#btpfic

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

Anna looked up from the toilet to see her husband’s worried features staring down at her. His brows were furrowed, lips twisted to one side as he leaned up against the sink, a glass of water in hand. She nodded only once before deciding it was too much movement and lowering her head back into the opening. 

“I’ll be fine,” she mumbled, pressing her forehead against the porcelain. “Just a bug.”

She felt his hand spread out over her back and rub in small, soothing circles as he knelt beside her. “I can see if they can put Nemo in for tonight, join up with them in Buffalo tomorrow…”

“No, no.” Anna sighed with relief as a cool cloth settled against the back of her neck. “It’s really…” She scooted back up onto her knees as she retched again, panting for air as the nausea shook her. “It’s okay.”

“Babe…”

Reaching blinding to pat at his knee, Anna did her best to look up at him for just a moment and reassure him. “Honestly. I promise. I’ll be good as new tomorrow.”

She could feel the hesitation radiating off of him, so she crossed her arms over the toilet and rested her cheek against them. “Kristoff. Seriously. I can handle a bug.” His hand stopped moving against her back. “I’ll call you tonight after the game and I’ll be good, I promise.”

Kristoff sighed and leaned forward to press a kiss against her sweaty forehead and nodded, giving up way quicker than she thought he would. “All right,” he said as he stood up. “But if you need anything, you just call and I’ll be on the first flight home, okay?”

“Okay, honey.”

“You’ll call?”

Anna nodded, and reached over for the glass of water he left beside her. “I promise I’ll call.” She shrugged once. “Also, don’t forget my sister is here. And Honeymaren. If I need something I can bother them, too.”

That seemed to ease his worries enough, and he started backing out of the bathroom. “Please call though.”

“I will.”

“I love you.”

Anna smiled, and swallowed the bile she could feel rising in her throat. “I love you, too.”

—

“It keeps hitting in waves. Like, I’ll be totally fine and then out of nowhere, I’m curled around the toilet again.” Anna pouted as she pulled the blankets up to her chin. “And I can’t do anything, I’m so tired.” She heard Elsa humming on the other side of the line and frowned. “It’s been going on for a few days and I’m trying not to worry Kristoff, but I’m feeling all blegh.”

Her sister was too silent for her liking. “What are you thinking?”

Elsa sighed. “Mom used to get really awful periods like this, when we were little. Remember she had the hysterectomy?” 

Anna frowned. “... Yeah…”

“When are you supposed to get it?”

She… honestly didn’t know the answer to that. “Hang on,” she mumbled, pulling her phone down from her ear to pull up a tracker app she had started using.

Except that it said her current cycle was at 57 days.

“That’s… not right…”

“What’s wrong?”

Anna tapped it, trying to remember. “When did I have my last period?” 

Her sister let out a chuckle. “We’re plenty close, but I don’t track your cycle, Anna.”

“No, I…” Anna refreshed it as she thought. “I must have missed tracking it last month. It says fifty-seven days. That’s…” She was trying to wrack her brain, trying to remember what happened almost thirty days ago. Did she have it? Did they go somewhere?

Wait. It was Elsa and Honey’s wedding. 

She definitely didn’t have it then. 

The stress could have delayed it… But Anna honestly couldn’t remember having it at any point between then and now, either…

“Hey, Elsa?”

She made a noise of acknowledgement.

“Can you go to the store for me?”

—

Anna was pacing as she listened for the sound of her sisters’ car. As soon as she told her what she needed, Elsa practically ran out the door, promising to be there within the hour. 

This couldn’t be right. It couldn’t be. She was on birth control. Sure, it wasn’t one hundred percent effective, but she did her best to take it consistently.

But with everything going in the fall, it was very likely she had gotten lazy about it, or forgotten altogether once or twice. 

There was no sense panicking yet. Nothing was confirmed. She just couldn’t remember her last period. And it was possible she was four weeks late. And she was throwing up for three days. And she was sore. And tired. And shit shit shit shit shit.

Elsa let herself in, and power walked through the house to find Anna in the living room. “All right, I got five different tests.” She dug through the bag and produced them one at a time. “Some digital, some regular, this one is supposed to be very sensitive and can detect it earlier, this one is fast, and this one they said is the most accurate and --”

Anna grabbed the closest one and ran towards the bathroom, hollering “I will take all of them!” as she slammed the door shut, and ripped the box open. As she read the directions, her sister came in with all of the tests back in the bag, and a clean cup for her, offering that maybe dipping would be easier since Anna wanted to do all five.

So she did, box by box, test by test, marking which ones needed how much time, and set a timer before sitting back on the toilet and hugging her knees to her chest.

This wasn’t the plan. This wasn’t what they had decided. Before they took the step into marriage, they had a long and emotional discussion about everything to do with children and family. Kristoff had been working on things with a counselor, doing his best to unpack some of the trauma he had bottled up, but he was still hesitant - still so afraid of being like his father.

Anna had known from the beginning that this was a fear of his, and she had agreed from day one that they would wait until they were both one hundred percent ready to start the family. Together they decided that Kristoff would be the one to open the discussion, as it was mostly his worries that were holding them back.

But he had just signed another four year contract. 

The timer blared, snapping her out of her thoughts as Elsa looked at her, lip caught between her teeth. 

Anna pressed her forehead against her knees and sighed. “I can’t look.”

She heard Elsa gathering up the tests, taking a moment to look at them, and placing them back down. “They’re all the same.”

Okay, so whichever it was, it was probably right.

“What does it say?”

Elsa hesitated before tapping Anna’s hand, and placing one of the sticks into her now open palm. Anna covered the screen with her thumb, sat up, placed her feet flat on the ground and took a deep breath before removing her finger.

Two lines. 

Pregnant.

“They’re all the same?” Anna could hear the tightness in her throat as her free hand rose up to cover her mouth. 

Elsa nodded, a smile tugging at her lips. “Yeah, they’re all the same.”

When Anna fully looked up to her sister, with tears welling up her eyes, she saw the same joy she felt reflected in Elsa’s expression. 

“I’m pregnant?” This wasn’t real.

“You’re pregnant.”

Oh. Maybe it was.

Anna practically jumped off of the seat and threw her arms around her sisters’ neck, sobs pulling from deep in her chest as Elsa rubbed at her back. She knew Anna’s reasons for not actively trying before, and It was as if Elsa could sense the conflict burning through her veins. “It’s okay, you’re all right.”

“I…” Anna whimpered, letting her whole body slump. “I’m so happy. What if Kristoff isn’t?”

“He will be.”

“But --”

“He will be.”

Anna nodded, letting go and wiping at her face. “I guess I should make a doctor’s appointment.”

—

It was day seven of his roadie, and Anna had been ignoring his calls for three days.

“Hey baby, I hope you’re still feeling okay. I’m sorry I missed you. It’s late so you’re probably asleep. Sven wanted to go out and celebrate. I’ll call tomorrow?”

It’s all right! We’ll talk later!!

“Hi beautiful. I can’t believe I keep missing you. Should we set a time later? I miss you.”

Sorry! Elsa was over and I didn’t hear my phone. I miss you too.

“I’m starting to feel like you’re screening my calls. Is everything okay?”

I’m not! Just bad timing. I never want to just call you though because you’re way busier. I love you. Everything is okay!

“I texted Elsa. She said you’re still feeling kind of sick. Do you need me to come home? Just say the word.”

No babe, don’t worry.

Okay, just… let me know. I love you.

After that, it seemed like he had stopped trying. Anna felt guilty, she did, but this wasn’t over the phone news… and she didn’t think she’d be able to stop herself from telling him if she actually talked to him. Besides, he’d be home in two days and she could tell him then. And… well she wasn’t quite sure how that conversation would go.

She watched his remaining games and made sure to text him about how proud she was and how much she loved him and that she was going to bed before he would be out of the locker room.

He didn’t even bother to reply tonight.

Anna told herself it was because they were mourning the loss and probably on their way to the airport immediately after the game. It would be well past midnight when they landed, and even later when he would finally get home. She would definitely be asleep, and hoped that a night of rest would put him in a better mood for the discussion that they would be facing tomorrow. 

But anxiety kept her awake long into the night.

Long enough that she heard him come through the door, drop his keys, throw his gear into their laundry room, and head up the stairs as quietly as possible.

Anna had the lights out, but she pulled the blankets over her shoulder and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping he would believe that she was asleep. Sometimes, if he came back late enough, he would just sleep in the spare room to not disturb her.

Maybe he would do that now.

He opened the door. She heard his steps stop, heard him sigh, and then noticed the light receding behind her eyes as he shut it again. It took a moment for her to decide if he had left or not, but just a few minutes later the door was opening again, and he was making his way quietly to his side of the bed. 

Kristoff climbed in, and immediately wrapped his arms around her, pulling Anna flush to his chest.

Oh. She hadn’t realized how much she missed him.

Anna could feel the tears coming as he pressed two soft kisses against the back of her neck.

A small stir, to pretend she was just waking. “Kristoff?” she mumbled, doing her best to fake sleep-slurred speech.

“Hi baby,” he whispered, pressing another kiss behind her ear. “I missed you.”

She swallowed, her throat tight, as she pulled his arms tighter around her. “I missed you, too.”

Kristoff was silent, just breathing softly behind her as she cuddled into his embrace. How did she go five days without talking to him? How had she ever? But then his voice broke through the darkness again, strangled and upset. “Why were you ignoring me?”

“I… I wasn’t…”

“You were.”

Anna started to twist around to face him as he let go of her body. “I was not!”

“Okay.” 

He slid away from her and moved to get up, pausing only when her hands tangled into his shirt. “Wait, please, just…”

She could hear the tears in his breathing, could feel all of the agony radiating off of him. 

Would he understand?

Would he be angry?

“Can we talk about it tomorrow?” She wanted one night of him holding her close before she had to deal with it.

He shook his head. “I’d rather talk about it now.”

“But we’re both tired, and I missed you and --”

“Okay. I’ll sleep in the guest room.” Kristoff was swinging his legs over the side of the bed, gripping at her hands. 

No, no no. She needed him here. “Wait, please, I…”

He froze, giving her a chance. Just one. She had to say something. She had to tell him. 

“I’m pregnant.”

This was the longest silence of her life.

“I just…” She sat up, and cupped his jaw with her palms. “I didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t know if you’d be upset or… I just… I didn’t want to tell you over the phone and I knew I’d blurt it out if we talked and I…” she ran her fingers across the stubble on his cheeks. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I just… I’m really happy but also really nervous and I just didn’t want to talk about it on the phone I… I shouldn’t have ignored you. I’m --”

“You’re pregnant?”

Anna held her breath. “Yes.”

The barely there moonlight was all that illuminated his face. She couldn’t read him, couldn’t see well enough to know what he was thinking. All she had was the silence that was dragging on and on. 

“I know this wasn’t the plan. I know that we’re not there yet. I… I know you’ve been working with Yelena, working on it but I…” She hesitated before wrapping her arms around his shoulders and leaning into him, letting out a small sigh of relief when his arms circled around her waist in return. “Babe, please say something.”

His grip tightened around her, his cheek pressing against hers and his breathing erratic before he practically whimpered out an “I’m gonna be a dad?”

“Yeah, honey, you are.” Anna felt him bury his nose into her neck, felt his whole body start to shake. “Is this good crying?” He nodded, and Anna felt her whole body relax, the whole last week of stress melting away as he sat back just enough to look at her, eyes still wet.

