Hey, it hasn’t happened yet," Kyra replied with a wink.

As their conversation continued and they walked back towards their table, Ameris noticed Alessia and Leah engaged in a playful argument in front of them. And Lessi, gesturing wildly, didn't see the glass of water teetering on the edge of the table next to them, accidentally knocking it over.

In a split second, Ameris's hand shot out, catching it mid-air and placing it safely back on the table.

"Careful, Less," she said with a smile, trying to make it seem like a coincidence. "You don't want to flood the cafeteria."

Alessia blinked, surprised but grateful. "Thanks, Ameris. I didn't even see that. Sorry."

"No problem," Ameris replied, giving a light shrug.

Leah raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. "You've seriously got some quick reflexes, Ameris."

Ameris laughed it off. "Just lucky timing, I guess."

Vic playfully punched her shoulder. “You’re like a superhero with those skills.”

Ameris's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly masked her surprise with another laugh. "Haha, I would be a sick superhero."

“Nahhh,” Kyra playfully disagreed. “I’d probably be better than her.”

“Sure you would.” Ameris rolled her eyes. “You'd probably be like a side-kick or a henchman.”

Kyra scoffed in mock offence. "Side-kick?!"

While they continued bantering, Ameris was still grateful they all remained blissfully unaware. Maybe she had to act a bit clumsy to balance it out.

~

A few months had passed since another close call occurred this time.

She had settled into her new life as a football player, making friends and honing her skills on the pitch. The team had become her second family, and she relished the sense of normalcy it brought her.

That was until the day Emily Fox was signed to Arsenal. As everyone gathered around to welcome her, Ameris felt a surge of panic. She remembered watching one of USA's games two years ago with Tony Stark and a few of the Avengers. She had met several of the players, including Emily. 

Keeping her composure, Ameris joined the line of her teammates to greet the new arrival.

When it was her turn, she extended her hand with a calm smile. "Hey there, I'm Ameris. Welcome to Arsenal."

Emily knew she recognised her from somewhere, but couldn’t exactly place it until she remembered her name. "Ameris? Hey, I do remember you. Didn't you come to watch one of our games a couple of years ago with Tony Stark?"

Ameris's heart skipped a beat. She could feel Kyra's curiosity flare up beside her.

"Hold on. Tony Stark?! Like Iron Man himself? What?" Kyra's exclamation drew the attention of several teammates, including Leah, Alessia, Katie, and Steph.

Ameris quickly composed herself, forcing a casual laugh. "Yeah, something like that. My family kinda knew Tony from work, and we ended up sitting together at the game. It was a great experience."

Leah raised an eyebrow, intrigued but not pressing further. "Sounds like quite the connection."

Katie nudged Ameris playfully. "Yeah, you never told us you had such interesting family friends."

Ameris shrugged, keeping her tone light. "It didn't seem that important. Plus, I didn't want to brag."

Steph, seemingly perceptive, gave Ameris a reassuring smile. "Well, it's a cool story. And welcome again, Emily. We're glad to have you."

With the attention diverted back to Emily and the team's excitement over their new signing, Ameris let out an internal sigh of relief, sending Steph a thankful look who smiled warmly in return. 

The defender had been keeping an eye on the teenager since she’d joined the club with Kyra, and was seemingly the only one that had noticed Ameris’ constant vigilance which was masked skilfully by her laid-back persona.

While everyone seemed to gloss over all these hints, Steph was slowly beginning to suspect that there was more to the young striker than she was letting on, but kept it to herself for now. 

As they all moved to the training pitch, Kyra slid next to Ameris, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Meeting the Avengers, damn! You sure know how to keep secrets, don't you?"

Ameris chuckled, grateful for Kyra's lightheartedness. "You have no idea."

✦ ——— ✦ ——— ✦

hey everyone! sorry i almost completely forgot i had this account lol but here's another chapter! i love reading all your comments and they really motivate me to continue writing so pls feel free to comment your thoughts <33

[honeygrahambitch]

"Remember. Be yourself." Molly repeated as she parked the car in front of her parents' house.

"Trust me, you don't want that." Will replied, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

He and Molly had been dating for half a year when she had decided it was the time to introduce him to her parents.

"Don't be ridiculous." She laughed.

"Is there anything I should not say? Politics? Religion?" Will double-checked. The first impression from his probably future in-laws was important. Not as much to him as it was to Molly who was often stressed by her parents' antics.

He was doing it for Molly. That's why it had to go right.

"Maybe...maybe talk more about fishing and engines and less about the FBI? My dad is not afraid to be direct when he has some opinions. And he enjoys fishing as well, so it's a win-win?"

Will put on his fakest smile and sighed. "Got it."

He wouldn't have discussed the FBI part of his life with them anyway. He hardly did so with anyone. It occupied a certain locked room in his mind palace. Locked rooms were meant to stay locked.

