if only there was someone out there who loves you

bio & headcanons:

Despite the love he received as a child, growing up as the youngest of 14 was never easy. Everything he did, one of his brothers had already done bigger and better. Anything he said, his parents had already heard before. Carving an individual path for himself was difficult when every sport had already been played by at least one of his brothers, every hobby had already been tried before. It was even hard to impress his parents with straights A’s, as he wasn’t the first one to achieve it. He lived perpetually in the shadow of his brothers, unable to break free or carve an identity of his own. 

When he was eleven, three of his brothers spent a whole two years pretending that Hans was invisible. They refused to speak to him or acknowledge him, and bumped into him every time they walked past as though he wasn’t there. The rage Hans feels now has been bubbling under the surface since that moment, though he spent a long time pretending it wasn’t there in an attempt to appear like the perfect son.

Being ignored by three of his brothers for so long meant that Hans became very good at reading people. When no one will talk to you, all you can do is sit back and observe, and this gave him a lot of time to try to figure them out. He learned to read even the most minuscule changes in expression, became practically professional in deciphering someone’s tone. While it was something of a hobby to him in childhood, he uses it to his advantage now as he figures out everyone he meets and discovers how he can use them for his own personal gain.

Trying to carve a path of his own, Hans started to pick up what he considered to be unusual hobbies growing up in an attempt to stand out to his parents. He can play the oboe, speaks fluent German, plays a mean game of croquet, and can make a professional looking bowl with a pottery wheel. He also went through a phase of wearing unusual hats because he thought that might help him stand out. While it did help him stand out, it also made him feel slightly confused about his own identity. He grew up without much sense of self — he only knew that he wanted to be different from his brothers.

Focusing his entire adolescence on being good enough to impress his parents, Hans left very little room in his life for fun. His whole life was filled with studying and increasingly obscure and difficult extra curriculars to make himself seem impressive and important. It never particularly worked, and only resulted in him being bitter and bored. He’s trying to recapture some of his youth now and is trying out having fun without worrying about the consequences.

After his mother’s death, Hans spent a long time evaluating his life. All this heard work, and where did it get him? In the same spot he’s always been, in the shadow of his brothers and the continued disappointment of the family. He’s starting to realize that maybe hard work and patience doesn’t pay off the same way his mother always told him it did. It’s time to try being selfish and give ruthlessness a go.

Growing up, Hans was a hopeless romantic. Convinced what his parents had was true love, he wanted that for himself too. He had a secret soft spot for romantic comedies, and sobbed the first time he wanted The Notebook — and every time after that. He fell easily for every beautiful person he met, and went above and beyond in relationships to plan perfect dates and surprise his partners with flowers and cute little gifts, just because. Since his mother’s death he’s closed down that side of himself, seeing it as naive and foolish. That romantic side of him is still in there somewhere, though he refuses to access it.

He’s bisexual as fuck, though he’s extremely repressed about it. Growing up, he knew his parents would never approve of him if he came out, and his entire youth was spent trying to appease his family. While he’s broken free of them now, it’s hard for him to shed the perfect image he spent so many years cultivating.

Hans was always considered to be charming, and he’s shocked at how easy it is to use his charm and good looks to get what he wants rather than working hard for it. Manipulating others is starting to come easy to him, and he’s grown accustomed to getting whatever he wants with a smile and a few well chosen compliments.

There are now two very different sides to Hans, and he is very careful and calculated about who gets to see which side of him. To most, he is the same charming man he’s ever been. He’s kind, considerate, trustworthy, and even a little bit dorky — he’s not one to harm a fly, let alone break your heart. To his closest friends, he lets his true colours show. He’s vain, selfish, and impatient, bordering on cruel. He knows exactly what he wants, and he’s not afraid to cause harm to get it.

Coming from a wealthy, socialite family, Hans never learned how to do anything particularly grueling, especially when it came to physical labour. Cooking and cleaning aren’t his strong suits, and if something breaks down in his house, has has absolutely no idea how to fix it. While there was a time when he would have put in the hard work, learning how to fix it himself, he now much prefers to throw money at it. Why deal with a problem yourself when you can pay someone else to do it?

