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They planned to meet up at 2pm, leaving themselves enough time to go to the dungeon and come back before midnight hits.
Leo had been excitedly talking about the trip for days since the afternoon Foolish and Juan had planned it a week ago. It wasn’t often that she was allowed on dangerous adventures, and it wasn’t often either that Leo, Juan and Foolish hung out together due to both men being constantly busy with important duties at the mansion.
She was bouncing on her feet while gripping Foolish’s arm, rambling in Spanish about all the things she was excited for while her father was trying his best to keep up with the language.
They teleport at the meet up location in a whirlwind of purple particles, the waystone having been placed earlier for efficiency in the forest surrounding the dungeon. It also gave them well needed cover from the creatures guarding the place.
Foolish had not seen it, but Juan had told him it looked big which could mean more treasures, and the Totem trusted him.
The humid air instantly hits Foolish as soon as they arrive, the leaves showing signs of a previous rainfall, the moss floor is soft and bends under their feet, making them slightly unstable. Foolish subconsciously brings a light hand to Leo’s shoulder to keep her up on her feet.
Juan is already there waiting for them, leaning against a tree. Foolish fondly rolls his eyes at his antics, and he’s glad his cool guy facade immediately breaks down when Leonarda rushes to his side and grabs his arm.
“¿Hola niña, estás lista?” He greets with a smile, eyes glancing up at Foolish automatically.
The Totem waves at him with two fingers but doesn’t interrupts their interaction, happy to simply observe how Leo acts around the man.
She used to be shy when Foolish first introduced them, not really good with strangers in general, but she acclimatized fairly quickly. Foolish was certain she was happy to have a constant Spanish speaking adult in her life, Roier not being present as much as he used to due to his family life and Vegetta being a distant memory, barely spoken about. Juan always managed to make her giggle. Foolish thinks that must be a family trait between father and daughter, laughing at Juan’s ridiculousness.
Foolish rearranges his weapons, giving his two daggers to Leo for extra protection, counting his arrows before putting them back in their quiver, trapping his sword in its scabbard. He quickly checks what weapons and armor Leo carries and gladly comes to the conclusion that she’s well suited. Once he’s done with the checks, he turns Juan and Leo who are still happily catching up and signal they can all start walking.
They make quick work of walking to the dungeon despite the thick bushes blocking their way and leaves falling down around them. Juan walks ahead cutting up any branch getting in their way and opens up a path for them.
After a few easy minutes of walking in silence, they finally lay eyes on the imposing structure they came for. Upon seeing the dark brick walls get closer, their hold on their weapons tighten in anticipation of the imminent fight.
Foolish and Juan walk on either side of Leo, the girl keeping close to them and following obediently Foolish’s rules on safety he made her repeat before coming here.
The first monsters they see are the two guards standing at the massive entrance of the building. Foolish makes quick work of them by sending them each an arrow in their neck, quietly rendering them useless.
Keeping an eye open for danger, the group keeps on walking, slowly entering the vast darkness behind the doors.
There was no use trying to get their eyes accustomed to the lack of light so Juan lights on a torch, the fire of it illuminating their faces and causing pearls of sweat to run down Foolish’s face.
Not a sound can be heard apart from their breathing and Foolish feels the hair on his skin rise uncomfortably. The place is eerily empty, and no treasure chest has even been found yet. Perhaps it wasn’t worth it, maybe they should just go back. He turns to Juan.
Juan seems to have had the same thought process as him because he turns to Foolish at the same time,
a questioning frown drawing his eyebrows together. Their eyes meet and, without needing a word, they silently share their concerns on the road ahead.
Juan’s stare drifts over to the left and suddenly his eyes widen, focused on something past Foolish’s shoulder. His mouth opens in a warning.
“Foolish behind!” He yells in time.
The Totem turns around swiftly, swinging his sword like a reflex. He catches the dark form in the neck, drawing a cut-off gurgle from the creature.
The attack seemed to have been the signal the others were waiting for. Juan drops the torch in favor of his sword but the darkness doesn’t last. A wave of monsters approach them, blinking lights attached to their helmets, breaking the silence with their war yelps, surrounding them in a tight circle.
In the same breath all three dash forward, taking on three monsters each.
Foolish feels his heart racing, the voice in the back of his mind continues to question whether coming here was a good idea. He anxiously alternate between keeping his eyes on the fight and looking out for Leo, the girl thankfully still having total control over her situation.
When Foolish’s eyes drift unconsciously to Juan, he notices that Juan’s gaze also seems to turn back to the girl from time to time.
