Guys, I'm so sorry for the late update. I've just been busy with... you know... LIVING. But no, I haven't forgotten about this story. I'm just very slow with the updates. My apologies. ^^
But without further ado, have fun reading !
The next day in the rink. "Elsa I need you to concentrate on your speed !" Jane shouted over the ice.
Elsa frowned. She knew it was her weak point but her mind was somewhere else. It was with Anna. Last night had been a rough night. Anna had not come home and Elsa had been worried sick. At two am in the morning, she suddenly got a message from Kristoff that Anna was with him and that she was asleep. Elsa had been relieved knowing where her sister was but that didn't help her getting a good night sleep. She had been tossing around in her bed, questioning herself why she wasn't able to communicate with her sister on a normal level. Like all siblings do. Maybe it had to do with the guilt. After all, it was her fault her parents had died. And it was her fault that Anna got hurt. She hadn't been there for her sister. She hadn't been able to protect Anna. And she had never forgiven herself for that.
"Elsa !" Jane's voice brought her back to the skating rink. "Elsa please work on your speed. The qualification rounds are coming up next month, I need you at your best !"
Elsa stopped skating and skated over to the benches. She got off the rink and grabbed a bottle of water from her bag. Thirstily she drank from it, not caring about a very mad Jane running towards her. "I'm just tired. I'm sorry, I'm working on it." She said when Jane arrived.
"No you're not. You're not working hard enough on it. I need you at two hundred percent. Wanting it simply won't do. If you don't get this speed thing under control, you can look for a new trainer by tomorrow !" Jane warned as she wrote down some notes.
Elsa glared her fierce in the eyes, threw away her bottle and went back to the rink. She skated as if her life depended on it. Passover, turn, foot in position, arms forward, leg behind, kick and... "Arrgghh FUCK !" Elsa cursed as she loudly crashed onto the ice, clenching her hip. Great. Tomorrow she would have a new bruise. She sighed, she couldn't do it. She just couldn't. A jump alone is already hard to perform. Let alone one at full speed. She was never good at it. And she really needed to get it together or she would be out, she knew that. Elsa tried to stand up. Damn her hip. Jane came skating towards her and helped the young girl up. Once Elsa stood secure on the ice, Jane finally spoke. "Finally, your speed was excellent this time." She blinked and skated back to the benches. Elsa's eyes grew wide. Well, that was a first. She smiled. Her speed was good ! Her speed was good ! Encouraged by this she decided to try again. Gaining speed. Gaining more speed. Good. Turn. Good. Position. Arms forward. Jump. Rotate. One. Two ! Yes ! As she landed safely on the ice, she could hear someone clapping.
"That was great." She heard. She couldn't decide if it was meant to be sarcastic or not. "Keep turning at this pace and maybe you'll impress some nine year olds !" A chuckle. A flash of auburn hair as she skated by. She could have known he was coming today. Hans.
Elsa stopped and turned around. "Just go and suck a dick will you." She said as she fixed her hair, pretending she didn't care. Hell she just achieved something great today and there he was to butcher it off. Screw him. Hans merely chuckled as he glided over the ice in his perfectly white skates. He quickly gained speed and performed two times a triple axe. He finished it with some fancy pirouettes. Shit, his balance was so good. Elsa got almost sick of jealousy because he was so talented yet he didn't do a thing for it while she was here every day practicing her ass off with minimal results. She shrug it off and tried another jump at full speed.
Anna sat on Kristoff's couch. She stared out of the window. Rain. She didn't mind. She loved the rain. The fresh scent of water filling her nostrils was something she had always loved. Rain was important. It fed the plants. "Choco ?" Kristoff held a cup in front of her. Anna took it gladly. Of course she wanted choco. Kristoff sat next to her. He brushed her strawberry blonde locks out of her face and rubbed her back. She enjoyed feeling his touch.
"You know." He began. "I know things have been hard on you guys. And so I propose you this; I will be going to the skating rink today. I know Elsa is there too since the qualification rounds are in less than a month. Why don't you go with me. Maybe you two can make up ?"
