Birthday songs had always been the most awkward part of Elsa's birthday. It made her feel like a child and she didn't know what to do or how to act during that whole twenty seconds of performance from everyone. She often hoped that people would not sing or, at the very least, sing faster so it would no longer put her on the spot.

This time was different.

Elsa, for the first time in her life, hoped that they would sing as slowly as they can. It was embarrassing, but it was also easy to ignore because her mind was occupied with other things. She wanted to make the moment last if only to give herself more time and an excuse not to talk to her parents.

After the incident that changed her life forever, Elsa became the type to simply loiter around or act as though her birthday was a normal day. Her extended family knew this, but they always made sure they had get-togethers. The first time it happened, Elsa's reaction was expected: she cried and locked herself in her room until the next day. Time passed and she was able to cope with a simple get together.

It was all she could handle.

This celebration that everyone had for her in Tiana's restaurant was both comfortable and alarming. The comfort came from the fact that it wasn't a full-blown party and she was surrounded by her friends and close families, while the alarm came from her own parents' presence.

"Make a wish!" Charlotte gestured to the candles. "Come on! It doesn't hurt!"

Elsa raised an eyebrow, not one for believing in wishes made in thin candlesticks, and looked at the excited little girl standing beside the chef. An idea popped to mind. "Alice," she called, and Alice tore her gaze from the cake to meet her eyes. "Want to do the honors?"

"Really?!"

"Sure."

Alice, excited as she was, poked her fingers together and looked at her mother with huge pleading eyes. Charlotte shrugged noncommittally and Alice didn't waste any time crawling under the table to reach the other side of it.

"You can have my wish," Elsa whispered as she picked the little girl up and leaned her closer to the cake.

Not even three seconds later, the tiny dancing flames died from one of Alice's exaggerated blows and everyone applauded. Elsa didn't know if the girl wished for something but lowered her down anyway. It wasn't until Alice was on the floor that she noticed the ruined cake.

"Alice!" Charlotte ran around the table in a panic to wipe the mess her daughter, who was licking her hands without discretion, made. "Oooh. I told you to wait until after you ate a proper meal!" she reprimanded. Everyone watched on, amused, as Alice merely pouted and looked sadly at the wipes now decorated with icing.

"Oh come on, babe, it's all in good fun," Kristoff chuckled before swallowing audibly when his wife shot him a glare. "Right. Right, yeah, I know. Alice, don't play around with food."

"Okay," Olaf snorted. "I'm just going to ignore my brother getting whipped and get myself some food. It was a long ride and I haven't eaten since lunch!"

"Ever the romantic." Senya rolled her eyes. "I told you to eat when we made a stopover in Starlight."

"Why spend money when there's a feast waiting for us here?" He reached for a pizza and stuffed his mouth with it. "Hrmf! Whow zish ish delishoos!"

"Olaf!" Gerda chided. "You're spraying food everywhere!"

Senya shook her head at her boyfriend's antics before giving Elsa her full attention. "Hey," she greeted. "How are you?"

"Surprised," she admitted and discreetly nudged a finger to where her parents were with her uncle. "Did you know?"

"I did," Senya confirmed. "Is there a problem with that?"

"A little warning would have been appreciated."

"It would, but where's the fun in that?" Senya giggled. Elsa opened her mouth but stopped when the brunette raised a hand. "Kidding aside, I didn't know they were going to come with us. I only found out this morning when Olaf picked me up."

"Oh."

"Is it too much? I can keep you company if you like."

"I'll be okay." Senya gave her a once over and shrugged her assent. Elsa smiled and changed the topic. "I missed you."

"I missed you too. Come here you!" Senya wrapped an arm around the birthday girl and playfully ruffled her hair, earning herself a half-hearted protest. It took a whole minute before the musician relented. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to visit Olaf's apartment before your vacation."

Shoulders relaxing as the familiar warmth didn't leave her, she said, "It's okay. I know it's hard, composing out of nothing."

"It is." Senya winked. "So," she drawled, but before she could continue, Olaf strutted over and wrapped Elsa in a hug without warning, lifting her into the air.

"O-Olaf! C-Can't...!"

"She can't breathe!" Senya swatted the photographer and immediately patted the heaving girl's back when he set her free. "Are you okay?"

"I-I think so."

