The North Mountain Express (Elsa x Reader)

The North Mountain Express

It's 10:30pm on a calm winter night in the city. You and Elsa went out for dinner two hours ago at the nearby pizzeria.

After dinner, the two of you came back to the apartment and started your own evening routines. Elsa went straight away to her study desk to finish up some assignments. You on the other hand, exhausted after a long day at work, crashed on the couch in front of the TV and started watching the daily news.

The two of you have known each other for almost a decade now, and have been living together for the past three years.

It was always Elsa's dream to move to the big city and study architecture at the country's top university. So, when you offered to pay for her tuition and support her one hundred percent, her farmer parents were absolutely overjoyed. Needless to say, a few tears were shed that day. It was the single biggest responsibility that you've ever taken in your life.

It was no problem for you, though. Even with just a high school diploma, you managed to land yourself a decent full-time job in the capital city, as a call centre agent. With Elsa's tuition fees taken into account, the pay is just barely enough to support the two of you.

Two years ago, you and Elsa moved to the city with high hopes. By pure chance, your first day at the new job coincided with her orientation day at university. You're now renting a small apartment conveniently located in between your office and the campus, and the two of you each have a bicycle to get around since taking public transport on a daily basis would be too costly.

You didn't mind at all paying for Elsa's higher education and all of the other expenses that came with it. All that matters to you is working hard and making the necessary sacrifices so she can achieve her dreams. Elsa has always been the love of your life, and her happiness meant the world to you.

Somehow, you ended up watching a documentary about mountaineering.

After said documentary came to an end, you check your phone out of habit.

There's a message from Anna. She texted you regarding your surprise birthday gift for her elder sister, asking if you've bought the tickets already.

You respond with a thumbs up icon, followed by a short paragraph about another surprise you have in mind for Elsa's special day, which is tomorrow.

You plan to make that day even more special to her... by taking the relationship to the next level.

After putting your phone down on the small table next to the couch, you get up and stretch to your heart's content.

After that, you grab a special folded piece of paper from a drawer before walking over to Elsa's study room. You knock the door thrice before quietly entering.

There she is, sitting at the desk with her back facing the door, leaning forwards and focusing on her work. Her hair is tied in a ponytail, she's already in her pajamas, and she's also wearing her reading glasses, which you admit makes her look ten times more adorable than she already is. She's got her headphones on, probably listening to her favourite music as she does the finishing touches of her last assignment before the long awaited year-end semester break.

You just stand there and admire her quietly, not wanting to disturb her. After a minute or two, Elsa finally puts her pen down and sighs in relief. She then takes off her headphones and rests both elbows on the table before burying her face in her hands.

"She must be exhausted.." you think to yourself.

You tip-toe over to her side, and gently put your arm around her shoulder. Elsa lifts her head and smiles at you the moment you do this.