Exile || Sebastian Sallow

12 | Electric Touch

"All I know is this could
either break my heart
or bring me back to life."
— Taylor Swift / Fall Out Boy

───•~❉᯽❉~•───

12 | Electric Touch

Sebastian's Perspective

Heart wild against my chest, I watched helplessly as Belle doubled over on the ground, clutching her stomach and suppressing a scream, her forehead glistening with sweat despite the ice I'd felt on her skin. Her eyes were shut.

I knelt before her on two knees, feeling compelled to touch her again though I didn't know why. I merely kept my trembling hand hovering close to her shoulder, then dropped it.

I'd never seen her in so much pain. From what I gathered when I saw her wand spark blue, it was her ancient magic.

But it didn't make sense! She never reacted like this in fifth year! If she did, it was often her unleashing fury in tandem with her magic.

Unless...

Unless something had happened after fifth year? That whole year when I was gone? Or perhaps some weird change in her magic? Like absorbing Isidora's magic...

Guilt crawled up my skin but I shook it off. Speculation wasn't the damned priority right now.

"Belle, speak to me, what is it? What do you need?" I put aside any spiteful tone I often threw her way, softness, instead, woven into my voice.

"I-I'm cold, Sebastian, I—"

"What can I do?"

"Please," she breathed a desperate plea, teary eyes opening to look at me. "Please help me." A slight whimper escaped her lips. "C-could you help me to the Hospital Wing? I c-can't g-get up."

I nodded.

Before I could move, she suddenly covered my hands with her frosty ones. I was startled on the inside, but not because of her action, but because of how I didn't flinch at all from her touch.

"S-sorry," she shivered. "You're warm. I'm j-just...I'm so damn cold! Ugh, please, can we get out of h-here? Now?!"

She attempted to let go of my hands but I held her in place, her gaze going wide at my gesture. Anything to ease her cold.

"A little 'please' won't hurt you," I attempted to joke, though I wasted no time helping her up.

She had enough energy to glare at me, so that was a good sign. I smirked in answer.

"N-never mind, I'm going myself." She tried to push me off, but I held her in place again, my hands firm on her.

"Stop being stubborn. Look at your face. It's like you swallowed troll bogeys."

I tried to ignore the iciness of her skin, despite it being covered in a brown sweater. But I couldn't. I felt terrible.

She grimaced again from the pain, logic winning over her stubbornness at last.

Throwing caution to the wind, I let go of her hand so I could unclasp my Slytherin robe within a few heartbeats then shrugged it off, draping it across her shoulders. Our faces were mere inches away from each other as I tied it, her breath ghosting over my cheek.