#it's just too much going on in one form. also i see chaos energy as a sort of counter to dark gaia energy

[wereh0gz]

What does the Unleashed Bad End AU version of Super Sonic look like?

(I love the idea of a Super Werehog, please give me Super Werehog)

The chaos emeralds in this au are kinda. Gone lmao

I mean they still exist but they separated from sonic after the fight with dark gaia and fucked off to who-knows-where. No one really know where they are and sonic can't really feel them anymore. The world's energy balance is out of wack and the dark gaia energy drowns out everything else, including chaos energy

I was thinking of a more peaceful end to this au's story anyway so no super werehog. Sorry

[agatharkn3ss]

Spoilers!

Theory on Agatha/Rio past

.

.

We know Rio joins the coven next week, climbing out of (what looks like) Sharon's grave and will be part of the next trial.

We also get a sneak peak on how the trial starts - but in the extended version, after the coven disperses to find the clue, we see Rio standing behind Agatha and saying "boo". Agatha seems stirred but eventually she replies a very decisive "No".

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAEWgBZIVeT/?igsh=MW5wcHJtbjJ1N3I3NA==

Now - I, for one, would love this brief moment to be about the sexual tension and how they can't keep away from each other. However, I think Rio's unspoken suggestion is actually about killing the rest of the coven. Especially that in another promo we hear Agatha telling Rio that "she needs these witches to get her what she wants".

So I think their past might be something like they were always just the two of them together against the world, and that they used to find witches for Agatha to syphon power from, and Rio would help her. This would sit well with Rio's chaotic energy and the theory that she's Lady Death.

I also think that despite all her bravado, Agatha actually longs to be a part of a coven. After her own mother's coven turner against her, she would've tried to form her own sisterhood. We see in a promo that she's sucking energy from a group of women around her, so probably another coven turning against her for whatever transgression this time.

It's probably caused by something Agatha did (although in my eyes she can do no wrong!), but I wonder if at some point Rio doesn't start meddling here.

Maybe Rio meets Agatha and becomes fascinated by this loud and unapologetic witch, so she wants her all for herself. She starts meddling so that Agatha is more and more isolated and betrayed by other witches and begins to think that maybe a coven is not something she wants any more and that she can only rely on herself and Rio. Eventually she gives in and the two of them enjoy their lives together, causing chaos and tricking other witches for a few centuries - something akin to Louis and Lestat in the Interview with the Vampire (maybe they even split up because of a child, like the vampires?)

We don't know how long it's been since they've been apart, but we know it's since Agatha acquired the Darkhold, so probably a fair chunk. But now Rio found her again and she misses Agatha and wants back the chaos life they led. She was never intent on killing Agatha, I don't think, but she wanted to see her hurt. But when she finds out Agatha doesn't have her powers, she realises it will be tricky to go back to where they were until Agatha has magic again. She starts scheming again, maybe she even hopes that Agatha will be able to syphon the Salem Seven? Or that Rio can play the hero, save Agatha and show her how much Agatha needs her?

But instead of fighting or running, Agatha assembles a coven. And she actually seems to enjoy it - I mean, look at them singing the ballad. Even though Agatha is impatient to open the gate or get some magic blasts flowing, she does take a pause at the end of the song, clearly enjoying it.

In episode 3 she has her soft moments too. She clearly doesn't feel like part of the sisterhood yet, because she's wary of her past experiences - she tries to protect herself by offsetting any moments of kindness with some jerk behaviour (I think that's the only reason she kicked everyone after sliding out or the first trial) and show them she doesn't need them. But you can tell she fits into her role as a leader so well and maybe even is surprised by it. And just look how she enjoys herself in episode 4 band!

I think Rio is opportunistic, so after Sharon's send off, she sees her way in, but what are her intentions for joining?

She might just enjoy the chaos and hope for fun "like the old times", maybe expecting Agatha to intend to kill the witches like before. Or she might want to keep meddling so that Agatha doesn't abandon her for a coven. Or there is something else and she actually wants something from the Road? Or all of the above?

[revelboo]

Where I Belong Pt 2

Bluestreak x Reader

• It takes everything he has left to move his arm. Everything is so slow, distorting as it gets harder to hold on, but he manages to curl his servos around the human. Hears their sharp intake of breath and the feel of those little hands now scrabbling to get free. Terrified of him now instead of for him. And he doesn’t have the energy to explain everything will be okay. He just knows he can’t let go. You’re scared, he knows, but please keep reassuring him. Please you have no idea how badly he needs someone to be there. To stay.

• It takes far too long for your panic to calm as you’re dragged close to that huge face and the huge form sags. It’s not crushing you in its grip, just holding you tight enough you can’t wriggle free. That undamaged eyes is dim now, shuttered. It’s not long before you hear the sound of vehicles on the road and everything blurs into chaos and more of them. Your terror easing as you realize they’re friends of the one trapping to you. They’re taking him, but you too. No matter how loudly or shrilly you protest, he’s clinging to you like a kid with a stuffed animal after a nightmare. And it’s not like you have a home to return to anymore.

• Seeing the crashed ship, it clicks. These are aliens. Dragged along for the ride, you just stare around in numb fear. Your alien is lifted carefully onto a huge metal table. As soon as you’re gently pried from his fingers, his head weakly lifts, a wordless noise of pain coming from the huge robot that rips through you, because he’s looking for you. Worried about you as hurt as he is. Only stilling as the white and red one lays a hand on his head, murmuring too low for you to hear. That one eye flickers, searching until it finds you. Holding your frightened stare as the white and red one works to repair the damage until that eye finally dims again.

• You fall asleep at some point and one of the aliens drops something soft on you. Blearily looking around, you gather the blanket about yourself. The white and red one is standing over you, his attention on your alien. It’s the energon splattered on his hands and arms that snares you, though. So much. Your stomach rolls as you look over at the hurt alien. Your alien. “You stayed with him,” the medic says, still not looking at you. “Bluestreak. He’ll be fine.”

• Is that his name or your alien’s? Must be yours, you decide, getting to your feet. He looks down at you now, blue eyes intense and unsettling. You don’t even try to scurry away as you’re picked up and moved over to Bluestreak, set down near his head because somehow the medic knows what you need. What he needs. “Thank you,” you call out softly, before reaching out to touch the side of Bluestreak’s head. That broken please he’d called out still ringing in your head. Yes, he’s a massive alien robot, but he’s also just a lost boy reaching out.

Previous Next

[justwinginglife]

I have had this on my mind for a while now. Fem reader was a cruel villain in her previous life and was reincarnated to the Kn8 universe and met Soshiro and well... In love :3

Go crazy my friend.

Forgive me, this could've been a whole ass series, and I was too lazy to make it one LOL. Also I changed up the prompt slightly so that reader has always been in the KN8 universe, just reincarnating through the years.

Of All The Ways To Die

You were dying and they’d cursed you.

The audacity.

For the crime of being a witch, you’d been bound, gagged, and condemned to be burned alive. As the flames devoured your flesh, as the heat ravaged your body, as the smoke filled your lungs, you thought you glimpsed the gates of Hell in your last moments. They were flung open wide for you, and the tortured souls of your past were waiting to claim you, impatient for your penance. If that wasn’t nightmare enough, the Hoshinas had the audacity to send you to your damnation with a final parting gift- they placed a curse on you. 

In this life and the next, in heaven and in hell, in purgatory and in limbo, in the span of every universe that could ever or would ever exist, your soul was cursed to an eternity bound to their clan. There was no world in which you could run or hide, there was only their infinite retribution. 

It was a cruel punishment to be shackled to the souls of your murderers, to have every life you could ever live ended at their hands, but you didn’t intend to go quietly. You intended to make this curse as torturous for them as it was for you. If they were going to sabotage you at every turn, you’d just have to make your death worth it. If they were the protectors of peace, you were the bringer of chaos. And you planned to make such a mess of this world that even a Hoshina couldn’t put it back together. 

If they were the heroes of this never ending saga, you were the perfect villain.

“I’ll see you on the other side of eternity.” 

Your malicious grin was the last thing they saw before the flames enveloped you. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

You kept your promise in every life.

Even with no memories of your previous reincarnations, even with no knowledge of this everlasting curse, you left mayhem and madness in your wake. It was almost as though you couldn’t help yourself, as though evil were your second nature. 

And when another Hoshina arrived at your door, when they claimed yet another one of your lives, you found some satisfaction in your death, knowing you’d caused so much devastation as to warrant their intervention. 

As you succumbed to your fate, letting the darkness take hold of you once again, you wondered what trouble you could get up to in the next life. 

You found your answer in the form of the black market. 

In this technologically advanced age you’d now found yourself in, there was no room for witchcraft, for medieval villainy, there was simply give and take. And you took everything.

Before you knew it, you were the ruler over the black market. Every deal that was made, every secret that was whispered, every resource that was extracted, everything was yours to use as you pleased. In the span of a decade, you’d amassed an enormous empire. 

And Soshiro had no idea.

In every life you’d ever lived, one Hoshina or another would always find you at your most heinous, at the peak of your degeneracy. And then your life would end. 

But in this life, as though Fate had grown tired of this game, as though eternity was much too infinite for their liking, you grew up right next door to the Hoshinas. And Soshiro became your best friend.

For a while, his good influence was enough to corral most of your immorality on most days, but no one could help your greed or your ambition or your cunning. 

When he ran off to join the Defense Force, your competing ambitions pulled the two of you apart. You weren’t as pure as he was, you wouldn’t dare waste your energy on such a ridiculous profession; it was a noble one but still ridiculous in your eyes. Meanwhile he couldn’t think of anything better. Though his endless optimism should’ve infuriated you, it only made you love him more. He saw the world for how cruel it was and still chose to hope for better. And some part of you couldn’t help but wonder if he could see the same in you. But the allure of the underworld held more appeal than your one sided love and before you knew it, you were too focused on your schemes to spend time nursing your pining heart. 

When you did meet up with him on the occasion you were both free, he’d always tell you to do something with your life. He’d tell you to join him. He knew how strong you were, how smart you were, how driven you were. But he didn’t know that you’d already used those gifts to force every business and every back alley, every port and every parlor, into submission. Japan was a puppet and you were its master.

But every villain had their weakness, and it became harder and harder to ignore that he was yours. Looking back, you’d always had a soft spot for him. 

When you were kids, someone made fun of Soshiro’s hair and you shaved half their head off in return. 

When you were teens, he caught some teenager stealing from an old lady and when he ran after them to retrieve her purse, like the kind-hearted boy that he was, they punched him in the face. Before he could react, you broke their arm, like the cruel-hearted girl that you were. 

And it didn’t matter how old or young your opponent was- you were undaunted and unwavering in your punishments. Once, a teacher had failed Soshiro due to a personal grudge they’d held against his father, and you took a sledgehammer to their car. When the teacher threatened to involve the authorities, you simply smiled at him and dared him to call the cops, saying that the second you saw a siren, you’d release photos of his infidelity to the entire country of Japan. 

Even now, with all the power that you wielded, you’d use your influence to anonymously send supplies to the Third Division, to send food, to send weapons, to send armor. If you couldn’t be by his side, you could at least support him from afar. He didn’t have to know, he just had to stay safe.

When he messaged you, wanting to meet up again, you felt this was the perfect opportunity to make sure he’d been getting your gifts. You treated him to dinner at your favorite restaurant.

“How’s my favorite little entrepreneur?” He scooped you up in a hug. 

You slightly winced, remembering the lie you’d told him about opening up your own shop to get him to stop trying to convince you to join the Defense Force. You comforted yourself with the thought that, technically, you owned lots of shops. If lots of shops meant the entirety of Japan. You bet you could even buy the JAKDF if you ever felt the desire to. It was a tempting thought now that you were faced with one of their most promising soldiers, and if buying the JAKDF meant more time with him, you’d have to look into it. You’d forgotten how much you missed him. How soft you got when he was around. 

“I’m better now that you’re here.” You sighed into his shoulder.

He laughed. “Buttering me up, huh? Don’t tell me it’s cuz you’re tryna convince me to change jobs again.”

You pouted. “And what if I was?”

He ruffled your hair. “Then you’d have a hell of a time with it, because you know I’m not leaving the Defense Force.”

You crossed your arms and sulked. “You mean the shitty Defense Force that’s making you fight with nothing more than sticks and stones?”

He leaned forward, “Actually, we got this huge shipment the other day of brand new equipment. The very latest in Izumo tech. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that,” He tucked a hair behind your ear, “Would you?”

How was it that you owned thousands of casinos and still couldn’t manage a poker face to save your life?

He laughed, letting you off the hook for now. “Shall we order dinner?”

You grumbled to yourself about him being a tease and then buried your face in the menu. He smiled to himself on his side of the table. 

When you had a couple more drinks in you, he pushed the subject again. “So. It seems you got my text the other day.”

You took another sip from your cup. “Which text? You text me a lot.”

He grinned. “Touche. The one about my suit overheating.”

You raised an eyebrow, unsure where he was going with this. “Yeah, I read that. What of it?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Oh nothing. I’m just assuming that’s why I got a new suit delivered to me the very same day, one that can withstand my combat power for longer periods of time.”

You choked on your drink. “Well that’s convenient, good for you.”

He laughed. “Cmon. How long are we going to keep doing this?”

You cleared your throat. “Doing what?”

He poked your nose. “Pretending like you’re not the one sending me these things.”

You laughed awkwardly. “I’m not so rich that I can get my hands on the latest Izumo tech, Soshiro. You overestimate me.”

“Mmhm. Sure. Okay. Well, if you ever find out who is leaving me all these gifts, thank them for me, yeah?” He finished his food and got up to leave, “And give them a big kiss for me, would you?” He smirked as he walked out the door. 

What?

What did he just say?

Bastard.

“Soshiro! You asshole, you can’t just leave me hanging like that!” You dumped a couple large bills on the table, not even caring that you’d just tipped more than the meal was worth, and you ran after him.

He was laughing to himself down the street when you finally caught up to him. “So I guess business is doing good then?”

You glared at him. “And so maybe it is. What, I’m not allowed to send my best friend presents?”

