Lowest on the Totem Pole
Chapter 33
New Years Eve morning found Anna Summers sitting at the dining table, sipping her fourth cup of coffee and staring blankly at the wall across from her. The bags under her eyes were more pronounced than usual, heavy and dark blue in color. She sipped at her coffee, and upon realizing that her cup was empty her eyes finally focused. She stood to pour herself more, glancing at the clock. 6 AM. She stifled a groan, knowing that her mother wouldn't be up for another two hours at least, and Elsa and Kristoff wouldn't be over for three. She filled her cup to the max, forgoing sugar, and sat back down.
Anna sighed, sipped her coffee, and surrendered herself to the Drift.
"Mom! Mama! I'm home!"
"Welcome back, baby Anna. Did you have a good day at school?"
Anna smiled, seeing both of her mothers sitting at the dining room table. Snacks were already prepared and sitting on the tabletop, so she dropped her backpack behind a chair and sat down.
"School was okay, I guess, as usual. I got to hang out with Elsa for a while afterward, though, so that was awesome! Rapunzel says hi, too," Anna said. "And they're doing a prep class for the SATs next week, so I'll be staying after school on Wednesday."
Claire smiled, sliding the plate of sandwiches closer to Anna. "That's fine, Anna, thanks for warning us. I'll make sure your Mama packs you a little extra for lunch that day. How is Elsa doing?"
"She's great!" Anna said, grabbing a sandwich and stuffing it in her mouth. "Midterms are coming up, so she has to spend a lot of time studying, but she still finds time to spend with me."
"Such a good friend," Teresa commented. "You should invite her over for dinner again."
"Mama," Anna groaned, "you do nothing but tease us when she comes over. You don't even let us hang out in my room by ourselves!"
Teresa shrugged, grinning and looking sideways at Claire. "I know what your mom was like when she was Elsa's age. No way I'd leave the two of you alone behind closed doors while I'm here."
"Oh, God, Mama! We're not like that! Jesus, we're just friends! Just because you guys are lesbians doesn't mean I am!"
Claire chuckled and reached across the table to pat Anna's cheek. "We know, baby Anna. But isn't it a mother's job to make sure her child is sufficiently embarrassed in front of her friends? You and Elsa make a good pair, though. So do you and that boy she's living with, too, what was his name? Christopher?"
"Kristoff," Anna corrected. "He's pretty cool, I guess, but he's more of the big brother type. Plus, he always smells like wet dog."
Teresa snickered, hiding her smile behind a hand. "He does," she said. "Anna-"
"Anna."
"Anna."
"Anna!"
"Anna!"
Anna jumped, nearly dropping the empty mug in her hand. She turned to see a hand on her shoulder and followed the arm up to see Elsa looking at her with concern. She gave Elsa a shaky smile and set her hand on top of the one on her shoulder.
"Sorry," Anna said. "I was a little lost there for a while. What time is it?"
"It's only eight," Elsa said, smiling back at Anna. "Kristoff and I both woke up a little early, so we thought we'd come over and get the fire and coffee started before you guys got up. I guess we were a little late for that, huh?"
Anna shook her head. "I think I started to build the fire, but I never lit it. And I drank all the coffee already, so we'll have to make some more. I keep, uh," she glanced at Kristoff, who was messing with the fire in the living room. "I keep Drifting. I woke up at four and couldn't fall back asleep. I don't think I'll be very attentive today."
"You'll be okay, Anna. Do you want me to do your hair for you? It's still a rat's nest from your restless sleep."
Anna nodded wordlessly, looking forlornly at her empty coffee mug. She didn't look up as Elsa took it from her hands, and her eyes lost focus as Elsa walked into the kitchen and started another pot of coffee. This time, though, she Drifted with a smile. You'll be okay, Anna.
"Hey Elsa!"
Elsa turned to see Anna running towards her and opened her arms to invite the younger girl into a hug. Anna readily accepted the offer, jumping into Elsa's arms and squealing as she was spun around.
"Baby Anna, I missed you!" Elsa said, squeezing the redhead's shoulders once she stopped spinning.
"I was only gone for a week!" Anna giggled. "But I missed you, too, Essa!"
