#stunning residential developments

[germanpostwarmodern]

Many architects during their career develop a particular language, a trademark clients and the public can rely on. Others, like Swiss architect Heinrich Graf (1930-2010), intentionally avoid it but still leave a remarkable oeuvre. Graf, based and primarily active in St. Gallen, for each building task sought an appropriate answer, an approach that is strikingly apparent in the four buildings he realized in the old town of St. Gallen: in a contemporary form Graf reacted to the historic surroundings, the architectural context and made his buildings blend right. On the other hand hand he also designed bold buildings that confidently dominated their surroundings: residential towers like the Achslen and the Grossacker shopping center, both located in St. Gallen, are large scale projects that Graf equipped with twists and a playfulness rarely seen in these typologies.

Heinrich Graf’s creativity in general didn’t stop at the surface of a building but naturally also included interiors, shop fittings and furniture, all of them idiosyncratic designs that demonstrate Graf’s ability to create spectacular and atmospheric spaces. This talent was also recognized by a number of clients who had Heinrich Graf design and build their private residences and vacation homes, the most prominent of these clients being the Austrian actor O.W. Fischer who commissioned Graf to design a spectacular residence in Vernate, Switzerland.

All of these projects and actually the entirety of Graf’s oeuvre are covered in Katrin Eberhard’s excellent monograph „Heinrich Graf 1930-2010: Bauten Projekte Interieurs“, published by Scheidegger & Spiess in 2011: profusely illustrated with photographs and plans, the book offers a stunning overview of the architect’s work and at the same time throws the reader back into a very different past. Especially in the 1960s and 1970s Graf tailored to the optimistic Zeitgeist and provided playful solutions for the building tasks of his time and the book formidably documents them. Warmly recommended!

[spicerackofblorbos]

Chapter 3: January

☾ Pairings ➼ Levi Ackerman x fem!mute!Reader (she/her pronouns), set in a modern semi-fictional world

☾ Summary ➼ Due to childhood trauma, you find yourself an adult without the ability to speak. After years of working on it, you have found ways to live without a voice. Now here in your late 20s, you are 5 months in getting used to a new town. On a fateful day in late November, you and your adopted sister visit a local bookstore-café, unaware of the friendships about to blossom. Throughout the months, one friendship in particular develops into something more.

☾ Content/Warnings ➼ fluff, slowburn, oblivious feelings, angst, mention of minor character deaths, trauma, illness, adoption, mentions of fire, disabilities, alcohol use, very light nsfw mentions, references to child abuse (to be continued as writing is ongoing)

☾ Author's note ➼ Hey guys! I'm so proud of myself for getting this out before the end of January hehe. I hope you enjoy!

☾ Word Count ➼ ~7.5k

January, you thought, had to be one of the most depressing months out of the twelve. It’s cold, dreary, and full of post-holiday blues. The gloom that came with those blues was only intensified by the immediate and prominent holiday of “Remembrance Day”, a cultural holiday created to celebrate and mourn those who have long passed.  

‘I don’t know why we can’t just stay home and celebrate privately like we usually do. It might be crowded.’ You sign outwardly to your sister as she drives, making sure to go slow so she can see through intermittent glances. You stare out ahead as the snowy landscape zooms past. The late afternoon sun glints off the fresh snow, blinding you as the light refracts off the crystals.  

When you were younger, this annual holiday was something you used to ignore. Even at a young age, you were aware of the situation you were forced into. You lost everything and then were thrust right into the foster care system, tossed in with families who didn’t want you. You had to do it all alone and because of that, you never learned how to grieve properly. It wasn’t until Hange’s family, your family, took you in that you were taught how to deal with your past and the residual effects that came with it.  

Hange tuts at you as they turn a sharp corner.  

“Hey, you’re the one who said you’d be okay with it this year. And besides, maybe this town is full of early morning mourners. The temple could be all ours.” They speculate aloud, wiggling their eyebrows at you. It just prompts a signature eyeroll, and you stare back out the window. The residential homes turn into office buildings as the two of you make it closer to the designated temple in town. It’s not much longer until they turn down a gravel road, pebbles and snow crunching under the heavy wheels. 

Busy is an understatement. Due to the small nature of the town, only one temple exists, and it sits in the middle of the local cemetery.  When your sister pulls into a dirt parking lot, you notice the multitude of cars already vacant of people who are milling around the grounds. A bubble of anxiety threatens to rise in you, but you swallow it down. You and Hange step out of the car and are met with a brisk wind; It makes all the air in your lungs escape from shock. When you take deep breaths to calm your heart down, puffs of hot steam billow out from your mouth. Hange locks the car behind them and turns to you with their hand out.  

“Well, c’mon, my little berry. Those votives aren’t going to light themselves.”  

You take her hand without hesitation and you both set forth up the hill. You are at a loss for words because of how stunning your surroundings are. Leafless trees remain stoic and strong under a layer of snow. They pepper around the ample lot, giving off shadows of tree branches everywhere. Up a dirt path rests a sizable temple with a dark blue exterior and a wrapping porch around the building that offer various access points to the inside. On the edges of the dirt path lie smaller stone paths leading to rows and columns of personal gravesites for the residents of Jinae. The winter sun beams down between fluffy clouds, warming up the air as the day goes on. It was melancholic in a way that fit the day of Remembrance perfectly.   

Fortunately for you, most of the crowd was at their family stones, so the trek up to the temple took little to no time at all. This is where the designated altar is set for those who wish to pay their respects but had no tombstone to do so at. It’s the first time since your teen years that you've prayed outside of your home. When the Zoë’s took you in, they explained many of the traditions to you that you were in the dark about due to your lackluster upbringing. Remembrance Day was one of those and on paper it sounded great, until they took you out to the temple the following January and you had flipped out from the candles. You were a little better about it nowadays, but you requested shrines at home with electronic votives from then on.   

After stepping through the open doorway, you note only a handful of people lingering at the altar, lighting green candles and bowing their heads in prayer. You avert your gaze quickly from the bright flames, looking anywhere else. It was relatively quiet, bar for a few whispers here and there. You and Hange step in line behind an older couple, who are now turning towards you to leave. Tears streak down their faces as they head in the direction of the doors behind you. You bow to them in respect, as they do to you in return. The two of you step up onto the ledge and Hange takes the match sticks from the table. She gingerly holds out a stick for you to take as she regards you carefully. 

“Did you want to try it this year?” They grab your hand with theirs, looking into your eyes closely. 

You take a deep breath and raise your hand as if to take it, but it falters. Something sears in the back of your mind. Letting your hand flop to the side, you shake your head and sigh heavily. She just gives you a soft smile and squeezes your hand in reassurance. 

“That’s okay, Love. I’ll take care of it for you. Just close your eyes and think of them.”  

So, you do and reminisce about your lost family. There were so many memories you were still unable to recover from all those years ago. So, you opt to think of your parents' soft smiles and gentle hugs. Of an older brother that you think had a mischievous grin. You focus on the overall warmth you associated with them, feeling that warmth curl into your toes. You hear your sister strike the match and then she blows it out just as quickly. You were never saddened by these thoughts, even in your younger years. Hange often wondered if this was due to a detachment of your own making. You open your eyes after a moment and flinch back from the sight of the votive right in front you, flames flickering. 

“Let’s get going.” Hange hadn’t let go of your hand this whole time and she uses that to pull you away quickly out of the side door. Even though it’s cold, you feel miles better outside and you let loose a breath as if you had held it in the whole time. You wonder when you’ll be able to withstand being so close to fire again; you think maybe you never will. A sudden flash of black hair whipping around the corner of the temple catches your eye and you whip your head around to stare at the now empty space.  

“Is something wrong?” Hange squeezes your hand again, and you turn back to look at them to shake your head ‘no’. Some part of you hope it was him. You haven’t seen Levi since the whole debacle at the gala last month. He never made any attempt to reach out to you. Truthfully, you didn’t expect that from him anyways, but it irritated you to no end at the time. Your sister had pushed you to go to the café at least once to just say ‘hi’ because they could see how much it bothered you, however you refused to budge.   

“Then let’s go sight-seeing. I want to see how the people of Jinae celebrate their loved ones before heading out.” The two of you head back down the hill, the cold wind biting at your nose. At some point, Hange turns down a nearly empty path. The stones ahead were covered with a wide assortment of flowers in various colors. People had also put offerings of their loved one's favorite foods out at the base of the stones. It makes you smile at how loved these people are even past their time.  

Hange leads you around for half an hour, taking in the sights of the different offerings and gifts laid about. She points and grins as she mumbles things to you, but you’re not really paying her ramblings any mind. You find that nodding in response was enough to get them to turn back around and jaunt off somewhere else. Another fifteen minutes later, and their rumbling stomach is so loud you can’t help but laugh. You now realize why she’s staring so heavily at a plate of cold dumplings left on a headstone. You reach for her shirt and tug on it to get her attention. 

“What’s up?” They twirl around on you with worry. 

‘Want to go get some dinner?’  

“We probably should, shouldn’t we. Sorry, I’ve just been so engrossed in all of these displays!” She points to one right next to you. It’s littered with quite a few child’s drawings taped to the stone. A plate of cookies sat at the base of it with a steaming cup of coffee right next to it. The family must have just been here. When you look back up to meet Hange’s gaze, she’s staring at something behind you with an amused expression.  

You turn to see what she’s gawking at, and you spot a familiar raven-haired man. He’s standing next to a not-so-familiar messy blonde-haired man around the same age that is currently kneeling on the ground as he places a plate of something on the stone in front of him. The one standing darts his eyes in your direction and there’s no mistaking it; It’s Levi. Panicking, you whirl your head back around to face Hange and she’s smirking. You attempt to step forward to pass your sister, but she just grips your arm firmly and starts tugging you in Levi’s direction.  

Oh no, oh no, oh no. 

You try your best to wiggle out of the grip but it’s of no use, she’s latched on to you. After a few more futile attempts, you give up with a huge huff. You don’t even turn around, you just let them drag you along.  

“Levi, what a pleasant surprise!” Hange yells out to him as they close the distance, you still in tow. 

When they stop abruptly, you almost bump into them. You avert your gaze as far away as possible and turn around slowly. A family of four passes by in silence on the path next to you, a little girl with pigtails flings around a stuffed rabbit as she trots along.  

“Tch, I don’t see how this is a surprise, Four-Eyes. The whole town is practically here.” You hear Levi’s gruff voice respond back. It makes your stomach flutter with anxiety, but you’re not sure if it’s a good or bad kind of anxiety. There’s a ringing silence that follows after, but you can’t be brought to look up. That is, until someone clears their throat. 

“Uh, hi! I’m Furlan, Levi’s friend! It’s nice to meet you...?” He trails off. The voice is boyish and playful, and very different from the man next to him. You glance up to the source and the dirty-blonde haired man is looking between your sister and you with gray eyes. Not as deep and metallic as Levi’s though, they were much softer and lighter.  

“Hi! I’m Hange Zoë, and this is my sister!” She lets go of you to throw her arms around you as she squishes your face with hers. You feel warmth creep through your whole body from embarrassment and it makes you want to run away. “She’s hearing but she’s mute and speaks through sign language mainly. I’ll translate for you for the sake of brevity, though. Unless you already know it?” Your sister releases you to meet Furlan’s outstretched hand with hers and shakes it vigorously. The man laughs, and it’s a light airy sound.  

“I don't unfortunately. But it’s nice to meet you both!” He waves to you with a wide grin, and you give a small wave back. Furlan continues, “I see you know Levi.” You chance a look at Levi and he’s staring straight at you. Your eyes shoot back to his friend.  

“Well, ‘know’ is an understatement. He’s not very forthcoming about his life unlike his roommate. Uh, Erwin and I became close after a very unfortunate relationship mishap.” Your sister chuckles at her dark joke.  

“Ah! I thought I recognized your name! Erwin mentions you in passing a lot. And, well, that’s Levi for you. I had a hard time getting to know him when we first met.”  

“You idiots know I’m here, right? And that’s because you were trying to beat me up, asshole.” Levi’s terse tone cuts in, shooting daggers at his friend. Furlan just laughs again, loudly, and raises his hands in defense. Hange nudges you gently with her elbow and you glare at her, but the look in her eyes makes you nervous.  

Winking at you, she grabs her phone and yells, “Oh jeez, hold on a second. Someone from the lab is calling, it must be about last night's reports.” and starts to walk away. You hold on to her hand for dear life with your mouth wide open in protest, but she pulls away with a flourish. “I’ll just be a moment!” And then she’s gone.  

You stare down at your empty hand and then back up to the two men in front of you, pressing your lips into a thin line as you clench your jaw. ‘Fuck.’ you think to yourself. Tapping your foot impatiently, you also fold your arms across your chest. You keep your gaze averted from them, but you still feel Levi’s stare aimed directly at you. Finally, Furlan clears his throat again.  

“Did you two kill each other’s cats or something? Jeez.” Levi clicks his tongue at the same time as you roll your eyes.  

“Sure, if that’s what you want to think.” Levi retorts dryly. A heavy huff escapes your mouth as you fiddle with your jacket sleeve, foot tapping even faster. Another silence. Furlan examines your face closely and looks back at Levi in thought. If you were looking at him, you would have noticed a lightbulb go off in his head. 

“Wait wait wait! Is this the girl you were talking about a while back?” That makes your eyes fly to Furlan’s and you can’t keep the shock from filling your face. He talked about me?  

Without even waiting for an answer, he states, “So I heard you like colors.” You feel a blush start to seep up into your cheeks and you look away again, shrugging. Levi kicks Furlan in the shins and he doesn’t even react in pain.  

