Archive of Our Own ^beta

I don’t think I’ve ever seen that woman before. That is what Tadashi thinks as he brings the tour group to the next building in the tour. Sure, he remembered getting that text from the original volunteer that she wouldn’t be making it, but didn’t say who would be replacing her. And the woman before him now? The one standing on the center step of the stairs? She takes his breath away.

He clears his throat as he turns towards the group, ignoring the slight heat in his cheeks. “Does anyone have any questions before you move forward without me?”

As expected, no one dares to speak up. Even when they were in the Robotics Lab, only a few of the freshmen asked any questions of the students they passed by. Honey and Wasabi did so happily, while GoGo had so begrudgingly. As of right now, five students gathered the courage to shake their heads, while others are fidgeting with their clothing. 

He smiles warmly. “No worries, I understand how you are all feeling. It’s a big school, with a lot of new things for you to learn, so I’m sure it’s intimidating. But if you ever have questions or need to talk to someone, you guys can find me in the Quad,”

“Until then, however, I’ll be leaving you with, uh-” Tadashi looks over to the woman awkwardly, leaning in closer and whispers. “What’s your name, miss?” He keeps his tone hushed so that the students don’t overhear. 

The woman smiles calmly and whispers back: “My name is Elsa Caroline, but simply Elsa is fine.” 

Elsa. What a lovely name for a lovely woman. “Simply Elsa,” He jokes to the crowd. It makes her laugh, which can best be described as cool and angelic. And even with the smallest glance, Tadashi notices the smile brightening her face. 

“It’s Elsa.” She politely corrects him, but she doesn’t sound offended at the very least. 

He steps to the side to give the group a clear view of the building (and their tour guide). By doing so is when he’s fully able to take in the appearance of the woman beside him. Elsa is pale, very pale, but her skin reminds him of freshly fallen snow; so does her platinum blonde hair if he’s being honest. Said hair is pulled back in a loose strand braid, draped over her shoulder, and there seems to be a few snowflake crystals embroidering her gray cardigan. And hiding underneath that cardigan is a blue sweatshirt with white blocked letters reading “Just Let it Go” across the front, then there’s her black leggings and flats. 

Even though it’s September, it is still quite warm out. So, for Elsa to be wearing such a warm outfit, it actually makes Tadashi curiouser. Mainly because she eludes such a calm and serious presence, yet she is dressed so warmly. He isn’t sure why it’s so intriguing to him, but it makes him want to know her more. 

He doesn’t even notice that she’s still talking. “...I serve as his teacher’s assistant on Wednesdays and Fridays, so he asked me to show you around this part of campus. So, say your goodbyes to Tadashi, and we’ll be on our way.” Some of the group members mutter goodbyes before going up the stairs, around Tadashi and Elsa. 

It’s her turn to turn towards him. “It was nice to officially meet you, Tadashi Hamada. I hope to see you again soon.” She smiles and gives him a small wave before pacing up the steps to catch up with the tour group. 

The robotics student awkwardly waves back, long after she’s already gone. And he can’t help thinking: Who are you, Elsa Caroline?

“It’s about time Aunt Cass was able to convince you to come and visit “the nerd school,”” Tadashi teases his little brother, Hiro. His 13-year-old brother rolls his eyes, intentionally running into his arm, and walks a little bit ahead. 

“I am only here because I’m bored, and Cass promised to get a treat afterwards.” He crosses his arms stubbornly.

Tadashi smirks and glances at their aunt, who is sharing a similar expression. “He’s just kidding,” said Cass.

“No, I’m not!” The teen exclaims.

He chuckles. “I know he is. He’s done with his homework, so he had no excuse to get out of coming.” Tadashi can hear his brother’s annoyed grumblings, as well as his attempts to pull his hood over his big head of hair to no avail, and he can’t help but find it amusing. 

