Can we pretty PRETTYY please with a cherry on top get the next part to charles smiths I'd let the world burn for you, its so good and I read the first two parts and I physically NEED the next part. Pretty PLEASEEE? šš
YESS! i promise it's coming soon. i got sick for awhile and couldn't get the time to write. it's gonna be a much longer part so im definitely excited to post it once it's done. again thank you for all the love and support for my first fic šš
OMFG you're actually hilarious i cannott, but this is genuinely my first fic ive ever committed to and actually published. i have done a lot of my own writing in the past though just for fun. and YESS i swear the ao3 curse chose me since i came out my momma.. š
PLEASE I am begging you do NOT give up on I'd let the world burn for. Your story has my soul i need more your work is amazing
this is so crazy that i got this request because i just started working on it again not even 2 days ago. thank you so much š I promise I haven't abandoned it I've just been insanely busy with school and the holidays, part 3 will be coming eventually!
Can we pretty PRETTYY please with a cherry on top get the next part to charles smiths I'd let the world burn for you, its so good and I read the first two parts and I physically NEED the next part. Pretty PLEASEEE? šš
YESS! i promise it's coming soon. i got sick for awhile and couldn't get the time to write. it's gonna be a much longer part so im definitely excited to post it once it's done. again thank you for all the love and support for my first fic šš
i love taking photos of this beautiful man š honestly im just posting this as proof that charles smokes because it will be in one of the flashbacks in part three of let the world burn! (sorry for the delay)
synopsis, , charles smith, the lone wolf has taken a liking to you. and it's in his nature to protect those he cares for. albeit from afar. his affection rather shown through actions instead of words. things were going well. that was until dutch's grand plan to smooth things over with colm o'driscoll went to shit. leaving you, the sharpshooter, in colm's clutches. the lone wolf had only one priority. to track you down, and save you.
warnings - brief mentions of SA, gun violence, cursing, wounds, kidnapping, trauma, basically just what arthur went through but a wee bit worse
content - charles/fem reader, you're both adults, camp takes place at clemens point, charles being protective, bit of mass murder its for good reason, charles fluff, slow burn, requited love (eventually)
hii again thank you for all of the love on the original post i was not expecting that!! unfortunately this part of the story is going to take a much darker turn and there will be a lot of sensitive topics. i mentioned them in the warnings and i will be putting a warning before the passage and sentence with that topic so if it might trigger you please just skip it. this chapter will be just following you the reader but dont worry because after this itll be just a whole lot of charles and then charles and reader! also please note that this follows the mission blessed are the peacemakers so i will be following and using some dialogue from that mission but besides that its my writing. other then that thank you again and enjoy reading <3
present,
insects hummed as tree leaves brushed together. gravel and red dirt crunching under hooves. it was a long ride to get to where that damn colm o'driscoll wanted to meet up.
as always there was some talking going on. micah was using his natural "charm" to flip things around in his favor, trying to make this whole plan seem like a good idea. and like a mouse in a trap, dutch agreed. so arthur voiced his doubts.
and as always, micah turned the tables.
"look, we ain't even going to be in danger" he snided "we'll get on over there.. find a nice perch for our marksman to settle into"
he turned his attention back towards you.
"you got that rifle don't you?"
you scoffed, shaking your head at his schematics.
"yeah."
you replied with a bite to your tone.
"then me, you, and dutch walk right into the lions den, with her to cover us."
micah explained to arthur, a smirk on his thin lips like he had just won with simply words alone.
"okay, just keep calm. unless i give you a reason not to."
arthur sighed inwardly, you could tell he was tired of reasoning. suddenly dutch decided to speak up, as he always does.
"oh, we'll be fine. we've got her."
dutch praised, with a winning smile on his face. like all of this was going according to plan.
"i'll do my best."
you chimed in, trying to put an end to this conversation.
"with you watching over me, i would walk into hell itself."
dutch stated firmly.
there it was, that charismatic leader you followed with your life on the line. dutch had raised you, taught you how to shoot that rifle you were to protect them with. he had no reason to doubt you.
but then, micah had to chide.
"as would i."
losing any meaning of the damned conversation, it finally went silent. you could hear your own thoughts again, along with the birds and dry grass.
movement had caught your eye as you all made your way out of the riverbed, four men, four horses. o'driscolls. with colm at the very head of them.
