#That would've been too much detail.

[fanartfunart]

[Image Description: A colored digital drawing of an open-plan house based off Skyward Sword, with bright earthy colors. In the closest half is Link, Groose and Zelda. Link is sitting at a desk, whittling a small sculpture of a Kikwi, looking up at Groose with a smile. Groose has an arm on Link’s head, gesturing with the other, looking prideful, as he leans on Link. Zelda has a hand on one hip and his holding a book in the other, looking back at the other two with a smile. The house has various elements from the trio’s knight acadamy rooms, including Goose’s punching bag, Link & Zelda’s desks, and other items. A bunk bed with a full sized bed on the bottom and a twin on the top is in the corner near the door, and a dining table sits in the middle of the room. A kitchen is in an alcove. There are two detail images. End ID]

I decided to design a house on the surface for the Skyward Sword Trio. Lots of tiny little details and a fun practice in perspective.

Happy Anniversary to LoZ :3

[lazuliquetzal]

Bro I have a genuine question about dotf, but do you have like a full backstory for the Link that was executed? I’m being dead serious, I’d love to learn more of his backstory, if it exists. Simply because I think it’s very interesting.

OHOHO

okay, obligatory "I subscribe to Death of the Author, this is all up to interpretation, not canon to DotF, blah blah blah et cetera"

ANYWAYS,

In my head, Dead!Link was pretty boring, tbh. Good kid, handy with a knife, worked as a guard at Hylia's Temple, very devout.

I guess I don't really have a whole detailed backstory: it's more of a vibe? Like, imagine being a loyal follower of Hylia and suddenly people are witnessing you doing dark magic and attacking people. The only person who believes you is your sister, and she's trying desperately to find proof and also figure out what's going on but you can't find any evidence in your favor. Is someone you know and trust framing you? Did Hylia forsake you? Are you possessed? The stress of that.

Dead!Aryll's story has a bit more meat. She's able to figure out the Dark World/mirror thing -- she just figures it out too late. There's a whole adventure I'm never going to write where she puts it all together, shatters every mirror she sees, fights through the entire temple-turned-cursed-dungeon/clears the maze/finds the secret execution chamber -- only to fail because she can't handle the sound of her brother's agonized screams when she's trying to smash the mirror. But that's already implied in-text so.

Oh!! New behind-the-scenes detail that I could NOT get to work: the reason why the area is cursed into becoming a salt flat?

I was inspired by photos of Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. Originally I was gonna have that final fight on the salt-mirror, but you can't smash a salt flat haha. I loved the setting so much that I ended up keeping it anyway.

[incognitomoustache]

....thinking about how while I’d generally consider Justice For All one of my least favourite Ace Attorney games, all of the cases within are very memorable and the complexity of the morality of the victim/defendant/killer is super interesting.

...except of course the first case, but that one is unforgettable because of this:

[clericlost]

thinking about writing up my will + ocd headcanon today instead of doing drafts :/ stay tuned

[lihngchi]

❝   Don’t be surprised — your father would not shut up about you in prison.   ❞

Not that he was particularly chummy, but when she wasn’t locked in her cell, lying on her rotted straw mattress with nothing to do but stare up at the cinderblock ceiling and spitefully hope zuko appreciated the sacrifice, her time at the Boiling Rock was marked by fist-fights and subsequent community service punishments.  Eavesdropping on others is probably why she made it out without going as crazy as Azula...

Though, Mai never expected the little stories to be relevant, let alone entertaining, down the line.  

She adds a few more crab cakes to her plate and scans the arrangement for anything else she might want.  Given such short notice, the array of delicacies prepared for the post-coronation celebration with the Avatar’s friends is impressive.

❝   All he was missing was a baby portrait to pass around to everyone.   ❞

@bornofspring​​ / @scrtminlikesdrawing​ liked !

[unproduciblesmackdown]

winston (quant) assortment

[sysig]

Oh there they are

[mollymarymarie]

IS THERE GONNA BE A FLASHBACK SCENE OF REMUS AND SIRIUS GETTING TOGETHER

SHIT I HATE TO DISAPPOINT YOU but we had all the flashbacks we're gonna get in this fic. It's mentioned very briefly in chapter two, right after the flashback about them getting their nicknames:

By the end of the night, it was like Sirius didn’t even remember his real name – he was sprinkling Moony into sentences more than he’d ever used Remus’ name, coming up with spontaneous song lyrics to sing to Remus, doodling a crescent moon on the bandage wrapped around his own foot. Once Remus started calling him Padfoot in return, it was all over. James wanted in on the secret, and so did Pete.

It only took another year for Remus to admit his feelings to Sirius. Once he did, it only took Sirius ten seconds of stunned silence before he was able to return the sentiment by immediately taking Remus by the face and kissing him quite enthusiastically. Apparently, Sirius had been harboring a crush for even longer than Remus had. If Remus hadn’t been so unassuming then, he would’ve known it that night.

[worstloki]

it’d be really funny if odin gave loki a really harsh punishment but as time went on he was absolved of all his crimes because: 

- he actually didn't let the frost giants in for the coronation everyone just assumed he had

- laufey coming over was officially to discuss conditions for a new peace treaty and when he tried to harm odin loki had the right to retaliate. Unofficially it was  an absolutely amazing way to end a war before it actually began

- after laufey died loki inherited jotunheim’s throne and in accordance with their rules he was allowed to do what he wanted to the land and people; including destroy them if he wished

- the energy released from the Bifrost actually ended up rejuvenating the land even if the immediate result had been a few cracks in the ice

- he didn't conceal truths from the throne and trick everyone when he didn't return from the void and reveal he was alive; he’d actually been dead

- Thanos/The Other had used the mind stone to get loki to attack and were the ones who actually had the armies and were wanting to destroy the earth... loki had been trying to prevent that

[acid-on-organs]

i have a lot of feelings about unus annus ending today, but to keep it short, i'm not sad about it ending. i wouldn't say im thrilled about it happy either, but i don't need to grieve.

when it started, i spent the first few months grieving. and now, it's all just oddly... nostalgic almost, even though it isn't gone just yet. it's all so bittersweet, with an emphasis on sweet, in my opinion. because we made it. this is it. the moment we've waited a year for. the moment that the channel and all its videos were made for. it's finally here. and for some reason that's very comforting to me. it feels like home.

[topguncortez]

Whoops! I accidentally put in a submission instead of an ask. My bad. But I love Hangman and shyxreader, but what do you think of Ice and shy!reader?

I like this idea:)

Iceman was a private person. He didn't like everyone knowing every single detail about him. It was part of that ice cold persona that he kept up so well. The only real people who knew who Iceman was outside of the khaki uniform and frosted tips, was Slider, his RIO, and Y/N, his girlfriend.

Y/N was opposite of Iceman; quiet, nice, and shy. While Tom liked being the center of attention, Y/N prefer to sit off to the side and watch. Y/N was his rock, his salvation, his calmness after hectic mission. She was what he looked forward to seeing after long days trying not to punch Maverick in the face,

Tom had flown Y/N out for visiting weekend, and he was terrified. He knew that Y/N hated flying, which was funny that she chose to fall in love with a man who loved the sky (but not nearly as much as her). He stood against his car in the parking lot of the airport, and waited. He would've gone in, but he saw Maverick and Goose go inside the airport, and Tom wanted to avoid them as much as possible outside of TOPGUN. Tom also knew that Y/N wouldn't want all the questions they were bound to ask, knowing the only way she made it across country was by downing a bottle of melatonin.

"Tommy!" His blues eyes looked over to see her shiny hair, and her big eyes. He broke out in a smile and ran to her, picking her up in his arms. She let out a squeal as he twirled her around, before setting her back down and kissing her passionately.

"Oh, doll, I missed you," Tom said, caressing her cheek with his knuckle. She blushed and bit her lip, "Don't do that." He said, taking her lip out between her teeth. She turned an even deeper red at his words and gesture.

"I missed you too, Tommy," She said, and Tom kissed her again. He picked up her bags, and she gripped onto his bicep as he walked to his car.

Tom's blue eyes were on her the whole time as he drove with the windows down. Her hair was blown back from the salty warm air, and the smile on her face was one that he'd love to take a picture of. She sang loudly to Billy Joel's 'Uptown Girl' as Tom drove them to his tiny on base dorm. Tom had cleaned for about three hours that morning making sure everything was spotless, not like it wasn't already.

"Well. . .welcome home," Tom smiled as he put the car in park outside of his building, "It's not as spectacular as the house back in Virginia, but it's something."

"It's perfect, Tommy," Y/N said, and opened her door, which Tom reached across and closed, "What are you-"

"A lady never opens her own doors, doll," Tom said, and winked at her before getting out of the driver's side and running around to open her door. She giggled as she took his hand and got out of the car. Tom carried her bags into the building, as she took in the sight of the base. It was a lot different from their location in Virginia, and she was quietly counting down the days until she could go back. She loved Tom, but was not a fan of the California heat.

The two of them spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on what they missed in each other's lives. Tom laid his head in her lap, and she ran her fingers through the frosted tips on his head. Y/N didn't like to talk much about herself, which was ironically perfect for Tom, who never liked to shut up about himself. Iceman filled her in on what him and Slider had been learning, and then all about the pain in his ass who was named Maverick.

"He's just so fucking-"

"Language."

"Sorry baby," Iceman said, kissing her hand, "He's just so annoying, and cocky. He's got this flyboy danger attitude that's going to get him or someone else killed one of these days."

"Oh Tommy," Y/N said shaking her head, "You know he's not one of your young sailors back home right?"

"What are you saying?" Tom said, turning his head slightly.

"I can see it in your eyes. . . that, what is it they call it? Papa Ice look?"

Tom scoffed and shook his head, "I am not being 'Papa Ice' to him."

"Kinda," Y/N giggled, "But enough about work stuff, what else have you been up too?"

"Nothing but work," Tom sighed, "What about you? How's the garden?"

"Oh! It's great! I brought pictures of the roses and the sunflowers, cause I know you would want to see them. And the vegetables look amazing this year! Ruth is checking in and watering while I'm gone," Y/N said and Tom swore he fell even more in love with her.

Y/N loved gardening and when they got a house on base, Tom made sure it had a backyard so that she could have her own garden. He had promised her that when he gets his promotion, he's buying her a house with a big yard and enough land to have a garden as big as she wanted.

"Yo! Iceman-" Slider said, opening the door to the apartment. Y/N quickly pushed Ice away, making him frown slightly, but knew she was probably slightly embarrassed by Slider catching them cuddling on the couch, "Oh, look what the cat dragged in? Missus Iceman."

"Ron," Y/N smiled, and got up from the couch and hugged him, "Staying out of trouble?"

"You know how I am, Y/N, a child of god."

"Bullshit," Ice said and tried covering it up with a cough. Slider glared at him and Ice held his hands up in defense as he got up and pulled Y/N back into his arms, "Can we help you, Slider? Kinda wanted to spend the day with my girl."

"Well, bring her with," Slider said, "Beach volleyball game. You and Me, versus Mitchell and Mother Goose."

"Mother Goose?" Y/N asked, looking up at her boyfriend.

"Nick Bradshaw. You remember him? Loud, too talkative, stupid mustache," Ice said describing his friend from the academy, "He's Maverick's RIO."

"Oh, I think I remember," Y/N said, "He was the one who tried asking me out before you showed up."

"Yeah, that's the one," Tom said, "We'll be there. Give us like twenty minutes." Slider nodded and left the apartment, "Brought a swim suit?"

"Yes, it was on the packing list you sent," Y/N said, and walked over to her suitcase, which Tom quickly took from her and lead her down to his room. She rolled her eyes and followed behind him.

--- --- ---

The beach wasn't as packed as Y/N expected it to be, and she was thankful. She wore her swimsuit underneath a tank top and jean shorts. Tom assured her she was fine just wearing her swimsuit top and shorts, but she was worried she was showing too much skin. Y/N was beautiful, and Tom made sure she knew it. Even though he told her every day, she still didn't believe him.

Y/N sat down aways from where Tom and Slider were. It always made Tom frown how she put space in between them when they walked anywhere. He knew it was because she didn't want the eyes and stares from people wondering how the hell she ended up with Iceman, but he also wanted the whole world to know she was his.

She was also oblivious to the wondering green eyes of Maverick Mitchell. He had caught sight of her when she walked up and sat down. Her glowing skin and smile had him wanting to get to know her. Maverick had decided to take his white t-shirt off when she sat down, and he tried a little harder to flex the muscles of his abs. Every movement Maverick made was a little drawn out in hopes of impressing her. When Goose called water break, Maverick was half tempted to run over and talk to her, but his wingman called him over to rethink game strategies.

"What do you think?" Slider asked Tom as they walked over to get their waters.

"I think. . . Mitchell is about to go talk to my girlfriend," Tom said, and pushed his water bottle into Slider's chest, seeing the short pilot walk over to Y/N. Slider chuckled as he turned around and saw the sight playing out in front of him.

"Oooo! Mitchell, you done it now!" Slider laughed, "Mother Goose! Better go get your duckling!"

"What?" Goose said, turning around and seeing Maverick talking to Y/N, "Oh shit. . . Mav!"

"I'm just saying a pretty girl like you shouldn't be-"

"Doll," Iceman said, cutting off Maverick's speech. Y/N looked up at Tom, and a wave of relief washed over her eyes, "You're making my girlfriend uncomfortable. Leave." Iceman said, coldly to Maverick.

"You're girlfriend?" Maverick asked.

"Tommy," Y/N said, and Tom held his hand out for her to take. He knew she hated when people would just come up and talk to her. It had happened several times at military balls back in Virginia. Tom was never too far away from her, but there were times were she had to fend for herself.

"I got you, doll," Tom said, and pulled her into his sweaty chest.

