Darn tootin'.

roo || thriving. writing. howdying. || they/them || 26 years old || same handle on ao3

[ohboyhowdybuckaroo]

Howdy howdy howdy.

Sometimes all you need to get back into a passion is a bout of hyperfixation. When that happens? The world is done for.

Find me here on AO3.

Find my art tag here.

Here, I'll post when I've updated ongoing fanfics and WIPs of things I'm currently working on. Click the Keep Reading for all that!

Note: These are organized by Ongoing/Finished and then in alphabetical order.

--- Ongoing Stories ---

Rays, Fangs, and Feathers

Fandoms: One Piece (Anime & Manga) Rating: Not Rated Status: Incomplete, 6/? Chapters Posted Word Count: (So far) 14,987 Summary: It all started with the death of the sun. He was laid to rest under a blanket of clouds, mourned under an overcast sky, and left as only a memory when the world was forced to move on. Only a hint of light through a cloudy sky reminded the world of what used to be. Like a sunset and a new dawn, a new sun would rise. Only to be hidden away, lost in a realm of clouds and sunlight. Not many people would come to his realm. Years passed where he would busy himself, but he always yearned for something different, something new. Something had to be out there beyond the same old trees and the same old island. Day in and day out, he dreamt of what could be. Then, one day, two strangers came to the sun. They were boys, barely older than himself. With them, they brought only a beckoning hand and a thrilling proposition. - ASL God AU co-created with where-does-the-heart-lie on Tumblr -

Sorting It Out

Fandoms: 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Manga), 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime) Rating: Not Rated Status: Incomplete, 16/? Chapters Posted Word Count: (So far) 73,177 Summary: Some things got easier over time. Suguru knew the rules. He knew how to avoid notice and keep that notice positive when it was unavoidable. Then he met Gojo Satoru. He was arrogant, occasionally cruel, and the most annoying person Suguru ever had the displeasure of meeting. Satoru didn't seem to operate under the same rules as the rest of them. Suguru convinced himself that he had to be or the world was fucked.

--- Finished Stories ---

A Few Spare Beris

Fandoms: One Piece (Anime & Manga) Rating: Not Rated Status: Complete, 1/1 Word Count: 2,661 Summary: Ace always had spare beri for the news coos when they passed by, even when it meant spending the last of his money. Marco wondered why he always looked so disappointed when he finished looking through the bounty posters. Even when his bounty went up, after all the cheering and celebration, Ace would stare out to sea with that same look in his eyes.

Frame Pieces

Fandoms: Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime & Manga) Rating: Not Rated Status: Complete, 4/4 Chapters Posted Word Count: 26,452 Summary: sssscreak. sssscreak. sssscreak. That sound was one of Getou Suguru’s oldest memories. He was barely six when his family moved from the southernmost coast of Japan to a town deep in the countryside. It was a traditional three-bedroom home, though that was just how his parents sugarcoated the fact that it was old and in the middle of nowhere. Suguru’s parents told him that the sounds were just the house “settling.” That sound taught Getou Suguru a few things at the age of six. 1. It was (probably) just the house settling. 2. He had to be brave enough to sleep in his own room eventually. 3. Bringing up the scary lady that stood in his doorway at night only led to more trouble. -------------- A Jujutsu Kaisen Fan Expansion on Geto Suguru's backstory. (And eventual SatoSugu.)

In Which Wade Realizes He Has a Piercing Kink. (Or It's Just a Disguised Spider-Man Kink.)

Fandoms: Spider-Man - All Media Types, Deadpool - All Media Types, Marvel  Rating: M Status: Complete, 1/1 Word Count: 3,399 Summary: Wade has started learning new things about Spider-Man every day. His face was a mystery, his name was unknown, but he knew a lot of other things. Like the fact that he had tattoos. And piercings. (Which, after plenty of research, do not get in the way of everyday life and mouth-related activities.)

it's satoru's party and he'll cry if he wants to

Fandoms: Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime & Manga) Rating: Not Rated Status: Complete, 1/1 Word Count: 4,001 Summary: Satoru doesn’t think the people in his life really get him, y'know? Yaga had always been heartless and cruel, so his betrayal came as no surprise to Satoru. “He’s been gone for almost a decade now, Satoru. You have to let it go.” Like it was possible for Satoru to do that– to just let go of something– of someone so tied to him that he might as well be woven into Satoru’s DNA and embroidered on the surface of his soul. His fingerprints weren’t just tattooed on Satoru’s skin, but branded into him in every single place he so much as brushed his fingertips. So, no, Satoru couldn’t just, “let it go,” Yaga. Satoru thought that advice was so hilariously wrong that he started laughing and didn’t stop laughing loudly enough to drown out Yaga’s bonus terrible advice on the way out the door until he was out of sight.

- SatoSugu one shot inspired by s4turn-ly's post -

Keep it Simple, Stupid

Fandoms: One Piece (Anime & Manga), Steven Universe (Cartoon) Rating: T Status: Complete, 6/6 Chapters Posted Word Count: 97,266 Summary: Fire Agate preferred to stick mostly to himself. The mountain bandits he lived with didn't seem to care what he did one way or another unless it was affecting them. That was fine with him. He had more important things to do than worry about a bunch of humans. It's a measured distance. One he maintained pretty easily... most of the time. Then he came along. Some dumbass spinel that demanded he be called "Luffy." And everything just went downhill from there. Being alone was starting to get A LOT harder with that dirtwad around. A tale of three gems maybe, sort of finding a place in the world together. - ASL Gem AU inspired by where-does-the-heart-lie's art -

[ohboyhowdybuckaroo]

Sorting It Out Ch. 28 is up!

(text for the picture under the read more.)

Shoko chapter! Shoko chapter!! Shoko chapter!!! Love her dearly. Plus there's some... extra bits. 👀 Hope y'all enjoy meeting her moms!

