#Freya Talks | 💙

[barbwritesstuff]

hi barb 💕 i’m having a rough night and i was wondering if you had any fun (happy) facts about the tt ros that you’d be willing to share

I'll try. 💙

Tracy uses her mind control powers for good sometimes (she'll deny it if you catch her doing it). If she walks by a couple at night that are both thinking they want to kiss, but neither is brave enough to go for it... she'll nudge.

Marcel never learned how to drive and at this point he's decided he's just going to wait until cars go out of fashion rather than learn. It can't be more than a hundred years or so... not too long.

Iliya loves the old ladies at his book club and will defend them violently if he has to.

Freya still talks to ghosts of loved ones who died years ago. Her great uncle in particular is very chatty.

Ravima Penrose sucks at art. Seriously. Can't do anything. Considering how long they've been doing it, that in of itself is something of an achievement. But they love it so much that they don't care.

Erin's favourite vampire power is wall walking. She spidermans around her apartment when no one is watching.

Nathan practises his hunter catch phrases in the mirror.

Chris secretly thinks MC is hotter than Jo/Joe.

Minjo loves her big, stupid, dog-people family.

[hongcherry]

pretty please (stay with me) || c.sc | 2

“After being assigned a fashion show for your big senior project, you set off to find volunteers to make it successful. However, when you meet Choi Seungcheol and his unfriendly clique through your volunteers, you realize they’re an unwanted package deal you can’t escape from. Can you handle Seungcheol’s obnoxious friends, and can he handle your brash behavior?”

🍒 Pairing: businessMajor!Seungcheol x fashionMajor!Reader (afab)

🍒 Rating/Genres/AUs: M(18+); Slice of life (!!!), slow burn, drama, fluff, angst; Unrequited enemies to lovers, strangers to lovers, college au

🍒 Warnings: General tws + none? regular drama, cursing... lmk if i missed something tho!

🍒 WC: 12.4k

🍒 Betas: Sarah, Indi, Kelly, Freya 💙

🍒 Author’s Note: Thank you for the support so far! This chapter is a little more chill compared to what's to come ^-^

also read here: AO3 | Wattpad

seventeen masterlist | main masterlist

previous chapter \\ series masterpost // next chapter

Coming home to find your mother in the living room a few days later was not something you could have foreseen.

Her suitcases are by the front door, and her shoes are tossed in different directions. She and your father are in a heated argument; your sister is nowhere in sight.

“Oh, hi, dear,” your mother greets when she hears the door open. Her voice turns sweet, contrasting how it was a few seconds ago. She turns away from your dad, spreading her arms with a smile as if she wasn’t just yelling. Your father grabs one of her outstretched arms and pulls her back.

“You don’t get to hug her,” he hisses before looking at you. “To your room, Yn.”

“Where’s Seoah?” you wonder, ignoring his order.

“At a friend’s. Now, go to your room.”

“Don’t talk to her like that,” your mother chimes in. Despite sounding defiant, she retracts her arms from you before she can even touch you. “How are you, sweetie?”

Your brain is whirling with confusion. You aren’t sure if you’re happy or annoyed she’s back. Her trips usually last for several months, maybe a year or two at most, but she always comes back. Sometimes you wish she didn’t. Her attendance never brings comfort, even if you want it to.

“I-I’m fine,” you answer. “What are you doing here?”

“She’s leaving,” your father says, pointing to the door as he looks at your mother. “Now.”

“Just let me stay for one night,” your mother pleads with her eyes on your dad. “I can find somewhere else tomorrow.”

Your dad glowers at her. “I’m tired of you treating this place like a hotel. If you wanted to stay, you shouldn’t have left.”

This conversation again.

Your parents are still married, perhaps because of the divorce cost or custody decisions, but it feels like it is an open marriage. Your mother never tells you if she has another partner, but some of her pictures from her trips are questionable at times. Additionally, your dad has never brought home anyone, but you won’t be surprised if he has gone out to find one. 

Well, you wouldn’t have been surprised in the past. However, the present is different. He is nose-deep in his work. He claims it’s because he is trying to provide for you and your sister, which you’re sure has some factor in it, but he’s also probably trying to distract himself from his own personal demons. You were never that close with him to begin with, and your relationship only worsened when your mother left. You know he cares, but not as much as you wish he does.

Their argument fades out as you stand staring at them. You doubt anything will get resolved. Taking in a sorrowful breath, you turn around and leave the house.

The café you usually visit is nearby. It’s the perfect place to study or hang out with friends, as the atmosphere is peaceful. The food is reasonably priced and not too bad as well.

You find a spot in the corner and settle down.

The sketches for your outfits are coming together. You planned to go to a fabric store later this week to pick out a few yards of fabric. Luckily, your college has collaborated with several stores around to provide the students participating in the show discounts. Most are generous discounts too.

Once you are done going over your sketches, you double-check your to-do list. Jeonghan and Minghao are making good progress with the promotional items. Music, on the other hand, is a little more difficult. You haven’t found the right sound yet, but you’ve scheduled a meeting with Jihoon soon.

You sit your iPad on the table and rest your head in your hands. This project is challenging you in ways you didn’t expect. You simply want to create clothes, not deal with all the tiny other details of a runway show. Thinking back to the start of it has you remembering what you’ve been through these past few months. 

You hate how much you think of Seungcheol at this moment. He has been the biggest surprise of them all.

He isn’t even helping you with your project, yet you have seen him so many times, he might as well be. You’re not sure when you started to tolerate his presence, but somewhere along the way, he grew to be one of the few people you wanted to see more.

And that corny nickname he gave you… Why does part of you like it? Damn, you wish you weren't thinking of him. Your thoughts of him are getting so bad. You can hear his voice—could hear that ridiculous laugh that makes you want to join in with him.

The contagious laugh is so prominent in your mind that you swear it’s right next to you.

Goodness. Even when he has no reason to be in your thoughts, he finds a way to squirm in. Or maybe you just find excuses to bring him in. Nevertheless, the latter is something you don’t want to admit to.

You regain focus on your iPad with the aim of distracting yourself. You’re about two minutes into sketching another outfit when he who should not be mentioned's voice sounds in your head again.

It’s so clear and getting louder. It’s repeating your name, spreading an odd warmth through your chest.

“Are you ignoring me?”

A hand touches your forearm, causing you to loosen your grip on your stylus. It rolls off the edge of the table into a person’s hand. Your gaze follows up the arm until it rests on their face.

Seungcheol chuckles at your startled expression.

“You okay, Cherry?” he asks with mirth.

Have you thought of him so much that you somehow manifested his presence? Irritated at the lack of control over your thoughts, you snatch the pen from his grasp. If only you could rein in your thoughts as well.

“What are you doing here?” you question, glancing behind his shoulder. For once, you don’t see his business clique. Your shoulders ease at this, not ever wanting to see them after what happened. The only person you see is a tall man with stunning features. He’s watching Seungcheol, so you guess they’re together.

Since your show project is never far from your mind, you take a mental note to ask him to be one of your models before he leaves.

“Just passing by,” he shrugs, then glances at your iPad. “That looks nice so far.”

Your gaze cast down at your sketch again. There is just a figure with a long, flowy skirt. Nothing extravagant.

“Thanks,” you reply slowly, but it sounds more like a question.

This time it’s his turn to ask, “What are you doing here?”

“Needed a different environment to work in,” you answer. It isn’t a lie, but you aren’t going to disclose why you need a different environment in the first place. Family drama is never a conversation you enjoy having. And you definitely aren’t going to have it with him. Even if you two are getting closer, he isn’t on Dae’s level of friendship.

“Ah,” he pauses and before he can say anything else, you speak up.

“Who’s your friend?”

Seungcheol peers over his shoulder as if he needs a reminder of who he’s with. “Mingyu.”

“You think you can bring him over?”

He snaps his eyes back to you; they’re slightly wide, briefly before narrowing. “Why? You’re going to try to seduce him?”

Are you just imagining the bitterness hidden behind his teasing tone?

“He is handsome,” you observe. You drift your attention to Mingyu. His dark hair is pushed behind his ears, a few strands hanging in front of his face. He wears a short-sleeved shirt that exposes his muscles. You hope he wasn’t asked to be someone else’s model already.

Seungcheol doesn’t seem amused by your response.

“Yeah? Get in line, Cherry. He gets a lot of people batting their eyelashes at him.”

“Is that why you hang out with him? You’re trying to get his leftovers?” A smirk grows on your face as you look back at him.

Seungcheol stares down at you with an unreadable expression. “I don’t need his leftovers.”

“Then where’s your line of people batting their eyelashes?” you challenge.

“Right here,” he taunts, eyes sparkling with vain as he leans over your table to get closer.

You scoff at his answer and move away from him. You need space to think clearly. “I am not batting my eyelashes at you, Seungcheol.”

“Maybe not,” he says, “but you have your own ways of showing your affection.”

“Like?” you raise an eyebrow. The only thing you feel like you’re showing him is an annoyed look.

“Like not telling me to go away when you first saw me.”

“That’s affection to you?” you laugh in disbelief.

Seungcheol shakes his head. “I’m telling you that’s how you show affection. I think I’m growing on you, Cherry.”

You resist the urge to roll your eyes and instead give him a scowl. You move farther away from him to show you definitely aren’t growing a liking for him—even if your heart hints otherwise.

“You will never grow on me. Not with those ‘friends’ of yours,” you reply.

“Hey, they’re doing you a favor,” he says, bemused at your sudden hostility toward them.

“Not those friends,” you sigh. Does he really need to be told which group of people you are talking about? Surely, he doesn’t think his business friends are such saints to not consider them.

“They just aren’t used to your people,” he reasons before sitting down across from you.

You give him a pointed look. “My people?”

“You know, the flashy fashion and such,” he says and gestures at your outfit as if to make a point; it’s another fit that “normal” people won’t wear for everyday attire.

“So that gives them the green light to insult me constantly?” you question, a little astonished at how he’s defending them. You understand they’re his friends, but is he so far up their asses he can’t see just how ugly their personalities are?

“You know you’re not all sunshine and rainbows, too, right?” he retorts.

You have to force your jaw not to drop. “Oh, I’m sorry. Next time I’ll let them say all the shit they want to and not defend myself since, evidently, no one else will.”

The indirect jab at Seungcheol doesn’t go unnoticed by him.

“I told them to stop,” he frowns, thinking back to the lounge.

“Ah right, how could I forget? How silly of me,” you answer sarcastically. Although he did try to stop them, you feel he could’ve done more—maybe been more assertive. You feel he isn’t one hundred percent on your side, and that hurts you more than it should.

You make sure your iPad is locked before you stuff it in your bag along with your stylus. This isn’t how you wanted, nor imagined, your conversation with Seungcheol to go.

“You just gave them a bad first impression. You weren’t very friendly when we first met.”

You pause in your movements as your mind whirls back to seeing him at Jeonghan’s door instead of Minghao.

“Neither were your friends,” you recall.

“They would’ve been nicer if you—”

“I really can’t believe you’re defending them right now.”

“I’m just saying you all have some issues that need to be solved, and not everyone has been on their best behavior,” he sighs.

Your eyes scan his face, sensing the trouble he’s going through at being in the middle of two sides. It’s then you realize he will never have your back completely due to his conflict of interests. 

This shouldn’t bother you.

