#Ch: 301

[every-monkey-d-luffy]

[every-chopper]

[lloydfrontera]

given the recent revelation that tyrannus is berkis' dad and his newly developed interest in lloyd accompanied by an unexpected generosity produced by his curiosity for him i can only conclude that tyrannus is indeed joining the ever growing ranks of lloyd's dilf army

[sunflowercider]

Oh no. Dont encourage him to sleep less. BK Moon, I challenge you to allow your protagonists to sleep- oh wait, Verkis stole all the sleep I guess....

[itsarealdandy]

ok near the end/at the end of the skypeia arc, I enjoyed the alabasta arc a bit more but this arc definitely came in with the interesting world/history lore. So we have crazy ancient weapons, some sort of lost history with parts of that history sprinkled over different islands on the grand line... gol d roger is some how connected to all of this...

Yea man I'm not sure where we going w this lol... Anyway arc started off a lil slow for me but I enjoyed the conclusion. On to the next arc!

also there might be something on the moon....? Idk where eneru is gonna b going...

[hualianlover4ever]

JWQS chapters memorable/ major scenes

(Presenting my speculative Timeline + key chapters in JWQS)

Ch 23 (Marriage) (Jingjia 8th Year) Ch 31 (Qi Yan first targets Chuntao, the soup incident) Ch 47 (Qi Yan's eyes have brightness for the first time since her kingdom was invaded 10 years ago) Ch 70 (Jingnu 15) first kiss (scary) Ch 96 -97 (Jingnu 15) proper memorable kiss after Jingnu's birthday (Jingjia 9th year 10th Month)

(Jingnu's birthday is in the month of October)

Ch 108 (Jingnu 16)(Experiences her 1st period) Ch 111 (Qi Yan is scary) (Jingjia 10th Year 10th Month) Ch 121 (Jingnu 17) (first break point) Ch 132 (Jingnu sends Qi Yan away while making her the Viceroy of Jin Province) Jingjia 11th year Ch 133 (3 years have passed) Ch 136 (Jingnu 20)(Meeting after 3 years separation) (Jingjia 14th year) Ch 139 (Qi Yan became the Minister of Personal) Ch 140 (family time) Ch 141 (Qi Yan age 24) Ch 144 -145 (trying to repair the first break point) Ch 147 (Qi Yan gets a mental shock) ("My sister is having a night of passion with the daughter of the enemy?!")(Jingjia 14th year 11th Month )(Qi Yan burns her own estate) Ch 151-152 (Jingjia 15th year 3rd Month) (Qi Yan recovers from the Fuma estate Fire incident) (The Capital exam begins with Qi Yan as the main examiner) Ch 157 (Nangong Rang asks Qi Yan about her opinion of a Female emperor) Ch 158 ( Act as you see fit) Ch 159 (Qi Yan feelings are growing) Ch 170 (Qi Yan age 25) (Liu An matters solved) Ch 171 (OMG Qi Yan fell in an incurable love with the daughter of her enemy) Ch 174 (Palace exam begins.. Nangong Rang hosted it ) (Jingjia 15th year 5th Month) Ch 176 (Qi Yan sets off to the north of Luo) Ch 181 (Wolves scene) Ch 183 (Qi Yan meets Bayin after many years) (Jingjia 15th year) Apparently Jinwushu was brought to the grass plains at the age of 4, after that Bayin started acting as his guardian Ch 186 (The pride of Qiyan Agula returns) Ch 193 (Qi Yan and Jingnu reunion after a good amount of separation) Ch 212 (Intimate scenes (last for Qi Yan as male)) (Just be reckless this once) Ch 218 (Nangong Rang dies )(Jingjia 16th year 2nd Month) ( Qi Yan is 27) Ch 228 (Jingnu ascends the throne at the age of 23) Ch 229 (Jingjia 16th year 5th Month , Reign changes to Chengji) Ch 242 (Truth gets revealed) Ch 243 (Qi Yan confesses her identity) Ch 244 (Jingnu faints from the shocking new lmao) Ch 247 (Jingnu 's first gradual acceptance..of Qi Yan being a women) Ch 258 (Divorce comes…"Qi Yan…don't cry…") Ch 259 (Prison arc torture. Qi Yan - Age-28) Ch 263 (Jingnu finds the wooden sculpt pigs) Ch 268 (Qi Yan leaves …Oh dear…) Ch 270 (No fear when Da-Jie is here!) Ch 271 (Their first time) (Jingnu -23) (Qi Yan age 27) (7th month) Ch 277 (Grand enthronement ) Ch 279 (Bathing intimate scene) (Jingnu -25) Ch 286 (Rebellion of North Luo) Ch 288 (Qi Yan's mind deterioration first proper symptoms. …oh boy..) Ch 290 (Qi Yan meets Baishi again) Ch 293 (Bayin learns the truth….No longer Andas) (Also Qian Tong, all hail our saviour) (Jingnu -26) Ch 296 (REUNION with a lingering kiss) Ch 297 (Say..which of us is the wife?)(The fluff is just AHHHHH) Ch 301 (Qi Yan (age -30) learns of her parent's death…) Ch 302 (Ding You returns..) Ch 303 (Qi Yan fake dies) Ch 305 (darkest chapter of Qi Yan's life )

