A/N: Originally posted to my tumblr.

It wasn't a secret that Anna didn't always think things through. She preferred to jump right into things and let the chips fall where they may. Like that one time Eugene had dared her to ride her bike down Death Mountain Lane (a notoriously steep hill) without her helmet and she, in her foolish pride, had accepted. Or that one time she had snuck onto the grounds of de Vil manor after being challenged and mercilessly teased by Ronno; both times had ended with her in bandages. However, this time she really did wish she had stopped to actually think and look at the place she had suggested for her and Elsa's first date.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. That's the last time I take Eugene's recommendation for a hook-up spot.

In hindsight she should have realized something like this would have happened. Her childhood friend had always had a fondness for dingy, rugged lunch places.

Horace and Jasper's was one such place.

While not a junkyard per se, the dining area left much to be desired. For the most part it looked like a run-of-the-mill street corner cheap burger joint, but the décor was old and dusty with tattered leather booths and rickety wooden seats. The tiled floor was strangely sticky in some places and it also looked as if the place hadn't been cleaned thoroughly in months. Anna was sure she had spotted something unsavory clinging to the back table. It smelled odd too.

The redhead sunk into the wall (far, far away on the other side, away from whatever it was on that one table). She could feel heat creeping up her neck as Elsa calmly scanned the menu items, trying to decide what she should get. Anna had stated since she was the one who had offered the date, she felt it fair that the blonde choose what to eat.

Currently, Anna was too preoccupied with her own thoughts to even think of what to pick anyways.

I should have brought her to some place nice. I should've invited her to a fancy restaurant or maybe we could have watched a movie together. That would have been great for a first date! And a lot less dirty. Maybe we could have just gone sight-seeing or something. Something expensive. Somewhere expensive. Somewhere not here.

Anna curled into the wall deeper, hands in her pockets. Her face was completely red now and her lip threatened to split under her gnawing tooth.

Instead I take her out on a date to a cheap burger joint. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Do two specials sound good to you?"

"Huh?"

Anna jerked her head up. Elsa was staring at her curiously, bright blue eyes slightly worried.

"I said, do two specials sound good to you?"

"Oh, uh yeah sure! That sounds great!" the redhead laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. Now she had been caught staring moodily at the ground.

Great way to make your date nervous Bjorgman. Absolutely perfect.

Elsa frowned slightly before turning back to the counter, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"How about drinks first?"

Anna, who had returned to staring at the floor, jumped a bit. "Wha? Oh sure, whatever you're comfortable with."

Elsa smiled slightly and asked, "Okay, what's your preference?"

The redhead gazed up at the beverage list, biting her lip. "I'll take a strawberry-lemonade."

Elsa's smile grew slightly larger as her eyes darted up to look at Anna's hair. I wonder if that's just a coincidence. Humming, she said, "Then an iced tea for me. Could you find us some seats?"

Anna straightened and saluted, "Can do!" Preferably far away from that one table.

The blonde finally walked up to the counter and ordered, while Anna turned around and looked over for the nicest, cleanest, and coziest spot she could find near the corner windows.

After a few minutes, their drinks were ready and Elsa grabbed them. As she was picking up the tray, there was a loud crash from the back. The blonde stared, catching the sight of a thin man arguing with a stout one in the back.

"You ordered the wrong meat you stupid-!"

There were more crashing sounds and Elsa backed away slowly. The clerk in front of her gave her a nervous grin. She returned it somewhat and headed to their table.

I wonder why Anna chose this place. It seems so unlike her.

The shady burger joint seemed rather at odds with Anna's bright and fun-loving spirit and it befuddled her.

Elsa set the tray down at the table, opting to sit across from Anna (who chose to stare at the table instead of the floor this time) and flashed her—what she hoped was–a relaxing smile. "Drinks are here. Ready to order in a bit?"

Anna looked up and nervously grinned back, tooth still gnawing on her lip. "Sure, those two specials sound like a good idea."

A silence descended on the two, one that made both of them shift and fidget awkwardly.

What now? They both thought.

