#<- sorry i love time things and time travel and things like that

[cherryblossom-heart]

I hate you (9.5/?)

modern!Sukuna x Reader

Things get clearer for Sukuna

Content Warning: Fluff, Enemies to lovers, Sukuna being nice? (if you can call it that) Sukuna is his own warning, mention of sexual content, slut shaming (both sides). Sukuna battling his feelings. This is a +18 series so MINORS DO NOT INTERACT. If I catch any minor or ageless blog interacting with this series I will block you.

W.C. 2.6.K

A/N: Hi besties! I am so sorry for the delay on this chapter, memi messed up my convos for other series and this one too so I was just busy re doing everything again. Hope you guys like it! Oh btw I listened Mitskis' My Love Mine All Mine on repeat while writing this in case you want to give it a try haha

<Previous Chapter. Next Chapter>

7:17 P.M.

“Finally.” Sukuna rolled his eyes as you walked to him. “Taking forever, for what?”

“Oh, shut up. Like you don’t like what you see.” You winked at him.

A faint wave of heat rushed to his face and he wanted to ride away. Even if he had gotten used to this unexpected reaction, they didn’t make them any less annoying. He wasn’t about to admit he knew that even if you were wearing a garbage bag as a dress, his heart would still race any time you came through that door.

He remembered his cousin laughing once he told him he would take you to that stupid bands concert and asked him if he would cover your shift.

“So you’re telling me you’re taking her to a concert, of a band you don’t even like, just because?” Choso’s words were strained as he fought to get air back to his lungs.

Sukunas patience was running thin, not that it was hard to get it to that level to begin with, but the more Choso’s words bounced around his head, the more he questioned what the point of this was.

Why was he even taking you? He couldn’t even stand their music.

“You’re covering her shift or not?” Sukuna barked, which typically was enough to make people around him quiet. Unluckily for him, Choso didn’t hold the same fear for him as others, it didn’t help him, and Sukuna knew each other since they were in diapers.

“Oh, I’ll definitely take it. But you just have to answer one question.” His voice was full of amusement as he hung an arm around Sukuna. “How long has she had you this whipped?”

“Fuck you.” He shook off his arm of his shoulders.

Whatever, taking you wasn’t worth this hassle.

Or any hassle at all.

Maybe he could talk to Toji. Cash in a favor.

“Hey, don’t get me wrong. If anyone was going to be able to tame you, it definitely would be her.” Choso laughed.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“I mean, you’ve seen her right? Girls got a little crazy in her. Remember that time she beat up that Yorozu chick for saying all that fucked up shit about Uraume?”

Sukuna raised an eyebrow “What?”

“Oh yeah, I forgot you were too busy to go to school. I’m surprised you even graduated.” Choso rolled his eyes, pulling out a cigarette from the carton he kept in his pocket, a habit he displayed whenever he talked for too long with his cousin. “After their mom died, Yorozu began the rumor Uraume fucked people to get money to pay the rent, that’s why they were never in school.”

That cunt.

Sukunas memories traveled back to his teenage years, he remembered a day where he had found you in the living room, your messy hair and a busted lip catching his attention. He had made the mistake of leaving you alone, thinking he didn’t care enough to ask.

And you didn’t like him enough to answer.

“Then one day your girl comes in, walks to Yorozu and sucker punches her right in the jaw. No warning, nothing. By the time the teachers were able to pull her off Yorozu, she already had a broken nose and her whole face was turning purple. I’ve never seen anything like that, I really thought she was going to kill her.” Choso shook his head. “Maybe you finally found your match”

His cousins’ words tormented his thoughts ever since.

God, he was right, wasn’t he? He was completely and utterly whipped. He didn’t remember the last time he had fucked someone else without you popping in his head every five seconds. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last day he had gone through without thinking of you at least once.

“What’s that?” You asked as you reached him, looking back to the hand he has behind his back.

Fuck.

“Here.” Sukuna pulled out a bouquet of deep red roses, almost slamming them against you. “Jin said I should bring this.” He scoffed, as if he wasn’t the one that decided to buy them.

“Aww.” You coo at them as you smell them. Sukuna’s eyes diverted from you, not wanting that brewing warm sensation you brought him to pop up, this was already hard enough as it was. “I love them. Maybe I should’ve gone out with Jin instead.” You teased him with that cocky little smirk that made his blood boil.

“I’m taking you out on a stupid date and you can’t stop being a slut for five minutes?” Sukuna rolled his eyes.

He expected to get a snarky remark, perhaps a slap in the arm or head but you had the annoying tendency to surprise him. You leaned over to him, placing a tender kiss on his cheek before walking backwards to your house.

His heart began racing. The drumming of his pulse echoed on his ears so loudly he thought you might’ve heard it.

“Don’t be an ass, you know I have more fun with you.” You winked at him before turning around.

“Where you going?” Were the only words he managed to say.

“To put them in a vase. Don’t want them dying on me, this might be the only proof of you ever being nice.”

Darkened eyes followed your every step, each one giving Sukuna a clear answer.

He was losing his mind, and it was all your fault.

8:21 P.M.

“Are you going to kill me?” You asked as you hopped of his bike, pulling down on the now inconvenient black skirt you had decided to wear.

“Piss me off enough and I might.”

“Whatever.” You glared at him, kicking a rock in the ground. “If you’re not going to kill me then what are we doing in the middle of the woods?”

“What? You scared, brat?”

You laughed. “As if. I’m more scared of an animal eating us. If a bear attacks us, I’m leaving your ass.”

Sukuna made his way through the path he had grown accustomed to, the sound of your heels scraping against the unstable ground the woods offered following close behind. He could hear you cursing under your breath, your annoyance growing the more you kept tripping.

“You could’ve told me we were going to the fucking woods.”

“Not my fault you dress like a cheap prostitute whenever you’re going out.”

“First of all, fuck you.” You caught up to him, slapping him in the back of the head. “Second, if I was a prostitute, you could never afford me.”

Sukuna held you by the arm, spinning you in front of him. His chest pressed against your back; his grip tight on your hips. He leaned over you, lips almost brushing against your ear.

“Why would I pay you when I already have you for free.”

“For now.” You turned around. “Piss me off enough and I might just change boytoys.”

You placed a kiss on his cheek before moving along and Sukuna never wished more to fuck you and strangle you at the same time.

8:29 P.M.

“Over here.”

“I swear if you brought me all the way over here for nothing I will cut your balls– “

“Hey.”

Jin’s voice cut through the emptiness of the forest making you jump. You turned to the direction of his voice, racing to Sukunas twin brother. It never ceased to amaze you how similar they were physically, but as soon as your eyes connected with Jin’s the softness in them almost made you chuckle.

“Jin!” You raced to him, engulfing him in a suffocating hug. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ve been busy with Yuji.”

Jin’s eyes met his brothers as he debated where to settle his hands. Sukunas burning gaze gave him the answer he needed.

“What are you doing here? Please tell me you’re my date instead of your idiot of a brother.” You teased him, causing a slight blush on his face. “You’re already much better than him. The flowers were a nice touch.”

“Flowers? I didn’t… oh. Oh! Yeah, no problem.”

Sukuna was about to turn Yuji into an orphan.

“I was just helping him set this up.” Jin pointed behind himself,

Your eyes grew wide as you took in what your date would be. In the middle of the field laid a lightweight red blanket, a couple of lanterns on each side made it visible. Laid out in the middle there were a few containers with what you assumed were food, steam covering the inside.

You smiled at Sukuna, and he could’ve sworn his world stopped for a second.

“It was his idea.” He grunted, hoping his brother would take the hint.

“Yeah, I thought you would like it.”

You stared back at Sukuna for a second longer, a playful glint on your eyes, before you turned around and hugged Jin again.

“You’re so sweet, thank you.” You placed a small kiss on his cheek, your lipstick tainting his skin. “Maybe you should stay, and we’ll ditch your brother.”

“I– “

“He’s leaving. Now.”

“Bye, Jin!”

