#destiny ex-titan

[bottleoflemons]

oh, what a funny year to disappear

you've been cleared of the worst crimes

[roturo]

Written All Over Your Face dick grayson x reader

→ summary: “Well, you know what they say, Love and Hate are two sides of a very, very thin line. For what I can see, you have a pent up sexual frustration written all over your face Dick.”

→ warnings: SMUT. p in v, unprotected sex (don't be dumb and wrap it), enemies to lovers, heroe!reader, breeding kink, bulge kink ¿?, not proof-read, possessive behavior, begging...

words: 2k

TUMBLR IS BASED ON A REBLOG SYSTEM. PLEASE REBLOG MY WORK. THANK YOU. ENJOY. SMUT BELOW THE CUT.

Being a heroe wasn't easy. Neither being considered a competition for Nightwing. The Ex-Robin. The Dick Grayson.

Both being ¨super-heroes¨ with no powers brought many controversial articles between you two, not only at the Gotham-Batman times, but also now at the new Titans times.

You never thought seeing him again and his boyish smile and attitude. No wonder why he has many girls falling for him, not only as Nightwing, but also as his real identity. But this rough times between the heroes, made the destiny bringing you together again.

Both of you had mutual friends, and when Dawn invited you to meet the new Titans, and asked you for help to train them, you never thought of seeing him again, neither of both of you training teenage kids how to become high quality-trained super heroes.

¨Sorry.¨ Were the last words you heard from Dawn, when she left you with bird boy at the training room, giving you an apologetic smile.

God bless her natural charm and being the trusting friend she is because you couldn't hit her face right now with the rage you're feeling.

¨Hi!¨ A green-haired boy said to you, he had the same, maybe not as pretty, boyish smile like Grayson. ¨Hello...?¨

¨Gar.¨ He told you, not putting down the smile.

With just a nod and a not so happy smile, your eyes moved into a purple-haired girl, who just smiled at you and said her name. ¨Rachel.¨ She hit the boy next to her with her elbow, murmuring his name.

¨Jason.¨ He said, ¨Is this your girlfriend Dick? Because she's pretty good looking for a guy like you. But yeah, what she's doing here anyways?¨

Oh. Yeah. Bird boy. He's here.

¨Yeah Grayson, what’s going on?¨ Completely ignoring the fact Dick was about to answer Jason’s question with furrowed brows and you obviously knowing why you're here since Dawn explained you. ¨And no, i'm not his girlfriend.¨ You looked at Jason with a smile which changed into a fake smile when your eyes returned to Dick. ¨He wishes.¨ You said, your head turning to the side, obviously trying to make him angry. At which he only scoffed, knowing you well enough to know what you were trying. ¨Yeah number two, maybe we can just pass at me explaining you why you´re here.¨

Number two? He WISHES.

¨I know why am I here. I don´t know if your little brain remembers you made Dawn bring me here to help you train this kids.¨ You got closer to him, not breaking eye contact. ¨And number two? pfft, If you were number one, maybe you wouldn't have been replaced by new Robin here.¨

That got him exactly where you wanted him. He might seem like a strong and rough guy, but behind all that image of big boy, there’s nothing else but trauma.

You couldn’t help but notice how his jaw clenched at the small giggle Jason let when you mentioned Dick being replaced. Side-eyeing him, Jason stopped. Dick sighed trying to calm himself down.

“First. I didn’t know Dawn brought you here, she just told me about bringing the perfect person to help me train them, I was not expecting you.” You could tell he was still angry at the remark, so he wanted to correct you. “Second. I didn’t got replaced. I left Wayne by choice of mine.”

“And third. I’m not longer Robin.”

It got into a really tense vibe between you and Dick trying to kill each-other with just your eyes, everyone in silence, clearly uncomfortable at this new encounter.

“Can both of you stop eye-fucking eachother and can we finally start the training?” Jason said, trying to bring both of you back to earth.

That clearly caught both of your attention to what Jason said, clearly annoyed at the wrong remark of how both of you were looking at each-other. “We’re not “eye-fucking” each-other Jason, stop getting into other’s people conversations.” With that, Dick started grabbing everything for the training of today, moving on. Jason just raised his arms at the air, (like when they’re showing they’re not armed), with a small smirk on his face.

“Well, you know what they say, Love and Hate are two sides of a very, very thin line. For what I can see, you have a pent up sexual frustration written all over your face Dick.”

That brought a hard, and big laugh to your face, how could Jason say that? This kids don’t even respect their “leader” This was going to be a funny training.

After what seemed like 1 hour of training, and getting to know the kids, you could get which were the flaws and weaknesses. Maybe you couldn’t understand quite well Rachel’s powers, but some time will do it.

You asked Gar where you could sleep the night, since it was already getting late and your most likely staying some days here, you'll also need some extra clothes at least for today.

Gar told you to stay in the spare room next's to Dick's, great, what a nice neighbor you have. He also gave you some clothes you could use tonight, tomorrow you could go back to your place and get some clothes, your skincare.... and I guess your super-hero suit.

When going out of the bathroom after a long shower (which you deserved), Dick was standing there, shirtless, all sweaty, and just with some grey sweatpants on... he looks.... nice, yeah. Obviously annoyed but when he saw you, his face turned into... panic?

He doesn't know what's happening to him right now, might be stress he needs to get relieved, yeah, sure, that's the reason he feels his pants getting tighter every-second he keeps looking at you right now.

¨Are you okay bird-boy why´re you just static over here, I know you have problems, but this a new one.¨ You looked up and down at Dick's figure, obviously checking him out, not like he needs to find out, noticing he´s quite handsome, not like you would tell him also, he's hot, and he knows it.

¨That´s... That´s my shirt¨ Was all that Dick could say, well, shit.

You knew the t-shirt had a distinct laundry soap scent which remind you of someone, and maybe a pint of perfume, but who could blame you?! Might be Gar's or Jason's!

¨And those... are my boxers.¨ double shit.

You could see he was obviously blushed and you're sure you are too, but what a coincide. It's like you could hear Rachel, Gar and Jason's laughing at the both of you.

¨Well... do want me to give them back at you?¨ You broke the tense silence, trying to take your, his, shirt-off, completely forgetting you're in front of him, you needed to find a way out of here.

¨No, no, no, stop! Leave it there, then you give it back to me.¨ He assured you, grabbing your hands and pulling them down with your, his? t-shirt. ¨And it looks better on you anyways.¨ That's all he said before speed entering to the bath-room.

¨Hey Dick!, Wait.¨ To say you couldn't feel the wetness of your pussy going out and asking for some relief, would be considered a crime. ¨What do you ne-¨ You cut him off by entering the bath-room closing the door in the process, both of your lips connecting in a perfect symphony like they were made for each-other. He left a sudden whine at the loss of the soft touch of your lips.

¨Oh.¨ Was all he could say, you don't understand what happened to you, it wasn't definitely a normal behavior between you two. ¨Oh my god. I'm so sorry Dick, I don't know what happened to me, i'm-¨ You couldn't finish the last sentence when you felt his lips in yous again. A little hesitant this time, he stops, unsure of his actions, but he lose it all. ¨Do it again.¨

That's all he needed to continue kissing you, hands caressing you neck, positioning them as a chocking posture, later going to trace your jaw as he continues kissing you.

He started giving you kisses trailing down your chin, making you moan at the specific spot that made your legs shake, he started leaving love bites between your chest, later going down on you, pulling your t-shirt upwards, getting between your breasts and marking them as his.

¨Please Dick... Please make me feel good.¨ It´s like something got into him when his hands started roaming your body like crazy, pulling your shirt off, your hand reaching his sweatpants, and later his cock, noticing he has no underwear under neat it. ¨It's like you were ready for this bird-boy, ah!-¨ Even when you try to tease him, he finds a way to tease you back even in a better way, his fingers playing with your nipple had you giddy and trembling. ¨Be a good girl if you want me to fuck you.¨

All you could do is nod and start stroking his hard cock, already leaking pre-cum which made the stroking easier, playing with the head had him as a moaning mess.

“Fuck, wait — shit. Mm— fuck. Wh-where did you learn to do that?” He left a whiny moan at the lose of your touch.

“Well, the noises you make are a pretty good indication of how you like it.” He man-handled you, turning you around, making you see yourself at the mirror.

“…God you sound so fucking cocky right now and it’s turning me on even more.”  He ripped apart the boxers you were wearing. ¨Don't worry, I have plenty more.¨ Fuck him and his fucking pretty smile.

With no more waiting, he positioned himself, and started thrusting into you. He fits just right, and could touch all the places you couldn't reach.

“Let me know if I’m doing anything wrong, okay? I want to make you feel as good as possible.” Even when he's fucking your brains out, he finds a way to be that kind and nice guy he is.

“O-Okay.”  Was all you could tell him, before & after some moans and whines from both of you, one specific thrust had you seeing stars.

His hand lingered down your tummy and he moaned at the bump he could feel, when he was going in and out with his thrusts. ¨Oh baby, I'm going to make you mine, fill you up.¨

He started playing with your clit, it had you crazy all the feelings of his body, his thrusts, him.

¨´You´re so good for me, all for me... 'm gonna' fill you up with my babies, 'm gonna make you a mommy, full of my cum every-day just to make sure.¨

That was all you needed to cum, with just some last thrusts he came inside you too, fulfilling his promise of keeping you full of his cum. He waited for you to calm down, before he inserted two of his fingers, recollecting the cum that was falling out your hole, inserting it inside you again, making you moan at the sudden intrusion.

He got the tub ready, and got you inside it, in front of him while he cleaned your sore body while kissing it.

¨I can't believe it took me all this years to realize how I feel about you.¨ Your heart was anxious at how your confession would be received.

¨Doesn't take an idiot to figure out. You couldn't tell I was and I am in love with you because you were too busy trying to beat all that rivalry. I was in love the moment you kicked my ass for the first time.¨

You chuckled at the confession, and laid your head on his shoulder where you could see his dumb smirk. ¨You have that stupid smirk on your face again, can't you have a serious conversation with me?, can we fight again?¨

He laughed at your comment ¨Not a possible thing for me when you look this cute all marked by me and confessing your feelings for me.¨ The small pecks he started leaving on your neck and back had you giggling.

¨I love you.¨

¨I love you too, bird-boy.¨

[hellfire--cult]

Inspired by this TikTok

Cupid!Eddie x Fem!Reader - Oneshot

Request - Eddie's past - Back to Hawkins

Words: 10.7K

Warnings: Pure absolute fluff and romantical tension. No Smut. You will fall in love with Dorito.

Summary: After bad dates and a heartbreak, you believe god is playing jokes on you. You believe love is not for you anymore, but your own personal cupid comes to the rescue to change just that... You just never thought he would look like that.

A/N: IDK I just loved the idea of that TikTok showing Cupid falling for the girl he is supposed to help, and I found myself writing a whole fucking oneshot of Eddie being the protagonist. Personally, I love this couple! So if you want to send some asks, or blurbs for me to write, I would love to write more oneshots of these two, or even imagines! (and smut ofc) SO ASK AWAY.

If you do get inspired by this story or Cupid!Eddie, please, credit properly! I would love to read or watch whatever you guys make! ❤️ Anyways, ENJOY, and remember that if you liked the story, a reblog is very much appreciated! ❤️

And follow me for more oneshots and series!

You were sure this was a joke.

Like, this had to be a cruel joke sent by someone or anything at all. You were minding your own business, at your company’s annual party, and you could invite guests this year. 

Now, you didn’t expect your own fucking boss, who is ten years older than you, to walk in with your Ex-Boyfriend, hand in hand. The man who told you he loved you, asked for your hand in marriage, and the very next day he told you it was all an impulse. 

You left him on the spot.

That was a year ago, but to see him again, hand in hand with your own boss, who met him before, was just a cruel joke. You almost dropped your glass of champagne as they smiled while walking, introducing themselves to people. The worst part of it all? They looked genuinely happy. You could see it when he would lean over to whisper something in her ear, and she would giggle, or the soft touches of hers fixing his tie, or a strand of hair out of place. 

You were a mess, for a whole year, trying to move on, going date after date, with people that weren’t even in your own interest, but you never rejected a date. But you were now tired, wanting a connection, and it seems like God wanted to laugh at you right now, because he was showing you how your Ex had no problem in doing so, and it seems he found an even better match.

So you went home. You didn’t even stay for the party, and you didn’t even introduce yourself to them. You have seen enough for the night, and all you wanted to do was to get home, pet your fat cat called Dorito, and head to bed. Maybe cry a little.

Makeup gone, hair up in a messy bun, long oversized shirt on, and a pair of large sweatpants, you hopped in your bed with Dorito on your lap, and turned on the TV to find something suitable to watch while you drift to sleep.

But it seems now Cupid wants to laugh at you too.

You change channel through channel. Titanic, The Notebook, Harry meets Sally, Dear John, and fucking Breakfast at Tiffany’s. 

“Are you fucking kidding me you son of a cunt!” Dorito perked up, alarmed, looking at you and you were huffing angrily through your nose, staring at the screen across your bed, turning it off completely and throwing your remote to the floor. You held onto Dorito, under its armpits and made him stand on your lap, in front of you.

