A/N: So, this must seem out of the blue. Long long time since I updated this one. Here's the epilogue, for those of you still interested :) Enjoy, and Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, happy holidays to those who have any of the many other celebrations! :)
"Ready?" Anna stood before the front door, looking back at Elsa with a bright green backpack absolutely stuffed with anything and everything she could cram into it. She wore jeans, something Elsa loved on her, and her classic braids. In her hand was a big rolling suitcase, also stuffed like a clown-car.
Elsa nodded. "Ready," she confirmed.
The younger opened up the door, August heat swept inside. On the driveway, Rapunzel honked and waved excitedly, her car piled high with Elsa and Anna's personal belongings. Their car was, too, of course. Just like Tetris, Elsa had thought after cramming the last of the luggage into the vehicles, somehow fitting her and her sister's entire lives into two small cars.
"I still don't understand why it was such a big deal to get it all in one trip, it's only like twenty minutes away" Anna mused out loud. At Elsa's request, and Anna's agreement, they'd chosen a place close to home. She wasn't sure she was ready to take a full leap just yet, despite how often she'd opt to read outside or work on homework at a local cafe while her sister sipped a hot chocolate and kept her company.
"Because," Rapunzel demanded loudly, "it's so much more official this way! How uncool would it be if you guys left, and two hours later were back like 'oh yeah and this and this, kay bye'?"
Anna rolled her eyes. "More officially dramatic, maybe."
"It should be dramatic!" Rapunzel wore a pink shirt and black shorts. "You're moving out!" She squealed. "Elsa! Anna! This is so exciting!" She'd still not seen their apartment- well, they'd barely seen it either, just a tour of a similar model.
The elder sister was smiling dopily, lacing fingers with her lover. "It is quite exciting, Anna."
Simply rolling her eyes and turning, Anna placed a kiss right square on Elsa's lips. "If you say so." Her words may have denied it, but her tone betrayed her own excitement.
Rapunzel wore a lopsided grin, green eyes concerned yet warm. "I'm never gonna get used to that, you know."
Anna blushed, hiding a chortle with her hand. Elsa averted her gaze, cheeks ablaze. "Sorry," they squeaked.
"Don't stop on account of me, just know that if you get too caught up in it and start doing the Nasty, I reserve my rights to smack you with a frying pan."
"Rapunzel!" Elsa smacked her best friend's hand lightly, flushing even more. She looked at Anna, chewing her lip. She was smirking back and winked. They hadn't done any of that since last night. It was only about noon, but now that Elsa was thinking about it…
Mischievously, the strawberry blonde looked between the other two. "Rapunzel, do you mind waiting out here for, oh I dunno, an hour or so? Me and Elsa have some business we'd like to go attend to," she joked, but also maybe wasn't joking.
Before Elsa could be embarrassed, their friend very loudly countered "Oh no no no no, absolutely not, not now, you're not making me wait for that. You'll have plenty of time for breaking in your new place tonight." She winked and jabbed Elsa in the shoulder.
Was it possible to melt? It was quite hot, after all, and Elsa was pretty sure she was melting. She looked at Anna, who was biting her lip and wiggling her eyebrows at her elder. Laughing out loud at the sight, she gasped "not as long as Anna keeps making that face at me."
The redhead pouted. "Hey! That's not nice."
Elsa grinned malevolently "now that face, that's one I could-"
"OHHkay!" Rapunzel herded them like sheep. "Let's get going, we've got a lot of unpacking to do!"
Elsa sat with Rapunzel, they hadn't been able to catch up in quite some time. In person, that is. She'd just been so busy, interviewing for graduate programs, visiting schools, looking for apartments, starting to pack up for her and Anna (not to mention lots of kissing Anna)- time just seemed to keep slipping away from her. Not that Rapunzel minded. On the contrary, she was quite content to give them a little space- she'd needed some when Elsa and Anna finally told her they were together together, after all. So, Elsa summarized, it'd all worked out well.
