Just like Vaccine, I wrote this story in the middle of the night because my good friend T3l4m0n forgot his own birthday, found out around 1am and then told me, leaving me with a pretty short time-frame to write him a present. So yeah, this one-shot was actually his idea (he probably forgot about it, though, so good thing I wrote it down), and I figured it would for a neat presence. It's a little shorter than my usual writings, but hopefully just as enjoyable.
Happy birthday, T3lly!
Oh, right, almost forgot: the title is a reference to Anna Kendrick's Cups. :)
Elsa sighed deeply, looking up from the book in her lap to glance around the bus, before turning her attention out of the window. She had no idea what had compelled her to take the bus for a cross-state journey, instead of just flying. Or getting a rental car. Or just not going to visit her family on the east coast, maybe.
Well, at least the journey was almost over now. A few more hours, and she'd be able to snuggle down in her own, familiarly comfortable bed, instead of trying to sleep in these uncomfortable chairs. Good thing too, considering it was slowly starting to get dark outside, and she really didn't want to spend the night curled up in a bus, of all places.
As the vehicle stopped for the umpteenth time on this journey and the doors opened, Elsa quickly looked at the doors, finding a large throng of people standing in line to get in. Well, shit. There was an old gentleman, who had just put out his cigar and would probably reek of it. Sport jock who looked way too confident. Mother with a small child on her arm. Redhead, her age, who seemed both exuberant and zombie-like at the same time. A man with a dog on a leash. And some businessman, talking on his phone as if his business was everyone's business.
Exactly knowing the amount of free seats on this bus at all times during her journey, Elsa had to accept the fact that one of these people would end up in the seat next to her. She had really been hoping that wouldn't happen. Personal space was Elsa's middle name, and it took up a lot of space.
As in, her seat, the seat next to her, the two seats in front of her, and the two behind her, really. She had come to terms with the fact she couldn't have all that, though, and adjusted herself to be comfortable, as long as no one sat directly next to her.
Apparently, even that had been too much to hope for. With another sigh, she turned her attention back to the pages of her book. Surely enough, someone plopped down in the seat next to her. At least it was someone quiet, Elsa mused inwardly. And someone who smelled of honey and cinnamon.
So that would be the cute redhead, Elsa surmised.
It wasn't fine, exactly, but it was the best she could have hoped for. She looked out of the window again for a moment, using it as an excuse to observe the redhead's reflection as she was putting her luggage underneath her seat.
The bus jolted to a move again, the landscape outside slowly darkening as it passed by the dirty window Elsa found herself staring out of for most of the journey.
"Excuse me," a timid voice beside her mumbled, pulling Elsa's attention to the redhead. "Would you perhaps happen to know how long it will be before the final stop?"
Elsa forced herself to smile politely, finding that it came easier than expected. "Should be a little under four hours," she replied, waiting for the redhead to nod in acknowledgement of the answer before she turned her attention to her book.
She shared a private smile with herself as the redhead wiggled in the seat next to her, trying to get comfortable in chairs that seemed designed to be exactly the opposite of that. Elsa had tried the same thing at the start of this journey, before she had eventually given up and just settled for being 'okay' instead of comfortable.
Apparently, the redhead had come to the same conclusion, seeing as the wiggling stopped pretty quickly. It took Elsa several more minutes before she realized that the redhead hadn't given up, though. Apparently, she had succeeded where Elsa had failed.
The soft snores – which were oddly cute, mind you – were a pretty good indication the redhead was comfortably asleep, her occasional soft murmurs bringing a small smile to Elsa's face. If this girl was just going to sleep through the entire journey, things wouldn't be so bad after all, the blonde figured.
She managed to block out the sound of the businessman on his phone, all the way in the back of the bus, and returned her attention to her book. For the first time since this journey started, she sort of felt content.
This would be a pleasantly uneventful few hours, during which Elsa would read the remainder of this novel.
It was merely half an hour later when the bus hit a hole in the road, causing the vehicle to shake and rattle, several of the passengers cursing or gasping in shock. The driver apologised – profusely, even – but Elsa was too busy to take note of that.
The redhead's head was on her shoulder.
In her personal space.
Her first instinct was the nudge the girl's head off of her, wake her, and tell her to get back in her own seat. But Elsa, ever the rational creature, took a few minutes to consider her options.
Because really, for all her claims about personal space being holy, this wasn't so bad. Her head was a little on the heavy side, yes. But it fit nicely on her shoulder, somehow, and wasn't uncomfortable.
And the redhead had been looking awfully tired. She had to have been for her to be able to sleep in this position. Waking her up would be plain mean, wouldn't it?
And she already knew this woman had to get off at the last stop – which was where Elsa had to get off as well – so it's not like either of them would be missing their stop because of this. So really, what harm could it do to let her sleep like this?
