ꜱɪᴍᴏɴ ɢʜᴏꜱᴛ ʀɪʟᴇʏ x ʙᴀʙʏꜱɪᴛᴛᴇʀ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ
ɪɴꜱᴘɪʀᴇᴅ ʙʏ : 𝑨 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒑 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒔
Simon as a parent? He never even considered it...
Simon knows that him being near a child would be a disaster for both of them. He doesn't know how to treat those mini humans at all.
And considering his line of work, he thought that having a family and kids was just a faraway possibility that would never happen.
But this is life, right? Not always what you want happens.
Some of his task force members were... let's just say a bit psychopathic.
Instead of saving people or simply capturing them, they committed horrific crimes against them behind his back.
And when he discovered it, he was feral...
He confronted them a million times, but they never listened. Instead, they asked him to join them.
So yeah, these were the type of people he was working with. Not all of them, of course, just the majority.
So he decided to end it for good and start a new life.
And with that, he went back to his family, the one he had disappeared from without a trace.
His mother, brother, and sister-in-law were all shocked when he came back. They had never expected to see that day come.
But there was one person who was, well, let's say kind of confused.
Jane, his niece, the one who was born while he was already away.
And that was the first time they had ever met each other.
Simon, being himself, didn't treat her either gently or harshly, but they somehow got along.
Witty remarks from her, wittier replies from him.
Maybe, after all, kids weren't that annoying...
But the other party, the one he left behind after speaking up about the terrorism his task force members were secretly practicing...
Well, when he spoke the truth in court, they weren't happy...
And they couldn't let him go without getting the revenge they wanted.
His mother, brother, and sister-in-law.
They hunted him, and they started with them...
And the only one he managed to save was Jane.
The poor girl was traumatized after they broke in and came so close to killing her...
Well, seeing a man get killed and his forearm chopped off at that age isn't an easy thing.
So he decided to move away, somewhere they couldn't easily trace either of them.
So now he found himself taking full custody of a seven-year-old girl who had just lost her whole family.
And now they only had each other.
It was hard. Like, very hard for him...
He didn't know anything about kids—what they liked, what they ate, how to put them to sleep, or how to take care of them.
Simon felt like he was losing his mind trying to keep the girl in good shape. He bought practical things instead of comforting ones.
And he checked if she was sleeping at least three times every night, just in case.
He felt like he was failing her. The weight of his family's tragedy and the responsibility he carried were too heavy for him.
He tried everything, but his new job—also his secret online marketplace for weapons and equipment—was too time-consuming to allow him to properly take care of Jane.
So he had no other choice but to hire a babysitter.
And after spending a long time searching for someone with no suspicious background,
You, on the other hand, picked up on Jane's situation quickly...
An orphan girl who had just lost her parents and was still traumatized by what she had witnessed.
It was hard for you at first to make her feel comfortable around you or trust you.
You weren't impatient, not at all. Your empathetic nature knew exactly what to do and how to behave in such a situation.
So you started doing little things to make her feel closer to you.
Doing her favorite hairstyle before school, buying her coloring books and crayons, watching cartoons with her and making silly comments...
Helping her with homework and praising her intelligence, taking her to the park to play, and even trying to teach her how to ride a bicycle.
Slowly, she started considering you someone trustworthy.
But what made her trust you completely and feel safe around you?
It was how you never left her side at night until she was deeply asleep, how you held her after traumatizing nightmares, how you never pushed her to talk, and how you never scolded her harshly when she made a mistake...
Jane started seeing you as an older sister, and slowly, she started finding herself again.
And all of this didn't go unnoticed by Simon.
How you truly knew how to handle Jane.
Your gentleness, your patience, your understanding, your calmness.
And he respected that more than he showed.
He was grateful that you made it easier for both him and Jane to get used to this new life.
You were a part of it. A fixed one.
But it wasn't just about the way you treated Jane.
Somewhere between the lines, he appreciated you as a person.
How polite, well-behaved, reserved, and caring you were. How you never pried into things that didn't concern you, nor demanded much from him.
But one thing he noticed a lot was how you always apologized for the smallest things ever.
Dropped a fork? You apologized.
Being late by five minutes? You apologized.
Entering the wrong room on your first day while looking for the bathroom? You apologized.
He got used to it, but it made him feel kind of... well, he didn't know that feeling yet.
Life was slowly moving on, until one day.
It was your duty to pick Jane up from school, like you always did.
But that day, there was no sign of her.
And when you asked the security guard, he said he hadn't seen her since you walked her into school that morning.
You panicked, hands shaking as you called Simon and told him about the situation.
And Simon, on the other hand, immediately jumped to the worst possible scenarios.
So the two of you spent the entire evening searching for her until nightfall, but there was no trace of her at all...
Simon called her teacher, and she told him the last time she had seen Jane was during break while she was playing with some of her classmates.
So there had been no stranger around her when she disappeared.
What if she was still somewhere at the school?
Simon drove you back there, and the security guard let you both in, helping you search around.
Everything was dark, and the school felt as empty as an abandoned building.
Still, there was no sign of her.
Until a loud banging came from behind the school's garden.
It was coming from the metallic door of the school's storage basement.
All three of you ran toward the noise.
As soon as you arrived, Simon dropped to one knee and quickly pulled the door open.
Her face was red from crying, her hair messy.
