#noorhelm fic

[skambigbang]

Next up is a Noorhelm fic written in a Poetry AU with the story "And what is that if not poetic" by Sammi aka @sammi-phoenix with art by Pauline aka @whippedkoalas!

Sammi: What inspired this story?

I like to consider myself a poet so the idea of combining that with noorhelm, my favourite skam couple to date (keep in mind I've only seen the OG), was a pretty easy decision.

Pauline: What inspires you about this story?

What I like the most about this story is that it talks about poetry. Poetry is a fascinating art. Two people bonding through poetry is the recipe for a great love story!

The 2023 Skam Big Bang starts posting in just 10 days!

[dezembergirl]

Hangover

the last part of the Paradise Series (prior part)

I really want to continue writing, especially now that I have more free time, so if you have a prompt, idea or wish for something you’d like me to write drop by in my Asks and I’ll make sure to write more stories!

Also, this is not limited to the Norwegian Skam, I’d love to write something for Charles/Manon, Incantava or any of the other!

as always dedicated to @nonibanoni‘s idea <3

Fandom: Skam

Pairing: Noorhelm

Summary: the morning after William’s night out ended on Noora’s dorstep; featured Noora, Pancakes and a hell of a hangover

originaly posted to AO3

Sunday came with clear skies and a headache the size of five rounds of shots paid for by Chris. He rolled onto his stomach and padded the nightstand for his phone. In the darkened room the brightness of the display felt like a stab to his skull and he squeezed his eyes shut again.

The pounding in his head kept at a steady pace and pulling one of the pillows over his ears only intensified the sensation. His mouth tasted like a badly mixed cocktail of vodka, gin and the lingering stench of cigarets. In conclusion, he felt like a piece of shit and the thought of doing school work, which he had delayed until the last weekend, made him want to curl up in bed and stay there for at least another 12 hours.

He let his heart rate calm down before he attempted sitting up and risking another glimpse at his phone to look at the time - ten past eleven. He ran his hands through his hair, getting rid of the worst of the tangles and deciding that he was in dire need of a mirror and a toothbrush. And he must have really been out of it because it was only when he pressed his head against the pillow in one last attempt of blocking out his hangover that he finally noticed the familiar note of lavender. Dumbstruck, he inspected the other side of his bed and although it was subtle, there was a slight indentation in the mattress. It made sense now, she must have closed the blinds and been the one to plug in his now fully charged phone either last night or after she woke up.

On that thought, he jumped out of bed - if you could call stumbling onto one’s feet jumping - and the sudden flight of panic carried him down the corridor and toward the main living room. His mind was already flashing back to the first time she had slept over at his apartment and fled without so much as a note the next morning. The fact that he was not entirely sure how she had ended up in his bed in the first place did nothing to calm the rising sensation of dread in his stomach. He might have done or said something incredibly stupid.

Thankfully, that particular train of thought did not continue because when he stepped into the kitchen there she was, bent over the opposite counter scooping flour into a measuring cup. She had twisted her wet hair into a bun and he recognized the t-shirt that clung to her hips as one of his. He slumped against the door frame and traced her movements while she mixed the flour and milk. Now that the pounding in his head had receded he was left with a sensation of numbness that gave this whole experience a surrealistic touch. Noora was actually here, preparing pancakes in his kitchen and humming a tune he could not place at that moment. He would have most likely remained like that for longer, had Noora not turned around with the mixing bowl in her hands, ready to start pouring the batter into the pan.

Her eyes widening slightly and she stopped mid-motion, almost as if she had forgotten she was not alone. And for a moment, William felt the panic reignite before her open mouth curved upwards and she crooked her head to side.

"Good morning,“ Noora tugged at her bottom lip and he felt his head spin.

"You’re still here.“

"Yes,“ she said matter of factly and moved to set the bowl down next to the stove top.

Deciding not to push his luck with whatever stupid thing he would come up with next he pushed off of the door frame and joined her at the counter. Noora turned to face him and obliged a little peck before pressing a firm palm to his chest.

"You definitely need a toothbrush,“ she tapped the glass and packet of Aspirin next to her on the counter. "And this.“

He dissolved the Aspirin in as little water as he could manage and drowned the whole thing in one go. His face must have shown his disgust before he could fill the glass with more water to wash away the vile taste because Noora giggled and gave his cheek a pinch. He chuckled and despite her protests pulled her into an embrace to kiss both her temples. "Thank you for this.“

"Well, you still had flour and one carton of unexpired milk. So yeah, I had to take advantage of that, especially since Eskild hasn’t gotten groceries since Wednesday and the shops are closed until tomorrow. So not that selfless, really.“

"Still, this is really nice.“

"But,“ she angled her head away from him. „You'll only get some if you go take care of this,“ her fingers pushed along his jawline and into his hair „situation first.“

He leaned his forehead against her collarbone with a muffled groan. Defying his expectations she did not smell like her usual lavender body mist but the much darker sent of his own body wash. He liked that smell on her, he decided. But when he nuzzled his nose deeper Noora squealed and pushed him away before he could attempt to put another kiss on her exposed neck. "I said toothbrush.“

The tiles in the bathroom were coated with water drops and the humid air clung to every surface and his skin. Noora could not have been up for long as the mirror was misted over and he grabbed a towel to get a better look at his reflection. He supposed it could be worse, his skin creased around his eyes but the dark circles should be reversible with some moisturizer and hydration. In his haste to get to bed yesterday he had not bothered to brush through his hair before showering and now the longer strands had tangled into a sizable knot in the front. He grabbed his toothbrush from next to where the one, he had given Noora to use a week ago, lay and went to work.

Now that his mouth tasted more like peppermint than cigarets and his hair had conformed to an acceptable shape he threw on a fresh hoodie and checked his phone. There were no unread messages and only two new emails with his Uber receipts. He pushed it into his hoodie’s front pocket and joined Noora in the kitchen. She had turned up the radio to the morning program and flipped the last pancake over in the pan.

"Feeling better?“ she added the thin piece to the stack of already cooked pancakes and flicked off the stove.

"After a kiss, I will,“ she raised her eyebrows but allowed him to press her up against the counter. His hands found her waist through the t-shirt and he moved to kiss her.

"Did you brush?“ she tilted her head to the side.

"Of course,“ William took a deep breath in and breathed the resulting air into her face.

"Oh my god,“ her mouth dropped open and then quickly closed as she pushed away from him with a flash of laughter. "You’re disgusting.“

He took the plate of pancakes and the only jar of jam in his cupboard - strawberry - and joined her at the table. She had already set out the plates and a glass of orange juice for each of them.

They ate in relative silence except for her protests when he would reach to squeeze her thigh and she would swat him away with a playful smile. William was by no standard a slow eater but he had barely finished his first pancake when Noora was already spreading the jam and folding up her third one. She had strawberry marks in both corners of her mouth that strangely enough reminded him of her red lipsticks.

"Are you in a rush?“

"Huh,“ she looked up and darted her tongue out to clean the jam off her lips. "I just have to write the article that’s due tomorrow. And I didn’t even finish the introduction yesterday. So yeah, kinda.“

His expression dropped and he swallowed the piece of pancake to cover of his disappointment. "You didn’t have to stay you know.“

"Well, you were so disappointed last time,“ he bit his lip.

“I didn’t mean to pressure you into staying or anything,“ he said.

"It’s not like that,“ she dropped her fork and gave him a smile. “I just didn’t think it would have been smart to leave you alone last night.“

“Come on, it wasn’t that bad. I can remember most of it.“

Now her smile had turned into a full-blown smirk. “So you do remember drooling onto your pillow?“

“I did not do that,“ he felt the heat turning the tips of his ears red and rearranged his hair accordingly. Most of last night had come back to him, but there were blurry spots left. He just had not expected to hear something like this.

“I mean, it was kind of cute,“ she was tugging at her lip again and twisting the sleeve around her wrist. “But I’m guessing, this not how you usually get girls into bed?“

He groaned and rubbed at his temples. „What else did I do?“

The crumbs and bits of jam left on his plate suddenly became very interesting. He knew Noora was enjoying this and he supposed he deserved that. He remembered driving home with her and getting into bed but god knows what else happened before and in between that.

“Well, for starters you drunk texted me,“ he scoffed and Noora only laughed and ticked each event off on her fingers. “Then I found you half passed out on my porch at like 2 am and you called an Uber. You showered and we went to bed.“

“That’s all? We didn’t like, you know …,“ he trailed off not sure how to properly mold his concern into a question. He would not be able to forgive himself if he had fucked it all up after weeks of being so careful. She did not want to take whatever this was between them any further than making out in his bed and though he admittedly desired more of course, he would always respect her wishes. He loved cuddling with her, kissing her senseless and making her laugh. It gave him an odd sense of satisfaction.

“Oh umm, not really. You were out in seconds and yeah you drooled but I already told you that.“ Noora had pushed the sleeve of his shirt all the way up around her elbow and her complexion had turned from pale to light pink.

His chest deflated with relief and he pushed the last piece of folded pancake into his mouth. Noora took the plates and put them in the dishwasher together with the mixing bowl and measuring cups. Despite the Aspirin he still lagged behind in speed as he helped her clean up the kitchen and start the dishwasher. After making sure the surfaces were spotless Noora got her bag from the sofa and made to lace up her shoes.

“You’re leaving?“

“The essay thing, remember. I sadly wasn’t joking about that,“ she fiddled with her hair ties and pulled the knot on her head apart to let her still damp waves fall down past her chin.

“I mean I did offer to help you with it yesterday. I wasn’t joking about that either.“

“I’m serious William I need to finish this today.“

“I am too. You can write it here, I have some work to do as well. So as long as you don’t distract me I won’t keep you from your work either.“

“I didn’t even bring my laptop or anything,“ her backpack already swung over one shoulder, Noora stared at him with that familiar look in eyes that could pass for annoyance. She was seriously debating his offer.

“You can use mine, for now, I won’t need it until later. And then mail it yourself when you’re done.“

Noora stayed quiet and pushed her bottom lip in and out of her mouth.

“What’s your assignment?“

“Heart rhythms.“

“Okay, so my brother went through a couple of months was he was dead set on studying medicine. Because you know it’s very prestigious to be a doctor and whatnot. Anyways, he bought a couple of books he never opened and they're still around here somewhere.“

Noora considered him with narrowed eyes for a moment, probably deciding that this was way too elaborate to be a lie and finally lowered her backpack back down.

“Okay,“ she drew the word out and William wasn’t sure if she was annoyed with him, herself or the situation in general.

“Great,“ he reached for his laptop on the coffee table and put it down next to her.

True to his own word, his brother kept a small collection of medical books in one of the half-empty storage cupboards. He surveyed the titles and picked out a 2014 edition human physiology textbook.

Noora had settled down on one end of the couch, encircled in an impressive amount of paper and markers she must have produced from her bag in the two minutes he had been gone. She was bent over a black and white copy of different EKGs and a heart diagram.

“So, you are staying then?“ William dropped onto the couch next to her.

“I guess so. But you’ll have to make me hot cocoa later,“ she looked up from her notes and he was relieved to find any traces of her prior annoyance wiped from her features.

“Of course.“

He cupped her jaw and pushed his fingers into her loose hair before dipping down for a kiss. It made his chest swell with heat and his skin prickled with the excitement of having her all to himself for the rest of the day. Noora hummed against his lips and laced her hands around his neck to pull her body closer to his. In the end, she was only inches away from fully straddling his lap and the kiss had turned from innocent to something completely different in a matter of seconds.