Kristoff lifted his hands to her jaw, stroking soft thumbs over her skin before he began peppering kisses across her face; her nose, lips, eyelids, forehead, and Anna felt herself start to cry, too. She couldn’t begin to put into words the immense relief she felt as he kissed her full on the mouth, a small laugh bubbling out of him.

“I…” he let out another breath and pressed his forehead against hers. “I was going to bring it up at the end of the season.” 

Anna felt her stomach swoop. “What?”

“I told you, right when we first… started…” another short chuckle. “That I wanted a really big family. I meant it. I could…” His palms slid down the length of her arms before taking her hands in his. “It’s been so hard to wait, Anna. But I knew it was for the best. For me…” He laid gentle kisses against her knuckles. “We’ve been married for three years now, and… I’ve already proven to myself that I can be a pretty good husband.” He paused and kissed her fingers again. “Right?”

“The best,” she agreed, nodding enthusiastically. 

“I didn’t think I could be that.” He swallowed and fiddled with her engagement ring. “But if I can be… I think I’ll be able to be a pretty good dad, too.” He shrugged. “Even when playing.”

Anna laughed and laid a palm against his cheek. “You definitely will be.”

A new silence, one filled with hope and love and excitement stretched between them, before Anna darted forward and threw herself into his arms, kissing him wherever her mouth landed. 

“I love you so much.”

Kristoff laughed, held her close, and returned her kisses with just as much fervor.

“If you don’t stop,” he mumbled against her, his hands roaming freely, “we’re going to get started on number two right now.”

It was about ten days before Kristoff felt all of his symptoms had fully subsided. He had started going for jogs a couple of days ago, but anything more than that tended to bring the headache roaring back. So he continued to take it easy, go for a short jog in the morning, and only watch an hour of tapes per day. Anything longer than that hurt his head, too.

Anna had… not so slowly started moving her things in. She didn’t have much, but he told her to put her stuff wherever she wanted, that she could make this place as much hers as she wanted. And he genuinely meant it. His house had just been a house. He hadn’t put much thought into it beyond the comfort of his couch and bed. Decor was minimal, and everything was very much brown.

Maybe she could help him make it a home.

Her just being there already made it closer.

—

After four weeks, they broke her lease and she had officially moved in. They figured it would help her save some more in the long run, help her skate by for just a little longer, even if he told her over and over that she didn’t need to worry about money.

But Anna hadn’t wanted to start things out that way. She had some savings, and she could pay for things here and there, and she didn’t want him to feel like she was taking advantage. Kristoff assured her that he could never think that she was. But still, she insisted, and he told her that that was something he absolutely loved about her.

He had been able to start doing more normal exercises again. Working with the trainers was annoying, but there weren’t any headaches returning when he pushed himself like he used to. They told him if he could do this for a week without any symptoms popping up, he could get back on the ice. 

—

That week went by like a breeze, and Kristoff relished in the feel of crisp ice under his skates. There was no feeling better than being on the ice. He sighed with defeat as they told him they wanted to wait another week before they started firing pucks at him, but he grudgingly agreed. At least he was skating.

And then, even better, he got to come home and see Anna, her hair wrapped into a bun on top of her head as she sat with her knee to her chest, drawing in an almost full sketchbook, her tongue caught between her teeth. “Hi baby,” he smiled, his heart warming as she looked up at him and used the back of her hand to push hair from her eyes. He kissed her softly as he walked past, enjoying the pure domesticity of it all. “Have a good day?”

“Oh yes! I went to that cafe downtown that we like - you know, Oaken’s Mochas and Teas?” 

He always laughed at the name. So on the nose.

“And well, I noticed that they didn’t have any sort of logo or anything so… I don’t know. I just…” she blushed and spun around on the chair, dangling her legs off the side. “They know me and I figured what was the harm in asking - so I’m designing something for them now!”

His eyes widened and he took three steps forward to clear the gap between them, placing an enthusiastic kiss on her lips. “Anna, that’s so great.” 

“They’re paying me, too!” She was giggling against his mouth, and he couldn’t help but smile. “Remember how the last place wouldn’t pay? I took it because, you know, portfolio, but I offered for free, but they insisted.”

“I’m so proud of you, baby.”

Then her arms were around his neck and not letting go and she hummed low and slow, “how about you? Good day? Worn out?”

Oh. He was never too worn out for that.

He hoisted her up onto his hips, grinning like a madman as they moved backwards to his bedroom. Well, their bedroom. She never did sleep in the spare room.

—

He was growing slightly frustrated at the week-by-week status, but he knew this was his second head injury, and they wanted to be more careful this time around. But only progressing to the next step after a whole week was growing agonizing. At least he was doing non-contact now, grinning from ear to ear as he slapped each puck out of midair.

God it felt so fucking good to be back like this.

Anna had come with him today to spend some time with Honeymaren while they practiced, and he could hear her whooping from the stands. Every time he made a save, “that’s my baby!” Every time someone scored on him, “you’ll get it next time honey!”

It was the most endearing thing ever, as she jumped up and waved her hands in the air, as if it were an actual game. As if it weren’t just her in the stands, cheering him on during a practice.

God he loved her so much.

—

Finally they were letting him practice back in a regular jersey. No more no-contact. He was fortunate that goalies rarely got touched anyway, but now they guys weren’t holding back anymore. Slapshots and more risky wraparounds and pucks fired in a way that made him dive were becoming the norm again, and he felt so damn good with every puck he saved. 

Shot by shot, the rust was shaking off, and Kristoff felt ready to get back in a game. It was almost April, and he needed to be playoff ready. They had promised him he’d be back in by March 20th, which gave him a little under three weeks of in-game play before the playoffs started. They were so close to a playoff spot, and he knew that he could help them win it.

But he wouldn’t rush, and he was going to trust the physicians on staff, and take it slow. 

If for no other reason than Anna.

He knew she was worried about him getting back in. But they weren’t playing the Stallions yet - they had at least until the Eastern Conference, and by then he would undoubtedly be a one hundred percent. Plus, the guys had his back, and, he couldn’t help but laugh about it, Warren had been scratched for the rest of the season. Coach’s decision.

—

Right on the promised date, Kristoff was starting in net against Tampa, and the literal electricity in the arena had him amped up beyond belief. Their whole team was working together like a well oiled machine, and he hadn’t realized what a vital cog he was to the whole operation until he had been gone. Even if it had just been in practice, he already felt the connection, and he knew this game would be easily won.

Anna had threatened him with an indefinite withhold if he didn’t let her come on the roadie, so she was up in their box, undoubtedly screaming along to every play, and just knowing she was in the arena made his game that much better. 

They won, 5-2, and dog-piled in the middle of the arena as they clinched their playoff spot.

Fuck. This was still the best feeling in the world.

—

The rest of the season went by in a flash, and before they knew it, the Ice Breakers were facing New York in round one. It felt so easy now as they swept the round, and had extra days for recovery. 

The Stallions lost against Boston. 

It had been a weird moment, celebrating someone else’s loss, but Anna had come home with two bottles of champagne and they popped bottles and got a little drunk and Anna had taken him to bed and all right, he might be okay with celebrating another’s loss if it meant he got this. Plus, it was the team that almost took him out for the end of the season.

Yeah, he was okay with celebrating.

Philadelphia was a harder won match. They liked to play dirty. It went to game seven before they finally secured the win, and they all felt the tiring ache of it. Kristoff hated going to game seven - it meant they only had two days to recuperate before the next match started. 

But Anna had drawn him a hot bath, had snuck in to lay on his chest while he relaxed, and scratched her fingers against his chin as she waxed poetic about playoff beards and how maybe he should just keep it and then her hands sunk a little lower, and he was suddenly feeling a lot more prepared for the Conference finals.

He genuinely thought they might lose to Toronto. They lost the first two. Won the third. Lost the fourth, and if they didn’t win all three of the remaining games, they were out.

It was close. God it was so fucking close. 

Game seven. They were 3-3. Sudden death overtime. It looked like it might head into double overtime, with only eighteen seconds on the clock, but then --

Pederson scores! Ice Breakers win!!!! 

Thank fuck.

—

Anna was there for every game. Every win, every loss, she was there. And he knew he wasn’t being a good boyfriend right now, he knew that he was too focused on his career right now and this was what he had been so fucking concerned about from the beginning.

But after game two against Nashville, which they lost miserably, Kristoff was sulking on the couch watching tapes to figure out where they kept scoring on him, and Anna wrapped soft arms around his neck. 

“Hey,” she hummed, not even reacting to his short, irritated reply. “I just want you to know… How proud I am of you.”

That got his attention. 

“You had a really traumatic thing happen, and you bounced right back from it, and you’ve been playing so hard, and so well, and… There’s no fear, and that’s amazing.” He let one hand raise to her arm, stroking his thumb across her skin.

“I love you so much,” he muttered, tilting his head back to look up at her. “I’m sorry if I’ve been a bad boyfriend.”

“I know,” she smiled, placing one quick kiss against his lips. “And you haven’t. I can deal with your job being most important for two months of the year.”

“You love me still?”

“More every day.”

He felt more confident in game three. And four. And then they were up three to one, and only needed one more fucking win to win the whole damn thing. 

—

They were in Nashville and Anna was lamenting the fact that they didn’t have the time to actually see the city this week, and Kristoff pulled her close and told her if they won tonight they could stay here as long as she wanted and see everything she could possibly think of. She blushed and kissed him and told him that he better bring his A game, because she was holding him to it and would be horribly disappointed if they had to fly back home tonight.

That was an extra motivation.

They arrived at the arena early, amazed at the crowd already forming and the insane energy just surrounding the building. Playoff hockey was a whole other world, and he was so ecstatic that Anna was getting to experience it by his side. He kissed her deeply before she had to head up to the box and him to the locker room, with a quick squeeze of her bottom and a laugh.

“Hey!”

“It’s for luck!!”

Anna swatted at him but grinned as she followed Jelissa up the stairs to the visiting team’s box, laughing with the blonde about their stupid men and how on earth do we put up with them and Kristoff tuned out the rest before he heard something he didn’t want to. Then he turned his focus to the game.

“Men!” Sven hollered, his voice booming through the locker room. “This game is do or die. We’re ahead, but you better not let that cockiness mess with your game.”

Kristoff couldn’t help but smile. His best friend had perfectly honed his skill of making a speech lighthearted but also motivating. The team followed him into fire, and Kristoff had always admired him for it. When Sven wrapped it up and hopped down from his perch, Kristoff held out a hand, gripped his best friends’ and knocked their helmets together.

“Captain.”

“We win together or we die together, brother.”

Kristoff almost laughed at the drama of it all. “Calm down, Aragorn.”

Sven was silent for a moment. “When the fuck did you watch Lord of the Rings?”

“... Concussion recovery was rough.” He dropped Sven’s hand and smirked. “But it was actually pretty good.”

“Haven’t I been telling you for years that you would like it?” He smacked Kristoff upside the head and grinned. “Never listen to me, but the second you get a girlfriend…”

They heard the announcements starting, and moved out towards the runway. As always, they were last onto the ice, and as always, they fist bumped before they stepped out. He was as ready as he’d ever be. The timer counted down, they got into position.

Three.

Two.

One.

The puck hit the ice.