They got out of the car and knocked at the door.

The first half hour went well. To Will it felt like the families dinners in Christmas movies. Molly's mom smiled too much and laughed at every single thing Will said. Molly looked satisfied and that mattered. The two women would keep the conversation going all the time which was a bit exhausting.

The only time Molly's dad had spoken was when they were welcomed in. He had been quiet and watching Will in complete silence ever since.

It was not difficult to read the room. Right next to him, Molly was stressed. Molly's mom overly-excited and Molly's dad clearly had something on the top of his tongue.

"You worked for the FBI, didn't you?"

"He also likes to fish. You should see his lures. He makes them himself. It's quite impressive." Molly cut him off.

"I was a teacher for a while. Then I worked as a consultant."

"That much I know." Her dad replied, a neutral yet unsatisfied expression on his face.

Then why are you asking? Will wondered.

"Mom, can you pass me the salad?" Molly requested loudly.

"You were the one who caught Lecter."

Will had expected that. It always led to that. Every single conversation about the FBI led to that. He was not taken aback. Molly was a lot more stressed than he was and he wished she would calm down.

"Indirectly. He surrendered."

Now every time he would say that, he would have to block the image of Hannibal kneeling in the snow.

"Dad, have you tried the potatoes?"

"He was your psychiatrist for almost two years until then. Then you ran off to Europe to find him. Quite strange after he gutted you like one would gut the bowels of a fish."

Molly dropped her fork on the floor. Her mom said nothing but walked quickly to the kitchen to bring a clean one for her.

Will was a bit phased by the comparison but found it fitting. Bittersweet.

"You can't catch someone like him by means which are not considered strange."

"And you really ate human flesh?"

"Dad."

"Molly, let me be, we are only chatting. You finally brought in a guy whose greatest achievement was not to win a football match in highschool."

Will subtly placed his right hand on Molly's knee under the table. He had to reassure her. He was okay.

"So, human flesh, right?"

"Right." Will said.

Her dad was a bit disappointed with his dry replies.

"You and Lecter were really close."

"Sorry, my dad loves reading tattlecrime.com ." Molly replied.

If only it was a lie made up by Freddie Lounds.

"So that's not true then?"

"We were close, you can say that, I suppose. It was necessary to get close to him."

He said that more for his own sake. More as a reminder. Old memories flashed through his mind. Hannibal cooking and telling him about the symbolism behind the dish he was preparing. Then he had refilled Will's glass of wine. Will had made a remark, he couldn't remember what but Hannibal had been very amused.

"And you had no regrets when he surrendered?"

"I..."

Blank.

He had only regrets. He would feel completely abandoned if he had not had the regrets to keep him company in the middle of the night. Just like Hannibal's voice. Especially when Will would contradict him and Hannibal would adopt a fake not-knowing stance.

"Dad, of course he had no regrets. He caught a serial killer. He saved hundreds of lives."

God bless Molly who always knew what to say.

"Then why are you now fixing boat engines?"

"Pardon?" Will asked even if he had clearly understood.

"You are young. Helping the FBI is not an ordinary job. Lecter must have broken you so much that you had to leave it all behind and do something mundane."

"Dad, seriously now, stop interrogating Will."

"It's okay, Molly." Will said and then directed his glance directly towards her dad. "It was not Hannibal who broke me." I broke him.

Saying his name didn't feel right. It felt like when you mention a dead relative whose death you had not yet processed. At the same time it felt like Hannibal was in that room, right behind him.

"It was the whole system per se. At some point you get tired of being a tool. If you don't leave, then the FBI will dispose of you if they think you are not functioning anymore. I wanted a much simpler life and I didn't want to put Molly and Wally in any danger."

Her dad was visibly phased by the fact that he used Hannibal's first name. He couldn't say anything to Will's answer.

"Do you drink beer?" The next question came.

He could hear Molly exhale relieved. He felt like he had passed some sort of a test.

At what cost?

Pandora's box had been opened. That room he had carefully locked. And it would take weeks to close it again. It always took a long time.

[woofwoofwolf]

Meeting the parents (ch.1)

Misc. masterlist: [link]

Bachira Meguru x Reader

Summary:

You fall down the stairs and into Bachira's arms. In your eyes, he sees the similarities and differences the two of you share and it touches him deeply. He sees it as a challenge he can't help but accept, no matter what it might bring. Or maybe he's just looking for a way to distract him from the boring party he was at, that too.

Notes: Fake/Pretend Relationship, toxic parents, Bachira Meguru is a Ray of Sunshine, Bachira Meguru is a Little Shit, both can be true but at first ch. it's mostly the second one loll, reader hates soccer, I call it soccer here for clarity but just so you know, It's football not soccer, No Beta, proffesional soccer AU, Aged Up

Rating: G

Word count: 2,290

AO3 link: [link]

Bachira iddly stood next to Isagi and Reo, waiting for their conversation with some old CEO big shot to end. He was glad Reo was there with them. As expected he knew how to handle the conversation elegantly and professionally, with the occasional back up from Isagi. Bachira knew the look he’d receive from these types of people if he were to open his mouth and he wasn’t really feeling like having to deal with that at the moment. 

