X Reader Oneshot Book

[GF|Stanford Pines x Child Reader] Fireheart

Written: Tuesday, 11 September 2018

Y/n POV

Only one thought crossed my mind in that moment. Run. So I did. I bolted for the open door, ignoring the throbbing agony in my aching ankles and sprinting. I stumbled blindly through the forest, tears blurring my already stuffed up vision. I could hear him yelling, screaming for me to come back, he just wanted to give me a lovely little drug cocktail, something to put my fire to "sleep". The trees seemed to open to reveal a cottage, secluded in the heavy woods, a secret hideaway. I didn't have time to ask if I could come in, I just scrambled under the house, curling into a tight ball and surrounding myself in the comforting dark.

It had been about 2 days since I escaped into the forest and I finally needed some water. I listened for any footsteps in the house above the crawl space and when I heard nothing, I slithered out from under the house. I dusted myself off and darted into tree line, only stopping when I reached a small lake. I stopped for a moment to take a drink before gathering some leaves and twigs, enough to light a small fire. I carried my supplies to a cave, mostly uninhabited. After checking around, I gingerly sat down on the freezing stone. "Haven't done this in a while..." I sighed, summoning the slightest flame to my fingertips and lighting my small pile. My fire danced along with the breeze, floating on it like a leaf. I sat at the mouth of the cave, wrapping a blanket of fire around my shoulders and watched the sunset.

Later that night, I was sitting in the cave, entertaining myself with figures of fire, when a man appeared at the entrance. I held my breath, shutting down my fire and plunging the room into darkness. He was visibly confused at the sudden lack of light, fumbling in his coat for a flashlight. It took a few shakes but light suddenly shone on me, illuminating my trembling form and exposing my figure to the man. I stood up shakily, ready to run or fight if necessary. He held his palms towards me as if to say he wasn't going to hurt me. I didn't let my fire relight, I simply said, "Who are you?" His hand not holding the flashlight fell to his side. "My name is Stanford Pines, Ford for short." He towered over me, offering me a hand. I cautiously took it and flinched as he dropped his rather over-sized coat around my shoulders. "You looked cold, I figured I'd give you a hand." He turned to me. "I just have to find a few things then we can head back to my home." I nodded wordlessly, letting him lead me further into the cave system.

A few minutes into our near silent trek, the light began to flicker and the flashlight's bulb went out. Ford began digging through his pockets for more batteries as I gently tapped him on the shoulder. Pulling away from him should I need to run, I let my hand erupt in flames. He panicked for a moment before realizing it wasn't damaging me in the slightest. I smiled slightly at his interest and his promise that he wouldn't hurt me, my anxieties beginning to soothe. He placed the flashlight in one of his many pockets and we continued on. He questioned me about my past and I about his. This went on for some time before he began to shiver, even clad in a sweater. I reached up placing his jacket back on him and wrapped a cloak of fire around him. He flinched, before placing his hands close to the flame, marvelling at his lack of burns.

When we got back to the small cottage, he offered some refreshments and we spent the night reading in the lounge room, him on the couch and me sprawled across the rug. I was getting into the story, one about a young princess who discovers she can control water after she ends up far from home and meets two unlikely friends, a mechanic and her small pup, Pumpkin. I was settling into the part where she gets her magic when she is trying to protect her new home from huge dragon-like beasts called wyverns, when there was a knock on the door. Ford reluctantly extracted himself from his position, placing his book down and answering the door.

"Hello there, I'm looking for my daughter, a little girl named Y/n. She has h/c hair and fiery red eyes. She went missing earlier and I can't seem to find her, so I was wondering if you'd seen her." Ford seemed to stiffen at the mention of my name, as I scrambled behind the couch, out of sight. "I've never met anyone with that name before and I live alone. I haven't had visitors in weeks." His tone turned icy as he went to close the door. The man, my "father", shot a vicious grin towards where I was hiding. "I just hope she knows that I'm going to find her, whether she likes it or not. Good night." He stalked away from the door as Ford shut it. He walked back over to me behind the couch shivering, my nerves still on edge from the close encounter. He was coming for me, and there was nothing I or Ford could do to stop him. Ford simply picked me up, holding me close. "I won't let him get to you Y/n. I'll hide you." He carried my down to the second level of his basement, placing me gently on a couch. "This is my private study, you can stay here until I fix the attic up. You will be safe." I thanked him, as he sat down at his desk and began writing in some sort of journal. I toyed with my fire for a moment, making figures dance across my fingertips.

