fantasy

deputy

TW: physical violence, gun violence, explicit depiction of sexual assault, blood (lots of it), character death

Tags: Smut! Jungkook x Reader, Western trope, you're the bartender of a saloon in the wild wild west, there are LOTS of characters in this – all members of Bangtan plus a villain plus three pioneer sex workers (inspired lovingly by my three closest friends), plot up the wazoo, everyone's always sweaty, inspired by "I Shot the Sheriff" by Bob Marley and the Wailers

Word Count: 15,133

–

Stumbling feet.

That's all I am
is stumbling feet.

Frozen
clumps of mud
and grass
and bison pats
trip me as I drag myself forward.

I can't do this.

My eyes are glued shut
my tears freeze
before they can tumble
over my lids.

The wind chaps my face
my lips crack.

Where am I?

I hear something.
Voices?
Music?
Laughter?

I force my eyes open
my eyelids tear apart.

Light.

I stumble again,
fall
land on my palms.
But I can't feel them.

So I get up
try again.
One step.
Another.

It's clearer now
the light. The laughter.
The noise.
People.

But the ground
is pressed to my face
little arms can't lift me
little legs can't move anymore.

The light, the noise
is so close
but it all goes black
before it goes

white.

You woke up with a start, jerking up in bed with a gasp.  A cold sweat beaded at your forehead, dripping down your temples and onto your neck, making you shiver.

That nightmare...you hadn't had it in years. 

After a few deep breaths to steady your heartbeat, you stretched, rolling your aching neck and shoulders.  The sheets on your corn husk mattress scratched against your legs, and you noted your nightgown was bunched up and twisted around your waist.  A yawn overtook you and you groaned as you eyed the sunlight filtering through the milky glass of your bedroom window, estimating the time to be nearly high noon. 

Unfortunately, a sleepless night on your end wouldn't change your customers' minds about coming in for drinks in a just few hours.  So you begrudgingly hopped out of bed, letting your bare feet brush along rough floorboards as you gathered the items you needed to get dressed.  After shedding your nightgown and hanging it up, you pulled on your undergarments, then buttoned your plain cream shirt up to your neck.  Your skirt lay heavily on the bed, ready to be tied on, but you needed to lace up your boots up first – that is, if you could find them. 

Now where did you kick them off the night before?

Minutes later, you stepped out of your door and into the hallway, the smell of creosote overwhelming your senses.  The creaking of a door down the hall grabbed your attention, and you glanced over to see Genie sloppily kissing the town drunk – well, one of the town drunks – Hoseok, in her doorway.  One of her hands grasped the man's shirt at his chest while the other held his hat away from his head so she could lean into him deeply, noisily lapping at his lips.