~Elsa~
It was Tooth who I told my idea to. Tooth who had informed the rest of her family. Tooth who had somehow managed to get Jack away from the house on Thanksgiving Day, which his birthday fell on this year.
At first, I wasn't going to plan a secret surprise birthday because of the holiday, but I thought I should at least get a second opinion, which I chose to be Tooth, and not my sister and cousin. Of course they'd be all for it; they ship Jack and I hardcore. I needed to hear an opinion from someone other than them. And luckily, Tooth was all for it. Thankfully, the rest of the family was as well.
Especially Principal North. Last week–the week before Thanksgiving Break–he would secretly speak with me about the plan and if there were any changes. I must admit, while North can indeed be intimidating and scary when provoked, he really is a genuine softy with a kind, adorable heart.
The plan though is pretty simple. While everyone and myself get everything ready at North's house, Rapunzel, Merida, and Hiccup will distract Jack by taking him around town in one of our limos.
A part of me had wanted to be the one to distract him for the day. To have it be just him and I. A date. However, since I'm the one who suggested the surprise birthday party, which is being integrated with Thanksgiving dinner as well, it's only right that I am there to put everything together. (And to make sure no one messes up on anything or to fix it if they do).
But as I stood in North's living room, putting up decorations with Jack's mom and the others, I found myself nervously sweating and regretting this whole idea. I've never met his mother before until now. She's very nice, a lovely woman, but good Lord I'm so afraid I'm going to say or do the wrong thing. What if she secretly hates me? She's barely spoken to me this whole time! Is she reserved like me? Is that why she's not so talkative? Lord knows her children (Jack's siblings) are. What all had Jack or his siblings said to her about me? Good things I hope.
I wonder if he's told her about me distancing myself from him and giving him the silent treatment lately? Is she angry with me? Does she not approve of me for her son? Aaaaahhhhhhhhhh!
I shake my head, getting rid of these thoughts, and focus on my task. Breathe, Elsa. Breathe. The last thing that needs to happen is me having a panic attack in front of everyone. Especially his mother.
I just hope that she'll be okay with what I plan on doing. If I do it, that is. I might chicken out, but as of right now, I'm determined to make it happen.
My talk with Marianne two weeks ago helped me finally decide my verdict on what I'm officially going to do with Jack, but the following days after our talk in the music room, I had still remained silent and distant from him. Why? Well, I didn't know how to exactly approach him, no timing seemed right, and since I knew his birthday was coming up I thought a surprise party would be the perfect way to say "I'm sorry. I'm ready now. I'm helplessly in love with you."
I just hope I'm not too late. I hope he hasn't given up on me. It's only been a couple of weeks, just a handful of days, but anything could have happened in his mind for him to just say: "Maybe I'm wasting my time. Maybe she isn't for me. Maybe I should move on".
I don't know what I'd do if that happened.
"Moana and Maui are on the way with the cake!" Anna shouts from the kitchen, where she's helping cook.
Good. Once the cake is here, everything should be ready to go. "Okay," I call back as I tape one of the decorations up on the fireplace, "Remind me to text Rapunzel as soon as they're here."
I wonder how it's going for her...
~Rapunzel~
"You know," I say as I examine the four of us, and the instruments displayed on the wall, "I think we'd be a pretty good band. We can be called..." I pause to think of a name. "The Big Four!"
Jack chuckles, amused at the idea. "Ight I'm down. What would our roles be?"
"Merida is drums, Hiccup is the triangle thing, you'll be guitar, and I'll be vocals," I say, confidently, knowing Hiccup would have a comment.
"Triangle thing?" He repeats, unamused. "Why would you have me do that?"
"Cuz surely you won't mess up on that," Merida says, laughing. "We have the utmost confidence in you that you'll play the triangle thing right."
"I don't know," Jack starts, staring Hiccup down with playful eyes. "There's a possibility he'll miss his cue."
"Ha ha, very funny," says Hiccup with the roll of his eyes.
