Author's Note: Almost forgot to upload this. This was probably one of my favorite chapters to write, hope you enjoy!
"How do I look?"
"Actually, you don't look half bad." Elsa commented thoughtfully as her friend smugly gave a spin. "And you said you weren't pretty," she cooed teasingly, messing up his hair. A shame considering it was probably the first time in years Kristoff got himself acquainted with a comb.
"Pretty? No. But I would accept ruggedly handsome," he spoke with a smirk, adjusting his tie under the the gray vest.
Elsa swatted his hands away and straightened the tie for him, taking a step back to admire her work. Despite Kristoff's arrogance on the issue, it was Elsa that picked out his clothes for tonight, practically dragging him to the checkout counter to purchase his first set of dressy clothes. The only suit the blonde lug owned was the one he called his 'funeral suit', and he wore that drab thing to any and every occasion that called for something a little more fancy than t-shirts or flannel. He was not allowed to wear that thing on his date with Anna tonight, not if Elsa could help it.
Kristoff already botched step one of the date, remembering that you actually have a date. He overslept, and if Elsa didn't beat a dent into his bedroom door, she was sure he would still be sleeping.
But thankfully, he had a dutiful best friend in Elsa, and she would see to it that his date was perfect. So for that reason, Elsa took it upon herself to pick up Anna while he got ready. For that reason, and that reason only. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was finally beginning to admit to herself that she was drawn to Anna the way flies are mesmerized by the dangerous light of a fly zapper. It certainly wasn't to see the strawberry blonde in whatever gorgeous stylish dress she certainly picked out for her date tonight.
Her date with Kristoff. Elsa's best friend. And not Elsa.
Elsa leaned in to the doorbell, her stomach tugging as she had horrible flashbacks to her very first date. Only thing is, she was a lot better dressed back then. Elsa grimaced at the food stains all over what used to be a plain white t-shirt and poked a finger into a hole in the thigh of her old worn sweats. She could've at least painted her toes if she was going to wear flip-flops.
The tumble at the doorknob made Elsa snap straight to attention. Suddenly, her heart sunk. What if Anna's father is home? What if he answers the door? He'd definitely want to know who his daughter is getting dressed up for. Elsa fiddled with her messy braid, hastily put together three days ago and hadn't seen any fixing since. She was definitely not presentable enough to meet Anna's father.
Wait, this isn't my date.
Elsa took in a deep breath as the door cracked open but lost it as soon as flowing deep purple invaded her vision. The plum dress fit her almost too well and Elsa couldn't help but feel like it was designed to tease her. Its off-the-shoulder design put her freckle dusted collar on full display. Dress straps hung around toned arms. The full length garment hugged every single curve Anna had to offer, minus the knee length slit that showed off a shapely calf.
Anna's expression was shy, and Elsa found herself wondering if that was make up dusted across her cheeks or if that was her natural blush. It was hard to tell. The only obvious signs of makeup were the thin bright red lipstick and the small bit of eyeliner drawing attention to an already gorgeous pair of eyes. Anna pulled a fistful of her red hair over her shoulder, free from its usual braids, playing and twirling it under Elsa's scrutinizing gaze.
"I must either look really good or really horrible," Anna finally laughed uneasily.
"You look perfect." Even Elsa was surprised at how easily that came out, but the sparkle it brought to those beautiful teals made Elsa feel like she just won an Olympic medal. For once in her life, she felt like she was doing something right.
Anna moved to close the space between them, perfectly coiffed and painted nails running along the tattered mess of an old t-shirt. They ran up her spine and dragged lightly across her neck, playing in the loose strands of blonde along the back of her head before pressing down on the base of her skull. Elsa didn't bother resisting.
They had shared so many secret kisses since the morning after game night, Elsa had lost count. Not all of them were as chaste as this one either. Once or twice hands may have gotten a little too curious on the sofa. And Anna may have ended up on Elsa's lap one night after a car ride home. But they never crossed the line. That line.
Their resistance to each other was still painfully low though.
They broke away from the kiss before things could get any deeper but they didn't do anything about the lack of distance between them. Anna's hand came down to rest over Elsa's racing heart and she smiled up at her.
