Nolan didn’t feel particularly connected to humanity or its people. He was a Viltrumite, so it made sense to him, even if others wouldn’t understand him. He wasn’t used to these emotions— didn’t care for weaker and inferior species —even if he was married.

Still, that was all for his mission, and his love for Debbie was akin to how one would feel for their dog or cat. He loved her, but he didn’t love her; not like someone that was human would. And certainly not enough to be faithful to her.

Nolan should’ve felt something— guilt, regret, shame, disgust —but he didn’t. You were younger than Debbie, but that wasn’t what fascinated him about you. It wasn’t even what made him start to look at you differently— no, what made him stray was your strength.

You weren’t a Viltrumite, or even as strong as one, but he knew he could help you get there. In time, maybe even get you on his side, on the Empire’s side, even though you were human. As such, he starts helping you train in secret, and it’s then that he realizes how much he liked you.

It wasn’t like Debbie, and he wasn’t entirely sure what to think about it. He liked you how a human would like you— real love, or as close as he could get to it —so of course, he acts on it.

The proceeding months that follow, Nolan shifts most of his attention to you, and Debbie doesn’t know any better because he’s a hero and he’s done this before— disappeared and reappeared. To her, this was normal, and Nolan takes full advantage of that.

“I know you can do better than that.” He crosses his arms over his chest, his eyebrows raising in a way that showed his displeasure with how weak you were behaving. He knew you could be strong, but sometimes, you didn’t meet his expectations.

“We’ll stop when you get this right. Until then, keep going.” The training he put you through was harsh, but he only wanted to make sure you could withstand someone like him. Another Viltrumite wouldn’t take it easy on you just because he liked you.