#her timeline fits in perfectly with the story and I'm very happy I was able to fit Lara in as her twin!

[makesitprecious]

✒️ ɪᴛ's ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs sᴜᴍᴍᴇʀ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ sᴇᴀ ✒️

🌊 the stones crack open, the water burns // the shadows come to dance my love // the shadows come to play // the shadows come to stay 🌊

Having been a skilled navy man under his house banners (under 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐓𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐘 reign) since sixteen, Amias was promoted & transferred to the 𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐘𝐎𝐍 fleet on the Narrow Sea. The 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐲 had not yet formed & while pirates existed, their numbers were not that of an army nor were their mind sets. From eighteen to twenty-one he sailed with Corlys. Ice Wolf was the famed journey beyond the Wall; an attempt to find a northerly route around Westeros through the Shivering Sea, but with no luck**. Amias was part of the first Westeroi crew who visited Nefer in N'Ghai & navigate the Thousand Islands (aboard Sea Snake). When Coryls purchased twenty more ships in Qarth he appointed Amias his own vessel. These and other expeditions are described in Maester Mathis's The Nine Voyages. ♡ In 111 A.C. he married Larissa (Lara) Swann -- the twin sister of Johana Swann. Johanna, otherwise known as The Black Swan, was enslaved by pirates at fifteen and after freeing herself became an influential courtesan and "ruled Lys in all but title". Johanna's kidnapping is one of the earliest examples of the Triarchy's tyranny. Some do not believe Amias truly perished in 113 A.C. since he appeared in Westeros a year later. Only Larissa, who perilously sought the mythical Whyte Witch* across the continent, knew the full tale.

** this canonical event comes back into play later in the fic !

*learn about Incisu (the Whyte Witch) by clicking her link. Otherwise everything underlined is linked to a canonical source (yup! Johanna is book canon!)

♫ clicky if you don't know the song !

a big shout out and thank you to some outstanding creators for inspiring me to follow my OC heart!! ♡ @samwilsonns, @kingsroad, @fragilestorm, @zoyazenik, @prosemoireia, @fleetwoodmcs, @stachedocs, @toilandtroubled, @richitozier, @elmunson

𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐬 - I loved this crop and the font styles, but it just didn't fit into the color scheme as well as the others and having three pics chopped up the set too much as a whole for me. I wanted an "end credits" feel and this wasn't giving it to me. But I still think it's pretty so here ya go !!!

[creampuffqueen]

Mal's Future Sukka Headcanon Timeline! (Part 2)

okay, gonna be real, i thought i would be able to fit the whole timeline into one post. i should have known better lmao

Part 1

same disclaimers still stand. this is the last part of the timeline, talking about their last kids, Sokka serving on the Republic City council, and how it all ties in to tlok

(small TW for mentions of a stillbirth. but not quite a stillbirth? it gets reversed. read more for an explanation lmao)

but life has one last surprise in store for them

if you've read my fic 'broken jars' you'll know the story of the twins. if you haven't, i'll summarize the events real quick

Suki is pregnant with twins, but doesn't know. since she doesn't know, she doesn't get quite the proper care needed for a person pregnant with twins

this means that, when she gives birth, the first baby is perfectly healthy. a baby girl they name Kolla

and then she gives birth to another baby. a little boy who is not so healthy

he's stillborn

Sokka and Suki are utterly devastated

holding their baby boy together under the light of the full moon, a miracle takes place

a stripe of his hair turns pure white. and he begins to cry

they're both aware of what just happened: Yue saved their son

they name the baby boy Hakoda, after his grandfather, who unfortunately at this point has passed away. he ends up going by the nickname 'Koda' for the most part, though

after the rather traumatic birth of the twins, Sokka and Suki both agree that they're Done having kids. they likely were anyway, considering they're both in their 40s at this point, but they take extra steps and precautions to assure that they're done until Suki goes into menopause

but after taking their time to recover, they're happy to be a family of 14. the kids are all amazing older siblings (the oldest few have had lots of practice at this point) and life is good

then, when the twins are about 6 months old, Aang writes Sokka a letter to propose an idea to his best friend

he wants Sokka to serve at the SWT representative in Republic City

it doesn't take much for Sokka to be convinced. and Suki is right with him, as always

the family up and moves to Republic City

however, the eldest three, Yuki, Saya, and Umari, decide not to go with them. They're all adults now, and can take care of themselves. they like their lives on Kyoshi island, and don't want to move

it's the first time the family has ever separated, and it's hard for the parents to realize that their babies are growing up

but they raised them well, and they know they can look after themselves and each other

