SS 2019
Secret Santa 2019 Written for: @kittymaren (formally @asksillysisters)
“This is a horrible idea.”
Elsa mumbled and frowned, flipping through her closet full of clothes for the third time. She really did not have appropriate attire for this. Another glance at her bedside clock, 4:45, and she groaned. They were supposed to be leaving in fifteen minutes. Was Anna even up? The redhead was not an early bird by any means, but as Elsa listened, she could hear the telltale signs of someone rummaging around in the kitchen.
A quick look to her bed, and it wasn’t Olaf, he was too good a boy to leave her, curled up and purring softly. Hans, however, would get into any and everything…but it sounded too precise of movements to be coming from that buttface of an orange tabby.
With a groan, Elsa moved away from her closet, desperately trying to think of what she could wear. She really was out of options, and time, until an idea struck. Not bothering to ask, she hurried across the hall and into Anna’s room, surveying the closet. Yet another groan, and Elsa grabbed the first few items she saw, jumping at the noise behind her. Whirling around, her eyes narrowed at the cat.
“Oh hush you. Go!” Elsa attempted a half-assed kick, to which Hans merely cocked his head, meowing again. Eyes rolling and with a huff, Elsa left him in Anna’s room, hurried back to hers to pull on the stolen borrowed clothes and raced down the stairs to the kitchen.
Anna was sipping away at her coffee, toast in the other hand. Elsa regained her composure, offering a lame wave and not quite meeting her eyes. There was a growing silence, one Elsa wasn’t sure was good or bad. Would Anna be upset she’d taken her clothes without asking? Would she laugh at how ridiculous she looked? God, this was such a stupid idea…
“Wow, Els, you look…good.” Cheeks flushing, Elsa finally turned to fully face Anna, who was clearly hiding a smirk behind her mug.
“I’m-I’m sorry! I should have asked. I didn’t have anything–”
She was cut off as Anna stepped closer, putting a fresh cup of coffee in her hands. “Why would I care? You know you don’t have to ask. Besides.” Anna stepped back, but took Elsa’s hand to hold out her arm to fully appraise her. “Plaid looks good on you. And the khakis?” Anna winked with a low whistle. “You may be onto something.”
Elsa pulled away, even more flushed, busying herself with the coffee. It was still a bit too hot, and now her tongue was burnt, but at least she could gather her thoughts. This was beyond embarrassing. She’d never be caught dead in clothes like these! They looked good on Anna, of course, but this was definitely not her style. At least no one would see them where they were going…hopefully.
She was saved from having to say anything, however, when Anna cleared her throat, rinsing her mug. “Anyway. Finish up. I’ve nearly got us packed. We leave in five.” Anna flashed a smile and headed out the door. Before Elsa could turn away, Anna was back, grinning ear to ear.
“Oh, and as nice as that outfit is, you’ll be wearing this.” She tossed a heap of material at Elsa, who managed to catch it only because it was lobbed right at her face. “It’s tradition!” She sing-songed as she made her exit a second time.
Elsa, completely confused, and now somewhat worried, set her coffee on the counter, trying to make sense of whatever “this” was. It didn’t take long to unfold, and her already pale face lost the rest of its color. Anna could not be fucking serious…
***
After the initial argument–mostly just protests from Elsa–about the required outfit, the drive went in relative silence. It was only an hour away, Anna insisted, and both were still sleepy. Elsa was no stranger to it, but even this was a bit earlier than she was accustomed. She felt a bit guilty for nodding off (more than once), but Anna didn’t seem to mind, occupying her time singing along softly to the radio. Sometimes not so softly. She was even pretty sure Anna had glanced over occasionally, either tucking stray hair back or giving her hand a squeeze. It both relaxed and excited Elsa.
Before long, Anna nudged Elsa awake with a giddy “we’re here!”
Stretching in her seat, Elsa yawned and rubbed her eyes, blinking as she stared out. It was before sunrise still, but she could just make out the shimmering surface of the lake, along with the bordering trees and peaking mountains. It was breathtaking.
“Just wait until the sun comes up.” Anna grinned, catching Elsa’s obvious gaze at the scene before them. “It’s one of life’s greatest experiences.” Elsa shifted in her seat to grin back, excited for the first time since waking up. “But first, we gotta get set up, and you have to get officially dressed.”
The smile Elsa held slid into a scowl as she flung her door open. “Anna, are you serious? That thing is the most hideous…monstrosity I’ve ever seen, and I’ve looked through your closet!”