Jingjia 8th Year 3rd Month Capital Exam begins Qi Yan obtained the first position 5th Month Qi Yan becomes the Flower Seeker 6th Month Nangong Rang arranges the two marriages She gets sick again… Meets Ding You ,the Imperial doctor 12th Month Marriage of Qi Yan and Jingnu

Jingjia 9th Year 2nd Month Jingnu wishes for Qi Yan to live to a ripe old age 4th Month Initiates a scheme of the great Fire of Imperial Mausoluem and the Weiyang palace

Jingjia 10th Year 10th Month Qi Yan kills the saviour of her younger sister(along side many other innocent folks)

Jingjia 11th Year Qi Yan is under house arrest The witchcraft incident occurs Nangong Shunu meets Qiyan Nomin for the first time

Jingjia 14th Year Qi Yan becomes the minister of Personal 11th Month Learns of her sister 's relationship. . .. Qi Yan burns the Fuma estate

Jingjia 15th Year In the first two months , Qi Yan was still recovering from the damage from the Great Fire of the Fuma Estate 3rd Month Qi Yan becomes the main examiner of Capital exam (She receives the secret decree of "Act as you see fit) (Liu An incident occurs) Qi Yan entrusts her sister in Nangong Shunu's hands 5th Month Palace exams begins Meanwhile Qi Yan departs to the North of Luo as the Imperial Ambassador

(Jingjia 16th year = Chengji 1st year) Jingjia 16th Year 1st Month Qi Yan returns to the capital Spends an approx of 22 days in prison Schemes a plan to assassinate the sixth prince 2nd Month Qi Yan reveals her identity killing Nangong Rang in the process 5th Month Jingnu officially acsends the throne Chengji 1st Year 7th Month(3rd month since Jingnu's enthronement) Qi Yan aids Jingnu with the Sifang bank revenue 9th Month Qi Yan tells Xiao Die to confess about her identity 10th Month Qi Yan goes against the masked person's orders Her identity gets exposed

Chengji 2nd year 2nd Month Qi Yan's malicious crimes get exposed Jingnu divorces her 4th Month Qi Yan returns to the palace Gets thrown into jail for treason 5th Month Qi Yan officially becomes Qiyan Agula She is sent back to the north of Luo 7th Month Agula becomes "missing" Qi Yan returns to the palace They have their first time

Chengji 3rd year 3rd month Jingnu 's grand enthronement 9th month Masked person schemes activated

(Qi Yan lived in the restricted part of the palace for over a year)

Chengji 4th Year 4th Month Qi Yan resumes the position of Imperial Husband 5th Month Qi Yan learns of her parents' death 10th Month Qi Yan's memories start to relapse

The reason why (I think) Qi Yan starts to be amnesiac 1) Her mental health was already degrading which had am impact on her critical thought process 2) The red pill which Ding You gives her to remove the poison (the water disease + her womanly features) but it had a side effect which gave her a state of amnesia

Chengji 5th year 2nd Month They meet each other for last time before Qi Yan's death She paints a portrait of Jingnu (age -27) 3rd Month Qi Yan takes the death faking drugs

Chengji 6th year Jingnu crowns Shangyuan Fu as the Crown Prince Ding You successfully treats water disease

Qi Yan however has no past memories of past..

