#why does he wear a crop top why is he so dedicated to serving.

[pbnmj]

warmups that were attempts at drawing ben 🤔 i need to read comics with him in it i need to understand him before atsv (petermj up in the corner don’t mind them)

#why does he wear a crop top why is he so dedicated to serving. #ben reilly #borrowing itsv pete's design as always i should really learn to draw peter in any other way.. #my art #i need to understand him NYEEEOOWOWWWWWWW #seeing the teasers and stuff i will actually be so disappointed if like. he's not rly in the movie #i gotta draw pavitr soon tho. im failing south asia

[rosierocks30]

Hidden: Ch.16

Chapter 16: Deception

(Historia)

It’s been three weeks since Levi tried to take her away from this hell. The only companion she felt safe was with Ymir who somehow was in her subconscious. Historia doesn’t know how it happened, but it helped her get through being Nathaniel’s obedient queen. The blonde woman had started to come out of her chamber to roam some areas of the palace or go to the beautiful gardens whenever she was tired being in her chamber. 

Today, the sun has shined on the west wing side of the garden. It’s one of her favorite gardens from all of them here. This garden has so many wildflowers and ponds with bridges and benches to enjoy. The geese and ducks gathered to swim in the ponds. There are also few swans which she doesn’t know how Nathaniel could afford them, especially the nation has very high national debts it needed to be paid. 

Historia was wearing a light pink dress made of silk with white and red roses as patterns. Her hat was light pink with a big white flower to match. The pearls around her neck were a gift from her “husband”. She hated these pearls and anything, Nathaniel had given her, but Ymir was right. She needed to play her part until it’s the right time to escape. Don’t expect anyone to save you if you want to be saved. So do it for yourself. 

Her blue eyes stared down at a pretty powder blue book made of leather with golden letters for the title. This book was not a storytelling book. It was a dairy; her mother’s dairy. Historia found this book in one of the old studyroom of this palace. Turns out it was her grandfather’s; then it was passed on her uncle then Frieda’s. Probably her older sister found it and hid it somewhere in that room so no one finds it. At first, the queen was reluctant to open the book to read it. Humph. Why should she care about her mother’s life before she existed? She was aware how much her own mother despised her. 

The young queen began to open the dairy and started to read the first page. Her mother was around a couple years younger than her when her father’s wife hired her as a maid. For the first several pages, all it mentioned was how excited she was to work at the palace.  The way she had described inside the palace was familiar how the palace is now. To Historia, her mother was a teenager with dreams of wanting to be part of the upper class’s life. While the queen was reading more into the diary, one of her ladies-in-waiting spoke to get her attention. 

“Your Majesty, the King is waiting for you to have lunch with him at the garden on the east wing.” The lady said. Historia laid the diary on her lap to nod. 

“Very well.” She sighed then gripped the book as the royal woman got up then started to walk to where Nathaniel was. 

By the time she and her ladies reached to the east wing of the palace, Historia entered the garden where Nathaniel was already sitting sipping wine. The servants was serving lunch when the queen spotted them. 

“Ah, my dearest. I’m pleased you’re here to join me for lunch.” Nathaniel glanced up to see his wife coming towards him. 

Historia had her expression neutral as she went to sit on the empty chair. The table was small  and made of marble with glass on top of the surface. She glanced down at the dish being served. Historia gave the servant a small smile to show her appreciation of their dedication to making it look delicious. 

“I was feeling hungry so I decided to come to eat.” She said. One of the servants served wine to her. At first, she was going to reject, but the queen had remembered Nathaniel is here. To get through their lunches, Historia will need something strong to endure this date. 

“It’s good that your appetite has returned. I assume you are getting better from your foolish attempt to escape from a few weeks ago.” He stared at her waiting to see how she would react. 

Of course, Historia wanted to grab the knife in front of her to stab him into his eyes. Her rage was rising up but a familiar voice kept her at bay. 

Hey chill, remember play the goody good Krista in order to gain his trust then strike him. 

Ymir said in her mind which thank the walls Historia was trying to calm herself down. The blonde queen finally stared into his eyes and gave him a smile. This smile was not one of her sweet warm ones. 

“Yes, I had time to think about my actions, husband. For that, I hope you will forgive me. I will do better and remember my place as your queen and beloved wife.” Historia said. 

The blue eyed queen noticed the way Nathaniel gloated at her admitting mistakes. She wanted to throw her wine at him for being an arrogant gullible asshole. Historia slowly sips her wine. 

“This makes me happy to hear.” he smirked. “So, tell me how was your morning? I’m sure you were busy with many duties to manage order in the palace.” 

“It has been a busy morning. I noticed you want to do a charity event ball? May I ask what kind of charity is it, my king?” The way she spoke made her want to gag. It just feels so forced when she said, her king.

She remembered during her mid pregnancy, Historia had considered to give Levi a title. He rejected that offer so many times, but Historia was stubborn not to give up in convincing him to accept it. 

(Flashback) 

 “Levi, I know you don’t like it but can you-” She was interrupted by her husband. 

“No.” He said bluntly. 

She pouted. “My love, you don’t even know what I was going to say.” 

“Whatever it is. The answer is no.” He said stubbornly. 

“Humph. You should have a title.” Historia finished her sentence which Levi raised his brow. 

“You know I don’t care about titles.” His beautiful silver eyes with a hint of blue looked into her. 

“I know, but when that day comes of our marriage and the baby being publicized; the council will make you take a title by their choice. I just brought it up because I want you to pick your own title and not let anyone choose it for you.” She said with concern.  

Levi still stared at her but it softened. He understood what she was trying to say. He leaned to kiss gently on her lips. Oh how she loved his sweet soft lips. His walls dropped from time to time to get where they are now. Levi was not afraid to be soft and gentle with his wife. To Historia, this was happiness. Seeing the man she loves, being his true self around her. There was no mask or anything to separate between him and her. His thumb caressing her soft pink cheek with affectionate. 

“How about the Queen’s heart?” He mumbled. 

Historia grinned when she saw a light blush on his face. “Oh is that a blush I see?” She teased him. 

“Tch, brat.” He said while Historia laid her head on his chest with a victory grin in making the Captain Levi Ackerman blushed. 

(End Flashback)

Historia was trying not to smile so Nathaniel won’t suspect her why she was smiling. Nathaniel took a bite out of a piece of cut fruit. 

“It’s a charity to raise money for security to make sure other nations will think twice in attacking us.” He said. 

“Basically, funding the military?” Historia raised her brow in confusion. 

 Nathaniel placed his eating utensils on the plate. “Yes, but not the ones we used to have. I disband them all to recruit a new army to obey their king. The three regiments had ruled this nation far too long. It’s time for the monarchs like us to retake our divine rights.” 

“I see. Why didn’t you just convert the military’s power to yours instead of disbanding them. We’re on the brink of war with Marley.” She doesn’t know if Nathaniel realized they need their soldiers more than ever which concerned her. 

“I don’t trust them. Don’t worry. Marley is too busy with their own issues. Beside, we have the templar’s support to protect us until our new military is ready.” Nathaniel was so sure of his decisions.

Historia sighed. When she was in power, at least the late Premier Zackely let her have some power in order to help the common people. As long as she doesn’t interfered very delicate decisions. A part of her wanted to have all the power as a ruler should have so she won’t be limited to help others and make life a bit easier for the common people. In her perspective, they are the driving force of the economy. 

Historia stayed quiet as her lips pressed on the rim of her wine glass slowly sipping. The templars were nothing but greedy hypocrites. She wonders if there are prisoners in the dungeon. The queen will make plans to ditch her ladies in waiting to investigate on her own later. 

“If you think this is the best; then nothing can’t go wrong right?” She finally said something. Of course, her words were full of bullshit, but Nathaniel is a gullible man. His ego is too big; it’s suffocating. 

What wonders her the most is that grandmaster. He gives off a cunning backstabbing vibe. She preferred to have Nathaniel in power than a man like Alexander Di Lorenzo. She feels something bad will happen and Historia gotta make an efficient plan to save her people and her loved ones. 

“Of course it does. By the way tonight, I won’t be visiting. Probably not for a few days.” He said. The queen was relieved about this. She doesn’t know if there will be another night of repulsiveness of having him do things only her true husband can make her feel loved and passionate. A faded smirk spread on her lip. She will use those days to explore unwanted areas. 

(Levi) 

He doesn’t know how long he was a prisoner. It’s felt like years for him. Levi was back at the animus to finish the life of his ancestor, Arne Ackerman. The captain waited for the male version of Shitty Glasses to turn on the machine. He took a deep breath as the glass-like hover over his eye view. Levi closed his eyes as the machine made it’s countdown then everything went black again. 

Eldia Empire, 1555

Arne Ackerman was busy helping his father setting the plots of crops on their 10 acres of land. They are almost done as winter solstice will arrive in several months. Arne had grown through the years being raised by two loving parents. Throughout his growing years, Arne had wondered why he never took after neither of his parents in looks or anything. Both of them had lighter hair colors with grays of strands coming out. 

He looked at his father to notice his nose was different than his along his mother’s too. At first, he was curious until one day in the village; Arne was on an errand to buy some minerals for the soils. There were some whispers from old crones near him. They were looking at him as they whispered to each other. Arne rolled his eyes in annoyance. Those old crones are nothing but gossipers. As he paid the man for the special soils, he heard what the gossips were about. 

“Oh my, Hilda’s and Birger’s kid has grown into a fine handsome man. Many village girls gossips how strong and handsome he looks.” the first crone said. 

“Pfft, my granddaughter and her silly friends, that's all they talk about. It gets tiring to hear them squeal.” The second crone scoffed. 

“I’m surprised Hilda was about to have a child; I thought she was barren. The gods had blessed her a fine strong son.” The third crone said. 

“That poor boy is not their blooded child. Hilda is barren. Always has been. They both found him at the slave market and bought him because Hilda couldn’t bear seeing a babe being alone and a slave. So, it’s a win-win for the Ackermans and Arne.” the second crone said. 

Arne couldn’t believe what he had just heard. His parents aren’t his actual parents? He was a slave. An infant slave when they bought him. The young man doesn’t know whether to be angry at. The main question was who his real parents were. Where are they? Are they alive? Did they sell him? These questions were becoming overwhelming for him. 

He didn’t realize his hand was gripping on the edge of the wooden countertop of a stand. His breath was gasping for air while Arne was holding it. His parents had never bothered to tell him of his origin? Maybe there was a reason. 

The dark haired man began to walk away. He was distracted with what the old crones were saying that Arne didn’t realize he bumped into someone else which they both fell on the ground. Arne opened his eyes to see a girl around his age with strawberry blonde hair. When her eyes opened, he could see they were blue like the deep ocean. 

“I’m sorry for not seeing where I am going…” Arne observed the girl to notice she has a teal colored dress with golden embroidery patterns. Her cloak was royal blue. The way she dressed; this girl is a daughter or some high lord or a princess. 

The girl glanced at him then blushed from realizing she’s still on top of him. “Oh dear, I think I should be the one apologizing to you, sir.” The strawberry girl gets up to dust off the dirt on her dress. 

“No my lady, I should have been the one to apologize.” He gets up after she does.

“Good sir, I insist. Take my apology.” Her tone was becoming firm. 

Arne sighed. This woman is a stubborn one. He gave in. “Very well my lady. I accept your apology, but I’m no knight to be called such an honorable title.”  

The high born woman snorted. “Oh please, a man of your status has more what it takes to be a knight than the ones at the castle.” 

The woman glanced properly at Arne to notice his exotic features. “Are you from around here?” She asked curiosity. 

“Yes, I am. I should be asking you the same thing.” He said. 

“I am afraid not. Let’s just say I escape from the chamber of the castle of my betrothed. Honestly, who wants to marry into that Fritz clan. They may be the ruling clan, but they are mad with their god-like persona.” The noble woman said with a cynical tone. 

“My lady, it’s bad luck to speak ill of the royal family. The goddess Ymir and the gods blessed the House of Fritz as our rulers.” Arne was worried for the woman who could have angered the gods for her insults at the royal family. 

“Ymir? She’s no goddess; just a woman who was granted with the power of the Titan. A blessing and a curse. We, Eldian, are cursed for many generations until some fool decides to play god to break this curse.” This woman was peculiar. She was bold to speak her mind. 

Arne couldn’t tell if this woman was completely mad or just knowledgeable. He barely knows how to read and do some counting. His mother was once a servant maiden at the palace during her youth before meeting his father, a simple farmer. She has given the best education she can give. For someone like him, he was educated compared to other farmers’ kids who received no education at all. In a way, he was lucky. 

“Has the gods and the goddess pissed you off?” He asked. 

“In a way, yes. I’m not ready for marriage. I always wanted to explore and learn so many places from the other side of the world. Did you know? There are some female rulers like Mary I of England. I have always wanted to visit Europe. I know I’m not meant to be some prince’s bride or anyone else’s. I was supposed to be the next clan leader, but my cousin took over and offered the king a bride to his heir. The nerve of him.” She stomped her foot on the dirt in frustration.  

Arne doesn’t know why this woman decided to tell him this. A simple apology was all it took for them to go their separate ways. “I’m sorry to hear that.” He said awkwardly. 

The noblewoman noticed how awkward he sounded by her rant. “My apologies, I didn’t mean to lay my burdens on you. By the way, how rude of me for not introducing myself. I’m Lady Ingrid of the Völsung clan. What’s yours, good sir?” 

“I’m Arne Ackerman, son of two humble farmers, Birger and Hilda Ackerman, mi’ lady.” He said. Ingrid stared at him curiously. 

