Day One Hundred and Thirty-Eight: Chicken Fight

A/N: Very mild suggestive sexual thingie at the end. This slow burn bullshit is over.

Rapunzel resurfaces from the bottom of the pool with a splash that sends her long hair nearly smacking onto my face.

"Bleugh, maybe warn me next time before you do that?" I say as I sputter out bits of blonde.

"Ah, sorry Anna," she replies with a sheepish grin, "But you know how much I love the water. Gosh, I can't believe we didn't come here sooner."

I flick droplets of water her way, "Well I kept inviting you guys, but you were all so busy with your jobs, and your boyfriends, and school. Ick."

"And annoying little brothers," Lilo added as she floated between us, laying on her back as the chlorine-infested waters dragged her away. "Can't forget those."

It's a sunny, mid-September afternoon, that time of year where finally the heat isn't scorching in Arendelle. Life's settled into a much-needed groove ever since, well, everything and my friends finally found the time to come to the pool with me- only took them like four fucking months, but whatever.

And even then, it's only Lilo and Rapunzel here today, but we're gonna be joined by someone else pretty soon.

We're not swimming in one of the massive, main pools that attract everyone and their mother. We're at one of the more secluded private pools. The ones you could only get into if you paid a fee (thanks to the contest's black card, I didn't have to worry about that).

It's serene, quiet except for the Bluetooth speaker playing by the poolside. We'll be here for maybe an hour or two more before drying up and getting food.

And it's good, things are good. Way better than they've ever been. I get to live in an amazing hotel, my friends don't hate me, I ditched a woman that was going to ruin me and break my heart, and Elsa and I are...we're fine. Everything's fine between us. Sometimes we're even better than fine.

I've come to the conclusion that while I may never see her as a friend, I don't see her as just a roommate either. There's no term for us that really fits, so I just call her Elsa. That's what she is to me: she's Elsa. An enigma that exists in this place in my life where I never thought she'd be in, and in a better place than I ever thought she'd be again.

She's Elsa, and we're okay, and I wish she would hurry the hell up and get down here.

I feel specks of water hit my cheek, which makes me flinch. I turn to Rapunzel whose conveniently put her hands back to her sides, "When did she say she'd be down?"

I look at the nonexistent watch on my wrist and shrug, "She said to give her like ten minutes."

"So you two are okay now?" Lilo asked, somehow floating behind me without me noticing.

"Uhh...as okay as we're ever gonna be, I think."

Maybe it's the islander genetics in her, but she floats away really fast. (Is that racist? Shit, I really hope not) She's already like six or so feet away from me when I answer, but I can still see her scoff and mumble out a word I don't fully understand. "What was that?"

"I said 'bet'!" Lilo yelled.

What's that supposed to mean? I look to Rapunzel for any sort of answer, but she just gives me an innocent shrug and asks, "You sure you guys are okay?"

"I'm pretty sure. After I told her about Aurora, I was scared that we wouldn't be, but ever since then, we've been doing the whole roommate thing pretty well. I think we can actually make it through the rest of the year without anything weird happening."

Rapunzel raises an eyebrow, "What do you mean by that?"

Oh nothing, just the periodic heart-racing feeling I get whenever I look at her. Which means nothing, which has to mean nothing. And it's because it means nothing that I've decided not to tell Rapunzel or anyone else about it. Because it means nothing, and I can figure out by myself how to make sure it stays nothing.

Because that's what it is. It's nothing.

"You know how it is when I think everything's finally going to be okay. Once I let my guard down, something stupid happens that introduces unnecessary angst in our lives."

"Eh, I think some of it's been a little bit necessary."

I scoff, "What about Aurora?"

Rapunzel rolls her eyes, "Some of it. Besides, you kinda got yourself into that mess."

"A mess that I don't want to talk about anymore, remember?" Gah, just thinking about her gets me heated, I'm surprised the pool doesn't start boiling. Fortunately, we aren't going to have to talk about her anymore, because another one of my exes just walked right through the door.

Oh...no. Not fortunately.

Not even close.

There are only a few things in life that can leave me speechless. Seeing someone get knocked out at the bar, otters at the aquarium, duct tape, and a certain spot on the back of my neck. But there's one specific thing on that list I thought I wouldn't have to worry about anymore.

...and that's seeing Elsa in a bathing suit.

She's always been a pretty modest dresser, so it's not this skimpy, jaw-dropping two-piece. But even in a lavender one-piece, she still looks amazing. Look, it's perfectly fine for me to mention how attractive she is, okay? I didn't date her just for her personality.

Or at least it would be perfectly fine if my heart didn't start racing when I saw her.

"Thanks for waiting for me," Elsa says as she sits by the poolside next to me, her feet resting in the water. "I was having trouble figuring out what to wear."

