#but Marley and Unique notice and start hanging out with him

[buildarocketboys]

Sam being friends with Marley and Unique is something that absolutely 100% does not exist in the show but absolutely 100% should have. But they're friends in my heart and that's what matters

[ackasamii--archive]

if you love him

summary: armin is ready to let you go but are you?

pairing: armin arlert x black!fem reader

word count: 2.3k

warnings: a little angst and fluff

note: had this idea one day and decided to post it. hope you like it because this one is close to my heart. title inspired by this song.

“Where’s y/n?” Something Armin Arlert heard a lot the past four years. This time it was Connie asking while glancing around to see if he could spot her.

“Probably with Onyankopon again.” Sasha answered easily while lying lazily in a chair. “Honestly surprised she hasn’t been caught by Hange or Levi yet, she should stop while she’s ahead.”

Jean scoffed, “We all know she’s into him, I don’t know why she’s still sneaking around.”

“You know y/n, she’s always kept to herself, kind of like Mikasa, but more discreet about it.” Connie shrugged.

Said girl narrowed her eyes at the buzzcut male, “More discreet?”

His heart twisted at every passing second while listening to them talk. There was one thing they were right about; you really did keep to yourself. And that’s what initially drawled him towards you.

It was the way you were always silent during conversation amongst friends and enjoying being around the people you were most comfortable with. How the quiet smile appeared on your lips whenever Jean or Connie made some stupid joke. Or the way Armin was captured by every word whenever you do speak, which was a rarity in itself. There was just something about you that kept his eyes always looking for you in a crowd. And sometimes they would meet for the briefest second before you quickly looked away to something else.

Then there was your skin. It was different from everyone else’s. Even Eren’s and Ymir’s. Your complexion had the sun smiling at you whenever it was out. Standing out amongst a sea of people, making you beautifully unique in his eyes.

It was easy to see that you wouldn’t fit with someone like him. Weak and useless Armin. You deserve someone strong and bold like Jean. Maybe outgoing and funny like Connie. Or maybe someone who could relate to you the most.

Like Onyankopon.

It was when the first came to Paradis Island. The moment your eyes landed on him; you were in awe. How was it that a stranger, a Marleyan, was able to capture your attention in seconds when he’s known you ever since they first started in the Survey Corps?

And just like that you’ve been sneaking out at night and coming back in the early hours of the morning with a soft smile on your lips. Yes, he’s noticed. He’s noticed how much happier you’ve become whenever you’d come back from your nightly adventures. He hated it. He hated that it couldn’t be him that made you smile like that.

Such a beautiful smile.

“She’ll tell us when she wants to.” Armin forced himself to say. He hid his heartbreak. He hid because at the end of the day, what he felt didn’t matter. Especially in a time of war.

War. Whoever said war was kind must’ve been out of their damned minds.

“Nothing we can do about it,” Mikasa shrugged, “it’s her own fault if she gets caught.”

Connie suddenly cleared his throat loudly, “Speaking of!” Armin along with everyone else turned their heads to find you entering the room, eyes slightly widened in surprise and curiosity. “Now where’ve you been, young lady?!”

You roll your eyes, “I went for a walk, mind your business.”

It was one of those brief seconds again. Where his and your eyes connected. Almost as if it were a puzzle finding its place.

This time he looked away.

“Shouldn’t you all be asleep?” you asked while leaning on the armchair Sasha was sitting in. “You know how the captain gets when we make noise past curfew.”

“We should say the same for you,, dummy.” Jean flicked her forehead.

You smack his hand, “Whatever. Do what you want, don’t get mad if Levi makes you do extra chores in the morning.”

She’s more talkative, Armin noticed. He wondered if anyone else realized this as well. If they did, they sure didn’t mind it much.

Not long after, everyone else decided to follow your lead and head to bed, not wanting to face the wrath of their strict superior in the morning to come. And as usual, Armin would lay away at night, staring up at the ceiling blankly.

He’d think about Eren and where he’s gone. He’d think about everyone else’s mental sanity through all of this, especially with this dangerous plan they had when they got to Marley. But tonight your face couldn’t stop appearing in his mind.

So much so, he dreamed of what your lips would feel like against his.

While simultaneously fighting off a growing resentment towards the Marleyan.

Next morning they received another letter from Eren. Which meant more developments in their plan. Which also meant more exhaustingly long meetings with Hange and the others. Those were the days he got to see you a lot more.

Sneaking glances your way, smiling despite himself whenever your eyes met.

Actually, it was happening a lot often now that Armin thought about it. Today he even caught you looking at him! It was strange and quite confusing considering your secret situation with Onyankopon.

Then night came. Armin hadn’t returned to the quarters yet as he was finishing up with Hange. Sometimes they could get a bit too carried away and he’d be patient enough to wait until she was finished. But once he was finally free, Armin pulled at his tie and left his white shirt unbuttoned.

He didn’t walk back to the quarters. Instead, he walked along the beach he and the others found years ago.

The ocean.

It was still beautiful no matter how many times he laid his eyes on it.

No matter how much it pained him to know what was coming on the other side.

He didn’t mean to.

No, he really didn’t.

But Armin just happened to turn his head and see you leave the tent Onyankopon was staying in. There was something within him that grew to the point where he felt reckless.

You stopped in your tracks, worried that you might’ve been caught when someone called your name. But when you glanced behind you, it was only Armin.

His kind features released the tension from your body as you fully turned to the male slowly approaching you.

You never knew what to do around him. How to act, how to talk. Armin Arlert had to be the most intelligent member of Levi’s squad and with that title came intimidation.

Not only that but he was far too pretty to be talking to someone like you. To even notice you. And so you only stared at your shaking hands, hoping your darkened skin could hide the warm feeling spreading across your face. If not your skin, please let the night protect you.

“What are you doing out here?” You finally ask carefully.

His blue eyes, similar to the large body of water, stared at you with an intensity you could not understand. In fact he always did. For years you never knew why he looked at you this way. Was it because of how you looked? How dark your skin was? Sure, you were most definitely used to that. Along with the whispers and the judgment.

But he held none of that. It was something else entirely. Something that had you shift on your toes and made your stomach do endless flips.

Now he was standing close. Not too close that you were uncomfortable with. But closer than he usually stood near anyone.

And then he whispers.

“Does he at least love you?”

You simply stared at him, now in confusion, “Who?”

“Onyankopon”

His heart was practically ready to leave his chest at that very moment. What had come over him? It’s like as soon as he saw you leave that tent, all signs of rational and reason had left him. And before he knew it, he had called your name, and now here you were. Standing before each other.

Ready to accept—

“What makes you think that?”

The question had thrown him off. Armin studied your face, seeing the confusion written all over it. A small part of him thought you adorable with the way you scrunched up your brows matched with the little frown on your face.

There he goes wishing for something out of his reach.

“It’s just that...” He hesitated to continue, the recklessness slowly leaving him. “you seem happier whenever you come back from seeing him...”

He had to look away from you. Find anything else he could look at but your face at this moment. So, instead he looked at the ocean and the words began to spill.

“And that’s all I’ve wanted for you. To see you smile, to see you happy. Even in a time where all things seem hopeless. When things seem impossible to achieve...like you.” He heard a quick gasp and continued before he regretted everything, “With everything unfolding, the titans, the Marleyans, this war, Eren—everything in my world is slowly crumbling before me. So, I search for you. I find you because you are my warmth, because you are my hope, and my motivation. In my dreams we’re free. And sometimes you’re there with me.” He closed his eyes to keep the tears at bay while clenching and unclenching his hands, “If you love him—”

“I don’t!”

Armin opened his eyes.

Seeing you crying was the saddest thing he’s ever witnessed. His body moved before his mind could process.

Suddenly his world was in his hands as he wiped the rebellious tears away.

You gripped onto his wrist while trying to calm down. Damn. You hadn’t planned to cry in front of him. Then again you hadn’t planned to hear any of that.

“It’s not him I love.”

You felt him freeze but never move his hands from the sides of your head. It was comforting, like a warm blanket.

After you’ve calmed down, you spoke in a more controlled voice, “I was an orphan before coming to the corps. I was the only person who looked different. There was no one that looked like...me. And I was alone. Being the outsider. Being the one to stand out when I just wanted to disappear in the sea of people.

And then I joined the Survey Corps where many people all over would be. Still, I was the only me among them. But it was different. I made friends, I didn’t see the judgment or rejection, not from them, not from you. I was happy, but the feeling of loneliness remained with me until...”

“Onyankopon.” Armin finished as realization crossed his features.

You nodded, “I can’t tell you how happy I was to see him. I wanted to cry right then and there. So, yes, I started sneaking out to see him. To learn about myself and hope that there were more people out there that looked like me. I wanted to know if my family was still out there if there was still hope. And he gave it to me. Something to hope for and the confidence to one day confess to the man I love.”

A smile reached your lips as you caught Armin’s own tears. His head leaned against yours as he closed his eyes.

“I didn’t feel—”

“Worthy? Me neither.”

There it was again. The same intensity in his eyes. Although this time, you knew what this was. You should’ve known sooner as he pulled you closer.

And he whispered, just a feather away from your lips, “May I?”

“Yes.”

He was gentle against your lips and slow as if he were taking his time to soak in your warmth and taste. His strong desire for you showed more through his body as one hand cupped your cheek with his thumb brushing below your eyes and his other pulled you closer to him where his warmth engulfed you, comforted you, and held you lovingly.

Finally.

Oh how you yearned to stay like this forever. Breathing in his scent, running your hand through his soft blond hair, and listening to him murmur against your ear about how much he loved you.

That night stayed with you as the war went on.

You would have Onyankopon to thank after the words exchanged between the two of you the night before. Why you were more talkative and happier.

“Onyan?”

The man looked up from his work and smiled gently at the nickname you’ve given him over time.

“Yeah, y/n?”

You pick at the wooden table in deep thought with a small frown on your face. He noticed the change in your mood the moment you entered his tent that night. But knowing you, constantly asking questions would not allow you to open up.

He learned to simply wait.

“Do you think I can be loved?”

Onyankopon stared at you for a moment.

“Why would you ask something like that.”

You sighed, “No, what I mean...it’s not like I’m the ideal type, you know?”

He raised a slick brow, “What’s this about?” Before you could reply he had already figured it out, “Oh wait, it’s about that one kid, isn’t it?”

You scoffed, “Yeah, that one kid.”

He chuckled and leaned on the table to look you in the eyes, “Do you love him?”

You didn’t respond.

“Ah,” The man rubbed his chin with a growing smirk, “Have you told him yet?”

“Are you crazy? Of course I haven’t!”

“Mmm, I think I’m quite sane, thank you.” He smirked. “We live in an unpredictable world, kiddo. You never know what’s going to happen next. You could die knowing you never told someone you loved them. Maybe they needed to hear it and it would be too late.” You stared at him blankly before he sighed, “Okay, let me put it this way. Do you want to die with regrets?”

You frowned, “No, no I don’t.”

Onyankopon nodded, “Then if you love him that much, tell him. Yeah, sure there could be rejection, but it beats having your confession weigh you down when it’s too late.”

You took in his words, knowing that he was right and you had to somehow build up whatever courage in you to just tell him.

Just do it. What could go wrong?

“Really?”

“Yep!”

A small teasing smile reached your lips, “Talking from experience?”

He laughed despite the small stab in his heart.

“Maybe!”

© all content belongs to ackasamii 2021. do not modify or repost.

[thesunshinebunny]

When the world falls apart, the only thing we can hold onto is ourselves (Part I)

Series Master list

Pairing: Canon Eren Jaeger x reader

Content: Angst, unstable relationship, breakup, smut/nswf+18, major character death, violence, blood (obviously), war (pretty obvious)

Summary: War and hate. It’s what defined the world at this exact moment. You failed your comrades, and by failing them, you failed yourself. Your relationship is hanging by a thread and your enemies will not only be found on the other side of the sea, but also in the mind of the person you love the most. How will you take the reins in the face of so much destruction?

Chapter Summary: After watching their teammates die in battle, reader begins to question their sanity and of their so-called partner.

AN: let me say goodbye to my favorite girl, who got me the best laughs and relieved my anxiety while reading manga chapters. At the same time, let me succumb to the misery and enlarge the wound with an canon Eren. I won’t be against following this fic if I see that a lot of people like it, but my list of fandoms isn’t going to change, this will be a unique exception.

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The chill in the air from the airship rushed through my veins. Less than two hours ago, I had seen countless comrades die, each one of them struck by bullets in different parts of their bodys or eaten by a Titan. I had seen countless lives fall and had been unable to save any. I knew we were going on a suicide mission, but deep down inside of me, I hoped we would all come home alive.

I was very naïve to think of a happy ending in this rotten and violent world.

Inside the room I was in, my mind wandered looking through one of the few windows this war machine gave us. I wasn't paying attention to what Levi or Eren were saying, I didn't even have the slightest intention of asking why Zeke was with us. Although being a member of the Survey Corps and a direct and in training medic, I was not fully informed of the missions. Eren’s courtesy.

Bored and mentally tired, I left the room where my leaders were having a heated discussion with "humanity's last hope." I didn't have the strength to add more charcoal to the fire, but trust me when I tell you I wasn’t at all happy with Eren's plan, simply and exclusively because I was completely unaware.

I walked down the hall making a mental note to kick the brunette in the face like Levi did when we got back. If my so-called partner, who had the decency to slowly push me away over the last year without explanation, wasn’t confident enough to tell me whatever was going on in his mind, then we would be in front of the doors of a serious conversation back home.

