#i hoped it'd be a little sillier but that's okay. you know what's Not okay? the fact that adam cut his hair

[keeps-ache]

watched Pride and Prejudice and Zombies 👍

[danandthereader]

So I was watching Disney's Tarzan and thought it'd be a cool promt idea for a Explorer!Reader and a Wildman!Danny cute fluffy story of getting to know one another. But if youre not taking requests I understand!

A/N: Oh lovely, this is such an inspiring and interesting prompt; thank you for sending it in ! I had so much fun filling it. ♡ Sorry this got a little long; I feel like I spent a lot of time establishing the little world they were in rather than actual dialogue, but I think it came out good despite. I hope you enjoyed; heart you !

A TOUCH OF THE WILD

Despite being the only person in this part of the forest, there was life and sound going on all around you. The sound of your boots leaving impressions in the damp ground was almost drowned out by the birds calling, the bugs buzzing, the overall atmosphere thick with noise as much as heat. Thankfully your father and his partners had left you opt for something as practical as their uniforms - the khaki shorts and thin button-up kept you much cooler and more agile than any dress ever could.You’d been traversing this area for the past hour or so, camera around your neck, eyes constantly scanning the treetops for any movement. With all the sounds, there was the distant call of gorillas cutting through the noise every once and a while that warned you to stay on your toes. The wild was unpredictable, no matter how beautiful; you couldn’t get lost in your daydreams or photo lens.

As you ventured further into the thick of it, the noises came and went, growing quieter and louder, a natural ebb and flow to the world above you. You were just a guest in this area, entirely out of place despite the matching color scheme, and you wouldn’t be here for much longer. You cared just as much for this environment as your father did.You took a step around a large tree stump when it happened, the sudden silence. It was easy to catch - it was like someone had hit mute on a remote, and all you could hear was your breathing. Turning your eyes to the treetops, you looked around frantically, the silence bringing a quickly-rising panic that a threat was imminent. A leopard, a panther, a cheetah, some kind of big something that definitely ran faster than you did and would tear you to pieces if you even tried to run…In terms of a weapon, all you had on you was a small pocket knife, and you weren’t about to start hitting with the camera. Continuing to look about, you listened hard for something, anything that could tell you which way it was coming from, what kind of something it might be, and which way to run.A beat, then here it was - a gentle, familiar titter that made you relax only minimally.There were monkeys about.As you tried to slow your heartbeat and breathing, the chittering began again, ranging from low and rough to high and young. It came from all sides, more than one, more than five. A whole family of them seemed to be in the trees, and when you blinked, they seemed to just appear. Your assumptions were correct - you were absolutely surrounded by big and small gorillas alike,all eyes on you, the intruder, sizing you up, judging on weather you were a real threat or not.

Part of you wondered if talking would do anything. Most monkeys were incredibly intelligent creatures, but all of them were still wild, feral, no doubt easily frightened by loud noises and sudden movements.But, as you looked around, your eyes landed on something that made them widen. All of the creatures in the trees weren’t creatures at all.He was midway up on a thick branch, but he was easy to spot, with his wild curls and sharp features. It was a man, built from swinging and jumping, built for the jungle, shining with sweat and humidity, in nothing more than a pair of khaki shorts that looked about half a size too big for him. Was this where the missing pair of shorts your father had went? The thought made you bite back a smile.Dark eyes were studying you, just like the rest of them, but when you two locked eyes, something else lingered there, something almost resembling familiarity. Question after question came up, settling right on the tip of your tongue, but holding back. Did he even understand English?The first question: weather the two of you could communicate. You wanted to, so bad, not just because he was a person in the jungle who seemed to be entirely one with the gorillas, but because you were so sick and tired of trying to have any sort of meaningful conversation with your father’s team. Maybe you wouldn’t get anything meaningful out of this, at least emotionally, but it was better than nothing. So you tried with a simple, “Hello there.”Just as you spoke the words, he jumped down from the branch, landing in front of you on all fours with a solid thunk, and earning a sharp yelp from you. Then, for a few moments, the two of you just looked at one another, one of your feet poised back to run, his eyes scanning you. There was a slow, minute head tilt on his end, and one on your’s to match. Without thinking, you slowly bent, mimicking his position as well, which was mimicking a gorilla’s, hoping this would show that you meant no harm. The family above you were making noises, a language you couldn’t understand, watching you do what you did with just as judgemental and hesitant eyes as the stranger in front of you.