He smirked. “Ah, so you admit you’re my secret admirer.” He bent down to whisper in your ear, “Or do you just want that kiss that badly?”

Before you could answer (you’re not even sure what you would’ve answered), he pulls you against him and presses his lips to yours. 

After completely devouring all your oxygen, he pulls away and murmurs, “Thanks. For everything.”

You’re so breathless you think you might choke on your own lungs.

When he takes your hand and whispers in your ear, “Now it’s my turn to treat you,” and then leads you to a ballroom that he’d completely bought out just so he could slow dance with you, you think you might cough up the heart that’s beating so rapidly in your chest. 

But of all the ways to die, you’ve decided this is the best way to go- in Soshiro’s arms.

[beastszai]

mwah what up dawg can i requests dazai with a s/o whos very immature like laughs at the wrong time, whos laughs at inapporiate jokes and pranks kunikida. :33

YAHOOO hello hi hey anon!! TY for the request ehhehe MUA also dazai is so silly i wanna put him in a microwave *having a near death stroke*

✦ Dazai with an immature S/O ✦

♫ Walking On A Dream - Empire Of The Sun

✧ warnings : gn reader・ bad writing・slight hint at suggestive jokes・dazai being dazai (what else is new)・crack?・fluff??? (what the fuck is this help…)

✧ summary : some headcanons (my brain is fried) + you and zaza Dazai are a tad bit silly together at the agency instead of workin

w/c : 1K-ish

Youuuu two are pretty much the cause of Kunikida's daily headaches…

…though it's not just Kunikida losing his mind at this point, with both you and Dazai matching each other's energy, the whole agency is praying for peace every day.

Dazai feels prideful when he gets to get a little laugh out of you, it's easy for you to laugh at things and he finds it adorable

Your laughs and giggles feed his ego TRUST

His favorite moments are when you both seem to read each other's mind, later going back and forth between your ideas of how to annoy Kunikida

Both end up getting scolded and lectured by him, and in a worst-case scenario, he forces the two of you to sit as far apart from each other as possible while dumping piles of paper on your desks.

Your laughs also make him burst out laughing as well no matter how unfunny or serious the situation can be

With his way of wording things and your humor combined, it’s impossible for you to not snicker when he says the most normal things

“Dazai can you over real quick—” “I’m coming!” “…….that’s what she said LMFAOOOO”

A hundred percent made you laugh so much once that your stomach AND jaw were hurting

Dazai is silly, so it’s only fair he gets an ALSO silly s/o

…Today was unexpectedly boring. No special cases, no special encounters with the infamous port mafia… no special anything. Just paperwork. The only way to entertain yourself—and slack off from dealing with the paperwork and reporting on earlier cases—was to cause a little bit of chaos. The awkward silence throughout the agency’s office was killing you anyways…

You took a quick glance at Dazai who was sitting across the room and laying his chin on his desk, half asleep and bored out of his mind. He was quick to notice you looking at him and returned your gaze with his shit eating grin. The one that meant ‘nothing but trouble™’.

Your lips parted slightly to mouth the words ‘I’m bored’ to him, but Dazai was already spinning around in his office chair and wheeling his way closer to Kunikida’s desk.

“Heeeeey Kunikida~ So, you see, me and y/n are a teensy bit bored and I was wo-”

“Get the hell back to work, Dazai.”

The blond grumbled in frustration, not even raising his head from the monitor screen in front of him. His hands typed into the computer with speed, making a continuous clicking sound. Kunikida then paused, fixed his glasses and turned his head to you.

“…You too, y/n.”

He added, speaking in a much less annoyed tone than when he talked to Dazai. He immediately went back to working. The brunette sighed, getting back to his desk with a pout. Though, you knew that he was way too bored to have mercy on Kunikida today—or literally any other day.

Yanking one of the forms put aside on his desk in a swift motion, Dazai carefully turned it into a paper plane. He continued doing so until nearly half the pile of papers was gone and paper plane-ified. You raised your head from your own work and watched in amusement.

“Oh? You knew origami and didn’t tell me? Wow, ‘samu, can’t believe you’ve been keeping such great talent a secret from me!” You giggled, clutching your chest to add onto your dramatic act while spinning your office chairs’ way closer to Dazai. He grinned, busy adding the finishing touches to his 30th paper plane, “Oh I can do much more than some silly origami stuff, trust me on that.”

A chuckle escaped from your lips, loud enough for Dazai’s ears to catch it and smile with pride. He was so focused that he had even piqued Atsushi and Kyouka’s interest—along with Ranpo stealing glances from time to time.

You had long begun to help him with whatever he was scheming, making a few paper planes of your own and dropping the 45th? 54th? Whatever number paper plane onto his desk. While both of you were busy with your paper plane making, Kunikida’s laptop slammed shut; though neither you nor Dazai heard it or the sound of him stomping his way to the two of you. Dazai snickered while you counted the paper planes he’d made, going back and forth with the numbers as you kept losing count.

“Goddammit Dazai, stop distracting me! Unless you want to count all this yourself…” You grumbled and playfully smacked him in the head with the plane you were holding. He chuckled and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off when Kunikida cleared his throat.

It made you both sink into your seats, slowly turning to face him—arms crossed and impatiently tapping his foot.

“Dazai. Y/n. May I ask what you’re doing? It’s not work as far as I’m concerned.”

Kunikida’s tone was surprisingly calm… the calm before the storm, you thought. Dazai, completely nonchalant about Kunikida’s presence, held one of the paper planes up and above his own head and grinned.

“Entertaining ourselves since boredom is ought to kill us~ Why do you ask?”

Out of curiosity, you decided to unfold one of the planes to take a look at it’s contents. Your vision blurred for a second once you realized what all that paperwork that you had turned into planes actually was… While Dazai was busy showing off the paper plane he had in hand to Kunikida, you desperately tugged on his sleeve, tapped his shoulder, shook his hand, anything to get him to stop talking.

“Dazai… have you even taken a look at what those papers were about?” Kunikida cut Dazai off, brows furrowed.

“Hmm? Oh, no not really! What’re they fo—”

“They’re all boss’ notes and reports…”

You whispered to him in a shaky voice, eyes still glued to Fukuzawa’s signature at the bottom of the crumpled piece of paper.

“Handwritten notes and reports.”

All three of you turned your head to Ranpo, who was fiddling around with a bag of chips, struggling to get it open.

“Those are all handwritten by him. He left them on Dazai’s desk not expecting anyone to touch them, knowing that he barely—almost never works… Just thought I’d let you know.”

A long pause. Ranpo then turned his chair around and aside from his faint chewing, the silence in the office had become deafening…

“…Wow, nice work, detective Dazai Osamu…” You mocked, eyebrows knitted together.

“Hey! Don’t throw me under the bus like thaaaaat, you helped too! So cruel of you, bella…”

Dazai gave you a dramatic ‘hmph!’ and awkwardly turned to Kunikida—who was practically shaking in fury—with a sheepish smile, throwing the paper plane at his head followed by a nervous laughter.

“Nowwww before you do or say anything, Kunikida-kun~ In my defens-”

“…DazaaAAAIIII—!!!”

p.s : its been awhile since ive written and actually posted it so this is a bit wonky I KNOW im not this ass at writing please spare my life i have a wife and kids…

[babsharrison]

Between Worlds II - Neo x Reader

Pairing | Neo Anderson x Fem! Reader

Summary | After choosing to follow Neo into the real world, you find refuge in your relationship with him amidst the chaos of the Nebuchadnezzar. Despite the harshness of reality, moments of intimacy with Neo bring comfort and strength as you face the challenges together.

Word Count | 1.1k

A/N | This is the second part of the other fic. I'm not sure if this one is good, but I want to leave it here anyway. 🥹 (And no one's bald here, lol)

The air inside the Nebuchadnezzar was dense, filled with the incessant sound of machines and the buzzing of surveillance systems echoing through the narrow corridors. The real world was a landscape of destruction and darkness, and the ship, despite being a refuge for survival, was far from comfortable. Still, amidst all this, there was one constant you learned to value more each day: the presence of Neo.

He was standing, adjusting the controls of one of the machines, with the concentration that characterized him. You approached, crossing the tight space, and gently leaned your shoulder against his, watching the monitors beside you. Neo turned his face to you and smiled slightly, a small gesture that only you could recognize as affection.

“I think these systems are never going to stop making noise,” you commented, trying to lighten the mood.

He chuckled softly, a rare sound coming from him. “That would be asking too much.”

You looked at the work he was doing and, without saying a word, began helping him adjust some cables. Working alongside him had become part of the routine, a way to keep yourself occupied amidst the chaos of the real world, but also to share moments that reinforced the partnership between you. You could feel the rhythm of your breaths synchronizing as you worked together, a silent understanding blossoming in the air.

As you continued, Trinity passed by the room, casting a playful glance in your direction. “You two make a good team,” she said before leaving, a smirk playing on her lips. Her words hung in the air, a reminder of the bond that was forming between you and Neo.

Neo looked at you, and with an almost imperceptible smile, shrugged. “I think I’ve gotten used to having you by my side,” he joked, but there was a sincerity in his words that made your heart warm.

You continued adjusting the machines, your movements synchronized as if you had done this a thousand times before — which you indeed had. There was a naturalness in how you worked together, something that only came with time and the intimacy of having shared much more than just battles. It felt as though each task, each moment spent together, was weaving an unbreakable thread of connection between you.

After a while, when you finally finished, Neo looked at the console with approval. “I think this should hold up for a while.” He powered down the systems and stepped back, gently pulling you by the hand to follow him to one of the quieter corridors of the ship.

When you reached a small, secluded corner, he stopped and looked at you with a calm gaze, but full of meaning. “Are you okay?” he asked, and although it was a simple question, there was a depth to it, as if he was always checking to see if you were truly okay amidst all the uncertainty.

“I am, now,” you replied, smiling. He held your hand more firmly, a gesture that needed no further explanation.

In that moment, the world around you faded, leaving just the two of you in a bubble of intimacy. Feeling the energy between you, Neo stepped closer, his face almost touching yours. “You know,” he began, his voice lower and filled with emotion, “even with all this chaos, I feel… different. Your presence makes everything seem more bearable.”

The sincerity in his words made your heart race. You smiled, warmth spreading through your chest. “I feel that too. Being with you makes everything lighter.”

Before you could say more, he slid his hands around your waist, pulling you closer. The warmth of his body against yours was electrifying. Neo leaned in and captured your lips in a kiss. The kiss began soft and exploratory but soon intensified, the growing passion making your hearts race. Your hands found their way into his hair, gently tugging as you surrendered to the moment.

Neo, in a tender gesture, wrapped his arms around you, pulling you against him. The intensity of the kiss enveloped you in warmth that seemed to melt away all the uncertainties of the outside world. The sound of the machines faded into the background, and the only sound that mattered was the sigh that escaped your lips.

You exchanged caresses, your hands exploring each other’s contours, as if you wanted to imprint every detail in your memory. He caressed your back delicately while you allowed yourself to be swept away, losing yourself in that moment of intimacy. You could feel his heartbeat against your chest, a steady rhythm that echoed the connection growing between you.

“Neo,” you whispered, pulling back slightly to look into his eyes. There was a flicker of something deeper there, a shared understanding of what lay beyond words.

“Shh,” he replied softly, his thumb tracing your cheek, his gaze never leaving yours. The world outside faded away, and it felt as if you were in your own little universe, where nothing else mattered but the two of you.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, you pulled away slightly, your eyes still locked onto one another. Both of you were breathless, but there was a satisfied smile on your faces.

“That was…” you began, but the words failed you, and you simply smiled, filled with a warmth that went beyond the physical.

“I know,” Neo replied, his tone full of understanding. He leaned in again, giving you a soft kiss on the forehead, a gesture that conveyed affection and protection.

Feeling the warmth between you, you whispered, “One more, please.” And Neo complied, pulling you in closer again as the two of you lost yourselves in that moment of affection, knowing that, despite the constant battle against the machines outside, you had found a safe space full of love in one another.

When he finally pulled away, still holding your hand, you both walked through the corridors of the Nebuchadnezzar, not as two individuals trying to survive, but as a team, as two people who, despite all the difficulties, had found a way to build something amidst the chaos.

As you walked, you exchanged small glances and shy smiles, the intimacy of your earlier moment still lingering in the air. You felt an overwhelming sense of hope; in the darkness of the world outside, you had found light in each other. You knew that whatever challenges lay ahead, you would face them together, hand in hand.

The humming of the machines and the distant echoes of the crew bustling about faded into a comforting backdrop, and in that moment, you realized that even in a world that had turned upside down, love could blossom in the most unexpected places.

[aria-greenhoodie]

Hey guys did you know I have a gravity falls oc. They’re definitely not wish fulfillment self insert material don’t worry about it. Don’t even worry about it, man.

Click for Quality! Silly backstory stuff below the cut ↓

- They’re a little cartoon creature from a pocket universe! They’re an immortal creature like Bill, but way less powerful.

- They actually used to work at the theraprism, but went crazy and had a mid-immortality crisis leading to a manic crime-spree. During this turbulent time, they also developed their love for “projects.”

- A “project” to them is basically becoming obsessed with a person they find interesting and getting closer to them by any means necessary in order to study them like a bug. This isn’t romantic, and it isn’t even friendship, but instead a secret third evil thing.

- When they have a project going on, they’ll devote most of their time and energy to the person(s) involved, and they typically seem very content while doing so. Once a project stops interesting them, or if a project is cut short by outside forces (death if the person, sudden change of heart from the person, being caught and dragged to the theraprism, etc) they become restless, easily irritated, and sometimes mildly violent. Their little projects are basically the only thing that keeps them sane.

- Doesn’t really do “friends.” Used to, but it always ended poorly. Prefers their projects; if they loose interest, they can just leave!

- Had a mentor-apprentice type relationship with the Axolotl before their mental decline. Is now VERY conflicted about him; doesn’t like the disappointment in his eyes when he looks at them.

- Was Bill’s Roommate for a time. Was absolutely FASCINATED by Bill’s fucked up mentality. Instantly became one of their favorite projects.