Ford studied my antics and held up a discarded old notebook. "Try burning this without burning me, Y/n." I did it with ease and he smiled, nodding. "That man, he trained me to be a living weapon. I don't want to hurt anyone though, I only seek to protect and entertain." Ford understood this and appreciated my powers, never doing anything I didn't wish to do. For the next few years, I trained to be stronger and faster with my magic, honing it into shields and swords and fiery infernos. I only lost control once, but that cost us a few dozen trees and Ford having to douse me in water to stop me burning. He took me under his wing as his daughter and partner in crime. Then he disappeared. His twin brother and my adoptive uncle took my under his wing just as Ford had done, until we could get my dad back. My adoptive niece and nephew were more like my younger brother and sister and I treated them as such. They were my family but only Stan and Ford knew of my powers, although the twins seemed to be getting suspicious.

One fateful night however, a man stumbled up to our door. Mabel opened it, "It's for Y/n!" she yelled to me. I walked up to the door to see my "father" standing there. "Well if it isn't my baby girl, all grown up. Who was that little darling, your daughter?" I stood there in shock. "You haven't aged." I stated bluntly, I wasn't about to provide him with any pleasantries. "A few dozen deals with the devil will do that to ya." He laughed. "Now, Y/n. It's time to come home." Mabel appeared back at my side once more. "Y/n who's this? I thought Grunkle Ford was your dad." I ruffled her hair. "He is Mabes. I've never met this man in my life." He smiled a sinner's grin. "Now, of course you have. I'm your real father. Oh, he tried so hard to keep me away. Bear traps, pits and a crossbow next to the door, all while he kept you sequestered in the basement until you could control yourself. Such a pity, you've become so disobedient while I was gone. It's time to fix that." He grabbed my wrist and began dragging me towards his car. "We are leaving this town and you are going to cooperate, or they are going to die." He hissed in my ear. "Mabel, get a bucket of water, your brother and your Grunkles. This is going to be one hell of a show." I yelled to my niece, still standing in the doorway. She gave me a sharp nod of confirmation before running off.

I let myself slip into a killing calm, letting go of all sympathy for this monster. I slowly began to heat my wrist, burning his hand. He yelped, throwing my arm away and cradling his hand. Fire danced in my eyes as I became engulfed in my flames. A dozen fire clones surrounded him, blocking off all exits and causing him to inhale smoke. He began to cough, eyes watering. I let the flames crawl up his legs, over his torso, to just under his head. I began to slowly make the flames hotter and hotter, not hot enough to kill as I slipped behind the house. I suddenly held my breath, letting the flames die and disappearing from their view. As he finally scrambled to his feet to run, I let a wall of fire surround him, leaving his head exposed so he could watch as I walked from behind the wall. I was dressed in my normal clothes but now my flames had died down, leaving only a cape and a small fiery tiara atop my head. I stalked towards him with feline grace, my confidence rippling the air around me. "You will not touch them. You will leave me and this town alone, or I might not leave you alive next time." I let fire swell around me once more as I let the fire wall drop from around him. I smiled as his scrambled for his car and sped off, waving condescendingly as he did so. I began to laugh, my magic wanting to consume more. I turned to my family with a wicked grin. I heard a "NOW!" as I cold sensation came over me, water. The embers settled to ashes in my eyes as I fell to my knees. I looked up, to see everyone concerned but my dad beaming with pride. He knelt down, hugging me. "You did it. You protected your family and finally got rid of him, good job, Y/n." I got up, wringing the water from my hair as I grinned. "The clone thing was new, did you learn that while I was gone?" He asked as we all piled back into the house. "Yea, I've grown a lot since then." He smiled, softer this time. "Maybe, but you'll always be my little Fireheart."