Hiro is a massive smartass in every way. He’s a young prodigy that always talks about how Tadashi, a college student , can do better in one of his assignments by changing some element in a robot or machine. And the kid has done that since he was five years old. He’s been able to fix a 12-year-old Tadashi’s calculator in a single minute, despite Tadashi’s numerous attempts to fix it for about a week. He is an annoying little shit, but yet? There isn’t anything that he wouldn’t do for Hiro.

They pass by a few of the classrooms, where a few classes are taking session. From the corner of his eye, Tadashi catches a glimpse of his friend, Gogo, and her short dark hair, in class looking as bored as ever. He chuckles and continues on. 

“Where are we going, anyway? Or are we just wandering around?” Hiro asks, looking over his shoulder to look at Tadashi.

“We are going to my lab, but it doesn’t hurt to go the long way, you big baby.” He takes the opportunity to ruffle up his brother’s hair, making the spikes less defined and more messy. Hiro swats his hand away a little too late, as the damage is already done. If it annoyed him a lot, he didn’t voice his complaints. 

Cass, on the other hand, seemed to be quite impressed with the campus. She had asked questions here and there, but was proud of him nonetheless. “I am happy that that student loan of yours is going to a good cause,” She commented a few minutes ago.

Then, they finally made it to the student quad, where they ran into someone Tadashi wasn’t expecting to see with his family behind him. “Elsa?” Her brilliantly blue eyes widened in mutual surprise. 

“Oh, Tadashi, hello.” She smiles like she did when they first met. “I didn’t think I’d be seeing you again so soon.” 

“I hope that isn’t in a bad way,” said Tadashi, a bit of concern in his tone.

She shakes her head. “Not at all, it is very nice to see you. And who is that with you?” Elsa subtly points behind him with her hand. Tadashi glances over his shoulder and is reminded that his aunt and brother are right behind him. 

“Oh, right. This is my family, aka my aunt Cass and my little brother, Hiro. I was finally able to get them to visit this weekend.” Tadashi steps out of Elsa’s way, to allow her a better look at them if she wanted. And he finds himself at her side yet again.

He finds himself watching her again as she introduces herself. Her braid is still around, but it’s a tighter French braid instead, with a clear rubber band holding it together at the bottom. Her outfit is less casual and more formal this time around. She’s wearing a periwinkle blouse with long sleeves, a brown leather belt over her white skirt, and it’s complete with a pair of leather ankle boots. The only comfy thing she has on is a gray cardigan covering her arms. It is very different compared to what he first saw her in. 

Tadashi frowns and turns his attention to his family instead. Cass is asking Elsa a question, while Hiro…Hiro is watching him . And he has that annoying as hell smirk across his face. Shit, he is plotting something. 

“How long have you been interested in architecture, Elsa?” He manages to catch Cass asking this. 

Elsa smiles politely. “Well, my family always wanted me to select a career that would not only benefit the business, but would also make me happy. And I developed an interest in it when I was visiting the Gateway Arch. So, I think it’s been, erm, ten years since I started studying it.”

“And how old were you?”

“I was only eleven at the time. It really freaked my sister out at the time, but it was fascinating to me.” Elsa giggles at the memory. And Tadashi is unable to help his own smile at the sound.

Hiro speaks up next. “What is your family’s business?” 

Her smile fades away at the mention of that, her lips forming a thin line. Her shoulders then tense up and her hands instinctively go to fold up against her chest. It’s Cass’s turn to frown and looks scoldingly at Hiro. 

“You don’t have to answer that, Elsa,” said Cass quickly. “I apologize for my nephew’s bluntness.”

Elsa shakes her head and her polite smile comes back, only it’s halfway. “It is alright, miss. Quite frankly, Hiro reminds me of my sister. So, I’m taking it as a younger sibling being that younger sibling.” Even with the calmness in her tone, her shoulders are still tight against her sides. 

His aunt didn’t look convinced with her answer, but she doesn’t press Elsa any further than that. 

