Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to Disney's Frozen and all rights of the characters and dialogue etc belong to the Disney company!

On any other day, Kristoff would take this time to relax. The morning trek up the mountain to his normal ice harvesting spot was quiet and peaceful. The cool morning air woke him up and clouded his senses with fresh pine and grass. Not many people were awake to watch the sun meet the horizon - sunrises happened every day, what was the big deal, right? However no sun rise was the same - similar of course - but there never was a sunrise that failed to awe Kristoff.

He sat contently in the back of the sleigh as Sven pulled him along the newly powdered grounds. He turned his head up to the sky to inspect this morning's array of colours. With the sun barely peeking above the mountains the sky still retained it's cool palette of blues, purples and greens. The morning made the snow glitter, as if tiny crystals had been scattered along each centimetre. The great pine trees that framed their path acted as guards, strong and tall and dusted with the same crystals that had fallen over the ground. Kristoff's favourite season was winter surprisingly. Thanks to his job, he got to have a white wonderland all to himself, even in the midst of August.

On any other day, Kristoff would be planning out his schedule, taking in the scenery, listening for new sounds and try to soften himself before he faced a day of hard, physical labour. But today, Kristoff sported a grimace that hadn't left his face since he woke. All he could think about was Anna, not in his usual infatuated reverie, but how he needed to show her that 'no, I'm not avoiding you because I don't like you, I'm avoiding you because I like you so much it's kinda scaring me'.

Kristoff had no problems touching Anna. While he hadn't known many people in his life, the trolls taught him through their enthusiasm that touch was important in conveying how you felt. Unfortunately for Kristoff, they skimmed over the fact that words are pretty important too. And now he was in this mess. Thanks a lot, Grandpabbie.

Kristoff could remember all of the times he touched Anna, each for a different purpose. For the first couple hours that they had known each other, most of his touches were to tell her 'please get out of my way'. He pushed her to the side of his sleigh so he could kick back the wolves they had managed to run into. Heaved her on to Sven's back because she was going to get them killed if left to her own devices. Kristoff had been surprised at how light she was - like lifting a bag of flour. A bag of flour he wanted to throw off a cliff so he could get on with his day. But the back of a reindeer would have to do for now.

Kristoff touched Anna to guide her. If he hadn't of been there to push her along every time she stopped to inspect the view, the flowers, the sounds, her journey would've taken days. A hand on the soft small of her back as he walked past her pulled her away from the point where she got stuck. Sometimes his hand lingered, sometimes it didn't - at the time Kristoff hadn't noticed, but looking back it was because he liked how she felt under his hand. Lack of experience around people, especially girls, had got him curious, and he found himself quickly advancing on the opportunities to touch Anna. A pull of her wrist, a tap of her shoulder, a hand on her back to pull her back into reality, which she seemed to daze out of pretty quickly.

Kristoff touched Anna to help her. Anna, being Anna, got herself into an array of sticky situations, and he was always there to pull her out of them. Literally. He pulled her out of the snow she managed to bury herself in, pulled her out of oncoming danger. Kristoff reminded himself to be gentle with her. He felt as if he grabbed her too hard she might break apart. She was so small and dainty and he was so tall and bulky, if he accidentally sat on her there was a strong chance she might die.

So Kristoff lifted her slowly and carefully, raising her out of the snow like the dandelion she was. Slowly as not to scare her, carefully as to show he was only there to help. Whenever he moved to pull her out of the way of something, he made sure to grab around her middle so she stayed centred. He braced his knees and held out strong arms to catch her when she fell - she landed perfectly each time. Kristoff had been curious and kind of flattered when she threw herself off the small mountain she had scaled, knowing he would be there to catch her. She trusted him. He hadn't known it then, but that's when she got to him. She buried herself somewhere deep within his heart with all her spunk and wonder and there was no going back.

There had hardly been any times where Kristoff touched Anna to demonstrate his feelings for her. A few chaste kisses when no one was watching barely touched the passion that burned in the pit of his belly. Neither of them had much experience, and he figured Anna was content with their shy and slow arrangement, but Kristoff couldn't take it anymore. For a man who had no words and only his hands to convey himself, he really had no choice.

As Kristoff walked over the frozen lake, saw and pickaxe swung over his shoulder, he was surprised to find Fredrik waiting for him. He was shorter than Kristoff but still managed to maintain around the same bulk. He made a pretty good partner - he had already made a start with a dozen ice blocks stacked up on the sled nearby. They had been working together since the whole eternal winter fiasco - with his new found place in the palace Kristoff couldn't keep up his normal harvest without some help.

