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dispatchdcu · 1 month

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X-Force #50 Preview

X-Force #50 Preview #MARVEL #marvelcomics #comics #comicbooks #news #mcu #art #info #NCBD #comicbooknews #previews #reviews #xmen #houseofx #wolverine #xforce #destinyofx #reignofx

X-Force #50 Preview: THE FINAL BATTLE AGAINST BEAST IN THE LANDMARK 50th ISSUE! X-FORCE confronts BEAST with their secret weapon. A final reckoning. Not a dry eye in the house. TARGET: BEAST finale! BENJAMIN PERCY • ROBERT GILL (A) Cover by DANIEL ACUÑA Variant Cover by George Pérez Headshot Variant Cover by Mark Brooks Virgin Sketch Variant Cover by Mark Brooks X-Men ’97 Variant Cover by TBA 32…

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#comic books #comics #marvel comic books #marvel comic previews #Marvel Previews #Preview #x-force #X-Force 50 #X-Force 50 Preview #x-men

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latenightsundayblues · 5 months

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Ive been utterly and hopelessly taken over by that one clip of leigh whannell in a bathtub so i made it into chainshipping content. Youre welcome

Can't bathe alone due to horrible flashbacks of past traumatic experiences with bathrooms? Just take your divorced doctor dilf with you

#adam uses the soap bar to wash his hair and lawrence just sits there horrified neglected fancy shampoo bottle in hand #hes def forcing him to use shit like “tropical delight” assorted fruit vitamins face wash and 50 dollar coconut oil lmfao #saw #saw movies #saw franchise #saw fanart #saw adam #adam faulkner stanheight #adam faulkner #adam stanheight #saw lawrence #dr. lawrence gordon #lawrence gordon #lawrence x adam #adam x lawrence #latenightsundayblues art tag

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puppetmaster13u · 2 months

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Prompt 239

Y'know what I think would be hilarious for a DP and PJO crossover? Percy & co finally getting to Kronos, straight up ready for anything after they pass through magic and portal of green and-

There's the smell of cookies. Freshly baked cookies, a warm oven, something about it reminding them of home in this strange place of floating gears and ticking clocks.

And there's a long, serpentine tail twisting through the gears, twisting up and down and across in a size that could hides yet reveals just how large this entity is. There's power soaking into every inch of this place, every centimeter nearly sending lightning up their legs with each step.

The ticking is getting stronger, a distant gonging of the hour echoing through a place that should feel cold and empty like the ringing of bells in the end of times.

And suddenly there's a kid- a teen like them, human yet not- with a cookie half in their mouth and hair flickering like the cosmos as they peer down from above them with a frown, eyes brighter than the sun yet darker than the moon.

"Oh great, what did my half-siblings do this Time?"

#prompts #dp x pjo #percy jackon and the olympians #danny fenton #clockwork #not ghost king danny #space core danny #All gods of time are part of Clockwork #DPxPJO #Clockwork is the primordial force of Time itself #CW has been waiting for Space to finally form its own Primordial and is cooing over Danny constantly #CW: You end up destroying *One* timeline and the kids who disowned themselves start freaking out #CW: smh at least I have my dear children who actually enjoy my company and baking #Jordan (Armageddon) Ellie (Infinity) Jazz (Mind): I mean what kind of timeline we talkin about #Sun Core Dan #Moon Core Dani #Ocean Core Jazz #Danny to Percy & Co: So there's a 50/50 chance you'll believe me but I feel like there's been some sort of misunderstanding here-

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writing-positivelyexisting · 1 year

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Warm Bodies

The Bad Batch. Bad Batch/Reader. | writing-positivelyexisting🫧

For the 50 followers celebration, I give you this fluffy Bad Batch/Reader! Thank you guys! <3

Sent on a mission to the frozen planet, Kijimi, the crunch of snow was becoming a white noise to you. You trekked behind Echo, desperately pulling your arms across your middle and into your body, trying to contain as much body heat as possible. You weren’t built for this. You grew up on Tatooine. Snow was not your element.

You looked over at your comrades in their winter armor. Not a single shiver or a drippy sniffle. It boggled you completely. How in the galaxy did they stay warm? Genetics? Maybe it was part of their enhancements. Whatever was keeping these men warm would stay a mystery, and it made you envious.

A gust of particularly strong force blew past the group and you felt every fiber in your body jitter. Your body was wracked with a violent shiver to the point where it made you stop moving.

Crosshair, who was walking behind everyone, stopped to look at you. He heard your chattering teeth and had to keep his chuckle in the back of his throat.

“Cold?”

If you weren’t so frozen in place you would have hit him. “No. I was just about to strip, it’s so hot.”

“Be my guest,” he teased, his cruel and taunting smile hidden behind his helmet.

“For the love of – Hunter! Can we please set up camp?”