I giggle and continue down the wall, admiring each guitar that caught my eyes. We're currently inside an instrument shop, a store Jack wanted to check out as we rode around town browsing whatever it is that catches his interest. However, while he does seem like he's enjoying himself, I know that he's probably a bit bored. And the thing is, when he's bored, he's the one who tries to "unbore" himself. If there's no fun going around, he makes it himself.
But now, he's just going along with the flow of things that probably don't really have his interest. Letting things unfold naturally instead of causing mischievous fun chaos. Ever since Elsa started her silent treatment with him, he's been different. Not as lively. He's probably thinking of her now.
He's tried talking to her at school, through texts too, but she refused to listen, not yet ready to talk. Anna and I respected her wish for a while, but seeing him, and even Elsa herself, look so uncomfortable and miserable not being near each other and talking...well my cousin and I weren't gonna have it.
We tried talking to Elsa, for our own selves, but we didn't pry too much. It wasn't until Jack asked Anna and I himself for us to talk to her that we tried again. For him. Her answer was the same.
But running into Marianne at the last football game must have knocked some sense into her. Because a couple of days later, Elsa is telling me that for Thanksgiving we'll also be celebrating Jack's 18th birthday. And that for his gift, she plans on telling him she loves him and that she's ready to be a public couple. She doesn't want her fears to waste any more time.
To say Anna and I squealed in excitement and joy would be an understatement. We straight up demolished our lungs and vocal cords. Because not only did Elsa admit to wanting to be in a relationship with him, but she also admitted her feelings for him. She loves Jack. LOVES!!
The feeling I felt was exactly how it felt whenever my ships in books or shows become canon. However, it's not yet official. I mean it pretty much already is since I know Jack feels the same about Elsa, but until the words are said between the two of them, nothing is certain yet.
Anyway, the plan was for Merida, Hiccup, and I to hang out with Jack today, keeping him distracted, while everyone else deals with the food and decorating. There are going to be so many people there. North, Bunny, Tooth, Sandy, Jack's mom and siblings, my parents, Elsa, Anna, Astrid, Moana, Maui, Flynn, and Kristoff. And of course Merida, Hiccup, myself, and the birthday boy.
Olaf won't be able to make it because he'll be working. Said something along the lines of "Giving hugs to patients, telling stories to them, and cooking food in the cafeteria is not an easy job. But it's something I love to do! I need to be there."
Which absolutely warmed my heart.
Astrid's aunt and Hiccup's dad usually spend the day with them and later go into work in the evening after dropping them off at Merida's. This year though, according to them, it's going to be different. Usually, they'll spend the afternoon with their guardians, and then in the evening they'll be with Merida and her family, but this time Astrid's aunt wants to spend the afternoon dinner with Felix, her boyfriend, and Hiccup's dad has decided to stay at work all day for reasons not even Hiccup knows.
I felt bad for both of them, especially Hiccup. Because Astrid, well she has the choice to go and spend time with her aunt. She chooses not to because she doesn't like Felix. Hiccup doesn't have a choice today, and it kind of pisses me off. Stoic never should have gone in to work when he didn't need to. He should have stayed home and spent time with his son.
Hiccup doesn't like to talk about his dad, and he doesn't remember his mom because she went missing when he was a baby, so there's not much to say there, but sometimes I wonder if he ever feels like an orphan because of how absent his father is. I wonder how much it hurts him.
But then again...if he had stayed home, Hiccup wouldn't be here right now with us, and I can tell he'd much rather be with us than his dad. It's just so sad.
Kristoff and Moana's families don't start their dinners until the evening too, so both he, Moana, and Merida will have time to catch both Jack's party and their holiday dinners. As for Flynn...well...I'm hoping he'll stay with me. The orphanage does their own dinner in the evening, and I know how much he adores the kids there, so he might decline, but I'm hoping he'll stay.
I just gotta ask first.
Things have been awkward since I kissed him. Not too much, we're still able to joke around with each other, be normal, but energy-wise, it's definitely not the same. Something has shifted, and I honestly think it's for the good. I'm just waiting for the good part to take effect.
A ding reaches my ears and when I read the notification, my heart jolts.
They're ready for us to come back.
This means we're one step closer to Elsa telling Jack she loves him!
