#ta da i did it

[yaoi-hate-machine]

death note characters as dog breeds

light: shiba inu (independent, vigilant, stubborn, cute and idealized but can actually be very bitchy and weird)

misa: pomeranian (royal history in britain, giant personality in a little body, intelligent, very affectionate, often mischevious)

L: briard (confident, intelligent, needs a job to do/mental stimulation, wary of strangers, protective, do i even need to mention the hair)

mello: german shepherd (intimidating, courageous, intelligent, confident, vigilant, wary of strangers, can be kinda neurotic, esp if not given a task to focus on)

near: australian shepherd (intelligent, loyal, extremely strong work drive, wary of strangers, stubborn, needs mental stimulation or they will destroy everything you love)

matt: irish setter (affectionate, goofy, eager to please, intelligent, calm demeanor, needs mental stimulation or they will start bouncing off the walls)

mikami: akita (built af, stubborn, courageous, intelligent, loyal, protective, tendency to be a little blockheaded sometimes)

takada: afghan hound (dignified, intelligent, gorgeous, independent, hypoallergenic, loyal, can be a bit aloof with people/strangers)

[mienar]

late rainy nights

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[thirdwheelravi]

ok walk with me here for a minute......surprise BBQ for eddie (that buck thinks he helped coordinate) to celebrate the el paso job......but in fact it's a surprise welcome home party for eddie. because he is staying in LA. and the surprise is actually for Buck

[hue-kangz]

Drummer Kai MAMA 2024

[yuesya]

Ryomen Sukuna, the double-faced specter. The undisputed King of Curses, who had claimed the title of Strongest in his time.

… Versus Gojo Satoru. The Strongest sorcerer of the modern age –the strongest by a wide margin. In this world, at least. Back in his own world, where everything (hopefully) hasn’t gone to hell in a handbasket, Geto Suguru can confidently say that it’s Gojo Satoru and Gojo Shiki who hold the title of ‘Strongest’ together between the two of them.

Suguru had never paused to think what the world might be like without them. Either of them. And in this strange new world that he’d been thrown headfirst into without any warning, in this world where Shiki doesn’t exist and Suguru himself is dead and Satoru is left to carry everything alone, it…

It means that Satoru says that he will face Sukuna by himself, and everyone else nods along to this like it’s a foregone conclusion. As if it’s only natural. And perhaps it is, and Suguru knows that Satoru has always enjoyed a challenge, but–

It’s not the same. It’s not the same. Even though rationally, he knows that the Gojo Satoru in this world isn’t his Satoru, Suguru can’t help but worry for him, even despite the smooth confidence that the other man wears like a second skin. His friends and students in this world worry too, but Suguru can see how a not-insignificant number of them also look like they can’t fathom the thought of Gojo losing.

Because Gojo-sensei is the strongest. Invincible. Immaculate and utterly untouchable, and there is no one else who comes close to approaching him.

(“Stay with us, Suguru?”)

… Suguru worries for him.

It’s why he remains at the outskirts of the battlefield, when Gojo clashes with Sukuna. Hovering, watching, as the two sorcerers tear apart their surroundings; bridges collapsing and buildings ripped apart like wet paper. Suguru himself is a Special Grade sorcerer, but the level of a fight like this remains a cut beyond him, still. Just the multiple back-to-back Domain Expansions alone would’ve been more than enough to kill him several times over. He can feel the hairs rising on the back of his neck at the cursed energy saturating the air, and the sheer power that they throw around so easily…

It’s something that he’s only ever witnessed from Satoru and Shiki before.

…

He doesn’t know how to describe it. In the aftermath of the single most destructive release of Hollow Purple that Suguru has ever seen, Gojo’s victory appears imminent. But even riddled with injuries and missing half his body as he is, Sukuna looks up with Megumi’s face and smiles, baring his teeth as he brings his hand up in a sharp slashing motion, and–

And something inside Suguru twists, blood thundering in his ears, and his reaction is entirely instinctive. Probably the result of one too many heart attacks that Satoru and Shiki have put him through over the years, if he’s being honest here–

Rainbow Dragon, the most powerful defensive cursed spirit in Suguru’s arsenal, falls to the ground in a spray of red-violet blood, sliced in half. It does not move again, and Suguru knows that it will never move again –his connection to the cursed spirit had been severed instantaneously.

But it’s worth it. Because this means that, instead of having his upper torso separated from the rest of his body, Gojo is only missing an arm and a good portion of his shoulder. It’s his right arm, though, which isn’t good; he’ll need to regenerate the limb in order to form seals for his techniques with his hand–

“… Geto?”

“Gojo,” Suguru returns breathlessly, and then there’s no more time for idle talk. Not when Sukuna laughs, and falls upon them, already having healed from his own wounds –grievous wounds that would’ve killed any other sorcerer three times over. Not when the demon is somehow able to cut through Gojo Satoru’s Limitless technique, how is that possible?!

They struggle, and fight, and do their best. It’s not enough. Suguru and Gojo aren’t as in sync with each other as they need to be against an opponent like Ryomen Sukuna. And while Suguru is a Special Grade sorcerer, he’s not a Special Grade the way that Gojo and Sukuna are–!

Even so, Suguru grits his teeth and fights, tooth and nail, because the only other alternative now that he’s well and truly involved in this (as if he could turn his back on Satoru, any version of Satoru) is to give up, and Suguru refuses to do that.

… Is this how I’m going to die?

��

In the brief instant right before Suguru knows that he is about to face certain death, when his mind is only full of an endless refrain of Satoru, Shiki, somehow–

Sukuna stops.

The monster puppeteering Megumi’s body freezes, and looks upwards. It takes a moment for Suguru to register this odd, odd reaction, and he…

… he can’t exactly blame him.

Because when Suguru decides to take his chances and glances upwards himself to see what suddenly caught Sukuna’s attention, it’s abundantly clear that there’s something wrong. The sky –pulses, for lack of a better word. A strange sort of ripple that materializes in this space without any rhyme or reason, before it stretches open, a yawning circle of something–

Something–

Nothing.

Everything.