Anna silently drank from her hot choco. She didn't know. She really didn't know. At this point, she and Elsa had become such strangers that she didn't know if Elsa even wanted her around the house anymore. But being the optimist she'd always been, Anna nodded and decided to give it a go.
"Elsa, Hans. Now I'd like you to perform a twist lift together." Jane called. Elsa sighed and skated over to Hans reluctantly. He greeted her with an evil grin. She shuddered. They got into position and skated off. "Don't you fucking let me fall this time ok." She warned him as she placed her hands on his wrists. He shrugged. "If you hadn't eaten that sandwich then maybe no." Elsa rolled her eyes. She had to. She didn't have breakfast this morning and she probably wouldn't get dinner as well since Anna surely won't come back any time soon. She rolled her eyes as she positioned herself for the lift. It would be an easy short twist lift where Elsa would be thrown into the air, have to rotate one hundred eighty degrees and be caught by Hans right on time.
Hans placed his hands on her waist. For a brief second he regretted his comment about her eating that sandwich because he could feel her hipbones protruding through her skirt. He swallowed and got over it. They got into position by skating backwards. She toe picked into the ice and jumped in the air. He pushed her higher so she was able to rotate three times. She succeeded. For a split second Hans felt proud. He caught her right on time and placed her gently back onto the ice and gave her a small push in the back to keep speed. They executed their lift by a short spin.
Jane applauded. "That was great. The speed was excellent. Hans you caught her perfectly. Elsa your rotations are amazingly quick. The only thing we need to work on is the take off and landing. Elsa your take off was a bit sloppy. Hans your arms shake when you land Elsa back onto the ice. Maybe some weight lifting is good for your muscles because they're not used to carrying a person. Come on guys, let's try a second time and after that one I'd like to see that you both perform the triple flip jump, synchronised please."
As they both prepare for their second twist lift, Hans suddenly bends over and whispers. "You really did great though." Elsa blinks a couple of times as she realises what he said. No bitter comment, no harsh words. No. He actually complimented her. She smiled carefully. "Thanks. You did too."
After four hours of intense practicing with Hans, Elsa was finally allowed to take a break. Somehow, she hadn't find it annoying or anything. He had been utterly serious and hadn't dropped her a single time during lifts. She had been a professional as well and had tried to be as light as possible for him. She actually had enjoyed feeling his elegant but strong hands around her waist. And he actually had enjoyed the feeling of her curves whenever they went into position. Hans got off the ice and grabbed his water bottle. Elsa came sitting next to him while breathing heavily in and out due to the intense training. Hans chuckled. "Tired ?" He asked. Elsa snorted a bit, but in a positive way. "More like exhausted." Hans smiled at her. "You did good tho." He complimented her. Elsa frowned. Another compliment ? If he would continue she'd actually think he might have a heart after all. Hans continued. "Maybe we'd make a pretty good team after all."
Elsa snorted again, not approving of his comment. "This, you and I team arrangement, will be temporarily." She said short.
"May I ask why ?" Hans asked.
She looked at him and squeezed her eyes. "Because even though you're being kind of nice now, eventually you'll go back to being the arrogant prick you've always been and I'll regret... that..." She trailed off to look in the distance at Jane.
Hans moved closer to her. "Regret what ? That the training went better than expected ? That we could actually make it to the Olympics ? That you're stuck with me instead of Kristoff now ? What ?"
Elsa tried to ignore him. She hugged herself and hunched forward. He carried on. "So what will you regret Elsa ?" She squeezed her eyes shut. "What Elsa ? What will you regret ? Just say it !" He yelled at her.
"Ok fine !" She yelled back. "I'll regret that my heart will dominate over my head and that I might start liking you ! There I said it, are you happy now ?" She started to sob. What the fuck was wrong with her ? Why did she cry over someone she might like ?
Hans was surprised by her confession. "Is that... wrong ?" He asked confused. He was really confused. Was he nice ? He had been trying to break her shell open for some time now and he finally had made a hole in it ? Why did she feel so conflicted over the fact that she might start to like him ? Didn't she want to like him ?