He’s always had a taste for the finer things in life, and is known to be quite pretentious about it. Hans only wants the best clothes and cars money can buy, and he won’t be caught in anything less. He feels the same way about food and drink, and has particularly strong feelings about wine. He’s that obnoxious person in the restaurant that insists on sampling the wine first, sniffing and slurping and doing all the other disgusting things you can do to a glass of wine to test its quality. He will absolutely judge your worth based on the wine you order.

An extreme bibliophile, he prefers reading to watching movies or tv. He’s a lot smarter than he looks, and particularly enjoys reading historical nonfiction, and mystery or thriller novels. He finds that there are few people that can actually hold a conversation about a good book, and if you’re able to do so you’ll automatically earn his respect.

Looking for a job that will pay him well for doing the bare minimum, he fell into his job as a business strategy consultant. It’s a simple job: he comes into small businesses, analyzes what they’re doing wrong, and instructs them on all the ways they can improve. As far as he’s concerned, it’s the perfect job. He’s paid well to judge others, doll out commands, and do none of the hard work himself. Hans has become quite comfortable in his job, but he still feels as though there’s something missing.

Working tirelessly on a way he can finally one up his brothers, Hans finally figures out the one thing he can do: become a prince. They may all be successful in their respective fields, but becoming a ruler will make Hans rise above them once and for all, officially asserting his dominance and superiority despite being the youngest. In the back of his mind, he knows it’s a far fetched, ridiculous dream. But pushing those qualms aside, he has his sights set on one thing: becoming a beloved ruler. He doesn’t particularly care which kingdom he’ll rule, any will do, and he’s unconcerned about the methods he’ll have to use to get there. He’ll do anything to get what he wants, and doesn’t care who he hurts along the way.

All Hans really wants is to be a ruler, to take the eventual and rightful place of a king that has was born into. Waiting for all 13 of his brothers to either die or renounce their position as king will take far too long, and he’s sick of waiting. He now has his sights set outside of his own kingdom. Hans wants to rule, he isn’t particularly concerned with what kingdom.

wanted connections:

Watching him look away, likely over towards Mel she’s sure, Claudette knew she was getting close. That despite all the worries Hans vocalized, he was going to end up doing it. “Then don’t push her,” she counters, as if it were really that simple even though she knows it’s not. “Just… talk to her. Don’t even bring everything up right off the bat. See how it goes just speaking to each other again.” Because after a near month of radio silence even just a brief hello would be an improvement in their current relationship as far as Claudette was concerned. And though she knows Mel to be as equally overdramatic as Hans and quick to react poorly to the smallest of things - she doubts he would truly lose the Muse girl tonight, not unless he did something ridiculously dumb. “You’re more likely to lose her if you don’t do this. Letting her leave again means another two months of nothing and you know it.” And when he agrees, a small smirk grows on the blonde’s face as she too reaches back for her glass and takes another sip. “Deal. Another round after this and then we both start acting like actual adults.” In actuality it would probably more than just one more drink between now and whenever either of them work up the courage to approach the others.

“Wow, who knew you were such an expert on my relationship,” Hans mutters under his breath as she continues to dole out advice, taking another sip of his drink, Of course it’s impossible for her to be anything but an expert when she’s been forced to hear about the ups and downs of their relationship for the past ten years, Hans making her listen though she certainly didn’t ask. “You don’t have to look so proud of yourself, you know,” Hans rolls his eyes, not missing the satisfied smirk that touches her lips as soon as he concedes. Knowing Claudette to be right more often than not over the past twenty-five years, it’s a look he’s extremely familiar with, though not one he’s all that fond of. “I’m just doing it to shut you up.” It’s a complete lie of course; there’s no hiding how much he yearns to talk to Mel, to find a way to make things somewhat normal between them again. Even if he doesn’t truly believe this is the best way to handle it, he’s desperate enough to try almost anything. “If it goes poorly, I’m blaming you though,” he adds, prepared to blame Claudette for the foreseeable future if things go even remotely bad between them.

