Various Array of One Shots ✔️

Righted >> August W. Booth (Pinnochio) X Reader

Title: Righted

Paring: August W. Booth (Pinnochio) X Reader

Sequel: yes, to "Saved"

Warnings: none

Spoilers: unless I write about something I haven't seen, sorry! No spoilers. I haven't seen s4 OUAT and current abhor how August ended up in s3. So. I'm fixing it.

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You slowly moved back from his embrace, confused. One moment, his face was harder than oak, and now - no, it wasn't a trick of the light. You gasped.

"What's wrong?" August started, talking fast, taking steps backward. "Did I hurt you?"

You shook your head. "No, no - it's your face! It's - it's turning to skin!"

The woodwork of his eyebrows conveyed confusion. "But only the blue fairy could right my wrongs to make me a real person again," he whispered, touching his cheek. The patch was spreading, wide over his face like spilled milk over a table, seeping everywhere. "How...?"

You touch your eyes, remembering the tear that had just fallen. "I'm a fairy, August," you breathe, "even if I'm not in the ranks of fairy politics, I'm still magical...aren't I?" You asked him, yourself, nobody.

August doesn't move. He's engrossed by the feeling of his wood turning to skin again. Suddenly, he blurts, "Do you remember when we were kids?"

You smile at the memory. "You were a child, Pinnochio," you remind him, the name slipping from tongue. He doesn't seem to notice.

August smiles softly. "I've always loved you," he confesses. His ears have a pink hue now, and so does his neck. "I remember you telling me I couldn't love you, because I was too young."

You cradle his face, feeling skin. Soft, warm, skin of his cheek. August leans his face into your hand. "Now we're the same age," you muse, carding your hands through his curls. "It's it wonderful how it's turned out?"

Glancing to the couch, you guided him to sit beside you. Ankle still throbbing, you worked your way around it, helping August acclimatise to his change. You could only imagine it was a shock to his body from being turned between wood and a human boy as often as he did.

"August, you said I didn't love you because you were too young," you murmur, gliding your finger across the skin that was newly transformed. All from me, you thought.

He nodded. "Yes. You said I was too young for love like a mama and a papa."

You do remember that. It had been a rainy afternoon, a Wednesday, and Regina had burned down the neighbouring town. The four of you - Gepeddo and Jimmy Cricket, you and Pinnochio had been sitting under the eave of the house, watching the rains wash away all the pain the Evil Queen had caused. Pinnochio had cupped you into his hands, and looked at you then - and you into his eyes.

"You're so small," he whispered. "I don't wanna hurt you or anything. You're to beautiful, too."

You had smiled, "I'm not small, I'm fairy sized. It's normal for me to be like this." You paused, thinking about what else he had confessed to you. "You can't hurt me...Thank you for your kind words."

You woke from your daydream to see the grown up set of eyes of August in front of you. "You said you couldn't love me, and I believed you."

You could see August's legs relaxing as they changed between forms. "I believe you misunderstood me, August," you said quietly, looking to your hands on your lap. "I said after I couldn't love you like a papa and mama -,"

"But you'll always be in my heart, Pinnochio. The Blue Fairy had me take an oath to protect you and your father, and I will. But now I know you, I will always do my best to help you, no matter what."

"...that you'd do your best to help me," August recalled. "Like how you just ran out here willy nilly and sprained your ankle trying to find me."

You blushed.

He was right. You did have a habit of letting the needs of others outweigh the needs of yourself.

August gasped. "I can feel my toes!"

Time seemed to have slowed down. One moment, you were sitting with a man you'd loved since he was small, helping him to heal, and then you caught his eye. And then you two were leaning together, eyes searching, foreheads touching, lips parting, inching forward -

You couldn't help but feel the spell of Blue's to make him wooden disappear. Maybe it was lifted by true loves kiss. Or by your magic. You didn't know. But you did know, that right now - you were with someone you loved for years.

And you'd done what it had taken for him to be righted. And, happy.

"I love you, _________," he moaned upon separating from lip lock. You withdrew slightly, to see what his face looked like. August was shocked. "Was I too forward?"

You shook your head. "Not at all," you murmur, nudging your nose into his cheek. "But forgive me if I am," you smirked.

The two of you stayed awake all night.