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Chapter Text

"Now arriving at Terminal C."

Anna tightens her grip on the overhead handle as the airport shuttle slows to a stop. When the doors slide open, she waits for all the other passengers to exit, though she can't help wondering if the doors will close before she has the chance to leave. She tells herself that's ridiculous, but with the luck she's had so far on this trip, it's not completely implausible.

In the past eight hours, she's had to deal with her Uber dropping her off at the wrong side of the airport, her flight getting delayed by two hours, nearly losing her luggage because a rude, old lady tried claiming it as her own, and finally a four-hour flight behind a baby who wouldn't stop crying. One misstep after another, problem after problem; a perfect metaphor for the life she's leaving behind.

Anna is the last to leave the shuttle and the corner of her suitcase clips the closing doors. It's the slightest of inconveniences, but it's still enough for her to want to curl up into a ball and shrivel away into nothingness.

Checking her phone, she confirms to herself for the hundredth time that her dad is waiting for her at Door C5. In the maroon-colored sedan that he bought Anna after she graduated high school; the one she left behind after leaving for college.

The fact that her parents still talk to her is a blessing, the fact that they're letting her move back in is a miracle.

It's been eight years since she last stepped foot in Arendelle, she never even stopped by for Thanksgiving or Christmas. The gray, morning clouds that fill the massive glass panes of the airport give her the cold, drab greeting that she deserves for running away. It's not entirely her fault that she hasn't returned until now, but she still takes all the blame anyway.

She hurries towards Door C5, refusing to let her dad wait any longer than he needs to. Drowsiness grips her whole body and makes every step feel like she's walking through mud, but her body carries her forward until she finds a large glowing sign with the correct letter/number combination. Before going any further, she shoots a quick text message to her dad to tell him that she's about to go through the doors. After a satisfying back stretch and a deep breath, she steps through the terminal doors.

The sounds of speeding cars and slamming trunks bounce off the concrete walls and the intersecting highway ramps above the airport. It's a cacophony of city noise that urges Anna to find her dad before people start getting mad at her for merely existing. Luckily, she spots him in no time since he's the only one here willing to jump and wave his arms around at seven in the morning.

Anna grins, it reminds her of when he picked her up after a week-long camping trip back in middle school. His tall, lanky figure and the green sweater he's wearing make him look like one of those inflatable tube men. When she starts making her way over, her dad stops doing his botched jumping-jack routine and cups his hands over his mouth. He shouts, "Move your caboose, Anna! Gas is money!"

Gas is money. Anna rolls her eyes at the familiar phrase and then picks up her pace. Leave it to her dad to make eight years away feel like nothing. He still has his carefree smile, skin somehow paler than hers, and a messy brown head of hair. The only new touches are a couple of wrinkles around his eyes and the start of a beard along his jawline.

He holds his arms out when they're only a few feet away from each other. "There's my girl," he exclaims proudly.

Anna goes to step into the hug but then hesitates. As much as she doesn't want it to be true, it has been eight years. Eight years of minimal contact. Eight years of shame. Eight years away from not just her parents, but from everyone. Is this hug- this welcome home- what she really deserves?

No. Of course she doesn't deserve this hug…but she needs it.

She releases her grip on her suitcase, slips her backpack off her shoulders, and finally steps into her dad's arms. She sinks into his warmth, his arms feel like strong pillows, and a familiar scent of Old Spice overwhelms her.

And she begins to sob.

"You hungry? Ginny's should be open by now, or if you don't want to get out of the car I can find a McDonald's drive-thru somewhere."

"I'm okay," Anna replies. Her weary eyes watch the cityscape pass by in a gray blur, concrete buildings blend into metal bridges against the overcast weather. That's definitely one thing she'll miss about living in the Southern Isles: the colors. Oceanside living meant she was always surrounded by beautiful shades of blue mixed with the isle colors of crimson and spotless white. Cities are drab and lifeless in comparison.

This image will fade the closer they get to her hometown. From the few pictures she's seen of present-day Arendelle, it looks like they've kept their purple and green aesthetic. It's something to look forward to as they get out of the city, but still a distant second from the Southern Isles.

A painful thought enters Anna's mind while she's reminiscing: If you loved the colors so much, why didn't you stay? It's an easy question to answer, but that's not enough to keep the guilt from creeping over her shoulder.

"That's fine, I'm sure your mom would kill me if your first meal back wasn't something homemade." Her dad chuckles and shoots a glance her way.

Anna stops her moping for a moment to turn and give a smile to assure him that she's listening. Smile and listen, the things she knows how to do best. She even offers up a question of her own, "Was Mom awake when you left?"

He scoffs, "You kidding me? She was up before I was. I walked into the kitchen and she was doing some last-minute cleaning, trying to make the whole place spotless for your big homecoming."

Homecoming, she wishes that were true. This feels more like a shameful return, a coward's journey, a dog skulking back with her tail between her legs. Anna sinks further into her seat, looking at her hands folded in her lap, "She didn't have to do that."

"Ah, you know how your mother is," her dad replies.

Even with the radio on, an uncomfortable silence settles in. Anna tries to think of a way to break them out of it, knowing she's the one that caused it, but she's unsure of what she can say without addressing the eight-year-old elephant in the room. Fortunately, her dad does her dirty work for her.

He lets out an awkward cough. "So hey, uh…listen. I know it's been a long time since we've- you know, since we talked. And I know you've probably got a lot going through your head right now."

Anna tightens her lips at that harsh understatement.

"I don't know if this will help, but I just want you to know that…your mom and I don't blame you. College and especially your early twenties are a weird time in your life, it's when you do a lot of work to figure out who you are. And that's what you were doing. So if you think that we blame you for anything, or that we're mad at you, well that's the farthest thing from the truth."

Anna's face twists in confusion; they aren't mad at her? The first real conversation she had with them for years was to ask if she could move back in...and they hold no resentment over that? They should be mad, they should be furious, they should have said no. Anna grips the knees of her jeans and mutters, "I didn't even invite you guys to the wedding."

"Hey, we didn't invite you to ours," her dad jokes. But when he doesn't hear laughter, he clears his throat and says, "We're sure you had your reasons. And when you're ready to tell us, we'll be here to listen."

"I could tell you now."

His eyes widen, "Oh. Uh, well maybe you should wait until we get home. Your mom will want to hear all about it too, you know?"

Anna nods slowly, "That's true."

Maybe she should have expected her parents to take all of this so well. They've always been so understanding of her mistakes to the point of absurdity. When she was eight, she almost burned down their kitchen after she watched Shaun of the Dead and tried making a Molotov cocktail. The next day, they visited some firefighters who taught her about fire safety and then bought her ice cream.

She always wondered if their "over-understanding" was an overcorrection after they adopted her. Like maybe they figured that she'd gone unloved for the first five years of her life and didn't want her to feel unloved ever again. But it's too late to tell them not to try so hard, so she's learned to roll with it.

Somehow, she'd need to learn to roll with this too.

Twenty minutes later, skyscrapers turn into trees which turn into the bustling beehive of suburbia. Arendelle is a small town in the shadow of the big city, the kind of place people try to leave as soon as possible to move on to "bigger and better" things. It's also the kind of place you move to when you're looking for "smaller and sustainable".

It's a fifteen-minute drive from the south side of the town to the north side. Along the way, you can see some breathtaking sights like a two-dollar movie theater, Molina Street which is perpetually under construction, and the elementary school with its brand-new administrative office! And if you aren't a fan of the purple-and-green aesthetic, you'll learn to, because it's everywhere. From the buildings to the street signs, and down to the icing on the cupcakes in the bakery.

Under different circumstances, Anna would feel better about being back home, but everything here just serves as a shameful reminder of everything she failed to become after leaving. So little has changed, the stress dreams she had about being back in high school captured the layout of present-day Arendelle perfectly. And now her high school is just around the corner.

One step forward, three steps back.

Her dad points towards the two-story building, the painting of their reindeer mascot is fading into the brick. "Seems like yesterday I was dropping you off at the front gate for your first day as a freshman," he says before proudly slapping her knee. "And now look at you!"

Anna scowls at him.

"No yeah, sorry you're right. You're right." He purses his lips. "Too soon."

"Way too soon," Anna adds.

They drive through what passes as Arendelle's shopping district, and her dad takes a right into their neighborhood. Anna tries to look for anything new that sticks out from the carefully constructed pattern of house-fence-house, but all she discovers is a couple of unfamiliar cars and a pride flag hanging above the Madrigal family's front door.

"You remember Isabela, right?" Her dad asks when he sees her looking at the flag. "She came out a couple of years ago. It was a little messy at first, but everyone came around eventually."

Anna's eyebrows raise. Isabela was one of the popular girls when they were in high school. She always wore gorgeous dresses, and it seemed like she had a new boyfriend every week. She never would have expected her to be gay. "Where is she now?" she asks, hoping to see at least one familiar face still around.

"Doing some world tour thing with her sister," her dad answers. "They left last week."

"Oh…" Anna holds back a bitter sigh. "Good for them."

As their house comes into view, memories start flooding back. When she looks at the cream-white walls, she sees herself boldly climbing up the ladder to help secure the Christmas lights. When she sees the freshly-mowed lawn, she pictures the bounce house they rented for her twelfth birthday party. When she sees the blinds poking around the corner of the front windows, she thinks back to their old tabby cat eyeing her as she returned from school.

And when she sees her mom waiting for them on the front porch, she remembers the love she left behind for nearly a decade.

Her dad cranks on the hand brake once he parks in the driveway. The engine cutting off leaves them in an abrupt silence that lasts for only a second as he beams at her and says, "Welcome home."

Anna returns the smile with silence and a sad twitch of her lips. She steps out of the car, her legs rejoicing for the end of a long journey, and a moment later she's wrapped up in her mom's tight embrace. Thankfully, she doesn't cry this time.

"She's back! My Anna is back!" her mom exclaims. "Oh, I missed you so much, my sweet girl."

If her arms weren't currently trapped by her sides, Anna would hug her back. "I missed you too, mom, but I can't feel my fingers."

"Oh that's okay, you don't need them," her mom replies, her soft chestnut hair tickling her chin.

Anna tilts her head back and strains to say, "Dad? A little help?"

"Hm? Oh, of course." Her dad approaches the two ladies and, in a show of support, embraces Anna from behind. Now trapped in a group hug, Anna simply sighs and accepts her fate. Surely, this would have to end soon.

Ten minutes later, they finally unload the car and settle inside. Anna's glad to see some changes to the interior of the house, like a new, smaller dining table and a much-needed redesign of the bathrooms. Her room, however, looks exactly as it did from the day she left for college. Even down to the half-open blinds and the lanyard with her high school ID draped against her vanity mirror. Her mom explained that, though they cleaned her room regularly, they tried to leave everything in its place so Anna would feel at home during her visits.

Another stone of guilt drops into the pit of her stomach at those words.

They sit in the kitchen having a rather superficial conversation about other touch-ups they've done around the house. And then her parents share a look, the same one they shared before telling her about the cat dying.

Her mom folds her hands and places them on the table. "Anna, you know that we love you…"

Anna nods, her gaze slowly dropping to her half-empty cup of hot chocolate. Not even her favorite drink could help the unease pounding away at her gut. "I know," she says in a near whisper.

"But you have to understand how sudden this is for us," her mom continues. "The last time we heard from you was on Christmas; you sounded okay. And then six months later, you're calling us- in tears- begging to come back home. It hurt my heart to hear you like that."

"I know," Anna repeats in her still, soft voice. "And I'm sorry."

"We don't need an apology," her dad says. "We just want to know what's wrong, and to understand what our daughter's been up to for the past eight years."

Anna hugs herself, her right hand reaching across to grip her left shoulder. She's gone over this moment so many times in her head, wondering how her parents would react once they were all home. She expected them to show less patience with her. "I know I have a lot to answer for," she says.

"Oh, sweet girl, please don't say it like that," her mom interrupts. "You're not on trial, we aren't mad at you, we're just concerned."

"Very concerned," her dad adds.

"And all we want is to understand so we can help you."

The threat of sobs grips Anna's throat and pricks the back of her eyes. She told herself that she was done with crying, but it seems her body doesn't want to cooperate. She tightly shuts her eyes and takes a deep yet shaky breath. It's eerily silent as she does this, almost as if the whole world is holding its breath waiting for her. When she opens her eyes, she says, "I'll tell you everything...all of it. But it's going to take some time."

Once again, her parents look at each other. This time with smiles that contrast with the worry in their eyes. "Take all the time you need," her mom says. "We're just glad you're home again."

Anna's breath catches, there's one thing she needs to tell them sooner rather than later.

Though she appreciates her parents for taking her in again, her goal is to stop being a burden to anyone. As soon as she has the means to, she's going to move back out again so that her parents can have their home back to themselves. But this time she's going to do it right, this time she's going to do it on her own. She opens her mouth to tell her parents this, but then thinks otherwise. They look so relieved to see her again it would be evil to break this news to them so quickly. So she sips her hot chocolate and says instead, "I'm happy to be home too."

Soon after, the conversation transitions back to a lighter tone as they make plans for breakfast. Though it's not much of a conversation once her mom settles on making omelets and potatoes (one of Anna's favorite breakfast meals). As the smell of butter and fried potatoes permeates the kitchen, and the far-too-cheery voices from the morning news start from the living room TV, Anna tilts her head back and lets the world move around her. One more day, she tells herself, one more day of peace.

And then she's back into the fire.

Chapter Text

When Anna was seventeen years old, she would wake up at 5:30 every morning to do yoga, brew coffee for her parents, and read whatever novel she borrowed from her school's library that week. Eight years later, she's struggling to untangle herself from her blanket at 9:30.

It's a thrilling battle, at least. Anna's blanket is a determined opponent and won't give her an inch of space. But Anna is using her advantage known as "having limbs" to try and get the upper hand. There's a lot of rolling and thrashing, but in the end, Anna wins with her only injuries being a wedgie and a sore hand from smacking her headboard.

It's still better than a week ago when she woke up crying.

Anna sits up and unplugs her phone from the charger. The only notifications she has are from her mom- half an hour ago- asking for a grocery list, and a couple of emails about the summer sale going on at Old Navy. Anna quickly texts her mom back and asks for the first three things that come to her mind.

Milk, bread, and shampoo. Thank you <3

It would be cheaper to ask for nothing, but it's not like she can afford to take care of herself yet. As much as it pains her to do so, she'll have to take advantage of their hospitality for now.

But that's going to stop soon. After taking a detour to the bathroom to wash her face and do her business, Anna unplugs her laptop and walks downstairs to start her new morning routine: job hunting. She sets the laptop down on the kitchen table, grabs a bagel out of a bag she bought on her own, and pours herself a cup of coffee into one of the paper cups she stole from Starbucks. Anna O'Reilly: the face of self-sufficiency.

Of course, she's still using her parents' Wi-Fi, drinking their coffee, sitting at their table, and living under their roof but…baby steps.

"Alright, be good to me today," Anna says as she types in her password. It turns on and greets her with the tabs she had opened yesterday: the home page of Indeed, a Google Doc of her resume, and a 24/7 lofi beats stream. After a sip of coffee (sweetened with sugar packets also stolen from Starbucks), Anna gets to work applying for anything that her Bachelor's in English can get her.

Though the pickings are slim, she still remains picky. Teaching? Absolutely not, she doesn't know the first thing about being a teacher. Social media manager? Well, she has a Facebook and Instagram account that she manages pretty well- oh, they're looking for 3+ years of experience. Technical writing, grant writing, copywriting? God, why are there so many writing jobs? She chose an English degree because it felt like the easiest option at the time, and she was in college more for the experience than anything. That experience is paying off so well right now.

After sifting through the degree-specific jobs, she concedes to looking at more generalized results. Soon, all that she's scrolling past are secretary and sales positions, work-from-home data entry stuff, and fast food places that slip through the cracks. Nothing looks ideal and after an hour of searching, Anna closes her laptop and flops her head against her hands.

"I can't do this," she mumbles.

The front door opens, and her mom walks inside awkwardly carrying four full plastic bags. Anna stands up and rushes over to her, "Oh god, mom let me help you with those."

"No it's okay, I'm fine. This is all of it," her mom assures. "But could you lock the door?"

Anna politely disobeys her mom and grabs two of the bags out of her hand. Before her mom can protest, she says, "I'm here now, let me help you guys."

Too much sadness slips past her lips, but her mom doesn't seem to notice. She just smiles and reaches her hand up to touch Anna's cheek. "You've grown up so much," she says proudly.

The compliment does nothing more than add to her heavy pile of guilt, but she tries not to let that show. They put away the groceries and Anna sits back at the table with a bag of shampoo next to her laptop. Her mom didn't know what kind she wanted, so she bought her four different name-brand bottles. Her hair will be freshly scented forever.

After her mother fills her in about the things going on in Arendelle this week- the highlight being a scuba diving class at the rec center pool tomorrow- she abruptly asks, "What do you want to do for lunch?"

Anna looks at her confused, "Lunch?"

"Yes! I have the day off today, so I figured we could go out somewhere. Maybe Ginny's or someplace with waffles. You still like waffles, right?"

Who doesn't? "Waffles aren't really a lunchtime kind of food," Anna argues.

"And yet you still took some to school every time I made them for breakfast," her mom says with a smirk.

"That's…different." Anna almost forgot about that, she used to bring those little syrup and butter packets too. And the butter would be so soft by lunchtime that she could spread it on with no problem. It didn't feel like an odd thing to do back then, but now she finds herself a little embarrassed about it. Growing up is like that, she guesses; you have to regret all the things you did when you were younger. Not wanting to dwell on that for too long, Anna adds, "We don't need to go anywhere."

Her mom frowns, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. You just came back from the store, and I can't- I don't want you spending so much on me." Anna picks at the plastic bag, rubbing the material against her fingers.

"Anna," her mom says in that concerned, drawn-out way only moms can do, "You're being way too hard on yourself. Your dad and I will always love you no matter what."

Anna shakes her head, hardly able to look her mom in the eye, "You…I know that, but I feel like…like I want you to be mad at me. I was gone for so long, and now I've been back for a week and I still haven't really told you anything yet. It's not fair that you two are this understanding."

A smile ticks across her mom's face and she shrugs. "That's just how your dad and I work; we want you to be happy no matter what. And we know that you'll tell us everything when you're ready."

Eight years is a lot of "everything", and there's a lot of stuff Anna should tell that she would rather forget. The divorce, the fights, the boat incident- especially the boat incident. She was set to let it all out on her first day back, but they were so happy that she was back and she didn't want to ruin the mood.

But a week is enough time to stop running, she reckons, and the guilt from staying silent is actually giving her cramps. She bites her lip and cautions a glance into her patient mom's eyes.

"I think there's one thing I can tell you."

Her mom's smile grows and she places her folded hands on the table. "I'm all ears," she declares.

Once again, Anna massages the muscle along her shoulder blade. She scans her mind, trying to find the easiest and most relevant confession. Perhaps she can tell her about how she doesn't plan on staying here for too long? No, she'll save that heartbreaker for later. Maybe she could talk about college? No, that seems like a much longer conversation that her dad will want to hear too.

Right now, there's only one thing she can confess. It's embarrassing and disappointing, but she's going to need help with it sooner rather than later. She grits her teeth and looks at her mom, wincing in anticipation.

"I've…never had a real job."

Her mom tilts her head, blinking with wide eyes. "Oh."

Anna groans and buries her head in her hands. "I know. I'm an idiot and I'm a failure."

She hears her mom gasp. "Anna O'Reilly, you are neither of those things! Everything is a learning experience, especially something like this."

Anna lets out an incoherent grumble before clearly saying, "I have a degree that gets me jobs I don't even want to do!" She pulls her hands away and frowns, there's pathetic desperation in her eyes. "That's stupid, I did a stupid thing. What else am I supposed to call myself?"

"Many people end up getting a career in a field that doesn't relate to their degree. You're not alone."

"Do those same people end up moving back to their parents' place after they realize their life is going nowhere?"

"It's not uncommon for people to move back in with their family after college."

Anna flops forward and takes her mom's hands in hers. "Just call me an idiot, please? Put me out of misery."

"I refuse."

"I thought you loved me!"

"..."

"Right yeah, I regretted saying that while I was saying it."

"I am not going to call my own daughter a failure." She squeezes Anna's hands and then places them on her laptop. "What I will do is help my daughter gain some valuable life experience."

As she sees the laptop slide away from her, Anna instinctively grabs it. "No! I don't want you to see my resume, it's pathetic."

Her mom smiles confidently and opens the laptop, "I'm sure it's not as bad as you think it is." She clicks on the tab with Anna's resume on it and begins reading. Seconds later, that smile lowers just enough to be visible. "Oh…I uh…interesting."

"Yeah, I bet it is," Anna grumbles.

"This is, um…" Her mom clears her throat. "I think we have some revising to do."

As painful as it was to admit that her job experience was comparable to that of a dead raccoon at the bottom of a garbage can, the help she received from her mom was invaluable. In one afternoon, they retooled her resume to make it look more professional, found specific keywords to filter out a lot of unnecessary job listings, and sent out at least a dozen applications. The load on her shoulders feels a little bit lighter...

Until a week passes and she still doesn't have a job.

To cheer herself up, and because she's getting really tired of her bread-centric meal intake, Anna finally agrees to go to Ginny's for lunch with her mom.

Ginny's Breakfast Club, or Ginny's for short, is a breakfast-styled restaurant at the front of Arendelle's major shopping district (there are a whopping four stores on each side of the street!). It's a cozy little brick house with a spacious wooden interior, from the walls to the tables; the building makes the whole block smell like butter and warm pastries. A foldable chalkboard sits at the front of the entrance detailing the soup for the day, usually cycling between butternut squash and tomato bisque, and vines scale across the glass front doors like a natural door frame.

Ginny's has been an Arendelle establishment since the 70's and has lived through years of renovations- both inside and out. The walls have survived storms, harsh winters, a couple of kitchen fires, and a drunk idiot in 2004 crashing through the brick. Hundreds of years can go by, and the reigning species could become sentient cows, and Ginny's would still stand strong. Though they'd probably stop selling steaks.

Anna drinks her water and looks around at the posters and other wall decor. There's a new set of artwork around the place that's very Norman Rockwell-esque, but the large portrait of Mama Ginny herself remains standing behind the counter. Sugar jars and utensil buckets sit at the base of the counter, making it look like an unusual shrine for the matriarch who passed away long before Anna was even born.

"Have you heard back from the pharmacy yet?" her mom asks.

Anna sips the water through her straw, keeping her lips pursed even after she sets the glass down. "You already know I haven't," she grumbles.

Her mom frowns and narrows her eyes as she thinks. "This is so strange. No one turns down a helping hand here, I don't know why you haven't been called for an interview yet."

"Maybe they…" Anna pauses before she can say that maybe rumors have started spreading about her. She hasn't talked to anyone in Arendelle since she returned, but that hurts more than it helps. Zero communication means everyone is free to speculate on why she's back, and misinformation spreads like wildfire in small towns. "Maybe I'm just not what they're looking for."

"I don't believe that for a second. You have far too much to offer for no one to see that. I think it's only a matter of time before an opportunity falls into your lap."

Too much to offer? They must have put something in these waffles because her mom's clearly lost it. The only skills that Anna really has are to smile and look pretty- at least, that's what she's been told. And with every day that passes without anything to say otherwise, she believes that more and more.

She stirs the ice in her glass, the gentle clinking is surprisingly comforting. "I don't think an opportunity is just gonna fall in my lap, mom. I don't think that's how it works."

"Who says?" her mom asks confidently.

"I don't know…life? People?" Her ex-husband?

"Then maybe you've been hanging around with the wrong people."

Anna snorts, "Definitely not gonna deny that."

A weary frown forms on her mom's face, and she immediately regrets saying anything. "Let's talk more about this later, okay? I'm here to enjoy a wonderful lunch with my wonderful daughter, and nothing is going to stop that."

Wanting to make up for worrying her mom so much, Anna tries to smile to show that she's glad to be here with her. "I'd really like that," she adds. But when she happens to catch her reflection in a nearby mirror, she can see how unconvincing she looks. She can still see the sadness frozen in her ocean-blue eyes.

She looks away, turning her head sharply to the window, and in doing so she catches a glimpse of something else. Something new.

Far across the intersection, tucked near the back of the shopping district, is a ninth business she's never seen before. An unassuming building made of light brown bricks and what looks like odd-looking snowmen painted around the front. And above the door is a large custom-made sign with one word written in something close to Comic Sans.

Olaf's.

Without even thinking, Anna points at the far-off building and asks, "What's that?"

Her mom looks to where she's pointing and nods, "Oh, I completely forgot to tell you! That's a new restaurant that opened up about a year ago, it's called Olaf's. Your dad and I have gone there a couple times, it's really nice. And they have an amazing mac and cheese, it's called the bomb…something."

Anna raises her eyebrow, for some reason she feels…almost drawn to the place. She's not a big believer in fate or destiny- especially now- but she can't shake the feeling that if she doesn't go to Olaf's, she might regret it. And not just because she's a sucker for mac and cheese.

"I think I'll go check it out later," she says, the words pulled out from somewhere in her subconscious.

"You will?!" Her mom exclaims. She's happy, genuinely happy. For the first time in years, Anna has made her mom happy with something she's done and her heart tightens with something akin to hope. "Can you get some of their chocolate chip cookies while you're there?"

…or maybe her mom's just eager to satisfy her sweet tooth.

The next morning, Anna finally finds herself at the front entrance of Olaf's.

She would have gone yesterday but, well, she chickened out. Going to new places has always been a major cause of anxiety for Anna, especially when she has to do it alone. After spending the rest of the day psyching herself up to even get into her car, she ended up overworking her frazzled mind and falling asleep for a good thirteen hours.

It's now 10 AM, and after arming herself with a cup of stolen coffee from her parents and a pep talk from her mom ("Have a good day, my sweet girl!"), Anna is now slightly determined to face her chosen inevitable.

Olaf's is a lot more intimidating from the front than it is from across the street, though the happy snowmen playing around the sign would say otherwise. The place has a fun aesthetic that stands out from the rest of the blended scenery of Arendelle. The brown brick has a warmness to it and the mural on the side wall provides a different palette amongst all the purple and green. The tinted glass windows are certainly different from the regular glass of the other shops in the area, with the limited visibility providing another layer of mystery to the whole affair. 

Instead of a chalkboard advertising soups, there are words drawn on the front advertising the aforementioned mac and cheese, along with some "two-for-one" special on burgers. The same burgers that she can smell wafting from the vents on the roof. A couple exits through the double doors, and she can briefly hear some classic rock song playing inside. Arendelle is more of a folk/indie pop place, but the change is not unwelcome.

Anna shifts a little bit as she takes a step forward. The pull that she felt yesterday is something she still feels today, and it's part of why she hasn't slipped back into her car and pretended that she came to the wrong place. She needs to be here, it's a sign. Coming to Olaf's is a sign. Or, rather, there is a sign.

Olaf's has a sign…like, on the door. There's a sign on the front door of Olaf's. And it says the two words she's been needing to see: Help Wanted.

Chapter Text

Anna's not sure what she's expecting when she steps inside the restaurant, but it's certainly not a pissed-off brunette in a teal shirt and jeans pacing towards her. Though they don't look familiar, Anna is quick to assume the anger is her fault somehow. She braces for impact, or a harsh confrontation, but all the woman does is sidestep her and bark out the word "Move!" before pushing open the door. The overhead doorbell rattles erratically from the force.

Anna rubs the back of her neck and looks behind her to see if there's any wreckage from the storm that just passed through. She thinks she deserves an apology, but there's no sense in looking for one.

"God, what a bitch."

Anna turns at the sound of another voice. Leaning against a long, right-angled bar counter is another teal-shirted woman with her arms crossed and her eyes boring a hole through the glass. She's a little taller and more slender than Anna, with long, auburn hair tied back in a tight ponytail. Her dark purple eyes are so captivating that Anna doesn't notice she's asked her a question until she waves at her.

Anna blinks, "Uh hi- what? Hi?"

The woman looks at her like she's propositioned her in gibberish. "I asked if you were here to pick up an order," she says in a low, unamused voice.

"No, I- no. No. I'm not…ordering anything." Anna turns back to the door for a second and then looks at her with concern. "Is she leaving? I mean should you let her leave?"

"I just fired her for stealing our drinks, she can do whatever the hell she wants." The woman rolls her eyes and walks back around the counter. "You here to order then? Sit anywhere you want and I'll get you a menu."

"No, I'm not doing that either. I mean…" Anna's thoughts go back to yesterday and her mother's request for cookies, but she shakes her head and puts that task aside for later. "I saw the thing. I mean the sign. I saw the sign."

"The sign?"

"On the door. It said you wanted help? I mean not you specifically, I don't want to assume anything. It said the restaurant wanted help. Unless someone put that up as a joke…"

The woman raises an eyebrow and Anna can see her slowly losing her patience while words continue to spill out of her mouth. Afterward, she sighs and runs a hand through her silky hair, "Ugh, yeah I forgot Gerda put that up yesterday. I told her we didn't need help, but now that Becca's gone…"

Anna frowns and rubs her shoulder. "If you're not hiring, then that's fine."

"Wait here." The woman turns around and paces towards a door near the back of the restaurant. "There's probably an application in the office."

She disappears into an unseen back room, leaving Anna alone for a minute to actually take in the place. Olaf's is a spacious, modern-styled restaurant with an interior color scheme of black, white, and teal. Seemingly floating benches line the front door, and high tables with barstools mingle with wooden tables meant for larger parties. The bar counter stands near the center of the space, and behind it are two rooms: the smaller one that must be an office and a bigger one hidden behind a heavy, teal door. Decorating the space are more snowmen painted along the walls. Some jumping for joy, others are smiling brightly at potential customers, and the ones closer to the ceiling are having snowball fights with each other.

That seems kind of eerie, wouldn't that be like humans throwing balls of skin at each other?

Before Anna can dwell on that thought any longer, the woman returns with a piece of paper in her hand. "Had to print out a new application. The old ones had the wrong address," she explains before sliding the paper and a pen across the counter.

Anna steps over to the counter, up this close she can now see a pin on the woman's shirt- it reads Manager. That makes sense, she holds herself like someone with authority. Anna's eyes go from the manager to the application in front of her, and that's when a dark, troubling thought causes her skin to prickle. One that's plagued her for far too long, one she thought would go away after she left.

"You did want to apply, right?"

The question snaps Anna out of it. She shakes her head, "No. I mean yes. I…sorry, I was…sorry."

"...oookay." The manager steps back from the counter, arms crossed again as she intimidates Anna by simply existing. It's got to be the eyes.

Anna picks up the pen and it hovers right above the paper. The thought from before passes like storm clouds over rough waters, leaving insecurity and anxiousness in its wake. But Anna won't let that stop her– she can't. She begins filling out the application.

Name: Anna O'Reilly

Date: August 1, 2022

SSN: XXX-XX-XXXX

Address: 2104 N Sta 316 Austin Blvd

Previous Employment:

"You don't need to fill out the whole thing. That's fine."

Anna's application is snatched away from her. She looks back up at the manager, who's scanning her sparse application with eyes that seem too tired for 10 AM.

"Are you sure?" Anna asks, passively reaching for the paper. "I haven't filled out the Employment History or Education sections yet." It would have taken a minute to fill out both of them.

"Wait. Actually, put your phone number down so I can text you your schedule." She hands Anna her application back and points to the top corner of the page.

Anna looks at her confused, but she writes down her phone number anyway before asking, "Shouldn't I get an interview first just to see if I'm, I don't know, a good fit?"

The manager looks at her, looks at the empty restaurant, and then back at her. "Look, you want this job, and as you just saw, I'm one person down." She holds out her hand. "Shake it and the job's yours. You start today."

Anna's eyes widen, "Wait what? Just like that?"

"Dude, seriously? I…"The manager shakes her head. "This is a restaurant, not the fucking FBI. You get twelve dollars an hour, free lunch, and the tips are nice. Just say yes and I'll get you an apron."

It's crazy how much can change in such a short amount of time. Six months ago, Anna was spending her mornings lounging on a beachfront home in the Southern Isles. Now, she's living with her parents and one handshake away from a much-needed waitress job.

By a very small margin, this life is still beating out her old one.

But is this really where she needs to be? After all those sleepless nights and long talks with the therapist her ex-husband hired for her, is this the 'new start' that Anna promised herself she would have? Well, she has to start somewhere…right?

Anna shakes the manager's hand and relief quickly washes over their face. "Finally. Welcome to Olaf's, uh…" She looks down at the application sheet. "Anna."

"Actually, it's pronounced Anna."

"Close enough. Your training starts right now." The manager walks over to the back, this time towards the heavy, teal door. She puts a hand on it and tilts her head, signaling Anna to follow her. "Oh, and my name's Meg."

Meg the Manager, that's amusing. Anna crosses the once-forbidden threshold behind the bar counter, marking her transition from customer to employee. "It's nice to meet you, Meg," she says while walking over. "Thanks for having me."

"How about you get through the day first before saying that?" Meg gives a deep, knowing chuckle as she opens the door and a cacophony of noise hits them like a truck. She steps through with no hesitation, walking down the narrow hallway, and Anna sees no choice but to follow. The sounds and smells get stronger with each step, and when the hallway opens up to a much larger kitchen, she suddenly stops in her tracks.

It's a wild stream of activity and noise that assaults all her senses at once. If ever there was a picture you could use to define "anxiety", this was it. The kitchen staff moves around each other like bees in aprons, snatching ingredients seemingly out of thin air to place into the hot death traps of grills and fryers. Those that aren't cooking are chopping produce at a speed that could lop off a finger or washing dishes in hot, sudsy water. And then there's the shouting, so much shouting.

"I need shallots on the line!"

"Heard!"

"Hey, drop the onion rings. I'm two minutes out on this burger."

"Bro, where the fuck is the buffalo sauce?"

"Check the walk-in, prep should have already made some."

"Behind!"

"You heard me say SOS for the wings, right?"

"Yeah, chill the fuck out, Gordon Ramsay, I know what I'm doing."

Meg's voice somehow cuts through the others as she leans towards Anna and says, "Mornings are a little more chill than this. We got hit with a massive to-go order while the guys were prepping for a catering gig."

Anna nods even though she doesn't understand anything they're saying. She can tell they're speaking English, but it still sounds like a foreign language. Or a code she'll need to learn to decipher. Meg grabs an apron from a nearby container, and as Anna steps towards her to grab it, her running shoes nearly slip on nothing.

"Yeah, that's gonna be a problem," Meg says as she points down at them. "Get some non-slip shoes later today. I'll keep you up front so you don't break a hip or whatever, and I'll make sure the guys don't give you shit for not running out orders."

"Running orders?" Anna thinks she knows what that means, at least. She's seen waitresses in movies and stuff, but she doesn't want to assume anything either.

"Yeah. We'll get to all the formal training stuff later, but for now, I just need a body." Meg walks out of the kitchen and Anna follows along. Walking back through the door feels like stepping into another world, one that's quieter and smells less like onions and garlic. As they make their way into the dining area, the bell above the front door jingles, and a happy couple with a stroller walks inside.

Meg grabs a couple of menus from behind the counter and says to Anna in a hushed voice, "Don't say anything. Just smile and follow my lead." She shakes off the disillusionment in her eyes and lifts up her tired smile before turning around and greeting the family with breathy, higher-pitched, "Hi guys! Welcome to Olaf's!"

The change is so quick that it almost gives Anna whiplash, but she follows with an easy smile. And as Meg sits the family down and rattles off the specials and gets their drink orders, Anna looks at her attentively and with practiced admiration. At least this part of the job is familiar.

"I'll get those drink orders in and give you some more time to look over the menu," Meg says, her voice sounding like one of those princesses that show up at fairs and birthday parties. "And this is Anna, she's training today. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask."

Anna isn't expecting Meg to acknowledge her existence. Her eyes widen for a second before she regains her composure and gives the family a stiff wave. They smile and wave back politely, which for some reason makes Anna think that's her cue to say, "Hi, I'm Anna."

So much for not saying anything.

Guilt jolts down her spine as she turns to Meg and says, "Sor- oh, she's…" Meg is already halfway to the register. Anna turns back to the family and adds, "She's- I gotta go. Sorry. Talk to me, us, if you need anything. Bye!"

The family awkwardly waves at her again, even the baby looks at her with wide, judgy eyes like they're wondering how she's already screwing this up. Anna quickly walks back to Meg before she can do any more damage. "I'm sorry about doing that," she says with a guilty frown.

"Doing what?" Meg asks as she pours the family's drinks from the soda fountain. Her voice has reverted back to its deep, silky tone.

"Talking after you told me not to," Anna explains. "When I get nervous, I tend to talk a lot and stumble over my words. I know that's probably not a good combination for this job."

Meg takes the drinks and places them on the center bar, grabbing two straws out of a plastic cylinder. "Yeah, I didn't even notice you said anything, and I'm sure they didn't either. When I said not to talk, I meant don't say anything offensive or racist or whatever."

Anna's eyes widen, "I would never do that! I…like people."

"You like people," Meg repeats with a low chuckle. "Good. Yeah, that's something that'll help you here."

A pinch of optimism makes Anna straighten up. "I'm happy to hear that."

But as Meg walks back to the table with their drinks, she mutters, "We'll see how long that lasts."

Anna straightens out her apron before following her quick-footed manager. Though she doesn't know a lot about Meg yet, she considers what she said to be all in good fun and absolutely not a foreboding comment. She's doing well so far, how bad can this job really be?

Four hours later, she receives her answer through sore feet, an aching back, and a new dislike for men named Steve that wear sunglasses indoors.

After watching Meg take a couple more orders and learning how to bus tables, Anna was glued in place behind the counter to learn how to work the POS system. The tablet which functions as their cash register is familiar to her Kindle, but all the buttons on the screen seem like alien symbols. All that makes sense are the numbers, and she still almost managed to add a hundred percent mark-up on two separate checks.

Thankfully, the customers (except for Steve) have been kind and patient with her. An older couple even took the time to tell her that she's the "best waitress they've ever had". That was probably a lie, but it still made her cry happy tears in the bathroom when she finally got a break.

It's currently the end of the lunch rush and they now have something akin to a break. Now that another "front of house" employee has clocked in, Meg finally has time to tell Anna more about the job while they're rolling silverware.

"So how do you like it so far?" Meg asks once she's finished telling her about her other responsibilities that they haven't gotten to yet.

To be honest, Anna's not sure that this is where she's meant to be, but she needs to start somewhere. Besides, even though they've only known each other for a few hours, she's already afraid of disappointing Meg. "I like it!" she exclaims a little too brightly. "This is a nice place and you've helped me out so much."

Meg snorts, "Alright, you can tone it down a little bit, you know? I'm not gonna stab you with a fork or something if you tell me this place sucks."

Anna looks at the fork in Meg's hand and quickly shifts her eyes back to her own workstation, carefully folding the napkin so it's as neat as all the others in the pile. "I think…even if I didn't like this place, I wouldn't tell you."

"Hey, at least you're honest," Meg says as she wraps a napkin around a knife and fork. "It's a good thing you came here on a slow day. If you came here during the weekend, I probably would have bit your head off already."

Anna's eyes widen, "Today was a slow day?" Her feet are ready to protest that.

Meg raises an eyebrow, and then she quickly adopts a look of pity. "Oh god, you've never worked at a restaurant, have you?"

Anna bites her tongue before she can say that this is her first time working ever. "I guess I've been lucky enough to avoid it until now."

"Wow. Must be nice." Meg's lips purse and she grabs another pair of utensils from the bucket.

Sensing she may have hit a nerve, Anna adds, "I know that makes me sound like I'm super privileged or something, but I'm not. You're the expert here, I'll listen to you no matter what. Even if you ask me to do something crazy like, I don't know, dress up in a snowman costume and wave a sign outside."

"Ha! Don't let Kai hear you say that, or else he might make your wish come true." Meg chuckles again and shakes her head. "Look, just buy some appropriate shoes and don't steal whiskey off the shelves, and you'll be fine, newbie."

"Newbie?"

"Yeah, cause you're new. It's a nickname."

Anna looks towards the kitchen and over at the other waitress typing an order into one of the tablets. "Does everyone here have a nickname?"

"Not everyone." As if on cue, one of the cooks emerges from the kitchen and Meg nods towards him. "He definitely does."

The man is tall with a stocky build and blond hair that looks like a mop on his head. He wipes his forehead with the bottom of his apron and washes his hands in the bar sink before walking over to the two of them. He has fair skin and soft, brown eyes and he grins at the two of them before saying in a sweet, slightly deep voice, "Good afternoon, ladies."

Meg smirks and replies, "What's up, Bitch Boy?"

Anna tightens her lips and stifles a laugh from the unexpected insult. She definitely dodged a bullet with her nickname.

The man scowls at Meg. "Really? In front of the new girl?"

She shrugs, "Hey, she was gonna learn your name eventually."

He rolls his eyes and turns his attention towards Anna, a small grin returning to his face. "Obviously Meg's just being a jerk. My name's Kristoff, I'm the back-of-house manager. We haven't gotten the chance to meet yet."

Anna finds herself smiling back- politely, of course. "No, I've been here the whole time while you've been back there doing, you know, your manager thing. My name's Anna."

"Anna," he repeats like he's trying to appraise her name. "That's a very pretty name."

Meg groans, "Dude, you just broke up with your girlfriend."

Kristoff freezes, "Shut up, Meg! I'm not doing anything."

"You're clearly trying to hit on the newbie, and that's just sad." Meg puts a seemingly supportive hand on Anna's arm. "Didn't you learn your lesson with Jen?"

"We were never really dating. We just hooked up a couple of times."

"What about Nina?"

"Technically, she never worked here."

"And Kate?"

"...we don't talk about Kate."

Meg snickers and leans her arm against the counter proudly. "Why are you up here anyway?"

Kristoff rolls his shoulders and takes a breath. "I need to change the schedule. Maui called out for tomorrow, something about his cousin. Now I gotta call the Ice Queen and see if she's free to cover his shift."

Meg hisses as if she's watching someone getting kicked in the crotch. "Shit, good luck."

"I think I'll be okay," Kristoff says with uncertainty in his smile. "If she kills me, then Kai will have no choice but to make her manager and she'd hate that."

Curiosity over this nickname overtakes Anna, and she takes a minute off from her riveting task to ask, "Who's the ice Queen?"

Kristoff smirks and Meg giggles as they share a look and then turn their attention back to her. "Our head chef," Kristoff explains.

Meg hisses, "Chef?"

"Sorry. She's our head cook. She's got a weird thing about people calling her a chef," Kristoff explains.

"It's probably out of respect since she never went to culinary school. You'd never guess it though once you see her cook."

Kristoff nods, "Imagine if Elsa was as nice as her cooking? She'd be unstoppable."

Elsa, that must be her real name. It's a pretty name. But from the reactions of her new coworkers, it seems that her name doesn't fit her reputation. Today has been an experience like no other, Anna's been introduced to a whole new world with interesting people. Yet for some reason this Elsa person is quick to grab her attention. She finds herself asking a question of her own: "Is she here?"

"Elsa? Nah, you'll meet her tomorrow," Meg answers. "Fair warning: she hates new hires. It's a whole loyalty, sink-or-swim thing. Just don't make a single mistake in front of her and you'll be fine."

Anna straightens up and bites her lip, "And what if I do?"

Meg eyes her knowingly and places a hand on her shoulder, "Then it was nice knowing you, newbie."

Chapter Text

Anna knows she's dreaming, but she still can't wake up.

She's trapped in a dream she's had a couple of times since returning to Arendelle. Instead of sitting on her parents' couch watching reruns of Modern Family, she's sitting on a plush patio chair on her balcony in the Southern Isles. And she's not alone.

He looks the dreamiest out of everything around her- blurry and bright, like a camera out of focus. And yet, Anna can still make out his well-trimmed chestnut hair and sideburns, his chiseled jaw, and his striking emerald eyes. Even the way she speaks his name feels like a dream, out-of-body and muted.

"Hans…"

His face comes into focus for a moment as he looks at her. "What is it, my love?" he asks as if this is just a normal day.

"Am I…" Anna wants to move away from him, but she finds herself reaching out instead. "I'm here, right?"

Hans smiles, that same smile she fell in love with when they were in college. "Of course. And because of you, I'm here too."

Anna's fingers find their way to the back of Hans' hand, he's warm to the touch and his skin is softer than it should be. "What do you mean?"

"You were right. I needed help, and I got help. If it wasn't for what you told me, I never would have realized everything that I was doing to you. To us." A frown crosses his face like he's thinking of something that doesn't make sense. He looks away and a calmness washes over him after a deep breath. It looks strange on him. "I can't make up for the years of pain I put you through, but…I'm trying to do better now."

Anna feels a pain in her chest as he says the words she's wanted him to say for far too long. It's empowering, vindicating, and…and it's not real. Though his voice is crystal clear and this place is still fresh in her mind, there are things that break the illusion: the silent, crashing waves, the faint aura around Hans's profile, and the heaviness of her own body.

And yet she still scoots closer, she still rests her head on Hans's shoulder, and she still takes his hand in hers.

"I wish it could have been like this all the time," she says softly, watching the waves get closer and closer to shore.

"It could have been," Hans says, and then his voice gets deeper and colder. The same way he would sound on the nights Anna would get home late, on the drive home after she "embarrassed" him at a party, and on this same balcony when he had a hard day at work. "But it's your fault that it isn't."

He stands up and walks stiffly towards the railing, leaning against the white wood. An all-too-familiar feeling creeps up Anna's stomach like a bug scaling a wall. It's that tight, uncomfortable feeling of shame and confusion- she's trying to figure out what she did wrong and how she can fix it.

She tries to stand and go to Hans, but her body feels far too heavy to move. "Hans, please come back," she says as he somehow gets further away. "I know it's my fault. It's always my fault."

"Then what are you going to do about it?!" His shout echoes around in her mind, hitting every sensitive spot.

Anna speaks, but no words come out. She tries to reach out, but her hands won't rise. All she can do is watch as Hans finally turns around; she pleads for him to stay with tears in her eyes.

But he remains distant even though he's a couple of feet away from her. "You ruined everything," he hisses before resting his hand on her shoulder and squeezing.

Anna cries out in pain even though she still can't make a sound. Quietly, she mouths the words 'Please let me go.'

Hans glares at her and presses harder on her shoulder, Anna swears his fingers are puncturing through the muscle. He leans in close so he can whisper into her ear, "How about you wake up now?"

And she does.

Anna wakes up on her side with her face and neck slick with sweat, the shoulder Hans had been crushing is currently being pressed into the mattress. She turns on her back, trying to catch her breath and reminding herself of where she is: her childhood bedroom, in her childhood home, on the west end of Arendelle. The blinds are closed, so all she can really see is the swirling image of her ceiling fan and the glowing green numbers on her alarm clock:

6:50.

She smacks her hands against her face, taking a deep and exasperated breath. Just great, she woke up ten minutes before her alarm. She mourns the loss of a full night's sleep, turns off her alarm, and gingerly sits up. There's a fierce ache in her feet and thighs, and she uses the time she could be sleeping to massage the tightness out of her muscles.

That dream keeps getting longer and more elaborate each time she has it. At first, it's just her and Hans sitting on their balcony in total bliss until she wakes up disappointed. Now it's starting to hit the spots that hurt the most. Her therapist doesn't know about these dreams, and neither do her parents. It would feel too pathetic to ask for help for something that isn't even real.

This is something that she needs to deal with herself.

After that much-needed massage and a long swig of water from the bottle on her nightstand, Anna officially wakes up and grabs her clothes for today off her desk before heading to the bathroom. The shower is a welcome feeling on her sweat-stained skin.

Once she changes into her trainee attire of black jeans and a slim black shirt (both of which she bought yesterday), she takes a minute to really look at herself in the mirror. Her auburn hair falls loosely across her back and she quickly ties it into a ponytail that hangs lower than Meg the Manager's. The dark circles underneath her eyes and pimple on her cheek are inconvenient, but at least those can be covered with makeup. What can't be covered is the void of muted blue in her irises that curse her expressions to have an inescapable shade of sadness.

Well…at least that might help get her tips?

It's 7:30 when she comes downstairs, her new non-slip shoes are in one hand and her water bottle is in the other. Her parents are in the kitchen, eating breakfast and talking about an electrician that's supposed to come by later. As she enters, their smiles grow and her mom actually gasps, "Oh my goodness, look at you! All ready to go for your first official day of work."

Anna pouts, "You make it sound like it's my first day of high school all over again. Please don't tell me you packed a lunch for me too."

"So you're saying you don't want to bring the leftover cauliflower wings with you?"

"...I didn't say that."

Her mom giggles, "Get some breakfast in you first before you leave."

"And I think I may have seen some coffee left in the pot," her dad remarks before covering his eyes with his hand. "Oh no, it's so dark! I sure hope no one steals my coffee while it's soooo dark!"

"You guys are ridiculous," Anna says as she makes her way to the coffee pot. The thermos she bought yesterday is already set out and waiting for her. As she pours herself some coffee, she says, "I'll try to get some cookies today after work. I would have done it yesterday, but they ran out."

"Don't worry too much about that," her mom assures. "Just focus on having a great day today."

After placing her stuff in her high school lunchbox, Anna puts her shoes on and gives them a test run on the kitchen floor. "These don't feel all that different from my running shoes. They're supposed to feel different, right?"

"They will once you're back in the kitchen again," her dad responds. "The floor's different there."

"I'll take your word for it." Anna checks the time on her phone and sees a message from Meg: Head to the office as soon as you get in. Kai wants to meet you.

It takes her a second to remember that Kai is one of the owners, and once she does it sends a chill up her spine. Has she already done something wrong? Did they find someone else? Is she going to get fired on her first day?

"Everything alright?" her mom asks.

Anna shakes her head and places her phone back in her pocket, "Yeah, everything's good. I need to head out now, though. They want me to come in a little earlier today."

"Oh, okay. Well before you go, let me just…" Her mom stands up and walks over to her, wrapping her arms around her daughter in a tight hug. She sighs with contentment, "You're gonna do great today, my sweet girl. I just know it."

"Thanks, mom," Anna responds, her voice a little strained from the hug. "But if you don't let me go, I'm gonna be late."

A minute later, Anna's in her car and finally backs out of the driveway. She looks at herself one more time in the rearview mirror, thankful that the bags under her eyes are no longer visible. Today is the first day of her new, new life. She doesn't know what to expect, but…it has to be better than her last try.

Because if it isn't, she doesn't know what she's going to do.

Her first official day of work starts out better than she's expecting when she's greeted at the door by yet another tight hug. This time from the man who asked to see her before the start of her shift.

Kai Andersen is, to put it bluntly, a delight. He's a man of average height with a bald spot that makes his head look as round as his belly. His smile and deep, rich voice are charming in a 'goofy uncle at a family barbecue' kind of way, and the polo and slacks combo he wears is so fitting it's like he was born in it.

"I'm so glad I got to see you in person today, Anna," he says as they converse in the back office. "Megara has told me so much about you."

Anna tilts her head, she didn't meet anyone named Megara yesterday. And then a shout from Meg outside the door clears up the confusion, "You're not allowed to call me that, newbie!"

It's impressive how she heard that past the music echoing through the empty restaurant.

Kai chuckles and continues, "I think you'll be a great fit for Olaf's, and rest assured we will take care of you here. My wife and I pride ourselves on employee retention and stability, we've only had four people quit in the last five years. And only one since we made the move to Arendelle."

To be honest, he could have said any number and Anna would still be impressed. She's more interested in the history of the place and why they came to Arendelle of all places. But she feels like that's a topic for another time, and it seems like Kai is gearing up to say something important.

"We'll get you started on today's training as soon as possible, but first I need to ask you a few questions- we'll call it the interview you didn't get to have yesterday." He plucks a pen out of a mug with an Olaf snowman on it. "I'll consider you helping Megara yesterday as the first part of the interview, which means you're already halfway done!"

"That's great to hear," Anna replies, trying not to look too relieved.

Kai smiles and clicks his pen before writing something down on a piece of paper. "First question: Why do you want to work at Olaf's?"

Twenty minutes later, Anna effortlessly passes her interview. She spends a lot of time talking about the work ethic and people skills she developed in college, and through her extracurricular activities like student government and choir. And she also impresses Kai with how willing and open she is to learn new skills that would help her stay at the restaurant. Throughout their talk, she never once brought up the possibility of working anywhere else (a tip she received from her mom).

After completely filling out the necessary paperwork and putting in an order for a pair of snazzy teal snowman shirts, Anna is sent on her way to continue her training. Her first task: cleaning.

Meg shows her where all the cleaning supplies are, and for her first hour on the job, she wipes down the toilets, tables, and front door. Even though she wore gloves, her hands are wrinkly and smell like Pine Sol by the time she's done.

"We're opening the doors in ten minutes," Meg tells her once she's done washing her hands. She hands her a bucket of assorted dirty dishes. "Take these back and put them through the dishwasher. Bitch Boy will tell you how to use it- yes, you can call him that."

Anna takes the bucket and frowns, "I don't think I should."

Meg waves off her politeness and goes to check one of the cash registers. "Oh and tell him to give you a six pan while you're back there. A clean one."

Without question, Anna does as she's told and opens the door to the kitchen, braving the walk down the hallway on her own. The noise back here isn't as deafening as it was yesterday, though that's probably because the restaurant hasn't opened yet. The only ones who look really busy right now are the baker and someone else rearranging an array of pans by the grill.

Someone she hasn't seen before.

A hand on her shoulder jolts Anna out of her thoughts. She yelps and it also ends up startling Kristoff, who appears from out of nowhere.

"Whoa hey! Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that," he says with an apologetic smile.

Anna quickly shakes her head, "No, it's fine- I'm fine, you're fine too I hope. I…I came back here with, uh, this." She presents the bucket of dirty dishes to him like it's an offering of gold and frankincense.

Kristoff narrows his eyes, first looking at the bucket and then at her. "And I'm supposed to do…what exactly?"

Immediately, Anna pulls the bucket back, causing a bit of what she hopes is water to splash onto the top of her apron. "Sorry, I meant I'm supposed to- I mean I need you to tell me-"

"Ah, I'm just messing with you," he says with a cheeky grin. "Meg asked you to wash those, right? Here, let me show you how the dishwasher works."

Kristoff leads her to the sink and shows her how to place the dirty dishes into a plastic rack that slides right into this big, metal box. He pulls a lever and the box walls slide down to surround the rack, and the sound of rushing water comes from inside.

Anna watches this whole process mesmerized, "That is so cool!"

"Huh, yeah I guess it is." Kristoff smiles at her and then he perks up a little as a thought suddenly comes to him. "Oh hey, while you're back here, let me formally introduce you to some of the kitchen staff. If you're gonna stick around, you'll want to know who's cooking your food."

"Oh? Okay yeah, if you could introduce me, I'd really appreciate it."

"Cool, follow me." Kristoff pats her on the arm and walks further into the kitchen. Anna takes a step to follow him and then remembers what happened when she tried to walk on this floor yesterday. Slowly, she shuffles her foot forward and braces for that slip…but nothing happens.