‘What a shit party…’

They were standing just outside of the big venue hall where a big charity gala was being held. A bunch of the former Blue lock players had been invited to promote it and rake in more cash. Bachira had failed to find an excuse to not attend, so he spent most of the night sticking to Isagi’s side. The three of them had just escorted a rather drunk Igarashi to a taxi when they were stopped by a rather enthusiastic old man smoking just outside the venue. 

Bachira missed the days of Blue Lock, when dealing with these annoying people wasn’t part of the job and they were able to focus on only the sport.

‘Maybe I should try and get shitfaced too to get an excuse to leave,’ he thought as they finally said goodbye to the man. 

Just as he turned around, a woman dressed in a fancy dress, namely you, quite literally fell down from the stairs into his arms. Shocked, Bachira took a hold of your arms to steady you against his frame. Stumbling you grabbed a hold of his forearm to not face plant onto the concrete.

“(Y/N)!” a woman on top of the stairs shrieked and your hold on Bachira’s arm tightened. The lady herself almost tripped down the stairs chasing after you with what Bachira assumed to be her husband.

Bachira looked down at you, who was still secured in his arms. You stood frozen against him, teeth clenched looking down at your feet.

“This is all because you refuse to listen to us!” the lady hissed once she reached the bottom of the stairs. “Silly girl!”

Isagi, Reo and Bachira stood and watched in uncomfortable silence as your father nodded along to your mothers berating comments. All the while you wouldn’t spare a look their way.

“First you lie to us about some nonsense boyfriend in front of that poor Watanabe-kun, and then you have the gall to run away from us, I’ve had more than enough of your antics for tonight!”

Wow. Majorly uncomfortable. Did this woman not see Bachira and his friends standing there or something? 

He felt really bad for you, who finally turned to face them, though your hand was still unconsciously gripping at his arm.

Bachira then got a good look at your face. And more importantly, a look into your eyes.

‘Oh no, she’s CUTE cute…’

Bachira believed that a person's eyes were a window to the soul, as cliché as it sounds. In your eyes he saw a storm, a desire to break free and a willingness to believe in that freedom. He also recognised that pang of loneliness you carried all too well. 

“I’m not lying! He’s–” You made panicked, seemingly accidental eye contact with Bachira, who blinked back at you. You finally seemed aware that you were still holding onto him and you let go as if he was burning hot.

Your mother gasped loudly enough to pull all eyes back on her. “Don’t tell me–” she said in a whisper. “This is him?”

“What–” your head whipped back to Bachira. Looking into your eyes, Bachira thought he saw you do a panicked assessment. Your hand flew back to his arm and you squeezed it, hard. “YES! This is my boyfriend who I told you about!”

Oh. This party very suddenly wasn’t so boring anymore. 

In those few seconds of eye contact, what about him had convinced you you could pull this stunt? The way you were bruising his arm, was that your way of threatening him to play along?

‘How cute…’ Bachira grinned. He didn’t know why you, an adult woman, were in this situation that felt like a shoujo manga set in a highschool, but he didn’t really care either.

“That’s right,” he said sweetly, taking a respectful bow towards your parents. “It’s very nice to meet you, your daughter has told me great things about you.”

He heard Reo behind him disguise a laugh as a cough, while Isagi muttered a soft “Oh no…”

”Oh! So polite,” your mother giggled. “It’s alright, you don’t have to tell such an obvious lie about this rude child.” 

If you were to ask Bachira, it was your parents who were being the rude ones.

“Oh no no, she’s been wonderful!” You flinched at his wide smile directed your way. “Right, darling?”

“I, uh, sure.”

“I can see why you wouldn’t tell us his name,” your father finally spoke up. “Out of everyone, I would’ve never expected it to be Bachira Meguru. It’s a shame, but you we won’t be able to go public with this for a while.”

“Oh,” you responded, your voice a bit higher than before. “You know him.”

“Of course darling, you know he’s in your fathers favourite club, right?” Your mother laughed in a condescending way that really irked Bachira. 

“It’s very nice to meet you, I’m a big fan,” your father said.

You looked at Bachira with a forced smile “Club… Right. Soccer… Haha…”

“I’m really sorry about that, it’s so like her to not have interest in other people’s lives, she’ll make for an awful wife, I’m sure.”

Did they want you to have a relationship or not? He found the situation to be rather confusing.

“She’s been nothing but supportive, ma’m.”

“Really? But (Y/N) hates soccer!”

‘Is that so?’ Bachira could only see this information as a challenge.

