Chronicles III: Courtship

Lightning was not sure how she ended up becoming the next target of Bodhum high school's new bad boy. Noctis Lucis Caelum, having moved from his old home town to start a new life away from media due to his father's scandal.
It was obvious Noctis was a complete playboy; he absolutely loved the attention he received from the girls and took whatever they threw in his face in an instant.
Lightning herself had a reputation of being the leader, or Alpha of XIII, the school's gang.
The gang never caused trouble unless there was a good reason for it, but they were all rebels nonetheless.
Lightning kept everyone on their toes and despite the number of detentions she received, she caught the teachers off guard whenever she received a high score on tests; their expressions were always worth it.
Noctis on the other hand loved parties and taking drunk bitches upstairs to an empty room.
His presence annoyed Lightning to no end. Reasons being was that Caelum was full of himself; thinking he was some god all women should worship and kiss up to until he could decide which one was good enough for a bed partner. Which, in Lightning's opinion, was pretty much every girl with sex appeal he sees.
There were times when he would clash with Lightning until they ended up challenging each other to a brawl. Lightning had to admit he had skills when fighting, but she was faster, easily outwitting the arrogant bastard.
She hoped he would stay away from her personal bubble after all those fights. But instead…

"Hello there gorgeous." Noctis said charmingly, leaning against his car, which he had just parked beside Lightning's motorcycle. "Fuck off Caelum." Lightning growled, desperate for some peace and quiet.
Noctis grinned. "Just saying hello to my favorite girl." "Then go inside the school, find her and leave me alone." Lightning was losing patience, and fast.
"I was talking about you, Light." Noctis said, moving closer to her.
Lightning cast him a deadly cold glare. "Come any closer and you will never be able to use your precious chunk of meat that you are so arrogantly proud of."
Noctis pouted and moved back a bit. "Just wanted a hug…" "Well then find some slut to hug you so she can infect you with AIDS."
"Ouch Farron! That got me right in the heart." Noctis said dramatically. Lightning smirked. "You know what else can get you in the heart?"
Noctis grinned and asked huskily, "What? Tell me?" Lightning took her survival knife from her pocket and drew the blade at him. "The intense pain of this knife when I jam it into your heart!"
He frowned. "I  was just trying to be friendly here."
"Be friendly with someone else; you have many sluts who would love that. No go the fuck away." Lightning moved away from her bike and walked off towards the school building.
Noctis sighed; rejected again.
He had had his eyes on Lightning Farron for some time now; every since he transferred to this school, the moment he walked into the classroom, he had his eye on Lightning. She had been the only girl in the classroom who did not swoon or flirt when he stepped in.
While he enjoyed flirting with the other girls in school, Lightning did her own thing. She never once looked his way or acted jealous that some other whore was on his arm.
No. To Lightning Farron, Noctis did not exist.
Despite how cold that seemed, he could not help but feel drawn to her. She hated him, not adore him. She punched him in the face, not make out with him. She threatened to kill him, not ask him to grope her all over.
Noctis had been reluctant to admit it to himself, but for the whole week, he had never touched any girl. Perhaps he should let out some steam today—that is if Lightning did not attack him for accidentally stumbling in her way again.
The last time that had happened, he had been making out with another willing whore who hard her hands all over him. It was out in the school hallways when it was empty because everyone was in class.
Lightning had gone outside to go to the bathroom when Noctis and the girl had bumped into Lightning's shoulder while they made out.
Farron had been so annoyed that Noctis had not been the only one who received a black eye. The girl he had been making out with had her lips bruised and her face destroyed by Lightning's powerful punch. Usually, Noctis would have been annoyed if someone interrupted his leisure time. But seeing Lightning's eyes spark like her namesake—lightning itself—made him even more drawn to her.
The school bell rang, snapping Noctis from his thoughts. He ran towards the school building, very much looking forward to class since Lightning was in the same room was he was.