penny likes to think of herself as a good friend — the greatest friend anyone can have actually. loyal and understanding, patient and determined, and always in your corner when you need her; she’s the definition of ride or die. that’s why when she was presented with the opportunity to confront benny she took it with no hesitation, ready to defend hans and his relationship (apparently more than his actual girlfriend was willing to do — but she’s got much to say about miss melpomene and how shitty she was being). but with everything at the masquerade spiraling out of control on all fronts, penny didn’t really have time to see hans. it’s how she finds herself at his apartment, bright smile on her face and takeout in hand as she prepares herself to cheer him up. “german bestie!” she yells, excitement dripping off her voice as if she was being reunited with someone she hasn’t seen in years. but that’s just penny — loud and happy. “happy late ass new year!” @hansoftheisles

An eyebrow raised curiously as he hears a knock at the front door, it should come as no surprise to him who’s waiting on the other side. There are very few people in his life that would stop by completely unannounced, but Penny ha always been one of them. While he spent quite a few years trying to deny that there was any sort of friendship between them, never quite sure why Penny was so determined to spend time with him, he finds himself almost smiling now as he opens the door to reveal Penny. “What’s up Penny,” he chuckles as he steps back to let her into the apartment, never in a million years able to match her energy. “Happy late New Year.” Following her into the apartment as she starts to easily make herself at home, he frowns as he realizes why she’s actually here. “If this is about Mel, you really don’t have to do this,” he assures her, still avoiding talking about the breakup as much as possible if he can. “I’m fine, really.” It’s a blatant lie, one that doesn’t even sound convincing to his own ears, but he’s been trying to say it as much as possible lately, as though if he actually says it enough he might one day actually be fine.

As practice finished and all the figure skaters began to part ways, Anna was originally going to stay on for a little while longer to work through a few solo routines before a familiar figure catches her eye. “Hans!” she calls out happily, still on the ice but making her way over towards the exit he was standing by. “Hey! You’re here! Did you catch any of the routine?” Taking the offered mocha from him, she takes a small sip as she carefully makes her way over towards her bag - not having stopped to put on the coverings for the blades on her skates. “Of course I do! I always have time to talk to you,” she answers, sitting down on the bench and starting to unlace her skate boots. “Everything okay?”

“Oh yeah, it was amazing! I can’t wait to see the whole thing,” he lies easily, finding that by now it’s all to simple to pretend that he cares about anything that Anna does. Spending any time in a cold rink, watching her skate around in a ridiculous outfit is one of the worst thing she could possibly imagine, but of course she doesn’t need to now that. “Yeah, yeah, everything’s fine,” Hans assures her with a smile, waving off her concern as he follows her over to the bench. “I just wanted to talk about your sister. After you know... the blizzard.” Sitting down beside her he takes a sip of his coffee, giving Anna a knowing look. After the stunt the pulled after the blizzard there’s no denying that something is up with the two of them, but he’s curious to see if she’ll keep the lie going.

tension is hardly something mel isn’t used to by now. her earliest memory in life being a string of profanities shouted at her mother from a voice that boomed like thunder. so she knows, perhaps better than most would give her credit for, that relationships can fall apart in your hand like paper in water. what she isn’t necessarily prepared for, however, is the way this moment feels. perhaps it was a little delusional on her part to think that they could coast calm waters for the rest of their lives. that she could keep everything she felt for another person so hidden that it wouldn’t dare make a mess of one of the few stable things she’s ever had. but she hadn’t been able to keep those feelings a secret, and because of that she’d failed them and she’d just have to live with that even if she hated how awkward and weird this was. “it was a compliment.” she nods, not bothering to elaborate any further once she takes note of the confusion in his voice. “of course, who would you be if you didn’t show everyone up?” they had, of course, met in band because he insisted on an oboe solo in a piece that certainly didn’t call for it. hell, he’d chosen the oboe because it was difficult. hans had always been something of a glory hog, and mel had always been known to sing him his praises whether he really deserved them or not – to her, he always deserved it. mel snickers, rolling her eyes at his thank you. “it’s your birthday hans, of course i had to get you a present.” the thought of not giving him his gift was ridiculous, even given the state of their relationship. “but i’m glad you liked it. did you have fun with your friends on your birthday?” she’s caught somewhere between genuinely caring because it’s him, and not wanting to hear all the ways he had fun without her. but if he was willing to tread through calmer waters, she could force herself to as well. 

