i love crazy!

As her husband took a seat in the chair next to her spot on the couch, Anna couldn’t help the spark of hope that ran through her that maybe he had indeed heard from her sister. That maybe Elsa wasn’t as far gone as she had implied she would be - that she was actually just upstairs, waiting for her to be home so they could spend time together. The big secret was out in the open now, so everything should be fine now. Or at least, she hoped that her sister’s magic was the reason she’d always shut everyone out and there wasn’t anything else being kept from her. Shouldn’t this be a good thing? Now Elsa didn’t have to hide her true self anymore from her or from Hans - they could all be together, the family that the redhead has always dreamed of having. But then a small frown grows on Hans’s face and when he shakes his head, she already knows none of that was going to be the case. “That’s… that’s a bit intense, don’t you think? Surely no one cares that much that she can shoot a bit of ice out of her hands…” Even as she said, Anna knew it was naive of her to think that way. Especially after the attack that had just happened - the fact that she was currently practically bedridden from a bullet in the leg should have been enough to make it obvious just how serious this situation was. But she couldn’t help but hope that maybe they were all just overreacting - that the hunters will forget all about their hatred for magical beings and her sister could come back home safe in no time. “It’s not the right thing. None of this is right. She should be here, with us, in her home. She shouldn’t have to hide or run away just because she’s a little bit different.”

"I'm not saying it's not wrong," Hans claimed defensively, holding up his hands in feigned innocence. Of course, the further away his sister-in-law was from them, the better, but he wasn't quite ready to show that level of vulgarity to his wife just yet. Someday, she'd learn his true feelings about Elsa, and Anna herself, but that could wait: the act of being the perfect husband could keep going for a while longer. "But, Anna, you were just shot. The last thing I want is for any more danger to come your way. I know you don't think Elsa is dangerous, and I know she wouldn't hurt you on purpose, but neither you nor I know what would happen if she lost control of her powers, by accident. And, we don't know what other people would do if they found out we were hiding a fugitive." Legally, he wasn't even sure if that was the correct term for her situation, but it was certainly the kind of buzz word he needed to get Anna to understand the gravity of the situation at hand. "I know, it's awful. But, I think this is for the best, for now. I really do. Please, trust me," he begged sincerely, holding out his hand in metaphor for his wife taking his side.

With the hospital visit officially over, the first thing Anna had done was try to contact her cousin. Reaching out to Rapunzel had seemed like too big of a risk when she had been bedridden, surrounded by so many officials - medical and political. Too many questions would have been asked if she had miraculously healed right under their noses, not to even think about all of the cameras that hung in every corner. It had just been too dangerous. But now, as she was being brought home, the situation was far easier to control. The only person that would be around was Hans, and she knew that she could trust him with absolutely anything, if Rapunzel was also okay with that. And if not, well, for the sake of her ice skating career… Anna would be willing to lie to him. Just this one time. At least until everything blew over or the blonde felt comfortable enough telling him about her magic herself.

"Of course," was the easy answer he could give, if not just to her thanks, but to all of this. He was supposed to be the perfect picture of worried and doting, and he would be just that, for now. He hadn't decided just how long Anna would have with that particular version of himself, but he surely couldn't stand to act like this forever. Hans took a seat in the chair beside her, a smile coming to his lips as he had realized he'd rendered both of the Arendelle sisters completely powerless: with how little anyone knew about Elsa's current whereabouts, he could essentially fabricate this story however he chose. With a sad shake of his head, Hans hoped he could be as convincingly sad in his words as he looked. "Anna, I don't know when she'll be back, or if it's even safe for her to contact us," he pointed out. All of this had to seem like it was under the guise of both of the sisters' safety, even if Hans would love if Elsa had just gotten herself killed out in the wild without him having to do it himself. "If she calls us, there'll be a trail of where the call is coming from. And, if anyone sees her come near here, we'll all be at risk." He didn't want to bring up the threat of the hunters just yet, but it was essentially the threat he hoped that would remain ever-present over the eldest sister's head. "So, no, I haven't heard from her. I'm sorry, but I think she's doing the right thing, laying low for now, for all of our sakes."