She takes another tentative step and the ground once again doesn't push her forward. Anna takes a breath and makes a delighted noise, looks like her dad was right. She confidently walks over to Kristoff and puts her hands in her pockets as he gets the kitchen staff's attention.

"Everyone, this is Anna!" he exclaims. "She's one of the new waitresses, be nice to her or Meg will kick your ass."

The guys all greet her with varying levels of enthusiasm, ranging from apathetic, early morning waves to appraising nods. The person in the back, the one she saw when she first entered the kitchen, gives no reaction at all. And now that Anna's closer, she can definitely tell that the person is a woman. The only other one in a room full of men.

One of the men grins slyly and shouts, "Hey Kris, how long before you date this one, huh?" The rest of the staff howl with laughter, all except for the woman by the grill who simply adjusts the baseball cap on her head.

"Knock it off," Kristoff says unamused. He turns to Anna and says, "Don't listen to them. They're just being dumb."

"Don't worry, I wasn't," Anna replies, and it's the truth. She was too lost in her own curiosity to hear what the guy asked.

"Oh. Good." Kristoff looks up at the clock and adds, "Hey, you should probably head up front. Meg's gonna want you to do…whatever she wants you to do."

"Right, I should do that." She turns her attention back to the rest of the guys and waves, "It's nice to meet you guys!"

All of them either nod, wave back, or murmur their response- well, almost all of them. She lingers for a second more, watching for some kind of response, but it never comes and she starts her walk back towards the door.

"Hey, one more thing."

Anna turns around and sees Kristoff holding out a small yet deep metal pan. "What's this?" she asks.

"A six pan for the lemons," he answers. "Meg probably needs one."

The timely reminder makes Anna's eyes widen. "Gosh, I almost forgot about it. Thanks so much for your help."

Kristoff grins confidently, "Any time."

When she gets back to the front, Meg is at the center table, slicing up a bowl of lemons. "What took you so long?" she asks without looking up.

Today is definitely much more hectic than yesterday. When she's not struggling with the POS system or shoving cups and plates into the dishwasher, she's studying the menu or learning how to 'expo', which is a fancy word for putting a sauce cup on the side of a basket of fries before walking it out to the customer. By 2 PM, her back is killing her and she's already had to refill her water bottle two times. At least Steve hasn't shown up.

At around 1:30, right as she's finished cashing out a family of four, Meg says to her, "Hey newbie."

Anna, weary but determined, turns around and asks, "Yes?"

Her manager nudges over to an empty side of the bar. "Go take your lunch break. We'll be fine without you for now."

The mention of a break is music to her ears, but Anna is far too courteous for her own good. "Are you sure? I mean if you haven't taken your lunch break yet, maybe you should-"

"I'm set for lunch, don't worry about me. You, however, are about to pass out, and I don't want that to happen because that's way too much paperwork to deal with."

Anna purses her lips, looking at the tables she could be bussing, the straw container she could be refilling, and the menu she's yet to fully memorize. It feels wrong taking a break right now, but she also doesn't want to obey an order from her manager. And besides, her feet are screaming at her to sit down. "Alright, I'll go take a break," she says with a shrug.

She grabs her lunchbox from the lockers right next to the office. The cauliflower wings from last night sit neatly in a plastic container. Though she should probably heat them up, she doesn't feel right microwaving her food in the kitchen while everyone back there is still working. Instead, she resigns herself to her fate of eating slightly cold wings with a fork right in front of the lockers.

As she eats, she feels her body finally come down from the heightened state it's been in since the morning. Her shoulders drop, her leg muscles relax, and she allows her mind to focus only on the delicious honey buffalo sauce on the wings and the soothing acoustic guitar music playing overhead.

This isn't so bad. It's not like she expected this job to be horrible or terrifying, but she didn't know how to prepare herself for any of this- not just having a job but working in a restaurant specifically. Now that she has a day and a half under her belt, she feels more confident that she can keep doing this.

Though it's not like she has anywhere else to go, right?

She'll stay as long as they need her, and she needs to make sure they need her for a long time. This is her next step forward and she refuses to take another step back.

As Anna's thinking about this, she hears a locker open and close behind her. "AH!" she yelps, almost falling off her bar stool. She'd been so lost in her thoughts that she never saw anyone walking behind her.

Her instinct is to apologize for her outburst, but when looks at the person behind her, she finds her thoughts have scrambled and scattered. It's the woman from the kitchen, the one who didn't acknowledge Anna's existence.

Well, she's certainly doing it now.

Anna's never seen anyone like her. She's a couple of inches taller with a skinny frame and curvy hips. Her pale skin shines under the bar lights much like her silvery blonde hair that's tucked in a ponytail that pokes out from the back of her baseball cap. The snowman shirt is the same color as her eyes, which are looking at Anna in a way she's never been looked at before.

It's as if she can see a personality report of Anna on her face and is scrolling through all of it. With how soft the rest of this woman's facial features are, she doesn't exactly look intimidating, and yet Anna can't seem to move. She's trapped- no, she's frozen.

Her mouth still works, though. And she conjures up a proper greeting now that they're having this chance encounter. "Uh…hi? Hi, I'm- you…I met you before. Anna, my name is Anna."

The awkward, rushed words seem to bounce off this woman. She tilts her head just the slightest bit, and Anna feels compelled to do the same. Suddenly, the observation period is over, and the woman straightens back up, letting out a breath that causes her shoulders to rise and fall.

"Hi."

It's a simple word, a simple greeting, but it's said in such a soft yet neutral tone that Anna can't tell what the woman makes of her. And before she can ask, she's walking back to the kitchen at a brisk pace, tightening the string on her apron.

A few seconds later, once she's regained her wits, Anna sits back down and sees Meg leaning against the counter with an amused grin. "And now you've met the Ice Queen."

Chapter Text

A couple of weeks after that eventful first day, Anna finally feels like she's settling in. Not just as someone contributing to the workforce but also as a member of the "Olaf Squad", a cheesy nickname given to the employees by the other owner, Gerda.

So far, she's received no complaints. In fact, she's constantly given praise by both of the owners for her people skills and "infectious smile". Notably, she's never heard them say anything about her expo skills or her speed on the register. She's cautiously optimistic, with a heavy emphasis on the caution part.

In her quest to remain useful- and not get fired- she's also taken to getting to know her coworkers a lot better. Or at least she tries to. Aside from Meg, the other waitresses don't really talk or interact with her.

"Don't take it too personally, they just don't like you," Meg explained to her one day. "It's not even your fault, they just wanna see if you're going to stick around. Stupid." She wanted to explain that she plans on sticking around for as long as they'll have her, but maybe actions will speak louder than words.

The owners are a husband and wife duo, and they've also been a delight. They're usually there at the beginning and end of the day, though sometimes when things get really backed up, Kai will help cook and Gerda will serve the customers. They're kind and compassionate, and they trust their workers to do the job they've been hired to do. In a way, they remind Anna of her own parents, except with fewer cheesy jokes and no obligation to love or cherish her.

Socially, she's had more success with the back-of-house people. The chefs (most of which are fine with being called that) are always happy to see Anna when she comes back there to grab food or give notes about certain orders. She does her best to always smile and stay upbeat every time she goes through the door. In return, they give her extra fries in her lunch order and even put some of her favorite songs in the restaurant playlist.

Though she gets along with everyone, there are a couple of guys she can already consider good friends.

There's Kristoff, of course. After he laid down the law and told the chefs they needed to stop joking about the two of them getting together, he's a lot easier to be around. He's nice to talk to, always trying to make sure she's doing okay, and his endearingly dorky face is always a refreshing sight to see. Anna kind of sees him as the brother she never had.

The two chefs she talks to the most are Herc and Maui. Herc claims he's from Greece but is actually from Florida. He has light-brown skin with toned muscles and curly hair, and he and Meg may or may not be a thing. It's not entirely clear. Maui is an Islander, big and bulky with short black hair. He came across as loud and obnoxious at first, but once Anna got to know him, he turned out to be very sweet and funny. And he makes some insanely good barbecue.

And then there's Elsa.

She refuses to call her the Ice Queen no matter how many times Maui and Meg goad her into doing so. They say it's all in good fun, and Elsa's never said otherwise, but then again…Elsa doesn't really say anything.

Not conversationally, anyway. She'll repeat back orders and make little comments like "Don't add pickles to that" or "Turn the temp down on the fryer", but she rarely ever talks outside of the kitchen. Except for that day, the day of the hi.

Every day that they work together, it's the same scene. Anna comes in, does her prep stuff, walks into the kitchen, says hi to everybody, hesitates to see if Elsa says something, Elsa says nothing, and then they go about their shift. It bothers Anna, she's used to people either liking her or not, and she can't tell which is which with Elsa. She just stays in the kitchen, adjusting her baseball cap, rarely sparing a glance at anyone or anything.

At the beginning of her third week, Anna decides she's tired of the guessing game and does something she should have done a long time ago. She talks to Meg.

"Hey, can I talk to you about someone?" she asks while they're restocking ingredients for the bar.

"Someone giving you shit?" Meg responds. "If it's Luna, don't take it too personally. Her dad's in town this week."

"No, no one's giving me…a hard time." Knowing that there's no way to dance around this, Anna comes right out and asks, "What do you know about Elsa?"

Meg stops arranging cups for a moment and looks at her with a sly grin, "Ah, okay. Someone's got a thing for the Ice Queen, huh?"

Anna sputters, "What?! No! That's not- she's not…I'm not…I'm straight. And that's not what this is about!"

Meg quickly scans her up and down. "Yeah, of course. You're straight," she says, still with a grin.

Not wanting to know what she means by that, Anna shakes her head and gets them back on topic. "I want to know what she's like, but she never really leaves the kitchen. And when she does it's only for like a second. She's the only person here I don't know, and you know everyone, so could you help me out?"

"You assume I'm some kind of social butterfly? Eh, I guess I kind of am." Meg turns around to lean back on the counter. "To be honest, I can't tell you much about her. She started working here a couple of months after I did, and even then she was pretty tight-lipped. But when she did speak, it was like it caught your attention, you know? You wanted to listen to her. She's a hard worker but if you try to ask about her day or see if she wants to get a beer after work, she just gives you the cold shoulder. That's where the nickname 'Ice Queen' came from."

Anna frowns, "So she's been here for two years and no one knows a single thing about her?"

"Kai and Gerda might. I mean they interviewed her, so she had to tell them something." Meg turns and lightly taps her arm with her fist. "Of course, you can always try and turn on the charm and see if she responds to that."

"Ha! What charm?"

"The one that gets you the most tips out of all the other waitresses." There's no jealousy in Meg's tone when she says that, in fact, she almost sounds impressed. "You're all cute and sweet, like a cupcake. Maybe that's the kind of thing Elsa will respond to, you'll never know."

Well, Anna's never been compared to a cupcake before, but there's always a first time for everything. And the same has to be true for getting Elsa to talk to her- or anyone for that matter. With a little bit of newfound determination, Anna knows what she needs to do next.

"You want to talk about Elsa?" Kai asks, perplexed.

Anna nods, the action making her a little bit dizzy. She's giving up her lunch break to talk to Kai, which means all she's running on right now is coffee and a dream. "Is there anything you can tell me? Anything that isn't classified, obviously."

Kai frowns at her and leans in a little closer. "Did she do something that I should know about?"

"Oh no! Of course not. Elsa didn't do anything, I'm just…curious."

"Curious about Elsa?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'm not sure what I can tell you that Elsa hasn't already."

Anna looks away and taps her fingers against her jeans, wondering if the plant on the desk is real or fake.

"You…did talk to Elsa before coming to me, right?"

Her tapping increases, and she says words because that's what Kai's expecting her to do. "I tried?" She looks up at the ceiling. "I mean I kinda wave to her in the mornings. That has to count for something."

Kai seems to take pity on her because he doesn't try to tell her that that barely counts for anything. "It's true that Elsa doesn't interact that much with anyone outside of the kitchen," he says instead. "But you have to understand that I don't make it a habit to talk about my employees behind their backs."

Anna drops her head and sighs, "I know. It was a dumb thing to ask, I'm sorry."

"Your shifts end around the same time, have you considered talking to her afterward?" Kai suggests.

Remembering Meg's remark about Elsa giving people the cold shoulder, Anna shakes her head. "I wouldn't do that, it would cause too much of a scene. And it's really not that important anyway."

"It feels like it's important to you." Kai leans forward, arms folded on his desk, and though he doesn't say it, a question lingers in the air: why is this so important to Anna?

She doesn't know the answer to that, and even if she did, it wouldn't sound all that convincing. "I-I should probably go eat my lunch now, I only have twenty minutes left," she says while standing up. "Thanks for talking to me, Mr. Andersen, and sorry for coming to you with this. It's stupid."

"There is no such thing as stupid when it comes to the concerns of my employees," he responds with a look of pure honesty.

Anna nods as the guilt eats at her, or maybe that's the hunger, she walks out of the office and grabs her lunch.

Since employees get one free meal per shift, Anna alternates between bringing something from home or ordering off the menu at Olaf's. Today is a home cooked meal kind of day. When she goes into the kitchen to microwave the roasted chicken and broccoli she made yesterday, Maui greets her with a wide smile and open arms.

"There you are!" he exclaims in his loud, booming voice. "I was gonna start looking for you, sis. Kitchen was getting too quiet."

Anna gives him a quick side-hug and an apologetic smile, "I know I'm late. Sorry, I had to talk to Mr. Andersen."

"Already in trouble with the boss?" Maui clicks his tongue. "Ah, finally showing off your 'bad girl' side, huh?"

"I am not in trouble, I just had a question."

"Not gonna deny the 'bad girl' thing?"

Anna pouts, "Well, it's not true so there's nothing to deny."

"Hmm, that sounds like denial to me. Nah, we can talk about that later, show me what you got today." Anna opens up the container and shows Maui what's inside, he lets out a satisfied noise. "Looking beautiful. What kind of seasoning did you put on that?"

"Garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, all the stuff you told me," Anna says proudly.

"Ten. Out. Of. Ten." Maui makes a chef's kiss gesture. "You start getting any better, Imma have to tell Meg to put you back here with us. Hey, Ice Queen, you wouldn't mind that, right?"

At the sound of Elsa's nickname, Anna's attention quickly goes to her. Though most of Elsa's frame is blocked by the tall shelves behind the grill line, Anna can still see when she turns around. On instinct, Anna smiles at her, just like she's done every day they've worked together.

Still nothing.

All she gets is a terrifyingly neutral expression on Elsa's face as she replies, "Don't hold up the microwave." And then she turns to face the grill again, even though they're not working on any orders right now.

"She'll come around," Maui says in a less booming voice before patting Anna on the back. It nudges her forward, and when she turns her attention back on the microwave, the kitchen returns to business as usual. As she watches the container circle around, she goes back to thinking. And she knows what she needs to do next.

"Alright, who's taking out the trash today?"

"I'll do it!" Anna shouts, startling Meg enough for her to almost drop the trash bag.

Once Meg recovers, she says, "Uh…okay. Go for it, newbie."

"Thank you!" Anna rushes across the restaurant floor to pull the trash bags out and tie them up so she can toss them all out at the same time. Normally, no one would ever be so eager to volunteer for trash duty, but Anna has a plan. Today's a Sunday, which means the restaurant closes early, which also means that everyone's shifts end at the same time, which also means that Anna will be throwing out the trash just as Elsa is doing the same for the kitchen.

And during that shared, totally organic time that they're going to have together, Anna is finally going to strike up a conversation with Elsa. She even has the perfect opening line: "How are you?"

It's a plan so foolproof that any idiot can do it. Even herself.

She walks with two heavy trash bags in each hand and kicks the front door open- while Meg chuckles in the background- and confidently walks out to the rear parking lot where the trash cans are. As she gets closer, she hears the back kitchen door open and picks up the pace. "Hey Elsa, how are you?" she says to herself. "Just say that. You've got this."

Rounding the corner, she sees a bit of blonde hair peeking out from the wall and she picks up her pace with her conversation starter ready. But then Elsa moves and the rest of her comes into view, revealing that it's not Elsa at all.

"Herc?" Anna asks, confused. "You shouldn't- what are you doing out here?"

The deceptively blond-haired muscle man looks at her with understandable confusion. "Taking out the trash," he responds innocently. "Why? Did Meg say something about that?"

"No, I just thought…" Anna pauses as the failure of her plan makes her realize how dumb she must look. "Never mind." She steps beside him and throws her trash bags into the still-open bin. "I'm just gonna throw these away."

"Do you need some help? They look a little-"

"Nope, I've got it," Anna says, too embarrassed to look him in the eye. She pats her hands against her apron and tells Herc she'll see him back inside.

But she only makes it a couple of steps away before Herc calls out, "Hey, you don't have to take the long way around. You can just go through the back door."

She tenses. Normally, Herc's good-natured spirit is a great thing to be around, but right now, when she desperately wants to be alone, that spirit is killing her. Is this how Meg feels? Well, there's no way to get out of this without making things more awkward. Anna raises her head and lets out an exasperated breath before turning around. "Right. Back door, the door that's…yeah, I can use that. Yeah. Thanks."

"Anytime," Herc says valiantly.

Anna enters and finds herself right next to the walk-in fridge. This is a side of the restaurant she's not used to seeing from this perspective. Though she catches a glimpse of Maui and the other chefs, they don't seem to have noticed her yet. That's good, because that means they also won't notice when she opens the walk-in and goes inside.

The immediate change in temperature makes Anna's breath hitch. She's never been inside a giant refrigerator before, it's louder than expected and very neat. On the shelves are perfectly-lined plastic tubs of various sizes, all dated and labeled with whatever ingredients are inside them. It feels like there's enough food here to feed the whole town.

Anna wraps her arms around herself, partially because of the cold. The chefs do so much work and all she has to do is, what, stand around and smile? She hopes they get paid more than her, they deserve it.

She needed to be alone, and going in here seemed like a good idea at first, but the cold is bothering her far too much to ignore now. It's time to go back to where she belongs.

Anna goes to leave the walk-in, and that's when the door opens, and in walks the one person she was supposed to meet outside. Elsa straightens up a little bit when their eyes meet, but Anna lets out a yelp that comes from the pit of her soul.

Elsa is the one to recover first, of course, and she makes no remark on Anna's ridiculous cry of terror. She looks at her almost offended and asks, "What are you doing in here?"

Now trapped between a rock and a cold place, Anna's first instinct is to apologize and shuffle awkwardly out of there. But as she's stammering out an apology, she realizes that this is a blessing in disguise; she finally has a chance to talk to Elsa. It's not under ideal circumstances, but hey beggars can't be choosers. Flexing her social muscles, Anna expertly asks, "What are you doing in here?"

Gosh, she wishes these containers were big enough to hole up in.

Unfazed by this bumbling dummy's question, Elsa raises the clipboard she apparently had in her hands this whole time. "Doing inventory," she responds matter-of-factly.

"Oh. Yeah, that's great. That's super responsible. Good job." Anna gives her a thumbs up and tries to casually lean against one of the shelves. However, she misjudges the distance and stumbles, grasping a head of lettuce to steady herself. That's definitely coming out of her paycheck. "Well, I can tell you right now that we're good on lettuce," she says, holding out the crumpled vegetable.

"That's cabbage."

Anna looks more closely at the green plant thing in her hand and realizes that Elsa's correct. She lets out a noise of surprise and then a pathetic laugh and puts it back. "That's right, it's cabbage. I knew that, I was just…testing…you. So how was your day?"

Elsa stares at her, unmoving and untalking. It's during this painful moment of eternity that Anna realizes Elsa's not reacting to the coldness of this fridge at all. There's no shivering or teeth chattering, every muscle in her body seems relaxed or at least unbothered. But she does seem to react to Anna. Her eyes are fixed on her the same way they were during their first encounter- like she's still trying to figure something out. Still trying to figure her out?

Again it doesn't feel like she's impressed. Elsa shakes her head and responds, "I really need to get this done before the end of my shift. Could you please leave?"

"Yep- uh, I mean yes. Yes, I will. Sorry for…sorry." Anna goes to walk out of the walk-in. When she gets up to Elsa, she has to shimmy her way out since the fridge isn't wide enough for them to both comfortably move around. In the brief moment that they're face-to-face and close enough to touch, Anna can't help but glance at Elsa. And maybe the cold does bother her because Anna swears that she finally sees her shiver. Smartly, she keeps that comment to herself as she leaves with one last apology.

She closes the door after realizing that she should have kept it open. Deciding not to disturb Elsa any further, however, Anna walks away and back out to the bar.

Meg is busy wiping down the counter and she raises an eyebrow as Anna re-enters. "What took you so long?" she asks.

Anna shakes her head, making the thoughts in there rattle around like a broken maraca. "Sorry, I had some trouble…with the bags. Herc helped me out, though. Don't worry."

"Hmm." Meg goes back to cleaning, but not before muttering to herself, "I see how it is, Wonder Boy."

There's definitely a story to unpack there, but it's none of Anna's business and she's a little preoccupied with her own mess to ask about someone else's anyway. She grabs the Closing Checklist and looks for anything else she can do, mentally deciding that it's best she stops trying so hard to talk to Elsa.

It will happen when it happens...hopefully.

Chapter Text

Arendelle doesn't have seasons, it has hot and cold. The hot part of the year starts when you can sleep with the blanket off and the windows open; the cold part starts when snow falls from the sky. It wasn't until Anna lived in the Southern Isles that she saw the crisp, orange leaves of fall or the petal-covered winds of spring. The existence of seasons is yet another thing she misses about her old home. If she can still call it that.

There's one part about Arendelle's weather that she'll always love: the rain. Whether it's the hot or cold part, there will always be rain.

When Anna was a child, she would go outside in a raincoat and kick the puddles around with gleeful laughter. In high school, when there was a storm, she would eat her lunch in the band room so she could watch the droplets impact the large windows and race down to the ledge. And now, as an adult, she still lets out a content sigh while mopping up the mud and muck people are tracking into the restaurant.

It's a cold morning in late February, the pink hearts and Cupid arrows on the walls are soon to be replaced by four-leaf clovers and green belt-buckle hats. Somehow, Anna has made it an entire month at Olaf's and they've yet to fire her, which means she has to be doing something right. Or they pity her.

Oh gosh, she hopes they don't pity her.

Anna lets that sobering thought fester in her mind as she puts the mop back with the rest of the cleaning supplies. As she returns to the bar, Meg emerges from the kitchen glaring at her phone.

"Don't bitch about the cheese sauce if you're lactose intolerant," Meg hisses. "Fucking idiot."

Anna purses her lips and asks, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just replying to a stupid review on Yelp." Meg sighs and shoves her phone back into her pocket. "Anonymity was a mistake."

"You didn't actually write what you just said…did you?"

Meg snorts, "Of course not. Do you know how traumatizing it would be for the kiddies to see a cute little snowman calling someone a 'fuckface' online?"

Anna leans against her workstation next to a bowl of uncut lemons, also known as her next task. "Yeah, that probably wouldn't go over well."

Being a manager is a lot more involved than Anna first assumed, and she doesn't envy Meg for all the extra tasks she has to do. She's considered asking about taking on some of those responsibilities– both because she wants to be nice, and because she wants to prove her worth– but it might be disrespectful to do so.

What makes her think she can do a better job than Meg? How does she deserve more responsibilities over the ones who have been here longer?

Right now, it's best she just keeps her head down until she's no longer 'Newbie', or if another miracle occurs and she finds a different job. A higher-paying job. Heck, maybe she's fated to find one of those fabled careers.

Meg stands next to her, palms pressed against the edge of the workstation. "Ready to be bored out of your mind today?" she asks. "Rainy days are always the slowest."

That makes sense. In Arendelle, few people leave their houses when it's raining or snowing. Alternatively, the busiest days in the town are when it's warm and sunny. "I'm sure I'll find some ways to pass the time," Anna replies.

"If things aren't too busy in a couple hours, you're probably free to go." Meg takes one of the lemons and tosses it up and down. "No sense in letting you do nothing for your whole shift."

Anna shakes her head. "I'll stay. I'm still learning everything, it wouldn't feel right for me to leave early. Maybe I could even help in the kitchen if that's alright."

Meg stops playing with the lemon and narrows her eyes, "You won't take a half-day and you want more work to do?"

"Y-Yes?"

"Wow." Meg stands up straight and looks at Anna like a new set of freckles has just appeared on her face. "This really is your first job, huh?"

Anna lets out a short, pitiful chuckle. "I wasn't lying."

"Well shit, I'll find things for you to do." A short musical trill comes from all the POS tablets. "Hey, speak of the devil."

They converge on one of the tablets, Anna watches as Meg presses on the notification on the screen. It's one she's seen a few times already. "A to-go order?"

"Yeah, and I'm gonna have you take the reins on it."

Panic and excitement race right up Anna's spine. "I thought to-go orders were automatic."

"Not entirely. We still need to make the ticket here so the guys in the back know that they've got food to make." She takes a step to the side and gestures for Anna to come closer. "It's the same procedure for dine-in orders, except you have to specify that it's to-go."

Taking that as her cue, Anna follows the same procedures she always does when putting in an order for a customer right in front of her. The same buttons, the same words, and the same math to figure out pricing. She's about to send the ticket out when Meg puts a hand over hers, panic overtakes excitement very quickly.

Meg presses the button indicating that the ticket is a to-go order.

Anna hisses, "Shoot. I'm so sorry, I forgot."

"Everything's a learning experience, Newbie." There's no annoyance in Meg's voice, but since it makes sense for her to be annoyed, Anna decides that she hears it.

"Maybe you should do this, I don't want to break anything."

"You already did ninety-nine percent of the work," Meg responds, still not annoyed but definitely annoyed. "Print out the receipt like usual, and you're done."

Cautiously, Anna does as she's told. A second later, she hears the muffled shout of "Oh shit, a ticket!" from the kitchen, followed by a collective sound of victory.

As she's waiting for the to-go order, Anna is able to wipe down a couple of tables until they're spotless, take a necessary bathroom break, and greet one of their regulars that's braved the rain.

"Alright, Reggie, your order's in. Give me a second to grab your ale from the back," she says with a wider smile and lighter voice than even she's used to.

The former Marine with hardcore tattoo sleeves and a scar across his right eye waves her off and replies in a deep, low voice, "Take your time, miss. The rain kills my knees, so I think I'll be here a while."

She hears the kitchen bell ring, it's a sound that would perk up her ears if she were the dog of a psychologist. "Alright, well give me a few seconds then so I can get an order ready."

When she gets to the kitchen, everyone still looks busy despite the whopping two orders they've received this morning. Their work ethic is so admirable. Maybe she could think about switching to the back of the house if she wanted to do more.

…no, she'd definitely crack under the pressure.

Elsa wouldn't, though, and the head chef proves that when she turns to grab Reggie's ticket, places it above her grill, and translates it for her crew. She doesn't spare Anna a single glance, Anna can't stop looking at her until she almost hits the table.

The to-go order is already in its thin, cardboard box. After Anna finishes it off by adding a couple of packs of salt and pepper, and a small tub of ketchup, she folds the box closed. "Thanks, guys!" she exclaims as she walks towards the door. Varying noises of acknowledgment bounce around the room and it's once again time for her to go back to her domain.

But as soon as she opens the door, she notices that her domain is now being threatened by a familiar figure. A man wearing a gray jacket, a perpetual scowl, and sunglasses on his face despite the lack of sun anywhere in a fifty-mile radius.

Steve.

He nods toward the box in Anna's hand and asks, "That mine?"

Anna flinches a little, already thrown off her game. Usually, she comes in with the light and cheerful "Hi! Welcome in!" before getting down to business, but Steve doesn't care about pleasantries. Steve is all business. And Steve is hungry.

"Hi!" Anna tries anyway with a welcoming smile. Steve's not worth the effort, but her heavy-set politeness can't tell the difference. "Did you put in a to-go order?"

"Yeah, like ten minutes ago. That's mine." He waves her over with an obnoxious level of urgency, like he'll die if he doesn't get his steak fries in the next few seconds.

Anna's smile tightens, it was a mistake not reading the name on the order before she made the ticket. "Did your order have the spicy chicken sandwich and steak fries?"

Steve pulls back his weaselly hands, glaring at Anna. "What? No, there should be two chicken sandwiches with the order. And two drinks."

Uh oh.

Panic smacks into Anna like a wet blanket falling from a second-floor balcony. Did she put the order in wrong? Of course she did, there's no other explanation for why Steve is trying to make her head explode with his eyes. The ones she can't see because of the hideous orange tint of his sunglasses. Gosh, why is she like this? Why can't she do anything right? And what is she supposed to do now?

Thankfully, Steve takes pity on her. "Fuck it, just give me that and my drinks, and I better get a refund for you fucking up my order."

The anger and pushiness are pushing far too many familiar buttons for Anna. Her smile drops and she can no longer look Steve in the eyes, wherever they might be. "I-I'm sorry, I'll do better next time." She holds the box out, and when Steve swipes it out of her hands, she winces and takes a step back.

"Whatever, just give me my drinks and my refund." He shakes his head and under his breath, he says, "Wasting my goddamn time."

"I'm sorry," Anna says again as she feels a sting in the back of her eyes. Great, if she starts crying right now, then she might as well quit and leave with whatever dignity she has left. She walks with her head down towards the nearest tablet, set to give Steve his refund and then prepare his drinks. But now she's faced with two new dilemmas: the symbols on the tablet look like blobs with gibberish on them, and she has no idea what drinks Steve wanted.

Heading further into her nightmare, Anna cautions a glance at Steve and ekes out, "What were your drinks?"

Steve throws his hands up in exasperation, it's a gesture that has Anna thinking she's back in the Southern Isles. He responds in an insultingly slow voice. "Diet. Coke. Hard. Lemonade."

"Right. Thank you. Sorry." She tries to take a breath, but it's shaky and ends in a soft whimper. In her mind, she's begging for someone to save her– or to handle this so she can go in the bathroom and cry– but the only person nearby is Reggie. And he has his headphones in so he can listen to whatever audiobook he pirated earlier that week. She cautions a glance toward the kitchen door, trying to manifest a savior.

Surprisingly, it works.

Salvation comes in the form of Meg, emerging from the back with two cans of Oaken's IPA and a bright, angelic customer service smile. "Hi! Welcome!" she says to Steve while walking one of the cans over to Reggie.

"Fucking finally, someone who knows what they're doing," Steve grunts, setting his sights on the calmer-than-calm manager.

Meg puts the other can down on the workstation and politely asks, "Is there something I can help you with, sir?"

"Yes, you can." Steve proceeds to spin his tale about Anna's incompetence as a waitress, talking about how she 'intentionally' messed up his order and needed to get her act together. Anna stands at the other end of the bar, trying to become invisible, while Meg listens until it's time for her to speak.

Her response is something Anna could never pull off in a million years. Her customer service smile drops, her voice settles in her usual octave, and she starts off with, "Alright, listen closely, fuckhead."

She rips into him, his manners, and his stupid sunglasses. Meg took a lot of creative liberties with her vocabulary, belittling the man in the span of two breaths. Anna almost felt sorry for him…almost. She ends her tirade by sticking up for Anna, praising her for the work she's putting in, and then calls Steve a 'discount Jeff Bezos-looking son of a bitch'. Steve has no answer other than to flip them off and storm out of the restaurant.

When the dust settles, Meg lets out a long sigh of relief and puts her hands on her hips. "God, I hate assholes like him," she says. Nodding at the only other witness to this scene, she asks, "How we doing over there, Reggie?"

Reggie looks at them both and then nods back, "Already on chapter five, misses."

"Let me know how it goes." Meg chuckles, already recovered from the spat with the world's best customer. Her attention returns to Anna. "How are you doing?"

In a word? Terrible. In another word? Awful. And she doesn't know any other words right now other than those. She wrings her hands together so tightly that her bones could crumble into dust, and though her mind knows that Meg is a "safe person", she still can't bring herself to look the woman in the eyes.

She considers asking if the offer still stands for her to leave. Being anywhere other than here sounds like a good idea, and she probably looks so pathetic that Meg will have to say yes. But she can't leave, not after making a mistake this big. She'll work the rest of her shift, longer than that if she needs to, and make amends.

This can't happen again; she needs to be better.

In a soft, small voice, she says, "Please don't tell anyone what happened."

Meg looks at her confused, "No one's really gonna care, Newbie. Everyone fucks up an order now and then."

Anna shakes her head, "Don't tell anyone what happened with me."

It takes a second, but finally, Meg nods and pats Anna on the arm. "Go take a break. I can handle things while you're gone."

Thirty minutes later, Anna exits the comforting interior of her car, red-faced and sore-throated from her most intense crying session in weeks. Thank goodness it's still raining, her face needs to rehydrate.

When she gets back into the restaurant, the scene is about the same, save for a new patron sitting by themself at one of the corner tables. Meg is filling up a jug of water while listening to Reggie recount the book he just finished listening to. When Meg sees her, she asks gently, "Everything okay now?"

"Almost," Anna lies, having already let her heart internalize this feeling of failure. "I just need to do one more thing."

"Cool. We'll be here." Meg looks back at Reggie. "So what happened after Dorothy met Asmodeus?"

Anna walks back into the kitchen. It's the most relaxed she's ever seen the place save for when it's closing time. Two of the chefs are playfully arguing next to the deep fryers, the prep cook is listlessly stirring a vat of cheese sauce and whistling to himself, and Elsa is leering at whatever's on her clipboard. No one seems to be in a hurry for anything, which makes this the best opportunity to do what she came here to do.

"Uh, hey guys?"

The kitchen staff all turn to look at her, even Elsa spares a glance her way– though she doesn't lift her head up from her clipboard. Already, Anna's mind is telling her that they're getting impatient, so she clears her throat, awkwardly places her hands in front of her, and continues.

"I made a mistake on that order earlier, there was another meal that should have been on the ticket and it wasn't. That's my fault, I'm sorry."

One of the chefs nods at her, "So, you need something on the fly? We got you."

"N-No, you don't need to…uh, it was already dealt with. Meg dealt with it. I just wanted to apologize, that's all." She crosses her arms, subtly hugging herself in the process.

"Ah, that's what that yelling was for. Man, we were laughing our asses off back here."

"Yeah, it's all good. Shit happens, and it's a slow day anyway so–"

"You didn't need to interrupt us for this. That order was sent out half an hour ago."

There's a collective noise of gasps and pained hisses as Elsa makes her opinion known and takes complete control of the conversation. Her eyes are captivating, and not in a good way; Anna can't hold her gaze for longer than a blink. As the silence settles, a chef is able to say under their breath, "Goddamn, that's cold."

And yeah, it is, but Elsa still has a point. Either Anna should have apologized immediately, or she should have kept her mouth shut and not bothered them with something they couldn't fix anymore. Anna bites her lip and nods, conceding defeat and admitting that she's a nuisance. Should she apologize for annoying them? Or would that be too annoying?

She doesn't get the chance to figure that out. Elsa lets out a breath and walks away from the grill and towards the walk-in. When she passes Anna, she utters, "In a few weeks, you'll forget this even happened. You have to."

There's no comfort in Elsa's words; actually, her tone almost makes them sound like a threat. But maybe the severe emotional whiplash Anna's gone through has jostled something in her mind, because she finds comfort in the words anyway.

Chapter Text

Anna has always hated math, mostly because she's always sucked at it. And no amount of parent-teacher conferences, tutoring, or monetary incentives could change that. It's all the numbers and formulas; they trip her up. Every time she opened her algebra textbook, she'd wonder what kind of masochist decided to devote their entire lives to figuring out that this letter and that letter would always add up to some other letter divided by pi.

Pie sounds good right now.

It certainly sounds much better than doing her finances, but that's what Anna finds herself doing anyway on this sunny Wednesday morning. And after two hours of typing numbers and looking through bank statements, she's come to a conclusion that was obvious from the start: twelve dollars an hour is not a living wage.

If she ever wants to be truly independent, she's either going to have to find a second job or apply to someplace that pays better than Olaf's. Of course, there's also the secret third option of asking Kai and Gerda for a raise. But considering that she's been working at the restaurant for a little more than a month, she's not bold enough to try that.

Meg commented the other day that she was in the running for "Employee of the Month", but Anna laughed when she did. It's ridiculous to think that she's worthy of that title over anyone else. Managers are exempt from the award, but that still leaves many more employees above her. How can she ever be considered a better worker than someone like Maui or Elsa?

As much as she appreciates her hard work being acknowledged, she's nowhere near as good as she should be. Meg said that the owners loved her energy and how she's always "brightening up the place", but...eh. Anyone could do that; if they fired her tomorrow they'd have someone like her by the day's end. She's nothing special, nothing she does is special, nothing about her is special.

...and now she's bummed herself out.

Anna closes her laptop and places her notebook on top. It's not good to be alone with her thoughts right now, and she feels doubly alone with her parents at work. Grabbing her keys, she walks out into the sunlight and gets into her car. Food sounds good right now, so she's going to get food.

As she pulls out of the driveway, the only options she can think of are fast food and Ginny's, and she's not feeling either of those. A cafe sounds nice, but the only one in town closed down a couple of years ago. Apparently, the Hendersons were just waiting for their kids to graduate so they could finally get out of town. Just like Anna, except they managed to successfully stay away.

There's always ice cream. Ice cream has never let her down before. But she didn't eat breakfast, so shouldn't she eat real food? Maybe if she eats enough of it, that will count as real food. The thought of that makes Anna grimace as she remembers eating a whole quart of ice cream in one sitting for a dare back in college. She refused to eat anything with dairy for a month after that.

Anna's so lost in her thoughts that she's been driving on auto-pilot, and she doesn't snap out of it until she's pulling up onto the street where Olaf's is. She sighs, "Yeah, that tracks."

She's about to drive past the restaurant, but then an unhelpful thought comes to her: Where else can she go?

It's not like she has any friends in the area, and her college friends are all in the one city she never wants to go back to. She feels embarrassed coming here on her day off, but it would also be nice to see some familiar faces.

Besides, she has an employee discount.

She pulls into the parking lot, grumbling about the car that's taken up her unofficial spot, and turns off her car before she can change her mind. The walk to the front door feels different and…floppy, and that's when she realizes that she's still wearing sandals.

And sweatpants.

And her wrinkled, high school gym shirt.

Well, at least she combed her hair- nope, she didn't do that either.

Despite all these things against her, she walks through the front doors, her hunger overriding her embarrassment. There's a different vibe to the place once she steps inside. It's still the same interior with the same playlist shuffling through the speakers, and the same Wednesday regulars are glued to their respective barstools. But something still feels off- skewed- like hearing your favorite song played a few beats slower.

Anna stuffs her hands into the pockets of her sweatpants, correcting herself when she starts idling towards the office. If she even tried working today, would they still pay her? She doesn't get too long to think about that before she's called on by a familiar voice.

"I thought you had the day off, Newbie."

Anna turns towards Meg, giving her a sheepish grin before replying, "I did- I mean I do."

Meg gives a noise of understanding from the other side of the bar, "But you still showed up. That's kinda weird, but also kinda…"

"Sad? I think it's sad, so you can tell me that it's sad."

"I was gonna say that it's on-brand for you." Meg leans forward, elbows resting on the counter. "Nice shirt, by the way. Hella vintage."

Embarrassment reddens Anna's cheeks, but she's able to stave it off after hearing this new piece of information. "Did you go to Arendelle High too?"

"For like two months, yeah. Then I got in a fight with this prissy bitch named Isabela and got expelled." Meg says these words with a chuckle like she's looking back on good times.

Anna's curiosity grows. "Was her last name Madrigal?"

"Something like that, yeah. Did you know her?"

She nods a little too excitedly. "She and her sister used to live down the street from us. They were still in high school when I was, how did I never hear about this? And how come I never saw you?"

Meg shrugs, "I didn't like anyone at Arendelle High, so I barely talked to anybody. The fight happened like a mile outside of town, and since you know their family, then you'd have to know they'd keep that shit tight-lipped. Afterward, my parents shipped me off to this all-girl Catholic school, and you're not gonna get me to say anything about that unless you get me halfway through a bottle of Jack."

"Gosh." Anna sits on the closest barstool and rests against it the same way that Meg does. "You've lived such an interesting life, Meg."

"Ha! I guess that's one way to put it." Meg walks over to the register. "So what's up? You hungry or just bored?"

"Both, I guess. But it'd be lame to say that I was bored, right?"

"I wouldn't think so," Meg replies, not looking up from the tablet. "Do you?"

Yes. Of course. Anna thinks everything about herself is lame. But she can't say that without sounding like the saddest excuse for a human being. "Who's cooking today?" she asks, hoping that Meg won't point out the drastic change in subject.

Meg snickers, but doesn't mention it. "Come on, you already know the Ice Queen's holding things down today."

Anna raises an eyebrow, "What makes you think I know Elsa's schedule?"

"Well, it never changes. She's taken maybe three days off since she's been here. And besides, aren't you two like total besties now? Kristoff saw you two talking the other day and I guess he got some ideas."

"I don't like the way you said 'ideas'," Anna grumbles. "And it wasn't even that much of a conversation, she was doing inventory and I was in her way. I mean I did try asking about her day, but she-"

Meg stops typing and eyes her curiously, "You asked her about her day?"

"Y-Yes."

"And she didn't try to freeze you with her eyes?"

"Well, she told me to get out of the walk-in."

"Oh." Meg clicks her tongue. "Damn, I was rooting for you."

Anna frowns, "I already told you that I'm straight."

Meg puts her hands up, feigning innocence. "I didn't say anything. Besides, I don't know what the Ice Queen's deal is either. She could be married with like five kids and no one here would know except for maybe Gerda and Kai."

Anna can't help but deflate at the word 'married', her shoulders sagging and her eyes falling to the floor.

"Shit, I hit a sore spot, didn't I?"

Anna looks back up and tries to force on a smile, breathing out a short laugh as well for good measure. "It's nothing. I just remembered something from my past, that's all."

She's never seen Meg look concerned before, but it must be what she was showing right now with her raised eyebrow and skeptical frown. "Doesn't sound like nothing. You want to talk about it? I'm bored as hell anyway."

It's…an intriguing offer. Meg seems like the type to listen the same way her therapist did, and it would be nice to have someone here she could confide in. But her parents still don't know anything about the marriage, and she left the house to get away from these thoughts. Anna shakes her head, pushing away the helping hand for now, "Not right now. Sorry. Can I order my food?"

If Meg's disappointed over the rejection, she doesn't show it. She just simply shrugs and says, "I already put in your order."

"What? But I never-"

"I assumed you would ask for your usual, right? Everyone that works here has their own typical orders and I've kinda just memorized them all."

It's true that Anna orders the same thing on her lunch break when she doesn't bring her own lunch from home, but she didn't expect Meg to pen it as her 'usual' so quickly. "Okay, but what if I wanted to try something new today?" she asks defiantly.

Meg grins, "Did you?"

"...no," she says with a helpless sigh. "I love our mac and cheese,"

Their conversation is interrupted by the rare sound of the kitchen door opening. The cooks don't usually leave their domain this early unless they're helping with the kegs or there's a problem with their shipments. Both of their interests are piqued, and even more so when they see who's walking towards them.

"Your Highness, to what do we owe the pleasure?" Meg asks.

Elsa holds up an order ticket and replies with a question of her own: "Megara, what is this supposed to mean?"

Meg takes the slip from Elsa, looks at it, and then frowns at her, "Uh, what's the confusion? This is how I always put everyone's lunch orders in."

"There's nothing on the ticket."

"Oh come on, there's no way you don't know what Newbie's order is. It's bacon mac, how hard is that to remember?"

Elsa crosses her arms, seemingly offended. "Why do you expect me to know the lunch order for someone who's only been working here for a month?"

Though there's some truth in that question, Anna can't help but let out an audible, "Ouch." When the bickering couple looks at her, she glances down at her phone which has suddenly become very interesting.

"Hey, Newbie doesn't seem like the type to flake out on stuff," Meg vouches. "I give her decent odds to outlast Becca, at least."

"Who?"

"Exactly." Meg pats Anna on the shoulder. "You're sticking around, right? Tell the Ice Queen you're sticking around."

Anna's mouth works faster than her brain and she voices a thought best left unspoken. "That depends if I start getting paid more than twelve dollars an hour."

That's it, she's fired. No meeting with the owners and no second chances, just a form (she's assuming there's a form) that says something like "Reason for Firing: Ungrateful Jerk". In a couple of months, once the rumors die down, she'll apply somewhere else and make less money because that's what she deserves. She'll never move out of her parent's house, every time she steps outside, she'll be greeted at laughing and finger-pointing. And she'll deserve it.

Anna's a second away from getting up and leaving in order to save them the paperwork, but she stops when she hears Meg snort and let out a genuine laugh.

"Yeah, the pay's shit to start off," Meg says after her laughter. "The owners don't want to pay anyone more than that if they're only going to be here for a few weeks. But they pay back loyalty very well. Last time they raised my pay, I could finally afford to quit my second job."

"Really?" Anna asks, still fighting the urge to leave. "That's…that's actually good to hear."

Meg bumps shoulders with Elsa and says knowingly, "I bet it's the same for you too, right?"

Elsa, who still has her arms crossed, takes a step away from Meg. "I'm not discussing my salary."

"That's a yes, then."

"So I just need to stick around?" Anna adds. "And things will get better?"

"Your pay will," Meg answers. "As for everything else, well, that's up to you."

"Do you even like it here?"

Time freezes as Elsa's question cuts through and creates this icy tension. When Anna looks at her, which is harder to do than she cares to admit, she's expecting the head chef to be staring daggers at her. Or, more appropriately, kitchen knives. But instead, she has the same puzzled look from the first time they met. Her bright blue eyes, partially covered by the brim of her baseball cap, are as patient as they are demanding, and the longer that Anna keeps her gaze…the easier that becomes.

She takes a second to think about that question, looking back on the month she's already been here. The work can be tiresome and some customers make her want to pull her hair out or cry in the bathroom stall, but the place is nice and her coworkers are some of the most interesting people she's ever met. There's still so much of her life that remains uncertain, but when she thinks about where else she could be right now...nothing comes to mind. Maybe this isn't where she's meant to be forever, but she's grateful for the chance to be here now.

With a small smile, Anna holds Elsa's stare and says, "I do."

Elsa opens her mouth like she's going to say something, but her expression shifts as if she's finally hearing Anna's confident, albeit short, answer. She drops her arms and lets out a soft sigh before turning back around. "Your food will be ready in ten minutes."

For a moment, the only sounds are Elsa's footsteps as she walks back to the kitchen and the speakers serenading them with a pop-punk cover of Since U Been Gone. When Elsa disappears through the kitchen door, Meg leans towards Anna and whispers, "You hear that?"

Anna looks around puzzled before asking, "Hear what?"

Meg chuckles, "That's the sound of ice breaking."

Anna ends up staying at Olaf's for a couple of hours, leaving before the lunch rush so that she doesn't become an unnecessary distraction. After running a couple of errands for her parents, she gets home in time to see her mom and dad sitting at the kitchen table.

"Welcome back!" her dad says eagerly. "Did you get the detergent?"

Anna holds up the too-full plastic shopping bag. "And everything else."

He throws his hands up like she just scored the game-winning point. "Woo! That's my girl."

"So how was your day?" her mom asks as she pulls out the chair next to her.

Without thinking, she could say that it was good. But Anna has a habit of thinking, and she's trapped herself into wondering whether it was good because she enjoyed it or because she got through it without wanting to cry. "Good," she says anyway in order to avoid worrying her parents. "I stopped by my work for lunch."

"That's nice," her mom says, sounding like she actually means it.

"Did you bring us anything?" her dad asks, eyes as wide as their cat when it smelled fish.

Anna hisses, "Next time I will. Sorry."

"Ah, it's fine. I already ate some of your mom's meatloaf from last night anyway."

Her mom puts her hand above her dad's and coos, "Honey, you didn't eat it. You inhaled it."

Her dad's jaw drops as he lets out an exaggerated gasp. "How dare you?! I'll have you know that I chew my food, thank you very much."

"Not as much as you should," her mom mutters.

Anna's hit with a wonderful wave of nostalgia as she hears her parents' playful bickering. They used to do it all the time at the dinner table when she was younger, and it had been sorely missing in the month since she's been back. Comfort and stability are slowly returning, maybe in a few months it will be like she never left.

…except she did, and that needs to be addressed.

The conversation she had earlier with Meg and Elsa was a stark reminder that this isn't just some hometown visit, she's here for the foreseeable future. And if she wants to keep building up this life, there can be no stones unturned from her previous life. She needs to be honest with everyone, including herself, and that starts here.

"Anna? Honey, what's wrong?" her mom asks when she notices the conflict on her daughter's face.

Anna looks at her, and then at her dad. She bites her cheek before she can instinctively say that nothing's wrong, and looks at her warm, loving, supportive parents one more time before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. It was time to dive back into the abyss.

"I think it's time I told you about the marriage."

Chapter Text

If someone told Anna that it was a bad idea to marry the guy she met during college orientation, chances are she wouldn't have believed them. From the second their eyes met in the middle of the crowded auditorium, Anna was smitten with Hans Westerguard. And despite the stench of 'high school dork' emanating from her overalls and purple Class of 2021 t-shirt, Hans had a thing for her too.

They were inseparable that first year, aided by the fact that she lived one floor above him and they had a lot of the same Gen Ed classes together. Whenever Anna would hang out with her friends, one of them would inevitably ask "Where's Hans?". Whenever Hans had a lacrosse game, rest assured Anna would be sitting at the front of the bleachers screaming her head off for him.

Every milestone, no matter how small, was recorded for the world to see on their social media accounts (yes, they did have matching profile pictures). Every lunch date, every "I love you", even every time they did their weird hand-heart thing. There was no Hans without Anna, there was no Anna without Hans.

It didn't come as a shock to anyone when, during the summer of their freshman year, they got engaged.

Anna's parents were ecstatic. When she video-called them and showed off the ring, her dad did a jumping high kick that almost knocked over one of their portraits. She would have shown it off in person, but she was spending the entire summer in the Southern Isles. It's fine, there would be time to see her parents in person.

Just not yet.

The plan was for her to go home during Fall Break, but Hans booked them for a surprise cabin stay at a nearby lake. During Winter Break, he took them to a ski lodge. Spring Break was her Plan C, but the day before she left, she and Hans got into an argument. He assumed they would spend the break on campus like they did the year before, and when Anna showed him the text she sent mentioning her going back home, Hans claimed he never saw it. In the end, he convinced her to stay after arguing that love is about compromise.

That was the first red flag.

Anna wakes up to another sunny day in Arendelle slipping through her curtains. Yesterday, she told her parents everything about the marriage they never got to see, and surprisingly, she was able to get through the whole story without tearing up. But the second she got back to her room, the dam broke and she cried herself to sleep.

Waking up is the worst thing after a night-long crying session. Her eyes are puffy, her lips and throat are dry, and her whole body feels like it's been massaged with a sledgehammer. After downing the completely full water bottle on her nightstand, she goes to the bathroom to pee it all out. Because that's how water works.

Her parents took the tell-all pretty well, at least as well as she hoped. She didn't expect them to be ashamed or disappointed, but she also didn't expect them to blindly take her side. But that's how it happened; she can still feel the warmth from the tight group hug they gave her afterward, and the words her mom whispered to her.

"You are a beautiful, amazing gift. Never forget that."

As cathartic as that moment was, she doesn't feel up for something that emotionally charged this early in the morning, which is why she's slow to go downstairs. If she didn't have work today, chances are she wouldn't go downstairs at all, but alas.

Anna's cautious footsteps are betrayed by the creaking floorboards. The smell of coffee and toast gets stronger with each groaning step until finally she's made it down to the kitchen. Her dad is reading something on his tablet and her mom is spreading jelly on a bagel, but as soon as Anna appears their attention is on her.

Just what she needed.

Her mom is the first to act, quickly moving towards her daughter and embracing her much like last night. "Good morning, my precious child. How did you sleep?"

"Good," Anna lies, patting the back of her mom's shoulder.

Her dad raises his mug towards her, an ugly, yellow thing she got him for Father's Day back in middle school. "Coffee's ready. Get it while it's hot. Or not, I don't know how you kids take your coffee nowadays."

"I've taken my coffee the same way since high school, Dad." Anna lets out a soft grunt when her mother finally lets her go. She resists the urge to rub her still sore arms.

"Hey, I don't know, maybe they're teaching you some new 'tricks of the trade' at Olaf's." Definitely not, the only coffee pot they have is in the office.

Her mom pats her arms like there's dirt on them. There's a glint of excitement in her eyes. "I made you something special for lunch today."

Anna's shoulders drop. "Mom…"

Her mom waves her off. "I already know what you're going to say. You think I'm overreacting after last night, but I already had this special lunch planned."

"Since when?"

"Since last night," her dad confesses. When her mom pouts at him, he tries to hide behind his mug.

Anna sighs, "Please don't give me any special treatment now that you know everything. I'm going to feel so guilty."

"You can't stop your parents from being your parents," her mom adds, tucking back a strand of Anna's hair. And though that's true, that doesn't mean she can accept it.

Still, she shouldn't be surprised by their behavior. Her parents have always been like that; they've always taken her side no matter what. When she was eight and got in trouble for getting into her art teacher's pastels, her parents argued that she was just exploring her creative side and got her a pastel set of her own. They are loyal to a fault.

She wouldn't be surprised if her dad was scheming a way to get to the Southern Isles to give Hans a piece of his mind. Fifty-year-old Ethan O'Reilly with a bad back and an affinity for nosebleeds trying to take down a twenty-seven-year-old former college athlete with anger management issues. It wouldn't even be close.

Anna shakes off that thought and all the other ones going through her head. "I need to go to work. Promise me I won't come back and see you've bought a cake and balloons?"

"Oh, we would never be that subtle," her dad remarks. "By the way, did you know a plane ticket from here to the Southern Isles is only $150?"

"Don't," Anna and her mom say at the same time.

Anna looked at herself through her large, round vanity mirror. The thick blush and eyeliner on her face were still taking some time to get used to, but it paired well with the rich crimson of her lipstick. Smooth, rich red locks of her newly-dyed hair fell tenderly along her shoulders and nearly tangled with the thin straps of her velvet, satin dress. She had never looked so beautiful, and it was all thanks to her new husband.

It was the first night of her new life. A year of blissful engagement culminated in a spontaneous private ceremony during a summer trip to Las Vegas. On the return trip, Anna agreed to live with Hans in his family's beach house in the Southern Isles. They were building a new one and had given the old one to him as a graduation gift.

She never found time to visit her parents since she was too busy with the whole moving process; sporadic phone calls and social media pictures were all she could offer. But as long as they knew what was going on with her, then things were fine.

It wasn't as if she had much motivation to go back anyway. Leaving Arendelle was the best thing she ever could have done, and going back for anything could jeopardize this new life of hers.

Anna stood up and smoothed out her dress, walking out to the balcony- their balcony- to watch the strong, evening waves crash along the shore. Life had turned around so much for her since she left for college, just like she imagined.

Her parents could wait. In due time, she would pay to fly her parents out here for a visit and they could finally catch up for real. Or maybe they could visit her on campus when she went back to school. They could have done that last year and they never did. Hans was right, why did she always have to be the one to make time for them?