Sokka serves on the council for 10 years

as the kids grow up, they all begin to fly the nest. some return to Kyoshi island. Some head to the SWT. Others set out on their own adventures throughout the world (Iknik, i'm looking at you)

after Sokka's service is done, they move back to Kyoshi

now it's time for Suki to take a stab at leadership! she gets elected as mayor of Kyoshi, where she also spends about 10 years

and then she and Sokka decide they've really done enough, and opt to retire on Kyoshi island

of course, spoiling their many, many grandkids

now, i mentioned that one of their kiddos is Senna! which makes their granddaughter the avatar!

but mal, you cry, wouldn't Korra know about Sokka and Suki being her grandparents?

well, not necessarily. she was kept in a compound in the SWT for most of her life. she hardly saw her own parents. i don't think it's much of a stretch to say she wouldn't have a relationship with her grandparents, either

but also, i'm just gonna go ahead and say suspend some of your disbelief. it's more fun

and then, of course, we sadly must talk about the end of Sokka and Suki's lives

i have two endings. one very angsty, one not

for Angst: i saw a theory online about this. Zaheer was a nonbender member of the Red Lotus. In theory, he wouldn't need to be kept in a specialized prison, since he didn't have bending abilities. so why was he kept so freaking locked up?

the answer: he killed someone very, very important

hearing that there were threats against their granddaughter, Sokka and Suki didn't hesitate to come help protect her

Suki died defending her granddaughter. she was killed by Zaheer. After the death of his beloved wife, Sokka took it upon himself to ensure that Zaheer would never hurt anyone ever again, locking him away in the highest security prison he could design

and it was very hard for Sokka to see his granddaughter after. he was only able to remember what he lost

ouch

anyway, here's the less angsty ending lmao

Sokka died peacefully in his sleep, sometime before or very soon after Korra was born

and honestly at this point, travel was difficult for Suki. so she has just stayed put on Kyoshi island, living out her retirement in peace

so there we go!! SUKKA my beloved!!

hope everyone enjoyed my nonsense timeline lol. next i'll be posting some character designs for the kiddos, as well as some stuff about their personalities/individual stories!

and last but not least, a quick age layout for the kids so y'all can see age gaps and stuff

Yuki- 23

Saya- 22

Umari- 20

Kyiasa- 18

Akedi- 15

Kannaa- 13

Baatar- 10

Senna- 8

Iknik- 7

Kio- 5

Kolla and Hakoda- newborn

[nervousandchill]

Avengers Endgame Spoiler Review

You have been warned bois,

What.A.Movie. This is easily one of the best MCU films to date, its ties up all the plot points of Infinity war while being it's own movie and not just Inilfinity War part 2.

Hundreds of callbacks which made me so happy to see "I can do this all day" "Yeah I Know". I was so emotional throughout this movie, I was happy then I was sad then I was nervous. Bit let's get into to individual characters and what they played.

Thor: I did love the comedy, very much Tjor Ragnarok, I loved how he was still the badass we all know and love and his reunion with Frigga was everything. However, I do have one glaring complaint, the use of mental health. Now I'm not angry because they made fun of it, I'm confused as to why they treated the mental health issues of Thor differently to how they gone about it with Tony Stark, it feels a bit disrespectful to me. I hope its elaborated more in GOTG 3. Also his ending was great.

Captain America: My main man. Oh his story was beautiful, and the jokes. Its 3asily one of the times Cap has been at his most funniest. Also the bitch wielded Mjolnir, that was EVERYTHING AND HIS ENDING WITH PEGGY WAS JUST TOO PERFECT. But I've seen people complain about how he fucked up the timeline so let me explain. Bruce and the ancient one establish how if the stones are returned nothing negative will happen to the timelines. By Steve going back, successfully returning the stones, he just created a new timeline were he ends up with Peggy and returned to the current one to pass on the Cap America mantle. The last shot of Peggy and Cap dancing had me in tears because he got live the life he always wanted, and the old soilder finally got peace. Also He said AVENGERS ASSEMBLE AND I NEARLY LOST IT.

