#A whisper of maybe maybe maybe. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

pythonmoth · 9 days ago

Text

cw: post-traumatic stress disorder. brief mentions of war. brief mentions of severed limb (by a bomb). simon is a veteran. simon has a prosthetic leg. one talking snake.

this is based on His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman.

Simon Ghost Riley x f!Reader.

First | Next

Never Gonna Be Alone.

The battlefield was never calm, always aggressive, but times had been hard and that year they had less soldiers than ever before. Simon made the mistake of getting too close, desperate to cover more ground.

In an instant, he flew into the sky with a big booming sound, pain blooming in his leg. When he fell to the ground he couldn't hear or feel anything for a few minutes, the air gone from his lungs.

Somewhere beside him, he could hear Riley whimpering and whining in pain, even if it was hard to tell with the guns going off. Mostly, he heard him in his mind, and his heart. He blindly reached out, patting the ground until he found him, dragging himself next to Riley, holding onto him. He could smell the blood on his fluff but he held tight, their bond trembling with the intensity of their agony.

Gunshots, bombs, and screams made his head spin, daemons disappearing into golden dust left and right, soldiers falling dead to the ground. At some point, somebody grabbed him and dragged him back, and Simon finally realized what was wrong with him.

He wailed in pain, not letting go of Riley, keeping him right against his chest. Whenever his hands faltered, nearly passing out from shock, Riley would bite onto his uniform, keeping them close.

Another bomb going off next to his head made Simon wake up with a choked gasp, making Riley flinch awake as well. His sleepy eyes immediately alert as he stared at Simon, his fluffy ears straight up. Riley's eyes were questioning.

"Sorry, buddy. Nightmare" he said, rubbing his face hard. He reached out, purposely ignoring Riley's grunts and the rolling of his eyes, and pulled him closer, holding onto him, pressing his face into his daemon's fluff.

Riley's body curled around his head and rested his wet nose against Simon's neck, breathing steadily. That night, as many others, they gave each other comfort, and fell asleep again.

The next morning, Simon was greeted with great news.

"Two healthy babygirls" his brother told him, gripping onto Simon's shoulder, beaming so brightly that it was impossible not to smile back.

"I'm happy for you both. How's the missus?" he asked, handing Tommy a mug of coffee.

"Tired as fuck. She told me how she was gonna kill me, explicitly, if I got her pregnant again" Tommy chuckled, his face filled with love, the mug forgotten in his hand. His brother was glowing. "I just came back to take a shower while she sleeps, and then I'm off".

Simon smiled, shaking his head. He liked Beth so much he swore he would kick Tommy if he ever fucked it up.

"You don't have to leave. You know this" a voice grunted from Tommy's shoulder.

Simon looked at the little chinchilla, smiling at her. "I know, Lili. Still, I can't have my nieces living with all my brats in the backyard".

"Don't you dare calling them brats. They're more likeable than you are" Tommy said, rolling his eyes.

Riley's tail was sweeping against the floor next to Simon, amused by his brother's comment.

"Shut up. I'll be less than an hour from here, so you won't even notice Riley and I left" Simon sighed.

Riley made a little noise of annoyance when Lili jumped from Tommy's shoulder, head first into his side.

"Oi, stop bullying Riley" Simon warned her, playful. Riley's tail started swaying faster as the chinchilla went to chase it.

When Tommy told him they were expecting, Simon started looking for a new house nearby. Just forty minutes from there, in a small town, Simon found a house big enough for his pond, and close enough to visit his family as often as they wished. He bought it without much thought.

The pond was finished by the time Beth's tummy was as big as his brother's head.

It was ready to move in to.

"Are you sure?" Tommy question him again.

"Positive. Besides, the missus will need her space, and so will you".

"You are not a burden, Simon" Lili scolded him gently, nibbling on Riley's tail, which had gone still. "You are family".

"What she said" Tommy nodded, staring intently at Simon.

Riley growled lowly, affection heavy in their bond. Playfully, Riley chomped on Lili's little head, making her squeak in contentment. They went off, chasing each other and playing next to the pond.

"When are you moving, then? At least let me help you with the gars" his brother insisted. Simon rolled his eyes.

"Bloody hell, you're so annoying. Fine, have it your way".

A few weeks later, Simon said goodbye to the happy family, promising to come back when they had the time. "If you want a day off, I'll come and take care of the babies" Simon offered. Beth was so happy for his offer that she nearly cried.

Tommy smiled.

And then Simon and Riley were off.

The town was small but it was perfect for his retirement. Riley was still jumpy sometimes, so the quiet atmosphere would really help them.

