ignoring the problems just to hold what we had [ p, william ]

[JOSEPHINE]

[align=center][div style="width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-size: 12px; font-family: calibri; letter-spacing: .6px; color: #494949;"]being asked to do some spying on bluestem prairie sounded like such a dream. it reminded her of the antics she indulged in before flintlock, the scamming and murdering of men for whatever they had that she wanted; not to mention, josephine has always been a nosey one. give her a chance to hear something exclusive and secret and she's at full attention. eddie had asked her to go, as soon as her reaper expectations were met, joey was free to head out. sure, maybe she sped through some of the chores, and probably delegated a bit too much, but can anyone blame her? the excitement was just too much.

until she was ambushed in edmund's office, william waiting there, and being told that he's going along as well.

did she really need a fucking babysitter? joey tried a few objections, but eddie wasn't having it. so, with an intense scowl, joey huffed an okay and went to gather the bag she'd packed and make sure she isn't missing anything important.

the pair started off in the morning, and now the sun is making it's decent into the horizon. joey refused to talk, or even look, at will. she kept her eyes trained ahead and jaw clenched tight. she might not have the perfect idea of where she's heading, but there's no way in hell she's going to let him think she needs any help. they need to stop for the night soon, but joey wants this journey to be as fast as possible, so she plans on waiting till the last moment to stop.

they don't stop until it's nearly pitch black. she manages to get a small fire going, settling down around it, back to william. she still blames him for getting her pregnant, for having to go through the trauma of giving birth and losing herself, then to barely help would with the thing? maybe the blame has grown into resentment, too. she feels like she got the short end of the stick in this... and, even though she would never usher the words or even anything close to them, for some fucking reason, joey misses him. they always had fun, little expectation from each other. they get each other in a way she doesn't even understand, she feels pulled to him; and it makes her beyond angry at herself.

her plan has also now been royaly fucked. she didn't know anyone in bluestem, could morph into absolutely anything to sell her story, but now all of that has to change. they have to have an airtight story and reason. joey dips her head, hands cradling her face. she lets out a heavy sigh, " we have to figure out our story, " she finally says, slowly moving her hands and lifting her head again. turning to finally look at will, but still avoiding eye contact, " [color=#990000]is anyone going to recognize you there? " she turns to face him, but her head's held low and she watches her hand as she plays with her mother's bracelets on her wrist.


[spoiler=tags, updated 12/14/2020]◜BASICS ┊ [color=#990000]I HAD A DREAM◞
&. ❝ josephine elena van doren ❞ |  joey, hoey | female [ she/her ] .
&. 22 years old . | november first ; scorpio .
&. reaper of flintlock lodge .

◜PERSONALITY ┊ GOT EVERYTHING I EVER WANTED◞
&. impulsive . outgoing . femme fatale . flirtatious . seemingly emotionless . guarded . self-destructive . obsessive . hot headed . reckless . kleptomania tendencies . selfish . brat .  assertive . loyal to those close to her . intuitive . stubborn . passionate . self-preserving . quick . nosey . reliable . non-committal . determined . secretive . resentful . resourceful . distrusting .

◜ APPEARANCE ┊ NOT WHAT YOU THINK ◞
&.  five foot six & one hundred and seventeen pounds ; reference .
↳ blonde hair just past her collarbone, grows a dirtier blonde, lightening up as soon as any sun touches it .
↳ slim, muscular build. legs on the longer side .
↳ big blue/green doe eyes, light yet well-groomed eyebrows, full lips, dimples .

◜ INTERACTIONS ┊ AND IF I’M BEING HONEST ◞
&.  [ 8/10 ] physically  |  [ 9/10 ] psychologically .
↳ difficulty w/ guns [ medium ] | difficulty w/ melees [ hard ] | difficulty w/ hand-to-hand [ hard ]
↳ combat information .
&. attack in bold #990000 | [member=570]scully[/member] | PM for any major plots .
&. friendly or nonviolent actions may be powerplayed .