"Kristoff!" Fredrik exclaimed, looking up from his saw and wiping the sweat from his brow, "I bet you're happy to see me."

Kristoff chuckled, laying his equipment down on the ice. "Nah, you being sick and all has shown me I don't need you anymore," he joked.

Fredrik gasped, throwing his saw down in mock-offense, "The Arendelle Ice Master and Deliverer is firing me? Why I never!"

The pair shared a laugh before getting stuck into their work. Whereas normally they would condone in some chatter, share whatever new stories they had to tell, today was quiet. Kristoff's mind was elsewhere. Only two hours in, he raised his pickaxe over his head and brought it down on a block of ice, only to completely miss and fall with a crash, cracking his skull on the ice. Kristoff groaned and held his throbbing head in his hands.

"I'd ask you what's on your mind but it seems you may have lost it," Fredrik quipped, setting down his saw and walking towards his friend.

"Feels like it," Kristoff muttered, slowly sitting up on the ice.

"You don't think it'd have anything to do with a certain princess, do you?"

Kristoff scowled up at him.

"Bingo. Look, Kristoff, if something's wrong you've gotta go fix it! Or else you're gonna kill yourself out here. Probably walk into the water or something."

Kristoff sighed as Fredrik helped him up. He was right. This Anna-thing was eating away at him, and if left any longer he was going to explode. "But I can't leave -"

"I will hit you if you say you can't leave me out here. You've covered me for the last couple days, 'least I can do," Fredrik said, ignoring Kristoff's eye roll, "plus, you're not that greater a partner if you can't even split ice right."

Kristoff laughed and collected his equipment before setting off across the ice, yelling his thanks. Fredrik waved him away, and left Kristoff thankful for the generosity of the few people he had in his life.

It took around two hours to get back to the castle. Kristoff figured if he felt restricted within the castle, he would take Anna out of it. They stopped next to the stables, leaving Sven harnessed to the sleigh and ditching his winter gear before setting off towards the castle. He wasn't looking his finest for the royals today: his hair was a mess, he smelled of sweat, and was wearing the same clothes he had on from yesterdays harvest.

It took him a while to find Anna's room. He hadn't really memorised the castles floorplan as of yet, which made it a struggle to get around. That and the constant line of maids that would scream as he walked past, oblivious to his connection with Arendelle's princess. Not a trespasser, ladies, just a boyfriend.

When he finally found her room, he raised his hand to knock, and froze in place. Suddenly all his confidence escaped him. What if she was busy? What if she didn't want to go with him? What if she didn't want to be with him at all? His eyes trailed down to the floor as they did when he was consumed by his thoughts, and was only awakened when the door in front of him swung open and a flustered Anna rushed right into Kristoff, knocking them both over.

Not exactly how he had planned it, but it could work.

"Kristoff!" Anna exclaimed, too confused by his sudden appearance to roll off of him, "Aren't you supposed to be working?"

"Uh... nope?" Kristoff murmured, cracking a smile. How could he be nervous when he had his princess laying on top of him? She was wearing her hair down today, which was his favourite. Spilling over her shoulders she looked nothing short of a goddess. From what he could see she was wearing an loff-the-shoulder number, and if he concentrated enough he could see the constellation of freckles that fell across her collarbones, and suddenly all he could think about was taking up the art of star-gazing.

Anna's eyebrows furrowed as she realised how they were situated. Kristoff's hands had come up around her waist instinctively, and she quickly shimmied out of them and stood up. "How long were you outside my door?" She asked quizzically, smoothing over her skirts.

"Not long," Kristoff answered, standing up with her. Before she could say anything, he dashed into her bedroom.

"Kristoff - wait! What are you doing?" Anna squealed, rushing in after him. He was nowhere to be seen. "Wait, Kristoff? Where'd you go?"

Kristoff was in her closet, fumbling around looking for a cloak. "How many clothes does one girl need?" He said to himself. After looking around for a few seconds, he found a black one that looked warm enough. He plucked it from the shelf and darted back out to Anna, who was looking as confused as ever.

She opened her mouth to say something but Kristoff rushed forward, hushing her. "Anna, just... just trust me, okay?" He told her, handing her the cloak. She held it in her hands, slowly turning it over. With a sigh she looked up, meeting his gaze, and he could almost see the sparks that flew between them. As she smiled, so did he.