… What opens up in the sky in this moment is a chalice of purest darkness, overflowing with brilliant light. The frozen dawn, wrought with evening stars. There are flames curling within ice, meteorites shattering into dust, entire galaxies that wither and bloom–

It doesn’t make any sense. It’s utterly incomprehensible. Suguru stares up at the yawning, gaping maw of– of something, surely, but at the same time he doesn’t know what he’s seeing at all. Infinite possibilities, finite endings. Suguru stares and stares, trying to make sense of what he’s seeing, but the more he peers into that unfathomable void in the sky, the less he can decipher from it.

It’s… almost as if his mind simply refuses to register what he’s seeing.

Then, there is a hand.

A pale, white hand, reaching out with open fingers splayed into the air. And he does mean white, alabaster-white. The hand is followed by a slender wrist, than an entire arm, and a shoulder–

… It’s a person, that much is evident from the humanoid form. The towering creature that emerges from the hole in the sky is most certainly not a person, though. In terms of size, it’s probably large enough to rival Mahoraga. And in terms of color, their coloring is wrong.

White. Solidly stark-white, like a statue carved from marble. A flawless and unblemished human form, to be sure; a distinctly androgynous work of perfection that cannot be mistaken for anything other than unnatural.

Two arms fall down at its sides, while two more sweep out with palms faced upwards. The creature also has two heads. One is attached normally to the body as a regular human would be, while the other is offset slightly above it, much like an attentive brother overlooking his sister from behind, for all their eerie similarities–

–hold on just a fucking moment.

That’s… holy shit. Holy shit. Suguru knows those faces, would know it anywhere, even on his deathbed–!

His mind promptly short-circuits at the mind-shattering revelation. It takes a solid moment, before he’s finally able to loosen his tongue enough to speak again.

“… Satoru,” Suguru whispers disbelievingly, hoping against hope and knowing what he sees down to his very soul. “Shiki?”

What the hell. What the hell.

Suguru, his beautiful, beloved, utterly mad lunatics say to him, voice sweet and ringing with dual-toned laughter. Never play hide-and-seek with us like this again.

[mewkwota]

A teeny theoretical sketch I drew on a plane of Juno being scolded(?) by one of his superiors. The phrase in mind was "knowing your place".

That place being several feet underground in a snug little box (I know it's not little hush).

[faceglitchsworld]

A monthly Seoho until he comes back (1/18) Video suggested by my dear friend @jongside

[kopivie]

trick-or-treat.

# — pairing: spidey!kazuha x gn!reader

# — characters: gender neutral reader, spider-man!kazuha

# — warnings: a little suggestive.

# — tags: fluff, kisses (bc who am i if not a madman for kisses), mild hurt/comfort, BANTER YIPPEE!!, this is zuzu's way of making up for the fact that he all but forgot kazuha's birthday, apology fic

# — notes: (PLEASE READ!!) this is... not at all what i intended to do. it's 1:30 am and i just came down from a much needed high. as my head cleared, i noticed that this fic was like, riddled with flaws, but i feel too good about this to second guess it and feel bad. anyways, this is heavily inspired by this fic that 🎻 anon sent in my asks, as well as a follow-up to this fic i wrote on @awlumii last year on kazuha's birthday. i hope you enjoy and please do let me know what you think! i could really use some feedback.

✦ — 🎃 — ✦

There's a knock on your door. You stare at the entry to your apartment and think: "How mean would it be if I ignored them right now?"

In your defense, you've been giving out candy all day. All. Day. You figured that there would at least have been a lull in the early afternoon since children had school to attend, but no — you've been giving out candy to all ages from as early as 10:30 this morning. It's a good thing you stocked up on candy late last month, otherwise you would've had to ruin the days of some very enthusiastic trick-or-treaters. So after setting aside a bucket full of your favorites and giving out the leftovers until about 10 at night, you finally thought yourself ready to curl up on your bed with your softest blanket. You were halfway to dreamland when some monster started pounding on your door.

(So maybe you're exaggerating a little. But who could blame you? You're tired and you want to sleep.)

And so, here you sit, your legs half-tangled in your weighted fleece blanket as you glare at your door and hope that your unwanted visitor is telepathic and gets the message that you want them to leave. Scram! you think. You raise your voice in your head. Get out of here. Shoo! Begone!

…They knock again. (Kind of a dick move if they can read minds.)

The groan you let out is obnoxiously loud and is most definitely heard by whoever is on the other side of the door. You hoist yourself to your feet and trudge to the door, but you don't open it quite yet. Judging by the fact that this person has yet to say anything, you figure that they're old enough to know when their presence is not welcome and left.

Wrong. You're too optimistic. They knock again.

You sigh and once again, hope that the sound carries through the door. "Who is it?" You try to make yourself sound as unfriendly as possible. Considering how cranky you are, you don't have to try very hard.

"Trick-or-treat..?" The voice on the other side is muffled by the door, but also by something else. Fabric, probably. All you know is that their voice is deep enough to be an adult's.

You click your tongue. "Trick." You almost snicker. It's a little refreshing not doling out treats for once. "Go home."

"Can I at least give you a treat?" The person asks.

You blink. They didn't leave? "Pretty sure that's not how it works," you reply. "I give you treats and you… I dunno, TP my house or something."

"Yeah, well," the person at the door chuckles, "I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to say 'trick', either. Since you're breaking the rules, it's only fair that it's my turn, right?"

Well… Shit. They have a point.

Impressed by the stranger's reasoning, you hum. "Fine. Let me find my costume." You turn to gather your costume and notice that you can't find the full thing. You were so eager to get to bed that you didn't hesitate to drop the thing in the wash. Not wanting to make the stranger wait too long, you improvise. You blindly grab the mask and the blue throw blanket you have folded up on your couch and tie it around your shoulder like a cape. It's a shitty excuse for a costume, but you reason that your exhaustion is a good excuse. You swing open the door and cross your arms over your chest. "Alright, what do you got for-- Oh."

Standing on the other side of your door is none other than Spider-Man himself. The two of you stand in silence as you take in each other's appearances. Then, after what feels like forever, he speaks. "So… a cape, huh?"

You don't hesitate — you grab your door and swing the thing shut as fast as you can, but Spider-Man is faster, catching the door in his gloved hand. You turn your back to him. The mask is obscuring his face, but you already know what expression he has underneath. "Don't say a word." You warn him.

Spider-Man pays you no mind. You can feel him lifting your 'cape' as he inspects it. "Hmm… capes are kinda aerodynamic, but considering how dirty my enemies fight, I don't think that's a very good design choice." You can hear the shit-eating grin in his voice. "I'll give it a five out of ten."

