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whatyadrawin · 5 months

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The Fruit After The Flesh 18+ -CHAPTER 1-

Masterlist

Approximately 2,395 words

Pairing: Thomas Hewitt(HeadCanon) x AFAB reader

This chapters Warnings: Brief mention of self harm

A/n: This is a really self indulgent fanfic, it may have some common tropes and it will get very mature so MINORS DNI. I am making this a large slow burner because I am seriously falling in love with the setting and where the story is going. It may not be 10 chapters, it will likely be more. As with my other fics, I will finish this to completion and there will be varying amounts of illustrations for each chapter. I want to push the fact that this entire universe is headcanon. Having said all this, please enjoy. Fell free to leave a like, reblog, or comment if you're comfortable. Thank you for reading, I am so happy to be able to share my work with so many people who appreciate it.

Chapter 1

“Ma’am?”

You’re awoken from a pleasant nap by the voice of the taxi driver who picked you up from the airport.

“I hate to wake ya, but this here’s the end o’ the line fer me”

Slowly you sit up, the bright light of the sun shines into the backseat as the air conditioning gently breezes past your neck. You look out the window and are met with large swathes of yellow grass, dried up from being beaten by the sun’s intensive rays; The yellow of the grass is only contrasted by the bright azure blue of the sky, riddled with bright white fluffy clouds slowly lumbering across the horizon.

“S’good thing ya have such a small amount’a luggage huh?”

The cab driver popped the trunk and got out of the car to help grab your luggage, a small satchel of essentials and a suitcase of the last remains of the clothes you had left in Manitoba. You get out of the backseat and are immediately blasted with a wave of heat that weighs the air down.

“If you walk one mile up past this here gate, you’ll find the road getting’ ya t’yer home. I reckon no one’s been out here fer years. Ahm still not sure hwhat y’gone get up to”

You grab your belongings and thank the driver; he warns you to not take your time walking due to the intensity of the weather, then he gets in the cab and slowly drives off. You start walking past the open gate and toward the home that was left to you by a family member you barely knew. When you received the call from the lawyer dealing with the will, it was like a miracle, your business was tanking and you didn’t have much left financially. Being a seamstress in the town of Rivers was not easy, there was not enough work for you and the citizens didn’t have much to give for payment. Living there was lonely, your only friend passed away in high school because the stress of bullying got too much for her; since that incident, a deep hatred for humans remained in your heart.

You thought you had no more family left until the lawyer told you about your distant relative on mom’s side who had put you as the sole receiver to a fortune and the property. The only condition for getting access to the money was to come live on the property and care for the orchard attached to it. The lawyer informed you that your relative’s orchard had supplied the town and her written wish was for you to carry on its legacy. After living in a small town for all 33 years of your life you were excited to start fresh somewhere new, what better place to do that than Fuller, Texas which is virtually a ghost town.

The dirt road kicked up dust from your steps as you made your way to the first intersection, you took the turn and headed up the hill, the old driveway was overgrown with grass; You were grateful for the trees along the path, giving you shade from the sun, each one rustling in the gentle breeze occasionally dropping a leaf that would silently fall to the ground. Once you reached the top of the hill, you saw the house that was in the pictures the lawyer sent over, it was a small one storey house shining white in the sun. There were no trees around the front of the house but small bushes with wildflowers bloomed around it, your car was parked casually in front of the home next to a large moving crate full of the stuff you packed before you flew down. Having all your belongings and car shipped down early was a smart choice.

You made your way to the home, looking for the set of keys in your bag, the door opened with a creak and a distinct smell of old wood mixed with the ghosts of thousands of meals cooked wafted around you. The inside was quaint, all the electronics were dated but the décor was simple and rustic, this home felt cozy and welcoming as the sun pushed through the curtains leaving a gentle glow on the hardwood floor of the living room. You set your things down at the entrance and went to open every window to allow the stagnated air to circulate and cool the house before nighttime. You peered into the backyard, it was small but charming, there was a large tree that provided shade to the fenced area, and a white swing bench that had a bistro table set next to it. You walked out into the yard which was fenced by a weathered white picket fence, it overlooked the entire property. You walked up to the edge of the fence and noticed some binoculars set against one of the posts, you take them and use them to look around the land.

You see a small home at the edge of the orchard -that must be the farmhand’s home, I should go let them know I am here and introduce myself-. You look further and see a large house in the distance, it has tall pillars in front and looks deteriorated; you slowly move the binoculars around to see the rest of that home, you find a barn and spot something large moving, you spin the binocular setting to zoom in further but struggle with the focus. After a short bit of fiddling, you manage to get a clear image and see that the moving shape was a man, a huge one, the man towers over the cow he is tending to, you squint your eyes to see if you can make out any details but all you can see is his long hair and that he has a face covering of some sort. You lower the binoculars and put your hands on your hips -who was that man? Is he really that tall? Maybe I should introduce myself to the neighbors as well-.

You spend an hour unpacking clothes and necessities from the moving crate, just enough to get you settled in, the furniture in the home still has some belongings from the passed relative that you need to clean out. After looking through the fridge and cupboards, you realize you don’t have anything to eat, and there’s no way you can get a delivery all the way out here, so you decide to take your car into town to see what’s available. The drive takes you along country road 26, you see nothing for a while and are almost startled when a small building shows up in the distance. You pull up and notice it’s a gas station and grocery store - I hope they have something I can eat in here-, you park in front of the entrance and go inside.

Everything in the store looks dusty and old, you feel a sense of unease at the prospect of going hungry tonight. You head to the register and see an older woman sitting on a stool reading a newspaper, she has white hair pinned up into a bun and thick reading glasses that look old enough to be from the 70s.

“Hi there” you say quietly

“Oh, I didn’t know someone had come in. Hi hun, how can I help you?” she places the newspaper down and stands up to greet you.

“I just moved into town and I realized I have no food for tonight, is there anything in here that can tide me over?”

“Welcome to Fuller! Let’s get you something to eat dear.” She looked surprised that you would even have to ask but she was happy to lead you over to some packaged goods and canned veggies.

“These here came in a few days ago with our latest shipment, don’t let the dust in here bother you none, I just haven’t had the energy to clean the place up better”

You smile and start grabbing some boxed oatmeal and canned vegetables, with these you would be able to eat for a day or two until you could to do a big shopping trip in the next town over.

You stop grabbing items and look over at her to say

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t even introduce myself, my name is Y/N. I moved into the property with the orchard”

The woman’s eyes light up and she smiles, replying “Well now there’s a welcome surprise! My name is Luda Mae, I’m your neighbor down the bottom of the hill, we did a lot of business with the previous owner, Tilly. She was a close friend of mine”

You are interested now, and ask “You knew her? She was a distant relative to me and I actually inherited what she had, I feel bad about it because I didn’t know her at all, but I intend to keep the orchard going since that was her dying wish”

Luda Mae kept her smile but looked away as if she was starting to tear up, she spoke in a quieter tone “She was a real good friend, she felt like a sister to me. Did you know that without her starting that orchard, my folks would have” she stopped herself and paused looking around “Well let’s just say, she saved us”

Your interest in getting to know who Tilly was had spiked, the lawyer said she was well known to locals but never expanded on that. Luda Mae continues,

“Join me and my friend for tea tomorrow, I’d love to tell you all about Tilly, and that way you can meet my family as well, it’s always nice to have a friendly neighbor. I won’t take no for an answer”

You feel a bit of anxiety creep in, meeting new people was already difficult for you and what’s worse this was in a completely new place, so far out of your comfort zone. Luda Mae takes some of the items you grabbed and brings them to the counter and bags them. You follow her and place the rest of your things on the counter and say,

“What time did you want me to stop by?”

Luda Mae hands you the food and says “Just come on by ‘round noon, I’ve lots to talk about with you, there’ll be plenty of food too so that way these groceries will last a bit longer” She gives you a wink.

“That sounds really nice actually, what do I owe you for the groceries?”

“It’s on the house hun, let that be a welcome gift” she smiles and follows with “By the way dear, be careful around that farmhand, he’s a cruel old thing. Did you move with anyone? Maybe a husband or boyfriend?”

You feel a sense of worry at the thought of being alone on a property with someone mean, let alone a man who is cruel. You reply,

“No, I don’t have anyone, it’s just me”

Luda Mae suppresses a smirk, she follows you to the exit and opens the door for you saying “We’ll keep an eye out for you then, you’ll be alright dear, he’ll get what he’s owed one day”

Those last words really sparked fear in you, was the farmhand dangerous or just mean? It might be a good idea to introduce yourself in order to find out and possibly make a connection so you don’t seem rude. You put the groceries in the trunk and get in the car, Luda Mae waves to you as you pull out and head towards home.

Once you are home and the groceries were put away, you decide to go down to the orchard to see what kind of fruit are being grown. The trees are large and densely packed with fruits of all sorts, oranges, lemons, peaches, apples, and cherries. You are suddenly startled by a large, ugly man, he reeked of body odor and wore dirty overalls.

“Who the hell’re you?” he asks rudely.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get in the way. I’m Y/N I am the new owner of this property after Tilly passed”

The man looks angry, he rolls his eyes and pushes past you saying,

“Ah thought she din’t have no family” You scrunch your nose in confusion, he continues “You best keep outta muh way”

You follow after him saying “I just wanted to introduce myself so you know who I am”

He continues walking off “Don’t care” and disappears behind another row of trees.

