#my brain is turning to mush and i literally can't even focus anymore so i'm sorry if this sucks

[thecassadilla]

Written in the Stars - Chapter 2

Word Count: 3,574/AO3

Pairing: Kristanna

Love During Lockdown series: Serendipity (Prologue) | Chapter 1

Summary: Figuring out how to go on an in-person date during a time of social distancing would be a challenge for anyone. Luckily, it comes easy to Anna and Kristoff, who find a creative way to spend some time with each other amidst a pandemic.

Author’s Note: Hi everyone. I hope you’re all doing okay. I debated for a really long time on whether or not I should post today. The world has been very dark the past few days, and I didn’t want to take away from anything important that is happening. I ultimately decided to post because some of you may be using fanfiction as an escape right now and I didn’t want to deprive anyone of what little distraction you may feel while reading this. I don’t know. Thank you for all the love you’ve given me, I appreciate all of you. Stay safe. I hope you enjoy this.

As they pulled up to the unusually long drive-through line, Kristoff turned to face her. “What do you want?”

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a sucker for chicken nuggets,” she smiled. 

“How many do you want?”

“The meal, I guess. I think it comes with ten pieces? I haven’t been to a McDonald’s in forever,” she explained.

“What type of drink?”

“Sprite,” she answered, confidently. 

When it was finally their turn to order, he rolled down the window and relayed the order to the cashier. While he did so, she dug through her purse for her wallet. Once they pulled forward, she tried to hand him the cash.

“What’s this?” He asked, looking down at the money in her hand.

“It’s for the food,” she said, moving it closer to him.

He playfully pushed her hand away. “Nice try, but this is on me. And the real date will be on me, too.”

“So what is this, then?” She teased playfully.

His cheeks turned bright red. “If, um...I don’t -”

“Don’t worry, I’m only teasing,” she assured him, a huge smile plastered across her face. “Of course this is a date. A real date.”

He huffed out a nervous laugh. “Right. Yeah. I just didn’t want to jump the gun and assume that, just in case you...”

She rested a hand on his arm. “Just so you know, I was hoping that you felt the same way - that this was a date. An unconventional one, sure, but honestly, I think this is the best date I’ve ever been on.”

“Me too,” he smiled, the blush starting to fade. “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

Just then, the car in front of them moved forward, and they were able to move up to the first window. He handed the cashier his credit card as Anna slid the cash back in her bag. 

“So, I hope you like ice cream,” Anna said as soon as he closed the window.

“I do, why?”

“Because we’re going to Dairy Queen after this and I’m treating you to ice cream.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Are we now? Last I checked, I was the driver.” 

“Well, I’m the passenger, and that’s an order, not a request.” She tried her best to sound stern, raising her index finger and wagging it at him.

He rolled his eyes, but his lips were curved upwards. “You’re bossy.” 

“I know,” she smiled sweetly. “I’m serious, though. Dessert is on me.”

“Fine,” he sighed. “If you insist.”

“Thanks,” she laughed. “I’m really good at getting what I want.”

“I can see that,” he chuckled. “Look at how easily you persuaded me to go to Dairy Queen.”

“Oh, you barely even put up a fight!”

The car in front of them pulled forward again, and they finally arrived at the pick up window. The employee handed Kristoff the drinks first, which he placed in the cupholders, followed by the bag of food. He handed it to Anna, and pulled out of the drive-through, driving to a spot in a secluded area of the parking lot. He parked the car, and she began to dig through the bag.

“Here’s your burger,” she said, handing him the box. “Do you want me to leave your fries in the bag?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

She pulled her own fries out of the bag and balanced them between her legs. She took out her box of chicken nuggets, and then folded the bag down and placed it on the seat next to her. “Do you want some hand sanitizer?”

“Yes, please.”

She reached into her purse and grabbed the bottle, and then squeezed a dollop into his waiting hands before squeezing some into her own. After rubbing her hands together she reached for a fry.

“So, Kristoff,” she said, around a mouthful. “What were you like as a kid?”

“Hmm,” he hummed. “I was really shy. Very lonely, didn’t have many friends. But I really loved being outside, and I spent a lot of time hiking, when I was old enough. What were you like?”

“I was pretty wild,” she giggled. “I had a lot of energy and I hated sitting still. I think I made my parents want to pull their hair out sometimes. I didn’t really have a lot of friends, either, and the other kids bullied me.”

He frowned. “People really suck.”

