Chaos Walking Imagines

I'm Here | Todd Hewitt

this includes no major spoilers

& yay! my first todd x reader! requested by toddhewitts

//

The fire at the center of the camp had long since gone out and the tents were filled with sleeping men and soldiers, their Noise slow and soft with sleep.

Even Todd, your closest friend and the one person even remotely near your age was sleeping. His Noise was flattering; you crossed his dreaming mind more than once, flashes of your face crossing his thoughts. You looked more beautiful in his mind than you'd ever thought of yourself.

You were exhausted as you crawled in your tent, one that you shared with a quiet young woman, and laid your head down on your thin, scratchy pillow. A full day of work behind you, you allowed yourself to rest for the first time since breakfast this morning.

You slept, expecting to wake up to two bright suns and the sound of your tent-mate crawling out of the sheets.

You didn't.

Instead, your eyes snapped open to a dark field of rock and trees. You gasped, cold air sucked down your dry throat. You went frigid with shock as you tried to remember who you were and where you were.

Then, a hand gentle pressed the inside of your arm.

Your head jerks to the left, where your eyes meet the pale neck of a boy. Your eyes travelled up to see the face of your sudden company. Todd.

"Todd?" you croaked, confusion evident.

"You okay?" he asked, and his Noise echoed that concern. His Noise. In it, you could see yourself walking away from camp, towards the trees and away from Todd as he loudly whispered your name, worry gnawing at his gut. "You were-"

"I'm sorry," you gasped, realizing what had happened. You faintly remembered the terror you'd felt when you were sleeping; the nightmare that moved your body and took control of you. "It was a bad dream. It happens when I- when I have nightmares."

"You had a nightmare?" His voice drawled out the sentence. He didn't let go of your arm.

You nodded.

"You can tell me about it," he said. When you shook your head, he leaned in close. "You can. I get 'em too, ya know. Don't matter what is scary to you. Yer fears are yer fears."

"I can't," you whispered, and then, softer, you said, "I don't want to."

His Noise flickered with irritation. He dropped his hand and frowned deeply, setting his hand on his hip briefly before bringing it to his hair to ruffle it.

"Sometimes I wish you had Noise," he said, and he looked away. "Well, come on then. It's cold and you're shivering."

You were shivering, but that didn't mean you necessarily needed Todd to take your hand and turn you in the direction towards home, which he did.

He even shed the top layer of his shirt; a thick, long sleeved piece of grey. He handed it to you and you put it on. It was still warm with his body heat, and you felt safe in it.

And his Noise was as warm as his body heat as he held your hand and looked at you wearing his clothes. He smiled a little, but just a little.

Back at the camp, you broke away from him and stood in front of your tent. You hesitated, hearing the gentle snores of the young woman you shared it with. The tent was warm with her body heat.

"What's wrong?" he whispered behind you.

"Nothing," you mumbled, but you didn't want to go into your tent. It wasn't that you didn't like the girl you shared the tent with. She was fine. Quiet, caring - a good friend that didn't like to talk much and minded her own business most of the time.

But she wasn't a friend like Todd.

Todd was touching your arm again. "Hey," he said softly.

"It's nothing," you said again.

His eyes searched yours, then his fingers brushed your palm. When you looked at him, he took in a deep breath, Noise a little warmer.

"I have my own tent," he said, talking fast, "and if you want to sleep there, you can. Maybe you won't be so scared of whatever yer nightmares are." He pressed his lips together. "I don't even have to share it-"

"I'll share it with you, if you don't care," you answered.

"Okay," he said. He said it again. "Okay."

His fingers threaded through yours and he pulled you towards it. He grabbed a corner and opened it, holding the flap open for you to step in. When you did, you went to one side and waited for further instructions.

Todd followed and let it shut behind him. He got on his knees and shuffled a bit, handing you a sheet and a pillow, of which he had two, and then took his stuff to one side. He respectfully gave you distance and laid down, inviting you to do the same.

You laid on your side, facing towards Todd. He was facing you, although you couldn't see him. His Noise was filled with you, though, picturing what you looked like across the tent. He tried to cover it up by talking.

"If you don't wanna talk to me about yer dreams, that's okay," he said. "But I'm here for you. Always."

"I wanna tell you, Todd Hewitt, but-"

"I get it," he said. "My Noise."

"If people heard it, they'd know everything I'm scared of. Some might think I'm weak-"

"Well, I could never think that," he said. "To be scared is to be scared." His voice broke when he spoke again. "I'm scared."

"Of what?" you asked, eyebrows furrowing in the darkness.

"Of losing you," he said simply, like the three words weren't serious at all but a known fact.

"You won't lose me," you promised. "I'm here."

He paused. "I'm here, too," he said, and it sounded like a decision.

You could see in his Noise that he was thinking about holding your hand again. Just before he stretched his arm out and reached, you did too, brushing his fingers and grabbing them gently, wrapping your hand around his.

"Goodnight, Todd," you whispered.

"Goodnight, ___," he breathed.

And you slept.