A/N: HI! :) Happy 2015! Sorry for the delay! I hope you guys are doing well and I'm so grateful that you're still here reading this. I know that I update with short chapters—and infrequently. I only write when I'm inspired because if I'm not, I know the story will suffer. What's the point of writing this if it's not fun, right? And this is far from over. There's so much that can happen and I'm still so very much in love with Elsa and Anna. Always.
Anyway, hope you enjoy this one. We're getting there. *two thumbs up*
[I don't own Frozen.]
Drowning, just as fast as I can
But don't throw me a line, don't reach out your hand
'Cause, I'm on the brink of something beautiful,
and I want to sing about it, but I don't know where to begin
Write it in a letter, but the words don't come out right
Trying to explain how nobody can do me like
You don't understand how helpless I can get since the day that we met
Oh can you feel it yet?
Now playing: Mae / Ready And Waiting To Fall
It was eight-thirty in the morning. Elsa was running between the kitchen and the bedroom in her apartment frantically, flipping eggs and throwing seemingly random objects into her purse in her hurry to leave. She spent the night catching up with Olaf and had a little bit too much to drink.
Her best friend insisted on having Chardonnay, stating that he had brought the imported wine all the way from Norway and didn't want it to be put to waste. But Elsa, who weighed less than one hundred and twenty five pounds, was embarrassingly lightweight and had little to no tolerance of alcohol. After consuming a glass of wine and a half, she was done. Bombed. KO. Tipsy, red-faced, and absolutely going to be late for class the next morning.
If it weren't for Olaf's loud snoring, she never would have woken up just in time for her Advanced Physics lecture. She was already running late, and her equally inebriated best friend was sprawled on the floor underneath her. Elsa jumped off the couch as if it was frozen solid, accidentally stepping on Olaf's chest and forcing him to wake up with her.
And the man had to witness Elsa wander about in her morning routine but with a little bit of panic trailing after her.
"You know, if you keep up with this pace you might just end up with an omelet on your laptop." Olaf noted dryly, both amused and disturbed by his friend's velocity when she needed to get things done.
Elsa paused suddenly, her focused expression shifting into one of guilt and apology. She turned to her friend sitting by the counter and calmly sipping his coffee while smirking at her. Olaf was still wearing last night's attire and looked disheveled from head to toe. His hair resembled a haystack mauled by horses, his necktie hung loose around his neck, and his pants were wrinkled and there seemed to be an out of place stain just below his knee. Elsa traced its origin and discovered a wine spill on her carpet, causing her to cringe—but that can wait. She would have to clean it later after class.
"I'm so sorry to have to do this on your first day here! I wanted to spend time with you so much but I have some really important classes that I have to get to today—I promise I'll make it up to you tonight!"
Olaf waved a dismissive hand as he took another sip. "Don't worry about it, I'm gonna go pick you up from school later," he muttered around his mug. "I'll stop by the hospital first and give Vanellope my presents and I'll come get you."
Elsa opened her mouth with a blank protest but was immediately trumped by Olaf. "Listen, it's totally okay. I know you think it's gonna be a hassle or whatever, but I could really use the tour," a frown creased his forehead when his lips were not met by his current source of sobriety in the form of caffeine. Time for round two. "Besides, I really want to meet Anna."
"Y-yeah. That's fine."
Olaf raised a brow. "You hesitated."
Elsa forced herself to slow down. She clasped her hands in front of her, looking thoughtful and slightly worried. "Well," she started, "I suppose you can come meet us after class? But Anna usually rushes off—"
"Bah. There won't be any rushing. How can she resist me?" Olaf grinned haughtily. He spun around his chair and faced Elsa, locking his fingers behind his neck and pouting his lips exaggeratedly. "I'm Olaf. Genius. Billionaire. Playboy. Philanthropist."
Elsa rolled her eyes. "You're not Tony. And uhm—your zipper is down." She looked away, a blush forming on her cheeks while she aimlessly pointed at Olaf's pants.
"Okay, I'm just a millionaire, but—Wait, what?"
