Onceler X Reader Fluff

Onceler x Reader Fluff

Neutral Pronouns!!

for @arson-n-barf (for some reason your name won’t come up when i try to tag you 😿)

It finally happened. Your boyfriend, the Onceler, had gotten to the lowest point in his business. His machines had cut down the last truffula tree. His family, seeing how this would bring his business to an end, up and left the second they noticed. It had been about a month since it happened, and Onceler was hidden away in his little factory home, wallowing in his misery as he finally realized what he’d done to the truffula forest. You’d tried to contact him a few times now, but each time you’d open the door a wooden mallet would quickly shoo you away. This time, you wouldn’t accept that. You knew you needed to talk to him, and he needed to talk to you.

Taking a walk from the Onceler’s wagon to his little house was always a bit depressing. What used to be lush landscape full of pink, orange, and yellow shades, was now a desolate wasteland of stumps and smog. It was a long trip by foot, but you didn’t have the resources to get there any faster at the moment. Approaching his home, you knew better than to knock on the door this time. A faint light was shining through a boarded up window, the only light you’d seen in what felt like hours.

That must be where he is…

“Onceler?”

No response. You didn’t expect it to be so easy, but you weren’t going to give up.

“Onceler. I’m not leaving until you let me talk to you! Please just say something. Anything at all?”

“Go away. I don’t know who you are and I don’t care.”

That’s harsh! How does he not know? Can he not recognize my voice?

It then occurred to you that with all the smog you had to breathe in on the way, your voice had become a bit raspier and lower. Not to a disturbing point, but apparently just enough to mask your identity. Just then, peering up at the window, you noticed a small bucket up by his window.

That’s right! Before everything went downhill, he had a bucket where he’d accept gifts from any of his fans while he was away or was too tired to come out of his house!

“Mr. Onceler, I have a gift for you.”

There was a pause, and then a longer pause. Suddenly, the sounds of clattering metal began to approach. As soon as the bucket was close enough, you hopped in - as best you could anyway.

“Okay I’m leaving now!”

The Onceler waited for what seemed like an eternity before quickly pulling the bucket up to his window. He peeked through the holes of his boarded up window and that’s when he saw…

“Y/N?”

His voice was trembling, and his eyes appeared shiny and reddish.

“Onceler, let me talk to you. Let me help you! You can get through this. It isn’t too-”

“You shouldn’t be here Y/N. The air is too polluted. Go into town, it’s farther. It’ll be safer for you.”

The bucket started to lower, so as fast as you could you swung it forward, grabbing onto the boards. You were now dangling off of them, as the bucket was on the ground.

“Y/N!”

The Onceler punched through the wood and pulled you inside. He fell backwards, and you collapsed on top of him. You could now see the state of his room. It was nearly empty, except for a bed, a drawer, and lots of tissues and empty marshmallow bags all around. Onceler hugged you tight, sniffling and crying.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to push you away! I was just so lost in my own head. Will you forgive me, Y/N?”

“Of course, Oncie! I was never upset with you, I was just so worried. I wanted to tell you that it isn’t all as bad as it seems. You still have all the money you had before. You still have all this land to remake what’s been destroyed. You still have me! Unless we do something now, this will all be lost to time.”

The Onceler looked at you, and then to the window.

“Unless we… Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to change… That’s it! Y/N, you’re a genius!”

“I am?”

Onceler took your arm and pulled you up off the ground. He walked over to the little drawer and opened it, reaching in to find a little brown seed.

“Oncie… is that?”

“Yes. The last truffula seed. I think you should be the one to plant it.”

“I think we should plant it together. And I have the perfect spot. Come on!”

You led the Onceler back to his wagon you’d been staying in. Everything outside was dark and gray, but the wagon was still a place full of warm light.

“If we plant it here, Oncie, we could bring the forest back. One truffula seed at a time! Does that sound good?”

The Onceler nodded, and you got to work. Using a little shovel you found inside, you dug a hole in the ground. Onceler looked hesitant, so you took his hands in your own and planted the seed into the ground together. You enveloped the little truffula in soil, and stood back to admire your progress.

“Now it just needs…”

“I’ve got it!”

The Onceler ran inside and came back out with a little metal watering can. He watered the seed, and reached out to hold your hand.

“What if it doesn’t grow?”

“I’m sure it will. I’ve heard that truffula trees grow much faster than any other kind. We can check in tomorrow?”

Onceler nodded, and placed his head on top of yours. You felt him shaking a little. With that, you led him inside and sat down on the bed.

“Do you want anything to eat?”

“Oh, Y/N, you’ve been troubled with me enough already. I think what I’d like the most would be for you to just relax.”

You smiled, and headed over to the couch to lay down. You assumed the Onceler needed space, since he’d locked himself away for a month now. About a half hour passed, and neither of you were asleep yet.

“Y/N… I don’t want to sleep alone tonight.”

You picked up a bag of marshmallows you’d been munching on, and offered him one in his bed. You fed him some more, and eventually the two of you cuddled to sleep. With that, the night was over. The next day, the truffula seed had grown to a little fluffy pink sprout. Eventually, the two of you managed to replant almost the entire valley together. The Lorax didn’t show up immediately, but in time he came back to help out, bringing back all the wildlife that had travelled away long ago.

and that’s it! hope it’s good and fluffy enough, I got a little carried away in the beginning there 😿