Worried (Buzz Lightyear X Reader)
Request: Hi! So sorry to bother you about this. A long while ago I sent a request for Buzz Lightyear x toy reader taking place in the Halloween short where they encounter the iguana. Did you by any chance get it? Or did tumblr eat it?
A/n: A few notes on this before you read, I did not want the reader's story to take away from Jessie's story overcoming her anxieties/PTSD and finding a way to manage it which is why I left the plot of the special alone and mostly intact and added reader as a secondary thing to it. As such, reader and Buzz don't actually interact much until the end, so apologies for that. But I did have fun writing it and I hope it's somewhat what you wanted. I also just love writing sibling! Woody which is why there is a lot of Woody content. Thanks for inspiring me to watch this great short again anon!
Sometimes, you have to admit, your friends aren't the smartest. Especially when they’re scared it seems. As soon as Mr. Potato Head left Bonnie’s suitcase to do some exploring, you knew that this was going to be a long night. While the others panicked and scared themselves half to death, you slipped away.
There had to be a logical solution to all of this and you were going to find it. The motel was creepy at night in the dark, but you wandered the halls searching for any sign of something odd or strange. Nothing really caught your eye or stood out to you as odd, the whole place was strangely quiet.
Bonnie did a lot of traveling, even before Andy’s toys showed up but you’d never been in a motel this quiet at night. It was eerie. Suddenly, you wished you hadn’t left without telling Buzz or even Woody or Jessie where you were going. They were going to be worried sick about you, most of all Buzz. You wouldn’t call what the two of you had a relationship (not yet anyway) but there was something between you. All of the other toys saw it and he had a tendency to get overprotective when situations like this happened-
There was the sound of a bell and footsteps in the distance and it piqued your interest.
It was the first sound you’d heard all night. Clearly, there was something happening in the motel lobby. Racing down the hall, you stopped near the desk, waiting to hear if there was a conversation happening between two humans but the room was as silent as the rest of the building.
Then, the motel manager’s voice broke through the silence.
“Hmm. One of those Potato Head toys… They don’t make them like this anymore, I’m sure we could fetch a penny or two for this. Nice find, Jones.”
Potato Head! Looking around the room to make sure there was nobody around, you jumped just barely managing to grab the edge of the desk and hoist yourself up. Thankfully, there were a bunch of boxes stacked on the counter, it looked like somebody had a lot of mail to send out the next day. You slid behind the boxes, poking out from behind slightly to get a look at what was going on.
The manager was placing Potato Head in a glass compartment. As he did this, the bell sound rang again and he turned around, clearly slightly surprised.
“More, huh?” You watched him kneel next to a basket, eyes narrowed as he picked up Trixie, Rex and Mr. Pricklepants. He lifted them and brought them out of your field of vision, though you could hear the snap of a camera. Hmm. So he was selling these toys?
Quietly, you crawled into one of the empty boxes and laid down among the packing peanuts. When he’s gone, I’ll sneak over there and over the cabinet for everybody.
You laid there listening as the bell was rung three more times. Woody. Buzz. Jessie. The sounds of footsteps passed multiple times, but you were never exactly sure when was the right time to jump out. Sometimes, if you strained your ears you could hear the toys in the cabinet arguing, probably about how to best get themselves out.
Just as you were thinking that maybe it was a good idea to jump out and proceed with the rescue plan, a robotic voice spoke loudly from what you assumed was the man’s computer.
There was an uneasy feeling in your stomach as you heard the man exclaim 2000 dollars. 2000 dollars for what? Was it one of your friends? You remained hidden under the packing peanuts, then realized that might not have been your smartest idea as the box was lifted and you were jostled slightly. Something was placed atop you, on the packing peanuts, followed by his voice once more.
“Happy Trails, cowboy Andy…” And then the box was sealed. The two of you remained still and motionless as he carried the box back to what you assumed was the front counter. Then, as soon as his feet receded, you pushed Woody off of you. He startled slightly, rolling over to the opposite side of the box. There wasn’t a lot of room in here, but there was enough for you both to lay comfortably with a little bit of extra space.
You couldn’t see his face, but Woody was clearly annoyed with being kicked. “Ouch! Who did that?”
“It’s me, I’ve been in here the whole time!”
“(Y/n)? You’ve been in here the whole time? Buzz is worried sick about you! Thought you already got sold off but we didn’t see your picture on the wall.”
A sinking feeling hit you in the gut, maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to go wandering off all alone. You’d thought you could save your friends all on your own, but you’d only wound up getting yourself stuck in a box with Woody. Some help you’d been.
“I thought I could help, but I couldn’t find a window enough to jump out and help you guys,” you admitted, staring up at the top of the box. You were grateful for the darkness, so he couldn’t see your face and you couldn’t see his.