I opened the door where the scouts were when I heard a rifle go off. My eyes went wide and fear washed over me. I instantly scanned my body for wounds, completely ignoring the situation happening in front of me. Finding no sign of impact, I looked up only to find Sasha falling on her back, with a bullet impact on her chest.

The world seemed to have frozen as did my body. No one was able to move. Blood was spreading around Sasha's body, staining the floor, and that's when I reacted. My body moved on its own, pulling the cloak off my shoulders and folding it to make a small pillow. My ears didn’t catch any screams or cries from my teammates, as if I was underwater and the only thing I could hear was my heartbeat accelerating, threatening to come out of my ears.

"I need a syringe with anesthesia, a pair of tweezers, a needle, a lighter, bandages and hot water, NOW !!"

No one was moving, everyone was in shock, including me, but I was layered enough to know that if we didn't do something, Sasha wasn't going to survive.

"Jean, Connie, I need surgical elementes! NOW!!"

The two boys came out of it, running around the room, even going to the continuous, looking for something that might serve, while I tore Sasha's shirt and took her equipment. Mikasa was next to me grabbing the pieces that were in the way.

"Mikasa, I need you to put pressure on the wound and don’t move your hands"

Connie came running back with the anesthesia in hand, trying to give it to me, but me failing. The syringe fell to the floor, but thanks to whatever deity was watching us it didn't break. My hands were shaking with adrenaline, making it impossible for me to inject the needle into the glass vial.

“Sasha… I need you to stay awake, ok? I need you to keep your eyes open at all time"

The dying girl in front of me didn't give me an answer, but I knew she heard me. In the background, I could hear the desperate cries of the others, apart from the fact that someone had hit the culprit in the face. I injected the anesthesia and proceeded to remove the bullet from the lung. Mikasa reapplied pressure with wet cloths.

"Sasha everything will be fine, I assure you, everything will be fine, so don't you dare die on me, okay?"

I couldn't tell who I was addressing those words to, the girl who gave us the best laughs in our training days, or me.

Lighter in hand I proceeded to cauterize the wound, but my eyes fell on Sasha's, noticing how the life had left her eyes. The light that was so bright in her pupils had faded, leaving nothing more than an empty countenance.

"Sasha?...Sasha? hey, this isn’t funny, Sasha wake up…Sasha?? SASHA?!!?!" ...

"SASHA!!!"

Again.

Again I’d been unable to do anything.

Again I’d to see how I was unable to save someone.

Again.

I had seen a mate die. Again.

My chest contracted, the air was impossible to get in or out and my lungs cried out to explode. My stomach wanted to regurgitate, but there was nothing in it, causing me to spasm. My vocal cords were damaged from screaming and my head was about to collapse.

My whole body was about to collapse.

"How dare you!? You son of a bitch, how dare you to shoot the person who forgave your life?"

My anger was now directed at the child they had wanted to bring with us. It was impossible for me to look at her without having the desire to break her face, to make her suffer ... to kill her. To take revenge for Sasha.

“SHE FORGAVE YOUR LIFE BY NOT GIVING YOU A SHOT IN THE HEAD AND IS THAT HOW YOU PAY HER? YOU HATE US SO MUCH? HOW MANY MORE LIVES DO YOU WANT TO TAKE FOR US TO BE SATISFIED?"

My legs got up, leading me towards the girl, but arms held me from behind, preventing me from continue walking, preventing me from taking revenge.

"HOW DARE YOU? HOW DARE YOU? YOU ARE THE REAL DEVILS"

In the end, my body collapsed, completely loosening and causing me to almost slide down Connie's arms. I fell to my knees when he released me, snuggling up and hiding my head in my arms. Tears flowed like waterfalls with no intention of stopping and my screams reverberated across the metal in the room.

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Connie opened the door where our commanders were still arguing. Both with tears in our eyes gave the worst news of the night.

"Sasha died"

Jean and Hange's faces were disfigured and Levi hid his grim outline from us. The room was silent, but all that could be heard were my sobs, spasm after spasm.

"She had a ... a bullet impact ... in ... in the chest ..."

It was difficult, almost impossible, for me to relate the precarious medical report of our friend's death, trying to help me with the movement of my hands ... but even so the spasms won me over. I fell back to the floor, tears invaded my face once more and my ability to articulate words was gone down the drain.

Hange approached with a slow step and placed their hands on my shoulders, giving me the help I needed to give the report. I took several minutes of deep breaths and when my lungs returned to normal, I spoke again.

"Sasha had a bullet impact on the chest, on the left lung ... There was no exit, so the bullet was stuck in there...it pierced two ribs, tearing the skin of the lung and causing internal bleeding... I managd to remove the bullet, but I didn't have time to cauterize and sew the wound ... she bled to death"

Every pause I took to breathe made it so much worse for me to speak back. If it weren't for the fact I was undoubtedly taking deep breaths, I would have passed out from distress and hyperventilation.

"I could have saved her ... I know I could have saved her"

Silence reigned over the room, sobs from Hange and Connie could be heard if we were paying close attention. Jean and Levi glared at Eren, who had not deigned to lift his head at any time.

I got up as best I could, running Hange's hands gently, and left the room once again. I needed to be alone for a while, I needed to let go of these horrible feelings, I needed some air, otherwise I doubted I’d do anything rational in the state I was in.

My legs led me to a room away from all the common ones. It was empty, but it had a couple of windows that chilled the already cold metal walls. Some windows were at my height, allowing me to appreciate the view from the air, but let's face it, it was impossible to appreciate the landscape when your mind and heart were breaking to pieces. The only thing that kept my mind intact from any collapse was the path of smoke and fire that could be seen in the distance... signs that Marley was still on fire.

"Are you ok?"

That familiar voice, all too familiar, echoed in my ears pulling me out of my entrance. Eren had entered the room quietly with the aim of… what? See if it was okay? Because I really wasn't, it showed on my face and that's what made me even more angry than I was.

"Oh, I don't know? Am I ok? Do I FUCKING LOOK OK TO YOU?"

I turned from the window too quickly causing me to stagger and fall to the floor. My head was spinning and starting to ache as was every muscle in my body. I put my hands to my head, hoping the pain would dissipate a bit, but the only thing I managed was to sink further into misery.

"I could have saved her ... if I’d been faster ... I know I could have saved her"

He hadn't moved from where he was, he just stayed there, looking at me. My blood-soaked eyes looked him up and down searching for something, whatever, to speak of, but all I found were non-glare eyes and a neutral gaze, as if he hadn't cared how many lives this mission had claimed.

"Do you want to know how I feel? Fine, I’ll tell you"

I stood up heavily, my muscles begging for a break. I turned my head to see the black smoke rising on the horizon, still clearly noticing an orange and red flare.

“I am tired…I am full of rage and hate. I saw our comrades die and I couldn't do anything, I was unable to save them ... to save Sasha...and all because of not having been informed like everyone else"

My eyes hadn't left the window because I knew, if I looked into those dull turquoise eyes, those same eyes that once shone with all the innocence and life that a young man could have, I would end up punching him.

"Are you happy? Did you accomplished your mission now that you have the power of the warhammer titan? What will be the next step? Go back to Marley in a few months, finish what you started and devour the jaw titan and Reiner? Assassinate the cart titan?”

Again, I got no response. My patience had already reached it’s limit and I looked back at the man who was now standing in the middle of the room.

"You're not going to tell me, are you? No, you never say anything to me, it's like I'm a burden to you" I shuffled on the metal, standing right in front of him "I'm with so much anger in my veins that I want to kill a child, a child Eren! ... A child who had her head washed all her life, a child who doesn’t know the whole truth and who only knows that by killing she can be free"

Unconsciously, my body moved everywhere, as if it wanted to release all the pressure by tiring the muscles. I stood back in front of the window and with all the accumulated anger I gave it a strong blow, slightly scratching the glass and probably breaking some knuckles.

"Sasha died because of my incompetence and the violence of this world...I want to save lives Eren, that's why I'm practicing medicine...I want to dedicate myself to saving souls, not killing them...and we have the culprit stuck in one of our rooms...why?" ...

“WHY DO WE HAVE TWO CHILDS ON OUR AIRPLANE? WHY IS YOUR BROTHER WITH US? WHY DON'T YOU LET ME KNOW WHAT IS GOING THROUGH YOUR HEAD?"

I was sure that my screams could be heard by our entire war machine. I was impatient for answers, but knew I wasn't going to get any, at least not now. My hands didn’t remain calm, they moved everywhere, a sign of my anxiety and my eyes turned around the entire room, looking at each screw, each metal beam... everything except the eyes of my supposed lover.

I was giving up, now I just wanted to rest and have a trip home in peace, even knowing that home was not going to sound the same or feel the same.

"If you have nothing to say Eren, you better leave"

I turned my back on him but didn't proceed to walk away from him. I needed to find an anchor point so as not to give up and throw myself into the arms that one day gave me warmth, the arms that wrapped me in the dark, the arms that reflected their love and affection ... into the arms that now wouldn't hold me from the waist or draw me to his chest. I wasn't going to throw me into some arms that weren't going to contain me.

I heard him take a few small steps towards me and his hand rested lightly on my shoulder. I put it aside abruptly and I distanced myself towards the remote window, seeing how little by little the smoke was getting smaller and I could no longer see the orange flame clearly; now I could only see a thin yellow line fading.

"Leave Eren"

His footsteps rumbled on the metal floor, leaving me alone once and for all.

The trip back was going to be a long one and, to be honest, I wasn't sure if there was anything for me in our home. Nothing was going to be the same anymore. Without Sasha, without Eren and with a war on our feet I doubted to even call “home” a piece of wet land in the middle of an ocean which is still the target of a world full of hate.

[bluesylveon2]

How to Confess to a Guy

Summary: Levi and Hange have a crush on one another for years. It is now time for someone to step up and confess!

Disclaimer: Attack on Titan is a manga/anime series written by Hajime Isayama and published by Kondasha

© All rights reserved

A/N: @levihanweek Thank you for hosting the Levihan Eggschange event! I enjoyed participating in it.

To my giftee, I hope you find your gift and enjoy it. I hope the clues I gave you helped as well. Enjoy! :)

Camp Paradis is a 7-week, 400-acre summer camp for teenagers hidden deep in the woods of Washington state. Founded in the 1950s by the Fritz family, it is run by Dot Pixis, a man famous for his many achievements when he was a camper many years ago. It is known for offering a variety of activities for each camper. Some activities included fishing, sailing, swimming, paddle boarding, and more!

The camp had a small lake with 12 cabins surrounding it. Each cabin had three campers and one counselor. Each camp counselor was typically seniors and college students. Additionally, there was an even bigger lake, Lake Maria, where the camp's rival, Camp Marley, resided across. Camp Marley was also 7 weeks but had 500 acres, and it was by Theo Magath.

No two counselors in Camp Paradis are alike. Each counselor is unique. For example, Erwin Smith, the counselor for Ursus cabin, is greatly admired by his campers because of his dedication and leadership quality. He is the counselor who typically leads his cabin to victory every year at the Paradis games that occur at the last week of camp.

On the other hand, Levi Ackerman, the counselor for Vulpes cabin, was known as very strict with his campers. Other campers from other cabins note how it always smells like detergent, and his campers clean the cabin often.

(They are in the woods, for crying out loud! How did he manage to bring all of the cleaning supplies? This remained a mystery to everyone except in the Vulpes cabin.)

Just like any other teenage-related camp, the campers always spread rumors to relieve their boredom. Some of which have not been debunked.

Rumor 1: Bigfoot is hidden somewhere deep in the woods that has yet to be found. There were occasional sightings near the camp in the previous years. Dot Pixis himself almost caught him one day but failed. Anyone who can find and capture Bigfoot can earn a generous reward from Pixis. Eren and his friends actually tried to look for it but ran into his older half-brother, Zeke, instead (he kind of looked like one in the dark). He and his friends did not realize they walked all the way to Camp Marley.

Rumor 2: Someone went to Camp Marley to serenade Annie Leonhart when she was outside playing the piano. Annie refused to reveal who, yet she blushed every time someone from Camp Marley asked. Someone (*cough Ymir) had an idea who. Some campers claimed to see Ymir often tease Armin after the rumors started. It is possible the Armin did it.

Rumor 3: Levi Ackerman likes Hange Zoe from Strix cabin and vice versa. Actually, it seemed more like a fact than a rumor to everyone except them.

Let's look at the evidence:

Evidence 1: Levi always takes care of Hange when she forgets to take care of herself. It typically ranges from, but not limited to: making sure she eats, jumping into any time she is at risk for injury without a second thought, tending to her wounds when she does get hurt, forcing her to bathe (Connie accidentally walked into it once. He vowed to constantly check on Levi and Hange's whereabouts before he gets killed by Levi's death glare), and "accidentally" eliminating any suitors Hange may have.

(He does not actually kill them or anything. That is against camp rules. There was one time when Zeke Yeager went to Camp Paradis to confess his feelings to Hange. He actually almost made it to her cabin but a random shoe "accidentally" hit him on the head, causing him to stumble and fall into the lake. No one knows how he fell, but Hange walked out to see what was going on. She saw Levi drinking tea nearby, while mysteriously missing a shoe, and went to him. Apparently, she did not see Zeke at all, so Zeke had to get help from Pieck, who was hiding nearby)

Evidence 2: Hange rants to Levi about her latest research back home. Hange can talk anyone into sleeping with the amount of research she does. Yet, Levi stays up to listen. It could be because of his insomnia, but he never gets tired of listening to her rants. Other campers note that he at least looks interested every time Hange rants.