"Couldn't decide between your one bathing suit?" I joke.

Elsa smiles and speaks softly so I'm the only one that can hear, "You know what I mean."

I do.

Amidst my unnecessary ogling, it hasn't slipped my mind that after a hundred-something days, this is the first time I've seen Elsa's bare legs again. And they look just fine.

Not like...fuck it, I don't need to explain myself. There are some slightly pinkish lines around her upper thigh, but you'd never guess that they were scars unless you got really close. And I'm not doing that.

This has to be an amazing leap for Elsa, and I'm proud of her. And I should tell her that.

"You look nice." No Anna, not like that. What the fuck is wrong with you?

Thankfully, she seems to take it well if the softer "Thank you." is any indication. It doesn't help my heart at all.

"Elsa! Glad you could make it!" Rapunzel exclaims, saving me from my stupidity.

She looks away from me- which hey, now my heart starts beating normally again- and replies in a normal speaking voice, "Thanks! It's good to see you guys again."

"Well we'd see you more if Anna would stop keeping you to herself," Lilo interjects, conveniently floating close to Elsa. Aaaaand there goes my heart again, what the fuck.

I flip her off, biting my tongue to keep from saying anything.

Elsa laughs, "That's not true. I'm pretty introverted, so staying in is always preferable."

"Well the important thing is you're here with us now," Rapunzel says, exuding her big mom energy. "It wouldn't be the same without you. Right, Anna?"

"Uh, wh-what?" I was not ready to be roped into this compliment-fest for Elsa. I was busy staying on my toes underwater so I didn't have to focus on Elsa.

"Well you're her roommate," Rapunzel says too matter-of-factly, "You're glad she's here and spending time with us too, right?"

Before I can think about why, I say, "Yeah, of course." My mouth is betraying me worse than my heart is- I'm sure my mind is the only part of me that's on my side. We need to do something other than talk about me and Elsa.

"Now that we're all here, we should play a game," Lilo interjects.

Yeah, something like that.

"Have you guys ever done a Chicken Fight before?"

No, shit, not like that.

"Uh...it sounds familiar, I think?" Elsa shoots a puzzled look my way, and my airy, stammering response tells her that I won't be any help.

"It's that game where you get on a partner's shoulders and try to push someone into the water," Lilo explains. "We've got an even number here, what do you say?"

Rapunzel shrugged, "I'm down if you two are."

Again Elsa looks at me, and the next few minutes play out in my mind. She and I are probably going to be a pair, and obviously I'll get on her shoulders first so that she can ease into the game, and we'll probably have to switch which means she'll be up on my shoulders.

And damn I just realized I've seen this swimsuit before, and I know what it feels like. And she's seen my bathing suit before, and she knows what it feels like.

...I should say no.

But then I see the look, that damn look. Those damn eyes peeking at the water with a lip bite only I can see. Elsa actually wants to play, and I can't fucking say no.

So I shrug and say, "Sure. Why not?" And of course Elsa's smile widens.

"Woo! Awesome!" Lilo says, punching both her fists in the air. "I call Rapunzel!"

Yup, just like my prophecy foretold. Elsa dips into the pool and immediately shudders when she's fully submerged.

"Cold?" I ask her. That'd be a first.

"Heh, no this is just the first time I've been...like this," she quickly glances down at the water, "In public."

A ghost of my past hell-bent on making me miserable overtakes me, and places my hand on Elsa's shoulders. As much as I want to take it off as soon as it happens, all these happy memories of the best times in our relationship come flooding back. And it makes me want to keep touching her.

...that's weird. Never say that again, Anna.

Anyway, I can't just do the shoulder touch without saying anything, so I look at her and say softly, "I'm proud of you." Just like I was supposed to before.

I mean it too, but that doesn't change the fact that the longer my hand is on her, the harder it'll be to keep from saying anything stupider. Especially now that she's fucking smiling at me like...I don't even know anymore.

I change the subject quickly, "So do you want me to go first?"

Elsa blinks, "First for what? Oh! Uh to get on my shoulders? Sure, I-I mean if you don't mind? I wanna see how this works first."

And the prophecy continues. "I don't mind, that's why I asked."

Rapunzel's already on Lilo's shoulders when we reach the center of the pool. I tell Elsa to squat down a little bit so I can get on, and when I'm on her shoulders, she stands back up with a grunt.

"Excuse you! Don't fucking grunt while you're picking me up."

"Anna, you are a grown woman! And I don't do a lot of squats…" Elsa almost loses her balance before putting her hands on my thighs to brace herself. Of course that brings up a whole plethora of problems for me, but we're not gonna dwell on those right now. Or ever.

