According to plan was exactly how the day had gone, and yet Hans still paced along the drying grass of the little hill, his swirling delicate grey cape catching on the blades. It was a mystery to him how this day could've gone so perfectly when only three months ago his recklessness to give Kristoff the best birthday ever nearly ruined their relationship and ended his life.
The proposal for a date had been simple enough, the details of where and when well explained over the familiar scraping of silverware and clattering of empty platters in the private dining hall. Elsa, Thomas and Pedar watched silently as the Fire Prince stumbled over his words with smoke rising from his ears like steam, Kristoff watching his partner and hiding his amusement behind a layer of stoic understanding. After many minutes of conversational struggling, Hans finally managed to say the correct nine words that he'd practiced with his bedroom mirror, the custom burned designs in the oak frame of the table darkening with every fumble despite the simplicity of the task. However, awkward moments aside, the ice cutter gratefully accepted the prince's offer, and they'd set out before eleven.
Of course, it'd taken much to keep Ashley and her little trailing scarf from tagging along, with the prince having to explain what a date was in a sugarcoated manner to the innocent little ashgirl. While Hans was red by the end of the conversation with embarrassment from the conversation eventually leading to what the pair of men did alone, Elsa and Pedar had chosen the perfect time to take advantage of the ashgirls short attention span and distract her by saying her carrot nose was missing.
With the sun high in the sky the the two men made small talk while walking through the market and village of the Southern Isles, the trade having been particularly interesting this year despite the lack of Weselton stamped goods. King Thomas had kept the little nation thriving with trade agreements while also allowing his brother to enjoy his time as prince, knowing his hot-headed brother would only be needed at certain discussions where the council got out of hand or a dignitary stepped out of line. Hans was grateful for the gesture and often did take advantage of it, but often found himself going with his brother anyhow simply because he was at a loss with Kristoff still harvesting ice and the official Lumberwoman and her fiance still fulfilling their titles. During their last discussion it had been a personal request not to have guards following them for the date, to which his older brother agreed, albeit after arguing for ten minutes.
Lunch had been selected courtesy of Kristoff at a little butcher's shop, which was a pleasant experience that ended with them finishing each other's sandwiches. The rest of the afternoon was spent browsing around town in the various shops and stalls, the thirteenth princes pockets lined with a type of allowance the king had set for him just in case he found something little he liked and happened to go overboard with it, like he did when Elsa mentioned a chocolatier had opened its doors in town. The first time the ice cutter had to literally drag his lover out of the store and to the next street to be safe, but not before Hans had gotten a bit creative and turned half the stores supply to fondue from his powers lack of control at that moment. While it was safe to go this time, Brys, the owner, was still a little bothered by that day and had warned Hans not to get overexcited lest he be banned from his establishment, which Kristoff found remarkable his friend was even getting a second chance from the mess he'd made.
"Come on, Kristoff. Try something!" Hans pleaded lightly as they walked past the shelves of brown delicacies. Kristoff looked around and frowned.
"Hans, you know I've never been one for sweets. Chocolate in particular." He shook his head at the offer.
In truth, the iceman never had been fond of things too sweet. His father may have made a decent amount from his position as Ice Master but that didn't mean they lived comfortably. Sweet things were a rare treat save for around Christmas and birthdays, the occasional dessert being brought home on those few months where there was more than enough made.
"That's not true. Remember the carrot cake?" The prince argued.
"Yes, but still. You've always been more into dessert than I was." He stated as Hans took a good looking dark piece and added it to his supply.
"Yeah, I guess." Hans knew that was an understatement in general, but he'd been pacing himself recently. He was down to one bag from what was initially five.
"You and Anna would get along perfectly." Kristoff chuckled.
"That princess, right? From Arendelle?" Hans replied with a raised eyebrow.
"The very same. She loves chocolate like you do." He paused for a moment. "Probably more." The iceman shrugged.
"Wasn't she the one that was caught stealing from the dessert buffet at the Founders Ball?" The prince laughed at the memory. Kristoff nodded, a chuckle escaping him. It had been the same night he'd been formally introduced as a suitor to the youngest prince in line for the throne, the current king enjoying the company of the practical and familiar ice cutter who had spent nearly his whole childhood between the hall outside Hans' room and the little hut he still possessed despite being a resident of the castle. Though the two hardly knew each other things went very well that evening, and thankfully Kristoff wasn't as embarrassed when he'd bumped into the princess of Arendelle and the pile of chocolates in her hands flew across the room and landed on a duke that Thomas happened to not be fond of. It turned from an awkward moment to a hilarious moment as the two caught up on old times and laughed about the incident for the rest of the evening.
And now they were enjoying a glass of wine on a little hill that overlooked the palace and the harbor, the sun beginning its slow descent down from the golden and cloudless sky. There was something Hans had wanted to ask his suitor for a long time, but he'd let that fade to the back of his mind until he'd found it sitting on his dresser the week before planning the date.