“Mreow~” He greeted you and you just felt your eyes fill with hot tears as you looked at him.

“Is cupid playing some fucking joke to me? Why does he get a happy ending and I had no luck whatsoever? Why?! I was the one who got hurt!” Your cat tilted its head to the side as you kept your rant going on, anger and sadness coming out of your mouth. “Fuck love, fuck destiny, fuck the cunt cupid is.” 

The doorbell rang, startling you and Dorito out of your stare contest.

“What the fuck…” You looked at your phone and tapped on it to look at the time. 10:25 PM. Maybe a neighbor in your building had a problem, or needs help with something? You stood up, putting Dorito on your bed, and walked towards the door, looking through the peephole. A man you don’t recognize stood there, long hair down, wearing a black leather jacket and he wasn’t facing the door.

You slowly opened it, a sweet smell invading your nostrils , and you realized he was just a tad taller than you. You cleared your throat and he turned around to flash a dimpled smile towards your way and you felt like your throat had caught on fire by how beautiful this man looked to you.

“Hi! I’m Eddie.” He introduced himself to you and you slowly blinked, coming back to your senses and realizing just how horrible you look right now. You had no makeup on, a messy bun in your head, your sleepwear was on, and you had Stitch slippers on your feet. You blushed a deep red and introduced yourself to him, wanting the earth to swallow you whole.

“Are you new in the building?” He looked around and then back down at you and shook his head.

“No, I’m here for work.”

“Work?”

“Yeah, I’m your Cupid.”

Blink.

Blink.

Blink.

What did he just say?

“I’m sorry, what?” You were stunned on the ground, staring at the crazy man before you. 

“Like I said, I’m your cupid. I’m here to help you find your one destined partner, and for you to also apologize for the way you–”

You closed the door on his face. No. No way. This is some sick dream of yours, it has to be! Maybe the glass of champagne you took was enough for you to lose your senses and your right mind. Or maybe you’ve gone crazy with loneliness. That is also a really big possibility that you weren’t going to deny. You locked your door, stepped away from it and took a deep breath in.

“Okay, that was weird.” You walked towards your room again, only to scream at the top of your lungs when you saw that man laying against the headboard of your bed, petting your cat that was purring on his chest.

“It is very rude to slam doors on people’s faces.” He glared at you as Dorito started doing biscuits on his chest. You were breathing heavily with your hand on your chest and you pointed at your living room and back at him, and repeated the motion again.

“But you– There– And now here– how?” You couldn’t even formulate a good question. You were completely shocked, because a strange man, who claims to be a being that doesn’t exist, was on your bed, petting your cat with no care in the world. 

“Like I said, I’m cupid. Your cupid to be exact.” He explains as Dorito nuzzles his face against his neck, purring wildly. He is an affectionate cat, but only with you really, so you were surprised he was even doing this to a random man that was on your bed. Who MAGICALLY appeared in your bed.

“What the actual fuck, am I drugged or some shit?”

“Nope.”

“High?”

“Nope.”

“Did I get drunk and didn’t notice?”

“Not really, no.”

“Did I go crazy?”

“Not for now, no.” He was looking at you while you rambled on and on, being patient. You were trying to correct your breathing, gulping loudly as you nodded once in thought.

“Okay… Okay, this is fine… This happens in real life, completely normal…” You said more to yourself than anyone else in the room as you sat at the edge of the bed, looking at nothing in particular. You heard Eddie sigh, as he put Dorito on his belly for him to lay there.

“I know it’s a lot to take, but I sensed you were a little bit distraught, and you even insulted me.” He says with a stern look on his face and you slowly turn to look at him with wide eyes.

“How is any of this real?”

“Alright. I’m going to explain it to you so you can finally digest what’s going on.” He readjusted himself, putting Dorito on his lap as he sat right next to you on the edge of the bed. “Everyone’s got a special cupid. We normally don’t get to work unless the person actually feels discouraged and hopeless in terms of love.” 

“I’m not discouraged–”

“Yes, yes you are, and I don’t blame you. Seeing an ex move on happily when you remain stuck is not something easy to see, much less if all the guys you’ve been seeing till now were a complete waste of time.” He says with a chuckle and you were still trying to comprehend what’s going on right now. Maybe you need to sleep, but if this is a dream, then might as well get some advice.

“Alright… So why are you sending me these guys that are horrible for me? Don’t you know who’s the one for me? Like my destined person?” You ask and he started petting your cat on his lap as it purred loudly while he looked forward.

“No. I don’t know who your match is, nor the one for you. And before today, I never sent anyone your way, nor made you fall for anyone, not even with your ex.” He explains to you and you were frowning in confusion at his words.

“I thought cupids, like… Throw an arrow through two people’s hearts and they fall in love.” At that Eddie lets out a wild laugh, shaking his head. 

“No, no… That’s all Cartoon stuff. We only help consummate a relationship. We help our person be hopeful about love again.” He explains to you and you were still wondering how he would help in this situation.

“So, how does this work?” 

“Well, I can make you meet people that might be of your taste, just out of pure coincidence. I can help you with your looks, with your confidence, and also advise you.” He finishes saying as Dorito lets out a big yawn and you couldn’t help but yawn as well, copying his movement. 

“So, you will basically hook me up with someone and hope for the best. Is that it?” He chuckles at you, shrugging and standing from the bed.

“Something like that, but we’ll see. For now, go to bed.” You were feeling your eyes growing heavy, and your body completely relaxed as the sweet scent invaded your nostrils. This was a good dream, knowing your mind made up a little cupid to feel hopeful of finding someone for you. The one.

Yeah, you really wanted to find the one.

Your eyes slowly opened, feeling so refreshed, like you had slept correctly for once in your life. 

You sighed happily when you felt Dorito purring loudly on your chest, waiting for you to wake up. You wrapped your arms around him, caressing him softly. 

“What a dream huh? You were in it too. This cupid dude showed up and you were all over him.” You giggled, sitting up on your bed and you sniffed the air. You slowly stood up, your stomach grumbling with the need of food in your system, and you walked out to the living room. 

You screamed.

“JESUS H. CHRIST!” Eddie thrashed around, the plate on his hand falling onto the sink as he finished washing it. He turned around to look at you with a frown to his brows and widened eyes. “What’s wrong with you?!”

“You– Am I still dreaming?” He sighed heavily, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. Dorito was meowing on your arms, trying to get away and you put him down. He waddled towards Eddie, throwing himself on the floor to show him his big fat belly. Eddie bent down and scratched the cat, making him stretch out.

“I told you, I’m real.” He says, getting up again and putting some eggs and bacon on a plate. He put it on the island counter and motioned for you to sit on the stool. You slowly walked towards it, sitting on it, not leaving your sight off Eddie.

“This is crazy… Am I the only one who can see you?” You ask as you see the plate pushed over to you and an empty glass. You frowned at it and looked at him. “Where’s the juice?” He smiled at you and looked down at the glass again and you followed it, seeing the glass now with the orange liquid inside.

Your heart was beating against your chest, the nerves flying all around your belly. This was real, he is real, what he is doing, as magical as it appears, it’s real. 

“Yes, and no. People can see me, but my powers don’t really work on them. My only job here is to get you better, and hopeful for love.” He explains to you once again and you blink, grabbing onto the glass of juice, taking a sip of it. You put it down and scanned him, squinting a little bit.

“I thought Cupids were like cherubs… You clearly don’t look angelic to me.” He laughed at that, giving you a nod. 

“That is true. I don’t look like a regular cupid. We all have our own personalities, and our own styles. We were human once, so it is something natural for us to be ourselves.” You were confused now, interest picking up as the shock of the situation was wearing off.

“You were human? You look human to me, present tense.” 

“A normal human cannot teleport and make things appear out of thin air darling. I look like one, but I am not one.” He explains to you and you tilted your head completely confused.

“And how did you become one?” He was about to answer you, but his head lifted up, almost alarmingly and he clapped at you to quicken your pace with your food. 

“I’ll tell you later. Eat fast!” You were looking all around as he paced around the room and you basically inhaled your eggs and bacon, chugging down your juice, almost choking as you saw Eddie pouring milk on Dorito’s plate.

“Okay, I almost died, but I am done, what happened?” You asked him and he stood up, looking at your attire and he sighed, shaking his head. 

“That won’t do, okay… So, he uses polo shirts, so maybe…” He tilted his head once and you felt a swoosh of air hit your body once, and you were completely confused as to what happened until you looked down at yourself, your eyes widening when you saw yourself wearing some leather pants and a white shirt on.

“What the–”

“Nope.” He tilted his head again, and you felt the air hit you again. You looked down to see a floral pink dress on you and you scrunched up your nose at it. “I know, it’s pink.” He gave a nod to it, and the dress turned navy blue.

“You can… change my clothes?” You asked him, completely bewildered and he nodded, letting a sigh out.

“Like I said, I am here to help you.” He walked towards you and you felt your breathing hitch as he pulled you hair down from the bun and he shook it a little bit. You pushed his hands away but then saw he was putting your hair over your shoulders in perfect waves. He then put his hands on your face and you stared up at him, feeling your breath quicken at his stare.

He was absolutely gorgeous. 

“Alright, makeup naturally done, hair done, clothes excellent. Good. He should arrive any second now, so I will hide in your room.” He pulled away from you and you blinked wildly, shaking your head in confusion.

“What? Who is coming–” Your doorbell rang and he whispered to you.

“Just be yourself, no tricks, no jokes, nothing. Be yourself!” He bolted out of the room, getting hold of Dorito, giving you a soldier salute before closing the door behind him. You were stunned into the ground and the doorbell rang once more, and you snapped out, rushing towards the door, slowly opening it to see the man before you.

Oh lord…

He didn’t turn around yet to look at you, but you could already see from his profile that he was so beautiful. Beauty marks on his features, brown hair neatly done on his head, brown eyes looking at the horizon while he waited for you to open the door, and… He was indeed wearing a polo shirt.

“Hi! I’m Steve, I moved–” He looked at you only to stop talking completely as he stared at you, gawk would be the exact word. You were looking up at him, waiting for him to continue but he started stuttering out of nowhere. “I– Shit, um– Like I said, I’m Steve.” He introduced himself again and you smiled at his playfulness, feeling a warm feeling in your chest.

“Hi Steve.” You presented yourself and you looked down to see he was holding a small bag of something. He took a deep breath in and gave the bag to you, which you grabbed with a confused frown in your face, but your smile never fell.

“I uh, those are cookies, I didn’t make them of course. I don’t know how to bake, or cook for that matter. I mean, I tried, you know, it’s not that I expect it to be done for me, but I just simply suck at culinary interests.” He was rambling, completely nervous in your presence. He didn’t think a beautiful girl would live in his building, and now he was thankful for Robin who helped him pick this place.

“I mean, if you know how to cook sausages and some eggs, then you’re good to go.” You reply to him, trying to lighten the situation and you succeed, as he chuckles, showing you off his charming smile and you could almost feel yourself melt at the sight.

“I’m more of a pasta guy. I’m a pro at that.” He replies to you and you giggle at his response with a nod.

“Well, if I ever smell burning, I know who to save first.” He put a hand over his chest as if he got wounded by your words and he winced as if in pain.

“We just met and you are already killing me off? That’s brutal.” 

“I said I’d save you.” You giggled again and he bit his bottom lip, nodding.

“At least there’s one good person in this building. I said hello to the lady in the first floor, department B, and she almost sent her cat to chase me off.” He said to you with a frown and you nodded at that with a roll of the eyes.

“Mrs. O’Donnell. Crazy bitch, don’t ever cross paths with her. When you are doing your laundry, or even taking out the trash. You see her, turn around and come back later.” You advise him, remembering how you tried to start a conversation with her in the laundry room and she kept eyeing your clothes to tell you that you were a sinner.

“Okay, keep that noted.” He licked his lips and you felt yourself blushing slightly at the change of air around you two as he took a step closer to you. “Should I keep my distance with you too?”

You gave out a little snort and you felt like a high school student again as he flirted with you, looking down at the floor, swaying a little. 

“I’m a good neighbor.” You reply, looking up at him and you notice the slight glint in his eyes as you let him go on with his flirting, not pushing him away and not making any excuses. He pulled out his cellphone, almost dropping it because of his nervousness but he tried to play it cool for you as he opened his contact list.

“Since you are the only friendly neighbor I met, is it too crazy to ask for your number?” He licked his bottom lip and you raised an eyebrow up, smirking at his sly way of asking for your number.

“You don’t have to do the whole neighbor charade to ask for my number, you know?” You tell him, seeing him blush slightly. God, he is cute. But to your surprise, he continued with his playfulness, grinning at you.

“Oh, you want to give it to me for some other purpose?” Your eyes widened, catching you off guard, and he laughed at your reaction instantly, making your cheeks get a tint of pink in them as butterflies swam in your belly.

“Now for that teasing, I will not give you my number.” You threatened him and his eyes widened, shaking his head but his smile was still on his lips.

“Sorry, sorry. I would love to have your number.” He sincerely replies now, handing you his phone and you bite the inside of your cheek to forbid yourself from smiling even further as you type in your contact number in his phone. You handed it back to him and he smiled down at it and then looked up at you. “If you smell smoke, it’s probably me making toast.” 