He laughed loudly. “I must’ve convinced her otherwise with my overflowing charm.”

Your grip on his arm stuttered and he felt the disgusted glares of his friends on his neck. He could try to not be annoying, but he was having so much fun with this. There was that annoying laugh again from your mother.

“A-anyways, mom, dad, there you have it. So. Ehm, you can leave us alone for now.” You glared at Bachira, probably to tell him to keep silent.

“But I want to get to know him!” your mother whined.

“H-he can come by another time, right Machira-san? I really think he ought to bring me home for now, since I’m not feeling well…”

Bachira was amazed that your parents failed to notice that you got his name wrong, or even that they fell for your awful acting in the first place since your distaste of the situation was more than palpable.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” your father said. “We’ll be expecting the two of you at the estate within the month. You got that, (Y/N)?” He gave you a stern look.

“Yes father,” you muttered. Bachira detected a hint of fear. 

‘This won’t do,’ he thought, clenching his fists.

“W-well, in that case–” your mother started. “I guess that’s alright.”

God, he wanted to tell them off so badly. But he didn’t want to put you in an even worse spot, so he didn’t. After all, he didn’t know what was at stake for you. So instead he bowed and smiled pleasantly as your parents made their way back up the stairs.

Then, when they were finally out of view, you dropped your hands from his arm.

Damn, it was sore. You had for sure bruised him. Hot.

You glared at him in silence, as Isagi and Reo closed back in on the two of you.

Isagi shook his head at his friend. “I can’t believe you did that.”

“That was hilarious,” Reo laughed. “I hope that went as you had planned, (Y/N).”

“What plan?” You sighed deeply. “And hello to you too, Mikage-kun…”

“You two know each other?” Bachira asked, a hint of a weird feeling rising in his chest. Reo shrugged. 

“We just went to the same high school. We’re not close,” you said, quick to be defensive for some reason. “So what, this guy is one of your little friends from– what was it called again? ‘Blue Lock’? I should’ve realised that before I opened my stupid mouth.”

Bachira feigned hurt by placing his hand on his chest. “‘This guy’? How cold, I’m your boyfriend, you know!”

You groaned. “I’m such an idiot! Why did I say that!”

“Can’t you just tell them the truth?” Reo asked, an eyebrow raised in your direction.

“Tsk, don’t you think I tried? But they threatened me to go to this event and when I got here they introduced me to a marriage candidate!” you pulled at your hair. “I can’t believe they pulled a stunt like that.”

“Damn,” Reo whistled. “I knew your parents were bad, but that’s some mediaeval shit.”

Isagi awkwardly looked on while you conversed.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” you said with a small bow. “My name is (L/N) (Y/N), I’m very sorry for disturbing your evening.”

“Ah! My name is Isagi Yoichi,” Isagi bowed in return. “Don’t apologise. I’m very sorry to hear of your situation.”

Bachira took his chance. “And I’m Bachira Meguru! Ba-Chi-Ra!” He sounded out his name to ensure you would remember this time.

“Nice to meet you,” you avoided eye contact out of clear embarrassment. He was going to have to fix that. “I’m sorry about… all that.”

“You love apologising, don’t you miss girlfriend?” 

Your expression turned flustered and you looked back at him a little startled. “Miss– huh?”

‘Cute. So cute.’

“If you don’t mind me asking, why don’t you just cut contact with them?” Isagi blurted out. His eyes widened in realisation. “I mean- that was a rude question, I appologise.”

“It’s alright,” you said, plucking at your dress to avoid eye contact. “I know it looks like I’m just tolerating all of this so I can mooch off of them for money. But the truth is that if I cut contact with them, they’ll do everything they can to make my life miserable. With their influence, they can make sure I’ll never find a job…”

Bachira felt disgusted hearing this. He couldn’t imagine a parent treating their kid like that, especially since his relationship with his own mom was so great.

“Scumbags…” Reo muttered. 

You sighed again. “It’s whatever. I can avoid them well enough in my daily life. I’ll just have to find a way out of this. At least I avoided getting engaged to that Watanabe Keisuke brat…”

You stumbled a bit when turning around. You’d clearly been drinking a bit. Bachira couldn’t blame you.

“Don’t tell me you’re planning on driving home like that?” Reo asked, voicing his concern moments before Bachira could himself. 

“No, you idiot, I’m here with my parents, I’m going home using public transit.” You grumbled.

“Why don’t you let me bring you home?” Bachira smiled. “That’s what you told your parents anyways.”

“Huh? I just said that to get them off my case, obviously,” you snapped back, still on guard every time he spoke.

“The nearest train station is a 20 minute walk, you know,” Reo said. “Where do you live?”

You muttered the general area of your residence and Bachira recognised it as a not so nice area to live in. Your situation got more complicated the more he heard.

“That’s so far! Should we call you a taxi?” Isagi offered.