Olaf snapped his eyes to his lower body and a surprise intake of breath escaped his throat. "Elsa Arendelle, did you do something to me last night?" He crossed his arms and stared at his friend smugly. "You know, you could've just asked. Bad girl," he wagged his finger at Elsa accusingly, enjoying the increase of red on her face.
Elsa glared at him before walking away, the sound of her heels clacking against the marble floor echoing through the spacious apartment.
"Oh yeah? Go walk out, Arendelle. We both know you have the hots for me," Olaf yelled after her before bursting into a fit of laughter. He paused and a cheschire cat grin split his lips apart.
"What will Anna think? How do we explain this to her?" he wailed while his hands ran down his face dramatically, feigning despair. While he was busy laughing at his own banter, Elsa stealthily returned to the kitchen with vengeance held in between her hands.
Olaf's eyes were still closed as he wiped a tear away, clearly enjoying himself. After regaining his composure, he was met by an expressionless Elsa holding a pillow. The look on Olaf's face was priceless.
"Whoa. Pillow! What? Do you want to like, lay down on the floor or something—with me—and you—"
Before another word can come out of his mouth, Elsa chucked the pillow at his face and proceeded to repeatedly slap him in the arms, at both sides of his head, and she even managed to grab him by the hair.
"You—are—so—perverted!" Elsa's shrill voice hurt Olaf's ear, causing him to duck down, trying his best to shield his head with his arms.
"Ow—ow—HEY LET GO OF MY HAIR—Ow—Elsa, you really need to cut your nails—Ow—you're gonna be late for school!"
Olaf's last words interrupted Elsa's torture spree as she realized what time it was. With her hands hovering over Olaf like a feral cat ready to attack, she snapped out of her aggravation and lowered her hands.
"You are so lucky I have to leave," she said casually, as if she had not spent the last minute socking her best friend with a pillow like a maniac. Her voice was uneven, a little bit shaky from panting. Her chest heaved up and down and Olaf did not learn his lesson.
"Elsa, your boobs. They jiggle. You were so flat when we were younger and now, look at you all grown up and—"
"Apollo, you really wanna die today?" Elsa growled menacingly, her hand shooting up as if she was about to hit him again. The six foot tall man can only dip his head lower to protect himself from another ambush, yet snickering and chortling unapologetically.
But before Elsa can hit him again, he jumped from his seat and disarmed Elsa with a tight hug. With Elsa's arms pinned to her side, she was defenseless and incapable of retaliating.
She muttered inaudible words—somewhere along the lines of "asshole" and "sick pervert."
"There now, sexy lady, warm hug to calm you down, yeah?" Elsa squirmed against his embrace.
"Are you hugging me like this because you want to feel my—chest?" Accusing blue eyes stared Olaf down although he was towering over her. Olaf smiled at her cheekily before letting her loose.
He gripped her shoulders and said, "You see, as much as I would love to have my face on those perfect breasts—okay, please stop looking at me like that—I don't think Anna would be happy with this arrangement. You're into girls anyway. I already lost."
Olaf winked at her before rubbing his hands together in a business-like manner as if concluding his final remarks regarding their talk. He walked around Elsa to pour himself another cup of coffee.
"Olaf," Elsa started in a curt tone, disbelief scrunching her face as Olaf shouldered past her. "I am not into girls and I don't understand why you insist on involving Anna in our conversations. Now, I don't even know if I want you to meet her— "
"Okay, first of all—Elsa, let go of that knife—anyway, no," Olaf pointed at her before wagging his finger once again. "You may not remember much from last night because you were fucked up, but I do."
The blonde opened her mouth to comment, but she struggled to eject words. Sure, she can admit to being drunk. But what exactly happened? What did she tell him? Elsa's hands waved about like she was trying to somehow miraculously find words to say out of thin air.
"What the hell are you talking about, Olaf? You were drunk, too! Listen, if you really want to meet Anna, you have to stop going around saying—"
"—you like her? Adore her? Think her freckles are pretty and that she's pretty?" Olaf batted his lashes and puckered his lips much to Elsa's annoyance.
Blue eyes widened and Elsa can only shake her head. She pinched her nose bridge before sighing in resignation, ignoring the heat rising up from her neck to her face.
