WHAT: Beginning of their first date & Valentine's Day gift exchanging WHERE: Elsa's cottage in New Asgard WHEN: This afternoon WARNINGS: Just the fluffiness and cheek kisses here STATUS: Complete
Kate had done it. She’d taken the initiative and asked Elsa out on a date. For Valentine’s Day. Which had seemed like a fantastic idea at the time (and it still was - what better day to go on your first date than a day literally dedicated to love?) but came with a lot more pressure than she’d considered at the time.
First, a gift. Yes, it was only their first date, but it was Valentine’s Day and she couldn’t skimp after the whole explanation she’d given of what the modern day holiday looked like. She’d decided to go with some light Frozen vibes, in the form of a pretty fleece blanket. It didn’t outright have her face on it - that would have been way too freaky - so she thought it was appropriate. Cheesy, maybe, but that was part of the goal. She wrapped it up in a pretty pink box with a red bow and voilà!
Second, an actual date location. Unfortunately, the official ask out happening only days prior to such a popular holiday meant nearly everything was booked. Catering wasn’t out of the question, though, and thankfully, Defense paid decent wages. She and Mobius picked out a restaurant together, she put in an order, and they were good to go. She’d cleared staying in with Elsa at her cottage; she would be vacating her room at Mobius and Loki’s for the day to give them a semblance of privacy. They didn’t seem to mind her being there all that much, but she didn’t want to accidentally walk in on something she didn’t want to see, especially while on a date of her own.
Last but not least was the outfit. As much as she’d like to stay in the sweats she’d gotten accustomed to curling up in while the two of them watched movies together, a date called for a little more effort than that. She scoured her favorite sites (all of which still existed in Vallo, thank God) and found a gorgeous red jumpsuit. A matching mani-pedi, a faceful of make-up, and a hair straightener later, she looked good and she was ready.
Snow had been coming down like a blizzard all day. At first, Kate had suspected it was her soon-to-be date’s doing, but a quick browse of the network had confirmed that it was, in fact, somehow the fault of the displaced New York Sanctum. It was another magic thing she didn’t necessarily get but accepted because what else could she do? She still braved the downpour of snow to cross over to Elsa’s cottage mid-afternoon to knock on her door for their pre-dinner movie.
This was the first Elsa had heard of Valentine’s Day - and her first date at all, actually. She didn’t really know what she was doing and there was only so much she could research about the nature of Valentine’s Day and its history (apparently it was a combination of a few things - the 14th of February being the beginning of birds mating season, and a commemoration of Saint Valentine himself, who defied decrees and performed marriages for young lovers in secret). So, yes, while she’d educated herself on the holiday and customs, frantically using the search engines for how to act on a first date was proving to be a lot more difficult.
Then again, it was only Kate - Elsa had been around her quite a bit and was comfortable in her presence. They were friends, first and foremost, and maybe adding some romance to it wouldn’t be so bad, even if the term ‘romance’ tended to invoke a big question mark above Elsa’s head. Nevertheless, she’d seen Anna and Kristoff’s courtship play out - now they were engaged to be married and that was a fine example of what healthy love looked like. Elsa never really thought she’d find it for herself someday, and wasn’t too concerned one way or another - but dating, without the pressures and obligations of finding a royal suitor actually seemed sort of fun. The newness felt like a sun-warmed blanket, or the first day of spring - she just hoped she didn’t screw it up.
Her color palette, when it came to her clothing, usually wasn’t so pink. But today that’s what she had gone for - a pink Peter Pan collared lace cape dress, actually, something described as ‘retro’ in the store. No need to throw on a sweater or anything, given the surprise snow storm that wasn’t her doing - she simply answered the door ready for this, carrying a gift because she read gifts were customary. A box of chocolates - white chocolate ganache truffles, dusted with a strawberry powdered sugar. They looked (and smelled) delicious and came in a purple box, so she thought Kate might like that.
