Finn Bjorgman

“That’s a friendship bias if I’ve ever heard one,” Aria pointed out, knowing that, depending on the week, she’d probably say the same of one of her friends. And by one of her friends, she meant Fitz. Weren’t friendships great? Who needed romance when you had friendships?

Gods, she was spiraling. But at least her years of putting up a facade, plus her drama club experience, was keeping that from being at all obvious. Small blessings.

Continuing to listen as they essentially power walked to the ball, Aria nodded along to everything the male said, realizing the more he spoke that she really didn’t know too much about him. He had always just sort of been there, being supportive and tossing out ideas. Had she accidentally forgotten that he was a person with his own interests too? “I’m unfamiliar with garbage tv, but figure skating and gymnastics I know a little more about… mostly because I’ve tried to steal skaters and gymnasts for the cheer squad. Bendy people who enjoy throwing people or enjoy being thrown are kindred spirits,” she pointed out, ignoring the part about looking great in spandex because she simply could not afford to process that one in that current moment.

Shaking her head in response to his actual question, Aria offered a slight shrug before diving into an answer. “You would think, since Lena is one of my best friends and I’ve therefore been in suitable climates on occasion, but no. Last year at the charity ice skating event for Students Keeping the World Clean, I was on hot chocolate and cup cleanup duty. If I’m surrounded by water it’s not frozen. Plus, there’s that totally rational fear of falling and getting accidentally skated over by sharp blades and like… dying.”

Friendship. Yikes that one hurt. Finn took a deep breath and smiled anyway. “Well yeah. That’s what friends do. Totally. Kindness with a little bit of teasing so you always stay humble.”

“Trust me when I say you probably don’t want me on the cheer squad. Not because I wouldn’t do it, because I would.” He had threatened Andie with it a few hundred times, saying that he would love to stand on the sidelines and wave pom-poms in a cheer skirt for her. And it also meant that he would get to see Aria doing the same thing. Why hadn’t he joined cheerleading again? “I just worry I wouldn’t have the time to commit to it. I thought about trying out for the team but I didn’t see any other dudes and I was worried it wasn’t a co-ed team.”

There was no shame in being seen with girls. He loved his sister and his best friend was Andie, though sometimes he wondered if she even knew what a dress was or if the very idea of them scared he so much that the next time he needed to heard her into a corner he’d use one of Freya’s old smocks.

“I’ve seen you a few times. Cheering I mean. And when you do your shows in drama club. Sometimes I just go see stuff like that on campus. I love classical theatre. I was a big Shakespeare buff for awhile, and I want to say I grew out of it but I don’t think I ever did,” He smiled. If this was his moment to know as much as he could about Aria then he would take it. “What’s your favorite performance you’ve ever done?”

And then she talked about ice skating. It was absolutely appalling for him to think that she hadn’t ever done it before. Finn stopped in his tracks. “Whoa whoa whoa! I’m sorry are you telling me you’ve never ice skated before? We are fixing that. Trust me, Aria, let me teach you. You’ll be skating with a professional. Literally. Back home I teach kids to skate all the time and I have a few medals to prove it.”

Ngl, it used to bother me a lot more. Before Aleena got her powers I totally thought that none of us were going to get it so I didn’t really bother me. But then when they manifested I did feel left out. I was always the kid growing up obsessed with magic and fairytales and that sort of thing. I was reading about magic when I was five. I used to write letters to Merlin to ask him to tell me about the history of magic. So when Aleena got her magic, there was a part of me that felt betrayed in some way. Not by her, but sort of by the universe. But I don’t want to live my life that way so I bucked up and am determined to help Aleena however I can. She deserves her magic, even if she doesn’t think so, and I want to help her understand that. Just like Aunt Elsa, she was chosen for a reason. And maybe I was chosen not to have power for one too. Maybe I’m supposed to be the sidekick and not the superhero. And if that’s the case then you can bet your butt I’m gonna be the best sidekick that ever existed.

Fuck this is a loaded question. Can’t I rate them of least to favorite like family game night partner? That would be easier? I don’t feel comfortable with this.