Chengji 7th year Jingnu takes care of Qi Yan's business Goes and digs Qi Yan 's grave too To find its empty

Chengji 8th year Jingnu started to travel in disguise(in search for Qi Yan in this vast world) Meanwhile Ding You suggests Qi Yan to go teach in a private school

Chengji 10th year Jingnu (Age -32) retires from the throne

1 year later of retirement They meet again with Qi Yan meeting her for the "first" time after Jingnu's 4 years of searching There is some hope as Qi Yan hugged Jingnu back Qi Yan (37) Jingnu (33)

My speculation (added with author's info) Within the next year Jingnu moved here, bought the school where Qi Yan was teaching Qi Yan moves in Jingnu 's estate

and they get married again! and this time its a love marriage! They drink the ceremonial wine which they didn't 20 years ago

Happily Ever After

[sirensea14]

This scene is way too shitty (ch 301 spoilersss)

Tanjiro and Zenitsu in an alternate universe🗿🗿🗿

(its low quality but it adds to the stuff😂)

Bonus to our boi

(tho this looks a bit bad, i may make a better one maybe soon, just not now XD)

[shallyne]

The Diary of Feyre Archeron Ch 5

This is just a tiny little chapter to wrap some questions up I had for myself because I am planning somewhat of a timejump next. Hope you enjoy! The whole fic is on AO3

Words: 603

TW: mentions of death and house fire

Newspaper article, August 1st

House fire in Dunmere kills three sisters

On the night of the first of August emergency services were alerted about a fire at the Archeron estate, Dove Lane 301. Three sisters died in the fire. Nesta Archeron (18), Elain Archeron (17) and Feyre Archeron (15). Experts say that the sisters must have already been dead at the time help arrived as only remains were found to identify the three young women.

The source of the fire is still being investigated but the police already released a statement that the fire estimatedly is not suspicious.

A tragedy hits the Archeron’s again as first the father of the three sisters, Conrad Archeron (45) has been arrested for various financial crime in May and the mother, Mary Archeron (41) has died of a stroke only three days prior to this accident.

Excerpt from a chat between Nesta and Elain Archeron on October 30th

2:16pm Elain: She's listening to the new Taylor Swift album. That's good, right?

2:17pm Nesta: 1989?

2:17pm Elain: yes

2:19pm Nesta: it's better than her listening to all too well again

Excerpt from Nesta Archerons diary

December 21st

I'm worried about Feyre Clare. We thought we just had to give her time to adjust but she has lost a lot of weight in the past three months because she barely eats and the dark circles under her eyes tell me she barely sleeps, too. She goes to work, at the restaurant down the road, comes home and locks herself in her room. Elain Daisy told me she heard Clare crying a few days ago while I was away tutoring.

Daisy even made Clare her favorite cake for her birthday today but she only picked at it before locking herself in her room again.

I am thankful for Rhy Clare’s friend, that he helped us to safety but I could throttle that man for breaking my sister's heart.

Excerpt from Elain Archerons diary

January 18th

I've been working today, helping a lovely, elderly woman with her garden and when I walked home I saw Clare through a window sitting in a Café. She didn't look happy but for once she didn't look devastated, either and she was eating something. I couldn't get a good look at what she was eating, it looked like a crossaint, but at least she was eating something.

I really hope she's recovering from the heartbreak she went through. I know first hand how badly heartbreak hurts after Grayson, I'll be there if Clare wants to talk.

Maybe she'll even eat dinner with us tonight!

Nesta Mara never was the best at expressing feelings or affection, thanks to our mother, but the past months she really tried with Clare. Getting her favorite meal when we could afford it, watching her favorite movie or even putting on her favorite artist while eating.

Clare has shown very little reaction, I'm not even sure she recognized all these little acts of kindness.

First we thought Clare was in shock but since we stepped into the train, she's been nothing but a shell of her old self.

Neither Mara nor me have realized how much we missed Clare’s antics until they were gone.

Excerpt from a chat between Feyre Archeron and Nesta Archeron on March 13th

1:56am Feyre: are you awake?

1:56am Nesta: yes, why?

1:58am Feyre: I'm hungry. Do you want to get a snack with me?

1:59am Nesta: sure, we still have leftover lasagna

2:00am Feyre: cupcakes, too?