"I said shut it!" You snatch your blanket out of his hands and march further into your apartment with Spider-Man's laughter following at your back. He walks inside and the door shuts behind the two of you. "Get the fuck out, webhead," you seethe. Your voice trembles with shame. "I didn't invite you in."

Spider-Man just walks around you to look you in the eye. "Come now, lovebug," he tilts your chin up with a finger, "you look cute wearing my mask."

You grumble and push his hand away as you struggle for words. You want to say something like, "this isn't what it looks like!" to try and save face, but there's no point in trying. This is exactly what it looks like.

Because the mask you'd been wearing for Halloween -- and the mask you haphazardly thrown on moments ago -- was none other than Spider-Man's mask.

To be fair, these things were a dime a dozen. The people of this city adore the vigilante. It was only natural that kids and adults alike would want to pretend to be him for a day, even if they had no powers like him. You're not exactly one of those people — you've seen firsthand just how brutal Spider-Man's job can be. You wouldn't trade your life for his even if you were offered money. But as you stared at the costume while shopping, you couldn't help yourself. There were obviously cooler, much more interesting costumes to choose from but this one just… called to you.

Hindsight is 20/20, after all. You should've ignored that calling.

Spider-Man takes your chin in his fingers and shakes your head side to side. "I never knew you liked me so much, lovebug. I'm touched."

You scoff. "Don't be."

"Y'know, if you wanted to wear my mask so badly, you could've just asked." Spider-Man leans in and presses a clothed kiss to your cheek. You consider yourself lucky; he can't possibly feel the burn of your cheeks through all that fabric.

You stammer. "Ha-ha. Very funny."

"What? I'm sure I have a back up somewhere." He eyes you for a moment. "You'd look good in it."

Against your will, you wonder if he's saying that he wants you to wear his clothes. Would he ever actually loan you clothes that he's worn? The thought makes your face burn hotter. "Why are you here?" You ask. Anything to change the topic.

Spider-Man chuckles, but plays along. "I haven't swung by in a few days," he says, "so I figured I'd try and surprise you as a trick-or-treater." He shrugs. "I wanted to do some reverse psychology thing where I could trick you into thinking I was just some guy in a costume so you would give me candy."

You process his words for a second. "Okay, first of all, you already are a guy in a costume."

He visibly deflates and places a hand over his chest. "Ouch, lovebug. What if you hurt my feelings?"

"Second of all," you continue, "do you have any idea how many Spider-Men I've seen today?"

"...Is that a serious question?"

"Don't be a smart ass."

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess twelve."

You pause. You actually aren't even sure if that's the right number or not. You lost count after three hours of giving out candy to cute kids.

"Am I right?" He asks.

"Who knows?"

Spider-Man huffs. "If there's that many of us around, then what am I even here for?" You giggle at his petulant behavior, and he makes another breathy sound, reminiscent of a stifled laugh. "Did you treat them the same way you treat me?"

"What?" His question takes you off-guard for a moment. You chortle. "Oh, definitely."

"You gave them band-aids and kicked them out, too?"

"Mhm." You cross your arms. "Just slapped a few on some pretend wounds and told them to get the fuck off my property."

The two of you laugh together for a moment. Once the laughter dies down, Spider-Man tugs at your cheek for a brief second. You let him get away with it for now. "You're so cute." He sighs and you can hear something somber enter his tone. "I was worried about you. It's been a week since I've seen you."

It has been a week, hasn't it? You may have been swamped with work at the hospital, but there was never a night that you didn't find yourself waiting on your balcony like an idiot in this chilly weather. You had faith that he was okay — the Daily Bugle printed something new about the "masked menace" every day this past week — but that didn't stop you from longing for his presence. Stories can't compare to the real thing, after all. You're far more taken with the masked vigilante than you'd care to admit to yourself.

You hum. "About time someone else did the worrying for once," you mumble jokingly. "It gets tiring worrying all by myself."

Spider-Man stays quiet. "I've been okay. A little worse for the wear for the past two days, but okay otherwise."

You reach for him instinctively. "Lingering pain isn't like you," you say, already in doctor-mode, "did something happen?"

"No, not like that. I've just been… sad. I guess." His confession is soft as he takes your outstretched hands in his own. He's been more vulnerable around you lately and you're not sure if that's good or bad. "It's been a rough couple of days, that's all."

You rack your brain. What could possibly be paining him that you don't know of? He's already told you that he tells you everything (within reason), so maybe it's something that you already know of? You furrow your brows as you dive deeper into your memory. Deeper, deeper… until you happen across a memory from just about a year ago.

The kiss you shared on your balcony close to midnight.

"Oh my God." You voice your incredulity aloud. "Oh my God! I missed your birthday!"

Spider-Man straightens his posture as he inhales sharply.

How could you have forgotten? He confessed to you on his birthday last year that you were the only person he had left in his life since he hated his birthday so much. October 29th was such a painful day for him — to think that you didn't stop for a second to wonder if he was okay that day. It's not like you would've been able to contact him of course, but what if he swung by after you'd fallen asleep? You should've at least left him a note or something.

"Don't beat yourself up over it, lovebug." The confidence is starting to bleed out of him, you notice. Spider-Man walks over to your couch and sits on the floor in front of it. "I'll be okay. It's not like I was going to celebrate or anything."

You move to the couch and adjust yourself so that the vigilante is between your legs. You two often assume this position when you're finished patching him up and too tired to goof around until he leaves. You would place your hands on his head and press your fingers into the fabric of his mask. Spider-Man told you once that the action was soothing, but you have yet to admit to him that it's your way of trying to conjure up an image of what his hair must look like underneath.

Like always, he gets himself into position, draping his arms across your legs. This time, however, he's looking up at you. You're not sure what expression he might be wearing.

"I wasn't saying that we should've celebrated," you say softly. "I'm just upset that you had to be alone. Are you sure you're okay?" You ask as you massage your fingers across the crown of his head.

He hums. "I am now. I promise."

"If you're ever feeling down, you know you can come and see me." Your words surprise the both of you, but you don't regret them at all. He always seems to be around when you need his company the most, so why shouldn't you do the same for him? Who else would? your mind unhelpfully supplies. "I may not be the best company in the world, but at least you won't be alone, right?"

