#And what I read of Void Rivals is… fine?

[youngerfrankenstein]

“Just put Robert Kirkman in charge of the whole Transformers franchise.”

Absolutely the fuck do NOT do that.

[littlespoonevan]

i think it's funny that there's a sort of inevitability to buck and eddie becoming a popular ship when you look at the start of s2. and it's not because they're two attractive guys or because of their chemistry or even because of what their relationship becomes later on. it's because of how eddie is introduced and folded into the narrative

with abby gone, there's a void in the show

maddie slips into her role at dispatch, taking over that 911 operator pov and offering the compassionate and clever perspective abby brought to the emergencies she dealt with

eddie, on the other hand, takes on her role in buck's life

abby is the person buck spends the most time with on a one to one basis in s1. abby is the one he talks to and who also confides in him when she's struggling. abby is the one he makes a conscious decision to step up for at the end of s1.

with her gone, it would make sense narratively to introduce a new love interest for buck. instead they introduce his sister (a dynamic we understand already exists, even if we don't know it yet) and his new coworker/best friend (and rival for approximately 20 mins lol) and everything abby was to buck and was for buck basically gets transferred to eddie. this is the person he's spending time with now, this is the person confiding in him, this is the person he can show up for over and over again because he wants to

i remember when i was watching the show for the first time back in 2021 i was trying So Hard not to get sucked in to buddie so i was very much watching as an outside observer. and i remember watching those first 4 or 5 eps of s2 and thinking, 'oh yeah i see why this is a thing because if this was a man and a woman all of this would be hinting to them falling in love down the line'

and even all these years and rewatches later it still reads like that!!!!

so much of those first couple of eps is orchestrating moments to establish buck and eddie's dynamic:

buck reassuring eddie during the earthquake that chris is fine before bringing eddie to pick him up at the end of the night (vs. say, buck helping abby look for her mom when she's goes missing and reassuring her, until he brings her to the hospital once she's found - significantly their first meeting and the thing that changes things between them).

and then buck taking eddie to the hospital when pepa calls about isabel's accident, giving bobby a head's up about eddie bringing chris to the station, discussing eddie's struggles with maddie bc he wants to help, calling carla to help eddie with childcare (all a direct parallel to bobby's encouragement he step up for abby and the way he did try to do that before she left)

those first few eps tell us eddie is Important to buck and he is personally invested in trying to make eddie's life better/more manageable (and on the flip side, they obviously need to create connections between eddie and the other characters if they want us to root for him. and with bobby and athena together, hen with karen, and chimney about to meet maddie for the first time, the only person missing a counterpoint is buck)

and none of this is me saying the show intentionally put eddie in abby's shoes (they definitely didn't) but from a purely logistical perspective of making eddie buck's primary new scene partner and when you consider the show didn't make the effort to establish ali as a new viable rival to what abby was for buck, it's like, of course people are gonna latch onto eddie and buck's relationship instead!!!!! of course this is where we were gonna end up!!!!!! what else did you expect!!!!!!

[catiecat1320]

Sonadowtober Prompt 20+22: Adrenaline & Fearless

Sonic's reckless, to the knowledge of everyone that has ever met him. Shadow knows it the most of all

This is so late TvT

Read Below🔽

How stupid is he?

That’s a question Shadow asks a lot about Sonic. Unironically. He’s somehow so idiotically reckless in his actions yet at the same time, things somehow always work out. He’s either so dumb he’s smart, so smart he’s dumb, or just insanely lucky.

Or perhaps a mixture of all of them.

Case in point, right now. 

“Sonic!”

Said hedgehog paid Shadow no mind, leaping fearlessly from building to building— if they could even be called buildings anymore, the world around them falling to pieces as cyberspace fails and everything reverts to a white void. A white void that they could very easily fall into.

Maneuvering about this place and looking for the exit at the same time was hard enough with cooperation. But Sonic, being the reckless idiot he was, decided it’d be a good idea to run off to seek thrill rather than stick together. How he managed to get so far without getting hit was beyond Shadow. Was he even looking at where he’s going…?

A giant chunk of something featureless nearly clocks Shadow in the head, stopping his chase. In his haste to dodge, he loses sight of his target. 

Deja vu hits him in the worst way as he frantically scans his surroundings, eyes darting among floating bits and pieces of things now unrecognizable. It reminded him of the void between shatterspaces that he’d gotten trapped in, that he’d traveled through fruitlessly as he struggled to enter portals, that he’d raced through in one last bid to save that damn hedgehog because he could not live in a world without that smile. 

Shadow shook the memories off and snarled. He needed to find that idiot and get out of here, preferably before he got himself hurt, or worse.

Adrenaline rushed through his veins as he launched himself off the platform he stood on, curling into a spin dash and ricocheting off obstacles like he was in a giant game of pinball. 

Curse that idiot.

............................................................

“Sonic!”

That was the last thing Sonic heard before he lost sight of Shadow. For a black-and-red hedgehog, he was sure difficult to spot in a white void.

It wasn’t that he was worried, no. Shadow could handle himself perfectly fine, perhaps even better than Sonic could— not that he would ever say that to the other’s face. The hero had no doubt that Shadow could find his own way out of this mess if it came to it. It… was more an unspoken obligation to make sure the other was okay.

At least this was fun! The broken cyberspace gave way to plenty of new challenges. Sonic flipped off of a floating… platform? Close enough. He flipped off of a floating platform, twisting midair and grabbing onto an upside-down rail, whooping as he slid down it like a zipline.

His heart pumped wildly and he barked out a laugh in excitement, taking the trip as an opportunity to look for either Shadow or a portal out of this crumbling place. But not only did he see nothing, he also didn’t realize the rail had tapered off until he was suddenly grasping at nothing, falling through the emptiness… well, almost emptiness. 

“Umph—!” Sonic gasped as he smashed face-first into… he didn’t know what. He does know that the force of his impact caused it to tip, flipping around and dumping him back into a fall. “Whoa— ACK!”

Safe.

“Idiot.” his savior spat, and if Sonic didn’t know him so well, he would’ve thought the underlying tone to be contempt. But if it were contempt that Shadow felt, he wouldn’t be princess carrying his so-called rival.

“Hey Shads! Sorry I lost ya back there!”

Shadow rolled his eyes. “Do you not have an ounce of self preservation in your body? Or even fear? It’d do you good.”

“Nah,” Sonic smirked. “Besides, what’s the point of that stuff when you can have fun instead?”

“Not dying.”

“...Eh. I suppose you got a point. But I have you to help me do that!”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“What do you think?” Sonic gestured at his position cradled in the other’s arms. “You know I can stand by myself right?”

Shadow flushes a bright red, embarrassment hidden poorly with a growl. “Do you want me to drop you?”

Yet he doesn’t let go. Perhaps he holds Sonic even tighter. Whatever the case, the hero hooks his arms around Shadow and flashes a cheeky grin. “You wouldn’t. I know you wouldn’t. Portal’s behind you by the way!”

“Damn you.” But there’s no real malice to his voice as he turns around, rocket skates firing as they blast toward their exit.

And if it’s reminiscent of a previous time, when risks were higher and Sonic’s implied words had been put to the test, neither hedgehog mentions it. For after all, they know how the story ends.

Safely.

[hd-wireless]

📻🎶 H/D WIRELESS 2023 - WEEKLY WRAP-UP #1

🎶  Just a perfect week Read fanfiction in the park And then later When it gets dark, look at art. Just a perfect week Reading at work in the loo, And then later a podfic, too And then home.

Oh it's such a perfect fest We're glad to share it with you Oh, such a perfect fest It just keeps us reading on, It just keeps us reading on.   🎶

🎤 Welcome to our 8th round of H/D Wireless!

The time has finally come to start posting all the fantastic entries we’ve received this year!

We’ve revealed 14 top hits so far, with many more to come. The mods have been working non-stop since December to make this happen, so we’re beyond excited to finally be back 🤩

As always you can listen to the prompted songs for the works we post on two playlists:

Click here for Spotify (many thanks to @evaeleanor for helping us out there) ❤️

And here for the YouTube playlist.

And now without further ado, our Wrap-up for the first week of posting:

🎶 H/D Wireless Art 🎶

📻 Why don't you like me? [T, digital comic]

🎵Song Prompt: Grace Kelly by MIKA 🎵Summary Failing to ask Harry out, Draco deals with his feelings in a very dramatic fashion.

📻 Alive [E, Digital comic]

🎵 Song Prompt: 'Alive' by 'Sia' 🎵 Summary Harry is lost after the final battle, but he finds comfort from an unexpected source. 

🎶 H/D Wireless Fic and Art 🎶

📻 Before the Cold Sets In [T, 9,154, origami art]

🎵 Song Prompt: Cold Tea Blues, by Cowboy Junkies 🎵 Summary But if I measure the sugar To satisfy your expectant tongue Then that is love Sitting untouched and growing cold - Cold Tea Blues, by Cowboy Junkies Sometimes, the person you should be planning your life with is already in it. Or, how Harry realised that true love is at the bottom of a tea cup.

🎶 H/D Wireless Fic 🎶

📻 Everybody Hates a Tourist [E, 51,500]

🎵 Song Prompt: Common People by Pulp 🎵 Summary On a stag do in sunny Brighton with the Gryffindor lads, the last person Harry expects to run into is Draco Malfoy. After a glimpse of Malfoy’s Muggle life in Britain’s gay capital, Harry’s curiosity gets the better of him and he finds himself returning to the seaside again and again, drawn to the city, drawn to this new version of Malfoy that Harry barely recognises from school. Meanwhile, Draco’s just trying to live his big and best queer life: working for the weekend, chasing hot men, getting lost in Brighton's nightlife, and making friends with the neighbourhood cats. Why does his former school rival and crush have to show up and spoil everything?

📻 Take You Home [E, 26,333]

🎵 Song Prompt: Fuck the Pain Away by Peaches and Take You Home by Dido 🎵 Summary Everybody’s a little fucked up after the war, Draco especially. What starts as hate sex after a night out, eventually turns into something else, something more like comfort. And even though his friends all tell Harry he’s just being used, all Harry’s doing is making sure Draco gets home in one piece. He’s not falling helplessly in love.

📻 love is just a shout in the void [M, 4,489]

🎵 Song Prompt: i'm in love with u, sorry by j'san 🎵 Summary Draco accidentally texts Potter his biggest secret and he’s pretty sure the Chosen Prat isn’t ready to hear anything close to it. So he pretends he didn’t mean to. But the problem is: Potter is still as infuriating as ever, if not more than he was before.

📻 The Two Of Us In Sympathy [M, 5,782]

🎵 Song Prompt: Rent by Pet Shop Boys. 🎵 Summary Draco Malfoy is a sex worker. Harry Potter is the client who falls in love with him.