◜INVENTORY ┊ IT MIGHT’VE BEEN A NIGHTMARE◞
&. [ 2 ] weapons | [ 0 ] armor pieces | [ 0 ] consumables | [ 2 ] aid items | [ 1 ] misc .
↳ one combat knife .
↳ a three piece throwing knife set
↳ a bracelet from her late mother, each one of her sisters has a piece to the same set, their mother having the biggest piece

◜ RELATIONSHIPS ┊ TO ANYONE WHO MIGHT CARE◞
&. elizabeth van doren (npc) x malcolm van doren (npc) | second youngest of nine children .
↳ cassian van doren, eldest, flintlock .
↳ beau van doren, second eldest, unknown .
↳ range rover van doren, unknown & scarlett van doren, dead .
↳ auden van doren, unknown & tara van doren, dead .
↳ maxine van doren, just older than joey, flintlock .
↳ richard van doren, youngest, flintlock .
&. pansexual, panromantic ; mongamous  . | scared of commitment, however enjoys casual fun .
&. lover to william stirling
↳ reoccurring friends with benefits.
↳ parents to rosalie willa van doren, three months old .
&. lover to theodore knope
↳ partner whenever she visits the badlands[/spoiler]

[STIRLING.]

[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 6pt; letter-spacing: 2.5px; word-spacing: 0px; line-height: 12px; color: #000"]When his cousin approached with that ever-so-stern look on his face, William already knew that Edmund had exciting plans for him. It would soon be revealed that Eddie was sending Will on a mission to Bluestem Prairie — it wouldn’t be the first time he’d done so — to spy on its people. However, this didn’t come without a but; William could go spy on Bluestem Prairie but he had to do so whilst accompanying Joey.

❝ Just in case, ❞ Eddie would tell Will. ❝ Just in case Bluestem were to not act kindly to strangers. ❞ The last thing Eddie wanted was to see another person die, especially by the hands of a rancher. That was one thing Will could agree with; if Ed wanted to martyr a Flintlocker, then it shouldn't have to be Joey. William wouldn't grieve for her, but he'd certainly grieve for all of the benefits he'd no longer get whilst having her around.

So, that was where William would swoop in as Joey’s unsung hero. She’d never thank him for his work to protect her — hell, he assumed she’d barely acknowledge such thing as fact. Truth was that William had been feeling frustrated by her in the more recent weeks. It was as if Rosie had stuck a massive wedge between them in their relationship. Joey barely wanted to give Will the time of day anymore and that was enough to drive him crazy.

He felt that unfamiliar feeling of loss when she chose to live a life that didn’t gravitate around him, but it was barely an inconvenience to him. After all, it was only making it clear to him what it took to keep a woman like Joey around. And so, William would distance himself for a while, make sure that she missed all of those tender moments he’d give her and then, like her saviour, he’d swoop in and even be somewhat kind to her if that was what would catch her attention.

The trek had been awkward for its entirety, William barely able to hold much of a conversation with Joey without the subtlest of rejections: those God awful one worded answers, or that deafening soundlessness of the silent treatment. She could barely look at him, let alone talk to him, and so William eventually chose to resign to silence. His initial plan to have things return to what they once were was swiftly falling flat, and the failure was enough to make Will cringe. When they finally settled for the night, Will even went out of his way to wordlessly set up their tents for the nights — two separate tents which Will was certain would both be occupied at this rate. All of this effort he put into her was going unnoticed, and that nearly horrified him.

He went to sit across from Joey at the fire as soon as he was finished, one leg propped up so that he could rest his arm atop of his knee. For a situation that was backfiring agonisingly for Will, he handled it with a casual finesse, as if he were none the wiser. But, Will felt the tension that lingered in the air, so much so that he could be the one to cut it with a knife. He looked into the fire, face impassive as he allowed his thoughts to wander until— Joey was talking.

Appearing less interested than he really was, Will eventually lifted his head to stare across the fire at her with a half-lidded gaze. They had to figure out a story, now? Will could understand why, but it all seemed to require too much effort for him. He’d leave all the intricacies to the cunning ❛ mastermind ❜ here. She was now looking in his direction, yet still not quite meeting his gaze. His brows began to bunch together, face threatening to shrivel up, before he quickly looked away. What had he done which warranted this? It wasn't like he'd treated her wrongly or anything.