- Bill HATED them like crazy. They would not stop talking to them and had an uncanny ability to make him open up about things he did NOT want to open up about.

- Lost access to Bill after the TBOB incident, since he was moved to solitary confinement.

- Did not take the sudden cancellation of their project well. Ended up breaking out of the Theraprism shortly after.

- Ended up in Gravity Falls by sheer coincidence. Immediately took a liking to the place for its weirdness (felt at home).

- Met the Pines family and became ENRAPTURED with Stanley. Started off just seeing him as a project, but eventually came to view him as something closer to a friend (or perhaps more :3).

- Mabel and them are BESTIES. Mabel loves to treat them like a little dress up doll and they love to model all of Mabel’s mini fashion creations. They also respect her chaos.

- Has a huge respect for Dipper’s curiosity. Has gladly acted as a test subject for him so he can be like Ford and research weird creatures.

- Ford does NOT trust their ass. They eventually form an (somewhat uneasy but otherwise amicable) alliance as time goes on, but Ford never fully bonds with them. He’s been burned by a chaotic multi-dimensional immortal criminal before, he doesn’t want to do that again. Curly gets it. They heard how Bill treated him from Bill’s own mouth (eye?) and have no plans to play copy-cat.

- Stan didn’t like them at first. They reminded him too much of Bill, and acted far too chummy with him specifically far too fast.

- Eventually the two grew closer, realized they had a lot in common (both criminals familiar with the grift, both have a tiny bit of a flair for showmanship, both have similar senses of humor, etc.) and became friendlier.

- The Axolotl knows where they are and is monitoring them closely. They don’t know he’s doing this. He plans to keep it that way.

[diremoone]

all the good things | geto suguru.

someway, somehow, amidst all of the thoughts of chaos and spiraling ideals of a new “better” world, a light shines through to guide him to a path of true balance. that just so happens to be the second-year transfer from Kyoto, who’s more than happy to put him back on the right path..

warning(s): like 98% canon lmao, female reader, mentions of pregnant! reader towards the end, honestly just wrote and didn’t bother checking if this was coherent but here’s y’all a snack haha, also using new line dividers atm and they’re all all pretty, credits to the maker in the guidelines of my blog

note(s): as much as I wanted to wait I just can’t stand it so here’s this piece published earlier than I want lol. also I didn’t know who to tag for geto so I just went with these lovelies ☺️

You like the Tokyo school much better than the one in Kyoto.

By leaps and bounds actually, you muse.

Everything from the people down to the energy they give off was so much more different — more freeing.

Kyoto was just too much, too old school and too traditional, especially for you. The students there seemed to be more rigid, and the teachers seemed to sneer at you. More often than not for just being a female. That old way of thinking was most likely why they lost the Exchange Event almost every year.

Especially with sorcerers like Geto Suguru on their side.

You transferred to Tokyo during the last half of your first year, which wasn’t something commonplace. That time wasn’t exactly a pleasant time to transfer into. Geto and Gojo, your upperclassmen, had failed a mission protecting the Plasma Star Vessel, Riko Amanai. Yes, Gojo managed to take out the Sorcerer Killer, Fushiguro Toji (who was actually a Zen’in like Naoya) on the mission, but that was only after he had completed his mission — after they had failed to protect Riko.

Now you’re a second-year at Tokyo High, watching the third-year Geto Suguru fall into a spiral of chaos and warped ideals while his friends go their own personal paths and leave him to his own devices, completely unaware in their own worlds that they’ve left a storm brewing behind them, alone and lonely and more than ready to bring down its wrath upon anyone in its way.

You secretly wondered how much Gojo cared for the person who was supposed to be his best friend.

So why you decided to approach said storm to get a (very much well-needed) drink out at the machines while he was preoccupied with his own thoughts, you have no idea. Were you stupid? Yes. Did that matter right now? … Probably.

Your feet carried you to the vending machine, standing beside Geto. You weren’t bothering to look at him out of your peripheral vision, knowing that if you did, the universe would shit on you and he would look up and make eye contact.

Sounds like one of those romance animes or something, you think, nose crunching in distaste. Ew…

“It’s such a shame that you decided to withdraw from Kyoto, [Name]-chan.”

An even bigger problematic ‘ew’ came from behind you. You scowled and turned halfway on your heel, back facing your black-haired upperclassmen to stare at the smirking face of one of the two reasons you’d originally left Kyoto’s school.

You scoff, shaking your head to see Geto’s form standing tall, but still facing the vending machine to get something. That’s all right; you could handle your own battles anyway.

“You really have the audacity to come and talk to me like this? After what you put me through for the last two years? Ah, wait a second. It’s you. So I guess I shouldn’t be all that surprised.”

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.” Naoya shrugged. “All I asked for was—”

“For you to leave her alone, Zen’in.”

Your eyes widen slightly at the sound of Geto’s voice cutting through the air, but it’s only Naoya that scowls and turns his head to face his Tokyo upperclassmen.

And to your absolute surprise, despite Naoya’s scowl deepening to a point where you thought he couldn’t get any uglier, the male pivoted on the ball of his foot and sauntered off.

“Are you alright?” came the instant inquiry.

Geto moving to get a closer look at you made you sweat even more. Just for a different reason.

“I’m fine, Senpai.”

The tall male looks between you and Naoya’s fading figure, eyes narrowing slightly in distaste up until he sees the Zen’in male finally disappear from sight. Even he knows that the Zen’in’s are trash; Naoya just really takes the cake.

“That’s good,” he says.

And when he looks at you with gentle eyes, you’re surprised (and desperately trying to hide it). How instantly his expression and mood changed from mere moments before Naoya showed up to at this moment caught you off guard.

“Did you need something from here? I can get it for you.”

His offer is so sincere, so polite. Such a stark contrast from earlier. Especially with the way the bright smile on his face that reaches his ears and makes the corners of his eyes begin to crinkle.

Instead of the same uncertainty from before your approach filling your stomach, this time feels different. This time, it’s an excited, happy feeling; as if butterflies are rapidly fluttering away in your belly in eager anticipation of something wonderful to come.

“Um, yes,” you squeak, looking to the machines, “I was going to get—”

>>>>

How long does it take for one to fall from grace?

From one who’s fingers touched the pure white clouds of heaven to becoming one who’s knees were stuck deep within the obsidian tar pits of hell, it seemed Geto Suguru was destined to struggle with himself — with his morals and ideals of the world of jujutsu sorcerers and the world of people that lived outside of it — for eternity.

Someone that was so bright, so revered, to fall into a pit of hopelessness?

It must be a lie, others would think.

Watching him sink into the pits of chaos and despair while his best friend rose to a place where he became untouchable to all sorcerers… made something terrible, something spiteful, stir within the depths of your stomach. How much did the white-haired teenager care about the one he called his equal?

But as Gojo became more and more powerful and left his friend behind, Geto too, grew in power in his own right.

And a lot of it was with you.

Weeks of meeting at the vending machines for snacks during training turned into months of sitting on benches and eating lunch together. Even that progressed farther, to him taking you to everything from restaurants to the book store (as much as he’d laugh at you buying manga, he was just as much of a hypocrite with Inuyasha under his arm) to even pretty lakes across Japan, soaring atop one of his flying curses.

Doing things that friends do. That people more than friends also do.

But at the same time, during those times after missions or simply while spending time together in either his or your room, you’d see that malicious darkness fester up. You’d see the way his brows would furrow when you mentioned saving someone or his lips pull down when there’d be a mention of the higher-ups about a mission you’d taken recently that went sour.

In times like these, you wondered if Gojo Satoru really did once know Geto Suguru the same way you knew him now.

“I can see the sweat on your forehead,” the black-haired male jokes. “You shouldn’t think so hard.”

Suguru doesn’t chuckle, but the joking smile of amusement is still there. It’s just a faint one. He’s become less and less of a jokester lately, swimming deeper into the darkness. But for you, you think he tries a little harder to keep the mood and air between you two as light and positive as possible.

(For you.)

“I’ll be sure to remember that,” you quip back, “for the next time I see sweat on your brow for thinking so much. Hypocrite.”

For the first time all day, he finally chuckles.

“Hypocrite?” He muses, placing his cheek on his fist. “Really?”

“Yes!” You toss your hands up in mock frustration. “You heard me, Mr. I-Wanna-Brood-At-Weird-Times-of-the-Day.”

“That’s an awfully long name.”

“It sure does fit though, yeah?”

“So you say.”

The air had been tense and thick since morning, but the two of you were striving to get past it. Well, you slightly more, but the more you tried, the more Geto — ah, Suguru. He already told you to call him that, didn’t he? — seemed to try and help you push for a happier tone.

But the mission Suguru was to be sent on soon had him shut down mentally, closed off from you for the last few days. And today was the day you’d tried to pick him back up out of his crappy mood.

“You sure you don’t want to talk about it?” you ask.

Suguru sighs, then nods his head. “It’s nothing. I’ll be back by the day after, if not sooner.”

You shrug, semi-happy with his response and accepting it. But the other half of you knows something — sees something — behind his pretty eyes that you wished you would have left alone.

But your heart loved to meddle when it wanted to meddle.

And in the future, you hoped Suguru would thank you for that meddling nature.

****

113 bodies were to be found five days after Geto arrived at the village he was assigned to.

But he hadn’t been alone the day he arrived.

Suguru just didn’t know that.

You’d stuck to him like glue. Well, as far back as glue could stretch in that regard. You’d silenced your cursed energy so much that you almost swore you didn’t even have any. And not once did the male turn around to bother to look around or check his surroundings, like he knew he was ever being followed.

Now, all you could do was watch as Suguru stepped into the house that the villagers brought him to. Supposedly, the house contained the reason why the villagers had been dying.

But that gnawing anxiousness in the pit of your stomach told you otherwise. It told you that something was about to go very, very wrong.

Very few people had been able to manage to near-fully suppress their cursed energy aura. It was a talent that could only be managed by a select few, one of which was probably Gojo Satoru himself. But when one successfully did it, all the stories told of how nauseous they felt; how overwhelming the sense of others cursed energy could be.

And it was all true.

Bile and your lunch nearly coated your shoes. Knees too had you let Suguru’s immense, Special Grade cursed energy make you sink to the ground.

It isn’t the same. It isn’t the same. It isn’t the same!

Eyes blown wide as saucers, you realized that something had indeed went very, very wrong inside that house. Because no longer was Suguru’s cursed energy driven by regular means like a regular jujutsu sorcerer.

No. All you could see from his cursed energy was pure malice and raw, unadulterated rage and anger.

Whatever these people said or have done to send him into such fury like this, you couldn’t move, only think. This is the day they die.

Out of the house comes two— No, three. Suguru being one of them. A man and a woman, both with ugly faces and ugly auras you didn’t like.

No wonder Suguru doesn’t like them.

A curse manifests from your friend’s fingertips, and you quickly realize what’s about to happen — the only thing that could happen.

But he can’t just kill them…

You step out of your hiding spot and shout his name. Shock enters Suguru’s eyes. Of course; he hadn’t expected you to be here. But then they glaze over with a mixture of emotions. Disappointment seems to be the most obvious.

Curse you, Yuki Tsukumo, for tipping him over the edge.

“Don’t even try it, Suguru.”

“You shouldn’t have come, [Name].” It sounded like a warning.

You scoff slightly. “And let you do something like this? I don’t think so.”

His eyes narrow. It’s an expression you don’t like.

“You need to leave.”

“So do you, apparently.”

“Don’t be like this, [Name]. Don’t make me hurt you.”

“You wouldn’t anyway. Why let one awful circumstance, one awful event, define the rest of your life?”

“Do you know what they’ve done?” he asks, and you clearly hear the intent of violence behind his tone. You see his jaw clench up and a dangerous fire ignite behind his eyes. “Do you know they have two girls locked up in there, ready to kill?”

“Of course not,” you say, “but you were about to do something that was going to impact your life… Forever.”

“I think I’m ready for that.”

“You’re ready to lose everything?”

“If I must.”

You almost bite your tongue. But you don’t, and speak anyway.

“Even me?”

The thick, black smokiness of one his curses dancing on his fingertips turns to wisps, almost vanishing. You see what the question does to him, so you press farther. Deeper into the unspoken part of you two’s relationship you’d both been afraid to touch on.

Then, he admits something, dipping first into waters that haven’t been treaded into.

“I’d like to think you’d come with me, be by my side.”

Your heart thumps faster. It’s a declaration of many things: loyalty, friendship, trust.

But all your ears hear is a declaration of love.

Because you don’t miss the way his eyes shine as he looks you up and down like you’re the sweetest thing he’s ever seen. Like he wants you to actually follow him like he expected, to come with him and step in place next to him like an equal.

If not more than just an equal.

“I can’t do that,” you reply. “You know I can’t, Suguru. And neither can you.”

It’s written all over his face that he doesn’t like your answer.

“And why can’t I?”

“Because you’re better than this.”

…

…

Was he? What did that mean anyway: being better? After Riko, after his “talk” with Yuki, everything just seemed to collapse around him; everything he knew ripping apart at the seams faster than he could repair them.

Why? Why was he supposed to be better? How could he be better? Did he deserve to even become better?

“Don’t take the easy way,” you tell him. “There’ll never be a right answer, not right now at least.”

“Killing all non-sorcerers seems like a pretty good start,” he replies darkly.

“And how would you even manage that?” you retort. “If that’s the only thing you can stand on, that’s shallow.”

“Then what is the answer, [Name]? Do tell me, please,” he urges sarcastically, rolling his dark eyes. “Is killing every non-sorcerer not worth us jujutsu sorcerers having a chance to live?”

You answer as earnestly as he expects, “I have no idea, but at the moment, it sounds pretty stupid.”

Unfortunately, it takes him much longer than you want for him to put the monster at his fingertips away, for his cursed energy to dip down and go back to the way it was before it spiked in a rage you’d never anticipated to see from him.