"up there, men on the ridge."
you spoke. bringing everyone's attention. the tension was palpable as both of the groups just passed by eachother.
"o'driscolls by the looks of them."
dutch spoke with a obvious edge of disdain in his voice. everyone watched as they disappeared behind the ridge.
"i don't like having eyes on us."
arthur muttered, again his voice holding uncertainty. he always said what you thought. this just doesn't seem right.
"we're close, little miss will be the eyes soon enough."
micah shut him down again. not without jeering towards you. you just rolled your eyes and continued trudging along behind everyone.
micah began talking again, but you were uninterested. not paying attention to a word he was saying because you knew it was most likely just another way to grovel at dutch's shoes.
and once again dutch fell into it. and arthur called them both out on it. leading dutch to ramble on about some speech he must've made up on the spot.
finally it got quiet again, and you could see past the ridge and onwards towards the rest of the heartlands. it was beautiful country.
but, it was time to set the plan into motion.
"alright, little miss. you're gonna peel off up ahead." micah spoke loudly, "we'll be meeting down on the plane. find a spot just above us where you can keep an eye on things."
you looked up the hill, it was a high vantage point. this seemed to be going well so far.
"alright."
you nodded your head, looking over at arthur as he spoke.
"however this shakes out, let's aim to meet at the fork in the road afterwards."
everyone hummed their agreements and then separated. leaving you to slither up the hill and out of sight from the anyone.
you made your way up to the point of the cliff. dismounting your horse you took your rolling block rifle and binoculars with you then got her out of sight.
you crouched down as you walked up to the ledge, taking in your surroundings with the binoculars. watching as dutch, micah, and arthur went out onto the plane.
immediately bringing your attention you heard more pairs of hooves thundering down the narrow hilltop. colm o'driscoll and his scum. fourāno. three men. three horses. where was the fourth?
your eyes scanned the plateau, or anywhere else but you couldn't find them. you didn't have time to worry about it either. you were to watch over them so that's what you did.
picking up the rolling block rifle you checked the chamber to see if it was loaded and then peered through the scope. hands steady as you followed colm o'driscoll as he dismounted his horse with the sight of your rifle.
pointed directly at his head, if anything were to happen. if anything seemed wrong. it would mean a bullet would go straight through his skull.
you watched as both parties walked closer to eachother. almost looked like a standoff if anything. three against three.
you still couldn't pry your mind off where the fourth one had went. but that wasn't your priority right now.
you observed carefully as colm and dutch conversed. although you couldn't hear a word they were saying, you could tell there was apprehension.
words were spoken, steps were taken closer, everything set your nerves off. this all seemed too quiet, too easy.
you had settled into the quiet around you, focusing in on your inner thoughts. trying to stay on the task at hand. but something interrupted that normal buzz of nature around you.
footsteps. fast footsteps. towards you.
you whipped around, rolling over on your back as you saw the stock of a gun going straight towards you. you used your rolling block rifle to counter it. knocking the gun away from you.
the aggressors gun along with yours clattered on the ground next to you. you looked up. an o'driscoll. that fourth one that had turned up missing. this was a god damn set up.
you didn't have time to think about it as the man threw himself onto you, hands wrapping around your neck and legs pinning you down on either side. you gagged at the lack of airflow, panic causing blood to rush to your head.
your heartbeat pounded in your ears as you fought to get your hand under you and in your back pocket. the throwing knifes.
you managed to slip one out and quickly drove it into the man's cheekbone, ripping it forward and through to his lip. he screamed as it tore through his flesh.
warm, sticky blood spattered all over your face. but you didn't care. you had to get this man off of you. now.
you drove your knee into his crotch as he clutched his face in agony. causing him to roll over and onto the ground in a groan.
the knife slipped out of your hand as you scooted away quickly once he was off of you, heaving air back into your lungs. trying to get a hold of yourself.
but the man was quicker, adrenaline must've kicked in. he grabbed whichever gun he had rolled on and smacked the end of it straight into your face.
and everything went black.
MENTIONS OF SA/IMPLIED SA IN THIS PASSAGE
you awoke with a startle, opening your eyes you immediately panicked by the sight of multiple men above you. all chattering and chuckling at the sight of you.
you tried to move your hands but they were bound together, you struggled against the binds.
