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myfictionalboyfriendsandme · 10 months

Text

Wuthering Heights

Pairing(s): Chavez y Chavez x Reader

Prompt(s): A cowboy being secretly fond of you… they share a book with you even though they can’t read

Word Count: Around 2,900

Warning(s): nothing super crazy, talk of malnourishment, talk of traumatic experiences but nothing specific

Rating: T

Author’s Note(s): There isn’t nearly enough content for this man, so enjoy!

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It was after dinner when they all relocated for reading and writing time.

The boys who had already been living at the Tunstall farmstead all moved to their regular spots. John took his place in the rocking chair near the fireplace. Doc remained at the dining room table across from Richard, his writing book and his pencil in front of him. Steven sat in the wooden chair that was situated against the brick to the left of the fireplace while Charlie settled down directly in front of him on a bench.

(Y/N) smiled at the routine of it all. Whenever they gained a new person on the ranch, she could see the confusion on their face as John explained to them they would learn to read and write if they expected to stay. 'They are tools that will help you survive in the new world.' John would say. She thought it was amazing that he wanted to help these young men become more successful than any of them ever thought they would be.

They all had different experiences and backgrounds, some more educational than others. She and Richard were taught how to read and write by their mother and their grandmother back in Vermont. Doc knew how to read, he just had to work on his writing skills. He was quite a fast learner, already making leaps and bounds towards being able to write on his own. Steven and Charlie never learned how to read or write, but these sessions were good for them. Both of them had only been around for a few months and she could tell they were also improving. She couldn't tell if that came down to the fact that they were also fast learners or if they just had a really good teacher.

Probably the latter.

She was about to move to her designated spot, to the right of the fireplace on a cushion on a raised section of brick (she liked it because she could lean against the wall while also leaning into the warmth of the fire), when she noticed Chavez hadn't moved. He stood against the wall that divided the dining room from the parlor, probably observing everyone's actions, not really knowing what to do. (Y/N) knew it was hard being the new person around, but she was determined to make sure he felt welcome.

Chavez had been with them for about a week now and he had barely said two words to anyone, excluding herself and John. Today was the first day that he had left his room during working hours and tonight was the first night that he was able to join them for dinner and reading time. For the last week, either John or (Y/N) had taken dinner to him so he could eat while he remained comfortable in bed. He was still malnourished, but not nearly as bad as when he first arrived. (Y/N) could tell he had seen things that were probably extremely traumatizing for him. Most of the time when she would sit with him in his room he would just stare off into the distance, as if he was deep in thought. John had explained that it seemed like he was in a bad place and ultimately he just wanted to help him find his way back to a better one, but to do that they had to work slowly.

As everyone was settling in, (Y/N) made her way to Chavez and looked up at him. He had a good eight inch height difference when compared to her. "You can sit next to me." She put on her friendliest face without making it seem like she was trying too hard. "It's the best seat in the house and I'll let you sit next to the fire, make sure you stay warm."

She knew he had been perpetually cold since he had arrived. The first night he slept directly in front of the fire, unwilling and quite possibly unable to even think about moving away from the warmth it provided. She could understand why, his skin had felt like ice. It was only after she gathered almost every blanket in the house and draped them around him that he had stopped shivering. After that night, they had moved him to a bedroom on the second level of the house so he could sleep in a real bed, but she knew he still longed for the fireplace.

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The third night, after the other boys and John had already gone to bed, (Y/N) stood perusing the book shelf that was situated in a little alcove to the right of the stairs. It wasn't uncommon for her to be found downstairs reading in front of the fire. She had always been a night owl, especially when compared to the other men of the house, so she was almost always left to her own devices after the sun went down. Occasionally Doc would join her if he couldn't sleep or if he felt like talking before he went out to the bunk house, but anyone else was unexpected, which was probably why she was so surprised to hear footsteps coming down the stairs.

They were very faint. Honestly, they were so faint that she almost thought she was imagining them. Then out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chavez appear at the bottom of the stairs, his body wrapped in a buffalo hide blanket. He looked around before quietly maneuvering his way to sit on the floor in front of the fire. He hadn't seen her. Not that she assumed that would be a problem. Since she was the one to take care of him that first night, she was one of the only people in the house that had gained his attention. He didn't seem to fully trust anybody just yet, and who could blame him with what he'd been through, but (Y/N) was set on making sure he felt comfortable.