You feel upset, you were already weary of people because of their bad behavior, and now you have a rude, smelly man controlling the orchard that you are unsure how to get rid of. You decide to pick some fruits to bring to Luda Mae tomorrow and head back up to the house. You put the fruits you picked in a basket you found and walk back out to the yard to relax on the swing bench. -I’m going to have to get used to that asshole until I can learn how to manage this farm myself. At least I don’t have to work anymore, so I will have plenty of time to learn-.

You get up and head over to where the binoculars sat, and used them to look over at Luda Mae’s property again to see if there is a designated front door. -Why did she ask if I had brought anyone? was she asking if I was single?- The thought lingered in your mind until you saw that enormous man again, this time he was holding a chicken and watching a small group of them peck at the ground. The chicken looked so tiny in his hands, and he held it so gently, giving it soft strokes along the back of its head. You stood still watching this strange man pet a hen for what felt like an hour, his face being covered was intriguing and his wide frame was a real sight to behold even if it was from afar.

You notice the sun beginning to set and decide it’s time to get inside and get some rest, the thought of possibly seeing that strange man up close danced in your mind and excited you for tomorrow’s visit. -I hope I get to meet him-.

#what ya writin #thomas hewitt #thomas hewitt x y/n #slasher community #thomas hewitt x afab reader #leatherface 2006 #texas chainsaw massacre #my art #the fruit after the flesh

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forgotten-elves · 1 year

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Enduring Roots Legacy Challenge

A seven generation Sims 4 legacy challenge based on some of the plants found in the base game. Focus on gardening and some supernatural gameplay.

Required Packs: None

Optional Packs (for some alternate aspirations/traits & optional goals): Cats & Dogs, City Living, Cottage Living, Crystal Creations, Discover University, Eco Lifestyle, For Rent, Get Famous, Get Together, Get to Work, High School Years, Horse Ranch, Island Living, Journey to Batuu, Jungle Adventure, Outdoor Retreat, Paranormal, Realm of Magic, Romantic Garden, Seasons, Snowy Escape, Spa Day, Strangerville, Vampires, Werewolves

Getting started: Aging can be set to whatever you prefer, including being turned off entirely. Gen 1 can be created alone, or with a spouse, sibling, parents, etc., and can be of any age. The listed aspiration does not have to be picked as the sim's first one; they just need to work on (and ideally complete) it at some point in their lives. This challenge is meant to be flexible and guide storytelling, not to be intentionally difficult, and adapt to whatever packs you might have (whether that be none, or all of them), so feel free to make changes to the rules where you need to.

Currently play-testing. As I do, and as new packs release, I may make some changes.

Generation 1: Orchard

Always bright as a summer’s day, and beloved by everyone you’ve met, sometimes you’ve been told you’re too much of a good thing. And that some quirks are just not endearing. It’s not your fault you can see things others can’t, and you refuse to pass up the opportunity to make a friend, living or dead.

Traits: Cheerful, Erratic [or Cringe (for rent), or Clumsy], Outgoing [or Dog Lover (cats & dogs), Cat Lover (cats & dogs), Animal Enthusiast (cottage living), or Horse Lover (horse ranch)]

Aspiration: Friend of the World, Friend of the Animals (cats & dogs), Country Caretaker (cottage living), or Emissary of the Collective (werewolves).

Goals:

Reach level five of the comedy skill

Befriend 3 ghosts*

Have a penpal

Grow an orchard of at least three different types of fruit trees

Have a ghost join the household, or a current member die and rejoin the household as a ghost.*

Optional: Live in a haunted house residential (paranormal)

Optional: Have the island spirits lot trait (island living), and/or spooky lot challenge (city living)

Optional: Max the medium skill (paranormal), pet training skill (cats & dogs), and/or horse riding skill (horse ranch)

Optional: Complete any of the following collections: postcards, sugar skulls, and/or spirit dolls (snowy escape)

*Ghost pets (cats & dogs) and horses (horse ranch) qualify. Specters (paranormal) do not.

Generation 2: Wolfsbane

A student of the earth and the night sky, you’ve always found the mysteries of the world more intriguing than any facet of contemporary human civilization.

Traits: Loner [or Socially Awkward (high school years) or Unflirty (city living)], Genius [or Bookworm], Loves Outdoors

Aspiration: The Curator, Archaeology Scholar (jungle adventure), Outdoor Enthusiast (outdoor retreat), Jungle Explorer (jungle adventure), Cure Seeker (werewolves), or Crystal Crafter (crystal creations).

Goals:

Grow an herb garden

Grow wolfsbane flowers*

Have a telescope

Reach level 10 of the logic skill

Moonbathe at least once during each different lunar phase

Optional: Max the vampire lore skill (vampires), herbalism skill (outdoor retreat), and/or gemology skill (crystal creations).

Optional: Complete any of the following collections: microscope, space prints and/or fossils

*If you don’t have Vampires or Werewolves, then you may have to use debug to find the flower, as although it is a base game plant, I don’t know if there is any way to access it through base game gameplay.

Generation 3: U.F.O Fruit

Your parent inspired in you an awe for the cosmos, but unlike them, who considered it distant and obscure, you’re determined to experience as much of the expanse as you can. All your dreams of adventure you will make reality, and your belief in true love may guide the way.

Traits: Good [or Generous (for rent)], Childish, Loyal [or Adventurous (snowy escape)]

Aspiration: Soulmate, Extreme Sports Enthusiast (snowy escape), Strangerville Mystery (strangerville), or Paragon of Hope (journey to batuu).

Teen Aspiration (optional, would not replaces main aspiration): Live Fast (high school years) or Goal Oriented (high school years)

Goals:

Have a Lin Z speaker

Marry either your high school or college sweetheart, or meet your future spouse on vacation (or while visiting Sixam (get to work)

Reach level five of the fitness skill

Have a rocket ship and reach level 10 of the rocket science skill

Find the U.F.O fruit and use it to start a garden

After having your first child, publish 3 children’s books

Optional: Grow all three Sixam plants in your garden (get to work)

Optional: Max the robotics skill (discover university)

Optional: Complete any of the following collections: aliens, space rocks, geodes (get to work), and/or snow globes (city living)

Generation 4: Dragonfruit

There’s something about you that’s striking, alluring; you can’t enter a room without everyone’s eyes on you. Admire, but don’t touch. You have a reputation for having a thorny veneer, and no matter what you do, you can’t help but hurt the ones you love the most.

Traits: Mean [or Nosy (for rent)], Romantic, Self-Assured [or Self-Absorbed (get famous)]

Aspiration: Chief of Mischief, Serial Romantic, Villainous Valentine, Party Animal, Leader of the Pack (get together), World Famous Celebrity (get famous), or City Native (city living).

Teen Aspiration (optional, would not replace main aspiration): Drama Llama (high school years), Live Fast (high school years), or Admired Icon (high school years)

Goals:

Have and use a voodoo doll

Reach level 10 charisma

Grow dragonfruit

Throw/attend a social event (or a festival) every weekend while a young adult

Earn gold on three dates

Become enemies with two sims that you were previously good friends with

Optional: Complete any of the following collections: crystals, MySims trophies, city posters (city living), and/or tassels (for rent)

Optional: Max the gemology skill (crystal creations).

Generation 5: Cowplant

Dull days and long nights under pulsating lights and darkened rooms. You’re an eccentric bartender constantly surrounded by the pungent vitality of your workplace, and you find it therapeutic. But as you truly begin to perfect your craft, you find yourself bored with drinks that only free the mind for a time, and become obsessed with creating the elixir of life.

Traits: Evil, Perfectionist [or Overachiever (high school years)], Foodie [or Glutton]

Aspiration: Master Mixologist, Purveyor of Potions (realm of magic), or Expert Nectar Maker (horse ranch)

Teen Aspiration (optional, would not replace main aspiration): Drama Llama (high school years)

Goals:

Enter the culinary career (regardless of aspiration) and reach level four (you can choose to leave after that).

Grow grapes

Grow a cowplant and routinely milk it for the essence of life (even if you no longer need it for yourself)

Have a good relationship with only one of your children (your heir)

Optional: Learn the Pufferfish Nigiri recipe (city living)

Optional: Have the On a Dark Ley Line lot trait (vampires)

Optional: Make beetle juice and serve it to a friend/significant-other/family-member three times in a row as a "prank" (eco lifestyle)

Optional: Max the juice-fizzing skill (eco lifestyle) and/or nectar-making skill (horse ranch)

Generation 6: Death Flower

You grew up surrounded by the constant shadow of death, and you, the only one your parent could never sacrifice, were the one to finally end their reign of terror. Now, you’re alone with your memories, not even the Grim Reaper to talk to. You spend your life writing haunting eulogies, driven by some sense of penance, both for the lives your parent took and for the one murder you committed to end the carnage.

Traits: Gloomy, Loner [or Paranoid (strangerville)], Jealous [or High Maintenance (spa day)]

Aspiration: Musical Genius, Inner Peace (spa day) or Good Vampire (vampires)

Goals:

Reach level 10 of an instrument (violin, pipe organ (vampires), piano, or guitar)

Befriend the Grim Reaper during your childhood/teen years

Kill your parent during your teenage or young adult life stage

Only visit community lots at night

Grow orchids, pomegranates, and death flowers

Optional: Have the tragic clown painting

Optional: Have the Cursed (city living) and/or Spooky lot challenge (city living)

Optional: Ask for three wishes from the wishing well (romantic garden)

Optional: Max the wellness skill (spa day)

Generation 7: Forbidden Fruit of the Plant Sim

Your parent lived in eternal mourning, so any happiness or beauty were things you had to find yourself. You found all that and more, in the splendors of nature, and became obsessed with capturing it on canvas for everyone to see. As you tread deeper into nature’s embrace, you find secrets that transform the very essence of your being.

