Disclaimer: Trust me, you really don't want me to own GC. Just sayin :P
First Date, Birthdays and White Day
In the weeks following Ryan's confession, he was happy to have spent so much time with Lire, though they weren't officially dating just yet. Ryan felt it was better to wait until after testing and White Day, which was coming up fast, since Lire's parents would make her buckle down and focus on getting good grades. Lire could only agree, though she would drag Ryan to study sessions with her friends, to which he was surprised that Lass joined them. The usually silent boy merely pointed out that Arme dragged him there every time, and that was more than enough information for Ryan.
They always studied at Lire's house which, much to Ryan's amusement, was just shy of a mansion. He knew her family was well known, but he hadn't thought they'd be rich either! He also learned that Lire was extremely modest and didn't take compliments very well. She always blushed and stuttered whenever he complimented her on anything, which made her seem all the cuter in his eyes. However, just because they were allowed in her house, her parents had a strict rule about boys in their daughter's room, especially their daughter's not quite boyfriend.
Ryan sighed as they settled down at the table in the dining room which, like much of the house, was grand. The table, much like the rest of the wooden furniture he had see, was made of Mahogany and polished to perfection, there were two tall wooden structures he hadn't seen before that held all manner of exotic dishes from porcelain tea sets to classic earthenware plates and bowl with delicate floral designs. Above the table was a beautiful chandelier that held 18 shimmering crystals that gave off a beautiful light.
Lire watched Ryan as he walked around the room, marveling at the contents of the room. She smiled faintly as he silently oohed at a vase that sat in a lonely corner covered in a later of dust. She made her way over to him, curious what he liked about it. It was rather plain to her, and the artwork was unfinished. "It was supposed to be for my Nana before she passed away. Mother's a painter, you see." She said. Ryan looked up, smiling. "You like it?"
Ryan nodded, a grin on his face as he stared back at the vase. "I don't recognize the flowers, but I think they're beautiful. It's a shame your mom didn't get to finish it. I'm sure it'd look really pretty along with the other vases you have." Ryan commented. Lire smiled and nodded her agreement. Do you think your mom would finish it if we asked? I'd like to see it finished some day."
"We'll see. But for now, let's stop trying to avoid homework and study, hm?" Lire smiled sweetly as she dragged a displeased Ryan back to the table. He was sure he'd have been found out eventually, but he was starting to wish he had gone to a different room now while she wasn't paying attention. It wasn't that he didn't like studying, he just didn't see what any of the stuff they were learning would help him in the long run. He was going to be a Sentinel, like his dad, so all he really needed to learn was hunting, herbology, and ancient remedies. Oh well, he thought as he looked at Lire, who was concentrating on teaching him something in math. He smiled. I suppose moments like these are worth it, at least. Without realizing, Ryan lost focus and leaned his head against hers as she spoke and took her free hand in his own.
"...ten bucks says once she notices she'll run and hide in her room." Arme said, staring amusedly at the couple across from her.
"Double it." Lass spoke quietly, not looking up from his textbook. "Double says he'll notice first and try to play it off."
"I'm with Lass on this one, midget." Elesis nodded. However, if either of them noticed, they didn't show it and just continued doing their homework in silence, broken only by Ryan asking for help or Lire explaining to the boy how to solve a problem he was having trouble with. In the end, the bets were called off, as the three soon lost interest in them. Once the three had started doing their work again, Ryan and Lire looked at at one another and mouthed a silent thanks to the other before going back to work.
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As the weeks passed and Lire spent more time with Ryan, she came to see things the way he did, and sometimes caught herself mimicking him. At lunch, they ate together out in the yard beneath his favorite tree and she would talk about all the plans she had for her future, which mainly consisted of traveling, flowers, children, more flowers and settling down some place peaceful outside of Bermesiah. "Perhaps Eruyell Island, where my family's from. I heard mom say it's a beautiful place that's been untouched for centuries, so there's bound to be plenty of nature around." Lire thought aloud, though in the end, she got the expected result. Ryan's eyes popped open as he heard the word nature and she smiled down at him in her lap. "Also, I asked my mother about the flower on the vase you liked. She says she doesn't know, but it's a medicinal plant. Nana used to keep some with her all the time when I was younger."
"Must be because she had such an active grand daughter." Ryan said with a light grin. Lire did her best to put on an innocent face, but all of that shattered when he said, "That reminds me, we haven't gone on a date yet, huh? Do you have any plans this weekend?"