Spider-Man moves so that he's on his knees facing you. He's so close to your face like this; you inch backwards to preserve your sanity. "You're the only company I need." He says it with so much conviction that you shiver. "But does this mean I'm getting special treatment?"

"What--? You mean from the other Spider-Men?" When he nods, you snort. "Yeah, I guess you do get V.I.P privileges. You get extra treats unlike everyone else."

"Extra?" He tilts his head. "But you haven't given me any candy at all."

You raise a brow. "All that's left is the candy I'm hoarding for myself. And before you ask, no, I'm not sharing any. Why don't you try actually trick-or-treating? People would probably give the city hero the best of the best."

He sinks a little lower, seeming defeated. "...Would you believe me if I said I tried that already?"

"Did it work?"

He's silent.

"...It didn't work, did it?"

"...No. They thought I was just some superfan."

Peals of laughter burst out of you at his admission. "So this is how they repay you, huh?" You say between giggles. "No faith and no candy? That's rough, buddy." You get the distinct impression that he's glaring at you, but that only makes you laugh harder.

Fed up with your insistence on laughing at his misfortune, Spider-Man taps your leg. "Since I get special treatment from you, can I ask for a few wishes?"

You wipe a stray tear from your eye. "I'm dressed as a superhero, not a magic genie."

"Please?"

"Fine, fine." You finally catch your breath. "You get two wishes.

"Not three?"

"I'm not a genie. Don't push it."

Spider-Man puts his hands up in defense. "Alright, two it is. The first is… let me stay with you for the rest of the night."

You shrug. Wouldn't be the first time. He's usually gone by the time you wake up, anyhow. "Granted. Next one's your last — make it count, bug boy."

Spider-Man doesn't react to your nickname. Instead, he just stares at you. A familiar sensation tickles up your spine. He's watching you; you know that stare all too well. "I think you know what I'm going to ask for next." His voice is deeper, smoother than it was mere moments ago.

You nod and he eases himself closer to you. You feel your heart pick up an unsteady rhythm and rather than kiss him normally, you lean in close and press your masked lips to his. He makes a surprised noise before he laughs and melts into the "kiss" all the same. When you pull away, he's still laughing. A very welcome change from the bitter smile you're sure he was wearing when talking about his birthday. "Consider that a freebie," you mutter.

"You're too kind," he chuckles.

Soon, your fingers come to the base of his mask to raise it just above his lips when he suddenly stops you. He reaches for your face and you feel something tug at the base of your neck. Somehow, you completely forgot you were wearing that stupid mask. "It's kinda funny," he half-laughs, "having to unmask you for once."

"You... You can't tell anyone about my identity, okay?" You tease.

Spider-Man rolls your mask up just enough to expose your lips and you do the same to him. Neither of you are sure who leaned in first, but you meet in the middle in a kiss that has fireworks bursting behind your lids. The two of you are greedy, pouring a week's worth of longing into the kiss. The mutual yearning is palpable, so much so that you can hear his breath hitch when you sigh. He rises to the couch slowly and without breaking the kiss, doing his best not to part from you for even a second.

You missed him. Oh, how you missed him — you missed how he would wrap a strong arm around your waist and pull you closer like it was nothing; how he would whisper his adoration for you between breaths; how he would chase after your lips whenever you would tease him with barely-there kisses. You missed the exhilaration, the thrill of knowing that you were the only one Spider-Man would ever treat this way. That you were his and he was yours.

He moves from your lips to your jaw, trailing kisses up to your ear and down to your neck. His pace is unhurried, though he seems eager to pull a reaction out of you. You give him what he wants whether you intend to or not. You press yourself closer to him in a silent request for more and he indulges you; his kisses become little nips, and the nips turn to bites as he starts to leave marks on your neck. He eases you back so that you're laying on your couch and he's hovering over you. The two of you stare at each other for a moment.

"Can I use my next wish?" His voice is rough. When you nod, he leans in once more. His uncovered lips brush against your ear as he whispers. "Let me give you a treat."

Something foreign yet familiar makes you shudder as you nod.

Spider-Man attacks your neck once again. Clearly he was holding himself back earlier, because every mark he leaves stings. He makes them dark and obvious, completely disregarding any warnings you may have given him on other days. You normally would tell him to ease up, to hide the marks that he so desperately wanted to leave on you. But now you let him do as he pleases. You gave him an inch and as expected, he took the mile. He soothes each one with a kiss and muffles your whimpers with his lips.

It takes a while before he's satisfied with his handiwork. Kazuha raises himself up with a shaky breath. Your wrists are in his hands and pinned against the couch. Looking down at you now, all flushed absolutely covered in his marks, he feels something uncontrollable stir within him. He has half a mind to tell you to close your eyes so he can take his mask off, but he refrains.

That's all he ever does when it comes to you. You, the greatest test of his endurance that he will ever encounter in his lifetime. No supervillain with any amount of underground connections or otherworldly technology will ever test his patience and restraint quite like you. For years, Kazuha has weighed the pros and cons of telling you who he is. He always wonders if you would still allow this, if you would still treat him like a lover if you knew who he was — if you knew that he's been lying to you. Though your reaction may not be guaranteed, it's a risk he's more than willing to take.

But he doesn't. Not tonight. Maybe another day when the time is right.

For now, Kazuha releases your wrists and sits himself up. He fixes his mask while you take yours off. You sit up and he watches as you ghost your fingers over each of your fresh hickies. You wince a little when you brush the one on the left side of your collarbone, above your heart. The silence that hangs in the air is evident, but not uncomfortable.

Then, you mutter. "I was supposed to give you a treat."

Kazuha reaches out and touches a hickey left on your pulse point. A sensitive spot for you – you shudder in response. He admires the lingering haze in your eyss. "You did. Thank you, lovebug."

✧ my goodness. @perpetualcynicism look at what you've done. you've reawakened a monster in me.

✧ edit: btw, the dividers belong to @cafekitsune!! thanks so much for making such beautiful dividers!

[moeblob]

it is almost midnight why am I still drawing art ...

[pieflavoredartz]

happy jjk day, have sum edits :]

OG AFTA THE CUT

( also do me a big fat favour n be PG in the tags for the toji ones, im not too comfortable seein too suggestive commenst on my stuffs, thank you :]] )

[leechandoki]

My brain did a thing and honestly, I don't ship them BUT DAMN I FUCKIN' LOVE THE DYNAMIC AND I'M HERE FOR IT! STAINMIGHT COME GET YOUR TREAT!!