AleenaFreyaFitzRileyJulienFjord

obviously only in terms of game partner…for sure…yeah…

Alright so I’m real fucking scared of EVERYONE on this list, let’s make that shit clear right off the bat. They could all kill me. Easily. And I could do nothing but stand there and take it. And I’m afraid to say I’d kill any of them because the truth of it is I could try but they’d kill me instead!

But if I had to I’d marry Siren, fuck Clara, and kill Delphine mostly because I’d feel bad doing anything else to my cousins GF.

Pffttt, I think the real question is: did Andie have a crush on me when we first met. Which, btw, she still doesn’t realize she’s hopelessly in love with me, but she will one day. Lol but in all seriousness (Andie don’t beat me up) she’s one of my favorite people in the world. She’s just…Andie. And I’m just Finn. We’re a totally iconic duo, like Darwin and Wallace or Calvin and Hobbes. I mean only an idiot would look at her and not think she’s cool and funky and attractive and badass. Maybe for a little bit I did, but I also knew she liked someone else. And all I want is for her to be happy.

And let me win at charades once.

Aleena huffed as lithe arms fell to her sides, her white-blonde hair falling into her face that she pushed back indignantly as Finn stood opposite her. Their disappearance from the castle hadn’t come as a shock to anyone that morning, not even when they were in the wee hours, as their mothers had unfortunately found out many years ago. They’d take their leave as the sun rose and would come back sometime as it set behind the horizon with endless tales of the adventures they’d embark on. Even now, seemingly past such childish tendencies, they still would find even just an afternoon away from others so they could go past the limits of Arendelle and deeper into the forest, where Lena felt more at home than she ever did pent up on their castle’s grounds. 

While Finn was a welcomed distraction from what she bore on her shoulders, it didn’t exactly shake every last lingering thought that was nagging away at the forefront of her mind. Still, he tried more than most would to help her understand her powers and was patient beyond his years, and for that, she appreciated him more than she’d ever say aloud, but just now, she was losing sight of the point of it all. “Finn, it’s no use,” Aleena said defeatedly, staring down at her frosty-tipped hands. “I’m just never going to be able to control it. I’m never going to be like my mom.” 

@finngineering​

Every child in their family must have had some lust for adventure. It thrummed under their skin, electrified their bones, called their names into the white frost to experience something. When they were young, Lena and Finn had always headed that call. He could still remember all the times as kids he would sneak into her room and they would build themselves a ladder of ice so they could escape out the window. He would tie his sled up to Sven Jr. and they would ride into the enchanted forest, spending as long as they could there. There were so many mornings where they would fall asleep into their breakfast and then laugh when their parents asked what happened.

Finn loved magic. Growing up he had longed for that kind of power, craved to know what it felt like to feel it flowing through his finger tips. Sometimes he was jealous of Lena. But instead of letting it fester and turn him into a worse man, he had taken a vow to help her see the beautiful in her magic. From an early age he had been cataloguing her magical outbursts, writing hurried definitions in text book margins, spending hours in the library studying tomes that might better help his cousin.

He also was getting a lot better holding his shield up to defend himself from her frost attacks. Not that he would ever tell their parents that this was something they practiced. It was a calculated risk to let her blast him, but Finn trusted his cousin as much as he loved her, and that warmth in his heart was positively infinite. She would never hurt him. Not ever.

“One more time,” Finn banged twice on the shield. He wasn’t a fan of holding anything sharp and pointy near his face so a stick was used to make the sound that echoed through the forest. They were practicing in a large clearing, the spirits occasionally poking their heads in the to make sure the children were taking care of themselves. Even though they were far from children now, it was comforting to know the forest had their best interests at heart.

“Come on. Lena you know you’ll never be like your mom. Because you’re not Elsa. You’re you. Aleena. If you were Elsa me telling you about my systematic failures to get Aria to like me would be pretty embarrassing.” He smiled and sat on a log, patting beside himself for her to sit. “Not to rehash old family stories but remember your mom didn’t always have her shit together either. Permafrost anyone?”