"I didn't-"

"Yeah, I fucking know," Tom said cutting Maverick off.

"Tommy, language," Y/N said, scolding him softly, "It's all okay, Maverick." Lucky for the three of them, Goose had run up to gather his wingman from making an even bigger fool and enemy out of himself. Goose said apologies to both Y/N and Iceman as they walked away.

"God Mav, you need to learn to think with the other head," Goose said, and hit the back of his pilot's head.

"I was!" Maverick exclaimed.

Tom was still staring daggers at Maverick as he walked away. Y/N put her hand on his cheek and redirected his attention down to her. His blue eyes softened at the sight of her, and he looked leaned down to kiss her.

"You okay? We can leave, if you're not comfortable," Tom said, and Y/N shook her head.

"I'm okay. He just caught me off guard," Y/N said, "Not used to people coming up to me telling me I'm pretty."

"It's cause you are, Doll," Tom said, and cupped her face in his hands, "The prettiest doll I've ever seen," She blushed and Tom leaned down to kiss her cheek, "This is the last game. Then, it's you, me, candlelight dinner by the ocean."

"I love you, Tommy," Y/N said.

"I love you too, Doll."

And that was how everyone found out that Iceman's heart wasn't entirely made of ice.

[luminous-letters]

hello! for your event, may i request "i wish i knew you wanted me" with leona? congrats on 1k!!!

omg thank you so much anon 💛✨

also, i'm so sorry for answering so late 😭

To The Very Last Letter

"Oi, Leona! This stuff's yours right?" Ruggie tossed the small cardboard box in Leona's direction.

It wasn't eye-catching in any way. The box had the color gray, it was barren and worn. One would've mistaken it for another one of the things Leona scatters around, only to forget it later.

"Where'd you even get this?" Leona said, analyzing it from the outside.

"Savanaclaw's new house warden sent it here. You should be thankful that the guy hadn't thrown it away."

Savanaclaw. He hadn't heard that name for years now. How was the dorm doing? Is the botanical garden the same cozy place it was then? Has Crewel gotten wrinkles? How's the herbivore and that gremlin doing?

"How are those two?"

"Well, they're Assistant Headmaster something something. Kind of forgot the details. But they're doing pretty well if that's what you were wondering about," Ruggie shrugged.

The news made him feel a little at ease. As much as he'd like to have a chat between tea, he had so much paperwork left to do. The kingdom, legal stuff, trade, memos he needed to sign, and foreign affairs. Needless to say, he's got a lot on his plate.

Or maybe that's just an excuse for being lazy?

"Is this...?"

Thin stacks of letters were the contents of the box. They had a wide range of colors, some white, some orange, some even had more colors than one. All of them, no doubt, were the ones you sent him a while back.

"Ruggie, make sure the squirt goes to his lessons this time. That old baboon wouldn't shut up if he misses it again."

"Just like his Unca Leona," Ruggie snickered.

"Can't have our future king slacking off is all."

The hyena paused for a moment. It's been seven years since Leona assumed the throne, and seven years since the former king passed. He had agreed to be temporary king, to reign until Cheka had come of age and was fit to rule over Sunset Savannah. The wear and stress of the position took its toll on him.

Leona looked nothing like the proud house warden he once was. The circles under his eyes grew larger and more defined with the weeks. And he'd rarely see him come out of his office, and his eyes never looked dimmer than it was.

"Fine, fine. Take a break when you're done."

"I doubt I could even if I wanted to."

With Ruggie out the door, Leona was left with the mountains of paperwork and the stack of your letters.

"These could wait," he glanced at the box, putting it away in a drawer.

The night turned to day and night again. The towers of paper were reduced greatly by now. Meaning, that he had some time to slack off until the next hour.

The coffee on his desk had gone cold, and the bread turned stale from the hours of ignoring it. But it was still a good snack as any, he thought, too occupied to be bothered to ask for a new batch.

He decided that rereading your little letters would be better than staring at nothing. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't sleep. It felt like even the slightest neglect would result in everything he worked hard for to come crashing down. For all of the respect he's earned to turn into dust again.

"Alright, herbivore, let's see what you got."

The first letter was purple, with the mark of Octavinelle printed on the lower right corner in faint gold color.

To Leona Kingscholar,

Hey there. I hope this letter finds you well.

I wanted to thank you for your help back there. If it weren't for you, Grim and I would probably be on the streets.

I asked Jack what kind of food you liked. And he answered me with, "Expensive meat, probably." He had the same answer as Ruggie, so I went for it.

The ingredients were hard to procure, but Octavinelle lent us a few madols to compensate. And the ghosts told me they could help me make it.

So, I wanted to invite you for a feast. Ramshackle, at 7:30 p.m. You're not obligated to come, but I'd feel so much better if you would.

—Sincerely, MC

The memory earned a chuckle from him. He remembered how you waited for him on your dorm's porch. He couldn't forget how you looked like you were about to fall asleep right then and there.

He picked out another one, multicolored, with red, black, and gold. It was richly decorated with bundles of blue and yellow as if it was screaming 'rich!' at the top of its lungs.

To Leona Kingscholar,

Can you believe it? Jamil held us hostage! If we knew it would've ended up like that we never would've helped him in the kitchen.

Enough of that, how's your winter break so far? Does it snow back there? Or is it just cold? If it did, I bet you'd look goofy wearing a sweater. Do you have to wear something to warm your tail too?

That's pretty much all I wanted to say. I look forward to your return. Who knows, there might be a surprise waiting for you.

—Herbivore

A plush toy. That's what was waiting for him. You got him a small lion plushie as a gift. Reluctantly, he accepted it anyway. To this day, it's still neatly stored in one of his closets.

The third one was a vibrant hue of purple. It was laced with gold on the edges and had a kind of sheen.

To Leona,

Hey, how are things?

The VDC turned out better than I anticipated. I should give credit to Vil for helping us all throughout.

I was looking for you in the crowd. But I couldn't find anywhere I looked. Maybe you were busy with final stage maintenance?

That's too bad, I was hoping that you'd come see their performance. Who knew Ace and Deuce had some good moves up their sleeve?

Hey, Leona, if it's not too much trouble... Would you like to join me for dinner? There's a new restaurant in town. Cater sent me a few pictures of the venue, and I couldn't help but think of Savanaclaw.

Hoping for a reply.

—Sincerely, Herbivore

He hadn't sent a reply.

The last one of the four was more formal. It was black, decorated with little lines of gold. And the seal of NRC was still intact.

"I haven't seen this one before..."

To Leona Kingscholar,

Congratulations. As your fellow schoolmate, I'm here to bid you farewell. We had a good school year together, don't you think?

After this you'll be out on the field, no? That's what Cater told me. Then it means you won't be around much. That's a shame, I'll miss you napping around the botanical garden for sure.

No joke, I'll really miss having you around. But don't let that hold you back. I'm sure you'll be known as the great wizard you are. Don't give up and keep looking forward.

Pardon the cheesiness.

We plan on holding a farewell party for all the seniors. I hope you can stop by Ramshackle, Grim and I've prepared a lot of good food.

That, and I want to tell you something. I honestly wanted to tell you this in person, but I'm worried that you might not come. I don't want to waste this opportunity to tell you that...

Leona Kingscholar, I love you.

—Your Herbivore, MC

Leona put away the letters. The gray box was stowed away in his drawer, he doesn't know when he'll be taking it out soon.

"If I had known, I would've loved you... I would've..."

When did he start crying?

He retired for the night, not in the mood for work.

[carlyraejepsans]

since sans is of another world, is papyrus from another world too? are they from different worlds but just so happened to end up in the same one, or does papyrus belong to the world of undertale while sans doesn't?

things we know about sans in deltarune:

he has a younger brother, presumably kris' age or not much older considering he's very protective of him and acts like leaving them to hang out alone "in his house" would be irresponsible

that or he's just weird about his adult brother for no discernible reason. which I sincerely hope isn't the case because come on

ironically, while the skelebros house sprite in undertale is named sans' house, the one in deltarune is named "paphouse".

the game value that checks whether you've already talked to sans about his brother in ch1 when you see him again in ch2 is called "paptalk". it's not his full name, but i believe it's safe to assume that sans' as of yet unnamed brother in deltarune is still papyrus.

naming yourself or the vessel after papyrus in the goner maker sequence will get the prompt "an interesting coincidence" and the steam page (i think?) for deltarune says he's "busy" so it's highly lilely he'll play a role in the story.

still, like you said, part of the evidence that sans comes from deltarune is that he dies in a way that's different from every other character in undertale. papyrus included.

something else weird about his death: he's the only character who has color (red blood) in his sprite in the battle screen, which is strictly black and white. this is very obscure and likely means nothing, but there's a weird comment in the undertale crosstitch book about how you can color the battle sprites if you want to diversify things but they "won't be canon". what an interesting thing to say, why would they feel the need to specify that...

thing is, papyrus' death remains much more similar to ye average undertale monster death. so... what's up with that?

papyrus and sans showed up to snowdin one day out of the blue, though it's not explicitly stated, they most definitely got there together.

"where do skeletons come from" is a question posed more than one time, if jokingly, such as by the baby bunny in deltarune

the snowdin residents had never seen them around before. which can also mean absolutely nothing, because they didn't even recognize us as humans lmao

undertale papyrus appears to have never seen the sun before

there's always the "forgettable" check description in the genocide run that haunts my every waking hour.

which is a theme that recurs both in deltarune (the song "don't forget") and in undertale through sans' workshop and the hidden drawing with "don't forget" scribbled on it.

sans has an attack called "gaster blaster". in one of undertale's patches, a bit of dialogue was added when checking the box of attacks in his room if you abort your geno run with his fight about how with his special attack "you surely would've been BLASTED to..." with blasted highlighted in yellow. yeah. safe to assume he has those too.

his paper with Toby's original concept art/details about him had a bit about him having a [REDACTED] named [REDACTED], right under another line that read "has a brother named comic sans". if we take this mysterious presumed relative to be gaster, then his connection to him becomes even stronger

papyrus has a negative reaction to the CORE specifically (he gets inexplicably sad when we call him and he can see it in the distance) but also hotland in general.

Gaster created the CORE and "fell into his own creation". from the way it's phrased, it's highly likely it WAS in fact the CORE, even if it's just vague enough i have my doubts

i really have no idea! I'm heavily inclined to think that the papyrus we meet in undertale is NOT from deltarune/the papyrus we'll meet there, while sans is the same person. this opens some pretty complicated questions to answer, especially from lack of evidence as we're still in chapter 2 out of 7 and we haven't met papyrus yet.

what happens to deltarune papyrus by the end of the game?

if papyrus is from undertale, what happened to UNDERTALE'S sans when deltarune's version got isekaid

exactly how long ago did all of this go down?

sans likely worked with gaster at some point after arriving in undertale, where they found out about the anomaly "our analysis" (which is mostly flowey's work after being resuscitated ie: not in deltarune. the "our" also couldn't have been alphys instead because she gives no indication of being aware of the SAVE powers, the anomaly or time manipulation—though she DID study alternate universes! and she knows sans! interesting coincidence). if so, how is gaster involved with the fate of deltarune NOW, when sans is still there? sure, he was shattered through TIME and space, but wouldn't that constitute a paradox? of course, unless we take "another Him" literally and this isn't the same gaster as the one from undertale

if we go "papyrus is gaster" instead, why does he respond to "papyrus" in deltarune too, why isn't he just gaster (and why does the name "gaster" still crash the game)?

all in all, i DON'T think we have enough material to work with, especially with papyrus. sans had his arc, his lore you could find and piece together with a satisfying conclusion ingame (think of the narrative payback that's finally reaching the workshop behind their house) while papyrus', while still being as much if not even More befuddling, was... all over the place. unexplained. incomplete. you can't piece back much of anything about his past. which is why i have SUPER high expectations for him in deltarune. he's clearly being built up for SomeThing,and i think it's going to be a lore arc just like sans had in undertale, all to himself, while his brother is off having his hotgirl customer service summer with the local goats and... presumably getting sucked into another universe. whoops!

here's a link to the crosstitch page comment, courtesy of @undertale-encyclopedia (you're a godsend to theorists everywhere, thank you so much)

if you're interested in the otherworld/deltarune sans theory, then i cannot recommend @megaderping 's two videos enough, which showcase both its proof AND the contradictions and issues it brings up (HERE'S the original, and HERE's an addendum after some discussion on the previous video). she gathers and mentions pretty much EVERYTHING that made me believe in it in the first place, AND the bits that make me doubt my interpretation of it, though surprisingly i DON'T think they touch on the blood business, which is curious because it's such a big controversy even now. i also owe them and their discord friends credit for the "papvalues" discoveries in deltarune's code, as my hacking and cracking skills are non-existent.