Bucky/Sam Wilson: My 2nd main man.im doing a 2 in one because of the cap ending because I've seen alot of anger about his end with Cap. Bucky knew what Steve was going to do, it's why he nodded at Steve before he went to return the stones. Bucky wants what's best for his friend. While I personally would have loved for Bucky to become cap I see why they choose Falcon instead. It really opens up alot of possibilities for their Disney show, and I think Bucky has grown so much that he is comfortable were he is, in his own skin finally, which he hasn't been since 1940.

Clint/Natasha: I'm doing these two together because their stories are so intertwined in this movie. Clint's family being dusted was such a cold open, my God it gave me chills watching Clint walk around wondering where his family went. And Natasha not even hesitating to go after Clint and get him on board, it was great because their journey so intertwined it was perfectly fitting. Then Vormir, oh boy this was the 1st time I cried. It's just heartbreaking watching the two of them, fight over who gets to sacrifice themselves. It was so similar to Gamoras death yet to Different. Natasha has nothing to loose, and she was convinced that they would pull this off and she didn't have a family to bring back like she said the avengers were her family. The other avengers reaction to Natasha really broke my heart, they all wanted her back. Yet she died after the snap. She gone forever. While she didn't get a grand funeral like Tony, she got her own send off, that scene with all the female avengers teaming up. Natasha was a warrior and theres a reason Okoye and Wanda replicated the "Shes not alone". Natasha was a fighter, so they all got together to kick the ass that Natasha wasn't able to.

Tony: I will be the first person to say that I am not a Tony fan. But I appreciate every single thing RDJ has done for the MCU. And the infinity saga hasn't really been the Inifnity Saga, it's been Cap and Tony's Story and it all started with a man in a cave building a suit (Which is what the clanging at the end of the credits is btw). His arc was perfect in this film, he got the life he always wanted, he got his little girl. But as we know Tony can never stop being Ironman, it's his addiction. Pepper even says in Ironman 1 or 2 "I'm not going to watch you kill yourself" yet she does stick by his side and they end up happy. The 2nd time I cried was Tony getting the closure he always wanted with his father. It was too perfect for words to describe, a hug point of Tony's chracter got perfectly rounded off, and I liked the Jarvis butler with Howard's that was cute. And then the final battle, with Strange holding up 1 and Tony knowing what has to be done. The Russos could not have picked better words for Tony to say. It was beautiful and Peppers last lines to him "Were going to be okay, you can rest know" were perfect. The funeral was amazing with all the avengers their including the kid from Ironman 3 and Fury. A marvelous send off for the Godfather of the MCU. Thank you Tony Stark.

Captain Marvel: Another unpopular opinion by me but I do not like Captain Marvel. Not because of the politics behind her chracter or Brie Larson but I just don't like the chracter. Her comedy seems forced at times and I don't like how she is being marketed as being the strongest. However, she was quite likeable in Endgame, her importance to the plot was shown (Taking down Thanos' Ship and bringing Tony to Earth) but she wasn't the main focus which I liked, because this is essentially the OG 6 movie. Also her new haircut was sweet and her fight with Thanos was amazing.

The return if the snapped: I was smiling through that entire amazing shot of everyone coming back to take on Thanos and his army, it was a beautiful shot, the visuals were the best ever done for this movie and it showed. Sam saying on your left was amazing, and the individual shots we got of all our favs returning was awesome. But Tony and Peter's reunion nearly made me cry. I noticed something alot of people skipped over. The fucking Russos teased the theory we all had of everyone being alive in the Soulstone yet NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT THIS SPIDERMAN LITERALLY SAYS "and then Dr. Strange said they need us everyone through here". God bless the Russos.

Hulk: I loved professor Hulk, and I loved how he was the one that brought back the snapped, and survived, one of the strongest avengers.

Wanda: Ya'll no I'm going to scream about my best girl because holy SHIT. I nearly lost it when I saw her land. And then her fight with thanos. I'm sorry but if you still think she isn't the strongest or tied strongest avenger with Carol then your dumb. She snapped hard, the way her eyes glowed and the chillingly calm "You took everything from me" and "You will" are chilling, it was like something out if a horror movie. She wrecked Thanos, and Thanos seemed genuinely nervous when Wanda was crushing him, he was arrogantly confident when fighting the big three, but the tone if his voice when he called for the missile strike was panic. Also the literally parrarel between Carol and Wanda holding off Thanos' sword and overpowering him is solid proof of Wanda being on par with Carol. Also the end with Clint and Wanda was fantastic. I like to believe that Wanda was referring to Pietro with the "They both know" but more than likely it was Vision, who didn't come back oddly enough. So I'm not sure if Wandavision is a fake title or if it's going to be set before Inifnity War because all the Disney Marvel series are 'What if's'

Overall, this movie was a perfect love letter to the MCu and I'm excited to see where it goes from here. I've been to see every Avengers movie in the cinema and it was sad to finally see the last one.