Elsa stirred her tea slowly while Anna occupied herself with drumming her fingers on the table, her drink untouched. The blonde inwardly began to curl into herself, her mind beginning to spiral in an ironically similar vein as the girl in front of her had had earlier.

What do I do? I thought we started off well. I said hi, she said hi. She seemed excited to see me earlier, but now she's not talking and that's completely unlike her. She's always a chatterbox in class. She hasn't touched her drink too.Blue eyes flicked up to stare at teal ones before flicking back down again. I'm not making her uncomfortable am I?

She steeled her thoughts and sucked in a breath.

"This place is…nice," she mumbled.

Anna's head snapped up and she stared at the blonde.

"It has a-" Elsa shifted in her seat, trying to find the right words without sounding forced, "-unique atmosphere." She flashed a pair of pearly, straight white teeth at Anna; seemingly pleased with herself.

The redhead continued to stare, eyes wide.

Elsa coughed and glanced back down at her tea, taking a small sip. A light dusting of pink colored her cheeks.

Anna winced. She's trying to make conversation. Say something you dork!

"Oh, uh, yeah! My friend recommended it to me. He said it had great burgers at 'low, low prices.' Though really I should have known something was off when he did the whole wink-wink-nudge-nudge thing. He's not always honest about some things and I can't believe I still fall for it sometimes." Anna laughed nervously, tucking a strand of copper hair behind her ear.

No, not like that. Stop talking.

"I'm sorry! I'm not usually this quiet and awkward—well I mean I AM awkward, like all the time, b-but this is even worse than usual and I—"

Stop talking now.

"I've never dated someone like you. You're so different! Not that you're different as in weird or anything! You're the complete opposite of weird, you're always so composed in class and super prepared and you always have something intelligent to say. You're like the model student, no wonder everyone expects you to be valedictorian. So yeah I've never dated someone like you because—"

You're hopeless.

"You're so incredible! N-not that I'm the best judge or anything. I mean my track record is on the flimsy side, but you get what I mean right? What am I saying? Of course you don't. Not that I'm saying you're dumb! I think we already established you're not and I—"

Completely hopeless.

"Ugh we've only just started and this date is already a disaster," Anna moaned, letting her head drop onto the table, face burning hot.

"Pfft-"

She blinked, forehead still pressed to the table. Was that- ?Slowly, she lifted her head, teal eyes wide. Were her ears deceiving her?

Another giggle was let loose, a dainty hand vainly trying to cover it up.

Anna gaped.

"I'm sorry," Elsa said. Her icy-blue eyes were warm despite their color. Her shoulders shook as she tried to stop her laughter, succeeding only in muffling it. "I-it's just that I'm glad to see I'm not the only one nervous."

Anna grinned weakly and then straightened. She chuckled and said, "Yeah I guess that's one way to look at it. I just… I just wanted to impress you on our first date and well-" she gestured around the dim joint "-didn't turn out so well."

Elsa placed her hands on her lap and smiled, her calm exterior returning. "No, it's alright. You don't have to try so hard." Her eyes twinkled. "But it's endearing, thank you."

Anna relaxed and her cheeks rose in that familiar, ear-splitting grin. Elsa felt her own cheeks warm at the sight.

She really is very, very sweet…

Clearing her throat, the blonde glanced around. "Maybe we should go someplace else then. I have to say, I was surprised you picked this place when we first walked in. It's unique, but-"her eyes slid over to look at Anna teasingly, "it doesn't suit you very well."

Anna refrained from answering and instead took a sip of her neglected lemonade, her blush returning, but no longer from nervousness.

The teasing smile on Elsa's face grew larger. "I know this cute place just around the block. I think you'd like it."

Anna looked up from her drink and blinked at the older woman. Elsa shifted a bit, suddenly nervous. "Not that I'm saying I know you completely, but it reminds me a bit of you. It's small–not that you're really short or anything–but it's cozy and very inviting."

The redhead giggled, feeling butterflies in her stomach at seeing Elsa change from confident to shy in less than a second.

The blonde coughed and gave her a half-smile, causing the butterflies in Anna's stomach to flutter happily.

"Yeah, maybe we should," she whispered.

"They have some amazing sandwiches," Elsa said, confidence returning in her chest.