Kofi | Post+ | PayPal | Stripe | CashApp | Society6

[owoshrike]

Stronger

Or the fic where Silver manages to ask Shadow for some training

The silver hedgehog groaned as he tumbled to the ground roughly, the wind being knocked out of him temporarily. He laid there for a moment and only moved to spread his arms out on the ground, his chest rising and falling as he greedily took in air.

“Get up.”

Silver could’ve cursed at the voice that grunted at him but he was too tired to do so. Plus, he knew he had asked for this.

“Aww, come on, Shads! You didn’t even give him a chance!”

The time traveler took a deep breath in before pushing himself up, crossing his legs and placing his hands against them. Sweat beaded down his face as he stared down at the ground, his heart pounding hard against his chest. He looked up between his lashes at Shadow, the dark hedgehog turned to argue with the only spectator of their sparring lesson.

‘If I can even call it that,’ Silver’s mind unhelpfully supplied.

“He whined until I agreed to train him so I’m not planning on going easy on him,” Shadow growled, turning back to look down at the silver hedgehog. His eyes narrowed for a moment before he walked over, holding out his hand to Silver. “Come on, get up.”

Silver rolled his eyes with a huff but grabbed the outstretched hand, allowing the other hedgehog to pull him up. There was a gust of wind and Sonic was immediately by Silver’s side, holding out a bottle of water for him to take if he wanted to. His quills bristled in embarrassment, but he accepted the water with a nod of thanks, taking a quick swallow before handing it back. Golden eyes darted up to see Shadow back on his side of the room, the dark hedgehog standing with his arms crossed as he watched the two of them with a blank expression. “Can you at least tell me what I did wrong?” he grunted out in annoyance.

If Shadow was even phased by his attitude, he didn’t let it show. “If you can’t figure it out yourself, then we’re already wasting time,” the other said plainly.

The time traveler’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth to retort but Sonic moved in front of him with his hands raised in a placating manner. “Hey, hey! Don’t blow your gasket on Shadow just yet, bud,” he said with a small laugh. “He’s the last person you would expect to be a teacher so this is new territory for him! That’s why I’m here as a second pair of eyes.”

Silver’s cheeks flushed slightly and he looked back at Shadow, glaring before turning his attention back to Sonic. “Okay. Then can you tell me what I did wrong?” he asked snappily.

Emerald eyes looked at him with surprise in their eyes as the blue hedgehog placed his hands on his hips, his foot tapping as he got his thoughts together. His ear twitched and he hummed, and Silver couldn’t help but track the subtle movements with rapt attention. He held his breath with anticipation as Sonic began to tap his chin, biting his lip with the hedgehog tilting his head back. Then, just as Sonic snapped his fingers and opened his mouth, Shadow cut him off.

“It’s obvious that you lack confidence in your skills.”

Silver blinked, ignoring the disappointed mutter of “you stole my moment” that Sonic let out and turned his full attention back to Shadow. The dark hedgehog walked over to them, picking up a spare water bottle that was on the floor. “It’s that simple. You lack confidence when you go to strike,” he said, flipping the water bottle in his hand and catching it once more. His red-maroon eyes narrowed suddenly. “Catch.”

Quickly, he tossed the water bottle at Silver and the hedgehog simply raised his hand, the bottle stopping midair just before it reached his head. He stared through the liquid inside as Shadow continued to walk towards them, moving his other hand underneath the bottle before releasing the psychokinetic hold on it. It landed in his hand with a muted sound and his fingers curled around the bottle. Silver’s brows furrowed together in confusion and he gasped. “W-wait, you wanted me to catch it without my powers didn’t you? Shit, I didn’t think-”

“No. I told you to catch it and you did.” Shadow reached out a hand and tapped the bottle Silver was holding. “You didn’t even think about it because you were confident that you could stop the bottle before it hit you. What confidence you have in your psychic abilities is what you lack in your physical combat,” he said, using that same hand to gesture towards Silver’s body. “That punch you attempted to throw was so open that I wouldn’t even have to use Chaos Control to counter it.”

An annoying memory from the back of Silver’s mind immediately sprang forward along with a throbbing pain in the back of Silver’s head. He immediately swallowed down the irritation that followed it to focus on Shadow’s words. Once more, he looked at the bottle and watched the condensation roll off of it. The dark hedgehog was right; Silver didn’t even think of catching the bottle before it got close to him. He immediately registered the projectile and simply…caught it.

“But….” Silver growled and the bottle floated in his hand. “You can’t compare this to you throwing a punch or a kick at me! It’s completely different circumstances!”

Shadow’s eyes narrowed in irritation, sparking a vibrant red before dimming back down. “It shouldn’t matter if I tell you to catch the bottle or not. Or even if I tell you to block a punch or not. If you’re not confident that you can do it, then what’s the point of this training?”

Silver opened his mouth but words failed to come forth and, instead, a heavy sigh escaped him. He caught Sonic crossing his arms out of the corner of his eye, the hedgehog moving to stand in front of him. There was a small smile on his face as he regarded Silver and, again, the time traveler couldn’t help the feeling of embarrassment swirling in his stomach. When Silver approached Shadow with the question of helping him with hand-to-hand combat, he was expecting a flat-out refusal.

Which he did receive.

He had a whole spiel ready to (hopefully) convince the dark hedgehog to help him out but then Sonic happened upon them and did it for him. While he was thankful for that, there was a part of him that got upset when Sonic insisted on being there as well. He already had to swallow some pride to ask Shadow of all people to train him. If Blaze was currently present, he would’ve most likely gone to her even if the very thought made his cheeks warm. While she relied on her flames, the woman was an incredible fighter as well. They had spent a significant amount of time together where Silver believed she would’ve been an ideal teacher for him and it was the same case for Sonic as well. Silver didn’t doubt the blue hedgehog’s skills with melee combat at all, but he only reached out to Shadow because of how…lowkey the other was. Silver was afraid that Sonic would end up making a game out of the whole matter versus acting like a proper instructor due to how his personality was.

