A love to last

FREYA HAD woken up with one thing on her mind. 1

Her

sweet buns. 247

She had slept for a good forty minutes and the two buns that sat on her night table were no longer warm. Grabbing them off the table, Freya pouted slightly but eagerly bit into the fluffy goodness anyway. 21

Her parents had yet to arrive home, but that was nothing unusual. She pulled herself up from the bed, fiddling with the bottom of her sweater as she pattered towards her desk. She bit off another piece of the bun as she eyed the white bag laying in front of her. 2

She needed to do work. She knew that.

But she really couldn't be bothered. 88

Stuffing another bit of bread in her mouth and softly shrugging her shoulders to herself, she turned away from her desk, deciding that there was plenty of time to do work later. For now, she had more important activities. 40

Freya knelt on the floor next to her bed, reaching underneath to pull out a small chest. A smile tickled the sides of her lips as she unclasped the lid and opened the box; inside were her most prized possessions. 56

Her sketching pencils. 57

She pulled out the roll up bag, revealing the multitude of papers underneath. Reaching underneath the bed again, she pulled out an art book, opening it to the first page. All the pages she had used before had been carefully cut out and placed inside her chest to hide them from snooping eyes. She unrolled the small bag, grasping a 2B pencil in her hand, poising it above the paper before halting. Freya's teeth caught hold of her bottom lip as she debated on what to draw; it didn't take long to decide. 24

Her hand begun moving across the paper, alternating the pressure as she tried to do justice to the real thing. Her tongue crept along her lips, poking out at the edge as she concentrated on the image in her head; it was a habit she had failed to grow out of. 63

After a good ten minutes, Freya was finally semi-satisfied with the finished product in front of her; though there seemed to still be something missing.

Colour.

She got up, scampering off to her desk as she obsessively searched for her coloured pencils. She knew they were in one of the drawers. She let out a huff of victory and plopped back down on the floor before getting back to work. She usually hated working with colour, but she needed it this time. The colour was the most important and captivating thing about the image. 16

She worked even longer on this portion of the picture. Twenty-five minutes had flown by before she finally sat back with a small smile. She stretched up, trying to rid her body of kinks but only succeeded in falling onto her back. She giggled slightly, rolling to the side before reaching down and grabbing the artbook. She bit her lip as she stared at the picture; she wasn't going to pretend that she didn't know what it was. She knew full well who's eyes she had drawn. 34 The dark green irises seemed to leap off the page and she felt her heart race as if he was actually

in the room with her. Her body's response confused her, but she couldn't deny that she enjoyed the feeling. A small part of her wished he truly was there. 14

That's when Freya decided to stop denying it and fess up.

She was slightly crushing on the broody boy who had touched her as if she were made of porcelain and he was scared of breaking her. She couldn't help it. Having never received all that much attention from boys before, her naïve heart had grasped onto the first one who did. She couldn't help but feel it was the right decision though; he made her feel safe. How could that be a bad thing?10

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

A high-pitched voice sounded from downstairs, breaking Freya out of her thoughts. She quickly stuffed the pencils back into her chest, excitedly shoving it under her desk before placing her book and coloured pencils on her desk and running out of the room. She bounded down the stairs, her grin growing the closer she got to the voices. As soon as she caught sight of two blonde-haired heads, she pushed her short legs to go faster, throwing herself at the taller of the two figures.7

Freya's father let out a reverberant laugh, holding her to his chest as he swung her around. He set her down after a moment, identical brown eyes staring into her own as Freya grinned up at him. "How was your day my princess?" his deep voice rumbled, sending a wave of comfort over her. Freya kept her arms around her father's neck, bouncing in her spot.71

"It was good," she chirped. "I went and got ice cream with Penn after school." Something inside her told her that was the safer option to tell him, rather than inform him of her new friend. She didn't think her father would approve.4

The man's face lit up at her words, a pleased smile coating his features. "I'm glad you two get along well," he said, his expression slightly smug.69

Freya's mind wandered back to the argument that had occurred between her and Penn, but she nodded her agreeance nonetheless. A shuffle behind them reminded the young girl of the second person in the room. Turning around, she was met with the view of her step-mother pulling off her long overcoat, almost chucking into the butler's arms. Freya watched the man scramble with it for a second, a small frown overtaking her face before she quickly replaced it with a polite smile.24

