Elise's POV

I awoke with a choked gasp as my stomach ached painfully. No no no, not again! I curled into a ball with a whimper as a familiar blast of ice exploded from my palms, dusting my sheets and pillow with frost. Hot tears tracked down my cheeks. Why did my monthly cycle have to wreak such havoc on my powers?

Another sharp cramp twisted viciously and I couldn't hold back an agonized groan.

The flow of freezing air gushing from my clenched fists intensified in response, dropping the room's temperature until I could see my breath fogging.

My teeth started to chatter violently as fatigued tremors rocked my muscles. All I could do was ride it out.

Gradually the intensity peaked and began to slowly diminish. Maybe, today's own won't be that bad after all.

Max crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing as she walked into the room. "Elise, as much as I would love it, I won't. I would prefer not to live in a freezer-like room."

"I'm sorry. Rough morning", I grunted out as a wave of pain hit me.

The mattress dipped as Max walked to my side, freckled face etched with worry. "Yeah"

"Your lips are playing a solo in the frosty symphony, and you're telling me it's just a rough morning?" Without hesitation, she tilted my face to look at her. I whimpered at the contact and Max also flinched, her body heat countering the coldness of my skin.

I winced, the icy aura around me not escaping Max's sharp observation. "Max, please, don't make a big deal out of it. I need to go to class."

Max watched Elise with a furrowed brow, her concern tinged with a hint of exasperation. "Elise, seriously? You're attempting an academic feat with icicles hanging from your nose. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure hypothermia isn't the best study aid."

"There's a history test," I objected faintly. "Have to...take it..."

Max drew back, eyes flashing. "Absolutely not, you can make it up later. Right now you need to take care of yourself."

One look at me and she could see the resilience in my eyes. Max sighed, "Fine, but don't blame me if you start a new ice age in the lecture hall. I'll get you something warm, at least attempt to thaw yourself out."

I dragged myself upright, swaying dangerously as I groped for my uniform. A heady wave of vertigo hit. I shut my eyes, breathing deeply for balance until the worst had passed. I would push through this like always. I have to.

As I struggled to stand, Max fetched a thermos of hot tea. "Here," she handed it to me, a glint of sarcasm in her eyes. "Liquid warmth. You might want to consider it as an alternative to your ice queen aesthetic."

I chuckled weakly, taking the thermos. "Thanks, Max. I owe you one."

"You owe me more than one for making me witness this frozen spectacle," Max retorted with a smirk.

Maybe I could even hide the lingering effects from most people if I was careful...

I slowly washed and dressed myself in layers, cranking up the room's heat to combat the deathly chill rolling off my skin. The cramping had diminished to a bearable throb but the accompanying weakness and nausea were not so easily managed. Still, I painted on pink lipgloss until the blue tinge in my cracked lips had mostly vanished.

"Please don't tell anyone, Max," I implored, surprising myself with how normal my voice sounded.

Despite the banter, Max's intelligence allowed her to see through my attempt to downplay her condition. As I left for class, Max muttered to herself, "Yeah, sure, go ace that test with your frozen charisma. Just don't turn the professor into a popsicle."

Throughout my morning classes, I struggled to focus through the mental fog clouding my thoughts. I forced myself to sit perfectly motionless despite the frigid draft threatening to spill from my core. The effort left me limp and drenched with cold sweat by the end of the lecture.

But I couldn't stop now. Just one more thing and I would be done for the day.

I took my seat in the testing room with weak limbs, nervously triple-checking that my gloves were secure before picking up the pen. Thankfully the first few questions swam into some semblance of comprehension after a minute of panicked staring. I began slowly formulating each response, pushing past all distractions including the encroaching numbness in my extremities. Just forty-five minutes to go...

Barely fifteen minutes later, my vision was starting to fail me. But I can't afford to black out not. I forced air into my stubborn lungs, struggling to recall what the current test question had even been asking. Something about the water manipulation...

Abruptly the words blurred into nonsensical symbols, letters swirling meaninglessly. I bit back a whimper of defeat. My body had enough. I had no choice but to drop my pen. I might have just failed the test but honestly, I'm too out of it to even be bothered.

Finally, the professor called time. Somehow I stumbled from the room without fully collapsing, no longer caring what anyone thought about my disheveled appearance. Get back to the dorm, that was all I could concentrate on now.

"El? Hey, what's going on?" A familiar voice broke through the delirium but I couldn't place who it belonged to. Then my legs folded underneath, sending me down to the floor. Strong hands caught my shoulders just before impact.

It was Trent. His face swum into my dimming sightline as he eased my limp weight across his lap. "Talk to me, please! Are you hurt?" Fear and confusion waged war in his tight expression.

I could only offer a pitiful whimper in response. Trent quickly bundled me in his warm coat and lifted me effortlessly in his arms. I managed to lift one quivering hand to his cheek in mute apology before everything blanked out.

