"What are you doing?"
Kristoff leaned casually against a nearby tree with his arms crossed over his chest and his legs at the ankle. Anna barely met his eyes when he winked, and the tent she had been frustrated with for far too long imploded in an instant. She wanted to crawl inside the flaccid tent and camp out there for the rest of her life, even if it meant never seeing him again.
She really couldn't blame him for finally forcing a conversation, considering she basically ignored him after all but confessing her feelings for him and then immediately breaking up with her boyfriend. Not for him, but because of him. And he knew it. But he could have picked some other time when she was doing anything even slightly less embarrassing.
It was bad enough that he now knew just how little Northuldran she could speak, especially compared with how much she should be able to speak, but now he had also witnessed her inability to do something so simple as setting up a tent on her own. She proved herself to be way more Arendellian trying too hard to be Northuldran than anything else, and she was mortified.
She covered her boiled, puffy cheeks, and stole a glance at him from the side. His eyes and jaw dropped, and his arms and legs uncrossed, but she didn't want his sympathy.
"Setting up this tent," she said with a stiff upper lip as she leaned two poles against each other. Then she glared at him sideways, and said sternly, "And I had it under control, until-"
The tent poles she thought she had finally gotten to stay fell down right in front of her, and she groaned.
She turned to Kristoff with her hands on her hips, and stared him down. "Until you came over here to distract me."
He crossed his arms and his lips curled up just slightly. "So I'm a distraction."
Anna tightened her lips and stared fiercely at his smugness before setting the pair of tent poles against each other again. They were about to collapse again, so Kristoff swooped in from behind her to hold them in place.
"I don't need you-"
She accidentally breathed in his scent, and closed her eyes. It was a pine, a light sweat, and even something a little sweet, and it reminded her of the Northern Mountains. Every time the ice harvesters returned home, they'd have a feast of cured fish and the fresh berries that poke out of the melting winter snow. And the kids lined up to get tiny ice cubes to melt onto their tongues, the purest, best tasting water Anna's ever had. She had forgotten until Kristoff reminded her.
She absentmindedly leaned the back of her head into Kristoff's chest, and sighed.
He shifted one of his hands to hold both poles. Then he held onto one of Anna's braids at the base and slowly stroked until he got to the end. He brushed the pointy end of her braid against her chin so slowly that it titillated more than it tickled. He ducked his head to her ear, and his tone changed to intimate teasing. "Is that why you didn't ask for help? I'm a distraction?"
"What!? No!" she scoffed and pushed herself away from him.
She couldn't hide her red cheeks when his eyes bored into her, as if he'd never been more right.
"Um, everyone was just busy, and," she fumbled as she began searching for the next set of poles, "and this woman was tired." She found idle things for her hands to do, and she looked everywhere but at Kristoff until she flashed her eyes shyly at him to say, "I just didn't want her to have to wait."
Kristoff sighed, and said, "You know I would have stopped what I was doing to help you."
"I know, but-"
"But you didn't want to ask me," he said with folded arms and hooded eyes.
"But, that's not-"
He rolled his eyes, and said, "You'd rather assemble it incorrectly five times?"
A new wave of warmth immediately covered her face, and she raised her hands to her cheeks to hide instead of defending herself. "Oh. You saw that?"
Kristoff tipped his head sympathetically, and said with a shrug, "It's not a big deal, Anna." Then he smiled wide enough that she could see the gap from his missing teeth, and winked. "It's just a tent."
Anna's smile spread, along with the redness on her face that never seemed to go away when he was around.
"You know, I never set a tent up on my own before I came to Corona. It's always something people do together in the Northern Mountains. And if you want to know the truth," he said conspiratorially, "Our tents are a lot less complicated."
Anna giggled with her lips closed, turned her chin towards her shoulder, and looked at Kristoff playfully, but shy.
Kristoff's demeanor brightened, and his smile turned lopsided. "Ok. So," he clapped his hands together, then rubbed them excitedly. "First…"
He organized all of the parts in front of the tent. He turned to her, and adjusted his hat. Then he smiled affectionately. "Welcome to School of Kristoff," he said with another wink.
Anna couldn't help the full, toothy smile that took over her face. Seeing him so light, and enjoying his new life, his time with her, she decided to encourage him as much as possible. She set out to be the teacher's pet, and she did her best to pay attention as he patiently explained all the parts of the tent and the order they needed to be assembled.