Title: Domesticity

Song of the Chapter: everything sucks by vaultboy

Word Count: 7,101

Summary: With Shoko's birthday drawing nearer, she makes plans to visit her moms for a few days and offhandedly invites Satoru and Suguru to come along. She finds comfort in the familiarity when she makes it home. The boys try to find her a birthday gift, but end up finding something else they don't have the words to name.

------------------------- “This is bullshit,” Satoru huffed, hands shoved as deeply into his pockets as he could get them. His feet tapped harder against the ground than was likely necessary, but every one felt justified.

“Satoru, the bakery can’t just conjure strawberries in the off season. Get over it.” Suguru didn’t even bat an eye at Satoru’s woes. 

Heartless monster. 

He just kept walking with a careful hand holding the bag of treats he bought. When a purple eye cut Satoru’s way out of the corner, Satoru slumped deeper. The bastard just smiled at him. “I think they’ll start selling strawberry treats later this month. We can get something for you then, but for now you like chocolate, right?”

“No!” Satoru lied. He pursed his lips. “Aren’t greenhouses a thing for a reason? Like, c’mon, what’s the point of them if we can’t have year-round strawberry shortcake?”

“If you could have strawberry shortcake whenever you wanted, you wouldn’t have anything to look forward to.”

“Wrong. I’d look forward to the next time.”

“Sure, Satoru.”

“Are we there yet?”

“Shouldn’t you know? Shoko should be nearby.”

“First no strawberry shortcake, now I’m doing all the work,” Satoru complained even as he focused outward for a moment. He made a beeline across the street when he saw her snoozing away a block or two further down. “What’s next? Are you gonna make me an errand boy?” 

“Hm, maybe,” Suguru hummed thoughtfully. He stayed at a slow pace as he followed along after Satoru, only a half-step behind him. “What are your qualifications? Do you even know how to order a coffee like a normal person?”

“No, ‘cause coffee tastes like dirt and you’re gross and nasty for liking it,” Satoru said pointedly. He slowed his pace enough to shove his shoulder into Suguru’s. “Besides! Hypothetical you should feel honored to even have the chance of having me as an errand boy, qualifications be damned. Not that I would stoop that low, but y’know.”

“So, no qualifications, you don’t know how to get coffee, you insult your boss…” Suguru listed off, adjusting the bag of confections from one hand to the other to keep Satoru from crushing it. “We’ll have to go with another candidate, Gojo-san. Thank you for applying.”

‘Gojo-san’ sounded weirder than it had any right to coming from Suguru. Wrong. It pissed him off. Satoru’s face scrunched up as he took the steps up to the front door. “Gross, don’t call me that. Even for a bit.”

[ohboyhowdybuckaroo]

Sorting It Out Ch. 27 is up!

(text for the picture under the read more.)

And the plot thickens! Hope y'all enjoyed this mini-arc. That'll sort of be the vibe for the last few chapters of this portion of the Jigsaw AU.

Title: Hot Water

Song of the Chapter: Loverboy by A-Wall

Word Count: 6,287

Summary:

Everyone's onsen trip is revealing in more ways than one.

------------------------

“Do you actually have a tattoo?” Suguru piped up eventually, just out of nowhere enough that it had Satoru tensing up.

“Yep!” Satoru lied. Suguru’s name had been branded on his chest by some kami or devil or something worse. It was as dark as ink, but a little too soul-deep to be a tattoo. Satoru worked on his belt to keep his shirt on a little bit longer. “It’s on my ass. You wanna see?”

“I’ll pass,” Suguru said wryly. He took his time getting undressed. Instead of balling his clothing up like Satoru, he took his time folding his jacket and his pants before setting them in his locker. Satoru noted that he didn’t take his shirt off yet either, but that was flimsy evidence at best. 

He could just get it over with right here. Satoru just had to wait until Suguru took his shirt off, wheel around, get an eyeful of whatever the truth was.

Would knowing make it easier? Life was so much easier knowing all he had to do was monitor their cursed energy pool. Satoru didn’t know. His head swam trying to surface for the answers.

“Do you really have an embarrassing birthmark? Let me see,” Satoru said with a grin even though he didn’t turn his head. He stayed firmly faced away from Suguru while he shoved his pants down and picked them up to toss them into the locker on top of his jacket.

“As if,” Suguru scoffed like Satoru knew he would. Satoru didn’t even know what he would do if Suguru said yes. Looking at him was a line that couldn’t be uncrossed.

“Aw, c’mon. It can’t be that bad.”

“You only think that because you haven’t seen it,” Suguru hummed. He reached up, hesitated just long enough for Satoru to wonder why, then started unbuttoning his shirt. 

That had to mean he had the mark, right? He had to. Satoru didn’t have to feel so weird about this. 

Or he could just be hesitant to be naked. Shy. 

Satoru swallowed, remembering how he looked with a pink face. How he stared at him through his eyelashes, purple interrupted only by dark hair. Not that he had any reason to be shy. Objectively, Suguru had the kind of body that drew stares even with his baggy uniform. Firm muscles, a lean figure, and—

No. Nope. 

Satoru’s face warmed. He raced to get his shirt off like ripping off a bandaid and tossed it and his underwear into the locker. He didn’t even bother taking the key with him as he slammed it shut and darted off toward the low stools and showers against the wall of the room.

[ohboyhowdybuckaroo]

Sorting It Out Ch. 26 is up!

(text of the picture is under the read more.)

I don't know who this chapter belongs to other than the awkward feeling of being seen. Time to learn a little bit about Utahime and also see some panic from all sides of the group. This one's pretty soft... kicking my feet and playing with my hair. Yay! Enjoy!

Title: Why are you doing this?

