Chapter 6 - Kristoff The Fixer-Upper
The next morning, after an evening that seemed like it had lasted an eternity, Anna awoke on the couch in her condo, having clearly passed out the night before. As the memories faded into her mind, she groaned. "Goddammit Elsa, why did you get drunk?"
Anna turned her head to the side and saw the blonde mermaid lying on the couch opposite her, her legs replaced by her tail. Elsa herself was still asleep, eyes shut and mouth slightly open, a slight drooling from her lip.
Anna sighed. "You're lucky I like you," she muttered, covering her with a blanket.
Elsa suddenly snorted a little, before her eyelids fluttered open. "Oh... Hey..."
Anna smirked. "Hey yourself, Fish Girl."
Elsa slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Why does my head hurt...?"
"You're dehydrated from all the drinking you did last night," Anna explained. "It's called a hangover."
Elsa lifted the blanket, her eyes widening slightly when she saw that her tail was back. "Please tell me I didn't mess up those clothes you bought for me when I changed back."
"No," Anna told her. "I managed to strip you before your magic wore off... and trust me, it was harder than it sounds."
"That spell doesn't wear off, Anna," Elsa explained. "I think that alka-hall stuff just made me lose my concentration."
"Don't you remember any of it?" Anna asked.
Elsa rubbed her temples. "I remember dancing with you on the beach," she said. "And I remember you bringing me back here. Everything after that is just...kind of a blur."
Anna rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I let you get drunk."
"I can't believe I wanted to get drunk in the first place," Elsa added. "God, I'm glad merpeople don't have anything like that." The mermaid looked down. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you when you said I shouldn't drink that stuff."
"It's okay, Elsie," Anna said. "I'm not mad at you."
Elsa smiled a bit. "Thanks, Anna." She closed her eyes, her fin transforming into legs again. "Do you mind if I go back to the ocean for a little while? I think it might help me clear my head a bit."
"Go right ahead," Anna accepted. "Just... don't hurt yourself while swimming, okay? You're probably still a little disoriented."
Elsa got up, her knees wobbling slightly. "It's not the swimming I'm worried about," she said.
Anna sighed. "Come on, I'll help you to the water." She got up and held Elsa in her arms. "Now, follow my lead." She then started to help Elsa hobble out of the condo.
Elsa blushed furiously. "Thank you, Anna. I think this hangover thing might be messing with my balance."
Anna walked Elsa down to the beach. "There we go."
Elsa started walking towards the water, holding her arms out. She stumbled over her own feet for a moment, but managed to keep her balance. "Anna, the next time I think about drinking that alka-hall stuff? STOP ME."
Anna giggled. "I will."
Elsa finally got into the water, turning back into a mermaid. She dove under for several seconds, then came back up. "Ahh, that's a little better."
Anna took off her top and stripped down to her underwear. "Let me join you!" She then rushed into the water as well, swimming by Elsa.
Elsa giggled. "Want me to give you gills again?"
"Nah, I'd rather my head doesn't get messed up, thanks," Anna responded, chuckling.
"Aw, C'mon," the mermaid teased. "We can swim around together. There's a really pretty coral reef not far from here."
Anna laughed. "Elsa, we don't have to spend all our time together, you know."
Elsa sighed. "I know. I guess I just wanna make up for all of the time after you left."
"It's okay, we've made up enough time for now... but maybe we could hang out later if you like?" Anna then suggested.
"Okay," Elsa replied, giving Anna a hug.
Anna blushed at Elsa's embrace. "Wow... didn't know you were a hugger."
"I'm not," Elsa replied. "But...I just couldn't help it."
Anna hugged her back tightly.
Elsa smiled. "You're amazing, Anna," she said softly.
"Says the magic mermaid," Anna remarked.
"You have magic too," Elsa said with a smile. "Sure, you can't grow a tail like I can. But you can make people feel happy just by being you."
Anna blushed. "I don't think that's magic. I'm just always nice to people that's all."
"Well, it's magic to me," the mermaid giggled.
Anna smiled. "I'm gonna head back and see how Kristoff is doing these days," she told her. "See you later, Elsa. Enjoy checking out that coral reef."
"I will," she replied. "Tell Kristoff I said hello!"
"I will!"
