Butcher! Simon x SingleMother! Reader
cw: Mentions of domestic abuse and violence, soft Simon
a/n: I seriously cannot thank you guys enough for all the love and support you guys have shown for this series and asking for more! In honor of my birthday tomorrow, I kind of went a little more ham on this part! If you would like to be put on the tag list, please leave a comment and let me know!
Simon's apartment was normally peaceful, a quiet and serene getaway from the chaos of life outside of his four walls.
His peace, however, was nowhere to be found tonight.
His old team, formerly known as Task Force 141, had come over to watch a football game and catch up on their lives, which had grown now that they weren't getting shipped off on dangerous missions every few weeks. Currently, Simon had a paper plate full of food resting on his lap and holding a can of soda in his free hand while his other hand carded through Riley's fur. He was recommended an emotional support animal after he left the military and was a bit resistant to the idea at first, but after visiting a nearby animal shelter and seeing Riley there, he ended up adopting the pup and bringing him home.
After a few minutes, though, Riley was bribed away by Soap, who was waving a chicken wing in Riley's direction with a mischievous grin on his face. Simon rolled his eyes and tried to focus back in on the game, but unfortunately, his friends decided to not grant him any peace tonight.
"So, Simon. You seem to be…lighter lately." Price had a knowing smile on his lips as he looked over at the masked man. Simon let out a grunt, keeping his eyes glued to the TV and trying to avoid the plummeting feeling in his stomach. He didn't want to give up the private little piece of his brain (and heart) that contained the woman and her son who continued to visit his butcher shop frequently with smiles that seemed to be just as warm as their hearts. It made him look forward to opening up shop on Fridays, knowing that they would show up after the little one's school got out.
He was a man who hadn’t been able to have much in his life, and he wasn't willing to let life rip this good thing out of his hands too.
"I think yeh got your head hit one too many times, Captain." Simon said, crossing his arms as he replied to the mustached man, his eyes narrowing behind his mask.
"Nah, I think he's right, mate. Yeh do seem different." Soap grinned at Simon, propping his chin up on his fist. "I think he's got a bird that he doesn't want us to know about."
Simon whipped his head around to glare at the Scottish man, gritting his teeth. "Shut yer trap, McTavish." He hissed out between clenched teeth. He felt like he was a cat being cornered and was about ready to swipe his claws at his friends if they kept pushing.
Gaz chuckled, plopping down beside Simon on the couch. "Easy, guys. Poor bloke looks like he's about ready to throw himself out the window any moment if we keep pushing it." Simon glanced over at Gaz and gave him a small appreciative nod. The other two settled down after Gaz's comment; the conversation seemed to return to normal, and the attention settled back onto the football game.
After a little while longer, he felt the itch to smoke begin to scratch at the back of his mind and decided he needed a break from the chaos of his mates and the game for a few minutes. He groaned as he got up off the couch; muscles and joints that had been abused on countless missions now felt like stiff rubber bands as he stretched his limbs out.
"Headin' outside for a baccy." He grumbled to his mates, grabbing the cigarette pack off of the side table and a random lighter and headed out the door into the cool night air. He allowed himself to pause and take a deep breath, letting his muscles relax.
He rolled up the edge of his mask, just until his lips and nose were visible before placing the cigarette between his lips. He was about to light the end when he saw a figure out of the corner of his eye. The figure was a woman on her phone, and he could hear voices from both sides, but one was soft and stern and the other…
The other voice sounded exactly the same as his father when he was angry.
It made his blood run cold, turning his thoughts more towards listening in on the conversation and trying to understand what was being said by both parties.
"You know you're not supposed to contact me directly; you're supposed to contact me through my lawyer!" The woman paused, listening to the yelling on the other end. Her body language was tense, and her shoulders were shaking as if she were crying or holding back anger. From the way it sounded like the conversation was going, perhaps both.
"No, you will contact my lawyer. I never want to see your face again, and our- no. My son doesn't need to be anywhere near you! My son and I deserve better, and you deserve to rot in a prison cell for the rest of your life!" Simon watched as the woman hung up on the man's screaming voice and let her hand drop to her side. Her shoulders were shaking even more now, her hands coming up to cover her face as quiet sobs came from her form.
Simon felt slightly awkward, feeling like he had just intruded on something highly personal that he shouldn't have been listening in on. He cleared his throat softly as he approached, hesitantly reaching out to the woman. "Ma'am…? Are yeh alright?"
The woman turned to face him, and he felt like a bucket of ice had been dumped on him. There she was, the woman who had been haunting his thoughts the past few weeks. Her cheeks were damp with tears and her eyes glistening in the moonlight, and her face was flushed in anger and shame.
