Pairing: Javier Escuella x fem!reader
Summary: You're worried sick as the sun starts to set. Javier had promised he'd be back soon after going out with Arthur to find a missing John, but where is he?
SFW: fluff, slight angst, Javier playing the guitar for you, small realizations from both his and your part about yourselves
Requested by @pyr0t3chn1cmp3
“Sweetheart, please come inside.”
For the tenth time Miss Grimshaw yells out of the female quarters, concern lacing her usual strict tone.
Javier still hasn't returned. He said he'd be back before the sun would fall. He always says a lot when the day is long. Maybe you shouldn't have let him go with Arthur to look for John, but he was so adamant since the man would've done the same for him.
But this had gone on for too long. If they wouldn't be back soon even you would go looking for him, no matter if you couldn't fend for yourself like the common outlaw in this gang.
Maybe you should ask someone, like Charles or Lenny, to ride out for them.
You were at the brink of tears, your heart slamming against your ribcage at the thought of something that shouldn't ever plague you.
Javier is a strong man. That's what you love about him.
“Darling.” A voice calls out for you. “What are you doing out here?”
“I'm waiting for Javier.” You clasp your hands together to keep that sob that was about to wrack you at bay. “He said he'd be back soon.”
The older man joins you, a hand on your shoulder that was tensed up beyond belief. He knew better than anyone what it was like to worry. You were long enough with the gang to know Bessie, who he worried about day and night no matter how strong she was.
“Let's sit at the campfire at least, hm?” He leads you away, to which you don't even argue. “Tell me about your worries.”
And you do. With tears and sobbing you explain your situation. The fear, the hurt, the.. feeling of losing him. You remember that one time he was all shot up after a heist, a time where you were arguing for the whole day even when he was sleeping his wounds off.
“I'm sure he knows what he's doing.” He states, hands hovering over the fire. “Javier's one of our best men.”
You on the other hand have nothing to say anymore. Since when were you as dependent on him as now? Usually you did your own thing – yes, worrying about him like he was a child but this was different.
With a heavy sigh, that you even felt physically painful, you bury your face in your shaking hands. The gloves, which were another pair of Javier's, made it even more difficult to not cry.
Maybe you are going crazy? You were already whispering mantras that mostly were his name repeating itself more than ten times.
JavierJavierJavierJavierJavierJavier.
The other thing was his goddamn guitar sitting out in the men's quarters, the one he always sang songs to you.
“This one my father always sang to my mother.”
You remember that time. He was so proud to remember every word. Proud to be like his father for once, a man he didn't particularly look up to most of the time he knew him. The way his fingers danced along the instrument and that voice, the one you fell in love with, singing rhymes like they meant something.
Inwardly, you are waiting for that voice to call out for you. A call that would make you the happiest woman alive.
“Come ooon, someone help John down this horse!”
You snap your head up and to your goddamn surprise it was the one person you were crying about.
Abigail and the others were helping a ripped apart John down Javier's horse, who was screaming at the pain in his leg.
“Ay, Idiotas! It's his leg!” Javier screams after them as they drag John into the cabin closest to them.
Arthur and your man both look in the direction of the women's quarters, where John was already being berated by Abigail. Soon Javier also leaves the other behind and you don't even take a second to be hot on his heels.
He immediately spots you, arms wide for a hug he thinks he's receiving.
Javier deflates at your slap, the corner of his lips forming into a downward frown, his hand on his now even more reddened cheek. As if the cold hadn't numbed his skin already enough.
“You stupid man, Javier Escuella!” Another slap to the shoulder. “I was worried sick!” Another hit to his bicep. “Asshole!”
Soon you're a crying mess, your hands shaking as they try to get more hits in. His own fingers brush over yours, holding them down so they would stop giving him a hard time. Instead of arguing he pulls you into his arms, where you break down immediately.
One of his hands rests atop of your head, which is covered by the hood of your coat.
“I'm sorry it took so long, mi vida.” He mumbles into your ear. “I'd never leave you. I swear on everything.”
You cry into his shoulder, the scent of whiskey and tobacco calming you just enough to lean back and look up at him.
“A-Are you okay?” Your hands frame his face. “Did anyone hurt you? Oh.. you're bleeding.”
Sure enough he was bleeding from a cut on his cheek, which you try to stop with your index finger catching a stray trail of the red liquid.
Javier can't help smiling at your nature. He's always felt so lucky to have you, seeing how gentle you were with him. No matter what happens you're always fussing over him and even others that have the same thing happening to them.
Like that one time Jack tripped over himself and had a cut up knee. Abigail didn't think much of it, but you were tending to him like a second mother.
That moment made him realize how good you were with kids.
“It's just a scratch.” He catches your hand in his grasp, pressing his lips to the fabric of his own gloves you were wearing. “We should go inside, bebé, you're freezing.”
You don't even get a word in as he's directing you into the cabin the women were staying at, one arm around your shoulders while his free hand held one of yours.
Soon the whole ‘fight’ was forgotten.
Javier sits at your side, his wounded cheek tended by the last bandage you had hoarded in your coat.
Now he was all satisfied after you had kissed his face all over,now trying to play his guitar in the cold.
Today made it obvious that he needs to think about getting you a ring and wife you up.
He'd never find anyone else like you.
