#Firefighter Kristoff

[glassslippers-n-cowboyboots]

Chapter: 31/32

Fandom: Frozen (Disney Movies)

Rating: Explicit

Relationships: Anna/Kristoff

Characters: Anna, Kristoff, Elsa, Sven, Olaf

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Firefighter AU, Pregnancy, Vaginal Sex, Oral Sex, PTSD

Summary:

As a firefighter saving lives is a common occurrence for Kristoff Bjorgman. When his path crosses with Anna Andersen he realizes that he may need some saving too.

[naporiahqs]

most wanted characters from members? :)

Hi hi, what I've collected so far from our members is that we'd like to see Finn the Human, Jake the Dog and Princess Bubblegum from Adventure Time, as well anyone from A Series of Unfortunate Events, Maude Ivory Baird, Sejanus Plinth, Tigris Snow, Billy Taupe and Mayfair Lipp from The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Simon Basset, Eloise Bridgerton, Francesca Bridgerton, Benedict Bridgerton, Colin Bridgerton, Hyacinth Bridgerton, Penelope Featherington, Edwina Sharma and Mary Sharma from Bridgerton, Jennifer "J.J." Jareau, Spencer Reid, Derek Morgan, Penelope Garcia and really anyone from Criminal Minds, Casey Brinke, Cliff Steele, Niles Caulder and any other team members from DC's Doom Patrol, Anna of Arendelle, Olaf, Kristoff and Honeymaren from Disney's Frozen/Frozen II, Theon Greyjoy, Margaery Tyrell, Tyrion Lannister, Laena Velaryon, Lucerys Verayron, Jeyne Arryn and any of the Starks from Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon, Sofia Robbins Sloan Torres, Derek Shepherd, Meredith Grey, Callie Torres, Naomi Bennett, Charlotte King, Sheldon Wallace, Jake Reilly, Henry Montgomery, Andy Herrera, Jack Gibson, Victoria Hughes and any other firefighter from Grey’s Anatomy/Private Practice/Station 19, Sara Lance, Gideon, Ray Palmer and any of the Legends from DC's Legends of Tomorrow, Princess Aurora and Diaval from Disney's Maleficent, Clint Barton, Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, really any of the Avengers and May Parker from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Arthur Pendragon and Merlin from BBC's Merlin, Henry Mills, Regina Mills, Mary Margaret Blanchard, David Nolan, Rumpelstiltskin, Belle French and Zelena from Once Upon a Time, Maura Isles, Vince Korsak, Barry Frost, Frankie Rizzoli and Angela Rizzoli from Rizzoli & Isles, Hondo, Jim Street, Deacon, Erica Rogers and any of the team members from S.W.A.T., Yellow Diamond, Steven Universe and any of the Crystal Gems from Steven Universe and more Naporia Locals please!

[lostinthewoods-kristoff]

A bit of a fixer upper || Krick

@wilde-fun

One thing about Kristoff: he didn’t mind getting his hands dirty. Or any part of him dirty, for that matter. He’d grown up in the quarry, venturing out into the forest, grass stains on his knees and dirt across his palms. He had worked at the dog groomers, where he was constantly covered in dog fur and drool and muddy paw prints, and as a firefighter, well. He had tracked thick soot into his apartment more times than he could count - he definitely wasn’t getting the security deposit back.

Even on his days off, he didn’t mind it. Right now, for instance: grease and oil and grey dust smudged up his elbows, and a little across his forehead, as well, where he had forgotten his hands were dirty and had almost put his hand against his forehead to think. Nick’s van was making some kind of a noise, and Kristoff, whilst not a mechanic, could generally take a look and know if he was able to help or not. But Nick’s van was... well. It was really something.

“You’ve really had some work done on this, huh?” He asked, looking over at Nick.

(outfit)

[annaofthenorthernlights]

Sweet angel

@flufftober for day31: a sweet treat

Fandom: Frozen - firefighter AU Pairing: Kristanna (Kristoff&Anna are neighbours) Rating: G

for @thecassadilla because you deserve some fluff... 🧡

Summary: Anna is worried that her neighbour is overworked and gifts him with some treat to get him boosted…

Read on AO3

Background to this fanfic was a real tragedy of wide ranged forest fires this past summer not far from our home in Mid Germany, Europe...

[aethramusings]

i’m trying to think of what job modern verse kristoff would have , and the best i can come up with is some sort of freelance motorcycle mechanic . i also think he would spend a lot of his free time volunteering at the local food shelter because that’s what his family did ( his family being this huge group of just . found family people . )

but then the other half of me says . firefighter ? cause . cause ice . fire fighting . opposite of ice . help me it’s 2am OH MY GOD I SHOULD MAKE NOD A FIREFIGHTER NEVERMIND

[sephythespooky]

Toy Story 5 is the most unnecessary of the bunch. Hell, Toy Story 4 was unnecessary too. Frozen maybe makes sense, but idk what kind of story they would even do?

I'd welcome more Zootopia. Make the furries happy

Oh yeah. I'm with you on the toy story front, too. This is going even more overboard.

And I mean...maybe it'll be about Anna mostly? She's queen now, and she and Kristoff are married. maybe they have a magical baby and auntie Elsa has to help them learn about their powers or something?

I didn't like Frozen 2 much, but it had good music and Anna's journey particularly was very touching to see. Not that elsa's wasn't but i just hated the way things left off there. *shrug*

and YES there's so much more to be done in Zootopia's world! What were the more echoing reprecussions of the blue howlers debacle? What have Nick and Judy been up to as police partners? Speaking of, what kind of other emergency services does the city have? Can we see the adventures of a firefighter or an EMT or something if it's not focused on Nick and Judy?

[punkpoemprose]

Single Bells- A Kristanna Oneshot

Rating: G (General Audiences) Universe: Modern AU, Librarian Anna, Single Dad/ Firefighter Kristoff Length: 8239 Words

A/N: Merry (day late) Christmas Val! @val-2201 I’m sorry I got a little bit behind. As per the usual the word count got away from me a bit so I ended up needing a little time to finish, haha. You said you enjoy single parent AUs so I hope you enjoy this little piece about single Dad Kristoff needing to solicit assistance from a very nice red headed librarian!  I hope you had a wonderful holiday and that your New Year will be full of joy!

Anna wasn’t supposed to still be at work, but if there was one thing she couldn’t say no to, it was a kid with a research project. Especially a first grader with beautiful blonde ringlets dragging her frazzled looking father to the information and research desk that Anna had been staffing for the day. Normally she worked only as the children’s librarian, but since two different librarians were out on maternity leave, she’d been willing to shift gears and wear many hats.

They’d come to her desk within the last five minutes of her shift, but Anna hadn’t mentioned it. It was two weeks from the last day of school for the winter holiday, and if her suspicions were correct, the father and daughter were working on a particular project for which she’d assisted four other families in the last few days.

Teachers loved to assign festive work before the holidays, but sometimes she wondered if they really thought through the fact that heavily parent involved projects were sometimes more stress than they were fun. She'd helped quite a few families try to determine what their ancestral traditions had been. Some, she was happy to report, did have legitimate plans to include them in their celebrations after the project conclusion. That at least made her feel like some good was coming out of the stress.

“I have a presentation to do!” the little girl announced with a smile that revealed a missing front tooth.

She was dressed in the brightest green coat she'd ever seen and her little hat, that she'd already pulled away to reveal static filled curls, was made to look like a reindeer. She couldn't help but feel that this was going to be another kid who insisted upon celebrating a newfound tradition. If she was, in fact, working on that project.

Anna grinned in return, noting the child’s enthusiasm for the project she was in the library to work on. She’d said it perhaps a bit too loudly for some of the other librarians’ tastes, but for Anna there was nothing like the boisterousness of young children. She supposed there was a reason that her office and the children’s area in general had been relegated to the basement. Being upstairs still felt strange.

“That’s due tomorrow,” the father said, sounding a bit miserable but looking mostly defeated.

He had a bit of scruff to his chin, and the bags under his eyes told Anna that he probably hadn’t slept well in weeks. It was a common sight with parents around the holidays, exhaustion and uncharacteristic scruffiness. Not that she really knew whether his scruffiness was uncharacteristic, having never seen him before in his life.

“Uh oh!” Anna said, directing her attention at the child rather than the father, knowing that she was much better at working with kids than adults, “We’ve got to work fast then, huh? What’s the presentation about?”

The little girl nodded, “It’s about Christmas traditions! I told Daddy on Monday that we needed to do it, but he forgot.”

When Anna looked toward the father out of the corner of her eye, she saw him flush. It was Thursday, so she imagined that they’d had some time to complete it. She wouldn’t judge him for the timing of course, she barely could keep herself on a schedule somedays, let alone a six-year-old. She also made a conscious effort to not judge any of her patrons, even the ones who came in asking about unique topics.

She’d once had a woman come in asking for an entire book on just Guinea pig costumes, and she wasn’t sure whether she should be more concerned for her guinea pig or that the library system had not one, but six books on guinea pig costuming. Last minute project fell somewhere toward the bottom of the judgement list.

“I didn’t forget,” the dad said, sounding very tired, but not particularly upset, “I’ve just been busy, and I didn’t realize it was Thursday.”

Anna smiled and then looked at the dad, “It happens to all of us. Can you two narrow down the kind of Christmas traditions you’re looking for?”

The dad looked embarrassed again.

“She needs to pick a specific country to look up traditions from and she wants to pick the one my family’s from.”

“Oh, that’s easy enough,” Anna said with a nod, “Where is your family from, and we’ll go from there!”

“That’s kind of the problem,” the man said with a sigh, “I don’t know.”

***

They were in the children’s area, on one of the library’s iPads at one of the kid sized tables. The little girl, Ivy, was in her glory. She’d spent more time commenting on the posters on the walls and snowflakes on the ceiling than she had focusing on the task at hand, but Anna didn’t really mind. It was easy enough for her to hold a conversation with both the girl and her father as she searched for clues about the man’s heritage. Really all they had to go on was his last name.

  Bjorgman. Kristoff Bjorgman.