One of his hands rested on her hips and the other had pushed his shirt halfway up her stomach before he pulled away with a painful groan. His own body protested when he gently disentangled himself from her and she came to rest on the couch next to him with an exasperated sigh.

„Why did you stop?“ Noora combed through the mess he had made of her hair and wiped over her pink and slightly swollen lips.

„Because,“ he reached over for his laptop and typed in his password before handing it back to her. „We agreed on no distractions, and you,“ he gave her one last peck „are extremely distracting.“

„Ass,“ she made a show of swatting away his hand, but ultimately did not protest when he pulled her legs across his lap and started to trace patterns against her bare skin.

He had never thought it possible that a Sunday filled with school work into the late evening hours could be this enjoyable.

[nooramanon]

In honour of Noora’s birthday, I’d highly recommend reading this amazing fic by @dezembergirl, enjoy!

[nonibanoni]

Masterlist

Just so I can have my favorite Noorhelm fics all in one place.

Courting Ms Sætre

Chapter 1 https://ganseysjane.tumblr.com/post/163713230387/courting-miss-sætre-16

Chapter 2 https://ganseysjane.tumblr.com/post/163829167322/courting-miss-sætre-26

Chapter 3 https://ganseysjane.tumblr.com/post/163905614907/courting-miss-sætre-36

Chapter 4 https://ganseysjane.tumblr.com/post/163985525822/courting-miss-sætre-46

Chapter 5 https://ganseysjane.tumblr.com/post/164059605337/courting-miss-sætre-56

Chapter 6 https://ganseysjane.tumblr.com/post/164120059067/courting-miss-sætre-66

Eggs and Bacon https://ganseysjane.tumblr.com/post/162598914762/eggs-and-bacon

Thursday Evening https://ganseysjane.tumblr.com/post/162220981547/thursday-evening

Mine, Yours, Ours https://ganseysjane.tumblr.com/post/161776453542/mine-yours-ours

The Rest https://ganseysjane.tumblr.com/post/161656291137/the-rest

Tuesday Morning https://ganseysjane.tumblr.com/post/161799881957/tuesday-morning

Morning Drive https://ganseysjane.tumblr.com/post/162012977192/morning-drive

Eventually https://ganseysjane.tumblr.com/post/163633866832/eventually The World Stops https://ganseysjane.tumblr.com/post/163075450782/the-world-stops

Knock First https://ganseysjane.tumblr.com/post/161986453127/knock-first

Make a Wish https://ganseysjane.tumblr.com/post/163752851752/make-a-wish

Name It https://ganseysjane.tumblr.com/post/156226836107/name-it

Charm Me https://ganseysjane.tumblr.com/post/162940521092/charm-me-12

Dear William https://ganseysjane.tumblr.com/post/162432633252/dear-william

Living the Dream https://ganseysjane.tumblr.com/post/162359084232/living-the-dream

http://halsteadsass.tumblr.com/post/163954843194/soooo-im-super-indecisive-but-if-youre-still http://halsteadsass.tumblr.com/post/163879499594/noorhelm-21-or-22-or-both

Paradise http://dezembergirl.tumblr.com/post/163863364689/paradise

You Like Me http://dezembergirl.tumblr.com/post/164057428654/you-like-me

Early Morning http://dezembergirl.tumblr.com/post/164178812514/good-morning

Homework http://dezembergirl.tumblr.com/post/164361971119/homework-apart-5 http://dezembergirl.tumblr.com/post/164287194014/norwegian-gossip-girl

The Chaser Gets Chased https://rixwritesskam.tumblr.com/post/164138669879/the-chaser-gets-chased-14-hogwartsnoorhelm

https://rixwritesskam.tumblr.com/post/164261997339/the-chaser-gets-chased-24

[rixwrites]

The Chaser Gets Chased (Chapter 4 Preview)

Author’s note: Hello again! I have finished the first scene of the last chapter of ‘The Chaser Gets Chased’ and figured I’d share it with you guys as a 1.5k long preview to the entire chapter. I’ve kept you waiting long enough - and I do feel sorry about it. Blame my French exam: I do, too.  Also: a special thank you to the anon who sent me a lovely message and gave me a much-needed kick in the butt to get started.  Anyway, do let me know what you think of this first scene and I hope to have the entire chapter finished sometime this weekend!

CHAPTER 4 - PREVIEW

The Sixth Year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws have a free period following lunch on Wednesdays and much like every other week, William Magnusson finds himself holed up in the Arithmancy section working on next week’s assignment. He’s hidden behind a bookcase filled with overly large and stuffy books that don’t seem to have been touched in decades, enjoying the solitude for as long as it’ll last. (Erik has never been good with numbers – William’s expecting his friend to come find him as soon he’s finished with his Herbology essay.)

The Ravenclaw is halfway through his Arithmancy homework when the chair in front of him gets pulled from underneath the table. When he looks up, it’s not the blonde Ravenclaw he was somewhat expecting but rather his Gryffindor best friend clearing some of the cluttered workspace for himself. Chris initially doesn’t offer any explanation for his unannounced presence and William just greets him silently before continuing with his work.

Chris seems distracted – more so than usual without his girlfriend around. He wiggles around in his seat, opens his mouth as if he’s going to say something and then closes it again, before sighing while listlessly leafing through his textbook. Frankly: he’s driving William nuts.

William understands there’s something Chris wants to say but figures it can wait: unless the castle is on fire or someone has died, the Prefect would very much like to have this assignment finished before patrols tonight. It would upset his entire week’s schedule if he didn’t. Nonetheless, Chris’s shifty behavior keeps William from completely blocking out his surroundings and because of this less-than-optimal focus, the Ravenclaw notices someone occupying the desk on the other side of the bookcase.

The student pulls a couple books from the shelves – creating a little window for William to peek through – and makes themselves comfortable to begin an afternoon of studying. When the thick robes come off and the student ties up her long blonde hair – for it is definitely a her – William catches sight of scarlet-painted lips. His heart skips a beat before a scowl creeps across his face almost subconsciously.

Chris immediately takes notice and looks around hoping to find the cause for the change in his friend’s attitude. When he too, spots the pretty blonde, the words he’s been forcing down ever since the Patronus incident burst free.

The Gryffindor taps his wand on the side of their table and casts the Muffliato-charm, filling the ears of any person who might be trying to overhear their conversation with an unidentifiable buzzing sound. Then he clears his throat, making William tear his gaze away from Noora Sætre – which isn’t as easy as it probably should be for someone who hates his fellow Gryffindor as much as his best friend claims to.

“William.” Chris snaps his fingers in the brunette’s face. “Knock it off, would you? She doesn’t even know we’re here.”

William’s scowl deepens further. “Oh, really? I suppose it’s just a coincidence then that she’s in the library at the exact same moment that I am? That she’s occupying the table next to mine? She doesn’t even take Arithmancy!”

“Since when do you know Noora’s class schedule?” Chris raises an eyebrow in surprise. William glares.

“I don’t. I just know she’s not in my class, which means she’s not in Sixth Year Arithmancy.” He states matter-of-factly. “No, you’ll see: she’s just here to bother me some more. She didn’t get the last word the last time we spoke, so she’s come to try and convince me to go out with her.”

Chris scoffs. “Maybe come off your high horse, William,” He advises. “The last time you and Noora interacted, you humiliated her in front of the entire student body. I doubt she’ll be up for a date anytime soon…”

“Huh?” William turns his harsh glare away from a blissfully oblivious Noora and faces his friend. He seems confused which in turn confuses Chris. “What are you talking about?”

“The whole ‘Boggart in Slughorn’s closet’-thing?” Chris tries. “What did you think I was talking about?”

William swallows nervously – Chris smells something fishy. “Nothing.” The Ravenclaw sputters. “That, uhm, the Boggart-thing, just like you said…”

“You’re a rotten liar, Magnusson.” Chris’s eyes have turned into slits: he’s onto something here. “When did you speak to Noora?”

“I haven’t.” William takes another look at the blonde girl. Could it be that she hasn’t told her friend – who then undoubtedly would’ve told Chris – about their thing atop the Astronomy Tower?

“Are you sure?” Chris isn’t stupid: he and William have been friends since their first trip aboard the Hogwarts Express. He knows when his best friend’s lying to him. William throws him another glare. It’s defensive – Chris takes notice of that.

“Fine. If you say you haven’t spoken to her since then, I believe you.” Chris concedes.

“Thanks.” William turns back to his work – at this rate, he’ll never be finished by the end of his free period. He can already feel his eyes itch with the lack of sleep because of Chris’s (and by extension, Noora’s) interruption.

“It’s just…” Chris continues. William groans. “If you did talk to her…”

“Which I didn’t.” William interrupts. He almost growls.

“Which you didn’t,” Chris agrees. William hates how his friend’s agreement sounds smug. “But say you did, hypothetically, talk to Noora…”

“Is there a point to this?”

“There is, if you’d just stop interrupting me.” Chris deadpans.

“Get to it, would you?”

“Don’t make me hex you, Magnusson.” Chris threateningly waves his wand. “As I was saying: say you did talk to my dear fellow Gryffindor, I hope you used your manners? Said ‘thank you’, maybe?”

“Why should I?” William doesn’t like this: Chris knows something he doesn’t. That’s never a good sign.

“Remember that dolphin Patronus in the Great Hall?” William raises an eyebrow in question. Chris elaborates. “That was Noora.”

“Huh?” Chris’s smug little smile is back on his face.

“You heard me. That little display of magic which so greatly amused you after that Magical Creatures class? That was Noora.”

“Why?” William’s shocked: Patronus Charms are notoriously difficult and a Corporeal one, like Noora had allegedly cast, requires an even greater level of skill from the witch or wizard who conjures it.

“A little birdie must’ve told her you were a little down after Professor Hagrid’s class. She probably wanted to make you feel a little better after your encounter with the Thestrals.”

“She couldn’t have sent some chocolates, like any normal person?” William doesn’t know why he can’t just accept the idea of Noora doing something nice out of the kindness of her heart.

“You’d probably accuse her of trying to poison you. Or trying to slip you a love potion.” Chris is leaning back on the hindlegs of his chair and fiddling with one of William’s spare feathers. He’s the epitome of relaxation whereas William’s body becomes tenser by the second.

“No, this is something else.” He racks his brain for some kind of ulterior motive Noora must’ve had. He finds one, too. “Merlin! This is classic Sætre-behavior! And you fell for it! Merlin, you almost had me falling for it!”

Chris is frowning as William glares through the little peephole on the bookshelf at Noora. She’s furiously scribbling away on a lengthy scroll of parchment. If that’s the Transfiguration essay they’ve got due, she’s definitely reached and foregone the required length of 2 feet. William notices how she barely looks at her notes from class or the large number of books spread out around her.

Is she really writing a Transfiguration essay for Professor McGonagall without so much as consulting one reference work? The arrogance of this girl!

“What are you talking about? Classic Sætre-behavior? Have you completely lost your mind?” Chris sounds disbelieving - almost angry - when he pulls William out of his musings.

“Don’t you see?” William is well aware that he sounds slightly maniacal when he explains Noora’s supposed motives. “She didn’t conjure the Patronus for me, she did it to show off for everyone else! To show how talented and superior she is to everyone else! I bruised her ego, so she had her ass-kissers sing her praises and make her feel better about herself!”