You shook your head with a giggle and said goodbye to him, looking at his retreating back as he glanced back at you one more time, making you jump in embarrassment as he caught you red handed spying on him. You immediately closed the door of your apartment, the smile not disappearing on your face.

A cute boy. A very handsome boy, and a gentleman at that. 

You sighed happily and turned around, only to scream at the sight of Eddie with an excited look on his face, holding Dorito by his armpits, jumping up and down slightly, making the cat meow in annoyance.

“You gotta stop screaming every time you see me sweets.” He said while putting Dorito down on the floor, and looking at you. “So? Did you like him? I can sense you do, but I want to be completely sure.” You shook your head but a smile crept on your lips and you hid your face in your hands bashfully, making Eddie jump in excitement. “Hell yeah baby! That’s what I am talking about!”

“Now I get it when you said to me you will make me meet people just by coincidence.” He nodded at your words and sat down on the couch, Dorito following his step and laying down next to him. 

“Exactly! I knew he was coming over today, and I can also see a little bit of the other person before meeting you, letting me know that he is indeed worth meeting.” He explains to you as starts petting your cat, making him yawn loudly. You walked towards the couch and sat on it, leaving Dorito in between you and Eddie.

“So, can you tell me about him?”

“Nuh uh. I know about him, but won’t tell you. You have to meet him yourself. What I can tell you though, is that he is not a psychopath, nor is he into freaky shit or something. I wouldn’t risk your life like that.” Your heart skipped a bit at his words, feeling a sense of protection from him. You cleared your throat and looked out the window.

“So, you’re like my guardian angel now?” He chuckled at that, and shrugged.

“Different job, but for now, it kinda seems like it.”

Steve messaged you the day after.

And the day after that.

And the next day he invited you for some coffee at the cafe next to your building.

The days blended together, and you found Eddie’s company in your apartment quite warming. It was nice to come home and see him watching a movie or hear him sing in the shower. You put out your couch as his bed, which he told you was not necessary since he could come and go wherever he pleased, but you insisted nonetheless. 

You both sometimes cooked together, and sometimes he would make food appear when he didn’t feel like moving an inch. You wondered if his powers made him tired in some way. He was very reserved with who he was, and what he could do, but other times, like today, sharing a glass of wine, he would let go a little bit.

“So, you told me you were human before.” You say as you both sat on the couch, facing one another with Dorito in the middle with his belly up for scratches which Eddie was dutifully doing.

“That’s right.” 

“Does that mean you are dead?” You ask him and he chuckles, taking a sip of his glass of wine, shaking his head.

“No. I am not, but I am immortal, and for some reason I don’t bleed.” You nodded in understanding, but still slightly confused,  and took a sip of your own drink before talking again.

“Alright, but did you die to be able to turn into cupid?” He frowned at that, looking down at your cat, letting out a big sigh. You felt the air in the room shift into something more melancholic, as if sadness sipped through the walls.

“No, not exactly. The only way to become a cupid is if you chose to be. You can die from a broken heart, or continue on as a helper.” He explains to you and you feel your heart sink in your chest as well as anxious nerves writhe in your stomach. 

“Does that… mean you were heartbroken?” He wasn’t looking at you, just swirling his glass with the liquid inside. He looked distant, as if the memory was causing him pain.

“I was. But a broken heart can come from various places. From a lover, from a friend, from family… I just received too many blows in my life, and I couldn’t take it anymore.” He says while taking a sip out of his glass, a very long one. You wondered how many ended up like him, disheartened, broken, to the point of not wanting to keep going any longer. 

“Did a lover do that to you?” You ask him, curiosity very present in your eyes as you looked at him and he gazed up to lock eyes with yours. He shook his head and your features grew sad for him. “I know you said you couldn’t know who is ‘The One’, but does it even exist?” You ask him now and he straightens up in his seat and gives you a nod. 

“Yes. The One exists. Your destined person. They do, but there is… something about that.” He says with a pained frown while looking at you. “They can be alive at any point. They could be alive right now, same timeline as you, or, they could have already died, or never been born yet.” 

Your eyes widened at that. So, the game of life and destiny was just some cruel joke. It was as if someone was just playing dice over your heads and deciding if you would suffer or meet your other half. If you were going to live happily ever after, or drown yourself in misery and loneliness. 

“Did you have one?” 

“No. When I became cupid, I only got one piece of information, and it was that they weren’t born yet.” You nodded at that, taking a sip of your wine and scooted even closer to him.

“So, right now you don’t know who they are at all?” 

“I don’t know if they were even born. Once you become cupid your own love life is unknown to you.” He chuckles sadly, grabbing the bottle of wine off the table and pouring himself some more. You lean your glass towards him and he pours you some as well, muttering a soft ‘thank you’ to him.

“When did you…?” You stutter a little at your question, not really knowing how to keep going with it, but a knock on your door makes you jump up slightly, and you look at Eddie alarmingly. He simply chuckles and looks at you, his hand reaching up to your cheek, lingering there for a few seconds.

Your breathing hitched slightly as you looked into his eyes and he looked back into yours. The alcohol was mixing with the butterflies in your stomach as you felt his warmth invade your skin, your air, and you just wanted to keep looking at him. You wanted to hold him, tell him everything is going to be okay, that he was an amazing man, even after what he went through.

And you just felt a little helpless around him.

He gulped and pulled away from your face, giving you a dimpled smirk.

“Put a little blush on those cheeks. Go open the door for him.” He got up from the couch and held onto his glass of wine, walking into your room. You didn’t know if he was in there or actually leaves whenever Steve knocks or comes to say something to you. You got up from the couch, putting the glass on your coffee table and walked towards the door, pulling the door open to reveal Steve in a suit. 

“Hi there.” He says with a smile and you feel yourself becoming warm at his greeting. He is such a cute man. 

“Hi Steve, or should I say Mr. Harrington?” You say with an eyebrow raised up in question, combined with your smile as you eyed up his suit. He laughed and gave you a nod.

“Yeah, I know, you’re mesmerized.” You roll your eyes at his words and you giggle, feeling this interaction lifting the heavy mood from earlier on that you had with Eddie. “I actually got off work early, and it got me thinking… uhm.” 

You bite your bottom lip, giggles completely halting as you wait for his words. Was it going to happen? Was he going to ask you out? Finally? 

‘He is.’

Your eyes slightly widened at the voice, making you look behind your back to see if Eddie was next to you, or behind you, but he wasn’t anywhere in sight.

‘I can talk to you in your mind sweetheart. Part of my job is to make sure you don’t mess up while talking.’

You wanted to roll your eyes at his cockiness, but you couldn’t when Steve was being a mumbling mess in front of you. He might think you’re making fun of him or something and you certainly weren’t doing that.

‘Urge him.’

“Steve…” You called him out, giving him a small smile of encouragement and he took a deep breath in, stopping with his rambling and cleared his throat.

“Sorry, I just haven't asked a girl out in a while so…” He said with a slight blush on his cheeks and you raised an eyebrow up at him.

“You were going to ask me out?” You say, almost a whisper as you looked up at him and it seems he got all the courage he needed as you stared at him, waiting for him to keep going.

“Yeah. I got off early today and honestly… The first thing I thought of was that I wanted to see you.” Oh, that certainly made you blush, and he wasn’t far behind that, but despite his nervousness and his cheesiness, he kept going. “So maybe, I can pick you up at 6 PM on friday? We can head down to the bar a few blocks from here.” 

‘You don’t even need me to tell you what to say right now.’

You cursed at Eddie inside your head because he was distracting you. ‘Shut up!’ You yelled at him, not really knowing if it works the other way around, until you hear a soft chuckle vibrate in the depths of your mind, and you knew he had gotten your message.

“Friday at 6… It’s a date, Stevie.” You comment with a smile, and the guy before you was almost bursting with happiness as his eyes sparkled at your approval. He bit his bottom lip, and you felt your heart beat loudly into your ears as he nodded at you.

“Perfect. I’ll see you then.” You watched as he walked down the hallway, stealing a few glances over his shoulder and towards you. You waved at him one last time until he was out of sight and you entered the house, slamming the door shut with a big smile on your face. Eddie was already out of your room, smiling with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Eddie, oh my god!” You squealed excitedly as you rushed towards your phone to raise the music up from the speakers. ‘I Wanna dance with somebody’ by Whitney Houston was blasting and you couldn’t help but want to dance out of happiness right now. You were going on a date with a cute guy on friday! A guy who doesn’t look like he just wants to get in your pants! A guy that is genuinely interested in you and is willing to make conversation and get to know you!

“The 80’s? Really?” Eddie asks with a cock of his head, his eyebrow raised up. You just rushed over to him and grabbed his hands, twirling both of you around, catching him completely by surprise as he stumbled while you moved him. “You know this kind of music is not my scene? Thought my clothes were pretty obvious, sweetheart.”

You felt your stomach twirl at the nickname, but you kept the smile on your face and then started pulling his arms back and forth, making him sway in his place. A smile was creeping in his face as he looked down at you and he instantly twirled you in place, making you giggle and then he pulled you to his body, his hand on the small of your back and his right hand holding your left.

He started singing along as he started moving around in an exaggerated manner, making you laugh and helping him sing along. You were happy, content in this moment right here. You felt his sweet scent invading you, as you saw his Adam's apple bob up and down as he sang along in high pitch and then low in order to make you laugh.

“Now that’s a singer right there.” You say with a smile and he chuckled, looking down at you.

“I was in a band actually. Played guitar too.” He says to you and you caught the sad smile that painted in his features. You raised your hand up, pulling a curl of his behind his ear, slowly and gently, and you felt a wave of lightning course through you, as if you had touched a naked copper cable. 

He was staring down at you, his eyes locked in yours as you inspected him, touched him. He was about to pull away out of nervousness, and because he was starting to feel tense at the situation. A situation that never happened to him before. He never had this much interaction with his human, he just helped them and–

“Is the 80’s your time?” You asked him, taking him aback completely. You both fell into a small sway, going side to side as his hands rested on your hips, barely touching you, while your hands rested on his chest, staring up at his features.

“How did you know?”

“You know a lot about the music of that time. I caught you singing some songs before while cooking, or showering and they’re all from the 80’s.” He gave you a small smile and then a nod.

“1989 was the year I decided to become a Cupid. I was 23 years old.” So he is, technically, younger than you. But if you had to count the years he kept his youth, he is much older.

“What happened to you?” You brushed your hand over his chest, just where his heart is, and you could feel the beating of it, and you could almost hear it from how hard it was strumming against his chest.

“I got cheated on by the only girlfriend I ever had… Slipped up and lost my band too and then, I– I lost the only person who ever cared for me. My uncle. Died from a heart attack.” You looked up at him, feeling your eyes burn with incoming tears and he gave you a sad confused smile. “I’m telling you my story, and you’re the one crying?”

“Yes, I mean, it’s you, and you were in pain, so much that you–” You stopped talking. When he mentioned to you that you could die from a heartbreak, you wondered if he meant it literally, or if he meant that the pain was too strong that he considered ending it all for himself. He put his index finger under your chin to raise your head up in order to look at him.

“Hey, I’m okay.” You couldn’t help the sadness that ran over you, like a wave that just drowned all of the happiness you were feeling seconds ago.

“But, what about your friends? You didn’t have any?” You asked him and he winced slightly, giving you a small nod.

“I did tell you I was in a band.” His grip tightened around you, and you realized you both had stopped moving with one another. “Once one becomes a Cupid, it’s as if you never existed. Everyone forgets about you and the memories they shared with you.”

You couldn’t help but stare up at him. He was in constant loneliness, despite being a helper of love. He was all alone, moving around the world by himself, doing all of this for the benefit of others. You shook your head at him, giving him a small smile to take away the tension that was on your shoulders.

“Well, I am your friend now! We can go have fun together, and we can even get you a new guitar!” You say, jumping slightly with excitement but he was not copying you, his eyes staring at you, but not really. He was distant, as if his mind had gone somewhere else. He bit his bottom lip, and let out a sigh.

“Darling… You will forget about me.” You frowned and shook your head at him.

“There’s no way! You’ve helped me so much, and Dorito can hardly live without you now–”

“Once you fall in love, my job is done, and you won’t ever be able to see me again.” 

You stood still. Frozen. Your heart stops completely at his words.

You’ll forget about him? Eddie will be gone once all of this is over? He will disappear once you fall for someone else? Does Eddie think you are being a bother and that’s why he is insistent on Steve? Did he not want to spend time with you anymore?

“That’s– That’s not fair, it should be my decision if I want to remember you or not!” You pulled away from him, a tear threatening to run down your cheek. He was standing still, inspecting you with a sad look on his face. He was dreading the moment he would have to tell you this, because he was afraid you would not continue pursuing Steve just to be able to keep being friends with him.

He appreciated it. He’d grown fond of you, and even took notes of all your quirks and little movements. How you bit your nails when you were concentrating on a movie. How you hummed a tune every time you watered your plants. How you wanted the magnets on your fridge to be color distributed. And he adores the fact that you love strawberries to the point of getting sick with them.

“It’s not our decision. It’s destiny. I am just a helper in your life, and not a human.” Your eyes widened at that, and a smile creeped on your lips, walking towards him again, grabbing his hand.

