A/N: Hello! I don't have much to say, just to enjoy the chapter and thank you :)
"So, uh, shall we?" There was a nervous laugh.
Elsa had totally forgotten that they were just standing in her foyer, Rapunzel backed against the door. Elsa blinked to bring herself back to reality. "Uh- umm..." The air seemed to stand straight and stiff.
Rapunzel used an apologetic and slightly panicked voice. "It's totally okay if you don't want to do this, it's just that Anna told me that you agreed to this and everything and you apparently didn't even know that I was coming over, let alone for a date and I just don't want you to do anything you're not comfortable with." In that moment, Rapunzel really looked like a tomato. Elsa was sure she did, too.
Rapunzel's awkward rambling was so reminiscent of a certain red head. The way Anna went on and on when she was nervous, and how she'd sometimes run herself completely out of breath, just like Rapunzel did there. It made Elsa feel more at ease. Anna was out with Hans, Rapunzel was here, and Elsa had a choice. She could sit at home, helplessly imagining her sister's date a million times and each time work her way farther into a pit of anxiety and loneliness, or she could invite Rapunzel in and have someone to talk to and distract her. "N-no. I m-mean yes, it- it'll be fun."
Rapunzel perked up and took a tentative step closer to Elsa. She was smiling now.
Elsa just shifted in place.
"So..." the older woman started, letting her voice hang like a fishing hook between them.
"So," Elsa parroted.
"Are you sure you're comfortable? Because we can just hang out, it doesn't have to be a date if you don't want." She sounded a little defeated as she mentioned her last point.
Auburn hair and teal eyes skipped into Elsa's mind. Her heart burned with desire for Anna. It made it hard to breathe. But Rapunzel is so much like Anna. It was true. The button nose peppered with freckles, the big eyes (even though Rapunzel's were green and Anna's were not), the adorably overt awkwardness. Elsa swallowed. It tore her heart in two to do this, but she knew Anna wanted her to do it. If nothing else, this was for Anna. "I'm s-sure. It's a d-date."
Rapunzel seemed to be put more at ease by this. She stood more confidently, taking a step forward. "So, what should we do?"
Elsa shrugged and looked at her toes. "I don't know."
The guest pursed her lips. "Okay, well, what do you and Anna normally do?"
"We just," the platinum blonde pondered her and Anna's time together for a moment. It brought a goofy grin to her face. "We normally just sit and talk, or do homework or watch a movie. Sometimes we just enjoy each other's company." Elsa thought about her most recent experience with that, Anna just cuddling her on the couch. She blushed. "Oh and I cook for her a lot."
Rapunzel brought her shoulders to her ears. "Well, I am kinda hungry."
Elsa smiled. "What do you want to eat?"
"Hm. What can you make?"
Trying not to sound full of herself, the younger woman responded "pretty much anything." She fell serious quickly. "As long as we have it here," she said wistfully.
A gentle hand perched itself on Elsa's shoulder. She looked at it as her cheeks flushed with heat, then diverted her attention, trying to hide the crimson on her face. Rapunzel and her had hugged, and she had even helped Elsa through a couple panic attacks in the past, but they were never on a date before. This touch felt... different. "I'm sure everything we need is right here."
Elsa smiled and they went to check the pantry and fridge for supplies. Unexpectedly, Elsa missed the contact.
"Hmm, how 'bout," Rapunzel slammed a box of pasta on the counter, "spaghetti."
Anna loves spaghetti! "Um," Quickly, Elsa checked the fridge for parmesan, sauce, and ground beef. They had everything. "And meatballs?"
Rapunzel licked her lips. "Of course!"
"Okay!"
Elsa began to work on the meatballs. Rapunzel started heating some water. Elsa told her when to add the noodles so they'd be ready at the same time as the meatballs. In no time, the platinum blonde was straining the pasta and preparing their meals. She was dishing out portions when she asked "how many meatballs?"
"Just a few, please."
Elsa's silly smile was showing again as she thought about her sister. "Anna's favorite part is the meatballs, sometimes she just takes a bunch of them and leaves the pasta." She giggled as she spoke.
Rapunzel didn't have the heart to tell Elsa that she already knew that, so she just smiled at the woman's contagious grin. "My favorite part is the pasta," she said proudly.