Tadashi takes the time to clear his throat, attempting to divert Elsa’s attention. “So, Elsa, how come you’re here during the weekend?”

“I erm, I was craving something from the cafe, you know how it is,” She replies.

“I do know, their pumpkin spice latte is the best in San Fransokyo, strangely enough.” 

Cass playfully scoffs from behind him. “I take offense to that,” She said.

Elsa chuckles softly and she smiles for only a moment. “Well, I really must be going. My sister texted me that she was here five minutes ago, which was why I was leaving. But then I ran into you and we got to talking, and she isn’t a patient person. I’ll see you later,” She points at Tadashi. “And it was nice to meet the both of you.” Elsa gestures to behind him before politely taking her leave. 

He watches her leave, loosely waving as he does so. Even after she’s long gone, he still waves. 

“Uh, ahem ? Earth to Tadashi? The tour?” Hiro obnoxiously coughs to get his attention. 

“Hm?” He asks, only half paying attention. “What?” Cass mischievously giggles, but never says anything about it the rest of the time at the school. Possibly to avoid embarrassing him at the place where he gets his education, but that didn’t stop the questions when he went home. But he is not gonna think about that right now.

“Have you guys heard of Elsa Caroline?” Tadashi randomly asks in the lab one day. He was taking a break from working on his project for now, so hanging out with his friends was a good way to spend it.

“Who?” Gogo asks bluntly.

Honey Lemon grins at him. “I think so. I’ve seen her around the quad, but she always keeps to herself. But why are you asking?”

“Er, there’s no reason,” Tadashi fibs, looking away before Honey could notice the blush in his cheeks. But judging by her giggles, he wasn’t fast enough. 

There’s a loud, somewhat obnoxious chuckle from the corner of the room. There is also some sudden movement, and before Tadashi can prepare himself, he’s being tackled by Fred. He may be shorter, but no one can deny that moving those large statues hasn’t given him some muscles. 

They both fell to the floor, but Fred had managed to drape an arm around his shoulder regardless. Honey made an alarmed noise and jumped out of the way, so that she couldn’t go down with them as well. 

“And the point of that wassss, what?” asks Wasabi. 

“To get his attention!” Fred laughs, pushing them both up in a way that Tadashi couldn’t even comprehend. “He asked about the daughter of the Noel empire, but didn’t think to ask me directly!” 

The others stare at their nerdy friend with confusion whittled all over their faces. Tadashi makes a vague hand gesture at Fred, who is draped over him. 

Fred raises an eyebrow. “Did you not know? Her family is loaded . The Carolines own a good part of Noel Enterprises, alongside her mom’s sisters. My parents do business with them from time to time even.”

“You know her?” Tadashi’s eyes dilate in shock. 

“Hell yeah!” Fred guffaws. “Well, not well. Me and her little sister get it on great; she’s a blast in those dull events I’m forced to go to.” 

Tadashi purses his lips together and nods. Oftentimes, he forgets how many connections his nerdy friend has because of his parents’ money. And Elsa had mentioned last time he saw her that her family has a company, but she hadn’t said much about it. Is that why she got so tense at Hiro’s question? Perhaps she doesn’t like talking about it?

“Her family actually has another event coming up soon, to announce something new or whatever. I never really pay attention. Anyways, my folks have been trying to bribe me into coming for weeks to no avail.” That’s when that familiar calculating smirk appears. “But now, I have a reason to go.”

Wasabi laughs uncomfortably. “I don’t like the look on his face,” He whispers to Honey Lemon.

“Freddy, what are you thinking?” She asks, her own laugh as uncomfortable as her friend’s. 

“I’ll be needing a plus one, this guy needs a wingman.” Fred lets go of Tadashi, walking away, and appears to be making a call to his parents. Tadashi glances at Wasabi and Honey for help, but neither of them are even looking at him anymore. Gogo isn’t even paying attention, instead, adjusting the calculations of that bike of hers. 

What did he get himself into now?