“I-I can’t pay for that…” you mumbled.

“Then it’s decided, I’ll bring you home!” Bachira cheered, excited to be able to talk to you for longer and to get away from the event. 

You eyed him suspiciously, clearly still unconvinced. “Haven’t you been drinking yourself?”

Bachira giggled. “I won’t be driving, I have a chauffeur, obviously.”

“Right. I forgot all you Blue Lock boys were loaded…”

Bachira looked at his friends, an amused grin on his face. “‘Blue lock boys’, she said.”

You took a step towards Reo, grabbing a hold of his shoulder. “Mikage-kun, I need you to be honest here, can I trust this guy?”

Reo looked up towards Bachira, who put on his best ‘innocent’ face. “He’s just an idiot who only cares about soccer, I don’t think you have to worry.”

You continued to glare at him. Reo sighed.

“He’s a good guy, (Y/N), you don’t have to worry, promise.”

Bachira slung an arm around Reo’s shoulder. “Shucks man, I love you too!”

“Get off of me, you idiot!” Reo shoved him back and Bachira held his hands up in defeat, a wide grin on his face.

“Well then, there you have it,” he laughed. “Tell my coach that I had to leave due to circumstances beyond my control, okay?”

“Tell him yourself!” Reo protested red faced, but Isagi nodded.

“I’ll do it. You take care, alright?” He then nodded towards you. “You too, (L/N)-san. It was nice to meet you.”

“L-likewise,” you mumbled with a pout. “And just (Y/N) is fine.”

She turned to Bachira, shoulders tense. “L-let’s just get this over with, so I can stop bothering you.”

Bachira smiled at you. Oh, but he wasn’t ready to let you go yet.

“Aye aye sir!” he saluted.

And so the two of you left towards the parking garage, where Bachira’s driver had parked his car.

Isagi and Reo watched after them in astonishment.

“We haven’t heard the last of this, have we?” Reo sighed.

“I’m afraid not,” Isagi said. “The way he was looking at her, we’lll definitely be seeing her again…”

A/N: OKAY SO, Honestly I usually prewrite all of my fics, but I just wanted to write this so I did. It was meant to be a one shot, but because I can only ever write long fics it seems, the ideas for how to continue this just kept flowing and I didn't do anything to stop it lol. So that's why I left it open for a chapter 2. (I might come to regret posting this since I'm a bit of a control freak when it comes to writing lol, who knows I might edit and repost, we'll see) I'll be really honest here: if you want a chapter two for this, engagement and comments will really help. It's not to hold this hostage I'd never do that, but I have other fics to work on and this isn't a priority unfortunately. Even though I love Bachira. A lot. So please let me know what you think! ALSO let me know if I should open a tag list for this..?

[strawberryj0y]

[ryusae meta/analysis]

This post is a bit of a journey since it was a struggle getting my thoughts together lol, but please bear with me as I explain how I've noticed that Sae consistently allows Shidou past his iron-clad emotional barriers, as evidenced by how frequently we're shown Shidou managing to elicit reactions from him. Let's go!

When Sae is introduced to the U20 team, we get a close-up of his face and a full-body shot. His face is blank, devoid of any emotion, back rod-straight and hands glued to his pockets. He maintains this pose throughout the entirety of the meeting.

From his introductory speech, to his exchange with Sendou, and even after the whole scuffle between Aiku and Shidou, where Aiku ends up body slamming Shidou into the ground, Sae locked in the same pose, unbothered. Any words and actions from anyone fail to elicit the slightest change in his demeanor.

There are only two points where this changes and Sae allows a reaction.

A Guide to Sae's Reactions: Intentional Intimidation vs Genuine Exasperation

First is when he gives everyone a glimpse into his one desire as a player - becoming the best in the world. Through a terrifyingly cold expression, he conveys the vastness of the difference in their ambitions and why he deems everyone before him worthless in comparison. Although it didn't hurt him by any means, Sendou's remarks did illicit a reaction out of him. Therefore, questions about his calibre as a player does affect him. Not in a way that weakens or stirs any insecurity - Sae has a very strong sense of self as a player.

Sae's entire life revolves around football. Day in, day out, he spends time practising and analysing football data to hone his skills and advance in the path to becoming the best in the world. So naturally, he'd have something to say when he encounters someone not on his level ability-wise, clinging to titles like 'regular forward in the best team in Japan' to assert their dominance over on this subject.

On Sae's part, this reaction is intentional and purposeful. He intends to strike Sendou where it hurts and humiliate him before his fellow teammates to demonstrate the consequences for anyone that dares challenge him as a player. He deliberately utilises his facial expression here to drive the point home and intimidate Sendou into silence.

This is an act in-line with his characterisation as a icy cold genius unafraid of speaking his mind and calmy tearing apart those he deems unworthy.

The second time is when Shidou defends him.