Despite the tension that still hangs uncomfortably between them, a small part of Hans is finally starting to believe that Claudette might have had a point. No matter how painful it is, this is better than acting like Mel doesn’t exist for the evening. “Well yeah, I have a reputation to maintain.” Of the most pretentious man in the room, of course. He laughs softly, feeling some of the tension leave his shoulders as he slowly starts to relax around her. “I guess I just wasn’t expecting it after...everything,” he admits, shoulders shrugging. The silence between them that stretched out for weeks felt like it could last forever, and there was a small part of him that actually thought it might. He expected the day to pass without so much as a word, knowing that Mel could be stubborn when she wanted to be. “It was surprisingly sentimental,” he adds, surprised Mel would put her heart out there like that, given the circumstances. The second the words leave his lips he feels an instant pang of regret, sure even in his current state that he said that wrong thing. After so many years of struggling to open up and be the least bit emotionally vulnerable, the last thing he should do is question it, seeming ungrateful in the way she was trying to show that she still cared. Panic rushing through him, he debates backpedaling and apologizing profusely, but instead settles on quickly trying to change the subject, as though she might forget what he just said. It’s unlikely, but worth a shot. “But yeah, it was great,” he chuckles nervously, clinging to her last question about spending his birthday with his friends. “But I actually spent most of it with Poppy and Lily Rose. And Angelo, if you can believe it.” In any other instance, Hans and Angelo being able to put aside their lifelong rivalry to spend a holiday together would be monumental, but under the circumstances it might not matter all that much.

“She’s already done that, I doubt this fight would be the exact same thing.” Rolling her eyes, Claudette sets her drink down on the table and turns to give him her complete attention. Though already fairly drunk, she’s not quite yet at a point that she’s going to just send her best friend out without actually trying to help him first. Whether Hans wants or even takes the advice she’s about to offer him is unknown - but never has that stopped her before, it certainly won’t right now. “And if she doesn’t?” she counters, continuing on before he can actually answer. “Or if she does start talking to you again but tries to pretend like nothing happened? Like things are fine and she has no intentions of talking about any of this?” It’s a move she’s known Mel to make in the past and wouldn’t put it past her to do again. “If she leaves without the two of you talking, that’s it. There’s nothing you can do. Calls can be ignored and texts can go unread. You need to confront her now when she can’t just turn off the ringer and pretend like you don’t even exist.” None of this is likely what Hans wants to hear - nor is it advice she should be giving him right now - but she believes it to be true. In her currently clouded mind she thinks there’s no other option, really. Besides, if he was going to push her to go see her own ex, Claudette felt she had every right to convince him to go talk to the woman he currently was still technically dating. “Fine. I will. When you go talk to Mel, I’ll go find Adam.” And likely a few more drinks along the way, but she doesn’t vocalize that part of the deal.

Groaning softly under his breath, there’s no denying that Claudette is right. It doesn’t come as a surprise to him, even if it isn’t something he wants to hear, because in the twenty-five years they’ve known each other, there have been very few instances of Claudette actually being wrong. Noticing the way she sets her drink down, giving him what he thinks is supposed to be a serious look he sighs, following suit. “Listen, I know I should talk to her. I want to talk to her.” His eyes linger back across the room to where Mel is sitting with Layla, trying to weigh his options. There’s no denying that he wants to talk to her, that he would give anything to be over there with her like everything is normal again. “But what if she hasn’t figured it out? What if she’s not ready?” Turning back to Claudette, he does his best to put his fears into words rather than pouting like a petulant child like he’s been doing all evening. If there’s anyone he can open up to it’s Claudette, who he knows has his best interests at heart even if she might make fun of him for being an absolute idiot along the way. “She’s stubborn and if she thinks I’m pushing her... I don’t know.” Shrugging his shoulders he runs a hand through his hair, deeply regretting his decision to come tonight. “I’m not ready to lose her.” Not that he has her now, not really, but there’s still a part of him that feels like he does and it’s a feeling he isn’t ready to let go of, not quite yet. “Fine, but I need another drink first,” Hans finally agrees, reaching for his glass to take another sip. He should do it now, while he’s still sober enough to choose his words wisely, but a little bit of liquid courage never hurt anyone.