[lizhrs]

the one -

armin x y/n (12720)

warnings: nsfw/smut, yandere armin, obsession, mentions of stalking, basically stalking, manipulation, toxic relationship, dubious consent. armin being a creep.

summary: having seen enough of you managing without him, armin decides to finally take matters into his own hands and make you his.

armin doesn't understand.

he thought he planned everything out perfectly. he gave you your space, hasn’t given anyone the slightest suggestion of his feelings for you—at least the people you both know. he wanted you to come to him willingly, no persuasion or sweet talks.

he did everything perfectly. he's the perfect student, always has been. has gotten straight a's since the moment he entered his first grade, received a full scholarship to some college he could care less about instead of his dream one because that's the one you chose, even helped you with your college admission letters. he's well off, could've—could take care of you your entire life. he's loved by everyone on campus and even in high school, he was the apple of everyone's eye.

you knew how perfect he was back then and how he's thriving right now so how the hell...of all people why him? he clenches the beer can in his hand, watching you stumble up the stairs with none other than his best friend.

this isn't like the other boys you've dated. he can't just threaten or throw cash at him until he realizes you'll always belong to armin and leave you alone. eren doesn't listen to anyone and even if he did try any threats, it'd just ruin the nice guy reputation he’d had spent years building up.

he throws the can onto the sofa, immediately trailing after you two before he can stop himself. he thought spending the summer in everyone’s home town would've just brought them closer—specifically brought you and him closer, that was the plan after all. not you and eren. you two have barely spoken three words to each other your entire lives.

it doesn't make sense.

he thought he knew everything about you. he had organized every single detail regarding you in sections and tucked the pictures in that little box that's been tucked under his dorm bed for years. maybe he gave too much space? college was undoubtedly stressful, he must've become too busy with his studies to look over you. to make sure you made the right decisions and weren't tainted by the hands of everyone around you.

he had screwed up.

but he intends to make it right. to put you back on the right track, the one you're supposed to be on. the one that leads you straight to him.

he found the two of you in some random bedroom, disgust immediately taking over him at the sight. is this who you were now? a few months of not talking to one another and you were already ruining your life by letting yourself get fucked by eren of all people in a bedroom you didn't even know the owner of?

his nails dig into his palms as he watches through the creek in the door, you guys didn't even bother to close it all the way. as if you wanted an audience. eren was already slamming into you, like you were nothing more than a toy dying to be used and defiled. like a whore. is that who you are now y/n? a whore? the more he stares, the more it seems like it. you’re on your stomach, hands clenching the sheets and head thrown back in pleasure.

the pace of his thrusts has you letting out high pitched moans, a bit of saliva sliding down your chin. "e—eren." you cry out and armin would've walked in there and punched the daylights out of his own best friend because no one deserves to hear you calling their name out like that except for him. it's unfair. so unfair he could fucking die out of fury right now. but he didn't. he stood there, frozen because hitting his best friend—anyone is out of character for him.

it would've raised eyebrows and questions he doesn't want to answer. but still...the way eren snaps his cock in you sloppily, the slap of skin against skin filling the room makes him bite down on his tongue to the point of blood. the anger is consuming him and he's not sure he can watch this torture any longer.

"y—you're—n—ngh so big, eren." you moan like a bitch in heat, tongue almost lolling out as eren grabs your hair, pulling your head back even more so he can plant a disgusting kiss on your lips.

at least you're still dressed, outfit clinging to your sweaty body. at least he doesn't get to see anything too valuable. at least armin still has that for himself. it's when eren grips your clothed breast that he decides enough is enough, he's ready to open the door and storm in the room but a hand is quickly grabbing his forearm.

he freezes, has someone been watching him? did they see anything? fuck, are they going to think he's some huge pervert? judging by his actions tonight, maybe he is. he slowly turns around, closing the door in front of him before the person can ask any questions.

it's historia. her pupils are dilated as she leans onto armin's arm. the booming sound of the music from downstairs drowns out whatever she's slurring out right now but armin pretty's sure he has a gist of it. "let's get you home." he sighs, placing his hand on her shoulder.

she shakes her head, "we—gotta...find y/n." she says a bit louder, clenching her eyes shut before opening them again. "my head hurts." she whines.

"that's what happens when you decide to act like a damn delinquent." he mutters bitterly more to himself, it's not like she'll remember any of this tomorrow. "now let's go home before mom kills us."

"but—y/n. we came with her, we can't just...just..." she clenches the front of his shirt before letting out a choked gag.

armin huffs, almost throwing her off before she ruins his clothes but even as annoying as she is, leaving his sister in a place like this isn't such a good idea. especially for his reputation. he would take y/n with him as well but it seems she's too preoccupied. too tainted to think straight.

but like he said, he'll make sure to fix that. he has two months to get everything back to the way they were. and maybe even a little better.

he's waited years for your friendship with him to blossom into something more but it seems nothing will happen without him egging a few things on first.

he spends the entire night tossing and turning, nightmares of the party before repeating in his head over and over again.

if it was anything else, he thinks he would've been able to let it go after taking a few precautions. but this isn't anything else. this is big and it only spirals the blotchy jealously he's tried hard to keep under wraps over the years, threatening to invade his thoughts with vile images.

he's awake long enough to hear the front door opening at three in the morning. immediately getting up and walking towards his slightly open door, knowing it's you. historia and his mother are sound asleep and besides his father who's rarely home due to work, you're the only one left with a key.

he made sure to pressure historia into getting you one as soon as possible the second he found out you were spending the summer with them. groaning fills the silence of the house followed by you stumbling up the stairs. he expects to hear you go into the guest room you're staying in or historia's bedroom but the bathroom door opens instead.

a few minutes passes before he hears you groaning again, this time louder and his feet inch towards the hallway, wanting nothing more than to go to you. but then that angry feeling rises again and an acidic taste resides on his tongue. he doesn't want to be angry at you, he's never been angry at you. he should be furious with eren only. the way he took advantage of your kindness and obliviousness isn't right. if you were sober, you never would've gone for him.

he sighs heavily, walking towards the bathroom door. you're slouched over the toilet, gagging into it and he races over. the concern is etched on his face as his hand rests on your back, startling you. you turn your head, movements sluggish. "armin?"

he didn't even have the decency to walk you inside? make sure you got into bed properly? fucking asshole.

"you okay?" he asks. it's the most you two have spoken to each other all summer.

"y-yeah." you wipe your lips. "sleepy." you murmur.

he gets up, putting his arm around your waist as he helps you stand. "rinse your mouth." he mutters and you obey, going to the sink to put some water in your mouth and spitting it out. "let's get you to bed."

you two stumble out of the bathroom, he makes sure to keep his hands around your waist. his chest constricting with want as he gets to feel you, it's been ages since you two have touched each other. he eyes your bedroom door, that's where he originally wanted to take you but he can't help but think back to that party. at how eren got to experience everything he wasn't able to. then he sees the bruises on your neck, he grits his teeth so hard he's sure they're going to chip any second.

no. he deserves this little thing. it's not like he's going to do anything inappropriate, he's not like that jackass who decided he deserved to touch you like that. he just wants to be near you. it's been awhile, too long. and it's not like you two haven't slept in the same bed before.

that's what he tells himself as he guides the both of you towards his own bedroom, slowly placing you on the bedsheets to which you immediately snuggle into. he eyes flicker towards the closet door, contemplating whether to take out a random t-shirt and place you in it but you'd just be waking up with questions he wouldn't be able to answer. the armin everyone knows can't even look at a girl without blushing, let alone undress her.

so he opts for just laying down besides you on the sheets, he can explain this if you wake up confused. that you just drunkly stumbled in his room and laid down next to him. he turns his head, captivated by every rise and fall of your chest. your eyelashes fluttering as you snuggle deeper into the pillow, letting out incoherent whimpers.

his fingers slowly trace your cheek, chest burning badly with want. all he wants to do is touch, touch, touch. you just look so beautiful, so serene. and he can't help brush a thumb over your bottom lip. the same lips that were moaning out eren's just a few hours ago. that dark feeling is back and he can't help but press his finger down on your lip harshly, you let out a tiny whine but keep your eyes closed, too sleepy to really comprehend what's going on.

what's so special about him? he doesn't get it. eren's a meathead. he isn't fit to take care of you, to cater to your every need and make sure you never have to want for anything. to be ready to do whatever is necessary to keep you happy, even if it means hurting those you don't realize are harming you.

he leans forward, lips ghosting over yours but never touching. no, he wants you to be awake and alert for when your lips finally meet. so you can see no one else in this world but him deserves you. but fuck, he wants to kiss you. your lips look so soft, so addicting, like they were made for him. and they were. every inch of your body was created for him just like his was for you.

he needs to make this right, make you see what was standing in front of you all long. he could punch himself for not realizing he needed to act on this sooner.

but he will now. he'll make sure to fix everything.

armin wakes up before you, not wanting to be in the room when you finally snapped out of your slumber. fortunately, you don't stay asleep too long, waking up only thirty minutes after.

he's already made breakfast by then, blueberry pancakes just the way you like them. you step into the kitchen and he almost drops the glass of orange juice he's holding. you're dressed in his oversized hoodie with some shorts, it practically engulfs your frame as you awkwardly sit on a stool.

you're wearing his clothes.

his clothes are touching your skin right now. making contact with your chest, stomach and breasts. he gulps, placing the glass down. "m-morning."

"morning..." you trail off, slowly drumming your fingers on the counter. "pancakes?"

he quickly pushes a plate towards you, he shamelessly designed it like it held a five course meal instead of simple pancakes but you seem to appreciate it as you gasp. "this looks amazing."

"did you sleep well?" he deliberately asks that question just to see you squirm.

you tense up, picking up the fork as you jab the pancakes. "yeah...uh sorry i was in your room and...bed. must've stumbled in there last night."

"it's fine." he smiles. "i slept on the couch, no worries." the lie flows out as if he didn't spend the last few hours cuddling you like you were going to run away any second.

"oh."

"what?"

"nothing." you shake your head, chewing.

"no really, what?" he presses, leaning on the counter towards you.

"well...i mean i wouldn't have a trouble if you slept in the same bed, it's not like we haven't done it before."

"that was a long time ago." he says but the fact you remembered fills him up with glee. so your mind hasn't been completely infiltrated with his so called best friend, you still think of armin.

"yeah but we were really close before...you know. i'm sure—"

"before what?" he asks, forcing the confusion to appear on his face even though he knows exactly what you're talking about.

you fidget, "before you started to distance yourself." you sigh, perhaps growing a bit agitated under his intense gaze.

"hmm." he hums. "well, studies and all that, you know how it is. but i'm sure you found plenty of people to fill in that hole i left behind."

you raise an eyebrow, "well...i wouldn't—"

"did you miss me, though y/n?" he places his hand under his chin, staring at you. "you walked into my room like it was second nature, snuggled right into my bed like it was home. it was pretty cute."

you nibble on your bottom lip, "i'm sorry about that. gosh, that's so embarrassing."

"answer the question." he urges, tone being a little bit more stern then he intended.

your eyes widen for a moment, "yeah—uh i missed you. didn't you miss me?" you ask shyly.

a far contrast from the moans that were leaving your lips last night. "of course i missed you." he nods. "you, me and historia were such a tight nip group back then. but then college came around and things changed. we changed, didn't we?"

"yeah, i guess."

"you never used to go to parties before and now look at you, stumbling in at three am like some drunkard. makes me wonder what else you've been up to." he continues nonchalantly, plucking a berry into his mouth.

you lick your lips, hands clenching around the fork. a few seconds pass by before you let out a laugh meant to lighten the mood, "i almost forgot how intense you can be, geez lighten up armin. your stare is practically boring into me." you play with the sleeve of his hoodie, trying to hide your discomfort.

discomfort. he doesn't want you to feel that around him. he'll have to change that, make you see his behavior is only intended to help you. protect you from the evils in the world because you're simply too native to notice them. "and i didn't even wanna go to that party in the first place. i suggested star gazing but historia called it dumb."

"of course she did, her idea of a good time is getting so drunk she could faint." he rolls his eyes. "anyways. speaking of change, did you talk to eren last night?"

you almost choke on the pancake, quickly putting the fork down so you can grab the glass of water and gulp it down. "n-no! why would i speak to eren? i barely know the guy."

you've always been a bad liar—always overexaggerating everything.

"just wondering. i haven't been able to get a hold of him. mikasa wants to speak to him."

"mikasa? why?" that certainly piques your curiosity.

"well, they are best friends and he left campus without telling her where he was going apparently. she's at her hometown with her parents and is worried sick."

"can’t you be the messenger or something?”

he clicks his tongue, walking over and sitting next to you. "i'm not sure this message can be passed down through me." he smiles, making sure your thighs are touching.

"why not?" you ask timidly, as if afraid for his answer.

"well, i'm sure you know about how...special their relationship is. right before we left for break, eren told me he was planning on confessing his feelings for her when we got back and then she just texted me saying—"

"what?" your lips form into a frown, doe eyes filled with confusion. it's so cute. so naive and cute. "eren likes her?"

"of course he likes her silly, everyone knows those two are head over heels for each other. practically in a relationship already. it'll be so cute when we get back to campus and see them finally get together, don't you think so? their bond is truly something remarkable."

you stay silent, eyes staring down at your pancakes. do you actually like him? armin refrains from a scoff, how could you be so dumb to fall for someone like eren? "what's wrong? you look like you've seen a ghost."

"f-fine."

he nods, hand going to touch the syrup in the corner of your lips. you look surprised for a second as his tongue darts out to lick his finger. "we'll be spending two whole months in this house together." he changes the subject, having accomplished what he wanted to do. he doubts the eren situation is over yet but he has all the time to permanently destroy it. and he will.

"don't we think we should rekindle the friendship? it's gonna be awkward if we continue ignoring each other."

"you're the one who ignored me." you murmur.

"i wanna fix that, i'm sorry y/n. i'm sure we can go back to where we left off, hmm?" he lean down so your faces are closer together, your eyes widening at that the movement. "would you like that?"

it looks like you're nodding before you can even register what he's saying. you've always been like that. so compliant. it used to be adorable but now all he can think about is how eren used that submissiveness and naivety to sink his claws into you. no one can be trusted around you. only armin.

"y—yeah." you smile, sullen mood from the news he just delivered temporarily gone. "i've missed you a lot."

"i've missed you too."

"what's this?" you ask as you walk into the living room a few hours later, granola bar in hand. still wearing his hoodie.

"a fort?"

"i can see it's a fort, but why?" you walk over to the sofa, plopping down on it.

"we used to make these all the time in high school, and since we're going to be friends again. don't you think—"

"so a fort?" you hum. "you usually hated when we made these, always calling it childish."