“Hey! Need I remind you, you’re wearing my clothes right now!” Anna slid out of her side, slamming the door with a laugh. “And it’s not that bad, plus,–”
“It’s tradition! Yeah, I remember.” Elsa finished, eyes rolling. “This is a really asinine tradition, you know that right? Who even started it? And why do I have to?” Shaking out the garment, she groaned, willing her leg to lift to step into it.
“My grandpa? I dunno. But I do know everyone in my family has worn it their first time. My dad, even Kristoff, though it barely fit him. He was swimming in it, he was so little, if you can believe that. Swimming, ha! Get it?” Anna laughed at her own joke, as she began pulling things out of the back of the truck and setting them near the shoreline.
Elsa only grumbled more, trying to get into the damned thing. It looked like it would rip and fall apart at the wrong tug, and the thought to try crossed her mind more than once. But then Anna would be heartbroken, and she didn’t want that. She could suck it up for at least a little while, as mortifying as this whole ordeal was. She could do it for Anna.
“God, this is horrible…” Elsa slowly moved around towards their belongings, face bright red and covered by her hands, refusing to look at Anna. There was dead silence, as if the bugs themselves had to stop and look before a roar of laughter erupted.
“Elsa! Oh my god, move your hands!” More laughter, and she could tell Anna was getting closer, but she still wouldn’t budge. “Please? Come on…” A warm hand circled her wrist, and she gave in, eyes fixed on their shoes. “You. Look. Adorable!” Anna squealed. Actually squealed. Then arms were being thrown around Elsa, shaking from Anna’s still never-ending giggles. “Okay, just one last thing…don’t hate me, and don’t make that face!”
Anna backed away, and ran over to their stuff, coming back with a fishing pole and holding it out. Elsa numbly took hold of it, a scowl in place. “Okay, now smile! A real smile!” Anna had her phone out in a flash, snapping a picture before Elsa could demand otherwise. “Best looking fish I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot.” Anna winked then stuck out her tongue, promptly tucking the phone away. “Kristoff is going to love that.”
“I hate you. Why did I even agree to this excursion?” Elsa pouted, trying to swing the fishing pole at Anna, which she easily avoided.
“First off, you don’t hate me. Second, in all our years of friendship, it had somehow escaped me that we’d never gone fishing together! So, might as well fix that.”
“I’ve never been, at all. You know that.”
“Even better then.” Anna looked her over again in the absurd fish costume, the goofiest, yet sweetest grin plastered on her face.
Try as she might, Elsa couldn’t stay mad, not really. She loved doing things with Anna, even if it was totally out of her comfort zone. Of course, she always found a way to repay the favor, with Anna always agreeing, no matter how uninteresting she proclaimed the event to be. They had a near perfect friendship, if sadly that was all it was…
“Whatever. Can I take it off now?” Elsa swung the pole again, Anna this time catching it.
“Nope. You have to catch your first fish in it. It’s good luck!” Another cheeky grin, and Elsa clicked her tongue, eyes rolling.
“Fine.”
“Thatta girl.”
***
Fishing was…boring. At least at art galleries or an opera there was something else to do, to see, to be properly entertained. But this? Sure the company couldn’t be beat, but other than that, Elsa found it dreadful.
What was worse, was how dirty it all was. Worms? No. Crickets? Pass. Leeches? Fuck no. The PowerBait wasn’t too bad but smelled awful so Elsa refused to touch it, no matter how pretty it looked. The lures themselves were more manageable, but she nearly stuck her finger, twice, trying to weave it onto the hook. Anna at least kept the teasing to a minimum, and only pretended to complain about doing all the work.
And Anna really did know what she was doing. Elsa was in awe as she watched her bait the hooks, then expertly cast the line, it plunking into the water much further than Elsa’s each time.
Thirty minutes in, and they still hadn’t had any luck, which Anna assured was normal. The key to fishing was patience, but also to enjoy being out in nature, she’d also insisted. Insects buzzing around her head wasn’t exactly ideal to Elsa, but seeing Anna in her element was definitely worth it.
With fresh bait in the water, Anna grabbed Elsa’s arm, pointing. “Here it is!” She turned excitedly to the horizon, then back to Elsa.
The sun was just beginning to peak over the edge of a mountain, the blues and pinks becoming a warmer orange. The dark blue of the lake was now casting a bright reflection, as if the whole landscape was inverting. For the briefest of moments, everything stilled, paying respect to the rising star in the sky.
Elsa brought a hand to her mouth as she took in the splendor. “Oh, Anna…it’s…it’s…have you ever seen anything so beautiful…”
“No, I haven’t.” Out of the corner of her eye, Elsa could see Anna was looking at her and not the sunrise. Her cheeks instantly flushed before she caught herself and gave a mental shake. No, she wouldn’t be thinking that, right? Anna turned away then, gently squeezing her arm. “It’s amazing, I know.”