As usual, when Noctis entered the classroom, the girls all cooed and swooned. But unlike any other day, Noctis kept his eyes on Lightning who sat at the very back. She was doodling on her notebook, as if he never existed or appeared.
He frowned at the lack of attention he received from Lightning.
For once, he wanted her to look—or at least, glare—at him. As long as her eyes were on him. It annoyed him that this one rebel very much despised him as if he were a leper or a plague; in fact, he had the feeling that those were what Lightning saw him as.
Sighing, he took his seat in front of Lightning.
After a while, a piece of crumpled paper fell on his lap. He looked over and saw a girl winking and blowing a kiss at him. He smirked seductively as he read the note; an invitation for some fun at her place, alone.
He glanced at Lightning but she did not even take notice that he had gotten a sex-invitation note. He frowned at her lack of concern. He wrote a reply on the note, glancing at Lightning to see if she would react.
He scoffed and wrote a rather sexual reply on the note and passed it back. The girl read it and flushed red. He was sure she was soaking her underwear now. He looked behind him; Lightning was still doodling as if nothing had happened.
He huffed silently then stretched his arms. Lightning only proceeded with inking her drawing. He frowned again and stretched even more, purposely leaning back until his head was on Lightning's desk. The instant the back of his head touched the spot Lightning was inking, she wrote on his forehead, making Noctis jump and sit upright again. The teacher looked at him oddly.
Noctis only grinned sheepishly and shrugged. The teacher then turned back to the board.
After class, Noctis made his way to the boys' bathroom to look at the scribble on his forehead. He stared at himself in the mirror as he realized the words "Horny Bastard" was written on his forehead, upside down.
He sighed and washed the writing off.
Once he was sure his forehead was clear, he headed off down the hall. The girl he had exchanged notes with was up against some of the lockers, waiting for him.
Noctis smirked and moved over to her seductively. "Hey there. You waiting for someone?" "Actually, yes. He's hot, sexy, and about this tall." She stood on her toes and placed her hand over Noctis' head. He chuckled. "Well then… Maybe I can keep you company—"
He felt something bump into him.
When Noctis looked over his shoulder, Lightning stood there, rubbing her forehead. She obviously did not notice him standing there. She glared when she looked up at him. "Out of my way."
"Hey there Farron. Nice to see you too." Noctis grinned.
The strawberry-blonde rolled her eyes. "I won't say it again. Out of my way." "And what if I don't?"
Before he knew it, Lightning's fist made contact with his jaw, making him fall to the floor.
He stared up at her in disbelief while the girl he was flirting with fussed over him and cursed at Lightning as the said person walked off.
Noctis was silent for a few moments, oblivious to the random girl's attention. Suddenly, he grinned like a child who had just received a gift and got to his feet, ignoring the girl completely and running off to where Lightning had gone.


He found her outside on the schoolyard with her gang.
As usual, Lightning was in the center of the little circle they were all sitting in. In her mind, Lightning was never the leader; she merely believes she was just looking out for the others, however the gang saw it different, claiming her as Alpha of the gang.
XIII, an interesting name for a gang, Noctis thought to himself.
He cleared his throat and approached them but stopped some several feet away.


Fang chuckled and elbowed Lightning slightly.
"Hey Lightning, check it out. That Caelum kid's looking at ya!" "Fuck off Fang." Lightning grumbled, eating her lunch.
Fang snickered and returned her attention to her curry lunch.
Serah glanced at Noctis and tried not to laugh at the strange expression on his face. "He's looking like some sort of puppy at the moment, Sis." Lightning rolled her eyes. "So what?"
"He's…staring at you like…a puppy." Snow said. "Yeah, thanks genius." The older strawberry-blonde grumbled.
Vanille giggled. "Wanna call him over?"
"Fuck no!"
"Oh c'mon Light. It can't be that bad." Snow said. Lightning glared at her sister's boyfriend. "Shut up, Snow!" "Sorry…" The large boy sulked and continued eating his lunch.
Lightning huffed and glanced in Noctis' direction. She looked away then gave him the finger. The gang nearly choked from snickering.
Noctis enjoyed watching her expressions for some reason.
The way Lightning looked annoyed, angry, upset, or embarrassed. He then noticed her glancing at them before looking away and showing him her middle finger.
Noctis was taken aback. Usually, his ego would not be able to take such rejection, and yet that certain action of hers merely intrigued him more.
He decided that he wanted to get to know XIII's Alpha female.



The next few days were a drag for Lightning. Almost every day, Noctis would park his car beside her motorcycle and try to flirt.
During classes, he tried getting her attention, even resorting to childish ways such as dropping his pen and waiting for her to get it for him.
Down the hallway, he would lean up against her locker and would not move until she punched him in the face or simply move him to the side like a drawer that was in the way.
During lunch break when Lightning and the gang would leave the building to eat outside, Noctis would follow behind them while keeping a very long—but decent—distance away from them.
The gang constantly cracked jokes about the current situation.
"Hey Light, he's following us again." Fang snickered. Lightning huffed. "You don't say…" "Are we really just gonna ignore him?" Snow asked, earning a glare. "Yes we are just going to ignore him!" Lightning growled, clearly annoyed with how Noctis would not leave her alone for at least an hour or two, or ever.
"Why is he following you all the time anyway?" Serah asked finally, glancing at Noctis and his strange grinning-puppy-like expression. Lightning rolled her eyes. "How the hell am I supposed to know? He just won't go the fuck away!" She looked over her shoulder as she and the gang kept walking. And sure enough, Caelum was still following like a lost dog.
"Well I think he likes you." Vanille commented with a chuckle.
Lightning turned to glare at the younger girl before walking ahead again.


