I Want You (She's So Heavy) â„ Remmick
Chapter 3 â„ Lil' Friend
Other Chapters: â„1 â„2â„3
-ËË àŒ»đ°âàŒș. â„ .àŒ»â°đàŒș ËË-
.àŒ»â°đàŒș ËË-chapter summary: In which Remmick meets the family. Or well, *a* family member. .àŒ»â°đàŒș ËË- chapter warnings: mentions of the Klu-Klux-Klan (again)
.àŒ»â°đàŒș ËË- story summary: The Smiths have long borne sons and daughters of hunters for centuries, tracking and eradicating the cryptids that ran through the Mississippi Delta like blood roots; thus, it would only be assumed that [F/N] Smith should take the legacy on as well. However, her passion for music-- her gift and inclination of it ran within her, deeper than any blood and any 'fate', and so she took her bearings up to Chicago, indulging in the sin of the nightlife. But no matter how far she ran, Remmick couldn't get her songs out of her head-- he couldn't ignore a chance to once again be reunited with his own people, a chance only granted through the turning of a Smith girl. And thus, he sought out to take [F/N] as his little pawn, his little tool, and his little wife.
.àŒ»â°đàŒș ËË- major warning(s): explicit sexual content, mention of the Klu-Klux-Klan, graphic depictions of violence and gore, blood, blood consumption, minor religious imagery and symbolism, gaslighting, manipulation, rough sex, verbal degradation, very minor amounts of period-typical racism
.àŒ»â°đàŒș ËË-tags: black! female! reader, F/M pairing, usage of [F/N] [L/N] instead of Y/N, crossposted on Archive of Our Own (AO3), erotica, vampires, southern gothic, angst, comedy, slow burn, forced marriage, strangers to lovers, roommates, (eventual) mutual pining, enemies to lovers, love/hate, awkward tension, Remmick is a cannon mix of offputting and charismatic, miscommunication, pre-canon, alternate universe - canon divergence, hurt/comfort, mental instability, vampire slayers, soul bond, sexual fantasy, rough sex, hate sex, cunnilinguis, irish language
chapter wc: 6,034
fic wc: 13,908
chapters: 3/ ?
publish date: 5/7/25 story last updated: 5/21/25
-ËË àŒ»đ°âàŒș. â„ .àŒ»â°đàŒș ËË-
The stars twinkled in a way they never did back home in Mississippi. The moon was high and cast a beautiful, bright blue light that illuminated [F/N]âs face, head resting on the window as she bore a disgusted expression.Â
She watched as Remmick fumbled with their luggage again, still steaming from the night before. She wasnât one to shy away from the fact that she was upset either; sheâd sassed and tugged away from him all while heâd undone her binds, taken forever in the (unfortunately windowless) bathroom. However, all her disobedience and attitude were eclipsed by caution when they finally came down the stairs, bearing luggage for the car.Â
The group of while folk from the night before had been sitting in the lobby with their stained button-ups and patchwork slacks, and yet they stared at both Remmick and [F/N] with a sense of superiority. They held up their newspapers and smoked their cigarettes in the motelâs little couch area, showing off their shotguns that were laid up against the armchairs and the coffee table. They muttered amongst themselves when the two of them had been making trips out to the car, repeatedly spitting on the carpet and making snarl-lipped comments to each other that revealed their crooked, yellow teeth.
âPretty lilâ nigra, ainât she?â A word which theyâd invented, and yet they could barely pronounce it correctly. Fucking hicks.Â
But it was the oldest of the motley crew that was almost seething with hate, nd yet, he was the most reserved. The rest of his compatriots hooted and hollered enough for the motel staff to repeatedly tell them to âshut that shit up or get the hell outâ, to which they mocked even louder.
Â
The oldest, however, just sat in his armchair in a manspread, hands on his knees and leaning forward with a mean look on his face. What made him look even crazier was the fact that there was no hair on top of his headâ instead, it was all scooped to the back in a long, white ponytail.Â
He looked pink and sweaty, and slightly chubbier. Every part of his body, except the top of his head and the area in which facial hair would grow was covered in hair. He looked like a piece of bubblegum dropped on the barbershop floor.Â
And guess who heâd been eyeing so hatefully?Â
Not [F/N], but Remmick.