Evidence 3: The one incident last year when Hange was jealous and did not talk to Levi for half of the camp duration. There was a rumor going around that Levi was dating Petra, counselor of Lynx cabin. As a result, Hange hung out with Moblit, counselor of Lupus cabin, more that year instead. Hange claimed it was to give the couple space, but only her closest friends could tell something was up.

For instance, Eren was hiking on another expedition to find Bigfoot when he ran into Hange, kicking down a tree in anger. Eren immediately ran back to camp in hopes that Hange did not notice him and broke his bones. He was actually intimidated by her for a week.

(In reality, Hange was so sure Levi was going to confess to her that year. Additionally, Levi was jealous of how Hange spent time with Moblit more. Not everyone in camp could tell except for his campers Eren, Jean, and Connie. They could feel the chills running down their spines every time Levi was in the cabin with them, and it was summer.)

Evidence 4: Levi was always by Hange's side. Anyone in the camp can tell you that Levi is at least nearby Hange unless it is for very personal reasons (except bathing). He mainly stayed close to her after last year's incident when he literally kicked down her door and cleared the misunderstandings.

(In reality, Levi and Petra were not dating. Petra had confided to Levi about dating advice (for a reason he is unaware of, except everyone in the camp *cough Hange *cough). In the end, Levi remained single and had to fix the Strix cabin's door. On the bright side, Petra started dating Oluo Bozado from Meles cabin.)

Neither party had ever confessed to one another despite all the evidence proving that they have feelings for one another. Now that both Levi and Hange are about to graduate high school, it was the perfect time to confess before they go their separate ways because of their careers.

However, life is very unexpected, and when you add Hange to the mix…

Well, anything goes.

---

"This is it," Hange said to herself as she got everything ready in her canoe. She was prepared to sail across the lake towards Levi's cabin.

Both cabins were situated on different sides of the lake. The camp was designed so one half was for boys and the other half was for girls. It was a very dumb inconvenience for Hange.

Hange scoffed as she sat down on the canoe and began rowing. "Why couldn't our cabins be placed next to each other. It would give me less work to do." The only guy and girl cabins next to each other were Petra's cabin and Mike's cabin.

Hange decided that today was the day she will confess to Levi. They have been in an awkward "does he/she like me? does he/she not?" for years now, and none of them confessed at all. There are even rumors about it, for crying out loud!

The two had met three years ago when Hange and Levi were campers at Camp Paradis. It was really unexpected. Hange was ready to get down in the dirt during the activities and often kept some insects to study. On the other hand, Levi was a clean freak and a prodigy at the camp activities. It became sort of like a friendly competition between the two, and then they suddenly started hanging out more. They have known each other for years. She even calls herself his best friend.

(She never realized how recently Levi would scowl every time she claimed to be his best friend. To him, she was much more than that.)

Overall, Hange would look forward to seeing Levi again every summer.

It has been four years of dancing around whatever they have that Hange now dared herself to confess before the summer ends, and they leave for college. It is better to do something and get rejected (which she hopes does not happen) than do nothing.

Hange stopped rowing when she got close enough that Levi has to hear her. She could make out his figure sitting on the front steps of his cabin with Mike, Erwin, and Furlan.

She sets the oar to the side, takes a deep breath, and presses play on the small radio she took from Rico's cabin. The beginning notes of the song plays in the air.

You can do this

Hange began to sing the first line.

---

Minutes before

Mike, Erwin, and Furlan were talking about who knows what, not Levi was not paying attention anyway. His mind was preoccupied with a certain eccentric girl he knew.

She was very secretive lately. Sometimes she would freak out whenever Levi approached her, and he has not seen her all day. He even planned on confessing to her after dinner. It seemed as if Hange was preoccupied with something.

Levi would not even get to say one word before Hange ran off, claiming she is busy and cannot be disturbed.

Levi scowled at the thought. Hange would usually tell him beforehand if she is busy, but her saying nothing? Something is definitely up, but she wants to not tell him then it was fine by him (or so he says).

Furlan, who noticed Levi's brooding, smirked. "Hey Levi, are you thinking about Hange again?"

Mike and Erwin stopped talking and smirked as well.

Levi rolled his eyes. "I was not thinking about Hange. At all." He said in a serious tone.

"Mhmm," Furlan replied. He shifted in his spot and gave Levi a smug look. He was not convinced.

"Don't hide it, Levi," Mike added. "We all know how you go goo-goo eyes every time Hange enters the room. You are always checking up on her too."

"I don't make goo-goo eyes at Hange," Levi deadpanned with a monotone voice. "I only check up on her because it is a miracle she can see those dirty her glasses she wears."

Erwin's smirk never faded away as he lightly elbows Furlan on the side. "He always calls her by two nicknames, Furlan. He gives anyone more than one nickname too. They might not sound endearing, but he rarely calls Hange by her name."

"Can you imagine what Levi is thinking now?" Furlan laughed. He turned around from his spot, so he back faced Levi, hugged himself, and started making fake kissing noises.

"Oh, Hange! I don't want to be just friends with you. I will marry you, and we're going to have 100 bab-"

Levi slapped Furlan on the head. He stood up the moment Furlan spoke. Mike and Erwin were in the background howling with laughter.

"Cut the crap, Furlan," Levi said and made his way back to his spot on the steps.

"Ok, ok. You win, Levi." Furlan rubbed the back of his head where Levi had slapped him. Luckily for him, Levi did not hit him too hard, and it did not hurt that badly. He goes back to talking to Mike and Erwin about other counselors about other rumors they heard. He will tease Levi again later.

Meanwhile, Levi rolled his eyes at his friend's childishness and began to think about the subject of his earlier torment. It was already almost dinner time, and he has not seen Hange all day. He was hoping she would at least appear for dinner, or else he would have to drag her to the dining hall by force.

Levi was busy with his thoughts and staring at his feet to notice anything around him. He was too busy to focus on the music playing, and the girl he (does not) have a crush on making her way over from across the lake.

"Uhh, Levi?" Furlan spoke while looking at the lake. Levi ignored him; instead, he was too busy thinking about Hange to notice she was heading towards him at that very moment.

Mike and Erwin turned to face what Furlan was staring at. Their jaws dropped.

On Lake Sina was the one and only Hange Zoe making her way towards Levi's cabin on a canoe while singing the song "We Belong" by Pat Benatar so loud that everyone in the camp could hear her. She also wore shorts and a camp T-shirt. She did not wear a life jacket.

Talk about romantic.

"Levi!" Mike said urgently and shook his shoulder.

"What?" Levi turned to Mike. He was irritated by his friends messing with him about his crush (yes, he will admit it but not out loud to his nosy friends).

What else did they need now? They could always bother someone else.

Levi noticed where Mike was pointing to and was about to turn in said direction until he heard a voice coming from somewhere behind him.

"Well, it seems like you won't die a virgin after all, huh, shortass? Who knew?"

Levi knew that voice. His cousin, Mikasa, from Cervidae cabin, Levi had the pleasure (not) of watching over at this camp. It was a good thing he did not have to deal with her and her obvious crush on Eren Jaeger. He did feel bad for Rico because she had to deal with that gloomy brat in her cabin.

Levi turned around to face his cousin. She was standing a few feet away from him with a few of her friends that he recognized. The tall, brunette one with her hair in a ponytail, Sasha, also from Cervidae cabin, was eating a sandwich (she probably got it from the camp across the lake). She must have raided Camp Marley recently.

(They have a chef there who can apparently make really delicious food. Levi only knew because Hange planned on kidnapping him one time just to try some).

Mikasa's other friend, Historia, the short blonde-haired girl from Lynx cabin, smiled pleasantly at Levi.

"What are you talking about, brat?" he glared at Mikasa.

Historia giggled and pointed in the direction of the lake. "Over by the lake. Can't you hear Hange singing? I knew she could sing, but wow! I wonder if she is singing to a lucky guy? That would be so adorable!"

Levi's eyes widen in surprise. He tuned out Historia's gushing when it hit him.

That means…Hange...oh no.

He turned his head to find that Hange was indeed singing and making her way towards his direction.

His direction!

Erwin and Mike noticed the blush on Levi's face and smirked. Furlan clamped his hand on Levi's shoulder like a proud dad. Levi could hear the smirk in Furlan's voice that he would love to punch away if it weren't for Hange.

"I wonder who the guy is too, Historia. He is indeed a lucky guy."

Levi shook Furlan off and started heading towards Hange.

Hange noticed Levi coming closer and stops rowing. She dropped her oar off to the side.

"Hey! Levi!" She yelled out loud while waving her arms around.

She did not have to yell so loudly, though. The sound traveled perfectly from her mouth and into Levi's ear within seconds because of the lake.

He began speed walking towards Hange.

There was a voice in the background yelling something about how Hange was doing great so far. It sounded like Nifa, but Levi was too busy to check. He needed to get to Hange first.

Levi watched as Hange accidentally drops her oar into the lake when she moved back to row some more. Hange, scrambling to retrieve it, said an "I got it!" in her normal voice until she accidentally tripped and fell into the lake.

She was not wearing a life jacket on either.

Levi stopped speed walking and ran towards Hange. Once he was close to the lake, and without thinking, he took off his shirt and dove into the lake to save Hange.

---

Also a few minutes ago

"I know Hange is a smart girl and all, but wouldn't it have been easier to just walk around the lake to confess to Levi?" Nanaba asked aloud as she took a sip from her water bottle. Some sweat dripped down her brow from being out in the sun all day.

Nanaba sat on the steps of her cabin (Alces) while her campers was out and about. Her cabin was next to Hange's, and she even helped Hange prepare before her big love confession.

Rico, who walked by earlier to see why Nanaba was staring at the lake, sighed from Nanaba's right. "Love does weird things to you, Nanaba. Remember when Mike confessed to you last year? I wonder why do people from this camp confess while using the lakes, though?" She questioned while recalling that one rumor and how Mike confessed to Nanaba by bringing her to a picnic near Lake Maria.

Nanaba laughed and turned to Rico while wiggling her eyebrows. She grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "So when are you going to get a canoe across the lake and confess to Ian?" she said while gesturing to Hange, who was still singing to Levi.

Rico blushed and elbowed Nanaba's side. "Shut up! I do not like Ian like that! Mind your own business!" She turned away from Nanaba and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her face was still red.

Nanaba turned back to watch Hange sing and rests her chin on the palm of her hand. Her elbow was resting on her thigh. "Mhmm. Go tell yourself that."

"I think it's a cute idea. It would be very boring and tiresome to walk around the lake just to confess. Serenading on the lake is much more unique." Nifa, counselor of Tamias cabin, piped up from Nanaba's left. She had heard Hange's singing nearby and was curious about what was going on. She sat next to Nanaba. It seemed like Nanaba knew what was going on.

Ah. It seemed that Nifa also joined in on the watch party, Nanaba thought. Now a good chunk of the camp was curious about Hange's business.

The trio watched as Hange rowed closer to Levi. This time, some of the campers from the other cabins watched Hange from Levi's side. They did not stand close but a far distance instead. They were curious about what was going on and did not want to get too close to suffer from Levi's wrath.

They all watched as Levi stood up from his spot and began speed walking towards the lake. Meanwhile, Hange continued to sing her song.

Nifa brought her hands up to her face and cupped them around her mouth to amplify her voice.

"You're doing great, sweetie!"

Hange was doing great. Indeed, she was almost at her destination. All she had to do was pick up the oar and go back to rowing…

Until she accidentally dropped her oar, causing Levi to start running towards her.

They could not hear what Hange said, but they could assume she was trying to reassure Levi that she was ok and to retrieve the oar...until she misstepped and fell into the lake.

Oops.

Nanaba and Rico turned to Nifa with a shocked look. Nifa held her hands up in innocence.

"I swear. I did not mean or intend for all of that to happen."

"We have to help Hange!" Nanaba yelled. Both she and Rico stood up to try to help Hange but stopped by Nifa, grabbing the back of their shirts.

"What are you doing, Nifa?" Nanaba said with irritation. Nifa did not say anything but nodded her head towards the lake. She lets go of their shirts after they brought their attention to the lake too.

The girls watched as Levi took his shirt off and dove into the lake to save Hange.

Problem solved.

"Doesn't Levi know that Hange is a good swimmer?" Nifa asked from behind Nanaba.

Rico scoffed. "You tell me. I always have to train for the swimming competitions, but I can never beat her." Rico always dreaded when her cabin was put up against Hange’s. She usually placed at either second or third place. No one could outswim Hange, not even Levi.

They watched as Levi grabbed Hange, threw her over his shoulder, and made his way back to his cabin. The onlookers made a path for him because they were too scared to focus on Levi.

The girls sighed with relief. This was practically a typical day at Camp Paradis.

Nanaba turned to Rico and Nifa. "Anyone up for a snack at the dining hall?"

After everything they just saw, Rico and Nifa both nodded in agreement.

---

"Is the cabin empty?" Hange asked from behind the bathroom door. It has been an hour since the incident. Levi had dragged her into his cabin, and he threw her into his bathroom. He also gave her some of his extra set of clothes and demanded that she took a bath before she gets sick.