Song of the Chapter: Crazy Bird by Wild Child

Word Count: 5,569

Summary: Post-Mission karaoke plans crash and burn in Shizuoka, but Shoko isn't going to let that drag her day down. When the trio runs into Utahime, plans change… and maybe they do too.

------------------------------------

“What are you even doing in Shizuoka?” Utahime turned and adjusted the reusable grocery bags in her arms with a huff. She kept her eyes on her bags, refusing to look at her kouhai. “It’s a little far to travel just for karaoke.”

Ah… Shoko felt sweat rolling down the back of her neck and she couldn’t blame it on the moderate temperature. She supposed they did deserve the cold shoulder after last week.

“Like you’re one to talk!” Satoru called with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “Shizuoka is a little far to travel for groceries, don’t you think?”

“They sent us here after a curse,” Shoko answered before Utahime’s glare could burn Satoru alive. “You look really cute, senpai. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you out of uniform.”

Utahime’s face turned pink and she held a fist in front of her mouth while she cleared her throat. She stood up straighter and brushed some loose hair behind her ear. 

“Thank you,” she said a little quieter with her eyes glancing toward Shoko before she turned on Satoru with something much less warm. “And I’m from here! Maybe you would know that if you weren’t so insufferable all the time!”

“Or maybe if you were more enter—Ow!” Satoru was interrupted by a heel digging down into his foot. He glared at Shoko, but Shoko didn’t so much as glance at him. 

Instead, Shoko stepped forward and carefully took one of the bags Utahime held from her hands. “Let me help. Are you visiting your family?” Shoko didn’t necessarily feel bad for getting out of Kyoto, but she did feel bad for leaving Utahime to deal with the tension they caused. 

“You don’t,” Utahime started to protest, but trailed off as Shoko pulled the straps of the bag over her shoulder. She sighed and finally turned her body to fully face her kouhai. “The only karaoke boxes that are open this early are probably too busy. You’re better off going back to Tokyo and finding one there.”

“I told them that,” Shoko said with a pointed look over her shoulder that Satoru only stuck his tongue out at. Suguru just lifted his eyebrows with a look that said, ‘Yeah and?’ “But they don’t like to listen.”

“Of course they don’t,” Utahime shook her head with a look too tired for a day off.

“I can send them back home if you want, senpai,” Shoko cupped a hand around her mouth as she said it, but didn’t lower her voice to perfect the stage whisper. 

“Hey!” 

“What are we, dogs?”

[ohboyhowdybuckaroo]

sorting it out ch. 26 preview

fellas, is it gay childish to make your bestie roll your sleeves up for you?

(text of the pictures under the read more.)

“Ugggh,” Satoru groaned from his spot lounging on the stairs. His arms rested on the step behind him and one leg bent with an ankle resting on his opposite knee to prop it up. He had long-since discarded his school jacket, leaving it hanging by the front door. He pushed himself forward and unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt to roll them up. “How’d we even get roped into all this boring crap?”

“The sooner the work gets done, the sooner we get to eat dinner,” Suguru reminded him, pausing his task of sweeping the front porch. He rested his hands on the end of the broom and propped his chin up on top. “Did you not listen to Iori-senpai? She made her do-your-part policy pretty clear.”

“I am doing my part!” Satoru argued. The leaves on the shrine grounds were outlined faintly in blue as they skittered along the cobblestone without so much as a breeze to push them along. “Hell, if anything, I’m doing more than my part! You guys should be thanking me.”

“I guess,” Suguru hummed, his eyes following the trail of leaves all the way over to the pile Satoru was making in the middle of the courtyard. There, Shoko and Utahime were gathering them into trash bags. “This would be taking a lot longer without you.”

“If you wanna be grateful, roll my sleeves up for me while I work.” Satoru lifted both arms, only one of them poorly rolled up. 

Suguru stared blankly while he waited for the punchline. When it didn’t come, his eyebrows furrowed. “You’re serious.”

“I’m always serious!” Satoru grinned as he waved his arms more vigorously at Suguru like that proved anything at all. “That’s an order, Suguru.” 

“Are you sure you’re sixteen years old?” Suguru leaned his broom against the porch railing. The old stairs groaned under his weight as he walked down them and knelt down in front of Satoru.

“I’m older than you, Sugu-kun.” Satoru stuck his tongue out at Suguru to mirror the childish fluff he added to his tone. Suguru gave him a disbelieving look as he unrolled his half-started sleeve. “Besides, if I wasn’t, you’d be an even bigger asshole for bullying me.”

“Oh, I’m bullying you?”

“See? You’re so mean that you won’t even acknowledge how much you bully me, Sugu-kun,” Satoru sighed dejectedly, shifting and making Suguru click his tongue at him.

“Stay still,” Suguru chided sharply and gripped Satoru’s forearm to guide it back into place in front of him. His head tipped down while he worked on Satoru’s sleeve, his bangs and a couple of loose strands from his bun falling forward. “Or I’ll show you what ‘mean’ actually looks like.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Satoru smiled lazily, but the arm Suguru worked on did still. 

The backs of Suguru’s thumbs brushed his forearm each time he hooked them into his sleeve. Purple eyes were focused even as the rest of his face relaxed. Shoko and Utahime’s distant chatter and the slide of leaves against cobblestone were the loudest sounds in the still air, but Satoru could hear Suguru’s breathing if he focused enough. Satoru barely held down a shiver when Suguru’s thumbs brushed his inner elbow under his shirt sleeve. 

Satoru’s own breathing slowed. His arm and hand relaxed, easing into Suguru’s grip and dropping only once Suguru was done with that arm. Satoru wordlessly lifted the other one when Suguru reached for it next.

When did Suguru get such long eyelashes? They cast shadows over his cheekbones every time he blinked. The leaves stopped moving. Satoru tried to focus on them a little more so Shoko and Utahime wouldn’t pop the bubble.

… Wait, bubble? What bubble?