2:00am Nesta: of course, Daisy left some for you edited

Feysand Taglist:

@captain-of-the-gwynriel-ship @starfall-spirit @rhysiedarling @corcracrow @sydney-fae25 @tothestarsandwhateverend @aayo-whatt @dreamlandreader

[thecrowperson]

Kaidou manga panels I like: (pt 301)

Adding Injury to an Insult: feat. Matsuzaki, Hairo, and Saiki

From: vol 16 ch 166

[every-monkey-d-luffy]

[every-chopper]

moss head idiot

[daiyanerd]

Ch 301 finally came out on the Kmanga app and it reminded me of this idea I had - he's singing to the tune of “Don't You Want Me?"

[sunflowercider]

1) god i wish we got a reaction shot of the crowd being shocked at the punch lmaoooo

2) tyrannus is being very helpful, nice.

3) lloyd has got HOW MANY years to live????? the last piece of the heart is WHERE????

[crabapplebread]

nice hawk

both hakuba and ikumi have very nice hairstyles

AHHHH I LOVE THIS CASE TAKE ME BACK TO THE FIRST TIME I EVER READ THIS CASE

the mystery, the backstory, the characters, all top tier 💯

Vol. 30, Ch. 301

[compneuropapers]

Interesting Papers for Week 34, 2024

Co-dependent excitatory and inhibitory plasticity accounts for quick, stable and long-lasting memories in biological networks. Agnes, E. J., & Vogels, T. P. (2024). Nature Neuroscience, 27(5), 964–974.

Action sequence learning, habits, and automaticity in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Banca, P., Herrojo Ruiz, M., Gonzalez-Zalba, M. F., Biria, M., Marzuki, A. A., Piercy, T., … Robbins, T. W. (2024). eLife, 12, e87346.4.

The dynamic state of a prefrontal–hypothalamic–midbrain circuit commands behavioral transitions. Chen, C., Altafi, M., Corbu, M.-A., Trenk, A., van den Munkhof, H., Weineck, K., … Ponomarenko, A. (2024). Nature Neuroscience, 27(5), 952–963.

Transformation of Motion Pattern Selectivity from Retina to Superior Colliculus. DePiero, V. J., Deng, Z., Chen, C., Savier, E. L., Chen, H., Wei, W., & Cang, J. (2024). Journal of Neuroscience, 44(20), e1704232024.

Distributed representations of prediction error signals across the cortical hierarchy are synergistic. Gelens, F., Äijälä, J., Roberts, L., Komatsu, M., Uran, C., Jensen, M. A., … Canales-Johnson, A. (2024). Nature Communications, 15, 3941.

Learning‐induced bidirectional enhancement of inhibitory synaptic metaplasticity. Kundu, S., Paul, B., Reuevni, I., Lamprecht, R., & Barkai, E. (2024). Journal of Physiology, 602(10), 2343–2358.

Retuning of hippocampal representations during sleep. Maboudi, K., Giri, B., Miyawaki, H., Kemere, C., & Diba, K. (2024). Nature, 629(8012), 630–638.

Encoding Manual Dexterity through Modulation of Intrinsic α Band Connectivity. Maddaluno, O., Della Penna, S., Pizzuti, A., Spezialetti, M., Corbetta, M., de Pasquale, F., & Betti, V. (2024). Journal of Neuroscience, 44(20), e1766232024.

Simultaneous, cortex-wide dynamics of up to 1 million neurons reveal unbounded scaling of dimensionality with neuron number. Manley, J., Lu, S., Barber, K., Demas, J., Kim, H., Meyer, D., … Vaziri, A. (2024). Neuron, 112(10), 1694-1709.e5.

Differential contributions of the hippocampal dentate gyrus and CA1 subfield to mnemonic discrimination. Mitchnick, K. A., Marlatte, H., Belchev, Z., Gao, F., & Rosenbaum, R. S. (2024). Hippocampus, 34(6), 278–283.

Biases in hand perception are driven by somatosensory computations, not a distorted hand model. Peviani, V. C., Miller, L. E., & Medendorp, W. P. (2024). Current Biology, 34(10), 2238-2246.e5.

Parallel processing of quickly and slowly mobilized reserve vesicles in hippocampal synapses. Rodriguez Gotor, J. J., Mahfooz, K., Perez-Otano, I., & Wesseling, J. F. (2024). eLife, 12, e88212.3.

Inferring control objectives in a virtual balancing task in humans and monkeys. Sadeghi, M., Sharif Razavian, R., Bazzi, S., Chowdhury, R. H., Batista, A. P., Loughlin, P. J., & Sternad, D. (2024). eLife, 12, e88514.3.