📻 Vipera Berus [M, 20,614]

🎵 Song Prompt: Just Pretend by Bad Omens 🎵 Summary Everything was fine. Draco resided at the Manor, made a decent living selling potions and most of his customers actually kept coming back despite his last name. Hence, Draco was fine. He really was. And so what, if he was still waiting.

📻 Don’t hate him when he gets up to leave [M, 2,226]

🎵 Song Prompt: 'Two-Headed Boy' by 'Neutral Milk Hotel' 🎵 Summary The linens are white and empty, sunlight slanting through the window illuminating a bed that has been deserted. Draco knew Potter would leave; he’s always gone by morning. Draco doesn’t even remember what he looks like in daylight.

📻 (you) find me when the lights go down [T, 1,839]

🎵 Song Prompt: 'save me from the monster in my head' by 'Welshly Arms' 🎵 Summary Harry can hear footsteps on the stairs behind him but doesn't bother turning to look. There's only one person likely to follow him out here at this time of night. "Potter," comes the crisp voice, easily recognisable as Draco. "You do know that most sane people, especially those who spend every waking moment complaining of being cold, would cast a warming charm. Or at the very least grab a sweater. Not spend every night attempting to turn into an icicle." - What makes someone a ghost? Because if it's dying, Harry's got that covered.

📻 If You Took the Time to Try [T, 18,169]

🎵 Song Prompt: "Go Like" by Fox Stevenson 🎵 Summary Last summer, Draco's impulsive decision to sleep with Harry Potter resulted in a bruised ego and a broken heart. Now he's looking for a fresh start- something that was absolutely not just an excuse for him to run away from his problems. Only it totally was, and while leaving London might have been easy, leaving Potter in the past was not.

📻 Title & Possession [E, 49,063]

🎵 Song Prompt: Misery Loves Company - Asking Alexandria 🎵 Summary Harry Potter’s life is going well in the aftermath of the war. Sure, his house is dark and run-down and might hate him (while his house elf definitely hates him). But other than that, things are good. Except, yeah, okay, Hermione and Ron are no longer on speaking terms. Worse, they keep trying to get Harry to pick sides. But otherwise, Harry couldn’t be happier. Well. Except for the fact that Ginny is being super weird about their relationship and never wants to have sex or talk about the future. But other than that, Harry is perfectly fine, thankyouverymuch. At least, he is until Draco Malfoy threatens to sue him for ownership of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, and winds up moving in until the issue is settled. Then Harry really isn’t fine at all.

🎶 H/D Wireless Podfic 🎶

📻 Inside These Walls [podfic] [M, 33 minutes]

🖋️ Original author: Jackvbriefs 🎵 Song Prompt: Black Sheep by Metric 🎵 Summary The year before Draco moves to Los Angeles, Harry Potter disappears. Draco doesn't mean to find him. He's just doing his job.

📻 Moldova's Magical Tea by aibidil - a Podfic [E, 2:46:12]

🖋️ Original author: aibidil  🎵 Song Prompt:  Clint Eastwood by Gorrillaz 🎵 Summary Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and—to everyone’s surprise—Draco Malfoy are opening a magical tea shop to revive wizarding tea culture and, hopefully, to bring the community together after the war. Harry, who is unemployed and trying to find his way in post-war society, wants to help his friends with their new business—but that means spending a lot of time around Malfoy. Featuring Muggle music from summer 2001, trips to the Muggle cinema, herbology and magical herbal infusions, and Draco trying to convince Harry that, while he’s still a snarky git, he’s no longer a bigot.

[gr4yk]

Ladies, Gents and everyone outside and in-between, welcome to this perpetually inconsistent mess of a blog. I'm Ash K. Gray, you can call me... literally any part of that pen name. I'm (allegedly) a writer and comic artist just trying to have fun with as many mediums as I can.

Big media enthusiast, here, which is why you can catch me on Youtube rambling away about one thing or the other. My fan-fiction requests are OPEN, so have at it! Or just read my pre-existing stuff over on AO3.

I also have an instagram, a Cara and a Chill Subs account where you can get a look at my published stuff. You can also buy something off my inprnt shop or support me on Ko-fi! ( feel free to drop some print requests in my inbox )

My asks are always open, but I can be a little slow with them at times. Lovely having you here. Cya 'round!

Under "Keep reading," you'll find little synopses of my long-term works and their tags on here so you can keep track of whichever ones interest you ( if any do at all ).

Fanworks:

When Flag Posts Fall and Ashes Remain

A Flaggburning (Frank Burns x Colonel Flagg) fic series written with the intention of studying and developing the character of Frank Burns.

Modes of Being

A Friends sequel retconning my stifles with the finale without rewriting it. The plot centers around Rachel's career and her friendship with Chandler as well as his and Monica's marriage, which seems to have been hit with a single stifle: Joey Tribbiani.

Original Works:

Nothing Is Amiss [ #akg nia ]

Aidan 'Noah' Newman, a well-spoken journalist with a proclivity for the rational, gets involved with a peculiar theory about the nature of existence. Things do not go amiss. Everything is perfectly fine. It's a very wholesome tale of love, freedom and adventure; a journey into the depths of the human essence that endeavors to ask - albeit never quite answer - the enigma of autonomy.

As Told By Dean Baxter [ #akg atbdb ]

The cynically narrated chronicles of a guy who, although not yet a protagonist in his own right, seems to stumble his way into the not-so-wonderful world of romantic endeavors, albeit never his own. In high school, he fulfills the role of a background character in a puppy love scenario. As a freshman in university he winds up the center of a love triangle....'s best friend. As a senior, he's mistaken for a love rival. Wonder what role he'll play when he's well into his career.

Ernaline [ #akg ernaline ]

A multimedia horror conglomerate of comics and written fiction that follows different cast members within the same world. From witches and demonic cults to emotional vampires and phantoms; Ernaline is a mixture of comedy and horror that seeks to entertain before anything else.

Hindrances Overload [ #akg ho ]

Everyone's lives have got their own fair share of hindrances along the way. Combine fifteen schoolmates' hindrances together, though, and now you've got yourself an overload. This is a simple comedy slice-of-life following the streams of consciousness of fifteen sophomores that just so happen to go to the same school. When they graduate, regardless of how much they change and the varying degrees of the hardships they get into, our tale concludes.

The Void's Gameshow [ #akg tvgs ]

The Nameless Host is bound to an endless, ever-lasting void. Their only purpose is to run a sadistic gameshow to satisfy the urges of a viewership not entirely within the realms of mortal comprehension. Every year, a series of roulettes is rolled to decide the nature and location of the show's four new unfortunate contestants. This season, said contestants are the uptight Eric Schultz, the clever Keishi Tokugawa, the brawny Riley Wellobie and the sweet Maria Dujardin. Their only objective is to survive.

post dividers by: @k1ssyoursister

[1-up-chump]

Just to let everyone know my mortal kombat characterizations are a mix of the arcade games, mk1995, mk defenders of the realm, and my imagination. Rarely will i maybe pick and choose the rare good things they did in the newer stuff. Just so we're clear:

Raiden and fujin are GODS not demigod as that means one of their parents would had to have been mortal. They are GODS

Liu kang is humble but not infallible, he hates the idea of being a god and tricked himself into thinking he wants to be a chosen one when deep down he just wanted a normal fucking life. He can and will crack under pressure and just bc it takes a lot doesn't mean he'll last forever as a "hero". There are no heroes in Mortal kombat.

Kung lao is prideful in his HONOR of his ANCESTOR and the SECRET WHITE LOTUS SOCIETY. He is not anymore arrogant in his capabilities as a warrior as literally anyone else. He works hard, fights hard, for his friends and earthrealm.

Johnny cage has no fuckin deep lore ancestry to explain his powers he just has chi energy like everyone else he's just rare bc he managed to bring it out so quickly naturally no special bloodline or whatever the fuck percentage this white man has, its all him all his own soul all his own talent.

Sindel LOVES kitana and will never not love her. No matter how much dark magic corrupts her soul and mind, her heart is strong and true and Although it might be twisted she will love her daughter and sacrifice everything for her. Including herself.

Shang tsung is a baddie and he doesn't need big muscles or fancy artifacts to do so. His danger is in his smarts, even if he's not top dog he'll never be out of the game for long nor at the bottom. He will always be persistent and always there in mortal kombat, after all. He is THE tournament master of mortal kombat.

Shao kahn aint no whimp and he isn't a meat head either. He's a cunning tyrant, bold but not so brash he can't be smart enough to know what fights to pick to give him an advantage. Conquered realms with the oldest trick in the book, divide and conquer. Makes his enemies fight his other enemies, plays both sides to gain allies to his power. He's deadly because he is smart AND strong.

Kuai Liang LOVES his brother and never ever in all the lifespan of the universe and several others will he abandon or denounce bi-han. If he has to pluck bi-han's soul out of the layers of void and dark magiks that quan chi put in place then so be it. Kuai knows his brother is in there and if not, he'll find a way to give him peace one way or another.

JAX HAS HAPPINESS AND RESPECTS JACQUI EVEN IF HE SEES HER AS DADDY'S BABY GIRL BC JACQUI IS A GROWN ASS WOMAN

Speaking of jacqui, she is awesome and doing fine as takada's wife and is researching some cool magiks on the side to better help earthrealm (always leaving shang tsung on read since he wants an apprentice)

Sonya is doing her own thing. Ideally she would never had married a man she has 0 chemistry with, but if it has to happen she is divorced and fine with it and never gets back with Johnny. They're still friends tho! Best friends that just don't work as lovers.

Cassie is doing her own thing like Johnny does and has a personality that isnt "nerd dude bro wank bait" and is a warrior who goes through her own journey.

And scorpion is practically retired he's doing fine he's ok he's rebuilt the shirai ryu and everything is prosperous with the ninjas.

Reptile is actually not the last of his species and is getting some damn respect for once. Kotal Kahn is trying to better himself not only as a warrior but a leader bc he realized he has a long way to go actually. Goro is back and vibing. Sheeva is vibing too. Baraka is vibing.

