Thatch led you to the dining room, a massive room that looked like it could fit hundreds if needed but was currently only set for about twenty. There was a massive chair at the head of the table, that must be for Newgate himself. 

“Sit here,” Thatch said, pulling out a chair for you like the gentleman he was. You thanked him and sat down, pouring yourself a cup of water.

“Just keep your hands out of range of their mouths and you’ll be fine,” Thatch said with a smile. 

Thatch had set the table with massive plates of food before he rang the bell. There was no way twenty guys could eat this much, right? He must have been making enough for leftovers.He walked over near the window where there was an honest to god triangle mounted on the wall. Picking up the hammer, Thatch rang the triangle loudly several times, calling out “SUPPER!”

You thought the ranchers would trickle in a few at a time, finishing their tasks and coming in for the evening meal. Instead, you watched experienced farmhands and ranchers move like greased pigs, scrambling in through the doors and even the window to sit down at the table. Your facial filter must have failed because Thatch laughed as he came to stand next to you. He picked up your plate and gave a death stare as a large man with bantu knots reached for some still steaming buns.

“Guests first, Jozu,” he hissed through his teeth, clacking the tongs in his hands. Whoa, you hadn’t seen that authoritative side of him before. You kind of liked it. Who were you kidding? You loved it. 

“It’s not always like this, only when Ace is around,” Thatch explained, filling your plate with food from the various dishes. It looked better than anything you’d eaten in years, except for the time that Law’s weird rich uncle took you all out to dinner. But that had been cut short by Cora catching his black coat on fire, and you didn’t have time to finish your food before the sprinklers went off. Still a nice guy, though.

“Wait - Ace?” you asked, scrunching your nose. How many people with that name could there be in your smaller city? “Does he work for the park-”

“Hiya, Doc! Never seen you outta scrubs before! Barely recognized you looking so pretty,” a familiar voice rang out, the man himself climbing through the window. You closed your eyes and rubbed your forehead, already anticipating a headache. 

“You two know each other?” Thatch asked, setting your plate down in front of you. The rest of the ranchers started serving themselves, breaking out into smaller conversations. You looked around, there weren’t any other women there. It was a little strange but you’d been in sausage fests before, you weren’t intimidated. Hell, most of medical school had been you in rooms with mostly male doctors. Kaya was the only other female resident in your class, something you’d bonded about early in your friendship.

“Yep! See each other all the time,” he said with a cocky grin as Thatch bristled. You rolled your eyes at him and set your napkin in your lap. What a little shit head, trying to stir up trouble where there was none. As Ace piled his plate high with food, you understood some of the rush to get at it before he did. 

“Unwillingly. I see him at work. He comes to the clinic at least once a week,” you muttered. You’d had a lot of time with Ace this week and you didn’t really want any more, especially when you were trying to get in with Thatch. 

“And who has my son brought in for supper?” a deep, sonorous called out as heavy steps thudded through the hall. Thatch smiled and stood up, preparing a plate for the clear 

“Pops!” came a chorus of happy sounding men. Aw, that was nice, at least they all liked the old rancher. He had a massive white mustache, worn jeans, a plaid that looked like it was cozy and black cowboy boots. You’d heard stories about Edward Newgate, everyone in town had. But hearing about him and staring into his wrinkled, tanned face was another thing. You wiped your face with your napkin and half stood, preparing to shake his hand.

“Hello Mr. Newgate, I’m -” he waved a massive, calloused hand at you, dismissing you from standing. All right then.

“Jenny’s brat,” he said with finality, sitting down heavily in the massive chair. Jenny? Jenny?! To your knowledge, no one called Dr. Kureha by her first name. You only knew it because her official mail came bearing her full government name. You wanted to ask Newgate how long he’d known Kureha for but you’d long learned that satisfying your curiosity wasn’t always worth it when it came to your great aunt. 

“Yeah, Dr. Kureha’s great niece. I’m staying at her house right now. Thank you for having me for supper,” you said, trying to remember your manners. Newgate grunted, picking up his fork to stab at a massive steak. 

“I see you’ve met some of my sons,” he boomed as Thatch set the plate in front of him. Newgate acknowledged him with a quiet thanks and a nod of his head. Thatch beamed at his father, his pride on full display. Thatch sat back down and put his hand on the back of your chair casually, like he was just stretching. You didn’t say anything but some of the brothers gave each other “ooh la la” looks. You didn’t mind, you were hoping things went that way yourself.

“Yeah, we met in town,” you said evasively, looking around at the various ranchers you’d seen at the clinic just the day prior. Fossa and Jiru weren’t meeting your gaze, just chowing down. You narrowed your eyes at Fossa, who really shouldn’t be eating that much potato salad with his recent labs. You gave him The Look, but he just smiled and continued heaping the salad on his plate. Blenheim gave you a thumbs up while Rakuyo waved. You also saw Haruta, Atmos, Namur, and Kingdew, sitting father down the long table. All had been in the week prior, and a few weeks before then as well. Based on the look of it, you had treated nearly every person in the room with the exception of Thatch and Newgate himself. 

“I think I’ve met just about everyone here, actually,” you said dryly, cutting up some of the juicy steak on your plate. It was thick and fatty and you couldn’t wait to eat something that delicious.

“Is that so? GURARARA, just as popular as your Aunt,” he said with a grin that crinkled his face. You didn’t know if he was complimenting your medical skills or saying you got around. Either way suited you fine, you'd heard worse about your character.