"well..." he steps towards the coffee table, picking up the miniature planetarium he stashed in his closet a few years ago. "you said you wanted to go stargazing so—"

"so you brought the stars to me?" your tone isn't mocking but you do chuckle a bit. "i don't know if that's sweet or just—"

"i think it's sweet." he grins, walking towards you. "so what do you think?" he gestures towards the fort. he didn't spent the last fifteen minutes moving furniture and gathering almost all pillows, sheets and cushions in the house for this for you to reject his offer. he needs to see you with that look in your eyes, looking at the stars with admiration. he misses it. the last sight in his mind is of you at that party, eyes gleamed over with lust and that hammered look. it plays over and over again and he's sick of it.

"sure." you beam, not waiting for him to make the first move as you crawl into the fort. the sanctuary he made for just the two of you.

he goes in after you, thighs touching yours as you sit next to each other. he made the insides small on purpose, just so he could feel you. he turns the projector on and you both watch as the speckles of light start to form on the sheets.

"whoa." you mutter to yourself, entrapped by the glowing of the luminescent blues and purples. "you really did all this for me?" you ask, nibbling on your bottom lip.

"wouldn't be the first time i went all out for you." he moves closer to you, breathing fanning on your face. "i'd do anything for you y/n, i thought you knew that already."

you're his. he should do whatever it takes to care of what's his.

you stare at him, a definite picture of of purity with those big mesmerizing eyes. your mouth gapes open trying to come up with a response but nothing comes out. armin watches a bead of sweat trail down your forehead, it's almost scorching in here. he knows it would've happen in this summer heat so he slowly picks up the mini electric. "hot?"

"w-what about you?" you ask, visibly swallowing a lump in your throat.

he hesitates. c'mon armin. just be a man. so he wraps his hand around your waist and you recoil in surprise as he brings you into his lap so the fan is on both of your bodies. you place your hand on his thighs, squirming to get into a comfortable position. "a-armin..." you laugh, it's awkward. you're trying to ease the tension but he doesn't want that, he just wants to be near you, consequences be damned.

he's usually smarter than this. smarter than acting before he thinks but that night won’t stop haunting him so he smiles as he leans his chin on your shoulder. "what? am i making you uncomfortable?"

"w—well no but...it's just very sudden. you were acting as if i didn't exist just a few days ago and you're now—"

"i just wanted to touch you y/n. it's been years without your touch." he whispers, resisting the urge to nibble on your earlobe. "didn't you miss me? miss my touches?" he asks innocently, wrapping both his hands around your waist to pull you closer. your back is flushed against his chest, ass directly on his crotch and it takes a lot of will power not to get a hard on.

"i did." you nod eagerly. "of course i did."

"so let me treat you for all those times i missed."

"okay." you say, seemingly without thinking.

"wanna get some barbecue tomorrow ?"

"i have to meet my parents. y'know, getting yelled at for my major. the usual."

he frowns. "they're still mad about that? you should talk to them."

"you know they never listen to me." you squirm again on his lap but abruptly stops as you realize where exactly you're sitting. "it's fine, i barely talk to them anyways. i'm sure they'll finally get over it once i graduate."

he should comfort you, say something along the lines of they'll come around or don't worry but instead what comes out is none of those. "you don't need them." he rustles against you. "i'll always support you y/n. like i always have"

even if you weren't aware, he was mostly always in the shadows and making sure you got everything you wanted. "well, they are my parents."

"they've never cared enough to listen to you, to see you." his tone changes, voice low now as more sweat beads down his forehead. "none of them have, have they?"

"i—i...i'm sure—"

"historia doesn't see you? does she? she says she's your best friend but she treats you like a lackey y/n. isn't that infuriating?"

you scoff, "that's not true." you go to get off his lap but he tightens his hold on you. he just needs to say this.

"is that why she rejected your offer of stargazing? why she always made fun of your outfit choices back in high school? she was always jealous of you, don't you see that? you're better than that, better than all of them." every single one.

he wishes he could see your face but he settles for this, just for this simple touch. "i don't know what you want me to say to that, armin." you breath out.

"i want you to see your worth, y/n. you deserve better than all of this. don't you think so? you deserve the world." he can't help himself as he leans into the crook of your neck, inhaling your scent.

you're not creeped out, or at least you're not attempting to get up anymore. "and what, you can give me that? is that what you're saying?"

he wasn't meant to have this type of conversation right now, it was just supposed to be a nice evening of laying down in this fort. but he saw an opportunity and why not take it?

"you know i can." he answers. "you know i'd do anything for you."

you turn your head slightly, looking at him. "really?" you question. "anything?" you sound intrigued and he swears you're leaning in, it's not his imagination right? you really are.

but before your lips can even brush against each other, historia's screeching voice booms in the living room. "y/n! it's time to get ready."

you quickly get off, almost throwing yourself to the ground as you scoff awkwardly. as if being knocked out of a trance. you don't even spare armin a glance as you crawl out.

get ready for what?

"another party?" armin leans on the doorway frame, watching his sister apply her makeup. "you two went to one just last night—and halloween themed? it's the middle of summer."

"that's what makes it fun!" she smiles, putting the blush down and standing up. she decided to go as a cat. or at least, he thinks it's a cat. drawn on whiskers with an ear headset, a damn tail, short dress with long fishnets.

she looks like a whore. she's been acting like a whore ever since summer started and he realizes maybe that's why you’re acting so different. you live near each other in the dorms and historia must be rubbing off of you.

he tries and keeps his outrage down as historia gets up, walking towards the door. "we'll be back at twelve...hopefully."

"no, you'll be back at twelve." he grits his teeth. "you'll get drunk like an idiot dear sister, and leave y/n all alone at some strangers house. again."

she blushes, offended at the assumption. "you're the one who brought me home last night, why are you blaming it on—"

"would mother appreciate this? you dressed up like a skank and going to a party two nights in a row?"

he shouldn't be saying this. it's not in his character and it's obvious historia is completely staggered at his behavior. "she's barely home and i doubt she cares what i do at night. unlike you, i haven't made it my life to be the perfect—"

"but i care." he's walking towards her before he can stop himself. "i care about the way you're treating y/n. dragging her to parties, getting her drunk so assholes can take advantage then leaving her high and dry. you're a bad influence, dear sister and it's truly annoying seeing you trying to turn her into some gross replica of you. she's not like that, she's not tainted like you. she's pure and i won't let—"

"you're hurting me jackass!" she whimpers and it's only then armin realizes he's seized her wrist, digging his nails into the skin.

he quickly lets go, clearing his throat. "sorry, just stressed from school."

the annoyance is clear in her eyes along with the rage but armin notices something else...a hint of fear? he scared her? fucking great. watch as she goes and rants to mother about her asshole of an older brother resulting in talks he definitely doesn't want to have.

"if you're so worried about y/n, come to the party like you did last night. keep an eye on your precious doll." she scoffs, shoving him away so she can step out the door, rubbing at her wrist.

that's not a total bad idea. it's a perfect way to get closer to you without seeming like a total creep plus he can keep eren and his greedy claws away. he quickly walks towards your door, knocking once before you're opening. his mouth nearly gapes open at the sight of you, how is it always possible for him to be blown away by your beauty every time he sees you? you're dressed in a short white dress, wearing a halo headset with wings.

an angel? fitting. very very fitting.

"you like it?" you grab the ends of the dress, showing it off. he notices you try very hard to not look at him in the eyes. "couldn't decide between a bride or angel. historia wanted me to go as a sexy nurse but i didn't really have—"

"gorgeous. you look gorgeous." it flows out of his tongue so smoothly it has the both of you tensing up.

"really?" you quirk an eyebrow, clearing your throat and finally looking at him. it feels so damn awkward—at least to you but you try to act normal nonetheless. "i expected a swarm of insults, you hate things like that."

"do i think having a halloween themed party in the middle of summer is completely and utterly idiotic? yes. but it doesn't deter from your blinding beauty."

a shy smile gathers on your face, "uh...thanks."

"ready to go? i'm driving.”

your eyes widen, "you? going to a party twice in a row? going to a party at all? are you okay?" your hand is quickly going to touch his forehead before he can comprehend what's going on. his cheeks immediately blaze red, taking a quick step back.

you take your hand away, letting out an uneasy laugh. "it's just a tough armin, not like i was going to stab you or something."

"i know—"

"you say you want our friendship back but you act like this...it's weird." you huff. "you've been acting weird ever since we left for college, no—you've been acting like an ass and i've let it go but this summer means a lot to me. i'm finally having fun for once in my life and i don't need you to come in and confusing me and—and what the hell was that fort—"

"i was just surprised!" he cuts off, tone more urgent than he wants it to be. "i do want us to be friends again!" he deliberately ignores the fort question.

he just wasn't prepared for the feeling of your skin against his in that moment. it’s usually him initiating the touches, not the other way around. he swallows the lump in his throat, quickly taking your hand in his. "i didn't mean to insult you. of course i want your touch, who wouldn't want it? you're—" he stops talking. stop it. stop it. he's babbling. "let's just go."

you nod, smiling again. at least you're not creeped out by his behavior.

the party is boring. it's only been an hour and he's bored out of his damn mind. other than drunk girls coming up to him and asking him what's he's supposed to be even though it's pretty freaking obvious he's not wearing a costume—the random loud shouting as someone starts taking shots is enough to drive him out of his mind.

but at least you're here.

he's made sure to keep an eye on you the second you guys got here. you've mostly been outside on the patio, drinking punch as you dance with some friends. he occasionally touches his lips, thinking of how close they were to yours in that fort. the way you looked at him was filled with...well you definitely didn't look at eren like that last night. speaking of the devil— "eren." he smiles tightly as his friend sits next to him on the sofa. "vampire?" he asks, eyeing his costume.

"is that alcohol?" he looks at the cup in armin's hand. "i need to get drunk immediately."

"it's water."

"water. of course it's water." he chuckles. "what else do i expect from mr goody two shoes?"

armin rolls his eyes, "why are you so desperate to find a way to act like even more of an idiot?" he mutters as if there aren't piles of cups around them, not to mention the cases of beer he's sure are in the fridge.

"nothing." he groans, leaning against the couch. "it's a party. getting drunk is what you're supposed to do."

"hmmm." he hums. "just thought it had to do with something else."

"like what?"

"well...i saw you and y/n the other night, getting it on."

"please never say getting it on ever again." he grins, sitting back up.

he's grinning...as if he didn't just commit a great sin against armin. didn't put his hands on armin's girl, didn't...he grits his teeth. how can he act so careless? as if he had any right to do what he did last night?

"do you like her?"

eren arches an eyebrow, looking at him. "what's it to you?"

"you don't do relationships. you hump and dump and y/n and i are very close. i don't want her becoming one of your victims."

"that's none of your business." he scoffs.

"just answer the question." his eyes bore into the others, clenching the cup in his hand to the point the liquid is overflowing onto his lap but he could care less. "cause if so, that's really pathetic. she always expresses how much of a idiot you are, it's funny really. how she had to be drunk to finally sleep with you."

"she wasn't drunk." he says through gritted teeth. "we were both a little tipsy but not drunk enough to—"

"why are you even doing this with her? she doesn't like you."

"again. it's none of your business." eren deadpans. "what's wrong with you tonight? we're both—"

"you're right." armin sighs, letting out an exaggerated laugh like he's just realized how crazy he sounds. even though he knows he’s acting perfectly sane right now, who wouldn’t be mad if they discovered what armin did? "i'm being weird, i'm just really protective of y/n. she's like family to me, you know that."

eren bites his lip, still a bit tense but nods nonetheless. "i'm not doing anything...like that with her. i genuinely wanna see where things go."

oh.

he's not sure which answer would've been better but he shakes his head okay, licking his now dry lips. "wanna get drunk on the roof? just like we used to?"

"you mean i got drunk and you sat there, silently judging me." eren corrects, anxious atmosphere from before now gone. armin likes that about him. quick to forget and never holds grudges. "but sure, i'll get the beer."

"i have to go pee, see you on the roof." he salutes before eren walks into the kitchen. his eyes instantly travel towards you, feet dragging themselves towards the patio before he can stop.

he just wants to ask if you're okay before he departs, see if you don't need any assistance. you're surrounded by people...but it's people he doesn't trust. he doesn't trust anyone with you. for good reasons. before he can walk further to tap your shoulder, he hears the conversation you're having with abby—he thinks that's her name.

she's been over for sleepovers many times. never really liked armin, that's for sure. he's heard her call him fake at least two times, saying someone can't actually be that nice or perfect. fucking abby. why is she talking to you? he should've gotten rid of her long ago, sabotaged the friendship as soon as he realized her bad influence.

"just ask him out!" he hears her squeal. "literally, what are you waiting for? he's so hot."

something tells him she's not fangirling like this over armin.

"it's just...it's gonna be awkward!" you sigh, leaning against the wall. see? you can make good choices all by yourself, it's the people around your corrupting you. warping your thoughts until they're no longer your own. "he's armin's best friend and—"

"ugh! who cares about that boring walking encyclopedia!" abby groans heavily. "eren is probably the most popular guy on campus, have you seen those abs? ask him out or i will!" she laughs and armin knows she's not joking.

"he's not...boring." you mutter. "he's actually a pretty cool guy and—"

"you're probably the only one who thinks that." she rolls her eyes.

she interrupted you again. why is she always interrupting you? and why do you never speak up on it?

"ask eren out! c'mon, who cares about what armin thinks? his head is too busy being buried in books to notice anyone else regardless." she shakes your hand frantically.

you squirm, slowly nodding. "maybe. i might. eren doesn't seem to be totally av—"

"gotta go pee." she lets go of your hand. "drank way too much beer."

"want me to go with you?"

you're so nice. why are you so nice?"

