Work Text:
In a new element
Callum looked into the flames of his newly started fire, feeling exhausted. It wasn’t the ‘Oh no, I’m running away from assassin elves who just killed my father’ kind of exhaustion but more of the ‘I have had to keep up with my injured combat-trained girlfriend who just won’t relax so I have to force her to do it’ kind of exhaustion.
Callum let out a tired chuckle to himself, because while it was hard to get Rayla to do anything it was just a little bit of fun to see her so out of her element. Callum looked back to Rayla, mostly to make sure she was in fact sleeping and not trying to sneak off to train, but also because Rayla looked really cute when she was sleeping.
As he smiled at Rayla’s sleeping body, Callum started to think back on how it all had started a week ago. Rayla had come back from a scouting limping, which had already been a red flag for Callum, but what had really sold that something was wrong was that Rayla denied that anything was wrong.
Callum had pretended to believe the obvious lie for just a few minutes as he made a game plan in his head. He knew that Rayla would never admit to an injury without having no other choice than to do so. The question was how he should do it.
After some time of thinking and observing the stubborn elf, Callum came up with an idea. He might not like it, but it was the best option to get Rayla to admit that she was hurt.
As casual as Callum could muster, he walked up to Rayla, opening his mouth as to say something, but before he could say anything he tripped himself and fell into Rayla. The elf looked at Callum shocked as he fell towards her, but still caught him.
But catching Callum made Rayla put her full weight on her ankle, and within a few seconds their roles were switched and it was now Callum catching Rayla as she let out a hiss of pain. Callum hated to see Rayla in pain, but at least now she couldn’t hide her pain from him, and that fact made it it possible for Callum to push past the guilt he felt.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?” Callum asked after he had helped Rayla down to sit.
“I didn’t think it was that bad, and it isn’t. You don’t need to worry” Rayla said stubbornly, though it only earned her a look of disapproval from Callum.
“Rayla, you can barely walk, that's bad. It’s probably broken, which means if you use it before it’s healed it could grow wrong and you don’t want that” Callum said, leaning down to check on the ankle.
Rayal was about to protest but one look from Callum made her stop and just sigh annoyed. After that, Rayla complied to let Callum look at her foot. It was swelling and looked odd, it was also purple. Even as inexperienced as Callum was with broken bones, he knew that the foot was broken.
“You need to get this checked by a doctor or something” Callum said concerned as he started to look for things to make a makeshift splint, one he had read about in a book for a long time ago.
“It’s seriously not that bad, Callum, I could walk just fine before” Rayla tried, but Callum just looked at her with a deadpan look, making sure she understood that he wasn’t about to let her walk on it.
“We will find a doctor, and you will get your foot checked out, end of story” Callum said sternly, making Rayla nod reluctantly.
They did end up finding a nice elf who was experienced with medicine and who didn’t care much about Callum being human. And like Callum had said, the foot was broken. Luckily, Xadia was filled with magical herbs that helped on a quick recovery, so Rayla didn’t need to be ‘useless’ - as she likes to call it - for 3 months. But it would still be a month before she should use the foot normally, as the elf recommended.
Rayla also had to wear a cast and use crutches for at least a week, something Callum was sure to force her to do.
Now, after a week of literally forcing Rayla to sit down and not over use her foot. Callum couldn’t help feel a little bit happy that it happened, because it had definitely been good for them both to switch roles for a bit.
It had also left a good feeling in Callum, now knowing he could protect Rayla if he needed to, even if it was from herself. Rayla had also slowly become more vulnerable with him, something he would always be eternally grateful for. Knowing she started to trust him even more, left him feeling more happy than words could describe.
So, yes, he hated that Rayla had to be hurt for them to make this step, but he also knew that it was probably good for both of them at some level. He also knew that Rayla was happy about being pushed to lean on him for support both mentally and physically, even if she’d never want to admit it.
Callum felt a small smile spread on his lips, Rayla would always be stubborn and he loved her for that, but she was starting to soften just a bit around him. Maybe next time she got hurt she would let him know about it without Callum having to drag it out of her, though that was a long shot.
Callum sighed and moved a little back so he was sitting next to Rayla’s sleeping body, leaving a protecting arm over her shoulder. Rayla instinctively curled up to Callum, making the boy coo silently at her.
She may be stubborn and independent, but Callum wouldn’t trade any of those traits away for any cost because they made her Rayla. And he really loved Rayla.