#THE MATRIX | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

babsharrison · 1 day

Text

Between Worlds - Neo x Reader

Pairing | Neo Anderson x Fem! Reader

Summary | Neo returns to your life after disappearing, revealing that the world you live in is an illusion of the Matrix. Now, you must choose between the safety of the life you know and the unknown truth alongside Neo.

Word Count | 1.5k

CW | None. just some fluff

A/N | Hey luvs, this is my first fanfic here! I really hope you like it, and sorry if there are any grammar mistakes, I did my best. 😭

The soft morning light filtered through the café windows, casting dancing shadows on the tiled floor. Neo sat at a table in the corner, a forgotten cup of coffee in front of him. His eyes never left you, as you laughed and chatted animatedly with a group of friends at the next table. To them, you were a young woman full of life, hope, and possibilities. To him, you were a painful reminder of what he had lost and could never have.

As he watched you, memories flooded in, bringing back the conversations you’d had about dreams, the future, and freedom. Words that now seemed distant, almost unreal, as if they belonged to a time and life he could no longer reach. You were trapped in that illusory world, believing everything around you was real, while he lived in another dimension, fighting against the invisible shadows of the Matrix.

Your friends stood up, leaving you alone. Your gaze wandered around the café, and he noticed a sudden melancholy in your eyes, a trace of emptiness that tightened his chest. The urge to run to you, to hold you, to tell you that everything would be okay, grew inside him. But the words weighed heavily. His heart raced erratically as he shifted in his chair, nervous. He had never known how to handle the feelings you stirred within him.

Neo knew the world you belonged to was a prison, an illusion carefully designed to keep you asleep to the truth. He couldn’t let you stay there, ignorant of your own condition. But there was fear—fear that, in trying to save you, he would break the trust between you. What if you hated him for destroying what you believed to be real? The doubt gnawed at him.

Finally, with a heavy sigh, he stood up, the temporary decision to leave taking hold. He felt weak as he crossed the café door, leaving you behind once more. There was a shadow of guilt within him, knowing that his continued distance only made you more vulnerable. He hid in corners, watching you on the streets, following you from a distance as you carried on with your routine, completely unaware of the devastating truth.

Days passed.

He became a shadow in your life. He watched you walk to work, carrying a simple briefcase, your face focused on some daily task. He saw how your lips curved into a smile when someone told a joke. How your hands moved, almost dancing, as you spoke animatedly on the phone. But he also noticed the sadness in the moments when you were alone, the pensive expression, perhaps wondering why some parts of your life felt empty, as if something was missing—an absent presence.

Sometimes, he followed you to the building where you worked. From across the street, hidden in the shadows, he watched you get lost in the hurried crowds. And even though you didn’t know it, he felt the growing anguish of always being so close, yet so far.

He knew he couldn’t continue like this for much longer. The guilt was slowly consuming him. If only he could explain... If only he could make you understand what was real.

Until one day, he made a decision.

He couldn’t live on the sidelines of your life anymore, watching from afar. The risk of losing you forever was great, but the fear of never trying was even greater.

You were having a normal day, walking back home, shopping bags swinging at your side. Your steps echoed softly along the sidewalk as the day waned, and the sky turned shades of orange. Neo followed closely, closer than ever. With each step, the weight of the choice he was about to make became more evident.

You approached the gate to your building, distracted, fumbling with your keys, when suddenly you felt a presence behind you. A chill ran down your spine, and you turned quickly, your heart leaping in your chest. There he was. Neo.

Your gaze met his, and for a moment, the world seemed to stop. He stood still, the dark coat gently flowing with the wind. The face you hadn’t seen in so long, the figure that had disappeared without explanation, was now there, standing in front of you.

“Neo?” you murmured, surprise and shock mingling in your voice. “You... you’re here?”

He took a step forward, his expression serious, but there was something else in his eyes. Something you hadn’t recognized before. “I couldn’t keep watching you from afar,” he said, his voice low, almost a whisper. “I... I couldn’t leave you alone in this world.”

Your heart raced, a confusion of emotions washing over you. “Alone? What are you talking about?”

He hesitated for a second, the words he needed to say weighing heavily. But he knew the moment of truth had arrived. “I need to show you something. Something that will change everything.”

“Change everything? Neo, I thought you... I thought you were dead.” Your voice came out fragile, your eyes wide with disbelief, a mixture of pain and relief surfacing in the words you spoke.

Neo felt the impact of those words. Part of him wanted to apologize for letting you believe that, for disappearing without explanation, but he knew that any words would be insufficient. He had failed to protect you from the truth for too long. And now, here you were, standing before him, not knowing that you lived in a prison, not knowing that the world around you was a lie.

“I should’ve told you sooner,” he admitted, his gaze fixed on your face, trying to catch every nuance of emotion passing through your eyes. “But I couldn’t... I didn’t know how. This world... this life you know isn’t real.”

You took a step back, confused, trying to process his words. “Not real? What are you saying? This is my life, Neo. My job, my friends... my life.”

He stepped forward, trying to close the distance between you without pushing. “All of this was designed to keep you trapped. Like an illusion, a prison for the mind.” He was pleading with his eyes, his voice low and serious. “I was trapped too, until I found the truth. Now, I’m fighting against it... and I need you.”

Your mind was spinning. Everything he said sounded like madness, but there was something in his eyes—something that made you stop, hesitate. The intensity in Neo’s gaze, so familiar yet so distant, hit you hard. You had always trusted him, always knew he was different. But now, he was speaking of things that were beyond what you could understand.

“I... I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you whispered, your hands trembling as you held the shopping bags, trying to find some anchor in the reality around you.

Neo knew this would be hard. He had gone through the same confusion, the same denial. The revelation of the Matrix was devastating to anyone, but he needed you to trust him. He needed you to see.

“I know it sounds crazy. I didn’t believe it at first either. But let me show you.” He extended his hand, hesitant, as if the simple gesture could change everything between you. “If you trust me, I can take you out of this.”

Your heart raced. Part of you wanted to back away, to flee from all this madness. But another part, the part that still believed in Neo, that still felt something for him, was curious. What if he was right? What if everything he said was true?

You looked at Neo’s outstretched hand, feeling the crushing weight of the choice ahead. On one side, the life you knew—comfortable, familiar, safe—and on the other, the truth he offered you, mysterious and terrifying. Fear mixed with the desire for answers, but there was something deeper, something that went beyond words.

Neo was everything to you. The days without him had been long and lonely, a silent pain you could never ignore. Now, he was here, standing before you, more real and more beautiful than you remembered, like an impossible dream that had materialized.

The air around you seemed heavy, almost palpable, as your fingers hesitated for a moment. Every movement carried the gravity of that choice, an invisible line that separated the past from the future. Slowly, your trembling fingers began to move until they found his hand, sealing what, in a way, had always been inevitable.

Neo watched as you made the choice. His heart, which had seemed frozen, started beating again with force when your fingers finally touched his. There was a moment of silence between you, as if the world around you had disappeared, leaving only the connection between your hands.

“I trust you,” you finally said, your voice low, almost a whisper. “Show me what I need to see.”

Neo gently squeezed your hand, the expression on his face softening for a brief moment. He knew that what lay ahead wouldn’t be easy for you, but at least now, he wouldn’t be alone. The journey you were about to face together was only the beginning.