Summary: Suguru has a proposal for you, but you have more ties to jujutsu tech than he initially thought (gn! reader)
(contains: slight geto x reader, gojo x reader (mentioned))
WC: 1k
Warnings: n/a
------
It would’ve been easier to dismiss the pit in your stomach as nerves if a debilitating sense of doom hadn’t hit you directly in the chest when Geto slid into the seat across from you. “y/n, its good to see you again.” Despite the situation at hand, he seemed completely at ease, and almost happy, even.
You, on the other hand, faltered in your response.
It had been years since you had seen him in the flesh, and with the time and his unique circumstances in mind, you definitely didn’t expect him to look the same, but the man in front of you was a far cry from the one you knew from all those years ago.
His dark eyes were unreadable as your eyes flicked up to the the stitch pattern across his head back to his face. “It’s good to see you too Geto.” You couldn’t really tell if it was a lie or not, and you were pretty sure he could sense your uncertainty. Lucky for you, he didn’t seem to mind it.
“I heard about your termination from Jujutsu Tech last year. It’s truly a shame that the higher ups would allow their pride to get in the way of having such an exceptional sorcerer and instructor on their side.” You hummed in response, not really knowing what to say.
You had been fired swiftly after voicing your criticism of the handling of the attack on the school last year. Allowing children, especially one as inexperienced with jujutsu as Okkotsu Yuta, to be on the frontlines of such an unprecedented attack was insane to you. Despite the win, they were put in unnecessary danger, and some of them nearly lost their lives thanks to the man sitting in front of you. You letting the higher ups know your true feelings was a very, very big no.
Satoru Gojo, your close friend at the time, had advocated for you to stay, but to no avail.
You were a freelancer of sorts now, taking jobs where you could. A few weeks prior to your meeting, a man named Choso had contacted you about a job. The details were murky, but the pay was more than you’d gotten in a while. After a few shady meet ups to plan, you were given a date, time, and location, and now you were sitting at a table in a small Tokyo cafe with your murderous high school sweetheart who was supposed to be, until 20 minutes ago, very much dead.
“I thought Satoru killed you.” A wry smile broke through the calm look on his face. “Satoru, huh? When did you two get so close?” You faltered again.
“Listen,” the nerves from earlier seemed to multiply at the confrontation. The Suguru you knew was long, long gone and logically you knew this. That didn’t change the fact that it felt like you had betrayed him somehow.
After his initial killing spree, you and Gojo were left in shambles. He had lost his closest friend, and you had lost the man you loved. It wasn’t long before you two sought out each other for comfort and your friendship grew into something more. You two were each other’s anchors in times of unrest and over the years had come to love each other deeply; something that was only possible because of Suguru’s fall from grace.
“Whatever it is you’re trying to do, I don’t want to be a part of it. My loyalty still lies with jujutsu sorcerers. Me not working with the school anymore doesn’t change that.” A low laugh rumbled from his chest, a sound so familiar that it almost hurt. “Do you love him?”
Your heart pounded in your chest, “I’m not doing this with you Su, I-“ he leaned forward suddenly, and your mouth snapped shut as his intense gaze met yours. The feeling of doom earlier intensified, and you felt your stomach drop to your toes as he leered at you.
“The jujutsu world abandoned you and left you to die like a disobedient dog. The man that you love, despite his supposed strength, is still wrapped around the fingers of the same decrepit degenerates that allowed children to fight their battles. You and all the other underlings can claim to be radical, to have higher hopes for future generations, but me?” He grinned, his eyes glinting.
“I’m creating a new generation, one that will be free of the pathetic ideals of those conservative fools, and you spineless idealists. Im not only offering you a spot by my side in the fight, but a spot in the new world among curses. You’d be like royalty.”
“Absolutely not,” you were tense in your seat as you watched his nostrils flare. Of all the ways you’d imagined your reunion, this was not how you expected it to go at all. You at least knew why Choso had kept such a low profile about who you’d be meeting now. If anyone above you found out you two had met, you were sure your execution would be immediate. “I think I should go.”
You made quick work of your bag. Geto watched you silently as you packed, and stood from your chair. Part of you was glad he didn’t press any further, but some part of you was desperate for him to beg you to be with him again. Any proof that the man you knew was still there would have been a comfort, but you knew better than to hope.
——
You knew that the second you got home Gojo would sense your unease. When you did step in, you found him sitting on the couch, unpacking a bag of takeout. “Do you want to talk about it now, or later?” You smiled weakly, dropping your bag on the floor before making your way to the spot next to him. “Later, please.” He nodded before handing you a plate.
“Later it is.” That night you two ate in a heavy silence, knowing that it would likely be one of your last moments of peace for a while.
A/N: sorry for not posting for like 6 months, this semester was rough. but i’m baaaack :D pls send in requests if u have any
A big issue with online queer discourse is you never know what queer level your opponent is. You could be arguing about he/him lesbians with someone who thinks men can’t be bisexual
everymorning: i think im about to die. i think im going to die. im actually going to die. this is it. im going to die. im going to die immediately.
every single night: lock in. OK. Lock In. Change your Life. I love you. Lock in. This is going to be big. I’m going to change the world. Ready? I love you. Lock in. I have an idea. Lock in.
Bet it feels good as fuckkk to rest your hand on the pommel of your sword when the newcomer steps a little too close to your lord who you’ve sworn to protect with your life
I wish irl grinding was as fun as in videogames tbh. Like yeah i need to go to work a thousand times but after that i have enough materials to buy a house. But alas, houses arent real
Also Bev Keane was... perfect. I went from wanting to just be rid of her, to being utterly disgusted by her, to being terrified of her, and then to waiting with baited breath for her next line or appearance.
I loved your panel at ECCC! My favorite audience question came from a PK who asked who “your” Bev Keane was. I had considered asking you the same question because every exvangelical I’ve watched it with has asked the same question: “woah, who is this guy’s Bev Keane?” You don’t have to tell us, but how does it sit with you that a character that you felt might be too over-the-top apparently exists in every single congregation to such an extent that most people can name “their” Bev Keane?
I think Bev Keanes are everywhere, unfortunately. They've been normalized. The real Bevs are men and women in the Senate, they're in Congress - they're judges, they're lawyers, they're politicians, they're CEO's, they're running megachurches and banning books and demonizing science and propagating batshit conspiracies and stinking up PTA meetings and making scenes in coffee shops, fast food joints and parking lots. They've infiltrated all walks of American life, used the internet and social media to multiply like the viruses and they've only been emboldened, amplified, and reinforced.
I don't really have "my" Bev Keane. She was a fictional character who I considered a bit of an amalgamation (and a lot of an exaggeration) when I started working on this story over a decade ago. Today, my Bev seems downright moderate compared to some of the absolute lunatics I see frothing their bile on the evening news... and that sits very uneasily with me.
