Elsa really didn't know anyone else apart from Anna who made her feel this light and happy and funny and bright and –God when did she start thinking like this?
He's just a friend, her voice of reason tells her, the one she's listened to since childhood when she was locked up in her room and tempted to see Anna and speak to her and tell her she's there and she loves her and- oh Odin she needs to stop overthinking. He's just as lonely and as cold as you were and he is your friend. You are his friend.
For months on end Elsa has been "crushing" (as Anna would say)- after a certain King of a certain kingdom near but not near enough Arendelle. He is kind and thoughtful and quick and witty and also blunt and sarcastic and basically Elsa is stuck. Damn stuck. His eyes are so, so blue and Elsa can't help but let them capture her heart and send it into an overdrive. His hair is a shocking white; and has been compared to the whitest of clouds- Elsa has felt it, cold and soft and wispy all at once. She's seen his teeth, which are very rarely seen by outsiders and Elsa feels proud that she is the rare few that have seen him smile and even prouder to have made him laugh on multiple of occasions (though she dare not tell anyone that- especially not Anna- anyway,) princesses and duchesses and queens and baronesses have all yearned to see him smile, describing his teeth as a sight of freshly fallen snow, rare but beautiful. Elsa can't help but admire his beauty. He is beautiful, she tells herself- but that's it. He is her beautiful friend, the ruler of a not-near-enough neighbouring kingdom who in the last couple of months has supported and forged an alliance too, with the help of Arendelle with trade, taxes, laws and whatnot.
Elsa is aware of her own beauty. Though she feels it is overrated, and it is because finding a young blonde queen is a rare sight so men simply find her alluring due to the lack of-
Yes, Kings and princes and lords and the whatnot rave about her beauty, but if she's being honest, Elsa couldn't care less about what they think. She often wonders if he finds her beautiful, and if he finds her eyes enticing and her hair appealing and her lips- she needs to shut up. Call me Jack is what he said when they became aquatinted enough. Everyone else knows him as King Jokul, but no, he gave Elsa a tiny privilege, a source of pleasure- and he really didn't know what effect it had on her realise that not all royalty have ulterior motives to talking to her, whether it be due to her title or her beauty or-)
"Elsa"
Where was I going with this?
"Elsaaa"
Get it together.
"Elsaaaaaaa you're doing it again"
Damn it.
"Sorry Jack I'm just thinking" Breath. "You know how I am" she grins, perfect teeth displayed, a little too nervously- her voice of self-deprecation scorns her-
"Yeah well stop thinking" he smiles with those goddamn teeth and that lopsided grin that plunges Elsa's heart into her stomach and- and she's doing it again.
"Elsa staahppppp" he moans.
"I'm only in Arendelle for two more days, yet you're being boring with your overthinking" Jack pouts, and his cheekbones look especially prominent, Elsa notes.
She smiles, close mouthed and sensible "I'm so sorry Jack, let's do something fun, to compensate" and her smile turns into a full grin and she must be going crazy cause she sees Jacks eyes flicker to her lips and her heart starts hammering and hereeee goes the overthinking again.
"You know what? I don't mind the talking it's just the spacing out and the staring that kinda ruins the moment" Jack smiles, an especially sly and teasing smile.
There, Elsa cringes, she can feel herself going red and no no no was she staring? oh god no... She hears a hearty laugh and her train of thought/panic/worry? is disrupted and her eyes follow up Jacks teeth-(because he is like7 inches taller than her so his height is definitely convenient-)
"I was only joking Elsa, I know you're not staring" and there she feels relieved-
"You're simply wondering about my face and how it's so perfect"
On Odin's beard.
She pushes him out of instinct. Maybe a little too hard, because Jack looks startled, and oh no he's smirking. She runs. She runs out of the library and into the hallways, because she knows that Jack is going to get her back and she knows that if she spends another minute sitting with Jack on the bench seat in the library overlooking Arendelle's gardens whilst the sun is spilling its shine through the windows she is going to explode with anger at herself for noticing how flawless his skin is even in the pure sunlight where for vanity's sake (her voice of sensibility? reason? tells her) is vulnerable and exposed. And she needs to remember to breath.
He catches her by the time she's reached the second set of stairs because how could she forget he can fly? And by caught she is wedged between his arms- her back touching his chest.
Wedged. Between a beating heart and strong arms covered in fine material-
He is laughing and Elsa can feel his hot and cold breath against her ear and her laughter dies down.
Elsa is weak.
