Rules: share the first lines of ten of your latest fanfics (or up to if you have less!) & tag 10 people.
holy moly i haven't done this in a while. tagged by @thewriterinbeskar who loves to torment me. also all of my fics are locked to people with accounts only. no anonymouses on my fics.
guys this is so embarrassing all of these fics are either 2+ years old, unfinished, or both. I NEED TO BE BULLIED. THIS IS EMBARRASSING!!!!!!
1. is it casual now? (Tim Gutterson/Raylan Givens)
The moment Tim steps inside his apartment he knows something's off.
2. nothing left to fear / best of luck, my dear (Din Djarin/Cobb Vanth)
Tuesdays have become something of an accidental ritual for Cobb; falling into a stool in Taanti’s bar to get good and loaded on the watered down whiskey and smoking a joint in the side alley just to make sure and then regretting the crossfade.
3. hey, mickey! (Mickey Altieri)
The taste of blood in his mouth wasn’t anything new.
4. black hills interlude (Ezra (Prospect)/Seth Bullock)
When Ezra first brought up the idea of a weeklong camping trip, Seth had protested vehemently.
5. it would feel like this (Din Djarin/Cobb Vanth)
Dreams have a funny way of sticking behind your eyelids even after you’ve woken up.
6. home and away (Din Djarin/Cobb Vanth)
Cobb didn’t hang up his stripes because the Mandalorian asked him to.
7. wind me up (Tim Gutterson/Raylan Givens)
Even in the cool cover of the courthouse parking garage, Raylan’s borrowed town car is still hot as balls when the two of them slide into it.
8. voice of reason (Raylan Givens)
Tied to a coconut tree probably wasn't Raylan’s best move.
9. the sharpest lives (are the deadliest to lead) (Din Djarin/Cobb Vanth)
Here in the aftermath of the loss of everything Cobb Vanth holds dear, he's too weak to do anything except resign himself to being carted off to the medical freighter that’s hovering just out of atmosphere above the Jundland Wastes.
10. fahrenheit (Tim Gutterson/Raylan Givens)
“I can't believe,” Raylan groused as he shed his undershirt and collapsed into his balcony lounge chair, “that of all the days, you booked your flight for today.”
how about "I didn't know where else to go." for Seth/Ezra?
Sezra my beloved ❤️🥺
This one got a little away from me so I hope you enjoy hehe
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Seth marches through the thoroughfare. His hand flexes at his side, knuckles bruised and bloody. The pain brings tears to his eyes along with the anger that boils in his veins.
His feet take him toward The Grand. He doesn't stop until he reaches Ezra’s door. He knocks with his good hand and waits. Only those brief seconds give him the time to realize he might have made a mistake.
The door swings open to reveal Ezra May in a state of undress that makes Seth blush.
Seth takes off his hat, holding it to his chest, "My apologies Mr. May, I didn't know where else to go."
"Mr. Bullock, what happened? Please come in." Ezra extends his hand to Seth as he opens the door wider for Seth to enter his room. It was spacious enough for Ezra’s mining equipment to rest against the corner of the room, a fireplace, and a chair which Ezra guides him to.
"Please sit, Mr. Bullock. Let's get you cleaned up." Ezra slips his hand from Seth's to pour the pitcher of water into the basin. With one hand he dips a washcloth in and wrings it out.
"Will you tell me who has provoked such ire in you that leaves you bloodied, bruised, and darkening my door this evening, Mr. Bullock? Or should I assume it was that cocksucker shouting about soaps again?" Ezra returns to Seth's side only to kneel at Seth's feet. Seth can't help the smile that tugs at the corners of his lips.
Ezra takes Seth's hand in his, holding it gently as he dabs away the blood. Seth hisses at the cold contact of the wet cloth.
"It wasn't the soap guy."
"Shame." Ezra smiles up at Seth before continuing to wipe the blood away.
"I don't know his name. He was drunk and he made ill remarks about your character that I would not wish to repeat." Seth scrunches up his nose. With his hat in his lap, his unoccupied hand comes up to rub his nose.
"Mr. Bullock, you need not assault citizens on my account. I appreciate you defending my honor, but you needn't cause bodily harm. Though I must admit I find myself quite amorous toward the idea that you would do such a thing for me." Ezra wipes away the last drops of blood on Seth's hand. He brings Seth's knuckles to his lips.
"Ezra." Seth croaks as his cheeks redden.
"Let me bandage your poor hand."
"Fuck the bandages," Seth says as he takes Ezra’s face into his hands kissing him like he wished he did days ago. Why did he wait so long to do this? Why was he so scared of something so sweet?
“My beloved you best settle yourself down or I have a mind to overturn our agreement of a slow courtship to skip right to the wedding night.” Ezra teases, smiling as he crawls up from the floor and into Seth’s lap.
“Perhaps we should stop?” Seth asks lightly though he continues to kiss Ezra.
“Perhaps we should.”
Yet neither make the first move to break away. Not for a while, not until the adrenaline in Seth finally crashes and his body grows tired. Ezra will coax him gently to bed with him, where Seth will curl against him proactively in sleep.
send me a prompt
The Pieces Of Me I'd Give For You - Deadwood/Prospect fic
You can also find this on AO3!
Summary: "The school teacher was clutching at his arm, the oily glint of blood painting his fingers and the fabric of the back of his shirt sleeve, but it was his eyes, the way they held a slowly calming edge of fear as they held Seth in place, that made Seth finally realise what he was saying.
“... That close?”
“If I hadn’t given you that timely push, I… I suspect it would be our bodies fertilising the local flora,” Ezra said."
Ezra May, school teacher in the small town of Deadwood, is injured on the way home from buying some new books for the school. With his partner, Seth Bullock, they try to keep it clean so they can get it seen to when they return, but not everything in life is so easy.
Notes: This idea straight up bit me in the ass thanks to some AMAZING art (I will post who drew it later when I get some details later???). It took a bit of time, but I'm super proud of it.
Also, big thanks to staranon for being my awesome beta for this fic! I was so nervous...
——————————————————————
It happened when they were about a week out from Deadwood. Ezra had mentioned a series of books that he wanted to share with the children at school, wanting to “provide a better understanding of the history of this great and verdant green earth upon which we all exist through the words of more than just the humdrum account left by only those men who never realised that there were more opinions worth listing than just their own”. From what Seth understood, it was a collection of books written by women or accounting the cases of people other than just the white men who had ‘discovered’ them. In either case, he had decided that, while these books did sound interesting enough to inspire some curiosity, it was certainly not enough to traverse the great untamed expanses that still surrounded their small patch of civilisation alone, especially not with family fervently awaiting his return.
It was with this in mind that Seth Bullock decided to offer his services to the sole school teacher of the small town of Deadwood, to escort him and ensure his safety during his passage. It had only been a formality in truth, as most of the town already knew of their… partnership at this point, but there was still a facsimile of what the outside world would see as acceptable to uphold, and so it wasn’t until they had left the borders that they could act upon their most secret of desires without fear of reproach or discovery while in public.
