#te2

Maybe he was sick. But no, he felt normal, better than normal even, excited somehow and giddy and…happy, he guessed.

He glanced at the bracelet around his wrist, like he had done so many times that evening, and could not stop himself from touching the tiny stones and tracing the letters on them.

Pend Pals.

He did not like the name and had told the others so, but of course none of them had listened. It sounded stupid and childish, but then again, friendship bracelets in themselves were probably stupid and childish.

His heart still started to beat a little bit faster just by looking at it though and he felt a small smile creeping onto his lips.

The thing was, Beckett has never had any friends.

Well, that was not entirely true. There was Katrina, who was without a doubt his best friend, but she always said that that was not the same because she was already his sister and he knew that Katrina was good with people, that she just got them and Beckett just did not and therefore he guessed that she was probably right when it came to these things. There had been his grandmother who had died six years, six months and four days ago - yes, he knew the exact date - who had loved him very much and whom he had loved very much in return. And then there was…no, that was it, actually.

He realised that it sounded quite sad, but he was fine with it, really. He has always been a bit different, has always liked things nobody else really seemed to like. Yes, sometimes he had been lonely and yes, sometimes he had really, really wanted friends. Once, when he had been very young, he had even had an imaginary friend, who had also liked books and had read even more than Beckett himself.

But he was older now, more mature and he barely thought about these things anymore.

It was weird how a small, ordinary bracelet had changed so much. Maybe not for the others - certainly not for the others, he knew that they were quite popular - but for him. For him, it had changed everything.

The times when he would walk into the dining hall not knowing where to sit and desperately looking for a deserted table were over. The times when he would sit alone and scribble something in his notebook during breaks, while everybody else talked to their partner or sat on the desks of their friends, chatting, laughing, were over. The times when he would go straight to his room after lessons to do his homework, do yoga, read, listen to some music, talking to nobody until the next morning, thinking about nobody because there was nobody he could think about and nobody thinking about him, were over.

Finally, there were people he belonged to and who belonged to him. Maybe they were idiots sometimes, but they were his idiots now. Shreya Mistry, Griffin Langley, that annoying Zephyr guy and Alectrona Knox were his four idiots.

Well, except Alectrona of course. She was smart and witty and very good at all kinds of spells, sometimes even better than him, which was impressive. When he watched her during lessons, and he had noticed that he did that quite a lot apparently, he saw that intriguing mixture of fascination and enthusiasm and intelligence sparkling in her eyes and he then had the strange feeling that he never wanted to look away again. Sometimes she caught him, turning her head in his direction and meeting his gaze, smiling. He had noticed that she smiled at him a lot. And he had also noticed that he quite liked her smile - her lips were very pink, her teeth very white and there were dimples on her cheeks and small wrinkles around her eyes. Beckett often wondered what exact color her hair was because he was certain that he had never seen that particular shade before. It was quite extraordinary and kind of reminded him of the sun. And how soft her skin was. Which sounded very creepy, but it was the truth nervetheless. When she had tied the bracelet around his wrist her fingertips had brushed his hand and he had felt a warm, fluttering feeling in his chest and stomach and had blushed immediately.

Sometimes he wanted to tell her these things, but he knew that he could not, that it would be weird and he did not want to make her uncomfortable.

He traced the letters on the bracelet again.

Pend Pals.

Now that he really thought about it, it did not sound so stupid and childish anymore and he actually quite liked it.

Beckett sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. He decided that he would go to bed and instead finish his homework tomorrow when he was hopefully more like himself again.

-

In the morning, he got up and brushed his teeth, washed his face and put on his pants, his shirt and blazer. Before he left the room he hesitated, then he rolled his sleeves up, exposing the bracelet and the eight letters on it.

While walking through the hallways, his backpack slung over one shoulder, he passed some other students, their tired faces illuminated by the morning light, and he thought he noticed some of them looking at his wrist. But maybe that was just his imagination.

He entered the dining hall and headed straight for their usual table, not even looking around.

“Good morning”, he said, sitting down in the chair next to Griffin, who yawned in response and rubbed wearily at his face.

Shreya was reading some kind of fashion magazine he had never seen before, but still nodded at him briefly with a small grin and Zephyr, who was eating something Beckett had also never seen before and which looked, frankly, quite disgusting to him, winked at him.

