A/N: I was intending to proof read this another couple times before I posted it, but I pushed myself beyond exhaustion while biking today. Last time I proof read it I only corrected a couple things, so it shouldn't have many grammar mistakes.
Enjoy, Sorry for delayed upload :P
It was funny how shy two sisters could get after finally admitting everything to each other. Specifically, Elsa mused about how much easier it was to make Anna blush now, at the increase in awkward yet somehow pleasant silences, the more frequent bashful giggles and looks the sisters gave each other. Stairs and glances of red cheeks and not so shy desire swimming within their eyes. Ones where they intensely stared deeply into each other's eyes, expressing words without speech.
The kind of ones that they were giving each other at that very moment. Elsa's cheeks scorched like she slept on a stove. She timidly breathed the tepid air between them as she continued giggling at Anna. Her own vision blurred slightly. Sometimes, laughter drove tears out.
Anna was smiling back, face as red as a vine fresh tomato, but as hot as a red chili pepper.
It all seemed like a series of glorious overreactions, confounding on each other and forming this sort of blob of ridiculousness that saturated the room and Elsa's mind. Even knowing this, she still couldn't help her rushed and uneven breaths, she continually couldn't maintain a normal oxygen flow or properly regulate her body temperature.
It was just a morning kiss for crying out loud! Though it was quite a long, wet one provided by Anna right smack on top of Elsa's lips. And that had set off all of this. We kissed much deeper than that last night! Elsa was thinking of their Ball the previous evening.
So, why was their admittedly less than chaste morning smooch eliciting such a response in both girls? Was it that they were now exploring new terrain? Elsa's brows knitted together a little as she considered the solution. They were, after all, exploring on to brand new territory, virgin fields, forests, and mountains, never ever touched by either of the girls except in their own imaginations. And like all good adventurers, they were taking very deliberate first steps, charting the terrain and getting a feel for every little bit they traveled before moving on.
Yes, Elsa thought, we're being careful. When someone's as careful as a cat walking on stilts, they're prone to making a big deal out of every single step. And a morning kiss, small of a step as it may be, is still a step, even if one backwards from the previous night when they kissed in the front yard. Elsa noted that all of their prior kisses were either on the cheek or corner of the lips.
Elsa smiled warmly at her Anna, a furnace burning within to power her open heart. "Well good morning to you too, Freckles."
Anna bit her lip and chortled. "I was a little nervous about it, I mean, I know we kissed last night and stuff but, I don't know, I was- I was just... nervous."
That comment would have swung at Elsa off guard and knocked her a little off-kilter if she hadn't spied the hints and worked out the logic in her mind just moments ago. It seemed a little odd for her boisterous and semi-reckless sister to not jump in to something head first. But at the same time, the fact that she wasn't diving deep into a relationship with Elsa right off the bat suggested that she really cared about this and was adamant not to risk messing it up.
So, as fluff grew irrefutably in Elsa's stomach, she just summed up her thoughts to Anna. "We're testing new waters." She paused, allowing Anna a moment to predict where she was going.
Sure enough, the younger sibling's eyes betrayed the successful clicking of gears making a connection and she happily said back "so let's not get in over our heads."
Elsa took both her sister's hands and nodded. "Exactly."
Anna grinned so intensely that it sort of impressed Elsa that her face didn't tear in two. "I love you."
With the flutter of a heart and the daze of seeing stars dance around her, the elder replied "I love you too."
It was Anna's mission, now, to show Elsa everything. Not that Elsa wanted to complain at all! Any excuse to rediscover the outside world was more than enough to bring a bright smile to the girl's eyes, and plus, Anna's excitement was almost unfairly endearing.
In the half week or so after kissing her sister for the first time, Elsa had wandered outside every bitter cold December day. She loved it. She waltzed around the yard with a silly grin on her face, examining each unique snowflake as it fluttered down in the frigid air. She'd laugh at the billowing fog her breath made in the air, spreading it around, pretending like she was a dragon from any one of the fantasy movies she loved to watch so dearly. Now I can have my own adventures.
She choked on a lump of happiness at the thought. Me and Anna can travel and see great things, I don't have to live vicariously anymore. Her smile crept wider. Not in any facet of my life, she reminded herself as she thought about the amount of kissing Anna and her had been doing. Warmth spread like a wildfire through her chest and suddenly it didn't feel so cold out.
