'Til Death Do Us Start
Prompt: Meeting at a funeral.
Elsa couldn't help but notice her. The girl whose red hair stood out amongst the black of her dress, crying alone as the coffin was lowered into the ground. Kai had been a dear friend, one who had helped Elsa through so many of the struggles in her life, and she knew from the way he displayed the redhead's picture and spoke so proudly of her that his darling niece had been the light of his life.
And now that niece was watching with a broken heart as he was buried into the earth.
Elsa's hand tightened around her umbrella, biting at her bottom lip in fierce contemplation as the rain continued to fall. She knew all too well how crushing the weight of loneliness could be, and for the girl whom Kai had described as the personification of sunshine and happiness, well…
She couldn't leave her to that now, could she?
Elsa took a deep breath, and walked over to the grieving girl.
Elsa held her umbrella over both of them, she gave the redhead a tight smile, "He was a good man."
Anna nodded, not saying a word. She continued to stare as they lowered him deeper, and deeper into the ground.
"You know, he talked a lot about you. He said you were such a happy girl, sweet, and kind… but seeing you like this," Elsa chuckled bitterly. "I never pictured I'd meet you like this. I'm so sorry."
Anna just kept silent, not trusting herself to speak.
She didn't trust herself to speak, but hearing that voice, quiet and bittersweet, made her head tilt up. Her eyes were red from all the tears she'd let out, her lips trembling with , her heart was just too broken to notice the beauty of the blonde next to her.
Elsa could only smile, carefully and hesitant on landing a gentle touch on her shoulder, or arm… or anywhere so it'd, at very least, make the sad girl brighten up a little. She only wiped a lonely tear-maybe it was a simple droplet of rain-off of Anna's cheek.
"Do you know who I am?"
Anna shook her head, little hiccups escaping from her trembled lips.
The blonde, looking down at the buried coffin, began again, "It's okay, at least we both know, how much we care for one person."
At Elsa's words, Anna felt like a dam inside her broke. So she launched forward and clung onto the older girl, hands clutching the black lapel of Elsa's black jacket dress to steady herself, and crying without restraint.
Initially surprised at Anna's display of trust and dependency, Elsa got over it quickly and wrapped her arms around the slender, sobbing figure. Years down the road, Elsa would still be able to recall this moment with crystal clarity, because that was when she had unconsciously made a vow to always take care of the younger girl.
The warm arms holding her close filled Anna with a sense of comfort and protection that she thought had been lost with the death of her Uncle. Even after the sobs turned into hiccups and her eyes dried, Anna found herself reluctant to pull away from the embrace. Elsa was that perfect height, just tall enough that Anna could tuck her head under her chin without it being uncomfortable and just short enough that she didn't have to strain her neck to do so.
The blonde made no protest to the lengthy and intimate cuddle and was even rubbing her back in soothing circles, humming some nameless tune in order to provide more comfort.
Something changed within them that day.
The tentative threads of a bond had begun to form, reaching out to each other through the gaping chasm of unfamiliarity. Their shared grief connected the first thread, in this moment beneath the falling rain, where even the sky seemed to weep at Kai's passing.
They were strangers, yes. But with their arms firmly ensconced around each other, hearts aching and crying out at the unfairness of his sudden departure...they couldn't be strangers. Not anymore.
Or at least...not completely.
Both girls ended up in Elsa's house, a steamy mug of hot chocolate in Anna's hand. Still, even with the older woman looking at her sympathetically and making small talk, Anna only ended up responding to her with a shrugs, a shake or a nod of her head. Even sometimes ignoring her.
Elsa ended up sighing. "Do you have a home to return to?"
Anna paused, staring emptily into space on her lap. Elsa was on thin ice here.
The redhead, after many hours, finally managed to keep an eye on the blonde.
"I'm going to drop out of school and find-"
"No!"
Anna jumped slightly at the immediate rejection. Though it seemed she's not the only one being shocked by such an authoritative response, as Elsa herself looked stunt. A bit embarrassed by her own passion on matters concerning a complete stranger, Elsa cleared her throat and attempted to speak again, only to be beaten by Anna this time.
"It's my only choice. I won't be able feed myself if I don't find a full time job. Uncle had left enough money for may be a couple months of rent, but after that I'm on my own."