She spread her hands across the balcony railing and closed her eyes, taking in the sounds of the beach. Arendelle was so enclosed, so insular, the closest body of water was a reservoir that some kid almost drowned in when she was a teenager. The Southern Isles was perfect for a woman like her.

"I thought I'd find you out here."

Anna turned her head to see her dearly beloved, dressed in an ebony, three-piece suit, walking towards her with practiced poise. "Can you blame me? There's nothing like this where I'm from."

"Well, you don't need to dwell on that anymore. This is your home now." Hans slowly looked her up and down, appraising the sight in front of him. He let out a content sigh. "That dress looks amazing on you."

Anna giggled and wanted to do some kind of sexy pose, but when her mind drew a blank she just did a small curtsy. The tight fabric around her hips made it hard to go too low. "I'm surprised that your cousin bought it for me. I thought your family would be upset about us doing a whole Vegas wedding."

"They'll get over it. Besides, it doesn't matter what they think. It's just you and me now." Hans placed his hands on her hips and pressed a kiss on her forehead. Sweetly, he whispered, "Just what I wanted."

Anna rested her head against his chest. For the longest moment, it was just the two of them standing atop the ambiance of the beach, their bodies swaying like the waves pushing and pulling along the sand. It was solitude, it was contentment, it was love. But the moment needed to end; after all, they had a dinner date.

"Remind me again who we're having dinner with?" she asked when they went back inside.

"Some of my old friends from high school. I haven't seen them in a while, and I figured a life update was well-deserved." Hans patted his pockets and muttered a curse. "I think I left my phone in the living room, be right back."

Hans left her in the living room that was twice as big as the one in her childhood home. The mention of high school made her wonder what a meeting would be like between Hans and her high school friends. She imagined that their jaws would fall to the floor. Would they be jealous? Is it bad that she wished they would be?

The sound of a phone vibrating took her out of her thoughts. She walked over to the noise, finding Hans' phone facedown on the nightstand. "Honey, I found it!"

Always the curious one– and since they weren't ones to hide anything from each other– Anna flipped the phone over to see what the notification was for. It was…unexpected, to say the least.

Agatha:  Your words are extremely hurtful. I thought we were over this, but it turns out you haven't changed a bit. I pity the woman you've married, and for her sake I hope she sees the real you sooner rather than later. Don't talk to me again.

"You did find it. Thanks, babe."

Anna jumped at the sound of Hans' voice. His warm, disarming smile didn't fit at all with the message she just read, it couldn't have. Hans could have his fits of anger sometimes, but that was normal for everybody. And as far as she could recall, Hans wasn't the type to be hurtful with his words.

The apprehension in her mind must have been visible on her face because Hans's smile dropped as their eyes met. "What's wrong?" he asked.

She didn't know how to answer that, but she knew she had to at least be honest. She held his phone out to him and tried to keep her usual demeanor as she said, "You, uh– sorry, I was nosy and read the text on your phone. Is everything…okay?"

Hans grabbed his phone and looked at the same message she saw. Curiosity turned into confusion, which quickly turned into annoyance. Anna felt the tension rising in the room. When Hans shoved his phone into his pocket, she flinched and began to voice an apology. But Hans spoke before she could.

"Ugh, don't worry about her. She's just a jaded ex-girlfriend who said some horrible stuff about you, and I said some horrible things back," he explained. "I'll block her tonight."

"Oh." Anna wrung her hands together. "So…you're not mad at me?"

"Why would I be?" Hans's frown softened a little. "Oh, for reading my text? No! I want you to feel like you can trust me with anything. I'll always be honest with you, Anna. I love you."

Anna breathed a sigh of relief and wrapped her arms around her husband's waist, taking in the scent of his minty cologne. "I love you too," she replied.

Later, Anna would learn that Agatha was actually his mother. That should have been the second red flag.

"Behind!"

Anna turns around and yelps out, "Sorry!" When Maui steps back to avoid her and collides with a cabinet, she adds, "Oh! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I forgot to-"

"Hey, no worries," Maui replies while rubbing his shoulder. "It happens. No one got hurt, so we're chill."

Anna's not able to feel the reassurance in his words. She mutters a "Thanks" out of politeness and finishes garnishing the to-go order currently on the pass. The chicken tender resting lifelessly atop the tub of barbecue sauce is a perfect metaphor for how she's currently feeling.

"You doing good, sis? Your vibe seems off today."

Oh great, it's noticeable. "I'm fine, just tired," she says with a practiced smile and cadence. Maui doesn't seem convinced.

"Just tired?" he asks, his thick eyebrows narrowing so he can stare right into Anna's soul.

Anna knows that he's just concerned, but her mind is quick to assume that Maui is glaring at her and she withers under the stare. So pathetic. She knows that this guy is one of the friendliest people you could ever meet, but all it takes is one errant look to send her reeling back to darker times. And that's also all it takes to keep her from confiding in Maui for the moment.

"Just tired," she repeats with zero confidence.

Maui lets out a soft grunt, a sound of understanding, and then pats her gently on the arm. It still feels like he's trying to push her. "Alright, don't hurt yourself. And if you're still 'tired', I'm here all day."

Anna gives him a small nod and an even smaller "Thanks." before leaving the kitchen with the to-go box in hand. With a forced tug of her lips and a clearing of her throat, she puts her waitress mask back on. Hopefully, she won't have any more slip-ups today.

Anna looked out the passenger-side window, her hands folded tightly in her lap. Every few seconds, the car was illuminated by a deep yellow glow and she would catch a glimpse of herself in the side mirror. There was smudged mascara under her eyes, faint lines of lipstick on her chapped lips, and loose curls of hair poking out of the carefully constructed bun.

Calling tonight a disaster would undermine the harsh reality she'd been living in for the past few months. Ever since they returned to the Southern Isles in the summer of their second year, she had been making one mistake after another. Mistakes she didn't even realize were mistakes.

She wanted to situate herself in the Isles by going out to places and meeting new people, she wanted to make this place feel like the home it was going to be for the rest of her life, but Hans didn't approve.

At first, he showed his displeasure through petty things like 'accidentally' knocking over the drinks she got from the coffee shop or making passive-aggressive comments about the neighbors when she'd visit them. But soon, things took a turn for the worse. He'd show up unannounced to things like book club meetings or yoga classes and take her home early due to some made-up emergency, and talking to another man was out of the question unless she wanted Hans to get unbearably handsy. Through it all, Anna convinced herself that Hans was only acting out of love; he loved her on a level that only they could see. It made sense because it had to.

…and then the yelling started.

Every time she did something he didn't like, Hans would yell. Not at her, not usually, but it was terrifying nonetheless. She could always tell it was about to start when he'd talk more to himself than her, and his movements and speech would become quicker and more erratic. She learned to be quiet and let him get it all out of his system, and then she would soothe him back down. Sometimes with her words, sometimes with her gestures, and sometimes with other methods.

This should have been the third red flag, and the fourth, and fifth, and hundredth, but Anna continued to have hope that things would turn around. Tonight, she was holding on to her last bit of hope.

"So, when were you going to tell me?" Hans asked. These were the first words he'd spoken since they left the party.

Anna didn't have the strength to lie. "You weren't supposed to find out," she said without looking at him.

Hans inhaled sharply. "I wasn't supposed to find out that my wife was taking online classes to graduate early after I specifically told her to drop out?"

"I have a right to get my degree, Hans. I've already come this far," she argued. When Hans first proposed the idea for her to drop out, the conversation ended with her vaguely agreeing to it in order to get him to stop talking. As eroded as her boundaries were, her education was still something she would hold on to. Even if it meant her parents would never actually see her graduate.

"This isn't about you, it's about us. You don't trust me." 

Anna winced, already sensing the beginnings of a blow-up. "Don't say that…"

"What good is a Communications degree going to do for you anyway? What do you think you're going to do with that?" He took another breath– in through his nose, and out far too quickly. "I can't believe that after all this time you still don't think I know what's best for us."

"Hans, I'm doing this for myself."

"And that's the problem! How can you still be so goddamn stubborn after all this time?! All I do is sacrifice for this family, and you're always trying to sabotage me." He placed a hand on her shoulder in some twisted form of comfort. His grip was tight, his fingers dug into her muscles. "I love you, but you don't want to give that same love in return. Am I wrong?"

"Hans-" 

"Answer me!"

And with those two words, all of the hope inside Anna finally died. "Stop the car."

"What?"

Anna pushed Hans' hand off her shoulder and looked at him with desperate fury. "I said stop the car!"

The car skidded to a halt as Hans stomped on the brakes. Behind them, a car honked and swerved out of their way. It could have hit them, maybe it should have. Anna stepped out of the car as Hans shouted at her to get back inside.

But she didn't, she wouldn't. She kept walking and pulled her coat tighter around her shoulders, wincing even though she felt no pain. Maybe she would go back to the house, maybe she would keep walking until her high heels ground down into the pavement, or maybe she would go home.

Home.

Yes, it was time to go home.

Hans followed her for a few blocks, trying to get her attention, but at some point he gave up and drove away, leaving her to walk the empty yet familiar streets of Oldtown. This historic part of the Southern Isles was a popular tourist spot and a place that she and Hans had been to for countless dates. The shops were all lined with flags bearing the city's crimson red.

And they had never looked brighter.

"First, I need you to restock the toilet paper in the women's restroom."

"Alright."

"After that, you can put the Reserved signs on the tables for the party at 4."

"Yeah."

"And then, I need you to stick your hand in the deep fryer."

"Okay."

"Newbie, are you actually listening to me?"

"Got it."

A hand touches Anna's shoulder. She gasps and slaps it away, startling Meg in the process.

"Whoa hey! What the hell was that for?" Meg asks, shaking the pain out of her hand.

"Meg, oh gosh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that." Anna rubs her shoulder and softly repeats, "I didn't mean to do that."

Meg looks at her with reasonable anger, but when she looks at Anna, pity must overtake her. She closes her eyes and lets out a long sigh, when she reopens them her manager mask is back on. "You've been out of it all day. Something happened, tell me."

Anna shakes her head, "It's nothing to worry about. I'm just–"

"Tired?"

"...yeah."

"You know I don't believe that, right?" Meg reaches out to her, but then she rethinks it and crosses her arms instead. "Look. If it was any other day, I'd tell you to go home and sort yourself out, but we've got a big party coming in soon and I really need your help. Can you keep it together for at least a couple more hours?"

"Y-Yeah. Yes. I can do that."

Meg nods, clearly not convinced. "Alright, just grab a clean bucket from the back and bus the tables. I can handle everything else."

"Got it. Thanks." Anna lets go of her shoulder and walks into the kitchen. The late afternoon symphony of dishes being washed and raunchy conversations being had is an oddly welcome sound. As she grabs a couple of towels and fills an empty bucket with cleaning solution, she waits anxiously for someone else to ask her the popular question of the day. It never comes, and Anna's not sure if that's a good thing.

As soon as she's filled her bucket, a spatula lands into the sudsy water of the sink below her. "Agh! Maui, this is a new shirt," she exclaims.

"Sorry."

That voice definitely doesn't belong to Maui.

Anna straightens up at the clear, cutting sound of Elsa's voice. She expects the diligent chef to have gone back to her grill by now, but instead, she's remained by the sinks, eyeing the frazzled waitress with her typical stoicness. "N-No, sorry. I'm sorry. I was probably in your way."

"You weren't," Elsa replies. "I acted out of habit, so I didn't think to check if anyone was using the sink."

"Well still…it's just a shirt. Don't worry about it." Anna hugs the bucket against her chest, the frothy waters threatening to spill against her shirt as well.

Elsa looks at the bucket and then slowly back at Anna, it feels like an eternity has passed in the process. There's something about the way Elsa looks at you that manages to keep your attention for as long as she wants, and Anna's definitely not immune to that power. She waits anxiously for whatever judgment Elsa will pass down.

And it comes in a form least expected. Elsa readjusts her baseball cap and speaks with a voice that remains above the noise, but in a way that only Anna seems to hear.

"If something's bothering you, then you shouldn't be afraid to say so. Don't make yourself smaller for the sake of peace."

She walks away, and something inside of Anna clicks, punctuated by the sound of the dishwasher finishing its round.

There had to be a reason Anna was so drawn to Elsa from the beginning- a tangible reason, something that could be put into words that made sense. And now she understands why she's so attracted to the cold and distant chef.

It's admiration.

Her mind and heart have concluded that Elsa Ostrem is someone who has their shit together. Someone who always knows what to say and do. Someone who has taken what life has thrown at her and come out stronger because of this. She's an inspiration, and one way or another, Anna is going to learn her ways.

Chapter Text

Anna O'Reilly is a woman of several talents, most of them unmarketable. One of these talents is her ability to find anyone online as long as she knows their first name.

It's something she learned how to do back in high school. Being the eternal people pleaser that she is, whenever one of her friends had developed a new crush, she'd scour through social media to find out everything about them– even if they didn't go to their school. Give her ten minutes and the person's name, and she would get you their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even their Soundcloud account if they had one.

The last time she used this superpower was with Hans…

And now she's done it with Elsa!

Finding information about her turned out to be a lot easier than expected, though there's not a lot of it. She's thirty years old and lives on the north side of Arendelle, most likely by herself or with a roommate. Three years ago, she received her Masters in Engineering, and two years ago, she started working at Olaf's. There's not a lot online that hints about what may have happened in that year between, there are only pictures.

Pictures from the two times that Elsa was Olaf's Employee of the Month, pictures of her at some smarty-pants engineering conference in San Fransokyo, and a group picture with her high school Robotics Club. They aren't enough to fill in the gaps, but there is an unexpected benefit to finding them: she gets to see Elsa's smile.

It is– in a word– beautiful, and it leaves Anna– in another word– captivated. Elsa has a smile that exudes poise and grace; the way she curls her lip and the softness of her gaze seem so effortless. There's a dim sapphire glow in her eyes that makes you want to get lost in it, and when you do, it's like floating in an ocean you're not afraid to drown in. Anna imagines what it'd be like to see this smile in person and it leaves her with a tightness in her chest.

That's new.

But it's not something she can dwell on. The only reason she binged all of this Elsa content was to see if she could learn anything about why she's so put-together all of the time. She's found nothing in her research, which means she needs to learn things from the woman herself.

But since Elsa's a busy enough woman– and she still looks like she wants to bite Anna's head off every time she speaks– Anna can't just ask her to be her teacher. If she's going to learn from Elsa, she'll have to be flexible and do most of the work herself, just like all of her group projects in school.

Thankfully, she's already come up with a foolproof, three-step plan.

Step One: The Lingering

Anna likes to think that she's mastered the art of the expo. When the bell rings, she's like a bull rushing through a crowd, except with less gore and a tinier body. She learned pretty quickly not to stay in the kitchen when it's busy, and that it's definitely not a good idea to try and have a conversation with anyone. In other words, she's learned how to do her job well enough to avoid lingering for too long.

Recently, she's started to linger.

But hey, she's subtle about it. She goes into the kitchen to prep the food, and under her breath, she counts to five while casually looking around until her eyes conveniently land on Elsa. And then she studies.

It's an effective learning tactic, especially during their busy hours (like right now). She's known for a while that Elsa works hard, but now she's noticing how. It's big things and little things. Big things like projecting her voice in a loud kitchen without needing to shout, and calling for ingredients to the line at the perfect times. Little things like moving hot tongs out of the way so no one gets burned by them, and pointing at the deep fryers right when the food's supposed to be done cooking.

Watching Elsa work is like watching an artist painting on five canvases at once, and as long as Anna remains subtle about it–

"What are you doing?"

Anna yelps, and if she were a cat, she would have jumped so high that she'd hit the ceiling. A frigid stare greets her from the other side of the kitchen as Elsa the artist disappears, and in her place stands Elsa the…dragon.

Listen, Anna's not the best at analogies. And she watched Shrek last night with her parents, so dragons are still on her mind.

With the eloquence of a trapped donkey, she replies, "I– uh, me? Who me?"

"You're staring at me," Elsa accuses. "Why?"

"Oh. Uh, sorry no I wasn't– I wasn't staring," Anna lies.

"Then what are you doing?"

Well, right now she's wishing that she could turn into a worm or a mouse or something so she could skitter out of this conversation. But that's probably not what Elsa wants to hear. Anna shakes her head, "Sorry, I was just thinking about something."

Elsa shakes her head as well, but out of disappointment. "You know we're in the middle of the lunch rush, right?"

Anna opens her mouth to answer, but Elsa's tone and how she turns back to the grill make it clear that this conversation is over. She utters one more apology that gets drowned out by the whirr of the ticket machine and then goes back to doing her job.

A normal person would take this experience as a reminder to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible, but Anna isn't a normal person. And as she sets the tray of food down for the family of four in front of her, she's already making plans to move on to step two.

Step Two: The Asking

After an acceptable amount of time passes (let's say two weeks), Anna decides it's time to stop being a passive observer and instead be an active doer.

There are two points during her shift where Elsa is the least terrifying and the most approachable: her lunch break, and the dead period. The dead period of the day is sporadic, when it starts and ends will always vary. But Elsa's lunch break is precise in its when and where. At 2 PM, six days out of the week, Elsa sits on the hood of her car, eating whatever food she's brought with her. During both of these occassions, a change occurs. The tightness around her jaw loosens, her gaze goes from cold to lukewarm, and you can get near her without her trying to bite your head off.

Armed with this knowledge, Anna moves onto step two of her plan: asking questions.

She knows Elsa won't respond kindly to the superficial, small-talk kind of nonsense like "Whatcha eating?" or "Do you remember who the 15th President of the United States was?" Elsa is a woman of substance, probably, and so Anna's questions need to be substantial. Luckily, she has a lot of those.

Things start off well enough. First, she catches Elsa as she finishes restocking the olives on the cold line, and she points to the old pan and asks, "Do you want me to wash that?"

"I've got it," Elsa replies quickly, stepping past her.

The second time around, Anna hears a song playing from the kitchen's Bluetooth speaker that she actually vibes with. The chefs usually play metal or 90s hip-hop, but this time an old pop song slips through the cracks. She shimmies towards Elsa and leans against the wall, it feels like she's at one of the parties she and her friends used to sneak into back in high school. "I like this song, what's it called?"

Elsa crosses her arms and shrugs, not looking at Anna. "Kristoff's in charge of the playlist back here," she answers.

Try number three comes when she conveniently returns to the walk-in just as Elsa is doing inventory. As Elsa stares intensely at one of the shelves, Anna creeps up next to her and takes a breath to let the focused chef know she's there. "Were you the one that organized the walk-in?"

Elsa takes a break from her tallying to provide Anna with a thorough and elaborate answer: "Yeah."

Anna smiles, pretending that the cold isn't pricking her fingertips. "It's really neat and, you know, orderly here. I like it."

"Thanks." Elsa takes one quick stride to another shelf, turning her back on Anna.

Things go on like this for another week or so. Anna's careful not to get in Elsa's way too much, and she continues to ask simple, non-intrusive questions. Herc and Maui catch on to what she's doing at some point, and they say that all she's doing is "poking the bear", but Anna tells them it's fine. Besides, she's already learned a lot in a short amount of time.

"Does your voice ever get tired from giving out all the orders?" Anna asks.

"I've gotten used to it," Elsa says.

"Do you have any dishes I can wash?" she inquires.

"I'm fine," the chef answers.

"Day's almost over. You excited to go home?" she wonders.

"Don't touch that, it's hot," the person of interest warns.

Okay, so maybe Anna hasn't learned a lot, but she's gained a better understanding of how Elsa works and it remains fascinating to see. From the second that Elsa gets here to the second she leaves, she is on. It's all about getting her job done and doing it to a high standard that everyone falls in line with. She rarely ever needs to reprimand anyone, and if she does it's not all belittling and screaming like Anna's seen on TV.

All it takes is one stare– and maybe a couple of words– and the person in her sights shapes up quickly.

She's assertive but not domineering, critical but not demeaning, intense but not…okay no, she's still very much intimidating. Anna's admiration grows every time she sees her work, she finds it hard to break her self-inflicted habit of lingering, which isn't good. The last thing she wants is to make Elsa suspicious or have her think she's a creep.

One day, Anna finally finds the courage to talk to Elsa during her lunch break. After voluntarily throwing out the trash, she does her best to catch the chef's eye while she's eating and waves at her. And Elsa waves back. She also could have been swatting a fly away, but Anna's trying to think positively.

Quick to follow the momentum, she approaches Elsa and says, "Hey."

Elsa raises an eyebrow at her but says nothing, continuing to eat her leftover Chinese food like it'll disappear if she doesn't finish it in the next fifteen minutes. She looks so at peace.

The urge to ask Elsa something stupid is strong, but Anna powers through it and instead asks, "So…do you always take your lunch break out here?"

Elsa doesn't answer until she's swallowed her food, she stares at Anna the whole time. "Not when it rains."

Anna nods. At this point, you would expect there to be an awkward silence due to obvious reasons. But Anna expected that, so she's determined for there not to be one. "I can understand why, this seems really peaceful."

"It is."

"Do you like the peace? I just think that–"

"Do you need something?"

Anna presses her lips together, not expecting Elsa to get to that question so quickly. She shuffles through her mental notes and pulls out the answer she's looking for, trying to keep her composure. "Not specifically, I just know that I still have a lot to learn and you seem to know a lot, so…"

Elsa has not stopped eating this whole time. She makes Anna wait while she scoops up another forkful of chow mein. Eventually, she adds, "I guess that explains why you keep hovering around me."

Oh...dear. She has noticed.

A chill shoots up Anna's spine and all the confidence she'd been building up for weeks flushes out of her. She can no longer look Elsa in the eye. "I wasn't trying to hover."

Elsa scoffs, "That's a lie."

Anna's shoulders sink, "It is. I'm sorry. You must think I'm some kind of creep."

As Anna waits for the proverbial guillotine to drop, she wonders what will happen after this. She's certain that Elsa will chew her out, and it will be brutal and deserved. But what then? Will she still have a job? Will Elsa get her shifts moved around so they're no longer working together? Will she gain a reputation for being that weirdo that clings to people who are better than her in every way?

Because she must love torturing herself, Anna takes the chance to look at Elsa– to see that all-too-familiar glare. But she doesn't see anything like that. Elsa's looking at nothing, her thoughts somewhere else, as she finishes her lunch. It's ten seconds that feel like ten years, but eventually, she speaks.

"Look, I don't know what you're expecting from me, but I'm not a teacher. If you want to learn how to survive here, ask Meg or Kristoff, I'm not…I can't help you. Okay?"

Elsa starts to walk away, deeming the conversation over, but not before sparing one more glance at the guilt-filled waitress. It feels almost apologetic, which is strange because she has nothing to apologize for.

Anna waits until she hears the back door close to start making her way back to the restaurant. She knows that she'll have to clear up this misunderstanding with Elsa, to let her know that she's trying to survive in more than just the restaurant, but she needs to let the sting of rejection wear off first.

Only afterward will she move on to step three.

Step Three: The Asking, But Better This Time

"I am so proud to announce our next Employee of the Month: the wonderful Anna O'Reilly."

Anna smiles with some embarrassment as her coworkers applaud as energetically as they can at eight in the morning. Gerda gives her a big hug and congratulates her one more time, telling her that the bonus will be added to her next paycheck. The applause dies down as she turns back to everyone, "Thanks, uh, everyone. It's-"

"You don't need to do a speech, Newbie," Meg interrupts. "It's Friday and we have a catering gig in a couple of hours."

"Oh. Okay cool." Anna gives the group a thumbs up, which is probably supposed to be a signal to get back to work, but most of them have already done that. Even Elsa.

Especially Elsa.

The only ones that stick around after that heartwarming meeting are Kristoff and Meg. Kristoff pats her arm and says, "Look at that! Three months working here and you've already won the big one. How do you feel?"

Anna chuckles, "Right now? Tired."

"I feel that. At least you don't have to cater for 'Bingo and Brunch' today."

"Brunch and Bingo," Meg corrects. "The owners were hella anal about us getting the order right."

"Uh, right. Brunch and then Bingo." Kristoff clears his throat and crosses his arms. "Anyway, good job again, Anna. I'm…proud of you? Yeah. Yeah, I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Kristoff," Anna replies. She feels a pat on her shoulder and turns to follow a waving Meg out of the kitchen.

Meg sighs as soon as they're out of the kitchen. "He is not subtle," she says amused before grabbing a stack of utensils from a tub. "Anyway, you're free on Sunday right, Newbie?"

Anna looks at her, puzzled, "I think I'm working that day, right?"

Meg rolls her eyes, "After work, obviously."

"Oh." She mentally goes over her schedule for that day. If her parents don't plan another impromptu movie night, then she'll have nothing to do. That shouldn't have made her feel so sad. "I don't think I'll be busy that day."

"Good." Meg points a pair of utensils at her. "I'm having a party at my place, and you're going."

"I am?" Anna asks with wide eyes.

"You are. It's a small thing we do every time when the owners announce the Employee of the Month. We eat, get drunk, talk shit, and the Employee of the Month gets to wear this dorky crown so it'd suck if you weren't there."

This is a great opportunity. The last party she went to was with Hans, and she's desperate to scrub that memory away and replace it with something better. Plus, the party would have people she actually enjoys spending time with. The more she thinks about this, the more excited she gets– she doesn't even wonder why Meg's only inviting her now when she's been working here for three months.

"Sounds fun! I'm definitely in," she says without hesitation.

"Perfect, because I wouldn't have accepted no for an answer." Meg chuckles. "Everyone usually shows up around two hours after we close the restaurant, and we go until whenever."

"No end time? But what about work on Monday?"

Meg looks at her like she asked what the number is for 911. "Newbie, everyone here runs on enough caffeine to kill an elephant. One party isn't going to wipe us out."

"That doesn't sound healthy," says the woman who gets eight hours of sleep and has maybe one cup of coffee a day.

"I never said it was," replies the woman who gets five hours of sleep and has three cans of Red Bull a day.

Deciding it's best not to judge everyone's recreational habits, Anna pivots to asking something more important, "So, you said that everyone goes to these parties?"

"Mostly. I mean a couple of the cooks have families and stuff they need to take care of, and I don't invite anyone under twenty-one for obvious reasons."

"Does Elsa go to these parties?"

Meg laughs but then stops when she realizes that Anna isn't joking. She leans against the bar counter with her arms crossed. "God, I mean I tried inviting her the first couple of times we started doing this, but you can probably guess what she said."

Anna frowns, this is the answer she was expecting but it still sucks to hear. And it makes step three a little more complicated. "So she really doesn't spend time with anyone outside of work."

Meg shrugs, "The Ice Queen operates on a completely different level than most people here. I respect it, honestly. Like I don't give a shit what people think of me, but with her, it's like you can't even touch her armor."

"Still…" Anna bites her lip and looks towards the kitchen, right around the spot where Elsa most likely is. "That has to be so isolating."

"Yeah, it has to be. Hey look, if you want to try and invite her to the party, I won't stop you. Just be prepared for the answer you're going to get."

And Anna does just that– the asking part, not much of the preparing part. The next time she sees that Elsa's gone on her lunch break, Anna walks over to her without even using the excuse of taking out the trash. Step three is her asking Elsa to hang out outside of work. She has a good grasp of how Elsa operates on the clock, but she wants to know what she's like off it.

Does she even rest? Or is she like a bee that's constantly moving from one task to the next? Is that how real adults are supposed to do things?

She's hoping that spending some quality time outside of work with the most put-together adult she's ever been around can give her the answers she's seeking. And like most parties, this one gives Elsa the perfect, low-stakes opportunity to be herself. All she needs to do is say yes to the invite.

With no hesitation…with some hesitation, Anna goes to the chef who's now eating a very delicious-looking sandwich. "Uh hey, sorry I know you're…this won't take long. I just had a question I wanted to ask you."

Elsa continues eating her sandwich and stares at her. There's no malice or judgment in her eyes, but it's clear that she wants Anna to get on with it.

Anna looks away and pats her already sweaty hands against her jeans. "So, I don't know if you already know this, but Meg is having this small party thing on Sunday– after work, obviously. It's this monthly thing, I guess, and she said she invited you a couple of times already and you said no. I-I mean maybe you said no, you probably said no. And not that there's anything wrong with that, you have a whole life outside of here which I completely respect and admire. And I mean I definitely admire it, like if you knew how much–"

"You want me to come to the party," Elsa interrupts. "That's what you're trying to say, right?"

Now that she hears her plan coming from someone else's lips, Anna realizes how stupid it sounds. Elsa already told her to leave her alone, and she's doing the exact opposite. It's rude, and if Hans were here…no. Stop. She can't do that to herself. "That's what I'm trying to say," she repeats.

"I probably won't go. Parties aren't my thing." Elsa finishes the rest of her sandwich and pats her hands together to wipe them clean. She starts to walk back inside but suddenly turns to look at Anna. "And you shouldn't waste your time asking, I don't hang out with anyone outside of work. It's nothing personal, I just don't."

That should be the end of things. That should be a big enough of a 'No' for Anna to give up this weird escapade of hers. But it's not. Elsa gets a few feet away from her before Anna finds a bit of resolve somewhere to ask one more question: "Why?"

Elsa pauses. Her shoulders rise the slightest bit as she takes in a breath, and for a second Anna thinks she's going to turn around and give her the tongue lashing of a lifetime. But something else wins out inside of Elsa, and her shoulders drop as she lets out a sharp exhale. She softly yet clearly responds, "Just let it go, Newbie. Whatever you think I am…I'm not."

She walks away, not realizing that that's the worst thing she could have said. Because now the mystique of Elsa Ostrem has grown, and the dormant stubbornness that made Anna such a menace in high school has fully awakened. She wants to know more, she has to know more, and she will by doing something that she should have tried long ago.

She's going to befriend the Ice Queen.

Chapter Text

It's such a dorky thing to tell your parents you're going to a party when you're twenty-five, but Anna couldn't help herself. Her social life finally has a heartbeat again! She can spend time with people she actually wants to be around without some angry, jealous oaf breathing down her neck.

After her shift on Sunday, she quickly went home to change out of her onion-scented work shirt and into a soft, pink button-up that she spent hours deciding on the night before. When she went downstairs, her parents asked where she was going and she felt too good to not tell them. Her mom looked like she would burst into tears, and her dad responded in a dad-like fashion.

"Be back by ten, alright?" he says with mock strictness. "I'm kidding, you're an adult now. Just make sure to turn off the porch lights once you get home."

"I will," she says while peeling herself away from her mom's tight hug. It would be too dorky to tell them she planned on being back by ten anyway.

The drive to Meg's place is easier than she's expecting. She lives in a small neighborhood near Olaf's, so the hardest thing was finding the house number while an impatient driver stayed on her tail.

Meg's house is the smallest in the entire neighborhood, which still isn't too bad considering she owns a house. It's a one-story building as wide as it is tall, with cream-white paneling and a barely angled roof. The front lawn isn't messy, but there's ankle-height grass and a wilting tree that has a paper target pinned to the trunk. The front door has a wired security cage around it. Later in the night, she would tell Anna the story of how the house came into her possession, which would both terrify and impress her.

Anna habitually goes to the front door before remembering the text her manager sent her earlier in the day. Hearing music and loud laughter from the backyard, she heads for the wooden gate on the side of the house. It's unlocked but difficult to open, and it takes almost all her strength to push the creaky thing forward.

The noise attracts the attention of everyone already here. From further in the backyard, she hears Maui's booming voice ask, "Who's that?!"

Before Anna can answer, Meg comes into view with a beer bottle in one hand and a gold crown in the other. She raises her arms and proudly exclaims, "Newbie's here!" A chorus of cheers erupts from behind her.

Anna's a little ashamed to admit that almost makes her tear up.

Meg walks towards her with an easy grin on her face. "Took you long enough. Did you get lost?"

"It's only five o' clock," Anna protests. "You said the party wouldn't start until a couple of hours after we closed up."

"No yeah, but I thought you'd be one of those people that always gets to parties and stuff early." Anna must look offended, because Meg ends up adding, "Don't worry, there's only like four other people here so far. Everyone else is coming later– and Kristoff will show up in a bit with the pizza."

"Oh cool, I eat pizza," Anna says, mentally kicking herself for being weird. She makes to walk further into the backyard, but Meg stops her with the hand holding the crown.

"Gotta put this on first," Meg says.

Now that Anna's getting a better look at it, she realizes the whole thing is made out of plastic. It's also more yellow than gold, and the price tag is still stuck to the inside. "Do I really have to?" she whines.

"I spent fifteen dollars on it, so yes."

"Where did you even…" Anna sighs and puts on the plastic crown. It's almost too big; if she braided her hair like she first planned on doing, it would have become a blindfold. Right now, it settles low enough to cover her forehead. "Happy?"

Meg chuckles, "Absolutely. Now let's get you a drink."

She follows Meg towards the rest of the party. The backyard is a lot more well-kept than the front. There's dirt and rocks instead of grass, and a properly trimmed tree in the corner is decorated with fake Christmas lights and rows of tinsel. A circle of assorted folding chairs and lawn chairs is in the larger part of the yard. It has the vibe of a bonfire, but instead of a pit in the middle of the chairs, there's a large cooler of beer. Herc and Maui are already here along with a pair of prep cooks who Anna thinks are cousins.

Maui also raises his hands in triumph when he sees her. "She's wearing the crown!" He turns to Herc and says, "Pay up."

Herc sighs and pulls out his wallet, begrudgingly parting with a pair of twenty-dollar bills. "You know Megara bought that like an hour ago."

Meg laughs bitterly. "And if you call me that again, babe, it's going up your ass."

Maui nudges the flustered muscle man, "Hey, you never know. You might end up liking that shit."

Anna grimaces, "Maui, don't be gross."

Herc pushes the giggling Islander, almost knocking him off his chair. "Yeah, don't be gross." Maui retaliates with a shove of his own, and soon enough the two of them are wrestling each other like a couple of pit bulls fighting over a chew toy.

"Idiots," Meg says before putting a hand on Anna's shoulder. "Help me with these two before they break something."

"I'm off the clock. Technically, you can't tell me what to do," Anna teases, the crown slipping a little more at the back of her head.

"Fine. Then I'll just start spreading a rumor about you having a thing for the Ice Queen."

Anna gasps, her cheeks warming up in a way she's never felt before, "Hey! You better not." When Meg starts walking away without saying a word, she has no choice but to follow as her thoughts flutter off toward the woman who isn't here.

Elsa steps out of her bathroom and into her combination kitchen/living room. Her hair is still a little damp, but not too much that she'll leave droplets over her recently cleaned floor. A cold shower is exactly what she needed; despite it being a Sunday, work seemed to drag on for far too long.

She didn't feel like herself, her performance wasn't as good as she wanted it to be, and there was only one person she can blame for that.

Taking the seven long steps to her kitchen, she turns the warmer off on her stovetop and touches the side of her small pot full of ramen. Perfect, it's still a little hot to the touch. She goes to grab a fork and bowl from the dishwashing rack but decides on grabbing just the fork instead. Now there will be one less dish to clean later.

After her journey from the kitchen to the couch, Elsa unfolds her dinner tray and sits down. She puts the pot and fork on the tray and boots up her PS4– its fan violently whirs, making her wonder if today's finally the day that it explodes and she's impaled by the plastic shards.

How long would it take for anyone to find her body? The landlord only comes around when rent's due, which won't be for another couple of weeks. Kai and Gerda would probably get concerned when she didn't show up for work, but they'd have a hard time getting to her since she gave them a fake address.

Maybe Bruni would notice right away? Her attention turns to the glass enclosure next to her TV, where her blue salamander is basking underneath the glow of his heat lamp. Surely they'd formed enough of a bond in this past year that he'd sense something was up and would scurry out to find help. That is if he didn't get killed by one of her apartment neighbors or snatched up by a hawk.

It's best that she stops thinking about this.

Looking back at her TV, Elsa opens up YouTube to find something interesting to watch– or at least something bland enough to dissociate to. After settling on a video essay about the downfall of an influencer she vaguely knows about, she rests an elbow against her dinner tray and starts to digest her dollar-store ramen, trying and failing to think about nothing.

Tomorrow's another day, which will lead to the day after that, and so on. Tuesday is her day off, and any normal person would be looking forward to that, but Elsa…

If Kai and Gerda didn't force her to take Tuesdays off, she'd work all week long. But that's illegal, and they adamantly keep her off the schedule to make sure she recovers physically and mentally. Elsa has always sensed that they know, but it's never come up in conversation. Besides, how could they know? She locked that part of her up tight and threw away the key.

What Elsa does on her days off is the same thing she does when she clocks out. After taking care of some errands and finding the motivation to clean her apartment, she takes care of herself (whatever that looks like) and goes to bed. Rinse and repeat for the next thirty-five years.

She gives an errant glance towards the flyers covering her table like paper mache. Every day, she finds a new flyer that someone's slipped underneath her door; it's become a weird part of the apartment complex culture. Someone's hosting a yoga class on Thursdays; another person is releasing an EP on Monday; the family on the third floor has been looking for their cat since Wednesday. And a bar somewhere in Arendelle is hosting an Emo Night Party at the end of the month.

A party…

Elsa sinks into her couch and lets out a deep sigh. Damn it, she told herself she wouldn't think about it and now that's all she can think about.

She was invited to a party. By Anna. The newbie. But she probably won't be "Newbie" anymore now that she's been at Olaf's for three months. No doubt Meg's going to give her a new nickname soon– hell, she might give her one at the party.

Why is she being so weird about this? Why is she even thinking about the party in the first place? She's heard Meg talk about these parties all the time, and she was even invited to a couple of them. It was easy enough to say no and keep them off her mind, but this time it was different.

Elsa looks at her front door…nothing happens. Was she expecting something to happen? No, of course not. Everything is as it should be, and no one can affect that. No one? Nothing, she meant nothing can affect that. Especially not some cute, chirpy, bright-eyed, dime-a-dozen waitress who believes that Elsa's secretly some wise monk with all the secrets to the universe.

Anna's opinion of her doesn't mean anything. Besides, she's going to move on soon anyway, she has to. She's good-looking and good with people, no doubt some stuffy office is going to snatch her up soon to be a secretary or whatever. Soon, Anna will become a distant memory, just another pretty face. And then she can stop looking at her front door as if there's even a chance that she goes to this party.

"Stupid." Elsa tears her eyes away from the door and looks back at Bruni. "This is stupid."

The salamander licks his eye in agreement.

Meg clears her throat and speaks with terrible poshness, "Anna O'Reilly, in honor of your Employee of the Month status, and for surviving your first three months at Olaf's…"

"The first of many," Kristoff interjects.

"I hereby declare that you have graduated from the status of 'Newbie'." She places the plastic crown back on Anna's head. "Henceforth, you will now take on the nickname of…Ruby."

A small round of applause comes from the partygoers who actually cared to watch this cute, silly ceremony. Herc whistles with his fingers, Maui chants the name 'Ruby' like she's an athlete heading on to the field. Anna bends her knees to do something akin to a curtsy.

"Hey boss, when do I get a crown and a nickname?" comments one of the background characters.

"As soon as you stop looking at my ass every time I replace a keg, Ramon," Meg answers.

Soon, everyone disperses to do their own thing. Some people have taken the chairs to play Never Have I Ever; Kristoff and Herc are throwing a football around; Maui is trying to swindle people out of money by hosting an arm wrestling contest; and the guy who always brings his acoustic guitar to every gathering is sitting by the tree singing Free Fallin'.

Anna takes the crown off her head. It's a little painful to wear since the guys bent up the plastic after using it as a frisbee. She holds it in her hands as if it's still delicate, and smiles at Meg, "Do you always do this for the new people that stick around?"

"Not always. Wonder Boy was the last one," Meg answers while gesturing to her boyfriend with her half-empty beer bottle.

"That must have been a fun moment for you two."

"Sure." Meg somehow trails off, despite only saying one word. Her eyes are still fixed on the man who just tried to pass the football by headbutting it. She shakes her head, "Can you believe he didn't say anything about Ramon always checking me out?"

Anna purses her lips, this isn't the first time Meg has said something about Herc and their relationship. The two have been the definition of 'on again/off again'; every week, they either can't live without each other or they're arguing about a revolving door of issues. Compared to them, Anna and Hans were…no, they were still worse.

As far as she knows, Meg has never locked herself in the bathroom after Herc started throwing dishes at the wall.

"Did you want him to say something?" Anna asks.

"I mean…yeah, of course. If someone that wasn't your boyfriend kept ogling you, wouldn't you want your boyfriend to do something about it?" Meg doesn't give her time to answer, thankfully. "Not that I can't handle Ramon myself– and I have– it's just…I mean we've talked about this."

"Maybe Herc doesn't want to make a scene."

"Maybe." Meg takes another drink and pinches the bridge of her nose, Anna takes this chance to get them talking about something else.

She nudges Meg's shoulder with hers. "So why am I Ruby now?"

Meg looks at her like she's had the nickname forever and this is the first time Anna's commented on it. "Isn't it obvious? Your hair."

"My hair?" Anna pinches a few strands of her auburn locks and eyes them as if they were under a microscope. "I'm not sure I get it."

"Under the right light, you've got kind of a redhead deal going on." Meg takes another drink and then circles Anna's head with her finger. "I mean you're closer to a ginger, but I felt like it would have been too obvious to call you that."

"So that's really it? I mean don't get me wrong, I love the name way more than 'Newbie', it's just not what I was expecting." A stinging feeling pricks the back of her neck, telling her that she's sounding ungrateful. "Sorry, I–"

"Honestly, it's also because of your attitude and how everyone sees you. You're pretty and smiling all the time, and Gerda's said a couple of times that you're an 'absolute gem'." Meg says the last two words with a surprisingly good impression of the co-owner. It's so unexpected that it makes Anna laugh.

"Well…thanks. I like it, I really do."

Meg shrugs, "You couldn't stay 'Newbie' forever."

With her emotions still high, Anna feels a greater weight in those words than there should be.

It's hard to believe that she's already survived three months at Olaf's. She's been yelled at by rude customers, gotten chocolate milk spilled on her by toddlers, and broke one of their tablets after dropping it on the floor, and she's still here. She's been burned by oil and hot plates, gotten several muscle cramps from replacing the kegs, and almost got a concussion from the walk-in door hitting her in the face, and she's still here. She still feels like crying in the stall on a weekly basis, still thinks she's nothing special, still has no idea where her life is going, and still…

She's here.

She's no longer new to this. She's survived three months of being on her own (but not really), and things could still be better, but they could also be so much worse. Things are okay, and she finds herself smiling about that.

And wow, that football is getting really close to her head.

Anna feels herself getting pulled back as the football hits Meg's arm. "Watch out!" Herc exclaims afterward.

She steadies herself again, waving at Herc to show that she's alright and there are no hard feelings after almost giving her a concussion again. Meg, however, is far less apologetic. Anger covers every inch of her face and she paces towards her now petrified boyfriend.

All Anna has time to do is to say, "Please don't kill him." But the scornful woman doesn't seem to hear her.

Watching Meg tear into Herc is like watching a cheetah digging into the neck of a poor, slow gazelle. Anna looks away once Meg starts poking an indignant finger into the man's hulking yet sulking chest.

Kristoff hisses in solidarity as he walks over to her. "I told him a three-sixty-no-scope was a bad idea."

Anna giggles, "Now he's going to learn that the hard way."

"So how do you like the new nickname?"

She pries her focus away from the heated argument on the grass to give Kristoff her full attention. The button-up shirt he arrived in has been discarded somewhere, and now he stands in front of her in a solid white t-shirt that's been stained with sweat and dirt. Oddly enough, the look suits him. "It's gonna take some getting used to, but I like it," she answers.

Kristoff nods, "I get that. I mean I think it'll suit you better than 'Newbie' did."

Interesting. Anna raises an eyebrow, "Were you a part of the whole Ruby decision process?"

"I…" Kristoff rubs the back of his neck. "I may have given my opinion about it."

"So you think the name fits me too." She grins. "Is it because of my hair or the other thing that Meg told me about?"

The befuddled man's eyes widen to the size of planets. "What other thing?"

Anna laughs and pats his arm, "Don't worry, I'm just teasing you." Out of all the guys she's befriended at Olaf's, she finds Kristoff to be the most interesting. For the past few years, Hans had been the only man in her life; he was the only one that defined masculinity for her. But then she met Kristoff during training and he became this refreshing reminder that men could also be soft and vulnerable, light-hearted and calm.

It also helps that Kristoff reminds her of her dad. She's comfortable around him because she can talk to him in the same way, and Kristoff will always react in the same way. Right now, for example, she doesn't actually care too much if Kristoff had a hand in the nickname, she's just playing around like they always do at work.

Kristoff laughs as expected, even if it feels a tiny bit forced. "Yeah, I knew you were."

"Oh thanks again for the pizza. I was so worried you were going to drop all the boxes when you came through the gate."

"Hey you're not the only one that can balance a ton of food on one arm. And you're welcome, I spent my catering bonus on those boxes."

With her mention at the gate, Anna takes what she believes to be a subtle glance at the entrance to the backyard. This isn't the first time she's done this tonight; it's currently 9:30 PM and Elsa still isn't here.

She expected this, of course. Elsa told her that she probably wouldn't show up. But rather than accept that, Anna ended up holding on to that one word: probably. At this point, she should call it quits. However, she can't help but take one more look.

"So, how about it?"

Anna flinches, suddenly realizing that Kristoff has been talking to her this whole time. Embarrassment makes her cheeks flare up and she gasps, "I'm so sorry, I totally spaced out while you were talking. Could you say that again?"

Kristoff looks like he's about to, but then he shakes his head instead. "Ah, it's okay. Don't worry about it."

Anna frowns, mentally kicking her stupid brain again. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I was just asking about a work thing, but I figured it out. Right now. In my head." He nods towards the gate and changes the subject. "Still think she's going to show up?"

She looks at the gate again far too quickly, and then back at Kristoff. "Uh…who?"

It's his turn to grin. "Come on, Ruby."

Anna stammers before finally letting out a sigh. "I thought I wasn't being obvious."

"I don't know if you've noticed, but you're kind of the only one that talks to Elsa." He chuckles. "I'm her manager, and even I get less out of her than you do."

"It's not that I expected her to show up, she told me that she probably wouldn't come. I just…"

"You just want to get to know her better."

Anna nods. Even though that's only part of the answer, it would be too embarrassing to explain her unbearably slow plan to get Elsa to teach her how to be an adult. That's something she doesn't want to tell even Elsa herself. "I guess I'll just try talking to her tomorrow."

"Yeah." Kristoff lets out another sigh. "Well, I'm rooting for you."

"Hey, who knows? Maybe she's off with her own cool friends having a cool party of their own." 

"I...doubt it? But hey, stranger things have happened." 

Anna snickers, "Like you throwing a perfect spiral? Nah, I don't think that will ever happen." 

Kristoff raises his eyebrows and scoffs, "You wanna bet? Let's do this." He rushes back onto the dirt and grabs the football, spreading his arms and telling Anna to bring it on.

"This will be embarrassing for one of us." Anna takes one last shameless glance at the gate before joining the party again. When she sees Elsa, she'll definitely have some stories to tell. 

Chapter Text

Anna doesn't drink, at least not anymore. In college, she was the designated driver for her friends every time they went somewhere that would have alcohol. Over time, she missed drinking less and less, and now she feels like she can go her entire life without it. Wine was the only alcohol she could stomach anyway, and even that would make her either sleepy or horny. The only time she ever felt like drinking again was when she was with Hans, but she managed to stick to her sober lifestyle even then. And right now, that lifestyle is paying off.

She walks inside the restaurant with her lunch box and a plastic bag in tow. She's ten minutes late, but Meg is too busy resting her head on the bar counter to seem to notice. The place is eerily quiet with the speakers not playing their usual setlist. Anna's cheerful cry of "Morning!" cuts through the room.

Meg doesn't move, instead, she lets out a long, pained groan.

Anna walks over to her manager and places the plastic bag on the counter. "I got the stuff you asked me for. Sorry that I'm late."

She gets another grumble in response.

As she takes the contents out of the plastic bag (two cans of Redbull and a bottle of Tylenol), Anna continues the conversation for them. "I'm going to assume that's you thanking me. Or telling me to shut up. Or…both?"

Rather than make more noises with her face, Meg flops an arm on the counter and scoops up the hangover cure. She gingerly raises her head– eyes still closed– and takes a handful of aspirin, washing it down with one can of her energy drink of choice.

"That's impressive," Anna says. "And also a little worrying."

Meg pinches the bridge of her nose, her face scrunching with regret. After a heavy breath, she mumbles, "I drank too much."

Anna nods and rests a sympathetic hand on her hungover manager's shoulder. "Did you eat anything yet?"

"You brought me my breakfast," Meg responds, slurring a couple of her words.

An energy drink/aspirin cocktail isn't the worst hangover remedy Anna's seen, but she still has doubts about its effectiveness. "At least eat bread or something. I'll put an order in, just tell me what you want."

"No food," Meg weakly protests. "I'm fine."

"Meg. Come on. Let Ol' Ruby take care of you."

"...fries. Get me fries."

Anna smiles and walks over to the other side of the bar, inputting an order for a small basket of fries and charging it as her lunch for today. The kitchen should be all prepped by now- at least the fryers should already be on- but she'll still apologize for the early order. While she's at the bar, Anna also turns the speakers on but lowers the volume. And rather than starting the restaurant's rock-heavy playlist, she plays some light acoustic music instead.

The songs are more recognizable, and it's stuff she'd much rather hear this early in the morning. Maybe if she asked nicely, she could make some changes to the morning part of the playlist.

"Ruby?"

She looks over at Meg, who's rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "Yeah?" she asks.

"Are you playing Coldplay?"

"Yeah," Anna repeats, figuring it's not worth mentioning that the playlist has more than Coldplay in it.

"Do you hate me?" Meg asks rhetorically.

Anna answers anyway. "I thought your hangover would appreciate something a little softer."

"It doesn't. White girl music makes me want to kill myself."

"Oh." Anna tries not to take offense to that (Sparks was almost going to be the song for her wedding dance). "Don't worry, I'll change it. I just need to check on your food first." She heads for the kitchen, raising the volume up a couple of clicks in a small act of pettiness.

By now, she's gotten used to the back-of-house chaos; the sounds actually help to break up the white noise from all the booths and tables. So, when she pushes the door open and is greeted by silence, it knocks her for a loop. Did she suddenly go deaf? Are all the chefs running super late? Did everyone else get abducted by aliens in the second it took her to open the door?

She walks further inside, grateful to see that there is actually one other living soul. And of course, it's the one she spent all of last night looking for.

Elsa looks as focused as ever, leaning against the cold line with her arms crossed. The way she's eyeing the fryers makes it seem like they will cool down the second she stops looking at them. The music playing through the chef's Bluetooth speaker is also unfamiliar but not unwelcome.

Before Anna can think of what to say, she's already saying, "Hey."

Elsa doesn't even flinch. She smoothly turns her head to look at the sunny waitress and neutrally repeats, "Hey."

Even though it would be awkwardly abrupt, the conversation could end right here. She's used to these short interactions by now. But she's still on her friendship crusade, and this is the perfect time to continue that. Thankfully, she has a decent enough excuse to stay. "Sorry about the early order, by the way. I know we haven't opened yet, but Meg…I made a bet with her yesterday and I lost."

If Elsa looks annoyed by her continued presence, she doesn't show it. She lifts the basket out of the fryer, a small order of fries is sizzling inside. "She's hungover, isn't she?"

Anna bites her lip, "I didn't want to throw her under the bus."

Elsa scoffs. Or laughs. It kind of sounds like both. "This isn't the first time this has happened. Is her 'remedy' not working?"

Well, this is interesting. Despite how closed-off Elsa seems to be, she's ingrained herself enough in Olaf's culture to know certain things about certain people. But should that be a surprise? Elsa is a good listener, she kind of needs to be. And now Anna's even more impressed with her. "Stuff with grease and carbs, like fries, always helped my friends with their hangovers," she explains. "So I thought it would help Meg too."

Elsa nods and transfers the fries from the basket into a bowl. It's clear that she believes this conversation is over, but Anna's confident she can get more out of her. They've already talked like four times now, surely she has to be wearing Elsa down.

"It's kinda quiet today. Where's everyone else?"

"Kai needs them later today for a big catering event." She pours salt, pepper, and the special house seasoning into the bowl and starts tossing the fries to incorporate the blend.

"Oh." Anna looks around, the kitchen feels much bigger this morning. "So, it's just you?"

"Until noon," Elsa corrects.

"Do you need any help?"

Elsa looks at her again, but this time she doesn't immediately look away. Once again, it feels like she's studying Anna; once again, Anna hopes that she's seeing something good.

"Are you trained to work the line?" she asks. When Anna hesitates, she shakes her head and stops waiting for a response. "I do better when I'm alone. You should understand that by now."

Anna surprises herself when she laughs off the comment and says, "And you should understand by now that I can be incredibly stubborn."

Elsa places the bowl down and straightens her posture. At first, it looks like she's at a loss for words, but after a heavy sigh, she says, "Yes. You really can be."

Anna smiles and her training kicks in. She takes a small to-go box from the table and hands it to Elsa. The chef looks at her, unamused, and perfectly pours the fries into the box. "Thank you very much," she exclaims."

"Don't push it."

And, as Anna starts to make her way to the door, she decides that she is going to push it. She turns around, that tenseness from before still feeling tense, and asks brightly, "Can I say one more thing?"

Surprisingly, Elsa turns to look at her. Unsurprisingly, she looks annoyed.

That doesn't deter Anna at all. And she softens her smile to show Elsa that she really means it when she says, "I was really hoping you'd show up yesterday, it would have been nice to see you. And…I hope you come next time."

She leaves without expecting a response.

As soon as Anna left the kitchen, Elsa felt a wave of regret wash over her. She should have been the one to speak last, she should have kept control of that situation. But Anna walks too fast, and she always knows what to say– it's infuriating, she's infuriating. And the fact that she's even getting a reaction out of Elsa is the most infuriating thing of all.

She steps away from the fryer, trying to find something else to do before they open. This isn't the first time she's had to work solo on the morning shift; she has all the opening procedures down to a science. And the mornings are always slow anyway, so there's nothing to stress over.

Nothing that should matter, anyway.

And yet here she is, still thinking about the words she shared with one of the most stubborn people she's ever met. Didn't she already tell Anna that she isn't a teacher? Shouldn't Anna assume, then, that she's not anything else that her mind can come up with?

This is why she should have said something. The more she waits to nip this in the bud, the more ideas will start to form in the new girl's head.

Elsa goes inside the walk-in and takes a seat on the step ladder. A pang of guilt gnaws at her stomach as familiar words ring in her head: idle hands make for ignorant workers. She closes her eyes and lets out a quiet sigh. It's been years, that mindset should be dead and buried by now. There's nothing left to do until they open, everything is as prepared as it should be, so she can sit down if she wants to.

She can rest.

Elsa stands up and puts her hands on her hips. There's not much room to pace around in the fridge, but she tries to anyway. The cold prickling against her skin would be an odd sense of comfort to anyone else, but Elsa's always loved the cold.