But he was a distraction. His t-shirt was too big on him, but the way it clung to the developing muscles on his chest, and the way his shoulders flexed beneath his sleeves every time he hammered in a stake to the ground made her knees shake. He had filled out quite a bit since coming to Corona, and even more since working at the refugee camp. Anna was more than a little distracted watching everything come together right under her nose.
She was disappointed when they finished, but she had a strong sense of satisfaction in their job well done. It felt right building the tent together, working in comfortable silence while stealing glances and smiles gifted by Ahtohallan, but it also felt like more than just a tent, as Kristoff said. It felt like a partnership.
Suddenly remembering the reason they set up the tent, Anna searched the crowd for Alex and the tired Arendellian woman. Alex puckered up and kissed the air to tease her when he noticed Kristoff was helping her, but the Arendellian woman wasn't sitting next to him anymore. Anna put her hands on her hips, and glared at her little brother like only a big sister can. He shrugged his shoulders before grinning wider. Anna would have taken the staring contest further, but she had better things to do.
Flustered, he turned suddenly, and tripped on a tent string as she lifted her foot, landing right on Kristoff's chest.
He held onto her shoulders until he righted her, then immediately backed away.
"Sorry, Anna. I didn't see you," he said nervously in Coronan while he adjusted his hat.
"It's ok, Kristoff. Thank you." She felt even more flustered when he didn't blink. "I mean, um, thank you for your help. With the tent."
"Anna," he said as he looked up towards his hat. Then he lowered his eyes, and said desperately, "I'm a little confused. Um. Well. I guess I still don't understand."
"What?" Anna blinked in shock. The ground beneath her disappeared, and the world spun around her. She actually hut him by keeping him at arms length, which was so much worse than him rejecting her. She took a deep breath, and asked as calmly as she could, in case she was wrong, "What do you mean?"
He offered a half smile, while shyly adjusting his hat again. "Why didn't you come to me? About the tent. The real reason."
She pulled at one of her braids, and said quietly, her brow furrowed with contrition, "Because. Hmm. It's not because of you. It's because..."
She bit her lip, hoping he wouldn't make her say it.
"Anna, you can tell me anything. You can trust me."
Anna looked to the side because she couldn't risk the seeing the derision most likely plastered to his face. But a quick glance revealed how devastated he was prepared to be, and Anna couldn't allow that.
She stood taller to protect him, and said, "It's because Northuldran women are strong and independent, and-"
Kristoff smiled and stroked her cheek with his thumb. He tucked his lower lip in, and took a deep inhale through his nose. He lifted his shoulders, and relaxed them with an affectionate sigh. "You mean like you?"
Anna blushed and looked away. He captured the other side of her face and gently tugged it back so she'd have to look at him.
"Please don't look away, Anna. There's no need to hide yourself from me."
She covered his hands with hers, and chastised, "Kristoff-" but a small laugh interrupted her.
"Am I saying your name wrong or something?" she asked, a little annoyed, and removed his hands from her face, but not letting go of his wrists. "You always laugh when I say it."
He shook his head. "Uh-uh. No. No, it's just...It's just been so long since I've heard it, you know? Before you."
He looked away coyly and wiggled a hand free before adding, "I actually wish you'd say it more, to be honest. Exactly like that."
Anna waited for a wink that never came. The corners of her cheeks spread mischievously across her face, and she said his name again.
His lips stretched tight, and there was a new glimmer in his eyes inviting her to share in its glow. She stepped a little closer.
He guided her chin up as a hand following along a stair banister. She closed her eyes, then pressed a cheek into one of his hands. She let out a quiet gasp when his eyes were waiting for hers to open.
"You remind me of home, Anna," he whispered.
She grinned, and playfully tugged at the hem of shirt, walking him backwards into the tent.
She moved her hands to the back of his neck, and took another step closer to him. His head tilted down so they never lost eye contact while she lifted her heels to balance on her toes.
She folded her lips into his and held tight until she fell back to her heels, and his lips never left hers. Their kiss was slow, and wanting, every action more intense than the one before. She felt so adored the way he lightly scratched at her scalp and tickled her neck, not for a second wondering whether his hands had somewhere they'd rather be. And she felt worshiped, as though this was the main event and not a way point to getting what he really wanted. This was what Kristoff wanted right now, and he was taking it very seriously. Kissing Kristoff was a revelation, and she needed more.
