#it's the same reason he'd make a shit guard. like in that position you are not supposed to tell the queen's consort when he's being a prick

[archersgoon]

the other good thing about the finnfroi fuckheadfight is that while he is very teenaged about the whole thing me & froi have the same gripes with finnikin. the sheer relief in having someone say hey mate what the fuck is wrong with you? for the same reasons i say it cannot be overstated. yet another reason he is simply the best to ever do it i fear

[sagesskies]

just played Binary Star Hero, loved it, amazing, chefs kiss, Hals can take my heart and soul. Love them sooo much.

And an idea just struck me: Awkward Yandere Hero who is also your ex, meanwhile you're the guy who manages his tech.

The guys running the agency wanted him to be presented as the perfect, ideal man, and in this heteronormative world, the ideal man was straight, so they had him start dating another superhero. You got that, you could handle that, but what pissed you off was that he couldn't at least fight for your relationship when the higher-ups wanted him breaking up with you.

so you take the initiative, and don't let him keep beating around the bush, and break things off first. Good riddance honestly, what need do you have of a man who wasn't even willing to fight for you?

You keep working for the same agency, managing their tech, fixing it up after any errors, making sure everything runs in tip, top shape. But you refuse to do anything for him, no. They can get somebody else to do that.

everytime you two speak, it's always tense. him, the 'strong' 'virile' and 'masculine' hero practically cowering before you, the glorified tech support.

"Uh, h-hey [Name]!"

"... Helios."

"How... how are you?"

"I'm fine. What do you want?"

"Uh. To talk?"

"... Leave."

"I just want to chat-"

"Now."

"Okay. Goodbye. Take care. Love you- I mean, uhhhh, t-take care- Wait shit I already said that- Uh. Uh. Bye!"

Your colleagues tell you to pity him more, he had no choice you know? The agency paid his bills, they gave him a job, they were the reason why he wasn't taken to the government testing labs and made a labrat like all the other non-hero superpowered humans. So he was in no position to say no to their demands.

So were you supposed to pity him? To constantly let him do whatever he wanted? Let him miss all the dates, the dinners, to focus more on work than your relationship? Were you supposed to pity him when he didn't bother to explain himself when pictures were released of him going into a hotel room with some model? To let it slide without a single explanation?

You have too much respect for yourself.

When you try to hit the dating scene again, to be able to fully solidify that you are truly moving on from your ex... but for some reason, said ex always ruins everything?!

every single place you take your dates, it's suddenly infested with your ex's fanclub as hundreds of people all clamor around, disrupting others as they all try to at least look at the famed hero Helios who was reported to have been sighted, just your luck, in your general area!

and not to mention, what happens when he decides to approach you in public, while your on a date, and the other guy just so happens to be a big fan of his and all of a sudden you're just tossed aside as your date gets his fucking forehead signed by your ex.

and still, still, he has the audacity to try to strike up a conversation with you.

"Hey, [Name]!" Helios- No, Hollis, greets you cheerfully.

You don't bother to respond, focusing on fixing the dents in Liquid Steel's metal suit. Slamming the hammer down on the outward dents, grunting when you accidentally move the dent inward and use the dolly to fix it.

Hollis, hesitantly, comes closer to you. Despite the fact that you were holding a hammer, he wasn't afraid. You know that he's sturdy and durable, more than other supers, but he is still flesh and bone. If you caught him off guard...

"So, uh, since the other mechanics are a bit busy... I was wondering, could you-"

"I won't, Helios," You glare at him, "Just wait for one of them to come back or something."

Hollis chuckles awkwardly, "Ah, well, I'll actually be needing it fixed soon," His eyes wander around your workspace, before going back to focus on you, eyes a brilliant gold, "I'm... gonna be sent on a mission."

You recall when he'd miss your anniversary dinner, and told you he had to be called out for an emergency extraction. He was fidgeting the entire time, hand rubbing at his neck where you saw lipstick stains that he was doing a shit job at hiding.

Looking at him now, you can tell he's lying the same way he was back then. But for different reasons now.

"No." You say with finality.

"But-"

You drop your hammer, and grab him by the collar of his shirt. Pulling him closer till your foreheads were pressed against each other. His eyes widen, and he gulps.

"I said no," You snarled, spit flying against his face, "Why can't you fucking get that into your thick skull, hm?"

Your hands grasp tighter onto the fabric of his shirt, nearly tearing it off, "You've been a right fucking creep, yknow?" You give him a cruel, crooked grin, "I know what you're doing- You've been fucking stalking me, haven't you?"

"[Name], I-"

Maybe it's the stress from work, the breakup, the failed dates, Hollis himself, his mere presence being enough to tip you over the edge. Whatever it is, you snap.

"Shut up!" You scream at Hollis, "I hate you- I hate you so, so, so much!"

More than you hated Hollis, you hated the situation. It's more than just sabotaging your love life, and always bothering you with his awkward small talk, you wished he started trying before you ended it. You wished it didn't take you leaving for him to beg for you to come back.

You feel like the gear that you're in charge of fixing. Some heroes take care of theirs like it's their baby, always careful, but never getting enough work done because of it. Some are able to tolerate it getting damaged, and do their duty. But some? Some are willing to let it suffer intense damage, nearly become irreparable, all for the sake of their job.

Hollis is like that, you think. He let your relationship decay, rot, and fester, till it became nothing more than a shell of what it used to be. But you were too tired to fix it. Why bother anyway? You were old news, software that needed to be updated. So like any person with common sense, Hollis got an update.

Your face grows warm, you think it is from the shame for your outburst, before you realize it is also wet, and that you are actually crying. You don't want to, but you slump against his chest, and bury your face into the warmth of his shirt.

You beat weakly at his chests, "I hate you... I hate you Hollis." You sob.

Hollis shifts, you think he's about to pry you off, but then you sense a familiar presence over your back, and then a hesitant, but comforting hand is rubbing soothing circles into your back.

"It's... It's okay [Name]," His voice is shaky, and you think he's crying too, "No matter how much you hate me, I'll always love you."

[dreamersinthedaylightinspo]

I'm apparently not FUCKIN capable of writing this chapter coherently because I need to focus myself down a bit actually - though I did have some success today! So here is another snippet Im hoping maybe to rework for the chapter. I love writing from Tamlin's perspective... Prince of Self Hatred, drunk on self-sabotage.

Tamlin's lips pulled back from his teeth, hackles raised, the sharp tips of his claws gleaming.

Rosheen inclined her head. "It is good to see you, my lord."

"Why are you here?" Tamlin growled.

She looked the same as she always had, in all the time that Tamlin had known her. Pensive, thoughtful, her dark eyes sharp and her hands folded neatly behind her back. When his father's loyalists had deserted him, he had found his pool of military officer candidates meager and thin. His first instinct was to make Andras or Bronn his captain, but instead, he chose Rosheen, a stranger, out of fear he'd be accused of favoritism if he gave a lofty position to one of his old friends.

And Rosheen had served him, faithfully, perfectly, for nearly three centuries. Her counsel was invaluable, and her guidance had made his sentries into the finest fighting force that Prythian had ever seen.

The last time he'd seen her was the last time he'd seen Feyre, before everything went to shit.

He had known, immediately what it was. There was no one but another High Lord who could have broke the wards that he himself had wrought. The manor had reeked of Night magic - and yet, he had already been on edge, replaying the last argument in his mind for hours. He had been riding hard, and long, and the standoff with Hybern was tense, blood spilt, and the king was offering to parlay with them, and it didn't matter what else. When he saw the broken wards and realized that Feyre was gone again, he simply exploded.

When it was over, two sentries lay dead in the hall, ripped to shreds from the wind, scorched by wild lightning. The sight of their mangled corpses made Tamlin so furious that he felt sick to his stomach, molten with it. His mouth filled with blood where his fangs tore his lips, his cheeks. His clothes strained to hold back his beastly form.

And so he'd called Rosheen to his office, and he'd roared until his throat hurt. He told her that it was her fault that the soldiers she trained were dead, that she was pathetic and useless and it was her fault that this had happened, and unless she wanted to become the next corpse, she'd leave and never darken his doorstep again.

Rosheen had only bowed her head, and told him -

"I have failed you, my lord. I must do what I must to make it right."

The audacity of her was stunning. As if she needed to apologize to him! As if she had done wrong.

Tamlin whirled on Eunomia and snarled, "Make her leave."

"Easy," said the general, low with warning. Bronn stepped in front of his sister, guarding her, and Lucien eyed Eunomia like he was ready to do the same as well.

"I really must protest, my lord," said Eunomia, only a mild alarm in her voice. "Captain Darrach is simply vital to our defensive strategy!"

No. It couldn't be. There had to be someone else, someone who hadn't born witness to one of his most heinous offenses. Not Rosheen, whom he had disrespected more thoroughly than anyone, with the possible exception of Lucien himself.

"She won't listen to me," Tamlin snapped. "You make her leave!"

Eunomia stared at him, and then, seemed to raise herself up just a bit.

"As your counsel in this matter, I refuse."

"You'd disobey a High Lord's command?"

"If I believe it to be an unwise decision which may sabotage the pursuit of justice, which is my sacred duty, then yes, my lord."

Well, Tamlin supposed he could at least respect that - her determination to stick it to the Night Court. They had that in common. And there was reason, logic in her words. Perhaps, for that, he could try to face Rosheen again.

[aphrodisiac-siren]

Dynasty of Flames

Aemond Targaryen x Targaryen-Royce Reader

Summary: Being born into the most respected and equally feared houses in the realm made people look up to you as if you were a god and the devil himself, in equal measure. People say that when a Targaryen is born, the gods flip a coin; and when news of the birth of Daemon's firstborn- a girl, spread, people could only wait in anticipation to see which side of the coin faced up during her birth.

Warnings: Incest (duh) Mild smut ig?

Masterlist

Part 17

Harrenhal was as eerie and daunting as ever, which only added to Jace's nerves as he paced back and forth in the empty and dimly lit hall of the castle whilst awaiting the arrival of someone from the green council to negotiate. Daemon had accompanied him, but he knew he was only there for his own reasons.

The sound of distant footsteps echoed from the hallways, getting louder and louder by the minute until the person walked in, taking both Jace and Daemon by surprise.

"Prince Aemond" Jace curtly greeted, exchanging glances with Daemon. He was expecting Otto or perhaps another member of the council and not Aemond himself to arrive for negotiations. Yet here he was, looking as stoic and intimidating as ever- clad in midnight black from head to toe, armed with his dagger, long sword and his dragon awaiting in the courtyard along with some of the knights from King's Landing, no doubt- the same way knights from Dragonstone had accompanied Daemon and Jace.

"Lord Strong" Aemond said with a grin before he chuckled mockingly, arms clasped behind his back "ah- apologies, you go by Velaryon, don't you? Or was it Targaryen? I'm not sure which lie you went along with"

Jace clenched his jaw as he heaved a long sigh, trying his very best to subdue his anger. It was clear that Aemond was only trying to wind him up, the same way he'd done at that sad excuse of a family dinner. He wouldn’t let him have that satisfaction this time.

"If you are done playing the fool uncle, I would like to get along with the negotiations" Jace began "now about-"

"Since when did lords suddenly get comfortable enough to make demands from the king, hm?" Aemond raised a brow, relishing in the fact that Jace was getting irritated by the minute "you are in no position to make any negotiations. It is I who has come with the terms from my brother"

"I am heir to the throne" Jace almost immediately snapped "I have every right to demand what was taken away from me"

"If I recall correctly, Rhaenyra had chosen Y/N, my betrothed, as her successor before Aegon was named heir" Aemond gave him a shit-eating grin just to tick him off "and I'm sure this is something prince Daemon would agree with as well"

"It was never formally announced" Jace tried to avoid eye contact with Daemon since he knew the older prince wasn’t really on his side "before my mother passed, it was I who she named heir"

"Rather convenient, how the line of succession is changed only when the former heir is on their deathbed with no witnesses to confirm"

All heads turned to find princess Y/N standing in the doorway.

Aemond was even more surprised to see her here in comparison with the others. From what he knew, she wasn’t allowed to leave the Red Keep, Otto had made this very clear. Aemond had of course told her earlier that day he was leaving for Harrenhal to carry out negotiations, despite being told not to, which ended up in yet another argument. Still, he didn’t expected for her to make herself present as well. Gods, how did she manage to sneak past the guards all the way to the dragon pit?

"I must address my confusion" she said with a stern tone as she walked in "you lot seem to be arguing over a throne that doesn’t belong to either of you"

"What are you doing here?" Aemond asked in a hushed tone when she was standing next to him.

"There was to be a negotiation, so I heard" she innocently told him, momentarily glancing toward Jace "I am heir to the iron throne, so it does leave me wondering what gives you and Aegon the pass to put forth terms of your own"

Daemon smirked proudly at his daughter.

"I do take your side when you say Aegon is not the rightful ruler" Jace spoke, taking a few steps toward the princess "but you must know that the person who is to sit the throne is me"

"I have taken your side and kept my mouth shut about certain things on countless occasions Jace" Y/N coldly addressed him "but I will no longer vouch for you when you have made it so clear that you do not support my claim"

"But the crown is mine-"

"If bastards had a claim, the Targaryens would’ve been overthrown years ago from their rule" she immediately snapped with so much venom it left a snake looking harmless in comparison "you should know your place Jace, do not play a game in which you have no chance at winning"

Jace was at a loss for words and this time, he did not have his grandsire nor his mother at his side to speak in his favour.

"And as for you, my betrothed" Y/N turned toward Aemond who was brazenly grinning at Jace who had been put in his place, something he found oddly satisfactory "I shall have you know that my loyalties lie with people who have in turn shown loyalty to me. So you need to decide whose side you’re on. Your brother won’t be on that throne for much longer and I won’t be as tolerant when that happens"

Y/N looked around and smirked ever so slightly when both men stood silent at her words whilst her father continued to proudly admire her.

"I shall pardon both you and Aegon" she turned to face Jace "if you bend the knee and swear fealty to me as your queen, thus renouncing each of your claims to the throne"

"Y/N..." Aemond began but she was quick to cut him off.

"Those are my terms, prince Aemond" she firmly told him, eyes burning with the very same fire that she felt in her heart "fire will rain and all will burn. For the sake of your family, I would urge you to remind them of who the crown truly belongs to"

Jace was truly at a loss for words. He was well aware that Y/N was a feisty one, bold and never one to back down from a fight but he never expected for her be so ruthless and to so openly call him a bastard.

"I shall ask you both to leave me be, I wish to speak with my father" she shifted her attention toward Daemon, who had his arms crossed over his chest. By the amused look plastered over his face, he seemed to be enjoying this whole thing.

Aemond heaved a long sigh before he stormed out with a grunt, making his way toward the long and empty hallway to give his princess some privacy. Jace seemed hesitant but then soon caved in, not wanting to start something with Y/N. He was hoping to have her on his side and that would be difficult if he made an enemy out of her.

Her father would rather obviously side with her, even her step-sisters Baela and Rhaena. That already meant their dragons would outnumber his and Luke's three to two. Not to mention Daemon had a number of men in the city watch still loyal to him and Y/N had the vale behind her. With Baela and Rhaena on her side, it also meant Rhaenys would most likely join her granddaughters, which added another dragon to their side. If Rhaenys joined them it would also leave Jace at risk of losing his strongest ally, lord Corlys.

"Iksā mirre mazverdagon bē" Daemon beamed at his daughter with pride once the others had left. He most certainly was rather joyous to see her stand up for herself and her right to being queen- something he wanted for her for years now.

"You're all grown up"

"Mirri jēdi nyke pendagon lo mirre hen bisa iksis skoros nyke jeldan" the girl huffed, all of her previous show of confidence withering away in front of her father. Her eyes refused to meet his, not wanting for him to see her in such an exhausted state.

"Sometimes I wonder if this is what I even wanted"

"Skoros gaomagon ao nūmāzma, ñuha perzys?" Daemon asked tenderly, a sight not many got to see.

"what do you mean, my flame?"

"Is all of this really worth it? All these fights, these conflicts," she asked, voice dripping with dejection "I never really grew up dreaming of being queen, then I was chosen as heir and suddenly that was all I ever wanted but what if I'm wrong. What if I've convinced myself that it's what I want?"

"My sweet child, that throne is your birthright" Daemon tried to remind her "you know the truth of Rhaenyra's sons, they are in no position to lay claim to it"

"I aspire to be a good queen, beloved and respected by all" Y/N almost scoffed at her own statement "but I'm sure I've already made two enemies of both princes awaiting me outside"

"We both know Aemond could never come to hate you no matter what you'd do. Furthermore, I know he wishes to be king. With you as queen he will be your king consort, the closest thing to his desire" Daemon rolled his eyes, as if Aemond being king was something he found rather odd "as for Jace, he is well aware of his legitimacy"

"I truly don’t wish to start a war-"

"There will be a war regardless" the rogue prince took a step forward, voice subtly shifting from tender to stern "Aegon isn't going to just abdicate the throne and if you don’t fight for your crown then Jace will. Do you want him on that throne instead of you?"

"No, of course not but-"

"Then don’t even for a second think of backing down after all of this" he interrupted her "I've done everything I could to make you heir. I dissolved my marriage with Rhea, wedded Rhaenyra, convinced her to-"

"Dissolved the marriage with muña?" Y/N tilted her head with confusion. She was aware her father did not love her mother and he did try to have their marriage dissolved but he was never granted that wish "your marriage ended when muña died whilst she was out hunting"

Daemon opened his mouth to say something but then immediately shut up to take a deep breath.

Y/N knew there was something more to it, she could tell by the way her father turned slightly to avoid looking at her. How he clenched his jaw and drew deep breaths.

"What?" she asked, prying for an answer that she deep down had a horrible feeling about.

"I did all of this for you" he said, eyes still not meeting her's "so that you could have the throne that was denied to me"

"Kepa, what are you saying?"

"You would never have been named heir if I wasn’t wedded to Rhaenyra" he told her "granted I married Laena but that was only because Rhaenyra was wedded off to Laenor. But I put things right, I wedded her-"

"You did not answer me" she sharply interrupted.

"I wanted my marriage to your mother to be dissolved yes, but my brother denied that request" Daemon sighed, something he realised he was doing a lot during this conversation "so, I took matters into my own hands and took care of it"

Y/N's heart dropped down to her stomach.

"Say it" she lowly demanded, voice barely even audible "what did you do.."

"I killed her" Daemon darkly admitted, voice just as low as his daughter's "I only did it for you-"

"No, no don’t you dare tell me you murdered my mother for my sake" Y/N's eyes rose to meet his, her voice sounding dangerous as she tried her very best not to scream "you think I would want that? For my mother to be taken from me so that I might rule? You only wanted to fulfil your own desire to rule through me!"

"I thought you wanted this as well?"

"I only wanted it because you convinced me that I did" Y/N snapped. She was filled with so much rage that she felt like setting this very castle on fire to let out her frustrations "you have no other use for me apart from seeing your blood on the throne"

"That is not true Y/N-"

"Not another word" she harshly barked at him, not caring in the slightest how disrespectful that must’ve sounded. She couldn’t bare to look at him.

She never knew her mother well, that was something she could thank her father for. It was already hard enough for her with her father always being absent from court, having her mother at her side would’ve made things a lot easier.

She stormed out the hall, running into Jace on her way out.

"This meeting is at an end" she quickly told him, her mind racing as her heart began to hammer with the news she's just received. She knew she wouldn’t be able to think straight in the moment "I shall send a raven to further discuss things"

And with that she marched straight past him, leaving the boy feeling more confused than ever.

She walked toward Aemond and seized him by the arm, dragging him after her.

"What is it?" he asked as he looked at her with utmost concern. It was clear that she was troubled by something and wanted to know what so that he might be able to help her if need be.

But the girl didn’t answer him, she most certainly wasn’t in the best headspace to have a conversation right this instant. She needed to take her mind off everything.

The throne,

The green council,

The black council,

Her father,

Her mother,

Everything.

She dragged him into one of the many empty rooms in the castle and slammed shut the door behind her before she crashed her lips into his to pull him in for a hungry kiss.

Aemond was taken aback by her sudden desire to kiss him with such desperation, especially since all they'd been doing in the past few days was arguing. He couldn’t deny that he did miss how things used to be between them and with her kissing him after such a long time, it left him craving for more and he immediately melted into it.

Y/N tugged at his clothes with unwavering desperation, in a hurry for him to be rid of them and Aemond obliged. He was quick to slip his coat off, soon followed by his belt from which his sword and dagger hung and then the next to join them on the floor was his shirt. His hands wandered all over the princess before he finally unlaced her dress, helping her out of her underskirts once her dress had pooled at her feet.

Y/N ran her hands through his soft white hair, tugging on it slightly that made him growl into her mouth.

"More Aemond~" she breathlessly whispered into the kiss "I need more"

Aemond soon had her pinned against the wall, his hot mouth immediately latching on to her nipple, tongue swirling around her areola as she slowly began to grind down on his thigh, making a wet spot on his trousers.

In truth, Aemond had almost no experience when it came to intimacy further than this. He'd only ever been with a woman once at a whorehouse when he was far too young and it left him feeling rather defiled than anything else.

But with Y/N it was different. With her, he wanted for it to happen; he just didn’t know what he needed to do. Furthermore, he knew there was something bothering her and he felt as though her current actions were only influenced by it.

"Y/N" he breathed out, pulling away to look into her eyes "not like this"

"Huh.." the girl pouted slightly with disappointment, not too happy about having to stop when she was only just starting to loose herself to it "Aemond please I-"

"What happened back there?" he tried again, referring to her and Daemon's conversation "what got you so riled up?"