[iturbide]

I loved that last snippet you posted! Though that does raise some questions, namely abt Grima. Him sometimes posessing/controling Robin is already cool, but what changed that he can do that? I'm super curious overall how he fits into the story, could you tell us a bit about him here? Like, you talked before how he was worshipped as Plegia's protector, and I'm curious abt how his character developed in this world

I’m so glad you enjoyed it I’ve been mulling that particular scene over for a while and trying to figure out how to write it, so I’m glad it turned out well!

but oh my friend i am always delighted to talk about grima c; 

One thing to note from the outset is that we’ve actually seen Grima before.  Twice.  And even when Grima’s influence isn’t at the fore, there have been moments when Robin’s reactions weren’t necessarily his own.  Grima is a constant presence here, subtle, just out of sight – and it all traces back to events in the last few millennia. 

So this requires some delving into ancient history.  A lot of things remain the same from a general timeline standpoint (though I don’t follow the Accordion because I take some issue with its progression of events; this ended up being a pretty solid breakdown of how I see the chain of events), but a few things are notably different, and they become very, very important. 

To start with: Forneus didn’t just get divine dragon blood for his experiment.  He managed, somehow, to lay hands on a viable Divine Dragon egg – an incredible, terrible feat given the fact that the degeneration had taken its toll on fertility rates and the Divine Dragon tribe had been decimated by the war.  He wasn’t just performing alchemic experiments on blood, he had the real thing and used alchemy to modify and manipulate it, which resulted in Grima having the strength and many of the same general abilities as the rest of the Divine Dragon tribe, but with some oddities mixed in (a few things he can’t do that they can, a few more he can that they can’t) because of how that magic influenced his development.  In the end, Forneus superstitions and his increasing mental instability made him try to kill his creation when it finally emerged, only to fail and lose the tiny dragon to the darkness of the labyrinth, which kept him safe from Duma’s destruction of Thabes and gave him room to grow until Alm and Celica accidentally broke the seal that let him out into the world. 

Because Naga had retreated to the eastern half of the Archanean continent following Mila and Duma’s exile (due in large part to the fact that she couldn’t maintain life in the desert without Mila’s assistance), the creation ended up settling on the western side.  His presence caused disturbances in the normal weather patterns, bringing more rain to the dry landscape, and soon enough the struggling desert populations began to flock to the dragon and establish a greater presence.  These first humans called him Grima – and once he realized that it was their name for him, he began to respond quite readily.  

Besides making life easier from an agricultural standpoint, Grima also offered humans shelter and protection from outside threats, both natural and manmade.  He earned his title of “the fell dragon” through his fierce retaliation against those who caused harm to his people and his lands – but in general, he was a very calm, reasonable dragon who let people do their own things and just liked to watch, frequently doing flyovers of his territory just to see what they were up to. 

Unfortunately, Grima never stopped growing.  He just kept getting bigger and bigger as the centuries passed, until finally Naga couldn’t possibly miss him.  Despite the fact that he showed no signs of degeneration and was by no means a threat to her people or his own, she judged that the risk he posed should he succumb to madness was too great – so she made her bond with her Chosen human and went to war with the fell dragon. 

Now, Divine Dragons with that much power tend to have some strange abilities.  Naga, for example, can hear the prayers of those who reach out to her (according to Nah’s support conversations with Morgan).  Grima, being a full-blooded (if somewhat strange) Divine Dragon, had his own set of talents, though he understood them rather poorly – namely the ability to read the thoughts and hearts of those he could lay eyes on.  And one look told him all he needed to know about Naga’s Chosen: he was, indeed, a powerful man – but he was also cruel and self-righteous, and Grima knew that if he won the battle then Grima’s people would be in great danger.  And with Naga’s backing, the fell dragon’s chances of victory seemed slim at best. 

So Grima turned to the people closest to him and granted them a small boon: not a full blood bond, the way Naga had with her Chosen, but a small fragment of power to help see them through the troubled times he feared would come.  That gift was intended to help protect the people in his stead – and from there, Grima charged them with gathering as many as they could and heading west, away from the battlefield to come.