Each cabin has two bathrooms, so each camper only had to share with one person. Levi shoved Hange into his/Eren's bathroom while he took a shower in Jean/Connie's. Hange freshened up and clean, stood stationary behind the bathroom door. She practically smelled like Levi. From the soap, she used to the clothes she wore. They all smelled like the definition of clean.

"Yes." That was all Levi replied with a slightly irritated tone in his voice.

Hange groaned from behind the door and rested her forehead on the hardwood. That was the voice Levi would use when he was ready to lecture her. She leaned her head back and placed her hand on the doorknob. She took a deep breath as she opened the door and met Levi's expecting face. His eyebrows were furrowed slightly, he had his arms crossed over his chest, and he looked a bit irritated.

(Hange was thankful that he was dressed similarly to her and she did not walk out to see him shirtless)

She walked towards Levi, sitting on his bed. Each cabin is big enough for each camper to have a total of four beds. Each footstep was like a walk of shame for Hange. Yet, Levi did not say a word. He spoke up the moment she sat down next to him on the bed. The bed shifted down slightly from the extra weight.

"Hange, what were you thinking? You did not have a life jacket on, and you fell in the middle of the lake. You scared a lot of the camp and me. Be careful next time you pull something like that," He said while facing her, concern laced in his voice.

Hange rubbed the back of her neck nervously. She looked up to meet Levi's steel-gray eyes.

"I'm sorry I worried everyone, Levi. I will be more considerate next time. Although…"

Hange began to chuckle to herself at the memory of Levi umping in to save her.

"You know I'm a good swimmer, right?" She placed her hand on Levi's shoulder and shook it slightly. "I would have made it back just fine-"

She stopped shaking his shoulder and sets it down on her lap. "I appreciate you umping in to save me, though." She said with a grin.

Suddenly, Hange raised her hands and leaned forward. She wrapped both of her arms around Levi's midsection and pulled him close to her body for a hug. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Levi."

Levi prayed that Hange could not feel his heart pounding against his chest or see him blush. His crush was close to him, for crying out loud!

He moved his arms to hug Hange back. He could feel nervousness rising up in his body along with his rapid heartbeat. This is it. He will confess to Hange now, and it does not matter if he gets rejected or not. She had to know, even if the song she sang was for someone else.

Levi leaned back from Hange, but he maintained the hug. Their faces were only a few inches away from each other.

"Hange, I have something to tell you. I need you to hear me out for a few minutes."

Hange nodded in agreement. "Ok…" she said with some uncertainness. She was unsure what he was going to say, and he gave her the most serious look on his face. He stared deeply into her amber-brown eyes.

"I appreciate you."

Huh?

Hange tilted her head in confusion. "Come again, Levi."

Levi looked away and sighs. Ok. That was not a rejection. He just has to change tactics to get it to Hange and hopefully not make it sound awkward. Levi had no experience with him confessing before. Other girls had confessed to him, but it was with material stuff. He wanted to use words for his confession.

Levi looked up again and stared into Hange's eyes again. "I want to dedicate my heart to you." Ok, now that sounded a bit too much.

Levi continued speaking anyway before he could change tactics again.

"I just want to say that I like you, Hange." He said sincerely. "I like listening to you talk, your personality, and your humor. I want you to at least be aware before we go to college and if the song from earlier is not for me."

Levi stared at Hange's face and attempted to read her emotions. Her eyes widened with shock, and her mouth was open in a small o. She stayed that way for a few minutes until the shock became full-on laughter.

Hange was laughing at him.

She let go of Levi and threw her head back. Her face was full of delight.

Usually, Levi would not mind listening to her laugh, even if it was at him. It was one of his favorite sounds to her, not that she needed to know that.

However, this is different from before. Levi frowned but did not make a move to stand up. He needed an explanation for this.

Hange turned back to Levi after she calmed down a bit. "Levi." She said. Her voice had some laughter evident in her voice. Here comes the rejection.

"The song was for you."

What?

Levi only blinked in response. Hange began to swing her legs a bit and placed her hands on her lap. "I wanted to confess to you today, and I thought what serenade you from the lake." She explained.

"I guess I was too excited to miss some necessities. Sorry about that, by the way."

She leaned forward to grab Levi's right hand. Levi made no move to remove it, so she interlocks their fingers together.

"But you beat me to it, huh, Levi?" She chuckled while staring down fondly at their hands.

Levi stared at their hands as well. He could not believe this. They were going to confess to each other on the same day.

Suddenly, Levi leaned forward to rest his head on Hange's shoulder. "Will you be my girlfriend, Hange?"

Hange turned to Levi in shock. Levi moves his head to meet her eyes. The eyes he adores.

Hange smiled at him. Her eyes glowed with happiness. "Yes." That was enough for Levi.

He let go of Hange's hand and placed it on the back of her head. He grasped her hair a bit but not rough at all.

Hange watched as Levi leaned closer.

And closer.

And closer.

Until they were a few centimeters apart. The cabin was quiet except for their breathing. Both of their breaths fanned each other's faces.

"What are you doing, Levi?" Hange asked with a hint of curiosity. She made no move to pull away, so Levi took it as a sign to explain his motives.

"Can I kiss you?"

Hange blinked a few times before nodding her head to give Levi an ok.

Levi closed the gap between the two. It was a short and sweet kiss. There heat or desire to move their relationship up to another base.

They leaned back from the kiss with a happy look on their faces. Hange had a goofy grin while Levi smiled at her. It was rare to see Levi smile, and Hange was delighted to be a source for it.

"That was my first kiss," Hange confessed.

"Mine too." Levi chuckled. His hand was still gripping Hange's hair. He kept his grip as he elated back on the bed, bringing Hange down with him.

"Levi!" Hange exclaimed and sat up on her elbows. Who knew Levi was so bold?

"What if the other campers see us?" She said with some nervousness.

Levi rolled his eyes and lightly flicked Hange's forehead. "We are not having sex. I'm just tired, and I want to take a nap with my girlfriend."

He smirked. "Besides, I sent my campers over to Furlan's cabin. They won't come back until we have to go to bed."

Hange looked at him suspiciously while rubbing her forehead from earlier. "You promise?"

Levi nodded his head. "I promise."

Hange let out a small yawn. It has been a long day. She moved so she can lay her body to the spot next to Levi. Meanwhile, Levi turned over to face his nightstand, so he can set his alarm for them to wake up before dinner. He then picked up the blanket and placed it over both of their bodies. They were both facing the wall.

"Sleep well, Hange." He spooned her from behind and placed a small kiss on the back of her neck.

Hange smiled before getting comfortable in Levi's arms. "Goodnight, Levi."

The two spent a few minutes in silence and tranquility. Levi was happy to spend some quality time with his dream girl.

“Hey, Levi. Use that dedicate your heart line for when you propose.” He can hear the smugness in Hange’s voice.

He lightly kicked her on the shin. “Go to sleep.”

Hange could not see it, but Levi had a small smile on his face as he drifted off to sleep.

---

"I KNEW IT!!!" Nanaba yelled while standing up and pointing at the new couple walking into the dining hall holding hands. Erwin and Mike were startled by the sudden outburst. Furlan was smirking victoriously. His friend, Isabel, rolled her eyes at Furlan's smirk.

(Petra, Nifa, Moblit, and Rico were sitting at another table noticed the couple at the doorway. Nifa and Petra squealed in delight while Rico and Moblit smiled. The other girls from Hange's cabin squealed as well since they secretly shipped her with Levi).

Levi and Hange stopped walking. Hange started laughing behind her free hand, and Levi gave Nanaba an annoyed look.

Everyone stopped eating to turn to the source of the sound. Nanaba, noticing the multiple stares, rubs the back of her head nervously and laughs. "Sorry about that, go back to eating."

Furlan smirked as Levi and Hange passed by the usual table to get some food. He turned to Isabel sitting next to him. He stuck his hand out to her and moved his fingers in pay-up motion. "Pay up, Isabel. I won the bet."

Isabel stuck out her tongue at him. "If only Levi-Bro waited until the end of the summer. I would have won 50 bucks," she said while reluctantly handing Furlan 50 dollars.

Furlan hummed in content and pocketed the money in his shorts pocket. "Appreciate the business, Izzy. Now, are you willing to put down money for when Levi and Hange get married?" He said and held his hand out for a handshake to seal the agreement.

Isabel smirked and shook Furlan's hand in agreement. "You're on, Furlan. We'll discuss this later." She turned away from Furlan and smiles at the couple coming to their table. "The new couple is coming here now."

"Hi everyone!" Hange beamed after sitting down across from Furlan. Levi sat between Hange and Nanaba.

Everyone at the table said hi in reply.

Erwin pushed his finish tray slightly on the table in front of him and turned to Hange. "Congratulations, Hange and Levi. I hope the two of you have a happy relationship."

Nanaba and Mike smiled as well. "Congrats, Levi," said Nanaba.

"Congrats, Hange," said Mike.

"I knew you could do it. Levi-Bro! You have had a crush on Hange since forever!" Isabel exaggerated the word forever.

Levi blushed, and Furlan smirked. He turned to Hange. "Say, Hange. How many kids-"

"Don't even finish that sentence, Furlan." Levi threatened, yet his face was still red from blushing. He did not want Furlan to bring up the conversation about children from earlier today.

Hange laughed from the interaction and leaned down to kiss Levi on the cheek. "Don't worry about him, Furlan." She leaned down towards his ear.

"We can discuss the number of children we would have later." She winked at him and went back to eating as if nothing happened between the two. Meanwhile, Levi opened his mouth slightly in shock. He did not expect that out of Hange! Mike, Erwin, and Furlan chuckled at this.

Nanaba (who luckily did not hear Hange) still noticed Levi's shock. "Levi, close your mouth before some flies get in." she lectured to him in a motherly tone. This broke Levi out of his shock, and he goes back to focus on eating.

Everyone continued talking and sharing any recent stories they had. Suddenly, Hange slammed her hands down on the table, shocking everyone at the table. She turned to face Levi.

"Levi! Where is Mikasa? We need to tell her about us!" She exclaimed and shook Levi's shoulders.

Oh, right. Hange would want to tell Mikasa about her new relationship since she saw Mikasa as family. Plus, they will most likely be an actual family in the future. Levi raised his hands up to grab Hange's and set it down on her lap. "Stop, Hange. She's probably eating with Eren and Armin. We can tell her later."

Erwin raised his eyebrows in confusion. "Actually, Levi. I haven't seen Mikasa ever since she showed up with Sasha and Historia. Isabel put her utensils down and joined in on the conversation.

"I saw her with Eren and Armin an hour before dinner. They were sitting together deep in a conversation…"

Levi looked up to scan his eyes across the dining hall. He noticed Armin's blonde hair sitting at his regular table with his friends. He sat at a table with Jean, Connie, Sasha, Ymir, and Historia. He noted how Armin noticed his stare and looked away as if he was scared of him.

Mikasa and Eren were nowhere in sight.

---

Bonus:

"Be careful, Eren!"

Mikasa said while raising her voice slightly. She did not want to yell, or else she might alert anyone in the forest.

"I'll be fine, Mikasa," he assured her. "I can feel it! Bigfoot is nearby." He said with excitement.

"This is the last time, Eren. We are already missing dinner, and who knows if Armin can stall for us any longer. Levi is going hunt us down. Plus, I don't want to end up in Camp Marley again."

Mikasa and Eren only had a few snacks on them. Mikasa managed to slip into her cabin to grab some from Sasha's secret stash. Sasha and Historia were busy watching the chaos at the lake.

"I promise, Mikasa. Thank you for coming with me. I don't think I can do this alone." He turned back to Mikasa with a big grin. He was also recalling the time he was searching in the forest to find Bigfoot and ran into an angry Hange instead,

Mikasa smiled in return, and the two continued their search to find Bigfoot.

Meanwhile, the two did not realize that they passed a figure watching them from a reasonable distance away behind a tree. Its eyes watched as the two humans continued their search. It slipped away sneakily into the darkness. It went away from Camp Paradis and towards the forest near Camp Marley instead.

---

Some quick notes:  

I kinda based this fic off of one scene from Pitch Perfect 2 and other summer camp-related movies I watched (I don't have much knowledge of summer camp 😭)

Cabin names are based on scientific names of different animals

I hc Hange being good at swimming. Let's face it. If she can swim down a river while carrying a 65 kg man, and miraculously not get any gunshot wounds (not counting a spike in adrenaline to live); I'm sure Hange is a good swimmer.

[tundrainafrica]

Title: No Goodbyes

Summary:  

"No goodbyes. We'll make it out of here. They had repeated that same promise in the forest only a few days ago over a slow conversation about how life could have been. They had repeated that same promise for years, after strategy meetings, before many missions and while they explored Marley."

Chapter 132 from Levi's POV.

Link to cross-postings: AO3

Notes: For Anyarein from AO3.

Don’t hide your fic rec behind those scratchy line things. I’m happy to receive fic ideas and asks (even if I am a little slow with them...)

Thanks for the suggestions for fics <3 ( thanks for indulging my guilty pleasure of high octane angst under the guise of a character study.)

"We've reached the end game."

If Levi hadn’t been looking at her as she said it, if he hadn’t seen the slight movement of her lips and the slight tremble, maybe he would have never heard it. Maybe that half hearted comment would have been drowned out by the sounds of her tearing bandages or the screaming pain that consumed his battered body.

