A/N: Thank you for your continued patience and support everyone! It really does mean a lot to me considering all the IRL things I'm trying to battle with right now. Rest assured I won't drop the story or put it on hiatus even if updates aren't exactly speedy. I'm just slow as molasses, but you all already know that. Onto the chapter! This time we get a look inside Elsa's head! I'll be interested in seeing what you guys catch in this chapter. Enjoy!
Nobody knows the trouble we've seen
Nobody knows the price of this dream
The following weekdays were quiet and uneventful. There seemed to be a mutual, silent agreement between the two that they'd give each other some space. Elsa was in no hurry to break such a truce. She dove into her work, either at her office desk or in her room. She and Anna settled into a routine of sharing dinner together at least, though Tuesday's meal had been completely silent.
Los Angeles's high temperatures continued.
Elsa cracked open an eye five minutes before her alarm clock went off. With a groan, she reached over and turned off the alarm before it could ring. She'd gotten into the habit ever since acquiring her job at Weselton's firm. Her boss had a thing against tardiness, much more so than any other man she'd ever known.
And knowing him, he'd make a big deal out of it and just delay me from actually doing something productive even more.
Sighing heavily, she pushed away her covers and strolled to her closet. The summer heat meant she had little to change out of, dressed in only a light shirt and underpants. Elsa grabbed one of her usual outfits, leaving it smoothed out and prepped on her bed before exiting her room.
Her bare feet were silent on the wooden floor.
She held her breath as Anna's door came closer. The small room had never made her feel as anxious as she'd been in the past week. At first she had considered herself extraordinary luckily in having an extra room in her small apartment. She had placed the bed in there and deemed it a decent guest room in case someone from her work group had wanted to spend the night. The situation had never popped up, but she had always considered it a logical decision.
And then Anna's offer had come through and all that changed.
Elsa hesitated right beside her sister's door—her sister's. She wasn't sure how long it would take for her to get used to that again. She and Anna hadn't lived in the same household since Elsa had been little.
I should check up on her.
Elsa's jaw hardened. She wrapped her arms around her torso and shook her head. "I'd just wake her up," she mumbled to herself.
Besides, what if she wakes up and sees me standing over her?
A shiver ran down her spine. She wasn't sure how Anna would react, but she'd doubt it would be a happy one.
I bet she gets nightmares too.
She heard a small bang from inside Anna's room and jumped. Elsa rushed forward and grabbed the knob, twisting it and opening the door quickly. Her sister's room was pitch black and for a frantic moment, Elsa felt a cold surge of fear. She distantly heard voices calling out to her, the smell of ice on asphalt and car fumes. Her eyes darted everywhere, breath quickening.
Anna, where are—
The tiny light of her sister's phone sent a wave of relief through Elsa. Her knees trembled and she placed a hand on the frame to steady herself. Elsa inhaled shakily and mentally counted to ten.
Anna must have kicked the wall or something.
Her bed was right up against it after all. Elsa exhaled and then glanced around the room, eyes adjusting to the dim light.
In the dark, she could just barely make out her sister. Anna slept on her back, sheets draped over her legs and hands on her stomach. She had gone to bed in her braids and Elsa could hear the air whistling between her teeth. Elsa frowned slightly at the sight of Anna's phone perched right on her chest.
I'm surprised she hasn't damaged it by rolling onto it or something.
Sighing, she quietly stepped to her sister's bedside and reached over for the mechanical device. Just as Elsa's fingers touched it, Anna snorted and twitched in her sleep. Elsa stiffened, eyes darting up to watch her sister's voice.
Please don't wake up.
Anna turned her head slightly and kept snoring. Elsa let out a long breath from her nose and straightened, gripping Anna's phone tightly.
Thank god she didn't—
A light flared to life in front of her and she jumped. Elsa nearly shrieked in surprise before clamping a hand over her mouth. Her thumb had brushed over Anna's cell, flicking the lock screen to life. A chill passed through Elsa's chest and her jaw tightened.
"It's us," she mumbled.
Anna's lock screen picture was one they'd taken years ago. Elsa's brow creased. She could almost recall how Anna's fingers had felt back then, brushing her hair aside before lips pressed against her cheek. Elsa swallowed dryly, remembering the prickling of sticky candy pieces and snow on her skin.
"Can we do this again soon Elsa?"
A beep jolted Elsa from her reverie. She blinked and her frown returned when she noticed Anna's phone at low battery. Again. Elsa pursed her lips.
Honestly Anna, do you just keep it on all the time?
She walked over to Anna's wall charger and plugged the device in. Her thumb brushed over the screen again and she blinked at the sight of a new message.
"From Rapunzel," Elsa mumbled. Her stomach twisted. She had yet to really talk to her relatives recently.
I should do that soon.
Against her better judgment, Elsa flicked through the latest message. A thread of nostalgia wove through her when she saw the words "Auntie" and "Uncle," dropped casually by Anna.