 “Wow, it’s super nice to meet you then. This guy would not stop talking about you aft-” Levi kicks Furlan in his other shin and it must have hurt this time because he winces.  

“Furlan, shut up.” Levi scolds. 

“Is that an order?” Furlan smirks as he leans down to rub the now sore spot. 

You’re not even listening to their bickering; your mind was going a million miles a minute. Levi had talked about you to other people. Were they good or bad things? And why did he have to mention your issues with picking a favorite color? You chide yourself for being willingly open about such silly things with Levi after just meeting him. You reach for your phone so you can say something but then are cut off by Hange coming up from behind you noisily. 

“Sorry about that! What are we talking about?” Hange rests her chin on your shoulder and stares at the two friends.  

“It’s nothing, we were just about to go.” Levi replies coolly as he starts to turn away to leave. He must still be mad at you, you think. Irritation itches at your skull again, but something in your heart aches. 

“Wait! ‘We’? Where’s Erwin? It’s weird to see you without him, Levi.”   

“Oh, he’s currently back at their apartment cooking dinner for us. He came out to show his respects early this morning.” Furlan cuts in before Levi can say anything. 

“Sounds great, we’re in.” You stare at your sister in horror before shoving your hands in their face. 

‘No, we’re not!’   

“Oh uh, I don’t know if Erwin...” Furlan trails off as Hange just chuckles and waves her hand dismissively. Then she pulls out her phone to check something before shoving it right back into her coat pocket.  

“Erwin doesn’t mind, he said so.”  

‘We are not going!’ You’re practically flinging your hands at her face, but she just gives you her puppy-dog stare. 

“But I’m so hungry! And he’s fine with it. Plus, a homecooked meal! It’s so much better than fast food!” Hange whines. 

‘I know what you’re doing, and it’s not going to work.’ Her face pouts even more, which you didn’t think was even possible. ‘You’re the worst. Fine!’ You stick your tongue out at her as you stomp your foot for good measure and her whole face lights up in response. 

“Well, I’m not fine with it.” Levi shoots back, eyes narrowed at the two of you.  

“Oh, c’mon Levi. Miche’s already going and Erwin said it’s fine. The more the merrier.” Furlan grabs Levi’s arm to keep him from leaving. Your sister whips her head to stare at Furlan in surprise. 

“Miche’s going?! What the hell, and Erwin didn’t even invite me!?” She yells. 

“Tch, fine, do whatever you want. I don’t care. Furlan, we have one more stop, let’s go.” Levi stomps off in the opposite direction, leaving the atmosphere 10 degrees colder.   

“We’ll meet you there. We have one more grave to look at but then we’ll be on our way.” Furlan nods to the two of you and gives you a warm smile before darting off after Levi. You exhale a big breath and round on Hange, not even sure what to say. There’s a mischievous glimmer to her eye and you regret leaving the house at all.  

When Levi and Furlan are out of earshot, Furlan knocks his shoulders in Levi’s and smirks.  

“Isabel would have liked her, don’t you think?”  

Levi says nothing back, but he can’t help but agree. It’s been 10 years, but his chest still tightens at the thought of Isabel. He pulls out the bag that had sat tucked into his jacket pocket, holding the slice of vanilla cake he made for his fallen friend. 

.

Erwin and Levi’s apartment is immaculate. Years of cleaning after Hange had given you the confidence to say you were a tidy person. But after seeing their apartment, you felt like an amateur at best. Even the air felt fresh, albeit it was filled with the smells of cooking dishes. Light tones filled the whole room, broken by the occasional pop of color. There was plenty of white as well, so you know Levi had a lot to say when it came to decorating the place.  

“Wow Erwin, your place is so clean!” Hange mutters as she pads around the whole living room. Erwin and his friend Miche were both in the kitchen working over separate pots. Miche was a very strange man, much stranger than Levi for sure. The second you stepped into the apartment, he took a huge whiff of you and grunted. Hange and Erwin chuckled and reassured you that it was normal, but you were still freaked out. If Miche had a problem with your smell, he didn’t say so. 

“You can thank Levi for that, mostly. He likes to clean.” Erwin calls out. You knew that of course, thinking back to that fateful night at the bar.  

You decided to make yourself at home, curling up at the end of their 3-person couch. Pinks and oranges begin to filter into the room as the sun starts to set. You stare out of their balcony door that overlooks part of the downtown area. They were so close to their café, and you wonder if they had chosen the café location just because of that. 

“I can’t believe you didn’t invite me tonight, Erwin!” Hange whines as she leans over the island to see what Erwin was working on. He swats at her to back up and she does so with her glasses fogged up from the steam. 

“I already told you. I invited you a couple weeks ago, but it seems to me you weren’t listening to me then. I think you were going off about some lab report that frustrated you.”  

“Oh yeah. Okay that’s totally fair and on me. You should have reminded me at least!”  

Miche comes over to you with a small plate of some raw vegetables for you to snack on. You take it while smiling at him gratefully, and he just nods before heading back into the kitchen. He had already known you weren’t verbal before you walked in the door, you guess Erwin had told him. Apparently Miche and Erwin were friends for a long time before Levi came into the picture. Just by watching them in the kitchen, you can tell that they worked very well together without having to say a word. 

After gingerly placing your empty plate down on the coffee table in front of you, you stand, stretching your limbs with a big yawn. If you sat for any longer on that soft sofa, you figured you might fall asleep. So, you shuffle your way towards the kitchen, making sure to pick up your plate as you do. Miche takes it from you without saying a word and you wonder if he had a hard time speaking growing up or if it was a conscious decision not to say much. Regardless, you sign a quick thanks then turn to Erwin, who was in the process of mincing some sort of herb.  

‘Where is your bathroom?’  

“Down the hall, it’s the door at the very end.” He slaps Hange’s hand as she’s reaching for a dinner roll over the counter. You smack her in the head on your way past and she just blows a raspberry at you.  

You take your time going down the hallway because your eyes are distracted by various photographs framed on the walls. There weren’t any family photos of either of the two, but plenty of random friends throughout the years. There were a couple of Erwin when he was younger, maybe in grade school, with a few friends hanging around him. You think you spot a young Miche with him in one of the photos.

That must mean they’ve been good friends for more than 15 or so years. There’s another picture frame of Erwin and Levi in graduation gowns holding up diplomas, college you think. Erwin has a huge grin showing off his pearly whites and his arm is propped up, leaning on a short-statured Levi. Levi’s not even looking at the camera, electing to look off to the side with a scowl stuck to his face. That checks out, you think to yourself.  

You look closely at the one at the very end of the hallway and you notice it’s another photo of Levi. It’s a picture of him and two other people, Furlan being one of them. They’re all pretty young looking in this, but the girl in the middle who had her arms wrapped around the other two looked even younger. She has the brightest, widest green eyes you’ve ever seen. Her red hair is choppy and pulled into low pigtails and a large grin plasters her face. Furlan’s to her left, and he’s looking over to the other two contentedly. Levi is on her right and he’s looking away like he always does, but an actual small smile seemed to pull at the corners of his lips. You also note that this was before whatever accident fell upon him as his scars were missing. They look very happy.  

“That’s our friend, Isabel.” Someone mutters softly next to you. You squeak as you jump back, punching into the space where the voice came from. Something catches your fist before it makes an impact. Turning, you see it’s Furlan, holding up your fist in his hand. Panicking, you pull your arm back out of his grip and step back. He stifles a laugh. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I just needed to use the bathroom but saw you standing here staring at the wall.” Furlan rubs the back of his neck and glances up at the picture, a wistful smile appearing on his face. Wording a voiceless apology with your lips, you back up into the wall so he can scoot past you to the bathroom. He thanks you before slipping into the room and clicking the door behind him. You take a deep breath and head back to the kitchen, your trip to the bathroom forgotten.  

When you emerge from the hallway, the sounds of clinking glasses and heavy plates can be heard from the dining room. Not really sure where to sit, you go to stand by the table as Erwin and Hange set it. Miche comes over to place a bowl of the dinner rolls that your sister was eyeballing earlier, and he points to one of the chairs against the wall for you. Again, he seemingly knew what you were thinking. At this point, you’re convinced that he knows how to read minds.   

You plop yourself down as your sister does the same next to you. She starts pouring wine into the glasses around the table, save for your own; she hands you a soda can and you bump her shoulder with a smile. Furlan comes back from the bathroom just as Erwin and Miche take their seats. Steaming plates of delicious foods consisting of a spiced chicken dish, baked asparagus, smashed potatoes, and sweet carrots lay around just waiting to be served.  

‘You really know how to serve a feast.’ You sign to Erwin with a wide smile. 

“Well, it’s not all just me. Miche makes a great sous chef.” He jokes. 

“Hey, where’d the grump run off to?” Hange inquires as they take a sip of their white wine. 

“The grump is right here, tch.” a voice cuts in.  

Glancing up, you see Levi drying his head with a towel as he makes his way to the table, water droplets falling from his hair down onto the gray long sleeve he had on. After folding the wet towel and placing it on a table behind the couch, he pulls the chair out across from you and sits down with a small huff. You both lock eyes for a second before looking away.  

“What are we waiting for? I’m dying over here!” Hange starts plating up without waiting for a response. She starts to help you too, but you just grab the serving utensils from her hands and huff at her. She playfully slaps your arm but starts digging in. Erwin had thrown on some background music before sitting down, so soft jazz reverberated off the walls mixing in with the bustle of plates being filled.  

“So, Hange, what do you do?” Furlan pipes up after a few minutes, tearing a roll up with his fingers.  

“I work at Titan Labs, head researcher and what not. I’m working on ways to create zombies!” She cackles and takes another spoonful of her potatoes. The look on Furlan’s face was priceless and he stared at Levi and Erwin for confirmation.  

“They’re just kidding, Furlan. They work with curing viruses, at least that’s what I’m told. Hange you can’t just go around saying stuff like that.” Erwin scolds and Hange just grins. 

“Oh uh. Okay. I guess that’s a little better.”  

‘My sister can be a little overzealous and crazy sometimes.’ You sign to Furlan and Hange just grabs her heart dramatically.  

“Pft, I’m not that crazy.” That's all she says before diving back into her chicken, paying the rest of you no mind.  

“There’s nothing wrong with crazy. Just try not to get us killed, okay?” He laughs a little and winks at you. Feeling your face flush, you let your eyes roam over to Levi’s. His gaze flickers to yours briefly, but he just takes a swig of his wine and peers out the window. The evening sky was clear, and the stars had started to come out.  

The rest of the meal was filled with mindless chatter that you observed happily. Erwin and Miche had roped Hange into some sort of debate, so them translating for you was a little difficult. Luckily, Furlan understood and was fine being the only one talking as Levi just ate in silence. You listen intently but your mind wandered to Levi occasionally, wondering what he was thinking as he delicately cut into his food. Furlan got to a point where he picked up on asking you yes or no questions for the sake of the language barrier and lack of interpreter. It was hard not to smile at his warmth, and you’re open to all of his questions easily. The flush on your face does not disappear the whole meal. 

With stuffed bellies and sleepy minds, everyone decides to leave the table and move into the living room to wind down. All except for Furlan, who had said he had an early shift the next morning and needed to leave before he ended up staying all night. Hange, Erwin, and Miche were murmuring together with intermittent laughs about something random. Levi just sat in a chair in the corner of the room scrolling on his phone and not paying any attention to his surroundings. That left you to juggle between staring at the TV and checking your phone every once in a while.  

A couple moments later, there’s a scratch of a chair against the floor as Levi gets up from his spot. He slips out of the balcony door with a blast of cold air before closing it shut behind him. You can see his puffs of hot air as he stands, leaning against the rail with his back to you.

As you’re staring, you feel someone tap your shoulder and when you turn to see the source of it, you’re surprised to find its Erwin. Crystal blue eyes stare back at you and then they flicker over to where Levi stood. He says nothing else and sits back down in his spot like nothing happened. Hange gives you a supportive wink and goes back to her conversation with the two men.  

Ugh.

You stand up and pull on your jacket that you had slung over the backside of the couch hours ago. Zipping it up, you take a deep breath before sliding the door open and forcing yourself into the cold. Levi does nothing to acknowledge you, he just stands stoically looking up at the stars. You tighten your jacket around you and stand awkwardly behind him, shifting from one foot to the other as you consider what to say.

As you feel the winter air nipping at your skin, you exhale softly and pull your phone out to type out a message. It takes you a few minutes of typing and deleting repeatedly, but Levi says and does nothing as he waits, hearing the clicks of the letters coming out of the speakers. 

‘I’m sorry. For exploding on you last month. I threw my anger at you when really, I was angry at myself. It wasn’t nice or warranted and I apologize.’ You shuffle up next to him and hand him your phone carefully. He takes it from your cold hands, his own brushing against yours and they’re surprisingly warm. You see his eyes slide over the words, face bright from the phone light in contrast with the dark night.   

He rolls his silver eyes and just scoffs. He doesn’t say anything, and you fidget with your phone. When it was clear he had nothing to say, you fight the urge to turn around and leave. You glance behind you and see Erwin and Miche doing a bad job pretending not to stare at you and Levi. Hange, on the other hand, gives you a big smile and a thumbs up. You swallow hard and type out another message.   

‘Are you mad at me still?’ 

“Still?” He stares up at you in confusion then slight guilt. “I- look, I was never mad at you. It’s just...” He runs his fingers through his hair to push it back, and you spot a few piercings climbing up his ear that you didn’t notice before. They glint off the full moon which sits high in the sky. He takes a deep breath and looks away from you.  

“Okay, I was a little mad at first. But I’m clearly not anymore.” He mumbles.  

‘Clearly.’  