You had planned to never talk to him again once you were done working with his friends on your project, yet there is a tightening feeling in your chest that doesn’t make you smile. Some part of you is starting to oppose that original idea.

“I doubt these ‘issues’ will ever be resolved,” you reply, tossing your bag’s strap over your shoulder.

“Why not? We can all talk it through,” he says quickly, so you can’t leave. The look of hope on his face has you considering it for a split second, but you know that won’t go the way he’s imagining.

“I’ll make it easy for you, Seungcheol,” you begin and ignore his offer. “Don’t talk to me ever again.”

You should’ve known he isn’t going to let you go that easily. He grabs your wrist gently when you walk past him to leave.

“Where did that come from?” he wonders, tone teetering with confusion and annoyance.

“Don’t message me either,” you simply answer and pull your arm from his grasp. He looks baffled at your response, sitting still as you move away.

Before leaving, you stop at Mingyu. You give him the quick project explanation you’ve given to others before handing him your card. He tells you he’ll consider it, which isn’t what you want to hear, but at least he isn’t taken by anyone yet. You don’t want to linger around him any longer because Seungcheol is bound to come over since they came here together.

You leave just in time as you spot Hana, Hajun, and Soonyoung walking over to the café. You see through the café’s window as they greet Seungcheol and Mingyu. Some things will never change.

As you climb into your car, you feel a pair of eyes on you. The urge to turn back to confirm your suspicion of who it is is strong, but you keep your gaze forward. You didn’t stay at the café as long as you anticipated and hope your parents are done fighting when you get home.

You sit on Dae’s apartment floor as you pencil your clothes patterns on your fabric. With your mom back in town, you and your sister have been spending time at other people’s residences. You at Dae’s, and her at her own friend’s. You two have never been that close, so being separated from her doesn’t bother you as much as it would bother other siblings. Nevertheless, you’re still the big sister and worry about her occasionally—often sending text messages to check up.

You and Dae have music playing as you work on separate pieces. Even though you’re fine working alone, it’s comforting being with a friend right now. There’s a lot on your mind, and you just need something to distract yourself. Keeping your hands moving is a big help for that.

Your father has allowed your mother to stay while she finds another place to go. Her being at home means lots of fighting. At least for once, it isn’t silent in the house. You and your sister spend most of the time in your own rooms, only coming out for dinner. This isn’t new, but it feels more like a prison than before. The good side of Mom staying is she cooks dinner, which allows you to focus on your project. You have fulfilled all your helper positions—thankfully, Mingyu came around in the end and said yes—so you are focusing on bringing your sketches to life.

“My hands are cramping,” Dae whines, bringing your attention to her. You finish the line you are drawing and sit back on your heels.

“Take a rest,” you suggest. Dae shakes her head.

“I’ve got a quota to meet. If I can finish it now, I can have the rest of the day off,” she explains and goes back to her work.

“If you say so,” you mumble before finishing your work. 

Ten minutes pass until she speaks again.

“I ran into Seungcheol today on campus,” Dae says casually. You pause your movements at her sentence.

“And that matters to me how?” you wonder, keeping your gaze locked on your task at hand. Just his name has your heart racing. Though, you conclude it to be from anger.

“He asked about you,” she replies and stands up, a cut piece of fabric in her hand.

“I hope you told him I moved across the globe,” you mumble and grab the scissors you had brought. However, you can’t really focus on anything, so you simply mess around with the crystals you have to hold down the fabric.

Dae laughs a little and shakes her head. “I told him you are moping without him.”

You flicker your gaze to hers quickly, mouth open at her disloyalty.

“I am not moping, and if I was, it wouldn’t be because of him,” you argue fiercely, unknowingly moving your hands as you speak. 

Dae’s gaze glances at the scissors still in your grasp. “Let’s put that down when we’re talking about Seungcheol, okay?”

You peer at the object and scoff. “It’s comforting me right now, so no.”

“How exactly is it comforting you?”

“I’m imagining sticking it where the sun doesn’t shin—”

“Yn,” Dae scolds.

“You asked,” you say, then set them down reluctantly.

Dae eyes your movements carefully before speaking, “He just wanted to know how you were doing.”

“I’m doing fabulous,” you snap, hoping that is what she had told him. Your tone is a little harsher than you mean.

“I told him you were doing fine,” she answers your silent question.

You sigh. “Both start with ‘f’, so you were close enough, I guess.”

“You know what else starts with ‘f’?” she asks.

“Fudge? Which we should go get, by the way.”

“Forlorn,” she answers, dismissing your attempt for sweets. “You’re forlorn.”

“I am not sad and lonely,” you huff. Sure, your family drama is at a high right now, and you just dumped your not-so-friend-who-you-were-starting-to-like-being-with.

You are not sad. You are not lonely.

“You’re also in fenial,” Dae adds.

“I’m in what?”

“Fenial.”

“You mean denial?”

“Yes, you are.”

“Huh?!”

You stare at her, puzzlement written all over your face. She smiles at that, pinning her fabric to her dress form and then turning to you.

“You’re in denial that you miss him.”

“What is fenial?” you ask, disregarding her statement about how you feel about Seungcheol. You are not missing him. He has chosen his side—alright, not really, but his actions say otherwise. He is not on Team Yn.

Dae groans. “We were on f-words, and I had to improvise. I just wanted to tell you you’re in denial.”

“And you’re felusional.”

“How about we just change to d-words?” she asks when she notices what word you mean.

“Or change the subject entirely.”

You stand up, stretching your arms over your head and twisting your body to ease your back as you’ve been hunched over for a while. Dae stays silent as she lets the topic rest momentarily. You leave to grab a glass of water before sitting on her couch. Just as you think she’s letting it go, she speaks.

“Do you think he’s a bad person?”

“Dae,” you sigh in a warning. You came here in hopes of getting away from your problems, not facing them.

“It’s a yes or no question,” Dae states sternly.

Instead of responding right away, you take a drink from your cup. The cold liquid feels refreshing, and you relish in the feeling before her question echoes in your head.

Finally, you say, “No.”

Dae slows her movements on her dress form and peers at you. She doesn’t look at you playfully or pitifully, which you appreciate, but you still don’t want to talk about it. She seems to want otherwise.

“So, why did you stop talking to him?”

“I told you before,” you answer. “I don’t want to be around someone who won’t stand up for me. They’re his friends, and I’m not going to force him to choose.”

“You want him to, though,” she observes. Even though you want to deny that, you know she is right.

“Well, I didn’t want to force him to. I thought he would just do that upon seeing how rude his friends are.” Your thumbs play with the condensation on your glass.

“You’re not innocent either, Yn,” Dae answers softly so as to not hurt your feelings. It doesn’t help.

“Great, so you’re siding with them now as well?” you exhale, exhausted.

“No,” she replies seriously. “I’m trying to show you that he could have picked them over you.”

“Explain,” you say as you try not to lose your temper for a change.

“You’re saying his friends are rude—”

“They are,” you interject.

“I’m not saying they aren’t. Just listen to me,” she continues when you nod. “You’re saying his friends are rude, and he should ditch them, but if you’re being mean, then shouldn’t he leave you too?”

There is an argument on the tip of your tongue that never forms. Her words sink into your mind, processing what she means.

“What his friends are saying to you is not right, and I get why you’re fighting against them, but I wouldn’t hate Seungcheol for not unfriending them.”

“He still doesn’t always have my back,” you counter.

“Hm,” she concurs. “That he could do better on.”

You sit still as you muse about what she told you. She has a valid point, and part of you is grateful he didn’t leave you despite you always giving off the impression of wanting him to.

“And I don’t hate him,” you murmur, lower than your normal volume, but Dae hears you.

She exhales slowly, glancing at you sincerely. She gives you a reassuring smile. “I know.”

“Can you play that one more time?” you ask as you lean over Jihoon’s shoulder.

“Sure,” he answers and clicks a button. The sound plays from his speakers once more. You move away and begin to pace in his room. Your eyes stare down at your feet while you carefully listen. Having four elements seemed good at first, but now you are having trouble finding a beat that fits all four. You like some of the pieces Jihoon created, but they often fit more with one element.

“Something just isn’t,” you trail off once the song fades out.

“Can’t you just make four separate tracks?” Chan, who you met through Soonyoung a week ago, pipes in from Jihoon’s bed. He claims he has nothing to do and wants to help as well. At first, you’re unsure. His major is dance, like Soonyoung’s, so what knowledge does he have about music production? Despite your original disposition, he turns out to be more helpful than you initially thought.

“I don’t have enough time on stage for that,” you explain. In order for the show to not run for an entire day, each student is given a limited amount of time for their section of the show.

You all sit in silence as you think about what to do.

“Hey Jihoon, Chan—Oh,” a familiar voice rings out in the room. All heads turn to the door to see Seungcheol standing there.

It’s been nearly two weeks since you saw him, and during said weeks, you had been avoiding him. You didn’t let yourself be alone with him, let alone let him speak a word to you. 

The fight you had with him is still prominent in your mind, but what’s more evident is the way your body reacts when he gives you any attention. You feel betrayed by your own body when you feel a pang in your chest or a lingering desire to be close to him again. It’s as if you lost something you could’ve had if it weren’t for his wishful thinking. He wants his two worlds to coexist, but that isn’t going to happen. Maybe you would’ve given him an ultimatum, but you aren’t sure if he would even pick you. Hell, why would he when he’s known them longer? No reason to put yourself in that position.

“I didn’t know you’d be here,” he says, taken aback. Before you can question what he is doing here, Chan speaks.

“Hey, Cheol,” Chan greets. “Can you give us some help real quick?”

Chan’s question pulls you from your sappy thoughts and look at Chan as if he grew two heads. Seungcheol? Helping with music?

“We can figure it out ourselves, we don’t need—”

“Is this the music for your project?” he interrupts and walks inside the small room.

Sighing, you move away when he nears. “Yeah, but I don’t see how you could help.”

“Play it, please,” Seungcheol directs to Jihoon, ignoring your comment. Jihoon obliges before you can stop him. For the nth time, the music sounds in the room.

You stay silent as Seungcheol stares at the screen. His brows are drawn together, and his lips are in a slight pout. You realize you have never seen him so serious before. You don’t know why he’s so focused on a project he has nothing to do with.

As the song ends, another voice comes from the doorway.

“Cheollie, we’re leav—What are you doing here?”

To your disappointment, Hajun is standing at the door. Though what you really get a kick out of is her outfit. For the first time, she isn’t in pants. Her skirt stops a few inches above her knee, and her blouse is form-fitting rather than loose—like she normally wears.

Instinctively, your eyes drift to Seungcheol. You didn’t realize his attire until now. Despite it not being a suit, he wears slacks and a patterned top. A simple and clean look but is still nice. Were they on…?

Even though her question is most likely directed at you based on her tone, Seungcheol answers, “Give us a moment, Hajun. I’ll be out in a second.”

“But the—”

“Wait in the car then,” he replies sternly, eyes not leaving the computer screen. She fumes, gives you one final glare, then leaves.

“You have other files?” Seungcheol questions.

“Yes, but they’re either missing an element or don't fit any of them,” Jihoon explains.

You can’t recall ever telling Seungcheol about the theme of your project, so why is he acting as if this isn’t news to him? Maybe he put it together upon seeing your designs, or maybe his friends told him about it. Does that mean they talk about you in private? Probably. Still, you can’t help but want to ask.

