Rdr2 au. The sheriff and the Outlaw
Warning: slight rdr2 spoilers. This takes place in the town of Rhodes in the game.
āYou just canāt stay out of trouble, can you?ā Tyler asked, looking at David sitting in the cell. Tyler leaned on his desk and glared at the criminal in front of him in annoyance. The jailhouse was dim, the building was lit from the oil lamps and the moonlight coming in from the cell window. It was already late at night and most people were in the homes at this hour except the two in the jailhouse.
āThe problem aināt staying out of trouble, itās that I keep getting caught,ā David said, giving the sheriff an award winning smile. The man in the cell always seemed light hearted, even when he was about to face the gallows. Although, both men knew that wasnāt going to happen any time soon.
āNogla,ā Tyler sighed and rubbed his face, āI canāt protect you forever. The people wanna see you swing! Theyāll wanna see me swing too if they find out Iāve been helping you,ā Tyler said starting to pace back and forth in front of Davidās cell. The wood floor creaked slightly under Tylerās feet as his heavy boots hit the floor.
āC'mon, youāve helped me out of tough situations before, ye can do it one more time,ā David said, standing up and walking over to the bars to be closer to Tyler. David leaned on the bars and smiled, trying to relax Tyler a bit. he hated seeing his friend stressing so much. They could see each other better now that they were closer. Tyler had dark circles under his eyes and a stressed look about him while David was relaxed and happy.
āYou need to get out of town,ā Tyler said, looking up at David. āHead to Valentine or strawberry or something. you just canāt stay here.ā Davidās smile faltered for a moment but soon returned.
āOut of town? But Iāll miss ye,ā David said, giving Tyler a slightly playful pout. āHow about ye come with me,ā David suggested, looking up at the sheriff hopefully.
"You know I canāt. Iāve got a responsibility to this town, to protect it.ā David rolled his eyes.
āAnd YOU know that common criminals arenāt the problem here. Itās those two families, the bastards Grays and the Braithwaites. The Braithwaites are a bunch of rich bastards and inbreds, selling that moon shine of theirs to people worse than me. And the Grays control ye and every other lawman in town, so you donāt have much power to stop em when all hell breaks loose. Hell, they might even make ye fight with em,ā David said, not wanting Tyler to lose his life to a stupid feud between two families.
Tyler sighed, knowing David was right. The feud going on between the two families was a dangerous thing to get in between, but he found himself sucked into it when he became deputized by Sheriff Gray a few years ago. He got on the Grays good side and because of that he also found himself on the Braithwaiteās bad side. He lost track a long time ago how many fights had broke out between the families, how many he had been apart of. Lately things seemed to just be getting worse though. Tyler would be lying if he said the thought of leaving never crossed his mind.
Tyler walked over to the door of the jail cell and grabbed the keys from his belt before unlocking the cell door. āI canāt run away with you, but I will try to follow you. I want you to go find a place to stay for awhile in another town and Iāll meet up with you in a few weeks. I gotta finish some stuff up here, make some smoke. They wonāt let me out of this so easily. The grays will want me dead for betraying them and the Braithwaites will want to get information out of me about the Grays,ā Tyler said as he released David from his cell. David smiled and stepped out of his cell, pulling Tyler in for a hug.
āDonāt worry about a thing, Iāll get us a nice camp set up out there and everything,ā David said, pulling away and holding Tyler by the shoulders. David looked into Tylerās eyes for a moment and felt his face start to heat up as he realized he was starting to stare. David patted Tyler on the shoulder before going to sit on the desk, hoping the sheriff didnāt notice him blushing. Tyler rubbed his face and leaned on the desk next to his friend.
āYou are going to be the death of me,ā Tyler said, causing David to chuckle. Tyler lit a cigarette and offered one to David who declined the offer. It was silent for a moment, the only sound coming from the soft sound of horses outside. Tyler breathed out a cloud of smoke and watched it slowly disappear into the air, thinking about what the next few weeks would bring him.
āWhy do ye keep helping me?ā David asked suddenly, breaking the silence. Tyler hesitated for a moment before removing the cigarette from his lips.
āCause I hate my job. You said it yourself, the Gray family controls me,ā Tyler said, taking another drag of the cigarette.
āYe donāt let other outlaws go.ā
āYouāre not like other outlaws, you donāt hurt people. You wouldnāt even be a problem if you didnāt keep getting caught.ā Tyler starred in front of him, trying to believe that was the only reason he let the idiot go. It had been the original reason the man had been let go but as he kept getting caught, Tyler found that he liked the man and didnāt want to see him get hurt. A few successful escapes, a few technicalities, and David was free again. Know one knew that Tyler was the one behind all of it.
āI hurt people Tyler,ā David said, taking Tylerās hand and looking him in the eye, āIāve killed enough people to fill entire towns. I donāt like to do it, but I have and I will again most likely.ā David looked down, his carefree smile long gone and replaced with a look of shame. āTyler, I realize that knowing that about me might affect your decision butā¦ I wanted ye to know what youāre getting into. Iād hate to pull ye into this and have ye regret coming with me,ā David said, scared to see Tylerās reaction.
Tyler was silent for a moment, shocked at the change in mood of his friend. David was never one to show emotion like this. The only two emotions Tyler really saw from his friend was happiness or anger, never shame and Ā vulnerability like this. Tyler knew that David was telling the truth.
āI donāt care,ā Tyler said bluntly, making David look up at him surprised. āIām a sheriff. Iāve killed a lot of people too. The only difference is Iāve done it legally.ā Tyler looked away and put his cigarette back in his mouth.
The smile slowly returned to Davidās face and he laughed. Tyler smiled, Davidās laugh always managed to make him smile.
Tyler took another drag of his cigarette and took a glance at his pocket watch. He looked outside and saw the sun had gone all the way down and it was dark enough for David to slip away unnoticed under the cover of night.
āOK, most people should be asleep by now. Time to sneak you out the back door,ā Tyler said, putting his cigarette out and leading David to the back of the jailhouse. āRemember, you have to get out of town as soon as possible. Got it?ā Tyler asked. David nodded and smiled.
āIāll head up to Strawberry and wait for ye there,ā David said as Tyler opened the door. The cold night air blew in and Ā made the oil lamp flames waver slightly, casting strange shadows on the walls.
David paused in the doorway, looking out into the dark. Tyler put his hand on Davidās shoulder and smiled at him.
āIāll see you in a week, OK?ā He said softly. David looked at him and gave him a small smile. Tyler watched Davidās face in the dim light but he swore he could see a light blush on Davidās cheeks.
Suddenly, David leaned in and kissed Tyler on the lips. It was a quick kiss but with enough emotion to get the message across. Tylerās face turned red as a tomato and his eyes went wide with shock. David pulled away and opened his eyes, giving Tyler a shy smile.
āUntil we meet again sheriff,ā He said before heading off into the night. Tyler watched Davidās leave before shutting the door. Tyler touched his lips gently, thinking about the kiss. He didnāt hate it. He knew that people would never except it if they found out, but the more he thought about it, the more he didnāt care. They were gonna be on the run anyways, might as well do what they want.