"Am I going to need gloves?"

It had been an hour into their trip and Anna still had no clue where they were going. She gathered it was up in the mountains, but who went into the mountains in the summer? Aside from Kristoff, of course.

"Are we there yet?" Anna droned, slumping back in her seat and folding her arms across her chest. She wore a little pout that Kristoff would never admit he found endearing.

"Does it look like we're there?" He shot back. While Kristoff loved to sit back and take in his surroundings bit by bit , Anna couldn't stand any kind of silence, whether it be peaceful or not. She wasn't his ideal travelling partner, but she was the only person he'd share his sleigh with.

"At least tell me where we're going!" She pleaded, wrapping her cloak further around herself. Kristoff had been right about keeping warm, the early afternoon mountain air was chilly, but bearable. In his opinion, it was a much better atmosphere then the hot swell of summer.

"For the fifth time, no!" Kristoff said, giving her a pointed look, "It's supposed to be a surprise, or something like that."

"I don't like surprises," Anna huffed.

"Oh please, you love surprises."

"Well, not this one!"

"I'm sure you'll survive."

"You don't talk to me for a week and then suddenly it's all surprises? What's happening?"

Kristoff cringed as soon as she said it, his heart dropping out of place. She was right, this whole thing was sudden and he was beginning to think it was stupid too. At least he was making the effort, even if it was a little late.

Anna scooted over, wrapping hands around his arm and resting her cheek against him. "I'm sorry," she mumbled into his coat, "I didn't mean it - really, I'm excited! I'm just confused - I'm sorry - I'm glad we're here, I'm glad I'm here with you!" Kristoff felt her look up at him, but he couldn't get the nerve to look back. So Anna reached her hand up and turned his head for him. Her warm hand against his cheek forced a smile out of him, and Anna returned graciously. "I've just missed you, is all."

"I've missed you too Anna," He replied, voice barely above a whisper. He practically swimming in her blue eyes. Kristoff noticed the lack of distance between them, and just how much he didn't want there to be any. He could feel her soft, warm breath on his neck and he found himself focusing on her rosy pink lips, slowly moving closer, and Anna there with her eyes half closed, waiting -

The sleigh ran over a rock that sent the two flying apart, clutching on to whatever part of the seat they could to keep from falling out. They looked at each other and shared a forced laugh, all blushing and awkward.

Kristoff was positive he could here Sven snickering.

The rest of their trip was filled with Kristoff listening to Anna update him on all the stuff he had missed. All the conferences she'd been to with Elsa, the weird people she had met, gossip the maids told her while getting her ready. Kristoff barely got a word in, but that was usually the way he liked it. The sound of her voice was calming, almost like a lullaby, but the last thing Anna did was put people to sleep. Her laugh reminded him of wind chimes, the kind he wanted to listen to in the warm summer breeze and the harsh winter blizzards.

Kristoff pulled the reigns, slowing Sven to a stop on the path they were on. This part of the mountain didn't get much snow in the summer, but it maintained a cold atmosphere. The grass was lush and the trees were full and bright. Kristoff untied Sven out of his harness, giving him a pat and telling him he could roam around for a bit.

He led Anna up to a break in the trees and lead her down the path, holding her hand as they walked. It wasn't long before the trees dwindled and their path ended, revealing the long-awaited surprise. Anna only yanked her hand from Kristoff's to cover her mouth as she gasped.

Spread out before them was a great lake that had formed between in the valley of two great mountain peaks. The water was surprisingly clear and seemed to stretch on for miles. All types of flora and fauna grew around the smooth edges of the pool, acting as a natural hub for birds, insects and other woodland animals. Trees surrounded the area, isolating the lake from the outside world, leaving it completely hidden; a secret to the rare few that stumbled upon it, that included nine-year old Kristoff and his pet reindeer. It was his go-to place when he needed an escape from his crazy family. But there was something even more special about this place, something a person wouldn't see at first.

"Oh Kristoff," Anna breathed, dropping her hands to rest over her heart, "it's absolutely beautiful."

"Yeah," Kristoff chuckled, crossing his arms, "Me and Sven's childhood get-away. Well, I still come here sometimes, just not as much nowadays."

"How did you find it?" She asked, moving towards the water to inspect the flowers.

"Oh, you know, just stumbled upon it. It was a lucky find."