The cool breeze of the walk-in, the rare few hours alone that she can listen to music she likes, and the sight of her couch and Bruni after work. She does her best every day, she deserves these little things. She's allowed to…she's allowed…

"Stupid." Elsa thumps her head against one of the shelves. "Shut up. Stop doing this to yourself." If someone opened the door, she'd probably have to kill them and stuff them in the grease disposal. Yet another reason why she loves when she gets to work alone.

But she's not truly alone right now, is she? Megara's too hungover to make any unnecessary movements, but Anna's full of surprises. Too many surprises. Anna could open the door right now to get olives or something– or worse, she could be checking up on her.

Elsa walks out and scans the kitchen quickly. It's as quiet as it should be. With her business done in the fridge, she starts to busy herself with cleaning and arranging. But this is such an automatic task for her, she can't keep her mind from wandering.

…Anna wanted her to be at the party.

She said she wasn't going to come, yet Anna still wanted her to be there. And she wants her to go to the next one too. Why can't she just accept no for an answer? Clearly, Elsa's not putting her foot down hard enough. The next time she has the chance to talk to Anna, she needs to make sure that she gets the message. No parties, no small talk, and no trying to be buddies or whatever. All they will ever be is coworkers, from here until the day Anna inevitably leaves.

And, even though she was just made Employee of the Month, Elsa still believes that time is coming soon. Another pretty girl will leave, things will go back to the way things were, and Elsa will never have to think of her again.

She finishes arranging the pans on the shelves and checks the time, there's still ten minutes left until they open. And she's still alone.

Just as she likes.

The next few hours go by without any hiccups. Anna is quick to settle into the groove she's found for herself, and her only fumble is a mental one. A customer asked if she could make her kid "chocolate milk without chocolate", and she had a hard time trying not to giggle at the request. Meg sobers up so quickly that it almost gives Anna whiplash. She's so talkative and approachable, you'd have no idea that she shotgunned three cans of Bud Light the night before.

And Elsa, of course, is commanding the kitchen.

You would think she had a spare set of arms by the way she's able to smoothly go from flipping burgers to topping off a baked potato to preparing a salad. She moves with confidence and precision, never once looking like she's slowing down or second-guessing herself.

Anna is so impressed and inspired by her coworker, it makes Anna want to do something for her. So, she does.

She finds things to do in the kitchen, small and unassuming tasks that other chefs would get to if they were around. First, it's wiping down counters, then it's throwing out trash and breaking down boxes for the recycling bin, and then it's washing dishes.

Elsa notices eventually. When there's a lull in service, she walks up to Anna by the dishwasher and asks, "What are you doing?"

"Washing the dishes," Anna answers in almost a sing-song fashion.

Elsa crosses her arms. "I didn't ask you to do that."

"You didn't have to." Anna wipes her hands with some paper towels and smiles at the confused chef. "I just want to help."

"I already told you I work better alone."

"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" Anna knows that she might be poking the bear by asking that question, but she can't resist. If she's lucky, Elsa might be amused and even smile a little bit.

"It's not supposed to be fun."

Ah, no she's just going to make things sad. Shifting tactics, Anna mirrors Elsa by crossing her arms and putting on her best no-nonsense face. It feels more like she's pouting, but hey it's the effort that counts. "Please let me help. Meg can't hold a conversation because of her hangover– among other things– and your music is better than what's playing out front."

Elsa raises an eyebrow, "You like jazz?"

Anna shrugs, "I mean I don't hate it."

Elsa makes her wait an inexplicably long time for an answer. "Just don't get in my way."

Anna replies with two thumbs up, making Elsa roll her eyes.

The pseudo-partnership is a success, at least that's what it feels like. For the rest of the morning, when Anna's not checking on customers or putting in orders, she's cleaning the kitchen and vibing to Elsa's surprising taste in music.

"So, do you like jazz?" she asks.

"It helps me focus," Elsa answers.

Honestly, she's learning more about Elsa now than she ever did with her silly three-step plan. And it feels more natural this way. She has an excuse to stick around in the kitchen now, which means she can ask silly questions without getting pushed out. Of course, Elsa barely gives her an answer, but it's better than nothing. The hours fly by, and Anna finds herself enjoying work more than usual. This is the first time she's actually felt useful.

…until she isn't.

Things come crashing down close to noon. A large party comes in for an early lunch, and Anna takes the reins in order to let Meg shotgun her other Red Bull and process reality. After some time, she goes into the kitchen to check how the order is doing (or, rather, how Elsa is doing).

"Not trying to rush you, just wanted to see how it's going!" she exclaims. It's warmer in here, and louder since Elsa turned up her music. It doesn't sound like jazz, but there's still a trumpet playing so it has to be something of the sort.

"I'm one minute out," Elsa replies, more focused on tossing chicken wings than the overeager waitress.

"Amazing as always!" She's about to leave to go check on Meg when she notices the open oven with a pizza resting inside. "Is that the pizza that's on the ticket?"

Elsa doesn't even look. "Yeah."

Conflicting thoughts go through Anna's mind. It's not that hard to slice and prepare a pizza (she's a regular partaker of DiGiorno's), but would that constitute getting in Elsa's way? The oven isn't close to her workstation, so it should be fine. And maybe Elsa won't even notice. No, she'll definitely notice. But maybe she should notice.

With her mind made up, Anna walks bravely towards the oven, telling the chef, "Here, I can help with it."

She reaches inside the oven, grips the pan with both hands, and hears the sudden shout of "Hot! Anna!". But by then it's too late.

Searing pain bites down on Anna's bare hands and shoots up her arms. A delayed cry erupts from the pit of her chest and she drops the pan on the floor. She looks at her hands to assess the damage, already seeing small welts on her palms, and that's when the pain really starts to set in.

Before she has a chance to do anything else, she feels hands forcefully grab her shoulders and lead her to the sink. The unmistakable sound of Elsa muttering "Damn it. Goddamn it." under her breath is all that she can hear. The pissed-off chef turns the sink on and pulls Anna's hands underneath the water. It's cold and refreshing, but it also stings. She doesn't know whether she wants to pull away from the sink or stay.

"Keep your hands under the water and don't move," Elsa decides for her. "I'm going to get the first-aid kit."

Anna nods, unable to say anything out loud. She waits for what seems like hours, feeling her pulse underneath her fingers. Eventually, her savior returns with a clean towel and a box of first-aid supplies.

Elsa turns off the water and pats her hands dry with the towel, she's firm but not so much to add unnecessary pain. After placing two massive gobs of aloe vera on the burning hands, she tells Anna, "Spread it on your skin, especially on your palms and fingertips."

As she spreads the gel on her hands, Anna feels her skin tighten. It reminds her of when she got sunburnt at the beach as a kid. Though, instead of her mom cooing at her pouty face, it's Elsa muttering more curses as she unrolls a bandage. For the first time since she dropped the pizza, Anna tries to speak. "S-Sorry."

Elsa doesn't respond at first. Once she sees the gel has been spread, she starts to wrap the bandages around Anna's hands. After tightening the first one, she asks, "What the hell were you thinking?"

Anna tries looking at her to no avail. "I-I thought…the…I wanted…" She takes a defeated breath. "I'm sorry."

"I told you to stay out of my way," Elsa reminds her while working on her other hand.

"I did. I mean I was trying–"

"See, this is why I didn't want you here. Now you're hurt and I have to remake that order, all because you don't understand boundaries."

Anna winces, "That's not true…"

"Take some of these, it'll help with the pain." Elsa hands her the bottle of aspirin from the kit and looks away from her. "And since you want me to be your teacher so badly, here's your first lesson: learn to listen when someone says they don't want you around."

Old memories begin to crawl their way up Anna's spine and around her neck, trapping her words. Elsa doesn't seem to expect an answer anyway, she shakes her head and walks back to the oven to clean up the mess she made. It's a good thing she does walk away because she won't have to see Anna's glassy eyes.

A tense and expected silence forms between them, but it doesn't last for too long. The kitchen door opens, and a booming, easygoing voice exclaims, "Ruby! I was wondering where you were, sis."

Anna tries to muster up a smile when she sees Maui, but she doesn't have the strength to. Concern quickly appears on her friend's face.

"What's wrong?" he asks. And when he notices the bandages on Anna's hands, he walks right up to her and his voice softens in a way she's never heard before. "No way! When did this happen?"

As soon as Anna tries to speak, her throat tightens again. She needs to leave before she embarrasses herself any further- before her presence becomes even more unwelcome. "I'm sorry," she repeats before sidestepping the friendly giant and leaving the kitchen.

A drink doesn't sound too bad right now.

Chapter Text

Elsa wakes up to the inky darkness of her bedroom. Her oscillating fan blowing air by her feet is the only thing reminding her that she's still alive- that it's another day in paradise. She rolls onto her side and grabs her phone out of her charger to check the time.

5:29 AM.

She groans, this has to be the hundredth time she's woken up a minute before her alarm goes off. Not wanting to hear the obnoxious, loud beeping, she turns the alarm off and sits up. Muted thoughts and the heavy bags under her eyes threaten to pull her back into unconsciousness, and she slaps her cheeks to stay awake.

It doesn't really work. Neither does a cold shower, her morning conversation with Bruni, or a large, lonely cup of coffee as she stares blankly at her dark television screen. This isn't a new feeling, the mornings after her day off always do a number on her, but it's still frustrating that her body hasn't gotten used to this by now.

Of course, there's another reason why it was so hard to wake up this morning: she's going to see Anna again.

Elsa looks at herself in the mirror after brushing her teeth. Normally, she's fine with what she sees– she doesn't look her best this early in the morning, but as long as she's not bleeding or anything, then she's fine letting the world see her. Today, however, she notices a void behind her eyes that's hard to ignore. It's harsh, deep, and eerily reminiscent of the man she said she'd never become.

Damn it.

She's never talked to any of her co-workers the way she did to Anna. When one of the other cooks messes up, all she needs to do is glare at them and tell them what they did wrong. That's usually how deep the interaction goes. But when she saw the feebleness and guilt in Anna's eyes, it was like staring into a mirror. So, she shattered the mirror.

By the time Maui walked over to her, looking like he wanted to rip her in half, Elsa was already trying to lock their interaction up in the back of her mind. Though for some reason, she couldn't do it this time. And she could only watch, without her armor, as Maui tore into her. In the end, she had to make a promise to give a sincere apology to Anna. Except Anna left work early, which meant that the apology would have to happen today.

Apologies don't come easy to Elsa, because she's never had to give one. She's not perfect or blameless by any means, but living with her head down has made her seem apologetic just for existing. Saying the words out loud is such foreign territory that she fears she might not even sound sincere when she says them. And that won't help anyone.

But she has to do it. Not because Maui told her to, and not because the rumors will affect the chemistry in the kitchen, but because Anna deserves it. She was the innocent victim of a blow-up that had nothing to do with her.

Elsa bends down to look at Bruno, he's slow to return the eye contact. "I might be home a little later than usual. Don't let anyone in, even if they say they know me."

The gecko skitters and hangs upside down from his branch.

"Someday I'll understand what you mean." Elsa sighs and grabs her keys and water bottle, pretending she isn't dreading the long day ahead.

Anna rolls onto her side and checks the time.

6:34 AM.

She sighs as she lays back on the bed, pressing her palms against her eyes, immediately regretting it.

"Agh!" she cries as she shakes the pain out of her burnt hands. Her mom said the first day after getting burnt is always the worst, Anna didn't have the heart to tell her that this isn't a new feeling.

It's too early to wake up, but too late to go back to sleep. Though it's not like she would get any sleep if she tried. Stress grappled with her mind all night long, trying to let old memories and intrusive thoughts win. Eventually, morning arrived, bringing with it a gloomy sky that matched the occasion.

Today is their anniversary.

Was. It was their anniversary. That little change from present to past tense is supposed to make her feel better, but all it does is remind her just how alone she is. One year ago, Hans was waking her up with a kiss on the forehead and an apology for a previous fight. Today, she's waking up to uncomfortable silence, a sore back, and burnt hands.

Despite her other failures, she tries closing her eyes and shutting up her mind to get a little bit more sleep. Half an hour later, she cautiously looks back at the clock.

6:40 AM.

Frustrated, she kicks off her blanket and rolls onto the edge of her bed so she can get up without using her hands. If she's not going to get sleep, then she might as well use this extra time to get ready.

In the bathroom, she slowly takes off her bandages to assess the damage. The encompassing pain from when she first got burnt has now localized itself among puffy, puss-filled spots across her fingers and palms. There are six trouble spots in total, all located in areas that won't make it impossible to work, but it certainly won't be comfortable.

After a warm yet awkward shower, she wraps her hands back up slips into her uniform, and walks downstairs. When she makes coffee, she needs to grip the mug in this crossed, three-finger formation just to keep the heat from hitting the pain spots. She has to do the same thing while scrolling through her phone and actively avoiding social media. Thankfully, her mom soon enters the kitchen which brightens her mood a little bit.

"You're up early," her mom remarks.

"Couldn't sleep," Anna replies, hoping that she won't ask why.

Her mom frowns in concern. "Why?"

"Just…a lot on my mind. That's all." Anna takes a long sip of her coffee. This is going to be an unavoidable conversation, so she might as well be caffeinated while it's happening.

"Anything specific?" She can tell her mom isn't trying to sound too nosy, and she appreciates it.

"It's a lot. Well, not a lot, but it's not good either." She gives her mom a sad smile, "Today would have been our anniversary."

Her mom's shoulders drop and she frowns. "Oh no. Oh gosh, my sweet girl."

What if she was in Hans' kitchen instead? Hans always knew how to make a very good cup of coffee, and he'd regularly bring her a cup while she was still in bed. She shakes her head, trying to remind herself that coffee tastes better when it's not shared with a possessive maniac. "I'm fine. I just need to get through today," she assures.

"Will you be okay at work? Surely it's not too late to call in sick."

She scoffs. The last time someone called out without at least a day's notice, they were put on fryer and bathroom cleaning duty for the rest of the month. "I'll just try not to think about it. And besides, I need to come in today."

"You need to?"

Anna takes another long sip, her mug is only half-full now. There's another obvious reason she couldn't get any sleep last night. "A couple of days ago, I got into a…fight with one of my coworkers. They had the day off yesterday, but we're both working today. I need to talk to her and apologize."

Her mom raises an eyebrow. "Were you the one that started the fight?"

"No, but I didn't do anything to make it better." Though, to be honest, she was too paralyzed to even try.

"Does this have anything to do with you getting burnt?"

"No," Anna lies. "That was just me being stupid."

"I just don't understand. Why do you need to apologize?"

"Because…" More unhelpful memories pass through her mind. Though it's been a couple of days, the last words Elsa told her still manage to clamp down on her heart. "Because I messed up, and I need to tell her she was right."

She braces herself for her mom to explain her cryptic statement, but she surprises her with some needed maternal advice. "If they were the instigator, then they should be the one apologizing to you. Anna, you have too much on your plate right now to concern yourself with someone who doesn't understand your worth."

"I know that, mom, but–"

"No buts." That's a line she hasn't used in a long time. "You are not going to make today any harder or more complicated than it has to be. You are going to go to work, you're going to do an excellent job, and your coworker will apologize to you. Then you'll come home and take a bath, eat some ice cream, or whatever you want so you can feel better."

Anna drinks the rest of her coffee while her mom's words sink in, pawing the mug like a bear eating honey. As much as she was dreading a deep conversation this early in the morning, it turned out to be something she really needed. She gets up from the dining table and rests her head against her mom's shoulder. "Thank you for saying that," she mumbles, hoping that she doesn't tear up this early.

Her mom pats the back of her head and coos, "You're going to be just fine today, you'll see."

After a quick spat that ends with her letting her mom wash her mug, it's finally time to get to work. She looks in the mirror to make sure she's not bleeding, gets into her car, and uses both her hands to turn the key in the ignition. As she pulls out of the driveway, she can hear the whisper of Hans' voice reminding her that he's all she needs. Today is going to be a long day.

"I need buns on the line!"

"Heard!"

"Dropping fries. Dropping onion rings."

"Ice Queen was right, there was another pack of bacon in the fridge."

"I'll get it prepped. Just stretch what you've got."

"Stretch what you've got…?"

"Maui, if you start with that 'chef' shit again, I'm gonna date your cousin."

There are moments during this job that, no matter how much you try to prepare for them, will always find a way to catch you off-guard. Elsa calls them "perfect storms", and they've happened three times since she started working at Olaf's.

The first was a month after her hiring, when she was forced to hold the line on her own after two cooks suddenly quit. The second time was when they had to prep a festival's worth of food after Gerda accidentally triple-booked them for catering gigs. And the third time was happening right now.

A college basketball team happened to be traveling to the city when a couple of the buses started having issues. They made a detour into Arendelle to get things fixed, which meant a hundred or so students flooded the streets trying to find something to do.

Many of them migrated their way to Olaf's.

Elsa has not known peace for the last hour and a half as she's guided all the other cooks through the dozens of orders from hungry athletes, cheerleaders, and band geeks. A break for everyone is on the horizon, but as long as the ticket machine keeps whirring, they keep working.

The grill hisses loudly as she starts flipping patties over. "Take half the bacon and give me the rest," she declares above the noise. "Kristoff should be here soon with the emergency groceries."

The new prep cook walks towards her with the half-empty pack. "Here you go, sir– ma'am! Uh, ma'am, you– sorry, you're a woman. I know that."

Elsa glares at him, "Get back to work."

Half an hour later, the worst of it is finally over. The tickets trickle down until they're only working on orders for the regulars and other non-collegiate customers. While half of the staff is out on a smoke break or finally clocking out, Elsa remains by the grill. Though her knees and feet are screaming, and she's already drunk enough water to make a camel faint, she refuses to take a break until everyone else on her team does.

She does, however, afford herself a long breath once she puts the last order for now on the pass and rings the bell.

"You gonna take a break, boss?" asks Ramon, coming back from his own break.

Elsa shakes her head. "Not yet." She spreads her hands on the counter of the cold line, resisting the urge to drop her head and close her eyes for a moment. A familiar, nagging question enters her mind: How can you be tired?

She grips the hard plastic underneath her, cursing herself for being too weak to keep that thought at bay. But before she can do anything about it, another problem reveals itself when the kitchen door opens.

Of course Anna's the one that comes to bring the order out.

This isn't the first time she's been in the kitchen today, but it's the first time they've made eye contact. The apology lingers between them like a tight thread. Elsa knows she still needs to get it over with, but there's something different about Anna today.

And it's not a good different.

She looks tired, just like everyone else, but it's not from fatigue. There's a heaviness in her eyes that says she'd rather be anywhere else right now. And maybe it's different when she's around customers, but she hasn't smiled once in the presence of her coworkers. Is it because of what Elsa said to her? Is she finally thinking of leaving this place?

No, Elsa's not self-centered enough to believe this is because she yelled at her. Something else is going on with Anna, something bigger than this job. But whatever's going on is not Elsa's place to find out, everyone's business is their own. And maybe staying out of her way, and not saying anything too callous, will be enough of an apology.

"Is everything okay?"

Elsa is pulled out of her thoughts by the surprise of Anna's voice, she hurries to give an answer. "What? Nothing's wrong."

Goddamn it. She tried to sound unfazed, but instead, she sounded offended.

"Oh. Sorry, it's just that you were looking at me and I thought…I don't know."

"I wasn't…" Trying to maintain eye contact with Anna is hard when she looks like a puppy getting scolded. Elsa averts her eyes, only to meet the condemning gaze of Maui by the door. She sighs and turns back to Anna. "You're doing fine. Relax."

The corners of Anna's lips rise as she attempts a smile, but it never comes. "Thanks…" she utters before carefully garnishing the order and walking out of the kitchen.

Another ticket arrives, giving Elsa a much-needed distraction from what just happened. She reads out the order and gets back to work, pretending that she doesn't recognize the gnawing feeling inside her.

Anna furiously runs her towel across the table, getting rid of a stain that's been gone for some time. The college armada left half an hour ago, which is a blessing and a curse. It's nice not having to pace around the restaurant trying to memorize fifty drink orders, but at least that gave her mind something to do. Now that they're gone, her mind now has plenty of time to ruminate.

One thing in particular that her evil mind has latched onto is the fact that one of the athletes looked almost exactly like Hans during their freshman year. Same hair, same jaw structure, and the same cocky yet captivating smile. All he was missing was the sideburns.

There was a girl on his arm, a cheerleader, who looked so smitten by him. Anna had to resist the urge to pull her aside and tell her that he wasn't worth it, trying to save her from the pain. Instead, she just watched as she tossed her hair to the side and laughed at all his jokes.

They weren't even funny.

An exasperated groan interrupts her thoughts for the moment, and Meg appears by her side. "I swear if I never see another fucking ATU jersey for the rest of my life, it won't be long enough."

"Mhmm," Anna replies.

"I hate jocks. And cheerleaders. Band geeks are okay." Meg blows a strand of hair out of her face.

Anna finishes wiping down her table, tossing the rag into her bucket and slowly peeling off her gloves. "Wasn't Herc a wrestler in college?"

It's a risky move to ask about Herc, the last thing Anna remembered, they were recovering from a fight of their own. Thankfully, Meg doesn't seem too peeved about her asking. "Wrestlers are different. Herc is different." She leans slightly toward Anna. "Please tell me you never dated a jock."

"Ha!" Anna yelps, trying to drown out the thousand alarms going off in her mind. Meg winces from the outburst, and she tries to transition into a regular laugh to ease the weirdness. "I did. It's a long story."

"Ah." Meg nods, quick to recover. "Let me guess, it's a story I won't hear about unless I get you too drunk or too sad?"

Oh, she's definitely one of those things right now. "I'll tell you about it. Just not today."

"Why? What's wrong with today?"

"Please stop asking questions."

A rare and tense silence falls between the two. A far too nosy couple by one of the corner booths is now looking at them, and Anna fears they aren't the only ones. Meg's never looked so caught off guard before, and guilt grips Anna's entire body. She wants to apologize, maybe even try to explain herself, but there's too much going on in her mind. Too much of him. All she can do is walk past Meg and utter, "I'll be back."

She doesn't know where she's going until she finds herself in the kitchen. People are looking at her, confused or concerned, and their eyes are slowly boxing her in. Escape. She needs to escape. She needs to get away from the eyes, the noise, and the voices asking if she's okay.

A smile appears on her face, she doesn't know how it happens but it gives her a chance to get away with some dignity intact. Scrambling for an excuse to be here, she finally says, "I-I need the walk-in. Something there. Sorry."

The walk-in feels like it's miles away, but she somehow makes it inside. It's cold, it's cramped, it's louder here than it is out there, but it's helping. She's alone, and even though the memories are still pounding inside her head, at least she can experience them without looking like a total lunatic. It's funny how a place so confined can make her feel so free.

But she can only enjoy that freedom for a few seconds before the fridge door opens, and in walks the second-to-last person she wants to see.

"Elsa…" she says instinctively, unsure she can even be heard past the roaring fan.

There's no response at first. Elsa simply steps inside and goes right to the shelf to grab what she must have come in here for. It's only when she puts her hand on top of a tub of cheese sauce that the chef finally speaks, "You came in here for something, right?"

Anna wraps her arms around her waist, looking everywhere and nowhere. "Ye– uh, right. I said…I'm in here for…" She tries to look around for something, but committing to the lie makes her feel pathetic. "Sorry, I'll just go."

She tries to get past Elsa, but the ever-fearsome blonde steps in front of her path.

Anna can't help but think this is what she deserves: another lecture on why she needs to stop screwing up. She braces herself as much as she can, but she's just as weak physically as she is mentally. The second Elsa says something harsh, she's going to break down, and there's no chance of stopping it.

"Stay."

Anna blinks. "Wh-What?" The command easily cut through the noise, but she still doesn't believe she heard it.

Elsa takes a cloudy breath, something Anna finds herself mimicking. "Stay in here, and get whatever you need out of your system."

Oh gosh, now even Elsa's pitying her. "No, that doesn't feel right. I have to work, I need to–"

"You're no use to anyone right now." Elsa puts her hands on Anna's arms. She expects her grip to be tight and controlling, but there's actually some gentleness. Some. Her calloused fingers keep her in place, but her grip is loose enough that she could slip out of it if she wants to. And what's even more surprising is that she doesn't look upset at all. And neither does it look like she's pitying her. The tight frown on her face and the underlying calmness in her voice can only be an indicator of one thing.

Empathy.

"The restaurant won't fall apart if you're not out there. Take five minutes to bring yourself back down."

Anna shakes her head, "That's embarrassing, someone might come in."

"No one's going to come in. And I was just about to leave." Elsa lets her hands fall until they've made contact with Anna's own. She slowly turns them, palms up, and looks at the bandages.

There's something in Elsa's tone that makes her words feel so much more convincing. Yes, it could be the fact that this is the most she's spoken to her without saying something callous, but it's also because she's speaking with conviction. Like she's said this before, like she really means it. "Elsa…"

At the sound of her name, her face loses its softness and she walks away. "Do what I say. It'll help."

Unable to contain her curiosity, Anna asks, "Why are you helping me?"

Elsa pauses, her hand pressed against the door. She turns her head slightly toward the waitress who now has tears in her eyes. "I'm…sorry for what I said to you." She leaves, ensuring that Anna has the privacy she needs.

Chapter Text

Anna knocks on the office's open door, politely catching Kai's attention.

The owner is busy typing something on the computer, but perks up when he sees her. "Anna! Come in, come in."

"Thanks, Kai." She steps inside, her hands casually clasped behind her back. "I won't take too much of your time."

He waves her off. "Oh, I'll always make time for my employees. Now, how can I help you?"

"I just had a question about my schedule." She takes out her phone and looks back at the shifts for next week just to make sure she's seeing things right. And she is. "It says that from Wednesday to Saturday, I'm coming in at 6:30. I was wondering if that may have been a typo since I don't usually come in that early."

Kai shakes his head, "Not a typo. Megara is going on vacation next week, so I needed someone to open the restaurant while she's gone."

Anna raises an eyebrow, "And you chose me?"

"You were Megara's recommendation! Also, no one else can work mornings."

"Uh…huh." Anna puts her phone back in her pocket, making a mental note to 'thank' her manager later.

"I'm certain that you'll do fine. You're our Employee of the Month after all." Kai beams at her with great confidence. "And if you need any help, you won't be alone."

"I won't?" That's fantastic news! Anna's relieved to know that someone can keep her from making the thousands of mistakes she's already accounted for.

Kai nods, "Elsa will be working with you too."

Anna is no longer relieved.

Opening Day #1

Anna wakes up to a world in stasis. The sunlight that usually slips through her blinds is nowhere to be found, replaced by a deep blue hue that paints her entire room. Sounds are nonexistent, her alarm is so quick to get swallowed by silence that she doesn't even remember turning it off.

5:30 AM is an evil time, she didn't even wake up this early in high school.

Nonetheless, she gets out of bed. She wants to wipe the rest of the sleep out of her eyes, but she fears that closing them for longer than a blink will result in her knocking out for another hour. Her body protests the change in schedule, a colder-than-usual shower only helps to make her body hurt as much as her palms.

The lights aren't even on when she reaches the kitchen. When she flips the switch, the fluorescent yellow explosion almost makes her hiss like the vampire she thought she was during her Twilight phase. She brews coffee, prepares her lunch, and puts on her shoes all while on auto-pilot, her mind too preoccupied with playing the word "Sleep" on repeat.

By the time she's well-caffeinated and ready to leave, her dad is walking downstairs to get his own morning started. He looks at her curiously, "Set your alarm too early, sunshine?"

Anna shakes her head, "I'm scheduled to open the restaurant for the next four days."

Her dad hisses in empathy. "I used to work the morning shifts at a gas station. I definitely don't miss those days."

"Yay…" When her dad reaches the bottom of the stairs, she flops forward and butts her forehead against his chest. "Can you go to work for me?"

He pats the back of her head. "I would if I could. But being an adult means sometimes you have to do the things you don't want to."

Anna grumbles.

"Did you just say 'grumble grumble'?"

"...maybe."

Her dad chuckles and sets her upright again. "You're gonna do fine," he says as he pats her shoulders. "And when you get home, you can take a big, fat nap."

Nap. That's a lovely word.

Anna begrudgingly leaves the house, moving further and further away from her bed with each step. She manages to make it to the restaurant without passing out, which means the hardest part is over…hopefully. It's no surprise that Elsa's car is already in the parking lot when she arrives, but it is a surprise to see her leaning against the hood, waiting for her.

Elsa looks so unfazed by everything, it almost makes her jealous. It's been a couple of weeks since their…interaction inside the walk-in. Their relationship doesn't seem to have changed- Elsa doesn't treat her any differently than normal- but Anna knows it has. She knows that somewhere inside the glacial interior of the chef (who looks amazing under the streetlamp's glow, by the way), there's a soul capable of empathy and sympathy.

She also knows that she still has to thank Elsa for what she did. The five-minute crying session she had in the walk-in was enough to feel like herself again long enough to finish out her shift. She hadn't found any time yet to properly express her gratitude, and now they have all this free time alone together.

Heck, she could thank her right now.

But before she can even form the words, Elsa's staring at her with textbook disappointment and saying, "You're late."

Anna freezes, scrambling to check the time on her phone. "But it's only 6:25."

Elsa looks at her confused, but she's quick to understand what's wrong. "Kai must have set the wrong time on your schedule. You're supposed to get here at 6:15, like me."

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't know." Genuine guilt fills her entire body. The dim parking lot doesn't feel safe with the streets still quiet and empty, though she has a feeling that isn't much of a problem for her no-nonsense coworker.

Elsa shakes her head, "You didn't know. I'll make sure Kai changes your schedule."

She didn't bite her head off for a simple mistake? That's newsworthy. Anna steps forward, eager to play off this momentum. "That's okay, I can do it. It's my schedule, so…yeah." Yeah.

"Sure. That works." Elsa begins walking towards the restaurant. She remarks without looking back, "You know what you need to do, right?"

"I sure do," Anna says, patting her phone pocket with far too much energy. Meg was kind enough to text her a detailed list of all the responsibilities she had as the temporary opener. Conveniently enough, a lot of the tasks are stuff she already does on her regular shifts, except earlier. "You just do your own thing, and I'll do my own thing."

"Great," Elsa responds with the enthusiasm of a jostled corpse. She unlocks the front door and steps inside, pushing it open enough for Anna to slip in with her. They part ways without another word.

Anna pulls out her phone and starts to go through everything on the list. Turning off the alarm? Check. Turning on the lights? Check. Stressing over how to thank the coworker that saved your dignity and probably your job? Triple check.

Even though she plays her own taste in music over the speakers, and literally twirls around to take in the peace of the empty restaurant, Anna can't take her mind off the woman behind the large, teal door. It's not that she doesn't know what to say, she's gone through the words a dozen times by now. It's more that she's concerned it might be too late to say what she wants to.

Two weeks is almost three weeks, which is almost four weeks. So basically it's been a month since the incident and Anna's yet to say the two words she needs to. Would Elsa even know what she's talking about? Did that moment matter to her as much as it did to Anna? Is she wasting her time thinking too much about this?

All these questions could be answered if she walked into the kitchen right now and spoke to Elsa. So she does.

The kitchen is as quiet as the day she burned herself trying to grab a pizza barehanded. Elsa is adjusting the temperature on the fryer when she walks in. She looks at the sleep-deprived waitress with minimal interest, not even asking if she needs anything.

"Elsa," Anna says.

"What?" Elsa asks.

"You…You're good at your job," Anna stammers.

"...okay?" Elsa remarks.

Anna gives her an awkward thumbs-up and leaves the kitchen, grabbing a six-pan on her way out as a half-assed reason for even coming in here. Next time will be the time, she's certain of it.

Opening Day #2

Anna pulls into the parking lot at exactly 6:15. Elsa is, once again, sitting on the hood of her car.

Waking up even earlier than the day before was a struggle, but coffee and the promise of another afternoon nap is enough to at least get her body here. Her mind will catch up. She steps out of her car, almost tripping on nothing, and looks at her coworker with confusion and awe. "Yeesh, what time do you even get here?"

Elsa shrugs and starts walking inside.

"That's not an answer," Anna says as she tries to keep up with her. "Not a good answer."

"You've been here for almost five months now." Elsa unlocks the door and holds it open with her body before finishing her thought. "How are you not used to getting up this early yet?"

Anna frowns, "Hey, we can't all be as much of a morning person as you."

"Enough discipline and that can change."

Okay, Anna was trying to see if Elsa would show some humility, but instead, this is turning into another lecture. Or…maybe this is banter? Could Elsa actually be capable of trading playful jabs with mere mortals? Anna smirks and tests the waters, "Hmm, I don't know. I think I'd need a good teacher to help me with that."

Elsa pauses, and then she rolls her eyes and walks inside. The door closes with Anna still standing by the unlit entrance. So much for banter.

Anna knows she should go inside where she'll feel significantly safer, but she needs a second to herself. She almost went through a whole conversation with Elsa where her mind wasn't second-guessing every little word, but she also wasted a perfect opportunity to thank her. One step forward, one step back.

Opening the restaurant is easy-peasy-lemon squeezie. Thanking Elsa should be the same, but it's turning out to be difficult-difficult-lemon-difficult. Yesterday was supposed to be the day that changed, and it wasn't. Now it's become a job for today's Anna.

She runs through her checklist with ease– even counting the register isn't such a big deal for her anymore– but she saves certain tasks for last. Those tasks require her to grab things from the kitchen, which will give her ample time to exchange words.

When the time finally comes, she psyches herself up a little too much and opens the kitchen door with enough force that it bangs against the wall. The noise is jarring enough to get Elsa's attention, she's halfway to the door by the time Anna makes her presence known.

"What the hell was that?" Elsa asks, more annoyed than concerned (though why would she be?).

"Sorry," Anna says as she slowly closes the door. "Someone must have put grease on the hinges or something."

"That's stupid. No one would do that."

"Don't be so sure," Anna says under her breath. She walks towards the dishwasher where a fun tray full of utensils is waiting to be wrapped. "Look, I promise I'm not trying to break your kitchen on purpose."

Elsa rolls her eyes. "I never said that's what you're trying to do."

"But you were thinking it, right?" Anna taps her temple with her finger, almost dropping the tray. "Ha! Forgot I was…holding this."

In an unexpected show of support, Elsa walks over to her and grabs the tray from her. "I'm going to bring this out there before you break the restaurant. Or yourself."

"I don't want you doing my job, you have your own stuff to take care of, please don't…" Anna trails off as she allows the tray to be taken from her. "Th-Thanks. Thank you."

Elsa shakes her head and leaves the kitchen.

Embarrassment quickly settles inside Anna from head to toe, making her want to trap herself in the walk-in for longer than five minutes. But there's a silver lining to this weird, awkward moment: she finally said 'thank you' to Elsa! It was out of instinct and not in relation to the bigger favor Elsa did for her, but it totally counts.

…no, it doesn't.

Opening Day #3

Despite this being the third morning in a row that they've worked together, Anna still jumps a little bit when the kitchen door opens (or when any door opens, really).

Elsa hurries out of the kitchen with her lunch bag in tow, but when she sees Anna, her pace slows down. "What are you doing?"

Anna quickly hides the lemons she's holding behind her back. "Nothing! I'm not doing anything," she replies. She certainly wasn't trying to figure out if she still knew how to juggle.

Elsa continues her walk across the bar to the lockers. "You're supposed to be working," she says while quickly scanning the area with a judgmental look.

"I finished my list!" Anna says proudly. To be honest, she hoped Elsa would poke her head out here just to see how good she's gotten at opening.

"Already? That's impossible, it's only 7:30."

Anna takes out her phone and pulls up the checklist. "I did everything on my list, but you're free to check for yourself if you want." When Elsa takes her phone, she feels the need to clarify, "Ruby is me, by the way."

"I know, you told me yesterday," Elsa mutters as she scrolls through the list.

"Aww, you remembered!"

"Shut up."

"Got it."

Elsa goes from looking at the list, to the restaurant, and to her, she finally hands Anna her phone back. "I guess you're done," she says with no judgment found.

"Yes!" Anna takes her phone back, accidentally letting the lemons drop to the floor. She quickly grabs them and cradles them in her arms. "I'll clean these. Did you need any help with your–"

"Don't patronize me."

"I wasn't trying to. I just figured that maybe if I helped you, then…"

Elsa crosses her arms. "Then what?"

Again, an opportune moment to thank Elsa presents itself. Repaying her helping hand with another hand is a great way to express her gratitude. But of course she has doubts on whether Elsa will accept their help or not, especially considering what happened the last time Anna tried to help in the kitchen. This time could be different, though, and she feels like she's softened Elsa enough to give her another chance.

But before either of them can say anything else, Anna is betrayed by her own body. A gurgling noise escapes from the hollow pit of her stomach. She puts a hand on top of it and laughs, "Yeesh, that's embarrassing."

Elsa raises an eyebrow, "Why?"

"I didn't eat dinner last night because– uh, actually it doesn't matter. I usually have time to eat breakfast before I go to work, but since I'm opening this week, I…yeah."

"If you're hungry, you should eat." Elsa might be stating the obvious, but coming from her it sounds like profound advice. "You can go out and grab something since you're already done."

Anna shakes her head, "I can't leave you alone here, that'd be rude. I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Hunger will affect your mental state." Elsa takes another look around, her eyes landing on the clock inside the office. "In a couple of hours, you won't be able to do your job well enough because you're starving."

Anna can't help but snicker, "You really don't sugarcoat anything, do you?"

"I don't see the point of that."

This conversation is turning out to be both infuriating and vindicating. Elsa's stubborn, that's common knowledge, but Anna's also glad to see that she does have a caring side. Trying to find a compromise, she suggests, "Then how about I just eat something here? We have eggs, that should be enough to get me through my shift."

"I can't let you use our ingredients for your breakfast."

"Then that'll be my lunch for today. I was planning on getting something later in my shift anyway, so this works out." Testing the waters again, Anna grins and says, "And I can make something for you too, if you want."

Elsa's response is quick. She glares at her and says, "You're not touching my grill."

Anna expected her to say something like that, but it's the glare that actually gets to her. "You can't still be upset about the pizza thing, can you?"

Elsa looks away and scoffs, "Of course not. That was a long time ago."

"But not…too long, right?"

"Anna, what kind of answer are you expecting from me?"

This has taken a turn. Thanking Elsa was supposed to be this simple thing that would have taken like two seconds, but now she's drawn it out to the point that weeks have passed and she's accusing Elsa of…something? This is all so needlessly confusing, and it's time that she's the one that does the fixing.

Anna raises her hands like she's surrendering. "I don't expect anything from you. In fact, there's something I feel like you're expecting from me."

"I don't think that's true," Elsa responds.

"Yeah, it's probably not." Anna takes a breath, trying to recollect her thoughts. "I'm not going to get anywhere near your grill, don't worry. You helped me learn my lesson when it comes to touching anything in the kitchen, and that's…that's not the only way you've helped me. I don't know if you remember when I was in the walk-in and–"

Elsa nods, "Three weeks ago. I remember."

"Oh. Good. Wonderful. Then, let me just get right to it. I should have said this a while back, but…thank you for helping me that day. I was going through a lot, and you helped me process things. You didn't need to help me, I'm just some silly girl who doesn't know what boundaries are. And yet you did. So thank you. So much. Uh…yeah."

After five months of working here, Anna's sure that she knows what Elsa's like and how she'll react to things. She expects staring, arms crossed, and a blunt comment or two. What she's not prepared for is confusion, a strange sense of sadness, and Elsa not being able to look her in the eye.

"I'm sorry," Anna adds. "I feel like I made things weird."

"Stop." Elsa shakes her head and walks past her, "I'll go make you something to eat."

Ten minutes later, she comes back with an egg and cheese sandwich and disappears into the kitchen for the rest of the day. For better or worse, Anna makes sure to stay out of her way.

Opening Day #4

When Anna pulls up to the restaurant, Elsa is nowhere to be seen.

It's 6:10, and her car is already in the parking lot, but she's not leaning on the hood like before. Anna unlocks the front door and steps inside the restaurant– it's dark, silent, and empty. Immediately after locking the door, she heads straight to the kitchen and a small sense of relief comes over her.

Elsa's here.

She's quietly leaning against a table, deep in thought and not working, but she's here. Anna sighs, "Oh good, I thought something happened to you."

Elsa looks at her with no reaction and then looks in the general direction of the grill. "Yeah, I came in early. Sorry."

Sorry. Oh no. Anna had hoped that things would be better (well, "better") between them now that a day has passed, but it's clear that that's not even close to being true. This is yet another side of Elsa she's never seen before, and she's not sure how to react to it. "Is…everything okay?"

Elsa nods absentmindedly, and then she's on her feet and walking towards Anna with her arms still crossed. "I need to ask you something."

Anna smiles calmly, "Anything. What's up?"

"What do you want from me?"

Anna is no longer smiling calmly.

"I know you wanted me to be your teacher at first, or something," Elsa continues when she's met with silence. "And I told you that I'm not what you think I am, but you didn't seem to care. You're stubborn, you stay around me, you talk to me. No one here does that, not even the owners. No one has tried so hard to get to know me and it's frustrating because that means you want something. So, what is it, Anna? What do you want?"

Anna's shoulders sink, "Elsa, I don't want anything from you."

Elsa glares at her, "Nothing at all?"

"I– okay, so that's not completely true." This isn't how any of this was supposed to go. A part of Anna wants to find a hole to crawl inside and decay in, but another part of her is relieved that she's getting this all out in the open. For now, the latter part of her wins out, and she confesses, "The only thing I want from you is to be your friend."

"My…friend?"

"Yeah." Anna exhales heavily. "That's all I want."

"That's all you want," Elsa repeats. "But why?"

"I-I mean you said so yourself: I'm stubborn. But also, I…I just really admire you. Even if you can be a little stubborn yourself, it's not that big of a deal to me. You're a really unique person, Elsa, and I want to be around you."

Elsa purses her lips and looks away, "So that's really…all you want?"

Okay, well now she's starting to get a little annoyed from repeating herself. "Did you think I wanted something else?"

"No, I…" There's a long pause, long enough for Anna to think her coworker's brain has shut down from confusion. But finally, there's a response. Elsa tilts her head up and lets out a sigh that turns into a groan. "Okay, fine."

"Fine?"

"I'll be your friend."

Wow, this was definitely not how she wanted this moment to play out. Anna frowns, "You don't sound too excited about that."

"When have I ever sounded excited about anything?"

"True, but still–"

"I'm not good at being friends with people, I never have been," Elsa confesses. "But I'll also never do anything I don't want to do."

"So, you do want to be friends?"

"I…" Elsa turns around, and finally, Anna can see that she still looks confused. Lost. It's honestly a little endearing. "I'm saying that I'm willing to try."

"Huh." Anna shrugs. "You know what? I can work with that."

"Good."

"So we're friends now."

"Yeah. We're friends now."

"Should we do something to commemorate this? I feel like we should."

"What do you want to do? Shake hands?"

"...sure!"

Anna stretches out her hand and, after a second of hesitation, Elsa accepts the offer of a handshake. Her fingers are very soft.

Chapter Text

"So we're…friends now, right?"

Elsa looks up from her nearly empty container of leftover Chinese food. She swallows and then responds, "Yes, that's what we agreed upon."

Anna frowns, "Okay, I know we shook hands but you don't need to make it sound like we made a business–"

"Yes, Anna, we're friends." Elsa interrupts. "Why? Are you having second thoughts?"

"Of course not!" After all the work she put in, and the amazing amount of luck she's had, Anna's not about to ditch this newfound relationship.

It's been a couple of weeks since they last opened together, the tension between them is gone but you could never tell from how they act around each other. Elsa is still distant and harsh, Anna is still sweet and sociable; the only time they ever seem to interact is on Elsa's lunch break. And while Anna respects her new friend's penchant for privacy, there are still some things she can't get off her mind.

She wrings her hands together, taking Elsa's silence as a sign to continue. "I was just thinking…I mean friends spend time with each other."

Elsa looks at her, there's no discernible reaction on her face, and then she turns back to her food. "You want us to hang out? Am I reading that right?"

Anna sighs, "Yeah, that's what I'm trying to ask." The day she learns how to stop being so dang readable is the day she tries her luck at poker again.

"But you already know I don't spend time with anyone outside of work," Elsa reiterates, more focused on her food than anything.

"I remember."

"Though you think I'll make an exception for you because we're friends."

Shame rattles Anna's bones. From the second she walked over to Elsa, she knew that bringing this up would be a mistake. But her stupid brain made her stupid mouth say stupid words. She shakes her head and looks towards the back door- her exit. "You're right, this was stupid. I'm sorry I asked."

"I never said it was stupid." Elsa quickly looks at her again. The warm late-April sun almost makes it looks like she's upset too. "Why do you always back off when things don't go as you expect them to?"

A laugh escapes from Anna's throat when Elsa hits that particular nerve. Even now, no one at Olaf's knows about her past. And though it feels like that should change since Elsa's her friend now, she's not sure if she's ready to do another tell-all. The smile forced out from the laugh quickly dissipates, and she lets out a sad breath while clutching her shoulder, "...it's a long story."

There's another lingering moment between them where Anna's fighting to get rid of nagging thoughts, and Elsa studies her carefully. One day Anna might be able to tell what her pensive friend is thinking, but not today.

Finally, Elsa sees what she needs to see and she goes back to eating her food. But not before saying, "Sometimes I go to Double Tap after work."

The name sounds familiar. Anna searches through less-painful memories until the image of a bar on the west side of town comes to mind. "That place is still open?"

"It is." Elsa eats some more of her food. "I don't know, I guess I'll go there tomorrow."

"Uh…okay. Cool." Anna's not sure when they pivoted to talking about Elsa's after-work plans, but it's good to know something new about her.

Elsa glances her way, seemingly expecting more out of her. And when she gets nothing else, she says slowly, "You should go there too."

"Bars aren't really my..." It takes a second, but finally, a bell rings in Anna's head, not unlike the one in the kitchen. "…oh. Oh. Okay yeah sure, I'll totally stop by. That sounds fun, I can't wait!"

"Don't make such a big deal out of this."

"I'm not! I-I mean I won't. I'll stop making a big deal out of it now." Anna straightens up and clears her throat. "Right now."

Elsa rolls her eyes and walks back into the kitchen.

When she's sure that she's alone, Anna raises her fists in the air and lets out a noise of success before going back inside as well.

Anna's anxiety the next day is higher than usual, but she's also in a better mood than usual. In a few short hours, she and Elsa will be hanging out at the Double Tap and though she has no idea how it will go, she knows it'll be amazing.

Her attitude affects her work in the best way. She's cheering up customers, eerily efficient with getting food and drinks out, and she even volunteered to clean the ice tray. Through it all, a smile remains on her face, and "What If?" questions eat up all her thoughts. During their dead period, Meg brings up this change.

"Somebody's on their game today. What's up? You seeing somebody new?"

Anna laughs, though it's voluntary this time. "Definitely not. I won't be looking to date anyone anytime soon."

Meg raises an eyebrow, "Oh? I think a few people might be disappointed to hear that."

With both interest and concern, Anna stares her down from across the counter. "Who people? I mean what people?"

"Nah, don't worry about it." Meg sits on one of the bar stools and abruptly changes the subject. "So you're coming to the party this Sunday, right? Just cause you weren't Employee of the Month this time doesn't mean you're not invited. Obviously."

"Of course!" Anna exclaims, grateful for the chance to stop talking about her relationship status.

"Good. Make sure to bring back the crown…and some snacks if you want to." Meg chuckles. "And Elsa too, if she says yes."

At the mention of the chef's name, Anna's stomach drops and her eyes widen like a cat getting their mug shot. She blinks and composes herself quickly, "I wasn't planning– uh, why…why do you think I would invite Elsa again?"

"Because you asked her last time and you're very persistent," Meg smirks. "Also because you two are buddies now or whatever."

"What? How–"

"Ruby, I see you two talking all the time during her lunch break. So either you've got some dirt on her, or you somehow became friends with the Ice Queen." Meg shrugs and leans forward. "Either way, I'm impressed."

The front door opens, it's the driver for today's delivery. Anna finishes up with him before walking back to Meg and continuing their conversation. "There's nothing to be impressed about, I just talked to her. Anyone could do that."

"Everyone has. So you're either some kind of social butterfly prodigy or…"

"Or…?"

Meg shakes her head. "Never mind. You're free to invite her again. Who knows? Maybe she'll show up this time." The door opens again, this time letting in a couple and a large family. The manager stands up with a grunt, "Looks like break time's over."

Anna watches as she puts her customer service mask back on, and she follows her to help with the other party. She makes a mental note to ask about the "Or" later.

Elsa said that she'd be at the bar around 7 PM. Anna clocked out as soon as she could, bolted back home to change her clothes, told her parents she was going to meet up with a friend, cringed a little bit when her mom looked excited for her, found directions to the place, begrudgingly obeyed the speed limit on the drive over, and arrived at 6:57 PM.

She hopes she's not too late.

Double Tap is a staple of Arendelle's west side, close to the town border. It's nestled in a cornered, strip-mall-type area between a laundromat and a generic Chinese restaurant. As a kid, whenever they'd pass this side of town, she'd point at the brick building's light-up sign with the curvy font and neon silhouettes of joysticks, and she'd ask to go there.

At first, her parents would say they didn't have the time or money. Eventually, her dad needed to explain to her what a bar was.

A decade ago, Double Tap was a major hotspot. It was the only "barcade" in the area for a while until more of them started sprouting in the big city. In its prime, it boasted seven popular arcade cabinets and an air hockey table, and the bar was busy from twelve to twelve almost every day. But when its clientele started getting older and moving out, business slowed down dramatically. Now it's a shell of what it once was.

The tinted glass door groans loudly when Anna opens it; the inside is so dim that Anna almost thinks that she came in before they were open. Obviously, that wouldn't make sense, but anxiety, you know?

Her first impressions are…not great. She's not met with any greetings at the door. The bartender, chatting with the regulars, doesn't even look her way. Hanging on the walls are posters of different beers and video games– none of which Anna recognizes– and there's a distinct smell of cigarettes and wood polish. The metal music they're playing makes the playlist for Olaf's sound calm and peaceful in comparison.

The place is split up into two distinct sections. On her left is where all the arcade cabinets are lined up. There are only four of them against the wall– one of them has an "Out of Order" sign taped to the screen– and the air hockey table is long gone. On her right is the bar area, which is seeing much more action. The L-shaped counter is smaller than the one at Olaf's and it's made of wood that gleams under the fluorescent lights. You have your choice of booths or barstools and right now most people are choosing to sit at the stools.

Except, of course, for one person.

Even in a baggy jacket with her hood up, Elsa still sticks out among the strange combination of bikers, day workers, and tattooed nerds. Anna almost breathes a sigh of relief when she sees her.

"Hey," she says as she takes a seat at the other side of the booth. Her smile feels a little too big, but right now she doesn't care.

Elsa already has a beer in her hand. And as she does during lunch, she drinks first before talking. "Hey."

"Sorry if I made you wait long, I had a little trouble finding the place," Anna says, pulling out a lie she would use when Hans made them late for things.

"Don't worry about it." Elsa takes another sip and looks around, it doesn't look like she's searching for anything in particular. "You want a drink?"

"Ah, n-no, sorry I…don't drink."

She waits for Elsa to question why she decided to come to a bar if alcohol isn't her thing, but all she does is shrug. "They have soda and water here too."

"Oh cool." Cool? "I guess I'll have some water then."

Elsa nods and gets up before Anna can tell her she can get the water herself. The other patrons move their stools a little to make room for Elsa at the counter, but that's the only sense of recognition they give her. A minute later, she returns to the booth with a glass of water in one hand and another beer in the other.

"Thanks," Anna says, holding the glass with both hands. "So…you go here sometimes?"

"Only when I need a drink," Elsa replies, placing her half-full bottle against her lips and peering at Anna. "Which isn't often."

"I wasn't assuming anything." Anna looks away. "It's, uh…I've heard of this place but I've never been before. It's nice."

"Are you saying that because you believe it or because you think it's what I want to hear?"

Anna bites her lip, "Both?"

A judgmental frown crosses Elsa's face, one that Anna hopes to stop seeing one of these days. She finishes what's left of her first bottle and shakes her head. "I don't have any loyalty to this place. If you think it sucks, you can tell me. Or keep it yourself if you want."

While it should be clear how Anna feels about Double Tap, she decides not to say anything. She's not here to voice her opinion about a bar she's probably never coming back to, she's here to get to know her new friend. Decidedly changing the subject, she says, "Nothing ever fazes you, does it?"

Elsa shrugs, "I don't like to give a lot of thought to things that don't matter. I've done that…it's just not something I do."

If it were anyone else, Anna might let her curiosity win out and she'd mention that hesitation. But Elsa's still too much of a mystery, she needs to keep watching what she says. "I wish I knew how to do that."

"It's not something you can do overnight." Elsa places her empty bottle at the corner of her table, then takes out her keychain to use the portable bottle opener on it to open her other beer. "And no, I'm not going to teach you how."

"Can you at least give me like a tip or something?"

"No." Elsa begins drinking her second beer.

Anna grumbles, taking a sip of the water she just remembered she had.

"...alright. Fine." Elsa lets out a breath as Anna tries to pretend she's not incredibly interested now. "If you want to stop thinking about things that don't matter, you need to figure out what matters to you. Makes it easier to filter things out."

Figure out what matters to her…

It sounds so obvious, but for Anna, it's a revelation. How much of her life this past year has she spent thinking about her life in the Southern Isles? About Hans? No matter the progress she's made, her mind still gets stuck thinking about the past she's meant to let go of. Elsa's right, she has some filtering to do. She leans forward, pushing her hands closer to Elsa's until they're almost touching. "You. Are. Amazing."

Elsa looks down at the table and puts her hands back inside her jacket pocket. "I-I'm really not," she says.

Surprisingly, talking becomes much more natural after that. The topics are surface-level, like gossiping about rude customers and talking about the food they eat outside of the restaurant, but the words aren't forced. Elsa responds more than she asks, but that doesn't bother Anna too much since it's a miracle they're talking at all. And after finishing her story about the time she pulled an all-nighter helping her mom prepare for a bake sale, she realizes they've already been talking for an hour.

Once again, Anna feels good– great, even. "Hey," she says with renewed optimism. "You want to have some fun?"

"I don't like how you said that."

"Oh psh." Anna turns her body around to glance at the three arcade cabinets. "Have you played any of those games before?"

"A few times."

Anna turns back to look at her with a snarky grin on her face. "And by a 'few times', do you mean all the time?"

Elsa looks from her, to the games, and then at her beer. "Tekken is fun."

Anna blinks, "Is-Is that one of the video games? Because I have no idea–"

"Yes, it's one of the games."

"Cool! Then let's play!" Anna slips out of the booth and starts walking toward the arcade area. She doesn't look back to see if Elsa is following her, but she has faith. And that faith is well-placed as she stands before the cabinet labeled Tekken with her friend standing right next to her. "Wait, don't we need quarters?"