“For a son of a farmer, you are educated from the way you speak.” She said. 

“Yes, my mother Hilda used to work at Fritz's castle when she was a young girl until she met my father. You can say, I’m lucky I was taught the way to speak to nobles and the royal family if I encounter them. Besides, I like learning whenever I have time; I read from the books I borrowed from this village’s bookshop.” Arne’s tone became passionate whenever he mentioned learning or books. His parents praised him for his intelligence. At one point, his mother tried to convince his father to send him to a pedagogue to properly educate him so he can advance his life comfortably. Birger didn’t want to send his son away. Who will maintain this land if Birger Ackerman died? By the law of the Eldia Empire; it’s Arne as the sole living child of the Ackermans. 

Arne was determined to keep the family farm alive with his parents. He was grateful that his father at least allowed him to self-taught whenever he made time. He can understand why his mother was insisting him to become something more than just a farmer. His mother was always dotting him. He may be annoyed sometimes but he does enjoy it nonetheless. 

“Ah I see. You are fortunate, Ackerman. Maybe I can use my position to get you a better occupation? “ She offered her help. 

“I, thank you my lady for your offer, but I must decline. I am humble to be a farmer just like my father.” Arne bows respectfully to Lady Ingrid. 

“Very well. I will respect your decision.” Ingrid gave a small smile. 

Before they leave their separate ways, Ingrid hears a few men with their horses galloping through a busy main road on the village. She turned around to see those guards that were chasing her earlier looking for her. Quickly, she grabbed Arne to run into a random shop. The shop was dark and dainty. The only light it shined was from the hazy window. Both hid as the knight guards passing through the muddy street. Arne could feel the woman’s body pressed too close for his liking. Don’t get him wrong. As a man, he would enjoy it, but this woman was a high born lady. A lowly commoner must respect a high born at all cost plus his mother taught to respect women no matter what status they are. To be honest, he hasn’t ever been with a woman. Most of his time since reaching puberty, he works and reads. It had never considered him courting a decent girl. He did have a crush on a girl who was his neighbor, but she had chosen another for better crops and livestock than his family could offer. 

He remembered how heartbroken he was when Arne came back home and explained that Roslyn had coaxed flirting gestures along another boy who also liked her.  It was also the main reason he lost his best friend. In a way, he was happy for him; but it did hurt his pride. It’s stupid now to let his pride ruin his friendship. Maybe, he’ll stop by their land with a peace offer and have his best friend in his life again. 

“Are they looking for you?” Arne stared at the strawberry blonde haired woman. 

“Yes, looks like they noticed I escaped. Some of them are part of my clan.” She growled in irritation. 

“You are very committed to not marry the royal heir.” His steeled eyes looked over the window

“I rather died than marrying that incompetent imbecile boy. I am a Völsung. I will not have my bloodline tainted with an idiot who prefer to suckle his mother’s tits than grow bloody balls.” Ingrid continued. 

“I see you have colorful vocabularies for a beauty maiden such as yourself.” Arne let a smirk appear on his lips from being amused the way she ranted about Prince Adelrick of the Fritz clan, heir to the Eldia Empire. 

Ingrid blushed from his compliment and the way she used foul words. It’s not that a lady likes to use improper words, but she was never your average high born maiden. So he labels her as beautiful? In her world of high born, most men saw her as a wild maiden that hasn’t been tamed yet. Being a Völsung, she was trained to fight and be in shape as she was supposed to inherit the Attack Titan, but her cousin took it. Her clan was the only one who still allowed their females to train like warriors. Most of the clans became soft and weak. All they worried about was how to appear like an ideal maiden or lord to woo them away and live happily ever after like the Grimm brothers’ fairytale book she was read to as a child. That’s why her clan was in charge of holding the Attack Titan. Most males were born into her bloodline until her existence. Her mother died giving birth to her and her father didn’t take another wife since he had mourned and loved her mother. She had admired her father’s loyalty to her mother. Their love story was poetic to tell.  

“Yes well, if you were forced to marry some royal cunt. You would probably be colorful with your words too.” Ingrid held her chin up as her pride began to take over. 

“I guess I would.” He chuckled humorly. “It makes you look human than some godly being a peasant like me should have been worshipping.” His dark humor came out. 

“I never see myself as some divine maiden. Just like you, I’m a human that’s capable of making errors or has flaws.” She glanced through the window again.  

“Good to know.” He glanced at the window too. 

“I think it’s safe. I guess I should take my leave. Thank you for your company, Arne.” She stepped away from him which Arne felt relieved. If she had stayed closer to his body more, let just say his little friend would have woken up. 

“It’s my pleasure, my lady.” He said. 

“Ingrid. You may call me Ingrid since we are becoming familiar with one of another.” She said. 

“That seems improper for a commoner like me to call your name.” Arne said while blushing a bit. In their society, you get to call someone their first name if you are close like friends, families, or lovers. Like in their situation, people will talk and assume their lovers. Ingrid is definitely a bold wild beauty. She’s like a she-wolf. Untamed, wild, and strong. He doesn’t find women like her these days.  

“It never bothers me on what’s proper or improper. I insist. We can call each other by names. I think we are way passed being acquaintances. Beside you seem a very intriguing person to befriend.” She smirked at him.  

“Hm, very well. As long in public, we still use the proper etiquette for your sake, Ingrid. People are gossipers. We don’t want them thinking the wrong idea.” He awkwardly laughs at the thought of seeing her potential crush. Oh by the gods, he can’t already be attractive to her. She’s beautiful and tough, but seeing him as her equal. 

“What kind of wrong idea? That we are secret lovers?” She teased him to make his face flushed noticeably. 

“Yes, they will think that since we are talking too comfortably. Besides, you’re not my type.” He is trying to play cool. 

Ingrid raised her brow at him. “Not your type? Am I not a beauty as you had put it that way earlier?” 

“I- you may be beautiful, but it takes more than just beauty to have my attention…” Arne coughed as he faced away from the embarrassing position he’s in. Seriously, does this woman have no shame in being too bold. She is lucky it's him and not some other man who would have taken advantage of her. He just doesn’t want to have his heart given away too easily. He had learnt his lesson. 

“Oh I see? You are not like other men I have encountered. Most just want a pretty damsel in distress for a bride. The only reason men wanted me as their bride is because it will boost their ego for being known to tame a Völsung woman into a demure lady-like maiden. So what are your types?” She grinned. “Come, you can tell me on the way to your family farm.” 

“Wait what? Why do you want to go to my family farm? Should you be at least going back to your clan? I can’t promise you my family and I will give you the life of your status.” He was confused about her wanting to go to his home.  

“I can’t go back there. My Lord cousin will send me back to that awful place to be tied down until the wedding ceremony is complete. I am not expecting a royal treatment if that’s what concerns you.” Ingrid tried to convince him. 

“What will you do or go after your stay with my family?” He said. A part of him was concerned for her well being. She won’t last long wandering alone. There are slave traders out there who kidnaps women to be sold into brothels or some disturbing masters. He is admired for her bold and brave persona but this is the real world. She will regret running away from her wedding to have freedom that she might lose to a horrible fate. 

“Um, I’ll probably sell this gown and my jewels to use the money to travel away from this Empire and see the rest of the world.” Her tone was optimistic, but to him it was a naïve idea. 

“I see. For now, my family and I will offer hospitality until you are certain you want to travel out of the world.” He said feeling more worried. Why show he be worried for her? She had made her decision on where to go. Also, he just met her. 

Ingrid had noticed the way he asked questions like a worrying parent. To be honest, she felt flatter that her cheeks were getting warm. The noble woman had dreamt to travel and learn the world. Maybe if she convinced him to come join to travel the world then it won’t be a ridiculous plan as it sounds. Yes, she may be trained to defend herself but there will be tricksters to find a way to harm her or sell her. 

“Very well. Let’s see how it goes. It’s better than going back so, let’s head to your home, Arne.” She smiled then grabbed his arm to link around hers and dragged him away to the main road that leads to the Ackerman’s farm. 

It took a couple of hours to get to the 10 acres property of the Ackermans. Ingrid was amazed how neatly their crops were aligned. The hens and their chicks roaming around freely in the grassy area of the land. The place looks homey and inviting which is a different scenery than she was used to. Arne opened the little gate that he built to make it nice and aesthetic for the house. He had painted white the wooden fence around the property when he was a boy. Around the area, his neighbors hired him to do the same, which that’s how he earned enough money to buy materials to self-teach education.  

“This home looks very innovative. Did your father have some knowledge in architecture or any engineering talents?” Ingrid noticed how the house was so symmetrical that it looks like an experienced engineer had done it.  

He chuckled. “No, it was me who had fixed a little bit the house then added the fences.” 

“That’s amazing. You have very talented hands! Sometimes I read books on engineering and mathematics to learn the most efficient structure to lead a modern era.” The way her tone sounded was excitement and admiration for his work. 

“Um thank you, my- Ingrid. I mean yes, thank you. Ingrid.” Seriously, he’s just making this worse for him being a fool in front of her. She grinned then nudged his side playfully. 

“It’s not a problem, lover.” She smirked. 

Arne mumbled. “Oi woman, I don’t want my parents to get the wrong idea about thinking I brought a potential wife.” 

“Humph, isn’t that a good thing? You are a man of age that should be married with children by now.” She said. 

This made Arne glanced at her with his dark brow raised up. “I should say the same thing about you, Ingrid.” 

“Ok, I had that coming, but if you should know; I would have made a wonderful wife. If I choose to settle down in the near future.” Arne trying hard not to snort into laughter. Will she last to be the wife of a farmer like him? It does sound nice to have a headstrong woman with intelligence like her as his wife. No, what are you doing? Get rid of these nonsense ideas. She is a high born, and you're a low born with no true identity. Arne still remembered the gossips of the old cronies earlier about his unknown origin. Later, he will bring this up with his parents.  

“Probably to a noble or a king.” He said with a neutral tone. Ingrid noticed his tone changed as she frowned. He was being flirty in his own way for a few seconds. Maybe he doesn’t really see her that way. Don’t worry, the high born maiden was known to be stubborn and determined. She never gave her attention to any man until she met Arne. 

The way he looked was different from most average Eldian men in the empire. Something in him does give off any Eldian traits. Is he connected to the curse like the rest of them? It doesn’t matter, she got some time to get to know him well enough. They were already by the front door of the house and Arne opened the door for both of them to enter.

“Mother, father. I have returned home.” He shouted for his parents to hear his arrival. It was not that long his mother walked in fast pace to greet her son, but was surprised to see Ingrid with him. Instantly, Hilda courtesy into a bow as she once did when she had worked at the palace as a girl. 

“Oh my. My lady. This is a surprise to have  Lady Ingrid of the Völsung clan in my home. The gods have blessed my family to have such a lovely lady as you in our presence.” Hilda was still bowing.

“Please, you don’t need to bow. I’m honored to be here. Your son has said so many wonderful things to both of you.” Ingrid smiled humbly at Hilda. 

Hilda slowly rose to stand to glance at the noble woman. “Arne be a gentleman to take off her cloak and hand up.” The older woman gave a look to her son which he knows too well when he doesn’t do something right but doesn’t want to humiliate him in front of a noble. 

Arne nodded to obey his mother and removed Ingrid her cloak to place it on a hanger on the wall. Ingrid let’s him then thanked him. Both of them had another blushing moment from being in too close contact to each other. The Lady Völsung felt his fingers brushing her shoulders as he slowly removed her royal blue cloak. She hopes his mother doesn’t catch on her expression and questions both of them. They don’t have anything to hide since they just met but to others it won’t stop them assuming more. 

“Please do come in. Follow me, we’re about to eat supper.” Hilda smiled politely as she led both her son and Lady Ingrid to the kitchen. 

Once they reached the kitchen, both Ingrid and Arne sat down as Hilda began to serve their meal. Not too long, Birger walked in to see everyone at the table. 

“My lady, welcome to our home. I’m sorry I was not aware you would join us for supper.” He glanced at his wife then his son. 

“Please, don’t bow. I’m just here as a guest since your kind son had invited me here.” Ingrid glanced at Arne then back to Birger. 

“Ah, then please make yourself at home. We, Ackermans, offer our food, shelter and a place to rest whenever you need.” Birger said with warmth.  

“Thank you. I will take on your offer, Farmer Ackerman.” She smiled.

“Shall we begin to eat.” He chuckled as he sat down and looked at his meal already served. 

The Ackermans and Ingrid enjoying the meal that Hilda had prepared for supper. The pot sew was just right in taste. The broth was flavorful with a rich texture of local spice. The vegetables were cut into bite size chunks to enjoy eating along the goat meat from early morning killing. Even the bread was warm and freshly baked as Ingrid grabbed a bread roll. Hilda Ackerman is a very skilled cook. She probably learnt some of the tips during her time working at the castle in her youth.    

“This stew tastes amazing. I never had this tasty stew like this before. You are very talented.” Ingrid looked up to praise Hilda for the tasty meal. Of course, the older woman blushed from being praised by Lady Ingrid. 

“Thank you. Your words mean so much to me. I used to work at the Fritz castle when I was a young girl. I had the opportunity to learn how to master cooking whenever my mistress let me have my breaks.” Hilda said. 

“Oh? What did you do there? Arne had mentioned you used to work there.” This made both parents glance at each other.  

They are a bit concerned for their son and Ingrid after all they are curious how both Arne and Ingrid had met? Hilda had noticed Ingrid’s outfit looked more extravagant for a casual stroll outside of the castle. The older woman figured Lady Völsung was dressed to be wed. She had heard news a few days ago that both the heir and Lady Ingrid were to be wed soon. 