“I know I can come off rude and cold but it’s just... Shit!” He grips the rail so hard that his knuckles turn white. “I’m not mad at you, and I haven’t been for a couple weeks. I just- I felt awkward after the whole thing and I didn’t know how to talk to you. Plus, you know, I thought you were mad at me. So. You have nothing to apologize for. And, here,” he grabs your phone that you loosely held and starts moving around apps, pressing random buttons as he goes.

Then he hands it back to you with a side eye, opting to stare back out to the moon as he spoke. “I don’t want to throw your phone off the balcony so from here on out, just directly text me and I’ll respond.”  

When you look down at your phone, your mouth opens slightly in awe. Your phone screen displays a newly made contact page for “Levi Ackerman”. So formal, you think. Clicking the message icon, you type out a little text to him with shaky hands. You’re not sure if it’s from the excitement or the cold. 

'Hi' 

You hear his phone ‘ping’ and he pulls it out of his back pocket.  

“We’re great with words, aren’t we.” he says with a smile playing on his lips.  

‘I’m glad you’re not mad at me. I’m still sorry for last month though.’  

“It’s fine, but thanks anyways.”  

Like a breath of fresh air, a comfortable silence falls on the two of you. You lean forward against the rail and stare down to the ground. Levi and Erwin’s apartment rests on the third floor so there was quite a drop. The yellow glow of streetlights reflected off the snow that was piled on the sides of the road. You shiver as a gust of wind blows through your hair, so you pull your hood up for extra warmth. Against your better judgement, you shoot him another text with something that’s been itching at you all night.  

‘Who’s Isabel?’ You watch him carefully.  

When he eyes the text, the small upturn to his lips disappears and he freezes for a moment. His hand grips his phone a little tighter as he sighs heavily. Exhausted. The circles under his eyes seemingly darker. He hangs his head down, giving you another side-eye between his raven locks as he starts speaking in almost a whisper.  

“She was one of my best friends. Well, Furlan and I’s. We all, uh, grew up together.” Levi swallows hard.  

‘What happened?’  

His body tenses up once more and you worry for a moment that he might get defensive, but he just grips the rail tightly in both hands again. 

“I used to ride motorcycles. I suppose you wouldn’t know that.” You shake your head at him, and he just purses his lips. “Yeah... well. Isabel had this annoying habit of wanting to go everywhere with us but she wouldn’t get her own license so she would ride on the back of Furlan and I’s bikes...” He shifts uncomfortably and leans forward over the rail, looking down at the ground.  

“Well one day, my uh, relative, was having complications at the hospital in town and I needed to get there fast. And of course, she wanted to tag along. I didn’t have time to fight with her, so I let her on with me. But...” You reach out to try and touch his arm in reassurance, but Levi jumps at the close proximity, and you pull back quickly. Mouthing a ‘sorry’, you shove your hands in your pockets. 

“You’re... fine. It’s fine.” He pushes off from the rail and folds his arms across his chest and stands up straight. “It was raining that day, and I was being careless. I was so caught up in where I was going, I didn’t take the time to be cautious of my surroundings. I don’t remember much but we ended up skidding off the road. I woke up in the hospital with this,” Levi raises the hand that was missing his index and middle finger and then he points to his scars. “And no Isabel.” 

You have no words. Even if you weren’t mute, you wouldn’t know what to say to him. You notice in the time that you’ve known him, you haven’t seen him ride before, nor have you even seen a bike in his vicinity. So that alone was a surprise. But another thought scratched at you. Something about his demeanor right now screamed guilt. Did he still blame himself for Isabel’s death?  

“I went to go celebrate her today with Furlan. She always had a thing for sweets.” He mumbles, looking a little more relaxed. He has a faraway look in his eyes.  

‘What was she like?’ His eyes shift to yours, now soft.  

“You remind me a lot of her, actually. Stubborn. Happy.” Levi huffs, but you could have sworn it was a little laugh. 

‘You’re pretty stubborn yourself, you know.’ He just rolls his eyes again at you but says nothing else. ‘I think it’s great that you’re celebrating her life. She sounds wonderful. Thank you for sharing that with me.’ You offer him a slight smile and his lips twitch at you in return. He puts one of his hands in his pocket, making sure to keep his phone out with the other as he spoke. 

“Who were you and Hange celebrating today? I saw you two at the temple earlier.”  

‘Are you creeping on us or something?’ You smirk at him teasingly and his already rosy cheeks turn a darker shade.  

“Tch, no. I just passed by, is all.”  

‘It’s okay Levi, I get it. We’re that fascinating lol. She was there for her grandparents.’ You fidget with your phone in between numb fingers. It was really starting to get cold, and you weren’t sure how much longer you’d be able to stay out on the patio. But you didn’t want to leave just yet. 

“So, you’re not celebrating anyone today?” His innocent question makes you pause. It was your turn to look away, staring at the twinkling stars above. You suddenly feel small, like the universe was too big for you. Biting your bottom lip, you start to type away.  

‘Yeah, I have. I lost my parents and brother when I was around six or so. I don’t remember much but there was a big fire, and I was the only survivor. I am not a big fan of fire now.’ Silence ensues for a few minutes as Levi digests what you texted him. Your hands mindlessly trace the scars that trailed up your left arm from that disastrous night. 

“I’m really sorry to hear about that.” He says, finally. 

‘Oh, it’s fine now. It was so long ago. Hange’s family took me in after 8 years in the foster system, and now I’m stuck with her.’ You give him a meek grin and point behind you. He’s watching your face carefully. 

“I’m sure there are worse families to be stuck with.” Levi jokes quietly.  

You have no idea, you think to yourself. The thought of the households you lived in prior to the Zoë’s makes you cringe a bit. Memories of being left behind, small cupboard-like rooms, and physically abusive foster parents swirl through your brain. You close your eyes tightly to try and push them away. You feel something warm holding your fidgeting hands still. Opening your eyes to see what it is, you’re met with Levi’s pale hands cupping yours into his own.  

“It’s been a very hard day for us, huh?” You don’t want to tell Levi that it’s not your family’s passing that’s upsetting you right now. You figure if it came up later, you would tell him then. You nod once, meeting his silver eyes with earnest. He releases his grip abruptly, your hand freezing from where he had left it. Another comfortable silence falls on the two of you and it warms you from the inside out. Knowing that he wasn’t actually mad at you filled you with immense relief and you were glad that the confrontation was over. Or so you thought. 

“So Furlan huh?” He playfully chides. You stare at him, incredulous.  

“What? He just seemed really into you. Do you feel the same?” There was a look in his eyes that confused you. You feel your face heat as you tap away at your phone screen. 

‘He was just being nice. I don’t know what you mean. There’s no way he could be interested in me.’ You watch his face anxiously, not certain why he was bringing up such a topic. You didn’t really feel comfortable talking about other boys with him just yet, whether it be because you still barely knew Levi or something else you couldn’t quite describe.  

“Tch, you don’t know.” He cocks an eyebrow at you but says nothing else. You just shake your head at him, at a loss for words of what to say next.  

Suddenly, there’s a knock at the sliding door and peeking through is a Hange with a wide grin.  

“Are you ready to go home, my little berry?” Their muffled voice penetrates through the glass pane. You give them a thumbs up and a small smile. They give you a thumbs up in return then spin around to Erwin and Miche who are now standing up, going back into a conversation. You glance back at Levi and find his dark eyes gazing at you. The moonlight hit his entire figure at an angle that made him look almost... otherworldly.  

.

A couple hours later, you’re lying on your side in your bed with fluffy sheets surrounding you. The clock reads late but you can’t sleep due to the giddiness from the buzzing of your phone. You stare at a message notification sent by one Levi Ackerman, and a smile playing on your lips. 

Thanks for confiding in me. I don’t mind learning more about you, if you want. 

You had received the message a good 5 minutes ago, but you weren’t sure how to respond. For starters, you were extremely shocked to see that he was still awake at such an absurd time. But then again, so were you. You start typing but then delete it right after, going back and forth until finally you give up and just voice what you wanted to say.  

Sufficient with your response, you lock your phone and place it on the bedside table. You stare hard at the table, willing for something to come your way but nothing does. Maybe he fell asleep, you wonder. After a few minutes, you start to drift off with the thoughts of a curt man with silver, glowing eyes. 

Levi can’t help but chuckle at the three dots in the corner of his phone as you start typing but then change your mind. It had taken him forever to find what he wanted to say to you, but he never imagined your response to something seemingly so simple now could take you so long. In truth, he was surprised to see you open the message so quickly and at such a late time. Perhaps you struggled to sleep as well.  

As he waited, he couldn’t help but wonder what to make of you. There was something so intriguing about you that he just couldn’t quite reach, and honestly it confused him even more. Something else bothered him as well as he recalled the haunted look in your eye after talking about your history. Were you holding something back?  

Finally, his phone pings and he scolds himself for how swift he was to pick it up. A simple message brings butterflies to his stomach and unknits his tight eyebrows. Whatever it was that you had kept to yourself, he figures it didn’t matter. He would make it his goal to try and get to know you better.  

Ask away, I’m here for you. Goodnight, Levi.

☾ Previous Chapter: December ☾ Next Chapter: February

[visit-new-york]

Why is Empire State Building famous? The Empire State Building is famous for several reasons. Firstly, its construction during the Great Depression was a remarkable feat of engineering, completed in just 13.5 months, making it one of the tallest buildings in the world. Its iconic Art Deco design and prominent location in the heart of Manhattan have turned it into a symbol of New York City and a recognized cultural landmark worldwide. Additionally, its appearance in movies and its spectacular observation decks have further contributed to its fame.

Who was the Empire State building built for? The Empire State Building was built for commercial purposes. It was originally intended to provide office spaces for various businesses and companies. John J. Raskob and Al Smith, the main developers, saw it as an opportunity to create a prestigious office building that would attract tenants and stand as a monument to their company, Empire State Inc.

What is the Empire State building used for now? Today, the Empire State Building continues to serve as a commercial office building, housing numerous businesses and organizations. However, it has evolved into more than just office spaces. It has also become a major tourist attraction with its observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors, offering stunning views of New York City. Additionally, the building is used for broadcasting and telecommunications purposes, further diversifying its functionality.

Why do people love the Empire State building? People love the Empire State Building for various reasons. Its majestic Art Deco architecture and historical significance make it an awe-inspiring sight. The observation decks provide a unique opportunity to view the city from above, creating unforgettable experiences for visitors. Its portrayal in popular culture, especially in movies and TV shows, has also contributed to its global fame and endearment. Moreover, it stands as a symbol of human achievement, resilience, and determination, making it a cherished cultural icon for many.

Who owns the Empire State? The Empire State Building is owned by Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., a real estate investment trust (REIT) that manages a portfolio of commercial properties.

Could you live in the Empire State Building? No, the Empire State Building is not designed for residential purposes. It lacks the necessary amenities and infrastructure to support residential living, and its primary function remains as a commercial office building.

How long can you stay in the Empire State Building? Visitors are welcome to stay on the observation decks for as long as they like during the building's operating hours. There is no strict time limit, allowing visitors to take their time and enjoy the breathtaking views at their own pace.

How many floors is the Empire State? The Empire State Building consists of 102 floors above ground. The observation deck is located on the 86th floor, providing visitors with expansive views of the city and surrounding areas.

Why is the Empire State building so strong? The Empire State Building's strength is attributed to its innovative design and construction methods. Its steel frame provides exceptional support and stability, making it highly resistant to various environmental forces, including wind and seismic activity. The combination of a robust steel structure and a masonry exterior contributes to its enduring strength and durability.

Is Empire State Building free? No, visiting the Empire State Building's observation decks is not free. There is an admission fee to access the 86th and 102nd-floor observatories. The pricing may vary based on the type of ticket, such as standard admission, express passes, or special packages.

How deep is the Empire State building? The Empire State Building extends approximately 55 feet (16.8 meters) below street level. Its foundation reaches this depth to ensure stability and support for the immense weight and height of the building.

When did the Empire State building become famous? The Empire State Building gained fame immediately upon its completion in 1931. Its grand opening and record-breaking height captivated the world's attention, and over the years, it has become one of the most recognizable and celebrated buildings on the planet.

Why was the Empire State building built so fast? The Empire State Building was constructed quickly due to several factors. First, the developers were engaged in a race to build the tallest building in the world, leading them to expedite the construction process. Second, the use of prefabricated components and efficient assembly-line construction methods allowed for rapid progress. Additionally, the Great Depression provided a vast pool of available labor, enabling round-the-clock construction in three shifts.

Who uses the Empire State Building? The Empire State Building is home to a diverse array of commercial tenants. Various businesses and organizations lease office spaces within the building. Additionally, the building's observation decks attract millions of visitors annually, making it a popular destination for tourists and locals alike.

20 Most Fascinating Facts About the Empire State Building:

Construction Workers and Speed: The construction of the Empire State Building involved approximately 3,400 workers who toiled day and night in three shifts to meet the ambitious construction timeline.

Steel Skeleton: The Empire State Building's steel frame, a cutting-edge design of its time, provides the necessary strength and flexibility to withstand environmental forces and support the immense weight of the structure.

Lightning Strikes: Due to its height and prominent location, the Empire State Building is frequently struck by lightning. To protect against these strikes, the building is equipped with lightning rods and grounding systems.

Observation Decks: The building's observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors offer breathtaking panoramic views of New York City, making them a major tourist attraction.

The 102nd Floor Observatory: Originally planned as a docking station for airships, the 102nd-floor observatory was never used for this purpose due to safety concerns and the decline in airship travel.

Art Deco Interior: The Empire State Building's lobby features elegant Art Deco motifs, including polished aluminum and marble finishes, decorative friezes, and chandeliers, which reflect the architectural style of the time.