Throughout the whole day, Noctis kept tailing Lightning or tried getting her attention. The sound of the dismissal bell was like a godsend for Lightning as she packed up and left the classroom.
Noctis pouted when she managed to leave while he was still packing up his backpack.
He quickly packed up, swung his bag onto his back and ran after Lightning.
He arrived just in time to see her leave on her bike, driving home. He knew that her sister always rode with her boyfriend or the perky redhead, which was why Lightning drove back home by herself first.
He grinned as he got into his car and started the engine.
It was time to show her what he was capable of.



After parking her car in the garage and entering the house, Lightning collapsed on the couch. She sighed in relief when the peach and quiet finally came to her.
She groaned and laid herself down more comfortably, placing her feet on the armrest of the couch; a nice nap would probably help her relax.
Someone knocked on her door and Lightning growled in annoyance.
Who was knocking? She knew Serah got a ride with Vanille and was staying at her place for the whole day until evening.
Whoever was at the door was going to get hell for disturbing her rest.
The moment she opened the door, Lightning was sure she must have gone limp like a corpse.
Nocis Lucis Caelum stood outside, grinning charmingly at her. "Hi." "What the fuck are you doing here? How did you…know where I live?" Lightning yelled in disbelief.
Noctis shrugged. "I guess the magnetic pull I felt led me here."
"Cut the crap Caelum! Will you just go the hell away! You've been stalking me all day, so why don't you just find some club where you can get infected by AIDS and leave me in peace?" Lightning glowered.
Noctis pouted. "Can I at least talk to you?"
"And why should I talk to you?"
"Because I just want to talk for a bit. Please?"
Lightning scanned Noctis with her eyes, her eyes telling him she did not like him here at her house at all, nor did she want to waste her time talking to him.
"Just go find some slut. I'm sure they won't mind letting you in." Noctis placed his foot at the door before Lightning could close it on him. "Wait, please. Just for a bit. I promise I just want to talk."
"And I don't want to waste my time on you, you horny bastard! Now get lost!" Lightning slammed the door in his face, leaving Noctis to stare at it silently.
It looks like getting to know XIII's Alpha would be a lot harder than he thought. Then again, the thought was encouraging; it only meant that Lightning Farron was a girl with a mind of her own, unlike the usual attention-seeking whores.
Did this mean that he had found the real deal this time?



