The scalding Miami sun did not reach the ship terminal. Still, Elsa was already rubbing sunscreen onto Anna's shoulders. It felt more like giving a massage as she applied pressure to her little sister's vulnerable light skin. She was just doing her due diligence. Elsa's stress kicked at her chest as weeks of preparation came to a head. She had their passports between her teeth and their boarding passes tucked under her armpit. As Elsa ran through a mental checklist, she eyed the line-up and shuffled her distracted sister forward.
Anna was enjoying the sensation of Elsa's surprisingly powerful fingers. She reveled in it as much as watching Elsa's freckled nose scrunch up as she applied pressure to the documents in her mouth. Her big sister was such an endearing ball of anxiety. Anna reached out and used her thumb and index finger to smooth out the frown lines between Elsa's eyebrows. Elsa almost let go of the passports as Anna relaxed her.
The sun was nowhere but in a mere few minutes, they would be blasted by it out on the ocean. Their five-day-long cruise was about to begin. Anna was far too excited to notice, but Elsa was always paying extra special attention. As the lineups got bigger, she saw the disparity. There were far more men embarking than there were women. The crowd opened up as they were let into the grand foyer in the dead center of the ship. The handle of Anna's suitcase rattled as her body bounced. She kept switching directions, trying to figure out what to look at and where to go first.
"Holy hell!" Anna called out as she decided to run out to the deck. "Let's go do the waving thing!"
As Elsa crossed the hundreds of arrivals, she watched countless men gawk at her sister's athletic frame. Head down, Elsa followed. The same eyes burned into her. It slowed her down as she tried to maneuver away from the slick glances. She caught up to her kid sister who was pressed up against the metal railing.
Elsa was suddenly very aware of how attractive Anna looked. The red of her freckles and braided hair was in such deep contrast to the endless blue sky. There was something so alluring about the way Anna popped out her hip to lean her forearms on the railing. She was wearing acid-washed short shorts and a light yellow tank top. Her red halter bikini poking out teased everyone who looked. Elsa's eyes were drawn to her sister's shoulders. Anna's skin was shining hot and there was still a bit of white paste there calling to be rubbed in deeper. Her urge to reach out felt different than it had in the terminal. If Elsa yearned to run her fingers along the exposed flesh again, she could only imagine what Anna stirred in the all men around them.
Anna felt her sister press up against her. Elsa leaned in, putting her chin right beside Anna's neck. It felt like Elsa had protectively wrapped herself around Anna. Anna assumed it was to block out the sun that was already making her sweaty. She welcomed Elsa by rubbing her back against her sister. Anna let go of her bag to reach for Elsa. Her hand landed on the girl's thigh.
"This is exhilarating," Anna said as the ship shifted. It was leaving the dock. The youngest didn't wave at the ocean of people down by the shore. She was too content holding Elsa into place.
"Mhm," Elsa hummed in agreement. Her voice carried right into Anna's ear. It evoked a shiver down her spine. A small strand of Elsa's white hair fell onto Anna's forehead. It tickled but she refused to push it away. They had spent so much time apart after years devoted to university. This cruise was a graduation present, one they'd bought with a part of their inheritance. Anna was excited to let loose and reconnect with Elsa.
The uptake in flirting around them was louder than the engines and rudders, and the crashing ocean waves. Elsa pushed herself closer to her little sister. She ignored the view of the shoreline and clocked potential threats. "Anna, what was the promo code thing you used to get us discounted tickets again?" Elsa was afraid she knew the answer.
"Oh, it was like, single ladies all aboard. Or single ladies five nights out, or something equally dumb. I told you we got upgraded to an open bar for breakfast, right?" Yes, Anna had told Elsa that last part. Elsa wished she had flagged it but she had been so relieved to have saved a third of their budget. As it stood now, the sisters were the only two women not warding off one-liners.
"And I thought it would take me all week to find the most gorgeous girls on the ship," some dude was suddenly saying. At least it wasn't 'Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?' because Elsa was starting to feel like she'd somehow tripped into hell.
Anna stepped back, leaving Elsa's hold to put her hand out. His smile was wicked as he placed it on the back of Anna's hand instead of shaking it. Anna was giggling as she introduced herself to the sly talker and his noticeably shy friend. "I'm Anna and this is Elsa, my–"
"Girlfriend," Elsa interjected. Elsa knew why she said it. It was clear this whole cruise was designed to corral women. The discount was like a dating website ploy where single women got inundated with desperate men. This trip was meant to bring the sisters back together. Elsa was afraid she would have to compete with hundreds of men duking it out of a hookup.
"Oh cool," the guy a few steps back said as he reached out to give Elsa a handshake. She took his sweaty hand in hers. "I'm Kris, that's Ryder. I told him you two were together. My apologies."
Anna was still standing dumbly as the exchange unfolded. "That's okay," she said as she craned her neck at Elsa and shook her head.
