A/N: A huge shoutout to my new, amazing, super awesome beta...fellow user The Wandering Quill. Thank you for all your editing help!
Show and Tell
It takes a surprisingly long time for Cleanup to reach Anna. She thinks it's because someone over at Recon has a lot of explaining to do about why they sent a Level Two hunter after a Level One creature. It's definitely grounds for dismissal, and for very good reason. Level Two hunters don't have the training—or the mental fortitude, in some cases—to hunt down creatures with human-level intellect.
Anna's just happy she made it out of the fight alive and in one piece.
Still sitting against the tree for support, her eyes drift towards the remnants of the shifter. Its shadow hangs above the blood-drenched snow, moving slightly whenever it's caught in a gust of wind.
Anna's adrenaline is finally starting to fade away, making her realize how utterly exhausted she is. She faintly hopes she won't fall asleep before answering all the questions Elsa must have.
Elsa…
If there's one bright spot in this crappy situation, it's that her friend finally knows about her job. The thought elicits a sigh and a small, pained smile. It feels like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders; she'll no longer have to lie to Elsa or have to see her worried —well, as worried—again. Sure, it wasn't exactly ideal that Elsa kinda thought she was a serial killer, but it was an understandable response to a stressful situation.
As she ponders the strangeness of being mistaken for a murderer, an unfamiliar man steps into her range of vision. He crouches down in front of her, indifferent to the gore around him, and takes a penlight out of his jacket's breast pocket. "What's your name?" he asks brusquely as he flashes the light in her eyes.
"A-Anna," she whispers, dismayed that she sounds like she's on the verge of mumbling. She clears her throat, hoping it will help her voice come out stronger. "Theron."
"Good. What day is it?"
"Thanksgiving. Wait, no. I think it's Black Friday by now, right?" Anna doesn't know what time it is, but it's most definitely past midnight.
The man nods. "I'm Dr. Westin. It doesn't seem like you have a concussion. Tell me about the other injuries you have."
Because after fighting a shifter, it's a given she has more than just a head wound. She lists off different body parts, and he checks over them all.
Behind him, two Cleanup members are taking care of the shifter remains, sealing it away in some sort of metal box, while others work on cleansing the surrounding area of blood.
"…the wrist and ribs are the only injuries that will take a few days to heal," Westin is telling her as he finishes with the field dressings. He pointedly places a few vials and pill bottles into her backpack. "Everything is labeled, so take only as directed."
"Thank you," Anna says quietly. She knows the medicine will be invaluable these next few weeks, especially for the broken bones.
The man nods and is about to say something more when Anna's hunting supervisor, Jack O'Connor, stalks over. It's the first time she's seen the man without a desk between them, and he's taller than she had previously thought. He's skipped a button on his long-sleeved henley, and his dark hair, instead of being in it's usual comb-over, flops over half of his face.
He squats down to her level, grimacing at the stained snow between them. "You holding up, kid?" he asks softly. His gray eyes flick towards the area the Cleanup crew are taking care of. "Looks like it was one helluva fight."
The paternal tone in his voice makes Anna raise her head a bit higher. "It was one-sided for the most part, sir," she replies honestly. She definitely didn't expect to see him here, though she supposes this screw-up was big enough for him to check out in person.
"But you still came through alright." The proud twinkle in his eyes catches her off guard; just a few weeks ago he was berating her. He shifts his weight from one foot to the other and clears his throat. "I need you to describe each of the shifts you saw tonight. For the field report."
"Ahh…okay." Anna closes her eyes, hoping she can remember everything. "There was the kamaitachi first, of course. Then a roc, a yowie..." She goes on down the list before stuttering on the word 'human'.
O'Connor exchanges a look with Dr. Westin, who's still hovering nearby. "Thank you. The next item to discuss is your therapy session."
"Therapy?" she echoes, narrowing the eye that isn't swollen shut. The word fans an ember of righteous indignation in her. "Just because I have a history of bloodless bodies doesn't mean I need therapy—"
"You misunderstand," Dr. Westin cuts her off smoothly. After glancing at her supervisor for approval, he continues, "The first time a person kills a Level One creature, it's mandatory that they attend at least one therapy session. At times the creature is too close to being human and it can cause some…distress…in the hunters."
Anna's stomach twitches as she remembers cutting through a very human artery, and watching as very human blood ran out of it. She swallows hard, hoping her Thanksgiving dinner will stay down. "Yeah…I can see that being a problem," she answers meekly. Perhaps a session wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
They settle on the date and time, and the doctor stretches out a hand to help her up. She rises slowly, wincing at the tugging sensation it causes in her ribs. A colder, deeper pain follows after it, emanating from the center of her chest.
"Everything alright?" O'Connor asks in concern.
Anna slowly drops her hand, not realizing it was clutching at her shirt. The sensation slips away so fast she thinks she might have been imagining it. "Yeah…" she says, sounding more uncertain than she'd like. "Yeah, I'm fine."
O'Connor nods, though he doesn't look completely convinced. "I'll walk you back to your car," he says after a moment.
The offer surprises her, but she nods and starts walking all the same. It's not long before he speaks again. "I'm going to recommend you take another week off."
Anna nearly misses a step. "What, no!" she protests, "I just started again! And it's Thanksgiving break. I already volunteered to work overtime—"
"It'll be with pay," he says, tone making it clear that she shouldn't argue about this. "You need time to heal and I don't want you back in the field until you're at one hundred percent."
Anna frowns even though she knows this is for her own good. She remembers exactly what happened the last time she was a little too eager to jump back into work. At least now she knows she's back in O'Connor's good graces after the akaname disaster.
When her car comes into view, she can't help but sigh in relief. This night has been far too long and it's still not over yet.
O'Connor stands awkwardly to the side as she puts her gear in the passenger seat. "Theron," he says just as she's about to slip behind the wheel.
She straightens back up. "Yes, sir?