The village is scathed with fire and terror: burned buildings with its inhabitants shaken to the core over the consequences of their actions — and what would happen if they tried to put more children in the cage Suguru found them in. It’s not ethical, and surely you’d hear about it from the higher-ups in jujutsu society.

But for the girls wrapped up in yours and Suguru’s arms, you heart and soul knew it was worth it.

Megumi doesn’t get along with Nanako too well. But you’re sure you know why, with his red cheeks and all.

“You think he’ll ever say anything?” you ask your husband.

“Doubtful,” Suguru chuckles, “considering he was raised by Satoru.”

It’s been a rough ten years raising the twins. There’s been a long list of issues, struggles over the last several years that have really put your relationship with your now-husband to the test. From the elders to Suguru’s own conflicting ideals; from his own coping mechanisms to making sure you and his girls are well taken care of, and those are just a few to list. But fixing Satoru and Suguru’s friendship was by far the most difficult thing.

Riko’s death really did change them in the most awful ways.

“Satoru has only gotten crazier over the years,” you hum, agreeing. “I still can’t believe Satoru brought Sukuna’s vessel here.”

“I think you mean stupid, darling,” Suguru chuckles. “And did you know he gave Itadori a second finger?”

“Disgusting! All in true Satoru taste, too.”

“Hey! I can hear you two, you know!” the white-haired male complains.

“Good!” you shout back.

And cue Satoru’s crocodile tears. “Suguru really did marry a witch!”

You feel the veins in your head twitch with irritation. You’d always hated that damn nickname.

You moved to stand up to go and whack the shit out of the manchild, but your husband’s hand settled on your knee. You looked at him curiously, sitting back down.

“Sit,” he says. “Getting worked up like that isn’t good for you right now. Shoko said to keep it minimal for now, remember?”

You snort. “You’ve drilled it into me, Sugu.”

“Good. I’ll be back in a moment.”

His hand rests on your belly for moment, presses a sweet kiss to your forehead, and then stands up to go and beat the shit out of his best friend to defend his wife’s honor.

And maybe to have some fun, too.

taglist: @vagabond-umlaut • @itzmeme • @dellalyra • @torusmochi

[sonsofslytherin]

LEAD GUITAR

Theodore Nott

Stage Presence:

Theodore Nott is laid back and quiet, much like the bassist.

Well they both have the rep of the quietest members, Theo's calm is more in the sense that he's not trying to draw attention to himself.

He's the one that had been the most reluctant to start the band

Fans joke that no one hates this band more than Theodore Nott

In the end he agreed to make his boys happy and because he truly loves the music

Now I'm a firm believer that they all have some form of anxiety with their own unique triggers. But Theo is the most anxious and he definitely also weathers that shit silently

He distracts himself as much as possible, which is one of the reasons he learned guitar

But he also has a MAJOR oral fixation. Which is where everyone gets the cigarette addiction comes from.

He truly tries to stop though, so for the most part he doesn't smoke at the shows unless he's feeling really anxious

If he doesn't smoke bros chewing gum or is biting down on a pic he almost died because he almost swallowed it

If he doesn't have anything (rare) he is doing the tongue in the corner of the mouth thing

Or absolutely destroying his lips/cheek bro is devouring himself for real

He for sure side eyes the crowd the whole time like he scared too

The most he'll do on stage is vibing in his own circle. If he's really vibing with the song he'll go to jam with the other guys.

Mattheo and Enzo bring out the most energy in him

Draco and Blaise vibe with him in a more lowkey way

He helps write most of the songs

He writes all of the guitar parts too

He is basically a God on guitar, bros fingers are flying and he does it all with a straight face

I'm also convinced he's a freak and is definitely left-handed and he totally has a left-handed guitar

Mattheo basically had a stroke when he tried to use the guitar

When he solos it's either absolute chaos in the crowd is just losing their shit over his talent or it's just pure silence because they're in awe of him

When he does sing people wonder why he isn't vocals, but then he finishes and takes one look at the crowd and then high tails it back to his side of the stage

The band are basically his biggest fans too like they lose it like they're groupies Enzo is not allowed to kiss him anymore

Music is extremely fulfilling for him now and he's learning to be proud of himself :')

Wardrobe:

Theo is really casual in the way he plays and in the way he dresses

He's still casual but just looks a little more put together compared to Matt

Standing next to the whole band he looks slightly out of place, he definitely looks like he's in an indie band

He doesn't really lean into the Rockstar aesthetic

True to his Italian Roots (I will fight) he'll wear like a linen button up and some jeans or any button up really

Or like a long sleeve or a cute sweater and these will usually be loose fitting

He's a pretty lanky guy

I don't stand by throwing muscles and muscles on him, his body is fine the way it is and he happens to be a very lean guy that doesn't mean he's not strong

He'll throw the occasional Blazer or jacket on but that's as crazy as it gets

Same as Mattheo he's wearing some basic sneakers like vans or Converse

I can't see him having any piercings

Fans have speculated for YEARS on whether or not this man has tats

(He does but just a few sentimental ones but no one has ever really seen anything)

[writeforfandoms]

Puppy Love 1

Find my CoD Masterlist

Gaz decides to get a puppy, and drags Price along for the ride. Plus, the breeder is cute. And single.

Warnings: Swearing, puppy cuteness overload, soft Gaz, soft Price. 

All the smooches to my beloved @sprout-fics​ for not only putting up with my insanity but actively encouraging it. You’re the best. 💖

Word count: 1.8k

Eventual John Price x f!reader

Gaz whistled to himself as he headed to Price’s office. He was dragging his captain out for a few hours if it was the last thing he did. (Not that he expected too much resistance, not once Price found out where they were going.) 

“Captain,” he greeted as he stepped into the office. The best descriptor for the office was controlled chaos. Paperwork covered every available flat surface, an empty mug balanced precariously on the corner of the desk.

“What is it, Gaz?” Price didn’t even bother to look up from a form he was filling out. 

“Field trip time.” Gaz tossed the keys in his hand for emphasis, smirking.

That did get Price to look up with a frown. “Where?” His gaze darted down to his calendar, and Gaz knew he had nothing there. Hook…

“Remember a couple weeks ago, told you I sent in the deposit for a puppy?” It had been a big move, one the two (and the team) had discussed at length. They’d all supported his decision in the end, especially after being faced with the sheer volume of research he’d done. 

“Yes?” Price was still frowning, but less sternly now. Line… 

“Pups are two weeks old now.” Gaz tossed the keys again. “Breeder’s been sending pictures, they’re right cute.” Another toss of the keys. “She also invited me out to see them.”

“Did she now?” Price straightened, fingers tapping at his desk before he set his pen down. 

And sinker. Gaz hid his smirk. “You should come with, Cap. It’s a litter of seven.” 

Price eyed him for a few long moments before he sighed and gave in. As expected. “How far out?” he asked gruffly, already patting his pockets to make sure he had everything he’d need for a little venture. 

“Not too far,” Gaz said, grinning openly now that he was getting his way. “About an hour.” 

Price grunted. “Let’s go, then.” His gruff demeanor didn’t fool Gaz. He knew the Captain wanted to go see the puppies. 

Gaz hopped into the driver’s seat, since he actually knew where he was going. But he did let Price control the music. Anticipation had his fingers drumming on the wheel, and he might’ve pushed the speed limit. Just a little. 

But he was still a better driver than Soap. 

–

You hummed to yourself as you did a few dishes in between visits. You were still expecting one more person to show up today, but you figured you had a little time before his arrival. Your two girls were out back, and Lola (the momma) was with her pups in the dining room. 

In other words, everything was good. 

The knock on the door startled you, and you could hear Sasha start barking out back, as she did every time someone knocked on the door. You dried your hands quickly and walked over to the door, opening it. 

Two men stood on your doorstep. The younger-looking one was already grinning, an air of contained energy around him. He was quite handsome, which you noted almost absently. But the other… The other man was too damn attractive. You could tell he was the older of the two, bits of silver in his hair and mutton chops. He was standing back a step, letting the younger man take the lead.

“Kyle?” you guessed with a smile, holding out your hand to the younger man.

“Yes ma’am.” He shook your hand, firm and polite. “This is my friend, John.”

“Nice to meet you both.” You held out your hand to John with the same smile. “Please, come on in. The puppies are mostly asleep, but they’re only two weeks old.”

Both men stepped into the house past you, and you almost closed the door.

Except that a black blur zoomed in the front door and barreled into John.

“Sasha!” you gasped in a mixture of horror and mortification, immediately grabbing the dog and yanking her backwards. “I am so sorry, she’s never done that before!”

“No harm done,” John was quick to assure you, looking down at the dog. He blinked. “That’s, er. Not a Boxer.”

You couldn’t help but laugh. “No, she’s a Labrador Retriever. She was a gift, one I regret every day.” You circled one hand around her muzzle gently, guiding her to look up at you. “Did you jump the back fence?” 

Her ears went down and her eyes got impossibly bigger, even as she tried to tug out of your grip.

“Bad girl. You know better.” You sighed, keeping a firm hold on her. “Again, I am so sorry.”

“It’s fine.” John held out one hand to Sasha, and she immediately started sniffing him. Rather to your surprise, she started licking his fingers. “She’s a sweet thing, isn’t she?”

“Well, yes, but she’s normally a bit wary of strangers.” You watched the interaction, a little incredulous, as Sasha tried to cozy up to the big man. “Let me just put her in the other room. She’s still a bit too rambunctious for the puppies, and Lola doesn’t like her in with them.”

Both men waited patiently as you half-dragged Sasha to your office, closing her in. She banged on the door a couple times with a soft woof. 

“Right. Puppies.” Flustered now, you straightened and tugged your shirt straight. “Right this way.”

You walked ahead of them, blocking their view until just the right moment. Then you turned and stepped aside, watching as both men absolutely melted. 

Two week old Boxer puppies didn’t do a lot besides yelp for momma, drink, crawl around, and leave waste… But they were also really damn cute. 

“How many of each?” Kyle asked, taking a cautious step closer.

“Come on in,” you invited, stepping the rest of the way into the room and rubbing Lola’s ears. She heaved the biggest sigh and laid her head down on top of your foot. “Lola doesn’t mind.”

Kyle was quick to find a place to sit, very gently touching each puppy, awe in his eyes. John stayed back a bit, but he was no less enamored. 

“This time I’ve got four girls and three boys.” You smiled down at the puppies. “I believe you mentioned you want a boy?”

“Think so, yeah.” His big hands were delicate as he stroked the nearest puppy ever so gently. 

“Well, you’ve got first pick.” You smiled at his startled look. “You got your deposit in before anyone else. So you get your pick of the litter.” 

His smile was nearly blinding. 

“Take your time,” you assured him, carefully moving your foot from under Lola’s head and ignoring her baleful look. “I’ll just be in the kitchen, just through there.” You stepped out of the room, sort of. The only thing separating the dining room from the kitchen was a counter, so you could still see Kyle, Lola, and the puppies. 

John joined you, standing next to you, arms crossed over his chest. His very broad chest, which you just noticed. You had to fight not to look. 

"How long have you been doing this?" He nodded to the puppies. 

"This is my third litter." You smiled. "Honestly, I kind of tripped into this by accident, but I don't regret it. They're a wonderful breed." You eyed him for a moment before your smile turned mischievous. "Usually I warn people that they can be pretty high-energy but I have a feeling you won't have a problem keeping up." 

He laughed, low and rumbling and oh so nice. "Gaz is high-energy," he agreed. "Won't be a problem. Might keep him out of trouble." 

"Gaz?" You blinked. 

"Kyle." John waved a hand. "It's a nickname." 

You didn't push, didn't ask, just nodded. "Thinking of getting one yourself?" You couldn't help but tease, just a little. 

"Nah. Not my speed." John shrugged, glancing back behind the two of you as Sasha whined. "If anything, I'd go for one like her." 

"You want her?" You offered, mostly joking. "She comes house broken."

He laughed again, and it was even more wonderful the second time. "Thanks but no thanks." He paused for a moment. "How did you end up with a lab?"

You chuckled. "It's a long story. Some things happened with her first family. She was a very mouthy puppy, and they couldn't get past that. So I offered to take her." You smiled a little. "She's a good girl, and she's very people-oriented. She's just got no manners." 

John nodded slowly. "Good of you to keep her," he murmured. 

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Your smile was a little sad. You had no family, no significant other, and few friends. You had the dogs instead. "You're allowed to go play with them too, if you want." 

"I'm good here." His smile was almost teasing when he looked at you, and you chuckled. 

"Well, if you have any questions…" You trailed off meaningfully. 

"I know Gaz already interrogated you." His lips twitched, like that was an inside joke. (And not far from the truth - Kyle had asked a bunch of questions the first time he'd called, like he had a list.) "Is this your only job?"

That was certainly a polite way to ask. You'd had much less polite inquiries. "I work from home. I'm a purchasing coordinator. This is just for fun and love of the breed." 

John nodded. "I see. Convenient." 

"Until I have seven puppies howling at something at 3am in a month or so," you agreed, laughing. "Then I'll swear I'm never doing this again." 

That delightful laugh rumbled between you. Somehow, the two of you had edged closer together, and you could just feel the warmth radiating from him. There was something about him that put you at ease.

Which was unusual. Sasha wasn't the only one wary of strange men. 

Kyle reappeared a good ten minutes later with the sappy grin of one who has absolutely fallen in love. "Sure they're all spoken for?" He asked, glancing back at the puppies one more time. 

You laughed quietly. "Six of them are," you agreed cheerfully. 

Kyle looked back at the puppies, thoughtful, and John snorted. 

"No. You're getting one." 

The chiding tone was such a dad tone that you snorted and clapped a hand over your mouth. 

"Sorry," you squeaked, trying very hard not to laugh. "Ahem. Anyway. Kyle, you're welcome anytime, just let me know so I can make sure I'm home." You smiled at John. "You're welcome, too." 

"Thank you." 

You walked the two to the door, watching as they got into an SUV. You waved them off, waiting until they were on their way before you closed the door. 

"What am I going to do with you," you sighed at Sasha. She just wagged her tail at you.