“LETS GOOOOOOO!!!! SHE KICKED ASS!” Atlas cheered next to Shreya, who almost had tears in her eyes. “I love being friends with talented people.”

A few minutes later the crowd started to calm down around me, i got up to greet Ellie and congratulate her on yet another astonishing play. Shreya, Griffin, & Atlas followed closely behind.

When I walked to the side of the field, I watched as Ellie celebrated with her team whilst their opponents sighed in defeat. I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous as her mainly male teammates lifted her up while cheering, it seemed unnecessary for them to crowd around her so persistently. Then again, Ellie quickly became popular ever since she stepped foot on campus. People, including myself always felt calm and drawn to her unmatchable charm and energy. Another thing I love about her...

I caught her eye and she flashed a huge smile which made my heart flutter with a thousand butterflies. I felt a heat on my cheeks but managed to smile back instead of drooling.

After a minute more of celebration, Ellie and Zeph walked over to our group like always and we all clapped and congratulated them. Ellie walked straight up to me and wrapped her arms around my neck. Holy crap she’s so cute.

“‘Sup Beckett! How was the show?” She said after stepping back. My face was now red as a tomato as I stuttered over my words.

“It-I-um, you were- um, you were absolutely amazing!” I internally facepalmed at the answer I had managed to get out. She laughed and grabbed my hand before tugging me towards our friends who were already walking a few feet ahead of us.

“Guys! What are you doing now that the game is over?” Ellie asked when we caught up, still holding my hand.

“Shreya and I are heading to a picnic sight to eat lunch.” Atlas threw her arms around Shreya’s shoulders.

“Ooo! That sounds fun! What about you two?” She turned towards Griffin and Zeph.

“G dawg is gonna show me a shop where I can buy theif supplies!” He and Griffin fist bump. After a few more moment of walking, our group made it outside and was greeted by the warmth of the sun.

Ellie smiles up at me. “Remember that French cafe you took me to at the beginning of the school year?” She gave my hand a quick squeeze while asking.

“Yeah, why?” I asked raising a brow at her.

“Ok ok... remember when you promised to bring me there before the school year ended..?” Her smile got bigger as she talked. I suddenly remembered and couldn’t stop a grin from spreading across my face. She remember it!

“I think I see where this is going...”

“Correct!!!”

Ellie says to our group that we’d be going to grab some food. She waved goodbye and tugs me onto a separate path that leads to the teleportation mirrors. After we left she slowed down to chat about the game and I couldn’t help but stare even harder as she talked so animatedly. Her emerald eyes almost looked as if they were glowing and her smile makes the sun pale in comparison. How can one human be so perfect. She eyed me while talking.

“And this guys flag almost got stu- Hey! Are you listening?” She fakes a pout which I found to be heart melting. I chuckle at her and kiss the top of her head, just wanting to be close to her.

“I was originally, but I don’t think you know how distracting you can be even when you’re the one talking.” I see a little blush appear on her cheeks so, feeling bold, I took a deep breath and turned towards her, making her stop walking to pay attention. We had walked down the path and had ended up in a nice quiet area of campus.

“Ellie, I know I can be stubborn sometimes... especially with feelings, but I can’t go on another minute without telling you how much I love and appreciate you...” as I spoke I see her eyes soften and felt my cheeks heat up. I paused and cleared my throat before continuing.

“...The happiness I feel whenever I’m with you is something I never want to lose, and the same goes for the feeling of disappointment when we aren’t together, because in know how much sweeter it will be to see you. I know I can be quite strange and frankly, I’m not sure why you’ve ever had interest in me, I just know that even throughout my life of work and stress, I love you more than I’ve ever loved myself.”

When I finished I saw tears forming in her eyes and a small pout starting to show on her bottom lip.

“Beckett” she sniffed. “I love you too... more than I let you know, but I really really do.” She threw her arms around my neck and crashed her lips onto mine for a sweet moment.

She broke the kiss and ruffled my hair with a smile. “Took us long enough!” She joked before hugging me. I was smiling like a fool.

After a few minutes filled with hugs and kisses. I pull back setting her down on her feet, running a hand across her cheek with a smile. I grab her hand and intertwine our fingers.

“I believe we have a celebratory cafe date to attend to.” I smile as she giggles.

“Come on, nerd.” She winked before tugging me along once again.

•••

A/N: this was not in any way proper but I thought putting this Drabble together was only fitting for how good the prompt was.(sorry for any spelling or grammatical errors!)