Traits: Creative [or Art Lover], Cheerful, Loves Outdoors [or Green Fiend (eco lifestyle)]

Aspiration: Painter Extraordinare, Freelance Botanist, or Country Caretaker (cottage living)

Goals:

Live off-the-grid

Reach level 10 gardening

Reach level 10 painting

Complete three masterpiece quality paintings

Find the forbidden fruit of the plant sim; plant it

Become a plant sim (unless you are already an occult)

Optional: Have the Creepy Crawlies (jungle adventure), Simple Living (cottage living) and/or Reduce & Recycle lot challenge (eco lifestyle)

Optional: Max the flower arranging skill (seasons)

Optional: Complete any of the following collections: frogs and/or insects (outdoor retreat)

#sims 4 legacy #sims 4 simblr #sims 4 legacy challenge #legacy challenge #sims legacy challenge #sims 4 legacy challenge rules #base game only #base game compatible #sims 4 base game #sims 4 base game legacy challenge #base game friendly #base game legacy #base game legacy challenge #base game challenge #enduring roots legacy challenge #enduring roots legacy

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theblogtini · 1 month

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“But seeing what happened last night and how clearly orchestrated the American Riviera Orchard and Arhewell announcements were to stamp all over not just William at an event but - more specifically - the Diana Awards ... I don't see them ever playing nice.” Hi TB, I’m the original anon and I think I sent this before the stunt they pulled last night. I agree that they’re not done with attacking his family, sadly. I am surprised they did this during the Diana Awards because it also takes the focus off of Diana and her legacy which they think they have some right to. I was wondering why she launched Redneck Yachtclub Lemonade on a Thursday afternoon since that doesn’t seem like the best time to launch a brand, but now we know. They can both go sit on tacks.

I never, ever, ever in a million years EVER thought that Harry would allow any Sussex drama to overshadow anything to do with Diana. Ever. This is telling me that he is turning a page in his book - there is no longer a desire to reconcile... he's upping the ante.

Also - Redneck Yachtclub Lemonade has me screaming bahahahahah

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sallysavestheday · 2 months

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Fic Progress Friday

Thanks to @eilinelsghost @thelordofgifs and @gwaedhannen for the tags to share a snippet of a WIP!

Have a little taste of the Russingon wedding heartbreaker I'm currently working on:

Fingon had always wished to be wed. Since they were youths, fumbling and giggling in Finwë’s orchard, reaching their first peaks together as they kissed and wound around each other and strained to keep their voices low. His choice was made and spoken; his vows pledged, even then. But Maedhros feared it. He feared owning and being owned, flinched from the bitterness of love gone dark and sharp and painful as his parents’ had, shrank from the tangled mess of Finwë’s House -- the painful legacy of the king’s desire.

And then Angband definitely doesn't help his anxiety...this is an ouchy one mwahahahaha!

Tagging @welcomingdisaster @melestasflight @polutrope if you feel inclined (I've lost track of who's done this recently, to be honest).

#my fics #fingon #maedhros #russingon

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fatehbaz · 1 year

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In early August of 1864, a contingent of thirty-six U.S. soldiers, led by an army captain named John Thompson, left Fort Defiance in the northeastern corner of Arizona Territory and trudged north under the hot sun through the sprawling homeland of the Navajos. Diné Bikéyah, as Navajos call their land [...]. He and his thirty-six men headed straight from Fort Defiance to the deep gorge at the heart of Diné Bikéyah -- Tséyi’ or Canyon de Chelly, the now-famous canyon lined with swaying cottonwoods and pockmarked with ancient Pueblo ruins. As Thompson and his men marched through the canyon, [...] they engaged in a fierce, and roundly victorious, battle against an unlikely enemy: the peach orchards that had been cultivated over hundreds of years by Diné families. In the course of his march, Thompson and his soldiers felled a remarkable 4,150 fruit- bearing peach trees and, for good measure, “effectually destroyed” at least eleven acres of corn and beans. Oddly, these binges of violence against Navajo peaches, corn, and beans came after the majority of Diné in the area had already surrendered to the army, following an aggressive and violent campaign for their removal from the canyon. [...]

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We can ask, of course, just what it was about these peach trees, corn stalks, and bean plants that invited such unnecessary violence, such “systematic eradication” of fruits, grains, and legumes.

Historian Peter Iverson muses, “perhaps the army simply wanted to remove evidence that contradicted the image of Navajos as full-time nomadic wanderers,” which had provided the (quite effective) rationale for their removal in the first place. Perhaps, too, the orchards and fields evidenced a Diné proficiency at agriculture in the high arid climes of the New Mexico territory that surprised Americans who expected Navajo country to be useless for agricultural purposes, a sprawling wasteland described in 1868 by William Tecumseh Sherman, the general of Union Army fame, as “utterly unfit for white civilization.” It is not implausible to venture a guess that these binges of violence against peach trees occurred as proxy to settler and soldier frustrations about the newly conquered Southwest and the challenges it presented to American notions of what good agricultural land should look like. Indeed, ideas about landscape and people, throughout this notorious removal campaign, served as the primary and most powerful impetus for colonial violence against people and peaches alike. Notions that the Colorado Plateau was uninhabited wasteland unfit for farming draw us quite a clear map of how we get from Thompson and his vexed tree felling to more contemporary cases of the interplay between nature, people, colonization, and power. [...]

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The social construction of the high, arid landscapes of the Southwest as “more or less worthless” has been a fundamental component of colonization of the Diné, as well as other southwestern and Great Basin tribes. In fact, the inhabitation of dry, arid landscapes by Native nations was used as evidence of their low status on the Western hierarchy of civilization, following a kind of environmental determinism that posited that “barren” landscapes supported villainous and savage peoples. [...]

The surviving Diné were to return to Diné Bikéyah, and General Sherman, who made the final decision to permit the Diné to return to their homeland, did so believing that he was sending them to what he considered, as one historian put it, a “waterless worthless waste” -- certainly not the kind of land [...] that would support fine orchards of thousands of fruit trees and scores of acres of beans and corn. In fact, upon returning to Diné Bikéyah, the Navajos of Canyon de Chelly masterfully regrew their orchards and, by the 1880s, were harvesting peaches once more.

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Text by: Traci Brynne Voyles. “In Search of Treasure.” Wastelanding: Legacies of Uranium Mining in Navajo Country. 2015. [Some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

#ruins #indigenous

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bruciemilf · 2 months

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Im gonna pump out some fan art of this OC I have in mind later, but for now, I’m gonna go a bit insane about Bi-Han’s mother. (Mind you this is is wholeheartedly not canon lol, my hyper fixations are just WOOOSH)

I think we can safely assume the Lin Kuei in MK1’s timeline are a little more progressive than their previous depictions. Yes, women can become members. But what of the girls born with crowns on their heads, and a legacy of nothing on their shoulders?

What if Bi-Han’s mother was a royal born who couldn’t participate in training even if she WANTED to?

What if she was purchased courted as a domestic servant for the Grandmaster? Because I can imagine that woman. a titan of ice and a scowl like fire. I imagine her, lonely, brutal, and dejected, with two children at her chest, asking what was she supposed to do with them?

“Love them.”

“And what will YOU do?” She spits at the Grandmaster. And he says he’ll rule. And she’s left wondering why the roles can’t be reversed. How is a child supposed to thrive when broken raises them?

Bi-Han is born first; He doesn’t make a sound, almost as if he can’t be bothered to.

She does feel a sparkling of something, but it could’ve been the blood loss. She has no idea this tiny thing will befriend the seed of a god one day.

Now, imagine your glaring son walks up to you one day, and says his father, your husband, got his shit ROCKED at the farmer’s market by a drunken, womanizing rancher.

The same rancher who vehemently opposed the Emperor when he demanded more grains from the South, for their pointless religious offerings. The same rancher who, apparently, found a child abandoned right in the middle of his peach orchard.

A child, a baby girl who radiates this bothersome, glowing warmth. A baby whom Bi-Han likes. A lot. “And you just found her in your orchard.”

“I know, it was bizzare. But we don’t have law inforcement in the south, and Jerrod, the bastard, won’t believe me either! I’m telling you, — she’s a God’s daughter. Was. She’s mine now, and I’m not giving her back, but it’s clear she’s no regular child!”

He’s a handsome man. Sharp lines curve his jaw, ans his hair is smooth, kissing his tanned shoulders. It’s almost hard to believe the Lin Kuei grandmaster forfeited under such a man.

She can understand why her husband would be infatuated.

“And you had her for how long?”

He peels oranges for her while Bi-Han chases the baby. Talia, her name is. Tai Ling never claimed to be particularly inventive, seeing as he never PLANNED for kids.

“A couple weeks! At first I thought I just drank too much, but, after she was still there for a few days, I realized I couldn’t really… Entertain my habits anymore.”

“You mean drinking and whoring?” She bored.