"S-Simon…?" She croaked out, quickly wiping her face and eyes with the backs of her hands to rid herself of the dampness on her face. "W-What are y-you doing out here?"
"I came out for a smoke, but I saw yeh on the phone. I didn't realize yeh were 'ere, luv." Simon responded, being sure to keep his tone gentle. Well, as gentle as his rough voice could get. He didn't want to scare the poor bird; she was already shaken up as it was, and he couldn't blame her. He wished he could simply take her in his arms and tell her that he would never treat her or her son like that, and he would rather carve out his own heart than let anything hurt them again.
"I-I'm so sorry you had to hear that…" She hiccuped, avoiding Simon's gaze. He shook his head, tilting her chin up gently with his fingers and watching her shiver slightly at the contact.
"No luv, yeh don't have to feel ashamed. Not wi' me. Yeh don't deserve to be spoken to like tha', yeh hear me?" He made sure to keep eye contact and searched her eyes for any sign that she understood his words. "Yeh don't have to tell me now, but if yeh need to talk abou' what happened, 'm all ears. "
She sniffled, wiping her face once more as she took in a shaky breath. "M-my ex-husband, somehow he got ahold of my new number and called me in a rage…he's still furious about the divorce and that I got custody of our son. He was told he could only contact me through my lawyer, but you can see how well he listened to that…" She let out a chuckle, but it wasn't a humorous one. It was a tired, exhausted laugh, one where it seemed like the weight of the entire world was on her shoulders. Perhaps to her, it really was.
"I couldn't keep nugget there; I couldn't do that to him. He was only violent with me, but the thought of him turning on him and going after him too-" Her breathing was becoming erratic, and Simon quickly pulled her into his arms without thinking, rubbing a large hand up and down her back and shushing her gently.
"It's okay, luv. Yer 'ere away from 'im, yer son is safe, yer safe." He said quietly. The warmth of her in his arms felt so right, but he didn't want to put how he was feeling ahead of what she was feeling and needing to be there for her. If she was falling apart, he would be there to hold all of her broken pieces together.
Simon let her cry into his chest for quite a while, shushing her softly and continuing to rub his hand in circles between her shoulder blades. After a little bit, her sobs turned to sniffles, and she was able to pull her head back to look at him. Her eyes were definitely puffy now, but he still thought she was gorgeous even like this.
"There we go, luv. Yeh feel better now?" He asked her softly, receiving a small nod in response.
"Yes, thank you. I'm so sorry you had to see me like this…I really appreciate you listening to me."
"Hey, yeh don't need to apologize to me, not one bit. Yer so strong taking care of your son by yourself every day and having to deal with tha' ba- with that jerk. Yer working and doing a great job."
She gave him a small, genuine smile and the tightness in his chest loosened up, feeling like he could breathe easier now that she was smiling again.
"H-How come you're at this building, Simon?" She asked, seeming to want to change the subject.
"Ah, I live in tha' apartment back there." He pointed at his door that was just a few paces away from where they were both standing. Her eyebrows lifted, a shocked expression on her face.
"No way! I live in the apartment beside yours! The door with the little plant outside!" She was quick to point at the door to the right of Simon's, and indeed there was a little potted plant he had never noticed before.
"Wha' are the odds then?" He chuckled, smiling down at her. It was then they both seemed to realize that she was still in Simon's arms. She let out a little squeak and slightly scrambled back, cheeks flushed. "I-I'm sorry, I-I'd better check on my son and make sure he's okay! H-Have a good night, Simon!"
Simon watched her quickly retreat into her apartment, still feeling her warmth that had soaked into his hoodie. His own face was warm beneath the mask, but a big smile was on his lips. He no longer needed his cigarette after that, shoving it back into the case and stepping back into his apartment.
He could feel his mate's eyes bore holes into him as he stepped back into the apartment, their gaze continuing to follow him until he sat back down on the couch.
Soap was the first one to speak, one eyebrow raised. "Tha' was an awfully long smoke break, L.T. Yeh run into a burglar or somethin'?"
"My bet's on chatting up a pretty bird." Price said, a grin on the ex-captain's lips.
"I think he needed a break from all of our noise. It has been a while since we've been able to let loose like this." Gaz chuckled, continuing to watch Simon's expression.
Simon ignored all of their comments, his heart full. The gentle woman lived right next door to him, and he was going to make sure that absolutely no harm would come to her or her son. He also had an excuse to see her more often now, and he wasn't going to let this chance slip through his fingers.
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