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[Anna pauses; she'd been all ready to tear into that package, but when Chloe suggests they go for a swim, she's not sure whether or not that's a joke.]

Wait, wait, seriously?

[Anna sets down her own package and scurries over to join Chloe by the edge of the pool.]

It would be fun...but I'm in my nightgown!

[Chloe lets out a laugh at that, as if it's a flimsy excuse. In truth, she'd heard a similar one from Max and they'd still ended up in the pool. She's riding the thrill of this encounter, so she's a little more daring than she ought to be.]

Yeah, but are you gonna let that stop you?

[Chloe turns her back to Anna and starts to lift up her shirt, before glancing over her shoulder.]

I assume you've got something on underneath.

[With that she finishes peeling off her shirt and tosses it aside, then the pants follow.

Chloe is impressed at her own bravery, honestly. What is even happening.]

[That sounds suspiciously like a dare, and Anna is almost physically unable to resist a dare. Plus...

...Well, it'll be fun, she tells herself. That's that. How often do you get a chance to do something like this? Definitely not often in Arendelle, that's for sure. And she wants Chloe to like her.]

..Well, yeah, okay. I'll do it. Just...don't look.

[She's still shy, especially around someone so cool, and she turns her back as she starts to pull her nightgown over her head. Here goes nothing!]

[And this is the moment in the game where everything pauses and you press A to look or B to not look.

If you think Chloe isn't pressing A, you're wrong. She hesitates, but- finally, she risks a little peek Anna's way. God. Gay.

She's so gay.

Chloe coughs and turns away, suddenly feeling all kinds of hot. Honestly if she knew Anna thought she was cool, she'd be both flattered and wonder how the hell she thinks that. Sometimes she feels like a total goober.

At least she's good at pretending??]

I hope they lied when they said this thing was heated, cuz it sure is hot in here.

[Is that an attempt at flirting? Is it her being awkward? We just don't know.]

[Anna's thankfully oblivious to any peeking; she's too busy staring straight in the other direction. She's suddenly gripped by a weird fear that if she looks at Chloe and sees her in her underwear, something will be...different. She might feel different.

She's shaken out of her worries by Chloe's words, and she blinks, turning over her shoulder to glance at the other girl.]

You think so?

[Waaaaay over her head.]

[There are sometimes when things go over Anna's head and it's funny, then there are others, when she's trying to be flirty or drop certain hints, that it's not funny at all. This is the latter.

When it seems like Anna is finally finished taking her night gown off, Chloe decides to just turn around like it's No Big Deal.

Her eyes move over Anna, and yep-]

Definitely hot in here.

[She's gonnaaaa. Just go and jump into the pool now.

Sploosh.]

[Anna turns, too, and sees the way Chloe looks at her, so pointedly, and—

Oh. Oh, she thinks she gets it. Oh, no.

Giving a startled laugh, Anna follows suit, jumping in right after Chloe with a big old splash. Way easier than trying to dissect her own weird feelings right now.]

[TBH, she really hadn't meant to be so pointed with it, she just sometimes has the subtlety of a Snorlax on a treadmill.

Chloe surfaces and twists in the water, waiting for Anna to surface. Man, she honestly needs this, as much as she has weird feelings about the entire thing. It feels... honestly like the most normal thing she's done since arriving in the fucking Pokemon world. It's real.

Even if there is some really chill background music. It kinda adds ambiance.]

I think this is the best idea you've ever had, girl. You never realize how much you need to break into a swimming pool and chill until you're living the moment.

[Anna's head bobs up, followed by her shoulders, and she pushes her wet bangs away from her face, her braids floating to the surface of the water. She grins at Chloe.]

Yeah? Y'know, I've never done anything like this before. Like, I've broken rules like 'no sliding down the banisters' but I've never actually broken in anywhere!

Oh my god, you slid down the banisters?

[Chloe can't help but snicker a little as she pushes hair out of her face and lets herself float slowly closer to Anna.]

I think you need to calm down, that's a little hardcore even for me.

Well, yeah! [Duh! Anna laughs, but then looks at Chloe uncertainly, treading water.]

You're making fun of me.

I'm not making fun of you, it's c- [she doesn't want to say the word cute. She's already flirted SO MUCH she ain't about to come off as desperate] cool! It's cool. You're so edgy.

[Chloe @ herself: shut the fuck up.]

[Slowly, the uncertainty fades from her face, and Anna giggles, looking bashful.]

Really? You think I'm cool? [She tucks a stray bit of hair behind her ear.] I never expected to hear that from you of all people.

[Holy shit Anna needs to stop. Chloe wants to play it cool and pretend everything is No Big Deal but she's still got some weird hang ups. So it's like on one hand she wants to kiss the girl. On the other, what if she does and suddenly the other shoe drops and Anna gets sucked up by a giant tornado??