Suguru’s eyes lifted from the sleeve he was working on, cheeks the faintest shade of pink as he peered at Satoru’s face through his lashes—Shy. Why did he look shy? 

Why did Satoru notice that?! 

Suguru’s lips parted, then closed in a firm line, then slowly opened again. “Why are you—”

“Alright, we’re done out here.” Shoko’s voice was like a bucket of ice water on Satoru’s system. When did she get so close?

Suguru tensed and stood up abruptly, leaving the second sleeve looser down Satoru’s arm than the first. Satoru couldn’t look at any of them, his eyes zeroed down on the arm he still held out in front of him and the space Suguru no longer occupied. 

When did it get so warm out here?

“I haven’t finished with the porch. I’ll meet up with you guys once I’m done,” Suguru said a little too quickly and the sound of the bamboo broom on the porch filled the air.

“Alright,” Utahime hummed as she and Shoko collected the bags of leaves. “We just need to dust and clean the floors, I think. I can take these.”

“No, I can help.” Shoko shook her head and held her bags of leaves away from Utahime stubbornly. “Where do we put them?”

[ohboyhowdybuckaroo]

realizing as i'm mapping out the next arc that we might be coming to an end of sorting it out. i still have more planned for the jigsaw universe, (their second year, holidays, and later) but i think the next four plot points i have planned are the last plot points that fit in the story before we jump to their second year... goddamn, i'm getting emotional about it lmao. i've been calling the last section of the story the "birthday arc."

[ohboyhowdybuckaroo]

Sorting It Out Ch. 25 is up!

(text of the picture is under the read more.)

This one's a short one! Sorry, I just wanted to wrap this arc up with a nice little bow. :D Give a wind-down chapter before we hop into the next arc. Hope y'all enjoy! Satoru really is a disaster right now smdh.

Title: Unceremonious

Song of the Chapter: From Eden by Hozier

Word Count: 2,608

Summary:

The closing ceremony of the Sister School Exchange Event should be a momentous occasion—Would be if only the victors of the tournament would find it in themselves to show up.

------------------

“Oh, yeah!” Satoru mused and, with a little bit of shuffling and an annoyed grunt from Shoko, he stepped out into the aisle. With his hands behind his back, he stood taller and straighter than he ever did in front of people he should have. “Check this out.”

When neither Shoko nor Suguru looked at him beyond the corner of their eyes, his shoulders slumped and he frowned. 

“C’mon, look!” Satoru snapped, leaning forward, keeping his arms firmly behind his back. “Geez, can’t even get a little gratitude after all this effort I’ve been putting in.”

Suguru tried to stifle a smile as he finally pulled his book out—a translation of the Sutta Nipāta. He figured it was a good step forward if he wanted to learn more about Theravāda Buddhism. He settled it in his lap and, when he finally turned his head to look at Satoru, he was pouting. 

When Suguru glanced at Shoko, Shoko’s dark black eyes were already on his. Shoko smiled back after a moment and they laughed before they looked back at their classmate.

“Yes, Satoru?” Suguru asked as he rested his elbow on the arm of his seat. He propped his chin up on the back of his hand, expression shifting to something more open and expectant if not indulgent. “We’re looking.” 

Satoru stood up straight again as if shot and quickly turned his back to them, hands moving with him to hide whatever he held. “Hm, after all this disrespect, I don’t know if you deserve them…”

“‘Deserve them’?” Shoko parroted. Once more, Shoko and Suguru made eye contact and this time they tried to stifle their laughter. “Satoru, did you get us gifts?”

“Not anymore,” Satoru huffed, refusing to look at either of them. His arms crossed over his chest. “I’m keeping them for if I ever find some real friends.”

“Satoru,” Suguru coaxed, unable to keep the softness out of his voice nor the smile from his face. It seemed even Gojo Satoru could have his cute moments. When a blue eye turned his way around the rim of dark sunglasses, Suguru held his free hand out with a smile. “May I see?”

As his ears turned pink, Satoru’s shoulders hovered near them. He turned his head to face the front of the shinkansen stubbornly. 

Only another moment of silence lingered before he twisted around, a grin on his face. 

“Tada,” Satoru said brightly, a charm dangling from each of his index fingers. He grinned, wiggling them in front of Shoko and Suguru’s faces. “Since I’m so nice and gracious, you can have them anyway.”

[ohboyhowdybuckaroo]

*satoru voice* oh no he's hot

did a doodle from this scene from the latest chapter of my satosugu fanfic. don't ask me about anatomy or hands or shading or any of those bitches. we don't associate.

scene in question below the cut.

Satoru tensed when Suguru started laughing. When he opened his eyes again, he turned his head to watch Suguru laugh like he just told the best joke he had ever heard. He even snorted and had to cover his mouth. Like a pressure valve, the tension left him and Satoru could only stare as Suguru slowly calmed down.

There was some dirt on Suguru's face. Black hair fell loose without the support of its old hair tie. It snapped mid-fight and still lay across the field under a pile of rocks kicked up in their fight.

Satoru's heartbeat did something funny in his chest. His face warmed and Satoru wondered if it was delayed overheating after all that exercise. His breath had been even only seconds ago, but it was shallower than he meant it to be.

“S-Sorry, I’m not laughing at you,” Suguru said between chuckles, face flushed and a smile on his face. “It’s just… Every time I think I’ve figured you out, you surprise me.”

With his sunglasses still in Shoko's possession and the lack of something to focus on other than Suguru, Satoru focused while his first two eyes grew unfocused.

He counted the blades of grass that were tangled in his long, black hair. He was left with no choice but to focus on the strands of Suguru's unruly hair that drifted with the breeze. The way his face lightened when he laughed; The faintest wheeze that came with laughing too hard. How his eyebrows pinched together when he couldn't stifle it.