[seafoamreadings]

week of july 14th, 2024

these are written predominantly for the *rising* signs but they are also intuitively "channeled" enough that they should work for any dominant energy you have! (try your sun if you don't know rising, or more advanced readers can try moon, anywhere you have a stellium, etc and see what works best for you!)

aries: a much anticipated mars-uranus conjunction occurs with algol in your 2nd house this week. yes, it's scary vibes. so the warnings: beware head injuries, concussions, etc. your money may be at risk, or you may find yourself sacrificing some important values. on the bright side the energies can be strangely empowering from you. don't go starting trouble, but don't shy away from a fight (metaphorically. do very much avoid physical violence under this transit.) justice is on your side.

taurus: for you as for many, the mars-uranus conjunction is the major focal point of the week. in this scenario, do you see yourself as medusa or as perseus? algol is, probably quite unjustly, considered the "demon" star. it is the eye of medusa, gleaming furiously from her severed head. you may be victorious, you may be filled with righteous anger. it is important to behave in a way that keeps you safe, but otherwise, act accordingly.

gemini: while others tremble in fear waiting for the mars-uranus conjunction to come and pass, that transit occurs mainly behind the scenes for you, in the back of your mind or in dreams. however, do be very careful in/about isolated places like hospitals, prisons, etc. much more likely noticeable to you is the subsequent ingress of mars into your sign. it will likely be refreshing, invigorating, and energized from that conjunction.

cancerians: on the one hand, it may be best to stay out of even lovely social circles this week, in favor of keeping more or less to yourself. on the other hand, another capricorn full moon lights up your relationships later in the week. although relationship develop under such circumstances, this can certainly be done from afar as you enjoy your solitude in some warm, cozy lair.

leo: we are now on the cusp of most solar leo season. celebration is good - but probably better in private at this time. a soft launch, so to speak. the focus should be on the private life, not the public life, which can be completely unmanageable and unpredictable this week.

virgo: if you need to make a major life change, mars and uranus conjoining in your 9th house can give you the gumption you need to get it taken care of. with that said i would advise strongly against any travel at this time, especially if it is of a long distance variety, and i would be mindful that long distance relationships can be at a tipping point with this aspect - most likely not tipping in a direction you'll enjoy (sorry).

libra: some esoteric weirdness or even some form of grief may take up a big chunk of your week but otherwise all the auspices are quite good for librans now. if there is trouble at home, find a quiet place to stabilize. if there is trouble out in the world, let your home instead be your sanctuary. keep a reliable, steady home base, is the point, and the other chaos of the moment will pass easier.

scorpio: committed partnerships likely get put through the ringer this week. not just your significant other if you have one but a business partner, a best friend, etc. those things you really have some loyalty too. but if they stand this test, they are good as gold, solid and worth keeping.

sagittarius: you're not known for being a stickler for schedules anyway, but pre-existing routines and rituals are likely to get shaken up over this week. on the bright side, money situations may see improvements and mars finally moving into gemini is at minimum a relief, and more likely a nice little flirtation that might become more.

capricorn: so maybe it's not the most romantic period of your life or maybe your creative endeavors flop or even backfire. whatever, let it just be fun, don't hang your hat on it. on the bright side a full moon in your sign puts a nice glow on you and illuminates your best qualities, for yourself and for others to see.

aquarius: you are one of the signs that will most need to brace for this mars-uranus transit. don't fall prey to the bad press but at the same time, take it seriously. use it to empower yourself, not to wallow in a victim mentality, even if you are truly victimized (which i hope you are not!) it is not a week for major risks or anything too "out there."

pisces: you may find yourself quicker than usual to fly off the handle. avoid arguments and disagreements this week and resist any temptation to hide behind an internet persona or other form of anonymity. any writing you do for a little while should remain private, don't even text too much. instead put your focus on self care and building your home. you can get chatty and friendly again later.

[lets-try-some-writing]

Brainrot and possibly crack-ish thought that I spent too much time thinking about: The Forge of Solus works a bit too well, and now everyone who has been a Prime has been revived. The Fallen, who through some miracle, also ends up on Earth and dragged into family shenanigans. In short, pure chaos with all the Primes.

Heck yeah, this could go a thousand and one ways and I could even make it angsty if I try. I love this.

━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙ ━━━━━━━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙

Optimus had not expected to be saved. He was dying and he had largely accepted that fact as the Allspark welcomed him. However when the Forge of Solus Prime repaired him, he felt something else be dragged along back to his fallen form along with him. He was not sure what it was when he woke in his new frame, but something felt... off. He did not question when he flew to Darkmount and collected his team after driving his foe back, but once his team was settled in Hanger E, he was absolutely certain there was something wrong. Ratchet already wanted to do a scan on Optimus after his near death, but when the Prime came to him in minor terror, the medic all but tripped over himself to get scans completed.

The team ended up gathering around to watch as Optimus had his scans taken, and they were all shocked and in awe at what they saw.

Within Optimus's spark chamber were fifteen small sparks, each fluttering around Optimus's lovingly. They were tiny, still developing, and yet had none of the unsettled energy of sparks in need of a host. It was... unsettling for Optimus, largely because he never felt any spark ignite within him, nor had he taken on the role of surrogate for a mech waiting on a frame to inhabit. He knew the Matrix had creation capabilities, but he had not at all expected it to be so extreme. Ratchet chalked it up to the Forge possibly causing the Matrix to use some of its power to ignite newsparks, but deep down Ratchet, Optimus, and the rest of the team did not believe that at all. Sparks do not come from nothing, nor do they come from a frame transfer totally stable. The newsparks within Optimus were far too controlled and powerful to be the result of the Matrix, at least in theory.

There was brief discussion of extinguishing the newsparks, but that idea was shut down the moment Optimus registered familiarity amongst the lives that orbited his own. He did not understand entirely, but they felt like family. And so the Prime opted to keep them, but to the dismay of Ratchet and the combined confliction of the team. Ultra Magnus was ready to accept the young without a moment's hesitation. Their people were lacking in numbers as it was, they needed every life they could to ensure their kind did not join countless others in extinction. Arcee, Bulkhead, and Wheeljack were largely neutral, if a little worried about getting enough energon for fifteen new lives. Smokescreen and Bumblebee were elated at the prospect, if concerned over taking care of more young bots in such a dangerous situation. Ratchet refused to state his opinion and focused on making sure Optimus got enough energon to support himself and his charges.

Things went well enough for a few months after the matter. The children were not alerted to Optimus's state and only commented on the situation when they noticed the team taking more hits for the Prime than usual. But with time, the newsparks grew more demanding and needed frames. In turn, since there were no protoforms to be collected, Optimus needed more energon to prepare to make protoforms himself.

That was when things got tight. Optimus needed more, regardless of his stance on the matter. The team needed to find more energon for him and continue the fight. Rations grew smaller and Optimus grew more and more agitated with receiving greater quantities. Just as things were reaching a breaking point however, something unusual happened. Optimus grew mad with the team for their offering of more energon. He could see that they were tired and he knew the limits of his frame. He could go a few cycles without, especially with how strong the newsparks were. There was debate and anger over the situation, leading an argument that ultimately ended with Optimus emitting an EM field flare that synced up with a pulse from his spark. It didn't seem to do anything at first. The team were startled, but that was all.

Then, two weeks after the fact, an object of Cybertronian origin came careening into Earth's atmosphere, landing in the middle of Alaska of all places. The team quickly hurried to investigate and were promptly met by a mech who towered over all of them, even gaining a solid head on Optimus when he came through. Covered in black and red accented plating, the mech wielded a deadly looking blaster and vaguely reminded the team of Megatron. He bore no factional marks, he carried no sign of any allegiance, but after a while of standing and staring, the mech spoke.

"Thirteen, I sensed your distress... along with the calls of our kin. Where are Solus and the others? I know they are near."

It took a long klik for Optimus to figure it out while the team reeled, but once it settled, he almost choked in pure shock. Megatronus, the Fallen Prime stood before him and evidently believed that Optimus somehow had the other original Primes with him. There was a great deal to unpack in his singular statement, but Optimus did not deny the Fallen access to Hangar E to explain. The team were given to explanation as to who the Fallen was and were only given the name of Megatronus to work with. But it did not take long for things to make sense as the Fallen Prime spoke with the current Matrix bearer.

"You carry them within you? Fifteen sparks... it should not be possible." "And yet it is. I did not know they were Primes, but they felt familiar."

"They will need frames, and you do not have enough energon to produce them."

"Yes, but we are doing what we can-"

"You require protomatter and energon. There is no need to play with words Thirteen."

"Then you are correct."

"I will get you what is required for their survival. In turn, I wish to play a part in Solus's development in order to... make up for my prior mistakes."

"..."

"..."

"That is acceptable."

Confusion radiated from all of the Autobots as the Fallen nodded like nothing happened and promptly fragged off again, not to be seen for another three months while Optimus patiently waited and explained exactly nothing. But of course, not being fools the team started to put things together. Ultra Magnus worked with Bulkhead to create a conspiracy board while the rest of the team collectively tried to not think about the deeper implications of Optimus being called 'Thirteen' and supposedly 'carrying all of them within himself'. So when the Fallen returned with stupid amounts of energon and surprisingly healthy amounts of protomatter, the team opted to not look a gift horse in the mouth, especially considering Optimus seemed calm.

The team shut up and watched as soon enough, Optimus had his fill of energon, received protomatter injections, and within two additional weeks, vanished into his room and did not emerge. The team hovered around nervously for days on end while the Fallen watched human TV shows without a care in the world. It went on for about a week, with Ratchet nearly busting down the door in fear for his leader before Optimus quietly stepped out of his room with plenty of small sparklings in his arms and on his frame.

Ratchet: Optimus, what are those?

Optimus: These are my sparklings. Nominus, Nova, Guardian, Sentinel, Solus, Prima, Quintus, Vector, Micronus, Amalgemous, Nexus, Alchemist, Onyx, Alpha Trion, and Liege Maximo.

Arcee: Sir with all due respect, what the absolute frag-?!

Megatronus: Finally. Now let me see the reincarnation of my beloved.

Fifteen small sparklings, each looking startlingly similar to their namesakes all clung to Optimus as if he were a jungle gym. the Prime simply smiled with all the patience in the world and offered up the one who carried Solus's name with a happy sound. Fifteen sparklings, fifteen sparklings who looked like fallen Primes of times long gone by.

There was no way this was going to end well.

[icearts]

A couple things about Sonic Prime that disappointed me

1. Shadow was in almost the entire trailer, but showed up for 3 out of the 7 episodes

2. An action scene that lasted for three episodes. It got redundant

3. There was an entire plot point where Sonic was dying from the prism energy being taken from him. This took 3 minutes of screen time and the risk felt minimal if it was there at all

4. No consequences = no stakes (literally there was no issue or "sacrifice" that came out of repairing the prism. Idk what i was hoping for, but the fact that everything was so easily fixed kinda hurt my feelings because it made the entirety of season 2 seem completely pointless and dumb)

5. Shadow was super protective of Sonic in the first episode, but never showed that same "Would kill and die for you in a seconds notice" energy he had in that first episode

6. The chaos emerald is mentioned again but never used as a plot point. Chekov's Gun is fake, apparently

7. It's said that Sonic can't exist in the Shatterspace without prism energy, but Shadow never had it in the first place. There is no provided explanation as to why this makes sense. The closest thing was "shadow wasn't there during the blast" but that only explains why he doesn't have the energy, not why he doesn't need it to live like Sonic does (I assume the others have at least a signature of it too which is why they cloned and Shadow didn't. Again this is unexplained in Prime. What does the prism energy even do for/to the supporting cast)

8. Why are there only 7 episodes? Why do they take up so much time in one place?

9. Rouge and Shadow only had one line of dialogue (this isn't a genuine critique I just wanted to see my favorite duo be a duo)

10. Sonic's Prism "Super Form" doesn't come back. Shadow doesn't get anything like that either. Another dud Chekov Gun. Why is this dumb little anecdotal metaphorical firearm never firing

I really loved the new season, and it was great and super fun, but those critiques really ruined some things because those were all things I thought would be a guarantee because of the trailer and because of how the other seasons were.

Why would they even bother to mention the chaos emerald, and this weird void thing if it wasn't going to be essential to the plot other than being an excuse to sideline Shadow. They could have just as easily said that chaos energy is neutralized in cyberspace because it's not connected to the world/chaos/master emerald. That works too!

Plus, why was Shadow sidelined so much? What's the reason? Why wasn't he allowed to use chaos energy and go apeshit? Why couldn't he take off his inhibitor rings in a desperate situation to protect Sonic and be able to teleport into shatterspaces even at the expense of his health?

I know it's a TV-Y7 show. It honestly did not need to be, but I'm sure it was a Netflix mandate to make sure their animation is all meant for kids and only kids, but they really ended up nerfing themselves by alienating their more passionate audience which would be teenagers and adults. Just make it TV PG that would've allowed you to work with higher stakes and a higher budget (oh wait that's what Netflix's intention was nevermind).

If you wanna see me make a list of things I genuinely liked, feel free to ask or comment that. I might do so anyway. I feel like the internet is too negative and critiques of shows tend to do too much of that, so sorry for contributing to that culture, but I really needed to get that disappointment out because it bothered me quite a bit. Feel free to disagree too, or say "bro it's a kids show. It's not that deep. Stop having passion and emotions for your special interests you dumb fuck" I get it. Anyways, good show, good season, highly recommend, it's very fun and enjoyable especially if you're a fan of Sonic

Last minute edit: I only saw the season once and my sense of media literacy isn't by any means perfect, and also, to clarify, most of my concern isn't quite "these plot points are 1000% absent and terrible" and more "I thought the distribution between the action scene in episodes 4-7 and the rest of the season's story was very poor and made the content I was more excited for seem watered down/unplanned/super easily resolved". Again the part of the show where Sonic almost dies because of the prism energy withdrawal was about 3 minutes long. Why did it feel so low-stakes?? I love action scenes. They're great, but when you dedicate over 30 minutes to one long fight scene, it becomes less interesting and there's still MORE OF THE SHOW TO GET THROUGH so those parts got super rushed

[projectnewmoon]

Sonic - Project: New Moon

Chapter 3 - Night Daze

Summary: The search for the Chaos Emeralds begins! Though Sonic doesn't seem quite alright...