“Gah! At least I’m doing SOMETHING!” He argues with a twinkle in his eye, handing her the fruit. She takes it. Oftentimes, she’ll wonder how someone who has nothing is willing to give everything. “What do YOU do to be happy?”

She doesn’t have an answer for that.

“I had him for four years. I still don’t know what to do with him,” she confesses, watching Bi-Han run after Talia with all the drive a toddler can have. “Is it terrifying? To now know what they’ll become?”

To her surprise, he shakes his head. “I know what Talia will be. I’m not worried at all.”

She snorts. “Good for you,” still, his words bring a nameless and weightless comfort into her core. “…If you were me…What would you do?”

“If I had YOUR life? Probably sleep till I’m 100.” He laughs at his own jest, teeth smiling under the sun’s generous light. She never liked heat. But talking to him is almost worth the discomfort. “I think you’re doing great.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“But you’re trying your best, right?”

She nods once.

“Then that’s enough. It always is.”

A pause stagnates between them. “The man you fought at the market. He’s my husband.”

Tai Ling surprises her with a nod, “I know. “

“…Then why are you being kind with me?”

“A woman isn’t the men in her life. If we eat one spoiled apple, we don’t throw away the whole orchard.”

“…What?”

He laughs.

#IM OBSESSED WITH TAI LING MY BELOVED #also yeah bi Hans daddy is toxic old man yaoi for him but tai genuinely doesn’t know who he is after they fight lol #I just really wanted a character that’s a random little guy. tai ling is the Clark AND uncle iroh of MK #sindel and Jerrod are also big heart eyes for him #anyway BABY BI HAN #text #mortal Kombat #bi han #original character #ficlet #mk1

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opinated-user · 1 year

Note

Lily “Don’t buy hogwarts legacy” Orchard is virtue signaling again. Pretty ironic how she who constantly misgenders and calls other trans women creatures is calling other people transphobes, there’s enough iron here to make a black smith shop

regardless of LO's hypocresy, you still probably shouldn't buy the videogame. every cent that j.k. rowling wins with her ip she takes it as a sign of approval for her bigotry. but it's indeed hard to take her seriously when you can very clearly see how transphobic she is.

#lily orchard

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houseofbrat · 12 days

Text

Timeline of events, Part 2

[part 1]

01 MARCH 2024: Prince William ignores a “How’s Catherine?” question from someone at Wrexham during his St. David’s Day visit to Wales.

Thomas Kingston’s death revealed to be “catastrophic head injury” due to gunshot, i.e. suicide.

Victoria Murphy writes in Town & Countryabout the UK’s Editor’s Code of Practice prohibiting writing about the lack of information available to the public regarding The Princess of Wales’s condition.

02 MARCH 2024: Roya Nikkhah reports Queen Camilla’s annual March time-off as a sudden vacation instead of a regularly scheduled annual break she always takes at this time of year.

04 MARCH 2024: TMZ & Backgrid establish proof of life of The Princess of Wales and her mother.

UK media is pressured by Kensington Palace to *NOT* publish the photographs in the UK, even though everyone else in the world can see them online.

05 MARCH 2024: Richard Palmer notes that there is no legal reason why the pictures of Carole and Kate cannot be published due to them being on a public road.

The British Army is forced by Kensington Palace to amend their Trooping the Colour once the UK media started circulating stories about Kate’s appearance in June, which is two months after Easter.

Dominic Ponsford in the (UK) Press Gazette wrote about the media blackout regarding Carole & Kate’s driving pictures.

Kate’s uncle Gary Goldsmith briefly comments on the lack of Kate information on Celebrity Big Brother.

06 MARCH 2024: King Charles has a meeting with the Canadian PM and officially greets two ambassadors.

Kensington Palace “spokesman” to (US) People magazine: “His focus is on his work and not on social media,” a spokesman says.

Normal people on reddit notice this bullshit and comment on it.

Emily Andrews comments on the “invisible contract” between UK media and Kensington Palace, e.g. the "huge pressure" to not publish the photo of Kate & Carole.

London’s Air Ambulance Charity, whose gala benefit William attended on 07 February 2024, announced they did not receive enough government support.

08 MARCH 2024: King Charles photographed in a car on Windsor Castle grounds.

Prince William demonstrates proof of life when he visits The Oval in support of for-profit company, Notpla, and seaweed.

10 MARCH 2024: A Mother's Day photo is published and released to news agencies of Kate with George, Charlotte, and Louis.

Later that day, the Associated Press (AP), Agence-France Presse (AFP), Reuters, and Getty all "killed" the photo due to "manipulation."

11 MARCH 2024: Kate "apologized" for the photo manipulation on Twitter saying: "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C"

Kate is photographed next to William in a car leaving Windsor Castle.

Prince William attends The Commonwealth Day service with Queen Camilla and other members of the BRF while King Charles spoke to the service via pre-recorded video message.

International media goes wild with the revelation that Kensington Palace released a photo that was "manipulated" and rejected by major, international news outlets.

12 MARCH 2024: William attends the private funeral service for Thomas Kingston at the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace.

14 MARCH 2024: William visits WEST Youth Zone in White City, London.

Meghan Markle launches a lifestyle brand, American Orchard Riviera," on Instagram.

AFP Global News Director, Phil Chetwynd, states that Kensington Palace is no longer a "trusted" news source.

William attends The Diana Legacy Awards in London in the evening.

Jessica Reed Kraus, aka HouseInHabit, publishes a "source" saying Kate had "surgery on her bowel," yet the "source" did not know that that kind of surgery could be classified as "abdominal."

17 MARCH 2024: Forbes publishes an article with the rumor that the BBC has been told to be on alert for an announcement from the Royal Family regarding Kate's health.

Roya Nikkhah for The Sunday Times published an article whereupon a "royal source" said, "I can see a world in which the princess might discuss her recovery out on engagements. If she was going to do it, that’s how she would do it.”

Matt Wilkinson of The Sun publishes an exclusive that Kate was seen "out and about" in Windsor.

18 MARCH 2024: Video of Will & Kate shopping at the Windsor Farm Shop circulates on TMZ and The Sun. Kensington Palace doesn't complain about it publicly.

Russell Myers of The Mirror publishes an "exclusive" report regarding Kate's "return to public life."

The royal.uk website has some minor changes regarding The Duke of York and The Duke & Duchess of Sussex.

19 MARCH 2024: William visits Sheffield, England, as part of his Homewards program.

Russell Myers of The Mirror publishes an "exclusive" regarding allegations of Kate's medical records being breached at The London Clinic.

Kate Mansey of The Times publishes an article about how William does not collaborate or work with his father.

20 MARCH 2024: The London Clinic responds to the allegations of Kate's medical records being breached after 29 January 2024.

Daily Mail's Ephraim Hardcastle: Kate was unable to attend the Irish Guards' St Patrick's Day parade... But put £2,000 behind the bar for them instead

Daily Mail's Rebecca English's EXCLUSIVE: What William really thinks about the Kate conspiracy theories. And why it's been so heartbreaking for him to see her reputation trashed in the same way as Diana's

Prince William visits the Welsh Guards at Combermere Barracks, Windsor, where the photos were taken by the Ministry of Defence/Welsh Guards.

21 MARCH 2024: Hannah Furness of The Telegraph publishes an article stating: "The Princess of Wales has been working from home on her early years project to improve the lives of babies, as she eases back into normal life after her abdominal surgery. Kensington Palace confirmed that she had been kept up to date with her campaign and the “overwhelmingly positive” results of a study she inspired."

Tatler magazine publishes a cover story on Prince William by Wesley Kerr. "The burden of leadership is falling upon Prince William - but as former BBC Royal Correspondent, Wesley Kerr OBE, explains in Tatler’s May cover story, the future king is taking charge."

Daily Mail: Kate Middleton has been working from home on her early years project considered her 'life's work' as she recovers from abdominal surgery - amid hopes she will return to public life by Easter

People magazine repeats the Kate paid the bar tab story.

Jackie Annett, The Mirror: "Kate Middleton spotted out in Windsor again - this time with George, Charlotte and Louis" “…[Kate] comes here quite a lot, it’s on her doorstep and Adelaide Cottage is a couple of 100 yrds away. They were at the tennis on Sunday-my friend plays there & Kate was watching the children, they’re there all the time”

22 MARCH 2024: Kate announces she is undergoing "preventative chemotherapy" for cancer.

Lambrook's Lent 2024 term ends. School on break until summer term starts on 17 April 2024.

24 MARCH 2024: People magazine: Kate "wrote every word herself,” a palace source confirms to PEOPLE of the Princess of Wales' video speech, which was released on Friday and filmed two days prior in the gardens of Windsor Castle. A family friend adds, “She wrote the words herself, delivered it personally and wanted to decide when the time was right to hit the world with this news.”

28 MARCH 2024: Valentine Low says it's not clear when William pulled out of Constantine's memorial service--some say day of, others say two weeks prior to the service.

31 MARCH 2024: King Charles & Queen Camilla attended the Easter Mattins service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

01 APRIL 2024: Daily Mail: "Princess of Wales was FORCED to reveal her cancer diagnosis after news threatened to leak: Sources reveal Kensington Palace was contacted about Kate's illness and needed to get ahead of the story… so who revealed her secrets?"

02 APRIL 2024: Natasha Anderson & Emily Jane Davies's story about Kate being "FORCED to reveal her cancer diagnosis" is deleted from the Daily Mail website.