“Then turn human! I can help you get a job! You can move in with me, and we can go to a bigger apartment, and–” You didn’t want him to leave you. Not when he has helped you so much. For the past two weeks, he had helped you build up your confidence in ways you didn’t know you could feel. He had helped you through your nights, crying after going to work to a place where your boss was mentioning how happy she was with her fiance. He had held you, rocked you, sang to you in order for you to calm down.

Eddie was more than happy to help you. That’s his job. He liked, as horrible as it sounds, holding you while you poured your heart out onto his chest, crying as if there was no tomorrow, because then he would make you laugh and it was all thanks to him. He would make you smile, and it would be directed to him. 

But the reality of things are way worse than a smile.

“I can’t turn human.” Your smile fell instantly at his words, and you gulped tightly. There was no way… You can’t digest the fact that, if everything went right with Steve, you would forget about Eddie. Then he would end up alone again, and you wouldn’t even know. You would be oblivious to that. He looked at your face and then sighed. “The only way for me to become human again, is to mend my broken heart.”

“Mend…?” He nodded at you and he grabbed your hand, pressing it into his chest.

“I have to love, and be loved in return. Seal the bond with a kiss, and I… I would become mortal again.” 

The tear finally slipped from your eye. You felt hopeless for him, a sadness you’ve never felt in your life. Your sister’s passing was something you could see a mile away when she was diagnosed with Leukemia. Your father, you knew he was cheating on your mother since the first day you hit puberty, so you weren’t surprised when they got divorced and he remarried.

This sadness was unexpected, and was washing over you as if it were the only emotion you could feel at the moment. 

Eddie’s arms engulfed you, pushing you close to his chest. How is that heart that was beating loudly against his chest broken?  How could they hurt someone like him? Why can’t anyone fix it? Why does he have to leave?

“Hey… The good part of this is that Steve looks like an amazing guy… And–” He pulled away, wiggling his eyebrows at you, wiping your tears away. “I did a little bit of research on past encounters, and all girls have really nice things to say.” You sobbed a little as you tried to talk.

“About what?” He wiggled his eyebrows again and that’s when you caught on, gasping and slapping his bicep with a noise of disgust coming out of your throat. He laughed at your reaction, causing you to giggle through your tears. 

Cupid is a dork.

“Well, I had a great time.” You finally say as you reach your door, Steve right behind you. You had an amazing evening with him. He picked you up at exactly 6 PM, and you both headed down to the bar he mentioned before. The conversation was fluid, as if you two had known each other for a long while, but also, the flirting was there, but not too explicit because well… Someone was a little distracting through the evening, even now.

‘This is the part where you invite him in, and you blow him on the couch.’

‘Eddie, jesus, shut the fuck up.’

“Me too. And how convenient it is that we live so close to each other.” Steve says with a smile as he leaned on the doorframe of your front door when you finally opened it and stepped inside, looking back up at him. 

“That is definitely a plus.” You say while biting your bottom lip, staring up at him. You were anticipating a move of course. You wanted it to happen. 

‘He is not going to do it.’

‘Shit, should I?’

A moment of silence was in your mind and then you heard Eddie’s voice again.

‘Maybe it is too soon.’

Huh? That was definitely not the answer you expected him to say. You thought he was going to make you kiss Steve, which you really wanted to. Steve was blushing as he spoke to you about wanting to go on another date again and you really wondered if Eddie was right on it.

‘Are you sure Eds? I mean, he really looks like he wants to, but is too shy to do so.’

‘I said it is too soon.’

You frowned slightly at the change of tone in his voice. It sounded too demanding, as if he were angry with you. Your jaw clenched, and you muted your head, just everything. You tiptoed towards Steve, and planted a soft kiss on his lips in response to his rambling about a second date.

His lips were plump, expectant. He was stunned for a whole second and then you felt him kiss back, his hands and arms wrapping around your waist, pulling you close to him. Your arms immediately wrapped around his neck, feeling your chest warm at the feeling of someone’s lips on yours as well as an anxious feeling that wasn’t sitting quite right at the pit of your stomach.

What it was, you didn’t know.

He pulled away after a few seconds with a blissed look on his face, his eyes completely blown from the kiss, and he smiled downwards at you.

“Well, that answers my question on the second date then.” You giggled at that, your arms still wrapped around his neck. 

“Maybe we can have some dinner at your place next time?” You flirted with him, voice low and he whistled, calling out your name with a smirk to his face, knowing what you were meaning.

“It’s a date then. Next wednesday?” You bit your lip and nodded at him. He bent down and kissed you softly on the lips again, pulling away only seconds after and then pulling completely off you. “Can’t wait…” He kissed your cheek and he skipped down the hallway, making a fool out of himself just for you to laugh at. You shook your head and closed the door to your apartment, turning around for your smile to only drop.

Eddie was with arms crossed over his chest, almost glaring at you. You’ve never seen him mad before, so this was a new sight for you.

“Did I speak in chinese?” He asks you and you just roll your eyes at him, going to your kitchen to get a glass of water. “Why did you go against what I said?”

“Because it was bad advice! I kissed him, because he clearly wanted to, and I got myself a second date!” You exclaimed at him, your own anger filling your body as you poured some water into your glass. He was pacing behind you, glaring daggers in your back.

“How can my advice be bad?! I am your Cupid! If I say something it’s because there’s a valid reason for it!”

“And what was the reason to not kiss him tonight?” You turned around to face him and he wasn’t looking at you. He was just looking to the side, at nothing in particular but with the purpose of not clashing with your gaze. “Or what was the reason for distracting me all night?!”

“You were too interested. Guys get bored when girls are easy, just throwing themselves at them.” Your anger was exploding now. What did he just call you?

“Did you just call me easy? Is that what you think I am?!” You couldn’t help how tight your chest was feeling at the moment. You wanted to throw something at him, yell at him, make Dorito scratch his perfect face. His eyes widened and then he slapped his hands over his face, as if he had just realized something.

“Shit, no, that’s not what I meant–”

“Then what did you fucking mean Edward?” You stuck your hip out, looking at him with an angered look in your face and he shook his head at you. 

“Don’t twist this on me! You kissed him when I told you not to! You have to follow what I say to you, or this thing with Steve won't happen!” Your nerves were making your body shake, feeling your eyes burning from the incoming tears that were for sure about to spill. Your body was ablaze, and the knot in the stomach you felt before worsened. Your heart was beating in your chest, almost as if you were having a heart attack. 

And your mind was going places, words and thoughts swimming in your brain, just so fast, that you didn’t have the chance of thinking before talking.

“Are you that desperate to leave me!?” You yelled out as tears started running down your cheeks, not able to contain your emotions any longer. “Are you that bothered about helping me?! Do I annoy you?! Am I that detestable to you that you want me to forget about you?!” 

The self deprecating words kept coming out of your mouth like bullets to him. One by one, hitting him in the chest. He made you cry. The tears that were falling down your cheeks were because of him. He felt his throat closing up as he stared at you, taking a step towards you. 

He stared at your sobbing face, as you tried to wipe away your tears and your nose. Even now, even with the stained face, he found you beautiful… And that thought scared him. 

He raised his hand up, caressing your cheek, gently, and slowly. You sniffled, looking up at him, and your knees almost got weak at the sight. He was staring at you with eyes you’ve never felt before. An adoration that you only saw in movies, and described in many books you’ve read before. 

You instinctively took another step, your body an inch away from his. Your heart started picking up the pace, rapidly, listening to the blood rush through your ears, and your mouth went dry as you looked at him. The world stopped, time itself, even sounds around you became silent. 

You wanted to. You needed to. You had to.

You wrapped your arms around his neck, and he was still in a state of trance, not pulling away from your embrace, but his arms moved by their own accord, wrapping themselves around your waist. 

You want him.

You raised yourself up, tippy toeing, slowly in order not to scare him away. You knew these feelings might be inside you, but you needed to make sure. You wanted to make sure. You wanted it to be true.

You need him.

Your chest went flush against his as you started to reach your goal, your breath picking up as the thoughts in your brain ceased to exist. The only thing that was there, the only one was Eddie.

Eddie. Eddie. Eddie. 

Tight hands grabbed onto your shoulders, and ripped you apart from the body you were stealing warmth from. Your back hit the fridge behind you, making you wince slightly. Your breath was heavy and when you looked up your eyes widened when you saw Eddie’s face. He was panting, as if he were in pain. His pupils were dilated as he looked at you.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

And you heard the crack. You could even hear it. A small crack in your heart as he says those words, as if repulsed by the idea of being kissed by you, a mere human. You licked your lips and shook your head, gulping loudly as he pulled away from you, stepping away.

“I’m– I’m sorry– I just wanted–”

“You’re confused.” He says to you and you feel like he was clawing at your chest with those words, making you shake your head at him.

“What? No! I–”

“We need space. I have to give you space so you can focus on Steve.” 

You felt your throat close at those words, your eyes widening as you saw him retreat to your room. Space? Confused? Your brain was running a mile per minute and your legs finally moved, rushing towards your room right after him.

Only to find Dorito meowing with sadness as it looked all over your room. 

You looked all around, feeling your heart start to pound in your chest as you rushed towards your closet to look inside. You then walked back out to the living room and kitchen area, finding it empty too. You slammed open your bathroom, feeling your tears coming down even more and more. 

You kicked your door in anger and finally sobbed out as you rested against the doorframe of your doorway. You slid down on it, falling onto the floor as you cried into your hands. 

He left. He left you.

There were no more movie nights. No more music sharing. No more brainstorming for outfit or date ideas. No more cooking for two. Who is going to fill Dorito’s plate in the morning when you are asleep? Who is going to wait for you at home, apart from your cat, after a long day of work? Who is going to tell you so many stupid stories about his teenage years now?

Steve?

No, you didn’t want it to be Steve. You didn’t want that part of your life to be done by Steve. It felt wrong, and you were just now feeling it. You were just now realizing how wrong it feels to put Steve where Eddie was. 

You fell for Cupid. You stupidly fell for your own cupid. And it was obvious that the feeling was not mutual. It was obvious that he did not want anything to do with you. It was obvious that you would have to keep moving on in order to fill the empty space he left. Would he appear again? Or will you be able to fall in love with Steve?

How can you possibly forget about Eddie?

Two months later.

You were tired. Exhausted really as you walked up the stairs of your apartment. 

Your eyes were bloodshot red, but it was something that was going to happen, because you knew it wasn’t going anywhere really. Your day at work had also been quite stressful, but the ache you expected to get when you got your boss’s wedding invitation, never arrived. You were actually excited for it, knowing there will be food and free drinks.

You opened the door of your apartment, turning the lights on as you took your coat off, closing the door and throwing the garment onto the couch. You walked towards the pantry, getting hold of your bottle of wine, and getting your corkscrew device out to open it. With a loud ‘pop’ you smiled slightly at the relief this will bring you, pouring a glass for yourself. You took a long sip, turning around to face your living room.

“Dorito?” You called your fat orange cat, but heard no meows. You walked towards the front of the couch and didn’t see him there. He must be in your room. You sat down on your couch, turning the tv on, and you groaned loudly when you saw Titanic on screen. You clenched your jaw and decided to keep it on, taking a sip of your glass again. 

You felt a shiver run down your spine but paid no mind to it, cracking your neck slightly at the chill. 

“Why did you do that?” 

You sat still, your blood freezing over at the voice you haven’t heard for over two months. The voice you wished to hear again and didn’t think you’d ever would. 

“Why did you break up with him?”

You were shaking, putting the glass on the coffee table before slowly getting up. Your stomach was in shambles, and your heart was with an energy you haven’t felt in a long while. Ever since he left, you felt hollow, as if you didn’t have the energy to keep pretending, to keep trying.

Steve had been nothing but sweet to you the past two months. Intimately and publicly, he was the most caring person you’ve ever been with… But he wasn’t Eddie. You tried, you really tried, but you knew the love you could possibly feel would be empty, almost numb. So before you could hurt Steve, you decided to call everything off, with nothing but being honest with him.

He sadly understood, and was grateful for you to be honest with him and not wait till he was completely devoted to you to break his heart.

You turned around to face him, and he was just standing there, with a pained frown in his eyebrows and your breath caught in your throat. He was wide eyed, staring at you, his hands shaking as his whole body ached, for what, he did know, yet he wasn’t going to act on it.

“I– Uh… I’m Eddie, you probably–”

“I never forgot about you Eddie.”

And he was stunned. He gave you the time, he gave you the space, he left you. He went onto helping someone else to keep himself distracted, not wanting to see something he would regret with you. He gave you privacy, to you and Steve. So how? How is it possible that someone as perfect as him, didn’t get your love?

“What?”

“I said… I never forgot about you.” 

The only thing separating you at this moment, was the couch between you two. You could hear his heart and he could hear yours. You gulped loudly, walking around the couch to finally stand in front of him. You wanted to reach out, grab him, hug him tightly against you, tell him so many things, but first, one question remains, so you pushed through the knot in your throat, and spoke through the tears that were already slipping out of your eyes.

“Why did you leave me?”

His breath hitched, feeling a sting of guilt at the pit of his stomach, as well as feeling his heart clenching and unclenching inside of his chest, wanting to explode. His bottom lip quivered slightly and he sniffled, looking away from you.