There was also a gleam in his eyes at the idea of combat that…unnerved Silver to a degree, though he wouldn’t admit it aloud. He had faced Sonic before and had the upperhand against the hedgehog on more than one occasion but a melee spar between the two would be a new challenge for Silver. He also assumed that Sonic would try to play the “nice guy” while training him which Silver wanted to avoid completely. Sonic was a good friend but he wanted a firm teacher hence he decided to pursue Shadow.

Silver wasn’t quick to call Shadow a friend, but he was in that gray area between that and “solely ally”. Shadow was blunt and to the point that Silver figured developed from his time working with G.U.N. He knew that the dark hedgehog wouldn’t ask any questions and simply charge at Silver with everything he had, which is what the silver hedgehog wanted in the end. With Shadow, he would know what he was getting into with the session and Silver believed that that was the best way to go about this.

No strings attached. Just a simple and efficient training session.

“I do agree with Shadow on that, Silver,” Sonic said, his voice cutting through Silver’s thoughts. “You’re an awesome fighter for sure but you rely too much on this-” The blue hedgehog waved his hands and tapped his head as a show. “That isn’t necessarily a bad thing but don’t get too stuck in your head about it. It’s never easy learning a new skill but you gotta envision yourself mastering it! Even if you fail a bunch of times- and you definitely will, no offense- you shouldn’t let that discourage you. Just try it from a different angle!”

Silver blinked and his ears laid down against his quills as he took a breath. His eyes snapped over to see Shadow staring at the wall, the dark hedgehog’s eyes narrowed in what Silver could only guess was frustration. At him or Sonic, he wasn’t sure. The time traveler sighed and nodded, clenching his fists together before lowering the water bottle into Sonic’s hand. The hero was right. Silver managed to master his own powers on his own under the pressing weight of an apocalypse happening around him so this should be easy. It was different then, given that he had no choice but to learn quickly or die. Even then, it wasn’t like he could get into fist fights with any of the monsters Iblis had spawned and he became so well versed with his psychokinesis that he got complacent with it.

The idea of asking for help with melee combat brewed in the back of his mind for some time. During one of the times he had traveled back to the past- thankfully for a visit rather than a new apocalyptic world-ending event- Silver accompanied Team Sonic and Team Dark on one of their usual rounds of stopping Dr. Eggman. During the battle, the mad doctor deployed some Shadow Androids against them when the wave of Eggpawns he threw at them fell. Silver was pretty sure this was the first time he ever saw Shadow switch to fighting more hands-on rather than relying on his Chaos abilities. It was an incredible display of strength that Silver couldn’t help but marvel at. He had watched with captivated awe and a small stir of jealousy as well.

Another time, he got the chance to see Sonic go head-to-head with Metal Sonic and his attention was captured all the same in the display. The way the two matched blow for blow at matching speeds that were almost too much for Silver to keep up with. Shadow he could understand being able to punch metal, but Sonic? For all Silver could tell, Sonic was just…a hedgehog. A speedy force of nature that fights robot armies and has taken down gods before, sure, but a hedgehog nonetheless. It only made the envious pit in his stomach grow but it also gave way to a newfound want.

Silver would not sell himself short in terms of his own strength, but this was a different show of it. He knew upon their first meeting that there were areas that he could excel at better than Shadow or Sonic but there was still that drive and want to be strong like they were. When they had taken down Solaris together- a memory that he holds dearly since no one else could-, he felt that he was finally on their level. That he could look at them as fellow comrades in strength while ignoring the thoughts that said otherwise. Seeing their combat skills served as a harsh reminder that he still had some ways to go.

“Alright. I want to try again, Shadow,” he said, narrowing his eyes when the dark hedgehog’s ears flicked towards him.

There was a pause before the other turned to look at him, nodding as he waved his hand for Sonic to go back to spectating. “Fine, then. But we’re going to try a…different approach and hopefully it’ll work for you.” Shadow hummed and briefly pressed his hand under his chin, glancing down to the ground before his eyes snapped up. “Instead of sparring this time, I want you to attack me and I’ll do nothing but defend. I didn’t think to get an idea of what you are lacking before we rushed into starting.”

Silver scratched the back of his head and looked off to the side. He was so eager to get into training that he also didn’t think about that, nor did he ask Shadow to go through the basics of it all. He was so used to rushing things for the sake of an emergency that he forgot that, for once, he had time.

The “but for how long?” was whispered traitorously in his mind.

“So…you want me to just rush at you?” he asked, raising one eyeridge high as he watched Shadow settle into a fighting stance. Silver mimicked the action.

“Sounds like you’re going easy on him, Shads!” Sonic teased from the sidelines, only giggling when Shadow growled at him to shut up. Silver bitterly thought the same and his cheeks puffed as he pouted.

“Imagine that you were given this chance to start the fight on your terms without anyone getting the drop on you,” Shadow instructed. “You have the chance to keep the situation under your control.”

Silver blinked and he breathed out slowly, closing his eyes with the action. His fists clenched tightly and his feet braced against the ground. After a beat, golden eyes snapped open and he ran forward with his left fist cocked back. Shadow simply took a half step back and moved his right arm forward, blocking the hit that Silver attempted. Not letting the disappointment of the failed hit weigh him down, Silver quickly tried to follow up with another rushed strike. His teeth grit together as his frustration built with each blocked hit, the hedgehog snapping his gaze up to see Shadow’s neutral but calculating expression. The dark hedgehog didn’t offer any commentary aside from a simple grunt or a simple “try again”. His feet only carried him backwards but not because Silver was forcing him to.

Despite what he had just said, Shadow had only given the illusion of control to Silver.

The silver hedgehog growled and put more force behind a punch aimed for Shadow’s face, the dark hedgehog’s eyes narrowing as he brought his arms up together to block it. Silver felt a sliver of pride since his punch broke the block, smirking as he spun around on his heel to strike a kick to Shadow’s exposed head. Red eyes followed the movement before the hedgehog ducked under the kick, Silver’s momentum still carrying himself with the spin of it and almost losing his balance.

Sonic let out an impressive whistle from the sidelines, laughing lightly. “Ooo, that was nice, Silver! You were close!” he cheered and Silver almost turned his head to flash the other a grin but kept his eyes trained forward.

His heart was pounding against his chest as he brought his fists back up, watching Shadow get back into his stance before the other nodded for him to resume. Silver’s mind raced with what to do next but ultimately decided on another round of punches, keeping them aimed near the dark hedgehog’s upper body. He tried to kick from the side but Shadow brought his knee up and met the hit before pushing himself forward to force Silver back.

