perfect storm [vaati x reader]

"a world that sends you reeling "

He repeats your name, testing the syllables out for a moment before the corners of his lips quirk upwards into a small smile. "Y/N. I like it."

"Well, thank you!" Those words set your heart aflutter, though you're able to convince yourself that it's from excitement and not anything else. You have just made the biggest discovery of your life, it's normal to feel weirdly happy during these sorts of things.

There's a brief second of silence as you try and collect your thoughts, but just as you open your mouth to let a waterfall of questions spill out, the sky beats you to it. Fat raindrops begin to fall from the darkened sky, barely hindered by the trees as a downpour begins.

Your camera is going to get ruined. Quickly, you scour the area, finding it discarded in the grass. There are a few droplets of water on the screen, but not enough that you'll have to waste some of your precious rice on trying to save it. That's a relief, considering that you're so broke that it-- and cheap pasta, never forget the cheap pasta-- is all your diet consists of anymore.

You wipe the water from the camera and shove it in your jacket pocket, then turn back to Vaati, who's still watching you with a curious stare.

"Sorry about that," You say, a little sheepishly. "We should, ah, probably get out of the rain soon?"

Vaati nods. Even though he's draped in several layers of capes and tunics, he seems like he's still shivering ever-so-slightly. "Where is the shelter? Take me to it."

For a moment, you ponder the question. "Here. I'll tell you what- you can come back to my dorm, as long as you can stay quiet and not wake the rest of the hall up. And uh, this might be a weird question, but have you got any drugs or alcohol or weapons on you? I'm not looking to get kicked out of school right before graduation."

"As of now, the only weapon I carry is my magic." He says, and the wind rustles through his hair as if on command. "And no, no drugs right now."

You wish you could ask more questions but the rain is getting worse and you really don't want your first ever living piece of evidence to catch a cold and die in your dorm room. While you don't know how well an immune system holds up during a swap between universes, you make a quiet wish that you won't have to find out the hard way. Just to be safe, though, you remove your shittiest-warmest jacket and drop it on his shoulders. The cold water bites at your exposed arms, but you grit your teeth and bear it in the name of your research.

"Are you quite sure about this?" He pulls the shit-quality fabric tighter around himself. It actually dwarfs his tiny body to the point where it's pretty funny.

"Don't worry about it. Let's just move quickly."

Together, you and this stranger wander through the forest until the lights of town appear in the distance. You walk much faster than he does, however, and he tends to linger in the streets for too long whenever you cross them.

He's kept up well, though, so you don't think to do anything about it other than mumble some swear words under your breath and ask him politely to hurry up.

You cross the street, him trailing a few feet behind. You're too caught up in the cold, the rain, and how you're going to need to get to class in a few hours that you don't realize the growing distance between you two until the car's horn practically deafens you.

When you whip your head around to see what the ruckus is all about, you see Vaati in the middle of the street, frozen like a deer in, well, headlights.

Oh, f-ck.

"Vaati! Get out of the road!" You shout, your legs moving on their own as you grab his hand and hurry him out of the way. Softly, you mutter an apology to the driver once you're both back on the sidewalk.