Period one had a rough start. 2-0 Nashville. But he was recalibrating, remembering what it was he kept missing. They got him on his glove side. They knew he was a little weaker, a little more hesitant with it after the injury.

But he could fix it.

Period two, nothing got by him, and the guys scored three times. 2-3 Ice Breakers. Thank god.

Period three, and the pressure is on. Nashville doesn’t want to lose, and the Ice Breakers don’t want to drag it out. They’ve played three long matches already. 

Nashville scores.

Ice Breakers score.

3-4.

4-4.

5-4.

5-5.

And then.

Carruthers, the kid they just brought up from the minors to fill in a gap from another injury, fucking scores with three seconds on the clock. His third game. His first NHL goal.

The fucking Stanley Cup game winning goal.

The whole team runs to center ice. The whole team dog piles on top of the kid, still silent and slack-jawed with shock, still not believing what just happened. 

“Fuck yeah!” 

“God damn it Ruthy!”

“How the fuck, kid!”

The incoherent screaming from the team didn’t drown out the booing from the crowd, but nothing would bring them down right now. Nothing could.

After their celebration, both teams basically let the three seconds run. Nashville knew nothing could be done, and the Ice Breakers weren’t about to let anything past them anyway. The buzzer rang and they all cheered again, whooping and hollering as they received the cup, went through the motions in the arena that wasn’t welcoming them. Then they ran down the runway, back to the locker room to find their family and friends waiting with enough champagne for every person in that room to have their own bottle.

Captain Sven Pederson had the pleasure of carrying the cup back with him. 

Music was blasting, everyone was screaming, champagne was already flying through the air and as the team started stripping some of their bulkier gear off, Mattias took to the stage. 

“I’ve never been more fucking proud of you boys. You rallied together and in just a few years, we’ve already risen so far beyond what people expected of this new little team in the middle of nowhere. I’m not going to make some big long speech,” Kristoff could see the tears in his eyes as he sniffled, and he let out a booming laugh as he looked around the room. “But you’ve all just… you’ve made me feel like a proud father.” He waved his hands in front of his face and shrugged. “But fuck my speech, let’s celebrate!”

And celebrate they did.

Bottles popped, beers were distributed, everyone drank way more than they should as Sven emptied at least 8 bottles of champagne directly into the cup and lifted it to pour into every players’ mouth. The man of the hour, Scotty Carruthers, was herded to the middle of the pack and drenched in champagne and beer before he had even fully finished processing what was happening.

After far too long, Kristoff found Anna, and she leapt immediately into his arms, placing sloppy peppered kisses all over his face. “I’m” kiss “so” kiss “fucking” kiss kiss “proud of you.” And then a hearty one on the mouth, as her hands pressed firm to either side of his jaw. 

Kristoff smiled with his fingers spread wide over her back as she threw her arms in the air to add more beer to the rain in the room. She laughed brightly, lowered her hands back to his shoulders, and gave him the best smile he had ever seen. “I love you so much.”

Anna tried to ignore her knuckles turning white as she gripped the steering wheel so tightly that she thought she might’ve been able to break it. This was it - her last game working for the Ice Breakers, and her last time getting to joke around with the boys she had grown so fond of. It wasn’t fair, but she knew better than to fight. Her father would just treat her like a petulant child and it wouldn’t change his mind anyway.

You’re never going to grow up, are you?

She had grown up. But she was starting to think no matter what she made of herself, she would never be able to be exactly what he wanted her to be. Anna didn’t know what he wanted from her anymore. Nothing she ever did would be good enough for him.

But she was starting to be okay with that.

You cooked up this whole scheme so you could sleep around again, just like in LA.

No. She had agreed to someone else’s plan to help out someone who didn’t deserve her fathers’ wrath. She had agreed to help because it was the right thing to do. The rest had simply happened.

And now… look where she had ended up.

Because of the scheme, Anna was finally with a man she knew loved her. Even if he didn’t say it. Even if nothing was official. 

He had come over the second she asked, knew she was trying to escape her own worries, stopped it, and then actually managed to make her feel better. He had caressed her and worshipped her and whispered about how special and amazing she was as he satisfied her every need. He had stayed with her all night, comforted her and made her laugh and ran to the store to get her her favorite snacks and they had just spent hours upon hours just… talking, and joking, and watching dumb movies that he let her pick out.

And in the end, he held her close and tucked her messy hair behind her ears and told her - assured her - that everything was going to be fine as they curled together on her too-small bed.

And then he kissed her, for the millionth time that night, and she knew he was right.

This hadn’t been what she wanted to do with her life. This hadn’t been her dream. She had been dragged away from everything she knew and thrown into a small town and given a job because her daddy was the owner. She had felt obligated to be grateful, to be so, so overjoyed that her father had trusted her enough to give her this opportunity. 

But, in the end, it wasn’t a job that meant very much, and it wasn’t a job that he had worried much about her screwing up. It was a throwaway, much like she had always been to him. Just a way to keep her busy and out of what he considered to be trouble, she supposed.

You’ve always been such a pain to restrain, you know that? I’ve cleaned up more of your messes than I can count.

Then Anna had begun to remember the messes he had cleaned up. Like the time her second grade teacher had physically disciplined her because she kept walking around the room, unable to focus. Or the time she punched a boy when she was fourteen because he grabbed her breast even after she had told him no. Even when she was seventeen and a professor had promised her a good grade in exchange for something special, and threatened to fail her if she hadn’t complied. 

And he had thrown money at them, and told her she needed to stop being so provocative.

She hadn’t realized the implications at the time. Looking back and realizing what he had been implying, Anna could feel anger starting to bubble up in her stomach. 

A short knock on her window startled her and she swung her head around so fast she could’ve sworn she had given herself whiplash, but she let out an audible sigh of relief when it was just Kristoff, hunched over and smiling softly at her through the glass.

“You okay?”

He was muffled, but she could still hear the concern lacing his words. 

You’re going to go out there tomorrow, and you’re going to show your idiot father exactly what he’s giving up.

Anna unbuckled herself and got out quickly, practically throwing her body into his waiting arms. He had left early this morning - not because he wanted to, but because he really had needed to go to morning skate and get home for a solid nap to make sure he was up for playing tonight. They were playing the Stallions again, and he knew it would be a tough fight. Luckily, the second she was back in his embrace, Anna could feel all the day’s tension draining from her body.

“Hey,” Kristoff mumbled into her hair, dropping his duffel as he wrapped his arms around her waist. “How’re you feeling?”

She pulled back just enough to catch his gaze. “A lot better, actually. I…” Her hands came from behind his neck to lay gently on his cheeks. “Thank you. I can’t… I’m not even sure how to express how much last night meant.”

There was a hemming sound from beside them that sounded enough like her father to catch her off guard, but Anna knew he didn’t care enough to be here for her last night. Looking behind Kristoff, she physically relaxed when she saw Sven laughing and winking as he walked by. “Shut up, Pederson!”

“Stop being nasty, Arne!” He spun on his heel to keep looking at them as he walked towards the arena. “Bjorgman, don’t tire yourself out - there’s still plenty of hockey to be played in there.” He threw his thumb over his shoulder. “Even if it’s less fun than the hockey you’re playing out here.”

Anna couldn’t help the snort that blew through her nose and looked up just in time to see Kristoff rolling his eyes as he turned his head back to face her. “He’s fucking annoying. Don’t know why I put up with him.” The smile teasing at his lips was enough to make her heart beat harder behind her ribs.

She loved him, so much.

And she wasn’t sure what was going to happen if she had to leave.

—

It had thrown her off when her father had actually shown his face at this game. She was coming back from getting mic’d to listen to Coach Mattias’ pep talk, when she heard his voice call her name. “Anna.” 

It was so empty. When she turned to face him and saw the lack of empathy on his features, she felt herself growing angry all over again.

“Yes?”

He rolled his eyes. “I trust that you won’t be doing anything… drastic tonight?”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Anna felt her frown deepen. “Like what? Tell everyone how you’ve fired me unfairly? Explain that you’re taking the word of a - frankly, quite horrid - person over mine? Or do you think I’d just strip naked and fuck my boyfriend in the middle of the rink.”

“Anna.” His voice was barely a hiss.

“Well you seem to think pretty lowly of me, father.” His eyes were narrowed as he stared her down, as if daring her to make a wrong move. “Well,” she breathed, straightening her back and dropping her hands back to her sides. “Lucky for you, here I am a professional, and I’d never risk ruining anyone’s livelihood.” 

She heard his voice again in the back of her head.

You’re coming back home, where I can keep an eye on you.

“And…” She felt herself stutter slightly as she tried to keep her composure. “I’m not coming back home. I… I like living on my own. I like living here. And…” She kept her eyes locked onto his, channeling her strongest will to dare him to challenge her. “That’s final.”

He hardly scoffed. As if he didn’t want to make a scene. “We’ll see.”

And she stood there, waiting, shaking slightly in her skin as he walked away, not letting herself deflate until he was out of sight. Anna could feel panic rising in her throat, threatening to boil over into a full-blown attack. She had made it so concrete. She hadn’t given herself an ounce of wiggle room. If she didn’t have a job, she wouldn’t even be able to afford her tiny box of an apartment. What was she going to --

“Anna?”

Oh, she adored that voice.

“You said you were coming down for --” She turned to face him and he paused, his eyebrows knitting together. “What’s wrong?”

There was a sad smile pulling on her lips. “My father is here.”

“I thought --”

“Yeah, me too.” Kristoff clambered forward, his full gear clearly hindering him off the ice, and wrapped her into a warm hug, only made slightly awkward by the stiff blocker digging into her back. “I guess he wanted to make sure I left peacefully.”

“What an asshole. Want me to fire a puck at his face?”

She snorted as she nodded into his chest, leaning into his warmth. “Yeah, honey. Knock his teeth out.”

He leaned back just enough to look at her. Anna could see small tears brimming on his bottom lashes, and she had never felt more cared for. “Hey, just go out there, and do what you do. We’ll figure out the rest tomorrow.”

Anna lifted herself to her tippy toes, not even close to tall enough to reach him when he had skates on, as she puckered her lips just slightly to let him know exactly what it was she wanted. He met her halfway with a grin, and she relished the tenderness of this kiss. “You’re amazing,” he mumbled against her as they parted.

For the first time, she was starting to believe it.

—

Kristoff was playing erratically tonight.

There was a ferocity in his game that Anna was unfamiliar with as he dove and hit and bodily put himself between other players and the net. He was absolutely on fire, and Anna couldn’t help but gush about him to every single person she was speaking to that night. But it was far from his usual play style, and when it didn’t let up, she found herself growing a little further to the worried side of the meter.

It didn’t help that they were playing Hans’ team, and that Warren was being a little weasel.

During warm-ups, Kristoff had come over towards her to say something, and suddenly a puck was ricocheting off of the glass right next to them. She had jumped, startled, and when Kristoff’s head snapped around, he caught the last glimpse of Warren making some sort of gesture towards Hans. 

Mattias was screaming at him for not being more careful, and he simply apologized and said it wouldn’t happen again.

Anna heard him mutter something under his breath, something she could have sworn was along the lines of wanting that asshole off the team, but she couldn’t be sure. Kristoff lowered his head to meet her, his gloves pressing into her shoulders. “You good?”

She nodded, trying her best to ignore the new prickle of anxiety on the back of her neck. “You?”

“Want to strangle him, but that’s nothing new.”

