Request: @daleketchup
Warnings: None
Word count: 1327
Gender: Male
Additional Info: Mother! Cordelia X Son! Reader
Don't be fooled, I'm definitely supposed to be sleeping rn but nah
Enjoy!
Cordelia's death deeply affected both her children.
After her mother's gruesome death, Severa began to have the sharpest tongue around, swearing and mocking about everyone on the tiniest of things, out of sheer jealousy and loneliness, despite what she would tell others. She grew to despise most people she met, or at least, to seem like she did.
Whereas her younger adopted brother, (Y/N), seemed to love most people he hanged around with. He grew up to be a more fun and loving guy, always smiling, always cracking a joke with friends. Not an ounce of sadness or of remorse ever touched his face.
It was something Severa always criticized him about.
"It's like you don't even care- Were you even affected at all? At least a little by her death? You still go on with living your life as if she never even died in the first place," she would tell him, and (Y/N), when hearing what Severa thought of him, for the millionth time in years, couldn't help but feel his heart growing weaker in his chest, as if he were to give up.
"Didn't it ever cross your mind that that's how I cope with death?"
That would always shut Severa up.
"Of course I care. I don't know how you could ever think otherwise," (Y/N) would said, hurt from such a harsh attack from his own sister.
~~~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~~~~~
When Cordelia first met her future children in her world, she couldn't believe who they were and it was a very hard pill for her to swallow.
She especially had trouble understanding how come (Y/N) looked nothing like her or like her husband (and thus, surely the father or her future children).
"That's because you adopted me," (Y/N) told her.
"Adopted?" She seemed surprised, "I-I mean— Not that it is a bad thing, of course! I'm sure you are a wonderful son, but how come that came to be?"
"You saved me from a group of bandits when I was little. My parents got killed so you and father took me in."
"Oh, I see- And Severa is my biological daughter?"
"Yep," he laughed, "It would make sense. She looks a lot like you, although... She is pretty different personality wise."
"I can see that," Cordelia awkwardly chuckled, "She sure is... Well- I wouldn't want to criticize future me's job as a mother, but—"
He laughed, "It's okay. She probably knows it too, but it's just... Well, your death had quite a toll on her, as it should, and I guess that really changed her as a person."
"Well, you don't seem to have been affected that much by my death," she noticed, "You seem quite easygoing!"
And why would his nature mean that he has never known grief?
"Well, I do try my best to cope," he said, before awkwardly chuckling.
~~~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~~~~~
(Y/N) wondered what his younger mother owned in her tent so he sneaked there without permission to look around- No big deal (WRONG).
"Oh? What's this?" He stumbled upon something, a book to be precise, of fairytales, with the usual princess and prince on the cover, staring at each other lovingly.
(Y/N), curious enough, picked it up and skimmed through it, and that was when he realized just how oddly familiar it looked.
The illustrations inside, one by one, were calling to him, and that was when he really did realize that this was the exact fairytale book from his childhood that his mother used to read him from when he was younger.
'Goddess,' he kept on skimming through it, 'I haven't seen this book in ages.'
This was one of the possessions from his childhood that he had lost, along with his mother.
He lightly chuckled, as he would stumble upon his dear mother's notes in the margins of every page. She was an avid reader of fairytales, he supposed, even in her younger years. She was always quite the romantic at heart.
The sight of this book, the memories of his mother reading to him and Severa fairytales with the biggest grin on her face, with the starry eyed expression of a chin in awe, made him tear up just a little.
'How good used to be those days, and how fast they went by', (Y/N) thought to himself.
"(Y/N)?"
With a loud sniff, (Y/N) immediately turned around. His face turned beet red and he immediately wiped his tears, when he fell upon Cordelia who had just stepped inside the tent, with a slightly suspicious look on her face, which shifted to confusion and worry when she noticed the state he was in.
"— (Y/N)... Are you... crying?"
"Crying?" He awkwardly laughed, sneaking the book behind his back, "Of course not!"
"You are," she lightly frowned, sure of what she saw, "I saw you," her expression then became soft, "You know, there's nothing wrong with crying— Just, what are you crying about anyway?"
Cordelia knew (Y/N) was hiding something behind his back and she was determined to find out what was the cause to all this.
When she finally got her hands on the book, after much effort and perseverance, she blushed furiously, and immediately hid the cover of the book against her chest.
"H-Hey! This is very personal!"
"No use in hiding it. I already saw it, and I know this book."
She frowned, confused, "Y-You do?"
"Yeah. That's the fairytale book you used to read from in the future, when Severa and I were kids. You loved that book and you loved sharing it with us. I've got lots of memories with that thing and I guess... I guess I got a little emotional when I stumbled upon it. I haven't seen it in years," and as he said those words, he became a little melancholic but he tried to hold back any more tears.
"I... I didn't know that. I guess it really must be special to you, if you started crying when you saw it. I never thought you'd be the kind of person who'd tear up so easily," she murmured, as she looked down at the cover of her book.
"Yeah, well- It's easy to tear up when thinking back on how it used to be back when you were alive," he murmured to himself.
"I-I'm so sorry— And I was so stupid, thinking that my death didn't affect you much when it did," she blushed, embarrassed and angry at herself for not knowing better, "I shouldn't have guessed otherwise. Of course it affected you, as it affected Severa."
Both of them remained quiet for a moment, before Cordelia began to skim through the fairytale book.
She then shyly looked up to her future son with a certain gleam in her eyes.
"Would you like me to read you some passages?"
~~~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~~~~~
And so she did, with those starry eyed expression and the passionate smile that were so characteristic of Cordelia when she used to read him those fairytale stories.
As he carefully listened to every word she said, (Y/N) wouldn't help but plunge back into the past and tear up a little.
Cordelia even had to stop for a moment because her future son became so emotional towards the end of it.
"It's the story, isn't it?" She thought, "I promise you that it gets much better toward the ending."
"I-I know how the story ends. I know it all by heart and I probably could tell it all to you if I had the courage to, but it's just... Thank you- for doing this— I am so grateful to be able to relive this memory. It's surreal, mother."
And when Cordelia called her that, she couldn't help but tear up a little herself, but she tried her best to keep going to the story, until the happy ending which (Y/N) and his future mother greeted with open arms.