AN : Hello, lovelies! Quite recently, credits to Tumblr, I have discovered the wonderful cross-pairing of Jack Frost and Elsa. What better way to show my adoration for the ship than to write a hockey fan fiction involving them? Nothing is, in my opinion.
Feel free to leave a review and or shoot a PM over my way! I plan to make this short story last for about ten chapters or so. As one would assume, I own no references or characters used; however, I developed the plot on my own. Thank you for the support!
Fire In My Heart, Ice In My Veins : Chapter I (The Preparations)
Snowflakes softly landed on the road as they journeyed on their downward descend. Morning rush hour had yet to begin, leaving the atmosphere with a gentle aura for the time being. The sky was a stark orange as the sun began to rise, leaving the tops of buildings glistening with a glow.
The frigid city of Arendelle was well-known for achieving record-breaking amounts of snow, hail, and ice. Temperatures usually ranged from freezing to single digit numbers, and on rare summer days, it could reach the high of fifty. It was an ideal spot for those who dislike the typical beach vacation.
Each private street was broad enough to fit four cars side-by-side. Every possible spot was filled, except for near and around the college homes. As a result of the local stores being in the walking distance of many residents' homes, many students solely relied to get to shops and school by foot.
Arendelle was a popular tourist attraction with its high-end stores and gorgeous skyline views. The city was always well-kept. The sidewalks were paved with a glorious cobblestone and included Victorian lampposts on each block. The ground always seemed to be dusted with a beautifully thin layer of snow sprinkles and faint footprints.
One would usually complain about the bone-chilling weather while sightseeing in the urban neighborhood, but there were a select few who never fretted over it; they rather enjoyed it, to be factual.
The indoor ice rink was bombarded with the harsh sounds of ice being sliced and cracked. Both the attack and defense zone were filled with loose pucks. The Zamboni driver had left his shift hours ago, leaving the floor coated in a myriad of skid marks. The room practically screamed "team training session," yet there was only a single player skating on that morning.
A man with broad shoulders cautiously peeked his head through the door, and he decided to slowly enter. He took his time as he tip-toed down the stadium staircase in hopes of staying silent and then entered the players bench box.
He placed a leg over the wall, landed his skates on the ice, and pivoted his body to the rink's current occupant. As of that moment, she remained oblivious to his presence.
With a clearing of his throat, he sighed and closed his eyes. "Elsa, Anna asked for me to-"
In frustration, the platinum blonde slammed her hockey stick down. Her outfit, which consisted of a basic spandex top and baggy pants, were lightly tainted with sweat and swayed as she moved around.
"Lunch. Call me to take a break. Kristoff, I need to get my slap shot down or I won't beat the cut. You know how competitive the university is. You play for them," she seethed. She crossed her legs, allowing her body to fall to the floor. "I'm trying to get on the guy's team, too."
Kristoff pranced over to her and sat in front of her.
"Sheesh, how are you not freezing down here?" he scoffed and rubbed his bare forearms.
She gave a minuscule smirk and shrugged. "I'm so used to it. It's never bothered me, anyways."
He laughed wholeheartedly. His arm reached out to gently slap her leg. "You know Anna doesn't want you to try out. She would die if you came hurt injured."
"Well, you're dating her. I'm sure you can manipulate a plan into your mind and convince her. I'm the older sister, anyways," she said with a tilt of her head. "I can make my own choices."
"We know you can," Kristoff commented. He flicked his hand up to his hat and adjusted the hem. His eyebrow urgently shot up. "Wait. Did you tell Jack about this?"
She remained silent. Her hands wound together and were tucked beneath her sweatpants. He snorted in shock.
"Elsa! If you're to tell anyone about this, you tell him first!" Kristoff exclaimed. His brows creased dramatically. "Why in the world wouldn't you?"
"We fought," she frankly stated in a soft, monotone voice. "I saw him with Rapunzel again-"
"God, Els, she's just a cheerleader."
"-and he blatantly flirts with her. I was gone for a week, Kristoff, and I come home to see that in the school lobby. He doesn't need to know anything."
The image of her boyfriend with his hands on another girl's shoulders and a gleaming smile on his lips was still vivid in her head. Kristoff mirrored her frown and hopped up onto his knees while reaching for her hand.
"We made soup. Chicken and potato. Your favorite. Please take a break? I'll help you finish up your practicing after," he offered her and spoke in a whisper. "I promise."
She stood to her feet with the help of him and patted the ice sheets off her legs, skating off towards the exit with him. With a grin, Elsa began to pack up.
"Terrible. To think that I've had all of you for two years already and you're still unable to get a hat trick into play. What kind of players are you? You're girls! Little figure skating, elementary school girls, I tell you," Coach North sarcastically laughed. "You boys have played terribly."
The ivy league school team stood in their locker room as they subconsciously listened to the lecture being presented to them. Their previous game had presumably taken a bad turn.
Hiccup, the goalie, pinched his wrist every other minute to keep himself from dozing off. Jack sat beside him and was strangely silent as he continuously refreshed the message inbox on his phone. Being the only freshman, Kristoff was given leeway for the day and had the opportunity to skip practice.
"Even during our practices, you have all been giving me half. You need to give me more. Much more!" North yelped. The crack in his howl caught the boys off guard and dragged their attention to him. Someone snorted. "Focus, team!"
The only fully attentive teammate was Olaf. His eyes bugged out as he was resting his head on his hands in awe. His defensive skills were adequate, but the appeal to him came from his spiriting personality. This feature failed to spread to the rest of the sophomore college students that day like it usually did, though.
North coughed. "I need to see some improvement and soon. You all are natural athletes, I know that, but I need you to give your all to these next few weeks. Clear you heads. Got it?"
The room echoed with the simultaneous call of "yes, coach." The bulky man then ordered the hoard to head out and continue their conditioning regimen.
While Hiccup tossed his jersey over his head and onto his shoulder pads, he faced the pale twenty year old aside him.
"Mm, he's awfully cranky. Almost as bad as my pregnant aunt," Hiccup chuckled and gave him a bump to the hip. He received no reply.
"Come on, Mr. Cranky-Pants, can't you take a joke today? Aren't the roles usually reversed between us?"
"I'm just out of it, I guess," Jack sighed.
Accepting the answer, Hiccup continued to fill his friend in on his day and how he finally made the initiative to talk to the girl he took a liking to in his politics class. Jack could not help but frown.