ʟᴏꜱᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴏᴅꜱ

Once the initial worry had worn off knowing at least now that she was alright and still the ray of sunshine he'd come to know, he could breathe freely again. While he didn't like seeing her stuck in a hospital bed Kristoff was glad to see she hadn't lost her carefree attitude even during a time like this. The blonde boy responded with a small smile at first and came to her bedside so that she didn't need to move any more than necessary. "Of course I came, what're you talking about? Think you can have all the fun without me? They tell me everything, you know." He joked, hoping his concern for her hadn't come through. Kristoff knew she had a husband who would be returning any moment now and didn't want to overstep, still reaching to take a gentle grip on her hand. "I am just glad you're okay," the man spoke genuinely, his smile softening once he caught her gaze. "You got it, one hot cocoa coming right up! Extra marshmallows like usual?" Kristoff was to his feet before he'd even gotten the sentence out, ready to get her whatever she needed from him at a moment's notice. "Now don't go running off on me, I'll be right back," he teased knowing she wouldn't be running for a little while and hoping to make her smile. It was a quick trip down the hall to grab a styrofoam cup of hot water and two packets of the extra marshmallow hot chocolate as promised. "Only the finest in all of the hospital," Kristoff informed her when he re-entered her room with the goods.

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Kristoff was glad he played it safe and hadn't gone to the festival, feeling a bit off that morning when he woke up. Of course that was coupled with the guilt that he hadn't been there to protect Anna now that he'd gotten word that she was hurt. The boy didn't waste a second before jumping into his beat-up Chevy and flooring it out of the forest. He was thankful that Elsa had texted him, fearing now that her sister was married, he wouldn't be included in these important conversations anymore. It wasn't until recently that he'd started to realize what had been there all along that had become the thing farthest from reach. "I came as soon as I heard," the blonde boy rambled as he rushed into her room to see her. "Are you okay? What did the doctors say? They've seen you, right? I'll go grab them myself if they haven't. Do you need anything? A Coke from the soda machine? I could see if they have hot cocoa." Kristoff breathed heavily; the only way to get out all of his concerns was through an array of questions.

Kristoff nearly choked when she so casually dropped the news that her new husband was the father of a newborn. His eyes were wide while he mentally instructed himself to look more normal. A smile was trying to find his lips again but it only curved into a more awkward expression. "Oh, oh, right..." His voice trailed off and Kristoff mentally scolded himself for not being able to hide his surprise. Acting had never been his strong suit, especially with all the bombs Anna had been dropping lately. He knew Elsa would be even more shocked when she heard the latest update. All they wanted was the best for her but he couldn't understand how this guy was it. "Well, uh, that's exciting." Kristoff's awkward smile was still plastered on. He'd been trying his best but the redhead was full of surprises lately. "How's that been? You know, married life. It's still so crazy to think that you're like whole-ass married right now," he continued to make sure she was happy. While Kristoff didn't understand it, he would support her wholeheartedly if this was the life she wanted. "You'll make a great stepmom, I know that for sure." The blonde boy finally found his natural smile again. That was something he could be certain of, Anna would be an amazing mother if she so chose to become one.

Kristoff nodded in understanding, silently hoping something similar had occurred. It hadn't been what he wanted for his friend but Anna was capable of making her own decisions. All he could do at some point was be there for her and put his feelings aside. Whatever Kristoff and Elsa thought was right clearly didn't align with what the redheaded girl in question believed. As far as she'd ever told him, Hans was the one, regardless of his wariness of the boy's intentions. "I wish I'd been able to say something but I don't think there was anything I could've said that would've changed her mind," he confessed. Even if he wanted to tell her how foolish he thought this was, it wouldn't have made a difference once Anna made up her mind. "She's good from what I can tell, though I've got some weird feeling about this guy I can't shake. He totally ditched her tonight, you know?" Something he probably shouldn't have shared but desperately needed a safe place to confide in. If there was anyone else who cared about Anna like he did (and then some) it was her sister. "I don't get what she sees in that guy."

He was curious about where her husband was but not enough to ask. Kristoff didn't feel like being social anymore than he had been that night. That didn't count with Anna, he was able to be around her no matter how low his energy level. Tonight was no different, happy to have caught her alone than on the arm of Hans. He still didn't see what she did in him but tried to appease her with a smile whenever she brought him up. It was a relief that she hadn't so far, knowing he might not have the right words for a response. Instead, he tripped over his own tongue in an attempt to compliment her while also not crossing a line. Kristoff still hadn't figured out entirely what he felt about Anna, only knowing that he enjoyed being around her more than most people. "Ah, thanks," he said, looking down when he suddenly felt a blush coming on. It wasn't often that he got out like this, already feeling a bit stuffy in his suit. "I'm surprised I'm here but I couldn't say no to Branch. Did you know that Poppy is having a baby? I couldn't send him here all on his own." Kristoff imaged his friend would do something similar to him if he was alone which was to stay near corners and avoid social interactions. The boy fought back a smile when he felt her head on his shoulder but it crept on anyway. "You're not here alone, are you?" Even if he hadn't wanted to hear about her husband, he wanted to make sure she at least had company and a ride home.