It's an expression of mild exasperation and resignation at Shidou's antics. The little speech bubble is used to convey how he's totally speechless.

This is an indication that Shidou's actions and the intentions behind them were received by Sae. You don't react to something that doesn't affect you. Especially Sae, as evidenced by his characterisation as a whole and specifically, during this whole chapter.

Except, unlike with his first reaction, this one lacks intentionality. Sae's not trying to convey any message, it's purely his raw reaction.

Let's take a moment to look at Shidou's reasoning behind attacking Sendou's and break it into two pieces:

1) He has a very strong sense of self as a person and a player, and that extends to his expectations of his fellow players. We see this in his conflict with Kunigami as well, where he severely dislikes Kunigami's playstyle and philosophy to the point of taking immense pride and glee in eliminating him during the second selection. Sendou also simply doesn't fit the bill lol (for the same reasons Sae listed earlier) so he has zero respect for him and therefore has no problem enacting his own personalised form of justice, for the crime of being an uninspiring player hung up on titles rather than actual ability, by slamming his head into a table LMAO

2) At this point, Shidou has never seen Sae play. However, if Sae is someone predominantly characterised by a calm, cool, and logical playstyle, then Shidou is a master of instinct. He doesn't need to physically observe someone to get a feel for their essence as a player; to sense their explosive potential.

Shidou could feel what kind of player he was the moment they met, felt the aura radiating off him. Hence the huge grin. This scene started with him raging at Ego and initially being utterly unimpressed and irritated at Sae's presence, only for a few words from Sae to completely change his mind.

He gained immediate respect for Sae here and that's why he couldn't let Sendou's remarks slide. Just as he won't tolerate mediocrity, he won't allow insolence against someone he deems is a worthwhile player. He can't stand that Sendou would dare challenge Sae, so he's the only one in the entire room to jump to his defence.

[NOTE: To be clear, I'm not expecting anyone else to do this after Sae said all that stuff to them LMAO this is more about what's transpiring between ryusae here]

If you really think about it, it's quite sweet lol

Sae walked into a room full of people who are already teammates and therefore have each other's backs and intentionally created a storm by insulting everyone and humiliating their ace. He never expects any defense on his behalf. He's this solitary genius, who does everything by himself and for himself.

Yet here he is, being faced with this guy, who's barely an acquaintance, offering such a passionate defence. Something I doubt he's received from someone in a long time.

Based on the clues we've gotten thus far regarding his time in Spain, which was the turning point in his career, attitude towards football as a whole, and immeasurably damaged his close relationship with his brother - Sae has evidently been on the receiving end of casual cruelty at the hands of his peers there. Which undoubtedly shaped the completely closed-off, icy cold, and cruel persona he's now embraced.

He's fashioned himself an immpenetrable barrier against any and all attempts at connection from others. The degradation of his bond with Rin being a prime example. To the point where Kaneshiro revealed in an interview/fan event that he doesn't even consider their fight, the one that changed Rin's life, to be a fight at all. He's evidently emotionally stunted. Trauma will lead to the development of such concrete, even destructive, emotional defense mechanisms.

We get a small glimpse at the kind of people Sae's had to deal from Luna's introduction. Where he cruelly ridicules the Japanese players with a cheery smile on his face and the following panels show how badly received it was by the Blue Lock players. To the point where Loki has to step in and apologise on his behalf.

So it can be inferred that Sae has not been in the company of camraderie for a very long time. Therefore, this moment initiated by Shidou holds quiet but clear significance to him.

A reaction breaking through his otherwise continuous blank demeanor, signifies that he definitely registered what Shidou was doing, why he was doing it, and his subsequent speechlessness shows it resonated with him but he doesn't know how to process it. So he resorts to pulling a face.

Sae Regularly Allows Shidou Through His Defenses

In fact, Shidou is shown to affect him regularly. He frequently manages to drive emotions out of Sae. For example during his big bang drive, we see Sae express genuine awe.

When Shidou jumps on his back and captures him in a hug (something Sae intentionally allows, btw!!) and Sae can feel Shidou's...excitement, we see him break his usual impassivity to express disgust. Despite this being a negative reaction, Sae compensates by still promising his touch as long as the conditions of scoring a hattrick are met. So his initial repulsion appears to be quite shallow and momentary, more of a knee-jerk reaction (understandably lol) than a total rejection.

Notice the zero pushback on Shidou's counter offer of scoring ten more goals to move in with him too. These subtleties on Sae's end, formed by his deliberate lack of denial to Shidou's direct romantic and/or sexual offers, are demonstration of how he's allowing space for and accepting Shidou's feelings. The same Sae who slapped his other teammate's hands away and denied Aiku's handshake, is shown permitting Shidou's physical and verbal attempts at connection and reciprocating in full.