She could tell that he was bothered, even if she couldnât exactly tell why. She knew he didnât endorse nor tolerate the Klan, but this specific man⊠Remmick had caught one small glimpse of him and had immediately looked away, trying to obscure his face.
Even then, as she watched him load the car, he was barely organized or careful; heâd been back there all of thirty seconds before heâd come back up front and immediately hopped in the driverâs seat, fumbling to pull the keys out of his pocket while he cursed.
She watched him fumble for a moment, clearly resentful of him and hesitant to say a word to him. However, she could feel her curiosity getting the better of her, the question sitting hot on her tongue like a pepper.
A few minutes later, and theyâd been on the road, the air whipping their hair around and the moon blue-ing their skin, and even though they were out of harmâs way, she couldnât keep it off her mind.Â
Remmick, who felt suffocated by the silence, was watching the way her fist clenched and unclenched in her lap, her breaths careful and planned; in, hold, out, hold, repeat. She was an axnious little thing from what he could tell, and as someone who heard and saw everything with a heightened sense, it drove him crazy. It made him shift in his seat and restlessly tap his fingers on the wheel.Â
He could hear the skin of her thumb rubbing against the gold band and glanced at the ring on her finger, noticing the way she twisted and fidgeted with it. Heâd seen soldiers with those same habits, antsy and yet they bore stone faces atop their worry.
He had to say something, but the words werenât given a chance to come out.
âYou never told me how you knew them white men back there,â she blurted quickly, like the words had been waiting on her tongue.
He didnât respond immediately; he didnât flinch, nor did he look over, as if pretending he hadnât heard her at all.
Suddenly, fakely, he flinched as if heâd registered her question a whole thirty seconds later and giving her big, âapologeticâ eyes.
âOh, my apologies. You say somethinâ?â He asked. He couldnât hold in his agitating, degrading simper and let it form, his eyes focusing back on the road as he bore a mixture of smugness and annoyance. âFigured you still had that lilâ attitude of yours, didnât think you was talkinâ to lil olâ me.
She sucked her teeth her teeth. âWhich oneâs worse: a girl beinâ sassy or a grown man beinâ sassy?âÂ
His smile didnât fall, but it lost its humor, and he responded immediately.Â
âI donât mean to be, but you bring it out of me. Itâs a gift of yours, but dont worry, lilâ miss; youse more than worth the trouble.â
Heâd been married before, and this is exactly how it felt, but he didnât usually get into the âI hate youâ stages until about ten years in. Of course, by then, heâd just eat them. That wasnât an option here. Not yet, at least.
He kept one hand on the steering wheel, his left resting on the outside of the car as he drove. His button-up sloppily clung to his body in the heat. His messy, oddly-curled bangs stuck to his forehead, and his jaw moved ever so slightly as he suctioned his tongue to the roof of his mouth so tightly he could taste every muscle. Still, he smiled.
The way she got under his skin was like nothing else, and that feeling looked to be mutual. He could see it in the way sheâd sat up and turned her whole body towards him, and yet somehow, sheâd managed to extinguish herself. She retracted her pointed finger and clenched her fist before slumping back into the seat.
âDoinâ all that just to not answer my question.âÂ
He looked once, and then he looked twice, and then he looked back at the road again.Â
His fingers drummed on the steering wheel for a good long while, his face bitter while the cogs turned in his head.
He then parted his lips to speak, and then closed them as if he wasnât sure he should. He did it a couple more times until he surrendered some kind of answer. His lips went tight, and he looked like he was about to say something else, but he went limp in the seat like all the fight had left his body.Â
He started slowly, his voice indifferent as he focused his eyes on the road. Still, he bore a subtle smirk.