These are real issues Chloe needs to deal with in therapy.]

Yeah- wait, me of all people?

[Still drifting closer, Chloe stops a foot or so away from Anna, giving her raised eyebrows.]

Well, yeah! [Anna gives Chloe an incredulous look. How could she not understand this when it's so incredibly obvious.]

Because you're, like...the coolest person I've ever met. You're really funny, and...you're way more gutsy than I could ever be, actually.

[Wow. Be still her heart.

No one's ever... said that to her before?? At least not really since she met Rachel, but even then it was... her being the one to say those things. This is kind of new territory.

But thank fuck Anna made it easy to turn it right back around on her so she isn't the one being overly vulnerable.]

Wow. You sound so gay for me right now, I'm not sure how to feel about that.

[WINK WINK]

Edited 2018-01-27 20:24 (UTC)

[Anna half-laughs, but it's obvious when something bothers her, and now's the time to blurt it all out, she guesses.]

Y'know, every time you say that...I can't help but feel like you and I mean very different things by 'gay'.

[Wait.]

Hooow so?

Edited 2018-01-27 20:35 (UTC)

Um, well. The way I use it, it means 'happy'. Like, 'I'm feeling so gay today because it's my birthday!' Like that. But the way you mean it...

[She cocks her head. Whenever Chloe says that word to her, it's almost...teasing. Flirty, even.]

Oh. Right.

[Suddenly it. Makes sense.

She is from like, whenever the fuck ye olden times. So. Of course she would mean it that way and not. Y'know.

It's hard when you're really into someone and suddenly it feels like they've aggressively friendzoned you. That's very Chloe right now.]

Well duh. What other dumbass meaning would it have? That's. What I meant too.

[She's gonnaaa. swim over to the edge of the pool and pull herself up and into a sitting position, feet still in the water.]

I think I'm a little pooled out.

[Anna's brows draw together, and she looks at Chloe's retreating back with a hurt expression. Watching the other girl pull herself up to sit at the edge of the pool, she huffs.]

Wait! Please...

[She swallows down her trepidation.]

Don't shut me out like that. If...if you have something to say, please just say it. I've had a whole lifetime of not being told things I should have been told.

[Chloe is fully prepared to shut her out. To pretend that none of this ever happened, to make some excuse. To say she brought the wrong present and go set the stupid gay sweater on fire.

But then Anna says that and there's something about the way she says it that pushes through the wall Chloe is quickly building. She can tell Anna isn't lying when she says that.

Fuck.]

I-

[Fuck. Again.]

Okay. Fine. Whatever. I like you. Is that what you want to hear? Is that the truth you really wanted? So now you can- you can go grab your stupid old time-y pitchforks and your torches and burn me alive or whatever it is you do. Fuck.

[It really should've been so obvious this entire time, but she'd gotten so. Caught up in it. She feels like such an idiot.]

[Waiting for an answer feels like it take a month, at least. Anna's still treading water while she waits; suddenly, the whole room feels even more still and quiet than it already was, and her gently churning arms sound way too loud.

I like you. Anna's surprised, but then again, she really isn't. Maybe she's known for awhile, yet, and her brain just hadn't quite caught up with her heart. She can feel her face flushing, and she swims closer, so she's level with Chloe's knees, looking up at her face.]

Wh-what? Why would I burn you alive for liking me? I...that's the nicest thing I've heard in a long time, actually.

[Chloe almost lets out a groan at that reply- not because she isn't relieved to hear that Anna isn't homophobic or whatever, but no one wants to hear 'that's nice' when you confess your feelings.]

So when is the 'but' coming?

[She. Really doesn't mean to sound like such a dick right now, but she's going through a lot all of a sudden. She draws her legs up to sit cross-legged and scoots back a little bit, because if Anna reaches out to touch her she doesn't think she'd be able to deal.]

'That's nice but I'm straight'. Been there, done that. I'm not looking for the sequel, so we can just pretend none of this ever happened.

[Anna shakes her head, her wet braids flipping water at Chloe's shins, and when she draws up her legs, Anna just comes right up to the side of the pool and rests her arms on it, to give herself a break from treading water.]

Chloe...I'm not. I don't...I've never done this before. Where I come from...people don't really talk about this kind of stuff, y'know? But that doesn't mean I haven't thought about it. And.

[She chews her lip, looking down at her own hands. Nervously, her fingers scratch at the wet tile of the pool's edge.]

I like you, too. It's weird, I sort of didn't see it coming. But spending time with you...It makes me really happy.

[Finally, Anna hazards a glance upward, almost afraid to see what Chloe's expression will be.]

I've never liked another girl before. But I guess there's a first time for everything, huh?

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