And here is the promised update! It's even a bit longer than usual, so does that make up for all the missed months? No? Ok, I'm still sorry. D:
Anyway, since the poll I put up on my profile still hasn't gotten many results, I tried to leave the relationship status between two certain swimmers a little ambiguous. Okay, that's a lie; there's a bunch of innuendos and vague references to Makoto and Haru being in a relationship. But it's not concrete yet so please go vote on the poll!
Warnings: OOC coming out o' our ears, and I don't own Free! or Frozen. Enjoy :)
By the time the two exchange students arrived at school the next day, the main attraction of the buzz going around the student body that day once again happened to be focused on the two foreigners. Or more precisely, Elsa. She had thanked Kristoff for insisting that they buy extra uniforms when they had first transferred, but she could feel eyes on her all the way to her homeroom. Still a bit shaken from yesterday's events, she was clinging to Kristoff a little more than usual, which she initially assumed was the reason for the glances from other students. But, as the two separated to go to their respective classes, the stares left the male student and instead focused on the female. As Elsa sat at her desk, she self-consciously checked if her skirt was hiked up or if there was a tear in her blazer.
Still confused about the increase in attention toward her, Elsa decided to ask Haru if he knew anything. Well, she would've asked Haru if he'd been in his seat. The normally ever-present swimmer happened to be absent today. Elsa rose from her seat, intending to ask Makoto in the row nearby, but as if preventing her from doing so, the bell rang out. The teacher strolled into class, telling students to sit down. Compliant as always, Elsa sank back into her seat, still feeling eyes on her despite being in the back of the room. She began shifting nervously in her seat. As soon as homeroom ended, she needed to ask Makoto about what was going on.
But, thanks to a text he received in the middle of class, Makoto rushed out of homeroom, deciding to skip classes for the rest of the day. Elsa did try to slow him down for a few questions, but the brunette blurted out some half-baked excuses about having to go get Haru and that he probably won't be back for the rest of the day. Before Elsa could wrestle any answers from Makoto, he'd already slipped out the classroom doors. Oh lovely, Elsa sarcastically thought to herself, growing slightly frustrated as she once more sank into her desk.
She calmed her nerves by subtly touching an opaque plastic bag she'd placed discreetly in her desk as she came in. She could tolerate the glares for now. After all, Elsa knew they wouldn't be here for much longer.
After excusing herself from the poetry club with the same polite airs as always, Elsa made her way to the swimming pool. In her arms, she carried the same plastic bag she'd had in her desk the whole day. She swung open the gate to the enclosure and smiled as she saw Kou lounging on one of the deck chairs.
"Hello, Elsa!" The redhead stood up. "The guys should be just about done changing." With a grin – that seemed slightly mischievous, or was that just Elsa's imagination? – Kou motioned to one of the nearby chairs for the blond student to sit. "So, what's in the bag?"
Placing herself gently onto the plastic chair, Elsa softly smiled and replied, "Just a little something for the swim club."
"The whole swim club?" Kou waggled her eyebrows. "So including Haru?"
"Yes, of course." Elsa seemed a little surprised by the question, then remembered Kristoff's frequent interactions with Haru that were unpleasant to say the least. It would be natural – although they would be mistaken to think so – for others to assume that both foreign exchange students developed a disliking toward Haru. "In fact, Kristoff and I made this with Haru in mind," Elsa admitted. Yes, it would be better to let other students know that despite what's happened, she and Kristoff still wanted to be friends with Haru.
"Is that so?" Kou could barely manage to maintain her excitement. "Both you and Kristoff? Or was it mainly just you?" Maybe the foreign exchange student just needed a little nudging to admit her affection.
Elsa paused. "Well, yes, I must admit I was the one who did most of it." Surely she could confide a small secret in Kou: Kristoff did nothing to help except read the instructions while she did all the manual labor.
The redhead coach was grinning like a maniac by now. But before either of the two girls could continue, a burst of honey-blond energy exploded from the locker room. Nagisa bounded across the deck in his swimsuit, cap and goggles in hand.
