Us Against the World || Simon Brown x Reader

Chapter 6

Y/N's POV

I led Simon over to window sill as quietly as possible, but I still tripped over one of Chrissy's dolls almost instantly, causing me to fall forward. I clenched my eyes tightly as Simon came down with me, both of us making a muffled ooft when we landed on the ground.  When I felt a weight on top of me, I slowly opened my eyes to see Simon's chocolate brown eyes staring at me. He quickly looked away, muttering apologies, but I saw something on his cheeks. 

Wait, was he blushing?! Calm down, Y/N, a boy just fell on you. Any boy would blush if he fell on a girl like this. But it wasn't just any boy, it was Simon. And he was looking at me like- wait, what am I saying? I don't like him, do I? Okay, this just getting weird.

My thoughts were interrupted when Simon offered me his hand, to help me up. Oh, that's right, I fell on the ground. I blushed and took his hand. It was warm and was larger than my own. When he had lifted me off the ground, he didn't let go but held onto my hand until we were seated by the window. 

I looked out of the window, letting the dim moonlight fall on my face. I saw many stars, shining and twinkling in the darkness of the night. The light breeze rustled the trees that lined the perimeter and I instantly felt calm again, sort of forgetting that awkward situation that had just taken place on the floor.

Simon's POV

I watched Y/N when she looked out the window, basked in the moonlight. She looked sort of heavenly, angelic even. I examined her again, her (h/l) (h/c) slightly tangled from her brief sleep. Her (e/c) eyes sparkled in the reflection of the stars, and a peaceful smile had graced her lips. This moment was perfect, just me and Y/N. I wanted to stay like this forever, but I had to know about her past that she constantly hid. 

"Y/N? Are you gonna tell me? Y'know, about why you're here," I asked, nervously. I scolded myself in my head, that sounded so weird and rude!

"Oh, right," she smiled weakly and let out a dry laugh, "Yeah, I was gonna tell you. Simon, I just want you to keep this to yourself, I don't want to trouble anyone else with my problems. I'll just be a burden."

"Hey, you are not a burden, and you are not troubling anyone with your problems. Evangeline and Father took you in because we wanted to help you. If we didn't, you'd probably be out on the streets. So don't say that... because... we care, ok." 

Y/N blushed and looked away. I took her hand again, feeling heat in my face.

"Whatever you're struggling with, I'm always willing to help you... because I think of you as my best friend. I want the best for you," I can't believe I just said that or did that. I did so quickly, the words just falling out of my mouth. I felt my heart speed up when she looked back at me and smile. 

"Thanks, Simon. No one's said something to me like that in a while. Not since... father," Y/N whispered. Tears welled up in her eyes when she mentioned her father and I moved over to sit closer to her. I squeezed her hand softly, encouraging her to keep talking, smiling gently. 

"When I was young, my mother died of this illness. Then, my father was having trouble looking after me and working at the same time, so his resolution, find another wife. A few months after Mother died, he found another woman with a daughter who didn't have a husband. He married her and she became my stepmother, and her daughter, my stepsister. When they moved in, Father finally had the confidence to leave the house for longer periods for work."

"While he was gone, my stepmother and my stepsister would treat me like a slave. I did everything, the housework, the cooking. When I wasn't quick enough or I didn't obey them, they would hurt me and beat me," she explained. At this, she turned her arm up and lightly traced the long, red scars. I felt my jaw drop and my free hand curl into a fist, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Someone like Y/N, treated so badly. I scowled at the thought. When I saw Y/N look down, I thought she was going to stop talking to me. I felt so guilty, for what I don't know. I just feel like I should've known sooner, I could've helped her.

"When I was 11, my father fell ill and was confined to bed. For the most part, he was weak and couldn't do things by himself. I was the only one who visited him, my stepfamily only seeing him upon his request. I'm still convinced that she poisoned him, made him sick on purpose. When he died a few weeks later, my stepmother was in full control. She had no more fear of being caught by my father. I was confined to the house, only allowed to leave to buy food from the market." 

"I was so scared to disobey, to do my own thing. I was controlled, manipulated by that.. that witch. I tried so hard to be good, to give my stepmother a reason to treat me as her equal like she treated her daughter." Y/N broke down in tears. I felt like I'd been stabbed by her words, no wonder she didn't like talking about her past, where she came from. It was so scarring, I couldn't even imagine what it would be like.

I pulled Y/N into me and let her cry into my shirt. I ran one hand through her hair, untangling it. The other hand hugging her close, as if to protect her. Her hair was soft and smelled a little like strawberries. I hated to see her like this. Usually, well today, she'd been so happy. Now that I look back on it, it looked like she was letting go of her past a little when she pulled that prank on Nanny Whetstone with us. But there was still one question I still had in mind.

"Y/N, if you don't mind me asking, why did you leave when Nanny McPhee came?" I asked, softly. She sniffled and 

"Oh, that. Um, my stepmother had this walking stick thing she would always carry around. When I didn't do things to her liking or I didn't obey her, she'd hit me with it. I guess it was just instinct like a subconscious fear. When she raised the stick after we didn't listen to her, I guess something inside of me flicked a switch and it just kicked in. I was just so scared that it would happen again. I wouldn't be able to bear. I ran away to escape them, what they did, I didn't want it to be repeated."

As the words sank in, everything made sense, the fear in her eyes, the way she trembled, holding on to my arm so tight, whispering in that shaky voice; I'm sorry, I can't do this. It echoed in my head after she walked off. Now I understand, I am going to protect her, make sure she feels safe here with Father, my siblings, Evangeline and me, especially me. 

"Y/N, thanks for sharing that with me, even though it looked so hard. How about we go to sleep now and tomorrow, after we get rid of Nanny McPhee, we can mess around with my brothers and sisters? Does that sound good?" I tried to sound sincere because I truly cared for her. I've only known Y/N for one day and she's already given me these crazy feelings, making me do weird stuff I didn't usually do. I was going to figure out why. 

She nodded and I stood up, grabbing her other hand and pulling her up from the window. The moonlight made tears glisten on her face and I let go of her hand to wipe them away with my thumb like Mother used to do. Y/N looked down and smiled. 

I led Y/N back to my bed, careful not to step on any more toys. I sat her down on the right side and I walked around to the left. We got under the covers and I felt my eyes sinking.

"Hey, Simon? Thank you, so much. I really had to talk to someone about that. I feel a little better knowing that someone knows," Y/N whispered, smiling, "I finally feel safe."

With that Y/N closed her eyes and moved a little closer to me. I felt myself blush and I whispered back, "Good, you deserve everything."