And there's a lot of them too... No wonder Anna's phone is never fully charged.
Her sister did keep it on as often as she could.
Guilt twisted inside Elsa's stomach. She was certain it was a habit Anna had developed over the years. She didn't particularly want to think about why it was however.
Elsa stiffly placed Anna's phone down and walked back to the door. She didn't let her eyes stray as she opened it and slipped out. It clicked shut behind her and she dug her fingers into her palm.
I need a shower.
By the time Elsa had finished showering and started dressing for work, daylight shone and lit the apartment. And with the sun, she could feel the heat descend over LA again.
Elsa huffed and rolled up her sleeves, mentally cursing the weather. Even though she had just stepped out of a cold shower, she could already feel a bead of sweat rolling down the back of her neck.
"Thank god work has better AC than my apartment," she grumbled. Elsa slung her purse on her shoulder and exited her room, a notepad and pen tucked under her other arm.
If she listened closely, she could almost hear Anna snoring.
At least she seems to be sleeping well right now.
Elsa's brow furrowed and she stopped by her sister's door. An uneasy feeling grabbed hold of her automatically. Sighing, she turned to the opposite wall and quickly scribbled several instructions on her notepad. She tore off the paper and stuck it to the wall with a slip of tape. Then, with a final glance at Anna's door, she continued down the hallway.
A few minutes later and Elsa was hurrying down the stairs, heels clacking loudly against the steps. The uneasy feeling in her stomach continued even as she walked onto the parking lot.
Kristoff looked up from exiting his truck. "Morning," he called as Elsa moved past him.
"Morning," she muttered as she fished out her keys from her purse. Her hands shook as she unlocked her car door.
"You know most cars these days can usually be unlocked with a button," Kristoff remarked.
Elsa paused in dumping her purse on the passenger seat. She glared at him over her shoulder. "I know."
He blinked and quirked an eyebrow. "Just a joke Elsa."
Elsa sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I didn't want to make noise this early in the morning."
"Crappy night?" he asked, shutting his own door. There was a bag of puppy food tucked under his arm. "Grab a coffee on your way to work."
Elsa huffed, slipping into her seat. "Caffeine," she grumbled.
"Health nut," he joked. Kristoff raised his hand in a single wave. "Live a little Elsa. You're going to have gray hair before you're thirty."
She flashed him a tight smile. "I'll see you later Kristoff."
He smiled and Elsa shut her door. She revved the engine and was soon driving onto the street. Elsa's eyes flicked up to the rearview mirror and she watched as her apartment slowly disappeared. The uneasy feeling in her stomach lessened. She would be home late again tonight. It was something that made her feel simultaneously guilty and relieved.
Elsa tightened her hands on the steering wheel.
That's okay. Anna will be fine for the day.
All throughout the drive to work, Elsa repeated the thought to herself.
Anna would be fine. Anna would be fine.
Her knuckles had kept an iron grip on the steering wheel the whole time.
Anna blinked several times, half-asleep and hair mussed. She'd just woken up and had stumbled out of her room to take a shower when she caught sight of the note taped on the wall in front of her.
She glanced back at her door and frowned.
"I think I'm losing it. First my phone isn't where I put it last night and now this." She snatched the paper off the wall and crinkled it in her hand. "Well, now it's obvious I didn't do a decent enough job of reassuring Elsa. You won't believe how many instructions are on this scrap of paper," she said to no one. Anna frowned slightly, eyes darting over the note. "'Charge your phone, drink water, ice your knee and take your pain killers. It's going to be hot today and I know that bothers you."
Anna paused, a butterfly fluttering in her stomach. She glanced down and scuffed her toe against the hardwood floor.
I'm going to take that in a good way.
Grinning crookedly, Anna continued reading the note. "Sort your laundry because—'" She did a double take, blinking. "Laundry day? Wednesday's our laundry day?" Elsa hadn't mentioned that. Of course, she and Elsa hadn't made any motion to talk about schedules yet. Or to talk much at all. She chewed on her bottom lip and continued down the slip of paper. There was also a list of different bus routes. She could practically hear Elsa's voice from the words.
"If you're going to campus today, then it's better you take the—"
Anna's stomach twisted when she recalled their talk on Sunday.
Okay, I'm not making the same mistake today.
A sudden growl alerted her to her own hunger. Anna grimaced and patted her stomach. "Breakfast first." She ran a hand through her hair and frowned when her fingers felt a slight dampness. "Okay, correction. Bath first, then breakfast, then this." She frowned at the note. "At least I know what I'll be doing all day."
It would be a better feeling than sitting around feeling useless.
Anna ducked back into her room and gathered her things. She left Elsa's note sitting on her bed before slipping into the bathroom.
A while later, Anna was munching on a plate of cereal, instructions in hand again, when something occurred to her. She shot up in her chair, eyes wide and a splatter of cornflakes sticking to her mouth.
