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Christmas was always a big event in the Arendelle household. As the host of Christmas lunch, it would not do to have only a few lights up and maybe a tree. That was too tame. Instead, Christmas lights covered every inch of the home, Christmas songs were playing on repeat in the background, the yard was filled with inflatable reindeer, and a cardboard sleigh and a blow-up Santa sat on the roof–out of the way of the chimney, of course, lest it catch alight. Iduna roped her two daughters and her vaguely amused husband into the mix as well; each was dressed appropriately and contributed to the holiday. Elsa helped her with the desserts, Agnarr entertained the guests, and Anna wrapped all the presents.
Once Christmas day arrived, their relatives eagerly piled into the large suburban home; first the cousins, then the uncles and aunts, then the grandparents and then every other family member that managed to make it. Soon, the house was full of merriment and noise and children playing. Iduna breathed a soft sigh of relief at the sight of all her family in one place; everything had gone according to plan. Every family member was accounted for and had a designated seat at the table.
Then a soft rapt was heard at the door.
Agnarr, with a slight shrug of his shoulders, assuming another family member had arrived, opened the door with a cheerful smile that his stern nature rarely displayed. What he found on his doorstep was quite a tall young boy, roughly his eldest daughter’s age, with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his dark blue hoodie. He had quite a striking appearance compared to most young men; strands of white and silver stood messily upwards, as if he had a habit of running his hands through the strands. Not to mention, his eyes were the most striking blue Agnarr had ever seen. For a moment, they even rivaled Elsa’s particular hue, if they were a fraction deeper. Agnarr's first thought was carolers, but the boy didn’t look like the type to sing. His next thought was charity. It wasn’t uncommon for this time of year; many needed it, and it probably looked good on the kid’s resume for university.
But before Agnarr could even ask what the boy was trying to get him to donate for, his wife slid in beside him, smiling widely with curious eyes. “Agnarr, dear, who is this?”
“Um, Jack. Jack Overland, sir… ma’am.” The poor boy looked uncomfortable. Rubbing his neck and struggling to meet their eye, even if he valiantly attempted to do so several times. Poor boy, Agnarr thought; it probably was his first pitch. “I’m sorry for interrupting your Christmas, but I–”
“Oh, no worries. How can we help you, dear?” Iduna asked, smiling still.
A warmth creeped up into the young man’s cheeks as he bashfully began his request.
“I wanted to see–well, if she’s alright with it, um, and you are too, of course–I’m a friend of your daughter, you see, and I’ve got her present with me and I was wondering if–” Before Jack could even finish his sentence, though perhaps that may have been the best for everyone involved, Agnarr was already yelling out for his youngest.
“Anna! A friend’s here for you!”
Iduna’s smile turned apologetic when no response came. “Sorry, it may take a while. Once she gets into the chocolates she finds it hard to stay away.”
“Oh, no. I, um, I’m friends with Anna too, but I’m here for–for Elsa, if that’s alright?”
Both parents exchanged terse looks with each other. Anna was the one who had so many friends that they had learned to never question it when they showed up at their door. Anna was the one who brought boys home and stayed out late. Anna was the one who had, for a lack of a better word, a social life. Elsa stayed in her room all day, pouring over books and only a few friends that she went out with and never for very long. In other words, Elsa did not bring boys home.
Agnarr squinted at the boy, seeing him in an entirely new light. Unfortunately for Jack. “You're here to see… Elsa?”
“Uh, yeah. If that's okay?"
“Are… are you sure?” Iduna asked hesitantly.
The boy looked between them, confused. “Er… yeah.”
“Jack?” The three of them turned towards the voice, watching as Elsa descend down the stairs with the grace of her mother, though her expression was quietly puzzled. Her kitten heels clicking against the wooden steps as she absentmindedly dusted down the folds of her drinks; a periwinkle blue with snowflakes lining the hem and the heart curve of the bodice. Her platinum blonde hair was twisted into an elegant French braid with silver snowflake pins scattered within. She looked graceful, elegant, lovely even–a sight that Jack had noticed with a blush on his cheeks and a bite of his lip–and a sight that Agnarr had noticed with a disapproving frown.
