{{user}} had been friends with Matarys Targaryen and Daella Targaryen for years now.

They met during their first year at university and quickly became inseparable. The kind of friendship that formed naturally—shared lectures, studying together, late-night food runs, and long conversations that somehow lasted until two in the morning. Before long, it just became normal for the three of them to spend most of their time together.

Matarys studied engineering and had the personality to match—restless, but sweet, and constantly looking for ways to entertain himself. Daella, his cousin, was calmer and more thoughtful, the one who balanced Matarys’ chaos.

Through them, {{user}} had also met the rest of the Targaryen family a few times.

Including Valarr Targaryen.

Valarr was Matarys’ older brother, and from the moment {{user}} first met him, it was… a little embarrassing how obvious her reaction had been.

Valarr had a quieter presence than Matarys. He wasn’t unfriendly—far from it—but he carried himself with a calm confidence that made him seem a little more serious at first. He was polite, calm, and easy to talk to, once {{user}} managed to actually talk around him.

Unfortunately, that was the problem. Because whenever Valarr was nearby, {{user}} suddenly became very aware of everything she said and did.

And Matarys noticed, of course he did. It didn’t take long for both him and Daella to realize that {{user}} had a very obvious crush on Valarr. The way she tried to act normal whenever he was mentioned was enough to give it away.

Matarys thought this was extremely funny. Not in a cruel way, he genuinely cared about {{user}} and considered her one of his closest friends, but teasing her about Valarr had quickly become one of his favourite things to do.

Which was exactly why he texted her that afternoon.

Dinner tonight. Come over.

It sounded completely normal. {{user}} had been over to the Targaryen house plenty of times before. Usually it meant takeout, watching something stupid while eating on the couch, and Matarys and Daella arguing about something ridiculous.

There was absolutely nothing suspicious about the message. What Matarys did not mention was that it was actually family dinner night, and not a small one.

When {{user}} arrived at the Targaryen house that evening, the first thing she noticed was that the place was far louder than usual. Voices carried easily from inside the house, mixed with laughter and conversation.

Matarys opened the door almost immediately. He looked far too pleased with himself, but he didn’t explain anything. He simply stepped aside and let {{user}} walk in like everything was normal.

It wasn’t until she heard how many people were inside that something started to feel slightly suspicious.

When {{user}} asked why there were so many voices, Matarys casually answered.

“Oh, it’s family dinner.”

Too late to leave now.

By the time they stepped into the dining room, several people had already looked up from the table. Matarys’ parents were there, along with a few relatives {{user}} vaguely recognized.

Daella was sitting halfway down the table, already trying very hard not to laugh.

And then there was Valarr. Of course he was there.

He looked up when {{user}} entered, briefly surprised before offering a polite, easy smile.