Chasing Summer

A/N: Hi, hello, first post, ok bye

—

It’s been a rainy couple of days at Penderghast.

Griffin says it’ll pass in a few days. Shreya’s been ecstatic to show off an entirely new wardrobe. Zeph is as cheery as always, the water-att in him actually enjoying the weather.

And Beckett? He’s completely unfazed, still staying until the wee hours of the night in the library as the rain poured outside. It was on one of these nights that he found Elynne leaving at the same time he was, a few books in hand.

“Do my eyes deceive me?” was the first thing that came out of his mouth. “Were you actually studying or did you fall asleep in the library again?”

It was still new to him — this whole friendship or whatever this is — so he hoped he didn’t sound too condescending.

“Ha ha,” Elynne laughed dryly. “I’ll have you know, I was actually doing some research.” She held up the books in her hand as evidence.

“Mhmm. And what is it exactly that you did research on?”

Elynne broke into a mischievous smirk.

“Love potions.”

Beckett flushed red as she winked at him, moving to adjust his satchel bag on his shoulder to avoid her gaze.

She gave him a playful nudge on the shoulder, laughing. “Relax, Harrington! I was kidding.” Tucking the books inside her backpack, she added, “It’s not like love potions exist in this world, right?”

Beckett tried hard not to sound nervous — why was he nervous?? — “Right. Of course they don’t.”

(They totally do.)

With a carefully planned goodbye in mind, he turned to her to say good night, but as per usual, she was one step ahead of him, pulling her jacket over her head.

“You didn’t bring an umbrella, did you?”

Impervious to his negativity (as always), she turned to him smiling. “Nope!”

After doing a once over to make sure that all of her belongings were secure, she nodded at him curtly, teasing almost. “Well, I’ll see you on the flip side, Beckett.”

With a mock salute, she was off into the rain, dashing through the night as the faint glow of the garden lights guided her way.

Beckett suddenly felt the urge to follow her… and without giving it much more thought, he did.

“Elynne! Wait!”

She turned around, squinting through the rain, as Beckett caught up to her and brought an umbrella over her head.

He didn’t quite expect the proximity they would have to be in to share an umbrella, especially not the way she’s looking at him right now — something between awe and not quite knowing what to do.

He probably had the same look on his face.

“Uhm… thank you!” she stammered. Then as if getting a hold of herself, she added, “but really, the dorms are only a few more steps away, you didn’t have to—”

But Beckett was still studying the way the light danced in her eyes, the soft glow of the garden against the night sky making her look almost… magical.

Then as if a timer had run out between them, they both dropped their gazes, shuffling their feet, each carrying a hint of a blush on their cheeks.

“Doesn’t seem fair that I’m the only one who’s wet right now,” she said without warning, taking Beckett’s umbrella from his hand (and her fingers brushing his), leaving him exposed to the evening rain.

It was only a little more than a drizzle now but his hands came up over his head nonetheless, his legs following Elynne as she frolicked around the gardens with his umbrella, holding it up like a trophy.

“Hey! Give it back!”

“Only if you catch me, Harrington!”

But he realized soon enough that he wasn’t chasing her for the umbrella anymore — no, that point was moot now that they were both soaking wet — but he wanted to keep her laughing like this a little longer, wanted to see that bright, uninhibited smile on her face for as long as he could.

Finally, she seemed to tire out — seriously, did she use to run track or something?? — and he had to hold on to something (that something being her waist) to keep himself from completely crashing into her.

She steadied him with her hands on his chest, the umbrella falling to the ground, her laughter fading as she calmed down. “Alright… you caught me.”

And he wondered in that moment how it was that he felt so… warm. Like he hadn’t been running in the rain for the last few minutes. Like it wasn’t still raining right now.

She smiled at him and that warmth only grew stronger, filling him, surrounding him, and he wondered —

Would it also feel like this if he kissed her?

He didn’t have to wonder long as Elynne (always one step ahead of him) pulled him in and pressed her lips softly to his.

She felt like summer, he realized, her warmth enveloping him like an embrace.

And Beckett just knew. He was going to be chasing summer every chance that he could get.

When he pulled away, they both had the dorkiest smiles on their faces, their foreheads pressed together.

He brushed her hair from her face and stroked her cheek gently. “If we get sick tomorrow because we ran through the rain—“

Elynne snorted and pulled him back down to meet her lips.

“Shh, don’t ruin the moment.”