🌌The Elementalists🌌Tag Squad☀️- @warblerlo / @fluffy-marshmallow-heart / @herarmoredheart

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He rushed to Oriana’s side, seeing the wounds, seeing how deep they were, seeing her naked form crumpled on his floor.

“Oh my god!!” He got to work immediately, pressing his hands over the first wound, the flash of light emitting and then moved to the second. He wondered what the hell caused these, but he had sinking feeling he already knew. And it was his fault. But the second wound wasn’t closing like the first. It was clearly deeper, and she was losing way too much blood. Her skin was already turning ashen. He didn’t know what to do. The last time she was on the brink of death, it took several people to heal her. But there was only him now, and he wasn’t going to lose her.

There was another spell he knew of, but he had never used it and it came with a steep price. Besides that, if she didn’t love him, it wouldn’t work, and they’d both be dead. When she went completely limp, he began anyway. He grimaced as he felt it, felt the searing pain cutting his side, but saw her wound getting smaller, so he continued, crying out as he did so. He collapsed on the floor next to her, not breaking contact. He was writhing with how much this hurt, and he knew it wasn’t as much as she had felt. The hole in her side was closing slowly. He could barely breathe at this point, refusing to look at his own skin. But finally, it all subsided, and both of them were panting.

He let go of her, in disbelief that it had worked. He knew it. He knew she still loved him.

Her eyes slowly blinked open, the color slowly returning to her face. “Beckett? How did I get here?” She asked weakly. “What happened?”

He sat up, pulling her into his arms and rocking back and forth, practically crying of happiness. “I’m not sure. I was hoping you could tell me. What the hell, Ori? What on earth happened to you??”

“I was home…” She began slowly. Then she gasped and moved to clutch her side. “Oh my god! I need healing!”

“I already did.” He told her gently. “I was showering and heard an awful scream.” A scream he never wanted to hear again.

Oriana frowned. “There’s a scar…”

Beckett nodded. “The regular healing spell wasn’t working enough. You were…you…Ori, geezus, I’m so happy you’re okay!!!!” He pulled her even more into him, momentarily forgetting they were both naked. Until his dick jumped, of course. Shit. He’s not even horny…not even close… but his member has a mind all its own. Oriana always had this effect on him. Always.

“There’s more than one?” She whispered. “I didn’t know that.”

“I wasn’t sure it would work. It’s not used much, and I personally had never tried it before. But you know I always found reading to be fun.” He was trying to inject humor into his sentence, but was well aware he was failing. His heart had yet to stop pounding. But at least neither of them was in pain anymore. “Um, I’ll get us towels…” He quickly stood and dashed to his bathroom, grabbing two thick gray towels. He wrapped one around his waist, then went back out to Oriana. She hadn’t stood up yet. Biting his lip, he handed the second towel to her. She slowly took it, holding it up in front of her as he helped her stand. She wrapped it around body, shielding it from view. She just kept staring at him, completely confused. The gravity of the situation finally dawned on him.

“What he did he do?” He blurted. “What the hell, Oriana? He did this!!??” He doesn’t need to specify who he’s talking about.

Her eyes welled with tears. “I don’t understand why I’m here. Beck…how did I get here? The last thing I remember…” She trailed off, placing her hand to her side again.

“They looked like stab wounds.”

Her eyes flicked back up to his. “Oh my god. But, that still doesn’t explain…”

“I put another protection spell on you.” He murmured, inching closer. “But I can’t figure out what I did wrong. It’s supposed to bring you to me before you get hurt, not after. I should have known there was something wrong about it. I can’t believe I messed it up, I don’t mess up, ever, especially when it comes to you.”

Oriana still looked like she was in shock as he cupped her face in his hands.

“I’m so sorry.” He breathed. “This is all my fault. I interrupted your engagement party. This is all because of me.”

He felt awful. He’s the literally the worst person on the planet. He shouldn’t have interrupted her dinner; he should have realized there would be consequences for her. He’s such an idiot. He gently pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“When? When did you do the spell? How do you always manage to spell me without my knowing? Was it the coffee? I knew it.”

He swallowed, hard. “When I found you sleeping in my bed with a broken rib. I must have done it too fast, or missed a word or something…I didn’t have it memorized like I did the other, I just said what I remembered.”

She inhaled sharply. “That doesn’t make sense. He’s…I mean this isn’t the first time he’s done something since then.”