Suguru always had the weight of the world on him. The fabric of his cursed energy strained under it most times. His expression was always terse, grim, or completely blank. Now, his cursed energy was loose—a blanket draped over the back of a couch.

Satoru followed the slope of his mouth and watched his larynx shift with his laughter from this angle. Satoru was getting light-headed, so Satoru knew he should close his eyes or hunt down Shoko to get his sunglasses.

Six Eyes must be overworked. There was no pain at the back of his eyes, but this was probably an earlier sign he was just noticing.

It felt almost like he crossed all six eyes looking at the tip of his nose. The faint strain, the lightheadedness, the breathlessness—they were all signs of overuse.

Probably.

Satoru never experienced this type of strain before, but he also never used Six Eyes that much in fights that intense. New things happen all the time.

Suguru turned his head toward Satoru. Purple irises landed on blue and blue traced the minute border between the cool tones and the warm tones in the purple furrows of his iris. There was a bruise just under the outer corner of his left eye. He smiled at Satoru.

Eyes panging dryly after too long without blinking, Satoru blinked once just to will away the annoying feeling.

"Is something wrong?" Suguru asked carefully, suddenly serious and starting to lean up.

"What? No. You're way too jumpy, Suguru."

"You aren't focusing your eyes and," Suguru began and leaned back on his palms. He narrowed his eyes down at Satoru where he lay. Satoru suddenly felt naked and he couldn't decide if he liked or hated the feeling. "I've only seen them this bright when you focus somewhere else."

It's with startling clarity that Satoru realized he didn't have a damn clue what was going on outside of Suguru's laughter. Someone could have been shot meters from him and he wouldn't have noticed in the last few minutes.

Well, Satoru had some clue.

He knew there were seven blades of grass all roughly the same length plus or minus a few millimeters tangled throughout Suguru's hair. He knew that there was a rip in the sleeve of Suguru's uniform jacket, but not through his white button up. He knew that the top three kohaze at the back of one of his boots snapped.

Satoru scrambled to zoom out and find an excuse. "Hah, yeah, I just saw Yaga nearly drop something," he lied. "It was really funny."

His heart beat heavy in his chest, thudding uncomfortably quickly.

[ohboyhowdybuckaroo]

Sorting It Out Ch. 24 is up!

(text of the picture under the read more.)

A hot minute ago, I mentioned that I was stoked to get to a chapter of the exchange event arc and... yep, this is it! :) hope y'all enjoy baby's first gay panic moment. If I don't update for a while, know it's because I spent so much brain energy on this thing this week lmao.

Title: Glow

Song of the Chapter: Inarticulation by Rio Romeo

Word Count: 5,887

Summary: Only a few matches are left before the end of the tournament. As they creep by one by one, Satoru and Suguru have to face friction from the Kyoto students… and each other.

----------------------------------

Fun fact about using cursed energy to fuel attacks:

Far too many sorcerers used it ineffectively. That was where most of the residuals came from. When throwing a punch, they flooded it through their arm, shoulder, and spread uselessly through their back in an all-encompassing surge. It was a waste when you didn’t use all of those muscles in a punch.

Suguru seemed to get that, though.

With his punch, for example, there was a split-second zap of cursed energy down instead of out to his arm. It laced through his hamstrings, his quads, and his glutes as he pushed forward. It started the motion, sending him full-body into the punch.

It raced up through his core. Abdominals, obliques, and some of the muscles attached to his spine thrummed with cursed energy as he twisted to follow the motion through.

Only as his fist snapped out did cursed energy come to his shoulder. Just a little bit of it reinforced his deltoid to protect his shoulder joint from the blowback of his hit. His triceps and pecs lit up like a lightbulb with it, taking the most of the energy while his forearm and wrist muscles only had the briefest flare to keep his punch sturdy.

All of that was a split second of focus, yet Suguru did it like it was easier than breathing. The cursed energy that dispersed in the air when it landed hard into Naotsune’s blocking arm was minute, stifled by the extra waste from Naotsune’s attacks.

Each of Suguru’s punches were just as efficient. It was a light show in its own right for Six Eyes. He sent one after another while Naotsune used his bland ass technique to maneuver away, kicking off the air and launching himself into each hit.

Naotsune aimed a kick to his head and, when Suguru caught it this time, he clutched his opponent’s calf instead of letting him pull it back.

Oh, Satoru recognized that move.

Suguru twisted, aimed a kick straight for the grounded ankle, and sent Naotsune to the ground hard enough that Naotsune’s breath came out in a gasp.

He didn’t have the time to catch his breath. Suguru leaned over and, with almost surgical precision, hit Naotsune hard enough in the throat that his head slammed into the ground. Naotsune tried to catch Suguru’s arm while he failed to catch his breath, but Suguru caught his reaching hand and twisted his arm in a tight, painful hold. His hands were solid while his foot came up and slammed down into Naotsune’s shoulder.

A hand waved in front of Satoru’s face and he didn’t even flinch. He didn’t have to move his physical eyes to let his attention settle on Shoko where she sat next to him.

“Are you alive?” She asked with raised eyebrows and an amused smile curling at the corners of tired lips. “You haven’t moved in a minute or two.”

[ohboyhowdybuckaroo]

Sorting It Out Ch. 23 is up!

(text of the picture under the read more.)

Shoko and... Utahime chapter??? Unheard of. Crazy. Hope you liked the insight into Utahime's mind. She truly has the anxiety of all time tbh. i lied about this only being another two chapters btw. no promises for the length this time lmao.

Title: Mush

Song of the Chapter: Laws of Physics by Chase Petra

Word Count: 3,450

Summary:

It's only thanks to Satoru and Suguru's intervention that Shoko remembers that she has a body. Meanwhile, Utahime considers when bending becomes breaking as her match with Kusakabe starts.