“How did—” you begin, but Seungcheol stops you.

“Have you done one file with all four?”

“It was too long for her project,” Chan explains.

Suddenly, you feel you are being pushed out of your project. They’re talking about you as if you aren’t standing a few feet from them.

“This is my show, remember?” you huff. However, no one reacts to your question. 

Your patience drastically decreases. It doesn’t help that the bane of your existence is the cause of being overthrown.

“So, just cut each element file to make them shorter and create transitions,” Seungcheol suggests. “She’ll just have to organize her lineup to match.”

“That’s a stup—” you began.

“That may work,” Jihoon mumbles, then says to himself. “Such an obvious solution, too.”

You open your mouth to speak, only to be interrupted again.

“It may sound choppy if not done correctly, but that won’t be a problem since you’re making the track,” Chan adds with a supporting smile.

“Will you buffoons stop interrupting me?!” you exclaim, stomping a foot like you are a child.

They all turn toward you. Seungcheol chuckles softly at your scowl.

“Shouldn’t we be getting a ‘thank you,’ Cherry?” Seungcheol asks cockily.

Chan and Jihoon look at him, confused, never having heard that name before. To be fair, no one has.

“No, because you all just decided things without me,” you argue and gesture to the screen to prove your point.

“We were helping you,” Seungcheol rephrases.

“You were taking ove—”

“Come here,” he says, holding out his hand. You look at it as if he has just stuck it in sewer water.

“Like hell I will. You can leave. Hajun is waiting for you anyway. I need to finish working with Jihoon,” you scoff and angle your body to the screen to dismiss him.

“I don’t know why I offered my hand,” he mumbles under his breath, but it’s so quiet you can still hear it.

“Great question,” you say. “I don’t know why either, because I’m never going anywh—”

“I should’ve just taken yours.”

Seungcheol suddenly grabs your wrist, firm enough so you can’t escape but not so rough to where he’s hurting you. He starts walking toward the door with you in tow. Unless you want him to clean the floor with your body, you have no choice but to follow.

He pulls you into the empty bedroom next door, shutting it before he releases you. He presses his back against the door to make sure you can’t make a run for it.

“That’s your tenth time interrupting me,” you hiss, a finger pointing at him accusingly. It’s bad enough he waltzed in and made decisions for your project without consulting you. Now he wants to, what? Force you to talk to him? Force you to forgive him?

“It was probably like three times, and Jihoon interrupted you as well,” Seungcheol says.

“He’s not an ass like you,” you reply.

“Oh, I’m an ass?”

You move closer to him, finger now pressing into his chest. Your unwanted yearning for him is transforming into anger. It’s a way to divert the denial you’re feeling at how much you missed being near him. Even if he has pissed you off before, you didn’t realize how much he has wormed his way into your life. To suddenly cut him off made it harder not to think of him. Now that he is here in front of you, you don't know what else to do but to default to how you initially felt around him—annoyed.

Surely, the increased heart rate is due to being irate, not because you are nearly toe-to-toe with Seungcheol.

“A big ass. Huge! One that I—No!”

You quickly stop your sentence when he opens his mouth. The finger on his chest is now pressing against his mouth to quiet him.

“Let me finish, dammit. You’re rude and insufferable. You’re the biggest ass I’ve ever met. One that I wouldn’t mind kicking—with my heels on, mind you.”

Seungcheol looks at you, pleased, which only intensifies the fire in you. Once he starts speaking, you quickly retract your finger. The feel of his mouth moving against your finger feels like fire against your skin—burning and making you feel warm.

“You sure you can balance on one leg long enough to do that?” he taunts.

After letting out a big exhale while stepping away, you ask, “What are you even doing here?”

“I promised I would help Joshua with something,” he explains. Hearing his name, it dawns on you that you are probably in his room. He and Jihoon have been roommates for a few months now, so you see him frequently.

“Why are you dressed like that?” you question next, eyes going up and down his body swiftly. 

“I went out to dinner,” he shrugs, not finding a big deal in what he’s wearing.

You aren’t going to bring her up. You really aren’t. So, why can’t you stop your damn mouth from running?

“With Hajun?”

Something in your tone must have gotten Seungcheol’s attention more. A stupid smirk forms on his stupid face.

“Something on your mind, Cherry?” he quips. You hate when he has that mischievous grin of his.

“Besides wanting to kick you? No.”

Rather than Seungcheol being offended by your answer, his smile only grows. “I’ve missed your sassy mouth.”

There’s a tug in your chest at his words, something akin to a siren's call—luring you to someone dangerous. At least, dangerous to your heart. 

It feels good to be missed by him, but you still can’t let go of the words he said to you in that café.

“I’m sure your friends are ecstatic to not have seen me lately,” you huff. Even though you are tired of thinking of them when you’re around him, you still bring them up. It’s just easier to latch onto a reason to be mad at him.

“I’m not talking about them right now,” he says firmly.

Seungcheol pushes off the door to stand closer to you. You take one step back, but one of his hands presses against the small of your back to bring you to him. The close proximity has you trying to lean away, but he doesn’t let that happen.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” he encourages, voice softer.

Your heart is hammering in your chest. You’re still worked up from all the irritation you feel. You’re probably overreacting, but being alone with him stirs up feelings you’ve locked away.

“Let go of me,” you reply in lieu and wiggle in his hold. It’s fruitless.

“Yn,” he says lowly. Hearing your name from his lips has your breathing stop. It’s odd to hear it when he normally uses the nickname he gave you. “I’m sorry.”

You don’t need him to tell you what he’s apologizing for.

“Don’t,” you warn and press a hand against his chest. “You don’t mean that.”

His body feels soft, yet firm under your touch. While you would focus on his build, the feeling of his racing heart catches your attention more. Your eyes snap to meet his, not noticing you are staring at your hand on him. Is he nervous?

“I do. I’m sorry you felt I wasn’t on your side,” he says, mouth tugging down. “I want to be there for you.”

There is that feeling in your chest again—one you have been trying to force down for days. You try to hold onto the fizzing anger in you, but Dae’s words resurface in your mind. He could have left you. After all, he is right. You were rude when you first met him.

Seungcheol’s gaze darts between your eyes and then to your lips. You say nothing as he does so, your own eyes sweeping across his features.

As if in a daze, he starts to slowly lean forward.

You press the hand against his chest harder to stop him. “Cheol, you can’t. I—”

“What is it, baby?” he murmurs, thumb rubbing against the small of your back. The pet name wraps you in a blanket of illusion where you’re really his. One where there isn’t constant drama looming around you. You like the way it sounds from him.

“I have lipstick on,” you reply quietly.

Seungcheol flickers his gaze to your eyes, his own forming small crescents as he chuckles. “Is that your excuse to stop me?”

“No,” you answer with a slight shake of your head.

“Then stop talking,” he laughs softly and leans in again. Your hand on his chest relaxes as you let his body come nearer.

His lips gently brush against yours, almost experimentally. The simple feel of his mouth on yours has your body tingle. Your chest feels tight the longer you hold your breath in anticipation. As soon as he starts to press his lips on yours more, there is a loud noise from the other side.

“Shua, wait! I think Seungcheol and Yn are in ther—”

You both quickly separate from each other, eyes wide as saucers when the door opens. Joshua stands with a hand on his doorknob; his lips are in a deep frown at seeing you two.

“Not in my room,” he whines, body sagging when he sees both of your expressions.

“Huh? What do you mean? What’s going on—Oh,” Chan calls out as he comes behind him. 

You’re sure neither one of you is untidy in terms of clothes and hair, but the look on your faces is a flashing neon sign indicating what was occurring or about to occur.

“Nothing happened,” Seungcheol says and pushes a hand through his hair.

“Hopefully not. You have your own place for that,” Joshua replies. The thought of doing something intimate with Seungcheol has your cheeks feeling hot.

Not wanting to think of that, you glance at Chan. “Did Jihoon get the music sorted?”

Chan, still a little startled, nods. “He’s ready whenever you are.”

“Great, I’m coming.”

Chan says okay before heading back to the other room. Joshua makes his way into the room while you and Seungcheol start toward the exit. However, before you can completely leave, Seungcheol grabs your upper arm gently to stop you.

He leans toward your ear to whisper, “It was an end-of-the-year dinner with my whole class. My friends are probably wondering where I am.”

Without another word, he presses a chaste kiss to your forehead before sending you a smile and rounding the corner at the end of the hall that leads to the front door.

Your brain hasn’t caught up to anything that has happened in the last few minutes. From being frustrated with Seungcheol to nearly kissing him. You don’t even like him, so why is your heart soaring at thinking of possibly being in a relationship with him? Why does knowing he didn’t go to dinner alone with Hajun make you feel relieved? Hell, you don’t even find him attractive… Right? Yeah. He isn’t your type. His smile isn’t pretty. His eyes definitely don’t shine. His dimples are unflattering. His laugh is cute—obnoxious! His laugh is obnoxious.

Your shoulders deflate.

Oh, fuck.

Seeing Seungcheol on campus stirs a torrent of emotions through you.

The sight of him has your lips tingle as if you can feel the ghost of his mouth on yours. You ponder on what would have happened if Joshua hadn’t barged into the room. Would the kiss have been short and sweet? Long and passionate? Quick and desperate? Would he have said something that would’ve changed the trajectory of your relationship? Did you want that?

You have been snuffing out any thoughts about Seungcheol that crosses the line of friendship. There isn’t a reason why you can’t be more than friends—besides the disapproval from his business friends. You chalk it up to being too busy to put much effort into a partner. Plus, is Seungcheol even the person you want?

“You know you’ve been staring at the man for the past three minutes, right?”

Dae’s voice knocks on your mind’s door. Your gaze tears from Seungcheol’s back, who is ahead of you in the line ordering, to peer at your friend. She wears a small smile and is watching you closely.

“Not on purpose,” you argue. “I was just staring off into the distance. He just happened to be there.”

“You’ve been hanging out with him a lot,” she observes.

With the conversation about Seungcheol, you can’t help but drift your eyes back to him. 

He must sense your stare because out of the blue, he’s looking over his shoulder at you. The cashier follows his gaze, then says something to Seungcheol to which he nods in reply. Although the cashier turns back to the screen in front of them, Seungcheol’s eyes linger on you. He gives you a quick wink, mouth raising in a lopsided smile before finally averting his gaze.

“I haven’t,” you answer late and glance away.

“Uh huh,” Dae says, unbelieving.

“He’s just somehow always around when I’m working on my project with his friends. I’m not hanging out with him,” you explain.

“Maybe not directly, but he’s still there,” she shrugs.

“Trust me. I wish he wouldn’t be,” you sigh, shuffling forward when the line moves. “He’s distracting when I’m trying to get work done.”

Dae giggles. “Oh, I’m sure he is.”

“Not in that way,” you scold with a light arm slap. “I mean, his friends are easily susceptible to topic changes. What should be a thirty-minute meeting turns into an hour.”

Dae hums but doesn’t say anything else when you both are near the cashier finally. After ordering for yourself, you take out your card ready to pay.

“Actually, it’s already been paid for,” the worker says.

You cock your head to the side in confusion. “What?”

The cashier turns to Dae, who is ordering next to you. “And your friend’s.”