Theta and alpha oscillations in human hippocampus and medial parietal cortex support the formation of location‐based representations. Satish, A., Keller, V. G., Raza, S., Fitzpatrick, S., & Horner, A. J. (2024). Hippocampus, 34(6), 284–301.

Multisensory Integration Underlies the Distinct Representation of Odor-Taste Mixtures in the Gustatory Cortex of Behaving Rats. Stocke, S., & Samuelsen, C. L. (2024). Journal of Neuroscience, 44(20), e0071242024.

A Bayesian observer model reveals a prior for natural daylights in hue perception. Su, Y., Shi, Z., & Wachtler, T. (2024). Vision Research, 220, 108406.

Sleep pressure modulates single-neuron synapse number in zebrafish. Suppermpool, A., Lyons, D. G., Broom, E., & Rihel, J. (2024). Nature, 629(8012), 639–645.

Reinforcement Motor Learning After Cerebellar Damage Is Related to State Estimation. White, C. M., Snow, E. C., & Therrien, A. S. (2023). The Cerebellum, 23(3), 1061–1073.

Sensorimotor adaptation to destabilizing dynamics in weakly electric fish. Yang, Y., Yared, D. G., Fortune, E. S., & Cowan, N. J. (2024). Current Biology, 34(10), 2118-2131.e5.

Performance errors during rodent learning reflect a dynamic choice strategy. Zhu, Z., & Kuchibhotla, K. V. (2024). Current Biology, 34(10), 2107-2117.e5.

[amatchinwater]

Pairing: Briles

Warnings: mentions of past stalking, Donovan is an idiot

Ao3 Masterlist

Devenford Academy

Ch 2: Pack- Synonymous with Family

Ch 1

---

By some miracle, Stiles didn’t get lost on his way to class. His first lesson was Magic-301. It took him and his teacher all of a five minute introduction to realize he’s a lot smarter than this. A big thanks to his mother’s journals. Unfortunately, Devenford doesn’t offer higher level lessons, so they swapped it out for a free period. Stiles being able to sleep in is definitely a plus in his book.

His astronomy class was pretty cool. Stiles is very excited to learn how to read and map the stars. It’s fascinating to him. He had really hoped he wouldn’t have to sit through mundane classes like math. But Stiles walked into his trigonometry class just the same. It can help with complex spells and even the occasional potion, so the teacher said. The spark would’ve preferred being back in Harris’ class. He’s never been all that good at math. Or science.

Though his stomach is rumbling viciously, the spark opts for a bag of chips and an apple. Also not all that ready to meet the pack officially, Stiles heads out the front doors. Sitting on the edge of the dragon fountain to read. Someone let a bunch of knots get tangled in his stomach when Stiles thinks too much about his predicament. Or about the pack.

It’s quite annoying. He hasn’t been riddled with nerves this bad in a long time. The sick to his stomach feeling when his father passed was different. That was a harrowing, the world is ending, I’m not even eighteen and on my own type of anxiety. Stiles is half tempted to find a spell to help him get a grip. But Stiles knows better than that. Even for someone with experience, spells dealing with emotions are very finicky. Stiles would sooner devoid himself of all emotion by pure accident than actually help his anxiety.

The hairs on the back of his neck stand to attention after levitating his trash into the garbage. Stiles closes his bestiary textbook and looks around. Nothing sticks out, so he fiddles with his bag to seem occupied. He’s not a fool. Bushes rustle on his right.

There’s no wind.

“I know you’re there,” the spark sighs. He doesn’t know who, but there’s definitely someone lurking. When no one answers or makes themselves known, Stiles raises his hand, dragging the person through the air with his magic. The dark haired boy in the same green jacket as Stiles jerks towards him, hovering in the air. 

So he’s a student too at least.

The spark gets up, dangling the boy over the fountain. “Who are you and why are you watching me?” Stiles wiggles his fingers with a smirk, “I’d answer quickly.”

“You must be Stiles,” he laughs nervously, “I’ve heard so much about you,” the guy says. “Could you maybe put me down and we can talk?”

“Yeah, that’s not what I asked,” the spark says, “but sure, I’ll put you down.”

“W-w-wait, no-” the guy yelps.

“Stiles, wait!” An unfamiliar voice behind him yells.

He stops the stranger mid-fall, his butt dangerously close to the water. “Seriously?” Stiles groans, turning around to find Brett jogging towards them. “What?”