MILEENA AND KITANA WILL HAVE RESPECT EVEN IF THEY'RE STILL RIVALS

Kitana is not some stuck up dipshit haughty princess she actually remembers what being under shao Kahn's oppressive regime, but also starts to realize despite that she had more privilege than others and starts to actually help all of her people and learn that edenia was never a utopia and such a thing doesn't exist, but regardless she will try to actually unite ALL of her people regardless of social status (might even abolish it)

[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

Hello beloved Blog of Void, I've come to you again w/ another Homestuck post! I was reading the new Act 6 update and your previous prediction about Gamzee Makara getting killed by Nepeta was right! I couldn't believe it, but you called it dead on! I was shocked to see Nepeta come back to life, kill Gamzee, and then combine w/ Davesprite. We're clearly reaching the end of Homestuck, there's really not much more left for the comic to do and yet, we have a new character in Vriskatsprite^2 palling around w/ the sprite crew. Do you like this new addition to the cast? I don't like them much, I don't understand why at the end of the comic, we're introducing new characters for comic relief scenes that take up half an update. These pages feel very redundant, especially as we're nearing the end. I liked that we finally saw Tavros and John kiss! Their relationship has really come a long way from Tavros killing Jake English in front of John in Act 3. Isn't it wild how they went from rivals to enemies to lovers? I feel like Homestuck just invented a new romance trope. Do you have any pairings you'd like to see interact before Homestuck ends?

I heard a rumour that Caliborn is going to be killed by Vriska next update and that's why she was seen grabbing The Ultima Spear in the final page of the update. Do you believe that too or do you have other theories? Maybe the next update will be the last update ever? It's almost 4/13 after all.

Nice! I don't think I got that one right, but then I just picked the most unexpected one I could think of (I thought Vriska would have more to do than just die!).

I think most of the moresoirity involved with the next update is coming from the fact that it will be the 8th anniversary of the start of Homestuck -- if not the first page, at least the second page. So, 4/13, yes?

The next update seems like it should be the end of Act 6, but it's hard for me to say with any certainty. It looks like we're going to get a HUGE update (huge as Homestuck updates go, like the first two or three pages), but since it's the start of an "act" it's not a "perfect" resolution to the comic, and that might make things complicated. I kinda hope that some sort of "long arc resolution" happens, like the arcs at the end of Act 2, but I can't imagine what that might be.

(The one thing that seems most obvious is that in most cases where there has been some kind of twist or sudden reversal, a "long arc resolution" has occurred soon after -- like the reversals in Acts 3 and 5, or the sudden kidnapping and subsequent return of Jake in Act 4. So maybe something like that.)

The most interesting part of the update will probably be the final line? I mean, presumably the 13th Anniversary thing is going to be in there. (I mean, it has to, right? "On April 13" is not a sentence you can just tack on to the end of an Act 6 update. It's going to be . . . something)

I don't know what I think of the new character? Their sprite is lame but I guess I'm fine with the concept of a new fusion.

I don't like Karkat and Tavros' relationship or any of their dialogue, but I am glad they kissed. It didn't make me any more invested in Karkat or Tavros per se, but it was . . . a thing that had to happen. (And the fact that this new character was created as a result of it was kind of neat.)

The Ultima Thule thing makes the least sense to me. It's possible that it represents "Mituna in the Ultimate Heir," but (a) is the Ultimate Heir a sylladex? and (b) doesn't Hussie like Mituna? If he did intend to kill Caliborn, I'm sure he would have had Mituna do it, since they are friends.

[smoothiedreams]

just an idea i had

It's been three days since Jack managed to bring Cas out of the void, he and sam went on a hunt and they was now investigating the basement of a witch they had just killed, the place was in the basement of a house where it was full of spells and named pots on perched shelves. Dean was looking at the vials while Sam followed a little ahead, they heard a noise and had their weapons in their hands automatically, the sudden movement made Dean drop the vial which fell at his feet and released smoke, the brothers looked at the source of the noise and it was just a mouse passing by, Dean of course cursed out loud and sam snapped to readiness with concern in his eyes, asked Dean if he felt any different and the older winchester said it was all right, he said that maybe because the witch hadn't used the spells for years they had passed their expiry date or that it was ok since he didn't show a reaction, on the other hand sam was worried, he asked what was written on the vial and dean said aloud " sweet smiles", he mocked the name, further ahead they found a table that contained a diary that the witch had been writing for centuries, later reading the said diary Sam would find about " sweet smiles ", apparently a long time ago the witch lived happy with her lover, this lover had lost her pet and was extremely sad, which broke the witch's heart every time she cried, so she created this magic that later she turned it into dust to store, the spell made the person affected to cry Honey, her lover loved honey, every time she cried she took some of the Honey that his eyes produced on his lips, And always smiled with sweet taste, the witch to flatter her did the same, these were happy memories in the diary, but didn't say how to end the spell. Dean was still dealing with Cas's recent return and his time in the void, the angel's statement kept repeating itself in Dean's head but he didn't have the courage to face it and since the angel returned they've been acting as if nothing had happened. cas seems ok with it but Dean is struggling with a lot of emotions and he wishes he could express it to the angel, after all he deserves an answer, and the worried eyes of cas on Dean when he got back to the bunker, sam had explained by phone call to cas what had happened to Dean, the angel asked careful if he was ok after he checked the hunter with his eyes up and down, this made the pit of Dean's stomach warm and turn and he hid the sensations behind a smile and an "I'm fine" attitude. Dean thought about the situation he was in, he didn't feel any different but the spell apparently only did if he cried, and he wasn't willing to prove it, later he and cas end up in a conversation where he opens his heart, the hunter talks about how he was after cas was carried away by the void, interrupts cas before he can say anything and continues until he finally says through tears that he loves cas and he can have him, cas's eyes are wide and he is looking at dean with curiosity and admiration, he brings his hand to Dean's face and wipes away what would be a tear, the hunter is paralyzed and tense but when cas takes his finger with what now proved to be honey coming out of his tear ducts, to his lips and confirms with a satisfied sound at the taste, they both open a silly smile, the angel's smile widens and his eyes are shining with something special, Dean feels his lips widen in a smile that rivals cas and he feels lighter, the situation is absurd and they laugh loud and good, cas turns to face Dean and repeats the words from the dungeon "I love you dean" and this time Dean can reply, "I love you too cas". He discovers later that the spell only ends when its objective is fulfilled, sharing sweet smiles that warm the heart.

[mincedpeaches]

I've seen people talking about it obviously, but I finally read Void Rivals #1-4 for the new Transformers #1 that came out today and like. I can't believe Robert Kirkman pulled the surprise Transformers reveal in his new comic. ROBERT KIRKMAN with his hands on transformers comics. Like. Its actually huge.

Void Rivals I really liked the art, and I think it lends itself well to the story its telling (basic so far, but fun and interesting). Also I wasn't surprised by Jetfire since I already knew, but I was surprised by the Quintesson AND there was a cut deep enough that I didn't even recognize it offhand (Skuxxoid). And the letters mentioning that there will likely be other continuities pulled from as well... I'm paying attention. Mr. Kirkman you have my attention.

As for Transformers #1 itself, it didn't wow me as much lol. I kinda wish the Transformers comic had the Felici/Kirkman combo that Void Rivals has. The art and "G1 opening rehash but a little more adult" was just giving Simon Furman's -ations series to me. Which was fine when it came out years ago but stacks up less against the IDW that followed it. Granted, this -ations impression is filtered through the memories of 15(!!) years ago when I read it, so maybe its more just vibes.

I'm still paying attention though. It will be fun to for real follow a Transformers outgoing again. Excited to see what it could bring.

Skybound might even get me to read a G.I. Joe comic. Key word might.

[gumy-shark]

trope: person a lost someone dear to them and uses person b (or more persons) to fill the void. person b is oblivious to this while person a is getting more and more possesive of them until they snap into insanity and basically groom person b into being the person they lost.

trope2: found family

trope3: slow burn enemies/rivals to lovers

for the trope ask game :)

1: i. can’t? say? i’ve read any like that? that is oddly specific and also somewhat dark. id say maybe C or D tier? i probably wouldn’t seek it out, but narratively it’s very interesting, so it’d depend on the execution and what other elements the fic would contain

2: B tier. found family’s common enough that i don’t have to search it out specifically, and generally it’s hard to do it badly

3: another C, i think. i like the trope just fine, but again my enjoyment of tropes is heavily execution-dependent, as is the way i search for fics (sort by newest, open new tab of anything that looks decently well written, and then give the fic a quick check over for poor writing skills and it has to be Really good if im gonna ignore a misused it’s/its)

[hqrbinger]

everybody loves somebody.

summary; there's something off every time scaramouche tries to find a partner.... pairings; scaramouche x reader (no pronouns used) warnings; angst angst angst, no beta, uhhh mcd (reader is already dead), what scara is doing here is not healthy bestie scar pls get some help, unhealthy coping mechanism?? (scar trying to cope with your death), do i even have to say hes ooc? notes; this song,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, man this SONG i have been obsessed with 50s love songs so much lately i am so down bad for this one especially,,,, it can be used in like a love fic or whatever this sick idea is the possibilities are literally endless i am so sorry if this is shit, i literally wrote and rewrote this 100 times bc i had a very specific vibe/vision i wanted and i rlly struggled to capture it (and i cant tell if i even did capture what i wanted) but anyway

song; everybody loves somebody- dean martin (pls it makes it so much better to listen while reading)

vv special ty to @alonelysimp for helping me out a bunch w this fic <333 literally wouldnt be possible without all the help xe gave me love u lots bestie

everybody loves somebody sometime.

scaramouche felt sick. he sat at the table with a slightly exasperated expression, his tired eyes staring, calculating, at the chair at the other end. when sultry hands smoothed over his shoulders, his expression only darkened.

these were not your hands.

"scara?" the hands' voice asked. "are you alright?"

and that was not your voice.

he turned, disgust shining through his forced smile.

"get out."

and although my dream is overdue.

he was tired. he was so, so tired of looking into eyes that weren't yours, holding hands that weren't yours, kissing lips that weren't yours.

they weren't you.

none of them were you.

but he couldn't seem to stop searching, pursuing an impossible dream with an insatiable desperation. yet every time he thought he had finally found someone, it all felt wrong.

no, no, no.

this hair is too light.

these eyes are too dull.

they all just weren't the right fit. it was fine. he just needed to try again. he just needed to try harder.

your love made it well worth waiting...

scaramouche dug his nails into his palms, all alone once again. frustration simmered under his skin, threatening to boil over.

it wasn't working.

why isn't it working?

he had been asking the same question all along, but a new, uncomfortable query had dug its claws into his mind.

would anyone truly be able to be like you?

could there really be anyone who had those eyes that rivaled the brightest of stars, or that voice that put ocean waves to shame? would anyone be able to view him the same way you did? to love him the same way you did?

archons, how he missed you. the longing, the need, the desperation for you to be back in his arms was beyond all reason, and sometimes it almost felt like too much.

but it was alright. he would be able to find someone like you if he had to search the entirety of teyvat. someone ought to be able to fill the gaping void shaped like you.

for someone.... like you.

even if he had to force them in.

