Crossing Your Currents

A Current

Again, nature's song fills the void of silence. The wind hums in a lullaby-like pattern. It runs moving past them in different directions which helps shield off the heat that settled into their skin.

The temperatures of their bodies were remedied but this does nothing to stop them from feeling the panic completely sink in them.

"Let's- let's make a raft!", said Erzsebet. 

The gears in her brain rattled around from the shock of being suddenly thrown into a situation where they had to fight for their survival.

Gilbert nods with an unreadable expression. Ludwig, his little brother, would be okay without him but that does not make him miss him any less. Who will be there to tease him about his obvious crush on that one Italian boy who comes over everyday? Who will embarrass him in bars? Who will protect him even though he doesn't need protection? No one! He must come back for his beloved sibling!

It does not take many words for them to start.

It is best to use as many of the things they find as they can. Erzsebet gathers any string she could find that got washed up on the beach. From little ones barely the size of her palm to those that are the length of her leg. Her back is going to hate her for this!

Gilbert stretches after he acquired enough chunks of wood for the raft. He grunts from the way each tight muscle twists around in the best way. The only thing missing now is to get a massage. He will definitely get a massage when they come back home.

A wet sensation falls on his foot. His eyes roll down to see a small pool of sweat forming on it.  Gilbert's whole body flinches. It is bracing itself for the impact of a really bad sunburn. Being an albino makes him look awesome and unique but has its downsides and this is one of them. He hurriedly rushes to the nearest tree to seek refuge from that giant star that made him miserable for all his life.

Erszebet rushes back with a big pile of ropes held like a child in her arms. She notices a bored and slightly charred Gilbert. His skin is taking on an unpleasant fleshy pink color. His usually cocky grin is sagging into a tight frown.

"Oh no! Do you remember bringing sunblock with you when we got in the safety boat?"

He shakes his head.

Erszebet glances at the bundle she is cradling. Her eyes glow with hope.

"I have an idea! There is more than enough string to tie together a small shelter. It will be enough to make you get less sunburns."

Red is a color that usually bursts with life. This is not the case for Gilbert's eyes at the moment. They are a dull color that lost all its excitement. He twitches as he replies.

"...Thanks."

Knowing that it hurt Gilbert's pride to thank her, she simply nods. Now is not the time to freak out over such a priceless rare moment of weakness. A sulking Gilbert is a thorn on her side and would only make things harder for the both of them.

Erzsebet pulls her light brown curls into a high ponytail with the rubber rope from the pile of strings. Some baby hairs wildly frame her face but this is the best she could do for now. She swings her arms back and forth twice to quickly ignite energy in them.

"Hang in there, Gil. I'll try to be quick."

Before Gilbert knew it, he is put under the shade of a little wooden structure tightly tied together with strings. Two thick vertical pieces of wood stands tall. One is on his left side while the other is on his right. A wide plank is above him shielding him from the sun's rays.

"Thank goodness Roderich is not here to see me like this. I look like such a mess!"

"You deserve better than that pretty boy if he is the type who would complain over that."

Erzsebet's hands turn into fists. Her eye twitches.

"I know that you never got along with him but he is the one I love!"

"You deserve better!", he said, feeling the spite for her boyfriend clouding his choice of words.

She takes a deep breath.

"Gil, I do not want to have this conversation again. You make it hard for me to want to be around you when you bring up this topic! Only come to me when you learn good manners!"

She stomps off. Sand flies everywhere with every step she takes to the shade of a tree a few feet away. Her blood is boiling with rage but she does not have the heart to leave someone who has a condition that is unfortunate in their circumstances.

The silence that follows is the stuffy kind that crawls under their skin. Their brows match in the way they crumple together in frustration towards the other person.

Gilbert does not have the right to talk about Roddy like that! If he did not get severe sunburns easily, she would have slapped him! They had that talk millions of times and this topic only acts as a current that drives them away from each other. Can't he understand that the more you force someone to side with your opinion, the angrier they get? In some ways, he is still a child and she is sick of that! Sure Roderich does not return the tender way she holds him, talks to him..and..the way she treats him—

Her train of thought crashes into that painful kind of stop that makes one tumble clumsily.

A silent pain overwhelms her senses. 

She is afraid that Gilbert might be right.