Despite the woman's words, the horse gallops a little closer, stopping just in time in front of making you scream and jump back, dropping your bucket of milk. Your shriek makes the steed whinny loudly and stand on its hind legs, tossing the woman off its back with a loud thud and grunt before running off and attempting to hide behind a tree no less than 30 feet away. You try to calm your racing heart as you walk over the woman as she gets up.
“What... the hell is your problem...!?”
The woman looks up at you, groaning as she grabs her cowboy hat and slowly gets to her feet. Her dark hair falls into her face, and she pushes it away before putting on the hat with a frustrated sigh.
"My problem? You the one who jumped in front of my damn horse!"
“Wha- jumped?! I ain't jump nowhere! You damn near ran me over!”
She rolls her eyes and dusts off her pants. "Ran you over? It's not my fault you weren't payin’ attention to where you were going. You lucky I didn't just trample you under my horse's hooves!"
“And you lucky I don't have you thrown in jail for trespassin'!”
"Trespassing?” She crosses her arms, “Don’t be ridiculous, I was riding through the field, not your property."
“This ‘field’ is my pa's property! You ain't see that big house up there?”
"Oh, please. I wasn't that close to the house. And there wasn't any sign saying the field was private property."
“It's on the fence spokes out front, cowgirl. You woulda seen it if you wasn't just ridin’ through grass and stayed on the damn trail.”
She sneers, pointing a finger. "Don't you sass me, girl. I can ride through wherever I please. Just because you work here doesn't give you the right to order me around."
Using your finger, you push her finger away. “Uh, that's exactly what I can do. Cuz unless ya wanna deal wit my pa and his shotgun, you gon deal wit me.” You flick the front of her cowboy hat, “And I promise you, miss lady, this is me bein' cordial.”
The dark-haired woman's eyes narrow despite the smirk on her face, clearly unaffected by your threat.
"Oh, I like you."
You pauses. “Wha- what, now?”
She chuckles and steps closer to you, her smirk turning into a smug grin. "Ya got some fire in you with a pretty face to go... and that's somethin' I appreciate..."
“Flattery ain't gettin' you nowhere, stranger.”
She laughs, stepping around you to lean against a tree trunk. "Is that right, sweetheart? Well, I guess I'll just have to find another way to win you over."
“Not before an apology. And a way to make it up to me after spillin' all this milk.”
The woman glances at the white puddles soaking into the dirt. “No use cryin’ over it, right?”
“I’m serious.”
"Alright, alright. I'm sorry for almost running you over. And I'll make it up to you, I promise. Name your price."
“Well since ion wanna get into trouble, you're gonna ride into town for me and pick up some milk for me to fill these buckets.”
She smiles and gives you a sarcastic salute. "Yes, ma'am. I'll gallop straight to the store and get you some fresh milk. Anything else I can do for you on my way? Shovel some manure and feed the pigs?"
“No, already did that before you rode all over my property and nearly killed me.”
She sighs and nods, feigning a sincere look. "Right, im sure. My apologies again for ruinin’ your hard work. I'll be sure to ride nicely as I go on my milk-fetchin’ quest."
“You got a name, miss?”
"Why you wanna know? You gonna be thinkin’ ‘bout me while I'm gone?"
“Maybe. Also to make sure you won't just take off, I need the name of the thief to tell my pa.”
The woman laughs, walking closer to you while tipping her hat a little.
"You’re good. My name's Mikasa Ackerman. And I promise, I'll come back with that milk. I'm a woman of my word."
You smirk. “Now that's somethin' I can appreciate~”
Mikasa smiles back, stepping closer until she's mere inches away with her pretty eyes locked onto yours.
"And what's your name, darlin’? If I'm gonna be fetchin’ milk for you, it'd be nice to know who I'm doing it for."
“Name's (Y/n) (L/n).”
Mikasa looks you up and down, her gaze lingering on your body for a moment before returning to your eyes.
"Now that's a pretty name... suits you too. I'll be back with your milk, (Y/n) (L/n). And I look forward to seeing you again.”
“Likewise.”
You tug the brim of her hat down over her eyes playfully to get her to stop eyeing you. Mikasa laughs, grabbing the brim of her hat and tipping it back up to see your face again only to see you were now turned around and picking up the empty milk bucket before walking back towards the cows, hips swaying with every step. Her eyes admire every curve and dip of your figure momentarily before chuckling to herself. She uses two fingers to whistle loudly in the direction of her horse, making the less frightened animal appear within seconds, trotting towards her. With that, she hops onto her saddle and rides off towards town.
Mikasa's been gone about 20 minutes and while she was out, you sat near the cows with the buckets, pretending to be milking them just in case your pa came to check on you. The entire time you were coming up with different excuses as to why you took so long when you heard fast galloping closing in on you. You look to the trail to see Mikasa riding back this way with one hand on the reins and the other holding a basket filled with glass milk bottles. You smile and can't help but feel a wave of relief that she didn't just take off and leave you high and dry. She reins in her horse a few feet away, dismounting and walking to you with the basket.