A sort of relief bleeds into Foolish’s heart from knowing Juan was keeping an eye on his daughter and would be ready to protect her no matter what, even if it meant neglecting his own safety in the process.
The piercing sound of swords clashing together fills Foolish’s ears, drowning out his thoughts, forcing him to focus on the creatures ahead.
They thankfully all make quick work of the wave of monsters, their bodies lay down at their feet in a mess of blood. Trying to regain their breaths is however impossible as another wave follows immediately after, the hits coming in more brutally then they were before, the creatures having potentially figured out the group’s strength.
Sweat grips at Foolish’s skin. Just as he thought they were defending themselves pretty well, getting into the flow of landing hits after hits, Foolish hears a quiet gasp coming from his right.
His head swings around blindly, squinting in the low light for Leo, for he would recognize the sound of his daughter anywhere.
The girl was standing 6 feet away, holding the arm that was holding the sword trying to keep it strong, swinging the weapon around in a tired manner. The Totem sees clear as day the panic forming in her eyes.
He flies forward, and stabs the monster in the chest, protecting his daughter with one arm. He turns his head back around anxiously, assessing the damage they did to Leo.
Blood was dripping through her hand, seemingly coming from the side of her upper arm. She lets go of the wound for a second and Foolish sees a slash from the middle of her upper arm to her shoulder. He can’t quite see the depth of the wound but the blood comes out in steady pumps.
He forces her hand back on the wound, pressing into it tightly.
Her gaze snaps to Foolish and the Totem notices the tears forming despite her attempt to keep them in. Panic rises in Foolish’s throat at the sight of her pain and he tries to swallow it down unsuccessfully.
Just as he decides that fuck it they’ll just retreat, a burning sensation pierces his abdomen.
His mouth gapes open, shocked from the intense white pain, but no sound comes out. He doubles over, his vision blurring fast, but flashing red lights sound off in his brain and urge him to protect.
With a grunt, he masterfully swings his sword in the monster that attacked him, hitting him in the leg, keeping it from attacking him further.
His eyes scan the room alarmingly, desperately trying to find Juan when the blinking blinding lights of the creature’s helmet allow him to see anything. The pain spreads through his body agonizingly fast. He sees Leo fighting her way around two others monsters a few meters away and he almost screams from panic. The urge to help her grabs at his throat but he just can’t move.
Unable to stand any longer, the Totem’s knees hit the hard stone ground. He finally presses on the injury causing a new wave of pain to hit, feeling the hot golden blood flow out of him, the wound bigger then he would’ve thought, maybe the size of his hand.
Finally, Juan’s silouhette appears.
His hands are bloody red but a quick scan from Foolish’s rapidly closing eyes assesses it to not be his. Despite everything, the Totem still feels relief at that. Juan’s glasses are also thankfully still on from whatever blessing gods have given.
In a blur, the man dashes towards Leonarda, killing the two creatures towering over her easily. In the same breath, Juan takes Leo up in his arms, holding her close while tears start flowing down the girl’s cheeks. With a weighted look to Foolish still bleeding out kneeling on the ground, he teleports away in a flash of purple light.
Foolish’s senses dim until all he can feel is the violent throbbing pain.
***
Juan arrives in his room, hurries towards his bed and sits Leo down on it. He rips his closet open and grabs the first shirt he sees.
“Presiona esto sobre la herida,” the man chokes out, panic seizing his throat. [Press this over the wound.]
Foolish was currently bleeding out alone in the middle of possibly hundreds of monsters. He had to get back.
“Leo, voy a volver con tu pa. ¿Okay?” [Leo, I’m going to come back with your dad, okay?]
He doesn’t wait for an answer, quickly kissing the top of Leo’s head and teleporting without another word.
Branches crunch loudly under his feet as he sprints through the forest, his arms getting covered in scratches, not bothering to open up a path for himself.
The adrenaline makes him run faster then he has ever had, ignoring the stabbing pain he feels in the muscles of his legs, ignoring how difficult it is to breath. He’s convinced running towards danger has never been so easy knowing the most important person in his life was helplessly laying there, immobilized by whatever injury he got.
The memory of Foolish bleeding out on the floor doesn’t leave his thoughts, and he prays that won’t be the last memory he’ll have of the Totem.
***
Foolish feels arms around his body but he can’t get his eyes to open. He’s on the brink of screaming, thinking the monsters have gotten a hold on him, when he identifies the mumbling in Spanish through the pumping of blood in his ears.
Knowing he’s safe in Juan’s arms, Foolish abandons his fighting and lets sleep envelop him.
——
The first thing Foolish registers when he wakes up are the soft covers he’s laying on. Memory of the fight come back to him slowly and he fights against the brights lights to open his eyes.