“Tell me about it - I literally think I’ve heard every joke about redheads. I think it made me stronger, though? I developed really thick skin, and words don’t hurt me anymore, unless they come from someone I care about.”

He chewed for a moment before responding. “It’s good that you don’t let petty stuff bother you.”

“Not to go bringing up an ex on the first date, but I dated this really awful guy once and it kind of crushed my self-esteem. He loved to put me down, and made me feel like I was nothing. As horrible as it was, getting out of that relationship really helped me understand my self-worth. It took a long time to get where I am today.”

He didn’t answer right away, but rather stared at her in awe. 

“Sorry, I hope I didn’t kill the mood or anything. I shouldn’t have brought it up, I just -”

“No,” he cut her off. “Don’t be sorry, you didn’t ruin anything. I’m really glad you shared that with me, and I’m glad that you can see past all of his bullshit.” He was debating telling her about what happened with Ryder intentionally sending the food to her apartment. He wasn’t sure if it would come across as endearing or creepy, but nonetheless, he wanted her to know the truth; especially because it made him a little angry that someone would treat her poorly. He wanted her to know that he thought highly of her from the moment they met, as presumptuous as that was, because she was honest enough to return his groceries.

“Thank you,” she grinned. “I was with him for a long time, too - almost a year. I still can’t believe that I put up with it for so long.”

“Sometimes we don’t realize that people are bad for us until it’s too late,” he explained. “It isn’t like it was your fault that you didn’t realize sooner. Trust me, I’ve been there.”

“Yeah?”

He took a bite of his burger and spoke around the mouthful. “Oh, yeah. I have plenty of stories to share, and I’m sure you do, too.” 

“I have enough stories to write a book - between ex-friends and ex-boyfriends. I don’t understand why it’s so hard for some people to be decent human beings.”

“I just don’t think they realize that they’re treating someone badly. Maybe it’s how they were raised? I dunno,” he shrugged, and took another bite. 

“I guess you’re right - I’d like to believe most people have good intentions, though. I don’t know if that’s optimistic or naive, but I’d rather believe that than believe everyone is out to hurt someone.”

“I don’t think it’s naive. Maybe they don’t realize they’re doing it? Isn’t there a famous phrase - ‘everyone is the hero in their own story?’”

“Something like that. Or maybe more people need to be honest with themselves when they do hurt someone. But what do I know?”

“Speaking of honesty, can I tell you something?” Now or never, he decided. 

“Sure,” she nodded, taking a bite out of a chicken nugget. 

“So, I’m sure you remember last week, when you brought my roommate’s delivery down to us?”

“Of course.”

“Well,” he said, his cheeks starting to turn bright crimson. “That wasn’t exactly an accident.”

“What do you mean?”

“My roommate deliberately sent the food to your apartment, so you’d have an excuse to come downstairs and talk to me.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah,” he answered. “And this is the part where it kind of gets a little embarrassing - he did it because I wouldn’t stop talking about you.”

“Stop,” she smiled, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth. 

“I know that probably sounds really creepy, but I swear I didn’t know he was doing it. Ryder - he’s kind of unorthodox when it comes to stuff like that, and I told him it really wasn’t fair to drag you out of your apartment when the world is going through...all of this.” He gestured wildly around him, alluding to the pandemic.  

“He’s a really good wingman,” she simpered, dropping her hand from her face. “Can I make a confession?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“For that entire month, I kept wishing that either my stuff would go to you or your stuff would be delivered to me so I had an excuse to see you again.”

“No way,” he laughed.

“Swear to God,” she insisted. “It kind of makes me wish that I’d thought of your roommate’s idea, like, three weeks sooner - what an ingenious plan.”

“The reason I brought it up was because you mentioned your shitty ex and people picking on you, and I wanted you to know that even though I literally didn’t know you, I really wanted to know you. You were honest and decent enough to return my groceries, when some other person might’ve just kept them. I literally couldn’t stop thinking about you - or talking about you, apparently.”

“My life would’ve been easier if I had someone to talk to about you,” she giggled. “I couldn’t get you out of my head either, and I briefly mentioned you to one of my friends over text, which helped a little, but I couldn’t talk to my sister about it - she would’ve flipped out!”

“Why?”

She rolled her eyes. “She can be a bit of a control freak. It’s always ‘Anna, you shouldn’t do that’ or ‘Anna, you can’t rush into things.’ She probably would’ve said ‘Anna, you know nothing about him - he’s a stranger,’ as if literally everyone we know wasn’t a stranger at some point in our lives. Also, I think relationships and intimacy freak her out a little - as far as I know, she’s never dated anyone. Or if she has, she’s never mentioned it to me.”