Elsa reached up and ruffled Anna's bangs, smiling warmly at her friend. "How was your trip? Did both your moms go with you?"
Anna nodded. "Yeah, they took me to Disneyland and it was ridiculous how many other people were there! We only spent a day there, though, and just kind of adventured through California for the rest of the week. It was great, I don't think I've ever seen so much sun in my life!"
"I can see that," Elsa chuckled, pinching Anna's cheek. "You're all kinds of sunburnt. Like a little lobster!"
Anna pouted, puffing her cheeks out and crossing her arms in front of her chest. "That's not nice, can't I at least be something cute instead of a lobster?" she grumbled.
Elsa's chuckle grew into full laughter as she pulled Anna back in for another hug. "As you wish, Anna-"
"Anna?"
"Anna?"
Anna looked up, teal eyes meeting blue. She saw her coffee cup in Elsa's hand and took it from her with a small smile. "Thanks," she squeaked.
"Do you want your usual braids?" Elsa asked, pulling a chair up so that she could sit behind Anna. She started gently brushing Anna's hair as she waited for a response.
Anna shook her head. "I wanna try one braid, like yours," she mumbled.
Elsa smiled. "As you wish."
Teresa was no longer surprised to find three young adults in her house when she woke up in the morning. Though they had only begun visiting once Anna was on winter break - a mere two weeks prior to that day - they had become a significant part of her family. What she was surprised to see, though, was Anna at the kitchen table clearly in the midst of a Drift while Elsa gently and slowly braided her hair.
"Good morning, Teresa," Elsa said absently, not looking up from Anna's hair.
"Morning, kids," Teresa mumbled. She found the pot of coffee and poured herself a cup, drinking deeply before looking back at Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff. "Thanks for the coffee. And the fire."
"No problem," Kristoff called from the living room. "Want help with breakfast?"
"That'd be great, thanks Kris. Is Anna…?" She trailed off, looking towards Elsa.
Elsa tied off Anna's braid and gently draped it over the girl's right shoulder before looking at Teresa. "She's in and out," she said. "Seems she's been up since four. Already had a whole pot of coffee to herself."
Teresa glanced into the kitchen, seeing the jar of sugar undisturbed. "No sugar in her coffee, either. That means she's desperate. It's just going to be one of those days, I think."
Elsa nodded, absently rubbing Anna's back. "She'll be okay," she said after a moment's hesitation.
"Why are you guys talking about her as if she's not sitting right there?" Kristoff asked as he walked past Teresa into the kitchen. "That's kind of rude, you know." He turned the faucet on and began washing his hands, not really waiting for a response.
"She's not here," Elsa said once the water was turned off. When she saw the confused look on Kristoff's face, she demonstrated by waving a hand in front of Anna's face. When Anna didn't react, Kristoff only became more confused and Elsa shrugged. "She's lost in her imagination," Elsa explained. "I can't tell you why, but that's what's happening. And I think it's going to happen a lot today, so be patient with her."
"Of course," Kristoff said quickly. "When have I ever not been patient? Right, Anna?"
Anna turned her head quickly to look at Kristoff, taking a moment to focus and remember where she was. "I'm sorry," she said, looking at the floor. "What was the question?"
"Don't worry, Anna, nothing important," Elsa said, smiling and reaching up to brush Anna's bangs back. When she was satisfied, she sat back in her chair with a grin. "There, just like me," she said.
"Am I pretty?" Anna asked.
Kristoff snorted, but tried to cover it up with a cough. "Yeah, just like Elsa," he said, a grin growing on his face. "Except your bangs are a little shorter than hers."
Anna frowned, reaching up to touch her bangs, feeling them sitting straight up instead of just brushed back. She tried desperately to push them back, only to have them bounce back up when she let go. After giving up, she turned to face Elsa and pouted, puffing out her cheeks.
Elsa giggled, ruffling Anna's bangs to fix them. "It's okay, Anna," she said. "You're cute enough on your own; you don't have to copy me. You're always pretty."
Anna blushed and Kristoff made exaggerated gagging noises. "You guys are gross," he teased. "What do you want for breakfast, Anna? I'll make whatever you want if we have ingredients here."