“That’s Donovan.” The Alpha’s eyes flash red, raising both hands in defense. Stiles’ must be glowing purple if that’s the wolf’s reaction. “He’s my Beta.”

“Is that meant to matter to me?” The spark snaps, “he was watching me from the bushes!”

Brett breathes out a laugh, dropping his hands, “I never said he was smart. Please, would you put him down?” The wolf nods his head to the side, “maybe not in the fountain?”

Stiles rolls his eyes and with a flick of his wrist, Donovan hits the grass with a thud and a groan. “Beta or not, I don’t take kindly to people stalking me.” Flashes of his ex-girlfriend Malia dance in his brain. The spark won’t go through that again. “Next time there won’t be a warning.”

“I’m sorry,” the Beta stands up, brushing himself off. “I didn’t mean to be a creep.”

“What the fuck else did you expect?” Brett turns to his packmate, towering over him. “Were you thinking at all?”

Donovan ducks his head, “I’m sorry. I know he’s close with Isaac and knows Liam. But I promise I was just thinking of the pack. I wanted to see what kind of person he was by himself. If he’s going to be in the pack, we should know who he is.”

“Hang on-”

Brett cuts him off, “if you have suspicions, you bring them to me. Kind of my job, in case you forgot.” He may not be a wolf, but Stiles can recognize Alpha tone when he hears it. He wishes it wasn’t hot. “And whether or not he joins the pack is entirely up to Stiles,” Brett adds.

“I’m sorry, Stiles,” Donovan repeats himself, looking genuinely apologetic. “I really didn’t mean to scare you, just find out who you are.”

Stiles sighs, “it’s okay. I’ve just been stalked before. So I’ve learned to keep a better eye on my surroundings.” The bell rings, ending the lunch period. The spark collects his things to leave. “But Donovan,” he turns back towards the pair.

“Yeah?” The Beta looks torn between being afraid and hopeful.

“I haven’t decided about being in the pack or not,” he starts. Stiles just got here. Though being permanently aligned with Isaac and Liam is a major incentive. He wants to think first. And meet the others properly. “But next time you want to figure out who I am, just ask. Make it easy on all of us, ‘kay?”

Donovan beams, nodding, “you got it!”

He turns to leave, hearing Brett say, “I’ll deal with you later.”

“Yes, Alpha,” the Beta whispers.

A shiver forces itself down Stiles’ spine as he heads to his next class.

—

The universe or something really enjoys playing games with Stiles. There’s just simply no other viable explanation. Brett is not in just a couple of Stiles’ classes, Liam. The Alpha is in all three classes after lunch.

Luckily, health class, his hour immediately following lunch was almost full by the time Stiles made it there. With only a handful of open seats left, the spark sat at the one in the middle. Brett walked in not thirty seconds after, a devilish grin on his face when he sees the spark. The Alpha sat directly behind him, not saying anything but Stiles could feel his gaze the whole class.

Stiles has never run out of a classroom once dismissed so quickly in his life. Not even after leaving Harris’ class was the spark that hasty. If his old chemistry teacher saw eagerness to leave, he’d gladly keep you until the next bell.

Continuing his streak of luck, his next to last class of the day, Isaac was waiting for Stiles with an open seat as promised when they went over his schedule. The desk was near the window, so no chance of someone- Brett- sitting next to him. The Alpha was stuck in front of his Beta. It’s still close to the spark, but far enough away that if the wolf tried to watch him during class, the teacher would know and he’d get in trouble.

The spark isn’t trying to be rude either. But every time the Alpha has laid eyes on him, Stiles suddenly feels like prey. That Brett is the big bad wolf ready to gobble him up on the way to Grandma’s house. It’s also the fact that when the wolf had to use his authoritative voice, the spark’s knees wanted to buckle. It was unnecessarily hot. Honestly. Maybe Stiles should take a trip to the guidance counselor’s office. Shrink his head back down to size.

Because as undeniably attractive Brett is, he’s also intimidating as all hell. The way that just a simple alteration of his voice makes others fall in line. The general aura of authority his shoulders carry. His confidence. How the scarlet color of his eyes fit him so fucking well. It’s insane.

And yet, despite all of it, the spark is still attracted to him.

They interacted properly once! One time! If one could even consider Brett asking Stiles not to drown his Beta proper.

He’s in way over his head, Stiles is sure of it.