Suddenly, Dae is giggling. Though they aren’t quiet chuckles, they are loud and obnoxious. So much so, you feel it could be heard throughout the whole building.

“How kind of him, Yn,” she teases you, gladly accepting the free meal. You don’t need to specify the “he”. Since the deed is already done, you have no choice but to grab your food and move along.

“You should thank him,” Dae suggests as you walk to an empty table.

You scan the area and spot him with his back to you again. He sits with Vernon, Doyun, Joshua, and Mingyu. None of them notice you, and you turn around before that changes.

“I don’t want to, not in front of his friends,” you say, taking a bite of your meal.

“Why not?”

“I just feel it’ll be awkward,” you mumble.

Dae smiles. “It wouldn’t be, but fine. Let’s write him a note instead.”

You glance at her questionably. “Or I could just text him.”

“That’s so boring,” she scoffs, reaching inside your purse.

“Hey!” you try to protest but that doesn’t stop her from rummaging through your bag. She pulls out your sticky notes that have a cute design on them.

“Don’t you have yours?” you grumble as she starts to scribble on it.

“Yours are nicer,” she answers simply. She slides the pad over to you and her pen. “Now, write a thank you.”

Reluctantly, you do as you’re told. While you do so, Dae digs into your purse again. This time she pulls out your travel-sized perfume. You figure she wants to freshen up, but rather, she tears off the sticky note and spritzes the paper with the scent.

“That is so old school,” you groan, cringing at the cheesy act.

Dae smirks and folds the note. She pushes it in your hand and then covers her barely-eaten food.

“Let’s go give it to him as we’re leaving,” she instructs.

“But I barely started eating,” you complain, glancing down at your food.

“Do you really want to stay in this stuffy area? We can eat somewhere else.”

You watch as she stands up. Sensing she isn’t going to take no for an answer, and you don’t like eating in here anyway, you oblige and grab your meal.

“Any slower and we’ll have to eat during the lecture,” she says.

“We should’ve just left without sitting down,” you reply and started walking in the direction of Seungcheol’s table.

You don’t get the chance to back out of Dae’s plan since she taps his shoulder to get his attention as soon as she’s in arm's reach.

He jumps, turning as his eyes raise to flicker between the two of you. You bite back the giggle that almost escapes upon seeing his stuffed cheeks. He reminds you of a cute chipmunk, and there is a tingle in your fingertips that makes you want to poke his face.

Seungcheol seems embarrassed at having been caught like that, quickly covering his mouth and turning away. Once he swallows his food, he looks at you both again.

“Yn has something to give you,” Dae says.

You suddenly feel like her kid who has been forced to do something because “Mommy said to do it.” His friends are watching inquisitively.

“Oh?” he wonders, eyes glinting with curiosity.

You push out your hand, the folded note sticking out. He takes it slowly. His fingers brush yours as he did so, and you feel like such a love-sick teenager at the subtle giddy feeling bubbling from his graze.

You don’t want to be there when he opens it, so you clutch Dae’s arm and beeline to the exit without a word. You refuse to turn back to see his expression, only focusing on Dae’s endless giggles on the way out.

Your mom has finally found a hotel nearby to stay at. Even though you haven’t seen her in a long time, part of you is glad she is going. However, the little girl in you wants her to stay. To try to fix what is so broken in this fucking house, but that is a wish that will never be granted. You just want the fighting to stop, for you and for your sister. For that to happen, it’s best that she left. She’s been gone for three days; it’s been quiet since. Your father hasn’t said anything, just asked if you and your sister were okay before returning to his office.

Spring break came and went in a blink of an eye. You had no plans besides continuing to work on your project. After your mom left, you transferred all the items you had worked on from Dae’s place back to yours. You hung out with her occasionally, which wasn’t shocking to do, but what you didn’t expect was to talk to Seungcheol throughout the week. 

Seungcheol was out of town with his family, so he was pretty busy. Despite this, he still managed to find time to talk to you when he could. Conversations were dragged out due to the delayed responses, but that didn’t matter to you. It was nice to learn more about him and think about something other than your project—even if it were just for a few minutes at a time. 

Now your floor is covered in fabric scraps, cut-out fabric pieces, and sewing pattern sketches. Although it’s a mess, seeing your progress feels good.

Outside your door, you hear hurried shuffling. You ignore it as your sister is probably playing around.

“Yn! Your boyfriend is here!” Seoah calls out. You pause in pinning a piece of fabric to your dress form and sigh. You stick the pin in the pin cushion you have on your wrist, then leave your room.

As you are turning the corner, you ask in exasperation, “What are you talking about, Seoah? I don’t have a—Seungcheol?”

You stop in your tracks when you see him standing in the doorway, his name coming out as a gasp. His hair is wavy, which is different from how you normally see it. His dark hoodie and pants combo is nothing spectacular, but it has you wanting to wrap your arms around him to see if he feels as comfortable as he looks. 

You quickly blink a few times, gathering yourself again and trying hard not to ponder on your thoughts. You veer toward your sister. “Go to your room.”

“What? You’re not even going to introduce me?” she scoffs, ignoring your demand and turning to Seungcheol. She outreaches a hand to him and bows slightly.

“Hi! I’m Seoah, the better sister.”

Seungcheol chuckles and reciprocates the handshake, bowing slightly as well. “Nice to meet you, Seoah. I’m Seungcheol.”

“I’ve heard about you!” she exclaims. “Yn has talked about you.”

That is a partial lie. You have talked about him, but not with her. She must have heard you talk about him while you spoke to Dae on the phone. Curse your thin walls.

Seungcheol glances past her to you, who stands, annoyed, a little away from the door. He takes in your casual attire, and you realize he’s not used to seeing you like this. You suddenly feel self-conscious. Instead of that making you cower in shyness, you just get irritated.

“Good things, I hope,” he answers your sister with a laugh.

Seoah winces. “Actually, not really—”

“Room! Now!” you huff and point to the hallway. Seoah rolls her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah,” she says. She gives Seungcheol a wave before skipping past you, making sure to “accidentally” bump into you on her way.

Once you hear her door shut, you walk closer to Seungcheol.

“What are you doing here?” you ask in a quiet voice, knowing Seoah probably has an ear pressed up against her wall.

Rather than giving you the answer you’re looking for, he chaffs, “You’ve said bad things about me? I’m hurt.”

“Yeah, well, I’m about to have more bad things to say if you don’t answer my question.”

Seungcheol smiles, seemingly unfazed by your brazen response. “At least you would be talking about me.”

Unamused by his playful tone, you take a step back and push the door closed. Seungcheol presses his palm against the object before it can fully shut. His push on the door is strong enough that you have no choice but to stop your actions.

“Must you always be so snappy?” he questions blithely.

“Must you always be so annoying?” you retort. 

“Annoying is subjective.”

“Seungcheol,” you exhale. “I’m busy, so unless it’s something dire, get off my porch.”

“I haven't seen you for a week and suddenly you’ve turned into an old lady.”

Your eyes narrow. The pin cushion comes into view, and you reach to pluck a needle from it.

“This old lady has a weapon, so don’t even start,” you threaten.

Seungcheol takes a step back when he sees the small object. He bites his lower lip as he stares at it. You can tell he’s trying not to laugh. It makes you jab the air toward him, causing him to take another step back.

“Alright, alright, Cherry, put that tiny sword away,” he laughs, hands rising to show mercy.

You oblige, eyes scrutinizing him in case he decides to do something. Though, he simply lowers his arms.

“What do you want?” you ask.

“It’s always ‘what do you want’ and never ‘how are you’,” he sighs teasingly.

Your reply almost leaves your lips until you hear the sound of a door opening from inside.

“Yn? Is there someone at the door?” your father’s voice comes from somewhere behind you. In a panic, you shut the door—so unexpectedly and fast, Seungcheol doesn’t have time to stop you this time.

You turn around to him. “Yeah. I forgot I left something at Dae’s. She’s just brought it back. I need to go meet her.”

Lying to your Dad isn’t something you probably need to do. It’s not like you are banned from having friends or being in a relationship, but you try not to mix too much of your personal life with people you know.

“Ah, alright,” he says. He lingers around for a moment and then leaves the room.

You open the door as soon as he is out of sight. You step out this time. Seungcheol gives you a concerned look, but you pretend not to notice.

“Can we talk in your car?” you ask. It’s better to talk where Seoah isn’t eavesdropping, and your Dad can’t spot you.

Seungcheol doesn’t question you and gestures for you to lead the way.

“You’re not wearing shoes,” he observes as you go down the stairs.

“Good to know you can see,” you reply, not caring about the fact. You’re just going to figure out what he wants then go back inside.

“And you called me insufferable,” he groans.

Suddenly, your feet aren’t touching the floor.

Seungcheol has his arms under your knees and around your back. You instinctively wrap your arms around his neck tightly.

“This is unnecessary!” you shriek at the abrupt change.

“You could get hurt,” he simply says, walking the short distance from your porch steps to his car parked out front.

“It’s concrete, not glass. I would’ve been fine,” you argue.

“You never know.”

Seungcheol’s grip doesn’t loosen, and you know he isn’t going to let you down until he reaches his vehicle. With this knowledge, you decide to let yourself think about the way he holds you so tightly. His hair is tickling your arm, and his cold touch on your bare legs warms your skin the longer it presses against you. For a moment, you dive back into that illusion of being more than friends. It’s a dangerous thought.

Instead of setting you down on the ground when he arrives at his car, he gently rests you on top of his shoes—still not letting your feet touch the rough concrete. It’s a small gesture, but the impact it has on you is big. You warmly stare at him, hoping he doesn’t see it as you wait for him to open the door. The click of the door cues you to climb inside.

“All that work for what?” you laugh lightly when he climbs inside, trying not to seep deeper into the warmth that begins spreading in your chest. He turns on the car to get the AC running.

“For your safety,” he replies as if what he did isn’t anything special. While you hate the part of your brain that wonders if he has done this for anyone else before, you hate another part that wants him to only do these things for you more.

“Should I carry you if you are barefooted next time?” you tease.

The grin on his face is wide enough to accentuate his dimples. “As much as I would love for that to happen, I doubt you can carry me.”

“We can try it now,” you offer, gesturing out the window.

“I would rather not break my tailbone when you drop me,” he laughs.

It’s getting harder to deny that you miss him and his contagious giggles. You laugh along with him briefly.

“So, will you please tell me why you’re here?” you ask when the laughter dies down.

“Another ‘please’? I ought to be around you more if I remind you of that word,” he replies.

“You do, constantly,” you start. “Please go away. Please get to the point. Please shut up. Please—”

“I got it,” he chuckles, and you stop to give him a triumphant smirk. 

“I wanted to invite you to dinner with my friends,” he finally reveals.

Hearing the term “my friends” coming from Seungcheol has your smirk slowly evaporating. Upon seeing your change of expression, he quickly elaborates.

“Our friends. Would you like to go to dinner with our friends? Not my… other ones.”

You feel better at knowing it isn’t the group you are avidly evading. “Why would they want me there? Did you not ask about me coming again?”

“Actually,” he pauses, “they asked me to invite you.”

“They did?” you wonder out loud, startled.

“You and Dae.”

“This couldn’t have been asked in a text message?” you ask. 

“I wanted to see you,” he shrugs as though there is nothing wrong with that. Which, there isn’t, except it stirs unwanted emotions that make you feel warmer. 