"look at this pretty one. what's colm gonna do with her?"
a man spoke as he poked the barrel of his revolver against your cheek, caressing it with the cold metal. you turned away from the touch as if it burned you, hissing through your teeth.
"probably gonna fuck 'er then give her right to the pinkertons."
another man spoke, and the rest of them immediately whooped with laughter. your blood ran cold as you even thought of that outcome. of any of them doing that to you. you had to get out of here.
your hands struggled against the rope again, trying to find some way to slip out.
"nuh uh, girlie. you're not going anywhere."
the same man that put the revolver to your face pressed your head to the side with it. you growled as he forced your head over.
"go fuck yourself."
you spat out, voice shaking with rage and fear. you had no idea what to do, surrounded, tied up. feeling like a cornered animal with your hackles raised. you fought.
the man dipped his head down, face close to yours. the acrid alcoholic tang of his breath hitting your face making your nose scrunch up.
as he opened his mouth to speak you brought your head up. driving your forehead straight into his nose, it made an awful crunch. but it only brought you satisfaction as he shouted in pain.
everyone else ooo'd as they waited for him to do something about it. spitting out blood before he spoke
"can't wait to have some fun with this one."
he sneered before slapping the revolver across your face. knocking you out cold.
waking up again with a groan, your body felt heavy. as if you had ran across the entirety of new hanover. you wiped at your face, eyes widening when you saw blood
looking down at yourself, trying to figure out what had happened. your shirt was barely on, and your jeans and belt were undone. cold realization chilled you to the bone.
your mind went reeling, remembering everything that had happened. but what happened to arthur? to dutch? could i not protect them?
you couldn't think about that right now. your hands were untied. and you could hear faint laughter. you had the chance to escape.
bile raised in your throat as you thought about what had happened. but besides that feeling you clawed your fingers into the ground and dragged yourself up. ignoring the way every muscle in your body screamed against it
breaking into a run in the opposite direction of the o'driscolls throwing up of a flurry of dirt and breaking through bushes.
"shit! look at her! shes runnin!"
one of the o'driscolls yelled towards your direction. you panicked and tried to run faster.
"don't worry, i got her."
another one spoke. before you could even react a sharp, shooting pain went straight into your shoulder. you crumbled to the ground in a heap, letting out a cry of pain.
you writhed on the ground in agony as your head spun. trying to will your body to move, to get away, to do anything. but you couldn't.
the entirety of your body just felt bogged down, and your ears like they were filled with cotton. you could feel the vibrations of approaching footsteps but you couldn't hear much of anything.
the last thing you felt was the barrel of a gun pressing harshly against your wounded shoulder. ripping a scream out of your throat before everything went black with an ear splitting bang.
flickers of water, trails, and trees creeped into your consciousness. but it was faint, and quiet. painful even.
you finally opened your eyes to darkness, pain gnawing at your shoulder like a parasite. the metallic tang of your own blood and something sour making you nauseous as you brought your head up.
looking around you could slightly see the room you were in, an oil lamp flickered in the corner illuminating the small space. the walls were just stacked stone, and smelled of mildew. a table sat to your left, old and rotting.
curling your legs towards your chest as you sat in the corner, ankles and wrists tied again. you felt exhausted, and anxious.
how much time has passed? is everyone okay? is anyone looking for me?
you were dragged out of your thoughts as your shoulder throbbed again, pain wracking through your whole arm making you wince. looking under at your bloodstained shirt you could see the wound clearly.
your skin was red, bruising, and angry. blood still slowly oozing out of the infected laceration. you had to look away from it as bile rose in your throat again, burning your gullet.
a slow creaking filled the room, like a door opening. your head snapped up at the sound, entire body tensing up. fists clenching as if you could defend yourself in this state.
your eyes burned with hatred as your eyes laid upon the person coming into the room, colm o'driscoll.
"aah.." he chuckled, "eagle eye."
he sneered as he set down the oil lamp that he was carrying, a bowl in the other hand. a disgusting, wicked smile on his face.
"it's good to see ya."
he spoke and you snickered, putting up a front. hiding whatever weakness or fragility to make yourself seem okay. like a threat.
"colm."
you hissed, watching him like a hawk as he sauntered around you. or as he said, an eagle.
