summary: Sylus hadn't seen you in years since that day you left out of the blue, when he does see you again, you have a child with you. A child that looks oddly similar to him.
content: sylus x reader, angst, some fluff, hurt/comfort, unplanned pregnancy, can be MC or non-MC, not proof read
a/n: so i started watching 'MAID' on Netflix and it's so good it inspired me to make this. obviously very different from that story it's just what made me think of this. idk if anyone will like this so i might delete it if no one likes it- also might a series out of this so expect more angst :) also posted on ao3
Sylus stood along the walking path, looking out at the nearby pond. He stared out at the horizon, somewhat zoned out, waiting for the sun to go down before confronting a client who had tried to blind side him in a recent deal. These things were better dealt with in the blanket of the night. Ducks swam around in the pond, occasionally diving for food. Behind him, Sylus could hear the laughter of children who ran around the park, or the calls of their parents as they set on their way back home for the night. Amid the treeline, a dark figure flew past, landing on a telephone pole and giving Sylus a small nod, its red eyes glowing softly against the dimming sky.Â
Sylus was about to head towards the client's shop when he felt a small body bump into his leg. Glancing down, he found two wide scarlet eyes staring back up at him, shyness painted across the tiny face. The little girl took a step back, fiddling with her hands, her short silver hair pulled into two braids that sat on her shoulders, âSorwy.âÂ
She reached out and took hold of his pant leg. Sylus cocked his head and kneeled next to her. Usually, he wasnât the best with children and did his best to avoid them, but for some reason, he felt compelled to help this girl. âAre you lost?â
She shook her head, pulling on his pant leg again, as if trying to get him to follow her, âCome.â
âWhere? What is it?â He examined her more closely; she seemed perfectly fine, with no scratches or bruises on her, and her blue overalls were free of dirt and tears. She seemed to just be another kid playing in the park, not injured or in need of help at all. So why was she insisting he follow her?
The girl huffed and stuck her arms out, motioning for him to pick her up. Sylus was taken aback. Most children heâd come across were scared by his demeanor alone; none had ever come up to him, much less asked him to pick them up. He wasnât entirely sure what to do. If he picked up some random child, surely onlookers would think he was kidnapping her or worse. Sylus looked around the park while the girl whined at his feet, mumbling for âuppiesâ. There were a couple of families still present, but none that shared her⊠unique features. Features that in no way reminded him of his own. Features that he was not going to focus on.Â
âWhere are your parents?â He asked.
The girl huffed again and grabbed his hand, walking back up the pathway. He allowed her to guide him up the small hill towards the picnic tables when he spotted where she was leading him and stopped in his tracks. Standing there at one of the tables, still clearly engrossed in cutting up a sandwich, was you.Â
You, whom he hadnât seen in three years. Who up and disappeared only a few months after youâd begun dating. Who he thought he had officially scared away for good. He felt oddly numb, as if his mind couldnât comprehend that this was real. For a while after youâd left, he swore he caught glimpses of you in the corner of his eye, around an aisle, across the street, or ways above him in a long line; yet every time, when he focused more on the person he thought was you, he was wrong. And every time it broke his heart just a little more.Â
But here you wereâhair a bit longer, a soft smile on your face, but still nodding along to the music that echoed through the park like you always used to doâcompletely and totally real.Â
The little girl felt when Sylusâ hand slipped out of her own. She turned back to him and frowned, âWhat wrong?âÂ
Sylus looked back down to her, swallowing hard, âIs that your mom?â
The girl followed his gaze, then looked back and nodded, taking his hand once more, âCome with.âÂ
He hesitated for a moment; part of him knew what this meant, but there was another part of him that wondered if he was being crazy. He was half expecting another man to come up and scoop the child into his arms and take both you and her away forever. And then there was the side of Sylus that wondered if you even wanted to see him. After all this time, there had to have been a reason you left. A reason why you hadnât contacted him at all.Â
The toddler, however, was clearly having none of this. She made her best eye roll and began tugging his arm until Sylus finally began walking again. Once you were only a few feet away, the girl let go and ran up to your side, patting your leg for your attention.Â
You placed the cut-up sandwich on her âWinnie-the-Poohâ plate and turned to your daughter, âReady for food, honey?â Your daughter shook her head and pointed to Sylus. You followed her hand and looked up at the man you hadnât seen in years, the smile falling from your face when your eyes met.Â
âSylus.â His expression was a mix of pain and relief, and you couldnât help but feel extremely guilty. Youâd never meant to hurt himâthat was the last thing youâd ever want to doâbut you werenât expecting to see him here. Especially not like this. Youâd imagined your reunion to be perfect, and most of all planned. You didnât want him to just come across you out of the blue when you werenât prepared in the slightest.Â
You looked back down at your daughter, âWhy donât you go play on the swings for a bit if youâre not hungry?â She glanced between the two of you before nodding and running off towards the playground. You let out a deep breath you hadnât noticed you were holding, âSylus, I-â
He cut you off by pulling you against his chest in a tight hug, letting out a shaky breath, âI thought Iâd never see you again.â
You were still for a moment before wrapping your arms around him and returning the hug, âIâm so sorry.â
Sylus shook his head, âDonât apologize, Iâm the one who should apologize,â he pulled back to look into your eyes, âWhatever I did to scare you, Iâm sorry, please give me a chance to make it up to you.â
You frowned, âScare me? You never scared me, Sylus.â
His brow furrowed, âThen why..?â He trailed off, but you knew what he was asking.