He got himself into going to a fancy party. That’s what he got himself into. It is quite strange being at such a social gathering with the Fredericksens. But Fred had insisted on bringing him as his plus one to “wingman,” even if it meant risking making Elsa uncomfortable. 

Tadashi tugs at the collar of his dress shirt before taking a sip of his expensive champagne. Yes, this party is that rich that it would make any of his broke ass college friends weep. (Not actually, but he gets the metaphor.) His hair had been gelled to part down the middle, which looks absolutely ridiculous, in his own opinion. 

He doesn’t even know where Fred went off to. Or his parents, for that matter. So, here he is, at a party he wasn’t technically invited to, with no one he knows being around. He has been keeping an eye out for Elsa, but he hasn’t spotted her or her platinum hair. 

The speeches had been over for half an hour, but nothing that shows genuine promise for change. It feels more like an excuse to throw a fancy party and get donations. But it’s not like Tadashi knows anything about this world. 

“Tadashi!” Fred calls out from afar, gaining some stares from people nearby. “I have someone for you to meet!” He finds him up against the wall, a young woman right behind him. 

She smiles at him warmly and gives him an excited wave. “Hi!” 

“Tadashi, this is Anna Caroline, Elsa’s younger sister. Anna, this is my friend, Tadashi. I think he digs your sister.” Despite Fred’s attempt to keep that last part a whisper, it didn’t change the fact that he still heard it. And that his cheeks were burning hotly from it.

Wait, younger sister? 

Tadashi clears his throat. “Hi, it’s verY nice to me-meet you.” His voice cracks slightly.

Anna giggles cutely. It almost sounds like her sister’s laugh, but lighter in pitch. “It’s nice to meet you too. Fred came running up to me and instantly brought you up. And now seeing you for myself? You are exactly as Fred and Elsa described you.” Her smile is warm and bright. 

His cheeks burn even more. Elsa has mentioned him? To her sister? He isn’t going to lie here, he wasn’t expecting that going into this party. And seeing Anna before him now, he does see some of Elsa in her face.

Their noses are the same size and shape. Both of their eyes are blue, although Elsa’s are a bit darker, whereas Anna’s are slightly teal. And their lips are the same pinkish red. The primary differences between the sisters is Elsa’s paler than Anna, who also has freckles, and Anna has strawberry blonde hair as opposed to her sister’s platinum. 

“You look a lot like her,” Tadashi comments.

“You’re just saying that,” Anna shrugs slightly. “But thank you. You have made quite the impact on her; I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this curious about someone before.” 

He rubs the back of his neck, laughing nervously. “I-I’m sure there have been other guys-people that have piqued her interest before. Can’t be a random stranger like me.”

She shakes her head. “Not particularly,” She emphasizes the lee sound. 

“Rich people parties are pretty boring, Tadashi. I told ya that on the way here!” Fred speaks up. He had been so quiet that Tadashi had forgotten his friend was even there. It was kinda out of character for him to be that quiet. 

“Yeah, you did. I almost missed it when your parents cut you off to remind you to be on your best behavior.” Tadashi is sure to emphasize his teasing, and Fred grins. 

“I’m used to the speech. They only give it because of the one time I had worn a superhero costume to a party. I was only fifteen!” 

Tadashi and Anna both chuckle, before turning their attention back to each other. They converse for a bit longer, exchanging stories about their siblings and the shenanigans they’ve gotten into. Like the time that Tadashi had built a small snow machine with Hiro and when testing it, they had filled Aunt Cass’s cafe with snow. Or how Anna and Elsa snuck out when they were little to play in the snow, only for Anna to get sick with the flu for a week afterwards. (Fred had gotten bored of their conversation and left to get some food before his parents could stop him.)

Eventually, from the corner of his peripherals, Tadashi catches a glimpse of Elsa’s familiar hair. However, unlike both of the times he’s seen her last, it’s pulled back into a tight twisted bun. The only pop of color he can see in her hair is a blue ribbon tied in it. She’s running out of the banquet hall, and before he can stop himself, Tadashi follows her. 