Another heavy moment passed as the very air seemed to crackle with energy before Elsa’s line gave a hard tug, going taut. The pole nearly flung out of the cradle in her chair, but Anna was able to snag it just in time.
“You caught something! Here! Reel it in, hurry!” Anna thrust the pole into Elsa’s trembling and completely clueless-about-what-to-do hands. Her face must have said as much, as Anna laughed and quickly threw instructions at her.
“Crank it! That’s it! Keep the pole close to your body! Strong wrist! Steady! Keep it going! Don’t let up!” Anna hurried over to her chair to grab the net as she continued to yell out encouragements. “You’ve almost got it! You can do it, Els!”
Elsa was grinning from ear to ear. This was becoming quite the battle, and seeing Anna so enthused gave Elsa all the strength and determination she needed. She wanted to make Anna proud, prove she could do this.
When the fish began flopping out of the shallow water, Anna took ahold of the line and scooped the fish into the net, beaming. Elsa’s smile matched it as she nearly dropped the pole to cheer in accomplishment.
“Your first catch! And it’s a decent sized one, too. Nice work!” Anna pulled the hook from the fish’s mouth and lifted it from the net, holding it out for Elsa. “Picture time!”
“What? No. I am not touching that thing!” Her face screwed into disgust, taking a step back and holding out the pole as some feeble means of defense.
“Elsa, you have to! It’s tradition!” She raised the fish, giving it a wiggle, which in turn caused the fish to jerk, making Elsa shriek and take another step away. “You can take the costume off once you pose with it?” This time Anna’s eyebrows wiggled.
Clutching the pole to her chest, Elsa eyed the fish in disdain. She had never wanted to do anything less in her life. But Anna’s smile wasn’t dimming, and it was now focused solely on her. There was no way she could be the cause of seeing that disappear. Swallowing thickly with a stiff nod, she set the fishing pole down and held out her hands to Anna. “Let’s just get this over with.”
Anna wasted no time in slapping the fish into the awaiting grasp, quickly wiping her hands on her pants and slipping out her phone. “Say cheese!”
“Fuck off.”
Anna cackled as she took the shot, Elsa immediately screaming. The fish began to whip back and forth, Elsa releasing it with a feeble attempt at tossing it towards the water. With a couple of flops, it found its home, swimming off and away to safety.
Elsa turned to Anna, horrified and on the verge of tears. “I’m-I’m sorry! It-it moved! And I panicked!”
Anna rushed forward, wrapping her arms around Elsa, pulling her into a tight hug. “Hey, it’s okay! It’s only a fish. There’s plenty more. Totally not a big deal.” Her lips brushed against Elsa’s temple. “I promise.”
It was only a fish, so why all the dramatics? Elsa knew she was being extreme, but the feel of Anna’s arms around her, and not even for the first time today, now somehow felt different. Maybe she didn’t want to disappoint Anna. Maybe she even wanted to impress her. Well, Elsa was pretty sure she’d failed on both of those attempts.
Letting her arms loosen, Elsa was the first to pull away, though it seemed Anna wasn’t keen on letting her get far. Elsa finally nodded with a slight sniffle. “I’m okay. I don’t know what…that was all about.” She risked a glance at Anna, before adding softly. “Sorry.”
“There’s really nothing to be sorry for.” Anna’s hands moved from their grip on her elbows to hold her face, and somewhere in the back of her mind, Elsa’s brain was cringing at the leftover fish mucus. But the thought was fleeting and barely had time to settle, because Anna was now staring at her lips, and Elsa found she was staring right back at Anna’s.
Their lips met, and Elsa would never really know who had leaned in first. It was soft, and tender, and delicate, and all the cliche things she ever imagined Anna’s lips would be. Even her dreams never held a flame to this wonderful first kiss. They broke apart far too early for her liking, Elsa biting her bottom lip as her nerves began to creep in.
“Whoa…” Anna’s dazed look pulled a smile back to Elsa’s lips, her blush now from something more than the shared kiss. “I had this whole thing planned out for how I was finally going to kiss you today, but I think I like this, too. Maybe even more.” Anna leaned in again, but Elsa pulled back, silencing a needy moan.
“Finally?” Elsa blinked, her smile frozen in place. “Just how long have you wanted to kiss me?”
“Well, I mean, long enough?” Anna’s eyebrows scrunched, as did her nose, then she shook her head with a chuckle. “You’ve obviously been wanting it, too. Don’t make it weird.” A playful smirk took over her features, and this time, Elsa didn’t resist the kiss.
Okay, so maybe fishing wasn’t so bad after all.