Grima had no army, when Naga and the first Exalt came.  Grima fought alone, and fell alone, in a desperate attempt to save his people. 

And that should have been the end of it.  But what Grima didn’t know, thanks to his poor understanding of his own powers, was that the blood boon he granted those people would endure, passed down from one generation to the next over a thousand years.  He didn’t know that a cult would form within the faith dedicated to his name, devoted to restoring the fell dragon’s blood to its full might.  And he never, ever expected that there would come a day when a babe bearing his Mark was born into the world. 

Grima felt it, when Robin entered the world.  His body was dead and turned to nothing but bone and dust, but after a thousand years his soul suddenly had a physical connection to something, grounding him somewhere rather than simply existing formlessly and watching the passage of time.  Grima has been there as Robin grew up, has seen the world close-up for the first time in centuries…and has realized, too, the dangers in it for not just the people he left behind, but for this child who bears his blood. 

That connection is a strong one, and the fact that Grima’s soul is bound so closely to Robin means that things can bleed over between them sometimes.  Grima has a visceral reaction to Falchion, for example, because he remembers the blade that took his life, while Robin interprets the sudden surge of emotion as fear at where things are headed.  More often, Grima uses that bond to interact with Robin (though he interprets it as just mentally debating with himself, and Grima’s happy to let him think that), or to channel power to Robin when he needs it, giving him a surge of strength or magic to get out of a tight spot (basically I headcanon that Ignis is actually Grima lending Robin power in battle).  But when things are dire, and something Robin loves is at stake, when he loses himself to panic or fear or rage – that’s where Grima will step in to ensure that Robin does not lose that which he holds most dear. 

Grima’s careful about this, of course, never actually pushing Robin aside and possessing him completely.  They exist in parallel – as though Grima has taken Robin’s hands and begun to lead him through the steps of an unfamiliar task, affording them incredible power with Grima’s focus to make the best use of it.  That is a lot of energy to channel through a human, though, and it takes a serious toll on Robin’s body – he’s not kidding about the burning analogy, that much energy puts his every system into overdrive to increase his speed, his reflexes, his strength, his magic – meaning that even at his very best, Robin can only sustain Grima’s full might for about five minutes, ten if he really pushes it (and then his recovery period is significant).  

(Fun note: the first time that happened, it was completely by accident.  When they stumbled across that burned battlefield, Robin’s horror perfectly mirrored Grima’s own, and the resulting resonance pulled them into parallel with Grima getting his first actual taste of interacting with the world through a human body.  It was Henry that jarred them both out of it, and pulled Robin back to the fore while Grima ceded control.)

Ultimately, Grima has no interest whatsoever in returning to the world.  He’s content with the way things are, and being able to watch things the way he used to (actually it’s better, since he can get closer than he could in his flyovers); combined with the fact that Robin is intent on keeping Plegia safe for his own reasons, Grima is more than happy to lend him power when he needs it – and is actually quite pleased by Robin’s very peaceable nature, and the way he resorts to violence only as a last resort rather than fighting first and asking questions later (since Grima himself attacked only after the first enemy blow had landed). 

And as a final, random note: Robin can read people the same way Grima could, though not with the same clarity (he can’t actually read minds, but he gets very strong impressions when he interacts with someone for the first time).  Grima himself still has that ability, though, and when he’s at the fore he can get the full measure of someone from a look and then leverage it to its full advantage. 

[ohmytheon]

I hope that your latest Aidan drabble would be continued! 😭 It's soooo good! Damn, I'm already shipping him and Ally! And I'm loving all the Roy/Riza references in Roy's POV! Thanks for sharing that with us 💞

Well hey! Since you liked that, then how about some more? I’ve been wanting to write this for ages, but talking to Elle the other day and her fic got me inspired. These kids are everything to me. There will probably be a second part to this, but don’t expect it too soon. (Our boy’s got his first date. They grow up so fast!)

Glancing at the clock, Riza noted that there was only five more minutes before they had to leave. Something must have been wrong for her son to be running late. He had been timely since she’d started instilling a routine in him when he was a baby, proving once more that he had more of her temperament than his father’s. However, he’d been lagging the entire day when they were on a specific timeline.

Yes, something was definitely wrong.