"Sorry 'bout that." Olaf grinned, looking insincere with his apology. "How's vacation?"

"It's... nice." Elsa then watched her parents again. "Why didn't you tell me they'll be here?"

The smile on Olaf's face faltered, replaced with a guilty look. "Dad made me promise. He said you'd only worry about it instead of enjoying and relaxing."

Despite her subconscious silently agreeing with what her uncle thought, Elsa wasn't happy that they kept such important information from her. "Olaf..."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. We were just worried about this whole thing. You haven't talked to them for nearly a month. We didn't know how you'll react if we told you." Olaf turned sheepish under Elsa's disapproving gaze. He coughed and reached out to his pocket. "Here." He offered his car key attached to a snowman keychain. "Consider this my apology?"

"You're giving me your car?"

"What? No! I'm saying, you can use it. Take it somewhere, spend your time elsewhere, relax, or maybe get a breather."

"I can't. You traveled far to arrive earlier than I expected and everyone worked hard to give me this." She gestured to the whole place. "It's rude to leave."

"Why do you think we're celebrating it in the afternoon and away from home?" Olaf asked. "We know this came out of nowhere, Elsa. You're not obligated to stay here, and I don't want to force you to. I only ask that you at least try to stay, enjoy it with us, and talk to your mom and dad even if it's only a simple greeting. If you think you've tried enough and it's still overwhelming you," He took Elsa's hand and placed the key on it, "then you can go."

Elsa shakily wrapped her fingers around the key, her heart pounding in her chest as the words of her cousin rang in her ears. Every instinct told her to run away, her legs aching to dart out to the front doors, but Olaf's words somehow kept her in place.

Anna watched the cousins talk beside the table with the cake and wondered what their topic was about. Whatever it was, Rapunzel insisted that she does not step in and that it was a serious talk. However, despite her words, that didn't stop the brunette from being vocal.

"This is waaaaay above awkward," Rapunzel muttered in between chews of her pizza, narrowing her eyes at the Dalton couple who were discussing something with Kai and Marshall.

"That's not a nice thing to say in front of food, Rapz." Senya appeared out of nowhere, startling her sister and the redheaded cousins. "Don't cause any ruckus."

"Hey!" Rapunzel swallowed her food. "I wasn't causing any ruckus. I just want to make sure they weren't causing one."

"Ahuh, if you say so."

"It's true! Why are they here?"

"Why not? They're not banned here. It's their hometown."

"I already told her that," Ariel said.

"Believe me, we've talked about this countless times before," Senya sighed.

Rapunzel huffed and glared at her food, losing her appetite. The appearance of Elsa's parents did a number on everyone's mood, aside from Gerda who seemed fully aware they were going to appear. It came as a surprise to them, uncertain as to why the couple was there, but Senya was right. This was their hometown and they could go back if they wanted to.

Why didn't they do it earlier?

Anna swallowed the question along with the chocolate ice cream, ignoring the way she shivered in response. She didn't know what to make of this situation, why Mr. and Mrs. Dalton suddenly appeared, or how to act around them. The last time she had seen the couple, they were crying. It wasn't a particularly nice way to part.

"I can't believe you're eating ice cream in this weather," Rapunzel remarked, shifting her attention to the barely cozy redhead. "Aren't you cold?"

"It's the best weather to eat ice cream," Anna replied, quirking a brow when her cousin moved her mouth the same way her sentence was uttered.

Rapunzel noticed and frowned in confusion.

"She does it all the time," Ariel explained.

"In winter?" The younger brunette wondered, crumpling the tissue she used to eat her pizza.

"It doesn't melt," said the cousins in unison.

The response brought a light chuckle out of Senya and a delayed one from Rapunzel. It calmed them down to a certain degree, to Anna's dismay and delight.

When the owners of Frozen Fractals entered the restaurant, it was awkward. They were obviously holding back on verbally asking a question Anna could clearly see in their expressive eyes. Other than the appearance of Elsa's parents, they were worried about the same thing—only in a different way.

'Have you told your brother?'

How could she? With everything she had learned about Elsa, pretending that she was clueless was easier than talking about it and risking what they already had. It made Anna feel terrible, keeping a secret from her brother, but she had already decided that she wouldn't do it until she was certain that Elsa was ready to reveal herself on her own.

"Hey."

