AN: Hello, and welcome to version 2 of Gormiti Love. That's right, people, version 2!
Since Gormiti Love appears to be my most viewed story, I asked you guys if you wanted me to do another one and...well, here we are! :-)
Prompt/word: secret
Couple: Toby/Jessica (BlizzardStormshipping)
Description: When one secret is discovered, it doesn't take long for even the best-kept secrets to be revealed...
Ages: Toby and Jessica - 16
Nick and Lucas - 15
Day One
He looks around at the tiny room. The walls are white and devoid of any decoration. He tries to get up but finds himself unable to move. His limbs are still numb from the dart, he figures, as he manages to turn his head enough to see his companion.
She lies perfectly still on her bed and he flinches when he sees the leather straps on her body. He looks down and sees that he has them too. Their captors obviously didn't want to take any chances and risk them escaping.
"How did this happen?" he mutters to himself as he tries to recall just how they ended up here.
Flashback
Four friends are walking home from school. They laugh and chat animatedly as they turn onto their street. At first, they don't notice the white van parked inconspicuously on the corner. A revving of an engine cuts their conversation to a close.
They shake their heads and carry on walking but the sound of the engine running follows them. Looking back, they see the van following them and unease fills them.
Voices are yelling as the doors slam open and men dressed in black leap out of the back of the van holding what appear to be guns.
The four teens freeze momentarily, unsure of what to do before they clumsily start running away as fast as their legs can carry them.
The only girl in the group is the first to be captured. She had been running slower than usual due to having just recovered from a sprained ankle.
The three boys hear a bang and a thud and turn their heads to see what is going on. One of the boys is filled with an unmistakeable fury when he sees the girl's unmoving form.
Ignoring his friends' cries, he charges towards the men, catching one of them by surprise as he tackles him to the ground, wrestling the gun out of his hands.
As he does so, however, he begins to feel numb. His limbs feel like lead as he slumps to the ground, slowly losing consciousness. He hopes against all hope that his brother and friend manage to escape.
End of Flashback
The guns the men had been carrying had not contained bullets but instead had contained tranquilizer darts. He isn't sure how to feel about being knocked out like an animal but he's at least grateful that he's alive.
This makes him think about the others. Did they make it home safely or were they captured too?
Were any of them safe anymore?
Day Three
He looks up at the man dressed in a white lab coat. The man is giving him a strange look and he cannot tell whether it is fearful or pitying.
He hasn't had any contact with anybody for three days and he finds himself relieved to see another face, even if it belongs to a complete stranger
The first thing he asks is not why he has been brought here but rather where his friend is. She had been moved to a different room yesterday after the same man in front of him now had spoken to her and he would have been lying if he said he wasn't worried about her.
The doctor - he presumes - ignores his question and instead walks over to his computer and brings up a video that seems to be a couple of days old.
The video starts to play and the boy reacts in horror as he sees himself and his friends transforming into Lords of Nature.
How could anyone have seen them? They had always been so careful to transform in areas where there were no people close by.
The doctor clears his throat and informs him that the video had been sent to them by somebody who wished to remain anonymous. He gets a funny feeling that he knows exactly who sent it in and it angers him beyond belief.
When the doctor asks him questions, he talks in a you can trust me voice but the boy can sense an ulterior motive. He doesn't say anything and he can see the doctor trying to remain calm.
After fifteen minutes of stubborn silence on the boy's part, the doctor calls in two other men and tells them to take him away, adding in a menacing tone that if he wasn't with them, he was against them just like his little girlfriend.
He finds himself genuinely afraid for the first time in a long time. So afraid that what the doctor had said to him doesn't quite hit him until later on.
The two men take him to a door with several locks and security measures and shove him inside a room with no windows and whitewashed walls.
The room only has one other occupant. Despite how terrible his situation is, he cannot help the smile that spreads across his face when he sees his friend sitting in a corner. He practically sprints over to her and hugs her in elation, feeling her hug him back, whispering his name over and over again in relief.
He sees the unshed tears in her blue eyes and vows to her as he hears the locks click shut that he will find a way to get them out somehow.
Day Six
"How long are they going to keep us here?" Jessica chokes out. She and Toby had been trapped in the small room for three days and, though they were trying to remain positive, there was no denying that they were beginning to lose hope of ever escaping. "What do they want from us?"
They received three meals a day and had to eat under the watchful gaze of a guard who would stand in front of the door in case they tried to make an escape.
They had discussed their friends and had come to the conclusion that they had no idea if their friends were safe or not. They both tried not to think about the or not part but they knew it was a reality they had to face, even if it hurt.