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dutchvanwinkle · 2 years

Text

Sweeter Than Heaven - Hosea x Reader

Hello Hosea fans!! This ended up WAY longer than I expected, but I've had the main man on my mind and wanted to give him the attention he deserves. Enjoy! It's on ao3 if you prefer.

Summary: Your crush on Hosea renders you incapable of interacting with him. He takes offence and tries to get to the bottom of what your issue is.

Word count: 8,283

Content warnings: Smut, 18+

Hosea Matthews took pride in being a decent man. He’d made his mistakes throughout his life but he was conscientious enough to see, admit, and learn from them. It was something he’d practised with age, his current stature far away from the cocky outlaw he’d been in his youth.

He didn’t chastise himself for it, he’d seen it in all the men of the gang once upon a time. They too, some more than others, learnt and grew even if it was often in a misguided direction which he tried to correct. If he could do something good in this world, he could at least pass on the things he knew so that maybe those he thought highly of didn’t have to learn the hard way as he did.

The fruits of his labour blossomed in recent years; a whole orchard of his legacy as clear as day solely by the pedestal the gang put him on. He was the one who most approached for advice, he was the one they asked when they wanted to learn something new, and he was the one who could provide a new angle on situations and see things often overlooked by others. Yes, Hosea did not struggle to gain the trust of those around him.

However, it seemed his skills as an approachable wise old man (a description that took some time warming to) were being tested in the form of a new recruit to the gang.

Most newbies go down one of two paths; jump in head first and make the loudest impression they can, or quietly watch from the sidelines and allow their actions to speak for them. Except this one did neither, not really.

Honestly, you had him stumped.

You were easy-going and someone everyone appeared to like, joining in on the banter when the drinks flowed but not being afraid to make suggestions where necessary. But you didn’t force your personality on anyone, and the overall opinion of the members of camp was a positive one. Approachable. Friendly. Smart. Even self-assured.

It wasn’t that Hosea disagreed with these statements; it was just that he hadn’t had any chance to experience them himself. From afar, sure. He could see how one could describe you as all those things. But up close, when he tried to strike up a conversation – you had little or nothing to say other than the bare minimum for politeness.

It’d finally happened, he supposed. A decent character who simply didn’t like him all that much. It unnerved him, seeing you laugh along with others only to quieten down when he came over. Was it the authority he held? Was it his age? He couldn’t be sure, but if he couldn’t keep up his reputation, he would at least find out the reason behind it.

The wind was strong on that particular day. Strong enough that it whipped your face and blew your hair into disarray if you dared sit out in it for more than five minutes. So, when Tilly beckoned you into her tent with Karen and Mary-Beth, you didn’t hesitate in heading in and getting comfy beside them.

“You’re sure Grimshaw won’t mind?” you asked, righting your shirt that’d gone askew thanks to the blustery air.

“Grimshaw,” Karen elongated the word with distaste, “minds everything. I’d like to see her sew clothes when they’re being blown across the damn camp, though.”

“No,” Tilly interjected before you could respond, “she won’t mind. Ain’t no way we could work in this, and Grimshaw knows that.”

“Whatever you say,” Karen mumbled, pulling one of the folded blankets over herself.

“You think it’ll last long?” you asked, flicking your gaze upwards.

“Why, girl, you bored of us already?”

“No,” you snickered. “But we could do with a way to pass the time.”

The four of you took to thinking, and you thought maybe you could all sing a few songs –

“I know,” Mary-Beth smiled, highlighting the hint of blush on the apples of her cheeks. “We could share our recent... Fancies.”

“Oh, trust you to suggest romance,” Karen scoffed.

“Come on, it’s the perfect opportunity! Winds so strong our words will stay locked up in this tent, and certainly won’t travel to any unwanted ears.”

“Fine,” Karen acquiesced reluctantly. “Suppose I’ll start. Sean was asking me about this thing the other day, something like –”

“No,” Tilly stopped her flow before it could begin, “I heard enough of you and Sean to last me a lifetime.”

At Mary-Beth’s knowing chuckle, Karen rolled her eyes. “Well, then suit yourself. Actually, I’d like to hear if our newest friend has eyes for anyone.”

Three expectant gazes landed on you, and you straightened up at the sudden attention. You shrugged. “I don’t know, there isn’t really anyone who’s caught my eye.”

“Oh please,” Mary-Beth tutted. “Surely there’s someone you at least find attractive.”

Attractive? Sure. The camp had its fair share of attractive people, but you knew that wasn’t what they were asking, not really. But you were lying, someone had in fact caught your eye. Only it was someone they’d never expect.

It was more than just a pondering thought, too. It was the kind of attraction that made you forget your words, breathing cease, and limbs sit rigid and unnatural in their sockets.

If you were being honest, you’d surprised yourself too. Any of the young, handsome outlaws you’d interacted with would’ve been an understandable choice, that way you could reason why you were drawn to one more than the other. Perhaps you’d even have liked more than one of them, weighing up their various traits to describe the winner.

But none of them interested you at all.

Sure, you could appreciate their looks, their sense of humour, or their work ethic, but there wasn’t that feeling that turned your tummy over and rendered your thoughts entirely theirs. In turn, you’d found it easy to talk to them, not even considering the possibility of dating and so having nothing to be concerned about.

Unfortunately, you hadn’t been spared from the plight of having a crush. It almost made it worse that it was unexpected, you not having the slightest clue how to deal with it and feeling like nothing short of a blundering child every time you got to interact with him.

God damn Hosea Matthews.

You didn’t know what to make of it at first. When your mind went quiet the first time he spoke to you in that voice of his, you spent the rest of the day worrying you were coming down with something. It took a few days, until one evening when a bottle of whisky in hand ignited some more-than inappropriate thoughts about the man. Ever since, you couldn’t even look at him and expected this ridiculous feeling to go away in no time at all.

Alas, weeks passed and there you were; crushing on him more with every day. What were you mean to do? How could you go about something like that? Would it be as easy as initiating a drunken kiss or harmless flirting? This man was as smart as they come and likely much less reckless than the younger men, surely you couldn’t make such an immature advance on him.

You found ignoring him to be the easiest way to deal with it in the end. He scared you, not in an intimidating way but purely the fact that he knew so much whereas you knew so little. No, you supposed you weren’t scared of him; just scared of the fool you’d appear to be if you interacted with him. That wasn’t a problem provided you kept your distance.

It was getting concerning, though you stuck hard with the idea that it would go away at some point. Right?

You shrugged at the girls, concluding that the worse thing to do would be to admit it to them. “Sorry,” you laughed apologetically, “I hate to be such a bore.”

The girls soon forgot, the discussion turning to one of the others but you couldn’t keep your mind away from him.

―――

Thankfully, the wind died down some days later and allowed you to sit out with a book in the fresh afternoon air once your chores were finished.

Hosea saw his opportunity.

He walked over and stood to the side of you, though a pace behind so you didn’t see him in your peripheral right away. “Afternoon, miss. I need you for a job, if you wouldn’t mind accompanying me.”

Silence.

Hosea cleared his throat, watching your unchanged expression and posture for a moment. “Miss?” he asked, a little louder than before.

Your head rose from your book and towards him, brows pulling together in confusion. “Uh, me?”

“Yes,” he smiled easily, “you.”

Blinking owlishly at him, your nerves began to race your chest and you did your best job of not focusing on them. Why did he want you to go? This was all still new to you, you were far less capable than the other, more experienced girls. Perhaps it was a bit of practice? Unless you’d been slacking and he was subtly making you pull your weight? Either way, both options would mean Hosea would be exposed to you in close proximity alone and see your skills first-hand, providing you with ample opportunity to fuck up –

“Miss,” he half-sighed, reminding you he was expecting a response and you realised you’d remained still since he’d clarified. Even when not talking, apparently you could still make a fool of yourself.

“Sorry,” you said instinctively, attempting to relax your shoulders to diffuse the tension your body had accumulated. “Right now?”

“Well, yes,” he pulled out his pocket watch and flicked it open. “In about half an hour.”

“Can I ask what the job is?”

Hosea hid the concern from his smile, wondering why on earth you felt as though that wasn’t appropriate knowledge for you to know. “It’s just a bit of investigating, really. I don’t much fancy sitting alone in the saloon while I do so.”

Finally, he’d said the right thing, and that appeared to relax you somewhat. You could do that, right? A couple of hours, the option of a drink to calm your nerves, and just listen to whoever the mark was. A starter job for you to dip your feet in the choppy waters of a life of crime. “Sure,” you shrugged casually, and Hosea accepted that was the best he’d get out of you for now. He told you to meet him by the horses when it was time.

You weren’t proud of how much time you spent picking an outfit, acting like a teenager as though this man would even look twice at you. Wearing one of your favourite shirts and a simple skirt, you initially pinned some of your hair back but promptly returned it to its usual state at the worry that you were trying too hard. So, there you were half an hour later, mounting up on your horse and riding out with Hosea.

On the ride over to the saloon, he’d decided on letting you reach out to him. The more he pushed conversation the more he expected you’d stray from it, and in his experience, many people aren’t comfortable with silence and that can be enough of a motivation in itself for striking up a conversation. Not you, though.

It was your assumption that he was deep in thought, planning for the upcoming job and so you left him to his thoughts; not that you’d know what to say anyway.

There was still time, though, and he didn’t concern himself with it too much. Once the two of you arrived, you got seated at the bar and he bought a bottle of beer for each of you.