Elsa sobbed even harder at his question. " I don't know ! Am I supposed to like you ? After all you've done to me ? Humiliate me, pester me, you hurt my sister Hans. She was so depressed that she had wanted to end her life ! Do you even realise the amount of pain you caused her ? She's the only family I had left and you were going to take that away from me too ? How can I ever forgive you for that ? I'm just... so confused.."
Not knowing exactly what to do, Hans simply laid his hand on her flimsy back and rubbed it slowly. "You'll figure it out." He said.
Elsa jolted at his touch. She jumped up, she couldn't have been more embarrassed than this. "No I won't !" She shouted upset and ran to the bathroom where she locked herself up and started crying hysterically. Maybe it was all just too hard. Maybe she just had to end all of this. What was she even living for ? Her sister hated her. Her partner wasn't allowed to skate with her anymore. Her soul was lifeless, dead. She didn't have a purpose in this world, she felt. Maybe she really should end it. Right here. Right now. She sighed deeply and wanted to stand up when a loud knock was heard on her stal door. She froze.
"Elsa ?" Anna's voice asked. Not a single muscle in Elsa's body moved. Anna took a deep breath before continuing. "Elsa ? I know you're in here. Please come out so we can talk ?" She begged. Elsa bit her lip. She hesitated for a split second but then realised it was only her sister and she opened the door. Anna was greeted by a wrecked looking Elsa. It was quite a shock. Her once platinum blonde hair was now darkish and looked as if it hadn't been showered for at least a month. Her sister's face looked tired and worn out. Her whole body screamed for proper care and nutrition. The big dark bags under Elsa's eyes informed everyone about the lack of sleep her sister was getting. Anna quickly scanned her sister's fragile body. Has she been losing more weight ?
"Elsa... you look terrible." She stammered.
Elsa snorted. "What do you care."
Her sister's comment stung in Anna's heart. Of course she cared. She cared more than anything in the world ! Anna tried to hug her sister. She put her arms around Elsa's flimsy shoulders, afraid she would crumble down any moment. "Elsa let me take care of you. I want to help you. I am your sister. Just let me in !"
"What for ? I'm useless. I don't even know why I skate. I'm just so tired, Anna. I can't do it anymore." Elsa breathed heavily, she felt dizzy and placed her hands on her knees for extra support.
Anna noticed her sister's dizziness and got some water. "Here. Drink this. You don't have to do anything Elsa. I'll take care of it. I think you need a break for a while. No competitions, no qualification rounds, no practice, nothing."
Elsa looked back at her sister. Her eyes flaming. "No competitions ?! You mean not going to the Olympic Games ? Where I've been training for since I existed ? Hell I even practised with Hans today for four hours ! Do you have any idea how long that is ? To be stuck with him ?!" She spat and immediately regretted it as Anna's face showed nothing but pain.
"Elsa, I..."
Elsa collected herself and held her head up high. "I can't do that Anna, and you know it." She said determined and walked out of the bathroom leaving a baffled Anna behind. The skating rink got a few spectators, eager to see her and Hans practice. As she stepped onto the ice, she saw faintly blonde hair gliding by. Kristoff ! Elsa's eyes lit up. She tried to skate towards him but her legs wouldn't cooperate. "Elsa !" She heard someone calling her name. She turned around. Hans. No. Please. Not now. Elsa turned back to Kristoff. She need Kristoff right now. She tried to reach for him but he was far away. "Kristoff wait !" She yelled after him. He stopped and turned around. Elsa tried to skate as hard as she could towards him. She felt dizzy. Nauseous. White spots started to blur her vision. She could hear Anna yell her name as she fell on her knees on the ice. Then, her hearing went mute and everything went white.
Anna felt... sad. Angry ? Disappointed. In her sister. She thought Elsa would hug her back. That she would love her back. But instead she got nothing but cold, distant words. Where was her sister ? Where was her real sister ? She needed Elsa more than anything now. She wanted Elsa back. She wanted her cool sister with whom she played in the snow with. With whom she had awesome sleepovers and whom she could tell all her secrets, insecurities and fun stories. That Elsa was gone. And a new Elsa, a cold one had settled in her heart. Anna squeezed her eyes. She was determined to kick this new Elsa out to let the old one return.