He shifts his eyes so he's not looking directly at her. "Lydia would've been proud of how you handled yourself tonight," he says gruffly, the faintest hint of pink visible on the tips of his ears.
"Oh..." Anna feels a bit blindsided at hearing her mom's name so suddenly. "I'm glad you think so," she says politely, unsure of how to respond to that.
O'Connor gives her a stiff nod. "Have a good night and be sure to heal up." With that, he turns on his heel and strides back towards the nearly-finished Cleanup crew.
As Anna gets into her car, she can't stop a small, sad smile from crossing her lips. O'Connor's comment was spot on, and it serves as a reminder that she and her father weren't the only people to lose her mom.
...But the past is in the past, right? She has a friend to get back to, and that takes over reminiscing on things beyond her control.
When she gets back home, she finds Elsa pacing up and down the entryway, gnawing nervously at a fingernail. She stills when she sees Anna, looking desperately like she wants to give her another hug before remembering how injured Anna might still be. "Are you alright? What took so long?"
"Paperwork," is Anna's tired reply.
Elsa is quick to furrow her brow. "Really, you have…paperwork?" she asks, not quite skeptical but definitely surprised. "That's so—"
"Normal?" Anna guesses, "Mundane? Boring? I agree. I also had to get questioned about the case since what you saw wasn't…" she guiltily averts her gaze, imagining how utterly terrifying the scene must have looked from Elsa's point of view. "It's not what I do. Not at all. I'm sorry you had to find out that way."
"Oh, Anna," Elsa murmurs, coming closer. She puts two fingers under Anna's chin and tilts her head up so their eyes meet again. Anna's heart speeds up at the tender, unexpected action. "You're so…" Elsa's voice trails off and she drops her hand, gingerly rubbing her thumb over her fingers.
"...dirty," she finishes, nose wrinkling at the filth on her fingertips.
But Anna's suddenly glad for the dirt and blood on her face—hopefully it means Elsa can't see her cheeks reddening. "Occupational hazard," she says in an equally quiet voice, surprised at how welcome Elsa's touch feels.
They both pause and just look at each other. Even though Anna's appearance is utterly disgusting, there's nothing but affection in Elsa's gaze. Anna doesn't bother trying to smother the dopey grin crossing her face, and Elsa is quick to respond with a soft smile of her own.
Everything has changed between them now. There's still so much ground to cover, so many things Elsa needs to know. But Anna wasn't kidding when she said there would be no more secrets between them. She feels so relieved now that she can be truthful to the other woman, because god knows Elsa deserves honesty after everything she's put up with. From the smile Elsa is giving her, she knows they're finally on the same page.
Anna clears her throat, just now realizing they've been doing nothing but smiling at each other for the last thirty seconds or so. "I should probably take a shower."
Elsa nods in agreement, smile effortlessly changing into a smirk. "Just try not to use all of my bodywash this time."
"I'll see what I can do," Anna answers dryly. She shuffles into her room to drop off her supplies, grabbing her pajamas and some of her new medicine before heading back out. Nodding to Elsa when she passes her in the hall, she prepares to take the quickest and most thorough shower in history.
That idea kind of falls through when she ends up nodding off under the shower's warm, comforting spray, only waking up when she hears Elsa knocking on the bathroom door. "Are you okay? The water's been running for forty minutes."
"Y-yeah!" Anna answers quickly even as she silently curses at herself. She shuts off the faucet and hops out, almost slipping in her haste to get dried off and into her clean clothes. When she yanks open the door, she's more out of breath than she'd like to admit.
Elsa, who had been standing right in front of the door, has to take a step backwards so they don't collide. "Sorry if you weren't done, I was just—"
"No, no," Anna breathlessly cuts her off. "I …sort of fell asleep in the shower. Thanks for knocking."
"Oh." Elsa runs a critical eye up and down Anna's form, eyes narrowing in consideration. "We could…postpone our talk. If you want to sleep." Elsa sounds slightly pained, as if the suggestion has caused a little part of her to die. Anna gets the feeling she's been suppressing her desire to launch a barrage of questions at Anna since her return.
Anna nods reluctantly, knowing there's a high chance of her falling asleep in the middle of Elsa's interrogation. "I'll be of more use to you after I get some rest," she sheepishly admits. She notices Elsa's face fall a little even though she tries to mask it with an understanding nod. A sudden thought hits Anna, coaxing a bright smile to her face. "But there is something you can do in the meantime."
She takes ahold of Elsa's hand and guides her towards her bedroom. Anna knows this is a really stupid time to feel self-conscious about the state of her room, but she picks up a few stray socks anyways, not wanting Elsa to think she's too much of a slob. Elsa takes in the space with open interest, eyes sliding from Anna's rumpled, green comforter to the impressive array of books lining her shelves and spilling across her desk.
"Let's see what we have..." Anna muses to herself as she heads over to the books. Her fingers brush against their worn bindings, lingering over a few titles before she comes to a decision. She grabs two thick, leather-bound books and sets them on the bed for Elsa to inspect. "These are bestiaries. They have pictures and descriptions of different types of creatures, including many of the ones I hunt. I've written notes in a few entries that you might find interesting."
Or amusing, depending on the creature—the sole note she has for lavellans is 'slippery little bastards'.
Beside her, Elsa releases a shaky breath. "Okay. Alright, thanks," she says distractedly. It looks like she's ready to devour the books in one bite and only Anna's presence is preventing her from doing so.
"There's one more thing you should know," Anna solemnly says as she hands the books to Elsa. "Something extremely important."
Now that gets Elsa's attention. She refocuses on Anna, who schools her expression to look deathly serious. "We live in a world where there is a never ending war between humans and others…between good and evil itself. You'll have to pick your side soon, Elsa. I hope it's the right one."
Elsa's mouth drops open in shock and she nearly loses her grip on the books. She tries and fails to formulate words and resorts to just staring at Anna in disbelief.