Chris’s mouth is left hanging open: who is this narrow-minded individual ranting and raving in front of him and what happened to his best friend, the rational and level-headed guy he knows?

“Are you serious right now?” He finally voices. “Because if you are, you ought to know that I am about to punch you. Hard. Repeatedly.”

The crazy look in William’s eyes dims somewhat. Chris continues. “I don’t know what happened the last time you spoke to Noora, but it has rattled you. She hit a nerve and you’re unwilling to confront what she said to you.”

William goes to disagree, but Chris won’t let him. “Get your head out of your ass, Magnusson. And use your manners next time you talk to my Housemate.”

With one last angry look, Chris gathers all of his belongings and leaves William to his scattered thoughts. The Ravenclaw doesn’t finish his Arithmancy homework – too busy being ashamed of himself.

Author’s note: That was it! The first 1527 words of the last chapter of ‘The Chaser Gets Chased’. Do let me know what you think! I love reading your messages and your thoughts on the story. I’m working on the remainder of the story while you’re reading this and I hope to have it uploaded here soon! Have a great rest of the week!

[crowleying]

Dirty little secret | f! reader

Date: 10.04.2020

Pairing:  Christoffer Schistad x Reader

Reader's pronouns: she/her

Words: 2.205

Fandom: SKAM

Characters: Reader, Christoffer Schistad, William Magnusson, Noora Amalie Sætre, Eva Kviig Mohn

Genre: Romance

Length: Oneshot

Warnings: Angst and fluff

Requested by anon

Request: WOW you write for SKAM! 😭 could you write something like: Reader and Chris are dating but she wants to keep it secret because of his reputation and he's annoyed so they fight, he flirts with girls to piss her off, they're on and off, very good or terrible, constantly and then he leaves for army and they solve nothing so when he comes for break they want to reconcile and fix everything. With prompts: 142, 160, 167, 178. Thanks! ❤

Prompts: 142. “I’m lost without you.” 

160. “Just smile. I really need you to smile right now.”

167. “Please tell me it’s going to be okay.”

178. “You’ve shown me what love can feel like.”

Summary: You don’t want to tell anyone that you are in a relationship with Chris. This annoys him and you’re always fighting about it.

A/N: I’m sorry for taking so long but I’m happy I was finally able to write it. I wrote it in one go, which is very unusual for me but I really needed it because all I’m doing this days is studying. So thank you for the request!

English is not my first language so feel free to correct any mistake and I would love to know what do you think about it. REQUESTS ARE OPEN. I posted a List of prompts, so check it out! Let me know if you would like to be tagged in my works.

IF YOU LIKE MY WORKS, PLEASE REBLOG THEM

Masterlist

Ao3

[ID: a black and white gif. Chris Schistad, with a Penetrators hoodie and his backpack on his shoulder, walking by Eva and looking at her. She is giving us the back, she has her backpack on and she turns to look at him. End ID.]

You were leaning against the wall enclosing the school while waiting for your friends and you couldn’t take your eyes off your boyfriend who was talking with the other Penetrators across the courtyard. He flashed you some of his charming smiles from time to time and you couldn’t avoid smiling back and blushing. You were so caught up in your interaction that you didn’t notice your best friend.

“You’re staring” she pointed out almost as a greeting.

“Hello to you” you shot back smiling at her.

“You know, I don’t understand why you want to keep it secret, it’s not like anyone could really miss you smiling to each other all the times with heart-shaped eyes” Noora commented.

You shook your head. “I’ve told you already. Chris has an awful reputation and you more than anyone else should understand” you replied giving her a knowing look.

“Should I?” she asked smiling and waving at William, her boyfriend and Chris’ best friend.

Your eyebrows shot up and she couldn’t ignore your gaze anymore. “What? I’m past that, now everyone knows we are together and we are happy” she said while you caught sight of William and Chris leaving their friends and making their way towards the two of you.

“Hey” William said before taking Noora by the hips and kissing her while Chris shot a look that screamed ‘we could be that happy’. You averted your gaze and cleared your voice. They both got the hint and parted but didn’t let each other go.

“Isn’t it a wonderful day to let the world know of your relationship so that you too can kiss each other without bothering us every time we do so?” William asked you with a cheeky smile. That earned him a glare from you.

Noora and William, being respectively your and Chris’ best friends were the only two to know about your relationship but you were regretting letting them know since they both pushed you to let everyone know. You suspected Chris was behind all of this.

Before you could say anything you were joined by your other friends who were completely oblivious of the whole situation.

“Just think about it” he said briefly before kissing Noora on the lips.

“Let’s go Chris, bye girls.”

You didn’t miss the wink Chris sent Eva’s way and she didn’t either. As soon as the two weren’t in earshot, she let out a cry. “Oh my God, he winked at me!”

You were fuming and Noora shot you a glance. You didn’t react but for the rest of the day you said two words at most and that dark look didn’t leave you. It grew even worse as Chris seemed to be flirting with every girl that passed by and especially with Eva. You didn’t know if you hated him more because he was hurting you or because he was leading her on when she actually liked him.

It went on for the whole week and you just couldn’t take it anymore so you decided you wouldn’t go to the party one of his friends would host on Saturday. You couldn’t watch him flirting with every single girl in the house for the whole night.

No matter how many times Noora tried to convince you to go, you were even more stubborn than she was.

When you heard the bell ringing at ten you thought it was her, both your parents and your brother had the keys so it couldn’t be them. Annoyed you stopped the film you were watching and got up from the bed.

“Noora, I’m not coming to that stupid party” you shouted while reaching the door but when you opened it you found Chris instead.

“What are you doing here? My parents could be at home!”

“Noora told me they went out.”

You cursed her.

“Are you already tired of Eva?” you asked rolling your eyes but leaving the door open for him to come in while you went to the kitchen to put on the kettle.

He entered and closed the door behind, following you inside.

“You know it’s not-” he started only to be interrupted by you.

“I know and it pisses me off because she really likes you and you’re playing with her feelings, just like you’re doing with mine, like you do with everyone’s” you lashed out turning to look at him.

He raised his hands surrendering.

“I know I shouldn’t have, I’m sorry” he said calmly.

“You’re sorry? You’re sorry? How many times have I heard it before?” you asked rhetorically turning to put the water in the kettle and putting it on the cooker.

“It’s just- I was angry, ok? I was angry because you want to keep me as your dirty little secret so that your good girl reputation isn’t stained by mine.”

“That’s not why. You know why and it’s not like you ever try to prove me wrong, is it?” you retorted facing him, your tone now calmer.

He pressed his lips together and inspired. You were right and there was no denying it. “Fine, you’re right. I’m sorry and I’ll try to prove you that I really am changed” he said taking a couple of steps towards you. You relaxed accepting it. You would have to do with it for the time being even though you knew it wouldn’t last long.

You nodded and he hugged you.

It was always like this between the two of you. It had begun almost one year ago. You asked him to keep it secret for a while and he accepted if you let him tell it to William. You agreed but after sometime he eventually became tired of the situation and started pushing you to let everyone know. When you refused he started flirting with everyone he laid his eyes on just to piss you off. That time you almost broke up but then he pleaded you not to and you decided to give him another chance and for some time everything was great but then it happened again and again and again. You had become so used to it by now that you were always ready. You didn’t know how it could still be working between the two of you but somehow it did.

 The next couple of weeks were great, you spent almost every day together when you weren’t at school, he didn’t seem to have eyes for anyone but you, he had completely forgot about Eva.

She didn’t understand what had happened to make him change so suddenly and she was talking about it with the girls for the umpteenth time. You weren’t really listening.

“I need to go to the toilet” you stated getting up from your spot on the windowsill. They barely nodded before bringing their attention back to Eva.

You were tired of listening to her talking about your boyfriend. You were so lost in your thought about him that you didn’t notice a door on you left flying open before someone pulled you in and closed the door. You were ready to fight but you recognized Chris and give him a small push on the chest.

“What are you doing?” you whispered hardly keeping from smiling.

“I missed you” he said pulling you in a heated kiss you couldn’t resist. Your arms went around his neck without you even noticing.

He pushed you against a desk. You sat on it and he made his way between your legs and started kissing your neck. You knew very well where he wanted to go but you put a hand against his chest and pushed.

“Chris, we can’t, we are at school” you reminded him biting your lower lip trying not to smile.

“I don’t care” he muttered against your skin.

“I know but I do” you said giggling. He pulled back. “I know you do, you always do” he replied bitterly and you knew you were back to fighting.

“Chris, please” you whispered tiredly. You didn’t want to fight but he apparently did. “No Y/N, I am the one pleading you. We have been together for almost a year and you still don’t want people to know” he pointed out.

“Because you haven’t changed as you always promise me to” you retorted hopping off the desk.

“I have changed; I’ve been only with you this whole time, why can’t you see it? Why don’t you understand that since you’ve shown me what love can feel like I don’t care for anyone else?” he asked, a pained look on his beautiful face. The bell rang.

“Because you keep flirting with everyone” you replied shaking your head and feeling the tears coming to your eyes. Without giving him the time to reply you left, not wanting to cry in front of him.

After that you didn’t see each other for weeks. He had exams and you kept to yourself; even Noora didn’t see you all that much, you didn’t really feel like staying with the girls.

 As hard as you tried, however, you couldn’t ditch that damn party at William’s to celebrate the end of the school. You knew there would be no avoiding Chris there. As soon as you walked in you spotted him but you were able to go unseen for a whole hour before he found you in the kitchen grabbing the third beer of the night.

“We need to talk” he said right away.

You hesitated.

“Please” he insisted and he seemed almost desperate. You nodded and left the unopened bottle on the counter following him out of the flat and then the palace.

You stopped only once you were in the street and waited for him to talk.

“I... I’m sorry for saying it now that we’re not even speaking but I didn’t want to leave without telling you” he began and a shiver went down your back. You didn’t know it was for the chilly air or if was for his words.

“Leave? What do you mean? Where are you going?” you asked bringing you arms around yourself to fend the cold off. You hadn’t thought of taking your jacket with you.

He took his off and put it on your shoulders.

“I decided to join the army” he said and the world around you started spinning incredibly fast.

You felt the words getting stuck in your throat and tears came to your eyes instead.

“Why?” you finally managed to whisper.

“I want to get my head together and take my time to decide what to do afterwards” he said getting closer to you and putting his hands on your arms.

“It is not your fault” he added guessing your thoughts. Your tears started flowing and he hugged you.

“When are you leaving?” you whispered.

“In two days.”

“Two days?” you asked faintly.

“I’m sorry” he whispered squeezing you to his chest.

“Please tell me it’s going to be okay” you pleaded him. You knew it wouldn’t change anything but you needed to hear that from him.

“It’s going to be ok, I promise” he said and you nodded.

He pulled apart and looked at you. “Please don’t cry” he said drying your tears delicately with his thumbs.

“Just smile. I really need you to smile right now. I will need to think of your wonderful smile when I will be away and missing you.”

You tried to do your best but only managed to smile weakly. He smiled back and pulled you back in the hug.

 Months had gone by and you still missed him as much as you did the first day. You didn’t know how it was possible. Before he left you both decided it would be better not staying in contact but you regretted it now. Not knowing how he was doing was killing you; the only news being those William passed you through Noora. It was her who told you he was back. She barely had the time to finish the sentence before you ended the call and put your jacket on leaving the house without bothering telling anyone where you were going.