Despite taking the news graciously- and with no small amount of vocal disbelief- Rapunzel needed to reconcile the idea. She still talked with Elsa during this time, but they didn't see each other in person, and they all three certainly didn't hang out. Almost out of the blue, while Elsa was touching up her interview answers, Rapunzel had called.
"So she makes you happy. Like really, truly happy?"
"Yes," Elsa had said honestly.
"And you make her happy?"
Elsa nodded. Then realized she was on the phone and mentally facepalmed. "Y- I- Yes."
There was silence. "Do you love her? Not like love her, I know you love her, do- but do you love love her?"
She bit her lip. There was never any doubt about that. That had been true for a very long time now. "I do. With all my heart." It kinda felt weird, discussing this.
"Why don't you two come over for dinner tonight?"
Elsa's heart fluttered. She smiled genuinely. "We'd love to."
And in no time, they were at the new apartment. In significantly more time, they had unloaded the cars.
"Well, me and Eugene have a date to be getting to," their friend said, pulling them into a quick group hug. "I'll see you two later, I demand to see it when you're unpacked!"
Anna giggled. "As if we'd even have a choice, Ms. Frying pan lover."
Elsa furrowed her brow. Rapunzel scrunched her nose in a grin about as menacing as a kitten. "Hey, watch it, you, this frying pan lover knows how to fight."
"Bye, Rapunzel," the platinum blonde butted in. "We'll see you soon."
In a matter of moments, they were alone. About fifty boxes, random items strewn about, and the only piece of furniture being a deflated air bed that'd just have to do until they could go get some actual furniture.
"So," Anna said, her voice husky as she rose to her tippy-toes to plant a warm kiss on Elsa's lips. She dragged her finger down the curve of her elder's neck, eliciting a delightful shudder from her. "What do you say we inflate that airbed before we start on the boxes?"
Elsa chewed her lip over her pounding heart. Her knees stiffened close together and a pleasant warmth began its growth just below her stomach. "I say that's a great idea." She slid her hands beneath the waistband of Anna's pants and gently dragged her nails back up her spine, causing it to arch sharply and Anna's breath to hitch.
She smirked and found the air pump. They didn't unpack until much later that evening.
Meg turned out to be a fantastic help to Elsa and Anna when they were searching for apartments. She gave them pointers, what to look for in a tour, how to read the leasing contract, and kept track of the current market values for them. They really would have been a lot more stressed about it if she hadn't been there.
At the woman's insistence, she'd come over to see their place a couple weeks after they moved in. Despite the occasional box still laying around, it was pretty well decorated. Well, at least it had everything they needed, and some decor on the walls to keep it inviting.
Elsa had adjusted well. She'd made a little reading nook in the corner of the living room. And by that, she meant a giant bean-bag chair with humongous pillows around it for her to sink into and pretty much drown in when she felt like wading into a book. Their bedroom had a queen sized mattress- all of which they used- and overall, as Elsa stepped into the threshold with Meg and her new boyfriend in tow, she was happy with how right it felt to call it home.
It was much easier than she thought it'd be.
"Wow, look at this place," she marveled, inviting herself into the middle of the living room and spinning to take in the view. "It's so cozy, I love how you've used the space."
Elsa smiled. "Thank you."
The guy who might as well have been a giant made of pure muscle piped up. "When did you move in?" What was his name again?
"Hercules-" oh yeah- "I just told you that, like half an hour ago." Meg looked at him expectantly, but he just put up a dopey smile and shrugged.
Chuckling, Elsa offered "it's okay. A couple weeks ago."
"Wow," he said, taking better stock of the room, "you guys unpacked fast. Last time I moved in somewhere it took me- well, I'm still unpacking."
"You goof," Meg said, kissing him chastly. "So where's Anna?" She turned to her friend.
"In class, she should be back within an hour, then we can eat."
