Anna was exhausted. She'd spent all day hunched over a desk with Elsa, trying to learn the ins and outs of Arendelle's trade routes. Anna would have much preferred to go ice skating with her sister instead, but Elsa had insisted that Anna start to take more responsibility as a royal; Anna knew that deep down Elsa was worried that she'd lose control again one day and have to leave Arendelle in Anna's care. She was trying to prepare her for the worst. She sighed, wishing her sister would have more confidence in herself. She supposed it wasn't the worst thing that could happen – whilst not as fun as playing in the snow, studying with Elsa was still, well, spending time with her. Anna would take the ache of her back over the ache her heart felt whenever a closed door separated her and her sister.

She entered her room, rolling her shoulder to try and ease some of the stiffness there. She smiled when she spotted the claw-foot tub, steaming and nearly overflowing with bubbles, just like she'd requested. Gerda was a lifesaver. Anna kicked off her shoes and made her way to the bed so she could sit and remove her stockings. A knock at the door made her pause – who could be visiting at such an hour? Anna's heart quickened as she thought of who she'd like it to be. But it was probably just Gerda checking that she didn't need anything.

"The bath's fine, Gerda!" she called "I won't need anything for the rest of the evening, don't worry about me,"

"Er…actually Anna, it's me,"

Hans.

Hans was here, outside her door… was that even allowed? She felt her pulse start to race at the prospect of him visiting at such a late hour. There was a rustling sound outside the door, before Anna heard him whisper.

"Anna? Are you there?" the voice sounded slightly muffled, as though he had pressed his lips to the keyhole. Anna smiled, remembering when she used to do the same as a child when Elsa hadn't always replied to her knocks. She made her way to the door, hoping that she wasn't doing anything wrong by speaking to him this late – but then, when had opening a door ever been a bad thing? She opened the door to find Hans on his knees – she grinned, realising she had been right about him whispering through the keyhole. He hurried to straighten up, looking flustered. Anna absolutely adored Hans when he lost his composure – it made her feel slightly less confused about how someone as clumsy as her had landed someone so…refined. Not that he was looking it at that moment. Though usually impeccably groomed, Hans was looking rather dishevelled – strands of his hair were stuck to his forehead and his face was flushed. Anna could smell an interesting mix of hay and sweat – he'd obviously been out riding Sitron. He cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed.

"I – er – saw your light was on when I got back, so I thought that I would come and say goodnight," he gave her a rather goofy smile "Uh – if that's alright, I mean!"

"Hmmm, it probably isn't…" - his face fell - "But that doesn't mean I'm not glad you came," she added quickly, giving him a warm smile. After all, she had hoped it was him at the door, no matter how impossible that seemed only a few minutes ago. He visibly relaxed, his eyes lighting up.

"Well, uhm…goodnight?" Anna kneaded her palm, unsure how to continue. How were you supposed to officially say goodnight, anyway? And to your fiancé, no less?

"Princess, if I may…" he rubbed the back of his neck, not quite meeting her gaze "I was wondering if you, if we –" he cleared his throat, obviously having difficulty finding the right words "Could I trouble you for a goodnight kiss?"

Anna blinked up at him, wondering if she were dreaming. Hans took Anna's bemusement as silent indignation and started to back away, waving his hands in front of him.

"I'm so sorry – I didn't mean to suggest that… well I did, but I didn't mean to upset you! I mean we're getting married so I thought it'd be alright -" he sighed "I did not mean to be improper, or to cause offence, or… I'll – I'll go. I'll just…go…"

"Hans," she had been watching him babble, her smile growing wider by the second.

"Yes?" He asked warily, his princely façade in place again. Anna said nothing, instead placing her hands on his chest and on standing on tiptoe so she could press her lips against his. He sighed into her mouth, bringing his hands up to cup her face. After a few seconds, Anna forced herself to break away, giggling nervously.

"That was -" Anna never got to hear exactly what Hans thought of the kiss, as he was interrupted by the sounds of a door opening down the hall. Someone was coming, and if they saw Hans here, outside her bedroom at this hour…

"Quick!" she whispered, grabbing his cravat and dragging him inside her room, quietly shutting the door behind him. She pressed her ear to the wood, waiting for the footsteps to recede. When they did she sighed, sagging against the door in relief. That was a close one.

Or was it? Because now, Hans was actually in her room. He looked a little dazed, gazing around the room as if he couldn't believe where he was. Anna laughed, slightly too high-pitched to sound natural.