"W-well no, but-"
"Great! I'll pick you up around 3 then and we'll go explore town for something to do." he said, grinning. Just then, the bell rang and the boy hopped up, planting a soft kiss on Lire's nose, making her blush. "Can't wait. I'll see you in class!" After that, he promptly collected their trash and threw it away before hurrying to his next class, gym.
"...I was going to spend the weekend sewing your gift." Lire mumbled, rubbing her nose with a wistful smile. She stood up and stretched before heading to the school building with a slight smile. "Oh well. At least I'll be doing something fun. It'll be my first date though..."
However, Lire didn't go to class, a first for her, though she felt she had a perfectly good reason for it. You see, Ryan's birthday was in 3 weeks, two days before White Day, and she wanted to at least give him something he'll use later on in life, but she didn't have much time to work on it, since a lot of her time was spent either studying with him, or just hanging out with him and her friends. But he was right, they never did have the chance to go on a date. An official date, anyway. But she supposed that could wait. Her first stop was the infirmary to consult with the nurse, Tammy.
The woman in question smiled impishly at Lire as she, blushing furiously, asked for Ryan's measurements. "You sure you don't just want one specific measurement?" The older woman all but purred, narrowing her eyes knowingly at the blonde girl. Needless to say, her blush flared to new heights as she caught on to the woman's meaning and shook her head vigorously, earning a slight chuckle from the woman as she handed over the file. She, however, became serious as Lire took hold of it, and her eyes flashed almost menacingly. "You realize I could lose my job for giving you this, right?"
"Y-yes, ma'am."
"And you're not planning something nefarious, are you?"
"Of course not!"
"Good. I want this back when you're done. You have a week." And with that, and a cheeky grin, Nurse Tammy released the file and watched as Lire walked out of the infirmary. "Try not to do anything too naughty!" She called just before the door closed, chuckling when she heard a slight thump on the wall. Ah, how she loved teasing the younger folks.
Lire, on the other hand, groaned as her blush refused to die down. She rather liked Nurse Tammy, but her teasing got a little out of hand. She couldn't even count how many times she had been the butt of the woman's jokes. Not that she really minded though. Still, she hurried to put everything away and called her mother.
"Mom, I need you to buy a few things for me. Can you leave them in my room? I need-"
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The week passed by rather quickly for Ryan, who didn't seem to notice that much was going on, except that he didn't get to see much of Lire except during lunch break and whatever classes they had together. He frowned at the thought that maybe she was avoiding him, but put it out of his mind as the day he had been waiting for finally arrived.
His date with Lire. His FIRST date. He was so excited he hadn't slept the night before and even now, as he waited for her outside her gate, he still couldn't believe it. He smacked himself though, realizing he could be using the time to think of something to do, but he honestly didn't care. He was spending time with Lire! He didn't notice the girl was standing behind him until he heard a soft giggle and saw her standing there in the exact same clothes she wore when she has visited him in the hospital. "Shall we get going? I hope you don't mind, but I have to make a quick stop to order some fabric."
"No, it's not a problem. I didn't know you could sew." Ryan muttered as Lire grabbed onto his arm and started pulling him down the street. They were quiet for a while, but the silence was in no way uncomfortable or awkward. At least, for Ryan anyway. He was just glad that the girl was here now and was smiling. But one thing failed to leave his mind. What did she need the fabric for? Was she making a curtain or something? He wanted to ask, but felt she'd be cryptic and say it was a secret or something.
"You wanna know that bad?" Lire asked, looking up at the boy who hadn't realized he was frowning. As if caught, he smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Well, I can't tell you that. You'll just have to wait and see."
"I knew it.." Ryan grumbled, earning another light giggle from Lire. "So, where do you wanna go after we're done with your errand?"
"Let's just see where the day takes us, hm?" Lire said, beaming at Ryan who nodded dumbly. And so, their date officially began. As they stopped at the fabric store, Ryan took the time to look around, though he didn't actually touch anything. There were so many fabrics and so many colors and designs that it didn't seem at all as dull and quiet as it was physically. The selection wasn't all that bad, Ryan guessed, though he couldn't say for sure. He was a hunter, not a seamstress. He made his way back to Lire who seemed distressed about something. He knew she'd just tell him not to worry, so he didn't ask. "-well, price isn't a problem. I just want something durable yet comfortable and isn't as heavy as denim or leather."