Their journey out had been a long but filled with greater physical affection than Seth had yet experienced with Ezra, and with the weight of society and the unwanted gazes of others lifted from their shoulders, he felt comfortable enough to even initiate some of them. It was after retrieving their quarry, their bounty carefully stowed away within crates and wrapped in brown paper, that they ran into trouble.
They had been vaguely aware of their tail for a few hours, having caught sight of them just before entering one of the more treacherous passes, but they had lost sight of them fairly soon after. Neither of them had been fool enough to believe they had lost them entirely though, and they had been vigilant ever since. It wasn’t until they started to make camp that night that they heard tell of them again.
Ezra, who had been his ever talkative self as they’d started to set up their bed rolls, was the first to indicate he had spotted their approach when he settled his hand on his gun, never once stopping in his excited chatter about how much he was looking forward to sharing the treasure trove of knowledge that they had gathered for the children. By the time the two men had stepped into the ring of firelight on the opposite side of the fire, they were prepared.
“A good evening to you gentlemen,” Ezra said in greeting as they stared at their guests down the barrel of both their own pistols and that of their uninvited guests. “To what do we owe your most unexpected and gracious presence at our fireside this splendid night?”
“Drop your guns,” the man on the right -- undoubtedly the leader -- said, an uninventive conversation starter in Seth’s opinion.
“That ain’t happenin’,” Seth said, keeping his gun trained on them. “Why don’t you and your two friends here take a nice walk down the pass and leave us to our night, and we won’t have to put holes in you.”
A second snorted. “We ain’t the ones outnumbered.”
Seth pulled back the hammer on his pistol, and he heard the action echo around him, including one from behind. A slight flick of the finger from Ezra and he knew that his partner was aware of their situation.
“Now, drop your guns,” the first man said, “and we won’t shoot ya full of holes.”
Seth disliked the smirk on his face on principal, and liked him even less for disturbing their much anticipated night of respite from the rest of the world.
Ezra carefully uncocked his gun, raising his other hand. “Now now, no need for us to be getting ahead of ourselves before we’ve established the particulars of what the situation is between us. Would you perhaps be able to explain the reason behind our predicament, and perhaps make this a more amenable situation and point your firearms elsewhere than at our persons?”
There was a long pause, one where only the crackling off the fire could be heard and Seth could all but smell the scent of an oncoming shootout, but then the supposed leader of this little group snorted and shook his head.
“You talk too much.”
What happened next was a bit of a blur, as all shootouts were. Seth wouldn’t have been able to say who exactly shot first, just that Ezra‘s shoulder was hitting his side in a moment, and they were both tumbling to the floor as bullets tore through the air. He shot a little wildly when heard Ezra grunt in pain, but he couldn’t let his focus waver or they’d both end up dead. He was caught by surprise when Ezra gripped him tighter and rolled them again,getting fresh mud all over them as more shots ended up in the ground where they’d been.
Not giving the world a chance to stop spinning, Seth fired almost blindly, but he was rewarded with a gasped grunt followed by the shadow of a man falling to the ground. Breathing hard, he listened carefully for any further movement, but all that was left was the fire and Ezra’s breathing in his ear.
“Did you get them?” Ezra asked, his voice rough in Seth’s ear before he had the chance to sit up.
“I believe I did,” Seth replied, heaving himself to his feet as he kept his eyes on the three now still bodies scattered about their camp before reaching down to pull Ezra up after him. He was sorely tempted to break from his watch when he heard Seth hiss, but he didn’t, pointing his revolver at the nearest attempted robber. “Are you shot?”
“Just a flesh wound,” Ezra replied as Seth gave the body a nudge with his foot, then turned it over to be sure. “Best to give it some inspectin’ though; I do believe that the bullet has lodged itself within the muscle of my arm quite firmly, possibly due to coming up against the wall of bone in its path.”
“That’s not just a ‘flesh wound’, May,” Seth said, the temptation to return to his side growing exponentially, but there were still two other bodies to inspect before he could allow himself the privilege.
“It is compared to what it could have been,” Ezra said, and this time Seth did look.
The school teacher was clutching at his arm, the oily glint of blood painting his fingers and the fabric of the back of his shirt sleeve, but it was his eyes, the way they held a slowly calming edge of fear as they held Seth in place, that made Seth finally realise what he was saying.
“... That close?”
“If I hadn’t given you that timely push, I… I suspect it would be our bodies fertilising the local flora,” Ezra said.
Seth was before him in a moment, holding his hand to his lover’s cheek and brushing his thumb under those pained eyes before he leaned close to kiss him. Their lips, desperate and yearning, locked together and seeking for purchase, could only connect for a fragment of the time either of them wished for, but Seth was still too tense to let himself linger.
“Thank you,” he said, their breath still lingering between them before he pulled away to examine the two other bodies. “I’ll take a look at that wound after I’ve made sure our unexpected guests have been properly taken care of.”
“Okay,” Ezra said, and Seth felt his hand linger on his back until he stepped out of reach. The warmth of his touch lingered as he completed his inspection, though it had unfortunately faded by the time he had to drag the bodies away to bury.
The dead would have to wait though, as the living had a greater priority.
Ezra had managed to remove his vest and shirt by the time Seth had returned to his side, revealing the wound. It was a wider cavity than Seth had expected, and he suspected that, had he been so inclined, he would be able to fit his thumb inside with no real difficulty, right down to the bone that had been exposed and the bullet casing that had lodged itself snuggly next to it.
“That looks to be more than just a flesh wound, May,” Seth said as he settled down beside him, quickly washing his hands with some of the water they’d collected at the stream earlier before using the rest to wash away the blood and the slight smatterings of the muck they’d rolled in out to see it better.
“It does?” Ezra said around a hiss. “Well, in my defence, I do not have the ability to see the extent of the damage from my position such as you do.”
Seth grunted in agreement, checking the wound over. “The good news is I can see the bullet,” he said. “The bad news is that the hole it made is big enough that I can see straight to the bone as well.”
Ezra nodded. “That does not sound, in any way, ideal.”
Seth looked up to meet his gaze. “We’re still a week out from Deadwood. I don’t have the skills to heal this.”
Ezra nodded slowly. “We’ll remove the bullet, and try to keep it clean as best we can.”
Seth nodded, though he couldn’t stop himself from thinking of everything that could go wrong; that the wound could fester, that the infection would spread, turn gangrenous, that he would lose Ezra and that there would be nothing he could do to stop it, just like there had been nothing he could do for so many others he’d lost. That it would just leave him a little more broken than before, and his heart would harden, and he would feel alone in this God awful world again.
“Hey.”
