It's probably for the best that he stops going over to Anna's. Like, there's no real reason for him to anymore. He hasn't heard from Elsa, but – well, Anna'd made it pretty clear that he probably shouldn't think like that. Which was fair enough. He'd fucked up.
Even though Elsa's gone home for the holidays, it still feels weird going over to their apartment. Mostly coz he kind of thinks of it as his own second (third) home. He knows his way around the kitchen and how to use the shower and washing machine, and if that's not a sign that he probably spent too much time there, he's not sure what is.
Anna's reading a book, tongue poking out so she can lick her fingertips, the old pages getting stuck. He studies her face and smiles when she looks up to him, confused, and he realises that the thing with Elsa was just that. A thing. Not like she'd fall for him, her, them, anyway. Anna'd already explained to him how Elsa felt. And yeah, that was part of the appeal of inviting her in. It could just be a fun thing between friends.
Somehow they'd all fucked up. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Had to be – a disguise, that is – because he knows he's not smiling as much and his chest aches a little. It's probably just because he's so used to having her around. It's gotta be that because, as he looks at his girlfriend, he realises that he still loves her. Just as much as he always had.
So, anything he feels for Elsa is just...an echo. A memory, maybe. Hormones?
He's just sad he lost a friend, coz he didn't have all that many to begin with.
Christmas goes by in a flash. His mother, when they went up for a visit, asked where his 'nice friend' was. Anna had answered her, telling her that Elsa had her own family. The words had more of a bite to it than mother or son were accustomed to – Kristoff flinched, and Bulda, bless her heart, hadn't pressed.
They only stay for a few days, filling up on roast turkey and pudding, before they make their way back home. Anna's been quiet since that first day. Something's on her mind, but Kristoff isn't sure how to approach it. Once upon a time, she'd just start talking.
He's on the verge of asking when she pipes up, "she gave us a present."
And it honestly takes him too long to figure out who 'she' is, but by then, Anna's speaking again.
"It's a holiday. A play in New York. She said it was like, an apology or something."
Kristoff swallows and nods his head. "That was nice of her," he says, for lack of anything better to say. It pretty much ends the conversation.
The silence continues all the way into the new year. Elsa returns, which means Anna spends more time at his place than her own. It's not like he can just tell her to talk to Elsa. He's already tried, and the death-glare that Anna had shot him was more than enough to shut him up.
And like, it's his fault. If he hadn't gone and kissed her, they could be enjoying each other's company, like always. Anna wouldn't be in a constant mood and he... would smile again. More. He misses ice-fishing, so he tries to get away the first week of January. It's boring on his own, now. Anna still refuses to come with him.
There's a massive elephant in the room, but Anna won't talk about it and he doesn't know why. And he's not prepared for the inevitable argument, so he just doesn't bring it up.
He wonders how Elsa's feeling. They did kind of leave her.
So he rings her up one day, while Anna's at the movies with another girlfriend, Megan maybe (he's honestly not sure) and invites her fishing. There's silence on the other end of the line, and he's pretty sure that she's going to refuse (and he wouldn't be surprised). But then there's a little sniffle, and he can imagine her nodding when she asks, in a soft voice, if he still has her fishing rod, and maybe she left her jacket at her parent's, so can she borrow one of his?
This is cool. This is friendship. This isn't that hard.
Except it kind of feels like going behind Anna's back, even when he ends up grinning to himself all the way over to Elsa's apartment to pick her up. It's not like Anna said anything about not talking to Elsa. She just said that they should take a break from her (and wow it sounds even worse when he thinks it like that).
Coz he hadn't been able to keep it a secret, and now, next to Elsa, fishing, he's wondering why he told Anna if it lost him this. He coulda just... stopped it. Not done it again.
Maybe he'd hoped for a different outcome. They should talk about this, he and Anna. 'Spose she feels betrayed by what they did.
He just doesn't know how to make it better.
It's actually a little awkward, the first time they have sex. The first time they have it without Elsa, that is. It feels a bit...lacklustre, but it's not for lack of trying. They plan it for a weekend, make sure his roommates are going to be out clubbing. It's not like, a romantic dinner. They're past that. Don't need to do the whole 'talking through sex' thing anymore.
Except she's kind of... rough. Was she always like that? The whole 'missionary' position's a bit boring, but he doesn't like entering her from behind. It's not... close enough. But he can't say that, not to Anna, so he just follows her lead. Presses her into the bed and slams into her from behind because that's what she's begging him to do, even if he'd rather sit her in his lap, face to face. It's not like he's got anything against it, doggy style, but it's not one of his favourites. Twenty minutes later they're both crying into their orgasms.