Anna had laughed, but now as she watched him play, she wasn’t so sure he had been kidding.

Not a single puck had gotten by him in the last two periods and you could see the tension growing between the two teams. Westergaard had broken two sticks so far trying to land a slapshot as fast as possible, hoping just sheer force would get one past the brick wall that was Kristoff Bjorgman. He continued to have no luck.

It wasn’t until the third period that things started getting dirty.

There were more unnecessary hits, more high sticks and elbows and roughing and penalties being called left and right. Anna had stayed on the edge of her seat the whole time, grimacing everytime a puck came close to hitting Kristoff’s mask. 

With eleven minutes to spare, Anna noticed something strange happening in the Stallions’ huddle. Something venomous spread across the face of their forwards, and Anna tapped nervously on the arm of Sven. “Hey - um… I’ve just got a really bad feeling --”

“Huh?”

He looked at her for about half a second before both of their eyes turned back to the ice, the Stallions racing to their goal with ease. The positioning seemed normal enough, but Kristoff’s eyes were locked on the men passing the puck back and forth in front of him. There were players behind him, players he didn’t see, and Anna gripped at the boards with tense fingers, watching as Westergaard started speeding up the wing.

In a flash, the puck was shot, rebounding to the side, and Kristoff was looking for it for just a second as Hans came forward, scored, and didn’t stop. He crashed into the goalie, full force as he jumped into the air, stick up in celebration, and practically tackled Kristoff to the ground.

There was a thud as his head hit the ice.

Kristoff did not move.

Sven was out there in a flash, grabbing fistfuls of jersey, and landing one clean punch against Hans’ jaw as other teammates followed, and medical ran out more carefully behind them.

Kristoff still wasn’t moving. 

The refs were blowing whistles, always nervous to get between angry hockey players throwing fists, and eventually Anna could see his mask off to the side, his legs moving just slightly as the medical team moved him onto his side. Sven abandoned the fight, his gloves long forgotten, as he knelt down behind Kristoff, gently helping them turn him.

It was dead silent in the rink. 

She begged, her fingers clenching the edge of the boards even tighter, for him to just get up. If he could skate himself off the ice, it wasn’t that bad. If he would just get the hell up, she wouldn’t be so worried…

It had been two days and no other symptoms had arisen, so Kristoff felt pretty safe to start doing some light activities. He set a silent alarm, got up at the crack of dawn, did his best not to wake Anna, and then headed out for a short, slow walk around the neighborhood. The brisk air was doing wonders for him, and he felt a sigh of relief wash over his whole body as he took in a deep breath. 

He was so, so grateful for Anna, but she had become just a little bit on the side of unbearable over the last few days. At first it had been cute - a little tease and a little game. If the list said no, she said no. He’d pout and she’d kiss him and he’d let her win the disagreement, then she’d kiss him again and say thank you and he’d let it go. But then he told her he had been feeling a lot better - his headache was easing, there was no more dizziness, and he was able to stay awake for much longer intervals. But she was still insistent.

The thing was, he’s had worse injuries than this, and he always worked through them alone. It wasn’t that he didn’t like having this wonderful woman doting on him, but he felt… guilty. There was no need for it, he was fine, and Anna had her own things to worry about. There wasn’t any reason she should be focusing so much of her attention on him.

He had even tried yesterday, to ask how she was feeling - what she wanted to do, if she wanted to talk about it. But she had shut him down saying there would be time to talk about it later, really, and he should just worry about getting better. Kristoff dropped it because he wasn’t sure if it might lead to an argument, but she seemed relieved so he supposed he had made the right choice. 

After about an hour, the sun was fully risen and his neighbors were starting to emerge, so Kristoff figured it was just about time to make his way back home. He hadn’t taken two steps through the doorway before he heard her feet running on the wood floor. “Hey ba-- Anna?”

She had tears in her eyes and her hands were on his face and she was frantic as she scanned her eyes up and down his body. 

“Anna, baby, what’s wrong?”

“I… I didn’t know where you were.” She swallowed and locked her eyes onto him, panic evident. “I woke up and you were gone I… I was so worried. Are you okay?”

He felt his hackles raise. This was bordering on ridiculous. “Come on, I just went for a walk.” He grabbed her wrists and pulled her hands to rest between them. “You’ve got to calm down. I’m not going to die.”

Her brows furrowed as she looked at anything but him and he felt a small hint of guilt seep into his irritation. “I…” she pulled her hands from his grip and crossed them across her chest. “I know, I… I just…” More tears welled up in her eyes as she tried her best to subtly wipe at them. “You were so motionless. You didn’t move. I thought… I didn’t know…”

Ah, fuck. 

Immediately moving forward, Kristoff pulled her into a tight hug. “I’m sorry.” He knew how it looked, how it felt, to watch someone you cared about get hurt like that. He should have known she had some reason to react the way she had been. He should have been more aware. He sighed with relief when her arms tightened around his waist. “I’m sorry, baby.”

Over breakfast that morning, after they had talked through her worries a little more, Kristoff simply grinned and said “you know, they recommend light exercise. Nothing strenuous, but as long as it isn’t making things worse, doctors think it helps concussion recovery.” Her eyes narrowed and he shrugged. “You should come with me. Then you’ll know I’m good.”

Anna had twisted her lips to the side as if to stop from smiling, and nodded. “I’d like that.” Then, after a moment of hesitation, “you’re okay with me coming along? I know… I know I’ve been a lot… I’d understand if you wanted some time alone.”

Kristoff felt something in his chest, felt an absolute warmth spread through his veins as he realized that, fuck, he never wanted alone time. Not anymore. Not from Anna. Everything was better by miles when she was with him. 

“No, Anna. I always want you around.”

Her eyelashes fluttered as her cheeks darkened and a soft smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. “... Okay.”

It hit him then, as she popped a forkful of pancake between her lips, still smiling up at him with a new glimmer in her eye, that he was ready. He was so fucking ready because any more time spent with Anna not knowing how much he loved her was time wasted.

But he needed it to be perfect. He needed the day, just the rest of the day, to figure out what he wanted to say. Then he’d tell her tonight over dinner and… 

He just hoped she’d say it back. 

—

Kristoff had been feeling a little run-down so he had settled in for a quick nap after their late lunch. He knew the both of them and knew very well that they wouldn’t actually go to bed until after midnight, so he figured a short little power nap at three wouldn’t hinder his ability to sleep tonight too badly. But he couldn't sleep anyway. His mind was going too quick and it was too frazzled to even attempt to settle down. 

Maybe the focus and stress weren’t exactly good for him, but he could only imagine how much better he’d feel once she knew. He had been hiding it for months, locking it away somewhere he only knew, and it was about time he let her in on the not-so-little secret. 

The problem was, how on earth was he supposed to tell her? 

He couldn’t be casual about it, not now. The three little words were so important to both of them, and he knew he couldn’t just drop a nonchalant I love you. It wouldn’t be enough.

No, he had to tell her how much she changed his life. How much he admired her. How much she truly meant to him. And he had to do it in a way that didn’t make him sound so fucking stupid.

Kristoff dragged a pillow over his face and groaned. He had never been the best with words, not even when it really mattered, and he hated how much he knew he was going to fuck this up. How hard was it to formulate a coherent sentence letting someone know how truly special they were? How hard was it to just fucking tell a girl you loved her?

He could say, Anna, I know we’ve been dancing this line for months, but I need you to know that I love you.

No.

He could try, Baby, you’ve changed my life, and I’ve loved every minute of our time together.

Fucking no!

Anna, you’re the most beautiful, brilliant, amazing woman that has ever graced this earth.

Too much.

Anna, you’re the most spectacular person I know. 

Better

I can’t imagine my life without you.

Close.

I’m in love with you.

Simple.

Good.

Throwing the pillow to the floor, Kristoff stretched just a little before he got out of the bed. He had a couple more hours to really nail it down, and he knew, deep down, that it didn’t matter what he said… It was the heart behind it that mattered most. With a sigh, he stepped back out into the hallway and padded down to the living room as quietly as possible. He was honestly surprised that he didn’t hear the television on. He was surprised that he didn’t hear much of anything, actually. Anna usually hated silence.

He peered around the corner, not wanting to risk waking her if she had fallen asleep, and was almost hurt by what he saw in front of him. She was sitting on his laptop at the table, red eyed and puffy cheeked, tearstained and sniffling as she scrolled downwards, wiping an irritated fist at her face. “Seriously?” she let out a heavy breath and rolled her neck back, jumping when she saw him.

“Oh, hi!” Her demeanor changed instantly. “You feel all right? How was the nap?”

“Anna.”

She pushed the chair out and turned her back to him as she wiped at her face. “Want some tea? I was just about to make some.”

“Anna.”

She darted into the kitchen, ignoring him completely. “Two sugar? Any milk? I like mine sweet but I know you’re not a sweets guy I just can’t remember if you want milk…”

Kristoff stepped forward and came up behind her in the kitchen, bracing one arm on either side of her petite frame. He was almost grateful she had stopped talking. He hated when she got avoidant and would do anything for her to just talk to him about what was going on. He leaned down just enough to rest his chin on her shoulder and press his cheek against hers. “Baby,” he sighed, wrapping his arms around her as she settled back into his embrace. “What’s going on?”

“I…” He closed his eyes when her fingers started scratching lightly against his forearms. “I’m worried that I won’t find a job, and if I can’t find a job, then I can’t afford my apartment, and if I can’t afford my apartment, then I have to move back home. And If I have to move back there, then my father was just right about me and about everything and then I’ll be far away from here and what if you only like me because I’m just here and if I leave what if everything changes and I lose all of you and --”

A hiccupping sob cut her off. 

“Ah, jeez, Anna…” He started walking them towards the couch, smiling at her small laugh as he rocked her whole body back and forth as they walked. “All right, let’s…” They sat together, her immediately drawing her legs up to lay over his lap as she pressed her forehead into his neck. “Let’s talk this out.”

“Okay…”

Kristoff began tracing his fingers up and down her bare leg, every so often squeezing gently at her skin. “So… job.”

Anna sniffled.

“You didn’t really wanna do the whole television personality thing, right?”

She nodded.

“You’ve got a degree in… Graphic design, yeah?”

She nodded again, laughing. “I can’t believe you remembered that.”

“Well,” he pressed a soft kiss against her hairline. “Things about you are hard to forget.” He smiled when she laughed, grateful for the positive reaction. “Right so… Is that something you wanted to do?” 

She nodded. “I always thought I’d enjoy doing marketing and stuff like that. Or… like, concept work. I don’t know.”

“All right, well, why don’t you take some time then? Figure it out? You…” His arm wrapped around her back squeezed a little tighter. “You deserve to take time to figure out what you want, you know that right?” 

A moment of silence and a nod. 

“But… money… and my apartment…”

Kristoff shrugged, words tumbling from his lips before he even knew what he was saying. “I mean, I’ve got a spare room. You can just move in here for a bit if you want to. You…” Then it hit him, and he felt his whole face scrunch up. Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck.

Anna was sitting up, her brows raised as she looked over his face, but he immediately turned his eyes to stare at the carpet. Fuck he was so fucking stupid. 

“That… Do you mean that?”

He felt his cheeks grow hotter. “I mean. Yeah. If you want. And like, I’ve got the spare room so you’d have your own space. And you’re here most nights anyway?” Oh stop talking you idiot. “It’s, I mean, obviously,” a laugh, “up to you? But yeah I mean, it wouldn’t… put me out or anything and it would give you some flexibility? And… I don’t know. I just… yeah.”

