Assassin's Creed Oneshots

Edward X Reader || Aquaphobia

This is a lovely request by juviaheartattack1 !! Hope you enjoy!! 💖

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"You're what?!"

"I'm aquaphobic"

"What does that even mean?"

"It means I'm scared of water"

The Jackdaw was currently docked at a deserted island, allowing the crew sometime on land. This way they could eat fresh food, like fruit from the island, and they could fish there to catch and eat some nice, freshly caught fish. Deciding he could trust Adéwalé with his crew, Edward took you to a more secluded beach on the small island. In all honesty it was just an excuse for him to get some alone time with you, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise when he asked if you wanted to go swim. What did surprise him though was that you declined. Of course, he asked why and when you told him your reasoning, he couldn't believe it.

"Wait, let me get this right" Edward started, raising his hand slightly, "You, one of the best pirates out there, are scared of water?"

With your small nod, Edward let out a loud laugh, causing you to frown. It may seem like an odd fear to other people, but to you it was real. You were terrified of the water, ever since you were little.

• Flashback •

You were at a large lake with your family, including your cousins. Most of them were quite a bit older than you, in their teens while you were still a child. Seeing as you had yet been taught how to swim, you were content with playing in the grass on the outskirts of the lake. However, your cousins had gotten bored with the game they were playing and decided that it would be more fun to take you further in the lake with them.

One of them hoisted you up on their shoulders, and since you were too little to understand what was happening, you didn't protest. They went towards the middle of the lake, where it was deepest. Given that you were atop your cousin's shoulder, you didn't know how deep it was. In all honesty, it felt like you were in the sky, because you were a bit shorter than most your age, you often didn't get to experience what it was like to be tall.

They played a bit of catch between two teams. The opposing team had your tallest cousins, so you being involved didn't make the game unfair. If the ball was tossed too high, you would knock it down, much to your pleasure. Hearing you giggle only made them enjoy the game more, so in turn, they got more into it.

Then, all of a sudden, the ball hit the cousin you were perched on straight in the face. Normally it wouldn't have affected him much, but since he was treading water, it threw him off balance and knocked him back just enough for you to slide off his shoulders into the unforgiving depths.

The water enveloped your small frame, dragging you deep within its grasp. It was so dark, you couldn't see which way was up or which way was down. You flailed your arms in an attempt to swim, but to no avail. Having not at all been prepared to swim, you were dressed in regular clothes. They soaked up the water quickly, and only weighed you down. As you twisted and turned, thrashing about, your clothes swirled around you. To you, it seemed like you were being tangled up within your own clothes. It didn't take long for your small arms and legs to lose energy.

To be fair, your cousins didn't know that you lacked the ability to swim, so they just waited for you to resurface. When you didn't, they immediately became panicked and swam down to find you.