“Good. You’re getting more confident now,” Shadow said and his lips turned up slightly into what looked like a smile. “Now, we’re going to switch roles and I want you to defend against all of my attacks the best you can.”

“Okay…alright,” Silver said in between breaths, adjusting his stand when he saw Shadow do the same. When the dark hedgehog rolled his neck, the time traveler couldn’t help how his eyes widened a fraction. “Just don’t turn me into your damn punching bag like before.”

“Then you better know how to deflect. Try to copy what I was doing previously.”

With that said, the dark hedgehog rushed at him though not as fast as he did at the start of their session. His punches weren’t slowed down tremendously but just enough that he didn’t immediately overwhelm Silver. But even with that, Shadow didn’t hold back as much with the force of his hits. Silver grunted as Shadow’s right hook caught him in the side, forcing himself to not fully recoil from the hit as he leaned back from the next punch. Unlike how he had Shadow, Shadow had him quickly stepping backwards with each hit from both the force and the need to dodge.

He saw Shadow move his weight onto his left leg and leaning back. The hedgehog then swung his other leg in a wide kick. Silver brought his arm up to the side of his head, grunting as he took the hit. Shadow did not let up in his attack, switching on the fly between his right and left legs. Although he continued to block the hits, Silver could feel the muscles in his arms growing sore and struggling to stay up.

‘If I don’t do something, he’s going to make an opening!’ he thought frantically, sweat beading down his cheek.

His eyes glanced down to Shadow’s left leg as it rose up, taking the chance to bring his right arm down. Silver pivoted on his left to move back, dodging back as the kick swung towards him. The palms of his glove glowed as he brought his right hand around to meet it, the cyan glow appearing just before Shadow’s foot met with the palm of his hand. The time traveler took in the slight surprise on Shadow’s face and took his chance, redirecting the other’s foot back to the ground. He could feel the phantom grip of Shadow’s leg under his power, but it wasn’t as strong as it normally would have been if he were fully using his power.

Instead, it acted as a small barrier just before the point of contact and allowed Silver a chance of control. Once Shadow’s foot touched the ground, Silver curled his fingers into a fist and struck Shadow in the side as the hedgehog moves to jump back. It was a brief touch but a victory nonetheless that made Silver’s heart pound in triumph.

Shadow regarded him for a second, staying silent as he glanced down at Silver’s hand. It made the silver hedgehog a bit self-conscious, and Silver began to pull at the cuff of his glove. “It was a force of habit,” he said with a sigh, brows scrunching together in frustration. He then growled and gripped at his head quills. “Damnit. I was getting the hang of it- even though I was mostly just blocking- but I was doing fine without using my powers! Really thought I had it there-“

“Silver.”

The other words that were about to tumble out of his mouth immediately stopped once Shadow addressed him, the silver hedgehog turning his eyes up to look at the other. He was…well, Shadow wasn’t smiling but the corner of his mouth was turned up slightly to where he almost didn’t have the neutral expression that Silver is always used to. His eyes sparked with challenge, the dark maroon of his eyes shifting to the rubies that he sees when the other is in battle.

“That is what you needed. You were too focused on suppressing one skill to learn another,” he said as he held out his hand. Immediately, Chaos Energy began to spark at his fingertips and it formed into the familiar shape of his Chaos Spear. The construct rested in his palm but it still crackled as if ready for use if he so much as thought about it. He flipped his hand over and the spear dispersed into an abstract form, circling around his hand like a bolt of lightning before Shadow clenched his fist. It immediately shattered in a show of sparks. “I don’t shut off my Chaos Energy when I go into close combat. It’s a constant part of me even when I decide not to use it. You shouldn’t have to shut off another facet of yourself just to master another. Instead, you need to find a way to have them strengthen one another.”

Silver blinked and looked down at his hands, thinking back to how earlier Shadow and Sonic said that he needed to have more confidence in his abilities. He thought they had meant the one; the hand-to-hand ability but the two hedgehogs meant all of his skills in tandem. He wasn’t as strong as Shadow nor as fast as Sonic, but again…he had something they didn’t.

Something that he mastered that they couldn’t.

The power beneath his skin swelled almost in response to his revelation. As if it was saying “about time you realized it” and the voice almost sounded like Blaze. It rose just close enough to the surface that a gentle pressure settled in the back of Silver’s mind, a newfound determination rising along with it. He clenched his fists together tightly and nodded, a grin splitting on his muzzle.

“Oooo, someone’s all fired up now,” Sonic whistled, nodding over at Silver with a gleam in his eye. “If you’re not too tired after sparring with Shadow, I’d love to take you on too, Silver!”

For once, Silver wasn’t embarrassed at the idea of training with Sonic. He looked forward to it. The time-traveler laughed lightly and nodded his head. “I’ll accept that challenge!” he said before turning his attention back to Shadow. He crouched a bit and brought his hands up though his palms were open. “Alright, Shadow. I’m ready and don’t hold back either!”

Shadow blinked and shook his head, a small humorous huff leaving his lips as he got into his own battle stance. “If you’re so sure, Silver. This means you better meet my hits and strike harder than you did before,” he said, narrowing his eyes. His eyes practically glowed. “I’ll still take it slow for your sake but I won’t hold back my strength as much.”

Both hedgehogs maintained eye contact as they stared the other down, the room falling settling into a heavy silence. Silver’s heart pounded against his chest and he curled his fists tight, feeling the buzzing of energy just underneath his skin. In the next beat, Shadow shifted first, his body moving forward quickly. He feinted to the right before twisting back, raising his fist and throwing a punch. Silver reached his hand out and it ignited with a bright cyan. Once more, he felt the phantom pressure of Shadow’s fist striking his palm before he pushed it aside, spinning around the hedgehog to try to drive his elbow into his side. The dark hedgehog easily dodged the move, going to feint to the left before driving his fist forward into Silver’s stomach.

The time-traveler felt the breath escape him as he slid back, the glow of his power covering his body to slow him to a stop before he dismissed it. He gritted his teeth and watched as Shadow ran at him, opting to remain in control of the fight. Silver blocked each strike as quickly as he could, bringing his arms up in front of him when Shadow leaned back to swing his left leg around in a wide kick. With the next kick thrown at him, Silver leaned his body to the right and rolled on the ground. He braced his hand on the ground and swung his leg under the other, catching Shadow in the back of the leg. He fell but planted both his hands on the ground, pushing his body to flip backwards and create more space between the two of them.