"Darling," her step-mother cried dramatically. Her arms opened, gathering the tiny girl to her body as she placed feather kisses on Freya's forehead. She loved her step-mother, truly; but the relationship between them wasn't the best.26

She would always be more of a daddy's girl. 397

Having had enough of the overly-dramatic and slightly fake affection, Freya subtly wiggled her way out of her step-mother's arms just as Kendra called for dinner. The family of three made their way towards the dining room, Freya's father hooking an arm around her shoulders as he pressed a kiss to her temple.13

Freya skipped towards her seat; to the left of her father who sat at the head of the modest table. Her step-mother seated herself to her father's right. Kendra entered a moment later, a tray of steaming food held in her ageing hands. Freya's eyes lit up at the sight of silverside beef and the assortment of potatoes and vegetables. It was her favourite meal. She grinned at the maid, earning an eager smile back as Kendra served her.1

Freya impatiently waited for the rest of her family to be served, fidgeting and shifting in her seat as her father said a quick prayer. Finally, she was allowed to eat and she did so with vigour. She moaned in delight, earning a look from her step-mother as she continued to stuff her face full of perfectly boiled potatoes and red meat. Freya heard her huff from across the table, but ignored it for the time being; being a lady could wait.52

She finished her meal well before the others and sat back in her seat, rubbing her slightly inflated stomach. She caught her parent's eyes every so often as she let her eyes trail around the room; her father sent her warm smiles and playful winks while her step-mother pursed her lips at Freya's licked-clean plate. They finally finished, her father copying Freya's mannerisms while her step-mother pushed away a half-finished plate, daintily dabbing at her mouth with a spotless white cloth. As soon as her father pushed his chair out from under the table, Freya was up and out of her seat, running back to the comfort of her room.47

She closed the door with a pleased sigh, her features lighting as her eyes caught sight of the forgotten art book. She skipped over to her desk, picking up the book as she flopped into the plush chair. She stared at the picture for a few moments, her lips quirking even further up at the corners. She let out a breath of air, opening a drawer and pulling out a pair of scissors. Carefully, she cut out the page, placing the scissors back on the table once she was done.4 She dropped to the floor, crawling over to her bed and pulling out her chest. Pulling out her roll up bag of pencils, she tentatively placed the new artwork atop the others. She stared for a few more seconds, not for any particular reason, before placing the bag back inside, covering the intoxicating dark green.6

She closed the chest, her fingers lingering on the curved top for a moment before pushing it back under her bed. She got up from the floor, dusting herself off just as she turned to face her desk again. Freya let out a frustrated breath at the sight of her white book bag, but decided there was no point putting off the inevitable. She reluctantly pulled her dragging feet back to her chair, plopping down and taking out the first book she felt. She grimaced at the random shapes and angles littering the front cover but got to work anyway.

However, no matter how many equations she solved or words she wrote, her drawing remained in the forefront of her mind. It made her wonder how close it was to the real thing; was it better

or worse? She wouldn't know until she saw him again tomorrow.4

And for some reason, the thought of seeing him again brightened her mood immensely. IT WAS worse. Definitely worse.

Her drawing from last night was nothing compared to the real thing. 17

Upon her arrival in the school carpark, Falcon had appeared in front of her, as if he had been waiting, and bid her a soft good morning that had her nerves going haywire. She had taken one look at his captivating eyes and her insides turned to mush.8

She didn't think any drawing could do them justice.

Freya fidgeted under his gaze and his lips tipped up at the corners before pressing a hand against her back, leading her inside the building. As they walked, she pulled the sleeves of her light grey sweater over her fingers as she usually did when she was feeling especially shy or

small; something that seemed to happen whenever she was around Falcon.63

It wasn't particularly hard; he was quite literally twice her size and held himself with a dominating aura that could intimidate anyone. She felt absolutely tiny next to him. 62

They finally reached her locker and Falcon leaned himself casually against the wall next to it, staring down at her unabashedly. She quickly got her things together, self-consciously touching the bow shaped bun at the back of her head that Kendra had insisted on doing this morning. 14 Hugging her books to her chest, she shuffled her feet awkwardly, a blush rising to her face as he continued to watch her. She shyly ducked her head down, watching the diamantes on her pink trainers glint in the light. 25

"What?" she asked after a few moments. She risked a glance up at him only to find herself unable to look away. He smirked slightly before straightening up from his position. "Ready to go?" He questioned.