"I don't remember what I said last night, but whatever it was, it was out of intoxication. And it's all your fault for getting me drunk." She spun on her heel and grabbed her blazer from the couch from where she passed out just a few hours ago. Her clothing of choice was wrinkled and smelled of leather and wine, but at this point, she didn't really care anymore. She was late for class anyway and to hell with Olaf and his crazy nonsense.
Elsa went back to her purse and continued to stuff objects in it while ignoring Olaf's giggles. "If you're gonna come get me, please be there by four-thirty. Do you want me send Diaval to come pick you up or do you want to borrow my car?"
Olaf snorted. "Of course I want to borrow your car. But knowing you, Miss I-like-public-transportation, I bet you don't even drive it. Or them. How many of those things did Walt give you?"
The blush on Elsa's cheeks deepened. She looked up at Olaf and bit her lip.
"You know how I feel about unnecessary indulgence. If I can sell them or donate them, I would. But Papa insists on me having them since I'm the 'Future Face of Arendelle Pharmaceutical'", she said while making an air quote. "It's all for show—I only ever use them when he's here. And he's not around much," she trailed off, her eyes darkening with a hint of sadness.
Olaf's face shifted from mischief to something resembling concern and sympathy. He smiled softly and lowered his coffee on the counter.
"Well, that's what I'm here for. My job is to use my best friend's car and drive her around. So what do you say?" He offered eagerly, glad to see Elsa grinning for real this time, the light in her eyes returning slowly.
"Arendelle, the one and only heir of Walt Arendelle—which car am I allowed to use?"
Elsa stroked her chin in thought. "Since I love you even though you're obnoxious and inappropriate, you're may use whichever you want," she winked at Olaf before pulling out her cellphone to type in a quick memo. "I'll call Vanellope during my break so she can arrange for someone to come fetch one for you from the mansion. Just don't scratch it or else Papa will cut both our heads off."
"Now we're talking!" Olaf yelped triumphantly. "The list, please."
"Let's see," Elsa drew her brows together, biting her lower lip while trying to remember the names of her cars. "Okay—there's the Lamborghini Veneno Roadster, Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse, Koenigsegg Agera S—that one's from Sweden!—Porsche 918 Spyder, that Bentley Mulsanne Papa said I could keep because he didn't like the color anymore, and my Aston Martin Vanquish he gave me when I turned sixteen."
"Damn, your father's really cheap," Olaf deadpanned. "I've never driven a Lamborghini before. How much did Walt spend on that?"
Elsa fidgeted and her lips pressed into a thin line. "Do you really wanna know?"
Olaf raised a brow. "Why not? If I end up liking it, I might get one for myself."
Elsa swept her bangs to her side and looked away. "Fivemilliondollars," she mumbled under her breath, causing Olaf to lean forward and strain his ears because he did not hear what she just said.
"What was that?"
"Five million dollars," Elsa repeated unwillingly, the tip of her ears turning bright pink. "Please don't tell anyone. I wanna sell it—trust me, I do—there's so much I can do with that money like donate it to charity, but Papa won't let me and he's always so big on showing off his wealth and—"
"Elsa, you don't need to explain," he cut her off gently, suppressing a grin. It was so Elsa: stammering nervously when talking about things that made her uncomfortable.
"I know you're a humble, down-to-earth, fuckin' billionaire's daughter and the richest twenty-one-year-old in the country, but it's really no big deal," Olaf said nonchalantly while shrugging a shoulder. Elsa's light giggle caused him to crack a smile before taking another sip of his coffee.
"I'm guessing you're still refusing to be interviewed by Forbes?"
Elsa shook her head indignantly. "They asked six times already and I just kept on refusing them. Good thing Papa doesn't know about it or else he would've made me do it. No point of flaunting wealth that isn't even mine."
"Psh. It's all politics and bullshit anyway," Olaf said apathetically. "So uhm—the Bugatti? That has to be only a few thousands right? I think I'll be more comfortable driving that since— "
"It's three million dollars," Elsa replied without thinking.
"Holy fucking shit, Elsa," he gasped. "Do you own anything that's not the price of an entire continent?
"But I said you can use whichever you want. Why does it matter?"