"So, uh, welcome to my room?" She was thankful that Gerda had thought to clear up before drawing the bath. Wait, her bath! It was going to go cold at this rate, and after she'd specifically asked it to be as hot as possible, so it could soothe her aching muscles. Her eyes darted between the bath and Hans, trying to weigh up which one she wanted more. Usually Hans would win – hans down, Anna mentally snorted – every time. But today the knot in her back was too painful for even him to distract her , she mentally added.

"I'm sorry to have dragged you in here, but I think whoever was outside was gone now," Anna tried to keep her voice polite and even so as not to betray the thoughts that had start to run through her head at the prospect of being alone in her room with Hans. She found that focusing on the lovely bath she'd soon be enjoying helped. Again, barely.

"Perfect," he smiled and stepped back, dropping onto her bed. He patted the space next to him. "Sit with me?"

"Oh, uh – I was actually just about to have a bath before you knocked…"

"Oh!" his eyes widened and he looked past her, seeming to notice the bath for the first time. He started to rise from the bed, but his eyes caught hers and he stopped, slowly sinking back down.

"You know, I've been out riding Sitron," he ran his fingers through his hair, the strands formerly stuck to his forehead now stuck up at odd angles instead.

"Yeeeees…?" Anna frowned, wondering where on earth he was going with this.

"Well, I sure could use a bath," he flashed a rather lopsided smile, nerves apparent in his eyes.

Had she heard that quite right?

"W-what?" she stuttered, not quite believing her ears. She must have misheard – yes, that was it. Still, it didn't stop her heart from pounding at the possibilities such a suggestion could lead to.

He swallowed. "Would you mind if I…stayed?" He looked up at her through his lashes, the way he knew made Anna give in every time. She would have stamped her foot in indignation, had she not already made up her mind. Best not give in too easily, though.

"Well…." She folded her arms and dropped a hip "What's in it for me if I agree?"

He leaned forward slightly, interlocking his fingers and resting his chin on them in thought. Suddenly he smiled. "I'll bring you krumkake for breakfast,"

"Really?" she asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement.

"Anything for you, Anna," he smiled, holding his hands out to her, which she took. He brushed his thumbs over her knuckles, eliciting a shiver.

"Cold, are you?" he murmured "We should get you into that bath as soon as possible then," he grinned. "It'll warm you up,"

"Alright, but…no peeking! That's for our wedding night!"

"Anna!" he spluttered "I am a gentleman!"

"Ah yes, that would be why you're in my room right now," she teased. He turned beet red and crossed his arms defensively, harrumphing.

Anna laughed as she stepped behind her changing screen, slowly peeling off her clothes and making sure to toss them where Hans would see. She heard a muffled sort of groan from the direction of her bed, making her smile triumphantly. When she was fully unclothed, she peeked out from behind the screen, a towel wrapped around her.

"Shut your eyes!" she called. She heard Hans sigh and tut as he shifted on the bed. She slowly made her way to the tub, squinting at him to make sure his eyes truly were closed. They were. Anna was almost disappointed. She dropped the towel and stepped into the steaming water, a happy sigh escaping her lips as the water lapped against her calves. She heard a sharp intake of breath and quickly turned, eyes locking with Hans'. Anna squeaked and instinctively covered her breasts, hastily dropping fully into the bath so that the copious amount of bubbles covered her.

"Hans!" she hissed, more for show than anything else. She wasn't even entirely sure that she was angry with him.

"I'm so sorry!" he blurted "I thought you were already in!" He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. He looked so ashamed that Anna couldn't help but giggle at him, pressing a hand to her mouth to try and muffle the noise. He caught her eye and grinned, looking relieved.

"Don't worry about it Hans," she scooped some bubbles into her hands, before placing them on her head like a crown. "In fact, I think you should just…" She gathered up more foam, coating one of her braids with it, before turning back to Hans "let it go."

He stared at her, dumbfounded, for a few seconds before recognition sparked in his eyes. He started to laugh, hunching over as he fought to control himself.

"Anna… Anna, no," he buried his face in his hands, muffling the choked noises he was making as his shoulders shook with mirth. She grinned, delighted to have done something to yet again disrupt his princely demeanour – he needed to relax a little sometimes.

He exhaled slowly, removing his hands from his – now much redder - face.

"Are you alright?" she asked, giggling at his expression.

"Perfect," he whispered. "Absolutely perfect," He got to his feet and approached the bath, kneeling down at the opposite end to Anna.

"My turn," he grinned, cupping his hands to collect some bubbles of his own. He smoothed some on his face, from the base of his sideburns and across to meet in the middle above his top lip. He shifted his stance to make his shoulders appear broader and steepled his fingers, before exclaiming in a terribly poor imitation of a thick accent "Hoo – hoo! Big summer blow-out!"