Yes, she had been outside and around the yard, even a little ways down the street in the last few days, but there was one big thing Elsa was yet to tackle. And from her standpoint, that thing looked like a boulder in her path: getting into a car.
She stared blankly at the vehicle in front of her, her gloved hand hovering over the door handle. She stood on their driveway, having a staring contest with her reflection in Anna's car. The car she had seen drive away so many times, and this time, it intended to take her along for the trip.
Elsa's heart beat hard. Her mother died in a car. She gulped, trying to steal her breath.
"Elsa? Are you okay?" The concerned voice snapped the elder out of her one-woman staring contest. She looked up to see her sister peering over the roof of the car at her. Teal eyes were angled with concern, and her fiery hair was kept warm by a fluffy, pink winter cap.
"Ehem- um yes, I, I just haven't been in a car since, well, you know."
There was a momentary pause. "Yeah, I know," Anna said, quieter now. It was only a moment before she rounded the car to Elsa's side. She put a hand on the small of her sweet blonde's back. "You know, we don't have to go."
"N-no," Elsa said, closing her eyes in focus. "I want to."
Despite the cool, calm, and collected tone, she could hear the underlying smile it her sister's voice. "Okay, you take your time, okay? I'm right here for you."
Elsa's mouth turned up a little bit and she faced her dear Anna. "Thank you," she said, punctuating it by slowly leaning in for a drawn out kiss on the lips, which still made her cheeks glow bright red.
"Elsaa," the younger giggled, half serious, "what if someone sees?"
Much to even her own surprise, Elsa rebutted "then I guess they'll think we're even weirder than they already do." She just experienced surprisingly little internal strife over the matter. Maybe not seeing the world for years had its perks. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Elsa was simply too happy about her two recent, life-changing events to be bothered about what some random people thought.
Anna chewed her lip with very bemused half smile. "I can't even properly express how much I love you."
And that made Elsa smile inside and out. It catalyzed her courage and before she knew it, she was retorting "then you'll just have to show me," as she opened the car door and climbed inside.
She caught the preface of her sister screeching in delight before she shut the door and awed at how Anna made practically one smooth leap over the hood of the car to get in the driver's side. "Elsa! I'm so proud of you!"
She'd done it. Compared to her recent achievements, it was was a minor hurdle, but she'd gotten into a car. Elsa's heart skipped a beat, her temples thumping like victory drums. She drew a shaky breath and clutched her hands together. She was still nervous about the drive, but Anna was there, so she could do it.
For the first time in forever, Elsa felt as if she had a handle on everything. She had grabbed the bull by the horns and through conflict, grit, determination, and loving support had gained the strength to steer it.
It wasn't much longer until they were on their way. Anna sat in the driver's seat with an almost comforting amalgamation of concern and giddiness. Every time Elsa looked at her, which was most of the time, her lithe shoulders and arms were bouncing just like her rump in her chair, humming. Frequently, she'd glance to her elder and ask how she was doing.
Though Elsa still felt the unwelcome pinpricks of unease in her gut and her instincts deep down telling her she shouldn't be in a car, she'd remain strong and say something like "I'm okay." She was, however, a little pacified by Anna's driving. She was careful not to speed or take turns too fast, which, whether or not this was how her sister normally drove, Elsa very much appreciated.
"Just a few more minutes" the younger said a little while into the drive. It'd been about twenty minutes already.
Elsa silently breathed a sigh of relief. "I can't wait."
True to her word, it was only a few more minutes until Anna pulled her car into a parking lot. They both stepped out, Elsa a little dizzy upon standing up and more relieved than she cared to admit to be out of that moving metal box. She looked around at brick buildings, meticulous landscaping, and largely empty footpaths connecting everything.
"This," Anna exclaimed, holding her arms up and twirling, "is where I've been going to school."
"That much I figured out," Elsa teased.
"Okay, Smartypants," the younger scolded with her hands on her hips, "but have you figured out which classrooms are mine?"
Rolling her eyes like happy marbles, the elder replied "I hadn't quite gotten then far, no."
Anna lit up with a victorious smirk. "Well then follow me, my genius sister."
Elsa chuckled and blushed slightly, but nonetheless tailed the innocently smug girl beckoning her.
They spent the next hour or so waltzing back and forth along the inlaid brick pathways of campus, cutting across large lawns that Elsa assumed were probably quite popular to hang out around during the school semesters. She took in all the sights, the smells, the sounds, the slightly different taste that the air carried from the one within her own home. Maybe it was all the scenic grass and well groomed trees invading her sight, but the entire area smelled—and tasted—green.