Best to avoid the flirty Alpha as much as possible. At least until the spark gets used to Brett’s presence and isn’t as affected by simple words. Or looks. 

“Thinking about me, Gorgeous,” the Alpha comes up behind the spark, brushing their arms together.

Stiles hopes the wolf doesn’t notice the goosebumps he caused. “No,” the spark says, pointedly looking ahead.

Brett chuckles, a lazy smirk plastered to his lips, “you don’t have to lie to me, Stiles.”

Had he mentioned how much he hates- loves- the wolf saying his name? All husky and melodious sounding. It’s infuriating. “I’m not lying,” Stiles hugs the bestiary to his chest as if it’d protect him. Wildly surprising, it does literally nothing but give the spark a small semblance of security.

Placebos and denial are powerful things.

“Oh, Stiles,” the wolf leans his head back with a breathless laugh. The spark does not look at that beautifully tan column, no siree. “Do you know nothing about werewolves?” Brett leans in with a grin, like sharing a secret, “or does Isaac just not call you out on your bullshit?” The spark sputters, torn between wanting to laugh or rebuke the accusation some more. “That’s what I thought,” the Alpha wraps his arm around his shoulder.

“Don’t you have something better to do than bother me?” Stiles asks, hoping to change the subject and put the wolf in the hot seat instead. “Like, I don’t know, going to your own class?” Gods willing, it will be far away from the spark.

Brett taps the book still snuggly tucked to Stiles’ chest, “I am.”

Please no.

Someone be looking out for the spark. Anyone, honestly. There’s just no fucking way that the wolf is in all of his afternoon classes. He refuses to believe that. Not even the universe can be that cruel. It can’t be.

But the Alpha raises the same exact textbook in the hand not wrapped around him. Which, why is Stiles still allowing it to be there? Because he’s lying, right. “Looks like we have another class together. Lucky me,” Brett winks at him as they avoid more people to turn the corner.

More like people avoid running into them.

“Why,” Stiles snorts, unable to stop the words, “so you can stroke something else for me under the desk?” He regrets it the second they leave his mouth.

Brett’s voice is right in his ear, “if you’re into that sort of thing, Gorgeous.” He swears he feels the Alpha’s lips bump against his earlobe, “and only if you ask me really nicely.”

The spark shivers despite himself. Stiles really needs to have a nice long talk with his filter. Because there was zero thought process behind that statement. The words just spilled out of their own accord. It’s quite irritating how much his mouth gets him into trouble without his brain’s permission.

Stiles blissfully ignores what just happened, walking into the classroom. Hopefully he can escape the Alpha.

He should stop being surprised at this point.

Or hopeful.

“Ah, you must be Mr. Stilinski,” the teacher behind the desk says. “I’m Mr. Argent,” the man says, “have you been finding your way around Devenford okay?”

“Stiles, and yeah-”

Brett cuts him off again, arm returning around the spark’s shoulder, “Isaac and I have been helping him around.”

That seems to placate the teacher. A smile grows on the man’s face, crinkling around his blue eyes, “glad to see you’re in capable hands, Stiles. Please, take a seat.”

“Come on,” the Alpha guides him through the classroom. “You can sit with me,” Brett says, arm never leaving until they’re actually seated. Stiles doesn’t miss the way the blonde-haired girl moves to a different table so they can sit together. 

—

When the final bell rings, Stiles runs out of the classroom before the wolf can get any ideas. Brett kept his hands to himself, thankfully. The spark just really doesn’t think he can handle much more today. Or the next week for that matter. And what the hell was that about the girl just giving up her seat for him?

It’s like Brett is king shit around here or something.

All the more reason for Stiles to stay away. He doesn’t want or need that kind of attention.

He somehow manages to eat dinner in peace and quiet. Probably because he ate in solitude again. No Donovan snooping around in the bushes. No Isaac ensuring the spark that he’s not alone. But above all, no Brett and his sexy looks and flirtatious comments. 

It was quite boring, but mostly nice.

Gave the spark a moment to breathe.

Until he goes back to the room for the night.

Isaac is lounging on his bed with the blonde girl that moved seats. They’re laughing over something Liam and a dark-skinned boy are arguing about on the floor. Donovan is laying sideways on their armchair, offering a meek smile when he sees the spark. But sitting on Stiles’ bed is fucking Brett.

How is this his life?

