A/N: This was requested by lilyofthevalley2007 who has also written a Leo Valdez x Reader book which you should all go and check out!! I speak from experience when I say it is more than worth the read!
Updated A/N: Now, I know I've been kinda missing for a while (Jesus, it's been a couple years) and I still have a lot of other requests lined up. I'm still trying to get this finished, I want to get it done more so to prove to myself that I can finish this. Don't expect updates to be fast (or long) and I understand many of you who requested something may not be even in the fandom anymore, but I'll tag you in it anyway, just in case you are still interested.
On that note, happy reading!!
Next: Mine (REQUEST)
Words: 2715 words
Warnings: Description of bullying (obv) and pain, nothing more gory than the series though
Important Notes: N/A
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It hurt.
Everything hurt so much.
Tears blinded my vision as I stubbornly stood up again, clutching at my broken nose in a sad attempt to slow the slick flow of blood.
"Why won't you just stay down?!"
I couldn't even find the energy to flinch away.
SMACK!!
The words were quickly followed by a harsh fist slamming into my gut, making me double over and stagger backward until my back hit the brick wall behind me. I lean against it, wheezing and gasping for air. I knew if I fell to the ground, it would be all over; I would get pummelled until I could no longer breath or see. I knew that feeling all too well.
"Why won't you just die already?!" Another voice growled, advancing on my left. "Save us the trouble!"
Tyler.
The head-honcho.
The asshole of all assholes.
And the bane of my miserable existance.
Weighing in at about 18 tonnes of constantly pissed off daddy issues and reaching roughly half a metre above the average height of stupidity for a high schooler.
I really had to stop pointing out that he had less brains and usefulness than the common fly.
I braced myself for the punch I knew was aimed at me. Tyler was the owner of the voice and I knew I wouldn't be able to stay standing if he got his hands on me. Accepting the inevitable, I tensed...
"Tsk tsk tsk. That's no way to treat a girl Tyler. No wonder you're single."
... but the punch never came.
An annoyingly familiar voice intervened, emanating from my left, exactly where I'd expected the punch to come from.
"I'm not single you grease covered freak!" Tyler screamed angrily at the brown-haired boy who had blocked the punch for me.
"Is this the same girl who you have no pictures of, a last name for, nor know the school of which she attends." The smaller boy lists. "That's very convincing."
"This has nothing to do with you, Leo!" Another boy chimes in, changing the subject back to me.
"It does now that I've joined in." Leo retorted.
"Fine then!" Tyler yelled, running forwards and punching Leo directly in the jaw, making him stumble backwards.
Once he regained his balance, the brunette spit out blood onto the floor from where he had bitten his tongue
"Gonna cry to your mummy?" Tyler jeered.
"At least I got one." Leo scoffed.
"At least I got a dad!"
"Rather have a mother and daddy issues."
"What?"
"I'm just saying, daddy issues makes you a people pleaser, and mummy issues makes you a sociopath. Which you clearly are."
"Now you're dead Valdez."
"Am I?"
"What on earth is going on here!" The shrill voice of my teacher rattles through my already throbbing head.
"Nothing Miss Todhiney." I quickly answered before any of the boys had a chance. Leo shot me a confused look, which I just ignored. I'd deal with him after this.
"Good. But you can't dawdle behind the class building like this, it's impossible for a teacher to properly supervise you." Miss Todhiney whined in that annoyingly high-pitched voice of her's. It was the kind of voice that stuck in her throat and screeched upwards in a way that left it slightly ringing in the listener's ear. Horrible. "Now all of you, off to class."
She hadn't even finished her sentence by the time Tyler and his gang had dispersed.
"Except for you Mr Valdez." She spoke as though she was calling him back to talk to him, despite the fact that he hadn't even looked to move yet. "You should escort Miss l/n to the sick bay, it appears she requires some medical attention."
With a nod, Leo began to lead me in the direction of the sick bay.
Leo.
The class clown.
A stubbornly righteous idiot.
An idiot who has gotten it into his head that he will be the one to defend me.
The boy packs a whooping two inches of sarcastic fight-me energy, weighs the equivalent of a whole entire dandelion, and has the incredible muscle capacity of a worm.
Dam. Now he probably thinks I owe him a favour.
"You know, I could have dealt with that myself." I huff indignantly.
"Oh yeah, you were totally in charge of that situation." Leo cracked a cheeky grin. "Tyler was shaking so bad and I think one of the others may have wet himself."
"Don't patronise me." I grumble. "You couldn't have done much better."
"I know." His voice never looses its cheerfulness.
"You've got too much morality for your own good." I sigh as we finally reach the first aid office and attempt to wave to catch the nurse's attention but wince as pain shoots its way up my arm.
"Morality's got nothing to do with it. It was something else." Leo replies, knocking on the door so that I wouldn't have to.