Since the gang arrived in Bonnie’s room, you’d had a difficult time trusting them and even now that you considered them friends, sometimes you still found yourself believing you had to do everything on your own.
It was a tough habit to break, but slowly the walls were coming down. Still, laying here you knew what it looked like to Woody. What it would look like to the others. That you still didn’t trust them to get you out of situations like this.
“Help me find a way out of this,” Woody nudged you, “there has to be a way out!”
He pushed against the top of the box and you let him, feeling around with your fingers the bottom of the box, under all the packing peanuts.
“It’s no use!” He sighed in frustration, giving one last annoyed shove against the top of the box. You made an equally annoyed grunt, letting him know that you were no more successful in your endeavors than he was.
You wrapped your arms around yourself, starting to feel slightly worried. You’d never had a problem with tight spaces or anything like that, but with no way out here, you were starting to understand why Jessie did. There was no way you and Woody were making it out of here on your own. All the other toys were locked up tight in the cabinet. You were never going to see Bonnie again…
“This is all my fault, if I had just stayed with you guys…”
“Then you would’ve been taken too.”
“But Buzz wouldn’t be worried about me, at least. And maybe I could’ve helped get us out of that cabinet!”
Woody shifted slightly, clearly trying to find a more comfortable position in the tight space. “There’s nothing you could’ve done, trust me. I’m glad you’re here, we can still find a way out of this and save the others. From the outside, you and me can reach the handle and-”
“Shh! I think someone’s coming!”
You’d heard muffled sounds the entire time, and the two of you had mostly been ignoring them but now you heard the sounds of footsteps creeping closer to your box.
“Okay!” They responded to somebody far in the distance, someone you couldn’t hear and then, your box was lifted and placed somewhere else.
Uneasy, you moved your hands in the packing peanuts restlessly and Woody found your arm in the dark. He squeezed your arm gently.
“Even if we don’t make it out of here, when we get to where we’re going we can find our way back to Bonnie. There’s nothing we can’t do if we work together, so don’t panic!” His voice was hushed because he wasn’t sure if they were still being carried but it calmed you down as your box was placed somewhere else. The two of you laid still once more, now content with the knowledge that even if you ended up miles away from Bonnie, you’d still somehow find a way back.
The sound of the mail carrier coming back and forth could be heard through the box and you listened quietly. You wondered if Buzz would miss you if you never ended up coming home. Or would he mount a rescue mission from wherever he was like he had for Woody in that story they always tell.
Woody’s hand remained on your arm, grounding you and-
“Woody! Woody!” Jessie’s voice cut through the silence the two of you were sat in, she was clearly on a mission to find her friend. Relief flooded through you as Woody pushed once more against the top of the box with all his might, you helped him.
“Jessie! Jessie, over here!” You hoped his voice carried and, thankfully, it seemed like it did because a moment later the flaps were opened. Sunlight! Ah, you’d never take that for granted again!
The two of you sat up immediately as Jessie laughed, slightly breathlessly.
“(Y/n)! You’re here too! Where’d you come from?” She asked slightly confused, as Woody climbed out of the box.
He frowned, pointing back in the direction of the motel. “We can catch up later, the guys are going to need our help.”
The three of you hurried into the vents, racing back as fast as you could to the room with the glass cabinet where all of your friends were being held. From then on, everything seemed to happen too fast for you to comprehend. Woody and Jessie both seemed to have different ideas in mind to save the day, but it was Jessie’s quick thinking in the end that wound up saving everybody.
Bonnie and her mom collected all of you (much to your relief), returning you to the safety of the bag in the trunk. Now, with time to finally not worry about the people walking by and disturbing the toys, you all came to life. Immediately, Buzz was all over you.
“You’re not hurt are you? I mean, we didn’t see you so we assumed the lizard got to you and-” His hands were on your shoulders, something he was only barely able to do seeing as you were just a tad bit taller than he was.
You patted his hands with your own. “Relax, Buzz. I’m fine. I was a little scared when Woody and I got sealed in that box but he helped me calm down. Sorry I scared you all by wandering off on my own… I really wanted to help!”
You still felt guilty for worrying them all but Buzz pulled you into a crushing hug. You were grateful you had no bones to be broken.
“All that matters is you’re safe,” he mumbled to you, just quiet enough so that the other toys who were potentially hurt couldn’t hear. You kissed his cheek and he spluttered, pulling back slightly in surprise at the sudden display of affection.
You grinned. “I’m glad you’re safe too, space ranger.”
He stared at you and you met his eyes, holding his gaze for a bit before you were about to pull away when he once more pulled you closer to him, this time though connecting your lips. Funny how it was your first kiss and yet it felt so right, like you’d done it a hundred times before that.
“Gross! Get a room guys!” Woody’s voice cut through the special moment and Buzz did pull away to pull you to a more secluded part of the trunk.
Maybe this motel trip had been good for something after all.
