IN SICKNESS JOHN MARSTON

IN SICKNESS – JOHN MARSTON

(I'm sick & this is how I cope, so it might suck I'm sorry 😭.)

The weather around you was something you admired as the leaves turned all shades orange and allowed themselves to fall with the gentle guidance of the autumn breeze and eventually meet the grass, contrasting their hues. Yet a much-hated characteristic of this season was how easily anyone could contract a sickness they'd have to suffer with for at least a few days.

The usual chatter around camp was nothing more than an annoying buzz in your ears as you lay in your bedroll, trying to ease your discomfort.

Your sickness started with subtle symptoms, and brushed it off–you had matters to attend to, and you had certainly faced worse than this. The donation box wasn't going to fill itself. Everyone had to do their part before starvation was another thing this gang would worry about.

It wasn't long before exhaustion caught up to you. Your body came down with a fever as it tried its best to heal itself, heat pulsing through your skin as you began feeling pain, finding its way into your bones, and making a home of them.

You weren't much of a use for the gang right now. Not while you couldn't move an inch without feeling like your legs would give out at any given moment. Not when everything outside of the blanket over you was freezing for your currently burning up body.

Yet, no member present in camp left you to rot; with everyone showing their concern about your well-being in their own way, as Pearson provided you with warm meals, Arthur and Sadie fetching medicine to ease your pain and the remaining people close to you made sure to contribute enough cash to the camp to cover this week's expenses to cover your part as well.

While the rest of the gang did their bit in different ways–John remained stubbornly sat by your side; watching over you every passing second, making sure you were okay as he tried his best to help you get comfortable. He knew he could easily contract whatever had you breaking down, but he simply didn't care as much as he cared about you getting through it.

Certainly, if not everything, then most things around you felt uncomfortable; the sounds that worsened the ringing in your ears, the way the light made its way through the tent flaps and landed right on your eyes, making your head hurt, or the way you felt completely weak. You just couldn't decide which was getting on your nerves more.

“Hey, I need you to sit up.” His rough voice snapped you out of your trance as you tried sitting up with his help despite your body's protests. “There ya go.” John sighed with relief when he saw you finding the courage to follow his instructions, a small smile tugged on his lips as he brushed your hair out of your face before he reached for the medicine he had lazily placed beside your bedroll.

John carefully popped off the lid and gently held the bottle against your lips, waiting for your breath to steady. “You got this, it's alright.” He mumbled softly in an attempt to ensure that the ringing in your ears wouldn't become unbearable because of him. Much unlike his usual coarse personality, this time around, there was something soft and kind with the way he was treating you with care as if you were something to be handled delicately and looked after.

a canon event for every oldest daughter is being told “you would be a good lawyer”

Javier bot I made 🫶

Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s her dads fault.

RUN AWAY WITH ME, JOHN

(I think about this scene between Arthur and Mary often but i cant handle to write angst🙁)

John watched you. It was almost as if he was admiring your courage for a moment, but you couldn't be too sure about what was going through his mind, not when he was as still as a statue frozen in time.

Running away from your troublesome life to start anew with the only person you needed in your life seemed appealing, even to John's eyes. The family you had made along the way was the only thing holding both of you back, but if you want to live a better life, you have to make the necessary sacrifices.

The cowboy standing before you took a sharp breath in – he had considered running away with you before, yet now that you've made it come to reality, he wasn't sure why he was hesitating.

Every thought was now crossing his mind in just a few seconds. Thinking about how much freedom could come with starting a new life with you, but at the same time, there would be consequences.

John felt some tension leaving his body as he released a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

“I'll follow you.” You felt a wave of pure relief wash over you as you read his lips before the sound of his rough voice could reach your ears. His body language gave away everything he didn't allow to escape – his posture mimicking yours as he relaxed his shoulders, resting his hands on his belt as he held your gaze.

He embraced the idea like no other; after moments of hesitation, John realized that was what he was born for; to run wild and free from the law or a gang that was now causing itself to crumble to pieces. It was useless to stay here when almost everyone had run off to live a better life and start anew – so why couldn't you do the same with him?

Being a part of this gang wasn't an easy task, constantly on the run with people other than yourself to care about. The unfair sacrifices, the losses of human lives along the way left your soul anything but unbruised.

The soft wind worked in his favor, tousling his wild hair and sending a few strands across his face. It wove effortlessly through his dark locks, as it did between the leaves, leaving a quiet melody in its wake while some of them gracefully fell on the ground.

Everything comes to an end, the only thing you can control is whether you are content with the life you had before it's your time to fall.

John was aware of the kind of life you wanted to lead, and he wanted to play a part in it, have a place in your memories, and make new ones together.