"how're ya feeling? not to good with that wound there huh?"
he prodded, his voice harsh and grating. it hurt your ears to even conversate with him.
"just fine." you muttered, then remembered something, "how's your boy doing?"
you chuckled to yourself, shit you might be losing it.
"left a big, nasty cut down his face."
a satisfied, smug smile pulled at your lips. and you could see the way colm's demeanor dropped slightly, instead replaced with a smidge of anger.
"tell me, what's a fine gun like you doing running around with old dutch."
colm deflected, taking a bite of whatever he had in his bowl. like he was comfortable, in control.
"could be riding with me, making real money."
he sniggered, looking back at you. your face scrunched up at just the offer.
"money has nothing to do with it."
you scoffed, watching his every move. trying to cover the strain in your voice by sitting up taller.
"oh, no, no, you're loyal to dutch, ain't ya." he set down his bowl, turning to you. "just his little pet."
he crouched down, looking down at you like you were pitiful. your head turned away, repulsed by how close he was to you. teeth grit while anger boiled deep in your gut. so you did what you thought was the best thing to do in this moment.
you spat right in his godamn face.
watching as his expression contorted into disgust then rage as he wiped his face. that same creepy, wicked smile spread across his face.
quick as a snake he pulled out his revolver and smacked you across the face with it. you sputtered as blood began to drip from your nose again.
"fuck you."
you muttered, voice gravelly as you wiped the blood off your lips. he brought the revolver back up and slapped you across the face with it again.
you coughed as your head hit the ground with a thud. everything going blurry. suddenly his boot made contact straight with your stomach, knocking the wind out of you. it was agonizing as he continued, each kick just ebbing more energy out of you.
eventually he stopped, murmuring something that fell on deaf ears. and walked away. leaving you there, alone on the ground, and shaking with pain. trying to fight to stay conscious. but eventually, everything faded away again.
PHEWWW that took a long time to write. i hope you enjoyed! expect savior charles coming in next chapter, can't wait to write itt!!
synopsis, , charles smith, the lone wolf has taken a liking to you. and it's in his nature to protect those he cares for. albeit from afar. his affection rather shown through actions instead of words. things were going well. that was until dutch's grand plan to smooth things over with colm o'driscoll went to shit. leaving you, the sharpshooter, in colm's clutches. the lone wolf had only one priority. to track you down, and save you.
warnings - brief mentions of SA, gun violence, cursing, wounds, kidnapping, trauma, basically just what arthur went through but a wee bit worse, and drinking
content - charles/fem reader, you're both adults, camp takes place at clemens point, charles being protective, bit of mass murder its for good reason, charles fluff, slow burn, requited love (eventually)
hiii so this is my first ever charles fic, or just fic in general that im posting on tumblr!! i really hope it does well. please note this is my first time ever writing like this and actually posting it. so im probably not that good with the time skips and flow but i tried to make it work. this will be multiple chapters, at least 3-4. this game has been my obsession for months (i have over 1000 hours don't judge me) and ive just been itching to write so here this is
prologue,
you ran with the van der linde gang for years, not nearly as long as arthur or john. but long enough that they were your family.
you were brought in as a teenager. fussy, stubborn, but a quick witted thief and con-woman. bringing the attention of hosea and dutch. always wanting to bring together and raise those future outlaws.
you didn't steal from them, nor con them. not yet anyways. instead you watched and waited for the perfect moment.
they had just made a big score, and you were there to take just a bit for yourself. waiting until nightfall to strike.
you came up on their camp, sneaking into their stash of money and pocketing atleast a few hundred. along with food. you were desperate.
and that desperation caused a flaw in your plan. you got caught.
just leaving the camp, suddenly you had the barrel of hosea's gun to your head and could only get out with your silver tongue.
but instead, he recognized your desperation and wit. and brought you into the family.
years past and you knew how to handle yourself more. with their teaching. your best skill being guns. with deadly precision and your attention to your surroundings. you were an asset.
the gang was strong, too. more people, almost constantly growing. "creating a name for ourselves" as dutch would call it. and about half a year ago you vividly remember the introduction of the newest member.
