Anna is a popular girl. She's fun and likeable – Elsa is the girl who hates attention so she kind of just hides out the back of the class, observing.

Elsa is an observer. She knows, for instance, that as much as she denies it, Rapunzel has it deep for Flynn (or Eugene) (they're actually going out for dinner on Friday – Valentine's Day). She knows that Merida got exactly a 14.8 on the latest pop quiz, purely from the look on her face when she read the number.

She also knows that Anna, the freckled red-head in the front row, has a deep (if secret) love for Pokémon, and is definitely not completely hetero, if the lingering looks at a few of the other girls were anything to go by. Elsa also knows that Anna recently broke up with her dick-wad of a boyfriend, Hans, and Elsa is 99% positive that she is going to go for it.

After all, it is Valentine's Day.

But she needs this one to be special, for herself and for Anna, if she's going to have any kind of chance.

Because Elsa is mostly invisible. Like, say, 90% invisible about 73% of the time. But she's not unknown or unheard of. She had to work with Anna on a project only a few short months ago. The girl was a little spacey, but that was okay because she was fun. And she still pulled her work and helped Elsa get an 87 (which, if Elsa were completely honest, was the best result she'd had in that class).

So, Anna knew of Elsa, and Elsa knew she had a chance, if nothing else. And she was tired of not taking advantage of them.

So, she put the skills she'd learnt as a lonely child to use, creating complex origami snowflakes, ranging in size and style, and tucking them inside a little envelope. She wrote small messages on each flake, ranging from "I love your laugh" to "u + me + chocolate?"—and yeah, it was cheesy, but Elsa didn't mind. Because she did like Anna's laugh (and if the girl could do so at Flynn and his horrid puns, then cheesiness was the least of her concerns).

Turns out, she was right.

"Elsa, was it?" Anna asked that Friday, a grin on her face (and Elsa's name on her lips only caused her own smile to shine through, if a bit… subdued).

Elsa would be lying if she said she'd ever participated in Valentine's Day.

She swallowed her nerves and took a step forward, ready to give Anna her card. She didn't expect to be jostled out of the way by an auburn-haired boy (Hans, she realised with no small amount of disgust). Perhaps the worst thing was that he had a giant teddy-bear in his hands, and a box of chocolate almost as large. He handed both to Anna before beginning what would have undoubtedly been a fantastic and tear-inducing speech, had Anna not ripped open the chocolate and poured it on the ground.

Obviously her dislike of Hans outweighed her love of chocolate. Hans didn't stick around after that.

Slowly, Elsa approached Anna again. She had a small smile (an attempt to seem sympathetic about what had just occurred) (and an attempt only because she had not idea how she should actually be feeling about it all).

"Sorry about that," Anna muttered, not looking particularly happy. Actually, she was looking at the ground, and Elsa had to bite back a smile when she realised the red-head was looking at the chocolates.

Maybe I should have bought those nice ones from Oaken's, she thought to herself, allowing the pleasant image of feeding Anna expensive truffles to invade her imagination. She came back to herself just as Anna was finishing speaking.

"…pile," said the red-head, and Elsa had to force herself not to physically shake her head to clear it of its previous thoughts.

"Pardon?" she asked, blinking. Anna let out a small snort of laughter, grinning easily.

"I said you can just put that card on the pile—that is, assuming it's for me? I've had the same kid come up to me three times, all with cards from different people to give to me. They're too embarrassed and it's adorable."

Elsa felt her smile slide off her face as Anna's words sunk in. She glanced down at the card in her hands, forcing her lips to curl up and against the way her heart seemed to be sinking to her shoes, forcing everything else down with it. Goosebumps rose on the backs of her arms and she gave a small shiver.

"Wha- oh, yeah, this?" she said, trying not to let her voice break, even though it was so hard talking around the lump that had formed there. "Yeah, some guy asked me t-to give it to you and I agreed coz why not? He felt a little- a little embarrassed coz you'd already g-gotten so many." Keeping up her smile for a few more seconds, she stepped forward to place her card neatly on the top of the (now she looked at it), frankly ridiculous pile.

"I'll see you around," she forced out, making herself look at Anna for the requisite 'polite' amount of time before turning around to take her seat at the back of the classroom.

She didn't look up from her table all lesson. It's not like she would have been able to see anything, anyway.

"Holy shit, Feistypants. How many hearts did you break this year?"

Anna grinned at Kristoff's language, stretching her arms up and lying back against the grass of the football field. She could feel spring in the air, only a few short weeks away, and the strengthening sun had a way of filling her up with happiness, too. Also, the sound of Kristoff going through all her cards was a pleasant feeling, too. He'd received at least one, she knew (and it was probably a genuine one, considering how he couldn't stop smiling all day) (…was it wrong of Anna to be envious that he'd gotten one from someone who actually cared? Who was probably game enough to approach him, too, and not get someone else to do it?)

"Like, fifty-six," she said, quirking a grin. "Psh, it's not like they actually care. I got that many cards and I bet that no one actually cared that I said no or whatever. Suddenly, coz-

"Anna?"

"-I dump the biggest jerk—who also happens to be hot—I'm like… popular. People musta-"

"Hey, Anna…"

"-been waiting for someone to put him in his place ages-"

"Oi, shut up!"

Kristoff's exclamation certainly managed to get Ana to stop talking, and she shot him a curious glance.

"What?"

His mouth was curled as though he'd just taken a bite out of a lemon, and wordlessly, he handed Anna an envelope from her exorbitant pile. She took it and dismissed it straight away.

"What?" she asked again. "Some kid asked Elsa to give it to me. He wouldn't be the first one…"

Kristoff rolled his eyes. "Did you actually read any of these?" he asked. He groaned when Anna shook her head. "If you only read one, make it that one."

Intrigued, Anna flipped open the flap. She was half-expecting to see one of those horrid shop-bought cards that have no personality (or the terrible Tumblr-cards that make her want to crack up or die).

She wasn't expecting to have a literal pocketful of snowflakes. Curious, she picked one up. They were origami, done in a pale, icey-blue colour. One side was blank, but when she flipped it over, written in the neatest handwriting she'd ever seen, lay the message, "Love from Starmie to Staryu". Anna snorted softly at the joke, pulling out a second snowflake.

"I wanna Raichu a love song", it read, and Anna couldn't keep the smile away.

This card felt different. It felt personal. It… didn't seem like the type of card you'd ask a stranger to give the recipient.

Reaching in, she pulled out the biggest snowflake in the envelope.

Anna, it said, I don't know if you remember me, but I remember you. Forgive me if this comes off as slightly creepy, but I can't forget you. Your smile brightens my day and your laugh is better than any melody I could listen to. I… confess I enjoyed your company during out assignment, and was sad to see it end. I hope you would consider me to be your Valentine, because the spirits know I want you to be mine.

Sincerely… your Elsa.

Anna glanced up at Kristoff. She remembered Elsa, with her smile after Hans had stormed off. Kristoff had a similar one on his face now. Sympathy, pity, empathy…

"Fuck," she murmured. "Just… fuck."

originally posted on tumblr and inspired by an otpprompts post. the beginning has been edited from that to make it fit more into the style of 'story' and not 'continuation of prompt'. may or may not continue this (marking as complete for the time being) but definitely not for the next month. expect zero updates on anything else until june 20 at the earliest. Might try and get something out for june 17 (a birthday fic for myself) but no promises.

as always, thank you, and I hope you enjoyed this :)