Andie: I'm SORRY

Andie: well, he listens to you no matter what, is a lot stronger than you and knows who to go get if you're in the middle of an asthma attack. He's not the worst stand in for me 😬

Andie: and I'm not ignoring you, you're impossible to ignore and if ignoring you was an option I would have opted to do so way before now

Andie: let's go get some firewood for later and do smores and stuff tonight

Andie: NO chubby Bunny though I don't wanna watch your mom give you the heimlich

Andie: again

Finn: i can't believe you still dare to speak with me. This is absolutely heresy. I GET IT. YOU DON'T WANNA HANG OUT WITH THE MIDDLE CHILD. I'LL NEVER BE KING

Finn: I'M SIMPLY A LONELY SCHOLAR WITH NO FRIENDS

Finn: I WILL BE A HERMIT IN THE ENCHANTED FOREST ALL MY DAYS

Finn: okay that was literally only (6) times okay???? That you know of. You won't even be on the same team with me during charades and yOU KNOW My mom sucks at it!!!

Finn: my losing streak has become abysmal. My father is going to disown me one day

Finn: hello, traitor

Finn: you come to MY KINGDOM

Finn: AND YOU IGNORE ME FOR MY COUSIN

That’s not really how this works. It was seemingly the only part of what the male had just said that she zeroed in on, a million questions coming to her mind as a result. Most of them were variations on the same theme, though, so Aria was quickly able to determine what really bothered her about such a statement.

How this works. How what works? Going with someone to a dance? Because she’d done that before with a select number of others. The more Finn spoke, the more Aria began to truly dissect what he was saying, for perhaps the first time more focused on him than that evening’s basic mission.

“Well, considering how you are not an idiot,” Aria began, speaking objectively. Finn was smart. Academically, at least, from what she had gathered from casual observation during Students Keeping the World Clean Meetings. She hadn’t like… purposefully been on the lookout for that information. “I doubt me turning you down would’ve made you seem like one. But thank you oh so much for that reassurance. Really.”

Eyes only narrowing for a split-second as she did that real-listening thing once again, suddenly a few more pieces clicked into place. “Oh. Thank you. You look nice too,” she murmured as she tried to force her newfound clarity back where she had found it. Because if she was reading the room correctly (not a guarantee), she seemed to be on a legitimate date.

Which was just… what? What was going on? Had the fro-yo been a date too??

Taking Finn’s arm, Aria made sure to walk as quickly as her high heeled feet and sweeping dress would allow. Luckily the Triton apartment wasn’t too far from the location of the ball, so transportation wasn’t required. But if, in that moment, she had been capable of teleportation, she would’ve done it in a heartbeat. Instead, she was just left to make the most awkward of small talk as she attempted to sort through everything her brain was shouting at her.

“So. Finn. Beyond charades and sticking up for the environment with yours truly… what do you like to do?”

“If you ask Andie I look like an idiot every day of the week.” Maybe not the best way to start things off there, Finny, but hopefully she liked the fact that he was incredibly awkward. It had to be a redeeming quality to someone, right? Or maybe it wasn’t. That was fair too.

Sure they hadn’t talked about the possibility of dating and he wasn’t really up for bringing it into the air now that they were on a half date. Frozen yogurt had been to feel things out and so was this. He didn’t want to risk defining it as anything and ruining the chance of having a fun night with a girl he liked. Even if they were just going to be friends it was a nice moment to have. He would have gotten her flowers regardless.

Though he was starting to regret the eco-friendly recyclable kind. Maybe that had been a hair too much.

Finn nearly burst into flames when Aria took his arm, cautiously walking close beside him. He wasn’t the tallest guy around but he kept up with the long strides of her heels without too much trouble. They looked good. Duh. They all looked good. She looked good.

Which he had already said about a million times. Gods she was frying his brain. it was a miracle he could even form half sentences without tumbling over his own adoration.

