Young!Bridget x Reader One Shot
Summary: Reader looks for Bridget after the original timeline events of Castle-coming
Content: sad-ish, mild fluff, mild angst
Theres no gendered terms for Y/N in this!
Side note, guys, I haven’t written in a long time, but thank you so much for sending in requests, as it's definitely helping me get back into writing and become a better writer.
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Your strained voice calls out into the eerie hallway as your eyes scan around for a certain pink-haired individual. To your dismay, you see nothing but dark shadows enveloping the outlines of the lockers that line the walls. You feel your feet starting to drag behind you, and you begin to lose hope of ever finding your friend.
The uncomfortable, fluttery pounding in your chest takes over when thinking about what happened. “Uliana and her evil crew have done it for the last time,” you think to yourself. The image of Bridget biting into that wicked cupcake flashes in your mind while you search. You weren’t able to see what happened after, just a piercing scream and your vibrant friend sprinting out of the room while everyone at Merlin's Academy burst into cruel laughter.
Fortunately for you, you round the corner, nearing the main entrance hall, to find someone standing there. “Is that Bridget?” Your mind runs with every possibility of who it could be until the figure turns around to face you
“Oh, my sweet girl.” You speak softly as you approach with caution; the tears streaming down Bridget’s face are the only thing you can focus on, not the way her posture is hunched over, or her natural pink aura that has turned brown and dim, or even the way her face has twisted into an older, more ragged version of herself. Her beautiful hair is no longer pink and bouncy; instead, it is straight, grey, and black, wrapping around her shoulders like a cloak made to blend her with the dark shadows.
You reach out to cradle her face, but she swipes at your hand to stop you from doing so. “Get away! Please just go away. I’m a monster.” Your eyes widen with surprise; you never would have expected Bridget to act out like this. She eyes you as you try to approach again and promptly pushes you away, her elongated, crooked nails digging into your shoulders as she does so. “I said GET AWAY,” she screams at you, her chest heaving aggressively; her once alluring brown eyes are now black with rage and fear.
“Bridget, you are not a monster. Never in a million years could I ever think someone as perfect, sweet, beautiful, and caring as you would ever be anything else.” You attempt to reach out your hand one last time, and this time she doesn’t combat you, but she remains stiff and uneasy. Her eyes search yours for any hint of dishonesty or betrayal. Behind them you can see the panic and hurt ripping her to shreds.
“You are as beautiful as the day I first met you, darling.” A small tear escapes from Bridget’s eye at your words. She’s spent so long chasing friends, popularity, and companionship, and yet here you are standing in front of her all of this time, waiting to give her your all. “How could I be so blind?” She thinks to herself and you watch the puzzle pieces connect within her mind, her mouth agape and her eyes expressionless. You hate seeing her so dull, but you can tell the flicker of hope within her hasn’t been extinguished, and you smile softly at the thought.
When your fingers finally make contact with the rough, wrinkly skin of her face, you move your thumb to caress her cheek softly. Bridget hesitantly allows herself to melt into the feeling of your skin against hers. The small gesture calmed her nerves ever so slightly, allowing the panic in her mind to slowly ease.
“Please y/n.” Bridget’s voice is hoarse, and it hits your ears like a broken violin, every word shaky and shrieking like her vocal cords are screaming for help. Her sad doe-like eyes plead with you, the wetness threatening to spill over her lashes once more.
“Make this go away.” Those gut-wrenching words hit you like a 5-ton boulder and twist your stomach into knots, but nothing wrangles your insides like watching the tears finally stream down her face and hearing the hopeless cry come from her perfect lips. You can't trust your voice enough to speak without cracking or wavering, so you opt for a heavy nod and take a step back. Holding your hands up in front of Bridget, you take a deep breath and concentrate on returning the pitiful girl before you back into her vibrant pink self again. The magic tickles in your chest like a sneeze building itself up. You feel it slowly traverse through your arms, then your wrists and palms, and then finally to your fingertips.
You both watch quietly as the faint gold glow emanates from your fingers and envelops Bridget’s figure. Her small, hunched frame was slowly returning to her taller self. Her hair transformed back into the beautiful bubblegum curls they once were, framing her now soft and youthful face. In just a quick 30 seconds, shes back to her true self, leaving behind a distraught, sobbing blob of pink who runs into your arms and hugs you tightly.
“Y/n, I want to go home. I don’t want to be here anymore” she sobs into your chest. Your arms wrap around her tightly, and your hands rub soft circles into her back. You nod softly and place a soft kiss on her forehead. “Okay love, let's go home” you whisper into her ear as you lessen your hold on her frail body, allowing you to start walking and guiding her out of the main entrance and down the front steps of the school.
Back to wonderland you go.