[yinses]

relationship headcanons

gojo satoru x instructor!reader

rating: t

a/n: we all obsess over gojo, now it’s time for him to simp over you

— you’re a teacher over at the sister school and have been rivals with gojo since before your own graduation. you’ve come close but have never bested him, so you’ve put all your frustration into raising the next generation of sorcerers to be stronger than his class ( and ofc to take out curses)

it’s all seriousness for you but fun and games for gojo. not everyone simps for him, believe it or not. the man is challenged on the daily but it’s less of an annoyance when it’s you. maybe because you don’t call him out for it. there is no boisterous demand for a showdown or obsessive rivalry. you bide your time and out your efforts into your students where it matters the most.

he can tell you want to make a bigger point. that the entire jujusu kaisen institution doesn’t need to rely on him to solve their problems. you truly believe that you can bring stronger comrades to the table. the goal of besting him was just a side objective

— you’re attractive. he’s attractive. there is no denying it. maybe under different circumstances he might have already taken you to bed by now but the chase is more thrilling. he’s known you for over a decade now but he doesn’t know the intimacies of your past. it’s a gamble how many people you’ve dated or what your experiences are like, but he does know he definitely has a chance.

the sexual tension is always there. more prominent for gojo because honestly he finds you determination so fucking sexy. the man is dominant but to be pinned down by your thighs ascends him. he has your number and is never not in your inbox. you rarely respond but he knows you read them, especially since he squeezes little updates about his class progress in between romantic poem quotes and blasts from the past.

you never answer his facetime calls but occasionally you’ll indulge a regular call, if only to voice appease him enough to stop him from filling your voicemail box. as you’re preparing dinner in your kitchen, he’s going on and on about little things that shouldn’t matter. but he doesn’t really have anyone else and it shows.

the man is an open book. confessing sprinkles of his frustrations around jesting stories about his cute little students and the bakery he now coined his favorite just two kilometers from his house.

sometimes he reminisces about school. about how visiting the sister school to see you was his favorite part of the semester. but he also delves into his own small class and how he misses the shenanigans the use to raise yaga’s blood pressure frequently. sure shoko is still here but geto- fuck, the guilt cracks in his voice. you don’t say anything still, what could you anyway to a man you shouldn’t adore baring his soul to you? but before a decision can come to head he’s swapped back to his usual self.

‘so that bakery has this delicious tiramisu. why don’t you let me eat it off of you one of these days? i love dessert in bed.’

across the city, gojo smiles so hard his cheeks sting when you hang up on him, shoulders more at ease than they’ve been in days.

— he never shows up for his meetings with yaga, god forbid there be a special invite from the croaking old bastard. but fuck- if you’re there? the man is on time just so he can secure a seat next to you.

you know this guy manspreads. thighs wide enough to align them with yours. you’re not jumpy, reading easily between the lines as you give him a curt glance from the corner of your eye. it’s a useless scold, because you only recieve a cocky grin.

god and does it egg him on. this man feeds on crumbs of your attention. his arm lounging comfortably along the back of the couch, fingertips dancing along the edge of your shoulder and tickling the collar of your neck.

it’s the fact that you’re consensual to it all that keeps him going. sure you bite back and huff with your cute little irritated pout- but you never say no. and that’s all the fuel he needs.

he can hear everyone just fine- like they’re sitting right there. but catch him leaning close, shoulders knocking together while he whispers in your ear. he’ll ask you to repeat things he definitely did not miss. ask you to explain things he obviously comprehends. you roll your eyes but coddle him anyway if only to cure your own boredom.

bonus: off to the side, miwa watches the two adults conspiring, foreheads just a breath away from tapping. she’s rooting for gojo if only for the benefit of seeing him around more. she’s been wanting to ask you to invite gojo-sensei to guest speak for months.

— fighting with you is basically foreplay. he’s never been so intimate with his infinity, absorbing every punch and jab. not enough to hurt terribly , but it’s physical contact from you and he won’t pass it up.

he’s supposed to be showing off for his students. itadori, his biggest fan, front and center as his own personal cheering squad. he can beat you but not demolish. you actually bring a challenge, which is why the two of you are often a treat at the exchange event.

gojo wants nothing more than to pin you down when the two of you grapple close for comfort. he knows he can get away with a nice hard grind or two, even thinks you’ll let him.

but his inner thoughts are his own downfall when you manage to get on top instead. not that he’s complaining. his infinity is strapped tight to his body, just barely keeping you at bay as you try to force your limbs to keep him in place.

this is bad. so bad because you’re leaning close- the hair from your sloppy bun whispering at his cheek. and your face is right there, near enough that he could flinch and you would be touching.

it’s entirely too intimate for a fight between instructors at a public event but damn he’s willing to let his guard down. besides what the fuck is he supposed to do when he can feel your mouth moving against the barrier.

‘is this how our first kiss is going to be? just you, me and the infinity?’

jesus fucking christ if you thought he was strong enough for that. it may as well be ‘pass go’ for gojo. because one second you’re held up by the invisible void and the next you’re tasting something sweet.

he’d just eaten a pack of chocolate covered cherries.

[devilrising]

Harry is that person who after a decade of being a Hogwarts graduate still he's Gryffindor pride. Like everyone else Hermione and eventually (many years later), Ron get over the whole house system but Harry will hear about Gryffindor winning/losing a quick game and brag/sulk about it. Then later Draco is around while Harry boasts about Gryfindor a Draco overhears and jumps in with Gryffindor slander and Slytherin praise because of course Draco still has Slytherin pride.

Not Just Quidditch

Teen | <2k | Rivals to Lovers | Post Hogwarts

Thank you @crazybutgood for the beta read!

~*^*^*~

Harry stood before Ron, watching him shake his head and roll his eyes with growing annoyance. Ron just didn’t understand.

“Mate, you need to get over this! Hogwarts was a lifetime ago,” Ron exclaimed, wrapping his arm tighter around Hermione’s waist. “I don’t see why you bring it up every time.”

“But… But Gryffindor won, Ron! They won the House Cup again!”

Hermione laughed under her breath, a small sound that Harry almost missed. “Harry… I understand that Hogwarts—and Gryffindor, especially—was the first place you really felt at home, but Ron’s right. We graduated a decade ago; you need to start letting go.”

Her eyes held something akin to pity, and Harry wanted nothing more than to see it disappear, but he knew it wouldn’t. They’d had this conversation too many times to count, and she never seemed to believe him when he said it wasn’t about that.

Yes, Hogwarts was the first community he was ever really a part of, and yes, it was where he felt most at home all those years ago, but that was irrelevant. Gryffindor gave Harry a chance at redeeming himself; at picking his life back up. When he graduated, when he moved on with his life, there was nothing to fill that void.

Ron and Hermione didn’t have that issue. Ron joined the Auror force and wanted to show his parents that he was good at something like his brothers; that he was capable of being the best. And he did. Hermione went into politics, fighting for creature rights and equality. She was named one of the most influential women of the Wizarding World only last year. She was successful.

Harry had nothing.

He crashed out during Auror training, his mind and body not yet recovered from the war. His relationship with Ginny went up in flames not even two years in, and dating proved to be impossible when everyone just wanted to sell him out to the Prophet. Harry had nothing to fill his time, nothing to throw himself into. No hobbies, no job, no partner.

When a Hogwarts newsletter had mistakenly been sent to him, he had become… a little obsessed. At least, that’s the word Ron used.

What did it matter if he became absorbed back into Hogwarts life? Who cared if he attended every Quidditch game he could, even if he didn’t know anyone playing personally? Harry couldn’t see the problem. He was just supporting his school and letting off some steam. It was a shame neither of his friends agreed.

~*^*^*~

“Mate, not again.”

“What?! All I said was that—”

“Yes, that Gryffindor won a random, midnight Seekers’ game that no one else knows about. How on earth did you even find out?” Ron asked, bouncing baby Rose on his hip.

Harry pursed his lips. He knew where this conversation was going to go. “In the Hogwarts newsletter… the unofficial one run by the Seventh Years.”

Ron groaned, moving Rose to his other hip. “Mate, you need to stop reading that thing. This obsession with Gryffindor isn’t healthy!”

Harry disagreed, of course, but he was so sick of this argument! He rewrapped his scarf around his neck, belatedly realising it was his old Gryffindor one… Rubbing a hand over his face, Harry sighed. “Fine. I’ll stop telling you about it.”

“No, mate. You need to stop paying attention to it. Find something else to do!” Ron bounced Rose and held her up high. Looking into her eyes, he muttered, “Don’t listen to him, Rosie-posie. Your godfather is going round the bend.”

Harry rolled his eyes but didn’t comment. He needed new friends.

~*^*^*~

“Hermione! Did you see that—” “That Slytherin won the last Quidditch match? I did, actually,” she interrupted, raising an eyebrow. Harry stared at her. “What? Is that not what you were going to tell me?”

Harry snapped his mouth shut. “How on earth did you know? And can you believe it?! They must have cheated, it’s the only way!”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Somebody else beat you to it today. And no, Harry, I don’t think they cheated. It’s nearly impossible to cheat in Quidditch anyway, especially with the new referee.”

“Who told you?!” Harry asked, incredulous. No one else knew these things, no one else followed as closely.

“I did, Potter.”

Harry knew that voice. He spun on his heel, eyes locking with… Dammit.

“Malfoy?”

Malfoy smirked. “Glad to see your eyes haven’t completely failed you yet, Potter. I thought for sure they would have.”

Harry scowled but refused to rise to the bait. He was an adult now, according to Hermione. “How do you know about the match?” he asked, voice low.

A faint blush tinted Malfoy’s cheeks pink. “I read the newsletter, of course. Didn’t you?”

“Of course I did! But… I didn’t think anyone else did.”

Malfoy lifted his chin ever so slightly, looking down his nose. Harry wanted to growl and tell him to drop the haughty act, but there was just something about it… “You mean aside from the entirety of Hogwarts?”

Harry bit the inside of his cheek, forcing himself to remain silent. “Why were you talking to Hermione?” he asked, fully aware that he had failed but not caring.

“Bit defensive there, Potter? We work together, or did she not tell you?” Malfoy flicked his gaze over to Hermione for the first time. A tiny smile tugged at his lips, pulling apart the arrogance with which he was looking at Harry.

Harry’s eyes narrowed, watching Malfoy’s mask slide back up when he faced Harry again. “‘Mione works in the creature equality sub-department, I can’t quite imagine that you do too.”

Malfoy scowled. “I work in the sub-department next door, actually, but our research and papers often overlap.” Malfoy’s hands laced together in front of himself, and Harry struggled not to look down at them. “If you must know,” he added belatedly.

Hermione cleared her throat, and Harry turned to her with an arched eyebrow. “If you two are finished behaving like teenagers, we have to get going.” Her gaze flicked between Harry and Malfoy, her eyes calculating. “Thanks for walking me to work, Harry, but since Malfoy is here I may as well walk the rest of the way with him,” she said, smiling softly at Harry. “I’ll see you after work.”