"no, it's fine. it'll only take two seconds." she smiles, walking back inside. armin already made himself scarce the second she turned around, watching her walk up the stairs.

he should just go to the roof, talk to eren...but it seems eren isn't the only one standing in the way of his relationship with you. everyone wants to jeopardize it and he's had enough. so he's walking upstairs, not second guessing himself as he makes his way to the bathroom. he's been to this mansion many times before, his mother always having dinner with the owner of it to get into their good graces.

it doesn't take long before he finds it, the hallway is empty and he can hear abby inside. giggling nonsense to herself as she pees. she's drunk. probably wouldn't even remember his face.

he's not sure what he exactly plans to do but the second the door opens, he's immediately shoving her back inside. hands going to rest against her throat and mouth. fuck, he should've thought this through but all he can see right now is blind fury. people keep trying to tear you two apart and it's fucking with his brain. makes him so furious he just wants to punch everything in sight.

abby is screeching, trying to get out of his grip but she's a petite girl. barely weighing a hundred pounds. her back is to his chest and he prays she won't recognize him by the sound of his voice but even if she did...who cares? no one would believe her anyways. so he chuckles, not bothering to mask his voice.

"why do you keep getting in my way abby?" he sighs, applying a bit more pressure to her throat to which she whimpers at. "i don't want to hurt you so let this be a warning, hmm? stay away from y/n. never talk to her again, don't even think about her. that friendship is dead as of tonight? don't you think so?"

she only whimpers louder, trying to free herself so he applies even more pressure. she's now choking, little gasps trying to come out. "you're all trying to ruin her, it's so fucking annoying. just away, okay? it's simple enough, right? i'm going to let go now, don't turn around, don't scream unless you want me to break your windpipe? do you want that, abby?"

he's not sure he even knows how to break a damn windpipe, at least not yet but she doesn't know that. she nods frantically, tears flowing down her cheeks and onto armin's fingers. "great, now run away. all the way home." he lets her go and she doesn't need to be told twice as she bolts out of the room.

well, that was easy. he refrains from laughing as he leans on the doorway. she was all bark and no fight. always insulting armin but suddenly turning into a pathetic, sniveling bitch once he actually does something in retaliation.

he's feeling confident tonight, smiling ear to ear as he walks towards an open bedroom. the balcony door is wide open and he steps out onto it. climbing onto the roof doesn't take much effort, he's been doing it with eren for years.

speaking of eren.

another problem he needs to fix.

getting eren drunk isn't a hard thing to do. it only took a few minutes on the roof before he was slurring his speech. fortunately armin got them both back down on the balcony before the other could gravely injure himself.

injuring his best friend badly isn't on his to do list. at least physically. eren grips his forearm as armin lays him down on a random chair, the summer air causing eren's hair to flow around.

he understands why y/n is so smitten, he guesses. he's a pretty good looking guy. but so is armin. isn't he? he got rid of that haircut he would always get teased for, went to the gym a few nights and developed actual abs, don’t girls love abs...so why him? is it because he's popular? maybe cause he didn't wait eons to make a move like armin is currently doing.

whatever.

soon enough, he's going to be out of the equation.

eren's too inebriated to even realize where he is. this won't be hard, not one bit. "eren." armin sings. "i dare you to punch that railing." he leans against said railing, watching eren's sluggish movements as he stands up.

he's a jock, they love stupid dares. especially when they're drunk. eren scoffs in disbelief, offended armin even had to dare him. like he would've done it regardless. "easy."

"you sure you won't hurt yourself?" at least too badly.

he rolls his eyes and before armin can blink, his knuckles are slamming into the railing. he actually did it. why are jocks so easy? "that was so weak." armin challenges. "lame."

eren punches it again without saying anything, then again and again and armin has to hold him back and push him back on the chair before he's breaking his own bones. he examines his knuckles, bruised and bloodied. just like he wanted them. "h..how was that? cool right?" he slurs, smiling happily to himself.

admin nods, "very cool. now go to sleep." he hums lightly, patting the others head again until he's snuggling into the chair.

armin waits a few minutes until he's sure eren's finally sleeping. he walks towards the wall, letting out a few puffs to brace himself. he's doing all this for you. it'll be fine. he can do it.

he doesn't allow himself to think twice before he's slamming his forehead into the wall. fuck. fuck that hurts. but he can do it. it's for y/n. it's for their relationship. he can do it. so he does it again, and again until blood is dripping down his face.

fucking hell, it hurts.

he winces as he takes out his phone, wiping the blood on the wall with the sleeve of his sweater. he dials your number and you answer on the first ring. so perfect. so damn perfect.

"hey! where'd you disappear to?" your chirpy voice says on the other line.

"y/n." he makes sure to add emphasis on his voice, "c-can you come upstairs to the balcony? second bedroom on your right."

"uh...sure. are you okay?"

he decides to hang up at that, you're coming so there's no reason to continue talking. dots start to form in his eyes, he should've expected that. slamming your head repeatedly onto a wall will do that to someone.

you arrive not twenty seconds later, hurrying up into the room and gasping once you see the sight of him. "oh my gosh!" you rush over, placing a hand on his shoulder as your examine his face. "what ha—" it's then that you notice a sleeping eren in the seat next to you two.

and normally you wouldn't even jump to such a conclusion but with the way eren's knuckle is bruised...armin left little to be assumed. "don't tell me..." you trail off, eyes widening with disbelief as you look between the two of them.

"it's fine." armin breaths out, squinting his eyes shut at the pain. "he—he must've gotten too drunk and—it's fine."

"it's not fine!" you exclaim. "he...oh gosh why would he do that?"

he stands up from the seat he's been leaning against. "he was drunk, he wasn't thinking straight. it's my fault for mentioning mikasa knowing how—"

"mikasa?" your voice is so meek it has him finally looking at you. you look hurt, like a wounded little deer and although it pains him—he's only doing this to help you. you'll see it soon enough.

"yeah, all i did was mention how if he doesn't hurry and man up, she'll be swept away by some other guy on campus. you know how mikasa is, everyone loves her and i guess he got too mad. my fault for messing with true love." he chuckles, trying to lighten to the atmosphere. "sorry, that last part was cheesy but truly i'm—are you okay?"

your bottom lip is sucked in between your teeth anxiously, slight tears forming in your eyes. "f-fine."

"are my injuries really making you cry? wow, didn't know you cared so much."

he tries not to think about the fact you're actually crying over eren. fucking eren.

you let out a forced laugh, "y-yeah." you sniff. "let's get you home. him too."

"is he usually so...violent?" you ask once you two are in the car, driving eren home. "and don't you need stitches for that or something?"

"not usually so violent. i only see him get so worked up when it's something he's truly passionate about."

"...right."

"and for the stitches part? i don't think so." at least he hopes not.

you nod.

"he's my best friend, i'm not sure he didn't mean to do it."

"he still hurt you though, that's messed up." you look at him, frown visible on your face. "your face is too adorable to get a fist punched into it."

"adorable?" he gasps, making a turn. "i'm hot. i'd like to think i stopped being adorable right when i entered college."

you laugh, "yeah. i guess."

"you guess what?" he asks, teasing smile on his face.

you smile, "you're...hot. there? did i boost your ego enough?"

"you have no idea, angel."

you're taken back by the pet-name but then realize it probably has to do with your outfit as you lean back onto the chair, staring at the passing houses.

eren's cozy in his bed a couple minutes later, snuggling into the pillows. "wonder what he's gonna feel when he wakes up knowing he beat the crap out of his best friend." you murmur, watching him on the bed.

"he did not beat the crap out of me!" armin scoffs, defensively. you giggle, "those bruises look pretty serious to me."

"doesn't mean he beat the crap out of me! it's just harmless bruises."

"sure, whatever helps you sleep at night."

he walks closer to you, "he really didn't. unless you haven't noticed, i've grown from that scrawny boy a years back. i can handle a fight."

"yeah, i've noticed but eren goes to the gym like a million times a day—"

"but did eren take a year of marital arts?" he counters.

"the dude is built like a bodybuilder, i doubt he needs marital arts."

"that's where you're wrong, dear y/n. brains win over brawn anytime."

"except for tonight." you say, mischievous glint in your eyes.

he blows air out through his lips in disbelief and it's only when he sees you squint at the movement that he realizes how close they are together. so close that all he needs to do is lean in a few inches and your lips are touching. should he? you're watching him intensely, like you also want to know what his next move is.

do you want him to? he doesn't know. he planned much more experiences to get you to realize he's the one for you. he doesn't want your first kiss with him to be in eren's bedroom, of all places. but maybe a petty part of him does want that. a way of getting back at eren for what he did. for almost taking you away from armin.

your eyes flicker up, staring at him before flicking back down to his lips. it seems you want to make the first move as your lips brush against his and armin has to will himself to not fall down because his knees feel like they're going to give out any second. holy...is this really happening? he's been waiting for this his entire life. for you to finally...fuck, your fingers idly play with the buttons of his shirt before you're deepening the kiss.

he doesn't know why but he pulls away, "why should i kiss you y/n?" he asks, voice teasing yet stern at the same time.

your body heats up from embarrassment, "i—don't you like me? the fort—"

"do i like you?" he could almost scoff at the stupid question. "do you like me?"

you look up at him, stumbling for words to say to that. you look like he's just asked you to commit murder, biting harshly on your bottom lip before breathing out. "y-yes." your voice is so timid. "i've always liked you."

oh?

oh.

"and yet you were under eren like a whore the entire night." he's not sure why he allowed that to come out but he did. you inhale sharply, quickly shaking your head. "n—no. i—"

"what? it's not like you two tried to hide it. with the way you were giggling, the way you were moaning his name."

"you saw that?"

"of course i did. how can i kiss you when you've been with eren? moaning his name, crying for him to go deeper. do you you think you deserve my kiss, y/n?" he keeps his face impassive but he's filled with glee on the inside. at the humiliation on your face, the guilt.

"i-i'm sorry!" you stammer. "i s-slept with him and i...i admit i do like him but it's clear he doesn't feel the same way an—"

"so what? i'm just a second resort?"

"no!" you quickly deny. "i've liked you for so long, armin but you've made it clear you didn't want this friendship to continue. and after this morning...and tonight i don't want to let more years pass by before i confess my feelings a—i'm sorry for what i did with eren—i really...i'm sorry." your eyelashes have tears on them, fingers digging into his shirt as you try not to full on break down.

it's so adorable. you've always been a crybaby. "i probably don't deserve it but...please...please kiss me." your bottom lip trembles.

"well go on, kiss me." he wanted to tease more, have you grovel and beg but how can he? when you're looking so desperate for just one kiss.

have you really? always liked him? has he been so blind to not notice? fucking idiot. so you have always been on the right track, you've always known what you wanted. it's others who stopped you from achieving what you truly wanted. others and armin's stupid decisions.

he allows you to lean in, your nails almost digging into his cheeks as you kiss him. he instantly wraps his hands around your waist, pulling you closer. you tilt your head to the side to get a better angle, and just as your tongues meet, armin pulls out again which elicits a whimper from you. "what..."

he grabs your jaw harshly, fingertips digging into the sides as he forces you to open your mouth. you look so pretty like this for him. dressed in white with a damn halo over your head as you look at him with that expression on your face. eyes just begging for you to be fucked. he doesn't think as he spits in your mouth and you whimper but don't protest.

he lets go and you swallow without a second thought, eyes focused on him. he can see why eren was so rough that night, you're just asking for it. "you let him fuck you, y/n. let him touch you."

should he even be acting so possessive right now? he should save that for later, when he's wired the fact you belong to him and only him into your brain. but that look in your eyes...it seems you already know. and his cock twitches at the possibility. do you? do you already know who you belong to y/n?

he drags you back until your back bumps against the dresser, his hand grabs your cunt which is practically aching for him already. "you let him touch this. this which belongs to me." he says into your ear and you whimper, clenching his shirt.

"s—sorry, p—lease please i'm so—nngh!" armin pinches your clit, mercilessly digging his fingers into the sensitive bud.

"who does this belong to?"

slick is already forming, coating his fingers. tears gather in your eyes, "y-you."

it's like fireworks went off inside of him, like he's finally seeing the light after years and years of pining. you do know. you know that every inch of you belongs to him, that you weren't made for anyone else. you were made for him. only him.

you shiver as his lips plant soft kisses on your chest, his hand gripping your hip. those hips he's always had too many fantasies about to count. he bites down, wanting everyone to see his marks on you. to see who you belong to. his teeth nip on your chest, jaw, chin, neck—anywhere he can leave marks.

he just wants to make you feel good, so good you forget about all your other past partners. he roughly turns you around so you can see yourself in the mirror behind you, your hands lean on the dresser, a dazed look already in your eyes. "you don't care that he's here?" armin whispers.

you shake your head, "i don't. please armin, fuck me."

you let out a wonderful moan as he pulls your dress up, ripping your panties and throwing them on the ground. he dives a finger inside of your needy cunt, "fuck!" you whimper.

"does it hurt?" he mocks. he doubts it does. not with the way you're trembling with pleasure under his touch. "i'm sorry angel but you don't deserve lube. not after everything you put me through me."

you nod helplessly, not even disagreeing with his words. "i'm so sorry." tears fall down your cheeks, eyes looking back into his through the mirror.

you're so weak for his touch and it's so gratifying. it's all he's ever wanted. "you're so pretty, so tight just for me." he inserts another finger, curling them until your legs start shaking under your own weight. he holds you up, teeth grazing your neck and peppering kisses on your back.

it's so hot. everything feels so hot as the moans travel out of your lips, the sound of his fingers inside of you followed by your high pitched whining. it's almost too much. eren is right there and although he's not waking up anytime soon, it's just...fuck. it takes another finger before you're spilling onto his hand, guttural moan escaping your lips as you almost fall down.

he smiles in ecstasy, bringing his fingers to his lips and shamelessly licking every single white spot he finds on them. why would he be ashamed? he's been waiting for this his entire life. this is all he could ever ask for. "it tastes just like candy." he grins near your ear.

you shiver, "please...please fuck me."

he doesn't allow himself any more stalling, he's gonna have the rest of your lives together to taste and tease you. right now, all he wants to do is sink into that tight heat. so he does. and you both moan at the feeling. it's so hot, taking it in like armin's cock was always meant to be there. and it was, wasn't it?

