You know what I just love, when people draw Eliza as a person of color, either black or Hispanic. (If my memory serves me correctly) It’s never mentioned in the game what Eliza or Isaac looked like. All you artists that draw her as a POC… you have my entire heart. 🌸
been plagued with this for a while, so I figured I'd share, this is very self indulgent mwah
cw: brief mentions of prostitution for backstory, fluff, praise, age gap, gn!reader
Coming to the gang after being rescued from the whorehouse by Charles. he happened to meet you outback while having a smoke, you offered him a match to light his own cigarette and you got talking. he asked how a girl as shy as you ended up in a place like this - when you told him he didn't even have to think for a second before snatching you up and taking you back to camp with him. he knew Dutch would understand once he told him, and Dutch wasn't one to turn a stray away, as long as they could pull their weight, and Dutch didn't turn you away.
now you have your place in camp, its almost like youve been running with them for ages now.. almost. you don't talk much to any of the people, you eat alone, you sleep in a somewhat secluded spot, even having built a tiny makeshift tent so youd have a bit of privacy instead of just the old bedroll Dutch gave to you. you just keep to yourself and stay out of everyone's way. Nobody except Charles and Dutch knew why you are the way you are, they promised they'd keep it to themselves. the last thing you wanted is anyone knowing where you came from.
that is until one day, you suddenly approach Hosea. it comes as a surprise when you approach him while he's sitting on a chair by his tent, even more when you speak to him. "what are you reading?" his eyebrows raise, he glances at the book in his hand briefly before looking back up at you. he takes a second to answer, holding back the smirk, not wanting to scare you off.
"I'm reading 'The Case of the Shrew in the Fog'. Arthur gave it to me a few days ago, I'm almost through." you hum in response and tilt your head a bit, eyes falling back onto the cover. suddenly, he closes the book and holds it out to you, almost making you flinch. "you wanna read it?" he offers, smiling up at you, his eyes crinkling at the corners; but you shake your head.
"no, thank you.." you say quietly, almost a bit of hesitation in your voice. he frowns slightly.
"why not? not much of a reader?" he tries to keep his voice light, almost a little teasing. you shake your head again, looking off to the side. he feels a pang of worry in his chest, his brows furrow, but he waits for you to speak again.
"I.. I can't read." you admit, an ashamed look on your face. Hosea's frown deepens, he shakes his head.
"You never went to school, kid? Your ma or pa never taught you how to read?" he says this like it's ridiculous, like he cant even imagine anyone whos not a child being unable to read in this day and age. again, you shake your head. "no? how come?" you shift from one foot to the other uncomfortably, not sure how to answer. Lucky for you, Dutch comes to your rescue, putting a hand on Hosea's shoulder as he adresses you.
"Kid, Miss Grimshaw needs a pair of hands. go help her." You immediately nod and walk away, leaving the two men to themselves. you hear Hosea's quiet protest at Dutch as you walk away, but decide to ignore it, thats not your problem. for now.
-
it's been a few days now, you'd lie if you said you hadn't noticed the looks Hosea gave you. it was a weird mix of pity and anger, stopping you from approaching him again; but not vice versa. You don't even hear him coming, making you flinch when he suddenly sits down next to you. you look up at him, he sighs. "I've spoken to Dutch, you know." He leans back with a soft groan, looking at the campfire. its early morning, most people are still asleep. it's your chance to have a coffee and sit in peace and quiet for a bit before the others wake up and you retreat to the outskirts of the camp, spending your time staring holes into the air or taking care of the horses. "He's told me some.. things, about you. should've told me from the start, but I don't blame you." with another groan he sits up straight, reaching into his coat, pulling out one one of Jack's books, you've seen Abigail and Hosea teach him to read with it.
"it's a shame you've never learned how to read. it's something everyone should be able to do." he pauses, seeing the ashamed expression on your face. "Or at least something everyone should get the opportunity to learn. but you didn't get that, and i cant blame you." he sigh, taking off his hat and putting it on the ground, next to his feet. "but what I can do, is teach you." you stare at him with big eyes, as if he just told you the most outlandish thing you've ever heard. "if you're willing, that is."
-
it's a sunny day. you hop off the wagon, shouting a quick 'thank you' at Arthur, who's still holding the reigns, he merely gives a quick chuckle as he watches you almost trip over your own two feet as you run over to Hosea. The old man is sitting in the chair by his tent, one leg crossed over the other with his hat down into his face, dozing until you call out for him.
"Mr. Matthews!" a noise that has filled the camp more and more the past few weeks, along with your laughter. everyone noticed how much more you bloomed the more time you spent with him. He looks up, pushing the rim of his hat up and uncrossing his legs, smiling at you.
"Back from town already?" He watches as you drop to your knees in front of him, not caring about the grass stains that it would leave on your clothes. "You got what I asked you to?" You nod eagerly, handing him the book and the change. He waves it off. "keep it. its yours, darlin'." your eyes light up, you smile and mutter a soft thank you, still holding out the book while pocketing the coins. he grabs the book and hums as he reads the title. "a romance novel, hm?" Hosea chuckles, reaching out to ruffle your hair. "good job."
"can we read it together, Mr. Matthews?" His cheeks grow slightly warm as he smiles brighter, nodding at you as he hands you the book back.
"of course." He watches you shift, scooting to sit between his legs on the ground, leaning against him ever so slightly. his heart truly skips a beat as you open the book, quietly mumbling along as your finger follows the words on the page. "read it aloud, sweetheart. I wanna hear it." you hesitate for a moment, before clearing your throat, reading just loud enough that he hears, he hums in satisfaction.
Hosea listens closely, eyes following your finger, its almost like the whole camp has gone quiet just so that he could listen to you. his fingers comb through your hair gently, if it wasn't for your effort to concentrate you'd have melted into his touch by now. "good job, darlin'. been practicing without me?" he murmurs, leaning down to press a kiss to your head before gently patting the spot. "you get better every day, little one. I knew you could do it. I'm proud of ya."
