hello average tumblr user. i want to play a game. in front of you is a female character. and i want you to genuinely and earnestly care about her without shipping her with a man, make her the mean lesbian best friend or the 'mum' friend. if you cannot manage to do this in the next 45 minutes i will release the hounds on you. live or die. make your choice
The prompt for this was "I don't want to be alone"
When Satoru wakes up, itâs with a smile. For the first time in four years he wakes up feeling content and happy and finally settled again, because Suguru came back. Suguru came back to him and things finally feel right again.
That feeling of contentment, of rightness lasts for as long as Satoru needs to open his eyes, because when he does he is only met with the empty side of his bed and once his brain comprehends that sight, thereâs a flash of pain so acute that it almost feels like being carved open again before everything goes numb.
Suguru is gone.
Satoru blinks.
The bed right next to him stays empty and Satoru canât feel Suguruâs cursed energy anywhere in the vicinity. That might not mean much because Suguru got scarily good at repressing his own energy signature but when Satoru looks with his Six Eyes he finds that the apartment is empty, devoid of any other presence than his.
He feels as if he canât move.
Suguru came back, guarded and cautious, clearly expecting Satoru to be angry with him or to send him away again when all Satoru had wanted was to pull him into his arms and never let go. And he thought he got that across, he thought they were on the same page about that after they talked, and then fought, and then talked some more before they made up and then made up and Satoru had thoughtâ
Clearly heâd thought wrong.
He carefully reaches across the bed, his fingers trembling against the sheets and he lets out a small sob when the space next to him is cold.
Suguru must have left a while ago then.
Satoru buries his face in the pillow, childishly thinking that maybe it will turn out to be a bad dream if he simply falls back asleep again, but thereâs a gaping hole in his chest and Satoru finds that breathing is a little bit hard.
Suguru left again. He left him again and Satoru doesnât know if he can live through this again. The first time almost killed him, made him volatile and reckless in a way that had even Yaga worried and most of all it had hurt.Â
Satoru had felt as if half of his body had been missing, and to think that heâll have to go through that againâ
He chokes on his next breath.Â
The tears that come out next feel hot on his skin and Satoru presses harder into the pillow, not caring if heâs going to suffocate himself like this. Nothing matters anymore, not if Suguru is gone again.
All these years, Satoru had knownâgenerally speakingâwhere Suguru is; Yuki didnât make much of a secret out of the fact that she had help now but Suguru stayed elusive, always out of sight, always out of reach for Satoru and in that regard Yuki had been no help.
She had told him to respect Suguruâs decisions, clearly not understanding how Suguruâs absenceâand his continued avoidance of Satoruâhad carved him wide open, bared all his sensitive bits to the world and then crushed them.
Satoru has tried for four years to get Suguru to come to him again, to show himself, if even just once, so when Suguru showed up in front of his apartment like thisâSatoru had hoped.
He had hoped and clearly he had been foolish to do so because Suguru left without a word, seemingly without a care in the world, yet again and itâs just too much.
Itâs all just too much.
Satoru wonders if this time hurts more than the first, but itâs as if heâs comparing bombs that were specifically designed to deal the most devastating damage to him personally. Both times wreak havoc within him except that this time heâs already scarred twice over. Heâs not sure thereâs still something left that even can heal from this, and in all honesty heâs not sure if he even wants to.
Whatâs the use in living in a world where Suguru is not by his side, where he made it so abundantly clear that he doesnât want to be anywhere near Satoru. He even took the time to drive that point home twice and Satoru finds himself thinking that this time it might have done the trick.
He doesnât want to try again; he tried so hard for four years and then even harder the last eight hours and what use had it all been? Suguru walked out of his life again as if Satoru doesnât mean anything to him, as if they donât mean anything and maybe itâs time that Satoru finally takes the goddamn hint.
A harsh coldness spreads through him, so unlike anything he has known before and Satoru lets it fill him whole.
It doesnât matter anymore. Nothing matters if Suguru is not by his side, Satoru has learned these last four years and the thought that he has to live the rest of his life like that makes him feel sick to his stomach.
The thought that Suguru chooses this, again, makes new tears well up in his eyes.