You move your gaze from him as you consider the invitation. Your first outing with people other than Dae went horribly, and even though this will be with people you are more fond of, you’re still nervous. Maybe if Dae agrees, you’ll be more inclined.

“Can I get back to you?” you ask.

Seungcheol’s small frown quickly turns upside down when you look at him again. “Yeah, of course,” he forces out.

“Sorry, I just…”

Seungcheol reaches out to you, placing a hand on your thigh lightly to reassure you. “I get it. Don’t feel pressured. We just wanted to get to know you both without talking about your projects.”

You nod slowly, eyes staring down at his hand on your skin. Heat is spreading from his touch to across your body. His other hand comes up and guides your face upward, causing your gaze to tear from his hand to his face. He’s closer than you remember. He smiles at you, those devilish dimples appearing and making your heart melt involuntarily.

“Just let me know,” he speaks lowly, slowly so you hear him clearly. Your mind isn’t sure if he is referring to letting him know about the dinner invitation or letting him know if you want him to kiss you.

Yes to both.

You nod, eyes trailing down to his lips. You watch as they stretch into a bigger grin.

“Good,” he murmurs.

You wonder if he can hear how fast your heart is thumping in his quiet car. Though that is a fleeting thought as he nears your face. Your eyes flutter shut as you meet him halfway.

Like before, his lips graze yours tenderly. It’s so gentle that you have to suppress the shiver your body wants to emit. One of your hands slowly rises to rest against his cheek to bring him closer. His head tilts into your touch. 

Seungcheol’s hand that’s on your thigh glides up your side until it rests on your waist. Your lips are pressed against his more than they were at Jihoon’s, but not fully. Despite the slow pace, it’s thrilling to be able to focus on his every touch.

“Not your boyfriend, huh?”

The voice outside has you both springing from each other. You move so fast that your head accidentally hits the passenger window. The thud catches Seungcheol’s attention and before you can glare daggers at your sister, his hands come up to cup the back of your head where you had hit it.

“Are you okay?” he quickly asks. Although you want to indulge in his caring nature, you move his hands so you can turn to face the window. The throbbing is already fading. 

Seoah stands with her arms crossed, hips shifted to one side, and a not-so-intimidating stare.

“Well?” she prompts. Her voice is slightly muffled from being outside, but you hear it nonetheless.

You open the door so she can hear you clearly. “You say anything and I’ll—”

“You’re really going to threaten me with your boyfriend here?” she questions, a knowing smile on her annoying face.

“You’re right. Let’s go inside first,” you say before turning to Seungcheol. His face is flushed, and he still seems a little startled by everything that happened. You’ve never seen him so bashful before. He looks rather… cute.

“I’ll get back to you, okay?” you say, starting to slowly leave his car.

That has him swimming out of his thoughts. “Do you need me to—”

You smile at him. “No, Cheol, I don’t need a ‘ride’ back to the door.”

“Watch your step,” he warns softly.

“I will. Drive safe,” you say, fully out of his car and leaning in through his now rolled-down window to see him. You peer over your shoulder to see Seoah waiting a few feet away.

“Also,” he says quickly. “I’ll drive you and Dae and pay for your dinners. If that’s any incentive to come.”

“Tempting,” you playfully reply. “I’ll let you know soon.”

“Okay,” he slowly says. “Oh, and thank you for that note.”

Your body stills at remembering that silly, scented sticky note Dae made you give him days ago.

“Don’t mention it. Seriously,” you reply with a hint of sternness.

“Bye, Cherry,” he smiles. He seems like he wants to say more but decides against it.

“Bye, Seungcheol,” you say.

Per his request, you’re careful with your steps as you retreat back to your door. Before you go back inside, you turn to Seoah.

“What were you doing outside?” you question. You can hear the sound of car tires as she answers.

“Dad sent me out to get you.”

Your eyes widen. “Did he see who I was with?”

“No,” she says. “Just said he didn’t hear you come back in.”

Of course, the one time he decides to be attentive is when Seungcheol comes.

“Don’t tell him about this, alright?” you sigh.

Seoah nods. She may be annoying, but at least she isn’t traitorous. “Are you dating him?”

“No,” you reply sternly. You aren’t. You are just… testing the waters? About to have a friend with benefits? Friends with make-out-sessions? You are nearing an unhealthy spiral from how much you are fretting over the man.

“Do you want to be?” she wonders.

“Enough, Seoah. Just promise me you won’t say anything.”

Seoah stays silent for a moment. You fear you’ll have to plead more, but she ends up sticking out her pinkie finger. You sigh in relief, wrapping your pinkie around hers.

“I promise,” she says.

“Thanks,” you mumble. “Let’s get inside,” you instruct, voice softer than before.

“Please turn in your progress reports. I’ll see you all next week,” Dr. Lim says and motions to the spot on the table in front of him.

You wait as the majority of your peers place their papers in a pile. You’re still on your iPad and editing a few designs. You just can’t get one of them right. Something is off, but you aren’t quite sure of the reason.

Maybe if you hadn’t stayed up last night, your mind wouldn’t be so sluggish. 

Seungcheol wasn’t quite ready to end the conversation once he left. Countless texts transpired before he eventually called. The conversations were easygoing enough for you to continue working on your designs while you talked to him. You learned he had an older brother and parents who all lived a few cities over. He hasn’t visited as many times as he wished due to being busy with classes. Though, he tries to go when he can.

You don’t disclose much about your family, keeping it simple by saying you have a sister, whom he met, and parents. He doesn’t pester too much on the topic, and you’re glad. Instead, you talk about what you’ve both been up to and your hobbies (he likes to play games and drink with friends). 

You stayed up later than normal and are now paying the price for it. Though even through your haze, you don’t regret it.

“Come on, Yn,” Dae says when the line to leave shortens.

“One second,” you reply as you focus back on your sketch.

Dae sighs but leaves you alone, going to turn in her own report. 

Maybe the coloring? But if you adjust the shade, it will be too close to another design. Is the one slit in the skirt too common? Maybe if you add two… Better, but it still isn’t clicking. Perhaps it is the top. 

Your hand dances across the screen, drawing and erasing, then redrawing until you finally have something that itches that artistic scratch you are trying to satisfy. The other issue is you need more fabric to make this piece. You’ll have to note that down in your to-do list.

Once you are finally packed, you leave your table and set your paper on top of everyone else’s.

Dr. Lim glances up at seeing you walk past. “Thanks, Yn. I look forward to seeing what you have so far.”

“I am as well. Let me know if there are any changes that could make my designs better,” you reply, pushing your bag strap higher on your shoulder.

He smiles at you; it’s not the first time you’ve asked this. “Of course. See you next week.”

You say your goodbye and then exit to find Dae. She’s outside the classroom, leaning against the wall as she speaks to someone. He looks familiar and you recall his name to be Yejun. He was with Jeonghan when you first met him.

“You get everything sorted?” Dae asks when she sees you. You nod. “Do you remember Yejun?”

Another nod.

“It’s good to see you again,” he greets with a warm smile.

The first response you have is it probably isn’t good to see you since most people don’t find pleasure in your presence. You’re sure he just said that out of courtesy.

Alternatively, you opt for, “You as well.”

“Oh, did Seungcheol ask you about that dinner with the guys?” Dae wonders to you.

Ah, that’s right. You were going to ask her about that today but got distracted with revising your design.

“He did, but I wanted to see if you are going first,” you answer.

“Yeah, me and Yejun are planning to go.”

You glance at Yejun in surprise. Seungcheol didn’t mention his name.

Upon seeing your expression, Yejun explains, “Jeonghan invited me since I’m helping Dae with her project.”

“Hm,” you hum in affirmation. It makes sense.

“So, are you coming?” Dae questions.

You’re conflicted about what you want. What if this dinner ends like how the lounge night went? You planned to stick with Dae if she goes, but now that Yejun is going, will she leave you? What if something happens and you need her?

“Stop overthinking and just say yes. It’ll be fine,” Dae interrupts your mental questions and gives you a friendly push.

Exhaling deeply, you agree to go.

“Great,” she smiles. “Yejun offered to give us a ride.”

The mention of a ride makes you recall Seungcheol’s offer. “Oh, Ch-Seungcheol actually said he’ll drive us and pay for our dinner.”

You peer at Yejun, recalling he didn’t mention he’ll do the same for Yejun, but you figure Seungcheol won’t mind. At least the ride part. You don’t know if he’ll pay for Yejun too.

Yejun gets the hint at your look and chuckles. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll catch a ride with Jeonghan.”

“I’ll go with Yejun and Jeonghan,” Dae offers.

Your heart starts to race at the idea of being left alone with Seungcheol again. It wouldn’t be the worst thing, and you rather enjoyed his company, but lately, you’ve been treading on an indivisible balance beam—teetering on feelings you aren’t ready to come to terms with. Maybe you are, but you’re too nervous that Seungcheol doesn't feel the same. Yeah, he tried to kiss you—twice—but that doesn’t mean he likes you. You can kiss people you don’t like. He could be looking for something noncommittal and somehow sees that in you. 

Great, now you’re concerned if that’s how he sees you. Someone who isn’t dedicated to one specific person. Does he think that of you in general or in terms of relationships? You just added another reason why you shouldn’t be left alone with him. Way to go, brain. Seriously.

“Actually, I’m sure he won’t mind you both. Let me just ask real quick,” you respond hastily and pull out your phone.

“It’s okay,” Dae says, but you ignore her. You send a message to Seungcheol. You know he’s in class, according to previous conversations, but you hope he sees the text soon.

“It’ll probably be more fun in Jeonghan’s anywa—”

Your eyes shoot down when your phone vibrates.

“He said yes! It’s all good. He even offered to pay for you, Yejun,” you say, a little happier than you should’ve been. Dae eyes you suspiciously.

“Really? Oh, wow. Alright. I can’t turn down a free ride and meal,” he laughs and looks at Dae. “That alright with you, Dae?”

She slowly tears her sight from you and gives Yejun a small smile. “Yeah, it sounds perfect.”

“Awesome. I’ll tell him to pick you guys up first,” you say.

“We can just meet at yours?” Dae offers, but you shake your head.

“I need the extra time to get ready,” you lie. She says nothing at the little fib. She should know you don’t want a lot of people at your house.

“Right,” she says slowly. “Then Yejun, can you meet me at mine? I don’t want Seungcheol driving all through the city since he’s doing us a favor.”

“Okay,” he agrees.

“Yejun!” a familiar, light voice calls. You look around and see Jeonghan a few feet away.

“Class calls,” Yejun sighs and starts to walk toward Jeonghan.

Jeonghan directs a kind smile and waves in your direction. You wave back—one that isn’t as enthusiastic as his, but it doesn’t matter. He should be grateful he got a wave at all. 

“You ladies coming to dinner this weekend?” he calls from where he is. He could have easily walked over, but he decides to yell across the room instead. People are starting to glance at you all, and you sigh at his antics.

“Yup! We’re even getting a free meal from your friend!” Dae answers, having no problem with the long-distance chat.

Jeonghan laughs, loud enough for you to hear it and for your mouth to dip down at the sound. Better yet, it isn’t even a laugh. It’s a maniacal giggle. That giggly little bitch.

“Oh? Are you now?” he questions, obviously not needing a hint at who the aforementioned friend is. “Well if he’s offering, I’m going to see if he’ll pay for mine too.”