“I think that my parents were maybe immigrants. I was adopted when I was just a little older than Ivy, but I’d been in the system since I was maybe two or three? I don’t remember them, and I was never given any records. My birth certificate was created when I entered the system, so it doesn’t have either of their names on it. Just mine, and that was just because it had been pinned to my shirt when someone dropped me off.”

Anna couldn’t help but feel as though that was terribly sad, but the man, Kristoff, and his daughter didn’t seem phased by it. It was just another detail of life for them she supposed, but she couldn’t imagine not remembering her parents. All she had of them now was memories, and a few knick-knacks that had managed to be saved after the house fire.

She tried not to think about that though, and it was easy enough to direct her attention back to the man sitting across from her.

He was much too large for the table, and he made the child’s chair he sat in look comically small. He was handsome, and by Anna’s estimation, not much older than she was. He was maybe 26, tops, and she couldn’t imagine having a kid of her own.

“Your adoptive parents don’t know anything?”

He shook his head, “No more than I do. The information just doesn’t exist I guess.”

“She didn’t want to do her Mom’s family’s traditions?” she asked, fishing only a little bit. 

She thought that maybe given the level of flustered he seemed to be exuding might be indicative of him being a single dad. She hoped not on the one hand because that was such a difficult position to be in, but also he was the first cute dad she’d run into that wasn’t significantly older than her. So she wanted to make sure if she was ogling him in the chair it was something that she could do with a clear conscience.  

“No, and even if she did, we don’t really know anything about hers either. She’s passed on. It’s just us.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry…”

He shook his head, “It’s alright.”

He looked over at his daughter then, smiling at her softly as she pushed her little chair back and walked over to the bookshelf to grab something out of the easy reader bin. She’d looked bored for a little while and was now clearly determining that this was grown up work that she didn’t want anything to do with and therefore was free to explore.

Anna couldn’t help but grin when she saw her pluck out a Mercy Watson book. She loved those. She must be reading a little beyond her age group to be reading it for fun.

Turning her attention back to the ipad, and away from the little girl who was eagerly plopping herself into a beanbag, she looked at the search results she pulled up with his last name. The information on the screen was pretty much what they already knew. His first and last name were Nordic of some kind.

“So we’re looking at Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, or Iceland. We can make an educated guess based on where you lived when you were a kid based on the census data from that area as most immigrant families move to areas with other people from the same country, or where there’s a strong presence of the culture they’re familiar with.”

“Well… I was born here, I think. Or at least this is where I got put into the system, which is why I moved back here a few years back.”

 Anna lit up, she didn’t have to do any more searching. Any vaguely Nordic last name in their town generally meant one thing.

“I can say then, with 90% certainty, you’re Norwegian. Not that it helps right now, but have you ever thought about taking a DNA test? Kids tend to just have more heritage questions as they get older and if you both take one it can help with any genealogy research."

"That's a lot of certainty for just a last name and a town," he said, looking surprised as he met her eye.

"Oh, well I mean Arendale was named for the Arendelle family and was founded by Norwegian immigrants so most of the population is descended from Norwegian families. Most immigrant families from Norway still settle here when they come over from the states. I mean there’s a little Norway downtown." 

"Oh," he said, "You just knew that? I guess it's probably something that comes up often…"

"Yes, but well also I'm an Arendelle. It's been drilled into me since I was born. We turned the family manor into a museum a few years ago. I used to give tours when I was in my master's program."

"That's…"

"Extremely boring,” she interrupted, not wanting him to trouble himself to find something nice to say, “Except on field trip days. Which is how I decided working with kids was for me. Adults, eh. No offense of course."

"None taken,” he replied, grinning, “Why do you work at the research desk then?"

"I'm actually a children's librarian," she said happily, glancing over at his daughter who had looked up over her book at them with interest as they talked about information valuable to her project again. Anna motioned with her hands like she was opening a book and then gave her a thumbs up which the girl returned with a grin.

"I'm just helping out because a few of the librarians are out on maternity. If you want to see what I usually do you should come for my ornament making sessions. I'm doing them every day after school and then in the mornings on the weekends until the day before Christmas Eve."

He looked almost impressed.

"Daddy! We have to!"

"Now she's tuning in," he said with a sort of shy smile that was quickly accompanied by a shrug. "Come here sweetheart, you have to pick a tradition. We're pretty sure I'm Norwegian."

"And I know so many traditions!" Anna told the girl brightly, "we don't even have to search!"

“Hooray!” she said with a grin, carefully sliding the book’s ribbon bookmark into the page she had marked with her thumb before running over to where her father was seated.

She crawled up on his lap, book still in hand.

“Can we pick one that talks about food?”

He laughed and as he tucked the little curly head under his chin he mouthed, ‘bottomless pit’.

Anna couldn’t help but feel that before she left for the evening, she’d be processing a minor and adult card sign up and checking out a Mercy Watson book and perhaps even a Norwegian cookbook.

“No! Wait! One about ornaments! I love ornaments!”

Maybe, she thought, a craft book too.

The dad rolled his eyes playfully from up above where his daughter could see and Anna did her best to stifle a giggle. These were the moments where she loved her job most.

***

They'd come for her craft time the next day, and Ivy had told her how well she'd done at her presentation and how she'd been proud to already know a bunch of the other Norwegian traditions other kids had shared.

Now though she was busying herself with playing with the other kids, the usuals that Anna had introduced to her by name.

Her blonde head was bobbing along in a conversation as the kids built a large block tower together, and she could see her dark little eyes gleaming with mischief as they discussed knocking it down when they were all done. Anna had never in her life been more grateful that they had foam instead of wooden blocks.

“She looks just like you."

Her hair was just a little lighter than his, and her eyes a little darker, but there was something in her features, her expressions that was an identical copy to her fathers. Even only having met them the day before, she could tell that she definitely took after him.

“I hear that a lot, and it’s funny… Not like really funny, I mean, it’s just interesting because Ivy’s not mine,” he said quietly as the little girl played with the other children.

Most of the other parents had been content to talk amongst themselves. They were regulars and they were comfortable together, being mostly moms. Anna noticed that they were occasionally glancing back and forth between the two of them surreptitiously. Or at least as close to sneaky as a group of nosy 30-something women could be.

“I usually don’t tell people that. I don’t know why I told you that.”

“It’s par for the course for librarians. We’re like bartenders, just with books,” She replied a bit too quickly.

He looked down at his feet for a moment then met Anna’s eye again, smiling a bit nervously, like he’d worked something out in his head, and then took a deep breath.

“I mean legally speaking she is mine, just so you don’t think I stole a kid. After her mother died, I adopted her. Genetically she’s got another Dad out there somewhere, but her mom, Evelyn, she never mentioned him. I don’t think he was ever involved.”

“Oh,” Anna said, feeling her face grow hot at the misconception, “I’m sorry. So Evelyn was your…?”

She knew she was probably just digging herself a deeper hole, but she felt a warmth flutter to life in her heart. He’d mentioned before that Ivy’s mom had passed on, but she’d assumed that he was her biological father and that was why she called him Dad. That he’d been adopted, and then he’d adopted a child after meant a lot. That made her realize that her interest in him, regardless of how new and how impossible, was rooted in more than looks.

“Neighbor,” he said quickly, like he was afraid of her saying anything else.

She stared at him, surprised by the answer, watching him blush under her gaze.

“Sorry, I’m just used to people thinking we were… you know, together. She was just… she was so young. I wouldn’t have been with her like that, she was just a neighbor and a friend. I think she had a rough life. She didn’t talk about it much, but when she moved in next door to me she was working a bunch of odd jobs with crazy hours and Ivy was two. Evie was eighteen. I think her parents might have kicked them out or something, so I would watch Ivy on my days off because Evie didn’t have anyone and it was just me and my dog anyway, so I had plenty of free time."

He took a breath. Before Anna could find the words to say, he kind of sighed and shrugged, deciding to say more. Anna just focused on his eyes while he talked. There was a deep love there and she could tell it was for Ivy.

"I started taking extra days off here and there with my vacation time because Evelyn started to not feel well and she would go to the clinic a lot. Sometimes she would wait for hours for someone to tell her she was stressed or whatever. When they found out it was cancer it was too late. It was less than a year before she was gone. When no family came forward for Ivy, I did. She was three then. I’m the only dad she knows. The only parent she knows really. I didn’t have many pictures of her mom, because she was my neighbor and I didn’t think to take some when we found out she was sick, but we talk about her.”

Anna thought she might cry.

She was no stranger to loss, but she’d never heard of anyone doing anything like that before. She tried to step up for strangers and community members a little but each day. She donated to charity and worked with the economically disadvantaged, but she’d never changed her life forever just to help someone else. She’d never been able to see herself stepping up that far.

“You adopted your neighbor’s kid.”

She let her eyes tear up, her throat felt tight.

She could certainly see that beneath the sort of gruff exterior he first offered, there was a kindness that ran through him. She could see it now, as she had before when he’d been focusing on helping his daughter. He had a lot of love in him, and it was obvious when he glanced back over to where Ivy was playing and smiled.

 “Well I fostered her first, but yeah. I mean my parents did it for me, and I guess I didn’t want to roll the dice and hope that someone else would be as kind when I had the means… at least financially. I’m three years in and still working out the rest. I just feel lucky everyday they let me adopt her with my work schedule and everything.”

“I think,” she said quietly, trying not to cry, “I think most parents are. Even the ones who’ve had their kids from the start.”

“Thank you for saying that. I don’t know many other parents, so it’s always a guessing game about whether I’m doing the right thing.”

 He looked back from Ivy and caught a glimpse of Anna’s expression. She saw him frown and look genuinely concerned. She wanted to tell him not to worry, but he found the words quicker than she did.

“I didn’t mean to upset you, sorry. I’m not great with people.”

He held a hand out to her, paused for a moment like he was wondering what he should do, and then rubbed the back of his neck with it.

Anna shook her head and wiped her eyes on her sleeve, giving the moms staring at her openly her best and most polite look of “it’s fine, but also mind your own business”. They seemed to get the picture well enough, returning to their own conversations with only a mildly mischievous and conspiratorial gaze at each other. Anna was sure she’d have plenty of texts later from the library mom chat asking what she and the “hot dad” had been talking about.

“No, you’re fine. I’m kind of an emotional person. I’m just happy for you two. She loves you so much, I can tell. She deserves to have someone who loves her just as much.”