For a few short, blissful hours Satoru had hoped. Suguru had come to him, decided to talk to him, to fight with him, to make up with him; surely it must mean something, Satoru had thought.
But to have all of that thrown in his face like thisâSatoru bites back another sob and forces himself to sit up.
There are things he has to do, he knows; Yaga is probably already calling him, because there is a mission he was supposed to go on today but once Satoru is sitting at the edge of his bed, he canât find it in him to move again.
Surely he can have one day. One day to wallow in his misery, to let this pain fill him whole before the world will demand of him to bottle it all up again.
Satoru doesnât want to be alone, never has been, but it seems as if everyone around him made that decision for him yet again.
He doesnât know how much time he loses like this, shivering at the edge of his bed in nothing but his sleep clothes but itâs not as if he cares. The cold is one of the very few things that can touch him, even through his infinity, and a small part of Satoru wonders if itâs possible to die like this.
Maybe heâd like to try.
A shiver wrecks his body when Satoru hears something that sounds like his front door, but it canât be, he knows that. Shoko doesnât bother him here and Yaga would never step foot into his apartment, so it has to be a hallucination.
Hopefully the cold is getting to him faster than even Satoru thought.
Soft murmuring reaches his ears, which doesnât fit with the people Satoru would expect to come to drag him out of his apartment, so he tries not to pay it any more mind. At least until he hears Suguruâs voice call out his name.
âSatoru?â
The tremor that starts in his hands at that have nothing to do with the cold; Satoru didnât think his own mind could be so cruel as to conjure up this form of torture, but clearly he doesnât know himself as well as he thought.
âSatoru, have you not gotten up yet? Seriously?â he hears Suguruâs voice go on, and after some brief muttered words that Satoru canât make out he hears footsteps.
Footsteps that approach the bedroom.
It canât be, Satoru reminds himself, keeping his eyes fixed on the opposite side of the room, because Suguru left. Suguru left him. He wouldnât come back, not once he made up his mind, Satoru knows that out of his own bitter experience.
Satoru presses his fists to his eyes, wills these images and sounds to go away, but he only accomplishes to make stars burst behind his eyes. Everything else stays the same.
âSatoru?â Suguru asks just as the bedroom door opens and by now Satoru is shaking all over.
He didnât hallucinate like this the first time around; maybe the second time is worse after all, in terms of how it fucks him up. Maybe heâll need to invent an entire new scale to measure the pain heâs feeling.
âWhatâs wrong?â Suguruâs voice rushes out and then there are hands on his, warm hands, familiar hands and Satoru bursts into tears again.
âI donât want to be alone,â he sobs out, still not daring to take his hands off his own face, even though he knows those are Suguruâs hands on his, because what if heâs just here to drive the point home once more?
What if heâs just here to laugh at Satoru and all of his stupid, hurt feelings?
âYouâre not alone, Iâm right here,â Suguru whispers, pulling Satoru into a hug and Satoru is helpless against it.
He falls into it. At least physically.
âYouâre not. You left. You left me again, and Iâm notâIâm not the strongest when it comes to that,â he gets out, words broken up by his sobs and Suguru only holds him tighter.
âI didnât leave, Iâm right here, arenât I?â Suguru reminds him but it doesnât matter.
Suguru left him without a word and Satoru canât trust it.
âYouâre always going to leave, arenât you?â he quietly says once his sobs have died down because he needs to get used to this, he knows.
Suguru will always leave and Satoru will always have to pick up the pieces again.
âYou really didnât leave the bedroom, did you?â Suguru asks, and pushes Satoru slightly away.
Satoru is too numb to even panic over that anymore, but when Suguruâs gaze finds his, his heart gives a painful, shuddery thud in his chest.
âYou werenât there.â
âI made you breakfast. I left you a note. I left you my phone number, so youâd know Iâd come back,â Suguru gently tells him but Satoru shakes his head.