Walking to his bedroom, she knocked on the door. “Aidan, is everything alright?”

“Yes,” her son’s muffled voice called back, “perfectly fine.”

To anyone else, he would sound completely believable. Nothing sounded amiss in his voice or the speed of his response. His voice was even and content. To his mother, she knew that he was bothered about something. He was only this calm with her when he was trying to hide something. Around her, he was more open and usually allowed something to slip.

But she also knew not to push him. Roy would push. He couldn’t help it; pushing for more was in his nature. She knew that Aidan would tell her with little to no prompting in time. Ever since he’d punched that boy for talking bad about her and gotten into an argument with Roy, he’d been on good behavior.

A moment later, the door opened and Aidan stepped out. Riza wouldn’t have been able to stop the smile from spreading across her face if she’d wanted to. “You look so handsome,” she told him, stopping the urge to pull him into a hug. She could tell that he was holding back, so she gave him space.

Aidan smiled sheepishly at her, his cheeks turning pink. Indeed he did look handsome. All of a sudden, Riza knew in her heart that her little boy was growing up and it both made her heart swell in pride and hurt with nostalgia. He was wearing a black suit that looked almost exactly like one of Roy’s old suits. It was black and fit him perfectly, tailored by the woman that had been working on Roy’s suits for years, with a white button up shirt and scarf. She bet he had a pair of white gloves tucked away in his pocket too.

“Are you sure this isn’t too much?” Aidan asked.

Riza brushed down a few errant strands of his hair, which could never be fully tamed. God, he looked so much like his father right now. She had to fight the urge to tear up. Before long, he’d been an adult and right now he almost looked the part. “No, you look great.”

“Dad knows what he’s doing, I guess,” Aidan replied with a chuckle.

“You can thank Madam Christmas for that,” Roy pointed out as he walked up behind Riza and placed a hand on the small of her back. He let out a low whistle. “You almost look as good as me in a suit.”

Aidan rolled his eyes to connect with Riza’s and she gave him a faint, knowing smile.

Roy kept up a breezy chat as they made their way to the front door, but Riza noticed that Aidan was completely silent and had a distant look in his eyes. Normally, he was very attentive, but his mind was elsewhere. He blinked a few times, his face passive as he looked at his father. At the door, he kept raising his hand as if to brush his fingers through his hair, but then would consciously stop and put it back down, until he finally shoved them both into his pockets.

Finally, Aidan let out a sigh and admitted, “I wish Bran and Ally could ride with me.”

“That’s not how dates work, buddy,” Roy pointed out before casting a wink at Riza. Now she was the one that had to roll her eyes.

“Uncle Havoc rides with you all when you go out for date nights,” Aidan grumbled under his breath.

Roy smirked. “Well, that’s only because I’m the Fuhrer and your mother won’t agree to sneaking out.”

“Besides,” Aidan added, “it’s not a date.”

His voice, tinged with the sort of panic that could only belong to a teenage boy about to go on his first actual date, said otherwise of course and both Riza and Roy knew it. This was definitely Roy’s area of expertise. He was a lot more nuanced when it came to interpersonal relationships and also dating. He also knew how to walk through Aidan’s evasiveness as well.

“You asked her to the dance, didn’t you?” Roy asked.

“Yes, but–”

“Did you ask her to go with you as friends?”

Aidan snapped his mouth shut and didn’t respond. No, he hadn’t.

The day he’d asked one of his classmates to the dance, he’d come home like it was nothing. She was almost certain they wouldn’t have even known Aidan had asked someone until the last minute if Bran had not said something. Roy had actually cheered the moment after Bran bemoaned, “Of course you’d have a date before me,” before apologizing and offering to give Bran some tips.

He had acted like it was no big deal up until today and been even more vague when he’d owned up to it. Bran had been the one to tell them the story while Aidan finished his alchemy studies. Her name was Samantha and she was in their math class. They’d become friends after he’d helped her earlier in the schoolyear. She was very pretty and popular apparently as well. When Roy had nudged him teasingly about landing a pretty girl, all Aidan had said was, “She’s very kind,” without even looking up from his studies.

Turning to the side, Roy held out a hand almost thoughtfully. “If you’d wanted to go with someone to the dance as friends, you should’ve just asked Ally.”