“I was once the head handmaiden to the King’s mistress, Lady Astrid of the Krüger clan. She always had been a picky eater so I was put in charge of making her meals when She had tried one of my dishes I made for lunch.” Hilda said. 

“You used to know Lady Astrid?! She’s a kin on my mother’s side. I believe they were first cousins since both their fathers were brothers.” Ingrid said. 

“Oh you must be Lady Hella’s daughter? Lady Astrid had always said something good about your mother. They were dearest friends.” Both women began to talk more about the Krüger cousins.

Birger decided to interrupt them to ask both Arne and Ingrid. “Pardon to be bold, my lady. We’re curious how my son met you? He usually tells us or acts obvious when he fancies a maiden.” Arne couldn't believe his father was embarrassing him in front of Ingrid. Later, the damned woman will tease him about this. 

“Oh we just met today at the village close to here. I accidentally ran into him. I ran away from...my wedding.” Her face flushed from the embarrassment that a maiden of her age ran away like a child just because she doesn’t like her betrothed. 

“Ah I see. Do you plan on going back?” Birger carefully chooses his words. He believed it would be best to have the noblewoman go back to be wedded. It would cause less problems for his family. The older man does find Lady Ingrid compassionate, but having her here would bring danger to his family. His family was his main priority. 

“No….but I understand me being here will bring your family trouble. So, I’m planning to leave this place to explore the world.” She said. 

“My lady, would it be dangerous for you to be out by yourself? Husband, we can’t let her go out there alone in the world.” Hilda frowned while looking at her husband to plead him to help the lady. 

“Hilda.” He scolded his wife. Hilda became quiet. Meanwhile, Arne was contemplating whether to advocate Ingrid for her to stay. 

“My lady, please don’t take this too personally. I am honored for your presence here, but you are putting us in danger. I need to do what it takes to protect my family, so you are welcome here until tomorrow morning. We’ll give you a bed for you to sleep. Please understand that.” He said. 

“No, father. She can’t leave. I’m sorry….mother and father for our lie to you how we met.” Arne pushed his chair back to stand up firmly. He doesn’t know why he’s helping her out but, Arne rather she’s staying hidden here than being thrown out alone. 

“What is the meaning of your outburst, son?” Birger was a bit shaken for his son’s action. He rarely spoke out like this towards him, his father. Ingrid was confused but held a curious express to watch Arne protesting for her. 

“I can’t allow you to kick her out. I….we had been seeing each other for a while.  I convinced her to run away with me so we can be married instead of marrying with the prince.” He said it. He can’t believe he’s digging his grave further. 

Arne gently grabbed her hand. Ingrid blushed from what he had just said. This man is an idiot. She thought to herself. She understood he was trying to help her out, but not like this. Oh dear, now they will believe they’re forbidden lovers that are ready to run away together. Of course, both parents were a bit overwhelmed. 

“Arne! Do you have a death wish? If anyone figures out you were with Lady Ingrid out in the public, they will send you to the dungeon cells. The worst case scenario, you could have been executed for having an affair with a higher born much less the heir’s bride.” Arne’s father was upset at his son’s reckless action. Things would have been ok if it was some low born girl, but this one will cause serious problems for the family.  

“I understand father. But you can’t help it if you’re in love, right?” Arne glanced at his father. 

Ingrid was biting her lips carefully. She was nervous. Her guilt consumed her. Here she is being selfish again for wanting to have the freedom she craves and not thinking of the action she had placed on Arne and his family. They have not done anything wrong. The Ackermans are a nice and kind-hearted family. She should say something and diffuse the argument.  

“I understand how much both of you are in love, but this isn’t some children’s fairytale where love will conquer all. It takes more for a marriage to work without resenting each other for the rest of your lives until death comes to the door. Give us another reason why we shouldn’t send her to the guards to take her back to the castle?” Birger said with an authoritative tone. 

“Husband please. At least we can be sent to a neutral area like the temples of the gods. We can help her go to the three goddesses' temples. They protect maiden no matter what.” Again, Hilda pleaded. She doesn’t want anything bad to happen to Lady Ingrid or her family. 

“I have a reason. Lady Ingrid and I got… carry away and it’s possible she’s carrying my child.” Why does his honor have to get him into trouble. He would feel guilty for letting her go where she could danger herself so this is the plan he had quickly thought of. His grey eyes glimpse to see how red the girl’s face was. Oh he can understand how this is embarrassing for him as much as it is for her too. Now, it would be a good time for her being her playful bold self. 

“Isn’t that right my love?” Arne caressed his thumb on to her hand like a true lover would do. Ingrid was trying so hard to speak but her throat was tight. The way his thumb caressing her hand made her stomach flutter. Why does he have to act a knight in shining armor? 

“Y-yes, my heart’s warrior. I love your son. I’m sorry for the problems I have caused. He has been nothing but kind and gentle. You are both blessed with a son who treats me as an equal. I am blessed to have met him.” Ingrid steps away from Arne’s gentle gesture to get on her knees. The elder Ackermans’ eyes widened to see the noblewoman was on her knee to bow her head. She was asking for their blessing for their marriage. They don’t know what to think. 

“Please, accept me as your daughter in law. I shall honor to be a better wife for your son and learn the life of farming. I prefer this fate then being some mare to breed royal heirs instead of being seen as a person. I beg of you, give us your blessing.” Who would've thought she was a good actress? Arne for a moment was convinced she wanted to marry him. He doesn’t mind being married since it will get the ladies off his back and he can be at peace. If for some reason they do actually get married, all he will see a friendship. He knows Ingrid will not be into him. She can be bold but she was a playful person who liked jester things. Once he saw her on her knees to bow to his parents, he followed her to do what she did. 

“ Please mother and father bless us. Once we get married, we’ll go to some far away village to be hidden and one day we'll visit you.” He said. 

Birger and Hilda glanced at each other rather than contemplating from their pleads. Finally, Birger broke the silence. 

“As the damage was already done, both of you will wed. My lady it’s best you go under a different name to protect your identity. I know someone who lives on the edge of our great empire, in Kahr. It’s a city-states that’s connected to the port if both must flee from danger.” Birger sighed. They have to do this as soon as possible before they all get caught. 

Both “couples” nodded in accepting the terms. After supper, Ingrid was led to a room to rest  for the night. Arne gave her some spare clothes from his mother when she was young. 

“Here, these were my mother’s clothes. You might need to change to not be noticed.” He said. Before he was about to leave, Ingrid stopped him. 

“Arne, why did you tell your parents that we’re lovers? I’m flatter for trying to protect me but you are a fool. I can handle it on my own.” She said. The noblewoman wanted to know why he did? He doesn’t owe her anything. If everyone knew the truth, their reputation would tarnish. Arne will have it the worst since he’s a commoner. Knowing how their society was, they’ll make it seem he had kidnapped her and forced her to be with him which it was not true. 

“Because I hate to be the reason you get into danger. I know you can handle it, but that would stop the worst men from taking advantage of you. If this is the way for you to stay alive and free then I will do it. As your friend, I want to help.” He said with honesty. 

Ingrid couldn’t help to blush from his words. She took a breath to calm herself. “I see. I’m grateful for your selfless act, Ackerman.” She is trying to be aloof. 

“Oh we're back to surnames, Völsung?” He chuckled then smirked. 

The noblewoman rolled her eyes. “So, are you sure you’re ok with this...us being in a marriage?” She wondered if he wouldn't bother to have a wife like her. Ingrid had always felt she never had met the standards how a proper wife should be. 

“Yes, as I said. I don’t mind. You are someone I would have as a wife even if it’s not love.” He said. 

“I’m a high born lady. Love is a luxury for those who don't have a choice to choose to be with someone.” Ingrid said. 

“But I suppose I am lucky since I made my choice to pick how I want to live. I prefer marrying you who can offer companionship, mutual respect and honorable value than a royal cunt who only desires to tame me as I'm some wild beast. I just knew, I would be miserable if I chose death.” Arne sat on the bed which Ingrid does the same. 

“Even though we just met, I have already felt comfortable around you, Ingrid. I wish I could offer you what you deserve.” Arne had his body faced towards her. 

“You already have. I really don’t care about wealth and status. Yes, I grew up being comfortable as a noble lady, but it has been stressful. I had to try to be the ideal lady and if I showed the real me, oh it would be a scandal that I will get an earful from my cousin. I know you think this is just a game and excitement until reality hits me. I’m a committed person. So, I’m hundred percent sure of this.” She clarified him. 

“Alright, as long you know what you are getting yourself into.” Arne whispered. Now, both of them became silent and felt the awkwardness as they realized they’re in the room alone. 

“So...if your parents believed we might excepting then looks like we’ll have to make that into a reality?” She smirked, giving her playfully. 

Arne grumbled while his face flushed red from that thought that soon he will lay with her as husband and wife. He wondered what their children would look like? He hopes they inherit her spirit-free personality and optimism. If the gods bless them for that is. 

“Woman, are you that eager to have me in your bed?” He gets back at her by being playfully too. 

“I mean in a way I already did since you are sitting next to me on the bed.” She continued. Deep down her heart pounding hard from thinking they will consummate after marriage which what the elder Ackerman couples said tomorrow will be the ceremony. Birger and Hilda already make preparations since they wanted to do as soon as possible for this family’s safety. 

“You’re right. As the groom, I shouldn’t be this close to my bride.” Arne didn’t know what occurred to him in being very intimately close to her. He leaned his body where her body felt warm even though their bodies weren't in contact. 

Ingrid felt her breath become shallow when he got closer. Her blue eyes stared into grey eyes of his. It felt as the room was spinning then stopped with silence. The strawberry blonde haired woman had never been this close toward a man. Heck, not even with her betroth. The prince did try but all he got was his manhood being kneed for not respecting her boundaries. With Arne, it’s different. He was different. This man had made her heart beat like drums. She was conflicted about whether to try to go for it. Their lips are a few centimeters apart. She could feel his breath on her skin. This is what she gets for being a tease. Now, curiosity has won. She wanted to feel his lips. 

“What are you waiting for? Kiss your bride.” She said breathlessly. 

Arne should have not gonna close. Ingrid is a beautiful woman. Any man should be lucky to have a fiery spirit girl like her as a wife. He wanted to keep his boundary away from her due to their status difference. Ingrid is like the forbidden fruit he had become tempted. Just as she gave her signal to do it. The dark haired man pressed his lips onto hers. Just as he expected, her lips were warm and soft. Their kiss was gently passionate. There was no rush or intense hunger yet. 

Finally they broke away to gasp for air. They stared at each other until Arne coughed and looked away shyly. 

“You’re not a bad kisser.” Ingrid said while trying not to blush at their kiss. 

“Oh really? You’re not bad either.” He smiled. 

Both realize how late it is and Arne gets up to leave her be. He walked out of the room while thinking of how sweet like honey her lips taste. He wondered if Ingrid felt a spark from their kiss? 

The following morning, the Ackerman’s farm was busy with some villagers helping out the Ackermans for a last minute wedding. Ingrid was wearing a white simple gown. Her hair was loose with curls and on top of her head was a crown of flowers. 

She looked like a villager bride and she preferred that way. Besides, Ingrid felt comfortable without wearing a corset and heavy fabrics with jewels. It’s too much for her. The bride took a deep breath then heard a knock on the door. 

“Come in.” She said. As the door opened, Hilda entered the room then gasped into admiring the bride's beauty. 

“My lady, you look like a goddess.” The older woman smiled. 

“Hilda, you can’t no longer call me my lady. Soon, I will be your daughter.” Ingrid glanced at the older woman. 

“Then you must call me mother. We are going to be family.” Her smile hasn’t left. Hilda hugged the young bride. 

“Let’s go. They are waiting for you.” Hilda arm linked Ingrid and both ladies walked out to where the wedding will be located. 

Levi…wake up… 

Huh? Is it over? Wait a second, why is that apeshit here? The male Ackerman opened his eyes to see Zeke Jaeger. His eyes glowed silver as he glared at the blonde man who has a smug face on his face. The captain wanted to bash his hairy face to the wall. Just seeing him, making Levi crave to release his violent tendencies.  

“Good, you are awake. Don’t worry. We’re not done yet. I want to know what did your little armies and assassins kept my little brother, Eren? I had rumors he was taken by your rebels. I suggest you tell me what you know or this time you will be the one without arms and legs. I heard an Ackerman can regenerate like a titan shifter but at a slower pace than a shifter.” Zeke glared back at Levi. 

“I do not know or care about your kin, you weakling.” Iapetus took over Levi when Zeke appeared. The titan can smell the shifter’s fear as Zeke tries to mask it. Tch. Such a coward. Soon, he’ll regain his strength to claw his hand into Zeke to tear him into pieces where the room will be painted with guts and blood of the infamous Zeke Jaeger. Both Levi and Iapetus had enough with Zeke’s and his followers’ bullshit. 

“You better be careful with your words, monster. You don’t want nothing to happen to your whore and bastard son of yours.” Zeke threatens him.  

Instinctively, Iapetus growled at Zeke. How did this piece of shit find out about Atticus being alive? 

“Oh, Historia was sneaky for acting like a grieving mother losing her child. I’m impressed by her cunning ability to fool everyone. Once I tell the king and the grandmaster, they will send someone to assassinate your infant son along your subordinate, Sasha Braus. So, start talking, devil. Where is Eren Jaeger?” Zeke said. 