Harry wanted to argue, wanted to say that walking through the Ministry with Malfoy was a bad idea, but Hermione was already looking at him. Cursing her in his head, he pulled her into a hug and turned on his heel to leave.

He definitely didn’t look over his shoulder to find Malfoy already watching him.

~*^*^*~

“Potter!”

Harry sighed, rolled his eyes, and turned to face Malfoy. “Fancy seeing you here,” he sneered, knocking back the rest of his drink.

The music swelled, drowning out all sounds of conversation. Malfoy smiled, a bright flash of teeth under the lights. “I’ve worked with Hermione for years, Potter, of course she invited me to her birthday party.”

Harry hated that he had a good point. He allowed his eyes to take in Malfoy’s appearance for once, noting his obscenely tight leather pants and sheer grey shirt. Something tightened in his stomach. “I don’t see why you had to actually show up though,” he replied, darting his gaze back to Malfoy’s eyes.

“It would have been rude not to! Besides, I was kind of hoping that you heard about the last Hogwarts match…?” Malfoy asked, trailing off. Nervous.

Harry couldn’t fight back his grin. As much as it pained him to admit it, Malfoy wasn’t that bad anymore. And talking to him about Quidditch was better than talking to himself about it, so. “Can you believe Hufflepuff won?!”

Malfoy—or should he be Draco, now?—lit up. “Did you see Ravenclaw’s chaser? She was incredible!”

Harry beamed at him. Even though they’d already spoken about the last five matches, it still surprised him how well they could get on. Maybe he should stop expecting them not to.

~*^*^*~

The next time Harry saw Malfoy, he was extremely hungover, and Draco was wearing a Gryffindor scarf.

“What’s that?” he asked, lifting a hand to point in the vague direction of Draco.

“Uhm. Me?” Draco replied, stepping closer and wrapping a hand around Harry’s upper arm. “Are you drunk?”

“I was drunk.” Draco’s hair looked so lovely in the soft morning light. His eyes reflected the sun, bright gold lighting up silver. Pretty.

Draco sighed and pulled his wand out with a speed that made Harry’s head hurt. He waved his wand over Harry, and then everything was clear.

Harry groaned in relief, his eyes falling closed. The ground stopped moving under him, the world came back into focus. Draco was still beautiful.

“Why are you wearing that?” he asked again—at least, he thought he’d already asked—pointing at the Gryffindor scarf.

Draco pursed his lips. “Slytherin lost the match. I lost our bet.”

And just like that, everything made a lot more sense. They’d spent last night at a pub, waiting for the most recent newsletter to arrive. They’d struck up a bet that the loser had to wear the winning House’s colours, and then gotten drunk. Very drunk, in Harry’s case.

“Oh. That’s good,” he murmured, eyes fixed on the scarf. The red complimented the faint blush on Draco’s cheeks nicely. Harry reached out to thread his fingers through the ends of the scarf, not quite realising he was doing it until the soft fabric touched his fingers. Since when were they standing close enough for him to touch Draco?

Draco froze but didn’t say anything, and Harry reluctantly pulled his hand away again. “Are you alright, Harry?” Draco asked, his voice quiet and soft. Caring.

Harry blinked. He took a deep breath, trying not to think about how close they were. About how pretty Draco looked. “I’m great. I beat you!” he said, trying to ease the tension and put them back on familiar ground.

Draco just smiled softly at him. “You always did, at school.”

Harry swallowed hard. “I’m sure you beat me once.”

“You would remember if I had,” Draco pointed out. “Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you could walk after all that Firewhisky last night,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

“And to show me the scarf,” Harry added, eyes glued to the red fabric once again.

“Yes,” Draco murmured, but he didn’t make any move to leave. He just stood there, barely a foot away from Harry, looking at him.

Harry gulped, and then his hands were moving without his permission. They reached out for Draco, skating over his shoulders before holding them firmly. Draco’s lips parted, his eyes locked to Harry’s. Harry vaguely realised what he was doing—what he was going to do—but it wasn’t enough to stop him.

He wanted this.

He had for a while.

In the end, it was Draco who closed the gap. His lips met Harry’s in a gentle kiss, as if he was unsure it would be well received. Harry sighed into it, pulling Draco closer and responding immediately. Draco relaxed, winding his hands into Harry’s hair and holding him close.

When they pulled apart, Harry couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him.

“I can’t believe that just happened.”

Draco smiled, his thumbs stroking Harry’s cheeks. “I can.”

“All because of Quidditch, too,” Harry murmured, leaning forward to rest his forehead against Draco’s.

“Not just Quidditch,” Draco argued, his eyes closing.

Harry bit his lip. “Not just Quidditch.”

~*^*^*~

Read on AO3

Masterlist

[ecto-american]

Stuck (Stubbornly)

Phic Phight Oneshot for @deuynndoodles​ : Jack and Maddie are stuck in the Ghost Zone. Fortunately for them, Phantom's around and willing to help out. However, they'll rather be arrested by a ghost warden and put in ghost jail before they'd allow some teenage menace to help them. Oh wait...

Read on AO3 or FFN

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

"Should we call Jazz or Danny?" Jack suggested.

Maddie stared out into the unending void of the Ghost Zone. It hurt to think that their voyage, a trip that they had been planning out for months, would end so soon already, but they had barely made any progress when they realized just how much fuel the Specter Speeder was guzzling. Something was wrong.

"...Not yet," she determined. "We should have emergency fuel. We should be able to get back without any problems. Can you refill?"

"You got it," Jack replied, and he got out of the co-pilot seat. She could hear him go to the back, and shuffling around. He didn't say anything for a while, and that immediately began to unnerve her, but she kept her attention on the dashboard, trying to think of what went wrong when building. Was their fuel lines loose? Was there gas leaking everywhere? "Uh, Mads? I'm not seeing it?"

Her blood froze, but no need to panic. Maybe he just didn't see…

Maddie walked to the back and checked. And checked. Moved some stuff around, checked some more.

They had no emergency fuel.

"Why don't we go outside and check the engine?" Jack suggested. "Maybe we can figure something out." With a dry mouth, she nodded, and they hesitantly went outside to check.

There were no ghosts around, thankfully, just an endless green void. They knew that they would be safe breathing in the GZ air, thanks to their prior tests and experiments. They hooked themselves to a rope using a carabiner clip, the other end tied tightly to the speeder. Floating unnerved her, and she kept a hand on the speeder as they went to the front of the speeder. Jack popped the hood, and smoke floated out, making Maddie's heart sink. This was definitely not a good sign at all, or something that could be a simple fix.

"Need some help?"

Maddie looked over her shoulder to see…

"Absolutely not," she scowled. Phantom was floating nearby.

"Are you sure?" he asked. He floated up a bit higher to glance at their vehicle. "Looks like you got. Well, uh, basically car trouble."

"Leave. Now."

Phantom opened his mouth to say more, but Maddie pulled her ecto-gun out.

"We don't want help from some lowlife ghost!" she hissed. Phantom put his hands up in surrender and flew away.

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

An hour passed, and they decided to take a break working on the engine. Every possible problem that she could think of had been exhausted, and she had to take a break to both cool down and think. She sat on the steps leading into the speeder, with Jack deciding to lay on the floor of the inside.

"Fuel line wasn't broken, none of the lines were cut or had knicks. There's no reason it should be draining so much gas," Jack thunk aloud. "There shouldn't be anything besides the engine that the gas is going to, and there's no weird random connections to anywhere else. The battery's still good."

"And we forgot the emergency fuel," Maddie slumped over. Jack sighed.

"It's my own fault," he replied. "I should have checked to make sure Jazz and Danny had properly put all the supplies in. A proper exploration team always triple checks before a voyage."

Maddie could only give a low hum of agreement as she stared out into the zone. She felt somebody pat the side of the speeder, and she scowled as she saw Phantom grinning at her, giving a half way.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"I brought help this time," Phantom told her, and he jerked a thumb behind him. It was finally then that she noticed the Red Huntress. Maddie raised an eyebrow.

"How in the world…" she murmured, only to trail off as she stared at the two of them. Jack sat up, and he poked his head out of the speeder.

"Oh dope! It's my favorite huntress!" Jack boomed. Red seemed bashful at the comment, shifting her weight onto her other foot and rubbing her upper arm.

"I mean, if you don't trust me or want my help, I figured you'd be willing to let a human help," Phantom explained, motioning towards Red.

"So, do you need help?" Red finally spoke up. She reached down to pat her left calf. "I have some tools with me, but I can always go and fetch more."

Something in Maddie's gut told her that this was very, very odd. Humans and ghosts working together so...willingly like this. She had taken note that Phantom and Red hadn't hunted each other down or fought like they used to, but she just assumed that they didn't quite run into each other that much anymore. Both were unpredictable with odd schedules and routines.

She glanced at Jack, who despite his initial enthusiasm, seemed to share her feelings, and she shook her head no.

"We'll be fine," she insisted. "You two should leave."

Red stared at Phantom, who shrugged his shoulders.

"So, wanna just go get some boba tea?" Phantom asked.

"And just leave them here?" Red scowled, motioning to the Fentons.

"They don't want our help," he replied. Red glanced from Phantom and the Fentons, who studied the two of them. She finally shrugged as well.

The two began to idly chat as they flew off, their conversation becoming more and more distant.

"That was weird," Maddie mused.

"Yeah, I thought she and Phantom were rivals," Jack mused. Maddie shrugged. Right now she wasn't too invested in the mystery. She'd worry about that later when they got home.

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

Judging by their phones (which they had worriedly learned that they oh-so-helpfully had no reception in the land of the undead), another hour passed since Phantom and Red had left. Jack was deep into the engine, fiddling with a possible solution to the problem as Maddie stood nearby. She continued to think as she looked around. She was surprised that they hadn't been bothered by now.

"Trespassing in an unauthorized vehicle that is also a real world item," a deep southern voice boomed. Well, she absolutely spoke too soon.

They whipped their heads to see a huge, hulking figure, an all white man with a black hat, black gloves and wearing a suit of white.

"Ghost!" Jack squawked. He scrambled to grab his gun, Maddie already having hers drawn. The ghost frowned deeply. Maddie was finally very aware of just how many ghosts were surrounding them. Too many to count, but they all looked exactly like the ghosts that terrorized Amity Park years before, all identical and matching in uniform that resembled a SWAT team. There was also vehicles resembling police cars and police vans.

"Resisting arrest. That's against the rules," he continued. He opened a large green and white book in his hands, flipping to another page. "Assault and battery with a deadly weapon." He glanced up at them with an angry glare. "Y'all are going away for a long, long time."

"We're not going anywhere," Jack frowned. He charged up his weapon.

