Tough Love (Male reader X Millie)

0. Prologue

It's dark. You're struggling to breathe. The air around you is thick with the smell of rotted wood. It's been hours since your parents locked you in the basement.

You can hear them argue overhead. Not enough to make out what they're saying. Just muffled screams. "Dad always gets like this after work." You tell yourself.

All of a sudden it gets very quiet. It makes you uneasy. It's never been this quiet before. There's a loud thud and glass breaking.

You smell...a campfire? That can't be, you don't have a fire pit. Now you hear the crackle of the flame. It sounds so close.

You put your hand on the basement doorknob and reel back in pain. It's burning. You start to feel numb as you realize what's happening.

"The house is on fire." You panic. The pain in your hand gone from the rush of endorphins. You begin to pound on the wood of the door.

"Help! Somebody help me!" The only response you get is the flame. Where are your parents? What was that thud? They have to be coming for you, right?

You continue pounding on the door and yelling as the basement fills with smoke. You feel yourself begin to weaken from the lack of oxygen. Tears are rolling down your cheeks.

Are you dying? What even happens when you die? You slump to the floor, barely able to keep your eyes open. You attempt to take one last breath before everything goes dark.

You're wrapped up in nothingness. No sound, light, feeling. Just the void around you. You just got here right? Or have you been here for awhile now? It's so hard to tell.

A light suddenly appears, blinding you. You shield your eyes and take a moment before uncovering them. Clouds. Clouds? You look down and notice you're standing on clouds.

There's a giant gate in front of you with a very large man in front of it. You slowly approach him.

"Excuse me sir, where am I?" You ask. He looks down at you and frowns. "Why, you're in Heaven my young friend. Tell me, how old are you?"

You hesitate a moment. "I'm 6." This appears to upset the man. He sighs. "Taken so young. Give me a moment little one."

He pulls out a book and thumbs through it. His face turns to one of shock. "How can this be." He mutters. There's an awkward silence before he looks back to you.

"I'm sorry, but according to the list, you're a sinner. I can't let you in." Sinner? You? You don't understand. "I-I don't get it."

He shakes his head and turns away. The ground under you suddenly opens up. You begin to plummet down a deep hole. You begin screaming as you fall.

A sharp pain envelopes your whole body. It's so intense your screaming stops. You manage to turn your head and see your body changing.

Your skin turns red, your fingers replaced by claws. You look back down and see what looks like a city. You've stopped screaming by this point. You've accepted that you're going to die from this fall.

You close your eyes and listen to the wind whistling past your ears. Why are you even here? What could you possibly have done to deserve this?

The sounds of the city are slowly growing louder. You try and think of something happy, a memory, a person, a place.

But nothing comes to mind. All you can think of is your parents. Your mind twists and turns and you fill with rage. It must be their fault somehow. They got you into this situation.

You start to tremble. Not from fear this time, but anger. You've never felt like this.

WHAM

You hit the ground, hard. It feels like only moments pass before your eyes open. "Ugh, where am I?" Your head is throbbing. Your whole body feels stiff.