Be Careful What You Wish For (Golden Guard x reader)

*~Chapter 2~*

You woke up in a cold sweat.

Your back ached from sleeping on a hard stone floor. Your neck ached from having been on the same level surface as the rest of your body.

You'd hoped it was all just a dream. As you looked around you realised it was real. It was all real. You were really here. In your dream world. Or so you thought. Well, it's like they say, be careful what you wish for.

You sat up against the wall, your knees tucked into your chest, your arms wrapped around your legs as you stared at nothing in particular. You tried not to think about what had happened within the last 24 hours, but you couldn't help it. You were all alone here.

How is it that you managed to be arrested in the same day that you entered this world?

What were you even arrested for?

All you knew was that you were here, stuck alone, with no idea how you got here, much less any idea how to get back.

You'd never longed to be home more than right now.

You knew exactly what this place was, exactly who some people were. You could probably find a way out of here if you really wanted. But what was the point when you had nowhere to go?

You heard footsteps approaching but you didn't look up. You didn't care. They were keeping you locked up here for no apparent reason. They didn't deserve your acknowledgement. They hadn't earned it.

They said something.

You didn't hear. You can't hear over the rushing of blood in your ears, your quickening heartbeat, the voice in your head telling you you'll never get out of this.

They said something else; they sounded annoyed.

This was it. This was where you would die. You would stay here forever. If you didn't die from the awful conditions, you surely would from starvation.

They tried to get your attention.

It didn't work.

You couldn't focus.

You couldn't.

You couldn't do anything.

You tried to breathe.

You couldn't.

To gulp.

You couldn't.

It was useless.

You were useless.

It was all for nothing.

You heard that voice again. It sounded familiar. It sounded different this time; comforting.

Your eyes hurt. You had been crying.

For how long?

Your hands were gripping your hair tightly.

When did that happen?

You tried to move.

You couldn't.

You were frozen.

It's like you'd been petrified.

You couldn't move.

You couldn't breathe.

You couldn't think.

"...k..t...me..."

The person spoke again.

Your head hurt. You wanted this torture to stop.

"...n...d...y..u.....t...l..k..t...me.."

Unresponsive. That's all you were.

"Hey, I need you to look at me..."

You could finally hear what they said.

They sounded masculine. Their voice; you knew you recognised it, but didn't know where, or who. It was soft, and soothing. Like everything would be okay if you were with them.

You did as they said. Your vision was blurred due to your tears, so you couldn't see who it was.

"That's it. Now, take some deep breaths, okay?"

You clenched your eyes shut, allowing more tears to fall down your cheeks, and you obliged.

Deep breaths...

1.....2.....3.....4.....5.....

You found your heartbeat slowing to a steady rate with each breath you took. They were shaky and uneven at first, but eventually you could feel the air filling your lungs, giving you a sort of sense of relief. Finally the tears stopped running, and your vision cleared. You rubbed the leftover tears from your eyes with your arm. You were shocked when you saw who it was who had helped you. You knew this person well. You'd watched and rewatched The Owl House many, many times, and he had always remained your favourite character.

The emperor's right-hand.
The Golden Guard.
Hunter.

But what surprised you the most was the lack of a golden mask. You hadn't expected to be able to meet him, much less see his face.

You tried to hide the fact that you knew him. Although you did find yourself staring at him.

"You okay now?"

"I-"

It was hard to speak.

You gulped.

"Y-yes.. Tha-ank you."

You felt embarrassed at your stutter; you felt heat rise to your cheeks.

He looked relieved. You must have scared him.

"I'll... come check up on you later on, okay?"

You nodded.

"Remember, you're still a prisoner, so make sure you behave. And don't try to escape."

You nodded again.

He then turned around and left. You were now entirely alone.

You noticed he'd left something on the floor for you. A plate with... some sort of food on it. You assumed. You couldn't eat right now though. There was still a lump in your throat, preventing you from swallowing anything.

You just thought to yourself.

I hope I see him again...

A/N: Apologies for the wait. I encountered a problem where my laptop's keyboard decided it didn't want to work anymore, so I had to get a separate keyboard which I had to wait for, but now it's fine. I can write again!
I've never seen a Hunter x Reader where y/n has anxiety, so I thought I'd write one. I have seen shy!reader but that's a bunch of crap. It doesn't feel realistic. I have actually got anxiety, so I guess it's easier for my to write it; experience. It's not fun. Anyway, hope you liked it.

(April 14 2023)