He smiled softly and then nodded, putting his hand back down at his side and appearing to relax slightly now that the topic was back to just Ivy. He still looked as tired as he had the day before, especially now after she’d accidentally worried him.

“She’s a special kid. She’s not like me very much, even though I’m raising her. She’s so optimistic and brave and sort of stubborn… which I suppose she could have gotten from me, but really she’s great and I’ve been so lucky to have her."

Anna nodded in return, wiping the tears away on her sleeve.

“Yeah, I can see that. And I don’t mean to pry but… you look a little tired. I hope she didn’t make you pull an all-nighter on that project.”

He sort of chuckled at her lame joke, and she appreciated the attempt at acceptance of her levity. She was never particularly good at intentional humor. Most people just laughed when she accidentally tripped over something or had chocolate on her face and didn’t notice.

“No, no all-nighter. I’m just exhausted.”

“I hear parenting does that to a person.”

He nodded and then sighed, giving her a sort of nervous look before looking beyond her to Ivy.

"I don't mean to tell you my life story. Even though, I kind of already did, but… I just feel bad when I can’t give her the world, you know? Like, I finally wanted to do a big at home Christmas for her this year. We were going to go home to see my family like usual, but my Dad just had some pretty serious back surgery and even though he loves the kids my sisters and I agreed not to flood the house while he’s recovering.”

She nodded along some more, knowing that he probably didn’t have anyone to vent this sort of thing to. She wasn’t a parent herself, but working with so many young children meant that she talked with plenty of parents, and she at least comprehended a bit of what it was like. She couldn’t pretend to understand fully, but she didn’t mind listening to parents when they needed to breathe. She particularly didn’t mind listening to Kristoff.

He looked back at her with a sort of exasperation that she was familiar with. He looked like he’d just run a marathon in his head. He looked like her after inventory day.

“You know I never realized how much my mom did for us for the holidays, you know? It’s one more week of school, and then I have to find a babysitter for the days I’m not off during her winter vacation. I barely managed to negotiate for Christmas off at the firehouse as it is, let alone to find all that time. The guys are great and sometimes I can bring her to work if I don’t have anyone to watch her because someone usually stays behind or one of the guys will have their wife or older kid there for a visit, but around the holidays… there’s a lot of fires you know. Not really a place to bring a kid. I have shopping to do, wrapping, we have to get a real tree because she really wants one, and then there’s cookies to bake, and God I’m just glad she hasn’t asked about those elf things because I don’t think I could pull that off too.”

“That seems like a lot.”

“It is, and that’s not even the half of it. We have to get a wreath to bring to her mother’s grave, and it’s so hard to find in the snow because it’s just a small grave marker so it’s really a whole day affair. I don’t mind, but I don’t want to run out of time to do everything else. She wants to go caroling and see santa and make ornaments… which thanks for this by the way, it was nice. She’s very proud of her star. It’s just with work and everything it feels like there’s not enough time.”

Anna nodded. It was a common concern with the other parents, but most of them had more hands to help, less work, and more practice at it.

“I can help.”

She didn’t think before she spoke. She was absolutely shocked by her own words even as she said them. They were practically strangers, and he was venting about his difficulties as a single dad while she was trying not to notice how perfectly chocolate brown his eyes were, or how easy it would be to imagine him in a firefighter’s calendar. Or rather, trying not to let herself wonder whether AFD had plans to put out a firefighter’s calendar this year.

“I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“You weren’t,” she said, watching as some of the moms began to get their kids ready to leave, knowing her window of opportunity to get her thoughts out was closing by the moment, “I offered. I’m great at wrapping and I love to shop. If you’re looking for help I’m happy to give it.”

He looked at her for a long moment, until Ivy ran over and pulled on his pant leg.

“Daddy,” she said, “Can I have some candy? Danny’s mom brought candy canes and she said I had to ask you first.”

He looked to Anna for a moment, and she understood the concern in his eyes.

“Oh, you mean Mrs. James! She’s so nice. She brings candy for us all the time. She’s been bringing Danny here for storytime and crafts since he was just a little baby.”

She could understand his concern. She was always a little worried herself when the parents brought things to share, especially if the parents were fairly new. It was one of those fears that was mostly irrational, but one really never knew.

He looked back to his daughter and gave her a stunning smile that made Anna melt on the spot.

“Yeah sweetheart that would be fine. Please and thank you, right?”

“Always!” she said, running off in the direction of Danny’s mom who was waiting with a cheeky smile, staring again at Anna and offering her a wink.

“Were you serious?” Kristoff asked, breaking her concentration as she tried to give Mrs. James a ‘please don’t interfere’ look in return.

Not that it would do her any good.

“About Mrs. James? Of course. I’d never encourage anyone’s kid to take candy from a stranger I couldn’t personally vouch for.”

“No, I…” he was flushed again and Anna realized that she’d missed a point. She was making him ask her, just like she’d said he didn’t have to.

“I meant about the help.”

“Oh, yes! Of course I meant it! I love the holidays and I’ve been working a little more than usual but I still have plenty of time.”

“Your boyfriend wouldn’t mind? I’d hate to take time away that you could be spending together around the holidays.”

“I… I don’t have a boyfriend.”

She was almost certain that there was a look of interest in his eye when she said it, but as quick as it was there, it was gone.

Maybe, she thought, she wasn’t the only one interested.

“Then I’d love the help,” he said with a nod, “For Ivy’s sake.”

***

Anna wasn’t sure she’d ever enjoyed anything so much as she did being Kristoff’s personal Christmas elf. She’d given him her mother’s family recipe for Norwegian butter cookies, an answer to Ivy's now rampant desire to learn about those traditions, and she’d picked up stocking stuffers and amazon packages and bits of this and that. She’d wrapped gifts and brought them to the fire station for safe keeping. Somehow, she’d managed to mostly do so when Kristoff was out on a call, or when he wasn’t working at all.

It was unfortunate as she wanted to see him, so she was pleasantly surprised when five days before Christmas she’d received a text message from Kristoff inviting her to help him and Ivy go tree shopping. She’d seen them at two separate decoration making events before it, so she supposed that it was only right for her to help them select the canvas on which to display Ivy’s beautiful work.

Ivy had, of course, been on a mission during the trip.

“Color, smell, and needle retention,” she’d said in her little, but very certain voice.

Anna had later learned that she didn’t actually know the meaning of the word retention, and that she’d learned her tree picking skills from a YouTube video, but she had been nevertheless impressed.

She’d helped Ivy pick, and then she’d helped, with mixed results, to strap the six-foot tree to Kristoff’s car. He’d mostly brought it inside his apartment himself, but when Anna had turned to leave, Ivy had caught her hand, and Kristoff had shyly offered her some hot chocolate. They'd sung Christmas carols, lead by Ivy and decorated the tree together with some ornaments that his friends from the firehouse had given them and the ones that Ivy had made herself. Anna wished she had her old childhood ornaments. Ivy, she knew, would have loved one.

The rest of the week passed much the same until, two days before Christmas, Anna found herself finishing her last ornament and story session with the kids before the holiday. It was a bittersweet thing, being swept up in the excitement of children looking forward to Christmas but knowing that she wouldn’t see them again for a while after.

Ivy, who had been in attendance, was busy playing with her new friends, and Kristoff, who hadn’t taken his eyes off Anna for the whole session, was speaking with her again.

Anna couldn’t help but note how quickly they were getting to know each other. She couldn’t help but blame the holiday in part. Not only was she doing more story and craft sessions in the evenings than she normally would, but she’d also been helping him make the holidays for Ivy. She supposed it was inevitable that they would talk, and in their conversations get to know each other a bit better.

The topic of conversation now, was a wrapping accident on one of Ivy’s “little” presents, a slime kit. It was from Santa, but Anna had accidentally wrapped it in the paper she’d set aside to wrap gifts from Kristoff in. The tag though, still said “from Santa”.

“So you’re sure you don’t mind,” she said quietly, low enough that they kids couldn’t hear her, “I know some kinds are just really perceptive, so I don’t want her to see that dad and santa have the same paper and realize what happened.”

“If she notices I’m just going to tell her that Santa accidentally ripped the wrapping paper coming down the chimney and had to rewrap it in some of my paper to keep it a secret until Christmas morning.”

She nodded. It was a brilliant plan.

“That’s so smart,” she was thoroughly awed, “I come up with a lot of little fibs around the holidays to keep the magic for the kiddos, but that one’s just genius.”

He laughed and shook his head, “Maybe I’m better at this than I thought.”

“You really should give yourself more credit.”

His smile softened then, “As should you. I can’t believe that you just offered to help a stranger put Christmas on for their kid and then actually followed through with it.”

“Need I remind you that you adopted a neighbor’s child without hesitation? What I did was nothing in comparison.”

He was close to her and stepping closer. She could practically feel the eyes of the moms as they lingered in the room, just to see what was going to happen. Her eyes drifted down to his lips and she felt herself flushing at the thought of kissing him, even though she told herself that they couldn’t, that it wasn’t going to happen. His previous stubble, the ball he’d had to drop to keep his daughter on schedule was now even more pronounced, but in an intentional sort of way. She could imagine how it would scratch against her.

“I wouldn’t call that nothing,” he said quiet, so low that she could barely hear it. “To us, it’s everything. I don’t think I can ever thank you enough.”

She focused for a moment on breathing as she’d realized that she’d been holding her breath ever since he leaned in. It was easy, she thought, to let him take her breath away.

And then the giggling and “goodbyes” of children broke Anna’s focus, and she turned her head to see moms giving her subtle thumbs up, and kids donning coats.

Ivy was skipping towards them, candy cane in one hand and her popsicle stick star in the other. Glitter was flaking off the craft as she bounced towards them, and Anna knew she’d be spending at least the next hour vacuuming. She almost felt bad for the parents who were about to have their houses covered in poorly glued sequins, glitter and foamies.

Almost.

“Ms. Anna!” the little girl said with great excitement, “What are you going to do for Christmas?”