“Hello!” she greeted when she opened the door, flushed the same petal-pink as her dress. “You look so nice. I guess the weather hasn’t improved much?” Elsa supposed she could try to thaw things out, but - it wasn’t her magical snow, so the same rules might not apply.
Snow was already clinging to every inch of Kate’s hair and clothing by the time Elsa opened the door. She was shivering a bit, but she forgot all about that when she was able to take in the sight of her date in that dress. She looked adorable, and though Kate wouldn’t have put on that dress no matter how nicely she was asked, she could appreciate it on Elsa. It fit her vibe perfectly.
“You could say that,” she chuckled, stepping over the threshold to save herself from being totally transformed into a snowperson. Her free hand tossed through her hair and a small dusting of snow consequently covered the floor beneath her feet. She leaned in to press a kiss to Elsa’s cheek and held up the box in her hands. “You look really pretty.”
Oh goodness, that was so rude - she didn’t automatically invite Kate inside, and Elsa felt like an idiot. Here she was standing nervously in a pink dress, pink sparkles woven into blonde-white hair which she wore loose and free (she’d discovered the sparkles at some kind of fairy market - and thought Anna might approve), holding a box because she wasn’t sure if she was supposed to give it to her date right away or what.
“I’m sorry, right, come in!” she insisted, blushing at the cheek kiss and moving to shut the door behind them. “Thank you though, I sort of agonized over what to wear.” Even if they were staying in for the most part, but still - she wanted to look nice.
She’d tidied up her cottage sufficiently too, despite how thanks to her neat-freak tendencies it was already clean - the vibe was ‘sweet and feminine, cute and simple’ with open shelves in the kitchen and lots of white furniture made of both wood and stone, in typical Norwegian fashion. She already had the fireplace going and set up some cushy pillows and blankets for their movie, so the ‘watch’ space was nice and cozy. “Let me make tea - or something? Something hot,” she offered. “I have popcorn too.” Plus chocolates - Elsa wouldn’t be Elsa if she didn’t have clear evidence of her sweet tooth around.
Elsa was clearly nervous, and although Kate might not seem like it, she was nervous, too. She hadn’t gone on a date in ages, but she also hadn’t been truly interested in anyone in a long time. There was a flicker with Yelena, but it was brief and hadn’t gone anywhere, and she wasn’t sure it could have, anyway. She was funny and hot but also literally an assassin. That wouldn’t be an easy relationship.
Even in just the short amount of time she’d known Elsa, she knew there was a spark there. They had fallen into friendship so quickly and easily that it was mind-blowing. Kate had never liked someone so instantly, and that was only partly influenced by her overfamiliarity with Frozen. Sharing such an intensely shocking experience - what else would you call being displaced from your universe, after all? - had done a good job of bonding them together. She knew if their attempt at a romantic angle failed, they would still be fine.
“Tea and popcorn sounds like a winner,” she agreed. “And then we can do gifts, okay?” Exchanging them right here just barely clear of the doorway wasn’t exactly what she’d had in mind; they could settle in and get comfy before getting into that.
“That sounds good,” Elsa nodded, moving to bustle about the kitchen - her heels, pale shell pink with a t-strap (matching the shade of her dress), clacked against the floor as she decided which kind of tea to make, opening cupboards to see what she had. It’d take a second to heat up the water in the kettle so she got that going and also put a bag of popcorn into the microwave (you just pressed a button and the food spun around and then it was done? What even). “I have a couple of things for you.”
Alright, now to just - settle a little so she didn’t create a snowstorm inside the cottage. “Have you ever done Valentine’s Day before?” she asked, since she assumed Kate had more experience with this sort of thing. Especially if it was more prevalent in her culture.
Chai tea. That seemed like a good selection - robust and a bit earthy, and sweet and spicy; it’d go well with a little bit of salty popcorn.