----------------------------------

Her phone was dead. There was no clock in sight. The light was painfully bright around the edges of the curtains she pulled over her window yesterday or the day before, so maybe it was close to noon? 

She should plug her phone in… Someone would need her help today of all days with students warring with each other over pride and paper-thin titles. Her charger had fallen onto the floor when she left yesterday afternoon and, though it would take so little to roll over and reach for it, Shoko couldn’t make herself move just to allow so much access to her. 

Hadn’t she given enough access today? This month? This decade? 

Simmering frustration had her batting a hand at her cellphone where it rested beside her pillow. It dropped to the ground and Shoko had another roadblock to dampen her guilt. 

Why should she have to worry? If these lunatics wanted to be healthy, they wouldn’t put their bodies through the strain of a useless battle. 

What was the point of being healthy if it was so easily thrown away? 

A knock on her door shocked her out of her bitter thoughts and even the way she jolted was sluggish. Her head turned and her eyes peeked open, but she didn’t so much as tweak a muscle toward the door. Maybe if she stayed silent, whoever it was would give up and leave her alone?

Ah, wait. She squinted at the thumb-turn that was unfortunately in the wrong position to be a barrier to entry. Dammit, did she not lock it?

Shoko held her breath and regretted her thoughtlessness as her doorknob turned.

[ohboyhowdybuckaroo]

Sorting It Out Ch. 22 is up!

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Hey hey! Back at it again. This arc is turning out a lot longer than I expected it to, but that's old news. Writing tends to end up longer than I guesstimate when plotting lmao. I think this arc should only take another chapter, probably two, but we'll see! Hope you enjoy!

Title: Bravery

Song of the Chapter: Best Friend by Rex Orange County

Word Count: 4,524

Summary:

The second day of the Sister School Exchange Event starts out with a fizzle. As each easy battle carries on, Shoko's absence once again is impossible to ignore. Satoru and Suguru, with only a little bit of time to waste, decide to go check on her. On the way, Satoru offers an amendment to their bet.

When Suguru held another water bottle out in front of Satoru, Satoru just turned his head away again. 

“You have to drink something other than soda when you’ve been exercising,” Suguru said dryly. 

“How would you know if I was exercising? You were gone the whole time.” Suguru couldn’t see Satoru’s face, but his voice made it clear that he was pouting.

Oh. 

Suguru couldn’t help but smile. 

Still, Suguru crouched down and pressed the cold bottle against the back of Satoru’s neck. Satoru flinched away and wheeled around on Suguru. His mouth was open to say something.

“Are you really mad that I didn’t stay to watch you fight?” Suguru asked as he set the bottle down on Satoru’s legs with an unwavering smile. With his newly freed hand, he reached into his pocket to fish out the candy he bought earlier. “I knew you would win.”

“Well, duh…” Satoru sounded so much more subdued. He scoffed and leaned back on his palms instead of picking up the water bottle, legs stretched out in front of him obnoxiously. “That’s not the point. You just ran off immediately. What’s more important than watching me win?”

“I wanted to grab something to congratulate you,” Suguru pulled out the Ramune candy and the tablets in it rattled as he shook it for emphasis. The outline of Satoru’s eyes through his sunglasses twitched toward them before settling back on Suguru’s face. Suguru held the candy out for Satoru to take. “Here.”

That seemed to quell whatever anger Satoru had, but he turned away and couldn’t look at Suguru as he accepted the candy. “Yeah, whatever.”

[ohboyhowdybuckaroo]

Sorting It Out Ch. 21 is up!

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Yoooo. I'm a little worried that this might feel too low effort. Might come back and add in some oomph here and there later in editing, but here it is at its ugliest! (Probably.) I'm honestly just really excited to get to something toward the end of the exchange event arc, so please forgive me if anything feels a little rushed. Hope you enjoy regardless of that!

Title: Even Ground

Song of the Chapter: OUT OF MY MIND by little image

SatoSugu Playlist: puzzle pieces

Word Count: 3,490

Summary:

As the team battle comes to a close, no one is quite satisfied with how things unfolded. The Tokyo team winds down, but there are a few loose ends that still need to be tied up before Suguru can fully relax.

----------------

“Woah,” Satoru called from where he and Shoko stood in the doorway to the kitchen. Though his shoulders were relaxed, there was an edge to his voice Suguru couldn’t quite place. Was he still mad about today? “Are we interrupting something? I don’t think Kyoto’s shitty common room is the best place for a love confession, Suguru.”

Suguru’s eyebrows furrowed in the middle of his forehead as he turned toward them. As it processed, he scoffed. “You should stop assuming things. For someone who claims to be a genius, you get a lot of things wrong.”

“Aw, he’s embarrassed,” Satoru teased as he strolled closer. He stopped just in front of his classmate and flicked Suguru’s bangs. Suguru swiped at his hand, but Satoru was too quick to pull it away.

Though Suguru tried his best approximation of a glare, there was relief in knowing he didn’t have to continue that conversation—Just that much was torture.

“What we talk about is none of your business,” Iori-senpai pitched, rolling her eyes at Satoru. She shuffled back over to her spot in one corner of the couch, settled in, and opened her book pointedly as if any of that would teach Satoru to keep his mouth shut.

“That just makes me think it was a confession even more!” Satoru laughed, though there was hardly any humor in it. He turned toward Suguru again and gestured toward their senpai with a thumb over his shoulder. “C’mon, Suguru, seriously? Utahime?”

[ohboyhowdybuckaroo]

Sorting It Out Ch. 20 is up!

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Hey everyone! I got a little excited about the Exchange Event, so happy second chapter of the month! Hope y'all enjoy the familiar faces and the new characters that I threw in to bulk up the Kyoto team. :D

Title: Belated Warmup

Song of the Chapter: No Plan by Hozier

SatoSugu Playlist: puzzle pieces

Word Count: 4,003

Summary:

With egos stinging, the Tokyo team struggles to find their footing with so little time spent planning. Separated temporarily from their team, Suguru and Utahime find out what it really means to be the underdogs surrounded by predators.