Y/N wanted to tell him, but held her tongue. She was not in the right headspace, this much she knew. She needed to be alone, isolated from all of them; some place to gather her thoughts and process everything.

"Nothing" she mumbled as she left his embrace to dress herself "I just need to think, that’s all"

Taglist: @ladybug0095 @sahvlren @bunny24sstufff @dellalyra @ellabellabus07 @champomiel @fan-goddess @lilostif16

[substantial-exposure]

Truth or Consequences

-Preview-

Homelander X Oc

-

If there was one thing Homelander didn't do, it was learn from his mistakes. It was the one thing he would beat himself up for constantly. He was a man who held so much power. He had the whole world at his fingertips! And still he couldn't keep himself together. He was always looking to someone else to fill the void in his life.

Maybe it was his own fault for yearning for the american dream. He wanted a wife, a kid, a white picket fence, the whole bit. He ached to be loved, to let himself be loved. But that was the thing, the hardest part.

Madelyn Stillwell, Maeve, Stormfront, the ghosts of heartbreaks past consumed him and chiseled away at his soul for as long as he could remember. Always present and always reminded. It felt like every time he tried to distract himself from the pain in their wake he would just add to it, make it even worse. He was simply adding fuel to the fire.

It had now been a month since he shocked the world by announcing his budding relationship with Voughts most illusive upcoming hero, Spectre. The news had taken the country by storm.

Things were different with her. It unsettled him. For multiple reasons. It was the type of relationship he'd never had before and truthfully it scared him.

He always knew the girl had a thing for him. Of course she did! He was the most famous man in the country. The most recognizable face in the world. She'd be stupid if she didn't. But he failed to realize just how unconditional that love was. It made his stomach turn and put his senses on high alert. Those feelings didn't exactly stem from butterflies in his stomach either. No. Everything was so unpredictable. Half of his relationships had been scripted and he'd fallen so far into it.

After his last screw up, which translated to dating a 103 year old Nazi, he was less than thrilled to re-enter the dating scene. There was something so nerve wracking about trying again after that. But sure as shit, he pulled the stunt he did and now he was in the safest place he'd ever been in.

It made him feel uneasy. Like he was being lured into a false sense of security and was being tricked into lowering his guard. It was too good to be true. Sometimes he has to remind himself that he was the one who green lit the entire relationship. That he was the one who caused all of this. That he allowed it.

Homelander had to remind himself every morning that he was the one who offered that ultimatum. That he killed Madelyn Stillwell and injected her daughter with unstable compound V. He still couldn't decide if it was a mistake or not. That very same daughter stood in the doorway smiling at him so brightly. Her positive energy radiating into the room and asking him what he wanted for his breakfast.

-

Tag list:

@blindmagdalena (you said to tag you if I ever got the courage to actually post any The Boys content so!! I bit the bullet!)

[hello-nichya-here]

Why do you think Tywin had a much more negative reaction to Tyrion marrying Tysha than did to Jaime and Cersei's incestuous affair?

For a few reasons.

Tyrion is Tyrion

That one fact is always very present in Tywin's mind. Tyrion is a dwarf. He is barely considered human by most people, and in fact, many assumed he truly was some monstruous abomination when he was born.

He brings shame to the Lannisters just by existing, and his first action in this world was "murdering" his own mother - Tywin's wife, the one person he genuinely loved.

Tyrion could have been the best person in the whole world and the perfect heir - and in fact he IS Tywin's "true son" even more than Jaime due to how simmilar they are - and it still would not have mattered. He is Tyrion, therefore everything he does is wrong somehow, and requires a severe punishment.

Elitism

Cersei and Jaime's affair might be taboo, but it is still between two nobles, two Lannisters. Not to mention, the Targaryens used to marry brother to sister all the time, and Tywin grew up knowing that, sometimes, that kind of thing is excused and even seen as a sign of their basically divine right to rule - provided the family in question has enough power to get away with this.

Tyrion marrying a common girl is a completely different story. When we hear Jaime explaining their father's reasoning to Tyrion, we find out that Tywin is 100% sure Tysha was only marrying Tyrion for his money, not for genuine love, and therefore was no better than a whore.

From Tywin's perspective, Tyrion was an idiot who fell for the first woman - the first whore - that told him some sweet little lies, to the point that he would disgrace the entire family just to marry her.

Tywin sleeps with prostitutes, in fact, he even slept with Shae, Tyrion's replacement for his first wife. But he is discrete about it, and would never even dream of letting any of them to become anything more than just a whore he pays to pleasure him every now and then. Tyrion marrying a common girl (which again, means the same as whore in his mind) is not just shameful, it's a disaster.

Even in his brutal punishment for both of them, when he forces Tyrion to watch Tysha be raped and then do the same to her, Tywin has the guards pay her with copper coins, while Tyrion gives her gold one because a Lannister is worth more.

Open Defiance

While Jaime joining the Kings Guard (so he wouldn't be forced to marry another woman and be set away from his twin) was not at all in Tywin's plans and is definitively something he'd consider bellow his first-born, his heir, that is still a position of great honor, and one could easily imagine a man like Jaime being genuine when he says he'd rather be a fighter his whole life than have lands, a wife and children.

We also see Tywin spending YEARS trying to make Jaime break his vows, and even uses Tyrion's trial to achieve that. He went easier on his favorite son, yes, but he did NOT accept Jaime's choice, just like he didn't accept Tyrion's.

And there WAS a punishment for the twins. He took Cersei back to Casterly Rock with him, so they couldn't be together, at least not until Cersei was to marry the king - which she was fully willing to do, despite her love for Jaime, and their affair was a secret, which likely contribuited to Tywin sparing them a harsher punishment.

Tyrion meanwhile married Tysha completely behind his father's back, and anyone who knew Tywin would instantly know that he did NOT approve of this. This was Tyrion screaming that HE decided he'd live, not his father, and that shit just does not fly with a man like Tywin Lannister - hell, Cersei got a taste of that too when Tywin wanted to force her to marry again to try to silence the rumors of incest, despite her terrible experience with Robert making her understandably only want to be with Jaime, the man she chose for herself.

If you're Tywin's child, you do as you're told. You're his property. Which leads us to:

Loss of a potentially valluable asset

Tywin hates Tyrion. But that hatred never stopped him from using Tyrion's wit to his advantage, and he even had Tyrion marry Sansa to make sure the North would be under the control of house Lannister.

Sure, the fact that he is a dwarf made it harder for Tyrion to be "useful" when it came to marriage (hell, he was often offered to families as an insult) but it was not at all impossible.

Not until Tyrion went and married a girl that had literally nothing to offer to house Lannister. No lands, no money, no allies, no influence, no great historical relevance, nothing. Just an "ambitious whore" who forgot her place, and is giving a ton of happiness for the deformed monster that killed Tywin's wife.

Once again, compare that to Cersei marrying the freaking king, and Jaime taking an oath that was bellow him but still honorable and a reason for pride, and tell me which of his kids Tywin will be mad at.

[phoenixduelist]

" You.. ah.. you look lovely tonight" ok he's a bit awkward around her after that drunken kiss that time. But he'd not since been able to get her out of his mind. Anything to see that smug golden fanged smile again and quicken his heart.

Due to some unforeseen but perfectly preventable consequences if she listened to her common sense and her crew, the Vihar's voyage was seriously delayed as the high tide made it impossible for the ship to exit the small cave. A perfect hideout at least.

Port Royal was relatively small, especially for criminals yet that didn't stop the whispers nor her from meeting the not quite new player on the chessboard. Rozália had her sights on a guarded Spanish galleon; if played right Mátyás easily could maneuver the Vihar into a favorable position, out of the canonfire. Then she heard there was an another contender for that prize. With not much to do besides fooling the law enforcement, Rozália decided to make her presence known to Cutthroat Carson once she had more than enough intel.

The tavern almost could pass for a respectable one, ideal.

“I'm used to hunting alone Captain Carson. However, from what I've heard of you, I'm willing to reconsider breaking my habit this time, if we can come to a reasonable agreement regarding splitting.”

“Heard ya like to play with open cards. Along with swords. And that yer word's true, which is rare.” Carson commented, leaning back in his chair comfortably

“You heard correct.” Rozália confirmed

“Think half is a fair share. How does it sound Captain?” he proposed after a minute of mulling over, the corner of his scarred mouth curling upwards

“Sounds correct. You have a deal Captain Carson. This is where I must remind you, the fortune we're after is plenty. I can ensure my crew's behavior when it comes to dividing. I expect the same discipline from you as well, otherwise you either kill your disobedient crew member or the deal is off.” the Devil added, leaving the consequences of crossing her unsaid. If he was well informed he was aware of the sure death.

“Ya aren't so bad as the poor bastard said.” somehow the compliment only made her fingers twitch towards the hilt of her sword. “And I have more plans for the future an' the treasure. I'm taking half but also want to take you- what's with the face darlin', my women on my ship have no complaints” Cutthroat Carson laughed as if he just told the funniest joke

“Besides, not like ya'd have a say in it.”

Her chair was sent flying a few feet as she all but jumped with a gold fanged snarl.

“I don't do this often but: Do you have any idea who I am.” the sheer audacity of this little shit with his mercenary crew only sticking around till stuffed with Spanish riches.

The pleasant, rich baritone reached her ears, sharply turning sideways with a confused expression; she definitely did not calculate him being near this negotiation soon turning into a murder.

“I...I don't quite understand but thank you-” what the actual hell was he doing here of all places and why- what; was he drunk again??

“Ignore that navy bastard darlin, can't wait to get a wildcat to my harem! Eh, you can fuck him later if he pays” and Rozália yet again was reminded why she strictly worked solo.

[corporatefallout]

Brian Positive Affinity Headcanons!

You meet Brian who was... well, not so much on his luck, to put it lightly. Definitely new to the wasteland and struggling to survive. He sees you in the distance, cautious, yet immediately struck with an idea. Brian approaches you and asks questions about how long you've survived in the wasteland. He slowly gets to the point that he will pay you to become his guard. And so, starts your relationship with him.

[Brian Liked That]

Brian's actions often come from a strategic approach. He doesn't see morally wrong actions to be bad if it means his survival. So, if you killed a man because "it was either me or him," then he'd agree and would've done the same. As long there is a reason, he will allow it.

Rank Reading will also have him give you, his approval. Building structures in settlements in the Science! Rank will be liked by him too.

Siding or agreeing with Brian will make him like you even more. He could talk shit about someone and if you follow up with an agreement then he'll hide a smile about it.

[Brian Loved That]

Actions relating to Intelligence speech checks will immediately gain his admiration. He also loves actions of hacking terminals, robots, and tech weapon modifications. Knowing that there are still some minds left in the world is comforting to him.

Conducting negotiations without the usage of violence is also favorable to him, not everyone has manners out here.

Siding with the Institute will gain his admiration even more. He's happy to know that you know what they're doing rather than labeling them as the boogeyman the Commonwealth say they are.

[Brian Tolerates You]

It wasn't a totally bumpy ride, but it at least seems to get smoother. Just a bit slowly. He mostly refers to you by last name and nothing else more than that.

A few comments are made regarding your intelligence, that being you're smarter than most wastelanders or being slightly above "average." You can't tell if it's a compliment or an insult. But (if intelligence is below 4) he begins giving you Mentats that he finds along the way.

He also kind of bosses you around a lot during your travels, even getting upset when you try to correct him. Yet, he eventually backs down. He kind of just groans when you try and gives you the look of "I know what I'm doing."

[Brian Admires You]

And just like it's been said before, it's getting smoother! And he seems to be getting nicer. And by nicer, he's simply acting less rude than before. Better and clearer compliments to your intelligence. And seems to participate in conversations rather than staying in silence or a look of "I don't care."

When he stopped to speak with you, his key points were regarding how much more he seems to like you as his guard and that he might've been SLIGHTLY mistaken on how he assumed you to be upon first meeting. Giving a little pat on the back for good behavior to his liking.

From here, Brian seems to gift you a bit more than before. More than the Mentats, at least. He now gives you Energy Cells and offers energy-based weapons, mostly being of Institute weapons. He starts to step up more in combat than before, whether it be joining the gunfight or using some cleverness in battle (such as hacking turrets or protectrons/sentries).

[Brian Idolizes You]

He stops to talk to you again! And seems to pour out more about what he feels about you. Brian often tried to stray from calling you this or even seeing you like this, but he genuinely sees you more as a friend rather than a simple bodyguard. He's actually thankful for not only your intelligence but also your personality and how bearable you've been to him. Congratulations! You're his first friend! This sounds great at first... but it sounds kinda sad.

He stops giving you Mentats, sadly, but now offers Stimpaks and more Energy Cells. He also modifies your energy weapons, boasting a bit about how he improved about it. If you have power armor too, then he will upgrade them as well. Without being asked!

Brian becomes more open regarding his likes and dislikes in conversations. Finding a liking to small talk rather than seeing them as useless or meaningless. Turns out he hates Tatoes and Nuka Cola but rather prefers a nice bottle of Vim. And water. He's also afraid of the sea. Now in battle, he's finally by your side! No longer bossing you around and following any orders you give him.

Best Friends!! ... unless?

[Brian Loves You]

As he spoke about how he saw you as a friend (referring to Idolizes You), you brought up to the idea that maybe what he feels could be MORE than a friend. He stops and looks at you like you asked a stupid question. But then he freezes. And immediately looks embarrassed, shocked, and surprised at this. Embarrassed that he didn't realize it before, shocked that this is what it was, and surprised that you too reciprocated these feelings! And it all washes down into nervousness, because, well, he never really dated anyone...

Now dating you, he's more willing to be open and express his emotions even more. But also, very nervous on the romantical aspect. He tried calling you pet names but would eventually cave in to ask if you wanted to be called anything,

At first, he's terrified. But as it continues on again, he finds further comfort in you and the idea of you both being together. He wants to learn more about you and to share more about himself. With you and him together, he knows that nobody will stop you both!

Power of love! YIPPEEEEE!!!

[mute-call]

"Okay, alright, I get it." But he's not convinced. At all. There has to be something unusual about her for any of this to be happening right now, unless something else has changed without him noticing. He can't help but wonder how many other dead guys she's met without even realizing that they don't seem to exist for anyone else.

"Plenty of people believe in ghosts. Wouldn't it be better if I were one of those instead of, uh, some kind of symptom of a psychotic break? I think there are some flaws in your reasoning here."

Closure? ...oh, wow. Closure.

"I never thought of that before." Off the top of his head, he'd probably say that identifying the kids' true killer might help him feel more ready to "pass on," but trying to convince the guard that he's not the only ghost residing within these walls seems like an exercise in futility. Besides, there's not much she can do; the children don't know who hurt them, Steven doesn't know who hurt them... why would this random new hire know anything the victims don't?

"I... actually really appreciate that, b-but I don't think that's going to work. ...honestly, the main thing you can do for me right now is keep me company, and we both know that's not the answer you're looking for."

Bell hopes the only reason she's so insistent on him leaving her alone is because she thinks he's a sign of her deteriorating mental state. He doesn't want to have to take her unwillingness to chat with him personally, after all.

"...shoot, I think you got me there. I was actually just saying that to try to make you listen to reason. That sounds bad, I know, but I think you'd do the same thing if you were in my position. And besides--"

Wait. Has Chica left already?

Distracted and suddenly alarmed, Steven stumbles to his feet from where he's been perched on the corner of the desk, rushing to peek out into the right hallway. Yeah, Chica's definitely out there, and Bonnie's--

"Shit, go check the light on that side, would you? Actually, forget it, just hit the door switch! Just-- please, just trust me on this! I'll leave you alone, I promise, I just don't want you to get hurt!"

[Right, so "he" never believed in the paranormal either -- just like her. April impatiently tapped a pen on the desk, irked by the "ghost's" insistence that she must be some kind of medium or psychic. Bullshit. She was ordinary ( and pathetic ) enough to have accepted a minimum-wage job while she struggled to save up for a good art school. What on EARTH about her would suggest that she had any interest in the supernatural?]

❝ Have you been paying attention? Like, at all? I'm the last person on the planet who'd be some kind of spiritual medium. ❞ [Though, the scam artists who pretended to be mediums made pretty good money...alas, her moral standards were too high. Not high enough to avoid spending her nights in a kid graveyard, but still.] ❝ It is NOT my job to believe in anything. ❞

[Could she at least treat the figment of her imagination like that guy on the phone? Absolutely not. That'd be caving into her own delusion, or something. She feared that involving herself any further with her own manifestation really WOULD drive her insane. Dismissing it was the best she could do, but that was EXTREMELY difficult when he kept engaging with her.]

❝ God, I don't know! ❞ [How was she supposed to remember what "the guy on the phone" sounded like when she'd muted his every call? She'd barely listened for more than a second.] ❝ Look. I'm pretty sure that acknowledging you as anything more than a repressed part of my brain might actually get me institutionalized. If I could avoid that, it'd be REALLY nice. ❞

[April sighed, setting her pen down and rubbing at her temples. Would he ever shut up? Would she ever learn to ignore him? It had always been incredibly difficult for her to filter out outside noise, so the likelihood of that was unbearably low. He'd even suggested that he might be here for a reason, one that WASN'T the fact that she was sleep-deprived or delusional. Did she really feel THAT bad over ignoring those calls? Not really, but maybe the deeper part of her brain felt otherwise.]

❝ Maybe. I don't know. What do you want from me? If you really are a "ghost" -- ❞ [Oh, God, she IMMEDIATELY regretted acknowledging that. He wasn't, and she should stop indulging in this apparition's afterlife story, but this was an important hypothetical.] ❝ Ugh. Ghosts need...closure or something, right? What can I do to make you go away? ❞ [If she could figure that out, maybe she'd also appease this weird part of her psyche.]

[Good Lord. Maybe this delusion of hers really was related to that phone guy -- they were both annoying as Hell. His insistence that she was in danger, or that she might meet the same fate as him, frustrated her to no end. This job REALLY wasn't hard. She'd already known that this shift was a balancing act -- she had to be careful not to use an excessive amount of power, but that was so simple. She didn't need an outside party to warn her of the apparent "danger" here.]

❝ What do I have to lose? My sanity, for one. ❞ [That was a prevalent "risk" here, an ever-present feeling that her mind was slipping. Who knew, maybe if she continued to encourage her delusion via banter, he would never leave her alone. He'd be some permanent fixture in her life, driving her absolutely crazy, until she actually was sent to a psychiatric ward.] ❝ Here's something else to consider; since you're part of my brain, then CLEARLY, I know what I'm doing. I get that this job is "dangerous." ❞ [She put the word in air-quotes.] ❝ You don't need to hover over me all night. I can handle myself. ❞

[dreamsoflevi]

Love Was Not Enough | Part 1

Summary: A titan shifter is working in the Scout Regiment with a plan. Growing up with hate for Paradis takes a complete turn when falling for a certain Captain and developing friendships. Is it too late to make a change?

Word Count: 4.2k

CW: Some fluff, angst, mentions of violence, description of an emotional breakdown, stress.

Author’s Note: My first post on Tumblr! I’m so slow when it comes to using Tumblr lol. Starting off with an angsty story because it's raining and gloomy. It was supposed to be an one-shot but it ended up being super long. There will be 1-2 more parts. Hope you enjoy! ♡

You loved him.

You really did.

You still do.

When you first met him, you were surprised this was the person everyone was referring to when they would mention Humanity's strongest soldier, Captain Levi. His aloof and brash attitude would prove those thoughts drilled in your head about the devils in disguise living amongst the lands as you. He didn't care for anything and he wouldn’t hesitate to remind you of that. “You will become titan shit.” His exact words spat to your face. Who does he think he is?

You were exceptional at what you did, full of intellect and skills landed you on his squad along with a group of newer cadets. The 104th cadets. You were all replacements for his previous squad who were killed by the female titan, your comrade Annie during the 57th expedition. You were trained for this after all. You were prepared and you had a plan along with a few others. Secret glances, nods, and meetings were shared amongst you four any chance you could get.

You ended up befriending a few too. A shy yet wise Armin, an extremely passionate Eren, a wild and resourceful Sasha, and some others. A bunch of children putting their lives on the line for a better tomorrow, a hopeful future. Aren’t you doing the same too?

During expeditions, you would watch Captain Levi swinging through trees on his ODM gear, slicing through the napes of every titan he landed his eyes on. Now you understand why he is humanity’s strongest. Slicing through titans without a struggle and with immense strength and speed.

He'd frantically look around making sure the others were okay. He'd shout the names of his squad and any other names he could remember hoping to get a shout in return. The panicked look on this face when he would hear screams and race to the source of them. Maybe he does care. When returning to the walls, you could see him grimace watching the gates open only for it to quickly change back to his normal neutral expression.

-

“L/N!” A voice breaking your thoughts as you walk back inside the headquarters after training. You turn around to see Captain Levi standing behind you with a small stack of papers in his hand.

“Yes, Captain?” You wiped the sweat off your forehead with your sleeve.

“Are you doing anything after this?”

You shook your head. “No, sir. Do you need anything?”

“Yes. Deliver this paperwork to Commander Erwin. He should be in his office now.” He handed you the small stack of papers he was holding.

“Yes, sir.” You nodded your head grabbing the papers and walking in the direction of Commander Erwin’s office.

Approaching his office, you knocked on his door. You heard a deep voice respond and turned the knob to enter. Opening the door, you see the distressed Commander sitting at his desk. One hand resting on his forehead and the other scribbling away. He glances up and sees the stack in your hands.