Empire State Building Run-Up: Since 1978, the Empire State Building Run-Up has been an annual event, challenging participants to climb the building's 1,576 steps to the 86th-floor observatory.

Sustainability Initiatives: In recent years, the Empire State Building has implemented various sustainability initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint and energy consumption.

Empire State Building Music-to-Light Shows: The building hosts music-to-light shows during special events, where its lighting is synchronized with music, creating a mesmerizing visual display.

King Kong and the Empire State Building: The Empire State Building gained further fame through its appearance in the 1933 film "King Kong," where the giant ape famously climbed the building's spire.

Renovation and Restoration: Over the years, the Empire State Building has undergone several renovations and restorations to preserve its architectural integrity and modernize its systems.

Empire State Building at Night: The building's lighting scheme changes to commemorate holidays, special events, and charitable causes, transforming its appearance at night.

Empire State Building During World War II: During World War II, the building's lights were dimmed to conserve energy and comply with blackout regulations, but they were used to communicate Morse code messages.

Empire State Building's Popularity in Media: The Empire State Building has been referenced in various songs, featured in video games, and replicated in miniature models, solidifying its place in popular culture.

Empire State Building's Global Recognition: As one of the most famous landmarks in the world, the Empire State Building has appeared in numerous travel guides, documentaries, and international media.

Empire State Building and Light Pollution: The building's lights are dimmed or turned off during certain periods to reduce light pollution and protect migrating birds.

Celebrity Visitors: Over the years, the Empire State Building has welcomed numerous celebrities and dignitaries from around the world.

Empire State Building Art Exhibits: The building's lobby occasionally hosts art exhibits, adding an artistic dimension to its cultural significance.

Empire State Building: A Symbol of Hope: During challenging times and crises, the Empire State Building has been used as a symbol of hope and unity.

Empire State Building's Charm and Legacy: The Empire State Building's historical significance, iconic status, and architectural brilliance have cemented its charm and enduring legacy.

Conclusion: The Empire State Building stands tall as a testament to human ingenuity, determination, and the spirit of progress. Its fame, earned through its record-breaking height, iconic design, and global recognition, has made it an enduring symbol of New York City and an emblem of human achievement. As it continues to captivate visitors with its breathtaking views, the Empire State Building remains a cherished cultural landmark that will inspire generations to come. Its significance transcends its physical presence, embodying the dreams and aspirations of millions who dared to dream big and reach for the sky.

[would-this-pokemon-be-a-friend]

Would A Frosmoth Be A Good Pet?

Unfortunately, a frosmoth would not make a great pet for many owners.

For one, especially as a winged, flying pokémon, frosmoths are too big to comfortably live in homes that don’t have plenty of high-ceilings and open airspace. Frosmoths prefer outdoor, natural spaces (Sword, Shield). They may, in fact, be unhappy in any residential area: frosmoths are very protective of fields and mountains, mercilessly attacking any who it sees as desecrating these natural environments with blizzards (Shield). Anywhere where a lot of land development is taking place would not be the best spot for a frosmoth.

Frosmoths’ ability to generate blizzards comes from both their own bodies. Their icy wings are said to be less than -290 degrees Fahrenheit in temperature (Sword), which is, needless to say, really cold! Using their sensitive antennae, frosmoths detect air currents and scatter the freezing scales of their wings like snow to generate snowstorms (Scarlet). These frigid wings give them access to a wide range of dangerous moves capable of not only inconveniencing neighbors: they could freeze you solid! When you toss that into the equation alongside moves like Stun Spore, which can induce paralysis, it becomes clear that frosmoths can be pretty dangerous creatures if they want to. Given their defensiveness of natural spaces, it would be critical to prove yourself a friend of the environment to them to protect yourself from their icy wrath. Protecting everyone from this wrath, however, may be impossible, so one should only consider keeping a frosmoth if they live in a rural area.

Frosmoths would not make the best pets, given their threatening abilities and environmental needs, requiring just the right home and attention to be happy and healthy in a home.

[windlassrivervalley]

Discover Modern Living at Windlass River Valley: The Premier Apartments in Dehradun

Nestled in the serene foothills of the Himalayas, Dehradun has emerged as a top destination for those seeking a blend of urban convenience and natural beauty. Among the many residential developments in this picturesque city, Windlass River Valley stands out as a premier choice for those looking for apartments in Dehradun. This sprawling township offers a lifestyle that combines modern amenities with the tranquility of nature, making it an ideal home for families, professionals, and retirees alike.

The Appeal of Dehradun

Dehradun’s charm lies in its unique combination of natural beauty and modern infrastructure. Known for its pleasant climate, lush greenery, and proximity to the mountains, Dehradun has always been a sought-after location for those seeking a peaceful lifestyle. Over the years, the city has also developed a robust infrastructure, with excellent educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and shopping centers, making it a perfect place for modern living.

For those considering an investment in real estate, particularly in apartments in Dehradun, the city offers a promising future. With its growing economy, improving infrastructure, and the increasing influx of professionals and retirees, Dehradun is quickly becoming a real estate hotspot. And within this burgeoning market, Windlass River Valley shines as a prime option for residential living.

Why Choose Windlass River Valley?

Windlass River Valley is more than just a residential project; it’s a well-planned township designed to offer a holistic living experience. Located in Harrawala, one of the city’s most rapidly developing areas, this township is strategically positioned to provide easy access to all of Dehradun’s key locations, while still offering the peace and quiet of suburban life.

1. Modern and Spacious Apartments

The apartments in Windlass River Valley are designed with modern lifestyles in mind. They feature spacious layouts with high-quality finishes, ensuring that residents enjoy both comfort and style. Whether you are looking for a cozy 2BHK or a more expansive 3BHK apartment, you’ll find a range of options that cater to different needs and preferences. Large balconies offer stunning views of the surrounding greenery, allowing you to enjoy the beauty of Dehradun right from your home.

2. World-Class Amenities

Windlass River Valley boasts a range of world-class amenities that cater to all aspects of modern living. Residents can enjoy a state-of-the-art clubhouse, swimming pools, fitness centers, and sports facilities, ensuring that there’s always something to do without leaving the township. For families, the well-designed play areas and parks provide safe and enjoyable spaces for children to play and explore.

3. Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Living

In today’s world, sustainable living is more important than ever. Windlass River Valley has been designed with eco-friendliness in mind. The township features green spaces, energy-efficient buildings, and waste management systems that minimize environmental impact. Living here means you can enjoy the best of modern amenities while also contributing to a sustainable future.

4. Security and Peace of Mind

Security is a top priority at Windlass River Valley. The township is equipped with 24/7 security systems, including CCTV surveillance and gated entry points, ensuring that residents feel safe and secure at all times. This focus on safety makes it an ideal choice for families and retirees who prioritize peace of mind.

5. Community Living

One of the standout features of Windlass River Valley is its focus on fostering a strong sense of community. The township is home to a diverse group of residents, creating a vibrant and inclusive community. Regular events and activities are organized within the township, encouraging residents to connect and build lasting relationships with their neighbors.

Investment Potential

Investing in an apartment in Dehradun, particularly at Windlass River Valley, offers excellent long-term potential. Dehradun’s real estate market is on the rise, with property values steadily increasing as the city continues to develop. By choosing to invest in Windlass River Valley, you’re not just buying a home; you’re securing a valuable asset that is likely to appreciate over time.

Furthermore, Dehradun’s growing popularity as a destination for both tourism and retirement means that there is a strong demand for quality housing. Whether you plan to live in your apartment or rent it out, you can expect a good return on your investment.

The Windlass River Valley Lifestyle

Living at Windlass River Valley means embracing a lifestyle that balances convenience, luxury, and natural beauty. Imagine waking up to the sight of the majestic Himalayas, spending your evenings strolling through beautifully landscaped gardens, and having all the amenities you need just a short walk away. This is the lifestyle that Windlass River Valley offers—a perfect blend of urban and suburban living.

For those who work in Dehradun or nearby cities, the township’s location ensures that commuting is hassle-free. Major roads and public transportation are easily accessible, making it convenient to travel to and from the city. At the same time, the peaceful surroundings offer a welcome escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.

If you’re in the market for apartments in Dehradun, Windlass River Valley should be at the top of your list. With its modern design, comprehensive amenities, and prime location, it offers everything you need for a comfortable and fulfilling life. Whether you’re looking to invest in real estate or find your dream home, Windlass River Valley is a choice you won’t regret.

Explore the possibilities today and discover why Windlass River Valley is the premier destination for modern living in Dehradun.

[chaotic-on-main]

Chapter 3: January

☾ Pairings ➼ Levi Ackerman x fem!mute!Reader (she/her pronouns), set in a modern semi-fictional world

☾ Summary ➼ Due to childhood trauma, you find yourself an adult without the ability to speak. After years of working on it, you have found ways to live without a voice. Now here in your late 20s, you are 5 months in getting used to a new town. On a fateful day in late November, you and your adopted sister visit a local bookstore-café, unaware of the friendships about to blossom. Throughout the months, one friendship in particular develops into something more.

☾ Content/Warnings ➼ fluff, slowburn, oblivious feelings, angst, mention of minor character deaths, trauma, illness, adoption, mentions of fire, disabilities, alcohol use, very light nsfw mentions, references to child abuse (to be continued as writing is ongoing)

☾ Author's note ➼ Hey guys! I'm so proud of myself for getting this out before the end of January hehe. Anyways if you missed the first two chapters, you can find them here and here. I hope you enjoy!

☾ Word Count ➼ ~7.5k

January, you thought, had to be one of the most depressing months out of the twelve. It’s cold, dreary, and full of post-holiday blues. The gloom that came with those blues was only intensified by the immediate and prominent holiday of “Remembrance Day”, a cultural holiday created to celebrate and mourn those who have long passed.  

‘I don’t know why we can’t just stay home and celebrate privately like we usually do. It might be crowded.’ You sign outwardly to your sister as she drives, making sure to go slow so she can see through intermittent glances. You stare out ahead as the snowy landscape zooms past. The late afternoon sun glints off the fresh snow, blinding you as the light refracts off the crystals.  

When you were younger, this annual holiday was something you used to ignore. Even at a young age, you were aware of the situation you were forced into. You lost everything and then were thrust right into the foster care system, tossed in with families who didn’t want you. You had to do it all alone and because of that, you never learned how to grieve properly. It wasn’t until Hange’s family, your family, took you in that you were taught how to deal with your past and the residual effects that came with it.  

Hange tuts at you as they turn a sharp corner.  

“Hey, you’re the one who said you’d be okay with it this year. And besides, maybe this town is full of early morning mourners. The temple could be all ours.” They speculate aloud, wiggling their eyebrows at you. It just prompts a signature eyeroll, and you stare back out the window. The residential homes turn into office buildings as the two of you make it closer to the designated temple in town. It’s not much longer until they turn down a gravel road, pebbles and snow crunching under the heavy wheels. 

Busy is an understatement. Due to the small nature of the town, only one temple exists, and it sits in the middle of the local cemetery.  When your sister pulls into a dirt parking lot, you notice the multitude of cars already vacant of people who are milling around the grounds. A bubble of anxiety threatens to rise in you, but you swallow it down. You and Hange step out of the car and are met with a brisk wind; It makes all the air in your lungs escape from shock. When you take deep breaths to calm your heart down, puffs of hot steam billow out from your mouth. Hange locks the car behind them and turns to you with their hand out.  

“Well, c’mon, my little berry. Those votives aren’t going to light themselves.”  

You take her hand without hesitation and you both set forth up the hill. You are at a loss for words because of how stunning your surroundings are. Leafless trees remain stoic and strong under a layer of snow. They pepper around the ample lot, giving off shadows of tree branches everywhere. Up a dirt path rests a sizable temple with a dark blue exterior and a wrapping porch around the building that offer various access points to the inside. On the edges of the dirt path lie smaller stone paths leading to rows and columns of personal gravesites for the residents of Jinae. The winter sun beams down between fluffy clouds, warming up the air as the day goes on. It was melancholic in a way that fit the day of Remembrance perfectly.   

Fortunately for you, most of the crowd was at their family stones, so the trek up to the temple took little to no time at all. This is where the designated altar is set for those who wish to pay their respects but had no tombstone to do so at. It’s the first time since your teen years that you've prayed outside of your home. When the Zoë’s took you in, they explained many of the traditions to you that you were in the dark about due to your lackluster upbringing. Remembrance Day was one of those and on paper it sounded great, until they took you out to the temple the following January and you had flipped out from the candles. You were a little better about it nowadays, but you requested shrines at home with electronic votives from then on.   

After stepping through the open doorway, you note only a handful of people lingering at the altar, lighting green candles and bowing their heads in prayer. You avert your gaze quickly from the bright flames, looking anywhere else. It was relatively quiet, bar for a few whispers here and there. You and Hange step in line behind an older couple, who are now turning towards you to leave. Tears streak down their faces as they head in the direction of the doors behind you. You bow to them in respect, as they do to you in return. The two of you step up onto the ledge and Hange takes the match sticks from the table. She gingerly holds out a stick for you to take as she regards you carefully. 

“Did you want to try it this year?” They grab your hand with theirs, looking into your eyes closely. 

You take a deep breath and raise your hand as if to take it, but it falters. Something sears in the back of your mind. Letting your hand flop to the side, you shake your head and sigh heavily. She just gives you a soft smile and squeezes your hand in reassurance. 

“That’s okay, Love. I’ll take care of it for you. Just close your eyes and think of them.”  