The leader, farther than the rest of you, stopped and looked back. Seeing you a miserable cold mess brought out a pitiful sigh from him. He comm’d back, “The first sign of shelter we will. Need an extra coat?”

You groaned, but nodded to his offer. You trudged up to Hunter as fast as your icicle-legs would allow and took the heavy parka Hunter packed.

“Thanks,” you huffed, shoving your arms through in greed. Zipping up the jacket, you felt a little difference. It would have to do for now.

Hunter gave you a look over, wanting to be sure you were alright to continue. He could hear the increased rhythm of your heart and felt his own pang in helplessness. Offering you the jacket was the best he could do for you now.

He looked over at Tech beside him and tilted his head, “Can you scan for shelter?”

“Certainly,” Tech tucked his data pad away then looked up, holding onto his goggles as he searched the horizon. “There appears to be an abandoned Kessel mining shaft three klicks north.”

You felt some relief knowing it wouldn’t be too long. “Thank the stars. Let’s get going.”

The trek took almost an hour, but when you finally made it inside the mine, you were quick to plop onto your butt. You took your pack off and looked at the men who were starting to unpack. Bringing your tired body to move, you took out your sleeping bag and unfurled it.

What you saw next you really had no words. There was a hole. Big enough for a really fat Tooka cat to crawl through. Perks of being government property. You shivered and felt like crying. This mission was going great.

Hunter came by with Echo and they both saw your sleeping bag. “Oh, cyare.” Echo came to you and you huffed, trying to keep a brave face.

“I’ll figure something out.”

You stood up and went to help Wrecker with building the fire. He welcomed your presence, bringing you into a comfy side hug. You felt the heat he provided and if you could purr, you would. He let you go with a soft kiss to the top of your head before giving you the lighter.

He asked you how you were holding up on the mission, knowing full well your inability to handle such freezing temperatures. You frowned, kneeling to the fire kit and setting it ablaze.

“Not well. My sleeping bag has a hole in it. So, I’m royally screwed.”

Wrecker frowned at you, “You could always sleep with one of us.”

“I know, thank you.”

Wrecker was right. You had your boys and any one of them would be more than happy to give up their sleeping bag or have you cuddle into their side for the night. Sometimes it still blows you away to realize you’ve got five incredible men at your back, who care for you, who are there for you, who love you.

You smiled at the thought and a little bright idea came to you.

As the sun set on Kijimi, the winds gusted through the mine with ferocity and the temperature dropped to the negatives. While you ate the rations you packed, you couldn’t stop the death-biting shivers that wracked your body. It was becoming unbearable so you looked around the mine and found Wrecker sitting opposite of you, his back against the wall.

You moved, sitting next to him and snuggling into his side. The man grinned, moving his arm to bring you closer (as if it was possible). “Maker, you’re warm…” You looked up and saw the others happily smiling at you two. “It could be warmer, though,” you said wistfully, hoping the damsel-in-distress tone would work.

It did.

Hunter moved in to your other side, pecking your temple. You smiled and thanked him, letting the two men warm you up from either side of you. It was nice, but your little plan had yet to be finished.

“I think… I could be warmer, hmm.” You innocently put your pointer finger on your cheek like you were thinking about how to solve your problem. You glanced at Tech and Echo and winked.

Both of them rolled their eyes at your silly ploy, but gave in regardless. Echo laid on your right thigh while Tech laid on your left, each reaching up to place a kiss on your cheeks. With four out of five brothers, you looked at the sniper whose back was facing you. He had his firepuncher propped up next to him and was ready to take the first watch.

You weren’t satisfied with that.

“I still think it could be way warmer,” you spoke exaggeratingly loud and Crosshair moved to glance at you over his shoulder. His eyebrow raised when he saw your ‘come-here’ hands. Not daring to ignore your cute plea, the snarky sniper got up to take the last spot available: in between your legs.

“Could have just asked, darling,” he breathed against your lips before he kissed you.

It made you giggle and you happily wrapped your arms around him as he settled in on you. “Oh, I know. This was more fun, though.”

The men chuckled, filling you with warmth greater than any sun. As the night was breaching late hours, one by one each of you fell into a comfortable slumber. You were kept blissfully warm through the night and your tiny smile never left.

word count: 1,136.

Beta read by: @beating-a-dead-plot (If you’re looking for a beta reader, she’s an excellent one! Give her a message!)

Tag list: @dangraccoon (comment or send me and ask if you want to be tagged!)