“Ah, thank you (Y/N), I was waiting for these.” Raising his hand in anticipation of the papers.

You walked up to his desk handing it to him. “No problem, Commander.”

You look around his messy desk. Papers spread all around, empty teacups resting on the side, and two ink bottles sitting on his desk. Your eyes take a peek at his face, dark circles under his eyes, and his hair slightly messed up. You couldn’t help but feel bad for him. No. You try shaking those thoughts away. They are the devils and we are paying for their actions.

But you take another look at him. Imagine being in his position. Are you aware of what your ancestors did, Commander? He’s shuffling through the small stack of papers that were just handed to him. You can see the squares and circles in the form of a large triangle. The formations. The lives and the future of thousands rest upon this single man’s shoulders. Of course, he has to spend hours on end meticulously planning the expeditions and making sure the formations are properly formed. A plan for a better tomorrow, a hopeful future. Don’t you want that too?

You internally sigh in defeat. “Um... Commander?” You nervously play with your fingers.

“Yes, (Y/N)?” He looks up at you, hand still holding the quill and the other now resting on the desk.

“Do.. do you need help? I just finished training and If you need help, I…” You bite your lip, your nerves getting the best of you as his eyes remain in contact with yours.

The curves of his mouth turn upwards. “If you can, please.” He gestures to the seat in front of him.

You flash him a smile, nod your head and take a seat. He hands you a stack of papers. “For these, you just need to write today’s date under the line where it says date received. Then organize them alphabetically.”

That’s where you found yourself at least twice a week. Helping the commander out whenever you could, organizing his paperwork, and filling them out whenever he needed you to. Sometimes you would work in complete silence. The sounds of pens scribbling, paper shuffling, and the sips the Commander took of his tea. Sometimes he would tell you a little story about his life and of his childhood. He would speak of his father being a major inspiration in his life and the reason he pushes forward every day. He had a sudden death, though the Commander never told you why, you can imagine it was a traumatic one for him.

A couple of months pass by and you are now sitting in the Captain's office. Coming into Commander’s office one day and seeing his surprisingly organized desk for once and him telling you that he didn’t need any assistance today. However, Captain Levi might need help with the reports from a previous expedition. Nodding your head and giving a quick salute, you made your way to Captain Levi’s office.

Working with Captain Levi was soothing. His office was very neat. Paperwork in his office sitting on his desk in organized piles. You can smell the faint scent of lemon which was refreshing. You visiting his office became a more frequent occurrence since he appreciated the assistance he would receive though he’d never tell you that. He would have a stack ready for you set up on the side table in his office. He was not much of a talker like Commander Erwin nor was he someone who reminisces his life it seems.

However, you would still have conversations here and there. He would ask about how you were feeling with training and if you dared to complain about the exercises he was giving, he would simply tell you to get better with the exercises or get eaten. Then realizing his bluntness and the silence that filled the room after, he would elaborate on his statement.

What he means is, he would say, these exercises help with increasing stamina and balance that will aid us on the battlefield. Outside the walls, anything can happen. Titans pop out of nowhere catching you off guard and little mishaps like getting tangled, being too slow, or even aiming your anchor wrong can lead to a fatal mistake. You could agree with that.

“(L/n), why did you decide to join the scouts?” He asked without looking up from what he was doing.

You stilled for a second and looked up at him. His eyes were still on the paper in front of him. This question always catches you off guard even if you rehearsed it so many times. It makes you nervous and vulnerable as if the person asking can see right through you and your facade.

“Same reason as everyone else, sir.” He glanced at you now and you immediately looked back down at the paper in front of you. You tried to avoid as much eye contact as you can.

He cocked an eyebrow. “Which is?”

“F-freedom.. from the titans.” You heard a scoff.

“Now you sound like Eren.” He was still looking at you. You dared to meet your eyes with his. He still had a stoic look on his face but there was curiosity simmering in his eyes. He was waiting for an answer. You had no choice but to give one. How would you say it though? You don’t want to lie. Captain Levi can be very perceptive and you’re sure he could see through your facade.

You bit your lip. “I… I want a better future for myself, my loved ones, and future generations. All my life, I’ve experienced confinement and.. oppression. But I have been given the power- er, the opportunity I should say to aid in defeating our e-enemies and... and I hope to accomplish that to live a more liberating life.”

He remained in eye contact with you without saying anything. The silence was deafening in the room and you hoped he would say something. Each second of silence was building the temperature in your body as your nerves were starting to get the best of you. Your chest was burning and you could feel a bit of sweat forming on your scalp. Did you say the wrong thing? Or maybe you said too much? Why isn’t he saying anything?

Your lips parted in anticipation to say something. But what else were you going to say? Before you can process what you are going to say, he hummed and looked back down at his work.

“You are right. We all have the same reason, more or less. To break out of these confined and oppressive walls and defeat these shitty titans. Whatever is out there must be better than what we live in now.”

You internally sighed. It’s not better but hopefully, it will get better. I guess we have the same mission, just different targets. You and everyone else here being mine Captain. You felt your throat dry up. Can you imagine killing these people? Watching Captain struggling on his last breath? Commander Erwin? Hange? Connie, Sasha, Jean, Armin? But your ancestors... Now you are suffering because of these devils.

Shaking your head of these thoughts, you try to focus back on the paper in front of you. “Ar-” You cleared your throat. “Armin believes there’s a sea out there.”

He snorted. “That kid and his shitty dream...” You could see a hint of a smile forming on his face. “Who knows, maybe there is.”

You come to realize that he’s not rude, he just doesn’t know how to express himself. His actions speak louder than words and you can’t help but grow a lot of respect for him. But he’s still a devil. But he has a heart and he cares for every single person in this regiment, including you. It doesn’t matter. They caused your people pain and betrayed them.

-

A perk of being on Captain Levi’s squad is getting to sit on meetings planning the expeditions. Commander Erwin would call these meetings for input on observations made from previous missions. Armin enthusiastically shares what he learns from the missions. Plans are being formed around Eren and his abilities. He’s learning new things about what he can do every day and recently he learned about hardening abilities from Annie. Working with Hange to train how to harden properly to be able to plug walls in the future.

They have no idea though. No idea what is beyond these walls, where these titans come from, where do they go, or anything else. They are risking their lives for the answers, the answers that you already know.

Walking through the dark hallways, you step into the mess hall. There sitting on a table in the dimly lit corner were Reiner and Bertholdt. The ones on the mission with you alongside Annie.

“Where have you been lately?” Reiner asked as you sat down on the bench. You usually had these meetings at least once or twice a week, but since Annie was captured, things have gotten more hectic. In fear of getting caught or being busy with so many tasks, you haven’t had the chance to meet with them as often as you should.

“Sorry.. I’ve just been swamped with training, meetings, and helping the higher-ups with their paperwork.”

Reiner narrows his eyes at you. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with them lately.”

“Yeah but I’ve managed to learn a few things.”

“Like what?”

“Well, Eren is close to figuring out his hardening abilities. Hange had taken the sample from Annie but she didn’t get far with that. Now she and Eren are working together to see how Eren can unlock his own ability.”

Reiner hummed. “If Eren learns how to harden, he could start landing attacks on me. He’d still be no match for Bertholdt though.”

You nodded in response. There was an awkward silence. No one had much to say which was a huge difference from before when you had to plot your next moves and practice your stories together. Usually, Reiner was the one who would come up with the plans and assign tasks to the rest of you three. This was before the fight between Eren and Annie. You didn’t expect Annie to lock herself into the crystal.

You looked at Reiner who seemed to be deep in thought. “What are you thinking?”

He sighed. “I think another attack is coming soon.”

Bertholdt and your eyes widen. “Are you sure? Isn’t it a little too quick, Reiner?” Bertholdt wearily asks. You nod your head in agreement.

“They already have Annie. We need to get Eren and try to get Annie out of there as well.”

“Yes!” Bertholdt interjects. “We do need to save Annie.” Bertholdt always had a soft spot for Annie. You have an inkling he has a crush on her because he gets flustered and avoids the topic every time it’s brought up.

You don’t know if you’re ready for another attack. The last one was devastating. The fight between Eren and Annie destroyed so many homes and lost lives. Children losing their parents, parents losing their children, lovers lost… It is heartbreaking. You don’t know if you can stomach another attack at this point. What are you saying? That is what you’re here for. You need to do this for your people back home. You let out a long exhale and close your eyes.

“It bothers you too, doesn’t it?” You open your eyes to Bertholdt looking at you.

“They are people… just like us.”

You nod your head meekly. “Just like us.” You repeated in a whisper.

Reiner sighs. “And they have no clue what is happening.”

“No clue.” You and Bertholdt breathe simultaneously. You three sit in silence, all three of you lost in your own thoughts. Why did it have to be us?

-

During training you noticed Captain Levi limping a little more than usual. Since the 57th expedition, his leg has been in bad shape. He still supervises your training and some days, he can walk properly and some days he’s limping. You turn back to your task at hand, slicing through the titan dummies set up.

“(Y/n)! Straighten your back!” He yells from the field and you obey, straightening your back while you and Connie swing to the titan dummy.

“Oi Sasha! You have to aim your anchors a bit higher!”

“Mikasa, don't go too fast!”

The comments usually went like that for the entire training session. Watching all of you train and critique your performances. You’re not going to lie, it was a pain in the ass. But you noticed it does help you outside of the walls. Captain Levi is good at what he does. He’s perceptive and knows exactly what to do and when. He is a natural titan killer. Being able to take down small to abnormal and maybe even ones like you. After you were done, you all were panting and sweating while walking back to the field.

“Phew! That was some training today,” Connie wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

Jean clicked his tongue. “That was nothing! Probably too much for you right Yeager?” He smirked at Eren.

Eren rolled his eyes. “You wish, Jean boy. That’s why you’re drenched in sweat.”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

You all groaned as Eren and Jean started arguing for the fifth time today. The first two times Armin tried to interject to try and diffuse the argument but at this point, even he gave up.

“You’re on Yeager. After dinner, we’ll have an arm wrestling match.”

“After dinner,” Eren confirmed. “Don’t horse around Kirstein.”

“Shut up titan freak.”

“Are you ladies done bickering?” Captain Levi glared at them with his arms crossed. Eren clicked his tongue and Jean muttered under his breath. Captain narrowed his eyes at them, a warning to fix their attitudes. They immediately straightened their backs.

“Yes sir!” A few of you silently giggled watching them get scolded by Captain Levi.

Watching them with a smile, you loved the banter between Eren and Jean. Despite the arguments, you know deep down they have respect and admiration for one another. It’s distinctly shown during battle when they are looking out for another. Even during Eren’s fits of rage, Jean is understanding and never attacks Eren for his impulsive decisions. He might get a little bit of teasing though.

They were very friendly with you too. Always giving you a pat on the back or a cheesy grin whenever they see you. Looking back at you when riding through the gates to make sure you’re okay or screaming your name to make sure you are fine when fighting titans. And let’s not forget Jean’s flirty nature. His love for Mikasa is strong but he can’t help it when he sees any walking and breathing female. Just kidding. He’s not that girl crazy.. maybe. It’s too soon to decide that.

I think another attack is coming soon. You heard Reiner’s voice suddenly appeared in your mind. You suddenly started feeling a bit nauseous. Another attack on these people. These people you are considering your friends. You felt the salty taste in the back of your throat. Trying to calm your nerves, you took some deep quiet breaths. It wasn’t helping. It was getting harder to swallow with your throat tightening. You silently walked back hoping no one starts a conversation with you. As soon as you get back, you were planning on taking a very, very cold shower.

Grabbing your clothes, you ran into the showers. Breathing hard and with shaking hands, you turned the shower knob. The cold water hitting you and startling you for the first few seconds. You can’t. You can. You can’t. You have to. But these people, you can’t do that to them now. Not when they are just started to grow on you. They were normal people with normal feelings. They’re not… devils? Yes, they are.

You remember the attack in Trost. The chaos that spread through the walls. These same cadets hopelessly try to fight the titans. You were all newly graduated. Thomas getting eaten by a titan. Screams and cries filled your ears along with the sounds of loud thumps and bone-crunching.

When you were discussing things with Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie, poor Marco being in the wrong place at the wrong time. How devastated Jean was losing his best friend and not knowing ultimately it was you three that led to his death. Not only his but everyone else’s. The way Armin looked when Eren sacrificed himself to save him.

Can you do this again?

A sob escaped from your throat. Tears flew down your cheeks getting mixed in with the water. You are no different than them, aren't you? The blood of these innocent lives on your hands. But they were the reason for all this, no? Except they don’t know. Is it justifiable blaming them for something that happened so many years ago? While you are oppressed by the Marleyeans, they are oppressed by these titans. Aren’t you any different from the Marleyans then? Punishing innocent people for things out of their control?

Leaning your head on the tiled wall, you needed to make a decision. Whose side are you on? No, whose side do you want to be on? Do you want to continue the same treatment you received? Do you want to be the reason a child loses their mother? Their father? You need to make a decision and make it quick. You grabbed the soap bar and cleaned yourself off. You will make a decision. You just need time.

After your shower, you remembered you were going to go to Captain Levi’s office to help him with his paperwork. You also remembered how he was limping badly today. Before going into his office, you decided to make a trip to the infirmary.

Asking the nurses for some balm for Captain Levi’s leg, you grabbed a small jar and made your way to his office. What’s the reason for this? Are you trying to relieve some of the guilt eating away at your conscience?

Entering his office, he offered a small greeting before pointing to the paperwork that needed to be done today. Before getting seated at the table, you walked over to his desk and held out the small jar. With an eyebrow raised, he looked at the jar in your hand.

“It’s for your leg. You were limping today and I thought this might help sir.”

He took the jar from your hand. The curves of his mouth turned upward, not enough to call it a smile since he hardly ever did. “Thank you.”

Thank you. You felt your heart flutter. You barely hear words of acknowledgment from him and you can’t help but feel happy that you were on the receiving end of them. So what? Why do you care? Because you do admire him. After all, he was your Captain and you respect him. And he is looking nicer than usual in his black suit and cravat. What? Are you okay? You’re just acknowledging his looks. It means nothing-

Wait, he said thank you. You need to answer him instead of disputing with your own self.

“It’s no problem.” You smiled at him and walked over to your seat and began working.

-

That is how things went for a while. You have been avoiding Reiner and Bertholdt any chance you can get because you were unsure of how to explain the inner turmoil you are having with yourself. You are close to walking away from it all, officially dedicating your heart to the Scouts, to Commander Erwin, to Paradis. You are willing to throw it away. Your family, friends, and everyone else back home. They don’t understand what you’re going through. The struggle you are facing. It’s easy to be on the other side of things but when having to see these losses head-on, it’s gut-wrenching.

You managed to get even closer to everyone. Sharing laughs and jokes with your squad during breakfast and dinner, working with Commander Erwin more closely and offering suggestions when he’s planning the formations, engaging in more conversations with Captain Levi, and even spending time in Hange’s office.

“Oh! Hello again (Y/n)! Guess what Eren is doing today!” Hange exclaimed while wrapping her arm around Eren’s neck. Eren holding onto her arm trying to relieve some pressure on his neck.

“What is he doing today?” You gave Eren a little smirk.

“Drinking a lot of water. We’re testing out his pee!” She shoved a large canteen into Eren’s chest.

“Pee? Wait, why?”

“Because Eren, we’re tested your blood but we haven’t received consistent results. So we are going to try your bladder. So drink up! We need at least a liter.”

“A liter?!” Eren squeaked.

Hange cackled. “A liter indeed!”

“(Y/n), do you want to help Eren out?” She flashed a grin at you.

“Sure,” you shrugged. “What do I have to do?”

“Just make sure he drinks this entire canteen of water. And if he doesn’t..” her smile dropped and she grimly looked at you, “Force him.”

Eren managed to drink the canteen of water and he also managed to give a liter of urine samples. Unfortunately, Eren had to run to the bathroom every half hour for the rest of the day. This resulted in a very irritated Captain Levi and a snickering Jean.

“What experiment did four eyes do on the shit head today?” He asked you when you walked into his office.

“She needed urine samples from Eren so she forced him to drink an entire canteen which is a gallon of water in one hour.” You grinned while grabbing your stack of papers.

He cringed. “Poor Eren.”

You snapped your neck to look at him in shock. “Did you just have sympathy for someone, Captain?”

“Oi, shut it. Don’t get mouthy with me.” He teasingly pointed a finger at you.

You snickered, taking your usual seat at the table. “I mean… It’s Hange. I always have sympathy for anyone who works with her. Look at poor Moblit.” He chuckled.

His chuckle rang through your head. He chuckled. You quickly caught your thoughts and felt heat rushing up to your cheeks for getting flustered about him chuckling. Why are you feeling like this?

“Captain, what’s the occasion? I don’t think anyone has ever heard you laugh.” You grinned at him.

“That wasn’t a laugh.” He immediately responded while scribbling on papers.

“Fine. A chuckle.” You rolled your eyes and began shuffling through the papers and organizing them.

“Well feel special I guess. You heard your captain chuckle.” He mockingly repeats the word in your tone.

Special. You smile. I do feel special.

[ghost-in-the-stalls]

Okay okay my two favorite things are merging

Gaara and dogs. Hear me out

So I don't remember exactly what it's like in canon/if its mentioned at all or more of just a fanon thing, but animals probably hated gaara as a kid right? And probably even after his moral whiplash bc there's a literal demon sealed in him and animals pick up on shit you know

BUT HEAR ME OUT

He kind of resigns himself to animals never liking him. Like it is what it is. Kinda sad tho bc hes not great at making friends and also he's kazekage which is probably lonely in its own right. So it'd probably do him good to have a pet to keep him company. But most animals he interacted with for a long time HATED him so he doesn't bother trying.

BUT.

What if - after shukaku got yoinked - animals started acting a bit more normal around him?

Like here's the thing. People have vibes okay. When someone has bad intentions, you can pick up on that shit even if you don't realize it. Body language, facial expressions, actions, etc all communicate things to us that we don't always even notice. Dogs can pick up on that shit too.

And Gaara is a good person okay!! After theres no more demon, there's no reason a dog wouldn't look at him and react the same way they'd react to any decent person who acts non-threatening towards them!

So anyway I have this scenario in my head. He's visiting konoha with his siblings. They run into Kiba and Akamaru. Akamaru - who had an immediate bad reaction to Gaara when he was 12 and murderous - has a positive reaction! Like 'oh hey that fucked up vibe is gone! Hello!!' And akamaru like. Greets him as positively as he'd greet anyone (especially maybe if he like! Lowers his sand guard so akamaru can smell him better or something! (Ik there's a thing about gaaras sand always smelling like dead people and i choose to ignore that bc I don't like the idea of my boy walking around smelling like ass all the time ok I want better for him))

Can you imagine how floored gaara (and probably everyone else) would be? But maybe he's immediately like "oh shit a dog doesn't hate me maybe I can have an animal friend" and he starts asking Kiba what it's like to take care of a dog. Maybe he meets up with Kakashi later for a kage meeting and gets some tips from him

Anyway maybe then when they get back from konoha he ends up rescuing a pair of dogs 🥺

This is a long winded way of saying I want gaara to own dogs because I love dogs and once shukaku is gone there's no reason for a dog to hate him he's a sweetheart

[differentkettleoffishalltogether]

I’m On Fire [Chapter 2]

With her sister’s wedding fast approaching and her Mom hounding her about finding a date, Y/N makes a terrible decision that lands her and her least favorite genius in a confusing situation.

Chapter Summary: Y/N and Spencer start to put a plan together.

A/N:  I’ve got a head cold at the mo’ but I had to get a covid test just in case so I’m not allowed leave my room till I get the results! So enjoy a bonus chapter while I wallow on my own for like 36 hours :( On a positive note, thank you guys all so much for the response to chapter 1 I really didn’t see that coming! I’ve tagged everyone who asked, let me know if you wanna be added

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem Reader

Category: Fake Dating, Enemies to Lovers, (Eventual) Smut, Fluff, Angst, it’s a Slow Burn Baby

Warnings: Cursing, some NSFW language/themes

Word Count: 6.1k

Previous Chapter -- Next Chapter

Series Masterlist

Masterlist 

"Are you coming up or what?"

The question was still ringing in my ears. It caught me completely off guard. 'Up' as in up to Spencer's apartment? Where he lived? I knew he lived somewhere in theory, just like I knew deep down that he wasn't made in a test tube. 

Without noticing I've undone my seatbelt and I'm hopping out of the car, following him around to the front door. I guess I am coming up.

Spencer's apartment is more cosy than I thought it was going to be. It's warm and lived in. It's not big, but I think that might be what makes it homely. Something about the way he behaves had me thinking it would be fully decked out in stainless steel or glass or something. But it wasn't pristine, it was messy. 

There were books bursting from the shelves that lined the walls of the apartment, along with books laid open over nearly every surface in the place, it looked like he was in the middle of reading all of them, and honestly, I didn't doubt it. Maybe I'd misjudged him. He even had some photos of what looked like his family, and maybe friends, even some of the BAU, lining his walls or propped up on his mantle. He had little trinkets and souvenirs on his shelves too, evidence that he'd been around the country for reasons other than a case. I would never admit it to him but there was a real charm to the place.

Once we got inside he took off his bag and suit jacket, tossing them on the desk just inside of the door. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do, and he seemed to pick up on my awkward energy.

"You can make yourself at home" he said, his confident streak remaining. I had no idea what to do with that. What would even make me comfortable in Spencer Reid's apartment? I took a seat on his sofa and just sat with my hands resting in my lap. Really not even sure where I should look without feeling like I was invading his privacy. Even though I wanted to. I think it was morbid curiosity, looking for clues on who this man might actually be outside of the BAU. What I really wanted to do was stand up and walk around, soaking in every bit if this place as if it would help me decipher our messy relationship.

