Work Text:
waking up early on market days are not your favorite. you’d much prefer to spend the extra hour in bed with donna, but you know that if you don’t leave early you won’t get any of the things you need from the market. getting ready is always easy- you quickly get dressed and slip out the front door, making your way down the path.
by the time you make it into the village, the sun is rising over the hills and it’s beginning to bustle. you can see people beginning to set their stands up in the center of the village. you look down at the list that was written by donna, and smile slightly. you can tell which things angie wants, based on the small messy scrawl of her handwriting on the sides of donnas neat writing.
luckily, the list today is small. normal groceries, and then some small things for donnas work. as you walk along the stalls, you keep an eye out for anything that donna might like. you stop when you see a stall offering different types of hand-made jewelry, each with a different type of stone in it.
your eyes land on silver earrings with brown stones that look strikingly like donnas eyes. sure, it’s cliche, but you want to do something nice for donna. you point to the earrings, and the lady running the stall gently hands them to you. you exchange payment, and you’re on your way. you only need some fruit, and then you can head home.
just as you’re about to reach the fruit stall, you pass an alley. a hand shoots out, and pulls you back. your bag drops, and you watch as the earrings you just bought clatter onto the gravel as you’re pulled back farther into the alley. nobody seems to notice, and just as you’re about to scream a hand covers your mouth, muffling any attempt.
your attacker shoves you against the wall, purposefully hitting your head hard enough to make everything spin. you go limp, desperately trying to get your bearings. you can’t even look at the man in front of you, but you feel his hand run from the side of your head down to your shoulder. he leans in close, sniffing deeply.
you reel back in disgust, trying to push him away. you swipe his hand off your shoulder and shove him back, turning and running back towards the market center. you can hear the man dashing behind you, coming closer and closer. you’re a few feet away from the alley entrance when he tackles you to the ground, shoving your head into the gravel beneath. you can feel the rocks cut and scrape your face, but you don’t care as you struggle more and more.
swinging aimlessly behind you, you’re hoping, praying, that you hit him and get enough time to get up. luckily, you hit him in the face and shoot up as soon as he’s off you. you dash for the bags, grabbing the handles and running out the alley. you decide that you’ve got enough of the list, and anything you didn’t get can always be bought later. pulling your coat closer, you hurry back to donnas manor. you just want to see donna.
it’s not until you reach the elevator outside donnas home that you realize you’re crying. the elevator takes you up, and you stumble up the path, almost tripping on the stairs. you gently open the door, and you can smell donnas cooking. you gently shut the door, and drop the bag from the market. your hands cover your face, and you’re leaning back into the door, trying not to cry.
you don’t hear donna approach as you take small panicked breaths, trying anything to calm down.
“y/n?”
your breath hitches, and you stop. your hands stay on your face, and you lean back into the door more. you really wish she hadn’t come- you wanted to calm down some before she found you. you hear her step closer, and feel her hands gently grip your wrist. she’s pulling your hands from your face, and pulling you closer to her. you almost trip over the bag, but donna supports you. one hand comes down to your chin, the other on your shoulder.
“darling?” her voice is soft, and it brings another round of tears to the front of your eyes, where you can’t stop them. “what happened?”
you’re almost fully sobbing now, and you can’t stop it. you lean forward, resting your forehead against donnas chest as your shoulders shake. you want to stop crying, but it’s all coming at once and you can’t stop it. donna gently sighs, and wraps her arms around you, rubbing your back.
when you finally calm down, you gently pull back from donnas chest. you’re still looking at the floor, and you see the contents of the bag from the market have fallen out, littering the ground around it.
you don’t see donnas earrings.
you want to start crying again. instead, you look back up to donna, who is studying your face closely. you smile weakly, and she attempts to smile back. she pulls you towards the kitchen, where you can see a pot covered on the stove, the burner underneath turned off. she pats the counter, and you hop onto it as she reaches into a cabinet to grab the first aid kit.
she turns back to you, and stands in front of the counter next to you as she shuffles around in the kit.
“would you like to tell me what happened?”
her voice is not demanding- it’s clear she’s coming from a place of care. you shuffle slightly and look down at the floor, only looking up when she stands in front of you. donna gently taps your knee, and you open your legs enough for her to stand in between them to reach your face. she reaches up towards your cheek with the cotton swab, and you wince slightly as she wipes it against the scrapes. she mumbles out a soft sorry, and moves down to your jaw.
“i..” you open your mouth to speak, and struggle to find the words. “i got attacked at the market.” she frowns, and stops wiping your jaw to look in your eyes. she’s searching, hoping you’re okay. you think you might be. donna looks back to the first aid box, grabbing what looks like a salve.
you’re finally starting to calm down, and you can feel a faint throbbing in the back of your head. you reach back and touch the back of your head, and bring your hand back to look at it. you sigh in relief. no blood. donna turns back to you, and looks at you strangely.
“he hit my head against the wall. there wasn’t any blood though, so it’s okay. i think.” you’re trying to sound lighthearted, but you can’t.
donna finishes putting the salve on your scrapes, and gently rests her hands on your thighs as she just looks at you. you look into her eyes, and can’t help but be reminded of the earrings that you had gotten for donna. you figure they’re still sitting at the entry of the alley. maybe you can try and find them tomorrow.
“are you hungry, love?”
you immediately shake your head- your stomach is churning too much for you to want to eat anything. maybe later. donna nods, and gently pulls you from the counter, ushering you towards the bedroom. you look out the window, and notice it’s completely dark- you must have been in the market for quite a while.
“get dressed for bed. i will clean up dinner, and then come back to sleep.” donnas voice is soft, and you can’t help but want to cry again. that’s probably the fifth time tonight. she’s just being so kind, you can barely handle it. you nod, and quickly get dressed for bed. just as you’re pulling the sheets back, the door creaks open once again.
donna gently steps in and shuts the door behind her. she quickly changes, and shuts the light off, crawling into bed next to you. the moonlight filters through the window at the perfect angle, putting a soft glow on donnas face. she pulls you close, wrapping her arms around you as she pulls the blanket past your shoulders. you’re the most comfortable you’ve felt in ages.
you’re finally starting to feel like you’re okay. between donna comforting you and holding you now, you’re beginning to forget what happened at the market before. and there you lay in donnas arms, feeling completely safe and comfortable. just as you’re falling asleep, you can faintly hear donna speak.
“it’s okay. i love you, y/n.”