“They’re all your sons?” you asked, trying to get a better feel for the dynamic between all the grizzled men.

“Ah, well. We’re not all blood related but we’re all brothers. We’ve all been workin’ and livin’ together for so long - Ace is our newest brother, he joined a little over a year ago,” Thatch explained. Ah, like a found family or whatever. Cute.

Brothers? But that would mean-

“Wait, Ace - I thought you said Sabo was your brother?” you asked, finally biting into a buttered roll. Holy hell, you’d break your car every day if it meant you got to eat this food. 

“ ‘E is,” Ace said through a mouth of food. “ ‘E’s my brother like Luffy is. Also brothers but different brothers. They’re not brothers here though,” he said, practically unhinging his mouth to shove more food in. That didn’t explain anything -- and who was Luffy? -- but you wanted to stop seeing the inside of Ace’s mouth filled with half chewed food.

“You’re gonna choke. And if you do, I’m not reviving you this time,” you said, pushing some creamed spinach on your fork. You wanted to moan as you tasted it, the gentle flavor of the spinach brought out by the creamy baked sauce. Thatch was an amazing cook, you'd marry him on the spot for his cooking alone. Ace swallowed and picked up another steak off his plate with his hands. Who raised this kid? Wolves?

“Ha! I don’t need you here,” Ace said with glee, shoving the steak into his mouth. “I do like going to your urgent care though. I told all my brothers about you, they like you too. We figured out when you work, we only go then,” he said with a happy smile.

“Oh, is that the reason I’m so busy?” you asked, stabbing your fork through a potato and clenching your jaw with a tight smile. You wished it was through his hand instead, but then you’d have to treat him for that too. 

“Yah, we all like you a lot. You’re no bullshit and we don’t have to listen to Marco’s lectures,” he continued, undeterred by your growing irritation. 

“Marco?” you asked, gripping your fork tight enough that you were sure you were going to warp the metal. It was a common name, right? There had to be more than one Marco in the city, the fates wouldn’t do something so terrible as to bring a hot cowboy into your life only to have his brother be-

“Sorry I’m late yoi. I got stuck at the hospital.” You thought you were going to bend the fork in your hand as Marco Fushichou entered, graceful and handsome as ever. He spotted you next to Thatch, his eyebrows hiking in interest.

“Oh! I didn’t…know you’d be here. I thought it was your golden weekend?” Marco said easily, throwing his lab coat over the back of a chair before sitting down. You thought you were going to crack a tooth with how hard you were clenching your jaw. Who the fuck had you pissed off in a previous life to earn such bad luck?

Everything made sense now. Marco’s father was Edward Newgate, the wealthy cattle rancher who’d found an immense oil field under his property. No wonder everyone knew and liked him - Marco was practically royalty. Of course, of course, of fucking course. Why would something as wonderful as a handsome, helpful cowboy fall into your lap without the universe taking a huge shit on you in return.

“It is my golden weekend. Thatch invited me,” you explained, trying to keep your conversation as brief as possible. Marco’s eyebrow hiked even higher. You tried to keep your irritation and anger off your face but weren’t sure you quite achieved it because Thatch reached under the table to put a hand over your knee. You gave him a smile smile, it was nice to think someone would be in your corner.

“You really do know everyone,” Thatch said with a smile. You were guessing he was trying to lighten the mood a little. You unclenched your jaw and lowered your shoulders. Marco lived here, it wasn’t his fault he was Newgate’s son. You needed to be chill if you didn’t want to fumble things with Thatch. 

“Marco and I work together at the hospital. We’re both residents in the Emergency Medicine program,” you explained. “Including this month. We’re together on Dr. Crocus’ service.” Newgate huffed into his beer bottle.

“That old fuck’s still alive? Marco, kick his ass on my behalf,” Newgate said before taking another big swig. Marco laughed but it made you wonder - was the ass kicking metaphorical or…?

“Actually, I work with Marco more than anyone else. Practically every month it seems,” you said, aiming for polite conversation.

“Well, of course yoi. I request to rotate with you,” he said, filling his own plate. 

“Excuse me?” you asked, blinking your eyes rapidly as your hand curled into a fist. You were trying your hardest not to fling your plate at him.

“There’s a spot on the forms where you can request other residents you would like to work with. I always write your name yoi,” Marco explained, sitting back down with his plate piled high. You weren’t sure if you wanted to laugh or cry - what the fuck was happening in your life? 

“Well. That explains a lot,” you said, clenching your jaw. You noticed Rakuyo nudging Blenheim and motioning to you. The other conversations were also quieting down. What a bunch of old biddies, you thought, trying to listen in on your conversation with Marco.

“You’re smart and keep me on my toes. I like working with you,” Marco explained with a smile and a tilt of his head. You smiled tightly back as the number of “discreet” glances your way increased. Oh sure, it was a great idea to have this conversation in front of his entire family. You liked Thatch, you did, but this was too much. You wanted a night of booze and fun, not to have to see the same assholes you did all week and especially not Dr. Marco Fushichou.

“And how…fortunate that we’re neighbors too. All this time and we could have been carpooling,” you said with a fake laugh.

“I mean, we could yoi. I’ve seen your car before-” Oh no the fuck he didn’t. It was one thing to ask for help from Thatch but it was another to be offered pity rides from Marco. You already spent enough time with him during the day and you were not adding another 40 minutes to that number.

