With a finger tapping on top of the dining table, Elsa tried to come up with something as Anna hugged her knees and desperately wanted to curl herself into a ball on their couch, embarrassed about the result of her very first meal. No matter how many times Elsa comforted her, it did little to cheer her up.

It only made her more depressed.

Sighing, Elsa stepped into the kitchen and made hot chocolates for both of them. It always cheered Anna up before, and maybe it could work this time too. If not, she would have to come up with something else. What other things could make Anna calm down? Why was she embarrassed in the first place? Was she that against the idea of failing? Elsa didn't mind, but it looked like Anna did. Why? It wasn't the first time she failed to do something. What was different now?

"Hot chocolate?" Elsa offered, wearing a smile that faltered when Anna merely hugged her knees closer to her body and whimpered. Elsa settled the mugs on top of the coffee table and sat beside the sulking girl. "Anna, I told you it was fine. It's not like we wasted the food."

"It was salty," Anna said, voice muffled by her knees.

"So what? It was still edible," Elsa reasoned. "I wasn't expecting it to be perfect, you know? It's rare to do something so well on the first try. Unless you had a hidden talent for cooking, there's nothing to get embarrassed about," she promised, but Anna didn't say anything.

In all honesty, Anna was glad because even though Elsa was honest enough to admit what went wrong, she was still kind enough to eat it. But it was embarrassing because she knew her own blunder and she hated herself so much for it. She wanted to cook something delicious for Elsa but ended up serving a beef stew that was very salty, she'd rather eat a bowl of salt instead.

"Wha...!" Anna squeaked and snapped her head to the side to see a huge grin on Elsa. She frowned and tried to curl herself into a ball, only to have the blonde poke her sides again. "Elsa!" she huffed, but Elsa's eyes simply glinted mischievously. "Don't you da- EEK!"

It took all of Anna's strength not to laugh. She tried to swat Elsa's hands away but failed miserably, ending up laughing uncontrollably as Elsa mercilessly tickled her.

"E-Elsa! S-Stop! Please!" Anna managed in between laughs. She was already lying down on the sofa with her face extremely red; a mixture of laughing so much and the embarrassment that it was Elsa doing the tickling.

Mercifully, Elsa stopped her ministrations and Anna gasped for air. She took a few deep breaths to calm down, barely able to make out that Elsa was on top of her. Give me a break, she groaned while still trying to get herself together.

"Anna." Once she had calm down, Anna slowly opened her eyes to meet Elsa's. "Don't worry so much about it. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't terrible either. I really appreciate it, you know?"

Anna snapped her eyes to the side again. "You're just saying that."

"Am I?" Elsa smiled when Anna looked at her with worried eyes. "I'm serious, Anna. I mean it."

Anna closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. "That's so unfair. It's just... I really want to help... in a way I know I'm helping. I thought I can do something about cooking, but I failed and you had to make do with something so salty even when you're already exhausted from school."

"You didn't fail, Anna. Knowing that you're trying to do something you're not used to just to help me is more than I could ever ask for."

"I... I promise I'll... I'll cook something better for you. B-But it might take a while."

A warmth that she couldn't describe erupted inside Elsa's chest. This kind of insistence from Anna was vastly different from the other times she tried to do something. Usually, if Anna failed something, she'd bounce back on her own. Now, Elsa couldn't believe what she was seeing. She couldn't believe how downhearted Anna became from failing with something when she only did it once - twice if they would count the breakfast.

"I will." Elsa smiled. "I will wait for you, Anna, no matter how long."

Anna's trembling fingers stopped shaking as she took in the way Elsa was looking at her. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something about those words that made her feel... different. She would think about it more, but she couldn't concentrate much because she was suddenly hyper-aware of how Elsa was still on top of her.

"Elsa?"

"Hmm?"

"You're still sitting on me."

Elsa blinked a couple of times. The confused look on her face almost made Anna laugh, but she wanted to wear a poker face as she waited for Elsa's inevitable blushing face and spluttering reaction.

"Sorry!" Elsa squeaked, jumping off from Anna's lying body. "Oh my god! I'm sorry! I-I didn't notice!"

"It's fine." Anna lifted herself up into a sitting position. "You weren't heavy... which is a little surprising. I thought you were since you're taller than me."

"Or maybe you're getting healthier and stronger." Elsa pinched the bridge of her nose and breathed deeply for a minute. "I'm really sorry, Anna."

"Elsa, it's okay. Now, can I help you wash the dishes?"

"What?"

"I failed at cooking, but maybe I'll have better luck washing dishes. I was able to serve the plates no problem, right? Maybe I can have the same luck when it comes to cleaning them."