Elsa couldn't help but wonder what it looked like packed with students lollygagging and rushing alike between classes. It was, of course, Winter break, which left the entire campus rather barren. She smiled and silently decided that she'd have to come back during the school semester just to see what it was like. Maybe she could go with Anna when she went to class. Elsa wouldn't mind spending a day outside reading in the sunlight during the Spring.
This basic plan made her tingle inside with warmth and fuzz. It made her excited to be alive because it meant she was no longer bound to her house.
Her thoughts were interrupted, however, as the solitude of the ghost campus was broken by a third soul, punctuated by Anna stopping quite suddenly. Elsa looked at her sister, puzzled. She hadn't bothered to check who the third wanderer was, but she presumed it was someone just taking a stroll. Perhaps it was a professor come to do some work. She didn't care, she was too busy analyzing the angry stare that Anna now displayed for said person.
The younger sister seemed to puff up like a cornered cat trying to appear larger to dissuade its threat. Elsa now followed Anna's gaze and looked at the newcomer.
Hans. Elsa's heart tightened in her throat. Her vision tunneled, her ears beginning to ring. She fought with shaking breaths as she made contact with those brown eyes and ridiculous side burns. This was not helping to become reacquainted with the outside world, she refused to lose any ground she'd just won back against her phobia!
So, through the mangled mess of swirling anxiety in her mind, she did her best to create a line of logic to calm herself down. Anna broke up with him. He was wrong about me. Suddenly, the December breeze no longer carried an elixir of calm, but a poison of panic. She closed her eyes to focus.
I'm more than he thought. I am outside. I did overcome my phobia. She repeated this like a mantra. I'm stronger than he thought I was. And, her next thought actually summoned a smile through her murky mind, Anna chose me.
That began to clear the raging river of her thoughts. Anna chose me. I'm outside. Elsa smiled and looked up, regaining her control, reaffirming her strength. "Elsa-?"
"It's okay," the elder interrupted, taking her sister's hand in the process. "Let's go," she said as she made eye contact with her adversary and glaredat him as sharply as a razor and as intensely as the sun's flames, silently telling him off. She looked at her sister.
Anna was proudly grinning back. She was definitely not personally affected by seeing her ex-manipulator, so her hostile aura must have been a show, put up to protect Elsa. "Let's not let him ruin our day," she chirped like a singing bird.
"Don't worry, we won't," Elsa said with a sidelong glance.
"Good! Now, what do you wanna do next?"
Elsa thought for a moment. It'd been so long, she didn't really know where to start. So, she decided to play it a little safe and go with something that held some familiarity. "How about we go to a movie?" Plus, Elsa wouldn't at all mind being in the semi-private, dark room with her sister.
"That," her adorable Freckles started dramatically, "sounds like a wonderful idea."
The two had by now looked up show times and decided on what they wanted to see. A scary flick starting in the evening. Elsa just hoped that it would be frightening enough to keep Anna in her arms the entire time. Please, she reminded herself, as if she'll even try to look for an excuse for that!
They were now in the car once more, on the way to the theater. Elsa had done much better getting in the vehicle the second time around, though she still hesitated quite a bit. It was improvement, though, and she was proud of herself.
For the first half of the ride, she just lovingly examined her sister. Anna wore a light green dress that looked rather thin for the weather now. Elsa recalled asking her if she'd be warm enough before they left, and felt a wonderful surge at Anna's endearing response. "What's a couple minutes of being cold in the parking lot to looking my best for you?"
"Sooo..." Anna droned, exaggerating her mouth as she spoke and popping Elsa out of her bubble of thought.
Elsa looked at her, a little perplexed. The younger sibling looked to have a little unnatural redness and seemed to be somewhat diffident in her demeanor. "Yesss?" Elsa caricaturized the word as she raised one eyebrow. She shifted slightly in her seat. Anna's behavior made her elder feel a little tension of anticipation.
"I've been thinking, you know, and now we're going to a movie- like out to a movie, not just watching one on the couch like normal- not that I mind that, I love it! Any time spent with you is amazing, I would never complain about it-"
"Anna," the passenger half scolded, attempting to steer the derailed train of her lovely younger sister's thoughts back on to the proper tracks.