"Wait, it's laundry day. Does that mean I have to wash Elsa's clothes too?!"
The apartment didn't answer her.
Elsa's fingers tapped away at her keyboard, her stare blank. Her mind had long since dulled from the hours of looking over plans for her team's current project. The hot weather had sapped away any enthusiasm she might have had for her work. She knew she wasn't the only one. The firm was quieter than usual and occasionally she would hear one of her coworkers grumbling about the heat and wishing to go home.
Home…
Elsa's shoulders drooped a bit and she entered another combination into her computer.
Just this week and I won't have to look at these drafts anymore. We could actually move onto seeing that bank get built. And then I'll be able to get home earlier.
Elsa stiffened. She pushed away her keyboard and sagged in her seat, burying her face in her hands. "What am I doing," she muttered.
"Hopefully saying yes to having lunch with us?"
Elsa jumped, whirling around to see Olaf standing behind her. He grinned and waved at her and a tired smile curled on Elsa's lips.
"Hello Olaf," she said. She glanced at her wristwatch and blinked in surprise. "Wow, I didn't even notice the time."
"That's okay, it's why I came to ask you," Olaf replied. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, buck teeth prominent with how large his smile was. "The others and I figured you'd be working so hard for Weselton that you'd forget about lunch. Again."
Elsa leaned back in her seat and rubbed her temples. "Sorry, I've just been so caught up in things with—"
She clamped her mouth shut. A pit of anxiety welled up inside her and Elsa crossed her hands over her stomach.
Olaf blinked. "You okay?"
Elsa chuckled dryly and wrung her hands in her lap. "I'm fine," she said. Just trying to get used to the stranger at home.
Olaf frowned, uncertainty crossing his features. "Elsa, if there's anything you want to talk about we can."
Elsa grimaced. Out of all her coworkers Olaf had been the most persistent in getting her to open up. Never roughly, but he had been one of the first ones to tap at her walls. His persistence was uncomfortably like Anna's at times.
Except now she's a lot less persistent.
Elsa mentally cringed and pushed the thought away. She got up and smoothed down her skirt, saying, "Right now I'd prefer to get something to eat Olaf."
Olaf beamed and all traces of their conversation was dropped. Elsa grabbed her purse and put her computer on sleep mode before walking down the corridor with him.
Meg was already in the common lobby with a few packaged meals by the time they walked in. A few other people lingered around, enjoying their coffee and lunch. Otherwise, the area was empty save for Elsa and her friends.
Elsa scowled slightly. It was a blatant reminder of exactly how many people Weselton took on for his firm.
Meg glanced up from her phone when they approached her table. She sneered and grumbled, "I can't get my usual coffee because it's boiling out there. I walked out of the building and thought I was going to melt like some wicked witch of the west."
Elsa's face cleared and she chuckled softly, slipping into a seat. "It really is very hot," she said. Her stomach growled at the sight of food and Meg smirked.
"Eat up Blondie."
Elsa grinned and grabbed one of the packages. It smelled like something out of the frozen aisle section from the grocery store, but she wasn't about to complain. "Thanks. Lunch slipped my mind today." She unraveled the sandwich and took a few quick bites.
Olaf slowly picked up his, sniffing it. "I like sandwiches, but I think I would've preferred something with a little more zing. Like pickles! Pickles bring lots of zing. You know once—"
Meg rolled her eyes and Elsa giggled behind her hand. Their lunchtime descended into a quiet time of listening to Olaf's idle chatter. Elsa allowed herself to relax as she ate. She was listening to Olaf talk about one of his dentist appointments and sipping her drink when loud footfalls thudded behind them.
Don't tell me...
"Morning ladies."
Elsa refrained from sighing. Meg looked up, an annoyed frown already crossing her features.
Gaston smiled down at them. "Now, now, don't look so crossed. I simply came to ask one thing." He faked an innocent look. "I'm allowed to do that aren't I?"
Olaf grinned. "Sure Gaston. We're all coworkers here." Elsa noticed him glance subtly at Meg. "What's your question?" he quipped.
"Oh, I was simply wondering if Elsa was finished with those drafts yet." He puffed out his chest and Elsa's skin crawled. "Mr. Weselton wanted to come ask you himself, but I passed him by on the way to your desk Elsa and saved you the trouble."
Elsa's brow furrowed. She eyed him up and down, shoulders hunching up to her ears.
He's not lying or else he wouldn't be bragging about it.
She sighed and smiled slightly at him. "Thank you Gaston. Would you kindly tell Mr. Weselton to expect them Friday morning?"
Gaston's grin widened. He bowed and Elsa noticed Meg gag out of the corner of her eye.
"Speaking of Fridays, are you free this one?" Gaston asked, straightening.