“Pay for your own, and go to class,” you finally join the discussion. You place a hand on Dae’s arm, ready to drag her away from the angelic devil.

“Trying to keep him all to yourself? That’s not fair,” he replies with an over-exaggerated pout.

“That’s not the reason,” you growl, eyes narrowing in a sneer.

“Well, regardless, he’s got money to spare,” Jeonghan chuckles and slips an arm around Yejun’s shoulder when he gets close enough. “Have a nice day!”

You both watch as they ascend the stairs, their laughter fading off the farther they get.

“Seungcheol’s loaded?” Dae asks, surprised.

It takes you a moment to realize what spurs that question. You’re about to say no, but his car and his luxury clothes say otherwise. Hell, even his cologne shouts “expensive”. Though he could’ve gotten all those as gifts, or even got help paying for some. It doesn’t matter if he has lots of money or not, but you didn’t expect him to. No one you really know is that wealthy.

“I’m not sure. Plus, paying for five meals doesn’t mean he’s rich,” you reply honestly. “It doesn’t matter. We need to go get some fabric.”

“Who’s ‘we’?” she teasingly questions, letting you pull her out of the building and to the parking lot.

“You said you needed to go to the store anyway,” you argue.

Dae smiles. “Yeah, but I never said I wanted to go with you.”

“Shut up,” you roll your eyes playfully. Dae giggles and holds onto your arm tighter.

“You can just tell me you want to hang out with me,” she says.

“I’d rather swallow my pin cushion.”

“Ouch. For a moment, I really thought we had something,” Dae sighs dramatically, clutching her chest in faux pain.

“Alright, enough playing around. Let’s get going.”

Just your luck.

You and Dae visit almost every fabric store that your college is sponsored by. Every single one you have gone to so far has the fabric you want out of stock. Dae offers some that are “close to what you want,” but you don’t want them. The fabric you saw online is what you have envisioned for your piece, and you don’t want to settle for less. 

There is one more store on the list, and as soon as you walk in, you make your way to where it should be.

There it is!

The navy blue sheer fabric is calling to you.

You’re about eight steps from it when two girls come into view. You hurry to the fabric, but unfortunately, they are standing in front of it. One girl has her hand hovering over the bolts of fabric in that section, seemingly unsure of what she wants. That’s good for you as it means she doesn’t have her eye on the fabric you want. You just need to sneak in and grab it before she makes up her mind.

“Excuse me,” you say to them. When they turn to you, you recognize their faces. They’re in your class and are participating in the runway project. Tori and Siwon, if you remember correctly. 

“Oh, Yn,” Tori says. “Need something?”

Though her voice is sweet, you know her intention is not. You’re aware of the way she speaks about you. Always something about how unoriginal you are because you “stole designs.” That or you pay for people to do your work for you. What pathetic lies. They’re common rumors amongst several fashion students. Although you don’t know if all of them are false for others, you know the allegations about you are.

Your gaze on the blue fabric catches her attention, and she turns toward it. “Oh, here’s what I came for.”

Your heart drops when she grabs it, tucking it under her arm and then looking at you again. Her overly innocent smile has your hands clutching at your sides. You know she did this just to spite you. If she really wanted it, she would’ve grabbed it sooner.

“The area is yours,” Tori says, bowing as if you are royalty. It’s a mocking action, which has you nearly stomping your heel onto her exposed foot in her open-toed shoes.

You take a deep breath and eye the fabric in her hold. There isn’t much of it left, which means there won’t be enough for what you need. Part of you doesn’t even want it if she’s going to use it in her designs.

Rolling your shoulders back and lifting your chin, you say, “No wonder you’re one of the least creative students in class. All you do is take others’ ideas. I doubt you even know what to do with that fabric, but good luck.”

The girls scoff before leaving for the cutting station. You stare after them, fire rolling inside.

“Hey, did you find it?” Dae asks when she stops next to you. She has items in her hands that you don’t pay attention to.

“Yeah,” you reply through clenched teeth. “Then Tori took it.”

“Tori from class?”

You gesture to where she is, smiling at the lady who is cutting the fabric for her.

“I’m sorry she beat you to it,” Dae says.

You shake your head. “She didn’t even want it. She took it because she knew I wanted it.”

Dae glances back to her across the store, mouth set in a firm line.

“I’ll tell you what, I’ll lure her and her friend outside and you can snatch the fabric from the counter.”

As much as you like the idea, and appreciate Dae’s support, you shake your head. “I’d probably get kicked out for sabotaging her project.”

“You’re just playing fair,” Dae argues.

“Whatever,” you reply, looking at her arms. “Let’s go check out.”

Dae follows you silently to the registers.

“We can go to another store,” she offers as you wait in line.

“This was the last store that would give it at a discount. I can’t afford it at the regular price,” you explain.

Dae nods grimly. She gently takes the red thread that you’ve been toying with in your hands. “I’ll pay this for you.”

“I’m not that poor,” you sigh and take it back.

She laughs lightly. “I didn’t mean to imply that. I just wanted to make you happy.”

“Thanks. I’ll just find something else,” you conclude, giving her a forced smile.

“And it’ll be better than that cliché navy blue,” Dae says.

“It was a little cliché, huh?” you question. You're grateful for Dae trying to lift your mood.

“Absolutely!”

previous chapter \\ series masterpost // next chapter

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#svt fanfic #svt angst #svt fluff #scoups fanfic #scoups angst #scoups fluff #scoups x reader #svt series #seungcheol fanfic #seungcheol angst #seungcheol fluff #svt slice of life #seungcheol x reader #scoups x you #s coups fluff #s coups angst #s coups fanfic #seventeen fanfic #scoups x y/n #seungcheol x y/n #scoups series #kvanity #kdiarynet

[peaceisadirtyword]

Brísingamen (Ivar/OFC)

moodboard by @nothingtolosebutweight

Summary: Freya spent her life searching for the kind of love her parents shared. The kind of love that makes them go crazy, the kind that burns in their chests, when they are sure they would rather die than lose each other. And she found it in Kjartan, her future husband and an ambitious man who vows not to marry until he is king. After years of trying and failing to conquer Kattegat, Kjartan seems to accept that he cannot defeat the king of Kattegat in battle, but he still has a plan to sit on the throne, and for that Ivar Ragnarsson must die. And Freya, the loyal, sweet, innocent Freya, who would do anything for him, could be the key to achieve this. Someone that can sneak into Kattegat and reach the king’s chambers in the middle of the night to bury a knife in his chest. But Freya will soon learn that no one should underestimate Ivar the Boneless.

A/N: This is my new fic for the @vikingsbigbang​💙 Hope you like it! Thank you to the amazing @nothingtolosebutweight for creating the artwork for this fic, you’re amazing. Check her blog because it’s great❤️ I couldn’t choose just one because I loved all of them.

Check the artwork♡

Read the story on Ao3.

“Shield up!” Ingrid’s yelling only made Freya scoff and roll her eyes. The shieldmaiden she was fighting took advantage of the momentary distraction and her dullen blade hit her leather vest, making Freya lose her balance and end up on the floor, frowning at both women.

“You always forget the defence when you’re fighting” Ingrid looked at her with a stern glance while she got up “You attack and fight well but you must remember to defend yourself too, it’s stupid not to do so” she shook her head, turning to correct the other girl Freya was figthing.

She only threw the sword and the shield to the ground and walked over to where the jar of water and the cups were, feeling her legs tremble when she was walking. Training since before sunrise only made her body ache before lunch, and as she was still half asleep when she started, the first hour was always terrible.

In any case, she wouldn’t even think of attending the training later, Ingrid was always there before her, no matter when she arrived at the training field. Sometimes, Freya wondered whether Ingrid ever slept or ate, she seemed to be always training, constantly with her sword and shield in hand, almost like they were part of her.

That was probably why she was the best shieldmaiden she had ever known.

Freya didn’t even bother to take her shield and sword and just walked away from the training group, ignoring the other women calling her or even Ingrid’s stern voice telling her to go back. She knew she was probably acting childish and it wasn’t even a big deal. Ingrid corrected everyone, but she always did it with a smile and soft words… Except for Freya, whenever she had to talk to her she did it with her lips pressed together, a frown and harsh words.

A part of her always wished to impress Ingrid, to make her smile and nod with pride filling her eyes. But never, not once had she accomplished that, and that was killing her.

Freya entered the Great Hall, still mumbling in rage and not even looking at anyone she walked by. When she reached the main table she drank directly from a pitch that had some fresh water, thirsty, and didn’t stop until a voice interrupted her, finally shaking her out of her spiral of anger and tiredness.

“That was mine”

Kjartan sat on the throne. His grey, cold eyes were fixed on her and his tone was stern, even when the slight curve of his lips gave him away.

“I’m sorry” Freya left the now almost empty pitch back on the table just when one of the thralls rushed to grab it and take it back for a refill “Your sister is driving me insane”

“Yes, she tends to do that” Kjartan chuckled “Is she being too hard on you?”

“When is she not?” she replied, rolling her eyes with a scoff “She talks to me with such a condescending tone it’s driving me crazy”

Freya approached Kjartan. His smirk grew as she got closer.

“Is there any chance that you will let me train with the men?” she pouted, and Kjartan raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t uncommon to have men and women train together, but he insisted on the fact that women didn’t have the same strength as men did, and even if his own sister could defeat half of his men within mere minutes, he still didn’t believe they were equal on the battlefield. That’s why he always used the shieldmaidens for his own guard, and sent the men to battle.

“You know what I think about that” he reached to put a strand of her hair behind her ear. Freya sighed in defeat, closing her eyes when his thumb caressed her cheek softly “Is my sister no rival to you?”

She is, that’s the problem. Freya shook her head and put his hand away, even though she held onto it, intertwining their fingers.

“She’s too hard on me, she hates me” Freya complained but it almost sounded like a whine. Kjartan didn’t stop smiling, her rivalry with his sister amused him to the point of entertaining that animosity for his own enjoyment. Sometimes it looked like their true intention while fighting was to catch his attention, and if there was anything Kjartan loved was being the centre of attention.

“She wants you to be strong enough to be queen by my side” he shrugged “But ignore her, when you’re my queen you will have all the protection you need and won’t need to know how to fight” he said, leaning in to kiss her temple.

“But I want to learn” she whined again and Kjartan rolled his eyes with a small smirk “Besides, when you finally make me your queen I shall be the finest shieldmaiden on Midgard”

“That’s ambitious, my love” he chuckled again “You know what I think, ambition is for men, the ambition corrupts women’s thoughts and poison them, you women are soft and have a pure heart, you don’t need ambition” he said softly, making her raise her eyebrow “Leave the ambition for me”

Scoffing, Freya moved around the table to pick up the pitcher again, Kjartan looked at her while she drank again. When she was done she turned around to look at him again, and there was a hint of reproach when she opened her mouth again.

“For being such an ambitious man, you move forward very slowly in your plan of becoming king” Freya tilted her head “And marrying me”

Kjartan looked angry for a second, but then his expression calmed down so quickly Freya thought she had imagined it.