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buck1eys · 2 hours

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LOTR PEOPLE just thinking about a Possession AU where Éowyn and Faramir are PhD students at different universities researching this early medieval Old English text called Þāra Hringa Hlāford and they develop an academic rivalry about whether a certain two figures in the narrative were getting it on or not. This debate is much encouraged by a certain reincarnated Prof. G. L. Findel who knows an enemies to lovers moment when he sees one and gets them together for some field study

#lord of the rings #faramir x eowyn #eowyn #faramir #glorfindel #the silmarillion #tagging this as #gimleaf #gigolas #because that is my in manuscript debatable ship of choice #but whatever floats your boat until i break my leg and am forced to spend summer inside writing 200k of this #but genuinely think about it #Tolkien could even be a referenced character who produced a fairly conservative modern translation 50 years ago #eowyn is one of those medievalist sandboxers who loves a queer feminist reading of any and everything #faramir is a linguistics transplant with more traditional approaches to scholarship lets say #but he's never met anyone with such an intuitive grasp of old english even if her latin is non existant #glorfindel KNOWS they were banging but he can't say shit

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brw · 4 months

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"why does Hank keep his Avengers backup if not motivated by gay love" or some Krakoa era Wonderbeast angst… (You knew I had to ask.)

This one is a lot more angsty than I tend to go for which is probably why I don't have that much but I do have a very depressed X-Force Beast for you! Concept is Hank gives his Avenegrs backup directly to Simon after coming across him post Hellfire Gala genocide deal and this pisses Simon off because he doesn't just love Hank in an Avengers context but because of who Hank is in total etc etc and anyway it's just me being bitter and using that to create homosexuality 🫡

New York does not sleep but he has caught it napping tonight, rows and rows of empty streets that he stalks past illuminated only by the sombre and faded pulse of street lamps and the reflection it makes on grey sludge that might’ve once been snow. Onwards. It’s dangerous to be here. The city does not sleep and is the bed of many a proud vigilante, the superheroes that guard her streets against any threat. And Hank McCoy has become a threat in the years that have passed, a sickness to be amputated. In their minds, at least. Hank knows better. He knows what he’s doing is right. He knows that if they could just see the bigger picture the way he does, they would understand. He has to know that, because if he doubted himself even for a second this whole thing would fall apart. And he has gone too far to fall apart.

From this WIP title game!

#thank uuuuuuu #tbh after x force 48-50 i'm gonna go back to this and see what happens #because I have Some Stuff but not that much and I think if things aren't too crazy I can rewrite it to suit those issues #but we shall see

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nthflower · 10 months

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Si spuier writes things that I love love so much or things that I would be indifferent and slowly with time starting to hate and no in-between for me.

#his legion #amazing #his x-force #i was not that into it but now i am hating it #his x-club was so fun for me #his nightcrawler things in krakoa was fine then became unbearable unreadable #for me #personally #he is 50/50 all the time for me

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lotusflowerbreakingthesurface · 7 months

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[PX Fic Rec 47] 情蛊

by 你爸妈是假的瓶邪都是真的

Translated title: Love Gu

Relationship: Zhang Qiling/Wu Xie

Writer's attribute: PingXie Only

Rating: M/R

Status: Complete

Language: Chinese

Length: 7 Chapters

Tags: Canon Setting—Yucun, Wu Xie's First Person POV

What's inside the fic: Minor OCs, Miao Village, Miao People, Wedding Ceremony, Ancient Witchcraft Gu, Forced Marriage, Dub-Con Marriage because someone is bewitched XD

About this fic:

Wu Xie got a strange wedding invitation from Miao Village. Feeling that something was wrong, Zhang Qiling accompanied Wu Xie to attend the wedding. Unexpectedly, they also got married.

Personal opinion:

I like it! I read it when it was still updating, now it's completed. It has an unique setting and it tells me more about gu of Miao ethnic group. I'm wondering if "gu setting" may be similar to "f*ck or die", "s*x pollen", or "curse" trope.. Anyway, it's really interesting (⁠*⁠´⁠ω⁠｀⁠*⁠)

A little note:

Since it's on Weibo, this fanfic is in the form of images. For a certain chapter, just flip it if it's in mirror image.

The same author as the previous one. I hope she posts it on AO3 too.

Where to read: Weibo

#pingxie #pingxie fic rec #zhang qiling x wu xie #pingxie only #dmbj #px fic rec 41 to 50 #canon compliant #marriage fic #forced marriage #gu #bewitched wu xie #multichapter #你爸妈是假的瓶邪都是真的/zqlweiaiwx

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theabstruseone · 9 months

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I slept in and just woke up, so here's what I've been able to figure out while sipping coffee:

Twitter has officially rebranded to X just a day or two after the move was announced.

The official branding is that a tweet is now called "an X", for which there are too many jokes to make.

The official account is still @twitter because someone else owns @X and they didn't reclaim the username first.

The logo is 𝕏 which is the Unicode character Unicode U+1D54F so the logo cannot be copyrighted and it is highly likely that it cannot be protected as a trademark.

Outside the visual logo, the trademark for the use of the name "X" in social media is held by Meta/Facebook, while the trademark for "X" in finance/commerce is owned by Microsoft.