Kristoff risked one glance up at her from the corner of his eye and felt like he was going to have a heart attack. He couldn’t read her, couldn’t even come close to figuring out what she was thinking.

“Can you say something now?”

Her palm was on his cheek and she was turning him gently to face her. “I’m…” She swallowed and let out a wet laugh before she smiled. “I’m going to say something and… And you don’t have to say it back, okay?”

Wait. Hang on. He was supposed to do this first. He wanted to be the first to say it, wanted to fucking say it before he asked her to fucking move in and shit, he was the worst at this.

He nodded anyway.

“I… am so in love with you… and I… shit.”

Kristoff let out a heavy sigh as he smiled. God, that was genuinely the most amazing thing he had ever heard in his entire life. He wanted to hear it over and over and fucking over again. 

“I want to be with you all --”

“Wait.” He clapped his hand over her mouth before immediately removing it and apologizing at her shocked eyes. “Sorry. Okay, wait. I’ve… I messed this up.”

Her smile faltered just slightly. “... Do you not want me to move in? Because… that’s okay.”

“Oh, jesus, god, no.” He was shaking his head rapidly before realizing how dumb that was and that his headache had just slightly worsened from the movement. “No, I want that so much.”

Anna nodded, her eyes growing a little worried. “Okay. So…”

“I’ve… literally been trying to figure out how to tell you the same thing all day.” He pushed his hair out of his face and turned to look at her, the blush on her cheeks glowing under her freckles.

“... What?”

“You beat me to it. And I went out of order.” His hand lifted to scratch at the back of his neck. “I probably should have told you I loved you before I asked you to move in -- wait, god damn it.” He’d never get this right, would he?

“You love me?” That sparkle in her eyes was breathtaking.

“Fuck, wait. Of course I do. But I… was planning this whole… speech. Hang on.” He shifted them then, lifting one leg onto the couch so he could properly face her, and took both of her hands into his. “You’re… You’re genuinely the most extraordinary person I’ve ever met. Anna, you’re kind, and beautiful, and brave, and funny, and you… Well you put up with me which makes you patient as hell. And I… I never, ever thought I’d ever find this. But… it’s you. It’s only you. You’re perfect, and I don’t want to wait anymore. I’m… I’m not scared anymore, Anna. I am so, so in love with you I almost can’t bear it.”

He decided he had to be okay with how it happened. He wasn’t ever going to be perfect, but he knew he’d never meant anything more in his life.

And then her whole face contorted, and large tears started falling from her eyes, and fuck, he did it wrong, because now she was crying and sobbing and “Anna baby, Anna… What did I do wrong?”

She practically leapt off the couch, into his arms, and pressed her nose into his neck. “Nothing, god, you’re… you’re perfect. I love you so much.”

Kristoff woke with an unfamiliar but not unwelcome weight on his chest. Taking one deep breath in before opening his eyes, he flexed his half asleep arm and turned to face the still soundly sleeping redhead beside him. Her little snores were fucking adorable and Kristoff felt his heart soften under her palm as he focused on the feel of her breath warming his throat. “Anna,” he whispered, pressing his nose against her forehead. A little louder, “hey, Anna.”

She let out one loud snort and a snuffle before nuzzling deeper against his skin. He couldn’t help the breath of laughter that passed his lips. “Baby,” he tried, the word still foreign in his mouth, stroking his free hand down her cheek. “Wake up.”

“Mmmno,” she hummed, her arm wrapping around his neck as her ankle hooked around his calf. “Comfy.”

His thumb kept moving against her skin, stroking over the mess of freckles he had grown to be so fond of. He wouldn’t move if he didn’t have to… but it was kind of bordering on urgent. “I have to pee.”

Anna let out an annoyed groan before she let go of him, scooting just a little away as she tugged blankets tighter around her shoulders. “Come back soon,” she slurred, already drifting back off. He lifted his hand up to her skin, fingers brushing lightly against her as he pushed her messy fringe away from her eyes. A small smile tugged at her lips, and Kristoff found himself unable to look away.

She was beautiful, laying there so peacefully as her little snores started up again. Kristoff was realizing that he had never quite seen her this relaxed. There was something about it - about how sure she seemed that he would be cuddling up beside her again in no time - that made his heart soar.

He didn’t know what was holding him back. 

He loved her, he knew he wanted to be with her, and he knew she felt the same. She understood his fears and baggage and accepted him anyway, and was willing to wait for him to deal with it. Every moment with her felt like a step in the right direction, and every part of him longed for her when she wasn’t around. He didn’t even like going on away games anymore, because video chat wasn’t enough.

So what was holding him back?

Cupping her jaw, he ran a tentative thumb over her bottom lip. She breathed a heavy sigh through her nose and he couldn’t help but smile. 

He supposed if you believed something for so long, it took more effort to change it in the end. He wasn’t magically going to get over these hangups and be ready just like that, but Anna was worth the work. Anna was worth all the time and effort and mental challenges he would face to get to a point where he was ready.

And maybe she’d even be willing to help him along the way. 

Where she could.

Pressing chapped lips to her forehead, Kristoff moved to get up. He jostled the bed as he practically fell out of it, wishing there was slightly more grace in his bones - but it didn’t seem to wake her in the slightest as she pulled a pillow down to her chest to get back to something she deemed comfortable. He didn’t bother putting on any clothes as he made his way to her small bathroom. 

He did his business, splashed his face with some water, and stroked wet hands through his still stiff hair, grimacing as it practically crackled under his touch. He needed a shower, bad. He knew where she kept her towels, knew she had not-so-secretly gone out and bought some of his preferred products, and knew she wouldn’t mind it in the slightest…  So Kristoff flicked on the hot water, stepped into her small square of a standing shower, and washed away the remainder of the evening.

Judging by the levels of light in the apartment, it was barely 7.

Kristoff supposed he could go back to bed - they had been up awfully late...

Or he could whip something together by the time she woke up.

—

-

—

Anna was cold when she woke up. She was cold, and she was alone.

Her hand stretched out in front of her to see if there was any remaining warmth where Kristoff had been sleeping, hoping that he had just gotten up a little bit earlier. It would be okay if he had just gotten up.

But there wasn’t.

Swallowing hard, Anna curled her fingers into the fabric of the pillow. Had he really left? She vaguely remembered him getting up some hours earlier, but she had assumed he would still be tired and come back to bed. Had he seen it as an opportunity to leave? Had he taken one look at her - all knotted hair and smeared makeup and probably some drool crusted on her chin - and decided that it was too much?

Had it been too good to be true?

She sat up just enough to notice his wallet and keys were gone from the nightstand, and his clothes were no longer scattered around the room, and she felt her heart clench under her ribs. There was no trace of him left.

Oh.

Anna had thought - hoped - that their short conversation the night before was a step in the right direction. She had thought it meant he was going to stick around for a while. She thought he meant that he wanted her, that she was going to be his choice when he was ready, thought that the promise of my place next time meant that he was going to start letting go of old baggage… But clearly it had just been the soft encouragement of liquor loosening his lips.

This wasn’t the first time she had been wrong. 

It just never hurt quite this much before.

She was just about to settle in for a day of not leaving the bed and moping when a loud crash from somewhere else in the apartment startled her. “Ah, fuck --” It was louder than a whisper, but clearly hushed as if not to wake her. 

Her whole body tensed as she clambered out of the sheets, grabbing at her small shorts and large tee that she kept thrown over the back of a chair, and padded as quietly as she could out of the bedroom. It was probably just Elsa… or…

Peeking her head around the corner, Anna felt her pulse quicken. 

Kristoff was standing in the middle of the kitchenette, shirtless and cursing as grease popped up from the stove, his suit pants slung low on his hips without the belt secured, and he looked freshly showered and downright glowy as the warm morning sun filtered in through the small window over the sink. Anna swallowed around the lump in her throat.

He was still here.

Barely controlling herself as she moved across the cool wood floor, Anna did her best not to leap on him as she threw her arms around his neck and buried her nose into his shoulder. He jumped just slightly, clearly not noticing her before she collided with him, and let out a short laugh as she tightened her grip.

“Good morning,” he grinned, his voice just a little raspy from disuse and the strain of the night before. “You -- Oh, okay--”

Anna had practically started climbing up him, her legs wrapping around his waist as he lowered one hand to support her bottom. He turned her away from the stove, doing his best to protect her from the splashing bacon while also not letting it burn. “Anna, this --”

“You’re here,” she mumbled against his skin, pressing her mouth and nose into the crook of his neck. The relief she felt coursing through her was almost unbearable.

“What?” Kristoff pulled his head back just enough to look at her. “Of course I am…” His grip tightened on her, and she squeezed his hips with her thighs. “Did you think I left?”

Frowning and pressing her nose back up against his neck, Anna didn’t answer right away. She had, and now she felt ridiculous about it. “Well… all your stuff was gone.”

“Baby,” he laughed and reached back to the pan to flip the now crisping bacon. “I went to the store.” His mouth lowered to rest beside her ear, and his voice dropped to an almost whisper. “How do you live like this? All your fridge had in it was a carton of expired milk and half a jar of pickles.”

Her mood immediately lifted, his teasing brightening everything about the day. “Excuse me,” she snorted, leaning back and straightening her back. She quirked one eyebrow as she stared down at him, practically turning her nose up. “There is a pizza in the freezer.”

He laughed, a full belly laugh, his cheeks stretching with the width of this smile, and Anna was enamoured with him all over again. She had to kiss him. Had to. Her hands rose to his jaw, and she planted a chaste, wide grinned kiss to the corner of his mouth. 

Kristoff’s laugh cut off, but he continued to look at her with adoration in his eyes and a softer smile playing at his lips. She continued stroking her thumbs over his cheeks as he swallowed, flushed pink, and then turned his attention back to the stove.

“Shit…”

Smile dropping, she looked down at the pan of burnt meat and laughed. Bacon did burn awful quick if you failed to give it your full attention. “That’s okay.” Her fingers found their way to the hair at the bottom of his skull again and scratched gently at his scalp, her cheeks flushing when a soft moan left his throat at the contact. “I like my bacon extra crispy anyway.”

“Sure, sure, sure,” he chuckled, bouncing her higher on his hips before taking the hot pan off of the stove. “I’m positive you’re not just saying that.” He reached up to flick off the gas range, slid a spatula under the extra crispy bacon and dropped it down onto a waiting paper towel.

Anna couldn’t help her own giggle from bubbling up behind her lips. “I promise!” And then she lowered his head to kiss him again, both of their toothy grins prohibiting the kisses from being anything but innocent. “I love burnt bacon.”

“Well,” he sighed, his newly freed other hand pressing firmly against her mid-back as he savored her small, peppering kisses. “I’ll burn your bacon every morning, if you’d like.”

“Ooh,” she hummed against him, as if seriously contemplating it. “Tempting.”

Kristoff’s tongue teased her lips then, breakfast quickly forgotten as a heat rose between the two of them. Unspoken promises of many future mornings whispered in the back of her mind, pressing her desire to the forefront as his hands roamed over her body, mapping every inch of her.

She wanted so much, but groaned at the feeling of hairspray still stiff in her hair, makeup still caked on her face, and sweat dried slightly sticky against her skin. She needed to be clean before anything else could happen.