You sighed and motioned to the bench of the picnic table behind you, sitting down with him, âItâs a long story.â
âI have all the time in the world for you, sweetie.â He could âmeetâ that client another day; today was for you.Â
You rubbed your face, watching as your daughter and some other kid laughed together on the swingset, âI got scared- not of you, but more scared in general. Do you remember the day before I left, when I told you I wasnât feeling well?â You turned to see his response.
âI thought it was a stomach bug or, at worst, food poisoning. Then I realized that my cycle shouldâve started a few days earlier and we had recentlyâŠâ You glanced around, not wanting to say anything inappropriate around children, âSo, I took a test, and when I found out I was pregnant, I guess I panicked. At first, I thought that Iâd get an abortion, but then the more I thought about it, the more I wasnât sure that was what I wanted, and the pressure of having to lie to you and being worried about what youâd say just kept gnawing at me, so I ran. It probably wasnât the smartest decision, but I didnât know what else to do,â you paused to take another deep breath, feeling Sylus slip his hand into yours. You smiled; youâd missed this.
âYou know I wouldnât have been upset at all, right?â He said.
You nodded, âI know, I just- I wasnât thinking straight. Everything felt like it was falling apart around me. Then she came into the picture,â you motioned to your daughter, who was now climbing on top of the monkey bars, âand I just got even more scared. I kept thinking that I was doing something wrong, that Iâd mess up and hurt her by accident. There were so many times when I just wanted to give up, but I couldnât. She needed me, so I forced myself to keep going. I got a job and moved out of the shelter we were staying at, and things got⊠better? They were never great, but it was better than before.â You turned to him, âI wanted to call you, I meant to so many times, but- I donât know, I just couldnât. I guess part of me felt like Iâd betrayed you, or that youâd hate me. Or maybe I thought telling you would ruin your life? I mean, a daughter definitely comes with big changes.â
Sylus took another breath, âSo then, sheâs..?âÂ
âYours?â You nodded, your daughter waving when she spotted the two of you watching her. You waved back with a soft laugh, âShe looks just like you. My genes didnât even try.â
Sylus hummed and shook his head, âShe has your smile.â
You hadnât realized you were crying until you felt Sylus wipe the tears away with his thumb, âI could never hate you.â You turned to him and smiled, letting your head fall against his chest.
âYou have no idea how much I missed you,â you mumbled against his shirt that you had now stained with tears.
He chuckled, âI think I do have an idea. I felt it all as well, sweetie.â
A small hand grabbed onto where yours and Sylusâ met, making you turn to look at your daughter, âMama okay?â
You laughed and nodded, âIâm okay, sweetheart, I promise.âÂ
She looked quite skeptical but sat down across from you anyway, kicking her legs as she ate her sandwich. You turned to Sylus once she was content, âWhat are you doing around here anyway?â
Sylus shook his head, âThat isnât important, nothing could be more important to me than you,â he cradled your face in his hands, âWhatever you could possibly need, I will get. Wherever you want to go, we will go. Iâm here now, and I swear Iâll never have you suffering on your own again. You donât have to be alone anymore.â
a/n: thank you for reading!! also let me know if you have any names for our little cutie in this fic cause i got nothing lol