"ELSA-CHAN!" the second-year student leaped at the blond girl, smothering her in a patented Nagisa hug, legs included. "Is Kristoff here yet?"
"Don't run in the pool area!" Rei followed after to pry the energetic Nagisa off the visibly uncomfortable Elsa.
After a minute of detaching Nagisa, Elsa chuckled and replied, "Kristoff went to the nurse to make sure his ankle was alright to swim with. He … slipped on some stairs a few nights ago."
"OH NOES, KRISTOFF-CHAN -"
"Alright enough socializing," Kou interrupted, standing up from her chair with a clipboard. "Time to practice. Today's training regime will be– …wait, where's Haru and Makoto?"
"Oh? They're not here?" Rei looked back toward the locker rooms. Nagisa shaded his eyes with his hand and pretended to scope around the area for the two other members.
Kou shrugged. "Haru probably forgot something in his house again and wanted Makoto to come over to help him. Or Makoto asked Haru to help deliver his groceries in the back of his house. Or Haru needed Makoto's help picking out a swimsuit. You know how those two are." The group nodded in agreement before Kou sent Nagisa and Rei to the pool for their warm up. Meanwhile, the two girls settled back into their chairs to observe the practice.
"So, Elsa," Kou began, turning to face said girl. "I haven't had much of a chance to really talk with you yet. What do you think of Iwatobi so far? You've been in Japan for about a month now, right?"
The blond twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "Oh, I think it's a lovely little town, and all the people are so nice. I'm truly glad Kristoff and I were able to transfer here." Elsa knew she would have to lower her defenses if she wanted to blend in with the other students, but at the same time, she needed to be careful of how much she said. What would be a good, safe topic to discuss…? "So, Ko – er, Matsuoka-san – do you have any siblings?"
"Just Kou is fine. And yes, I have a sibling two years older than me, who goes to another school. Matsuoka Rin."
"Oh, I see. Is she in a swimming club as well?"
"He. Rin's actually a he. And, yup, my brother loves swimming almost as much as Haru-senpai. What about you, Elsa?"
"I have a younger sister, Anna, but she wasn't able to transfer with me because of a job she couldn't quit. I guess you could say she's very devoted to her line of work."
"Whoa, that's amazing." Kou could swear that she admires Elsa and her associates more and more each day. "So, is Kristoff-kun not related to you?"
"Kristoff? Oh, no, he's just a good family friend. Well, at least, for now. Actually, you see," Elsa paused, feeling a grin spread over her flushed cheeks and her heart swell with pride. "He's engaged to my sister. They're having the ceremony in November."
Kou squealed, clasping her reddening cheeks in her hands. "Eeeeek! How romantic! I'm so happy for Kristoff and your sister! Although, between you and me…" The redhead manager leaned closer to Elsa cupping her hand against the side of her mouth. "If word of this got out, Kristoff will be breaking a lot of hearts if you know what I mean."
The blond student threw back her head laughing. "As expected of him! He's lucky Anna doesn't get jealous easily!"
Elsa and Kou continued their pleasantries long after Nagisa and Rei had finished their warm up and Kristoff had come down to the pool to join them. The bubbly muscle fanatic and the queenly exchange student got along so well, it was as if they'd been friends since they were children. But after about fifteen minutes, Nagisa was again sent bounding across the deck as the pool gate swung open and two more students joined them.
"HARU-CHAN! MAKO-CHAN! WE MISSED YOU!" Nagisa tackled the two latecomers, with Rei following behind as always to try to calm Nagisa down. "WHOA HARU YOU GOT A LOT OF BUG BITES ON YOUR NECK!"
Finally managing to hold Nagisa back, Rei eyed the two upperclassmen friends. Their interactions had seemed a little turbulent ever since Kristoff had inadvertently upset Haru and created an apparent rift between Makoto and him. But now, the two seemed as close to each other as always with Haru's usual poker face and Makoto grinning from ear to ear. Well at least they managed to come to a compromise of some sort, Rei though contentedly. They really are simply great friends.