As Elsa swam into the water. Anna headed back onto dry land. As she walked back up the beach to put her clothes back on, she started to think about Elsa. For the past few days, Elsa had become one of the best friends she had ever had, and Anna was a girl who had a lot of besties in her life. But there was something so different about Elsa. Something that she couldn't put her finger on. Maybe it was how Anna had felt after seeing Elsa in that changing room, how the mermaid's body had looked in that sarong.
Anna's cheeks went red. What was this feeling she had for Elsa? Anna had considered the possibility that it was just nothing, but still, …she was feeling very drawn to her. Anna looked over at the ocean one final time before she walked into her condo, seeing that Elsa had already gone.
xXx
A few minutes later, Anna headed towards the main hotel, hoping to find Kristoff.
Kristoff was just in the car park, having just finished his last valet for the day. As Anna approached him, he smiled. "Hey, Feisty-pants."
"Hey, Kris," she replied with a wave.
"How's the vacation been going so far?"
"Pretty fine. I've mostly just been chilling."
"With that new friend of yours, I assume?"
"Elsa? Oh yeah, I've been hanging out with her a lot."
Kristoff smiled. "You know, there was a time when I thought you'd never be friends with another girl. How you've changed."
Anna blushed. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. You see, I think I might...have a crush on her."
His eyes widened. "Woah... Anna, I knew you were bisexual and all, but... you've never had an actual crush on a girl."
"I know, I know, it's weird and all," Anna told him.
"So, what exactly do you want me to do?" he asked.
"Well... didn't everyone call you 'The Fixer-Upper' back at school?" Anna reminded him. Back in their high school days, Kristoff was known as a bit of a love guru, helping others with their relationships and such.
"Oh, I get it," he said. "You're looking for advice, huh?"
"Yeah, that's it," Anna stated.
"Well, what kind of advice?"
"Well... how to talk to her about it for one thing..." Anna said. "I'm a clueless dork."
"Come up to my apartment," Kristoff told her. "I'll tell you all about it over a nice cold drink."
They went over to Kristoff's apartment, a moderately-sized one-bedroom setup on the opposite side of the resort. "Not bad," Anna said as they walked inside. "Kinda small, though."
"Eh, it suits me fine," Kristoff replied nonchalantly.
Anna then jumped onto the bed, and crossed her legs. "So, Mr. Love Expert, what's my first lesson?"
"Alright, my advising skills are a bit rusty," Kristoff admitted. "But I think I can do this. So... first things first, Elsa is the first girl you've been attracted to, yes?"
Anna nodded. "Yeah. She's just...she's something else, Kristoff."
"Go on, what's this something else?" Kristoff asked. "If I can get a sense of the source of your feelings for her, I can better help you."
Anna exhaled. "Well, we first met when we were both really little. Here at this resort, in fact. I don't remember much about what she was like back then, though."
"You met her years ago?" Kristoff wondered. "And you've... never mentioned her before?"
"Hey, I was four years old," Anna excused.
"Alright, alright, so you met her years ago, and you've recently met her again," Kristoff stated. "What's different now than when you first met her?"
"I'm older, I guess," Anna admitted. "Sorry, I'm not good with this deep philosophy stuff."
"Hey, no worries," Kristoff said in a jovial tone. "Just tell me what you think of her. It'll give me an idea of just how strong this crush of yours is."
"Well, she's cute-no, beautiful. Her body is just so divine," Anna began. "She's really kind and sweet to me, always being there and such. She's super fun to be around, too; she has like the cutest laugh ever. But then she's so sad sometimes...she lost her parents years ago, and she seems so lonely...and I just wanna be there for her and keep her safe."
Kristoff nodded. "Okay, I'm with you so far. Any other thoughts?"
Anna gulped. "Well... she's very close to me and very, very loving towards me. I don't know if that means she likes me back or not."
"You said you forgot a lot about her after you guys parted ways the first time," Kristoff mused. "Do you know if she forgot anything about you?"
Anna shook her head. "No, she remembered me like it was yesterday."
Kristoff rubbed his chin. "Well, that could just be because she has a better memory than you do. In any case, it's pretty clear that whatever feelings you have for Elsa are definitely real."
"So...how do I act on them?" Anna asked.
"Well, how good is your relationship so far?" Kristoff asked her.
"We're friends, I guess," Anna said. "We've spent a lot of time together, reconnecting and stuff."