He followed willingly when she finally sat down on the bedroll.
He could barely contain his smile when Anna said his name again and kissed his cheek. Her hands and lips roamed everywhere they could. She had been holding back from him for so long, and there was no reason for it.
She laid down, and he laid down next to her, unprompted. He rubbed her arms, touching every bit of skin as he could in a greedy, but respectful way.
"Anna, touching you is like… It's like you're sharing all of Ahtohallan's love with me. You're so generous."
Anna's leg flew over his hip, and Kristoff wrapped his arm around her upper back while the other pulled at her hip with so much pressure that Anna couldn't believe she actually wanted more.
"Wait, wait," he said, pulling his head back, though he didn't loosen his grip on her. "Not like this."
Anna balanced her head on her elbow, and smiled as she played with Kristoff's cheek and lips.
"It's not that I don't want this to go further. You're so…"
Anna froze. She prepared herself for the disappointment it would have been if he said she was beautiful. She didn't want to give Kristoff the well-rehearsed fake smile she'd perfected for Hans because she only ever wanted to be real with him. But she also didn't want to do anything to discourage him or make him feel guilty.
"...vibrant and enchanting."
A healthy red blossomed on her cheeks, and everything began to blur.
"You've been touched by the moon god's magic and you spend it so freely on me. I know this because I can't stop thinking about you. I haven't been able to stop since my first day in Corona. It's just…"
She drew a sweet kiss from his lips, which she trailed to the hollow behind his ear. "I'm not ready, either."
He held her closer, and she tucked her head under his chin. It was the safest she'd ever felt.
"Thank you, Anna," he kissed the top of her head, and said, "for understanding."
He said a lot of things in Northuldran as he petted her head, her neck, her back, her arms, and her hips. She closed her eyes and he adjusted himself so they fit together like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. He felt almost as comfortable as her pillow...
"Anna!"
Anna turned her head inward towards Kristoff to stay like that longer.
"ANNA!"
"No!" she said, and squeezed her arms tighter around his waste.
"But what about the old woman?" he asked.
Anna shifted her leg higher on his body, and said, "Alex found someone else to set it up when we were taking too long."
In in the distance, she heard, "She's not waking up."
Then there was another "Anna!" before Kristoff shook her off of him. She might have been offended, only she couldn't even open her eyes.
"Anna?" her father's voice asked. "Princess?"
She shot up, and stared at him in a panic. Her heart raced as she looked around the room for Kristoff. Just as she realized she was in her bed, and that Kristoff was nowhere to be found, she relaxed and fell to her back. Then Alex swung the pillow that always stood in for Kristoff, and Anna held on for dear life.
She shooed her dad and brother out of her room, and backed into the door so she could hold onto Kristoff while she replayed the dream over and over.
Today was going to be the day she finally talked to Kristoff. It didn't matter how many unopened imaginary boxes she had in her imaginary closet, or how nervous she was. She was going to do it. She was going to talk to him today.
But every time she saw Kristoff alone, her father needed her for something. And whenever the line of incoming refugees finally slowed, Kristoff was busy or talking to Sven. She was starting to get frustrated, and then towards the end of the day, she lost her nerve entirely.
She ended up telling herself that she wasn't good enough for him anyway so there really was no point. She practically slammed a folding chair into the back of her father's car.
"Oh, here, I'll help you with those."
Kristoff and his smile appeared out of nowhere, and everything magically ended up in the trunk before she even realized. Before Anna even had a chance to feel guilty for not helping, Kristoff winked at her and she forgot about her guilt and swooned instead.
"You didn't need my help, Anna," he said before slamming the trunk shut. "So thank you for letting me."
Her lips stretched, just happy to have a chance to talk to him. "Kristoff," she asked coyly. "Do tents have any kind of significance in Northuldran culture?"
He smiled, and let out a puff of air while he put his hands on his head. "I don't know. I guess they keep us safe in the wilderness. Usually we build them together, you know, like with the other people in our group, with family, that kind of thing."
Anna pushed her lips to the side, then asked, "So there's nothing... romantic about them?"
Kristoff turned bright red, and blinked several times, before asking, "What?"
"Never mind," she said, and her lips curled up in mischief. "It's just a tent."