You ran all the way there and when you finally got to the door you were spent. Still out of breath you rang the bell. You didn’t need to wait too long for the door to open showing an extremely surprised Chris.

“How...?” he began but he was interrupted by William. “Oh, wow, that was quick” he commented seeing you. “I’ll leave you two alone” he said winking at you.

“Thanks” you whispered, a small smile on your lips.

“We’ll see soon, yeah?” he asked Chris who nodded, still a little bit confused.

William left and you followed Chris inside.

Chris closed the door and as soon as he turned you hugged him.

“Please don’t leave ever again, I’ll tell the world that we are together, I’ll put banners around the city if I can get you to stay” you blurted out making him laugh. He hugged you back.

“So we are back together?” he asked and you nodded without hesitation. “I’m lost without you” you admitted.

“Oh God, I love you and I’m not leaving again” he said looking you in the eyes before kissing you deeply.

[skam-luart-mix]

I miss you, beautiful 💌

[skambigbang]

This year we allowed for options for new forms of fic within the guidelines of the Big Bang and we're proud to present this story written around original poetry, a noorhelm fic by @sammi-phoenix that re-envisions their relationship. And it's anchored by the beautiful art by pauline aka @whippedkoalas! Check out the gorgeous poetry!

The Skam Big Bang is a fandom event that pairs writers and artists to create a 10K+ story and artwork inspired by it. Every year we’re graced by an amazing wealth of creativity in the various pieces of art and this year was no exception! Though the bang is officially over, we’re gonna be highlighting the artwork and their stories over the next few weeks as we put out a call for new mods to carry it on! Enjoy the eye candy, check out the stories and show our artists and writers some love!

[arivers610]

Bitches Be Crazy

Erica perked up when Celeste and Mina sat down,

“Good you guys are here now, okay so how does everyone feel about going to a club this weekend!”

Daisy and Mina nodded but Celeste and Nehemie didn’t seem too excited.

Celeste shrugged her shoulders,

“I’m just not a “club” person. Sorry but I think I’m going to pass.”

Nehemie nodded,

“Me too.”

“Oh come ‘on Neh, just tell your parents you’re staying over at my place.”

“And what will you be telling your parents Aminata?” Nehemie using Mina’s full name made her sound even more like the mother of the group.

“I’ll tell them we’re having a sleepover at your place. It’ll be just like that time we went to New York to see Drake and that turned out fine.”

“Us missing our bus, you losing your money and making us stay at some rent by the hour motel is not my definition of fine.”

“But that won’t happen because Celeste said that she lives on he own, everyone looked at Celeste, so can we stay with you this weekend?”

“Sure but I don’t know if I want to go out.”

“Please Celeste, Mina begged then Erica joined in, we need the whole gang.”

“Okay fine, but I have to ask my roommate.”

“Who’s your roommate?” Daisy asked

“His name is Julien, I found him on craigslist and he hasn’t killed me yet so he’s a pretty good roommate.”

“You live with a guy that you met on craigslist?” Erica shouted

“Is he cute?” Daisy asked

“He is and he is also very, very gay so there’s no need to worry about anything other than him possibly stealing your clothes.”

“Well that settles it, we’ll get ready at Celeste’s, drive over to the club and crash at her place, Erica shrugged her shoulders, as long as it’s okay with your roommate.”

Celeste sighed and nodded,

“I’ll ask him tonight but, Celeste pointed to Erica before she could celebrate, when one of us is ready to leave we all leave together, okay?”

Everyone nodded in agreement. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Later on~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste decided to take a break from her school work and do something that would relax her, paint. She threw on an old t-shirt of hers that was already splattered with paint, a pair of Soffe shorts, also covered in paint, and pulled her hair into a pony tail at the top of her head.

She laid down her white tarp, turned on some music and let her paint brush glide across the blank canvas. Her go to thing to paint was birds or flowers but this time she just started painting lines and dripping paint onto the canvas. Celeste picked up the canvas and slowly rotated it. The pinks and purples swirled together with the blue. She decided to leave the one corner completely free of paint. She dipped a thinner paint brush into some brown paint and painted a bird with its wings spread out. Underneath it she wrote with her fancy paint pen,

Be like a bird, fly forwards not backwards

When Julien came home, Celeste showed him her painting.

“I like the Jackson Pollock vibes, not crazy about the bird, Celeste rolled her eyes, but then again I can barely draw stick figures so who am I too judge. I love it.”

“Thanks, so how was work?”Celeste asked.

“It was okay, clam chowder girl called off again. So I had to stick around until thick ass Tony came in.” Julien smiled and grabbed a plate to warm up the leftover chicken and rice.

“I know why you call Tony, thick ass Tony but why do you call that girl clam chowder girl again?”

“Because it was the first thing she dropped when she started working, Celeste smiled and nodded, oh and how was school today? Did you learn anything?” he popped it in the microwave for 90 seconds.

Celeste shrugged her shoulders ,

“It was okay, oh by the way some of my friends want to go out on Saturday so I told them they can crash here afterwards, is that okay with you.”

Julien jumped up and hugged Celeste,

“Yes of course it’s okay, he flung her back and forth, I’m so happy you’re making friends.”

Celeste laughed and pushed him away,

“JuJu, you act like I’m some shut in who never wants to leave the house and would love nothing more than to lay on the couch and, Celeste stopped and nodded, okay so I guess that is pretty much me.”

“But not anymore, this weekend you’re going out, maybe next weekend you’ll  finally get laid.” Julien clapped his hands together.

Celeste sighed and shook her head,

“I don’t need to get laid Julien.”

“Oh really, he walked into the living room and grabbed the remote, let’s check and see what you’ve been watching on Netflix, shall we?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“When you’re sexually frustrated you watch Marvel movies because you’ve got the hots for the three Chris’s, Evans, Hemsworth and Pratt.”

“No I don’t, Celeste lunged at Julien for the remote, okay you’ve made you’re point. But it still doesn’t matter.”

Julien backed off,

“Okay, you’re right. I’m sorry I brought it up, he put his arm around her, you can do or not do whoever you want. Besides, one of us in this apartment should be welcomed at the pearly gates.” He winked and nudged his shoulder into hers.

“Nah, I’m already going to hell for laughing at old people falling down in those life alert commercials.”

“Did you ever see the video where someone takes clips from the commercials and adds music to it?”

“Yes, but let’s watch them anyway.”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The feminist voice of Sylvia Plath can be heard in her writing and told through her life, Celeste cleared her throat and looked down at her note cards, an examples of her feminist voice can be found in her poem Lady Lazarus which ends with the words, out of the ash I rise with my red hair and I eat men like air, Celeste looked up from her note cards and saw Ian smiling at her, even at the young age of 17 Sylvia wasn’t interested in the traditional roles that women had during that time. She wrote, I am afraid of getting older. I am afraid of getting married. Spare me from cooking three meals a day, spare me from the relentless cage of routine and rote. I want to be free I want to think, to be omniscient.”

Celeste put her note cards down and used the rest of her time to show images of Sylvia in a PowerPoint.

“Okay thank you Ms. Drummer, that was very informative. Does anyone have any questions, just as she was about to go sit down, a hand shot up in the air, Ian do you have a question for Celeste?”

Celeste clenched her jaw and let out an audible sigh. Ian nodded and leaned forward in his seat,

“Yeah I was wondering why you didn’t mention the fact that she was mentally ill?”

“Well because it doesn’t have anything to do with her being a feminist. If this was a Psych class I would’ve mentioned it. Unless you think they’re connected?”

Everyone turned and looked at Ian. He shook his head,

“I’m not saying they’re connected but maybe there is some truth to the saying, bitches be crazy.”

A few people in the class laughed but the teacher stopped it from going any further,

“Okay let’s keep the questions relevant and stop using terms like bitch to describe women.”

“My apologies Ms. Anderson and Celeste, I should have phrased the question better.”

His apologetic smile was enough for the teacher but Celeste stuck her lip up in disgust and took her seat.

After class the teacher handed Celeste her paper back and the grade she got on her presentation,

“You’re paper was great I just wish you would have brought that in a little more with your presentation but overall you did a good job. Keep it up!”

Celeste smiled and took her paper from the teacher. An A- wasn’t a bad grade but if it weren’t for the presentation part of the assignment she would have gotten higher than a 90%. She walked out of class with her head down reading the comments on her paper. Someone in front of her held the door for her,

“Thanks.” She said without looking up.

“You’re welcome Ms. Drummer.”

Celeste shook her head and turned around to face Ian,

“Don’t say my name like that.” Celeste straightened her back to appear taller and louder than she actually was.

“Like what?” Ian put his hands in his pockets and leaned in.

“Like, Celeste waved her hands in front of his face, that. Like everything you say has some hidden motive. It’s creepy and weird.”

“Whatever you say, he looked down at her paper then up to her face, good job by the way.” He winked and brushed past her.

IanJReyes0716: “The night I lost my keys, broke into a car and realized it wasn’t my car.”

KingStephen009:”You never did get that jacket back from that tattooed chick, did you?”

IanJReyes0716: “Nope but it was worth it.”

[dezembergirl]

Seventeen

Part 7 of a Series (read 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6; as always inspired by @nonibanoni )

fandom: Skam

pairing: Noorhelm

originally published to ao3

Thanks to a loud banging noise and string of curses Noora jolted awake ten minutes before her alarm was due to go off. Her momentary confusion gave way to a mumbled «fuck» when the clock on her nightstand read 06:30. She groaned and let her head drop back into the pillow. It was just her kind of luck, the one time she actually had a halfway pleasant dream Eskild had the glorious idea of rummaging through the kitchen at half past six in the morning. She huddled the blanket over her head and pressed her arms up to cover her ears. When the noises didn’t relent after a minute and the sheet threatened to block out her oxygen supply Noora gave up and tossed the blanket from her body.

There was no use in going back to sleep now and she mentally noted down a speech to properly reprimand Eskild. Half past six, how the hell was he even up right now? At least Linn - the most noise sensitive person Noora had ever encountered - would take her side in this. It was already light outside so she didn’t have to bother with finding the light switch to collect her socks and a sweater. Their shared apartment was never properly heated, partly because the rent was already high enough without any additional heating expenses and the bigger reason being that besides her neither Eskild nor Linn cared about turning on the radiators. She made a mental reminder to scold Eskild about that later, she would not spend another winter sleeping with 3 layered blankets.

Dropping back down on the mattress, she pulled on the socks and reached for her buzzing phone. The list of notifications seemed to stretch endlessly when she scrolled down. It took another loud bang from the kitchen for her brain to kick into gear and make sense of spew of unread texts.

The only thing worse than waking up this early was waking up to find it was her birthday.

If she had to pick, April 6th was easily in the top three worse days of the year; right up their with her annual dentist visit and final exam’s day. Eying her tousled sheets she considered getting back under her blanket and hiding for the next 24 hours. She was an exemplary student when it came to never skipping a single lesson, so one day wouldn’t really hurt anybody, right?

But the thought of her friends disappointed faces if she should really stay home was enough guilt to get her up from the mattress. She rubbed at her eyes and heard the satisfying pop from her vertebras when she turned her head side to side, cracking her neck. She would get through today - for her friends - and who knew, it might not turn out to be as bad as her last few birthdays.