Her question was met with a half-hearted shrug. ❝ Dunno. ❞ He hoped to all higher powers that people wouldn’t recognise him, especially considering the aim of his last trip. ❝ Frank’ll recognise me. Probably his boy toy, too. Not sure about anyone else though. ❞ Eventually, Will looked back to Joey, ❝ Frank’s soft. Him knowing me will be to our advantage. If there’s one way into the group, it’s through him. ❞ 

[JOSEPHINE]

[align=center][div style="width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-size: 12px; font-family: calibri; letter-spacing: .6px; color: #494949;"]her radio silence with will was probably more of a testament to her being unreasonable than her treatment of him before. leading up to the birth of their daughter, her actions, his too to be fair, could be excused by them being two young people, who really aren’t the commitment or family orientated type, discovering that their lives were changing; crumbling and burning in joey’s outlook. but now, even though there is a heavy sense of frustration for her since will hasn’t been pulling as much weight as she’d prefer, her inability to shove it all to the side to just maybe give rosalie the best life possible just casts a bad light on her. not that joey particularly cares about everyone’s image of her, only specific things bother her in that respect. maybe that’s the biggest difference between william stirling and josephine van doren, joey doesn’t try to hide all of her evil.

the first part of his answer earns an exasperated sigh from her. of course, how could she expect anything else from will, he seems to ruin everything for her. this is a job that they have to do; why couldn’t he act professionally. joey knows she’s immature, but at least she knew when to put it aside; well, maybe not, but that doesn’t matter at this very moment. a huff and looking away from him again, she shakes her head. “ you’ve tried talking to me all day and suddenly you’re pulling this shit, “ joey mutters, bringing her knees up to her chest and shifts to get a bit closer to the fire for the warmth. at least he decides to elaborate, citing frank as blowing their cover, but that being an advantage hadn’t crossed her mind before. her lips purse in thought, gears turning for an effective plan.

“ [color=#990000]i got it, “ joey gives no options for will to offer a plan, “ [color=#990000]we say we lost our kid, then alfie, and it was too much. we couldn’t stay, didn’t really know where to go, but wanted to tell frank about the loss so we went to bluestem first, “ she explained, taking a guess that frank is a stirling or some kind so hearing about alfie’s death would trigger some kind of emotion. her hand extends and moves as she continues, “ [color=#990000]we get the information and dirt we need, discretely, then when we have what we need, we just say we’re deciding to stay somewhere else to escape the war. we’ll be back at the lodge without them having any clue. “ she knows she can get some big crocodile tears going with the shaky voice; easy, but she’s not positive that william could act the same. with their history, joey feels like he very well could, but he is pretty cut off from his emotions, maybe he forgot, if he ever knew how.

a tight lip smile appears on joey’s face when she’s done, eyes adverting from almost holding his gaze. she doesn’t want to give him any chance to mansplain what they should do for a plan, but she doesn’t want to seem bothered. that’s when the idea comes to her, she’s got a little something up her sleeve. “ [color=#990000]i forgot until just now, “ she finally makes eye contact with him, “ [color=#990000]your friend, walker, said hi. and that’s all she plans on giving him now. she follows it with a quick wink, alluding to possible... activities her and walker got up to; even though they didn’t sleep together, she’s going to make will believe otherwise. now, a bright grin flashes on her face, “ [color=#990000]i’m going to bed, “ she says abruptly as she gets to her feet. without another look back at the man, joey crawls into one of the tents, just waiting for the reaction out of him. as she lays down, though, she knows she’s not going to fall asleep anytime soon. and, maybe it’s the proximity, maybe it’s the long time since being together, but some part of her longs for that connection, like a string tugging on her, pulling her closer to him.


[spoiler=tags, updated 12/14/2020]◜BASICS ┊ [color=#990000]I HAD A DREAM◞
&. ❝ josephine elena van doren ❞ |  joey, hoey | female [ she/her ] .
&. 22 years old . | november first ; scorpio .
&. reaper of flintlock lodge .

◜PERSONALITY ┊ GOT EVERYTHING I EVER WANTED◞
&. impulsive . outgoing . femme fatale . flirtatious . seemingly emotionless . guarded . self-destructive . obsessive . hot headed . reckless . kleptomania tendencies . selfish . brat .  assertive . loyal to those close to her . intuitive . stubborn . passionate . self-preserving . quick . nosey . reliable . non-committal . determined . secretive . resentful . resourceful . distrusting .