The question caught Anna off guard. The kids had asked her before, but it had never felt like a big deal to tell them the truth. Kids understood more than adults most of the time, and they felt things stronger and they were more open with it, so Anna was more open with them. With Ivy and Kristoff though, just having gotten to know them, and having all sorts of confusing feelings in her chest for him, she wasn’t sure she could take the pitying eyes.

“Well hon,” she said quietly, waving to the other parents and kids as they drifted out as both a politeness and a distraction, “I’m not doing anything. My sister is my only family and she lives far far away.”

“Oh,” the little girl said, looking sad.

Anna couldn’t look at Kristoff, but she could tell he was giving his daughter the soft but chiding look he’d given her a few times in the two weeks she’d known them. The look that said he wasn’t mad at her, but that she’d said too much or her manners were lacking. She thought it was a nice way to remind kids of their behavior and had filed it away for her own use.

“Like Grandma and Grandpa.”

“Yeah,” Anna said in response, “But it’s okay, I’m used to being by myself. I’ll read a book and make myself dinner.”

She knew she didn’t sound particularly believable. She wasn’t even buying it herself. Truth be told her whole apartment was decorated for Christmas, complete with a tree, and she always made herself sad around the holidays thinking about how she’d had so much fun as a kid, but now spent them alone. She always thought that there was an unfairness in showing that to a child though, in showing them that the holiday was anything but magical for some people, so she tried to keep a stiff upper lip.

“That’s okay Ms. Anna,” the little girl said, grinning broadly at her with little tears sparkling in her dark eyes, and stepping close to grab her hand, “You can have Christmas at our house!”

She felt like crying again.

“Oh Ivy that’s so sweet,” she said, her throat feeling tight, “But it’s your family Christmas. You don’t want a stranger there.”

 “You’re not a stranger,” Kristoff said softly, reaching for Ivy’s other hand and giving it a soft squeeze that made the little girl’s smile brighten.

She seemed glad for her dad’s backup.

Anna forced herself to meet his eye, and she found in it a sort of shyness. He looked at her like he was uncertain, but also like he was excited by the prospect. She noted the twinkle in his eyes despite his furrowed brow, the gentle upturn of his lips as he looked at her for an answer.

“I don’t want to intrude…”

“You wouldn’t be. Ivy invited you as her guest. I’d… I’d also like you to come as my guest if you don’t mind. I know you’ve only known us for two weeks, but I think we’d both really like it if you came. Right sweetheart?”

Ivy squeezed Anna’s hand tightly and then nodded, bouncing a bit on her heels as she did so like her whole body was agreeing with her dad.

“Well then,” Anna said quietly, “How can I refuse?”

***

Her arms were full of presents and chocolates when she came to his door, so she had to tap the wood twice with the toe of her boot to knock. She’d been battling herself the entire drive over, trying to decide whether this was the right thing to do and whether she should really be feeling as giddy about the whole thing as she was.

She was basically crashing someone else’s holiday, and she knew that she should feel bad about taking them up on an offer made out of kindness and sympathy, but she didn’t. She didn’t feel bad because she really liked Ivy and wanted to help make Christmas a little more special for her this year. She didn’t feel bad because she really liked Kristoff and even the idea of pretending for a few hours that he felt the same made her heart flutter.

She’d never fallen for a patron before. Nor had she ever been so sure that she loved someone so quickly. She’d had bad luck in the past with similar feelings, but this time she had faith in the rightness of the feelings and the positivity of the situation. Kristoff Bjorgman was a good man, and whether anything more came from it, she was happy to be his friend and to share his Christmas.

She thought maybe if she could have written a letter to Santa though, she would have maybe wished for more. If it wasn’t too much to ask.

She hadn’t so much as put her foot down after tapping the door than Ivy opened the door and ushered her in. Kristoff was watching from just a few feet back, letting her know with a smile that Ivy had been so excited to open the door that she’d been waiting for the knock. She wondered if she’d been waiting for her since she called to let them know she was arriving.

“I waited to open my presents from Santa until you got here Ms. Anna,” the little girl said with zeal, “I wanted you to see!”

Kristoff stepped forward then, helping Anna with her parcels while telling her quietly that she hadn’t needed to bring them. He whispered into her ear about how excited Ivy had been about Santa and how she’d been even more excited to wait for Ms. Anna.

She thought that her heart might pound out of her chest. Less at the thought that Ivy had wanted to wait for her, and more at the fact that Kristoff hadn’t told her not to. That he’d just whispered in her ear, and that he was making it extremely evident that he wanted her there from the very start.

“Ivy that’s so sweet. I can’t wait to see what Santa brought you!”

“I hope I got a Pokémon stuffy!” she said excitedly, running towards the tree that they’d decorated together.

It felt strangely domestic, like she belonged there because her touch was in the tree. Like she was family, and not just a new friend they’d invited to share their holiday.

“You know what?” Anna asked, feigning ignorance, “I don’t know if he did, but I’m sure you’ve been so good this year that you deserve it.”

Kristoff raised a brow at her, and Anna got the message. “Good cover.”

In fact she knew that Ivy had two Pokémon plushies under the tree, one from Santa, one from her Dad, and Anna also knew that there was one more in the box Kristoff had taken from her labeled with the little girls name and Anna’s own.

Being an elf had its perks.

“But first… if you don’t mind, I have a couple special gifts for you two to open.”

“You really didn’t have to,” Kristoff said, giving her a soft, but appreciative look that she knew she would treasure in her memories for as long as she lived.

She knew that she didn’t have to. But they didn’t have to share their Christmas with her either.

And also, she’d already fallen in love a little bit with them both, and she knew that for now presents were a good way to demonstrate that.

“I have a special present for you too Ms. Anna!”

“You do?”

“Yes!”

She looked over at Kristoff, who looked almost as surprised as she did.

“You mean the one we got her at the store yesterday sweetheart?”

“Nope! A special one! I made it, Mrs. James told me how!”

“Huh,” he said with a shrug, “I guess I’ll be as surprised as Ms. Anna then.”

“Would you mind if I gave you yours first?” Anna asked, excited to know what Ivy had made her, but more excited to give the little girl and her father the special gifts she’d gotten them first.

“Okay!” she said excitedly and ran into the apartment proper as Kristoff and Anna managed the process of her removing her outerwear, hanging it up, and him helping her bring in the gifts and treats.

Once Ivy and Kristoff had settled themselves on the small loveseat near the tree, and Anna had brought them their gifts, she settled into the well worn high back chair that served as the only other Livingroom seating.

“Okay. I have some other presents for you guys too, but these are the most important ones, so I want you to open them first, alright?”

Ivy was already tearing into the paper on the box. Not needing to be told twice.

She held up a little soft ornament, and then held it to her chest.

“It’s Mama,” she said in the quietest littlest voice she had ever heard her manage, and Kristoff quickly looked between Anna and the ornament.

It had been easy enough really, to look up Evelyn Taylor. She had a Facebook before she passed, and some friends on the page who mostly lived out of state. There wasn’t much that Anna could find on the page without sending a friend request that she knew, sadly, would never be answered, but there were a handful of photos that she had access to. One of her and Ivy, confirming that she had the right Evelyn Taylor in the first place. The little girl had been two or so at the time the picture had been taken, but her little face had even been then, so strikingly like Kristoff’s. Evelyn even looked a bit like him she thought, like a cousin. The others she’d found included some pictures of the girl with high school friends, a few shots of her looking brave in photos where she’d moved into her apartment, a photo or two of her without hair when she’d been going through chemo.

Anna had gotten them all printed, every single one she could find, and put them in a small box that was under the ornament. The ornament had been a last-minute project. She’d run to the store and picked up printable iron on paper and felt. She printed the photo of Ivy and her mother onto it, ironed it onto the felt, and did her best to channel her mother’s creativity to make a small Scandinavian style embroidered felt plush ornament. It was shaped like a heart, and on one side she’d managed to layer on felt and little stitched snowflakes, while the other held the image on white felt.

She felt a bit bad, of course, about not asking Kristoff if it was okay first, but she thought that the soft look he was giving her may be proof that sometimes it’s better to try for the surprise.

“How…?”

“I’ll tell you later,” she said before Ivy could even get to the box below, “You still have a box to open.”

He looked between her and Ivy for a long moment, like he wanted to say something else as the little girl was excitedly hugging her little ornament, but ultimately, he looked down at his own gift.

“Go on,” she said, eager to see if her surprise gift for him would be met with such excitement.

He opened his gift with less speed, but with equal interest.

She held her breath as he pulled out a small box and a small book.

“Is this… is this a DNA test?”

She felt tension return to her body. He didn’t sound upset really, just surprised, and she hoped that she hadn’t just crossed a line.

“I mean… it’s just… you know, if you ever want to. They’re expensive usually so a lot of people don’t do them, but my sister is in business and she happened to know a guy who knew a guy so I was able to get it for you for nothing. So it’s just if you want to dig in and do some research. You know because I’m a librarian and all. One track mind.”

“Anna…”

“I’m sorry if I crossed a line, I just thought…”

“Anna.”

She looked at him and saw he was smiling, a little bit teary eyed.

“Anna, thank you. I was going to buy one after the holidays. That project Ivy did… it made me realize that I want to know where I came from.”

“Oh… good. I’m…” she sighed, letting the tension leave her, “I’m glad, because I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

He smiled, and then looked at the book.

“But… uh, what’s Hygge?”

She laughed at that, feeling happy in a way she hadn’t ever remembered feeling outside of work, and she saw Ivy smiling brightly too, hopping down from the couch to go grab something from under the tree.

“Hygge is a Norwegian and Danish concept… it’s just, you know, since I hope you’re Norwegian like me. Hygge is just that cozy mood that we can’t put into words. I think you feel a lot of hygge when you get a moment to breathe when you’re with Ivy, and I thought you’d like the book. There’s another one I ordered you too, but it won’t come in for a while. It’s all Norwegian fairytales. I thought you might like to read them together.”

He grinned broadly and stood from the couch, walking over to her and taking her hand, “Anna this is…”

But Ivy cut him off before he could finish.

“Ms. Anna! I have your present, are you ready?”

“Of course! I’m so excited,” she said, giving Kristoff an apologetic smile and turning her attention towards the child who was holding something behind her back.