Levi/Iapetus were panicking for their mate/wife and son. Both host and titan are feeling useless being cuffed on the table. Zeke better not take away his family. He had already taken away his comrades along his late commander, Erwin Smith. 

“What do I know? If you haven't notice, I have been on this fucking table for days! I thought you would be smarter than that. Tch, figures being the Beast Titan holder had shrunk your capacity of being intellectual. I don’t even know where that shitty brat? Problem fucking some girl before he goes commit a geocide or something.” Levi regains his control. He spewed insults at his enemy. What Ackerman doesn't know is how accurate he is about what Eren had been doing.

Zeke scoffed in annoyance. “Like my little brother is capable of wasting time for such nonsense. He is determined to follow the path that Ymir opens the doors for him to save the Eldians from doom fate.” 

“You are seriously stupid. Eren is a fucking hot blooded brat. You forget how he confessed his love towards my wife.” He remembered when the Jaegerists kidnapped Historia. Eren went crazy shit that day and kissed his wife. Levi literally wanted to slice him, but his focus was recusing Historia. “I won’t be surprised that he would be sticking his cock into some poor girl and accidentally knocked her up.” 

Zeke didn’t take it well as he punched Levi out of anger. The assassin just laughed darkly. Historia punches better than Zeke’s. How fucking adorable that his punches will cause him damage? Once another punch came towards Levi, he quickly bit Zeke’s wrist to lock his jaw deep into the blonde man’s flesh. Iapetus slowly switched to take over and rip off his enemy’s hand. All you can hear the screams in agony pain. “Try to punch me and your other hand will rip off, weakling.” Zeke whimpered from pain and fear. He glanced at how monstrous Levi looked. So, this is the true power of the Ackermans. They are the real devils in this world. 

(Natasha/Eve) 

It was now night. Natasha slept on the tent that Eren made. He slept outside since Rico and Nile prohibit especially them from not sharing a tent together. Damn that Rico. She probably told the other commander. That’s embarrassing and what’s worse; Rick had been avoiding her when the camp found out Eren and Eve had a little getaway in the deep forest. SHe felt guilty for hurting the garrison soldier. Yeah, she’s a fucked up for using people. The woman from the future wanted to go apologize to him for misleading him and hurting his feelings. Turns out, he thought she was kind, compassionate and innocent. Of course, Natasha is capable of being compassionate, but most of the time she manipulates to get what she wants or needs. She lied to those that care about her for right or wrong reasons. She twists people’s words when they push her limit. Most of the time. She hadn’t felt any regret for her actions. Until the sex scandal happen. In a way, karma was a bitch and she does deserve it. Maybe if she acted like a human being, she would not disappoint her family and have arguments with them every time she visits them.   

The brown haired woman felt tears slipped out of her eyes from reflecting that she was the problem every time she argued with her grandparents. The American missed them. She remembered at one point there were so many fond memories spending time with her father’s side family. Her best friend and aunt, Kuchel, had always stuck by her. They are practical around the same age. Her grandmother, Historia, had taught her how to cook Eldian cuisines. Her grandpa Levi had bonded in silence as they sip fresh brew tea. She prefers green tea or lavender but sometimes black tea is alright. 

The heiress closed her eyes to try to sleep. She fell asleep. Her eyes open to see green grass all over the ground. There were some wildflowers. Along her view, a huge lone tree stands big and tall. The branches stretched out with leaves all over each branch. The woman was confused about where this place was. 

She noticed pathways were made to connect to the tree. Eve walked to the tree. As she got there, a little girl was sitting on one of the thick roots. The little girl had platinum blonde hair, fair skin, a misery expression. She couldn’t identify the eyes because of the bangs covering them. 

The girl looked up to stare at her. Eve felt uncertain and cautious. The girl may come off innocent but you never know what that girl is truly capable of. 

“I see that you’re Eve. What a strange name for a descendant of mine to have?” The girl spoke. 

“How do you know who I am?” This startle Eve. She looked around in an attempt to figure out where she was.

“Because as your ancestress, I know everything about my bloodline. You are a very interesting woman. I misunderstood you. You and Eren are one in the same, but yet so different. I envy you. You felt alone as no one understood you. You crave to belong. Your family slowly leaves you in many ways like death, and different mindsets.”  the girl said. 

“Hm, so you’re Ymir Fritz. Are you sure you’re talking about yourself? You had issues wanting to belong with someone as a daughter, sister, mother, aunt, cousin, niece, or wife. I think instead of being noisy with your descendants you should focus on your yearning belonging with anyone.”  Natasha was getting annoyed. What does Ymir want anyways.

“Your attitude is terrible.” Ymir said. “The reason why I contact you because there is another way to save our people without causing imbalance to the world by eradicating the rest of the human population. With your inhuman intelligence, you can create a cure. For Eldians become immune to the curse.” 

This has Natasha’s attention. “What do you mean? So, it’s possible to find a cure?” 

“Of course, the origin of how I receive it was not hundred percent true. I did make a deal with the devil, but it was an Isu. A race that was responsible for creating humans. I’m sure you know what I’m referring to. His infamous name was Lucifer. He saw a poor slave girl who he felt pity for and helped to grant a gift. A special apple that was modified to give you strength, fear, and power. I took it and ate it. Now, I curse as this power is like a disease that spreads the Eldian race if they indigested my fluid. From throughout time, Marleyans studied some Eldians who reside there and extract their DNA to make pure but weak Titans. It was never meant to become out of control like this. I didn’t know I would be responsible for the pain of my people. All because I was a selfish little girl wanting to belong with someone. So, you are right. I should be focusing on that but it’s too late. I am tired of a two thousand years old conflict. I trust you that you’ll find a curse and stop this curse before it gets much worse.” Ymir pleaded. 

“How will I find a curse? I need time and resources to figure out where Lucifer is if he is still alive. Hell, I need a sample of that apple but you ate it.” Natasha felt frustrated with this new responsibility she was given.  

“Child, you are a Stark. If your late grandfather could discover a new element and solve it to make time travel, I know you will find the cure to break this curse. About the apple, I have not finished it, it’s still out there hidden. You’ll find old scrolls that will lead to the current location of the bitten Devil’s apple.” Ymir explained. 

“Great, I have to go be like Lara Croft from Tomb Raider to be able to pull off finding the apple.”  Eve sighed. 

“Fine, I will do it, but what about Eren Should he know about this too?” The woman said curiously. 

“Eren will know eventually. Right now, he has his own destiny to fulfill. Just make sure he does not activate the Rumbling at all cost. If you must kill him, do it. He may not be planning to know, but in the future he will activate.” Ymir said. 

The thought of killing Eren made her stomach turn. She doesn’t know if she can do it. How could she do it? She loves Eren so much. It hurts from thinking one day it will come to that. She can understand why your great aunt Mikasa took her how she once struggled to be an obedient soldier whenever Eren was hurt or in danger when both were young. Her great aunt had loved him too, but he had never returned her feelings. Maybe Eve was the reason for Eren not loving Mikasa? She doesn’t know. 

“This is asking too much. I can’t kill the man I love…” Her tears form then falls from her steel colored eyes. 

“You will. It’s because you love him that motivates you to give him peace. You will understand when the time comes. There’s one more time I need to mention.” Ymir glanced at her descendant. 

“What is it?” She sniffled from crying. Her hand wiping her tears away.

“Don’t risk yourself, especially if you're in a vulnerable state.” Ymir said in a cautious tone. 

Natasha gave a confusing expression to her ancestor. “Why? I don’t get what you’re saying?” 

Ymir steps closer to her and places her cool hand on Natasha’s stomach. “You're barely still in your first trimester. Your daughter is growing strong like both her parents.” 

The heiress’s eyes widened. She’s pregnant? She’s carrying Eren’s kid. Shit, this is what happens when your boyfriend is too irresistible to keep her hands to herself. 

“No, no. How can I be? I don’t feel any symptoms besides my period should come in a few days.” The American was in denial. 

“Child, you are pregnant just only three weeks. I do want to give you a warning so you would miscarry since you’re a reckless person. Now, you must go back to your world. I will contact you next time.” Ymir disappeared

Natasha woke up with a gasp. It was dark still and cold. She felt warmth close to her. The dark hair woman turned around to see that Eren was asleep peacefully. His arm wrapped around her waist tightly, but not too tight. She took a deep breath then placed her hand on her stomach. Oh god, she hopes Ymir is wrong. A part of her knows it is possible since both Eren and Natasha can get carried away most of the time. They are both passionate people. If she is pregnant, how will she tell Eren about it? She also worried what the Jaegerists that both Eren and his older brother, Zeke had created will do to her and her child. She doesn’t want how her mother and infant brother end up. The Jaegerists were responsible for both of their deaths. The woman doesn’t know the connection they have with her father’s death. She still wants to take her revenge on these extremists. One day, she will succeed. Mark her words. They will be begging for mercy. 

A/N: Finally, done with this chapter. I’m so sorry this took two weeks to finish this. Here’s chapter 16. Enjoy, my loves <3

#rivahisu #historia reiss #levi ackerman #levihisu #ymir fritz #attack on titan #crossover #oc: natasha

[joemerl]

Okay, so I learned about this site and just for fun, I’m gonna try to make up a fantasy religion/mythology based on what it gave me. 

Here’s what I got; my own take below the cut. (Note that I used some of the other generators for aspects of this, particularly the Fantasy Name Generator.)

Creation Myth

In the beginning there was  Erunn and the great monster Paidak; in form he was like a man mixed with many beasts. Paidak took Erunn as his wife by force, and their children were many of the monsters that inhabit the world. Erunn cried bitterly and from her tears came Chaph, the gray-clad god of sorrow. Erunn then took a bone, sharpened it into a knife and used it to castrate Paidak. From the blood emerged Koskah, god of lust and creation. He slew his father and dismembered him. Various gods emerged from Paidak’s body, and together they created the world from its pieces. Most notably, one of his eyes became Ilinn, goddess of the sun and day, while the other became Saell, goddess of the moon and night.

Now the gods were divided between those who wished to live on top of Paidak’s body, in the upper world, and those who wished to live below it, in the underworld. Koskah desired to make both Ilinn and Saell his wives; knowing that both wanted to live in the sky, he declared himself king of the upper world and demanded that Chaph take the world below. Ilinn, however, chose to marry Chaph, which is why she descends into the lower world to be with him at night. Among their children is Maphai, god of knowledge and alchemy. 

Koskah married Saell and had many children, among them Kais, the mighty warrior and god of storms. Kais slew many of the monsters that Paidak had spawned, and Koskah created animals to replace them. Ilinn, angry at him for forcing Chaph underground, fashioned the first humans to rule over Koskah’s beasts. In vengeance, Kais fought with her and drove her out of the sky. The lack of sun almost doomed the world, however, and Ilinn only relented at the behest of her daughter, the fertility goddess Feyrae, who in turn became Kais’ wife. 

Role of the Gods

Koskah, ruler of the upper world, is naturally the deity most relevant to human life. He is the giver of life and fills all his creatures with desire and creativity. He has several wives and is always seeking women, but ironically rarely succeeds, as his chief wife, Saell, is always either by his side or watching him from the sky. Even on moonless nights she has handmaids, the stars, on guard. Stories where he does cheat tend to be tragedies (The Rape of Elead, The Fall of Oriz); many commentators note the lesson that such passion, while necessary to live and thrive, must always be channeled in the proper direction. 

Chaph rules the underworld. He is friendly with humanity and continually mourns for their troubles. His son, Froskic, is the gatekeeper of his realm. The righteous are allowed to enter Chaph’s city, but the wicked are left outside the gates; it is bitterly cold there, as Ilinn, the sun goddess and queen of the underworld, only goes to the city with Chaph. Froskic also bars entry to the living, though the great hero Sykr managed to get past him.

The creation goddess Erunn does not appear in many myths, but she remains a major deity. Ilinn is also revered as the creator of humanity, as well as for her solar aspects. 

Maphai is another son of Chaph and Ilinn. He guides mankind in its pursuit of knowledge and science. He also creates the magic mead that keeps the gods young. The serpent, which sheds its skin to regain its youth, is sacred to him, which is why it is a symbol of holy knowledge. (Many believe the religion’s use of amber originated with the mead.) His wife, Aelell, is the goddess of art, specifically the tile murals that decorate the religion’s temples. One of their sons is Mannoeo, patron of the clergy. 

Many myths involve Kais, the storm god, slaying monsters and walking among humans. As he travels, he brings the powerful storms that make it possible to grow crops; any traveler who appears in the rain is suspected of being Kais in disguise. His wife, the fertility goddess Feyrae, sometimes accompanies him.

Rorocli, the messenger of the gods, often frequently interacts with mortals. She can appear as either a young or an old woman, but is recognized by her left eye, which is blind and dim. 

Religion

Aside from their purely religious duties, clergymen devoted to the Upper Gods are expected to divide their time serving in the military, reflecting the virtues of bravery and selflessness towards the people as a whole. Those of the Lower Gods are administrators in charge of historical records, as well as those who pursue the arts of alchemy and magic.

Priests of the Upper Gods will dye part of their hair; those of the Lower Gods shave most of theirs off, generally leaving a sidelock (which may also be dyed, depending on regional custom). Depending on their rank, the clergy wear a symbol of a gibbous moon, representing Saell, with a different body part of Koskah. The High Priest of a given cult is in charge of choosing which young men from the community are worthy of being trained to join. 

The priests are expected to have large families but few luxuries; despite their prominent role in the society, their lifestyles are fairly Spartan. Reflecting the focus on family, there is no divorce and passing along inheritance is seen as a sacred rite, taking up most of the focus during one’s funeral.