“Andie and I watch a lot of garbage reality TV together. But this time of the year is figure skating season so I can be pretty busy. I haven’t touched the rink much this past year because of school work but I’m hoping to get back into it. I also do gymnastics though that’s because of Freya. I got into it because I thought it was really rad and then it transitioned well when I’m on the ice like, throwing people around and looking great in spandex.” He offered her a gentle smile. “What about you? Have you ever done any skating?”

Aria was actually looking forward to that year’s ball. With how well the recent protests against the school’s sapling removal plan had gone, it seemed like she and the rest of Students Keeping the World Clean were finally being taken seriously. And it was a cause for celebration. A celebration that would of course include carefully monitoring the recycling at the ball and correcting mistakes, but a celebration nonetheless.

That she was attending with someone that was not one of her best friends was a bit of a surprise, but she hadn’t questioned things too much when Finn Bjorman had asked, figuring that it was a friendly gesture from someone in the huge family that had been nothing but lovely to her from essentially the moment of her birth.

Red dress flowing behind her as she moved to answer the door, that Finn was on the other side was no surprise. No, that honor belonged to the flowers that were immediately offered up. Even if they weren’t real flowers… the gesture still very clearly stood. He was really taking the ‘going to the ball together’ thing seriously, wasn’t he?

“Oh,” Aria murmured, very much aware that her surprise was evident. Along with the stunning realization that he was the first person outside of her immediate family to get her flowers, it was a truly new mix of emotions for her to be accosted with so early in the evening. Gingerly taking the flowers, Aria offered up a quick “thanks” before signaling to him that he should wait there while she placed (aka tossed) the flowers inside.

“I… didn’t get you anything,” she greeted him once she was back at the door, closing it and locking it behind her. It wasn’t prom. She didn’t need to provide a boutonniere for him. Yet, she felt suddenly quite unprepared for the evening.

To say that Aria looked divine would be the understatement of the century. Finn swallowed hard when he saw the gentle flow of her dress, the way that it wrapped around her and fit perfectly with the color of her hair. He took a deep breath and tired to calm his frantically beating heart. It didn’t work well but he felt like he was floating on cloud nine. Finally. Finally this would be the night that he could tell Aria that he had liked her ever since the moment he saw her. Love at first sight had been a terrible predicament he’d have to thank his mom for one day.

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” Finn laughed, nervously rocking back on his heels. “That’s not really how this works, you know. At least, not as far as I know. I mean women can buy men flowers. I like flowers. I’m just saying I’m the one who invited you so it makes sense I get you flowers to say thanks for not turning me down and making me look like an idiot.”

Before he could talk anymore, he heard the little voice of Andie in his brain yelling at him to shut the fuck up. With another deep breath he offered her his arm. “Shall we? You look amazing. Did I already say that? I mean even if I did it’s the truth. You always look amazing.”

the dance had been, interesting to say the least, dancing with amelia was awkward at first but as it went on…neither of them wanted to let go of the other. they had to, obviously, songs ended but when they parted it was with a whispered promise to meet after the dance and she looked as if she wasn’t going to blow him off. gods, he really hoped she didn’t, he was finally feeling better after the halloween party and he just wanted to talk to her. to get everything out, on the table, alone and in private without anyone disrupting them. it didn’t mean anything, it could go several ways, but the fact she didn’t tell him to drop it and leave her alone again was enough to take a weight off his shoulders as he stepped off the dance floor.

instantly he saw finn, one of his closest guy friends, and breathed a sigh of relief as he walked over to pat him on the shoulder in a friendly greeting, “finn, hey man…” he said easily, flashing him a smile, because he’d seen that the boy showed up with aria which he knew probably meant a lot to him given the crush he harbored for her, “i saw you came with a certain princess tonight, look at you, i told you it would work out.”

@finngineering​

It didn’t take long to catch sight of Baron. Aside from his family, really the only guy friend he had was the prince, so it was nice to see him and be able to have a moment of gushing about Aria Triton. Finn could hardly keep himself still tonight and he was sure it showed by his jitterbug feet and the way he fiddled with the rim of the champagne flute. 