"Kristoff," She'd called out his name as soon as he appeared. Without a second thought, Elsa had gone over to him, dismissing any talks of business she was in the midst of. The sheer surprise in seeing him took her out of her collected self, she wasn't worried over the cold air that now followed her all she wanted to talk about was the wedding. "Did you go?" She had heard her sister was around, but she doubted Anna wanted anything to do with her. Elsa was relying on a rehash from her employees back home how the wedding had been but now seeing someone she felt she could safely talk to, she had to ask for details. "How was it? Is she really... married?" It pained her to even conjure up the idea that her sister had really gone through with the wedding, but more so that she had been too stubborn to have gone. "Do you think she'll ever talk to me again?"

Even though he'd mentioned it to Branch it wasn't exactly a conversation that he felt like he needed to burden his friend with. He didn't even know Anna and Kristoff wasn't exactly ready to acknowledge what feelings he feared he might have for her. Tonight he'd caught Elsa first and a wave of relief came over him knowing that she felt the same. It hadn't been easy for him to understand why she'd gone through with this but he was doing his best to support his friend. "Hey," he said sheepishly as if he had something to hide by having been there for her sister. "Yeah... You know I can't say no to her when she gives me those eyes. I kept thinking if I went it wasn't going to happen and I just stood there." The blonde shook his head, not even liking the way the words felt on his tongue. Anna was married. "I know she will. She loves you more than anyone, she just needs some time." He gave her a small smile of reassurance but he knew it could only help so much.

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He knew that sooner or later he'd have to meet her fiance but it didn't make the news less surprising. In all honesty, he still hadn't entirely processed that his best friend was going to be getting married soon. Besides, he wasn't even doing anything tonight until Branch had informed him of the party he'd been invited to. Poppy wasn't able to make it and it turned out his main squeeze Kristoff was free. It gave him an excuse to pull his suit out of his closet though it smelt a little more like mothballs than he anticipated. He figured it would air out fast anyway, never having been one to stay inside for very long. It was happen chance that Anna and Hans were also in attendance. Kristoff hadn't known what to say, escorting himself outside to get some air instead. There was some relief knowing that Elsa felt the same way and that he wasn't alone in his surprise. Anna was full of those so maybe he should've seen it coming. Now all he could do was his best to support her, even though it made his stomach turn just thinking about it. Kristoff was only taken from his thoughts by the sound of footsteps behind him and her presence brought a smile to his otherwise dull demeanor. "Hey, enjoying your night so far? You look beautiful by the way," he said motioning to her dress as she walked towards him. "Not that you don't always! You - you know what I mean." The blonde boy fumbled a little, searching for conversation that wasn't the elephant in the room.

As much as he wanted to be there for his best friend it was something he had difficult supporting wholeheartedly. His face twisted into an attempt at a smile for her, doing what he could to show her that it wasn't because he didn't care about her. "Not like I don't trust you Anna but people aren't always what they seem you know. Have you met anyone from his family? That's a good way to see how someone's really like is by meeting their family and seeing them around them. People you know too!" He started to think of ways that they could discover if this guys intentions were as pure as Anna though or taking advantage of her big heart. That was one of the things Kristoff admired the most in her was her ability to open herself up to people and see the best in them, himself included. "What is he like around Elsa? He has met her... right?" Kristoff wanted to find a bright side, something that he could feel good about in the situation but failed to do so. "And you're like sure he's the one? You still like him regardless of not knowing all those things? Or him knowing how you like your cocoa or the kind of soup to get you when you're sick. Isn't that the stuff that makes you really love someone?" He exhaled, giving her a small nod with a smile to follow. "If you're happy then I'm happy for you, Anna. Congratulations."

He glanced over at her and back to the rock garden in front of him. Most people didn't understand what it was that he loved so much about the natural wonders but they had become so much more than rocks to him. "They could, technically," Kristoff started to explain before stopping himself, knowing it would just be a waste of air. Besides, she had news she wanted to share with him that he wanted to leave room for. His initial guesses had been incorrect though that wasn't a surprise but the next thing she said caused him to choke on air itself. "I'm sorry, you're what?" The man stared at her with confusion taking obvious form on his features. Hiding how he felt had never been his strong suit, especially when it came to people he cared about. If Elsa didn't approve then he knew it couldn't be anything good. "Don't you like barely know this guy? Do you even know what his favorite color is? What side of the bed he sleeps on? If he gets whiny and annoying when he's sick?" He had to set down his pick to focus on the situation at hand and its ridiculousness. "You can't just marry some guy you just met, what if he's a weirdo? How do you even know you can trust this dude?" Kristoff ran a hand through his hair, feeling more uncomfortable than he'd expected. Her offer was kind but he couldn't shake the feeling that this was all wrong. As much as he searched through her words for any reason behind this he couldn't find it. "What's the rush anyway?"