So, you do and reminisce about your lost family. There were so many memories you were still unable to recover from all those years ago. So, you opt to think of your parents' soft smiles and gentle hugs. Of an older brother that you think had a mischievous grin. You focus on the overall warmth you associated with them, feeling that warmth curl into your toes. You hear your sister strike the match and then she blows it out just as quickly. You were never saddened by these thoughts, even in your younger years. Hange often wondered if this was due to a detachment of your own making. You open your eyes after a moment and flinch back from the sight of the votive right in front you, flames flickering. 

“Let’s get going.” Hange hadn’t let go of your hand this whole time and she uses that to pull you away quickly out of the side door. Even though it’s cold, you feel miles better outside and you let loose a breath as if you had held it in the whole time. You wonder when you’ll be able to withstand being so close to fire again; you think maybe you never will. A sudden flash of black hair whipping around the corner of the temple catches your eye and you whip your head around to stare at the now empty space.  

“Is something wrong?” Hange squeezes your hand again, and you turn back to look at them to shake your head ‘no’. Some part of you hope it was him. You haven’t seen Levi since the whole debacle at the gala last month. He never made any attempt to reach out to you. Truthfully, you didn’t expect that from him anyways, but it irritated you to no end at the time. Your sister had pushed you to go to the café at least once to just say ‘hi’ because they could see how much it bothered you, however you refused to budge.   

“Then let’s go sight-seeing. I want to see how the people of Jinae celebrate their loved ones before heading out.” The two of you head back down the hill, the cold wind biting at your nose. At some point, Hange turns down a nearly empty path. The stones ahead were covered with a wide assortment of flowers in various colors. People had also put offerings of their loved one's favorite foods out at the base of the stones. It makes you smile at how loved these people are even past their time.  

Hange leads you around for half an hour, taking in the sights of the different offerings and gifts laid about. She points and grins as she mumbles things to you, but you’re not really paying her ramblings any mind. You find that nodding in response was enough to get them to turn back around and jaunt off somewhere else. Another fifteen minutes later, and their rumbling stomach is so loud you can’t help but laugh. You now realize why she’s staring so heavily at a plate of cold dumplings left on a headstone. You reach for her shirt and tug on it to get her attention. 

“What’s up?” They twirl around on you with worry. 

‘Want to go get some dinner?’  

“We probably should, shouldn’t we. Sorry, I’ve just been so engrossed in all of these displays!” She points to one right next to you. It’s littered with quite a few child’s drawings taped to the stone. A plate of cookies sat at the base of it with a steaming cup of coffee right next to it. The family must have just been here. When you look back up to meet Hange’s gaze, she’s staring at something behind you with an amused expression.  

You turn to see what she’s gawking at, and you spot a familiar raven-haired man. He’s standing next to a not-so-familiar messy blonde-haired man around the same age that is currently kneeling on the ground as he places a plate of something on the stone in front of him. The one standing darts his eyes in your direction and there’s no mistaking it; It’s Levi. Panicking, you whirl your head back around to face Hange and she’s smirking. You attempt to step forward to pass your sister, but she just grips your arm firmly and starts tugging you in Levi’s direction.  

Oh no, oh no, oh no. 

You try your best to wiggle out of the grip but it’s of no use, she’s latched on to you. After a few more futile attempts, you give up with a huge huff. You don’t even turn around, you just let them drag you along.  

“Levi, what a pleasant surprise!” Hange yells out to him as they close the distance, you still in tow. 

When they stop abruptly, you almost bump into them. You avert your gaze as far away as possible and turn around slowly. A family of four passes by in silence on the path next to you, a little girl with pigtails flings around a stuffed rabbit as she trots along.  

“Tch, I don’t see how this is a surprise, Four-Eyes. The whole town is practically here.” You hear Levi’s gruff voice respond back. It makes your stomach flutter with anxiety, but you’re not sure if it’s a good or bad kind of anxiety. There’s a ringing silence that follows after, but you can’t be brought to look up. That is, until someone clears their throat. 

“Uh, hi! I’m Furlan, Levi’s friend! It’s nice to meet you...?” He trails off. The voice is boyish and playful, and very different from the man next to him. You glance up to the source and the dirty-blonde haired man is looking between your sister and you with gray eyes. Not as deep and metallic as Levi’s though, they were much softer and lighter.  

“Hi! I’m Hange Zoë, and this is my sister!” She lets go of you to throw her arms around you as she squishes your face with hers. You feel warmth creep through your whole body from embarrassment and it makes you want to run away. “She’s hearing but she’s mute and speaks through sign language mainly. I’ll translate for you for the sake of brevity, though. Unless you already know it?” Your sister releases you to meet Furlan’s outstretched hand with hers and shakes it vigorously. The man laughs, and it’s a light airy sound.  

“I don't unfortunately. But it’s nice to meet you both!” He waves to you with a wide grin, and you give a small wave back. Furlan continues, “I see you know Levi.” You chance a look at Levi and he’s staring straight at you. Your eyes shoot back to his friend.  

“Well, ‘know’ is an understatement. He’s not very forthcoming about his life unlike his roommate. Uh, Erwin and I became close after a very unfortunate relationship mishap.” Your sister chuckles at her dark joke.  

“Ah! I thought I recognized your name! Erwin mentions you in passing a lot. And, well, that’s Levi for you. I had a hard time getting to know him when we first met.”  

“You idiots know I’m here, right? And that’s because you were trying to beat me up, asshole.” Levi’s terse tone cuts in, shooting daggers at his friend. Furlan just laughs again, loudly, and raises his hands in defense. Hange nudges you gently with her elbow and you glare at her, but the look in her eyes makes you nervous.  

Winking at you, she grabs her phone and yells, “Oh jeez, hold on a second. Someone from the lab is calling, it must be about last night's reports.” and starts to walk away. You hold on to her hand for dear life with your mouth wide open in protest, but she pulls away with a flourish. “I’ll just be a moment!” And then she’s gone.  

You stare down at your empty hand and then back up to the two men in front of you, pressing your lips into a thin line as you clench your jaw. ‘Fuck.’ you think to yourself. Tapping your foot impatiently, you also fold your arms across your chest. You keep your gaze averted from them, but you still feel Levi’s stare aimed directly at you. Finally, Furlan clears his throat again.  

“Did you two kill each other’s cats or something? Jeez.” Levi clicks his tongue at the same time as you roll your eyes.  

“Sure, if that’s what you want to think.” Levi retorts dryly. A heavy huff escapes your mouth as you fiddle with your jacket sleeve, foot tapping even faster. Another silence. Furlan examines your face closely and looks back at Levi in thought. If you were looking at him, you would have noticed a lightbulb go off in his head. 

“Wait wait wait! Is this the girl you were talking about a while back?” That makes your eyes fly to Furlan’s and you can’t keep the shock from filling your face. He talked about me?  

Without even waiting for an answer, he states, “So I heard you like colors.” You feel a blush start to seep up into your cheeks and you look away again, shrugging. Levi kicks Furlan in the shins and he doesn’t even react in pain.  

 “Wow, it’s super nice to meet you then. This guy would not stop talking about you aft-” Levi kicks Furlan in his other shin and it must have hurt this time because he winces.  

“Furlan, shut up.” Levi scolds. 

“Is that an order?” Furlan smirks as he leans down to rub the now sore spot. 

You’re not even listening to their bickering; your mind was going a million miles a minute. Levi had talked about you to other people. Were they good or bad things? And why did he have to mention your issues with picking a favorite color? You chide yourself for being willingly open about such silly things with Levi after just meeting him. You reach for your phone so you can say something but then are cut off by Hange coming up from behind you noisily. 

“Sorry about that! What are we talking about?” Hange rests her chin on your shoulder and stares at the two friends.  

“It’s nothing, we were just about to go.” Levi replies coolly as he starts to turn away to leave. He must still be mad at you, you think. Irritation itches at your skull again, but something in your heart aches. 

“Wait! ‘We’? Where’s Erwin? It’s weird to see you without him, Levi.”   

“Oh, he’s currently back at their apartment cooking dinner for us. He came out to show his respects early this morning.” Furlan cuts in before Levi can say anything. 

“Sounds great, we’re in.” You stare at your sister in horror before shoving your hands in their face. 

‘No, we’re not!’   

“Oh uh, I don’t know if Erwin...” Furlan trails off as Hange just chuckles and waves her hand dismissively. Then she pulls out her phone to check something before shoving it right back into her coat pocket.  

“Erwin doesn’t mind, he said so.”  

‘We are not going!’ You’re practically flinging your hands at her face, but she just gives you her puppy-dog stare. 

“But I’m so hungry! And he’s fine with it. Plus, a homecooked meal! It’s so much better than fast food!” Hange whines. 

‘I know what you’re doing, and it’s not going to work.’ Her face pouts even more, which you didn’t think was even possible. ‘You’re the worst. Fine!’ You stick your tongue out at her as you stomp your foot for good measure and her whole face lights up in response. 

“Well, I’m not fine with it.” Levi shoots back, eyes narrowed at the two of you.  

“Oh, c’mon Levi. Miche’s already going and Erwin said it’s fine. The more the merrier.” Furlan grabs Levi’s arm to keep him from leaving. Your sister whips her head to stare at Furlan in surprise. 

“Miche’s going?! What the hell, and Erwin didn’t even invite me!?” She yells. 

“Tch, fine, do whatever you want. I don’t care. Furlan, we have one more stop, let’s go.” Levi stomps off in the opposite direction, leaving the atmosphere 10 degrees colder.   

“We’ll meet you there. We have one more grave to look at but then we’ll be on our way.” Furlan nods to the two of you and gives you a warm smile before darting off after Levi. You exhale a big breath and round on Hange, not even sure what to say. There’s a mischievous glimmer to her eye and you regret leaving the house at all.  

When Levi and Furlan are out of earshot, Furlan knocks his shoulders in Levi’s and smirks.  

“Isabel would have liked her, don’t you think?”  

Levi says nothing back, but he can’t help but agree. It’s been 10 years, but his chest still tightens at the thought of Isabel. He pulls out the bag that had sat tucked into his jacket pocket, holding the slice of vanilla cake he made for his fallen friend. 

.

Erwin and Levi’s apartment is immaculate. Years of cleaning after Hange had given you the confidence to say you were a tidy person. But after seeing their apartment, you felt like an amateur at best. Even the air felt fresh, albeit it was filled with the smells of cooking dishes. Light tones filled the whole room, broken by the occasional pop of color. There was plenty of white as well, so you know Levi had a lot to say when it came to decorating the place.  

“Wow Erwin, your place is so clean!” Hange mutters as she pads around the whole living room. Erwin and his friend Miche were both in the kitchen working over separate pots. Miche was a very strange man, much stranger than Levi for sure. The second you stepped into the apartment, he took a huge whiff of you and grunted. Hange and Erwin chuckled and reassured you that it was normal, but you were still freaked out. If Miche had a problem with your smell, he didn’t say so. 

“You can thank Levi for that, mostly. He likes to clean.” Erwin calls out. You knew that of course, thinking back to that fateful night at the bar.  

You decided to make yourself at home, curling up at the end of their 3-person couch. Pinks and oranges begin to filter into the room as the sun starts to set. You stare out of their balcony door that overlooks part of the downtown area. They were so close to their café, and you wonder if they had chosen the café location just because of that. 

“I can’t believe you didn’t invite me tonight, Erwin!” Hange whines as she leans over the island to see what Erwin was working on. He swats at her to back up and she does so with her glasses fogged up from the steam. 

“I already told you. I invited you a couple weeks ago, but it seems to me you weren’t listening to me then. I think you were going off about some lab report that frustrated you.”  

“Oh yeah. Okay that’s totally fair and on me. You should have reminded me at least!”  

Miche comes over to you with a small plate of some raw vegetables for you to snack on. You take it while smiling at him gratefully, and he just nods before heading back into the kitchen. He had already known you weren’t verbal before you walked in the door, you guess Erwin had told him. Apparently Miche and Erwin were friends for a long time before Levi came into the picture. Just by watching them in the kitchen, you can tell that they worked very well together without having to say a word. 

After gingerly placing your empty plate down on the coffee table in front of you, you stand, stretching your limbs with a big yawn. If you sat for any longer on that soft sofa, you figured you might fall asleep. So, you shuffle your way towards the kitchen, making sure to pick up your plate as you do. Miche takes it from you without saying a word and you wonder if he had a hard time speaking growing up or if it was a conscious decision not to say much. Regardless, you sign a quick thanks then turn to Erwin, who was in the process of mincing some sort of herb.  

‘Where is your bathroom?’  

“Down the hall, it’s the door at the very end.” He slaps Hange’s hand as she’s reaching for a dinner roll over the counter. You smack her in the head on your way past and she just blows a raspberry at you.  

You take your time going down the hallway because your eyes are distracted by various photographs framed on the walls. There weren’t any family photos of either of the two, but plenty of random friends throughout the years. There were a couple of Erwin when he was younger, maybe in grade school, with a few friends hanging around him. You think you spot a young Miche with him in one of the photos. That must mean they’ve been good friends for more than 15 or so years. There’s another picture frame of Erwin and Levi in graduation gowns holding up diplomas, college you think. Erwin has a huge grin showing off his pearly whites and his arm is propped up, leaning on a short-statured Levi. Levi’s not even looking at the camera, electing to look off to the side with a scowl stuck to his face. That checks out, you think to yourself.  

You look closely at the one at the very end of the hallway and you notice it’s another photo of Levi. It’s a picture of him and two other people, Furlan being one of them. They’re all pretty young looking in this, but the girl in the middle who had her arms wrapped around the other two looked even younger. She has the brightest, widest green eyes you’ve ever seen. Her red hair is choppy and pulled into low pigtails and a large grin plasters her face. Furlan’s to her left, and he’s looking over to the other two contentedly. Levi is on her right and he’s looking away like he always does, but an actual small smile seemed to pull at the corners of his lips. You also note that this was before whatever accident fell upon him as his scars were missing. They look very happy.  