"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long, sweetheart. Got your milk right here."
“Oh, I'm sweetheart now?” You take the basket, “Thank ya, kindly.”
Mikasa grins and leans against a fence, watching you carry the basket of milk over to the other one.
"What? I can't give pretty girls pretty nicknames? That don't seem right to me, darlin'..."
You sit down with the milk, pouring the bottles into the bucket. “You don't even know if I got a husband.”
"Lucky bastard if you do, but judging by your ringless fingers, I'm gonna guess you don't. Am I right?"
“No, but my pa is strongly suggesting I find one. 'Preferably before he passes on' as he says.”
Mikasa scoffs and rolls her eyes. "Sounds like he's a bit eager. No offense, sugar, but I don't see the rush."
“Neither do I. I enjoy feeding the animals and riding my horse.”
"I'm guessing you love your horse more than you'd ever love some man, huh?"
“Of course, and after the ones I've met? ‘Specially the ones he thought would be good for me?” You shudder with a chuckle, “It'll be while before I find a man good enough.”
Mikasa laughs, pushing herself off the fence and approaching you slowly.
"So you're saying you've yet to find a man you deem worthy of your time and attention? How about a woman...?"
You look up at her, biting your lip in thought. “Hm... S'pose I haven't thought of that...”
"Care to test the waters a bit, then? See if there's any... potential suitors who might meet your standards?"
“Hm... Anyone you could send my way...?”
She grins, her eyes flickering up and down your body as you stand up before meeting your gaze again.
"Well, I might know someone. She's got a few flaws, but she's got a good heart. And she's very, very pretty to boot."
“Really now?”
“Yes ma’am. The prettiest grey eyes you’ll ever see~”
“Hmm, does she have manners?”
"That depends on who you ask. She can be a bit rough around the edges, she doesn't always think before she speaks... But she's always genuine. And she'd treat you like a princess."
“Ooh, I never been treated like a princess.”
"Well, that's just criminal, sugar. Every lady should be treated like royalty. You included~"
“I guess, in turn, I'd have to treat her like one.
"And what if I, I mean, she don't want royalty treatment? Maybe she enjoys being all rough and whatnot..."
“Then you'll get that instead, cowgirl.”
You tug the brim of her hat down over her pretty grey eyes playfully.
we were drunk off mezcal and my dog had his paws crossed like he was fancy and we were giggling about it and i told you that with the sun coming back i can feel my fingers again and you grabbed my wrist and jokingly shook my limp hands while saying i have you i got you and i wanted to tell you i love you in that moment but it's actually just that it's spring and love actually seems like something that i can afford once in a while so long as i'm not overwhelmed by the crushing weight of having to do my laundry
i don't get so sad on sundays anymore and part of that is you but also part of it is that i've been watching a bird melodrama in the tree outside my window - first the robins had the run of it, then the doves. most recently a family of sparrows came through. the sky was pink today like a kiss, and i felt the pastel wrap in a warm piebald snake around my chest and hum herself into my bones
thank god for every person that forgives me for the depressive spirals i go on every winter without-fail like i swear there are absolutes in this world and it's stuff like. stoats go white in winter. the sun comes over the east. when it gets cold all parts of my soul go numb and the light can't pass through my iris without a tattoo gun. how many times can i tell a friend i'm sorry i wasn't talking to you, i truly wasn't talking to anyone
thank god i can feel my skin right now and you hold my weak little hand in your hand and then you flip it over so you can read my palm and you're smiling while you run fingertips over lines and read out my fate like it says here you like a good grillcheese sandwich and admit it you make salads by buying the pre-made spring mix and i have all your astrology shit memorized and i read your horoscope first when i'm checking my own even-though-i-don't-believe-in-it (but just in case) and i want to kiss you just to watch the blush spread in a tulip from under your freckles in that way it does, how you pull back and wrinkle your nose in laughter
thank god but today for the first time in a month i finally texted my friends back and actually made plans to hang out (how's that! barring disaster!) and i let my dog put his big muddy paws on my nice sweater and yeah actually when it's bad i always think i can't do that again. i can't crawl back up that mountain
but the sun touched me on the face this morning and we had a nice long talk about it and i said i gotta go the long way again huh and she nodded and shook back her solarflare hair and looked over to her moon girlfriend and she said you can do it. better things on the horizon.
Hazbin Hotel - Alastor Prequel Comic (”The Radio Demon”/”A Day in the After Life”)
Mirroring from the main Hazbin Hotel website in case the site goes down for some reason, and also to keep track of what was posted when (and thus when it became canon). Go read it on the original site. First page here.