As he glanced around the room, it occurred to you that you didn’t have the slightest clue what this job was for and if anything was expected of you. You cleared your throat before quietly asking, “is there anything I’m supposed to do?”

“Just follow my lead,” he said, and you relaxed and tensed simultaneously, happy that he trusted you enough to need no preparation but worried that you’d prove that to not be the case. Something in his tone was enough for you to almost believe him and thus gain confidence in yourself, it was an odd feeling and you briefly puzzled over how he managed to put you at ease with only four words.

It wasn’t long before Hosea made you aware of the man when he entered, leaning up against the bar and that was when he started making conversation with you. Small talk, about the weather, how your horse was, what book you were reading, etc. It made sense, the pair of you could hardly sit there in silence and the knowledge that Hosea was listening more to the man behind him that to you made it much easier to talk to him.

Then Hosea turned, politely apologising that he couldn’t help but overhear the man and your heartrate quickened for a moment at the fear of your cover being blown. But the man was fine with it, engaging in conversation about some fancy repeaters he was selling and Hosea feigned his interest as a gun enthusiast. How he had so much knowledge you’d never know, and it was knowledge you’d never learn since you couldn’t focus on the conversation, instead observing and listening to Hosea as he spoke.

It was a marvel to see him in his element, and you watched on with adoration at his cool persona while his even cooler words gradually eased his victim and gained their trust. When the man turned away for you both to follow, offering to show him the merchandise, Hosea caught your eye and the slightest of smiles quirked over his mouth – enough of a response that didn’t suggest any suspicious motives had the man caught it. Hosea followed him and you followed a few paces behind, trying to squash your smile from growing further; this was rather fun.

You waited outside while the sky turned darker and Hosea went into the small homestead close to town. It was easier this way, you wouldn’t have to linger or stand there awkwardly while they spoke. A rather useless part in the operation if you did say so yourself, but if Hosea wanted anything more from you, he’d have made that known.

He was laughing and joking with the man when they came outside, clapping a hand on his shoulder and you smiled to yourself at how talented he was; it was like he was a different person entirely. You walked beside him once he’d said his goodbyes.

“Get what you need?” you asked.

Hosea nodded, promptly returning to his usual self and noticing how guarded you still were. “Indeed,” he said quietly, “should be a nice clean robbery for the boys.”

You didn’t need to ask more, not wanting to pry into business that didn’t concern you and sighed in relief internally at managing to not ruin anything now that it was over. “Back to camp now, then?”

“Why the rush? I say we go back to that saloon. Their whisky is rather good,” he responded promptly.

Goddamnit. “I suppose.”

Hosea’s smile hid his true feelings, bordering on frustration with your lackadaisical manner. He’d been nice enough, hadn’t he? What more did you want? He wasn’t a fan of resorting to drink to loosen someone's lips, it felt lazy and immoral, but you didn’t leave him with any other choice. The true goal of this job was still yet to be accomplished.

And so there you were, back at the bar and he’d ordered some shots of whiskey with the excuse of celebrating a successful recon. You went along with it, more small talk ensuing and you relaxed once again as the whisky began to take its desired effect.

Of course, Hosea noticed it. The way your brow softened and shoulders dropped to the way they were with seemingly everyone else but him soothed his growing concern with his plan. It was working.

As he was telling you a story, the atmosphere shifted. You were sure it was only felt by you, or perhaps it was the drink, but you began to think there was more to this than he was letting on. He’d specifically chosen you to come out on the job when truthfully you didn’t need to be here, he’d suggested getting a drink once it was finished, and he’d spent the last forty-five minutes asking you questions to get to know you, all the while listening with intent... did he want you? You observed him as he spoke, the way he seemed to be searching your face for something, the brief touches on your arm, and the faint sparkle in his eye.

He stopped mid-sentence, the change on your face distracting him since you’d gone from happy to concerned in a matter of seconds. “Is something the matter, miss?”

Of course. He’d never make a move on you, how could he? If it went wrong that was your trust gone, his image tarnished as the trustworthy leader. You had to be the one to do it, didn’t you?

It was easy, really. You didn’t think when you leaned in, pressing your lips to his and they were soft, and he smelled good -

Hosea pulled away, his hand hovering between your torsos to keep the distance with a confused look on his face. Oh god. Before you could speak, apologising for being such an idiot and more than ready to blame it on alcohol, he relaxed once again.

“Miss,” he said softly. “That isn’t how we do things here.”

You nodded profusely, of course it wasn’t, he was a grown man, charming, charismatic, smart, and you just threw yourself at his feet because he showed you a bit of kindness and interest. How ridiculous you must look. “I’m so sorry, I mustn't have been thinking -”

“Now,” he laughed, at ease and doing his best to keep the panic he saw growing in your eyes from manifesting, “don’t you apologise! I can see why you’d think that was the way of the gang, but truly it is not. You are here on merit alone, and I apologise if I have given any indication that more was expected of you.”

The gang? Merit? Expected? What? Perhaps the drink was a good enough excuse, nothing made sense anymore and you frowned at him. “I -” you started, unsure of how to proceed but the alcohol thinned out your filter for the questions that were on your mind. “I don’t know what the gang has to do with it. I - there are... others, right?”

Now it was Hosea’s turn to be confused. Other what? Were the other girls performing the task of pleasing the men and told you that was the norm? This was getting more serious, that was something he certainly wouldn’t tolerate. “Do you have an example of who?”

“Well, there’s John and Abigail, of course, then Karen with Sean, though I know they’re not -”

The cogs clicked into place, though Hosea still couldn’t make sense of what he thought he was hearing. “Hold on,” he said, placing his hand over yours that rested on the bar and you looked at it for a moment, how nice your hands looked together along with how gentle his touch was. “You... actually want this?”

Hosea dipped his chin, hazel eyes piercing yours and you worked on a swallow. If nothing else had made sense tonight, his touch and gaze more than made up for it. Now that felt right. You didn’t have it in you to lie and you surrendered, offering him a nod in the hope that he would figure out what was going on.

A brief flash of shock washed over him but a small smile tugged on the corners of his lips. He was honoured, and suddenly your behaviour made sense. Now he knew, not that he’d ever have figured it out without the push, it was blindingly obvious. The way you always seemed to be looking away from him, growing more nervous with every step he made closer to you, and clamming up whenever he made conversation. It was a crush, simple as that.

A crush on him, no less. It’d been a while since he’d had to identify one of those aimed his way, but he wasn’t about to let it slip away in a hurry. To top it off, it came from you. He’d thought you beautiful when you joined up, he wasn’t about to deny that, and while he hadn’t had much experience with you, he’d soon grown fond of watching you from a distance.

“I’m flattered,” he began with, searching his mind for how to court a woman and the expectant and worried look in your eye almost made him melt. How sweet. He inched closer, fondly tucking a strand of hair behind your ear and suppressing his laugh at how seemed to get even more nervous. As amusing as it was, he didn’t want you to feel that way. “Taken aback, sure. A pretty young thing like you takin’ an interest in an old conman? It’s almost comical.”

You expected it much less than he did, but god both of his hands were on you and he actually looked happy, so you started to laugh. He was right, it was comical but no less true. “Perhaps it is.”

Every inch of Hosea’s face relaxed fondly, your laugh ringing angelically in his ear and there was only one thing he wanted to do now. He leaned in once again but promptly stopped himself, watching your expression grow concerned once more. “I think I’d prefer to do this in a more private setting.”

Reminding yourself not to be too uncool, you nodded calmly in agreement.

“There’s a hotel nearby, we could get to know each other there?” he caught himself quickly, realising how this must all sound. “Not - not like that. Just, whatever you're comfortable with.”

You’d done it. You’d made Hosea Matthews nervous. It seemed like an impossible feat, but he looked positively boyish with that apprehension in his eye and it was downright cute. You might not have his quick way with words, but you clearly had something. You slipped your hand into his, and pushed off the bar, smirking at him and following you out those doors was one of the easiest things he’d ever done.

For all that boost of confidence was, it didn’t want to stick around. Your nerves made themselves known once again as Hosea opened the small room to the homely hotel, but you grasped to them desperately as you walked through the door he held open for you. It clicked shut, and you turned; you were really alone in a hotel room with him.

He was hesitant, restricting himself as though he wasn’t entirely trusting in your desire to be with him. It made you want him even more though, walking the dark alleys of your mind where you wondered what he was like when he didn’t hinder himself. Unfiltered, unbounded Hosea was something you’d been longing to see. You’d waited long enough, anyway.

Hosea was about to say something, make conversation and get to know you when you took a step forward and met his lips once more as though it’d been the only thought in your head since you practically skipped out of the saloon.

His lips were delightfully soft, whisky residue sitting nicely on the plush flesh and it was addicting. You ran your hands around his lean waist until your frame pressed into his.

This truly hadn’t been Hosea’s intention with getting the room, he was a gentleman after all, but you were stealing away all his logical thoughts. Besides, he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth and gladly returned your affections.

Attempting to keep it slow, for now, you repeatedly kissed each other and once again you guessed he would only do what you were comfortable with. Well, screw that. In your fantasies, he’d taken control and taken what he wanted, while still keeping that desire to feed your pleasure, and you supposed it was down to you to let him know you were okay with it. You didn’t know if this would ever even happen again, but it wasn’t in your jurisdiction to question it. You gently grazed his bottom lip, pulling it between your two rows of teeth and Hosea’s breath stilled in his chest.