She immediately reached for Simon and threw herself into his arms, sobbing in fear.
Simon felt a relief he hadn't experienced in a very long time.
But the relief was quickly overshadowed by confusion and rage.
What happened? Who locked her in here? Why?
So he held her in his trembling arms, adrenaline still coursing through him, as she wailed and clung to him like she was drowning.
And you? Well, you were a wreck.
The moment you saw her when he opened the door, you collapsed to your knees in relief—and self-loathing.
You hated yourself...You felt like this was all your fault.
Her cries pierced through your heart like a thousand swords.
The sympathy you felt for her, being trapped in that dark room all alone for hours while she was only just beginning to heal...
You felt it as if it had happened to you instead.
So back home, you didn't leave her side as she continued crying.
She told both of you it was one of the boys she had been playing with who had done it.
So now you stayed by her side, cuddling her against your chest as you comforted her and told her everything would be okay.
Almost like you were trying to convince yourself instead.
Trying to hold back the tears that had threatened to spill all evening.
Honestly, it felt like a miracle that you hadn't broken down already.
Simon was outside, leaning against a tree as he smoked away the aftereffects of nervousness and rage.
He had already decided that whoever that brat was, he wasn't getting away with it.
Not after what he had done to Jane.
Simon threw the cigarette to the ground and crushed it beneath his boot before making his way back into the house.
His footsteps were silent, a habit he had learned from years in the military.
He opened Jane's door and peeked inside.
There she was...Safe and sound,hugging her teddy bear, her panic finally having exhausted her into sleep.
He looked down the hallway,there was no sign of you.
Why hadn't he noticed you walking away?
He checked the kitchen, you weren't there.
Then he looked toward your room, and he door was open,room empty.
Then he heard the faint crack of wood coming from the back porch.
His muscles tensed immediately, slowly, he walked toward the sound.
And there you were...Sitting on the porch floor, hugging your knees to your chest as you cried silently.
Looking more guilty than ever.
Simon's lips pressed into a thin line as he watched you quietly.
Months ago, he would have found this irritating.
Now? He simply didn't like seeing you like this.
Not you...It didn't suit you.
After standing there for a few moments, he walked closer.
You lifted your head to look at him,your eyes were puffy and red, wet with tears, you sniffled,hiccuping as you tried to speak.
"No... I deserve the worst in life. It was all my fault." A sob escaped you.
"If I had kept my eyes on her... if I had stayed with her... if—it's all my fault. I'm the most irresponsib—"
Your words were cut off by another heavy sob,you wiped at your tears with the back of your hand.
"I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry, Mr. Riley. I-I don't think I can ever forgive myself for this. And I... I won't blame you if you won't either... I'm so sorry."
You lowered your head and cried, your body shook from the force of your emotions.
Simon simply listened, and there you were again.
Apologizing for something you had no control over,so he lowered himself to your eye level.
"Hey. Look at me." his voice was firm, yet gentle.
You didn't,you felt too ashamed to even exist near him and Jane.
"Y/N. Look at me." This time, his tone carried something almost parental.
And that made you look "This wasn't your fault. Not at all."
You immediately shook your head.
Simon's gaze briefly dropped to your trembling pout before returning to your eyes.
"You're apologizin' for something you didn't do. You didn't lock her in that basement."
His voice was firm, as if he was trying to force the truth directly into your head.
You simply stared at him with guilty, tear-filled eyes.
"You searched for her. You called me. You did exactly what you were supposed to do."
He let those words settle before continuing.
He knew that if he threw comfort at you too quickly, it would sound more like a lecture than reassurance.
"I can't..." you whispered, your voice breaking.
Simon sighed,then tried another approach.
"Jane trusts you." That made you pause,and Simon noticed it immediately.
"That girl trusts almost nobody. Think about that, Y/N..."
You hiccuped softly , "But... I failed her today..."
Simon shook his head. "You're good with her. Better than I am some days."
You pressed your lips together, trying to stop another pout from forming.
"I've seen bad people. I've seen failures. You're not one of 'em."
He said it with such certainty,like he truly believed it, deep down.
And somehow, that helped, even if only a little.
"Tomorrow I'll go to her school and handle everything. I'll make sure that boy gets what he deserves. For now, Jane needs you by her side, hm?"
You stared at him for a moment "P-promise?"
A moment of silence settled between you,the trust lingering in the air felt almost unbearable.
And without realizing it, the two of you became lost in each other's eyes.
Neither of you understanding what was happening.
You couldn't look away,neither could he.
It felt as though he was offering you comfort and security through nothing more than his gaze.
And you found yourself drowning in it.
Then, without thinking, he raised a hand toward your face,his palm cupped your cheek.
His thumb gently wiped away your tears.
And unconsciously, you leaned into his touch.
And that finally snapped him out of it.
What the hell is happening? The thought hit him immediately.
Like he'd touched fire, he pulled his hand away and stood up.
You looked at him in confusion.
Then you, too, realized that whatever had just happened was far from an uncle reassuring his niece's babysitter.
Heat rushed to your face.
Simon cleared his throat as if nothing had happened.
"Get inside and get some rest. And don't worry about tomorrow."
With that, he turned and walked back into the house.
Leaving you sitting alone on the wooden porch floor.
And with an entirely new, confusing feeling.