𝙼𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚘𝚞𝚜 [Miles Fairchild x Reader]

Retrospective

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Smut is in the cards. Take this poll to choose if you'd like reader to be AFAB (female sex) or AMAB (male sex)! https://forms.gle/Z5QiMy2qVyANXF7fA]

"Apologizing does not always mean you're wrong and the other person is right. It just means you value your relationship more than your ego." ― Mark Matthews

Christmas break is absolute hell. You've gone back home with your aunt, but you're riddled with guilt the entire time you're home. You once felt a great amount of solace in this little apartment, but what you saw that day is eating you alive. Your aunt continuously asks where your head is at, what's bothering you, but you can't bring yourself to answer her. You hate to worry her, but you don't know how to express what happened without bursting into tears.

You lie in your bed, your eyes blank as you stare at the paint on your walls. The music you have playing in your headphones drowns your thoughts out for the time being, but you know the moment it comes off, then you're going to be thinking again. You're going to be thinking about how that poor boy almost died, how he has to spend Christmas in the hospital with his family worrying about him. All because of how Miles was so possessive over you.

Naturally, the entire school caught wind of what happened when the ambulance arrived to take the boy away. Miles couldn't do anything on the matter given the fact that there was CCTV footage, and he was still covered in blood the moment he began to get questioned. He got expelled for his offenses, which didn't surprise you in the slightest. He did almost kill the kid, after all.

So why are you saddened by that?

You cradle yourself, feeling tears well up in your eyes. You thought you knew Miles, you thought you could trust him. He broke down your walls and he made you feel like the only person in the world, but now... now you know his true nature – jealous and violent. You're scared of him, but at the same time, you miss him. You wanted to go to the dance with him even though you were terrified of embarrassing yourself, but you didn't end up going due to his expulsion. You felt alone in those last days before the break, and you still do now.

You quickly wipe your tears away when you feel the vibrations of your aunt knocking on your door. You clear your throat and take your headphones off, tossing them aside. "Come in," you say, keeping your voice stable so she doesn't suspect that you were crying. You don't know if you can think of a good enough excuse if she were to ask you.

When she opens the door, you recognize that she's in her work uniform – a gray button-up top with a white collar, a matching skirt, and a little apron tied around her waist. "Hey, kid," she greets you, her voice soft and comforting... the same voice she used when she first took you away from your parents' care. "Do you want to come with me today? I have a bit of a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" You repeat with a furrow in your brow. That's odd – she usually isn't the type for surprises outside of holidays, but you would be lying if you said you weren't the slightest bit intrigued about whatever it is. You fiddle with your sweater's sleeves, still deep in thought. "But it's not Christmas yet..."

"Doesn't have to be Christmas for me to want to surprise my favorite kid in the whole world," she quips, and her eyes light up when you snort out a laugh. "There's the (Y/n) I know. C'mon, let's go. It's a bit of a drive away." She holds her hand out to you with an encouraging smile, to which you nod and get out of your little hole you call a bedroom.

You listen to music along the way, not talking much at all. The silence isn't awkward, though... it's quite comfortable, actually. You gaze out the window, watching the scenery go by as you listen to the tunes on the radio. You don't even realize that you're falling asleep until it's too late – you find yourself exhausted after the mental turmoil you've endured.