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Learn to Fly

Robert Irwin x Surfer! OC

Summary: After a life-changing event, Kendra is forced to adjust to a new reality. When an unexpected invitation from Robert Irwin arrives, she must navigate the challenges of recovery, her relationships, and what comes next.

Warnings: injury, emotional distress

Part One

If there was one thing I couldn’t live without, it was surfing. There was nothing like being on the water, just me and the waves, every rise and fall syncing with my body like it was all meant to be. Nothing else gave me that feeling. Nothing.

It was another typical day at the beach. Gabbie and I were out in the water, but we stopped surfing a while ago. Now we were just floating in the shallow water, watching my dad ride the waves with her older brother. Josh, on the other hand, was on the beach, all over his girlfriend Ashlund like usual.

"Do you think he's gonna be like this forever?" I asked, rolling my eyes at Josh and Ashlund, who were practically glued together. They’d been like this since they started dating. Josh didn’t want to surf anymore, didn’t want to hang out with Gabbie and me. It was getting old, fast.

“I sure hope not, ‘cause this is just gross,” Gabbie said, laughing at my exaggerated grimace. She knew all about my crush on him, even if Josh was clueless.

"I don’t get it. She's so boring. I never see them laughing together. We used to laugh all the time," I said, sighing as dramatically as I could.

“Don’t worry. He’ll come crawling back. We’ll just look like we’re having the time of our lives, and he’ll get jealous.”

I started to ask how we were going to pull that off, but Gabbie beat me to it. She splashed me hard enough to soak me from head to toe. Oh, it was on. We had this unspoken rule—we didn’t really care about winning, just about having fun. We went back and forth until we couldn’t anymore.

I glanced over at Josh again, but he didn’t even seem to notice us. My stomach sank. Gabbie caught the look on my face.

“Let’s just go to Kalypso’s without him,” she said, “and not bring him back a drink.”

It was the perfect plan. We were about to head back to shore when I felt something rough brush against my leg. Probably a sea turtle, I thought, but I didn’t think much of it.

Then I felt a pull. At first, I thought it was just one of those annoying pranks Malia, Gabbie’s niece, loved pulling—grabbing our legs to drag us under. But the tug wasn’t playful. It was strong and sharp, and when it yanked me under, the panic hit. That wasn’t Malia. That was a shark.

I looked down, and sure enough, it had a chunk of me in its mouth. I swung my fist, aiming for its nose, but when I made eye contact with its black, beady eyes, I froze. The shark twisted side to side like it was shaking a rope. And then I saw the blood. The water around me was turning pink.

I barely remember much after that, just flashes—Gabbie screaming for help, warning everyone about the shark. I could hear my dad and Joseph getting closer, their voices frantic as they yelled at Gabbie to get out of the water. I wanted to scream, too, but the pain was too much.

I could see Gabbie’s face, her eyes wide with terror. She looked at me for a split second, but then she didn’t hesitate. She grabbed her board and started hitting the shark with everything she had. It let go.

I didn’t feel the shark bite me. I didn’t even feel the pain anymore. I just felt numb. I didn’t feel anything when my dad and Joseph dragged me to shore or when Josh used his leash to tie a tourniquet around my leg. The leg I wouldn’t have anymore.

The ambulance came fast. I still don’t remember most of it. I held onto my dad like he told me to, but all I could think was that my surfing career—everything I cared about—was gone.

---

It’s been two months since the attack, and somehow, that wild moment turned into this whole movement. The clip Gabbie recorded in my hospital room was meant as a quick update for our friends—just a two-minute thing where I explained how I was fine, that it was just a shark doing what sharks do. But it spread faster than any of us expected. The local news picked it up first, then some bigger outlets, and soon strangers from everywhere were tagging me in posts, turning my words into some message about resilience and protecting marine life.

Nat Geo even reached out. Reporters called, organizations tagged me in shark conservation posts, and by the time I left the hospital, it felt like the whole world had an eye on what I’d do next. For a girl who just loved surfing, the attention was bizarre, but a part of me couldn’t help feeling proud. I’d gone through something brutal, and somehow, it had turned into something bigger.

Now I’m home. Dad and I walk into Kalypso’s, the whole place packed with people I know: the bar staff, some of Dad’s buddies from the fire station, the kids I used to teach in surf classes, even old high school friends. Everyone is there, and for the first time since the accident, everything feels almost normal.