"You didn't fail at cooking, Anna," Elsa insisted, and Anna rolled her eyes. "We can wash the dishes together, but only if you stop calling it a failure."

"But it is a failure!" Anna flailed her arms around, but the frown on Elsa's face deepened. "Okay, so it's edible even if it's salty. Fine, fine. I can't believe I'm begging you to accept my offer of washing the dishes."

"You're not begging. I only want you to stop calling your efforts a failure, that's all," Elsa said more calmly this time, offering a hand to Anna. "Come on. Those dishes won't wash on their own."

Apparently, Anna was right regarding having better luck when dealing with the utensils. That was to say, Elsa let her handle drying them for now. It was probably unnerving for the redhead to be the one drying and not actually washing, but Elsa managed to convince her that it was just as important.

"I'm only doing this because I actually see you do it." Anna was still pouting, irritated that she didn't get the original job she wanted to do. "But next time you have to let me wash."

"I know, and I will," Elsa promised. "You've done them before, but mostly just a piece or so. You already know how to do it."

Anna smiled at the compliment that ignited something within her. She started drying the dishes with zeal while humming to a random tune. Had she known it would be fun doing these things with Elsa, she would've volunteered long ago. She only went against the idea for it because she thought it was a boring and tedious task. But when done with someone special, it could actually be entertaining and fun.

"Anna?" Elsa called after drying her hands on the towel.

"Yeah?" Anna placed the silverware and utensils in their respective places before looking at Elsa.

"Are you still worried? You did a great job helping me out today, and I'm really serious about that."

"I know," Anna agreed. "I did tell you, right? If it's you saying it, I know you're telling the truth," she giggled, and then she sighed. "It's just... you said that if I force myself on you, it worked. But I don't want to force myself on you all the time. It makes me feel like... well, like I'm just forcing you?"

"Even if I tell you that's not it?"

"I believe you, Elsa. I really do. But it's mostly just for me. I want to be able to help you without worrying you so much. Like when I burned those eggs, or when I cut my fingers. Someday, I want to be able to cook while you just sit down and watch, not nervous about the way I do it."

Anna was biting her lower lip, her cheeks glowing, her eyebrows were furrowing together, her eyes staring at her toes, and her thumbs twiddling. Elsa knew then that Anna was genuinely worried and nervous. Those were her habits whenever she would be.

"Anna..."

"A-Actually, forget it! It's probably me being curious or impulsive again!" Anna chuckled nervously, tucking an invisible hair behind her ear. "L-Let's forget about it, okay? I'm sorry, I—"

Anna stopped breathing when Elsa placed a soft and gentle kiss on her forehead. W-Wha-What is going on?! It was the only question running inside her head.

"Thank you." Elsa guided Anna's head to the crook of her neck. "I don't know why, but thank you."

"H-Hey! I also have a sweet bone in my body!" Anna explained a tad too nervously, wanting and also not wanting to push herself away. "I can do something I set my mind to!"

"I know." Elsa laughed, and then she pulled back to face Anna again. "Can I ask you something?"

"What?" Anna wondered, curious, but Elsa only stayed silent. "What is it?"

"Is it okay if we sleep together tonight?"

"What?!" Anna spluttered, the heat flooding her cheeks once more. "N-Not that I'm complaining, b-but... y-you're asking me?"

"I... can sleep well when I'm with you," Elsa explained shyly, her pale cheeks slowly turning pinkish.

Anna's mouth opened in hopes to say something, but she didn't know what. She closed it again, swallowing for the nth time to calm her nerves. Her eyes kept darting here and there, but every time they landed on Elsa, she would see the blonde still looking at her.

"A-Are you sure?" Anna asked as she started fiddling with her fingers.

"I am." Elsa smiled, but then her smile faltered a little. "But if you're not, m-maybe some other time? I mean... we haven't slept together for a while."

It wasn't always that Elsa would ask to sleep together. The one who would always be clingy was Anna, not the other way around. Not to mention, these feelings inside of her only grew stronger with each passing second. Could she catch a wink of sleep with Elsa like this? But Elsa said she could sleep well beside her. If it would only be this once, maybe it would be fine? If it could help Elsa sleep more comfortably... maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"Okay," Anna said with a voice barely above a whisper. "I'm okay with it. I-If you want..."

For a moment, Elsa only stared. Anna tried her best not to wiggle as she was slowly drawn to Elsa's eyes. Then, there was a skip inside her chest when Elsa's lips curled into what was probably the sweetest smile she ever donned.

"I want to."