The River // Crimson X Reader

07 | Plushie

[Setting: Present]

NO MATTER HOW many times you and Crimson have done it, you couldn't get pregnant. And when you came close, it was snatched away from you- snatched away from you like you didn't deserve it. And every time you and Crimson tried again, he made it painful as if thinking that by hurting you, you would get pregnant. You wanted to hit that 'sense' of logic out of his head.

You cried. The headaches that came with it were excruciating, but your sister held you each time. She would be quiet. The silence was comforting, but it wasn't enough to heal the void that grew large each day.

You just wanted a kid. Was that so fucking hard to ask for?

Days have gone by with you not seeing Crimson. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years. You lost count of how many years. You were so numb that you didn't know how to react when Crimson never checked up on you. Never.

Now, your sister asked you to meet him. She told you he would be waiting in a specific bar, the side of town where violence was least present. You questioned her if she and Crimson had been in contact with each other for all this time. She denied it, saying he contacted her this morning.

Never once had she lied. You trusted her. So, with hesitation, you went to see your husband.

My, what a mistake that was.

***

[Setting: A few years after (Y/N) went missing]

You were infertile. Crimson didn't like that. However, your sister wasn't.

Your sister was forcefully married to Crimson after your disappearance. Never once had he questioned it. He acted as if you didn't exist.

However, he would stand by a river away from the town. The exact place where (Y/N)'s lead to her case ended. Where Crimson, with a solemn look, stares deep into its waters. No one questioned him. No one dared to ever suspect him...until now.

"What would you like to name your son, Ma'am?"

The question knocked your sister out of her trance. She sat in a hospital bed, holding her newborn son. She didn't glance at the doctor. Crimson didn't arrive, but she didn't care. He didn't seem to by his absence.

A name crossed her mind. A name she forever held dear for her sister. For you.

She looked up. "Moxxie."

As the doctor wrote down the name, he was called to see another patient. He promised to be back and left.

She had a bag next to her bed. She dug carefully and took out a hellhorse plushie from it. (Y/N)'s favourite plushie. She knew Moxxie was what you wanted, what you cried for every night. She knew you would've given this plushie to your kid if you ever had one.

You would have given it to Moxxie yourself if you were still here.

As she went to show it to Moxxie, her fingers brushed tape on the horse's back. She paused, puzzled. That was never there before. In fact, she didn't know how long it was there. 

She never touched your plushie ever since your disappearance. It always sat on your neatly made-up bed, untouched. Not even mother handled it. She had snatched up the plushie in a hurry when her water broke. 

The tape was worn, curling on the edges, yet it still stuck on the fabric that made up the horse's spine. When she squeezed the plushie, something crumpled. It sounded like paper.

"Okay, baby," she said to Moxxie, placing him into a glass box next to her hospital bed. "Mommy will be right back."

She held up the plushie, inspecting it. Through the clear tape, she saw a ragged tear had been made under it. She slowly peeled the tape back and flicked it aside. Careful to not pull too much stuffing, she dug two fingers inside. Her fingers closed on a thin paper. She pulled it out.

She instantly recognized the messy handwriting among the red stains. It was yours. Her hand trembled as she read what was on it. She clasped a hand over her mouth. 

"he did it.

find me in The River"