“You know what I think, my love” he repeated. Kjartan always repeated that phrase almost like it was meant to make people eager to please him, to agree with him “I swore over my sacred ring not to marry you until I’m king, and until I’ve avenged my family and freed the people that suffer under their leader’s tyranny” he approached her. Freya stood in her place, with her head high and her eyes fixed on his. She knew that oath, he had repeated it to her every single day since he kissed her for the first time. It didn’t make it any easier “When I accomplish that, I know the Gods will see me as the rightful leader”

“You’ve tried to conquer Kattegat already” she said “And you failed, don’t you think that if the Gods wanted you to succeed they would have granted you the victory already?” she touched his face softly, a small, kind smile on her lips “I don’t want to marry you for your power, your position or for being a favourite of the Gods, I want to marry you because I love you” she muttered, reaching to caress his hair “And I want to wake up with you, carry your children and be by your side every single day for the rest of my life”

Kjartan smiled then, and it looked like a genuine smile on Freya’s eyes.

“Don’t you wish to free the people of Kattegat? Don’t you wish to make the Ragnarssons pay for everything they’ve done to my family and to the people?”

“Yes, but…”

“People’s freedom and wellbeing is more important than a woman’s desires and love” he said sternly “It’s selfish to think otherwise, Freya, remember that” he scolded her softly. When she looked down, disappointed, he made her look at him again with his fingers on her chin.

“You were touched by Freyja” he smiled then “Our goddess of love, battle and death blessed you and crafted you for me, I know I would be insulting her if I married you before winning that battle”

Kjartan’s eyes fixed on hers then. There were unique eyes everywhere in Scandinavia, eyes green like the emeralds the dwarfs crafted in Svartalfheim, blue like the sea that both rewarded and punished whoever was brave enough to adventure in it, brown like the earth the Gods blessed every year to give them food or the leaves that fell from the trees when summer ended. Freya’s eyes were still different, and it was that unique colour that resembled the amber with which the four dwarves crafted the beautiful necklace that rested around the goddess Freyja’s neck.

“I’m sure she would feel more insulted if you rejected her gift” she whispered, her eyes widened in a silent plea.

Kjartan leant in, and his lips almost brushed hers when he whispered:

“First, Ivar the Boneless, king of Kattegat, must die” Freya nodded slowly, closing her eyes and admitting the defeat once again “And you must kill him”

______________________________________________

Ivar almost groaned in desperation when the next couple of farmers stepped forward. Another complaint about lands, property and rights, the most boring thing in the world, which made him almost give up his throne and crown to the first idiot that walked by more than once. Usually, it was his older brother Ubbe who dealt with those complaints “at the end of the day, you’re one of them, aren’t you? You understand them better than I do” he had said, with widened eyes and a small smile, feigning innocence and referring to the comfy lifestyle he had chosen in a farm on the outskirts of Kattegat with his wife and children. Ubbe had agreed, but still insisted that he listened to some of them “the farmers need to see you care for them too, it’s your duty”.

Even though he’d rather jump off a cliff than listen to another two men argue because some dog ate one of the chickens.

Ivar tried his best to listen to them while they bickered, fighting the urge of closing his eyelids that now felt heavier than ever. He hadn’t slept well that night, the summer was coming to an end and the nights got colder and colder. He already dreaded the dark winter that would make his legs cold and achy for days no matter how many furs he piled over his body at night.

Luckily, none of the men that came to him that day concerning their farms and rights had the real will to fight their neighbours, so their intervention was short and soon the Great Hall was empty again, and Ivar found himself sitting at the table, with a well deserved ale and the opportunity to close his eyes for a while.

Well, not a long while because his brothers wouldn’t shut their mouths.

“I’ve been hearing things, Ivar” Ubbe couldn’t care less for his brother’s wishes to sleep, even if he was also the king “People wonder why the throne next to you is still empty”

“What a subtle way of implying I should have sex, Ubbe” he sighed tiredly and reached for the ale again.

“He’s right, though” Hvitserk had his feet up on the table and ate some chicken he had stolen from the kitchen as soon as he was back from training “You need a queen, Ivar”

“The weight of the crown is too heavy for only one pair of shoulders, brother” Ubbe smiled softly.

“I had a queen already” he clenched his jaw “Is that not enough?”

“Freydis is dead” said Hvitserk, making Ivar flinch “You know that better than anyone, you had time to mourn, now you must move on and find a woman, Ivar, you need heirs”

“I have you” he shrugged.

“Without heirs your claim is weakened” Hvitserk ignored him. He had seen enough of what power did to people, to his father and to his brother and had no desire of being heir of anything “And you know that”

“I am a son of Ragnar”

“Ragnar is not here anymore, Ivar” Ubbe sighed “And everyday more and more people set their eyes on Kattegat, wishing to conquer it, the people of Kattegat are restless, they fear the uncertainty that comes with instability and it’s your duty as their ruler to ease their minds” he reached to put a hand on his shoulder “Say you want a wife, let the Earls and Kings bring their daughters and choose the one you like the most, marry, have a child or two, and then you can rule in peace knowing your claim is strong”

“I can’t have children, Ubbe” he gripped his cup so tight Hvitserk feared he would break it.

“Try” his brother shook his head “If you try and you can’t, we’ll see what we can do but in the meantime… Do your part, Ivar”

Ivar reached for the ale again, only to realise there was nothing left inside the pitcher with a groan.

“Shouldn’t I marry someone that gives me political advantage? The daughter of another king?” he rolled his eyes “So I can have some benefit out of it”

“You marry whoever you want, but there’s only one person that has more power than you around here and that’s Harald Finehair… He only has a son, I don’t think you’re into that, brother”

Ivar shrugged, ignoring Hvitserk’s giggle.

“Try me”

“In any case, before considering marrying little Halfdan, you should maybe meet some of the Earls’ daughters”

“I’m sure they are thrilled to meet the crippled king” he scoffed.

“Ivar…” Ubbe sighed.

“Fine” he raised his voice, already tired of the conversation “Call them, tell them to come here and I will meet them, I have nothing better to do until next spring, anyway” he rolled his eyes “Now, where are those fucking thralls when you need them?”

____________________________________________

“Kjartan, I don’t think…”

“This morning you told me you wanted to marry me, have you changed your mind since then?” he frowned, and Freya was startled by the disappointment in his eyes.

“No, I…”

“Then do as I ask” he grabbed both her hands, sighing “Let’s end this for once and be happy”

She hesitated then, ever since those words had left his mouth, she had refused. Kill Ivar the Boneless? The son of Ragnar, the man that had defeated countless men, who was feared by all of Scandinavia and England? Many men, stronger and cleverer than her, had tried and failed before.

“But I can’t do it” Freya almost sobbed then, widening her eyes “I can’t… Kill Ivar, he’s the king, he will have guards and he won’t let me near him”

“That’s why you need to gain his trust” Kjartan raised his eyebrow “You’re a great shieldmaiden, go to Kattegat and ask to be part of his personal guard, get closer to him, make him trust you and when he doesn’t expect it, you bury that dagger in his heart”

Freya’s eyes looked at the dagger Kjartan had left on the wooden table. It was a fine weapon, with runes engraved on the blade, and it was sharp and light. A murderer’s weapon.

“Ivar Ragnarsson is one of the smartest people alive” she said, lowering her voice “He will discover me”

“Then you have to be smarter” Kjartan insisted “I’ve fought him many times, and I never was able to win, I can’t win like that, but if you kill him, I can take Kattegat next spring, and I will be king” his expression softened, and Freya sighed knowing what came after “And you will be my queen”

“The assassin queen” she muttered, her heart still pounding against her ribcage when she thought about it “Why not send one of your men?”

“Because no one would ever suspect you” he chuckled, almost like it was something obvious but that only he saw “You look innocent”

“Because I’m a woman? Why not send Ingrid then? She’s your best fighter”

“My sister is a good fighter, yes, but you’re better with people” Kjartan caressed her cheek with his thumb “People trust you, and you’re a good fighter too”

The tears threatened to fall down Freya’s cheeks when she gulped loudly, trying to hide the absolute fear that shook her.

“You hate the Ragnarssons too, right? They killed my brother” he frowned “They have killed so many people, and so many are suffering under their rule… And you wouldn’t do all the work, I will have to kill Hvitserk and Ubbe afterwards, they’re the difficult ones… Ivar is just a cripple, Freya” he smiled shaking his head “A violent one, but still a cripple, he’s no real threat, my love”

She took a deep breath, suddenly feeling sick and looking down at the table where he had left the dagger she was supposed to take with her. The dagger that was supposed to end through Ivar the Boneless’ heart. And then she tried to imagine her life as queen next to Kjartan, with small children running around, with Ingrid finally being forced to bow respectfully to her, being able to share a bed with the man she loved without being judged and stared at the morning after, growing old with him.

But, for some reason, or maybe because the Gods refused to show her, she couldn’t imagine it. It almost seemed like something that was too far away to even start to imagine it.

“So?” Kjartan’s voice startled her, and she raised her head to meet his eager eyes again.

Freya didn’t want to leave, she didn’t want to go far away without him for the Gods know how much time. She didn’t want to die away from him.

“I will do it” she whispered, surprising herself as her mouth spoke the words before she could even think of them “I’ll kill Ivar the Boneless… For you”

“I knew you would” Kjartan finally leant in to kiss her lips softly “I knew you wouldn’t let me down”

#ivar the boneless #ivar x oc #vikingsbigbangwinter22 #vikings #vikings imagine #read on ao3 #original female character #ivar imagine

[snoozeagustd]

100 FOLLOWERS MILESTONE CELEBRATION!?

HI, OKAY WHAT THE FUCK??!! I just woke up and what do I see?

THIS:

I am literally in shock right now! 

thank you so much for all of the love that you have given me and honestly thank you so so much for all the support you all have given this blog! I never expected this blog to have 100 followers, let alone more than 100, but you all proved me wrong.

THANK YOU MY LOVELIES I WILL ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU <33

To celebrate (because i like to find excuses to celebrate anything and everything), I wanted to do something fun! Thank you so much Freya darling (@sugarwithtea) for helping me come up with a few ideas for this event and for keeping up with my rambling! This literally would not have been possible without you my jaan!

I will be taking requests for this event over 2 weeks (!!!) and I'll try my best to answer them as soon as possible. Please read the rules for each game (whether you can be on anon, whether you are a mutual, ect)

all posts related to this event will be tagged as #nixie hits 100!

I hope you guys enjoy~~

(please ignore how messy this banner is. i’m doing some semblance of editing after literal years and i have definitely gotten worse-)

💫 vibe check : i’ll tell you what vibes i get from you/your blog in a moodboard (ive never done this before so please don’t mind that it’s not great) (off anon please)

💕 shipping game : send me a description of yourself/a fun fact + a fandom (Marvel, Obey Me, BTS or TXT) and i’ll ship you with a character! (anon is allowed)

🕹️ games: any of your typical tumblr event games! (fmk, would you rather, top 5 or anything else you can think of!) (anon is allowed)

🔖 recommendations (from you) : send me any recommendations you have for tv shows, movies, books, songs, tumblr blogs, etc! (anon is allowed)

📑 recommendations (from me) : i’ll put my ‘on repeat’ playlist on shuffle and recommend you a song! (off anon please)

🫂shout outs:  recommend some of your own fics or just some fics you love so we can show appreciation for all these amazing writers here on tumblr! (anon is allowed)

❤ first love: share some crush stories with me! (anon is allowed)

Since it’s also my birthday today, I've decided to add a few more personal asks so that you can get to know me better!