it’d been a surprisingly good night for mel, all things considered. any qualms she had about running into boyfriends (current and exe) had quickly gone out the window as she spent the bulk of her night close to layla’s side. but of course, all that changes the moment she sees hans coming her way. it would be unfair to say that she didn’t want to see him; despite the delicate state of their relationship she was happy he was here and (hopefully) having fun with his friends. all she’d ever wanted was the best for him, even if most of the time what was best for him wasn’t her, so knowing that he was out and not sulking was good. it just didn’t mean she wanted to talk to him, especially not here. “hey,” there’s a moment of relief that the conversation starts out neutrally, even if she wants to cringe at how tense it feels between them. but she can’t fault him for how uncomfortable their current situation is or how poorly he navigates their conversations because of it — she would do worse if in his shoes, she’s sure. “thanks. yeah she did, she spent like the whole week making our dresses. I’ll be sure to tell her you like it.” she nods, small smile touching her face as she looks at him. “you look nice. your suit is fitting,” he would of course opt out of going with a classic black suit, so she’s hardly even surprised. he’d always been an over dramatic attention grabber, but he’d always made it work where others failed tremendously. “pretty sure i saw candice in blue, so i guess she made this for you?”

Despite his strong conviction that none of the tension between them now is his fault, there’s no doubt in his mind that he could be handling this better. Talking to Mel almost every single day for the past fifteen years, it should be easier than this. One month of awkward silence shouldn’t be enough to throw him off like this, as though he doesn’t know how to act around her anymore. If this were any other day he knows what he would be doing, lifting her in the air as he spins her around and showers her with compliments, reminding her that she’s undoubtedly the most beautiful woman here. Pulling her out on the dancefloor as the two make the most of an otherwise dull evening. But he can tell that she’s still mad at him, that there’s a distance between them that never existed before, and it feels as though he’s lost his right to do any of that. “Uh, thanks?” Hans frowns, not sure whether he should actually take that as a compliment or not. Choosing to take the high road rather than assume she meant anything buy it, looking down at the outfit he chose with a laugh. “You know I always have to make some sort of statement.” Showing up in something boring has never been his style, always trying to outdo the other men in the room. “Oh, and I just wanted to say thank you,” he adds, smile finally relaxing and turning genuine as he settles on what he believes to be a good ice breaker. “For the birthday present. You really didn’t have to.”

continued from here

It had been a great show, all things considered; his iffy bits resonated, new jokes got a solid response, and there hadn’t even been any hecklers. Well, aside from Claudette (predictable), and the guy glued to her side the entire night. Mike would have brushed it off, but when he saw the man alone at the bar, he couldn’t help but to walk over. The question earned the reaction he’d predicted, though the guy made him wait a long moment for it, and he smiled contentedly while nodding to his friend behind the bar for his own drink. “You don’t have to, because I will.” Mike glanced back at him, taking in his cold exterior. If he looked close enough, he swore he could see some cracks. “The deer fly because people believe in them!” He explained, palms pressing into the edge of the bar as he grinned at the brunette. “That belief enables them to bring Christmas to all the good boys and girls of the world, rich and poor.” Mike smiled widely in thanks as his drink was placed in front of him before his grin redirected back to his companion. “But reindeer, like me, have fragile egos, and you being mean hurt mine.” A questionable transition, but he’d just performed a whole set; sue him. His lips turned down into a fake pout with the words, eyes falling as he picked up his fruity drink. “And by doing so, you could have taken Christmas away from all of the nice boys and girls in this bar. Say, you don’t want to be the grinch, do you?” His gaze flickered back up to the man’s face while he pinched the straw lightly, pulling it to his lips for a long sip. @hansoftheisles​