"Hm, then how about-"
"I'll go get something from a vending machine. You want tea, right?" Ryan asked, getting the feeling he wasn't supposed to see whatever it was he was about to witness, Lire nodded, though was too lost in thought to do much else. Ryan nodded, understanding. "I'll be right back then."
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Lire stretched as she exited the shop, thoroughly exhausted mentally, but was glad to see that Ryan had stuck around after all. She was afraid that she had chased him away. "I'm sorry I took so long! I had a hard time figuring out which fabric was best!" Lire wailed dramatically, flopping down beside the boy and taking the bottle of tea from his outstretched hand. She downed half the bottle in seconds.
"Tired?" Ryan asked, though he could see it clearly on her face. She looked beat. Without a word, or waiting for a reply, he picked her up and carried her home in his arms. The only time he sat her down was as they arrived at her doorstep and she needed to unlock the door. He picked her up again right after, taking her up to her room and laying her on the bed, removing her sandals wordlessly.
"You didn't have to carry me, you know.." Lire grinned as Ryan let out a heavy sigh and lay down next to her. "But I'm happy you did. You shouldn't strain yourself though. I'm sure I'm not nearly as light as you thought."
"It's fine. You looked like you could use a break, and I didn't want you walking around so exhausted. So it;s not a problem." Ryan spoke, waving off the girl's concern. Both teens smiled. "Guess we'll spend our first date in your bed, huh? It's so comfy!"
"It's a sleep number bed. They're pretty popular, it seems. My mom got me one after I complained about not being able to get any sleep about two years back. It's been much easier since then, and I don't wake up with stiff shoulders either. It's pretty amazing." Lire explained. Ryan nodded, though his eyes had steadily closed as she spoke. Guess I'm not the only tired one... Lire though, smiling wider as Ryan began snoring softly. As gently as possible, she sat up and climbed out off the bed, going instead to the room next to hers and began working as quietly as possible. Before long, however, she too was fast asleep.
She woke only briefly as strong arms picked her up, catching a glimpse of a blonde beard before she was out like a light, clinging tightly to a rather large teddy bear that snored lightly. Unconsciously, she snuggled closer and wouldn't let go.
The second time she woke, she was all alone. It was well after midnight, and Ryan was nowhere in sight. She figured he must've gone home, it was pretty late anyway. She looked at the alarm clock situated by her bed and yawned. It read 12:25 in the morning. Groggily, she climbed out of bed and went next door, to find her mother working on taking apart the clothes she was working on. Normally she would fuss about it, but she had a feeling she had a good reason. "Where'd I mess up?" Lire asked sleepily.
Rather than say anything, the older woman simply continued to work. Lire decided to do the same, grateful that her mother had finally decided to do something with her for once.
As the weeks passed by, Lire lost more and more sleep as the day she had anticipated and dreaded drew nearer. She wasn't sure if she'd finish in time, even with her mother's help, and she panicked a little more inside the less time she spent with Ryan. So much so that she began fidgeting in class, and spaced out so often that she'd spend a whole period staring into space, drumming her fingers on her desk or biting her lip and shifting in her seat every three minutes. Ryan was worried about her, but every time he approached her, she'd hurry away.
"What'd you do?" Arme asked one day, frowning somewhat at the boy who could only shrug. "The way she's acting, one would think you did something stupid like trying to sleep with her and now she thinks you've got the plague."
"Wha? I would ne-"
"Yeah, yeah. I get it, nature boy. I'm just worried about my friend. YOUR girlfriend. Go say something to her!"
"...you don't think I've tried? Every time I touch her shoulder she flinches away from me and runs the other way! How the hell can I talk to her when she won't even let me near her?" Ryan said, rolling his eyes. Silence fell between them as they sat there, unsure of what to do. "I'm gonna go talk to Ele. Maybe she has an idea of what to do."
"I wouldn't. She and Ronan are in the middle of something. You'd just get hurt if you walked in now." Arme warned. Ryan sighed. Now what? He grumbled. "By the way, isn't it your birthday tomorrow?"
"Yeah. What of it?" Ryan asked. Arme simply grinned, which to the taller boy spelled trouble. Arme was a known prankster, but she was also a decent person, he supposed. He couldn't help but think that he should expect some sort of trick though. Especially if it was Arme who was giving him the gift. Still, he shrugged it off and went to lunch, frowning as he thought that he might not get to spend it with Lire.