She immediately scratched that flash of optimism when the girls’ group text wasn’t only filled with a wave of congratulatory messages and hearts but also an already half-formed plan on where they would go out celebrating tonight. She thought about shutting them down right now but besides Sana’s text from 10 minutes ago, the rest of the messages had been sent somewhere between midnight and 2 am. It was useless to protest now and it would be more effective in person anyways.

Noora scrolled through the rest of the messages, a few from other people at school and her friends in Spain. Her heart sank when she found her parents’ annual message, wishing her well and good luck for the year ahead. She wrote back a curt thank you and did her best to suppress the squirming in her stomach.

The kitchen had quieted down and opening her bedroom door, Noora almost ran face first into Eskild, holding a plate and her favourite mug.

«Oh, what the fuck Eskild?» Noora squeaked and scolded herself for not managing to sound pissed at him whatsoever.

But before she could go off on an angry tirade on how fucking inconsiderate it was to make that much noise in the morning, her eyes caught the plate in his hands, complete with a burning candle sticking slightly off center out of a - no doubt freshly bought - chocolate muffin.

«What …» she started.

«Happy birthday old lady!» he forced the plate into her hand. «I know I know, it’s not an actual cake but I promise it tastes good. And we got you your favorite tea and I promise I’ll do the groceries and toilet paper today, so you don’t have to worry about any of that.»

Noora must have stared at him with a shocked expression because his wide eyes faltered and his brows furrowed in worry. He opened and closed his mouth, apparently trying to figure out where he had gone wrong but before he could say anything she threw her arms around his neck.

The tea that was still in his hand half spilled on her well worn ‘I heart Madrid’ sweater but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Eskild smelled like a mixture of beer and weed and when she pulled back to look at his beaming face his eyes were smaller than usual; she faintly recalled him announcing he would go out last night.

«It’s perfect, thank you!» Noora said.

«You like it?» he leaned against the door frame and Linn poked her head out beside him.

«Yes, of course.»

«Okay, okay, you have to blow out the candle and wish for something.» Eskild nodded towards the plate.

She did, even though wishing for everything to stay like it was right now felt incredibly cheesy.

After a few bites of the incredibly sugary muffin and listening to Eskild gush about a tall and dark boy he met at a bar around 4 am she checked her phone again. There were a few new messages in the girl chat but she wasn’t entirely sure whether to be disappointed or relieved that William hadn’t texted her. If she was lucky he might not even realize her birthday was today; it probably wouldn’t end well anyway.

As expected her friends’ excitement outdid her own by a mile. Eva and Vilde revealed a box containing a cake drowned in sugary frosting; the slightly squished appearance made her think back to their Harry Potter marathon from three weeks ago at Eva’s sleepover. Several people came over between lessons to congratulate her. Sarah and Ingrid gave her a quick hug while Jonas and Isak found her on her way to the bathroom while the rest of the girls had stayed behind in their English classroom; the Penetrator party had been a week ago and Eva and Jonas were still hard set on ignoring each other.

It wasn’t unusual for her to not see William or any of his closer friends during her school day as the 3rd years spent most of their breaks smoking and doing god knows what down the street from the B building. She supposed it was a good thing, seeing as the girls refused to leave her side except for separate lessons. This meant, Vilde was a constant shadow and she caught her peeking at her phone multiple times as Noora texted back thank you messages. It would have been easier to ignore her stares if she had indeed had nothing to hide; but she did.

She tried to protest, when Eva puller her into the third floor bathroom minutes before their last lesson for the day but retaliated when her friend gave her a stern look.

«Did Vilde see us?» Eva closed the door and squatted down to check the stalls.

«No, I don’t … What’s going on?» Noora asked

«You» Eva bore her pointed finger into Noora’s shoulder «better pray Vilde doesn’t check Instagram in the next 40 minutes.»

«What?» she stared at Eva, who had pursed her lips into a smirk.

«He isn’t exactly being subtle.»

Noora tried to retaliate but stopped when Eva’s knowing look finally clicked into place. Her stomach dropped. «What did he do?»

Eva was only too eager to puller out her phone and after a few quick swipes presented Noora with William’s newest Instagram post - dated 10 minutes ago.

@magnussonwilliam Someone deserves flowers today

«Oh fuck» her brows furrowed.

«I was thinking more along the lines of, damn that’s the most romantic thing since Leo froze to death for Kate in Titanic.»

«Oh my god, Eva this is not funny.» Noora snatched the phone from her friend’s hand and scrolled through the - already 203 - likes. «This is really bad.»

Eva laughed and pulled them both out of the bathroom. «As I said, better hope Vilde doesn’t see it.»

Trailing behind Eva to their Spanish class room, her cheeks turned flaming red when a comment from one of the third year girls popped up under the post ‘Told you all, he has a girlfriend’.

Eva kept throwing her knowing glances throughout their reading assignment and as if things couldn’t get any more awkward the next time her phone buzzed, it was a text from William himself. Seeing Noora’s entire head turn into a very unflattering shade of pink Eva almost choked on her own laughter and ignored her unnerved glares.

She turned towards the wall away from Eva and unlocked her phone.

William: pick you up after school?

Noora bit her lip. This was indeed getting worse by the second.

Noora: NO!!

Noora: are you insane?

Eva squirmed in the chair beside her, craning her neck to get a look at Noora’s phone.

William: ??

Noora: the instagram post, really?

William: Chris agreed it was sweet

She bit her lip to keep from hissing at the display. She’d literally kill him if he told Chris. Not that Eva didn’t know more than she deemed appropriate already, but he’d promised to keep it to himself. Her heart was thumping against her throat and her fingers needed several tries to type the find the keys on the screen.

Noora: You told Chris?

William: No … well yes, but he doesn’t know it’s u

Noora: that’s not reassuring whatsoever …

William: I’m sorry, I’ll pick you up after school and make it up to you

Noora: No! I’m going to lunch with the girls. I’ll text you later!

She didn’t bother waiting for his reply before shoving the phone into her backpack. She ignored Eva’s raised eyebrows for the rest of the lesson.

Eva’s smirk and William’s audacity to presume she wouldn’t have anything better to do on her birthday than to make out at his apartment made her head boil and the last bell couldn’t come soon enough. As if a few lousy flowers would make her forget all the very valid reasons, dating - the word itself seemed absurd in connection with William Magnussen - him was a very unwise choice. Before Eva could even put away her Spanish folder, Noora pushed past the rest of the students into the hallway and down the stairs. To her annoyance she didn’t get very far when Vilde blocker her way two corridors down.

Vilde - who was seemingly ignorant of the Instagram post - pulled her out into the yard to wait for the other three. It was just past three o’clock and the yard was filled with students saying goodbye to their friends. Still, she turned her head every few seconds to check if William was anywhere close. Vilde must have noticed her nerves because she found her staring every time she turned to look at her. Sana and Chris caught up with them five minutes later and Eva shook her head at Noora in feigned annoyance.

«Where to for lunch?» Sana prompted before either Eva or Vilde could make another precarious comment.

«It’s not Friday, but I was thinking tacos?»

The rest nodded in agreement.

They’d made it past the gate and around the corner when Noora froze mid step and caused Eva to shriek in surprise. William and Chris, both their noses in their phones, leaned against the black Porsche, parked not ten meters from the school corner. At the sudden noise both looked up and Noora collected every last ounce of her self control to ignore the forming smirk on William’s lips; knowing just how good it felt kissing them made it all that much harder.

Chris and Sana stayed back and watched the scene unfold while Eva padded Noora’s shoulder and didn’t quite manage to stifle her giggles. Vilde was beaming and Noora hoped she was too distracted to catch William winking at her. Eva didn’t miss it but instead of embarrassing her any further she sauntered up to Chris who licked his lips.

«The party was amazing.» Vilde had positioned herself in front of William. «I hope you got enough donations. The whole auction thing was such a brilliant idea.»

Noora cringed and met William’s gaze over Vilde’s shoulder. She did her best to narrow her eyes and give him a stern look but the execution didn’t succeed when her lips tucked into a traitorous smile. Vilde kept rambling until Sana had the good grace to nudge her along. In one moment that seemed like the perfect movie coincidence, Chris and Eva where distracted with each other and the other three girls already heading down the street. To quick for her to protest William snatched her arm to pull her towards him.

«Happy birthday, text me after lunch!» he was so close to her ear, he barely had to raise his voice.

Noora bit her lip and gave him a nod. His hand squeezed hers before he let her go and turned back to Chris, who had trapped Eva against the car.

Noora had never been the biggest fan of birthdays, so the small mountain of presents her friends pulled out on the table made her heart comfortably warm and her head dizzy. Two books, one lavender scented candle and a box of handpicked sweets laid between the emptied taco baskets. She gave them all a tight hug and for the first time since Noora could remember she was sad when the birthday dinner - technically lunch - was over and they all parted ways. Of course Vilde, Eva and Chris had done their best to persuade her to a party later but she declined and promised to come to the next buss party without any protests.

To avoid any further run-ins she had made William promise to park at least two blocks away. He was again leaning against his car - it was a cool, expensive, but cool car nevertheless.

«Don’t ever do that again!» she whispered when he pulled his arms around her and only huffed in reply. His hands rubbed the tension from her back and she relaxed into his tall frame.

«Happy birthday» he pulled back to meet her eyes and she couldn’t hold the smile back any longer when his thumb brushed along her cheekbone and he finally placed a quick kiss on her lips. He let go to reach down to lift the modest bouquet of tulips from the hood of his car and offer them to her.

«Thank you.» she intertwined their fingers and he returned her smile.

«I’m sorry about the Instagram post. I can delete it if it bothers you?»

«No, no it’s okay.» she cocked her head to peer at him. «I was just a little overwhelmed earlier.» She pulled him down for a longer kiss. They took their time before he opened the passenger side door for her and jumped in beside her.

«Are you up for a proper date?» William flipped his hair back; without the hoodie, it constantly fell back into his eyes and she mustered a smirk when she helped him pull a few strands behind his ear.

«Where the other ones not proper dates?»

«Well, you refused to call them dates.»

«And what makes you think I’ll change my mind today?» Noora raised her chin and straightened her spine against the ridiculously soft leather seat.

«Oh good god.» he groaned and she giggled when he reached over to tickle her. «We’ll go and then you can decide what you wanna call it afterward, deal?»

«Deal» she grinned and let him pull her over the center console for a kiss.

Granted she was painfully aware of William’s disposition to do things that were more than just cliché and bordered on cheesy but he did it in such an endearing way, she couldn’t bring herself to dislike him for it - despite what she might tell herself and Eva. Still she had expected him to take her back to his apartment or even the cinema; after all fresh tulips and a surprise ‘date’ on her birthday seemed romantic enough.

Apparently, she had underestimated him. When he stopped the car after a ten-minute drive through downtown Oslo, the 80% glass building that was the Opera house loomed over them.

«Seriously?» she raised her eyebrows at him. This was maybe the most touristy spot in the whole country, gracing the back of basically all postcards titled ‘Oslo’. Though despite the cheesy undertone she couldn’t deny that it was breathtakingly beautiful.

William chuckled beside her and when they exited the car, there were only a handful people littered across the building with one or two dragging around big touristy cameras. Sunset was maybe half an hour away and pink and orange tones already reflected in the smooth water.

On instinct she meant to reach for his hand but found him occupied with carrying two blankets and a closed basket; so he offered her his arm instead and she threaded hers through his elbow.