---------

“Eyes on me, punk-ass,” Naotsune hissed and Suguru granted him that. Sharp purple eyes met brown seconds before he caught a kick chopping straight down toward his shoulder.

“Shouldn’t you be retreating?” Suguru asked, tone neutral. He didn’t chase after Naotsune when the teen flipped backward.

“From you?” Naotsune scoffed. He landed in a crouch and a slow smirk pulled at the corners of his lips. “As if. You’ll be a good warmup before the Six Eyed bastard comes around.”

Suguru’s expression stayed even, but his eyes were flash-frozen with that taunt. “Warmup, huh?”

It was conversational and casual like he was talking about the weather.

Suguru tried to tell himself that it wasn’t worth it. Let the bastard think he was weak because that would be better for tomorrow if they were put against each other head-to-head. Kyoto had been bearing down on them consistently since they arrived here. Suguru didn’t need to push back. He just needed to push through this competition so they could get back to Tokyo quickly.

Don’t take the bait—Naotsune was just trying to taunt him.

...

Naotsune’s head cracked against the ground when Suguru slammed into him with a palm firm in the middle of his forehead. He landed crouched over him, feet planting solidly in the dirt on either side of him.

[ohboyhowdybuckaroo]

Sorting It Out Ch. 19 is up!

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Hey hey! Sorry for the wait. The holiday season got me. Then I wrote some smut and that took up all my attention. Hope y'all enjoy! I had to make a few OCs for this and mix them in with some canon characters for the Kyoto team. I hope they work well. Here, you meet Ijichi Masahiro! Let me know how he feels as a character. (Ijichi's older bwubber. I love him dearly.)

Title: Evolution or Annihilation

Song of the Chapter: Nothing New by Taylor Swift feat. Phoebe Bridgers

SatoSugu Playlist: puzzle pieces

Word Count: 4,234

Summary:

The morning of the Sister School Exchange Event, habit is a quiet comfort. Suguru's routine is what guides his head back to his shoulders. He finds relative peace at a track not too different from the one at Tokyo Jujutsu High.

The opening ceremony of the Sister School Exchange event starts with a delay—and ends with a choice.

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As soon as they stepped into the building, Suguru and Shoko were at the door while Satoru led the charge. Already across the room, Satoru slapped his credit card on the counter before the woman behind it could stand up from her bow. 

“Give us a room.”

Suguru’s eyes narrowed. He walked faster with every intention to get Satoru to at least ask instead of demanding.

Suguru was too far away to hear what the worker said back, but not too far away to hear Satoru’s fat mouth say, “The hell do you mean you’re out of rooms? Can’t you just kick someone out? I can pay you more. Like double or triple or whatever.”

Before the dimwit could say another word, Suguru kneed Satoru flat in the back. A curse ripped through the room, spit out when the air was forced from Satoru. Suguru smiled at the woman over Satoru’s slumped shoulders. 

“I’m sorry about him. We’ll get going.”

Bowing quickly toward the worker who gave a confused bow back, Suguru grabbed the back of Satoru’s collar. When he turned around, Shoko already held the door open for them. Satoru’s feet stayed glued to the ground. Satoru leaned with the grip, but the breeze-cool buzz of cursed energy held him up even when gravity should have yanked him down. Suguru steadied him with a scowl, but held his tongue.

[ohboyhowdybuckaroo]

in your image (unmake me) is uploaded!

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yeah, so this was absolutely an excuse to write unhinged smut. enjoy? and don't use this as a measure for a healthy relationship, please and thank you.

for context: this is set in my soulmate au, so if you've read my jigsaw au, consider not reading yet if you don't want potential spoilers. this is more of a what-if scenario with everything but the soulmate dynamics, so there's no guarantee things will shape up this way by the time we get to this point in the timeline, but just in case! in this au, each other's name appeared on their chests when they were younger. they share a cursed energy pool like sharing a battery. satoru can use the connection between them like a compass if he wants when the cursed energy flows between them. because of the shared cursed energy, limitless doesn't register suguru when blocking things. if satoru wants to keep him out of the shield, it's like trying to keep his arm out of it.

in my au's timeline, this puts them at 18-19.

now for the what-if: i wanted to play with the idea of suguru finding a proto-mahito, absorbing them, and having his first use of uzumaki give him idle transfiguration. since this is a prototype, i'm playing it similar to rogue's ability from x-men in that any touch can be hazardous. suguru has to know the intricate details of a person's soul when he touches them to maintain the shape of it or things can get really cronenberg really fast. naturally, this freaks Suguru the hell out. this is set after the star plasma vessel mission when they barely see each other and suguru is afraid of hurting satoru since limitless doesn't protect him from suguru even when there is intent to harm such as when sparring or fighting. he's trying his best and distances himself while he figures himself out. satoru doesn't like that and here's how he reacts.

Title: in your image (unmake me)

SatoSugu Songs: Unknown/Nth and Who We Are by Hozier.

SatoSugu Playlist: puzzle pieces

Word Count: 7,898

Rating: Explicit

Summary:

Gojo Satoru was at the height of his power—God-among-men, every curse's boogeyman, the Six Eyes, and the strongest sorcerer alive. He was larger than life just as he was supposed to be, as was his destiny.

But now, as Satoru looked over his now emptier room, he felt smaller than a gnat on rotten fruit.

Suguru’s phone charger wasn’t plugged in on his side of the bed. The sweatshirt he left tossed over the back of Satoru’s desk chair for nearly a year was gone. His dishes weren’t on the drying rack.