“Why would you ask a question if you were just going to answer it yourself?” Voice dry and clearly unimpressed, Hans is quickly regretting his decision to come here in the first place. It felt like a good idea earlier in the night as his friends threw out ideas to cheer him up and get his mind off his failing relationship, but it isn’t a mistake he’ll be making again. Taking a sip of his drink, he lets Mike continue to ramble, letting him lecture him on the magic of Christmas before he laughing. “And so you came over asking for an apology?” Hans asks dubiously, not prepared to offer one. Perhaps they two shouldn’t have sat at the back of the audience, their criticism of his standup getting louder and louder with each drink until it was loud enough for everyone, including the comedian, to hear them. “If anyone is old enough to be at this bar I sincerely hope they don’t still believe in the magic of Christmas.” Hans doesn’t even stop himself from rolling his eyes, unconcerned with being rude. He usually tries much harder than this to put on an outwardly kind demeanor, caring more about how he’s perceived by the general public than most of his friends. “As long as I’m not ruining Christmas for my daughter, I can’t say I particularly care.” And if anyone at this bar believes in the magic of Christmas, they clearly have bigger problems on their hands.

Rolling her eyes, Claudette doesn’t even give actual consideration to the thought that her advice would likely piss their other friend off. It’s not that Hans was wrong about that, but in the moment she didn’t really care if she annoyed Candice by encouraging him to get his shit together right then and there. As far as she was concerned in her drunken state, she was a fucking genius and the both of them should listen to her more often. “Here’s a wild idea, don’t piss her off.” It’s a lot easier said than done, and not even her true feelings on the matter, honestly. For once, Hans wasn’t in the wrong here - but she knew that wasn’t how this was going to work. He can’t go in guns blazing about how shitty Mel has been these past few weeks, not if he actually wanted to save their relationship. Which after knowing him for so long and having had a front seat for the shit show that the two had been through over the past handful of years, she knew without any question that he wasn’t going to want to let go of this. “But even a fight is better than letting her leave for who knows how fucking long with nothing figured out.” A soft scoff escapes her at his return question, her glass coming to her lips as she takes another sip of her drink before answering. “If I see him, I will. Because unlike you - I’m an adult and not afraid to talk to the complicated people in my life.” It wasn’t necessarily a fair comparison - her current situation with Adam far more civil than anything going on between Hans and Mel - but that doesn’t stop Claudette from making it anyway.

When it comes to his relationship with Mel, Hans has spent the past decade completing ignoring his friends advice has he proceeded to do what he wanted, much to their annoyance. If there was anyone he might listen to it would be Claudette, their lifetime of friendship making him at least willing to ease on his stubbornness long enough to listen. But as she proceeds to place the blame on him, making it see as though every issue between them is of his own doing Hans rolls his eyes, reaching for his drink. “So she can tell me she’s in love with someone else but it’s my fault for somehow pissing her off?” he scoffs, taking a long sip. Knowing very well how his girlfriend reacts to both confrontation and feelings, it doesn’t come as much surprise that as soon as he got angry and confrontational she completely shut down, what should have been a mature discussion quickly turning into a fight. But after several drinks he isn’t ready to entertain that, not prepared to accept blame when all he’s ever tried to do is love her and make their relationship work. Despite his current bitterness, it’s still all he really wants. “Have you ever met Mel?” he laughs bitterly, knowing it’s a pointless question. Claudette may know her better than the rest of his friends, but none of them ever tried all that hard to get to know her. “A fight is not better. She’ll talk to me when she’s ready.” Once convinced of that fact he’s now not so sure, nearly a month of almost complete silence laying plenty of doubt in his mind. But what the hell else is he supposed to do? “He’s probably out here somewhere.” An eyebrow arched, he gives her a challenging look. “Go find him.”