Ezra’s voice and careful touch drew him out of his spiraling thoughts, and his fingers were squeezed by a familiar, warm hand.
“I can’t lose you, Zee,” he said, his voice breaking in his throat.
“I ain’t leavin’ you,” Ezra said softly, pressing his brow to Seth’s. “We’ll make it back, and the Doc’ll have me fixed up in no time.”
Seth shook his head, all too aware of how these sorts of things could end, but he tried to lean into Ezra’s optimism, wanted to believe in it, and he let his partner pull him in. “Okay.”
“Okay,” Ezra repeated and pressed a kiss to the corner of Seth’s lips. “We’ve got some of that whiskey we were savin’ for when we returned to our homestead. I’m sure Cee wouldn’t mind us using some of it, with reasons as great as these.”
Seth nodded. “I’ll go fetch it.”
For the next hour Seth took meticulous care of Ezra’s wound, washing it out with both whiskey and water and extracting the bullet, offering his own belt for Ezra to bite down on as he did so. It pained him to hurt the man in any way, but they both knew it was necessary else the bullet remain lodged in his arm, and once it had been removed and the wound cleaned one more time, he bound it with strips from his cleanest of shirts.
The task of burying the bodies was a somehow less painful experience for him, probably due to the truly unfortunate number of times he’d had to commit the act in the past, plus the harm they had caused his love made him uncaring towards their fates or the fates of their bodies. The shallow graves they were given would be enough, and all he could afford to give with the sky now dark with night.
The night that followed was restless on both their parts, but they set out with the dawn all the same, saddling up and heading back on the road.
Over the following days, as their distance to Deadwood became ever creepingly shorter, Seth kept a careful eye on Ezra’s wound, washing it out every morning and night and wrapping it in the makeshift bandages he created from the rest of his shirt, but despite all their best efforts, he could see the redness of infection that had taken hold and the early onset of fever in Ezra’s eyes.
And then he fell off his horse.
Ezra’s chatter had been easing off ever since the infection had taken hold, and Seth had felt uncomfortable with allowing the teacher to continue riding without help, but Ezra had insisted that he would do just fine for a while longer yet. Seth still hadn’t been reassured, especially with how pale and sweaty he looked, but Ezra had mounted up before he could do anything about his doubts, and he was stuck following alongside him, sending worried glances his way every five minutes.
At first Ezra’s usual talk about anything and everything was there, filling the air like a constant buzzing, if a bit sparse, but after a few hours on the road he’d fallen silent. Seth had steered his horse closer as Ezra started to flag, but before he could reach out to pull their steeds to a safe stop the man was already slipping from the saddle.
“ Zee! ” he called as Ezra fell to the ground, and he jumped from his own mount to scramble to his side, his knees scuffing up more mud onto his clothes, but he couldn’t bring himself to care with how pale Ezra looked and the way his skin burned at the touch. “Zee, Zee talk to me.”
The man groaned, leaning into his hand but not stirring otherwise.
“Zee!” He gave Ezra’s cheek a few taps, opening his eyes but not sure what he was supposed to be looking for before holding his cheeks. “Wake up. You… We’re almost there.” Still nothing. “Stay with me. Just a little longer.”
Ezra’s quiet, his stillness and rasping breaths, reminded him too much of William, of that time sitting with Martha in Doc Cochran’s, keeping vigil as the world reminded him once again that it was cruel and unfair. He clutched at Ezra’s body. He wouldn’t let that happen, not again.
Transferring the supplies they had strapped to the back of his own saddle to that of Ezra’s was the work of mere minutes, but heaving the teacher up in front of him, his body limp and sagging in Seth’s arms, was more of a trial than he’d hoped, but it was one he met with determination and grit.
They truly hadn’t been much of a distance from town when Ezra had fallen, a fact that Seth was grateful for, but it still took almost the rest of the sun’s light to reach with the extra care he had to take with his precious load.
As he rode down the main causeway and approached the Doc’s, the street just as muddied and filled with the local rabble as it always was in the early evening, even as the stalls that had been set up there were beginning to pack away their wares, a familiar face approached.
“Seth!” Sol called, taking the reins of his horse as he threw them down. “What happened?”
“Get Miss May,” he said in lieu of an answer, gently pulling Ezra down into his arms, grunting at the weight of him. “Tell her her father’s at the Doc’s.”
“Right,” Sol replied, leading both horses aside as Seth quickly made his way to the Doc’s door.
“Doc!” he cried, kicking at the door in the hopes that the lit lamp within meant that he was, in fact, present and available. It seemed luck was on his side, as the door opened a crack a few moments later. “Doc, you’ve gotta help him.”
“Jesus Christ,” Cochran said, swinging his door open and ushering him in. “Put him on the table.”
Seth obliged his request, carefully setting Ezra down on the very table where-
“He was shot, six days ago,” he explained as Cochran collected his tools. “Back of the right arm. We tried to keep it clean but… It got infected.”
The Doc nodded. “Roll him over so I can see.”
Again, Seth followed his instructions, holding Ezra on his side while Cochran removed his patient’s shirt sleeve with some scissors and pulled the bandage away, though it was beginning to stick from the puss it was secreeting.
“How long has he been unconscious?” Cochran asked as he started to clean the wound, bringing the lamp closer so he could see better.
“Since just after midday.”
The Doc hummed and pulled a vial out of his bag. “Wave this under his nose; it should wake him up.”
Seth nodded and pulled the stopper out, holding it up to Ezra’s nose and almost jumping when the teacher almost jerked back to consciousness. “Zee?”
“Kettle?” came the reply. “What’s…? What’s goin’ on?”
“You got shot. Do ya remember that?”
Ezra frowned, but he nodded. “We were riding…”
“You fell off your horse. We’re at the Doc’s now. He’ll look after ya.”
Ezra grinned. “Told you he would.”
Seth tried his best to smile back, but with Ezra still pale and Cochran still looking him over, it wobbled and fell after a few moments. “Yeah. Yeah, you did.”
Suddenly, the Doc pressed against the edges of wound, and Ezra cried out as puss started to ooze from the edges, and then, much to Seth’s horror, Cochran pushed his finger into the hole, Ezra’s hand reaching out to squeeze at Seth’s arm as he tried to muffle himself.
“What in the hell are you doing to him?” Seth demanded, his fingers itching for his gun, anything to stop Ezra’s pain.
“I’m doing my god damn job, that’s what I’m doing,” the Doc said as he removed his finger and met Seth’s heated gaze. “You brought Mr May here to be placed under my care. Are you going to let me take care of him, or are you going to take him and let him die of gangrene?”
Seth gritted his teeth, wanting to retort, but a squeeze from Ezra had him backing down. That, and the door opening suddenly as Cee, Ezra’s daughter, barged in.
“Where is he?”
“‘S that you, Little Bird?” Ezra called, and in a moment she was at Seth’s side, Ezra’s hand slipping from his to her cheek. “Hey there.”