Warnings: Minor violence and swearing.

Word Count: 2,441 words

-

“Yo, Tails! Hello? You in here?”

Sonic walked into Tails’ workshop, a quaint little building near Mystic Ruins where the young fox lived. Sonic often crashed here whenever he needed someplace to sleep. Tails has always said that this is Sonic's home just as much as it was his, but that has never felt quite right. He never liked staying in one place for too long, let alone call one single place his “home”. The world was his home, and he liked it that way.

He peeks into the garage, listening to the cute little tune being hummed from within. Tails' namesakes stuck out from under the Tornado, wagging as he worked away at the red plane. Probably doing a regular check-up and repairs, he assumed.

“Hey, Tails! How's it going?”

“Eep!” Tails jolted, nearly hitting his head on the plane's hull.

Sonic peeked under the plane. “Sorry, buddy. Didn't mean to scare ya.”

“Ah! Sonic! Good to see you! I was wondering where you’d been…” Tails looked at him up and down, brows suddenly furrowing. “... Since when did you have so much fluff on your chest? And why is your fur so dull? Are you sick?”

My fur is…? Sonic looked over himself, realizing that his fur did, in fact, look a lot duller than usual, but shook his head, electing to move past that and simply explain what had happened. “Oh, buddy, you will not believe what happened to me yesterday. So, basically…” Sonic said as he began to recount the events of that night, meeting Nox, transforming, waking up in the twin cats’ home, then meeting the giant dog monster and finding the Emerald, all as if it were everyday gossip. Tails listened, concern turning into horror as he went on, having gotten out from under the Tornado.

“... and that’s what led me here. I could really use some help figuring out what that Nox guy is planning, so–”

“YOU WERE INJECTED WITH LIQUID DARK GAIA ENERGY AND YOU DIDN’T IMMEDIATELY CALL FOR HELP??”

“I mean, I kinda passed out, like, right after–”

“Y-YOU TRANSFORMED INTO THAT WEREHOG THING RIGHT LAST NIGHT! AND IT LOOKS LIKE EVEN YOUR NORMAL FORM IS BEING AFFECTED! HOW MUCH ENERGY WAS PUT IN YOU??”

“I'unno, probably a lot- also I thought we agreed that ‘werehog’ was a stupid name for what I turned into.”

Tails had begun pacing anxiously now, namesakes thrashing about. “WHATEVER! THAT DOESN’T MATTER RIGHT NOW! I-I NEED TO RUN SOME SCANS ON YOU AND MAKE SURE YOU’RE ACTUALLY OKAY BEFORE–”

“Hey.” Sonic grabbed his little brother by the shoulders and held him firmly, looking into his eyes with a determined look. “Look at me, Tails. I’m alright. Relax.”

“But… Sonic, you look sick. And-and the Dark Gaia Energy could be having serious negative effects on you. More than what we already know about. I mean, last time you came into contact with that stuff, it was in a gaseous form and not injected directly into your bloodstream… you’d also had most of your Chaos Energy drained then, so–”

Sonic interrupted Tails’ worried ramblings with a sigh. “Dude, I assure you, I feel just fine. In any case, we have a new mad scientist guy to worry about. Whatever happens to me, I can handle it. Can’t be too different from last time, can it?” He smirked, feigning confidence in an attempt to reassure Tails.

It didn’t work.

“I- look, if you’re really worried, you can run some scans or whatever after we get the next Emerald.” Sonic pulled the green gem out from his spines and handed it to Tails. “Nox seems to be using a bunch of modded Badniks to look for them, and I doubt he’s gonna use them for any good, so I’d rather get ahead and find ‘em all before he does.”

He took the gem and stashed it away in the hull of the Tornado. Now it was Tails’ turn to sigh. “Alright,” he conceded, grabbing his trusty yellow handheld device off from his workbench, “I can track any strange Chaos Energy signatures using my Miles Electric. That’ll tell us where we can start searching. But once we get the closest Emerald, we’re coming right back to run some tests, got it?”

Sonic gave him a thumbs up. “Got it, bud. Where to?”

Tails tapped away at the device’s screen, typing in something so fast even Sonic had a hard time keeping up. Soon, a map of the Zone they were in appeared, with a mark denoting the duo’s current location, as well as a few scattered about deep into the jungle.

“Looks like there should be one near here. Shouldn’t take too long to get to it,” Tails said as he looked over the map, “But there’s some other strange energy signatures approaching that area…”

“Better pick up the speed, then! C’mon!” Sonic hurried out the garage door, with Tails quickly following suit.

“Wha- hey! Wait up!”

-

Giant trees loom above Sonic and Tails as they hurry across the jungles of Mystic Ruins. Vines cover the behemoths of trees from head to toe, and overgrown fallen logs and stone relics litter the forest floor. The scenery slowly grows darker as the sun begins to set over the unseen horizon.

Sonic hadn’t realized how late it had gotten. It didn’t feel like he’d been out for very long at all today, though the run from Spirit’s Grove to Mystic Ruins was quite long, and when he tried to think back on it, it felt like a haze. Maybe he’d just lost track of time.

A strange feeling wells in his chest and a tingle runs down his spine. His lungs feel heavy. It’s hard to breathe.

Tails looks back at his older brother as he begins to slow down, breathing heavily and clutching his chest.

“Sonic? Are you alright?” Tails asks.

Sonic huffs, stopping to catch his breath. “Yeah, yeah… I’m fine… Just gimme a second…”

He continues to huff, before beginning to cough into his hand, a puff of purple smoke slipping out of his mouth and through his fingers.

Tails’ eyes widened. ‘What was that?”

Sonic quirked an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly. “What was what?”

“The- the purple smoke that you just coughed out.”

He stared at Tails for a moment, unsure of what he meant. “I didn’t see any smoke.”

Tails stared at him for a moment, before shaking his head. “Never mind. I’m probably just seeing things,” he said, looking down at the Miles Electric. “We’re almost there, not much farther now.”

So the two continued on their trek, hurrying down a giant fallen log and reaching a clearing where ruins of a time long gone rested. Vines and moss overtook the stone pillars, and Sonic’s fur rose as he felt the familiar energy of the Warp Ring that floated in the very center. Though that feeling from earlier returns, stronger, heavier. A sense of unease settles in his gut, one he can’t shake off.

Something was coming. He knew it.

The sun had set.

“T-Tails…?” His body trembled. Chip’s bracelet on his wrist began to glow, a warning.

He fell to his knees as his body began to change.

“SONIC?!” Tails hurried to his brother’s side. “Oh no, oh no, oh no…”

Out from the underbrush, a horde of robots surround the duo and the Warp Ring, and leading the horde was a large Super Badnik, a modified E-series robot, standing tall over them and pointing a laser gun arm straight at the back of Tails’ head.

Just as it shoots, Sonic pushes through the pain and shoves Tails aside, dodging the laser bullet by a hair.

Tails gets himself up, looking back at his brother as he begins to transform before rushing towards the Super Badnik. He flicks the gun arm away from Sonic with his tails before flying up to its head to distract it. The other Badniks begin to surround him and Sonic, readying their weapons to attack…

“Rrgh… RRAAAGH…!”

Sonic snarled, punching and clawing at the Badniks surrounding him with large, blue paws. His voice reverberates, loud and beastly, as he tears them to pieces with terrifying strength. Robots fall left and right as he crushes them in his paws, falling into heaps of scrap leaking liquid Dark Gaia Energy from the cracks like blood.

The sickeningly sweet scent of the dark god’s essence filled his nose, clouding his thoughts.

Tails tried to call for Sonic, but his voice was drowned out by the ringing in his ears and the shooting of lasers.

Everything becomes a blur. Thoughts replaced with static.

Instinct takes over.

Metal clangs and tears. Something falls. That something is under his paws. It squirms. Claws rip into it. Liquid energy spills.

It stops moving. Claws continue to rip and tear.

“Sonic! Sonic, can you hear me?!” Tails’ voice finally broke through the static in his mind. “It’s already down! You don’t have to keep…”

Sonic looks back at Tails. Sharp green eyes meet blue. He growls.

“... Sonic…?”

They stare at each other, silence hanging in the air, thick, almost palpable.

“... Whu– Huh?” Sonic awoke from his daze. “W-why are you looking at me like that?”

Sonic looks around at the destruction he caused, metal scraps barely recognizable as Badniks littering the ruins, violet glowing liquid pooling around them. Tails held a wrench, one he could only assume he was using to attack the Badniks.

He looked down at his own paws. They were stained purple.

Tails walked up to him, a worried look on his face. “Are you okay? You started acting… really weird.”

“I–” Purple smoke welled up in his lungs, sending him into a coughing fit. It pours out of his mouth with each cough, leaving a sour taste on his tongue that lingers long after the coughing ceases, and he is left gasping. Tails rushed to his side, patting his back, careful not to poke himself with his brother’s sharp spines.

Once he finally catches his breath, Sonic stands up, gently patting Tails’ head as a silent thank you for trying to help. “I was gonna say I’m fine, but that’s an obvious lie at this point,” he grumbled, “Lets just grab that Emerald and get outta here.”

“Right. And once we get it, we’re going straight back home to run those scans,” Tails said seriously.

“Yeah, yeah…” He still wasn’t too keen on the idea of being poked and prodded at over something he’s experienced before and recovered from just fine, but he couldn’t say he wasn’t at least a little concerned about coughing up a bunch of smoke, so… better be safe than sorry.

Sonic stepped off of the now destroyed E-series robot, before walking towards the golden light of the Warp Ring. The Chaos Energy surrounding it made his fur and quills stand on edge. It was overpowering, blindingly bright light stabbing into his eyes, his brain, but he shields his face with a paw and pushes through the forces trying to keep him back.

Strange, Special Zones don’t usually push him away like this. But he has to do this, he has to make his way through, or else who knows what will happen if Nox gets his hands on the Emerald…

He jumps into it, and he begins to fall into the void of light.

-

Sonic falls, and falls, and falls once more, but something feels different this time. He feels… sick.

Something claws at his insides, wanting to tear itself free from his flesh. He begins to feel nauseous.

The landscape twists and turns and shifts around him. Trees and vines grow and weave themselves into a tunnel, and through the gaps, Sonic can see the sky become a twinkling and ever shifting ocean. Light trickles down into the tunnel, breaking through the darkness. Rings appear, forming a path as they always do, and at the very end of the tunnel, the bright blue light of a Chaos Emerald shines, calling out to him.

But when gravity adjusts and Sonic’s feet finally touch the ground, his knees buckle under his own weight, and he falls down onto the coarse bark that made up the ground. His head spun, vision unfocused. But he pushed himself up and simply shook off the feeling, taking a deep breath and carefully making his way down.

“Y’don’t like me bein’ here much, do ya?” he spoke, looking up as if he could talk to the Special Zone itself, “Guess Chaos n’ Dark Gaia Energy don’t mix well.”

He follows the path of rings, hoping he doesn’t need his speed to pass the test of the Emerald this time. Every time he collects one, it fizzles out into golden dust and he feels a tingle down his spine. The feeling of something wanting to escape his body grows.

As he continues onward, the tunnel becomes darker. Something whispers in the darkness, calling out to Sonic. Speaking to him in a strange, old tongue. He stops, listening closely, trying to understand, but he can’t decipher the words.

His attention is brought back to the Emerald, its glow drawing him closer. He was almost there, now, just needed to reach out…

His paw lands on the blue gem. It burns his skin. He jolts, but refuses to let go.

The world fades, and in a blink of an eye, he finds himself standing in Mystic Ruins once more.

“Ahh– Ow, shit-” Sonic winced, fumbling with the Emerald in his hand before it slipped and flew off from his paws. Tails quickly catches the gem before it falls onto the grass.

Tails looks up at Sonic with a confused expression. “What was that?”

“Damn thing burnt my hand for no reason,” Sonic growled, glaring at the Emerald as he shook the pain away from his paw.

“That’s… odd,” Tails said as he looked down at the gem in his hands, “The Emeralds have never done anything like that before.”

Sonic shrugged. “Guess they just don’t like me in this form.”

“Pfft- now that’s just silly. Now c’mon, let’s head back so I can run those scans,” Tails says as he turns to walk back to his workshop. Begrudgingly, Sonic follows, and the two make their way back home.

Sonic couldn’t help but wonder why the Emerald had reacted that way to him. Why the Special Zone seemed to have wanted to keep him out. Why he felt so sick when he entered the Zone. But he wouldn’t get any answers right now. Now, he should focus on mentally preparing himself for whatever tests Tails had in store for him…

[fanmoose12]

Hello Fanmoose 🤎

I just saw your post with the Fanfiction Tropes! I choose #42 the big damn kiss.

Generally, February is a pretty hectic month for Hange. It doesn’t by any means come even close to how January makes them feel - the first month of the year usually brings so much chaos that even they struggle to keep up with it all, and while, in that regard, February is a lot much calmer, the exhaustion from the stress accumulated during the month prior entirely drains Hange off all energy. 

And, somehow, this year it feels even worse. 

St. Valentine’s Day that Hange ordinarily adores, because there is little they love more than showing people that they love just how much they love them, this year seems more like a dreaded nightmare. 

It’s Hange’s own fault, of course, and they’re very well aware of that - it was their decision to participate in the annual dance contest, and it was their own pettiness that drove them to make that very same decision. But logic matters not, when their pride is wounded, and they’re ready to do anything to win against their last year’s partner, and, subsequently, unfortunately, their ex, and they have to do it in the most over the top way possible too. They have to wipe that smug smirk off Zeke’s face, to humiliate and crush him - treat him the same way that he treated them.

Which is what they have been training and rehearsing for so relentlessly, spending more time in a dance class than they ever did. Which is why, most probably, Moblit suffered the way that he did. 

And as Hange sees his face contort in pain and his ankle start to swell and turn angry red, their determination takes a form of what it truly is - a childish, pathetic and selfish act that ended with their friend getting hurt. 