The rebranding has been stopped in Japan as the term "X Japan" is trademarked by the band X JAPAN.

Elon had workers taking down the "Twitter" name from the side of the building. He did not have any permits to do this. The building owner called the cops who stopped the crew midway through so the sign just says "er".

He still plans to call his streaming and media hosting branch of the company as "Xvideo". Nobody tell him.

This man wants you to give him control over all of your financial information.

Edit to add further developments:

Yes, this is all real. Check the notes and people have pictures. I understand the skepticism because it feels like a joke, but to the best of my knowledge, everything in the above is accurate.

Microsoft also owns the trademark on X for chatting and gaming because, y'know, X-box.

The logo came from a random podcaster who tweeted it at Musk.

The act of sending a tweet is now known as "Xeet". They even added a guide for how to Xeet.

The branding change is inconsistent. Some icons have changed, some have not, and the words "tweet" and "Twitter" are still all over the place on the site.

TweetDeck is currently unaffected and I hope it's because they forgot that it exists again. The complete negligence toward that tool and just leaving it the hell alone is the only thing that makes the site usable (and some of us are stuck on there for work).

This is likely because Musk was forced out of PayPal due to a failed credit line project and because he wanted to rename the site to "X-Paypal" and eventually just to "X".

This became a big deal behind the scenes as Musk paid over $1 million for the domain X.com and wanted to rebrand the company that already had the brand awareness people were using it as a verb to "pay online" (as in "I'll paypal you the money")

X.com is not currently owned by Musk. It is held by a domain registrar (I believe GoDaddy but I'm not entirely sure). Meaning as long as he's hung onto this idea of making X Corp a thing, he couldn't be arsed to pay the $15/year domain renewal.

Bloomberg estimates the rebranding wiped between $4 to $20 billion from the valuation of Twitter due to the loss of brand awareness.

The company was already worth less than half of the $44 billion Musk paid for it in the first place, meaning this may end up a worse deal than when Yahoo bought Tumblr.

One estimation (though this is with a grain of salt) said that Twitter is three months from defaulting on its loans taken out to buy the site. Those loans were secured with Tesla stock. Meaning the bank will seize that stock and, since it won't be enough to pay the debt (since it's worth around 50-75% of what it was at the time of the loan), they can start seizing personal assets of Elon Musk including the Twitter company itself and his interest in SpaceX.

Sesame Street's official accounts mocked the rebranding.

#twitter #twitterpocalypse #twitter fail #elon musk #fuck elon musk

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chuluoyi · 7 months

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fear

- gojo satoru x reader

his best friend’s defection is still a hard topic for him to swallow, and it leads into an unexpected argument that spurs you to leave, only to unlock a new fear in him when you get into an unfortunate accident afterwards.

genre/warnings: angst, gojo being mean, one scene with a worried nanami *wink*, injured reader, hurt/comfort, fluff in the end

notes: *sigh* my coping mechanism is still gojo’s past arc, which is why this piece takes place on that timeline. just a little context: reader is in the same class with nanami & haibara and was in the same mission that took haibara's life. this is probably the longest oneshot i've written so far sooo… enjoy! :)

series masterlist | oneshot masterlist

A year and a half had passed since Suguru embarked on his path as a curse user. In that one year and a half, Satoru had finished his last year at Jujutsu High, and now was in the halls of his alma mater, speaking to the newly appointed headmaster who was none other than his teacher.

"You're applying to become a teacher?" Yaga asked again with a frown. He still couldn't wrap his head around it. Granted, he was his most troublesome pupil. "Why, Satoru?"

"If I said it's because I want to train young sorcerers to be strong, would you believe me?"

That was not a lie. It was actually 50% of his main reasons anyway. The other 50% was to repent what he missed with Suguru when he chose his dark path—his contempt with the current system of this jujutsu world.

"I would," Yaga responded gruffly. To him, Satoru was irritating, but he also knew that he was also extremely capable, and thus everything he did wasn't just out of nowhere. "But you still have to submit your applications. We can't make an exception even if you come from a prestigious clan."

"That's fine with me," he grinned. "Thanks, sensei."

On summer days, he'd get reminded of Suguru and silly things they had done together. Eating shaved ice, cycling together, driving either you, Shoko or Nanami mad. Satoru missed those days, it hadn't been the same ever since. Not knowing if his best friend was alright—if he was still alive at all—was exhausting.

Sometimes, he felt like he was the only one who was affected by his departure, the only one who stayed right where Suguru left him. Shoko didn't seem ruffled, if anything she just went to more bars and pachinko parlors as of late. Nanami was always a recluse, he never disclosed his feelings. You mourned him, but it was clear that most part of you would always be more focused on Haibara's death.

Satoru understood that he couldn't force anyone to feel what he felt, and he had no right to. But sometimes, he just wanted someone to connect with at his level. Someone to get him just like Suguru did.