“You said you weren’t gunna get hurt,” she accused, as strong as she always was.
“Complications occurred,” he replied. “There were some folks on the road who were none too pleased that we reacted poorly to them pointing their firearms in our direction.”
She looked to Seth. “Are they dead?”
“And buried,” he replied with a solemn nod.
She nodded in return and turned her gaze on Cochran, who had continued his examination as they’d spoken but was now waiting for their attention. “... Well?”
The Doc sighed as he wiped his hands in a clean cloth. “Your father’s wound is infected,” he said. “Now, in a normal circumstance, I would remove the infected tissue and allow it to heal naturally, but his wound is substantial, and there is also further damage to the bone, so the risk of gangrene setting in even after I had removed the visibly damaged tissue would be high.”
Seth swallowed. “What're you sayin’, Doc?”
“What I’m saying is that, to prevent this from killing Mr May, I would highly recommend amputation.”
A silence fell over them, thick and deep, and filled with disbelief.
“You’re going to take my arm?” Ezra said, his voice shaking.
“I would prefer that to the infection taking your life.”
The teacher swallowed, staring blankly at nothing as he took a deep breath. “Do it.”
“Zee!”
“Dad!”
“No! I’m doing this!” Ezra snapped, pulling them both up short as he gave them sharp looks. “This is a mighty bit of misfortune, one that I never expected to befall me, but I made a promise not to leave you, and I’m gunna keep it.” He looked at both of them, and Seth knew that he’d made the same promise to both of them. “If the choice is my arm or my life, then I’m not gunna hesitate.”
Seth glared at the floor, his hatred for those dead men rising like bile in his throat.
“My arm or your life, Seth,” Ezra said, drawing his eyes back up again, meeting the soft gaze of his love. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
“... What can I do to help?”
“You mean, what can we do?” Cee said, looking to Cochran. “I won’t be pushed aside just because I’m a woman.”
“Nor would I expect you to, Miss May,” the Doc said. “You know your way around a surgeon’s tools?”
“I do,” she replied, pressing Ezra’s hand into Seth’s as she rolled her sleeves up. “Shall I set a pot to boil?”
“If you would,” Cochran said. “Sheriff, I’m gunna have to ask you to hold him down. The supply chains have been lax of late and I’m low on my anesthesia, so this will have to be done without.”
Seth nodded. “I can do that.”
“Good. And Mr May?”
“Yes, Doc?” Ezra replied, now even paler than before after hearing of the lack of anesthesia.
“If you think you’re going to pass out, don’t be a fucking hero and try to hold onto consciousness. It’ll be a mercy to us all if you’re out cold when this happens.”
“... Yes, Doc.”
Cochran grunted at his reply, then headed off to sterilise his tools, leaving the both of them in relative privacy.
Ezra gave his fingers a tight squeeze. "You alright there, Kettle?"
Seth choked on a surprised laugh. "Me? You're askin' if I'm the one who's okay?"
"I'd rather that than linger on the much less desired thought of what'll be occurring soon," Ezra replied with a strained grin.
Seth could give him that. "I've done better."
"Yeah. Me too."
They shared a sad look.
"... Those kids are gunna love those books you got 'em," Seth said when he couldn't take listening to the sound of tools dropping into water. "I surely wish I could have had such learning material in my own schooling, limited though it was."
"You're welcome to borrow them," Ezra replied. "Besides, I highly doubt that I'll be able to give any sort of comprehensive lessons for some time after this… after this."
"The kids love you."
"True though that may be, I am a natural with my right hand, it will take some practise to get my left up to standard."
Seth nodded and took Ezra's right hand in his before pressing a kiss to each of his fingers. He could feel the tug of salty tears in his eyes and the gentle touch of Ezra's thumb as he wiped them away, and he tried to savour it, much as he knew Ezra must have been doing the same. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."
"Hey, no," Ezra scolded. "If this is the price I have to pay to have kept you alive, then I will gladly pay it." A tug to his chin had Seth meeting his eyes. "I'm not ready to give you up yet."
"I'm not ready to give you up yet either," Seth said, leaning close to press his brow against Ezra's clammy skin, his hat falling forgotten to the floor.
They stayed there like that until the Doc returned, Ezra using his right hand for what would be the last time to sooth Seth's fears with a gently stroking thumb.
"I suggest you get that in you," Cochran said, holding out a bottle of some sort of clear spirit and pressing it into Ezra's hand. "Might not have any anesthesia, but that's the next best thing."
Seth helped Ezra to sit up straight, Cochran watching until the teacher took his first gulp.
"Hoo," Ezra said, his eyes watering as he looked down at the bottle. "That's a potent brew."
"That's the idea," the Doc said, waving for him to continue before he headed back to where Cee was beginning to remove the tools from the boiling pot.
Ezra took another swig, then another, and another, until he'd swallowed a good half of the bottle, passing it off to Seth as the Doc approached again. "Do you believe me to be in a sufficiently inebriated state, Doctor?"
"Normally, with the sort of eloquence you're exhibiting, I would say no," the Doc said as he laid out the tools with Cee's assistant, "but as we are all very much aware that even when you're so deep in your cups that you can't even see straight you still talk like that, and the fact that half the bottle is gone, I'm going to say it's enough." He looked to Seth. "I suggest you divest yourself of the clothes you have no interest in cleaning of blood, or outright disposing of."
With a nod Seth drew back and removed his jacket, tie and vest, hastily rolling up his sleeves as Ezra lay himself down flat on the table, Cee pulling a strap tight around his upper arm a few inches above the wound.
"I'm sorry I've had to pull you back into this bloody business, Little Bird," Ezra said as his daughter tightened the strap further until his arm began to pale, then she tied some string a little lower.
"This ain't your fault," she replied, not quite meeting his eye but holding his shoulder all the same. "I'm gunna help the Doc, and then your Kettle and I'll take care of you while you recover."
Ezra grinned, the sight of it a sure sign that he was surely feeling the effects of that alcohol he had consumed. "You're both so good to me."
"That's 'cause we love you, you idiot," Cee said, stroking some of the hair that had stuck to Ezra's forehead out from his eyes where it had become too overgrown over the last few months, that perpetual patch of blonde curling about her finger before she pulled it away.
Seth gave his fingers a squeeze as he sat himself at Ezra's side again in a sign of solidarity, both prepared and unprepared for the operation and trying to draw some strength from the young woman less than half his age who seemed to be built of sterner stuff than even he was.
"Alright," Cochran said, pulling a small table closer to set the tray down upon it. "Now, there are two different procedures that I could conduct in order to remove the infected limb. The first, and most commonly used in… in the past, is a simple cut and removal. This method is quick, but it does take longer for the amputated area to heal as it leaves the end of the stump exposed. The second is a slightly longer procedure, where I would keep a strip of your skin still attached to your arm to use as a cover that would go over the end of the stump. I will have to note that this procedure is more painful, but it cuts down the recovery time significantly.