Elsa tightened her grip on drink. "Er, actually, no, I'm not. I'm—" A thousand thoughts rushed through her mind and she settled on the first excuse that came to it. "I'll be spending the evening with my sister."
To her, it felt as if the entire room became impossibly silent. Meg and Olaf stared at her, eyebrows raised. Gaston's smiled vanished and he blinked once, twice. Elsa's stomach twisted and the tight ball of anxiety returned.
"I didn't know you had a sister," Gaston said, arching an eyebrow.
Elsa shrugged, averting her gaze. "She's come to live with me because she's attending college here in California."
"Ah." Gaston's eyes flickered with disinterest before he smiled again. "Well since you'll be busy playing catch-up with your sister, how about tonight? Are you free—"
"She's going clubbing with us," Meg cut in sharply.
Elsa's eyes darted to her, wide and confused.
"Yeah, we'll be having drinks and dancing and partying," Olaf chirped. His dark eyes twinkled. "Do you want to join us for some gold ol' fashioned fun Gaston? We can all go as friends!"
Please tell me Olaf's joking.
Gaston grimaced and crossed his arms. "Actually, think I'll pass. I just remembered I promised Lefou we'd visit the shooting gallery." He stepped back and gave a single wave. "I'll let the boss know about the drafts Elsa. Excuse me ladies."
He trudged out of the lobby and Elsa heard his heavy footsteps disappear. Relief rushed through her and she sagged in her seat. "Thank goodness."
Olaf's grin stretched to his ears.
"Did you do that on purpose?" Meg asked, quirking an eyebrow.
Olaf blinked at her. "No, I was being serious." Meg's jaw dropped and he shrugged. "What? I think we could all be friends."
Meg snorted and crossed her arms. "If he stopped being a pushy asshole." She turned to Elsa this time. "Were you serious about spending Friday with your sister?"
Elsa grimaced. "It was the first thing that came to mind."
"Next time he asks you out, just say no." Meg stretched her arms and leaned back in her chair. "You can't always make up excuses, some guys don't learn until you tell them flat out."
Elsa sighed and nodded. "I rarely had to deal with men like Gaston. I'm not used to that sort of attention."
Meg blinked and tilted her head. "You never got hit on by obnoxious guys at school? I find that really hard to believe Elsa."
"I went to a private girls' school most of my life," Elsa mumbled. She stared at the table as she briefly recalled the years spent at private school, from sixth to twelfth grade. Elsa chewed on her lower lip. It had been her father's idea.
Olaf leaned his elbows on the table, a smile lighting up his face. "That sounds lovely, you must have met a lot of different girls there." Meg snorted and Olaf quirked his eyebrow at her. "What's gotten into you?"
"Nothing," she said, hiding a smirk behind her coke.
Elsa's chest tightened. She twirled her drink in her hands, remembering the hallways of her old school and the feelings the place had brought up in her. Especially the ones that surfaced around certain girls.
"It was okay," she mumbled, cheeks heating up.
"I think it would be best if we transferred her to another school Idunn."
Her fingers twitched. She was more reminiscent than usual today. She stared down at her sandwich, feeling her appetite lessen.
"How is the little sister thing going?"
Elsa blinked and glanced at Olaf. He stared at her with excited expectation. She shrugged and took a bite out of her sandwich. "It's going."
"She's attending college this fall right?" Meg asked, rifling through her bag and drawing out a nail filer.
Elsa nodded. "I left a bunch of instructions at home for her about the bus routes if she's going to check out the campus today."
"What? Instructions?" Meg quirked an eyebrow. "Can't she just google that?"
Elsa's lips curled downward. "She did and ended up getting lost..."
Olaf placed his head on his arms, blinking curiously. "You can't just drive her?"
The hot weather vanished. The lobby suddenly felt cold and the air thin. Elsa's chest tightened and her pupils dilated. She heard people chatting around her before a scream sounded from a distance and everything was cut short. She sucked in a breath and tried to shake away the image of headlights coming towards her.
Elsa sipped her water, wetting her dry throat. "Well, you know how busy I've been." Her coworkers grimaced sympathetically. "Besides, I don't know if Anna would have wanted me to hang over her."
"But you left a bunch of instructions that she could have looked up?" Meg asked pointedly. Elsa shot her a look, frowning. The brunette shrugged. "That just sounds odd to me. How old is your sister? Nineteen? She looks like a punk nineteen-year-old to me."
Elsa rolled her eyes and bit into her sandwich again, much more harshly. "She's twenty." Her lips twitched upward and she couldn't help adding, "She'll be turning twenty-one this winter."
Olaf straightened, a grin lighting up his features. "Ooooh! We should throw her a birthday party!"
Elsa laughed once. A small, bitter smile curled on her lips and she pressed her water bottle to her chest. Birthdays hadn't been huge celebrations for either her or Anna for a long time.
I bet Anna had better birthdays in New York than she had with Mama.