Elsa is running pretty fast wearing high heels, and he’s wearing a suit, so Tadashi can’t go as fast as he normally would. But it didn’t matter how the collar was tugging at his neck. Something is wrong, he can feel it. He didn’t even have time to look at the surroundings of the building, with the newer paint and fancy decorations plastered on the walls. No time to look at the paintings of her family hung up. And absolutely no time to see some of Elsa’s awards up on a shelf. 

Elsa finally stops mid-run, stumbling over to the nearest wall, and sliding down against it to her knees. She is panting loudly, her breaths uneven and heavy. The pressure of her going to the wall had been enough to snap one of the heels, so she’s attempting to massage her ankle. All of this while tears drip down on her expensive dress. 

Tadashi has never seen anything like this. But he isn’t about to turn away either. 

He is quiet as he approaches, trying to keep his footsteps as gentle as it was possible in his dress shoes. But he takes a misstep when the shoes squeak against the floor. Elsa perks up and turns her head around, taking a sharp intake of breath. “Who-whoever you ar-e…I-I will be b-back to the par-party in a mo-mom-moment.” She’s wheezing at every other word. Her hands are trembling as she presses them to her heart. And she’s breathing way too hard way too much. 

Tadashi kicks the shoes off. He crouches down slowly in front of her. “It’s okay. I’m not dragging you back.” He says softly. 

“Ta-dashi?” Elsa doesn’t show any sign of facial recognition, which is alright. 

He politely shushes her. “Try not to talk. Follow my breathing. Can you do that for me?” He’s slow as he talks. In his time of working on his big project, he has both studied and experienced situations like this, so he knows how he can help her. At least, hopefully the techniques he knows can help her. It can be different from person to person, after all. 

He inhales a deep breath then lets it out. He does it again, and again, and again. Elsa starts to do it with him, but her hands are still trembling against her chest. Her eyes have slammed shut. He inhales again, then exhales before trying it next. 

“Elsa? Do you trust me?” He whispers.

She starts to open her mouth, but all that comes out is heavy breathing. It goes on for a minute until she musters up a nod. Tadashi smiles softly and reaches his hand out to her trembling ones. He does pause right as he’s about to touch them. He was going to attempt to allow her to feel his heartbeat to help her calm down, but his heart is racing, so would it do much good?

Elsa slowly opens her eyes, catching his hand in front of her. She looks as if she’s about to flinch, but it doesn’t happen. She only watches him patiently. Tadashi inhales deeply and clears his head before finally taking her hands, then brings them to his chest. 

His heart rate has slowed down enough that it could be calming. They are still breathing together in all of this. Tadashi didn’t know how long this would last for, but the passage of time isn’t phasing him in the least. All he cared about was helping her in this moment. 

Finally, Elsa’s hands are no longer trembling under his hand, and her breathing slowed to a normal pace. Once she lets her final exhale out through her mouth, she’s able to talk. But first, she lets out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Tadashi. I really needed that; you have no idea how much.”

Tadashi smiles happily. “I’m glad to hear it, Simply Elsa,” He jokes, referencing back to when they first met. And as she had that first day, his bad joke makes her laugh. The angelic laugh that he’s thought so much about lately.

“I’m lucky that you were nearby, but I do have to ask, what are you doing here?” 

“At such a fancy party?” He adds to her question. “That’s a great question. I’m friends with Fred Fredricksen and he insisted on bringing me as his plus one. Right before I saw you, I was actually with your sister.”

Elsa’s eyes widened at the mention. “You met Anna?”

He nods. “I did. While she is a younger sibling, judging by the stories she told me, I would argue she is nowhere near as big of a little shit as Hiro is.”

“What did she tell you?” She leans forward in interest. 