"Mmm I needed that," Anna says afterward, snuggling into his chest. He likes this. Holding her is nice, and it probably shows with the way he kisses her afterward, but she just sighs into his mouth.
They do it again, and this time, it feels a little more natural. Maybe they just need more practise. It's been a while since it was just them. Gotta find the moves again.
It's a comforting thought, and one he falls asleep to.
It doesn't last. He wasn't really expecting it to, but still.
Anna turns up unannounced one Thursday morning while he's play his GameCube. Her hair's in a ponytail and there's a frown on her face. It's only two weeks back into the semester, it can't just be about school. She huffs and slumps into the couch, and when she says, "Elsa's being a cow," he's not really sure how to respond.
Elsa had seemed perfectly amicable when they went fishing, if a bit quiet. Maybe morose. Truth be told, Kristoff was just happy she'd wanted to spend time with him to pay too much attention.
Maybe he should have.
So instead he pauses Paper Mario and moves next to her on the couch. She puts her head on his chest as soon as it's within reach.
"How is Elsa being a cow?" he asks, and Anna shrugs half-heartedly.
"She's being all... attitude-y," she says. "She yelled at me today."
She doesn't elaborate, but it's not really needed. It's pretty obvious Elsa's... not all that happy. And Anna's not happy. And Kristoff, he knows he's not happy. Hasn't been in ages. So he bites his lip and finally, finally says what's been on his mind.
"She might be right..." he says. At the look of utter betrayal on Anna's face, he backtracks. "Not- not at yelling at you. But... maybe she's just upset at how things stopped and doesn't know how to express it?"
He knows he's right as soon as he says it. Doesn't know how he knows, but... that's such an Elsa thing to do. To not say anything.
But Anna turns her nose up. "It was just sex," she says. "We're still her friends."
Kristoff barely bites back a sigh because he doesn't understand why Anna's being so stubborn.
"Maybe it wasn't just sex to her?" he suggests. The idea isn't as ludicrous as it once might have been. "I mean... we were her first. Gotta be some emotion attached to that. And we never do things together anymore."
Anna lets out another huff, and he can tell she's getting angry. Maybe she just wanted someone to vent to and he wrecked it by being the voice of reason. So he just hugs her close and doesn't say another word.
Anna does make a concerted effort to try, he notes with some small satisfaction. It's only small because Elsa seems pretty intent on keeping away. It's awkward, when they approach her and she makes every effort to disappear before they do, so they stop trying. But, Kristoff still notices the way she looks at them when she thinks they're distracted. They still share a class, and tutorials mean group discussions, so it's not like she can completely cut away.
The idea that, maybe he did this, is enough to leave a sharp sting in his chest.
The first month of school goes by in a flash, and before they know it, it's the day before the trip. Anna calls him at a quarter-to-ten that night because she hasn't started packing and what the fuck do you wear to these things what do I need Kristoff tell me!
He's already packed, so he makes the short trip over. He only realises when he's in the lift that Anna's there and Elsa's there and, in about two minutes, he'll be there. He can't even remember the last time they were all in a room together, and so he has no idea what will happen.
Turns out his fears are unfounded, because when Anna opens the door and leads him through to her room, there's absolutely no sign of Elsa.
It really doesn't take that long to help Anna pack. She's got the basics already, just needed to decide what 'pretty' clothes to wear. Honestly, he's not even that much help because she looks pretty in all her outfits.
So, they spend half an hour finalising the packing, and then another half an hour making out on her bed. And this is nice, too, because even by the way she's moving against him, there isn't like, an obligation for sex. Which is cool.
But they have a big day tomorrow – Elsa'd booked flights for them. Only short distance but wow she went the whole nine yards. Which means he has to be up early so he can get Anna up early, and maybe he should just spend the night.
Except no, all his clothes are at his place, so reluctantly, he pulls away. Anna complains a little, but she's already so sleepy it comes off as more endearing than anything.
"I'll be over in the morning," he says. "Sleep well, sweetheart."
Anna pulls him down for one last kiss – "for the road," she murmurs – and he's just grabbing one of her chocolate bars from the fridge when he hears the front door open.