◜ APPEARANCE ┊ NOT WHAT YOU THINK ◞
&.  five foot six & one hundred and seventeen pounds ; reference .
↳ blonde hair just past her collarbone, grows a dirtier blonde, lightening up as soon as any sun touches it .
↳ slim, muscular build. legs on the longer side .
↳ big blue/green doe eyes, light yet well-groomed eyebrows, full lips, dimples .

◜ INTERACTIONS ┊ AND IF I’M BEING HONEST ◞
&.  [ 8/10 ] physically  |  [ 9/10 ] psychologically .
↳ difficulty w/ guns [ medium ] | difficulty w/ melees [ hard ] | difficulty w/ hand-to-hand [ hard ]
↳ combat information .
&. attack in bold #990000 | [member=570]scully[/member] | PM for any major plots .
&. friendly or nonviolent actions may be powerplayed .

◜INVENTORY ┊ IT MIGHT’VE BEEN A NIGHTMARE◞
&. [ 2 ] weapons | [ 0 ] armor pieces | [ 0 ] consumables | [ 2 ] aid items | [ 1 ] misc .
↳ one combat knife .
↳ a three piece throwing knife set
↳ a bracelet from her late mother, each one of her sisters has a piece to the same set, their mother having the biggest piece

◜ RELATIONSHIPS ┊ TO ANYONE WHO MIGHT CARE◞
&. elizabeth van doren (npc) x malcolm van doren (npc) | second youngest of nine children .
↳ cassian van doren, eldest, flintlock .
↳ beau van doren, second eldest, unknown .
↳ range rover van doren, unknown & scarlett van doren, dead .
↳ auden van doren, unknown & tara van doren, dead .
↳ maxine van doren, just older than joey, flintlock .
↳ richard van doren, youngest, flintlock .
&. pansexual, panromantic ; mongamous  . | scared of commitment, however enjoys casual fun .
&. lover to william stirling
↳ reoccurring friends with benefits.
↳ parents to rosalie willa van doren, three months old .
&. lover to theodore knope
↳ partner in the badlands[/spoiler]

[STIRLING.]

[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 6pt; letter-spacing: 2.5px; word-spacing: 0px; line-height: 12px; color: #000"]There had been a time where William had assumed that Josephine was the lesser of two evils between the both of them. It could not be denied that the things they’d done in the name of their families’ enterprises had been far less moral than any upstanding citizen could admit to, but otherwise Joey seemed almost guiltless. The misconception on his part was purely down to the fact that Joey was far better at hiding her darkness than he was. Whilst he was a tall and brooding man with a chilling nonchalance towards the wickedness of the world, Joey was a beautiful, petite mother with doe eyes and a guarded front. Little did Will realise that she was in fact a force to be reckoned with.

Perhaps it wasn’t her virtuous beauty that drew William towards her, but the darkness that simmered beneath soft skin. Not even a child was enough for William to feel any sense of attachment to in any sense of a familial way, much like how most parents should feel when welcoming a new life into the world. In fact, he tended to feel nothing at all. It was as if oxytocin was nonexistent in his system and it were impossible to truly feel love and attachment to another. But, Joey could help him in more ways than one. And perhaps he hadn’t yet come to this realisation consciously, but maybe her darkness could be utilized in a way which could equally benefit the both of them.

It would make sense as to why William would tolerate her shortness towards him.

William lifted his head in response to Joey’s huff, frowning at her snotty remark towards him. Was she being serious? He rolled his eyes before looking away. ❝ Yeah, I’ve tried. What can you say you’ve done? ❞ He pointed out curtly as he avoided looking her way. Sure, perhaps fighting fire with fire in this situation would only create a bigger fire, but William wasn’t prepared to sit back and take shit from her, especially now that they were out here on their own. No eyes to linger and witness his darker side — there was no need to hide his true identity when there were no eyes to hide from.