"You're not on your own. You're coming with me."
Once again, Elsa was surprised at her own spontaneous responses when it came to this girl. Spontaneous maybe, but not thoughtless.
"What? No, I don't even know you. For all I know you could be a serial killer… or something," Anna sighed and stood up, giving Elsa a blank look. "I'm dropping out, going to find myself a job."
Elsa looked down, considering her options. She sighed and looked up at Anna, "What if you work for me? Your uncle… well, he just died. That means I'm in charge of the company, at least until the board decides to get a new CEO, hell they could even make me the CEO. Work for me. I'll give you hours so you can stay in school." Elsa gave Anna a pleading look, hoping to change the girl's mind.
Anna chewed her lip, considering the admittedly tempting proposal. The blonde had been nothing but kind and understanding, and was there through the worst of her pain. It wasn't going to go away for a while, but Anna couldn't afford to mope about, and like a gift from heaven Elsa had come out of nowhere offering her a stable job and warm companionship.
"Okay." Anna finally said after a pause that made Elsa hold her breath.
The relief the blonde felt was noticeable from the loosened shoulders to the tentative smile the blonde offered her. "Excellent. I'll make the arrangements right away. You'll probably be my personal assistant. That way I can make your workload minimal so you can instead focus on any homework you need to get done. Until you find yourself a place to stay, I insist you at least stay in the guest room." Her smile shone just a little brighter and despite Anna's earlier hesitation, she couldn't stop smiling shyly back.
Still, Anna couldn't help but question the generous-maybe too generous-actions of the girl.
She bit her lip, noticing the glistening brightness of Elsa's blue eyes, her lips stretched to a smile of relief and kindness. Anna had never met someone so… well, she'd never met such a beautiful person from both inside and outside. "Why are you doing this? We barely know each other. Technically, you brought me to YOUR home just an hour ago-" She should've just left me there. "-and we were, I mean, WE'RE just two strangers that met because of one person. I mean like, I'm thankful for your offer and I want to take it but, we only met a few hours ago-"
"Anna."
"-And I know nothing about you, or what you do, your age-"
"Anna."
"For god sake, I came into your home without knowing your name!" She put her arms in the air out of cluelessness and the question of why she was silent the whole time she was with her until now with her lips shut tight.
"My name's Elsa."
"Oh."
A moment of silence passed as Elsa watched Anna struggling to find something to say next. Elsa marveled at the young girl's expressiveness, both when she was rambling and when she was at a loss of words. There was a sense of innocence and an impressive force of life that Anna embodied, and Elsa couldn't help but be drawn to her like an apple to the ground.
The gravity was apparently not just an emotional metaphor, as Elsa found herself physically standing right in front of Anna, without realizing when she had started moving. This attraction was proving to be dangerous. I keep acting unconsciously around her, what is this girl doing to me?
However, Elsa found a small relief seeing how Anna did not step back. The girl just stood there, confusion and apprehension visible on her face, but stood her ground. Elsa smiled and touched Anna's arm.
"Come, I will show you to your room."
Anna followed Elsa, confusion and more than a little embarrassment churning inside. She had rambled again, hadn't she? It was a habit that Kai had tried to discourage; not in an unkindly way, but it was obvious from his teachings and the reactions of others that it made Anna appear harried and...not-in-control. And she needed control above all else right now, needed to feel like she had a firmer grip on things than she actually had at the moment.
So she wanted to step back, to maintain her distance but when Elsa-what a beautiful name- approached, the redhead's thoughts blanked out except for how nice she smelled and those wonderful, alluring eyes. Anna couldn't have moved away if she had wanted to, and that worried her more than anything else. Was it possible to be this comfortable yet on edge around another person, especially a woman she had just met?
"This will be your room," Elsa opened a door, showing Anna a bare room. It looked clean, but so bare. There walls were white, not a single thing hung on them. There was a decent sized bed pushed against one of the walls, a window just above it. There wasn't even a dresser or a nightstand for her to put her stuff. Although, there was a closet, but a very small closet.
"You don't have many friends, do you, Elsa?" Anna gave Elsa a sad smile.
Elsa shook her head, "No, I focus too much on my work. It tends to… push people away." She sighed and leaned against one of the walls. "I do have some close friends, your uncle was one of them." She swallowed hard and looked down, refusing to let tears fall.
