Stranger (Johnny slaughter x reader)

New arrival

Pleased to meet you. Hope you guess my name, oh yeah.

With nothing but open road stretched out before him and time to spare, Johnny took the family's rundown white pickup truck out for a drive, the radio being the only thing that could make up for all its "lackluster" qualities.

But what's puzzling you is the nature of my game.

Absolutely nowhere to go, alone with his thoughts and the sweltering Texas heat. Johnny couldn't help but think about the night before, couldn't help but contemplate how miserable he felt anywhere but within the solace he found within the truck's confines, its music drowning out the world along with the relentless heat.

The night before, a fight had erupted between Johnny and Drayton, affectionately referred to by the family as "The Cook". Regrettably, Johnny had let the fight take a violent turn, fully aware that the elderly man couldn't match his strength. Harsh words were exchanged, but strangely, that was the one aspect of the confrontation that Johnny didn't regret.

Johnny had walked in on a conversation between the Cook and Loretta, better known by the family as "Sissy". Unsurprisingly, the subject of their discussion was none other than Johnny himself.

"That boy's gonna stir up a mess for us... he doesn't grasp what he's doin', just knows it feels good. That's when things start blurring," The Cook remarked before pausing, realizing Johnny had been eavesdropping from the hallway.

"I know you heard that, boy. Come on out now," he hollered.

Johnny sauntered into the living room, a furrowed brow on his face.

"Johnny, hi! Where have you been?" Sissy inquired, clearly trying to keep the situation from becoming too tense, but to no avail.

"Is that really what you think?" Johnny responded, appearing calm and collected on the surface, but his heavy breathing saying otherwise.

"Well, I did say it, didn't I?" Cook replied.

"You think I don't know what I'm doing, huh? What do you know? You're just the cook."

"I am vital to this family, I keep this together. Grandpa ain't like he was, you need me."

"And you reckon you don't need me? I do all the hard work and heavy lifting 'round here, your 'management' got nothin' on that."

"Boy, you keep bringin' folks back, you think nobody's gonna start asking questions? I hear about these girls on the radio, a new one every week. What the hell are you thinkin'?"

"Don't go pretendin' like you've never done it before—"

"I do it when it absolutely has to be done, and I take no pleasure in killin'. This, this is excessive, I'm tellin' you."

"To hell with excessive! you asked me to do it. You think I like doing this shit? Like it's a damn hobby? You think this is nub's pictures or something?"

"I believe it's starting to look that way."

Their voices grew louder, and Johnny's anger flared. Sissy tried to play peacemaker, but it wasn't getting them anywhere. Sissy stood and cowered away from the two.

"Hey, can we just cool it? Table this for another time?" Sissy spoke softly, trying to dissolve the tension.

"THIS BOY right here started it! Don't pull me or your family into this mess," The Cook chimed in.

"You call me 'boy' one more time, I swear..." Johnny growled.

Cook stepped closer to Johnny, shutting down whatever intimidation he thought he had over him. "You're a damn fool, boy." He spat at Johnny.