"Or take her to a club."
Elsa blinked and snapped her gaze to Meg. "Excuse me?!"
Meg stared at her, wide-eyed and confused. "What? She's going to be twenty-one! That's prime club age. That's initiation."
"We could go dancing!" Olaf exclaimed, clapping his hands together loudly. "I remember this one time I went to a gay bar—although I didn't know it was a gay bar at the time—"
Elsa shot out of her seat, heat rushing to her pale cheeks and traveling down her neck. "My sister is not going to any bars!" Olaf stared up at her, surprise flashing across his face. Elsa cringed, biting her lip.
Meg held up her hand in a placating manner. "Woah Elsa, chill. It was just a suggestion." Elsa opened her mouth to protest before Meg interrupted. "She's going to be twenty-one. You don't have to act all Mama Bear. She can take care of herself I'm sure."
The blonde sighed and slowly sat back down. She glanced around, wondering if any of their other coworkers had heard her outburst. Elsa reached up and fiddled with her braid, cheeks still red.
"She got lost on the bus the other day," she said.
Olaf tilted his head, brow furrowing in thought. "Didn't you say she was from New York? Don't they have like a lot of buses? Subways and taxis?"
Elsa huffed and ran a hand through her hair, disentangling her sprayed bangs. "Yes and she got lost."
"Is that what happened last week?" Olaf asked. "You were so out of sorts that day."
Meg finally went back to her nail filer and shrugged. "Okay, so she's like eighteen. No bars."
"She's twenty," Elsa huffed. Meg raised an eyebrow at her and something curled in Elsa's stomach. She stared down at the table, crinkling her water bottle in her hands.
Meg snickered. "And she got lost on the bus. A twenty-year-old from New York."
Elsa bit her lip. "Anna only lived in New York for about four years," she pointed out. Her shoulders drooped and she sighed. "Besides, she had difficulties getting around the city..." Absentmindedly, Elsa brushed a finger over her purse, eyes clouding in thought.
Anna wasn't exactly up and running around even before I left her in New York.
A memory of Anna sitting demurely at her aunt and uncle's kitchen table came and a pang of guilt and distress hit Elsa square in the chest. A hand touched her shoulder and she jumped.
"Elsa?" Olaf frowned at her, dark eyes glimmering with worry. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," Elsa said quickly, shaking his hand off. "Look you guys, don't make snap judgments about my sister. She's barely been here for more than a week."
"I think I'm going to start singing 'you're hot and you're cold, you're yes and you're no,' every time we get on the topic of you and your sister." Meg motioned her hands from side to side, humming to a silent tune. She smirked at Elsa and crossed her arms.
Elsa frowned. "I'm not that bad."
Meg quirked an eyebrow. "Seriously?"
Elsa's frown deepened. "I'm not." Olaf coughed next to her and she glanced at him. "What?"
Meg sighed and placed her arms on the table, resting her chin on them. "You go on about how she hasn't been managing well since she got here, but then you left her off the hook because she's not even twenty-one. You can't make up your own mind about your sister." Elsa clutched the edge of the table, knuckles turning white. Meg frowned, a glimmer of worry in her eyes. "We don't get it Elsa. First you're cold when it comes to talking about your sister, then you're hotter than this weather."
Olaf glanced at his phone. "And it's really hot today."
"What's up, really?" Meg asked, scooching her chair closer to Elsa.
Elsa grimaced and averted her gaze. She stared out the lobby window, listening to the sounds of traffic outside and the murmuring of other employees. The lobby disappeared and she stood in the foyer of her house, watching her father hang up on his cell phone.
"Your sister's just...had a bit of trouble lately."
Her father's distant, distracted voice rang in her head.
"It's complicated," Elsa muttered.
Meg sighed and shook her head. "And we're back to square one. You sure you don't want to talk about this Elsa?"
Elsa tensed and stared at her hands. "I appreciate the sentiment you two, but it's," she shifted in her seat, "it's complicated."
Olaf reached over and patted her arm. Elsa sighed and met his concerned dark eyes.
"You know, you two are going to have talk about the things between you right?"
Elsa lowered her gaze and gave a small nod.
I know.
A couple of hours after lunch found Elsa standing at her desk and looking over the draft plans for a final time. A steaming cup of coffee was the only thing keeping her from not seeing straight. After the hundredth time of glancing over her papers, Elsa sighed and sat back in her chair. Her eyes fluttered shut as she listened to the people working around her. She could distantly hear Olaf and Meg talking about the bank project.
Just a couple more hours and I'm home free.
Elsa's eyes opened and she glanced at her bag. She bit her bottom lip.
I wonder how Anna's day has been going. I hope nothing went wrong today.
Elsa squirmed in her seat. All her younger sister had to do was menial tasks today. Nothing terrible could possibly happen. The likelihood of Anna seriously hurting herself was slim to none. Right?