“Huh.”

“So yeah, if I would’ve said ‘hey Elsa, I have a crush on the gorgeous guy who lives downstairs but I don’t even know his name,’ I don’t think it would’ve gone over well.”

He blushed at her revelation. “What did she say when you told her you were going out with me today?”

“Oh, I didn’t tell her,” she responded, nonchalantly. “She was sleeping when I left, so I just sent her a text that I was going out for a while. I didn’t say where I was going or who I was going to be with.”

“Smart,” he nodded, drawing his lower lip between his teeth. 

She shrugged, popping a french fry into her mouth. “I have no regrets. It actually worked out perfectly; she hates that I have to leave the apartment to get the mail everyday and that’s unavoidable, so she definitely would’ve had a conniption fit if she knew I was leaving for the day, with someone else.”

“Are you going to tell her where you went? Or that you were with me?”

“I haven’t decided yet. She doesn't even know that I gave you my phone number, or that I’ve been talking to you, or anything.”

“I’m really glad you even offered me your number in the first place - which is literally the only reason why we’re here.”

“I offered you my number in lieu of a handshake,” she smirked. “Which I still owe you, by the way.”

He picked up his drink and took a sip. “I haven’t forgotten.”

“I was definitely going to give you my number regardless, I just wanted to play it cool.”

“If I remember correctly, I was the one who stopped you from leaving and asked for your name.”

She scoffed. “You thought, after all that, that I was really going to leave without telling you my name or giving you my number? I would’ve left the food in front of your door and ding-dong ditched you if I wasn’t interested.”

“Have you ever looked in a mirror? You’re completely out of my league.”

She huffed out a laugh. “Are you serious?!”

“You’re easily the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen, in my entire life.” 

“Now you’re just bluffing.”

“I’m telling the truth,” he said, his voice overcome with sincerity. He looked her dead in the eye. “I swear, I really didn’t think you would be interested in me.”

She smirked and shook her head. “Oh, honey, you were so, so wrong.”

He paused briefly before speaking again. “You know, I’ve been thinking about the circumstances that we met under, and it’s really unusual.”

“We literally only met because our deliveries were sent to each other’s apartments by mistake.”

“What are the odds of something like that happening twice, though?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged, raising an eyebrow. “Are you insinuating that it was fate for us to meet?”

“It’s just weird that the same thing happened twice, to the exact same people. During a time when people are supposed to be staying away from each other, nonetheless.”

“The reason why I asked is because I believe in fate,” she replied confidently. “They say lightning never strikes the same place twice - but in this case, it did. I don’t know what that necessarily means, but I’d like to believe that it’s a good omen.”

An awkward silence took over; the only noise to be heard was the sound of the engine running and the air conditioning forcefully pushing through the vents. 

“I’m done,” he said after a few moments, finally breaking the silence. “Do you want to go straight to get ice cream? Or should we keep driving for a while?”

“It’s up to you,” she shrugged, tossing her garbage into the now-empty bag. 

“I guess we could sit here for another few minutes, and then head over in that direction,” he stated, adding his trash to the bag as well. “So, tell me; do you prefer dogs or cats?”

“I would say that I am generally an animal lover, but if I had to pick, I would pick dogs. I love cats, too, but there’s just something about coming home and being greeted by a dog who missed you as much as you missed them.”

“Totally agree,” he nodded. “I’ve never had a dog, but I’ve always wanted one.”

She furrowed her eyebrows together. “You know our apartment complex allows dogs, right?”

“Yeah, but it’s such a big responsibility. I mean, now would probably be the best time because I’m literally home all day, but I’d have to talk to my roommate about it and do a lot of research.”

“I had a dog when I was a little girl,” she smiled, relishing the memory. “Every time I came home from school, he would be sitting by the front door, waiting to jump on me and give me kisses. He was my best friend when I didn’t have anyone else. I miss him a lot.”

“Why don’t you get a dog?” He asked.

She shook her head. “My roommate - the one who may or may not be coming back - is allergic. She wouldn’t even entertain the idea of one of those hypoallergenic dogs, either. But at the end of the day, her comfort in her home is more important than my wanting a dog.”

“That’s fair,” he sighed. He was very seriously starting to contemplate the possibility of getting a dog; logistically, it would be doable, if Ryder agreed. “You’re dangerous, you know.”

She laughed. “I know, but why?”

“Because now I’m thinking about getting a dog. You planted a seed in my head.”