"Chinese?"
"I-"
"I'm feeling Chinese." Her voice left no room for protest, Meg had made up her mind.
Elsa shrugged. "Chinese sounds good."
Anna was particularly handsy under the table that night. It made Elsa wonder exactly what she did all day in class. Surely not sit there and work herself into a horny mess, right? She could almost see it, Anna trying not to think of anything, but it's not hard to guess how that would work out.
Elsa smirked, slapping her sister's hand away.
An adorable little whimper came from Anna. She'd already eaten all her noodles. She had a spot of sauce on her lip, and Elsa desperately wanted to lick it off.
But Meg was there. And Hercules. Maybe she could still… No, no. Meg would surely not mind, right? That's not exactly the way to tell someone such a thing though. Elsa almost laughed out loud. Nice to see you, excuse me while I make out with my sister, who, by the way, I'm dating. One day. Not today. She threw a quick wink to her sister, flicking her eyes towards the bedroom.
Anna understood, a rosy, devilish grin blossoming on her freckled face. "Uh, Elsa, remember, you owe me a favor helping me unpack tonight."
Elsa flushed. "Yes, I know, just try not to yell at me if I put something in the wrong place."
"Elsa!" Anna squeaked in surprise, eyes wide as saucers.
The elder raised an eyebrow at her lover.
Reddened cheeks peppered with freckles turned into the most impish look Elsa had ever seen in her entire life. "You can put the stuff wherever you want."
"What do you guys have to unpack tonight?" Meg asked over a mouthful of sesame chicken.
"Clothes!"
"Shoes!"
They both chirped at the same time.
"Clothes and shoes, shoes and clothes, yep, eh-heh," Anna corrected.
"Man, this stuff is good," Hercules luckily interrupted, slurping lomaine into his mouth. He'd gone through maybe three or four servings already. Elsa wondered if he'd ever stop eating.
"Sure is," Anna chimed in. She was just happy for the change in subject.
Meg raised an eyebrow at them, but didn't push the subject.
That night, Anna's eyes bulged in surprise when Elsa's fingers explored some new areas on her body.
On her way home that evening, Meg found her mind wandering to Agnarr. Unbeknownst to her, Anna would be trapped in thoughts about the very same person the next morning. Her car drove with an uneven gait due to the hulking, sexy, and downright goofy mass of muscles sitting next to her.
Hercules was a good person. He hadn't exactly come across that way at first, but he was. It was the opposite of Agnarr. He had appeared to be a great guy at first glance: friendly, polite, maybe a little bit reserved, but a single father caring for two girls, one of which he let to stay home while she took university courses.
He'd said he let her because it saved her money and Anna didn't want to be separated from her.
Which was true.
But a lie.
A lie of omission. She hadn't even noticed how little he talked about Elsa until she actually met the girls. How he could have failed to mention something as important as his eldest daughter being agoraphobic was beyond her. It didn't make sense. Which is why she began suspecting something was up.
But hating Elsa? His own daughter? For an accident? Sure it must have been a horrible, agonizing, awful thing for him to go through, but it was for Elsa, and Anna too. He seemed to understand that about Anna.
She couldn't even imagine how depressing it must have been for the poor girl. It was written all over her face, in her words and actions when they'd given Meg the rundown of everything she didn't know.
"As I'm sure you know," Anna had said, "there was an accident. But how much do you know about the accident?"
Meg looked between the two sisters across from her. They were away from the house, sitting in a rather private corner couch at a coffee shop. She'd met them several months ago, and since then, things had been less stable with Agnarr the more she thought about it. "Just that Elsa was there, and Idunn…" she didn't want to slap Elsa like that.
Anna nodded, Elsa gulped, clutching a mug of hot chocolate between her hands like it was the only source of heat for miles. "Elsa and mom were out- out Christmas shopping. She hit some ice and Elsa-" Anna wrapped her arm around her sister's waist, giving her a comforting hug, "took the brunt of dad's emotions."