What surprised him, however, was that she DID show up at their favorite spot. She smiled sheepishly up at him as he approached slowly, confused. "I'm sorry for acting so weird lately," She started quietly, looking back down at her untouched lunch. Ryan sat down next to her and waved off her concern with a gentle smile. "It's just that-" She was cut off by a spoonful of curry, which she ate, and tried speaking again, only to get the same result.
"If you have time to feel guilty, you have time to eat. Besides, it's fine. I was just worried I did something to upset you. Since you're here, and not somewhere else, I take it I haven't." Ryan spoke kindly, earning a light chuckle from Lire. "So, what's got you so fidgety? If something's stressing you out, you can tell me."
"Actually, I can't just yet. Sorry..." Lire said. Ryan sighed, but dismissed it. If that's the way it had to be, then fine. He could live with that. Lire smacked his arm roughly. "It's not what you think! All I'm gonna be able to tell you is that I won't be here tomorrow. Anything else I say would be dangerous."
"Dangerous how?" Ryan asked, suddenly suspicious. Lire smiled, but shook her head. "Well, I'm just happy I can finally talk to you. You had us worried, you know." Ryan pulled Lire into a hug before letting her go. "Next time, talk to us when you get stressed, even if you can't tell us what for. At least we can take your mind off of it for a while."
Then the lunch bell rang, signaling the end of whatever moment Ryan had been trying to create. But one thing was for sure, he was in a much better mood now.
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Ryan grumbled as he walked home in silence. Lass had refused to walk with him because he had somewhere to be, Aerknard lived in the opposite direction and Ronan commuted from the next town over. Jin refused because he wanted to hear Amy sing some more, Zero was arguing with Gran and so had tuned the world out, and Ryan was too afraid to approach Dio that he completely passed the boy by, not even realizing that the boy had been looking for him exclusively. He stopped by Lire's house just in case she had been home all day. He wanted to check on her and see if she was okay, but her parents had said she hadn't been home all day. Where could she have gone? He wondered, absently kicking a rock as he walked down the trail leading home. Her cell's off, she hasn't been home yet, and I can't get a hold of Elesis or Arme...
Soon, the cabin came into view, and sighing, Ryan unlocked the door and opened the door, causing all of the bodies huddled into in to spill out and grin sheepishly up at him. "...what the hell is this?" Ryan asked, narrowing his eyes slightly, though not in anger. Elesis, Arme, Lire, Lass, Jin and Zero all lay in a pile right in front of him, though out of them all, only Lire smiled. "How did you get in my house?"
"Your dad let us in. He said it was okay, so long as we weren't too loud." Lire explained, crawling from beneath the mass of bodies to hug her boyfriend and place a soft kiss on his cheek. "Happy birthday, Ryan. I didn't expect you back so early. We're not done setting up for the party."
"...party?"
"Mhm. It was supposed to be a surprise party, that's why I wasn't at school today. Since you're here, I might as well give you my present." Lire released him and walked back into the cabin, coming back out moments later with a rather large gift. "This is just the first part of it though. Your dad has the other part. Open it."
Ryan did just that, neatly peeling off the bright orange wrapping paper to reveal...a box. Yes, a box. But it wasn't just any box. A big box, with a lid that came off the box that revealed on the inside...clothes. Ryan furrowed his brow a bit, but as he inspected it, he was rather shocked. "These are..."
"Yup! I did some research on your tattoos and found out the lore behind them. I won't bore you with the details, but these clothes, along with your tattoos mark you as a Sentinel, right? You did say you wanted to protect the forests, so there's nothing more fitting than these." Lire said, grinning. Ryan was speechless. Inside the box, as you heard Lire explain, were five things: a headband with two large boar tusks on it, a vest that stopped at and framed his ribs and showed off the tattoos on his stomach, a pair of gloves, a pair of sandals and pants with the same markings he had on his ankles. "Wanna try them on?"
"S-sure..." Ryan said, feeling Lire already pushing him gently toward the cabin. Ryan didn't come our for quite a while. He took to staring at himself in the mirror as he was fully clothed, a faint smile on his face as he inspected himself. He had to admit, he looked pretty good, despite his untamed hair. So wrapped up in his thoughts, he hadn't noticed Lire sneak up behind him, nor did he feel her arms around him until he saw her face pop up on his shoulder with a broad grin plastered on it.