With a slight blush, the platinum blonde agreed. "Mine, too." She took a couple extra meatballs.
They sat down at the table, across from each other. Elsa was vaguely cognizant of a few glances that Rapunzel stole at her. As they began to eat, Elsa's mind wandered to Anna. What's she doing right now? Are they eating yet? Is she having fun? Without me? She felt a pang in her heart. All of the sudden, she wasn't very hungry and started just playing with her food. She wanted Anna to be there, not out, not flirting with someone else.
"Man, every time you cook something it's delicious!"
The compliment pulled Elsa back from her painful musings. She looked up from her food and met Rapunzel's eyes. They were sincere. Elsa blushed and looked back down. "Thank you."
"Elsa," Rapunzel leaned closer. "Are you okay? You've barely eaten anything."
In truth, Elsa missed her sister dearly. Despair was budding in her body like a poisonous fungus, spreading spores to every inch of her insides and killing her from the inside out. Jealously hung in her mouth like bile. Elsa took a breath. "I'm- I'm fine."
"Are you sure? Are you uncomfortable? Am I making you uncomfortable?" Rapunzel paused. "Do you not want to finish the date," she added more quietly.
"No no, it's- it's not you."
"But there is something wrong, isn't there?"
Elsa decided to tell a partial truth to her good friend. "It's Anna. I'm- I'm just worried about her."
"Worried she'll get hurt?" Rapunzel's voice sounded very concerned.
With a sad smile, the platinum blonde said "yeah, something like that."
"She'll be okay," Rapunzel assured. She smiled. "I know how much you love her-" Oh Rapunzel, you have no idea- "but she can take care of herself."
That didn't help at all.
"Plus, if this Hans guy breaks her heart I'll slap him an extra time just for you."
This made Elsa chortle a tiny bit, her cheeks painting pink. She looked up at her date. Rapunzel seemed very pleased with how the evening was going. "Make that two extra times."The thought of smacking this unknown guy made Elsa feel better.
Rapunzel beamed. "Deal."
They finished their meal. Elsa removed the dishes from the table and put them in the sink. Her mind once again drifted to Anna. Was Anna just finishing up now? Were her and Hans about to have dessert? Is Anna having more fun than she has with me? That hurt. Elsa felt her stomach sink. They're probably laughing and joking and- and doing cutsie things like feeding each other. Elsa didn't really know what a real date was like. After all, she wasn't at the point where she was interested in seriously dating someone when that fateful night came along. In fact, back then, she was just really coming to terms with her own sexuality. So really, anything in her mind about Anna and Hans seemed realistic enough. They- they could be hugging and dancing and- she thought the last word with sorrow attached to it- kissing. Elsa sniffled and closed her eyes to prevent tears from staining her cheeks. She let the lump in her throat stay. She had the impulse to text Anna but did her best to ignore it.
Wait, she suddenly realized, eyes widening. If Anna and Hans kiss, is- is Rapunzel going to want to kiss me? Do people even kiss on the first date? Elsa was becoming fatigued from all this worrying. She couldn't tell what emotions were welling up within her stomach, but they made it hard to stand up. Nonetheless, her cheeks reddened at the idea of kissing Rapunzel. I could pretend she's Anna...
"Need any help?" The green-eyed woman appeared just behind Elsa, startling her. Elsa squeaked, jumped, and dropped a dish in the sink with a loud CLASH. Luckily, it didn't break.
Rapunzel winced. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!" She took a step back, face hot.
Elsa chuckled. "It's okay, I just got... distracted." She is a lot like Anna.
A breathy laugh escaped Rapunzel's lips. She let her muscles relax once she knew that Elsa didn't hold it against her. They looked at each other in the eyes and both erupted into laughter.
Eventually, with both girls out of breath, the laughter died down. The air between them was no longer suffocating and they began to feel more at ease next to each other, just like when they were spending time as friends. Elsa couldn't help but smile inside as all the memories she had with Rapunzel swirled through her mind.
Rapunzel playfully jabbed her date in the ribs with her elbow. "Well, you're jumpy tonight!"
Elsa blushed and tried to hide it behind her shoulders. "I'm nervous." That wasn't the whole truth, but it was the truth.