The three girls stopped laughing at Anna's expense as Elsa approached, waiting with bated breaths for whatever the birthday girl was about to say. When Elsa saw the ice cream in Anna's bowl, an amused look crossed her face and the girls began laughing again aside from Anna whose cheeks reddened.

"It's always a good time for ice cream." Anna tried to look confident, but the glow of her cheeks betrayed the image she was trying to uphold. Elsa bobbed her head slowly, her eyebrows meeting each other in the center.

"You have interesting friends." Senya directed the statement to her sister and Elsa.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Ariel giggled.

"They are," Rapunzel agreed and nudged Elsa by the elbow. "We're only figuring it out ourselves."

"Oh?" A lopsided smile grew on Senya's lips. "Whatever that means, I'm glad you're getting along. I'll leave you to it, then. I want to catch up with Charlotte and Toph."

As soon as Senya left the high schoolers to their own devices, Anna was the first to speak up. "Happy birthday, Elsa."

Elsa jumped and, after hearing the followed greeting of Ariel and Rapunzel, smiled. "Thank you."

"How old are you now?"

"Seventeen."

Anna barely caught herself. She had known that Elsa stopped school, but she didn't know that the girl was older than her. She had only turned sixteen herself this year. "I see." Anna cleared her throat when Elsa ducked her head with a shy smile. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," she said. "Was this why you were dragged here?"

"We helped out. Charlotte did make us some Coronian dishes like she said she would. They're mostly desserts."

"It's our town's specialty."

"Tell me about it." Rapunzel eyed the pies and cakes lined up on a table.

"They're honestly fun to make!" Ariel chimed. "I learned how to make blueberry pies and Charlotte even gave me some recipes that I can make at home."

"I hope she didn't work you too hard. She can get bossy if she wants to."

"It's fine," Anna promised. "It wasn't a hassle, knowing we're doing it to surprise you."

Elsa blushed and broke eye contact, tensing when her gaze landed on something behind the cousins. Anna discreetly turned her head enough to see what held the blonde's attention and saw Mr. and Mrs. Dalton. Inwardly preparing herself for asking an inevitable question, she looked back at Elsa.

"Are you okay?" Blue eyes snapped to hers. Anna used her thumb to point at somewhere behind her for clarification.

"I don't know," Elsa said. "It feels awkward."

"You should enjoy it. It's your birthday."

The blonde tapped her fingers on the table in contemplative silence. "I know. It's... unexpected, that's all. I was used to spending my birthday at home, without Mom and Dad. It's much more comfortable there than out here."

"Do you want to go home?"

"No. But staying here feels- I don't want to look ungrateful. I'm seriously thankful for the effort you and everyone put in for this. But with them here, I..."

Anna scooped another spoonful of ice cream, conflicted. She knew that nothing would happen by running away, but at the same time, she didn't want to force Elsa into something she wasn't ready to face. The last time she tried to shove her ideas on someone, everything went downhill and led to how she was now. It was something she didn't want to go through again and it was a mistake she didn't want to commit when it came to Elsa.

"Do you want to go somewhere, then?" Rapunzel suggested. "I don't think they'd mind as long as you eat before going."

Elsa shook her head. "They won't, but..."

Before Rapunzel could say anything else, Ariel jumped in. "Birthdays only come once a year, Elsa. Spend it in a way you know you would enjoy it."

People do things they enjoy on their birthdays. It was the natural thing to do. Anna knew that Elsa didn't allow herself that luxury in years, and when the blonde looked at her as if waiting for a comment, she could only smile and will herself not to talk despite the words being right there at the tip of her tongue. It was the safest thing she could do. Whatever Elsa decided, she would support it.

Elsa's shoulders slumped and she glanced back at her parents.

It was only for short while, but Anna could've sworn she saw a hint of longing in those eyes.

"Elsa?"

Platinum blonde head turned around at the mention of her name, blue eyes shining with alarm when Marshall walked up to her. Elsa decided not to talk, the disappointment from their conversation in the cemetery not washed away yet, but didn't push him away.

"Are you still mad?"

"I thought you didn't want to talk about it for now." Elsa poured herself a glass of soda. She had eaten as much as her stomach would allow her and was spending her time trying to distract herself with things that wouldn't make her interact with her parents alone.

"I don't, but you're clearly not having fun."