He knew exactly what that meant. “You must never have thought your life was in danger. Ori, it was meant to save your life, but you were choosing him over and over again, so of course it didn’t work. He may have been hurting you, but you must never have thought him a real threat. That’s the only explanation.”

“I realized it too late. I thought he was just…going to…” She broke down in a sob, and he wrapped his arms around her.

“But I shouldn’t have been okay with that either.” She cried. “Oh god, what am I going to do? Beck, he knows we’re married.”

His blood ran cold. “How long?”

“I’m not sure. And he knows I’ve been working in this building. He’s followed me. He’s sent me two bouquets of flowers. I thought they were from you, because you gave me flowers once, with a note. Because they were ours, I knew what they meant. The ones he sent…It never crossed my mind how they were different.”

Beckett’s head was spinning. How had he not known? Was he really so oblivious? It’s his fault any of this happened.

“It’s not your fault.” She said quietly, as though reading his thoughts. “Thank you. For the spell. And for healing me.”

He blinked. Years ago, when she discovered he’d put a spell on her, she’d been furious. At first anyway. Now she just seemed grateful.

Her eyes fell to his chest, then his side, and her eyebrows furrowed. “Beckett…what is this?”

 Oriana’s POV

She finally noticed a scar on him. A fresh one. She was positive he didn’t have it before, and it looked like…She glanced back down to her side, feeling dizzy. It looked just like hers. Completely identical in every way. She swayed a bit and he caught her. A moment later, he’d seated her on the couch.

“You lost a lot of blood. You need to eat something.”

But before he could get away, she pulled him to keep him with her. “Beckett.” She used a sharper tone. “Why do you have this scar?”

She could feel his heartbeat pounding like a drum.

“It was the only way.” He whispered. “Only one of your wounds healed. I had to do something. I didn’t care what it cost. It didn’t even know if it would work, but I had to try.”

Her breath hitched. “What are you saying?”

“Oriana…” He was warning her. But she’s already figured it out.

“You took my injury into yourself, didn’t you?” She gasped. “Beckett! You could have died!”

“But I didn’t. And it would have been worth it if I had. Plus, I didn’t take all of it. Just most of it. Enough to save you and keep myself breathing.” He grimaced. “I’m sorry about the scar. The spell stops itself. If I knew more about it, I would have kept going.”

She looked at him in astonishment, seeing regret and guilt in his eyes. She didn’t know anything about that particular spell, but it was the only explanation. But a spell like that…there would be more than one risk. It’s so advanced and obviously not used often by anyone. If at all. Otherwise, she’d have known about it.

“What else? What else did it cost?” She demanded, her voice growing stronger.

“Nothing else.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Beckett hesitated again. “It…it only works if there’s pure love between the people. I wasn’t positive you still love me. I thought so, but…”

“Yes. God, yes.” She breathed into him, pressing her lips to his and catching him by surprise. “I love you more than anything in this world.”

She couldn’t believe she was saying this. The words she’s been holding back since she first laid eyes on him in that office. The words she’s been wanting to scream all day every day. And if it wasn’t for Beckett and his damn spells…she wouldn’t be here. She wouldn’t have been able to say them. There’s no going back now. Hell no. They belong together. “Haven’t I told you that?”

“I wasn’t sure you meant it before. I hoped, of course. But I didn’t know.”

“I love you, Beckett Harrington.”

His eyes flashed with deep emotion. “It would have killed us both if you didn’t.” He whispered.

Oriana could barely believe her ears. His healing was unlike anything she’d heard of before. It sounded more like dark magic, and she was curious where he came across it. “I am so fucking sorry, Beck.” Tears were falling down her face again. “You’re the only one I’ve ever wanted. I knew it the moment I set eyes on you again. Everett’s….Everett was a bad decision. But leaving you was the worst decision of my entire life, and I just hope you can forgive me.”

“I already forgave you, Ori.” He said gently. “You have to forgive yourself. Whatever it takes, I need you to forgive yourself. Please.”

She took a deep and shuddery breath. She has more to say and she’s not going to stop herself this time. “I have missed you every single day for the past seven years. I have still loved you every single day. I’ve just been so scared of admitting it and I’m so ashamed for walking away after Jacob. That was the worst possible thing I could have done, and I am so fucking sorry.”