âDidnât think you was so worried âbout me, but, donât worry; they only knocked me around a lilâ bit,â he said, clearing his throat with discomfort at the memory. âNot them, clearly; some friends of theirs. But, you seen the old nâ hefty one?âÂ
âYeah?â
âYeah, well, that one got away. But,â he tapped the steering wheel. âI made out with some wheels nâ keys. So, I didnât bother to chase him down nâ kill him; I could smell it on him, nâ he ainât got longer than a month left. His arteries was so swollen they was ticklinâ his lungs.âÂ
When he looked over at [F/N], he could see the way her eyes were wide with something sick, her eyebrows knitted together. He couldnât decipher what this look meant until he heard her heart, and the way it beat fast and irregularly.Â
She licked the roof of her mouth to salivate, but she was left with worry-induced cotton mouth. The words came out of her like an inhuman croak he couldnât understand. But after a dry, sick swallow of air, she spoke weaklyâ
âOh, fuck..â
She shook her head and broke her eyes from his, mumbling softly to herself. âFuck, fuck, fuckâŠâ
She was working herself up with worry, he could hear it, but he didnât blame her for it. Admittedly, heâd complicated a rather easy job; to kill that old man wouldâve been like squashing a small spider beneath a large shoe, but thatâs precisely why he didnât care to finish the job. That old man was nothing more than a soft, old bigot; he wasnât remotely threatening.Â
But to [F/N], being chased by a group of rowdy racists was horrifying, especially given that theyâd managed to land hits on Remmick. She figured that if she could take him as a small girl (yet albeit well-trained), then a group of six or seven liquor-filled hicks would hurt him.Â
And if they didnât hurt him, theyâd hurt her.Â
âI knew I shouldâve brought somethinâ,â she mumbled, cursing herself. âA lilâ handgun or a pistol,â she said, looking around the car.Â
She coiled herself around the seat, tapping the floors and seats of the back until Remmickâs arm snaked around her. The car swerved a bit as he pulled her back to the front.
He could see the protesting âwhy did you do that?â look on her face and immediately spoke, his tone absurd;
âAre you out of your mind?â He asked, scoffing. âHell, almost made me whip this goddamn hunk of metal; you already know I canât drive for shitâ done lost your mind, girl!â
She huffed, her face contorting into confused frustration.
âWhat, so Iâm âsposed to rely on you in case they come down the road lookinâ for us?!â She spat. âI almost whopped yo ass, but they gonâ do it for sure. And then what happens to me, huh?âÂ
He rolled his eyes and shook his head, like a parent listening to a childâs irrational fears. He wasnât taking this seriously, and that only wound her up more.
âI said they landed a couple hits on me, but it was eight on one. Now, if eight lilâ cats jump one gator heâs gonâ be confused for a minute, but heâs gonâ clear âem out, ainât he?âÂ
âWhat? Wh-? Eight cats? Why would eight cats be jumpinâ a gatorââ
â[F/N], come on,â he scoffed, getting hotter and thus stammering more. âM-Maybe that was a bad example, but you know that ainât the point. You gotta believe me now. What, I let one lilâ porkchop escape nâ all the sudden you think Iâm incapable of handlinâ business?â
She didnât say anything and sat with her arms crossed while refusing to look at him.
He tutted, his expression a bit pained.
âThatâs a lilâ hurtful darlinâ. Now, youse in good handsâ for now, âtil I bite that pretty lil neck,â he said.
His voice came in an odd, low rasp that made her heart rethink itself, his voice chock full of filth and devoid of flirt; it reminded her of how unsettling he was. The back of his curled knuckles gently brushing up against her nape.Â
Confused and morbidly offended, she cast him a side eye. He took no offense when she smacked his hand away, re-folding her arms. He simply nodded and pulled his hand back slowly.
He continued. âBut for now? Oh, donât even worry âbout them. You safe as can be, which ainât too safe given our lilâ predicament but believe this, cause it ainât nothin but the truth: ainât nobody but me gonâ be layinâ a finger on ya.â
She wasnât looking at him throughout his little speech, but when he went quiet, she took a peek at him.
His eyes were on the road, left hand on the wheel. His right arm rested on the center console, his hand sticking up with his pinkie out, inviting her to wrap her own around it.
A pinkie promise.Â
Something about it was so characteristically elementary, she just had to scoff. She looked him up and down for any signs waning or humor, but there were none. He even shook his arm a little bit, giving her a small smirk and a side eye.
âI ainât got much morality left in me, but I donât break promisesââspecially not the pinkie kind.âÂ
Annoyed, she turned away again. But every time she looked back, his pinkie remained out and straight.Â
ââŠdo I get a choice?â
ââCourse. I could take my hand away nââŠâÂ
He tapped his lip with his finger in faux thought, playing with her.Â
âWell, I canât let emâ kill you, but I could not keep my hands off you, if thatâs what you sayinâ you prefer?â
He smirked with something sinister, not because he was teasing her for a reaction, but instead because of his sick imagination. He liked that idea, nodding to himself as he spoke real slow, giving her a predatory eye.