"I reckon!" Anna laughed, eyeing the clear water. It was strangely void of life. He smiled to himself as she stretched out her hand towards the water, and chuckled to himself as she pulled quickly pulled her hand back, as if she had been stung.

"Kristoff! Oh my god!" She squealed, standing up and looking at him with a giant smile. "It's warm! The lake is warm!" She gushed, kneeling back down to dunk her whole hand it. "But it's so cold out!"

He walked over to her and knelt beside her, testing the water out for himself. "Yeah, I was pretty surprised to. Middle of winter when I found this place and the water wasn't one bit frozen."

"How?" was all she asked, obviously enjoying the warmth under her hand. It was ideal bathwater temperature.

"Some geothermal thing that I don't understand myself, but it's pretty cool, right?"

Anna nodded and attacked Kristoff, throwing her arms around his shoulders and holding him in a tight embrace. Kristoff moved instantly to catch her. He had missed how she felt against him, small and soft and warm. She overwhelmed his senses with her touch and her smell and the sounds of her breathing.

"Thank you," Anna mumbled into his shoulder, "thank you so much."

Kristoff sunk right into her, holding her close. "If there was one person I had to share this place with, it'd always be you."

He watched her explore his safe-haven for the next hour, which included running a lap around the entire perimeter of the lake (she was exhausted afterwards), making up names for all the new types of flowers she saw, keeping count of the animals she came across, and hiking up her skirts so she could walk into the warm water.

"Do you wanna go swimming?" She had called from the water, causing Kristoff to choke on his own spit, seeing as swimming usually involved a lack of clothing.

They ended sitting down on the bank, shoes off, toes dipped in the lake. Kristoff had told her to be quiet for a second. He told her to close her eyes and just listen. Anna often missed all the beautiful sounds nature had to offer as she let herself talk over them. The hum of cicadas in the woods, the song of the birds that flew through the mountain range, the rustle of leaves as the wind passed. He watched her breath in deeply and smile. A sigh of content escaped her as she opened her eyes and met Kristoff's gaze.

"As much as I'm enjoying myself, Kristoff," Anna began, looking from him to her toes, "I have a feeling that's not why you brought me here."

Here we go. Kristoff knew this was coming, and he was dreading it. He stretched his arm behind his head and scratched his neck, nervously chuckling. "Uh, right..." He muttered.

Pressure was on. Anna stared at him expectedly, too eager to hear what he had to say. Big blue eyes staring right at him, right through him and really? Did she really have to do that? She wasn't even blinking - !

"You scare me!" He blurted out.

Oh, wow. Perfect execution. Kristoff briefly thought to him that dying would be easier than this.

Anna sat back, confused. "Not exactly the romantic spiel I was expecting but I'll take it -"

"No, no no no," Kristoff said hurriedly. How desperately he wish he could take back his words - that's why words were so dangerous! "What I meant was, Anna, that I like you so much it scares me."

Yeah, like that was any better.

"Oh..." Anna said. A smile graced her lips. That meant he was in the clear. "What do you mean?"

Damnit. Why'd she have to go looking for details?

"Well," Kristoff began, focusing on the water. That was good, that meant he didn't have to look at her. Maybe looking at the water and not at her would mean she didn't get to see the nervous blush that flooded his entire face in red. "Well, it's like..." Breathe, and just let it out. "It's like, I thought if I didn't see you as much for a bit, I might not be so... overwhelmed, well - not overwhelmed! You don't overwhelm me, you don't stress me out at all, it's just my heads been so foggy and I can't think straight -"

"Why?"

"Because of you, Anna!" Kristoff said, exasperated. It felt good to get it all out, but it was the bits where he had to talk that were the hard parts.

"Well, I don't mean to get in your head!" Anna said quickly, as if she'd committed a crime. "And even if I do why should that stop you from seeing me? I mean, I guess I see where you're coming from -"

This whole talking thing had really tired him out.

"- I mean, I do my fair share of thinking all the time -"

Talking just brought on a whole lot of problems that he couldn't deal with.

"- not that I'm thinking about you, I mean, but if you're thinking about me -"

He never wanted to talk again.

"- that's not really something that I can control -"

He never really wanted Anna to talk again either.

"- as much as I wish I could control it, Kristoff, I can't -"

Anna, just stop talking.

"- so what do you want me to do? I mean, you can't just hideaway -"

Anna.