He returned to the living room a few moments later, two mismatched mugs in his hands. He places one in front of me on the coffee table. I pick it up and take a sip. It's lemon and ginger, how did he know what kind of tea I liked? I held the mug in my hands inhaling the steam in an effort to relax. When I look up he's watching me, arms folded across his chest.

"So, how does this thing work. What's the game plan?" I honestly have no real idea. This evening really got away from me, I was still expecting to snap out of it and wake up in my bed at any moment.

"Well I can't say I've ever been in a Sandra Bullock movie before either so this is uncharted territory for me too" I say with a chuckle, trying to ease the tension. Even a little. I can see him crack a small smile but hides it almost instantly, his face hardening again.

"My sister, Margot, she's getting married in like 4 months." I can feel myself tense and I shake out my shoulders, I have to remind myself that he's agreed to this already, "Fuck it, I'm just going to be honest with you. My Mom's mostly freaked out that I'm too attached to this job and that I'll just never find someone again." I shouldn't have said again, fuck. I hope he didn't pick up on that. Who am I kidding. "Even though, I'm not sure I care if I do or don't?" he doesn't say anything, like he's waiting for me to continue. I know I've shared a little too much already but I keep going.

"Margot's 2 years younger than me, I introduced her to her fiancé Philip, we met in college, he's a sweetheart. But since they've gotten engaged Mom's gotten exponentially weirder. I think she's convinced I'm fully going to die alone, as if that would be the worst thing that could ever happen? Anyway, she's been trying to auction me off to all these guys, using this wedding as an excuse. I'm not sure how much of that phone call you actually heard earlier but Mom was trying to sell me on this guy, David, and I just… snapped." I look up at Spencer and he unfolds his arms, leaning in ever so slightly coaxing the story out of me.

"David, he uh, he worked for my father for a while back in high school, filing documents and stuff, busy work mostly. He used to make out with me when he was at our house after school, but then he'd ignore me in the halls the next morning. I know it's because I was a pariah back then or something but I didn't want to think about it today and I just got worked up. I shouldn't have let on that you were my date, I was just going to ask if I could bring Garcia or something, and I'm sorry." I cover my face in my hands, "I'm insane, you can back out if you want to."

I can hear him move from his spot on the opposite side of the sofa, he takes my wrists and gently pulls my hands from my face. He looks into my eyes, "I'm in this now Y/N, what do you need me to do?" he asks, and there's a genuine earnest in his voice that I think I've only ever heard a handful of times. And it's never been directed at me.

"Okay, well we've got a few months before you ha–, wait, fuck!" I throw my head back, there's already a complication, "shit" I curse under my breath. His eyebrows knit together, sitting upright.

"What's the matter?" he asks.

"I forgot about my Mom's 50th, it's next month. They've got this whole huge party planned back home in upstate New York. I've gotta go and they'll probably want to meet you, or they're gonna have a load of questions for me at least. I can try and get you out of it I'm sure"

He gets that cocky look again, he shakes his head "I don't know, I've always liked a bit of competition" he reclines back into his corner of the sofa, taking a satisfied sip from his own mug before speaking again. "You know, if I've got to learn enough to pass as your boyfriend in a month, surely that means you've got to learn enough to pass as my girlfriend within the month, no?"

Oh god. What have I done, why didn't I think this far ahead. "I mean, yeah I guess you're right." I had to remember he was doing me a favor. I had to get over myself. "Okay, if you're sure you're up for that?" I ask, and he nods, and I think he looks excited, or maybe he just finds the whole situation funny.

"If anyone's up for the competition it's you" he says, and I'm not sure if that's a compliment or a dig but I nod in agreement.

He takes another sip of his tea, collected and relaxed. I can't help but notice how at ease he is when he's in his own surroundings. I'm so used to seeing him sitting at a desk surrounded by paperwork, or combing through file after file in the make-shift office in a small-town police station, usually flustered or anxious, or antagonizing me whenever he wasn’t. This was a different Spencer. Completely in control, at ease.

"Alright, shall we get started then, we can't really afford to waste any time can we?" he was actually sort of right, so I nodded. It was only now occurring to me that I'd have to share parts of my personal life with him if I wanted this plan to work. We already knew the basics about each other, I'd read his file when I started at the BAU, I'd read everyones. And I feel like it was safe to presume he'd done the same.

His eyes bore directly into mine as he leaned forward, I think he was enjoying how uncomfortable I must've looked.

"How about I ask you some rapid-fire questions and you have to answer 'em?" he asks, and it's as good of a plan as any, and I can't think of any other suggestions, so I nod.

"Okay, shoot." I say, unsure and nervous, so I brace myself. I'm just grateful that he's making my life easier rather than harder for what feels like the first time since I met him.

I really should've known better.

He leans in, "So Y/N, first question, when did you lose your virginity?"

I almost choke on the mouthful of tea I just took, that can't be what he just asked, and he looks like he's savoring my shocked expression.

"I uh, I don't think you need to know that?" is all I can get out.

"Really? You think that's something your boyfriend wouldn't know about you?" he's right, but I didn't want to admit it outright.

"I feel like I sort of already hinted. It was that same guy David, I was 18, he was 19. We had sex on the couch while my parents went out one evening. I kept my bra on the whole time, he came, I didn't. It was all very standard stuff." I wasn't sure what compelled me to add that last part. I think I was giving in to the open honestly thing. "So what about you Doc?" I challenged.

He didn't seem embarrassed, or even shy. "I must've bloomed little later than you" he admits with a soft chuckle, "Vivian Stewart, I was 21, she was too. It was the last semester of my last PhD and I figured I must be missing out on something. And I sure was" he smirks to himself. "I came, she did too, 3 times. I did a lot of research ahead of time" he mirrored my story and I rolled my eyes. It was hard not to feel a little impressed but I tried with everything I had to stifle it so he couldn't tell. I wish it didn't make me feel something but it did. I gulp down the mouthful of tea that's been sitting in my throat.

I have to shake myself back to reality. I can't give him the satisfaction of throwing me. "My turn." I command, "When was your last relationship Dr. Reid?" I ask, "I mean like, serious one, not like hook-up" I clarify before he can ask. He thinks on it for a moment.

"I'm not sure what you classify as fully serious, but I guess it was this girl, Rebecca, we dated for a while when I first joined the BAU but it didn't work out. What about you?" he flips it back.

"So that was what, like 6-ish years ago?" I ask, he just nods.

"Mine was like 3 years ago now I think. I met this guy Nathan on my first week of college, we dated for like 4 years. He moved here for me when I got accepted by the BAU." I had to stop myself from delving into the detail. It was a long time ago now but it still hurt. "Long story short, the hours were demanding and they got in the way more than I would've liked. We ended up splitting a couple months after I got the job." I tried to play it off like it wasn't one of the more devastating things to happen in my life. But something told me he’d registered that, so he didn't push.

His energy picks up and he looks at me with a grin, but there's something a little sinister behind it. "I've got a more fun question for you." he leans in closer to me, "Y/N, when was the last time you got laid?" I just looked at him in shock. 

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, I can go first if you really need me to?" his voice didn't waver,

"Fuck you Reid, I know when it was!" I snapped back at him. I did have to think back a little farther than I'd like to pull up the memory.

"Met this guy in a bar when I was out with Pen one night, we went back to his place and hooked up." I say as deadpan as I can make it.

"Well that's not very exciting is it?" he jokes, "Did you at least cum that time?" I know he's just trying to rile me up, but I answer anyway.

"As a matter of fact I did" I earn back a little of my confidence.

"I'm so happy for you, but you did manage to avoid my initial question" fuck "when was this exciting night of yours Y/N?" he probes, like I really, really wished he wouldn't. I could lie, but I'm sure he'd be able to tell. I cringe before I can say it.

"About 8 months ago" I mutter, just low enough for him to hear.

"Sorry, did you just say 8 months ago?" He nearly shouts in disbelief, he seems to find it funny.

"Hey fuck you Spencer!" I go on the defensive, "When was the last time you even got laid?"

"Like two and half weeks ago" he says, confident, and still laughing, "Wait wait, when was the last time you got yourself off? I know you're not waiting 8 months!" he giggles and I think I could kill him. I know I kept giving him outs but was it too late for me to just get up and leave?

"I'm not doing this with you if you're just gonna make fun of me Reid, I get enough of that at work" I get out, my voice is serious but I'm trying to hide how awkward all of this is making me feel, and I don't know that I'm doing a very good job.

I can tell that's gotten to him, he relaxes and eases up on the giggling. "Look okay wait Y/N. I'll stop, I'm not actually trying to make fun of you. I was being serious, I think stuff like this is important if we're gonna have to be comfortable around each other enough to seem like a real couple. Plus, it'll just help break the ice?" he shrugs. "But you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

I soften, because I agree, even thought I hate that he's right. "Fine" I collect my thoughts, "2 nights ago I'm pretty sure." I regret it almost instantly, but breaking the ice is supposed to feel awkward.

"Same here actually," he chuckles, "what'd you do?" I'm so startled by the question I almost forget how to answer.

"I, uh, my, my vibrator? I just felt like uh, I watched some..." I still can't force out a whole sentence. It's not like I was always awkward about sex or anything, I could talk to Garcia, or honestly probably any of the other team members about it. But with Spencer it didn't feel as comfortable. He still sat calmly, smiling just a little.

"Same here, 2 nights back, but with my hands I guess. I wonder if we were doing it at the same time?" he mutters the last part gently and my head goes a bit fuzzy. My eyes drift away from his face and settle on his hands, the mug he's holding looks so tiny with his fingers wrapped around it, I wondered how they'd look wrapped around my-

"Okay I think that's enough for one night, don't you think?" I jump up off the sofa and turn, mostly so that he doesn't catch the blush thats creeping from my neck up to my cheeks. And because I don't know what I'll say, or regret saying, if this conversations continues on its current trajectory.

"Sure," he says, standing up next to me, and I want to move further away instantly, "you're probably right, and it's getting a little late now anyway" he glances at his watch. Ushering me back towards his front door and opening it up. Before I can walk out he lightly touches my shoulder to turn me back to face him, and I wonder if he can feel the heat radiating from every part of me.

"So are you free next Friday after work?" he asks, and I'm so flustered I almost forget why, I just nod. "Perfect, how about we come here again and we can dive into preparing? You could also make a start on getting these onto a hard drive?" he gestures to the antique looking hardbacks adorning the shelves.

'Sounds great!" I perk up, feigning enthusiasm, "See you then!"

"Well, see you Monday morning actually Y/N" he smirks as I walk out the door. Fuck, he was right.

I really hadn't thought this through.

——

The weekend was a bit of a blur. I decided to try and put some useful information into a document for Spencer. It felt strange to try and condense my life into as few pages as possible. I knew Reid had an eidetic memory, and nothing would necessarily overwhelm him. But I also knew that he was someone that the team relied on to fill in a lot of the gaps in the rest of the our knowledge. So I felt bad about dumping a load of information on him, especially considering it was a favor he was doing for me.

I'd complied the majority of my life into a 15 page document and printed it out. Hopefully that would address most of what my family could guerrilla attack him with. There was also something unsettling about the imbalance. I was going to give him so many of the intricate details of my life in a little file, whereas all I really knew about Spencer was what I'd taken it upon myself to learn about him throughout the past few years.

I'd read all of his work while I was in college, given how he was the gold standard of getting into the BAU at a young age, I wanted to know who this guy was. I think I'd pictured something different. And I couldn't deny there was something enticing about finally getting to know him after all of these years of working together. Maybe this could actually be fun, or interesting at least.

----

I arrived early on Monday morning. I thought I was first into the office as usual but Garcia was sitting in my desk chair waiting for me. The second she saw me walk in she tensed, she must've known we were the only people in this early.

"What happened! You've been avoiding me all weekend?" she asked, and she was right. I'd drafted enough texts to her, trying to explain what the plan was, mostly without wanting to admit that she was right. Maybe I was stubborn.

"Alright okay, I drove Reid home." I admitted, dropping my bag by my desk. She rolls her eyes at me, dramatic as always.

"Well I knew that already Y/N damn! What happened next?"

"Fine, we went into his apartment and talked for a while. Trying to sort out the details, get a handle on things I guess?" I said, unsure of how much I should actually give away about our conversation.

"What things!?" She shouts, standing up from my desk,

"I don't know Pen, like logistics and stuff, I still haven't decided how I feel about that little stunt you pulled on Friday night!" I let my frustration get the better of me, and maybe that's why I haven't talked to her. It could also be because I know she's able to read me like a book and I'm not even sure how I feel about this whole situation.

"I call bullshit." She counters, "I know you were relived as hell when I sorted that whole thing out. You would've had anxiety tummy all weekend if I hadn't called Spencer!" I just go silent, she was right. I'd gotten so caught up in the whole, 'how to have a fake boyfriend' that I'd almost forgotten about how stressed I was about Spencer hearing my call in the first place.

"Okay, shit" I sigh. "Maybe you were right Pen. We're actually meeting up again this Friday after work to make a plan for the next while, so I guess that's progress?" I shrug, trying to play it off like this whole situation doesn't make my stomach flip.

"Ohhhhh! So like a date?" She probes, her enthusiasm rising drastically.

"Oh my God Pen no! Like an appointment at best" I diffuse the situation

"Ugh that's no fun" she says, not even trying to disguise her disappointment.

As if on cue Dr. Reid walks through the double doors into the bullpen. Both Garcia and I wave, overall awkwardly, but making an attempt pretend like things were completely normal and like nothing had changed since the last time we were all in the office together.

Penelope heads to her office as the bullpen starts to fill up quickly. Less than an hour later though Garcia's back at my desk and there's a new case that needs the teams attention in Boston. I follow her into the conference room and wait for the rest of the team to join. Spencer follows a moment later with 2 cups of coffee in his hands. I can see my mug in his hand and my automatic response is that he's messing with me. But he places my mug in front of me in the circular table before taking the seat next to me, listening to Garcia's briefing. I don't know if he's ever sat next to me in this conference room, at least not by choice.

I barely had any time to finish my coffee before I have to say goodbye to Garcia and hop on the jet to Boston.

----

The case was grueling. More so than usual. It was wrapped up late on Thursday night and the team decided to fly back home first thing on Friday morning. I was exhausted. Even if there was enough time to get sleep each night it wasn't like I got any. Whenever a case got on top of me like this it made it hard to rest, or get it off my mind at all until it was wrapped up. So even though it was over, that didn't mean I wasn't exhausted.

Hotch gave the team the rest of the day off, given that we have until submit our paperwork by Monday. I wasn't sure if Spencer's invitation from the following week still stood. I didn't want to ask, partly because I was so tired, but also because I was scared. I wasn't about to show up at his house in an effort to have a heart to heart, or hand him a condensed version of my life story on a manilla envelope if he was as drained as I was.

Standing by my desk I packed up everything I'd need to get my paperwork done over the weekend, I was just about finished when Spencer snuck up behind me, perching himself on the edge of my desk. "So, you almost ready to go?" he asks, like it's the most obvious question in the world. I couldn't really hide my surprise.

"Oh yeah. That's fine, I mean, if you're still cool with that?" I ask, and I hate how flustered I sound, like he makes me nervous.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" He chuckles, standing up straight.

"Cool, gimme a sec and I'll be good to go."

I pack up the rest of my stuff quickly and we make our way out. There's something that feels a little eerie about the two of us being in an elevator together alone again. It was a different kind of awkward to how it felt a week before hand. It almost felt like a kind of tension rather than a hatred or a rivalry. Either way we rode down in silence.

Once we got to the basement Spencer walks out of the elevator and walks straight to my car without having to ask. I unlock it and he hops into the passenger seat. Like this is a natural interaction. Something we do all the time. And I don't hate it as much as I thought I would.

"So," he says, buckling up his seat belt and breaking the silence, "do you know how to get to my place from here or do you need directions again?"

"Well I've got to turn on the engine first" I tease, hoping he picks up on the reference to our last car ride, he chuckles like he does.

"Are you hungry?" he asks

"Starving."

The delivery guy get's to Spencer's apartment at almost the same time we do.

---

Once the food's been demolished the two of us finally sit on his sofa, the same sides as the week before. "So, shall we get back into this?" He asks, sitting forward slightly to pull a notebook out of his satchel on the floor. It's small and lavender, and it's got a pen clipped into the spine. He cracks it open and flips to a specific page.

"Sorry, what's that?" I ask, pointing to the book, he looks confused,

"They're my notes?" he says, like it should be obvious

"Your notes?" I ask,

"My notes on you." he smirks, again like I'm silly for even asking.

He had notes on me? He had a whole notebook on me? What was even in that thing?

"You've got notes on me?" I ask, my hands reaching out to grab it, but he retreats faster than I can catch him. "What have you got in there that's so serious?"

"Nothing." and his tone's a bit too stern and I don't really want to push it when he's being so uncharacteristically nice to me.

"I've actually got this ready for you" I pull the file out of my own bag and toss it to him. "I'm not sure exactly what you need to know but that should be the majority of it at least."

He opens it up and glances over the the pages. It takes him all of 2 minutes to get through the whole thing. It feels unsettling that he's taking in a boiled down version of my life while I'm just sitting on the opposite side of the sofa. Trying to avoid the attention I pipe up.

"Um, hey, maybe it would be a good time for you to show me where to make a start digitizing your books over here?" I stand up and make my way to the shelf. He jumps up off the sofa and walks toward me, visibly excited.

"That's actually a great idea, I thought that the theses from my degrees could be a good place to start, since I'm pretty sure they're not backed up anywhere." he guides me to a section of the book case by the window. There's a series of leather bound hardbacks, the same gold font embossed on the spines. I recognize all of them, pulling out the first one.

"This is my favorite" I say without thinking about it and he does a double take, clearly thrown.

"You've, uh, you read my work?" he asks, completely puzzled. I'm sort of proud that I've managed to make him this awkward, and I nod.

"Mmhm, back before I joined the BAU actually. Before I really knew you" I regret saying the last part, it comes out a little meaner than I really wanted it to so I back track. "Spencer, I read all of your work while I was in college, you were like the gold standard. I don't think I slept more than 2 hours a night throughout my PHD because I was just trying to get as much done as you." and his face softens at the admission. But it takes him a moment before he responds. Leaving the two of us in silence a little too long.

"I had no idea" is all he says.

"I think this one was best" I say propping up the one in my hand, "you get a bit cockier as you move on” His eyebrows shoot up in surprise, "but I'll start with all of these I guess" I grab the matching books and stack them in my arms. Walking over to his desk and setting up. Glancing at the clock it was only 7pm so I decided to just make a start.

Spencer didn't contest. Letting me just get settled at his desk, I pull out my laptop and begin work on transcribing the first volume. After a few minutes he silently places a cup of tea down beside me and goes to sit on the sofa. The time rolls in quickly after that, each time I look up at Spencer he's carefully combing through the file I'd given him. Re-reading it and making little markings in his lavender notebook. I'm not really sure what I put in there that was worth making a note on but clearly he was reading between the lines on some things. That little notebook was like a profile of me.

When he seemed like he'd finished writing he pulls out his phone, scrolling through it aimlessly like I'd never seen him do before. It made him look so normal. His eyebrows knit together as he's looking at something on his screen and he stands up. Making his way over to me at the desk and shows me what he was looking at.

"Who's this?" he asks, "This guy you're with?"

I recognize the photo instantly. It's from a few years earlier, Nathan and I on the beach, my head resting on his chest. He'd taken it while we were on vacation celebrating our anniversary. That was about a month before I got into the BAU, I had no idea that was going to be our last anniversary. I gulp down the emotions that it stirs. I'm mostly over the whole thing by now, but looking at old photos like that, photos of happier times, it can still sting.

"That's uh, the boyfriend I was telling you about last week. Nathan, we broke up not long after I joined the BAU?" he nods, but he's smart, and I kind of figure he already knew that.

"Ah alright" he takes out the hardback and jots another note down. Maybe he's trying to get a read on me.

"What are you doing?" I gesture to the phone,

"It's research, do you not think that if you and I were really dating that stalking your social media profiles would be on my agenda?" he's smug, and he's right. But I guess I just didn't expect it from him.

"Well that's not really fair now is it? I can't reciprocate, you've got no social media presence whatsoever!" he finds that funny, letting out a deep chuckle and tucking his phone away in his back pocket.

"Maybe so, but that imbalance is hardly my fault. Besides, you've read all my dissertations apparently..."

"Bastard" I joke, slamming my laptop shut and throwing a pen from his desk at him so that it lightly bounces off the top of his head.

"Hey, there's no need for violence Y/N!" he rubs the spot beneath his curls, "Maybe it's time you took a break actually?" he says, sitting himself back down on the sofa.

I was reluctant to admit it but he was right. My eyes were starting to go a little fuzzy after looking at the screen for so long. I stand up and stretch my arms out above my head, feeling my spine stretch out after sitting for so long, letting out a low groan. Spencer waves me over to the sofa and I join him.

"How about we go back to basics?" Spencer asks with a small grin, and I can't help but let out a long sigh.

"I thought I was taking a break, no more questions" he just laughs at me,

"Relax, you're not that interesting, it's just a simple question." he states, and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to find it funny or offensive

"Ugh, fine, shoot"

"Well, actually it's two questions" he corrects, "what's your favorite movie, and what's your favorite snack?"

I'm confused mostly by the fact that it actually is a simple question, I was expecting something a lot more contentious, but also because he looks eager to know the answer.

