A/N: Hey hey hey! This is a gift for the lovely @fangirl-ramblings. When I got the message that I was your secret santa, I was super excited! You are defs one of the people who I would consider to be my biggest supporter throughout this blog endeavor. Seriously! I would like to apologize for how long this took, but I wanted to make sure I was happy with everything before posting.
I know you had requested something about several people, so I chose Charles! Hope this is to your liking.
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The sun was slowly sinking, the fire in front of you easily becoming your only source of light. The camp and itâs residents had been in the process of setting down for the night. Everyone but you. You were sitting on a log lost in thought, head resting in your hands as you stared into the flames; the object of your contemplation being none other than the mysterious Charles Smith.
Of course, this was of no surprise to you. It had been happening quite frequently. Charles was on your mind a lot. Especially since you had officially become a member of the Van Der Linde Gang.
A small smile began to tug at your lips as you recalled your first encounter with the illustrious group of outlaws.
You had been a bounty hunter then. Well, you hadnât really been a true bounty hunter. You were just taking odd jobs from the wanted posters around Valentine and Saint Denis. It wasnât the best work, but it paid well when you succeeded. And you did.
Believe it or not, you had actually met them during one of your jobs. You had been tracking a particularly elusive criminal for a few days. He had held up the general store and robbed a few of the townsfolk. Killed some too. The sheriff was adamant that he was brought back; alive or dead, it didnât matter.
You were on the trail, the tracks very fresh when suddenly gunfire broke out ahead of you. Intrigued, you spurred your mount on only to come face to face with a shoot out. The target in question was crouched behind an over turned wagon, his own horse dead, as bullets from his attackers, three of them, soared through the air.
Determined to be the one to bring him to justice, you pulled your own gun from its holster and spurred your mount on again. Unfortunately the criminal, in what you can only assume to be a moment of stupidity, peaked from around the wagon, pistol loaded, only to receive a bullet to the face. With him now dead, the attackerâs switched their attention to you, guns still drawn. A curse slipped from your lips as you brought your horse to an abrupt stop.
âYou take one step closer miss, and I cannot promise youâll get away unharmed.â Warned their leader, who you later on learned to be Dutch.
When you made no move to speak he continued.
âNow I suggest you lower your weapon and we can talk this out. I see no reason for any more blood-shed.â He spoke, lowering his own weapon and signaling for the others in his group to do the same.
It took a moment, but you complied and re-holstered your weapon. Then came the conversation that would change your life. You had explained how you were a bounty hunter, making money to survive on your own after your family had died. Dutch responded in kind; giving you the run down of his gang, and, when he was finished, offered you a place to stay. After all, a woman of your abilities would be beneficial to their cause. Seeing as you had no better options, you accepted.
When you had arrived at their campsite at Horseshoe Overlook, you were introduced to many people who, despite being outlaws, were some of the most kind and hardworking people you had ever met. You fit right in, quickly developed relationships with many of the gang members, and the rest was history.
But despite all that, there was one member that you still hadnât been able to understand.
When you had first been introduced to Charles, he barely mumbled a greeting or looked in your direction before heading of to complete some chore. You had brushed it off in the beginning, assuming you would find time to get to know him later. Now, it was later, and you knew next to nothing other than you had developed feelings for him.
It was all so odd. How could you develop feelings for someone who wouldnât speak to you, let alone even look at you in the eyes? Sure, you had admired his silent nature, his penchant for taking on the difficult or unappealing jobs and his kindness with the other gang members from afar. Not to mention, he himself wasnât unappealing to look at. But it still frustrated you to no end because you knew that he wouldnât feel the same way. Charles had made it perfectly clear, without speaking, how he felt about you.
Stifling a groan, you rubbed a hand over your face, your frustration beginning to build to unhealthy levels.
âSomething the matter [Y/N]? Youâve been sitting there an awfully long time.â
You jumped at the sound of someoneâs voice and turned to see Hosea strolling towards you, a curious look on his face.