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Trent's POV

The lecture hall buzzed as I tried to focus on the test in front of me. Big emphasis on the word, tried.

The questions seemed to blur together, my mind preoccupied with something far more important than the exam. Elise.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

I had noticed it from the moment she skipped breakfast, she never does that. Her absence from our usual morning ritual added to my worries. Did I do something wrong?

Throughout the day, she had been distant, avoiding getting close to me. The subtle touches, and the warmth that usually accompanied our interactions, were all gone. She is hiding something from me but what?

As I sat in the exam hall, my focus wavered. The questions became secondary to my worries. I planned to talk to her after the test, find out what was going on, and offer whatever support she needed. But when I finally finished and looked around for her, she was nowhere to be seen.

Panic gripped me as I scanned the room, my eyes darting from one empty seat to another. The bell rang, signaling the end of the test, and the room began to empty. I rushed out, my heart pounding in my chest, and that's when I saw her.

Elise stumbles out of the class, her steps unsteady. A surge of fear and urgency propelled me forward, and I weaved through the exiting crowd to catch up with her... She looked awful - pale and shaky, hunched into herself against some unseen pain. Was she hurt?

"Elise!" I exclaimed, rushing over. "Hey, what's going on?"

She didn't seem to hear me. Suddenly, her legs folded weakly under her slender frame. I darted close just in time to catch her by the shoulders before she hit the tile flooring. Panic surged through me at how chillingly cold her skin felt. Why isn't she in control of her powers?

"Talk to me, please!" I begged urgently as I scooped Elise protectively across my lap. She let out a faint whimper, but her head lolled limply to the side, blue-tinted eyelids fluttering shut. Desperation clawed at my heart. What was causing this? How could I help her? Open your eyes for me, Elise.

Working on instinct, I bundled my uniform jacket tightly around Elise's shivering body, trying to shield her as much as possible from curious stares. Cradling her fragile form against my chest, I swiftly ran through the halls toward the medical wing. Move, don't think, Just get her help!

My mind involuntarily wandered back to that fateful day when an earthquake had shaken the ground beneath us.

The vivid recollection of glass shattering and the deafening roar of the quake echoed in my mind. Amid the upheaval, a glass cabinet had tumbled, and the shards had come hurtling towards her.

Without a second thought, I had moved in front of her, my body taking the brunt of the impact. The shards cut into me, blood dripping down onto her as I shielded her from harm. I could still feel the pain, the searing sensation of the glass tearing through my flesh. But at that moment, my only concern was for Elise.

As the memory played out in my mind, a wave of worry washed over me. The image of Elise lying unconscious in my arms, blood mixing with hers, sent a chill down my spine. The fear of losing her again, of not being able to protect her again. Not again.

With every step, I willed a bit more of my inner warmth into the icy skin of the unconscious girl clinging to me. Seeing the normally vibrant Elise so diminished and vulnerable made my breath catch sharply. "Hold on snowflake," I whispered shakily. "You're going to be just fine..." my voice carrying the weight of those memories.

By the time I lowered her gently onto a bed for the doctor to examine, my hands were mottled red with the cold. I barely registered the discomfort, hovering agitatedly while they moved to attach monitoring devices and IV lines. My mind spun uselessly with unanswerable questions.

"What's happening? Why isn't her temperature coming down?" I asked, my voice betraying the fear that gripped me.

The nurse hesitated, glancing at Elise before meeting my gaze. "It's a bit complicated, and Elise may not want me to share this with you..."

I cut her off, desperation in my eyes. "Please, I need to know. I need to help her."

The nurse sighed, her shoulders sagging as if she had made a decision. "Elise got her period, and the hormone imbalance is causing her powers to go haywire. Coupled with stress, it's created this situation."

The revelation left me stunned.

Throwing caution aside I slipped off my shoes and eased under the covers alongside Elise's slumbering form. I let out a shuddering breath at the rightness of holding her willowy frame safe against me like this, her cheek pillowed on my shoulder, legs tangling loosely together.

I allowed the full force of my internal warmth to radiate outward unrestrainedly like a hearth flame. Our points of contact grew almost uncomfortably hot but I embraced the sensation, visualizing all that heat intensity flowing directly into the flesh and blood woman tucked trustingly into my embrace.

Gradually I felt the transformation begin - Elise's skin losing its deathly chill, her muscles relaxing. Color returned to the pallid complexion I knew so affectionately until she almost appeared to simply be asleep. A sigh of relief left my lids at last. But I refused to fully sleep, remaining ready to call for help at any sign of regression.

Through the long hours, I held Elise's healing form close. Gazing at her lovely profile chased the lingering shadows from my heart. This powerful girl seemed so deceptively delicate like this, dark lashes fanned above-defined cheekbones, her willowy curves fitting flawlessly against me. An overwhelming surge of protectiveness welled up. I pressed a fierce kiss to her temple, channeling every ounce of my spirit into that connection.

"I will not lose you..." My whisper held the weight of an oath.