She turned around and ran after her sister. She saw how Elsa entered the rink. Desperate to reach Kristoff who didn't seem to notice Elsa's distress. Anna heard someone else calling her sister. Shit. It was that jerk again. Anna's face went pale. Her sister wobbled on her legs on the slippery ice. Shoot. "Kristoff, wait !" Elsa shouted. Kristoff turned around. Elsa tried to skate towards him but her legs gave up and she fell on the ice. Anna exclaimed and ran towards the rink. Several spectators ran down as well to see what was happening. "Elsa !" Anna cried out. She saw how her sister tried to get up but failed. Elsa's upper body came crashing down the ice and her head collided with the hard and cold floor. After that, she didn't move. Her body laid limp on the ice floor. Anna carefully made it to the rink. She glided to her sister and rolled her over on her back. "Elsa no no no !" She wailed in distress.
Kristoff arrived too and immediately checked Elsa's pulse. He gave a short nod that it was ok. Anna hugged her sister's cold body. "It's ok Els, I got you. She's super cold, Kris. We need to move her."Kristoff carefully picked the light weight girl up. He frowned. "She really should eat more. I know that for lifts light weight girls are more easy but this is too light for my liking."
"Kris I can't get her to eat. She simply refuses all of my meals. I don't know what to give her anymore." Anna confessed as she held her sisters thin hand. "She really needs help."
Some people helped Kristoff to get off of the ice. They laid down some of their winter coats on the stone floor and Kristoff placed Elsa gently on them. Jane came running down. "What has happened ?!" She asked confused.
"Elsa passed out. I think she is sleep deprived, underfed and just exhausted." Kristoff answered. "She's had some pretty tough days, here as well as home."
Anna nodded. "It's best that she needs the rest of the week off. She needs proper sleep and care. I'll provide of that, of course."
Jane frowned. "I need her back in three days tops." She decided.
Hans, who had arrived too, stared at the unconscious girl. She laid so peacefully on the floor, yet crease between her eyebrows showed everybody that she was all but peaceful. To cover his curiosity for the blonde, Hans made a stabbing comment. "Huh, so she passed out ? Guess she can't cope well with pressure then, maybe she should back out for a while."
Anna nodded in agreement. "It's best that she needs rest for a very long time. I have a job so we won't be needing any extra money or stuff."
"Wait, wait, wait." Jane argued. "I can't lose Elsa right before the qualification rounds ! She's the best we got !"
"And here she is, passed out on the floor." Hans snorted. "She doesn't deserve that medal with this attitude."
Anna glared at Hans as she pointed a finger at him. "You are the one who's been causing Elsa a lot of stress lately. Dare you say it again and you'll meet my fist, for the second time. Elsa is my sweet sister, she deserves everything !" She hissed. She turned back to Elsa who slowly woke up. "Elsa ?" Anna's voice filled with joy. Elsa murmured something and blinked a couple of times. When she realised she was laying down, she immediately tried to sit back up, causing her head to ache with dizziness again. Bringing her hand to her head, she moaned in pain. Anna tried to calm her sister down. "Careful sis. Come on, let's get you home. Kristoff will drive us right ?" Kristoff nodded.
The sunbeams hit Elsa's face and slowly the young woman started to wake up. She stretched her long body and yawned a couple of times. She turned around and checked for the time. Eleven am ? Elsa grinned. This was the first time she slept this late in the morning. Usually, she went up at seven and already had done a full rehearsal at eleven. Elsa stood up and walked to her full length mirror. She was greeted by a tall, pale looking girl. She studied her face. The dark bags under her eyes were a little less dramatic than they were yesterday. That was good. And for the first time in forever, Elsa felt awake and fresh. Her head didn't feel that heavy anymore and her body didn't feel that sore. Last afternoon Anna had fed her with soup and Elsa had even eaten a whole sandwich later in the evening. The proud look on Anna's face had made Elsa almost cry. Her sister had been there, beside her on the couch, feeding her because otherwise she'd refuse. Her sister had not given up on her. Even after everything she had been through, she still had been there. And for that, Elsa was her sister eternally grateful.