"...'s tomorrow, Punz. I dunno-"
Elsa stops short as soon as she sees him. Her eyes flicker from his to the chocolate bar in his hand, and she mumbles into the phone, "I gotta go," before hanging up.
"What, uh, what're you doing here?" she asks. She's clutching her phone like her life depends on it, and Kristoff makes a vague motion towards the bedroom.
"Just helping Anna pack," he says. His voice is soft, but not like Elsa's is soft. At the moment, Elsa's is soft because she kind of sounds terrified. Of him?
When she doesn't say anything, he feels compelled to speak. There shouldn't be awkward silences. Not between them.
"Thank you," he says. "For the present. We uh... It's really nice of you."
She just nods, eyes not staying on his long enough to read what lay there. "'Welcome," she says. "Just...wanted to do something nice."
He tries to smile, but chances are she doesn't even see it. "Anna's really excited. She loves musical theatre." And he doesn't really know why he said that because Elsa probably already knows. "Wizard of Oz is my favourite," he continues, and this she definitely knows.
She just nods, looking like she'd rather be anywhere else. She'd never say that, though, so Kristoff moves first.
"I better go," he says. "Gotta be up early." Elsa nods again.
He's closing the door when he hears her quiet, "have fun..." and tries not to focus on the way her voice cracks at the end.
He's never been on a plane. Anna gives him the window seat, and even though the flight is less than an hour, and there are only like, thirty other people on the plane, it's still an awesome experience. Except for the fact that a ten-year-old got moved next to them, but hey. He had the window seat.
And Anna's actually pretty good with kids. He had a DS and she'd kept him entertained by defeating all his high scores on the (admittedly outdated) Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games.
When they arrive, it's only a short walk to the hotel room.
And holy hell, did Elsa go all out.
There's a spa bath and a good coffee machine. They have a street view, and it actually smells nice despite being in a busy neighbourhood. The sheets have a thread count higher than his school tuition and the towels are Egyptian cotton.
The show isn't until the next afternoon, and Elsa's already paid for their dinner, and breakfast the next day. They'll have to organise lunch, but that's okay because they passed a nice little café on the way here.
Honestly, the afternoon passes in a flash. There's exploring to do and new things to try. Central Park is amazing, just like he thought it'd be, and there are at least three buskers who should be part of like, a national orchestra.
By the time they get back to the room, phones full of pictures, it's time for dinner.
It's organised to be at a local bar, but like, an upperclass one. Elsa's written out a whole itinerary, with directions and everything, and with how much money she'd put on the tabs so they knew to bring spare cash if they needed to.
It quickly becomes obvious that even buying the most expensive dishes wouldn't come close to hitting the limit.
Elsa's put on enough money for them to get an entree, a main meal, and two desserts. That, and enough alcohol to get completely shitfaced. They don't do that, but Kristoff does get himself a nice lobster, and Anna's pretty partial to the triple chocolate fudge melt with extra ice-cream.
The same thing happens the next day. Breakfast is at the hotel, and unless they bury the buffet and two real meals each, they won't spend all Elsa gave them. It's honestly not like her to be so...over-compensatory.
But he shrugs it off because maybe she's just really sorry. And they don't know when dinner is, and if they'll have time for lunch before the show, so they figure, may as well stock up. Plus, they're going to be spending the morning at the American Museum of Natural History. There's an exhibit on prehistoric arctic animals, on loan from the Zoological Museum of Moscow University, and Kristoff's pretty excited. They even allow photography, which is pretty rare.
So they spend the morning learning about mammoths and coryphodons and megaloceros, and it's all just incredibly fascinating
He buys a collectable coin for Elsa from the gift shop. They even gift wrap. And he kinda thinks that maybe he shoulda gotten her something better but... he's not really sure what. And they're running out of time because the show starts at one, and even though it's only a ten-minute walk they still wanna get there early.
And they do. There's plenty of time to get a drink and buy a program and a poster and it's all so wonderful. The Wizard of Oz is Kristoff's favourite movie, loved it since he was a kid. He had it on an old VHS tape that automatically started playing a 'behind the scenes' bit. He hung onto every word.
And Anna's favourite genre of music is showtunes, and she's never been able to afford to go to Broadway but she did see a rendition of Rocky Horror Picture Show in Boston when she was eighteen, so, there's that.
They have amazing seats. They're not in the nosebleed section, not on the third story. They're actually on the level above the ground floor, so they can see all the way to the back of the stage, but they're not so close that the actor's expressions are over-exaggerated. The set looks amazing.