Elsa shakes her head, "Not anymore. The games are all rigged for unlimited plays now."

"So that means we can play for as long as we want?"

"Yeah." Elsa crosses her arms, there's a strange intensity on her face like she's playing the game with her mind.

Anna claps her hands together with excitement, trying to get Elsa's attention. "Then let's do it!"

The two of them step up to either side of the arcade game. Anna moves the joystick around erratically and presses all the buttons she sees. Elsa stands at ease with one hand in her jacket pocket and the other one pressing the Start button.

After three lopsided matches full of intense button-mashing, frantic out-of-game movements, and yelps from the slightest sign of trouble, one thing becomes abundantly clear for Anna. And Elsa, stuffing her hands back in her pockets, says it with tact and grace.

"You really suck at this."

"Hush." Anna turns around, leaning against the machine with her arms crossed. "Aren't you supposed to go easy on newbies?"

"You're not a newbie anymore."

"What? But I- oh." Anna scowls at her. "You know what I mean."

Elsa shrugs, "You picked Kuma, I had to teach you a lesson."

"Of course, you know the name of the bear," Anna grumbles. She stands upright again and looks around, flexing her fingers to get rid of the excess ache. "Alright, redemption time. Which of these games are you bad at so I have a fighting chance?"

"No chance, I've played all of these. I mean I've only played Pac-Man a few times but I doubt you could beat my score anyway."

Anna gasps, "Rude!"

"And true."

"Hmph, well I'm glad you're having fun." And, well, Anna actually means that. Elsa's not smiling or anything, but her tone is more confident and she seemed so relaxed when she was kicking her butt in the game. It's clear that she comes to Double Tap for more than just a beer.

Elsa studies her much like Anna is doing. "Are you not having fun?" she asks.

"I am having fun, but…I've been told that I can be a sore loser sometimes," Anna confesses. "I'll get my win back once I challenge you to something I'm good at like, uh…juggling. Or braiding hair. Or trivia about The Bachelor."

Elsa grimaces, "You actually like that show?"

"I don't like it. I love it," Anna corrects. "And hey, no judging, you probably have your own guilty pleasures too. Like this game for example."

"I play video games to relieve stress and keep my senses sharp," Elsa argues.

Anna gasps, this time out of revelation. She smirks, "Oh my gosh, you're a closet nerd, aren't you?"

There's a pause, and the longer it goes on, the more Anna's smile grows. Elsa's expression is doubly unreadable due to her cloaking hoodie and the lack of overhead lighting, but there's no doubting that something is going through her mind. Then suddenly, Elsa's pacing towards the door, muttering, "This conversation is over."

Anna chuckles as she goes after her. The outside is as barren as the inside; there are more people inside the laundromat than the bar. No one is around to see them, and no one would probably care. Again, Anna can see why Elsa comes here. "Hey, being a nerd is nothing to be embarrassed about," she assures.

"Shut up," Elsa grumbles, stopping once she reaches her car. She sits on the hood in her regular fashion. "I'm not embarrassed."

"It kinda feels like you are."

"Well, I'm not. And if you keep bringing it up, I'm leaving."

Anna puts her hands up, trying to stifle her grin. "Alright, I'm sorry. I'll let it go."

"Good." Elsa pulls out her phone and sighs, "Actually, I need to leave soon anyway."

"Yeah? You got a date or something?" There's no way she's going to get this grin off her face.

Elsa rolls her eyes, "I have to meet with my landlord about my rent."

"Oh." Anna hisses. "That sounds horrible."

"It is what it is." Elsa puts her phone back in her pocket, looking back at her teasing friend with a look that has to mean she's about to ask a question. "Was this what you wanted it to be?"

Aha! She's figuring her out. "What do you mean? Hanging out with you?"

"What else would I be talking about?"

"I don't know." Anna puts her hands in her pockets, risking the chance to rest her leg against the side panel of Elsa's car. "But yeah, this is what I was hoping to do. I haven't hung out with anyone like this since I came back to Arendelle, and it helped to…well, it helped. I hope I didn't inconvenience you by coming out here."

"I invited you," Elsa says in a way that's meant to be the end to that line of thinking.

"Thanks, by the way, for doing that. And for being so cool about all of this." Anna can't help herself. "Why are you so cool with us being friends?"

Again, Elsa pauses. But this time, there's no teasing, just waiting, as Elsa looks at nothing in particular. When she's ready, Elsa takes a breath and answers, "I guess we both see something in each other."

Anna's not sure what that means, yet she can't help but smile.

The silence between them is an easy enough transition. Elsa stands back up and unlocks her car, "I should get going."

"Yeah, me too," Anna says. "I haven't eaten anything yet, so I should do that."

"You should."

"So, uh…" Anna sticks her hand out.

Elsa looks at it with confusion for a second before recognition crosses her face, and she shakes her hand.

"Seeya at work," Anna says.

"Yeah," Elsa replies. "I'll see you then."

Anna walks back to her car as soon as Elsa gets into hers. She waits a second for her friend to get onto the road before leaving the parking lot of Double Tap. Maybe for the last time, maybe for the first time.

Chapter Text

"I can't believe you talked me into this."

"Oh please, you know you wanted to play," Meg replies.

Anna rolls up the sleeves of her flannel shirt, letting her skin feel the night's soft breeze. Though she's going to miss the winds of spring, she's excited that summer is right around the corner. She's less excited about spilling secrets now that she's been roped into a game of Never Have I Ever. She raises her bottle of water and sighs. "Fine, bring it on."

Meg chuckles, "Alright, Ruby's never played with us before, so let's get the obvious one out of the way: never have I ever slept with one of my coworkers."

Out of the eight people playing, five of them drink from their respective bottles of beer, hard lemonade, or water. Anna almost chokes on her own drink, and laughter erupts from the circle. Someone says "You'll get some one day, Ruby.", which isn't comforting in the slightest.

Meg pats her on the shoulder, "It's best just to rip off the bandaid."

"I didn't need to know this," Anna argues before continuing her coughing fit.

"You would've learned about it eventually," says Herc, who's sitting next to Meg with his hand on her thigh. He, of course, was one of the people that took a drink.

"Cool okay can we move on now thank you!" Anna says quickly. And so they do.

The next few rounds are a little more innocent. Anna drinks when people ask about getting a speeding ticket and going skinny-dipping. She doesn't drink when asked about peeing in public, shoplifting, or pulling an all-nighter. She still has a substantial amount of water left while a couple of people– like Meg– have almost finished their bottles.

When it's her turn, everyone looks at her expectantly, like she has something risque on her mind. She bites her lip while rolling her water bottle between her hands. "Never have I ever…lied to my boss."

There are a couple of boos as everyone drinks their booze, someone even gives her a thumbs down.

"Weak!" Herc shouts through cupped hands.

"I expected better from you, Ruby," Meg adds, and for some reason that sets something off inside Anna.

She pouts and shouts, "Okay fine! Never have I ever been adopted."

The circle abruptly goes quiet as she downs the rest of her water bottle. No one dares to tell her that's not how the game works.

To break through the awkwardness, Meg asks, "You're adopted?" There's no pity in her voice, only curiosity, which is a relief. Anna received too much of that from her teachers and relatives when she was younger.

She nods, "My birth parents died when I was still a baby, and I was put in an orphanage. Six years later, Ethan and Eleanor O'Reilly took one look at me and said 'We want that one.' And that was history."

A background character remarks, "Oh damn, so you're like Batman or Batwoman or some shit."

"What? That doesn't make any sense, Ramon, shut up." Meg shakes her head and turns her attention back to Anna. "I can't believe I never knew that about you."

Anna shrugs, "I never brought it up." To be honest, she doesn't really know why she's talking about it now. There's no alcohol in her system to blame, and she doesn't want to fit in with everyone that badly. "I guess I just finally wanted people to know."

"I wonder what else I'll learn about you." Meg gets up to grab another bottle of water from the cooler in the center of the circle. She tosses it to Anna, who catches it with one hand.

"I guess we'll find out," Anna replies.

From there, the game resumes without any big surprises. Anna drinks to let everyone know that she's messed around with someone while their parents were home, and that she's participated in an eating contest before. All the while, she continues glancing at the back gate, waiting for a second, and then looking away with some sadness.

You know I'm probably not going to show up, right?

Elsa's answer is still crystal clear in her mind, and though it sounded definitive, Anna is foolishly holding on to that one word: probably. The night is still young, but not by a lot. She's probably not coming, but is it still probable to think that she might? Well, whatever happens, they're still friends and that's the reassurance she needs when the door remains closed.

"Your turn again, Ruby," Meg says. "What are we going to learn about you this time?"

"Nothing. I do actually know how to play the game, you jerk." She smirks and says, "Never have I ever kissed someone of the same gender."

This time, instead of boos there are ooh's. A couple of people drink, including Meg which is kind of a surprise…but not as big of a shocker as Herc slowly raising his bottle to take a sip.

It's chaos as the entire party's attention turns to the circle. There's laughter and screams of joy, many people are asking who he kissed, Maui is punching Herc's shoulder shouting "Did you tell them?", and Meg is consoling her boyfriend with one hand while giving Anna a thumbs up with the other. The dude with the acoustic guitar is now playing something by John Mayer.

"It was a dare!" Herc tries to explain. "You do dumb stuff in college for fifty dollars, alright?"

The game ends unofficially after that.

A couple of hours later, and a handful of more back-gate glances, Anna decides to call it a night. She's pleasantly surprised to see that her parents are still awake when she comes back home. Though, when she sees conflicted looks on their faces and the large box on their kitchen table, the surprise becomes less pleasant.

"What's going on?" she asks as her smile drops.

The two of them have a quick, silent conversation. In the end, it's her mom who walks up to her and gently holds her arms. "Anna, my sweet girl, I need you to take a breath first, okay?"

"Take a breath? Mom, I'm fine." Anna frowns, her concern only growing.

"I know. I know you are, but…" She takes a breath. "A package came for you while you were gone."

That explains the box, though it doesn't explain why her mom looks like she just ran over her childhood pet or why her dad is gripping the back of a kitchen chair so hard it might splinter. It's a type of anger Anna's never seen from him dad before. She would ask him what was wrong if his fiery glare into the void wasn't instilling a familiar fear.

"A package?" she repeats instead.

Her mom nods solemnly, "We tried getting them to take it back. You don't need to open it."

Anna's interest piques, but so does her anxiety. She walks past her mom and tries not to make eye contact with her dad. The box is deceptively innocent in its mundanity. It's as big as the one her high school graduation gown came in but without any logos or lettering on the cardboard. The only thing on the box is the shipping label. But that's all it takes for the air to leave her lungs.

In the center is her first name and a last name that she's denounced. And written in the corner, in small, damning letters, is a return address to the Southern Isles.

Two sweaters, six t-shirts, five CDs, and a heated blanket. That was all that remained of her Southern Isles self, and it was now sitting in a box on her desk.

Anna's not sure what Hans's intentions are in bringing this stuff back to her, but she fears the worst. With him, she always fears the worst. If he intended for this to be an innocent gesture, then that might have been fine. But buried underneath her things, as if meant to be a surprise, he left her a letter. A simple letter in the simplest of white envelopes, and written on the front in deep black ink are two words:

For You.

She's not going to read it. Why in the world would she want to hear anything else that man has to say to her? Things are over between them- at least they should be- and yet he's still finding ways to get back into her life without her consent.

He should have just kept her stuff, do whatever he wanted with it. And he should have kept his stupid letter and all of its stupid words to his stupid self.

Suffice to say, it was hard to sleep last night. After a lot of tossing and turning, she gave up and went for a quick walk around the block to try and clear her head. It didn't do much except make her realize how quiet her neighborhood really is. By the time she went back to bed, it was one in the morning; by the time she woke up, she was ten minutes late to work.

"Holy shit, what happened? Where have you been?" Meg says to her once she opens the side door that Anna slammed face-first into.

"I'm so, so sorry I'm late," Anna replies while massaging her forehead with both her hands. "I overslept."

"A-Alright, well hurry up and clock in." Her manager gives her a vaguely assuring pat on the back. "That church group from last month will be here in half an hour, and there's more of them this time."

"I'll get everything ready, don't worry." Anna punches in before tossing her things into an open locker and hastily tying on an apron. If this was her first week or two working here, she'd feel like she was drowning. Now…well she still feels like she's drowning, but for totally different reasons.

"There's still some silverware that needs to be rolled up. After that, wipe down four of the tables and push them together," Meg orders.

"Got it." Anna pushes open the kitchen door with far too much force, reminding her of that embarrassing moment two chapters ago. She presses her hands against her face and lets out a sharp, closed-mouth yelp from deep within her soul. What she wouldn't give for a Hans-shaped stress ball right now.

When she enters the kitchen, there's a different yet familiar tension in the air– one that she oddly welcomes. Elsa is by herself again, dicing some green vegetable thing almost in rhythm with her jazz music.

"You're late," she says without looking up from her cutting board. Chop after chop fills in the silence that jazz never can.

Anna groans, "Yeah, I know." Chop chop. "I overslept." Chop. "Sorry."

"Meg was looking for you." Chop chop chop.

"I apologized to her too." Chop chop.

"We have a busy morning today." Chop chop chop.

Chop. "I know."

"You shouldn't have been late." Chop.

"Okay, can you please get off my back?!"

The chopping stops, the jazz music doesn't. Elsa looks at her with icy…judgment? No, it's surprise, then confusion, and then pain. Which can't be right, Elsa Ostrem doesn't feel pain.

But Anna does, and for a moment, Elsa looks like a clear reflection of what she used to see in the mirror for months. She tries to get control of the situation but Elsa beats her to it.

"You're upset about the party…aren't you?"

"What? Oh." Anna shakes her head, she almost forgot the party even happened yesterday. "No, that's not it."

"But you are upset." ...chop…chop. "I mean that's what it looks like."

Anna takes a step forward, but she can't seem to take any more than that. The way Elsa's shoulders and jaw tense, and how quick she is to glance Anna's way after the slightest movement, makes it clear that a barrier is between them.

Great.

"You didn't do anything wrong," Anna assures through the thick void.

Chop chop chop. "...okay."

"Something happened last night, and it's messing with me." Anna would spend all morning trying to fix things between them if she could. But she's late enough with her own responsibilities as it is. She looks at the door with regret and grabs the tray full of utensils. "I'm sorry I took it out on you. Can we talk about this later?"

"You don't need to tell me anything. Your life is your life."

"Elsa…" She sighs. "I'll talk to you later."

They didn't talk again that day. Anna got stuck cleaning up a spill during Elsa's lunch break, and she couldn't catch her at the end of the day because Kai needed to discuss some kind of schedule change. The day after that, of course, was Elsa's day off, and the day after that was Anna's. The box and the letter remained on her desk all the while, colluding to keep her awake.

Thursday is the day that the stars align again. It's a rather cold day in late April, thanks in effect to an unexpected storm yesterday. Anna is throwing out the trash as per usual when she sees, of course, Elsa eating her lunch in the parking lot.

Interestingly enough, Kristoff is talking to her, but whatever conversation they have ends before Anna has time to use her portable hand sanitizer and walk over. Kristoff shoots her a neutral smile before heading back into the restaurant while Elsa looks unfazed by their talk. No, actually, she looks almost at peace– the unbreakable type that comes from being in your element.

Anna notices other things about her too. Whereas her own face gets all dry and red in the cold, Elsa's complexion is pale yet pristine. She can see the fullness of Elsa's eyes as she looks around at the shifting trees and gray sky; there's a soft tint to the blue. And with one hand spread behind her and the opposite foot propped on the bumper of her car, well, she could very well have been a model in a past life.

Elsa tilts her head to look at Anna, casually letting out a "Hey."

"Uh, hi." Anna stuffs her hands into her pockets to keep them warm. "What were you two talking about?"

"A catering gig this weekend." For lunch, she has something wrapped in tin foil, but she doesn't seem to be in any rush to eat.

"Oh, okay. I'm surprised I haven't been scheduled for one of those yet," she says, letting out a breathy laugh.

"Kai and Gerda feel that your personality is better suited for the restaurant." Before Anna can take that as a bad thing, she adds, "That's a good thing. Besides, you'd get bored doing catering."

"That's good to know, I think." Anna takes a breath, knowing she doesn't have a lot of time to get to the point. "Hey, are you still upset about the other day?"

Elsa raises an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"I mean I kinda…blew up on you. For no reason." Anna takes out one of her hands and rubs the back of her neck. "Well, there was a reason– is one, I guess– but I didn't tell you."

Realization is quick to arrive for Elsa, and she turns back to the murky gray. "Like I said. Your life is your life."

Rather than get them stuck in an endless loop of misdirecting their feelings, Anna takes another step forward and asks with far too much hesitation, "Can I sit down?"

Elsa sits up without a word. At first, it looks like she's going to leave, but instead, she slides over to make more room on the hood. Anna carefully sits next to her with her hands on her lap, cringing when the car dips under their weight. This is the closest they've been since their visit to Double Tap, she wishes they didn't both smell like onions.

Anna thinks for a moment about how she wants to approach this subject again. The day she told her parents everything, she had a warm cup of coffee in her hands and her mom and dad bantered like an old married couple to ease her into things. With Elsa, she doesn't have that level of familiarity, but she also knows that there will be no judgment. She's kind of cool like that.

She takes a deep breath and starts, "I haven't told anyone this, but…I got divorced a few months ago."

Elsa looks at her with more than just a tilted glance. Of course, she's not displaying any emotion, but Anna knows that she's listening. It gives her some much-needed comfort.

"It was messy, maybe I'll tell you all about it one day but right now…he sent me a box last weekend." She fidgets with her thumbs. "I mean it's my stuff. The box is full of my stuff, but still, it feels like he was the one that showed up at my doorstep. Like he was the one sitting in my family's kitchen. And I…" A bitter, familiar sting assaults the back of her eyes.

She looks up at the sky. "Gah, why am I crying? I hate this. I hate what he does to me." Whatever she was going to say gets caught in her throat, and she closes her eyes to try and get rid of the tears.

In the silence, Elsa finally speaks. "He sounds like an asshole."

Anna lets out something between a sob and a laugh. "Yeah. He is."

"Assholes aren't worth your time. They're not worth anyone's time."

There's a pause in which it seems like Elsa's going to say more, but her words get lost somewhere as well. Anna sniffles, wiping her eyes with her arm. "I really thought things were over, you know? Maybe he thought he was being nice by returning my stuff."

Elsa shifts so she's leaning forward with both her feet now on the ground. "He wasn't trying to be nice."

"Yeah, I don't think so either." Anna moves gingerly to mimic her posture. "There's more I can say about him, but I know your break is going to be over soon. I don't want to take up all of your time."

"It's okay. This is what friends do, right?"

And it's almost like magic. Anna feels the tightness in her lungs dissipate, and she takes her first breath of the week. She looks at Elsa– her friend– and smiles, "Thank you for talking to me. It helped me so much."

Elsa shrugs, "I didn't do anything."

"You did more than you think." Anna lets out a different, sharper breath. "Now I just need to figure out what to do with this stupid box."

"Do you care about anything in it?"

Anna shakes her head, "A lot of it is stuff I bought while I was living with him, and he also wrote a letter but I'm definitely not going to read that."

Elsa stands up suddenly, tossing her foil-wrapped food between her hands. "I know something you can do with it."

"Thank you for talking me into this."

Anna watches the fire spread from the scattered logs to the pyre of memories on top. Soon, the flames will chew through the cardboard box and hit her college-themed sweaters, then they'll work on the cheesy, beach-themed t-shirts, then they'll melt the 80s pop CDs that she only listened to a couple of times, and finally they'll turn the letter into a pitiful pile of ashes.

She couldn't part with the heated blanket, it was too expensive. And soft.

At first, Anna hesitated at the idea of setting fire to the box and its contents, but now, as the embers start to float into the air, she feels the massive weight on her shoulders go with them. A smile crosses her face, illuminated in a warm, golden glow. Everything feels right again, and the best part is she's not doing this alone.

Meg volunteered her backyard for this occasion, eager to "commit legal arson". Herc is by his girlfriend's side and here for moral support. Maui brought the wood, never one to miss the opportunity for a good bonfire. And there's another special guest here as well.

Elsa steadies the box with the toe of her shoe. "I told you this would help."

Anna rolls her eyes, "Yeah yeah. You're always right and I should listen to everything you say."

"You really should."

"Hey, don't get a big head about this." Anna bumps her with her arm. "One day, I'm going to give you some life-changing advice and I'm going to be so humble about it."

The fire goes through the box quicker than expected, and a couple of CDs spill out. Meg bends down to look at one of them and grimaces at Anna, "Madonna? Really?"

"Ugh, don't remind me. It was a dumb gift from one of my brothers-in-law," Anna explains. "I never even opened it."

"Man, you guys are a bunch of haters," Maui exclaims before doing a little dance and humming Like A Virgin to himself.

Anna hears Elsa let out a soft, disappointed sigh, and she whispers to her, "Be nice."

At that moment, it feels like something pierces her heart, but in a good way. Watching all of her friends convene around a fire made by her old, unwanted stuff is making her realize that…a year ago, she didn't have this. She didn't have a group of people that cared so much about her and vice versa, she didn't have the opportunity to do something this dumb and spontaneous, and she certainly didn't have the freedom to be out this late on a Friday night. For so long, she lived under Hans's thumb and now she can breathe. It's no surprise when tears start to form again.

"I wish we had stuff for s'mores," Maui adds. "That would be killer."

Herc lays a hefty hand on his shoulder and nods towards the kitchen. "My friend, I have you covered." And they both rush inside like giddy school kids sneaking water balloons onto the playground.

Meg shakes her head and follows them inside, "I have to make sure those idiots don't break my fridge again."

Suddenly, it's just the two of them. Elsa, with her eyes on the fire, and Anna, who's a serious mess of emotions. They've had these moments alone many times by now, but this time feels different. This time…things have changed. Anna's not sure how, but she knows that there's something she needs to do. Wants to do.

"Please don't hate me for doing this."

Elsa turns to look at her, but before she can say anything, Anna is embracing her. Arms wrapping around her waist, forehead pressing against her shoulder, a single tear hitting her shirt. Her friend doesn't return the hug, but she doesn't push her away either.

And the fire continues to grow.

Chapter Text

April showers bring May flowers. That was a phrase invented by some dead idiot who didn't know about climate change.

Here in Arendelle, May flowers have been around since March, and the April showers happen in February. When May actually rolls around, all it brings is heat and late-blooming allergies. Anna hates this month, as she spends most of it sneezing up a storm and getting spooked by wasps. If she were President of the World, she would get rid of May and disperse its days equally among February, July, and December- the three best months. And while she's at it, she would also create a task force to capture all the wasps in the world so she could put them in a massive glass box and watch them all burn. Buuuurn.

As soon as she finishes this rant, Meg stares at her for a good five seconds before shaking her head. "How am I just seeing this side of you now?"

Anna grumbles. "You love the month of May, I can sense it. I can smell it on you."

"Whatever, weirdo." Meg gets off the chair that she was standing on to hang the last of the LED lights, placing it back by its table. "You tell any of this to Elsa, yet? I bet she's dying to hear it."

At the sound of the ever-mysterious chef's name, Anna's lips purse. It's the only change in emotion that she hopes is visible. "Don't change the subject," she says, trying to change the subject.

Truth be told, things between her and Elsa have been…weird. Weirder than usual. It started a few weeks ago, after The Cremation (aptly coined by Maui). During that time, Elsa has distanced herself a lot more. She keeps her head down and eyes buried underneath her baseball cap, she only talks when there's an order, and she eats her lunch inside her car instead of on it.

It's obvious why she's acting like this: Anna hugged her, without consent. It felt nice at first, Elsa's skin was soft and warm from the fire, and she smelled like a clean pillow. But then she noticed that Elsa wasn't hugging her back; actually, her entire body seemed to have stiffened up. As soon as Anna let go, Elsa left, mumbling something about washing dishes.

Since then, Anna's given her a lot of space. She crossed a huge boundary, and the last thing she wants is to be her typical pushy self and lose a good friend. But now she's getting antsy and anxious for other reasons. Does Elsa not see her as a friend anymore? Is it already too late to salvage their relationship? Was giving her space the wrong move?

She needs answers. For herself and for them, but kind of more for herself. She likes Elsa, she doesn't want to lose her.

Later that day, Anna walks up to Elsa's car as she's eating her lunch. The plan was to gently knock on her window, but Elsa notices her before she gets too close which forces Anna to switch tactics. A quick, polite wave is what she goes for instead, and it still has the desired effect of Elsa rolling her window down.

"Sorry, I won't take up too much of your time," Anna says as she finishes her approach.

"You need to stop saying that," Elsa replies.

"Which one? Sorry? Or I won't take up your time?"

Elsa crumples up the tin foil that used to contain her food. "Both, I guess."

"Sorry." Anna winces. "I guess I'm just too polite for my own good."

"I know. It's admirable but redundant." She faces the steering wheel like she's going to take off at any second. "You don't have to apologize for anything."

Anna frowns, "I don't?" She'll admit that her apology quota is a lot higher than regular people's, but boundary-breaking seems like something you should definitely apologize for.

Elsa taps her steering wheel, searching for the right words to say. "You want to talk about us, right? About the hug."

"How do you do that?" Anna says with her eyes wide.

"Do what?"

"How do you always know exactly what I want to talk about?" She throws her hands up. "Am I that easy to read?"

"No…well, yes." Elsa shrugs apologetically. "I know it seems like I'm avoiding you."

"It's not–"

"Because I am," she admits. "That night, you surprised me; I wasn't ready for what happened. I'm not used to people getting that close, and I needed to figure out how I felt about it. But I couldn't do that and pretend that things were normal."

So, it's just as Anna figured. It's bad enough that she overstepped Elsa's boundaries, but she also ended up putting her friend through some kind of mental crisis. She grabs her shoulder and her frown deepens, "I'm a bad friend."

"Anna, I don't even know what being a friend means."

"But I do, which is worse!" She jabs a finger into her chest. "I should have known that what I did was wrong, I should have asked if you wanted me to touch you, but I was so caught up in my own emotions–"

"Anna. Stop."

And she does. With a sharp inhale, Anna holds the rest of her words and takes a step back. Elsa rolls up her window and exits her car, leaning against the now-closed door. She puts on the same face from when Anna messed up the to-go order, when she spilled water on her, and when she found her about to cry in the walk-in.

"Breathe," she orders. "Breathe, and listen to what I have to say: you're making a big deal out of nothing."

Anna breathes through her nose and exhales quickly through her mouth. "I am?" she asks warily.

"I need you to promise me that you're going to stop saying you're sorry to me. Right now."

"But–"

"Promise me." Elsa steps forward, her eyes boring straight through all the insecure thoughts still skittering in Anna's mind. And though Elsa's only a good couple of inches taller, right now she's towering over her.

Anna tries her best to keep looking her in the eye. "I…I promise."

"Good." Elsa lets out a sigh. "Now, I want to apologize for not talking to you about this sooner."

"But you just said I couldn't–"

"Saying you're sorry isn't the same thing as apologizing."

"Can you let me finish–"

"We're running out of time. Do you want me to tell you how I feel or not?"

"...proceed." Anna purses her lips.

"Right. Anyway, it shouldn't have taken me this long to say that...what you did wasn't bad enough to warrant me, well, ghosting you in a way. That was an emotional night for you, so it makes sense that you would have reacted accordingly."

Anna huffs. Elsa's making her sound like she's this emotional firecracker ready to cry and hug people during the smallest of circumstances, which is totally not true.

…fine, maybe it is. But she still doesn't have to say it.

"All this to say that even though you surprised me, the more I thought about it, the less I had a problem with what you did." She looks away. "You know I'm not used to people getting close to me, but maybe I needed someone like you to show me that…"

Elsa goes silent, Anna grows expectant. She watches the master of composure close her eyes, groan, and frown like she's been asked to work on her day off.

"Show you what?" Anna asks with a smile ready to sprout.

"That physical displays of gratitude are not unwelcome."

A gasp escapes Anna's lips as all her apprehension disappears; the smile on her face is bright enough to light up the whole town. Proving Elsa right, the firecracker leans forward with outstretched arms. But she still has enough wherewithal to catch herself, step back, and look at her friend anxiously.

A couple of seconds later, Elsa rolls her eyes. And though her arms are still by her sides, she opens her hands the slightest bit. The hug almost knocks her off her feet.

Soon enough, the nightmare that is May reaches the last day that it can torture the populace. The sun is beginning to stick around for longer, the citizens of Arendelle are going out more, and no friendships have been torn apart through miscommunication-based drama.

Not much has changed between the unlikely duo. While Elsa is still as ruthless as ever in the kitchen, only one person is lucky enough to see the change occurring in her. She's toned down her assertiveness outside of work, she doesn't seem as much in a hurry anymore, and, though it's jarring to hear, she's asking Anna questions now.

They're the basic kind– like "What did you bring for lunch?"- but damn if they don't make Anna feel all warm and tingly inside.

Anna, for her part, has done her best to not abuse the 'physical contact is okay now' rule. Usually, she contains herself to shoulder and foot bumps; the only times she initiates hugs are when they part ways after going to Double Tap. There's still much to learn about Elsa, she's barely opened up to her. One day, she tried initiating a fist bump after a particularly long lunch rush, and Elsa looked like she was going to bite her hand off. And yet she reciprocated!

In truth, their relationship hasn't seen that big of a change. The bigger change comes from the restaurant.

With summer around the corner, Kai and Gerda have been busy getting ready for Olaf's summer concert series. From the beginning of June to the end of September, the owners play host on weekend nights to the local music scene. Bands, small groups, and solo acts travel from as far as the city to entertain the faithful patrons of Olaf's. And, from what Anna's been told, the acts are pretty good.

In the past, they used to clear a corner of the restaurant to make room for the musicians, but Kai has big dreams of expanding and renovating the place. And that dream started with constructing a patio with an actual sound stage. The project began a couple of months ago after they secured enough funds, and it should officially be finished tomorrow.

The patio is at the back of the restaurant where the trash cans and grease container used to be. It has teal metal fencing, a scattering of glass tables with umbrellas, and a large, wooden communal table. The small sound stage reminds Anna of the gazebo in Arendelle Park, except with speakers and an elevated platform with an apron on the front that reads Live at Olaf's.

"This is so exciting!" Anna says as she appraises the patio by twirling around the stage. "The last time I went to a concert was in college. My friends and I drove for four hours to go see Taylor Swift."

Meg snorts, sitting at one of the tables with her arms crossed, looking less than impressed. "Don't count on anyone like that showing up. This whole thing is such a waste, I told Kai we wouldn't get enough acts here to warrant a stage."

"Maybe not right now, but think about the future," Anna reasons as she jumps to touch one of the speakers.

"That's exactly what he said. And then I told him to name five local bands and he changed the subject." Meg shakes her head. "Whatever, I mean why listen to me? I've only been the manager for two fucking years."

Anna hopped off the stage, looking at the frustrated brunette with her lips pursed. "Alright, this can't be upsetting you this much. Are you okay? What's going on?"

"Me?" Meg blows a hair out of her face. "I'm fine. I'm great. I'm just…peachy."

"Uh-huh. Sure." Anna grabs a chair and spins it around, sitting against the back of it. "Come on, let Ol' Ruby in. Maybe I can help."

Meg mumbles something.

"What was that?"

Inevitably, Meg concedes. "You know how Wonder Boy's going to be out for the next couple of weeks because of his hernia?"

Anna nods. She sent Herc a 'Get Well Soon' card as soon as she heard.

"Well, this weekend was our anniversary. And because he can barely get out of bed, we had to cancel a few things." Meg purses. "So, I guess you could say that I'm…frustrated."

"Oh." Anna grins. She knows Meg has a soft side, but she rarely gets to see it. "That's understandable. Anniversaries are always an important time, and it hurts when things get in the way of that."

"Yeah no." Meg frowns, but while she looks upset, the feeling seems more towards herself than Anna. "You don't understand."

"I was married, Meg. Of course I do."

"Then you should know what I mean when I say I'm frustrated," she says with wide eyes, hoping the underlying meaning is beamed into Anna's love-addled mind.

"I'm not sure I understand."

Meg quickly looks her up and down and purses her lips.

Now she understands.

"O-Oh! Uh…oh, okay. I– wow. Alright," Anna stammers. "You mean that kind of frustrated."

"Finally." Meg rolls her eyes and flops back onto her chair. "Look, I'm not some kind of sex fiend, alright? But when it's been a while, I get a little on edge. You get it, right?"

Embarrassed, Anna shakes her head. She hasn't had the best experiences with the physical side of romance. In high school, the farthest she went was kissing her prom dates- on one occasion, the guy said it felt like kissing his mom. When it came to sex, Hans was her first and, so far, only frame of experience. So, it's hard to long for something like that when you've only had it with someone like him.

When she tells Meg all of this, she looks shocked. "That needs to change. Ruby, we need to get you laid."

Anna's cheeks grow ferociously red. "Ha! What? Stop it."

"One of us needs to get laid," Meg explains, getting through to her no matter what. "And since it sure as hell isn't me, then it has to be you."

"What kind of logic is that? Don't you have other friends you could be, er, helping out?"

"No one that needs it as much as you." Meg puts up a finger like she's about to list off a few supporting points. "Your only time has been with a psychopathic dickwad, that needs to change."

"Are you even listening to me?"

"You're a cute, sexy redhead. It won't be hard to find someone."

"Oh my gosh, you totally aren't." Anna throws her hands up. "Meg, I'm doing fine not being in a relationship."

Meg's face scrunches, "Who said anything about a relationship? I just want you to get–"

"And I don't need that either!" She stands up and puts the patio chair back. "My break's over, I'm going back inside and we are going to stop talking about this."

Meg chuckles as she watches her walk back into the restaurant. "If you already have someone in mind, let me know!"

"I didn't hear that!" Anna shuts the door behind her, the redness coating her entire face.

Next Friday is the first day of the concert series. The gentle breeze and glowing night sky have created the perfect atmosphere for the occasion, ensuring that the restaurant will be busy all through the night.

The first act is a brother-sister duo called Natura. They're twins who live in the city and are slightly famous for the acoustic covers they post weekly on YouTube. They make original music too.

Ryder, the brother, has peach-white skin, rosy cheeks, and moppy brown hair that he covers with a tan beanie. He's the bass player and percussionist of the two, and he has a charming goofiness to him that makes him easy to talk to and a favorite among the younger crowd.

Honeymaren is the sister, guitar player, vocalist, and the one everyone else has their eyes on. Her skin is tanner, her chestnut hair is tied into a braid that hangs down her back, and her cool brown eyes and low, soothing voice make for a lethal combination. If it turns out that she moonlights as a spy, it wouldn't be too much of a surprise.

As Ryder sets up their equipment on the patio and makes small talk with the customers, Anna has the privilege of serving Honeymaren at the bar.

"So…" the singer starts as she casually swirls her glass of bourbon. "You're new."

"I am?" Anna asks as she clears the bar of dirty plates and glasses.

"You weren't here the last time we were," Honeymaren explains.

"Oh, right. Yeah, I started working at Olaf's in January." She places the dishes on a tray she grabbed from the kitchen. "Though I can't believe how much time flies."

"It really does." Honeymaren puts up three fingers. "This is me and my brother's third summer playing for Olaf's. And I hear they intend to start having music year-round."

"Wow, so you must know this place better than I do."

She chuckles, it's deep yet still feminine, amused but not arrogant. "Unlikely. Though I am familiar with a couple of people that work here."

At that moment, Meg hurries in from the kitchen and grabs the tray from Anna's hands. "Swear to god, Ruby, if someone asks if we have outdoor seating one more time," she grumbles.

"Here's one right now," Honeymaren adds with a grin. "How's it going, Meg?"

Meg sighs, "Maren, we can catch up after your set, but right now I'm about five seconds from strangling someone."

Honeymaren casually waves her off, "That's fine. Just tell me: is my favorite chef still working here?"

That gets a laugh out of the manager whose current psyche is as fragile as an uncooked noodle. "Please, you know the Ice Queen would never give up her throne."

A bell goes off in Anna's head, and then she realizes it's coming from the tablet. She starts typing up a ticket for the new to-go order, but her head is turned to ask Honeymaren, "You know Elsa?"

"Know her? She's my girlfriend."

Anna freezes.

"At least she would be if she'd finally say yes to a date." Honeymaren takes a sip of her drink, unaware of the whiplash she just created.

"Uh– I…" Anna clears her throat, trying to get her mind back in working order so she doesn't screw up another ticket. "Y-You asked Elsa out in the past?"

"I ask her every time I'm here," Honeymaren responds, almost sounding proud. "Since you seem to be on a first-name basis with her, I'm assuming you know how she answered."

Unable to focus on more than one thing at a time anymore, Anna writes up the ticket before continuing this reality-altering conversation. Which allows Honeymaren to give her more details– just what she wants.

"The first time I was here, I ate the best grilled chicken sandwich I've ever had. I asked Gerda if I could say thanks to the chef who made it, and the next thing I know she's bringing this gorgeous blonde out of the kitchen and I'm asking her out to dinner. With how quickly she said no, I almost thought she could read my mind."

Anna laughs, wishing she found that funny.

"And now it's become this little game. Every time I see her, I hit her with a pickup line or ask her to dinner. And every time, she says no in her own beautiful way." She sighs dreamily, following it up with another laugh. "Someday, I'll wear that woman down."

"What time do you go on stage again?" Anna asks, finally finding her voice.

"Twenty minutes. But you're right, I should help Ryder out with the sound check." She downs the rest of her bourbon and slips off the bar stool. "Thanks, uh, Ruby. And if Elsa ever comes out of hiding, tell her I'm thinking of her."

"Will do!" Anna exclaims. She grabs the glass and, once she sees that Honeymaren is gone, tells herself, "Why did I say that?"

That she's able to get through the rest of her shift is incredible. When she's not getting caught up in Honeymaren's admittedly great voice coming through the speakers, her mind is solely on Elsa. All this time, she almost prided herself on getting to know the person no one knew anything about. And now she's realizing how little she still knows.

Sure, she may understand Elsa's quirks, and her boundaries, and the meaning of all her different frowns, but that's it. She's barely seen what Elsa's like outside of work, and the only puzzle pieces she has of her past are the stuff she's googled. She doesn't know about her family, or what she was like as a kid, and she definitely has no idea who she's attracted to.

Gosh, she doesn't even know Elsa's favorite color.

By nine-thirty, things finally start dying down. There's an audible sigh of relief from the kitchen when they go ten minutes without hearing the ticket machine. The patio is a much more intimate setting now that a lot of the families have left. All that remains are adults winding down from a long work week (good for them).

With her mind still fluttering with doubts, questions, and a shameful amount of guilt, Anna takes her sweet time cleaning up the empty patio tables and putting up chairs. Maybe slowing her body down will help slow her mind down. And maybe tomorrow she'll win the lottery.

It's the first time tonight that she's had the chance to see Natura do their thing on stage. At this point in their gig, they're playing soft, acoustic ballads that accentuate just how naturally smooth Honeymaren's voice is. She reminds Anna somewhat of those old jazz club singers, but instead of wearing a sequin dress, she's wearing a thin, low-cut long-sleeve shirt.

As the applause and whistles die down from their last song, Honeymaren speaks, "Thank you all for coming out tonight. And thank you to Olaf's for allowing us to play here again." The patrons, and other employees who have snuck their way out onto the patio, clap politely. Honeymaren goes to speak again, but not before her smile grows, "This is our last song for tonight. And it's dedicated to the woman who gets me hotter than the grill she works at."

Honeymaren winks and Anna is full of panic and confusion, thinking it's for her.

"Ugh."

She turns around, seeing the real target of the wink leaning on the railing from the other side of the patio. It's the first time she's seen Elsa all day.

The sight of her friend gives her a moment of peace and clarity, like a gust of air blowing back an incoming wave, and she finds herself smiling again. "Long time no see," she jokes.

"I was taking out the trash." Elsa looks towards the coy singer on stage, now performing a confident cover of Valerie. "She's getting bolder. I hate it."

Anna leans back, palms pressed against the metal. "It's not like anyone knows she's talking about you."

"But she knows." Elsa's lips purse as she raises her eyebrows at Anna. "And I'm assuming so do you."

"She…may have brought it up while we were talking." Gosh, it better be dark enough that no one can notice the growing blush on her cheeks.

"I'll kill her."

"I'll help you hide the body."

"What?"

"What?"

Elsa shakes her head, "Whatever. I need to finish up with the inventory."

As she begins to walk away, Anna feels this unease tugging in her stomach, beckoning her to say something. Before Elsa can get too far, she turns her whole body and exclaims, "Wait!"

If not for the music, everyone might have heard her. Elsa stops, "Yeah?"

Anna bites her lip. There's so much she wants to say, so much she wants to know about someone who's beginning to mean more to her with each passing day. And she's determined to figure it all out; Elsa Ostrem won't remain a big mystery forever. But for now, Anna has to start small: "What's your favorite color?"

Elsa looks at her like she's just asked for both of her kidneys (assuming she still has two). Her mouth opens, obviously to reply with snark and seriousness. But then she exhales, stuffs her hands into her pockets, and answers, "Violet."

Chapter Text

Elsa shoves her key into her front door after fumbling with them for an embarrassing amount of time. Summer's always a stressful time at the restaurant, even though the solstice isn't for another two days.

As soon as she gets inside, she locks her door and flops right onto her couch. From the corner of the room, Bruni watches her, belly-flopped on his own bedding. "Shut up, I know I'm late," she tells him.

The gecko continues to judge her with his beady eyes.

Her phone vibrates in her pocket and she squirms a hand down to pull it out. "Not again," she groans as she looks at the notification. For the past couple of years, her high school has been planning a reunion for her graduation class, and unfortunately, it's becoming a reality.

Elsa already replied to the first email saying she wasn't going, but either they forgot to take her off the mailing list or chose not to. In the four years she was condemned to that social nightmare, she kept her head down and barely talked to anyone. The only people who would be even remotely excited to see her were the ones in the Robotics Club. But they were just as antisocial as her and vowed to never step foot on those hallowed grounds ever again.

They also vowed to keep in touch after high school, but the less she thinks about that, the better.

"Screw it." Since they ignored her declining their invitation, she would ignore this latest email– marking the address as Spam before doing so.

Before her aching muscles and cloudy mind cause her to pass out on the couch, she forces herself back up so she can change and stop smelling like an overcooked burger. By the time she's done cleaning herself up, there's another notification on her phone. This one is more conflicting than the last.

Anna O'Reilly: Third time's the charm? Party at Meg's this Sunday. Also Kristoff's going-away party 😢

Elsa hesitates before placing her phone face down on her coffee table. She knows that she should answer Anna (what's the point of giving her number if the texts are all one-sided?), but…well, she doesn't know what to say. Not anymore, at least.

It's been weird having someone she can actually call a friend, especially someone like Anna. Her upbeat, social attitude is the exact thing Elsa tends to avoid. Their personalities tend to only last until they get what they want from you. Anna, on the other hand, continues to prove that everything about her is genuine. She really cares about people, she gives more than she gets– it's obvious now why Meg has been calling her a ruby.

It surprised her when she continued to let Anna past all these boundaries she's had in place for years. And now Anna is starting to want to know her. Truly, sincerely, fully. It started with the favorite color question, and then her asking what high school was like while they were at Double Tap, and today she finally asked for her number.

Not only did Elsa give it to her, but when Anna hugged her, she…damn it, she almost reciprocated.

The woman is wearing her down, and Elsa is letting her. Why?

Another vibration, another message. She's quick to grab her phone to see it.

Anna O'Reilly:  Also, it might be kind of maybe also be my birthday…

Anna O'Reilly:  No pressure on the gift. Or the invite. Or anything.

Elsa's even quicker at typing a reply.

I'll stop by.

There's no sense in fooling herself. She knows why she's letting Anna wear her down. It's the same reason she lets her continue with the hugs, the same reason they're friends to begin with, and the same reason why she's softer on her than everyone else.

"Damn it," she says to herself while turning onto her back. "What the hell am I supposed to wear to a party?"

Meg's driveway is a lot more packed than the last time she was here. There's no way that someone doesn't call the cops on them for this. By the looks and sounds of it, the party has been going on for a while, which is fine by her. It lessens the chance she has to stand around in an almost-empty backyard pretending that people aren't gossiping about the presence of the Ice Queen.

She spots Anna's car in the actual driveway, taking that as a sign she's been here for a while. And if her car is this easy to find, it should be even easier to find her in the crowd.

Elsa presses her palm against the backyard gate. "We'll stay for two hours and then we'll leave," she reminds herself.

Though the party isn't indoors, when she pushes open the gate, everything seems to get louder. The conversations, the laughter, the mediocre guitar playing from a server she still doesn't know the name of, it all forms a cacophony not unlike what she hears in the kitchen. And the smell is the same thanks to the smoke coming from Maui's grill.

Everything should feel so familiar, except it doesn't. She doesn't see these kinds of smiles on everyone's faces when they're working, and she's especially never heard people singing along to boring acoustic music. This is what everyone looks like when there's nothing to do but relax and have a good time, something Elsa's never done.

And then Elsa comes to another realization that even though she's been here the longest out of almost everyone, she really doesn't know anyone. And that's never bothered her.

Until now.

All this time, she's been in the kitchen repeating an internal mantra that if she's at work, then she's there to work. It's made her efficient, reliable, and respected by everyone. But that respect was built on fear, intimidation, and a high bar of expectation inherited from…him.

Damn it. No matter how much she runs, all the roads take her back to the same place. No one needs her here, she should keep life and work separate. Some people have already seen her walk in, so there will be talk if she walks out right now, but that's fine. Everyone's always talking about her anyway.

She grits her teeth and takes a step back, but that's when she's stopped by an all-too-familiar voice.

"You're here!"

The voice has the same effect it's had on Elsa for half a year. An echo in the darkness, a light in the hallway, a fire in the cave, all taking the form of the woman excitedly walking towards her in denim shorts and a big tye-dye shirt.

Elsa pretends not to notice the way her smile grows with each step, or the way her long, auburn hair is covering a part of her eye, or the way her hips look so snug against her shorts. She clears her throat, "I did say I would stop by."

"I know! I-I know, and I told everyone and no one would believe me but I had faith that you'd be here because you keep your promises (at least that's the vibe you give off), so I was waiting and now you're here and–" Anna takes a breath, her smile softening as she adds, "I'm really glad you came."

A sudden yet expected wave of heat comes over Elsa. She rubs a hand across her face in exasperation. "Are you drunk already?"

Anna rolls her eyes, a smile still on her face. "Funny. You know I don't drink. Now come on, let's let the people know you've arrived."

Though Meg's backyard is familiar enough to her after one visit, Elsa still lets Anna lead her. It doesn't seem like a good decision, especially when she exclaims, "Ha! I told you so! Look who's here!"

It's an introduction that doesn't warrant the level of excitement Anna gives her. Elsa expects some wincing, some muffled hellos, and maybe even a couple of people leaving. What she doesn't expect is most of the people to exclaim in surprise and raise their hands or drinks in the air.

"Holy shit, she showed up!"

"The Ice Queen has arrived!"

"Pay up." A lot of money is exchanged.

Still shocked by the reactions, Elsa takes a second to give a response appropriate to their expectations. "With Kristoff leaving, it only felt right to show up."

The man in question, sitting on an office chair and wearing a terrible-looking plastic crown, puts a hand on his heart. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me," he says, wiping away an imaginary tear.

Elsa scowls at him, "Don't push your luck."

"Hey, Elsa? How do you like your steak?" Maui shouts from the grill. "I can make it medium rare or…not."

Before she can reply, Anna does it for her. "Elsa doesn't eat steak! I told you that."

"Oh yeah, huh? Alright, more for me, then."

One of the prep cooks, Ramon, opens his mouth to say something stupid. "Oh shit, Anna's the Ice Queen Whisperer." It's a good thing his knife skills are great or his big mouth would have gotten him fired by now. A glare is all it takes to shut him up, which receives a lot of oohs from those around the patio.

The woman of the house walks up to them with two bottles of beer in her hands. Herc is right behind her, looking fully recovered from his hernia. "Glad you were able to find this place again," she says, tilting the unopened bottle towards her.

Elsa takes the bottle and sees it for what it is: a warm welcome. Meg's not as obvious with her emotions as Anna, but when she doesn't like someone, she'll let them know. "It's easier to find when the sun's still out."

Meg chuckles, "Yeah, I need to get the driveway lights fixed soon." She raises her eyebrow at the man behind her.

"You know I'm afraid of heights," he says with a knowing grin.

"Bullshit." Meg rolls her eyes. "Anyway, thanks for coming, Ice Qu– uh, Elsa. Anna, good job."

Anna holds up both of her thumbs, now showing some teeth in her smile. That seems to be the unofficial signal for everyone to carry on. Talks continue, Maui goes back to grilling, and the server tries and fails to play the opening riff of Stairway to Heaven.

Kristoff walks up to the both of them, smiling cooly at Anna before turning his attention to Elsa. "For the record, I believed you were going to show up too."

Elsa tilts her head, "And how much money did you bet?"

"Hey now, that doesn't matter, right?" He waves the question off with a laugh. "Besides, I've been saying my goodbyes to everyone and it wouldn't feel right if I couldn't say one to you."

A week ago, Kristoff surprised everyone with the news that he was moving back home to take care of his parents. What was supposed to be a temporary vacation ended up becoming a permanent stay once he was offered his dream job of becoming a park ranger. His departure would leave a massive void at Olaf's, but he assured the transition would be smooth and quick.

"I don't need a goodbye," Elsa assures, having already processed his leaving.

"Of course you don't." Kristoff shakes his head with a knowing grin. ""That's why I also wanted to tell you that, starting next week, you're the new back-of-house manager."

Elsa's nostrils flare as she hears this. In the back of her mind, she knew this might happen, but she hoped Kristoff would have a little more common sense. "No," she answers bluntly, earning a gasp from the woman still by her side.

"What?" Anna says. "What do you mean 'no'?"

"Kristoff knows how I feel about being in a position of authority," Elsa answers. "And he knows that I would never take his job if anyone asked."

The man puts his hands up as if he's innocent in all this. "Gerda and Kai would have been hurting to find someone if I didn't make a suggestion."

"And you chose me despite all the talks we've had about this?" Elsa grits her teeth. "Do you want to die before you go back home?"

"Look, you and I both know that you're the best person for the job. There's no one I trust to run that kitchen more than you do."

"And he's not the only one," Anna adds unfairly. Every time that she's had this conversation, Anna's never been around for them. It's easy to say no to Kristoff, but…

Elsa pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. With a harrowing glare at the catalyst of her demise, she says, "You're really going to make me do this."

"Hey, with the raise that you're getting, you can use the extra money to move out of your apartment." The glare grows stronger, and Kristoff quickly adds, "Or wherever you live. Didn't mean to assume."

"Just shut up while you're behind."

"Fair enough." His face softens into a sincere smile, and he puts out one of his hands. "I'm going to miss you, Elsa. It's been a pleasure working with you."

It's strange. Even though Elsa's already processed his departure, Kristoff's words leave her with a sense of longing. They've made memories and spent time with each other, and with him leaving it's like that part of her is leaving too. When Elsa shakes his hand, it's not out of obligation, it's because she's actually going to miss him too. "Take care of yourself, Kristoff," she says with the respect he deserves.

"Alright, enough of this mushy stuff," Kristoff continues as he raises his crown in the air. "It's a party, right? So let's party!"

Everyone lets out a cheer, someone even yells "Huzzah!"

Kristoff goes back to the rest of the party, probably saying more goodbyes in the process. The transition from talking with him to talking with Anna is sorely needed, and it's an effortless shift because there's something Elsa needs to address. "You remembered that I don't eat steak."

"Of course! Learning all of this Elsa trivia lately has been so fun." Anna beams at her with pride, at first, but a sudden realization makes her eyes widen in a look of shock and fear. "Oh gosh, I totally stepped all over you, didn't I? I probably said something you wanted to keep a secret! Elsa, I'm so s– agh! I want to apologize, can I please apologize?"

"I'm not upset, Anna," Elsa assures. "It's just that I told you that in passing, I never expected you to remember it."

Having already recovered, Anna giggles and bumps her with her shoulder. "Well duh. Friends know all the small, random stuff they tell each other. I bet you can remember stuff like that that I've told you."

Of course she does. "Your favorite color is yellow, you hate the month of May, you had a pet dog growing up named Sam, you almost crashed your parents' car when you were six, and you want to get a tattoo of a duckling on your ankle."

Anna blinks, "Wow, I've told you a lot more than I thought."

Elsa shrugs, taking out her keyring so she can finally open her bottle. "I have a good memory about this kind of stuff." Stuff that matters.

"Still feels like you know more about me than I do about you," Anna says with a huff.

"But you're trying to change that, right?" Elsa takes her first sip. The beer tastes like shit.

Uncertainty flashes in Anna's eyes. "You'll tell me if I'm being too nosy, right?"

Elsa wants to say that that's impossible, that there's nothing worth hiding about her past. But it would be a lie so blatant that Anna could call her out on it. So she just nods.

"Good." Anna grabs a water bottle from the cooler and holds it up to Elsa. "Now, let's make a toast."

"To what?" Elsa asks.

"Uh…to friendship? Yeah, to friendship!" She tilts her water bottle forward, an eager smile on her face.

A smile Elsa couldn't dare disappoint. With a roll of her eyes, she taps her bottle against Anna's. "To friendship."

Elsa watches as Maui slices off a piece of steak and drops it right into his mouth. It's not the first time he's done so– it certainly won't be the last– and she continues doing her best not to cringe at the casual disregard for food safety measures.

Maui swallows his bite and chuckles, "This is killing you, isn't it?"

She wants to make a comment- something as simple as telling him to wash his hands- but she's also been making a conscious effort today to relax. If not for herself, then for Anna who asked her to do it. Besides, Maui has the best sense of flavor out of everyone in the kitchen, and he keeps his hands clean at work.

"I promised not to order anyone around today, and I'm sticking to that," Elsa responds, going back to cutting up her own meat. She needed to do something to preoccupy herself.

"Nah, I was talking about how delicious all this meat looks." Maui kisses the tips of his fingers. "It was about time Meg let me bring my grill over."

"Red meat upsets my stomach. The last time I ate some, it almost put me in the hospital." Though, admittedly, that burger tasted divine and a part of her would risk it again.

Maui clicks his tongue, "Damn, I knew God had to give you some kind of weakness. Couldn't always be trashing on all of us like Sub-Zero."

Without thinking, Elsa scoffs and mutters, "Sub-Zero is trash."

They both stop chopping meat at the same time, eyeing each other warily– Elsa more so than Maui. The only person who would even know she plays video games is, of course, Anna, and while it's not a big secret to keep, she's been ridiculed about it in the past. She waits for the other shoe to drop.

"Who's your main?" Maui asks.

"Ermac," Elsa answers much too quickly.

Maui nods, "Respect. I usually rep my boy Jax."

And as they go back to working on their meat and casually talking about Mortal Kombat, Elsa is struck with the horrifying yet dumbfounded realization that she should have been talking to Maui sooner. And Kristoff. And Meg and everyone else that she works with (the good ones, at least).