âYeahhhâŠI could feed on ya âstead of containinâ myself, nâ bleed you dry. âSides, pretty lilâ think like you? Wouldnât be hard to find other uses for ya. Up tâyou, really.â
She let his words simmer in her mind for a split second before jumping away from him.Â
âJesus Christâ?! Whore, the hellâs the matter with you?!â She spat with degradation. âThatâs just filthy! Ainât thinkinâ bout nothinâ but smut, is you? Big nasty assâŠâ
He chuckled and shook his pinkie again, but there was no need. The thought of that last part made her pinkie magnetize to his, her embarrassment driving her actions.Â
He nodded triumphantly, taking his hand away and putting it back on the wheel. âAw, darlinâ! I swear I ainât mean it!â
-ËË àŒ»đ°âàŒș. â„ .àŒ»â°đàŒș ËË-
Not even ten minutes later, the car began to make odd, sputtering noises and emitted a low, mechanical growl.
Every time the car stuttered in movement, [F/N] would look over at Remmick, and as sheâd suspected, he never reacted to it. Maybe heâd shift the sticks a bit and knit his eyebrows together, but he just kept going.Â
They were out of the countryside and up in some small townâs backroads when she finally said something, coming down a hill as they rode closer to a seedy little gas station. Emphasis on seedy; the white paint of the little wooden-buily shack was chipped and covered in speckles of moss, the gas pump being the only thing that looked new.
She gently patted his upper arm, which was bare by now since heâd slipped off his button-up. He looked down at her and back up, noticing where she was pointing.
âSomethinâs off,â she mumbled softly, peering over his shoulder and at the cluster of meters and trackers behind the wheel to try and look for the gas meter. âWe donât need gas, do we?â
âUhmâŠâ he squinted hard, âwhich one issat?â
âAre you serious? Whââ
âDarlinâ, Iâm tryna driveâ I canât stop nâ figure out which one of these is for the petrol, now! You just gonâ have to tell me.â
She groaned and popped her seatbelt off, contorting her body to lean her his lap. Taken off guard, he swerved a little bit while he struggled to see over the top of her head. That, combined with his annoyance at her close proximity and the heat it brought to his face, made his tone a bit harsh.Â
âChristâ the hell âer you doinâ?â He spat, sitting up in his seat.
âLookinâ to see how much gas we got in this old thing,â she murmured, âainât nobody tryna touch on you!â'
A bit insulted, he quickly shut up.Â
She finally managed to glance at the meter, and it was more than low. She almost wasnât sure sheâd seen that correctly, but the minute she was sure, she crawled away from him.Â
âAw, shootâ well, I hope you got gas moneyâŠâ
âWhy?âÂ
âWhy?â She balked, her tone testy. âWhâ?â she rapped at the glass on the dial repeatedly. âLook at it!â
He rolled his eyes and glanced down a few times, his expression only growing more confused. Finally, the realization hit him, and he inwardly groaned.Â
âAh, holon.. shit, how the hellâd it get past E?â He gawked.Â
He peered over at the gas station as they came down onto the road, pulling closer as the engine began to spit and sputter, rattling the two of them around.Â
The old thing had barely made it to the pump when Remmick sighed, patting his pockets. Heâd turned them inside out and came up with a small handful of old-looking gold coins that were decorated in strange inscriptions she couldnât make out.
She looked down at his palm, then up at him, and then down, and then up. âYou gonâ pay with them?â
He bit his lip and responded after a beat, closing his hand and stuffing the gold back in his pockets.
âNot directly, no.â He beckoned for her to bring her hand closer. âBut, we gonâ have to see if we can get somethinâ for one of emâ.â
He dropped one ice-cold coin into her hand. She drew it back and brought it closer, running her thumb over all its little ridges and bumps, taken with the object. Remmick found himself a bit amused yet confused at her fascination with the old thing.Â
âTypa money is this?â
âSolid gold kinda money, nothinâ phony âbout it. Feel that weight to it?â
She lifted her palm up and down, weighing it.
âYeah well, fake or note, somebodyâs gon have to take it. What kinda folks live âround here anyway?â She asked, stuffing the coin in her pocket.