Elsa had already seen it on Kristoff's birthday when Hans had allowed his personality to take control and shape the glass cake topper for the party. Each time the results weren't as he'd expected, and it had been worrying the Fire Prince for hours on end as he tried design after painstaking design before he decided to just recall something happy about his courtship with Kristoff.
Apparently, he wasn't paying much attention to his ambitions from courting when the molten glass shaped to a wedding topper.
And of course, while he'd tried to make sure no one was watching, Elsa had seen him sneakily slide it into his breast pocket and pulled him aside for a moment after he felt better.
"I didn't make that." Hans sweated when Elsa removed the evidence from his pocket.
"Sure you didn't. Because Pedar just loves the thought of you two getting married." Elsa rolled her eyes recalling when her fiance been betting with her on just when the iceman and the fire prince would be getting married in between planning their own wedding with the trolls.
"Well that wasn't for you to see, now was it?" Hans scowled and crossed his arms.
"Hey, you're pretty lucky Kristoff didn't see this. If he did... well-"
"Well what, Elsa?" The hallway became humid.
"I'm not saying he'd never accept. I'm just saying he's been wrong about love before." The lumberjack frowned. "He might not want to take that step yet." Hans' anger quelled along with the temperature.
"I didn't want him to see it either. I was just so sick and he was by my side the whole time. I should've just destroyed it." The prince deadpanned before he smiled and raised a hand up to melt the incriminating evidence but Elsa stopped him.
"You don't need to ruin it. You know he'll say yes... one day." She smiled hopefully and held the glass sculpture out to him. Hans took the topper and looked down at it thoughtfully.
He now held the same topper in his hands, the delicate grey glass casting a sickly tint to his fingers as they heated up with nervousness like a skillet on a slow flame. Hans had spent a decent amount of time looking at it, focusing on the near exact detail of the premature celebratory object. The suits they both wore, the carnations on their chests, the intricate divots and folds of his cape, the dusting of stubble on his ice cutters chin and cheeks. It was something he often fantasized about as a boy, picturing a grown him standing at the altar, the key difference being a lovely bride draped in white silk like his mother had been as her own wedding. He imagined leaning in the kiss that girl he would spend the rest of his life with, going to balls and having a partner that wasn't full of stuffing or had button eyes. Having children and growing older whilst watching everything he held dear grow stronger. Of course, those dreams died after he'd been isolated, the perfect ending for him nowhere in sight. He'd always fantasized about what his life could hold for him in those carefree, pre-solitude days with his best friend by his side. His only hopes in that room would be that Kristoff and his brothers would lead happy existences, only as long as he was written out of the story like a long forgotten parent in a fairytale novel. But most of all he wanted Kristoff to be happy. To find the one he was meant to be with. To carry on his father's trade and live a peaceful and non-fire related life with whomsoever he chose. To have kids and grow old and be happy.
Could Kristoff's happy ending be the same as his?
Those fantasies had apparently changed enough to include his best friend and boyfriend in the picture, something Hans never could've expected nor dreamt of. He wasn't even sure how it had happened in the first place. There was always the chance that Kristoff wouldn't want to, but then where would he be? Where would they be? There would always be that awkward moment in life that would keep coming up, and that fear consumed Hans so much that for a moment he felt the heat beginning to rise and the topper began to drip. He stucked in a sharp breath and the glass froze and slowly began to mold back into place.
But if he said yes, it meant the rest of their lives could be spent together. Waking up every morning beside each other, laughing at each others jokes and accidents, doing everything he'd always dreamt of after they began courting. The prince smiled softly at the cake topper and placed it in his pocket, turning to Kristoff after checking and making sure the glass object couldn't be seen.
His lover was lying on his back, hands behind his head on a large picnic blanket that they had picked out at the market, its pattern a simple light golden body with a darker trim around the edges that could easily straddle a king sized bed. Along with Kristoff sat the remains of a decent meal conquered by the both of them after all the walking they'd been doing. The only thing that was yet to be touched was a small bucket that housed a bottle of champagne resting in long melted ice and cold water. The glasses had yet to be made.
"This has been such a great date, Hans." Kristoff sighed from the blanket, his eyes half closed. The Fire Prince smiled at the ice cutter.
"Yeah." He nodded and walked over to the blanket before sitting down next to the ice cutter, legs crossed. The two remained silent for a moment before Kristoff sat up and stretched, grunting softly before pulling Hans into a kiss. He noticed a look on the princes silence and his smile faltered.
"What is it?" He asked. Hans took a deep breath and smiled again.
"Nothing… just," He paused and ran a hand through his hair. "Lost in thought."
"Oh really?" The iceman began to lean into his prince, his head resting on his chest. Hans nodded and looked down at his lover, running his hand through the golden blond hair.
"What about?" Kristoff asked, his eyes closed. Hans felt his hand warming involuntarily and pulled it away from the ice cutters head, not wanting to risk burning him.