"Well, I'm afraid it was all for naught, I'm not doing whatever favour you were planning to ask of me." The nurse has caught sight of me and rushes over frantically as she takes in my roughed up appearance.
"That's not it either." Leo murmurs, his cheeks are dusted in red, but I simply dismissed it as being a result of Tyler's punch.
"Then what-"
"Oh my gosh Y/N. How do you keep ending up in here?" The nurse, Miss Chopper, quickly ushered me and Leo inside.
Miss Chopper was a beautiful young woman. The first thing you notice about her is the giant mass of black frizzy hair that she somehow manages to pin back in a bun with a miracle clip that struggles each and every day to cling on for dear life. She has big, black eyes that perfectly compliment her round face and soft dark skin.
She's as kind and delicately careful as they come. Everyone in the school loves and respects her, even Mr Darlk, the other first aid nurse who carries a permanent frown and grey eyes that look like they've forgotten how to smile.
"I should probably get going to class now." Leo pointed a thumb over his shoulder and began backing towards the door.
"Nonsense!" Miss Chopper pulled him back inside. "I'll get an ice-pack for your cheek."
Before Leo had a chance to argue, the woman disappeared deeper into the first aid bay, leaving Leo and I waiting in the foyer.
"So why'd you help me then?" I broke the silence.
"Help you with what?" Leo raised a quizzical eyebrow.
"With the fight."
"What fight?"
"Against Tyler."
"Who's Tyler?"
"Damnit Leo, this isn't funny." I snap.
"Aww~ It's a little funny." Leo pouts, humour swirling in his chocolate eyes.
"No it's not."
Leo just wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"No it's not." I whine, barely containing a giggle. Leo looked so stupid like that.
"Come oOoOOonn. It was a little funny."
"No. It. Was. Not." I emphasise, but the stern tone is broken by the itching smile on my face.
"Is that a smile?" Leo gives a dramatic gasp and leans in closer with a teasing grin. "Did I, the lowly class clown, make the y/n smile?"
"It's not that big of a deal." I grumbled, turning away with a pout. "It's not like I never smile."
"It's always a big deal when your smile is as beautiful as the rest of you." Leo comments almost offhandedly.
"You- wah huhh???" I suddenly stopped, stumbling over my words as I spun to face Leo, who had already positioned himself so I couldn't fully see his face.
"Nothing. Don't worry about it. I shouldn't have said anything out loud." Leo quickly dismissed, a bitterness in his tone.
A tense silence claims the room as I struggle to find something relevant to fill it with. But as the awkwardness continues, I find myself begging my stubborn brain to just find anything to talk about.
Dumb blank brain.
After what feels like forever, but was probably only a few minutes, Miss Chopper finally returns.
"Your ice-pack, Leo." Miss Chopper hands the item to the boy, briefly showing him how and where to hold it to bring the swelling down.
"Alright, y/n, where does it hurt." The nurse turned her attention to me with her usual bright smile.
"I don't suppose 'everywhere' is a very appropriate answer." I grumble.
"It is if that's where it hurts." Miss Chopper chuckled, preparing some disinfectant. "But I don't suppose you'd be able to narrow that don't to a list of most to least painful, would you?"
"Sure can Miss Chopper!" I try for enthusiasm.
I take my seat in one of the chairs as the nurse begins to treat each wound that I point out.
For some reason, Leo stays throughout the whole thing. Even after the swelling on his cheek has long since disappeared and the ice-pack has begun to get warm.
Miss Chopper must know something I don't, because she never tells him to leave.
"All finished." Miss Chopper announces as she places the final band-aid on my finger.
"Thanks again, Miss." I smile up at her.
"Not a problem at all. Just so you know, I get paid whether you get injured or not, and whilst I love your company, do try to keep the visits to a minimum. M'kay?" She smiles and moves out of the room, telling us to head back to class when we're ready as she goes.
"Of course Miss Chopper!" I call back.
"Soo..." Leo trails off, awkwardly fidgeting as he does.
"Why'd you stay?" I ask inquisitively.
"Because I don't want to head back to class, dumby!" Leo's tone is nonchalant as if the answer is obvious.
"But we have electives now and I know you have wood tech." Wood tech was Leo's favourite class, everyone in the school, and most of the country, knew that.
"I forgot."
"You never forget. It's the one class you're always on time for. Everyone always knows what day it is because of how excited you look."
"Well, maybe I just wanted to spend some time around you." Leo blurts out, dropping his useless ice-pack on one of the tables before moving to take a seat beside me. With a weary sigh, he sinks into the dull, crimson leather.
"Me?" I ask incredulously. "Why on earth would you want to spend time around me?"
"Because I like you, dumbass." Leo leans forward, placing his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands with an exasperated groan.