"fuck..." he grips your hips, starting to thrust up. the arousal eating him up.

"so—big." you choke out as he starts to fill you up all the way. "feels so good..." you grip his cock so perfectly. everything you do is so perfect.

he starts to thrust harder once you've adjusted, not sparing any time as he pounds into you. the items on the dresser start to shake, moving around but none of you care enough. skin slaps against skin, his fingers clench your hips while yours dig into the dresser. he grins at the way your mouth falls open, tongue lolling around as you're helpless to way he's drilling into you.

you love this. it's so evident on your face. you love the fact it's armin behind you, the fact it's him inside of you right now. you didn't even ask for a condom...fuck how perfect would that be? you filled up with his babies. he could almost cum just at the thought.

but he doesn't. instead he increases his pace, fucking you eagerly. "wanted this for so long. fuck, you're so tight. feels so good. you're so perfect. so so perfect."

you let out a wet sob, whether at his actions or words—he doesn't know but he relishes the sound. "you like that y/n? being pounded into like you're nothing? while the guy you claim to like sleeps not even five feet away? it's pathetic." he chuckles.

and he's not usually so mean. he won't be during your other sexual activities. no he'll treat you like a princess, like the perfect angel you are. but right now, he's angry. and you need to know your place.

"suh—sorry." you cry out. "won't do it again. so sorry." you shake your head, grinding your ass back to meet his thrusts.

you throw your head back, mouth parted and begging for a kiss to which armin gives. your tongues meet, swirling around together as he licks into your perfect mouth. you two moan into each others mouths as armin continues his pace and—fuck he has to almost slap himself for being an idiot and not doing this sooner as he brings his hand around to cup your right breast, clenching it tightly and you moan deliciously at the contact.

he grips it as your tongue goes to lick his teeth, licking anything really. you're so needy. just as needy as him. your moans get even louder and he's thankful eren's parents are out on some business trip cause he's pretty sure the entire neighborhood can hear you right now. "so—ah! so good armin. you make me feel so good." you say, voice airy. "please fill me up, please i want your cum."

he's pretty sure those exact words are the reason for the orgasm that happens not two seconds later. he grips your waist tightly, cock deep inside as he empties everything in you. you practically scream, legs shaking as armin continues to grind into you. making you feel every single inch of him. because it all belongs to you.

"so perfect." he pants, resting his sweaty forehead on your back. "so perfect."

would now be a good time to say he loves you?

you’re avoiding him.

at first he just thought you were just a bit shy considering the circumstances, you two were close friends then went through a period of barely speaking to each other for months only for him to end up fucking you in someone else’s bedroom.

so he gave you time to process all of that but it’s been two weeks...how much more time do you need? the first week he tried to stay calm but now it’s getting too much, the last time he gave you space you two didn’t speak for so long. that was his fault and he won’t make it again, he can’t go through that again. not after finally having a taste of you.

he sighs deeply, digging his fingers under the pillow and taking out the pink lace bra he took out of your drawer the other day. he just misses you too much. it feels like he can’t breath whenever you awkwardly walk out of a room once you see him, how you deliberately ignore his unwavering gaze, how you haven’t said even a single word to him.

it fills him up with anxiety and he needs to find a way to release somehow so he shamelessly acquired this piece of material. it’s not like he’s committed some crime, he just needed to find a way to be near you. to feel you again.

he wishes he could see it on you, maybe he’ll ask you to keep it on next time you two make love again. his hand was under his sweatpants the second he felt himself harden, quickly tugging on his length until he was panting into the pillow. “y/n...” he moans.

he needs you. needs to taste you, touch your soft skin and feel it under his fingertips. needs to hear your moans, see your scrunched up eyebrows and dazed out eyes as he pounds into you...fuck you’d be clawing at his shoulders just like that night. you’d be so tight as sweat drips down both of your bodies.

he grips his cock tighter, toes curled and eyes shut tight as the bra is held to his chest. if only he could live between your legs forever, feeling your tight heat and hearing your pretty little sounds. he’d never want to leave.

you’ve been gone all day, barely been around the last two weeks and he had no idea how much his schedule depended on you being near. even when he was ignoring you, most of the things he did throughout the day consisted of taking care of you. making sure you got to your classes, took your morning jokes safely, how he used to watch you study in the library and so much more. but he didn’t even know where you were now, he had your entire routine memorized back on campus. it definitely isn’t the same now that school was temporarily over.

loneliness was creeping in. he doesn’t know what to do without you. it’s not like he could study to pass the time anymore. fuck. all he needed was one more tug before he was releasing all over his hand.

that was unsatisfactory. it’s not like the real thing. masturbating does nothing anymore once he’s actually been inside of you. he groans, frustration threatening to take him apart as he gets up and walks towards the bathroom. it only takes a few minutes before he’s cleaned up and changed his clothes, ready to go to sleep.

but then he hears something.

rustling outside, right under his window. then he hears your soft voice, uttering something he can’t quite hear. he walks closer to it, thankful he left it slightly open.

what he sees...is definitely not what he expected.

his fingers unconsciously clench the window handle, almost breaking his nails in the process as he watches eren—eren walking down the lawn and into the street.

he was...he was in your room? he didn’t hear the front door open and there’s no other way for eren to have walked in unless he climbed that tree next to the two rooms. why was he in your room?

armin tastes blood in his mouth, biting down on his tongue so harshly that his teeth pierced into it. while he was in here, agonizing over your absence—you were in there with him. doing who knows what.

well, it’s pretty obvious what you were up to as he watches the pep in eren’s steps.

fucking hell.

he thought he fixed that.

are the healing bruises in his face just...fuck why are you with him? he shakes his head, trying to calm down but it’s pointless at this rate. he should’ve done more, he would’ve done more but then you suddenly came onto him that night and he thought he had won. apparently not.

playing nice is pointless. it seems you like men like eren regardless of the crappy actions they do. what’s wrong with you?

he’s walking to your bedroom in the next second, fists clenching and unclenching. what’s wrong with you? he goes to knock but then scoffs bitterly before sharply opening the door, hearing the sound of it smacking against the wall.

you’re on your bed, gasping and eyes widening at the abrupt action and sound. “armin—what—”

you’re just wearing an oversized shirt...that is definitely not his. looks like eren’s old football jersey. fucking hell. what is wrong with you, y/n?

“are you serious?” he breathes out, nails digging into the flesh of his palms. “are you fucking serious?” he takes a step forward and you anxiously scoot back on the bed.

“what are you doing?” you ask like he’s in the wrong. like he’s the one acting like a little confusing, manipulative whore.

“why are you doing this to me, y/n?” he grits out. “why?”

“doing what?” you raise your voice a bit, pursing your lips. the look in your eyes tells him you know exactly what he’s talking about.

“what’s so special about him? please tell me cause i don’t understand. why’d you go back to him even after everything he did? he doesn’t even love you—not like i do, how many times do i have to say no one loves you like i do?” he’s in front of you in a second, hands clenching your shoulders and slightly shaking you.

“y-you’re acting weird, armin.” your bottom lip starts to quiver. “you’re scaring me.”

“i’m scaring you?” he laughs. “not the man who almost beat me to a pulp? but it’s me who scares you?”

“l-like you said—he was drunk so...so he didn’t mean to! he said he apologized—”

“that’s not the point!” he yells, startling you. your eyes are widen to the point they look like they’re going to fall out but he doesn’t care. what’s wrong with you? “he’s brash, rude, inconsiderate. he could care less about you and trust me the second summer is over, he’s ditching your ass for someone else and yet you still pin after him? is that what you like y/n? do you enjoy getting walked over like a damn doormat by everyone? your parents, historia, abby and now eren? what the fuck is wrong with you?”

tears are gathering in your eyes, you bring your hands up to his and push them off of your shoulders. “you’re being mean.”

“i thought you liked that? unless it’s coming from me right? you allow everyone else to treat you like crap then come crawling to me with tears in your damn eyes when you need a safety net.” he seethes. “everyone else can be jackasses, except for me. i always need to be your perfect little armin.”

“what is your problem?” you stand up, facing him. trying to appear strong when you both know it’s all an act. you can barely stand up for yourself without crying. “you’re the one who ignored me for—”

“not this crap again. you’re the one who came onto me that night, saying you’re mine, begging me to fuck you and then you suddenly ignore me and go right back to eren even after everything.” he throws his hands up in the air.

“i like eren.” you exhale shakily, seems like those three words were the only ones you were capable of forming at the moment.

“you said you liked me too, remember? how you always liked me—”

“i was drunk that night, armin.” it’s said so nonchalantly, like it’s the actual truth but he knows better. he was watching you most of the night and you didn’t even go near a cup of alcohol.

fuck, he wants nothing more than to grip and throw you on that bed. fuck into you like the slut you apparently are and hear your soft noises. but it seems—it seems you don’t want that from him. you want that from eren. you want eren to be the big bad wolf and for armin to be your safe sanctuary whenever things get too rough.

he doesn’t want that. he wants to be your everything.

why can’t you allow that?

“so, what? you don’t want me?”

if being rough won’t work then he can try an alternative. it doesn’t matter if it makes him look pathetic, he needs you.

and the pain he’s in right now is excruciating, blurring his vision with tears. “can’t you at least try then y/n?” he walks over, hands suddenly grasping your wrists. the hold was rigid, crushing and even he was surprised at the sheer force of it. like he was trying to break something. “you can try to want me, to love me? can’t you? is it that hard? after everything i’ve done for you, you want to just leave me behind in the dust? everything i’ve done means nothing to you?”

you whimper, shaking your head no. “t—that’s not it. i just—” tears start to trail down your face, tiny sobs filling the room. “it’s not you, it’s me.”

“really? that crap line—”

“it’s the truth!” you exclaim, facing him again. “i...i don’t deserve you, armin. being with people like eren is better because even when i screw up, it won’t matter. b-but if we do get together than i’ll just mess everything up and hurt you and then i’ll lose you and i don’t wanna—i don’t want to lose you. i can’t.” you babble.

he stares at you, shock written all over his face. and disbelief, pure disbelief. that’s what you’re scared of? “the only thing that’s hurting me is you being with eren. it’s fucking kill me, y/n.” he chokes out. “and how many times do i have to tell you that i’ll never leave.”

“you left before.” you say, voice barley above a whisper. “you just left me alone to face everything and then you get mad cause of my choices—”

“i’m sorry, i regret doing that. so, so much.” he cups your cheeks, finally letting go of your wrist and it’s only then does he see the slight bruises his grip left on your wrist. fuck, why do you look so pretty with his marks?

“but that was the last time. i’m never leaving you again. i love you y/n. you’re all i need and i’m all you need, okay?” he leans his forehead against yours, taking in your everything. “okay?”

“but you can’t see the future, what if—”

“no.” he snaps, voice filled with finality. the only way he’s ever going to be apart from you is if the claws of death try to sink their way into him and even then, he’d find a way back to you. he can’t be without you. not anymore. it’s not even an option. “i won’t. i promise. okay?”

you stay silent for a minute, tears still streaming down as you sniff. “okay.” you rest your face in the crook of his neck, gripping the collar of his shirt. “i’m sorry. i’m so sorry, please forgive me.” you sob.

that’s exactly what you said that night and you still went and betrayed him. and yes you cleared things up. he knows it was all because of insecure, self sabotaging thoughts that pierced their way into you but what if they come back? what if you do that again? he can’t see you with eren anymore, he won’t be able to control his actions if he does. he backs away, taking your jaw into his hand and staring at you.

“you won’t do that again, will you?” he’s not asking. the tone in his voice makes it clear committing something as atrocious as that isn’t even a possibility anymore.

you nod meekly, doe eyes staring into yours with a hint of fear but this time he doesn’t care. if a bit of fear will keep you from shattering his heart again, then he hopes it sticks forever.

“i won’t.” you smile timidly.

good.

he’s inside of you not ten minutes later, chest covering your back as he fondles your breast. leaving marks anywhere he can. you’re his. and he’ll make sure everyone knows it. teeth sinking into fragile flesh with no mercy and with the way you cry out, you don’t seem to mind.

you’re yelping with every thrust, fingers clenching the sheets and his end goal is take several rounds throughout the night, pound into you until you’re non verbal. barely able to even let out tiny whimpers. he wants you so fucked out that no other cock will fill you up the way he does. and most certainly not eren’s.

he can tell he’s close, quickly flipping you around so you’re straddling him now, hands wrapping around your neck as you cry out. he smirks at the sight in front of him, purple marks covering your body, tear filled eyes and uncontrollable noises of pleasure.

so perfect.

it’s all he’s ever wanted.

he grips your waist, pistons in and out to the point you’re screaming. does historia hear that? hears you scream for him, evidence you’re his now. not theirs anymore. they can’t control you anymore, can’t taint what he loves any longer. armin’s the only one for you.

“oh—oh fuck.” you sniff through the tears, bouncing on top of him. that lace bra snug on your chest. you wore it just for him, just cause he asked.

“do you love me?” he pants, grip tightening.

you nod dumbly, without a second thought. “i do...i love you. i love you so much, armin.”

“good.” he smiles. fucking fantastic.

“you belong to me, right? you don’t need them anymore? right?” he practically begs.

you whimper, staying silent a second too long so he angles this next thrust into your sweet spot

causing you to yelp. “y-yes! i’m yours, i don’t need them.” you confirm.

“you don’t need anyone but me.”