At that moment, she decided she wasn't going to let him sit alone.

She quickly grabbed the book she had been looking for - Wuthering Heights - and cautiously made her way to the fireplace into his peripheral vision. He was just sitting there with his legs crossed, the blanket wrapped tightly around him, and his eyes glued on the flames. In the light of the fire, the dark circles under his eyes became even more prominent than they were before.

"Hi." She moved to the floor and sat down beside him, setting the book down on the bench behind them. "Can't sleep?"

She watched as he took a long, shuddering breath. After a moment of silence, she thought he might not answer her but he wrapped the blanket tighter around himself before whispering. "Tengo frío." His voice was hoarse and scratchy from lack of use.

(Y/N) nodded in understanding. "Let me get you a cup of tea. It'll help." She stood up and walked to the kitchen. Lucky for her, she had already been preparing her favorite tea so she could enjoy a drink while she read. She grabbed two ceramic mugs out of the cupboard and poured the steaming liquid into each before making her way back to the fireplace. "I like to drink tea while I read." She carefully sat down and put the mugs on the floor in front of them. "John introduced me to this one. He calls it English Evening."

"Thank you." Chavez whispered.

"You're welcome." She smiled and picked up her mug, lightly blowing over the top of it.

All was silent except the crackle of the flames, but it wasn't uncomfortable. The atmosphere in the room just felt... content. She turned around and grabbed Wuthering Heights. "I was going to read." She looked at him, the firelight dancing across his tanned skin. "I could read to you if you like. I read to the other boys all the time."

After a few more moments of silence, he did something she wasn't expecting. He looked at her and gave her a small, one sided smile.

"It's called Wuthering Heights." She smiled back at him before opening it to the first chapter and reading out loud. "1801. I just returned from a visit to my landlord - the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with..."

Every once in a while Chavez would reach down and take a sip of his tea before gently placing it back on the ground. She was glad he liked it. With how sick he had been when he arrived, it was good for him to drink something soothing. She also noticed that he started to look over at the book in her hands, a slight hint of curiosity in his eyes. He shifted his body closer to hers so he could look over her shoulder. She positioned the book so that it was in-between them, giving Chavez a better opportunity to follow along with her as she read on.

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After that night, (Y/N) and Chavez meeting downstairs to read together became the new normal. The boys would go to bed, (Y/N) would grab Wuthering Heights from the bookshelf before making them two cups of tea, and Chavez would silently make his way down the stairs to sit in front of the fireplace. (Y/N) would start a conversation about something random before she started reading (to try to get him to talk to her - it was working!), they would each take a couple sips of their tea, and then they would read until each of them got tired.

(Y/N) was excited to have Chavez finally join them for reading and writing after dinner. She realized it hadn't been long since he arrived at the Tunstall farmstead and she knew he needed to recuperate, but it was nice having everyone together. It was their family time, and he was a part of their family now.

She grabbed the newspaper from the counter in the kitchen and made her way towards John, Chavez trailing behind her. She handed the paper off to John and motioned to the spot next to the fire. Chavez sat down and immediately leaned against the brick of the fireplace, still looking around and making observations about everyone else in the room. (Y/N) grinned to herself as she watched him. He looked much more alert now that his health was recovering, and it wasn't just the mental changes that seemed to be improving, but the physical ones, too. His skin had retained a healthy glow and there was a new light found in his eyes.

It was very refreshing.

She leaned towards him and started whispering. "John will start reading first before handing the paper off to someone else, then we all take turns."

He looked at her and nodded.

"Lincoln County New Years Dance." John began as he straightened out the paper in his hands. "A dance will be the big social feature for Lincoln on New Year's Eve..."

(Y/N) smiled as John continued to read. As she told Chavez before, she always read to the boys in the house. They always told her she had a beautiful voice. According to Doc, her soprano sound was like a delicate set of silver bells in the winter wind (he was forever the poet of the house). She loved reading to the boys because she knew it made them happy, but there was a part of her that loved switching roles every now and then. She cherished the time after dinner when the boys would take turns reading to each other because it was a chance for her to just sit and listen. It was one of her favorite ways to relax at the end of the day.