Jake, Kalypso’s owner, is the first to spot me, pulling me into a huge hug. “There she is! The girl of the hour!” he says, grinning, and I feel that familiar warmth from all the years we’ve spent in this place. Soon, Dad’s friends are slapping him on the back, talking about how they couldn’t believe he’d raised such a “local legend,” while kids I used to teach surf lessons to run up for high fives, all excited and starry-eyed.

Then I spot Gabbie and Josh standing in the back, and they rush over. Gabbie hugs me so tightly I can barely breathe, her voice already breaking. “You have no idea how proud I am of you,” she whispers. Josh, who’s usually got a laugh or some dumb joke ready, just gives me a quiet hug, and I sense something’s off, but I brush it aside. I’m home, surrounded by the people I love. That’s all that matters tonight.

---

A few days later, I’m back at the beach, determined to get on my board again. The waves are small, nothing intimidating, and Dad’s here with me, steady and calm, like he’s always been.

But as soon as I try to paddle out, I feel the difference. My balance is shaky, my movements off. The prosthetic feels heavier, like it’s dragging me down, and each wave that crashes against me just throws me further off. I can’t get it right. Frustration bubbles up, and soon, I’m slapping the water, my voice shaking as I mutter, “Come on… just work with me here.”

Dad paddles over, giving me a steady look. “Take it easy, Ken. You’ve been through a lot.”

But the words just make me feel worse. I don’t want to “take it easy”—I want to feel normal again. My whole life, the ocean has been where I felt most at home, and now it feels like a stranger. I swallow back the frustration, watching the waves roll on without me, wondering if I’ll ever truly belong here again.

---

Later, as I’m heading back to my car, still damp and salty from the ocean, I spot Ashlund leaning against her truck in the parking lot. She watches me for a second, then pushes off and walks toward me with her phone in hand. She doesn’t bother with small talk—just holds it out, her face unreadable.

“Here,” she says, her tone flat.

I frown but take the phone, glancing down. A video is paused on the screen, and I already feel a sinking feeling in my stomach. I hit play, and there it is—Josh and Gabbie, on a beach, laughing together, her leaning into him. And then, clear as day, they’re kissing.

I don’t have words. Just this hollow feeling growing in my chest. I hand the phone back, and Ashlund raises an eyebrow, looking almost smug.

“Thought you’d want to know,” she says, her voice laced with something sharp.

I walk away, numb. For so long, I’ve been focused on staying strong, on pushing through the pain and finding my way back to the things I love. But this? This feels like a different kind of hurt.

---

That night, I sit alone in my room, staring at my surfboard, wondering if I’ll ever ride the waves the way I used to. I feel raw, as though the ocean has slipped away from me just when I need it most. And two of the people I thought would be there for me, are gone too.

Just as I’m sinking into that hollow feeling, my phone buzzes with a notification. It’s an email from a sender I don’t recognize, but the subject catches my eye immediately: “Steve Irwin Gala Invitation.”

I open it, my pulse quickening as I read the details. The invitation is to a gala in Las Vegas, celebrating wildlife conservation efforts, with Robert Irwin himself as the main speaker. They want me to come as a guest of honor, to speak on my story, and how it’s inspired others.

The ache in my chest lightens, just a little, replaced by a spark of excitement.

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Let me know if you want to be tagged in the next part

#robert irwin imagines #robertirwin #robert irwin hcs #robert irwin x reader #australia zoo #robert irwin #bindi irwin

" I love you so much, @robertirwinphotography. Words can’t describe how proud I am of you. You EARNED this. "

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humans being real 🥹🌱

#steve irwin #terri irwin #australian wildlife #wildlife #wildlife conservation #robert irwin #bindi irwin #naturalist #animal rescue #protect wildlife

Petition to have the Artemis II crew on dancing with the stars but like as one unit and they win so they don’t get separated or sad

I love science people they’re so famous to me

Science people are more famous to me than reality tv or Internet personalities fr

Like Buzz Aldrin and Bill Nye were so cute

Like omg I love smart earth people

Yall don’t understand the NUMBERS that dancing with the stars had on like 5, 7, 10, and 20 year old me when Buzz Aldrin, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Bindi Irwin, and Robert Irwin were dancing like I was CLOCKED in to my DWTS shifts you best believe.

Dance is so cool and science is so cool and earth is so cool and space is so cool I love them merging

#I love when science people are on dwts instead of like reality tv/internet people #bc truly when Buzz Aldrin or Bill Nye did it like they’re the most famous people ever to me #artemis ii #artemis 2 #guys I love space sm #buzz aldrin #bill nye #bindi irwin #robert irwin #dancing with the stars