“I have experience in conducting both of these procedures, but I would highly recommend the latter. It might mean that you experience more pain during the operation itself, but it will mean that you will be able to get back to those kids of yours faster, and give your body the chance to combat this fever with more efficiency, do you understand?”
“I understand your meaning, Doctor,” Ezra replied as he stared up at the ceiling, his grip on Seth’s hand tight enough to make him start to lose feeling in his fingertips. “I… will go by your judgement.”
Cochran nodded and picked up a scalpel. “Mr Bullock, I suggest you pin him down by his shoulders.”
Seth nodded and amended his position so he was standing over Ezra. “You’ll have t’ let go of my hand, Zee.”
Ezra swallowed and nodded, though it took him a few moments to release Seth from his grasp, only to move his grip onto Seth’s arm instead. “Is this…?”
“You do what you need to,” Seth said, giving him as comforting a smile as he could, even as Cee pushed a leather strap between Ezra’s teeth. “I got you.”
“I’m about to make the first incision,” Cochran said as Cee moved to hold Ezra’s arm down. “I’ll try to get this done as quickly as possible.”
Breathing heavily through his nose, Ezra nodded. Seth didn’t look, but he knew when the first incision was made when Ezra’s fingers dug into his arm.
“Just look at me,” he said, trying to pull his attention as the man twitched and shifted under his hands. “Keep looking at me. Don’t look away.”
Ezra’s eyes flighered from side to side for a moment before stopping on Seth, a pinpoint focus dulled by alcohol and pain.
“That’s it,” Seth said. “Just keep looking at me. I’m not going anywhere.”
As the Doc continued with his work Seth kept talking, about how they were going to be there for him when this was all over, and how much the kids were going to love their new books. When the Doc peeled the flap of skin off and Ezra started to moan, he felt his grip on his arm grow to a bruising level.
Cee swiped up the blood as the Doc retrieved the caitlin knife from his table, and Seth shifted his weight so he was more firmly holding Ezra down.
“You might want to hold his hips down too,” the Doc said.
When Seth met his eyes, he could see just how serious he was being, and he moved to sit atop Ezra. He felt something too warm seeping into the knee of his trousers, and he had to close his eyes for a moment to keep himself from looking.
“I’m about to start cutting through the muscle now,” Cochran said. “Now is about the time where, if you start to feel yourself getting faint, you shouldn’t fight it.”
Seth felt Ezra shift under him as he nodded.
“Alright then,” the Doc said and pressed his hand over Seth’s. “Miss May, I suggest you keep a tight hold of his arm.”
“I know what I’m doing,” she said, voice hard, and once again Seth couldn’t help but admire her strength.
But then the Doc made his first cut, and Ezra’s muffled scream filled the room. His body writed under Seth, trying to buck him off, but Seth pushed him down, even as his legs kicked and scrambled behind him. More of that warmth seeped into his trousers, and a little splattered onto his arm, but he couldn’t focus on that, only on keeping Ezra steady.
Thankfully though, Ezra’s eyes rolled up into his head and he passed out fairly quickly after the first few seconds, his body going limp and the grip he’d held of Seth’s arm vanishing.
“He’s lost consciousness, Doc,” Seth said, though he continued to hold Ezra down, as his body continued to jolt as Cochran worked.
“Thank Christ,” Cochran said. “Keep holding him ‘til I’m done. I don’t want to fuck any of this up.”
Seth gritted his teeth, still not looking directly at the operation that was occurring, but he could see a worrying amount of red on the table beside him, turning Ezra’s green vest almost black as it started to seep in.
The rest of the operation was agonisingly slow, hearing the sounds of the knife as it cut through muscle, nerves and blood vessels alike, and then the feel of the vibrations of the saw in Ezra’s shoulder were almost enough to make Seth vomit, but he held it in. He would not abandon Ezra in his hour of need. When Cee moved away, taking a good chunk of Ezra’s arm with her, he almost lost that battle with himself, and still there was more for the Doc to do.
Thread was carefully tied around each of the arteries, stopping the remaining blood flow entirely (though the strap around Ezra’s arm had cut of almost all of the circulation in the first place), and then he produced the scalpel again to scrape the edges of the bone clean before, at last, pulling the flap of skin he had prepared before over the stump and sewing it in place.
By the time he had reached this last stage, Seth had moved back to the chair that had been provided and was holding Ezra’s hand. He knew it was more for his own comfort than that of the school teacher’s but he couldn’t bring himself to let go. Cee knew so much more about the way a body worked and how to deal with situations like this than Seth did, and he felt so useless now that his role was over.
“I’ll cover the stump with some plaster and bandage him up,” the Doc said as he finished his stitching, “but I can safely say that the amputation was a complete success. We can clean him up a bit and relocate him to the bed once we’re done.”
Seth nodded. “Thanks Doc.”
“... You might want to get some fresh clothes for yourself too, Sheriff.”
Seth finally looked up, and then down at himself. Almost the entirety of the left side of his trousers had been soaked through, and his shirt hadn’t escaped either. He was sure his underclothes would be ruined as well, and he almost panicked for a moment that seeing Ezra breathing in front of him had been some vivid imagining, but when he looked again he could see the man’s chest rising and falling. He reached out to touch Ezra’s fevered brow, just to reassure himself, but then a hand landed on his shoulder.
“Why don’t you head home for a bit?” Cee suggested, her thumb rubbing soothing circles on his back. “I’ll take care of him while you’re gone.”
“... I don’t think there’s anyone else in town I’d trust more with his care,” Seth said, giving Ezra one more look before pulling himself to his feet. “I won’t take long.”
“You’ll take as long as you need,” Cee said, taking him by the arm with his hat and vest on the other. “Just make sure you get dad some clothes too.”
“Yes ma’am,” Seth replied, allowing her to set the hat on his head as she opened the door for him. “Will you be in need of anything?”
She smiled and patted his cheek. “I’ll sort myself out once you return.”
With that he was out on the streets of Deadwood again, the dark of the night hiding some of the gore that was starting to dry in his clothes, but not much.
“Seth?”
The Sheriff flinched, looking over at where Sol had been leaning against the Doc’s, having clearly been waiting for him.
“Are you okay?”
Seth looked down at himself and shrugged. “It’s not my blood.”
“Yeah, but are you okay?”
Seth wanted to say ‘yes’. He wanted to say he was ‘fine’, that it wasn’t him that Sol should worry about, but ever since Ezra had been shot he’d been feeling fragile, like the smallest touch would shatter him, and he’d held it together for him, for the operation, for his daughter, and he thought that maybe he was. But then now, in the quiet of a Deadwood night, with his friend looking at him with a deep seated worry in his eyes, he felt something inside him snap and the first tear fell.