"Kristoff's a really lucky guy. Seriously, you look stunning."
"So do you."
It was Elsa's turn to pink. "In these dingy old clothes? I don't think so."
"You always look amazing Els. In anything."
Their lips came together for another kiss, this time allowing their tongues to play together like star crossed lovers. It was a cold passion shared between them, devoid of any urgency. When they finally came apart again Elsa reached up and grabbed Anna's hand, entangling their fingers in front of her.
They enjoyed the quiet. The fragile peace. They could feel guilty about it later.
"I really should take you over to Kristoff now. He's probably almost ready."
"Right."
They walked hand-in-hand down the walkway towards the curb where Elsa's silver chariot awaited them. They broke apart only when necessary, Elsa opening Anna's car door for her and helping her slide in without snagging her dress.
The drive back to the apartment was comfortably silent, Anna's hand occasionally falling to Elsa's thigh to give it a light squeeze or Elsa's eyes momentarily flashing away from the road as she took time to admire the woman in her passenger's seat.
Once they got back to the room, Elsa invited Anna to make herself comfortable while she checked on Kristoff's progress. Anna giggled when Elsa mentioned that she hoped he remembered to at least take a shower and promised that she'd scrub him herself if he didn't.
When she went upstairs Kristoff was just walking out of the shower. He was shocked that Elsa was back so soon and she was shocked that he neglected to wear a towel.
"Jesus fucking Christ Kris! Cover yourself, Anna is right downstairs and she looks amazing and you need to look just as amazing if you're going to be seen with her on your arm!" She scolded him all in one breath as she cowed him into his room to make sure he didn't waste anymore time. Anyone else would have probably been put off in the face of their nude male best friend, but the two were so close they were practically twins. Kristoff's nakedness was something Elsa got used to from even before they hit high school.
Elsa sat cross-legged on his bed as he got himself ready, helping out whenever she could, whether it was to locate a lost sock or help him to tie his first ever non-clip-on tie.
Now, she admired her work. Even Kristoff could clean up with the right guidance. Anna only deserved the best after all, and she would make sure the redhead got just that. Even if it wasn't her.
"Now I just have to find my shoes." Kristoff announced as he headed towards the closet. Elsa huffed. Anna had been waiting downstairs for the past twenty minutes for a date that should have started half an hour ago.
While he dug through a pile of discarded clothes and old boots, Elsa decided that to leave Anna downstairs by herself any longer would be torture. Torture for whom is yet to be determined.
"I'm going to make sure Anna doesn't walk out on your ass while you find your glass slippers Cinderella," she announced, earning a grumble and a 'whatever' from her friend.
She had to stop herself from running downstairs to Anna. Just thinking of how beautiful she looked got Elsa excited all over again. She met the girl sitting on the sofa, struggling to put in an earring, its twin already hanging in the other ear. They were short drop earrings, a simple diamond sitting in the center of sterling hoops.
"Want some help?"
"Please," Anna whined. Somewhere along the line she managed to get her fingers stuck in her hair.
Elsa chuckled but she immediately got to work untangling the hair from the jewelry, trying to minimize the amount of tugging as best she could. "Kristoff should be down soon. The restaurant he's taking you to specializes in Italian food but for God's sake, don't let Kris order spaghetti. He doesn't understand how utterly unromantic that is."
Anna scoffed. "Have you never seen Lady and the Tramp," she teased with a playful grin.
"Have you never seen Kristoff eat spaghetti," Elsa returned her grin.
"Noted." Anna hummed with a smile. It didn't last long though. "Are you and Belle hanging out today too?"
Anna hasn't exactly been subtle about her discomfort with Belle and Elsa hanging out as much as they have lately. Even if she's had Elsa's undivided attention throughout the nights as they talked over the phone until one of them inevitably passed out, Anna couldn't help but be jealous whenever she heard Belle would be coming over through the day. Elsa was hard pressed to admit that she didn't find it at least a little flattering. And while she didn't like stoking the flames of Anna's jealousy, she needed something to keep her mind off of the redhead while she went on dates with Kristoff, her rightful suitor. Belle has been… rather good at that.
