The Love Experiment (Soldier Boy X Female Reader)

⊹⊱≼Exposition≽⊰⊹

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October 13th, 2000
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"Mommy!" I screamed, my tiny desperate fingers reached out for her. My glazed eyes watched her fade out into the distance. Tears streamed down my face, I held onto a thin string of hope she would come back. Apologize. Beg for my forgiveness. Not once did she turn back. Gone before I could manage more words to scream. Not that there were much in my vocabulary to begin with.

I was four years old.

"Are you lost, honey? Where are your parents?" a soothing voice called from behind me. I quickly turned around and hugged her leg. I buried my face as best as I could into the lady's leg, embarrassed. "Oh, sweetie..." she said softly, breaking the curse of my uncontrollable sobbing by brushing her fingers through my hair.

She stepped back and crouched, locking her eyes with mine. "What's your name?" she asked, worry still etched onto her face. This stranger asked me for my name. So many thoughts raced through my head about "stranger danger" and the troubles my Mom had taught me to avoid them. But this situation wasn't applicable. I realized I had taken up too much time, because the strange lady spoke up first. "If I said my name, would you feel comfortable telling me yours?" she asked in a different way than the one before, smiling so warmly. I nod, listening intently and giving her my full attention.

She takes in a deep breath, smiling warmly again. "My name is Madelyn. Madelyn Stillwell. What is yours, pretty girl?" she asked and started rubbing my shoulders soothingly when my shaky breath hitched for words.

"Y/n." I managed to breathe out. Madelyn's smile had spread widely across her face, her crow's feet apparent. That tickled something inside me, a feeling I'd never experienced with my Mother. My smile grew a hundred times bigger than hers. Though it probably didn't make up for my red and swollen face from crying my heart out.

"That's a beautiful name, Y/n..." she said to me, holding out her hand. She looked behind her briefly before looking back to me. "Do you see those building doors behind me?" she pointed out, an odd shape I couldn't quite figure out with the words "VOUGHT INTERNATIONAL" resting underneath it. I nodded in agreement for confirmation. She leaned in some and whispered "I work there. Could you come with me inside while we wait for your Mommy and Daddy to come back?" I shake my head from side to side, tears welled up in my eyes once again.

"No Daddy." I sniffled, my fingers wiped my puffy eyes. She rubbed my upper back soothingly. "Mommy leave me." my words barely audible as I cried again. "I burn." I sobbed, my hands covered my face. I didn't think that she would pick me up swiftly as she did. She took me inside the building
She pointed out before, I saw a different look on her face. Fear.

//

"Notify Stan Edgar to come to my office immediately. We might have a potential abandonment of property." Madelyn said to a man before walking into her office. She placed me carefully onto a chair. "Why do you burn, sweetheart?" she smiled softly, I could see how worried she was. I shrugged, unable to understand myself.

"House gone." I whispered and watched her face grow with more worry. I picked up a stick. A soft waving glow emitted from my hand, the stick turned into ash and some even fell onto the ground. Her face changed again. The same warm smile had appeared back on her face.

"That's too bad. Your Mommy really wants to miss out on the strong woman you will become someday." she said, her fingers gently brushed my hair out of my face. A happiness grew within me. I didn't have to be ashamed of what my Mom hated. "A famous Supe in the making." she softly chuckled. I tilted my head in confusion.

"Supe?" I asked, the name ringed so good I smiled. She nodded and walked toward the door. My chest felt tighter, my breath restricted. "Madelyn!" I shouted, panicked because my feet couldn't reach the ground to chase after her. She looked back and smiled reassuringly.