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Freya reached up, very slowly, with gentle fingers, and put them on Kettil's head.. and then smacked him with it.

"Hooter." She admonished. "I know yehr not goings teh ignore me. Yeh thinks I don't knows yeh needs me? Yeh comes in teh my room the same day a ghoul kisses yeh and can't even decide if she's yehr ghoulfriend or not. Of course yeh needs me." She giggled. "I'll never have teh questions something like that."

"Okays." She nodded, as if to make him understand that she got it in her head. "Well, maybe if yeh'd just told her how yeh felt out loud, instead of writing it in some notes, she might not have punched her. Yeh knows? Just tells her how yeh feels. Always. As long as yehr honest with her, the way yeh always promised teh be with me."

Honest. She had promised, hadn't she. It was a shame she wasn't that good at keeping promises.

"Don't worry so much about me. Yeh gots new worries teh worry about. Like a ghoulfriend. Good lucks to yeh, we're a pain in the a**!"

Freya had been really proud of herself up till that moment. Kettil's words made her pause, as she took them in, and they hit her deep down where she hadn't realized she could feel. It wasn't as if she didn't know Lark was Kettil's best friend - she'd known from the moment he'd told her so. There was no surprise here, no shock of sudden notice. What hurt her so deep down she couldn't hide it, was that he'd never had a problem with expressing his desire to date Freya, which meant she was decidedly not his best friend in his eyes.

And having a best friend who already had a best friend really sucked.

Freya pulled away from their cuddle pile, setting Endzela on the couch, and moved away quickly to fuss with making herself something to drink at her pantry. "Yehr brothers are idiots, and yeh already knew that. Dating yehr best friend is fine, don't worry. Do yeh wants something teh drink? I've got some hot cocoa."

Freya had her back to Kettil, so he couldn't see when she rolled her eyes. It was as if he'd read her mind, but she knew that he was just covering his a** in case of hurt feelings and other ghoul-like reactions. "I don't know why yehr trying teh comforts me like I'm upset. All this talks of what yeh'll do for me, like I'm sitting here cryings or somethings. I'm making some cocoa and talkings teh yeh abouts yehr new ghoulfriend, Kettil. Stop acting like I'm dying."

She poured two cups, and breathed the steam in deep as it rose gently into the air. Then she slipped her fingers carefully around the handles, and returned to the couch with them. She held one out, but pulled it back with a stern face.

"Yeh spills hot cocoa on my nice white couch, and our friendship is over." She warned him, before the stern look faded and she smiled sweetly.

And it was then that Freya's facade finally fell, because she was only strong enough to hold it for so long. Now she looked at him with a severe pout, putting down her cocoa on her table and putting her hands on her hips stubbornly.

"Kettil." She murmured sharply. "Lark isn't stupid. She wouldn't have kissed yeh unless she was sure that's what yeh wanted. She ain't goings teh dump yeh, and yeh'll probably live happily ever after, and have lots of the babies, and-and-"

And then, because Kettil didn't have enough ghoul problems, she burst into tears.

Freya let out a choke of a laugh through her tears, shook her head before rubbing her eyes with her hands. "Yehr not. Least I don't thinks yehr.. the reason.." She sniffed through her words, embarrassed at how childish she sounded. Her arms wrapped around herself and she held on tight.

"Hooter, I wants yeh teh be happy. No matter what. Okay? Even if sometimes I don't acts like it, yeh remembers what I say now, and thats all that matters. I wants yeh teh be happy."

Her nose pinched up and she sniffed again. "I'm just a big baby."

Freya couldn't help but let out a loud laugh when he first spoke, and she felt the comforting settle in her heart. Kettil made her feel comfortable, and she could never forget it. She picked up her hot cocoa, and took a long, warm sip, before putting it back on the table again. It left her mouth puffing with steam for just a moment, and she puffed it out before curling up under Kettil's arm.

"Herryk knows yehr my best friend. I think he understands that I feels that way, but that doesn't change how much I loves him. Just like, I'm sure, it won't change the way yeh feels about yehr Lark. I think the only reason I was sad is because, yeh knows." No, he didn't, and that's why he asked. She hedged, making a face as she tried to think of a way to explain without being completely honest, despite her promise. "I loves Herryk more than my own life. Yeh knows that." She pursed her lips, and focused on a stray hair stuck to Kettil's shoulder. "But yeh knows how I feel about yeh, too. And yeh used teh says things that made me feel like, if I ever needed yeh.."

This was, to the highest degree, the selfishest thing Freya had ever said or done. It was so selfish, in fact, that she couldn't even finish the sentence. So she started over. "Really, Hooter, it's just a matter of this little ghoul being used to having everything she wants." She smiled up at him forlornly, her eyes finally meeting his. "I'm goings teh get better one day. Grow up, I guess. Until then, I ends up getting sad because I am so selfish with the people I love."

But not selfish enough to keep them away from their own happiness, she reminded herself. She was not going to let Kettil ruin this good thing he'd found. He deserved all the happiness in the world - and Lark could be the ghoul to give it to him. That was most important, over all.

Freya didn't catch the change in him when she looked up at him. The words came out like hesitant whispers, but the subject was awkward, and she expected nothing less. Her wistful smile quirked up just slightly before he came down upon her, and pressed his lips against her own. Her eyes widened to saucers, only to flutter closed a moment later.

Kettil's lips were warm. That was the first thing she noticed, as she clutched the front of his shirt. They were warm, and she wasn't used to that. They reminded her of the hot cocoa she'd just drank, warming her lips and scorching her mouth until a puff of steam came out. Warm.

She missed the cooling sensation that kisses usually brought with them. The way cold lips soothed her hot viking blood.

She tried to concentrate on the way Kettil felt, while he was kissing her. He was warm, and comfortable, and most of all, she wanted to cry at the love she still felt there, even in his kiss. But it wasn't the way a kiss between lovers was supposed to feel. She knew, even as she sighed into his lips, that it felt like she was kissing someone she loved very, very much. Just not that way.

She didn't want to tear Kettil's clothes off. She didn't want to bite down on his lip and pull his body against her. In fact, what she really wanted was to pull away, to breathe cold air again, to cool down and get some distance. She was overheating, and it wasn't from desire.

And then she did the worst thing ever.

She giggled.

Freya pulled away a second too late, but the deed was done. She'd giggled into Kettil's kiss, and now, as she looked up at him with flushed, overheated cheeks, she was biting both of her lips to keep from laughing. She knew it was mean, but she couldn't help it. Kissing him felt like kissing her own sister, and that had effectively killed the mood.

For good.

"I'm-" She forced another giggle down, before trying to keep a straight face. "sorry about-"

She buried her face into his chest and started laughing hysterically.