Chuck Shurley Imagines

Rob Benedict x Reader: Terrible Things (Songfic)

Songfic based on Terrible Things by Mayday Parade
(Fem!Reader)
Warning: Sad Feels
(S/N) = Son's Name
Please listen to the song while you read, it will enhance the experience.

By the time I was your age, I'd give anything
To fall in love truly was all I could think
That's when I met your mother, the girl of my dreams
The most beautiful woman that I'd ever seen

Rob smiled down at his son sadly as he told him the story of when he first met you. It was a tale he frequently told at night, when (S/N) was tucked in bed. (S/N) loved the way his father described his mother, the most gorgeous woman alive, he'd said, and when Rob smiled at the little details, the tiny little things that made you the girl of his dreams, (S/N) couldn't help but dream of you too.

She said "Boy, can I tell you a wonderful thing?
I can't help but notice you're staring at me.
I know I shouldn't say this, but I really believe,
I can tell by your eyes that you're in love with me."

Rob could remember it perfectly. He could remember sitting in that coffee shop and seeing you walk in, unable to drag his eyes from you. He could still feel the shock and joy that he had felt when you had stood up from your table and sat yourself down at his. He remembered how nervous and embarrassed he was when you told him noticed his staring, but you said it was okay.

You were staring too.

Now, son, I'm only telling you this
Because life can do terrible things

Every night, (S/N) would ask,
"Daddy, what happened to Mummy?"
And every night, Rob would say,
"Sometimes, (S/N), things happen. And what happened to your mummy was a terrible thing."

Now, most of the time we'd have too much to drink
And we'd laugh at the stars and we'd share everything
Too young to notice, and too dumb to care
Love was a story that couldn't compare.

Rob was young when he met you, in his mid twenties, and you spent a lot of time going out and having fun. Most nights you two could either be found at a bar together, or on top of that quiet little hill you visited so often, laying on the hood of Rob's car, staring at the stars.
Oh, how you loved the stars.
Many secrets were told up on that hill, and you never kept anything to yourself. You were so in love Rob, and vice versa, that as you got older, you didn't even realise that you weren't feeling as great as you used to. That you got sick much more often than you used to.

It didn't matter, you were in love.

I said, "Girl, can I tell I tell you a wonderful thing?
I've made you a present with paper and string,
Open with care now, I'm asking you please,
You know that I love you, will you marry me?"

The night Rob proposed was one of the best nights of your life. He could still feel the cool evening breeze as you both stood on the hill, hear the leaves rustle as he knelt down behind you with a small deep purple ring box, waiting for you to turn around and notice. The exhilaration that rushed through him as he opened the box and gave his speech, before asking you that one question. The one question that could change everything.

"Will you marry me?"

You'll learn one day,
I'll hope and I'll pray,
That god,
Shows you differently,

You'd found out about your son just after you'd gotten married, when it was becoming obvious that you weren't as healthy as you had once been. You'd both been overjoyed and as Rob lay down your son to sleep he prayed to God that S/N wouldn't be put through what Rob had experienced those years before.

She said "Boy, can I tell you a terrible thing?
It seems that I'm sick,
And I've only got weeks.
Please don't be sad now, I really believe,
You were the greatest thing that ever happened to me"

He could still feel the cold pain in his chest when the doctor told you that it was unlikely that you would survive the pregnancy. You were too weak, and your immune system had given up on your body. You pushed through, refusing to destroy an innocent life before it was even lived. Rob had tried, begged you to think about the options. You could always have another baby, could try again when your body was stronger. Still you refused to listen, you were not giving up this child. That's what found Rob outside the paediatric ward, staring in at his son with a blank gaze. The doctor was right. Your body hadn't been strong enough to attempt to heal itself after you had given birth and you had died laying in a hospital bed, never having held your son, never having looked him in the eye.

Never had the chance to love him.

Slow, so slow.
I fell to the ground,
On my knees.

Rob had never felt so helpless. His cry of anguish could be heard on the other side of the maternity ward, a desperate, agonising plea for you to come back. To help him, tell what to do. What was he supposed to do without you? He couldn't do this, he couldn't raise a child on his own. You were supposed to be there to help him, guide him and learn yourself about parenthood.

So don't fall in love,
There's just too much to lose.
If you're given the choice then,
I'm begging you, choose
To walk away, walk away
Don't let her get you
I can't bare to see the same happen to you

As S/N grew older and became a teenager, he grew distant from Rob. He was protective, especially when it came to relationships. Rob was terrified when S/N turned seventeen and decided to bring home his girlfriend of six months. Rob was cold and distantly the whole night and he was short with the girl. It was early when she left, clearly uncomfortable, and S/N turned on his father. The argument lasted over an hour, and ended with the words:

"I just don't want you to feel like this. It hurts so goddamn much."

Now son,
I'm only telling you this
Because life can do
Terrible things

Years later, when Rob was on his death bed, when every breath could be his last, Rob thought back to you. Your smile, your laugh, your voice, your son. He was as beautiful as you had once been, grown, with a family of his own. Rob thought about the rough patch they'd been through when S/N was a teenager and then looked to his side where his son was sat, tears streaming down his face. Here he was, finally telling S/N the true story of how you had died, having kept the truth a secret for years. Rob knew how S/N would react. He would blame himself when it wasn't his fault. The last words that ever left Rob's mouth were the words he used to say when S/N was a child.

"It's ok, S/N. Sometimes life can do terrible things."

So I've been working on this one for a little while and I got stuck half way through, but I finished a couple weeks ago and I've started writing some more one shots so I thought I'd upload it.

allforthefandom x