It worked. "Right, off topic. Well, we're going out to a movie, so is this like- um what would you call what we're doing?"
She provided Elsa with a sidelong glance and partial embarrassed wince. Elsa's heart beat like a rabid animal, sending a flurry of warm blood to swirl and swarm around each and every one of her body parts. "What do you mean?"
"I mean we don't have to label it if you don't want to it's just- um, it's just well, would you consider this our first official date? Or our second?" Anna's hand was clammy when it grabbed hers.
Elsa stared as blankly. Her mind was wiped clean. While her mind was processing about the same speed as a frozen computer, her heart was billowing love and excitement directly into her bloodstream. Soon enough, the feelings flowing from her heart found her mind. Her mouth felt dry and everything but Anna's immaculate hair and gorgeous face seemed to obscure into the periphery of her vision.
Elsa thought about the ball that Anna labored so intensively to make perfect. This was certainly what Anna was referring to a second ago. The elder considered everything that had happened, from their dancing, to the awkward moments, to the kissing, to the confessions of love. Her already bright red face turned a rich crimson, she felt the sudden urge to turn off the heat in the car.
"Well," Elsa started, noticing the timbre of her voice being a shaking mess. "We did kiss after our dance."
Anna giggled in half relief have excitement. It made Elsa chortle, too. "So this is our second date, but our first time officially going out."
Elsa's heart swelled. "Yes, exactly." Going out, with Anna. Actually out, away from the house, like she'd always wanted.
"I'm so proud of you, Blondie."
Elsa didn't try to hide her smile.
Elsa stopped to breathe in the air around her. It wasn't fresh air, but it was quite pleasingly aromatic. It felt cold as it rushed into her nostrils, making the invisible hairs on her arms stand on end. The infused scent of popcorn catalyzed a growl in the girl's stomach watered her mouth. Her jumbo bag of popcorn tingling her hands with fresh warmth as she held it. She felt like she was in a sensory dream. The rumble of advertisements played in the background as the hustle and bustle of parties of people not wanting to miss the introduction flurried around her. But Elsa was in no rush. Even what should have been a banal interaction with her clerk behind the counter was enthralling, once Elsa overcame her reflexive reservations.
It was weird feeling to talk to people outside of her own home, odd to purchase items in person. Wonderful, but strange. True, the clerk had glared back at Elsa's order, mostly because she kept getting distracted by her beautiful and official date, but Elsa had thoroughly enjoyed true interaction outside of her house.
"Okay silly, I know this must be the best smelling spot in the theater, but let's get to our seats before you take in the atmosphere," Anna joked.
Elsa blushed and opened her eyes. She was standing in the middle of the hallway. After so many years inside and being able to retreat into her own imagination whenever she wanted, she'd have to get used to waiting to do such a thing. "Yeah yeah," she said, still with a small grin, "I'll try to plan my moments better in the future."
Anna slugged Elsa's shoulder very lightly and playfully. "It'd be cozier to have one in the seat, anyway."
Well, she's not wrong. "Lead the way, gorgeous."
Elsa could see the proud, shy, and flattered grin on the side of her sister's face as Anna moved to follow her orders.
And comfortable the chairs were. They sat near the middle of a somewhat far back row. Initially when they sat down, they were kept separated by a heinous monster that was, ironically, engineered for comfort. Anna was quick to vanquish such an unnecessary armrest, enabling the couple to squish together.
Anna placed her head against her sister's shoulder, reaching an arm around a lithe stomach. Elsa accepted this, keeping one hand on a shapely thigh, brushing away a dress a little, and the other at the ready near the bag of salty popped corn.
Elsa tossed a morsel in her mouth. "You know," she said, "I forgot how delicious fresh movie theater popcorn is."
With a smirk, the younger girl reached over and snagged a handful of their snack. "Well now we can come get some all the time," she winked.
"That would be a lot of dates," Elsa very playfully quipped.
A misleadingly innocent shrug was the reply. "I'm okay with that."
Elsa's grin turned wry. "Me too."
Not even five seconds later, a heated sensation erupted from her cheek as if it were fire blown from billows. She blushed and pressed into the incredibly soft lips on her face for a moment, only to turn and catch them on her own lips fast as a cat. She felt her sister smile into the kiss.
They both hummed into the kiss like contented birds, staying their course for several seconds. Elsa licked the malleable inside of Anna's lips, feeling the fluid texture glide across her tongue. Foreign but familiar teeth parted and they tongues began to interlock, tasting as much of the other as they could.