Oh...that's right.
Wrapped up in one's own grief, it was easy to forget that there were others that were deeply affected by Kai's death...if not deeper. Anna bit contemplatively at her bottom lip, arms wrapping around her middle as her shoulders hunched up to her ears. She looked away from Elsa, to the white walls and the rest of the sparsely decorated room. The emptiness tugged further at her already battered heartstrings.
It wasn't the idea of living in this empty room that bothered her, no. Rather, it was because…
"...Tell me about him?" she finally ventured, voice soft as her gaze drifted back to the blonde.
Elsa took in a light breath, putting her hands in her pocket as she looked around. "Well… he was my business partner, first of all. The first time I met him, he was a kind and a great person. We rarely had any disagreements and…" Elsa was choking back tears, eyes blurred with the droplets of water, filled with the memories they had. Even Anna noticed, yet, having no courage to soothe the poor girl. Because she knew how Elsa felt.
They loved him to pieces.
Anna walked over to Elsa, gently wrapping her arms around the taller woman. Elsa tensed up, she look down at Anna, slowly relaxing.
"I'm sorry, I'm not used to any sort of affection," Elsa gave Anna a tight smile.
Anna simple nodded, giving her a gentle squeeze, "Want to join me? For a little bit? You can cry all you want… since that's all I did today."
Elsa nodded and walked into the room with Anna. They sat down on the bed, Elsa wrapped in Anna's arms. Elsa sniffled and looked at her hands, not daring to move.
Elsa wasn't much of a crier, she usually kept to herself, hardly showing emotions. Her family always told her to act poised and like she was in charge. Back straight, expression stoic, eyes blank. Don't let them know why you're there. But with Anna… it was different, she wanted to break down, cry, hug her. She to finally let it all out. But do I want to do it in front of Anna? Someone who makes me feel so safe, even though I don't know anything about her?
A while later, she managed to collect herself, managing a shaky smile as she dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve. Anna was less reserved, and merely used the back of her hand before using her arm to wipe at her dripping nose.
The silly sight cheered Elsa up a little, and she let out a quiet laugh. Anna must have picked up on it too, for she offered a sheepish smile.
Elsa folded her hands in her lap, back straight as she fell back onto the familiarity of being a host.
"So...dinner?"
"W-What? Oh… Um… I-I don't think, well… I-I should cook, since I'm the one under your roof and… I really don't belong here-" Anna felt a touch on her arm and her back shivered with delight, hearing the giggles of the blonde. Anna couldn't help, grinning, possibly glad that the girl that was crying so horribly before was finally laughing again.
"No, it's alright. Plus… I don't think you're the type that knows how to cook, Anna."
Well, it was true and Anna lied.
Getting off the bed, Elsa, with all her strength, dragged Anna up, saying, "I have chocolate cake in the fridge, it'll make us feel both better… if you like chocolate, that is."
Anna smiled widely, grabbing Elsa's hand, "My friends don't call me the 'Chocolate Queen' for nothing, come on." She dragged Elsa to the kitchen and sat at the table. "I didn't really want to be rude and open the fridge and go through your stuff." She offered a tight smile.
Elsa nodded, "It's alright." Elsa opened the fridge and pulled out the cake. She set it on the counter and cut two slices. "Would you like anything to drink?"
Anna's smile turned a little shy. "You wouldn't happen to have any chocolate milk, do you?"
"My god, you are a Chocolate Queen," Elsa chuckled, going back to the fridge to retrieve that drink.
She did in fact have chocolate milk, of course. Anna may not know it yet, but Elsa was certain she had a greater claim to that title of Chocolate Queen than the redhead did.
Anna was already taking a big slice for herself, grabbing a plate. Elsa only had to stare at her, her grin quickly widening into a stupid, stupid smile when Anna took a bite and responded with an excited screech.
She was staring way too long, that the chocolate milk she was pouring into the glass, was overflowing, dripping down the table.
"Elsa, the milk!"
"Hm? Oh shi-" Quickly, she tilted the carton upright and put it on the table, grabbing a napkin to dab at the table. "Sorry, god, I'm usually not that clumsy."
Anna grinned, taking another mouthful, "You wouldn't be if you weren't staring at me and grinning like a fool."