"Lookin' good." She remarked, winking at his reflection. Ryan blushed, but thanked her for the clothes, "It's no big deal. I have my mom to thank though. I was rushing to get them done in time that I screwed up several times. She took everything apart and forced me to try again, and you see the result."
"Still, they're really good. And comfortable. You did good, Lire." Ryan complimented, this time making her blush. Turning around in her arms, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "I do believe we have an unfinished party to celebrate?"
"Indeed, we do."
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The following week was rather eventful for the young couple. Since Ryan's birthday was two days before White Day, he decided to do something extra special for Lire and spent the next day day absent from school. What exactly he did was kept a secret, and Zero, who had become the boy's confidant, simply replied with, "Gran says I shouldn't say. As his friend, a secret shared is supposed to be kept unless he says it's okay to tell." Much to Lire's annoyance, he was right, and she didn't want to jeopardize their friendship. She thanked the boy and started to walk off, before he added, "If you ask me though, you must really mean a lot to him, even after barely a month."
"What do you mean?"
"You'll see. Gran says not to say any more." Zero spoke, grinning as he walked away humming softly.
The rest of the day was much the same, no one would tell her where Ryan was nor what he was up to, though she was sure she'd like whatever he had in store for her. She send him several text messages during lunch, but the only time he replied was to tell her that he missed her too and he needed more time. Shew had asked him what for, but he said nothing else after that.
That night, as she lay in bed, Lire couldn't help but wonder what would take up so much of his time that he'd miss a whole day of school. He even ignored her various texts after lunch. N-not that she was totally bored when he wasn't around or anything! She just didn't like not knowing if he was okay! S-so don't get the wrong idea! (A/N: Fail Tsundere attempt~ :D...I think. You be the judge. I guess.)
Lire couldn't sleep at all that night. She lay in bed, thinking far too much about whatever it was Ryan was doing that she hadn't noticed she didn't sleep a wink until her mom came to wake her up to get ready for school. She groggily went through her morning routine, meeting up with Arme and Elesis on the way to school.
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As the girls arrived at school, they were surprised to see Ryan waiting at the gate for them, or rather Lire. The first thing he did when he saw her was smile, then pull her into a crushing hug. "Did you miss me?" He teased, whispering in her ear. Lire nodded though, hugging him back just as tightly before he placed something in her hair. "It took me forever to find something decent that you would've liked, and twice as long to actually make you something. You'll see when we get to class. Shall we?"
Lire smiled and took his arm, wondering what sort of surprise could be waiting for her.
What she hadn't counted on, was the entire classroom being cleared of chairs and desks, and several boys, much like Ryan himself she finally noticed, were dressed in white. In order there stood Lass, Jin, Ronan, Aerknard, Zero and Rufus, though he looked as sour as ever. The only one not dressed in white was Dio, and he stood in the center of them, his amaranth clothes a stark contrast to the scene that was meant to reflect purity. Each boy had a white flower in his hair as well, like Lire herself, and much like her, their respective girlfriends stood in shock.
"...Rufus has a girlfriend?" Arme wondered out loud, earning a soft chuckle from the others, but a nonchalant wave of his hand as he ignored the girl. "I wonder who she is?"
"Oretina. She goes to a different school. I met her once, only not in the way I was expecting." Lass muttered, smirking as Rufus glared at him. "Well, if you'd learn to keep it in your pants or at least keep her quiet, dear brother I wouldn't have thought you were trying to strangle the poor girl."
There was a deathly silence before Rufus and Lass erupted from the classroom, Lass nimbly dodging the enraged Senior's attempts to murder him with school supplies. Everyone blinked a few times before bursting into laughter, even Dio.
"But still," Lire started, gesturing around the immaculately decorated room draped in white and flowers. Somewhere music was playing softly as well. "What is all this? Did you plan all this yourself?"
"It was Ronan's idea, but I gathered the flowers and convinced the teachers to give us two periods off. I sorta lied and said it was your birthday." Ryan spoke sheepishly, scratching the back of his head and chuckling softly. Without another word, he took Lire's hand in his own and bowed. "May I have this dance, birthday girl?"
Needless to say, it was a very good day.
Except for Rufus, who hadn't managed to catch Lass at all.
A/N: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter (as you can obviously tell) and I think I make this a little longer. It's just too fun. XD I think some Rufus fans might be a little... -prepares to dodge like a ninja- So yeah. Reviews gets you apple gummies- /shot