"I'm not really sure what my favorite movie is to be honest, one of them is Night of the Living Dead?"

He nods to himself, and jots it down in the notebook again, "Alright, I can make that work" he stands up off the sofa before turning back to me, "and snack?"

"Peanut butter cups I guess?" I respond and he grins ear to ear, which is a completely new sight, and I like it way more than I thought I would.

"Perfect, gimme 2 minutes!" he leaves the living room and wanders towards the kitchen.

Spencer returns a few minutes later with a DVD, a packet of peanut butter cups , and a thick knitted blanket gathered in his arms. He drapes the blanket over me and gently places the peanut butter cups on top of it before popping the DVD into the player and sitting down beside me. I'm not really sure how to process any of the situation. Am I about to watch a movie on Spencer Reid's sofa? Sitting next to Spencer Reid?

"I... I, uh, thought you were just asking for your notes?" I ask, pointing at the notebook resting in his lap. He picks it up and throws it onto the coffee table.

"Sometimes I find experience is the best teacher, don't you?" he asks before pressing play, “And besides, it should keep you quiet for a whole 96 minutes” of course.

I can only nod in agreement, I'm not really sure what I'll say if I try to speak. I get myself cosy under the warm blanket and we watch the movie in near silence.

Once the credits roll Spencer finally speaks up, "I actually went to see a screening of this last month downtown, there was this little old horror movie fest-" I cut him off without really realizing, I'm just strangely excited that we've genuinely got something in common.

"Holy shit, I was there!" I say, more enthusiastic than the situation calls for.

He laughs at my excitement, "Well, I guess we have more overlap than I thought, that should probably help with the whole charade." he stretches his arms up over his head and let's out a small, gentle yawn. I'd been enjoying myself more than I thought I would, or would ever tell Spencer, that I'd almost forgotten that we'd both been on a case for almost every waking moment of the past week. I really should feel a lot more drained than I do.

I was just after midnight when I suggested that I head back home. I offered to take some of the books home to work on throughout the weekend but Spencer insisted that I just work on them whenever I came over again. I sort of felt like I should thank him for the evening when I was on my way out the door, or give him a quick hug, no that felt wrong. In the end all I could really muster was a lousy, "goodnight" and a meek wave on my way out the door before I drove home. And couldn't get to sleep.

— —

Previous Chapter -- Next Chapter

Series Masterlist

Masterlist

Taglist:

@mustbeaweasleyginger

@rexorangecouny

@haylaansmi

@blameitonthenight21

@prettybirdi

@justanothetfangirl

@cielo1984

@bxtchboy69

@collectiveuniverses

@cm-imagines-07

@criminalmindzjunkie

@rainsong01

@70sreid​

@andiebeaword​

@arctic-duchess

@mggsprettygirl​

@thebadassbitchqueen

[rosy-opal-commander]

I don't think the writers like Logan. Because season three was a different team. And a lot of conversations you should have been having with Logan or Anise about the white mantle you where having with Canach which is fine but it didn't make any sense. What does a Sylvari ne'er-do-well know about human politics from 200 years ago?

When Anise might have been a kid then, shit she might be Livia's kids we don't know and Logan was definitely raised on those stories and fought fringe White Mantle groups with his time as Captain.

And Logan was so wildly out of character season 3 too, so much so that folk thought he was an agent Mordamoth still. That Terahern was a red Harrying.

Because why in the name of all that is holy would Logan think that Jennah free to marry him? Or to say that he's anything more than a friend. The line "Jennah is gonna do what she's gonna do, I'm gonna do the same" bro? Excuse me? Are you brand new to how royals work? She's not gonna get to pick who she marries.

I thought for a minute that Jennah and Anise where testing Logan from personal story and season one, trying to see if he'd be a good match and a good consort to rule. You can't just have handsome idiot that is good with sword you need someone that's not gonna start a war. You need someone that can maneuver.

The other nobles could say no to a low born captain of the guards. But could they say no to the pack marshal who helped kill what four elder dragons.

But no it's just he's friend zoned and sounded bitter about it for some stupid reason. Tho another theory I have is that Logan isn't in love with Jennah, Jennah is in love with him and the psychic link is causing him to believe he's in love with her, and she feels deeply guilty about it, so she maneuvers him into the pack Marshall position.

Also yeah where were the fucking letters Logan?! I'm running around with your bestie. 

I always thought the writing for destiny edges characters really didn't make any sense with their timelines  or the fact that they were pit fighters at one point? Why wouldn't they be the best and the brightest from each perspective race that's kind of the point of Glint in the first place.

Compiling list of every time Logan enters Jennah's throne room and has to bow because otherwise it'd be "socially/politically incorrect" and inside he and Jennah are just making heart eyes across the room at each other like xjskxhskhdmsnd

[everafterkeiji]

Song: Paper Rings by Taylor Swift

Summary: Hanamaki finally seals your fate by proposing to you- with a crappy ring that is.

Pairings: Takahiro Hanamaki x fem! reader

Word count: 6.9k

Genre: absolute fluff and crack, curse words

A/N: not me screaming when i had this idea, I've never felt more single in my life- brb bawling my eyes out- also let's pretend their in the same classes✋

Well, fate isn't something to be entirely trusted upon and neither should Hanamaki.

"Aw, shit."

He cusses when you bump into him, considering his incredibly tall figure, you were caught off guard on who you even crashed into. A small clink sound lands on the floor as you immediately face the boy who was looking at the ground, quite weirdly searching his pockets.

"Sorry- wait you're Hanamaki right?" You asked him, familiar with his hair color. You've seen him play countless of times due to the support of the school for each of their games yet you've never been this close with him. With his state, you immediately question what's got him so frantic.

He eyes the pen that was dead on the floor and he pouts before crouching down to reach it before he dusts off the dirt on it. He opens the cap of it before mindlessly writing on his hand and frowning even more when the ink didn't held its usual consistency- every stroke of a word had it loosing its pigment.

"Man, 'Kawas gonna kill me." He sighs before putting his hands and pen in his pocket as he looks at you surprised. How can he dismiss that he'd bump into you? He immediately bows in a way to apologize to you, completely forgetting that you were the one to hit him.

You knew he was pertaining to the well known setter but you were solely confused in what he was so worried about. Looking at the pen in his pocket, you saw how the ink was full but there were black spillage in the inside. You raise your eyebrow in confusion.

Did he just drop a new pen?

"I'm sorry I dropped your pen- I can let you borrow mine." You propose to him as he takes the pen in his hands admiring it like a wound in someone's arm. Seeing how you were scrambling in your bag to reach for your pencil case, his eyes sparkled at how it contained numerous pens, highlighters and mechanical pencils.

"Looking at the murder you caused, I'm simply asking for more than one pen then."

You tilt your head in curiosity but instead you opened your pencil case as he digs his hand in there picking three pens making you want to scoff at how he picked the gel pens that were your favorite. He looked at each one, writing on his palm if everything was working. He raises an eyebrow at you making you question if this was a fever dream because of how random it was- he acted like he was in a stationary section and it benefitted him that this particular section was free.

He then takes your hand causing you to internally yelp at his actions. Your eyes trail to what he was writing, you noticed it was his name instead. You look up at him as he smiled. Once he finishes writing, he extends his hand out while with the other hand held a pen ready for you to take.

"What's your name?" He asks processing on your features and asking himself why he's seen you dozens of times yet he's yet to get your name.

"Y/N." You say as he gestures for his hand as if telling you to write it. Somewhat following your instincts, you write your name on his hand. After it, he peeks the spelling of it and then casually shakes your hand as introduction.

"See you around, Y/N! You saved my ass with those pens so I guess I owe you one."

"Those are expensive."

"Now hold on there-"

That was how you met and the universe couldn't even joke about how they put you two together.

Now here you two are, invested in a stare off as Matsukawas sleepy eyes often switch his gaze between you and his best friend.

"Makki, it's in a week."

"I specifically remember it's the week after that."

"You two are hopeless." Issei comments making you laugh as Makki pouts at how you agreed with him. Nevertheless, Matsukawa leans his head on his arm ready to fall asleep at any moment. You return to arranging your notes while Makki twirls a pen in his hands while glancing at you once in a while.

Truth be told, it seems that fate still worked its way to the both of you. Ever since your-rather unique- encounter, a friendship was bound to happen. He surely made an impression on you and how could you miss to not be around him? Soon enough, you were also introduced to his teammates and you disliked how it strengthened your bond with him. There was comfort in his presence and to see him fool around with his teammates always radiated an amazing energy between you and him.

You also wanted to thank Oikawa for being somewhat the reason your conversation led to where you are now.

"What'd the pen do to make you this- scared?" You asked as he puts both hands behind his head, leaning on the seat.

"It's a scary pen when it belongs to Oikawa." You turn to him confused as you rest your chin on the palm of your hand, ears perking up at how interesting it was.

"You're telling me you don't own a single pen and you always borrow Oikawas?" He scoffs with a smile before looking at you.

"Of course I bring pens, it's just better if it was from him." You let out a loud laugh, finding it hard to believe this was the sole reason Oikawa would commit murder on him. Hanamaki smiles at the sound of your laugh before shaking his head, at awe at the situation.

It was a coincidence how Oikawa always found a way to strike a nerve to Hanamaki when you visit them in the gym. He knew that beyond his teammates calm composure was a boy who undoubtedly likes you. Ever since Hanamaki returned the pen to him, he knew it wasn't his and in his mind, he asked himself who could've lent him a pen, more so that he had three brand new ones.

So when he sees you tagging beside him, he's taken his first lead to figure the two of you out. After a few more observations, he's convinced that you two were just blind to the feelings that were lingering around.

He's told Iwaizumi about it but all he got was a lecture on how he should let Hanamaki take it easy with asking you out. Which he also argued since it was taking too long, making Iwaizumi land him a smack to the head.

He had his boundaries, maybe not for himself, but for his friends he was more than willing to wait for this relationship to come together.

-

"So- a date? That's cool right? I mean arcades and shit."

"Makki, you're a loser."

"Arcades are awesome shut up."

"Yeah, for sure. Like Y/N is interested in 'arcades and shit'." Mattsun chuckles as Hanamaki lets out another pout as he sinks in his bed.

"I mean- we've gone on hang outs, she likes them anyway!" He argues making Mattsun shake his head with an amused smirk on his lips.

"So you're telling me you've actually had dates with her then?" Issei asks as Hanamaki shrugs making the other boy groan at the lack of response. Hanamaki raises his head, pursing his lips at the actual thought.

You have actually gone on multiple dates with him. If you could even call it that. To Makki, he thought they were just subtle friendly things but he realizes how he's actually grown some fondness in each place.

"Y/N no I'm telling you- if I were the mastermind, we'd be successful." He argues before taking a sip from his drink. You rolled your eyes as you let your mind ran through the scenarios of having a heist with him and the boys.

You two just finished a heist movie and now you had to endure Makkis fantasies of how it would go down if the characters were him and the rest of the volleyball team. He was so invested in it that you actually had an entire plot and characterization for each teammate.

He argued that he'd be the best mastermind to ever conjure a plan for a heist. A stealthy ninja is what he says he mimics. You tried to argue that Iwaizumi would be good at it, since you noticed how responsible and at control he was but it had Hanamaki listing his reasons.

"No one would ever notice me! Because you know what- their attention would be on Oikawa! Then boom, get in the getaway car with a shit ton of money and thanks to who? Me of course." You let out a laugh making him stop his occupied thoughts to take a look at you. He adores the sound of it too much, especially since he was the usual cause of it. He sees the way you were wiping your eyes with the scenarios he'd told you.

Then your laughter slowly fades when you started to eat again as Makki admires you and how you've effortlessly got his mind to set more dates just to see you this happy.

You look up from your previous position, looking at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Wait, where am I in the heist then?"

He looks at you, almost blurting out the initial idea he had for you in this specific role.

Honestly, I'd spend the money on you. Take you anywhere you wanted to go, Y/N.

That was what he wanted to say but his mouth translated it to a different saying.

"You could die-"

"Makki!" You shouted playfully, ruffling his hair. He laughs but unknowingly, his hand lands on top of yours when you sat back down.

"Excuse you, I can be a good distraction and assistance for action." You commented making him scoff.

"Yeah like you'd be able to hold a gun for a second."

"Please, I had Oikawa beg me to delete a photo of him."

"Okay maybe you are powerful."

You laughed once again, not even feeling how right it was for you to be holding hands like this. It felt comforting yet it brought your heart to speed up like it was in a marathon. You wondered if Makki felt the same, or was this another act of friendliness?

"I wouldn't want you to get hurt though." He whispers, making you smile and blush at the same time. As if it was another point on the score board for how many times he's had your heart go on a frenzy.

"Well, that's what the great mastermind is for right? To keep us safe and succeed?" You say, making him give a gentle squeeze to your hand, as you glanced down on them enjoying the way it looked.

As if I'm gonna let anyone lay a hand on you, Y/N. You're safe with me always.

After a few sly times where he'd hold your hand while you crossed the street or even tugging on your jacket when passing through a huge crowd so he doesn't lose you, he's realized he would absolutely drop the stars for you. He doesn't know whether he should feel terrified because of how he could put your friendship at risk but then he feels- almost relieved that the first person he could ever love is you.

It shouldn't even be difficult to ask you to hang out. You'd usually respond a second after he asks you, it's not even that big of a deal.

Now it's different.

He's finally gotten a clutch on his feelings and he thinks about his next moves. He often just let things happen, loving the way the moments just flowed naturally and perfect in some way but now he's choosing his words since he didn't plan on confessing in such a dorky way- especially when he just says it out loud without proper practice.

"Why don't you ask Oikawa for help then?" Issei suggests making the boy shake his head at the thought already.

"Do you know how much blackmail that idea comes with? He'll never live it down." Hanamaki says as he scrolled through his phone, almost frowning at the thought of humiliation coming from their captain.

"C'mon! He knows a lot of shit about flirting and dates! Maybe even help you in confessing, idiot."

He thinks about that deeply. Each member of the team would have completely diverse answers. As of the mean time, the only proper suggestions he'd get is from Iwaizumi, Oikawa and Mattsun. Though Mattsun has given him plenty of advices, he knew Oikawa was at the top for someone's idea of romance. The man has fangirls, he's obviously heard and experienced many hopeless romantic scenes in his life.

Iwaizumi would've actually been a lot of help knowing the guy is very good at maintaining control and responsibility. He'd give the proper date ideas, the mood to set. He looked like the perfect blueprint for Hanamaki to copy. He also believed that Iwaizumi would think nothing of these advices so it's a win-win if you ask him.

"Right, okay. I got this."

-

"Why me though?" Iwaizumi asks as Hanamaki spikes another ball.

"Look Iwa- I genuinely trust your judgment more. I just need help." Iwaizumi chuckles before collecting another ball.

"Fine fine. Just meet me after practice."

Hanamaki cheers when he hears him, even smiling now that he can figure out a way to show you how much he likes you.

Sure, he's doing it unintentionally sometimes. Tiny signs that should show you how he is absolutely in love with you. He'd show this in various ways as well. It comes as an instinct in some way. He'd hit you with a "let's have lunch" and you'd gladly accept. Mattsun has pointed out that Makki has already made a move on you countless of times but it had Makki questioning the depths of being friendly and going through courting you.

You haven't even made things official yet these so-called dates had your classmates wondering how your relationship started, even if it hasn't. Makki would always lean his head on your shoulder during lunch, to rest his brain from the lessons. For you, it's nothing. Makki has always been like this after you got comfortable with each other. This affectionate side of him even had Mattsun wonder why on Earth would he ask for help when he clearly doesn't need it.

The three of you are now seated in a lecture, boredom crossing your minds but Mattsun's mind was rattled by Hanamaki. After their conversation about asking help from Oikawa, he thought that Makki would actually go through the plan. Looking back on his motives with you, he just doesn't see a reason why he needs assistance from the setter. He can handle this all on his own, so scribbling down on a piece of paper, he throws it to Hanamaki who awakens by the action.

Hanamaki yawns as he opens the crumpled paper, his eyes widening and cheeks heating at the group of words.

'You can literally just confess to her now, even without shittykawa.'

He glares at Mattsun while the other boy shrugs with an expression that says "seriously, it's not that deep." He huffs before grabbing a pen and replying to his previous statement, then throwing it again.

'Try confessing to the girl you like during a lecture, Sherlock.'

Mattsun chuckles as Makki crosses his arms in front of his chest. His eyes land on you, who is fixated on the lecture. He smiles softly at the idea of a date with you, but this faint moment was ruined when Mattsun directly throws the ball of paper to Hanamakis face, earning a chuckle from some of his classmates.

He opens with eyebrows furrowed, annoyed at the shot.

'Not now dumbass, after classes. Just go up to her and say you like her, it's that easy dude.'

Hanamaki turns to him mocking his words while Mattsun rolls his eyes as Makki writes again. As he was about to throw the paper in Mattsuns direction, a student raised their hand hitting the paper and it suddenly landed on the floor beside you instead. The boys had their eyes widen as you saw the paper.

In a flash, Hanamaki picks up the piece of paper before you could grab a hold of it and you let out a gasp when he suddenly appeared in front of you. You blinked at him as he slowly walked away, wide eyed, to avoid conflict with the teacher.

You and Mattsun share a look together as you looked away, utterly speechless at what just happened. When you looked away, Mattsun hides his laughter by stuffing his face in his arm as Makkis cheeks never grew out of its red shade.

Meanwhile, Mattsun finally held a memory that he can never forget.

-

"It's not a big deal. You guys have been friends for so long. I don't think Y/N would mind." Iwaizumi comments making Hanamaki silent.

Can you really feel the same way?

A year of knowing you- should that be enough to fall in this deep? Is there even a requirement before someone can confess? Because in a span of time knowing you, there wasn't a moment where he regretted anything. He could thank the universe for one stupid pen, maybe even Oikawa. Everything that led to where you are now, he's never been more contented in his life.

During movies, your favorite spot was to lean your head on his shoulder. To just sling your arm around his waist on the way home, holding his hand while walking through crowds, it just fits. No matter where you were, what you were doing with him, it seemed like there wasn't an extra space in the puzzle pieces, it all connected.

But you two couldn't figure it out for yourselves.

"Well, does every confession need some sort of grand gesture?" He asks Iwaizumi. The ace bites his lips before kicking a rock on the path he was walking on.

"I don't really know. What does Y/N like anyway?"

"Hopefully me." Hanamaki jokes, but he deeply wanted it to be real. He figures if all of this asking for help was going to guarantee him something good, better yet, a yes from your lips. But first, he had to answer Iwaizumis question.

"She likes simple things- you know how she likes it when I like hold her stuff and all? She also likes those weird food thingys at one date-or hang out we had- you know that scent that reminds you of a romance movie-"

"Makki, you know her this well and you're nervous for nothing. I'm sure that she'll love whatever you do- you're friends for a reason." Iwaizumi says making Hanamaki sigh, hearing those words again.

"Exactly! That's the problem. Fuck- I can't even act like I don't like her. Am I being too obvious or friendly? I don't know where the line ends or starts. I shouldn't get nervous cause it's her- she doesn't care what I do- she's happy with whatever but I just want it to be.. perfect." He rants and ends it with a tired sigh. God, he was getting frustrated. At this point his feelings were overwhelming him, he just needed an outlet for it.

He can't just act like the sight of your smile doesn't make him smile as well, or even just seeing your sleepy state when you walk into class. If his heart didn't flutter whenever you were around, maybe by then you couldn't call it admiration but he just fell and there wasn't a way to stop him.

He didn't wanna stop either.

-

"Mattsun." You say as Mattsun lets out another laugh as you roll your eyes. It was after practice and since Takahiro couldn't walk you home because he told you he had to talk to Iwaizumi about something, Issei was the one to walk you home.

"This is gold." He states making you shove him a bit. He smiles when he sees you pout. This is where he decides. He could literally say how Hanamaki was asking him for advices like you are right now, but a side of him just wants to see what Makki could do. It was all too funny for him, even if hated how oblivious you two were.

If Hanamaki was falling for you with each day, you did the same. It was inescapable. You met him during second year and the fact that he had you tugging on your heart strings, it was something you can't ignore.

"What exactly are you doing?"

"I'm studying, 'Hiro. What's up?" You asked him as he raised an eyebrow at you. You stopped writing to look at him fully.

"We're at a mall." He states like you didn't know. It was bizarre to go to a mall cafe and your purpose was to study when you were with the spontaneous Hanamaki. That's on you for getting distracted on your strict teachers subject.

"Yes, Makki. I know that." He lets out a pft then takes the notebook of yours, closing it. Even putting on the caps of your pens and placing them back in your pen pouch. He also grabs your bag and placing all of those items inside.

You didn't stop him though. You've had enough with 'studying either way'. You'd die if saw how you weren't even taking notes, you were actually writing about how beautiful his eyes were. You were just purely lucky that he didn't care what you were writing because he thought it was about school.

"Happy now?" You asked him as he nods with a childish grin.

"Super. Let's go, cutie." Your eyes widened with his statement so you turn your head away to sling the backpack on your shoulder but he stops you before you could.

He removes his hoodie and hands it to you, making you stare at him.

"What for?"

"It's hot- well duh it's cold, Y/N. C'mon I wanna go to cinema. " He says nonchalantly as you take the hoodie and wear it. What causes you to stop midway was when he pulled down your blouse to prevent it from rising up when you wore his jacket. After placing your arms in, you blushed at minimal gesture.

It made Hanamaki let out a cough, when he did it like a reflex, not even thinking about it.