Grabbing their drinks from the bar and moving onward to give space for the next people in line, Claudette’s hand naturally rests on Hans’s arm as she guides him off away from the dancefloor and commotion of the ball. “So are you going to talk to her?” she asks - no need to say who the woman in question is that she’s referring to. It’s not a suggestion she should be making, having come here originally with the intentions of keeping Hans distracted and far away from Mel or anything related to her - but with more than just a few drinks in her already, Claudette’s level of reasoning and logic is beginning to falter. Leaving her to see no issue with letting her best friend approach his girlfriend (or at least she thinks they were still technically together). “Or are you going to be a pussy and just let her leave again with nothing resolved?”  @hansoftheisles​

Taking his drink from Claudette he takes a much needed sip, an eyebrow raised at her question. “Hmmm?” Hans hums at her question, acting for a moment as though he had know idea who she was talking about, as if his eyes hadn’t been drawn to her all night. “Don’t tell Candice you’re encouraging that or you’ll never hear the end of it.” Hans chuckles as they cross the room, taking a seat at the table they’ve been occupying all night. He doesn’t think twice of the implication that he’s a pussy, his best friend’s feelings about him and his approach to relationships perfectly clear over the years. “The last two times haven’t gone so well, I thought I’d spare us the fight,” he shrugs, taking another sip of his drink. There’s a small part of him that knows Claudette is right, that he should suck it up and at least try to make things right before she goes back on tour. “Are you planning on talking to Adam tonight?” he asks, turning the tables back on her in an attempt to take the attention off of himself.

in a perfect world this act wouldn’t have to be blanketed in such secrecy. delivering a birthday present shouldn’t have to be timed meticulously, there shouldn’t be concern surrounding the idea of running into the present receiver in question. especially not when it was a gift for your boyfriend, or even beyond that, your best friend. but there’d been radio silence between hans and mel the past few weeks, and a lot of (if not all of it) that fell on mel’s shoulders. in a perfect world his surprise visit to new orleans wouldn’t have ended in a bitter fight and their last words to each other would not have been wrapped so carelessly in barbed wire in an effort to protect hurt feelings. but, in a perfect world she wouldn’t be in love with someone else. “hi angel,” mel smiles, crouching down to pet the little bengal cat that runs to the door when she comes in. “i’ve missed you.” she coos, smiling to herself as ophelia rubs her head around mel’s hand. standing upright again mel advances through the apartment, following the cat into the living room so she can set her present on the table and leave. but the fates wouldn’t let her off that easy, and she’s hardly surprised by that. “hey.” the tension around her words is unbearable, sounding foreign in this setting with this man in particular. but what else could she do? she hadn’t wanted to see him – and, honestly, she doubts he wants to see her either. “i uh…thought you’d be out with your friends.”  @hansoftheisles​

Trying to make the best of the worst birthday he’s had in a while, Hans pours over a book, his cat curled up in his lap and a glass of red wine in one hand. So engrossed in the pages of the book, he doesn’t notice the way the elevator dings outside his apartment, doesn’t notice the quiet click of the front door opening. He doesn’t even think much of the way Ophelia meows softly, jumping from his lap and running from the room, sure that whatever caught her attention isn’t anything he needs to worry about. It isn’t until he hears a familiar voice in the hall that Hans freezes, completely caught off guard by Mel’s presence in his apartment. It’s something that he was so used to, never before thinking twice about Mel showing up unexpectedly or letting herself in. Even before she moved in she was here often enough that it sometimes felt like she shared the space too; he quite frankly preferred it that way. Snapping his book shut and setting it aside, Hans only has time to stand up and take a few steps towards the hallway before Mel is standing in the doorway, the shock he’s feeling clearly reflected on her face. “Uh, hi...” He does his best to smile but it feels too tense and unfamiliar. “We’re not doing anything until later tonight. Sorry?” He’s not even sure why he’s offering her the apology and he wants to take it back as soon as the words leave his lips. He has every right to be here. “What are you doing here?” The present held in one hand should be an obvious enough answer, but even knowing that she’s back in town for the holidays he doesn’t expect her to stop by with gifts, figuring their break would be good enough reason for her to avoid him for the foreseeable future.

elsarendelle​:

Elsa was practically cringing as Anna continued to talk about her being a weather expert. Though Elsa was typically good at keeping a poker face, it was hard to do so with how obviously fake this conversation was. She could feel Hans’ gaze between the two, and as Anna continued on, Elsa could feel her heart sinking into her stomach. Somehow, someway, she just had a feeling that Hans knew her secret by now. All the signs were there, with their odd conversation being the cherry on top; unless Hans was an idiot, which he didn’t seem to be, he just had to know by now. “Well…. I don’t, so maybe you should … ask a different weather expert,” Elsa answered rather coldly, her gaze toward Anna very serious. It was strange to hear Hans chime in, her attention turning to him as she tried to read his expression. A part of her swore he was holding a smug look on his face as he practically mocked their conversation, only giving her more reason to believe he wasn’t naive and understood what was going on here. “Well, it’s easy to become familiar with weather patterns when it’s much similar to business. Checking trends, going through data from previous years, understanding the current environment… But instead of, well, businesses, it’s all about … the weather.” She surprisingly kept her tone calm and casual, as if anything she had just said wasn’t completely made up in the spur of the moment. Though, his next question grew her suspicions even further, and she gave him a cold stare that she hoped Anna wouldn’t notice. “Well, as I just told my sister.. I’m clearly not the expert in this kind of situation, but I’m sure that another .. weather expert, may have more answers than I do.” Was this conversation ever going to end? She didn’t think so at first, but luckily the mention of hot cocoa and blankets finally steered them into a different direction. She found herself observing Hans more than she ever had before, uneasy by the way his tone and demeanor changed ever-so-slightly as they finally changed the subject. Was she looking into it too deeply? Anna would probably think so, but she always listened to her gut instincts. “Mother’s hot chocolate sounds perfect.. I can go grab some blankets if you two want to get the hot chocolate started in the kitchen?” She offered, just wanting to step away from them for a moment to compose herself and her thoughts. “I’ll meet you in there after I get enough blankets for everyone.” @skatinganna​

Barely giving Hans any thought, it wasn’t until Elsa’s cold words were directed at her that Anna fully stopped. Blinking a few times, the corner of her lips twisted downwards into a frown as she watched her sister turn her attention away and towards Hans instead. Maybe she shouldn’t have been discussing this type of thing in front of him and maybe she could have asked in a nicer way - but this was too big of a situation for her to just ignore and not talk about. Though with the way Elsa was reacting, Anna couldn’t stop the moment of self-doubt and paranoid thought that perhaps this was going to push her back into seclusion. With that in her head now, the blonde suddenly became determined to change the topic and try to fix whatever mess she may have just unintentionally made. “Okay,” she agreed with an enthusiasm that was quite obviously forced. Watching her sister for a moment longer, Anna followed along after her lead, turning to the man and offering a smile at him before leaning down to tickle at his daughter’s stomach. “Come on, Hans. Today you’re going to learn the most precious Arendelle family secret - Mother’s hot chocolate. We should probably also try to find something for little Lily Rose too, huh?”  @hansoftheisles​

Nodding along as Elsa speaks, he tries to seem as interested as possible, doing his best to act as though he’s buying whatever nonsense she’s spewing. “Well that really does sound interesting Elsa, we’ll have to talk more about it later.” He lets the subject drop for now, the tension that radiates between the two sisters making it perfectly clear that they don’t intend to talk about it for a second longer. “Wow, you trust me enough to let me in on such an important secret?” Hans teases, laughing lightly. He’s sure that the hot chocolate is hardly a serious secret (though he does know that Anna takes chocolate far too seriously), but it’s no question that she’s grown to trust him even though she certainly shouldn’t. “I’ve got something for her in here.” He pats the diaper bag slung over his shoulder, knowing very well that it’s packed to the brim with anything he could possibly need. There’s no way Poppy would pass Lily Rose off to him for the night without making sure he had everything he could possibly need. “Is everything okay with you two?” Hans asks as he follows Anna to the kitchen, keeping his voice low in case Elsa is still in range to hear them. “You both seem a little tense. What’s wrong?” While it’s unlikely that it will be this easy to get to the bottom of whatever secret they’re hiding, this is as good a place as any to start. @elsarendelle​