"Hey guys," I say, gaining their attention. "I just got a text from Tooth. Looks like they need some extra hands with the Thanksgiving food." The lie slips so easily off my tongue.
"I told you they would," says Jack, matter of factly. "As much as I hate all the hassle, I don't like leaving so much responsibility on my mom."
"She has plenty of help, Jack," says Merida, trying to be reassuring. And what Jack doesn't know is that it's not just his mom and his family that's helping her. So are his friends and the love of his life. "But I must say, you being a mama's boy is quite amusing,"
I couldn't help my giggle as Jack rolls his eyes. "At least I know how to respect my mom. Unlike someone I know."
I nearly choked on my gasp as Merida gapes at him, totally surprised. "How dare you? I respect my mom—"
"Definitely fooled me then."
"Why you little—"
She's interrupted by Hiccup's laughter. "Hey, at least you guys have moms."
I gasp again, jaw to the floor. "Oh my god, I can't..."
"I..." Merida starts, unsure and surprised once more, "...don't know if I should laugh or not."
Jack, however, was laughing. "Well, I think that was hilarious. But, as someone who is missing a parent too, I can understand and definitely relate to the dark humor."
"You guys are terrible," I mumble, shaking my head and trying to suppress a smile. "Let's get out of here before Merida starts attacking one of you with a guitar."
"Ha!" Merida smirks and looks prideful. "I totally would."
~Jack~
Get home, help with food, have a good birthday slash Thanksgiving, and don't think about Elsa. Don't text Elsa. Or try calling her or daydream about her. About how differently I could have reacted and how differently things could be now. God, I'd give anything to go back in time.
But I mean...can I really be blamed? I was just...so excited! I kissed her because I was happy we won the game and seeing her, well, it excited me even more. I acted without thinking. Flynn and Bunny think I did it to prove a point to Olaf that Elsa is mine, but that's not it at all. I genuinely like Olaf, and I won't lie, I was jealous that Elsa kissed him on the cheek during the Kiss Cam, but acting out in jealousy was not why I kissed her in front of everyone.
I swear it on my father's soul.
I truly did it out of pure excitement and happiness. I just wish I had thought it through. I mean, hell, Elsa barely holds my hand out in public, I should have known kissing her in front of everyone wasn't going to end well. I just didn't think she'd break up with me over it.
God, I didn't think at all actually.
And no matter how hard I try to talk to her or have our friends or her sister or cousin do it, she is one stubborn little ice-cicle. I know I need to give her space and wait for her to come to me, I'll wait forever if I have to, but geez I didn't know she would be this tough to crack. It's admirable really.
Flynn would say I have to up my charm.
When we make it to my grandfather's house, Rapunzel thanks the limo driver, and he drives off, leaving us to the chaos that I'm sure has North's house a mess. I was ready for it though. Chaos is my middle name. And Mischief. I have been meaning to start another food fight. Today might as well be the day, especially if it's already a mess in there.
Most likely done by Sophie.
It's tradition for us to spend the holidays at my grandfather's because it's bigger. As soon as November hits, his house is nothing but Christmas, Chsritmas, Christmas. It's literally like his own personal North Pole, but it's nothing compared to his actual shop. His toy shop is only open for two months though, November and December, but man does he ever put his heart and soul into it, especially when it comes to playing the part of Santa.
He sure does look like him, but the tattoos definitely make him standout. In a cool, badass way though. And then there's also his reindeer farm right behind the shop that Kristoff is secretly obsessed with. He's been working there attending to the creatures for years. It's funny as hell when he does impersonations of them, but seeing him dressed as an elf? If that's the icing on the cake.
There have been times where Flynn has dressed as an elf too while helping put together toys for the orphans at his orphanage. And Bunny—hahaha! He's the funniest looking of them all.
Now don't get me wrong, I've had my fair share of embarrassing moments dressed as an elf while helping North out (the outfits really are horrible) but I've learned to really appreciate how the pants define my ass. They make my butt look good.
But also the only way to not feel embarrassed is to simply laugh at yourself and make the best of the moment. Plus, if you can't laugh at yourself, you're bound to have a miserable life, and that's not for me.