“You were the one who asked me the question!”

“Yeah, but you’re the one who mentioned that our apartment allows dogs. And when I get home later, I think I’m going to ask my roommate how he feels about dogs,” he said, confidently.

“If you do decide to get a dog, I’d love to meet him or her.”

“Hell, you can come with me to pick it out,” he responded, but quickly clarified. “If you wanted to.”

“I’d love that,” she said, her face lighting up. “Just be prepared, I’ll want to pet all of the dogs.”

He chuckled. “I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, though. For all I know, my roommate hates dogs or something.”

“He’d have to be a cruel person to hate dogs for no reason,” she pointed out.

“I mean, I don’t think he does. He’s really chill, actually. Sometimes he gets on my nerves, but most of the time, he minds his own business and we get along really well.”

“I had a really good relationship with my roommates, too. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but my lease is ending in August, and if my roommate doesn’t come back, then I may have to move out.”

His eyes widened with concern. “Why?”

“I can’t afford to live in a three bedroom apartment by myself,” she answered matter-of-factly. “It’s fine for now, but long-term? It’s not going to work.”

“Oh shit,” he muttered. “It would really suck if you had to move out.”

“I know,” she frowned. “And I could always look for roommates on Facebook, or by asking around. That’s how I found this apartment - through a friend of a friend. But I had a bad experience with a roommate back when I dormed, and I’m afraid of repeating that.”

“What happened?”

“She was just...awful. She wouldn’t clean up after herself, there was always a pile of dishes in the sink that I’m pretty sure she expected me to do, and she was always bringing over people without telling me first. You don’t even want to know what I would walk in on.”

“That’s really awful, I’m sorry you had to live with a person like that. Dorms are the worst.”

She sighed. “It’s okay, I only lived with her for the first two semesters. My next roommate was a lot better, but I’m still worried that if I let a stranger move in, it’ll be a repeat of freshman year.”

“Hopefully you’ll find someone that’s a good fit,” he replied, though he was worried about what would happen if she was forced to leave. 

“I really hope so, I like living here. It’s so close to school, and there are so many things to do in this area.” She wanted to add ‘and you’re here,’ but she didn’t want to jump the gun. Whatever it was, it was still too new, and she didn’t know what was going to happen between the two of them. Sure, they'd already talked about going on other dates in the future, and they both seemed to be on the same page about a lot of things, but it still felt like it was entirely too soon to say something like that.

He cleared his throat. “Yeah, this is a pretty nice area. It would really be a shame if you had to move somewhere else.”

“I literally don’t even know where I would go. And if I can’t find an affordable one bedroom apartment, then I’ll still have to worry about the roommate situation.”

“I know it’s impossible, but try not to worry about it,” he assured her. “May literally just started yesterday, so you’ve got some time to figure things out. We won’t let you be forced to go back to New York, or be homeless, or something.”

“We?”

“My roommate and I. Or his sister; she’s awesome, and would take you in without batting an eye, but she lives an hour away so that really wouldn’t help you. Or I could ask one of my friends, I’m sure -”

She reached out and put her hand on his arm, dragging him back from his rambling. “I have friends, you know,” she laughed. “Thank you, though. I really appreciate you looking out for me. I just don’t want to impose on anyone.”

“I doubt you’d be imposing on anyone,” he said, firmly. What he wanted to tell her was that he also lived in a three-bedroom unit, and there was a spare, unoccupied bedroom. The only thing holding him back was that it was the first date and you can’t ask someone you’re “seeing” to move in with you that quickly - it was too forward, and a little creepy. 

“It’s a lot to ask. ‘Hey, I have nowhere to go and need a place to stay, but I have an entire apartment’s worth of furniture and stuff that I have to bring with me.’ Not exactly a good selling point.”

“You can always put some stuff in a storage unit.”

She narrowed her eyes, her lips curling upward into a smirk. “Stop trying to use logic on me.”

“Sorry.” He raised his hands in surrender. “I just...would hate to see you leave.”

“Me too,” she sighed. “I don’t want to leave.”

He pursed his lips, and they were both quiet for a moment. He glanced over at Anna, and noticed that she was staring at her lap, her expression sullen. “What do you say we head over to Dairy Queen now?”

“That would be wonderful,” she answered, a small smile reappearing on her face.

#kristanna #kristanna fanfic #anna #kristoff bjorgman #frozen #frozen fic #my brain is turning to mush and i literally can't even focus anymore so i'm sorry if this sucks #my writing