“I can’t lose him, Sol.”
“Alright,” Sol said, stepping closer to pull his head down to rest on his shoulder, awkwardly holding him as Seth stood there, trying not to cry but only making it worse. “He ain’t gunna die. That man o’ yours is made of strong stuff. Just you wait.”
Seth wanted to reply, but he found his voice had lost its grip and instead he just followed Sol down the road, head ducked enough that his face was hidden by the brim of his hat, until they reached his own porch.
“I’m gunna wait out here for you,” Sol said. “You get what you need and do what you need to do. I’ll be here.”
Seth could only nod his thanks as he stepped inside.
He couldn’t say how long he spent in the house -- getting himself cleaned, removing his bloodied clothes and replacing them with fresh ones, trying not to think about how empty his bed looked as he searched for some clothes for Ezra -- but there were salty tear stains on his pillows when he left. Sol was waiting for him, just as he’d said he would, and he walked with him back to the Doc’s, even going so far as to offer his services in removing the boxes of books and keeping them safe in the meantime. Seth happily took him up on the offer, bidding him a goodnight before heading back to Ezra’s side.
The plaster had already been applied and had long since set by the time he’d arrived, a bandage wound over the top to keep everything protected and secure. Cee was wiping the blood from Ezra’s now bare chest, but when Seth approached and held out his hand, she handed the responsibility over to him without a fuss.
“I’ll go and get myself some fresh clothes,” she said as she left, pressing a kiss to Ezra’s brow and another to Seth’s cheek before heading out the door.
After that, and the slow task of cleaning Ezra up and dressing him in fresh clothes, all any of them could do was sit at his bedside and wait for the fever to break. For the best part of a day Ezra remained in this state of unconsciousness, Cee using a damp cloth to keep his brow cool while Seth sat by his side, even going so far as to read some of one of the books they’d brought for the school to him, but then, in the early morning of the second day, the fever broke and he began to stir.
“Ezra?” Seth said as his breathing pattern started to shift into something more shallow. “Zee? Are you awake?”
Ezra shifted a little on the mattress before opening his eyes, crusted with sleep though they were, and gave him a smile. “Well ain’t that the prettiest sight to wake up to?”
Seth let an embarrassed grin grace his lips for a moment and Cee -- his ever present companion -- snorted, but it, just like every other smile he’d attempted recently, was only fleeting and slipped away before it could be given the chance to stick. “How’re you feelin’?”
“I suspect my answer to that would not be to your liking,” Ezra replied and ran his hand through his hair.
Or he would have, except all that happened was the stump where his arm used to be moved, and Ezra’s expression fell.
“... I had hoped that the experience of… losing my right arm had been an imagining of my fevered mind,” he muttered. “I see now that I was mistaken in that hope.”
“You’re alive,” Cee said, resting her hand on Ezra’s shoulder. “You can learn to use your left hand, and you can still teach the kids just fine without it.”
“But now I won’t be able to hold you both at the same time,” Ezra complained, surprising a laugh out of Seth, which, from the smirk on Ezra’s face, seemed to have been his plan the whole time. “I shall miss the convenience of it, and I know that learning to overcome my reliance on my once dominant hand will be a great difficulty to overcome, but I also know that the two greatest loves of my life will be there to guide my weaker side until it is strong again.”
Seth had to blink a few times to keep his tears from falling. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Kettle,” Ezra said. “And you, Little Bird. And I do love that the Doc’s saved me, but I don’t particularly want to take up this bed any longer. Do you think he’d be willing to allow me to go home in the near future?”
Seth grinned and leaned closer to press a kiss to his lover’s lips. “I’ll see what I can do.”
——————————————————————
Let this small family live in peace in their nice house that Seth built with his own hands!!!
Nobody really knows where she came from. Most don’t even know she exists. Regardless, if Tribune Gorefell sends The Spider after you, there’s no getting away. The last thing you’ll feel before succumbing to her pets’ venom is hundreds of black spiders swarming over your skin.
Hello everyone, back again with another story! This one has been in the works for a little bit as it was inspired by another commission I was able to get from @Whocares810 on Twitter which I'll share the link right after. I'm also excited to introduce 3 new characters that are a part of Imagination Station, so I hope you'll enjoy getting to know more about them in the future. Without further ado, all aboard!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The train thundered down the tracks, the clanking beating to a perfect rhythm amidst the clear blue sky and lush trees. On a perfect day like this, you had to be in this wondrous machine to truly appreciate the beauty all around as it whipped by seamlessly. Looking out the large window, she breathed in a deep sigh. Everything was running just as it should. After checking the engine one more time and ensuring the engineer and her replacement were good to go, she made her way down each train car. She’ll get to relax soon enough but she had a job to do first.
With her cap on tight, she ensured that each guest she encountered was tended to, the rooms were neat, and the food excellent as always. So far so good. Though still warm, her smile slowly grew tired, the fatigue catching up to her. When no one was looking, she rubbed a gloved paw against the bridge of her nose, willing her body to keep going just a little longer. Soon.
She felt a small tug of her tail surprising her out of her thoughts. Turning around, she saw one of the workers on her train, Dolores Smalls. A mouse monster and Head of Cleaning. Softly swishing her tail to the side, she bent down closer to her level.
“Hello Dolores, what is it? Is everything alright?” She questioned, her head slightly cocking to the side in curiosity.
“For the most part Dear, I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Goodness me you work so hard with little rest, it's not healthy!” Dolores chided, her amethyst eyes looking over the grey wolf with concern. Sezra smiled tiredly, grabbing the mouse’s tiny pink paws gently.
“Thank you for your concern, Dolores, but you know that it’s a big responsibility to look after this train and everyone in it, including you, my friend. I can’t just take it easy whenever I want.”
“Yes, child I know,” she tutted, patting the gloved paws.
“But you can’t be of much help either if you’re exhausted. Besides, don’t you have that nice young man waiting for you in your quarters?”
She felt a blush rush to her cheeks, her tail wagging happily in delight, giving away her thoughts. The spotted mouse smiled at the reaction of her usually composed friend and boss.
“I thought so Dear. So why don’t you take your well-deserved break and be with him? You need to replenish your strength and magic, and he’s so handsome, I would’ve taken him if I wasn’t already married!”
“Dolores!”
The mouse laughed at the wolf’s embarrassment, glad that she finally found someone to call her own. Sezra sighed, cheeks and ears burning with embarrassment and an anxiousness to be with him. She looked back at her friend, standing almost defiantly in front of her, a high-heeled shoe tapping impatiently. She chuckled as she stood up from her crouching position.
“You’re right, as usual Dolores. I am pretty tired. Do you think you could- “
“Hold down the fort? Of course, Sezra, you know I always do when you need to rest. This is not my first rodeo, and handling the train is much easier than trying to raise 15 little scamps at once I’ll tell you that!”
