Micah rarely sleeps or eats around camp because he's always worried solenoid might try something against him, especially if he's asleep. He hates the idea of being vulnerable enough for someone to take advantage of it, so he'd rather stay awake and only take short naps while insisting that "Sleep is overrated."
Micah got Baylock when he was still a teenager. From all the scams and jobs he pulled with his father, he’d always set aside his share of the money in a little box. Then, one day, while passing by a stable, he spotted a beautiful black horse with a white face that was about to be sold. It was love at first sight. Without a second thought, he ran all the way back to the small house where he lived with his family, grabbed the money he’d been saving, and bought the horse that very same day.
Micah has a habit of talking to Baylock. At camp, he only does it when no one else is around, and during long journeys, when he’s left alone with his thoughts. Baylock is the only one who knows what goes on in Micah’s mind, the only one who hears his thoughts, his plans, and everything he keeps to himself.
Micah never talks about his mother because he never really knew her. She died when he was very young, and he doesn’t even remember what she looked like. He grew up without a mother figure, only with the violent and deeply troubled presence of his father, Micah Bell II. From an early age, he had to fend for himself, and he learned that showing any kind of emotion was a sign of weakness.
The first time Micah ever had to kill someone, he was with his father. It happened during a stagecoach robbery. Everyone on board had already been killed except for the driver, who had surrendered and was desperately begging for his life. His father insisted that Micah be the one to kill him. It was a test. Still just a teenager, Micah was terrified. His hands shook, his palms were slick with sweat, and he froze where he stood, while his father kept telling him that mercy and sympathy were for the weak. The whole ordeal dragged on longer than expected because, deep down, he didn’t want to do it. But the pressure, along with his father’s words, slowly shaped him into someone else. After he finally shot the stagecoach driver, the image stayed with him for days, replaying over and over in his mind.
As much as Micah hated his father, he also admired him. Little by little, he shaped himself into the ruthless man he would eventually become. The only role models he had growing up were his father and his grandfather. He despised his father for the kind of man he was and for the way he treated him and his brother. At the same time, though, he admired him. To Micah, his father was strong, ruthless, and unbreakable, and part of him wanted to become just like him, even if, deep down, he believed he might never measure up to either his father or his grandfather.
Micah would never admit it, but I think he’d actually enjoy physical affection. If he trusted you enough and you were close enough to him, I think he’d love having you run your fingers through his hair, stroke his beard, or simply link your arm with his. But the one thing that would make him go completely soft would be you running your fingers over the scar on his chin.
On the other hand, Micah would be pretty clingy in his own way. He’d want to fall asleep holding you, he’d insist on having you with him during every robbery, and he’d always sit closer to you than he really needed to around the campfire at night. He wouldn’t think twice about pulling you onto his lap in front of everyone, making it perfectly clear that you were his.
Micah has a rather unusual way of giving gifts. Flowers would never even cross his mind. Instead, he’d bring you cigarettes, a bottle of whiskey, extra ammunition, a new knife, or even a handful of cash. He’d never give them to you face-to-face, though, He’d leave them in your tent when you weren’t around, then linger nearby just to see the look on your face when you discovered what he’d left behind.
Micah would never admit it, but he absolutely loved compliments. Whether they were about his looks or his abilities didn’t really matter, he’d enjoy them all the same. More often than he’d ever confess, he’d pull some stupid stunt just to catch your attention and hear a few words of praise. That could mean delivering one of his overly dramatic speeches or showing off far more than necessary during a gunfight, all in the hope that you’d notice him.
10 more new hcs!! :)) i kinda mixed a few topics this time: young micah and his family, micah and his vulnerability, his relationship with baylock, and what he’d be like in a relationship. sorryyyyy, i was running outta ideas for just one topic :// my mind’s been completely blank these past few weeks when it comes to writing about him. :(