Maddie looked around, and she shivered anxiously. There was no way they could take on all these ghosts. She nudged Jack, and he side-eyed her curiously. She lowered her weapon, and she used her head to motion around them. Jack blinked as he looked himself, and all of his confidence left him. He also lowered his weapon.

"We'll go," Maddie finally spoke. The ghost smirked, and he knocked on the side of a police van. The back opened up.

"Surrender your weapons," he ordered.

One of the SWAT ghosts came forward with his arms outstretched. Reluctantly, the adults handed their weapons over, detaching themselves from the speeder and getting into the van.

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

Their cell was a lot like a normal cell, and it was just them. Iron bars, no windows, single toilet, and four bunk beds. Jack was laying on one of the beds, facing the fall, as Maddie laid on the one across from him, staring up at the bunk bed above her.

Of course. Of course they ended up in ghost jail. It was just their luck. Though a scientist part of her was giddy at knowing that ghosts had some kind of legal system! Who would have known!

As she tried to start figuring out what on earth to do, she heard something banging against the jail bars.

She immediately sat up, staring to see Phantom making the noise by banging something in his hand on the bars. He was staring at them with a bright smile, and it only made her mood drop even more.

"Phantom!" Maddie hissed, standing fully and going up to the bars. "How did you find us?"

"We came back to check on you guys and see if you changed your minds," Phantom explained. Jack got up from his own bed to come over, looking surprised to see the infamous ghost teen. "Technus and Skulker were looting your speeder, and they said Walker arrested you. So we came by as quickly as we could."

The Fenton adults could see Red nearby, glancing around the corner. She was keeping watch.

"We're not going with you," Jack replied. Phantom rolled his eyes.

"Okay, and what? Stay here forever? Never see your kids again?" he asked. Their faces instantly dropped. "So do you wanna go home or not?"

Maddie narrowed her eyes at him before noticing that he was holding a metallic-looking cup of boba tea and raising an eyebrow.

"You brought a snack with you," she said. Phantom shrugged, offering it to her.

"Want a sip?"

"No! Just!" Maddie glanced at Jack worriedly, and he mirrored her expression. They, unfortunately, knew that they really...didn't have a choice. "Get us out of here!"

"Danny, you may wanna hurry it up," Red's voice called out softly to them. Maddie did a double take. Oh yeah. Danny Phantom. Huh, she kinda forgot about that.

Phantom nodded, and he dropped the boba tea, letting it float in the air as he phased them out of the jail cell. Maddie stared at him.

"Wait, you can just phase through?" she asked. Phantom shrugged.

"Uh, sorta yes, sorta no," he replied, grabbing his tea.

"Danny!" Red's voice hissed. Phantom glanced to her.

"Okay, so super quick rundown of Ghost Zone rules. In the Ghost Zone, you guys are the ghosts, so you basically can fly and phase through objects, so Red can phase through objects and you guys too, but this is also a human cell that only I can get you out, and speaking out getting out, we need to leave. Now," Phantom quickly explained. As soon as he finished, he motioned for them to follow him.

He began to fly towards Red, and they jogged after him. Phantom peered around the corner before pulling back. Red did too.

"How's our escape route looking?" Phantom asked. He took a sip of his drink as Red pulled up a map on her suit. She studied it for a bit.

"Hmm. We may run into some trouble," Red mused. "Best bet is for me to take Mr. and Mrs. Fenton and phase with them out of here, and…" She gave a weird pause. "We'll uh. Wait for you to escape on your own." Phantom sucked on his drink, and the sound of air coming through as he ran out of boba tea grinded Maddie's nerves.

"Oh would you just!" Maddie scowled, and she slapped the cup out of Phantom's hands.

"Hey! I paid for that!" Phantom cried out. He scrambled to pick it up. "They were having an unlimited refills special if you got that cup!" Red snorted in amusement.

"Danny, they kicked you out for getting too many refills anyway," she reminded him. Phantom made a face.

"Well maybe they shouldn't advertise it as unlimited refills then," he retorted.

"Most people don't drink twelve cups of boba tea," she replied.

"Maybe I should be rewarded for being able to drink that much then."

"Hm, we'll debate it later," Red replied. "Look, I'll get them out and meet you on the other side. Got it?"

"Got it," Phantom replied. To Maddie's horror and shock, Red lifted her visor up, but not all the way. Just enough to expose her lips, and she leaned into Phantom to give him a light peck on the lips.

"Be careful," she told him. Phantom nodded.

"I will," he promised. "If I'm not with you in five minutes. Just." He paused. "Leave without me, get the Fentons home, and then come back for me." Red nodded as her visor went all the way down.

"Grab my hands," Red instructed the Fentons. Maddie blinked, reluctantly taking one of her hands. Jack took the other. Red summoned her board, jumping in the air and allowing it to manifest beneath her. She held onto them tightly and flew through the walls.

Instinctively, Maddie closed her eyes as she flew through. Only to feel no impact. A blur of walls impaired her vision with constant flashes of the darkness of being in a thick jail wall and the light of the prison rooms and hallways. She blinked as the neutral green skies of the Ghost Zone finally greeted her, and Red continued flying until they were a decent distance from the prison. And now that she had a moment to think…

"What the hell are you thinking?" she exclaimed to Red. The huntress snapped her attention to her in confusion.

"What? You would have died if we let you stay in there!" she scowled.

"No, not that!" Maddie clarified. "I mean, thank you so much for helping us, but you? And Phantom?"

"Exactly!" Jack agreed. "He's an absolute menace! He's a danger! Don't you guys fight? What happened to all of that?"

She could see a glimpse of Red's face under her heavily tinted visor, and Maddie was sure that the girl looked embarrassed and was likely turning as red as her suit.

"Oh man, it's a looong story," Red sighed heavily. "Uh, best and easiest and quickest way I can explain it is; a lot of the things that made me angry with him was a misunderstanding, and I found out that he's...actually a really sweet guy. I know it's weird to say, but, um. Well, I've never met a guy who was so kind, thoughtful and romantic. My life's kinda hectic, and he just...he really goes out of his way to make it easier on me."

"How so?" Jack wondered.

"Well, like. He does a lot of my household chores and stuff like laundry, bringing me lunch when I have long shifts at work, listening to me when I have a bad day," she explained. "He makes life a lot easier and better."

How cute. If it wasn't between a dead teenage menace and this poor, obviously manipulated girl. It honestly reminded Maddie a lot of her own Danny and his little girlfriend, Valerie. Valerie told her a few times about Danny doing some of her chores at home since Valerie was so busy working and doing school. It kinda pissed Maddie off, since Danny never seemed to remember his own chores at home, but she never felt like bringing it up to him because, well, at least he was really good to her. She'd be ashamed of him if he was any lesser.

"Hey!" Phantom called out as he zoomed towards them. "Let's go! Quick!"

Red nodded. She passed Jack off to Phantom, and the two teenagers flew the Fentons home.

[rosesmusicandaloeveraplants]

fly high fly low, always have a place at home

Everyone always have to find a way to reset the mental, but for this time Reign needed some help from HBG

posted on ao3 or read below :D

check out the for eternity, time and time again masterpost!

Reign knew he was among the best, the fastest, hell he had the world record in his hands months ago, albeit so briefly.

That certainly didn't help with bitter taste in his mouth when luck decided that they didn't want to smile upon him today. That didn't help when Fein, then Moley, and Hoffik smiled apologetically as they were victorious over him, with one less eye break, one more rod found, more string from trades.

So he went, while everyone congratulated Fein for keeping his title of "Tourney Dominator", threw himself into the empty void before anyone could notice and catch up to him.

---

Reset. Reset. Reset.

How long has it been since he left the tournament? Minutes, hours, even days maybe? He lost count past the fifth hundred world he spawned in.

He floated, in the void, a momentary break, letting it carry him to wherever it pleases before he flicks at his communicator, landing in an ocean.

Reset.

He wanted to take a nap in the void, but something told him that it probably wouldn't be a good idea.

His head feels so fuzzy. His movement has gone sloppy.

Reset. Reset. Reset.

Until he heard someone call out his name, exhaustion blurring out on who it possibly could be. Reign put down the communicator, and turned around, disoriented, registering two figures that were in the void with him.

Nerdi, donning his purple cloak of twinkling stars, and Tek, with his signature TV helmet.

"You dumbass, we were so concerned for you," Tek called out, propelling through the void to close the gap between the runners.

"Wh-what are you guys doing here?" Reign called out.

"You haven't been home in days Reign," Nerdi said quietly. "Everyone's been worried."

"I'm fine." Reign said, turning away from the two.

"Have you even rested?" Nerdi called out, making Reign pause before he started drifting away.

"I said I'm fine."

"You don't sound fine Reign," Tek said quietly, "just come home with us."

"I don't want your pity." Reign lashed out. "I know I lost and I could've done better, I should've been faster, that I shouldn't be this dependent on whatever luck is to win a tourney."

His hands were shaking. The other two probably noticed as well.

Tek floated over, looked into Reign's eyes for a fleeting moment, before wrapping his arms around him. Reign melted into the hug, but futilely tried to push him away.

"I can't go back."

"Who says you can't?" Tek gently asked, not letting Reign go.

"I just can't. How could I face HBG losing like this?"

Nerdi floated closer. "Would you look at Fein differently if he lost the tourney?"

"What? Of course not."

"How about Illumina, or Fruit, or Pete or Punz or TapL when they don't win MCC?"

"No."

"How about if any of us didn't win Twitch Rivals?"

"Obviously not."

"You wouldn't look at the rest of HBG differently if we didn't win, why would we look at you differently?"

"B-because, because I," Reign started, but was unable to finish. He's gonna blame his exhaustion for that.

"Please come home, for me, for Dylan?" Tek added quietly, "for HBG?"

"Come home so we can make sure that you're okay," Nerdi pleaded.

"Okay," Reign agreed softly, falling asleep in Tek's embrace.

---

Reign woke up when they returned home, HBG all waiting by the campfire by the gate. When he stepped foot onto the ground, Fein and Dylan stood up from where they were sitting, ran over and hugged Reign tightly, relieved that he was okay. Soon HBG all dogpiled into the hug, and Reign felt at home.

[otomegema]

title: Convergence Theory, ch. 2 pairing: Gojo Satoru x Reader summary: You are a lesser family member of the Gojo clan, so far removed you don’t even carry the name, but you carry the Limitless ability and thus the potential to be a bride to the future head of the clan— a fact you patently reject at fifteen. Twelve years later you are a second grade sorcerer struggling to obtain first grade status when the object of your deepest objections offers you a deal. rating: mature tropes: fake dating/engagement, rivals to lovers, slow romance Link: Archive of Our Own

It had been a logical move to allow Gojo to take down your number, entering it into his contacts with an obscene amount of heart and wishing star emojis by the brief glance you caught over his shoulder. It looked like he was already banking on your acceptance of the deal, but when you parted, your to-go sushi in a small plastic bag, you hadn’t expected to hear from him until tomorrow evening at the latest.