"Chocolate chip pancakes!" Anna said quickly, her blush fading in her excitement. "We always have stuff for chocolate chip pancakes!"
"With chocolate syrup?" Elsa suggested.
"And hot chocolate!" Anna added.
"So you want diabetes for breakfast?" Kristoff asked, grimacing at the idea of so much chocolate.
Anna and Elsa looked at each other and started giggling. "Exactly!" Anna said between fits of giggles.
Kristoff rolled his eyes, but went into the kitchen to start breakfast anyway. As he did so, Elsa moved her chair so that she was right next to Anna, taking the younger girl's hand in her own. "It's okay to Drift, Anna," she said softly as her thumb rubbed gentle circles on the back of Anna's hand. "I'll pull you out of it when breakfast is ready."
Anna smiled gratefully at Elsa and leaned back in her chair, gripping Elsa's hand tightly. Elsa watched as Anna's eyes changed from focusing on one point on the table to completely unfocused - open and staring, but seeing nothing.
"Hey Essa?"
"Hm?" Elsa turned her head to look at Anna, who was cuddled up next to her on the couch. Her arm was around the younger girl's shoulders, and Anna's arm was around Elsa's waist.
"You know how people think I'm a lesbian just 'cause my moms are lesbians?"
Elsa nodded, grabbing the remote and turning down the volume on the television. "Sure," she said. "What's up? Is someone picking on you again?"
Anna shook her head. "I just… I've always argued against it, but do you think that maybe it would be okay if I was?"
"I don't see why not," Elsa said, her face reddening and looking anywhere but at Anna. "It's not like you can help it, right? What other people think doesn't matter; be who you are and don't apologize for it."
"What you think matters," Anna mumbled, burrowing further into Elsa's side.
Elsa finally looked down at Anna, finding that their faces were a matching red. Blue eyes met teal, and they stared at each other for what felt like hours.
"Can I kiss you?" Elsa asked suddenly.
Anna chuckled, her eyes dropping for just a second to glance at Elsa's lips. "Mom said the same thing to Mama before they started dating," she said.
"Is that so?" Elsa knew that, of course, she had heard the story almost as many times as Anna had. "And what did Teresa say?"
"She said yes," Anna whispered, lunging forward to close the distance. Lips met, eyes closed, and hands grasped for purchase anywhere they could. Elsa tangled her hands in Anna's hair at the base of her neck, and Anna's hands found themselves on Elsa's hips.
"I love you," Elsa whispered as they broke apart for air. She kissed Anna's cheek, Anna's ear, Anna's neck. "Oh, Anna-"
"Anna?"
"Anna, breakfast's ready!"
Anna jumped to her feet, knocking her chair over with the sudden movement. She looked at Elsa, who was surprised by the sudden movement, and felt her face flush bright red.
"I, uh, I've gotta - bathroom!" Anna squeaked, dropping Elsa's hand and making a swift retreat deeper into the house.
Elsa sat at the table, confused and concerned by Anna's sudden outburst. "What the hell was that?" She mumbled to herself.
Anna stood in front of the sink after splashing her face with cold water, studying her red face very closely. She reached up and touched her braid, feeling her face go hotter than ever. She could still feel Drift Elsa's lips on her own, Drift Elsa's hands in her hair, Drift Elsa's tongue-
"What the hell was that?"
A/N: Hello everyone, here's chapter 33! Or, as I like to call it: The Chapter in Which All Our Dreams Come True, Kind of but Not Really.
Poor Anna has no idea what's going on, and it's only going to get better from here! Thanks to everyone for reading!
Peace123: Since I can't respond to you via PM, all I can do is hope you read this! Funny you should mention Anna's off days, 'cause here we are. Now, remember that Anna's incident happened sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas break, meaning it has currently been a little over a month since. Give Anna time to open up to her friends. She doesn't like talking about it, and the only reason Elsa knows is because she was forced into the incident. Anna attached herself to Kristoff pretty quick, but she's not comfortable sharing everything with him yet (Rapunzel, I'm afraid, is slowly disappearing from my plans. Her character wasn't doing any good, so she's just fading to the background now). Thanks for reviewing!
Love you all!
~Matt