"I thought it couldn't hurt. Kris and I are totally doing this cruise with Vegas rules." Ryder said. Anna snapped back into the conversation
"What does that mean?" she asked.
"Like, we do whatever the hell we want. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Are you two up to playing Vegas rules with us?" There was childlike glee in Ryder's voice that thrilled Anna.
"Absolutely–" Anna squealed at the same time Elsa rejected the idea. "We're just going to go find our stateroom."
"Cool," Ryder answered, ignoring the taller of the two sisters. He took hold of Anna's hand again and yanked her forward. They both took off running.
"Sorry," Ryder's weird friend said, as Elsa was left behind with him and her sister's suitcase.
There was a musical knock on the stateroom door, Elsa got up to let her little sister in. Anna was standing in the hallway. She was fully clothed but every inch of her was dripping. She had one perfectly bleached towel over her shoulders and was rubbing another over her head. Her red hair looked so much darker when wet. Mixed with her apologetic smile, Anna looked like their mother.
"Come in," Elsa said. She had to push herself against the wall to allow Anna to enter. Her sister pressed her wet body against Elsa to get past the narrow lead into the stateroom. She stopped face-to-face with her big sister. Her breath was uneven from running through the long system of hallways.
"Sorry," she said, then skimmed past Elsa. When no response came, she spoke to fill the air, "Did you know Kris and Ryder's room is a few doors down from here? They even have a little balcony too."
"Yeah," Elsa said as she sat down on the bed she'd already claimed. The space was so small her knees rubbed up against the other mattress.
"Well, did you know there are like eight pools? We jumped into half of them," Anna was pacing the minuscule room looking at everything and nothing.
"There's eleven. It was in the brochure." Elsa deadpanned. Anna wasn't getting anywhere with her nervousness, so she walked over and wedged herself between Elsa's legs. Elsa wearing her comfy pants. The cotton felt good on Anna's skin.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting that guy to grab me," she said looking down at Elsa. Her sister was fidgeting with her own hands. Her fingernails were trimmed short and painted aqua in honour of their vacation. Elsa was picking at the shellac on her pointer finger. She was hurt by the three-hour-long tryst. Her sad eyes were downcast at the spot where the sisters were in contact.
"Sounds like you got a good tour of the place. How did you not notice there's a million guys per one girl?" Anna had one too many crushed iced cocktails to have noticed. She wanted to say sorry again but Elsa continued. "I didn't sign up for a single ladies' cruise. I came along because I thought there'd be no outside world here to distract you from me."
"Is that why you told Ryder we're girlfriends?" Anna sat down on the bed opposite Elsa to get a good look at her. Elsa stirred, her eyes caught Anna's for a brief moment. She'd shadowed her eyes with rich purple, it was a bold compliment to her vibrant blue eyes. Anna was always so envious of the contour of Elsa's face. Her cheeks were round and her jaw angular. Depending on how she tilted her chin, she could look dewy-eyed or come off powerful and fierce. Just then, Elsa was downcast and soft as she nodded yes.
"Listen, I know you don't like that kind of attention. We are totally on the same page. This trip is about us. I'm sorry. It won't happen again." For her efforts, Anna earned a thin smile from her big sister. But in her comfy pants, it seemed she was unaware the night was still young. Anna leaned in real close. "So Elsa, I accept. I will be your girlfriend for the rest of this cruise."
When Elsa rolled her eyes at her little sister, Anna pounced. She dropped Elsa back onto the bed, making smooching sounds at her. Her lips led the charge, hovering all along Elsa's face and attacking with little 'muahs'. Elsa thrashed pinned under Anna's muscular legs and stronger arms. She held it for as long as she could before her laughter overcame her. "I surrender!" she called out.
"Good," Anna stopped but lingered above Elsa's lips, "cause my girlfriends take me out dancing." With that Anna leaped back up, leaving Elsa flat on her back, out of breath, and wet.
At the first 'hey ladies', Anna grabbed Elsa's hand and ushered her through the gauntlet of catcalls. Her big sister's hand was sweaty. Anna felt guilty. This whole trip was her idea. She signed Elsa up knowing her sister suffered in large crowds and with loud noises. Elsa hated being perceived. The attention the pair was drawing was likely torturing the eldest. Anna made sure to give Elsa reassuring squeezes. She detoured the long way to the restaurant hoping to thin out the crowds by walking along the port side deck. They got fewer long looks and minimal interruptions.
Elsa's shoulders were back below her ears as she looked out towards the calm rippling water. It was still so hot out even though the sun was starting to dive into the waves. They hadn't spent more than a holiday weekend together in six years. Anna must have been missing her sister because try as she might her eyes couldn't help but take Elsa in. Instead of being in awe of the view, she was drawn to her features. The sun was glaring off of Elsa's impossibly white hair, it was reflecting the sun's flames. "You'd look good as a redhead," Anna said. Elsa's attention left the ocean.