“I didn’t know you were in the neighbourhood. Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, yeah, great. Perfect. You know, uh–heh–” the boy shrugged his shoulders, face heating up. “Just thought I’d drop by, you know, say Merry Christmas and give you your present.”
“My present?” Elsa repeated, a slightly fond expression playing at her lips, as if she hadn’t decided whether or not to show it. “I thought we weren’t–”
“No, no, it's not a group thing. No secret Santa this year. I just wanted to get you something anyway.” Jack managed to summon his courage to meet her gaze at the perfect time. Her lips widened into a smile of bashful delight as her eyes brightened with joy. Agnarr and Iduna shared a look of surprise; it was rare enough to see Elsa with a friend, let alone a boy, but now she looked like that? What was going on?
Jack let a little puff of air that sounded like a laugh, a rather dazed look on his face as Elsa smiled at him. “Great minds think alike then, I got you a present, too.”
Jack lifted his head in surprise. “You did?”
“Mhmmm.” A melodic giggle left Elsa’s lips–since when did she giggle? --at Jack’s shocked expression. “Well, I couldn’t exactly not get a gift for Jack Frost, could I? He’d nip at my nose!”
An easy laugh left the boy, as if by instinct, as he shrugged his shoulders and fondly shook his head. “Never gonna let that one go, huh?”
“Nope!”
“Not even if I beg?”
“Especially then.” Her innocent smile turned mischievous in the blink of an eye. Both parents almost missed it, and then before they could even gawk at the sudden switch in their daughter’s personality, said daughter was already dragging the boy in by the hand and pulling him through the house. “I’m just gonna take Jack out the back! He hasn’t met Marshmallow yet!”
Elsa didn’t even wait for permission. Their diligent, introverted, can’t-even-bake-cookies-without-asking-if-it-was-okay-first daughter didn’t even seek a look of approval. Iduna and Agnarr stared at each other in stunned silence for several minutes. Only then, Anna came bouncing into the main hall; arms wrapped around a bowl of assorted chocolates and corners of her lips smeared with said confection. “What’d I miss?”
“There he is! Marshmallow, c’mere!” Elsa crouched down and patted her knees, encouraging their white husky to bound over towards them. Marshmallow barked happily and sniffed his feet in curiosity, wagging his tail when Jack bent down and scratched his neck. Marshmallow shook his body and happily pushed his head into Jack’s palm.
Jack chuckled at the display of affection, noting the snowman costume that the dog wore with a smile.
“I like the costume. Very Christmas-y.”
“Mother does enjoy a theme.”
“Yeah, I think the front yard speaks for itself.”
Elsa chuckled, all warm and lovely. Jack could barely resist wrapping his arms around her waist and squeezing her into his chest. God, she was cute. Rising to his full height as Marshmallow wandered off to play in the snow, he remembered why he was in her back yard in the first place. “Soooo…”
“Soooo…? I heard you have my present stashed away somewhere.” She said with a mischievous smile. “Don’t make a poor woman fight for her gift.”
He shook his head, trying (and ultimately failing) not to grin stupidly. “Oh, I would never.”
“Then where is it, Frost?” Elsa reached a hand out to poke at his sides, causing him to giggle rather foolishly. He squirmed away from her ministrations with a blush, stumbling backwards and further into the yard.
“Ah-ah-ah, you first.”
“Me? You're the one who came to my house, and I have to give you your present first?”
“Yeah, of course. I’m a guest you know, where’s your manners, my dear hostess?”
“Dear? Huh.” She grinned like she knew a secret, and it made his insides squirm.
“Mhmmm. Got a problem with it?”
She hummed, eyes agleam, leaning forward and invading his personal space in a way he totally could get behind. “Mmmmmmm…Maybe. It depends on what your present is.”
“No pressure,” he murmured, vaguely aware of the snow starting to fall. Really, it was difficult to be aware of anything other than her pretty eyes and brilliant smile. And with her leaning in so close… it was hard to not fall into a daze like he’s done so many times before in class, wistfully staring in her direction.