I strive for fun times.
Anyway, as I'm walking toward the house, I noticed Hiccup and Merida standing awfully close to me, while Rapunzel was a little behind, eyes glued to her phone and thumbs texting away at full speed. She looked like she was trying to be sneaky, and I would have made a comment if it wasn't for the fact that I know my mom needs me right now.
As much as I enjoyed spending some time with my friends and riding in a badass limo, I didn't like leaving my mom and the rest of the family to cook the Thanksgiving food without me. The more hands the merrier.. Just because my birthday landed on a Thanksgiving-Thursday this year doesn't mean I get special treatment. As much as I love having fun and hate cooking, I suck it up for my mom. When she needs me I'm there.
It's something my dad always stressed to me growing up.
"Always be there for your loved ones. Always."
I think that's why Elsa's distance is so hard to handle. Even though it's her choice to distance herself from me and give me the silent treatment, I feel like I'm not there for her when I should be. I feel like she needs me, even though she is the one that pushed me away, and I don't want to seem like an asshole if I go against her wishes.
God, girls are so complicated.
When I walked into my grandfather's house, the lights were off, with only sunshine shining through the curtains, and an eerie silence filled the house. That's strange; when we left everyone was here cooking and stuff. Why is it so quiet?
"Something's not right," I whisper to Rapunzel, Hiccup, and Merida, protectively stretching my arm out to the side to keep them behind me. "Get back outside, while I check the house."
Merida snorts. "Wow, my hero," she says, sarcastically. She then gives me a gentle shove forward. "Get moving. There's nothing wrong." In a situation like this, I would expect her to get in front of me and start walking through the house as if she owns the place, but instead she stays behind me.
"Fine," I give in, "but leave the door open in case we need to run."
"Boy, you better stop before you scare Hiccup," Merida adds, teasing her cousin, which makes Hiccup say: "Hey! I am not that easily scared."
As the two of them quietly go back and forth, I cautiously walk forward, hoping that if someone was here, they'd hear us and go out the back way. I seriously don't want to end up fighting anybody.
And I seriously hope my family is okay.
Every step I took into the living room felt like I was walking in deep cement. It had my heart racing, but when I flicked the light on and was met with people popping out of all sorts of areas, shouting "Happy Birthday!" I think my heart stopped all together.
"Jesus Christ!" I shout, before quickly processing what was going on and laughing with the rest of them. "You guys scared the hell out of me!"
The room was full of people, a mix of my family and friends; friends who I'm surprised aren't home spending time with their families right now. I must have been very important for them to come. Aww...
"That's the point of a surprise party," Moana comments, smiling happily as she readjusts the pointy birthday hat that sat snug on her head. Moana has thick curls, but Merida? Yeah, that birthday hat would have been swallowed whole by that redmonster Merida calls hair. "Happy Birthday, Jack."
Moana's comment was followed by a race of other voices saying the same thing. When I saw my mom and grandfather, I pointed an accusing finger at them. "Me leaving was just a distraction wasn't it?"
They both chuckle. "It's been a while since you've had a surprise birthday party," says my mom as she gently pulls me into a hug. "I was worried your stubborn butt wasn't going to leave in order to get everything ready."
I hug her back tightly as North says, "So what say you, Jack? Did we do a good job? Were you surprised?"
"Definitely," I look around the room at all the decorations, balloons, and cake on the coffee table. Whoever's idea this was really went all out. There's no way all this stuff was from the Dollar Store. You've got to have some real money to get a shit ton of balloons, streamers, a banner with my name on it, and a layered cake. I turn to Rapunzel (who was literally born into money) and say, "This was all your doing, huh?"
She grins, but shakes her head. "Nope. Not me. It was actually..." She pauses for dramatic effect and looks to the side. I followed her gaze and lock eyes with Elsa, gorgeous as ever, but even more so with her hair down. She rarely ever wears it down.
"Me," she says, sheepishly. "I planned it, and of course, everyone here helped out."
