Ink and sweat

As the light diminished from his eyes only the thoughts of brown whiskey eyes and a deep smooth accented voice passed through his brain. He knew he did the right thing for once as the ringing was still fresh in his ears. He drew in a ragged breath that barely fueled his lungs as he turned himself to the sky. He prayed in that moment, something he never did but this prayer was not for him it was for the man still running through his thoughts. A man he had deemed annoying but also one of the most attractive people he had ever seen. A part of him wished he had not been so quick to save the day. Though he knew the man and all the others would be in the same position as him if he left the Gatling gun standing. When he heard the familiar sound of horse hooves hitting the ground he hoped it was someone who was going to put him out of his misery. He closed his eyes waiting for it to happen but opened them slowly when the man on the horse jumped off and kneeled beside him. A soft smile made its way to his face when he saw the same brown whiskey eyes and heard the same smooth accented voice that was in his mind. 

“Faraday,” the man whispered sadly as he took up one of Josh’s bloodied hands. 

“Still alive, if that’s what you’re wondering,” he coughed out looking into the man’s eyes, he decided then that he could easily stare at them forever, “can’t get rid of me that easily.” He knew lightening up the mood would not work, they both knew what was coming and it scared them both. Blood slipped out of his mouth as he coughed harder. 

“Sh, Guero,” Vasquez frowned, wiping the blood away. The usually tough man let a tear run down his face and Faraday wiped it away leaving a streak of blood on the other man’s face. 

“Come on Vas, I’m not worth tears,” he smiled, his breath coming out more slowly. He also seemed to be in less pain than before. 

“Don’t you fucking dare leave me Guero,” he yelled sadly deep down they knew it was hopeless.  The man he was holding was littered with bullets and burn marks from the dynamite he threw, “not now.” Vasquez tried to keep his tears in for Faraday but they fell down his face like rain. 

“Joshua, might as well use my name now.”

“Alejandro.”

Vasquez laughed at Joshua’s many attempts to say his name right. He frowned his eyebrows, obviously giving up on the right pronunciation of the name. They both looked at each for a moment before Joshua brought his hand up to cup Vasquez’s cheek. 

“I have a lot of things I regret,” he tells Vas, “god I wish I could make more with you.” 

“You can, just stay with me,” Alejandro looked over his shoulder as if waiting for someone to come help, “please.” 

“Ale, I need you to take care of Jack for me,” Joshua breathed out, making the Mexican look back at the Irishman, “t...take Ethel and Maria they still have some use in ‘em, please.” He took out his guns clumsily handing them to the Mexican. 

“Joshua, don’t. They’re yours, you keep them,” he placed them back into his hands and forced Faraday to close his hands tightly around both guns. A soft laugh came out of Joshua’s mouth. 

“Fucking Mexican…” his smile was left permanently on his face as his eyes looked at Alejandro but they were now unseeing. A choked out sob left the other before he started to curse towards the heavens in incoherent Spanish. He held his friend’s now cold hand with one of his own, moving the other hand to close Joshua’s eyes. 

“I promise Joshua, I’ll take good care of him,” he whispered as he stood up. He let the silent tears fall as he mounted his horse, “goodbye, Guerito.”

He rode towards the destroyed town. All his tears he had were gone, what was left was a stony façade. There was an empty space by his side now, and there always would be. He rounded up Jack as he made his way back to the survivors. He had slipped a blood stained card, the king of hearts, into his front jacket pocket before he met Sam.