John had finished reading his section of the newspaper and looked up at the boys, trying to decide who to hand it off to. He leaned forward in his rocking chair and stood up, making his way to Steven. He handed the paper to the young man and showed him where to pick up. Out of all the boys, Steven was the one who knew the least. He was making excellent progress, but he still required quite a bit of help. John would kneel down next to him and use his finger to lead Steven's eyes across the page. They had to stop on every word to sound it out, but (Y/N) didn't mind. She loved witnessing someone learn.

Once Steven had finished, the process repeated for Charlie. John knelt down next to the bench Charlie perched on and moved his finger across the page. Charlie didn't need to pause on every single word, it was more like every third or fourth. His reading was still choppy, but there were certain smooth passages that (Y/N) was really happy to hear.

Eventually, John made his way back to his rocking chair and held the newspaper towards (Y/N) and Chavez. "Chavez, I believe it's your turn."

(Y/N) saw Chavez' head look up and over towards John, eyes slightly wide. She smiled at him, trying to be as encouraging as possible. She was excited to finally hear him read. She had thought about asking him to do it during their nightly reading sessions when he'd follow along over her shoulder, but she didn't want to scare him off. Just from listening to his one word responses throughout the week she knew she was going to love the sound of his voice. It took everything in her not to beg him to speak more just so she could listen to him talk.

After her shining smile of inspiration, she expected him to take the paper and read aloud to his heart's content. What she wasn't expecting was his response.

"I don't know how to read." He whispered.

Her eyes widened in faint surprise. She had no idea. When they read at night, he seemed so invested in 'Wuthering Heights' that she didn't even question his reading ability. She'd even seen his eyes moving across the pages.

John nodded. "Then we shall teach you. You happen to be sitting next to the second best teacher in the house." He winked and smirked at (Y/N).

She snapped her attention to him and started laughing, along with the rest of the boys in the room. Rolling her eyes, she looked back at Chavez. "I would be honored to teach you, Chavez. We can start tomorrow."

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That night after the rest of the boys had gone to bed, (Y/N) was in front of the fireplace on the floor with their book and two cups of tea. She heard his footsteps move down the stairs and towards her before he sat down next to her, immediately grabbing his mug of English Evening.

"I had no idea." She spoke, looking at him sip his tea. "Why didn't you say anything? I could've started teaching you days ago."

Chavez stared into the fire. She wasn't expecting a long response.

"I just can't believe I wasn't considerate enough to even ask you." She continued. "It's just that I saw your eyes move across the pages and I-"

"You have a beautiful voice."

She paused. She hadn't been expecting that. Though, that seemed to be a common theme for her in the last week.

She tilted her head at him, a slight blush highlighting her cheeks. "Thank you."

He continued watching the flames lick the sides of the bricks. "I didn't say anything because I enjoyed listening. Your voice is very soothing." He moved his eyes from the fire to her.

(Y/N) couldn't help but smile at him. She was surrounded by boys who always treated her with the utmost respect. They gave her compliments, they helped her around the house when they could, and they protected her to the best of their ability. She knew everything they did was genuine, but for some reason, her heart skipped a beat when Chavez spoke to her. It wasn't like that with the other boys. This feeling was different.

She had always been described as an incredibly honest person (mostly by her older brother, Richard), therefore, she didn't hold back when it came to expressing her feelings to others. This moment with Chavez was no exception. "You make me feel so..." She trailed off, not really knowing how to finish the sentence. Would he think she's crazy?

"Different?" He asked.

She let out a sigh of relief. "Yes." She nodded. "But different in a good way."

He smiled softly. "Me, too."

As they spoke, she suddenly noticed they had drifted closer to one another. In fact, they were so close that she could feel his shoulder length hair tickling the side of her neck. What was happening to her? It was like she had been hypnotized.

"I like spending time with you." Chavez said, his dark eyes bright from the glow of the fire.

She didn't think her blush could get any deeper. "I like spending time with you, too."

She suddenly couldn't take it anymore and looked away from him, her eyes fixed on the fire. She did not normally act like this. She had never encountered something, or someone, that made her feel anything less than confident, but with Chavez she was second guessing everything. Her hand moved to the floor in-between them so she could lean her upper body weight against it, but before she could do anything, she felt something else on the ground. Quickly looking down, she realized she was touching his hand.

He didn't pull away.

He did the exact opposite actually.

She left her hand where it was, and ever so gently, he moved his hand so it was on top of hers before giving it a gentle squeeze.

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Translations

Tengo frío - I’m cold