Anna snorted so hard she managed to inhale some bubbles, her laughter quickly turning to coughs as she flailed, water sloshing over the side of the tub.

"Anna! Are you alright?" Hans sounded concerned but she could see him trying to bite back his laughter as he asked.

"Never better," she wheezed, massaging her chest. She gave a final cough before grinning up at him. "Your accent is awful,"

"Oh, well excuse me," he gave a playful huff, crossing his arms "and here I was thinking that the object of the game was to be funny, not accurate,"

"Stop being grumpy just because we've finally found something that you're not any good at!" she snickered. He pouted, the remnants of the bubbles on his face making him look even more comical.

"You're so rude to me. And after I promised to bring you krumkake,"

"Don't forget the reason you're bringing me krumkake to begin with," she said softly, sitting back and starting to undo one of her plaits. He stiffened slightly, before relaxing and uncrossing his arms.

"Here, let me," he knelt down next to the bath, taking the braid in his hands and slowly teasing the hair free. Anna watched him the whole time, her heart in her throat at how close he was to her while she was, well, naked. The bath foam covered everything, but still. Hans refused to make eye contact, focusing solely on her hair. He was still very red in the face, Anna noted. As he untied the last of her hair, his fingertips brushed her scalp making her breath hitch. His eyes flicked to hers, large with concern.

"Did I pull your hair?" he brushed against her scalp again, deliberately this time, trying to massage away the pain he thought he'd caused.

"N – no," she closed her eyes and leaned into his hand "that just feels…really good,"

"Oh," he breathed, continuing to gently circle his fingers against her. "Anna…" he used the hand in her hair to tilt her face towards his, leaning towards her. His lips brushed hers, soft and warm, lingering for just a moment.

"Anna," he whispered into her cheek, his lips skimming against her as he spoke "May I… bathe with you?" His eyes fluttered shut, lashes tickling her skin. "Please," his voice had taken on an odd tone, one Anna had never heard him use before, his chest rumbling. She ran her hand along his jaw, catching a few stray bubbles still caught in his sideburns.

"Yes,"

He sighed into her neck before pulling away, shedding his jacket as he went. Next went the boots, placed neatly next to the bed, and then the waistcoat, which Hans took his time unbuttoning. Anna was sure her heart skipped a beat with each pop of a button. She watched him slowly loosen his cravat, an odd sensation curling low in her belly. He caught her staring and smiled crookedly, before walking behind her and bending down to whisper into her ear "No peeking,"

"No fair, you got to see me!"

"For all of half a second!"

Anna huffed and sunk further down into the water, so that it was up to her chin. She could hear rustling behind her as Hans continued to undress and tried to focus on something else in order to distract herself. She didn't notice him behind her until he placed both hands on the side of her face, tilting her head backwards so she was looking up at the ceiling – and Hans, who was leaning over her slightly. He bent down to catch her in a kiss, his chin brushing her nose as their lips met.

"Wow," she murmured, gazing up at him once he had released her lips. He was just as handsome upside down, if not more so. He grinned lazily down at her, making her heart flip.

"Move forward," he said, rubbing at her shoulders.

"What?" She'd assumed Hans would be getting in the opposite side of the tub, but come to think of it, this might be a better idea.

"You heard," he poked her in the back "Scoot,"

Anna shifted forward, creating a space behind her for him to slip into. She felt him step in behind her, and slowly sink down, stretching his legs either side of her. He encircled his arms around her waist and she leaned back against his chest with a contented sigh. Anna shifted a little, trying to get comfortable - something was digging into her lower back. Wait, was that…? She turned to see Hans biting his lip, a rather pained expression on his face, which was – unsurprisingly – bright red; Anna didn't think he'd stopped blushing since he'd entered her room.

"Sorry," he sounded mortified, which only made Anna giggle.

"It's fine." She felt his chest rise as if he were about to say something but quickly interrupted "No, really, it is. I'll just move a little, okay?" Anna repositioned herself so she was a little further forward and leaning into him at a slightly steeper angle. "There! All fixed," she rubbed his forearms soothingly. He tucked her head under his chin and hummed, obviously pleased that it hadn't bothered her. They lay there in silence for a few minutes, both just happy to be held, before Hans spoke up.

"Perhaps – perhaps I could…" he seemed to be struggling to get the words out.

"Yes?" she found his hand beneath the water and grasped it, interlacing their fingers.

"Wash you?"

