AN: The plan is to let this build up slowly. Incorporated into that plan are also scenes that aren't solely between Anna and Kristoff, because while I do love this pairing to a frightening degree there is some need for world-building. Don't fret though, we'll get to the good stuff eventually.

It takes Kristoff about half an hour to start adjusting to a different life.

The winter has ended. Arendelle is safe from both terrified snow queens and villainous princes. The ship that miraculously saved them from having to swim back to land has been moved to the docks and there are people everywhere. Overjoyed citizens are trying to get a glimpse of their queen, guards are trying to keep everyone around them from making too much of a fuss and there are children gawking at Olaf who's practically squeeing at the amount of potential hugs.

Kristoff is exhausted, and backs away along with Sven. People are loud and demanding and not really very pleasant when in groups and he's not quite at ease here. He feels a strong urge to find Anna and wait for the whole thing to be over with, before realizing that it's not Anna, it's princess Anna and queen Elsa and suddenly ice-harvester doesn't sound very good in his head.

"Kristoff! Excuse me, pardon me, coming through..."

His stomach does a little flip and he's torn between elation and embarrassment as Anna (princess Anna, get used to it) finds her way through the gathered crowd and runs over to him. For a second he thinks that she's going to run straight into his arms and while it's a pleasant thought he's not entirely sure it's something they should do in front of others. She skids to a stop right in front of him and is basically bouncing on the spot from excitement.

"Wanna come with us?"

"What?"

"Umm, well, I was thinking..." She starts to shuffle her feet, surprisingly hesitant for a girl who's normally quite blunt with what she thinks. "It's kind of the middle of summer again and you've only got your winter-clothes 'cause I crashed your sled and everything in it so you'll need new clothes, and I still need to give you a new sled, and I'd really like you to meet Elsa because she's really nice, she is, she just hasn't spoken to people in a while, and-"

She stops when Kristoff reaches out to touch her shoulder.

"I'll come with you." Of course he will, he'll follow her all the way back to the ice palace without pausing for a second, but that realization is something he's going to need to deal with later. "You don't need to convince me, feistypants."

Her face lights up and he fights the impulse to draw her close and make sure her heart is still beating. They're not up in the mountains anymore, he can't just hug the princess to make sure she isn't cold.

Sven chooses this exact moment to try and get Annas attention by nibbling at her cloak and she turns her attention to the reindeer instead, cooing little words of endearment. Then Elsa is calling her name and she looks up and nods.

"We're gonna go back to the castle now," she assures Sven, "and you're going to get all the carrots you want." She keeps talking as they start to walk, promising comfort that will no doubt turn Kristoff's best friend completely lazy; Kristoff puts his face in his mittens and tries not to grin because he can already hear the but Anna let me sleep in next time he wakes up Sven to go harvesting at the break of dawn.

The people around him are all watching the queen and princess or being distracted by a reindeer suddenly appearing in their midst or trying to get a glimpse of the living snowman and so Kristoff disappears smoothly into the background. He follows everyone through the gates of the castle and can't help but stare a little at the huge structure in front of him, with sweeping courtyard and huge pillars and numerous towers. He's seen it before but it was a background then; he's never given any thought to the rooms and halls inside and there's an unwelcome trickle of fear curling in his stomach at the thought of something so alien.

Up ahead he sees Anna grab her sister's arm and gesture towards the stables; one nod later and the princess is leading Sven away from the procession of people who wish to speak with their queen.

Kristoff sees his chance and follows them.

The stable is much more comfortable; sure, it smells of hay and horses and it isn't really all too clean (though still far more organized than other stables since it's, you know, the royal one), but it's familiar and calming. Kristoff and Anna work together to get Sven into the correct stall and then to explain to him that we know you won't run off but the servants will panic if we leave the stall-door open and then to find appropriate food (because Anna may know the basics in taking care of horses but reindeer are not horses) before everything is finally in place.

Sven is munching happily and Anna and Kristoff finally look at each other; she's taken off her cloak as the temperature starts to slowly shift back to summer-level and he's removed his vest and gloves. Kristoff notes that she's adorable with hay in her hair and then he chokes on air and starts to cough when he has a completely unsanitary thought of other ways that that could happen.

"Are you okay?"

And suddenly she's right there, really close to his face and is it normal for people to immediately be worried just because someone coughs? She's biting her lower lip and he would tell her that nothing's wrong except he can't because she's very, very pretty and being unreasonably compassionate and his tongue won't move.

He settles for nodding.

She doesn't look convinced.

"Kristoff, what's wrong?"

"I," he takes a deep breath, "I'm just a bit... overwhelmed, I guess."

No need to specify what it is that's causing that, at least not yet.

"Heh... Yeah, I guess it would be, huh? I mean, not that I don't think you can handle it, it's just that I'm not very good at the whole princess-thing myself and I mean if I of all people can do it..." She trails off, seems to have lost her track.

He's not entirely sure where she was going with this to begin with and doesn't get any time to figure it out either, because in the next second she's wrapped her arms around him and is pressing her head against his chest. Kristoff automatically mimics her, one arm around her waist (so small) and the other round her shoulders.

She's warm. Warm and alive, breathing easily, heart beating like it should. He hesitates a moment before putting his head on top of hers, engulfing her completely.

"Thank you." Her voice is muffled against him.

"For what?"

"For coming back."

"Of course."

"No," she pulls back enough to look up at him, chin resting against him, "it's not of course. You didn't have to but you came back anyway, and I'm very happy you did."

She opens her mouth to continue, shuts it, tries again. "And I, um, well... if you want to stay you can, I mean, there's lots of space and I like having you nearby but you don't have to, I mean, I don't want you to feel obligated, oh goodness this isn't coming out right, is it?" Anna hides her face against Kristoff's chest and it takes him a second to process what she's saying.

He would try and stop the smile that's inching its way onto his face but there's no one here to put up a facade for and his heart is about to leap from his chest when he thinks of everything.

He leans his head down as she looks up again, their foreheads touching.

"I'm staying," he assures her, voice low, and he's blushing because this seems a little silly but he can't hold it in, "I'm staying right here."

Her eyes are wide as she takes it in, realizes what it means. Her freckles are being masked by the blush that's creeping into her cheeks and Kristoff thinks maybe that was overboard even if he means it with every fibre of his being.

And then she smiles and laughs before wriggling her arms up from around his chest to around his neck and she doesn't kiss him (though for one heart-stopping millisecond it seems like she's going to), she just puts her forehead against his and giggles. And Kristoff knows that they're being quite sappy but with Anna alive and warm and so close he can't quite bring himself to care.