"- every time your mind gets foggy, it's not fair -"

Anna.

"- it's not fair on anyone -!"

"Anna!" Kristoff yelled, voice echoing across the water.

Anna sat there, taken aback by his outburst. She blinked once, and blinked again.

"I can't kiss you if you keep talking," He muttered finally, leaning forward and closing the distance between them in one swift movement.

It had been a while since he had kissed her. The walls of the castle simply didn't allow it, and they never seemed to have a spare moment together alone. Which is why he had to bring her out here. Some people may think poorly of his behaviour - take her out of the kingdom to make out with her, c'mon now - but it wasn't just that. Kissing Anna was so much more than just kissing. He kissed her like she was the only air he could breath, the only cure to his sickness. He kissed her with all of the thoughts and feelings that clouded his mind and consumed his thoughts.

By now, their standard kiss would have ended, and as if on cue Anna moved to pull away. Kristoff acted on a whim when he placed his hand on the back of her neck and kept her right where she was. He needed her to stay there, he needed to show her just how much he needed her right there, in his arms and in his life. Where his mind told him to stop his heart told him to keep going, because he couldn't stand another day without this girl feeling like she wasn't wanted. She gasped against him, desperate for a breath, and as soon as she realised they weren't stopping anytime soon, she melted right into him. Her arms snaked up his chest and one rested around his shoulders while the other danced its way through his hair, careful fingertips sending shivers down his spine. She pressed hard against him, small and eager in his hands.

She tasted like honey, sweet and sugary and delicious, that and her flowery scent turned her into a garden he could walk through forever. His senses were overwhelmed with her and only her, and it felt like they could be forever. He never wanted to talk to her again, because his words were always going to be less than adequate and his hands were novels, and between the cracks in his palm were untold stories that he needed her so desperately to read. The sound she made when he wrapped his hands even tighter around her waist and held her even closer to him, the small whimper that she pressed into him, was the only noise Kristoff ever wanted to hear out of her. They didn't need words anymore, as long as they had each other.

Kristoff swung her around till she was sitting in his lap, unable to break their embrace for his hunger didn't allow it. Her teeth grazed his bottom lip ever so slightly and he wondered how so much fire could be in this dainty little girl. But she wasn't a girl, she was a woman, and even with her little experience Kristoff knew she had the same fire growing in her belly as he did, and he knew neither of them would stop until it burnt them to a crisp.

Kristoff pushed aside her cloak and kissed his way down her neck, enjoying the sounds of her oohs and aahs, particularly liking the way she purred his name when he met the dip between the graceful column of her neck and the curve of her shoulder. He could feel her breathing heavily, and if he listened closely, he could hear her heart thumping along, the only song he wanted to listen to for the rest of his life. Her flushed skin invited him to venture deeper, and the way her breath hitched when he ran his hand up the plains and peaks of her body only tempted him further.

But he couldn't. She was a princess, and as special as this place was to him, she didn't deserve to be writhing around in the dirt with some ice harvester she'd only met a few weeks before. She deserved so much better, and Kristoff made it his mission right then to do his best to give Anna everything she didn't know she wanted.

He had shown her enough at least her now.

"Wow," Anna whispered from above. He raised his head to look at her, and she was positively gorgeous, with her rosy cheeks and bitten lips that curved into a smile. She was breathing heavily, still recovering.

"Yeah, wow," Kristoff returned, resting his forehead against hers.

"What was that?"

"I'm not good with words," Kristoff admitted, as if Anna couldn't see that herself, "I guess I'm better at showing you... how I feel, I guess."

"Really? Well then, I can't wait for the next time you avoid me -"

"Shhh," Kristoff mumbled before interrupting her with another kiss. This one was soft, gentle, and filled with a love he didn't know he possessed for her yet. Anna got the message and nestled into his chest, enjoying their sanctuary while it lasted.

Words were important, but not always necessary, and touch was important, but not always necessary. Kristoff could manage living a life discovering the balance between both. Anna made up for the words that escaped him and Kristoff was there to show her the new words that could be spoken when only your hands were speaking.

He'd spend his whole life creating a new language with her if he had to.

A/N: Told you it'd be a long one! Told you it'd be passionate as well.

I haven't officially mastered the heat-of-the-moment type stuff but I'm sure with enough practice I'll perfect my technique (look forward to some fics is what I'm saying)

Please leave me your thoughts, I love to know what you're thinking! Thanks for readingg