Anna can't take it anymore and bursts out laughing at the sight, ignoring the pain in her ribs because that was worth it, dammit. "I'm totally kidding. We'll talk in a few hours, alright?"
Elsa recovers surprisingly fast, her mouth turning into a scowl that doesn't hold any actual anger. "You're going to have a lot of fun with this whole thing, aren't you?"
Still chortling, Anna crawls into her bed and flops against her pillows. "Hell yeah, I am."
When she wakes up, the first thing she sees is Elsa. She's sitting on the floor, her back against the wall. One book is propped open against her thighs and the other is off to the side. Her eyes squint in concentration as her lips silently form the words on the pages.
"Bored yet?" Anna asks, voice slightly husky from sleep.
The question breaks Elsa's concentration, and she startles slightly. "I don't think I could ever get bored of this," she responds easily, lips curving upwards. "Though I do have a question."
"Hmm, only one? This whole thing was easier than I thought it would be," Anna drawls. She shifts to her side, one hand propping her head up so she can get a better look at Elsa.
Ignoring the jab, Elsa continues, "I know you said I could read these, but there's a lot of words I'm not familiar with. What on earth does 'malum' mean?"
"Apple," Anna says absentmindedly. She's become a bit distracted by how fucking happy Elsa looks. People always talk about how women seem to glow during pregnancy—well, those women have nothing on Elsa. There's a healthy, excited flush to her cheeks and she's more relaxed than Anna's seen her in weeks. She's practically radiating contentment, like she's meant to be in Anna's room with her, reading through books of strange and exotic creatures.
But the image is broken when Elsa's nose wrinkles in confusion. Her eyes go back down to the book and she reads aloud, "'Throughout history, wargs are best known for their large-scale acts of violence, lust for human blood…and apples.' Are you sure that's right?"
"Context means everything, doesn't it?" Anna asks rhetorically, knowing Elsa can see the embarrassed flush that's taking over her face. "In this case, it means 'evil-doing'. Though I wouldn't be surprised if wargs liked apples every now and then." Excellent save, she sarcastically congratulates herself.
She sits up fully and stretches her arms, careful not to agitate her ribs. "What do you say we go into the living room for the rest of this talk? Unless that really was the only question you had." It seems…strange, somehow, for Elsa to be in here. Because she really does seem completely at ease with being in her room. Plus, the only place for them to sit and talk comfortably would be on Anna's bed, which definitely isn't the place to have a lengthy discussion.
"Alright," Elsa nods in agreement, joints creaking as she rises to her feet. Anna wonders if this is the first time Elsa's gotten up since she handed over the books.
Anna rolls out of bed as gracefully as her injuries allow her to and leads the way out of her room. She makes a beeline for the kitchen, where her energy bars await her.
Elsa watches as she bustles around the kitchen and a small laugh escapes her when Anna runs a lazy hand through her hair. When Anna turns around, she sees Elsa squinting thoughtfully at her. "With your hair like that, you look a bit like a futakuchi." Anna's eyebrows raise in surprise at the unexpected reference. Futakuchi were human-like in appearance and known for having an extra mouth buried underneath a layer of thick, disheveled hair. With a small smirk, Elsa adds, "That could also explain why you eat so much."
"Maybe I should take those books back. You're clearly using your newfound knowledge for evil," Anna grouses, though she attempts to flatten her cowlick nonetheless. In response to Elsa's other jab, she simply crams an entire energy bar into her mouth before snagging another one and heading over to the couch.
She sits cross-legged on it, hands resting comfortably in her lap. Elsa quickly joins her, sitting so she's facing Anna head-on.
"You know," Anna starts around a mouthful of food, "You're taking this whole thing surprisingly well so far. Are you sure you're not in some kind of deep denial?"
If Anna's being truthful, she thought Elsa would have had some sort of freak out by now. She certainly wouldn't blame her if she did—having to accept that there's a whole world beyond what she previously believed is certainly a lot to take in.
A ghost of a smile passes Elsa's face when she says, "This is real, isn't it? It's not just some crazy dream I'm having?" Her questions are asked in a light tone, but Anna can tell she's not joking.
Anna straightens up and puts a reassuring hand on Elsa's knee. "I promise that all of this is real—it's not a dream, not some elaborate ploy to gain your trust. We can start whenever you're ready to."
Elsa nods shyly. "I…don't even know where to begin."
"Me neither," Anna admits with a small smile, taking her hand off the other woman. "I was born into this sort of…double life, I guess. It took years to learn everything I know, and I'm still nowhere near being an expert on anything."
They stay silent, Elsa considering Anna's words carefully. "What if we start with you, then? Would…would that be alright?" she asks hesitantly.
"That works," Anna says with more confidence than she feels. "Ask away!" She shifts so her knees are curled up to her chest and loops her arms around them. The pose doesn't exactly scream 'at ease', but she doesn't know how personal Elsa's questions might get.
"You said you were a hunter, but that what I saw last night..." she grimaces at the memory, "wasn't normal for you. Why was that?"
Anna exhales, choosing her next words carefully. "My job involves Level Two creatures. 'Level Two' refers to any creature whose intellect is below that of a human. They're...animals, basically. The Guild sends me a page if the creature has endangered human lives or is about to. Depending on the type, I'm either tasked to kill or move it away from Arendelle.
"Last night was a Level One; meaning it's as smart as a human, if not smarter. You're probably familiar with these creatures because they're all the rage in the media; werewolves, vampires, et cetera," Anna continues, "I was fighting a shape shifter last night. Someone at the Guild mistook it for a lesser creature and sent me after it. I'm not trained to hunt Level Ones. You need to pass a whole array of psych and aptitude tests because the work is so dangerous."
When explaining this to Anna, her father had said, "Level Two hunters aren't all that different from regular hunters. But what your mother and I do is more along the lines of detectives. Level Ones have rights and protections, same as we do. We have to track them down so they can be sentenced for their crimes, or killed on sight if it comes to that. Humans who harm nonhumans also fall under our jurisdiction."