“I’m good, my car’s fine-”

“We’re fixing it tomorrow,” Thatch added, scooping more corn on your plate before settling his hand on your knee once more. You reached down and put your own on top of his, giving him a small squeeze. 

“Do you need to stay the night yoi? We have plenty of rooms-”

“No, it’s fine. It’s fine,” you said, wiping your mouth with the napkin. “Actually, on that note, thank you for the meal, I think I’m going to head out. I’m pretty tired,” you lied, starting to push back your chair. You could see Thatch another time, you needed away from Moby Dick Ranch and all the trouble the Newgate family brought you. Your golden weekend was not going to be spent with Marco.

“I can take you-” Thatch started to say before getting interrupted by a still eating Ace.

“Maybe she’s tired from her other clinic,” Ace yelled across the table. Marco whipped his head from Ace to you.

“Other clinic? What other clinic yoi? We’re not allowed to work anywhere else besides the hospital, it’s in our contract," Marco asked.

“Oh, uh. I moonlight at the Urgent Care. The one closest to here, actually. I got approval, it’s all above board,” you said, putting your napkin on the table. 

“Yeah, s’where she knows us from. We all go there, she fixes us up really good. She’s a smart doc, Marco,” Ace said, vouching for you. You didn’t need his support, but at least he had a high opinion of your medical knowledge.

“You guys go to Urgent Care?” Marco asked Ace, his voice quieter than it had been before. You huffed, you were more than happy to send them back on their way to their brother. After a moment, Marco turned to face you again.

“That can’t be healthy, our hours are already so long. I barely have time to sleep or eat -”

“Right, some of us need money, Marco. I don’t have a family like yours,” you snapped a little too loudly. The table went quiet as you licked your lips and took a deep breath. You hadn’t meant their material wealth, not really. You could tell by their ease and general camaraderie that they were close. In fact, dinner almost felt like intruding on a private event. You’d kill for something like that in your life, even without the vast riches and influence. 

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking-” Marco’s hands were up in supplication but you’d hit your limit.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s fine, it’s fine, I’m fine,” you said, standing up from your chair. “Thank you Mr. Newgate for supper, it was lovely.” Newgate tipped his beer at you, unperturbed by the shift in vibes at supper.  

“Would you mind driving me back?” you asked Thatch quietly.

“Not at all,” he said, his eyes looking over your face. He didn’t need to be worried about you, you thought, you’d been to more awkward dinners before. Actually, now that you thought about it, you hadn’t. But still, you could handle yourself. 

“And Jiru,” you called out as he was scooping another heaping serving of banana pudding on his plate. He looked up and gave you a smile. You didn’t return it.

“Do you know what happens if you have uncontrolled diabetes over a prolonged period of time?” He chuckled as the pudding hit his plate.

“Yeah yeah, Marco tells me all the time. My eyes’r gonna fail, my foot’s gonna fall off’r some shit-”

“Your dick stops working,” you deadpanned. “So if you wanna show the ladies a good time, I suggest you don’t eat that pudding.” Whatever, it wasn’t like they were going to turn you in for sharing medical information. Newgate was practically an outlaw, but had too much influence and power to ever be brought in. Jiru gulped and handed his plate over to Ace as his brothers laughed. 

“Nice to meet everyone. See you on Monday, Marco,” you said with the smile and wave you gave when saying goodbye to patients you didn’t like. A round of goodbyes hit your ears but you wanted to be gone. You pushed your chair back into place and grabbed your purse, intending to leave quickly. Thatch stood up and put his hand on the small of your back, guiding you out the dining hall.

“I’ll be back, but clear the table when you’re done,” he ordered as the two of you left. You walked in silence to Thatch’s truck, finally remembering to unclench your jaw. You rubbed your temples, that supper was a lot more than you were planning on.

“So, what was all that?” Thatch asked gently as he opened your car door. You slid in and leaned your head against the headrest. Maybe you were more tired than you thought.

“Oh, the fact that I know all your brothers and have seen most of them shirtless? And treated them all for various illnesses that they should really be seeing a primary care doctor for?” you asked, rubbing your temples.

“I knew those shitheads were up to something,” Thatch said without malice while starting the car. “Marco thought they were being safer and more responsible but that’s not…likely.”

“Yeah, well. It’s alright,” you said, deflating from your earlier anger. “It’s my job and they’re my patients so I’ll see ‘em. I’m worried about some of them, though,” you said, watching the fencing go by in the near dark. The sun had set while you were eating supper and dusk had crept in.

“Marco is too,” Thatch replied, leaning an arm over the back of the bench. There weren’t seats exactly, the truck was too old for that. Instead there was one long bench with space enough for three people. You were on one end and Thatch in front of the wheel but his fingers were just grazing your shoulder. The two of you drove in silence for a while while you enjoyed the quiet after the raucous dinner.

“Oh shit! The lightbulbs!” you said, striking the middle of your forehead gently with the heel of your hand as you remembered the items you left in your trunk.

“The lightbulbs?” Thatch asked, amusement in his tone.

“Yeah, a bunch of the lightbulbs at my house are out. I bought more but they’re in my car. It’s gonna be dark in there,” you said, biting your lip.  “There’s a few left. I can use the light in the bathroom-”

“‘S alright. I’ll replace ‘em tomorrow after we get your car workin’ again,” he responded easily, his fingertips grazing the top of your shoulder.

“You don’t have to do that, you know,” you said, twisting the fabric of your dress in your hands.