Throughout their brief but intense union, both on and off the pitch, Sae continuously allows Shidou to cross his tightly maintained barriers, to occupy spaces where he's actively and cruelly denied others access to.

I never made this link prior to making this post, but Shidou so emphatically and boldly jumping to his defence, during their second time ever meeting, definitely has something to do with why Sae is willing to do that. On top of genuinely considering Shidou a worthy striker, and as I've outlined in a previous post (here), truly liking and feeling comfortable him. Sae so clearly has a soft spot for him :')

[beccaann22]

you look like you love me - riley green

pairing: riley green x fem!reader

summary: reader sees riley walk into the bar and knows just what she wants.

warnings: drinking, flirting, suggestive contents, love

i was all but 22

i think at the time

i'd been out on the road

lonely at night

and it had been awhile

so it was on my mind

y/n has been out at the bar all night so far with her friends. they're traveling following the rodeo as it makes it rounds through the southern and midwestern states. y/n is a barrel racer, while her friends range from tricker riders to bull riders. they had just wrapped up a long day of sweating in the hot sun of oklahoma while doing what they do best. putting on a show for the rodeo fans. and they loved it, they really did. y/n loved feeling the adrenaline right before she set off for that first barrel with her most precious belonging. cooper. her beautiful chestnut quarter horse. he's been with her since she was a teenager and has followed her on this journey with the rodeo. but y/n has been missing something for a while now and she can't seem to figure out what it is.

y/n and her friends where exushted though, they had been working since 7 this morning practicing and then the actual events themselves. needless to say they all needed a break. its currently eight o'clock at night and they'd been here since six in the evening. sure they had dinner here first before they started drinking but as soon as the last plate left, and round of tequila shots appeared at the table. currently y/n is currently nursing a strawberry daiquiri.

she was on a mission tonight. to get laid. its been far to long for her liking and it doesn't help that she's quit picky with her men. and she has a rule that she doesn't sleep with men she's working with. so that means all these rodeo boys she traveling with are off limits by her own rules. and she's fine with that, none of them quite do it for her anyways. too cocky in there own ways and don't quite look the part. she knows her type when she see's it though.

well, i saw him walk in

with his cowboy hat

and i thought to myself

i could use some of that

his boots like glass on a saw dust floor

had moves like nothing i had ever seen before

taking another sip of her drink, her eyes are drawn to the door when a rowdy group enters the bar. it's a group of men- cowboys- if you will and they were having the time of their lives tonight. they claim a booth not to far from y/n's booth with her friends. y/n nudges her friend, charlotte, in the side. nodding her head at the group of men next to them, y/n grins at charlotte. charlotte throws her head back laughing at y/n's antics and wiggles her eye brows back at y/n.

y/n jumps off the booth and lands her two feet on the floor, "hey y'all i'm gonna go get us another round real quick." her words quickly meet the ears of all her friends and they erupt in cheers. she giggles at them as she works her way up to the the bar. the bars not overly busy as it was a thursday night. but a majority of the rodeo crew was there, and there's quite a bit of them and the rest of the people who wanted to enjoy a night out with friends. she gets to the bar and leans against the counter waiting to get the bartenders attention. when she catches his eye and orders another round of beers this time she feels a presence next to her. from the corner of her eye she can see the side view of probably the most handsome man she's ever seen. he's wearing wrangler jeans that fit him just right in all the right places, a black carhartt shirt that hugs his biecps showing all his muscles, brown cowboy boots and black baseball hat for what she assumes is a football team. more then likely college. she turns her eyes back to the counter waiting for the beers.

the handsome man, riley, comes to be aware of his surroundings and notices the most beautiful girl next to him. his breath hitches completely caught off guard by her beauty. she was absolutely stunning to him. the most prettiest sight to see he was sure of it, and way out of his league. she was wearing these bootcut jeans that hugged her curves just right, brown cowboy boots and the prettiest lil shirt on her body hugging her chest and flaring out at the bottom. she had her hair curled and it was slightly messy from the days activities.

y/n could sense his eyes on her, so she thinks to herself, "screw it, what's the worst that could happen?" and she turns her head towards him and says, "well hi there cowboy," and gives him a cute little grin as she looks him up and down. this absolutely stuns riley, him not expecting her to acknowledge him, but boy is he glad she did.

putting on his big boy boots riley smiles down at the girl, he's 6'4' so naturally a lot of girls are shorter then him, and y/n's no exception. he swallows his nerves and breaths out a, "hello ma'am."

ma'am. he called he ma'am. y/n immediately melted. for some reason hearing him call her ma'am absolutely did it for her. she pulls herself together and rests her elbow on the counter and her chin on her hand, "you find something interesting that you're looking at," she asks him teasing him.