Freya nodded and he gently placed a hand on her lower back, leading her to her first class. After a few steps, Falcon leaned down to her ear, his hand curling around her waist. "You look beautiful, by the way," he said.57

Freya's face heated more than she thought possible and she hid her smile behind her books as they continued to walk. They soon reached the door to her classroom and Falcon turned to her with a smirk. "I'll see you later, okay?" he asked, though it wasn't really a question. 20 Freya nodded quickly, biting her lip out of habit as she stared up at him. His eyes flickered down her face for a moment, his jaw clenching as he swallowed harshly. He took in a breath, dragging his eyes back up to meet hers. After another quiet moment Falcon nodded, almost to himself, and left without another word. Freya stood in her place for a few seconds before taking a deep breath herself and entering the crowded classroom. 31

It wasn't unusual for people to stare at her, but for some reason today felt different. All eyes followed the small girl to her seat and as much as she tried to ignore the multitude of looks she was receiving she couldn't help but feel each and every one burning through her skin. She wasn't sure what the newfound interest they had in her was; she had been there for years, there was nothing new about her. Unless, of course, it was about Falcon.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when a lanky body sat itself down next to her. Penn. After yesterday's events, Freya didn't feel completely comfortable being so close to him so she tried to subtly shift in her seat to gain some distance. Her efforts were foiled when he leaned closer to her, his breath fanning across her face.44 STORY CONTINUES BELOW

She immediately noticed the contrast between Penn's mint scent and the usual smell of smoke that seemed to follow Falcon everywhere. Had you asked her a few days ago which she would prefer, she would have taken Penn in a heartbeat. But as she sat there, she realised she missed the now comforting aroma she claimed to hate.23

Freya shook her head. She was obsessing over the way he smelt.

She really was falling for him. 61

"How was the rest of your day yesterday?" Penn grinned, breaking her out of her thoughts once again.

She furrowed her eyebrows slightly, thinking back to the way he had acted the day before. He was acting as if nothing had happened. As if he hadn't almost made her cry, as if Falcon hadn't stormed out of the store hand-in-hand with her after practically threatening him. Freya decided that he didn't deserve to be back in her good graces so quickly. "Fine," she said curtly, turning away from him to stare out the window.5

It was quiet for a moment and Freya resisted the urge to glance at his expression. "Look," Penn laughed nervously. "If this is about what happened then I'm sorry."

Freya began to turn around, ready to accept his apology when he continued. "But you're just gonna have to get over it," he said. "I mean, you were acting like a brat." 546

Freya's eyes widened in alarm as she shot her head around to look at him. A brat? She had acted like a brat? She didn't know whether to scream at him or cry, though her body gave her little choice in the matter as she felt tears begin to gather in her eyes before slipping down her cheeks. Her chin trembled as she tried to keep what little composure she had left. 53 Penn's eyes grew large as he looked on in panic. "Shit-no-I didn't-I didn't mean that," he swore under his breath, his hands reaching out for her shoulders. 69

Before he could touch her, Freya shot out of her seat, wasting no time in running towards the door. "Freya!" she heard Penn call out behind her, but she was out of the classroom and down the hall before he could say anything more. 63

She had left her things back in the classroom, but she couldn't care less in that moment. What he said had hurt her and she didn't want to be around someone like that.

Maybe she had acted like a brat. Maybe she was a brat. But that didn't give him any right to call her that. 175

She rubbed at her eyes with the sleeves of her sweater, sniffling as she continued walking towards the bathroom. She didn't know what she was going to do; she had never skipped class before, but she did not want to be around Penn. She soon reached the bathroom, pushing open the doors as she let out a whine and another sniffle. She really wanted a hug. 7

Falcon's hug. 112

She reached the sink, pouting at her splotchy face and red-rimmed eyes. She turned the tap, splashing her face with cool water before drying off. Her face had calmed down slightly, but with the tears continuing to build, there was no hiding how she felt. 5

She took a deep breath, trying to hold herself together. She couldn't stay in there; the teachers on a break checked in at random times during the day and if they saw her there without a pass she could get into serious trouble. She exited the bathroom, figuring it was safer to walk around than stay in the same place. She made her way towards the front doors; fresh air would do her some good right now. 5