For so long, she's juggled between feeling sorry for herself and thinking that she couldn't trust anyone enough. She's kept to herself for so long without giving a single thought that the people she's "forced" to be around might actually be…okay. Maybe it was time to give people a chance again, just like she's doing with Maui, and just like she'd done with Anna.

The same Anna who left far too long ago to have a talk with Kristoff.

She could see them- everyone could see them- underneath the decorated tree in the corner of the yard. It was Anna who had been leading her around the party, picking up on conversations and always making sure Elsa felt included in some way. Eventually, they made their way to Maui when Anna decided she wanted to help him– but five minutes in, she was pulled aside by Kristoff to talk about something "important". Elsa stayed, even though she'd already been here for almost two hours.

What else is she going to do? Walk up to someone and talk about…data analysis? Proper storage techniques? The lore of Fallout?

No, staying with Maui was the right choice; yet, she can't help but feel uneasy every time she looks over at Anna. And then her fellow fighting game enthusiast says something that rationalizes that unease.

"You think he's finally doing it?"

Elsa looks at Maui confused, "Doing what?"

"Asking Ruby out. He's been wanting to do it for forever and he's doing it a few days before he leaves? Ah man, dude's always had the worst timing."

Yes. Yes, he absolutely does.

She looks away, and says without thinking, "Anna can date whoever she wants, it's none of our business."

"Whoa hey, I never said anything like that," Maui responds.

"I know you didn't." There's supposed to be a "but" at the end of that statement, except Elsa can't figure out what else to say. Nothing that wouldn't dig herself into a deeper hole, at least.

"Then why are you…ah, I see what's happening here."

Elsa feels a sudden, hair-raising warmth, the kind that happens before you're struck by lightning. "There's nothing happening." She tries to sound as assertive as always, but Maui's grinning at her when she looks his way.

"Come on, I won't go around telling anybody." He lightly punches her shoulder, which still almost makes her trip over herself. "You're hella protective, and you see Ruby as like a younger sister. Don't worry, that'll stay between us."

Sister. Of course.

Elsa's never seen herself as the protective type (who exactly would she want to protect aside from Bruni?) but it's better if Maui believes otherwise. Before they can keep talking about this, Anna starts walking back to them. Without Kristoff.

"Hey guys," Anna exclaims. It feels like she's trying to sound like her usual upbeat self, but the lightness in her voice is missing. "Gosh, that looks delicious. Maui, could you make me a plate?"

"Don't need to ask me twice. I got you, sis," Maui responds.

"Thanks." Then that fleeting, thought-filled smile gets to Elsa, and Anna says a little more quietly, "Could I talk to you?"

Elsa makes a mistake looking at Maui first, his eyebrow is already raised. She turns to Anna and with a shrug, replies, "Sure."

They walk out of the backyard, close the gate, and sit on the hood of Elsa's car. It should feel like the most natural thing, but Elsa puts more space in between them than usual as she wipes the sweat off her palms. Anna, for her part, looks just as quiet and conflicted. But probably with less sweaty palms.

As Anna bites her lip, collecting her thoughts, Elsa feels that she should be the one to start talking. "Happy birthday, by the way."

Anna looks at her, "Oh! Thank you, I-I almost forgot it was today."

Elsa looks at her confused, "No, you didn't."

"No, I didn't." Anna takes a breath. "Please don't tell me you got me a gift. I told you not to."

"I couldn't decide on what to get you."

"Good…I think." Anna leans back on the hood, looking up at the sky. "Kristoff asked me out."

Elsa has to bite her tongue to keep from saying that she knows. If it was anyone else, she wouldn't hesitate to say it, but she needs to be different for Anna. And, at this moment, being different means staying quiet. Her heartbeat, however, doesn't seem to get the message.

The silence that follows only lasts for a couple of agonizing seconds before Anna continues, "I turned him down."

Anna's tone gives nothing away, much like Elsa's response of "Oh." doesn't show how she's really feeling.

"He's a sweetheart, but I've never seen him as anything more than a friend. And I'm not a big fan of long-distance relationships. Besides…" Anna sighs, "I can't just jump into a relationship again. I didn't get to know him long enough to know his heart."

Elsa knows that she can easily vouch for Kristoff, they've worked together long enough for her to see the goodness in him. But she doesn't say anything, and she finds that she doesn't feel as bad as she should.

Anna shakes her head and trills her lip, "Yuck, listen to me. 'Know his heart.' What do I think this is? Pride and Prejudice?"

"It's fine to be a romantic," Elsa replies, staring at the garage door.

"Yeah and look where that got me." Anna scoffs. "Maybe love is a lie."

"You have a good heart. Just because the love you gave was one-sided, doesn't mean it was a lie."

"Elsa…" And there it is again, that heart-wrenching feeling every time Anna says her name in that way. That soft, sensitive way where she trails off before Elsa can hear more of what she wants to hear. "Gosh, I don't know what I'd do without you."

Elsa knows what she wants to say. Instead, she says, "We should head back before they start looking for you." She stands up and waits for Anna to do the same, and that's when she feels a hand grab onto her own.

She looks to see Anna, still leaning back on the car, with her eyes trailing from their hands to Elsa's paler-than-pale face. If her thumb were lower on her wrist, she'd be able to feel Elsa's quickening heartbeat.

"Help me up?" Anna asks.

Elsa does so, stepping back so they aren't too close when Anna stands up. They go back to the party just as Meg is bringing a large box of cake out from the kitchen. Everyone gathers around Kristoff and Anna, singing a hybrid version of Happy Birthday with horrible, improvised lyrics about leaving Arendelle. The two blow out the candles at the same time, and the cake is served at the same time as dinner for some reason.

Fifteen minutes later, Elsa leaves the party without saying goodbye.

Chapter Text

Anna gets out of her car and marches towards the entrance of Double Tap, fueled by adrenaline and a particularly spicy chicken sandwich. She's nervous, yet she doesn't know why; Elsa invited her to come here. Okay, so technically Anna texted her to ask where she was, Elsa said she was at the bar, and Anna immediately responded saying she was coming over, but there's an invitation there somewhere.

Besides, they need to talk after what happened today.

She opens the door, already bracing herself for the dim lights and permanent smell of cigarettes and wood polish. The bartender, in the middle of a conversation, gives her a nod and Anna returns it with a polite wave. It's the first time he's ever acknowledged her appearance in any sort of fashion. None of the other patrons welcome her, though. Not even the blonde sitting in a booth scratching the logo off her beer bottle.

Anna approaches her, still unsure of what she should say. When she sits down, Elsa glances her way before focusing back on the bottle. There's a frown on her face which would be easier to handle if she looked upset or annoyed by Anna's presence. But the dark crescents under her eyes– emphasized by the unclean paleness of her face– create a facet of vulnerable guilt that's unlike anything Anna's seen before.

Hoping not to cause any harm, Anna starts with a simple, "You're alive. That's good."

"Is it?" Elsa asks hoarsely as if they're the first words she's spoken today.

"Of course it is. Why wouldn't…" Anna shakes her head, stopping before they get caught in a self-deprecating loop of questions. "Everyone's worried about you. They're not mad, if that's what you think."

Elsa stops scraping her thumb against the label, but only so that she can take a sip of her beer. "That's stupid. They should be mad."

"Do you want them to?"

The background noise becomes audible as Elsa takes a longer sip and doesn't respond. When she finally does, it's only to put the coaster over her beer, stand up, and walk over to the arcade cabinets.

Anna follows her closely while also trying to keep her distance. Tekken is, of course, Elsa's game of choice.

Elsa turns around, her neutral face half-lit by the fluorescent screen. "You playing?"

It sounds less like a question and more of a request. Anna purses her lips, "Would it kill you to go easy on me this time?"

"You pulled off a couple of combos last time we played, you'll be fine." They choose their respective characters and Elsa starts the fight. The absence of words is soon replaced by the game's intense, drum-heavy soundtrack and the cool, collected sound of mashing buttons.

Seconds into their first fight, Elsa's already taken off a good chunk of Anna's health bar. Usually, Anna would yelp or whine about getting at least one hit in, but this time she remains tight-lipped. On the screen, her bear friend is trying to keep his paws up; off the screen, Anna stands her ground with shifting eyes. She watches and waits, passively putting up a fight, until finally–

"I don't talk about myself."

Anna snickers, "Yeah, and water's wet."

"It actually isn't," Elsa argues. "Wetness is a type of interaction between a solid and liquid surface–"

"You're a liquid surface."

"...what?"

"I know what I said." Anna hoped that she would throw Elsa off enough to get a few hits in, but her friend's eyes never leave the screen. As the second round of this "fight" starts, she wipes her palms against her jeans and adds, "Elsa, you never have to tell me anything you don't want to."

More silence. Elsa doesn't speak again until she's handily defeated Anna and they're back at the character selection screen. "I was going to show up today. I made it all the way out the door."

Anna looks at her, Elsa doesn't. "But then…something happened?" she asks, testing the waters.

"Not really. Nothing serious. Nothing that was worth skipping work for."

Oh sure. Elsa Ostrem misses work for the first time in two years, with no communication, and she says that nothing serious happened. "It has to be serious for you," Anna suggests.

Elsa opens her mouth to say something, but when the words don't come out, she closes it with a soft exhale through her nose. Standing right next to her, Anna can see a slight twitch on Elsa's face– it's as if she's disappointed by her own hesitation. Instead of speaking, Elsa presses a button, selecting a different character from their last match.

A couple of months ago, Anna might have done something like cover up Elsa's buttons and force her to talk about what's wrong. But now she waits, plays the game, and when Elsa speaks again, she's right there to listen.

"I had this job after college. Project supervisor for this engineering firm. I knew I was too young and inexperienced, and so did everyone on my team. But they couldn't say anything because…it was my father's company."

Another pause, another game. Anna doesn't make too much of an effort to fight back, but if Elsa notices, she doesn't say anything. After another swift victory, she brushes her hair back and crosses her arms tightly against her chest.

"I was good. I had to be. And as my team started to respect me, my father gave us more projects– bigger and harder ones. He expected a lot from us. From me."

Against better judgment, Anna lets a comment slip past her lips: "That must have been hard for you."

Elsa quickly turns to look at her, and the arcade's screen perfectly illuminates the harsh uncertainty in her eyes.

"Sorry." Anna looks away as if to give Elsa some space. "Uh…another round?"

"No."

"Oh. Okay." Anna purses her lips to keep from showing how upset she is at herself. "Then what do you want to do?"

She feels something brush against her shoulder, and she looks just in time to see Elsa walking away. Back to her booth. Anna waits a few seconds before following her, waving off a fleeting thought to leave the bar instead. Elsa's finishing the rest of her beer when Anna sits back down, making her realize how thirsty she is as well.

And hungry. That chicken sandwich is not doing its job.

The silence continues between them, punctuated by a lull in the conversation at the bar as well. And Anna, growing more uncertain of how she can help her friend, bites her lip to keep from saying anything stupid. At first, it seems as if the world is holding its breath while waiting for Elsa to say something else. But it's the door opening that brings the noise back into this sparsely populated bar.

As another regular slides onto one of the bar stools, immediately joining in on their conversation about transmissions or cars or something like that, Elsa makes a noise: a quick grunt, followed by a smack on her forehead with the side of her fist. She repeats the motion while saying, "I'm not good at this."

"Good at what?" Anna asks innocently.

Elsa sighs and gestures between the two of them. "It's stupid that I can't talk about this, it's not even a big deal."

Anna smiles as she finds another foothold in this talk. "It is to you, and that's what matters. And I get why talking about yourself feels so uncomfortable, no one likes doing it."

"You do it just fine."

"Ouch, I think, but…fair." Anna leans forward slightly, her fists clenched together and inches away from Elsa's arm. "But maybe I'm fine with talking about myself because you're such a good listener."

Elsa doesn't say anything about that, but she doesn't deny it either, which gives Anna the opening she needs.

"Let me be your listener, Elsa," she continues. "I'm right here. You can tell me anything."

In the span of a few, everlasting seconds, Elsa closes her eyes, takes a long, shoulder-rising breath, and puts her hand down. "I never wanted to be an engineer, or to even get my Masters. But my father wanted me to, and I couldn't disappoint him."

Elsa tells her everything while continuing to scrape the label off her beer. One way or another, things all trace back to her father. Because of her father, Elsa's mother left when she was only seven years old. Because of her father, Elsa focused solely on her academics and never had the chance to make any friends at school. Because of her father, she couldn't pursue her secret passion for cooking and instead had to "follow in his footsteps".

Because of her father, she suffered a mental breakdown while working as a project manager at his firm.

"That was three years ago," Elsa says, the beer label nothing more than a small, damp pile on the table. "I left home as soon as I checked out of the hospital. Changed my number and my last name, and found a place as far away from him as I could."

With each word, Anna's heart felt like it was being torn to shreds. The two were so different in so many ways, and yet they were intertwined by a common thread made of barbed wire. Both of them had experienced the pain of being used by someone who was meant to love them. But Anna only had to live through that pain for maybe two years, Elsa suffered for two decades.

She's trying her hardest to resist the urge to go to the other side of the booth and envelop her friend in a tight hug. Instead, she hugs herself, fingers digging into her elbows. "That's so horrible, no one should have to live through that."

"Well, I did," Elsa answers, picking at the tattered label and letting it fall from her fingers. "I lived through all of the shouting and lecturing– he'd lock me in my room sometimes when I missed due dates on assignments. He always said he was preparing me, and that the real world wouldn't coddle me or show mercy when I made a mistake. But when I was in college, I finally asked myself if the world wouldn't be safe, then shouldn't I at least have felt safe with him?"

There's a tightness in Anna's stomach as if it's being wrung out like a wet towel. She thinks about her parents and how willingly they took her back with open arms after the mistakes she made. How could she be so lucky when Elsa wasn't?

"I thought I'd have myself sorted out before Kristoff left because I knew Kai wanted me to take his job in case that ever happened. I was thinking about it last night, wondering if I could be me or if my father had done enough damage for me to become him. And I really didn't want that." Elsa, finally, glances her way. There's guilt permeating the sea of her eyes like a punctured oil barrel. "I know people already see me as some frigid bitch."

"That's not true, everyone knows–"

"But I didn't want them to see me as a monster too."

Anna's breath catches. Knowing that Elsa actually cares what people think should be vindicating, and yet all she can feel is sadness. But if there's a silver lining in this, it's that she knows what to say next.

"Elsa, you're not a monster," she states. "And you're not your father, either. You're so different, you're always looking out for other people and saying exactly what they need to hear. But not in a bad way, you just believe that everyone can be better than they are. And it's so inspiring and refreshing to know that you wantpeople to be the best versions of themselves."

Elsa breathes out a laugh and shakes her head, "You don't know that."

"Of course I do."

"How?"

With a confident smile, Anna answers, "Because you've done all that for me."

Again, Elsa rips her gaze away and presses her lips tightly together. It's a gesture that Anna's beginning to realize is a way for her friend to "reset" herself and figure out how to react to something unexpected. She feels a swell of pride in knowing that she's steadily figuring this woman out; it's hard to believe that communicating with her used to feel so daunting.

And suddenly, in a tone that's so quiet, Anna's sure that she hears Elsa say, "Maybe you're right."

Anna's eyes widen and she leans forward even more, accidentally bumping her knuckle against Elsa's arm. "What was that?"

Elsa gives her a fleeting glance before shaking her head. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

So close. Anna sits back up, disappointed yet understanding. "That's fine," she replies. "So what do you want to do?"

"I need to message Kai and apologize, and figure out how to make it up to everyone." Elsa runs a hand through her hair. "But I can't come up with anything right now. I'm hungry– very hungry."

"Then let's get you something to eat." Anna goes to stand up but then pauses. "Oh, I mean unless you were planning to just go back to your apartment."

Elsa's reply comes quicker than expected. "No, let's go eat something. Somewhere."

"Aww, you don't mind me tagging along?" Anna coos.

Elsa rolls her eyes. "Don't make me change my mind."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Anna gives her a mock salute and declares, "Let's go stuff our faces!"

As luck would have it, they don't need to go too far for the face-stuffing. A food truck called Porky's Wheelhouse is parked in the lot right by an office building currently occupied by a church start-up. Soon they're sitting on the hood of Elsa's car, silently eating and watching the gathered parking lot crowd.

Anna points at Elsa's food with the tip of her work, "That's new."

"What?" Elsa asks, wiping her lips with a napkin.

"I didn't expect you to like hot sauce."

Elsa raises an eyebrow. "The barbecue sauce is too sweet, I needed something to counter it."

Huh." Anna picks at her food, trying to get more pulled pork than fries. With her mouth half-full, she adds, "I love sweet stuff, so it tastes fine to me."

"I expected that."

Anna frowns, "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

Elsa doesn't answer, content with silently eating her fries smothered in a hot sauce that Anna can smell past her own meal.

It's not until she's halfway done with her food (and Elsa's finished with her own), that Anna realizes that things feel…different. She's sat next to Elsa like this a couple of times before, and each time she's always felt a slight calmness wash over her– a sense of safety. And it's still there, but Anna feels something else as well.

Warmth. Heat. An unusual amount of it considering the car's not even started and the autumn evening has fully settled.

She wonders if maybe things feel different because they are different. This is the first time Elsa's opened up to her, she's seen a glimpse of the person no one else has gotten to see. Maybe that warmth is happiness, but this time it's not one-sided. Elsa trusts her now, and Anna's proud to know that she actually means something to someone. The way it was supposed to be with Hans.

"What's wrong?"

Anna comes out of her thoughts. "Uh what?"

"You're staring at me. And you look sad," Elsa explains. "Is something bothering you?"

And as Elsa looks at her, with a soft stoicness that could be mistaken for concern, that warmth grows. It feels like the heater kicking on in Anna's car, or the fire pit in the quad before Winter Break, or the grill in Meg's backyard when Maui's cooking steak. She smiles, bumping her shoulder against her now confused friend's arm. "Everything's wonderful."

The next day, Elsa returns to work, getting to the restaurant much earlier than she needs to. Almost everyone greets her with a little bit of apprehension, unsure of what to say or if they should even bring up what happened. Even the people who weren't scheduled yesterday are a little on edge– rumors travel fast in group chats. The only one unfazed by her appearance is Anna, of course.

The kitchen staff follows Elsa's every command, giving her the respect her new title deserves, but it's clear that the unease is going to grow if someone doesn't say something.

So, at the end of the lunch rush, Elsa does. The "Hey" she lets out rings all around the kitchen, punctuated by the speaker's silence as it shuffles between songs. Anna is conveniently entering the kitchen when she hears this, and she slips in next to Maui among the small gathering.

Maui raises an eyebrow towards her.

Anna shrugs, but her smile gives away that she knows more than she's letting on.

Elsa, leaning against the counter, lets out a heavy breath. "I…apologize for my absence yesterday. It was unprofessional, and it will never happen again."

All around her, Anna sees eyes widen and hushed words of surprise whispered between coworkers. Maui himself lets out an impressed grunt. Ray, smacking one of his friends on the chest, asks, "Hey, what happened yesterday?"

Elsa glares at him but then seems to remember what she's doing and shakes her head. "To make up for it, I'm putting myself on trash duty for the next two weeks."

"Three weeks," Maui interrupts, which gets him a hard nudge in the stomach from Anna.

Elsa shrugs, "Fine, three weeks. Now get back to work."

After everyone voices their approval and gets back to whatever they're doing, Anna sets aside what she's meant to be doing and walks over to Elsa. She tempers the wide grin that wants to come out and says, "Wow, I wasn't expecting that."

Neither is she expecting the corner of Elsa's lips to twitch, but that happens too. As if she's resetting herself, Elsa closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "My father never made compromises." She looks at Anna as if she's searching– no, waiting for something. "He sure as hell never apologized for anything either."

Anna smiles, and that seems to be exactly what Elsa's waiting for.

"Did you need something?" Elsa asks.

"Nope," Anna replies, still smiling. Still warm. "I don't think I need anything."

Chapter Text

A few days later, Anna wakes up full of a surprising amount of energy. She turns her alarm off before it can honk, giving her enough time for a beautifully warm shower and a delicious cup of coffee. As she gets into her car, humming to herself, it's clear that today is just one of those days. She's feeling good– great– and nothing can bring her down.

So it makes sense that when she turns the key, her car lets out a few, scratchy, pathetic sputters before going completely silent.

Anna deflates, bonking her head against the wheel. "Great," she mutters.

Twenty minutes later, she's shrunk into the passenger seat of her dad's car while he jams out to some old song by The Eagles, wondering if it would have been better to wait for an Uber. Of course she loves her parents, but to have one of them drop her off at her job at twenty-six years old is humiliating. Plus, her dad's never been much of a singer…

When the song fades and he finishes his steering wheel drum solo, he quickly turns to Anna and asks, "When does your shift end? Depending on the time, it might be your mom picking you up instead of me."

"You don't have to pick me up, Dad," she replies. "You've already done enough to help me today."

He chuckles, "Oops. You should have said that before I messaged my buddy to take a look at your battery later."

Anna groans, "Dad!"

"What? Tadashi's fixed up our cars before too. He might even give you a discount since I helped him revonate his garage."

"You could have at least let me call him, I can't have you doing everything for me." To be honest, she didn't even know who to call until her dad mentioned Tadashi. She spent a couple of years tutoring his younger brother, Hiro, in English, and that helped build a relationship with their family. But, much like everyone she knew back in high school, she always assumed the Hamadas had left town too.

"Fine, I'll tell him to wait for your call," her dad says with mock disappointment. "Oh uh, hey speaking of doing things on your own."

Anna looks at him, her interest piqued slightly. "What is it?"

"Are you– well, I mean your mom was wondering– and I guess was too…" This is odd, the only time he's gotten this stammery is when he tried having the sex ed talk when she was in middle school.

"You okay, dad?" Anna asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just…" He rubs the back of his neck. "Your mom and I were wondering if you were still looking for a place to live. On your own, I mean."

Anna looks at him, confused, "Uh yeah, of course I am." She checks apartment listings every week hoping for the perfect place. But everything she finds is either too expensive or there are so few words on the listing that she's convinced it's a scam.

"And it's serious?" He lets out a fake cough. "You're really serious about this?"

She frowns, "Dad, I told you this was a part of my plan when I moved back in. I can't stay with you guys forever."

He puts his hands up, feigning innocence. Thankfully, they're stopped at a red light. "I know you did. And trust me, we both respect your independence and we always want you to do what's best for you. But…"

"But?"

He sighs, "Honey, you need to understand– you need to see it from our perspective. You were gone, we barely heard from you for four years, and in that time, you got married, moved out of Arendelle, and got divorced. That's four years of life that we never got to see, four years that we missed out on. And we don't want to miss out on more."

Anna's frown twists as much as the seatbelt she's gripping in between her hands. Any good feeling she had when she woke up has now gone away, leaving worse things to try and fill the void. Things like guilt, anger, and a desire for more caffeine. "So, what? You want me to live with you guys for four more years?"

"Not four years, but certainly a little more than one."

"Dad…" she shakes her head. "We've talked about this, I can't keep making the same mistakes. I relied on Hans for everything, he made all the decisions for us. I need to prove that I can do that myself."

"You're already doing that. You found a job all on your own, you're paying your bills, and heck you even renewed your passport! Do you know how long it's been since your mom and I have done that?"

In hindsight, that step might have been unnecessary; it isn't like she's going to leave the country any time soon. "Yeah, great, I've done all of those things and I'm still sleeping in my childhood bedroom. I'm turning twenty-seven next year, you know?"

"I know." A wisp of a smile crosses his face, no doubt he's already planning something for that day.

"And I can't be twenty-seven years old and still living with my parents. I just–"

"Are you really that ashamed to be back home with us?"

Anna's stomach clenches harder than her grip on her seatbelt. She had been wondering what else her dad wasn't telling her, but she never expected this. How long had her parents assumed she was ashamed of being with them again? And how long had she not noticed?

At the next red light, which is the turn before they get to Olaf's, she puts a hand on her dad's shoulder; he's doing his best to keep a straight face. "Dad, this isn't because of you, okay? You and mom haven't done anything wrong."

This feels wrong. Her parents have never been shy at showing their emotions, but Anna's never had to be the comforting hand for either of them before. It feels like trying to sing a lullaby to a bear. She continues speaking when her dad doesn't reply. "It's me. I had all these plans after high school, I mapped out the rest of my life, and then everything fell apart after college. I don't know who I am, what I want, or where I'm going. It was hard coming back, and if I stay home, it'll feel like I'm going backward."

Her dad pulls into the parking lot, giving them enough time to say a couple more things to each other. "Please don't be upset," she adds. "I love you guys, you know that."

That seems to do the trick. Finally, her dad smiles, squeezes Anna's hand, and says softly, "We love you too, kid. And no matter what, we'll support you with wherever life takes you."

Anna gives him a tight side hug and leaves before she starts crying.

When she enters the restaurant, she's surprised to hear a lively conversation going on. And she's even more surprised to see that Elsa's a part of it. Kai and Gerda have made a rare early morning appearance, seemingly to discuss something important with Elsa and Meg. Whatever they're talking about seems to be causing some conflict between the four of them.

Shaking off the emotional residue from the car ride here, Anna asks in a light tone, "Hey guys! What's going on?"

Everyone turns to look at Anna, and it feels much more intimidating than it is. Kai gives her a polite smile, Meg takes this opportunity to disappear into the office, and if Elsa's frown were any tighter it would turn into a pout. Which is something she would pay money to see. Gerda is the only one vocal with her response.

"Oh thank God," she says as she paces towards Anna and claps her hands against her shoulders. "Our savior is here."

Anna looks at the present company, confused, and repeats, "What's…going on?"

"We're in a bit of a pickle, and you're the right person that can help us out of it!" Gerda's tone is optimistic, yet her words leave no interpretation to their urgency.

"How would you like to get paid to not be at the restaurant today?" Kai adds.

While Anna doesn't hate her job, even she doesn't hesitate to say, "I'm interested, I think."

"You need to give her more information than that," Elsa says, now crossing her arms and catching the eager volunteer's eye for a second before looking away. What an interesting morning.

"I was getting to that," Gerda responds with a smile that shows too much teeth. "Anyway, Anna, we're short on staff today and– well, first of all, I don't make it a habit of springing stuff on this to my employees last-minute. And second of all, if you can, I need you to go and check this band out for the restaurant. They're performing at Weselton for this brunch thing, and I've heard some of their recordings but I need someone to see what they're like live. What do you say?"

A chance to ditch her job for a bit and listen to live music while, hopefully, eating eggs benedict? "I'll do it!" Anna replies, and then reality smacks her on the back of the head. "Wait shoot, I don't have a car, my…I got a ride here."

Gerda waves her off, "That won't be a problem. I want a couple of eyes on this, so you can carpool."

"Who would I be going with?"

Gerda looks at her husband, who in turn looks at Elsa with a proud smirk. "I told you we'd find your number two."

Half an hour later, Anna's walking out to the parking lot with her hands in her pockets and her caffeine buzz already wearing off. Elsa's waiting for her in her usual pose, already looking annoyed at the thought of having to be out of the kitchen today. And she says as much when Anna's right next to her.

"We're rolling out our menu for Oktoberfest today," she grumbles. "I should be helping with that instead."

"It's not too late to say no," Anna jokes.

"Not like I don't want to." Elsa turns to get into her car, thankfully adding, "And I'm not saying that because I hate you or whatever. I hope you know that."

She does, but it's still good to hear Elsa say as much. Before this, Kai explained that they were short on staff today because too many people called out sick. Normally, they would be the ones to scout new artists, but they were needed at the restaurant to do owner stuff or something. Anna always zones out when things get too heavy on the exposition.

"Maybe they wanted your judgment because you're a manager," Anna reasons as she eases into the passenger seat. "If Kristoff was still here, maybe I'd be going with him instead."

"...yeah. Maybe."

The inside of Elsa's car is much cozier than her own– and cleaner. Her back sinks into the cloth seat and her legs rejoice at the abundance of space they never get to have. A heavy, rosy scent wafts from the flower-shaped air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror. At this point, she's half-expecting there to be snacks or tiny water bottles in the glove compartment.

"I'm glad we're taking your car instead of mine," Anna says, hoping her friend will accept the compliment.

"What happened to yours? You said you got a ride here."

Anna shrugs, "It wouldn't start. Something with the battery, I'm guessing. I'm sure it's nothing serious." She looks at Elsa, hoping that she'll agree with that assumption, but she's met with a look of concern instead.

A brow-furrowing, lip-chewing look of concern that makes Anna feel exposed, but in a good way. Like getting an x-ray to figure out why it hurts whenever you laugh. And when Elsa looks away, the car feels ten degrees colder. Though that might be because of the A/C kicking on.

Elsa's quick to turn it off but not before a shudder wracks Anna's entire body. "Forgot I had it on," she explains.

"Elsa, it's November!"

"It's not cold enough for November," Elsa reasons.

"What is cold enough for you?" Her answer comes in the form of another quick blast of air as Elsa cranks the A/C back on. "Okay, you proved your point! Turn it off!"

After she does, Elsa shrugs and says, "You asked."

"Gosh, that thing hits like a leaf blower," Anna interjects as she rubs her cheeks to get some warmth back in them. "Does your A/C only have one setting or something?"

"Yes. At least now it does." Elsa shifts her car into reverse, and the gears make a hollow clunking noise. "The other settings don't work anymore, and I haven't had the time to get them fixed. I can't roll down the windows either, it takes forever to get them back up."

Anna frowns, "That sounds terrible. I hope you can get it fixed soon."

"I could, but then I wouldn't be able to pay rent– and I'm not going to give my asshole landlord another reason to try and kick me out." Elsa backs out of the lot much quicker than Anna's expecting; she frantically grabs for the overhead handle as it lurches forward.

As much as she's trying to empathize with Elsa, Anna can't help but feel excited about her opening up once again. "Your landlord's trying to kick you out?" she asks.

"I think he's trying to kick all of us out. He raised our fees and threatened to put the wifi behind another fee. Meanwhile, someone broke in through the back door the other day and the lock still hasn't been fixed."

"That really doesn't sound safe."

Elsa scoffs, "It's not."

"Have you thought about moving somewhere else?"

"Of course. But all the good places would require me to get a roommate or two, and I…" Elsa sighs. "I don't like strangers."

"What if…"

Elsa looks at her as they accelerate past a yellow light, her neutral glance doesn't make it clear whether she's waiting for an answer or expecting one.

Regardless, Anna hesitates for too long. "Never mind," she says.

"Anna, if you want to say something, you should say it."

"Ugh. Nothing ever gets past you, does it?"

"No. And besides, you're easy to read."

"...gee thanks."

"That's not necessarily a bad thing, you know?" She accelerates past another yellow light. At this rate, they'll hit rush hour traffic at Weselton in no time. "More people should feel comfortable talking about what they're feeling."

Anna grins and leans toward her, "Do you count as one of those people?"

"You're the only person I feel comfortable doing that with."

Even though that had always been implied, Anna can't help the way her eyes widen when she hears Elsa say it. And she finds that she doesn't have to worry about warming up her cheeks anymore either. No response feels good enough for that comment; thankfully, Elsa's not done speaking.

"Actually, I need to do something at my apartment, and it's on the way. Are you okay if we stop there first?"

There's no way Anna's going to pass up the opportunity to get a better glimpse at Elsa the Person. "I don't mind," she says, trying to contain her excitement again.

"Great. Just don't freak out when we get there, okay?"

Anna raises an eyebrow, "Why would I freak out?"

The gasp/squeal/eek combo that erupts from Anna's throat when she sees Bruni is almost inhuman. "He's adorable!"

Elsa crosses her arms as she watches the fascinated woman scurry over to the gecko's glass case. "Huh. I really thought you would be the kind of person to get weird and squirmy around reptiles."

"Not when they're this cute and tiny!" Anna waves at the curious, blue critter. "Look at him, I bet he wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Actually, he's eaten multiple."

"Oh hush, you know what I mean." Anna turns away for a moment to ask, "What's his name?"

"Bruni," Elsa answers, walking up to the pair. "I was a little worried at first. He's not used to seeing new faces, but it looks like you're doing fine."

That's good to hear. Anna always considers it a tragedy when pets don't warm up to her right away. She looks at the gecko once more, their eyes crossing paths for a moment before Bruni scurries across his makeshift branch and disappears in a clump of leaves.

"Anyway, just relax for a minute, I guess. I shouldn't take too long." Elsa walks past her. And before Anna can ask what she's going to do, she's disappearing into her bedroom and closing her door.

"Well then. Uh…you don't mind if I look around, right, Bruni?" Anna asks. When the curious critter pokes its head out of the leaves, she takes that as a sign that no, he doesn't mind.

Elsa's apartment is a sight to behold. Anna expected a pristine, maybe minimalist type of living space; but what she's looking at is, well…kind of a mess. Papers cover the small coffee table in front of a couch that's definitely seen better days, dishes are soaking in the sink, and dust collecting in the corners of the kitchen betray just how long it's been since the place has gotten a proper vacuuming.

To be honest, it's kind of endearing. To see this different, not-so-meticulous side of Elsa adds a whole new wrinkle to her personality. And she doubts many people have ever seen this side.

She goes into the kitchen, slightly tempted to wash Elsa's dishes for her as some sort of thank you for the ride. But she decides against it, if only because it might mess up some kind of system Elsa might have in place. And besides, something on the fridge is quick to catch her eye.

Posted to the door with a small magnet in the shape of a snowflake is a picture of Elsa sitting on an office chair, wearing a labcoat slightly unbuttoned to show off the bright blue dress underneath. Anna remembers when Elsa told her about working as a project supervisor and she puts the pieces together. The chairs around her are empty, but Elsa must feel comfortable with whoever's taking the picture because she's smiling.

She's smiling.

It's only the second time that Anna's seen a picture of her smiling, but it's just as beautiful and radiant. They're friends now, so how close is she to seeing that smile in person?

Before Anna can think about that too much, the door to Elsa's bedroom opens and she emerges looking…different. She's replaced her cheesy, teal work shirt with a gray, button-up with the sleeves rolled up and the top two buttons undone, revealing a significant amount of collarbone. And gone is the tight ponytail, her golden hair now hangs loosely across her shoulders and slightly covers the top of her eye.

"Wh– uh…okay. Hi there," Anna remarks. "This is what you needed to do?"

Elsa raises an eyebrow, tucking her hair back behind her ears. "If I'm not going to be in the kitchen, then I'm going to dress in something more comfortable."

"Great, so I guess I'll be the dork in an Olaf t-shirt." Anna throws her hands up before putting them on her hips. "How rude."

"You can borrow one of my shirts if you want. I'm pretty sure we're around the same size."

"Not where it counts," Anna mumbles.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. I'll just wear my own shirt. If I borrow one of yours, it'll take forever for me to give it back."

Elsa shrugs, "If you're sure. Let's get going before rush hour gets any worse."

Anna bows for some reason. "Lead the way, boss."

"Don't call me that."

Though it's been a while since Anna's had to go to Weselton, she still remembers it as a town that tried to sell itself as a "classier" Arendelle. And when they reach the town limits and pass an unnecessary row of fake, gas-powered street lamps, she's glad to see that that image has held up.

She scoffs and says, "Pretentious." at the same time as Elsa.

Anna giggles, "I'm glad you agree."

"I've had the misfortune of doing a couple of catering jobs here. The customers are all pretentious and jumpy for no reason." Elsa rolls her eyes when the car behind them honks their horn just as the light turns green. "Meg's always calling this place 'Weaseltown'."

"That's amazing, I'm gonna steal that."

When they make it to the restaurant, it's exactly how Anna's expecting it to look. Pure white walls house modern, rigid furniture in all black. Not a single other color seems to be allowed in the interior or exterior– she jokes that the menu must only have mashed potatoes and squid ink. Long light tubes dangle from the roof along with other black-and-white ornaments. Booths are lined up to their left, communal benches made of painted wood make up the middle of the restaurant, and four-person tables are scattered on the right side. Classical music plays from well-hidden speakers and the whole place smells just a bit too clean.

The one thing this place doesn't have is a stage. The band has situated themselves by the side of the bar, which stands prominently in the middle of the building. While they're plugging their equipment into every available outlet, workers and brunch enthusiasts nearly trip on all their wires.

By the time they're seated, the band is doing a very simple sound check while the guitarist is setting up an elaborate pedal board.

"Are you even hungry?" Elsa asks once they've ordered.

"Not really," Anna says, even though she asked for a waffle breakfast. "What about you?"

"I'm never hungry in the mornings," replied the woman who ordered eggs benedict. "I swear if they overcook the hollandaise…"

"Do you know anything about this band?" Anna asks, gesturing to them as their bass player tries and fails to flirt with the bartender.

"A little bit," Elsa replies as she rolls and folds her straw packet into a tiny square. "Supposedly, they won some kind of band competition in Toronto when they were high schoolers, but then their record deal fell through and now they just pick up gigs wherever. I've never listened to their music, though."

"Of course you haven't. All you listen to is jazz and Radiohead," Anna teases.

"And you listen to Coldplay," Elsa counters.

Anna repeats those words in an incoherent, high-pitched murmur and sticks out her tongue.

"Very mature."

"I sure think so."

A harsh screech coming from the speakers interrupts the hushed, late-morning conversations as the band's lead singer steadies the microphone. He pulls back his long, black hair away from his face, only for it to flop back across his mascara-caked eyes, which makes Anna snicker. In a low, just-woke-up tone, he says, "'Sup, Weseltonians. I'm Jayden, this is Heart Attack Grill, and we're gonna fuck this brunch up."

Elsa moves her chair over so she can see the band. "Oh, this won't be good."

She was wrong, it was fantastic. After counting off his band, the guitarist and bassist erupted into a medley of thrashing chords and muddy notes. You could barely hear your own thoughts let alone the singer's whiny wails. Anna saw children and babies crying, people covering their ears, and the waitstaff trying and failing to conceal their laughter.

As her ears adjusted to the noise, Anna realized that in a better setting– say a newly built outdoor stage attached to a much better-looking restaurant– this trio would sound much better. She also realized that they were covering a song by The Offsprings, one of the few bands she could tolerate from Olaf's playlist.

The song ends abruptly, with the silence quickly filled with wailing babies and a few car alarms. Jayden walked back up to the mic and declared, "Heart Attack Grill, better recognize. We're gonna bring it down a little bit with this next song by the greatest band of all time: Dance Gavin Dance."

"This has to be a prank," Elsa comments. "They can't be serious."

"Oh, I think they're very serious." Anna turns and barely hides her surprise. When did Elsa move her chair next to hers? And is the apple smell coming from the restaurant or her?

"What's up?" Elsa asks. "You've got a look."

Anna shakes her head. "Nothing," she lies. "I thought you had something in your hair but it was nothing."

"Are you sure–"

Her question is cut off as Heart Attack Grill starts their rendition of a song that's completely foreign to both women. And so is the next one. And the next one. Yet by the end of their set, by which point half the restaurant has cleared out, Anna's opinion doesn't change.

She takes the last bite of her waffle while watching Jayden passively argue with the manager over venue expectations. "I still think they'd be great for us."

"Do you really think that? Or do you just want everyone at Olaf's to have an aneurysm?" Elsa asks, still sitting right next to her.

"Oh come on, they seem fun! Don't you think so?"

"You and I have drastically different definitions of 'fun'." She takes out her phone. "To be honest, I have no strong feelings about them either way. So if you're on board, then I'll give the okay to Kai and Gerda."

"Wait, what? You're going to trust me, just like that?"

"I told you, I'm comfortable around you." Elsa finishes sending a quick text to the owners and pockets her phone again. "That means I trust your judgment."

There it is again: that warmth. This time, it takes longer to dissipate when she looks away from Elsa. "You say that so easily," she says, less composed than she wants to sound.

"Sometimes the truth is easy. Anyway, Gerda says we're free to head back and clock in or take a half-day if we want to also. What do you want to do?"

Well…if she wants to tell the truth: "Could we stay here for a little longer?"

Elsa narrows her eyes, looking for some sort of punchline or hare-brained scheme involving the band. But all she gets is a small smile and a repeat of, "Just a little longer. There's a pumpkin spice latte here that looks really good."

""Pumpkin spice? Of course you'd like that."

"Wow. Alright. Just for that, now we're both trying it."

They end up staying at the restaurant for another hour, drinking their pumpkin spice lattes and people-watching.

Chapter Text

"Uh, mom? You know I don't drink."

Anna's mom chuckles as she places two beer bottles in her hands. "They're not for you, they're for the boys. Mind taking these out to them?"

Anna slumps her shoulders and shambles towards the front door. "The price I must pay for my misdeeds…"

"You should see how much a car battery costs before you say that."

"Not helping!" Anna dexterously opens the front door with her elbows and makes her way out to the driveway. Under the floodlights, Tadashi and her dad are standing in front of her car with their hands on their hips, talking about man stuff.

"I'm telling you, leave that sucker in the crock pot for five hours or so and you'll have the best chocolate lava cake you've ever tasted."

"Ah man, that sounds good. Remind me to get you my aunt's rice cooker cake recipe."

"Remind me to get a rice cooker first."

The two share a hearty laugh, giving Anna the perfect opportunity to slip into the conversation with something witty. "Hi, it's me."

Her dad's face lights up at the sight of her, giving the floodlights some competition. "Hi, sweetie! Are those for us?" he says, pointing at the beers in Anna's hands.

Anna giggles, "Nah, I just figured I'd top off my car while you two were out here." She hands one beer to her dad and the other to Tadashi, who greets her with a nod and a warm smile.

When she was a kid, Tadashi Hamada always had this untouchable, larger-than-life aura to him that all the much older kids had. That feeling remained even when Anna became the "older kid" to Tadashi's brother, Hiro. Now that they were both adults, that aura should have been gone…but it wasn't. Tadashi graduated from university near the top of his class, worked for a few years at some tech company building robots or whatever, then left that job to start a very successful auto shop out of his garage. Anna cried in the walk-in when she accidentally dropped a jar of mayonnaise.

They may be on equal ground now, but Tadashi's still so far away.

"Thanks," he says, like she's doing him some big favor. "How have you been?"

"Oh you know," she says with a shrug. "Living the dream."

He laughs, covering the bottle cap with the hem of his shirt and twisting it open. "I hear that. But hey, it's good to see you back. Everyone I know from back in the day is so busy with their super cool lives that they never make the time to visit."

Anna shudders, "Don't do that. Don't say 'back in the day' like we're in some retirement home." She stands next to Tadashi to look at her car's metal intestines. "So, what's the diagnosis, doc? Is she gonna make it?"

Tadashi chuckles, "Once you get the battery replaced, it should. The thing's as dead as roadkill."

It's not the news she wants to hear but it's still what she's expecting. Anna sighs, patting the headlight of her car like it's the top of a tired puppy's head. "Figures this would happen after I've paid off my credit card for the month. And how much do I owe you?"

"What? I'm not gonna ask you to pay me just for a five-minute look at your car. Let me get you a battery first and install it, then we can talk price."

Anna frowns, already feeling guilty enough for having him come all this way for a 'five-minute look'. She shakes her head, "You've already done a lot. I can't ask you to hunt down a battery for me too."

"Anna, this is my job. I'll call my guy, switch the batteries out, and you should be back on the road in a couple of days." He takes off his baseball cap, combing his dark hair with his fingers. "Besides, I'm too competitive to have you running off to another shop."

She bites her lip, "Well…alright. But only if it's not a lot of trouble."

"It's no trouble at all!" her dad interjects, putting one hand on Anna's shoulder and the other on Tadashi's. "Plus, it'll give the two of you some time to catch up."

Anna looks at him confused. While it would be nice to catch up with someone from her past, it's not like she and Tadashi were that close. A 'back in the day' conversation would take maybe half an hour before either of them ran out of things to talk about. She's about to question her dad when she sees him throw a not-so-subtle wink her way.

And his intentions become much clearer.

Later that night, in the kitchen, she confronts her scheming dad, "Did you really think I'd be okay with this?"

"What's wrong with Tadashi?" he retorts, not even trying to feign innocence.

She rolls her eyes, "It's not Tadashi, it's the fact that my dad is even trying to set me up with someone. No one wants their dad doing that."

Her mom pokes her head out from the kitchen where she's doing the dishes. "What about their mom?"

Anna turns to her, "You're in on this too?!"

"Your mom and I are just trying to look out for you," her dad explains. "When you told us about the divorce, we had concerns that you might be lonely."

Gosh, first Meg and now them? Is there anyone else that would like a say in her love life? "I'm not lonely! I have my job, I have friends, I have…look, I know you're my parents and you're always going to want what's best for me, but my romantic life is always going to be off-limits. Okay?"

Her parents share a conflicted look, debating without debating, and a few moments later, her dad says, "You're right. We're sorry and we'll back off."

Anna sighs, "Thank you."

"But you are thinking of getting back out there, right?" her mom asks.

She groans and marches up to her room in response.

Meg's eyes widen, "They did not."

Anna nods, "They did."

Still feeling some embarrassment when she woke up the next morning, Anna decided that the best way to get rid of it was to vent to someone. Choosing Meg as that person was turning out to be the right decision.

But then Meg starts laughing, and Anna starts having doubts. "Sorry, I shouldn't be…I just…" She puts a hand on her hip and runs the other one through her hair. "I mean, shit, have your parents never heard of boundaries?!"

"They've always been like this," Anna reasons with a shrug. "And I don't like to put my foot down a lot because I know they mean well."

"But you did it this time, right?" Meg's face grows serious as she palms the bar counter. "Ruby, please tell me you did."

"Of course!"

"Good." She lets out a sharp breath and continues wiping down silverware– albeit a bit more aggressively. "I hate when parents think they can just get in your business whenever they want to."

"Are your parents like that?" Anna asks, now realizing that she's never heard much about Meg's past.

She scoffs, "Yeah. That's part of the reason I ditched their asses as soon as I turned eighteen. Haven't talked to them since."

Anna frowns, "I'm sorry." She wishes she couldn't relate.

"Don't be. I'm not." Meg laughs, but there's a bitterness in it that says that there's something in her story that Anna can't relate to. Silence momentarily falls on them, but Meg is quick to dispel it with a change of subject. However, it's not the change Anna wants. "You are looking for someone, right?"

"Didn't we already go over this?"

"Hey, a lot can happen in a few weeks. Just saying."

"No, I'm not looking for someone." Anna binds a napkin around another knife and fork and places it in her pile. This whole thing with her parents has really thrown her off, she's not even halfway done with her silverware. "Right now, all I have time for is work and trying to move out of my house. Again."

Meg huffs out a breath, "Lame. Come on, you're telling me you don't have eyes for anyone here?"

"I didn't say that," Anna replies quickly. "But no. Besides, who would I even have 'eyes for' anyway?"

The kitchen door opens and interrupts their conversation. Elsa walks through and paces towards them while readjusting her ponytail through her cap. "Meg, did you secure the kegs in the freezer yet?"

"Not yet, I was gonna get on that soon."

"Could you do that right now? The delivery guy's coming in ten minutes and I don't want a repeat of what happened last week." Elsa lowers her hands to her hips and looks warily at them both when she's met with silence. "What?"

Meg shakes her head, "That's it? No mean-mugging? No lectures about doing things in a specific order? No shit-talking the delivery guy for being late?" She turns to Anna with a look that asks if they're both seeing the same thing right now.

Anna shrugs, hoping that's the answer Meg's looking for. Truth be told, when Elsa walked in re-tying her ponytail, her focus shifted entirely to the sliver of exposed skin as Elsa's shirt raised. Soft, curved, and so pale that it almost glowed underneath the bar lights. Thoughts of yesterday wriggle their way into her head, specifically when Elsa walked out of her room wearing that shirt Anna's never seen before, and her breath catches in her throat. 

"I guess I don't feel like doing that today," Elsa explains.

"Uh huh, sure." Meg turns back to Anna. "You did this."

"Hmm? What did I do?" she asks after an awkward amount of silence.

Meg smirks, "Oh my god, you were so spaced out. That's kinda funny."

"Anna did nothing," Elsa responds, gratefully taking the attention off her still-blushing friend. "I'm still myself."

"If you say so. Anyway, I'll be back once I save the morning." Meg pushes herself off the bar counter and walks into the kitchen, leaving the two friends alone. Again. Just like yesterday. Has the bar always been this warm?

"Hey."

Anna jumps. "Hi! Hey? Uh…hi?"

Elsa crosses her arms like she's about to scold her for being too slow with the utensils. "You okay?"

"Yeah! I mean, uh, yeah. Yes. I'm doing great– just fine, actually. Thanks. For asking." Anna gives her a quick thumbs up amidst her sudden inner turmoil. For some reason, she has never been more aware of Elsa's presence than right now and it's throwing her off. It's like she's regressed to the days when she was too intimidated to say anything around Elsa, except much worse.

"You don't sound fine," Elsa says, tilting her head. "You're being weird."

Anna scoffs, looking at the empty chairs for some kind of backup. "I'm always weird."

"No, you're usually charming and eccentric. This time, you're weird."

The one-two combo of a heartfelt compliment followed by an insult(?) almost makes Anna fall off her stool. She stammers out an incoherent string of sounds and syllables. "Y-You, uh, you…you think I'm charming?"

"Everyone does. That's why you get the most tips."

"Oh. That's neat." Neat?

Before Elsa can put her through any more emotional whiplash, she nods and turns back toward the kitchen. "Anyway, we can talk later if you want to. Today's a busy day, so hang in there, alright?"

"Alright, I'll do my best. Thanks, bestie!" Bestie?!

"Don't call me that," Elsa demands before returning to the kitchen.

"Thank you all for coming out tonight. My brother and I always love performing at Olaf's, everyone here is so sweet– so beautiful. We've got one more song for you, and if you know it, don't be afraid to sing along."

Anna watches from the corner of the patio as Honeymaren and her brother start playing a familiar, upbeat tune that has the customers clapping along to the beat. She joins in, passively tapping her fingers against her palm in a weak attempt at keeping tempo.

It's the first break she's voluntarily taken today. Just like Elsa said, the restaurant had been busy from morning to now, and Anna had been in the thick of it the entire time. From bussing tables to managing online orders, she was running through all her tasks like a machine. At some point, Meg threatened to have Maui pin her to a chair so she'd finally take her lunch break.

But she can't blame the busy day for the reason she's plunged headfirst into her work. They had more than enough help today in the front and back of the restaurant, she could easily have taken a breather any time she wanted to. But she didn't.

Because if she did stop to take a minute for herself, she'd start thinking again, and her thoughts have been weird. Confusing. And they revolved around one person who also hasn't taken a second to herself all day either.

It doesn't make any sense; nothing's changed between her and Elsa, but it's almost as if she accidentally walked in on her naked. Every time she thinks about Elsa, she gets all embarrassed and her brain feels like it's being tossed around in the washer. Elsa seems to be acting differently too, and Anna thought to ask her about it, but the woman hasn't left the kitchen since this morning. And besides, her behavior could be about a hundred unrelated reasons– Elsa's just like that.

Maybe it's her fault. Anna tries to think of a point where she might have started to think of Elsa any differently, and all she can come up with is, well, yesterday. It always leads to yesterday. Seeing Elsa look and behave all casually was a welcome surprise, and it was nice to go somewhere together other than the bar. And yeah, Anna did try and prolong their stay at that restaurant, but that's only because she was happy and relaxed and the last time she ever felt that way was with…

Wait.

No, that doesn't make any sense. She couldn't…she didn't…this makes no sense.

Anna shakes her head rapidly, pushing herself off the patio and pacing back into the restaurant. This is exactly why she didn't want to take a break today.

When she's inside, she goes to Meg, desperate for something to do. "Hey, gimme something to do. I'm desperate."

Meg looks up from her clipboard and raises an eyebrow at her. "Aren't you still on break?"

Anna waves her off, "It's been long enough."

Her manager looks like she's going to ask something, but shakes her head instead. "God, you've been acting so weird today. I guess you can start throwing out the trash? The left one by the entrance is close to overflowing."

"Got it. Thanks, boss." Anna salutes and retreats to go get some gloves, hearing Meg call her a weirdo before she leaves.

Once again, Anna is a whirlwind of activity. Not only does she take out the trash, but she offers to bus the tables for the other waitstaff, makes small talk with many of the customers, and restocks the bathrooms. The closers are going to have the easiest time tonight.

It's a successful half hour of work that puts her that much closer to clocking out and finally heading home where she can (hopefully) think about nothing but what her mom made for dinner and paying for her new car battery. She ties up the last full trash bag and lifts it with both her hands, heading through a much quieter kitchen.

"Need some help there, sis?" Maui asks her.

"Thanks, but I've got it," she says with a smile, even though the trash bag is hovering only centimeters above the ground. Her confidence takes her across the room until she's stopped by a closed door. One that would be a major pain to keep open and drag this sack through at the same time. She sighs, "Maui? I lied."

"Already behind you," her savior says, walking past her to open the door.

"Thank you," she mumbles in defeat.

"You've been all over the place today, Ruby," Maui notes as she shimmies past him. "Trying to get a raise or something?"

"Just got a lot of energy today, I guess," Anna replies, and she would shrug if she could. "And, I mean, I'll never say no to a raise."

He laughs and pats her on the shoulder, which almost makes her knees buckle. "Just don't hurt yourself, yeah? If your arms fall off, then we gotta start calling you Bluetooth."

"What? Why?"

"Cause you're 'hands-free'." With one more chuckle, Maui closes the door, leaving Anna to roll her eyes at no one. She grunts and lifts the trash bag into a thankfully open dumpster and lets out a satisfied breath, also throwing away her gloves for good measure.

Despite the overwhelming smell of spoiled food and other unmentionables, this particular spot outside of the restaurant has always been a place of peace for Anna. The three brick walls and large, chain-locked gate provide a sturdy, secluded space to take a moment and let her mind catch up with her body. It's like the walk-in, except there's no loud, cold air blowing at the top of her head and she's not in anyone's way. Plus, when she looks up, she gets a fantastic view of the stars up above.

Anna traces the constellations she knows with her finger, basking in the cosmic glow that she didn't even get when she lived by the beach. As she travels along the outline of the moon, she finally feels at ease for the first time that day.

But that feeling lasts for only a moment as her ears pick up on a conversation just behind the walls.

"I was wondering when I'd get to see you tonight."

No mistake, that voice belongs to Honeymaren. She must be packing up from their gig, so it's expected that she'd be back here by the parking lot. What Anna doesn't expect is the voice that responds.

"It was a busy day, I haven't left the kitchen until now."

How long has Elsa been outside? Does she know Anna's out here with her? These questions and more are running through Anna's mind as she finds herself holding her breath.

"Oh wow, an actual reason," Honeymaren says with a lot of intrigue. "Does that mean you were actually planning to try and see me?"

"No."

"Oh."

Elsa's bluntness comes off much harsher when you can't see her. Even when she's glaring at you, the softness of her features and her natural beauty help to dull the edges of her tone. It keeps her approachable and, from some perspectives, kind of charming. Anna can see why Honeymaren is so attracted to her.