Aidan’s face turned red so quickly that Riza had to bite her lip to keep herself from smiling. It had become even more apparent throughout the past year that her son’s feelings for Havoc’s daughter were beginning to morph, but either he was too stubborn to admit it to himself, in denial, or unaware. It was made only more complicated by the fact that she was his best friend’s younger sister and they’d all grown up together.

He’d been in an up and down mood when Ally had had her first boyfriend. She thought he had become more aware that things were different, but after the relationship had ended, he went back to his old self. It was a shame, really. She didn’t want him pining after Ally until it was too late. It wouldn’t be healthy for either of them. But then she had to remind herself that they were still kids. Just because she and Roy had had an absurd romance did not mean they would.

Now the tables had been turned and not everyone was happy about it.

Aidan had brought up the idea of all of them going together as a group after the fact. The idea had been shot down by Roy and Rebecca for “tactical reasons” as Aidan was the Furher’s son, which made no sense and Aidan knew it. He also knew better than to question Rebecca. The truth was, as Riza found out later from Rebecca, that Ally had not wanted to ride with them. She didn’t have a date unlike the two boys and was upset about it, but also did not want to admit it. Riza didn’t know why Ally didn’t have a date, especially when Bran had said that she was the first one to be asked out to the dance, but she had a feeling it had something to do with her son being dateless at the time.

Except Aidan had asked someone else and left Ally dateless. She hadn’t wanted to go, but after some curious and dejected questioning from Aidan, she’d admitted that she didn’t want to miss it.

Oh, those kids were such a mess, but it was cute. Riza just didn’t like Ally getting her heart broken, especially when the cause was her own boy, who didn’t seem to have a clue.

Still red-faced, Aidan tugged on his scarf and looked away. “I couldn’t have asked Ally. That would be weird.”

It felt like she was looking at a sixteen year-old Edward being confronted about his love for Winry.

Roy clapped Aidan on the shoulder. “Listen; don’t think about it too hard. Just have fun! I guarantee this girl isn’t expecting a dozen roses, a song and dance dedicated to her, or chocolate.”

“Was I supposed to get her something?” Aidan asked. “I should have got her something. You always get Mom stuff.”

That Roy did. The moment he could buy her gifts just because he couldn’t stop himself.

Roy grinned. “I’m pretty sure being picked up in the Furher’s vehicle with bodyguards is cool enough.”

Aidan groaned. “Ugh, do they have to stay the whole night?” As someone that has always kept to himself and liked his privacy, having guards around bothered him, even if they were people he’d known for his entire life. She knew he didn’t like it, but it had to be done, especially since tensions with Creta had gotten higher recently.

The door opened and Breda peeked his head inside. “I promise we won’t spy on you the entire time. You’ll have to have some time alone with your lady.”

“She’s not my lady!” Aidan exclaimed.

Breda winked. “Whatever you say, boss. Your ride is here.”

Sighing, Aidan turned to both his parents. He let Riza hug him and she was pleased when he returned it strongly. She couldn’t help but know that soon he wouldn’t need her, but it was her and him against the world for those first few years that they’d formed such a close bond. She was always secretly happy when he came to her for comfort still.

“Have fun,” she said. “Bran and Ally will meet you there and you’ll forget all your worries.”

“What if I make an idiot out of myself?”

Roy clapped Aidan on the shoulders. “I’m pretty sure that you’re the only boy your age that knows how to waltz, so she’ll be plenty impressed. If that doesn’t do it, just quote some poetry about her beauty.”

Aidan scoffed. “Then she’ll really think that I’m an idiot.”

“Just be yourself, okay?” Roy told him. “She said yes to you for a reason.” He smiled and stood up straight. “You’re charming as it is. Girls like you the way you are.”

At least one girl did, except when he wasn’t noticing her.

Aidan took whatever comfort he could from them and left, waving goodbye to them. Breda promised to take care of him and walked him to the car where another guard was in the driver’s seat. Roy and Riza watched them leave from the doorway, shutting the door only when the car was through the gate.

Once the door was shut, Roy sighed. “Poor kid. Can’t even see a girl is nuts about him when it’s right in front of him the whole time.” He pulled Riza closer to him, that lop-sided grin of his back on his face. “Reminds me of a certain girl back when she was younger.”

“Oh, I knew you liked me,” Riza replied, pulling out of his grip. “I just thought you were goofy.”

“Hey!”

The wait had definitely been worth it and she was incredibly happy with the family she had now, but she certainly hoped that Aidan would realize things much sooner than they had.