Olaf stared at his friend incredulously. "Even if I sell my skull and all of my bones, it won't be enough to pay for a single scratch. I bet the paint used in your cars are made out of gold!"
Elsa rolled her eyes and laughed. "You're more important than those cars, Olaf," she reassured him. "Well, Papa will kill you if you do scratch it, but I know you won't."
"Thanks," Olaf chuckled, shaking his head. "The Lamborghini then!"
"Good," Elsa said, nodding her head once, before spinning around to grab her purse. "It's settled then. I'll have the car delivered here. I'll see you later!"
The blonde wove past the living room, around Olaf's luggage and the pillows clattered on the floor as she headed out the door. She didn't bother looking back for time was not in her favor and she already missed half of her lecture. Olaf simply waved at her before the smell of burning eggs made him jump from his seat.
Elsa's omelet was left unattended, grossly transformed into a yellow-brown blob. Olaf turned the stove off, wincing.
The Norwegian man shook his head and sighed.
Poor Elsa.
He opened the fridge and surveyed the contents inside. There were only a carton of eggs, the brownies and leftover filet mignon from last night, a pitcher of water, milk, and a couple of fruits. Olaf went back to the counter and grabbed his phone to navigate the web browser. A sly smile parted his lips.
He made his way to the bathroom to shower. Elsa needed to eat, and he was going to bring breakfast to her. He knew the blonde had an unhealthy habit of skipping meals, and he was not going to let that happen while he was around.
Elsa told him the time of her lunch break for the day, and he decided to give her a surprise visit instead of sticking to the original plan. Hell, he didn't need a car to bring him to the campus. Elsa had a list of taxi company numbers neatly hung on her fridge door. He will find her. And her.
I wonder if Anna likes bacon? Yup. I'm gonna bring Anna food, too. It's about time we meet, Miss Fjellheim.
Oh, what the hell. Here goes nothing—
"Hey! Hi! Where are you going? We were gonna go grab a bite, wanna join us?" Anna began shooting sentences through her giant grin before she even reached Elsa, who seemed one part amused and one part alarmed at the other girl's ambush.
Elsa froze for moment before turning around, and she held her books closer to chest. A beat. "Hello, Anna," she said, greeting the shorter girl with a tentative smile. "Who's the 'us' that you're talking about exactly?"
"Why, it's obviously me and Mar-" Anna replied while turning her head, only to stop mid-sentence as she realized her mistake. She looked back at Elsa with a sheepish expression.
"Oops, must've lost him!"
A number of students shouldered past them as they made their way to their classes. The lecture hall Elsa came from was a few doors down away from Anna and Marlin's Art History class. They knew Elsa had the same lunch break schedule as they did, but the blonde always went straight to the library to get a head start on her homework and projects. But Anna felt unusually bold today. Her courage started to build up after spending some time with Elsa during the group's weekly coffee sessions—thanks to Marlin and Dory for insisting that this should be done daily.
Anna didn't know how Marlin disappeared all of a sudden. They were in the middle of exchanging ideas about their upcoming project, and upon seeing Elsa walking from a distance, Anna notified Marlin of her presence. She continued to chatter without realizing she had lost her friend. Though feeling a little bit guilty, she was secretly glad Marlin sauntered off—she wanted to spend time with Elsa. They have exchanged conversations before, sure, but it was always short due to the older girl's timidity and unspoken choice to simply listen to the people talking around her without contributing much.
Anna noticed the way Elsa's eyes would light up whenever Marlin and Dory laughed. She seemed to be enjoying herself just to see other people happy—and that made her curious about her even more. She also adored Elsa's laugh. The way she would shoot her hand up to cover her lips with a delicate hand, the way the corners of her eyes would crinkle whenever she giggled, and the way her gaze would intensify whenever someone was saying something serious, showing that her attention was only on the speaker and no one else.
Elsa was a good listener, but Anna yearned to hear her voice more—and Anna thought she could use a break even for just a little bit. Elsa always spent her free time in the library even though she was undeniably doing extremely well in all her classes.
"So, what do you say?" Anna asked, clasping her hands together while staring right through the blonde's icy pupils.