Rapunzel's face went red as a strawberry as she looked shyly at the ground. "Yeah, I'm nervous, too."
This made the platinum blonde's heart flutter. She went to grab her braid, forgetting her hair was down. The lack of a puffy chain of hair on her shoulder momentarily confused her, and her fingers instead found long, wavy locks to twirl.
"Do you wanna watch a movie," the emerald-eyed girl asked.
With a pure smile, Elsa said "yes please."
"Yay! What do you wanna watch?"
Elsa shrugged.
"Well, I know your favorite genre is adventure, so something adventure-y," Rapunzel reasoned out-loud.
The younger woman tried to think of a movie she hadn't seen but wanted to see.
"Or," Rapunzel interrupted Elsa's train of thought, "we could watch a-" she smiled at Elsa- "romance movie."
Elsa's heart skipped a beat or ten. She choked on her own mind with her eyes bulging out of her skull and cheeks and chest flushed with a scorching fire. Is Rapunzel flirting with me? She is, what do I say!? She needed to fan herself, it was too hot in that kitchen. Elsa didn't know that her date was about to say she was just joking around when she spoke. "I..." Elsa muttered. "Romance sounds good." She smiled diffidently.
Cheeks flushed, Rapunzel erupted into a grin. "Okay!"
They decided on Silver Linings Playbook and sat down on the couch. Before they started the movie, Rapunzel turned to Elsa, chewing on her lower lip. It reminded the platinum blonde of her sister yet again. It all was beginning to amalgamate to a very confusing sensation in Elsa's gut. Tentatively, the older of the two asked "so, I've been wondering, if you didn't know I was coming over tonight, why'd you, ehem, why'd you dress up?"
Elsa blushed. She thought back to her wonderful time with Anna trying on dresses. It made her grin like an idiot. Anna's shameless changing made Elsa take a deep breath and developed pressure between her knees. She got lost in the memory momentarily: the minutes she forgot that Anna was dressing up for someone else, when it was all for her. Elsa felt light as a feather. She wished Anna were there now. Timidly, she began to answer with a voice softer than a feather pillow. "I um, I dressed up with Anna to feel- to feel like I'm going out, too."
In an understanding voice, the other girl placated Elsa. "Aw, that's adorable. It take it from your smile that it was fun."
Elsa took a breath of relief, letting it massage her insides as a rosiness picked up on her face. Her mind was back on Anna. If only she were on a date with Anna right now. "Thank you. Yes, it was amazing," she managed.
"And, um, your hair looks really nice down," Rapunzel said quickly, biting her lip in nervousness, and her cheeks coloring once again.
Elsa blushed and looked away, again wrapping silken strands of hair around her fingers as a distraction. "Thank you." She didn't know exactly what to say. "Anna wanted to put it down so we'd have matching hair tonight."
"Well that was a great idea on Anna's part."
"Yeah, Anna's great. But I think she looks better than I do with her hair down."
"I don't know, I mean, you're pretty gorgeous, and you have such wonderful hair!"
Elsa was ravaged by a blush and she looked at her lap. "Anna's more gorgeous. I don't think anyone can match her beauty," she said endearingly, forgetting that she was actually speaking to someone.
Rapunzel cocked and eyebrow but shrugged it off. She grinned. "You two are so close, it's so cute."
The platinum blonde smiled, still lost in thoughts about Anna. "Yeah."
They started the movie. Rapunzel gently reached her hand out and grabbed Elsa's very softly. The platinum blonde tensed and froze in place. She thought about pulling her hand away, but then thought about Anna out with stupid Hans. She swallowed a lump in her throat. Why couldn't Anna be there with her like every day? Because, Elsa thought sadly, she needs a life outside of me. I love you so much, Anna. She lightly gripped Rapunzel's hand. It was a little comforting.
The women sat and enjoyed the movie in silence. Elsa sat straight up, making no motion to lean against her date. That, she thought, is reserved for Anna.
By the end, Rapunzel was sopping loudly and Elsa was in desperate need of a tissue. The movie was so touching. "Oh my God," the green eyed girl began, "that was adorable!"
Elsa sniffled and wiped a dribbling tear from her eye. "Yeah."