There was a pause while the older woman processed this. She chewed her lip, something, she noticed, that Anna was doing as well. Elsa was staring into the swirls of her cocoa. "What exactly did that entail?"
The younger sister took a breath to speak, but Elsa piped up, her voice sticking to her throat. "H-he blamed me. For it."
"Why would he blame you!?" Shocked. That's what Meg was.
"Because," Anna took the reigns, "she wanted to go Christmas shopping for my present. So I guess that'd make it as much my fault as Elsa's."
Leaning in, Meg offered "there's no blame to be had for anyone, it was an accident, you-"
"We know," the young girl assured. "I don't blame Elsa, Elsa doesn't blame me, I don't blame me, and-" the sisters met each other's gaze and stared deeply for a few moments. Meg almost cooed at how close they were. She low-key always kinda wanted a sister.
"...and I don't blame myself, anymore." Elsa finished.
"But he still blames you for it."
"Not just that," the platinum blonde continued, fidgeting in place. "He um- he h-hated me. Hates me. Still hates me. For it. For the accident."
Meg grimaced. "Well, thank you two, for being honest with me, and opening up to me. It's not nice to know I've been being lied to, but it's nice to be told the truth." She glanced between the two. There was quietude as the girls looked like they didn't know what to say. Anna just looked indecisive, Elsa appeared content to sit there and silently nurse her drink. "I'm certainly not interested in being with someone who's so…" she tried to think of a way to say it politely. "Who's such an inconsiderate asshole," is what she came up with.
This earned a surprised chuckled from Anna and a snort from Elsa. Meg smiled. "We should make this coffee thing a weekly thing, we can keep up."
And they had, until it was too hot out to go get hot coffee, and everyone seemed to become busy all at once. They'd come a long, long way since then, and with that distance, everything that was such a problem then seemed so small now.
She smiled and grabbed Herc's hand.
"Elsa," Anna whispered.
"Hmm?" They were lounging on the couch in their pajamas, Elsa running her long, slender fingers gently along her sister's scalp while reading. It felt insanely good, and Anna got lost in the prickling skin running down her spine for a second.
"What do you think dad's doing right now?"
Surprised, Elsa turned away from her book to look at Anna. Her hand stopped moving. "Hm," she contemplated. "The same thing he always does, I suppose. Out drinking or drowning himself in his work."
"Do you think he's happy? Do you think he'll ever be happy?"
"I think the real question is 'do I care if he'll ever be happy?'" She took stock of her sister, who was actively chewing her lower lip in thought. "Do you?"
It was quite a while before Anna answered. Elsa could practically see as thoughts flashed behind Anna's eyes. Her stomach twisted in wait for an answer, even the neighbors seemed to know to be extra quiet for the moment.
"No," the younger girl shook her head. "No, I don't think I do." It was okay for not everyone to have a happy ending, she'd decided. He hadn't changed, so why would his ending change? And more importantly, her and Elsa were staring in the face of happily ever after. Their father had been a miserable monster to Elsa, and Anna more recently (he didn't take well them kissing on the couch), and despite spending so much energy hoping to mend their family relationship, Anna found that it was a better solution to just leave him be. For her and Elsa's happiness, to save them grief, stress, and disappointment. Sometimes, it's just not worth the energy. If he wants a happily ever after, he can do it himself, she decided.
Elsa's mouth stretched into an excited, loving smile. That chapter, that difficult and unfair chapter of their lives was closed. And as she looked around, Anna and her together, with their own space and their own futures, futures that were tangled to each other- in the best way- she realized that now, a new chapter was beginning for them.
A beautiful new chapter.
A/N: I hope you've enjoyed finally tying up the loose ends of Homebound, and please feel free to leave your final review/ thoughts. I'm dying to know what you all think of the epilogue, even though you've waited who even knows how long for it :)