"I don't know," he replies honestly, his fingers running through her hair in a halfhearted attempt to distract himself from the pessimistic thoughts running through his mind.
A silence falls over the room as he continues to hold her. They were glad to have each other's company while being held captive. They both knew that, alone, they wouldn't have held out for nearly as long.
Jessica is the first to break the silence as she says something that causes Toby's head to jerk up. "W-what did you just say?" he stutters, having heard what she said but convincing himself he had heard her wrong. After all, why would she ask him that?
He sees the shy blush on her face as she says in a voice that's barely above a whisper, "Kiss me."
"K-kiss you?" he repeats, his mind all over the place because his thoughts are running wild. It's not like he's never thought about it - because he definitely has, especially in the last couple of years- but her asking him to was the last thing he ever expected. "Why?"
Jessica seems to be trying to avoid his questioning gaze as she shuffles out of his grip and says quietly, "Because I might never get out of here and I don't want to die without having my first kiss."
For some reason, this explanation stings Toby's pride. He cannot keep the hurt out of his voice as he says, "So that's the only reason you have for wanting to kiss me? That's a really bad reason for wanting a guy to kiss you, you know."
She looks up at him and sees his hurt expression. Realizing that she had hurt his feelings - which hadn't been her intention at all - she opens her mouth to say something but promptly shuts it again, afraid to say what was really on her mind at that moment.
Her mind is elsewhere but she doesn't miss what he says. "I wouldn't mind kissing you, you know, if it didn't seem like you only want to kiss me because of the situation we're in and not because you actually like me or anything." Her head is spinning - he wanted to kiss her? Did he...like her?
Before she can stop herself, she blurts out, "W-what if I had another reason for wanting to kiss you?"
Toby looks up at her, giving her his full attention. "Oh, yeah?" he says in a soft yet challenging tone. "And what is this other reason?"
He watches her slowly approach him, only stopping when there is about an inch of space between them. She seems to be preparing herself to say something and he stays silent, not wanting to scare her off.
She opens her mouth but no sound comes out. Frustrated, she can feel tears welling up in her eyes and she does nothing to stop them falling. She should be able to tell him but she's afraid... terrified, in fact, of admitting how she really feels.
He reaches forward and gently brushes the tears from her cheeks with his thumb. "It's okay," he tells her reassuringly. To him, she is beautiful even with her eyes puffy and red. He loves her more than words could say - that, he's known for a while.
She sees something flickering in his eyes. It looks so familiar yet she cannot name it. But it makes her feel warm and protected.
Loved.
He loved her.
This realization makes her happier than she could have anticipated. She is smiling through her tears as she looks at him, finally feeling ready to be honest with him.
"I love you, okay," she confesses truthfully, looking at him directly. "I love you so much - it hurts!"
Hearing Jessica finally admit how she really felt lifts a burden off Toby that he hadn't known he had been carrying. He knows he should say something by way of response but he doesn't know to voice his feelings effectively. Nothing he could say could possibly describe exactly how he feels about her, how she makes him feel.
The one thing he knows he can say are the words he's wanted to tell her for years. He places his hands on her shoulders, causing her to look up at him. At this point, her cheeks are flushed and she is smiling shyly. "I love you too!" he tells her, which makes her blush more than ever.
"R-really?" she squeaks.
"Really," he confirms.
For a moment, neither of them move, simply choosing to stare at one another. Then, at last, Toby finally gives into his desire - that had grown more powerful in the last thirty minutes - and kisses Jessica.
After a few moments, they break apart and he rests his forehead against hers. Both of them are grinning madly, despite their hopeless situation.
"We'll get out of here," he tells her firmly. "We will - I promise!"
For the first time in a long time, they can feel something they hadn't felt for a while.
Hope.
Day Seven
It was night time. The day had been uneventful for Toby and Jessica. They ate their meals as usual while being watched by the guard and spent every moment locked inside the room they had called home for the past four days.
It had been slightly more tolerable for them with the new knowledge that they loved each other. The burdens of keeping their love secret had been lifted.
At the moment, the two teens were sleeping on an old mattress in the corner of the room. There were springs sticking out of it that dug into them but, with time, they would eventually drop off into a deep, albeit uncomfortable, slumber.
It was approximately half-past eleven when Toby, who had always been a light sleeper, felt light shining on him.
As he slowly opened his eyes, he was confused. The room had no windows and the door was kept locked at all times so he had no idea where the light was coming from.