"I'm so glad they ended up together! They made such a great couple, don't you think?"
The platinum blonde thought of her sister. She momentarily imagined Rapunzel saying that line about her and Anna. Her heart filled with warmth and her stomach became giddy. Anna and I can still end up together. Just because she's on one date doesn't mean I don't have a chance. But movies aren't reality, real life doesn't always have happy endings. It didn't for mother... She tensed her conflicted stomach. But me and Anna can still have our happy ending. She looked at Rapunzel. The girl was so much like Anna in almost every way. She left her thoughts for later. With a silly grin, she finally said. "Yeah, they were a great couple."
Baby blue eyes met intense green ones. Elsa couldn't help but stare at the huge orbs. She mentally replaced them with the teal eyes she knew so well. Anna's eyes were so beautiful, so enrapturing, so capturing. She could stare into her sister's eyes forever. They were like the sea, revealing more and more about themselves as you got lost deeper and deeper into them.
But Elsa wasn't staring into Anna's eyes, she was staring into Rapunzel's. She gave a small smile. Green is pretty, too.
Elsa's heart doubled over in rigor. Her temples pounded with blood and her head filled with alarm. She thought about her earlier question: is Rapunzel gonna try to kiss me!? If she was, it'd be now, right? Don't people stare into each other's eyes like this before their first kiss? At least, they do in the movies. Elsa didn't have much more to go on. The room became sweltering, Elsa could feel sweat beads forming on her forehead. She was a little excited at the idea, but also terrified by it. Would it block her from ever being able to be with Anna? Would it make Anna jealous? Would it have no long term effects? Did Elsa want her first kiss to be with Rapunzel? She didn't know the answer to any of the questions, and even more started popping up in her head. Her flurry of doubt cascaded down her chest like tumbling boulders.
As difficult as it was for Elsa to admit, she liked Rapunzel. That being said, she loved Anna. Her feelings for her sister were all-encompassing and Anna would remain the single most important person in her life. It was only when Rapunzel clutched her hand tighter, slowly slid her eyes shut, and began to lean forward that Elsa snapped her attention away, her cheeks and chest still blood red. "I- uh, I- what time is it?"
Rapunzel blinked a couple times, taking noticeably deeper breaths, and face a brand new color. Her eyes were still bright with jubilation, but also despondent.
The girls checked their phones at the same time. "Ten thirty," they both said simultaneously.
"Then- then Anna should be h-home soon."
Rapunzel cleared her throat. "Ehem, yeah. Um, I- I should get home."
The platinum blonde felt a tingle of sadness within, but she knew her sister would be home, and that knowledge overpowered any other emotions. Seeing how uncomfortable her date was in the wake of their almost kiss, Elsa piped up. "N-no, you don't have to."
Rapunzel's demeanor seemed to tranquilize itself. She clearly got some piece of mind that Elsa didn't want her to go just yet. "Well, okay. Do you wanna, um, have some dessert?" Her eyes went wide. "Not- not like that kind of dessert, just- just 'dessert' dessert."
Elsa brought her fingers up to shield her mouth as she snickered, though she couldn't help the heat on her body. "How about some ice cream?"
"Sounds delicious!"
They made up some quick bowls of the frozen treat and ate in relative silence. The air between them was still a little tense from their near-kiss experience, but it did loosen up quite a lot. Soon, Rapunzel had to be getting home.
Before she left, Rapunzel turned quickly and said "hey, Elsa, um, I just wanted to say that- well I just want you to know that I really had a good time tonight. With you." She was blushing ferociously.
Elsa thought about the comment. She did have fun with Rapunzel, and it kept her mind off of Anna's date for the most part. She was thankful for that. It was certain that, by now, if Elsa didn't have company, she'd be balled up in her bed, sheets soaked with her own tears and heart barely beating. She'd be wilting like a plucked flower. And this was Anna's idea. Yeah, Anna was pretty smart, and super sweet, she really did find something that'd keep Elsa from feeling too lonely that evening. With a light blush and little smile, she rebutted "I had a good time, too."
This seemed to uplift Rapunzel and she smiled from ear to ear. "Well, uh, good! M-maybe we can do this again sometime?"