…okay, she's being weird again. That's a good enough sign that she should leave as quietly as possible, but then Elsa starts talking again, and Anna stops.

"You changed your set. Usually, you go from Hazel Eyes to People of the Sun, but this time you did Seasons Change, instead. It works better this way; your brother gets more time to warm up his voice for your duet."

"Heh, so you noticed." Anna likes to think Honeymaren just tucked her hair behind her ear– at least, that's what she would do. "Ryder said the same thing, guess I gotta tell him he's right."

"It was just an observation," Elsa states.

"And it was a good one." Anna thinks she hears the sounds of footsteps; is Honeymaren getting closer to Elsa? "You know, we'll be doing this theater gig on Tuesday. Maybe you can come by and hear our set in person this time?"

"I've already heard your set dozens of times." There's a pause. "Oh, this is you asking me out again."

Honeymaren giggles, "Yes. Yes, it is. Aaand…I'm assuming you're gonna say no? Again?"

Another pause. Anna doesn't know when she breathed last, but she finds herself holding another breath as she waits. A nagging thought eats at her, telling her that this is too private of a moment and she should leave, but her feet are glued to the concrete. It's a conflicting feeling, but not as much as the thought that maybe she wants to be here.

She wants to hear Elsa's answer. She doesn't know why, but she does.

Suddenly, Elsa's responding. "I'm sorry, Honeymaren." And suddenly, Anna's chest is tightening. It makes sense, hearing a person get rejected (especially someone as sweet as Honeymaren) could make anyone with half a heart sympathize. But what Anna feels is more than just sympathy, it kind of feels like…relief? That doesn't make sense.

Honeymaren sighs, "I figured. You're such a heartbreaker, Elsa." There's no resentment in her voice, just sadness. "Maybe it's time we stop playing this game, huh?"

"Maybe," Elsa says.

"Can I just ask…why not me?"

Now is the perfect time to get out of here; this is something Anna definitely shouldn't be hearing. She takes the quietest steps of her life towards the door as things stay quiet, but when she puts her hand on the doorknob, that's when Elsa finally replies.

"Because there's someone else."

Anna grips the doorknob like it's the only thing holding her up.

"Ah," Honeymaren says. After what sounds like a sigh, she asks, "It's her, isn't it?"

"Who?"

"Your cute coworker. What does Meg call her again, uh…Ruby?"

"..."

"Come on, Elsa. I've seen the way you look at her."

"..."

"Anyway, Ryder and I need to get going. I'll see you next week, Elsa, and I'm rooting for you both. You'd make such a cute couple."

The sound of Honeymaren's footsteps gets quieter, and eventually so do Elsa's. But Anna stays a few minutes longer in the silence, squatting behind a dumpster, with a hand over her mouth so she doesn't scream after having her entire world turned upside down.

Chapter Text

If Anna had a dollar for every time she couldn't sleep because she was too wrapped up in her thoughts, she'd be a homeowner by now.

Last night was…a lot. And what's worse is that it didn't have to be. All she had to do was listen to herself, go back inside way before the conversation even started, and she would be at peace not knowing what she knew now. But no! She just had to be her stupid, nosy self and now she knows what she knows and she doesn't want to know it.

It was a miracle that she even got home that night with her mind caught in a blizzard. By the time she could flop onto her bed, she was physically on the verge of passing out but too mentally preoccupied to do so. She must have ground a hole into her mattress with the way she was tossing and turning.

She's had a one-track mind this whole time, and nothing she's thought has been the slightest bit of helpful. Maybe…this isn't even about her! Maybe Honeymaren was talking about a different Ruby from Elsa's super secret second job. The woman is brooding and mysterious enough, it could make sense.

Right?

Okay, so that's probably not the case. But there's one thing Anna knows for certain: Elsa never replied. When Honeymaren asked her if she had feelings for Ann– er, Ruby, she was as silent as a mouse. A brooding and mysterious mouse. For all she knows, this is all a non-starter and Elsa doesn't even like her in that way. Or any way. Maybe Elsa secretly hates her!

Wait no, if that were true, Anna would be devastated. They're friends! Good friends. Nothing should get in the way of that, especially not some dumb miscommunicated assumption of attraction that she never should have picked up on in the first place.

And, hypothetically, if Elsa did like her like that, then Anna would have to tell her that she doesn't…that she's not…

…nope, not going down that route.

This is too much. She needs to stop thinking about this. Or scream into a pillow again. Or talk to someone about how she's feeling. Yeah, that last one sounds good.

And it's been like this, the same damn track, for twelve hours.

Mercifully, her alarm clock barks its morning call, telling her that rumination time is over. She taps the button aggressively and lies in the silence for a second. And then another. And then five more. Finally, she thrashes around, untangling her feet from her blanket with uncoordinated kicks, before sitting up. "Uuugh!" she groans before burying her face in her hands.

Today's going to be great.

The second Anna enters the restaurant, Elsa knows something is wrong. All the signs are there: the tired eyes, her restless yet avoidant walking speed, and the fact that her morning greeting was an octave lower. No one else seems to notice a change, and it makes Elsa hesitate for a second– maybe she's just seeing things?

No, something is definitely wrong, and her suspicions are confirmed soon enough. It's ten minutes to opening and she's finishing her preparations on the hot line. Anna walks into the kitchen with a small, empty bucket and heads to one of the sinks to fill it up. Elsa gives her a small wave– a rare occurrence, but she does it in reaction to Anna not doing it herself.

Anna smiles tightly in response, glancing up at the paper towel dispenser in front of her as if it's the most interesting thing in the world, and Elsa goes back to her own job. A minute later, Elsa hears the sound of something spilling onto the floor and she looks back in surprise. Anna has not yet moved from the sink and the water is now flowing out of the bucket and onto the floor.

"Anna!"

The name comes out of her with an urgency reserved for someone about to get hit by a car. But it's effective in getting Anna's attention. She steps away from the sink with a yelp, causing the still-full bucket to slosh and splash onto the kitchen floor.

"Oh…crap. Crap! Elsa, I'm so sorry," Anna says, her voice expressing more guilt than the mistake warrants. "I'll clean this up right away."

Elsa shakes her head, "It's fine." And it really is. "I'll go get a mop, you go bring that bucket up to the front."

"No, that's not right. I'm not gonna let you clean up my mess."

"I'm not doing anything right now anyway."

"That doesn't make it right for–"

Elsa grabs Anna by the shoulders, fingers gently squeezing her biceps. This isn't the first time Anna's spiraled in front of her, but this is the first time Elsa's stopped it this way. And she does it on instinct. "Anna," she says like her name is a command. "Let me handle this."

She waits, expecting Anna to take that breath that says she's okay again like she usually does. But it doesn't happen. In fact, Anna isn't even looking her in the eye. She seems smaller and more…insecure? No, that's not it. This is different, this is new, her face reminds Elsa of how Honeymaren looked at her last night. Fear mingling with hope.

But a hope for what?

There's no time for this feeling to linger. Elsa leans forward slightly and repeats, "Anna?"

Anna nods, quickly, and steps out of her hold. "Right. Sorry. I'll get you a mop, I'm sorry."

She paces out of the kitchen, her shoes stepping into the growing puddle, leaving Elsa in such a confused state that she forgets to go for the mop herself.

Yeah, something's definitely wrong.

Mistake after mistake after mistake; all Anna can do today is make mistakes. She wonders if maybe she should have just called in sick– she had already been acting weird yesterday, it would be easy to explain her behavior as some kind of stomach virus.

But it's too late for that. Apparently, Kai and Gerda need to talk to her when they come in (Meg said not to worry about it), and no one's asked how she's feeling today. Well, no one except for Elsa.

Funny how Elsa keeps being the exception.

This whole 'too much thinking' thing is becoming, well, too much. Thinking needs to turn into some form of doing, and the obvious thing is to tell Elsa the truth (obvious, of course, being a term she uses loosely). The problem, among so many other things, is that she doesn't even know how to broach that conversation with Elsa. Not without messing up so far beyond repair.

So, before she can get to that talk, she needs to have a preliminary talk with someone else for advice. Just like her mind kept telling her all night. And she knows just the person to talk to.

"Tell me again why I'm in your car watching you look through the mirror like some paranoid drug dealer?"

Anna gives one last, less-than-casual glance around the lot and sighs, "Alright, I don't think anyone will be able to see us. Or hear us."

"Uh…Ruby, I don't know what kind of signals you think I've been giving off, but–"

"Shh! Oh my gosh, that's not why we're here. I needed to talk to somebody, but I didn't want to talk around everyone else and have rumors spreading for no reason."

"Everyone saw you pull me out of the kitchen, there's probably like twenty rumors going around already," Meg reasons.

Anna pauses, "Well…whatever." She sighs, sinking into her seat. "Let's say, hypothetically, that someone overheard something they probably weren't supposed to hear. Let's also say– also hypothetically– that what they heard had something to do with them. And it wasn't a bad thing, but they still shouldn't know what they know. And now they don't know what to do and they're kinda freaking out and it's kinda becoming obvious that they're freaking out. What do you think they should do?"

Meg looks at her with a neutral frown on her lips, and after a few moments of silence, she replies, "Are you on something?"

"What? No! Why would you– this isn't even about me!"

"Doesn't sound like it," Meg says with a shrug.

"It's not, this is all one big hypothetical."

"You wouldn't have dragged me all the way out into the parking lot for a 'hypothetical'. Listen, if you're worried I might talk about this behind your back, don't be. You've clearly got some shit going on, so whatever you need to say stays between us."

Anna bites her lip, now more conflicted than she was before. Of course she knows that Meg is telling the truth, but that doesn't make telling her this any easier. However, she also knows that saying nothing is probably going to make her explode. She presses her hands against her head and runs them down her face, dropping all hypotheticals in the process. "Last night…I overheard Elsa saying she has feelings for me."

She tells Meg the rest of the story, anxiously waiting for the judgmental commentary. But that never happens, Meg listens to her the whole time without a sound or change in her expression. And when it's her turn to speak, her first response is just to sigh.

"I mean, yeah, you shouldn't have been out there for that long," Meg says. "But it's not like you knew that conversion was gonna happen."

"Shouldn't I have?"

"It's not your fault Honeymaren played her whole game right then and there."

Anna fidgets with the seatbelt she put on herself for some reason. Despite the flirtiness of her words, it didn't seem like a game for Honeymaren. She seemed just as genuine when asking Elsa out as she did when Elsa rejected her. Again. If Anna was in her shoes, she would have–

Nope, still not going down that route. Her mind's already enough of a mess as is.

"Okay, even if this wasn't my fault, I still have to fix this, right?"

Meg squints at her, "Why?"

"Because…" Anna crosses her arms, "Elsa likes me."

"And you want to fix that by doing what? Making her not like you?"

"Yes? No, I– I don't know!" Anna looks back out the window, eyes once again scanning the parking lot. This time, though, she isn't looking out for anyone. There's not a cloud in the sky preventing the heat of high noon from cooking the asphalt. A light breeze, the only combatant against the weather, rolls a stray green leaf across the hood of her car. What she wouldn't give right now to be like that leaf: uncompromised, only worried about where the wind would take her. As it falls out of sight, she repeats, "I don't know."

Meg runs a hand through her hair, sympathetic to her conflict. "Anna, I think you need to ask yourself something."

"Yeah?"

"How do you feel about her?"

Anna tenses on instinct; so much for not going down this route. Though, it's possible that this was inevitable, that she'd have to confront her own feelings one way or another. She's not some hapless bystander in all this, she's the one that Elsa likes. And now that she's really taking the time to think about her own feelings? Well, there's only one right answer.

"I don't know. I mean I've never really thought of Elsa in that way before. Sure, she's a great friend and I care about her a lot– and somehow she cares about me too– but to think of her as anything more than that is…well, it's like asking me to come up with a new color. I'd need time to really think about things– heck, I'd need time just to know where to start thinking about things."

Meg raises an eyebrow, "Huh, that makes sense."

"Yeah, I'm just as surprised as you are." Anna shakes her head. "W-Wait, all of this is hypothetical anyway! I'm straight."

Meg snickers, "Sure you are."

Anna frowns, "I am!"

"So straight that you didn't think to bring it up until now?"

"Because my own feelings haven't been brought up until now!"

"So straight that you're blushing?"

"It's hot in here!"

"Hey relax, okay? I'm joking." Meg puts her hands up, the grin on her face diluting her sincerity. "To be honest, I don't see what the big deal is. In my opinion, sexuality is overrated. You like who you like; putting a label on that just sounds so complicated."

"I've only ever liked guys," Anna reasons.

"There's a first time for everything," Meg argues.

"I don't see that happening."

"Then I guess you have your answer."

Anna opens her mouth for another quick response, but she's not expecting Meg to say something so definitive. She blinks and stammers out, "Uh, what?"

"If you don't see yourself having feelings for another woman, then you don't have feelings for Elsa. Right?"

Taking her lunch break inside the restaurant is a strange experience. Elsa can count on one hand the number of times she's done this, and it still doesn't feel any more normal. Sure the inside of her car is a little cramped, but the silence and fresh air more than make up for that. Inside the restaurant, she's too distracted; if not by the sounds and smells, then with her own thoughts.

Did the little girl at Table Four make a face because there's too much lemon on her chicken? Could they please put anything other than whiny alt-rock on the playlist? Why did Anna take Meg outside to talk?

That's what Elsa's been thinking about the most, and the only reason she's in here to begin with. There was something in Anna's eyes that said she would appreciate some privacy, and Elsa refrained from taking her lunch break until her stomach made such an audible noise that her kitchen staff commented on it.

She was also holding off so she could have lunch with Anna and maybe ask what was wrong. But she hasn't returned yet, and neither has Meg.

Which is fine, Elsa thinks as she stabs her fork into her chicken and rice. It's fine.

To be honest, she's not that hungry anymore; a few bites and she already feels okay again. But before she can pack up and get back to work, the front door opens and she waits.

It turns out to just be Kai and Gerda, whom she greets with a polite nod.

"Taking your lunch break inside?" Kai asks. "That's new."

"It's too hot in my car," Elsa lies.

"Makes sense." The two owners converge behind the bar, sharing a quick, silent conversation before turning their attention back to the lonesome cook. "Have you seen Anna around?"

Ugh, the way Elsa's eyebrow raises might as well make her look like a dog perking up an ear. She grips her fork to calm herself. "Last I saw, she was with Meg. They might have gone out to lunch."

"Oh," Gerda says, her eyes widening. "Did she say when she'd be back, I told Meg we wanted to talk to Anna."

That sounds private, Elsa shouldn't ask about it. "What about?"

"Nothing bad," Gerda waves her hand. "It has to do with the two of you."

If Elsa could make her grip any tighter, then she would. The hairs on the back of her neck raise and she narrows her eyes until she's leering at the couple. "That doesn't sound like it's 'nothing bad'. What did we do?"

Kai chuckles, "Elsa, this isn't an interrogation, we just wanted to ask you two something."

"About us?" Elsa realizes this has to be the most personal conversation she's had with the owners, and most of it has been her on the defensive. She needs to get it together, before–

"No? Should we be asking about you?"

Before she digs herself into a deeper hole.

She finds herself now in a truly outstanding situation…outstanding in how much of a mess she's made for herself. This is the first time a simple crush has ever affected Elsa like this, and maybe that's because this is more than just a simple crush. But she can't think about that right now, getting out of this conversation takes top priority.

"Oh, stop it, Kai. Elsa's done enough for us to earn a little bit of privacy."

However, thanks to Gerda's assist, that no longer seems to be a problem.

Adding another save is Meg, who emerges from the kitchen with someone else right behind her. Someone who makes the whole building feel ten degrees warmer, someone who takes away all of Elsa's attention.

"Ooh, Gerda looks mad. Kai, what'd you do?" Meg asks.

"I did nothing, I plead the fifth."

"Oh honey, that does not make you sound innocent at all."

"All I did was ask one question."

"You sure about that?"

"You're eating lunch inside?"

It takes a second for Elsa to realize that question is for her, posed by the woman of her affections sitting on an adjacent barstool. She looks at her now closed container of food, and back to Anna. There's a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. "I didn't feel like eating outside, it's too hot."

"Ick, yeah tell me about it." Anna goes to smile, but there's a hesitation that causes her bright features to dim for just a second. When she regains her composure, she says, "Say, uh…could we talk later?"

"What about?"

"Nothing. I mean obviously it's not 'nothing', I just mean–"

"Ah! Now that you're both here, I have a favor to ask."

Elsa and Anna are pulled out of their own little world by Kai's declaring voice. Anna nearly jumps out of her seat, while Elsa tries her best not to look annoyed. The man claps his hands against their shoulders.

"What's wrong, boss?" Anna asks, quickly glancing towards Elsa.

"Nothing's wrong! In fact, I'm offering the two of you some paid overtime."

Anna raises an eyebrow, "Uh…yay?"

"Not yay," Elsa interjects. She leers at Kai voluntarily this time. "What are you having us do?"

"The exact same thing you two did last time. There's another band we think would be great for the restaurant and we want you to do some scouting again. They're doing a gig at a bar downtown tonight, and we'd even let you two leave the restaurant early so you could get ready."

"Get ready?" Elsa asks.

Kai nods, "Anna told me how she wished she had time to change out of her work clothes last time, so I want to give you the time to do that and anything else you need to do before getting to the bar."

There are more questions that Elsa wants to ask before she inevitably says no. She wants to know why it has to be her and Anna specifically, what happened to the band they scouted out last time, and why they're trying to spin paid overtime as some kind of prize. But she doesn't get the chance to ask any of those questions.

"I'm okay with going if Elsa is."

Elsa looks at Anna, sees the soft, neutral smile on her lips, and searches for something in those blue eyes that could betray any ulterior motives. But all she sees is an ocean beckoning for her to dive in already.

"How about it, Elsa?" Kai asks.

What other choice did she have?

Chapter Text

It's crazy how much can change during a day. Twelve hours ago, Anna was struggling against her sheets trying to figure out how she could even face Elsa again, and now she's leaving the house to meet her at a bar not named Double Tap.

The conversation she had with Meg helped much more than Anna had expected. Now, instead of being anxious over this trip, she's feeling confident. Ready.

Ready to tell Elsa she overheard her the other night, and that she doesn't have any romantic feelings toward her.

It's the truth, no matter how harsh it sounds. Anna cares about Elsa more than she ever thought she would. The fact that Elsa is comfortable around her, and always knows what Anna needs, makes her an incredible friend in return. And sure, all that stuff makes her feel so warm and safe and comfortable, but that's just what friends do. It's not romance, it's not attraction.

What she felt for Hans, as bitter of a pill as that is to swallow, was attraction. With Elsa, it's different.

It's always been different…

So, that's why she has to do this. The thought of breaking Elsa's heart still makes her want to throw up, but in the long run, this is what's best for both of them. Elsa will fall for someone who's meant for her, and Anna will do the same. Probably. Eventually. Hopefully.

She starts her car, still determined but now sadder than she should be.

The bar they're going to is called The Sultry Vixen, a redundant name if she's ever heard one. There have been rumors that the building is cursed because a new business sprouts up in the space every few months or so. Before it was a bar it was a sushi place, and before that, it was some kind of office. The longest business to stick around was a yoga studio, which lasted almost a year before the owner found out her husband was sleeping with one of the trainers.

Anna's not sure if it's cursed, but it's at least historic. She never really went there on account of her parents not really trusting that area of Arendelle. When she was a kid, she assumed the worst– murders and robberies and big fight nights every weekend. But now, as she heads deeper into downtown, she's not getting that vibe at all.

Sure, the buildings are a little more generic and dirtier, and a jaywalker flipped her off as she slowed down to let him pass, but that's as bad as it got.

As she pulls into the parking lot, thankful that the spot next to Elsa's car is empty, the only thing she's feeling is nervous. Not because of the loud ranting of a few chainsmokers outside of the bar, or because of the judgmental looks she gets from others passing her, but because of the woman she's here to meet.

Elsa is a statuesque guardian underneath the overhead lights. Her hands are stuffed into the pockets of a dark, denim vest, and the gray, slightly-longer tank top underneath goes well with her pitch-black jeans and high tops. Dark on dark on dark; the brightest part about her is her hair. There's a man at Elsa's side trying desperately to make conversation, but Elsa is silent as her eyes stay glued to the parking lot. Anna wants to stop herself. This is the first time she's seen anyone try to hit on Elsa, and she wants to see how her friend reacts, but something pushes her forward instead.

One glance from Elsa, and one wave of a hand from Anna, has the mood shifting again. Elsa turns to the man and says tersely "I'm not here for you", before walking over to Anna while his jaw hits the floor.

Anna expected that to happen, but it's still amazing to see. She giggles, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you set that whole thing up."

Elsa rolls her eyes, "He was an idiot; I gave him every sign I wasn't interested. I wish we were at Double Tap instead."

"We could go there," Anna says without thinking. "I–I mean after we're done here, obviously."

"That's not a good idea, we both have work tomorrow." She sighs and rolls her shoulders, looking like she's going to say more before something catches her eye.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. You look nice, that's all." Elsa shrugs.

"Oh." Anna looks down at her green, short-sleeved dress, still wondering if it's appropriate bar attire. But Elsa likes it and that seems to be all the approval she needs. "Thanks. You look really nice too."

Elsa thumbs one of her vest's buttons. "Ready to head in?"

Gosh, Elsa handles compliments so well. Anna feels like she's burning up, and it's definitely not from the lights. "Ready as I'll ever be," she says with an unnecessary giggle.

The inside of the The Sultry Vixen is exactly how Anna thinks it will look: dim, gritty, and not as female-friendly as she'd like it to be. It's a mess of round tables, pool tables, and bar stools as far as the eye can see, with a corner stage where the band is setting up. The speakers, louder than they ever need to be, are playing the most generic classic rock. And gracing the walls are a lovely assortment of beer and pin-up girl posters.

This band had better be good.

Anna leans closer to Elsa so she can hear her and asks, "Where should we sit?"

"What?!"

"I said where should–"

"There's a table at the far corner! We should sit there!"

"O-Oh! Good idea!"

"What?!"

Anna shakes her head and squeezes her arm, making her way to the empty table. It's quieter now that they're a little further away from the rowdiness and the posters that look too much like Anna for her liking. Plus, they can still see the stage from where they are. When they sit down, Elsa immediately squeezes her eyes shut and rubs her temples.

"You okay?" Anna asks. "Is it the noise?"

"It's all of it," Elsa grumbles. "If Kai and Gerda weren't paying us, I would have never agreed to this."

Anna nods. "Want me to get you something? The bar doesn't look too busy."

"They'll come to us for our orders," Elsa replies. "I looked the place up before we got here."

"That's smart, maybe I should have done that."

"I don't like the unexpected. If I can learn as much as I can about a new experience before it happens, then I will. It helps with anxiety."

A shot of guilt rips its way through Anna's insides. How much more unexpected can you get than a rejection for an unspoken confession? But if she starts the conversation now, and finds a way to get Elsa to confess, then that could soften the inevitable. She opens her mouth to speak, but that's when a waitress in a tight black shirt and a red miniskirt walks up to them.

"How ya doin' tonight, lovelies?" she asks while chewing a piece of gum.

Caught off guard, Anna slips into her customer service voice out of habit. "Hi there! We're doing great, thank you for asking!"

"Glad to hear it." The waitress flicks back her deep, red hair and flips open a small notebook. "My name's Ruby, what can I get started for you?"

"Your name's Ruby? What a coincidence!"

Ruby raises a studded eyebrow and smirks. "Yeah? That your name too?"

"Uh, technically no, but–" Anna takes a casual peak towards Elsa, just noticing the barely hidden scowl on her face. She gets the feeling that she should cut this interaction short. "No. It's not."

"O…kay."

Anna puts in a simple order of cheese fries and a Dr. Pepper while Elsa grunts out an order for a beer. Once Ruby leaves, Anna risks poking the bear. "You're not hungry?"

"I have food at my apartment," she replies, the implication being that they won't be here for long anyway.

Anna frowns, she didn't expect Elsa to be having this bad of a time so quickly. She leans forward, trying to put on a playful smile, "If you want to split the fries, I won't say no."

Elsa shakes her head, "That's your food, I won't ask for it."

"It's fries. And cheese. They're meant to be shared."

"Would you still say that if I told you I don't like sharing food?"

Anna purses her lips, "I mean…no? But do you?"

"...no."

Elsa's demeanor hasn't changed, she still looks like a bodyguard scanning the area for potential threats. That's not what this is supposed to be like, this is supposed to be nicer. Friendlier.

Easier.

Desperate to rid the air of all this tension, Anna tries a more direct approach to getting her to talk. "You've got a look on your face."

Elsa's eyebrows furrow, "I always look like this."

"This is a different look," Anna lies. Elsa does look like this all the time, but if she can pretend otherwise, then maybe she'll say what's wrong. "Come on, what's up?"

Elsa looks at her, another bitter comment likely on the tip of her tongue. But she hesitates, looking down at their laminated wooden table. "She…the waitress was flirting with you."

Anna laughs, "What? No, she's a waitress, she was just being nice."

"That was more than being nice." When she still looks confused, Elsa adds, "It's the eyes. She was basically undressing you with her eyes."

"Oh come on," Anna says, folding her arms. "Besides, I think I'd know if someone was trying to flirt with me."

.Elsa tilts her head, her expression becoming more serious. "How would you know?"

Silence grips Anna's entire being and clamps her mouth shut. She's seen this innocent, studying gaze from Elsa hundreds of times, but this time it feels like she's under a microscope. If she answers honestly, Elsa might think she has a chance, which wouldn't be fair to her. If she tries to circle back, Elsa's blunt curiosity might not let her. And if she tries to lie…well, she doesn't think she can do that.

Anna takes in a shoulder-raising breath, hoping that the right words will come to her if she just starts talking.

"Got your drink orders right here, lovelies!"

Of course. As they take their drinks, Anna tries to see what Elsa sees. But Ruby doesn't stick around for her to notice any kind of flirty behavior– well, unless you count the wink. And Anna doesn't count the wink. Because she's done the wink a few times at Olaf's, usually at older couples and little girls trying to sneak the crayons into their pockets. It's an innocent, almost knee-jerk reaction, she never means anything more by it.

Elsa shakes her head when she tells her this. "You're not a little girl. Or old." She tips her open beer bottle towards a far-away Ruby. "She's into you."

Anna huffs, "Alright fine. Even if she is, what does that matter? It's not…I'm not…we're supposed to be doing something, remember?" Damn it, Elsa's always been effective at throwing her off, but this time it's like Anna's making it too easy for her.

"Yeah…yeah, we're supposed to be doing something." Elsa drinks her beer and scans the bar with a frown. But she doesn't do this for long before she sighs and lowers her head. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm giving you a hard time."

Anna's eyes almost widen, but she manages to catch herself. "It's okay. We're friends. Friends are allowed to give each other a hard time."

Elsa looks at her confused. "It's not that simple."

Anna's heart thumps as she realizes this has to be it. Elsa's going to say the thing unless she can beat her to it. What are the odds that Ruby interrupts them again? Pretty low, at least they have to be. She reaches across the table and takes Elsa's hand in hers– her skin is so soft. "Elsa–"

Another interruption. This time it's the whining feedback of a microphone that makes Elsa wince so hard she closes her eyes.

"Uhh…hi? This is, uh, my name's Joey. I'm the singer for tonight with my band here: Skinny Jean Brothers. We're not starting yet– I mean, we will after this. In like five minutes. But because I have the mic, the manager wanted me to let everyone know that whoever owns the green– sorry, the mint green Honda Civic. It's a Civic, right? Yeah yeah, the Honda Civic. Anyway, whoever owns the mint green Honda Civic should, uh, go outside because your car is getting towed. Sorry about that."

There's a smaller commotion as a man jumps out of his seat and runs out of the bar, cursing all the way. Anna giggles, "Sheesh, talk about a long walk for a short drink of water." She looks at Elsa for affirmation, but her eyes catch on their hands. Still intertwined.

It shouldn't feel weird, and it didn't feel weird until she started wondering if it should feel weird. They've hugged dozens of times by now, holding hands shouldn't feel any less different. But there's something in the firmness of Elsa's grip and the smoothness of her fingers that makes Anna's chest tighten in a way that no hug of theirs has ever done.

She laughs again, though it's weaker on account of the heat or something, and pulls her hand back.

It's quiet after that– maybe a little too quiet. Conversation starters die before they make it close to Anna's lips, and Elsa seems content to nurse her beer while staring much too intensely at the band. When Ruby comes back with the fries, Anna strikes up a short conversation with her– both to see what signs she's missing, and also to have more to talk to Elsa about after.

When she leaves, Anna still doesn't see the 'obvious', but Elsa does start talking again. However, that might not be a good thing.

"Can I ask you something?"

Anna knows this must be a loaded question because Elsa never checks if she can ask something first. She is quickly losing control of this situation (if she ever even had control of it), but she can't freak out because that would be suspicious. Instead, she exclaims in a pitch so loud and high that it could compete with the mic's feedback, "Anything! Always!"

Elsa tilts her head but doesn't comment on the change. She picks up her beer, contemplates another sip, and then sets the bottle back down. "I…what were you and Meg talking about today?"

"Ha! Is that all?" Anna says like they weren't talking about the biggest thing that's happened in her life in the past year. "N-Nothing, we were talking about nothing. It was just lunch."

"Just lunch?"

"Yeah, we were just having lunch. I felt like it had been a while since she and I last hung out, so we ate lunch in my car. She had pita bread."

"Pita bread."

"Yeah, and that, uh…that thing. That dippy thing that looks like thick butter?"

"...hummus?"

"That. She ate that. And pita bread."

"That's weird, because Meg hates Greek food."

Anna's stomach dropping coincides with the thick thump of the bass drum. "Sh–She does?"

"Yeah, something about her parents." Elsa's eyes narrow, once again focusing ever so intently into Anna's dirty, lying soul. "What's going on? What aren't you telling me?"

"It's not about you," Anna says quickly– far too quickly. And though it's selfish to want another interruption, that's exactly what she's waiting for. Fate must be at her side because there's a sudden and dynamic opening chord from the band. Through the gritty, hurried chords of the guitar and the driving rhythm from the drums, the lead singer introduces their band once again and says that their first song is called I Miss You Bitch. A tribute to the guitarist's ex-girlfriend.

The noise will make it hard for Anna to talk, but that doesn't seem to be a concern for Elsa, who is now watching her like an owl scans the movements of a bumbling field mouse.

Elsa's voice cuts through the singer's lamenting over a failed three-month relationship: "I want to believe you, Anna."

Anna's fear and panic (most of it self-inflicted) make room for another, more gut-wrenching feeling of guilt. Tonight went downhill so quickly, she once again curses herself for ever hearing that damn secret.

And, as if things couldn't be any worse, Elsa doesn't even look mad at her. If the roles were reversed, and Elsa was the one being dodgy and hesitant, Anna would have at least been annoyed. But the only emotion coming from those blue eyes, softened by what Anna can now see is a hint of makeup, is anxiousness. Her friend is keeping something from her that she has every right to know about, and the longer this goes on, the worse she's going to feel.

She leans forward, reaching out for Elsa's hand again, ready to stop a storm that never should have happened. "Can we talk in private?"

They find the most amount of privacy in the back parking lot; the irony isn't lost on Anna. Elsa rests her back against the wall, looking out into the darkness with her hands stuffed into the pockets of her jeans. If Anna was wearing pants, she'd be doing the same, but instead, she's faltering on the sidewalk while twirling a rock with her shoe.

"I…" Anna starts before she can even figure out what she's going to say. When nothing good comes to mind, she sighs and tries to start again. But Elsa's quick to fill the silence.

"I feel like you think I'm mad at you or something, but you would know that because I'd tell you. If it's my fault that things seem weird between us, I'm sorry about that. I…was given a lot to think about and that's all I've really been doing. And if there's something going on in your life, then you already know you can come to me. We're…friends. Right?"

The hesitation hurts more than Anna thinks it will, and it's enough for her to finally do what needs to be done. "Elsa, last night I heard you and Honeymaren talking. About…about me."

The band inside stops playing as if they know something important is going on. And Anna would have laughed if she weren't busy trying to catch up to a fleeing Elsa. At first, she considered letting her be, but something inside her said that would be a big mistake. Yet, even though Elsa's only pacing away, Anna finds it hard to keep up with her.

"Elsa," she calls out. "Elsa, I'm sorry, it was an accident."

"It's fine. We're fine." Elsa's words are clipped and seemingly neutral. But everything from her raised shoulders to the constant shaking and flexing of her hands says she's a tension cable ready to snap loose.

"We're clearly not fine, can we please talk about this?" Anna asks.

"There's nothing to talk about; you heard everything." She utters those last three words as if they're all separate accusations. All true, all damning.

However, Anna isn't deterred– she can't be. "I wish I didn't, okay? I wish I never volunteered to take out the trash last night, and I wish I didn't stay out there, and I wish I didn't hear anything."

Elsa stops suddenly and turns around, but Anna's able to stop before she runs into her. Under the lights of a street they've found themselves in, Elsa's flushed complexion and flitting eyes have nowhere to hide. "Then why did you stay? Why would you even tell me this? I never needed to know…"

Anna picks up from where she trails off. "Because I know you. I know that one day you would have said something, and I didn't want you to build up this expectation just to…just to be let down."

Elsa winces and crosses her arms, deciding that she's done looking at Anna. "That isn't your decision to make," she says in a soft, harsh tone. "Wasn't."

Anna frowns, "Yeah, I–I know that now. I'm really sorry, Elsa. I am. If there was a better way to have done this, then I would have done it. But you saw how much of a mess I was after one day, I couldn't be normal around you anymore."

"You make it sound like this is my fault."

"It's not your fault that you feel how you feel." A prickling feeling trails up her spine and she shakes her head. "Not…I–I didn't mean it like that."

Elsa's eyes pierce through her like daggers. "Is that what this is about?"

Anna winces. "You know it isn't."

"I'm not sure what I know any more, Anna."

"Hey! I get that you're upset, but if there's one thing I'm not, it's homophobic."

There's an eerie pause as Elsa continues her studious glare. A few seconds later, she lets out a breath and leans against the street lamp. "Just leave me alone, Anna."

Anna clenches her fist. She wants to say no, and that she'll keep trying to make this right no matter how many times Elsa tries to run away. But she can see from the way Elsa holds herself, and in the way she closes her eyes longer with each blink, that there will be no more running.

"Okay," she says instead. "Are–Are we still friends?"

Elsa looks at her as if she's wondering why she's still here. "What?"

Anna looks around, more conscious than ever at how alone they are. "I'll leave you alone, but I need to know that we're okay."

"But we're not okay."

Despite herself, Anna takes a step back. "You can't stay mad at me forever," she says, not even convincing herself.

Elsa shakes her head as something like a grin pulls at the corner of her lips. "I'm not mad at you."

"Then why–"

"Do you like me too?" Elsa asks. "In the same way, I mean."

Anna pauses. This is the easiest question, the one she's been prepared to answer all night. Yet now that the opportunity has presented itself, the words seem to have disappeared– evaporated into thin air like the breath that escapes her lungs. In her addled mind, she tries to come up with something she can say to Elsa…but it's too late.

Elsa pushes herself off of the street lamp and shakes her head. She lets out a breathy laugh as the saddest of smiles appears on her worn-out face. "I told you, Anna. I'm not mad at you."

She starts to walk away. Anna knows if she lets her go, it'll be the biggest mistake she's ever made. Regardless of attraction, Elsa is the best thing that's happened to her in a very long time; to lose her would be like losing a part of herself. The part that made her feel alive again.

But as she reaches out and tries to take that first step, it's as if she's paralyzed. Frozen. Her feet have molded into the concrete of the dirty sidewalk on an unfamiliar road in a strange part of town. "Elsa," she cries out, but it seems to get lost in the mess she's made for herself. In the end, all she can do is watch as Elsa wipes her face with her sleeve, and disappears down a corner leading back to the bar.

When her legs finally get free, Anna walks back to her car. The drive home is made longer by all the red lights she hits.

Chapter Text

Maybe life doesn't have a meaning.

Maybe there is no grand design or a fated story that we piece together every day we open our eyes to a new sunrise. Maybe we've fooled ourselves into believing this so we can pretend there's a purpose to anything we do. And that we're not just slaves to the unrelenting storm of nothingness that was here before us and will be here long after us. Chaos and control are two sides of the same coin, and we like to believe we have any say in which side is which, but we don't.

Everything we do is influenced by a variety of factors completely out of our hands. Our decisions are not our own. So it's a hell of a joke to think of these 'new eras' in our lives as anything more than a chaotic shift in tides that we happened to get swept up in. We spend so much time forcing epiphany after epiphany, and hoping that one of them will finally stick.

That in itself is a chaos we pretend to control.

But here's the thing about that: epiphanies rely on something having an inherent meaning. And if life has no meaning, epiphanies don't exist. So we're left with what life truly is. Life is the hollow hyphen between birth and death, it is entropy masquerading as order, it is the wolf in the shepherd's clothing that guides us to false hopes and dreams. And we fall for it every time.

We dream, we hope, we hurt, we cry, we love, we feel pain, and we inflict pain. And all for what? For the rug to be pulled out from underneath us while life dares us to try again?

What keeps us from just laying on the floor and refusing to play life's game? Nothing. In fact, this is the only time we have any semblance of control. So, maybe it's best to stay down- to let life pass over us as it searches for another hapless sucker who thinks they can outlast the onslaught. Maybe the best thing to do is nothing.

Anna thinks so, at least. As soon as she got home from the disaster at the bar, she threw a year of her life away by texting Kai and saying she quit.

It would be fitting for her to never know a good night's sleep ever again, but the tragic irony is that she's slept like a log every night since. Even though her mind was overtaken by guilt, her body was grateful to not have to wake up at an ungodly hour anymore.

But while her time asleep has been nice and peaceful, her waking hours have been a nightmare. As soon as her eyes open, she's confronted with the harsh reality that she's alone again and it's all her fault– again.

Two weeks passed by without any complications, though that's bound to happen when you don't leave your house, talk to anyone, or do anything. Her phone is a mess of unanswered messages from Meg, Kai, Herc, and Maui all wondering what the heck happened and if she's coming back. Currently, her room is a reflection of how she's feeling: stale, dim, and full of dirty socks and underwear.

Her mom and dad noticed the change immediately. Rather than letting history repeat itself, Anna told them what was wrong as soon as she could get something out that wasn't a guilty sob. It was hard making her predicament make sense without mentioning Elsa, but she did her best, and they seemed to buy her hole-filled story. Or maybe they'd rather focus on helping their daughter feel better than getting all of the details.

Tonight, they're supposed to go out for dinner at this place out of town that her dad describes as 'Cracker Barrel on steroids'. It's their first family outing since Anna's early birthday dinner.

Anna can already assume the conversation starters they have planned up: finding another job, doing her laundry, wondering if she'll now stay home longer. Does she have an answer for any of these? Ha!

Ha…

Even so, she gets out of bed. Not because she's been hit by a sudden wave of motivation, but because she's now out of clean clothes to wear. Even her favorite shirt now smells like sour milk ever since she spilled milk on it three days ago.

The vibrant morning colors coming through the living room windows sting her eyes. As she lumbers around the empty house, the eerie familiarness with her domestic life in the Southern Isles paralyzes her for a moment. She shakes it off, but she can't do anything about the gut-piercing dread from knowing that she's back to where she started.

After stuffing her clothes in the washer without prejudice, she ponders over making a late breakfast or taking a shower. Eventually, she decides to lie on the couch and dissociate. Before she can make it to the living room, however, there's a knock on the door that makes her flinch. Is it Girl Scouts doing an out-of-season cookie run because they heard about this trash bag of a person who could desperately use some cookies? No, it's probably just a delivery guy–

"Ruby? I know you're in there, your car's outside!"

Or, it's…Meg?

There's another knock. "Ruby! Anna! Come on, two weeks is a long enough time to mope."

Okay, well now maybe Anna won't open the door.

…gosh, who is she kidding?

Anna turns the lock as Meg starts knocking for a third time. Thankfully, her former manager stops her fist before it can connect with the air. Or her face. Meg isn't in her work clothes, which means she must have the day off, and her eyes widen as she takes in the sight of an unburdened Anna.

"Goddamn, you look like shit."

Anna's shoulders slump as she speaks the first words in two weeks to someone other than her parents. "Thanks, I totally needed to hear that."

Meg puts her hands up. "I'm just saying, I've never had a girl get me this fucked up before. Like…I'm not even sure how you can see past all the hair over your eyes. Are you sure you're straight?"

Now that she mentions it, the top of the world is much blurrier than it should be. Anna digs her fingers through the front of her hair and slicks it all back, trapping it against her neck as she gives Meg a withering stare. "If you're just here to make fun of me, I'm closing the door."

After a second, Meg sighs and shakes her head. "Alright, fine. I'm sorry. That's not why I'm here."

She drops her hands, causing her hair to explode across her shoulders. "Then why are you here?"

"To figure out what the hell happened, obviously. Or have you not read the last ten texts I sent you?"

"I haven't read anyone's texts," Anna responds. "Also, how did you even find me?"

"Your application. Duh."

"Oh. I thought…" Anna looks down at the seasonal white welcome mat. "Never mind."

"What? Oh." Meg frowns at her, disappointed yet unsurprised. "You thought that Elsa told me where you lived?"

Despite feeling sick to her stomach, a bit of relief fights its way through Anna now that they're addressing the elephant in the room. "Whatever, it's stupid."

It seems like Meg doesn't share the same sentiment, though, as she rolls her eyes. "Look, obviously Elsa isn't saying anything either, so we've all just been making up stories of what happened between you two. Do you want to hear mine or are you going to tell me yourself?"

"Is there a third option where I say nothing and take a nap for the rest of eternity?"

"No."

Well, she's got her there. The looming thought of closing the door and trying to repress this encounter has been above Anna's head this entire time. She's torn between the satisfying thought of letting time pass her by and getting swept away with the dust, and the elation she feels from having Meg's friendly face check up on her. It gives her unnecessary hope that things might actually work out.

So, as she pulls out a worrying amount of hair from her scalp, Anna tells Meg, "How about we talk inside?"

After getting them both a cup of coffee, Anna recounts everything that happened that night. The only detail she leaves out is when Elsa kinda maybe possibly cried as she walked away. It's hard to get the words out at first, even if they're the same ones she told her parents, but by the end she's glad she did.

Still, as Meg takes a sip of her coffee, Anna dreads her response to all of this. "Huh, I guess it was a bad idea to have you two go to the bar that night."

Anna huffs, "Yeah. But it's still my fault that things got so messed up, and I didn't want to hurt Elsa any more than I already did. So, I quit. It's better if she never has to see me again, you know?"

Meg snorts, "Yeah, sure."

"Oh gosh, what happened?"

She takes another sip of coffee, eyeing Anna as if wondering if she'll be able to handle the answer. After setting the mug down, she says, "Elsa's a mess; the Ice Queen's giving everyone frostbite. She's bossier than ever and snaps at the smallest things, and people have stopped giving her the benefit of the doubt because you showed everyone that she's capable of being better. A couple of days ago, she got into a fight with Kai and it was…ugly."

There's an ominous pause as Meg drinks some more. And then…

"Anna, I think they're gonna fire her."

The floor drops underneath Anna as she sinks to a new level of guilt. Even when she's cut herself off from it, she's still ruining Elsa's life.

But how? Elsa had crushes before her and would have more crushes after. "I can't be the reason for this," she says. "I–I'm no one. Elsa and I haven't even known each other that long, there's no way–"

"You aren't 'no one'. Especially to her."

A familiar warmth stirs at the bottom of her heart; it's a feeling she thought would never come back. Memories of the time she and Elsa shared intersperse with the look she saw on her friend's face from their last night together. Sadness mingles with one-sided Tekken matches, desperation dances with shoulder bumps and little laughs, and unseen tears tangle like their fingers on the table from their brunch at Weselton. It's completely unfair.

"I can't just go back, Meg," she says with a weak frown. "I'm still…"

"What? Guilty?"

"Confused."

Meg straightens up and raises an eyebrow, but it doesn't take long for her to realize what Anna means. If she's going to talk to Elsa, she can't say the same things that hurt them both. She needs to be able to answer all the questions Elsa will have.

All of them.

A few seconds later, Meg nods and stands up. "Hurry up and take a shower. You're coming with me."

After a far-too-quick shower and a detour to throw her damp clothes in the dryer, Anna now finds herself gripping her seatbelt as Meg revs down the quiet suburb. She doesn't tell Anna anything about where they're going no matter how many times she asks, all she says is that she might enjoy it.

That does nothing to ease her nerves.

The suburb turns into side streets which inevitably merge into the highway lanes, and suddenly they're passing the barely visible sign that says Now Leaving Arendelle- We hope you enjoyed your stay!

"I knew it," Anna says as she twists around to look at a surprisingly focused Meg. "You're taking me out of town to murder me and bury me in an unmarked grave."

"Hush," Meg replies without taking her eyes off the road. "We'll be there soon, don't worry."

"I wasn't worried. Should I be?"

Meg shrugs. "I've never driven with you before, but you give off major 'car anxiety' vibes."

Yet another wonderful gift from her ex-husband. "I do not. I am completely calm and collected all the time."

"You quit your job because you hurt your best friend's feelings."

"That's not–" Anna falters. "Where…where are we going?"

Meg veers towards an exit, nudging her way in front of multiple cars. "You'll see."

Ten minutes later, she does. they end up at what seems to be a former bowling alley- and not a nice one. The outside walls are a scraped, uninviting shade of brown and the sign has been completely torn off. The silhouette of a couple of bowling pins is the only indicator of this dank, one-story building's former glory. The parking lot lines are almost nonexistent and the asphalt is a major hazard for tires and ankles alike. Right above their car is a street lamp flickering away, not caring that it's almost one in the afternoon.

Yet somehow they're not the only ones here. Tens of dozens of people are pouring through the double doors like there's a clearance sale on bowling shoes. As they pass a heavyset couple on matching motorized scooters, Anna says, "Okay, I'm seeing but I'm still not sure what I'm seeing. Are you in a cult? Did you trick me into going to some new member initiation or something?"

Meg chuckles, "Actually, you're not far off."

Anna's face drops, "What?"

Unfazed, Meg casually rests her arm across Anna's stiff shoulders and explains, "Ruby, I've taken you here to see the weird and wonderful world of professional wrestling."

"...what?"

As they walk through the open double doors, a massive wave of culture shock hits her right in the everything. The redolence of oil, sweat, and alcohol permeates her nostrils as she sees a man with a badly receding hairline haggle over the price of a XXXL t-shirt with a short woman who looks like she's one insult away from jumping across the plastic table and strangling him. It's overwhelming.

Meg, of course, just gives a casual wave to the woman while leading Anna down to a concession stand that's somehow still running. "You hungry? The guys here make a chili dog that surprisingly won't have you shitting yourself in a couple of hours."

Anna looks at her with surprise. "Of course not. I don't want food, I have questions!"

"Fine, I'll tell you what we're really doing here." She takes her arm off Anna's shoulders. "After I get a chili dog."

True to her word, Meg explains what's going on in between bites. They're at the permanent venue of a local wrestling company that burst on the scene about four years ago. They have a small but loyal following, and it's seen some growth recently with the help of a new rising star and the signing of some guy who used to be a big name in an actual professional wrestling company.

"I've been going to shows here for like six months now," Meg says when they enter the curtained-off area that houses the wrestling ring itself. Everyone here is packed like sardines, and it smells like it too. "I thought it was cringy and, honestly, kind of gross at first. But they're actually a lot of fun if you let yourself get into it."

Anna steps closer to Meg when she sees a much older gentleman eyeing her up and down. "So, you just happened to find this place one day and now it's like your home away from home?"

"Ha! No, wrestling has never been my style."

"You literally just bought a shirt that says 'Ring Babe' on it."

"Hey, I back-ordered this," Meg argues. "And whatever, it's the truth. I never would have gone here by myself."

"Then why did–" Anna's interrupted as a grainy rock song blasts through the speakers and a man in an ill-fitting suit enters the ring with a microphone. The crowd roars its approval as the man stretches out his hands to take it all in. He raises the mic to his lips and his voice comes out like a stuffy boom.

"My fellow maniacs, are you ready for more carnage?!"

The small yet mighty crowd lets out an approving roar.

"Are you ready for more VIOLENCE?!"

They get louder, and no one says 'no', of course.

"Well make some fucking noise, because it's time for your main event of the afternoon!"

"Isn't it loud enough already?" Anna asks while politely clapping, though she can't even herself as the fans (fueled by testosterone and light beer) somehow get even louder.

Meg grins and then her lips start moving; Anna thinks she can make out the words "Watch this."

"Your main event is a match for the ages, a knock-down drag-out fight for the Mega Maniac Championship! Introducing the challenger! You know him, you hate him, you wish you were in the ring beating his ass today. He is the sleazy bastard: Vic McManus!"

A slow, bass-thumping hip hop track can barely be heard amongst the chorus of boos as a man with dark, slicked-back hair and a sport coat over his oily body and small, golden trunks struts down the ramp. He's pelted with crumpled paper and greasy wrappers to the ring– Meg even gets in on the fun by throwing an empty bag of chips.

Anna's body thrums from the cacophony, and it leaves her unprepared for the incoming tonal shift. As soon as the music changes to a trumpet fanfare, the fans go from booing to cheering even though no one else has come out yet. The man with the mic speaks up again.

"And introducing the reigning, defending, Mega Maniac Champion…"

The people in the front begin thumping and shaking the guardrails.

"The god chiseled from granite. The fastest rising star in the business…"

A chant breaks out, synchronized with the clapping and banging. Anna thinks she knows what they're saying, but she doesn't believe it. Not until the man finishes his introduction.

"The man, the myth, the living legend: HERCULES!"

Bursting through the curtain is an all-too-familiar face. But instead of a blue shirt and a tight apron, he's now sporting a flowing white skirt with a matching shoulder sash, tied together with a golden title belt around his waist. To Anna, Herc has always been a kindhearted, soft-smiling dork, but this Hercules is someone completely different. He's showing more teeth in his smile and his eyes have this intense excitement to them– it's more than just elevated confidence, it's like he's exactly where he wants to be.

And Meg– cool, sarcastic, Meg– is clapping and hollering louder than anyone else.

The crowd chants "Her! Cu! Les!" for three minutes straight, which is enough to make things far too surreal for Anna. Too unbelievable. But when her old coworker throws his opponent halfway across the ring, she starts to believe.

By the end of the match, she's cheering just as much as everyone else. The sight of Hercules flexing on top of the ropes with his championship held up high is something she'll never forget.

Later, as they're waiting by the bowling alley office turned locker room, Meg explains everything.

Herc has wanted to be a professional wrestler ever since he was a little kid. When he found out that a distant relative on his father's side was a part of the business, he sought him out for training– despite his parents advising against it.

"They gave him an ultimatum: give up his dream or be cut off." Meg gives her a sad smile. "The idiot picked wrestling."

"When did you find out about all this?"

"A year ago, maybe two. I didn't understand why he would want to do something so reckless and risky, he didn't understand why I couldn't just be happy that he found his 'purpose' in life. It…we fought a lot about this."

Suddenly, Anna saw Herc and Meg's 'on again/off again' relationship in a different light. "Do you still fight about it?"

Meg shakes her head, "One day, he finally broke me down and got me to come see one of his matches. Once I saw him in that ring, and the way the crowd just…loved him…I started to understand."

Anna smiles, thinking about the first time Meg's face must have lit up from seeing Hercules in his element. The last time she'd ever felt anything like that– admiring someone for being their genuine self– was when she first played Tekken with Elsa. It's clear now why Meg took her here. "So you're trying to make me realize I made a mistake? That I should have told Elsa I had feelings for her too even though that would be lying?"

A chuckle leaves Meg's lips. "Hey, I'm not gonna deny that you and Elsa would be a cute couple, but your feelings are your own. I just think you overreacted. Badly."

"We didn't have to leave Arendelle for you to tell me that."

"I know. But I wanted to show you what happens when you don't run away when things get tough or when you fuck up. Because when you do…" She gestures to the still closed locker room door. "...you might miss out on where you need to be."

Anna scrunches her face, "So, you're saying I shouldn't have divorced my ex-husband?"

"Eww, no, he was a massive douche. Come on, you know that's not what I'm talking about." Meg sighs and plants a hand on Anna's shoulder. "Just tryand talk to Elsa– and not for the restaurant. I think it's something you both need."

Doubt weighs heavily on Anna as she remembers the last image she has of Elsa. "What makes you think she'd even want to talk to me again?"

Meg smiles, "Anna, if there's one thing I've learned after making things work with Wonder Boy, it's that everyone has that one person they'll always make an exception for. For better or worse."

As if on cue, the locker room door opens and out comes the man of the hour, back in street clothes with a towel around his neck and a duffel bag dangling off his shoulder. Herc's face lights up when he sees Meg, but even more so when he sees who's next to her.

"Ruby!" he exclaims, dropping his duffel bag and enveloping her in a hug that almost takes her off her feet. "Holy moley, it's so good to see you again! I missed you!"

Meg crosses her arms, "You forgetting someone here, champ?"

Anna feels the air return to her body as Herc releases her. He looks sheepishly at his girlfriend, "Ah, come on. I saw you too."

Meg rolls her eyes, "Sure."

Sensing it'll be easier to talk to Anna, Herc turns his attention back to her. "A–Anyway, I know it's only been two weeks but it feels like forever. How have you been? What are you even doing here?"

"Meg kidnapped me and brought me here to…I don't know, teach me a lesson?" Anna shrugs.

"Really?" He turns back to Meg. "So you're okay with people knowing about this now?"

"Herc, you should have seen what a mess she was. I couldn't leave her alone," Meg explains, making it sound like Anna's a puppy she found in an alley. "Besides, I was going to pick you up anyway."

At that, a glint appears in Herc's eyes that Anna saw right before he hit Vic McManus with what she could only describe as a running hug. "How'd you like that new elbow drop? I call it The Pegasus Drop."

"It would have been so much cooler if you didn't pretend to flap your 'wings' before hitting it."

"Aww, but that's the cool part!" Herc chuckles and then claps his hands together. "Well hey, how about we catch up, huh? Are you guys hungry? Because I'm starving."

Despite being asked, the decision is made for them as he races toward the car, talking about burritos. He makes it two steps out the doors before getting bombarded by fans.

A couple of days later, Anna made the shameful call to Meg to tell her that she was right and that she wanted to come by to talk to Elsa.

Going to Meg's place would feel too much like an intervention, and showing up to Elsa's apartment uninvited would most likely freak her out. It had to be at the restaurant, it's open and public so Elsa could have an excuse to walk in case things got bad again. Meg promised not to tell anyone, and if word somehow did get out, she promised no one would make a big deal out of it.

She also mentioned that Kai hadn't found a new waitress yet.

Armed with more knowledge than she needed, Anna cleaned herself (and her room) up, slipped into her comfiest going-out clothes, and poured herself some coffee for some added liquid courage. All was going great, but then came a knock on her front door.

