𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 || 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢-𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬

John Murphy x reader [Pt. 2]

I felt all the air leave my lungs and my jaw went slack, her news leaving me reeling. I could hear a ringing in my ears, blocking out the rest of her words entirely as I felt my breath come in gasps. Murphy...was he...was he back?! How-how could he...he was back? I felt her shaking me then and finally, I glanced up into her dark brown eyes.

"Is he...is he with them? Is John with them?!" I asked her frantically, searching her gaze for the truth.

Ever so slowly, she shrugged, "Honestly, I'm not sure. The Rover just got here-"

Before the rest of the words could even leave her mouth, I was racing down the hallway, my boots thudding on the white tile. Seconds later, she was hot on my heels and together, we ran to the front door of the Bunker. My heart was pounding in my chest so loud, I could barely hear the feverish energy of the others around me as a crowd formed just as the doors began to open. All was silent for a single moment...and then a surge of excitement shot through everyone, shouts and cries abounding. It occurred to me in that moment...just how long it had been since we'd last seen each other. We'd started dating the year before the apocalypse happened, before Praimfaya.

My eyelids shuttered closed at my next thought - one that had been gnawing at the back of my mind. Would he still love me if I was no longer that young girl he knew? I was a mother now, no longer his teenage girlfriend. Even so...the memory of him still brought butterflies to my stomach. But would John still love me six years later? I hadn't noticed it quiet down around me until a gasp erupted in front of me.

My eyes flew open then...into a familiar lovely shade of cornflower blue that I had missed so dearly. It was like everything was in slow-motion then as I drank him in - his hair was shorter now than it had been, his skin cleaner, slightly more muscular than before...but those eyes. My gosh, those eyes were the same electric color I had fell in love with so long ago. And just like that, everything sped up and I was back in his arms.

The scent of filled my nose and I buried my face into the crook of his neck, the tears coming on loud and fast just as voices resumed around me, eyes no longer on the two of us. His arms held me tightly to his chest and my fingers dug into his t-shirt, as if to make sure he was really there.

"Is this real?" I whispered into the cotton material of his shoulder, tears soaking his shirt, "Are you really here with me?"

My voice broke on the last word and I felt his arms tighten around me, bringing me as close to himself as he could.

"I'm here... Baby, I'm here," he said softly, pressing a kiss into my hair.

Slowly, I entangled myself from him - if only slightly so as to glance up into his eyes. With hesitant movements, I placed a hand on either side of his face, fingers caressing his skin. His eyes fluttered closed briefly, leaning into my touch.

"I missed you, John... I missed you so much!" I sobbed as I gazed up at him.

That was all either of us needed to hear before his lips crashed into mine, hands encircling my waist tightly. Our lips moved in sync, the kiss full of all the pent-up passion that had been building these past six years. He deepened the kiss then and I roughly pulled at the brown hair at the nape of his neck. But before we could continue, we were suddenly interrupted by a small voice from below us.

"Mommy, why are you kissing that strange man?" Rayanne asked as we pulled apart.

John looked down at her, confusion etched on his face as his gaze switched from her to me to her then back to me once more. Smiling slightly, I brushed the tears away with the back of my hand before looking up at John.

"Rayanne...meet your daddy," I said softly.

Murphy's eyes widened considerably, the weight of those words dawning on him as he looked down again at the small girl, taking in her features that were so similar to his own.

"I...I have a daughter?" he breathed out in shock, eyes connecting to mine.

Slowly, I nodded, suddenly feeling nervous - scared, even. What if he didn't want her? Want us? It had been a long time but the John Murphy I'd known wouldn't have wanted kids. But...had space changed him? Had time changed him? Before my thoughts could run more rampant than they already were, Murphy had bent down to our daughter's level. I sucked in a sharp breath as they stared back at one another. Surprisingly, Rayanne didn't flinch away like she usually did with strangers - she was oddly calm around him. And finally, she was the one to break the silence that had ensued between them.

"Daddy?" she asked him hesitantly, big blue eyes full of innocence as she uttered the word.

What happened next was so beautiful, it brought me to tears. A bright smile lit up Murphy's face and slowly, he nodded to her question. Within seconds, the tiny child had tackled him, catching him slightly off-guard. But gradually, he wrapped his arms around Rayanne as she snuggled into his chest. I covered my mouth to stifle the happy sob that threatened to spill out. We were complete. A family.

And with the realization of those words in my head...it finally hit me: Murphy and I...had a family. The world wasn't perfect...but right now? It felt like my life was.