She laughed, remembering the time when Dolores had brought her little ones to the train one time. Cute as they were, they were…certainly full of energy. Stifling a yawn as she quickly stretched her muscles, she waved her hand, sparkling turquoise magic curling between her fingers until it formed an orb. With a quick tap of her finger, she knew that other orbs would show up simultaneously throughout the train, acting as one large video feed.
“Hello dear passengers,” She began, her voice pleasant but commanding.
“We all wish to thank you once again for choosing to ride with us and hope that you’ve enjoyed your stay thus far. Please do not be afraid to ask our delightful staff should you need anything, or if you need something more specific or urgent,” she split her orb in two, lowering the second quickly to face Dolores who gave a polite wave.
“Please reach out to Dolores Smalls who is more than capable of assisting you. Thank you again and enjoy your stay!” With a final tip of the cap, she closed her hands together, closing the orbs for now until later. She breathed a sigh of exhausted relief, the fatigue catching up on her more than ever now. While her magic was strong, it still took a lot out of her.
“Dear…” Squeaked Dolores. Sezra held her hands up in surrender, a sheepish smile on her face.
“I know, I know, I need rest, don’t worry Dolores I’m going now.”
The two began to walk towards the Conductor’s Quarters, mild chatter exchanged between them until they reached the dark oak wood door, gold embroidery tastefully along the edges.
“Alright, now you go get some rest Dear, you’ve been on your feet all night and most of the day! Did you want Chef to make the two of you something to eat?”
“Maybe in a little bit thanks. I could just use some sleep.”
Dolores nodded a mischievous smile on her rose-tinted lips.
“You sure it’s just sleep you need?”
A rush of heat ran across her face, ears perking up and tail twitching excitedly.
“Dolores!” She responded embarrassed, her cheeks flushed a bright tomato red. The mouse only squeaked out laughter in playful jest.
“Just saying Sezra, it’s certainly a different way to relax, and he seems so polite, sweet, and handsome to boot! What was his name again? Brass, was it?”
The door opened gracefully, the large figure emerging from within, towering over the two easily, a toothy grin flashing brightly.
“Ya, called?” Brass asked, winking at the two ladies before him.
Dolores gave a little giggle, her wild curls bouncing in time while Sezra, trying to hide her blush gave the skeleton a happy, but fatigued smile.
“Hey Brass, sorry I’m back so late. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting for too long.” The skeleton slid closer to her, his leather arms wrapping her in a warm embrace.
“Nah, you’re good Sez. Gotta say you’ve got some pretty sweet digs here, I could get used to this heh.” He gave a skele-kiss on her warm cheek, noting the blush still present and her tail wagging happily despite her efforts to remain professional.
“Besides,” he whispered carefully into her ear, careful to not let Dolores hear, sliding his arm from her shoulder down her back, skeletal finger teasingly tracing the way. She shivered at his electric touch, the hallway suddenly feeling more cramped and hotter than usual.
“I know the perfect way to help you unwind.” He growled softly, her ear twitching at his sensual tone and hot breath.
“Brass!” She hissed quietly, eyes pointing out their company. Dolores clasped her hands together, her smile beaming mischievously.
“Well, I can certainly see that you’re in capable hands here, so I’ll leave you two be. Brass, you make sure she gets her rest alright? I’m counting on you. I’ll bring some food for you later. If you’re not busy that is!”
“DOLORES!” Sezra shouted in embarrassment as the mouse scampered away giggling, Brass laughing along beside the wolf, enjoying seeing her get frazzled.
“Dolores doesn’t hold back, does she?” Asked Brass, gently bringing Sezra into the room and closing the door behind them. The grey wolf sat on the velvet emerald couch groaning, tossing her cap unceremoniously to the floor and rubbing her temples.
“Nope, but that just means she trusts you. She’s usually way more cordial with others.” Now that she finally sat down, her whole body felt like lead.
“Heh, good to know. Sucks for you though.” She looked over at him quizzically, head cocked to the side. Brass loved how cute she looked when she did that and did his best to stifle his own blush.
“Now you’ve got double trouble to tease you!” He grinned teasingly.
“Ha ha, you’re right, I didn’t even realize that.” She stifled a yawn as she moved to take off her coat. As tired as she was, she didn’t want to wrinkle that piece of her uniform. It always took so long to smooth out the wrinkles, so the less she had to do it, the better.
“Here let me help you Sez. You’re moving pretty sluggish so I think I can take this off a little faster than you. You alright?” His large hands carefully guided her arms through the sleeves, careful to not crush her coat by accident. She breathed in his scent deeply. The smell of leather, oak, and a small hint of blackberries enveloped her in their comforting allure. She rested her head against his body as she let him control her arms like a doll, not noticing him stopping for a moment at the sudden contact, his face turning beet red.
“Yeah, just exhausted. Pulled an all-nighter and used up a lot of magic in the process. You smell nice.” Brass coughed, trying to hide his embarrassment and maintain his macho look. He gently pushed her back into the couch so that he could hang her coat. She felt so warm and soft.
“Ahem, but didn’t ya also work all day yesterday too? Then most of today?” She slowly nodded; her eyes closed as she relaxed more into the couch. He stared at her for a moment, amazed that she was still going and willing to keep going. If it was him, he would have already passed out after a full day. Any longer than that and he would be seeing red.
“Damn, no wonder you’re exhausted. Did ya need anything?” She just shook her head slowly, her chestnut hair resting softly against her body in perfect curls.
“Just you.”
He was taken aback at her bluntness. Usually, she would be skirting around the issue or just be too shy to admit what she really wanted. He shrugged his shoulders, a boyish smile on his face as he knew exactly what to do.
Standing in front of her again, in one swift movement, he scooped his arms around her, startling her out of her drowsiness as her eyes shot open in surprise.
“Huh, Brass what you- “
“Just shush.”
She closed her mouth at the soft command, feeling his body press her close to him as he sat down on the couch and then leaned against the wall, shifting her body effortlessly so that she could lay on top of him comfortably.
“Ain’t this much better?” He asked as he kissed her ear tenderly, his arms still holding her close. She only nodded sheepishly, surprised that she was even light enough for him. She jumped a little as she felt his hands drift down to her waist, his leg moving to open the space for her to sink deeper in his embrace.
“Just thought you might like this better and figured ya be more comfortable.” He continued, his hand twirling some of her hair slowly, careful to not let any strands get stuck between his joints. She smiled, her tail softly swaying as she finally allowed her body to relax in the embrace.
“You’re right. This is much better.” She cooed softly, nuzzling her head against his chest. She looked out the window over his shoulder, the scene whipping by them in a haze of colours.
“Thank you, Brass. You’re amazing you know that?” He chuckled as he kissed her head again, wanting to keep them frozen in time.