He broke the contact, brow narrowing with the tilt of his head as though he was looking at you in a completely new light. A warmth grew in his eyes that you’d never seen before, one not borne from adoration – but lust. He moved his head forward, his lips stopping an inch from your ear until his shallow breaths landed on your skin. It didn’t make you shiver, but his following words that were laced with a dark undertone certainly did.

“I didn’t have you down as such a troublemaker.”

You gulped, an involuntary gasp leaving you as a hand snaked to your flank, gripping you with a firmness you wouldn’t have expected from him, and you looked at him all doe-eyed when he moved his head back to catch your gaze.

“What’s the matter, dearest?” your heart thumped at the sound of the endearment as it purred through his lips, “going all quiet on me, now?”

After a beat in your almost-paralysed state of mind and body, you realised he’d asked you a question and you nodded dumbly. How quickly he’d turned that round, immediately showing you who was in charge and promptly reminding you of the fact. More than anything you wished you could match his silken words, but even you knew better than to try and then subsequently ruin the mood. This was what you’d thought about for weeks, fantasising about his voice in your ear and his hands on your body while your fingers slipped between your wanting folds. He smirked, a brash confidence radiating from him that contrasted the gentle kiss he proceeded to place on your cheekbone.

“That just won’t do,” he murmured against your skin, giving up his fight against his desires. “But the night is young. Plenty of time for me to wrench some noises out of you, yet.”

Your next breath was a quiet whimper, your eyes falling shut as goosebumps grew all over your body. Now it all made sense, this man didn’t just know the right words to say, but he knew exactly how and when to say them. No wonder he’d conned so many people of their precious valuables and cash in his time, you were about ready to turn out your pockets and give him everything you owned.

With your eyes closed, you couldn’t see him pressing his lips together to compose himself at the sight of you unravelling before him. He liked what he saw and what he heard, so Hosea decided he’d be greedy for once. He wanted more. “Hm, yes. That’s what I’m looking for.”

Fluttering your eyes open, you noticed the widening of his pupils as his desire grew from within. “Hosea,” you breathed.

“Hm?” he asked casually, though inside he was thinking of how his name sounded coming out of your mouth like that, more magnificent than any grand symphony.

You just waited for more, and he smiled proudly.

“Tell me what the matter is,” he brushed a hand over your hair and you couldn’t pick out whether he was teasing or comforting you.

“God,” you started, arousal taking over your thoughts, “I want you. I really want you.”

Hosea hadn’t expected you to be quite so bold, but he couldn’t ignore your signs any longer. You’d shown him and told him, and the only thing you seemed to be drunk on was lust. It’d be almost rude of him to turn away your advances. “Very well, then.”

The hand placed loving on your head pulled your face to his, and he kissed you far unlike the way he’d kissed you previously. His lips led yours, firm and unyielding as they moved. You melted into it, glad for his other hand on your form to hold you upright. Sufficiently happy with your pliancy, the hand on your head trailed down your back, urging you even closer until he rested a palm on your behind, not hesitating in squeezing the soft flesh. You gasped, and he took the opportunity of your open mouth to slide his tongue inside.

You promptly mobilised, allowing him in and circling your tongue around his, the taste of his spit something you’d been wanting to indulge in for a while. A faint hint of peppermint passed over once you’d soaked up any leftover taste of whisky he had to offer, and you brought your hands to his chest to grip at the fabric of his waistcoat. A wanting sound left him and his tongue retreated, pressing his forehead to yours while you both caught your breaths.

Breathing wasn’t something you cared for right now, though you reminded yourself not to rush this, but he was right there and you innocently shifted your stance, brushing your thigh against his crotch and oh -

He shook his head at you minimally, pulling away to get a look at the inquisitive desire that’d taken over your features. “One thing you should know,” he stated. “I take my time with my work.”

“So, I’m work now?”

Hosea’s face softened with a fond smile and he chuckled. “A piece of work,” he mused, “yes. That’s exactly what I think you are.”

You huffed, unaware of your natural growing confidence and comfort with the man in such a short space of time. His hands found your hips, and you thought he was pushing you away until your thighs met the side of the bed and you obediently sat, putting you at a rather nice height and you took full advantage to look at his cock straining through his pants.

A chuckle from above preluded Hosea nudging your legs apart with his foot against yours and you shifted back as he leaned down, his knee planted between your thighs while his other remained on the floor. One hand made its way up your body, expertly avoiding your breast and stopping to grip your chin. He studied you, endless possibilities playing out in his head and it excited him profusely. It was tough to decide on where to start with your waiting body beneath him, but his first goal was to make you come. He needed to know what you sounded like when you released, what you looked like, and most importantly – what you tasted like.

The kiss he placed on your nose was far sweeter than anything else he planned to do to you that night. Then he glanced down, disappointed that you were still clothed, an inconvenient barrier, and you noticed the look grow on his face.

“Everything alright?” you asked timidly, hoping you hadn’t come across too strong or he’d begun to regret pursuing this.

“No,” he said shortly and you pouted. “You’re wearing too many clothes for my liking.”

“Oh,” you smirked, fingers reaching to the buttons on your shirt but he stopped the path by holding your wrists.

“Ah, ah. This is a present I didn’t expect to be opening tonight, and if it’s quite alright with you I’d like to unwrap it myself.”

You blushed, quickly moving your hands away and the pleased, hungry look in his eye made something burn deep in your core as he drank in the sight of you.

Those hands of his were something you’d thought about many times, wondering exactly what other talents his slender fingers were capable of. They made light work of your buttons, your shirt opening to slip to the sides and reveal your breasts to him.

Hosea sighed painfully, his cock twitching in delight at seeing you exposed. “Lord above,” he hummed, conceding that God must exist – how else was something as heavenly as you created? He ran his palm to the underside of one of your breasts, gently kneading it and wanting nothing more than to experience them in all their glory. He moved down an inch and then hesitated, flicking his gaze up to your anticipation-filled expression. “This alright?”

The soft tone counteracted the dark one that’d otherwise taken over his voice, and it was a comfort to know that your enjoyment and happiness were still his top priority. Your nod in response was urgent, rolling your shoulders back into the mattress in a futile attempt to get him closer to your sensitive spot and he couldn’t resist cracking a smile.

“Alright girl,” he chuckled, “I’ve got you.”

With that, his mouth came down onto your nipple, sucking it gently into his mouth and you groaned at the warm wetness on your skin, small jolts of pleasure shooting through you each time he sucked in. His mouth came off and his tongue took over while his other hand fondled your left-out nipple, squeezing and rolling it between his fingers. He ran his tongue around your areola a few times before short flicks of his tongue greeted your bud, now hard and straining to maximise the sensation.

After kissing the flesh of your breast, he moved over to the other side and nuzzled the inner side of it with his nose. A peck on your nipple followed before he sucked that one in, and you expected his fingers to move over to the other side but instead, they trailed downwards, the back of his knuckles softly grazing over your centre.

You whined low in your throat, watching him indulge with closed eyes while continuing to tease you down below. When you rolled your hips into his touch he met your gaze, the sight of you wanting and desperate almost enough to make him finish in his pants right there and then. He held off, unsure exactly how far this would go but knowing he had no plans of ending it any time soon.

“You can,” you took a breath, “unwrap those too if you’d like.”

A breath of a laugh came from his nose as he planted kisses over your breasts before stopping between them. “It’d be my pleasure.”

“Trust me, pleasures all mine,” you responded dreamily and that smile of his made another appearance and he tilted his head at you.

At your quizzical brow, he placed a kiss on your sternum before resting his chin there. “You’re funny,” he complimented adoringly.

You tutted, rolling your hips into his now-still hand and he nodded his recollection of his previous ministrations.

“My apologies,” he hummed, chaste kisses placed in a neat line down your stomach and you admired his multi-tasking ability while he swiftly undid your skirt.

He moved off you to stand and you willingly lifted your hips for him to pull the rest of your clothing off. You were half-tempted to question why he was still fully clothed, but having someone so infatuated with you was a dream you didn’t want to interrupt. Plus, there’d be time for that yet if it was something he was comfortable with.

Speaking of, you realised the view you'd presented to him and he raised his brows while looking lovingly between your thighs, and you instinctively closed them out of embarrassment but he brought a hand to your knee to part them once again, his gaze not leaving your flushed cunt. “So pretty. Why would you want to hide something so pretty?”

You pressed your lips together, basking in the shower of affection that felt so natural coming from him. Like he meant every word, and he wasn’t just trying to make you feel good about yourself so he could have his way.

“Come on, now,” he stroked his hand up your thigh while kneeling on the floor and the image of his face between your legs was instantly burned into your memory as one of the most delightful sights you’d ever seen. “Where’s that wily minx from earlier? This right here -” he gazed back at your most private part, “is one of the most wonderful things on this planet.”

As you sighed gratefully, he brought his index finger into his mouth though you didn’t think it was necessary with how drenched you were. His spit grew cool fast, and you jolted slightly when it met the top of your slit, tracing a line down while he watched the pleasure blossom on your face, peaking when he brushed over your clit and you whined. He smiled to himself. “What a perfect sight.”

Your head that’d dropped back tilted up in time to catch his fond expression before he dropped his attention to what you presented to him. He watched the tip of his finger as it slowly manoeuvred around your entrance to collect your slick, and while he was tempted to lick it off, he held back and decided he’d rather taste you directly from the source.