Charles Smith.
you can recall the first time he ever walked in to camp. his dark skin a shade you can't word, sweeter then syrup brown eyes, long raven locks hiding the rest of his face, and a scar on his cheek telling a story he wouldn't speak.
it intrigued you, drawing you towards him although your body never moved. you just watched from afar. read him over the months.
he was quiet, he stayed that way. never talking unless he had a good reason to. when he did he spoke with maturity and wisdom that gained the respect of others.
besides the respect that already existed just simply from his stature alone. he was by no means a small man. his musculature made him powerful, but so did his pure drive and determination. he was a force to be reckoned with.
and gods above did you find it attractive.
watching him do chores and simply just help out around camp had you fascinated. he'd chop wood nearly all day, just to keep the pile stocked for everyone else. bringing in a huge buck after hunting so pearson could feed the gang.
you always noticed the littlest things, he even did those things for you.
one time you were absolutely enveloped in this book you were reading. it was some sappy romance that mary-beth had lent to you to pass the time. but interesting nonetheless. while reading you completely lost track of time.
sitting in your bedroll inside your tent, you flinched when the flap suddenly opened. breaking you out of your trance. in came charles, with a bowl of stew. and did he look awkward. his neck was bent at an angle to keep his head from touching the ceiling, so he was basically hunched in on himself as he spoke.
"sorry, didn't mean to scare you.."
he talked with an uncharacteristic discomfort by the position he was in, still gruff though with his natural rasp. you folded the book in your lap. your lips slightly upturned at the sight of him, mainly out of amusement though.
"you're alright. did y'need something?"
he stood there for another moment before carefully handing you the bowl, filled nearly to the brim with pearsons stew.
"oh, charles, y' -you didn't have to do that."
you stuttered a bit, flustered by the notion. besides your protest you gently took the bowl out of his hands. still warm.
"i wanted to."
he responded simply. another thing you loved about him, he was blunt at times. saying things as he meant them. nothing more, nothing less. so for a man of not many words, when he did speak it left you tongue-tied.
he slipped out of the tent before you could even mutter another word. it left you dumbfounded. but also warm inside.
you could've chased after him, asked him why, begged for all the answers but instead you just sat there and ate your stew. wondering. fantasizing. perhaps there was something that could be there between you and him.
present
you were sat near the edge of camp, perched on a log with your rifle in hand. carefully cleaning it of any dirt with an old rag and some gun oil arthur lent you. you were far enough that you were in your own solitude, but close enough to still be of use if anything happened. you could still hear ms grimshaws shrill voice as she shrieked at either karen or tilly for "slacking off." poor girls.
luckily ms grimshaw didn't nag you much, she knew you were more of use with dutch's needs instead of sewing up old socks. so she left you alone to not cause any problems with him.
while you wandered around in your own thoughts, you didn't even realize arthur had crept up behind you.
"see yer putting that gun oil to good use."
he drawled, that accent from god knows where strong in his voice.
you looked behind you with surprise, you hadn't even realized he was there. your shoulders slumped with relief when you realized it was just him.
"ah, hey arthur. i gotta clean up this old girl sometimes dont i?"
you mused, looking at the guns condition. satisfied with it, you leaned it up again the log and turned towards arthur.
"that you do.. listen, pearsons talking up about some thing with the o'driscolls."
your nose crinkled simply by the mention of their name. the o'driscolls were nasty folk. as much of outlaws as the gang is. but dutch got into some issues with them years ago, killing colm's brother. which in turn killed who he loved most, annabelle. you were there for the whole thing.
arthur continued, "seems like colm wants to settle things."
he finished, enough disbelief and disdain in his tone you voiced what you were both thinking.
"what a bunch of horse shit."
you muttered bitterly, shaking your head. this just screamed like a set up. but nonetheless you asked the dear old question.
"what does dutch think?"
you respected dutch with everything you had, he taught you the morals that you stand by today. and with that you were loyal to him, so if he wanted to do it with you along with him. so be it.
arthur sighed, waving his arms up exasperated.
"micah got in his ear, he thinks it might be worth it. didn't tell me what his plan is yet though. but he wants you there for it."
you closed your eyes and exhaled, pushing down whatever doubts you had. opening your eyes again you got up and slung your rifle over your shoulder.