Others seeing them, at least where they were, wasn't a big problem in Elsa's mind. In their front yard was one thing, as their neighbors may more may not be able to piece together that they were sisters if they caught them, but in the darkness at a movie theater? Who cares, Elsa decided, I've been inside for five years, it's not like anyone would recognize me, anyway.
Anna must have been on a similar line of thought, because the fire flowing through her kiss grew and intensified. The elder began to feel a tingle and burning in her core certainly wrought from the conflagration her younger was spitting forth. Her breathing became heavier and more ragged, her available hand finding it's own way to the small of Anna's waist.
Hot breath flooded Elsa's own cheeks, rolling down her neck to where her sister's arm was placed, wrapped around Elsa's burning skin. Their bodies were pressed together, creating an intense friction, but Elsa wanted more of it, so she pressed harder. Her hand roamed Anna's back, she felt the clip of a bra underneath her fingers, but she continued feeling the back of a soft dress. She felt the grip around her tighten as a wet tongue licked the gums behind her teeth. She reacted with a racing heart and clenched her nails into fabric and skin.
Just then, a loud introduction to their movie ripped through their ears, getting in the space between them, and prying them apart. They sat apart just far enough to really look at each other, the exaggerated rise and fall of Anna's chest striking Elsa's attention.
Chewing her lip with a lopsided grin, Anna commented "Whoa, Elsa, that was intense." Her voice had a prominent husky undertone that made Elsa's head spin a little.
Catching a seriously rosy blush, the elder giggled and said "that it was, Freckles." After a moment of silence, once corner of her mouth pulled up, and in as seductive of a tone as she could muster, she continued. "We should explore some more soon."
It should have been too dark to see how red Anna's face was. Maybe Elsa's rather vivid imagination was filling in the gaps, or maybe the younger girl was literally glowing with a blush. "Oh, don't you worry, we will." With that, and not giving her elder a chance to respond, she spun to look at the movie screen and pressed herself back into Elsa's chest.
Elsa wondered if her sister could feel the thunderous pounding of her heart as she sank into the cuddles, grinned from ear to ear, and rested her hand once more on her lovable sibling's thigh.
They enjoyed the movie in relative silence. The kind of silence that one could bask in as it strengthened a bond and snaked it's way around the couple, making them feel cozy as can be in their place. It was broken only by the film, the gasps of the audience, and the squeaks from Anna and Elsa at any jump scare. And every time they jumped in fright, they inched closer and closer.
Elsa trotted off to the bathroom to prepare herself for bed. She had just gotten home from what was, as far as she was concerned, her first late night out. In reality, the movie her and Anna had gone to see didn't end long passed ten in the evening. For Elsa though, that was a little late, and, more importantly, the time wasn't spent at home. It was an evening out having a blast with her lover; a night reigned with high spirits and titillating experiences.
The girl smiled. She'd finally been on a proper date with Anna. It wasn't exactly how she'd always fantasized about, with fancy dresses and a low lit restaurant, but that was okay. She couldn't expect reality to always live up to her romanticized expectations, although it often did when dealing with Anna.
But we have now been on a date. She grinned like a fool and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.
Happy. That's really the only word that came to mind when she saw her expression. The light that shined through her eyes made them look a crystalline blue, brilliantly balanced with the radiance of her lips poking upwards into her cheeks. Elsa saw the same pale body she always saw, but just like her face with a crinkled nose, it exuded more confidence and joy than in years previous. Her shoulders were pulled back, her chip up, and her demeanor befitting her triumphs.
As she looked passed her eyes and examined how others must see her, she saw the same girl she used to. The one that was deeply in love and willing to do anything for it. No, that part of her hadn't changed one bit. But something did change. She no longer looked at herself and saw hopeless love, she saw hopeful love.
Beyond that, she didn't see the same, unconfident wreck peering back at her. She saw pride in herself. She saw a woman who had overcome the impossible, who had usurped a mountain only to fight an immovable beast after. No longer someone with dreams slipping from her grasp like snakes, but someone who'd managed to snatch and keep those dreams against all odds, and nurtured them until they blossomed into beautiful flowers.
Elsa saw someone who's dreams had come true, someone successful. She saw the woman she'd always aspired to be, but never actually thought she'd become.
A/N: 1 or 2 more chapters before the epilogue!