He notices a blue light flickering in front of him and, as his vision clears, he sees someone very familiar. "Razzle?" he whispers and the projected image of the small dinosaur nods. "Jess, wake up!" he turns and gently shakes her by the shoulder. "Razzle's here!"
Jessica mumbles something that sounds an awful lot like, "Stop dreaming and go back to sleep!" even as she opens her eyes. She blinks as she sees Razzle and then rubs her eyes as though she cannot believe what she's seeing. "Razzle, is that really you?" she asks in a hushed voice.
Razzle speaks to them in a low voice. "We don't have a lot of time. Old Sage is dealing with these people and, as soon as he's done, we'll get you both out of here!"
Naturally, both Toby and Jessica had questions about this. "Deal with them how?" Jessica asks.
"By removing any evidence of you guys not being just like any other ordinary citizen of this town and by making anybody in this facility - or anyone who's seen said evidence - forget what they've seen and learned about you," Razzle tells her.
Jessica nods her head, satisfied with the response, but Toby still wants to know something. "What about Nick and Lucas?" he questions, unable to keep the worry out of his voice.
"They're fine, mostly," Razzle responds. "They managed to escape the men but they've been worrying themselves sick about both of you!"
The two teens look at one another, relieved smiles spreading across their faces. They are happy that the others have not suffered as they have but are also acutely aware that they have, indeed, suffered as well.
Suddenly there is a second flash of light and the projected image of Old Sage appears in the room.
His face is filled with regret as he speaks, "Toby, Jessica, I am sorry that this happened to you."
They both shake their heads. "It's fine!" they say together.
Old Sage raises his hand and a golden light envelopes Toby and Jessica before they find themselves disappearing.
They land in the Temple of Light in front of Old Sage and Razzle as well as two people they had been worrying about for the past few days.
"You're okay!" All four of them - Toby, Jessica, Nick and Lucas - exclaim as they rush towards each other and meet in a group hug. None of them, not one, are ashamed to admit that they are crying a little - or, in Jessica's case, a lot.
"What happened?" Nick asks.
Neither Toby or Jessica feel comfortable discussing what they've been through but they know that an explanation is the least Nick and Lucas deserve.
It takes them the better part of an hour to fully explain everything they went through, with Nick and Lucas listening attentively.
"That sounds horrible," Lucas says once they've finished. "I'll bet you're glad it's over now!"
"We are," Toby says as he slides his arm around Jessica's waist, pulling her closer to him, something that doesn't go unnoticed by Nick. "But I think we both just want to forget it ever happened!"
"Not all of it, though, right, bro?" Nick says, grinning at Toby who returns the grin sheepishly.
"No," he agrees as he and Jessica smile at one another. "Not all of it."
Day Eight
The four of them were gated back to Earth the previous night. They decided that, since they were all tired, that they would save the reunions for the morning.
"I should warn you guys," Nick says as he walks into Toby's room where his older brother is sitting with Jessica. "Mom and Dad have been frantic and the same goes for your parents, Jessica."
They both nod, taking a deep breath. "Are you ready?" Lucas asks them.
"We're ready," Toby and Jessica say together.
As they head downstairs, they can hear voices coming from the living room.
"I just want my son back!"
"I have to see my little girl again! I'm not giving up!"
Nick and Lucas motion for Toby and Jessica to wait while they enter the living room.
"Good morning," they hear Nick and Lucas say.
"Any news?" Mrs. Tripp asks frantically.
"Well..." they say together, which Toby and Jessica recognize as their cue. They walk down the rest of the stairs and steel themselves before opening the door and walking into the living room.
Immediately they hear the screams of their mothers and find themselves feeling like they are being squeezed half to death.
"You're back!" they hear their mothers sob. "Do you have any idea how worried we've been?"
"We're so glad to know you're both okay," Mr. Herleins says as he and Mr. Tripp walk over to also hug their children.
Toby and Jessica hug their parents back fiercely, having both feared they would never see them or anyone they cared about again.
"I think this calls for a celebratory meal," Mr. Tripp announces. "What do you guys say?"
Everybody in the house voices their agreement. After the past eight days, they feel that they deserve some happiness after finally being reunited with Toby and Jessica.
The terrible ordeal they had all been through was finally over...
AN: Well, that's the first oneshot completed. I will now provide a template below so that you guys can submit suggestions for future oneshots in the reviews.
Prompt (word):
Couple:
Set during:
Ages:
(The ages section only applies if you want the oneshot to be set before or after the events of the series)
Thank you for reading and I hope you guys enjoy this introduction to Gormiti Love Version 2! :-)