It would, in fact, do more harm to wake her up, Elsa reasoned. The redhead would probably be grumpy, and even though she was entirely within her right to wake her up, she felt it likely the redhead would blame her for doing so nonetheless.
So, really, the choice was between sitting next to a grumpy and annoyed person who would be talking, or sitting next to – half underneath – this cute sleeping redhead who didn't talk.
Except for the occasional murmur about pineapples and porcupines, that is.
Yeah, not really a difficult decision…
The journey was almost coming to an end, and Elsa was really glad she'd be off this damned bus soon. Sitting in these chairs for hours on end had made her stiff, her joints aching every time she shifted her position slightly – which she tried to do as little as possible. But not because of the aches.
The redhead was still asleep, her head firmly nestled on Elsa's shoulder. Each time the bus stopped and opened its door, allowing the chilly winter air to enter the bus, Anna had shivered, cuddling up to Elsa a little closer. By now, it wouldn't really be an exaggeration to say she was on Elsa's lap.
Elsa had given up on reading once the redhead had – undoubtedly accidentally – knocked her book off her lap and onto the ground. Even then, Elsa couldn't find it in herself to wake the woman up. So instead, she had started mapping the freckles adoring the bridge of her nose, and being mesmerised by the shade of her hair.
Odd as it was, she would kind of, sort of, maybe, even miss this adorable creature a little. Which was really weird, because Elsa never really missed anyone, and she didn't even know this girl's name. Maybe she should ask her? After she woke up?
Or would that be too forward?
Well, this woman was pretty much drooling onto her collarbone, so really, Elsa figured she had the right to know what her name was. Especially since the drooling didn't even bother her. It wasn't very charming, perhaps, but it suited the girl in her adorability.
"Five minutes 'till the final stop, people," the driver announced, sounding almost as tired as the redhead had looked when she had entered the bus.
She was looking a lot better now, though, Elsa noticed. Less pale, her cheeks having regained a reddish hue, and the bags under her eyes were gone too. Or, you know, maybe it was just the lighting, because it wasn't like Elsa had been keeping an eye on her for the past few hours or anything. Really.
But, their final stop being five minutes away – four by now, she surmised – it was really time for her to wake the redhead up.
"Hey," she cooed softly. "Hey, wake up."
She gently nudged the redhead with her free arm, earning her an annoyed growl. "Five more minutes," the redhead grumbled.
Elsa chuckled. "You've slept the entire way," she said softly, nudging the redhead again. "We're almost at the final stop."
That seemed to wake the redhead more properly, though she still didn't open her eyes, one of her fingers gently poking Elsa. "Ugh. I slept on top of you the entire way?" she muttered groggily. "I'm so sorry. You should have just woke me up."
Elsa chuckled again, more freely now that the redhead had removed her head from her shoulder. "That alright, it wasn't any bother, really."
The redhead finally opened her eyes, still glassy from sleep. "Ohmygosh you're pretty."
Before Elsa could process the words the redhead had mumbled, she felt herself pushed back against the window beside her, soft lips pressing against her own. They were really pliant against her own lips, the rational part of her brain supplied, while the less rational part kept screeching that the redhead was, for some reason, kissing her, and she was just sitting here, doing nothing.
Then, her mind finally got everything sorted out, telling her to pull out of the kiss and ask for an explanation. Kissing random strangers on the bus was really impolite.
But she found that she actually quite enjoyed the press of soft lips against her own, the tickling of the redhead's hair, and the smell of honey and cinnamon surrounding her.
Just as she was about to kiss back, the redhead stiffened and pulled away, eyes wide with shock.
"I can't believe I just did that! I'm so sorry! Again. Ugh, first I use you as my personal pillow, and now I've assaulted you. Way to go, Anna. This is how you make friends in a new city. Great."
Elsa gently placed her hand on Anna's upper arm, causing the redhead to fall silent. "Anna," she said, testing the name on her tongue. "It's alright. I'm not angry about either of the two."
Anna seemed relieved, the tension seeping out of her body. The tension quickly returned when Elsa moved in, placing a quick peck on Anna's lips. "Maybe I'd even like to try that again, sometime," she husked, astounded by her sudden flirtatiousness.
Clearly, it was working, because Anna was rendered speechless, nodding mutely. A large grin started to creep onto her face, eyes twinkling happily now that the sleep had been driven off fully.
"I think I'd like that too. I really have to insist on learning your name, first, though."
"It's Elsa," the blonde laughed.
"Awesome, Elsa. Are you familiar around here?" Anna asked getting up from her seat and gathering her luggage.
"I am, yes. Why do you ask?"
"I've just slept for the entire bus ride, and I really need a cup of coffee and some good company in a big unfamiliar city never hurts."
Elsa laughed, free and unrestrained. "I think I know just the place."