Elsa frowned and sat up. She reached for one of her folders, flipping it open and shuffling through the papers she had brought with her from home. They were notes of Anna she had taken over the years, from speaking with her aunt and uncle about Anna's stay with them. Despite her distance, Elsa had been vigilant in keeping them. Her father had been a man of notes and lists and the habit had passed onto Elsa when she had lived with him.
Elsa shuffled through them and frowned. "I wonder if Anna's eligible for a disability placard."
Her eyes glazed over and again she recalled the memory of Anna sitting in her aunt and uncle's kitchen. She'd finally worked up the courage to visit Anna during her first spring break and the conversations between them had been terse and brief. Elsa had had so many words to say and no idea how to say them. Her eyes had tried not to stray away from her sister's face, but they'd kept darting all over the kitchen that day.
I just couldn't look her in the eye yet.
Elsa jumped when her cell phone vibrated. She glanced at it and bit the inside of her cheek when she noticed the caller ID. Her very first instinct was to ignore it, but Olaf's words from earlier rang in her head. Elsa ran her hands down the sides of her face, trying to ignore the tightening of her chest and the spike of anxiety. She cast a quick look around, still hesitant.
It would be just like Gaston or Mr. Weselton to find me slacking right about now.
Another small voice told her she was just delaying things.
Elsa grimaced and quickly picked up her phone. Her stomach was already in knots before it even reached her ear. "Anna?"
At first all Elsa heard were machines rumbling on the other end. She frowned.
Anna must be at the—
"Elsa?"
Elsa stiffened. There was no backing out now. She swallowed dryly and reached for her pencil, eyes darting over her papers and looking for something to keep her mind occupied. "I'm here Anna—" for once "—what did you need?"
Elsa heard the catch in her sister's voice before she spoke again. "Oh, I didn't really need—" a thump followed Anna's distracted voice before "—wait, actually I did need something."
Elsa pushed away the shiver of worry and concentrated on triple-checking a few figures. "What was it?"
Anna coughed. Elsa's brow furrowed as a silence stretched between them and was only filled by the whirl of machines in the background. She vaguely heard her sister muttering under her breath.
"Anna?" Elsa questioned. "Where are you?"
"Down in the laundromat," Anna replied. There was something off about her voice. Elsa recognized it as the edge Anna always had when she wanted to ask about something.
This could be either very uncomfortable or very...no, it doesn't matter what it is.
Elsa's stomach twisted. It wa going to be uncomfortable inspite of everything. She tightened her grip on her pencil, locking her jaw. "You have enough money for your laundry right?"
"Yeah," Anna said. There was some shuffling in the other end before Anna continued in a harsh whisper, "Eight bucks. God I really need a job fast."
Elsa gnawed her bottom lip in worry. "No one gave you any trouble right?"
"No," Anna quipped. "It's not that. I just ran into a bit of dilemma and needed to call you." Anna coughed and Elsa frowned at the embarrassment in her voice. "Wait, actually should I have just texted you instead?" In a low hiss, Elsa heard Anna say to herself, "I should have done that first. Damn it."
Elsa's expression softened and her lips twitched upwards.
That's thoughtful of her.
Guilt suddenly colored her cheeks when she recalled their Sunday talk.
I can at least do the same.
Even if it was difficult, Elsa could at least try.
She looked around, checking to make sure no one had noticed her call so far. Anna was still muttering to herself on the other end. Elsa's shoulders relaxed slightly when she saw she was in the clear.
She cleared her throat and asked, "It's alright. You can call me at work if you need to."
"—I remember that one time I called Mama at work and—wait, what? I can?"
Elsa's brow creased. She refrained from questioning the slip up and instead said, "Of course. I'm going to need to get used to it anyway since I'm your emergency contact."
"Oh," Anna said. Elsa drummed her fingers on her desk and wished she could see Anna's face. Her sister cleared her throat and Elsa perked up. "Well, okay. Um, is there any time I should not call you? You know, if you're like super-busy or something. I don't want to get you in trouble at work since your boss is kind of an ass."
Elsa chuckled, rolling her eyes. "I'll make a schedule for you."
Anna grunted, the sound muffled by shuffling on the other end. Elsa tilted her head, frowning again.
"Was that all you needed?" she asked slowly.
"Oh, no! No. You see, I was wondering..." Anna coughed and this time Elsa could hear the clear note of embarrassment in her sister's voice. Her frown deepened. "Well, I'm just down here in the laundromat with my own stuff," Anna mumbled. "Did you want me to do your stuff too?"
Elsa blinked, hand stilling atop her drafts.
What's with the hesitance?
Then realization dawned on her and she felt warmth flood her cheeks. Elsa snapped into a straight position, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling. On the other line, Anna continued in a rush.