Why is this his life?

The Alpha was kind enough to take his shoes off at least. Though that means very little to the spark seeing as Brett is practically hugging his pillow. “Hey, Stiles,” the wolf says in a sultry tone, a devilish smirk on his lips.

The spark’s brain forgets how to operate. Seeing Brett on his bed, like he was waiting for him to get back. And then sounding like that. It makes Stiles swallow with an audible click. 

He waves at the Alpha for the sake of being polite. The spark’s gaze however, is on his best friend that hasn’t noticed him yet. “Uh, Is?”

The wolf startles out of his laugh, “shit, Stiles, hey.”

“What’s going on, buddy?” The spark can’t hide the sarcasm if he wanted to.

“Sorry,” Isaac sits up, “we couldn’t find you at dinner. I was going to introduce everyone then. But since you weren’t around and they were coming over tonight anyway, I figured meeting in the comfort of your own room would be okay.”

His best friend did mention that the pack was giving him a day to adjust. It’s been a day. Stiles really should’ve expected this after hiding during dinner. The spark just wanted to hide from Brett.

Can’t do that with the Alpha on his bed.

“I won’t bite,” Brett says, putting his pillow down to sit up against the spark’s headboard instead. Patting the space beside him, the ‘unless you want me to’ may not be said out loud, but it’s obvious in his smirk.

If it wasn’t Stiles’ own fucking bed, he would sit on the floor. Only that the spark is a stubborn bitch to his very core. So he drops his bag by his nightstand and plops himself next to the Alpha. Kicking his shoes off, Stiles bends one of his legs. He wishes he’d shown up first, he could’ve changed. The spark at least takes his uniform jacket off.

“Actually, no,” Stiles gets off his bed, “I can’t be in this uniform any longer.” That earns him a snicker from everyone. The pack got to get in comfy clothes, he should be allowed to as well. He quickly grabs some pajamas and runs into their bathroom. Changed and much more at ease, Stiles drops the dirty clothes in the hamper and rejoins the Alpha. “Sorry, guys.”

“You’re fine,” Brett says, propping his arm on the spark’s bent knee. The touch instantly warms and calms him despite every other time. The spark doesn’t want to think about what that means. Not at all. “You already met Donovan.”

“Who’s still really sorry, by the way,” the Beta winces through a smile. “I hope you’re not still pissed about that.”

Stiles is still a little weary, but he knows that it ultimately came from a good place. “Just don’t do it again and we’re good.”

“No problem.”

“Sorry,” Isaac points between them, “what have I missed?”

“Donovan was keeping tabs on Stiles,” Brett explains. “From the bushes.”

The girl on the bed groans, “dude!”

Isaac rubs his face, “what the hell, bro?”

“It’s fine. I handled it,” the spark cuts in before the wolf can lose his mind. He knows all about Malia and probably quickly realized how well the situation with his packmated turned out. “So did Brett,” Stiles adds.

The hand on his shin squeezes lightly, “I’ve got you.” Surely the others heard even though it was whispered to him. But the others act as if they haven’t heard a thing. “That’s Mason,” he points to the dark-skinned boy next to Liam. “He’s a spark.” He knows that already, but it’s nice to finally put a face to the name.

“It’s nice to meet another spark,” Mason waves at him.

“For sure,” Stiles agrees. “Maybe we can teach each other a thing or two.”

The other spark snickers, “probably more you than me. From what I hear, you’re brilliant.”

“Yes, I talk about my best friend, deal with it,” Isaac says at the look Stiles shot at him.

“I’m Lori,” the girl pipes up before the Alpha can.

“My sister,” Brett grumbles, patting his leg. To remind Stiles he’s there and that the spark is allowing the touching again or he’s restless? Looking between the two, he can see the similarities. Makes sense now why she was willing to give up her seat for him.

The she-wolf smiles at him, “if it makes you feel any better, Isaac isn’t the only one. I’ve heard plenty about you. I feel like I know you already.”

“Lori,” Brett growls in warning.

She laughs, “what? Someone needs to knock you down a peg or two.”

“I like you,” Stiles tells her with a grin, overjoyed at the fact that Brett finally seems embarrassed for once.

Things calm down after that. Everyone is talking and getting along. Brett’s hand never leaves some part of him, constant contact that the spark kind of doesn’t mind. It’s actually really nice to be around the pack. Stiles might even be able to get used to it.