Nothing sexual, of course. They just have a number of similar interests neither of them bothered exploring together during their time of sexcapades. It was sort of refreshing to be able to spend time with someone else that shared in her pastimes. Though the only difference between Belle and Kristoff when it came to video games was that it was cuter when Belle got into it and… that Belle doesn't hold back when it comes to shoving.
"Yes, she should be over in a few minutes. We'll just chill out here, probably break out the Call of Duty. She's been getting really into it and she's a natural." It sounded a bit like praise, but none of them commented further.
"I hope you two have fun." Anna mumbled half-heartedly. Elsa had to force herself not to pull the girl into a reassuring hug. The sound of footsteps coming downstairs reminded her why that wasn't such a good idea.
Anna hopped to her feet, surprisingly graceful for a clutz in heels. Even if they were barely two inches high. She waited until Kristoff came down the stairs, still messing with his vest and tie before he finally looked up and was instantly star-struck.
"Wow, Anna you look amazing!" Kristoff sounded as surprised as he looked. "I kinda feel like I'm going to prom now," he chuckled nervously as he finally got his legs to move and continue towards the two girls waiting on him.
"Don't stay out too late, I expect you home by midnight." Elsa launched up, placing a kiss on her friend's cheek. "Mommy's little man," she laughed mischievously as she pulled his cheeks, laughing even harder when he swatted away her hands with a 'blech'.
"Gross! Please don't ever do that again." He shot a glare over to Anna, who was doing a poor job at fighting back her laughter. He pulled his key out his pocket just to be sure they were there before turning back to Elsa, who had already fallen back ungracefully into the couch cushions. "Don't fuck on the couch while I'm gone. And no house parties," he grinned smugly when Elsa rolled her eyes at him.
"Oh darn, I better tell the girls our night is cancelled then," she deadpanned. "Why don't you get going before they give away your reservations?"
…
"Hey Elsa, you busy tonight?"
Elsa raised a brow as she uncrossed her legs, looking up from her book to take in the sight of her roommate lumbering over her with a face that screamed 'I need a favor'.
"Let me think," the woman rested her book down on the coffee table with an over-exaggerated thinking pose. "I know the date last night went well, so it can't be related to that." Kristoff came home with a haughty stride and when Elsa called Anna that night she didn't have any complaints. And she remembered not to let him order spaghetti which explains why his suit was still clean.
"Anna needs help with English. And I happen to be rooming with the English major that had the top grades in our entire year. You were tutoring seniors in our freshman year. You're an English whiz-"
"While I see your butter," Elsa chuckled. "May I remind you I've been a dropout for two years now."
"And you're trying to tell me that you've forgotten how to English on a freshman level? You've been doing Advanced English since junior high," he rolled his eyes.
"How to English?" she repeated in amusement.
"Come on," Kristoff groaned. "Don't you wanna help Anna?"
Elsa rolled her eyes but didn't respond. Of course she wanted to help Anna, but she couldn't help but wonder why the redhead never brought it up to her. It's true she's never asked Anna about school and well… didn't even know she was a college student… and to be fair she's never talked about her few years of college at all. Oh God, I've been so happy daydreaming about sticking my tongue down her throat and… other places… but I've never asked her anything about herself. And even worse, Kristoff did. If this isn't proof he deserves her more than I do…
"Did she ask you to ask me?" Elsa's voice came out softer than she would have liked.
Kristoff seemed not to notice the change in his friend. "Nah I haven't told her I was gonna ask you yet. Didn't want to get myself hooked up in something for you to tell me no. But there's no way you'll say no to helping Anna not flunk out of college right?"
Elsa cursed under her breath at how easily Kristoff was manipulating her. Still, Anna needed help, even if she didn't ask for it herself, and now that Elsa knows, she can't just let the redhead fail. She didn't want to admit that Kristoff had her pinned on this one, but apparently she didn't have to. He already pulled out his phone, the look of victory painting his expression.