Her tears had stopped, but she couldn't fight the sniffles that came every so often as she walked down the halls. Upon pushing open the front doors, she was instantly hit with a familiar scent. Falcon had barely any time to register the arrival of the small girl before she had barrelled herself into his arms. On instinct, he held her closer, especially when he heard her sniffle. 69 He threw the cigarette in his hand into the bin close by, wrapping both arms around her as he kissed the top of her head. "What's wrong, princess?" he asked gently. "Why are you crying?" 138 Freya let out a whine, pushing her face further into his chest and letting out another sniffle. Falcon held her head in both hands, pressing another kiss to her head, her forehead, her temple. "Freya," he pressed a kiss to the other side of her head. "Baby, what happened?" 333

He lifted her head to make her look up at him, shifting her hair out of her eyes so he could see her properly. "You've got to tell me what's wrong so I can fix it, sweetheart," Falcon's forehead was creased in concern as he stared down at the small girl in his arms. 85

Freya's bottom lip trembled as she thought of what Penn had called her. Falcon pulled her back into his chest, crushing her against him as he rubbed her back comfortingly. "Shhh," he cooed. "Don't cry, love. It's okay. I've got you." 141

The wave of comfort Freya felt from him did nothing to help her composure, instead encouraged

the onslaught of tears and whimpers. "Tell me what happened," he said quietly. 1

Freya hiccupped a few times, wiping the tears from her face as she cuddled closer to Falcon's warm body. "P-Penn called me a," she hiccupped again, a cry ripping out of her throat. "He called me a brat." 295

She cried again as Falcon's hold on her tightened. "Little bitch," he growled out. 230

He looked down at Freya's shaking form and his expression softened as he pressed a kiss to her hair. "It's okay, baby girl," he smoothed down her hair, holding her close. "Don't worry about him anymore, okay love? I'll deal with it." 98

Freya nodded, her cries calming as Falcon continued to rub her back, resting his cheek against the top of her head. This was where she was safe, this was where she was happy. She didn't feel

the need for anything else. 4

Just him.

FALCON KEPT his promise.

Lunch had finally rolled around and upon walking into the cafeteria, Falcon suddenly tore himself away from Freya as he stormed towards a wide-eyed Penn. Falcon wasted no time swinging a fist towards Penn's face. The contact made a harsh cracking sound and Penn stumbled backwards, almost tripping over his own feet.230

Freya couldn't hold in her gasp as she ran up to two boys, quickly wrapped her small hands around Falcon's bicep. "F-Falcon," she said as forcefully as she could. "No." 54 Falcon didn't move his eyes from Penn who was cupping his jaw while glaring daggers at the man. Falcon's entire body was tense; fists clenched and a scowl etched across his handsome features.

Freya tugged on his arm slightly, trying to gain his attention. He tensed his jaw for a second, closing his eyes before settling them on her small form. He stared down at her big brown eyes for a moment before wrapping an arm around her shoulders and heaving out a breath. "I'm sorry, sweetheart," he said softly before shooting a fierce look at Penn. "But he deserved it." 68 Freya mustered up the most no-nonsense expression she could; raised eyebrow, crossed arms, surly scowl. She received an amused smirk in response. She huffed, stamping her foot slightly as her eyebrows furrowed causing Falcon's lips to tremble with the temptation of a laugh. "Stop," Freya whined, her arms falling to hang at her sides as her expression melted into a pout.89 Falcon raised his hands in surrender, keeping an arm around her. "I didn't say anything," he grinned.2

Freya could barely believe this smiling man was the same person who had thrown a punch in her honour less than a minute ago. She glanced up at Penn worriedly. "Are you okay?" she asked. Falcon's smile was gone in seconds. "He'll be fine," he growled, holding Freya closer to his side.

Freya frowned at Falcon. He lasted barely a second before dropping his shoulders in defeat with

an eye roll. "What do you want me to do?" he grumbled sarcastically. "Hold his fucking hand and baby him?"57

Falcon knew full well that if his little angel asked it of him, he would. 173

Freya swatted at his arm. "That's a bad word," Freya scolded. 83

He sighed, apologising to Freya while eyeing Penn warily. He knew what would make his princess

happy, but he really didn't want to do it.

He crossed his arms over his chest. 4

Fuck it.