Elsa playfully glared at her, grabbing a towel, quickly wiping up the milk. She ignored the remark Anna gave her and grabbed a slice of cake for herself. She made sure she got a piece bigger than Anna's just to prove she was, in fact, the real Chocolate Queen. Elsa also poured herself a bigger glass of chocolate milk, filling it as much as she could.
Satisfied with herself, she took a big bite of the cake, moaning at the taste, "Oh, that's so good." Elsa took another bite, finishing her cake quicker than Anna, who was staring at Elsa with wide eyes.
"You… really like your cake, don't you?"
Elsa shrugged, "I love chocolate."
"Well," Anna said with a soft smile and a touch of her hand against Elsa's wrist, "It's always better to share something you enjoy with a friend." Her smile wobbled a bit, but she bit her lip and held strong, brushing her fingers up Elsa's forearm before retreating. "And… and to remember someone you loved," she added, "with someone who felt the same way."
Elsa swallowed and set down her fork. "Y-yes." They sat in silence for a moment before Anna surged forward and brought Elsa into a tight hug.
"I really am so, so, so grateful that you're doing this for me."
"Well, I'm glad I can help…" Elsa grinned, tightly. She sighed, looking at the clock. "This… was an unhealthy dinner."
Anna laughed, "Would you prefer if we ate a proper one? I'm sorry."
Elsa shook her head. "I'm just glad you liked it. Is there anything you'd like to do, in the meantime?"
Anna shrugged, "I don't really know where there is to do here." Anna bit her lip, looking up at Elsa. "Why don't we play 'truth'? Basically, we ask each other questions and we have to tell the truth."
"Well, what if someone's lying? How would you know?"
"Neither of us would know, that's part of the game."
Elsa nodded, "Okay, why don't you go first then?"
She nodded, rocking herself back and forth off on her feet.
"Do you...like chocolate?"
Elsa snorted out a laugh, and the tips of Anna's ears grew hot in mild embarrassment.
"Out of all the questions you could ask me, you went with that?" the blonde asked, her lips curving into a small smile.
Anna shook her head, "I-I changed my mind! Um… what do you think of redheads?" Anna felt her ears burning even more. I'm pretty sure my face is redder than my hair by this point.
Elsa's smile widened, "Now I get to ask you two, since you asked me two. Yes, I do like chocolate. As for redheads… hm… I think they're very feisty. But I also think they're very cute, sometimes spazztic and clumsy, but definitely cute."
Anna snorted, rolling her eyes.
Glaring, the blonde rolled her eyes too. "Alright your turn. What do YOU think of blondes?"
"Stupid."
Elsa widened her eyes. "W-What?"
"Just kidding, I mean, they're hot. Seriously, on fire."
Anna grinned cheekily as she watched the blonde become flustered. Elsa felt her cheeks burn at the playful remark, clearing her throat as she tried to think up a second question. "So, where is it that you go to school Anna?"
Anna let out a huff. "Walt University. Uncle Kai pulled a couple of strings to get me into as good a school as I could get into. I'm on my freshman year. Planing on getting an Art History degree."
Elsa tilted her head, "Art History? Why such a, uhm…"
"Useless degree?" supplied Anna with a gloomy look, moving her cake around listlessly as her shoulders shook with miniscule trembles.
"NO!" blurted Elsa, who was practically bending her fork in half in her eagerness to show Anna that while a degree in Art History wasn't the most practical in existence, she was sure there were plenty of opportunities to expand its use with a little imagination and Anna wasn't lifting her head what had she done-and-and-and then she realized the redhead was too busy suppressing her laughter to do much else than choke out, "Oh my god, Elsa your face!"
Elsa for her part, could do little but stare in shock and mild offense.
"I thought you were being serious!"
Laughter subsiding, Anna put on a more-mischievous-than-apologetic grin as she finished her cake. "Well, I thought it'd help loosen you up a little. I could've fried an egg on your face."
"Please don't," Elsa mumbled, averting her gaze as her face reddened even more, "But seriously...you had me worried there for a moment."
Anna pouted and scooted her chair close to Elsa, "Hey, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to do that. It was a joke, I'm sorry."
Elsa turned her head to the side, hiding a smirk. She pretended to sniffle, "I-It's okay A-Anna…" Elsa's shoulders started shaking.