Anna couldn't help a small smile from playing across her lips. "Go ahead,"

Hans unhooked his hands from around her waist and reached for the sponge, briefly dunking it into the water. She watched the tendons in his hand ripple as he squeezed the excess water out, feeling as if it were her heart he was holding in his fist. He must have noticed her tense up as he stroked her side with his other hand and dropped a kiss on her head.

"Are you alright?" he whispered.

"Uh-huh," she nodded, moving her hands to rest on his knees and exhaling slowly, trying to calm her heartbeat. He brought the sponge up to her shoulder and started to rub in slow, rhythmic circles; Anna gripped his knees and bit back a moan, blushing at how quick she was to react. The hand on her shoulder faltered, then started to work its way down her back past the waterline and then around her side toward her front.

Anna flinched as she felt bare skin against her chest – the sponge bobbed in front of her, all pretence forgotten as Hans gently cupped her breast, letting out a small huff as he did so. Anna leaned into him, squirming a little – it was both comforting yet electrifying to be held in this way and she had no idea how she was supposed to react to it. She hesitantly brought a hand up to place over his own, the other reaching back to stroke at his cheek.

"Anna?"

"Hmm?" Her eyes had slipped shut, revelling in the feel of his warm body against hers in the progressively chilling water.

"You smell really good,"

She giggled self-consciously, feeling herself blush. "Thanks, but….it's probably just the bath oils. Not me at all,"

"No, this is different," he held her a little tighter. "I could smell the oils before I got in…but this is all you," he pressed into her a little, inhaling deeply and sighing as he exhaled, his warm breath ruffling her hair slightly.

Anna's heart was thumping so violently she thought it would burst right through her chest and straight into his hand. How was she supposed to reply to that? What was she supposed to do? She knew what she wanted to do – a million images flashed across her mind, forming a knot low in her belly – but there was no way she could do any of those things. At least – not yet.

"Are – are you alright?" He moved his hand away, placing it on the edge of the tub instead. "Did I say something wrong?"

He must have felt how fast her heart was beating and gotten worried. Her perfect prince, always looking out for her.

"No! No… I…er…" She scrambled to think of an excuse, though she couldn't think of anything to explain her rapid pulse. It was probably best to just get out of there, before things went too far. "It's just – the bubbles are disappearing!" It wasn't a complete lie, there were certainly a lot less suds than when they had started.

"Oh!" She felt him sit up straighter. "Right. Yes. We should – you should probably – before they disappear, I mean,"

Anna bit back a laugh at his disjointed sentences. She was glad it wasn't just her getting flustered over this whole situation. There were a lot of things she wanted to do with Hans, but was determined to wait until their wedding day – she wanted everything about that day to be absolutely perfect, and that included finally being able to have her way with him. She had to remind herself of her birthdays when she was younger – knowing what her presents were beforehand somehow spoiled everything, even if the rest of her day was perfect…but if she hadn't peeked ahead of time, unwrapping the presents at the end of the day and having a wonderful surprise greet her was always thebest feeling in the world. She just had to wait a little longer, that's all.

"I'm – um – going to get out now," She whispered, sliding forward a little.

"Oh!" he exclaimed again. "I'll uhm – yes," He cleared his throat and put his hands over his eyes.

"And no looking before I say it's okay this time!" she scolded gently, getting to her feet.

"That was an accident!" he huffed.

"Well I don't want you to accidentally do it again!"

He didn't reply, save for a small harrumph, causing Anna to bite her cheek so she wouldn't laugh. She stepped out of the bath and picked her discarded towel up from the floor. She frowned, realising Hans would need one too. Wrapping the towel around herself, she made her way over to her drawers, hoping she could find one there. She grabbed her robe and put it on over the towel, securing the ties.

"You can look now, if you want. I'm just gonna find you a towel of your own." She rummaged in a few drawers, hoping there was at least one spare.

"Found one!" She called triumphantly, holding it aloft.

"It's not doing much good over there, is it?" He laughed.

"You better think twice about laughing at me, mister, or you'll be walking back to your own room stark naked after I throw all your clothes out of the window,"

He sat up a little straighter, his eyes mischievous. "In that case I wouldn't leave. I'd stay here and tell the servants in the morning a sob story about how you lured me in here under false pretences and stole my clothes!"

"You wouldn't dare!" She giggled.

"And you wouldn't dare throw my clothes out of the window," He leaned back, hands behind his head. He seemed a lot more self-assured now that she was covered up again.

"Maybe I would," She licked her lips nervously. "If it meant you would stay,"

He froze, his face slipping into that same dazed expression from when they met at the docks.