Beside her stood Anna, grinning crazily, almost as if she was expecting something exciting to happen. But then again, surprise parties are indeed exciting events; I'm sure there is nothing specific she's anticipating. Unless it's the cake.
"This was your idea?" I ask, confused. "Why? I mean, thank you, I really appreciate it, but...you haven't spoken to me in weeks. Why the change of heart?"
I then remembered all the eyes on us and tensed up. "Uh...we can actually talk later, in private, if you want." Because if there's one thing I learned, it's that Elsa loves her privacy.
"No," she says, confidently, and then steps toward me and takes my hands in hers, which took me off guard. "What I have to say should be said for everyone to hear. No more confusion, no more questioning, no more hiding, no more...uncertainty. Because I know what I want now. What I really want. What I've always wanted, and...I'm trying not to be afraid anymore. I'm trying to...let it go and be happy."
She takes in a shuddering breath, obviously nervous and maybe a little uncomfortable because of everyone staring. I squeeze her hands, trying to be comforting, to let her know that I'm here and listening. "And...what is it that you want?" I ask when I realized she was waiting for a response.
She squeezes back and smiles. "You," she whispers, eyes brimming with tears. "I want you, Jack. Because... I love you."
My cheeks flush and my heart races and my brain is malfunctioning. Did she just...did she say...oh wait she's still going.
"The first time we met, we were at my aunt and uncle's annual Christmas Eve party. You were covered head to toe, layered up with coats and scarves and hats—" We both smile at the memory—"I was grateful for a friend that night when I was feeling lonely, even though I didn't know your name or what you looked like, but your eyes...They were all I was able to see, all I could remember.
So when I eventually did see you, officially, your eyes told me that we've met before. That you're a friend. That I could trust you. I mean, really, I didn't have much of a choice since I was in danger. The night when your father saved my sister, you saved me too. You got me off the ice, and it was your eyes again that haunted me for the following years. And when we unintentionally reunited at the beginning of school, it was your eyes that told me exactly who you were again.
We started off rocky because I was scared you remembered me like I did you, and I was scared that Anna would somehow find out about what happened when my parents and I didn't want her to. We didn't want her to feel guilty in any way. I didn't want her to feel everything I felt. I pushed her and my cousin and the rest of my family away because I thought I wasn't worthy of their love. I felt that the accident was all my fault because I didn't stop it from happening in the first place. I felt...so much that a child shouldn't have. And by the time I realized how ridiculous that was—pushing others away—I had felt that it was too late to rekindle anything. I had wasted so much time. And I feel like I keep doing that.
Which is why I planned all of this, Jack. To let you know that I love you and that I'm ready to go public with you. I don't want to hide my feelings for you anymore, though I know we made it totally obvious about how we feel about each other. I just...I want to make it publicly official. I want everyone to know that you're mine and I'm yours and that I'm not going to be isolating myself anymore. I don't want to waste whatever time we have left. I want to live my life to the fullest with you by my side. You played a big part in helping me open up again and I'm glad I was able to let you in, so you could help me let it go. So...yeah. That's all I needed to say. Happy birthday, Jack. I love you."
And before I could say or even think, her hands removed themselves from mine to rest upon my cheeks, cupping my face so gently, and then she's pulling me forward for a kiss. It took me a brief moment to kiss her back because I was so shocked! First, she gets mad at me for kissing her in front of people, and now here she is...kissing me in front of people. Oh but trust me, I don't mind one bit, and once my brain processes what's going on, I'm kissing her passionately.
Kissing her is like kissing snow. Her lips are cold, but I don't mind, and she's soft and melting in my mouth. She's everything to me. She's perfect. She's mine.
I heard multiple things at once. Sniffles, cheers, gasps, and comments like "Well, now it's about time" and "Ew that's disgusting" and "Kids cover your eyes" and "This is so romantic" and "Couple goals" and "Can we have cake now" and "Okay, okay, we get it. Hurry it up!"
Elsa and I pull away, laughing together and our faces burning red. I kiss her nose and pull her into a tight hug. "This was definitely a surprise."
She giggles as she hugs me back. "Well, like Moana said, that's the point of a surprise party. I hope you like it."