It bubbled in her chest when she saw Anna's ear-splitting grin return in full force. "I LOVE sandwiches!" the redhead exclaimed, hands shaking excitedly.

The blonde couldn't help but return her enthusiasm, smiling widely. Her blue eyes twinkled and she stood up, offering her hand to her date. "Then, shall we go?"

Anna leapt out of her seat and looped her arm through Elsa's. "Lead the way!"

They were just exiting the diner when they heard several crashes from the back.

"Now look what you've done Horace, you stupid, useless lump!"

"It wasn't my fault Jasper, it was yours!"

"Why you-!"

Anna and Elsa glanced at each other, before bursting into a fit of giggles. They walked the rest of the way huddled close, shoulders brushing.

x x x

The small deli was a stark contrast to Horace and Jasper's. Kronk's tiny little shop was small like the burger joint, but filled with a cozy, buzzing type of noise that gave the entire place a comfortable atmosphere. And it didn't smell either.

"Wait, let me get this straight-"

Elsa fixed Anna with a disbelieving look.

"You have how many brothers and sisters?"

Anna tore off a large chunk of her sandwich, her cheeks bulging, and said, "Six older brothers and five sisters. My aunt just had twins too! Don't get me started on all my cousins though. We'd be here all night otherwise!"

Elsa smiled and bit into her sandwich, chewing much more slowly than the redhead across from her. "I bet family gatherings must be a hassle."

Anna rolled her eyes and nodded, "You should see everyone on Christmas Day. Kristoff sometimes holes himself up in the back shed with Sven—that's our dog—and hoo boy does Kristoff smell weird after being out back for so long. He can't stand that many people he says, no matter how much he loves us."

"Hmm, I can understand that. I don't do very well with large crowds either. Banquets and the like were such a challenge at times back home."

Anna swallowed her bite and raised an eyebrow as she said, "Wow so you really do come from a high class family, don't you?"

Elsa gave Anna a strained smile. "Did, more like. I moved out after I applied for the university here. Though I still keep tabs on my family's company since I'm the only child."

Anna took another bite and hummed. "Why'd you apply here? Sounds like you could have afforded a really prestigious education back home."

Elsa chuckled, her eyes growing unfocused for a while. "Despite what it sounds like, my parents and I actually didn't live in our manor for most of my life. Father often chose to personally oversee several different branches in the country which meant we moved around a lot. After a while…" Her eyes misted over, as if recalling some distant memory, "I grew tired of changing places so I applied here as soon as I was old enough."

Anna paused, eyeing the blonde across her. Elsa had drawn her arms in close to her body and her shoulders had hunched up again. It seemed to be a habit she did when she was anxious. The redhead swallowed and clenched her sandwich, stomach twisting. I hope I didn't upset her.

"So, uh, what made you decide here was the best place?"

Elsa looked up and blinked. The edge of her lips twitched. "Well, the architecture program here was one of the best in the country so there was that. Also, this was one of the places I actually lived in so I knew the general area. Mostly, it's a busy place, but it's quiet enough for someone like me." Her lips formed a half smile and her eyebrows knitted together.

Anna was sure the butterflies from earlier had moved from her stomach to her heart. "So architecture's a big thing for you huh? Can I ask why that is?"

Elsa's eyes lit up in such a way that they reminded Anna of the lights in the campus theater. Her heart skipped a beat.

"I had reservations about moving so often when I was young, but I always loved seeing the new house my father chose. They were all different and I was utterly fascinated with the way each one was built. What their foundation was or how the walls and ceilings were structured. I especially loved it when Papa had us live in really tall houses. I loved picking the room that gave me the best viewpoint of every other building in the area, it made me feel as if I was on top of the world when I was a kid." The blonde paused in her excited chatter, shrugging her shoulders with a shy smile. "It sounds silly I know, but it did end up becoming the reason for my dream career."

Elsa lowered her eyes, face softening.

That and one other reason.

Anna, who had been listening with rapt fascination, stiffened. "No, no! It's fine! I don't think it's silly at all! It makes total sense to me! I mean, that on-top-of-the-world feeling is exactly the way I feel when I dream of starring in my group's plays!"