"Cutie huh?" You teased making him roll his eyes, though he was thankful that you broke the silence.

"Yeah no shut it."

There were many more memories that could list out why you liked him but maybe they just held the same reason.

"Leave him a note then if you can't say it in person." Mattsun suggests, even though he wishes he could've said something else. He doesn't know if that was a good suggestion or not. This could ruin whatever Makki was planning on doing. He should ask him about his plan later on so he can tell you what not to do in order for his best friend to succeed.

You reached the front of your house as you gave Issei a hug, to thank him. He pats your hair as your pull away from him.

"Hey, you've got this. It's you and Makki." He says smiling, assuring you. You nod at him as you sent a wave, him doing the same then walking away.

When you entered your room, your phone rang. Seeing Makkis name light up your room had you answering it in a heartbeat.

"Makki, what's up?"

"Hey, I just called to say I'm sorry I couldn't walk you home today. " He says running his fingers through his hair. He did want to walk with you but he trusted Mattsun. He couldn't waste the time Iwaizumi gave him for advice.

"It's fine, 'Hiro. Mattsun and I are fine." He smiles at what you said, while you left your phone on the nightstand you decided to change out of your uniform. While Makki decides on what to say next.

"Hey Y/N?" He calls for you, once you were done dressing up, you took the phone lying down on your bed.

"Yeah?"

"Wanna go out, for real this time?"

"I'm gonna go sleep." He says, biting his tongue, despising how he couldn't say it. He hears you yawn on the other end of the line.

"That's a lie but night Makki Makki!" You said chuckling as his ears turned red at the nickname. He shakes his head with a smile.

"Goodnight, dumbie."

"Hey! I called you a decent nickname."

"Wow okay then. Goodnight, princess."

Hold up, he said what?

I said that?

He quickly ends the call before you could let out a comment on what he just said. A wave of panic rushes to him not knowing your reaction. You covered your face with the pillows the surrounded you, letting out a frustrated scream.

Fuck.

-

The morning comes and Hanamakis heart was racing like he going to attend a deadly match but in reality he was just going to confess. He's set all the things that he needed for today, mostly the materials but he himself wasn't nearly as ready.

He's going to wear a uniform. How the fuck do you make that look presentable and polished? Should he wear a new hoodie for you to wear afterwards? Just- how?

He's been staring at himself for too long then he hears his parents call for him saying that Mattsukawa was at his front porch. He sighs before grabbing his bag and heading out of his room.

"So you ready?" Issei asks as Hanamaki shrugs. He wanted it to end right away but then again he wants things to slow down while he sees your reaction when does it.

"Fuck no. Iwaizumi helped me with a few things, he said something about gifts so I searched for some." Mattsukawa nods, as he thinks about what you were up to. Can it actually happen now? The two idiots would finally have the guts to confess on the same day?

"Honestly, this will be very entertaining. What time?"

"I was thinking kind of like after school." He says making Mattsukawa agree with him. It benefits the both of you. Never in a rush to admit, it could also give Makki some time to accomplish some of his plans.

"Do you think it'll go ok?" Hanamaki asks, almost nervous for his answer. Mattsukawa only smiles, knowing the possible ending.

"Yeah."

-

Betrayer. Oikawa thinks.

He lets out a pout of annoyance and when he spots you, he immediately walks over to you before Hanamaki could.

"Morning Oikawa! Have you seen-"

"Y/N-chan! I'll walk you to class today!" He says sweetly making you question in what was going on. He sees you peer your head over his shoulder, looking for Hanamaki which made him scoot a bit so your vision was blocked. Realizing that Hanamaki probably hasn't arrived yet, you shrugged.

"Okay, Tooru."

As Oikawa slings his arm around your shoulder, he could feel Takahiros stare as he walked with you. Even Iwaizumi had to double take on what he just saw.

"What's with him?" Hanamaki asks, feeling a slight burn in his heart when he sees you laughing with the pretty setter.

"I don't know, maybe he's just bugging her." Iwaizumi comments, making Makki roll his eyes. Mattsun takes notice of his behavior and lets out a chuckle.

"Aww, seriously. It's Oikawa! He's not going to steal your girl." Hanamaki blushes at his words and the boys eye his reaction, making them laugh at the change. Makki rolls his eyes before letting out a sigh, an act as if to reassure himself that things would go according to plan.

When Makki enters the room and meets your eyes, you already flash him a smile gesturing for him to seat with them. Oikawa sends a glare in his way making Mattsun lazily raise an eyebrow to the setter. Oikawa turns his attention to you once again, his chin on his palm as he stares at you.

"You're so pretty Y/N-chan! Wouldn't want that to go to waste do we?" Your ears couldn't really believe what you just heard. A sea of gasps echoed through the room when the compliment left Oikawas mouth. Murmurs of how luck you were started to spread and Makki was stood frozen.

"Flirting with my best friend isn't cute, shittykawa." Hanamaki comments, a distinct tone in his voice that didn't sound all too jokingly. The word best friend rings in your head as you actually felt a strike to your heart with his words.

How can you confess like this when you're down to rejection?

You felt like Hanamaki gave you a wake up call. Is this really the farthest you could go? Just friends? You let out a sigh, suddenly throwing away your previous plans of admitting your feelings for him. You gripped the pen in your hand as you tried not to be controlled by the pain.

Mattsukawa sees how your hand was trembling, replaying what Makki said, he nudges the boy next to him who was busy giving a cold shoulder to Oikawa. Mattsukawa prays that Hanamaki realizes what he just said.

Hanamaki feels the harsh nudge of his best friend making him look your way, a downcast evident in your features. Before he could ask you what's got you upset, the teacher walks in making Oikawa and Iwaizumi leave. Oikawa passes by Hanamaki making the tension even more noticeable.

Mattsukawa grips Hanamakis arm, to stop his mouth from sending a snarky comment and to hold him back from a glare. Hanamaki sits in his usual place as he ponders on what's gotten you this down. Was it Oikawa? What did he tell you? Could it be something that included him?

He sincerely hopes it doesn't involve him or else his hearts going to keep aching with jealousy.

-

What the fuck?

That was the only question that lingered in Hanamakis head.

Throughout the day, he figured that he'd be able to avoid you without you knowing what he was doing but instead, he found himself getting distracted in the fact that you sat with Oikawa between breaks. He couldn't even focus where to put the gifts in, he's totally forgotten about his locker and the possibility of you finding about it makes him panic.

He just hated how he feels the envy consume him. It took him a while to not give in to it. He had to continue, if he didn't- he would cower away. He wasn't going to waste another chance because of Oikawa, he can promise you that.

"You think Oikawa knew something? Maybe he's actually stalling you." Mattsukawa suggests, to remind Hanamaki that he was sure the setter isn't a barrier to his plans.

"He said something to her- I just know it. She's distant with me." He says tiredly, Iwaizumi leans on his arm to whisper to Hanamaki.

"Maybe he figured out you were going to confess." Iwaizumi says shrugging, Hanamaki shakes his head.

Are you turning him down then if this was real?

A way to softly push him away and tell him that your friendship mattered more?

If this was the case, he's leading his heart to a trap.

And it went like this until Makki had to confront Oikawa, sick of the change in you. It was practice time so he had the setter to himself. He knew you were waiting for him so he decided to take matters into his own hands.

He just wanted to be yours already.

"Oikawa, what did you tell her?" He asks quietly. Even if his heart held its beat because of jealousy, he's sure that the boy he was talking to had no interest in you the same way he has. Oikawa has never shown you signs of love or any affection at all. Sure, it was fun to be around him but he looked at you as a friend, a company he can find comfort in but who's to say Makki doesn't feel nervous?

"I didn't tell her anything what are you talking about?" The boy answers making Makki sigh.

"She's avoiding me. It doesn't make sense then." Oikawa raises an eyebrow at Takahiros expression. He looked so- distraught. It starts to sink in him how the lack of your presence takes a toll on his friend and there was the tiny ounce of regret that hits his mind.

When he sees Hanamaki open his locker to reveal a boquet of flowers, his eyes widen. He then closes them immediately, cursing himself for the misunderstanding.

"Isn't that what you were supposed to give Aika?" He asks, his throat dwelling with nervousness. Hanamaki furrows his eyebrows, evidently confused in how their classmate who he is even close to, got dragged into the situation.

"What-"

"Shit."

"Oikawa!"

-

I hate running.

He says to himself whie doing it, he's never ran this fast before. God, now everything was at rush. He had to pack his things immediately, make sure the sweat didn't cling to him like it did. He even had to rummage through his locker to make sure everything was inside his bag. Mattsukawa was also frantic. Iwaizumi was calm enough to knock some sense into Oikawa after Hanamaki tells the news on what exactly happened.

So here he was running to your neighborhood, flowers and all because he'd be dumb enough to be the guy in Oikawas misunderstood scenario.

"Oikawa!"

"Wait okay fuck I'm sorry- I might have heard something wrong earlier." He says, a hand to the back of his neck. Hanamaki isn't sure if he should feel relieved that Oikawa doesn't have any admiration towards or feel the fucking rage to strangle him for whatever led to this.

"What exactly did you hear anyway?"

"I can't just give the flowers to Aika. I can't act like an admirer of hers, I have to confess to her myself." Hanamaki says sighing as Iwaizumi and Mattsukawa nods.

Oikawa turns his back on the trio as he frowns at the idea of you and Hanamaki not being a couple. It seems that his friendly gestures didn't actually hold anything else, he'd fallen for Aika instead. Though he feels slightly pissed that Hanamaki led you on in some sort of way.

Once he sees you, he immediately goes your way in order for you to not witness the heartbreak that was about to unfold.

"Oikawa, I was planning to confess to Y/N. Mattsukawa suggested that I try to give her the flowers anonymously at first by letting Aika bring it to her but like I said, I didn't wanna look like an unknown loser." Hanamaki lets out a puff of annoyance as Oikawa rests his hand on the boys shoulder, now that tiny ounce of guilt grew and grew.

"I'm really really sorry, Makki." He says sincerely, Hanamaki sighs before nodding at Oikaws, accepting his apology knowing Iwaizumi could lecture the boy after his slip up.

"I need to go to Y/N now." He says but Kindaichi looks at his teammate with a water bottle in hand.

"Y/N-san left hours ago." He says as Hanamaki sends a glare towards Oikawa then he looks at Kunimi just to confirm Kindaichis statement. Kunimi nods before returning back to his unbothered state. Hanamaki lets out a scream of frustration as he dashes towards Mattsukawa and Iwaizumi, Oikawa being dragged along by his shirt.

"Oi, did you two fight?"

"Long-story short he thought I was giving the flowers to Aika. Now please, lecture the damn asshole- I need to find Y/N." He basically hands Oikawa to Iwaizumi who already landed a ball to the captains head as he runs off to his locker to leave immediately.

He could never adore someone else when you remained to stay at the top of his list- since no other name follows it.

He pats down his sweat with a towel before drinking water then spraying his cologne all around him. He was in front of your room door since your parents gladly invited him in while he mentions to be quiet at the sight of the boquet of flowers in hand and now it's finally happening. He was either going to face a prize or a bucket of tears.

Here goes nothing then.

He knocks on the door as you continued to scroll through your phone but you spoke, "It's open!"

He opens it softly, before stepping in your room, closing the door in the process. You look up from your phone only to get the life knocked out of you when you see Hanamaki.

"Hey Makki-"

"Y/N please I just need to tell you something okay."

He takes the vacant spot next to you on your bed as both your hearts pounded loudly with each second. Your mind couldn't stop racing at what he was going to say if it was just flat out rejection, meanwhile Hanamaki doubts what he bought you. He carefully takes your hand with his, caressing it gently while your cheeks were heating at the moment.

"Y/N I-"

You roll your eyes before ending the call, not even caring to know who called. Meanwhile, Makki wanted to stop himself from coughing from the embarrassment.

The phone rings. Oh, fuck me.

"Go on- really sorry." You say with a slight chuckle, as he smiles, thankful you read the room at how nervous he was. Instead, he went to his bag to find a certain box. Once he finds the blue box, he takes your palm and places the object on it.

You smiled at him you opened the box, praying that you don't let out a squeal when you see what's inside.

"Paper rings?" You say chuckling as Hanamakis eyes widen, threatened to pop out of his sockets since he was in full disbelief. You laughed as Hanamaki tried to get the back from you but you ran from your bed to wear the damn thing.

"Y/N!" He yells trying to reach the box from your hands but your laughter echoes through the room.

You're too fucking cute for me. You think to yourself.

"It's a perfect fit on me, Takahiro." You say even holding out your hand with the paper ring as Hanamaki hides his face on a pillow, an attempt to hide the humiliation. He can never bounce back from this. Where was the actual matching rings that he bought? The one with yours and his initials were embedded on? Did he leave it on his desk when he was trying to figure out your ring size? He was truly fucked.

When you tried to reach for him, the ring broke since it was surrounded by tape and it didn't really held strength to it. Realizing that it was folded paper, you opened it seeing scribbles and doodles from Makki.

Y/N's ring size is 6 maybe 7?

Get the flowers that Iwaizumi suggested. Which flower was it again? The ones that symbols love? Fuck it.

Does she prefer me with this perfume or not?

She smells amazing all the time, I hate it.

God, I like her too much it's unbelievable.

I feel like I'm proposing to her but I'm not complaining.

You immediately drop the paper to look at him, switching your gaze between him and the paper. You hid your face in your hands as you wondered if this was actually reality. Hanamaki likes you back? Proposing? It was overwhelmingly cute.

Hanamaki lifts his head from the pillow and he sees you looking like you were embarrassed for him. He immediately goes to you, hands on yours as he tries to lift them off your face.

"Do you want me to kiss it better?" He teases, hopefully it was able to grab your attention, and it did. You slap his chest from how flustered you were as he laughs before taking you in his arms, playing with your hair as your mind goes blank.

"Okay maybe the secret is out but I'm serious, Y/N. I like you- so fucking much it makes me wanna buy all the shit you want if we succeed in a heist- and I never wanna stop feeling this. The ring is crappy but I've got the actual one in my room so" He pulls away from your embrace as he lifts your chin to meet with his face who was intoxicatingly close.

"Do you accept my proposal of being my girlfriend?"

"If I said no?" You teased with a smile as he chuckles before locking his lip with yours, his hand finding its way to your cheek as you immediately kiss back, the pieces finally clicking in its rightful place. He deepens the kiss as your hand finds its way to the nape of his hair, pulling him closer while his own hands make a trip to your waist who he soon finds addicting.

He pulls away, caressing your cheek as your forehead touched, smiles plastered on either faces.

"I gladly accept, 'Hiro."

"Not like I'll take no for an answer, princess."

[shyrose57]

Brothers anon back with ANGST at the very last question on part 2. Im honestly not positive myself how im gonna fix it. I have ideas but still. Hopefully this isn't to long.

Rans life at Mizu: For Mizu I've changed it a bit, history is still messed up to a point. But other people like Technoblade, Philza, Sam, Foolish, etc are now included with their own rooms. Ran idolized/choose Technoblade to follow. Followers of Technoblade are the only people in the City (expect for guards or police type people, though they also tend to be followers of Techno) that are allowed to freely carry weapons (after the proper training of course). Ran choose Technoblade because he wanted to protect those he loved and he was always interested in the art of fighting. He had two mentors, a women named Alma, she mostly did hand to hand combat and defense training with Ran, while a man named Fermin was a historical teacher, and taught him the history of wars and weapons more indepth than regular classes did. He had quite a few friends, though only a few close friends he often went to play games with or have sleepovers with (if you want angst, Ran was actually the one who discovered two of his friends bodies and had to report them, forcing him to go back a few times to see their bodies). Im pretty sure I mentioned it before but the brothers had a family of 6! Their mom was Ranya and was a 20% enderman hybrid, their dad was Seth and was a normal human, of course you know the brothers, their younger brother (14 years old upon death/a year younger than Ran) was named Lias and was human, and their younger sister was Memi (10 years old upon death) and was human. Ran was close to his parents, often having Ranya read him to bed and riding Seth's shoulders when he was young. He also baby sat Lias and Memi when everyone else was out, also helping them with homework and letting them sleep in his bed when nightmares happened. He loved his family and its when the murders and sabotages started happening did he choose Technoblade as his idol, to protect his family and seem intimating to whoever was doing the sabotages. 

1: When the carriage finally stopped Cletus jumped out and faceplanted onto the ground, screaming about how he was finally free and away from all the awkward tension. Grievous, Jackie, and Isaac where all close behind, all having a similar reaction. While Watson, Charles, and Benjamin had a calmer reaction simply walking out and stretching. Ran was the last to get out, and he had to be dragged out by Watson, but he fought being dragged out. He grabbed the edges of the carriage and screamed while being forced out. Ranbob was calmer, and while jumping out he accidentally landed on Grievous, forcing his head back into the dirt, who then let out a muffled shout of alarm before immediately getting up and confronting a nervous and apologetic Ranbob. 

3: He isn't the fastest at evaluating a situation, and needs ample time to make decisions. He also isnt the best at understanding emotions at times and sometimes needs a little push in a direction to understand. Also at points he gets into situations he doesnt know how to handle at all, at those times he almost shuts down with overwhelment, and the leadership tends to go to Benjamin for a while during it. 

5: Their healing potions, so they work over time, slowly working with the body to heal and regenerate, so they take longer to fully work. Poitions work generally the same (ingredient wise), but theres more steps. For a potion of harming, first you crush up and gently mix in a spiders eye into a Awkward potion, then put it on the brewing stand for 10 minutes, then after the Poison potion is made, you get another spider eye and roll it in sugar cane until the general texture changes into a more wrinkly and powder like texture, then crush that up and mix it into the Poison potion, put it in the brewing stand for at least 30 minutes, then it makes a harming potion. The process its generally the same for all the rest of the potions, though it depends on ingredients and how long they must stand on the brewing stand. 

7: I'll try doing that, thank you! Cause Grievous is a lil shit at times and encourages  violence as long as its not against him. I know you probably expect a deep answer but thats purely the only reason Grievous encourages it. It depends on what was said to Jackie, if its something that deeply and emotionally hurts Jackie, than he'd likely discourage him, instead comforting him and convincing him if he attacked the person he'll just feel worse. But if its something he knows Jackie can handle, he'll encourage Jackie to beat em up. 

8: Watson went almost everywhere, the only places he didn't go was The End, Mushroom Islands, Badlands, Ice Spikes, and Gravel Mountains (he saw them he just didn't wanna go in them), and thats because he never came across them or traveled there. He has a long bamboo that he uses to wack people over the head with when their being idiots, he has a framed nether star fragment that he found in a ruined and abandoned village (he doesnt know what it is he just knows its shiny and cool), he has some fur-lined outfits from the time spent in Tundras, and he has a book where he records locations of interesting formations he found and just a general record of stuff (how much food he has, the season, days until winter, when he should go on a supply run, etc). When Watson still lived as a kid in a village, he often went to watch the blacksmith (also the farmers, clerics, and others) and when he was old enough the blacksmith showed him how to make a multitude of weapons with different materials. And now he pushes the limits of what he's learned from that and over the years to make brand new weapons. And since I'm not sure if you where also asking about Ran, Ran only went to Plains, Covered Forest, Tundra, Savanna, and Tagia biomes. He has a dagger (specifically a Zorlin Shape dagger) that he took off of a hunter when he killed them, has parts of iron armour (shoulder and chest pieces, with the pieces that go on his shins), again some fur-lined clothes from his time in the Tundra, a selfbow, and also has a book similar to Watson's, but his has notes of potion affects,crafting recipes, mobs to avoid, etc. Visiting the nether is not common at all! Infact no vists it expect travelers or people who get hired to go in for potion ingredients and building supplies. Jackie does eventually give up painting, and instead picks up the hobby of annoying people and just training. It actually goes pretty well, there are rules put in place during it to protect them, but other than that its generally the same as the one played in our world. Jackie wants to vist those biomes because he thinks there cool, and thinks their good starting biomes to vist for a beginner adventure. Yep, Ran says its way to dangerous to go to the nether, especially with almost no one knowing how the nether works. Though actually Watson wants to bring the others into the nether, saying its a good learning experience and no one will learn how to survive if they dont go. Ran still agures its too dangerous though, citing the Piglins and Ghasts as evidence, but eventually, after much begging and negotiations, Ran agrees to let them go. They just need to listen to Ran and Watson teach them about the nether and follow everything they say to a T while in the nether. 

9: Jackie screamed while being thrown, but after that and a bit of stunned silence, he jumped up and demanded for Ran to throw him again. So he enjoys being thrown, and sometimes he specifically requests to be thrown, so he can curl into a ball and slam into people like a goddamn canon ball. Porkius was also shocked into stunned silence, but after he saw Jackie get back up and demand to be thrown again, he just started bellowing in laughter, you could hear his laughter even echoing a bit outside of the Pit. 

10: Then you may be happy to know, but I believe at the end I'll make it so after the brothers have fixed their relationship, their still being haunted by Dream, and eventually the decision gets made to go back to Mizu and face him. Where Dream has actually escaped (Due to a big group coming in, and him being able to convince them to take the Mask with them) so now they have to hunt him down. And when they finally find him you can bet someone (or multiple people) are going to punch him. 

12: He does tell the fishermen about these thoughts once, but the fishermen sadly fail at comforting him and changing those thoughts, so he decides to keep it inside and suffer in quite. Though 2 people do see his suffering, Ran and Grievous. Grievous is debating if he should step in and ask what's wrong and if he can help, while Ran just watches (though he does feel some hurt watching his brother suffer, though he denies it). 