“I– I had to. I had to leave because I…” He didn’t want to say it. All his life, he ran away from this feeling, scared of it. He was terrified of ending up as a cupid again, or deciding to finally put an end to it all. But he knew that this time, there was no running from it. Not anymore. 

“Eddie–”

“Remember what I told you about ‘The One’?” You gulped and slowly nodded your head at him. He licked his lips in order to continue. “I explained to you that The One for each person really does exist. I also explained to you, that this person might be in your present timeline, might have already passed away, or they haven’t been born yet.”

Your throat was dry, feeling your whole body shaking with electricity and anticipation as he slowly looked up at you, his brown doe eyes locking with yours and you felt a sigh escape your lips.

“And here you are… Born in 1998.” 

You processed his words, and they felt like cold water being dumped on you, but at the same time they felt like a great relief, like a warm blanket covering you. Eddie was telling you that you were The One for him. Your cupid was confessing that he believes you are The One.

“Y-You…” He stopped you again, stepping away from you. You didn’t realize that you were taking steps towards him, as if you were a magnet, not really being able to control your movements.

“I am not… It would be from the beginning with me… I don’t have a job, no family, no friends, nothing… I don’t want to be a leech, but… Sweetheart, I don’t know if I can stay away from you much longer.” He lets out a shaky breath as he feels the weight on his shoulders finally leave him. He was waiting for your rejection, for you to push him away, tell him he is insane for this. But when he looked up, he saw those eyes he looked at you with months ago. His own widened as he realized you had looked at him like this that night, and the night before when talking about The Lord of the Rings. And many mornings before that as well.

“Then don’t…” At your words, Eddie took a step towards you as you took one towards him. Standing face to face, bodies only a few inches from one another’s, only your heavy breaths filling the room, you licked your lips to be able to talk to him again. “So… You say I am The One for you… Does it mean you are The One for me?”

And Eddie looked down at you, his mind finally stopping and setting its goal on one thought only. You. You. You. Your scent, your eyes, your tics, your anger, your smiles, your voice, your sleepy face, your laughter, your cries. 

Just you.

“Let’s find out darling… Kiss me.”

Your heart leaped at those words, wrapping your arms around his neck, almost instantly, as his hands took the position they did last time he was at your home, around your waist. Your breath was fast, as the universe stopped and not just for you. Eddie was feeling the exact same thing in your arms. You both were the only ones in the whole world right now, the only ones wasting the oxygen away. 

His hands tightened around your waist, as your breaths mixed together as he leaned down to help you meet him halfway. You closed your eyes, and he did as well, as your lips finally touched, melting together as if it had always been meant to be. 

He groaned into the kiss, feeling like a firework just exploded inside of him, an intense heat engulfing his whole body, making him grip you even closer to his body and you sighed in contentment as fresh tears filled your eyes behind your eyelids. Happiness was consuming you and you will happily succumb to it. Your lips moved together as your nails dug into the skin of his shoulders, trying to push your body into him, more, and more. You just wanted to feel him, all of him, because he was here.

He heard you moan in happiness against his lips and he almost fainted right then and there at the sound, but another feeling was taking over his mind. The voices in his head stopped. The insistent noise that told him to help, and help, and do something for someone else stopped. He pulled away from you, and you immediately looked for him, but he kept the distance with his head.

He was breathing heavily as he took a step back from you, unwrapping his arms from your body. You were still shaking at the event, wanting to go after him but he rushed towards the kitchen and opened one of your drawers. You were staring at his back as you saw him jump and something dropping on the counter. He turned around to face you and stomped towards you with a look on his face that was puzzling you and making you feel uneasy.

“What do you feel about me?” He asked you and your breath got stuck in your throat again, feeling embarrassed and fearful for what the words that want to come out of your mouth will inquire, but there was no stopping this, no more running away from it.

“I’m in love with you Eddie…” He stared down at you for a few seconds, a smile breaking on his lips as he lifted his hand for you to look at it. Your eyes widened when there, in the tip of his left index finger, you could see the small speck of blood, slowly dripping down the digit. 

‘I don’t bleed.’ You remembered his words and then your eyes teared up as you also realized the condition it took for him to become human again.

“To love… and be loved in return.” You say those words making him smile widely, his right hand reaching for your cheek to wipe your tears away with his thumb as a gentle sob escaped your lips. He called your name for you to look at him and even in the blurriness of it all, you could still see those brown doe eyes, shining with fresh tears as he spoke to you.

“I’m in love with you darling.” He called out and you almost choked on a sob as you held onto his face, squishing his cheeks to pull him into another kiss. A shock of electricity ran through your body and you knew this was right. You somehow felt this is what it was always meant to be. This is what your heartbreaks led you to, your suffering, your tears. Everything led to this perfect moment and to all the moments to come with him.

“Mreow.”

You both pulled away from the kiss to look down at the fat orange cat that had an unamused look on his face. Eddie chuckled and tilted his head, but nothing happened. He groaned loudly and rushed to fill Dorito’s plate by hand, making you giggle in amusement. 

“That’s going to take some time getting used to.” He comments as he straightens up again, putting the bag of food back inside a cabinet. Once Dorito rushed to his food, Eddie immediately swept you off your feet in bridal style, making you squeal in surprise, holding onto his neck. He chuckled loudly as he walked towards your bedroom, making you blush in anticipation.

“Now where are you taking me Cupid?”

“Heaven.” He said with a smile and you giggled while he slammed the door to your room shut.

Cupid isn’t so bad after all.

End of One Shot

I really loved writing this. If you liked the story, all likes and Reblogs as well as comments warm my little heart!

Hope I can return to this couple some time in the future!

[metvmorqhoses]

So... thoughts about sab season 2 lmao

The writers were obviously on acids while concocting this high drivel.

It's a new fantasy genre they just founded with this season, you know, High Drivel.

They completely butchered the Darkling's character and I had to painfully witness ten hours of Ben, completely conscious of it, trying to conjure every Beauty and the Beast refrain to delay the Titanic-like sinking of his character and ship (from Phantom and Love Never Dies, to Dracula and Frankenstein to literal fanfictions I'm now sure he reads).

They completely missed the entire point and meaning of Darklina, making it a one-sided, one-dimensional stalker/simp-victim with angry Stokolm syndrome dynamic.

They threw famous line after famous line at us completely out of context as if they were bones to bait rabid dogs with (I will never forgive how they turned the sardonic "I'll make sure you hear when I make her scream", elegant half-threat and half-innuendo, into an angry madman growl with no meaning whatsoever).

"Let me be your monster!" - my children, you have read too many fanfics and not even the good ones.

Don't get me started with Baghra, the relationship counsellor and motherly hero (tm).

The shameless way they painted Aleksander taking possession of the stag amplifier as an assault metaphor. Disgusting.

I honestly didn't believe possible to do worse than the actual books, but never say never! The reasons why I hated the books were magnified this season. If Alina's reasoning and idiocy and lack of interest in her destiny and counterpart just did not make any sense in the books, in the show she is a thousand times dumber and one-dimensional! Put against this new version, books!Alina was depth personified! And if the books felt like rushed unelaborated summaries, the show is now an even worse mess! I cannot believe those are the same people who created season one. I'm astonished.

They eradicated the entirety of canon Darklina's scenes. Not a single one was present. Not one.

The tether is now for everyone to use and abuse, not only a personal soulmate thing. The Darkling is in Mal's dreams too lmao

Merzost suddenly killing the Darkling, of course. Obviously not to make Alina appear less of a cold-blooded murderer, not at all. Perhaps they should have remembered to make her fake a tear or two while burning the corpse of her ex-lover looking like a dumb emotionless fish.

Genya reduced to the victim (tm).

Nikolai the good woke boy (tm).

Nikolai giving up the Sturmhond title to the first tracker he meets, of course.

I loved how after ten hours of soppy eternal love declarations Mal dumps Alina because their love isn't real lol epic stuff.

And by the way this is still considered more valid and important than the relationship with the poor bastard who actually allowed the dumb angry fish to end him while daydreaming about her, his only peace in a thousand lifetimes of war.

Alina turning dark gives me a feeble hope, but the writers should come down from whatever drug they are currently using first.

Said hope involves the fact that they extinguished both Malina and the hatred towards the Darkling this season, and I like to think they did that to give us the proper dynamic with dark!Alina and the Nikolai's duology resurrected Darkling. But who knows if they will see reason.

[honeyypotato]

Restart

A Reiner Braun x gender neutral reader fic

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“This chat is twenty years overdue,

Let’s have a seat and tell me your news.

Something about you is different,

I feel at ease when you talk.

Each painful knot is untwisted,

You’ve matured more than I thought.

My destiny is knocking,

This is what I’ve been wanting.

When did our eyes get soft?

I wanna be here, wanna be yours so hard.”

▸ 🎕 ┈┈┈┈ 🎕 ┈┈┈┈ 🎕 ◂

Four years ago, before his betrayal, you’d been Reiner’s love. But now, after you both survived the rumbling, could you go back to how things were?

[Lyrics and title from the song “Restart” by Veela and Mod3no]

No warnings! Go crazy! Read to ur heart’s content friends!

Tags: lots of fluff, Reiner is soft, kinda spoilers if ur new to the show, post-canon AoT things, awkward ex-couple moments, happy ending

▸ 🎕 ┈┈┈┈ 🎕 ┈┈┈┈ 🎕 ◂

WC: 3210

AN:

I mean…I would take this man back in a heartbeat. He could step on me and I’D be the one to apologize…you get it.

I took a break from writing my usual super-long fics to bring you this one! I came across the song this is based off of the other day and…my adhd is eating it up, so I have been listening to it on repeat.

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Once more, your gaze locked with golden eyes as you sat in the library. It was a lazy spring afternoon, one which you should’ve been enjoying. Instead, you were hiding indoors, attempting to distract yourself from your emotions once again. That is, until Reiner had walked in on the opposite side of the room. 

You watched from over the top of your book as he exchanged a few words with Mikasa and Armin, who were doing some research that you didn’t have the heart to join in on. Then he turned around, and his eyes found you again, and for a moment you thought you could see him consider walking over. But after a heartbeat, he leaves you alone once more.

“You two can’t keep just staring at each other from across every room like this.”

You were shaken from your thoughts by a voice. It had been three months since you’d all returned from fighting Eren, and your relationship with Reiner was…a stalemate. Four years ago, before he’d left, you’d been his. From the moment you’d walked onto the training field as a cadet, he’d practically attached himself to you at the hip. You had never been sure of what the blond saw in you, but whatever it was caused his eyes to glow a little whenever he looked at you. Soon enough, that warmth had grown into full-blown love; your hands intertwining before missions, curling up a little too close when it was cold, sneaking kisses underneath the stars. 

Your heart shattered into a million pieces when he left, but it was more because he was leaving you, not because he had revealed himself as your enemy at the time. You couldn’t care less if he was a titan shifter, or if he’d been keeping the entire rest of the world a secret. Each morning that you were forced to wake up alone took a little piece of your soul away from you. You were long past convincing yourself it would get better with time; you’d accepted you would feel like this forever.

You looked at the source of the voice, tearing your eyes away from the empty spot where Reiner had been standing. 

“I don’t even know what I’d say to him, Jean,” you murmured as your friend sat down next to you.

“The way you look at each other says you both have a million things you want to say.”

“I wouldn’t know where to start. Besides, he’s better off not having me in his life to hold him back.”

“Now that’s just ridiculous,” Jean scoffed. “Neither of your lives are going anywhere as long as you keep up this weird…orbiting dance you’re doing.”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “Orbiting dance?”

“Yeah, you’re both too afraid to get too close to the other, even though that’s exactly what you want. So you both just keep your distance, circling around each other, hoping something will knock one of you off your path and into the other’s so you don’t have to do it yourself.”

“You learn that in therapy, or something?” You sighed, and replaced your bookmark back into the page. You wouldn’t get any more reading done.

Your remark earned a chuckle from Jean. “No, I learned it watching two people not bothering to hide their emotions at all.”

Dropping your head in mild embarrassment, you knew you’d never been good at keeping your emotions under wraps when it came to Reiner.

“Talk to him. Please,” Jean moves to stand up from his post beside you. “You’ll both feel better when you do.”

“I’ll try, Jean. But I can’t promise anything.”

Reiner knew you’d been spending your afternoons in the library, but as much as he was trying to give you all the space you needed, Historia had asked him to relay information to Mikasa and Armin. Of course they were doing their research in the library, and of course he couldn’t keep his eyes off you for two seconds when you were in the same room. It was obvious that you’d both changed; he could tell from the small conversations you’d had during the Rumbling. But hell, did he know that he still loved you. You’d grown from that rambunctious, sweet, and slightly awkward cadet into a true soldier and adult. You were level-headed and mature, a deep thinker, kind and gentle…He could tell you’d retained some of your youth, too, from the way you and Conny threw jokes at each other during meals. 

