#you can take my acetrans!sapphic Cinder headcanon from my cold dead hands

[bridgyrose]

I don't usually ask for prompts starring a villain, but this one seems an interesting concept to me:

Cinder meets her biological parents in Atlas. They're not what she expected Atlesians to be.

(You know, I always thought of her parents as being from Mistral all things considered. That said, I do have a bit of fun with this)

Cinder paused in her step as she watched a woman who looked similar to her walk down the street in front of her. It had been years since she had thought about her parents, who they were or what they did, and for years she had always imagined she’d be angry at them for dumping her off at that blasted orphanage. And yet, as she watched this woman, she wasnt sure why that anger seemed to disappear and instead curiosity took its place. 

“We have a job to do, dont we?” Neo signed as he tried to get Cinder’s attention. 

“Give me a minute,” Cinder said as she pulled away from Neo, her eyes stayed on the woman as she watched her walk away. She didnt know when she had started to walk after or when her pace started to pick up as she moved her way past a few people who walked the street. Her heart raced the longer she followed, uncertain what to say as she tried to think about what to tell her. “I hate you,” and “Why did you leave me?” ran through her mind as she tried to think of other things to say, words caught in her throat the moment she saw that she was spotted. Cinder froze in her tracks once more, eye locked on the woman’s as she took a step back. 

The woman stepped forward with a smile. “Ed, is that you?” 

“E-Ed?” Cinder repeated slowly, her voice cracked as she tried to find the other words to say. “I-I think you have the wrong person.” 

“I’d never forget those amber eyes, Edwin. They look just like your father’s.” 

Cinder took another step back as she listened to the woman, her voice sounded just like hers yet calm. Looking at her face was almost like looking in a mirror from before she had the maiden powers, blue eyes instead of amber. And yet, it was all real. From the way the woman rushed over, footsteps clicking against the stone road, all the way to the way the woman pulled her into a warm hug. 

The woman squeezed Cinder in the hug, holding her tight. “I thought I’d never see you again after I had to give you up.” 

“You… you had to?” Cinder asked quietly as she watched her mother cry against her, her fingers shook as she wrapped her arms around her mother. “Why… why did you… why did you leave me there?” 

“I didnt want to, but… but I couldnt afford to keep you around either.” Her mother pulled back and gave Cinder a warm smile as she wiped away a few tears. “I couldnt give you the life that you deserved, so I left you at the orphanage so someone else could give you that opportunity. I only wanted the best for you.” 

Cinder slowly frowned as she pulled away from her mother as she held back her maiden powers from manifesting. “The life I deserved?! You left me with a matron that would beat me if I so much as tried to defend myself! And then when I was finally adopted, I was treated like a slave, a collar put around my neck to shock me every time I did something she didnt approve of!” She pulled down the collar of her shirt to show the scarring from the shock collar. She panted in anger as a few tears rolled down her cheeks, her frown softening a bit as she watched her mother slowly reach out for the scars and quietly spoke. 

“I’m sorry.” 

Cinder went quiet and her body relaxed as she hid her scars again, caught off guard by those two little words. “I’m sorry” ran through her mind over and over as she felt a few more tears run down her cheeks, her legs shook as she stared at her mother. And yet, no matter how angry she had wanted to be, that anger faded away. Her words stayed caught in the back of her throat for what almost felt like an eternity. “C-Cinder.” 

Her mother looked at her curiously. “What was that?” 

“Cinder. I go by Cinder now.” 

“Cinder. Its a pretty name.” 

“Thanks…” Cinder wiped away her tears and sighed. “I should get going-” 

“Why not come home with me for dinner? I’m sure your father would want to get to know his daughter just as much as I do.” 

Cinder stopped mid step as she turned to look at her mother, almost surprised that she’d ask her to join her for a meal. Though, what surprised her the most was the answer that left her lips without even a second thought. “I’d love to.” 

Her mother smiled and reached for her hand. “We have a small apartment here in Atlas until we can get everything moved over from Mistral. Its a bit small, but we can fit you for dinner as long as you’re not too busy.” 

Cinder pulled back for a moment as she looked at her mother’s hand, then looked behind her towards Neo as she hesitated, almost hoping that her partner would be able to save her. Then, as she watched Neo disappear for a moment, she took her mother’s hand and nodded. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. It’ll only be for an hour or two, right?” 

“Unless you want to stay longer.”