"When was the last time you talked to her?"
"This morning, at the beach. We were mostly talking about the festival last night."
"Ah, I hear a lot of folks went to that," Kristoff stated. "I didn't. Not much of a party guy."
"So what's next?" Anna inquired.
"Well, firstly, you need to talk to Elsa about this."
"You mean...tell her how I feel?"
"That's the general idea, Feisty-pants," Kristoff confirmed.
Anna nodded. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. But how should I do it?"
"It's more of a 'when' than a 'how,'" Kristoff informed her. "See, the key is to tell her this stuff when she's happy and such. I mean, would you want all this emotional baggage shoved down your throat when you were feeling down?"
"That's a good point actually," Anna agreed.
"Take her out someplace romantic. Even the beach at sunset would work. And once you're out there, tell her how you feel."
"Got it," Anna replied. "Thanks, Kristoff."
"Just follow my advice, and things will be smooth sailing," Kristoff told her.
As Kristoff finished his sentence, Anna's phone then buzzed. She picked it up, seeing that she had a text from Rapunzel.
Rapunzel: Hey, Anna! You and Elsa recovered from the festival?
"Who is it?" Kristoff wondered.
"My other new friend," Anna told him.
"Oh, Rapunzel," Kristoff accepted. "Well, I gotta go take out the trash so I'll leave you to it."
As Kristoff headed to empty his bin, Anna typed on her phone.
Anna: Hey, Punzie. I managed to recover, but Elsa was really hungover this morning. How are you holding up?
Rapunzel: Cass and I slept like babies, so we woke up just fine.
Anna: Wait, you didn't get hung over?
Rapunzel: Oh, we did, big-time. We just slept it off.
Rapunzel: Anyway, I was just wondering if you and Elsa would like to go out with us again.
Anna: Where would we be going?
Rapunzel: Just out for dinner, at this Italian place Cass likes.
Anna: I'm down. I just need to check with Elsa.
Rapunzel: Great! We'll come pick you from the resort around 7-ish.
Anna: Slow your roll there, Punz. Like I said, I need to check with Elsa first, and see if she wants to come.
Rapunzel: She'll say yes anyway. I know what girls like her like. And I am a girl after all?
Anna: I hate it when people make sense.
Rapunzel: See you tonight, Anna.
Anna: Yeah, yeah. Give Cass a hug for me, will ya?
Rapunzel: Hehe, she's currently snuggling me actually. She's such a spoon and I love her ❤
Anna: I can see why. ;)
Anna then closed up the conversation with Rapunzel and tapped Elsa's messaging window.
Anna: Hey Elsa. Are you there?
There was no response for several seconds, but Elsa soon replied.
Elsa: I didn't know you could send me a message first. I thought I always had to send the first one before you could send one to me.
Anna: I'll give you a lesson on texting sometime, fish girl. Anyway, I just came to let you know Punzie just asked if we would like to go out with her again.
Elsa: That sounds fun. Just make sure I don't drink any of that stuff I had last night, okay?
Anna: I'm sure that the place we're going to doesn't have alcohol, Elsa. So you'll be fine.
Elsa: Thank Poseidon.
Anna: By the way Elsa, there's something I wanna say.
Elsa: What is it?
Anna stared at her phone screen for several seconds, unsure of what to say. She could tell Elsa the truth now...but it just didn't feel right.
Anna: Never mind. I'll tell you later.
Elsa: Okay ^_^
Anna: Did you just use an emoji?
Elsa: Is that what these little faces are called? There's so many of them.
Anna: Yeah. I'll show you some of them later.
Elsa: Should I wear the clothes I bought yesterday?
Anna: Nah, just borrow mine again. It's not like it's gonna be super fancy.
Elsa: Okay, but can I wear that thing around my waist still? I kinda liked it.
Anna: You mean the sarong? Yeah, I guess you could.
Elsa: Thank you, Anna. ❤
Anna blushed.
Anna: Why the heart?
Elsa: Moana told me hearts are used to show how much you like someone. Well, I ❤ you Anna. I like you very much.
Anna: I ❤ you too, Elsa.
Why did I just do that?! Anna thought, her mind in a panic. This isn't the time or the place! Anna just turned off her phone and started breathing heavily.
