The dawn of Christmas Day did not begin with Anna's enthusiastic call as I expected, but with the call of the pit of my stomach deciding to give back to the world all Christmas Eve dinner.

"Nooo…"

Anna appeared next to me in the bathroom (without knocking, for a change), looking terrified, and stroking my back while I washed my face fighting to maintain a minimum of hygiene.

"Kristoff… I'm sorry."

"No, I am sorry. I told you I'd be there for the gift exchange."

"What nonsense are you saying? You made a wretch because of me and what makes you worry are the gifts?"

"Well, you looked so excited…"

A brief silence made me think that maybe I had talked too much.

"Okay, to bed with you. Don't worry about anything, I already know what to do. I'll go with the basins immediately. You go putting on your… Ohhhh… You don't have any pajamas."

"Nor clean clothes."

"Ugh, I don't think ours is going to fit you…"

"Really doubt it," I said chuckling until some retching cut me off.

"Maybe I can find something from my father, but… honestly, I don't think it will fit you either."

"Take off your clothes. We will wash it and put it in the dryer to return it to you as soon as possible," Elsa said also appearing in that supposedly private space.

"All of them?!" Anna asked turning adorably flushed at her sister's instruction.

"You can keep your underpants until your pants are back. Then we will wash them too."

"You're not gonna wash my underpants," I replied, turning even redder than Anna as I sat shakily on the toilet.

"You're not going to spend more than three days in dirty underwear at my place."

"I'll wash them…"

"You go straight to bed. We're not going to lose our virginity by washing your boxers."

Arguing with Elsa used to be pointless and I didn't have the strength to do it either.

"Fine… I'm sorry."

"Can you do it alone or do you need help?" Elsa asked without abandoning that kind of older sister role she had just entered in.

"Alone! I can do it by myself!"

I got up and got out of there as fast as my legs would allow me before finding myself in an even more compromising situation, I got rid of my clothes, and got into bed. In around five minutes Anna peeked out the door.

"Elsa says that I should take care of you while she makes breakfast," she said shrugging and speaking softly to me as if she feared her voice would harm me.

Then she put the empty washbowl on my nightstand, removed the duvet completely and folded it on a chair, leaned down beside me, and carefully placed her hand on my forehead.

"You are hot."

"I can sense it…"

"I'm going to put the thermometer on you, okay?"

"I can do it."

"Let yourself be pampered. You are sick."

"Putting an ice-cold thermometer on my skin is pampering me?"

"Yes, it is. And, now, raise your arm."

I obeyed, grateful that I had to move as little as possible so that my stomach didn't show her one of the most disgusting images a person can show, and she placed the thermometer in my armpit.

"Tell me that, at least, you're going to let me clean what I get dirty. I don't want anyone vomiting in disgust because of me."

Bad idea to talk about vomiting when you are nauseous. Five seconds later I was filling that basin before Anna's concerned gaze.

"Fuck… I'm so sorry…"

I hated the nausea, and the fever, and the ease in crying that weakness caused me.

"Hey… Don't worry… It's no worse than Elsa's and I've gotten along well with her. I can handle this. It's okay."

I let my pathetic tears run to my ears as I lay down again and watched helplessly as Anna grabbed my dirty clothes and basin and carried them away without even changing her gesture.

"I'll come back right away to see the thermometer," she said with a sweet smile just before leaving the room.

But that promising moment didn't get to remain in my memory. A heavy, feverish dream came over me. I don't remember vomiting anymore, neither the cold nor the headache. I don't remember Anna tirelessly changing my cloths, or Elsa changing my sheets. All I remember is a fragment of partial consciousness that I never found out whether it was a dream or reality.

"Are you awake? How do you feel?"

Anna's voice sounded somehow distant and low.

"I'm dying."

"So was I and here I am. You'll be fine. Just rest, okay?"

"I don't want to."

"What?"

"I don't want to rest. I'm always still, not doing anything, without risking, without exposing myself… I want to seize my last hours of life."

"And what's your last wish, dying man?"

"I want to go out and run naked through the snow."

"I don't think it is the best thing to do right now…"

"And I want to adopt a reindeer."

"Why a reindeer?"

"He'd understand me… And we would eat carrots together."

"Uh…"

Anna's voice was still distant, but more lively than before.

"And I want to really love, and I want to be loved."

"Kristoff… You are already loved."

"And I want to kiss you."

"You do?"

"Yeah, but I can't."

"Why?"

" ´cause it would hurt."

