The plan was going perfectly. All the frogs in this backwater town had been duped into boarding the 'party barge' with no one suspecting a thing. To think Grime had the nerve to doubt whether or not it would work. Of course it would. She was the one who came up with it.

Now, as Sasha watched Anne trailing behind the line of frogs boarding the party barge, it was time to move to the next step.

"Psst, Anne," she called out, catching Anne's attention. "You're with me."

Sasha pointed to the side, to a spider-drawn carriage of polished ebony, decked to the nines with gold trimmings, and last but not least, fitted with heart-shaped windows. The hearts were a little on the nose, but with Anne, subtlety wasn't always the best policy.

Anne's eyes lit up. Oh, yeah. She definitely got the hint.

"Whoa, cool!" she exclaimed, with not a hint of red on her cheeks. Ah. Spoke too soon.

But she had to keep up the act. She still had a chance. "What can I say? Being me comes with its privileges."

"Ooh! Ooh! Can we join in?"

Sasha's smile very nearly broke right then and there. The pink thing spoke again. The whole time she's here, it's been clinging to Anne for some reason. It's been impossible to get some early action going when the two were practically inseparable. Who the hell does it think it is?

"Uh, well…" Anne rubbed the back of her neck. Oh, no. Was she actually considering it?

"Now Sprig, Anne and her friend must have a lot of catching up to do," the older, crustier frog cut in. Hopadiah Plantar. Sasha recognized that one. Grime wouldn't shut up about him. "Let them have some privacy."

Anne opened her mouth. "It's not-"

"We would appreciate some time alone." Sasha wrapped an arm around Anne's shoulders and pulled her close, away from the pink thing. Intentional or not, this Hopadiah Plantar has her thanks. Never in a million years did she think she'd ever get an assist from a frog. "Thanks for understanding, Mr. Plantar."

"Just call me Hop Pop," he smiled at her. Sasha's poker face never fell. "Now, come along, kids! Let's not keep that party barge waitin'!"

With a skip in his step, 'Hop Pop' ushered the pink thing and the giant tadpole to follow him, joining the rest of their townsfolk. Sasha had to admit, he seemed nice enough, in that hillbilly sort of way. She felt better about the past few months, now knowing that Anne's been under the care of someone like him. It's almost a shame he had to die later tonight.

Now. With all those distractions out of the way…

"Shall we?" Sasha asked, an eyebrow raised in a way that Anne couldn't possibly see as platonic.

"After you, Your Highness," Anne replied with a silly curtsy.

Sasha snorted a giggle before she could stop herself. What? "Your highness?"

"I mean, you strolled in here with a whole freakin' army, riding these cool carriages, and wearing that really cool armor. I just thought, like, you gotta be royalty to pull that off. Like a prince or something."

Prince? Did Anne just call her a prince? Anne's prince?

Okay. Maybe she got the hint after all.

"Aww, you're blushing!"

Sasha blinked. No. No way she'd ever let that happen. "Am not! You're seeing things."

"Oooh, she's embarrassed! The ice cold killer queen is getting red in the face!" Anne's sass was cute, but all that earned her was a slap on the back.

"Just get on before I cancel this whole party."

Anne still had the giggles as she boarded the carriage. Not long after, the toads declared all frogs in Wartwood had been accounted for, and the convoy promptly began to move. Finally, she could put that backwater town behind her. Most importantly, she's finally alone with Anne.

Speaking of. The girl in question had her face glued to the carriage window, watching Wartwood disappear into the distance, with something like a wistful smile on her lips. Sasha'll make sure that face would be glued to something else before this ride ends. Just a few more seconds of respectful silence, and she could make her move.

It was time. Let's kick things off with an 'accidental' brush of the fingers.

Anne made a noise and tore her face away from the window, looking now at their fingers on the carriage cushion, only inches apart from each other.

Sasha had practiced her surprised face to perfection. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to distract you."

"No, no, it's fine, it's just…" Anne didn't look up. She's practically hypnotized by the fingers and the distance between them. "I just realized it's been… so long since I felt a human hand."

She blinked, snapping out of her trance. She met Sasha's eyes, her cheeks gaining an adorable shade of red. "S-sorry. Is that weird? That's weird, isn't it?"

Sasha smiled. A real, genuine smile. Anne always had a way to pull one out of Sasha from time to time. "No, I get it. Here." She closed the distance, enveloping Anne's hand with her own, the fingers interlacing perfectly with each other, like they're meant to be.

Anne completely froze up for a long time, long enough for Sasha to be concerned. Then, a shudder passed through Anne's entire body, and for a moment Sasha thought she was going to collapse then and there. But no, she held on. Hell, she's smiling. She's smiling so hard, tears were forming at the corners of her eyes.

"God. I forgot how nice it feels."

Laughing started spilling out from Anne's lips, short and clipped, like she's been holding it in for too long. Sasha fought back, oh how she fought back, from laughing along with Anne, but dammit, that girl's laughter was just too delightful.

"Oh my god. This is real. We're actually together again." Anne finally looked up from their interlaced hands. Her eyes carried a flash of fear. "This is real, right?"

"A hundred percent, sweetie." Sasha squeezed Anne's hand a tad tighter. She looked like she needed it.

And Sasha was right. Anne breathed a sigh of relief, marveling at their joined hands once again. "I don't think I can let go," she chuckled.