"Me?" I ask again, emphasising the word this time.
"No, I'm confessing to the other person in the room." Leo snaps back sarcastically.
"Ah, I see." I reply shortly, the conversation being cut off and diving into silence. My slow brain was finally connecting the dots. How he always protects me from others with his snarky comments. How he's always making sure that I have everything I need for the next class. He can't remember his own classes for the life of him, but he somehow always knows what I need.
"I was being sarcastic." Leo awkwardly interrupted my thoughts, unsure if my silence meant I genuinely thought he was talking to an imaginary other person in the room. "I was talking to you."
"I know." I chuckle freely.
"Oh, right. Good." His words were getting shorter and I realise I am yet to actually really acknowledge what he said.
"Thanks for waiting." I've never had anyone confess to me before. At least not anyone who actually meant it. Everyone who asked me out in the past was joking around, hoping I'd take the bait so they could get a kick out of rejecting me. Usually I replied with a sarcastic comment or kept walking and ignored them. Real feelings were so much harder to deal with than I thought they were going to be.
"I like you to."
"Really?" Leo pulled his head out of his hands. There was red around his shocked eyes from where he'd been pushing his face too hard into his palms. And his dark hair was even more chaotic than usual - he must have been subconsciously tugging out it, an adorable trait I noticed he did when he was feeling stressed or uneasy. The just-rolled-out-of-bed look really suited him. It was cute.
"Yeah. I'm not really any good with this whole feelings thing. Sorry I'm not so great at showing it." I mumbled sheepishly when I realised I'd been staring.
"That's fine! I can teach you!"
"You think love is teachable??"
"Sure, why not? If you can teach people to control anger and people can learn how to cry on queue, then I don't see why people can't learn how to love!"
"Fair point."
"We can start by holding hands when we walk. But only if you're comfortable with that, of course!"
"I think I'd like that."
BONUS:
Leo x y/n Shipping Bets gc
*Tonie Chopper is online*
Tonie:
Guess who owes me money
now!! (^ 3 ^) (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑
*Joy Todhiney is online*
Joy:
You've got to be joking...
Tonie:
*le gasp* (°o°；)
Are you accusing me of lying??
Joy:
Yes
Tonie:
I'm hurt </3 (▰˘︹˘▰)
But, I took pics just for you because
I knew you wouldn't believe me
( -_- ') smh smh
> image sent <
Joy:
I cannot believe this.
*John Darlk is online*
John:
Who confessed first??
Tonie:
Leo!!
o(≧∇≦o)
Joy:
Damn.
Tonie:
Now now *tut tut*
No one likes a sore loser
Joy:
No one likes a boastful winner
either... *sighs in bankrupt*
I cannot believe this is happening
to me.
John:
Again.
Joy:
Thanks for the reminder.
John:
I've said it before and I'll say it again:
Stop 👏 Betting 👏 With 👏 Her👏 You
👏 Are 👏 Going 👏 To 👏 Loose 👏
Joy:
I 👏 know 👏
That's why this is my last bet.
Tonie:
Awwww! ʕ ಡ ﹏ ಡ ʔ
Come on!! (⌯˃̶᷄ ﹏ ˂̶᷄⌯)ﾟ
I'm sorryyyyy!!
Please don't go!
No one's ever stuck with me for so
long before...
And if you leave...
Well if you leave then...
I just- I remember things better with
you- I do! Because when I look at
you, I can feel it!
And when I look at you!
I- I'm home...
And I don't want that to go away...
Please...
c〳 ݓ ﹏ ݓ 〵੭
John:
...
???
!!!
Joy:
Movie reference.
Ignore her.
John:
I see...
What movie?
Joy:
Finding Nemo.
It's a monologue by Dory.
Tonie:
>In an announcer's voice: Next up!
(drum roll please)
*dramatic backing track
kicks in and slowly picks up*
Jason x Piper!! (●♡∀♡)
*oohing and aaring noises*
John:
Seriously???
This again???
Joy:
I'm with John...
I think it's time you left
that alone...
Tonie:
NOT TRUE!!
THEY HAVE SO MUCH
CHEMISTRY!!
JIPER FOR LIFE!!
Joy:
A ship name???
Really???
John:
Ship??? name???
Joy:
Later
I'm trying not to
set her off.
Tonie:
JIPER IS A VALID AND
POTENTIALLY BEAUTIFUL
SHIP!! IN THIS ESSAY I WILL-
Joy:
John, you remember what
I taught you about turning
DND on, right?
John:
Yeah???
Joy:
I suggest switching it on for a
couple of hours. She should
burn out by then.
John:
Ok.
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A/N: ....... well .... that was .... something????? Sorry the ending was so trashy.... Oh well, I'm kind of running on fumes at the moment, so I'm doing what I can.
Till next time my pretty psychos!
ACW