Deciding to wear something casual which contained only a shirt and some yoga pants, she headed carefully downstairs. She could hear Anna already sing from the living room. Elsa smiled, typically Anna. Always singing, dancing and laughing. She stepped int the living room to find her sister sitting on the couch with a textbook in front of her, jamming to her favourite song. Anna looked up when she saw her sister standing in the doorway. She smiled. Her sister looked... a little less sleep deprived. That's a first. "Well good morning sister !" She said enthusiastically as she ran over to Elsa. Anna hesitated for a split second, thought 'screw it' and hugged her sister deeply. Elsa didn't hug her back. But she didn't push her back either. She just stood there, not knowing what do do, waiting for her sister to end the hug. Anna let Elsa go and grabbed a plate. "Look, I made you a biscuit with cheese ! I know that you like that, do you want it ? I mean are you in the mood for something ? You can wait and eat it later... if you want..." She rambled and waited for Elsa to answer.
Elsa nodded. "I'll probably eat that later." She said softly.
"Ok that's alright. As long as this is gone when it's evening !" Anna said strictly. "So... what do you wanna do today ? I thought we could maybe have a nice walk in the park and then you can walk me to work ? I have to work from one till five, after that we can go out and have a choco in that fancy bar ?" Elsa didn't say anything. "Or we can just stay home... But I'll be gone for a few hours, you sure you can manage ? Maybe you can watch a movie, or just read... or sleep some more I don't know..."
An uncomfortable atmosphere hung between the girls. Then Elsa started to speak. "I'd like a walk through the park with you. And I can read while you work..." She whispered.
Anna's face lit up. "Sounds like a plan ! Come on, let's get you properly dressed then !"
Half an hour later, the girls were on their way to the park. Anna had her arm intertwined with Elsa's. Anna was happy she could finally do something with her sister that was fun and relaxing. They hadn't been out together in a long time. Anna noticed that Elsa seemed to be more at ease now that she didn't have to go to the rink for practice. She even had a calm smile on her face !
"Oh look Elsa ! Let's feed some ducks !" Anna shouted excitedly as she walked over to the pond where a dozen ducks were already waiting for breadcrumbs. While Anna fed the ducks, Elsa decided to sit down on the park bench and watch her sister have fun. This was nice, she decided. For once not having to stress about practice and speed. For once having a great time with her sister, which rarely happened. For once to see Anna have fun and to be at ease around Elsa.
Elsa smiled when Anna turned around. The strawberry blonde ran over to her sister and sat beside her on the bench. She looked the blonde girl in the eyes. "Are you having a good time ?" She asked. Elsa nodded. Anna beamed. This was a great idea, she complimented herself mentally. Elsa did look relaxed and laid back. Although crease between her eyebrows was slightly visible, the ends of her mouth were turned upwards it seemed. Anna jumped up. "Come on ! Let's get a corndog !"
After the corndog, the sisters had gone into town. Anna even had bought Elsa some new clothes because the girl only had three things to wear, like literally. A few people had even recognised Elsa and had asked if they could take pictures with her. She shyly had posed with them as Anna had taken the photos. Then it had been time for Anna to go to work and the rest of the afternoon, Elsa had spent her time reading almost every book there was in the small but cosy bookstore. She had occasionally taken a small peek at Anna to see that the young girl was enjoying her job. She had been friendly to customers and had rambled as usual to anyone who loved her company. Elsa had observed Anna's face closely. Her bright eyes had sparkled with joy and her mouth had been in a smile for most of the time. Whenever Anna was looking down, her gorgeous hair had fallen down over her shoulder and Anna had tucked it neatly behind her ear again, this had repeated over and over.
The afternoon had flown by and soon Anna had been standing in front of Elsa to say that it was time to leave because in five minutes, the shop would close as it was almost by six. Elsa had smiled and had put away her books, saying that she'd loved to come back some time. This had made Anna happy beyond the galaxy and to celebrate, they had gone into town to get their favourite beverage; a hot cup of choco with a lot of clotted cream !
So a lot of Hans + Elsa interaction yay. They'll get there. They'll figure it out. Gosh I love to write that sisterly fluff. They're just such amazing sisters ! Wish I had one haha...
See you guys next time :)