"well let's see what he has to say, shall we?"
arthur sighed as he trailed along behind you, both of you silent in doubt. your hand rested on the stock of your side-arm as you walked, a habit of yours.
you could see them all gathered around the bloodstained table in the middle of camp. it was dutch, micah, hosea, and pearson. dutch retelling the story about how everything went to shit with the o'driscolls. you could hear him even though you were a couple paces away.
your eyes trailed over to where charles sat not to far away, he twiddled an arrow between his fingers. his eyes focused directly on dutch. you knew charles had his own reservations about the o'driscolls, we had run into them before.
you tore your eyes away as you came up to the table. micah began to talk.
"as you say.. it's a long time ago, dutch."
his eyes turned to you, a disgusting curl to his lips.
"and see here, our protecter. little miss marksman."
he said with a cheery tone, his hand coming up to point at you. you could hear the sardonic edge in his voice that he always carried, but you couldn't bring yourself to care.
you looked over at dutch, you could see the conflict brewing in his entire expression. then he looked up, a fire burning in his eyes. you recognized that fire, he was going headfirst into something he might not be able to put out.
"let's go. you, me, and arthur. with her protecting us." he pointed at you, "no one else!"
dutch declared already walking away infront of everyone else. you sighed, following arthur as he waved you along.
"what about me?"
pearson butt in. but you were out of earshot to hear what dutch said afterwards.
you walked up to your horse. it was a beautiful mare, a dapple grey hungarian half-bred. you murmured a couple praises to her as you took the reins off the hitching post. adjusting her girth strap of the saddle.
when you did so you could hear a clinking noise in your saddle bag, you undid the buckle and reached in. pulling out a few throwing knifes. you stared at them in confusion, looking at the wood grain you noticed the handiwork. charles.
you turned your head to look back at him, to your surprise your eyes already met. you held up the knifes almost as a question. he just gave a small, imperceptible smile and looked away.
again, him and the little things. you curled your fingers around the small daggers and stuffed them into your pocket. the weight of them bringing you a sense of security and pushing down whatever doubts you had.
you secured your boot in the stirrup and grabbed ahold of the horn of the saddle. mounting your horse. patting her neck as you guided her to follow the rest of them. somewhat listening as dutch rambled on again about how long its been since colm and him started fighting.
you all left the camp in doubt, but hope to end this decades old feud.
IF YOU IGNORE THIS, YOU ARE KILLING MY CHILDRENā¼ļø
The situation is very dangerous. My childrenās lives are in danger. Their skin is melting and peeling from diseases. There are no medical points or doctors to treat them. There is no food available for them. Israel is killing us. Please do not help it with that, but rather help me. I have nothing left but my children. After I lost my family, my home, and everything I have, I have no hope left but you. Imagine that you In my place. Please, with a heavy heart, I ask for your support
according to the zionist pieces of shit defending israel to this day after 125 days of genocide, airing a commercial at the super bowl, which costs millions of dollars, on top of receiving billions of dollars of aid from the united states in artillery and tanks to bomb and snipe the population of a state that has no military and has lived under inhumane conditions of siege, starvation, humiliation, racism and apartheid for almost a century is ādefending itselfā and āneeds helpā. they cry and scream as though the 100 or so hostages in gaza is even close in scale to the absolute humanitarian disaster of over 27,000 dead and thousands more injured, legs blown off, arms blown off, burned beyond recognition, entire bloodlines wiped away, whole families massacred. we want everyone home and safe. we want real actual acts of antisemitism to be punished, and we want people to stop conflating judaism and zionism. but what comes first is the greatest tragedy and that is what israel has done to gaza with the blessing of the western world. no one is free until palestine is free.
It is unacceptable to stay silent in times like these. Israeli forces have committed egregious human rights violations against Palestinians, including bombing schools, mosques, ambulances, bakeries and invading homes,mocking women in their own bedrooms, vandalising, descreting places of worship, killing journalists, women and children. We must never stop speaking about them and keep demanding a ceasefire NOW.
This is the reality of the Palestinians since October 07. This is their daily struggle.
ISISREALš®š± Zionists entity are only concerned about their own agenda, it's never about Hamas, never about lessening the civilian casualties, this is all about brutality, bloodlust, genocide, and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians.
Their indiscriminate shooting, that caused 3 hostages from their own people says alot about how the never cared about human life.
SPEAK UP! SPREAD AWARENESS! STOP THE GENOCIDE!!! CEASEFIRE NOW!