“Thanks. Way less terrifying than I thought and I didn’t have to paint a love poem on the back of a biodegradable plant seed and ask her for a night out. I think we’re just here as friends tonight but man, that’s exciting, right? If nothing else I’ll get a shot at it. I think I want to take her out to the dance floor and maybe tell her how I feel. That’s the plan,” he smiled and looked over at a certain princess. It was awkward, to say the least, to be caught in the middle of two of his best friends both pining after the same girl. He knew what Andie planned to do tonight and an uneasy feeling sat right in his stomach. “You planning on having any serious talking with someone who’s first name is A and last name is R?”

With a deep breath he leaned forward and let out a hot breath on the nap of her neck, contorting his voice to a strange voice. “By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes.”

Maybe quoting Shakespeare was a bit cliche but it was the kind of fun he wanted to have tonight after a few too many drinks. Everyone seemed so happy and he was floating on cloud nine. He’d walked in with a beautiful red head on his arm. Nothing could turn this night around for him.

“Sorry,” he pulled back, laughing, “Couldn’t help myself. You look great, Riles. Look at that dress. Makes you look like your mom. In a good way. Not like a weird way.”

@littlerileyfitz​

Of course he knew. Finn always knew. He knew her better than she knew herself sometimes. He knew how much Andie had put all her eggs in one basket with Amelia. How much she played this very scenario over and over in her head. How scared she was that this very thing would happen. How much she had to be caught up in the hope of it all for her to even spill her feelings. How much hope was lost in getting rejected. So, the moment he stated what had happen. The moment his arms wrapped around her, her fight to hold back her emotions came to an end, and hot tears began to stain her cheeks. 

It was embarrassing, royal parents were staring and she kept her head down as she let Finn lead her to whatever location he felt was best. Taking a seat on the staircase, Andie finally just gave into it - tears and runny nose and all. “I feel so stupid. You should have seen the surprise on her face, I look like such an idiot,” she finally leaned up, only to catch the wet marks on his best friend’s suit jacket. “shit.” she whispered as placed a hand over it to rub it off, but that obviously was in vain since her hands were strong but not magically warm in any way shape or form. “I shouldn’t have said anything. Things are gonna be different forever now.” Not only did she get burned, but she could have very well made things awful with one of her closest girl friends - which was just the cherry on top of a terrible night. 

Finn let her cry, held her close as his suit was stained with mascara and tears. None of it mattered though, not when she was sitting here on the steps sobbing her heart out. He took off his jacket and threw it around her. If nothing else she could use it to hide from anyone who walked by and tried to stare. This wasn’t their business but God did royals like to gossip about everything. And something like this could be the talk of the town.

“Andie, of course you feel stupid. You opened yourself up and got rejected. If you didn’t feel stupid I’d be worried. But, for what it’s worth, you’re always stupid so nothings changed.” He flicked her head lightly before pulling the tissues out of his purse. “And you made fun of me for bringing thing. But who’s got the portable phone charger and the tissues? Finn Bjorgman.”

He took a deep breath and steadied himself for a conversation that would be hard to have. “Alright, let’s be real for a second. I’m going to say something that you need to hear. She doesn’t like you, okay, alright. That shit hurts and it’s not going to stop hurting for awhile. But you don’t want someone who doesn’t even want to see your affection. Unless Amelia is incredibly stupid, she had to have been willfully ignorant of your feelings. It’s bullshit. It’s stupid. It’s horrible and it is going to change things. But you needed to say something because putting yourself second always is not the kind of life you deserve to live. You can’t live your life being second fiddle, you can’t live your life waiting in the sidelines and hoping. You need to get out there and remind yourself that you matter as your own entity, not just the girl who likes Amelia. If she decides to treat you like shit because of this than, you know what, fuck her. Fuck Amelia Roux. But I don’t think she’s the kind of person to do that.”

“Andie. You. Are. Amazing.” Gently, Finn cupped her cheeks and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, pulling her close to his chest. “I love you. And unless you find someone who loves you half as much as I do, they aren’t worth your time. Whenever I see you, I see someone special. It’s like looking at the first snow of winter time. It’s tentative and a little awkward but it always make me feel like home.”