âIâm fine, Hosea.â You replied as he eased into a chair on the other side of the fire. âJust tired is all.â
âI may be old,â he started. âBut not so that I canât recognize when someoneâs troubled. Whatâs bothering you my dear?â
You shifted your gaze from the fire to Hosea. He was leaning back in the chair, arms folded in his lap, with his eyes fixed on you. There was nothing but concern and a honest want to help you in them. He had always been like that. When you were struggling to learn the ways of the outlaw life, Hosea had been with you every step of the way. Making sure you knew the best hunting spots, helping you tend to your chores, and keeping your spirits up whenever you got discouraged. But, expressing your thoughts of Charles out loud? That was different. You didnât know if you could.
âI donât really know, if Iâm beinâ honest.â You responded finally. âIâm just trying to sort out my feelings.â
And you were. Trying and failing, but you were trying. No matter how hard you tried you couldnât convince yourself to forget.
âYour feelings for Charles?â He stated matter-of-factly.
You snapped your head up, heat beginning to rise in your face as you tried to stammer out a response.
âHow did you knowâ I mean. I never saidââ
Hosea chuckled and splayed his hands out in a calming gesture.
âLike I said. I may be old, but I still know a thing or two. And the way you look at the man when you think no one is paying attention? Iâd say you were smitten.â He teased, winking at you.
You stared, dumbfounded and unsure of what to say. If Hosea knew, surely others in the camp knew. And if they knew, did that mean Charles knew as well? And if Charles knew then⊠No. You werenât even going to consider the thought.
âYou know what? I think Iâm gonna turn in for the night.â You stated, pushing yourself off the log and heading towards your tent, refusing to look at Hosea anymore lest you get sucked into a full blown confession.
âYou know,â He called after you. âItâll just get worse the longer you keep it to yourself.â
You gave a half-hearted flick of you hand, the only indication that you had heard his words as you continued to walk through the camp.
ââââââââââ
The next morning proved to be no better. The minute you had opened your eyes, your thoughts immediately went to Charles. And Hoseaâs advice. When you had finally settled into bed last night, you had pondered what he had said. Maybe it would be in your best interest to talk to him, but the fear of his first words to you being full of hate was too much, and you had drifted off late into the night.
Groaning, you pushed yourself to your feet, ready to distract yourself with the days work. You grabbed your hat from where it had fallen on the floor during sleep and stepped out of your tent. The morning sun shone through the campsite and the warmth felt good on your face. A cup of coffee sounded like a good way to start your day so you headed towards the communal pot; Abigail and Pearson already there with cups in hand.
âMorning [Y/N].â Pearson called out. âAny specific plans for your day yet?â
âOther then my daily chores? No.â You responded, pouring the dark liquid into your tin mug. âWhy?â
âWell,â he began. âWeâre getting low on food supplies and I canât remember the last time anyone went hunting. Think youâre up for the task?â
âSure,â you replied between sips. âIâll head out right now.â
Pearson grunted his thanks and returned to his own mug. It felt good to finally have some sense of normalcy thrust upon you, so you were more than happy to comply. Nodding your head at Abigail, you finished your coffee; the warmth of the liquid reaching and energizing every part of your body before heading towards the horses.
Hunting hadnât always been a skill that you particularly excelled at, but when you had expressed your unease with the chore during your first weeks with the gang, Hosea had wasted no time with setting up lessons with Arthur. Originally he would have asked Charles to do it, but every time he had mysteriously disappeared, leaving you wondering what accursed thing you had done to receive the cold shoulder. And hunting with Arthur wasnât so bad. Of course, he was a little moody at times and his patience wasnât always there, but you learned. You considered yourself to be quite the hunter nowadays.
Having now reached your horse, you ran your fingers through her mane and cooed soft encouragements before swinging yourself into the saddle. Grabbing the reins, you clicked your tongue and eased her towards he camp entrance.
You brought your horse to a halt, startled, and turned in the saddle. You were surprised and a bit worried as Hosea sped up towards you, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
âAre you going out?â He inquired, an odd look that you couldnât quite place etched on his face.