She repeats those same words to Elsa, voice fading near the end when she sees anger shining in her eyes. Elsa's lips thin and form a vicious frown, and her hands tighten into fists. Anna swallows hard—she didn't think the explanation would evoke this kind of reaction.
"How dare they," Elsa growls, and Anna swears the room feels a little cooler. This conversation is already going off the rails and she's hardly said anything yet. Anna raises her hands in a placating manner, ready to defend her job.
But then Elsa goes on, "How dare they send you after that thing. You could have gotten killed!"
Anna blinks. "Umm..."
"Who's in charge of sending you those pages?" Elsa demands, eyes narrowing in anger. "How hard is it for them to just do their job? Those fucking idiots."
It's the first time Anna's ever heard Elsa use that expletive. She's rendered speechless for a moment, opening and closing her mouth like a surprised guppy. "Recon can be a difficult job," she says eventually, though she's not sure why she's trying to defend the faceless Guild member responsible for tonight's events, "there's lots of variables to account for—"
"And are they not trained to look for them? I've seen you after these cases of yours, Anna. If that's the 'easier' job of the two, they have no excuse for that kind of mistake." Elsa spits the word out with such venom that it has Anna leaning away slightly.
She's honestly more than a little touched by this reaction, and it makes her realize she's never truly been on Elsa's bad side before. This information has Elsa acting like a mama bear protecting her cub from the world. It would be completely inappropriate to smile right now, right?
"I really am okay, Els," she says instead, hoping the affection she put in the shortened name is coming through loud and clear. "That kind of thing never happens, I promise. And hey, I got the rest of the week off...with pay!" she adds cheerfully. At the time, O'Connor's recommendation didn't seem like such a great thing, but now that she sees Elsa relax slightly, she's glad she accepted the time off.
"Good," Elsa grumbles in approval. "That's the least they should do for you." She sighs and adjusts her position slightly. "I'm sorry for that outburst. And I'm not mad at you for once—"
"A refreshing change of pace—" Anna interjects.
"—just the situation," Elsa continues, pointedly ignoring her snarky remark. "I…worry about you." She looks down after the admission, teeth fretting her bottom lip.
The sight warms something in Anna's chest, and her grin changes into something gentler. "I like knowing you're watching out for me," she says quietly. Elsa's eyes flick back up, suddenly looking impossibly blue. "That of anyone I could come home to...it's you. I like that. A lot."
Despite their rocky start as roommates, Elsa's proven to be one of the best people Anna's ever known. She's determined, sweeter than she'd ever admit, and has, as it turns out, a protective streak a mile wide where Anna's concerned.
Her heart gives an oddly pleasant, little jump at the thought.
Elsa stiffens under the weight of the words, shoulders hunching up to her ears as she bites harder into her bottom lip. Her cheeks take on a familiar pink tint, yet her eyes refuse to stray from Anna's. The look is so unexpectedly adorable that it has Anna blushing without knowing exactly why.
Hoping to spare both of them from further embarrassment, Anna breaks eye contact first with a small cough. "We should continue," she says hastily, staring fixedly at Elsa's shoulder. "There's a lot more to get through. How about we talk about the Guild? "
"That sounds like a good idea," Elsa says, blush fading and replaced by the anticipation Anna saw earlier.
"Great!" Anna says, attempting to inject some enthusiasm into what's sure to be a long speech. "Alright, so the Guild is a huuuuge organization, mostly for nonhumans. It's split into dozens of branches, from international, to national, all the way down to specific cities. Joining it is optional, but most everyone does."
She points emphatically to herself. "Humans can join either by being grandfathered in—like I was— or if they possess a skill needed by the Guild. Since humans outnumber intelligent nonhumans, there's a whole lot of teamwork involved. The Guild has basically been around since the beginning of time, helping along interactions between all the various species…"
After nearly two hours of talking, Anna has long since sunk bonelessly into the couch. Elsa, on the other hand, remains sitting upright, back straight and one leg crossed over the other. If anything, she's only grown more attentive with each passing sentence Anna has uttered.
It's like she thinks this is for class credit, Anna thinks in weary amusement. Wanting to test that theory out, she asks, "Would you like to take any notes on what I'm saying?"
Elsa perks up at that. "Can I do that?" she asks eagerly, lips twitching upwards as she leans forward a little. "Are you sure that'd be alright?"
Anna laughs, though it's cut short by the pain unfurling in her ribs. She swears she feels one of them shift into an anatomically incorrect position. "Oh, oww," she gasps, a curse almost following on her tongue. For a while there, she'd been able to forget that she was still injured.
"Are you alright?" Elsa immediately asks in a far more concerned tone, scooting over so she and Anna are nearly touching. "Did something happen?"
"Nope, all good here," Anna says sheepishly, not expecting Elsa to suddenly be so close. "Just me being an idiot, nothing out of the ordinary." This is what karma feels like, isn't it?
Elsa gives her a look of thinly-veiled suspicion but doesn't push the matter. The pain radiating from her ribs becomes tolerable after a few careful breaths. "Anyways…" Anna finally says, nearly sighing in relief, "where were we?"
"Vampires?"
"Yep, though they're not at all sparkly or particularly attractive."
"Werewolves?"
"Yes."
"Mummies?"
"Well they're basically reanimated corpses…so yeah, I guess."
"…Unicorns?"
"Of course not. That would be ridiculous."
"Wait, Kristoff?"
"Well, sort of. It's an ability, not a different species. It makes him kind of superhuman in a way. Though if you ever tell him I said that, his ego will swell to...well, the size of a normal person's."
"So he can talk to animals? How does that work exactly?"
