Hiii, this is a Marellinh oneshot requested from wiki that is rushed and horrible but I haven't updated in forever so here (and also I seriously need to get better and finding titles why am I so bad at it)
also tw: fire (not described, just mentioned), flooding cities, um, are there others? I seriously feel like I'm missing a few and I know some people get triggered easily so if there's a trigger, please tell me so I can add it
"I can't."
Marella turned her head to the side, looking at her girlfriend. "You can't? What do you mean?"
Linh shook her head, stepping backward once, twice, three times. Her breathing sped up as her silvery eyes stayed fixed on the ground. "I can't go." Her voice was trembling ash she spoke, high and uncertain.
Marella looked outwards at the shimmering blue ocean in front of her. The water was perfect, large waves making a crashing sound as they beat down on the soft, sun-kissed sand. Off to the side, black rocks jutted out of a cliff, polished smooth after years of the ocean weathering it down.
It really was the perfect day for a surprise date, and Marella had thought Linh would love this.
Apparently not.
Marella sighed, frustrated at herself. Their dates never turned out well, and while she'd thought today would be an exception, it clearly wasn't.
Their first date had been to Atlantis. They were gonna shop in the many stores and snack on the exquisite food Atlantis was known for. They would have had a wonderful time if it weren't for the problem of their cafe having to be evacuated due to a fire.
It had been put out quickly and they'd returned to their meals, but the date hadn't been the same. Linh had claimed it was still amazing, but Marella knew it wasn't.
Their next date had been to a large park, famous for its greenery and wildlife. It had started out a sunny day and they'd seen many animals, all over having a great time. But halfway through it had started raining and they had to rush somewhere inside as Linh struggled to keep the water away from them.
Also not an ideal outing.
Marella had hoped it would go well this time. The ocean was an amazing place for a Hydrokinetic, wasn't it? They could've gotten lufterators and seen the amazing marine wildlife. They could have surfed on the waves, laughing and falling down and swimming in the clear water. She had been convinced this time would be better.
But as she watched Linh shiver and the wind blow stronger, Marella wasn't so sure.
Stepping closer to her girlfriend, who was now paler than usual, Marella opened her mouth, about to ask what was wrong. But watching Linh's wide eyes flick up at the ocean, which Marella now realized was actually quite deep, the blonde could guess what was wrong.
It was absurd to think a Pyrokinetic could be scared of fire. Unheard of. But Marella couldn't deny she had been, ever since she was young.
Maybe it was the knowledge that the slightest touch could burn her skin. Maybe it was the warnings her mother had given, eyes wide as she warned her daughter to not touch the flames, no matter how pretty they were. Maybe it was that glimpse of fire burning in the night, the realization she had manifested.
Fire was powerful. Deadly. Scary.
And Marella was victim to its allure.
Now she had a feeling Linh felt the same about the element under her control.