"I'm sorry," Falcon muttered distastefully. 145

With the grin those two stupid words placed on Freya's face, Falcon felt all his hurt pride and humiliation wash away. Anything and everything was worth that precious expression. 9 Choosing to ignore the amused snort that erupted from Penn, Falcon led his angel away to a free table. With the thought of food, Freya completely forgot the events of a few moments ago and changed directions, racing off towards the cafeteria line.15

She didn't get very far when strong arms pulled her back into a chest. "Sit down," Falcon ordered softly, leaving no room for arguing. "I'm getting your food."36

Freya pouted for a moment but quickly complied, a bright smile taking over her face once again. Falcon shook his head in amusement and leisurely walked towards the front of the cafeteria. Freya couldn't help but bounce in her seat; she loved food. That much was obvious. She tucked her legs under her little body, folding her arms on the table as she laid her head on top of them.

She busied herself with staring at the wisps of her hair that fell around her head. 30 STORY CONTINUES BELOW Freya was impatient; with the attention span of a toddler she could barely sit still as she waited for Falcon to arrive with her food. As soon as the familiar leather jacket and black jeans came into view, Freya was kneeling in her seat, bouncing, as her eyes locked onto the tray in his hands.86 Falcon's eyebrows rose at the sight of the energetic girl. He had never seen anyone so excited for food before. He sat the tray in front of her, watching as she greedily dug into the small cup of

chocolate mousse. 64

It probably wasn't the best idea to get her high on sugar in the middle of the day, but Falcon couldn't resist spoiling his little princess.246

Halfway through her treat, Freya's eyes drifted up towards Falcon to find him resting his head on his arms with his gaze firmly fixed on her. Her forehead creased as she took in his lack of food.1 She held out a spoonful of mousse. "Do you want some?" 8

He opened his mouth wordlessly causing Freya to giggle as she stuffed the spoon past his waiting lips. Falcon savoured the taste for a moment, slowly licking his lips as he hummed in satisfaction. Freya happily licked the last spoonful clean before stuffing the red apple laying on the tray into her mouth. Falcon wasn't sure if it was completely normal to eat so fast, but she was

happy, so he didn't say a word.76

The girl finished her lunch in record time and with nothing more to hold her attention, she began

bouncing in her seat once again. Falcon shook his head, how anyone had that much energy was him; it made him tired just looking at her. 84

beyond

Even so, he couldn't help but find her mannerisms more than endearing. 2 Without giving him a chance to process what was going on, Freya swung her legs across his own before curling up in his lap like a kitten. She nuzzled her head into his chest, Falcon's pulse spluttering as her sweet scent met his senses. He carefully curled his arms around her tiny frame, resisting the urge to crush her to his chest. She was so small that he was in constant fear of hurting her if he acted upon some of the things his instincts wanted.212

His eyes met a pair of glaring blue ones from two tables over. Falcon smirked, tightening the hold he had around his girl and pressing a kiss to her hair as he kept eye contact with a fuming Penn. Falcon knew Penn held a liking towards his angel, something he obviously didn't approve of, and he took pleasure in flaunting the fact that she was his every chance he got. Well, almost

his.57

Falcon frowned at the thought, Penn forgotten. He hadn't really thought of the possibility that

she would never see him that way until now and it really didn't sit well with him at all. She was his. She had to be. He needed her.35

All it took was two fucking days and he was acting like a sappy high school girl. She was seriously messing with his head.52

A small pressure on the side of his face broke him out of his train of thought. He stared into the

big brown eyes of the girl in his lap, her finger still raised in the air as she went to poke him again. He raised an eyebrow in question.23 Freya frowned. "Smile," she whimpered softly. 40 Falcon didn't know what the hell had just happened inside his chest but something felt like it had broken through a barrier as warmth flooded his entire body. He took in a deep breath, not knowing whether he felt uncomfortable or fucking ecstatic for the first time in years.35 Another poke was all it took to make a decision. A genuine grin broke out across his lips as he let

out a laugh. He realised why: he had never had anyone care whether or not he was smiling. Never had anyone care whether or not he was happy.37

He pressed a hard kiss to her forehead, trying to wash away the temptation to taste her lips. He leaned his forehead on hers, biting his lip hard as he closed his eyes, trying to rein in his self-

control.