Silver quickly shot back up to his feet and ran forward while the other was pushing up, clenching his fist and swinging it into Shadow’s chest. His eyes widened for a second as the hit landed, a grin spreading out on his face when he heard the other hedgehog grunt.

“Gotcha!” he couldn’t help but exclaim in a burst of pride though it was short-lived.

Shadow’s hand quickly grasped around Silver’s wrist tightly and he turned to press his back against Silver’s chest. The time-traveler tried to pull his wrist back as he realized what the other was about to do but to no avail, his body getting pulled over as Shadow flipped him into the ground.

He could hear the dramatic wince Sonic let out as his back slammed into the ground, his eyes going wide as the hard floor stung against his back. From his current angle, Shadow’s expression looked like the other was offering him a smile but the hedgehog knew the truth. With a small curse, he spread his arms out wide on the floor, his chest heaving up and down.

Shadow huffed and walked around so Silver could see him at the proper angle and…huh. He actually was smiling, albeit a small hardly noticeable expression.

“You didn’t do terrible there,” the hybrid said as he crossed his arms. The darker hedgehog hardly looked winded unlike Silver and the sight made his ears pin back in annoyance. Shadow must’ve noticed because his smile dropped and he rolled his eyes. “You’re not going to be an expert right away and we probably should stop for the day. You’re exhausted and it’ll only cause you to get sloppier if we continued.”

A counter rested on the silver hedgehog’s tongue but he ultimately resigned. He finally found a method to his fighting and wanted to continue on, but the other had a point. Before the turning point of their sparring lesson, it all was one-sided. Repeatedly, he found himself in this very position at the start but now…well, he was currently in that same position but it felt different this time. Before, he had no method or strategy, and just went in with an idea of how he wanted to fight. But now?

Shadow beat him but Silver could learn from it rather than stewing in his frustration.

When a glove entered his field of vision, he was snapped out of his thoughts. Sonic leaned over him with a smile on his face, waving his hand again until Silver grasped it. The blue hedgehog pulled him to his feet and pat him on the back with a small laugh.

“Next time you too spar with each other, I’m definitely tagging in!” he said, his eyes lowering slightly as he glanced over at Shadow. “And I bet I could be a better teacher than you too, Faker!”

The darker hedgehog scoffed and turned his head. “You being patient enough to teach? That would be a sight to see. Besides, why would he want to learn from someone with inferior combat skills?” he said with a sneer, his lips turned up bitterly at the corners. “You have many skills but I haven’t seen anything impressive with your hand-to-hand. If anything, you may need lessons as well.”

From there, the two launched into the familiar round of bickering, attempting to one-up the other with recalled stories and challenges. Silver blinked and shook his head with a small smile before deciding to put a pin in it all.

“I think maybe Shadow is the best teacher for me, Sonic,” he said, rolling his eyes when the blue hedgehog looked at him with a betrayed expression. Quickly, he shook his head and patted the other’s shoulder. “Not that you wouldn’t do great. But…Shadow just…um. Is more…disciplined than you?”

Both hedgehogs blinked and looked at him with a surprised look before Sonic snickered and Shadow turned his head with some words muttered under his breath. The hero threw his arms behind his head and sighed loudly, his grin lowering into a gentle smile as he glanced at Shadow with one eye open. “Yeah, he is, isn’t he?” he remarked, his smile only growing when Shadow began to head towards the door. “You two did great training and I don’t think Shadow’s sparred with anyone else who wasn’t me.”

“Eh? Really?” Silver asked and he turned to watch Shadow’s retreating figure. It actually made sense when he thought about it more. The two have gone toe-to-toe on numerous occasions so aside from enemies, Sonic would be the only person who could keep up with Shadow.

But if that’s the case-

“You sure I wasn’t just a light practice for him? This session didn’t go as a I planned if I’m being honest.”

Sonic rubbed his nose as he began to walk away, turning to watch Silver as he moved backwards. He shook his head playfully and crossed his arms. “Have more confidence in yourself, Silver! The minute you said you wanted to continue, you proved to him that you have what it takes. Just gotta hone your skills more in the way you can,” he said with a wink. “Don’t limit yourself, bud. You’re stronger than you think in more ways than one.”

Silver blinked and he looked down at his hands, the power running beneath his skin thrumming with excitement. The time-traveler clenched his fists and smiled, his body glowing as he lifted in the air.

Stronger in more ways than one.

That was a good way of looking at it.

[sungiftedbard]

𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋!!!

To drop the anxiety and the wondering if they do or they don’t, here’s a post to make it nice and clear to me (and you) that you wanna ship with my muses.  All I ask is that you 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐅𝐘 for which of your muses this would be directed at (especially if you're a multi-muse!)

By liking this post, it means you are okay with the following:

Romantic shipping: Kissey kissey, romantic dates, and possibly intimate things. I send you all the romantic shippy memes and we drown in it.

Platonic shipping: Friends. Pals. Allies. Besties.

Familial shipping: Family. Siblings. Maybe adopted? Could be good or bad.

Enemies: I hate you and you hate me. Rivalry. It's complicated.

[69thatstheweednumber]

felt like useless shit today but i did actually manage to do stuff so ta-da list 5/23 let's rock and roll

signed the new addendum for my lease, allowing me to have k in the apartment, starting june 1st, and told the landlord I'd get the rent to him by then so now i don't have to worry about it

made plans to introduce k and my soon-to-be roommate's dog on sunday and monday

folded almost all my laundry from a couple days ago and tidied my room a bit

successfully improvised my dinner. actually made something tasty with reallllly limited options

pushed the peanut on the ISG museum application

showered after so many days of not doing it, good lord i had such a weird block about it but i got CLEAN

did some training/hide and seek with K this evening

made coffee and stuck it in the fridge so i can have iced coffee tomorrow morning when it's hot as balls

played like 4.5 hours of disco elysium this morning/afternoon

victory from messaging l and m yesterday: i have plans to hang with them this weekend

rsvp'ed to g's memorial day bbq on monday

[shuruzy]

body practice... decided to use Quin as my training partner since they've got Forger Muscles & i dont draw or talk about J:USTICE characters enough

[nautilus-null]

And then I redrew it