“Ah,” she sighed, pushing regrettably away from him. “It’s my turn to shower.” Anna almost laughed at the clear frustration in his eyes as she wiggled out of his grasp. “Are you willing to burn some eggs for me, too?” 

Watching with delight as his tongue pressed against one cheek then ran across his bottom teeth under his lips - a sign she had learned meant he was wound up and annoyed that he had to tamp it down - Anna touched her feet back down to the cool floor. 

“... Maybe pancakes?”

“Am I your personal chef now?” His teasing irritation made her smile.

“All right big boy, we just have to - yep, one foot…” Kristoff laughed as Sven slurred drunken nonsense into his ear, something about reindeer and facing a winter storm… “Yeah, you would be a good reindeer, buddy.” Taking one glance behind him to make sure Jelissa and Anna were fine - they were making their way up the stairs slowly but surely - he reached down to dig through Sven’s pocket and find his house keys.

“I love you s’much, have I toldja that?” Sven reached up to pat at his cheek as he fumbled with the lock, and Kristoff nodded against his hand.

“Yep, buddy, you have. Every day you tell me.”

“Is it enough?” He gasped then, pulling Kristoff’s head to face him. “Is it too much? Omigod you hate it dontchu, you hate me.”

He heard Anna snort behind him and rolled his eyes. “No, Sven, I don’t hate you. I…” Sighing and resigning himself to the teasing he was sure he would get when they were alone, Kristoff didn’t bother lowering his voice. “I love you very much.” He was grateful when the damn door finally swung open.

Sven then threw his arms around Kristoff, practically sobbing into his shoulder. “Oh thank god.”

Leading him into the house and immediately into the bedroom in the back, Kristoff may or may not have intentionally dropped his friend into the king sized bed. He rubbed at the back of his neck as Jelissa and Anna followed him in, Jelissa immediately kicking her high heels into the corner. “You can handle it from here?”

He moved to gesture to Sven, and found him already sound asleep. “Or, you know, he’ll just sleep like that.”

“Yeah,” Jelissa sighed, flopping facedown onto the comforter beside him. “We’ll probably just sleep like this.”

“Well then I guess my work here is done.” 

Kristoff nodded, a smirk on his lips as Jelissa raised up a dismissive hand before turning to face the doorway. Anna was still there, abnormally quiet as she observed the room before her. He could almost see the gears turning in her head, as if she was still trying to piece together the whole Sven-has-a-fiancée thing. 

“Hey,” he hummed, smiling a little wider as she jumped slightly. “Ready to go home?” Feeling a small flush rise to his cheeks as she nodded and stuck out a hand, begging him to grab it with just a pulse of her fingers, Kristoff stepped closer to her, lacing her fingers with his. Her warmth spread through his veins as they made their way back down to the waiting limousine.

There was no more pretending, no more denial. There was nothing fake left about it. He hadn’t planned for this - for her - but her patience and understanding was more than he deserved and only served to convince him further that she was everything he wanted and needed. 

He locked the door behind them and took the key, certain that there were at least six more keys floating around Sven’s home, before they headed back down to the parked car before apologizing about the wait. He waved them off with a sly smile before closing the door behind them. After a moment of shuffling, the driver dropped down the partition and Kristoff could hear mischief in his voice. “So sorry, Mr. Bjorgman… I believe there is some construction blocking the normal route to Miss Arne’s home… so I will be taking a slightly longer route.”

“That’s…” He glanced over to Anna, a pink tinge on her cheeks. “That’s fine, thank you.”

Then the car started moving and the sound-proof partition was back up and Anna was grinning at him from across the way. “So,” she hummed, shimmying her jacket down her shoulders. “What do you wanna do?”

It only took about forty-five seconds for her to wind up in his lap, straddling him with her knees resting on either side of his hips - and, if he was being totally honest, most of that time had been spent rearranging her skirts around them. The slit in her dress was exposing all of her soft, creamy skin, and Kristoff could practically feel his mouth going dry at her lack of stockings. There was no barrier for him to fight with as he scratched blunt nails up from her knee to the apex of her hip and thigh, and he let out an audible groan as she shifted against him.

“Do you like this dress?” Her mouth was barely an inch away from his as she mumbled, her breath ghosting over his lips. “I thought maybe the slit was too much…” His fingers involuntarily squeezed tighter at her thigh. “But maybe not.”

“Definitely not,” he practically growled as his free hand rose to the back of her head, bringing her lips crashing onto his. He was grateful for her quick response as she nipped at his bottom lip before sliding her tongue against his mouth, begging for entrance. She was fiery tonight as her fingers tangled into his hair and forced him to lean further back for her.

He knew they wouldn’t get exactly where they were desperate to be in the back of this limo, but he would do everything in his power to make sure she was ready and willing. Fingers stretched to pull at the soft swell of her behind, and he felt her let out a quiet moan against him.

Lips were moving slowly and deeply, as if they were both waiting rather impatiently to move forward.

“Kris,” she breathed, biting gently at him again. “I…”

“What, baby?” Kristoff lowered himself to lock onto her throat, leaving a trail of wet kisses against her skin. “Tell me what you want.”

She ground herself down against him and Kristoff could feel his cock growing impossibly harder as her hot center slid over him. He bit at the delicate skin of her throat in response, grinning as she whimpered above him. “What do you want?”

”Wanna be home,” she whined as he kissed down between her breasts. “Want you.”

“Soon, baby.”

He brought his mouth back up to hers, sighing contentedly as she licked into his mouth and continued the dry rocking of her hips against his. He needed to be inside her, was desperate for it… but even if he knew this driver and appreciated how discreet he had always been for Sven, Kristoff didn’t want tonight to be fast and dirty. He wanted the chance to take his time and worship her and make her feel as beautiful as he thought she was.

The car was rolling to a stop, and Kristoff breathed a sigh of relief. “I think —“ She kept kissing him between his words. “We’re here —“

Anna practically leapt off of his lap when there were two sharp knocks against the door. He couldn’t help the small laugh that bubbled up from his throat at the sight of her, flushed from her forehead to her fingertips, chest heaving as she tried her best to compose herself before they slid out the door. She coughed once - twice - before reaching for her coat and slipping it back over her arms. “Sh-shall we?”

Kristoff moved to leave first, grateful that their driver had enough tact to not just swing the door open, and stepped out into the cool December air, biting his tongue when he realized just how steamed up the windows had become. He helped Anna out of the backseat, closed the door behind her, and slipped their driver a fat tip before following her up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

He barely gave her time to close the door before he was on her again, his hands sliding up the whole of her back as he pushed her coat off of her arms again and scratched against her smooth skin. “Now,” he grumbled, leading her with his body to her tiny bedroom. Before he realized what was happening, she was falling backwards onto the bed, her hands tangled in his suit jacket as she brought him with her. Kristoff braced for impact, but absolutely relished the way her body fit against his as she cupped her hands over his cheeks. 

They weren’t strangers to half-dressed desperate fucking, but Kristoff wanted her bare, wanted to be able to touch every part of her tonight. Things were changing, and he was prepared to change with them. 

A groan of loss was quickly replaced by a soft mewl as he kissed his way down her chest and stomach before he knelt on the ground and swung one of her legs up. Kissed trailed down the pale skin of her thigh, her shin, until he settled on her ankle, kissing the inside before unbuckling her strappy heels. He repeated the actions in reverse on her other leg - shoe off, ankle kiss, and a trail of more all the way up to her mouth again. “Want to get out of that dress?” He sighed against her, smiling when she nodded feverishly, and helped her stand up off of the bed. 

It was an easy enough dress for her to slide out of, and before he was even free of his vest she was naked, flushed and beautiful, waiting patiently for him to meet her. “Jesus,” he sighed, stepping forward to reach out for her, only to be deterred as she giggled and stopped his hands from coming any closer.

“Hurry up. While I’ll wait... I’ll just…” She sat back on the bed, trailing her own fingers deliciously down from her lips to rest between her thighs. “... Get started.”

“Fuck.”

Kristoff thought it was possible that he set a record with how quickly he stripped off his own layers, and soon enough he was in the bed again with her, skin on skin as their thighs tangled together in a desperate grind. She was slick and dripping against his toned muscles and he couldn’t wait a minute longer.

“Please,” he begged, not even minding how whiny he sounded. “I need you.” He wrapped arms around her waist and twisted them so she was laying on top of him. “Like this. Please.”

Anna got the hint and he had never been more grateful as she maneuvered on top of him, propping herself up on his chest as she positioned her wet center over his aching cock. A slow stroke of her hand up his length almost pissed him off until he felt the tip of him teasing at her before she slowly lowered herself onto him. 

She felt so good and it took everything in him not to give in to the urge just to fuck into her with reckless abandon. 

“Move.” 

It wasn’t a request.

She did, slowly at first, little rolls of her hips against him as she took a few moments to readjust to him, but they quickly devolved into more erratic bouncing that echoed the delicious sound of skin on skin through the room. He lifted one hand to her breasts, playing with one pebbled nipple as he admired the motion of the other, moving in time with her thrusts. The other couldn’t decide where it needed to be, moving rapidly from squeezing the soft flesh of her ass to caressing her cheek to tangling in her hair before she irritatedly grabbed his wrist and shoved it between her thighs.

“Touch me,” she begged, her fingers pressing his against her as she encouraged the movement.

He would do whatever she asked of him.

But he needed her closer.

Abandoning the focus on her breasts, Kristoff pressed his fingernails into her hair, urging her to meet him in the middle before pressing hot, open mouthed kisses against her lips. He wanted to tell her everything he was feeling - wanted to make sure she knew how beautiful and amazing she was, and could only hope that his ministrations would convince her of everything he knew.

Soon enough he could feel her clenching, piercing her nails into his chest as her kisses grew sloppier, and he knew she was teetering at the edge.

He wanted to see her come undone. 

“Baby.”

She moaned at the name.

“I wanna see you…” 

She nodded, but he wanted to see her. 

“Look at me.”

Kristoff could see the tremendous effort she put forth to open her eyes, blown out and hazy, before locking them onto his. She was so good, so beautiful, so giving.

“Atta girl.”

She came then, her brows furrowing with the exertion of keeping her eyes locked onto his as he took charge and thrusted into her, fucking her through her climax before he followed suit, burying himself deeper inside as he was drained for all he was worth.

Heavy breaths, a gentle touch of her forehead against his, and a tender kiss eased them out of their passion - but there was an unspoken agreement of refusal to separate as he tucked her under his chin, cuddling closer while he waited for her soft snores to come.

—

The next time he opened his eyes, they had shifted. His cock had slipped out of her, and Anna had her nose pressed against his jaw with her arm wrapped tightly around his neck.

Fuck.

He fell asleep. 

On the rare occasions that she fell asleep right after, he would give her a kiss and hope she didn’t wake up, get dressed and then leave. Because there was a line he wasn’t sure if they should cross - and that line was sleeping over. It punched him in the gut every time he left her, but he couldn’t admit that, so he continued just… leaving afterwards.

But he fell asleep and now it was three in the morning and she looked so comfortable… but…

“Hey,” he whispered, pressing a kiss against her wrist. “Anna.”

She mumbled something against his skin but stayed mostly out. “Anna.” More force this time. “I gotta go…”

“No…” Her voice was muffled against him but there was no mistaking it.

“It’s late.”