"I don't know the biological nitty-gritty behind it, but since he only has the gene from one parent, his powers are more limited than a full-fledged esper. He can communicate with Sven telepathically and can see through his eyes if he wants to, but that's the only connection he can hold. His mom can communicate with whatever animal she wants, which definitely helps when hunting."
"And I just thought Sven was really well behaved..."
"He is! Kristoff can't force him to do anything, just ask him to. If they weren't with the trolls right now, I'd have him explain everything."
"Trolls?!"
"Your turn," Anna says some time later. They're back in the living room after taking a break for lunch. Anna's pretty sure her voice will never fully recover if she talks much more, so she hopes Elsa can take the reins for a bit. "I feel like I have a monopoly on secrets here, but is there anything you'd like to tell me?"
Elsa looks thrown by the question, blinking a few times before answering. "Not really?" she says uncertainly, "I mean…nothing importantly, really."
"Oh, come on!" Anna exclaims. "That's the worst non-answer you could give. Everyone has secrets. You gotta give me something, Elsa."
Elsa considers her plea, looking like she's close to spilling something big. "Well, there is one thing," she says evasively, fingers worrying the hem of her shirt. "I really like…chocolate," she smiles unexpectedly, satisfied with her answer. "I might love it, actually."
Anna snorts. "That's the worst kept secret in the world." She tries to hide her disappointment with Elsa's lack of forthcoming, knowing that there really are some secrets that can't be told. Instead, she treads into safer territory. "Would it be okay if I ask some stuff about your..." She gestures vaguely at the whole of Elsa, "fae-ness?"
"That'd be fine, though I don't know how much I can answer," Elsa replies, somehow looking both anxious and relieved by the shift in topic.
Anna, who still hasn't forgiven Elsa for the futakuchi remark earlier, decides it's time for a little overdue fun. "You have insanely blue eyes," she starts ominously, "You can whip toupees off professors with well-placed gusts of snow. Your skin is pale white and ice cold...How old are you?"
Elsa glares at her, clearly getting the reference. But being a good sport, she plays along and supplies the expected answer. "Twenty-two."
Anna leans forward, narrowing her eyes in an attempt to look serious. "And how long have you been twenty-two?"
Elsa now has a playful—if a bit questioning—smile on her lips. "Umm, five months?"
Anna rolls her eyes. "No, but really. I swear I won't judge if you're like, sixty years old or something. Well..." she reconsiders, "maybe I'll judge a little." Of course, the likely answer is that Elsa really is twenty-two, but it's more fun to pretend otherwise.
"What are you talking about?" Elsa asks, smile starting to fade.
"Well, Jack is really old, but it's definitely not obvious to most people. I mean..." Anna's eyes widen. "Oh no. Jack. We need to talk to him." How the hell did she manage to forget about him?
"Jack who?" Elsa's expression darkens considerably. "You don't seriously mean—"
Anna chuckles nervously. "Yeah, funny story...Jack Alkaev is also an ice fae."
About a million different expressions cross Elsa's face in rapid succession—there's annoyance, confusion, surprise...and something that looks like fear. Her breath comes out short and fast when she stammers, "W-what do you mean by 'really old'? How...how old is that, Anna?"
Shit.
Anna was working under the assumption that Elsa didn't ask any questions about ice fae because she already knew about her kind. Now she realizes it's because she's nervous. Really nervous. In a hopefully calming voice, she answers, "Umm...he's only like, two hundred or so?"
All the color drains from Elsa's face. She leaps up and begins to pace the length of the living room, hands on her head, gripping at her hair. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god..." Little snowflakes begin to float down from the ceiling, but Anna doesn't think mentioning them will help with the situation. So she joins Elsa instead, wanting to comfort her somehow.
Before she can say anything, Elsa spins back around towards her. "Are you..." She struggles to get her words out, choking on them,"Are you saying that I'm immortal?" Once the question is out, Elsa's breathing becomes even more erratic, and the snowflakes she's unknowingly creating come down heavier.
"I..." am totally not prepared for this, she thinks, trying not to panic. Because then both of them would be hyperventilating messes, and she can't have that after things are finally starting to look better. "I'm going to call Jack. He'll be over soon. Just...just try to keep your breathing even for me. Can you do that, Els?"
Elsa gives her the tiniest possible nod. Anna instantly darts into her room for her phone, praying that Jack will answer.
"Hello?" a groggy voice answers on the fourth ring.
"It's Anna. Come over to my place as soon as you can. Elsa showed me her powers, but it turns out you were right—she doesn't seem to know the true extent of what it means to be an ice fae. She's kind of freaking out right now, and you need to give her like, a crash course or something."
"Give me your address," Jack responds, sounding substantially more alert. "I'll be over as soon as I can."
It's not even twenty minutes later when there's a knock on the door. During that time, Anna has been doing breathing exercises with Elsa while running a soothing hand up and down her back. It seems to be helping somewhat, if the lack of snow in the living room is anything to go by.
Anna opens the door, a greeting dying on her lips when she sees what Jack is wearing.
"Give that here!" she hisses, snatching her beanie off his head. "Elsa won't take you seriously if you wear that. And it looks better on me anyways."
Jack flashes her a quick smile. "Keep telling yourself that." Under the breezy remark, there's an undercurrent of nerves, and he smooths out a wrinkle in his short-sleeved shirt before stepping over the threshold.
As Anna leads him down the entryway, a half-forgotten memory swells up. She was nine the first time she saw Jack, though she didn't officially meet him until years later. Anna always had trouble sleeping back then, and pacing the length of the hallway usually helped her relax her twitchy limbs.
But on that night, she was drawn to the hushed voices downstairs. Curious, she circumnavigated the creaky steps until she could see the back of her parents' heads. They were talking at the kitchen table, facing a pale young man. She watched the three of them conduct business with rapt attention until she noticed the stranger looking at her. Instead of drawing attention to her, he gave her the smallest of nods and pointed his eyes to the ceiling, signalling that she should go back upstairs.