He scoffed, rubbing the back of his neck. âThe kind thatâd be a lilâ on-guard if a lanky olâ white man came up to emâ.â
That earned a small chuckle from her, and she nodded, popping the door open.Â
âYou not cominâ with me, right?â
Remmick opened his mouth to respond, but the words died in his throat. He scrunched his face and pointed at her, turning his head to the side like he hadnât heard her right.
âWhyâd you ask it like that?â
She paused. â...cause I was wonderinâ?â
âNo, whyâd you ask like that? Like you was hopinâ Iâd say no nâ just let you roam off?â
â...causeâŠ?â
He paused for a beat.Â
After a minute or two, he hummed to himself affirmingly and grabbed his button-up off the back seat behind him, climbing out of the car and throwing it on.Â
âYou was gonâ wander off nâ never come back,â he said, annoyed that he was essentially forced to babysit her while she solicited an old Celtic coin for gas. The whole thing was trashy, but it wasnât entirely beneath him.
âNo I wasnât,â she retorted, even more annoyed that heâd assumed that. âWhatever! Come yoâ stankinâ ass on so we can get some gas, smells like booze out here.â
The deceivingly spacious inside of the gas station smelled like the very products it sold; antigfreeze and tires. Tne floors were wood planks that looked freshly polished, and everything was in rows; snacks, basic necessities, and papers. The were about four or five other people inside and two behind the counter, all of them not paying much mind. Well, until Remmick had entered behind her.Â
Everyoneâs heads shot up to look at him like prairie dogs, and in his headlights, he dropped his shirt mid-tuck, letting it awkwardly cling to his body.Â
â...h-howdy?â
Right, clearly a little weirdo.Â
Everyone slowly went back to their business, and it wasnât until the eyes were off him until he finished tucking his shirt in. His face was a little red, and he leaned down to quietly mutter to [F/N];
âGonâ head nâ pawn that thang off,â he patted her back, ânâ donât go too far, else Iâmma eat real good tonight, yâhear?â
She began to believe him less and less every time he said that. So she pushed him away and soccfed, rolling her eyes. âYeah whatever, thereâs some mags over there, go look at that.â
He smacked her arm lightly; âlisten, you gonâ stop with this lilâ whore accusation. Just a mean thing, ainât you?â
With that, she stepped a couple of feet away, standing in the middle of the store, looking around at everybody. The women were dressed in long skirts and corseted tops, while the men were dressed similarly to Remmick. Speaking of which, she found herself repeatedly looking over her shoulder and caught him sneaking suspicious glances at her, shooing her.
She rolled her eyes and scanned the room a little closer, looking for a kind face or a face that would at least meet her eyes. She pretended to walk through the aisles and arbitrarily picked up things and read the labels, careful not to linger for too long. She could already tell by the look of the older, more lightskinned man behind the counter that his eyes were glued to her hands.Â
Nervous, she stepped away from the aisles and instead took a more direct approach before coming up to a fairly young couple. The woman was a bit pudgy and short, but her eyes were gorgeous and almond-shaped, her hair pulled back in cornrows, and her body adorned in blue gingham cloth. The man wore the same slacks and button-up as everyone else, except his set was cleaner; even his shoes looked shiny, and it was a subtle thing to pick up on, but [F/N]âs skillset included being observant.Â
She had a slightly higher-pitched, welcoming, and airy voice. Sheâd been dressed in a black pinstripe frock, with a simple string of pearls and dress shoes. So when she approached them, she expected them to be a little uppity. Still, there was room for more surprise.
Theyâd been talking to each other, laughing a little here and there as they spoke in a hushed tone, the man flicking through his wallet. It was when [F/N] was about a foot away that the woman had looked over her shoulder and stopped laughing, her face falling a little. The man noticed, and that accompanied by the way the woman side eyed him and then looked back at [F/N] made his smile drop too.
The two of them sighed somewhat dramatically and [F/N] could swear she heard pne of them mumble about âthese goddamn kidsâ, the man quickly tucking his wallet in his back pocket.Â
The older woman spoke first, a little apprehensive still. Most likely because sheâd seen the girl walk in with some little white boy.Â
âWell, hi there,â she said, her words polite but her tone a bit suspicious. She swayed her hips a bit as she tapped her male companionâs shoulder, and he faced [F/N] instinctively, shaking her hand.
âEveninâ maâam, sir,â she said, putting her hand band in her pocket as she nodded over to the white man who was now holding up one of the girlie mags and letting the poster picture unfold, whistling.Â
God, how much more embarrassing could he be?