"You told me it was laundry day and at first I just thought you wanted me to do my stuff. But then I remembered we're living together and since you're going to work late tonight again, I thought to myself 'Wait, Anna, Elsa's stuff probably needs washing too. There's only so many days you can go without clean under—"
Elsa let out a strangled noise, the heat on her cheeks rushing down to her neckline.
Oh god, this is uncomfortable.
She ran a hand down her face as Anna continued rambling.
"And I know you don't like people being in your room and I don't think you'd appreciate it if I went in there without telling you, but—"
"Anna!" Elsa exclaimed, slapping her hands into her desk. "I get it, I get it!" She heard Anna's breath hitch and hurried to amend the conversation. "You don't have to do my laundry," she coughed. The tips of her ears were burning. "I appreciate you thinking of me—" a stab of nostalgia hit her gut "—but I'll take care of my things. J-just make sure you do yours well."
"Okay," Anna squeaked. Elsa didn't have to see her sister's face to know she was blushing as well.
The blonde bit her lip and inhaled slowly. She patted her chest and cleared her throat, saying, "Is that all you needed?"
"Pretty much," Anna replied. There was still a note of underlying embarrassment in her voice.
Elsa winced. For a brief moment, she considered ending the conversation and getting back to work.
And leave Anna admonishing herself in the laundromat.
Against her better judgement, Elsa asked, "Did you do anything else today?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, I did."
Elsa twirled her mechanical pencil. "I'm assuming you went to campus today, right?"
Don't think about any worst-case scenarios here Elsa. Don't, don't, don't. Anna's fine. She sounds completely fine.
Her stomach still twisted in knots at the thought of Anna near large vehicles.
"Yeah!" Anna's voice lightened momentarily and Elsa couldn't help the small sigh of relief escaping her. "I didn't fall asleep on the bus this time either. Everything was easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy."
Elsa snorted in surprise, barely covering and muffling the sound in time with her hand.
"I even managed to snag some nice pictures."
She stopped, her expression going blank. Elsa could practically hear the wistful smile in Anna's voice. Her chest tightened. Squirming in her seat, Elsa lowered her voice and mumbled, "Do you want to show me sometime?"
A pause stretched between them again. She slowly tensed again as her ears picked up on the sounds ongoing around her. The laundromat bustled on the other line and she could hear a few of her coworkers talking softly.
"I can do that," Anna murmured. Elsa's chest clenched and her heart skipped a beat. "If you really want to see them, I can. I took a few on my phone, but most of them are on my camera."
The blonde blinked, feeling dazed all of a sudden. "You have a camera?"
Anna laughed and absentmindedly, Elsa leaned closer to her phone. She tightened her grip on it and her lips quirked upwards. The sound brought another wave of nostalgia. Elsa closed her eyes and imagined snow and fallen leaves. Her fingers flexed and she swore she felt a small hand clasping hers.
"I bought it in New York."
Anna's voice—older and clearer—snapped her out of her reverie.
Elsa blinked several times. "New York?"
"Mhm. You need your own camera for photography classes." Anna giggled, nervous, but Elsa heard an edge of excitement in her voice. "It's not, you know, a professional-level camera, but it works."
Elsa's eyes softened and she smiled. "I'm sure the skill is in the person and not the camera," she said softly.
"Yeah," Anna said breathily. "When I was better, I used to go around New York and just take pictures of whatever. Anything I thought was interesting. And I—"
Elsa went rigid.
"When I was better—"
A sharp pain rushed through her heart. Elsa swallowed dryly, a burning welling up behind her eyes. She fumbled for her pencil, picking it up and gripping it until the clip dug into her palm. She felt lightheaded, the edges of her vision blurring.
Calm down, calm down. Get it together Elsa, you're fine. Anna's fine. Everything's fine.
Elsa ran a hand through her hair. Her sister was still chatting on the other end. "Anna, I need to get back to work."
"—oh! And this one time, I made it down to the subway and—huh?"
Elsa bit her lip. "I need to get back to work. Before my superior sees me on the phone."
It wasn't a complete lie.
"Oh! Oh, yeah, sure. Of course. Sorry for rambling your ear off."
Elsa shook her head, hyper aware of the sweat on her neck. "It's fine." Then, before Anna could reply, she added, "Make sure to get to bed early. And get in a good dinner. Nothing heavy."
"I'll leave leftovers," Anna said, confused. Elsa cringed. "Anything in particular you want?"
"No," Elsa said. She moved her papers around, pushing the medical notes under one of her business documents. "Whatever's fine. I—"
Her breath caught.
"Elsa?" Anna sounded more attentive than ever.
Elsa swallowed, suddenly tired. "I'll see you later tonight?"
Anna made a small noise of disappointment on the phone. Elsa's shoulders sagged.
"Well...I'll be asleep, but okay."
"That's fine," Elsa murmured. Her eyes misted. "Sweet dreams?"
"Sweet dreams," Anna whispered. "Goodnight."