Anna spares a smile at the memory; it seems like Jack is capable of being thoughtful if he wants to be. Before he turns the corner to the living room, she grabs his arm. He looks at her, impatient, while she scrutinizes him. His AU Alumni shirt is wrinkled and worn thin, looking like it's one wash away from disappearing entirely. His pants, like all of his other pairs, are frayed at the ankles.
When Jack looks like he's about to walk on without her, she whispers, "Be nice to her. And careful where you step; I think the floor's still wet with snow in a few places."
He stares at her for a long moment, gaze unreadable. "I'll go easy on her. Though Anna..." he sighs, looking down at where her hand is still holding onto his shirt. "Some of the stuff we talk about will get pretty personal. She may not want you listening in."
Anna drops her hand. "Of...of course." She would respect Elsa's boundaries, but would stay by her side until told otherwise.
With that, they enter the living room, where Elsa is curled up on the couch. She springs up the moment she sees Jack, eyes narrowing at his presence. "You're not going to hit on me again, are you?" she asks, an icy bite to the words.
Jack cringes at the less-than-friendly greeting. "No. That was a mistake on my part," he says, waving the proverbial white flag. "I apologize for my behavior earlier. It was uncalled for."
Elsa gives him a tight nod in response, still not relaxing. Anna clears her throat and they both look at her. "So, Elsa," she begins haltingly. "If at any time during this talk you want me to leave...just say the word and I'll be out the door. Or, umm...I can leave now if that'd be better—"
"No!" Elsa nearly shouts, nerves getting the better of her, if her widened eyes are any indication. "Please, just...stay for now. I really want you here." She looks so distressed that Anna is by her side before she finishes speaking.
"It's okay," she murmurs, "I'll stay. Let's just sit down, alright?"
Elsa complies, tucking herself against the armrest. Anna sits right next to her, hand reaching out and taking hold of Elsa's. Elsa gives her a thankful squeeze and settles their hands on her lap, fingers curling tightly, as if never wanting to let go.
Jack heads into the kitchen to grab a chair, planting it in front of them and sitting on it backwards. "So..." he says to Elsa once he's settled in, chin resting atop the seat's backing, "do you mind telling me how Anna here found out you were fae?"
Elsa gives him an embarrassed grimace. "I kind of...pinned her to a tree. With an icicle." Her thumb brushes over the back of Anna's hand in apology, the tender gesture making Anna's pulse jump.
Jack looks impressed despite himself. "That's pretty awesome,'" he concedes. "Do you know how you did that?"
"I—" Elsa's brows draw together in thought. "No. It was just instinctive. I wanted her to stay where she was, and the next thing I knew, she was stuck to the tree."
Jack looks to Anna, quirking an eyebrow. "What the hell did you do to get her so riled up?"
"She followed me on a case," Anna answers, knowing Jack wouldn't get Elsa in trouble with the Guild for doing so. "It was a shifter in human form. To Elsa, it looked...a lot like something else." This time, Elsa's hand goes cool in her own. "Hey," Anna tells her, her thumb repeating the same gesture on the pale skin that Elsa had done just a moment ago. "I don't blame you for what you did."
"A shifter..." Jack repeats, almost looking surprised. He gives Anna a quick once-over. "Congrats on not dying," he deadpans.
A soft, agitated sound emanates from somewhere in Elsa's throat. "Those fucking idiots..." she mutters under her breath.
Jack half-heartedly hides a smirk behind his hand. Once he composes himself, he changes the topic back to their previous one. "Anna says she suspected you were an ice fae when you healed her. I'm curious to know how you managed that. Have you healed people in the past?"
Anna feels Elsa's gaze on her, feels her stiffen next to her. "I...used to heal my mom," Elsa starts quietly, "Back when she was alive, she was in pain a lot. She told me how to do it so I wouldn't hurt her. When I saw Anna that night...I knew I could help her. I just didn't know she was awake."
"I'm glad I was." Anna gives her a gentle smile, squeezing her hand again. "And I never got to say 'thank you' for that...so thanks."
Elsa shyly dips her head, not knowing what to do with Anna's gratitude. When Jack clears his throat to regain their attention, she looks back up. "So your mom was an ice fae?" he asks. He's sitting straighter in the chair, a tense set to his shoulders. "Do you know what she was sick with?"
Elsa narrows her eyes. "I never said she was sick. But yes, she was fae."
"She was always cold, wasn't she?" Jack presses, ignoring her look, "And would I be correct in assuming your father wasn't in the picture, that they weren't together?"
"How do you know—?" Elsa's looking alarmed now, her grip tightening on Anna's hand to an almost painful degree.
"Shit," Jack breathes, running a hand unhappily over his face. "Am I right to assume that your mom never said what caused her illness?"
"N-no. All she said was that she had it before I was born. She died when I was sixteen." Little trembles are starting to go through Elsa, and Anna thinks her hand is beginning to go numb. From the cold, or Elsa's grip, she can't tell.
"She held out for that long..." Jack's mouth slants into a thoughtful frown as locks eyes with Anna. "This might be where you want to excuse yourself. What I'm about to talk about involves an illness every ice fae should know about."
"It's not genetic, is it?" Anna asks, words falling out in a nervous jumble. She already lost her mom, and her dad might as well be dead. She can't lose Elsa too. She just can't.
Jack raises a calming hand before she can say anything else. "It's neither genetic nor contagious. But it is an illness that requires discretion. It's one of the reasons why there aren't that many ice fae around."
Anna releases a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Okay. That's...that's good then." She turns to Elsa. "I'm going to wait outside, like Jack said." She speaks again when she sees an argument brewing in the other woman's eyes, hurriedly amending, "You can relay the information to me afterwards, if you want. But for now, this should stay between the two of you."
It's somewhat taboo to know about the weaknesses of other races—even though the Guild has stomped down on violence between all the different species, there's always the chance that sensitive information might fall into the wrong hands.