This culture is often seen as being very formal due to the taboo on outward displays of affection, a consequence of the ideal that desires be carefully channeled instead of allowed to run free. In contrast, festival days are known to be openly joyous, throwing off the stoicism prominent the rest of the year.

Some of the major holidays include:

The summer solstice, dedicated to Ilinn in her solar aspects.

The winter solstice, dedicated to Ilinn and Chaph in their cthonic aspects.

The anniversary of victory in the Burning Wars.

The anniversary of when the poet Krua entertained Kais, hearing the story that would inspire The Fall of Oriz.

The anniversary of when Sykr entered the Underworld and brought back the Water of Wisdom.

The anniversary of when King Jekerai took the throne. This is also the day when all boys who turned 18 in the last year come of age. 

#Fantasy #Worldbuilding #that I may never use for an actual story. #Religion #Mythology #Fantasy religion #Fantasy mythology

[joonslushii]

BTS Reacting To: Meeting their S/O for the first time

// hey so,, I usually try to make the reader as interactive and relatable as I can but this is kinda dedicated to someone,, I probably won’t do it again though ajsjs (unless it’s requested) oH, and sorry about Jungkook’s reaction, I ran out of text blocks. //

Also, this is so long what the fuCk

________________________________________________

Jin:

Curly hair isn’t very common in Korea so when you had first walked into his cafe, curls framing your face as you took in the scent of cinnamon, he was more than intrigued by you. I mean, how could he not be? You were absolutely adorable. He would watch you sitting at your table and find himself fantasizing about what it would feel like to play with your curls. You flashed him a smile as he greeted you and you had ordered a muffin. Whenever you would come into his cafe and it was time for him to serve you you’re food, he always made sure to write a message on the muffin’s decorative wrapper. In the process of opening up your muffin you had clearly saw his note and in return you had playfully rolled your eyes.

It read: “We should get coffee sometime, because I like you a latte ;) 000-000-000”

You looked back up to him with a goofy grin as he sent you a wink in return. Finally you had given into his cute charms, proceeding to save his number into your phone as ‘cute cafe boy’ and making a mental note to text him later.

Namjoon:

You’d been trying to reach a book that just had to be all the way up on the top shelf. Rolling your eyes, you were about to go and ask one of the library workers for help. Not expecting to bump into a tall stranger’s chest, you ended up letting out a weird screeching sound. You heard a deep chuckle coming from above you as the stranger reached above you to grab the book you had been struggling to get.

“You looked like you were in need of some help, here.” he said handing you the book.

“Ah! Thank you, I’ve been trying to get that book for at least 10 minutes now.” You giggled, looking up at him. This man was quite tall, skin on the tanner side, and had a smile that showed off his deep dimples. While you were busy examining his face, he was doing the exact same thing. He smiled even wider as he took in your appearance. You were wearing leggings with an oversized sweatshirt that made you look endearingly small in comparison. But what had really reeled him in was your hair. Your kinky curls bouncing atop your head as you giggled at him cutely. All he could imagine was you laying your head on his lap while he played with your cute coils.

“you’re really cute.” he thought, but he must’ve said it aloud because you were now cocking your head to the side.

“I’m cute?” You teased

“Wait No- yes, I mean—” he struggled, trying to find the right words. He took a deep breath as he continued, “Can I get your number?”

You smiled, finally hearing what you hoped he would ask. “Of course you can.” You replied sweetly. After you had both switched phones and traded numbers you said your goodbyes. But not even an hour later you got a text from ‘library boy💕’

and it read: “Would you like to meet tomorrow for lunch? :)”

Hoseok:

When Hobi first met you he had been on his way to the dance studio to (obviously) practice a dance. He had been close to his studio and heard the loud sound of loud muffled music coming out of it. He curiously entered the room only to find a girl in gray sweats with flames going up the sides, wearing a crop top, paired with white high tops. He hadn’t noticed at first but your hair was curly and was styled in a half up-half down style. Something about you screamed badass. You hadn’t noticed him yet, being so caught up in getting the moves right. As you moved to the song that was playing, he watched as your limbs hit every beat, not missing a single one.

By now, he was sitting on the floor watching you contently. The song had finally came to an end and you were now trying to catch your breath but then heard slow clapping coming from the side of the room. You whipped your body around at the sound only to see a brown haired boy, who was quite cute, smiling a smile brighter than the sun. You smiled apologetically at the boy, realizing that you must’ve had the wrong room, as the next person shouldn’t be here for another hour or so.

“How long have you been there?” You asked, gulping down water.

He thought about it for a moment before speaking, “20 minutes or so but—“

You started rambling as you realized that you had taken up quite a bit of his practice time. “I’m so bad at keeping track of time, I’m so-“

He interrupts you with a smile, continuing with what he was trying to say earlier, “I’ve been here for 20 minutes or so but I didn’t have the heart to stop you, you were pretty entertaining if you ask me.” He charmed

“Ah thank you, once again, sorry about that.” You laughed

“It’s no problem, really! I enjoyed it.” He complimented

“I’m glad you enjoyed it and thank you again, but I really have to get going now.” You rushed, having checked the time.

“ah okay. we should dance together sometime, yeah?” He smiled again, this time his little dimples popping out.

You contemplated, “That sounds good, can I see your phone?” You asked politely.

he hummed in approval and tossed you his phone. You typed your number in, saving yourself as ‘Y/N’

“Oh! My names Y/N, Text me!” You giggled, exiting the studio.

He laughed to himself at your antics as he repeated your name over and over again, as if he was testing how it sounded on his tongue.

Yoongi:

This could be a whole Drabble ajkdkskshs

You leaned against the counter of the towns local gas station, the stick of a bubblegum flavored lollipop poking out of the corner of your mouth. There was something about the bubblegum flavored lollipop that had you hooked. You had tried many other flavors before but their tastes never satisfied you like this flavor did. Maybe it was the pop of sweetness that would fill your mouth or the feeling of nostalgia it gave you; you didn’t know.

The jingling of bells had interrupted your thought process, alerting you that a customer had entered. A man wearing ripped jeans, a black mask, and a black long sleeve walked in. He was quite pale with mint green hair, a black beanie atop his head.

You watched as he looked around for a second and then approached the counter, pulling down his mask. He was cutely intimidating.

“What can I get you?” You asked, pulling the lollipop out of your mouth for the time being.

His eyes scanned the selection of cigarettes behind you before speaking. “I’ll take a pack of Marlboros.” He requested. His voice was raspy but soothing.

“Those things kill, you know.” You remarked as you unlocked the glass wall that held the cigarettes.

He looked at you for a moment before a smirk appeared on his face. “Those things give you cavities, you know.” He retorted, analyzing the lollipop that you were holding.

A smile appeared on your face at his clever comeback. “What’s your name?” You asked, scanning his item.

“Yoongi.”

“Cute. I’m y/n.” You replied, popping the lollipop back into your mouth.

He chuckled at your straightforwardness and sent you a curious look. You were definitely different from most of the girls he met. Most of them were blushing and giggling shyly by now, realizing how handsome he was. But you, you were chill. You were mysteriously intriguing. He liked that, he wanted to get to know you better.

“When does your shift end?”

You checked your phone and locked eyes with him, handing him his cigarettes. “In about an hour, why?”

“No reason, just wondering.” He hummed, leaving the gas station.

That was weird, you thought. About an hour, just as your shift was ending, the door had chimed again. You looked up to see the mint haired boy, his gummy smile threatening to show. He walked in and leaned against the counter. “Your shift end yet?”

“Yeah actually, I’m just getting off.” You said, confused as to why he was here again, Not that you minded in the least.

“Would you be interested in getting lunch with me?”

You hummed in consideration before a smirk appeared on your face. “What’s in it for me?” You asked playfully. You were never going to reject his offer in the first place but you wanted to tease him a bit.

He hummed with a small smile on his face before answering, “Free food and some of these?” He said while reaching into a bag that you hadn’t noticed he was holding. He pulled out a bag of your favorite bubblegum flavored lollipops. He held them teasingly in the air as he continued speaking, “but only if you come to lunch with me~” He said teasingly holding them in the air.

Your eyes widened comically as you thought about it. He didn’t seem like a murderer, he was observant and sweet, and he was handsome. What were you gonna do, say no? You’d be stupid to say no, so you accepted.

“In that case,” you tapped on your chin as if you were debating something, “sure.” You said coolly but had a smile bigger than ever.

You looked at him again and the sight you saw made your heart clench in fondness. His eyes were filled with happiness, a gummy smile big enough to reach his eyes.

Jimin:

You had been strolling through the park one night. You watched as the snowflakes fell; the frosty flakes sprinkling onto the top of your head as well. Yes, it was cold, but you had been studying for your finals all day and had been starting to feel suffocated.

You followed the path in the park until you heard sniffles up ahead. Thinking back, it sounds been sketchy as fuck but your curiosity only urged you further. You hesitated. “Curiosity killed the cat, right? guess I’m dying. You thought, walking further.

You continued to follow the sound of sniffles and it had soon led you to a man sitting on a bench. The street light sitting above him illuminated his figure. You couldn’t see his face but he wore only a light sweater and skinny jeans, and a pair of black converse. Having heard your steps, his head snapped up. You examined his face; His tear stained cheeks were shiny, but he was cute.

You approached him wearily. His eyes never left your face as you fished a few tissues out of your coat pocket. Should I ask him if he’s okay? No—he’s obviously not okay, he’s crying. As you got closer, he scooted over, almost as if he was trying to make room for you. Taking it as a sign to sit down, you sat.

Embarrassed, he turned his face away from you. No words were exchanged for a few moments until you spoke. “Are you cold?” you asked. Shaking from the cold, he pulled his sweater down over his hands. You noticed this and stood up to take your heavier jacket off. As soon as you got it off you scooted closer to him and pulled your oversized jacket around him. His face had whipped around to look at you so fast that you thought he’d get whiplash. You held out the tissue you had been holding. “here.”

His arm slid out from under your jacket and took the tissue. “Thank you.” He mumbled, voice unstable from crying. He blew his nose into the tissue and you both sat there in silence for awhile. Once again, you decided to speak up. “Do you wanna talk about it?” You offered.

Jimin contemplated for a second. Did he want to talk about it? You were a stranger, he didn’t know you but you seemed kind. You had been considerate enough to give him your coat, tissues, and had offered him your company. After all, He would probably never meet you again...right? Right.

To your surprise he had accepted your offer with a “sure.” and had even given you a small smile.

“Alright then, shoot.”

After hearing your words of confirmation, he started to speak. He spoke and spoke for about 25 minutes, only tearing up once or twice. You had offered him the best advice you could muster up and to his surprise, had actually ended up helping him. When he was finished, he continued to speak:

“Thank you. Really. You’ve helped me a fuck ton. He gave you another smile, but this time it was different. It was sincere.

“Anytime, ” You smiled. “Oh, and if you ever need anyone to talk to. I’m here.” You reached into the jacket that was still around Jimin and pulled out another tissue and a sharpie. You had written your number on it and handed it to him with a smile.

Taehyung:

This one turned out a bit different, oops ?

When it comes to Taehyung, you two had already knew each other. Tae and you had been dating for a while but have never actually met.

When you first met him, he had texted the wrong number on accident but you then ended up talking more and becoming friends, best friends actually. You told him things that you would never even think about telling anyone else, and all without knowing who he really was. He was someone you could tell anything to. You wanted to have a deep conversation at 3am? He was there. You wanted to FaceTime? He’d always answer. It was a mutual feeling, so after awhile, he FaceTimed you and asked you to be his girlfriend.

“Hey y/n,” he says, setting up phone so you could see him better. “Hey TaeTae, What’d you need?” You smiled back into the camera. He looked nervous, really nervous. “Well, we’ve been best friends for quite awhile...” he paused, suddenly serious.

“Yeah...” you urged him to continue talking.

“I don’t think we should be best friends anymore-”

“w-what, why?” Your eyes grew wide and your hands trembled as you struggled to speak.

“Because,” He continued, “I want to be more than that.” He was now looking down and playing with his fingers, rambling. “I understand if you don’t feel the same or if you-“

“Wait Tae. Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?” You interrupted, blank faced. You couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not.

He smiled hopefully, “I am. Will you accept me y/n?”

You smiled the brightest smile you’ve smiled in a while. Damn, he makes you so happy.

“what the fuck? Yes, of course I will!” You screeched, almost falling off your bed in the process.

You had been wanting to meet him in person for awhile but Tae wanted to wait till you were more serious till you met. Both of you were currently in college but you knew that Tae couldn’t afford to spend money on a plane ticket for you. You had a stable job and could surely take some time off from college, so why not? Tae was someone you knew would be worth spending the money for, so you didn’t mind.

After packing your suitcase the night before, you woke up at 6am to finally meet your boyfriend. You were excited but along with that excitement came an overwhelming anxiety. What if you weren’t what he thought you’d be? What if you weren’t good enough? What if when he finally sees you, he sees all the flaws he didn’t see before? All of these ‘what if’ questions swirled in your head as you boarded the plane.

The whole plane ride, your stomach continued to feel like it was twisting itself into a giant knot. To try and and create a distraction for yourself, you had plugged your earbuds into your phone and listened to music. To your relief, you were asleep in less than 5 minutes.

Precisely 2 hours and 4 minutes later you were being tapped awake by your seatmate, who then announced that you had arrived. You came out of your sleepy state as your initial excitement kicked in once again. A small smile framed your face as you grabbed your small duffle from above you. In less than 20 minutes, you ,y/n l/n, would be meeting Tae, you couldn’t believe it.