A lady comes around, offering more drinks before the show starts, and hey, why not? So they settle into their seats as the ones around them fill, and just take in the atmosphere.
There's a spare seat next to Kristoff, and an old lady next to that. She looks over at him, then at Anna, and smiles. Kristoff grins back, and as the lights darken and the orchestra strikes, he takes Anna's hand.
The play was... amazing. Like, he doesn't even know how to describe it. More truthful, in some parts, to the book, but all the bits about the film he loved, they included that too. The soundtrack was beautiful, and hearing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" live will probably haunt him forever. He was grateful for the darkness, because he most definitely shed more than a few tears.
It was beautiful.
For what has to be one of the first times in their relationship, Anna's quiet, letting him steer the conversation for once as he prattles on about the best bits and the worst bits (not that there were many) of the play. How perfect Dorothy had been cast, the silver shoes.
So they go back to their apartment and get changed, then try and find a way to the closest IHOP because dessert for dinner is always a good way to end a perfect day, and Anna's never going to say no to sweets.
They stumble back into their room two hours later. He probably tastes like strawberries and honey, and she has a definite chocolate overtone as he licks inside her mouth. They fall to the bed and it's a pretty mad scramble to remove clothes and shoes and find a condom. But then he's falling between her legs, his mouth licking around one breast while his hand is on the other.
Sometimes she makes noise, but not tonight. Unless small "oh!"s count (and they're really breathless, so he doesn't think they do). Her legs wrap around his waist as she rolls her hips, and he finds himself pressing even closer. His mouth finds hers and she responds in kind, and then he's kinda just shuddering into his release because it's just so perfect.
Anna doesn't follow him, though. As soon as he's pulled out of her, she flips them around and crawls up until she's sitting on his chest. And it's pretty obvious what she wants him to do she he grabs her ass and guides her closer, and then those wonderful sounds are filling his ears again.
And he's not perfect at eating her out. Can't bring himself to bite the insides of her thighs even when she begs. His tongue does most of the work because teeth, in that area, it's just a bad idea. And it might take Anna a little longer to reach her peak but she's never complained before, and he is kinda doing it to tease her, too.
It doesn't take her all that long to come, anyway. They've been doing this too long. They spend a bit of time making out afterwards before cleaning up, and by then, it's definitely late enough to go to sleep.
Anna's the little spoon, as always, and he falls asleep to the smell of hotel shampoo and the hum of the traffic.
They get one more breakfast before they go. This time it's a little different. When the waiter comes up, he doesn't tell them the tab – he says, "So, continental breakfast for three, plus drinks and dessert."
Kristoff's eyes widen and he looks at Anna, who's already staring at him. He just nods because the waiter is, well, waiting for an answer. "We'll get a pot of coffee, thanks," he says. The waiter smiles.
"Wonderful. Now, the breakfast bar is over there," he points in some direction. Kristoff's honestly not looking. "And the desserts can be ordered at the bar. I'll be out with your coffee in a tick. Enjoy!"
They nod, and Kristoff desperately wants to say something but he's not sure what. Because there were definitely like, hints. The kid on the plane. The over-abundance of money. The empty seat in the theatre. He just didn't want to see it.
The idea seems to have soured the whole meal. Kristoff loves bacon and hash browns, and grilled tomato and beans. But he doesn't have an appetite for this. Anna ends up ordering two of the three desserts and eating them both. It's a little petty, and maybe a little spiteful, but he's just so confused he doesn't blame her.
They don't say a word all breakfast, but as Kristoff is finishing the last of his coffee, he comes to a realisation.
Elsa told Anna it was an apology. But she wouldn't have bought enough for three if it was. So either this was an olive branch she'd hoped would be extended back – which was, admittedly, not out of the realm of impossibilities – or, and with a sinking heart Kristoff realises it's probably this, she had bought and booked everything before the falling out.
Anna wipes her mouth and puts the napkin down, before pushing her chair back and standing up. She's still not saying anything, and he'd chickened out each time he'd opened his mouth. Not this time.
"Anna, wait," he says. "I think- I don't think we can ignore this," he says. Anna rolls her eyes in a huff, but the rest of her body screams defensive, not angry.
"There's nothing to ignore," she says, standing in her chair. And it's a complete lie but he doesn't know how to proceed. "She just made a mistake."
And with that, she walks away from the table. Even from behind, Kristoff can see the way her fingers curl into a fist, or the way her head hangs low.