"Hey Anna guess what," he didn't even give the girl on the other end a chance to respond before he continued. "I just got you some help on that English assignment you mentioned last night. The super-duper important one." He winked at Elsa, earning a groan. "No it's not me. It's Elsa! She can probably teach you better than your professor can." At that, Elsa blushed. It would be great if she could say it was because of a compliment well-received, but really her thoughts were nowhere near that clean. Oh, I can think of a few things I'd like to teach her. "Yeah, so tonight it is!"
"Tonight!?" She wasn't nearly prepared enough to see Anna tonight. Not with the image of last night still fresh in her head. What she had to do to get to sleep that night after Belle left...
"I asked if you were busy tonight." He pulled the phone away from his ears. "Besides this thing is due soon."
Elsa groaned, rubbing her temples. Tonight was going to be her test of discipline.
Kristoff left for Anna immediately and Elsa began coming up with her plan of action. They would work on Anna's assignment in the living room with Kristoff. She doubted whatever it was would take her more than a few hours to steer Anna in the right direction.
As soon as the blonde stepped out of a much needed cold shower she checked the time. It was about a half past seven and Kristoff should be back with the girl any minute now. Elsa figured she could have Anna back home by 10. Midnight the latest depending on just how much work I have to put into her.
Jesus Elsa, phrasing!
A knock at the door signalled it was show time, whether she was ready or not. And she was so not ready.
Five deep breaths weren't enough to prepare her when she pulled the door open and met only one person on the other side. Familiar twin braids immediately started working their magic on her brain and with no Kristoff in sight to buffer, Elsa could already feel her plan falling to hell.
"W-where'd Kristoff go?" Not even a 'hi' Arendelle? Who raised you like this?
"He said he was going to hang out with his brother tonight." Anna fiddled with one of the braids hanging off her shoulder. "It's just me, if that's okay."
"You're more than okay," Elsa's mouth moved faster than her brain. "Sorry, I just didn't expect it to be just us."
"It's just us." Her hand moved up to push a bang behind her ear before it patted the backpack hanging off her shoulder. "And Shakespeare."
"Your assignment is on Shakespeare?"
"Well no. But it might as well be, I'd be just as lost."
Elsa laughed, feeling a little more at ease as she invited the girl in. Maybe she could pull this off after all.
…
An hour in and the two had made a significant dent in progress. Apparently, Anna's biggest problem came from the research aspect of a paper. She had problems focusing her topic and planning her points which made the actual research aspect a very difficult one for her to manage. Once Elsa managed to rein in her straying thoughts and got the girl to focus on a single thought at a time, Anna was able to blast through with ease. She now had enough source material to pick, choose, and refuse, and her plan was virtually flawless. Now it was just a matter of filling in the actual content, which she claimed was a no-brainer for her and her overactive word spew brain.
Anna stretched contently while Elsa flopped back in the bed.
In the living room, Anna was distracted by the tv and the allure of a refrigerator just a few steps away. In Elsa's distraction-free bedroom, they could concentrate… as best as one could concentrate with a thick cloud of lust hanging over them.
"I can't believe this is the first time I've been to your bedroom," Anna finally looked around her to take in the powder blue walls, void of any personality save for three large intricate snowflakes painted into a corner of the room.
"It's not much to see." Elsa spoke half-mindedly. Unlike Kristoff, she didn't have a television set in her room nor a plethora of posters nor... really much of anything. Her room was simply a bookshelf that went to the ceiling and took up half the wall, a queen-sized bed with no more than two head pillows and one body pillow, and a large wooden desk pushed up against the wall in the corner. "It's more of a study but with a bed, so really it's an all in one. I'd install a toilet but well-"
Anna snorted, already imagining how that could go badly real quickly. Smoothly, she shut her laptop, deciding that she had done more than enough work tonight and it was time to let her fizzling brain rest. Anna's eyes fluttered to a burnt out blonde laying back lazily and simply staring at the ceiling. "So you're an English major."
"I was an English major." Elsa corrected as she sat up with a grunt. When their eyes met, Elsa couldn't help the way her head tilted slightly, or the fact that she smiled in a way that showed her teeth (something she was always very conscious of avoiding). "What do you study?"