“That’s our friend, Isabel.” Someone mutters softly next to you. You squeak as you jump back, punching into the space where the voice came from. Something catches your fist before it makes an impact. Turning, you see it’s Furlan, holding up your fist in his hand. Panicking, you pull your arm back out of his grip and step back. He stifles a laugh. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I just needed to use the bathroom but saw you standing here staring at the wall.” Furlan rubs the back of his neck and glances up at the picture, a wistful smile appearing on his face. Wording a voiceless apology with your lips, you back up into the wall so he can scoot past you to the bathroom. He thanks you before slipping into the room and clicking the door behind him. You take a deep breath and head back to the kitchen, your trip to the bathroom forgotten.  

When you emerge from the hallway, the sounds of clinking glasses and heavy plates can be heard from the dining room. Not really sure where to sit, you go to stand by the table as Erwin and Hange set it. Miche comes over to place a bowl of the dinner rolls that your sister was eyeballing earlier, and he points to one of the chairs against the wall for you. Again, he seemingly knew what you were thinking. At this point, you’re convinced that he knows how to read minds.   

You plop yourself down as your sister does the same next to you. She starts pouring wine into the glasses around the table, save for your own; she hands you a soda can and you bump her shoulder with a smile. Furlan comes back from the bathroom just as Erwin and Miche take their seats. Steaming plates of delicious foods consisting of a spiced chicken dish, baked asparagus, smashed potatoes, and sweet carrots lay around just waiting to be served.  

‘You really know how to serve a feast.’ You sign to Erwin with a wide smile. 

“Well, it’s not all just me. Miche makes a great sous chef.” He jokes. 

“Hey, where’d the grump run off to?” Hange inquires as they take a sip of their white wine. 

“The grump is right here, tch.” a voice cuts in.  

Glancing up, you see Levi drying his head with a towel as he makes his way to the table, water droplets falling from his hair down onto the gray long sleeve he had on. After folding the wet towel and placing it on a table behind the couch, he pulls the chair out across from you and sits down with a small huff. You both lock eyes for a second before looking away.  

“What are we waiting for? I’m dying over here!” Hange starts plating up without waiting for a response. She starts to help you too, but you just grab the serving utensils from her hands and huff at her. She playfully slaps your arm but starts digging in. Erwin had thrown on some background music before sitting down, so soft jazz reverberated off the walls mixing in with the bustle of plates being filled.  

“So, Hange, what do you do?” Furlan pipes up after a few minutes, tearing a roll up with his fingers.  

“I work at Titan Labs, head researcher and what not. I’m working on ways to create zombies!” She cackles and takes another spoonful of her potatoes. The look on Furlan’s face was priceless and he stared at Levi and Erwin for confirmation.  

“They’re just kidding, Furlan. They work with curing viruses, at least that’s what I’m told. Hange you can’t just go around saying stuff like that.” Erwin scolds and Hange just grins. 

“Oh uh. Okay. I guess that’s a little better.”  

‘My sister can be a little overzealous and crazy sometimes.’ You sign to Furlan and Hange just grabs her heart dramatically.  

“Pft, I’m not that crazy.” That's all she says before diving back into her chicken, paying the rest of you no mind.  

“There’s nothing wrong with crazy. Just try not to get us killed, okay?” He laughs a little and winks at you. Feeling your face flush, you let your eyes roam over to Levi’s. His gaze flickers to yours briefly, but he just takes a swig of his wine and peers out the window. The evening sky was clear, and the stars had started to come out.  

The rest of the meal was filled with mindless chatter that you observed happily. Erwin and Miche had roped Hange into some sort of debate, so them translating for you was a little difficult. Luckily, Furlan understood and was fine being the only one talking as Levi just ate in silence. You listen intently but your mind wandered to Levi occasionally, wondering what he was thinking as he delicately cut into his food. Furlan got to a point where he picked up on asking you yes or no questions for the sake of the language barrier and lack of interpreter. It was hard not to smile at his warmth, and you’re open to all of his questions easily. The flush on your face does not disappear the whole meal. 

With stuffed bellies and sleepy minds, everyone decides to leave the table and move into the living room to wind down. All except for Furlan, who had said he had an early shift the next morning and needed to leave before he ended up staying all night. Hange, Erwin, and Miche were murmuring together with intermittent laughs about something random. Levi just sat in a chair in the corner of the room scrolling on his phone and not paying any attention to his surroundings. That left you to juggle between staring at the TV and checking your phone every once in a while.  

A couple moments later, there’s a scratch of a chair against the floor as Levi gets up from his spot. He slips out of the balcony door with a blast of cold air before closing it shut behind him. You can see his puffs of hot air as he stands, leaning against the rail with his back to you. As you’re staring, you feel someone tap your shoulder and when you turn to see the source of it, you’re surprised to find its Erwin. Crystal blue eyes stare back at you and then they flicker over to where Levi stood. He says nothing else and sits back down in his spot like nothing happened. Hange gives you a supportive wink and goes back to her conversation with the two men.  

Ugh 

You stand up and pull on your jacket that you had slung over the backside of the couch hours ago. Zipping it up, you take a deep breath before sliding the door open and forcing yourself into the cold. Levi does nothing to acknowledge you, he just stands stoically looking up at the stars. You tighten your jacket around you and stand awkwardly behind him, shifting from one foot to the other as you consider what to say. As you feel the winter air nipping at your skin, you exhale softly and pull your phone out to type out a message. It takes you a few minutes of typing and deleting repeatedly, but Levi says and does nothing as he waits, hearing the clicks of the letters coming out of the speakers. 

‘I’m sorry. For exploding on you last month. I threw my anger at you when really, I was angry at myself. It wasn’t nice or warranted and I apologize.’ You shuffle up next to him and hand him your phone carefully. He takes it from your cold hands, his own brushing against yours and they’re surprisingly warm. You see his eyes slide over the words, face bright from the phone light in contrast with the dark night.   

He rolls his silver eyes and just scoffs. He doesn’t say anything, and you fidget with your phone. When it was clear he had nothing to say, you fight the urge to turn around and leave. You glance behind you and see Erwin and Miche doing a bad job pretending not to stare at you and Levi. Hange, on the other hand, gives you a big smile and a thumbs up. You swallow hard and type out another message.   

‘Are you mad at me still?’ 

“Still?” He stares up at you in confusion then slight guilt. “I- look, I was never mad at you. It’s just...” He runs his fingers through his hair to push it back, and you spot a few piercings climbing up his ear that you didn’t notice before. They glint off the full moon which sits high in the sky. He takes a deep breath and looks away from you.  

“Okay, I was a little mad at first. But I’m clearly not anymore.” He mumbles.  

‘Clearly.’  

“I know I can come off rude and cold but it’s just... Shit!” He grips the rail so hard that his knuckles turn white. “I’m not mad at you, and I haven’t been for a couple weeks. I just- I felt awkward after the whole thing and I didn’t know how to talk to you. Plus, you know, I thought you were mad at me. So. You have nothing to apologize for. And, here,” he grabs your phone that you loosely held and starts moving around apps, pressing random buttons as he goes. Then he hands it back to you with a side eye, opting to stare back out to the moon as he spoke. “I don’t want to throw your phone off the balcony so from here on out, just directly text me and I’ll respond.”  

When you look down at your phone, your mouth opens slightly in awe. Your phone screen displays a newly made contact page for “Levi Ackerman”. So formal, you think. Clicking the message icon, you type out a little text to him with shaky hands. You’re not sure if it’s from the excitement or the cold. 

'Hi' 

You hear his phone ‘ping’ and he pulls it out of his back pocket.  

“We’re great with words, aren’t we.” he says with a smile playing on his lips.  

‘I’m glad you’re not mad at me. I’m still sorry for last month though.’  

“It’s fine, but thanks anyways.”  

Like a breath of fresh air, a comfortable silence falls on the two of you. You lean forward against the rail and stare down to the ground. Levi and Erwin’s apartment rests on the third floor so there was quite a drop. The yellow glow of streetlights reflected off the snow that was piled on the sides of the road. You shiver as a gust of wind blows through your hair, so you pull your hood up for extra warmth. Against your better judgement, you shoot him another text with something that’s been itching at you all night.  

‘Who’s Isabel?’ You watch him carefully.  

When he eyes the text, the small upturn to his lips disappears and he freezes for a moment. His hand grips his phone a little tighter as he sighs heavily. Exhausted. The circles under his eyes seemingly darker. He hangs his head down, giving you another side-eye between his raven locks as he starts speaking in almost a whisper.  

“She was one of my best friends. Well, Furlan and I’s. We all, uh, grew up together.” Levi swallows hard.  

‘What happened?’  

His body tenses up once more and you worry for a moment that he might get defensive, but he just grips the rail tightly in both hands again. 

“I used to ride motorcycles. I suppose you wouldn’t know that.” You shake your head at him, and he just purses his lips. “Yeah... well. Isabel had this annoying habit of wanting to go everywhere with us but she wouldn’t get her own license so she would ride on the back of Furlan and I’s bikes...” He shifts uncomfortably and leans forward over the rail, looking down at the ground.  

“Well one day, my uh, relative, was having complications at the hospital in town and I needed to get there fast. And of course, she wanted to tag along. I didn’t have time to fight with her, so I let her on with me. But...” You reach out to try and touch his arm in reassurance, but Levi jumps at the close proximity, and you pull back quickly. Mouthing a ‘sorry’, you shove your hands in your pockets. 

“You’re... fine. It’s fine.” He pushes off from the rail and folds his arms across his chest and stands up straight. “It was raining that day, and I was being careless. I was so caught up in where I was going, I didn’t take the time to be cautious of my surroundings. I don’t remember much but we ended up skidding off the road. I woke up in the hospital with this,” Levi raises the hand that was missing his index and middle finger and then he points to his scars. “And no Isabel.” 

You have no words. Even if you weren’t mute, you wouldn’t know what to say to him. You notice in the time that you’ve known him, you haven’t seen him ride before, nor have you even seen a bike in his vicinity. So that alone was a surprise. But another thought scratched at you. Something about his demeanor right now screamed guilt. Did he still blame himself for Isabel’s death?  

“I went to go celebrate her today with Furlan. She always had a thing for sweets.” He mumbles, looking a little more relaxed. He has a faraway look in his eyes.  

‘What was she like?’ His eyes shift to yours, now soft.  

“You remind me a lot of her, actually. Stubborn. Happy.” Levi huffs, but you could have sworn it was a little laugh. 

‘You’re pretty stubborn yourself, you know.’ He just rolls his eyes again at you but says nothing else. ‘I think it’s great that you’re celebrating her life. She sounds wonderful. Thank you for sharing that with me.’ You offer him a slight smile and his lips twitch at you in return. He puts one of his hands in his pocket, making sure to keep his phone out with the other as he spoke. 

“Who were you and Hange celebrating today? I saw you two at the temple earlier.”  

‘Are you creeping on us or something?’ You smirk at him teasingly and his already rosy cheeks turn a darker shade.  

“Tch, no. I just passed by, is all.”  

‘It’s okay Levi, I get it. We’re that fascinating lol. She was there for her grandparents.’ You fidget with your phone in between numb fingers. It was really starting to get cold, and you weren’t sure how much longer you’d be able to stay out on the patio. But you didn’t want to leave just yet. 

“So, you’re not celebrating anyone today?” His innocent question makes you pause. It was your turn to look away, staring at the twinkling stars above. You suddenly feel small, like the universe was too big for you. Biting your bottom lip, you start to type away.  

‘Yeah, I have. I lost my parents and brother when I was around six or so. I don’t remember much but there was a big fire, and I was the only survivor. I am not a big fan of fire now.’ Silence ensues for a few minutes as Levi digests what you texted him. Your hands mindlessly trace the scars that trailed up your left arm from that disastrous night. 

“I’m really sorry to hear about that.” He says, finally. 

‘Oh, it’s fine now. It was so long ago. Hange’s family took me in after 8 years in the foster system, and now I’m stuck with her.’ You give him a meek grin and point behind you. He’s watching your face carefully. 

“I’m sure there are worse families to be stuck with.” Levi jokes quietly.  

You have no idea, you think to yourself. The thought of the households you lived in prior to the Zoë’s makes you cringe a bit. Memories of being left behind, small cupboard-like rooms, and physically abusive foster parents swirl through your brain. You close your eyes tightly to try and push them away. You feel something warm holding your fidgeting hands still. Opening your eyes to see what it is, you’re met with Levi’s pale hands cupping yours into his own.  

“It’s been a very hard day for us, huh?” You don’t want to tell Levi that it’s not your family’s passing that’s upsetting you right now. You figure if it came up later, you would tell him then. You nod once, meeting his silver eyes with earnest. He releases his grip abruptly, your hand freezing from where he had left it. Another comfortable silence falls on the two of you and it warms you from the inside out. Knowing that he wasn’t actually mad at you filled you with immense relief and you were glad that the confrontation was over. Or so you thought. 

“So Furlan huh?” He playfully chides. You stare at him, incredulous.  

“What? He just seemed really into you. Do you feel the same?” There was a look in his eyes that confused you. You feel your face heat as you tap away at your phone screen. 

‘He was just being nice. I don’t know what you mean. There’s no way he could be interested in me.’ You watch his face anxiously, not certain why he was bringing up such a topic. You didn’t really feel comfortable talking about other boys with him just yet, whether it be because you still barely knew Levi or something else you couldn’t quite describe.  

“Tch, you don’t know.” He cocks an eyebrow at you but says nothing else. You just shake your head at him, at a loss for words of what to say next.  