That comment though was enough to send a chill through Levi and down to the bones. The biting cold felt too unfamiliar. It took him a few seconds longer to comprehend what exactly that feeling was.

Frustration. Possibly fear.

He had always been strong. For as long as he could remember, he was always able to fight whatever threats came his way. At that moment when the threats were much larger than he could have ever imagined, when he wished he were at his strongest, he was at his most vulnerable, a cruel twist of fate.

"It's too late to run away to the forest now." He gave Hange a wry smile keeping his tone and his words light, to at least balance out the sullen demeanor of his commander.

His commander. That’s what she had sounded like. With his words, he hoped she would soften her gaze and her tone. It was just the both of them there after all. He knew her inside and out, even before Erwin ever considered her as the next in line to lead the honorable survey corps.

You don't have to pretend with me. He thought to himself, hoping his intent gaze was enough for her to receive the message.

"Yeah, maybe it is..." Hange said a little more lightly as she unwrapped his bandages, a little more roughly than Levi would have liked. "I guess we’re going to have to wait a little longer huh? Before we open that tea shop..."

“Or the herb garden by a cabin.” Levi added. The pain of being so roughly handled took a backseat as Levi felt his throat catch at those words and for a few seconds he was left unable to breathe. The pain in his chest overshadowed whatever protests his body had towards Hange's touch.

From where he lay, he couldn't see Hange's hands but he could see her shoulders shake, and he could see the crown of her head as she avoided his gaze. Levi was sure, at that point her walls had completely broken down.

She was shaking, shaking so hard. Possibly on instinct, he reached out his hand a little farther to grab hers, wherever it was. He gripped it hard as soon as he found it. His own hand burned possibly from having had two of his fingers blown off only a few days ago. There were more important things to do than give his hand the respite it so tenaciously demanded of him.

He had a duty to his commander. No, to his comrade, to his best friend. To his other half.

To his other half.

“I knew you wouldn’t run away,” Levi said.

Hange looked up at him as soon as he had said those words. She furrowed her brow, wrinkled her nose and bit her lip, the result of it all being the faux serious face Levi was all too familiar with.

Hange had always been emotional but since becoming commander, she had started crying less and less. Levi had realized over time that it had never been her own constitution which had made that so. Hange had other ways of holding it in. If she furrowed her brows and crumpled her expression when needed, sometimes the tears never did come. And to the younger members of the survey corps, that unique facial expression had always looked like she was in deep thought on a new diplomatic strategy or battle plan.

Levi knew better though. He had seen that coping mechanism develop over nights alone with her.

“I couldn’t find a way to stop Eren…I can't help but think… Maybe...” She started.

Maybe if Erwin were here? She didn’t need to say it. It was in the way she looked to the side, unable to meet Levi’s gaze as if she knew what she was doing was wrong. She had promised him long before she wouldn’t compare herself to him nor would she compare their current circumstances to that utopian one she had imagined building if Erwin were still there.

Levi quickly hushed her. It was a quiet movement but it was enough to leave his chest burning. He held in a cough, not wanting to aggravate her any further.

“No regrets...” Levi said, as soon as the pain in his chest dissipated enough to allow himself a few words. His throat itched at having to hold in that cough of a while ago. “I told you before.”

“I’m not regretting anything Levi. I promised you I wouldn’t so I won’t.” Hange buried her face in her hands. “But I need to atone.”

Atone. He never believed it to be the right word. Hange had done her best. She sacrificed sleep, meals, rest, mental health days and consequently her own sanity just so things could work out.

In the end, the world had turned out to be much larger and more complex than they could have ever imagined. Hange --- hell, both of them--- the one dubbed humanity’s strongest and possibly the one dubbed humanity’s most intelligent, were left with circumstances that spelled the difference between life and death for millions, circumstances too out of their control.

And you think it’s your fault? He had seen that same flash of guilt show up during the most inopportune times, easily mistaken for a bout of exhaustion on her end and when it was just the two of them, he saw it in the way she would dip her head back up and stare at the empty ceiling, mentioning what Erwin or Moblit would have possibly said or done as nothing more than a passing thought.

But Levi couldn’t tell her off. He couldn’t tell her he hated the word so much that every time she said it, he was forced to bite his lip to keep from saying something he might just regret. Deep within him too, he felt the obligation to atone. He and Hange were the ones after all who had protected and trained Eren.

In the end it had been Eren’s choice to do what he did. Regardless, the nagging thought remained in both of their minds, was there anything they could have done for things to end up different?

No regrets. They had both agreed so many years ago.

“Atone…” The word tasted bitter to Levi but he had to recognize that both of them felt the need too strongly. “Atone after the war… You’ll have time then.” Levi’s hands continued to burn as he lightly pulled at Hange’s hand, an effort to see the face behind it. “We promised right? No goodbyes.”

                                   No Goodbyes

Ever since I joined the survey corps I've had to say nothing but goodbyes.

Levi should have sensed it when Hange had given that speech to Mikasa. Those words dug much deeper than a sermon from a veteran intended to keep Mikasa from killing him or Floch.

Somehow, he only noticed it almost a year later, the first night Hange broke down in front of him after a long meeting with diplomats discussing plans for building ports and adopting technology. During the meeting she was a commander. When everyone had left to retire to their rooms for the night, Hänge had sunk into her chair, so low Levi had feared she would sink so low into the chair she might just disappear.

I can't do this. Moblit would have known how to handle the paperwork. Erwin would have known how to get their confidence. I don't have that charisma.

Did anyone notice I was shaking? Did anyone notice I was just making things up as we went along?

Hange had done great. Yet somehow, her concession of something so unnoticeable scared Levi. That Hange who stood in front of the diplomats explaining her plans for Paradis looked too certain. As her friend and comrade, he started to wonder how much pressure she had put on herself, how much she had to butcher her on psyche to pull off such a facade so convincingly.

Just hold on long enough until the war is over. Until we can fix things with Marley.

No regrets. Levi had given that speech too many times. He was the master at imbibing it and more than anything, at that moment as he held her close and took the force of racking yet muffled sobs, he prayed she felt it too. He prayed that somehow she would imbibe it.

Until we make it out of this. Levi had said. No, we're making it out of this.

It had started with a vow not to regret. As Hange held on to him that night, pulling him closer to herself, as she gripped his shoulders so hard, his own back shook with her racking sobs. Out of what could have been desperation, Levi found himself making another promise with her.

Ever since I joined the survey corps I've had to say nothing but goodbyes. She had repeated to him back then. It had been a year since he had heard that phrase. But ever since they got back from Shiganshina, it had been meeting after meeting, mission after mission, development after development.

She had to break eventually. Of course, it would have been in front of him, the only person who probably felt the gravity of that loss so profoundly, every single loss, from their own squads to their commander. They were the only two people in the squad who were left with little to no time to pick up the pieces, having been launched quickly into seats of both responsibility and power as Paradis rapidly changed.

Levi had his own skeletons and his own emotional baggage to carry. As he watched her breakdown unfold in front of him, his heart could only clench up. He had run out of tears too long ago. His body though, that was starting to scramble for some outlet of emotion, handled it differently.

He clung on to Hange as she cried, letting the shaking motion of her body overshadow his own. No more goodbyes. I’ll be here for a long time. Levi had said.

The next morning, he had regretted those words. No one knows what will happen next. You can trust people all you want but nobody can really predict what will happen next. How many times had that lesson bit him the ass? How many times had he trusted someone only for them to be taken away from him?

It had ended a mutual promise between the two. A promise that had seemed reassuring enough for Hange to have settled in his arms that night. To placate that conflict inside him surrounding the impulsiveness of that decision, Levi only had to remember the way her body had gradually relented to the calmer and slower rhythm of his own breathing.

Levi was never the type to go back on a promise, especially on a promise made to one of the most important people to him, maybe even the most important person to him then, having lost everyone else. He was determined not to break it.

Despite all they had seen, despite their long history as soldiers, Levi and Hange had been too naive. As the situation became more and more dire, Levi would sometimes allow a few seconds a day to scold himself for even entertaining that naivete, particularly in those moments where it was just the both of them stuck in the office, late at night trying to avoid any words that could even allude to goodbyes or regrets

They made that promise in a different world. At that time when they had talked about it, they saw glimmers of hope in the rapidly progressing technology, in their world which was slowly getting larger with every late night meeting, every successful experiment.

At present, Levi was experiencing the world in a body who could barely even move. He was seeing through one eye, the other lost in the explosion. He was on a bed, prone and vulnerable and just outside the ship, he could hear the distant sounds of the rumbling destroy everything in its path and with it, any ambitions for a peaceful compromise.

Hange was the one who had spearheaded the plans for diplomacy, who had clung on most desperately to the hope that the war could all end in peace. She was still healthy and functioning. She was still fit to fight. Yet ironically, her movements had devolved into something mechanical as she cut bandage after bandage and wrapped it around his head. The view of herself she had allowed Levi to see was limited. Even during those few moments where he did get a good look at her, Levi had to risk a bout of dizziness or a headache to bend his head back to see her face. Even under the dim light, he could see they were red rimmed. Red rimmed but lifeless.

We can still make it out of this. No goodbyes. Those were the only words his mind could come up with then that could have maybe brought life back into those hazel eyes. Last time, it had worked. But back then, there weren’t colossal titans trampling the world. Back then, there were still so many other possibilities to consider.

“The bleeding has slowed for most of your injuries. I took out some of the bandages and loosened some of them so it’s more comfortable for you.” Hange said as if she were rattling out of a grocery list.

No. Long ago, Hange probably would have sounded more enthusiastic rattling out a grocery list. The person in front of him didn’t seem like Hange anymore.

“There’s a plane on a nearby port we can take to Eren according to Kiyomi. Hange continued. “We’ll be fuelling the plane and…”

“We?” Levi asked. ‘We’ could have also meant Hange, Levi and everyone else. ‘We’ could have meant Hange and everyone else without him. Somehow, he could tell by the face Hange had given him and the tone of her voice, a tone of defeat and acceptance of their grim reality that she had meant the latter.

“I saw the bruises Levi, you might even be suffering from internal bleeding. Until we can get you to a doctor…. Please stay back here on the ship…” Please don’t fight.

Levi did not have the time to argue. He had spent a second too long thinking of the right words to say as he processed Hange’s incomprehensible actions.

She was ready to die. By the time he had stumbled upon an explanation for her actions, her expressions and gestures that quickly vacillated between empathy and apathy, it had already been too late.

No Goodbyes right? He had wanted to say. Those words never left his mouth though. On their way out, he had felt arms crush him so hard, only a hushed breath was able to make its way out of his mouth.

She wasn’t crushing him. In fact, she had only been holding him a little harder. The force though was more than enough to send a crushing pain coursing through his already battered bones. The pain was stinging on the surface but at the same time piercing deep within him. It coursed through him so quickly and so violently, Levi had to bite his lip to keep from letting out a sound.

For god knows, if she knew how painful it was she might just let go.

No goodbyes. We'll make it out of here. They had repeated that same promise in the forest only a few days ago over a slow conversation about how life could have been. They had repeated that same promise for years, after strategy meetings, before many missions and while they explored Marley.

What if diplomacy did work? What if the threats of rumbling where enough to make Marley reconsider the treatment of Eldians? What if this could all end without any bloodshed?

What if maybe there was still some sliver of hope to cling to? No goodbyes. Levi only repeated that same line to himself again and again. Although she had let go for a bit, giving enough space for Levi to breathe, the knot in his throat that extended all the way down to his stomach had taken over suffocating him.

No goodbyes right? He started to scream those words in his head, still unable to say them aloud. That shouldn’t have mattered though. She usually knew what he was thinking. If he thought it loudly enough, it should reach her like it always did.

He screamed in his mind, clinging to hope that the message would reach her. His body knew otherwise. All he could do was wait and listen for what Hange had to say next.

Thank you. Hange’s last words to him weren’t words of farewell. Just like they had promised each other long ago. No goodbyes.

Hange left him alone in the plain room with only one dim light on. Levi was left with nothing much to do but stare at his plain surroundings, the only stimuli worth considering being the final words she had said to him.

Thank you for always being there. Thank you for staying with me after meetings. Thank you for letting me bounce ideas with you. Thank you for the late night conversations.

Thank you. Hange was not one for phatic expressions. At least when she was with him. Had she ever said thank you? She was his own commander, there was no need to. When they were alone, there were too many other things to discuss. Padding their heart to heart conversations with pleasantries had never seemed necessary.

She had kept her promise but as Levi lay in bed and stared at the blank ceiling, recalling the exchange of only a few minutes ago, he couldn’t help but think, he would have preferred a goodbye.

                                     No Goodbyes

Levi valued promises. He kept the promise he had made to Hange close to his heart and he felt all the more determined to make sure she kept it too.

Maybe that was what had pushed him to stand up even as his joints ached, his bones screamed and his head spun. That determination inside him only pulled him out of the bed more violently, drilling into him the possibility that maybe not doing anything could be more painful.

And it worked. When Levi was in bed, his body felt this impulse to shake his broken bones awake, to punish them for wanting to pull him back from the war. Hange couldn’t keep that promise alone, she needed his help. Omission seemed like the more evil option.

That was how Levi had found himself, walking painfully towards the voices in the other room. That was how he had found himself refusing Armin’s help, forcing his body through a crash course on relearning how to walk and sooner than later, to fight.

Fuck it. Even his body couldn’t relearn to walk and fight so quickly, he’d force it too. He had more than enough memories and experience fighting, it would be a matter of discipline more than anything else.