The little girl grinned in response and held up a picture she’d drawn in crayon. There were little green leaves and little white berries. It was immediately obvious to Anna what it was meant to be, and depending on how things turned out, she was either going to ban Mrs. James from the library, or send her a fruit basket.

“Is that?” Kristoff started.

“Mistletoe.” Anna finished.

She felt her face go hot, but then when she looked over at Kristoff, his hand still in hers, she saw him clearly doing some internal negotiating.

“May I… may we?” He asked.

“It is a tradition,” she said quietly, looking over at the little girl and giving her a bright, if not a bit embarrassed smile to let her know that she did in fact, love the drawing.

And before she could say anything else he was helping her off the chair and into his arms. She giggled when he kissed her, his stubble, now an almost beard tickling her skin.

Ivy, ever the encouraging an delighted audience, was jumping up and down.

“Santa must have gotten the letter I hid under the cookie plate last night!” she said delighted, “I knew Daddy liked Ms. Anna!”

Kristoff, ended the kiss a bit abruptly to look over to his daughter, a deep blush on his cheeks that Anna was sure was mirrored in her own.

He didn’t release her though, still holding her close, his touch tender but firm.

“Santa didn’t get a letter under the cookie plate last night,” he whispered low into Anna’s ear as Ivy took back off toward the tree, leaving her drawing on Anna’s chair.

Anna couldn’t help but giggle at his bewilderment. She thought that it was most likely that Ivy had simply dreamed writing the letter. Some kids her age had a hard time remembering what they had and hadn’t done when they woke in the morning.

“Well either the big man is more real than we thought, or Mrs. James has more connections than I thought. Or you know, she just dreamt the whole thing.”

He grinned broadly.

“Well someone must have gotten my letter too,” he said, a little louder, “Because Ivy is right. I do like you. I know it’s fast but…”

“I like you too Kristoff,” she said quietly, “And we can take this slower from here, but for now…”

He leaned in again, kissing her gently. She let her hand slide up, her palm cradling his stubbled cheek.

When they broke the kiss, they rested their foreheads together, the sound of tearing paper and Ivy’s excited cheering behind them.

“Merry Christmas Kristoff.”

“Merry Christmas Anna.”

She’d never been so grateful for a reference desk query in her life.

[fictiontyper]

This is how I like to imagine Kristoff in action for my story, Feel the Burn.

He most likely doesn’t know that his photo was taken here, he’s just focusing on figuring out how to stop the fire from spreading.

[quirkoholic]

Time May Change Me: Sparks

Kristanna Week Day 3

Modern AU, Part 1 of 3

Rating: T (Traumatic themes, Trigger warning: Fire)

Words: 2349

A/N: I turned the last three prompts into a mini story. The title is a line from “Changes,” by David Bowie. Also I tried to do some research into Kristoff’s job but if things don’t seem completely realistic it’s because I couldn’t find a ton of detailed information.

Anna lay in her old bed, surrounded by stuffed animals and pillows. She’d recently returned to her childhood home with her sister, Elsa. Their parents’ will specifically left the house to both of them, but they’d never been to visit it together. Elsa had checked up on the house from time to time, but work always called her back to the city. Anna was busy finishing her degree and planning a wedding in her free time, and so had never bothered to return. It brought back memories she didn’t want to remember, and so she let herself be distracted with flower arrangements and china patterns. After Elsa had a series of work-induced panic attacks and Anna found her fiance cheating on her, they’d both decided it was time to head back to Arendelle for a fresh start, together.

They’d arrived earlier that day to find the place untouched by time, save for a thick layer of dust covering the furniture. After attacking the place with several dusters and a vacuum, it looked as if they’d never left. It was a bittersweet feeling, being home again without their parents.

“Hey, Anna? I’m going to get some groceries for dinner tonight. Do you need anything?” Elsa yelled across the large empty house. She could hear Anna running from the hallway and she slid across the living room floor in her socks to meet her in the kitchen.

“What’d you say?” She asked, out of breath.

“I’m going to the store. Do you need anything?”

“Oh, um. I think I lost my deodorant.” She replied and looked down at the tile in the kitchen, tracing some of the grout with her foot.

“I’d ask you to come, but you always hate grocery shopping.” Elsa hesitated. “But you can come if you like, of course.”

“No, no. I DO hate it. It’s pretty boring.” Anna chuckled and swung her arms back and forth.

“Are you sure you’ll be OK here?” Elsa searched her face, but Anna’s eyes darted around, looking anywhere but her.

“Yeah! It’s a big place. I’ll find something to do.” She tried to make her smile look genuine, though she wasn’t sure her sister would buy it.

Elsa could tell something was wrong, but it was getting late and they had absolutely no food. It’d been enough of a hassle to get the water and the power turned on before they moved in, they didn’t need to skip dinner on top of that.

“We’ll talk when we get home, OK?”

“OK, sure!” Anna perked up the best she could, still trying to convince her sister, and herself, that she was perfectly fine.

Elsa grabbed her keys and left, leaving Anna alone. She wandered back to her bedroom and sunk into her bed to stare off into space.

Kristoff jumped awake to the sound of the alarm. Most of his team was already up and pulling their suits on.

“What’s the call, Jake?” he asked a man nearby, swinging his legs over his mattress and into the boots on the floor.

“Housefire. On Lakewood. I think it’s that big one on the corner.” Jake grabbed his coat and slung it over his suspenders.

“I thought that was abandoned?” Kristoff pulled the large fireproof pants up and fastened them in place with a belt and suspenders that were already attached.

“Maybe so. Might just be some stupid kids getting into trouble. C’mon, dispatch said it’s a big one.” Jake grabbed his helmet and ran off toward the station’s vehicle bay.

Kristoff continued to put on his gear and followed.

When they arrived, the flames were at the roof, and there was a blonde woman frantically pacing back and forth on the phone.

“Oh, Thank GOD,” she yelled and approached the truck. “I can’t find my sister! She isn’t answering her phone!” She yelled up to the truck.

“Alright ma’am, just try to stay calm.” The team of five climbed out of the truck and began hooking the fire house up to the nearest hydrant.

“Do you think she’s still in there?” She asked no one and everyone at the same time. “Surely, she would have gotten out?”

“What does she look like?” Kristoff asked the blonde woman.

“What? Why?” The woman asked frantically.

“So I know who I’m looking for!” Kristoff yelled over the blaze and the sound of the other firefighters shouting instructions. He grabbed an oxygen tank and slung it on his back, attaching a large mask under his helmet and onto his face.

“She’s, um. She...I guess she kind of looks like me, about my size, but with red hair.”

“Got it,”  Kristoff ran toward the house. “I’m going in!” he shouted to his team, who had already wrangled the hose and was spraying at the front of the house.

The stairs to the front porch were still mostly in tact, but black smoke billowed out when he opened the door. Flames enveloped most of the furniture in the room, but he noticed no signs of a person anywhere. He ducked under a fallen post into what used to be a hallway and found a series of rooms with closed doors. The fire had reached the first room already and most of the insulation and drywall had burned away.

“Hello?!” He shouted, trying to listen for any movement, though it was difficult with flames roaring on either side. He heard nothing, but the flames were beginning to follow him down the hallway, so he quickened his pace and flung open the next door.

There, in a child sized bed filled with stuffed animals, lay the redhead he assumed was missing. He hoped she was just asleep, but smoke had already filled the room, so it was possible she’d already passed out. He shook her shoulders to gauge a response. Her head flopped toward him and her eyes squinted up and she began coughing.

“There we go, OK.” He began to pick the girl up off the bed and stand her up. “Can you walk?” he asked.

“Where are we?” She mumbled. “Why’s it so stuffy.”

“We need to get out of here quickly, so I’m going to pick you up and carry you, OK?” Kristoff picked the girl up and held her to his chest.

“It’s hot.” she mumbled into his suit.

“I know, just hold on for a little longer OK? We’ll get you out of here.” Kristoff walked out of the room and headed back for the front door, but the flames blocked the way he came.

“Ok, let’s look for a back door.” He said, mostly to himself.

“Kitchen.” She mumbled again.

Kristoff looked further down the hallway to find an open archway leading to a dining room attached to the kitchen. Flames were already lapping at the other side of the room, he assumed it was attached to main room he’d come in. He found a door at the side of the room and was glad to see it not on fire. He ran out of the door and rushed toward the front of the house where the truck was parked.

“ANNA!!” The blonde woman from before ran to meet him.

“Stay back just a bit, the suit is still hot and she needs oxygen!” The blonde woman complied, but followed him to the truck as he sat her down in the grass. He tore off his own mask attached to his helmet and ran to the back of the truck where they kept the oxygen masks. He quickly plugged a new mask into a fresh tank and cradled the girl in his other arm as he placed the mask on her face.

“You said her name is Anna?” Kristoff asked the blonde woman sitting in the grass on the other side of the girl.

“Yes. Yes.” She replied, not taking her eyes off of Anna.

“OK, Anna? I need you to breathe for me. Nice and deep, OK? And try to keep your eyes open.” Kristoff directed his attention back to the redhead. She grunted and moved her head, eyes still closed. He looked back up at the blonde and nodded at her, to try to get her to join him.

“Anna, sweetie,” she caught on quickly. “It’s me. It’s Elsa. Can you look at me?”

Anna mumbled something and squinted her eyes toward Elsa’s voice.

“Oh Anna. Thank god.” Elsa exhaled the breath she was holding. “We need you to breathe, OK? Get some oxygen in those lungs.”

Anna tried to respond, but it was muffled by the mask. She turned to look at Kristoff holding her with the mask to her face. She opened her eyes wide to admire the strange man and breathed deeply. He smiled and nodded as if to encourage her to keep going, so she did. With each breath her head began to focus, began to put pieces together and figure out what was happening. Why did she need oxygen? Why was this stranger, granted he was a handsome stranger, but still, there was a STRANGER holding her close in the grass. She began to move her eyes around and take in her surroundings. There was an orange glow above her and she strained her head to see what it was.

She slowly lifted herself up and the stranger loosened his grasp to let her move, but still kept his arms close. She twisted around to look at the scene and gasped. She pushed the mask away and scrambled to get off the ground. Elsa grabbed her and held her in place.