Elsa reluctantly lets go of her hand. "You'll be outside?" she asks anxiously, fingers lingering just a moment longer.
Anna gives her a quick hug before standing up. "Right outside," she promises with a reassuring smile. "Jack can tell me when I'm allowed to come back in."
She turns and heads into her room to put a jacket on, and belatedly realizes that the beanie Jack stole is still crammed in her pocket. Once her jacket is in place, she takes the beanie out and fits it over her hair.
She's at the door when she hears Jack begin to speak. While she can only make out every few words, she can tell that he's channeling the calm, confident voice he uses in his lectures.
It's colder outside than she thought it would be—darker too. Apparently, she and Elsa have spent the entire day doing nothing but talking.
With a very unladylike grunt, she sinks into a comfy-looking snowdrift and pulls out her phone. A new game of Candy Crush awaits her, and while it's a weak attempt at distracting herself, it's better than nothing.
But even as she hits an impressive streak, she can't help but think about what's being said inside the apartment. She should be in there—be Elsa's anchor in case any of the things Jack is telling her is upsetting. And her mom's sickness...hearing about it will hurt Elsa, even if it happened years ago.
"Arrrgh," Anna groans at the darkening sky. She wishes she could contact Kristoff and tell him everything that's happened since yesterday, but he has absolutely no cell service that high in the mountains. Besides, he deserves a break from her craziness.
Right as she ponders moving to her car to escape the cold, Jack sends her a text telling her to come back in.
"Yes!" She jumps up and takes the apartment stairs two at a time, definitely not slipping on any ice on her way up. She opens the door and hurriedly kicks off her shoes.
Jack and Elsa have moved to the kitchen table, where Elsa's pale arm is resting between the two of them. Jack is putting on a pair of latex gloves, and a needle glints menacingly from its spot on top of a blood bag.
"Whoa, what the hell is this?" Anna exclaims at the sight, "I'm gone for forty minutes and you're already stealing her blood?"
"She gave me permission," Jack says irritably, "I can take it back to the lab and analyze it. Figure out if she's fully fae or not. And it's okay if you're not," Jack adds quickly to Elsa. "There's a lot of interbreeding going on because there's so few of us. The only problem with that is that even one generation of this dilutes your powers and lessens your lifespan."
Oddly enough, the information makes Elsa perk up. "You mean there's a chance I'll have a human lifespan?" she asks hopefully, only to wince when the needle enters at the inside of her elbow.
Jack looks like he's a breath away from frowning. "It depends on your lineage," he says stiffly. He seems offended, and Anna can guess why; he just told her a lot of personal information about their shared species, yet Elsa would rather cling to what she's more familiar with—a life that doesn't stretch across history.
Elsa considers the information carefully, scrunching her delicate eyebrows together. "And would it also mean the...the illness we talked about wouldn't affect me as much?"
Jack nods in affirmation. "Even so, you should still be careful."
Elsa's eyes flash to Anna. "I will be," she says softly—a heartfelt promise, with unspoken words lingering beneath.
Anna doesn't know what that means, but at least Elsa doesn't seem too shaken up by whatever Jack's been telling her. The three of them sit in relative silence for the next fifteen minutes as Elsa's blood pools into the bag. The sight makes Anna look away more than once, since after three years, she still can't stand the sight of blood draining out of a human.
Once the bag is full, Jack slides the needle out of her arm and packs his supplies away in a bag he must've gotten from his car. Only Jack would carry around needles, blood bags, and biohazard boxes.
"Anna will give you my phone number," Jack says as he continues to pack up. "We can schedule times for your lessons."
A surprisingly broad smile comes to life on Elsa's face. "That'll be great!"
"Wait, what lessons are these?" Anna asks, feeling out of the loop. She doesn't like it.
"Jack said he would help me with my powers," Elsa says, hopping off the chair. "Mom was never well enough to do it, so I don't have as much control over them as I'd like."
"We'll need it to be in a fairly secluded place." Jack finishes packing and gives Elsa a meaningful look. "Call me if you have any questions, even if they seem dumb to you. And I'll loan you some books about ice fae the next time we see each other."
Elsa nods along and follows him to the door. "Thanks for everything," she says, apparently having forgiven him for their first meeting.
"No problem." Jack looks to Anna, smirk sliding into place. "And tell me about the shifter sometime, will you?"
Anna rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Now get out of my house." She ushers him out the door and shuts it, satisfied that she managed to get the last word.
"Well...what did you think of him?" Anna questions Elsa now that they're alone again. "He's not a total tool, is he?"
"He was a lot kinder than I thought he would be," Elsa admits. "And he actually seemed excited to teach me everything about being a fae."
"Jack is full-blooded," Anna explains as she pushes away from the door. "He probably knows everything there is about ice fae. Speaking of..." she takes a few steps towards Elsa, "Do you want to talk about this illness, or anything else he said?"
Elsa looks down and shakes her head slightly. "No, not right now at least. It...was a lot to take in."
Anna nods in understanding. "Okay. How about the bestiaries? Do you want to look over any more of them?"
"I'd love that," Elsa says shyly. "Is it okay if I read them in your room?"
Anna opens her bedroom door in answer. "Go for it. Though I can't say I understand the appeal of the place." She picks another few books for Elsa to read through, confident that they'll keep her busy for a while.
When she turns around, she sees that Elsa has a gentle smile on her face as she surveys the space. "I like your room," she says simply when she catches Anna staring at her.
"Heh, well...I guess it's not too bad," Anna grants her, feeling a bit flustered. She hands off the books and crawls into her bed. "I'm going to be on my phone, so feel free to stay for however long."
Elsa takes up her earlier spot, sitting against the wall with her legs stretched out in front of her. They stay in companionable silence, which is only broken when Elsa needs Anna to translate the Latin sprinkled throughout the pages. Both of their voices eventually drop off—Anna becomes absorbed in watching cute cat videos, and Elsa apparently skips over the Latin phrases she comes across.
