Elementals (#Wattys2017)

S.O.S

I sat in my room. In the dark. Alone. Empty.
The door opened.
"Hey."
"Hi."
Pine walked across the room and sat next to me. He put his arm around me and pulled me close.
"Why?" I asked.
"Why what?"
"Why does it have to be us? Why can't anybody else, out of the seven billion people on this earth, be the ones to defend it? They don't thank us. They don't care if we die. They just get to go on with their perfect lives and forget about us. Why can't we have that? A perfect life."
Pine just sighed.
"I have wished, on more than one occasion, that I could take you and run. Just run from all of this chaos and have that perfect little life with you. Have a future with you."
"But?"
"But, that's impossible because, if we ran, no one else would protect the world and we would be crushed along with it."
"We protect the world and the world doesn't do anything in return. Who protects us?" I asked.
"We protect each other." He said softly.
I buried my face in his chest. He stroked my now chestnut brown hair.
"How long has it been?" I asked.
"Since what?"
"Since you slept? Since you ate? Since you actually did anything besides worry about something?"
"A really long time."
We were silent for a few minutes.
"Pine?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you still love me?"
His voice raised slightly.
"Of course I still love you! Lina, why would you ask that?!"
"Because, you fell in love with me when I had powers and now I don't..."
"Lina..." Pine said soothingly. "I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. Not because of your powers. I love you because you're brave, kind, generous, smart, and beautiful."
"I'm not beautiful..."
"Yes, you are. You just can't see what I can see."
"And what do you see?"
"I see someone who would die to save the life of an innocent and would insult someone who deserves it even if it meant death. I see someone who loves me almost as much as I love you. I see a good girl and a kind soul. That's more important than any physical beauty."
I blushed.
"But, on a physical beauty level, I'm making out pretty good." He joked.
"Pretty good?" I punched his arm laughing.
He smiled at me.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I love to see you smile." We curled up and started to fall asleep.
"Pine?"
"Hmm?"
I looked up at him.
"How old are you?"
His face fell along with his beautiful smile.
"Seventeen."
My heart ached. He had turned seventeen when I was captured.
"When?"
"Bout a month ago."
Has it really been that long?
"Oh, well, happy birthday." I whispered.
"It is now." He said.
We fell asleep in each other's arms.