Duckshots!

Painful Gifts! (José x Reader)

The Legend of the Three Caballeros
José x Reader
Gender Neutral!Reader
Hurt/Comfort

⚠️ Trigger Warning: ⚠️
Cutting

It was the middle of the night and we were in the middle of the dessert. I spun the little blade José had given me, for protection. I had to remind myself. It was only for emergencies. I was supposed to be asleep, but my mind was busy with thoughts.

Like José only gave me the blade because I wasn't useful with any other weapon. It probably wasn't capable of piercing my skin even if I tried. And I shouldn't try because José would be so disappointed that I had used his gift to hurt myself. At least, that's what I told myself every time the blade came close to my skin. I didn't actually know if José would care. Of course he would that was just my self doubt talking. But...

I pushed the tip onto my skin and the skin dipped at the pressure. I wanted to feel something outside of myself. So the tip dug farther down into my skin, breaking it but not even enough to bleed. Someone called my name, and I dropped the blade into the sand, scratching my palm as it fell. I hissed in annoyance.

José blinked awake. "Did you hear that?"

"No," I said, grabbing the blade and stuffed it away.

I got to my feet. He stood and walked to the edge of the campsite, and I followed. A glittering-glowing river that hadn't been there earlier danced through the dunes below us.

"O rio da meia-noite," he whispered. He pulled me down the hill. "Come on."

He jumped in immediately, without hesitation. I watched breathlessly waiting for him to come back up. He came up laughing.

"Come in, meu doce. It feels fantástico!" He did a small lap.

"Um, aren't you a little wary of suddenly appearing rivers?" I glared at the green glowing water.

"It's a magical river." He walked to the shore and pulled me towards the bank. "It appears at midnight and disappears with the full moon. It comes to those in need so let's not waste it."

"Shouldn't we wake the other's?" I asked.

"And let them ruin another romantic moment?" he chuckled. "No, no, no. They do far too much of that back at the cabana."

I sighed and slipped of my shoes. I let him lead me into the water. It smelled like freshly baked cookies and was the warm to the touch. It seemed perfect until the water lapsed my hand. I held in a hiss because it stung. I knew why it was stinging. Literal salt in open wounds. I must've winced because José looked at me funny.

"Meu doce, are you hurt?"

"No, just a scratch," I lied.

I showed him my hand. A thin scratch showed where the blade had fallen to my feet.

"How did this happen?" he asked.

"The knife. I didn't think it was that sharp," I mumbled.

He ripped the sleeve of my t-shirt that was still dry and tight it around my hand.

"You must be more careful, mi amor. It's not a toy. You could hurt yourself," he scolded but he mostly looked upset I was hurt. I tried to memorize that face for next time. He kissed my palm gently and I could feel him smile as he pulled away. "There. All better."

As he pulled me deeper into the river before trying to dunk me under. It seemed to stop stinging, and all I could feel was the soft kiss on my hand. The river had given me something better to focus on.

Word Count: 614