He gives her a few minutes before following her into the street and back to their room.
They're both pretty tired on the flight home. They're lucky it was an afternoon flight, but still. Kristoff has a headache, so he tries to sleep for the hour-or-so they're in the air. Anna's taken the window seat, and he's stupidly happy there's no one sitting next to him.
He has to drop Anna off first, and he kinda just wants to crash on her bed. Elsa's door is shut and the apartment is freezing, so he decides to do just that, curling up with Anna under her comforter and going to sleep.
He wakes up a few hours later to an empty bed and a raging headache. He stumbles from the room in a bit of a daze, the kitchen light burning the back of his eyes. He's dizzy and swaying and it kinda feels like he's gonna throw up.
And then there are cool hands on his arm, steadying him towards the sofa. He manages to sit down, pressing his palms to his eyes in the hopes it will block the harsh light.
Before long, the hands return, pressing something against his leg.
"Some Mersyndol," Elsa says softly, and he hears the little pills pop from their tin sleeve. "They'll help with the migraine. Might make you a bit sleepy."
He doesn't really care about that, just wants the pain to stop. So he takes them and sits still for another ten minutes before they start kicking in. And Elsa just sits there quietly next to him, not really all that close, but close enough that the last few weeks of distance are painfully obvious.
"Thanks," he croaks when he feels up to talking. The light doesn't burn so much, and he looks at Elsa. She's offering a shy, weak smile.
"Welcome," she says. "Migraines can be pretty terrible."
Fucking oath, they're 'pretty terrible'. He never wants to get another one again – and this one probably wasn't even that bad!
Looking at her, the conversation – or lack of one – he had with Anna earlier comes rushing back, and he sucks in a sharp breath.
"I'm sorry," he says, before he chickens out. "I'm sorry about what happened. Even if we're not sleeping together anymore, you're still my best friend, Elsa."
Her eyes widen, and her mouth hangs ajar just a touch. She closes it and nods before getting to her feet.
"It's- it's no problem," she says, quickly and softly. "I'm glad. I...still care about you, too. As a friend." She rubs at her arm and she's not looking at him; as if that doesn't confirm all his suspicions.
When she leaves a few minutes later, he doesn't try to stop her. He returns to Anna's room because wow yeah, he's feeling it now, and digs out his phone to send his girlfriend a text.
We need to talk about Elsa.
Anna is, unsurprisingly, not particularly receptive to the idea. She balks at the idea of talking about – talking to – Elsa, and their arrangement. Completely digs her heels in. Eventually, she just starts ignoring Kristoff every time he brings it up, until one day, she cracks.
They're in the living room and- well, Kristoff can't honestly remember what they were doing, because suddenly they're standing in opposite corners. Anna's glaring daggers at him, and other than nagging her a lot lately, he's not really sure what prompted such a vitriolic reaction.
"Anyone'd think you wanted to date her instead," she says, voice laced with a venom he's not used to. And he gets why she's anxious and upset, but that doesn't really change anything.
"Anna," he says, "I love you. You're my girlfriend and I don't want to change that. But... I think that maybe there were more feelings from Elsa's side than she let on."
Anna rolls her eyes and glares at him. "Elsa," she begins, "doesn't fall in love. She doesn't find people attractive like that. She never has and she never will, so any feelings you think she had were nothing more than 'wow awesome orgasm'."
"Yeah, but how do you know without asking her?" Kristoff retorts. He doesn't like fighting – doesn't want to fight ever – but Anna's being so damn bullheaded about this.
"Because it's always been like this! That's never going to change. She's never going to change. She'll never fall in love because she doesn't work that way. That was what we wanted. Why else would we ask an aromantic to join our sexcapades?"
They fall silent as Kristoff fails to find a reply. Anna won't listen, won't look beyond what she already knows. And maybe she's right, but Kristoff has a gut feeling that just won't go away.
And then their focus is broken by a sniffle and a slamming front door. Anna jerks as though she's been shocked, and they both move towards the door. Kristoff reaches there first. He rips the door open and steps out.
Elsa's gone.
He doesn't see her for almost an entire week. He still has the coin from the museum, and every day, he takes it with him to class
Elsa doesn't show up.
And he knows she overheard them arguing – overheard Anna, at least – so he's not really surprised she's been avoiding him.
But apparently she isn't going home until late, and she's getting up super early. She's avoiding both of them. More than once Anna's called him, sniffling because she keeps trying to apologise and Elsa's not answering, not picking up or replying.