She moved against him, freeing him from her vice grip around his neck, and shifted back enough to press her face into the pillow instead of his jaw. Kristoff let out a sigh, half relieved and half regretful, before he moved to sit up in the bed.

“You know…” her voice was quiet, barely a whisper in the dark. “You can stay.” As if she maybe wasn’t sure she wanted him to hear.

“Anna…”

Her shoulders shrugged just a little against the blankets. “You don’t have to be anywhere… and it’s already late.” She kept her nose buried in the fluffy pillow. “Just once won’t hurt.” 

He reached down to push some hair off her face, cringing slightly at the feel of dried hairspray. “If I stay once I’m going to keep staying.”

Turning her head to look up at him, he could see a sadness in her eyes. “Then keep staying.”

Kristoff’s heart leapt into his throat when he smiled and nodded, giving up on the protest easily before he threw the covers back over his shoulders and pulled her closer. “Okay.” And then, to break the slight tension, “but at my place next time. Your bed is tiny.”

And, as she cuddled into his embrace, “you’re just a giant.”

“Okay,” he laughed, closing his eyes as she pressed one kiss against his collarbone.

“Glad we agree.”

“Of course,” he sighed softly against her as he settled in for the night. “Whatever you say.”

“That’s right.”

Kristoff was struggling to find Sven in the crowd of people, but sighed with relief when he heard his name being hollered from behind him. He clenched the three drinks just a little tighter in his hands before turning to face his captain.

“Hey baby!” Sven hollered, slinking across the floor with his fiancée under his arm. Kristoff couldn’t help but chuckle at the pink flush across both of their cheeks. Clearly they had wasted no time in finding the bar and downing more than one drink. “More?”

Handing off something pink and sweet to Jelissa with a smile, Kristoff held up two beers in between his other fingers. He hoped it would help slow Sven down just enough that he wouldn’t have to carry him home, but still let his best friend keep his buzz going. “Drink this for now, I think Anna is going to come join us in a little bit -”

“Oh man, okay,” Sven grabbed the beer before grinning as he spun his cane haphazardly up to rest on his shoulder. “So… wait hang on.” He turned to whisper something in Jelissa’s ear before she rolled her eyes and turned to find some of the ladies who were here with their hockey playing significant others that she knew. “Okay, boy talk.”

“Boy…?” Kristoff felt his face scrunch up just a little in confusion before he felt the sting of a three foot long metal pole colliding with his upper arm. “What the fuck!”

“Will you just,” he did it again, and Kristoff winced as he stepped back. “Tell her how you feel?” Sven was winding up for another whack when Kristoff reached up to place a firm hand on the stick.

“I don’t think hitting me is helping!”

Sven’s eyebrows furrowed as he threw his hands up in defeat, spilling a little of the beer onto the floor. “Well it can’t be hurting! Clearly I need to actually smack some sense into you, you moron!” Tearing the can from Kristoff’s grip, Sven slammed it back on the ground. “You’re in love with her, man. We can all see it. Why can’t you?”

Letting a heavy sigh pass over his lips, Kristoff couldn’t help but avert his gaze. He knew Sven was right, and that made his heart speed up under his ribs. He thought about her bright, loving eyes and her glowing smile and her warm laugh that made him feel safe and shit shit shit.

He fucking loved her, didn’t he.

“Fuck.”

A knowing smile stretched over Svens lips as he reached over with the cane again, tapping it lightly against Kristoff’s cheek. “You’re so dumb. But I still love you.”

What the hell was he supposed to do now?

—

-

—

Anna loved the time she spent with her sister, but it was almost mortifying to learn of everything she had missed while living by herself these last few months. Apparently their father had somehow gotten worse - she supposed due to the stress of actually having to make decisions - and their mother wasn’t handling it well. In fact, Anna had seen her at the bar, three drinks in, and when she tried to say hello she had been dismissed, almost as if she hadn’t even been recognized.

Elsa said she was doing her best to help, but their mother refused to admit she had a problem. There really wasn’t much that could be done right now.

“Anna, this isn’t something you need to worry about, I promise. I’ve got it handled. I want you…” She squeezed at her shoulders lovingly, a smile growing on her face. “I want you to live your life, all right? You seem so happy here. You were never happy in LA.”

Nodding and biting at her lip, Anna sighed. “All right, if you’re sure.”

“I am.”

“Then,” she said with a grin, shrugging her shoulders. “You should probably let loose a little tonight, huh? Why don’t we…” Her eyes landed on Honeymaren, laughing alongside another member of the media team. “Meet my friends.”

Grabbing her sisters’ hand and pulling her eagerly over towards her coworker, Anna practically leapt to stand between them. “Honey!” Her eyes turned up to face them. 

“Wait, what --”

“Honey this is my sister, the one I’ve mentioned…” She winked and snickered, the cosmo clearly already loosening her up. “You know.

“Anna.” Elsa’s voice was heavy with warning. 

“Elsa,” she smiled, blowing one huff of air out. “This is Honeymaren -- Honey -- and I think you guys might get along great.”

Anna couldn’t help how toothy her grin got as the two women looked at one another and laughed, as if they both knew exactly what Anna was up to. 

That was fine.

Because now she really wanted to find Kristoff.

After giving them just a few minutes to introduce themselves to one another, Anna could feel herself starting to get anxious to move, her heels tapping on the ground repeatedly as she bounced up on her toes. “Okay!” she practically exploded, reaching for both of their hands. “How about a round of shots and then we go find Kristoff and Sven?”

Anna missed the way their eyes connected with laughter before she skipped off towards the bar, dragging them behind her. She ordered her favorite shot - the pink starburst - and grinned as she held them out for the other two women. “I think we all deserve this.” Elsa rolled her eyes with a smile and Anna bounced happily before throwing her own back and immediately ordering six simple kamikaze shots before leading the way out to the dance floor where she assumed the three would still be.

It didn’t take long for her wandering eyes to find him, tall and broad and hovering over most of the other attendees. He had lost his hat and his hair was falling out from the slick do, and Anna couldn’t help but love the way small bits of his fringe fell into his eyes as he smiled and laughed along with his best friend. And as if he could sense her, his head turned her way, his eyes locked onto hers, and his grin widened. He practically pushed people aside to come meet her halfway, offering his hands to help with the six drinks they had been carrying.

“I brought shots.” Why was she so nervous right now? Obviously she brought shots!

“I see that.” But his smile was genuine.

She heard Sven and Jelissa’s vocalizing for them to come closer over the jazzy decade-appropriate music and laughed, gesturing their way. “I suppose they’ll start a riot if I don’t bring these to them, huh?”

Kristoff shrugged but kept smiling. “They’re already pretty drunk. They’ll probably forget you even have them in a minute.” His free hand reached for her, settling on the bare skin of her lower back before applying just enough pressure to encourage her to move forward. 

“We’ve got some catching up to do, I think,” Anna sighed, glancing at the measly shot in her hand.

“Or,” he rolled his neck, leaning back towards Honey and Elsa. “The four of us can just stay semi-sober and enjoy the show they’re bound to give us.”

Anna enjoyed the laughter from her sister and her friend that bubbled up behind them, sneaking a glance at the two girls before tugging gently on Kristoff’s jacket to make him lean closer. “I’m setting them up,” she whispered, a glint in her eye. “I think they’ll be so good together, you know?”

She hummed happily as he risked one glance back at two women, and Anna noticed a recognition in his eyes she wasn’t wholly familiar with. “Oh, yeah, I think… I think that’ll go well.”

They reached Sven and Jelissa who hollered at a probably obnoxious level before they grabbed two shots from their hands, throwing them back without question.

“Oh boy.” Anna looked up at Kristoff who was practically grimacing as he watched the couple, who were now dancing in a manner that was definitely bordering on inappropriate. “That’s not what you want.”

Anna felt her whole face flush as four hands reached out to pull her and Kristoff into their rambunctious dance circle.

—

The night was finally starting to wind down, and Anna felt the exhaustion in her bones. As fun as dancing and singing and letting loose with her friends and sister was, she was absolutely on her last leg. She loved parties, and loved how they wore her out but energized her at the same time, but she was also just about ready to take her very handsome, very tipsy, fake boyfriend home and enjoy some much needed alone time with him.

Most people had left by now with the exception of a few stragglers who were looking to buy whatever was remaining, and some others who clearly wanted to milk the event for all it was worth. Sven and Jelissa had settled onto a couch in the corner, curled up together and practically sleeping while they waited for the night to end, while Elsa and Honey were sitting in the dining area, knees brushing as they talked and ignored the mostly untouched glasses of wine resting on the table between them. 

Most surprising of all to Anna was that Kristoff was still out on the dance floor with her, holding her close as slow music played to cool off the rest of the attendees. She relished in the way he held her now, his hand settled low on her back while fingers stroked softly at her skin, as his other one grasped hers, their intertwined fingers partially wedged between their chests. Anna couldn’t help but use her other hand to play with the hair at the base of his skull as they swayed back and forth, his eyes rarely leaving hers.

“So…” she hummed, at the same time as he blurted out “I need to confess something.”

“O-oh?” She wasn’t sure what he was going to say, but she thanked the soft encouragement of alcohol as he smiled through the light flush on his cheeks. Anna tried not to let her imagination run too wild - for all she knew he was going to tell her that he didn’t like cats. This could mean nothing. But…

He laughed, just a little one, and spun her slowly to the beat of the music. “You’ve ruined me, you know that? For good.”

Anna felt her smile drop just a little, but she did her best to play it off. “What do you mean?”

“I…” he shook his head, breathing out a heavy sigh. “I mean… No one is ever…” He blinked and his face dropped and she felt him stiffen beneath her. “Don’t take this the wrong way, all right?” 

He seemed to relax just slightly when she let out a breathy laugh and shook her head. “I won’t.”

Nodding, Kristoff continued. “I will never be able to date anyone else. Even if I wanted to.”

His hand tightened around her waist, pulling her impossibly closer as he pressed his cheek against hers. “I’m… I’m still not ready. I’m sorry. But when I am…”

“Kristoff…” She let go of his fingers clasped between hers before wrapping her arms around his neck, smiling when his now free hand pressed comfortingly against the back of her head. “I’m…” her heart was hammering beneath her ribs and she could almost see her blood pulsing behind her eyes. “You’re it for me.” 

He squeezed just a little tighter.

“I will never… I will never feel this way again.”

She heard the soft exhale of breath through his nose as he turned to bury it behind her ear.

“I’ll wait as long as you need me to.”

It didn’t take long for him to pull back just enough to look into her eyes and decide if she was telling the truth. Then faster still, he pressed his lips to hers and kissed her deeper than he ever had before.

She loved him.

Anna was sprinting down the hall, faster than she had ever thought imaginable in heels. They had counted the goal as good even though they gave Westergaard a minor penalty, and the whole arena had booed at the decision. It only took Honeymaren a few minutes to get down to the ice, and she immediately waved Anna off with a look of remorse. 

In the end, he had gotten up, but only with the assistance of Sven and two medics, and skated himself off of the ice very slowly, but at least he was moving. Sven had only managed to come back for the last few minutes, but the rest of the team put their best foot forward to play even harder and shut down the Stallions. When she left, she could’ve sworn she heard a screaming match starting between the coaches.

The arena was going wild as she ran into the locker room, and she could only assume the Ice Breakers had scored again, almost guaranteeing the win. Good. The Stallions would not have deserved this game.