"Of course," I answer, pulling back to look at her, "I love it." I rest a hand against her cheek and she leans into it. "And I love you too."
Her smile widens and her eyes sparkle and oh my god I have never seen anyone so beautiful. "That's going to take some getting used to."
"Well luckily for you, I plan on saying it a lot."
Our moment is ruined when a Tooth says, "Wait, wait, wait," she points at Elsa and Anna, eyes wide. "Those girls from the accident were you two? Oh my god! And...Elsa...this makes so much sense! Jack has only been obsessed with one girl in his entire life and it was the girl from the Christmas Eve party and the pond. He would constantly talk about her—about you—and then suddenly you show up at school and he's so obsessed with you all of a sudden and it's because this whole time you were the same girl! No way!"
I blush in embarrassment at her words. "I-I wouldn't say obsessed, just...very involved? Invested? Whichever." No one paid me attention though because the focus is on my mom who is coming up to us, tears in her eyes. That's when I realized.
Anna.
"You...you're the girl Jack always talked about when he was a kid," she smiles a little, talking to Elsa first. "His first crush."
"And only crush, apparently," says Bunny, jokingly.
But then my mom turns to Anna. "And you..." her smile fades, "My husband sacrificed his life for you."
Anna awkwardly shifted on her feet. "I...um..." and while Anna is the type to ramble when she's nervous, this is the first time I've noticed where she's completely speechless.
My mom wasn't looking for words though. Instead, she pulls Anna into a hug and says: "I'm glad his sacrifice wasn't wasted. It's so good to see you all grown up now." She reaches for Elsa. "Both of you."
Elsa hesitantly goes into my mom's arms and I could tell she was a little uncomfortable (after all, she doesn't know my mom very well) but she still hugs tightly.
"Okay, Okay," says North, gaining everyone's attention. "I know this is a very touching moment, but—" he's cut off when his stomach growls loudly, making us all laugh. "My belly says let's eat!"
And as everyone follows him into the kitchen, I stay behind with Elsa, kissing her hair. "I hope you know I'm gonna be very affectionate from now on. Let me know if it ever gets too much for you."
Elsa hums, contently. "I will, but honestly," she kisses my cheek, "I don't think I'll be able to get enough now."
I wiggle my eyebrows, teasingly. "Be careful what you wish for, Snowflake."
Her eyes widen at the innuendo I was suggesting and she smacks my arm. "Pervert." But she's smiling, and for a moment, I'm afraid I'm dreaming.
If I am, I never want to wake up.
"Blame Flynn for my perverted thinking."
"Oh I most definitely will. And not to change the subject, but I'm sorry, by the way," she suddenly blurts out. "For distancing myself and not talking to you. That was childish. I just—"
"You don't need to apologize," I interrupt, hoping to ease her mind. "I broke a boundary, embarrassed you...you needed space and time for yourself. I understand. There's nothing to forgive."
She nods, but her expression was full of guilt. "Still. I'm sorry."
"So am I," I held my hand out for her to shake. "We cool?"
She laughs and shakes my hand. "Yeah, we're cool."
"And we're no longer broken up?"
"Well what do you think? I just gave you a whole speech in front of everyone declaring my love for you."
"Just wanted confirmation, is all. But I want to hear you say it. You're my girlfriend again?"
"Actually, I don't remember you asking me the first time around."
"How unprofessional of me," I clear my throat, take her hands, and get down on one knee, "Elsa will you be my girlfriend?"
Her face goes red again. "Oh my gosh, get up!"
I laugh at her franticness. "Answer my question first."
"Yes!" She declares, nodding and laughing, "Yes, I'll be your girlfriend. Now get up before Anna thinks you're proposing. Last time a boyfriend proposed, it didn't end so well."
I stand back up and wrap my arm around her shoulders. "Boyfriend. Oh, yea. That has a nice ring to it. Best birthday ever."
"And Thanksgiving," Elsa adds. "I'm very thankful for you."
I couldn't stop the huge grin on my face. I've never been so happy. I might just explode.
I finally, officially, got the girl.