Or maybe even never.

But now, back in the hotel you were being comped for while in Tokyo, you wished silently that you’d never given that man your cell phone number.

Honey

Baby

Future-pretend-love-of-my-life

Have you made a decision?

He wasn’t human. It was barely 6am, did he wake up this early for lessons every day? You groaned, nearly swatting the phone off the nightstand in the dark.

You shot back a fast reply.

-oh I’m sorry

-I’m still recovering from getting electrocuted the other day

-Some asshat led a curse to me

You rolled over, managing to get at least another decent half hour of sleep in before the phone chimed again, lighting up the darkened hotel room.

\(★ω★)/

YOUR asshat

Should you choose to accept this mission

You threw off your covers, forcing yourself up to sit against the stack of pillows behind you as you tapped out a reply.

-My pretend asshat

-Mother will be so proud

The dots of his reply began immediately.

So is that a yes?

You sighed, rolling your eyes to yourself.

-Day isn’t over -Hasn’t even started tyvm

The dots began. Stopped. Began and stopped again, this time not reappearing. You tossed your phone onto the bed and teetered up and over to the coffee maker. The pot was finishing brewing by the time your phone chimed again.

You’re so slow.

The addition of punctuation and the sudden lack of emoji seemed almost like a warning flare that Gojo’s patience was waning. But you hardly knew the man and really, what did you care? A favor for a favor was what he offered. You didn’t owe him anything.

I have other options too.

His text continued and for a moment you frowned, wondering if his intention was to have that sound like a threat. You felt heat rising in your throat— he didn’t want to play that game.

So no pressure. Genuinely.

Oh. Good. That was better. You felt the tension uncoil as fast as it had grown.

Tho I AM your only hope for advancement <3

You could have thrown the phone right through the wall. Your thumbs worked rapidly, shooting out your reply in no time.

-Ah yes, your finest quality

A quick appearance of dots.

My special grade ranking? (･ω<)☆

You smirked.

-Humility

You’re no fun.

Text me when you are done being boring.

This was probably the most you had ever spoken to Gojo, despite having seen him on and off from a distance for the better half of your life. He was hard to miss. Every event at the main house would have him and his immediate family at the forefront. No one ever stopped talking about Gojo Satoru and his accomplishments and his strength and his skill as a sorcerer.

It was nauseating, having to pretend to nod and smile like it was all some great blessing just to orbit near him. It was bad enough he read like a sun to your abilities, as if he needed to be made to think he was anymore of the center of the universe.

Your palm itched. The desire to tap back a response now, a firm denial, very strong. But not stronger than your excitement at the possibility of being a first grade sorcerer. It was everything you had wanted. Prestige, recognition, tougher missions and the pay and rewards that came with them.

You were no weakling. Sure the telemetry technique took you out of commission, but it was hardly your greatest feat. You had finally been able to manifest the cursed technique lapse, blue. Granted, it was a one off and exhausted you so fully afterwards that you nearly fainted on the spot… but your tolerance was getting better. The precision of your manipulation of your cursed energy would never be on par with Gojo, but you could, some day, maybe even manage to shoot the technique off twice.

Reversal Red was next to impossible. And Hollow Technique? Truly impossible. The Six Eyes was needed to even attempt it. Most of your practice had been devoted to perfecting your long distance teleportation skills, fine tuning your telemetry technique and working on establishing your domain. That one was easier. The Unlimited Void crushed your opponent beneath an overload of sensory information, information you could easily channel and tap into with your own unique skills as a Limitless user.

But like all things, you were only second best. And barely. It was a joke. Comparing yourself to Gojo. He was on a level you could never achieve— unless.

You grabbed your phone, hastily dialing the new number and wincing at the loud, cheerful greeting from the other line.

“Good morning, moon of my soul, tenderest heart, darling—!“

“I haven’t even said yes yet, you monster.”

“Ah! A name of my very own? Be still my trembling heart!”

“I wish to make an amendment to the agreement.”

There was a lengthy pause. You could practically hear the slow spread of that sly smile. Content as the cat who caught the canary.

He knew he was about to win.

“Let’s hear it.”

“If you are putting my name forward for first grade, that means you have someone else in mind to be the second backer and someone in mind for me to shadow on missions and train with, yeah?

“I do.” Gojo said, his tone surprisingly serious.

“Have them put my name forward instead. I want to shadow you.”

Gojo laughed, a short mirthless thing, “What makes you think I have the time?”

“You have enough time to play pretend, I’d think any fiancé would leap at the chance to be with his lovely wife-to-be and keep her safe.”

Gojo hummed.

“Why me?”

This was an oddly familiar conversation.

“Purely selfish reasons. You are the best Limitless user. I am a Limitless user. I want you to teach me.”

“You aren’t on my level.” He said, no malice in his words, just simple facts.

“Then teach me what I can handle.”

There was another pause.

“I’m not gonna go easy on you just because you’re my girl.”

The bare utterance of the endearment sent a shiver up your arms and not an entirely pleasant one either. His girl. God, how would you even begin to explain this fake engagement to your parents? Who knew the depth of your jealousy and bitterness over Gojo since you were— what? Five? Younger?

“Since I am just your ‘pretend’ girl, I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

“Your funeral, babe.” Gojo said, “But I’m glad we resolved this early! Because we are having dinner. Reservations are made, I’ll pick you up at seven. Wear something pretty!”

Your words caught in your throat, stuttering across your tongue and unable to force out before the line cut off and he was gone.

You pressed the edge of your phone to your temple, already feeling a headache coming on. Something pretty? Shit.

-Something pretty? -Too vague. I have no idea what I’m supposed to wear.

A dress! Something for the evening. A Line.

V Neck def

Show off what puberty gave ya (＾〃＾)

Chiffon with ruffle lace

And grey-blue

-Why?

To match my eyes <3

-Where in the world do you expect me to find that specific dress in the next few hours

Downstairs with hotel staff I had it dropped off <3 <3 <3

-That’s creepy

(つω`｡) </3 </3

-Enough with the hearts -How much? I’ll pay you back

It is a gift <3

-How’d you even know my size

A gentleman never reveals his secrets

┐(‘～` )┌

You sighed and set aside your phone to call down to the front desk. Sure enough, a few minutes later someone brought up a large white box, tied with a grey-blue ribbon. You set the package on the small counter in your room’s kitchen and opened the lid, brushing aside soft tissue paper.

The dress was ridiculously soft, made of fine, nearly translucent layers of chiffon. It was a lovely color, the sight making you suddenly think of the feeling in the air before a thunderstorm, the smell of rain. The ribbon matched.

You looked for a price tag and found none, but folded away at the bottom of the box was a hand written receipt. You paled at the figure displayed on it.

-Gojo, I can’t possibly accept this.

Don’t be stupid. No one would believe I was serious about a woman unless I was positively spoiling her rotten. s’not like it broke the bank!

-Forget the first-grade rec

-Pay my bills

Too late! Negotiations are closed :)

-So what the hell am I doing at this dinner?

Eating Duh and being seen with yours truly easy peasy right?

You sipped your coffee, keeping the mug well away from the dress. It was certainly nicer than anything you had ever owned in— well. Ever. It was hard to argue that there were clearly going to be some additional perks to this arrangement you hadn’t previously thought of.

Plus we gotta go over some ground rules

-Thought you said negotiations were closed

-This mean we can revisit my bills?

g2g

Students need me!

Ttyl babe

The ease in which that man showered you so soon with endearments was nauseating. Had he ever even had a girlfriend before? Or just those usual moon-eyed women who fawned and petted him?

And now everyone was gonna think you were one of those girls. You drank your coffee faster, relishing in the way it burned down your throat and overpowered the bad taste in your mouth.

“First-grade… first-grade. Remember the first-grade.”

And training. You’d squeeze every possible benefit from this arrangement out that you could. Sorcerers worked in teams, but at the end of the day, it was every man and woman for themselves.

Let them think what they want when you were seen tonight. You would come out on top.

***

The day passed quickly and you found yourself standing in front of the hotel mirror, twisting back and forth to get a feel for the movement of the dress— and half practicing staying upright in the heels that had arrived not even a moment later.

They were high enough to be appealing, but low enough to keep you from falling over on your face. Gojo had texted an explanation that he figured you were out of practice in wearing anything other than sneakers and combat boots and to consider them training wheels.

You’d wanted, once again, to punch him in the face.

The kind of girl he liked was a stilettos kinda girl, you guessed, huffing to yourself as you sat down and twirled one of your ankles, stretching the muscle. Even the low heels were not entirely comfortable, but you’d manage.

Checking your makeup one last time, you picked up your own worn purse and slung it over your shoulder. Women who wore these kind of dresses and came in on the arm’s of other men and women like Gojo never had anything more than the smallest clutch— but you weren’t those women.

You made your way down to the lobby and were surprised to find a chauffeur waiting outside with a very very sleek European car of some kind. You weren’t great about those kinds of things, only noting the seats were made with soft black leather and there was even a divider built in like in a limo to give the passengers privacy.

The chauffeur ushered you into the empty car and you sat back with a sigh as silently he delivered you to the next destination. You had, in some small place, hoped Gojo would already be present.

Why he felt the need for such spectacle was beyond you, but maybe this was what was expected of a clan family son when he courted a young woman. It felt— weird. Nice, but weird. The drive was not overly long, the car coming to stop.

You knew this restaurant. Some fancy French-Japanese fusion place that charged a hundred dollars for a single plate with a broiled pear covered in wasabi or some weird shit. Already you felt your stomach churning with anxiety and encroaching regret.

This was gonna suck.

This was gonna suck so bad.

The chauffeur opened the door and you barely managed not to wobble on the pavement. Feeling stilted and exposed as other guests and couples regarded you with open curiosity and veiled judgment.

Clearly they were used to seeing the same people come and go from this restaurant and you were not one of them.

You clutched your bag tighter to your arm, hand reaching inside instinctively to find your phone and text Gojo you were out. This was over. Find someone else— when your surname was shouted from the door.

All eyes turned as if in sync to Gojo, wearing simple trousers and a white shirt tucked in. He didn’t even have a tie or a jacket, his dark glasses obscuring his eyes even as he looked right at you.

A few people tsked their disapproval, but they may as well have been ghosts for all the attention Gojo paid them. When you didn’t immediately make your way over to him, Gojo shoved his hands into his pockets and strode over to meet you.

He grinned, the lowering of his chin and the slow rise back up an obvious indicator he was sizing you up and didn’t care if you knew.

He whistled.

“Ow, ow!”

