Can We Learn To Love? (Slender Man x reader) [UPDATED]

Stuck Between a Tree and a Thing (Ch. 15)

Your POV

I could feel the harsh wind and rain on my face but my eyes remained wide open. There in front of me, strangling John, was the thing that followed me through the woods and stared up at me through my window... Slender Man. I was frozen; out of shock or from the cold, who knows. I stared as John clawed at the tendril wrapped around his neck, gurgling noises coming from his mouth. After what felt like forever, John's arms went limp and the tendril slowly placed his body on a branch.

I felt my heart stop... Was John dead? Did this thing just kill John? My attention snapped back to the thing as I heard something approach me. I crawled backwards as the thing slowly walked closer to me, but eventually bumped into something. A tree. 

'Stupid, stupid trees,' I thought to myself, 'This is how I'm going to die, backed up on a stupid tree.'

The thing leaned down, slowly resting on one knee. I could hear the wind slow and the rain let up a bit as I held my breath, waiting for the thing to do something. The thing reached a hand out towards my face and I shut my eyes.

'Damn it, it wasn't going to be John,' I screamed in my head, 'It's going to be this thing.'

I felt something cold and went slide down my cheek to my chin. Grabbing my chin, I could feel the thing maneuver my face around, almost like... He was looking me over?

I opened my eyes and looked at the thing's hand and followed the arm up, past his suit, and directly into it's face. I swallowed, terrified. I felt it let go and caress my check, swiping a thumb over what felt like dirt. I could feel my heart quicken (if possible, now that I am a panicking mess, shaking like a leaf in the wind).

"Please... Please don't..." I couldn't get the words out of my mouth, fear taking over. I was staring death in the face and I couldn't do anything to help myself.

"Are you alright?"

I felt my head pulse, ears ringing, and my hand spring to grab it, cringing at the pain. Whatever made that noise, er-- whatever spoke made my head hurt a bit.

"My apologies, but I do need to ensure that you are not hurt anywhere," the thing spoke.

Wait, what the fuck?

The thing speaks?

How?

With what mouth?

"I have a mouth, I merely do not need one to speak," the thing continued, "And please, I am not a 'thing', I am male."

I felt my cheeks burn, "S-Sorry... You can hear my thoughts?"

"Yes, I can. I know it feels invasive but it helps to hear if you are in pain anywhere. Although, you aren't focusing on your state, so it is not helping. Would you mind telling me if you feel pain anywhere?"

I nodded and started to try moving my body around, wincing when I moved my foot. The foot that got stuck on something and made me trip, to be exact. The thing-- Slender Man reached down to feel my foot, causing pain to surge through my leg and making me bite my lip.

"You've sprained your ankle," Slender Man informed me, checking my feet and hands, "You need to get home and rest it. You've also cut yourself all over your feet and part of your hands and arms."

I frowned, "Sprain, huh? First time for everything, I guess."

Slender Man held out his arms and froze, rethinking whatever he was going to do, "You will not be able to walk home. I can carry you there but you appear very shaken by my presence. I will not carry you if you are not comfortable with it."

I grabbed his arm, "You aren't hurting me, so I think I'll be fine. Besides, I don't have much of a choice."

Slender Man nodded and pick me up, my head resting on his chest. I gingerly touched his tie; it was incredibly soft. I looked over my shoulder and realized how high I was; I forgot how tall he was.

I looked up to Slender Man, realizing I forgot something else, "Wait, what about-"

"He is not dead. Not yet, anyway. He does not deserve to be saved and so I will leave him there, hanging," Slender Man interrupted, looking down at me.

I looked over to where John was hanging, slowly moving my eyes to the rifle on the floor.

"Do not worry," Slender Man said, noticing where I was looking, "I will get rid of it."

I watched as a tendril snaked its way to the gun. Wrapping itself around the gun, the tendril constricted and crushed the gun, making it unusable. The tendril shoved the gun into a tree, wedging it all the way in.

Slender Man began walking, presumably to my house, with the tendril sinking back into his back. I began shaking, remembering that I was fucking cold as shit. I felt Slender Man's arms hold me closer and I happily obliged and snuggled closer.

I watched the sky, trying to think about all of the horrible shit that I had literally just experienced. John was a piece of shit, but I never thought he'd pull this kind of shit. Worst part was that he was still alive and he might come back... And never tell mom and keep on living with us. He'd keep living with us and I could never say anything about it. Not word and somehow it's be my fault that this all happened. I could feel tears begin to form, my heart start to tighten, and my head began to hurt as my ears started to ring.

"You are not responsible for anything that has ever happened to you and that includes what has transpired here. That man is below you and does not have the capability to comprehend what his actions cause and how much more you deserve," Slender Man interrupted, "I again apologize for intruding on your thoughts. I could feel you begin to shake and grew worried for you."

I wiped my eyes, frantically trying not to cry.

Slender Man continued, "You do not need to force your emotions out of existence. You are allowed to cry."

I froze. Without knowing what else to do, I just mumbled a 'thank you' and gripped Slender Man's suit, growing colder and more embarrassed by the second.