And so when he got back to his condo that night—just right next to the one he rented for Megumi and Tsumiki, since he had moved out of his dorm—to find his girlfriend there with a big smile and a tray of cupcakes, unaware of everything and anything, he merely scoffed to himself.

"Satoru, you're back," you acknowledged, beaming like the sunshine you were. "I just baked these for the kids. Do you want some?"

Usually he'd smother you, throw some pickup lines here and there and say yes, but today, he just felt drained. "No." And with that, he stalked away to the bathroom, not glancing back at you.

It was wrong. But tonight he just wanted some peace and quiet, and so keeping his silence seemed to be the best choice as he didn't want to start a pointless argument with you. But you weren’t anything but observant, and definitely noticed that something was amiss with him.

"Are you... alright?" You approached him warily after he came out of the bathroom with wet hair. "Where were you today?"

"Just somewhere," he replied curtly. Afterwards he turned on the hairdryer, drowning the whole place with the noise even as you stood behind him with a visible question mark.

But you were still there after he dried his hair. "Is something bothering you?" you asked with a tilt of your head, concerned. By all means, you mean well. You just wanted to know if he could use your help at all.

When you pulled that expression, he couldn't help feeling annoyed, like he wanted you to take a hint, but you just didn't. "If you know, then just shut it."

It was probably the first time since the two of you got together that Satoru actually said something harsh. But you still tried to be reasonable though, bless you.

"Satoru, I don't know what got into your nerves like this, but I think sleeping through it might help. Have a rest."

"Why are you talking as if you know it?" he snapped, finally turning to you with his cold gaze. "You might not know anything, so don't be a know-it-all. Just mind your own business."

Now you were frustrated with his reply. "Once again, I don't know what happened to you. But if you're taking it out on me because I'm the closest you have—"

"Who said that?" Satoru didn't know where he got all this venom from. It was just at the forefront of his mind and he just got the urge to spew it. "You're considering yourself closest to me? Where did you get that big head from?"

You were aghast, and you blinked a few times to get your bearings. "Let me guess, it's about Geto-san, isn't it? Or the higher ups. Either of that must be what causing you to blindly place your anger on me."

"So what if it was? It isn't like you'll understand anyway."

"Satoru," you started, trying to even your breathing. "What happened to Geto-san isn't your fault. I've been telling you this. It can't be helped—"

"Can't be helped?" he jeered. "Do you know why it has come to this?" his tone took a dangerous edge as he stepped closer. He reached for you, grasping your wrist.

"Maybe because I was too blind back then. If it weren't for you—if only I didn't spend that much time on you, maybe he would still be here."

Did he just say that? Did he just imply that he had regretted the two of you getting together?

You felt your lower lip start to tremble and something seemed to obscure and blur your vision, making it hard to see him clearly. "You... don't mean that."

"Really?" the corner of his lips curled into a disparaging smile. "You never know. Before you know it, this can be over already. After all, I could have anyone out there that I want. Maybe someone less nosey than—”

That did it. You wrenched your arm out of his grip violently, as your first tear fell. His smirk vanished too, replaced with a total stillness to cover his sudden panic that was followed by a sudden sinking feeling at the pit of his stomach.

"You selfish, self-obsessed jerk," you hissed through watery eyes. He was taken aback, even amidst your anger and possible fear of him, your still managed to throw daggers at him. "Fine. You have it. I'll see myself out."

Satoru never wanted you to leave. Honestly, he would've made you stay. But he wasn't in the right state of mind and it was too late to take back what he said. He didn't want to mess this up even further.

You left the cupcakes, even throwing it away just to spite him. Driven by pain and humiliation, you choked back your sob and didn't spare a glance at him as you shut the door.

Peace and quiet. There he had it, he thought as he clenched his fists, at the cost of everything else.

Leaving that condo, every step you took felt like needles piercing your shattered heart. You wiped your tears roughly. No, you refused to cry over such asshole. He made it clear, didn't he? Whatever it was that you two shared, it was at the cost of his best friend leaving him. So now the blame was on you.

If you were thinking clearly, you would've understood that his words were likely a result of his own pent-up pain and frustration that he had kept to himself for some while. But you had no patience for that or even pinpoint what you felt right now—anger, disappointment or dread, or perhaps all three. You just felt wrongly accused.

Your feet brought you back to your dorm in the school. Now it wasn't as bustling as it once were. After Satoru and Shoko's graduation, you didn't really get close to anyone. There was Ichiji, but he treated you more like a mentor rather than a classmate.

As you sank into the comforts of your bed, You replayed the events, trying to find where it went wrong—and found nothing. After all, you had already said all that could be said. It wasn't just him who lost Geto, but you, Shoko and Nanami did too, but it was more convenient for Satoru to blame everyone else rather than trying to understand that they too shared this pain.