“Do what?” Thatch asked, genuine confusion in his tone.

“Fix all my stuff. I can do it myself,” you said, feeling vaguely embarrassed that he wanted to help you with yet another task you should be able to do independently.

“I know you can. But ‘s easy for me, so why wouldn’t I? We’ll be bringing back your car anyway, might as well stick around and put ‘em in. Besides, you’re a little-”

“A little what?” you asked, crossing your arms. You’d heard a lot of things about yourself over the years, and none of them particularly good. You braced for yet another comment about how you were useless, or bitchy, or worthless, or bristly, or whatever else was wrong with you. 

“Short.” You huffed in fake outrage, glad he hadn’t told you anything to trigger bad memories.

“I am not short! You’re just really tall!” He chuckled and slid his hand a little further down the bench to practically rest on your shoulder. You pretended not to notice but your heart beat faster than ever. You shifted a little on the bench, close enough for his hand to rest across your shoulders. It was corny but you didn’t care. His arm was warm and his shirt soft, and you wanted to nuzzle where his bicep was bulging. Maybe bite it, see what he did. All too soon, Thatch pulled into Kureha’s driveway. 

He turned off the ignition but kept the lights on.

“This is you, Sugar,” he said, giving your shoulder a squeeze. “We can raincheck for the bar or-”

“You can - would you like to come in? I’ve got beer in the fridge if you’d like,” you said quickly, glad for the cover the night gave your face. You really weren’t in the mood for Shakky’s, but you did want to see more of Thatch. Even after that stressful dinner, you didn’t feel drained by being around him and his calming presence. And maybe your luck would hold out and you’d get some action. 

“I’d love to,” Thatch said, flashing you a grin. Your heart flipped, you hadn’t had anyone over to your place in years. You thanked whatever god was out there that you’d cleaned a little and done your laundry earlier. 

“Great! Gimme a minute and I’ll go grab some beers - it’s nicest to sit on the porch,” you explained, opening your door and practically sprinting for the house. You quickly used your phone light to navigate to the kitchen and grabbed just about the only thing in there - two long neck beers. Beer was just about the only luxury you allowed yourself - even you sometimes needed to unwind at the end of a long day. 

You brought them back out onto the porch, admiring the shimmering night sky. Thatch was already sitting on the porch swing, swaying the chair with his feet. You hopped up next to him and handed him the glass.

“You don’t lock the door?” Thatch asked as you handed him a bottle. 

“Nah, of course not. Who does around here? Now lemme go get a-” you were about to go get a bottle opener but Thatch fished his keys out of his pocket and used them to open his bottle. 

“Gimme yours, Sugar,” he said, his hand outstretched. You handed it over wordlessly and watched him repeat the process. He gave it back to you, putting the caps in his shirt pocket.

“Neat trick,” you said, taking a swig from your beer.

“Got a few of ‘em,” he replied, taking a drink of his own.

“Sorry about dinner,” you said quietly, running your hands over the water condensation on the bottle.

“Nah, don’t be. ‘S alright, you couldn’t have known. We all have different last names, all of us’r adopted,” Thatch said, his long legs rocking the bench. 

“Oh. Um, that would make sense,” you replied, unsure what to say. As a kid, you had often dreamed of being adopted but life didn’t work that way.

“Mmm. Been with Pops over twenty years now. Saved me from a short, shitty life,” Thatch continued. 

“That’s great. To have such a big family. You all seem close, too,” you added, trying not to say something awkward. Thatch hummed easily, letting the conversation drop. The creaking of the chains connecting the bench to the porch the only sound besides the crickets and frogs.

“You gonna stay out here? After your residency’s over?” Thatch asked, tipping his hat back. You’d been mulling the same thing over lately. 

“I’m not sure. I have at least a year left to decide. There’s not really anything here for me, but I don’t have anywhere else that’s calling me either,” you explained, tucking your legs under you.

“No family?” Thatch asked, his arm now resting behind your back again. 

“None I’d like to see again,” you grumbled. Your family had given you unending problems until you finally cut ties and changed your phone number. 

“Well, I’m glad you’re here for another year at least,” Thatch said, shifting so he was half facing you.

“Oh yeah? How come?” you asked, turning to face him in return. You scooted closer, resting a hand on his shoulder now. 

“Now I know how much time I have to convince ya to go out with me,” he husked, leaning closer to you, his eyes half lidded.

“Oh yeah? How you gonna convince me?” you asked, tilting your head up to look into his eyes. You placed your other hand on his chest, your fingers lightly prodding at the muscle underneath. 

“More of my neat tricks,” he supplied.

“You’re gonna have to show me.”

“Gladly, Sugar,” Thatch said. He leaned down and closed the gap between you. He let his lips ghost over yours, teasing you with his nearness. You smiled, gripped his shirt in your fingers, and pulled him closer, your lips finally meeting. 

You kissed sweetly for a moment before Thatch cupped your neck with his rough hand, changing the angle of your head. He deepened the kiss, his tongue entering your mouth and rolling against your own. It had been so long – so long – since you were kissing someone you liked, and even longer since they were actually good at it.

And oh, he was good. 

You felt Thatch’s stubble against your skin as you continued kissing, neither one of you wanting to break away from the other. Thatch leaned over, caging you against the bench with his large body. You could feel your panties getting damp as your hips rolled of their own volition. You moaned as he tangled his hand in your hair, his other wrapping around your waist. He pulled you tight against his chest, and you wrapped one arm around his thick neck as he started kissing your neck. He was biting too, sucking on your tender skin in a way you knew you’d have hickeys tomorrow. 

