(Y/n) has no idea where she is or how she got there. Things quickly go from bad to worse and (Y/n) finds herself in quite the dangerous situation. Luckily for her, someone nearby is willing to lend a hand.
Trigger warning: mentions of blood, tobacc...
About a week had passed since Tennessee had shown up and so far things were going smoothly. The wounds were healing up nicely and it was time to remove the stitches. Neither (Y/n) or Tennessee were particularly thrilled about this. They had no idea what to expect or how to go about doing this. Regardless, the stitches needed to be removed.
(Y/n) sat next to Tennessee, scissors in hand. Tennessee stared down at her nervously as she tried to figure out the best way to do this. She decided that snipping off the knots and removing the thread with tweezers would be the best option. Once the knots were removed she gave one thread a gentle, experimental tug. Tennessee immediately looked uncomfortable.
"Does that hurt?" (Y/n) asked, concerned.
"It don't exactly hurt per say but it ain't what ah'd call a pleasant sensation."
(Y/n) gently tugged the rest of the thread free without an issue. The rest of the stitches fallowed suit. By the end of it all (Y/n) and Tennessee were both relieved it was over. (Y/n) wrapped a new layer of bandages around Tennessee's waist, she wasn't sure if it was necessary anymore but she'd rather not let the wounds get infected.
"So how long are ya plannin' on keepin' me here?" Tennessee inquired, watching (Y/n) closely.
"As long as I need to I guess." (Y/n) answered, "Why? Is there somewhere you need to be?"
"Ah just ain't too fond of stayin' in one place fer too long. It makes it easier fer people ta find me and ah ain't too keen on bein' found."
"Is someone after you?"
Tennessee chuckled softly, "Darlin, when you've got a bounty worth a small fortune on yer head plenty of fellers are gonna want ta get their grubby mitts on ya."
Tennessee stood up and put his shirt back on. Now that the wound had healed up a bit he could walk around a little bit. He wasn't wearing his mask anymore, there wasn't really a point. Tennessee knew that if (Y/n) was planning on exposing him she would have done so already.
(Y/n) knew he must be getting a little antsy. She would have gladly let him wander around outside for a bit but she couldn't risk the chance that someone might see him. If the sheriff, or heaven forbid, George, saw him that would be the end of that. Tennessee and (Y/n) would be arrested and taken into custody immediately. For Tennessee that would be the end of the line, he would be sentenced to death either by firing squad or by hanging.
(Y/n) couldn't help but wonder if she would meet the same fate if anyone ever found out that she was hiding him in her own home. (Y/n) subconsciously rubbed her neck and tried not to think about it too much. As long as she was careful, no one would ever find out about this.
"Are you alright (Y/n)?" Tennessee asked, bringing (Y/n) back to reality.
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"Ya look," Tennessee paused, trying to find the right words, "a might bit concerned."
"I was just lost in thought." (Y/n) reassured him.
It wasn't a lie but it wasn't the whole truth. (Y/n) could tell that Tennessee didn't quite believe her but he didn't try to press for more information. (Y/n) watched Tennessee fish a pinch of tobacco out of his saddle bag, place it on a square of paper, and roll it all up into a cigarette. He pulled a chair over to the window, sat down, and lit his cigarette.
(Y/n) had established early on that if he was going to smoke to do so either outside or out the window. She watched as he took a long drag from his cigarette and blew the smoke out the window. Something about the way the smoke curled out of his mouth and into the evening air was oddly mesmerizing.
Tennessee turned to meet her gaze, one eyebrow raised slightly. (Y/n) realized that she'd been caught staring and quickly looked away. This earned a quiet chuckle from Tennessee and (Y/n) felt her face heat up with embarrassment.
(Y/n) had caught herself staring at him a lot lately. She usually did this when Tennessee did mundane little things like write in the Thievius Raccoonus or play the harmonica. She honestly hoped he hadn't realized just how often she stared at him.
As Tennessee took another drag from his cigarette (Y/n) thought about what he had said earlier. How long was she planning on hiding him here? She couldn't do it forever, it wasn't realistic. Sooner or later people would start to get suspicious and that's when the problems would begin. It wasn't safe for either of them to keep this up for very long.
"Two more weeks," (Y/n) thought to herself, "Two more weeks and then I'll have to let him go."
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In celebration of 100+ views/reads I've included another little picture for you to enjoy, I hope you like it. If you didn't see it at the start of the chapter here it is:
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I've honestly been having a lot of fun writing these past few chapters and I'm just going to keep riding this train of inspiration until it runs out. Lots more fun stuff is in the works.
As always thank you for reading this and I'll see you all soon!