"S-stay? Uh…" He seemed to be at a loss for words, rubbing his neck as he stared at the floor. "Is that…a good idea?"

"Not to – do anything!" Anna explained quickly. "I just… want…need…" She let out a frustrated huff, wishing she were better at articulating her thoughts. "I don't want to be alone tonight…I want to wake up in the morning and see your face. I can wait until our wedding for a lot of things…but not this," She hugged the towel to her chest and looked over to him, waiting for a reaction.

He'd been staring at her, wide-eyed, but his expression softened as he smiled. "If it means so much to you, how could I possibly refuse? And to be honest," his gaze slid to the side in embarrassment. "I was hoping you'd ask,"

She felt a grin spread across her face at his words, a pleasant feeling spreading through her at his acceptance. Even though she and Elsa had reconciled, Anna couldn't help the little high she still felt when people agreed to spend time with her.

"Uh – the towel?" He laughed nervously. Anna realised she'd been holding it against her, smiling at him like an idiot.

"Oh, yes! The towel, right!" She padded over to the tub and passed it to him, blushing. "I'll go wait behind the screen. I need to change into my nightgown anyway,"

It took a lot of willpower to not peek out from behind the screen when she heard Hans get out of the bath, but thankfully Anna had managed to get herself half-stuck in her nightdress, making any spying impossible. She initially saw this as a stroke of luck, but when further struggles to release herself proved fruitless, she found herself blind and cursing at a piece of fabric. She supposed she was overdue making a fool of herself in front of her fiancé.

"Hans!" She called desperately. "Can you come here for a minute? I'm – er – stuck,"

"Stuck?" She heard his voice grow closer. "How could you have gotten-?" He broke off, evidently seeing for himself just how exactly she'd managed it.

"Oh…Anna," She heard before he started to laugh.

"It's not funny!" She turned in the direction of his laughter. "Just get me out of here!"

"Ok, ok! Just give me – a second!" She heard him start to wheeze.

"No, right n-" she was interrupted by a loud crash, then…silence.

"Hans?"

He started laughing again, this time even louder than before. It might have been her imagination, but his voice seemed to be coming from somewhere a lot lower than before.

"Hans? What happened?"

"I – I –" he gasped in between bouts of laughter. "I leaned on the screen…and it fell over.I fell over,"

Anna snorted, imagining the sight they'd both make, were someone to walk in them right now; him sprawled out on the floor, and her stuck in a nightgown. The thought was too much, and she doubled over in mirth. Unfortunately, Anna was unable to move her arms to steady herself and toppled over, landing on Hans.

"Oof!" The both cried out, Hans probably a little more winded than she.

"Are you alright?" He asked, still chuckling.

"I would be, if you'd actually help instead of just laughing!" Her attempt to sound cross was ruined somewhat by her giggling, but it made Hans sit up and finally help her locate the elusive neck and armholes of her nightgown.

"I can seeee!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands up in mock celebration. "Wait. What are you wearing?"

"Well, I didn't want to sleep in my clothes, so I, er, made do," He grinned, spreading his arms wide. "Do you like it?"

He'd found a spare bed sheet somewhere and had draped it around himself; Anna fancied he looked quite like the pictures of Romans she'd seen in some of the books in the library.

"You look ridiculous!"

"At least I won't get stuck in it," he snickered, the punch on the arm she gave him doing nothing to stop him. She rolled her eyes and started to clamber off him.

"Oh, no you don't!" He snagged her in his arms and stood, holding her against his chest. Anna snuggled into him, delighting in being picked up; she always felt so safe in his arms.

"I think it's bedtime, don't you?" He was grinning playfully, but she couldn't miss how red his ears had become. He made his way over to the bed, tossing her onto it once he was close enough.

"Some prince you are!" She giggled as she bounced on the plush mattress.

"Excuse me, my manners are impeccable!" He crawled into the bed next to her, flashing her a smile. She burrowed into his chest, a sleepy sigh escaping her lips.

"I'm really glad you decided to stay,"

"Jinx," he mumbled, bringing his hand up to stroke her hair.

"You can't jinx if you didn't say it!" She would have pulled away to challenge him, had his hand in her hair not felt so good.

"But I was thinking it!"

"Still doesn't count!" she pouted, absent-mindedly caressing his sideburns.

"If you say so," he rumbled, eyes slipping shut. Anna felt herself drifting off as well, soothed by the rhythmic breathing of her fiancé.

"Hans?"

"Mmm?" One eye cracked open, peering down at her quizzically.

"I love you," she sighed.

"Jinx again," he muttered sleepily, linking his finger with hers.