As if she was just becoming aware of their position, she pulled away slightly, tucking a curl behind her ear and bashfully glancing at the ground. God, what he wouldn’t do to kiss her right now. His hands were itching to hold her, to get lost in her hair that smelled like peppermint. Something green caught his eye behind her, and he grinned as an idea formed swiftly.
Extending a hand behind her, he pointed upwards.
“Well, would you look at that?”
“Huh?” Elsa peered up at the roof, expecting to see something spectacular like a snowy owl or some insect, only to see snow and leaves in her gutter and nothing out of the ordinary.
“Perfect timing, really.”
Elsa squinted, frowning in concentration. “What are we supposed to be looking at again?”
“Why, mistletoe, of course!” Jack grinned, brandishing his arms towards a particular leaf jutting out of the snow as if it was obvious. Elsa knew instantly that she walked into another one of his stupid jokes and if the delight in his eyes were anything to go by, Jack was reveling in her mistake.
“Jack, that is not mistletoe.” She said, an unamused pucker of her lips. “That’s a leaf.”
“Ye of so little faith,” He declared with a shake of his head. Then he pointed to the edge of the sad little leaf as if he were their science teacher pointing out names on a diagram. “The slight discoloration is the small little white bulbs trying to peek through,” Reaching a long limb upwards he plucked the leaf out of the snow and pinched it between his fingers. “And the length of the stem is another obvious hint. C’mon, you can’t seriously tell me this isn’t mistletoe?”
As if on cue, the leaf drooped forward in mourning for Elsa’s brain cells–or as Jack took it, the confirmation of his theory. “See! Even the leaf says so!”
“Jack…” Elsa murmured, shaking her head and trying not to sound to let her smile show lest she encourage such behaviour. “Just what am I going to do with you?”
“I can think of a few things.” He wiggled his brows suggestively.
Elsa pushed out a breath through her teeth, hoping it sounded more like a sigh and less like a laugh, and pointedly ignored the warmth rising in her cheeks with a roll of her eyes. “Honestly, Jack.”
“What?”
“Don’t even try to play dumb. Just–stay here and I’ll go grab your present.”
He mocked a dramatic sigh. “Fine, fine, I’ll stay and waste away in the snow. Never to be seen again. My broken heart bleeding, not a soul to hear my cries—”
“Jack!”
He raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay! I’ll stop!”
With a shake of her head, she entered the house and ignored the sounds of people talking in the dining room as she raced up the stairs, full of a strange kind of anticipation as she searched her bedroom for his gift. When she came down the stairs Jack was standing out in the middle of the yard, making a smiley face in the snow with his foot.
Once he saw her and grinned and walked over to her. Gripping the tickets in her hand tightly, she gathered her courage and smiled. “Merry Christmas, Jack.”
She pressed the tickets into his hand, watching as surprise washed over his features.
“An ice-skating pass? For a month?”
“I hope you like it,” Elsa said, flexing her fingers together anxiously. “I know how much you and your sister love to skate, so I thought you’d both enjoy it. Of course, if you don’t like it, just tell me and I’ll find something different. I’m sure there’s some–”
“No, no–” He placed his hand over her fidgeting fingers. She looked up at him, mouth slightly agape. “It's great. It's… perfect."
She didn’t seem convinced. “You sure?”
“I’m certain. Thank you, Els.”
Jack watched with a tender expression as her shoulders slumped forward in relief, foregoing their graceful arch, and a soft sigh left her. “Good. I’m glad. You have no idea how worried I was.”
“Really? I couldn’t tell.” He said sarcastically.
Her reply was a fond roll of her eyes before leaning forward, a touch too mischievous for her own good. “Don’t I get a present?”
“Mmmm… on second thought–”
“Jack!”
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” Reaching a hand into his hoodies’ pockets, his fingers wrapped around something square and vaguely leather like. A box. Swiftly, he pulled it out and hid it behind his back; hands clamped around the box in a vice-like grip.
“Hey!”
“C’mon, Snowflake, you gotta guess!”