“You w-wanna come inside?” you asked, a little sheepish despite having his tongue down your throat moments before. Thatch looked up and gave you a wolfish grin.

“And that’s the neat trick,” he said, standing up. You squealed as he tossed you over his shoulder like you weighed nothing. His hand was on your ass as he walked inside, your giggling overpowering the creak of the screen door.

“Lemme show you another, Sugar.”

Taglist: @radiantnico@mfreedomstuff

It wasn’t just the distance to the farmhouse, but the drive from the urgent care to the farmhouse was so incredibly boring. It was just prairie land, miles and miles of the same landscape for cattle to graze. Dr. Kureha lived next to a huge ranch with a gigantic family running it, or something like that. She had actually said it was a buffet of burly men and that you needed to get a taste while you were there, but you didn’t have the time for anything like that. The men could remain there doing whatever they did and you’d stay at your place, no need to complicate things.

You slowed down and pulled off the road, putting the car into park and unbuckling your seatbelt. You pushed your forehead against the steering wheel, your hands still gripping it tightly. It wasn’t safe to drive like this, even if you were only 20 minutes from home. Sitting back, you opened the window before reaching for the lever to recline your seat back a little. You were going to take a nap on the side of the road for just a bit then resume the drive home. Just in case you set an alarm on your phone so you could wake up and drive back to the hospital if you ended up sleeping in your car overnight.  It wouldn’t be the first time you'd had to sleep in your car but you'd never fallen asleep at the wheel before. 

You laid your head back and inhaled a deep breath of fresh country air. You didn’t like the drive, but you did enjoy nighttime all the way in the country. There wasn’t any light or noise pollution, just nature sounds and the wind gently breezing across your face. Maybe the world wasn’t complete shit all the time, you thought as you listened to the chirping frogs. Just most of the time, you thought as you slipped back into slumber.

Until someone’s big meaty hand was gently shaking you by the shoulder moments later. You screamed in fright, jerking awake for the second time that night. 

“What the hell are you doing?! You can’t just go around grabbing people!”” you yelled, pushing the man’s hand off your shoulder. You could see him in the light provided by headlights behind you - he was tall and had his flannel shirt halfway unbuttoned, bearing his hairy chest and a silver necklace laying on his sternum. His long hair was in a low messy ponytail, like he had just tumbled out of bed. His face was lit by the car lights - he had a goatee and a facial scar around his left eye. All in all he was really fucking good looking. Based on his clothes, you guessed he was some kind of farmhand or rancher. He was even wearing a cowboy hat and boots to complete the look. Ok, he was attractive. But that didn’t give him the right to wake you up in the middle of the night.

“I thought you were dead!” he said, throwing his arms to the side dramatically.

“Why would I be dead? I was just sleeping!” you huffed, now wide awake. Looking at your phone an hour had passed, it was still the middle of the night. You rubbed your hand over your face, tomorrow was going to suck, for so many reasons. 

“I mean, coulda fooled me. You sleep like a vampire, sitting up like that. I was just tryin’ to help,” he said, flashing you an overdramatic pout. You rolled your eyes before letting out a yawn and covering it with the crook of your arm. 

“Why’re you sleeping on the side of the road anyway?” he asked, giving your car a once over with a frown. He put his hands on the roof of your car to lean over your window and it only reached his chest. He was taller than you first realized and probably stronger too. You suddenly recognized you were alone with a huge stranger in the middle of nowhere at night.

“I was too tired to drive home,” you explained, slowly reaching to turn the keys in the ignition. He had the kind of muscles built from hauling around grain sacks and hay bales, not from spending hours in the gym. If he wanted to cause problems, you wouldn’t stand a chance. 

“You live close by?” he asked, looking back down at you. You froze where you were, not wanting to clue him into your plans in case he was dangerous. He did have a massive facial scar, maybe from something nefarious. You’d have to turn the key, dash out of there and make it to Kureha’s before he caught up with you. So you stood no chance, you realized. Cool cool cool. At least if you got murdered you wouldn’t have to work tomorrow.

“Uh, kind of,” you said, not willing to share information with this weirdo who shook women awake at night. “Do you?” 

“I’m here. This is my Pop’s ranch,” he said, pointing to the fields to the side of the car. Oh, he lived at the farm next to yours. Well, Kureha’s. That was kind of a relief, it wasn’t like a completely random stranger had found you. “Oh, then we’re neighbors. I’m at-”

“Dr. Kureha’s house. I heard she wrangled a niece into watching it for her,” he said, an easy grin sliding onto his face. 

“Yep, that’s me. Er, well, I’m her great great niece technically,” you said with an awkward laugh. “But I have to get going, I need to -”

“You’re not driving if you’re tired enough to sleep on the side of the road,” he declared, a frown quickly taking the place of his former smile.

“I’ll be alright -” you protested, your fingers inching towards the keys again.

“Not if you’re sleeping in a ditch instead of your bed. I’ll drive you home,” he stated. In truth, he was right, you really shouldn’t be driving and a ride did sound nice. But still, it was weird to accept rides from strangers at night. You were pretty sure you saw an afterschool PSA about it.