That was what had him testing his ODM gear with the fingers he had left. Two fingers is all I need.

Hange had kept quiet since then, not bringing up the conversation of a while ago. He could see in the glances that she snuck him while she faced the alliance as a commander that she wished he were elsewhere.

That’s a first. Levi had to note. Before, she would seek comfort in the many moments they did exchange glances. Then, she looked uncomfortable.

It could have been his injuries. It could have also been those last words she said.

She kept her promise. Yet she was starting to avoid his gaze as she reminisced of old friends, in ways that only reminded Levi of another loss they had felt long ago.

With the rumbling nearing, with the appearance of Floch and with the breaking of the fuel tank, they could not allow themselves a few more minutes to ponder that promise in silence.

Levi wasn’t there when Hange had made that decision. By the time, he was near enough to make eye contact, to get a near enough look of her expression a mixture of fear, guilt and acceptance. It was too late.

Just let me go. Will you?

We promised. No goodbyes. No regrets. Levi looked towards the ground as he thought about it. He had tried to send her that silent reminder too many times that day already. Back then, he had hoped it would reach her.

As he heard the rumbling only get nearer, he started to realize there were things much larger and more permanent than superficial and temporal promises.

A part of him could only interpret the promise they made as having been broken. For a while he wanted to say goodbye out of spite.

Levi was never the type of person to break a promise though.

“Dedicate your heart.”

I don’t regret anything but I feel like I still need to atone for it. Hange had said it so many times before during the many times they had briefly mentioned it and the few times they had analyzed it. Hange had always planned on atoning somehow, for all that chaos she had believed herself to have been to unfit to stop.

As if it wasn’t anybody else’s mistakes and selfishness that had brought upon that chain of events.

Levi allowed himself to gradually shift his thoughts elsewhere as he boarded the plane. HIs broken bones were still screaming for attention. His bruises were still sending jolts up his spine with every movement. His fingers were throbbing at the weight of the ODM gear.

Any pain, any sensation and any experience could have been more palatable, could have been more bearable than what he had felt as he pressed his hand into her heart. He couldn’t think about her anymore or he risked collapsing right there.

There was one final passing thought Levi allowed himself though as he had settled onto his seat in the plane. It was the last thought about Hange he would allow himself before he turned off all his emotions, shifting his thoughts to the larger problem at hand.

You can’t ever atone without feeling regret. Levi couldn’t help but think, despite the bond they shared that had made feelings between them flow so smoothly in ways words never did, there may have been some fatal misunderstanding between them about what those two promises meant.

[satellitesunset]

this is very self indulgent, but a jarley and hevans double date

it takes place far in the future, like when jarley is back together. they visit new york and run into sam and kurt on the street. sam starts catching up with them right away, but kurt is just hanging out behind him since he never really got to know the newbies. that’s until marley says something about kurts clothing line and he’s like “you know about my clothing line? 👀” marley is like “duhhh of course I know about it. your clothes are so beautiful” and then they go off into a convo about what he’s working on right now… even offering to design some stuff for marleys next tour

kurt notices the time and is like “sam and i have reservations soon… but we can cancel and all go out to eat together? it would be great to continue this convo.” BAM and now they’re at the double date, having the time of their lives. marley and jake reminisce with sam and they tell stories about the glee club when finn was leading it, making kurt tear up a lil. but then it gets more light hearted and jarley tell sam and kurt how they got back together… which is something that sam LOVED hearing about (brittany’s immense shipping of them kind of rubbed off on him when they dated)

(this was gonna be a one sentence thing but i kinda blabbed a lot…. and now i wanna write this in fic form)

ANA THAT'S SO CUTE!

I am forever upset that we never got a marley-kurt friendship because they are similar (and it would have made sense with the arc implied in the end of S3 with Unique and Kurt).

not a lot of ships would work in double dating but 👀👀 hevans and jarley would get well.

THE FINN BIT 🥺🥺 it would be very bittersweet reminiscing.

So Sam would be some sort of art teacher and him and Marley would talk (ramble) all about different forms of crafts (and both Kurt and Jake would be looking at them so fondly)

Jake and Kurt would bond over their mutual love for baking (because Jake would like baking I think)

I will be awaiting the fic if you ever write it <3

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

Glee Middle school! AU

I have gotten sooooo many ideas for this. I need to write it down. Most of this will only be a bunch of drabble that I thought about, and may or may not be included if I make this into a real fic. Ok? Let’s go!

So everyone is in middle school, doing normal middle school things. There’s not a glee club or anything, just the new Directions as quirky tweens. It takes place in the mid 00s, Idk it would just be fun with some 00s cheese with tweens. Though I don’t know if I’ll say a year, it could just be very timeless and just have an 00s vibe

Quinn is still called Lucy, and being bullied. Rachel is her only friend

However, Quinn soon starts to get attention from the popular girls, and if you know middle school, you know that if popular girls notice you, you basically abandon all the not-cool friends

Rachel is an outcast, the biggest reason being that she is a late bloomer

Santana and Brittany were, of course, early bloomers and they like to rub it in everyone’s faces.

Though, when no one sees, Santana and Brittany goes home to play with barbies and pretend to be horses and watch kids films. This is their biggest secret and they try to hide it as much as they can.

Well, aside from their... other secret, that they seriously can’t tell anyone about because that would mean the world would end

Kurt is also very bullied because of his flamboyant ways. He does hang out with the kids in the grade under him though (aka Artie and Tina)

However, since Artie and Tina doesn’t go in his grade, they only see each other at some recesses and lunch. Otherwise Kurt is alone.

But Kurt goes to a boys choir group on the weekends, where he meets Blaine. He really wishes Blaine could go to his school... Blaine is so cool

Also Kurt goes to ballet classes with Mike Chang. However, both of them ignore each other in school since no one can know boys go to ballet.

Finn and Puck are partners in crime. They pull of pranks after pranks and think life is a game

Though, Finn, just like Rachel, is kind of a late bloomer too. He won’t admit it to anyone though

Mercedes is a girl who is just neutral. No one picks on her, but she also isn’t very popular. She jumps a bit between friends, trying to find her group

That leads to Mercedes starting to slowly know everyone’s secrets and she gets really tempted to gossip, even though she knows some things aren’t very nice to gossip about

Generation 2 of ND (Marley, Ryder, Jake, Kitty, Unique) is some kids about to start middle school the year after and some of the older kids hang out with them sometimes and tell them all the drama and stuff that happens

Also it becomes a running theme that all the kids babysit the McCarthy twins from s6. Mason and Madison are like 7 years old and the middle schoolers just end up babysitting them sometimes. And learn a thing or two from it

The adults are here, but they are only here to comment on the kids chaos when needed

I’m thinking there’s gotta be some super awkward sex ed class, middle school cringy deluxe

Aka most of the kids just giggle through everything, someone asking very ”interesting” questions to the teacher and one kid who actually seems enlightened by it

Lots of friendship drama because it’s middle school people kids can be mean

That’s all I have for now

There’s some other Glee kids too but I can’t come up with anything for them atm

[ruffiorocks]

Glee season 4 Episode 6

Soo Will only makes a few cameo's here so not much Will bashing here.

However, Sue is right! Finn should not be at McKinnley! Certainly not teaching Glee club!

The worst part of this whole episode is Kitty! Kitty the biggest bully is allowed to stay and participate in the musical even though she has been harrassing Marley in front of everyone. Kitty spends the Episode fat shaming Marley and her mother everytime she speaks. Marley can't understand why her costumes don't fit and it turns out that Kitty is beyond disturbing and has been taking the clothes in to make Marley think she's fat!! She tells Marley she basically inherited a fat gene and no one is speaking up for her!!

Marley is so worried she talks to her mum and even though her mum tells her she's thin and beautiful they both agree to go on a diet. Now I love Mama Rose but that was bad parenting, if you know you're kid is thin and doesn't need to diet DON'T encourage them to go on one with you! That's not healthy!

Freaking Finn! He apologizes to Sue by once again using the R word to describe her daughter! Then when Sue doesn't accept his apology he acts like she should of and now she's the problem?!! Because Sue booked the auditorium Finn thinks the best thing to do is to take the school kids to a dangerous auto shop to practice singing and dancing,?? Yeah Sue is right, Finn shouldn't be allowed around these kids!

Kitty once again starts to act in a disturbing way, she teaches Marley how to make herself sick stating she would do it if she has been born with a fat gene!!

My poor angel Marley 💔😢

Kitty then makes fun of Marley while Brittney who hates bullying, Tina who has been subject to it herself and Unique of all people ejo6 is supposed to be close to Marley join in!!

Wade's parents are concerned about her and didn't know she was set to play Rizzo, Finn didn't know this and he didn't know Wade has been assaulted but Finn is self involved and has no idea what's going on with the kids and doesn't see bullying when it's not happening to him! Oh hello Will Shuester 2.0! Wade's parents pull her from the show, not because they don't support but because they are scared for her safety, something Finn isn't real concerned about beyond saying he'll keep an eye on her.

Finn acts like this is all Sue's fault, Sue may want to take Finn down but she was right about being concerned for Wade's safety.

Are you freaking kidding me?!! Santana comes back to play Rizzo? She isn't a student there anymore! Poor Tina comes running in saying she's ready to play the part and Finn is like 'yeah sorry no' . Poor Tina was called selfish the year before for wanting the spot light for the seniors, now she's a senior Finn is stealing her opportunities to give them to non students who can't stop being creepy and hanging around the school!

Marley comes running up to Tina saying she's been starving herself and this goes over Tina's head as she's more concerned about the the costume. Enter freaking Kitty again who fat shames Marley and tells her to make herself sick. Only Ryder sees that there is an issue ans looks concerned.

Finn is proud of himself even though he's neglected to deal with the resident bully, doesn't notice Marley is having problems, put the kids in danger in a auto shop and stole the role of Rizzo from Tina to give it to a non student??

Ryder is the only one to notice Marley isn't around stops her from being sick. He validates her, makes her laugh and gives her some confidence back. He then kisses her when he seen her in her costume right after Kitty once again comes over to fat shame br and no one but Ryder cares.

Finn sees Rachel crying and wants to know why, he pushes and then guesses it's over a guy and proceeds to shame her for liking a guy after she broke up with him. Telling her then that he doesn't want any contact with her. Such an arsehole!

Bloody Blaine tried to justify his cheating again!

Conclusions?

Finn is just as unaware as Will is and rewards bullying and fails to notice it because he's self involved. He doesn't even notice Marley is missing and is throwing up in the bathroom. He uses the R word again and acts like Sue should just forgive him. He has no idea that Wade's parents didn't know she was in the musical or that she was being assaulted and he took kids to a dangerous place to sing and dance. He also acts like Will and makes Rachel feel bad when she's not crying over him.

Kitty is psychotic and goes beyond the realms of ordinary bullying. She's messing with Marley life and her health and fat shames her and her mum everytime she speaks.

No one but Ryder gives two shits that Marley is fat shamed and bullied openly by Kitty.

Ryder is a sweet heart.

Tina is the most neglected character of all time!

Wade/Unique didn't deserve bullying and bad the best supportive parents that just didn't want her hurt. But Wade repays Marley's love and support by laughing when Kitty is making fun of her, even though Wade is only at the sleepover because Marley refused to go without her.

ALL graduating students should stop turning up at the school!

[lilyvandersteen]

Hot for Teacher

This is for @aavigueras. Sorry I forgot about your birthday, sweetie! Here’s a slightly smutty Klaine fic to make up for it :-) It belongs in my Coach Hummel verse - Part One can be found here.

Blaine wasn’t happy about having to transfer at the start of his senior year. Everyone else would already know each other, and would be coming to terms with saying goodbye to their friends at the end of the school year, and busy with their college applications and what extra-curriculars would make them look good.

He would be the only new face, and no-one would bother getting to know him just for one year. He hated that thought.

Once he’d parked his car, Blaine hurried inside and tried to locate the classroom he needed to get to for first period, nervously raking a hand through his curls in the hope of taming them at least a little.

Not for the first time, he cursed himself for having overslept on the first day of the school year. That had forced him to come to school with his head a complete riot of curls, wearing an old pair of jeans, a ratty T-shirt, sneakers because those were the first pair of shoes in his size he’d been able to locate and a leather jacket of his brother’s that he’d found hanging over an armchair.

As he walked through the corridor, he noticed that most boys seemed to wear clothes similar to his, minus the leather jacket, and hardly anyone spared him a second glance. That was a welcome change from the public school he’d gone to before he transferred to Dalton, where he’d stood out like a sore thumb and had been bullied relentlessly. Maybe he’d stick to this barely-out-of-bed look, then, if it made him blend in.

Once he’d found the classroom he’d been looking for, he sat down next to a tall blonde guy and introduced himself. He got a smile and a fist-bump in return. The guy’s name was Sam, apparently, and he was the football team’s quarterback. Blaine showed himself suitably impressed, and Sam told him to come to try-outs that afternoon – “You’re not tall, but I bet you’re fast, man. We need a new kicker. The one we had last year sucked. We haven’t had a good kicker since Hummel left.”

Blaine promised to come. He’d never played football before, but he was certainly fast, yes. He’d had to be, to escape his bullies.

Sam was in most of his classes, and introduced him to a few others – Ryder and Jake, also on the football team, Artie, a guy in a wheelchair telling the most sexist jokes Blaine had ever heard, and a group of girls he said were in glee club with him.