Elsa didn't want to lead her friend on, but if Anna and Hans remained together- the thought brought a cold shudder down the girl's back- then maybe it'd be good to keep her options open. Right? After the time she spent with Rapunzel, Elsa was sure she was at least a little interested in her, and she might not ever be able to be with despising the idea of Anna with someone other than herself, Elsa put on an upbeat mask for Rapunzel. "Yeah." She discretely choked back tears that were begging to come back. Anna can't be with Hans, Anna has to be with me! They only went on one date, maybe it was terrible, maybe they won't see each other again, Elsa selfishly hoped.
With a smile as bright as the sun, Rapunzel stepped forward into a hug.
Elsa froze. She felt like she had stage fright. Rapunzel had her arms rapped around her, though not tightly, more of a friendly hug than anything else. Even so, Elsa's heart stopped. She was being hugged. After a date. That had to mean something. It felt vaguely like Anna's hugs, albeit quite a bit looser. But that was probably just because both Anna and Rapunzel were bubbly, petite women. Elsa shook off the tension she felt and brought her arms up. She hugged Rapunzel securely. "Thanks for tonight."
The older of the two pulled away, blushing wildly and looking down. Barely able to meet Elsa's eyes, she said "oh, uh, no, thank you."
With a quick breath to mix the still air between them, Elsa smiled and fanned her hot face off.
Rapunzel bit her lip and grinned. "Well, um, bye!"
Elsa stepped away from the opened portal and waved. "Bye."
A car pulled into the driveway not too long later. Elsa's ears perked up. She roused her body from the couch and approached the door as she heard muffled voices growing closer. Anna's was unmistakable, even if she couldn't understand what was being said.
The other voice was deep. Soon enough, they were close enough to the door that Elsa could decipher the conversation.
Who Elsa assumed to be Hans said "I had a good time tonight."
"Me too, I had a lot of fun- oh, hi, you're close to me."
There was a pause. Elsa knitted her brows together, wondering what was happening. They were standing right there, what could possibly be proceeding that she couldn't pick up on?
The quiet was broken by her younger sister's nervous giggle. Resentment whirled within Elsa like a pernicious disease. She had her own ideas of what could have just happened. Did they hug? Did they kiss? The thought made her stomach wretch. Oh, the unsavory, familiar, bitter taste of despondency that lingered in her mouth.
She was so caught up in the moment that she missed the rest of Anna and Hans' goodbye. The door swung open, startling Elsa. She jumped back as if to pretend she hadn't been eavesdropping, airway strained.
"Ooh, Elsa, you scared me!"
"I..." Sparkling blue eyes looked over their sister's shoulders at a figure retreating in the background. The man was tall, sporting short brown hair, and appeared well dressed, though Elsa couldn't make out much more than that. His side burns were clearly outrageous, though. This was the man that was taking her precious Anna from her. Elsa felt the pit of her stomach grow heavy. "Sorry," she finished.
"It's okay!" The door shut. Anna skipped in, showcasing the joy she had gotten that night that her older sister couldn't provide her with. "I can't wait to tell you all about tonight! But first," Anna stood in front of Elsa. "How'd your date go?" She accented the phrase in a very suggestive manner.
Elsa cringed at the thought of hearing about her sister's night out with Hans. She pondered her own time with Rapunzel and sucked on her lower lip. Her cheeks lit up at the memories. She looked at her hands, which were clutched together to the point of blanched fingers. "I missed you," she admitted.
"Aw, Elsa, I missed you, too." The strawberry blonde grinned and stepped forward into a hug. Anna's embrace was warmer than Rapunzel's, she could feel her sister's heartbeat against her own. Anna's hug made her legs melt into jello and Elsa easily rested her cheek fondly against hers, letting out a happy sigh. She felt special in Anna's arms, how tightly they held, how long they embraced. Elsa felt tears accumulate behind her eyes. She didn't want Anna to go out again, she wanted her to stay there.
"I'll tell you what," Anna said, "let's get ready for bed and we can tell each other all about our nights."
"Okay," Elsa acquiesced.
Reluctantly, the embrace was broken. The younger girl fell serious for a moment, capturing her sister's eyes in her own teal ones. She held both of Elsa's hands. "I know you missed me," she said softly, "but thank you."