You got your phone out of your back pocket and on the lock screen was a text from Tae telling you where he would be. You replied that you had gotten off safely and made your way to get your suitcase. Following the crowd to where the suitcases would be disposed, you speed walked. You made your way over and were now waiting for your suitcase to pass by. Finally spotting it you grabbed it off of the machine with ease.

Once again, you texted Tae. You asked what he would be wearing so that you would know what to look for. He responded quickly saying that he had recently changed his hair color before he came. He says to look for someone with a head of silverish hair and a striped baseball Tee with a red jacket. You looked for awhile and finally saw him. What he didn’t tell you was that he would be holding a big, neon colored sign with your name on it.

His stomach filled with butterflies as he saw you standing there staring at him as if you had just saw the most beautiful thing ever. He looked at you standing there and only one word could describe you right now; perfection. Absolute perfection. He couldn’t believe you were all his.

When you had saw him it felt like time stopped. Your heart raced as you dropped your luggage and sprinted towards him. As you got closer he had already abandoned the sign he had once been holding. Once you finally reached him you jumped into his open arms, but he had caught you as if he had practiced this a thousand times before. Your face was buried in his neck, his arms holding you tight around your waist. You could hear him sniffling as he mumbled a chorus of “Fuck, you’re actually here.” and “Mine, all mine.” into your ears. You pulled away and mumbled a small “Hi TaeTae.”

Cupping his face with both hands, you wiped his tears with your thumbs as you gave him small pecks all over his face. He giggled at your cuteness and did the same in return.

Jungkook:

You and Jungkook were in High school. Jungkook had a crush on you and had started to leave little love notes in your locker. Looking back at it now, his tactic was quite cliche. But hey, it worked, right? Others might’ve found it creepy or even “obsessive” but you found it endearing and sweet. 

 This had been going on for a while and each of the little poems or messages would leave you smiling after reading them. Jungkook was in some of your classes, but had only actually talked to you once, and it hadn’t even been a whole conversation. He had accidentally bumped into you in the hallway and mumbled an array of ‘sorry, I didn’t mean too !!’ and ‘fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck—‘ As he scrambled to help you pick up your stuff. Unlike you’re “friends” who had laughed at him, you had simply given him a kind smile and told him not to worry about it. Your kindness is what had attracted him to you in the first place, your beauty had been a bonus. 

 He had been giving you these notes for about a year now and you hadn’t actually been curious to find out who they were from, you just enjoyed getting them. Maybe it was the feeling of wanting it to last longer, you didn’t know. But unfortunately for Jungkook, he had chosen the worst possible time to give you the note.

 It was 5th period and you had needed to use the restroom, but to get to the restroom, you had to pass your locker. As you navigated your way through the halls, you were just about to turn another corner as you saw a boy in front of your locker. He was folding a small piece of paper. Is that Jungkook? You watched him for a few more moments and decided to approach him. All of a sudden you were about an arms distance away from him. He still hadn’t noticed you. It’s like that note has him in a trance, you giggled. At that sound, his body jolted up into perfect posture. He stuffed the note into his back pocket. “y-y/n?” He squeaked. 

 “Hey Kook,” You paused “It’s okay if I call you that, right?” 

 “O-of course!” He spoke a little more loudly then he would have preferred. 

“Cool,” you paused again, “anyway, what are you doing in front of my locker?” You questioned. 

 “A-ah, I was just—“ he startled to ramble and in the midst of his rambling the little paper had fallen out of his pocket. He had reached down to pick it up but you had beat him to it. On the front of the folded paper was your name in pretty cursive writing. Jungkook stood frozen in front of your locker as you continued to open the note. His hands were sweating profusely. When opening up the paper, it had a small poem on the inside. You recognized it, it was actually written by one of your favorite poets! 

“ I appreciate that you want to write me love notes, but you copied someone else’s poem.” You teased him.

 “W-Well, I still wrote it on my paper!” He defended himself with a light smile, the blush appearing on his cheeks. You giggled. “Well, next time you want to write me a love poem, just text me.” 

 “Really?” His eyes widened. 

You grinned at him, holding your phone out for him to type his number into.

#bangtang boys #bangtang sonyeondan #bangtan #bts #bts hoesok #bts jhope #bts jimin #bts jin #bts reactions #bts rm #bts namjoon #jimin reaction #hoseok reaction #jhope reaction #jin reactions #bts taehyung #taehyung reaction #bts jungguk #bts jungkook #bts jungkook reactions #jungkook reaction #bts suga #bts yoongi #suga reaction #yoongi reactions #kpop bts #kpop reactions #bts x reader #bts x you

[lukeysgirl]

The Note Tree ❋ L.H. Pt.11

Part E L E V E N 

Summary: A cherry blossom tree, residing at the farthest part of the schools courtyard. Nobody dwelled there, and you didn’t care much for it. Until you kept hearing one song played over and over, with lyrics changed to touch at your curiosity. They knew you were listening, and one day you gave in and made your way to the pink tree. Waiting for you, a series of notes tied to a single strand of string.

Word Count: 7k+ (jesus wtf)

AN: VERY IMPORTANT GUYS: this might be the last part i release before i enter uni and find myself incredibly busy with class so i am so fucking sorry for that. i wish i could keep writing this consistently and finishing by maybe november but it might be a little longer than that. to those who love TNT: ya’ll are amazing and im so grateful for all the support and love ive gotten for it. im also just so sorry to disappoint, and will try my best to update them as timely and well-done as i may xx 

Parts: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty.

I M A G I N E 

Thursday - Frozen Day

“You’re so careless!” Savannah lectured, tapping your head in scolding while you sat there and took it. 

For the trip, the teachers had forced all the seniors into the gym at the very moment everyone stepped into the school. The gym, though newly renovated and shiny, was disgusting. The glossed, light-brown (wooden) planks of the floor were ornate with splotches of dirt, dust, and residue of athlete sweat. There were several basketball hoops around, with two scoreboards on the width sides of the gym. Those black scoreboards were off and collecting cobweb with the ceiling emitting super white lights down to practically blind you. 

But that was the least of your worries. 

“Des, if you keep offering me your breakfast burrito, I’m going to bash my head against the wall,” you huffed under your breath, having Des continue to wiggle the said food in front of you. You and the girls were huddled in a corner, with you in the very corner, slung down and allowing your large Thrasher sweatshirt to swallow you. Des had been to your right, sitting in a pretzel with Alexis to your left with her legs folded the same. Savannah sat like a princess, as she chose to wear this long, floral skirt because it matched with her beige crop top. 

“Have you eaten?” Des asked, completely skeptical of you. 

“Yes.”

“How can I believe you?” 

“By trust my word?” You suggested. You understood they were worried and you understand fully well how careless you are. But this was just absolutely uncalled for and unnecessary. “I ate a bagel with raspberry cream cheese and orange grove orange juice.” 

“It sounds like you went to Starbucks.” 

“I did.” 

“Bitch, with what money?” 

“Someone came in clutch,” you replied simply, not necessarily wanting to get too deep. Des stared at you wistfully before looking away, knowing you hadn’t want to say another word more. You looked over to see Alex begin braiding her long, brown locks and you began to randomly wander about Luke and how he dealt with his blonde hair. 

Does he wake up to it being messy? Or is it always curly when he wakes up? Can he put it upwards in some sort of quiff? Is it long enough for a man bun? Oh boy, why the fuck did you even care? 

What about Luke’s hair do you give a shit about? It aggravated you how much your mind played this useless games. Luke has somehow weaved himself into most things you look at. You see video games being broadcasted outside game shops and think about if he had an Xbox or a Playstation. Sometimes when you saw kids play little league sports at parks, you wondered if he’s played any real serious sport. Truth be told, it was bothering you and gave you a headache than you already get when you interact with said boy. 

“Seniors!” Announced a teacher at the dead center of the gym. You didn’t bother looking up, too exhausted to divert your eyes somewhere other than the ground. “If you’d like to see who chose you and your groups camp schedule, come on over!” 

Immediately, you heard people rise with feet dashing the glossed ground over to the center of the gym. A cheap plastic table was set up with folders of papers, likely the schedules and whatever the hell else the man was saying. You were quick to mute him out as you fiddled with your thumbs. You didn’t care enough to see what group or what the schedule was. You just wanted to get it over with. 

“I’ll get the schedule for you,” Alexis hummed, giving your shoulder a squeeze before your three companions rose from the ground and slowly made their way to the lines of students. You sighed, already bored to be in the gym, wasting time by sitting around and not even getting a wink of work. Of all things, you hated not being productive. 

“Y/N.” A familiar male voice sounded through, his figure casting a shadow over you. Being swallowed up by it, your eyes glanced up only to emit a deep sigh before diverting down to the glossed ground. 

“Go away,” you spewed, distaste already dancing on your tongue as Nathan took a seat beside you. You tossed a glance only to find Nathan swallowed up by navy blue sweats and some yellow shirt representing a college you couldn’t exactly make out from your angle. But aggravation soon drowned you as Nathan sat down in a pretzel and scooted closer to merely brush your shoulder with his own. “God, why me?” You breathed, looking up at the ceiling in hopes someone from the skies heard you. 

“You know Y/N, you can’t be cold like that forever,” Nathan pointed out, having you roll your eyes in how little you cared for Nathan’s words. “You might get denied form several jobs in the future if you’re that brutal.” 

“I’m only cold to you because you serve no benefit to me,” you said quietly. “If it’s an employer, of course, I wouldn’t act this way.” 

“You’re a breathing glacier with valid reason,” Nathan hummed, having you still stone-faced before Nathan flicked his wrist to present a sheet of paper to you. You looked at it curiously, taking it from him to read its contents clearly. “I found out what group you’re in, and I was hoping you could do me a favor so I can return a favor.” 

Your eyes dilated, seeing your leader assignment that was the one and only: Luke Hemmings. You figured you were going to be in his group, hence why you hadn’t bothered putting in the effort to beg to Ashton. But you had some hope that maybe one of the boys would give you a little sympathy, regardless of being Luke’s friends. Now you were to suffer greatly on a trip you initially wanted to bail on. 

“What gives you the upper hand to even ask that of me?” You grumbled, knowing as fact Nathan has some sort of ‘threat.’ 

“Are you sure your head didn’t fall on the floor?” Nathan hummed curiously, having you glare over at the chestnut-haired entity. “It seems your intelligence lost a few bolts.” 

“Fuck off and tell me what you’re trying to exchange.” 

“Well, I’m just gonna tell you what I want: to be in Lucas’ group,” Nathan began, having you raise your eyebrow. You weren’t gonna respond, assuming he was going to continue and hopefully finish. “Not only to be around you, but to make sure you’ll be okay.” 

“Oh, and you care over my well-being?” You began sarcastically. “Oh wow, you must think you’re such a good person for caring over a girl like me.” Nathan grinned at this, attempting to dismiss it with an unhurt smile. But you knew in the very curls of his lips the slight pang of pain from your cruel words. 

“I don’t trust that asshole taking care of you any better,” Nathan began quietly, his veined hands clenching onto his knees. “He’s gonna be responsible with 22 others to really dedicate time for you. You know this, Y/N.” 

“I don’t need people looking after me, alright?” You spat. “I’m 18, I’m responsible of my own damn self. Enough that I can take care of myself.” 

“Your nurse’s trip yesterday says otherwise,” Nathan contradicted in a hush tone. You flinched, refusing to meet his gaze as your eyes stared at the shining floor. If you could punch the boy, you would. “No sleep, no food, no water in your system? I dunno about you, but to me it seems like you can’t take care of yourself too well.” 

“Just shut the fuck up already,” you grunted, pulling your sleeves more over your hands as you tugged at them with your hands. “You don’t know shit about me.” 

“I know that your home situation isn’t great,” Nathan dared, having you close your eyes. Just go away, you thought. Just fucking get away from me already. “And if you think I’m being pushy, imagine how Luke would act if he knew.” Right then, your heart stopped, eyes wide and completely laid upon the chestnut-haired imbecile. 

“You wouldn’t fucking dare,” you growled. “You wouldn’t-- you said you were selfish, that you were glad Luke didn’t know.” 

“Well sure,” Nathan hummed as he leaned a little back. “But I see how Luke annoys you so I figured this exchange would be reasonable. I keep my mouth shut and you get the honor of having me have your back.” 

“I feel like I don’t win as much,” you hummed lowly, your eyes diverting up to study the mobbing group of students seeking their papers. For Nathan to keep quiet and keep Luke at bay, he’ll be in your group for the desire to be near you and watch over you. The entire situation was idiotic, you knew. But you would rather ‘burden’ Nathan with the responsible he refuses to believe he doesn’t have than Luke having it. You still disliked both, but your favoritism resided with Luke if ever the question was put out there. 

“It seems like you would rather much have me annoy you than Luke,” Nathan said with ease. 

“That still makes you annoying, dumbfuck,” you spat, rolling your eyes a bit as you emit a quiet yawn. This frozen day was finding itself to be worse than you honestly expected it to. But you glanced over to see Nathan muted, simply staring at you wistfully. Likely waiting for a response. “...But fine, Holland, okay. I’ll ask Luke. But if he refuses, that’s completely beyond me.” 

“Fair enough then,” Nathan dropped before rising to his feet again. You felt his shadow cast on you once again, his eyes down on you as well as you merely looked up at the boy. “But I do expect you to try, you know.” 