"Hey," Rapunzel interjects, "Less chatting, and more chickening."

When I steady myself- and palm the top of Elsa's head a bit too hard in the process- I curl my fingers at Rapunzel, "Bring it, blondie."

Just like that, the fight is on. Rapunzel's wily and has a longer reach, and she's stronger than she looks now that Eugene's got her doing CrossFit. But I'm stronger and more mobile due to my thinner bikini and toned arms (fuck you, I worked for this body).

It's pretty close for the most part since she and I are so damn competitive, there's a bunch of pushing and pulling on both sides. And Elsa's determined to win too once she gets into it.

A bit too determined as it turns out.

She's got great lower body strength on account of her wider hips, and better on her feet than I'll ever be. But her upper body strength is pretty shit, so she has to really hold on tight to my thighs to stay upright.

At some point in the fight, she digs her fingers in at just the right spot…

And I'm pretty sure I black out for a second. Because the next thing I know, Elsa and I are tipping over sideways and I fall into the water with a stinging splash.

Part of me wants to stay in here, especially once I can push myself off of Elsa. I...ugh, I underestimated how much her touch was gonna affect me. I thought it wouldn't anymore, but it's almost as if...no, no that can't be right.

My body betrays me again when it starts screaming at me for air, and I resurface begrudgingly. Rapunzel and Lilo are celebrating their win, and I'm there just in time to see Lilo dump her into the pool. As is tradition.

Now it's time to switch, now it's time for Elsa to be on my shoulders. Why did I agree to this again?

Elsa swims up to me looking guilty, "You okay? Sorry I dropped you."

"It wasn't your fault. My hands slipped." Liar. "You ready to do this?"

"Ha...ready as I'll ever be." I can tell from her tone that she's more nervous than uncomfortable. Maybe nervous for the same reason I was? Would that be good or bad? When will I finally stop asking myself these questions?

"Don't worry, I got you," I say reassuringly. And she smiles, making me think that she believes me. "Just make sure to push her a lot. And don't fall."

"Gee thanks. I'll try my best," Elsa says.

I pick up a bit of deadpan in her voice, "Elsa Stark, were you just being sarcastic?"

"Shh don't tell anyone," Elsa joked. "It'd hurt my reputation."

I don't know if she's being this outgoing and playful for my benefit, or to ease her own nerves, but either way I...I kinda like it. It's a side of Elsa that I haven't seen in a while, one I know very well.

It's so nice that it almost makes me forget my heart pounding in my ears when she gets on my shoulders. Almost…

But when I feel her skin on mine, I come crashing back down to Earth.

It feels familiar and yet so new at the same time. Instantly, my mind is reeling with very unhelpful memories. I have to force myself not to act on this instinct I thought I lost when I grip her thighs.

And yet it feels different. Despite how wet Elsa is (goddamn it, not like that) I can still feel areas of her skin that feel rougher than the rest. Thin lines that I shouldn't be feeling, thin lines that I helped make.

And now I feel like a scumbag for two reasons.

I brush that aside, or at least try to, so I can focus on evening up the score and making sure that Elsa wins. I mean so that we win. Yeah.

It doesn't end well this time around either. Since I'm so goddamn inept at staying on my feet without thinking about feeling Elsa's thighs, I'm easily pushed over by Lilo and Rapunzel. We played three more rounds after that, switching before each one, and I swear we get worse each time. I think I spend more time underwater than I do on the surface.

After losing 5-0, we end up calling it quits at the pool. We agree to meet up in the lobby to grab some lunch after we take a shower. There are some by the pool, but I make up some bullshit excuse about needing to use my own.

Elsa doesn't follow me, thankfully, which means I have a much-needed half an hour to myself.

I close my bathroom door and let out a sigh of relief that gradually turns into a groan, "Holy shit, keep it together! What is wrong with you?!"

Part of me knows- no, all of me knows what's wrong. The touching, the scars, the onepiece, the hands...it's too familiar. I step into my shower and turn the dial to its coldest setting, my skin feels like it's on fire and my heart is pounding. "Stop it," I say sharply to myself, "Stop. It."

But I'm not listening, even after the freezing water hits my skin. It's not enough, all I can think about is my hands on Elsa's thighs, and her hands squeezing my thighs. All I can think about is how familiar it felt, how good it felt. Hands, legs, skin on skin, Elsa's half-naked body scars and all.

And next thing I know, my hand is traveling down my own body, with a mind of its own. Lower and lower until it gets to the place it needs to be the most.

It's good, but I hate it. It's needed, but so goddamn wrong. I hate it even more as more memories come to me, intimate and far-off memories that are so fucking strong that it gets me closer in record time.

And I break, thinking about the first time. And then the best time. And then the last time.

"Fuck...fuck!"