"I know," she answered as she reached up to run her fingers through Anna's hair. The youngest was not expecting her stomach to flip. Yeah, she'd been called gorgeous on repeat over the last several hours, but somehow Elsa alluding as much made her knees weak. Anna tried to blame the vertigo from the moving ship but neither sister was looking out to the water anymore. With a few glances forward they made it to the restaurant.
"These guys again, Anna?" Elsa's hoarse voice questioned. Ryder and Kristoff were waving them down. The guys already had beers. On the table, there were two reddish cocktails and four shot glasses – booze clear like water – waiting for them.
"Well, you were right. This place is crawling with dudes," Anna said under her breath. "So, I figured it's better to hang with the devil you know."
Elsa let out a puff of air through her nose as she pulled out Anna's chair. "Such a gentleman," the youngest said in thanks. There was no truth to that statement as Elsa watched Anna settle. She'd been fighting the urge to admire Anna since her sister decided to change right in the middle of their stateroom. Elsa was so relieved when Anna finally got to the covering-up part. Only for Anna to toss on a tiny black slip that only hid her bikini.
The alcohol burned as it flushed down Elsa's throat. It felt like a match in her dry stomach. She winced while the others laughed. Another round was ordered. "Chase it with this," Anna said as she plucked the umbrella out of her drink and passed it to Elsa. "It's called the devil's kiss. I had one earlier. It's got dark rum and Kahlua and that spicy red spice I put on our eggs instead of paprika that one time." The mention of Anna's kitchen mishaps got her going on a tangent, and the table began to chatter. It was only broken up to take more shots.
Elsa kept up and made sure to clean her plate to keep herself from getting too drunk. Somewhere along the lines, she realized she was enjoying herself. Anna was taking her role of girlfriend seriously. She was either holding Elsa's hand over the table or giving Elsa's thigh small comforting caresses. Elsa was not a good conversationalist but Anna was. The youngest made sure to point herself at her sister. Elsa could easily get lost in a group but Anna carried her weight as she spun tales about their life together. She engaged Elsa by checking facts and kept her from dissociating by encouraging her to add the odd anecdote. When it was the boys' turn to speak, that all went to shit, all the stolen glances and tiny tickles had Elsa distracted. It didn't matter, she was lightheaded and easy. And was slowly getting more addicted to Anna's caring touch.
"Let's get to dancing," Ryder announced the end of the meal by slamming his hands down on the table. Elsa stood up right away. She was feeling confident. While she hated the idea, she had promised her sister and now vowed to deliver.
Club Brimstone was on the lower decks of the ship. It was completely underwater and illuminated by artificial lights which pulsated to the bass of the electronic music. It smelled like sweat. The temperature hitched just by crossing its threshold. The bar was overcrowded. The dance floor was packed so tightly, it was almost a mosh pit.
Ryder had a hold of Anna's hand and pulled her into the dance floor. Elsa followed them into the sea of bodies. Anna started dancing by throwing her arms over her head and twisting her hips. Elsa tried to match the movements but it didn't come naturally. The collective body heat built up fast. It felt too thick to even move in. Elsa was in hell but she was here with Anna. She had to try. Ryder encircled Anna, moving with his knees locked and bent low. The position thrust his crotch against Anna's backside. While Anna's body freely moved to the music, Ryder's only intention was to rub up against her. Kris was moving awkwardly behind them, trying to nod his head to the intricate beat.
"Give 'er hell," Ryder said to his bestie, encouraging Kris to step in closer to Elsa. His nervous smile was endearing. Elsa moved in and dropped an arm on his shoulder. His big hand grabbed her hip. He used his hold to sway Elsa. They were not in time with the song but they matched each other. Their eyes met for a moment. It disrupted the sliver of confidence Elsa had amassed. So she brought herself in and barred down closer to avoid his eye. She focused on his chest instead.
Anna was shocked to see her big sister so close to this new friend. Elsa's limbs were impossibly long. It looked like she could wrap herself around Kris a few times. In the club's glow lighting white was the clearest colour. It illuminated Elsa. Her skin looked supernatural, like an angel amongst all these sweaty men. Anna glanced back at Ryder. As sweet and as playful as she found him, he couldn't hold a light to Elsa.
"Grab us some drinks," Anna said to Ryder. He obediently veered off, pulling Kris with him. Anna smirked at her big sister, elated to have her all to herself again. "Told you it would pay off to have them around."
It had, both at dinner and on their trek down to the club. Even throughout their dance. Alone again, Elsa felt exposed. But Anna didn't miss a beat, she was determined to soothe Elsa. She brought herself close and dropped a hand at Elsa's hip. "Move with me," she instructed as her fingers started to roam her sister's side. Elsa stopped trying to follow the music and reacted to the waves rolling down Anna's body instead.