“Ha,” you uttered dryly, watching as he turned the heel and escaped towards the hoard of people. 

Boys are stupid. Boys are stupid and obnoxious, and absolutely one of the things that you didn’t need. You didn’t need anyone, really. But it was really heartwarming to have the girls you did have around. And, you suppose you could give some credit to Luke for being considerate, even when he’s annoying, flirtatious, unnecessary, and moronic. 

“Y/N, you are right!” Des chirped, having you look up to see the 3 infamous ladies return with their papers. She quickly dropped herself beside her, her braids bouncing from the impact as she showed you her paper. “I’m with Calum!” 

“And I’m with Michael.” Savannah mewled with a fond tone. “And Alex got in with Ashton.” 

“Told you guys.” You allowed those girls to sit back in their seats and exchange bubbly words about the plans and what not. You’ll be reading Luke’s group schedule later as you were growing a slow and steady headache. Nathan and this entire keeping a secret was bothering you. Not because you felt guilty about not telling Luke, but feeling like an idiot to have Nathan know at all. You feel more like an idiot to fill yourself up with such strong poisons and lose your mind. 

I should’ve just walked alone from the party, you hummed to yourself. Not even-- I should’ve just not gone. Stupid Luke and his stupid ‘I owe you.’ 

“Ah- I’m in Luke’s group!” A shrill scream suddenly popped you from your self-loathe and discipline to look up and see Nadia wave her paper around in the middle of the gym. Chatter quieted down from this but they still resumed as she flaunted it about to the girls around. And, hilarious enough, the girls’ shoulders drop in disappointment, seeing as they likely wanted to be in his group, too. You shoulders only fell because Nadia was stuck in your group and you really didn’t want to be anywhere near her. The thought even impulsed you to deflate her just a bit. 

“Nobody fucking asked,” you said firmly, loud enough for the words to wash everyone over like a wave. The quiet chatter soon became almost silent whispers as Nadia turned over to you. Her red hair danced from the very action, her entire body swallowed up by a pink-like beige sweater and a brown skirt. She glared down at you, her poppy seed pupils dilating by the small shock that it was you who uttered the words. 

“Look who’s feeling bold today,” Nadia hummed, her 1-inch heels clinking upon the shiny floor as she began making her way to you. You looked up at her, entertained a bit as her shadow was slowly arriving to cast upon you. “What’s wrong, sweetie? Did you not get into his group?” 

“Sorry to burst your ego, Princess,” you spat, opening your paper to break the air to show it to her. “But I’m also in his group. I don’t give enough of a shit, and you have no reason to brag because that’s just you among the other 10 girls with us. So sit the fuck down, alright?” 

A few ‘ooo’s sounded, pairs of wide eyes and surprised expressions floating in your periphery as you looked up at the redhead. She looked a bit embarrassed, her cheeks lightly tainted pink as she waved your paper away. You put it down and shrugged, looking away to see your girlfriends look at you with surprised, wide smiles. 

“You’d best watch your tongue with me, Y/N,” Nadia growled, gritting her teeth together as she leered down at you. “I’ll make your camping time a living hell if you say anything smart like that.” 

“More of a hell than the one I’m currently living?” You raised your eyebrows in surprise. You then chuckled, looking down at the paper loosely between your fingers with delirium. “I’d honestly give you an applause if you could manage that.” 

“Is that a challenge I hear, Y/N?” Nadia hummed, haivng you look up to meet her eyes. Hers were dim, but yours held a dark intimidation that made her eyes flicker with hesitance. But she seemed determined, more or less, to fuck up your time. Before you could counter, Des quickly rose and placed her hands on her hips. 

“Bitch, I dare you to try it,” Des huffed, a splash of attitude leaving her tongue. “You touch my girl at all during that trip and I’ll personally stick your ass up in a tree for an entire damn night.” 

“Great, don’t tell me the ape is in our group, too,” Nadia slurred dreadfully, having you widen your eyes as Des was pulling up her sleeve to pack in a punch. But Savannah and Alex quickly got on their feet and grabbed her before she could dare do a thing. 

“You better watch yourself on that trip,” Des growled. “I may not be in your group, but my ass will switch if I gotta punch you mute.” You chuckled, shaking your head at Nadia’s audacity. You leered up, seeing how she glared down at you as if you’ve done wrong. Quietly, you crumpled the paper and stuffed it in your bag before forcing it on and getting yourself up. 

“I do really feel bad for you, you know,” you hummed as teachers quickly began to rush over to the scene. “I understand that you genuinely need attention to live, and that’s something you can’t help. But I think you shouldn’t do it by picking at others. Especially people who aren’t afraid to give it to you, because I know Des will punch you to another reality. Unless you’re a masochist, then please, be my guest. Fucking swine.” 

“Y/N, out,” a teacher scolded, having you shrug as you sauntered away from the girls and Nadia to leave the gym. Which was fine with you, really, as you didn’t like the smelly disgusting gym to begin with. But when the teacher escorted you out, you met eyes with the control in your mind. You groaned, rolling your eyes in actual disbelief as you began walking down the corridor. “Console your group member, Hemmings.” 

“Will do, sir,” Luke replied, his voice growing distant as you stomped away. You weren’t agitated, you were just pretending to be. Nadia was annoying, but it’s difficult to set you on the edge of vexation as you kept marching away. You could hear Luke’s kicks jog on the floor as his hand made it to your shoulder. “H-hey, what’s wrong?” 

“Nothing, actually,” you hummed. “Just pretending to be mad so the teachers think I’m an angry, troubled child.” 

“Okay, but why were you sent out?” Luke asked, his hand still on your shoulder. You were waiting for him to force you to face him, but he didn’t. He just kept his hand there, probably one of the most gentlest gestures you’ve ever actually received by a boy. 

“Ah, it was all Nadia, truly,” you hummed, listening to Luke groan in disappointment. “She began flaunting over the fact that she was in your group, so I told her that nobody asked and so she came over and started something. It was only right for me to continue feeding her energy to strengthen her pettiness. It’s like an RPG, Luke. You only get stronger if you fight.” 

“Yeah, but you do learn better strategically if you pull back from fights that you don’t need to take on,” Luke replied, having you shrug. It was a fair answer, you had to admit that much. Not that you’d tell him though, or else you’d be feeding to his ego. And God knows inflating that ego only made you wither. 

“Anyways, we argued some, I said a few bad words, and now I’m out here,” you spewed simply. You then turned, looking up to see strong jawline, sharp nose, blue-eyed devil Luke Hemmings stare down at you worriedly. You actually flinched, unsure as to how to take this. He needn’t words to get your heart racing, and that was something you weren’t too down about at the moment. 

“You better not be like that on the trip,” Luke warned softly, having you raise a brow up at the blonde before you. “I put her in our group because I thought it would be good if you two tried to get along.” 

“Me get along with Nadia?” You asked in genuine astonishment. “Has the Devil split the ground in two and risen from the deep depths of hell? Has God finally descended from the clouds to tell everyone? What is this life?” 

“Y/N, I’m serious,” Luke insisted, his frown deepening as he led you over to lean on the cold, metallic lockers. “I doubt you want to graduate knowing you had a grudge on someone.” 

“I don’t have a grudge on that imbecile,” you huffed. “She’s the one being a bitch to me and the least I can do is defend myself. What gives her the right to be a cunt to me when I haven’t even done a thing to her?” 

“You’re rather cold to her, Y/N--.” 

“You mean the way I act to everyone besides Sav, Des, and Alex?” You spat, leering up at the blonde. Luke gulped harshly, quickly quieting down as your point evidently dissolved into him. “I don’t need to get along with Nadia because I don’t need her in my life at all. So don’t start forcing me to do something that neither I nor her want.”

“I just want to help you--.” 

“Want to help?” You spat immediately, having Luke flinch, his face paling up as he looked down at you. You blinked a few times, staring at him to allow the gears in your brain to turn. “Put Nathan in our group.” 

“What the fuck? No,” Luke immediately dismissed, having you scowl at him as he looked away, slightly vexed. There was something swimming in those ocean eyes, but you couldn’t really hint at it if they weren’t staring directly at you. “Absolutely fucking not.” 

“Excuse me, but I’d like to enjoy myself when we go to the forest,” you hummed. “I want him to swat away all the mosquitoes, or get stung by them instead of me. I’m sorry, but rashes aren’t my thing.” 

“I can do that for you!” Luke insisted. 

“You’re the leader, dumbass,” you huffed, shoving his chest gently. “They need to make sure you’re fine and running well-- you can’t be holed up taking stings for me. Just let Nathan do it so I come back rash-free.” 

“Y/N,” Luke growled. “He’s a nasty person, I don’t want him in my group spreading his bullshit around.” 

“He’s going to be pining over me, he’s not going to be spreading no bullshit.” 

“That makes me more adamant, Y/N,” Luke huffed, rolling his eyes while still refusing to face you. You sighed, annoying that you were forced to actually put in a good amount of effort into getting the other vexing person in your group. Clenching the hold of your bag, you rolling your eyes and stomped your foot. 

“Why do you even hate the guy?” You began. “Your jealousy over him is invalid, so something has to give. Why do you hate Nathan?” 

Luke tried to emit something in response, but found himself frozen and speechless. His upper, pasty cheeks tinted a light pink as he dragged his tongue along his rouge lips. You could see how hesitant his was, the distance in his eyes indicating how rapidly he had been thinking. They were even getting clouded before he crossed his arms over his chest in distress. 

“That’s not important right now,” Luke muttered sheepishly. 

“Right, okay,” you sarcastically replied, somewhat in disbelief from Luke’s stubbornness. “Just get him in our team.” 

“Or else what?” 

“Or else I’m going to tell you to fuck off the entire trip,” you threatened, having Luke’s eyes divert to yours (finally) to flare up in jealousy. “I’ll ignore you when we have breaks for chat, sit as far away from you during breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and I won’t be bidding you goodnight before I sleep.” 

“Cruel!” Luke blurted, obvious pain dancing in his face as you shrugged. He knew he couldn’t test you, you’d keep your promise in your words. That’s just who you were, even if you didn’t exactly want to avoid Luke. His shoulders slumped, his blue eyes losing its color for a moment before letting out a strangled sigh. “Fucking fine, I’ll transfer him.” 

“Wait, seriously?” You hummed in disbelief, looking up to see disgust in his face as he nodded slowly. You swallowed, mouth a little dry as you chewed on your inner cheek. “Well shit, okay.” 

“But I’m never leaving you two alone,” Luke huffed angrily. “I don’t trust Holland, and I swear if he does anything with you--.” 

“Will you stick him up a tree for an entire night?” You questioned, reminding yourself of Des’ backlash with a smirk on your lips. Luke bit on his bottom lip, contemplating the finishing sentence as he nodded. 

“Sounds about right, yeah.” You giggled, having Luke raise an eye in puzzlement before shrugging it off. He lent you this extremely warm smile, one so gentle that it was intimidating. You looked away, letting out a small sigh as you allowed silence to seep in. But right then you decided to pop it. 

“Anyhow, thanks for the ‘scolding.’“ You curled both index and middle fingers you own in the air. “Can I go back now?” 

“Mm, I dunno,” Luke hummed, watching as he bent over and got his face close to yours. You stiffened, trying to counter his attempt to embarrass you by glaring at him. The tip of his nose was tempting to just meet with yours, knowing that if he did, a spark will somehow surge through and make you jump. “I don’t like it when you’re not around.” 

“That sucks,” you huffed. “You’re just gonna have to deal with it.” I don’t like it when you’re not around. Luke honestly couldn’t give your head or heart an actual break. How inconsiderate. 

“I already do when you’re not,” Luke hummed woefully. Trickles of vexation surged through when listening to his down tone. You didn’t like it, it was too unlike him. “I’m supposed to be in the gym now anyways” 

“Yeah?” 

“Gotta flaunt my leadership and meet all the members,” Luke hummed. “I chose some pretty chill people, so you shouldn’t be too bothered or irritated by them.” 

“Oh geez, did you select them in my favor?” You wondered, “because I’d definitely have to counter that, considering Nadia is in our group.” Luke was quick to bring his hand to the nape of his neck to give his lower curls a scratch. 

“Like I said, it’d be good if you guys could try and get along,” Luke hummed awkwardly. You looked into his azure eyes long and good, flickering your pupils about as he stares directly back. But his irises slowly thin with the widening of his own pupils, having them a little shaky. You were grasping at possible guesses, hoping to find a better reason than the one he insists. 

“Is it because you feel bad for her?” You hummed, looking ponderously in his eyes. The oceans dim, his pupils divert itself elsewhere awkwardly, “oh, that must be it! I wonder why...” you practically sang, going up to catch Luke’s chin with your hand. His eyes go back into yours, lightening up only a tad, “If you’re gonna lie, at least give me a good, believable reason as to why you’d add the Devil reincarnated into our team.” 

“You’re quite good at digging, aren’t you?” Luke praised, evidently a little vexed at your skill. You smiled in triumph, letting him go to back up from him once more. 

“Years of practice,” you murmured, not too fond of the skill but just enough. Pursing your lips together, you studied Luke for a moment before looking back at the menacing gym doors. You changed your demeanor and quickly pulled in the Puppy Eyes, “wanna get out of here?” 

Luke got easily caught,  his heart halting at the very sight of you. You had plead and beg in those mystery swirls, not caring if it seemed so unlike you. It was so unlike, but you have to do some hard shit to get what you want sometimes. And if this was it, you were more than prepared to do something so simple and only slightly degrading. But Luke easily succumbed, “destination?” 