"No, Kristoff, love doesn't hurt."

"Besides, the kiss would taste like vomit."

"You have a point there…"

"See?"

"Then, you will have no choice but to heal and kiss me after brushing your teeth."

"I'll do that. And then I'll run naked."

Anna's hearty laugh is the last thing I remember until I woke up the next morning. My body felt heavy and my stomach clenched, but at least I didn't feel like throwing up. I would have slept without thinking twice about it, but that insistent beam of light did not leave my face.

'Light?!'

I opened my eyes more alarmed than excited by the novelty and found the window cleared of snow and the morning light illuminating the figure of Anna, who was sleeping sitting next to my bed with her entire torso and head resting on my mattress.

Had she slept there? By my side?

"Anna…"

I carefully pulled a lock of her hair out of her mouth and tucked it behind her ear; behind that fine little ear.

"Anna?"

"Hmmmñnn… Five more minutes…"

The laughter that her sweet laziness provoked in me, slightly eased the load on my stomach and, at the same time, brought Anna out of her sleep.

"Kristoff?! You are awake!"

"Morning. Thanks for taking care of me…"

"You had me worried, you know that? I had never seen anyone sleep so much."

"I'm sorry…"

"How are you feeling today?"

"Better… A little tired and not hungry, but definitely better."

Anna got up and touched my forehead again.

"It seems that the fever has already dropped too," she observed with joy.

"And the snow is melting," I commented looking at the window again.

"Yeah… By the moment you are recovered, you will probably be able to go back to your place."

"It seems so."

We both sighed in chorus as if we carried some kind of shared regret, but no one said a word about it.

"You did this so as not to try my Christmas experiment, didn't you? Confess!" she said breaking the silence with her offended tone.

"You got me."

"Well, for the record, I've saved a portion for you to try it when you can."

"So I've been through all of this for nothing…"

"I'm afraid so… Oh! Your clothes are ready! I suppose you can put it on now. By the way, I'm surprised how informal you can get to go to a party…"

"And glad I did it! I can't imagine what it would have been like to spend all this time in a suit. And, yeah… it would be nice to wear something else than my underwear…"

"Instead of, you mean."

"Oh… Right. I had forgotten."

"Don't worry, I'm in charge. I will take care of your clothes like a loving mom."

"I don't want you to be my mom."

"Then, what do you want me to be?"

Anna's suddenly serious and deep gaze cut off my mental flow. What should I answer to that?

"Welcome to the world of the living, Mr. 'in my past life I was raised by trolls'!"

Elsa's voice airing my feverish delirium brought me out of my trance and also attracted Anna's intense gaze, letting me breathe again.

"How are you?"

"Better, thanks…"

"Speaking of thanks, thank you for our Christmas present. We have both done our part: I have saved my part for when I am sure that it is going to sit me well and Anna has devoured hers without mercy."

"And it was tremendous! Thank you! And… Merry Christmas to you too."

Anna and Elsa looked at each other and nodded and Anna ran out of the room. A few seconds later, before I could ask what was happening, she was back.

"These are for you."

Anna reached out to me and offered me the two envelopes that I saw on Christmas Eve under the tree.

"What's this?" I asked not knowing what to expect.

"Well, I know what mine is; the green one. About Elsa's, only she knows."

"Open them and you will find out," Elsa suggested impatiently.

I opened Anna's first as she watched with an expression of enthusiasm totally different than the one she had a few minutes before.

'Voucher for a gift on New Years.'

"On New Years?"

"It seems that by then you will no longer be trapped here, but… if you don't have anything better to do…"

"I… Uh…"

"Open mine now," Elsa inquired.

I shut my mouth and nodded without actually giving Anna an answer. As much as I liked being there with them… that was not my place; I didn't want to be an intruder in someone else's home. I didn't want to be adopted out of pity.

I slowly opened the blue envelope waiting in my hands, read it, closed it, and tucked it under my pillow as my cheeks flushed sharply.

"I don't know what are you talking about…"

"Just thank me."

"Thank you…"

"What did it say?!" Anna asked not even trying to hide her intrigue.

"You will find out someday," Elsa replied with a wicked smile. "For now, we are going to bring him his clothes and let him get by at his own pace."

"Huh? Why can't I find it out now?!"

"All good things are worth waiting for."

Both of them left the room without stopping arguing and left me alone with that paper that returned to my hand as soon as they closed the door. Had I read what I thought I had read? I opened it once more and, once again, my heart fluttered at those letters.

"You have my blessing; do not waste it."