who: @catchthesehans where: clayton's shooting range

Hans had been shooting countless times when he was a child, with one or many of his brothers, or, on occasion, his father. It was only natural that he paid the new establishment a visit when Anna was in the hospital; he didn't have much better use of his time, anyway, while he wasn't visiting her. The owner could've almost been terrifying if Hans had no fear of any other man, but was also strangely friendly toward him. Over a few drinks, the two had discovered they had more in common than Hans had suspected: they both wanted rid of all magic on the island, which was precisely why the older man had come here once the borders had opened. It had quickly become his new favorite place to let off steam, besides the gym, of course, when he needed some time away from an ailing Anna. With a grin, Hans turned back to the owner, ready to take his own shot. It came close, but slightly off of Clayton's own. "I'm just gonna have to spend more time here, is what I'm seeing," he joked, though entirely serious in his words. "Of course she is, what kind of husband would I be if she wasn't?" Hans asked rhetorically as he sipped his beer, a snort of a laugh escaping. "No, it's her sister I need to make sure doesn't come back. I have no idea where the fuck she is, and I hope I never find out."

Considering their time together had never really ever been romantic, just a simple one night stand that had led to circumstances that tied them together for life, Poppy had no reason to think any deeper into his words of wishing to be here instead of at the party. For once her hopeless romantic heart was too tired to kick a beat at the sentiment. They had a daughter together, a newborn that he must have been talking about. Certainly if their roles were reversed, that would be her focus, wanting to see her child over anything else - which is what she assumed Hans must mean as well. “There’ll be other parties,” she promises, also assuming that he must have some level of regret or worry over leaving. “You two will have plenty of chances to dance the night away. And honestly, selfishly, I’m glad you’re here. Branch is amazing and I wouldn’t trade him for anyone in the world, but it’s nice seeing another friendly face.” Sure she’s facetimed with family and friends back home, but Poppy didn’t have that big of a social life on the island and it was showing now that she was basically housebound for the next few weeks at least. Having Hans here was a very pleasant change and surprise.

Hans had never met this Branch character, but from what he heard of him, he sounded like someone who was polar opposite to Poppy in terms of his energy and general way of living life. Yet, the two were still close, and Hans wasn't stupid. Now that they were bonded for more than just one night, though, he was determined to get to the bottom of whatever was going on in their relationship that kept the two so close. "What's up with him, anyway? You guys are really close, right?" He raised a suggestive brow, hoping she might have more to spill before he began to pry himself into whatever was going on between the two. He'd been on the receiving end of Poppy's look of adoration before, and he was pretty sure he'd caught a glimpse of it when she was speaking of her so-called friend.

“As much as a week old baby can let me sleep,” she responds with a tired but bright smile as she takes the bouquet handed her way. Taking a deep breath of their scent, as she always does whenever she comes across freshly cut flowers, her smile wides and she turns to get a vase out of the cupboards to put them in. The truth was Poppy was barely sleeping other than the few hours she managed to catch between feedings or diaper blowouts, but that was to be expected. And she was hardly upset or bothered by it - in fact, it felt more like a right of passage in a way. One that kind of sucked and was draining beyond belief, but it’s not like she wasn’t used to the exhaustion. This was just a different brand of the same bone deep tiredness she always felt on tour.

Hans could swear she'd brought up the other guy's name before, though he hadn't been paying enough attention to recall just who he was in relation to her life. Probably just a friend, or something--if she was dating anyone, he was sure he would've heard about it by now. Not that he really cared much about the daughter who wouldn't bear his last name or even be a part of his legitimate family line for purposes of the Arendelles and their business, which was the priority. But, for some reason, he'd found himself here tonight, and, now that he was, part of him wanted to stay solely to get away from the life he'd built for himself at home.

The frown that had grown on Anna’s face at the mention of her sister only deepened as he now suggested somehow taking some of the load off of her shoulders - not because she was opposed to the idea, but simply because the redhead didn’t quite understand what he meant. “You mean… working at the company?” she asks, trying to get some clarification as she thought over this new possibility. It made sense, she had to admit. Hans knew business far better than she did, and they were married partners now… so it wouldn’t be too big of a deal for him to potentially take some of her places as a shareholder and part of the enterprise.