“C’mon, consider it country hospitality. I’m Thatch by the way,” he said, extending his hand through your window. If he was telling the truth and really was your neighbor then it would maybe be ok, you mused, thinking about his offer. You put your hand in his own, his palm rough from hard work. Not that you were ogling him, but he had the kind of forearms that would have you biting your lip if you saw him at the bar. Which, you hadn’t been to the bar in months, but still.

“How will you get back to your truck?” you asked, looking behind you to see the vintage vehicle. It was obviously well loved, polished to sparkling gleam, the engine purring even at a distance. It had a large emblem on the side of the cab bearing the words “Moby Dick Ranch.” Dr. Kureha did tell you that was the farm next door in passing, right before she left for her trip. At least if he murdered you they’d know where to look for the killer. 

“I’ll walk back, it’s not so far,” he said with a shrug.

“But it’s 3 AM and that’s about 5 miles or so,” you argued. You certainly wouldn’t want to walk that distance, especially at night and definitely not for a stranger. “No, that’s too big an imposition, I really couldn’t…”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I’ll have one of my brothers come get me if it's a big problem for ya. Someone’s always up at the main house anyway,” he said with a shrug of one of his boulder shoulders. Really, if he murdered you or you fell asleep at the wheel it would be death either way so you might as well accept the offer.

“Alright,” you said nervously, unbuckling your seatbelt. Thatch gave you another warm smile and stepped back, his cowboy boots thumping against the pavement as he gave you room to get out. Stepping out of your car, you stretched and yawned again. Even standing Thatch towered over you, making you feel tiny in comparison. Your eyebrows hiked practically to your forehead as Thatch followed you around the car to open your door for you. 

“I thought things like that were only in the movies,” you said lightly, sitting down on the passenger side of your own car. 

“What kinda man you take me for, wouldn’t open a door for a lady? Lemme go turn off my truck and I’ll be right with you,”  Thatch said with a wink, closing your door gently for you. He walked with purpose over to his truck, parking it on the side of the road behind yours. Back at your car, Thatch moved the seat back all the way before even trying to fit into your much smaller cabin. Even with the seat at maximum distance, he still looked cramped and uncomfortable as he turned the key in the ignition.

“Sorry, you really don’t have to-”

“S’alright, don’t worry about it,” he said, putting his hand behind your headrest to drive the car in reverse. You didn’t know why but that particular move was always so sexy to you, especially when coupled with a good driver. And based on how he handled your car and his, Thatch was an excellent driver. How was he ticking all your boxes without even trying? Thatch put the car in drive and started down the country road. You hoped he didn’t notice–

“Holy shit, this dashboard is more lit up than a Christmas tree. Some of my brothers are bad at taking care of their cars but I think you’ve won the award,” he said, quirking an eye at your dash. You groaned, letting your head slump on your shoulders. He noticed.

“I know, I know. I haven’t had time to get it to the shop,” you lamented, the red ‘change oil’ light mocking you. 

“You a doctor?” he asked, his eyes looking over your rumpled lab coat and dirty scrubs.

“Resident physician. So, yes, technically. But I need to complete my training before I have my full license. I have a little more than a year left,” you explained before another yawn left your mouth. 

“I’m guessing s’why you don’t have the time,” he said lightly. “I got a brother doing the same-”

“How many brothers do you have?” you interrupted, surprised at the number of siblings the rancher kept mentioning. Thatch laughed, a deep, sonorous sound that hit you right in the heart.

“A lot, but we’re not all blood related. Pops took most of us in as strays, but we’re all brothers now,” he explained while testing out your blinkers. “These work, what about your windshield wipers?” he asked, already turning the knob. A screech filled the cabin as plastic scraped against your glass windshield. You tossed Thatch a guilty look.

“I’ve been really busy, OK? I’ll get to it, um…oh! This weekend actually,” you said brightly. You’d almost forgotten, this was your golden weekend. That meant you had both days of the weekend off sequentially instead of just either Saturday or Sunday. It happened once every month and it was glorious. You planned to spend the first day sleeping for as long as you could and the next trying to catch up on all the things you hadn’t done for the past three weeks. Laundry, dishes, grocery shopping, answering texts from friends, cleaning the house – would all have to be done. You mentally added to deal with your car to the list of things that needed completion. Maybe Iceburg could squeeze you in on Sunday if you asked nicely. He knew your great great Aunt and probably owed her a favor, everyone did.

“Alright, I’ll leave it alone. S’dangerous driving a car like this. Could conk out on you at any time when you’re flying down these country roads. What would you do then?” he asked, pulling the lever to see if you had washer fluid. Thankfully, a tiny sprinkle came out but Thatch's frown didn't move. Get windshield wiper fluid, you tacked on.

“Um…call one of my friends, I guess?” You’d probably call Kaya and ask her boyfriend Usopp what to do. He seemed handy, he’d fixed your otoscope one time when you’d all been drinking at Kaya's incredible house. You didn’t know if Usopp knew about cars at all but Thatch didn’t need to know that. Thatch hummed at the news, continuing to test all the buttons and switches in your car. He harumphed as your A/C blew warm air into the cabin.  Fix air conditioning was added to the mental list. The drive was quiet from then on out and a few moments later your eyes were closed again. He could wake you up if he wanted to murder you. 

The next time you opened your eyes you were in the familiar gravel driveway, the headlights illuminating Kureha’s porch. Thatch handed you your key after turning off the car, which you took with a barely stifled yawn. 

“You gonna be alright? Got something to eat in there?” he asked, looking over at the dark farmhouse. There might be something akin to food inside  - you had a few frozen meals left if you remembered correctly. It didn't matter, you weren’t in the mood to eat.