Their vigor nearly dies right there and then, but– still survives, unfortunately. 

Hange is in too deep already, they must snatch victory out of Zeke and his new girlfriend Pieck’s hands, so after they help Moblit get back to his room, bring ice for his ankle and his favorite brand of chocolate for his fallen spirits, promising to buy him lunch for the entirety of the next week, they make themself cozy on his couch and begin to think about their next move. 

They need to find a new partner, that much is obvious, but who can they even go to with such a request? 

Their brother Mike is deemed unsuitable immediately, the contest, after all, is only for couples. And beating your ex with the help of your older brother seems a little too pathetic, even in Hange’s case. Unfortunately, they can’t ask Erwin for help too: there is probably not a single soul in their university who hasn’t heard - and, on numerous occasions, witnessed - the great love story that is unfolding between him and Mike. Of course, Hange could go to Nanaba and bribe with her some kind of generous offer - a bottle of her favorite wine or that cactus she’s been fawning over ever since she laid her eyes upon it in a local flower shop, but, although, Nanaba is undeniably kind and unbelievably easy to bribe, she’s also very obviously done with the whole drama surrounding Hange and Zeke’s failed romance. Being a part of a vindictive scheme is probably the last thing that she’d want to do. Hange can always ask Nifa, the girl is too nice to reject them, but after already hurting one member of their science club, they are a bit apprehensive of involving another one. 

And that leaves them with just one option, an option they wouldn’t really consider as such, but– Levi hates Zeke too, doesn’t he? For entirely different reasons, of course, but the animosity is there, and, maybe, Hange can play off it. 

Levi will probably deny them at first, but with a bit of persuading, pestering and - good-humored, naturally - tormenting, they’re sure he’ll come around. 

He must come around, he is Hange’s last and only chance. 

And they’ll do anything not to squander it. 

________

They set their plan in motion first thing in the morning, taking a seat beside Levi at the beginning of the lecture. 

Immediately - he eyes them warily, his eyebrow slightly raised. The reason for his suspicion is understandable - usually Hange occupies the first row, not the last one that Levi seems so fond of. But they’ve foreseen his apprehension, and they beat it swiftly - with a cheerful smile. 

Levi takes one look at that smile and– lets out a deep sigh. 

“What do you want from me this time?” he asks bluntly, and Hange would have been offended if they weren’t so annoyed by Levi’s ability to read them like a book. 

And since Levi doesn’t have the patience to bear around the bush, Hange doesn’t do so either. 

With that same - undeniably charming, if they can say so themself - smile, they grab his hand, hold it tightly, and proclaim rather loudly, “Help me, Levi Ackerman, you’re my only hope! Please be my boyfriend for the next two weeks!” 

In the first few seconds, Levi seems taken aback - his eyes are wide, his jaw grows slack, and if Hange is not mistaken by the artificial light of the lecture room, his cheeks gain color as well, but then his gaze darts to the entrance, where a limping Moblit is approaching his usual seat, and the realization dawns on him. 

And he yanks his hand out of Hange’s grasp. 

“Are you for real, four-eyes? You’re still fixated on that jerk?” 

“I’m not–” Hange starts, their voice raised in outrage before they notice the annoyed looks of their fellow students. They take a pause then, will their voice to quieten, although it remains just as strict. “I’m not fixated on him! Or anyone else for that matter!” they hiss in Levi’s face. “I just want to beat him!” 

Levi raises an eyebrow, looking so unimpressed that Hange starts to rethink their whole plan altogether. Maybe, Nanaba would be more agreeable, after all. 

“Do you really want to beat him?” Levi asks. “Or just get him back?” 

“Oh fuck you! I’m not that pathetic, you know?” 

“The whole campus seems to think otherwise.” 

“Well then fuck all of them too,” Hange declares, crossing arms on their chest and turning their face away from Levi’s too sharp eyes. They can’t believe that he out of all people would turn out to be such an asshole about that. 

They rise up, ready to storm out and proudly march to their usual seat. Levi’s hand on their elbow stops them, though. 

“Is that really it?” he asks, staring into their eyes with intensity Hange has never noticed in him. “You just want to beat him?” 

“Well…” Hange’s lips curl into a wry smile. “And, preferably, humiliate him greatly in the process.”

Levi stares at them for another inexplicably long moment, before he returns his gaze back to his nothers. 

“Alright then,” he says, “I’m in.” 

Hange squeals, and - ignoring the very pointed and very irritated glares of other students - pulls Levi into a hug. 

He grumbles something nearly illegible, but - doesn’t push them away. 

Hange counts it as another win. 

______________

Their first rehearsal, to which Hange drags Levi as soon as their last lecture ends, is… awkward, to say the least. 

It’s not in Hange’s nature to be shy, and they know they’re quite tactile, and it’s not like they’ve never touched Levi before. Even with his disagreeable self, there is a hand upon his shoulder there and their legs thrown over his lap here, an occasional hug, and, for god’s sake, they even slept alongside him in his bed during those few incidents when Hange was too drunk to make it to their own. 

They’ve been friends since high school, and, although oftentimes Levi acts like he’s repulsed just by their presence alone, Hange knows it to be nothing more than a facade under which he hides his softer - and, dare they say, absolutely adorable - side. 

But now, seeing him in the light of a cold and lazy February’s sun that flickers through the window of a dance class and standing so close to him while being very much not drunk, Hange feels… strange. There is a strange flutter in their chest and their belly feels strangely warm, and they’re certain that this warmth has already traveled to their cheeks. 

It’s the strange intensity in Levi’s gaze that is to blame, Hange is sure of it. What they’re not sure of if it has always been there. Did he always look at them this way? Did they just never notice? 

“Oi,” he snaps abruptly, putting an end to Hange’s reverie. “Are we going to do something? Or just stand for the whole day?” 

“Right!” Hange forces a giggle out, knowing it sounds way too weak to appear genuine but not knowing how else to hide their embarrassment. Embarrassment they very - if ever - feel, especially in the presence of someone as familiar to them as Levi. They shake their head, banishing these ridiculous thoughts, and focus on a task at hand. Moving even closer into Levi’s personal space, they take his palm and place it on their shoulder, "So, this goes here,” they murmur, mostly to distract themself from what they’re about to do next, “and this goes here,” they put their hand on Levi’s waist, and then, as the final touch, they take his free hand in their own, “and that’s… how we begin.” 

“So you’ll be the one to lead?” 

If Hange’s hand wasn’t held by Levi, they would have smacked their forehead. Of course! How could they forget! They’ve practiced the routine with Moblit before, and he, for the most part, was on board with everything Hange offered. But Levi is not Moblit. He is not so… gullible. And he’s quite stubborn, when he wants to be. 

What if he refuses to be the led one? 

“Are you against it?” Hange asks, tentatively, afraid to hear the answer. If Levi truly is against it, they would need to relearn the whole routine, and with only a week and a half before the competition, they’re unsure if they’re up to it. After all, they’re a scientist, not a dance master. 

But Levi dismisses their worries quickly, with a mere shrug. 

“I don’t really care. Whatever makes the asshole lose.” 

Hange surprises even themself with how relieved their chuckle is. They make eye contact with Levi, wait for him to give them a nod, and then start slowly leading him through the routine. 

It’s nothing crazy, naturally, Hange does like dancing, but they’ve never invested much time in perfecting that skill, more focused on their academic talents, but it’s still complicated enough - they do have to flabbergast everyone, juries and, especially, Zeke included - and, at first, Levi struggles to follow, his legs constantly getting tangled up in an effort to match Hange’s pace. But he catches up fairly quickly, he certainly is a quick learner, and as he gets more familiar with the routine, he grows more confident, and– starts to move so gracefully that Hange, who knows the dance like the back of their hand already, feels a little slighted. But the feeling goes away swiftly, as in its stead appears gratitude and a sense of awe. 

They really couldn’t find a better replacement for Moblit. 

The sun has already set by the time Hange’s body tells them that it’s time to quit. Dancing with Levi is not just easy, it’s surprisingly fun too, and, as a result, they lose track of time completely. They fail to notice just how exhausted they feel too, and it’s only as they get dizzy from yet another turn that Hange registers the pain in their legs. 

They motion Levi to stop, and plop down to the floor right where they stood, sprawling across the hard floor of the dance class. 

“Disgusting,” Levi comments, but takes a seat next to them. He kicks their shin, waits until Hange turns their head in his direction, and asks. “Except this, do we need to do something else?”

Be it their exhaustion that turns their mind sluggish or just Levi’s cryptic and concise way of communicating, but they can only find one answer to his question, “Huh?” 

Levi rolls his eyes like he often does in their presence, and explains. Or, attempts to anyway. “You said I need to be your boyfriend. Does that mean–”

“Oh!” a metaphorical lightbulb flashes over Hange’s head. They chuckled and wave their hand dismissively. “Dunno. I honestly didn’t think about it much, but I guess… we should hang out more, just the two of us, you know? Nothing more than that. I mean, no offense, but I doubt you can act all lovey-dovey with me.” 

Strangely, Levi does take offense. His jaw clenches and his eyes narrow, some emotion coming to life inside them that he hides before Hange has a chance to decipher it. “I could,” he says, voice strangely hollow, as he stands up, not looking at Hange anymore. “If I really was your boyfriend.” 

Not saying another word, not even bothering with a goodbye, he walks out of the dance class, leaving Hange alone, still laying on the floor, and so, so confused. 

_______________________

Hange tries not to let Levi’s words get into their head. They really, really do. They attempt to chalk it all up to him being clumsy with his words, he’s known for that, after all. But usually Hange can easily understand what Levi’s really trying to say. Their friends even call them Levi’s personal translator, because no matter the state they’re in, they always find the meaning in Levi’s short and, oftentimes confusing, remarks. But–

But if Levi meant what they think he meant then– no, it can’t be. It is utterly ridiculous. Even the notion is completely fanciful. 

They just were tired, and, maybe, a bit affected by the whole experience. Dancing, after all, is quite an intimate affair. And while they didn’t feel anything even remotely resembling that with Moblit, it’s simply because Moblit is, well, Moblit. Good-looking, certainly, but not in the way that Hange prefers. He lacks the edge that gets them so excited. 

Levi has that edge, however, and Hange would have to be completely blind or blatantly lying to deny his handsomeness. 

Perhaps, it’s simply natural to feel this way while in such close proximity with him. It’s strictly physiological. It’s not like any deeper feelings are involved. 

And, certainly, Levi does not reciprocate them. It’s all just in their head, and it will go away as soon as this whole farce with fake relationship is over. 

They just need to win the competition, there is no place in their mind for anything besides that. 

_____________

For the next week, they rehearse almost daily, stopping more often than not when they’re either too tired to continue or so sweaty they can’t stand to be so close to one another. The routine evolves a bit, getting more complicated and so, so much better.  

As does their relationship. 

The necessity to spend so much time alone with Levi pushes Hange to realization that although they’ve known him for so long, they don’t really know him all that much. It shouldn’t be surprising to be honest, he does tend to stick to the background, after all, and it’s understandable why his persona oftentimes gets overlooked in a group of friends as rowdy as theirs is. 

But now that Hange pays more attention to him and him only, they discover many hidden sides of him that they had no idea existed. But now that they do, they’re so very eager to explore them in more depth. 

For starters, they find out just how funny Levi truly is. They’ve heard his cutting remarks many times before, of course, they’ve laughed at them just as often, but now that there are just the two of them, no raucous laughter from Mike or teasing jests from Nanaba, Hange develops a new fondness for his humor, dry as though it might be. 

He’s also unbelievably considerate, a trait of his that before Hange was only vaguely aware of. But now they see just how kind Levi is, albeit he does express it in very peculiar ways. He pushes into Hange’s hands his lunch, saying that he accidentally made way too much, he gives them mittens, claiming that he does not need them, he walks them to their dorm after their dancing sessions because, apparently, he sleeps way better after a stroll, he brings them coffee in the morning, cursing the barista in the local cafe, who mixed up his order for the third time in a row. The kind gestures are adorable and heart-warming to no end, and the badly executed attempts to cover them up make Hange brim with fondness for him.

He’s surprisingly attentive too, not just tolerating Hange’s endless rambling but actually listening to it as well. He barely participates in conversation, no matter what it is about, but he always listens, hums or shakes his head to express his agreement or disbelief. 

And– what perplexes Hange most of all - he helps them sell the story of being madly in love when even Hange themself doesn’t think to do so. He sits just a little too close, when they eat in cafeteria, holds their hand as they go to fill the application form to join the contest, and once, as Zeke passes by them in a hallway, he wraps an arm around their waist, pulling their side flash against his. 

The act is spontaneous, his palm on their waist is so warm that it snatches air right out of Hange’s lungs. 

He lets go of them just as abruptly as he pulled them in, and instantly - they lament the loss of his touch. 

And it’s such a ridiculous, completely irrational thought - not only Levi is their friend, but don’t they touch on a daily basis? Aren’t they just as close - if not more - when they’re dancing? 

But this feels different, somehow. It was technically unprompted, after all, Hange didn’t ask that of him. 

And it’s this very thought that makes them question - why does Levi even go along with their crazy idea? Why a man as blunt as stubborn as he is, didn’t just tell them to fuck off? 

With Moblit, at least, there were no doubts. He’s as loyal as they come, and on top of that Hange promised to tutor him in biochemistry to return the favor. With Moblit, there were no secret motives. 

Does Levi have any? 

Hange doesn’t know, and they hate not knowing, so they decide not to torment themself, not come up with any more ridiculous conclusions, and simply ask like– well, like normal people do. 

And so, after yet another rehearsal, just four days before the contest, ask they do. 

“So,” they begin, as they sit down to take a much needed breather. They feel too awkward, clumsy, completely out of their element, but Hange braves through, even going as far as to meet Levi’s eyes. “I know I asked a lot of you with this whole contest thing, and I know, you’re not exactly a shy type, so I’ve been wondering… do you want something in return? Maybe, my lecture notes, or–” 

“No, nothing like that,” Levi answers. “I haven’t decided what I want yet, but…” he pauses, and for the briefest moments, for half a heartbeat, his eyes dart to Hange’s lips. They notice it, it’s hard not to, but– they don’t know how to feel about it. At least, their mind does not. Their body, however, feels like it’s caught fire. Their cheeks grow hot, their heart beats so, so fast and in their stomach - there is again that strange warm feeling. “Can I tell you after the contest?” 