"It's about time you two showed up!" Kou stood up, placing her hands on her hips as the four swimmers went back toward the pool. "Although practice certainly didn't wait for you, poor Elsa had to!"
"What? Oh, no, I was fine really – "
"Don't you know you're never supposed to make a lady wait? HARU?" Kou directed her attention on the black-haired boy currently giving her a blank stare. "Oh and Makoto too." Said brunette smiled sheepishly and apologized for being late.
As Kou continued her lecture, Haru tuned her out and shifted his gaze to the blond girl still sitting in the deck chairs behind the manager. He locked eyes with her and nodded in acknowledgement. Meanwhile, Elsa twitched a bit at both the slightly rude greeting and the sudden focus of the swimmer that had kept the two foreign exchange students on their toes thus far. She and Kristoff were still unsure of the apathetic-appearing Haru's motives and still felt uneasy around him. Hopefully, today would improve their encounters to be a bit more positive.
Elsa made eye contact with Kristoff, who made his way over to the group from the pool. Meanwhile, she gently stood up, holding the opaque plastic bag in her arms. "Pardon me, Kou, but would it be all right if I gave this to everyone now?" she asked, gesturing to the object in her hold.
"Oh, right, right!" Kou eagerly side-stepped out of the way, creating a clear path from Elsa to Haru. "Here, you should personally deliver it to Haru-senpai!"
The blond girl's cheeks flushed slightly, a tad surprised that she would be giving it directly to someone. Nonetheless, she straightened her posture and walked down the pathway created to stand in front of Haru. With the swim club's attention on her, Elsa slid the bag off her gift to reveal a large plastic tupperware containing a warm, golden-brown tart with vibrant red filling peeking through a latticed pattern. Haru's bright blue eyes widened from the sight of it.
"It's Fyrstekake," Elsa explained, trying to contain her pride as she carefully handed it over to Haru. She'd spent two nights making this, so it would only be natural to feel a little self-satisfaction from her success.
"Fish-the-WHAT?" Nagisa exclaimed, not even trying to suppress his giggling.
"Fyrstekake," Kristoff repeated, placing a stern hand on Nagisa's head. "It's a traditional dessert from our country."
As Kristoff produced a knife and plates to serve it with, Elsa clarified the ingredients, saying it had a rich almond flavor and a special raspberry filling made from regional Japanese wine berries. The swim club happily dug in, all the while thoroughly enjoying the taste and complimenting Elsa on her dessert. Rei gushed about its beauty both in appearance and flavor, and Nagisa requested a second serving, then a third, then a fourth. Kou simply melted over the sweet homemade raspberry filling and pastry, and Makoto eagerly ate up his portion.
However, even while humbly accepting the praise from the club members, Elsa was paying close attention to Haru's reaction throughout the ordeal. She'd noted first that he was actually visibly impressed by both the visual and gustatory appeal of the tart. But most importantly, she'd noted the crucial interaction of Kristoff handing a piece of the tart to Haru. Although she'd initially worried that Haru would bitterly decline a portion if it was coming from his hated peer, he'd only hesitated for a moment before gladly taking the plate and mumbling a thank you. Kristoff had offered a warm smile in response, which the swimmer reciprocated with a nod – that was probably his equivalent of another person's smile.
Elsa reveled in the thawing relations between the two boys. As she took small bites of her piece of tart, she looked on in Haru's direction with a genuine, cheerful expression clear on her face. All of which was being discreetly captured on Kou's smart phone resting in full viewing of the peaceful scene.
Hey, I actually had to do research (read: just Googling stuff) for this part. So Fyrstekake is also known as Norwegian Royalty Cake, which I found fitting since Frozen's setting was based on Norway and Elsa and Anna are obviously royals. The specific recipe I referenced can be found here: ( ). The pronunciation is FISH-deh-kakah, which in my immature mind sounded like "fish the c**k eh, which is why I wrote Nagisa to be so amused when Elsa said it.
If I made any mistakes, please message me or leave a review noting it, and I'll fix it ASAP. Please R&R and thank you for reading!
The next update may take a few weeks but not a few months this time, I promise.