🔮 then and now: tell me your first impression of me and I'll tell you mine! (off anon please) (mutuals only)

🏹  exchange ship: tell me who you ship me with, and I'll tell you yours with a why (off anon please) (mutuals only)

💌 questions: send me any questions that you have for me! NSFW questions are allowed! (for NSFW asks, you need to be off anon so that i can verify your age) for general questions, you can ask me on anon! (gain inspiration here or here )

✨ advice: ask me for some advice on questions about life or just whatever you want! (please don’t take my answers seriously) (anon is allowed)

Below this, I'm just going to tag some of my friends here on tumblr who have made my time here super super fun and memorable! I am truly grateful and appreciative to all of you!

to some of my closest friends here:

@mochakat @eternallydaydreaming2015 @tea-is-vibing @adoveamongdemons @poetic-dumbass @buckyinluv @kaitioo @sugarwithtea @jjkeverlast @yoongukie-ff

firstly, thank you for taking time out of your day to talk to my pathetic ass :’) i really do hope that we can continue to be friends for a long time because i don’t know what i would do without all of you. You guys don’t know it, but you have become a big part of my life! I truly treasure and appreciate all of you <3

i love and treasure yall sm, you have no idea 💖💗💝❤️‍🔥❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🤍💕

to the rest of my moots:

@istanfluffycontent @yourlocaltimetraveler @chiimiie @namkook @hawtymin @hobipost @kookiecrumb @parkdatjimin @bebejungkook @smasmashie @thetaeprint @xpeachesncream @liyacreate @glamrocklevi @angeladore @just-another-fangirl-69 @henry-and-the-seven-lords @obeythebutler @adoveamongdemons @this-bitch-needs-therapy @incorrectlyavenged @somniprobe @satandrankmy-coffee @a-hoe-in-human-form-2 @kimtaesss @underratedbitch-number13 @pjiminbloomx @yoongukie-ff @skyfull0fstories @lvoekook @wrote-my-own-deliverance @youlightmeupfinn @gimmethatagustd @bangtanintotheroom

I know that we don’t really interact much outside of reblogs and/or likes but I hope you know that whenever I see you in my notifs, I literally smile like an idiot. no joke. anyways, please feel free to approach me because due to my anxiety, I will never be able to although i really want to talk to all of you. I hope that we can get closer eventually <3

to the rest of my followers,

thank you so so much for allowing me to reach this milestone when I never ever thought that I would. I really appreciate you and I adore seeing you in my notifs! I do recognize you, you know? I hope that as time goes on, we can have more of such events and celebrate together!!

💖💖✨✨

#nixie speaks #ettie🌸 #dove and nixie being an iconic duo #kai's wanda #nixieee and teaaa 🥰 #jjkeverlast #lati <3 #august🌊 #nixie and lys in looove<3 #nixie and freya💌 #yoongukie ff #meg <3 #nixie hits 100! #100 followers milesone! #nixie's 22!

[byakuyasdarling]

I can’t comprehend that there’s going to be a day around 2048 where I’m going to look at my 16-year-old child and tell them at their age I once had a crush on a fictional man and failing to explain why their father is also 6’1” with blonde hair.

#(/hj) like I have a type but I don’t have a preference to blondes LMAO #That’s assuming I’d be lucky enough to get a husband — ahaha #I’m sure once I’m out of this house and left to do whatever I’ll be fine :) #Freya Talks | 💙

[airi-p4]

Remember my cameo in @ladyfreya123’s Biker Luka AU? 

Here’s more of us at Freya’s bar XD

(And yes, we talk telepathically in the last panel: that’s what actually happens to us most of the time so it’s ‘canon’ I guess 🙈 )

Thank you Freya for creating this amazing AU 💙💙💙

#biker luka AU #my art #airip4 #4koma comic #((((Panel 3 wouldn't fit sorry about that))) #my comic

[barbwritesstuff]

First: YEAH our kid and Al being friends is so cute! I laughed so much with Al talking about the smell after our kid hug us 🤣 (also with a Shadow path? Pure chef's kiss looking at Al's aura)

Second: Ilya taking out his wallet the moment the teacher talked about books? Gold. Pure gold. He already had my heart, now he just solidified it.

Third: I made a doctor mc for the first time (first one without a child too 😬) and ended up finding Freya and I loved their interaction so much! Also the plague mask as a symbol option for a doc mc is Pure Gold too. (She also put her sighs on Marcel and oh my, chapter 5 was just so juicy with him)

Loved so many more things in this update! Thicker Than just gets better!

Have a great week!

Shadow Level 2 is pretty much the 'paranormal detector' ability. Seeing auras means you, at a glance, can identify what exactly you're looking at. I'm treating it as a passive ability, so you don't have to choose to activate it, it'll just happen from time to time, and give you (hopefully) useful information.

Humans have a soft, shallow aura, vampires have no aura, werewolves have a big, distinctively-shaped aura, and ghosts are auras without a body. Witches are the tricky ones. Their aura only goes weird when they're actively doing magic, the rest of the time it looks totally human.

But, that one exception aside, no one sneaks up on shadow lords. They can hide in the darkness, and they can see what others might try to hide.

I'm also really happy you like Iliya being a book nerd, talking with Freya, the plague mask for the doctor, and the steamy scene with Marcel. I just got excited that someone noticed the auras and really wanted to talk about it. Sorry. 💙

[barbwritesstuff]

Hi, Barb! I was replaying from scratch and noticed a couple things I hadn't before.

After meeting Chris (and not getting cab money, oof) there's some pronoun errors regarding the baby. (For biological parents, at least. Not sure if it also applies to adoptive parents or non-divorcees.) "You remember how warm and slimy him skin was as you held there for the first time."

There's also a slight discrepancy between Minjo and Freya's Ch7 hangouts, regarding uh. Fridge lore? Furnishings. In Freya's it says "the only thing I have in the fridge is cow blood," but in Minjo's "You don't even own a fridge." I feel like from a practicality standpoint, Freya's makes more sense? Fridge and a microwave are probably still good to have for any being that consumes food or food-like substances, especially since the lockdown years would make keeping a supply a relative necessity.

Anyway I'm really excited for the next update, and finding it very odd that my reaction to the general cliffhanger didn't seem nearly as dire as the cliffhanger + talking with Minjo : "but I have a date?? I can't get murdered, or fight to the death or whatever, I have a date. We set a time and everything!" Plus the fact that it's a "we need to talk," which MC might not have reasons to be concerned with, but ooooooh. If only they knew.

You're the second person coming at me for my inconsistent fridge lore. 😅 I'll fix those errors up next update. Thanks for reporting. 💙

[barbwritesstuff]

There’s been so much hype for Marcel and Iliya this update (and truly they deserve it so much) but this one is for Tracy and Freya!!! Tracy has activated the part of my brain that Carrie activated in Blood Moon where I Will Protect Her At All Costs like I don’t care what bad things are happening to you Tracy I promise I will use my vampire powers to keep you safe. And Freya!! I never unlocked the conversations with her in chapter 3 so this was my first time meeting her and all it took was one (1) conversation for her to permanently reroute my MC’s entire life plans. I love how she talks to the MC like they’re a vampire but not like they’re a monster; she toes this line really nicely where she both acknowledges what the MC is without judging or condemning them for it and it’s such an interesting approach compared to the other ROs!!!! Anyway this one’s for the girls 😘

Thank you. I'm really proud of Tracy's kiss scene and Freya just gives me such warm, cozy vibes. I love my girls. 💙

[byakuyasdarling]

.

Daily reminder I love him <<333 (even if he wouldn’t love me </3, lmao — we are not having last night’s existential crisis Freya, please don’t)

Love him <<333

#Freya Talks | 💙 #baba <3 #hug hours

[byakuyasdarling]

I never understood the whole “senior girls being BESTIES with the freshman” because at my school each grade level hates everyone below them, especially the grade 7s.

Like is that same for y’all???

#the grade 11s and 12s get along for the most part but it’s just because they feel sorry for us next year LMAO #Freya Talks | 💙

[byakuyasdarling]

I feel like — I feel like this man every time I talk about my self ship: 2021, colourised.

#it always leads me into an essay about how these two work as a couple and their dynamic because one of them is a grumpy arrogant- #narcissist that learns to be better from the girl that’s like him — but also isn’t like him. #that’s the dumbest explanation of them I can provide #Freya Talks | 💙

[byakuyasdarling]

I have successfully posted nothing dumb today, hooray for doing chores and making a cake for most of the day LOL

#Freya Talks | 💙 #I was considering it and then I somehow became self conscious of my own cringe even though I know I am cringe but oh well #anon will never be turned on here because I just know there will be hate messages because how often I just TALK about a fictional man #anyway I was watching Star Wars the Clone Wars today and I remembered how muh I HATE LUX BONTERI JSJSJSjSJSJS #(this is like: my 5th rewatch btw LMAO) #N E WAY HATE POST ON LUX BONTERI SOON /lh #caps #caps tw #tw caps #probably just get Byakuya's front profile ironed out properly tomorrow since I have been through a slight artstyle change and I am bad at - #- front views. #And S/I... she needs one too. and then I can shive him and her together in more drawings LMAO they're in love.. cringe /lh

[byakuyasdarling]

.

It is 1am, I am barely cognitive and borderline completely unable to string a sentence together (thank you autocorrect for making my blabbering comprehensible).

I am here to say: I think he’s very handsome and I would very much want to kiss him and have those rare cuddles of a night. It would make me happy forever and I’d probably value myself fully again djdjdj djdjdj I love him <33 he gives me such a safe aura (even though I say it all the time and I am fully aware of how angry he gets — I’m used to being around people like that and I’m not afraid of it at all). He makes me feel safe and happy in my own little escapism when I feel like my world is crashing down <333 he helps me pick up the pieces and allows me to push forward better and stronger than before.

Best grumpy husband <<333 he bastard... but good <33 I am very cringe

#cringe post alert #excuse the fact I’m so dumb right now — my left brain is turned off so the rational part of me that keeps me in line is turned off #so anyway — love him <<33’ #Freya Talks | 💙 #hug hours

[byakuyasdarling]

Happy Freya Report :)

The lineart for the sketch I posted a few days back is almost done after 7 hours of work (mostly comprised of me doing the same section 30 times sjsjsjsj) — I only have the throne to outline now.

My mum brought me Minties :D

I forgot to mention today that I did have a dream last night — and I kinda don’t want to say because it’s VERY embarrassing (I’ll live to regret saying this in the morning), but he... he — he was there 0///0 (yes this is gong to get stupid very fast)

and in the dream itself I ‘woke up’ in the middle of the night and he was cuddling me (Hehhejdjdj I’m getting cringe attacks just sharing this, I’m sorry — I never really had this before). He was the big spoon (of course >///<), but anyway, I think I accidentally woke him up while shifting around because he spoke up and asked if I had a nightmare and needed someone to lend an ear. He sounded a little grumpy, and his sighs sounded a bit husky/ raspy — but he held my hand and intertwined our fingers <33 We laid there for a few minutes before he just said to get back to sleep l and then I ironically woke up.

#sksksks sorry for going on about my cringey dream #I’ve never had one like that before! I feel so happy about it though #Freya Talks | 💙 #Happy Tag | ✨ #hug hours