Then, slowly, he closed the distance between you. He moved like one of them, keeping expertly balanced on all fours and back arched just so, and part of you wanted to scoot back. Close proximity to strangers was one thing, but an otherwise feral man who wouldn’t take his eyes off of you? It was something that made your heart pick up. But you stayed still, that same fear of being chased after and torn apart keeping you frozen in place. He came close enough to touch, to pick out the small, faded scar down his brow, the light flecks of green in his eyes, before he moved away from you. Or, rather, around. For a few moments, there was quiet again, even in the trees around you, only broken by his occasional sniff. More judging to see if you were a threat to him, to his family, to the jungle. Good day to wear deoderant, you supposed.When he came back to face you, he seemed a little more relaxed, like he’d made the call that you weren’t going to hurt him or the other. You were expecting him to let out a grunt or a noise resembling the others, but instead, almost parroting your tone from a moment ago, he repeated, “Hello there.”It earned him a blink, then a slow, small smile. “You can talk?” you asked hopefully, but all you got was another head tilt. Not much, he concluded. “Do you have a name?”That seemed to register, because he puffed up his chest a little in a sort of prideful way. “Dan.” Easy.It made you smile more. “Dan,” you repeated, nodding a little. “It’s nice to meet you. And your family.” You nodded to the treetops then, where the discussion had begun again, a little lighter-sounding now, like they were okay with you too. At the mention of his family, he actually smiled as well, teeth straight and white despite the seemingly wild upbringing.

With the atmosphere changed, you change positions, albiet slowly. From all fours you went to a sitting position, and after a moment, he followed along. Crossing one leg over the other, sitting cross-legged on the damp, warm ground, you two almost looked normal.There were so many questions you had, so many things you wanted to teach him, show him, tell him. You could take him back to the others, and all together you could teach him how to speak, how to write, and get him properly dressed. Ideas came with the questions, hopes and excitement, all plain as day on your features and stuffing your mouth full of words you couldn’t quite sort out.One thing did keep popping up, though. It was a small thing, sort of petty, sillier than all the rest. “Do you want a hairtie?”A blank look was all you got in response. So, you turned your head, showing the band holding your own hair in a bun; you pointed to them. “Hairtie. To keep your hair out of your face?” Just to drive the point home further, you patted your head. Dan followed the motion, patting his own head, but still not quite understanding. His eyebrows had furrowed, like he really was trying to, but the language barrier was too thick to get through.Without really thinking how he’d respond, you got onto all fours again, making him start. “It’s okay,” you reassured him, voice gentle, keeping your head bowed and eyes off of his. “I’m not gonna hurt you.” He stayed sitting, letting you go around him. Broad back, tanned, toned, and still slick, you knew that he’d appreciate the thick hair off his neck, even if he didn’t understand why. “I promise.” He probably didn’t understand the concept of promises either, but it was the truth. All you wanted was to see him smile again.Taking the band from your wrist, you gently pulled his hair back away from his face. Each time you touched him, he jumped a little, but you continued, careful not to tug too hard on his hair or tie the bun too tight. You were quiet as you did it, concentrating on his movements more than your own, years of practice pulling your own hair back almost putting you into auto-pilot.“All right. All done.” It was about as neat as it could be, but you were happy with it.When he looked back at you, he was smiling, but it was a much softer, more realer sort of smile. It made your heart leap.You did it.