He's more than a little surprised, then, to get a phone call from her on the last Friday in February.
It's three am and she's crying and sounds a little drunk when she says, "Can you pick me up?"
And he's never, ever going to refuse that kind of request, so by the time Elsa's rattling off an address, he's mostly dressed and halfway out the door.
The navigation on his phone takes him to a quiet little residential district he's never been to. There are actual houses here, not apartments. She's waiting under a streetlight, feet naked and clutching her bag like it's a lifeline. He flicks the cabin light on so she knows its him, and it means, when she climbs into the passenger seat, that he can see her, too.
Her hair is mussed, and her dress – a silk party dress that barely covers her thighs – is askew. There's a hickey on her shoulder and a scratch on her neck that disappears below the V of her dress.
"Thanks," she murmurs, shutting the door behind her. And maybe she knows how terrible she looks because she keeps her head low. Her hair falls past her shoulders, and he kind of wants to hug her. No, scratch that. He really wants to hug her. Can they even hug anymore?
He stops wondering when he notices how much she's shaking. It might be from the cold, but then she sniffles, he knows there's another reason too.
"Elsa-?"
"I'm sorry," she says, cutting him off. He doesn't speak again, waiting for her to continue, but she doesn't.
"Why are you sorry?" he asks, genuinely confused.
She makes a vague gesture with her hand. "Getting you up in the middle of the night. Asking you to drive all the way out here..." He's a little confused as to why she asked him, but he doesn't get a chance to ask before she says something else. This time it's barely loud enough to be heard, and it just confuses him even more: "Sorry for going out and doing this..."
'This'? Elsa was apologising for finding someone else – even if it was just a one-night stand – and yet they still hadn't said sorry for their own horrible words earlier that week. "Elsa," he starts, "You don't need to apologise for having fun, or for going out. You're your own person, y'know?"
She gives a nod but doesn't say anything. Kristoff finds himself genuinely curious – what sort of person would Elsa pick up? She certainly wouldn't have trouble finding someone willing. The words sort of pop out without his permission, half because he's thinking about it but mostly because he feels the need to fill the silence.
"Was he- she- they any good?" And he kinda can't believe he asked that, and with the way Elsa's eyes widen, she probably can't believe it either.
But then she opens her mouth and answers, and all the breath leaves Kristoff's body in one fell swoop because this is his proof. Even if Anna doesn't believe him – doesn't want to believe him – he knows.
"He wasn't," Elsa says softly. "But she was."
"You were wrong," is the first thing that comes out of his mouth when he next sees Anna. It's probably not the greatest opener, but he's past the point of caring.
Anna just looks at him for a moment. "What?"
She's sitting on the sofa, and he takes the seat opposite. They're going to have this conversation now. It's already been put off too long.
"About Elsa," he clarifies. "You were wrong about her.
Anna doesn't say a word. When she does, it's all he can do not to groan in frustration: "I don't want to talk about it." Her eyes flicker to the door, but Kristoff knows Elsa has a class right now. They're safe.
"Well I do," he says. "You can't just keep making all these executive decisions, Anna, especially if they're not yours to make."
She sits up and opens her mouth in protest. He beats her because he knows what she's going to say. "It isn't up to you to to decide what does and doesn't affect us. You can't decide for Elsa how she feels. People and how they feel changes all the time – is it so hard to believe that, through everything, Elsa felt something she'd never before? Never before thought she could?"
Anna doesn't say anything, so he keeps talking because he'll either say something right, or he'll just keep digging a deeper hole. Either way, though, they'll finally get it out there.
"I miss her, and I think you do too," he says, softer this time. "And...and I don't think it's just because of the sex. It hasn't been about that for a long time, not for me. And, judging from... from the trip, from how she's been...not for her either..."
Anna doesn't meet his eyes when she says, voice small, "I...might not be as straight as I thought I was..."
Kristoff swallows. "I might not be as monogamous..."
There's fear in Anna's eyes, a question she doesn't want to voice, and Kristoff leans forward to pick up her hand. His thumb runs over the back of it, and she grips his fingers tightly.
"I love you," he says. "But I care about Elsa too."
Anna's face relaxes, and there's definitely the idea that she does care about Elsa, maybe in the same way Elsa cares about them. Maybe in the same way he cares about Elsa.
"I...want her to be a part of this again," Anna offers quietly. She's still having a hard time meeting Kristoff's eyes, but she is trying. "We just made a mistake."