Elsa relished in the hand holding. "For what?"
Anna grinned and very gently placed a kiss on her older sister's cheek. Elsa's heart melted like heated metal, sending globs of boiling lava all over the rest of her body. She had to consciously think to remain upright as the exquisite, malleable lips burned her cheeks crimson. When Anna moved away to speak, she left her lips close to Elsa's ear. She felt the hot breath trickle down her shoulder. It sent goosebumps all over her neck. "For being brave for me."
Although Elsa knew that in reality the kiss was most likely chaste and sisterly, it felt like much, much more. She couldn't help a lovestruck smile please her features and bent to Anna's will. They went up and brushed their teeth, changed, and were ready for bed in no time. They sat next to each other on Elsa's bed to talk.
"Okay, I wanna know everything. What'd you two do? Did it go well? Did you have fun?"
Elsa summarized her night with Rapunzel for Anna. She left out the parts where she compared the blonde to her sister and the fact that Rapunzel and her held hands and nearly kissed. By the end of her recount, her face was flushed with such a new color that she might as well have been a completely different person.
Anna grabbed her sister's hands ounce again. "I'm glad you had fun, Elsa," she tenderly acknowledged.
With a sunny curve of the lips, the platinum blonde said "me too."
Then, her sister's mouth turned into a lopsided grin. Anna winked as she spoke. It made Elsa's heart skip a beat. "But I get the feeling you're not telling me everything."
Again, the older girl went to grab her braid for comfort, but found just waves of perfect hair in its place. She looked away from Anna's eyes, hands still trying to locate something to latch on to. They found her sister's and began playing with slightly cool fingers. Elsa's heart vibrated in her chest like a hummingbird's wings.
"Oh come on, Elsa, you watched a romantic comedy, there's gotta be more to the story." Anna's voice was playful yet not pressuring. Elsa tried to hide her blush.
"We- um, when we watched Silver Linings we- she held my hand."
With a wide grin being mirrored even in her eyeballs, Anna raised an eyebrow. "She held your hand? What happened, did you not hold hers back?" Her voice was skeptical.
Faintly, the platinum blonde admitted her deed. "I did." And then I stared in to her eyes and thought about you while we nearly kissed.
"Awww, that's so adorable!" Anna looked like she was about to go into cute-overload and would need to be resuscitated.
Elsa just smiled.
"I'm glad you two had fun, I had a feeling it'd work out," the auburn haired girl said smugly.
With a rude invasion in her chest, Elsa self-consciously asked "w-why didn't you tell me?"
Anna gently stroked Elsa's arm. She opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but then closed it. Her facial features shifted, as if she thought better of something. Then, she finally answered. "Because- because I didn't want to risk you saying no."
"W-why?"
Pink lips pursed. "That doesn't matter right now."
In such a feeble voice that it might as well have come from an injured puppy, the older sister pleaded. Her heart felt heavy. She had an idea about why Anna didn't tell her. "Please tell me."
Anna examined her sister. She took an audible breath. "Okay." She looked down. "You- with your... condition-" Elsa winced. This was going exactly where she feared it would. "I- I just didn't think you'd be very receptive to the idea."
Elsa gulped a lump down her throat. Does Anna really think I'm that pathetic? That I need someone else to decide when I should date someone? "Y-you think I can't... do it?" A tear rolled down her cheek.
"That's not what I meant, Elsa." She tried to grab her sister's hand, but the platinum blonde yanked away. Anna had hurt her quite a bit.
"Th-then what did you mean?"
"I meant that- that-" she sighed. "I meant that I know that change is really, really hard for you, and I thought maybe I should, you know, give you a little push. I thought it'd help."
Elsa choked on her sorrow. They sat in painful silence for a long time. Finally, Anna pushed more. "I was right, wasn't I? You wouldn't have agreed to it, would you?"
Shamefully, the older girl hung her shoulders. Anna had just been thinking about what was best for her. She felt a pang of regret for assuming that her sister, the nicest person in the world, and the one person she truly and still loved, had given up on her. She unwillingly admitted defeat. "No, I wouldn't have."
Anna placed a testing hand on her sister's shoulder. Elsa was once again receptive to the touch, so she began to rub it a smidgen. "I'm sorry for going behind your back, I really am."