Suddenly, there’s a knock at the sliding door and peeking through is a Hange with a wide grin.  

“Are you ready to go home, my little berry?” Their muffled voice penetrates through the glass pane. You give them a thumbs up and a small smile. They give you a thumbs up in return then spin around to Erwin and Miche who are now standing up, going back into a conversation. You glance back at Levi and find his dark eyes gazing at you. The moonlight hit his entire figure at an angle that made him look almost... otherworldly.  

.

A couple hours later, you’re lying on your side in your bed with fluffy sheets surrounding you. The clock reads late but you can’t sleep due to the giddiness from the buzzing of your phone. You stare at a message notification sent by one Levi Ackerman, and a smile playing on your lips. 

Thanks for confiding in me. I don’t mind learning more about you, if you want. 

You had received the message a good 5 minutes ago, but you weren’t sure how to respond. For starters, you were extremely shocked to see that he was still awake at such an absurd time. But then again, so were you. You start typing but then delete it right after, going back and forth until finally you give up and just voice what you wanted to say.  

Sufficient with your response, you lock your phone and place it on the bedside table. You stare hard at the table, willing for something to come your way but nothing does. Maybe he fell asleep, you wonder. After a few minutes, you start to drift off with the thoughts of a curt man with silver, glowing eyes. 

Levi can’t help but chuckle at the three dots in the corner of his phone as you start typing but then change your mind. It had taken him forever to find what he wanted to say to you, but he never imagined your response to something seemingly so simple now could take you so long. In truth, he was surprised to see you open the message so quickly and at such a late time. Perhaps you struggled to sleep as well.  

As he waited, he couldn’t help but wonder what to make of you. There was something so intriguing about you that he just couldn’t quite reach, and honestly it confused him even more. Something else bothered him as well as he recalled the haunted look in your eye after talking about your history. Were you holding something back?  

Finally, his phone pings and he scolds himself for how swift he was to pick it up. A simple message brings butterflies to his stomach and unknits his tight eyebrows. Whatever it was that you had kept to yourself, he figures it didn’t matter. He would make it his goal to try and get to know you better.  

Ask away, I’m here for you. Goodnight, Levi.

☆AN ➼ This chapter was a lot longer than I had planned but yanno what, it's fine. I hope you liked it! I'm going to get started on February's chapter soon! I'm really excited because my goal is to be super fluffy. It's Valentine's month after all. I hope y'all have a great rest of your day/night! And as always, please like and reblog so I know I'm doing something right. Feedback is always appreciated. ☆

☾ Previous Chapter: December

☾ Next Chapter: February

[navin-minar]

Navin Minar by Raheja Developers Ltd is a premier residential development in Delhi, epitomizing luxury and modern living. At the heart of this exquisite project are the Leela Sky Villas, which offer an unparalleled blend of opulence and comfort. These high-end villas provide stunning views of the city skyline and feature top-tier amenities, setting a new standard for refined urban living. Navin Minar Delhi stands as a testament to Raheja Developers' commitment to excellence, creating a sophisticated living environment that caters to the most discerning residents.

[realestatewithkk]

Hiranandani Kavesar Thane | Embrace Luxury Living

Welcome to Hiranandani Kavesar Thane where luxury meets comfort in the heart of Thane. This premium residential project offers meticulously designed 2, 3 & 4 BHK luxury apartments that redefine modern living. Located in the vibrant locality of Kavesar, it promises a luxury lifestyle with world-class amenities, Modern architecture, and a serene environment.

Key Highlights

1. Prime Location It is strategically located in Thane, one of Mumbai's fastest-growing suburbs. With excellent connectivity to major highways, business hubs, educational institutions, and healthcare facilities, residents enjoy the convenience of city life while being surrounded by nature.

2. Luxurious Living Spaces Our luxury 2, 3 & 4 BHK apartments are designed to offer the perfect blend of elegance and functionality. Each apartment is crafted with precision, featuring high-quality finishes, large windows for ample natural light, and expansive balconies that provide stunning views of the cityscape and lush greenery.

3. World-Class Amenities Experience a lifestyle of luxury and convenience with our state-of-the-art amenities:

Clubhouse: A well-equipped clubhouse for social gatherings and events.

Fitness Center: A fully-equipped gymnasium with modern fitness equipment.

Landscaped Gardens: Beautifully landscaped gardens and walking paths for a refreshing retreat.

Security: 24/7 security with CCTV surveillance and trained personnel ensuring a safe environment.

4. Sustainable Living It is committed to sustainable living. The project incorporates eco-friendly practices such as rainwater harvesting, solar power utilization, and energy-efficient lighting to minimize the environmental impact and promote a green lifestyle.

5. Proximity to Essentials Residents of Hiranandani Kavesar Projects In Thane enjoy easy access to a wide range of essential services and recreational facilities. Well-known medical facilities, retail establishments, schools, and entertainment venues are all conveniently located nearby, giving you and your family easy access to all you require.

Why Choose Hiranandani Kavesar Thane?

Elegant Interiors: Each apartment is designed with a keen eye for detail, ensuring a perfect blend of aesthetics and functionality. From modern kitchens to luxurious bathrooms, every element exudes sophistication.

Community Living: The property offers a sense of community with thoughtfully designed common areas and social spaces where residents can connect and build lasting relationships.

Investment Opportunity: Thane's real estate market is booming, making this not just a dream home but also a smart investment. The property is expected to be appreciated, providing a lucrative opportunity for homeowners and investors alike.

Developer Trust: Hiranandani Group is renowned for its commitment to quality, timely delivery, and customer satisfaction. With a legacy of excellence in real estate, you can trust that your home is built to the highest standards.

Conclusion

Hiranandani Kavesar Thane offers a luxurious and holistic living experience, combining modern comforts with a serene environment. Whether you're looking for a dream home for your family or a sound investment opportunity, Westgate by House of Hiranandani Thane is the perfect choice. Embrace a lifestyle of luxury, convenience, and community Welcome home.

[realestate125]

Brigade Mount Road Chennai | Property For Investment

Welcome to Brigade Mount Road Chennai where luxury meets convenience in the heart of one of India’s most dynamic cities. This premium residential project offers a range of comfort and modern designed 2, 3, and 4 BHK apartments, perfectly fulfilling the diverse needs of modern families.

Prime Location

It is located at an ideal location, right on Mount Road, one of Chennai's most famous and well-connected areas. The city's major business, educational, and entertainment centers are always conveniently close to residents thanks to this ideal placement. Good connectivity to major IT parks, retail centers, medical facilities, and educational institutions makes commuting easy and frees up time for important things in life.

Thoughtful Design and Architecture

Each flat is a modern architectural and design marvel. The apartments are thoughtfully designed to optimize natural light and space use, guaranteeing a seamless combination of beauty. Beautiful fixtures and finishes heighten the atmosphere, while open-plan designs give the impression of space.

World-Class Amenities

Brigade Mount Road Project In Chennai offers a higher standard of living in addition to stunning residences. Among the many top-notch facilities offered to residents are:

Swimming Pool: Take a dip in the cool pool, which is ideal for intense laps or a relaxing swim.

Fitness Centre: With the newest exercise equipment and amenities available, stay in shape and stay healthy.

Clubhouse: After a hard day, relax at the clubhouse, hold parties, or just hang around.

Landscaped Gardens: Take in the calm beauty of well-designed gardens and green areas, which provide a peaceful escape from the bustle of the city.

Children's Play Area: A fun and safe space where kids may play and socialize.

24/7 Security: Residents can feel secure knowing that their safety is a primary focus because 24/7 security measures are in place.

The Legacy of the Brigade

Brigade Group is a name that is closely associated with quality and reliability. Brigade Group has made a name for itself as a pioneer in providing premium residential and business spaces throughout India thanks to its many successful projects and decades of experience. Brigade Mount Road Chennai serves as more evidence of their dedication to designing environments that stimulate and enhance the quality of life.

Conclusion

Brigade Project in Mount Road Chennai is a lifestyle option for people who want to live in comfort and convenience rather than just a residential development. Regardless of your preference for a compact 2 BHK, luxury 3 BHK, or large 4 BHK apartment, It ensures a luxurious quality of life.

[electroniccityphase1]

Century Electronic City Phase 1: 6 Acres of Modern Amenities

Modern living at Century Electronic City Phase 1! The heart of one of Bangalore's most vibrant tech hubs, this residential oasis offers a harmonious blend of convenience and luxury. Let's delve into what makes Century Electronic City Phase 1 a standout choice for those seeking contemporary amenities in a prime location.

Location and Connectivity

The heart of Electronic City, Century Electronic City Phase 1 offers a prime location that seamlessly blends work and leisure. This vibrant neighborhood is a hub for tech companies, providing residents with unparalleled career opportunities within arm's reach. Connectivity is key at Century Electronic City Phase 1. With easy access to major highways like nice Road and Hosur Road, commuting to other parts of the city becomes a breeze. The upcoming Metro line extension further enhances accessibility, making travel even more convenient for residents. Surrounded by shopping malls, restaurants, and recreational facilities, this project ensures that residents have everything they need right at their doorstep. Whether it's grabbing a quick bite or unwinding after work, there's always something exciting to explore in the vicinity of Century Electronic City Phase 1.

Overview of the Project

Welcome to Century Electronic City Phase 1, a vibrant and contemporary residential project located in the heart of Bangalore's tech hub. This meticulously planned development spans over 6 acres and offers a perfect blend of luxury and convenience. The project features elegantly designed apartments that cater to modern living standards, with spacious layouts and premium finishes. Residents can enjoy stunning views of the surrounding greenery from their balconies, creating a serene oasis amidst the bustling city life. Century Electronic City Phase 1 boasts amenities such as a swimming pool, fitness center, landscaped gardens, children's play area, and more. Whether you're looking for relaxation or recreation, this project has something for everyone. With its strategic location near major IT companies, educational institutions, shopping centers, and healthcare facilities, Century Electronic City Phase 1 provides unmatched connectivity and accessibility for its residents. Experience urban living at its finest in this dynamic community by Century Developers.

Modern Amenities Offered

Step into a world of modern comforts and conveniences at Century Electronic City Phase 1. This futuristic residential project boasts an array of amenities designed to elevate your lifestyle to new heights. From fitness centers to lush green gardens, every corner of this development is crafted with your well-being in mind. Imagine starting your day with a refreshing swim in the infinity pool or unwinding after work in the luxurious spa facilities. For those who love staying active, there are sports courts and jogging tracks available for you to maintain a healthy lifestyle. You can also host gatherings with friends and family in the BBQ areas or relax under the stars at the rooftop sky lounge. With round-the-clock security, ample parking spaces, and high-speed elevators, Century Electronic City Phase 1 ensures that every aspect of your daily life is taken care of seamlessly.

Why Choose Century Electronic City Phase 1?

Looking for a modern and convenient lifestyle in Bangalore? Century Electronic City Phase 1 offers the perfect blend of comfort and sophistication. With 6 acres of thoughtfully designed amenities, this project provides everything you need for a fulfilling living experience. From lush green spaces to fitness centers and recreational facilities, Century Electronic City Phase 1 caters to all your lifestyle needs. Whether you enjoy unwinding by the pool or staying active at the sports courts, there is something for everyone here. The strategic location near Electronic City ensures easy access to major IT hubs, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and entertainment options. With seamless connectivity to key areas in Bangalore, commuting becomes hassle-free for residents. Choosing Century Electronic City Phase 1 means investing in quality construction by one of India's leading real estate developers. Century Group's commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction makes them a trusted choice among homebuyers. Experience the best of urban living with unmatched amenities and convenience at Century Electronic City Phase 1.

About Builder : Century

When it comes to real estate development in India, one name that stands out is Century. With a legacy spanning over four decades, Century has been synonymous with quality and innovation in the construction industry. The company's commitment to excellence is reflected in every project they undertake. Century has earned a reputation for delivering premium residential and commercial spaces that exceed expectations. Their attention to detail, focus on sustainability, and adherence to timelines have made them a trusted name among homebuyers and investors alike. What sets Century apart is their relentless pursuit of perfection and dedication to customer satisfaction. By combining modern design aesthetics with cutting-edge technology, Century ensures that each project surpasses industry standards. With a track record of successful developments across Bangalore, including Electronic City Phase 1, Century continues to raise the bar in the real estate sector. Trusting your dream home or investment with Century means investing in quality craftsmanship and unparalleled expertise.

Conclusion

As you can see, Upcoming project in Electronic City offers a unique blend of modern amenities and strategic location that make it an ideal choice for homebuyers and investors alike. With its facilities, lush green spaces, and connectivity to key areas in Bangalore, this project by Century is set to redefine urban living. Whether you are looking for a comfortable home or a lucrative investment opportunity, Century Electronic City Phase 1 has something to offer everyone. Don't miss out on the chance to be a part of this vibrant community where convenience meets luxury. Choose Century Electronic City Phase 1 for your next real estate venture and experience contemporary living at its finest with all the conveniences right at your doorstep.

READ MORE BLOG HERE

[khatushyamblogs]

Plots Sale near Khatu Shyam ji,Rajasthan

Investing in Plots near Khatu Shyam ji, Rajasthan: A Wise Decision

If you're considering investing in real estate, particularly plots of land near Khatu Shyam ji in Rajasthan, you're on the right track. Khatu Shyam ji is a place of great spiritual importance, known for its revered temple dedicated to Lord Krishna. Located in the Sikar district of Rajasthan, this area is not only culturally rich but also offers promising opportunities for property investment.

Why Invest in Plots near Khatu Shyam ji?

Spiritual Significance: Khatu Shyam ji is a popular pilgrimage site, drawing devotees from all over India. The presence of the Khatu Shyam ji temple adds immense spiritual value to the surrounding area, making it a preferred location for those seeking a peaceful and spiritually enriching environment.