"Night," Elsa mumbled and ended the call. She exhaled heavily and laid her head on her arms, pressing her phone to her forehead.
I should have told her I love her.
But the last time she had told Anna that, in all earnesty, things had ended in tragedy.
She knew that Olaf was right. They would have to have a serious discussion about the things that had happened. They couldn't just keep dancing around the issues. Elsa knew they'd just keep stepping into tense pauses and stifling atmospheres if they didn't talk. Thirteen years of distant and sporadic relations couldn't simply go on ignored now that they were living together.
But the idea of confronting everything that had happened between them sent a spike of ice-cold fear through Elsa's chest. Talking with Anna about their separation meant talking about everything else that had come afterwards. And she wasn't sure if she could stand to relive the nightmares that had occurred after hurting her sister, especially not if it meant hurting Anna again.
Elsa sighed and buried her face into her hands.
I put myself into a corner saying yes to Anna.
Pennsylvania, 1998
"Okay, now you just tie the laces like this—make sure your boots are nice and snug—and this goes here and that goes there, and you're done!"
Elsa pulled back a bit and grinned at her success. The small skates were now settled comfortably on her feet. The wind nipped at her face and ears, but it didn't rid her of the warm glow that spread over her chest now that she had finished. Finally, they could move onto to actually skating.
"I don't think I did it right..."
Elsa glanced to her right. She couldn't stop a grin from curling on her face at the sight of Anna's puffed up cheeks and frustrated pout. Her baby sister was pressed right up against her side, clothed in a jacket a few sizes too big, a beanie, and fluffy mittens. Her round face would have disappeared if she hadn't pulled down her scarf to glare at her skates.
"Let me see," Elsa said, leaning over and peering at Anna's feet. Her grin widened. "You tied the laces the wrong way Anna." She giggled behind her hand. "You didn't even finish tying one of them actually."
Anna stared up at her with baby blue-green eyes. The cold winter and surrounding snow brought out the freckles on her face. "Can you help me Elsa?" She shook her hands, lower lip jutting out. "It's hard!" she whined.
"Okay, okay," Elsa said, leaning over and quickly undoing her sister's right boot.
Anna huffed. "I still have trouble tying shoes..."
Elsa giggled, scrunching up her nose as she re-tied her baby sister's skates. "You'll get it in no time, don't worry." After a quick glance over, she stood up. "Okay, looks like we're ready to go."
Anna cheered and bounced to her feet. In her excitement, she nearly fell to the ground. Elsa grasped her sister's shoulders and sighed in relief, grateful they were still on the snow and not actually on the ice.
"Careful," she cautioned.
Anna grunted and clutched her hands. "Sorry," she said, but her eyes were centered on the pond before them.
Elsa giggled and began to guide them down onto it. "It's okay, just make sure you hold onto me, alright?"
"Yeah!" Anna exclaimed, big blue-green eyes lighting up as they refocused on her.
A wave of warmth flooded Elsa, just as it did every time Anna looked up at her with that look on her face. Their Papa had once described it as the way someone looked at their hero. Barely seven, Elsa wasn't quite sure she understood that. But she did know that Anna's look made her want to scoop her baby sister in her arms and keep her close forever.
As their skates hit the ice and the wind howled lightly above their head, Anna glanced down at the pond, knees starting to shake. A breeze ruffled up the fringe of red hair that peeked from beneath Anna's beanie and she frowned, shivering briefly. Elsa rubbed a circle against her baby sister's back and tugged her beanie down farther. She quickly grabbed Anna's hand again when the girl wobbled.
Anna snapped her gaze up to Elsa, eyes wide. "You won't let go right?" she croaked.
Elsa blinked, brow furrowing when she noticed Anna's eyes water. "Never," she promised. As emphasis, she tugged Anna forward, the sound of metal squeaking against ice as she pressed her baby sister to her chest.
Anna buried her face in her scarf and jacket. Elsa disentangled one of her hands and gently stroked her sister's head, trying not to dislodge her beanie. She laid her cheek on Anna's head and hummed.
She could smell the apple shampoo their Mama had lathered into Anna's hair in the morning. The crisp scent of snow and trees wafted up her nostrils. In the distance, she could even hear their parents chatting happily with the neighbors. Elsa hummed a little louder.
After several moments, Anna perked up at the tune. She pulled back and grinned at Elsa, eyes bright. "I'm ready!"
Elsa giggled and kissed her sister's nose. Anna scrunched up her face in response and it prompted her to laugh even harder.
"Gross," Anna said, sticking out her tongue.
Elsa mimicked her baby sister's actions before steering backwards. Anna tensed and she responded by holding her hands in a firm grip. Patiently, Elsa said, "Just hold onto me and follow my lead."
"O-okay," Anna squeaked.
Their skates squeaked along the ice at first before they found a rhythm together.
All the while, Elsa cooed, "Glide and pivot. And glide and pivot."