"Will she want to come back to this?" he asks. There's a way it might work, because he doesn't think Elsa will want to come back. Not like this. Because now the are feelings involved, it can't just be a physical thing. It can't be 'Kristoff and Anna, plus one'. So he says that.
"You...think we should try separately?" Anna asks, and there's definitely a quiver in her voice. They haven't let go of each other's hands, and this time, Kristoff squeezes first.
"I think we should ask her how she'd feel," he says. "I think...we need to move away from a three-thing and try a couple-thing. Me and you, and you and her, and me and her. And then we can try this again, with everyone on equal ground."
Anna sucks in a breath. "But... I don't- don't wanna lose you," she says. Her eyes well up and she sniffles. "I would rather not try at all than lose you." The to her is unspoken, but it doesn't really matter. And Kristoff doesn't blame her, not at all, so he stands up and moves seats until he's sitting next to her. Anna's head finds his shoulder, and his arm wraps around her side.
"You won't lose me," he says softly. "There's enough room in this heart for both of you."
She looks up at him with red eyes. "You love her too?" she asks, and all he can do is shrug.
"I don't know," he says. "Not yet, I don't think. But, I know I could."
He ends up sending the text to ask Elsa to meet up with them, mostly because she's still ignoring Anna, but also because – and he'd never tell Anna this – there seemed to be something different between them. Not really good or bad, but something that made him think she was more likely to listen.
They sit down in a crowded café – not the one on campus – in a booth in the corner. Anna and Elsa both order a hot chocolate, but Kristoff abstains. His stomach's churning and he knows why. He's just ignoring it.
No one wants to be the first to break the silence. Elsa is obstinately ignoring both of them, staring at the swirling contents of her cup. She's sitting opposite Kristoff and Anna, so it's kinda obvious that maybe she feels ganged up on.
So Kristoff nudges Anna, and shoots her a look. Anna nods and sits a little straighter.
"Elsa, I want to say sorry for what I said," she starts, and she waits for Elsa to look at her before continuing. "It was...wrong of me to dismiss your feelings like that. Especially when I don't...know what you're feeling..." She heaves in a breath. "We...the whole thing was a mistake. We fucked up," she says. "We...want to try again. If you'll let us."
Kristoff watches as Elsa's eyes widen. Her head perks up, shock written in the blue. "I- what?" she says softly. It's a bizarre parody of the last time they asked. "You want to...do what we were? Start that up again?" She shakes her head. "You guys are insane if you think I'd agree to that again."
"Hey!" Anna's fuming, but Kristoff puts his hand on her thigh.
"Not exactly, Elsa," he says. "You...like us. Beyond what we were doing. And it's okay!" he rushes when she opens her mouth and goes a vague shade of green. "Because we... liked that too. It just took us a while to see it. And, we're sorry..."
Elsa swallows and nods. "So what do you suggest?" she asks. And then she takes another breath. "I can't join your relationship. If that's what you were asking." She doesn't look very sure of herself, like... like she doesn't think they'd want her to join them anyway. And Anna's still a little sore over the earlier dismissal, so Kristoff takes the lead.
"Anna and I have talked," he begins, "And we want to try... dating. You. Individually. Um, that's if you're open to it. We do care about you, Elsa. We don't know if it's the same way you care about us but... we want to try."
He doesn't take his eyes off Elsa's. He sees, as it happens, her eyes fill with tears and her bottom lip quiver because it's so, glaringly obvious that she didn't think this would happen. He's not surprised. Neither did he.
She composes herself, enough to speak. "We need rules," she says, "and you need to woo me." There's a watery laugh on her lips that hides a deeper meaning.
She's scared. They need to prove they do care about her. And they deserve it, after what they put her through. So he links on hand through Anna's and puts the other on the table for Elsa to take.
"I'd love to woo you," he says. And even though her smile is small, it may as well have filled up her whole face.
They leave her alone to think more about it. Actually, they wait until she returns to them, a slip of paper in her hand.
"I, uh, I have some conditions," she says. Anna, who was lying on on Kristoff's stomach, sits up. They both lean forward as Elsa stands in front of them.
"Um, number one," she starts. "These... relationships are separate from each other, for now. So, it's not...not a three thing. It's a two thing among three people."
They nod. That was the point, so clarifying it can't help.
"Two. The relationships are their own entity. So if one couple plans a date, the third can't sabotage it – not that I think anyone will! – and they can't argue about it. The third has no influence over the other couple."