The flats she had chosen this morning definitely weren’t the perfect gear for hiking up the opera house but the view from the top was worth her panting lungs and flushed cheeks. William put one blanket on the stone panels and motioned for her to sit while he busied himself with fiddling open the basket. He retrieved two thermos jugs and one small paper container for them each.

«This might really be the most cliché thing you could have done, and that’s saying something,» she said while William sat down next to her, close enough for their sides to bump together, and pulled the second blanket over their feet.

«I considered buying you 17 red roses.» his hand traced down her back again. «And a giant teddy bear.»

«I guess, you have a point.» she let her head fall against his chest. «Thank you!»

«Mhm,» he murmured and pulled her closer. His fingers were tracing her shoulder as he massaged the muscles beneath her skin. He brushed against the tops of her collarbones that peaked out under her shirt and then wandered up her throat placing kisses along the sensitive skin next to her pulse. Noora sighed and closed her eyes when he reached her chin. Despite the public location, his touch felt more intimate than the days before. Her skin flared at his touch and her lips craved his. Instead, his fingers teased the corners of her mouth before he placed a peck on the tip of her nose, which made her giggle and pinch his side in revenge.

He gave in and kissed her properly, shallowing the sighs that escaped her mouth. Heat blossomed in her belly and she felt her cheeks flush despite the mild spring breeze. Her finger found his scarp and pushed into his hair while pulled her closer and closer towards him until she practically sat in his lap. When she pulled away after feeling her lungs ache at the loss of oxygen, his eyes were glossed over and he meant to continue their kiss when she gently put her hand on his chest.

«First, hot cacao» Noora smirked and disentangled herself from his lap to reach for the two thermos jugs.

William groaned, flipped back his now tangled hair but took one of the bottles from her. He must have upped the cacao contents in his recipe because when she uncapped hers, the rich chocolate smell took her breath away for a moment. Under different circumstances, she might have waited for it to cool down but the setting sun was dragging the temperatures down with it and she was thankful for the heat spreading through her torso. When she looked up he was watching her intently and she gave him a kiss on the cheek. «It’s delicious!»

William, clearly pleased with her reaction, offered her a piece of dark chocolate cake from the paper box and took the other for himself. «I meant to buy you candles as well.»

«It’s okay. I think I’ve blown out enough candles for my next ten birthdays today.»

They ate and drank in silence after that and Noora found herself pressing closer to his chest as they watched a family with three little kids play on the incline. He rubbed her arms and made sure the blanket was tucked around them as the sun disappeared into the golden water. She hummed in content while he played with the ends of her hair. They watched the last flickers of light disappear and neither wanted to move from their position that currently was half a hug and half Noora sitting in his lap. When her fingers grew red and numb from the cold they reluctantly made their way back to his car.

During the drive to her apartment she had to repress the impulse to reach for his face again and instead she traced her finger up and down his free arm. He put the Porsche into park in front of the blue door and they eyed each other for a moment until he reached over to pull her close again. Noora hummed against his lips and decided that there was no superior feeling than kissing William after a cup of hot cocoa. His mouth tasted like the faint reminders of his mint gum and overwhelmingly like the baking chocolate powder he used for her hot cacaos.

It took several angry honks from the car behind his for them to pull apart and she left the car with the promise of calling him tomorrow. When she turned the key to their apartment Eskild was already holding a glass of sparkling wine, clearly more than ready for the next episode of Paradise Hotel. The tulips were put in a vase in her room under Eskild's scrutinizing eyes.

«Your lips are .. ehh a little smeared.» He laughed as Noora scrambled for a mirror to examine her swollen lips and properly tousled hair. William seemingly had a very adverse effect on her usually perfectly put together appearance.

Noora: Thank you for today, you were right it was a proper date!

William: I’m glad, talk tomorrow, good night birthday girl x

[soleilees]

the only season of skam that i’ve rewatched fully 4 times now is noora’s season i’m such trash

[nooorhelms]

I just woke up to 1k+ followers. Holy moly you guys and girls are amazing. Thank you so much for the support. Please feel free to send your requests/prompts and fic ideas. I'll be happy to write whatever your heart desires. To those who have requested, I'll be starting on writing tonight. ❤

[rixwrites]

The Chaser gets chased (2/4)

Author’s note: Hello again! Here’s the second chapter of my first Noorhelm story. I got several really nice messages about the first chapter, so fingers crossed for the second one. Do let me know what you think! I love reading your thoughts about it! Also, a little tip for people who are unfamiliar with the HP verse: take a look at the Harry Potter wikia page to get a better feel for certain terms - especially with this chapter featuring Patronuses!

Oh, something else: Noora and Eva are the same age as William and Chris in this story. Everyone else’s age is canon. Just to clear things up!

I found the source of the promt by the way: I’ll link it here. Maybe you might be inspired by the other prompts - please tag me if you are! I’d love to read your work!!!

Now, without further ado: chapter two! (Oops: The rhyming was completely unintended, I swear!)

CHAPTER 2

Two days have gone by since William and Noora’s spat in the Great Hall. The Gryffindor isn’t proud of it but she’s been going out of her way to avoid running into the Ravenclaw. Despite having her friends by her side distracting her as best as they could, Noora’s still licking her William-inflicted wounds.

Today’s Defense Against the Dark Arts class offered her a little reprieve from the heartache. The Sixth Year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs have begun studying the Patronus charm and, under the watchful eye of their professor, spent the second half of their two-hour period trying to conjure one of their own.

Noora is the only one in her class who’s managed to produce more than a few wisps of silvery clouds. Her Patronus was an Uncorporeal one, without a distinguishable shape to it, but she’s still high on endorphins when the professor dismisses their class.

“What were you thinking about, Noora?” One of her fellow Gryffindors prods.

“Yeah, Noora,” Another classmate shouts. “Tell us!”

Noora smiles but refuses to divulge how she did it. She’s not entirely sure she knows herself what memory she used. Eva looks proud of her.

“You’d think you were a rock star.” The Hufflepuff smiles teasingly. Noora smirks a little bashfully. “How about lunch, superstar?”

Noora hesitates when she and Eva get to the Great Hall: usually they’d go and sit with Chris and the others, but things have changed. Eva wordlessly grabs her hand and drags her best friend to the Hufflepuff table. They take a seat next to a group of younger girls.

“Hi, Eva, Noora.” The perky blonde smiles widely. Her friend, a brunette rolling a spoon around in her mouth and making eyes at one of her housemates, just nods in greeting.

“Hi Vilde.” Noora smiles back. “How did things go with that Charms essay of yours? Did my notes from our tutoring session help you in any way?”

Vilde nods gratefully. “Yes, I meant to thank you for that. I even earnt five points for our House in today’s class. Professor Banning was really pleased with my improvement.”

“Good job!” Noora gives the younger girl two thumbs up. “Let me know if I can help with something, okay?”

“Thanks, Noora. You didn’t have to.” Vilde sounds touched by the kindness of the popular older student. “I appreciate your help.”

“Don’t mention it.” Noora winks at her and dives into the food on her plate.

Vilde drops all talk of schoolwork and starts relaying today’s gossip. Noora usually stays far away from the rumor mill – too often involuntarily taking on a starring role in some of the juicier stories going around – but today she hums and gasps at all appropriate times. She could use the distraction and she’s pleasantly surprised when her name doesn’t come up once.

But maybe she spoke too soon. Suddenly, Vilde stops talking and just looks at the Gryffindor in front of her.

“What is it?” Noora feels a little uncomfortable with the staring. “Do I have something on my face?”

Vilde shakes her head. “It’s just…” She hesitates. “I was just wondering… You see, there’s talk about…”

Noora gets an uneasy feeling – fearing that the conversation will turn to a topic she really doesn’t want to discuss – when Eva saves her.

“Hey, Vilde,” Her best friend addresses the younger Hufflepuff. “What’s been going on today? It seems as if it’s quieter than usual in here.”

Vilde shrugs and drops her nosing in Noora’s personal life. “I heard something about the Sixth Year Care of Magical Creatures students being shaken up about class. Apparently, they’re studying Thestrals in that class. I guess I’d be freaked out too if I saw a winged horse with a skeletal body and a face that looks like a reptile.”

“Someone could see them?” Eva asks. Noora looks over at the group of Sixth Year Care of Magical Creatures students she knows rather well and notices the quiet surrounding the usually vivacious group of friends sitting at the Ravenclaw table. Her heart hurts when she sees William’s hunched form.

Chris Berg, Vilde’s friend, nods gravelly. “William Magnusson. He was the only one. I’ve heard he hasn’t spoken a word since class let out.”

Noora is still looking at William. He’s sat with his back facing her so she can’t see his face, but she takes notice of the tension in his body. The sadness comes off him in waves and Noora loses her appetite at the sight of the Ravenclaw in pain. She wishes there was something she could do to take his mind off it.

Noora absentmindedly gets out her wand and starts twirling it around her fingers. The secure feeling of the wood calms her nerves – almost like the presence of a friend. She can hear Eva talking to Vilde and Chris about their Defense class, praising Noora’s success with the Patronus charm, and suddenly Noora knows. Just because she isn’t within William’s proximity, doesn’t mean she can’t show her support. Or distract him from his thoughts.

The Gryffindor closes her eyes – forcing her brain to recall the happiest memories she has – and slightly lifts her wand. She doesn’t open her eyes when she whispers the spell but she does feel the magic sprouting from her wand. When she hears several loud gasps and a few surprised shouts echoing, she dares to peek.

She’s exceeded her attempt from class – the silvery cloud that escaped the tip of her wand now has a distinguished shape. There’s a brightly shimmering dolphin swimming through the air and as soon as it’s reached the Ravenclaw table, it starts tumbling above William’s head and trying to catch his attention.

William turns around when the Patronus hides behind his back – trying to keep his gaze on the playful animal. Noora’s lips curl upwards in a gentle expression when she sees the way William smiles. She feels as if she’s stepped into a warm beam of summer sunlight when she spots the awed look on his face. The fondness she feels because of William’s carefree expression makes her feel as if her heart is going to burst and her Patronus shines a little brighter as a consequence.

She continues watching William staring at her Patronus before she notices some movement behind the dark-haired Ravenclaw. The boy’s friends have all turned to look where the dolphin came from and Noora sees their mouths falling open when they realize she conjured it. Some of them waggle their eyebrows at her, giving her teasing smirks and mouthing ‘whipped’ at her, but Chris just winks at her. She doesn’t need to hear the words to understand that he means it as a ‘thank you’. Noora blushes a little and looks away from them.

Her eyes drift from William and her Patronus to the teachers’ table. Her Defense Professor has been looking for the student who cast the spell and raises his glass in congratulations at Noora when their eyes meet. At the very least, her silly little crush - like Sana, Noora’s favorite study buddy in Slytherin, had named it - will get her House some points for the House Cup.

The Gryffindor allows her Patronus to disappear – feeling the magic drain out of her the longer she keeps the spell intact – and feels a little guilty when she spots William’s disappointed look. The bell rings, signaling the end of lunch, and Eva bids Vilde and Chris a hasty goodbye before she grabs hold of Noora’s arm and drags her up the marble staircase to the first floor. The Gryffindor protests when she recognizes the bathroom they’re headed for.

“No! Absolutely not!” She digs her heels into the floor and tries to stop Eva from opening that door. “Not Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom! Whatever we talk about in there will be all over Hogwarts before the end of this period!”

Eva reconsiders her initial destination and then opts for an empty classroom on the other end of the hall.