"yes ma'am, i found something quite pretty to look at while i wait for my drinks.. i'm riley by the way," he leans closer to her, so close that she can smell his cologne. boy oh boy does he smell good. there's no other way to describe it other then the scent of a hardworking man but comforting at the same time. husky and maybe a little sandal wood? leather perhaps. she has no idea what is it, all she knows is that it's her new favorite scent.

before she could reply, the bartender bring her the round of coors light and his round of what seems to be miller light. y/n and riley can hear their individual groups hollering for them, they look over and see that their groups have some how merged together and they're all mingling together. charlotte catches y/n's eye and winks at her. "oh thank you my sweet charlotte," y/n thinks to herself.

riley laughs, "well i guess are groups are together now then." y/n smiles at him and grabs her tray of beer, "looks that way." and she walks away from him and towards their groups handing out the beers to her friends. riley watches her walk away, her swaying hips absolutely doing him in for un-pure thoughts. he shakes his head trying to make them go away before following after her, handing the beer out as well.

charlotte leans into y/n's ear and whispers, "that man is eyeing you down so bad right now. if you don't make a move soon you'd be a fool." that gives y/n the confidence she needed. so she grabs an unopened beer from the table and walks right up to riley lightly guiding him away from the prying ears, and hands him a beer. she steps a little closer to him, leaving little space in between their chests. she looks up at him and says, "baby, i think your gonna wanna hear this."

he looks down at her, the small amount of space between them sending tingles all over his body, "what am i gonna wanna hear sweet thing?" he asks her raising his hand to her face, brushing hair out of her eyes lightly touching her cheek.

she reaches her hand up to her neck and stands on her tippy toes to whisper in his ear, "you look like you love me." she moves her lips to his other ear, "you look like you want me to want you to come on home."

he looks down at her, "oh, do i know darlin'?" he asks her with a grin on his face. he likes where this is going.

"oh baby i don't blame you for looking at me across this, but i'm drunk and i'm ready to leave. and you look like you love me," she whispers to him as she wraps her hands around his hips.

excuse me

you look like you love me

you look like you want me

to want you to come on home

and baby, i don't blame you

for lookin' me up and down across this room

im drunk and im ready to leave

and you look like you love me

riley looks over at his friends making sure they aren't being nosy sons of bitches and then looks back down at this girl who's making moves he never thought she would. he had no idea the night would lead to this. he just came to the local beer joint with the guys when this bold country girl was the only one in the room he could see. she was a dream come true. everyone else was invisible. and now here she is telling him everything he wants to hear.

well, i was down at the local beer joint with a few of the guys

when this cute little country girl caught my eye

and boy, let me tell you she was the prettiest thing i'd ever seen in a pair of boots

well, she walked right up to me and handed me a beer, gave me a look like, lets get out of here

and that's when i realized that she was every cowboy's dream come true

she told me this right here.

"come on riley, lets get out of here. your giving me this look like you want me to want you to come on home and you're looking me up and down from across the room. now baby i'm drunk and i wanna go home with you," y/n tells him. she knows what she's doing, she may be buzzed but she's not so drunk that she's not aware of her actions. she wants this. she wants him.

excuse me

you look like you love me

you look like you want me

to want you to come on home

and baby, i don't blame you

for lookin' me up and down across this room

im drunk and im ready to leave

and you look like you love me

she knew as soon as she saw him in his cowboy hat that this is the man she wanted. right now and possibly forever. she didn't wanna waste anymore time when she could be with him.

so if you ever see a man in a cowboy hat

and you think to yourself

"i could use some of that"

don't waste your time

just give 'em this here line

goes a little like this

"alright baby, you don't gotta convince me," riley tells y/n. he grabs her hand and leads her to the door of the bar and out to his truck. his hand on her thigh the entire drive back to his place. if he was gonna spend the night with a girl a special as y/n it wasn't gonna be some lame night in a truck or hotel room. he was gonna give her a real bed. his bed.

he pulls up to his home, parks and basically jumps out of the truck to run to the other side and open the truck door for y/n. she deserves chivalry. and he was gonna give that and more to her. he leads her inside and upstairs, to his bed. he lays her down gently. and from then on he treats like a lady. fulfilling every wish and command she had.

y/n was hooked. she needed riley for the rest of her life. this was the piece she was missing all along. riley was her void. she was complete now. don't be a fool though. just because she found riley doesn't mean her life stopped. no- she kept her life the same. she still barrel raced with cooper. she just didn't go state to state anymore. she doesn't go farther then a state away from oklahoma now. she found her riley and she doesn't plan on losing him. and neither does he. man he got so lucky, he tells himself that constantly. to find a girl as special as y/n was once in a life time, and he stuck gold. he wasn't planning on doing anything to risk that. they found each other when they least expected it. and now that they have each other they're complete. they're riley and y/n.

excuse me

you look like you love me

you look like you want me

to want you to come on home

and baby, i don't blame you

for lookin' me up and down across this room

im drunk and im ready to leave

and you look like you love me