13: They all had a blast there, Charles showed Jackie how to make flower crowns, then they went and made one for everyone else, Ran just laid in the grass and tried to relax, Ranbob eventually joined in with the flower crowns, Watson was telling Grievous all the meaning of flower colors and what certain flowers stand for, while Isaac and Cletus chased eachother around and eventually got Jackie, Grievous, and Watson involved in a game of chase. They did leave after a General battle, as that was one of the things they had to do for Porkius to approve of them leaving. Porkius still wants them back in less than 5 years, though they can take like a year or 2 longer max. Jackie is technically a general, though the general title he has is specifically only for the Pit matches and instead is more of a like final boss title. 

14: Again its very much like a abusive relationship. Ranbob believes Dream has changed because of distant whispers from Dream (only happened while they still lived at the fishermen house which is kinda-close to Mizu) promising he has changed and he truly wants to help Ranbob, and saying how he can help Ranbob be of more use to the fishermen and since Dream did actually help Ranbob at first, he wants to believe him. But once they get futher away from Mizu, the whispers disappear, only rarely appearing in his dreams. Cletus doesn't really help, not because he doesnt care but more because he doesn't know how to help, he knows its a very delicate situation and saying or doing the wrong thing could hurt more than help, so he decided to play it safe. Charles tries to help, though he provides more physical help, like hugs to ground him or showing him how to breath again, while Benjamin and Isaac tackle the more internal issues and do so comfortingly and gently. Making it so Ranbob only notices their actually helping when he starts to do things on his own and no longer has such strong and often urges to return to Dream. 

15: One night when Ranbob is off getting firewood and Ran is off checking surroundings to make sure its safe, the Hunters actually get into the camp and holds everyone at sword and bow point. Ran sees them when coming back and actually, though hesitantly, decides to wait for Ranbob to come back. And once Ranbob is back the two make a plan to rescue them, which goes mostly well. Ran gets shot in the stomach and Ranbob gets a sword through his arm, but other than that they do manage to rescue them. Watson jokingly says how they've finally made progress and that they can now work toghere without fighting now, Ran growls at this and storms away, denying it, but Ranbob just nervously shuffles and sits down, letting Charles tend to his wounds, as Jackie chases off after Ran to tend to his wounds. I really want them to stumble across the Wild West ruins and maybe The Masquerade ruins but im not sure how I'll get them to either. 

1: Haha, ouch. Poor Ran. Nice backstory though. I can only imagine how he must have felt, coming across those. Does him choosing Techno have anything to do with him choosing to enter the Pit? Also how did Ranbob feel about killing his family? We’ve talked about the guilt about hurting Ran and stuff, but about the ones who weren’t as lucky to escape?

2: That sounds like...a scene. Funny, but probably not until a few days after it happened for the people who actually had to go through it.

3: Is Isaac the type to get overwhelmed easily? But very nice to see Benjamin helping out! 

5: So basically just tossing some real life logic in there? Hmm, interesting.

7: Hope it helps! Nope, no deep answer. That’s about what I expected actually. Grievous has that energy, y’know? Also, very sweet of Ran to comfort Jackie. Does he ever get revenge on Jackie’s behalf? He doesn’t strike me as the type to let that go, especially if it actually hurt somebody he cared for. Him otherwise encouraging it..yeah, sounds about right. Gremlin children.

8: Sounds like he’s really been a lot of places! He must know a lot, huh? Also, he just...wack? Cause that’s kind of funny. He watched others beside the Blacksmith? Did he learn anything from them? Ran personally sounds very intimidating. Though if he has potion notes, does he often make them? Is there a particular reason Nether travel is no longer common? Also, would the gang ever happen to stumble across ruins from the time of the Smp? Cause that’d be kind of cool. Jackie’s new hobby sounds very nice, I hope he has fun doing it. How long does it take before Ran deems everyone ready for the Nether? And do the Fishermen also go through, or do they prefer to stick to safer grounds?

9: I bet the first time the fishermen saw that show they were surprised. And honestly, Porkius, I’d laugh too. 

10: I am happy to know that! Well, not the escape bit, but the punching, for sure! You go, guys, punch that neon green slimeball!

12: Oh no. Does Grievous ever step in?

13: Sounds like they had a good time, I’m happy for them. And a final boss title? Is Jackie like a final boss? What differs between them fighting as the general, and as a typical gladiator?

14: Hm, that’s not good. What is good is that he’s getting away from Dream’s influence. Did that have anything to do with the group deciding to head to Subbin? 

15: Well, progress is progress! Surely it’s a step in the right direction, right?

Also, not really a Brothers AU question, but as you may have noticed, I pinned a post of all the AUs on here, and I was wondering if you’d like me to put yours on there too. Obviously, I’d put it as yours. I wanted to earlier, but I figured it would be better to ask, so tell me your feelings on that.

[onmykneesforhotdilfs]

☆ For better or worse ☆

Author's note: Another sparxshipping, yeah, no surprise here. WHY AM I SUDDENLY OBSESSED WITH VILLAN/HERO PAIRING??? Anyways... in this story Bloom didn't destroy Valtor(obviously because I'm a trash and a sucker for happy ending, probably because there are so little of those in real life) and the story kicks off in season 4 and continues through the very same season.

Summary: leaving him alive proves to be the worst decision she's ever made... until it turns to be the best

Warnings: LEMON, SMUT, however the fuck you choose to call it, anyways, SEX

For better or worse

Fuck.

Bloom cursed in her head. Why the fuck did she think leaving him alive would be a good idea.

"Because you're a stupid bitch and apparently a masochist as well." The voice inside her head, that Bloom recognized as her own, spoke mockingly. Sure, leaving Valtor alive seemed like a pretty good idea at the moment she should have been the one to pull the metaphorical trigger. But right now, as the said wizard sat in front of her in her living room in Alfea drinking fucking tea while waiting for headmistress Faragonda, it seemed like it could take the cake in her imaginary competition of Bloom's worst decisions.

She sighed. Valtor looked at her. And then he had the audacity to smirk at her like he fucking knew she was regretting her stupid moral compass. And if fighting him for almost a year now has thought her anything, it was thet he probably did know that. Just why couldn't she be more like Icy or maybe Valtor himself? She sure as hell wouldn't be in this position right now if she were. She buried her head in her hands that rested on her knees. "Stupid."

Her train of thoughts was brought to an abrupt stop as the door to her room opened and headmistress strolled in, Grizzelda hot on her tail. Faragonda looked at Bloom before turning her gaze to the man that currently occupied the sofa, still not paying attention to anything in particular, while sipping his tea that Flora generously offered him. Faragonda frowned. Bloom face palmed and elbowed Valtor in his ribs causing him to almost spill the tea all over himself and her in the process.

Valtor, in exchange, shot her a nasty look while attempting not to choke with a surprisingly delicious tea that the fairy of nature gave him. When he was satisfied with amount of glaring he projected at Bloom, he turned to the old bat. He sat his teacup on the table and then promptly swung his arms so they rested at the back of the sofa while he propped his boot clad feet on the coffee table. He saw Bloom narrow her eyes at him in his peripheral vision and he let smirk grace his face once again. She was so easy to rile up. The old bat, however, chose not to respond to his seemingly lack of manners (because she knew he had impeccable manners, and because she also knew he was doing this to simply rise an emotional response from lesser beings) and instead she cleared her throat and began with a speech that will for sure give Valtor's ears good reason to bleed. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes so hard they might get stuck.

"I understand this was a somehow... sudden decision." She was looking at Bloom while she was saying that and the said girl lowered her gaze to the floor, seemingly regretting it now. "However, I'm willing to compromise this one time. If, of course, Valtor proves himself worthy of such decision." Her gaze switched to him as she spoke and this time he did roll his eyes, albeit not too hard.

"And what, pray tell," his blue eyes met Faragonda's, "is that supposed to mean?"

The girls, Winx (whom decided to join the conversation, Valtor noted) and Bloom gave him the look that said 'shut up before she sends you back to Omega or does something worse'. Valtor's eyes rolled to the back of his head. Apparently that will become a part of his routine since he will be staying with these girls that were no older than 20. That made Valtor a bit self concious, he was after all, old. Now he looked good, he knew that much. His body was still in top physical shape, broad shoulders, muscular chest, abdomen and thighs, high cheekbones... the Trix seemed all too fond of his looks, so he knew he looked damn good. Still, being in a presence of very young, vital, good looking women didn't help his case. Faragonda halted that train of thoughts when she spoke again.

"It means, my dear Valtor, that you will be under the watchful eye of an entire magical council and the Winx and myself." Her eyes were smiling as she said this and Valtor had to suppress a groan and instead opted for a glare. She didn't flinch. "Do I make myself perfectly clear?" The girls nodded and Valtor, though reluctantly, nodded as well. Seemingly satisfied with everything, Faragonda gave a nod of approval then turned on her heel and marched out of the room, Grizzelda once again on her tail. Valtor let out a breath he was unaware he was holding and lowered his feet form the coffee table. He turned to Bloom that was looking at him with a guarded look in her eyes.

The rest of the Winx club was looking between the two keepers of the dragon flame unsure whether to interrupt their starring contest or not. Without breaking eye contact, the fiery fairy snapped her fingers and levitated pillow and a blanked that she sat between her and Valtor on the couch. He raised an eyebrow.

"So I'm assuming I'll be the one to take the couch." It was more of a statement rather than a question. The fairy gave him a nod and then without looking back rose from the couch and headed to her room, the rest of the Winx following suit, not without leaving Valtor with a 'watch what you're doing' glare. The fairy of nature was the last to leave the room, but not before giving his shoulder a squeeze. He was surprised but shook it off never the less. The Lymphea fairy seemed like the friendliest of them all anyway. He made his 'bed' and then crawled in between the sheets, not before shedding his clothes and leaving them on a nearby chair, and then promptly passed out from exhaustion.

Morning came too soon for Valtor. He always had a problem sleeping in a room where it wasn't completely dark, and since this was his luck, girl's room was full of fucking windows and facing East. As soon as the first specks of light hit those windows, Valtor's sleep was lost. He groaned, a sound low in his throat, as he shifted on the uncomfortable couch, turning on the other side and slamming a pillow over his face. And when he said uncomfortable he meant uncomfortable. "Seriously, how can anyone sleep on this shit?" When he realized there was no going back to sleep, he finally opened his eyes and sat up while the joints in his neck and back protested, loudly.

Little miss perfect apparently took more out of him that he'd anticipated in the first place. Everything was hurting, every bone, every muscle and every joint. But he felt lighter than he'd ever felt in his entire life. Probably because there was no demon resting inside of him, Bloom took care of that, oh, and his connection with the Ancestral witches was, as of yesterday, nonexisting as well. Fairy dust can work miracles. He rolled his neck from side to side, feeling and hearing his joints creak and mentally cringed at the noise. "What a horrendous sound." He stood up and raised his arms above his head thankfully not hearing anything break or snap. He was about to take his clothes and use the bathroom when the door to one of the dorms opened and half asleep redheaded fairy stepped out of it. She was rubbing her eyes, quite adorably Valtor noted, but she stopped the moment her gaze landed on him. Her cheeks turned as red as her hair and Valtor rised an eyebrow.

"What?" He asked, not maliciously but genuinely curious.

The fairy rolled her eyes and gestured to him with her arms. He looked at himself and only then realized he was clad in his boxers that left almost nothing to the imagination. He managed to stop himself from turning as red as Bloom, but light pink still crossed his cheekbones.

"Why are you almost naked in our living room?" She asked with raised eyebrows, her blush still quite evident on her cheeks.

Valtor smirked. "Don't tell me you've never seen a man naked Bloom. And if you haven't, well then, I would be happy to provide a reference." A pillow slammed in his face and he staggered a bit, loosing his balance form an unexpected impact.

Princess of Domino sent him a grin, while Valtor had to physically restrain himself from using magic. Harming his saviour won't do him any good. Instead he dropped the pillow on the floor and stalked towards Bloom that stood leaning on the door was still sporting that grin. He saw her breath catch in her throat when she saw him striding towards him and he smirked. He only brushed passed her however, and entered the bathroom. He locked the door, slid the last remaining article of clothing to the floor and then stepped into the shower, letting warm water soothe his aching muscles and joints. He didn't linger long, opting to quickly wash his hair and then shut the water and get out. He brushed his teeth and then brushed his hair as well, stupid thing was prone to tangles, and then looked in the mirror. Dark circles still rested underneath his eyes but they were less noticeable. Sleep helped. He felt refreshed and better than he'd felt in a long time. He looked at his clothes. "This won't do." He snapped his fingers and his traditional clothes was exchanged for something lighter and more practical. He ditched his coat and vest, leaving only white shirt (without ruffles this time, and more modern looking for sure) and black slacks instead of his signature purple, while his boots became nice looking shoes while still maintaining comfort. He dressed and starred in the mirror. The person starring back looked like Valtor but it didn't feel like Valtor.

Gone was the power hungry megalomaniac and in his place stood just a normal wizard. He dried his hair using magic because he had no time nor patience to do so with a blow dryer. A knock on the door brought him back to the earth. He opened the door and before stood him a fiery fairy twisted in an unnatural position with her legs crossed and squeezed together. She was glaring at him.

"Took your sweet time, haven't you?" He raised an eyebrow at her tone. It somehow managed to be both teasing and bitter at the same time. How she did that, he had no idea.

"I would have let you do your business if you had told me you had to go." She seemed surprised but she brushed past him and Valtor closed the door on his way out. He was, after all, a gentleman. He heard the shower start and made his way to the kitchen. Might as well make himself useful. Or he would have, if he knew what girls preferred for breakfast. He rolled his eyes and debated asking Bloom about it. He shrugged and took off towards bathroom again. "What the hell." Its not as if he wasn't bored. He knocked on the door and when he heard a muffled 'who is it' he opened the door while putting his hand over his eyes. He heard a scream and Bloom shrieked at him. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING GET OUT!!!"

"Relax princess. I'm only here to as you if I should start making breakfast and coffee." He rolled his eyes behind his hand.

"AND YOU COULDN'T HAVE WAITED UNTIL I GOT OUT OF THE SHOWER???" She was still screaming, how she had energy this early in the morning was beyond him.

He shrugged. "I was bored."

He heard her sigh. When she spoke her voice was back to normal. "An omelet should be fine. Coffee is in the upper cupboards." He nodded and said his thanks, then promptly turned and closed the door on his way out.

When Bloom got out of the shower she was greeted with the weirdest sight she has ever seen. Valtor stood in their kitchen clad in different type of outfit than she was accustomed to seeing on him and he was making breakfast. Just a sight of a crazy megalomaniac standing in her kitchen making food for her and her friends was enough to crack her up and she doubled over in laughter. She had to support herself with a hand pressed to a wall to stop herself from falling over. Her loud cackles woke the rest of the club up and one by one they made their way out of their rooms. Fairy of shining sun, Stella, wasn't too happy that she was woken up so early. But she too lighten up when she saw coffee and breakfast on the table. She rushed over to Valtor, who was still sending a nasty glare towards a redhead, and took coffee mug out of his hands and then proceeded to swallow every last drop in a few gulps. At that sight Bloom lost it once again, or it might have been a stupid face expression Valtor was for sure sporting. A girl he was enemy with until yesterday approaches and then proceeds to take the mug he was drinking from and the promptly gulp down it's content, was surprising to say the least. Blond fairy turned towards him, surprise written all over her face.

"You made this?" She asked with eyes wide as dinner plates. Valtor nodded. She squealed, squealed, and then threw her arms around him i a hug he was definitely not prepared for. "You are making coffee form now on. Sorry Bloom, you're fired."

The girl in question was supported by her roommate, the fairy of nature, as she was still struggling to control her giggles. She wiped a tear from her eye and let out a few more giggles before finally composing herself. She looked at Valtor.

"I'm sorry, that just took me by surprise." She said with a smile on her face and Valtor couldn't bring himself to hold this against her.

"What, your prince or Eraklyon doesn't know how to make breakfast?" He inquired mockingly but the girl only smiled.

"I doubt any of them know how to make breakfast." It was a musical fairy, Musa if he remembered correctly, that provided an answer.

Valtor shook his head and gestured at the table. Six girls eagerly sat down while Valtor put plates with omelet and mugs of coffee in front of them. He took a seat as well. He was seated between Bloom and princess of Andros, Leyla. Leyla was shooting him looks every now and then, but that was normal, he deduced. He was, after all, responsible for everything that happened on her home planet. He made a mental note to apologize later. They ate in comfortable silence that was occasionally broken by the Solarian fairy. After breakfast Bloom offered to take care of the dishes until Valtor took the plates out of her hands.

She was surprised, and if judging by the looks the rest of the Winx were giving him, so were they. He shrugged. "I'm bored."

Bloom rolled her eyes but let the wizard have his way anyway.

In between next few months they all spent together, a bond formed. They would take turns making meals, event thought it was Valtor that was responsible for majority of them. Faragonda became more trusting because she gave him permission to use the school library as long as he doesn't steal any spells. He stuck to his promise, because he liked the access he had to everything but at the same time he didn't feel the need to steal anything. He was slowly rebuilding his powers, the only exception being the dark magic because he didn't possesse any if that anymore.

And so the time to resurrect Domino came. Valtor was surprised that Bloom found a way to do such thing. He himself thought it would be impossible to save his home planet. The one he destroyed with his own hands. They fought the battle against three witches, the very same he thought he would never had to come into contact with again. But they managed to save the day, or planet. Valtor still cringes at the memory of meeting Miriam and Oritel after 17 years. The look that crossed their faces when they saw him was... priceless and disturbing at the same time. It took some time, but the managed to 'forgive' him for everything that he's done. And by that, he meant they were willing to tolerate him for the sake of their younger daughter that formed a special sort of friendship with the wizard. Plus, even though he hated to admit it, Faragonda helped too. She was the one that convinced Miriam and Oritel he was no longer power thirsty wizard and that three Ancient witches had no control over him for quite some time. And in a meeting between Valtor and Faragonda, that included a lot of eye rolling on Valtor's part, he thanked her.

Valtor still remembers the day he saw Bloom coming down those stairs dressed in a beautiful blue ball gown that looked amazing on her. She was accompanied by her mother, and it was only then that Valtor saw incredible resemblance the two shared. It was then the first time he actually remembers feeling something for the redheaded princess, only then he couldn't, or more accurately wouldn't, put a finger on the emotion.

Months flew by and Winx girls found themselves back in Alfea, this time as teachers rather than students. Valtor himself was offered a teaching position, which was something that raised a lot of eyebrows, but to everyone's surprise, Valtor took it. He usually thought defences classes and mostly first year students, but he was a good teacher that possessed a lot of patience (he worked with Trix in close proximity for a year, he had to have patience), and soon enough he became one of the favourite professors on the whole campus.

In the meantime, Bloom broke up with Sky. It was something that also raised a lot of eyebrows mainly among the Winx girls. Bloom didn't talk about it, but it was Valtor that knew the whole story because he found her in lying in a ball on the couch (the same couch he slept on from the beginning) sobbing into his pillow.

It was a stressful day. He returned to their room (it still felt weird referring to Winx's room as his own) stiff as a board from hours spent sitting in an uncomfortable chair, toed off his shoes and made his way to the living room. It was the test season, as it was almost time for the 'winter' break. He didn't expect anyone to be there so it came to as a surprise when he saw a ball of blue and red lying on the couch, face swallowed by a pillow, shoulders shaking with sobs. He approached carefully, like he would to a scared animal, as if not to startle her. He laid his hand on her shoulder and she recoiled almost blending her body into the couch she was lying on. Her sobs became more audible. He sat next to her on the couch, rubbing comforting circles on her back (or at least he hoped they were comforting). She turned around so fast Valtor started fearing for his life but she only straddled his legs and propped herself in his lap before shoving her face in his neck and coiling her arms around him. He sat there motionless for a few seconds before his brain finally kicked in and he hugged her back, while rubbing her back and shushing her. She rocked back and forth on his lap, and Valtor had to physically stop himself from reacting in a way that would be pretty obvious to both of them. "Think puppies, kittens, Faragonda in underwear." That seemed to do the trick and he made a face at the mental picture of headmistress in lacy number.

He didn't notice that Bloom had stopped shaking and was now just hugging him. He pulled her back and run a hand through her tangled hair, something completely out of character for him. Her blue eyes were red an puffy a sure sigh she had been crying for a long time.

"What happened?" He asked after a few minutes of just starring at her and her starring back at him, while still untangling her hair with his fingers.

Her lower lip wobbled before she bit it with her teeth to stop the motion. "Sky cheated." She confessed in a small voice and Valtor wanted nothing more than to teleport himself to Eraklyon and murder the blonde prince. He stopped himself. "Whoa where did thar come from?" He thought, "Since when do you care about how Bloom feels?" He wanted to slap himself. "Good job idiot. You fall in love with a girl that will never love you. How come you always do that? First Griffin, now Bloom. What's next? Leyla maybe?" He shook his head to get rid of these thought. Now's not the time.

"He doesn't deserve you." He found himself saying. His eyes widened. "Great, you've also lost your brain to mouth filter. You've been hanging out with Stella bit too much." Bloom, poor thing, seemed surprised with this statement as well. His hand found it's way to her neck and it pulled her head to rest where his neck met his shoulders. He rubbed her back and just sat with her for a while. In the meantime he considered his thoughts. Was he in love with Bloom?