âYes,â you replied hesitantly. âPearson asked me to. Why?â
âWhy donât you take Charles with you, huh? Heâs quite the hunter himself.â Without waiting for a reply he called out to Charles who was sharpening a knife. âHey Charles! You up for some hunting? [Y/N], here could use some assistance.â
It was in that moment that your heart beat began to quicken; from anger and from nervousness at the thought of thee Charles Smith hunting with you. Alone. In the woods. With no one around for miles. Oh, would Hosea be getting an ear-full once you returned. Well, maybe youâd say if. The possibility of you running away forever from sheer embarrassment was entirely plausible.
âThere now,â Hosea continued, clapping Charles on the shoulder with his hand. âIâm sure the two of you can scrounge up some food for the lot of us. And donât come back until you do.â
You shot Hosea a burning look as he sauntered away, whistling a tune the whole while. Charles barely glanced at you as he pulled himself onto his own mount, Taima, and encouraged her towards the edge of camp. You followed suite without a word.
You gripped the bow tightly in your hands, trying to rack your brain for anything to say as Charles walked beside you. The silence between the two of you was uncomfortable. At least, thatâs how you felt about it, and, frankly, you couldnât deal with the fact that the man you had pined for months over was finally capable of staying close to you. Deciding youâve had enough, you lowered your weapon and turned to face him.
âWhy do you hate me?â
âWhy do you hate me?â You repeated, crossing your arms.
Charlesâ eyes widened as he took in your words, and a strange look crossed his face. You started to feel guilty as you waited for a response. You had come across as a bit rude. It wasnât what you were going for, but the words just came out without any thought. But, now that you were in this predicament, you decided you were going to keep going.
âI donât hate you,â Charles finally spoke.
âWell, then have I done something to upset you? Iâve been with the gang for months now and youâve said all of six words to me.â
Another long moment of silence ensued. Finally deciding youâve had enough, you tightened the grip on your bow and turned to leave, tears pricking at the corner of your eyes. Before you could reach your horse, however, you felt a hand grasp your arm and you found yourself twisted around and a pair of lips locking with yoursâ. You tensed for barely a second as your mind tried to register what was happening. You were kissing Charles. Or, rather, he was kissing you. And it felt like you had always imagined it to be. When he broke away, you stared, dumbfounded.
âI donât hate you, [Y/N],â He said, reaching out to take your hand his large calloused one. âI never have. In fact, itâs the opposite.â
âCharles,â You uttered, barely a whisper.
âEver since the first day you stepped into camp, I knew there was something special about you. I was just too afraid to say anything.â Charles confessed. âI didnât know how to say anything, because I didnât know how you would feel.â
His dark eyes locked with yours and you could see the sincerity and fear swirling around in them. A small smile tugged at your lips. There was only one way you felt you could express your true feelings. You reached a hand up to cup his cheek and pulled him into another kiss.
Time seemed to stop. Your heart beat just as quick as you pressed your lips against his in a gentle fashion. His strong fingers brushed tentatively against the back of your neck while your own hand tangled amongst his dark locks. You placed your other hand against his chest and grasped at the loose fabric of his shirt, feeling a hunger your had never felt welling up inside you. Charles, sensing this, slipped a hand down to the small of your back and pulled you flush to him.
The kiss lasted for what felt like years before you finally pulled away, both of you breathing hard and a shine in his eyes that you no doubt mirrored.
âDo you know how I feel now?â You teased.
âYes, I think so.â Charles chuckled, entwining his fingers with your own. You smiled warmly at him.
âMaybe we should get back to hunting then?â You inquired. âThereâs a certain someone I need to have a chat with when we get back. And then, maybe we can have a chat of our own, hmm?â
Charles suppressed another laugh, placed a kiss on your cheek before resuming the hold on his own bow, and traipsed deeper into the woods. The memory of that kiss would reside in your mind as you finished the hunt and it would carry on until later in the evening when you and Charles had another moment alone.