“Shut it— you know this dress could cover my rent for half a year?! And these shoes! I could buy a used car with this ensemble.”

“You even drive?”

“Not the point.”

He laughed again, loud and careless.

“Figured since you were dawdling you might need an arm to lean on.” Gojo said, offering your his elbow without removing his hands from his pockets, “Or perhaps…”

He feigned a gasp, “Are you feeling shy?”

“I’m leaving.” you deadpanned, managing half a turn before his hand was on your waist, turning you back. He took your hand, the feeling of his palm on your side still burned into your skin as he hooked your arm in his own.

You allowed it, leaning on him only a little. He looked pleased, smugly so, as he led you inside and to a table that was already set for two.

There was a wine glass sitting by your own plate. The one by Gojo’s was turned upside down and set to the side… a can of soda sitting, bright and out of place, in its spot.

“… where did you even get that.”

“Vending machine.” Gojo said simply and even kicked your chair out a little for you to take a seat. How flattering.

“Wine is for you, if you want it. Figured it might help take the edge off.”

You rolled your eyes, not bothering to wait for the server to return and simply tipping the bottle of red into your own glass.

“What about you?”

“I don’t drink.” He said, cracking the tab on his soda with a loud pop. Several eyes filtered your way, whispers behind hands and napkins as Gojo all but drained the can in one gulp.

“So— ground rules?” you said, unfolding a cloth napkin and settling it in a half folded triangle across your lap the way you saw other women doing.

“Straight in, huh? Alright. Terms.” Gojo lifted one finger, “As already discussed, you and I will be ‘courting’— dating. Whatever the fuck. I’ll take care of arranging the dates, you show up, act sufficiently smitten and in about a year give or take, we break up.”

Gojo lifted a second finger, “Two. In exchange, I have two first grade sorcerers who will back your promotion. And, as requested—“ Gojo’s voice dropped a fraction, almost grumpily, “—you’ll come with me on my missions for your first semi-grade probation.”

“Now ground rules. At any point either of us wants out, it’s done. No questions asked. But don’t think that means you get to ditch and just keep that first grade appointment. I’ll make sure you end up right back at a grade two.”

You sipped your wine, giving your mouth something to do than form some very choice words at that moment. Gojo noticed, his smile almost a snarl, but the expression quickly vanished. You had a funny feeling trying to hoodwink or swindle him would end very poorly for anyone.

“And when you develop feelings for me—“

“If.” You amended quickly, but Gojo ignored you.

“—when you develop feelings for me. You have to tell me and again, the engagement is over. You can keep your rank. No harm no foul. I can hardly blame you for falling for me.” Gojo said with a wistful sigh. You were grateful for the arrival of the first course, forcing you both to fall silent for a moment until they departed.

You had no idea what was on the plate. Some kind of salad? It was hardly a mouthful. Gojo didn’t even touch his silverware and feeling less than impressed with the cuisine, you didn’t either.

You drank your wine.

“Barring sickness or injury you are required to appear for every date I set. Including the ones where you have to meet other members of the main family.”

You frowned, but didn’t object.

“Wait— what about you?”

“What about me?”

“Is the engagement off when you develop feelings for me?” You said lightly, trying to play off your smile as wistful.

Gojo scoffed, his reaction almost enough to hurt your feelings… just a little bit.

“Non-issue. I don’t do feelings.”

“God, you sound like a fuck boy.” The words came out before you could stop yourself, the last syllable off your tongue right at the moment the server had returned to reclaim your plates. An eyebrow was raised and you hid your face down with a flustered cough.

By the time you looked back up, you got the joy of seeing Gojo staring at you from over his glasses, a broad and deeply amused grin on his face.

“Not non-issue. If I get the feelings rule you get the feelings rule. End discussion.”

Gojo shrugged, again not touching the newest course which was, to your extreme annoyance, some kind of grilled pear.

“You should slow down.” He warned in a sing song voice as you poured another glass.

“I’m not a baby— okay. So we got terms, we got ground rules. Anything else?”

“You can’t refuse my gifts.”

Your eyes narrowed sharply and he simply smiled and hummed with a shrug.

“It’s for appearances! Oh. Speaking of appearances—“ Gojo sat up, fishing something from his back pocket and sitting it on the table. You stared at the simple black box, fearing a vein might burst in your forehead at any moment.

“What is that.” You stated more than asked.

“Open it.” Gojo said, his voice light and encouraging as he nudged the box closer, “Come on, open it. Open it. You know you wanna, sweetie, light of my life, fire of my lo—“

You snatched the box up if only to stop him from finishing that sentence.

You swallowed hard, the sounds of the room fading out as you flipped open the box and found, sitting upon a small satin pillow— a… key?

You lifted it from the box, noting it even had a little custom keychain made to look like a white cat with a tiny blindfold.

“It’s to my apartment!” Gojo announced with a giddy laugh, clasping his hands together in a way that was entirely un-adult like.

“… I have my own place. Thank you.”

“In Kyoto. This is here, in Tokyo. Where you will need to stay for this all to work, remember?”

“Where will you stay?” You asked dryly, vaguely hoping his answer would be something other than what it was no doubt going to be.

“Very funny. You’ll have your own room—if you want it.”

“Why—“ your voice nearly broke and you had to take a moment to clear it, “Why uh— why wouldn’t I be wanting my own room?”

“Feelings are off limits, naturally. But if you want to take me up again on that offer from back in the day…”

The surge of cursed energy that rippled off of you was so strong Gojo nearly toppled backwards, his laugh gaining a somewhat nervous lift to it if only for just a moment.

“I’ll have my own room. My own locked room.” You bit out, feeling your face flushing hot and hating every second Gojo seemed to be enjoying your utter mortification, “Unless that is a problem.”

“Nope. Not at all. Probably for the best ultimately, I’ve been told I have a bad habit of dickmatizing folks.”

“… I’m sorry, you what.”

“Dickmatizing! Ya know. Like hypnotizing but with—“

“I got it!” You groaned, pressing your face into your hand. When did it get so damn hot in here? You snatched up your wine glass and finished off the contents, feeling even hotter.

“Is that all?”

“Unless anything comes to your mind, then yep.” Gojo finished, ignoring yet another course. You were almost tempted. The dish was some kind of meat, but the sauce drenched over it smelt sharply of something bitter and sour at the same time. You stomach recoiled at the thought and yet rumbled in protest to its growing hunger.

“So what do you think?”

“You’re disgusting?” you said flatly.

“I meant about the deal.”

You glowered openly at him. It was going to take a lot of practice to turn that deprecating expression you felt naturally pull unto your face at his sight into something loving and tender… but for first-grade ranking? For lessons on your Limitless? Fuck. Fuck you’d do it.

You poured the remainder of the bottle into your glass and polished it off in one shot.

“I accept.”

Gojo clapped his hands together, “Excellent! Now let’s get the hell out of here.”

“Huh?” You barely managed to get the questioning sound out before Gojo was up and out of his chair. You scrambled up, head rushing with the wine and the weirdness of this entire conversation. By the time you managed to catch up with him, he snaked out his arm and wrapped it around your waist, pulling you flush and warm against his side.

You about threw him across the room, but your attempts at a grapple were thwarted by the sudden thrumming of the familiar Neutral Limitless ability, stalling your moments to such a small speed you felt suddenly frozen.

The impulse to toss him passed and instead you let him escort you outside where the car was still waiting.

“Take us to the place, ya know the one.” Gojo said to the driver and in a surprising show of gallantry, actually held the door open for you to get in first.

“And open the back window. If she throws up, I’d rather it be on the pavement.”

You elbowed him in the chest— accidentally of course.

***

The car drive was a bit longer, taking you away from the glitz and glamor of this side of Tokyo and to what looked arguably as one of the most hole-in-the-wall noodle joints you had ever seen. The street kitchen was small, the counter open outside with a few bar stools. The smells of teriyaki and spices and cooking oils were heavy in the air and made your mouth water.

Gojo perched on one of the stools and you came to sit alongside him, watching as he ripped open a set of chopsticks and rubbed the splinters off.

He ordered quickly—yakisoba and yakitori. Along with several packages of mochi they kept behind the counter in the same kinda plastic bags you’d find at a convenience store.

Gojo had been right— you should have slowed down. The world had a light haze to it… a slight tilting. His hand on your back felt massive and overly warm as he guided you back to sitting straight.

“Eat, ya lush.” He ordered, piling noodles and chicken unto a smaller empty plate for you from his own, “C’mon.”

Gojo popped one of the mochi bags and dumped the sticky sweet confection right on top of your yakisoba. You grimaced, picking the sweet off and trying to wipe some of the sauce from it before you took a generous bite.

The food was greasy and delicious and abundant and cheap and your mouth was in heaven. Even having not used your Limitless since yesterday, every taste still felt heightened. Maybe it was the way your cursed powers tried to compensate from the wine, but everything somehow was more delicious.

You attempted to snag another piece of yakitori from Gojo’s plate, only to have your chopsticks blocked with a clack.

“Ah ah ah— hands off.”

“What’s yours is mine, right?” You chided, only to be dodged again in a movement faster than your eyes could perceive. Did he just use his Limitless to counter you? Feeling emboldened, you activated your own, the faint pulse of the energy so close together giving you the sort of deflecting feeling one experiences when holding two sides of the same magnet near together.

Repelling, shifting. Trying to shove the energy into a way that the two forces would collide rather than deflect.

You were concentrating fully. The minuscule movements invisible to even your eyes, but the feeling was there. A sort of blindsight where you didn’t need the Six Eyes to tell you what was happening— but it would have definitely helped. You flicked a glance up and lost your control, your chopsticks shooting away and nearly cracking one in two.

Gojo chuckled. It was the expression on his face that had distracted you. His eyelids were half dropped, his smile soft as he readied himself to deflect you again. Your energy was no match for his… but it matched. It was made of the same stuff. Controlled the same way. He could see, with the sharp clarity of his Six Eyes, every tiny precise movement you made with your cursed energy. A mirror of his own abilities in miniature.

He was playing with you. And all the sudden you felt as if a small knot in your chest had shaken free, the coil coming undone.

Was there anyone else on this Earth you could do such a thing with?

Feeling strange and suddenly shy, you drew your energy back in and refocused on eating from your own plate, grumbling at your loss.

A second later, Gojo’s chopsticks moved over your plate, dropping another helping of noodles in.

A small concession. A victory in it's own right, even if it had not won the yakitori.

“Sober up, will ya? But don’t eat too fast. I’m not cleaning up vomit, no way, no how.”

“You’re always so vulgar.” you murmured, speaking around a mouthful of noodles and mochi. Gojo turned and stuck his tongue out at you. A confirmation or a reprisal, you couldn’t be sure.

But regardless, it did something to you he had never managed to do before.

It made you laugh.