He couldn't deny that the redhead was beautiful. She had pale flawless skin that contrasted beautifully against her vibrant red hair, beautiful big blue eyes and had legs that went for days, especially in that Enchantix dress he would rather die than admit he liked how it looked on her. She wasn't just looks, she had brain and brawn to match. She was a spitfire for sure. She was funny and naive and she sometimes laughed so hard she snorted and - oh great dragon, you're in love with her. Valtor let his head fall to the back of the couch. This was not good.

Bloom ended almost all contact with Sky after that and she and Valtor became even closer. Trips to Domino became more frequent and Valtor accompanied her on most of them. They brought the Winx with them of a few occasions as well. Even Marion and Oritel seemed to warm up at the idea of Valtor being close to their daughter. They joked and laughed and even got drunk together few times. Well, Bloom got drunk, he got tipsy. Seriously, the amount of alcohol he'd have to consume to get drunk would be enough to kill a dragon, or an African elephant (Earth's equivalent). They shared stories about Trix, and he even told her about the role he played in the war that raged on Domino. She listened, but she didn't seem angry. She even laughed at a few stories he told her about the Ancestral witches.

Girls generally became more physically comfortable around him, squeezing his shoulders, hitting his arms when he made a joke and even hugging him. He liked the contact. After spending so many years in ice and then one more year focusing on getting revenge on those who wronged him, he didn't exactly have time to focus on physical contact of any kind. He was ashamed to admit it had be over 18 years since he last took woman to bed. Maybe that's why he developed this attraction to Bloom. Lack of release that accumulated over the years. Not even masturbation. He didn't have time, plus it would be kind of awkward jacking off in a bathroom that girls occupied as well. So he just gave up on that after doing it and then feeling somehow guilty.

But then again, that still wouldn't explain his attraction to Bloom. If the lack of sex was to blame he would have a boner for every girl in this room, and yet, nothing. It was time to face the music. He was in love with bloom, and that was that. Nothing would change that. The fact that she was also single didn't help either. He found himself watching her more closely and more often and he tried to stop doing that as often. Key word, tried.

A few days before ending of a school year, wizards of the black circle attacked. Winx were almost powerless against them in their Enchantix form. He was essentially the only one that had power over them, and so he was left to fight the wizards by himself. He heard about them. The fairy hunters. Earth was once a magical powerhouse until four wizards came and defeated queen of Earth faeries, stole their wings and locked them away. What they were doing here, he had no idea. His heart leaped to his throat when the vortex sucked Bloom in but it dropped back down when it spat her out just as quickly. And then in the blink of an eye, they were gone.

Valtor managed to deal a good amount of damage to the wizards but he was alone and there were four of them. Flora essentially suffered the most and was taken to the infirmary while Valtor took care for the rest of the Winx. He watched Bloom closely, making sure no lasting damage was inflicted. He caught Faragonda's eyes while he was fussing over the redhead and she nodded at him. He nodded back. This was one of the things Faragonda couldn't keep from them. Tomorrow she would explain everything.

They returned to their dorm and the girls went straight to bed. Bloom offered to keep him company, however he refused and sent her pouting ass to bed. He couldn't sleep that night.

The next morning he joined Faragonda in explaining everything that happened and how to stop the wizards. It was decided that the girls will leave for Earth to find the last Earth fairy. Valtor will accompany them. Bloom was in charge of everything because she's the one that knew Gardenia the best having grown up there. The tree of life provided more than enough help with narrowing down their search from an entire planet to a single city. Girls and Valtor packed their things and they were on their way to California. It was clear to Valtor that Mike and Vanessa were surprised at the sudden appearance of her daughter and her friends and an unfamiliar guy. While girls unpacked their things Bloom took a chance to introduce him to her parents. They seemed like decent human beings to Valtor and he was pulled aside by Mike for some bonding over beer and football, or is it soccer? While the guys watched football, Vanessa and Bloom chatted about girl stuff.

They spent a few days in their house and while Valtor tried not to be a nuisance, the girls were a different story. They weren't trying to be rude, but heir behaviour was a story for itself. They weren't doing anything different from what they would normally do in Alfea but Stella's constant intergalactic phone calls in the bathroom and Flora's obsession with plants kinda disrupted the calm life Mike and Vanessa were used to having. Valtor sighed. Time to take matters into his own hands.

While Mike and Vanessa were at work, he sat the girls down. "Ok. Now I understand that you all have a specific routines, however, you all need to be aware that we are in someone else's home. And while I am aware you are trying not to intrude, you are shit at it. Ok?" The girls looked at each other and lowered their gaze.

Musa was the one that spoke. "Shouldn't Bloom be telling us that? It's her house after all."

The girls looked at Bloom who was avoiding their eyes. "Well the truth is... Mike and Vanessa aren't too happy about this. They love me, and they adore you guys, but it's a small house." She smiled sheepishly.

"I found us a job." That earned him six surprised stares. "The payment is not too much, but we have to start looking for a place to stay." The girls nodded.

The next day, girls were in charge of clearing out the storage room full of plush toys, but somehow they turned the bunch of plush toys into a real life magical animals. Valtor, who stayed at home, cleaning the house (how very domestic of him) got a biggest shock of his life when he came from the bathroom and the living room was full of flying animals. He face palmed. Those girls just can't stay out of trouble.

The Winx found him sitting on a sofa, Mike and Vanessa in the kitchen, surrounded by sleeping animals that took the liberty to snuggle next to him. Bloom snorted and quickly covered her mouth with her hand, but it was too late. He heard her and he leveled her with a meanest glare he could produce at the moment. The rest of the girls scrambled to get the animals away from a fuming wizard while Bloom just stood leaning on doorway and busied herself with giving him coy looks. When the girls dissapeared, she plopped herself next to Valtor and swung her legs over his lap. He raised an amused eyebrow and she sent him an innocent look that proved she was anything but innocent. Without taking his eyes off of her, he took off her shoes and started massaging her feet. Her eyes fluttered closed and she tipped her head back while letting out the most erotic moan Valtor has ever heard. His fingers stilled for a second and he gulped, shifting her feet so they weren't resting on his crotch. There was no time to stop the images that assaulted him. He could only hope his physical reaction won't be so obvious. His prayers weren't answered, of course, and he found himself in a very compromising position, his obsession's legs hiding an obvious tent in his trousers while Mike and Vanessa chose that moment to reenter the living room. Bloom went to take her legs off his lap but he caught her by the ankles and stilled them. She looked at him and went red at he look he was giving her. His pupils were blown wide, making his irises appear dark blue, his chest area was moving rapidly and she could see veins straining in his neck. She had an idea what caused his reaction and as she brought her foot to scratch her calf, she ran it over a very hard bulge, his breath caught in his throat and his fingers tightened on her ankles. Bloom went bright red. Luckily Mike and Vanessa seemed too focused on the story they were telling, they didn't notice their reaction.

Half an hour later, and a whole hell lot of mental images of very unpleasant things, Valtor was able to calm himself. His breathing returned to normal and his dick now only created a faint outline rather than a tent. That's when he felt comfortable enough to excuse himself and go splash some cold water on his face. When he returned Bloom was the only one left and Valtor cursed his luck. He sat next to her on the couch and bit his lip. She avoided his eyes while she fidgeted with the hem of her shorts. The air around them was awkward.

"So um..." she began, painfully aware if the tension in the air, "are you, um... ok?"

Valtor squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed bile that was threatening to rise. "I-I don't know." He stuttered. Stuttered. Him. The big bad wizard. This was bad. He took a deep breath and turned towards her. "Look I'll be honest with you. I haven't had sex in over 18 years. In fact the last person I bedded was your sister." Bloom's eyes widened at that and Valtor wanted to punch himself really hard. Why in the ever loving fuck would he say that to Bloom? Oh hell it was too late already so he might as well try to save his ass. "The reaction I had was not something I'm proud of, but I'm not going to run away from the fact that I am a man and this thing happens from time to time." He was breathing heavily by the time he finished his rant.

"Y-You slept with Daphne?" Valtor rolled his eyes.

"Really? Out of everything that I just told you, that's the part that intrigues you the most?" The princess shrugged. He sighed. "Yes I slept with Daphne. We were... drunk. It was at a party that your parents threw in honor of your birth. That's all I'm going to say." Light pink was visible on his cheeks and Bloom found herself giggling at this. He looked at her like she was a shit at the bottom of his shoe and she sobered up pretty quickly.

"Sorry. It's just that I'm so unused to seeing you blush." He wetted his lips. "Yeah, well, don't get used to it." She sighed and the tension seemed to disappear. "Don't you guys take care of that? I mean..." she looked him up and down her gaze lingering at his crotch, something which didn't go unnoticed by Valtor. "Doesn't work for me. Besides, I'm living with young women, and jacking off seems kind of wrong." Bloom went bright red at the profanity, but she couldn't deny it made her feel hot, especially if Valtor was the one saying them. "I um, I think I'll go to bed." Valtor nodded and she stood up. "Goodnight princess." She smiled. "Goodnight Valtor."

Between taking care of the 'Love and Pet' shop, finding the last earth fairy, fighting the wizards, getting Believix, specialist's arrival, meeting Roxy, freeing the Earth faries and then fighting them for the sake of humans, there was no time for anything, let alone romance or fantasizing about anything. Jumping between different destinations would take toll on anyone, let alone fairies that fought bunch of vengeful earth fairies in order to stop their vengeance on humans. In between all that ruckus, Ogron and his minions decided to surrender themselves in order to have a 'trial' which was something that didn't sit with Valtor very well. Why would these wizards suddenly decide to surrender themselves and ask for forgiveness? It didn't make any sense. Sybila, one of the nicest earth fairies took them in until their 'sick' friend was safe to travel. Which, of course, didn't happen. Ogron and his remaining two buddies opened a portal meant to suck in the very last fairy from earth and Valtor together with Winx and specialists tried to stop them, however, it was Nabu, previously known as Ophir that paid the ultimate price. And while the final gift of destiny could have brought him back to life, Ogron took it before once again proving to be cruelest being Valtor has ever had displeasure of meeting.

But apparently, that wasn't enough drama. Because, as luck would have it, Leyla, in order to avenge her fiancee, joined Nebula and helped them overthrow Morgana, imprisoning her in a fucking mirror non the less. Valtor felt the beginning of a really terrible headache. What else is universe going to throw at them?

He spoke too soon. He really should learn to keep his thoughts in check. Because of course, Morgana has a daughter, and her fucking daughter is Roxy, and a lot of this shit could have been avoided if only they knew that tiny piece of information. He groaned. This was turning into a real soap opera. The wizards ran into the fucking Omega, because universe apparently hates him so. So here he was now, in Omega, helping specialists take Morgan's fairies to safety. He turned towards Bloom that was about to take off deeper into the Omega and grabbed her hand. She looked at him with eyes that were so full of determination. She pulled him by the lapels of his jacket (a different one, because he ditched his coat a long time ago) and gave him a brief kiss on the lips. When they parted, both the Winx and specialists were looking at them with eyes that were as wide as dinner plates.

"This is our fight." She said, "We need to get Leyla back."

He nodded and pulled her close once again. The kiss he gave her this time was brief but it didn't lack passion. They parted and she took off. Valtor spared one last glance at the cave entrance that was beginning to crumble, he shook off his worry and pulled the idiotic specialists out in the safety. He could feel someone's eyes burning holes in his person and he had a pretty good idea to whom they belonged. But for now he didn't care in the slightest.

A few minutes passed, but to Valtor it felt like hours. He could feel massive amounts of energy radiating from the ground meaning the fight continues on. And the suddenly there was nothing. Silence. Valtor didn't know if that was a good or a bad sign. Suddenly the ground lurched and the Winx, minus Bloom flew out. Valtor's heart stopped beating for a second, but it kicked back into gear as soon as he saw her dragging Nebula behind her. Roars and cheers were echoing through the kingdom of Tin Nan Og, greeting the new queen, as Morgana is coming back to Earth to be with her family. Leyla departed soon after that, saying she needed to bring the flower Ogron gave her back to Andros. Valtor stood on the side admiring the view. For the first time in Dragon knows how long, it was peaceful. His eyes met sapphire blue. Bloom stood surrounded by her friends but she obviously wasn't paying attention to what Stella was saying because she was looking at him. Stella stopped talking long enough to push Bloom towards Valtor, and she stumbled, obviously not expecting that. She turned to glare at her friend, but Stella simply shooed her away. She turned and made her way towards him. The closer she got the faster she seemed to walk. Until a hand grabbed her.

"Bloom, can we talk?" Valtor heard Sky say but she shook his hand off and quickly added, "Not mow Sky."

She once again quickened her pace and when she was in arms reach she flew into Valtor's open arms. She buried her head into his neck, breathing in his scent, while one of his hands supported her and the other went through her hair, detangling it. They stood there, just hugging and feeling each other for a minute or two before finaly parting. Valtor cupped her face in his large hands and sealed their lips together. The roar of pure happiness could be heard and Valtor subconsciously registered Stella saying to someone they owed her money. But nothing at that moment mattered more than the fact that he was holding, touching and kissing Bloom.

Her lips were soft as velvet and as she sighed happily into the kiss, Valtor took the opportunity to slip his tongue in, making the redhead moan and clutch onto him even tighter. Her arms coiled around his neck and brought him even closer, deepening the kiss even more. Valtor broke the kiss, but not before taking her lower lip between his teeth and tugging on it, making the redhead whine, before soothing the ache with his tongue. One kiss was not enough for him, or her for that matter as she connected their lips once again. Valtor's brain shut down the moment his lips touched Bloom's. He forgot where he was, who he was with and why they were here. He only cared about Bloom. Which could be the reason his hands began to wonder, slipping from her waist to her lower back, cupping her ass and back of her thighs before bending down slightly to get a good grip on her legs and lifting them up so she could wrap them around his waist. Everything was quiet up until that point, when Stella of all people began complaining about them 'getting a room' and 'being sweet enough to give cavities'.

He remembered then who he was and that they were in public, surrounded by her friends, bunch of fairies he didn't know the name of and specialists. Bloom looked at him, his eyes mirroring his in appearance with pupils blown wide and their breaths coming in quick and short bursts. She blushed when she realized in what position they were. Her with her legs warped around his middle and her arms coiled around his neck, while his arms were holding and squeezing her ass, in front of everybody. She cleared her throat and he bent down so her feet could touch the ground while she returned her arms back to her side. She stood straight up, blush still evident on her cheeks and looked at Valtor. He looked a bit dishevelled and his hair was a bit messed up, but aside from that, he looked perfectly normal, no trace of blush on his cheeks and a cocky grin on his lips. He slipped his hand into hers and intertwined their fingers. And she smiled too.

When they returned to Gardenia and left Roxy with her mother and father, they all hit Fruit Music bar to celebrate. They choose a table and ordered the drinks before siting down. Since no table had enough chairs, most of the girls were sitting in their boyfriends laps. What surprised Valtor, however, was when Bloom decided to sit on his lap. Even when she was involved with Sky, Valtor knew she avoided public display of affection, but he seemed to be an exception to most rules, because she kissed him in front of bunch of strangers today, and now she decided to sit in his lap as well. He wasn't about to complain. He loved the feeling of her lithe body pressed up against his own. She didn't seem too interested in her drink, she was playing with her straw more than she was drinking from it. Valtor was running his arm across her back and his face was buried in her hair. The hand that was rubbing her back dissapeared and it reappeared moment later when it pushed her long red curls from her neck and she felt hot kisses being pressed there. She shuddered. It would appear Valtor wasn't interested in drinking tonight either. She locked eyes with him and a silent understanding passed between them.

She got up first, startling everyone in the process, but when Valtor stood up behind her and took her hand, a nod of approval form Stella seemed to send everyone the message they shouldn't ask questions. They were almost at the exit when Stella's voice broke through.

"Should we even come home tonight?!" She yelled from across the bad. Bloom turned red while Valtor merely smirked and yelled back. "You can, it might be a little loud for you! No one will be getting any sleep!" Bloom staggered and she would have fallen over had Valtor not been there and supported her. Stella's laughter could be heard from the next block. They walked fast, Bloom took off her heels so she could walk faster. When they finaly reached the shop, Bloom wasted no time unlocking and opening the door and then locking it again.

As soon as they were inside, Valtor pushed Bloom against the door and kissed her passionately. She opened her mouth almost instantly to his wandering tongue and she moaned when two tongues met in a dance. He pressed her up against the door even harder and wasted no time hauling her up so she could warp those legs around him. Still kissing her, her staggered blindly towards the stair case stopping every few seconds to press Bloom against the was so he could focus on kissing her. He couldn't stop. Even the sheer thought of stopping brought him pain. He waited her for so long, thinking she could never be his, and now that she is, he's never letting her go.

When they reached her bedroom, Valtor single handedly opened the door while he used the other to support her ass. He closed the door and spun around pressing her into it, making her gasp and arch her back. Never breaking the kiss, he slipped his hands into her crop top, running his hands over her ribs until he reached her breasts and gave them a squeeze. He was pleasantly surprised to find she wasn't wearing a bra. He pushed the shirt up and she raised her arms so he could take it off completely. As soon as the shirt was discarded he turned his attention to her nipples that were shaped into tiny peaks hard enough to cut glass. He hauled her up even higher and took one nipple in his mouth, circling it with his tongue first before completely enveloping it in his mouth.

Bloom arched her back and let out a delicious moan at his ministrations. She tugged at his shirt, desperate to get it off so she could feel her skin pressed up against his. He chuckled, a dark and seductive sound, coming somewhere deep from his throat. She wasn't even aware he moved them until she was being lowered and her back being pressed against cool set of sheets and Valtor disappeared from her arms. She whined but was quickly pacified when he returned, this time lacking both shirt and trousers. She could feel his naked torso pressing against her hard nipples, his chest hair tickling her, his naked legs intertwining with her own and something hard and thick pressing against her clit. She shuddered. She rolled her hips into it desperate for more friction, while Valtor chuckled at her impatience and pinned her hips down. She struggled against his hold, but with no use, he was too strong. He trailed kisses from her neck over her breasts all the way to her navel where he licked a long stripe over her underwear line before taking hold of her skirt and panties before yanking them down her legs. He chucked them across the room and settled himself between her thighs making her blush and spread her legs to accommodate his wide shoulders. The look in his eyes could best be describes as predatory as his gaze caught her eyes and stayed there while his tongue licked a long stripe from her opening to her clit. Bloom threw her head back and let out a long moan, while her hand, seemingly on her own accord, shot across the bed and her fingers tangled themselves in his long reddish blond hair. He continued his ministrations, focusing most of his attention to her clit. Her hips strained against her fingers, pushing her closer to his mouth and evidently, closer to her orgasm. She was shaking, panting and almost sobbing mess underneath him as she climbed towards the peak. She pulled on his hair directing him where and how she wanted him. He let go of her hips and clutched at her thighs that were spread out to accommodate him. She let out a long moan and stilled against him before dissolving into a shaking mess and twitching hips as she was dropped from her high. He licked one last stripe across her pussy and planted a kiss on her clit, making her shudder from overstimulation,before propping himself up in his elbows and crawling towards her. As soon as he was close enough she captured his mouth in a kiss. He opened his mouth and she gladly took his invitation, tasting herself.

She broke the kiss and panted heavily against his neck while her hands traveled from his shoulders to his nipples, where she pinched them, enjoying his response. Her legs once again circled his waist and pulled him close. His cock, long and thick, laid erect on her stomach. She could feel the size and shape even through the boxers he was still wearing. Her hands traveled lower until they reached the elastic band that was holding them on his hips and her fingers pulled on it, going underneath it and cupping his rock hard ass. His hips grinded against her in response and she smiled. She kissed him once again as she lowered his boxers low enough so her feet could take that job, sliding them across his long muscular legs and then chucking them across the room to join the rest of their clothes. Her hands slid to the front and took hold of his erection carefully spreading precum from the leaking tip to his long and thick shaft. If this were anyone else but Valtor, she would have feared for her nonexisting virginity. Funnily enough, two years ago if you had told her she would be spread out underneath the man that was responsible for destruction of her home planet, she would have laughed in your face and then proceeded to blast you with her dragon fury. But right now, she couldn't imagine anyone else in this position.

He shuddered against her and she aligned his cock with her entrance, kissing him gently in permission. He slid into her with little difficulty,her previous orgasm making her wetter and tighter. He exhaled against her neck when he bottomed out and gave her a few moments to adjust to his size and girth. She moaned and grinded her hips against him almost making him loose his mind. He lowered his entire body so it covered hers then pulled his hips back until only the tip remained inside her and then slid back in faster. She clutched and scratched at his back while his kisses swallowed her moans. He set a fast pace, having realized neither of them will last long enough for slow tender love making right now. He rose himself on his elbows and looked at the beauty spread out on the bed. She was panting and sweating, trying and failing to suppress her moans as he slammed into her in now short but powerful thrusts. Her legs enveloping his waist, her heels pressing against his ass, forcing him deeper into her. He could feel his orgasm approaching fast, but he refused to come before her, his male pride not letting him. He brought his hand in between them and found her clit, stroking it in tandem with his thrusts. She flew over the edge, almost screaming her release, pulling him into the abyss as well. He slowed down do ride out both of their orgasms and then completely stilled before leaning down to capture her waiting mouth. She winced as he slid out of her but turned on her side to face him and to snuggle with him non the less. She laid there, pressed against his torso, his left arm supporting her head while his right drew patterns on her back, both of them fighting to get their breathing back to normal.

She looked into his eyes and at that moment she couldn't help but to think, that yes, leaving him alive was the best decision she's ever made.

He locked eyes with her and leaned to kiss her, the kiss quickly escalating, while he once again, pinned her to bed.

Oh yes. Best decision indeed.

The end.