cw // mentions of abuse, hurt/comfort, angst, she/her pronouns used for reader, alcohol use; idk if i like how this ended but here u go anyways give me feedback I am desperate
Simon’s high school sweetheart is a girl with a guitar and big dreams to get out of the shithole they call home. After she cleans his face up from yet another beating from his father, they settle underneath her sheets. He lets out a sigh of relief as his teenage muscles release tension the second his back hits the mattress. He pays no mind to the throbbing pain in his face as he tangles his fingers with hers, letting her kiss each of them with her soft lips.
“Promise that I’m gonna get us out of here,” she sleepily mumbles, her head resting on his shoulder. “Gonna make it big, then we’re out of here. Get a nice big house and a couple of dogs. They can have their own rooms,” she muses. Then, she falls asleep.
Simon doesn’t have the guts to tell her that he’s enlisted himself in the military. He leaves next week.
And she doesn’t find out until she comes home to find a handwritten letter on her pillow. With a curious look, she picks it up in her fragile hands, calloused fingertips brushing against the thin sheet of paper.
I wish I’d have told you that I was leaving, but I couldn’t bring myself to it. Ironic, yeah? Considering I’m supposed to be going to put my life on the line. Can’t even tell my bird that I’m leaving. The rage that I’m sure you’ll feel will be far scarier than any national security threat the world has seen. I don’t blame you though.
I don’t know when I’ll be back, but I promise that I’ll look for you the second I do. If you don’t want to see me, I get that. I know I won’t deserve it, but I hope you’ll give me a second chance anyway.
I love you, angel. I’ll have your songs on repeat in my head every night. I’ll never forget you.
And she tries so hard to forget him. She gets well into her twenties, feeling a bit silly for still thinking about her high school boyfriend. It’s not like she wants to be stuck for the rest of her life, but how do you forget about the only person you’ve ever truly loved?
She moves to Hollywood a year later. There’s a fancy record deal, and all she has to do is sign her name on the dotted line. No need to worry about the fine print that gives away her rights to her own music, all the songs that she wrote about the tall blonde brute of a boy that still hold her heart. It doesn’t take off. She reaches a small audience, but she doesn’t come anywhere close to playing sold out stadiums, even three more years into her deal.
By the time the fourth year is over, her contract ends, and her record label keeps her songs. She feels so alone and lost. She decides that the best choice is to get on the first flight back home, packing up a small suitcase and her guitar. Then, she’s back in the town she swore she’d pull herself (and Simon) out of, living with her parents, disappointment heavy on her shoulders.
She plays at the local pub every Tuesday and Thursday night, bartending every Monday through Saturday. It’s not a bad job. Some people recognize her from her failed career. Others recognize her as her father’s daughter.
He recognizes her the second she gets on the stage. She looks different than he remembered. Her hair is longer, and she’s just a smidge taller. Just a smidge. She’s still as beautiful as he remembers though. The second that her fingers strum against the strings of her guitar, her melodic yet soulful voice ringing through the pub, he knows he’s gonna be spending the rest of his life on his knees, begging her for forgiveness. She’s his deity.
He knows some of the songs. He mouths the words as she sings them. His mind flashes back to the day MacTavish and Garrick had caught him listening to her music, the little icon of her album on his phone screen as it played through his earbuds.
“Thought you’d like something a little louder,” Garrick chuckled. “A bit more aggressive.”
“Ye, L.T.,” MacTavish added. “Dinnae take ye for a big softie.”
But they didn’t know how much her voice brought him back down to earth. It soothed him, slowed his heartbeat. All of her songs were about him, and even if they were filled with angry and mournful lyrics, it still brought him comfort. She made him feel a little more human.
When her set ends, she packs up her things and heads behind the bar to begin her second job. His heart skips a beat as she walks over to him. “Need another?” She asks, nodding to his empty glass that once held whiskey.
He sighs and taps the glass on the bar top, nodding. When she turns around the grab the bottle, he grabs the fabric of his balaclava and tugs it off. Once she’s turned back around, she’s met with the sight of his scarred face. His hair is shorter. His eyes are somehow darker. They resemble the eyes of a man who’d seen so much more than anyone could comprehend. The bottle of whiskey almost slips from her hand.
“I’m sorry, dove,” he says, low and soft. Sincere. It’s all he can think of. “Wish I’d told you sooner, but I’m a coward.”
Tears brim her eyes as she looks at him in disbelief. She immediately puts the bottle down, and she’s scrambling to move around the bar. Once she’s in front of him, she reaches out to hold his face in her hands, as if he was a precious relic. He was. He was her precious relic. An artifact worthy of protecting with your life.
“Simon,” she whispers, her thumbs tracing over every scar she can find. Her mind thinks of every worst case scenario. “Simon…”
His hands reach up and take a gentle hold on her wrists. “I’m here,” he tells her. “I’m back home. You’re my home.”
She doesn’t say anything else. Instead, she crashes her body into his, her arms coming to wrap around his large body. He’s bigger. Much bigger. She imagines he’s been eating a bit better, working out much more than the boy she knew in high school. Tears fall down her face as she remembers the last time she’d seen him. “Don’t leave again,” she begs. “Not without warning.”
He wraps her arms around her waist, holding her like she could slip away any second. He won’t let her. “I won’t. I promise.”