“Just a few silly stories from your childhood. Like the time you had apparently decided to try building a snowman in your bedroom, and somehow, that led to Anna jumping on her bed with it and falling off. She was laughing so hard that I had a hard time understanding the story.” He chuckles.

Elsa attempts to stifle a laugh, but it suddenly occurs to them both (at the same time) that he still had her hands to his chest. He suddenly lets go, but she doesn’t pull them away right away. There is a faint pink to her cheeks, but he didn’t want to believe it was a blush because of him. 

She clears her throat. “Well, um…” Elsa tucks a stray hair behind her ear. And leans back against the wall.

“What should we do now?” Tadashi wonders aloud. 

“Well, I would appreciate it if you didn’t mention this to Anna. She gets worried when I stop taking my medication.” 

“Your medication?” She nods. “If you don’t mind me asking, what is it for?” 

Elsa doesn’t say anything for a moment, but she doesn’t avoid the question either. She lets her hair down, pulling the ribbon out of the bun, and it falls down past her shoulders. It is the first time Tadashi realizes how long Elsa’s hair really is. “It’s alright. For whatever reason, I feel comfortable around you.” She sighs, then starts to pull up her sleeve for him to see. And what he sees is surprising. 

Running up her arm is a bunch of scars, but they are primarily on her wrist. Elsa traces them with her thumb before rolling her sleeve back down. “I have depression. I was diagnosed with it when I was seven years old, but I didn’t start self-harming until I was seventeen. Middle school and high school progressively got more stressful until it got to be too much. I’ve always had so much pressure to leave up to my family’s names, as the main heir to my mother’s company. I was able to manage it on my own for so long, until SATs and the questions of what college I should attend came up. My parents were horrified when they found me in the bathroom that one day…” She drifted off for a second, trying to keep her composure. 

“I’ve always taken my medication, to ease the voices and the fears, to keep from getting worse. But sometimes, I get off of them because I start to feel better. Which means I start to get bad again. It’s a cycle I’ve been in and out of for eight years. I don’t know why it got this bad tonight, but I am glad that you were here before I hurt myself again.” She lowers her head in shame, inhaling a sharp breath.

Tadashi doesn’t say anything. But instead, he pulls her into a hug. It catches Elsa off guard, leaving her to hang her arms at her sides, which Tadashi is fine with. One hand is down on her lower back, while the other is buried under her hair. 

“I don’t know what you’re going through,” Tadashi admits aloud. “But I don’t need to. Thank you for telling me about what goes on in that brilliant head of yours. I know we barely know each other, but I can’t stop thinking about you, Elsa Caroline.”

“Really?” She asks breathlessly.

“Indeed. You have intrigued me so much since we first met. The real reason that Fred brought me here was so that he could play wingman for me and you. I didn’t have a choice in it really, but I looked forward to tonight so that I might see you.” He keeps the word vomit to a limit. This moment isn’t about him after all. 

“I want to know you, Elsa. But only if you are willing to, only if you feel mentally ready to take a step like that.” 

She rests her head against his shoulder, her hair nuzzling up against his neck. She then brings her arms up and wraps them around his neck. “I want to know you too, Tadashi. I’ve been thinking about you too, if I’m being honest. Sure, that moment with you and your family was a little uncomfortable, but I wasn’t in the greatest headspace at the time. I don’t know how to be anything like that, though…”

“That’s okay, Elsa. We can take it at whatever pace we want. If it gets deeper, we’ll get there if we get there. For now, I want you to know that you can lean on me for whatever you need. I’ll be your shoulder to cry on.” He gives her a gentle squeeze. 

She sniffles and moves her face to nuzzle up into his neck. Tadashi’s heart skips a beat. Elsa smiles at him. “Is it alright if we get out of here? Go to the cafe, perhaps?” She suggests.

“I’d like that. I need to get out of this suit.”

“And I these shoes.” Elsa giggles. They get up off the floor, kick their shoes away, and Elsa leads the way out to start their activity.