But what did you think of him? He was the one who’d torn you to bits, left you alone on the island while he returned to the safety of his country. When he wasn’t with you as a Scout, he’d spent his time figuring out ways to break the news about himself to you gently, and ways that you’d be able to stay together while he completed his mission. It had all happened so fast, though, and by the time he had Eren in the palm of his hand it was too late to explain anything. Through the titan’s eyes, and through yours, he had seen the shattered pieces of your heart. That memory had resurfaced a hundred too many times while he was back in Marley, the way you’d looked at him. As badly as he wanted to pull you close now, to try and fix everything he did and put all the pieces of your heart back together, he continually convinced himself he’d just break your heart all over again. So, he kept his distance. But when the two of you were in the same room, you were so beautiful, so perfect to him, he was pulled toward you like a magnet. 

You tried to talk to him, you really did. But you’d gotten one good look at Reiner after dinner and had turned on your heel, marching straight back to the solitude of your room. Now, you laid face down on your bed at three in the morning, cursing yourself for being cowardly yet again. This wouldn’t even be the first time you’d talked to him since he left, you’d exchanged words with him throughout the Rumbling. Hell, you fought side-by-side. But now that the fighting was over, everything was…different, and you couldn’t bring yourself to speak with him. There was just too much between the two of you.

Knowing it was going to be yet another sleepless night, you dragged yourself out of bed. Throwing on a pair of old sweatpants, it was time for yet another nighttime stroll around the building. 

Despite the fact that you were exhausted, your–what had become nightly–walks were rather peaceful. The entire city was almost silent, and you could exist in your own mind and world for a bit. Pacing through the halls, you found yourself wishing for what you always did; that he was close.

Passing the library, you had the fleeting idea that you’d read a little more of your book, so you tugged the heavy door open. But when you settled down on one of the plush couches, book in hand, you couldn’t bring yourself to read a single word. Sitting in the silence, you stared out the window into the night sky, lost in thought. 

A shifting of the couch seat next to you brings you back to the present. You had been so deep in thought you hadn’t heard the door open, but before you could conjure up a reason why you were sitting in the dark library at three in the morning, you saw a pair of eyes you hadn’t dared to be so close to in a long time.

Reiner watches fear dart behind your eyes, immediately regretting his decision to sit next to you. He hadn’t been able to sleep, as usual, so he decided maybe some fresh air would help. But when he saw you, he became so lost in the pain of the fact that you were probably doing the same as him, walking around to try and get through another sleepless night, that he forgot to glue his feet to their spot. Before he knew it he had planted himself firmly in the seat next to you, studying every inch of your face.

“Hi.” Your voice is barely a whisper, and after a heartbeat your eyes snap back to where your hands had curled tight around the book in your lap.

His face softens. “Hey.”

Your mind swirls in a panic, trying to find something–anything–to say. 

“Um…What are you reading?” He asks, causing small cracks to appear in the ice that had formed between you. His voice is deep, warm, and familiar, and you feel at ease when he speaks.

“A fantasy novel.” Daring to meet his eyes once more, your heart beats picks up when you see the warm, almost smiling expression he wears.

“Didn’t know you were into those.”

“It’s a habit I picked up. From Sasha.”

“Ah.”

You went back to cursing yourself for making it awkward.

But now Reiner is fully smiling, gently, as he gazes out the window into the starry sky. “Remember when she used to tell those stories, during missions?”

“The ones where all the characters were named after different foods?”

“Heh. Yeah, those were something else.”

“She knew how to make long horseback rides a little shorter, didn’t she?” You chuckle as that odd mix of happiness and sadness washes through you once more. Silence washes over the library again.

“I’m sorry. For everything–”

“Reiner. Don’t.” Feeling your throat tighten, you look up at him, closing the book on your lap and placing it aside.

“I–”

For the first time in years, you hold his gaze. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

“I hurt you.” You can hear the pain in his voice. There are tears in his eyes, glistening in the moonlight. 

“You were doing what you believed was right. You always have. I would have done the same.”

“What we believe is the right thing isn’t always the right thing.”

“You did what you could, with the information you were given. We all did. I could never hate you for what you did.”

“Then what do you hate me for?”

Your face twists slightly, shocked, and this time you’re the one with tears in your eyes. 

“I-I mean, you have to hate me for something.” Reiner watches your expression.

But your face changes, and a soft smile takes over your lips as you gaze up at him. “Wouldn’t that be childish of me?”

At your smile, he relaxes into the couch slightly, leaning a little closer to you. “You’re allowed to hate people as an adult, silly.”

“Hate is born from not understanding. I understand why you chose to do what you did, so how could I possibly hate you?”

“I hate myself…for what I did.”

“The choices you were forced to make weren’t easy, Reiner.”

“They should’ve been.” 

He pauses for a moment. 

“How could I leave the person I love more than anything else in this world?”

You blink in surprise. Then, warmth floods through your veins. You lean into him, pressing against his arm and resting your head on his shoulder.

“Even if I had known what you were going through, I still would have let you go. It was life or death for you,” you murmur.

“I should have found a way to live. I would have. Shit, I’ve been stabbed and shot and bombed more times than I can count.”

“You fought in a war, Rei. It must’ve been awful.”

His hand slides into yours. “It was. But I’d fight a million more just to see you for one more day.” 

“You don’t have to. And if you did, I’d be right there at your side.”

You feel him sigh, leaning his head against yours and pressing his lips against your forehead.

“Reiner…” That familiar warmth blooms in your chest, something you hadn’t felt in a long time. 

“I missed you so much,” he whispers. “I wished you were there with me every day…but also I was glad you were somewhere safer.”

He missed you…You shift in your spot to look up at him, pressing a hand to his cheek. You’re no longer so afraid to look him in the eyes. “I missed you too. But I’m here with you now.”

“You are. And I’m here with you,” he echoes, as if he’s afraid it’s all a dream, and speaking it aloud would cement the two of you in reality.

And then he shifts, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you into his lap, pressing his forehead against yours as your arms loop around his shoulders, tangling in the hair at the back of his head. His hands grip tightly at your waist before sliding around you completely, pulling you as close as humanly possible as your noses brush. For a heartbeat, you linger against each other, letting it settle into your minds that the other was here, until neither of you can hold yourselves back any longer, and you collapse into each other.

The familiarity of his lips against yours overwhelms you, memories of the night he first kissed you surfacing in your mind. You were both sitting on patrol, joking about something stupid, and he suddenly pulled you close. In this moment, time seems to loop back on itself, the two of you kissing in the same way you had all those years ago. Even though you’d both grown as people, he still felt the same…because the love you had for each other had never changed. 

The kiss breaks when Reiner tries to somehow get you even closer, and you giggle at his effort before sliding off his lap and pulling him with you to lay down sideways on the couch. He’s nearly surrounding you completely as he lays half on top of you, crushing you slightly but you couldn’t care less. He peppers kisses across your nose and cheeks and down your neck, lingering a little longer on each one and relishing the way you laugh when the stubble on his chin tickles you. 

The warmth of the moment overwhelms you, turning your laughter into soft sobs as you pull him close, burying your face in his chest. 

“I love you, Reiner. It’s good to have you back.”

“Oh, baby. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere, I promise,” he whispers against your skin. But you can feel the tears running down his cheeks too. 

There’s a few moments of comfortable silence between you two, that couldn’t be more unlike the awkwardness of the past few months. Your fingertips trace over the contours of his face, occasionally wiping fallen tears off his cheeks, simply enjoying being so close. He tightens his arms around you, a rare soft smile appearing across his lips.

“You know, I got so scared when I saw you during Eren’s invasion, in Liberio,” he murmurs, brushing a stray lock of hair away from your face. “That place wasn’t safe for you at the time.”

“I wasn’t afraid for me. But when I saw the titans fighting, I was a little scared that you’d get hurt…” you trail off, getting lost in the way the moonlight reflected in his eyes. “What was life like, in Marley?”

He chuckles at your question, sinking into the couch next to you. “It had its moments…but overall, not great. I guess things like cars, photographs, and electricity were normal for me though. I probably grew up in a nicer environment than most people here.”

“Your mother did her best for you, I’m sure of it.”

“Heh, she definitely did something. I guess I get it from her.”

“What?”

“The drive to do absolutely anything for the people I love.”

“That’s one of my favorite things about you, actually.”

He raises an eyebrow at you. “Really? That’s what you like about me?” He was confused; that trait had caused the deaths of so many people. He’d always preferred not to think about it at all. But it was obvious that you didn’t see it in that way.

“Yeah, I think it’s sweet. It’s what’s kept you alive for so long.”

“No, that’s not it,” he sighs, “What kept me alive was you.”

“I wanted to live…so I could see you again too. I wanted it all to be over so we could be here, like this.”

The emotion behind his eyes is a mix of melancholy and nostalgia as he gazes at you. “How were things, after I…left?”

“Rough, at first. But eventually, we got rid of the rest of the titans, and took over the port. We met Yelena and her crew, and they brought us up to speed.”

“How nice of her,” he muses, causing you to snort out a laugh.

“I think we’re just about on par with Marley now, in terms of development.”

“Eh, it’s way nicer here. Besides, here is where you are.”

“Aw, I kinda wanted to live in Liberio for a bit…” you trail off, giving him a dramatic look that turns to laughter at his expression. “I’m kidding!”

“Heh, you better be,” he laughs, pulling you close once again. 

You move your hand to rest it against his chest as his nose slides against yours, lips fitting together like you were made for each other. His tongue presses against yours slowly, drinking in every breath, every heartbeat…every shred of evidence that you were alive and okay and in his arms. This was everything both of you had wanted since you returned from fighting. Tilting your head, you try to get closer to him, wrapping a leg around his waist as his hands slide under your shirt and up your back. But after an especially deep kiss, he pulls away slightly, his lips ghosting over yours.

“You know, we should probably head to bed before someone wakes up early and finds us making out on the library couch.”

“Aww.” You sink into the couch a little more in protest.

He sits up halfway, still leaning over you. “I promise, my bed is comfier.”

Blushing at his words, you’re thankful it’s still dark in the library. You’d half expected him to send you back to bed in your respective rooms. Who were you kidding, though? This was the man who climbed through your window as a Scout so you could sleep in each others' arms. Hell, he’d seen you naked more times than you could count. But that was so long ago, everything felt new again.

Reiner leads you back to his room, your hand in his, and you can’t hide the smile growing on your face. Not an hour ago this was something you’d only wished would happen; but now your wish had come true. When he pulls you into his room, finally into privacy, you lose track of how many kisses he plants across your skin. And as you settle into his arms under the blankets, sleep washes over you faster than it had in years. 

You wake up with your head resting against his chest, one of his hands tangled in your hair and the other around your waist, and only one thought in your mind: you were glad you talked to him.

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[theguardiananatak]

Since I’ve heard some REALLY convoluted explanations to new raiders on how to do Solo Rooms in Verity (Salvations Edge 4th encounter) I thought I’d write up an SOP for it. Video guides are great and all too but I like being able to read the steps.

— Verity - Solo Room SOP —

Loadouts: self-sustain + ad clear

100 resilience, Healing (healing grenade, crimson, red death, etc) & a LMG, something to stun Unstoppable Ogres in main room

Cosmetics: Distinctive armor silhouette & ghost shell, both different from teammates

Process Steps

*Assuming you have been sent to Solo Room*

Check shapes on 3 statues, note what shape your statue has

Check shapes shown on your wall

- If 2 different shapes on wall, kill knight holding shape that is NOT YOURS, give that shape to the corresponding persons statue with matching shape

- If wall shows same shape, you have DOUBLES

Witness notices your efforts:

You will be frozen in shadow realm, forced to spectate an outside players. You will be able to see one of the other two solos statues, inform teammates which number that players statue is

Outside players pick up the 3x solos ghosts, placing them on corresponding pedestal, restoring the solo players

Back in Solo room - Distributing shape:

Kill ogres when they appear to spawn knights

Once all shadow realm players have Doubles, begin distributing your own shape to the two statues that are NOT your own (Left -> Right)

Once this is completed, your wall should show two shapes that are Not yours

Collect your Key:

Kill knights to grab the two different shapes that are not yours, together this makes a key that lets you pass through the broken glass wall into the main arena

Kill ads + 2x unstoppable ogres with team, then stand in a position AWAY FROM TEAMMATES (~2m spacing)

Five Ghosts:

You will be frozen and forced into spectate mode, inform which teammate is at the statue you can see (ex. Cat ghost is Anatak, goes to position 4)

You are on a timer, so keep comms clear and concise

One team member will be unfrozen and have to place ghosts into the correct corresponding players statue

Once all 5 have been placed and unfrozen, repeat entire process 3x to clear encounter.

Congrats! You just helped pull your own weight in the hardest puzzle encounter in Destiny history!

Disclaimer: Assumes you have at least one player in the main room who knows how to do Main Room 3D shapes mechanic. I’ll write up an additional section for the main room if enough people show interest.

Tip for Titans: Pyrogale Gauntlets are bugged, allowing all players to see the burning suns above your shoulders on the statue

[destinylegendrpg]

What is Destiny: Become Legend?

Destiny: Become Legend is a custom tabletop roleplaying game fan project co-created by @frombrad2worse and @cassiefisherdrake , crafted from the ground up with a unique dice system designed to capture the rich universe, expansive lore, and tactical combat of Bungie, Inc.'s sci-fi shooters Destiny and Destiny 2.