âYouâre lying. You donât care. You left.â
âOh, Satoru,â Suguru breathes out, his voice unbearably sad even as he leans forward to brush kisses over Satoruâs eyes, taking care to kiss the tears still clinging to his lashes right off them. âIâm right here. I told you I would be. I said Iâm not leaving again, donât you remember?â
âWhat does it matter when you still do it?â
âAlright, enough,â Suguru suddenly sternly says, framing Satoruâs face with his hands. âIâm here. Satoru, Iâm here. I promise on my life that Iâm here.â He suddenly tugs Satoru up and heâs there to catch Satoru when he stumbles over his legs. âLet me show you,â Suguru whispers into Satoruâs hair as he holds him upright and he doesnât wait for Satoruâs answer before he steers him into the kitchen.
True to his word a bento is right there on the counter, a note attached to it. Suguru takes the note and hands it to Satoru.
âRead it,â he instructs him and Satoruâs eyes fall down to do just that.
I have to go and pick someone up, but I will be back at ten, at the very latest. Please eat something and in case you get bored, hereâs my phone number. A string of numbers is scribbled underneath that but itâs the next words that make the breath catch in Satoruâs throat. I love you. Iâll be home soon.
âI should have known something is wrong when you didnât bombard me with messages,â Suguru mutters as he kisses the top of Satoruâs head.
âYou love me,â Satoru mutters, his eyes tracing over those words over and over again.
âI do. You know that. We already said it yesterday,â Suguru gives back, but despite his words he pulls Satoru closer to himself.
âThis isâhome now?â Satoru asks next, his voice almost failing him over the word but he feels Suguru nod.
âWeâll need to see about this apartment, because thereâs something I havenât told you yet, but home is with you. I promise.â
Satoru tenses at his words.
âSomething you havenât told me yet,â he repeats, fear clawing up his throat again. âWhat is it?â he still forces himself to ask and Suguru taps the note.
âI told you, I went to pick someone up. Are you ready to meet them?â
Satoru opens his mouth because he doesnât know, isnât sure about this, but he doesnât get a chance to actually say anything when two girls suddenly step into the kitchen.
âGeto-sama, weâre cold,â the blond one complaints, her eyes fixed on Satoru despite the way she addresses Suguru.
âWho is that?â the other girl asks, voice much softer than her sisters and Satoru turns to look at Suguru.
âNanako, Mimiko, this is Gojo Satoru,â he introduces him. âSatoru, those are my daughters.â
âYourâdaughters,â Satoru repeats, unable to wrap his mind around what is currently happening.
âRemember the village? My last mission?â Suguru lowly asks and Satoru nods.
How could he ever forget the day that Suguru left him? The people who had originally called for help came back with a complaint to the school, shouting something about the devil himself and how he took two kids away from them.
Satoru had thought they were delusional, but maybe he should have listened more.
âI rescued them, I took them in. They are mine, now,â Suguru goes on, his voice just as low as before and Satoru shivers with it. âItâs up to you what you do with that.â
He says it without reservation, placing their future squarely in Satoruâs hands, as if there is any universe out there where Satoru would send them away again.
âIs this the guy you wonât shut up about?â Nanako asks, even as both Mimiko and Suguru make an embarrassed noise.
âNanako, thatâs rude,â Suguru chides her, a light blush dusting his cheeks but Nanako only puffs up her cheeks.
She canât be older than eight, and Satoru finds himself thinking that he might want to squish her cheeks.
âBut heâs the guy you still have as your background picture, right?â Mimiko chimes in and with every second that Suguru turns a darker red, Satoru finds his footing again.
Suguru always intended to come back to him. Suguru decided to introduce his daughters to him. He loves him and he called this their home. Surely, it must all mean something and for once, Satoru decides to trust it.
Decides to trust in Suguru.
âWhat picture does he use?â Satoru asks walking up to the girls and crouching down in front of them. âCan you tell me?â
âI can do you one better,â Nanako decisively says as she gets her own phone out. âI made a picture.â
âOh, I do like you,â Satoru decides, ignoring Suguruâs spluttering behind him for now.
He needs to bond with his new daughters.
âHere you go,â Nanako says after a moment, shoving her phone in Satoruâs face so that he has to crane his head back.
He has never seen the picture that stares back at him, possibly because heâs asleep in it. Heâs in Suguruâs bed, that much he can tell, and Suguru must have snapped it before he woke him up.
It softens something inside of Satoru to see it.
Satoru turns back around to Suguru who seems embarrassed beyond belief but Satoru only smiles at him.