She's breathing rapidly and honestly she internally screams at herself for being so foolish. She was never like this, always keeping people more than an arm's length away from her both physically emotionally. Why on earth did it take an admittedly handsome yet-gifted-with- powers- of- ice- and-snow-by- being- a- hero- and-saving-his- sister- and- dying-in-the-process King to get her trembling like Anna would and acting upon instinct rather than careful thoughts, as Elsa usually would (not that there is anything wrong with acting on instinct like Anna, it's just not an Elsa thing to do, you are practical, Anna wears her heart on her sleeve-)
Jack has let go and is yet again calling for Elsa, however now there is concern in his eyes and genuine worry and Elsa just melts.
By melts, she crumbles, and by crumbles, she is about the cry. And she really doesn't know why.
Well, she comes to the conclusion that she's fuming to be quite honest, she doesn't know at who, so she gives herself the option of- herself for falling for Jack or Jack for making her fall for him. Jack grabs her by the shoulders, turns her to face him and embraces her. He rests his head on top of her hair and Elsa can actually feel him, his hot/cold warmth? his scent of freshness and pine, the vibrations of his voice attempting to soothe her by telling her she is fine and I'm sorry shouldn't have- Elsa comes to the realisation that her face is pressed against his chest. His chest that feels considerably hard and he must be strong cause woah-
Elsa abruptly stops crying and realises that maybe, it would be easier to be honest about her feelings because she knows Jack will ask why she is crying, after he finishes apologising- (and also years of concealing and not feeling has left her feeling quite bitter about the action of hiding her feelings, therefore-)
Elsa feels a tidal wave of guilt filling her chest because she can't believe Jack is actually apologising over a game of chase and she's actually managed to make him feel bad again. She looks at him through glassy eyes and he looks back her; with that same look of worry and concern, yet there is something different in the way he's looking at her but Elsa can't put her finger on it. She's never seen him look at her or anything in that way.
She carefully and quickly thinks out her sentence, licks her lips and closes her eyes.
"Jack, I really- mmph"
Jack has his lips pressed against Elsa's.
Her heart goes into a frenzy and she doesn't know what to do because Elsa has only ever thought about this a billion and one times and knew exactly what she would do in those billion and one thoughts and-
Jack opens his eyes, and shifts away from Elsa and looks down at her He looks as shocked as Elsa feels, and his expression of shock changes-his face crumples and yet again King Jokul is apologising for something that is not his fault. Elsa can only stare at his lips.
"Shit. Elsa- shit- I'm sorry I shouldn't have done that. Fuck, Elsa forgive me please, I just-"
She kisses him there and then, like the way she's imagined herself a billion and one times to do so. She really doesn't know what she's doing but instinct told her to do so and she can't help but notice Jack is kissing her back with his arms around her waist her hands on his chest, eyes closed, mouths partially open, lips moving and somehow Elsa catches herself smiling within the kiss because it feels so right. Jack is smiling too and their eyes both flutter open, whilst softly pulling away from each other. Jacks hands are still on Elsa's hips, hers still rested on his chest, both are looking into each other's eyes and smiling sweetly even as they are catching their breaths with their chests both moving hastily.
Jack's the first to break the silence.
"You know," His hands shift so they are in front of him and Elsa knows he is going to start using his hands during his speech because it's such a Jack-like thing to do, however. She did like his grip on her hips. But anyway-
"I, um. Fucking hell. Elsa. It was never my intention to get so close to you as I have done and seriously Elsa you are an amazing person and an amazing queen and just- ah, Elsa. Um-"
His eye contact with Elsa has been minimal and they are once more thrown into a silence, though, this time it's slightly uncomfortable- for Jack at least.
Elsa has been staring at his lips throughout his short-lived speech and she feels the urge to kiss him again. Elsa leans in and is silently amused by the look of complete confusion on his face, because she is all too aware of her lack of response. They kiss again however, and Elsa swiftly breaks away minutes later, looks him straight in the eye with a look of caution and states;
"Jack I'm in love with you"
She notices his breath hitch, his lips separate, and then a small smile creep up. His smile proves infectious because Elsa is smiling too.
"What. What the fuck. Elsa, I love you" and this time her breath hitches and his lips seek hers.
Minutes, maybe hours have passed, but Elsa and Jack are still kissing on the second set of stairs just below the library until- they hear certain girls singing a little too loudly and a little too confidently-
Anna and Jacks sister are singing about Elsa and Jack kissing in a tree.