Levi’s voice is calm, level. Hange desperately tries to match it. 

“You mean after we beat that pathetic loser?” they say with a chuckle that rings far too hollow. “Sure! You can ask anything of me!” 

Their words, the easy promise echoes in their head long after they’ve said it. It still rings in their ears even as they go to bed. 

Anything, they’ve said. And with seeping dread, Hange realizes they might really mean it. 

_________________________

The last night before the contest is the toughest rehearsal they’ve yet had. 

Hange’s moves are out of rhythm, uncoordinated, they’re either too quick or too slow. They’re completely out of sync with Levi, which hasn’t happened… since their very first session. 

After one too many accidents of a stomped foot, a low growl rips out of Levi’s throat. He yanks his hand out of Hange’s grasp, marches to turn the music off and turns to look at them, eyes fiery and far too dark. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you that nervous?” 

“No!” Hange quickly lies, averting their eyes from Levi’s too intense gaze. 

But he lets them have none of it. He’s by their side in an instant, and first - he pulls on Hange’s hand until they take a sit on the floor, then - he keeps hold of that same hand, snatching their right to pretend that nothing’s wrong with them. 

“You realize that the world is not going to end if we lose to Zeke, right?” he asks, with far more softness than Hange thought he had in him. “Someone else might win the contest. And even if we do win and beat him fair and square, he’ll continue to be an insufferable dick. It’s not going to fix him, Hange.” 

You are not going to fix him, hangs heavily in the air, and that– that makes Hange laugh. Because it’s not their goal, not at all, at least - not anymore. Perhaps, if they were honest with themself, they did want to get Zeke back. They’ve missed him for much longer than the jerk deserved. They’ve craved the exhilarating feeling of being cherished, understood and listened to that he gave them. But– it’s not what they want now. Or, rather - it’s not Zeke that can provide that to them. Now, they have an entirely different problem. A problem that came out of nowhere and doesn’t seem so easily fixed. 

A problem in a shape of one Levi Ackerman. 

They like spending time with him, perhaps a bit too much, like hanging out and exchanging silly jokes, like sharing lunches, like rambling to him about anything and everything and catching his gaze on them, knowing that he listens, even if he is not particularly interested in the topic. They like dancing with him too, a lot, but more than that - they like having him so close. 

Levi is warm and solid, and so gentle that butterflies in their stomach often make Hange feel dizzy. And his eyes - that fascinating color they've always compared to steel in their head, in the artificial light and when they’re aimed at Hange, now seem like a sky on windy, chilly days that are best spent indoors with a cup of tea and an exciting book. 

Only Levi’s arms are far warmer than any cup of tea, and he himself is far more fascinating than any book that Hange has ever read. 

Levi is amazing, they’ve come to realize, and that realization feels like a brick that’s fallen on their head. Well, hadn’t he always told Hange that they’re a bit too soft in the head? He was right, perhaps. Perhaps, he knew Hange far more better than they knew him. 

Hange chuckles softly at their silly thoughts, and, catching Levi’s confused glare, they smile at him and say, “I don’t want Zeke, not anymore.” 

The rest of the rehearsal goes on without a hitch. 

______________

The night of the contest is very different from what Hange imagined it would be. 

There is just as insane amount of little hearts streaming from the ceiling as they expected, the public is as rowdy and cheers for their friends just as loudly, but what is missing is the thrill, the nerves, Hange’s very own clammy hands and wildly beating heart. 

Instead of anxiety or anticipation, there is only a sense of melancholy that threatens to swallow them whole. 

Tonight is the last time, after all. The last time that they’ll dance with Levi. And the last day that he needs to pretend to be their boyfriend and spend nearly all his time by their side.

They surely will miss it, they surely will miss Levi’s glares, his dry remarks, his blink-and-miss-it smiles, the warmth of his touch and the giddy feeling that being so close to him brought to them. 

Everything will return back to normal after this night. Levi will return to his position as a friend Hange only occasionally hangs out with. 

Too bad that now they wish to be someone more to him. 

“Zeke looks even uglier with that beard. You definitely dodged a bullet there, four-eyes. Imagine kissing that face.” 

It’s with a start that Hange turns to look at Levi. They haven’t realized he was standing so close to them. And they haven’t realized that it’s Zeke’s turn to perform now. 

How laughable, they think, allowing themself a little moment of self-pity, they've spent so much time and effort to beat Zeke, and now they don’t even follow his routine. 

But nothing is out of usual, is it? It’s just in their nature - jumping from one fixation to another and losing themself completely in it. 

“Not even reacting to my jokes now? It’s pretty rude, you know?” Levi now inches closer, his breath warming Hange’s ear. Like that, it’s very hard not to shiver. 

Like that, it’s very hard not to think how much they want him. 

“Sorry,” they put as much conviction as they can but the chuckle still comes out incredibly forced. “I was just zoning out.” 

“You looked sad,” Levi says, his mouth pulled in a displeased expression. “Is it because of–”

“Of course not!” Hange denies hastily. And just as hastily they take Levi by the hand. They don’t know even as they do it why they do it, but– Levi’s hand is warm and soft and fits right into theirs. And– he does not pull back. 

That is enough for Hange to await their turn with a smile on their face. 

____________

When their names are announced and they’re ushered onto the scene, the nerves do get the best of Hange, but - only for a fleeting moment. 

They look away from the crowd, missing the smug smirk on Zeke’s face, they tune out all the cheering and applause, and focus only on the music and a man in front of them. 

Gliding through the stage is easy when they know Levi follows them, that he will mirror their every step and move. Hange forgets about everything, lets emotions wash over them as they enjoy their last dance with him. 

The music swells, coming to a climax only at the very end, as Hange, with all the dramatics they can muster and not breaking eye contact with Levi, dips him. 

The song ends on a high note and the crowd’s cheering fill the silence instantly, and Hange is ready to straighten their partner, when something unexpected happens. 

That unexpected comes in the form of Levi’s hand fisted in their tie and pulling on it until Hange’s face is inches away from his. The unexpected doesn’t stop there, and it blows Hange’s mind completely, when Levi crushes his lips against theirs. 

The kiss is sudden - and that is quite an understatement - and it is sloppy, uncoordinated, their positions are too uncomfortable to allow it to be anything less than that, but none of that matters, none of that makes this moment any less precious to Hange. They lose themself in it, the world fading to the background instantly, but all too soon - Levi pulls back. 

“I made you chocolate,” he whispers in the small space between their lips. “Be my Valentine?” 

Quick and sure, without even a shadow of a doubt, Hange answers - by kissing Levi once again. They put too much force, too much feeling in it, and as a result, both of them end up in a mess of limbs on the floor. 

The public dissolves into cheery laughter right away, and so does Hange, and after a quick beat - Levi joins as well. 

He looks so handsome like this - with cheeks red, lips swollen and eyes sparkling. Hange can’t tear their gaze away from him, they don’t want this moment to ever end. It sadly does when one of the professors ushers them off scene with a strict voice and badly hidden smile. But Hange doesn’t let that small hindrance put their mood down. They help Levi get to his feet, clasp his hand tightly in theirs and lead him to a more secure place, away from the public’s greedy eyes. 

That night, they don’t find out who won the competition. That night, they find themself preoccupied with far more pressing matters. That night turns out to be the very first one of the many, many more to come.

[tytarax]

Okay! Then can I request platonic yan Goku Black and unfused Zamasu (if you don’t want to do two characters then that’s fine) with a reader that’s Goku’s kid? Black murders Goku and the Son family (save for reader) and then takes Goku’s place and pretends to be him to ‘help’ reader become more agreeing to the ‘surprise adoption’ back to their cabin? While Zamasu helps ‘keep watch’ in the background to make sure reader doesn’t try and run and no one interferes? And slowly Reader realizes the man claiming to be their father is not but it’s far too late?

(Also why am I now picturing Zamasu smiling at reader and going “it’s not kidnapping, it’s surprise adoption!” While reader just wants to be anywhere but near him and Goku Black-)

I'm sorry I was gone for too long, as you already know, I've been focusing on my studies.

Anyway, enjoy!

Notes: Yandere behavior, psychological horror, and manipulation I think. GN reader.

Goku Black stood over the lifeless bodies of Goku and his family, a twisted smile playing on his lips. The transformation was complete; he had taken Goku's form and identity, ready to execute the next phase of his plan. The only one left was the ____, Goku's child, oblivious to the horror that had just unfolded.

"Perfect," he muttered, his voice eerily similar to Goku's but laced with malice. "Time to become the father you've always known."

He approached the cabin where ____ was, putting on a facade of warmth and concern. His heartless eyes sparkled with a feigned gentleness as he entered the room.

"Hey, kiddo, you're finally awake" he called out, trying to imitate Goku's cheerful tone. "It's me, dad. We need to talk."

____ looked up, relief washing over them upon seeing their father. But something felt off. The aura, the energy—it wasn't quite right. Yet, they couldn't place what was wrong. They followed Black outside, where he began explaining their need to move to a different location.

"Why do we have to leave, dad?" ____ asked, confusion and suspicion creeping into their voice.

"Just trust me," Black replied, forcing a smile. "It's for your safety. Let's go to a cabin in the woods. You'll be safe there."

As they walked, ____ noticed Zamasu lurking in the shadows, his eyes never leaving them. An uneasy feeling settled in their stomach.

Flashback

____ had been playing inside the house, unaware of the chaos outside. They heard screams and rushed out, only to find Goku Black standing over their family's bodies. The sight was too much to comprehend, and they fainted, the image burned into their mind.

Zamasu watched from a distance, his serene smile never wavering. He was enjoying the charade, ensuring no one interfered with their plan. His eyes gleamed with a twisted sense of satisfaction. He chuckled softly, his gaze never leaving ____.

End of flashback

Some days later...

____ began to notice the differences. The way "Goku" spoke, the slight malice in his eyes, and the presence of Zamasu. Their suspicions grew, but they felt trapped. Every attempt to escape was frustrated by Zamasu's watchful eyes and Black's manipulations.

Life at the cabin was a constant struggle for ____. Black, pretending to be their father, tried to maintain the facade of a caring parent, but his true nature always seeped through.

"Let's train," Black would say, leading ____ to a clearing in the woods. "You need to be strong."

____ complied, knowing resistance was futile. The training sessions were grueling, far harsher than any training Goku had ever put them through. Every punch and kick from Black was laced with an undercurrent of cruelty.

"Is this really necessary, dad?" ____ asked one day, nursing a bruised arm.

"Absolutely," Goku Black replied with a sinister grin. "You need to be prepared for what's coming."

Zamasu, meanwhile, watched with a cold, calculating gaze. He would often join the sessions, offering advice that seemed helpful on the surface but was always tinged with an underlying menace.

"You must focus," Zamasu would say. "Your mind must be as sharp as your body."

____ could see the enjoyment in his eyes, the satisfaction he derived from their pain and struggle. It was clear that Zamasu was as invested in this twisted game as Goku Black.

One evening, as they sat by the fire, ____ couldn't shake the feeling of unease. They had begun to piece together the discrepancies, the moments where "Goku" slipped, revealing glimpses of his true nature.

"Dad," ____ began cautiously, "why do you seem different?"

Black's smile was tight, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What do you mean, kiddo?"

"You just… you don't act like you used to," ____ said, trying to keep their voice steady. "Your training is harsher, and you never talk about mom or Gohan anymore."

Goku Black's facade cracked for a moment, a flash of annoyance crossing his face. But he quickly regained his composure, his smile returning.

"Things have changed," he said smoothly. "We need to be stronger now, more focused. It's the only way to survive."

____ nodded, but their doubts only grew. They needed to find out the truth, but with Zamasu always watching, it was nearly impossible.

One night, ____ decided to confront "Goku" directly. They had overheard a conversation between Black and Zamasu, their true intentions slipping through in their hushed tones.

"You must keep up the act," Zamasu had said. "____ must not suspect anything until it's too late."

____ waited until Zamasu was out of sight, then approached Goku Black, their heart pounding.

"You're not my dad," they said, their voice trembling but determined. "Who are you?"

Goku Black's smile vanished, replaced by a sinister grin. "You finally figured it out," he said, his voice shifting back to its true, darker tone. "I am Goku Black. Your father is dead. You belong to us now."

____'s heart raced with fear, realizing the depth of their predicament. Zamasu stepped forward from the shadows, his smile widening.

"Welcome to your new family," he said softly. "It's not kidnapping; it's a surprise adoption."

Determined to escape, ____ waited for the right moment. They knew Zamasu was always watching, but they had to try. Late one night, when the cabin was quiet, they slipped out, moving as silently as possible.

They made it to the edge of the woods before a hand clamped down on their shoulder. Turning, they found Zamasu standing there, his serene smile never wavering.

"Going somewhere?" he asked, his voice soft and menacing.

"Let me go!" ____ cried, struggling against his grip.

Zamasu's smile widened. "I'm afraid I can't do that. You belong with us now."

He dragged ____ back to the cabin, where Black was waiting. His expression was a mix of amusement and annoyance.

"You really thought you could escape?" he asked, his voice dripping with mockery. "You're never leaving."

Days turned into weeks, and ____'s hope dwindled. They realized they were truly trapped, with no way out. Black and Zamasu continued their twisted game, enjoying the despair.

But ____ refused to give up completely. They began to bide their time, pretending to accept their fate while secretly planning their next move. They knew it would take everything they had to escape, but they were determined to find a way.

Trapped in the sinister game of Goku Black and Zamasu, ____'s world was turned upside down. Their only hope lay in their strength and courage to survive the twisted reality imposed upon them. As they continued to endure the torment, they held onto a single, burning hope: that one day, they would find a way to break free and avenge their family.

Masterpost

DBS Masterlist