Radioactive // Onceler x reader

The upcoming months things changed drastically, and fast. The factory was raised in no time and the thneed production skyrocketed. The inclining business went on for several years. I was still living with Oncie, but we grew further and further apart and I became more and more ill because of the rapid declining in trees.

The Lorax tried his best to stop Oncie from succumbing to greed and continuing to destroy the forest for the fame and success, but it became increasingly harder for him to do so. I never told him about my condition and I made the Lorax promise not to mention it. I wanted to make him stop this madness by his own will, I wanted him to realise how it's hurting thousands of lives and making it inhabitable for the creatures living there. 

It often seemed like he wanted to hear me out, but he was always persuaded by his mother to continue and ultimately decided that her approval was more important than what was at risk here. The power truly got to his head, and this was not the same Oncie I had met a long time ago. 

Today I decided to go talk to him again in his office, and  I made my way there. Brett and Chet were stationed outside the doors. It took an extreme amount of energy for me to stay active these days, and I had started coughing frequently the past weeks. I looked paler than usual and dark circles resided under my eyes. I looked incredibly sick, and felt that way too. The marks were spread out all over my body, but lately the symptoms had only been internal. 

"Can I see Oncie?" I asked them weakly, and they didn't even look at me. "Do you have an appointment?" they stated, and I flinched. 

"An appointment? I'm his partner for gods sake, let me in!" I sternly said before coughing a little. The two looked at me and decided to open the door, allowing me to go inside. Laying my eyes upon the outstanding office I realised I hadn't been in here in years. Oncie was sat next to his desk looking at some papers, humming a tune to himself. I felt the urge to cry when I heard that it was the first song he had played for us back when we met. 

"Oh, y/n, what's up?" he asked without looking up from his desk, and I furrowed my brows as I headed over. "What's up? Is that all you have to say? After everything that's been happening, the only words you can say are 'what's up'?" I snarkily said and stared him down. His demeanour changed to hostile real quick, and I never would have imagined that this is who he would become. 

"Did you come here just to bicker with me? Why can't you be happy for me, huh? I've worked incredibly hard for this, and I've done my best to give you everything you wanted! Why are you being so ungrateful?" he snapped back at me and I stepped back, feeling like a small bug here I was standing. 

"Because you're not thinking clearly! You're being environmentally hostile and causing death and devastation upon the creatures living out there. Your business is not sustainable at all! Oncie, I'm here to speak for the trees. Think about your promise!" I pleaded with him, and I saw something change in his eyes. He knew what he was doing, and he felt bad about it, but it was all hidden beneath the thick layers of greed and pride. 

"Well, it so happens that I speak for the men, and the men demands that more thneeds are made. They love me, y/n! And besides, if I didn't do it, then someone else would!" he responded maniacally and I was genuinely concerned for his well-being at this point. My shoulders sank and I looked away, not sure what to say. It seemed to strike a nerve with him.

"If you can't even be happy for me, then why are you here?" he barked at me, and I looked at him angrily, tears forming in my eyes. "I stayed because you wanted me to, because you told me you'd do better!" I responded loudly, trying to hold back the tears. 

"Oh-hoh, really now!? Well maybe- maybe I don't want you here! Maybe I never did!" he spat out, and with those words left lingering in the air the tears started running down my cheeks. His facial expression turned into a look of regret. 

"Fine then, if that thneed means more to you than my love.. I'll leave." I grabbed the necklace around my neck and ripped it off, creating a small rift on my flesh where a small droplet of blood emerged from. I threw the necklace directly at him and stormed out the door, not looking back for a second. I ran the entire way out of the factory, running out onto the deserted fields where I slumped down onto a sad-looking stump. 

I sat there sobbing to myself, feeling my heart breaking inside of my chest. It was more painful than anything I had ever felt in my life, and I clutched my chest trying to rip out my heart so I wouldn't feel this way. I stayed there for hours crying knowing that the factory wasn't far behind me. After I had stopped crying I felt a hand land on my shoulder, and I turned to see the Lorax looking at me with blank eyes. "I'm sorry." he said and gave me a much needed hug. The hug sent a flashing light through my mind and I saw a hazy scene unfold right in front of me. 

I saw myself standing in the middle of the burning forest, yelling towards a clearing between the trees. I was crying and pleading to the small entity standing there, begging for them to let me save the forest. Eventually my facial expression changed and a smile appeared beneath the tears. My chest lit up and a small orb of light was extracted from my body, hovering right above me. Was that.. my soul? The orb suddenly expanded and a great light covered everything, and when it eventually faded the fire was gone and the forest was healed, leaving a crystal in place where I was standing. I could see the silhouette of my own body inside the crystal, clutching my chest and a smile left on my face before the vison faded.

I came back to my senses and looked at the Lorax with a perplexed face, and he nodded. "So you understand the truth now?" he said, and I nodded. The story he had told me before was about me. I was the being that pleaded with him to save the forest, and I had given my soul to the forest so it would live. That's why I was also dying now. "I couldn't stop him, Lorax. He's too consumed by pride and greed. His love for me is gone." I sniffled and wiped my face. The Lorax jumped down from the stump and stood before me, taking my hand.

"It's not gone, it's been overshadowed by his desire for power and success. A trait that is being nurtured by the inclining profit he's making. Everyone experiences greed and pride, but not everyone acts upon them." the Lorax said and pulled me up on my feet. I didn't realise how weak my body was now, but there weren't that many trees left so it made sense. He led me towards a staircase by the factory and told me to wait here. 

Then, he made his way up to the Oncelers office.