âI love you, too,â he says and instantly Suguru relaxes.
âSo this isâokay, then?â Suguru asks and he seems unsure all of a sudden, as if Satoru would send him away, simply because he comes with two daughters now.
âWeâre lucky this apartment is waaaay too big for me alone,â Satoru says, turning back around to the girls instead of gracing Suguru with an answer. âYou wanna see the rooms to decide on which to pick?â
âWeâre sleeping together,â Mimiko instantly says and Satoru nods, taking it in stride. Though the way she clings to her sister probably comes with a story, and Satoru is not sure heâs going to like it.
But that is for later.
âSure. One bedroom, one playroom? We can do that,â he says and gets up, holding out his hands for the girls to take.
They both peer around him to look to Suguru first, and he must nod, because soon after two tiny hands slide in Satoruâs.
He leads them to the first empty room he hasâtechnically itâs an office, but itâs not as if heâs ever using itâand the girls rush inside the room to look at every nook and cranny.
Satoru doesnât startle when Suguru steps up behind him because for once he knew that he would follow them, and when Suguru slings an arm around his middle he leans back into Suguruâs chest.
âIs this okay?â Suguru asks again and Satoru tips his head back until he can nose at Suguruâs cheek.
He feels Suguru shudder against him at that and happily leans into it when Suguru kisses him.
âAs long as youâre here with me, Iâm okay with everything,â Satoru finally says and threads his fingers together with Suguruâs.
Satoru knows that it wonât be quite that easy; he has no idea how to raise two daughters and heâs more than certain that heâll freak out every time Suguru leaves his sight for the foreseeable future, but he has his number in his phone, Suguruâs hand in his own, and his heart as well.
Maybe it will be enough.
âI love you. Iâm here,â Suguru whispers again, pressing the words into his skin and Satoru sighs.
i love you betrayals between people who still love each other i love you devotion to the point of destruction i love you selfish choices made in the name of love i love you devastating consequences of those choices
many sharks are at least moderately social, and if a specific species of shark has the ability to breathe without actually swimming and tends to have a lot of sharks in a fairly small area, well.
they are just going to Pile. and there is simply nothing you can do about it.
also, fun fact! whitetip reef sharks in particular are SO damn cuddly with each other that they'll actively seek out a buddy or ten when they get sleepy!
it's pretty much slumber party or nothing for these guys. you won't find a whitetip sleeping alone except in the most dire and tragic of shark circumstances.
okay so re: lobster immortality there's got to be a way to crack this. like, they've done half the work already, yeah? they don't age, they grow until they are no longer able to muster the energy to shed.
i see three issues. the first is the square-cube law. proportional growth becomes exponential for volume and surface area. if allowed to grow indefinitely, a lobster will quickly find itself overly burdened by gravity. this can be fixed by launching it into space. an orbital aquarium, perhaps lunar as a temporary measure.
secondly, as the creature grows larger, it will likely require more nutrients than it can feasibly absorb. this is easily fixable through cybernetic implants, adding new methods of intaking nourishment as necessary.
and finally, the molting. the thing is that you can't just, like, help it molt when it can't do it by itself. it has to initiate the process, form an exoskeleton under its current one, or breaking its shell will kill it. you have to make its metabolism think it has enough energy to molt, then provide at least enough energy for it to actually manage the first part while you handle the second. the solution here is obviously cocaine. or the lobster equivalent of cocaine.
of course, a lobster under these conditions would still very likely take hundreds of years to grow. it would not be a project a single human could see through. unless they did something crazy like transfer their consciousness into the lobster's brain. but that's veering just a bit too far into the hypothetical.
so what i'm saying is that a cocaine-fueled cyborg titan lobster deployable from orbit may not be a benefit of being a marine biologist, but it *may* be a benefit of being a marine biologist's great-great-great-great-great-grandchild.
Are you fucking kidding this is why aliens should be begging us to join their Starfleet. The precision?? The CONTROL?? The absolute mastery this driver has over their 20+ ton of steel is superhuman. This person could weave a mothership through an asteroid belt without making a single scratch on the hull. Foh âaliens donât want usâ aliens should be sucking our dicks.