“Are we skipping? Because I don’t think McGonagall is going to approve.” Noora rambles. Eva’s actions are making her nervous. “Besides, we’re studying Animagi and that’s about the only interesting thing we’ll see in Transfiguration this year and…”

“Oh, shut up, would you?” Eva locks the door behind them and casts a Muffliato Charm on the door. When she turns around to look at the blonde, she seems two seconds away from passing out in excitement. “Now, you want to tell me what that was about?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you?” Noora asks. She’s got a good idea what Eva’s hinting at, but she won’t give in that easily. “You’re the one making me skip class, dragging me into an empty classroom and casting spells to keep others from overhearing us! I love you, Eva, but I’m not making out with you and risking Chris’s wrath!”

Eva rolls her eyes at her friend. “Don’t act dumb, Noora. We both know you aren’t.”

Noora pouts. “I might as well try.”

“Well?” Eva asks again. “Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to guess?”

“What do you want me to say?” Noora takes a seat on one of the desks in the room and petulantly looks at the toes of her shoes. “What even is there to say?”

Eva wants to scoff and say ‘plenty’ but instead she chooses to go with a soft-spoken “What were you thinking of?”

Noora shrugs. “Don’t really know, to be honest. I just… I let my brain take over, let the memories flow freely through me, and just cast the spell.”

“What memories?”

“All kinds. Finding my wand, moving here, starting Hogwarts, meeting you and the guys and…”

“And William?” Noora doesn’t reply. Her breath hitching gives her away, though.

The friends fall silent for a bit, Eva giving Noora a moment to sort through her thoughts.

“I just…” The Gryffindor whispers. “He was looking so sad and… I wanted to make him feel better, you know. But I know that he doesn’t really like having me around all that much and after what happened the last time we had dinner together… I didn’t want to push it, I guess?”

Eva wraps both her arms around her friend’s thin shoulders. Noora’s blonde head nestles into the crook of the Hufflepuff’s neck. “This is nice,” Noora giggles. It sounds watery. “Now I understand why Chris keeps you around. You smell good.”

“I hope he likes me for more than just my choice in perfume.” Eva huffs. Noora giggles again. “Can I ask you something else?”

Noora nods. “Your Patronus got brighter at one point. Like… at first it shimmered, but then it looked like actual starlight…”

“William smiled.” Noora has her eyes closed and a soft look on her face. “He looked so carefree in that moment. He should smile more. William’s got a beautiful smile.”

Eva’s embrace tightens temporarily, her body stiffening up against Noora’s. She places her head on top of Noora’s.

“Oh, Noora,” Eva sighs. “This is more than a crush, isn’t it?”

“It was never just a crush.” Noora whispers. Her voice sounds really frail and Eva’s heart breaks for her friend. “It was always only William. It’ll always be me and William.”

“He needs to know.” Eva mutters. “He needs to know that you care about him. For real.”

Author’s note: Et voilà! There you have it, my darling readers: Chapter two. I really like this scene... dunno. Let me know what you think! I’ll upload again this weekend! And get ready for some DRAMA! Thank you for reading!

[reivenesque]

Cindereva CH11

Chapter 11: Belle of the Ball

« Read previous

The journey to the palace is done in near silence but for the clomping of hooves on the gravel road and the neighing of the horses pulling the carriage.

Eva has a lot running through her mind and she’s grateful to Mister Fossbakken for leaving her to her thoughts. Eva knows that she must be beyond late, she doesn’t even know if she’ll even make it in time for the ball, but she forces the negative thoughts from her mind. Instead she thinks about Mrs. Skrulle and all the work she’s put into making her look so beautiful and the courage she mustered up to show up on Eva’s doorstep to ask for forgiveness. She thinks about Mister Fossbakken who’s obviously forgone his own invitation, put work into cleaning up the carriage just so that he’d be able to drive Eva up to the palace without even knowing for certain whether Eva would have ended up going.

She thinks of Noora and Christina and Sana and Vilde who are going to be ecstatic to see her arrive and everyone in the village who’d only seen her sad and depressed for months being able to see her happy for once.

She thinks of the beautiful dress and the beautiful shoes she has on, those that had once belonged to her mother, those that her mother had been wearing the day she and her father met. She thinks of seeing Chris for the first time in months and him seeing her in the dress and wanting him to like it. The thought that Chris might not even be at the ball – the realization that she didn’t even know whether Chris even made it out alive that day tried to pry its way into her mind but she refused to allow it.

Eva is afraid and she doesn’t think she’ll ever truly be free of the fear, but she thinks about Mrs. Skrulle’s words; ‘Being afraid means that you’re alive. And isn’t that a good thing?’ and Eva realizes that being alive also means that you can still have hope, so she clings to that instead.

Hope is the one thing nothing and no one can ever truly take away from her and she takes strength from that.

“Eva?” She hears Mister Fossbakken’s voice for the first time jolting her out of her thoughts and looks up to find his eyes on her with a small smile on his face. “We’re here.”

And only then does Eva realize that they’d stopped. The horses were neighing and huffing restlessly, kicking at the cobblestone courtyard they were parked in the middle of. To her right is an extravagant stairwell leading up to the palace looming at the top of the hill; Eva can already hear the sound of the orchestra playing even from that distance.

Before she can react, Mister Fossbakken steps down and crosses around the carriage to stand at the side, extending a hand out for her to take.

Eva takes a deep breath and steels herself before she reaches out to take the offered hand and carefully makes her way down.

“Do you need me to escort you, my dear?” he asks after a few moments, letting Eva take in the sight and attempting to get the thundering of her heart under control.

Eva considers the offer for a while before she shakes her head slowly. “No, Mister Fossbakken. Thank you for the offer but… but I think this is something I need to do myself.”

“Of course. Just remember that I’m here and all your friends are here for you, alright? You’re not alone, Eva, and you never will be.”

Eva blinks back the dampness in her eyes and without warning leans forward to circle her arms around the man’s chest, tucking herself into the embrace he so easily reciprocates. It’s the comforting embrace of a father that Eva can barely remember, but means just as much coming from a man who’s come to mean so much to her.

“Thank you, Mister Fossbakken,” she says, “Thank you for being like the father I lost. Thank you for always being there with a smile on your face and extending the kindness that I need. Thank you for being the kind of father a girl would be lucky to have in her life.”

Eva feels him still suddenly before his arms grip her tighter to her chest.

After a moment they finally pull apart and Eva can see that the man has tears running down his face. He doesn’t let go of her shoulders immediately and instead stops to stare straight into her eyes.

“A man can live his entire life just wishing to hear those words being said to him by his blood, but to hear them being said by you, Eva, is the greatest honour this old fool can ever wish to receive, so thank you. I’d say the same about you too. I love Magnus, he is my only son and my kin, but you are something different entirely but no less special and no less precious to me. I go to bed every night wishing you all the happiness in the world because it’s what you deserve and I pray you find it tonight,” he says, stroking the side of Eva’s face with his thumb. “Now off with you! Don’t waste more time listening to this belligerent old man’s ramblings. You have friends waiting for you and an entire kingdom to enthral with your beauty tonight.”

Eva can feel the burn of the tears threatening to come but it's washed away by the laughter they share at the end.

She doesn’t turn around as she ascends the steps, she can feel the heat of Mister Fossbakken’s eyes following her before she reaches the top of the stairwell and is greeted by the massive door leading into the palace.

The entire courtyard and the surrounding area of the palace is empty which means that everyone present has already made their way towards the grand ballroom.

It’s only her and the palace guards guarding the door in the area, two of them who rush to open the now closed door once they notice her approach.

“Milady,” one of them says as they hold the door open to allow Eva entry and Eva curtsy’s a thank you to both of them as she passes.

It only occurs to Eva that she has no idea where she’s going once she steps into the grand hallway, looking at the extravagant tapestries of past monarchs and the expensive furniture that adorn the beautiful hall.

She turns around immediately with a sheepish smile to address one of the tall guards still standing at the ready by the door.

“Forgive me, sir,” she says, “I’m afraid I do not know the way.”

The guard looks slightly taken aback, Eva doesn’t know whether it’s because he didn’t expect there to be anyone showing up late and ending up not knowing where to go or perhaps he wasn’t used to being addressed as sir by anyone inside the palace. Eva feels the same whenever someone addresses her as milady.

“Yes, milady,” he says immediately, with a small respectful bow. “This way,” he adds when he steps up, extending a hand out in front of him to lead the way.

Eva responds with thankful nod though she isn’t able to wipe the small embarrassed smile off her face.

“I’m sorry for troubling you,” she says a few steps in and the guard immediately turns to face her.

“It is absolutely no trouble at all, milady. We are here to serve,” he says, a small smile tugging at his lips for the first time since Eva arrived. Eva notices that he has a beautifully charming smile; it’s different from Chris’s but no less of a sight to behold. “Might I ask the lady a question? Forgive me if I’m stepping out of line.”

Eva’s smile grows at that. “Yes you may, though I’m not such a lady to have that kind of line that bars crossing.��

The guard looks befuddled by the words but doesn’t stop from continuing. “From which kingdom do you hail? We at the palace have seen many aristocratic ladies and noblewomen from far and wide and I would have recalled meeting one with beauty and grace such as yours.”

Eva chuckles a little at that. “You flatter me too much, kind sir. I’m no aristocrat or noble woman and I hail from this very kingdom on this very land we stand on. I’m just a little village girl who lives in a cottage on the edge of the forest and cleans the cinder from nobler people’s fireplace for a living.”

The guard looks absolutely taken aback by her answer and his reaction amuses Eva to no end. Though he manages to school his expression almost immediately just as they come to a stop in front of a large, expansive door embossed with shimmering gold. “Then this great kingdom has become even greater having a person with such beauty living off it,” he says and this time it’s Eva who’s left gobsmacked.

He gives her a small bow before turning around to speak with the two guards standing at the ready by the door they are standing in front of.

Eva doesn’t know what he’s saying to them, but all three give her an odd look before the two reach over to push open the door and the one who’s been accompanying her steps back to allow her entrance.

“I wish you the best time, milady,” he says.

Eva takes a deep breath, smoothing down the front of her dress and takes a step towards the now open door. Beyond it she sees a small balcony and steps on either side leading down the grand ballroom below; she can hear the music of the orchestra playing and the general sounds of merriment coming from the floor.

Just before she enters, she stops and turns around to address the guard who’d escorted her. “It’s not milady,” she says with a smile, “It’s just Eva.”

The guard reciprocates her smile easily. “My name is Even,” he says with a final bow, “It has been a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Eva.”

“As it has been yours,” Eva says before turning back and stepping the rest of the way in.

--

If any part of Eva’s naïve mind had been hoping to make a discreet entrance, the hope is quickly dashed the moment she steps in through the door and the royal herald notices her presence immediately; stepping up to greet her and ask her name.

It’s like an avalanche effect from that point on, one that Eva feels like she’s looking at from outside her own body.

The moment the herald clears his throat to announce her arrival, the orchestra immediately stops playing and every single eye in the ballroom turns around to look for the cause for the halt in the music.

All of a sudden Eva can’t breathe.

All eyes in the majestic ballroom are on her; common folk and aristocrats alike; nobles and royals from far and wide and even the king who’s watching over the festivities from the grand balcony opposite the stairwell.  She looks at the faces of the people staring up at her, most of them she doesn’t know, before she finds those few she recognizes and the handful of them that knows more intimately than the back of her own hand. She focuses on them instead. All of them are looking at her with their mouths agape though even from the distance Eva can see the happiness in their expression.