Brittany was fun to be around, Marley proved sweet and helpful, Tina was a veritable fountain of gossip, and Unique earned his lifelong gratitude by steering him straight into the girls’ bathroom to comb and spray his curls into submission. Kitty, though, was scary. There was just no other word for it. Every word she said was caustic, and she seemed to be looking right through Blaine. He’d steer clear of her.

The afternoon came, and Sam, now enthusiastically discussing Batman with Blaine, took him to the football field, where Blaine and a dozen or so other hopefuls tried out for a place on the football team.

Blaine made it, and Sam proved right about the position he got – kicker.

“You’re a natural, boy!” Coach Beiste shouted. “Not as good as Hummel yet, but you have potential. And he’s coming in on Friday to coach you guys, so you can learn from him.”

The other guys on the team cheered as if she’d announced a rock star was coming, and Ryder clapped Blaine on the shoulder. “He’ll show you the ropes in no time, and then we’ll have a kick-ass team.”

Blaine, who’d been so happy a few minutes back that he’d made the team, lost his smile. Now didn’t that sound familiar… All his life, he’d been second best to Cooper, who actually WASN’T better, but just charmed everyone into thinking so. If this ‘showing him the ropes’ would be just as much of a farce as it was with Cooper, he’d prick the star kicker’s bubble straightaway. No need to tread lightly because his mother would skin him alive if he hurt Cooper’s feelings. Yep, this ‘Hummel’ – what kind of a name was that, anyway? – had better bring it!

Not as good as Hummel yet, huh? We’ll see about that.

K & B

On Friday, halfway through the training, he had to admit to himself that Coach Hummel was not like Cooper at all.

Oh, the assistant coach was certainly just as striking as Blaine’s older brother, who made everyone swoon with a wink or a smile. Hummel was a bit slighter and shorter, but his eyes were gorgeous, his posture was ramrod straight, his biceps were to die for and he had the finest ass Blaine had ever seen.

Hummel radiated self-confidence, yet his attitude couldn’t have been more different from Cooper’s.

Yes, as soon as Hummel had walked onto the field, the whole team had greeted him with slaps on the back and congratulations for a match he’d won, apparently, but Hummel didn’t soak up the attention as though it was his due. He ducked his head with a barely there smile, and then clapped his hands and announced that it was now their time to shine. “Show me what you’ve got, so that I know what we need to work on to make this team the best it can be. We’re going to make the McKinley Titans go far this year!”

All right, then.

True to his word, Coach Hummel let each member of the team do a series of exercises and then pointed out how they could improve their performance. They took the advice eagerly, all smiles and nods, looking impressed. Blaine rolled his eyes.

Suck-ups.

When it was Blaine’s turn, he gave it his all, and then stared at Hummel defiantly.

“Sheldon is right, you’ll certainly make a good kicker,” Coach Hummel mused. “You’re fast, and you have a strong kick. The only thing you’ll have to improve is your aim. The football lands to the left of the goal every time you kick, and it has to go through it. So we’ll have to work on that.”

Blaine flushed angrily, but kept his mouth shut.

“Okay, try again. I need to see what exactly you’re doing wrong so that we can fix it.”

Blaine gritted his teeth and squared his jaw, kicking again, and swearing under his breath when he saw the football sail in the wrong direction.

Before Coach Hummel could start his critique, Blaine said conversationally. “So, Coach, do you get a kick out of seeing teenage boys in tight pants? Seeing us stick out our butts really doing it for you?”

Hummel snapped his head in Blaine’s direction, his eyes narrowed and hard as flint and his mouth a thin line. That was the only reaction Blaine got to his taunting, though.

Hummel started to list what Blaine had to pay attention to if he wanted to improve his aim. Blaine, not interested in being lectured by a guy barely older than he was, decided to step it up a bit.

“I mean, I can’t imagine anyone would coach the football team for the fun of it. Does it pay well?”

Blaine ran his eyes over Coach Hummel slowly and deliberately and then delivered the punch line. “Going by your outfit, I’d say it doesn’t.”

Hummel went pink in the cheeks – and wasn’t that a sight to see! – but didn’t say any more to Blaine, moving on to the next member of the football team.

Blaine felt rather mean for commenting on Hummel’s outfit, which had clearly seen better days. His ratty trainers, in particular, seemed about to fall off his feet. Was he really that poor that he couldn’t buy himself new ones?

Soon, Coach Hummel had assessed the whole team, and moved on to group exercises, showing once again that he knew his job by making suggestions that did improve the team’s performance.

Blaine, who refused to admit he’d been wrong about Hummel, kept up a steady stream of jabs and taunts. Other than his nostrils flaring, Hummel never let on he’d heard Blaine. It wasn’t until Blaine mentioned Hummel’s parents – “They say people who go to college in state don’t want to move away from home because they’d miss their mommy too much. Are you such a mommy’s boy, Coach?” – that Coach Hummel lost his cool.

“Enough! If you can’t behave yourself during training, you’ll be off the team before you can say ‘Titans’. Is that clear?”

Hummel didn’t raise his voice, nor did he look at all angry, but his eyes pierced through Blaine and his cold tone made the hair on Blaine’s arms prickle uncomfortably.

Blaine nodded.

“Now, you seem bored, so I’m going to give you something more… interesting to do,” Coach Hummel drawled. “Until I dismiss the team, you’re to run laps around the field. After each lap, you will do five squats and sit-ups. You’ll be taking no breaks. Off you go!”

Blaine looked around him to ascertain if this was a normal procedure, but saw only glaring faces. Apparently, his teammates did not take it kindly that Blaine was dissing their hero.

Uh-oh, looks like I’ll have some damage control to do later… Better keep my mouth shut from now on!

Blaine nodded again and took off for his first lap. True to his resolve, he didn’t say another word, and he followed Coach Hummel’s instructions until he was sweating like a pig and his muscles were burning. He didn’t stop until the training was over and the rest of the team had left the field. Only when Coach Bieste and Coach Hummel had left as well did he trudge back to the locker room wearily.

As soon as he came in, a fist grabbed him by the neck and pushed him against the wall.

“What were you playing at, Anderson?” Sam hissed. “Hummel’s a good guy, and a good coach. If you ever diss him again, you’re off the team. We’ll all tell Coach Bieste we’d rather have NO kicker than a jerk who thinks he’s all that.”

Sam looked over his shoulder at the others. “Am I right, guys?”

“Too right, captain!” Ryder said, and everyone hummed in agreement, still glaring at Blaine.

Sam turned back to Blaine. “Seriously, what were you thinking?”

Blaine sagged a little, and blurted out the first thing that popped into his mind, “That he’s so hot.”

Uh-oh, I should not have said that. I should NOT have said that. I just made everything a thousand times worse. I probably won’t make it out of the locker room alive.

Sam blinked, his glare sliding off his face and leaving only confusion. The other guys, too, had clearly not been expecting this answer from Blaine.

And then Jake threw his head back and laughed, and in no time, the others followed suit.

“Dude,” Jake managed to get out between two guffaws. “You know… I get… you want his attention… but… you’re going about this… all wrong. Dissing Kurt… won’t make him… like you… at all…”

Blaine turned his head to the side. “His name is Kurt?”

Sam threw the jock strap he’d just taken off right into Blaine’s face. “Yes, asshat! It’s Kurt. And Jake’s right. Better take his advice. Puckster Junior is the biggest girl magnet in school.”

Blaine, feeling comfortable enough now to start stripping off his football gear, made a face. “Girls don’t really do it for me.”

That made Jake throw his jock strap at Blaine too. “Yep, we got that when you called Kurt hot. But what I told you goes for guys, too. Basic rule. Don’t be a dick if you want them to like you. It’s as easy as that. There are… other ways to catch their attention.”

Jake gave Blaine a once-over and wiggled his eyebrows. “Show off your nice booty, Anderson! And the front view isn’t too bad either.”

Blaine flushed red, and the rest of the team howled with laughter.

Before Blaine could escape to the shower stalls, the locker room door opened with such force that it banged against the wall, and Coach Hummel came in, his eyes flashing, and told them to get a move on, because he was hungry. And then he crossed his arms, and yum, those muscles flexing were a sight to see.

Jake jabbed Blaine in the ribs, and hissed, “Stop drooling and show off your assets, man!”

Well, no time like the present to find out if Jake’s right, I guess…

“Hey, Coach…”

The look Coach Hummel threw him could have set fire to the whole school building.

“Yes, Anderson?”

How do I get him to look at my junk? Ah, got it.

Blaine told Hummel the team had been comparing their dicks and voting for the best one, but needed a deciding vote between Blaine’s and Sam’s.

As soon as he’d cottoned on, Jake looked offended for a second that he wasn’t a finalist, but then started to laugh again, so infectiously that everyone joined in.

Coach Hummel’s face went blank, and Blaine held his breath as Hummel’s eyes raked over him and Sam.

Just when Blaine thought he’d gone too far this time and would end up with detention, Hummel gave his verdict, deciding that the best dick was his own. Blaine’s mouth fell open.

Wow. This guy always zigs when I think he’s going to zag. I like that.

And then Hummel disappeared again. Blaine, still gaping like a fish, only pulled himself together again when Sam slapped his shoulder and told him to get a move on.

Blaine grabbed his towel and looked for a free shower stall. Most of the guys were already putting their regular clothes back on, so he had the showers all to himself. While he soaped himself up, he couldn’t help but think of Coach Hummel. His eyes spitting fire. His arms. His ass. His endless legs. Unf.

Before he realized, he’d taken his cock in his hand and was pumping it furiously, his other hand clamped over his mouth to muffle the noises he made. It took barely any time at all for him to come spectacularly, painting the red tiles white and sagging against the wall because his legs had been reduced to jelly.

Now in a much better mood than he’d been all afternoon, he started to sing as he rinsed off, giving it his all. As he tried a dramatic twirl for the ending, he froze and squeaked when he noticed someone standing there, watching him.

Hummel!

Coach Hummel told him to hurry up, and Blaine scrambled to take his towel and get dry and dressed before Hummel decide to toss him out of the locker room naked.

But yet again, the man proved nicer than Blaine gave him credit for, complimenting him on his singing, his smile completely genuine in spite of Blaine’s rudeness during the football training.

Blaine was so taken aback he only managed a generic word of thanks. He put on his clothes on autopilot, not even bothering with combing his hair but leaving it a mess, and grabbed his bag and jacket to get out of there, but halted a step outside the door.

I should apologize. I was horrible to him, and he didn’t deserve that one bit.

Blaine hesitated, but then stepped back inside and headed to the showers. As he rounded the corner, he collided with Hummel, who swore under his breath and lost his grip on the towel slung around his waist.

“Sorry!”

It came out breathless, not just because of the collision, but because the slipping towel revealed that Hummel had – Oh my! – not been lying about his dick being the best. Wow!

“Did you forget something?” Coach Hummel asked, now putting on his clothes at record speed.

“I forgot to apologize,” Blaine said. “I wasn’t in the best of moods, but I shouldn’t have worked that out on you. You didn’t deserve any of that. I was a total jerk, and I’m sorry. You’re a good coach, and I promise I’ll be on my best behavior from now on.”

Hummel gave him a long searching look, and then nodded. “Apology accepted. You can start with a clean slate next week.”

Then, with a wave of his hand and a quick smile, the man disappeared, leaving Blaine staring after him.

Not like Cooper at all, this guy. I’m glad he’s giving me a second chance.

[ryderlynnhq-blog]

Character Information

Full Name. Ryder James Lynn

Age & Birthday. actual age 17 (lies and says 16) and January 30th

Gender Identity. Cis-male

Preferred Pronouns. He/him/his

Romantic Orientation. Hetero-romantic (Assumed)

Sexual Orientation. Heterosexual (Assumed)

Hometown. Cleveland, Ohio

Family Information

Mother. Martha Lynn (nee. Pappas)

Father. James Lynn Jr.

Siblings. No siblings

Pets. Cap, a 2 year old pitbull named for Captain America

Other Family Members of Importance. James Lynn Sr., grandfather; Johnny Pappas, cousin

Financial Status. Comfortable, Upper Middle Class

Please describe your character’s family dynamics. Ryder isn’t very close with his parents. Though he is closer to his mom, always wanting to make her proud with the best grades he can get. He tries with his father but when Ryder wants to watch the Cleveland Browns play, his dad wants to watch a documentary or turn off the TV altogether for some quiet.

Personality Information

Positive Traits. Friendly once he gets to know someone, loyal, protective, curious, hardworking

Negative Traits. Guarded, jealous, easily frustrated, over romantic, naive, over competitive, some toxic masculinity, Table and chair kicker

Star Sign. Aquarius

Likes. Playing sports, dancing for fun, playing the drums, buying old records and tapes, Italian food, superhero movies and TV shows, video games

Dislikes. Bullies, golf, figuring out wtf Shakespeare is saying, losing any game, phonies, Minecraft

Pet Peeves. When people just chuck their trash out of their car window while driving, the sound of teeth grinding

Most Embarrassing Memory. In junior high, Ryder tried to run to be first in line for lunch. What he didn’t see was the Wet Floor sign. As soon as his sneaker hit the soaped up tile, he went flying. The janitor yelled, ‘Can’t you read?’ He picked himself up and changed into his gym clothes for the rest of the day.