Kristoff then re-entered the apartment, having finished his chores. "Hey, Anna, you okay?" he asked. "Your face looks red."
"No, no, I'm fine," Anna lied. "Great talk, Kristoff. I gotta jet now!"
As Anna darted away, Kristoff rolled his eyes. "Anna Baker, you are weird sometimes."
xXx
That evening, Elsa and Anna waited outside the hotel lobby for Rapunzel and Cass. Anna had been avoiding eye contact with Elsa, as she was still embarrassed at how their text conversation earlier had gone.
Elsa smiled at Anna, reaching out to hold her hand. "You seem stressed, Anna," she told her. "It's a beautiful evening. You should relax."
Anna blushed. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry."
Soon, a large black SUV pulled up in front of them, and the window rolled down, revealing Rapunzel, wearing a pair of dark sunglasses. "You Elsa and Anna?"
"Who wants to know?" Anna asked, folding her arms, with a playful smirk.
"Rapunzel Moore, FBI. We'd like to ask you a few questions. If you would please step into the car?"
Elsa looked at Anna, confused. "FBI?" she whispered.
Anna giggled. "Later. Get in."
Anna and Elsa climbed into the back of the SUV and Rapunzel turned around, taking off the shades and smiling. "HEY, GIRLS!" she cheered.
"Hi, Rapunzel!" Elsa replied cheerily.
"You look snazzy, as you did last night," Rapunzel admitted. "Seriously, that sarong looks so good on you."
Anna frowned a bit at Rapunzel, biting her lip to hold back a mean comment.
"Thank you," Elsa said. "I really do love this saarong."
"It's just sarong," Anna corrected her.
They drove out to the Italian restaurant, a local place called Linguini's. Rapunzel and Cass got out, opening the doors for Elsa and Anna. "We're here, ladies," Cass stated.
The two got out, and Elsa smiled. "I've never had Italian food before," she commented. "Is it good?"
"Ehhh, depends on the food," Anna explained. "I just stick to pizza."
"Oh, Moana's shared some of that with me," Elsa admitted. "It always went soggy when I brought it home though."
"Soggy?" Cass asked. "It must not have been very good pizza, then."
"Elsa lives...in a very wet place," Anna quickly explained.
"She must live right on the beach," Rapunzel remarked. "Those places can get slammed by the waves sometimes."
Elsa nodded quickly. "Yes, exactly. You might say my house looks like a shipwreck."
"How come you haven't moved?" Cass wondered. "I mean, the houses here aren't cheap, but wouldn't you wanna be somewhere drier?"
"I'm just used to it," Elsa explained. "I'm no stranger to the water."
As the four of them walked inside, Anna sniffed the air. "Mmmm, fresh ketchup. Such a good smell."
Elsa sniffed as well, her eyes widening. "Holy catfish," she muttered. "I don't know what that smell is, but it's delicious!"
A waiter soon showed the girls to their table, and Anna started checking out the menu. "Elsa, look at this food," she suggested to her mermaid friend. "You're gonna love it."
Elsa looked at the menu, reading some of the food names aloud. "La-sag-na...spag-het-tee...these foods have weird names."
"It's in Italian, you water cutie."
"Water cutie?" Rapunzel's eyebrows perked up. "Awwww! Cass, Anna just gave Elsa a pet name."
Cass smirked. "Anna and Elsa, sitting in a tree..." she teased.
"Cass, stop it," Anna warned her. "Or you and Punzie will both end up covered in ketchup."
Elsa giggled. "She'll do it. Don't cross her."
Once they had ordered their food, Elsa reached over in an attempt to hold Anna's hand.
Anna looked down and saw Elsa's hand moving closer to her. "Hey, what's going on here?"
Elsa pulled her hand back. "Sorry. It's just…I wanted to hold your hand."
"Raps, this is too cute," Cass admitted. "Go on, Anna. Elsa doesn't look like she'll bite."
Anna blushed, taking Elsa's hand.
Elsa smiled and held Anna's hand with both of her own, her eyes half-closing and gazing at Anna adoringly.
Anna smiled at the mermaid. If she hadn't been sure of her feelings before, she definitely was now.
xXx
Author's note: Awwww, Anna sent Elsie a love heart. And they went out on a date. I have a feeling things are going to get... intimate for them soon. See you next time!