Disturbed and clearly seeing that the couple was equally disturbed, she cleared her throat and continued.
âAh.. Weâre musicians, yâsee. We beenââ
The couple side-eyed each other.
â-- travelinâ tryna get to our next gig but, we ainât got the typa currency we need for gas, nâ we fresh out. But, if yâall donât mind makinâ a conversion of currency,âÂ
She tapped her frock pockets and pulled out the coin, presenting it in her palm, the couple not moving at first. The man passed a look to the woman and she knit her eyebrows together, before looking at [F/N] with a scrunched up face, and after her inspection, she drew back.
â...Uhn uhn⊠what typa of money is that? Where yâall get that from?â
âWe been told itâs gold,â she said, taking it back and flipping it over to look for herself. Hell, she was trying to pawn it off and she didnât know if sheâd been given bullshit or not.Â
âReally, Iâm not tryna be dishonest. We canât just stay parked outside all night nâ--â
Whilst gesturing outside, the sight of a familiar face made her look twice at the glass doors. A funny-looking man with a tan, spiffy suit was reaching over and pulling the door open. Beside him was a petite, full-chested, and round face brown skin girl with pretty almond eyes and full lips. Her hair was short and styled into fingerwaves that shined in the station lights, her expression disgugruntled as she fanned herself.Â
The heat made her black slip cling to her skin, only furthering the looks she received, and the makeup? [F/N] could swear someone had taken hold of their husband.
The womanâs gaze finally came up off the ground, her husband departing from her with his wallet as she took a look around, hands on her hips.Â
The look of surprise that fell upon her face when she looked up and spotted [F/N] standing by the young couple was almost theatrical. Her husband had already been turned around and was getting ready to walk away when she shoved him and practically slammed the door over his head, squealing like a schoolgirl.
She adjusted her frock over her chest as she ran over. Â
âIs thatâ? Well Iâll be damned! I know that ainât lilâ [F/N] all grown up!â
Remmick perked up at the sound of all the hollering, not knowing where to look. It was only when the passenger door opened that he locked in and nearly flew over to [F/N], assuming this was some sort of rescue mission.
Instead, she was aghast, running out with her arms open wide.
To go from being in a fit to seeing her favorite cousin was certainly overwhelming, but she didnât care. She didnât even think about what Remmick might do, and instead buried herself in the womanâs arms, the two of them spinning and hollering like children.Â
âMy, my! Girl, where you been at?!â The dark-skinned beauty exclaimed, her hair all permed and short in a mature yet flouncy bob.Â
Her clothes were flapper-esque and black with fancy beadwork, the tassels on the end making noises as the little gemstones splashed together from all the movement.Â
Her voice was sweet, high, and chipper; it was why theyâd called her âBabyâ for the longest time. Then, she got older and started running off and being fast. She quickly lost that nickname and heâd familyâs sweetness, although she still shared a heart with [F/N]. They were one and the same in that regard, after all.Â
âMarie! I-I donât even know what to say!â [F/N] had exclaimed. And when sheâd come down from her excitement, a sort of âoh-shitâ look crossed her face. She looked off in the distance.
Cousin Marie noticed this, and her mood dampened.
âWhat? Why you makinâ that face?â She asked, before looking over.Â
She nearly jumped off [F/N] to reach under her dress for her pistol when she saw that white man running over, her free hand out as a signal for him to stop as she scrambled.Â
âW-woah now, h-hold on maâam!â He put his hands out, still managing to chuckle. God forbid sheâd shoot him and thus discover his true nature.Â
When the woman froze, he gestured to [F/N]. âWeâse together, you see?â He held up his hand and let his ring glint. âIâm her fiancĂ©.â
[F/N], still fuming, had half a mind to put everything at risk and tell Marie that yeah, he was lying, and he was in fact up to no good and had been holding her hostage. However, because her cousin couldnât even quick draw, she doubted any possible success in a two-on-one.
She forced a small, bemused smile as she gently rubbed her cousinâs arm.Â
âYeah, thatâs⊠thatâs mine,â she said, poorly disguising her disgust with a laugh.Â
Marie whipped her head around.Â
âGirlâ?,â she gawked. âYou mean to tell me this lilâ glass of milk is yo husband?â
Little. Huh. Heâd remember that.