"Hey," some guy approached Elsa from behind. His simple greeting felt sinister. He rubbed up on Elsa and began to dance against her. Anna's hand was still locked on Elsa's side, she felt a shift as the muscles under her palms tensed. Anna immediately found the problem.
"Get the fuck away from my girlfriend," her voice managed to cut through the music. The guy threw his hands up and backed off. For safekeeping, Anna yanked Elsa closer. "I got you," she reassured. She smiled as her sister kept dancing but the advances didn't stop. Anna warded them off by turning Elsa's body away from the offenders. She wanted to focus on the sensation of Elsa's leg between hers, but the world around tested Anna with its disruptions.
"It's too much," Elsa said into Anna's ear. "I want to keep dancing but it's too much." As soon as Anna thought the night was over she panicked. Having Elsa's arms and legs wrapped around her was the best she'd ever felt. Warding people off was worth it. There was distress in Elsa's voice but Anna refused to stop. She looked around desperate for a way to prolong this dance. The only women who were being left alone were already hooking up with someone.
"Elsa," Anna was surprised her sister heard her. The strobe lights were going. For a moment the whole club went dark, and in a flash, it was alive again. Elsa's eyes were boring into hers. Anna had to stand on her tippy toes to get at her sister's ear. "I'm going to kiss you."
Elsa's response was to bunch up the fabric of Anna's slip in her hand and drop her jaw. Anna took the yes and skipped her tongue along Elsa's lower lip and up to the top. It was Elsa who pulled Anna's mouth into hers.
Maybe the whole club went dark. Or maybe everyone just up and died. There was a chance Anna was dead too because nothing outside of Elsa existed anymore. There was no more beat and the smell of bodies and booze faded. All the men were gone. Ryder could be trying to hand her another Devil's Kiss, but Anna would never know. The booze tasted better in Elsa's mouth anyway. Her world was reduced to Elsa's exploring tongue and the way her sister was still grinding up against her core. Everything else could be damned. Yet the world came rushing back as Elsa pulled away.
Elsa was surprised to see Anna's green eyes lidded in desire. She was giving off a different kind of heat. It was such a break from the hellscape around them. Anna's face was apple-red from dancing too hard. Elsa leaned her kiss back in and bit Anna's bottom lip. Anna's mouth quenched a thirst Elsa never knew existed.
"Ah," the little hellion in Elsa's arms moaned. The hushed sound told Elsa they had crossed a line. There was no excuse for why they were dancing against each other anymore. This exchange of spit was no longer to build them a protective bubble. Anna was kissing Elsa for the pleasure of it and Elsa didn't want it to stop.
"Elsa, want to play Vegas Rules with me?" Anna pulled back to ask. Before Elsa's lips had even finished forming the word yes, Anna strengthened her hold on Elsa and took off running through the pit of bodies. She didn't stop even after they left the Brimstone. Elsa had no choice but to keep up, if she didn't move fast enough she'd end up on the floor. Anna led them up the stairs taking two at a time. She stopped them at a landing. It was unexpected. Elsa's body crashed into her sister's. She thought she'd get a moment to catch her breath but Anna's mouth took the last bit of air out of her. She pulled back just as abruptly. Her eyes scanned Elsa's face for any signs of distress. She smiled wickedly when she saw none.
"Let's go," Elsa urged. Anna kept pulling. They burst through a set of double doors. It led them to the sundeck. Half the ship's passengers were gathered, all with eyes to the skies as a light show set fire to the night. Now all the guys were yelling 'Hey watch it' and 'What the heck?' as they crashed through the crowd. They kept running, weaving through people and doors and narrow walkways. The further they went the fewer people they disrupted with their winded laughter. They had almost made it to the ship's bow when they rounded a corner to a small outdoor pool. Anna's planned destination.
The youngest's momentum didn't falter as she got closer to the relatively secluded pool. The fireworks display was still going, reflecting its deep fiery lights down in the water. Anna let go and stumbled a bit as she moved forward while pulling at her slip. She hooked her fingers on her swim top and tossed both pieces off. Anna was laughing at her lack of grace but Elsa stopped dead in her tracks to observe the constellations of freckles on her sister's back. They disappeared into the water as Anna jumped in. She was under for what felt like too long but the night was moving in slow motion now. When Anna finally came up for air her smirk was devilish. She had something bunched up in her hands and aimed at Elsa.
"Come in, Elsa. I want you," Anna said as she let go of the fabric. It made a wap sound as it collided with Elsa's chest. Holding her little sister's hot red bikini bottoms confirmed it. This entire cruise was indeed an inferno. Elsa earned her place in the second circle as she failed to hesitate. She pulled off her top and dropped it next to Anna's clothing.
"God, help me," Elsa whispered before taking off full tilt and diving deeper into hell.