Lightning groaned as she ate up the leftover pizza in the fridge; what was Caelum's motive? What was he planning to gain by annoying her constantly?
Lightning decided she liked it better when he was busy with himself; he had been just a little less annoying that way because that meant he always left her alone.
Why did he show up at her doorstep?
She groaned again and threw the empty pizza box into the garbage bin and headed upstairs to her room. She thanked Etro that she and the gang had done their homework during lunch break; now the only thing to do was rest up.
There was a tapping on her window, disturbing Lightning.
She growled and sat up on her bed. Her eyes widened when she found Noctis perched on a tree branch that was just beside her window. She smacked her face with her palm then ran her hand down her face in annoyance.
Lightning marched to her window and opened it, glaring at the nuisance. "What!"
"Can I come in for a bit?"
"No you can't come in here! I told you to get lost!"
"Please? Just for a little while…"
Lightning felt like shoving him out of her window and letting him crash onto the ground below. "No means no! I know that guys like you can't get it, but this is going too far!" "So can I come in?" Noctis asked again with a cheeky grin on his face. "I swear Caelum! If I hear one more peep out of you, I will shove you off that tree branch!"
Noctis smirked. "In that case…" Suddenly, he sprung from the branch and crashed into Lightning, making both of them stumble into her room.
"No! No, no, no!" Lightning yelled as Noctis landed against her and as they stumbled around before Lightning crashed onto the floor with Noctis above her.
He was grinning playfully at her, she glared back. "Get the hell off me you asshole!" She drew her knees closer to her body then kicked the offending person off her.
Noctis groaned as his head hit the floor.
"You could have been a bit more gentle than that…" He moaned in complaint. Lightning stomped her foot in between his legs, nearly damaging his prized anatomy. As Noctis looked up at her, he could see that she was obviously not happy at all.
"Get the fuck out of my room!"  She cracked her knuckles threateningly. Noctis frowned and stood up, dusting himself off. "Look, I know you're pissed, but I just wanted to talk to you for a bit. I'm not leaving until we have a talk."
Lightning scoffed. "Not a chance."
"Please. I promise I won't try anything funny. Cross my heart."
Lightning narrowed her eyes at Noctis and regarded his body language until she finally looked at him right in the eyes. His eyes seemed honest enough; she didn't feel any intent or tricks behind them so far.
She sighed and sat down on her bed. Noctis remained standing.  "Well?" She crossed her arms impatiently.
"… I just wanted to apologize. You know…for acting like I did earlier today. To be honest, I followed you around because…I wanted to get to know you more." Noctis blushed heavily as he admitted this.
Lightning was not convinced. "Right. I'm sure you say that to all the sluts you banged back in your town and after you moved here."
Noctis groaned and rubbed his temples; this girl was going to be hard to convince that he was telling the truth. Then again, he supposed he deserved it. After all, he did do all those things she mentioned. "Yeah, you're right. I deserved that."
Lightning raised an eyebrow.
Noctis started pacing around her room, thinking deeply, trying to figure out how to put the words together.
"I uh…wasn't always like this." Noctis stopped pacing and started staring off into space. "I used to be like everybody else; a regular kid. The only difference was my father was an important CEO of his company, but that never mattered to me."
Lightning blinked, slightly surprised but said nothing.
"My mom and I were close. She was always there for me while my dad never was; she was my best friend, confidant, everything. Until one day… She got so sick, I wanted to stay with her at the hospital and look after her but she told me not to waste my own life away just sitting there by her bedside. She finally died one day, my dad didn't give a fuck and my world just came crashing down.
"I started…changing, as my old friends told me. I started hating everyone, everything.
Then one day a girl from my class invited me to a party. She was kinda cute and I had nothing better to do so I went.
The both of us got so drunk, and I was having fun forgetting my pain and troubles… It finally went too far when both of us got wasted and…well…I lost my first time that way."
Lightning sighed, her neutral expression never changing.
"… I liked it; how the sex felt. It made me feel powerful, like I am finally in control of everything. I got so wrapped up in my new 'skills' of seducing and fucking a woman's brains out that my closest friends left me. They said I was no longer the Noct they knew since we were kids…
It hurt actually, but I thought I had my pride so I decided I didn't need them. But I missed them a lot. It all grew worse when the scandals about my dad started and I had to move here to Bodhum. I would never see my friends again, not that they would ever want me around again anyway…"
Noctis started pacing again. "Well as you can see, I clearly tried not to let it get to me; I immediately went sex-hunting the second I stepped into your classroom. There were so many new targets I could choose from, more hearts to break and control. Then there was you."
Lightning lifted her head to look at him. She seemed surprised, but it was hard to tell when she managed to keep her cool expression on.
"Like I expected, everyone wanted me the instant they saw me. But you…you ignored me completely! You just sat there at her desk, sleeping. It surprised me, actually. I became so used to be wanted by every single person—females especially—in the world. When I got the chance to actually interact with you, you flat out hated me as if I were some plague."
Lightning snorted; that was exactly what she thought of him. She mentally gave him credit for at least noticing that.
"Well…to be honest, another reason why I enjoyed sleeping around so much was because I wanted have some sense of…being wanted, even if it was all fake. I knew from the start that it people thought 'sleep with him and you become popular'. Still, it felt good giving in…
But when I saw you and your friends together…you always had this serious look on your face like you were always annoyed or upset, but I could tell you have a better life than I do." Noctis sighed.
"Sometimes I wanted to walk up to you and ask what it felt like to have friends and family, both of something that I lost because I was an asshole. But what come out of my mouth instead are innuendos and invitations to 'get busy'. You were the first person to reject me…and it made me feel…happy, I guess."
Noctis finally looked at Lightning and saw her completely blank face.
He groaned at himself. "I'm sorry, I must sound pathetic. I shouldn't have ranted like a little bitch." The two of them remained silent for a while.
"Hey."
Noctis turned around when Lightning spoke. She scooted over a bit then pats the space beside her on the bed. Noctis was genuinely surprised and moved slowly, not sure if she really wanted him to sit beside her.
Lightning did not budge as he came closer until finally he sat down on her bed, beside her. He blushed slightly at how close he was to her; normally he would be on any girl he was next to, but this was Lightning Farron. She was a unique one, a real and rough-around-the-edges diamond among all the fakes.
He shook his head at the corny thought.
"I wasn't any better than you were." Lightning said suddenly, surprising Noctis. He looked at her, her expression was still as serious as always.
"Serah and I were little kids when our parents passed away. I took it upon myself to look after Serah, after all, she was just a kid but I was old enough to look after myself. It was tough; getting a job that would suit a twelve-year-old who was taking care of her nine-year-old sister. But we managed somehow." She shrugged.
Noctis stared at her admiringly. "You're a lot stronger than I am… I gave in to sin and temptation so easily, unlike you. You actually did something about it."
"I'm not strong. I just did what I had to do." Lightning said seriously. Noctis remained silent for a moment.
He scooted a little closer to Lightning and leaned his head closer to her shoulder a bit. He hesitated at first but Lightning did not move or look at him.
Finally, he leaned his head on her shoulder gently, seeking comfort in this cold Alpha's presence. "Go ahead, let it out. No one else is around." Lightning said quietly.
Noctis grit his teeth and buried his face against her shoulder.
Lightning did not move or shove him away, nor did she say anything. She could feel a warm wetness soaking through her shirt.
She glanced at Noctis and was slightly surprised at his teary face. She did not expect him to actually cry, but perhaps she underestimated how bad he felt throughout his life. Lightning remained still as he silently shed tears. Once in a while, she could hear him muttering "Mom" against her shoulder as he started shaking. It stung the strawberry-blonde; she knew the pain of losing family. So did Serah.
After a while, he stopped shaking. Lightning looked at him again and noticed he was out like a light. She sighed and held still for a while longer.