Though her expression was one of confusion at the idea initially, Hans was confident he could business jargon his way into getting her to agree with him, worst case scenario. After some thought, though, it seemed the redhead agreed with his idea, now that he was part of the family, after all. He would be doing everyone a favor, from his view: Anna could continue her ice skating, and Elsa could finally subject herself to the patriarchal constitution of marriage. Except, to Anna, it was for love, and that was the key to keeping his wife under his guise: framing.

A knocking on the door was quite familiar, whenever she’d heard it all she could think about was her sister beyond the other side of the door. As of lately, the knocking became less frequent and she only had herself to blame. Still, this did not stop her from hoping it was her sister, at which Elsa was ready to apologize if it meant she could get a word out of her Anna. She waited with bated breath, wanting the redhead to wander into her office but instead, it was the man her sister married instead. To say that was a disappointment was an understatement, however, she couldn’t quite turn him away. Not when he was a major element in what had gotten in between the two sisters.

"It pales in comparison to how much it would've meant to have you there," he replied with the same formality his sister-in-law was giving him. Hans had come prepared to twist the knife as much as he needed to get his way, now that he had a power over Elsa that had been almost too easy to obtain. He couldn't have written it better himself, really--Elsa had been the one to screw herself over by not attending the wedding. "I wanted you there, too, Elsa. We're family now. Though, I can't say it seems like you want that as much as I do," Hans pointed out, his voice full with as much solemnity and regret as he could bring.

For a moment she keeps her eyes glued to her hands, now being held by Hans’s as she listened to him promise that he still wanted her - that they were going to be a family, and then have children of their own one day. Having all of that, a family of her own, one that truly loved and cared for her - that was all Anna has ever wanted. All of her life, the biggest dream she’s ever had was to have someone like Hans in her life. And though it had felt for the longest time like it wouldn’t ever come true, here she was, sitting with her husband and talking about their future together, what their family was going to look like. How could she not believe him? Looking back up at him, she allows herself a small smile as she nods her head in acceptance.

The small nod of acceptance was all Hans needed to know that the more difficult part of this conversation had been taken care of, that Anna believed his words, and now, his hands could be clean of the secret he'd been keeping from her for the past few months. It had admittedly been a weight that was becoming increasingly harder to bear, mostly out of the fear that she was going to tell him to fuck off. But, as he'd suspected, the loneliness the redhead was experiencing (as was her sister, apparently) was the perfect catalyst for a lifetime of easy forgiveness. As long as the Arendelle sisters were firmly on either side of him, Hans would be golden.

~time skip to valentines day~

Being single on Valentine’s Day wasn’t a new experience for her, not since the big break up with her ex-fiance. But being alone on this particular day? This was a first for that. Though she supposed she wasn’t actually alone, considering she had her newborn daughter with her. But even if she would take baby Ivy over anyone else in the entire world any day, it was still a bit strange, not having anyone else around at all. Really, what was sort of bothering her the most was even Branch was out doing something - even if he hadn’t been all that happy about going. A small part of Poppy’s brain felt insecure about being alone tonight, enough so that she had genuinely been tempted to suck it up and attend the party as well regardless of the fact that she had just given birth less than a week ago. But that thought was quickly shut down the moment she realized going to the event as well would mean leaving her daughter. That just wasn’t something she was at all ready to do yet. So she had swallowed her pride and accepted that she would simply just have a lonesome holiday - watching romcoms by herself as she rocked her daughter and tried not to get too emotional over every big movie moment the love interests shared.

Though she'd seemed reluctant at first, Poppy had cleared the way for him to come in, and Hans considered it a win. Coming to see her on a day like this, in these circumstances, had him wondering whether he'd done it all wrong. If he'd simply gone for Poppy instead, he wouldn't have had to show up unannounced, hoping she'd let him in. He could've been married to her, and been more than happy to welcome a child so soon. And, in all other instances, Poppy was the kind of girl he'd seen himself with all along, instead of the one who was currently his wife. While his heart had all of these strange revelations coming to light, Hans caught a glimpse of some trophy on a bookshelf and was reminded just why he'd unfortunately had to go for Anna: the career he wanted for himself, not the career Poppy had.