She recognizes the faces of the rest of townspeople standing around Noora and her friends; the fish monger and his wife looking the most dressed up as she’s ever seen him. She spots Sara and Ingrid standing with their dates close to the center of the ballroom. She sees Magnus standing beside Vilde and Magnus’s friend Isak just a little off to the side. She finds William just as easily as she’d found Noora – standing tall among the other guests and looking every bit as regal as the prince in Noora’s favourite fairy tale.

Eva is almost overcome by nerves, but instead of showing her anxiousness and how afraid she’s feeling on the inside, she squares her shoulders; gathers the hem of his skirt in one hand – the way her mother had taught her– and steps towards the half spiral staircase leading to the landing overlooking the floor where everyone is gathered.

In her mind she imagines her mother and father looking down at her brimming with pride. She images the look in their eyes and the smile on their faces and musters up all the grace and elegance, the refinement she’d been taught as a child before she became Eva who found comfort cleaning cinder from the fireplace – she cleaned them as they’d never been cleaned before and the feeling of pride she felt at the end of the day was worth the pain and the hard work. She pretends she isn’t the lonely orphan girl who lives in a cottage with her animals and spends her weekends helping cleaning fish guts out of the gutter.

For a moment she pretends that she’s indeed the visiting noblewoman that the young guardsman had mistaken her for.

For a moment she pretends that she isn’t cinder Eva, the poor orphan girl who lost both her parents, but just Eva, daughter of Alexander and Anne-Marit that they would have been so proud of.

Eva doesn’t think of Chris the moment she descends the stairwell, followed by hundreds of interested, curious eyes, as the voice of herald booms behind her announcing her to the masses. All of a sudden Eva can’t remember whether she’d given him an answer when he asked her name.

“Announcing, the Lady Eva,” the man says, “Daughter of late Earl and Countess Mohn.”

Eva stalls the moment the words leave the herald’s mouth and she turns around to look at him; finding the man already staring back at her, an unreadable look on his face. In the back of her consciousness she can her the hushed whispering among the crowd.

Eva doesn’t recall telling him her family’s name or the fact that her parents had been nobles in the past, mainly because it’s a fact that deserves to stay in the past. As far as Eva is concerned, their titles died along with them. It wasn’t something a young Eva wanted or something a teenage Eva needed, it wouldn’t have brought her parents back and it would have meant nothing to Fy or Faen or any of her animals that kept her going after they died.

But hearing the title being announced in such a way by such a person during such an occasion, Eva thinks she couldn’t have asked for anything better.

The bemused look on her face doesn’t linger, she quickly spares the older man a smile that she hopes conveys the appreciation she feels. The edges of his wrinkled mouth curls into a smile and he bows to her in response.

Immediately Eva turns back to continue her descent. The whispering that began when the herald announced her as the daughter of the long forgotten Earl hadn’t died down by the time she turns around, instead everyone’s attention seems much more interested in her than just the girl who interrupted the king’s ball.

From the vantage point she has at the top of the stairs she can make out the brightly coloured garments customary of the people in her kingdom and it’s a stark difference from the dark muted colours worn by at least one third of the crowd down below. She thinks she can even make out the embroidered wolf head some of the men have sewn into the shoulder of their jacket.

The crowd gathered below obviously had been mingling with each other before Eva’s arrival interrupted the festivities but she can see the obvious divide between the crowd. The brightly dressed guests are concentrated on the left side of the ballroom, keeping an obvious distance from their starkly dressed Southern guests who are all but huddled together at the opposite end of the room.

Eva has never seen another person from the South besides Chris and his friend Erik, but just like Chris the first time he came into her home, she can see the heaviness they obviously have weighing on their shoulders and the stoic way they carry themselves, though it isn’t so much out of arrogance but caution. None of them are smiling, not the women or the children who stay close to their parent’s side and they’re all watching their Northern kin warily from afar. None of them seem like they even want to be there in the unfamiliar kingdom with the very people they’d been enemies with for so long.

Eva can understand the feeling.

But the apprehensive atmosphere isn’t just restricted to one half of room, she can see the same fear and suspicion shining in the eyes of her Northern kin eyeing the very people who’d been painted as the monsters under their beds and merciless killers by their parents and their grandparents for decades.

She tries not to scan the crowd too obviously for the one face she so desperately wants to gaze upon again, but it’s hard.

Her heart starts beating just a little bit faster from the adrenaline.

The sea of people before her part the moment she steps onto the ballroom floor, each and every one of them following her with their eyes – even the Southern people are watching her closely, obviously intrigued by the dramatics of it all.

Eva pays no heed to the hushed whispers or the sound of her own name as it’s passed from one person to the next, following her like a shadow. Instead she focuses on the few faces in the crowd she can recognize – the miller and his wife, the town tailor who embroiders the most beautiful handkerchiefs; the townswomen and men she passes by on the street on the regular and especially the handful of people standing at the end of the divided crowd waiting for her.

Her friends.

The orchestra once again resumes their playing once the drama has died down but the interests of the people remain on her. Eva tries not to show her nervousness at being the center of attention so obviously and the feat becomes so much easier once her friends are by her side.

“Oh, Eva,” Vilde exclaims in obvious wonderment the moment she steps up, “You’re so beautiful! You’re like – like one of the princesses from the fairy tales!”

Eva can’t help her blush.

“You know I’m the first one to differ when Vilde gets into one of her overdramatic moment,” Sana adds, “But tonight, she’s absolutely right. You’re the most beautiful belle of this ball, Eva, and you know I don’t say these things lightly.”

“Sana, Vilde,” Eva says softly though. Her friends are always too sweet and too kind with their words and Eva doesn’t know what she did in another life to deserve being surrounded by such good people. “You’re far too kind, but thank you.”

Eva allows Christina, Sana and Vilde to continue on to examine her dress from up close as she turns to the final member of their group – and finds Noora standing there with her hands cupping her mouth and tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

Eva’s smile immediately drops, but before she can open her mouth to ask Noora what’s the matter, the other girl rushes up to engulf her in a tight hug.

“Oh, Eva,” she hears Noora’s tearful voice saying into her ear as she circles her arms around Noora’s waist to return the hug, “Eva… you’re so beautiful, and I’m so happy that you’ve come. So very happy. This celebration would not have been a celebration without you here,” she says, finally letting go and taking a step back. “And here you are, looking like a vision of the most beautiful angel on earth. You’ve always been beautiful to us, Eva, but tonight, everyone can see just how beautiful you are in every way imaginable.”

Eva feels warm tears pooling in the corner of her eyes as he reaches up to grasp Noora’s hands that are cupping her face. Noora’s thumb wipes the tears away before they even get the chance to trickle down and mess up her beautiful make up.

“No, there’ll be no tears from you tonight,” Noora admonishes gently, sniffling back her own, “Nor any of us. Tonight is a time for happiness and joy and we will be happy and joyful even if I have to kill every single person in this room to make that happen.”

Eva’s heart feels immediately lighter when she laughs, and almost soars when Noora and the rest of the girls start laughing with her.

They give her a moment to gather herself. By that point the rest of the gathered crowd besides a handful of stragglers seem to have had their fill of the mysterious girl who showed up out of nowhere and stopped the king’s own ball. But out of the corner of her eye Eva can still see people casting a surreptitious glance back every now and then.

“Eva.” Eva turns to the sound of the manly voice and finds William sidling up beside Noora, looking handsome and sharp in his finely tailored suit. “I’m happy to see you decided to come. For the record, the same offer still stands.”

Eva grins at that. Though she doesn’t feel obligated to explain when Sana, Vilde and Christina look at her with bemusement seeking an elaboration.

“I’m sorry I’m late.”

“Though you did make a pretty spectacular entrance, you’re not that late. Or rather, you didn’t miss much,” explains Christina. She continues when Eva raises a questioning eyebrow at her. “I take it you’ve noticed this divide between us and them? –” she motions to invisible line running through the center of the ballroom separating the North and the Southern guests as strictly as their own borders had done for hundreds of years, “We’ve been waiting for the first person to muster up the courage to finally cross it. I’d do it myself but none of these people –” she points to Vilde, Noora and Sana with an accusing finger, “ – Will let me do it.”

“I mean this in the kindest way, Christina,” says Sana as a matter of fact, her expression completely stoic, “But you’re more likely to start another war on the eve of this one barely ending by going over there. It’s for the good of both kingdoms that we stop you.”

Christina glowers at Sana but doesn’t disagree with her words.

Eva looks between Sana grinning at a pouting Christina and can’t help the warm feeling inside her chest at the sight. For a moment, everything feels just perfect. She’s there with her friends, the people who mean the most to her; wearing a dress that still even smells the way she remembers her mother used to smell and feeling on the inside the way she can only imagine she looks on the outside. Noora is looking at William tenderly and Magnus has his arms around Vilde, like her nearness is what fuels him. Everything is as it should be and it feels nice.

But like everything else in Eva’s life, the moment is fleeting and it doesn’t last.

It starts with silence – the kind that just all of a sudden descends with no warning. First Eva is listening to the sound of indistinct chatter around her then all of a sudden everything just halts. The silence soon turns into a wave of murmuring that seemingly expands outwards from somewhere in Eva’s periphery.

One moment Eva is looking at Sana grinning at Christina and Noora and Vilde both watching the happening with amusement – then all of a sudden their attention immediately turns towards Eva, but not looking at Eva. Their eyes are focused on something past Eva’s shoulder.

Eva doesn’t know why, but her heart all of a sudden gives an unexpected lurch, almost as if it can sense what’s going on before Eva’s brain can even begin processing what’s happening. She can feel her nervousness in her throat and she doesn’t even know why.

But deep down – she does know why.

She wills herself not to cry.

She manages to, at least for a while; raising both hands to her heart; feeling the thundering of her own heart beating against her chest.

Only for a while.

It isn’t until she senses the presence of figure stepping up behind her, drowning out every other sound in the room until it’s no louder than a hushed murmur heard from under water – the sound of his breathing and her own heaving breath almost like an echo inside the bubble she’s standing inside of; not until she hears the too familiar voice – the voice she’s yearned to hear for so long – does Eva finally let out the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

“My lady,” says the disembodied voice – so gentle, so beautiful and so familiar, “May I have the honour of this dance with you?”

Eva swallows hard, forcing her heart back down to its place in her chest. She closes her eyes and forces herself to inhale and exhale – inhale and exhale – inhale and exhale – the same way she guided Chris during the festival – the same way she forced herself to do when her grief was too strong and she could feel her own tears starting to choke her.

Inhale and exhale.

Inhale and exhale.

Finally, Eva turns around.

Tbc.

@chrisevafeels @mohnstadlove @imyourliquor-youremypoison @severelyglorioushumingbird @harmonicmelancholy

[adaine]

have no doubt in my brotherly love

noorhelm

rated t

oneshot

“I don’t play for girls,” William replied, though it wasn’t necessarily true. After all, he had only ever played that guitar for two people. One of those people was himself. The other person was, in fact, a girl, but she was long gone, her ghost still haunting him every time his fingers graced the strings. (or William's journey with his guitar.)

[READ HERE]

[ggskydiamond]

Chapter 2 of my new chris fic!

https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/292092258-the-one-with-penetrator-chris-&-emma-skam