She touched his new scar again, tentatively, before glancing back down at hers. She can’t believe he did that. She can’t believe he risked his life so she would live. She’s positive that if he hadn’t, Everett would have succeeded in killing her. And do god knows what else after that. God, she was so stupid. She looked back into his eyes, her heart fluttering with the words she was dying to ask. The words she should have asked the moment their lips connected again in his office.

“Would you…I mean, do you…want to stay married? Can we try again? Even just go on a date before signing anything? One date, that’s all I’ll ask.” She breathed. What if he says no? What if he’s had enough? She was floored he added a protection spell at all. Surely, he must be tired of her drama. Not to mention how many times she’s hurt him, both in the past and the present. How many times she left him behind to go to someone she never wanted a future with. But if he’ll let her, she will spend her life making it up to him.

A slow smirk crossed Beckett’s lips. “Ori…there’s nothing to ‘try’ again. You’re it for me. You’ve always been it for me. I don’t need to try to remind myself of that, because I never forgot. And I don’t have to date you again to know that I still want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“Really?” More tears. She couldn’t stop them even if she wanted to.

“But I want you to change your name back to Harrington. And you have to promise me that you won’t shut me out again, no matter what happens. We talk and work through it together.”

She nodded. “I promise.” A laugh escaped her. “Of course, I promise.” She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. She’s never felt more at home than she does right now, and she loves him so damn much. But then she froze, knowing what this meant. She has to tell him what is about to happen.

“Beck...Everett…”

“Whatever he does, we’ll figure it out.”

“He has pictures of me.” She whispers.

He furrowed his eyebrows, and she looked at him guiltily.

“Beck, they’re…really bad.”

“This is what he was holding over you, wasn’t it?” He asked quietly.

She just nodded. “I wanted to leave him. I even tried.” She whispered, noticing warmth spread in his eyes when she said that.

He grinned cockily. “I knew that, too.”

She knew he was hoping to get a laugh out of her. But this wasn’t time to laugh. She needed to tell him so he can begin damage control proactively. “I’m…really beat up in the pictures.”

His smile faded.

“And he’s going to send them to the press and say that you abused me at work.”

Beckett remained silent, so she began rambling. “Even though it obviously wasn’t you, of course it will damage your reputation, just the accusation alone will cause so much trouble for you. He’s going to do it, Beckett, I know he’s going to.”

He raked a hand through his hair. “I understand why you think a black eye will give everyone concern. It will be a shock to see, and I’m going to hate it with every fiber of my being. But I don’t think it will be as huge as you’ve imagined.”

“It’s not a black eye.” She blurted out. “It’s a black everything. I’m barely recognizable, I’m so swollen and bruised. It’s my fault he was able to take pictures, I told him…”

“When the fuck did he do that?” Beckett cried in anger. She could feel the rage coursing off of him.

“After he broke my rib.” She whispered.

“But I didn’t see….”

“No, Beckett, I mean after. I wanted to be punished, so I told him he could…”

“Oriana! Even if you asked me to hit you, I would kiss you senseless until you told me why you even remotely thought you deserved something like that. It wouldn’t have mattered what you did. Nothing you’ve ever done is unforgiveable, Ori. But what Everett’s done? THAT is unforgiveable.”

“But…”

“No. Enough of this.” He snapped. “I hope he does go to the press with whatever he has, because I am going to very much enjoy burying him. I should have killed him the first time I saw a mark on you. I wanted to, trust me. I’m sorry people will see you in a bad state, Ori, I really am, and I’ll do my very best to have the pictures blocked, but he has to pay for what he’s done to you. I’m willing to bet he’s done it to others. I’ll find them.”

“But…”

“Why do you keep trying to argue with me? I said I’ll handle it. He will regret everything nasty he’s ever done.”

Oriana cocked an eyebrow. For some reason, the way Beckett was talking was ridiculously sexy and protective. There was so something so determined and fierce in his tone, almost disconnected. This is the stony, cutthroat Beckett Harrington she’s not overly familiar with. But she wants to be. She wants to learn everything new about him. She wants to show him everything new about her. They can’t pretend the past never happened, but they can learn from it, and accept it as part of who they are, as both individuals and as a couple. And for the first time since she ran out of the home they used to share, she was looking forward to what was still to come. She trusts him. She feels safe. As long as they’re together and hold nothing back…she’s confident they can get through anything and come out stronger in the end. It’s the way it always was before. It’s the way it was always meant to be.