This was a stupid, stupid idea. Elsa had no idea why she had agreed to come on this moronic hike. Well, that wasn't entirely true.
Earlier that week, the Mountain Club sent out invites for a hike (an adventure, they called it.). Somehow she was part of it, despite not really having a desire to spend extended periods outdoors. The only reason why she was in it was because her parents said she needed extra curricular activities at college, and the hell if she was joining a sorority or the drama club.
Then Hans texted her, telling her they should definitely do it. Despite her reluctance and repeated attempts to talk her way out of it, she ended up not only agreeing to a hike, but also to a short backpacking trip for the weekend.
So here Elsa was, spending a perfectly good Saturday hiking into the mountains, intending to spend a perfectly good Saturday night in a decrepit wooden cabin, and then spend a perfectly good Sunday hiking the exact way back. She slumped into her seat at the back of the van.
As it took them to god knows where, Elsa's mind went through a list of things she could be doing instead.
1. Catching up on the Big Bang Theory
2. Being warm
3. Sleeping
4. Laundry
Things had hit a new low if she considered laundry a desirable alternative. She glanced around the ten-seater van from her back row seat, taking note of the people who would be responsible for her misery for the next forty eight hours. Next to her was that dumbass Hans who had somehow convinced her to be here. Her heart sank little by little as she looked from person to person. Elsa wasn't particularly close with anyone in the van. It was going to be a long trip just taking to Hans. And one-sided. Very much one-sided. She internally groaned at the thought of listening to him talk about his side burns and his bright red Mustang, Sally.
Some older dude was driving, Flynn, she thought his name was, but she wasn't sure. Elsa didn't know the girl riding shotgun, but she'd seen her in some classes they had together. She had some weird name, like her parents were from out of country.
The short kid Olaf was in the first row, as he usually was, sitting next to the big lunkhead guy Sven. The good thing about Sven is that he could practically carry all the gear for everyone. He took up two seats by himself.
In the row behind them, she recognized the big blonde kid Kristoff. She actually liked him. He was one of the few people in the club she didn't mind talking to.
Next to him was a girl she hadn't seen before. From the back, all Elsa could see was a head of red hair, braided down to twin plaits.
This trip was going to suck. She punched a soft spot into her hoodie and put her head down to sleep.
Elsa woke when a blast of frigid air hit her face. Opening her eyes, she realized they had finally arrived at the trailhead.
Jumping out of the van, her feet crunching against the icy snow, she looked around. Towering over her were snow-capped mountains on both sides. In front were tall green firs, parting near the middle to show the trail. It was quite majestic, if she said so herself.
Shouldering her backpack, she wordlessly set out on the trail with her companions. Truthfully, if Elsa had her way, she'd just walk this whole thing without talking to anyone. She was okay with that. Other people might feel the need to fill an empty silence with words, but she was just as content to simply let them do the talking. Not having to put herself out there meant less chance of being judged or hated on.
They hiked for hours, or minutes, Elsa had no idea. She walked in silence, putting one foot in front of the other, alternating between hateful thoughts towards Hans and admiring the scenery.
But as if things were only meant to get worse, Elsa coughed as she inhaled a snowflake. She looked up. Gentle snow was descending from the skies, beginning to get heavier and thicker. Elsa stuck her cold hands back in her pocket, muttering under her breath. She suppressed a shiver. The blonde walked the rest of the way with a scowl on her face and a chill in her core. Finally, their destination was before them.
There was the log cabin, surrounded by a several tall trees that Elsa didn't know the name of. The leaves held a light dusting of snow, but it only served to amplify its beauty. Running next to it was a thin stream, its bed dotted by the different color rocks. The water cascading over the rocks played a little melody of bubbling that soother her ears. It gathered in blue green pools, shimmering in the afternoon sun. The combination of the teal water, orange light and green trees all came together in a wonderfully distinct winter palette.
"Beautiful."
Elsa couldn't help it, her reaction slipped out before she could stop it.
"Yeah, amazing." It took her a moment before she realized that the original words hadn't taken place in her own thoughts, but actually from the girl behind her. Elsa spun around.
The red headed girl was standing there, staring at the same scene she was. Her mouth was slightly agape, eyes wide open, trying to absorb as much of the beautiful scenery as possible. Her whole body was slack, arms straight at her sides, as if the awe-inspiring scenery had somehow rendered her speechless.
"Ah, hi, I'm Anna," she said brightly, as she looked to the blonde grinning. She held out her hand. Elsa shook it.
"Elsa." The blonde noticed freckles across her face, light blue eyes making her face seem even brighter than it already was.
"Oh my God! Your hands are so cold!" Anna exclaimed. Elsa looked down at her hands and shrugged her shoulders.
"Sorry," she said sheepishly, "I usually get cold hands. Feet too." Elsa was well aware of the fact that her hands got as cold as ice anytime they were exposed to the elements. Usually it made people recoil; a simple aversion to cold.
Anna didn't let go of her hand. Instead she sandwiched Elsa's hand in between hers. In a spur of the moment move, completely unlike her, Elsa put her left hand on top of Anna's.
The redhead didn't miss a beat. She clasped Elsa's hands between both of hers. The heat from Anna's hands made Elsa gasp. And when the other girl blew on their hands with her warm breath, that warmth spread through Elsa's body.
Elsa was perplexed, a girl she just met was holding hands with her in the middle of the forest. This surely was a strange predicament. She stared at the girl wordlessly, her eyes wide in surprise from the heat and the intimacy of the moment.
"Is that better?" Anna asked her. She wore an innocent smile, completely unaware of the fact that she had made Elsa's heart race and mile a minute.
"Oh, uh, yeah," Elsa managed to mumble, pulling her hands free in Anna's and swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat. The cold bit into her hands and she immediately regretted leaving the redhead's hold. She stuffed her hands into her pockets, a poor replacement for a warm girl's hands.
They opened the door to the cabin; it was a little dusty, but otherwise perfectly cozy. Flynn announced the rooms. He and the girl riding about shotgun, Rapunzel, would be in one room. Olaf and Sven in another, Kristoff and Hans in the third. That left the two girls, Anna and Elsa to share a room and bed. After depositing their things in the room, the whole crew set about preparing dinner.
Elsa didn't say anything to Anna throughout the meal. It wasn't that she was avoiding her, she just had no idea what to talk to her about. She knew absolutely nothing about this girl who just decided to come up to her and unfreeze her hands.
It had been Anna who approached her. She sat herself on the table bench next to Elsa after dinner.
"Hey!" she said smiling. Anna plopped herself down ungainly, quite a contrast to the straight posture Elsa held herself with.
"Hey," Elsa managed in return. Her fingers twiddled with themselves. She wasn't exactly sure why, but the redhead had made her uncomfortable. She supposed it had to do with her reluctance to share human contact, but also that this girl was giving Elsa her undivided attention.
"How's your hands?"
"Much better actually."
"That's great." Anna smiled. "By the way, thanks for dinner. The mushroom risotto was amazing."
Elsa couldn't help the blush that crept over her features. "Ah thanks. It's just nice to have someone who actually knows the real name of the meal, not just 'some rice.'"
Anna smiled even wider now, delving into her love for food and all things related. They spent the next couple of hours discussing cooking techniques, where to get certain ingredients and the inaccuracy of yelp reviews. It was nearly midnight when they finally retired to their shared bedroom.
"It's supposed to be twenty below tonight," Elsa shared as she climbed into bed.
"Brrr," Anna said, giving an imitation shiver. "Well," she said looking over at Elsa, "you probably shouldn't go too far away from me then. You might need my heat."
Elsa froze. Was that an invitation? She was officially confused. All day, Anna has been sending her signals that could easily be simply friendly or flirtatious. Was she innocent, or just ridiculously good at playing coy? She mumbled goodnight, her mind preoccupied with Anna.
Elsa's eyes opened and her body shivered. It was still dark out; she couldn't have been asleep longer than an hour. She shivered again. Despite the thick comforter, the cold was still seeping through and chilling her. She looked over at Anna.
The redhead was completely asleep. She wasn't displaying any of the discomfort Elsa was feeling. She lay on her back, quiet snores escaping her.
Fine. Let's see if she's sending me signals, Elsa thought wickedly. She normally wasn't so brash, but the redhead's earlier words and actions spurred her into a new state of audacity. She scooted closer to Anna under the covers.
My God, it feels like she's a furnace. Anna was a human-sized heat pack. Elsa sidled up to her, pressing her face into Anna's shoulder, the rest of her body resting against Anna's in various places.
The heat from Anna was unbelievable and it took all of Elsa's strength not to reach an arm over Anna and press herself completely into the redhead. She lay there for a few minutes, enjoying the warmth when she heard Anna stir.
The snores stopped, there was a gasp and the gentle breaths became harsh. Anna hyperventilated for a few seconds, before stopping completely.
She's holding her breath, Elsa knew, and if she could've put a hand to Anna's heart, she knew it would be racing.
This was it. Let's see what she does.
Then, Elsa heard a soft clicking noise. Anna was clicking her tongue, as if she was thinking of what to do. Elsa smirked, knowing that it was her doing that caused Anna to feel so uncomfortable. Sometimes, given the right circumstances, Elsa could be completely devious.
Finally, Elsa felt the shoulder slide out from under her, and Anna's warm body disappeared from next to her. Disappointment instantly washed over her, at both the loss of heat and the perceived rejection. The cold began taking its hold again as well. Her whole body shivered.
Then Elsa felt a weight on her, and realized Anna had draped another blanket over her. All at once, the wonderful warmth was back. Anna slid in behind Elsa, pressing her body against the blonde's. The redhead wrapped an arm around Elsa's waist, head tucking into the blonde's back. Elsa could feel the rise and fall of the redhead's chest as her breath warmed Elsa's back. She relaxed slightly into the warm embrace.
The last thing Elsa could remember was bliss before she slid off into sleep.
You decide for yourselves what happened the rest of the night. :) Just a cute one shot that was inspired by some recent events. Hope this tides you over while I work on Anatomy.