"Architecture."
Elsa blinked once. Then twice. And then a third time. And then it digested. "Architecture? You?"
Anna frowned, obviously offended. "What?"
"Nothing," Elsa replied quickly, realizing her rudeness. "I'm sorry, I just expected you to say Liberal Arts. But Architecture, that's pretty badass Sommerfield, I'm thoroughly impressed."
Anna's face became a blushing mess. "Th-thank you." She cleared her throat in an attempt to get rid of that awful stutter. "Why did you choose English?"
Elsa shrugged. "I'm good at it. I love reading. I wanted to be a teacher." Anna beamed at that and the blonde felt like she had done nothing to deserve such a blessing.
"That sounds great! Then why'd you drop out?"
Elsa groaned and her head fell into her hands. "Things were… stressful. And complicated." Elsa was struggling to bring herself to tell this story. The only person who knew the full, honest truth as to why she dropped out just before completing junior year was Kristoff, but when Anna's hand wrapped around her own and she looked up to meet those eyes…
"Kristoff and I were living together since our freshman year. We both had family situations we were trying to get away from as in, he had too much family and I only had my parents who were constantly bickering. When Kristoff broke his leg playing football, it was... a strain on us. I didn't mind helping him out however I could, he was my best friend after all and left to his own devices, that blonde idiot would try to throw down his crutch and run out onto the field if the team 'wasn't playing right without him'." Elsa rolled her eyes, earning a laugh from her redheaded audience. "But, I had to take extra shifts at the coffee shop I worked at so we could meet rent payments and after a while, pill-induced sleep followed by coffee-induced morning alertness was becoming… taxing…"
Elsa was surprised when she felt Anna's finger swipe just below her eye, the same hand that was gripping her own like a lifeline. Anna couldn't possibly see the way her eyes were clouding up with the way Elsa was sure to keep her head down. "It must have been rough."
Elsa felt a pang in her chest at the memories, but she simply nodded. "Then the announcement came about a week or two before my junior year midterms. My parents had finally filed for divorce. I expected it, yes, but that didn't change the fact that I couldn't focus long enough to write my name properly after I got the news. I failed all of my exams… All the ones I actually went to anyway."
Anna was silent for a few moments and Elsa was left in her own head, fighting off demons of the past she had caged away to the back of her mind up till now. The blonde woman was neck-deep in her darkness before Anna's gentle tug at her hand reeled her back into the light that was her radiance. "You're a good judge of character ya know."
Between the completely unexpected compliment and the soft lips against her knuckles, Elsa wasn't sure which played a bigger role in the rosiness of her cheeks. "I… what?"
"When you said you thought I was in Liberal Arts. That was my original plan." Anna explained. "Of course, my dad wasn't too thrilled to hear that. He said it was a hippie major for confused teens who wanted to waste time and say they went to college." Elsa chuckled despite herself and Anna smiled at that. "Architecture was the compromise, although my genius plan was to switch my major after the first year. I didn't expect to completely fall in love with the idea of seeing something I create on paper become a super-sized piece of real functional art!" Anna spoke the last part breathlessly and Elsa could easily see her passion. "That and Liberal Arts wasn't quite as 'liberal' as I thought it was."
How Anna had managed to pull her out of a darkness that at one time in her life took her months to fight her way through was… remarkable. Elsa stared at their hands on the bed, fingers entwined so tightly it was as though both of them were scared to let go. The blonde laughed but she didn't quite know why. She just looked back up at Anna - Were we always this close? - and everything felt alright. "You're incredible."
There were alarms going off in their heads. Louder than ever before even. Elsa was the one that closed most of the gap between them; Anna barely needed to lean an inch for their lips to meet. Elsa's free hand found itself wrapping around Anna's waist, and had they stopped there, it wouldn't have been much different from any of the others they shared before.
If hands had never found their way under thin shirts. If one kiss was the end of it. Maybe if Anna's head never fell back onto the pillow as Elsa's lips strayed along the body once covered by a shirt long abandoned.
Maybe they could have avoided ever crossing that line.