Gulping down the drink with difficulty, she settled the glass on the table and puffed out a particularly harsh breath. "I'm trying to, Mars. Between Mom and Dad's appearance, our talk, and the fact that I'm the only one left celebrating this day meant for two, I'm trying."

"I'm sorry."

Eyebrows knitting, she faced him completely and saw a forlorn look on his face. Instantly feeling terrible, she tried to remove the animosity in her voice. "Did you know they'll be here?"

"No." He sounded honest. "But I knew it wasn't impossible for them to come. I just didn't think it was going to happen." Elsa pinched the bridge of her nose and bit the inside of her cheek. He noticed. "They've been crying a lot since that day." Hearing this, she flinched and lowered her hand to look at him. "They feel terrible about it. Can you... Can you give them another chance?"

The question triggered a memory that brought them to this very situation. It was the same question he asked when he suggested she go to Arendelle and live with them again. Just like before, he sounded genuinely convinced that everything might be different—in a good way—this time around.

"Mars, I'm still trying to cope with what happened in Arendelle, to sort out my feelings about... about this! If I give them another chance, what if it doesn't work out again?"

"I... don't know."

Elsa downed another glass, ignoring the uncomfortable sensation the carbonated drink brought to her nose when a belch threatened to burst. Anna, Ariel, Rapunzel, and Alice were outside the restaurant, trying to build an army of snowmen as a request from the little girl. She wanted to join them as a way to distract herself, but she also wanted to see how far her sanity could keep her within this building before she ran away on Olaf's car.

As she had predicted, after three weeks of not seeing her parents, she regretted a part of her own outburst. Maybe things could've been different if she had spoken up earlier, if she explained calmly instead of shouting in fits of anger and rage, and if she was honest from the very beginning. But there was no use seeking the answers to these what-ifs. She had to live in the present, as a wise woman told her once.

"Elsa?" A voice derailed her thoughts, and when she lifted her head, there stood her mother and father. Their stiffness and uncertainty of how to act were just as obvious as it was the first time she entered the restaurant. "We... We have a present for you."

Marshall stepped aside and stood with his sister.

"H-Here." Queenie offered a box neatly wrapped in a wrapper with snowflake designs.

Elsa looked at it, blood ringing in her ears as numerous ideas popped into her head. What was inside this ominous box? Would she even like it? Was it another object Cindy wanted that they were planning to push on her again? Fear quickly gripped her chest, leaving her terrified to reach out. If this was another one of those things her parents thought she preferred just because Cindy did, it would be a blow to what little identity she had managed to build up for herself.

Swallowing past the huge lump in her throat, Elsa subconsciously looked around the room until her eyes locked with Gerda's. She wanted to run up to her aunt and ask questions, ask if she would be alright if she took this offered gift.

She didn't need to.

One look and Gerda knew what it was she wanted, and her answer was an encouraging nod.

Despite the comfortable temperature inside the restaurant because of the heater, it felt as though she was outside and freezing. Her hands were cold as they'd always be whenever she was nervous. With them trembling, she took the box from her mother's proffered hand.

Sucking in a silent shuddering breath, she tore the wrapper apart. Every torn piece reminded her of scratching nails on a board and her heart pounded in her chest as a sense of doom quickly loomed over her head. When the wrapper was removed and she saw the picture on that dreaded box, her nerves disappeared in a puff of smoke and was replaced by... confusion.

"We didn't know what to buy you." Her father was the first to say something. "When we asked Olaf, he had a list of things he said you'd like. Out of everything he suggested, this one... this one is something you might need while... while working for him."

"We hope you like it," her mother added with a look that Elsa could only see on herself before, a look of someone who was saying something they hoped was acceptable and eagerly waiting for approval.

The way they stuttered, the way their voices shook—

Elsa was entirely unfamiliar with them.

It made her feel self-conscious and drift her gaze to the box of Sony A6000 camera.

Her parents didn't approve of any career that involved art, believing that there was no future in it. For them to buy a camera for her use in order to practice and be of more help to Olaf's business was highly unusual and wholly new, leaving her a befuddled mess.

Meeting her parents' eyes again, she stuttered out with the weakest, gentlest voice she ever directed to them since the hospital, "Thank you," and tried to keep the hostility off her face when the tension on their shoulders visibly slipped away.

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