Hosea watched intently as his finger entered you, appreciating the flutter of your walls as he pushed in up to the knuckle and gently slid back out. At no resistance from you, quite the opposite, in fact, he repeated the motion again, then a third time until his finger was completely sheathed inside you. The thought of him filling you further fleeted over your mind and you moaned softly at the teasing sensation.

“More, Hosea, please,” you begged politely and he allowed himself a last look at the tight expression on your face before moving forward, simultaneously pushing a second finger inside and licking a long stripe up your slit.

A gasp of pleasure accompanied your back arching off the bed, and the temptation to touch himself grew tough to ignore, but he managed. He ran his tongue between your soaked folds while he slowly moved his fingers in and out of your entrance. Twisting them around slightly to ensure you were stretched, should the need for that arise, he revelled in the taste of your pussy that ground up into his mouth. You tasted delightful and he began lapping at your clit, making your toes curl while pleas of his name spilled out of your mouth.

Your dreams and dirty thoughts had done him no favours, this was far better than you imagined and a brief amusement passed over you at the thought of how silver that tongue really was. It proceeded to lick up all the juice you had to offer until Hosea grew greedy and wanted more. He wanted you to come in his mouth, on his fingers and he sucked on your clit, the sensation buzzing through your body as he did a pulsing motion with his lips. Continuing to fuck you with his fingers, you didn’t know which way to move your hips since every direction provided more pleasure, and it built up and you weakly tried to warn him, panting “I’m -” until your breathing paused while your body released over him, thighs tensing around his head and Hosea mused that he could quite happily suffocate here between your thighs.

It felt like it lasted a small eternity, the orgasm flowing out of you in waves as Hosea helped coax it, and you finally relaxed back onto the bed, blinking up at the ceiling at the stars that peppered your vision.

“Goddamn delicious,” you heard Hosea say, not having it in you to respond or even laugh, but you felt his fingers leave you and he crawled up your body.

“Happy?”

“I’m past happy, Hosea. I’m -” you didn’t know what to say, how to describe what you were feeling and you willed him up with your hands gripping his collar so you could kiss him lazily. The taste of yourself on his tongue was enough to ramp you up again but he moved to roll off you. “Where are you going?”

“We don’t need to rush,” he soothed, thumb stroking your stomach.

“But -” you protested, you wanted more and you wanted to feel him. “I want to.”

“Really?” he asked in disbelief. “You don’t need to, dear. I’m happy to wait.”

“Do you want to?” you asked and he laughed, clearly just not trying to pressure you. Plus, his hard cock pressing into your leg was a dead giveaway. “Okay, because I really want to. I need to. I might die if we don’t.”

He barked a laugh, taking your hand in his and kissing at your knuckles, the sheen of your slick passing over to your skin. “No, you won’t die.”

“I will,” you insisted.

“Well,” he shifted to stand between your draped legs hanging off the bed, his hands starting to undo his belt to pull it free and to the floor. The action of him smirking down at you while he did so was enough to drive you insane. “We don’t want that now, do we.”

With that, he pushed his pants down and put a hand on either side of your hips and pulled you towards him, his cock springing up and just inches away from where you needed it. His calloused palms ran up to your knees, gently spreading them while you stared at his cock in disbelief that you were actually seeing it and once again your imagination had failed you.

“Like what you see?” he teased, puffing his chest out slightly in pride.

“Mhm,” you hummed, wishing you could describe him the way he’d described you but you didn’t think they’d invented those words yet. After realising you were in somewhat of an infatuated trance, you sat up and met his gaze, eyes blown wide with lust but still a promise of trust held in them. “This is – indescribable.”

“I’ll take that,” he laughed softly, petting your head and you went to kiss his chest but were met with the fabric of his waistcoat.

“Can I take this off?” you asked, fingertips fiddling with a button in anticipation.

“If you’d like.”

“I would like,” you said decidedly, half of his buttons already undone and you glanced up in questioning when you reached his shirt, making quick work of that too and marvelling at the exposed lean chest presented to you, dusted with light hairs and faint scars.

Hosea shrugged off the garments and your eyes darted over his form, more beautiful than you’d pictured but your attention was soon grabbed by the leaking head of his cock. You debated putting your mouth around it, but with how insistently it stood to attention, you shifted back, patting the bed for him to join you.

He didn’t question it, accommodating your request and you gently manoeuvred his shoulders to persuade him to lie back, not missing the excited glint in his eyes as you straddled him. With his cock sitting comfortably on his abdomen, you rolled your hips over it and coated him with your abundance of wetness. He groaned in bliss, head dropping back to the pillow and hands harshly gripping your thighs to anchor himself. He suspected it would do no good since he was grounding himself to a real-life angel that would only send him further up into the clouds. He didn’t care, either.

The pressure of his shaft against your sensitive clit caused your walls to throb with need, your whole body begging to be filled by what Hosea had to offer. Your palms met the back of his hands, brushing up his forearms and to his shoulders until you could plant your hands on either side of his head. “Shit,” he whispered, lost in a haze of desire and the sight of your face above him, eyes filled with want and lips still plump from earlier while your hair fell down towards him was enough to bring a grown man to his knees, and he thanked the stars he was already laying down. He cupped your jaw and you leaned into it before moving your face to his and kissing his lips.

Hosea kissed you back, soft and tender as he reached a hand between your torsos to find his cock and you met him halfway for his tip to press against your entrance. The kiss broke and the two of you gazed at each other, both wanting to watch the reaction of him finally being inside you. But you both missed it, pure bliss taking over as he pushed in and you had to close your eyes at the delightful stretch. He did too, your walls constricting his length knocking the air clean from his lungs.

The pair of you stilled, once your crotch nestled into his hips, getting used to the feel of each other and committing every sensation to memory. You reopened your eyes to find his still shut as he dragged his mind away from thinking of how good it felt to avoid finishing prematurely. After planting a kiss on each cheek, he hummed in response and met your gaze.

“You feel perfect,” he remarked, hand brushing up your flank, “you are perfect.”

You shook your head, kissing his lips again. “You are.”

He shunted a laugh, deciding now might be the worse time to argue over such a thing. You silently agreed and moved your hips to drag yourself back off his length. His hips twitched while he released a pleasured sigh, and you promptly lowered again to commence your motion of fucking down onto him.

With each roll of your hips, your orgasm climbed back up and you enjoyed altering the pace and feeling him in every possible way. The man himself panted beneath you, fingers now weak where they rested on your hips instead of gripping at the flesh, informing you that whatever you doing was just what he wanted.

“That’s it, that’s it sweetheart,” he praised, and as was the case in normal society, Hosea’s praise was expertly timed to ensure maximum effect and meaning. Seeking his approval was something everyone did, even if it was subconscious, and that was no less the case when in the bedroom.

His forehead shone with a layer of sweat; brows pulled together in concentration as he watched his cock disappear into you every time your hips came down.

The plush spot inside your walls grew, you realised as the head of Hosea’s cock brushing over it with each thrust become more of a heightened sensation. Your limbs grew weak and you sat back, Hosea taking note of your response and deciding it was his turn to make the effort. He fucked up into you, reaching deep within your walls and hitting that spot harder each time. You whined, desperately finding something to cling to and with your head dropped back one of his hands slipped into yours. You squeezed as your abdomen tensed, doing a good job of hovering above him to provide room enough for him to thrust upwards. Your cunt clenched around him, bringing a hand to fondle your breast and Hosea watched the show intently, eyes watering with the effort it took not to come at the sight. But you were close, your high-pitched moans told him that much and briefly hoped the room next door wasn’t occupied.

Your legs tensed and you dropped your head forward, hands splayed on Hosea’s chest as your fingernails dug into his skin, one last thrust from him was all it took for the band in you to snap and you let out a silent moan in relief, no more energy available for anything other than coming right on his cock.

Hosea bit his tongue, waiting until you’d taken a couple of breaths and pulled out. Even in your haze, you know what this meant and you gripped your hand around his cock, soon feeling warm spurts rope across your chest and stomach while a choked-out whimper came from the man underneath you.

Both of you spend a moment suspended before returning to your bodies, and in your exhaustion, you wavered forward slightly but stopped yourself with a hand on the bed. Hosea caught your gaze, a fucked-out expression on his face and pulled you in to lay on his chest. Neither of you cared much about the mix of spend between you, and you lay your head on his chest to hear the thumping of his heart start to return to rest.

He drew light circles on the small of your back, a gentle breath skimming your shoulder with each out-breath he took, each one quieter than the last.

A small piece of clarity returned to you, and the stark realisation of what any of this could mean. What would it be like to date someone in the gang - Hosea, no less? Would you even be dating him, or was this a one-time thing? “Hosea,” you began, sitting up and finding him looking back at you like he was waiting for you to say something. He shook his head, holding your forearms in each hand and tugging you back down to him once again. You obliged, the reminder that you’re safe in his arms being more than enough for you to relax.

“Shh,” Hosea soothed you, brushing his hand down your back. “We can leave all that for the morning. Unless you want to go back to camp now?”

You shook your head fervently. “No, I -”

“Good,” he interrupted with a smug smile. “For now, I just want you to stay here and lay with me.”

So you did.

#omg its a friday too #that wasnt intentional #hosea fucks friday #hosea matthews #hosea matthews x reader #rdr2 #fanfiction #writing #my stuff #not dutch

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