Nevertheless, you were disappointed. You didn't expect half of what he spouted, and it got you doubting everything you had.

"You've royally fucked up."

Satoru exhaled, glaring at Shoko through the corner of his eyes. "Yeah, maybe."

The reverse cursed technique user threw him a blank stare, taking in everything from his disheveled hair to his wrinkled trousers. "Gojo, as much as I can’t care less about your sorry ass, I'm saying this not out of concern for you, but rather for Y/N. You are an asshole."

The puff of smoke she blew expanded to create a cloud-like shape. "Yaga-sensei was our teacher. His student is now a mass murderer and wanted dead. Can you even imagine how he feels? And I can't believe I'm saying this—but weren't there three of us?"

A week had gone by and instead of doing the right thing like trying to get into your good graces, Satoru was in Shoko's infirmary in the headquarters instead. He didn't exactly know what he was looking for by going here. Maybe some lingering taste of his happier student days, and Shoko was the only one remaining.

Three of us, huh... she was right. That was precisely why he came here after all.

"You're just sulking because it seems no one cares about your best friend being the best there is. But have you thought about how our juniors also lost Haibara? Right in front of their eyes? Haibara was our friend too."

He was wrong, of course he was. Satoru realized that now. But it felt wrong to ask for your forgiveness now, not to mention the disrupting thought he had—should he let you go for good altogether?

The phone suddenly rang with such fervor that made Shoko utter a swear word. She was on call duty for the rescue team today, and it was supposedly a peaceful day until Satoru decided to barge in to become her company. "Hello? Ichiji? What—speak clearly, I can't hear you."

She switched it to loudspeaker. "...iri-san! Ieiri-san—h-help—please—"

It was noisy, and blaring at the same time, and Ichiji was... Sobbing? Choking? His voice was terribly muffled and—

"L/N-san!" he cried, and Satoru remembered at that moment that you should be in a mission with Ichiji, he remembered you telling him before.

"Hic—s-she fell... hic—she fell! B-blood! She i-is bleeding so much! I-Ieiri-san—hic—s-send help! Please!"

"Hey, stay awake. Breathe. Just breathe."

Everything hurt. Most notably, your head. You could hardly think straight when all you felt was blinding pain and how your breaths came in short wheezes.

Your vision was blurry. The numbness had started to set in and chills ran up and down your spine. You couldn't make out who in front of you was. Was it Ichiji, who went with you in this mission? The only thing that glared was blue.

"You can't sleep, you hear me?" the voice was commanding, willing you to do his bidding. It was familiar, but usually his tone of voice was much lighter, happier.

Satoru.

But why was he here? He wasn't in this mission. It was supposed to be a mission for you and Ichiji.

You remembered getting the cursed spirit after manifesting your domain expansion, until in its last ditch attempt, it went after Ichiji. You had no choice—even when your cursed energy had burned out, you still shoved him away at the cost of being flung from the top of a building.

Not again. Not after Haibara. You’d gladly pay the price if it meant you didn't have to see anyone die in front of you again.

"I..." You managed to croak out—breathing hurt, and you felt your hands being grasped tightly.

"Hey, just breathe. Y/N. Look at me.” Through your blurry haze, you focused on that cold blue, and you saw him. Satoru's sharp eyes, pursed lips and frown. He's really here.

Satoru always said that if there was a cursed spirit apocalypse, then Ichiji would be the first to die. You used to scold him for that, but now as you a laid here possibly dying in your own pool of blood, you found it to be true.

Yet at the same time you knew that with him here, Ichiji must be safe already, and it gave you reassurance so great even when you were on the verge of dying. "I... can't..."

"Yes, you can. Just look at me," he firmly rebuked, his voice came out in a hiss. For all the time you had been with him, you had never heard him so forceful. "If you close your eyes now, I won't forgive you. So please, just hang in there."

It was a struggle to take in any air and darkness encroached on your vision as your consciousness began slipping away.

And everything faded to nothingness.

Satoru honestly thought he had no fears. His worst fear had fully realized after all—Suguru going away into the darkness. What more could he possibly fear?

But when he heard Ichiji's distress call for rescue team, about how you fell from a rooftop of a building and unconscious, he realized that it was a fear he didn't know existed. His mind got disoriented and he teleported to the scene on impulse. He just had to see it for himself. With their petty argument still lacking closure, he felt even worse.

And the sight before him gave him so much fright he never thought was possible.

It was a mistake, he should have brought Shoko along.

You had laid there like a broken doll, your eyes dimmed, and not been able to breathe. He desperately tried to keep you awake, his presence beside you, yet it didn't seem to matter. He watched helplessly as you passed out in his arms.

Satoru felt nothing. The panic that had set in was suddenly gone as your limp body slumped against him, replaced by incessant ringing in his ears and tremor wracking his nervous system. It wasn't long until the rescue team came to retrieve you and even then he still felt numb. He rejected the idea that you might possibly die on him.