Elsa raised a questioning brow, not as deterred by Anna's shenanigans yet still just as caught off guard by them. She's definitely full of surprises...
But...I don't think this is a good idea. Elsa wrestled with her mind that already started running wild with conflicting thoughts and a thousand lame excuses. After her alleged confession to Olaf about her 'crush' on Anna, it just hit her like a truck that she may be attracted to the other girl. She gulped, attempting to swallow the lump that lodged itself in her throat.
Anna was wearing a blue oversized hoodie with an image of a reindeer painted in the front. She had her usual braids, and her eyes were bright with anticipation. A messenger bag hung limply on her shoulder, and she was grabbing the strap firmly, making her knuckles turn white. And those freckles—god, those freckles. Elsa had to wrench her eyes away from Anna's face, casting her stare on the tip of her braid instead while quickly stopping herself from counting each dotted speck and wondering how many there were—she really needed to stop doing that. Bad habit. Bad, bad habit.
I—I can't spend time with her alone. Not like this. Not yet. I wouldn't know what to say, I—can't.
Elsa's lips pursed into a thin line and a look of worry distorted her features. "I'm sorry, Anna," she said apologetically, "But—but there's this thing I have to do and I— "
"—I am just kidding, I would love to have lunch with you," a familiar voice interrupted, finishing Elsa's sentence for her. She spun on her heel and was greeted by a pristinely dressed man holding two brown paper bags, one on each hand. They seemed to reek of bacon and eggs.
"W-what are you doing here?" Elsa stammered, completely shocked and dumbfounded to see him standing in front of her.
Unfazed, he simply rolled his eyes. "Good morning—err—afternoon to you, too. I brought breakfast," he exclaimed happily, raising his arms to show her the food that came with him. "I was waiting over there and then I saw you," he said, pointing at the wall a few feet away from them. Anna quietly stepped back, her newfound courage deserting her as her usual awkwardness perched itself on her shoulders once again, making her feel little and out of place.
I didn't know she had a boyfriend—and he's here to bring her breakfast. Anna felt a pang of unexpected sadness prick her like a needle. She didn't know where this emotion came from, but it made her ache just a little bit. The random intruder resembled someone belonging to a fashion magazine; it was as if he jumped right out of it. With his hair styled in a flawless pompadour, beard neatly trimmed, his brown cashmere v-neck sweater tracing a toned body underneath, and that dazzling James Dean smile lazily lining his lips—she was sure he was some sort of celebrity. And he was perfect for someone as beautiful as Elsa.
"Oh! I didn't mean to be rude! Hello there!" 'James Dean' didn't miss a beat. He turned his attention away from a very nervous Elsa and quickly acknowledged Anna's presence, interrupting her from her budding self-deprecation extravaganza. "You must be Anna! Oh my, Elsa's right—you do have a lot of freckles," he noted through a knowing smile, leaning forward to observe her face a bit closer. "My goodness. You are very pretty," he commented while nodding his head.
Anna's eyes widened. Elsa slapped a hand over hers.
Anna moved her mouth uselessly. Open. Close. Open. Close. Whoa. Okay. How does he know me? Elsa talks about me?"
"Hi—uhh—yeah. I'm Anna," she finally replied, feeling unconscious from the way the strange man was looking at her like she was his long lost friend. It didn't help that he was very, very handsome. His big, brown eyes were soft and welcoming, and before Anna knew it, he dropped the bags that he was holding and lunged toward her for a hug. Anna jumped and let out a squeak when huge arms wrapped themselves around her without hesitation.
"Wait, what are you—" Elsa reacted quickly, dropping her books, as she propelled her hand to grab the back of his sweater—but stopped—when she saw Anna patting his shoulder blade awkwardly, mouthing, "It's okay."
Anna was just as confused and startled by the assault and didn't really know how to react. She shot Elsa a questioning look, but the blonde just shrugged her shoulders helplessly, the color on her face draining.
When he finally let go, he proceeded to grip both of Anna's shoulders with his hands so he can take a good look at her. Those big brown eyes twinkled mirthfully and he flashed her the biggest grin she has ever seen.
"I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs. Would you like to have brunch with me and Elsa?"