Noctis groaned and rubbed his head tiredly.
Something felt off; when did he go to sleep? When he looked around, he was not in his room but in someone else's. Realization gripped him and he jumped out of the bed; Lightning was not in the room anymore.
"Smooth move Caelum…" Noctis scolded himself.
She probably thought he was some pathetic pussy now. But she still did not turn him away; him still being inside her house, and in her room was proof of that.
He left the room and headed downstairs.
Sure enough, Lightning was in the living room, sitting on the couch, watching television. Noctis blushed as he tried to make up an excuse for his behavior.
"Don't try smooth-talking your way out of this." Lightning said without even looking at him. "I did say to let it out, didn't I? No use making up an excuse; it doesn't bother me."
"… Why didn't you kick me out? I expected to be out on the sidewalk when I woke up." Noctis said truthfully.
"Would you have liked it if I did throw out on the sidewalk?" She said back. Noctis shook his head.
"Sorry…I got a little carried away there. Didn't mean to…fall asleep." He said sheepishly. Lightning glanced at him. "Don't sweat it."
"Thanks, Lightning."
"Huh?"
"For listening to me. I mean really listening."
"… Sure."
Noctis smiled thankfully and headed for the front door. "I guess…I should get going before it gets dark." Lightning got up and followed him to the door and held it open for him. Noctis hesitantly took a step forward but paused and looked at Lightning.
"Thanks again. I'll see you tomorrow, I guess." He mumbled. Lightning nodded once. "… If you want, you're allowed to join us during lunch." She said.
Noctis' eyes widened at the offer. Lightning sighed. "We got off on the wrong foot, and since you seem honest enough, I'll allow you to have lunch with the gang and I. That's it. Don't expect me to be happy having you around; I'm just trying to clear my conscience from seeing a bad boy cry like a baby."
Noctis stared at her with surprise. Suddenly, he smiled and nodded eagerly. "Understood. I'll take you up on that offer. Thank you."
"Stop saying thank you; it's beginning to annoy me." Lightning grunted.
Chuckling, Noctis took her right hand in his and held it. "I'll see you tomorrow, Lightning." Gently, he pressed his lips against the back of her hand and smiled gratefully before returning her hand to her and leaving the house.
Lightning watched as he walked off then stared at the hand he kissed. She groaned. "… Right."


Noctis had a skip in his step as he headed home. He did not care if his father gave him well once he was back in the mansion; the old man never had time to ever scold him anyway.
He grinned and touched his lips, remembering how soft that rough and powerful hand was. Not caring if anyone saw him acting like a maniac, Noctis jumped into the air excitedly. "Whoohoo!"
He was really looking forward to the meeting tomorrow at school.