I barely stirred when faint predusk light began to creep across the clinic room floor. All my senses remained attuned to the woman I held tenderly cradled against me. During the time Elise had nestled even closer into my embrace, one slim arm now flung loosely over my waist. The simple intimacy made my heartbeat settle.

I lightly traced the sculpted lines of her relaxed features. Even without full consciousness yet, her body instinctively angled into the caress like a flower to the sun. Hope flickered anew inside my chest.

Leaning in, I tenderly brushed my lips over Elise's forehead, her temples, and the tip of her nose. I willed the kiss to penetrate down to her very spirit like a healing balm. As I hovered over the soft petals of her mouth, hinting but not quite making contact, I felt the slightest return of pressure followed by a feather-light sigh.

My breath caught sharply. "Elise?" I dared to whisper.

I was rewarded by sleepy lids fluttering open to reveal dazed but conscious blue irises I would happily drown in. "...Trent?" she croaked uncertainly.

A wild mix of euphoria and lingering fear choked my voice for a long moment. I crushed her fiercely, and yet oh so carefully to my thundering heart, as I just shook helplessly with adrenaline reaction.

"Trent, love, I can't...breathe..." Elise's strained mumble vibrated against my collarbone.

I immediately eased back, shame heating my cheeks even as delirious relief continued to crash through me. She was really awake, and really going to be okay now!

Cupping Elise's wan face tentatively between my palms, I stroked strands of moonlight hair off her forehead. My hands trembled faintly with residual panic. Stormy grey eyes searched summer blue for any lingering shadows. But I found only warmth and drowsy contentment there.

At last, I let slip a shaky exhale, leaning to touch my forehead tenderly to hers, noses aligned.

My world was whole again

"You must be thirsty" I murmured at last, reluctantly shifting back. Before I could fully withdraw, Elise captured my wrist with surprising strength given her ordeal.

"Trent...wait." Her voice was a raw rasp. I paused instantly, muscles tensed for anything she needed. But Elise simply continued studying me for a long thoughtful moment.

"Stay a little longer?" She patted the warm hollow I had occupied beside her. "Just hold me. Please."

My brief hesitation evaporated. I could deny her nothing when she asked like that. I rejoined Elise under the covers, molded to her side once more. Her every soft sigh and shift only bound me closer with silken fetters, reminders of how terribly close I'd come to losing all this. I busied my trembling hands soothing the tangles from her hair.

After some minutes had passed in intimate quietude, Elise brought her palm to my cheek. Her thumb gently traced the dark smudges under my eyes.

"You look so tired, love," she fretted softly.

I huffed a self-deprecating sound. "Small price after what you endured alone." Old fears stirred to temporary life again. "You could have told me"

Sadness and contrition filled Elise's expression. She opened her mouth but I headed off the unnecessary apology with a shake of my head. I only wished to understand.

"Please Trent...try seeing it from my view too?" Her whisper held a shade of desperation. "I was embarrassed. And ashamed at how my powers betrayed me so unpredictably." She grimaced slightly. "Not exactly an appeal I wanted my love witnessing firsthand..."

I stared down at Elise, drinking at the sight of her awake and talking after the endless night. My thrumming relief came out more gruffly than intended. "I know you're stubbornly independent. But you should have come to me the instant you felt sick, not tried to pretend everything was fine!"

Elise bit her lip, not meeting my eyes. "I didn't want to worry you back then...or be a burden..."

A burst of frustration escaped me. "You could never be a burden! How many times must I say that?" I took her chin, gently but firmly raising her face back to mine. "Your health and safety are my utmost priorities, so I need you to trust in me. Please."

My commanding tone finally drew Elise's shimmering gaze. She placed her hand over mine where it still cradled her jaw. "You're right. I'm sorry, my love." Her voice held raw sincerity now. "No more facing things alone. I promise."

Hearing the solemn vow undid the last of my lingering fear and anger. I crushed Elise fiercely yet oh so carefully to my pounding heart, face buried in her moon-spun hair.

"Never do that again," I ordered hoarsely. We both knew I didn't just mean her physical collapse. The unspoken 'or else' hung tangibly in the air before I went on more gently. "I would be lost without you, snowflake. So please, let me stand strong at your side always."

Elise clutched me back just as tightly. "Always," she whispered fervently. "We balance each other - I'm only whole with you too." She drew back just far enough to meet my eyes, her own luminous with affection behind the lingering exhaustion. "My firecracker against the cold."

I touched my forehead to hers, emotion clogging my voice. "And you, my snowflake through the darkness."

We held each other close, words unnecessary now. All was spoken and forgiven between us. Two elemental halves made stronger and united as one.

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Hello Chingus,

How have we been?

I am sure my females who get really bad cramps can relate to Elise's predicament. Because I have ended up in the hospital once or twice because I fainted from pain.

Leave a comment on any one-shot adventure you want for our two OCs.

Stay healthy and hydrated

Annyeong

"I love my body - Hwasa"