“Away from the gym,” you murmured, having Luke look at you skeptically. But it was obvious he was surprised at your question. Him out of all people? You’d rather go somewhere with one of the girls. But Luke had a bit of superiority now, so you figured he’d be able to get you out of the tiring confines of that gym. “Just follow my lead, yeah?” 

“Y/N, what’re you--.” Before he could do anything, you began to yell. 

“She’s such a fucking bitch, I can’t handle her!” You growled, your face grimacing with pure heat in your words and eyes. A few teachers idling about looked over worriedly, eyes peering in curiosity. Luke widened his eyes, quickly putting his hands on your shoulders as if to hold me back. “Let me go back in there and give her a damn smack on the mouth! Disrespectful bitch!” 

“Uh-- calm down, Y/N!” Luke spoke over you, a little awkward at first but assertive. It was believable enough, you thought, as you continued shifting angrily in his hands. You did press pressure, requiring the appearance to make the teachers actually believe it as the assistant principal got close. 

“Is everything alright, Mr. Hemmings?” Her voice rang, having Luke nod as he continued to hold you. You allowed searing growls to leave you, leering at the teacher to have her flinch only slightly. It was amusing to be considered a cold being around the joint. 

“Yes, it’s alright,” Luke hummed, “but I think I need to chat with her for a moment. Mind getting another professor to go over the schedule with my group? I really need to speak to Y/N as she disagrees with the selection of my team.” 

The teacher merely nods, having Luke nod from his glance before turning back to you. You continued to act rabid, having Luke grab you by the wrist and begin tugging you out of the hallway. You made sure a string of curses stayed behind your legacy as Luke dragged you away. As he did, you looked at his sturdy back and noticed a paper stickied onto it. No fucking way... 

Removing it from his back without him noticing, you jog behind him with your freehand, you shakily open the note and reveal its contents. 

‘I’m a huge cryer. Once I had been away from my mom for about 2 days, and I had sobbed within the first 3 hours of the trip. It’s really bad, but I just miss people a lot when I’m away from those I love -H’ 

He’s adorable, you thought to yourself as you stuffed the note into your pocket. It was annoying that you didn’t know who he was, but learning about him through these small notes was fascinating. You were discovering a real person, either some shy boy who was this cute, or a jock who keeps these as secrets from the public view. It just made you so curious as to who this person was, and it itched at your mind. 

A question though: how the fuck did he get the note attached to the back of Luke R. Hemmings? 

“Hey,” you sounded to Luke, who continued to lead you away. But he slowed down when far enough, having you appreciate the gesture greatly. “Where are we off to?” 

“Away,” Luke replied, having you take the answer as you let him take you to wherever away was. 

You found yourself in your English class, vacant with papers and chewed up yellow pencils sprawled about. 

“I hate this class,” you hummed, slowly sauntering over to the fern chalkboard as Luke walked along the rows of tables by the door. Your fingertips dragged along the words, taking away the colored chalk in the letters and words jumbled about, leaving dashes and holes all around. “I love English, but this class is so slow that I’m ahead,” you hummed, looking around to see the big lesson soon which is ‘Love prevails all.’ 

“Keep in mind that you’re you and everyone else isn’t,” Luke said fondly through chuckles, “everyone else doesn’t have such a smart, easily interpretative brain like yours, Y/N. You’re far too unique to be in the crowd of copies.” You smiled at this curtly, still staring at the green entity to conceal it from his view. 

“I try,” you admit, bringing your hand before you to see your fingers dirtied with the white powder. “But sometimes I do wonder at what cost...” 

“Elaborate?” Luke asked kindly, always willing to lend ears. 

“I mean,” you began, clearing your throat a bit, “I’m very happy to be where I am currently with 3 amazing people as my friends, but they’re always out having a blast at those social gatherings while I keep my face stuck in a textbook.” 

“Nn,” Luke hummed in comprehension, “so you think you’re missing out?” You nodded, looking distantly at the small bookshelf that was at the end of the chalkboard by the windows. “It’s too late to get out there, you know.” 

You scoffed, smiling a bit at his words, “you’re far too optimistic, Luke. We’re already in our senior year-- my 3 years are spent and my last one is already looking to be spent.” 

“That’s because you’re trying too hard in a year that doesn’t matter so much,” Luke snorted, having you immediately snap your neck to face the blonde boy by the back of the classroom. 

“Pardon you, but I’m trying to get myself in a good university,” you snapped, “it doesn’t matter if my grades ‘don’t count’ this year. I’m always going to do my best, to not only prove it to everyone else but to myself. To prove that while everyone else is the same, I’m... different.” 

“Weren’t you just complaining about that?” Luke hummed curiously, having you look away again, studying the textbooks collecting dust, “the only rabbit in the turtle race.” 

“Well, I want to be a little both?” You chimed almost suggestively, “I mean, I definitely won’t let go of my studies for even a second, but maybe I can let loose just for a few hours every weekend? Not so late like your venue concert, but I mean, just a bit of time away from home. B-but I also don’t to seem like a slacker or some party animal...” 

“I kind’ve get what you mean,” Luke began quietly, having you glance over to see him saunter to your desk, “like that’s the side of you that you want to keep and have it exist but not be the entirety of you.” You gave Luke a lingering stare, seeing the way he looked wistfully at your desk and brushed his fingertips along the scratched in gang names and doodles. 

“R-right, yeah,” you sputtered, somewhat surprised at how understanding Luke was. It was like he himself was in the same shoes, but that couldn’t be possible, could it? He was the popular guitar player in a band who goes to parties and has girls constantly swooning over him. He indulges in attention and is said to be the life of every party he steps one single foot in. “Does that sound crazy or somethin...”

“I think it’s cool,” Luke mumbles genuinely, his tender words quickly making your heart race, “you want to stay true to yourself to everything while still experiencing something that’s out of your comfort. It’s really rad, ‘n I respect that.” 

You smiled at this, feeling a little better as you slowly made your way towards the boy, “you’re actually not that bad, Hemmings.” This quickly caught Luke’s attention as he snapped his neck and had his blue eyes widened and fixed on you. No words came through just yet, but his bewilderment was quite the sight, “chillax, I’m just saying you aren’t as much of an ass as you always act.” 

“N-no it’s not that,” Luke stuttered, both large hands covering his face as he looked away. You stayed at his back, confused as those curls perfectly fell down the nape of his pale neck. You wondered what happened, wanting to step closer without stepping on a border. “It’s unusual for you to be candid in such a sweet way-- it caught me a little off guard.” 

“Don’t get used to it,” you huffed, “it’s not gonna happen often, and this might end up being a one time thing.” Then, suddenly, Luke chuckled after your words, and you couldn’t help but lighten up. His laughter was always so gentle and warm, like a morning dew of a summer morning, with bells dancing along with the wind current.

“I won’t,” Luke assured, turning around to show his cheeks only a little bit tinted with pink, “but I like this you-- this raw version. Just makes me fall even deeper.” 

“Fucks sake,” you scoffed, looking away to shake your head in disapproval, “don’t even begin with calling me candid when you’re especially so. You’re not in love with me.” 

Luke let that hang for a moment, having you feel his blue eyes stare at you as he held a smirk. You looked over at the window beside your seat, reminding yourself of the stalker. The Note Tree, the assumed title of the song this random boy wrote for you. Always changed, 30+ days worth of one lyric change that had always kept you wondering how his eyes was always on you but you could never coincidentally meet them. You emit a sigh, somewhat vexed at everything and the stalker and the boy before you with a warm smile and beautiful ocean eyes. 

“That sucks,” Luke hummed, “because I am very much in love with you and proud to be incredibly deep in. I’m practically by the center of the earth-- it’s beyond boiling point.” You shook your head, chuckling at how much of a dork he was. 

“So what should I do about it?” You sounded, rolling your eyes over to see him gnawing on his bottom rouge lip. You wondered curiously at his face, seeing how he hasn’t even faltered a single bit. 

“You’re a good digger, aren’t you?” Luke pointed out, “dig me out.” 

“Oh yeah?” You made your voice just a bit higher, with your eyebrows following and your eyes meeting his with annoyance. “How do I do that? My personality is one that makes everyone run away so I have no idea how to dig you out.” 

“Well, that’s the thing then, isn’t it?” Luke said quietly with a curt, kind smile, “you can’t. Your digging skills only reside in things you know, but you can’t understand my love for you. So there’s nothing you can do but make me sink deeper and deeper,” Luke spewed with more passion, moving closer to you, and oh my, “until my heart is bruised with your name. It’ll throb lovingly with eternal colors that I’ve only seen when I’m with you or you’re dancing about in my head.” 

“I...” you began, looking away completely. You were flushed. Red-faced, red tinted, completely scarlet with no control whatsoever. That asshole is absolutely impossible. “...Fuck off, Luke.” You shoved him back, getting out a few entertained laughs from the blond dolt. 

“Never,” Luke practically sung, having you grumble as you took a seat on the desk in front of yours and leaned your back against the closed window. Luke followed, hopping on your desk as you looked distantly at the empty hall through the door. He noticed the wistful expression on your face and spewed quietly, “you okay, Y/N?” 

“Mind singing me a little something?” You immediately replied, indirectly looking over to see his feet move forwards and backwards like he were on a swing. They suddenly halted from your words though, as you felt his eyes likely on you. He was silent, speechless possibly, “what’s wrong? Can’t do it without your guitar?” 

“N-no,” Luke stuttered, his hands clenching around the edges of the desk as he sat forward with his lanky back slouched. “It’s just... didn’t think you’d ever ask me to sing you something.” 

“Want me to take it back?” You threatened. 

“No!” He immediately stopped you, having you smirk as you began twiddling your thumbs. You didn’t say anything further, having Luke guess to sing anything he’d like. You don’t have requests so long as you heard his voice. His singing voice is not bad, you honestly admitted. “You’re dripping like a saturated sunri-hiiise--” He chose Halsey, what a guy, “-you’re spilling like an overflowing sink. You’re ripped at every edge, but you’re a master piece, and now I’m tearing through the pages and the ink-- come in with me, Y/N!” 

“I don’t sing,” you exclaimed in slight bewilderment, looking over to see pure optimism and encouragement. “I’m not that like, good...” 

“But I don’t care,” Luke hummed, having you frown, “I want to hear all of you, every single way you can use your voice. So singing is one.”

“You pervert, that consists of a lot of sound I can make--.” 

“Everything is blue!” Luke sang-screamed, having you flinch, but giggle it out before joining him. “His pills, his hands, his jeans. And now I’m covered in the colors pull apart at the seams-- continue it for me, Y/N.” 

“I swear to god, Luke--.”

“Y/N.” 

“And it’s blue-oo-oo-ooo,” you sang the stretched out word, having you feel completely embarrassed as you sung, “and it’s blue-oo-oo-ooo...” 

“Everythin’ is grey-- his hair, his smoke, his dreams,” Luke sang, his voice raspy and pure, completely raw and absolutely doesn’t need a guitar to help him sound better. He was fantastic, as he deserves to think and know so. “And now he’s so devoid of color-- he don’t know what it means! And he’s blue.... yeah, he’s blue...” 

“You were red,” you began with the bridge, your voice as dramatic as it could be as Luke began to sputter out laughter. You clenched your chest with your hands, “and you liked me because I was blue...” 

“Then you touched me and suddenly I was a lilac sky!” Luke yelled with you, the both of you raising your arms with glee as you turned to face each other. “But then you decided purple just wasn’t for you.” 

“And it’s blue-oo-oo-ooo,” Luke finished quietly, refusing to go through the whole chorus yet again as you stared at him wistfully. It’s those kind of moments you dream of having: the ones where you can be absolutely silly with another who is just as silly and indulging in it completely. But it’s with Luke and somehow you aren’t mad about it. You’re looking into those blue eyes and noticed just how blue they were. And by God, they were so blue-- so blue that you could fucking drown in them and you had high doubts that Luke had his lifeguard license. 

“Ah, sorry...” you quickly spewed an apology, looking away to distantly return yourself to the vacant corridor. But Luke only let out another laugh, one more lower and genuine, so warm and tender that it greeted your heart kindly with a dose of adrenaline. 

“And you still wonder why I love you?” Luke began, scoffing in disbelief as your cheeks flared up in scarlet. “Can this be our song? So when we get married, we can play it and remember this day.” 

“Luke!” You exclaimed, slamming down on the wooden table. “Slow your damn horses-- you’re way too optimistic about your future.” 

“I don’t think it’s optimism,” Luke said honestly with a smirk. You turned to stare at him, seeing the way he looked up distantly to the ceiling, his blue orbs still. “I know what I want in my future, and I know I want you innit all, through-and-through.”

You allowed the silence to take you over, as you were at a loss of words. So much so that you adjusted your bag on you bag and hopped off the desk. Luke followed, refusing to utter a word as you gestures to the space before you. 

“Y/N?” 

“Grab my wrist and walk us back to the gym please,” you murmured, shyly unfurling your hand as you offered it to him. You could tell he was a bit awestruck, considering this was very out of your nature. But Luke had just done something that you will never forget, even if you wanted to, and somehow-- somehow, you aren’t angry at all. 

“You’re so sly,” Luke chuckled out, his hands with mountains of callouses and rough skin taking your wrist. It was a more delicate hold, much more gentle and not rushed. It felt really sweet and genuine, like he was savoring it all. “Let’s go.”

With that, you allowed the blonde-haired monster take you away, fully flushed and unable to shake off the sudden new speed your heart took on. 

you already know what to do, inbox is right here and please don’t hate me for the super slow updates aha xx 

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