Regardless, Kristoff still felt it and opened his eyes. "Something bad?" He suggested, his chest tensing up slightly.
"No!" Hans suddenly shook his head, smoke beginning to rise from his fingertips and he shut his palms into fists, wishing his powers weren't so obvious when they were such a telltale sign of his emotions. Sometimes he would prefer to keep his thoughts in his head, where they belonged. Kristoff grabbed hold of his hand softly and brought it closer to him.
"Hans, if something's bothering you," He began before Hans cut him off.
"No, nothing's…" The prince trailed off realizing he'd be lying if he said anything different. The look on Kristoff's face told him he wasn't buying it.
"Alright, fine. I'm just nervous." He shrugged, running a hand through his auburn hair and leaving a trail of ashes along the strands like snowfall.
"I can see that." Kristoff stated as Hans shook the ash from his hair like a dog, wondering if he should press farther. They were courting, after all. They'd agreed long ago there wouldn't be any secrets between them, like two brothers.
"You know you can tell me." Kristoff smiled understandingly at the prince sitting next to him, but Hans shook his head.
"This isn't the kind of thing I want to tell you about." He frowned and the iceman raised an eyebrow. "It's a surprise." He finished as if to ease Kristoff's suspicions.
The smile returned for a moment as a rosey blush ran to the iceman's cheeks. "And we both know how you love surprises." He chuckled in a manner that soon became mirthless.
"Hey, I said I was sorry." Hans frowned.
"I know, I know," Kristoff held his hands up defensively. "And it was a good birthday anyhow." He patted Hans on the back softly.
"How come? I nearly got myself killed." Hans replied dryly.
"Because you listened to me. Elsa told me the key to a good relationship is communication, and let's face it; I think it ended well. I got to take care of you." The iceman gave the prince a small smile. Hans felt like he was glowing, despite the fact that he was literally doing just that.
"Really, you enjoyed that? I was so stubborn." He giggled.
"Well you weren't that bad. Besides, once the fever kicked in you were more or less out."
"Gee, it's nice to know you enjoy me being comatose." Hans rolled his eyes with a wry laugh.
"You're actually really cute when you're asleep." Kristoff brushed a kiss on the royals cheek.
"Thanks." Hans blushed and remembered for a moment what he was trying to do, and the blush only got brighter. He swallowed and began to talk again.
"So, Kristoff," The prince started, his tongue already getting tied, only this time it was far worse because he hadn't bothered to practice what he was going to say.
What could he say? What should he say? There were so many things about what Hans could say. There were physical and personal qualities he couldn't leave out, incidents and dates he couldn't ignore, sappy romantic poetry he could attempt to use and fumble over. This was the biggest moment in his life. He couldn't risk anything. Sweat began to trail down his neck as he wondered for a moment just how Erik and Pedar had proposed to their respective spouses. They'd made it seem so easy, so quick, so perfect. How was Hans supposed to know what to say to ask this man to marry him?
His fingers brushed against the cool glass cake topper and his anxious smile melted into a calm grin. Hans gripped it tightly and took a breath before removing it from his pocket. With silence hanging around them as Kristoff looked at his lover curiously, the young prince set the wedding cake topper between them, the slight speckle in the glass casting a dark shadow on the gold trim of the picnic blanket. His fingers left the object, and he waited.
Kristoff stared blankly at the object, confusion etched onto his face as his large hand picked up the glass piece and he held it close to examine it. His brown eyes began to widen in awed silence. For a moment, the iceman blinked, as if the wedding topper had disappeared by him staring at it. Kristoff finally took a breath as if realizing he'd been holding it, and closed his hand around the proposal.
"Well," Hans asked, his hopes balancing on a tightrope.
The ice cutter smiled, and nodded.
For a moment, Hans stared at his lover, his fiance, in disbelief. In that moment his response registered. He'd said yes.
Kristoff had said yes.
They were engaged.
Kristoff barely had time to prepare before Hans dove at him in a strong and warm hug, hands pressed and locked into his golden hair as laughter began to bubble out of the pair, the magnitude of what had just occurred setting in on Kristoff now as he realized Hans was now crying. The lack of words in the proposal had hardly mattered. That topper had been enough to say what Hans wanted to say.
After a seemingly long time, Hans loosened his grip on Kristoff, and took a moment to stare at the same man he'd be seeing reflected in the wedding topper. It was almost surreal to realize that his dream was going to come true. They laughed for a good minute before they began to kiss. Passion bubbled closer to the surface as the sun began to set in the isolation of the hillside. But as the prince began to unbutton his shirt, Kristoff placed his hand over Hans' busy fingers, stopping him before they finished.
"Let's wait. We've got a lifetime to do it."
"Until tonight." Hans offered.
"Tonight." Kristoff agreed.
And so the sun finished its journey across the honeyed sky, the promise of a lifetime together hanging along with the stars.