That went on until Shoko, who assisted in the emergency treatment, came out of the surgery, sweat on her forehead.

"It's even worse than the aftermath of the guardian deity mission last year," Shoko explained with a grim expression. "Her brain has sustained damage and it affects everything. It may take her quite a while before she can go back to the field."

When she said that, Satoru felt terror washed over him again. You almost died—was all he perceived.

The two of you had no contact for a week just because of his ego. He could still recall that day with vivid clarity, feeling a burning ache in his chest. If someone were to ask him what heartbreak was like, now he certainly would he able the to tell them the two instances in which he experienced them. What he felt now mirrored the same stinging sensation he had felt when Suguru left him.

He visited you when he was allowed to, and you were still unconscious, with many machines connected to your body. It was a sight he still couldn’t bring himself to get used to. He had seen you injured before, but never seen you in your own pool of blood, so this made him feel sick to his stomach.

"Stupid," he whispered, gently rubbing your forehead. His eyes remained fixated on you as you rested, his insides still churning with emotions. "You're not weak, and you're not hopeless." Once upon a time, Satoru might have thought of you as weak, but now he knew better.

"So why you always pick the worst decision?" The more he thought this could've been avoided, the more irked he was. The thought that he could have done something to prevent it intensified the sting of guilt, and he continued to punish himself with it.

And the more he dwelled on the idea that he had hurt you prior to this, the tighter his breath became.

But that was who you were. Self-sacrificing to a fault. And he loved you for that. There was no way of him letting you go now.

It astonished even himself—that he was capable of this love thing. At first it was an attraction, but now that you had been going on for more than a year, it felt like it was no longer a silly infatuation after all.

"Hurry and wake up, will you?" Satoru gently brushed your hair aside, his eyes fixed on you. He didn't know it even as his gut twisted, his frown deepened and his touch quivered, that he was worried sick. "I have a lot to make up for."

And he left you with a tender brush of his lips against your forehead.

Nanami Kento was the first person you saw when you awoke from coma.

You struggled to regain your senses, still feeling absolutely broken. The dull throb on the back of your head was still there, and as if you had found yourself trapped in a fog, you were only able to move sluggishly.

"You're awake?" his gruff voice greeted, laced with concern. In his hand were a bucket of fresh flowers and fruits basket, which he soon placed at the table next to your bed.

It was unexpected, because ever since the tragedy that costed Haibara's life, the two of you had been drifting apart.

You nodded, and let out a hum in response—all you could manage at the moment.

"Thank God." Nanami sounded relieved as he pinched the bridge between his eyes, and you were moved that he had shown this degree of concern.

Your remaining classmate, who suffered the burden of Haibara's life just like you. He was always quiet or brooding somewhere, hiding his own feelings.

You felt tears pricking the corner of your eyes. The fact that he visited you meant that he hadn't decided to cut you out of his life yet.

"Gojo-san is out today, but he'll be back by afternoon," he said, mistranslating your tears as some sort of a want to have your annoying—ex?—boyfriend at your side.

The two of you were still not on talking terms, weren’t you?

You so badly wanted to say thank you to him—and tell him that no, you weren't looking for Satoru—but it came out hoarse and barely above a whisper.

"Huh?" Nanami then realized what you were trying to say, and a faint smile graced his lips. "Just... get well soon, L/N. Have a good rest."

Just before you drifted back to sleep, you could hear him sigh and mutter, "Hello, Gojo-san? L/N has awakened. Just letting you know is all.”

You weren't sure how much time had passed when you woke up the second time, but the curtains were already drawn and only darkness came from the window. Your body felt lighter, but you still felt like a mess and and couldn't help but groan in discomfort.

Satoru was there, he perked up at the noise you made. And you realized that it was the first time in about a week that he faced you after that disasterous almost-breakup.

He walked up to you, his expression was more hopeful than you had ever seen him before, like a kid whose wish had been granted. He slowly shifted to sit beside you.

"Hey, welcome back." His voice was soft. It was a change of pace for him, as you were used to seeing him all loud and silly.

Now your voice no longer sounds like a lead. "Hey."

"How are you feeling?" he asked and you took a moment to look at him. He was smiling, but exhaustion reached his bright eyes, dimming them. "You know, with the whole you passing out and almost dying thing?"

His words were almost humorous as he spoke, like he didn't know what else to say except try to lighten the mood, but there was also a strain on his tone, like he was holding back.

"I'm quite fine now, I suppose..." You still felt the lingering pain and dizziness as you slowly sat up. Satoru reached out to steady you—and you realized how his fingers trembled when they made contact with your body—as his brows furrowed with worry when you winced.