“i don’t need anyone but you.” you whine, leaning your head onto his. “and you don’t need anyone but me, r-right?”

what kind of question is that? of course he doesn’t need anyone else. he’s never needed anyone else. if he could burn the entire world down with you two as the only survivors, he would. he wants you to himself, wants you to only have him. forever and always.

“of course.”

[unproduciblesmackdown]

i was like “i can’t just draw riawin again” like no wait absolutely i can and then i was like “but like also even More [winston billions chilling out / cuddling] content?? you draw that All the time” and then it was like wait i really actually do not, i just think about it like every day

[dokoni-mo]

Koi No Yokan || Darth Vader x GN! Reader (Chapter One)

summary: you meet your fiancé for the first time.

SFW

word count: 4661

warnings: arranged marriage, angst, arguing, fear, cursing, mentions of death, mentions of canon-typical violence, palpatine, allusions to non-healthy parent-child relationships, awkwardness

chapter's tune // youtube version

important a/n: hello hello all welcome to the beginning!!! as i said before, this fic will be based of the beauty and the beast story!! i did want to mention though, this is NOT a direct retelling of it. A fair amount of details have been changed, but the spirit of the og fairytale is still there. I just didn't feel comfortable writing about the reader being trapped against their will (and developing Stockholm syndrome). but, regardless, i still have high hopes for this fic, and i hope you do too!! enjoy!!)

~~~

The day you joined the Empire was the same day you met your fiancé. And if it weren't for pulling a few strings here and there; you would've never met him to begin with. Not until the day you were to be wed.

Although you had only been a part of the organization for a mere few hours now; one thing was made very clear to you right off the bat. They weren't privy to unnecessary things. Introducing you to your fiancé, they deemed, wasn't necessary. Sending you an escort to meet him wasn't necessary. Hell, apparently it wasn't necessary for him to even know your name.

You ended up having to be the one to take all that upon yourself.

However, what they did decide as necessary was far beyond your level of comprehension. Then again, you weren't stupid. You knew who your family was. You knew their influence, and you knew the valuable resources they could supply. They had control over dozens of systems; systems that would prove useful to the Empire. This, you could understand as necessary. That many more planets to control? And that much more supplies for the troops? Backing out on that opportunity would be madness at best. This you recognized. This you had learned to accept.

If only your parents could see it the same way.

It wasn't like joining the Empire was hard. Hell, if you were popular enough nowadays, it seemed like all you had to do was ask to get it and they'd let you. There wasn't any need for grandiosity. But, that's all your parents ever seemed to care about. Just how much of a show they could put on to gain people's adoration. It seemed as if no matter where they went, some kind of spectacle followed in their wake. As long as it brought attention and favor to them, they didn't care about whatever consequences there would be. There was no such thing as being low-key about anything. They never missed an opportunity to show off.

Perhaps that's why they agreed to that damned deal in the first place. For grandiosity. It's not like they ever cared much about your thoughts or opinions in the first place. Those weren't necessary. A grand gesture was.

And, apparently, signing away your hand in marriage was that grand gesture. It was necessary, even. And to do so without even informing you of the plan? The icing on the cake. And the fact that the Empire accepted that gesture as an offering? The cherry on top.

The rotten, stale, vile cherry.

When your parents eventually did sit down to tell you the news, you weren't shocked. You were angry. No matter how much you tried to be shocked, you just couldn't find it in you. You didn't want to accept it, but deep down, all along: you knew that this was coming. You knew that eventually, one day, they would pull something like this. The moment you reached your mid-twenties, you knew it was there; lurking, looming just around the corner, waiting to strike. As much as you didn't want to admit it to yourself, they knew it was there too. You knew from the very beginning that they were waiting for that opportunity. They nurtured it even; fed into it and watched it grow right alongside you. They taught you to be wise, cunning and diligent in everything you did. They taught you proper manners (which, in actuality, you only used when necessary), and everything about the art of a deal. They even showed you your way across a blaster and a good aim. You were their only child, the only trump card that your family could play.

And you had been sitting in the deck for far too long. The bill had come due. The curtain had been drawn. The final bow had been taken. The pot was just large enough now. It was time to put you in play.

You just wished they hadn't used you like this. Given you away to the damned Empire of all things like it was nothing. But, to them, it was necessary. It was the only way to get their favor; to tie your family's influence with theirs.

It made you livid.

"What?" You had hissed out to the both of them when they broke the news to you, a plethora of servants and maids hustling and bustling around your gilded room as they cleaned and sorted your things. Ordinarily, you would have been weirded out by people going through your stuff so intricately, but there were more pressing matters at hand. Your distaste for the rummaging would have to wait.

"Now dear," you mother retorted back at you, putting on her iconic oh so tiring there's-nothing-to-worry-about voice, "We know that this is rather sudden, but-"

"Um, YEAH it's sudden!" you exclaimed, feeling your face heat up as you waved your hands around in the air, trying to further emphasize your disdain, "Did you two even stop to think about how I would feel?! I mean, really! You expect me to be okay with all of this?!"

"Come on now, (Y/N)!" your father chimed in, leaning against the mantle of your fireplace like it was no big deal, "We're sure that they'll take good care of you! Besides, think of all the good this will bring our family! You'll be helping out a lot of people!"

Your eyebrows raised in shock and bewilderment as you looked at your father, "I can think of thousands of different ways to help people other than me getting married to... anyone."

Your last word perked up your interest, and your mother seemed to notice. She knew you were smart. She knew that, but still thought she could just so happen to sneak that little bit of information past you. At least for the time being. Averting your gaze back over to her, you watched as she fiddled with her hands, seemingly finding it impossible to look you in the eye now. Shit. She let you think about it for too long.

"You still haven't told me who I'm getting married to." you said to her, point blank and blunt.

An awkward silence hung in the room around you and your parents. Your father's usual nonchalant attitude vanished as he looked over at your mother, who returned his look with another full of concern. You furrowed your brow as your father quietly ordered the servants out of the room, them following their orders and quickly leaving without a word or a peep. Once they were all gone, your room was now painfully quiet. Too quiet. It made you feel cold, and you could feel your skull threatening you with an impending headache. Over the course of a silent agreement between your mom an dad, it was decided that your mother would be the one to break the news. After letting herself have a silent gulp, she turned back to you and looked you in the eye, straightening her posture as she tried to give you her best smile.

"Well, (Y/N)," she said, "The other day, me and your father spoke with the Emperor personally, and it seems we are all in agreement... We think that the best course of action for both parties if you were to wed, erm... If you were to wed Lord Vader."

Fucking pardon?

Silence. Dead, cold silence rang throughout your room, emanated from your person, dripped off your very being through a shell of disbelief. You stared ahead at your mother without a word, your mouth slightly hung open and your eyes wide. Had you heard her right? Did she really mean what she said?

No, no. Of course not. She had to be joking. Or perhaps you just heard her wrong. For them to willingly, willingly hand you over to that man? Had they not heard the stories? About just how ruthless he was? About the hundreds of men that he had slaughtered without so much as a second thought? The Dark Lord? The Supreme Commander of the Empire? Right hand of Emperor Palpatine himself? And they were just going to hand you over to him? On a silver platter with nothing but a pat on the shoulder and a kiss for good luck?

This had to be some sort of cruel, twisted joke.

You started to laugh, your breath airy as you placed one hand on your hip and the other on your forehead in utter disbelief at what you just heard. Despite the look on your mother's face, you continued to laugh as she walked over to you, holding out her hands to try and rest them upon your arms.

"Now, dear, we do know about Lord Vader's history, but we-"

"That just makes it even worse!" You exclaimed, your brow furrowing again as you backed yourself away from her hands so they couldn't reach you, "You know what that man has done, and you're willingly giving me away to him?! Are you out of your goddamned mi-"

"(Y/N), don't talk to your mother that way." Your father demanded, tapping back into the conversation from the sidelines after a long bout of silence.

"This is my life that the two of you are toying with!" You shot back, "You really expect me to be okay with being married to that man?! To just smile and say okay?! Please! If you were that desperate for some new attention, why couldn't you just-"

"That's enough (Y/N)." Your mother hissed, cutting you off. She looked down at you through her own furrowed brow, venom in her eyes as she saw you shut your mouth and hang your head down, looking up at her through your lashes. Your cheeks were still heated from your fury, your anger now left to bubble inside of you indefinitely as she tired of your rebellion.

You watched as she took a deep breath to compose herself.

"Now, I know this is all still a shock to you," Your mother spoke again after a brief pause, her tone more gentle but still sharp around the edges, "but we can assure you that nothing of harm will ever come to you. There will be guards accompanying you nearly constantly, and if anything were to happen, the right people will be notified at once. Your union with Lord Vader symbolizes the union between our clan and the Empire. You are a valuable asset to us both."

You breathed out an angry sigh through your nose as you rolled your eyes, feeling how your mother reached out to touch your elbows. You really couldn't find it in yourself to give a shit about what your marriage would do for your family nor the Empire. You had always imagined your wedding to be a happy occasion. Something grand and beautiful, with someone you truly loved and cared about. And someone that felt the same way about you. Not something where you were practically forced onto the alter; blaster pointed at your back in case you tried to run away. And most definitely not with someone like Darth Vader as the vengeful, rage-filled groom.

No. This wasn't how it was supposed to go at all. And you hated it. You fucking hated it. You felt so out of control as you stood there without a word, your shoulders stiff and your face feeling as if it were the surface of Mustafar.

Replaying your mothers words in your head, you suddenly felt a twinge. This made you shoot your gaze back up at her, watching as her lips parted at the sudden change of your demeanor. She knew that glint in your eye from anywhere. She knew what that meant.

The gears were turning in that head of yours.

She had said you were an asset to them both. A bargaining chip.

And, if that's what you were, then so be it. You'd play their game. You'd be the bargaining chip, and milk that shit for all its worth. You decided right then, right there. You would be the best damn bargaining chip the Galaxy had ever seen.

And if that meant putting yourself into play? To get a semblance of what you wanted?

So be it.

"When is the wedding planned to be?" You asked, looking your mom up and down. She looked over to your father briefly then back to you, slightly taken aback by your change in tone.

"Well, um," she said, "We haven't really decided on a date yet, dear. We just figured whenever the time was right, and when everyone could spare-"

"I want to meet him."

You watched through your lashes as your mother's lips parted again, and she looked over once more to your father for moral support.

"Love, I don't think we can, erm, do that. You see, Lord Vader is a busy man, and meeting him beforehand could-"

"So let me get this right." you blurted out, crossing your arms over your chest, "First, you take away my freedom of choice by picking out my fiancé for me, someone that doesn't even know my name most likely, and now you're taking away the basic human decency of allowing me to get to know my husband before I marry him?"

"(Y/N), please, we-"

"No, mother. I think it's a perfectly fair request for me to ask. You gave me something I didn't want, so now I'm asking for something I do want. And I want. To. Meet. Him. And I'm going to. Hell, I'll transport myself there if I have to. I'll pack a bag right now, even. Now if you won't do me the luxury of even that small of a request, I'll pack a bag to run away from here as far as humanly possible instead. If our union is so important as you say, then surely my fiancé could spare some of his time to meet me. Does this sound fair, mother? Or did you have something else in mind?"

~~~

You were grateful that you didn't have to be the one to carry that god-awfully heavy suitcase all the way down the runway of that hangar. You were lucky enough that a stormtrooper had been waiting for you at the end of the exit-ramp of you and your parent's shuttle, meaning you only had to carry it a small while. You felt bad giving the poor trooper something so heavy, but he didn't seem to mind. You figured he had much tougher jobs to do every day. Maybe carrying your luggage was like a day off for him. That made you a bit sad to think about.

The hangar of the Super Star Destroyer was nearly empty. You didn't have much experience with piloting or ships (nowhere near as much as you would like to have), but you could tell that it was unusual for it to be like that. Scanning your eyes over the drab, lifeless, grey expanse before you, all you could see were just a handful of troopers and guards, standing at attention to greet you and your family. Your mother was to your right and your father to your left, and you could tell that they were trying to look as dignified as possible. You didn't try and match their demeanor. You were the person-of-the-hour, so who cared what you acted like?

You sure as hell didn't.

Picking up your gaze from the troopers around you and your parents, you finally allowed yourself to look over at the opposite end of the hangar. The sight that greeted you made your lips part softly, your eyes slightly larger than before. Sure enough, there he was. Right at the other end. The other person-of-the-hour.

You recognized that silhouette anywhere. You had seen it countless times before. News-briefings, holovids, propaganda; you knew who that was. Even from all the way across the hangar, you could hear his breath; how the metronome of his respirator reverberated off the walls and demanded your attention. And that armor? That dressed him head to toe in that deep, rich black?

It was him alright.

Your husband-to-be.

You could feel a flash of goosebumps rise across your arms.

Walking over to him along with your parents, you swiftly realized that there was someone else in tow with your fiancé. A much shorter figure, who was also dressed head-to-toe in the same deep, rich black. As you got closer, you were able to get a better look under the cloak. Under it was a grizzled, ugly, slimy looking old man, with eyes as yellow as the daisies that grew back home. He had a dark, twisted sneer on his face; his old lips pulled up into a smile that made your skin crawl and an equally as twisted cane in his hand. His smile was one that made him look as if he knew something that no one else did, that no one else would ever even find out about.

And, hell, he probably did know something like that.

Thinking about it made you uncomfortable.

Drawing even closer to the two men and stopping within conversation-distance between them, you felt your gaze falter. You wanted to try and remain at least somewhat diligent and unbothered in front of them, but in realizing that you were standing in front of what was probably the two most powerful people in the galaxy: you found it hard to keep up your bravest face. It wasn't, per-say, because you were scared, no. Just intimidated. And, in all fairness, how couldn't you be? The Emperor was the Emperor. And your fiancé wasn't someone to bat an eye at either. He was tall. Almost absurdly tall, to the point where you knew you would nearly have to crane your neck to look him in the eyes of that mask. He was huge too. His arm looked like it was about three times the size of yours, along with his hands. You saw the way they gripped onto his belt. Sturdy. Strong. Unwavering.