Satoru’s wardrobe was alarmingly empty. Suguru’s uniforms and some nicer clothes used to be there. Not even the hangers remained. His clothing drawers were half-empty. Feet rooted to the ground, Satoru was very painfully aware of the fact that the other dorm’s door was locked.

His bed was empty. His room was empty. The air smelled untouched and sedentary. Everything—everyone that should be there wasn’t.

He stared at the nothingness and, with tension laced through him, he knew even a god had to learn how to repent.

-------

“Suguru!” Satoru said sharply before the relief of seeing Suguru’s tired face could throw a bucket of water over his frustration. “What gives? Why’d you move all your stuff?”

Suguru’s eyebrows furrowed. Satoru wanted to kiss it and crowd in closer than they had been able to be for over a month now. (He was only in a robe, but Satoru couldn’t even properly appreciate that yet.)

Taking a step forward, Satoru pressed a hand to the doorframe with his fingers curling around it to the inside of the room when he saw Suguru’s eyes glance toward the dorm door. It felt as painful as being stabbed in the stomach when Suguru took a step back. His fingers pulled away from the doorknob and with one more step backward, he tucked his hands into his sleeves.

“Satoru, we’ve been over this,” Suguru sighed. “It isn’t safe for us to sleep in the same bed right now.”

“Yeah, we have been over this and we did some pretty thorough testing to see just how much you can touch me,” Satoru scoffed. He missed the marks he made Suguru dig into his back to prove it.

Satoru passed through the door. Before Suguru could take a step too far away again, Satoru reached out and curled a hand tightly around the knot that held Suguru’s robe closed. He pulled, reeling Suguru in against him where he belonged.

“Stop being so stubborn,” Suguru said sharply. He leaned back, but didn’t try very hard to pull away from Satoru’s grip. “Curses are unpredictable. Just because I haven’t done anything yet doesn’t mean I won’t— Satoru!” Suguru spoke sharply when Satoru twisted them, guiding Suguru against the counter of his kitchenette.

[ohboyhowdybuckaroo]

Sorting It Out Ch. 18 is up!

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hey hey! mostly just some domestic stuff this chapter. i made a bit of a transition between the previous arm and the sister school exchange event. book thievery finally comes to fruition. i also got into some sorcerer society history because apparently that kind of world-building is my jam.

hope you enjoy!

Title: Marginalia

SatoSugu Song of the Chapter: Birds of a Feather by Billie Eilish

SatoSugu Platlist: puzzle pieces

Word Count: 3,837

Summary:

With the Kyoto Sister School Exchange Events barely a couple of days away, the Tokyo team travel to take care of some obligations. Satoru has something to return, Shoko has someone to heal, and Suguru just wants to finish one damn book without an issue.

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“Isn’t it rude to not feed your guests?”

Suguru’s eyebrows twitched up and he turned his head to look at Satoru. Success. 

Instead of talking, Suguru just gave Satoru a blank look for a few beats too long. When Satoru’s ears started to warm, he rolled his eyes to break eye contact.

“What? Quit looking at me like that.”

“Since when did you know anything about manners?” 

“Rules for thee and not for me, buddy. My time is waaaaay too important to be hanging out in lame places like this for any longer than necessary.” 

“You can complain as much as you want, but not to Shoko.” Suguru sighed, tucked his bookmark into his book, and closed it. “She is dealing with enough as-is.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, Suguru. Cut the lecture. I know how to read the room.”

“... Pff.”

“I can!”

“Maybe you can, but having the ability doesn’t mean you use it.”

“Yeah, right. I’m sort of perfect. Dunno how you didn’t notice.”

“You ruined a library book then expected me to laugh at it,” Suguru said bluntly. He sent a glare Satoru’s way. After a pause, he added, “Do you want more examples? I have a bookful.”

[ohboyhowdybuckaroo]

Sorting It Out Ch. 17 is up!

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sorry for this taking so long! i had a hard time keeping up with much of anything for a bit there, but I hope the new chapter is worth it. it's shoko-centric and i love her dearly. i elaborate a little more on how her technique works from her pov, so hope that makes some kind of sense.

Title: Fish Out of Water

Shoko Song of the Chapter: In An Emergency Such as the End of the World by Chase Petra

Shoko Playlist: an appletini a day

Word Count: 5,644

Summary:

Utahime and Shoko walk a shallow stream. The surface tension between them remains deceptively calm and undisturbed by a distant Shoko. When faced with deadly peril in a shallow stream, will they sink or swim in the ripples that remain?

----------------------------------

Shoko’s hands were in her skirt pockets. She listened to the splash of their footsteps. A car drove over the bridge high above them and pebbles rained over the side— thankfully not onto them. Otherwise, it was quiet. 

It wasn’t a complaint, but it wasn’t often that she searched for curses in near-silence. 

The flick of her lighter felt so much louder as a result. Shoko watched shoulders robed in white jolt at the sound like it shocked her. 

Utahime slowly peeked over her shoulder with a furrowed brow and something disgusted in the pinch at the corner of her mouth. “Do you have to do that right now?”

“Hm?” Shoko raised an eyebrow as she took a deep inhale in. She glanced at the cigarette that now glowed with a red cherry at the end. Her lungs filled with smoke. Shoko turned her head, pulled her cigarette from her mouth, and blew the smoke away from Utahime. “Sorry, I didn’t know it bothered you.”

“Well it does, so please put it out,” she turned forward with a ‘hmph,’ that didn’t have the kind of venom that Utahime was going for when each of her footsteps jingled. 

Shoko pictured her mothers’ cat who had only warmed up to her right before she moved to Tokyo despite being old as dirt. He had a collar with a bell and, for most of her childhood, she grew accustomed to his hissing. 

The way Utahime hissed and jingled was a very familiar dynamic that Shoko never expected out of another student. 

Shoko bemoaned the fact that she would have to re-light this cigarette later; It wouldn’t taste the same.