"You're… crying? I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, Elsa!" Anna slowly came to realize her shoulders were shaking due to laughter.
"You stinker!" Anna cried. Elsa couldn't hold back a little snort of amusement and that was it. Both girls burst into fits of giggles that turned into uproarious laughter that had them both clutching their sides with tears streaming down their faces.
Elsa took a deep breath, wiping at her eyes. Anna tried to do the same, but all she could accomplish was erupting into a silent fit of giggles. Elsa felt the smile on her face grow at the sight.
It's good to see her crying tears of joy for a change.
"So," Elsa started, regaining her composure as she straightened her back and folded her hands in her lap, "now what?"
Anna shrugged, propping her elbows on the table and laying her chin on her arm. "I guess…" She stared into the eyes of Elsa, finally noticing how beautiful she was-not that she wasn't before, but… it was the kindness she had that made her even more beautiful. "You're so beautiful…"
Elsa blinked. "W-What?"
Whoops. Anna quickly shut her stupid mouth and looked away, with cheeks red as a tomato. "Well, y-you know, we can go ahead and watch a m-movie o-or something. O-Or you can help me with homework… or talk about Kai…" Or do nothing and think about him all night.
Elsa smiled tiredly. "To be perfectly honest...this day has been exhausting. And for you as well, I'm sure. But if you want to watch a movie or-"
"No, no, that's...that's fine," Anna said waving her hands dismissively. Now that Elsa had pointed it out, she did feel exhausted. So many things had happened in such a short period of time, it felt like. Or rather, the other way around-it had felt like the longest day of her life.
From dressing herself in all black compared to her usual summer colors, to the somber service at the church, to the sight of Kai lying there in his coffin, as if he were only sleeping…
Anna swallowed past the lump threatening to rise in her throat. "I...Sleep sounds fine."
Elsa nodded and stood up, "Yeah, after today, I feel like I can sleep for a lifetime."
Anna gave Elsa a tight smile. She stood up and walked to the guest room, looking at its bare walls. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, walking over to the bed. She sat down and sniffled, burying her face in her hands, "I miss him already…"
Elsa was standing in the doorway, giving Anna a sad look. She didn't say anything, not wanting to intrude in Anna's thoughts. She sighed and looked down. I really hope she feels better tomorrow. Maybe she'd like to go out and enjoy a nice lunch? Elsa shrugged. Maybe.
But it's not like I feel any better either.
Elsa gave out a bitter 'tsk', glaring at the ground as if asking God, 'why do we deserve this? Why did he die?' But for the better, she didn't feel how Anna was feeling now. She needed to be her support. Her rock. Even if they were just strangers. In an blink of an eye, Elsa was sitting next to the depressed girl, an arm wrapped around her.
Her whisper, "Eventually, we'll be able to smile like always… it doesn't have to be now, or tomorrow… or after a month, but we'd like to see each other's silly laughs and smiles, right?" It made Anna's heart jumped and finally, she was able to feel better, just a little.
Anna leaned into Elsa, nuzzling her shoulder as she tried to restrain her tears. She kept forgetting that she wasn't the only one who had lost someone. That Elsa was grieving too but was putting her own feelings aside and doing everything possible to make Anna feel better. She allowed herself to pull away slightly and offer a teary smile. "Thank you." She said softly, leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to the older's cheek. "Thank you so much Elsa...for everything."
Her skin tingled from where Anna's lips had pressed against them, and Elsa smiled gently. "I couldn't let you deal with this alone."
Anna chuckled. "Just you and me, huh?" She leaned against the doorway, her smile faltering ever so slightly. "What are we going to do now?"
Elsa leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the girl's forehead. "We both go to sleep," she murmured against that sun-kissed skin, " And when we wake up...we'll greet the day with our heads held high and Kai's memory in our hearts...like he'd want us to."
The blonde pulled away, blue locking onto teal. "How does that sound?"
And Anna smiled-teary, exhausted...but in higher spirits than before.
"Sounds perfect."
FIN.
A/N: Participants this time were WolfyPuppy7, the-wandering-quill, Squaresrcool, Nojamhere, Iamrottingbitch, Liamgrbd, Nopantsparade, therewillbesparkles. Thank you everyone.