“ELSA WHAT HAPPENED?” she screamed. “THAT’S OUR HOUSE!” Anna desperately tried to wriggle away from her, but Elsa kept her hold.

“Anna, just calm down OK?”

“HOW can I be calm when everything is ON FIRE?” she shouted again. “How did this happen?” She whirled around to Kristoff, who looked at her in disbelief.

“Anna, we don’t know what happened! I came home and there was smoke everywhere and I couldn’t find you!” Elsa’s voice cracked and her lip began to tremble. She threw her arms around Anna and let out a sob. “I’m just really glad you’re OK.”

Anna turned toward Kristoff again, who shrugged.

“I found you in a bedroom so I guess you were asleep.” He said, then chuckled a bit. “I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how you stayed asleep with all that going on.”

Anna began breathing heavy and wrenched out of Elsa’s grasp. She hopped up and ran toward the house before Kristoff registered what happened.

“Hey!” He yelled and ran after her, catching her by the waist and pulling her back. “Are you crazy, what are you doing?”

“I’m going BACK!” She shouted and pulled against him, forcing him to tighten his hold on her.

“Oh no you aren’t!” Kristoff pulled her back against him to hold her in place.

“LET. ME. GO!!” She kicked off the ground to knock him off balance. He stumbled back, but held on.

“You’re going to get yourself killed!” He tried to reason with her, but she continued kicking the ground to throw him off, so he lifted her off the ground and held her there. Her legs thrashed and her arms tried to find every place to hit him, to scratch at his arms that kept her from returning home. She screamed and bucked her entire body against him.

“ANNA!” Elsa ran up and tried to grab one of her arms. “STOP!”

“THIS IS OUR HOME!” She screamed and kicked some more, Kristoff bewildered and trying to hang on to her. How did she have this much energy? He finally lost his footing and tumbled into the grass, but he kept his grip tight. She continued to wriggle and fight, but he curled his body around her in an attempt to block her movements.

“Anna PLEASE! Mom and Dad wouldn’t want you DEAD!” Elsa yelled and fell onto the ground beside them.

Anna slowed her movements enough for Elsa to hold her face and brush the hair out of her eyes.

“Please?” Elsa begged. “I can’t lose you too.” Tears leaked out of eyes, dripping down her face. Anna stopped struggling and lay still on the ground. Kristoff pulled her up so they were both sitting upright, but he kept his arms and legs wrapped around her.

“But...this is all we have left.” Anna squeaked out, her face scrunching up as her own tears came.

“I know, Anna. I know. But what’s important is that we have each other.” She reached and wiped away some of Anna’s tears, but they both continued crying.

Anna turned her red face toward Kristoff, who loosened his arms to let her move.

“Hi, um...” she trailed off looking down at his suit.

“Kristoff.”

“Kristoff. Th-thank you for saving me.” She sniffed. “And. I’m...sorry if I kicked you.”

“It’s OK.” He smiled. “You gave me a workout there.”

“I just...” She trailed off again and sobbed. “There’s just...so much.” She brought her hands up to her face and sobbed louder. “It’s a lot.” She gave up her attempt at forming sentences and tried to wipe her face, but everything was still wet.

“I know.” Kristoff said softly. “I’m sorry.” He always hated this part, trying to console victims who just lost everything. He had no words of wisdom and he knew nothing he said would make it any better. Something about this case, though, made his heart break a little harder. He wanted nothing more than to take their pain away, especially the redhead in front of him.

Anna slowly lifted her face and looked at the firefighter, really looked at him for the first time. His brown eyes were warm and full of compassion. She just wanted to be held. She wrapped her arms around his neck and climbed into his lap. She felt him stiffen before crossing his legs underneath her and pulling her close to him. She cried into him and he tried to comfort her by rubbing her back and whispering in her ear.

“It’s OK. It’ll be OK. I’ve got you.”

Elsa sat next to her sister huddled in the firefighter’s lap and wrapped her arms around her as well, joining his affirmations. They all rocked slowly back and forth while the other firefighters fought into the night to gain control of the fire.

[sleepingdragonhq]

Hey everyone, under the cut you will find the list of everyone’s costumes as well as lists for the couples romantic and platonic. You can find the poll for the costume contest here. We have added a few more awards this year. As always you vote for the top five in each category, five points for first place, four points for second and so on. You should be voting for individuals in every category except the couples ones. Please vote before the 31st of October as we will be announcing the winners from that point onward. If we have missed any on any of the lists please let us know !!

Aaron Hale - Frankenstein

Adabella Skeeter - Sandy (Grease)

Adeline Mulciber - Beetlejuice 

Aiden Wolffe - Bucky Barnes (Marvel)

Aisha Vane - Wednesday Addams (Addams Family)

Alastair Watson - Iron Man (Marvel)

Albus Potter - Victor Van Dort (Corpse Bride)

Alec Fray - Spiderman (Marvel)

Alexander Hawthorne - Ace Ventura (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective) 

Alison Wood - Ellie Sattler (Jurassic Park)

Alice Longbottom II - Eleven (Stranger Things)

Annika Parkinson - Wonder Woman (DC)

Archer Selwyn - Peter Pan (Disney)

Ariadne McLaggen - Elastigirl (The Incredibles)

Ariella Belefleur - Anastasia (Anastasia)

Aryana Robins - Mia Thermopolis (The Princess Diaries)

Ash Highmore - Pot Head

Aurora Claremont - Daphne Blake (Scooby Doo)

Axel Wolffe - Ghost

Benjamin Ollivander - Dr. Facilier (Disney)

Bentley Lockhart - Dorothy (Wizard of Oz)

Brett Holland - Kim Possible (Kim Possible)

Brigid Callaghan - Trixie Tang (Fairly Odd Parents)

Caleb Cresswell - Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones)

Camille McGonagall - Barbara Maitland (Beetlejuice)

Candice Cresswell - Alice (Alice in Wonderland)

Casey Abrams - Judy Hopps (Zootopia)

Caspian Berrycloth - Zebra

Cassius Cresswell - Ron Swanson (Parks & Rec)

Celestina Shacklebolt - Storm (X-Men/Marvel)

Charlotte Watson - Princess Buttercup (The Princess Bride)

Chase Sayre - Simon Snow (Carry On Series)

Clara Arquette - Cinderella (Disney)

Colm McCarthy - Vampire

Cynthia Clearwater - Red Riding Hood (Fairy Tales)

Cyrus Clearwater - Darth Vader (Star Wars)

Daniel McKinnon - Jason Dean (Heathers)

Darcy Mulciber - Medusa (Mythology)

Declan Rowland - Timmy Turner (Fairly Odd Parents)

Diana Rosier - Anastasia (Anastasia)

Dominique Weasley - Eleven (Stranger Things)

Edith De Lapin - Taylor Swift (Lover Era)

Edward Lupin - Oogie Boogie (The Nightmare Before Christmas)

Eleanor Pucey - Harley Quinn (DC)

Electra Carrow - Emily (Corpse Bride)

Elena Flores - Morticia Addams (The Addams Family)

Elide Weasley - Wednesday Addams (The Addams Family)

Elodie De Lapin - Taylor Swift (Reputation Era)

Erin McCormack - Holly Golightly (Breakfast at Tiffany’s)

Evan Parkinson - Captain America (Marvel)

Evangeline Pickering - Elastigirl (The Incredibles)

Evelyn Carrow - Belle (Beauty and the Beast)

Everett Pickering - Tin Man (Wizard of Oz)

Felix Hopkirk - Thor (Marvel)

Fletcher Duke - Flower Thrower (Banksy Art)

Frank Longbottom II - Nick Wilde (Zootopia)

Fred Weasley - Superman (DC)

Gabriel Larkin - Danny (Grease)

Gale MacDougal - Tenth Doctor (Doctor Who)

Grace Turner - Wendy (Peter Pan)

Griffin Jones - Catwoman (DC)

Gwendolyn Hawkes - Cruella de Vil (101 Dalmatians)

Harper Lee Clark - Princess Anneliese (Princess and the Pauper)

Hazel MacDougal - Cher (Clueless)

Hugo Granger-Weasley - Unicorn

Hunter Adams - Mad Hatter (Alice in Wonderland)

Jace Greengrass - t-shirt that says “costume”

James Ashcroft - Starlord (Guardians of the Galaxy)

James Potter - Mario (Super Mario Bros)

Jasper Locklear - Prince Phillip (Sleeping Beauty)

Jaxon DuQuan - Skeleton

Jonah Finch - Joker (DC)

Josephine Flamel - Violet Beauregarde (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)

Joshua Selwyn - Spiderman (Marvel)

Juliet Highmore - Rose Tyler (Doctor Who)

Kristoff Flynn - Gomez Addams (The Addams Family)

Laurel Ollivander - Devil

Layla Rowle - Poison Ivy (DC)

Liam Alvarez - Miles Morales (Into the Spiderverse)

Lily Potter - Max (Stranger Things)

Levi Highmore - Ghost

Long Huojin - Edward Scissorhands (Edward Scissorhands)

Lorcan Scamander - Spiderman (Marvel)

Louis Weasley - Jim Hawkins (Treasure Planet)

Lucienne Wolffe - Scary Alice

Lucy Weasley - Erika (Princess and the Pauper)

Lyra Malfoy - Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)

Lysander Scamander - 7 (7/11)

Mackenzie Potter - Princess Peach (Super Mario Bros)

Madeline Brown - Rachel Green (Friends)

Malachai Arquette - Prince Charming (Disney)

Manon Flamel - Captain Marvel (Marvel)

Marcus Carson - Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones)

Mason Jones - Ghost

Matthew Asprey - Niffler

Matthias Vallois - Dimitri (Anastasia)

Meredith Wayfelle - Coraline (Coraline)

Molly Weasley II - Wednesday Addams (The Addams Family)

Mortimer Claremont - White Rabbit (Alice in Wonderland)

Natalya Dolohova - Na’vi (Avatar)

Nate Wood - Tyrannosaurus Rex (Jurassic Park)

Nesta Greenwood - Fiona (Shrek)

Nova Slughorn - Devil

Octavia Coleman - Mummy

Odette Flume - Beret Girl (An Extremely Goofy Movie)