Scenic Beauty: Rajasthan is known for its stunning landscapes, and the region near Khatu Shyam ji is no exception. Imagine owning a plot of land surrounded by scenic views of rolling hills, lush greenery, and a serene atmosphere. It's not just an investment; it's a chance to own a piece of natural beauty.

Development Potential: With the increasing popularity of Khatu Shyam ji as a pilgrimage and tourist destination, the region is experiencing significant development. This includes improved infrastructure, better connectivity, and the establishment of amenities such as hotels, restaurants, and recreational facilities. Investing in plots now means benefiting from future growth and appreciation.

Tips for Investing in Plots near Khatu Shyam ji

Research Thoroughly: Before making any investment, conduct comprehensive research on the available plots, local regulations, market trends, and potential for growth. Consider working with a trusted real estate agent or consultant who has experience in the area.

Verify Legal Compliance: Ensure that the plots you're interested in are legally approved and have clear titles. This will prevent any legal complications in the future and safeguard your investment.

Consider Future Plans: Think about your long-term goals for the plot. Are you planning to build a residential plots, a vacation home, or perhaps a commercial establishment? Understanding your objectives will help you choose the right plot that aligns with your vision.

Visit the Location: If possible, visit the area near Khatu Shyam ji in person to get a firsthand experience of the surroundings, accessibility, and amenities available. This will also give you a sense of the local community and culture.

Benefits of Owning Plots near Khatu Shyam ji

Potential for Appreciation: As the region continues to develop and attract more visitors, the value of properties, including plots of land, is likely to appreciate over time. Investing now can yield significant returns in the future.

Flexibility in Usage: Whether you plan to build a personal residence, a rental property, or hold onto the plot for future development, owning land near Khatu Shyam ji provides flexibility in usage according to your needs and preferences.

Cultural Experience: Living or owning property near a place like Khatu Shyam ji allows you to immerse yourself in the rich culture and traditions of Rajasthan. You'll have the opportunity to participate in local festivals, explore historical sites, and interact with the welcoming community.

In conclusion, invest in plots near Khatu Shyam ji, Rajasthan, offers a blend of spiritual fulfillment, natural beauty, and promising investment potential. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or a strategic investment opportunity, the plots in this area have much to offer. Take the leap and secure your piece of paradise near Khatu Shyam ji today!

For more information, Please visit to our website. Address:  Aloda village Tehsil -danta ramgarh Sikar District Rajasthan 331024

URL:  http://www.khatuelegance.com/

Email:  khatuelegance@gmail.com

[proton-wobbler]

Round 1, Poll 22

Red-cheeked Cordonbleu vs Varied Bunting

sources under cut

Red-cheeked Cordonbleu Propaganda

"weird fun color combo"

This African species is residential and common along the sub-Saharan belt, dipping into central Africa when the habitat is right- thornbrush and bushy grasslands.

While they will make their own nests, typically a ball-shape with a low side entrance, they've also been known to take over old nests of other species, including those of colonial weavers.

Varied Bunting Propaganda

"Once young have fledged, the birds may forage in small groups before migrating to Mexico in late July or August. Small flocks of wintering birds sometimes accompany other seedeating species, and on rare occasions, flocks of over 200 Varied Buntings have been recorded."

While IUCN places this bird in the Least Concern rank, Partners in Flight ranks them as a "Watch List" species due to the development of the Rio Grande Valley and the Varied Bunting's innate shyness around humans. The Mexican population is threatened by capture for the pet bird trade.

Image Source: Cordonbleu (Kevin Vande Vusse)

[beautyproducts-posts]

world biggest building Burj Khalifa history

The Burj Khalifa, standing tall in the heart of Dubai, is a marvel of modern engineering and architectural ingenuity. As the tallest building in the world, its awe-inspiring height and distinctive design have made it an iconic symbol of the city and a testament to human achievement.

Construction of the Burj Khalifa began in 2004 and was completed in 2010, taking approximately six years to finish. The ambitious project was led by the South Korean company Samsung C&T, with the renowned architect Adrian Smith from the American architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill overseeing the design. The vision for the Burj Khalifa was to create a mixed-use structure that would not only serve as a residential space but also house offices, retail outlets, and a luxurious hotel.

One of the most remarkable features of the Burj Khalifa is its staggering height, reaching an impressive 828 meters (2,717 feet). To put this into perspective, the building stands more than twice as tall as the Empire State Building in New York City. The skyscraper boasts 163 floors, with the majority of them dedicated to residential units, while the lower levels accommodate commercial spaces, a hotel, and observation decks.

To support the immense height and counteract the forces of wind and seismic activity, the Burj Khalifa is reinforced with a combination of concrete and high-strength steel. The exterior of the building is clad in reflective glass, providing both aesthetic appeal and functionality. The Y-shaped structure not only adds a distinctive look to the building but also enhances its stability by reducing wind-induced vibrations.

The construction of the Burj Khalifa was a complex engineering feat that required innovative solutions. The foundation of the building, known as the "mat," is a massive reinforced concrete slab that spreads across an area of about 8,000 square meters. This foundation is essential for distributing the immense load of the building and preventing settling.

The tower's construction utilized advanced technologies, including a high-performance concrete mix and a jump-form system that allowed for the continuous pouring of concrete during the building process. The construction team faced numerous challenges, such as pumping concrete to record heights and dealing with the extreme temperatures of the desert environment.

The Burj Khalifa's observation decks, located on the 148th and 125th floors, offer breathtaking panoramic views of Dubai and beyond. The tower's spire, which crowns its pinnacle, is not only a structural element but also serves as a functional component, housing communication equipment and lighting elements that contribute to the building's stunning nighttime display.

Beyond its structural achievements, the Burj Khalifa is a symbol of Dubai's rapid urban development and economic growth. It has become a global landmark, attracting millions of visitors who marvel at its sheer height and elegant design. The tower's completion marked a significant milestone in the field of architecture and engineering, showcasing the capabilities of human innovation and determination on a grand scale. The Burj Khalifa continues to stand as a testament to what can be achieved when vision, technology, and skilled craftsmanship converge in the pursuit of architectural excellence.

[hotelinteriordesign]

SK Design Riyadh Office to Redefine Interior Architecture Standards

SK Design, a global architecture and design firm, has opened a new Riyadh office to revolutionize interior architecture in Saudi Arabia, combining international design trends with local cultural influences.

The Riyadh office represents a strategic expansion for SK Design, aligning with the firm’s vision to create transformative spaces that not only elevate aesthetics but also enhance the functionality and well-being of occupants. With Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning real estate and development sectors, the decision to establish a local presence was a natural progression for the company.

“We are excited to launch our Riyadh office and embark on this remarkable journey of elevating interior architecture in Saudi Arabia,” said Mrs. Sara Khairallah, a principal interior architect of SK Design. “Our team is committed to bringing world-class design solutions that fuse modernity with cultural sensitivity, catering to the unique preferences and needs of our clients.”

The Riyadh office will be led by Mrs. Sara Khairallah, a seasoned architect with an extensive portfolio of successful projects spanning residential, commercial, hospitality, and cultural sectors.  Mrs. Sara Khairallah has a profound understanding of the local culture, allowing SK Design to blend international design trends with Saudi Arabian influences seamlessly.

SK Design’s multidisciplinary approach to design places a strong emphasis on sustainability, technology integration, and user-centric design, ensuring that each project is not only visually stunning but also environmentally responsible and functional.

The company’s portfolio includes prestigious projects such as luxury hotels, corporate headquarters, and residential developments in cities around the world. With the opening of the Riyadh office, SK Design is ready to collaborate with visionary clients and partners in Saudi Arabia, bringing their transformative design concepts to life.

As part of its commitment to the local community, SK Design intends to collaborate with local craftsmen and artisans, supporting the growth of the design and construction industry in Riyadh. The firm will also focus on sustainability initiatives, ensuring that its projects align with Saudi Arabia’s ambitious environmental goals.

The Riyadh office will serve as a hub for creativity and collaboration, bringing together architects, interior designers, and project managers who share a passion for pushing the boundaries of design. SK Design’s renowned design thinking process, which involves in-depth research, client engagement, and attention to detail, will be at the core of every project undertaken in Riyadh.

SK Design invites clients, developers, and partners in Saudi Arabia to explore the possibilities of transformative design with them. The Riyadh office is ready to embark on a journey of creating interiors that not only meet the needs of today but also inspire the aspirations of tomorrow.

[sonetra-keth]

D'seaview 海景苑公寓 Condominium

D'Seaview Condominium is a residential building located in Sihanouk province, Cambodia. It is a high-rise building with 28 floors and offers stunning ocean views. The condominium features a range of amenities, including a swimming pool, fitness center, and sauna. It is also located close to several shops, restaurants, and bars.

The condominium is popular with both local and foreign residents. It is a great place to live for those who want to enjoy the best of what Sihanoukville has to offer.

•Architectural Manager: Sonetra Keth •Developer: Hong Lai Huat Group Ltd. •Main Contractor: BITUS Co., Ltd. •Project: D'seaview 海景苑公寓 Condominium (28-storeys) •GFA: 100,000m² •Location: Shihaknouk Province, Cambodia

[ghofrana]

Best places to rent luxury apartments in Abu Dhabi

Introduction

Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, is synonymous with elegance, modernity, and grandeur. Renowned for its stunning skyline, cultural landmarks, and luxurious lifestyle, the city presents an array of options for those seeking to rent lavish apartments. This guide will unveil the most desirable neighborhoods in Abu Dhabi, offering an in-depth look at the best places to rent luxury apartments and experience the epitome of upscale living.

Corniche

The Corniche stands as an iconic waterfront stretch that encapsulates Abu Dhabi's essence. This prime area offers a blend of opulent residential buildings, a pristine beachfront, and stunning views of the Arabian Gulf. The Corniche presents a selection of high-end apartment complexes, complete with cutting-edge amenities, top-notch security, and easy access to the city's cultural and entertainment hotspots.

Saadiyat Island

For those seeking a fusion of luxury and cultural enrichment, Saadiyat Island is an ideal destination. This upscale development is home to a collection of world-class museums, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the upcoming Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. The island also features exclusive residential communities offering luxurious apartments with panoramic sea views, lush green spaces, and proximity to some of the city's best beaches.

Al Reem Island

Al Reem Island is a modern marvel, boasting a myriad of skyscrapers and waterfront promenades. This cosmopolitan destination is renowned for its upscale residential towers, offering a range of luxurious apartments. The island's strategic location ensures a seamless connection to the city center, while its diverse dining, shopping, and leisure options make it a coveted spot for luxury apartment seekers.

Al Maryah Island

Dubbed Abu Dhabi's "Central Business District," Al Maryah Island seamlessly blends business and leisure. The island is home to the luxurious Abu Dhabi Galleria Mall, offering high-end shopping and dining experiences. The residential offerings on Al Maryah Island encompass sophisticated apartments with breathtaking views of the skyline and waterfront, providing an unparalleled urban living experience.

Yas Island

Known for its vibrant entertainment offerings, Yas Island is a haven for those seeking a dynamic lifestyle. Home to attractions like Yas Marina Circuit and Yas Waterworld, this area offers a range of luxury apartments catering to diverse tastes. Waterfront living, golf course views, and proximity to world-class theme parks make Yas Island an enticing option for those looking to experience the city's leisurely side.

Al Bateen

Al Bateen exudes elegance and tranquility, offering a serene environment for luxury living. This prestigious neighborhood is characterized by its tree-lined streets, upscale villas, and a selection of high-end apartments. Al Bateen's proximity to the Corniche and cultural landmarks, along with its emphasis on privacy and exclusivity, makes it a coveted address for discerning renters.

Al Raha Beach

Al Raha Beach presents a waterfront lifestyle that blends modern architecture with leisurely living. This waterfront community offers a range of luxurious apartments with views of the Arabian Gulf. The area is complemented by lush landscapes, retail outlets, and a tranquil atmosphere, making it a top choice for those seeking a harmonious blend of relaxation and sophistication.

Al Khalidiyah

Nestled in the heart of the city, Al Khalidiyah offers a central location combined with upscale living. This vibrant neighborhood features a mix of contemporary and traditional influences, providing residents with an array of dining, shopping, and recreational options. The area's luxury apartment complexes cater to cosmopolitan lifestyles, offering convenience and a sense of connectedness to the city's bustling energy.

Al Reef

For those desiring a suburban oasis, Al Reef offers a gated community experience just a short drive from the city center. This villa-centric development also features a selection of luxury apartments, providing a serene escape with modern amenities and a strong sense of community. Al Reef is an excellent choice for families and individuals seeking a balanced lifestyle.

Khalifa City

Khalifa City is a rapidly growing residential area known for its spacious properties and serene atmosphere. With a mix of modern apartment complexes and expansive villas, this locality offers a retreat from the city's hustle while maintaining easy accessibility. Khalifa City's luxury apartments come with ample space, green surroundings, and a family-friendly environment.

Conclusion

Renting a luxury apartment in Abu Dhabi offers more than just a place to reside; it presents an immersive lifestyle defined by opulence, convenience, and sophistication. From the tranquil coastal settings of Al Reem Island and Al Raha Beach to the cultural vibrancy of Saadiyat Island and Al Maryah Island, each neighborhood offers a distinct experience. By exploring these exquisite locales, prospective residents can discover the perfect address that aligns with their preferences and aspirations, embracing the pinnacle of refined living in the heart of the UAE's capital.

As you embark on your journey to find the perfect luxury apartment in Abu Dhabi, Mirador Real Estate stands as your trusted partner, committed to making your dream of opulent living a reality.