Work Text:
You awaken to the sounds of distant traffic. Last night's sleep must have been a bad one because your head hurts and you feel anything but relaxed. It takes an exorbitant amount of effort to even just force open your eyelids.
As your blurry vision slowly clears up, you are looking up at an unfamiliar ceiling.
The pale yellow walls, the large pine tree you can see through the window to your left, this very bed – nothing feels familiar.
Where are you?
You attempt to move your body, but your limbs do not react, much like a marionette with cut strings. As a sense of dread overcomes you, you try to raise your voice and call for help, but your vocal cords produce little more than a hollow creak.
***
Unable to keenly sense the passage of time, you cannot tell if minutes or hours pass before you hear the sound of footsteps from an adjacent room. A young woman with dark purple hair enters your field of view as she approaches the bed.
“Oh, you've woken up.”
Mikan's voice is calm and steady, a far cry from the stuttering mess you are used to.
“Don't worry, you're safe here. Nobody can hurt you anymore.”
She grabs your hand and gently presses it against her cheek. Even through your overwhelming drowsiness you can feel her warmth, but it does little to quell the cold sensation of terror that has taken hold of your entire body. Nothing about this is right.
Your eyes dart around, trying to find a way out of this room. Surely, if you just force yourself enough, you can stand up and run away from here...
“Don't tell me you want to leave?”
The young nurse stares straight at you as she places your hand back on the bed.
“The world outside is scary. What if you get hurt? That's why I brought you here, so I can make sure nothing bad ever happens to you.”
Without breaking eye contact, Mikan climbs onto the bed, straddling your body between her thighs.
“Why won't you learn, this is for your own safety! Do you hate me that much?”
Unable to produce any meaningful sounds in response, you are left entirely at her mercy.
“Do you really want to leave me that badly? Am I that disgusting to you?”
You are utterly transfixed by her unwavering gaze as her hands slowly close around your throat. If she wanted to, she could easily kill you, but her hands stay loose, allowing your own fear to make you aware of the thin line between life and death all the more intensely.
After what seems like an eternity, Mikan finally releases her grip on you.
“Look what you made me do! All because you don't know what's best for you!”
Her voice changes into a whisper, almost imperceptible to your sleep-addled brain.
“You love me, right? Darling?”
Even straining as hard as you can, you can muster little more than another meaningless groan.
“I know, that was a silly question. I love you too.”
Mikan's face breaks into a smile unlike any you have ever seen from her before. It is a smile of pure happiness, like her entire being is enveloped by a blissful softness, and you cannot help but feel a deep affection towards her.
Affection? That is not the emotion you should be feeling in this situation. And yet...
“But until you learn to listen to me, you should go back to sleep. It's for your own safety.”
With those words, Mikan grabs a small cup from atop a nearby cabinet and moves it towards your mouth. You no longer even attempt to resist as a bitter liquid flows into your mouth and down your throat.
As Mikan sits by your bedside, gently holding your hand, your eyelids are once again overcome with an indescribable heaviness and you slowly drift back into a deep, dreamless sleep.