“And don’t you forget it either! Now try to rest alright? Or else Dolores will never let me hear the end of it.” However, her eyelids had already drooped closed, her breathing calm and steady. She had already fallen asleep, and he couldn’t be happier. He continued to twirl her hair, switching between the chestnut and the silver, his other hand softly stroking her back. He watched her body rise and fall with each breath, matching his. A soft rain began to hit the window. This was perfect. He gave her a little hug, grinning as he felt her snuggle into him subconsciously. He breathed in her scent, relishing the simple moment as he whispered to the air, wishing he was able to say those precious words face to face.
“Rest well. I…I love you Sezra.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dolores led the way, a young ram intern following close behind her pushing a silver trolley, the dishes on top quietly clinking with each step. For being a small mouse, the ram had to almost trot to keep up with her quick pace.
“Alright Dear, since I know this is your first trip with us, I can understand that you’re nervous, but you don’t need to fear. You’ve already met the Head Conductor Sezra when you got the job right?” She looked back quickly, her chocolate curls bouncing with each determined step. The ram stumbled over his words, taken back by her assertiveness.
“Uh, y-yes ma’am I-I did.” He bleated. Her steps never lost their pace once as she looked forward again.
“Then relax Dear, you’re doing just fine. That friendly demeanor she had then is the same one she will, and has always had, but listen to me carefully now. Winston, was it?”
“Huh?”
Dolores flicked her tail, her impatience starting to get the better of her. She took a quick breath.
“You’re name Dear. Or is it not Winston?” The ram scolded himself quietly, black hooves shaking slightly as they griped the handle tighter.
“O-oh, yes ma’am. It is. W-Winston is my name.”
“Good, so Winston, once we get to her quarters, I need you to wait a moment outside with the trolley do you understand? Do NOT come in until I tell you to. We do not want to be rude and just intrude into their space before they’re ready. Does not matter if they’re a guest, a staff member, or Sezra herself got it?” She looked back at the ram, amethyst eyes piercing into ocean blue, ensuring that her point was made clear.
“Y-y-yes ma’am, g-got it!” He managed to squeak out.
“Wonderful, because we’re here now.”
Winston had to stop very quickly, one hooved hand reaching towards the plates on top to make sure they didn’t fly off at his sudden stop. He didn’t want to be fired because he ran over the Head Cleaner.
“Nice reflexes, now wait here like I said. I’ll let you know when to come in.” Winston shook his head, fixing his little bow tie and patting his wool down to make sure he looked presentable. Dolores knocked on the door, polite, but loud enough for the inhabitants to hear.
“Pardon me, but I’ve brought some dinner for the two of you if you’d like. May we come in?”
Silence.
Dolores, moving some of her curls out of the way, placed an ear against the door, trying to hear any signs of movement from within. With a small scowl, she reached into her apron pocket, pulling out a small golden key. Placing it against the door, magic swirled around, revealing another small door, mouse-sized. Winston looked on in awe. There seemed to be surprises everywhere he looked.
“This is a special key that was crafted by Sezra’s magic. It allows us to create doors so that we can enter the rooms if there is an issue, and it is locked from the inside. It should only ever be used in emergencies.” Explained Dolores, feeling the youthful curiosity of the ram staring at her. Opening the door carefully, she walked inside, grabbed the key, and put it back in her pocket. The door would remain so long as she was still in there. Noticing the only light in the room was from the window, she quietly closed the door and carefully scampered towards the couch, the rain outside and the soft patter of her feet breaking the silence. As she drew near, she finally understood why there had been no response.
“Oh, the poor things.” She whispered to herself. On the couch in front of her was Sezra, sleeping peacefully in the arms of Brass, who was also asleep. Their breathing matched perfectly as they softly snored. She smiled to herself, remembering what it was like to be young and in love. She grabbed from a different pocket a small jewel, resembling a pearl, and pressed a button beneath it. It whirred gently to life, growing a small mechanic body in seconds.
“Hello Ima, I have a job for you, but it must be done quickly and quietly understand?” She asked in a hushed tone. The robotic jewel chirped quietly, hovering delicately before her.
“Perfect, I need you to close the curtains and then help me put a warm blanket over these two alright?” Without another word, Ima hovered towards the curtains, forming fingers to grab the curtain edges and pull them close as Dolores opened the closet, pressing a hidden button to lower a blanket to her level. With Ima grabbing the top half and Dolores holding onto the bottom, the two were able to effortlessly place the blanket on top of the lovers. As she shut down Ima and turned to walk out of the room, Brass seemed to stir in his sleep. Dolores stopped dead in her tracks, her ears perking behind her and wishing to the heavens above that she didn’t disturb them.
“Mmm…. Sez….” The skeleton grumbled in his sleep, his arms tightening around the wolf in his arms before his breathing matched hers again in slumber. Dolores sighed in relief as she made her way out quickly, careful to close the door behind her as gently as possible.
“Ma’am?” Winston asked cautiously. She never did mention what the sign would be exactly.
“Let’s head back to the kitchen and put the food away for now Dear. We’ll try again later. Do you mind popping this on the door handle for me though?” Winston looked at Dolores as she pulled out a little sign from the bottom of the trolley. He walked around the piece carefully as he reached down to grab it from her outstretched hand.
Please Do Not Disturb
It was embroidered in shiny black against a plain white background, He slid it over the handle and grabbed the trolley handle on the opposite side. Dolores nodded her head in approval, the two of them walking away quietly to leave the two in the cabin, a skeleton, and a wolf, wrapped in a lover’s embrace, the rain pattering a gentle lullaby as the train continued to rumble down the tracks.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Title: In Bud and in Bloom
Fandom: Deadwood, Prospect (2018)
Rating: T
Relationships: Seth Bullock/Ezra May, Cee & Ezra
Characters: Seth Bullock, Ezra May, Cee, Isabella May (Original Child Character)
Selected Tags: Established Relationship, Canon Disabled Character, Parenthood, Adopted Children, Family Bonding
Chapters: 3/3 (Chapter Index)
Collections: DinCobb Adjacent
Summary: To be able to love them both in their different ways, to love all of his growing family, set little green things to blossoming inside Ezra where he’d thought he had only dust left.
1879: After a trying day, Ezra tends to Isabella, Cee, and Seth as one does a garden in spring.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Title: Banked Here in Our Hearth
Fandom: Deadwood, Prospect (2018)
Rating: E
Relationships: Seth Bullock/Ezra May
Characters: Seth Bullock, Ezra May
Selected Tags: Established Relationship, Old Married Couple, Canon Disabled Character, Tenderness, Sweet/Hot
Collections: DinCobb Adjacent
Summary: There were few things that could compare with the breathless decadence of his own home with his things about him […] save for the joy of waking early with nowhere to go, in naught but his skin, with the warm insistence of the one whose love he held most dear poking at his back.
1902: Ezra contemplates belonging, security, and love at sixty—all of them wrapped up in Seth as surely as Ezra himself.