You weren't scared. You weren't going to let yourself be scared. But god damn were you unnerved.

At least having your parents surrounding you gave you a little solace.

"Emperor Palpatine!" your father exclaimed, holding out his hands in a friendly gesture, but making to effort to shake the two sith's hands, "Lord Vader! So good to see you both in person!"

"We do apologize for arranging this on such sort notice." Your mother chided in, making you exaggerate your friendly smile so that you didn't frown in distaste, "But our (Y/N) made it a point to meet the Supreme Commander here and spend some time together before the ceremony."

As the Emperor lifted up his hand to wave away your parents' worries, you could have nearly sworn that you heard the creak in his bones. You had to hold back a little snicker.

"Nonsense." He said, that damn smirk lacing his voice as well, "The Empire is glad to entertain anything that you so wish."

As Palpatine turned his attention to you, you couldn't help but to steal a glance up at Lord Vader, who still hadn't said a word. You didn't blame him. This had to be just as awkward for him as well. But still, you couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking; under all that metal and armor. Did he at least find it tolerable to look at you? You knew damn well that this wouldn't work out if he couldn't at least stomach your presence. But, finding any sort of emotion on that mask or in that notorious respirator was like trying to find artistry in a concrete wall. A very large, intimidating, vengeful wall, but a wall nonetheless. You only were able to take your eyes off him when you heard your name being spoken.

"You must be (Y/N)." The Emperor spoke, making you take note of the way his smirk seemed to grow as he looked at you.

You nodded your head with the best forced-smile you could muster, having gotten pretty good at it after all the years.

"Yes, your excellency." You said with a small, tiny bow, "It's an honor to finally make your acquaintance."

"Come now, your highness," he croaked out, seemingly amused by your response, "there's no need to give me any of your attention. I know why it is you're here."

Lifting up his hand again, Palpatine gestured to the tall, looming figure behind him, making your eyes dart up to meet the lenses of Lord Vader's mask.

"This, of course, is Lord Vader." He said, "He is my apprentice, and my right hand here in the Empire."

Flashing up another awkward smile up at Lord Vader, you gave him another tiny, small bow as a greeting, your hands fidgeting by your sides as you stood up straight again.

"It's good to finally meet you, Lord Vader." You said to the sith. Begrudgingly, all you got in return from him was a small nod. Not even multiple nods. Just one. You weren't sure if you were expecting more, but you felt somewhat disheartened, your gaze falling back onto the floor. Did he really not like you? Honestly, you still couldn't tell. And even if you could, you knew you would find it hard to blame him. You were certain that a man such as him wouldn't be too keen on getting married to someone like you either. His focus lied in commanding the armies of the Empire, and hunting down any Jedi that may still be in hiding across the Galaxy. You were sure that your marriage to him, in his eyes, would just be a waste of time.

And you didn't necessarily disagree with him.

But, come on. At least show a little enthusiasm. Even if it's fake.

"Since you came all this way, your highness (Y/N), I shall leave you with Lord Vader from here. Your parents and I will discuss other matters separately." The Emperor explained, earning a nod of understanding from you. As Palpatine turned to leave, he placed his hand on the side of Lord Vader's arm, overtop of the long, flowing cape that covered up the muscle from view.

"Show (Y/N) around, my apprentice." Palpatine ordered, "And don't dawdle for long, do you understand?"

"Yes, my master." The dark lord rumbled out from behind the mask, making your ears perk up at the sound. Admittedly, his voice was much deeper than you expected it to be. In your opinion, it almost sounded fake, but yet oddly fit him surprisingly well. You were also surprised that he had even decided to say anything at all. After standing behind the Emperor for so long in silence, you had begun to wonder if he ever said anything at all. You guessed, however, that he only really spoke when necessary.

Again, you found it hard to blame him. It was the same way with you for a long, long time. You understood what it was like.

As you said your goodbyes to your parents, you hoped Lord Vader would change that sentiment once he was left alone with you.

~~~

The walk with your fiancé was atrocious. You had expected it to be awkward, and it was. At least, to you it was. You still had no idea what he thought of the matter. But you didn't expect to to be this bad.

For one, he didn't offer you his hand. Not even an arm or an elbow. He just started walking, and you had to do a light jog to catch up with him. His strides were much longer than yours, and you found that if you weren't walking as quick as possible, you would be left behind. At the very least, he allowed you to walk beside him, rather than having to trail on behind him like some lost puppy. But regardless, he still had yet to say much to you. Every now and again, he would rumble out a brief description of what kind of place the two of you were passing. But not anything you could start up a conversation with. Maybe he was doing that on purpose. It was hard to tell.

What wasn't hard to tell, however, was just how many people stared at you as you passed. At first you figured they were only staring at Lord Vader, observing him out of either curiosity or fear (or perhaps both). You understood their sentiments. But, as you returned a few of those gazes, you quickly realized that it was in fact you they were looking at. You could see it in the way their eyes softened as they looked at your face; how their mouths would form into a thin line of sympathy. Did they know? About your situation? Did word really travel that fast about this whole ordeal?

You didn't know. And you weren't much in a place to go up and question them.

Pressing on past all the silent well-wishes, you and Lord Vader were quickly greeted by a long, vast hallway. Along the entire expanse, there was not one window in sight. Just a whole lot of dull, white lights coupled with dull, grey floor. It was very unlike what you were used to at home. You were used to open-aired porticos, with lots of natural light and greenery. You were used to everything being full of life and hustle and bustle. The Empire was very much unlike home. Yet, in a way, it was your home now.

Fantastic.

After a good, long while of marching down the same corridor, you picked up your gaze from off your feet and placed it up upon your fiancé's mask. He was stared straight ahead, determined and sturdy as his respirator echoed off the walls.

You couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking under there. Just what exactly he thought of this whole ordeal, about you. You knew about all that he had done. You knew about all the stories there was about him. And frankly, hearing them made you sick. The whole damned Empire made you sick. You never wanted anything to do with it, yet here you were. Thrown practically right in the middle of it all. It made you mad, sure. It would've made anyone with even half of a brain mad. And you suspected your husband-to-be shared at least a somewhat similar sentiment on the whole matter. He was a warrior. A hunter. Getting hitched to some nobility from some nowhere planet probably was the last thing on his bucket list, if it was even on there at all.

Oddly enough, that made you sympathize with him. You felt bad for him. Because you saw yourself in him. He probably had a very similar response to the whole situation as you did. But, come to think of it, it was probably worse for him. His master was the Emperor. And that just opened up a whole new can of worms that you just simply had no idea how anyone could deal with that.

Looking up at him, into those deep, black pools that were the lenses of his mask, you felt a twinge of something deep, deep down in the core of your being.

Sorry.

You were sorry for him. About this whole thing. About just giving him more shit to deal with. You knew it wasn't you that caused any of this, but you still felt a tad bit responsible for it. Regardless of who he was or what he had done, you still knew one thing; Lord Vader probably had a bunch of bullshit to deal with already. And throwing a surprise wedding on top of that? A wedding to someone he didn't even know existed 24 hours ago? Yeah. You wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Not even him.

Wetting your bottom lip with your tongue, you decided to say something about it.

"I'm sorry." you said to him in contrary to the painful, agonizing silence that loomed over the two of you. You had quickly wondered if he had even heard you at first, but your worries were subsided as you watched his mask point briefly down at you, then back ahead.

You were smart. You knew what that meant.

Elaborate.

You bit the inside of your cheek and sighed before continuing, trying your best to keep up his pace with tired legs as you explained yourself.

"Look," you said, "I get it. You don't know me. I don't know you. And if you're anything like me, if we were under different circumstances, you probably wouldn't even want to know me to begin with. Trust me, I felt the same way about you."

From the corner of your eye, you saw him look down at you, only for good this time. Much to your surprise, he had even halted to a stop at hearing your words. You weren't expecting to stop so quickly, so you had to stand up a bit straighter to keep yourself from tripping over your own feet. Standing in front of him, even as straight as you possibly could, you were still so short compared to him. He seemed to be easily twice your size, maybe even three times on a good day. And, you had to admit, that coupled with how that mask looked down at you, boring into your being, it was a bit intimidating.

Well, maybe more than a bit.

Yet, you didn't allow yourself to falter. You were the bargaining chip, and you knew from the stories that Lord Vader wouldn't be so stupid as to forget that. Keeping your face as determined yet open-to-conversation as possible, you crossed your arms over your chest as the dark lord looked at you, stranded alone with him in the middle of that hallway.

"Felt?" was all he said as he looked at you, his armored head tilting to the side ever so slightly.

"Yeah, felt." you responded, "You haven't said anything in forever, and it gave me some time to think."

You saw the dark lord's back stiffen at your bold words, and from that one tiny movement alone, you could tell he wasn't used to being spoken to in such a manner. You found it hard to care. You knew you had special privileges, and you intended to use them.

"I apologize for not being as entertaining as you had wished, your highness." he said, and you had to fight back rolling your eyes.

"Don't be sorry. I kinda figured hospitality wasn't your strong suit."

You couldn't help but show the small smile of satisfaction that appeared on your lips as you watched his head tilt to the side yet again.

"It seems you are quite perceptive, your highness." he rumbled out. You could tell he was getting sick of your antics already. Time to cut to the chase before you blew your chance.

Letting out another sigh, you let your smile fall off your lips as you spoke.

"Look," you said, gazing up right into the lenses of his mask, "What I'm trying to say is: even though I think both of us would've rather just have never known each other, that's just not the case anymore. We're in it, no matter what. Call it fate or whatever, but we are."

You shifted your weight onto just one of your legs before continuing, "And I think I'm rather certain I'm speaking for the both of us when I say: fate has dealt us some pretty shitty cards. Ones we never even asked for. But, that doesn't mean the shitty ones have to be shitty. Sometimes there's potential to turn them around and make them good. And I want this to be one of those. In fact, I believe it is one of those ones. While I think this whole thing is totally and utterly unfair, we can still try to turn it around. We don't have to be a burden on one another. There's potential here for something good."

Shifting your weight back so it was equally on both of your legs, you unfurled one of your arms out and extended it. You opened up your hand and held it out at waist height, offering it to the sith lord in front of you for a shake.

"So, how about it?" you said, a small smile returning to your lips, "This is a shitty hand, but hey, we can at least try to make the most of it, yeah? I'm willing to look past a lot of things and turn the other cheek if you are too. Who knows, maybe we can even be... friends."

Lord Vader stared at your face for a good, long while, his gaze flickering down to your outstretched hand ever so often. He had to admit, as much as he hated to do so, but you did make a fair point. You were right when you had said fate had dealt him a shitty hand. Hell, he was probably dealt the shittiest hand in the history of the Galaxy. He knew this. He had accepted this long ago. He knew he had made a lot of shitty plays too. He knew that more than anyone alive today. But, he had to say. He saw that in you too. As soon as he first saw you up-close, he knew you had that same look in your eye. That look of knowing that you had been dealt a shitty hand. He had expected you to be the type to become complacent with your own shitty hand, just as he had. In time, he expected you be like him; to just accept all that bad that came to you, just as he had.

But the way you looked at him, with that hand reached out floating in the air, he was...

Pleased.

He didn't even want to meet you at first. When his master told him that you were coming, he dreaded your arrival. Hell, he even dreaded just being near you. The thought of every marrying someone, someone else, he hated it. It made the darkness stir inside him more-so than usual. He wanted nothing to do with you.

But yet, looking down at you there in the cold, harsh lighting of that hallway, Lord Vader found himself something he most certainly did not expect.

He was pleasantly surprised.

You weren't nearly as bad as he predicted you to be.

He didn't loathe the sound of your voice. He didn't curse the feeling of your warmth next to him as you walked side-by-side. He didn't hate the sight of your face. He didn't want to kill you because of your smile. You were smart too. He appreciated that. He enjoyed knowing that it wasn't so much of a chore conversing with you as it was with the unfortunate lot he had to deal with on the daily.

And maybe, just maybe, that meant something to him. That meant that this card the Universe had dealt him was worth the investment; was worth putting in to play. Rather than just letting it collect dust in the deck. And even if this wasn't the card he wanted:

Perhaps it was the one he needed.

Once your arm was starting to get tired from holding it up for so long, you found yourself pleasantly surprised as well. You couldn't help but feel how your smile grew as you watched the sith lord lift up his own arm, extending his gloved hand out to you. Carefully, he placed his hand inside yours, the two of you sharing a firm hard shake of silent and determined agreement.

"You make a compelling argument, your highness." Lord Vader said to you as the two of you shook hands, making you breathe out a tiny laugh.

"Please, just call me (Y/N)." you responded, crossing your arms again as the handshake drew to a halt "We're gonna be married, there's no need for all the formality."

"As you wish, (Y/N)."

"Does this mean I can just call you Vader?"

"... I will allow it."

You couldn't help but giggle at his choice of words, a smile still on your face as he started up his walk again, this time significantly slower so that you would have a better time keeping up. Deep down, you were relieved that Vader had accepted your offer. You had been somewhat nervous. You were worried that he would just be an old grump about the whole thing, swatting away your hand like it was nothing. Like the olive branch you had extended was just another waste of time. Like it wasn't necessary. You were prepared for the outcome, but relieved that it didn't happen.

And, in the way the lights hummed around the pair of you, and in the way the faint tingle of the feeling of his hand in yours lingered on your hands, and in the revelation that his hand did, in fact, fit rather nicely inside of your own,

You knew that maybe, just maybe, there was more to come.

~~~

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