While Elsa took care of everything in the kitchen, Kate moved to settle onto the couch. She’d taken the gift box Elsa had been holding out of her hand stacked in on top of hers on one side of the coffee table to wait. She considered opening it right then and there because it smelled delicious - and it was in her color - but she’d exercise patience this time. So they could do it right.
“Oh yeah, a few. Valentine’s Day was a big thing back home,” Kate chuckled. She’d given Elsa an overall rundown on the theme when she’d asked her to spend the day together, but she hadn’t gone much into her personal experiences. “Growing up, my school had a rule that you had to bring in these cheesy little Valentines for everyone if you wanted to participate. I went with Frozen-themed for a couple years.”
It had been such silly fun back then, picking out a specific little postcard-like card with a character and a phrase on it and writing her classmates names in the ‘To’ spot and her own in the ‘From’ spot. It was nothing romantic, nothing anyone was invested in, usually came with some kind of candy. Those were good childhood memories.
“It gets more serious when you get older, especially high school age, because then you’re actually asking people on dates. I got my first high school boyfriend after I accepted a Valentine’s Day date. The relationship didn’t really go great, but the date was nice.”
She liked hearing about Kate’s experiences, what life had been like for her growing up - it was all so different than Elsa’s own experiences; she’d been tutored at the palace, for example, spending her younger and teenage years in isolation and certainly not involved in anything that meant picking out cards for classmates. It seemed like a sweet little thing to do, to really get into the spirit of the holiday.
“I imagine dating at that age is so nerve wracking,” she added, carrying two mugs of tea into the living room. She was still a little anxious so there was a thin layer of ice on the handles left behind by her fingers but she quickly waved a hand to get rid of that, before returning with the popcorn. “I wouldn’t have known what I was doing and was far too resistant anyway.” Hence why Hans had turned his attention to Anna, love-starved Anna, after realizing Elsa was a lost cause.
Maybe not entirely though - she just needed time and space to feel comfortable, and not have any expectations placed upon her when it came to marriage. Because no.
“Oh, here - a second gift,” she added, setting down a smaller box next to the chocolates she’d picked out. “I made this one myself.” Inside was a woven bracelet, the technique taught to her by the Northuldra people during the brief time she’d found her place there before she’d been pulled to Vallo - they traditionally made their bracelets from a blend of hard and soft materials, reindeer antlers included, and while she didn’t have any of that here she made do. The color scheme was purple and silver, selected with Kate in mind and each bead delicately placed with care.
“You could say that,” Kate confirmed as she accepted one mug of tea. She smiled fondly at the layer of ice clinging to the handle, but it was gone before she could reach out to brush it off. “Dating at any age is pretty nerve-wracking, really. Most of the time, it doesn’t stem from a friendship, so you don’t really know if you’re compatible until you sit down with them.”
Especially these days - it was mostly apps, and people could portray themselves a certain way when all you were doing was texting. It was harder to hide big, ugly flaws in person, although not impossible. Kate had gone on her share of bad Tinder dates before she’d given up and decided it wasn’t worth her time.
Her chemistry with Elsa had come from seeing each other almost entirely in person and developed much more naturally. She was actually excited about this date, even if she was playing it a little close to the chest right now. She hadn’t felt anything but a pit of dread when it came to dating for a very long time prior to Vallo.
“You really didn’t have to get me anything,” Kate protested mildly, though she was quite clearly thrilled Elsa had, blue eyes lighting up with interest. Not one but two gifts? She should have gone a little more all-out on her own, but she would make up for it later on. Especially if everything panned out the way she hoped.
“Open yours first?” she offered, reaching out to hand over her wrapped gift. Aside from the blanket inside, she had packed some Valentine’s-themed candy - holiday-appropriate colored M&Ms, Hershey’s Kisses, Sweethearts (those would be the most fun, in Kate’s opinion), and a candy necklace she was absolutely going to ask her to wear immediately.