“Kristoff?” Anna called, making her way back to the training room. She peered around the corner, knocking lightly on the opened door. He smiled the second he saw her, but she could tell something wasn’t right.

“Hi baby,” he hummed, but his words were just a touch slurred. “Did we win?”

She shook her head and looked up at the medic who was frowning just slightly as he examined Kristoff for other injuries. Anna tried her best to ignore the bandages on his eyebrow and cheek. “Game’s not over yet, honey.”

“Oh, I should probably get back out --”

The medic sighed, rolling his shoulders. “No, Bjorgman, you’ve got a concussion. You’re not going back out there.”

“I have a what?”

Anna frowned deeper and stepped into the room. “Is this normal?” She watched Kristoff’s nose scrunch as he looked around for a moment, as if trying to make sense of what was going on around him. 

“I wouldn’t say normal.” He definitely had no interest in humoring her. “But standard for a concussion. It’s fresh so the disorientation is… not too concerning, at least.” He finished scribbling some notes and turned to face her. “I’m assuming you’re his girlfriend?”

“Um, yes,” she nodded, her attention spacing for a moment as Kristoff grabbed her hand gently and squeezed at her fingers. “Is it… should we go to the hospital?”

“Ah, I wouldn’t…” He tapped his pen against his chin. “It doesn’t seem that bad. He said he has a headache and he’s definitely a little confused about what happened…” The medic moved to scratch at the back of his head and shrugged. “But his recall otherwise is fine, and he’s not nauseated and he’s conscious so…” 

He handed her a notepad and explained everything on it. “These are the things I did and his scores, if you want to run through it with him again every four to six hours or so for the first twenty-four, make sure it’s not getting worse… If it does, then yeah, go to the hospital.”

“Can… can he sleep? Or… I’ve heard you shouldn’t sleep right away --”

“That’s been debunked, luckily.” He dropped the clipboard he had been holding on the table and turned to face her. “Look, ah, just… monitor him. Don’t let him sleep if it’s getting worse, and if you’re really concerned, wake him up every three hours or so to check in. Before you let him sleep, make sure his pupils aren’t dilated, that he can walk and talk fine, and you should be okay.”

Anna felt her heart finally starting to calm.

“But, honestly, it doesn’t seem too bad. I know Bjorgman’s had a concussion before worse than this so, just monitor it.”

Anna nodded and thanked him, waiting for the man to leave before she turned to face Kristoff. A small smile stretched at her lips as he gazed down at her from the exam table. 

“Hi, baby,” he tried again, clearly a little annoyed that he hadn’t been getting her undivided attention as he lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. “You okay?”

“Are you okay?” She reached up to stroke his face, avoiding the cut on his cheekbone. “You got hit pretty bad.”

He nodded. “Feels like it.”

“Do you remember?” She watched his eyes dart back and forth, doing his best to recall the actual event, but his furrowed brows gave him away. “That’s okay, sweetheart.” She leaned up to place a small kiss on the side of his mouth. “You’ll remember after some sleep.”

The medics had managed to remove most of his gear, but they still took a moment to carefully get him into sweats and a t-shirt before heading out. Anna left his stuff in his cubby, figuring she could enlist Sven to help her come get it tomorrow, and led Kristoff out towards the car.

His voice came from above her, weak and sad and clearly still a little confused. “Can you stay with me?”

“Of course, honey,” she sighed, pressing her forehead against his arm that had been draped across her shoulders. “As long as you want me to.”

He nodded and she helped him into the passenger seat of her car, doing their best not to jostle him around too much. She knew the drive to his house was smooth, and had never been more grateful to drive down more private roads. 

—

When they got to his house, Anna had drawn him a warm bath, told him to relax, and ordered some food in case he came out hungry. He hadn’t said anything about nausea, so she had her fingers crossed and was hoping for the best as she set the hefty burrito bowls down on the kitchen counter.

“Babe?” She asked, thirty minutes later when he still hadn’t emerged. “Are you okay?”

She opened the door and sighed with relief. He had just fallen asleep, his cheek resting against his arm propped up over the side of the tub. But she knew this wouldn’t be comfortable for long. 

Anna stepped into the bathroom slowly, knelt down beside the tub, and stroked gently at his damp hair. “Kristoff,” she tried, softly as his eyebrows twitched below her fingers. “Baby…” A little louder, and one of his eyes cracked open just slightly. “Hello, honey,” she hummed, laying her palm against his cheek as he lifted his head. “Did the nap help?”

He rolled his shoulders and sighed, but nodded his head just a little. “Concussions suck.” His voice was hardly a whisper, and Anna pressed a kiss against his bare shoulder.

“I can imagine.” Then, a twisting of her lips. “Can you remember anything?”

A small shrug. “A little, I think.” 

“That’s okay, that’s good.” Anna let her hand drop from his cheek to rest flat on his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart. “I got some food if you’re hungry.”

Kristoff nodded and moved to stand, wincing just a little as he moved. Anna could see a large bruise forming on his ribs, no doubt where Hans’s knees had hit, and felt ready to strangle the asshole herself. “What’d you get?”

His eyes were soft and exhausted as he looked down at her, smiling when she offered him a hand to step out of the tub. “Burrito bowls. I figured they keep pretty well if you weren’t --” His stomach let out a large growl, and Anna chuckled. “Guess I got the right thing.”

“Hey,” his hand holding hers squeezed just a little and she looked back up at him, smiling as he brought his arms up around her neck for a hug. She pressed her cheek against his chest, not even concerned about his still-wet skin soaking her clothing as she wrapped her arms around his waist, and just took a moment to be grateful things weren’t worse. “Thank you.” 

She wanted to tell him. God she wanted to tell him. 

But it didn’t feel right. Not yet. Not when there was a chance he might forget.

“Of course,” Anna smiled, pulling back just a little. “Now get dressed and come get some food.”

Kristoff nodded and moved to grab his towel, grinning. “Yes ma’am.”

When he came out of the bathroom, Kristoff had realized how much the short hug had soaked her clothing, and immediately offered her something more comfortable. So he was in clean sweatpants and a loose t-shirt, and she was in a pair of shorts she had happened to leave here, and one of his smaller tees that still managed to hang well past her hips. 

The paperwork she had been given had a whole list of things to avoid, and it included all electronics. So they sat in relative silence as they ate, and Anna promised to run out and get some games that didn’t involve screens in the morning. Kristoff complained that he’d normally be reading, but Anna pointed to the list and sighed, telling him it was on the what not to do list. 

He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “I did it last time and it was fine.”

“Well, I’m saying no. Because the doctor says no.”

Anna was smiling though, even as he put up a front of annoyance, because with every passing hour she could see more clarity in him, as if just having someone to talk to was enough to help things start to come together for him. “But, if you want, I can read to you?”

Kristoff looked like he was holding back a smile. “I guess.”

But he hopped up quickly, insisting she leave the plates for tomorrow, and picked out a clearly well-loved copy of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Somehow, him being a fan of the great detective surprised her. “Really?”

He snorted and led her to the couch, sitting on one end, waiting patiently for her to settle beside him. “It was my dad’s - not that one, my adoptive one - favorite and he read these stories to us every night. So…” He smiled and leaned forward, an almost childish glee on his face as he laid his head into her lap. “They’re comforting.”

Anna smiled and began to stroke her fingers through his hair, smiling as he closed his eyes and clasped his hands together on his chest. “I like them all,” he mumbled, shrugging. “Pick whichever one you’d like.”

She flipped delicately through the pages and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Ah, how about…” She propped the book up on the armchair to make sure her one hand stayed free to continue their path across his scalp. “The Red-Headed League.”

Kristoff didn’t quite find her little joke funny, but rolled his eyes and let a smile stretch his lips. “Sure, perfect.”

A soft throat-clear and she began. 

“I had called upon my friend, Mr Sherlock Holmes, one day in the autumn of last year…”

—

Anna woke up to a soft ringing by her head. She slid her hand around the armrest in a quiet attempt to find the offending device without jostling the man sleeping on her top of her too much. Finally getting it between her fingers, she silenced it before even looking at the caller ID.

She sighed with relief. “Hi, Sven,” she whispered, letting her free hand fall back to scratch lightly at Kristoff’s skull. 

“Hey. How’s he doing?”

A sense of guilt suddenly filled her throat at not even having thought to reach out to Sven earlier. “Oh, god I’m sorry. He’s…” she looked down and couldn’t help but smile. He had turned to his stomach, his whole body wrapped around hers as his cheek rested right right over her heart. “He’s sleeping. Seems all right.”

“Not too much disorientation? Memory okay?”

Anna chuckled, and decided it best to help lighten the weight on his shoulders. “He still remembers all the love and adoration he has for you, don’t you worry.”

Sven sighed, a small laugh echoing hers. “Well, good. I wouldn’t even let amnesia make him forget me.” There was a short lull, and he let out another heavy breath. “Hey, Anna… Thank you for taking care of him.”

She hadn’t even considered not taking care of him. “I… it’s really nothing I --”

“I don’t just mean right now… I mean…” He laughed, as if he was hesitating for a moment. “I’ve never seen him so happy. You…” He sighed, and Anna’s hand stilled in Kristoff’s hair. “You’re perfect for him, and I’m so happy you’ve come into our lives. And like,” he groaned, and she tried to ignore the tears she felt brimming her eyelashes. “I love you, and I know… how he feels. Even if he hasn’t said it yet.”

Anna’s mouth was contorted as she tried to hold back the sob she felt in her throat. “Well what the hell, Pederson. I’ve done so well at not crying today.”

“Well now it’s time, baby girl!”

They laughed together, and Anna couldn’t help but hum out a soft “Love you, too, Reindeer boy.”

“Ah, I’m never going to live that one down am I?”

“No way.” Kristoff started to move, his fingers flexing against her ribs. “Ah, sorry, I gotta go, he’s waking up --”

“Yeah, of course. Tell him I love him.”

“Absolutely.”

Before Anna had even finished hanging up, she felt Kristoff’s head lift from her chest, felt his whole body slide across hers, and felt his breath ghosting over her lips. “Who was that?” he hummed, his eyes slowly coming back into focus.

“Oh, just Sven. Making sure you still loved him.”

Kristoff chuckled and leaned forward, pressing a chaste kiss to her mouth. Well, at least it started out innocently enough. With a heavy sigh and deep regret, Anna pushed his shoulders back just slightly. “I think all of that would qualify as unnecessary physical exertion. And that’s --”

“Not allowed, I know,” he groaned, dropping his head into the crook of her neck. 

She laughed and careded her fingers through his hair. “Just for forty eight hours. Then we can give it a go.” When he let out a noise of annoyance against her, Anna tsked and rolled her eyes. “Didn’t you go without for like… years? Don’t be such a baby about two days.”

“Well, It wasn’t on the table for those years.”

“Please.”  She knew he had women throwing themselves at him. She’d heard plenty of stories.

“Fine. I didn’t have you on the table. Or the bed. Or the truck.”

Anna snorted. “Let’s go to bed, yeah?” She probably shouldn’t humor this because she was not confident she’d be able to say no for too long. “You clearly need some rest.”

Kristoff sighed and gave up the fight before climbing off of her and moving back towards the bedroom, immediately lowering himself onto the plush mattress. Anna followed, gave him a quick kiss, and promised she would join him after she cleaned up the kitchen.