Over the next few days, Simon slowly eased his alligator gars into the pond, the bass, the turtles, the catfish, even the carp that had survived their sharp teeth, now part of the family.

Riley would sleep under the sun for hours, would sometimes jump over the pond just to annoy the fish, and eat his fill pressed to Simon's leg on the floor.

Ever since Simon lost his leg, making Riley lose his as well, his daemon never spoke a word again. Traumatized into silence because of the shock.

It wasn't uncommon for people in the military. Some daemons never spoke again, some went blind, and some, if small enough, never let others see them if they could help it.

They could communicate easily, as their bond was untouched, but it was never words. It was a feeling, a tug in Simon's heart. And it was enough.

During the first month they moved in, his neighbors tried to come and welcome him, but most only stared at his face, then at his daemon, and would quickly scram.

Simon could tell Riley found it insulting. It was only a prosthetic leg, and a few cuts on their faces from the battlefield. They weren't criminals, they were retired soldiers.

Not a bit of respect, or kindness, in their faces.

Only pity and fear.

"I know, buddy. Come on, let's feed the brats" he said, flicking Riley's fluffy ear.

Riley was the first to notice.

Simon was feeding the bass, when Riley sent a tug through their bond. He got up and walked over.

"What's wrong?"

Riley growled to the pond, his head pointing to the turtle.

"What's wrong with Lemon?" he asked, confused. Riley sent worry through their bond.

Simon started counting them, and he finally understood.

"Oh, that little dickhead. She must be somewhere" he snarled, worried, and also incredibly upset.

If the turtle was hurt because he made a mistake with the pond, he would never forgive himself.

He looked everywhere in the backyard, even threw his GoPro camera into the pond to check if she was hiding between the rocks, but he found nothing.

Just as he was thinking of sucking it up and asking his neighbors, somebody knocked on his door. Riley walked over first, waiting to be seen first as soon as Simon opened the wooden door.

Simon's lips parted slightly as a young woman smiled up at him. She was pretty, dark circles under her eyes and curly eyelashes.

Riley's head tilted to the side.

"Hello. Is this one yours?" she asked. Simon looked down, staring at the green turtle in her hands.

"Fuck! I couldn't find you anywhere. I was so worried, dammit" he told the turtle, gently taking it from her hands.

While Simon placed the turtle back in the pond, Riley observed the girl standing at the door. She was blinking, surprised. Her eyes turned to him.

"Are you his daemon?" she asked, her tone gentle. Riley nodded once, his ears straight up.

"Nice to meet you" she told him, smiling at him. "I think I'll... close the door" she chuckled, gripping the door's handle.

Riley stood up from where he was sitting, catching her attention, and that's when Simon came back. The girl let go of the door handle.

"I'm so sorry. I was so worried I forgot to even say hello before I stormed away" Simon said, rubbing the back of his head. "I— thank you for bringing her".

The girl smiled and waved away his apology, her eyes flickering down for one quick moment. "That's fine. I was just saying hi to—"

"What happened to your leg?" a little voice hissed from inside the girl's hoodie. The tone was incredibly curious, not a bit judgy. Simon's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Even Riley growled lowly in amusement.

The girl turned bright and gently smacked her chest, making the daemon hiss in annoyance, and took a step back. "I'm so sorry, please ignore her. I'm so glad your turtle is back and— yeah, hm. Bye. Yeah. Goodbye".

Simon and Riley shared a look, before turning back to the girl, who was hissing at her daemon, tugging on the hoodie.

"Viper! That wasn't nice! What if you made him feel sad? You can't just ask that!" she scream-whispered, not looking back at them even once. "Ugh, you're helpless!"

Simon couldn't help but smile as he closed the door. He turned to look at Riley.

Riley's tail was swaying across the floor, lazy and... content, he realized. There was endearment in their bond.

Simon raised his eyebrow. When their eyes met, Riley growled softly, his tail swaying faster.

What? he seemed to say.

"Come on, buddy. We still gotta feed the rest" Simon mumbled, his eyes twinkling.

well!! this happened.

Riley is an Alaskan Malamute and Viper is, you guessed it, a Mexican Black Kingsnake. i just think she's neat.

daemon. long story short, daemons are a representation of their inner-self. that's the "real" shape of their soul. because of Simon's past, Riley became a big dog to protect them, if that makes sense. they all have a mind of their own, but they're one w their person.

why a snake? snakes are cool, but I might pull a reason out of my sleeve at some point. i won't include a picture, but the mexican black kingsnake is beautiful. I was thinking of a rattlesnake too, but I liked this one better.

taglist: @kittygonap @rayrayyio

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