“Yeah, I’ll be alright. Thanks for the ride - er, driving my car.”

“When do you hafta be at work again?” he asked, concern etching itself into his drawn eyebrows. You looked at the clock on your phone and shrugged.

“About 4 more hours. ‘S not so bad, I’ve had worse nights.” Thatch’s mouth twisted into a scowl.

“Can’t believe they work you like that-”

“It’s not all on the hospital, I moonlight at the urgent care. The one up by Kalgara St? ‘S where I’m coming from tonight,” you said, fiddling with your house key. It felt good to have someone act like they cared about you as a person. No one had taken care of you in years, or even checked in to see how you were faring. Maybe that’s why you were oversharing. That or your brain had finally turned to goo after too many late nights. Thatch’s scowl deepened before he reached into his pocket. 

“It's still not right. In any case, let me give you my number. If something happens, feel free to call any time, day or night. I work at the ranch, I’m almost always there.” You wavered, it probably was a good idea to have the number of someone who lived nearby, even if you never used it.

“Alright,” you said, reaching for his phone. Your fingers grazed his warm palm as you took his phone. He looked at you and you fucking blushed . Damn, you were hard up, blushing from touching hands. Maybe Kureha was right and you needed to hit the man buffet, you mused. You quickly typed in your phone number and name and called your own phone, your cell ringing moments later. You handed Thatch his phone back, quickly saving his contact information.

“Er, well, thank you for driving me home. I really do, ah, appreciate it,” you said, stumbling over your words. Thatch flashed you the kind of smile that made the covers of romance novels, all smoldering and simmering. You willed yourself to ignore that it made the corner of his facial scar wrinkle in a way that made you want to trail your tongue over it.

“My pleasure, little lady. Don’t be a stranger,” he said, giving you a wink. He even tipped his hat like they did in the movies. The goddamn hat . What was it Dr. Kureha said?

Save a horse, ride a cowboy.

A few short hours later and you were staring at a computer screen at the hospital, trying to review charts for the upcoming day. You were sitting next to Kaya, but it was too early for either of you to be talking. Kaya wasn’t a morning person and you – well, you were dead on your feet. Your brain wasn’t working, you’d read through Mozu’s history of present illness 5 times in a row and you still couldn’t remember her primary complaint. Which was a problem because you were rotating with Dr. Crocus this month and he was known for being a hardass. 

“Would you like a coffee? I’m on my way to get one from the cafeteria right now,” you heard a deep voice say from behind you. You closed your eyes and rubbed your forehead, keeping in the groan you wanted to let loose. Not only were you rotating with Dr. Crocus, but like almost every goddamn month, you were paired with Marco Fushichou as the second resident. 

You were so sick and tired of being put on rotations with him all the time. True, it wasn’t every single month, there were some months you were solo or paired with other Emergency Medicine residents, but it felt like nearly every rotation had your two last names listed together on the schedule. And it fucking sucked.

There wasn’t anything wrong with Marco personally, he wasn’t a dick to you or anything. In fact, he was always polite and considerate, which really made things worse. If he was an asshole to you, you’d be able to hate him easily. 

But he wasn’t. 

No, the problem was that everyone else made it intolerable to work with Marco.

You and Marco were at the top of your cohort of emergency physicians, both vying for the position of chief resident for your fourth year of residency. You'd submitted your application and now only had the interview left to go. The Chief Resident would be chosen during the next month and you wanted it so badly you could taste it. You thought you had a chance to get it, too. You were often neck and neck with Marco in terms of clinical ability, scores on exams, and medical knowledge. You had just as much reason to be Chief Resident as he did.

But people didn’t treat you that way. They treated you like you were some punk off the streets, if they even bothered to acknowledge your existence. You would say the exact same answers or diagnoses as Marco, but it was like talking into a void. Sometimes you wondered if you were invisible, with the way people ignored what you said. You weren’t acknowledged as being on the same level as him, despite your scores being nearly identical and sometimes better. Marco was always the one attendings and nurses praised, Marco was the smartest, Marco had the best bedside manner, Marco got the difficult diagnosis, Marco Marco Marco.  

And you got it, to some extent. You really did.

Marco was 6’8”, chiseled, and rich. He was effortlessly graceful, kind, smart, and had excellent rapport with nearly the entire staff. Most importantly, he was single. He was the hospital’s most eligible bachelor and no one ever let you forget it. You, on the other hand, were poor, up to your eyeballs in debt, often disheveled, chronically tired, and never let your bitch face rest. 

“oH dR. mArCo! yOu’Re SoOoOo FuNnY!” was something you heard every single day on the floors, regardless of what he was saying. He could be talking to the nurses of the weather, or talking to the medical students about disease progression and someone would be trying to covertly feel his muscles or “accidentally” drop a pen in front of him. It was gross and annoying, but there wasn’t anything you could do about it. So you hid your anger and tried burying it deep within yourself as best you could. You would just have to work harder than he did and you’d show everyone that you were just as good as he was if not better.

You took a deep breath before responding to yet another polite offer from Marco.

“No thank you, Dr. Fushichou. I’m quite alright for now,” you stated primly, clicking on another section of the patient’s medical chart that you pretended to read. Marco waited a moment before giving you that goddamn sweet smile you had to see daily.

“Of course. See you at rounds,” he said easily and waved goodbye to you and Kaya. Kaya gave a smile and waved while you studiously ignored him leaving.