Orlando Lockhart - Firefighter 

Peggy Carson - Pepper Potts (Marvel)

Penelope Hawthorne - Khaleesi/Daenerys Targaryen (Game of Thrones)

Pepper Rosewood - Pirate

Perseus Mulciber - Khal Drogo (Game of Thrones)

Pippa Rosewood - Pirate

Poppy Zabini - Eleven (7/11)

Rayna Sayre - Rebel Spy (Star Wars)

Reid Anderson - Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)

Rory Goldstein - Owen Grady (Jurassic World)

Scorpius Malfoy - Bas Pitch (Carry On Series)

Sebastian Nott - Mr. Incredible (The Incredibles)

Seraphina Macaulay - Velma Dinkley (Scooby Doo)

Seung Krum - Deadpool (Marvel)

Sofia Clarke - Wonder Woman (DC)

Tallulah Abbott - Clown 

Theodore Oliver - Hector Rivera (Coco)

Theseus McLaggen - Adam Maitland (Beetlejuice)

Thomas Goyle - The Riddler (DC)

Tobias Atwell - Wolverine (X-Men/Marvel)

Toby Anderson - Westley (The Princess Bride)

Vera McKinnon - Heather Chandler (Heathers)

Verity Nott - Gamora (Marvel/Guardians of the Galaxy)

Victoire Weasley - Jessica Rabbit (Roger Rabbit)

William Ashcroft - Clark Kent / Superman (DC)

Romantic Couples

Aiden & Evan - Bucky Barnes & Captain America

Alastair & Peggy - Tony Stark/Iron Man & Pepper Potts (Marvel)

Albus & Electra - Victor & Emily (Corpse Bride)

Archer & Grace - Peter Pan & Wendy (Peter Pan)

Bentley & Everett - Dorothy & Tin Man (Wizard of Oz)

Chase & Scorpius - Simon & Baz (Carry On Series)

Declan & Brigid - Timmy & Trixie (Fairly Odd Parents)

Frank & Casey - Nick Wilde & Judy Hopps (Zootopia)

Gabriel & Adabella - Danny & Sandy (Grease)

James & Mackenzie - Mario & Peach (Super Mario Bros)

James & Verity - Starlord & Gamora (Marvel/Guardians of the Galaxy)

Jasper & Lyra - Prince Phillip & Princess Aurora (Disney)

Joshua & Seung - Spiderman & Deadpool (Marvel)

Kristoff & Elena - Gomez & Morticia Addams (The Addams Family)

Lysander & Poppy - 7/11

Malachai & Clara - Prince Charming & Cinderella (Disney)

Matthias & Ariella - Dmitri & Anastasia (Anastasia)

Perseus & Penelope - Khal Drogo & Khaleesi/Daenerys Targaryen (Game of Thrones)

Sebastian & Ariadne - Mr. Incredible & Elastigirl (The Incredibles)

Tobias & Celestina - Wolverine & Storm (Marvel/X-Men)

Toby & Charlie - Westley & Princess Buttercup (The Princess Bride)

Platonic Couples

Aurora & Seraphina - Daphne & Velma (Scooby Doo)

Axel, Levi & Mason - Ghosts

Alice & Lily - Eleven & Max (Stranger Things)

Eleanor, Griffin & Layla - Harley Quinn, Catwoman & Poison Ivy (DC)

Gale & Juliet - Tenth Doctor & Rose Tyler (Doctor Who)

Harper & Lucy - Princess Anneliese & Erika (Princess and the Pauper)

Nate & Alison - T-Rex & Ellie Sattler (Jurassic Park)

Pepper & Pippa - Pirates

Theseus & Camille - Adam & Barbara Maitland (Beetlejuice)

[glassslippers-n-cowboyboots]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks for the tag @firawren!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 20

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 171,042

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly Frozen. I used to write for Tangled and would love to get back into that.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Queen's Blessing

(Rated G): Before Kristoff gets down on one knee he has a very important question for Elsa.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21608512

Love Will Save You

(Rated E) : As a firefighter saving lives is a common occurrence for Kristoff Bjorgman. When his path crosses with Anna Andersen he realizes that he may need some saving too.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21861826/chapters/52177057

The Best Gift of All

(Rated G): Anna is very excited about the special Christmas gift that she has to give Kristoff. Set the first Christmas after Anna and Kristoff's marriage, post Frozen 2.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21661678

In The Pocket

(Rated E) :NFL tight End Kristoff Bjorgman meets A-list actress Anna Arendelle and a spark is lit between them. Can Kristoff handle the pressures of dating such a star?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/50414491/chapters/127376749

Faking It

(Rated E): Anna broke up with her fiance Hans, but her family doesn't know it yet and Anna is too embarrassed to confess just yet. Anna hires Kristoff to pose as Hans for her family holiday dinner.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/52233940/chapters/132127150

5. Do you respond to comments? I try to respond to them all

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I don't write angst endings. I need all my fics to end happy lol.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? All my fics have a happy ending, but if I had to choose I think I'd pick "Marry Me", just because it's the angstiest fic that I've finished so the ending feels really happy to me. But when I finally end "In The Pocket" I think that one will take the cake.

8. Do you get hate on fics? surprisingly not yet

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I do. I feel like my smut is mostly very love making-ish and fluffy with feels.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? I'm trying to venture out mre and try crossovers. Right now I'm writing "Check to the Heart" which is a Frozen/BATB crossover.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? No

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? No

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? I have not

14. What’s your all time favourite ship? I guess Rapunzel/Eugene...even though I haven't wrote them in years

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I want to finally finish "Love will Save You" especially after looking at the stats to do these questions. There's only like two chapters left to wrap it up too.

16. What are your writing strengths? I feel like I'm very dialogue heavy and good at that.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Descriptions. I don't describe things enough

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I don't know any other languages well enough to do this and would not want to try and butcher it.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Tangled

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

OOOH this is hard. Probably "In The Pocket". I love me my sports AU's and I got some angst in there and some good smut too, but mostly it's self indulgent fluff for me.

Tagging with no pressure: Anyone who wants to do this!!!!

[bookloveravenue]

Aurora Cycle_02: Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Our heroes are back… kind of. From the bestselling co-authors of the Illuminae Files comes the second book in the epic series about a squad of misfits, losers, and discipline cases who just might be the galaxy’s best hope for survival.

First, the bad news: an ancient evil—you know, your standard consume-all-life-in-the-galaxy deal—is about to be unleashed. The good news? Squad 312 is standing by to save the day. They’ve just got to take care of a few small distractions first.

Like the clan of gremps who’d like to rearrange their favorite faces.

And the cadre of illegit GIA agents with creepy flowers where their eyes used to be, who’ll stop at nothing to get their hands on Auri.

Then there’s Kal’s long-lost sister, who’s not exactly happy to see her baby brother, and has a Syldrathi army at her back. With half the known galaxy on their tails, Squad 312 has never felt so wanted.

When they learn the Hadfield has been found, it’s time to come out of hiding. Two centuries ago, the colony ship vanished, leaving Auri as its sole survivor. Now, its black box might be what saves them. But time is short, and if Auri can’t learn to master her powers as a Trigger, the squad and all their admirers are going to be deader than the Great Ultrasaur of Abraaxis IV.

Shocking revelations, bank heists, mysterious gifts, inappropriately tight bodysuits, and an epic firefight will determine the fate of the Aurora Legion’s most unforgettable heroes—and maybe the rest of the galaxy as well

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40516960-aurora-burning

********

May 6, 2020

My Review: 5/5 Stars

What a freaking rollercoaster. Seriously. And there thankfully another book to go! Because after those major cliffhangers (and yes there were more than one), I am going to need A LOT of explanations. Wow. Really, really great book. Though I am not surprised. This duo has written amazing things together. So Aurora Burning picks up right where the last book left off. And there are a lot of revelations in this book. I mean A LOT. Squad 312 knows Aurora is the Trigger now and they have to now find the Weapon. But to do that, Aurora needs to be a little more in tune with her powers. The squad is trying to follow the path laid out for them and let's just say there are plenty of surprises with that. I have some theories, but I won't be getting those answers until the next book. Running from the GIA was one problem, but add in Kal's sister and her craziness? Yeah, complications. Aurora and Kal become closer, especially as Aurora takes her journey to master her abilities. And Kal is struggling with his past that will harm his future. Our Alpha Tyler is trying to keep the group together (despite the loss of Cat) and believe, but things get a bit extra complicated when he gets separated from the group. Scarlett is trying to keep it together after losing Cat and now being separated from Tyler. Finian is Finian, but in only the best way. Intelligent and sarcastic as hell. And Zila surprised me the most in this story. She was a lot more vocal and we got a nice inside look at what made her who she is today. She slowly gets a chance to be more. Lots and lots of plot twists in this story. Pretty sure I got a bit of whiplash, but in a good way. And like I said earlier, some major freaking cliffhangers. Waiting a year is going to be torture.

[lostinthewoods-kristoff]

Fire Safety 101 || Toff

@prince--thomas

So maybe Kristoff was kind of, sort of, starting to get the hang of the whole firefighter thing. He hadn’t been doing it all that long, but there was a certain degree of repetition to things that made picking it up seem fairly simple. There was a routine to follow: start your shift, inspect the equipment, carry out any maintenance. Practice drills with the other new starters and apprentices that covered anything from airlifting horses out of swampy ground to mopping up chemical spills of sticky green goo that Chief Denim said was definitely nastier than anything they would actually see on a real call out. And then, of course, there were the call outs themselves; Kristoff still had his armbands on, sure, but that didn’t mean they weren’t gonna throw him in at the deep end.

At least he had been out enough times now not to be filled with a deep and fundamental terror every time the firehouse alarm went off. He was nervous, sure, anxiety making his ribs ache whenever a conversation was cut off or he was woken in the middle of the night by the siren blaring and bathing the little dorm room in bright red light. It was the not knowing, the fact that you couldn’t know exactly what you were getting into until you arrived and saw it for yourself. 

But there was a thrill to it, too. And he would be a liar if he tried to deny that.

He was on day shift this week, and he flopped down in a chair next to Tom in the canteen with a soft huff and a murmured “g’morning”. He had spent the first few hours on duty not doing practice drills or checking equipment but doing presentations - powerpoint presentations. Because engaging with the community was, apparently, just as important a part of being a firefighter as putting out actual fires was.