“Alright,” Elsa laughed, setting her own mug of tea down so she could open her present. And she was delighted when she did, because candy was the first thing she noticed and could she ever have enough candy? No, she could not. Never enough sweets and chocolate and whatever this necklace was - she definitely put it on, slipping the stretchiness over her head and striking kind of a goofy model pose. Chocolate was her favorite thing so she ate a few of the M&M’s straight off and noticed the writing on the Sweethearts - cutie pie? Be mine? There was even one marked with LOL and she actually knew what that meant now. Progress.
The blanket was well-received too, Elsa chuckling when she saw Olaf. Her sweet, adorable little snowman and symbol of love between the two sisters he diligently watched over and cared for. “Oh, this is nice - thank you,” she said, this time leaning in and pressing a kiss to Kate’s cheek. “I can use it while we’re watching our movie.” The fireplace was going but more blankets were always necessary for that extra cozy feel.
The absolute delight Elsa expressed as she pulled out the candy made Kate’s heart flutter - and the kiss to her cheek only caused another bout of those flutters. She had known the candy would be a big hit with what a sweet tooth Elsa had. And she liked seeing that she’d chosen well and, God, she looked even cuter than before with that candy necklace on. Kate imagined the candies would be chewed off throughout their movie; she’d make sure to suggest it since it wasn’t meant to be a permanent decorative piece.
“I’m glad you like it,” she said, running her hand over the soft material. Fleeces were always the coziest and warmest. “I know you don’t really feel the cold, but it’s low-key Frozen merch and I thought it would help you feel a little closer to home.”
She didn’t want to get something big and splashy with the animated version of Elsa’s face on it. She wouldn’t want that for herself because it would just be too much. This was a little bit of cheese involved in the picking but thoughtfulness, too. People and parts of Kate’s home were here; that wasn’t true for Elsa, and she wanted to give her a little reminder.
The idea of Frozen merch was still a little odd, but Elsa could look at it exactly like how Kate said - a reminder of home, something she could keep close when she was especially missing Anna or Kristoff or the freedom the Enchanted Forest provided. Even Ahtohallan, with whom she had a special connection - it was this ‘river of ice’ that gave her her particular gifts, as she’d come to learn, and she was feeling a little adrift without it.
It had given her the answers she needed, during her tireless search for the truth. And while she didn’t have an Ahtohallan to consult here, she hoped that her journeys would be just as fruitful - whatever they were.
“Open yours now,” she encouraged, blue eyes shining brightly as she motioned toward the boxes she had for Kate. “I hope you like them.” Should she have baked something, instead of buying fancy chocolates? Next time, then. Elsa always liked practicing her skills in the kitchen.
“Alright, alright,” Kate chuckled. No way she could refuse that enthusiasm, so she reached for the bigger box first - the one in her color scheme - and carefully lifted the lid. The scent had already permeated through the box a bit, but now completely free of its lid, those gorgeous little chocolates smelled absolutely heavenly. “Oh god, yum. I bet they taste even better than they smell. Thank you.” She plucked one out, offering it up for Elsa first. “Want one?”
“Sure,” Elsa laughed, taking one of the chocolates - she loved all kinds of chocolate, dark or milk or white chocolate or even something spicy, tinged with cayenne pepper; it was all equal opportunity in her eyes. But she’d picked well since these were good too - they melted in the mouth, and were just the right amount of sweet.
Then she chased it with a handful of popcorn, because why not. The saltiness and the butteriness worked well. “They’re great,” she confirmed, dusting off her hands. “But mostly for you, so please - enjoy. Though I guess you can share them with the people you live with if you’re feeling generous.” They were nice, Elsa had met them multiple times and was glad they were here to look out for Kate.
“I guess I can be considerate and share with someone other than you,” Kate agreed with a dramatic purse of her lips, as if it was a terribly burdensome request. Really, it was the least she could do to thank Mobius and Loki for taking in without truly knowing her. She knew Mobius had been somewhat familiar with her, but she was still basically a perfect stranger living in their guest room. She was glad they hadn’t bothered to kick her out and make her fend for herself just yet.