“Oh, come on. Don’t be so mean to him, he was trying to be helpful. And you coulda gotten a free cup of the good coffee,” Kaya said, swiveling in her chair to face you. 

“It would be helpful if I didn’t have to be on the same rotation as him again,” you said, taking a break from the computer screen to look at your friend. She frowned as she looked you over. 

“You look terrible.”

“Thanks,” you said dryly. 

“No, really. I’m worried about you,” she said softly, putting her hand on your shoulder. You gave her a half smile and patted her hand.

“No rest for the wicked,” you said with a wink. Kaya didn’t smile back at you but continued looking at you with a drawn face. You felt like there was a lecture brewing, and you didn’t have time for that right now. 

“Look, I gotta get going,” you said, trying to end the pity party. Yes, you were burning the candle at both ends, but there wasn’t another way to do it. Kaya didn’t get it, not really. Her family was incredibly wealthy and her estate was paying for her medical education. It was the same for a few of the other students – like Law and Marco – their families supported them during the course of residency.  The other resident doctors in your class were doing the Marine program - the Marines would pay for medical school and give a stipend during residency in exchange for ten years of service after completion of residency. 

You, on the other hand, had taken out massive student loans at terrible interest rates to pay for medical school. And as soon as you finished medical school, the government had started collecting. Your resident salary was laughable, working for pennies based on the hours you worked, which was why you had to get a second job at an urgent care. You hadn’t spoken to your parents in years, much less been able to depend on them. Dr. Kureha was the only family member you had any relationship with, and she wasn’t helping you through residency besides giving you a place to stay. You appreciated Kureha's kindness, but it wasn't like you could depend on your family like Kaya did. 

You didn’t begrudge the residents like Kaya or Law their opportunities - life wasn’t fair and it wasn’t their fault that you had to take out loans. Besides, Law was chill and down to earth, borrowing money from a rich uncle or something. Chopper was a prodigy and had been on scholarships for medical school, and Marco had someone bankrolling him based on the car he drove and the clothes he wore. But they didn’t understand the pressure you were under, how you had to stress not only about your studies and upcoming exams but your financial situation too. You also wished you didn’t have to moonlight, but you’d rather that than have to work for the Marines for ten years. 

You pushed back from the table in your chair, mentally preparing to round on your patients before you repeated the process with Dr. Crocus and Marco. Your phone buzzed in your pocket – who was texting you in the morning? Looking at the screen, your eyebrows hiked slightly as you read the incoming message. You re-read it a few times and thought about what your reply might be.

Thatch Neighbor 🤠: did u make it into work ok? 

“Ooh la la what an interesting text,” Kaya said, standing behind you and looking over your shoulder.

“H-hey!” you bristled, holding your phone against your chest. 

“Who is Thatch and why is he asking you if you got into work ok?” she asked with a waggle of her eyebrows. “Did you spend the night with him?” she gasped, covering her mouth, her eyes dancing in delight.

“Oh stop. You would know if I had a date, I would have told you. No, he -um, I was sleeping in my car and he-”

“Sleeping in your car? That’s not-”

“Ok, yes it's bad,” you agreed quickly, trying to move the story along before rounds. “But I was sleeping in my car and he found me and drove me home so I didn’t crash. He’s my neighbor, he lives at the next ranch over,” you explained quickly, looking at the time. 

“Is he good looking?” Kaya asked with a knowing smile.

“Hot as fuck. He also held my door open for me and tipped his cowboy hat at me. A real country gentleman,” you replied with a mischievous smile. Kaya laughed and some of your tension eased from your shoulders. It was nice being able to chat like regular friends for once, not worrying about anything serious beyond your hot cowboy neighbor. 

“So text him back! I haven’t seen you smile at your phone like that since medical school. C’mon, you only have a few minutes,” Kaya urged. Your mouth twisted, you weren’t that good at flirting via message. You quickly typed out a message and hit send.

You: I did, thank you again for your help last night. And for not murdering me :) 

You showed your phone to Kaya, who closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead.

“ That’s what you said? Thank you for not murdering me smiley face?” she asked incredulously. “You have no game whatsoever.” 

"Well we can't all meet our soulmates as kids, ok?" you tossed back, your lips pressed into a thin line. You’d been going for humor but now that you read it back it did sound weird. You chewed on a nail as you overthought your stupid ass text, only to be pleasantly surprised to see the three blue dots at the bottom of your screen.

“Ooh, he’s texting back. What’s he saying? And don’t send anything without letting me read it,” Kaya said, watching you from over your shoulder.

Thatch Neighbor 🤠: I’d never murder a neighbor, especially one as pretty as u. Do u need me to pick u up after work? I don’t trust ur car.

Kaya squealed and pinched your cheek. 

“Ooh, he’s flirting, he wants to pick you up, he’s worried ,” she said, her smile wide as she poked your side. Her smile dropped as she thought for a moment. “Wait, weren’t you scheduled to take your car in last month? Don’t tell me-”

“Gotta go!” you said, practically running away from Kaya and out the door. You didn’t want yet another lecture about how your car was unsafe blah blah blah. You looked at your phone and typed a quick message. Whatever, you’d shoot your shot and if it didn’t work you would just avoid the neighboring ranch. It shouldn’t be too difficult, you’d never met anyone from there before last night.

You: I’m good :)  This is a little forward, but do you want to meet up for a drink tomorrow night? I want to say a proper thank you.