"You don't look like it though." His voice dropped and the humor was gone, replaced by this haunted look. You blinked. It was probably the first time you had seem him this ruffled.

He immediately pulled you into a hug, cradling your head to his neck gently, as if to protect and shield you from the world altogether. Exhaling heavily, he leaned on you. "You scared me, you know that?"

You wondered out loud if you really had that hold over him. "Did I?"

"You can't do that to me, you hear?" Satoru stroked your hair, nuzzling his face on the crook of your neck. His voice quivered. “Don't ever do that again.”

He pulled you tighter against him, but still careful not to crush you.

You let out a snicker, letting go of everything you felt during this horrible week. "Heh, afraid to lose me, huh?"

"Shut up,” he grumbled. “What were you thinking anyway? How did you calculate that freefalling is better than letting that cursed spirit attack Ichiji?”

"He was defenseless. He could die, you know that."

"And you also can," he quipped, upset, pulling away enough to look you squarely in the eyes, his eyes devoid of any expression, yet filled with a raging wave that you could only interpret as undiluted concern.

The emphasis in his tone made you recoil and feel guilty. If you were in his shoes, you probably would've said the same thing and so you had nothing to say to that.

But the more pressing agenda in the list was the unspoken silent treatment the two of you saw fit to use against each other for the last few days. Satoru was the one who decided to address it first.

"About that night..." he faltered, looking away. "I didn't mean what I said. I'm sorry."

Satoru always had trouble processing emotions. This time too. He must've a hard time dealing with the anxiety caused by the possibility of him losing you for good, no matter how much he tried to be unaware of it.

"..." You wanted to respond, to make him understand your point, but somehow right now you were just too weary. And he sensed your reluctance. So you blurted the first thing that gnawed at your mind.

“You said you could have any other women out there—”

"No, really—" he started to panic, and it was blatantly too, which surprised you. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Us. I don't regret anything. I’m not breaking up with you. Being with you is the happiest I've been ever since Suguru left."

“That's...” you blinked, before letting out a small sigh. “Okay. Fine then. Let's just put it behind us for now.”

“I—” he almost wheezed, his bright blue eyes were overtaken with sheer urgency to explain how wrong everything had been that night. “You must know that I didn’t mean any of it. And that I hate hurting you the way I did. I won’t—”

"Satoru, I understand," you let out another sigh, fidgeting with your fingers. "Sometimes when I’m reminded of Haibara, I also get sad. I don't want to presume but I think I know how you feel. Just next time, maybe," you shifted your gaze on him, seeing how you had his attention fully. Gojo Satoru, the strongest now, was looking at you as if you had his fate in your hands. "Just tell me if you need space and I would have understood."

"Yeah, okay, sure," he responded immediately, relieved, before a lopsided grin appeared on his face, turning him back into your dork slash boyfriend. "So, am I forgiven now?"

"A thank you would be nice."

In the end, he chuckled, seemingly resigned. "You should sleep more."

He positioned himself into bed next to you, and you let him pull you into his chest again. You could feel how his taut back started to relax upon the contact. He pressed his lips on your forehead in a fleeting kiss.

"Promise me you won't pull that stunt again.”

You smirked. "I can't. What if Ichiji—"

"Then just let him die."

You swatted his arm playfully, pressing your head to his chest as he continued to run his fingers on your hair. He cushioned you carefully, and you felt the tension in him slowly melt away with each breath you took. In your mind, you figured he needed this closeness more than you did, if anything, for the sake of his sanity.

“I love you,” he whispered by your ear, kissing it lightly.

“Mmhm.”

As you felt Satoru's calming presence, it helped ease you into slumber. You soon found yourself in a deep sleep, comfortably held in his embrace.

Epilogue

Ichiji gulped as Satoru stared him down, sizing him up as if he was the most despicable creature on this planet.

Okay, he might be. He was a coward, all he could do was trembling in the face of evil. But he had come in peace, even bringing fruits as an offering! He felt bad too that he was the partial cause for you to be this injured.

He was used to Satoru terrorizing him—calling him names, slapping him, and whatnot—and he could take it. Just this time, he really looked like he could murder him on the spot if he wanted to. A small part of Ichiji mourned that you were his girlfriend, because that pretty much sealed his fate that Gojo Satoru could indeed murder him on the spot because he had a valid enough reason to.

"You are—"

"No! I'm sorry, Gojo-san! I'm sorry for my incompetence!"

"Hah?"

If he was mildly irked before, now Satoru was visibly irritated.

"You're not cut out to be a jujutsu sorcerer," he started. "You're useless. You just get in the way most of the time."

Ichiji kept his head down. No, no. He can't cry!

"Get your driving license or I'll slap the shit out of you."

"Oh?" and before he knew it, Satoru had stalked away, leaving him in the dust. How rude! But...

Get a driver license? Quit the jujutsu work?

Hey, that sounds like something I can do!