Sukuna dragged his brother, pulling him to the main road that led back to the parking lot. He took out his keys, throwing them to Jin before snatching away his brother’s car keys.

“If there’s a scratch on her I’ll fucking kill you, you understand?” Sukuna warned his brother.

“Yeah.” His brother cleared his throat, making sure they were at a safe distance from you. “You know, it’s not the worst thing in the world if you do like her. She’s always been nice.”

Nice wouldn’t be the word that Sukuna would use to describe you.

“Whatever, just don’t crash my fucking bike.”

“I won’t.” Before turning away Jin called for your attention, his arm waving in the air. “You’re coming to Yuji’s birthday?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

After one last menacing look from his older brother, Jin finally left. Sukuna had made a mental note of reminding Jin who the older brother was, even if it was just for a few minutes of difference.

“So, a picnic huh?” You teased and Sukuna wanted the earth to collapse right there and then.

“Jin’s idea.” He shrugged, grabbing a can of beer from the ground.

You sat down, crossing your legs in front of you as you settled down. “Oh yeah, it was his idea? Just like the flowers you got me?”

“Shut up.”

Why did he agree to this in the first place?

9:23 P.M

“... then all of the sudden Uraume bolts in the room and grabs me from the back of the neck, tossing me to the floor and I’m thinking ‘this is it, my life is about to end at thirteen all because I wanted to use a stupid pair of boots that stink and aren’t even that great’. Before they could even put a hand on me, I hooked my feet in the back of their leg and Uraume just straight up just collapses.”

“No fucking way you got them like that.” Sukuna half scoffed, half laughed, shaking his head at the thought of you overpowering Uraume.

As if.

You shoved him playfully. “I swear on my life, I don’t know why but that’s their Achilles point. Well, more like knee but you know what I mean.”

“So, you’re telling me you did the same thing to get them to back off my dick?”

“Pretty much.” You shrug. “I got on top of them, coughed up some phlegm and threatened them to get it on their face if they didn’t stop.”

“You’re fucking disgusting.” Sukuna laughed, his stomach hurting from the laughter the mental image of Uraume being defenseless brought to him. “No wonder they didn’t fucking told me what you did.”

“Let’s keep it a secret between us, pretty boy.”

“Fuck off, I told you not to call me that.”

You turned to him, eyelids half open as the alcohol relaxed your body. “But you are my pretty boy.”

That damn smirk made him want to choke you.

And kiss you.

“Tell me something.” You took another sip of your beer, a small drop falling from the corner of your lips. “Why are you doing all this?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean.”

The question of the year. Why do all this? Why put any effort behind this? Why did the thought of another man touching brought an anger in him he couldn’t explain? Why did he care about you? Why did the thought of spending time with you made his heart race? Why did your touch bring a tenderness in him he wasn’t aware of its existence before?

He had no idea, yet he craved you with everything in him.

“I don’t know. Just trying to see what happens.” He grunted, his nonchalance being his refuge when he couldn’t even explain it to himself.

“Uh huh.” Unconvinced by his words, you moved closer to him, your arm almost touching his. “Wanna know what I think.”

“Not really.”

“I think you like me. A lot.”

Sukuna scoffed

“You wish.”

“And I think you want to date me.”

“Shut the fuck off.”

“And you want to know the worst part about it?”

You laid down on the floor, your eyes focused on the starts above you.

“What?”

You sighed. “I think I might want to date you too.”

Sukunas head snapped to you.

“I know, crazy.” You let out a small laugh, as if you were just now coming to that realization. “You’re violent, obnoxious, immature, selfish, a sociopath at times, a bigger slut than I am, you have a terrible way of dealing with things, at times I really wish I could strangle you so I would never have to see you again. And yet… I still like you. Enough to try at least.”

I still like you.

The words bounced around his brain as he tried to make sense of them. He knew what he was supposed to do, he should push back. Deny every crazy allegation, go deeper into the reasons why he would never like you, tell you about every logical point on why he could never date you. Your fear of relationship, your extensive list of sexual partners, the fact that you drove him insane and the fact that only you could enact so much rage off him with just a couple of looks.

He hated you.

He hated the way you made him feel.

He hated the space you had taken over in his thoughts.

He hated the space you had carved in his heart.

He hated everything about you but lately he couldn’t remember why he had started to hate you in the first place.

“God, I fucking hate you.” He said as he laid down with you, the toughness of the ground aligning his back.

You chuckled. “Ditto.”

Your hand found his, fingers entwining with his.

Sukunas eyes stayed on you, watching you admire the night sky. He could see every movement you made, the way your eyes focused on following the chain of stars, trying to find sense in the constellations up in the sky.

And right there and then, with the moonlight hitting your skin, Sukuna thought he never saw anything more beautiful.

His hands moved faster than he could control them, pulling your face to look at him. Your eyes widened in surprise, and he wondered if you could feel the same warmth he felt whenever he touched you. Judging the way your eyes softened, he thought you did.

His hand traveled to your neck, his fingertips barely connecting with your skin. Your eyes darkened, traveling back and forth from his lips back to his irises and Sukuna knew he was screwed.

He truly did like you.

Fuck, he might even…

No, he could only deal with one catastrophic realization a day. That could wait.

At least until tomorrow, when his mind and soul were stronger to fight of the truth.

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[hrrtshape]

i am 34 years old (psychologically) and that is so chill of me.

seventeen years here, where the air smells like burnt espresso and a corporate merger. where the sun rises over a skyline of scaffolding and overpriced pilates classes. where my childhood is a stack of polaroids somewhere in my drawer, and my adolescence is something i’m allegedly still in.

seventeen years there, in my dr, where i was richer, sharper, better dressed, and seventeen. where the air smelled like old money and private school perfume, where my life moved in a different language, a different rhythm. a world where my name meant something.

seventeen plus seventeen is thirty-four. thirty-four years of memory. a number that doesn’t make sense because i am not thirty-four, and yet, i am. i have been alive for seventeen years, but my mind? my mind is double that, stretched across realities like a film reel with too many frames.

i was only there for fifteen days. but the brain is not a calendar. the brain is a hard drive, and when i shifted, it downloaded everything. seventeen years of memories compressed into two weeks. entire lifetimes absorbed like water into a sponge. when i woke up here, i didn’t just remember it. i had lived it.

i remember two lives with the same clarity, the same weight. i have twice the memories, twice the heartbreaks, twice the love stories, twice the moments of standing in a bathroom at a party, gripping the sink, thinking, this is it, this is the moment i will remember forever. i have lost twice as much, gained twice as much, made twice as many mistakes, laughed at twice as many jokes that weren’t even funny.

but it’s not just about the numbers. it’s about the feeling. it’s about living with a brain that is both young and ancient (sorry, old people). it’s knowing things i shouldn’t know, not in an oracle kind of way, but in a girl who has seen too much kind of way. it’s walking down the street and feeling like a ghost in my own life, because part of me still expects to turn a corner and see the other world waiting for me. it’s remembering places that no longer exist, inside jokes no one here would understand. it’s muscle memory trying to open doors that aren’t there.

and yet, i am still here. standing in this reality, holding a coffee, texting the same people, making the same plans, laughing at the same tweets. to anyone else, i am just a girl. but i am a girl with 34 years of lived experience. a girl who has already been seventeen, who has already been sixteen, fifteen, seventeen again. a girl who has been given time, taken time, stolen time, and still somehow has no idea what to do with it.

is this what shifting does? does everyone who shifts wake up feeling like they’ve lived twice? like they are something between a time traveler and an unreliable narrator? like they are a person split at the seams, two versions of themselves constantly overlapping? because i think that’s the part no one talks about. the part where you return and you are both more and less than before. you are wiser but more confused, fulfilled but aching, young but so old.

thirty-four years of memory should make me twice as wise, twice as tragic, twice as fabulous. instead, i’m just sitting here, waiting for my mom to get me a quiche.

[oldrecrds]

He doesn’t like the cold anymore.

Not after moving to Hawaii, where the sun never fails to warm the air and light up the vast blue skies. Not since traveling all the way to the other side of the world, in places with air so humid it’s heavy and summers that seemed endless.