Hobbies. Drumming, baseball, playing video games, getting lost on YouTube when he falls into a spiral of watching the next up video until suddenly he’s watching Japanese eating competitions when he started off watching cute animal videos

Guilty Pleasure. Fried Twinkies, watching The Notebook, listening to Shawn Mendes, drinking energy drinks

Unusual Talents. Can do The Grinch face, double jointed, and can juggle

Habits. Biting his thumb nail when thinking hard or nervous, tapping his leg or drumming his pen/pencil in class, flipping his hair out of the way

Schooling Information

Grade. Junior 

GPA. Ryder is a good student in that he tries incredibly hard. His GPA has improved since he learned he is dyslexic last year, bringing C-’s and Ds up to an A-, and Bs. Reading is still difficult for him, but he spends his free period working with a tutor in the Learning Center to get past this. 

Extracurriculars. Glee Club, Varsity Football Team (as second string running back), Varsity Baseball Team (as starting pitcher) 

Character Development

Canon Integration. I plan to incorporate the following canon plotlines into my biography.

Ryder’s learning disability, as seen above, is something I’ll incorporate throughout. This put a strain on his relationship with his father, who is a PhD holding professor at the Ohio State University, Lima. Also, Ryder was held back a year in elementary school due to poor reading abilities, so he is a year older than most in his grade. He lies about his age to everyone he can get away with it. 

TRIGGER WARNING: ABUSE: Ryder as a molestation survivor. This happened when he was 11, only five years ago, and would still affect him, his relationship with women, and his trust in others. 

Plans for Development.  I plan to incorporate the following canon plotlines into my development and play in the roleplay.

Ryder’s confusion over transexual and non-binary people. We never really got to see how Ryder’s view of this changed after Unique and he have the sing off. I think it’s a negative aspect of Ryder that’s worth exploring so he can grow.

Ryder’s latest crush. Something you notice is that when Ryder does fall for someone, like ‘Katie’ and Marley, he tends to go overboard with affection, so this is something I’d want to work on and tie it to his past. 

Ryder’s family dynamics. His strained relationship with his parents is something I’ll be building upon. He wishes he had a close relationship with them, but after the babysitter incident and fights over his grades, it seems impossible. 

Other. Ryder drives a 2008 Prius that belonged to his mom first, he doesn’t have any exes, and he hasn’t been on an official date since elementary school.

Character Biography

Trigger Warnings: Sexual abuse

Ryder Lynn was 100% planned for. His parents had been trying for nearly a year when Martha Lynn found she was pregnant. What Ryder didn’t know and what he doesn’t remember much of because he was so young, was all the ways his parents tried to boost his intelligence. It started with listening to Beethoven when he was still in his mother, then showing him Baby Einstein videos that Ryder could never sit still for. He was the biggest ball of energy as a kid, something his parents knew he’d need an outlet for. As soon as he was old enough, they got him involved in sports. While Ryder was great at Little League tee ball, he wasn’t as great at football. But he loved being out on the grass and playing with his friends, so he stuck with both.

Through preschool and kindergarten, it was clear that Ryder wasn’t going to be top of his class. What he loved about school was getting to play with his friends. He was very sociable. His first year of elementary school, Ryder was put in the Red Robin reading group, one that all the kids recognized as the slowest reading group. By the end of the year, his teacher was talking to his parents in an after school meeting as she explained that it would be best for Ryder to do his first year over again. It was a quiet ride back to their house in Cleveland. They moved that summer out to Lima, which Ryder was glad for because when he started 1st grade again, nobody but his teacher knew it was for the second time.

After that year, Ryder’s happiness in going to school faded as classes got harder. Try hard as he might, he struggled greatly. While his dad taught American history at Ohio State and his mom managed a bank, Ryder was at the dinner table struggling with homework on his own. His ever changing babysitters never seemed interested in helping him. Then in 5th grade, there was a new babysitter. She was one of his dad’s students, pretty and blonde. Ryder thought she was nice because she let him have as much soda as he wanted and helped him with his homework. But later when he was taking a shower before bed, she molested him.

Despite being threatened and bribed to never tell anyone, Ryder told his parents as soon as they were home from their date night. His mother believed him outright, but his father wasn’t convinced. While Martha wanted to put Ryder into therapy and get the girl arrested, James just told Ryder he would be watching himself from now on instead of having a babysitter.

Everything got more difficult after that. Ryder’s grades dropped for the rest of the semester. He closed himself off from everyone for a time, throwing himself into sports. Though with his need for friends, Ryder was just much more cautious in who he let himself get close to and trust. There was one thing his mom was able to do for him: buy a drum set and put him in lessons. It wasn’t therapy, but it was a new outlet that Ryder was actually great at. Drumming became his new first place hobby. That and sports got him through junior high and into high school. Freshman and sophomore year, Ryder worked his way from Junior Varsity football and baseball to Varsity team for both.

Glee Club wasn’t something that had even been on Ryder’s radar until Mr. Schuester announced tryouts in History class. So Ryder auditioned with Foreigner’s “Jukebox Hero,” finding that all that time he’d spent singing in his room paid off. Now in his junior year, Ryder’s focus is on the upcoming SAT in spring. Somehow he’ll have to find a balance between school, sports, Glee club, and still having time to breathe and hang with friends.

[natg1rl-blog]

Unlucky in Love

“Little Black Book” - Chapter 1 Continued.

They say that time passes faster the older you get, and to me it felt as though that had already started to happen at the tender age of Thirteen. It had already been a month since starting High School, meaning that I was already four weeks into the first semester of the new chapter of my life. Unfortunately the situation between Millee and her friends weren’t any better, and I still couldn’t fathom what was said for her to turn her back on me so suddenly, but at the same time I felt as though I had been given a unique opportunity to break away from my comfort zone within the popular girl group, and in turn meet a different type of people. Not to say the back-stabbing didn’t hurt, it hurt like a bitch. The first new friend I made at Varlem Tophett was a girl called Marley. It surprised me that Marley wasn’t part of the popular clique – she was absolutely gorgeous! Blue eyes, blonde hair, olive skin… her entire physique made me envious. To go with her looks she also had an infectious personality. She was nice. Most of the girls who looked like Marley were straight-up bitches, but not her. She was, for lack of a better word, different. The second friend I made was a girl named Sarah. She and Marley were practically attached at the hip. The two of them were best friends, kind of like Renee and I. Both girls knew one another from Primary School. Sarah was tom-boyish and very plain. Mousy brown hair, dark brown eyes and no stand-out physical features, but she did have the ability to float from group to group and fit into whatever social circle was necessary at the time, and I envied that about her. Finally there was Becca. Becca didn’t really have much of her own social circle, and to be quite honest she didn’t seem to care. That’s probably the reason she fit in so easily with mine. Becca was a tall girl, unusually tall. She had curly brown hair, brown eyes and a very noticeable big Italian nose. Becca wasn’t a trim girl but looks didn’t seem to be a concern for her. Becca was very friendly, but also quite forward which came in handy every now and again. She also knew how to rival Pamela, and this I liked. I needed someone like that in my corner; this was a girl I could get used to having around. I suppose this is a good time to mention that I had a crush. 

Boys were always on my radar in Primary School. There was one boy in particular I crushed on probably the entire time I was at XP. His name was Randie Tomns and he was the most attractive boy I had ever met. He had dark hair and dark eyes to suit, but his smile was what reeled me in. He was also friendly, not your typical stuck up ass hat, which I was learning were tones-a-plenty in High School! Unfortunately Randie had eyes for anyone who wasn’t me. In the two years I knew him he went out with two of my best friends and hooked up with my sister… suffice it to say I was unlucky in love. I used to hook up with his friend Gibsen, but if I’m being completely honest it was really just a reason to stay within Randie’s social circle. Even if I couldn’t be with him, I wanted him to be in my life.

Scott Trofs was my first High School crush. Scott was also a very friendly guy so I guess I had a type. He didn’t hang out with the popular group; he kind of did his own thing which was attractive in itself. Scott got along really well with everyone in my friend group and I could see potential boyfriend material in him. He had never given any real indication that he was interested, but he did tend to flirt a bit and I took from that what I wanted to. All of the girls knew about my feelings for Scott but I swore them all to secrecy because I didn’t want to ruin the friendship between the two of us. I was worried that Becca would one day spill the beans because she had a big mouth, maybe even bigger than Pamela’s, but as far as I knew Scott was oblivious to it all. On one of the nights I stayed over at Renee’s we toyed with the idea of calling him on the phone. Renee knew Scott before high school because their dad’s were friends, so it wasn’t so weird and considering Renee had his phone number, it was just too good not to take the opportunity. In no time Renee and I found ourselves down at the phone-box, Scott’s number in hand. It was a busy main-road so I felt as though I was being put under public scrutiny, as though every person who drove past me could see right into my soul. I was standing there bare naked. I had absolutely no idea what I was going to say to the guy, it’s not like I had planned to be in this situation. Before I had a chance to stew on it, Renee had already dialed the number. My heart pounded in my chest, hard!

‘Hi, is Scott there?’ I heard her ask in her very polite manner.

All of a sudden I felt sick in my stomach. I wanted to reach inside and squash all of the butterflies that were invading my intestines. Renee found my anxiety hilarious, so hilarious that she was unable to wipe the grin off her face. She giggled like a school girl whilst I continued to wipe my sweaty palms on my flare leg jeans.

‘Scott? Hi… it’s Renee.’

I couldn’t believe she was talking to him.

‘I’m good,’ she giggled to herself, ‘how are you?’ ‘Mmm hmm. Not much actually, Bella’s staying at my house tonight so we’re just killing time. Did you want to speak with her?’

My heart suddenly dropped into my stomach, murdering every last butterfly that was still fluttering about. Renee handed me the phone. I reached for it with a shaky hand.

‘Hello?’ I could barely manage my words.

‘Hey Bella, how are ya?’ He asked in his ridiculously gorgeous voice.

My heart melted a little.

‘Good and you?’ I felt like it was someone else speaking, I barely even recognized my own voice.

‘I’m okay.’

Cue the awkward silence.

Oh no, I thought to myself. We only just started chatting, how could we have possibly run out of things to say? I could feel my face burning up and I struggled to hold the phone amidst my still sweaty hands. This was becoming a disaster.

‘Say something!’ I demanded with an anxious laugh.

‘Oh,’ he said taken aback, ‘Hi....’?

Laughter filled the connection. Somehow the rest of the conversation flew naturally and was spent talking about Soccer, which bored the absolute crap out of me, and also our mutual annoyance for Pamela, which I quite enjoyed. There were other things too but they all seem trivial now. Scott didn’t want to end our conversation, despite some random impatient lady giving me an icy glare whilst she stood in line for the phone. I felt as though if Scott didn’t know of my feelings for him before, he did now. The glimmer of hope that I had which indicated there could be something between us was officially ignited and I was smitten. I knew there was a chance between us; I just had to work up the courage to do something about it. 

By week eight almost everything had changed. Millee and her group of friends were officially my rivals, my Popularity was a moot point, and Scott was dating Pamela! High school was very different and not at all how I expected it to be. About thirty five days in I received my first slap across the face – that was an interesting experience. There was another girl in my home room who technically fell into the ‘Millee’ crowd, even though for some reason Millee didn’t strike me as the leader of that group. Her name was Hanna and she seemed different to the other girls, she was... nice. Millee had never been the same since the very first day she ditched me out of loyalty toward her awful friends. She would barely even acknowledge my existence which I guess made it easier for her to live with herself. Her BFF Nel was friendly to me, but only when she had to be, and the other girls who ran in their circle followed suit. Hanna was a floater though so it didn’t seem to faze her being part of any social circle that she wanted to, kind of like Sarah. I got along with Hanna, enough to be able to have actual conversations with her that weren’t forced by a teacher or a superior. I saw her at a few Blue Light Discos and she was never too shy to come and have a dance with me and my crowd. None of this stopped her from slapping me in the face though. It was a very early lesson in life that girls can be horrible. So many different rumours went around about me; I often found it hard to keep up with them all. I almost had to adapt to the, ’people are always going to talk about you so you might as well give them something to talk about’ term of phrase. But that wasn’t who I was. I cared too much what people thought of me. Luckily not all of the rumours were targeted at me; quite a few of the Year Eight class had a rumour or two spread about them at some point. Unfortunately for me there was a rumour floating around about Hanna being pregnant. I suspected the rumour probably wasn’t true, I mean rumours generally aren’t, but Hanna was the type of girl to flaunt what her mumma gave her if you know what I mean. Outside of school I don’t think I ever saw her without her boobs out or her midriff showing. A lot of people have the opinion, if you’ve got it – flaunt it, but not so much when you’re a Thirteen year old girl. Ever so joyously someone from my rival group told Hanna that I was the one who started the rumour. Without hesitation Hanna decided to act before even asking me the question. Even after I swore that it wasn’t me who started the rumour, Hanna was accusatory and we never came back from it. She was officially no longer a floater and 100% on the side of the rivals. They had claimed another one. If all of that wasn’t bad enough, I was essentially heartbroken when I learned of the romance between Pamela and Scott. Their relationship made no sense to me whatsoever, not when the two of us got along so well… and I know flirting when I see it. It reconfirmed why I disliked Pamela from the get-go. She knew how I felt about Scott and yet apparently he was more important to her than our friendship. I had to be thankful for the friends who had my back. As soon as the two of them became an item, Becca went out of her way to try and break them up. Not because I still wanted to be with Scott, just out of principle. Now that was a real friend.