Something about the knock felt…wrong. It was quick, hollow, and a bit too assertive. Anna walked to the door anyway, curiosity getting the better of her, only to become petrified at the sight waiting for her.

Hans, on the other hand, simply smiles and says, "My darling, Anna. It's so good to see you again."

Chapter Text

Anna's always been a sucker for pet names. Growing up, she gravitated towards rom-coms and romance novels, and every time the man would call their woman 'babe', 'sweetheart', or even 'babygirl', she would feel a warm tingle from her stomach to her toes. When she and her friends went to see their favorite boy band in concert., her favorite member winked at her and sang the word 'darling', and she almost fainted on the spot.

When she told Hans about it, he teased her at first, and then the day came when he said 'darling' intentionally. Anna was putty in his hands from then on. Whether it was to calm her down in an argument, fluster her in public, or get her to agree to certain things, all he needed to do was let that accursed word slip past his venom-soaked lips.

But this time, 'darling' doesn't have the desired effect. This time it petrifies her– nails her feet to the ground and welds her hand to the doorknob. This time it makes her spine freeze and her lungs compress.

And as much as she wishes that would deter Hans, it doesn't. He lets out an exaggerated sigh, "Shame. After the effort it took to extend that olive branch a few months ago."

Olive branch? Is that what he calls sending back her stuff with a shitty, self-indulging letter?

He holds his hands out, palms up. "Don't get too excited, I didn't bring anything else with me, This time, I've come here to talk."

Somehow, Anna is able to pull herself out of the pit that appeared when she saw Hans, and she breathes out a response. "Talk? Talk about what?"

Hans chuckles; somewhere an angel loses its wings. "I knew you didn't read the letter." He sighs. "Anna, I'm here to take you home."

...what?

Anna grips the door knob so tight, she wouldn't be surprised if there's an indent of her fingers. "Hans…" Uttering his name almost makes her gag. "We're divorced. I divorced you."

"And I'm very grateful that you did."

…what?!

This has to be some kind of sick joke. She can still vividly remember the day she placed the papers in front of him, the deep hole in their kitchen wall when he threw a chair at it, and the very real feeling that she might die.

Hans told her she was ruining his life. He said she would never forgive her. He cried, pawed at her with needy hands, and tried to convince her that she was nothing without him.

How could that ever turn into gratitude?

"When you left, I finally took a good, hard look at myself in the mirror and I realized that…I didn't like what I saw." He puts a hand on where his heart is supposed to be. "I took a few months to get away from everything– do some soul-searching– and answer some questions about who I am. And once I finally felt ready, I knew it was time to make amends and I was excited! Because I knew where to start."

His eyes meet hers and his smile curdles into something that's supposed to be comforting. Instead, it makes Anna feel like a thousand spiders are crawling down her back.

"Come home with me. Let's be a family again and do things right this time."

A family. A family. Did he even know what that word meant? In a different life and with the ideal Hans, a family might have been something to discuss. But she knew what lay underneath that smile, the seedy underbelly of his soul. She really should tell him to leave and never come back.

But…she can't.

Despite her attempts to be free from him, a year hasn't been enough time to get all of the hooks out of her. And it's his presence, his rich, persuasive tone, and his weaponized use of 'darling' that compounds into another assertive tug from those barbs. She fears there's only one way to get rid of him for good.

"This is something you…really want to talk about?" she asks.

"More than you could know," he replies.

Tentatively, she lets go of the doorknob, feeling the blood prickling back into her fingers. "O–Okay. But not here. We'll talk in a public place, and if I decide to leave, then that's it."

Maybe it's the morning light shining in just the right spots, but Hans seems to hesitate for the first time in this encounter. It doesn't last, however, and he stands up straighter before declaring, "I'll follow your lead."

Anna nods, "Give me a minute to get ready." She closes the door before he can answer. Not even a second later, she's sliding down onto the floor, clutching her hands close to her pounding heart, and wondering if she's made the second-worst decision of her life.

Anna:  Hey something came up. I'll be at Olaf's later.
Meg:  What? You okay?
Anna:  Just need to take care of something
Anna:  Sorry
Anna:  Talk to you later
Meg:  Ruby
Meg:  Anna
Meg:  Omg alright just please don't be doing anything stupid

The location of their talk needed to check off three major requirements.

First, it needed to be somewhere that would guarantee a steady flow of people (i.e. witnesses) so that they were never truly alone. Second, it needed to be a place where she didn't have too many fond memories, that way it being tainted by Hans wouldn't have too much of an effect on her daily life. And third, it needed to have coffee– there was no way she was going to have this conversation decaffeinated.

Ginny's is the only place in Arendelle that fits all those requirements.

As Hans undoes the cuffs on his shirt and flicks away a breadcrumb, Anna can't help but snicker. When they were in the Southern Isles, they were constantly going to cafes, nice restaurants, and schmoozy bars. He's always been uncomfortable in places meant to comfort.

"You, ah, you certainly do know how to pick 'em," he says with a laugh.

"Ginny's is my favorite place in Arendelle," she says. To be honest, it used to always be too crowded, so she learned how to distance herself from the hype. She still loves their pancakes, though, and she ordered those as soon as they sat down.

Hans ordered a chocolate croissant, but insisted on calling it a 'pain au chocolat'.

Now that the initial shock of seeing him has worn down, Anna can admit there is something different about him. There's a certain way he used to carry himself- like he was dead set on being taken seriously in any situation. Now he seems more relaxed, he smiles like he's more confident and sure of himself. It's still disarming, sure, but not in the way it used to be. The tired circles under his eyes are also gone, and his frown lines are less intense.

Anna's still not sure what to feel about him, but at least she feels like she can talk to this Hans.

"I guess we should get started on this talk, right?" he asks. "Fate willing, we'll be done before our food gets here."

Anna, finding that she somewhat agrees with him, heads straight to the heart of the matter. "Hans, why are you doing this?"

He looks at her as if they're having the same conversation for the tenth time. "You were my wife, Anna. My everything. Why wouldn't I try getting back the woman I loved for almost five years?"

Now, it's her turn to look confused. "Did you just…forget what you did to me during those years?"

Hans goes to say something but pauses, and he straightens up in his chair. "I didn't forget," he says. "I could never forget." He emphasizes each word, drawing out of them a sincerity Anna didn't know he was capable of.

The sheer mention of the pain Hans caused her makes those years flash through her mind like a shuffling of pictures; through his eyes, she can see a bronze-tinted version of the same thing.

Hans brushes his hair back and looks up at the ceiling, "I told you, I've been taking a long, hard look at myself. I'm fixing what needs to be fixed. What can I do to prove that things will be different this time around?"

Anna looks around while trying to find a way to answer such a loaded question. Amidst the clinking of plates and glasses are white noise conversations from people in less compromising situations. In the back is a single mom trying to get her two kids to eat their eggs and stop pouring syrup on each other. At one of the solo tables is a man with his laptop out and a half-drunken latte trying and failing to stay awake. Next to them is a couple where the woman is smiling the same way Anna once did.

Things used to be so simple. Hans used to be the guy she'd spend hours laying on the quad with, talking about the past and making playful jabs at the future. What she wouldn't give to be able to look at him and not see where the years have corroded away the shine.

Well…who says she has to give anything? Who's to say that how she wants to see things isn't the way they actually are? Hans could have changed, that's not out of the realm of possibilities. And besides, hasn't she been using this time away to learn how to trust people again?

Gosh, he does look like he's willing to do anything for her.

"Could you stop the last five years from happening?" she says with a hollow chuckle.

He laughs too but it sounds more like a reaction than a conscious decision. "Anna, I'd build a time machine for you in a heartbeat."

A familiar squeeze on her heart makes Anna's eyes close. There's no need for a time machine when words like that can take her back so easily. Hans's ability to say exactly what she wants to hear is a big reason she fell for him in the first place. And it's what kept her ignorant for so long; why risk perfection by looking for red flags?

"This is real?" She didn't mean to make that sound like a question.

"Come with me, darling, and you'll see."

And suddenly, it happens. Hans reaches across the table, grasping for the hand that Anna left unattended. The last time they touched, it was a cause for pain. This time, as his fingers land on hers, it's for…what? Forgiveness? Redemption? Ease?

Whatever the purpose, it's enough. Anna is no longer the twenty-six-year-old question mark of a person who failed to even keep a waitressing job. Now, once again, she's the doe-eyed college freshman ready to become anyone and anything with the perfect guy on her side.

Maybe she needed this year to also look in the mirror and iron out her own wrinkles, dull her own edges. She wasn't the perfect wife by any means; and if she thinks she deserved better, then Hans did too. Maybe this time they could make things work.

Besides, what's really keeping her here in Arendelle? Her parents will be on her side no matter where she goes, so that won't change. Kristoff's already gone, Maui will find a new waitress to tease and see as his 'little sister', and Herc and Meg will always have each other.

And Elsa…

She'll never ask for forgiveness, but that's not so bad, right? Elsa's a strong woman; stronger than she'll ever be. It'll be easy enough to forget the lunches by her car, the one-sided Tekken fights, the stupid texts Anna would send her at 9 PM.

The softness of her hugs when it was just the two of them. The way Elsa would always tell her what she needed to hear, and not what she wanted. The long, contemplative looks where there was no doubt that Anna was the only thing on her mind. The warmth she only felt when she was with her…even now.

Anna pulls her hand away, shaking her head fiercely. "No. No, this isn't right."

Hans is still smiling, but it's clear he doesn't know why. "Darling, what's wrong?"

Darling. Already that word was losing its luster. "I'm not going anywhere with you, Hans," she replies. "I…this never should have happened in the first place. You need to go."

"I–I don't understand. We were so close, Anna. So close. We can be like that again." His hand reaches for hers again.

She places it on her lap and sharply inhales, looking away from Hans. "We can't. It's just too dangerous, I don't know if I can trust you."

"How can you say that? You haven't even given me a chance yet."

Their conversation has gotten the attention of one of the waitresses. As they casually make their way over, Anna waves her off from under the table. This is her mess, and she's not going to let someone else clean it up. "Hans, every day I stayed with you was another chance for you to change."

"How was I supposed to know that? You wouldn't tell me anything."

"And I should have. But I…" Anna pauses. "Wait. No. This isn't about me."

"Yeah, it's about us. A relationship requires two people. If you would have just talked to me, then none of this would have happened."

Anna feels a sharp pain in her mind and a harsh tingle along her back, as if something's been pulled out of her that's been there for far too long. Through the slightest rise in Hans's voice, she knows well enough that the change he's so proud of always had a time limit. And it's just run out.

"Hans, I wasn't your therapist. I was your wife. If I spent time bringing up all the things you were doing wrong…well, I would have been just like you."

Hans's jaw clenches so hard that she's afraid it will shatter. "How dare you? I've changed for you. For us. You don't know who I am anymore."

"I know enough," she says, knowing that with each word she speaks makes the incoming wave that much bigger– that much stronger. Planting her feet, she continues. "I know you only use 'pet names' when you want something from me. I know that your saying you've changed is either a lie or you've deluded yourself into believing your own hype. And I know that, no matter how many times you said it, you never loved me like I tried to love you."

The wave hits her with a literal bang as Hans's fists hit the table. "Shut up!" he says before shooting up from the table and hitting her with words punctuated by the pointing of a self-righteous finger.

"Shut up, you ungrateful, know-it-all bitch! I have tried to play nice with you, but it's the same as it's always been. You embarrass me, you make me out to be the bad guy, and you forget that your life meant nothing before you met me!"

Thirty minutes. From the time she opened her front door to now, it only took thirty minutes.

Before, Anna would shrink into herself and wait for the screaming to stop– only walking away when he started throwing things. But there's something in his tone that is so…familiar. The harsh, spitting, loudness for the sake of being loud that she's been on the receiving end of from garbled drunks, entitled woo girls, and, ugh, Stephen. And when she realizes how similar an experience this is, the bullets start bouncing off of her.

Because while Hans hasn't changed, Anna definitely has. She's learned how to deal with hotheads like her ex-husband. She's had people like her parents and coworkers to remind her that the worst of her pales in comparison to her best. And she had Elsa– sweet, selfless, delightfully awkward Elsa– to show that after everything, someone is still willing to put her first. And she's willing to do the same.

Shit, that's what Meg meant…

Knowing all this, becoming the person she wanted to be after so long, means that Hans doesn't stand a chance. Before he can continue his tired outburst, Anna stands up as well and does something she should have done a long time ago.

She slaps him in the face.

It feels like not just Ginny's, but all of Arendelle goes silent as the sound reverberates across the brick walls. The slap was meant to just be a simple hit so that he could get a hold of himself, but after all she'd been through, she must have put too much strength in her swing. When her hand connected with his face, she felt his teeth press against her fingertips and he recoiled so hard he almost tripped onto the adjacent table.

There are gasps, there are laughs, and the two syrupy kids actually start clapping and ask her to do it again. But Anna doesn't do it again. Instead, she forces herself to get her composure back quickly, look Hans dead in his wild, twitching eyes, and say what she needs to.

"I hate you. I hate everything about you and I'll hate whatever you become. You took years of my life away and I refuse to let you take any more. You are a spineless, lonely psychopath whose only redeeming quality is the money you mooch off your parents."

As cheesy as it sounds, that gets her a couple of Ooh's. With such a captive audience, she'll be too embarrassed to go back to Ginny's for at least a couple of years.

"Just leave, Hans. It's over."

Hans glares at her with gritted teeth and a hand over his cheek. As his breathing picks up, Anna's not sure whether he's about to have another outburst or start crying like a child throwing a tantrum. But instead, with whatever dignity he has left, he storms out of Ginny's, kicking a trash can on his way out.

When the wildfire subsides, Anna wants nothing more than to collapse back in her chair and take a breath. But there's no way she can stay here without everyone looking at her. Besides, she still has something important to do.

Without hesitation, Anna walks out of the restaurant and starts sprinting down the road. Leaving her pancakes unattended.

"What the hell?! You're not leaving!"

"Yes, I am. I've already put in my two weeks with Kai."

"No, that's– ugh, that's not what I meant." Meg runs her palm across her face. "Look I know things have been really shitty lately, but that doesn't mean things won't get better."

Elsa raises an eyebrow. She was already confused as to why Meg came up to her during her lunch break, and now she's even more so. "What are you talking about? This decision has nothing to do with feelings."

Meg huffs, crossing her arms just like her seemingly stoic companion. "You really expect me to believe that?"

Elsa shrugs, looking off in the distance. "I don't care what you believe."

"You can't even look me in the eyes and say that."

She looks her in the eyes, repeating those words slower and with more edge.

Unfazed, Meg scoffs and stops directly in front of Elsa. "God you're impossible, you know that? Why can't you just admit that this is about Anna?"

If Elsa's fingers could bend metal, they would have mangled and curled up the hood of her car. You would think after ten days that she would learn to function normally from hearing her name. But it's like a flare has been lit in the pit of her stomach and now it's rolling near thousands of tangled sticks of dynamite.

No one needs to know that, though. No one needs to know anything. Her reasons for leaving are her own, and all she needs to do is tell Meg that. So, she does.

Except nothing comes out of her mouth. She tries again, only to be met with more agonizing silence. And again. And again. She stops after this, trying to save whatever dignity she has left. The way she cringes at herself must seem like a pained frown, though, because Meg looks taken aback.

"Whoa, alright, touchier subject than I thought it would be." She puts her hands on her hips, staring at the restaurant just thirty feet away. "Look, I…whatever happened between you two was probably really shitty. But you can't–"

"Stop...stop."

"What? Why?"

Elsa shuts her eyes tightly, trying to ignore the visions that come with it. The last thing she needs to do right now is be pitied. "Stop trying to understand me. And stop trying to talk to me like we're friends or something."

"Bitch." Meg throws her hands up in disbelief, pacing around and muttering things to herself. Suddenly, she stops in front of Elsa and shakes her head. "You might not think we're friends, but– fuck it, I'll say it– I…" She rolls her eyes. "I appreciate your company. Even though we've never had a real one-on-one conversation until now, I feel like you're one of the few people I can actually vibe with. If you and Anna leave, I'm calling it quits too. And then Herc will, and Maui, and the whole restaurant's gonna go under."

Elsa scuffs her shoes against the asphalt. Truth be told, she feels the same way about Meg. But thinking about that– along with everything else– is too much too soon. She grits her teeth, trying to ignore the sparks getting closer and closer to the wick. "Are you really asking me to care about Olaf's after telling you I'm quitting?"

"I'm not asking you to care about Olaf's, or even about any of us. I'm asking you to…I don't know, care about yourself? You can't just run away when one thing goes wrong."

Elsa gets up and tries to get back into the kitchen, but Meg steps in front of her. "Get out of my way."

"No!"

Scowling, she pushes past Meg, who doesn't let her go so easily. She tugs on Elsa's wrist, turning her away from the restaurant. And that's what it takes for the spark to finally light.

"I don't know what to say, okay? I made a mistake, I–I fucked up." Elsa takes a breath. "And I wish I could say I don't know how I feel, but I do. I'm embarrassed and ashamed, and I'm trying not to feel any of those things but it's really difficult because everything– everything– reminds me of her. And I want to stop thinking of her, but I can't because I still wish she felt the same way about me. So, the only way for me to stop feeling like this is to leave."

For anyone else, getting something like this off their chest would feel liberating. But for Elsa, she just feels sick to her stomach. It's too much too fast, like learning to swim in the white water rapids. The last time she blew up like this was with her dad and that made her throw up.

Unlike with her dad, though, Elsa's met with silence and Meg staring at her with wide eyes. It's not comforting in the slightest, so she asks to fill the void: "Is that good enough for you?"

"I mean, that's a start. But maybe you should tell her that, not me."

Meg points behind her, and Elsa tentatively turns around. And she's right there, the woman she can't seem to let go of, sweating and breathing heavily for some reason. Seeing her, being so close to her again, stirs up a whole mess of feelings as she expected. But there's one that wins out above all of them.

"Fucking finally." Leaving the situation, Meg pats Anna on the shoulder and says, "Talk some sense into her, please?"

They soon find themselves all alone in the quietest parking lot in the world. Elsa wasn't foolish enough to think that she'd ever see Anna again, but she was enough of a fool to hope. Thoughts of her (former?) friend's return plagued her dreams as much as the memory of her silent rejection at the bar. She expected some awkward, stop-start conversation that would make or break them.

What she didn't expect was for an increasingly confident Anna to walk right up to her, take her hand, and take the lead.

"Don't say anything until I say what I need to, okay?"

Tight-lipped and secretly relieved, Elsa nods.

Anna takes a breath. And then another, much longer one. "I'm sorry for leaving things the way I did at the bar and for letting things get that messed up in the first place. The truth is that I was scared; which, yeah I know is such an original excuse. But the reason I was scared was…because I didn't think I could give you everything you deserve. And Elsa, I mean this, you deserve the best. You deserve someone who will be there for you as much as you've been there for me. You deserve someone who will put you first even when you don't want to. You deserve compassion and tenderness and love. So much love! I–I still don't know if I can be that person…"

Here it comes. Elsa braces herself for another round of heartbreak just as Anna's hands trail up to her shoulders.

"...but I know that I really want to try."

It takes a second for Elsa to even process what Anna's just said, but when she does, a weight she never even knew was there falls off her. Were it not for Anna's hands, she might just float away.

She's not sure what happened during the ten days Anna was gone, but she'll ask later. They'll talk about a lot of things later. Right now, though, there's only one thing she wants to do. Something she never expected she'd be able to do.

Elsa takes a breath of her own, a smile escaping as she does. And before she can wake up from this dream, she pulls Anna close and kisses her. There's a yelp of surprise at first, but when the world settles and the dream doesn't end, Anna's arms fall across Elsa's shoulders.

And she begins to kiss her back.

Chapter Text

Anna's first kiss was textbook. She was thirteen years old and it was with a boy named James McKnight. Her friends teasingly called him her 'Knight in Shining Armor' because he pulled her out of the way of a speeding car once. It was at their eighth-grade dance during the chorus of Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran. It was quick and clunky, because they both had braces, and disastrously wet. After all, the gym was hot and Anna was far too conscious of her lip sweat.

Anna's first kiss with Hans was prophetic. They were coming back to campus after their first date. It was at an Italian restaurant that neither of them should have been able to afford- she had the shrimp scampi, he had a pasta dish he couldn't pronounce. They were in front of Anna's dorm room, and he leaned in to initiate while she was mid-sentence. It was strong and needy– a result of the broiling tension since they first met.

Anna's first kiss with Elsa is a revelation. She isn't caught off guard like with Hans, and she doesn't feel that prom night level of self-consciousness. Though she does, of course, feel far too vulnerable after baring her soul. But when Elsa's fingers land on her waist and she sees that smile she's always wanted to see, Anna knows she's made the right choice.

They come together and it is an overload of experiences. Elsa's thumbs press against her shirt like anchors weighing her down; Elsa's lips taste like the peppermint gum she chews when she's slicing onions; Elsa's breath tickles her cheek which makes her smile into the kiss, and Elsa…

Elsa.

Elsa is treating her like this delicate flower whose petals might wither if she moves the wrong way; it's the first time Anna's ever been treated this way. She places her arms across this rapturous woman to steady herself. Part of her wants to cry, part of her wants to laugh, and yet another part of her wants Elsa to kiss her harder.

The kiss ends before any part of her wins out. Elsa pulls back and one last crackle of lightning travels through Anna's entire body.

"Sorry," Elsa says, tilting her head down.

Panic hits Anna and almost makes her pull back even more. "For what?"

Elsa shakes her head, "I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have kissed you without asking."

Even now, she's still looking out for her. Anna chuckles and sighs, "Do you hear me complaining?"

Elsa's gaze flicks up at her, lingering on her lips for the longest second before she looks elsewhere. "I guess not."

Anna smiles, pressing their foreheads together and letting her eyes flutter closed. She could stay in this moment forever and would never know when an eternity had passed. She had known love, and she had known happiness, but this is the first time she could truly say she felt both at the same time.

Though, she can't say that to Elsa. Not yet. This thing between them is far too new and uncharted for her to make such declarations. Instead, she asks, "Should we tell anyone?"

"That was amazing!"

On instinct, they both step back and turn towards the voice that's interrupted their moment. Standing by the back door of the kitchen are Maui with his fists raised and Meg, shaking her head with the proudest grin on her face.

Elsa sighs, "I don't think we have a choice."

Anna didn't realize how much she missed Double Tap until she pulled into the parking lot that evening. Her usual parking spot stood empty, serving as another reminder of the life she'd left behind. And Elsa's car sat on the right side, reminding her of the life still waiting for her.

The musky scent of peanuts, alcohol, and cigarettes may as well have been the aroma of a pie on a windowsill with how Anna smiles and takes it all in. Two unfamiliar men are huddled by the finally-fixed NBA Jam machine, looking like they're going to jump out of their shoes at any moment. As she makes her way to the bar, she's surprised as the bartender greets her with a nod and a "Welcome back!"

"Thanks, it's good to…" She trails off once she sees that his attention has returned to his previous conversation.

Before she can get too upset, though, she sees Elsa and all is right in the world again. Elsa straightens up and lifts her head as Anna gets closer to her booth (their booth?), and they give each other polite waves at the same time. Though they'd seen each other a few short hours ago, it still feels like it's been too long.

Anna slides into the booth, opposite of Elsa, and says, "Hey."

Elsa looks at her and replies, "Hey."

She can't even remember the last time they started a conversation with "Hey." It's not how she wanted to start it, but the second she sat down and Elsa smiled at her again, her entire mental factory shut down.

And maybe she sees this because Elsa takes the next step for them. "So, how did your talk with Kai go?"

"Just like you said it would," Anna says, grateful for the assist. "I didn't even finish asking for my job back before he gave it to me."

Elsa nods, "He's been saying how hard it's been trying to find a replacement, so it was probably a relief that you came back."

Anna tries to smile but she can't. "I find that really hard to believe, anyone off the street could be a waitress. I should know." She laughs to soften the self-inflicted blow.

"It's not because of that. He could hire a hundred waitresses and none of them would last more than a week. You're irreplaceable, Anna, it's that simple."

No, it's not. But that's Elsa's superpower, isn't it? She can make anything sound so simple, so easy to say. Sometimes it's frustrating, sometimes it's impressive. Right now, though, it's making Anna's heart flip-flop inside her chest and her cheek muscles hurt from suppressing the biggest smile. "Sheesh Elsa, learn to take a joke," she mumbles while looking away from her puzzled expression.

"You didn't sound like you were joking; neither was I."

Dear god is her face hot right now. "Elsa, if you keep talking like that, I swear I'm going to explode."

Elsa's eyebrows raise a little before she looks down at her bottle, shrinking into herself in a way. "Sorry. I think."

It's still rare seeing Elsa this vulnerable, but they're becoming more common; Anna's still getting used to them, and she wonders if it's the same for Elsa. Not wanting to push her too much, Anna pulls back. "No, you shouldn't be sorry. It's just…" She runs her hands through her hair. "Gah, I can't believe I never realized how much you do to me until now."

Elsa takes a peek at her companion. "Is that a good thing?"

"Very," Anna replies with a wistful smile, and she realizes they've reached an organic enough transition. "But that's what we're here to talk about, right?"

"Right." Elsa leans forward, elbows resting on the table.

"Right." Anna pauses. When they agreed to talk after Elsa's shift about this new change in their relationship, she hoped to have the words ready before then. So much for that. "Uh, would you believe me if I said I've never had this conversation before?"

"I have." When she sees Anna's interest is piqued, Elsa continues, looking up as if trying to pick the pieces of the memory out of the air. "Her name was Audrey, she was one of my classmates in college. We had this friendly academic rivalry going on– at least, that's what she called it, I was too desperate to stay number one to think anything of us at first. At some point, though, we became more friends than rivals, and we'd start studying at each other's dorms and pairing up for projects and all that. Then one day, we were on my bed studying for a test, and she…leaned over and tried to kiss me."

Anna shifts in her booth, not realizing how much it would affect her to hear about someone else kissing Elsa. "Oh?" she says in too high of a pitch.

"That's when I realized that she considered me more than just a rival, and definitely more than a friend."

"How, uh, how did you feel?"

Elsa shrugs, "I had too much going on, too much at stake, to think about romance back then. But that attempted kiss was a bit of a wake-up call. I apologized for the rejection, she apologized for 'jumping me', and we agreed to talk things out. The next day, she laid it all out: when her feelings started, what she liked about me, and what she expected out of a relationship. I'm not going to lie, it was the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for me."

At that, Anna couldn't contain the pout that formed on her lips.

"Was." Elsa slid her hand across the table to squeeze Anna's loosely-formed fist. "Was."

A weird noise rumbles out of Anna's throat. She looks down at Elsa's hand on hers and relaxes her grip. "So, what happened next?"

"We dated for three months and then broke up."

"What? Really?" Elsa says it in such a matter-of-fact way, like she's talking about leaving a part-time job or donating a jacket that's been collecting dust in the dark side of her closet. Anna searches her face for– what, regret? But it's clear that Elsa's moved on from it, and if there's more to this story, then Elsa will say so.

Proving that point, Elsa adds, "The experience gap was too wide. She had expectations about where we should have been in our relationship by then, and I'd never dated anyone before her. In the end, she didn't want to wait until I was ready to take things to the next level."

Before she can think about it, Anna is asking, "Do you feel ready now?"

Elsa's eyes widen for a fraction of a second before she tilts her head and looks at her like she's been asked to solve a complex math equation. "I…think we might have different definitions about what the 'next level' is."

"I think so too." Anna bites her lip and sinks into her seat, tilting her head back. "I'm so sorry, Elsa, clearly I suck at this."

"Hey."

Suddenly, there's a new sensation. Elsa's hand, which is still resting on top of Anna's, squeezes just the slightest bit. A quick beat, a pulse, a gentle nudge. Anna's hand instinctively opens, palm facing up, and her head lolls back down. The way that Elsa's looking at her now– as if she's a newborn deer lost in the woods– is an important reminder to Anna that she is in the most capable hands.

"Hey," Elsa repeats, softer this time. "Let's start there, let's define what we are. After that, we can talk about everything else."

She makes it sound so simple. So much so that Anna starts believing it can be. After squeezing Elsa's hand back, Anna gives her the smallest of nods, and their real talk begins.

After two beers (and a soda for Anna), they came to the conclusion that it was too soon to put a label on their relationship just yet. However, they did affirm their feelings for each other. Elsa admitted she'd "noticed" Anna since her first day on the job, and Anna was starting to realize just how much Elsa had always been on her mind too.

"And you're sure that what you feel for me is attraction and not just misplaced admiration?" Elsa asks her.

"First of all, I do admire you. Very much." Anna giggles, now sitting next to Elsa instead of in front of her. "And second of all, remember when you got all dolled up before we went to brunch? Yeah, I still think about that."

Elsa snorts, "All I did was change my shirt."

"It was a button-down with the top buttons unbuttoned! That's a very attractive look on anyone."

"Well…I'm glad you liked it." Elsa downs the rest of her second beer, her cheeks now a conspicuous shade of pink.

As the lingering anxiety fades, and the heaviness of their conversation lightens up, they start feeling more like themselves. Elsa throws playful jabs at Anna's isolation period ("I was upset too, but at least I still showed up to work."); Anna fires back with banter of her own ("You're just jealous that I found a way to get two weeks off.")

In a way, it feels like everything and nothing has changed. Despite everything, they remained Elsa and Anna: the strangest of friends, now the unlikeliest of couples. And though this raises some heavy questions for Anna about her sexuality, she's comforted, once again, by the pragmatism of the woman still holding her hand.

"I like you, and you like me. And if that's the only thing we know for certain, then that's all we should focus on right now," Elsa says, tapping her thumb lightly against the side of Anna's palm.

Anna chuckles, "I wish I could make everything sound as easy as you do."

"Easy?" Elsa shakes her head and squeezes her hand again, a breath escapes her quicker than either of them suspect. She turns to Anna, seemingly looking right through her, and says in a more hushed tone: "Nothing about this is easy."

And it's a testament to how much they know each other that Anna realizes what she needs to do right away. She presses their foreheads together, watching Elsa's eyes flutter shut, and responds with the same softness.

"You're a really good kisser."

As she expects, Elsa pulls away, staring her down as her mouth opens and closes in a nearly hopeless attempt to figure out what to say. Finally, she's able to stammer out, "Excuse me?"

Anna's smile is wide, she can barely contain her laughter. "Hey, I'm just being honest."

"I– what does…why would–"

"Oh my, is the great Elsa Ostrem at a loss for words?" Anna lets out an exaggerated gasp, placing a hand on top of her chest. "Shocking!"

A frown crosses Elsa's face as she realizes that Anna is teasing her. She pulls her hand away, takes a sip of her beer, and crosses her arms while looking away.

At that, Anna lets out a laugh. "Oh come on. How many times has anyone caught you off guard, huh? Please let me have this?"

Elsa gives her a quick glance before turning her gaze back to the empty booth. She purses her lips, words cultivating right behind them. And then she sighs before saying, as quietly as before, "Anna, you don't know how many times…you've caught me off guard."

Butterflies.

Butterflies and chills.

That's what Anna feels broiling in her stomach and traveling up her spine when Elsa, in turn, catches her off guard for a millionth time. Another feeling overcomes her, one she'd felt earlier in this long, crazy day. Scooting closer to Elsa, she places a hand on her shoulder to get her attention.

When those gleaming blue eyes catch hers, she leans in and follows Elsa's example from the parking lot. Her lips still taste like peppermint, though the traces of alcohol threaten to make them intoxicating. This time, after they part, that broiling feeling doesn't go away– in fact, it might even be stronger. Through some newfound instinct, Anna goes for another kiss, but Elsa pulls away, clearing her throat.

Guilt hits Anna on the side of the head– did she do something wrong? Has Elsa decided after two kisses that it's over?

"I'm not…" Elsa shakes her head, quickly glancing behind them before lowering her gaze altogether. "Public displays of affection aren't a habit of mine."

"Oh." Anna bites her lip and gives Elsa some more space. "Sorry. I–I wasn't thinking."

"Don't be. I kissed you back." Elsa takes her hand again, which was resting on her lap. "And…you're a good kisser too."

"Better than you?"

"What?"

"Nothing. I'm just...head's spinny. But in a good way." Anna chuckles as she rubs her cheeks in a subtle attempt to hide her blushing. Desperate to change the subject now, she says the first thing that comes to mind. "We should go out."

Elsa's eyes widen, making Anna think she should have said the second thing on her mind instead.

"N–Not right now, obviously. When we're both ready and when we're free. I don't know, I think it'd be nice to officially spend time together as a couple. Without any pretext or whatever."

"Without any pretext," Elsa repeats as if she's trying to make those words sound like words.

"Or…whatever." This isn't how she expected to ask Elsa out on a date; though, she never expected to ask Elsa out at all until today. It shouldn't have been spontaneous, it should have been planned out with a whole slide presentation full of bullet points, arguments, and visual aids.

But, as it turns out, there's no need for any of that. Either Anna's successfully worn her down or she's more charming than she thinks she is.

"Yes. Let's go out on a date."

Anna blinks, "Really?"

"Of course. It's the best way we can learn about each other. And besides, I'm not going to say no to spending more time with you." Gosh, Elsa really does have such a way with words. "I'm not sure where to start, though. I've never planned a date before."

"Me neither." Anna turns around, back sinking into the booth as she lets out a deep exhale. She looks around the bar, wondering if there's anything here will help them out. And then, inspiration comes from the presence of an old friend. "I think I know what can help us."

Before Elsa can ask what she means, Anna is sliding out of the booth, hand still in hers, and taking them to play a productive game of Tekken.

Anna smooths out the front of her shirt for the hundredth time, eyeing her outfit warily in the hopes that she'll finally consider it perfect for tonight.

It's been two weeks since they planned out their first date, and as simple as their idea ended up becoming, she still finds herself overthinking every step of it now that the night has arrived. Did she put on too much makeup? Should she have worn pants instead of a skirt? Is her shirt too dark? What if Elsa ditches her and goes to Canada to elope with Honeymaren?!

She sighs and her shoulders fall forward. Pressing her forehead to the window, she mutters, "What am I doing?"

As much as she hates comparing Elsa to Hans in any way, she can't help but remember that the last time she was this nervous was on her first date with the douchehole. She thinks that has to be a good sign, but the thought does nothing to ease the sweatiness of her palms.

And her armpits.

And her lower back.

And now the mirror is sweaty too.

Her phone vibrates by the sink and Anna snatches it up, reading the text with wild eyes.

Elsa 😊:  I'm here.

"What?! You're early!" Anna hisses. She checks the time and yelps. "Oh crap, I'm late!"

She bursts out of the bathroom and storms down the stairs, still wondering if she has time to change into jeans. Her freshly cut hair bobs and tickles the tops of her shoulders. She wipes the beads of sweat off her forehead, getting a whiff of her new lotion– what if Elsa doesn't like the smell of honeydew?

From the kitchen, she hears her mom shout, "Are you heading out, sweetheart?"

"Yeah!" Anna reaches the bottom of the stairs and quickly slips on her shoes. Walking shoes, just like they planned.

"Are you sure we can't meet them?" her mom asks.

"We made a deal, mom."

"Yeah yeah. Not until the third date."

"Thank you." She opens the front door and leaves while promising to be back before midnight probably hopefully maybe. Parked by the curb is a car she's grateful to see. Its driver leans against the door looking fantastic in jeans and a memorable button-down shirt.

Anna walks toward her, tucking her hair back desperately. "Sorry sorry, I know you said you'd be here by seven, but I got…I was busy."

Elsa doesn't even look the least bit upset. In fact, the smallest of grins graces her light pink lips. "Are you ready to go now?"

Looking down the street, knowing the night they have planned, Anna takes in that question with the seriousness it deserves. From an outsider's perspective, it's just Elsa and Anna again, hanging out as always. But it's more than that now, and tonight they're going to figure out what 'more' really means. Anxiousness riddles her entire body, sure, but one look at Elsa and she knows that everything will be okay.

Anna reaches for Elsa's hand, who gives it up willingly. She grasps the hand with both of hers and steps forward, resting her head against Elsa's shoulder. After a much-needed breath, she answers, "Yeah. I'm ready."

Chapter Text

For their first date, they wanted to split the planning fifty-fifty: Anna would be in charge of the beginning and Elsa would be in charge of the end.

Anna decides they should start with something simple– something casual– and eating food is as simple and casual as it gets. Elsa tried to argue that Korean BBQ places can be very stressful, but Anna reminded her that the most ethnic place in Arendelle is a Chinese place owned by a couple from Minnesota.

Double Tap crossed their mind for a moment, but the lack of food was a dealbreaker and they didn't want to wait for another food truck to roll around. Meg begged them to have their date at Olaf's but they immediately shot down that suggestion– though Anna did humor the idea for a second.

In the end, Anna goes for a place that'll kill four birds with one stone.

"Welcome to Ginny's! How– oh! Uh…oh dear."

Anna gives a sheepish wave to the same waitress who had the misfortune of taking her and Hans's orders. So much for not running into any witnesses from that fiasco. "Heeey! Sorry about…last time. But nothing crazy's gonna happen tonight, I swear. Please don't kick us out."

The waitress blinks, eyes shifting from Anna to Elsa. The latter must give her some kind of look because she ends up clearing her throat, grabbing a couple of menus, and asking, "P–Party of two?"

They sit in the most secluded corner of the cafe. At seven in the evening on a random Tuesday, there aren't a lot of customers to begin with, but they still appreciate the added layer of privacy. Anna orders a club sandwich and chips, and Elsa orders a breakfast combo.

"I like breakfast food, okay?" Elsa explains when Anna gives her a curious look. "My mom used to make us breakfast every morning before she left– waffles, scrambled eggs, stuff like that–and it was always delicious. I never have the opportunity to eat an actual breakfast, but when I do, I take it because…it reminds me of her."

"Aww, Elsa!" Anna coos. "That's so sweet! Gah, I love learning all this new stuff about you."

"Well, I guess I'm a pretty open book around you, so that should make you happy, right?"

Anna's shoulders slump. "You know you never have to tell me–"

"Anything I don't feel comfortable telling you. I know. But it's easy with you." She purses her lips around her straw and drinks her water, keeping her eyes on Anna the whole time. "I've been thinking about why. It's probably because of your face."

Anna places her hands on her cheeks. "My face?"

"You have very soft and attractive features," Elsa explains while tracing a circle around her own face. "Plus, you're so expressive that it makes it look like you're a good listener."

"I'm expressive?" Anna snorts and points a finger at her breakfast-dinner date. "You should see what you look like whenever you're embarrassed." She looks in every direction except towards Elsa before looking down at the floor with a pout.

"...I don't do that," Elsa replies.

Anna looks at her and smirks, "Oh my gosh, you're literally pouting."

Elsa huffs. "You're seeing things," she says before drinking more water.

"I'm seeing the truth."

"I'm only like this because you're always making me feel things I don't understand." Elsa crosses her arms and takes a breath before giving Anna a look that dials up the heat in her entire body. "Every day is a new day with you, Anna."

To her credit, Anna can compose herself well enough so she doesn't instantly melt. She drinks half of her water and groans, "I swear, Elsa, you were born to be a romantic."

Elsa gives her a frustrating shrug and replies, "If you say so."

Their food arrives soon after. Once again, a simple interaction like eating together feels so much different. Like when you pick up on something new on the tenth rewatch of your favorite show.

Anna notices for the first time that Elsa eats her food systematically– toast first, then eggs, then bacon. Somehow, that makes sense for her. When Anna adds chips to her sandwich, she gets a puzzled look from Elsa that turns into an approving nod, which feels surprisingly validating. And the silence between them is loud but not uncomfortable. Unlike with Hans, she doesn't need to worry that Elsa isn't talking. Unlike with Hans, she doesn't feel suffocated.

Gosh, is this how a relationship should feel like?

She smiles at the thought and then glances at Elsa's plate once again. "Ugh, those scrambled eggs look so good. How are you making me want breakfast at 7 PM?"

Elsa doesn't respond. Instead, she scrapes the slice of toast off her fork, puts a bite of scrambled eggs on it instead, and holds it up to Anna. "Try it."

Anna blinks as her face turns a fierce shade of red. "No, that's okay, I'm still– that's your food, I shouldn't be–"

"Anna, you can eat eggs at any time of day," Elsa says like it's supposed to be some kind of revelation.

"I was just thinking out loud! And it's not like…I mean are we even…" All approaching thoughts are stopped by the baseless yet niggling doubts that cross Anna's mind. In the end, she lets out a defeated sigh and places a hand over her mouth, looking apologetically at Elsa.

But Elsa, the deceptive sweetheart that she continues to be, softens her intense expression and says in a lowered voice, "We're doing this together, Anna. Don't overthink it."

Anna looks at her and at the eggs still hovering between them. She drops her hand, defeated, and leans forward to take the bite from the same fork Elsa's been using this whole time. The eggs taste like eggs.

"Thank you," she mumbles, so grateful for their spot in the corner of the restaurant.

"Any time," Elsa replies, going back to her eating routine.

"Do you want some of my sandwich?" Anna offers in kind.

Elsa shakes her head, "I don't like sharing food."

"What? But you just–" Anna stops herself as she sees a small grin on Elsa's face. "Stinker."

"How is everything here?" asks the waitress as she gets to their table. Her smile is courteous, as expected, but her eyes can't hide the dread she's trying to suppress.

"Good," Elsa replies before looking at Anna. "Right?"

As Anna looks at Elsa this time, something changes in her. Something settles. A sense of weightlessness, completeness, like a puzzle piece fitting into a spot that's been empty for so long. She sighs again and says, "Yeah. Everything's wonderful."

They move on to the second part of their date soon after, though not before Anna leaves a massive tip and an apology note at their table.

Caught up in the excitement of it all, Anna never asked what Elsa had planned for her part of the date. She trusts her, of course. Though, she does have some questions when they pull up to Elsa's apartment.

"Did you forget something?" she asks.

"No, this is our stop," Elsa replies.

Curiosity overtakes her and Anna takes a risk to joke, "On the first date? How scandalous."

Elsa looks at her, eyes widening once confusion turns into realization. "No, that's not…I'm not assuming anything by bringing you back here." Once again, she can't bring herself to look at Anna.

Seeing this, Anna giggles and nudges Elsa with her elbow. "I'm kidding! I'm just curious why we're here, that's all."

"Right, uh, that makes sense. Obviously. Uh, follow me and you'll see why we're here."

Anna follows her companion gladly as they make their way up to the apartment. She's still a little concerned with Elsa's behavior, but more than that, she's amused.

There's awkwardness, and then there's whatever Elsa has going on. Gone is her headstrong confidence and in its place is this fidgety and adorable anomaly. Every time Elsa glances her way, as if to make sure she's still with her, Anna's smile grows.

When they get inside (after Elsa drops her keys while trying to open the door), Elsa heads straight to the kitchen. "I– we probably won't stay here for long. Or at least I don't plan to."

Anna makes to follow her, but she knows all too well how Elsa acts in a kitchen. She walks over to the gecko instead, watching Elsa whirl around from cabinet to fridge to sink in some practiced yet rigid dance. "Need any help?" she still asks.

"No, I'm fine. I–" Elsa looks up, quickly looking for Anna before finding her by a gecko whose eyes are just as wide and crazed as hers. "Oh, you're…okay. Yeah, you're fine there. I'll be right there."

"Mmkay." Anna looks inside the glass enclosure. "What was your gecko's name again?"

"Bruni."

Anna squats down and presses a finger against the glass. The reptile eyes it with great concentration. "Do you know what she's up to, Bruni?' she asks softly.

The gecko responds by crawling towards her finger.

'Okay. Let me preface this by saying that I don't usually bake things," Elsa says.

Anna stands back up with piqued interest. She sees Elsa walking towards her with two small plates in each hand, on which are thick chocolate squares whose corners reach to the rim.

"Oh my god, you made brownies?" Anna asks as she closes the gap between them, hands hovering below one of the plates.

"I tried to, at least. I was shopping for groceries last week and there was a card rack full of different recipes and, I don't know, I saw the one for brownies and thought of you."

Anna blinks, "Y–You thought of me?" She bites her lip. "Elsa, you're gonna make me cry."

Elsa pulls the plates away– Anna instinctively reaching out for one of them– and frowns. "Did I do something wrong? Do you not like brownies?"

"No! I love them! And I love…your thoughtfulness." She relieves Elsa of a plate and sticks a bite of it onto her fork. "And I'm gonna love these too. Wait, I already said that."

There's still hesitation on Elsa's end, but Anna's hoping that her insistence will be enough to give her some confidence in her baking skills. The smell alone is already making her mouth water. "You put a lot of faith in me, you know?"

"Are you saying it's misplaced?"

"I'm saying…" Elsa finally scoops up a bite for herself. "...that you should feel free to tell me if I'm doing something wrong."

Anna doubts that Elsa could ever do anything wrong, but she nods anyway to appease her. "I trust you with anything that you make in the kitchen. Now can we please eat these? I'm like two seconds away from drooling on your floor."

"Alright, but just remember what I told you."

There is, of course, no need for concern; Elsa's mastery over food extends to the realm of desserts as well. The rich chocolate flavor is the first to hit Anna's taste buds before it's met with a sweetness that's neither too subtle nor overwhelming. The fudge-like density ensures that every bite is as savory as the one before it, and the chocolate chips– hidden like flecks of gold in a river– provide a delightful solidity to each bite. Anna can't help the moan that escapes her throat.

After her third bite, Elsa remarks, "It could use more flour."

"Wh–" Anna swallows her sixth bite hurriedly. "More flour? This is perfect!"

"It's not holding together as much as I want it to," Elsa explains. "Either more flour or I should have baked it for longer."

"Okay, you're crazy and this is the best brownie I've ever had." Anna finishes the rest of hers in one bite as if to prove a point. As she chews, she mumbles something while circling her hand over her mouth.

Elsa looks at her confused, "Maybe swallow first?"

Anna rolls her eyes but does as she's asked. "You've got a little chocolate on your…here, I'll get it." She reaches out and swipes her thumb across the corner of Elsa's lip. The skin feels so soft against the pad of her thumb, as does her cheek. It's a quick and unexpected action from her, but not as unexpected as Elsa's eyes fluttering shut from the touch. It's just about the most beautiful thing she's ever seen.

"Got it," Anna says as she pulls away, ignoring every unhelpful thought telling her not to.

Elsa opens her eyes and quickly turns away. "Thanks."

"Too much?" Anna asks, knowing she needs to.

Elsa is silent at first, but then she shakes her head. "It was just sudden, that's all. To be honest, my first thought when I saw your hand reach out was…to bite you?"

Anna snorts, "You were going to bite me?"

"I wasn't going to, it just crossed my mind."

"Oh my god."

"I said I wasn't going to," Elsa says with more emphasis.

"Fine fine, I believe you. But for what it's worth, you could bite me anytime you want." Anna winks.

"...what?"

Anna looks horrified as she crashes back down to reality. "I–I don't know where that came from. I'm sorry, I think I was trying to flirt with you, and I…that was the first thing that came to my mind for some reason. I'm sorry– wait, I already said that. I'm so sorry if that made you uncomfortable, it was just…the timing and the mood and it felt like–"

Elsa, ever the savior, shuts her up by moving as quick as a thumb and kissing her. It's delicate, almost a peck, and ends before it even has a chance to begin. But it's also the second or third kiss they've ever shared, and damn if it still doesn't send lightning down to her toes.

When Elsa pulls away, leaving Anna pursing her lips at the air, she says, "Sometimes you and I talk too much."

There isn't supposed to be a third part to the date– at least, neither of them had planned anything. But despite what Elsa said, they continued talking after the kiss. They end up staying in the apartment for the next hour, eating brownies and talking about whatever came to mind. By the time they reached the part of Anna's life story about her returning to Arendelle, the whole tray had been scraped clean.

Anna checks her phone and sighs, "9:40 already? How?"

"We did start the date pretty late," Elsa reasons. "Though at least we know that for next time."

Anna raises an eyebrow, "Already thinking about the second date? Wow."

Elsa frowns, "Is that not something you want?"

"Of course it is." Anna reaches out and squeezes Elsa's hand. Elsa squeezes it back. "But maybe it's time you take me home."

Before they leave, Anna offers to wash the tray, but Elsa firmly declines. Something about needing to do the dishes through her own system. After saying goodbye to Bruni, and making him promise to take care of Elsa while she's gone, Anna's back in Elsa's car and heading home.

"I've probably messed up your whole nighttime routine, haven't I?" Anna asks as they pull onto the street.

"No, I changed it to accommodate you some time ago."

Anna scoffs as her cheeks get warm again. "Of course you did."

"Have you not?"

"I…I don't know. I've never thought of it as accommodating, my life just kind of changed when I met you and I went along with it." Anna frowns, "I think that was supposed to sound romantic."

"It did," Elsa assures. "Kind of, at least."

"Good. You're always saying all these sweet things to me, I figure it's time I caught up, you know?"

"Don't do that."

Anna's stomach drops. "Do what?"

Elsa doesn't continue until they've reached a red light. She turns to Anna with a sternness on her face that's amplified by the cover of night. "Don't think of this relationship as some kind of competition where we have to keep up with or outdo each other. It'll get exhausting, we might start resenting each other for not living up to some unspoken expectation, and the last thing I want is to resent you."

"Elsa." Anna swallows and places a hand on her shoulder. "I was just joking. You know that, right?"

Elsa closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "I know. I just…"

"I know," Anna says. "But it's me. Don't forget that, okay?"

There's a much needed break in the tension as Elsa reaches up to squeeze her hand again. "I know," she says softly.

Anna looks at the stale red light above them, noticing that they're already halfway back to her house. In a few short minutes, she'll be saying goodnight to her parents, laying down on her own bed, and drifting off to sleep to prepare for another day of work. Another day of customers. Another day of washing dishes, taking out trash, and sending an order of mac and cheese back to the kitchen because it wasn't 'orange enough'.

Tomorrow, her real life continues; but tonight isn't tomorrow.

"Hey–"

"Hey–", Elsa says at the same time.

"Oh. Uh, you first."

"No, you can go."

"Okay." Anna bites her lip, "Could we…not go back to my house just yet?"

Elsa hesitates. "Where did you want to go instead?"

"Anywhere else." She pulls back, keeping her eyes on the still wary driver, and confesses, "I don't want tonight to end yet."

"You don't?"

"I mean if that's okay with you," Anna's quick to add. "I don't want to keep you up for too long or make you do anything you don't want to do. This wasn't a part of the plan, so no worries if–"

"I know a place."

Anna stops. "You do?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

The light turns green, and rather than staying on the street they're on, Elsa merges to make a quick left turn toward the unknown.

They weave through familiar streets across an unfamiliar route. They pass the front side of Arendelle High, wave forlornly at the parking lot of Olaf's, and glide past the freeway entrance that could eventually take them back to the airport where this all started.

Finally, they reach their supposed destination: an area of Arendelle delightfully known as 'No Man's Land'. It's an expansive patch of dirt that was meant to be the start of a new housing development a few years ago. Some say that funding dried up and others that the land is somehow cursed, but whatever the reason, not a single house had ever been built.

From what Anna's heard, this is a popular spot for parties, settling the occasional fight, and for high schoolers to sneak out and have sex. She shoots Elsa a curious look as they pull into the currently empty lot.

Elsa gives her a look as well. "That's not why we're here."

Anna chuckles, "Okay, then why are we here?"

Rather than telling her, Elsa turns the car off and takes off her seatbelt. "Follow me," she says as she opens her door.

Anna is quick to follow, though she doesn't need to go too far. Elsa's taken a familiar position, seated on the hood of her car with her arms crossed, looking out at the vast nothingness before them.

"It'll look better when the headlights turn off," Elsa says.

"What will?" Anna asks as she sits beside her, hands clenched atop her lap.

"You'll see."

Elsa goes silent again. If it weren't for the headlights, she'd disappear into the inky blackness surrounding them. The quietness here is nothing like Anna's ever experienced before, it's the kind that's devoid of the buzz of a fan, the ambient rumble of the ocean, or the crescendo of cars passing by. All she can hear is the creaking of the car underneath them and the sound of her own breathing.

She reaches out to take Elsa's hand, and Elsa is quick to find it. "How well do you know this place?" Anna asks while squeezing her fingers.

"There was a random week when Double Tap was closed for some reason or another, and I needed to find a temporary place to unwind. I spent almost an hour driving around Arendelle before finding this place. After my third or fourth time coming here, someone told me the story of 'No Man's Land', but I didn't care too much about that. I just cared about the view."

"This view?" Anna gestures towards the dirt and endless patches of dead grass and rocks.

"No. This one."

And with the most perfect timing, the headlights shut off, they're engulfed in the darkness, and Anna's grip on Elsa's hand tightens. In the blind deafness, she's certain that she hears a laugh coming from her companion, but it's covered by her own gasp.

"Look up."

With no other options, Anna does as she's told, and suddenly everything makes sense. Everything is okay.

Her eyes pass where the horizon should be, and she's greeted by hundreds, maybe thousands, of twinkling lights puncturing the deep violet curtain above them. An endless river of space that she wishes she could run her hand across. This far out of town, not a single street lamp or glowing sign taints the tapestry. Anna is certain that there are more stars in the sky than rocks underneath her feet.

A breathless "Wow…" escapes her lips.

"Do you like it?" she hears Elsa ask.

"I love it," she responds without taking her eyes off the night's canvas. "This is so beautiful, Elsa."

"I'm really glad you like it, I was worried you might not like stars or something." 

Anna scoffs, "Who doesn't like stars? They're like the second coolest thing you can see in space! Other than UFO's, obviously." 

"Obviously." She hears Elsa let out a breath and feels her scoot closer. As summer nights go, the heat isn't too bad, and yet Elsa's skin is unusually warm. "I go here whenever things...get to be too much. Being out here reminds me that- compared to all this universe has seen and what's yet to come- nothing I do actually matters. So, why worry, you know?"

"...Elsa, that sounds really depressing." 

"Does it?" Elsa shrugs. "For me, knowing that nothing matters makes life worth living. That means the only one who gets to define what life means is ourselves. It's freeing." 

Anna tries to understand. They're words she's heard before, but not how Elsa's said them. Ever since she came back to Arendelle, she's been working towards a life worth living, ticking things off a checklist to finally feel independent. Free. Like a real person. Right now, she's nowhere near crossing everything off her list and that should make her feel like a failure, but here's Elsa telling her maybe that list never mattered in the first place. No one is keeping tabs on her but herself, no one is scrutinizing her progression into adulthood other than the person she sees in the mirror every day. Could letting that go be the one thing she has to do to feel complete? Does the life she wants to live start existing when she steps out of the box she's placed herself in? "Is it really that easy?"

"It can be," Elsa says. 

In the atmosphere of this never-ending night, the breath Anna takes travels with the wind and disperses into the unknown. And with that breath, she finally surrenders. "I don't know if I can do that. Could you show me how?"

For the briefest of moments, Elsa lets go of Anna's hand, but only so she can pull her in close. Anna obliges, resting her head against the crook of Elsa's neck, and taking in the soothing warmth and the blessed aroma of chocolate and mint. "I would love to."