Marieâs face scrunched up, and she gave [F/N] a pitiful look, her eyes lingering on Remmick as she examined him up and down.Â
âWell⊠donât go around tellinâ everybody that. Most folks ainât gon like that, âcept they gon go after you nâ not him. Excuse me for askinâ but, ainât yâall scared?â
Remmick came up and wrapped his hands around [F/N]âs waist tightly to keep her close, even when sheâd lurched forward, leaning in and placing a fat, wet, and sloppy kiss on the nape of her neck with a low, rumbly chuckle.Â
âEvery single day, but Iâd do anything to keep her safe. Hell, Iâm lucky I snatched her up âfore anybody else did,â he said, his eyes seemingly squinty with joy. That squint had been his way of saying âsuck it up, or Iâll kill you both right now.â
She nodded, never breaking her eye contact with him as she smiled, fighting back the bile coming up. Her eye was borderline twitching.
âCareful, people gonâ get to talkin,â she said as she placed a very reluctant peck on his cheek.Â
Whyâd she say that? She could picture it; a bunch of ankle-biting halfbreeds running around her little Chicago apartment. That thought made her so very, very sick.Â
Marie felt equally confused. But, they were basically married; who was she to judge?
âAhâŠâ she trailed off, before she shook her head and bore a smile. âSo, what yâall doinâ out here?â
âWell, weâŠâ she stammered; she was blanking.
Remmickâs eyes widened a bit, and he, too, stammered to conjure up a lieâ
âW-well, we was on our way up to Mississippi to visit her folks. Yâsee, I ainât ever met âem, nâ soââ
âWait, wait, wait,â Marie interjected. She looked at him like he was crazy. âSoâ you ainât even ask âfore you proposed?â She looked at [F/N]. âThatâs a lilâ too fast, ainât it? Why yâall rushinâ? Been hunchinâ nâ ended up with a lilâ baby?
[F/N] rubbed her temples, feeling her face heat up a little. How would that even work? She figured that once people were turned, they didnât have blood and thus didnât have any⊠gravy. Could he evenâ?
She shook off the thought and cleared her throat for composure, feeling herself grow more and more disgusted. Great, now she was getting a very, very detailed mental image.Â
It didnât help that when sheâd glanced over at Remmick, he wore a shit-eating grin on his now rose-colored face, fanning himself as they quickly stumbled back towards each other. His hands assumed their previous position on [F/N]âs waist as he spoke, clearly amused at her reaction. He was a little taken aback, sure, but she nearly jumped out of her own skin. But she remained committed to her little performance despite her repulsion to him, leaning up against him with her hands on his chest, rubbing in small circular motions.Â
She really knew how to play the part, and he was impressed.Â
âN-no-noâno! Justâ when you find true love, you just got to act on it, right? Wasnât it like that with you nâ Chicle?âÂ
âYeah, thatâs why we got married so fast; we was hunchinâ.â
She and Remmick stared blankly at Marie for a moment, managing to let out small, awkward chuckles that Marie interpreted as applause to her humor, and not as evasions of the awkwardness amidst them.
[F/N] cleared her throat.
âS-so, what you n' Chicle nâ.. The baby, ehem, doinâ out here?â She asked, finally mellowing out upon returning to a topic she wouldnât blow up over.Â
Marie gestured off in the distance, and despite the darkness of the night, the faint figure of a man coming around to the trunk of the car with luggage up to his neck was barely made out. They all watched as he stuck his leg out a little too far and lost his balance, tripping off the curb as his luggage avalanched atop him.Â
âOuhâŠâ
She winced and stared at him for a moment. It wasnât until he began to get back up that she nodded slowly, assuring his well-being.Â
âHe-heâs alright,â she said, turning back to them as she continued.Â
âWe got a deal goinâ with some white folk where we get a good amount of corn liquor for cheap for The Black Cat. âCourse, you gotta pay extra for âem to smuggle it across state, so we do that ourselves.â She said.Â
The Black Cat. The name of the bar sparked a childish glee within [F/N]. She shook Marieâs shoulders, shrieking. Marie wore a concealed yet proud smile, looking away to keep herself from bragging. Still, it was hard when your little cousin was spinning you around and yipping.Â
âSo yâall really opened that old thing up? Well, hell, where yâall at?â
âDefinitely not âround here,â she looked around. âThese some uppity ass niggas; couldnât get em to dance if you had the barrel pointinâ at they feet. Naw, we âbout an hour down the road from here, up in southern Tennessee.â
Marie paused and cracked a smile as she looked between the two of them.Â
âWhy? Yâall wanna see what we got goinâ on?â
And risk delaying this trip any longer? Remmick scoffed and shook his head.Â
âOh,â his voice was all proper and polite. âWeâd hate to intruââ
âYes!â
The sudden yell from [F/N] had sent Marie and Remmick into a state of silent shock. Marie, whoâd noticed the fiancĂ©âs hesitance, chuckled awkwardly.