Elsa nodded.
Affably, the red head spoke again. "Are you okay?"
With a sniffle, the older girl rebutted "yes, I'm- I'm okay." But the question still remained in her mind: Does Anna believe in me? Or does she think she has to do everything? Does she think I'm incapable by myself?
"I love you."
That made the corner of Elsa's mouth twitch up. "I love you, too." She decided to do her best to put her hurt behind herself, just so that she could suffer more and make Anna happy. Biting down the distaste within, she pressed on. "H-how'd your d-date with Hans go?" Good lord those words made her feel sick to her stomach.
Red hair blurred as Anna flopped back on the bed with an elated little squeal. She lay there as she began to recount her night, hair spread out and forming somewhat of a crown around her head. She talked animatedly, using her hands and the air as props.
Elsa sat quietly, taking every phrase like a personal blow, keeping a fake smile on as a front to keep her sister bubbly. She felt herself dying inside as time went on and Anna talked about how great dinner was, how much of a gentleman Hans was, and how unbelievably nice he was to her.
And Elsa hated it all. She felt a torrent of emotions so volatile they should be considered a life threatening illness build up within her, howling for escape. She choked back tears, salty embers sizzling at the bottoms of her eyes, in her tear ducts. Her chest tightened and nearly snapped. Breathing was getting harder and harder. She bit her tongue nearly to the point of blood loss and raised the knife that would put the last hole in her heart.
"D-did you k-k-kiss him?"
Anna giggled and turned bright red. She bit her lip with a silly grin and lunged the knife right into her sister's heart. "Yes. But- but just a little kiss!" That must have been why they went quiet at the door.
Elsa didn't want to know more, she wanted it to end. She wanted Hans to go away. She wanted Anna to love her, not fall for someone else. Through stiff breaths she forced herself to think one line over and over again: it was just one date. Just one date.
Or was it?
"A-are you going to- you know, to go on another d-date?"
Anna smiled dreamily. "It looks like it. I mean, nothing's official but it went so well that I can't imagine we won't."
"That's uh, that's great, Anna."
` The red head clearly sensed something amiss in her sister's voice. She sat up and drew lines of concern on her face. She apparently connected the dots in her mind quickly. "Is everything okay? Remember, I'm never going to abandon you, Elsa. Plus, now you can have Rapunzel come keep you company." She winked and gave a light elbow.
Elsa was so lost that she didn't react to the wink. "I'm- yeah, everything's fine, I'm just, I'm just..."
"Just what?"
"I'm tired, Anna. I need to get to sleep." Elsa new damn well she wasn't going to be sleeping that night.
"Please don't evade me, Elsa, I want to help you." Anna's voice was blatantly filled with sincerity.
Elsa closed her eyes. She didn't want to hurt her sister's feelings, but this was something she'd have to figure out by herself. By its very nature, the predicament necessitated Elsa to work it out alone. Or at least, that's what it felt like. I at least need some time to think about it alone. "I- I'll be okay, I promise, I just have to think."
Anna pursed her lips, clearly reluctant to leave. Eventually, however, she decided that Elsa deserved the privacy she requested and stood to go. "Okay, goodnight, Elsa."
"Goodnight."
The red head bent over and kissed her sister on the cheek. Elsa closed her eyes and shuddered in delight. She gulped, trying to enjoy the instant while she could. She waited for her sister to turn to leave, then tenderly placed her hand on the area of her cheek that Anna kissed. She laid down on her side and curled into the fetal position. Her mind swam.
She pushed herself back to her date with Rapunzel once again, she thought about Anna. She didn't know what she was feeling, but it was far worse than unpleasant. It made her want to cry, scream, howl, laugh, and punch the wall all at the same time. It sat in her stomach like a rock, but also filled her gut with butterflies.
Elsa was being torn apart on the inside. She didn't know what was going on with her, she didn't know how to fix it. She was losing Anna. But she had made a connection with Rapunzel. And as she lay there, rocking back and forth in her own confused tears, Elsa couldn't help but wonder if Rapunzel could complete her key to happiness. Maybe it wouldn't work as well, but it could possibly force the door at least, right?
Is it possible for me to fall in love with someone else?