She wasted no time after that pulling out a chocolate for herself, humming her approval as she chewed. “Mm, yeah. God, that’s good. I need to come to you for all my chocolate needs.” She’d had fancy chocolates before - the Bishops ran in high-society circles, so of course her mother had shared some of the ridiculously pricey chocolates she’d been gifted before - but she never tired of the taste.
“Okay, what’s this one?” She raised an eyebrow at Elsa, closing the box of chocolate up again and putting it aside to pick up the smaller box. When she opened it and saw the bracelet inside, her mouth dropped open a bit in surprise. “Wow. That’s - Elsa, this is beautiful. You made it?” she questioned, carefully brushing her thumbs over the beads.
Not like Elsa had been intensely worried that Kate wouldn’t like the gift - but also, what if she hadn’t liked it? What if she had to pretend to like it? That would have been embarrassing though good to know for the future and argh.
Though naturally, her worries were unfounded and evaporated. “I did make it,” she grinned, pleased that it wasn’t a horrible decision - handmade gifts could be, on occasion? Someone might rather have money or something. Not that she thought Kate was like that - mostly Elsa was just testing the waters, since this was their first official date. “The Northuldra taught me the technique. They make similar bracelets back home. It’s adjustable - and should fit? If it doesn’t, let me know...”
Alright, now she was rambling a little.
Kate couldn’t get over how cute Elsa was, honestly. The thought had popped into her head at least a dozen times in the very short amount of time she’d been here, but it never stopped being true. The rambling only amped that cute factor up, in her opinion, and made her want to lean in and kiss her to reassure her. But she was trying her best to hold back on that front. They were testing the waters here, new friends seeing if there was more there between them. She didn’t want to make a move that Elsa would feel badly walking back.
Instead, she slipped the bracelet onto her right wrist and held it up for Elsa to examine. It fit perfectly, of course, but seeing was believing. “It’s perfect,” she told her firmly. “And I love it. I’m never taking it off.”
“Oh, good,” Elsa let out a sigh of relief, her heart fluttering in her chest. She could see why people thought dating was so nerve wracking - but it was also quite exhilarating, as she was learning. “It looks really nice on you.”
She clasped Kate’s hand gently to really get a good look at her wrist and all angles - so it seemed she did a good job, and that made Elsa happy. “Well! Shall we start that movie? I think we should be all set - snacks, drinks, blankets?” Lots of those snacks were sugary too, so likely Elsa would be vibrating like a tuning fork after stuffing herself full of sweets (yet she’d still somehow be able to save room for dinner - maybe she was a bottomless pit?) but that was okay. Seemed like the point of Valentine’s Day - one of the main tenets.
“Let’s do it!” Kate grabbed Elsa’s remote off the couch and toed off her heels before she settled back into the couch and into the pillows stacked up around them. “Prepare yourself for another classic. It’s not Mean Girls level, but nothing is.”
Sleepless In Seattle.
“This is an older one. Older than me,” she explained, pressing play and letting the opening credits begin to play. It was romantic, too, an appropriate break from the comedies she’d inundated Elsa with over the past few weeks.
It was probably a good time to take off her shoes too - Elsa had presented herself as a nerve-jangled Valentine’s package (pink outfit and all), so, maybe she was due to get comfortable. That was why she undid the straps on her heels, gently toeing her shoes off as well so she could situate herself next to Kate on the couch.
“Older than you?” she grinned. “Wow, it’s probably older than me too.” Technically. If she wasn’t counting herself as 170-ish years old, due to being from centuries ago - but then again, she still considered herself to be twenty-four. She’d turn twenty-five next December, and that was that. “But I’m looking forward to seeing this classic.”
One of these days she’d have to watch a ‘real’ classic - a silent film, or some such. A mental note, something she’d worry about later. For now she’d focus on the movie and dinner and a continued nice time. Because that was most important.