She looks up at them, and it's only then that Kristoff notices how much she's shaking. He sends her a little smile of support, and she responds with one of her own.
"N-now, because these relationships are separate, if-" she cuts herself off and closes her eyes, steadying herself before she continues. "Sex. I don't, uh, want to do it all together for the moment. But if... if it comes up with any relationship I don't want to exclude it. You guys would probably continue anyway, so...saying I can't isn't really fair."
Kristoff nods. "I like all of these," he says. "Maybe... we can change them, if everyone agrees, though? What do you think, Anna?"
His girlfriend is chewing on her lip again, arms crossed. "Okay," she says quietly. She looks straight at Elsa and smiles. "Okay. Anything to make this work."
Elsa goes to her room to add the other point and laminate the sheet. It'll hang on the fridge, apparently. Kristoff's kind of excited. It was actually easier than he thought it would be, once everyone started talking.
But Anna's all quiet, so he kisses her behind the ear and asks what's wrong.
"I don't like the sex rule," she says without any hesitation. Her voice is low, and she keeps glancing towards Elsa's room. "It's not... we're dating. I dunno how she'd stop us anyway." And it kinda sounds like there's a bit of a whinge in her words, but Kristoff knows how to explain it.
"You agreed to trying to date her individually," he says. "Doesn't that relationship deserve the same considerations as ours? Maybe...when you're together, forget you have a boyfriend. When you're together, I don't matter. Only you and Elsa do."
But then Anna shakes her head. "...I don't want to lose you..." she says.
There's no use trying to convince her otherwise because Anna's stubborn like that. But he has an idea that might help, so instead he places a kiss to her forehead and murmurs, "I'll be back in a tick," and stands up.
He makes his way towards Elsa's room. She's on her computer, making the page pretty, when he knocks on her door.
"Hey, can we add one more thing?" he asks. "Can we add 'no secrets'? About anything? We can't say anything about the others' relationship, but we can talk about our own?"
Elsa adds it at the very top of the list, and decorates the border with flowers and leaves a few lines blank to add rules with a Niko pen if they need to.
It's attached proudly to the fridge, and Kristoff thinks that maybe this will work out. Maybe they can make it work this time.
He invites her fishing again. They both have the weekend free and he really misses her, and he misses their fishing trips.
But instead of replying, Elsa just looks at him and asks a question of her own.
"Why did you want to try this?" she asks. She doesn't have to specify what 'this' is because Kristoff already knows.
He's not sure how to answer her. How he can sum up his feelings, for her and Anna and their situation. He doesn't know what she's hoping to find when he says, "you...make me better. I can't imagine my life if you don't have a place – an important place – in it. Don't really want to."
There aren't really the words to elaborate further, but Elsa doesn't seem to mind. She just nods her head, more in acceptance of his words than anything else.
Because it's true. Elsa makes him smile where Anna makes up for his lack of it. He doesn't have to be her saviour because she doesn't need one. Not in the way Anna needs him to be strong.
They're two people that bring out two sides of him he...never really thought he could reconcile.
It's warming up, so when they go fishing again, they have to do it the 'real way', with a boat and life jackets and copious amounts of sunscreen. Elsa looks like a lobster by the time they put their rods down for lunch, but she's smiling, and the whole thing is relaxing.
"I've missed this," she says as she digs into a ham and chutney sandwich. Kristoff cracks open a couple of beers and hands one to her. She raises it in cheers before taking a swig.
They don't keep any of the fish they catch – mostly because they couldn't be bothered. Kristoff's actually pretty proud of being able to catch, slaughter, and cook most types of 'fishing' fish. But not keeping them, it just makes everything easier. They're not lugging a huge esky home and they don't have to worry about it warming up too much.
By the time the sun starts setting and they head back to the car, they're exhausted. Fishing isn't really that hard, but being in the sun all day has a way of sapping all the energy from them. Still, Elsa's smiling and talking about something. Kristoff's not really listening because he's watching the way her lips move, and he blurts out the, "Do you want to get dinner?" before he has a chance to think about his words.
"Kristoff, as you asking me on a date?" Elsa asks, a cheeky smile on her lips. Kristoff lifts a massive hand to rub at the back of his head.
"I guess I am," he says. "Do you wanna go on a date with me?"
The shy smile Elsa sends him is enough to make one of his own rise to his lips.
"Sure," she says. "I'd love to."