Kristoff clutched his cup of coffee close to him, and looked over at Tom. “How’s the little man doing?”

[jamiesshelves]

Book: Aurora Burning Series: The Aurora Cycle (Book 2) Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Pages: 495 Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5) Favorite Quote: “There is nothing as painful, or as simple, as doing what is right.” Recommendation: If you like sci-fi, found families, amazing squads, badass characters, interesting narration, evil corporations

Synopsis:

 First, the bad news: an ancient evil—you know, your standard consume-all-life-in-the-galaxy deal—is about to be unleashed. The good news? Squad 312 is standing by to save the day. They’ve just got to take care of a few small distractions first. Like the clan of gremps who’d like to rearrange their favorite faces. And the cadre of illegit GIA agents with creepy flowers where their eyes used to be, who’ll stop at nothing to get their hands on Auri. Then there’s Kal’s long-lost sister, who’s not exactly happy to see her baby brother, and has a Syldrathi army at her back. With half the known galaxy on their tails, Squad 312 has never felt so wanted. When they learn the Hadfield has been found, it’s time to come out of hiding. Two centuries ago, the colony ship vanished, leaving Auri as its sole survivor. Now, its black box might be what saves them. But time is short, and if Auri can’t learn to master her powers as a Trigger, the squad and all their admirers are going to be deader than the Great Ultrasaur of Abraaxis IV. Shocking revelations, bank heists, mysterious gifts, inappropriately tight bodysuits, and an epic firefight will determine the fate of the Aurora Legion’s most unforgettable heroes—and maybe the rest of the galaxy as well.

My Opinion:

The action started immediately from page one which I loved! Parts did feel a bit like filler at first, but it was still interesting and fun to read!

Once again the characters were amazing! Kal was still my favorite, but I love them all so much! Including the new character Saedii who is badass!

We got some incredible backstory about Kal and Zila which really added to the story.

I again love all of their relationships but I still especially love Kal and Auri! They are everything!! I’m also totally digging Tyler and Saedii!

THAT ENDING!!! I SHOULD BE USED TO THESE TWO CAUSING ME PAIN BUT I AM NOT AND I AM NOT OKAY! WHO ENDS A BOOK LIKE THAT?!?!?!

Full Review | My Reviews | Bookstagram | Ko-Fi

[kristoffxannafanatic]

If you could have someone write you any KA fic, what would it be?

I love modern AU’s. Especially ones where they were either childhood friends or high school sweethearts that went their separate ways and find their way back to each other in adulthood. I am also a slut for protective Kristoff and military, police officer or firefighter Kristoff! But lets face it I love 99.9% of all Kristanna fics. I gobble that shit up like m&m’s! Thanks for asking! Stay safe and healthy!

[searchingwardrobes]

Own Worst Enemy: 2/?

This is an ongoing, interactive birthday gift for @killiancygnus​ . You can find part one here

Well, these were the lyrics you requested, Fran!

“The smoke alarm is going off”

Four hours earlier . . .

Only Mary Margaret and David would combine their bachelorette and bachelor parties into one. They’re one of those couples who you can’t seem to separate in your mind. Their love is so pure - almost nauseatingly so - that it’s like they share one heart or something. Killian fiddles with the mug of beer in front of him that he should be drinking but has barely touched. He watches his best friend dance with his fiance, both of them sort of stumbling as they laugh. 

“God they’re already drunk.”

Killian catches the eye of the blonde sitting at the table with him, and it occurs to him that he can’t really call David his best friend anymore. Emma’s sort of taken that title from him, bit by bit as David and Mary Margaret fell deeper and deeper in love. Plus, he sees Emma all day every day, as they patrol Storybrooke together. They’re partners on the police force here, pretty much the entire police force plus Graham Humbert, the sheriff. It’s pretty much all a small town like theirs needs. 

“They’re happy,” Killian says, finally taking another sip of his beer. He grimaces because it’s started to get warm. He and Emma are officially the worst best man and maid of honor in the history of weddings. Sitting here, pouting, instead of celebrating. 

“I know,” she sighs, fiddling with her own mostly untouched mug. 

The rest of the wedding party are also three sheets to the wind already. Kristoff and Anna are in a booth in a corner dangerously close to needing a room. Ruby disappeared with a random stranger, laughing raucously, and Elsa’s about to fall off her bar stool as she flirts blatantly with Liam. Of course his brother, being the bartender and owner of the Rabbit Hole, is stone cold sober. He seems to be enjoying Elsa’s lowered inhibitions, however. Those two have been moving slower than a glacier when it comes to their feelings. 

Killian leans across the table towards Emma. “Want to dance, love?”

Emma’s eyebrows raise, and she tilts her head as if thinking it over. The fast pace of the current song helps her decide, he guesses. “Sure.”

She shimmies her way onto the dance floor then turns to him with a smirk and curve of her finger. He shakes his head as he joins her. 

“Let’s see if this Brit can actually move,” she teases him.

“Barely,” he quips, and he isn’t being self-deprecating, just honest. 

Despite his admittedly awkward dance movies, he finds himself finally enjoying himself. And he would be lying if he said that Emma’s swaying hips and the way she slides her body against his doesn’t light him up inside. Truth be told, if he had his way, they might be more than just friends. But Emma has walls higher than he’s ever seen. She doesn’t do relationships, those were her own words, and a one night stand is never going to happen since they work together and have the same circle of friends. Not that one night would be enough for Killian. Not with Emma. 

The upbeat number ends and a slow song takes its place. Emma surprises him by wrapping her arms around his neck. They sway together, and she seems relaxed for the first time that night. 

“I’m a horrible person,” she tells him. 

“If you are, then so am I.”

They’ve had this conversation before. They’re happy for their friends, but it’s a bit bittersweet too. Just as Mary Margaret was the first true friend Emma had ever had, David was the same for Killian, besides his brother. They had been randomly assigned as roommates freshman year at Boston College, and who would have ever thought two guys so completely different would become so close? Killian loosened straight-laced David, encouraging him to have a little fun. And David kept Killian grounded while also helping him out of a hole of self-loathing whenever necessary. If he had to guess, he’d say Mary Margaret has been a lot of the same for Emma.

Of course, the less time the lovebirds had for their best friends, the more he and Emma were tossed together outside of work, so that’s been a plus. 

Then there’s the thorny problem that neither of them will be able to pay their rent once David and Mary Margaret move out. He sighs. They may not be horrible people, but slightly selfish? Perhaps. Then again, they both have this deep-seated fear of home just . . . slipping away. 

His thoughts come crashing to a halt as he feels Emma’s fingers find their way to the ends of his hair. Her fingers dance across his neck, and he looks deep in to her eyes. Her cheeks are flushed slightly, and her lips part, but before she can say anything, a blaring alarm splits the air. 

They jump apart at first, but Killian quickly grasps her hand as the crowd around them begins to cry out in panic as the alarm continues to blare. Drunk people plus a fire alarm is not a good combination, and he doesn’t want to lose track of Emma. They are both jostled as they weave their way through the crowd, barking orders in the authoritarian voices they use when they’re on the job. Killian really wishes they had their badges to force the sea of people to part. 

Many of the people seem confused, some are so drunk they are laughing hysterically, and he and Emma push them towards the exit. 

“Stay calm!” they both shout. “Just head for the exit!”

When they reach the bar, Liam has his hands full. Some people see the distraction of the alarm as an opportunity to swipe some bottles of liquor. Emma and Killian quickly come to his aid, yanking people off the bar and shoving them towards the door.

“Where’s Elsa?” Emma shouts.

“She’s already outside,” Liam tells them, “I told her to run outside first thing.”

Killian thinks at first maybe someone pulled the alarm as a joke, but then he smells something burning and sees smoking billowing from the direction of the bathrooms. He tries to get Emma to head outside, but she stays, and the three of them are the last ones out. The fire truck is already on the scene, and they pass a group of firefighters as they exit. Mary Margaret, David, and the rest of the wedding party race frantically to their sides. 

“Thank God!” Mary Margaret cries as she embraces Emma.

David yanks Killian into one of those masculine embraces, and he grunts as David slaps his back. Everyone agrees to call it a night and heads home, but Killian decides to stay with his brother to make sure everything is ok with the bar. Emma stays too. Even though they were off duty, they’re still cops at the scene of a fire, she says. He thinks it has more to do with their friendship, but he just nods. 

In the end, the firefighters discover a bottle of liquor, a lighter, and an opened condom in the women’s bathroom. They all exchange glances and say at the same time: “Ruby.” Thankfully, the fire was put out before it could spread. Turns out there are some advantages to living in a small town. Liam decides to stay to see that everything is cleaned up. He never heads home until close to five am on a regular night, so he might as well. Killian offers to help, but Liam waves him off. 

“There’s a wedding tomorrow night, remember?”

Liam’s reminder causes him to look over at Emma. She’s sitting on the curb, her heels dangling from one hand, her chin propped on the other.  She looks like they have a funeral to go to tomorrow instead of a wedding. 

“Hey Liam, could I get a couple of bottles of rum?”

He gently prods her with his toe once he has the rum in hand. When she raises her head towards him, he flashes her his cockiest grin. “Need some cheering up?”

“Is rum your answer to everything?”

He shrugs. “It never hurts. How about we head down to the docks and drown our sorrows. The water is calming, you know.”

“So’s rum,” she chuckles, grabbing one of the bottles. 

“You’re a hypocrite of the highest order, Swan.”

She clinks her bottle with his as she stands. “Lead on, pirate.”

Tag, you’re it again, Fran! Time to pick a new lyric:

Can we forget about the things I said When I was drunk? I didn't mean to call you that I can't remember what was said Or what you threw at me

It's no surprise to me I am my own worst enemy 'Cause every now and then I kick the livin' shit out of me (the smoke alarm is going off) When there's a cigarette Still burnin'

Tagging @snowbellewells @kmomof4 @jennjenn615 @whimsicallyenchantedrose @bethacaciakay @thislassishooked @teamhook @kday426 @snidgetsafan @delirious-latenight-laughs @winterbaby89 @let-it-raines