Elsa crossed her arms with a soft pout. Which, to Jack, looked quite adorable, if a little childish for a sixteen-year-old. “Will you ever grow up Jackson Overland?”
“Nope! Now, pick a hand, Elsa Arendelle.”
“What do I get if I don’t pick the box?” Elsa asked.
His grin formed into a smirk. “You’ll have to wait and see.”
“I want the terms and conditions, please.”
His expression fell, mirroring her pout from earlier. “You’re no fun.”
“I have to be sure that you won’t switch them out on me or make me do something I don’t want to do!”
“Fine, then. I promise I won’t switch hands at the last second and I can assure you that the reward in my other hand is something you’ll like.” For all his teasing, Elsa noticed a faint undercurrent of seriousness in his words that overrode the smarter part of her brain that refused to give in.
“Finnnneee. I choose the right.” As soon as the words left her lips, she felt something cold, but soft brush against her cheek. Sparks erupted from the place of contact, fizzling out into her veins in a shiver that rumbled up her spine. It was only a moment, but she found herself wishing it would last forever as he began to pull away.
Jack seemed unsure of himself, panting softly in anticipation–for an insult, maybe? Shock? Disgust? Anything, really. All Elsa could give him was a soft, almost indiscernible, “Oh,”
Almost having forgotten the gift tightly held in his hands, he brought the box forward and gingerly lifted the lid, hesitating for a moment before showing her. Nestled inside plush, white velvet, sat two silver earrings encrusted with white diamonds, their gems forming the pattern of a snowflake. “Oh, Jack,”
“I–I figured it’d be nice, you know, since I call you Snowflake and everything?”
“It's lovely.” She said, a softness to her sincerity that made Jack’s nerves melt into the snow. Gently, she took the box from his hands and silently admired the polished silver before placing them on the porch. Then, she turned towards him with a look that made his bones freeze in anticipation.
“Elsa?”
“Mhmmm. Would you look at that?” Following Elsa’s line of sight, Jack pinched his brows in confusion as clouds and a gutter overflowing with snow met his gaze.
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t tell me you can’t see it. It's obviously a sprig of mistletoe.” She said matter-of-factly.
“What do you–oh.”
Oh.
He was such an idiot.
“Oh, yeah,” He nodded approvingly, barely able to keep the smile out of his voice. “Yeah, now I see it.”
“And if we both see it, then it must be there.” Elsa said, walking towards him, eyes sparkling in the misty sunlight. God, it felt like his heart was going to explode. He stepped forward of his own accord, drawn by some unbreakable tether, God, or something more insane. Her breath came out in small puffs of air, warming his skin somehow with tingles of delight.
Jack brushed his thumb along the curve of her cheek bone, mesmerized by how she leaned into his touch, begging for more. As if she was just as lost as he was. “Els… are you sure?”
She nodded, eyes fluttering up at him as she shook her head. He knew those eyes. He knew that look.
Curving his hand under her jaw, he bridged the gap between them. And good God, if heaven wasn’t this, he didn’t want it. Soft, sharp peppermint licked against his lips, sparking a thousand fires under his skin that would never dull in their blaze. Her fingers pulled at the roots of his hair and his slide down to her waist and with a little tug, she stumbled closer in. Half a giggle left her lips at his actions, making his cheeks flush and grin widen.
“Sorry,”
“No, you're not,”
He laughed, pulling her closer. “No, I’m not.”
Her hands curved around his hood’s collar and tugged. All protests were swallowed by soft sparks and the bite of peppermint.
“Well, they certainly look like they are having a good Christmas, don’t they?” Anna said, grinning as she looked through the window at her older sister and the guy she totally didn’t have a crush on (Elsa’s words, not her own) kissing like they didn’t have a care in the world.
“I think I need a drink.” Agnarr said gruffly, looking morose.
“Pour me one too, dear.” Iduna said, expression still fixed in a state of shock.
“Me too,” Anna said, giggling.
“Anna!” Both parents gave her an unimpressed frown.
The younger girl shrugged her shoulders. “What? It was worth a try.”