To start playing your own Destiny: Become Legend TTRPG games at home, you only need...

The Abbreviated Handbook (Light Mode) OR (Dark Mode)

A fireteam of friends (1 Vanguard and 3-4 Guardians is best!)

At least four 6-sided dice

And that's it! You're ready to begin! All of our content is FREE to access and will always remain that way, so go wild and play this game however you like with any story you like. Click below the cut to find out more about us and this fan project TTRPG!

Who created Destiny: Become Legend (D:BL)?

We are B (@cassiefisherdrake) and Danger (@frombrad2worse), two long-time Destiny 2 fans and the creative force behind the Destiny: Become Legend TTRPG. B is a proud Titan main (Missile Titan Supremacy) and Danger is a filthy Hunter main (with a crippling Gunpowder Gamble addiction). Here's a picture of our Guardians!

As a reminder, we're just fans! We're unaffiliated with Bungie and do not make any money off of D:BL - and we never plan to! All D:BL content will ALWAYS be free to access and play.

What is playing D:BL like?

In D:BL, the players, as Guardians, explore the vast universe, interact with its colorful inhabitants, and fight back against the forces of Darkness. When a situation with an exciting and uncertain outcome arises, you roll 2d6 and add stat modifiers to determine what happens. If things get dicey (pun intended) and weapons are drawn, combat begins. In combat, you have a pool of 4d6 you can expend every turn to fire weapons, activate Light abilities, and perform various Heroic Actions. Combat is designed to be fast-paced, tactical, and exciting - players don't even have assigned turns and must instead discuss amongst themselves their strategy before their enemies can gain the upperhand.

Just like the video games, D:BL is designed to be easy to pick up and fun to play for beginners, but contains a wide array of character customization options to provide a rich and rewarding experience for players that want to dive deeper and build the Guardian of their sci-fi fantasies. It even includes build-crafting for all Subclasses!

Want to see D:BL in action?

Each Monday at 8:45PM ET on our twitch stream, we'll join one of our two fireteams as they race to save the Last City from the invading Red Legion. But something is different about this Red War: the Cabal are working with the Vex! Join us as our heroes race to save the Last City - and maybe even the timeline itself! Many sessions will even come with their own lorebook entry, read aloud at the end of play to further delve into Destiny's depths!

Whether you're ready to find out about the campaign, hear a fan-made lorebook, or just want to see how the mechanics of the D:BL system shake out, join us every Monday, at 8:30PM Eastern / 7:30 Central as we play live on our twitch!

How soon can I play this at home with my other Destiny-loving nerd friends?

Right now! In case you missed it, scroll back up to the top of this post to access the Abbreviated Handbook (in light mode or dark mode) to begin making your own character sheets and stories with friends. This abbreviated handbook is best used by Vanguards and players who are familiar with the video game and have played at least one other TTRPG system (ex., Dungeons & Dragons, Powered by the Apocalypse games). We'll also soon be adding full, unabbreviated players and Vanguard handbooks for completely new players!

Please note that the D:BL system is being updated all the time as we play our own campaign to find our what feels good. The current version is 1.51; this post was last updated July 20, 2024.

Remember that this system will ALWAYS remain free to play! All handbooks, all expansions, all subclasses, all custom exotics - everything! After all, we are a fan project - our only goal is to spread far and wide so we can all have fun with our friends, playing together in the Destiny universe's sandbox. Follow us here or on twitter for updates, news, and stream announcements!

Eyes up and have fun, Guardians!

[savyir-genesizz-the-wizard]

Destiny 2 OCs:

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

Cogito-4 (he/him)

(main oc)

an exo arclock

was a Pole as a human (speaks the language quite well; author of a dictionary and many papers on the culture and remaining architecture)

only uses arc (very rarely solar); would never embrace the Darkness

rezzed some time after the end of the Great Hunt on the Reef (knew a bit Eliksnii language)

malfunctioning left leg (loses control over it for a second if he puts too much weight on it); levitates using light

grew up in the Last City (student of a Warlock named Štefan Ryba), didn't leave it until the Twilight Gap

missed a lot of big conflicts; prefers a role of researcher over fighter

worked on planets and other objects distant from Earth

returned to Earth during the Red War and worked as a gunsmith of the Farm

currently works as a Vanguard's Operative on Nessus and a geologist

he's excellent at fixing or assembling guns (great memory and motor skills) but he can't create one from scratch

bad jumpship pilot

likes City food

doesn't enjoy spending too much time with other Warlocks

talks a lot

really wants to help everyone, even if he says he just wants to be left alone (and never is)

warlock deputy vanguard (against his will)

Dun-Dun (he/him)

Cogito-4's ghost

used to work as a librarian in Cryptarchy Archives

when he went searching for his guardian, his friend and their guardian died. After learning that, he didn't allow Cogito to leave the City for many years

terrified of fights (and rezzing during fights)

pretty good in social situations

rarely leaves his guardian

teached Cogito how to swear

Taş (he/him)

awoken void titan

fireteam died in Throne World in SotSeraph

used to be a Hunter up until this point because of group pressure

very low self-esteem

ghost: Yürek (e/em/eir)

(Štefan) Ryba (they/them)

human arclock >> (allegedly) Taken (MiA)

lived in the Dark Ages; kept as a Warlord's slave, freed by Saladin

Cogito-4's mentor

very optimistic, never fully serious

(alleged part:)

was 'taken' around the start of the Reef Wars

stuck in the Ascendant Realm

Toland is making fun of them but they couldn't care less

false prophet turned not-so false prophet

ghost (allegedly Taken): Kvet (one/one's)

Kobzar-13 (he/him)

exo solar titan

diversity win - this Titan is hopelessly devoted to another Titan instead of a Warlock

used to travel the Solar system since the Sunbreakers left the City, in search for Golden Age tech until the battle at the Burning Lake and when he returned to guard the Earth

made it his life mission to learn how to play every instrument he finds cool (some can be hard if you are an exo)

head mods that look like a mustache (movable!)

ghost: Perebendya (he/him)

Enebish (he/it)

human void titan (ex-Stoneborn Order)

risen in the Dark Age (a bit younger than the Drifter)

object of Kobzar's adoration

looks intimidating (doesn't emote much) but he's very friendly and helpful

pets random cats

almost died during the Red War but was saved by Kobzar

(they live together now and guard the Walls)

ghost: Tovshuur (it/its)

Krewetka (or Shrimp) (it/its)

ghost who lost its guardian (in SotSeraph)

hangs around in bars and yells at people

Kayetan Snakecharmer (he/him)

awoken solar hunter

races in SRL (mid tier, never last but never first)

clueless himbim

ghost: Starsky (they/them)

Fig (she/her)

Young Light titan

never seen without her helmet

just follows Shaw Han around

surprisingly good at not dying a horrible death!

ghost: Ghost-ghost (he/she)

Fireteam "Trouble" (real Hunter Freudian trio):

(Ksawery Lew Franc Rajmund) Wawrzyniec "Wawrzyn" Swoboda (he/him)

human void hunter

couldn't decide on one name, people call him just Wawrzyn nowadays (means just 'bay leaf' basically)

lost an arm in the Hellmouth

used to be a Gunslinger but he physically can't use solar anymore since then

gets into trouble all the time

ghost: Chrząszcz (or just "Beatle") (he/them)

Enikő-13 (she/her)

exo solar hunter

always broke

lives in the Last City

her back hurts and her ghost can't fix it

"not great" at Crucible but plays it regularly anyway (has some genuine fans)

ghost: Sárgaréz (she/her)

Nocolot (or Nyctibius) (she/her)

awoken solar and arc hunter

very tall

complains a lot

probably has very complicated and interesting private life but never talks about it

ghost: Waqra (he/him)

Bragis (the Cursed) (he/it/they)

eliksnii ex-Wolf baron

currently lives in the City with the House of Light

warrior turned potter

Ibroldys (the Most Beloved) (she/her)

eliksnii Light's splicer

works with Guardians and Caiatl's Cabal on Vanguard's missions

Bragis'es daughter; takes care of him

praises the Traveler as a god

"It is what it is"

Obrypiks (the Pestilence of the Three Shipwrecks Pass) (she/her)

eliksnii ex-Devil Vandal

didn't join the House of Salvation because she hates authority

a nuisance at best

horrible little fucker

(Traveler forbid women do anything)

Karlun (the Brightest Star/ Plague Claw) (he/him)

Scorn

probably a bit more sapient than he should be

would like to escape the Witness but is stuck in the Savathûn's Throne World

Bragis'es son

Grau'amun (she/her)

ulurant ex-Red Legionist

mechanic

born without part of her right arm

all her friends are dead :(

(I'll write here more once I bring myself to write more chapters of that fic she's in)

[dayonnight]

HI YES I'M THE ANON WHO ASKED ABOUT ARMIN TYBUR AND NOW I AM THINKING THOUGHTSSSS AND HAVE QUESTIONSSS

Do you think Armin had a nice reunion with his extended family or a sour one (before he got the Warhammer, I mean)? I'd like to imagine Mum Tybur(Armin's Mom) came from a rare sector of the Tyburs that is very much against the war and would try to protect Armin from having to take the Warhammer before ultimately failing and still supporting him however they can anyway. Lol imagine him learning about the different parts of himself that he got from the Tyburs but had written off as "oddities" in the walls(ex. his love of reading, his love of the ocean, his intelligence) and bonding with a cousin or something he never knew he had. Or they’re all horrible people and he decides to run for the hills lol. Ugh I just want him to find people who love him in a place where everyone around him wants to use him but aot is determined to make me weep😭😭

ALSO now that Armin is running around with the Warhammer, how would Erwin react to everything? Do you have any head canons on how he would be in this hypothetical s4??

I'm sorry ik that's a lot so feel free to ignore!! You have made my mind rot in all the best ways with this au😭/pos

-🦋

I WILL NOT IGNORE THIS I LOVE YOU 🥺

Armin and his Tybur Family

When Armin first meets the Tybur i think he might be scared and a little excited, he thought that he lost all of his family and now he knows he didn't, but of course, not everything is perfect.

I feel like most members would be a little passive aggressive to him as his mom pretty much run away from her destiny, comments about how similar he is to her (Besides his eyes) and how they expect him to be better than "her" are common.

(In fact, he is considered better since he "never runs away")

I do think that the family meeting will be sour, but as you say, him discovering that the oddities he had were common by his Tybur family side makes him feel a little of comfort. And it would be nice that he gets a cousin to bond with, after all, he will have a rough time and deserves a nice time.

The main reason why William also looked out for him or his mom, is also because he wants to make things right, and he is sure war is soon so they need to actually train a Warhammer titan/holder to fight back.

So is not like Armin is too welcome in the family as much as just a pawn to use, and he kinda gets it, they are petty that his mom escaped.

"The sins of the mother, must be payed by the son"

Erwin's destiny

Without Armin, Jean and other's needed to make way more than in canon, more active leadership and planning i mean.

Eren is really filled with rage this time, and just like his last fight with Annie (He let himself go wild to a point were he lost control) he defeated Reiner easily and was capable of holding Berthold back better.

And also, if Reiner and Berthold left early along Annie to take Armin to Marley. Then, Ymir ks there too.

She might fight only because Historia asked her to do it, and that helped as she was able to climb the Colossal fast enough to take Berthold (The heat doesn't affect titans as much as a human)

So, the choice was easy and Erwin got the Colossal Titan.

And with Erwin alive, he gets to make his dream come true and discovers that, in fact, there are humans outside the walls, humans that might be enemies or allies.

This messes up with Eren, because he is sure that Armin is alive, but not in the world they wanted to see (An empty world filled with nature wonders).

The 4th Season

I'm not gonna lie, i am still working on what would happen in the hypothetical 4th season.

• For once, i already said that i am sure Eren will still be with the survey corps. Zeke tries to contact him, but either he ignores him (Angry against him as now that Erwin has Berthold memories they know Armin was captured thanks to Zeke) or he tries to earn his trust to know about Armin.

I am not completely sure if Erwin will reveal the part of Armin being the Warhammer, because it would mean that Eren and Mikasa will push harder to rescue him and that the higher ups will want him because he is a new weapon to Paradis.

• Reiner is doing better, he grieved Berthold a lot, but Annie is still there so he isn't completely lost.

Annie, however, feels extremely guilty about Armin, having time with her father made her realize how much she wants to escape from fighting and the wars, and she took everything from Armin, just how she felt when she had to go to Paradis.

• Sasha will live. This might sound weird but i just kept thinking about this, and yes, she will live, just as Armin gets to their airship, Connie, Jean and Sasha will leave their place to go to see him, which means Gabi will not be able to kill her when she climbs.

Sasha living will mean that Gabi's arc will need to change. She will no longer have to see how others suffer because of killing (Kaya, Sasha's family, Niccolo, none of them will grieve because of her), but she will see how Marley hurts them so much.

At first i imagine that, while she still wants to kill Eren, she is more focused on Armin as he is "A dirty traitor who turned on his country and family for demons". No one knew Armin was from Paradis, and suddey learning how they took him from his home and transformed him into a weapon might be a crash of reality.