Sometime later, Anna releases a yawn and turns her phone off. "Okay, I lied. I need to get some sleep soon. But if you want to keep reading..."
Her voice trails off when she sees the state Elsa is in. The other woman is still leaning against the wall, but her head keeps sinking towards her chest before she jerks back up. This happens a few more times, much to Anna's amusement. "Elsa," she calls out, "I think you need to get some sleep too."
"Nnghh," Elsa mumbles, eyes barely open. "Not...tired."
"These books will still be here tomorrow," Anna says in exasperation, though she can't deny how cute Elsa looks in her sleepy state. "There's no need to rush through them all now."
Elsa doesn't answer, but her head slumps towards her chest once again. "Do you want to sleep here?" Anna offers, already scooching over and pulling the covers back.
"My room is...just down the hall," is Elsa's feeble protest. She tries to get up, but her body seems to change its mind halfway through the process—her butt hits the floor again.
"And my bed is right here," Anna says patiently, trying not to smile. Honestly, she could watch sleepy Elsa all night; it would make for the most adorable blackmail ever.
Elsa thinks hard, looking like she's trying to remember the answer to a difficult question. "Mmm...fine. Let me in." She manages to stand up successfully this time and all but falls into the bed. When Anna rearranges the blankets so they come up to Elsa's shoulders, she mutters, "This really isn't necessary."
"Well I don't see you leaving," Anna points out reasonably.
A pouty silence is Elsa's only reply.
After reaching over Elsa to turn out the light, Anna settles on her half of the bed. She's unused to having a warm, solid body beside her, and it makes her feel more self-conscious than she'd like to admit.
"Hey," she says softly after a few minutes. "Can I tell you something about ice fae I recently learned? It was in a bestiary."
She feels Elsa shift beside her. "Go for it," Elsa replies, sounding marginally more awake than before.
Anna clears her throat. "'Light of hair and skin, these beings are human-like in appearance. Female ice fae are said to sing rock ballads in the shower when they think they're alone.' You never told me you did that, Elsa."
"You weren't supposed to be home," Elsa whispers in mortification, definitely awake now.
Failing to stifle her giggles, Anna continues in a much less serious voice, "Th-there was a footnote, too. It read 'Also, they're bad at making coffee. Like, the worst.'"
"I hate you," Elsa mumbles between Anna's laughter. Pink blossoms across her cheeks and Anna sees her fold her arms over her chest.
"Oh come on," Anna says when she finally catches her breath. "You know you love me."
Elsa stiffens, but then releases a heavy sigh. She turns towards Anna, hair seeming to glow in the moonlight. All at once, she's impossibly close, moving so smoothly towards Anna's side of the bed that she doesn't have time to react.
"Go to sleep," Elsa murmurs, voice close enough to send goosebumps over Anna's skin. There's a light, quick pressure against her cheek and then Elsa retreats again, her back to Anna.
Anna touches her face, fingers skimming across the cheekbone that suddenly feels hotter than usual, and that makes her acutely aware of everything around her—from the gentle rise and fall of the covers as Elsa finally succumbs to sleep, to the faint sound of a snowplow in the distance.
Did Elsa just...
She turns to face the wall, quiet at last and feeling a little sheepish. Apparently, all it takes to shut her up is a goodnight kiss. The thought is enough to earn a small smile as she closes her eyes and nestles into her pillow.
There's an arm wrapped around her middle, a leg between her own. During the night, Elsa had migrated over to her side, using Anna as a human body pillow. Maybe she should feel uncomfortable by the sensation of Elsa's body against her own, or at least a little embarrassed.
Instead, it feels like her heart's seizing up. It beats erratically, so hard that it should wake Elsa up. Using the same breathing exercises she did with Elsa earlier, she wills herself to calm down.
If it was only her heart acting up, that would be one thing. But then Elsa shifts even closer, her grip tightening on her shirt and coming dangerously close to lifting it up.
"Anna," she breathes, the word a dreamy sigh.
Anna shivers at the way Elsa's voice wraps around her name...and yeah, her heart is out of control again. She's surprised, and more than a little dismayed, that the word is enough to elicit a dull throbbing between her legs.
Suddenly Elsa's leg is way too close and Anna gently pries herself away, moving until she's practically pressed into the wall.
This is not good, not good at all. Anna closes her eyes and tries to regulate her breathing again.
Because she's felt this way before, a long time ago, with Hans. She's not ready to go down that road again, and not with Elsa of all people. Elsa means too much to her, and romance would only fuck that up what they already have. Anna would fuck that up.
Besides, it didn't mean anything. Elsa's sleeping in Anna's bed, in Anna's room, reading Anna's books, so it makes sense that she's subconsciously thinking about Anna. There's absolutely no reason to think that utterance happened for any other reason. After all, why would anyone like her romantically?
She nods to herself, trying to calm down, still trying to convince herself. Because really, this is a major overreaction on her part. Just because Elsa is amazing, thoughtful, stupidly gorgeous, and clearly cares about her doesn't mean Anna has feelings beyond friendship for her...right?
…
…
...
Oh god.
She's so screwed.
A/N: Yep, we've finally reached the 'Anna realizes she has kissy-feelings for Elsa' stage. To (hopefully) stem the reviews claiming that Anna is an absolute idiot for still not realizing Elsa likes her, let me just say there's a very valid reason for her obliviousness. All I will add is that it has to do with two men in her life. So...do you guys have any theories on the things still left unanswered? I'd love to hear them!
Glossary-
Warg (mentioned in the bestiary Elsa was reading)- From Norse mythology. Monstrous and highly intelligent wolf-like creatures.
Futakuchi (Elsa jokingly compares Anna to one)- Japanese. Appears to be a human woman except for the messy hair that hides an extra mouth, including lips, a tongue, and teeth. Eww.