In his head, the cold feels like shoveling snow with a relative he hasn’t spoken to in years. Like holiday parties with the entirety of his big and chaotic family. Like distant memories he can’t go back to.

In his head, it feels like being someone he hasn’t been in a long time.

So no, he doesn’t like the cold anymore. Especially after the time of his life he’d rather forget. His mind has funny ways of reminding him, though. 

On nights like these, it’s by giving him dreams so vivid he thinks he’s back in that cell in the middle of winter, curling in on himself, hoping for warmth that won’t come. Because in a place like that, there is only frigid cold—the kind that permeates your bones and settles deep. The kind that reaches your soul and takes years to thaw out, if it even does. 

He wakes up shivering, heart pounding and the hair on his arms standing up. His breaths heave, and he wraps his arms around himself out of instinct. In the space between dreams and waking, it’s easy to forget that he’s not in a cold, dark cell anymore.

The sheets rustle, warmth envelops him, and slowly, his senses start to catch up to his surroundings.

The first thing he realizes is that the warmth that surrounds him is you—your arms wrapped tight around him. Next to register is a voice, soft and gentle in his ear.

“It’s okay, baby. It’s okay. ‘M here, you’re safe.”

And he breathes easier, because he believes that voice. That voice is the one that consoles him and teases him and laughs with him. That voice is his anchor and his lighthouse. That’s the voice he’d listen for in the loudest rooms, the one he’d follow the sound of anywhere—yours.

His eyes adjust to the darkness in the room. A sliver of light from a small gap in the curtains paints the room a deep blue—you did say something about a full moon earlier—and from where he’s laying, he can see the outline of the lego set the two of you are working on carefully placed on the table in the corner of the room.

“S’okay, honey. You’re with me…” you keep coaxing, voice still roughened with sleep.

He woke you up, again. It doesn’t happen often anymore, but the guilt is just as sharp every single time, and that’s what fully brings him out of his stupor.

He turns around to face you, and it’s good that he can only see the outline of your body, because it means you can’t see him all that well either. You won’t see the guilt and shame coloring his expression. You won’t feel the need to comfort him when he was the one who woke you up from a peaceful slumber.

He should’ve known you didn’t need to see his face to know what he needs, though, because you pull him close anyway, tucking his head into the crook of your neck where it fits perfectly. Your hand rubs his back up and down, lingering over where you know it hurts sometimes, and no, he’s not in a jail cell. Nor is he sharing a cold, cramped room with a bunch of other men.

“Bad dream?” you ask, though the both of you already know the answer. He feels like he’s talked about everything ad nauseam, but you still listen tirelessly everytime.

He doesn’t feel like dwelling on it anymore. He breathes in your scent and sinks further into you, pressing the cold tip of his nose into the underside of your jaw, earning a sleepy giggle out of you. He smiles against your skin. This is all that matters to him now.

“Luigi?” Concern still laces your voice, attentive and understanding and loving even half asleep, and he thinks he must’ve done something right.

“I’m good, princess. Just a bit cold,” he whispers. “Sorry I woke you.”

“Sorry I fell asleep first.” You raise the blanket over both your shoulders, hugging him tighter to your body. 

And the apology is nonsensical. The reason behind your logic more so. You can’t keep the nightmares away by letting him fall asleep first, but you try anyway, and there’s something about the naivety of that idea—the purity of it—that he’d die to keep.

There are a lot of moments in his life where he's thought, what led me here? But this, he knows, is not something he should question. So for the first time in his life, he’s content with not knowing. Whatever led him to you, it’s worth it.

He must’ve done something right, indeed.

[lsunstreakerl]

v fun for the prompt thing! how about motogp max + all the ways charles tries to 'casually' arrange a hangout with him

- time travel anon, who is actually sim rig anon, and I'm just going to give myself an emoji actually

- 🎮

LMAO emoji might be the best way to go. wouldn't want to accidentally baptize you a third time. this ended up being 1.1k words and it's still technically only two separate incidents, but like- Charles is so down bad I simply couldn't condense it.

"So like- I am thinking it is like this, yes?"

Charles grins brightly at Carlos, who is staring blankly at him from the other side of the hotel bed.

"Charles- I am right here. I am shirtless, in your hotel room, and all you can talk about is Max."

Charles frowns. He doesn't want to upset Carlos, it's just that Carlos knows Max (!!!) and he needs to navigate this very carefully.

He reaches over to pat Carlos's chest, gets briefly distracted feeling him up before he sees the unimpressed face he's receiving.

"Charles."

"Carlos."

Carlos groans, flopping onto his back.

"I am getting cockblocked by Max, again, and he is not even here. When I get my hands on him-"

"Do you think he likes romantic dates or is he more of a 'skinny dip in the Monaco Harbor' kind of guy?"

Carlos's hand drops onto his face. He looks physically pained.

"Please do not go skinny dipping in the harbor. You live here. You will never live that down."

Charles frowns.

"It's not like I can just go to Spain, mate."

He's pretty sure Carlos's eye is twitching.

"What, exactly, is stopping you? Because if it means you'll stop waxing poetic about one of my best friend's waists, I will buy you that ticket myself, Perceval."

Charles sits straight up, duvet falling around his waist.

"You will?"

"Oh for- I was kidding- Dios, fine, fine. Sit back down."

Charles settles back down, batting his eyelashes in the way he knows other men go weak for.

"Thank you, Carlos."

Carlos scowls as he jabs at his phone.

"Do not thank me yet- he is a maneater, Charles. Don't go falling in love with him."

Charles has met many maneaters. Normally, it doesn't seem worth the effort to try and reform them- usually women, usually perfectly content with their lifestyle. Max is so stunningly captivating that Charles will gladly let him take chunks out of him, however much he wants.

"Maybe he just has not met anyone interesting enough yet."

Charles gives Carlos his most dazzling smile, dimples and all.

Carlos remains unimpressed.

"Right. I'm sending you your ticket- and you better put some effort in, because if I have to listen to you head over heels, and him bitching about your lackluster sex skills, I'll end it all, yes?"

Charles leans forward, pecking him on the forehead.

"Yes yes, best sex of my life, I understand. Sorry you are not fucking me tonight. I think Lando's up for it?"

Carlos huffs as he pulls his clothes back on, running a hand through his hair as he makes his way to the door.

"You are lucky you're pretty, Perceval."

------

"CHARLES!"

Ollie is shouting to be heard over the thumping bass, but Charles is in the habit of keeping an ear out for his children, so he leans in closer.

He notices with a slight shiver of horror that Ollie is nearly his height already.

"YES?"

Ollie gestures at Charles' new yacht around them.

"IS IT A HOUSEWARMING PARTY IF IT'S A YACHT?"

Charles leans back, thinking. He's actually not sure.

"GO ASK GEORGE."

Ollie nods and bounds away.

Charles should've told him to go ask Sebastian- it would've been hilarious. There's all sorts of drivers here, somewhat of an open invitation for his friends.

There's a tap on his shoulder, and he turns to find Lando grinning evilly at him.

He narrows his eyes.

"WHAT?"

Lando leans up right next to his ear, cupping a hand to be heard better.

Not that it matters, because he keeps shouting a decibel even louder than the actual music- potentially an attempt to sabotage Ferrari by blowing out Charles' eardrum.

"YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHO'S HERE!"

Charles furrows his eyebrows.

"WHO?"

Lando turns him slightly to the side, and Charles' eyes scan the crowd. It's all people he knows, although Carlos and Fernando are standing next to-

"Oh my god."

He hears Lando cackling behind him.

"IF YOU DON'T TAP THAT I WILL!"

Charles whips around, shaking Lando by the shoulders while he contemplates dropping him overboard.

"DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT, YOU EVIL LITTLE TWINK."

There's a loud burst of laughter from where Carlos and Fernando and standing with Max, and Lando should thank his lucky stars that Charles is so easily distracted, because he gets to live another day.

Max has a wide grin on his face, a drink in his hand, and he's in the shortest fucking shorts-

Charles is not sure how he's meant to handle this.

It doesn't help that Max and Carlos are both wet, clearly having come back on deck from the water. The fabric is clingy, and Charles is going to die, because Max has a tattoo winding up his thigh, disappearing under the hem of his shorts and reappearing just slightly above the waistband. It must cross his entire hip.

Charles would discover a new element if it meant getting to figure out where else it goes.

He picks his jaw up off the ground and gets another drink, something bright and fruity and full of vodka.

Carlos rolls his eyes when Charles approaches, but Fernando lights up, grabbing Charles' wrist and tugging him closer into their little trio.

"CHARLES! This is Max! He is like you, yes? Young and fast! He is a MotoGP driver!"

Charles is a little stunned for a moment, because the only other time he's seen Fernando be so outwardly and obviously proud of other drivers is when it's his own karting academy kids.

Max laughs, and the sound is like silver in Charles' ears, pulls his attention like a magnet.

"We've met, Nando."

Charles could listen to him forever.

"And it's always a pleasure to meet you again, Max."

Carlos makes a gagging noise and turns away, and Max's eyes are sparkling as he grins at Charles, scrunched up into little crescents.

"I like the yacht! Very..."

He waves the hand not holding his drink, and Charles notices he has black nail polish, brain screeching to a halt as he completely misses the rest of what Max is saying.

It's quiet for a second, Max watching him half expectant and half amused.

Charles should probably respond.

"Thank you!"

Max bursts into laughter again, but this time it's because of Charles, and the feeling is comparable to when he snatches pole at the last second.

Charles made him laugh.

Max leans over, water droplets on his neck and shoulders, deftly swiping Charles' drink out of his hand. He raises it in a mock toast, and Charles wants to kick everyone else of this stupid yacht right now-

"Cheers to the yacht owner, yeah?"

Charles has the power of vodka and the French language in his pocket.

"Veux-tu m'épouser?"

Max drains his glass in a smooth pull.

"Still not drunk enough for French, solcito."

Charles chickens out.

"I said we should get dinner sometime!"

Max takes another step forward, right into Charles' space, fingers resting lightly on his forearm. Charles can't look away from him, blue eyes piercing right through him.

Max is still smiling at him.

"I'd like that."

[comfortingevanbuckley]

Day 7 of @bucktommyfluffebruary will be posted here until I can get on ao3. But for now have 1k words of Love Letters/Letters.

This was inspired by my own Dear Maddie series that I am working on as new episodes come out. In that series, Buck writes letters to Maddie that he doesn't send. In this fic, Tommy finds letters Buck wrote after their breakup. He doesn't read all of them and he tells Buck right away so he is not invading his privacy. Just want to make that clear! So I hope you enjoy! Fic under the cut!

Sharing My Heart With You | 1K | GA | Bucktommy

In his defense, he didn’t mean to find the letters. Tommy had been watching the loft for Evan since he was away on special deployment. Most of the fire department had been called to help in an emergency and normally Tommy would have gone too. However, he had injured himself during a rescue right beforehand so he already had been off duty.

Tommy was going back and forth between his house and the loft, even though Evan said he was welcome to stay over. However, Tommy had some things to do around the house anyway so it was easier to just drop by, leave his boyfriend’s mail on the counter, water the plants, and then head back out.

On the way to Evan’s loft this particular day, he went over a particularly bad pot hole and ended up spilling coffee all over his shirt. Cursing his luck, he figured he would just borrow a shirt of Evan’s. He knew he wouldn’t mind, since they were about the same size.

He first worked on getting the stain out as much as possible in the faucet before throwing it into the washing machine. Evan had some clothes he hadn’t gotten around to washing before he left, so he figured he wouldn’t mind if Tommy just tossed it in with the rest.

Heading up the stairs to the bedroom, Tommy dug around in his drawer before finding a shirt. Putting it on, he was just about to close the drawer where he spotted a stack of letters inside. They were all folded up neatly and had his name on them.

Tommy wondered why Evan had letters with his name on them, and a part of him wondered if Evan meant to send these. But then why were they in the drawer?

His curiosity piqued, he opened the first one and noticed dried, crinkled spots on some parts of the paper. 

Tommy,

I am so mad at you. How could you leave me like that? I didn’t think you’d hurt me this way.

Closing the letter, Tommy took a deep breath. He shouldn’t read this. Obviously from the tone, he wrote this when they broke up. But he couldn’t invade Evan’s privacy like this. If the letters were in the drawer, then obviously he didn’t plan on him reading them. Then why keep them?

His phone dinged and he looked at it, seeing Evan had checked in. Hey baby, how’s your day going? Just got a short break so checking in.

Hey! Just got to your place. Borrowed a shirt cause I spilled coffee all over me. 

No problem! Although the fact that you didn’t send me a selfie of your naked chest is rude of you.

Tommy just shook his head in amusement. Funny.

Then he decided he should be honest with him. They had promised each other to communicate with one another better, so he decided to call him. “Hey.”

“Hey. It’s so good to hear your voice.”

“Yours too. Um, so when I opened the drawer to grab your shirt, I found something.”

Evan chuckled, “I don’t keep my toys in that drawer, though.”

Tommy blushed thinking of the last time they had some fun together. God, he missed him.

“Cute. Um I saw some letters with my name on it. I got curious and opened one.”

Evan was quiet for a moment before groaning, “Oh, I forgot about those. I, uh, they were kind of like a diary for me. I wasn’t going to send them. They were just for, like, a memory, I guess?” He winced. “I used to write to Maddie when I was traveling and it was cathartic for me so that’s what I…which one did you read?”

“The top one.”

Evan let out a hiss. “Sorry. It was written that night.”

“I’m the one who should be sorry, Evan. Not only did I invade your privacy, I made you cry. I’m such an asshole.”

“I mean…you were. But right now? You’re not because you called me and told me. I appreciate you being honest with me about that, baby.”

“Would you have been upset if I didn’t?”

“Maybe at first. You know, you don’t have to read them but if you want to, I give you my permission. Just…remember that all the things I said are the same things we discussed when we got back together, okay, baby?”

Tommy closed his eyes, just focusing on the tenderness in Evan’s voice. “I’ll try.”

“If it gets to be too much, don’t read them. Or just call me. Even if I don’t answer, you can still call me.”

Tommy had to admit, he was tempted but wasn’t sure he was ready to read the top ones, at least if Evan wasn’t there to remind him that they were stronger now.

Once he got off the phone, he took the stack of letters and decided to read the bottom one. He looked at the date, seeing it was from the night of their second chance first date. That night had gone much better than their very first date and they both had wondered if they were supposed to count this as their new anniversary.

It had been such a fun night and Tommy wondered what Evan said about it.

Dear Tommy,

Tonight was perfect and one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time. I told you I never stopped loving you and when you looked at me tonight, I could feel it in your eyes. You felt the same way. I’m so excited to restart our adventures together. I still want everything with you, but I am still scared to say it out loud again. To scare you off and lose you for good. I don’t think I could handle losing you again. 

Is that how you felt about me the first time? I didn’t get it before, but I think I do now. You’ve seeped into every fiber of my being and shown me so much love. I missed it more than you could ever know. I know in my heart that I am yours and you are mine. We’re going to do better this time, baby.

I don’t know if I’ll ever send these to you. Maybe one day, on one special day, I can show you my entire heart. However it happens, just know the journey may have been painful, but it led me back to you. 

I love you so much, Tommy. I’ve felt love before, but not like this. I’m going to make sure I show you just how much I love you and want you for the rest of my life.

Love, Evan.

Tommy sniffled, wiping his eye as he pulled out his phone. I read your last letter. The one after our second chance date. I love you so much, Evan. I cannot wait to spend my life with you. And I am going to kiss the hell out of you when you get home.

Can’t wait. Love you too, baby.

[baiwu-jinji]

Hi, sorry if this ask is gonna sound weird, but do you have any tips on how to spot misinformation/fake news on how life was (under communist) China? i sometimes come across posts that just...sounds off to me, but i can't really put my finger on it, but otoh, as a diaspora, I really don't know how life was there, outside of my own family's history. Again, sorry if this is a weird ask and im crossing a boundary...

Hi! This is a really interesting question. If you find these posts noticeably lacking in complexity and nuance, and if they're trying too hard to drill some opinion or message into you, then they're more likely to be misinformation. It could also help you get a more objective read on things if you could figure out where people are coming from, like what're the possible motivations behind the opinions they posted, if their posts are strongly coloured by their personal experiences, etc.

For example with this clown that posts about his life in China, all of his videos are about how mind-bogglingly marvelous life is in China and how it makes the US look like trash. This sort of propagandist narrative is super appealing to Chinese ultra-nationalists so he's basically bending backwards to cater to their tastes. People from Western countries disgruntled with their domestic politics are susceptible to such narratives too. A lot of his travels across China are also most likely sponsored by state media (like he collaborates with CGTN and you can see that in some of his videos).

On the opposite end of the spectrum we have this American guy who lived in China for a decade and now posts exclusively about the evil of the CCP. If you watch his earliest videos, he was thrilled to experience life in China and saw China as this land of endless possibilities and growth. But after Xi Jinping came into power and the country became more hostile to foreigners, he got really disillusioned and eventually just barely managed to get his family out of China (his wife is Chinese). I think he was probably very traumatised by it, and now all his videos about China are like "doom death destruction", but that would not be what a lot of Chinese people feel about their lives.

It also reminds me of an old Chinese film called In the Heat of the Sun, which is about the life of a group of teenagers during the Cultural Revolution. Their parents were (if I remember correctly) senior officials so they led a relatively affluent and peaceful life; the riots, massacres, and political struggles that raged across the country didn't seem to touch them, and the film showed them exploring love and friendship and sexual awakening as any teenager would. Even in the darkest times there're people enjoying themselves, and even during the best times there're people having miserable lives. To understand "what life is like in China" is too complicated a question in itself.

I also get that it's very hard to obtain objective and truthful information about China because on the one hand the Western media is used to painting China as a cardboard villain (which unfortunately is becoming truer in recent years), on the other hand a lot of the content you see about Chinese people showing you "authentic" life in China on Western media platforms such as YouTube is most likely just covert state propaganda. My advice is that the more you read and watch from as many sources as possible, a more comprehensive and objective view you'll get.

[the-superstardaycare]

It's like fate that I'm in front the moment this question is posted /half joke

Let me introduce you to Sano Manjiro, aka Mikey from Tokyo Revengers.

WARNING: I briefly talk about gangs, murder and death in this so if that's not your thing, just remember him as plural without reasoning. Also this obviously will include spoilers because I can't shut up about this show once I start.

ALSO this is a very long post because I'm so autistic about this, so sorry.

He is, I should clarify, not canonically plural. In all fairness, in source, probably not a single thing would speak for him being plural. But I started headcanoning him as plural about a year ago now.

Part of the reason is absolutely me coping with our own plurality. During times of self-doubt, it gives me a sense of comfort to think about one of my favorites also being plural.

Other part of it is that I (sourced from Tokyo Revengers) had a feeling that in my canon Manjiro was plural. My boyfriend (also sourced from Tokyo Revengers) also said it absolutely could somehow be possible.

So let me go into Manjiro and into my headcanons real quick (real quick is a lie, I am info dumping).

Tokyo Revengers, just for quick clarification, is manga that focuses on gang fights in the early 2000s japan. Its main theme also includes time travel, which leads to many different future versions of characters.

I believe that one of the last future version we get to see of Manjiro, specifically the one in the "close to perfect because everyone is okay but him" timeline, is probably the most plural coded as he can get.

He is, in my eyes, BPDgenic, traumagenic and possibly an accidentally created System for coping purposes. Probably considered a Mixed System.

The guy has witnessed quite a few events over his life that can (and should be) considered traumatic. I could go into the events and why that is, but I can't spoil the whole story, even if I really want to.

I think the one thing I should mention is that he lost pretty much everyone dear to him. His parents died when he was still pretty small; his big brother was (somewhat accidentally) killed by someone he deemed a friend, his sister was (absolutely on purpose) killed by someone he knew and his step brother ended up dying in a gang fight. Most of his friends and acquaintances left him because he started going into directions they did not want to take with him (in relation to the gang).

He also carries some type of curse with him that I won't be going into much details. It essentially makes him unreasonably violent and kinda loose sense of his self.

SO. Who's in the System?

Manjiro obviously. He's the host and one of the two alters who actually fronts. The usage of "core" or whatever is debated in the community, but it's probably the closest thing I know on how to describe it. He uses he / him, is a bi cis man and fronts during less stressful times with one of his triggers being the protgonist of the story (since they're "best friends" in lore, but manjiro is kinda in love if you ask me).

Mikey, who is the other fronting alter. He is, I'd say, the protector and a prosecutor. He uses he/him pronouns and is aroace (repulsed on all sides). He is essentially the "manifestation" of that curse.

Shinichiro is one of the multiple non-fronting alters in the System. He is a factive of Manjiros older brother. He/Him, Bi or Hetero probably and has an unknown comforter role.

This is my love Emma (she's so pretty, i love her). She's Manjiros sister. She uses she/her, is hetero and an emotion holder probably. She's, in Manjiros eyes, the manifestation of happiness and safety. She's also a factive!

Izana is a factive of Manjiros step brother. They didn't know each other for long, due to a hard relationship in the past and stuff that I won't go into because it's not important for Manjiros plurality. Anyways, Izana goes by he/him, he's unlabeled queer and has no specific role other than being a reminder of what could've been (ow.)

I think Shinichiro, Emma and Izana are entirely non-fronting. They can be co-conscious when Manjiro is in front, but that's about all. They're not made to front. They're created to serve as a reminder to Manjiro what he lost.

Things I should also probably mention:

Manjiro was cursed back when he was still a child, but I think that Mikey split off of him way later in life. So I wouldn't deem his younger versions to be plural for this reason. The "curse" only started manifesting when he was older, and therefore his plurality also only appeared later in life.

Being plural is, not entirely, a negative experience for Manjiro. In his defense, his entire life has been a negative experience at some point which is the reason why he became plural to begin with. But I wouldn't say "having factives of his loved ones makes him happy and a better person". If anything, it makes him miserable, because it's almost like a constant reminder that they're the closest thing he'll get to seeing them again.

Sure, its comforting to have them by his side, and to have Mikey who holds onto the dark impulses (the canon name for the "curse"), but it's not the same to him.

I think Manjiros plurality ended up saving him from a worse future (if that's even possible), but it didn't make his life better or anything. All it did was stop it from getting even worse.

Also, he's my favourite because 1) coping, 2) I feel so bad for him in the entire story and 3) part of me in source was dating him so it's only fair to think about him. 😔

Ah uhm, yea I don't know where else to go with this because I don't think many will read all of this anyways. But I got to info dump about this, which is nice. And shoutout to whoever read till the end :) you're so cool.

question 71: do you have a favourite plural character? is that canonical or a headcanon of yours? why are they your favourite?

[cherrylight]

do you think he misses me........ ? maybe ..... maybe he's upset with me... i don't know. all i know is that he still means so much to me...

i don't know... i'm so bad at gushing about characters that mean a lot to me on here.... i just say things and go into immediate keysmashing... i also don't really follow ho/me/stu/ck anymore... like i haven't followed canon in such a long time so at this point dave's simply full with my own headcanons and interpretations of his character..... however still going by canon because i'm never normal about ANYTHING

i think he's so wonderful.... i think he deserves a lot of nice things... i'm so unsure how talk about him because i am tired.... but he is lovely. i love him. i wish i can do him justice... or write cute silly drabbles about us... but i am terrified of doing anything ever lately... i'm also too distracted and my brain feels like it's going into overdrive.... just so much happening up in there....

i'm sure dave would somehow in his own way sneakily manage to curate a mixtape for me of sounds to ease my mind because it's always constantly buzzing... he'll like just casually offer it to me and act like it's absolutely nothing but is freaking out over it. or something. actually.

i never liked it how people were like "dave freaks out all the time" "dave would do something nice and freak out" or whatever... like yeah he freaks out and in general is too hyper-aware of his surroundings, but i also don't think he'd consistently freak out on offering something because he wants the person to feel better even if he may or may not have a crush on them.... i have too many thoughts about him maybe i can make a post fully about him if i'm brave enough.

he's aloof but also a complete dork, but to me he's always the "casual down-to-earth" type of guy, mostly from his entire speech of him not wanting to be the knight of time and rather be just some guy. so maybe that's why.

talking too much about him. this is my longest post i think... of like any f/o without me feeling like i'm being too much or too annoying.

i just miss him too much. been kind of thinking about him lately. it's okay. i love him to bits. this also feels strange. but it's okay. i need to get out of my comfort zone. i hope dave knows i will love him forever. or something. i don't know. um. i just hope he knows he is my entire world. yeah. my silly crow boy i love you <3

[skimmingmilk]

"If it helps, one of the many scenarios my brain likes to twist around is imagining Sonic's perspective of No Cracks In A Closed Loop (and I adore Tails getting to be a badass and pulling off the impossible, too- my brain just likes to spin on the angst sometimes)" - @manynerdthings

A/N: So I was inspired...

I think it's safe to say this helped a lot xD Thank you, manynerdthings!

This is a continuation of my fic "No Cracks in a Closed Loop"

No Cracks in a Closed Loop ��� Sonic's Side

"Sonic."

That single word—no, just the voice alone—was enough to cut through the adrenaline rush as pure chaos energy sang through his veins and ignited every nerve with its spark. In a flash of light and sound, Super Sonic punched a hole through the Starfall-titan-wanna-be by using his own body as a projectile. A cocky grin cut across his muzzle as it wobbled in place, setting its sights on him instead of the city it had been about to level; its laser cannons aimed directly at the fault line.

This fight wouldn't last twenty seconds. They'd already won.

"What's up, partner?" Sonic said into the comm as he shot skyward.

The streak of gold drew the mech's cannon higher, until it cleared the tips of skyscrapers and nearby mountaintops by the time it shot at him. The laser's heat didn't even singe his fur, firing at full power into the stratosphere instead of drilling deep into the crust of the planet. It zinged past the satellite Tails was communicating from, but Super Sonic's gaze didn't linger on it for more than half a second—already more than certain it was out of the laser's range. Speeding through the air, he whirled around towards the mech for his next move. He was going to cyloop Eggman's newest addition to his junk pile right off its feet. 

Swerving down in a sharp arc, Super Sonic avoided the next blast while he swung around to try and circle it. It's clawed hand swiped at him before he could complete his first circuit. He shot straight up before it could catch him, homing attacking it in the face instead.

The comm was still quiet. Tails must've swapped to their own channel. Super Sonic flew backwards, putting both the titan and the distant satellite in his line of sight. Whatever he had to say, he didn't want anyone else to hear it.

Super Sonic's brow furrowed as a barrage of bullets opened up on him. He weaved between the hundreds of projectiles glinting dangerously in the sunlight, but his chaos energy and speed worked in tandem, as fluidly as a dance, while he searched for another opening to try the cyloop again.

He could beat this thing without it, sure, but it was the fastest way to take it down.

"Tails? Still with me, bud?" Super or not, Sonic still spared a second to check in, static ringing in his ears as he burst through the center of the mech's chest plate for a shortcut.

"I'm here," Tails answered, but his voice sounded faint, like the feedback was drowning him out. "Sorry, I…" Super Sonic started his cyloop. "I just wanted to—" He was halfway around. "I'm sorry—"

Sonic closed the loop. A burst of chaos energy swelled up with a deafening boom. The air rippled with the force of it in great gusts of wind that rocked the trees and the grass of the nearby hills. Waves rose up in the bay, their white caps scraping the bottom of the golden bridge that marked the edge of the sea. The fake titan lifted into the air, sparks crackling off its metal casing as its system overloaded. Super Sonic didn't give it a second to recalibrate itself.

Faster than anyone could see, he smashed into it on all sides. A tiny mote of golden light against the towering behemoth, but it struck every weak point, fried every circuit, as the chaos energy pressed in on it from the outside. Metal crunched and caved it on itself, contorting into a twisted configuration until it no longer resembled a machine.

A cheap imitation of the ancients' attempts to defend themselves, designed only to destroy instead of protect.

Super Sonic grabbed onto mech's arm—or maybe its leg, it was hard to tell at this point—as the cyloop's effect faded, catching it before it crushed Westopolis. He swung it around and around, gritting his teeth as he built up momentum and set his sights on the ocean out ahead of them. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Super Sonic let go.

The mech's remains were flung through the air, over the coastline and beyond the bridge that cut off the bay from the sea. It crashed into the water, the ocean spray shooting up into the air in a tower of mist once it hit the surface. The waves rolled aggressively towards the coastline, but ultimately broke apart in the bay before they could do too much damage. Some millionaires might have to replace a yacht or two, but that wasn't Sonic's problem.

As he dusted his hands off, he could finally acknowledge the warning bells Tails's last words to him had set off. "Hey, what was that, bud? I didn't catch—"

Super Sonic turned towards the satellite, addressing it like he would Tails, but it was gone. Instead a cloud of smoke filled the space where the satellite had been not ten seconds ago. Metal shards and fire rained upon the bay. Everything in pieces. Everything gone.

His comm was in chaos. Unintelligible voices shouted over one another in a cacophony of white noise that was already fighting a losing battle to the ringing in his ears. But he still noticed one voice was missing. He couldn't hear it.

He hadn't heard any of it.

Over the sonic boom of his cyloop and the screeching of metal as he demolished the titan, Sonic hadn't heard the satellite explode.

The satellite his little brother was on.

He'd been trying to tell him something.

He'd been trying to tell him something before a satellite exploded with him on it.

"I'm sorry."

Tails. 

Super Sonic shot off like a bullet, speeding towards the black cloud of smoke and smoldering debris like there was even a chance—

No. There had to be a chance—

"I just wanted to—I'm sorry—"

Why? What happened? What did you do, Tails?

He hadn't even properly seen him off before he left. Tails had been trying to hack into Eggman's satellite remotely while Sonic was out chasing after the faux titans. He told them all about his plan to board the satellite and everyone agreed it sounded like the right call, so long as he could do it quickly. They needed to disrupt the signal, after all, and Tails was their best shot.

That was what he'd said, wasn't it? "You're our best shot, Tails. I believe in you, partner."

Their best shot, but not the only one. Not if it meant this.

Nothing was worth this.

Sonic didn't need to breathe while super, but his lungs still burned twin holes in his chest as his own nervous system caught fire. Golden sparks flicked off his quills as he raced through the air. Fiery eyes frantically scanned each scrap of metal that fell, but they must've already been irritated from the smoke because they burned and blurred with the rest of the world around him—

"—onic, wait! Come back! Sonic!"

One voice.

Super Sonic stopped. He stopped so fast and so suddenly, it felt like his own soul completely missed the memo. Like everything inside him continued to hightails it towards where Tails had been without him, leaving him empty. Hollow. Cold.

A vacuous space in the center of himself where there'd once been something. 

The chaos energy inside him didn't know what to do with that.

With so much… nothing.

Stunned, he could only float in place for a stupid second until he remembered he'd stopped for a reason. With a sharp turn, his stare locked onto a splash of orange amidst the blotchy colors of the rest of the world bleeding into one another. Like he was still moving too fast to see clearly. Like he couldn't catch up to himself.

"Sonic…" Tails's voice broke like it had on the comm, but it wasn't with pain guilt fear regret static.

Vision clearing, Sonic could see him now. At the edge of one of the hills overlooking Westopolis and the bay. Tails just rubbed at his nose with a sheepish sort of grin, like the explosion was a minor miscalculation. A hiccup. My bad, he could hear him saying, like he was standing in the middle of his workshop, covered in soot and singed fur, one hand on his hip and a fire extinguisher at his feet.

Like he was fine.

Like he hadn't been incinerated in the fiery inferno smoldering above them.

Tails lowered his hand, eyes shining as they looked up at him, reflecting the very sky Super Sonic was caught in as the satellite's remains fell all around him. He'd been on that satellite. Just seconds ago, Sonic had been so sure of it.

He'd been so sure he'd lost him…

Then Tails opened his arms to him and laughed.

All at once Sonic crashed back into himself, chest heaving with a sharp inhale as his heart lurched forward. 

Faster than a blink, Super Sonic barrelled into Tails and sent them toppling down the hillside. They smacked hard against the ground, but Sonic took the brunt of the fall even with the world spinning around them. His arms encircled Tails tightly, one hand protecting the back of his head while the other braced the small of his back as they tumbled and whooped like a pair of idiots. Pure joy radiated through him, burning brighter than the chaos energy coursing through his quills. It knocked the emeralds right out of him. The seven gems fell into the grass around them as the two mobians eventually rolled to a stop.

Sonic clutched Tails to him, shaking with breathless laughter as he felt his little brother hug him back just as tightly. "I'm here," Tails was saying, and it took a minute to realize he'd been repeating the words while Sonic's hands were trembling. "I'm here. It's okay, big bro. I'm here. I’m here."

"And you say I'm the one that's gonna give you a heart attack," Sonic wheezed, not bothering to give himself room to breathe if it meant letting go for even a second.

"Can't let you have all the fun." Tails smoothed his hands over Sonic's spines to try and settle him, his touch purposeful and grounding. "Deep breaths, big bro. You're gonna pass out."

"Nuh-uh," he argued, but filled his lungs with his next inhale anyway, then let all the air ease out of him.

"That's it. There ya go," Tails encouraged, but Sonic couldn't help his snort of indignation at being coddled and pushed away from him. 

Except Tails just tightened his grip; fingers curling in his fur like they'd be forced apart if he didn't. He hid his face in the crook of Sonic's neck, his breaths coming only a little too fast. But his hands were shaking, too, and his twin tails wound around them both as if they were enough to protect them from the next threat. 

Sonic didn't pull away. He just sat back, the eleven-year-old practically in his lap, and rested his hand atop Tails's head.

"Gave me a real scare there, pal," he said, voice low and gentle as he smoothed out his fur, picking at the grass and brambles they were both covered in.

"…Scared me, too."

Sonic's heart clenched, the open admission like a bludgeon to his protective instincts, even if his pride assured him Tails could handle it. After all, the proof had all but climbed into his lap. But now that he was looking at him—really looking at him—he could see his fur was mussed up from more than just a tumble at supersonic speed. A streak of blood stained his fur on his shoulder and there was a lump near the center of his back that filled Sonic with an angry fire hot enough to burn through the atmosphere when he so much as brushed against it with his fingers. 

Tails didn't flinch when he grazed it, but his muscles gave an involuntary spasm that rippled beneath his fur and his hold on Sonic tightened. It was enough to quell the roiling rage to a simmer. Something he could stick a lid on without worrying it would boil over if left unchecked. It wasn't what Tails needed from him right now.

But Sonic still wanted some answers.

"What happened up there?" he asked. 

Tails shook his head. "Just a bit of a closer call than I thought it'd be. But I'll be okay. I am okay."

Sonic instinctively bristled, prepared to be shut out of whatever it was he'd gone through. "Tails—"

"I'll tell you someday," he promised, pressing his paw over Sonic's heart. "I mean it. But right now we've got a lot of Eggman's mess to clean up. There's still six other titans out there and I'm sure everyone else is worried."

Sonic sighed, as exasperated as he could manage when he was still just glad this kid was alive. "Gonna hold you to that," he threatened, ruffling his fur to muss it up on purpose. "You owe me. Nearly shocked the Chaos Emeralds right outta my system."

"Says Mr. Guy-Who-Loves-Adventure," Tails teased as he pushed himself up to stand. "You should be used to it by now."

Sonic snorted when he was offered a hand up, but he took it nonetheless. "When I go gray early, I'll know exactly who to blame."

"Don't worry. I'll help you dye your quills, old man," Tails snickered, but it broke off with a wince as a sharp twinge ran through his back.

Sonic was quick to lay a supportive hand at his hip to steady him. "Look who's talking. At this rate, you're gonna be right there with me setting the record for the world's youngest old timers."

Tails sent him a look, but accepted the help nonetheless as he leaned his weight against him. "Did you really have to knock us all the way down the hill like that?"

"Heh. Well, in my defense, wasn't exactly thinking straight." Sonic scratched at his nose, giving him a not-so-subtle onceover. "Didn't bang ya up too bad, did I?"

"Nah. I'll bounce back," Tails assured him, giving him a pat on the back.

"You always do," Sonic agreed warmly as they took a few steps in tandem so they could start collecting the Chaos Emeralds on their way back up the hill while Tails alerted everyone to their status on his comm and checked in on everyone else as well.

Sonic just listened, taking in the rise and fall of his voice, his steady assurances and sighs of relief to hear that the world hadn't fallen apart in his absence. Even if it very nearly did. As far as Sonic was concerned, anyway.

But he was okay now. That was what mattered. And whatever it was that happened on that satellite—whatever reason Tails had for calling him seconds before disaster—he would trust that his little brother would come to him when he was ready. Because he'd be there for him. No matter what.

Keeping his arm looped around Tails’s waist even after they made it back up the hill, Sonic looked up at the smoke still fading from the sky. He tightened his hold on him. It felt like another lifetime, like another him had first seen the explosion and feared the worst. Tails followed his gaze, quiet again with all the calls taken care of and winded from the uphill climb. Through his labored breaths, there was the slightest tremor that traveled from his chest to where he stood pressed against his brother.

"…Scared me, too."

 "Hey, whatever happened up there," Sonic broke the silence, his voice drawing Tails back down beside him. "Whatever you did, I'll bet it was seriously way past cool." He glanced over at him, waiting to catch his eye before giving him a wink.

All too easily, Tails grinned up at him, the shape of his smile the spitting image of his brother's. "Way past is definitely one way to put it."

———

Five years later…

———

"You've been quiet all day, partner. Something going on in that big brain of yours?"

Everyone else had split off for the night. Team Dark vanished sometime after lunch, after Rouge once again tricked Shadow into accompanying her, and Team Chaotix had an appointment for their next case. Amy took Cream back home to Vanilla while Tangle and Whisper left to help Jewel out with some Restoration business.

Which left just Sonic and Tails lounging on the couch; the former picking up where Vector had left off in the game he'd been playing, tapping away at the controller while the latter watched.

Tails hummed in acknowledgement, so Sonic let him have a minute of quiet to collect his thoughts. He picked at one of Whisper's cinnamon muffins, crumbs scattering across the coffee table, but he didn't eat any of it. He hadn't had much of an appetite since slinking out of his lab earlier that afternoon.

It probably had something to do with the quiet and the way he'd been kinda clingy. Sonic had planned on going for a run as soon as Tails retreated back to his lab to tinker with whatever gadgets he had tucked away back there, but he seemed pretty content to stay curled up on the couch beside him. Still, Sonic could adapt. He kicked his feet up onto the coffee table and slumped back into the cushions as he wandered aimlessly around in a game he couldn't remember owning.

"Do you remember that time you went up against Eggman's seven fake titans?"

Sonic let out a low whistle. "Boy, is that a blast from the past. What about it?" 

When Tails didn't immediately continue, Sonic pressed the pause button, then shifted against the cushion to sit up and face his not-so-little-anymore bro. The sixteen-year-old fox tore his gaze from the screen to watch him instead, eyes bright from television's glow. Looking at him like that, for a split second, Sonic could still see the insecure, little fox kit he used to be in the way his shoulders hunched up as if to make himself smaller. To take up less space in the world.

Sonic draped one arm along the back of the couch, leaving space for him to lean into if he wanted it. No matter how big he got, there'd always be space for him.

Tails scooted closer and rested his head against Sonic's arm. "I needed to disrupt the satellite signal powering the Chaos Emerald vaults, but Eggman locked me out of the remote connection so I had to access it directly—"

"On the actual satellite," Sonic interjected, fingers drumming against the back of the couch. "I remember."

Tails released a long exhale. "Well, he set a trap. A way to slow me down so I wouldn't be able to unlock the emeralds for you in time. The same code that would disrupt the satellite's signal would also cause it to self-destruct. Eggman banked on me having enough self-preservation that I wouldn't engage it without trying to disable that function first."

"But you set it off anyway."

"I set it off anyway," Tails confirmed with a decisive nod. "It was the outcome with the highest percentage of saving people. The fastest way to help you guys. I thought I could get out in time. I should've gotten out in time," his voice lowered, eyes distant as if he was reliving the moment right there on their couch. "But I couldn't. Not on my own. I needed… help."

Sonic tried to follow him there, even if he didn't much like to relive that day in his waking hours. "So you called me."

"Not… exactly." Tails sat up straighter so he could look him in the eye. "I knew you'd come get me if I asked, but then countless lives would've been lost if the titans had gone on unchecked, even if just for a couple of seconds. Sometimes that's all it takes…" Tails's fist clenched as he dropped his hardened gaze to his lap. "I made the call to initiate the self-destruct in order to save people. I couldn't take that back. I couldn't take you away from them. Not again."

A younger Sonic would've snapped at him—would've argued over the value of his life with him until he wasn't the only one blue in the face. But at twenty-three, Sonic had fought more of these battles than he cared to count and never once walked away a winner. So he sat back, held his tongue, and let Tails explain himself.

"I called you to say goodbye," his voice lowered to a whisper, "I wanted to give you that, at least.”

He'd had a feeling. It wasn't one he dwelled on freely, but sometimes the thought wandered in uninvited. Moreso during the first couple of months after the incident, when everything was still fresh and closer to their present.

Before Sonic could respond, Tails pressed forward. "But then an older version of myself traveled through time with two Chaos Emeralds to save me. He said it was the only way. Because at the time, only the two of us knew what transpired on the satellite. We created a temporal paradox, a loop without a proper origin, but as long as it was contained between the two versions of me, nothing could disrupt it. That's why I couldn't tell you before. I wasn't sure… I didn't know if the future version of myself had told you what happened and if that would open up possibilities in the time stream that would botch the encounter entirely." Tails lifted his gaze to seek out Sonic's again, and he could see the eleven-year-old sitting in front of him like it was that very same day. "I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you."

"Nothing to apologize for, bud. I get it. I wouldn't want to mess up the time stream for that particular moment either." Sonic shifted the arm draped along the couch so he could cup the back of Tails's head, idly ruffling the fur there. "But if you're telling me all this now…" he drawled, moving to scritch behind Tails's ear. "Charmy wasn't the one who swiped Shadow's Chaos Emerald earlier, was he?"

Tails shrugged, muzzle quirking up on one side. "When he showed up with it today, I just had this feeling that it was time to make my move…" Tails explained. "I've been feeling it for a couple weeks now, to be honest. I had all the equipment I'd had on me that day and I looked close enough to how I remembered. I knew I probably had to go back soon. Just needed everything to align so no one would interfere. Today seemed good…"

Sonic tilted his head as Tails trailed off, his eyes still a little distant. "Well, you made it back in one piece, didn't you? Mission accomplished."

"Yeah. Mission accomplished," he echoed, but whatever was on his mind continued to fester. "I thought I made a mistake."

"Hm?"

"There were only three seconds left," Tails whispered. "I thought I messed it all up. I thought I killed us both—"

"You—"

"I was so sure it would work because it already had, but there was still the possibility I could've gotten it wrong. I could've caused a split in our realities. Created two timelines where I ceased to exist, except in this one no one would've known what happened to me and two of the Chaos Emeralds would be lost to time. How would any of you have known where to look?" Tails rambled, pressing his hands over his face. "I estimated the time of day with a standard deviation of a couple of seconds, but those seconds could've been what killed us—"

"Hey, hey, hey," Sonic hushed, shifting to wrap both arms around his little brother as he slumped against him. "You didn't. You're here. You're right here with me, see?" He gave him a firm squeeze, smile tugging at his muzzle as Tails hugged him back tightly. "Atta boy."

"Stupid…" he mumbled into Sonic's shoulder. "Why does this still work so well?"

"Heh. What're big brothers for?" Sonic huffed out a chuckle. "Listen, you can't live a life of what-ifs, bud. It'll drive you outta your mind. I should know. And I know you know that, too." He felt Tails's nod against his cheek. "You did exactly what you set out to do. And heck, you used the Chaos Emeralds to travel through time! When did you learn how to do that, huh? Holding out on your big bro?"

Tails snorted, but it got him to relax enough to pull back. "Figured if I could use Chaos Control, time travel was just an added boost. Like adding a supercharger to the Tornado's engine."

"Tch. You figured." Sonic rolled his eyes, but the warmth in them was nothing but fond. "Give yourself a little more credit. You did something incredible today, Tails. You defied time and space to save yourself. And not only that, you gave yourself a future to look forward to. Because who wouldn't want to turn out to be like you?"

It was Tails's turn to roll his eyes, though it was his own chuckle that betrayed him. "That's what I told me."

"And wiser words were never spoken," Sonic assured him as he gave his knee a firm pat.

"I dunno. Could make a case for the consequences of rewriting timelines and creating unsustainable permutations of past and future events." Tails grinned.

"Now you’re just being smart," Sonic snorted.

"Well, I am a genius." Tails bumped his shoulder to Sonics. "But I also learned from the best. Even eleven-year-old me picked up on that."

"Well, he's a genius, too. He knows what's up." Sonic slung his arm around Tails’s shoulder, this time his turn to watch as his brother picked up the video game controller to continue where Sonic left off. 

He let him, taking his turn to be content as he watched Tails figure out the game faster than he did and go farther than Sonic could. They said nothing for a few minutes, Tails working out the rest of his pent up feelings through the game while Sonic quietly processed what he'd just been told. He wasn't a stranger to time travel, not by a long shot, but even so, it wasn't what he thought the answer to that day had been. As much faith he had in his best friend, his self-sacrificial tendencies were something he couldn't help but take notice of. After all, he'd learned from the best, hadn't he?

But it wasn't with bitterness or disdain when he set his gaze on the teen beside him. That wasn't possible; not when he saw every age at once. Not when he was in absolute awe of how far his kid had come. 

"Tails."

"Sonic," Tails answered instinctively, matching his tone with the hint of a crooked smile.

"Thanks for saving him."

Tails blinked and paused the game so he could look at Sonic. In the light from the television screen, green eyes glimmered with a depth that took him back to a younger version of his big bro, who was trying to do everything in his power to be there for him. Because he wanted to be. Because he needed to be.

One tail curled around Sonic's back and draped over his lap, giving back the same reassurance he always gave so freely.

"Anytime, big bro."

[myokk]

🥺

[shrekgogurt]

okay so when I used to live in the same city as my friends we went to trivia every week which I organized and was originally started because of my birthday

now they all (all!!!!!) live in a different city to the north and I live in a different city to the south and they’re coordinating doing trivia every week again FOUR HOURS away from me and it makes me want to walk into a river and stay there

[crossbackpoke-check]

yOu'Re gOiNg fOr a LiTeR? | "Habs react to Quebec Maple facts", 10.22.24

[starcloud-nova]

the thing i’m most afraid about for tua season 4 is that they’ll undo the power loss immediately and the plot will be about something else entirely

[riiviir]

hey guys so I just started reading Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott and OMG AHSBNSBSBSNSNBSHZHSHDBFHGGHFHGRJ2KSHSBSNSK AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I LOVE THINKING ABOUT THE RELATIVITY BETWEEN DIMENSIONS!!!!!!

[pokimoko]

Listening to instrumentals from the silly doo-wee-ooo show is actually something that can be so painful.

[hwsforeignrelations]

RANT