And Falco is there too, love the boy he might not change much to be honest, but he did bonded more with Armin back in Marley (Both are nerds who enjoy reading, with a hot headed friend/crush, even if Falco still doesn't get who Eren is, he bonds with Armin and understands him)

• What about the Rumbling? To be honest, i am not sure.

I can see Eren wanting to use it against Marley (He HATES Marley, they hurt Armin, they took him away, and crushed their dreams), but once Armin is back, i am not sure what will happen with Eren.

Without the Warhammer, there's also problems with his plan of the Rumbling.

And there still needs to be a plan to destroy the curse of the Titans, but i still need to think on it, sorry :(

[shelbbswrites]

Why do you think they made Kory stone for most of the episode?

Eh, I think it's a bit of Deux ex Machina, but it's successful in this context for me.

Taking a step back, the plot needed Kory to be out of the picture to give Dick an unavoidable reason to align himself with Jinx. Saving Kory is the most irrefutable reason he would do so at that moment.

Dick and Jinx's trip may seem like filler since nothing massive comes of it, but I'd argue the opposite. Just because nothing at the club moves the plot forward substantially, the character beats with Dick show how much he's grown since Jinx knew him in Gotham and how much he cares about Kory, which directly connects to Kory's internal arc in this episode.

Sometimes benching a character in the way Titans sidelines Kory means that the character isn't visible for the entire episode. So instead, Titans dials back her presence but still uses the time away from that A plot to give her a story with personal motivations -- being a warrior with a destiny (that includes Dick!!!) that can save them all.

[selinascatnip]

Kory believes in destiny

So about the last episode, I've come to understand the dinner as Kory's mindspace, I know it kinda conflicts with the first time the place actually appeared because then it was a real place in the world, but look, Titans is clearly a show with a weak world-building and weird internal logic and...

Not the point of this post.

Kory, she believes in destiny.

She was groomed since birth to do so, it's wired in her brain even if she tries so hard to break free, to deconstruct this way of thinking as she fights to make her own choices instead of the ones pointed to her. She, even in this incarnation, is guided by her feelings. And when the time comes to chose between what she was told to do and what she feels it's right she trusts herself.

And she is hardly ever wrong.

She knows herself intimately, she's not like Dick, who lies to himself and fights himself all the damn time because he was taught that way by Bruce.

When Kory doubts, it's not herself, but the choices of others, the wellbeing of others. Because she was raised to be a Queen. And she believed that was her destiny, and when she rebelled, and learned all the meddling, and the injustice and the lies she was feed all her life in Tamaran, she didn't stop believing in destiny. Instead, the truth about her parents and Komand'r became further proof that she was always right to yearn for freedom, because in truth, she was never destined to be Queen, that was someone else's destiny.

So, without her parents to guide her, since they lied to her (and if she was sent at young age away from home to be trained as her comic book self was), the person who appears in the place she goes whenever she feels lost to help her to find an answer within herself, is the memory of her old Master/Governess.

After a whole life of fighting between what she's told to do and what she feels she should do, it's to this mentor of hers that she goes when needs help working things through, or to get some sort of approval from this figure of reference, to just take the next step and do what she already knows she wants, which is to pursue romantic happiness with the man she is already by all means except the biblical one, already wedded to.

All that to say that scene reminded me of the Dream Ghost song from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend 🤣

[ambelle]

What I find interesting is the need for a more elaborate romantic past for Dick at this point. Jinx is his fourth ex to show up in so many seasons. And he has never dated two of them in the comics. (He's becoming the D&D bard meme.)

Sheesh Man. Okay I'll bite since I've been ignoring these type of questions since Thursday.

Who is the 4th ex? Dawn, Babs, Jinx and who? Kory?

And he's like 30 so 3 exes make him a whore how? He hasn't had sex since season one and apparently didn't date or even befriend anyone in those 5 years between the Titans breaking up and meeting Kory.

I'll also never understand why DickDawn was so traumatic for this fandom. Even in the Trigon dream Kory was who mattered the most and he knew her for like 2 weeks at that point. Yet he killed for her. Season 2 he said he and Dawn were filling a void which is hardly romantic. It was there as a direct comparison to how he talked about Kory. You had Dawn who did nothing but put him down and then you had Kory be the one who figured out he was trying to trade himself to Slade and save him. You had Kory decide not to turn her back on him when Dawn walked out on him the second time. You had Kory stay to bust him out of prison when Dawn left him there to rot for the third time. So what about season 2 makes people hyperfocus on DickDawn? If you guys would stop thinking about DickDawn's one makeout scene you'd remember the time she threatened to burn down his house and blamed him for Jason getting kidnapped...which then convinced him to basically end his life. You would remember he barely even looked at her present-day season 2. She just followed him around his house antagonizing him. What stops everyone from realizing how important Kory was and seeing that was the point? Is it because they didn't have sex? Is that it?

We can all agree DickBabs was a waste of time but here's the thing...they kissed and then broke up. Season 3 was a waste of screen time that should have gone to DickKory, Gar, and Rachel yes...but what is it about Babs that has people so pressed. Down to the point of being mad at the way he broke up with her? He didn't even want to go on a date with her. They argued most of the time. Kory is his partner that's the point. He doesn't belong in Gotham that's the point. Did we need a whole season to tell that no, but that makes me wonder what is the issue with Jinx being an ex.

Jinx isn't stalling DickKory. Jinx isn't taking him away for a season she's literally a plot device for DickKory. Damn near ships them. What has Jinx done besides reminding us Dick wasn't a virgin in his 20s, that he doesn't like or trust her, and that he has feelings for Kory? Why does this matter so much? I'm just trying to understand. He dated 2 women when he lived in Gotham. Alright. He lived there since age 13.

Is 4 women really a long list for people? Is anyone going to acknowledge he hasn't had sex since season 1? Are we shocked ppl have had sex on a HBO Max show? Are none of you tired of rejecting your W? We just found out Dick is Kory's destiny and y'all are pressed he had sex with this woman he no longer likes 8 years ago. And not had sex with random strangers but women he was actually dating. Hell even Barry on the Flash had Felicity, Linda, and Patty by season 2.

If the issue is wanting Dick to focus on Kory he is doing that. If the issue is not wanting him to be distracted by other women he isn't. If the issue is wanting to see him turn down other women in favor of Kory he's doing that.

What is the issue?

[thvndersnow]

PINNED ;;

hi there! i'm Logan, and i'm the guy that runs this circus.

this is an indie, private, and selective multimuse based in the Destiny 2 universe. OCs featured include a short, initially skittish awoken titan, a risen eliksni with everything to prove, an exo warlock that loves empoisoning you with his horrible hands, and an ex-Dredgen awoken hunter that can't and won't stop grinning -- as well as a Captain of House Winter and an OC Kell of Kings.

if all of that sounds interesting to you, do me a favor and read my info pages! i'll be using this post as a compendium for everything you might need to know, and will update it whenever new things are added.

GENERAL LINKS;

Rules and Regulations

Tag Dumps

All Info Posts

CHARACTER LINKS;

OCS

Theo Vesh, Awoken Titan

Astridr-7, Exo Warlock

Jackal, Awoken Hunter(?)

Jace Law, Human Titan (tbd)

Jesse Morgan, Human Hunter (tbd)

Ashe, Awoken Warlock (tbd)

Etykraks, the Lonely, Eliksni Titan

Iiksiiks, the Just

Miilak, Kell of Kings

CANONS

Cayde-6 , Hunter Vanguard

Rhulk, the Subjugator (tbd)

Nezarec, the Final God of Pain (tbd)

Cloudstrider Nimbus (tbd)

[shadowbroker]

as a 10 year destiny fan... we're honestly just tired of the wider gaming world always making us the butt of the joke. we try to look past how much the dcv sucks because the ongoing story and content are so deeply engaging, and because the devs and narrative team (not the execs) clearly care about making something actually good and meaningful and fun. we believe in and care about this game and this universe and we're sick of literally everyone else telling us we shouldn't literally all the time.

Sure didn’t say you couldn’t. And yall sure aren’t the butt of any joke to me lmao I used to be you dude.

My post was complaining at its core that some guy blazed a post for Destiny 2. like they used their hard earned cash to do advertising for a corporation. I don’t care what game or whatever, y’all shouldn’t be doing advertising for a corporation. I wouldn’t pay a single dime to advertise FFXIV but I play that shit daily!!!

Sure that lead to me complaining about other stuff as an ex Destiny fan I paid thousands so I think I have a right to complain about it every now and then. I’ll show you my replica gallarhorn that I bought if that gets me the complaining pass. I’ll even show you my replica titan void shield if that is convincing enough for you. Can’t show all my collectors shit cause I shipped it off to a good friend when I decided I’ve had enough.

Play what u want dude idgaf, enjoy Destiny! I hear it’s good now! just don’t wanna see yall knuckle heads spending money on ads when you got silver to buy!!!

[titanthedad]

Sunday, 24 September, 2023

Hello again old friend,

Today is going to be different. Todays message is for my ex fiancée.

"I needed you, not because I needed someone to care for me. No. I am a man, alone. I needed you because you showed me what it is to lose everything. You showed me what it was to lose my fear. You showed me how to love, and how to live with the gaping wound when it was ripped from my chest. I didn't need you to make me whole. I needed you to show me that I was always that. I was always complete, even now that you're gone. I needed you to destroy me in my entirety so that when I find a love fierce enough, a love loyal enough, a love honest enough, well, we will be a force that moves mountains and breaks anything any destiny has to say about us. I needed you so that I would embrace the flame inside, be the warrior I was always made to be. And I thank you for that."

Yours in Eternity, Titan

[yessadirichards]

Cannes Film Festival kicks off with Johnny Depp, 'Jeanne du Barry' and plenty to talk about

CANNES, France

The Cannes red carpet sprang to life again Tuesday with the premiere of the Louis XV period drama “Jeanne du Barry," with Johnny Depp, as the French Riviera movie pageant launched a star-studded and potentially controversy-rife 76th edition.

Throngs of onlookers shouted “Johnny!” as Depp, in purple-hued sunglasses signed autographs and edged back into the spotlight following his explosive trial last year with ex-wife Amber Heard. “Louis XV,” directed and co-starring Maïwenn, has been billed as Depp's comeback — though his prominent presence at Cannes has been hotly debated.

A coterie of stars streamed down Cannes' famous red carpet for the opening night ceremony, including Brie Larson, Uma Thurman, Gong Li, Elle Fanning, Catherine Deneuve (who graces this year's festival poster) and a blue-haired Helen Mirren, who carried a fan labeled #worthit.

Michael Douglas, who was to receive an honorary Palme d'Or at the opening night ceremony, walked the carpet with his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones and their daughter, Carys Zeta Douglas.

This year's festival promises a Côte d'Azur buffet of spectacle, scandal and cinema set to be served over the next 12 days. It's unspooling against the backdrop of labor unrest. Protests that have roiled France in recent months over changes to its pension system are planned to run during the festival, albeit at a distance from the festival's main hub.

Meanwhile, an ongoing strike by screenwriters in Hollywood could have unpredictable effects on the French Riviera festival.

“My wife is currently picketing with my 6-month-old, strapped to her chest,” Paul Dano, a juror, said Tuesday, referencing Zoe Kazan. “I will be there on the picket line when I get back home.”

But with a festival lined with some much-anticipated big-budget films, including James Mangold's “Indiana Jones and the Dial of the Destiny” and Martin Scorsese's “Killers of the Flower Moon,” the party is sure to go on, regardless. Stars set to hit Cannes' red carpet in the next week and a half include Natalie Portman, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Sean Penn, Alicia Vikander, the Weeknd and Scarlett Johansson.

Earlier Tuesday, the jury that will decide the festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or, was introduced. Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund, a two-time Palme winner who last year won for the social satire “The Triangle of Sadness," is presiding over a jury including Dano, Larson, Argentine filmmaker Damián Szifron, Afghan director Atiq Rahimi, French actor Denis Ménochet, Moroccan filmmaker Maryam Tourzani, Zambian-Welsh director Rungano Nyoni and French director Julia Ducournau, who in 2019 became the second female filmmaker to win the Palme d'Or for “Titane.”

Östlund, 49, wondered whether he might have been handed the opportunity a decade too soon. But while addressing the press, Östlund — whose “The Triangle of Sadness” was nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards — made it clear where his allegiances lie.

“If I can choose between an Oscar and a Palme d'Or, it's an easy choice," said Östlund. "I would rather have one more (Palme) than have an Oscar.”

The opening night selection has attracted some controversy. “Jeanne du Barry,” which simultaneously opened in French theaters Tuesday, was produced following the much-watched 2022 trial during which both Depp and Heard accused each other of physical and verbal abuse. A civil jury awarded Depp $10 million in damages and $2 million to Heard.

Maïwenn has made headlines recently, too. The French actor-director has been accused of spitting at prominent French journalist Edwy Plenel.

In remarks to the press Monday, Cannes director Thierry Fremaux defended the choice, praised Depp as an actor and said he paid no attention to the trial.

“To tell you the truth, in my life, I only have one rule, it’s the freedom of thinking, the freedom of speech and the freedom to act within a legal framework,” said Fremaux. “If Johnny Depp had been banned from acting in a film, or the film was banned we wouldn’t be here talking about it.”

For more coverage of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/cannes-film-festival

Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP