Disclaimer for the ENTIRE STORY:
Disney owns Frozen and other characters and places to be mentioned.

Prompt:
Stuck

Author's Note:
This is my second entry for the month of May 2018 in the Elsanna discord's monthly fluff contest! I edited some words that I didn't get the chance to because it was submitted at the last minute. ;-;

Come Back
by Reithel

"Hey, baby." Elsa interlaced her fingers with the sleeping girl's smooth ones. "How was your day? Did you have a good dream? I hope you'll tell me all about them when you get the chance."

She smiled wistfully and took the seat closest to the bed. "Mine was... eventful. I was able to get through the first round of auditions! I was so nervous; I thought I was going to throw up. Kristoff, Olaf, and Punzie were there. They were able to help me relax somehow. Not as much as you can, but it did the job."

Her free hand ran through the dull strawberry blonde, lacking the vibrant and healthy shade it used to have. "There were many talented people gathered there. People who deserve the prize more than I probably do. I was able to pass the first round, but I... I don't feel too happy about it."

If those bright teals were open, if it would even have a tiny movement behind those eyelids, Elsa knew that Anna would frown at her words. It happened many times before, and she prayed it could happen again in the future. Over and over. Even if they led to arguments at times, Elsa preferred it over this silence.

A silence that she didn't know when would end.

The last time she had seen those eyes open was three months ago when they were on their way to Elsa's first solo gig. She was an unknown artist, the type of performer no one would recognize. It was Anna who pushed her to pursue her dreams. It was Anna who gave her the courage to continue even after a fallback.

That day started off well. They were having fun, stopping over in every little store to buy a souvenir, and taking photos to keep and cherish forever. It was perfect. Until a second later, in an instant, everything went downhill. What was supposed to be the best day of their lives turned into Elsa's worst nightmare.

It was the same as any other accidents shown in the news. They were relaxing on their seats outside an ice cream parlor when it happened. A drunk driver was speeding down the road, not a care of the people or cars they were disturbing, and crashed into them. Elsa wasn't able to come out unscathed. She had to be on a cast for a month, her legs useless without the help of crutches or a wheelchair.

Anna, on the other hand, had been in a coma since then.

"I didn't want to go. I wanted you to be there, to see me on that stage with the 'talent' you always insist that I have." Elsa breathed, her heart still ached for this unconscious woman. "Punzie recorded everything for you. I don't know how well I did, but I don't want to know."

She wiped a tear that escaped her swollen eyes. The doctors advised her and everyone to keep talking because Anna would be able to hear it. What were the odds of that? But God, if Anna could hear her, if it would keep her fighting against this battle with death, then Elsa would talk even if she was a bad storyteller.

"Your cousin's devious, you know? Just like you." She let out a dry chuckle. "I remember how you turn your confession around and made me confess to you. I didn't know if you were smart or cunning. Now I think you're both." She had never said it out loud before because she knew it would get to Anna's head. It might be unfair to admit it when the girl was unconscious and not able to respond, but Elsa needed to get these off her chest. "I know I act annoyed when you outsmart me, but the truth is I love how you do."

Elsa was a very organized girl. She didn't like seeing a mess. She hated things that weren't aligned. When she first met Anna, it was a disaster. Anna was the exact opposite of her; she was messy, clumsy, and liked doing dirty, sporty things. When Elsa realized she was her new neighbor, she cursed her entire existence.

But Anna was an adorable mess and it didn't take long for Elsa to warm up.

Her loud, cheerful voice early in the morning, her disastrous mane and surprising bed hair, and the drool that trailed down to her chin; the way she walked ungracefully when entering the room; the way she chewed on one side of her mouth, making one of her cheeks bulge due to the insane amount of food; the way she'd squeal over something a young adult shouldn't even be excited of...

I love everything about you.

Elsa wished she could see those things again. To hear Anna's rambles, her squeaks when Elsa would touch her with cold hands, and her moans when they decided not to catch a wink of sleep during the nights. She wanted to see dirty clothes thrown around their apartment, to see the pudding that was supposed to be in the fridge empty and cleverly camouflaged among the suspiciously clean but crumpled tissues in the trash bin, and to see the kitchen disorganized every time Anna tried to give her a nice, proper meal.

She wouldn't complain ever again.

"When will you come back?" Elsa's voice cracked, no longer being able to hold it together. "I want to see your eyes again, Anna. I want to feel your arms around me. Please... don't get stuck in there. Find a way to me... please."

Three months since it happened and here she was, crying again. Honestly, Anna would get angry if she found out. And she would. Their friends would make sure that she didn't miss every single detail of how terrible Elsa had been since the accident. She'd no doubt get angry and say, 'you should've taken care of yourself, Elsa!'

She would scream, she would pout and scold her, and it would be fine. Elsa would scoop her up, hug her tight, and kiss her repeatedly to assure both of them that Anna was awake. It would happen. Anna would come back. She had to.

The warmth of a hand on her shoulder startled Elsa. She whimpered and looked up at her parents' faces. They had that same worried look that they'd been wearing since day one. Elsa pursed her lips, a sob breaking out despite the efforts. She threw herself in her mother's arms, crying and weeping like a five-year-old.

"Shh."

Her mother wrapped her in her arms, shushing and placing gentle kisses on the top of her head. They had long since stopped giving promises that everything would be fine, that Anna would wake up. Truthfully, even Anna's parents were close to letting go. Elsa was the only one left who was wholeheartedly against removing the life support on her.

"Are you okay?"

Elsa sniffed. No, she was not okay. But she didn't want to have a complete breakdown when there was a chance Anna could hear her. She pulled back and wiped her cheeks dry. "Y-Yes."

A weary smile curled on her parents' lips.

"You've had a long day, Elsa," her father said. "Go home and rest. We'll take it from here."

Every day, either they or Anna's parents would visit to check on them. Even their friends would come over if they weren't busy with their jobs. There were times they'd insist Elsa go home and take a proper rest while promising they'd call if there was a change in Anna's condition. Today wouldn't be any different. But the comfort they could bring her could only be too much. Elsa needed Anna. She needed to see her actually live.

"J-Just a little while longer," she promised. "I want to stay for a while."

They clearly wanted to protest, but they settled on simply patting her again and placing their things on the couch. 'A little while' became a couple of hours later. She wanted to stay for longer, she wanted to be there in case there was a progress in Anna's state, but she was tired from her audition that afternoon and she needed proper rest.

She parted from Anna with a simple kiss on her forehead.

Upon arriving in their shared apartment, she didn't bother changing to house clothes and fell on the queen-size bed. Anna's scent still lingered on the sheets, but it was faint. It was slowly disappearing, and Elsa hated it. She didn't want it to disappear because she couldn't help associating it with Anna's—

No, she wouldn't think like that.

She grabbed a pillow and buried her face in it, trying to catch where Anna's scent was the strongest. It brought her warmth and lulled her easily to sleep, a tear slipping from her eyes down to the covers and wishing that the next time she opened them, everything would be better.

Her phone buzzed on top of the nightstand, breaking her already light sleep. She wiped her face, groggy and out of it. Peering through the window behind the curtains, it was still dark outside. In the middle of the night, maybe. Or early in the morning?

The incessant buzzing was back and she sighed, blindly reaching for her phone. Her mother was calling, startling her awake completely. She shot up from the bed and smashed the answer button.

"Elsa?"

"M-Mama?"

Her heart raced against her ribs and her ears rang. The stiffness of her fingers was almost painful, cold from anticipation and matching apprehension. There were two possible reasons for why her mother might be calling and she didn't know whether she should hope or...

"She's awake."

Elsa couldn't drive to the hospital fast enough.