Elsa lifted her head and tilted it with a frown, platinum locks framing her face prettily, and the light from the nearby window giving them a soft glow. "I'm sorry, I'm confused. You mean you're not in your troupe's plays?"

Anna's teal eyes widened. "Wait, what? You know about us?"

Elsa blushed scarlet and sipped her drink. Wonderful Arendelle, now she'll think you're strange.

"It's just that I overheard you talking about your group during classes," she murmured, praying Anna wouldn't probe on how she had acquired that information. She'll know I was eavesdropping.

Anna grinned and leaned back in her seat, wiggling her eyebrows. "Interested huh?"

Elsa twitched and inwardly cursed her pale complexion. It made the red glow on her skin that much easier to see. The redhead laughed and waved her hand.

"It's fine, don't worry." She shrugged sheepishly, freckled cheekbones rising in that adorable manner that sent Elsa's heart pit-pattering. "Anyway, yeah, I'm not an actor in my group. I work as backup, doing whatever I can. It's mostly lights and props though I do other things." Anna paused to take another bite of her sandwiched and jokingly admitted, "I think one of the reasons they don't let me act is because they're scared of me getting into more accidents. I have a, uh, record with one of our suits of armor."

Elsa giggled. "A record you say? Then you and this knight are well acquainted? I hope I don't have competition."

Anna coughed and took a large gulp of water to swallow her bite of food. Oh wow, I can't believe how lucky I am.

"You don't have to worry about that," she mumbled.

Elsa smirked teasingly at her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. Go on."

Anna tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the light making the strawberry-blonde lock look red-gold. She blinked and smiled down at her hands, a soft look on her face. Elsa sucked in a breath, the gentle air surrounding Anna making her throat catch.

The moment suddenly felt warm and quiet.

"That top-of-the world feeling, you know? I feel that too. Sometimes, when I dream of being able to act in front of other people…when I dream of playing some dashing hero or a noble princess, I realize I don't have to be me for a little while. I can be different. I can be this shining star over the land."

Elsa's heart thumped in her chest. She swallowed thickly. She understood that. That tentative feeling…

At times like that, you didn't feel so little anymore.

A dainty hand crept along the table and with shaking fingers, clasped Anna's hand.

Teal eyes rose to meet icy-blue, shimmering faintly with—with something.

Anna smiled shyly and whispered, voice catching slightly, "Sounds silly, I know."

Elsa returned the smile with complete tenderness. "I don't think it's silly at all."

The redhead made a soft, delighted noise and turned her hand over, clutching the blonde's fingers more firmly.

Anna opened her mouth and began stammering, "I-I know we only agreed to have a lunch date, but I was wondering—I mean if you wouldn't mind that is since you're probably a very busy person because you're an architect major and all—"

Elsa bit her lip to keep any sort of adoring noises from escaping her mouth. She was quickly learning that not only was Anna a chatterbox, she was an incredibly endearing one too.

"—that if you'd want to spend the whole day together. Well, not the whole day together since we met up at two and that's like a half day over, but there's still lots of time left and I really, really like spending it with you—"

The platinum-blonde's fingers twitched and she squeezed her date's hand subtly. I like spending time with you too, she wanted to say.

"And I know this really good chocolate shop near campus so if you wanted to check it out, we could—"

Chocolate? Elsa perked up, a grin slowly spreading across her face.

"Yes."

"That is if you even like chocolate. Of course you can always say no, but I mean, its chocolate! Who doesn't like chocolate? Though I don't know, you might not; we still don't know each other well—wait what?"

Anna finally stopped in her rambling, teal eyes wide. Her mouth hung open and Elsa was reminded of a goldfish.

She giggled and stood up, pulling Anna out of her seat. "Yes Anna, I'd be happy to spend more time with you."

Anna bit her lip, eyes beginning to sparkle and her shoulders trembling in excitement. She was damn sure the butterflies in her chest had made more little butterflies. What else would be the reason for her heart fluttering?

Looping their arms together, Elsa leaned in close to Anna's ear and whispered, "I love chocolate."