He’s on the right side of Juan’s bed, of that he is sure. The wooden bedside table displays the unmistakable portrait of him, Tina and Foolish that Juan drew himself and he’s the only one who has a copy.
The skin of his abdomen hitches around the wound as the Totem props himself up on his elbows but the pain is far, almost forgotten. He could thank his regenerative powers for that.
He wasn’t ready for the sight greeting him further into the room, or at the least his heart wasn’t.
Juan has sat Leo down on his dining table and he’s sitting on of the chairs in front of hair. His features show that he is in deep concentration although Foolish can’t quite see what he is doing. However, it seems to entertain Leo because the girl, once Juan leans back, looks at her arm and the white bandage, and laughs brightly.
“Gracias!” She exclaims in a fit of giggles, and she throws her unharmed arm around Juan’s neck.
The man reciprocates the hug with a bright smile, carefully wrapping his arms around Leo to not injure her further.
Foolish feels a hard squeeze in his heart that makes his head spin. Seeing Juan care so much for his daughter makes his body react unexpectedly, and Foolish is confused as to the meaning of the rapid beating behind his ribs.
Foolish has been parenting the girl alone for more then two years because one day Vegetta decided to up and leave them. Seeing another man love and care for his daughter with him should make him feel uneasy, feeling like he took the place of someone else, but it only weakens the barriers in Foolish’s heart. Maybe it wasn’t as closed off as he had thought. Maybe Juan had carved himself a place in it without him noticing.
Leo notices him when she leans back from the hug, her eyes widening in worry as she immediately runs to her father’s side, focusing her pa’s attention back on her.
She climbs in the bed on the left side, kneeling beside him.
“Pa! Estás bien? You have hurt?” She rambles on in spanglish.
“Estoy bien, niña,” the Totem reassures, bringing a hand to his daughter’s cheek and tapping it lightly. “Are you good?”
His eyes drift to her injury but the area has been cleaned, a fresh bandage wrapped around her whole upper arm. Foolish can’t help but smile at Juan’s extra protection.
Foolish sees the multiple doodles of Leo’s dogs in a bright purple color that must have been the cause of Leo’s previous display of joy.
“Are you in pain Foolish?” A soft voice at the end of his (Juan’s) bed asks.
Foolish turns his head to Juan. His gaze is dripping with worry and Foolish rushes to reassure him.
“I’m fine! I’m a Totem I regenerate easily, don’t even worry,” he tells with a smile.
Leo lays down next to him and wraps her arms around his neck in comfort. Juan still seems unsure, twisting his hands around.
Most of all though, the man looks exhausted. Deep purple bags highlight his drooping eyes, and Foolish notices that night has fallen outside.
He must have been asleep for around 6 hours, and Juan had taken care of both him and his daughter without having even changed out his stained clothes.
If anyone asks him, a wave of empathy towards the man is Foolish’s reason to justify his next sentence. In reality it would be an uncontrollable wave of affection flowing over him and gripping his heart.
“Come here.”
Juan looks surprised, hesitating, still unmoving at the end of the bed.
“It’s your bed after all,” Foolish adds trying to convince him.
That seems to do the trick. Juan slowly inches closer, sitting down next to Leo and laying his head on his pillow.
The group stays silent for a long moment, enough for Leo to fall asleep. Foolish feels her steady breathing against his neck.
“Thank you for- everything, Juan,” the Totem whispers in a low voice.
“I’m the one who brought you into danger. I find the dungeon,” he rejects.
Does he really blame himself?
“No, Juan, you saved us both. It doesn’t matter if you found the dungeon we had all agreed to go. None of this is your fault,” Foolish establishes, looking over at Juan.
The man takes a deep breath and finally starts to relax. He removes his round glasses and turns on his side, draping an arm over Leo’s body.
His fingers graze accidentally on Foolish’s arm.
The Totem’s heart spins despite himself and he burns to take Juan’s hand in his.
In a sleep filled voice, so quiet Foolish almost misses it, Juan mumbles.
“I’d do it again everyday.”
Foolish will just have to blame it on Juan’s unimaginably sweet words.
The Totem swiftly takes Juan’s hand in his, intertwining their fingers. Juan returns the hold. His skin burns at the touch.
They rest their hands on Leo’s sleeping form, keeping her in their embrace like they’re keeping her in their hearts.
Not a word more is exchanged.
Both men fall asleep, holding each other’s hand tightly like they’re afraid to let go, protecting even in sleep the child they both grew to care so much for. The terror of the day already feels forgotten, overcame by the new perspective of love hanging around them, unspoken for but omnipresent.