It clearly didn’t seem fine, from the way Hans so obviously didn’t want to deal with this. A small part of her wanted to just say never mind and turn around, maybe wait until he’d had more time to think about it all and really settle with his decision to be in the baby’s life - but Poppy knew that wouldn’t do either of them any good. She had already given him more than enough time and with her due date growing nearer and nearer every day, they didn’t have much longer to figure everything out. Following his lead, she took a seat on the other end of the couch and bit her lip to hold in her true thoughts on the excuse he offered. It was rare for Poppy to be one to judge anyone, but well, this type of behavior seemed just a bit too familiar. How could he already know for certain that Anna was the one - how could he really be so concerned for the redhead or love her as he claimed he did when just a handful of months ago he was sleeping with someone else instead? But that wasn’t her business. No, she had to focus on the baby right now, not whatever else Hans had going on in his life.

~time skip to valentines day~

For everything that Hans could have wanted to talk about, bringing up his one night stand with a superstar wasn’t what she had expected it to be. The mention of the other woman’s name was enough for the redhead’s frown to deepen as she subconsciously moved away from him, sinking deeper into her seat on the couch. “Oh,” is all she says at first, waiting and letting him explain everything before she says anything else. Poppy was pregnant. With Hans’s child. It was… a lot for Anna to take in. Not because she was mad or even upset, but it was just a huge development that could potentially change everything.

"Oh, Anna, no," he blurted, his immediate reaction one of reassurance as he took her hands to show just how sincere he was. Hans shook his head, perhaps overdoing the whole denial bit, but he was pretty sure that there was never a such thing as too much for her. "No, I don't. We're going to have a real family someday, even if it looks a little different because of this now. That's what you deserve, Anna." He wanted to put the words in her mouth, to make her believe that this was what she wanted, too, even before she had a chance to decide for herself. Hans was supposed to be the person who knew her best, after all--he was her husband. "Just think of it as practice for when we have children, right? You're going to be an incredible step-mother."

At his easy agreement to her idea of having the ceremony in the backyard of her family estate, the redhead absolutely beamed. There wasn’t much about this wedding that she wasn’t willing to compromise on, wanting Hans to have as much of a say as she does for their big day together, but this was the one thing she had been absolutely set on doing. Ever since she had been a little girl, Anna had dreamed of one day marrying the man of her dreams in a big ceremony in the backyard - just like her parents. For a long time, during all her years of forced isolation, that dream had felt practically impossible - but here she was, married and planning that big wedding she’d always wanted with the man she believed to be the love of her life. Everything was perfect.

Hans had been dreading this very moment for the past few months. But, his child was due to come into the world in the next few weeks, and there really was no more putting it off. His only saving grace is having Anna right where he wanted her: wrapped right around his finger, in the very palm of his closed hand. He wasn't going to let her go now; Hans had learned how to say exactly what the redhead wanted to hear to keep her around. It was relatively easy to sweet talk a girl who had been shown no affection her entire life, and even easier to lie to someone who believed every word that he said to her.

It wasn’t often that Poppy got upset or truly let something bother her, and when it did happen rarely did that anger ever last long. And right now was no expectation of that rule. For all she had come in with the intentions of holding her ground, of remembering how horrible these past few months have felt just sitting around and waiting for an answer from the man… but when Hans begins with an apology and an explanation of what had been happening, the resentment and frustration slowly but surely began to melt away. As hard as it has been on her, not knowing where the father of her child stood on anything regarding this pregnancy, Poppy couldn’t deny that it likely wasn’t easy for him either. This baby wasn’t planned, not by a long shot, and Hans had seemed pretty shocked when she had told him… it would make sense if he needed time to figure out what he wanted to do… Maybe she was being a bit too harsh coming over here and demanding answers, but there was no going back from it now, and well it seemed to have worked anyway.

All of this was such a giant inconvenience for Hans, all because he had been too lazy to put on a fucking condom. Sure, having a child with a pop star was going to have its perks, including the possibility of getting some sort of payment from her to help take care of it. But, generally, he didn't have time for this. The pressure that had come from Poppy, whether she meant to put it on him or not, had been overwhelming, sealed by the desire from his future wife to be in his child's life. To play the long game with Anna was to keep to the happy wife, happy life slogan that he'd heard so many times in his own household when he was growing up. He couldn't have her thinking that he was the kind of monster who would abandon his own child before it was even born, especially if she'd specifically asked him not to.