âReally, it would be our pleasure!â She reasoned while a small smile came up behind [F/N] and gave her shoulders a firm squeeze. âYou gotta keep your lilâ missus happy! âSides, I heard rumor that yâall is musicians nâ itâs been so long since we heard lilâ Junebug sing somethinâ fore us!â
He gave her an awkward smile and laughed, noddingâ all the while he was staring at [F/N] with murderous intent. Still, he hated to admit it, but he was impressed; had he said no, Marie might get to talking to the family and mention [F/N] running around with a random white man. Someone might âcheck upâ on them, worst-case scenario. [F/N] clearly knew all this; he could tell by her wide smile and her awkwardly squinted eyes, communicating with a look that said âI got you right where I want you.â
He prepared to say something, but was swiftly caught off guard. He cracked a genuine laugh.
âJ-Junebug? Whose Junebug?â He dealt her a look of fascination and tease, clearly reveling in her sheepish expression. âNâ when was I gonâ hear about this?â
She rolled her eyes, pulling away from Marie in the way embarrassed children did. âMarie, câmon, Iâm grown now; too old for Junebug,â she remarked bitterly.
Marie smacked her hip and earned a sharp little âowâ; âStop actinâ funny, itâs cute! And if you gonâ be my guest you gonâ be singinâ, nâ we gon introduce you as Junebug.â
Clearly, she was kidding, but [F/N] didnât wanna hear anymore, stepping away from the two of them with her arms crossed. She managed to laugh a little despite the horror and the fact that Remmick now had more ammunition to tease her with, and in turn, she now had more reasons to strangle him.
âAlright, alright, Iâll do a lilâ one-two for yâall,â she said. âI ainât got rusty; been singinâ ever since I left the Delta anyhow.â
âYou gots to tell me all about it. Yâall good to drive? Heard yâalls broke asses in here begginâfor loose change,â She said, pulling out a ffat wad just to present a five dollar bill. Instead of offering it to [F/N], she paid her fiancĂ© a little bit of attention, a little suspicious of the conservatism of his words.
Remmick extended his hand and gingerly took the money, his voice humble and sweet.
âAw, thatâs real sweet of you, darlinâ. âS nice to know all that attitude as well as generosity runs in the family,â he said, chuckling. âMakinâ me real scared to meet the rest of yâall, though.â
His eyes cast themselves upon [F/N] with a sinister look that made her spine tingle. And she could swear she saw a glint of those same simmering coals in his eyes, his voice low.
âCanât wait, neither.â
-ËË àŒ»đ°âàŒș. â„ .àŒ»â°đàŒș ËË-
a/n: SURpRISEEE SHAWTAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i owed this to y'all about 5 days ago but after today I shouldn't have anything left to do! So, I'll be free to give this fic the attention it deserves. In the meantime, this chapter is setting up the next couple conflicts that our little lovebirds (they wanna kill each other) will encounter! As you can see, it may be hard for them to overcome the bullshit they're finna go through if they can barely get along but, you see a little bit of less-mean banter between them this time. And its gonna get way better, but then its go down exponentially. a/n #2: I also just wanna thank y'all for all the sweet comments! deff motivated me to finish this chapter! Six thousand words, good god... yeah this mf finna cap off well past 40k words if I keep up w/ my current plans but, I may poll it and see how long of a fic y'all want cause I could easily go longer. But, to keep from updating every 2 seconds and burning myself out from overly crossposting and formatting, we'd be upping chapter wordcounts to abt 8k. Mind you, they wouldn't get boring because I'm a pretty productive yapper (like I think I write with minimal filler, right? RIGHT--????) but that's still cray. Might poll kit, idk. Anyways, LOVE YOU GUYS! Keep being sweet teehee!!