"Then don't." Sasha scooted over, sitting closer to Anne, never letting their hands break apart. She leaned against Anne, resting her head at the crook of her neck. "Let's just stay like this."

Anne, in response, practically melted. Her entire body relaxed, sinking into the cushions. She leaned against Sasha too, burying her face in Sasha's blonde locks. Sasha didn't remember Anne being quite this touchy and cuddly, but she supposed three months could really do a number to a person. And she didn't exactly mind this recent development.

Hell, this whole set of circumstances was a lot sappier than what Sasha had in mind, but just this once, she'll let it slide. The night was young and the ride was long. If she wanted to change the scene, turn up the heat, she'd have plenty of time and a million ways to do it.

The carriage suddenly jolted. They're both thrown off-balance, and as they righted themselves, Sasha found her head tucked comfortably on Anne's lap. Anne looked down, eyes wide as saucers, cheeks painted the prettiest shade of red.

Yes. She could work from here.

"I miss you," Sasha said, barely a whisper, as her hand wandered up to play with Anne's tangled mess of hair. "I miss us."

"Yeah. Me too." Anne's eyes fluttered to a close, leaning in, yearning for Sasha's touch.

Sasha timed it perfectly. Her fingers just barely brushed against Anne's cheeks as a question slipped past her lips, "What are we, though?"

"H-huh?" Anne's eyes popped open. It was adorable. "We're… friends?"

"Well, duh." Sasha moved her hand away. Anne moved after it, not even conscious of the act. Got her. "But is that really all we're going to be?"

Anne was already blushing up a red storm before, but now, her entire face had turned completely, comically, visibly red. The sight would have made Sasha laugh, but someone had to maintain the mood around here, and Anne's clearly not up for that task. Besides, Anne was already doing the laughing for her, though hers were more nervous than amused.

"W-what?" Her voice cracked an octave higher. My, my. The girl was just an adorable bundle of nerves. "Sash, what are you-?"

Her words, her thoughts, were brought into a screeching halt, when Sasha placed a gentle, yet firm finger upon her lips. The half-lidded eyes, the silk-like soft touch, the purring voice - Sasha knew exactly what she was doing to this poor girl.

"Anne. You're a big girl. You figure out what happens next."

Sasha's index finger left Anne's lips, making sure to lightly flick the bottom lip as she did so, just in case the evidence hadn't been mounting enough for Anne. To her credit, exactly what's happening here seemed to finally dawn on her. Or, struck her, would be a better way to put it. Like a freight train. Sasha stepped back, figuratively, watching Anne with expectant eyes, waiting to see if she had it in her to make the next move.

"Ah- Um- Eh- Ah- Er-"

Sasha chuckled. Those cute noises were music to her ears. Those nervous fidgets captivated her like no dance ever could. That awkward, blushing smile was the most beautiful painting in the world. But there was only so long that Sasha's patience could hold out. After a full minute, she decided she'd indulged Anne for long enough.

Sasha rose to a sitting position, careful to hide her face from view, silently savoring the disappointed noise Anne made when she left her lap. An exaggerated sigh left her lips as she shook her head. "You're absolutely hopeless."

Sasha glanced over her shoulder, just enough for one eye to be visible. Her hungry glint was all the warning Anne got.

"I have to do everything myself, don't I?"

Poor Anne. One moment, she's upright, wrestling with a whirlwind of emotions, trying to regain her bearings, and the next moment, she's lying down, her back against the cushions, with her best friend's face, eyes, lips only inches away from her own. The little squeak that she made when Sasha pounced was just the icing on the cake.

"How'd that one song go?" Sasha mused, her hot breath tingling Anne's skin. "I wanna ruin our friendship?"

Anne opened her mouth, probably to say something. Sasha didn't let her.

Sasha closed the gap. Their lips crashed against one another. And it was everything she always imagined it to be. Sweet, with a hint of salt. Coarse, bordering on rough. It was perfect. Fireworks soared and exploded. A choir of angels sang a victorious fanfare from the heavens. The kiss lasted for an eternity, and yet, when it was time to part, it felt far too short.

Oh well. Humans do need to breathe. And the sight of Anne, her mouth slightly open, gasping for breath, her dark cheeks tinted bright red, and her eyes fluttering and unfocused, more than made up for it. Maybe she overdid it, just a little. She certainly didn't plan to be so forceful, but it's really Anne's fault for dragging it out as long it did.

"S-Sasha…"

God. That whimper. The sound of Anne whimpering her name drove her wild. Sasha bit her lip. Her self-control was on thin ice before, but now it's been tossed out of the window. Restraint was no longer in her vocabulary. She wanted more.

Sasha pounced again, fiercer and hungrier than the first. Anne's squeals and moans only served to drive her further. When they were forced to break apart once more, Anne was left in a daze, seeing stars on the carriage roof. Sasha waited until Anne recovered, just so she could see the grin plastered on her lips. The grin that sent Anne one clear message.

Sasha was far from satisfied.

"H-how long i-is this ride again…?"

A single finger against Anne's lips silenced her.

"Long enough."

This fic was commissioned by scatter44 over on Tumblr, who wanted some fluffy Sashanne, flirty Sasha, and a big ol' kiss at the end. Gotta say, it's a challenge writing someone like Sasha, who's not quite a good person and not quite a bad person, but it's a fun challenge. I hope you enjoyed it, dude. Hope you all enjoyed it!