He explained that there would be faces that knew William, but hopefully this would be to their advantage, and finally Joey offered something helpful his way; their plan of action. William slowly nodded as he listened, staring into the fire before flitting his gaze over towards Joey. ❝ Yep, and I bet he’ll vouch for us if anyone got suspicious. Grief does strange things to the average man. ❞ Joey then continued with the plan. It sounded less exciting than he’d initially been hoping for but he knew that realistically they shouldn’t leave in the midst of a gunfire. They were here to inconspicuously gather intel, not poke the bear and earn another deadly attack on Flintlock. ❝ Sounds like a plan. ❞ He confirmed, acknowledging that he was clear on their plan. Tomorrow would be a big day, in that case; it wasn’t often William felt obliged to act meek to get closer to his goals.

He outstretched his arms to warm his hands beside the fire once Joey looked away. He’d share his opinion further if it weren’t for the fact that he couldn’t particularly care to add anything else. After all, her plan seemed pretty simple. ❝ I forgot until just now, ❞ Will lifted his head upon hearing Joey, one eye squinting slightly as he peered across the fire towards her whilst he anticipated her next words. That was until they made eye contact, and her next words were enough for his lips to part with alarm. She sent a wink his way, William then snapping his jaw shut tight as his heart began to slam against his chest.

Walker was back

And, to add insult to injury, he was getting intimate with William’s girl.

Joey then declared that she was going to bed, William then stammering over the words to say before throwing his hands up. ❝ Wait? Wait! You can’t just- Joey. ❞ He stood up to follow Joey to the tent, ❝ What is that supposed to mean?! ❞ Had Walker told Joey about the wicked things he and William used to get up to back in the day? If Joey ever found out, could she ever see William in the same way? His reputation was important to him, especially since he worked so hard to manipulate it in a way which made him out to be a better man than he really was. He stopped in front of her tent, shoulders slumping as he slowly came to realise that his demands would be to no avail. William was stubborn, but Joey was stubborn on a whole other level; getting through to her would be impossible, especially if she viewed this as a game.

❝ You can’t just say that before ignoring me. ❞ He broke the silence once more before taking a small step back to look at the front of the tent. Nothing would convince her to talk and so, with a stressed sigh, he eventually retreated to his own tent. He rolled onto his back, eyes darting around the top of the tent as his thoughts raced through the usually so unconcerned mind of his. The silence between him and Joey was weirdly suffocating in that moment, a feeling that irked William to an extreme degree. Several minutes of silence went by before William spoke up once more, ❝ Walker is a dangerous person to be around. Please... Just be careful. ❞ Sometimes, all he could do was resign to his next best option. A plea for her to keep away from Walker.

If she found out about William’s past, she’d never be able to look at him the same way, and that scared him.

[JOSEPHINE]

[align=center][div style="width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-size: 12px; font-family: calibri; letter-spacing: .6px; color: #494949;"]simply listening to william squirm is enough for her. the small glimpse of his initial shock from her little message was sweet enough; she doesn’t need to see the subtle, nervous pacing or the hand gestures in an attempt to sort through everything. she tries to just close her eyes and ignore him; which works, at least until he stops talking.

joey’s eyes open, bottom lip slightly jutting out into a pout. why does him finally shutting the fuck up make her feel worse? this pull he has makes her loose her general sense, she hates it. sitting with the feeling is hard. she sits up, hugging part of her blanket to her chest. next, there’s a shake of her head; joey won’t go running after him, she’s better than that. she slowly lays back down, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes to try and sleep. moments pass like hours as her mind races. fuck. she sits up and slips out of the makeshift bed and opens her tent quietly, heading towards william’s.

pushing the tent’s flap open, ” more dangerous than you? “ joey asks, a bit of a challenge. she’s has his hand around her neck and be the source of much of his anger, yet she’s still here; and doing pretty well if she were to be asked. plus... why the hell does will care so much who she’s around? wouldn’t he be happy if she was done away with? it feels possessive to her and that’s just something josephine always entirely rejects; and something she thought he has a strong dislike too as well. this part makes up her mind to not
clear up the fact that her and walker hadn’t even kissed let alone slept together, will just assumed and that isn’t her problem in the slightest. letting his mind fill with all those scenarios is just a little too good for her to stop.

she sits just inside his tent, knees up to her chest. [color=#990000]” it’s cold. “ she states to change the subject, making eye contact with him almost expectantly. but, without waiting for a comment from him, she crawls over and grabs one of his arms to wrap around herself as she curls up beside him, one of her hands rests on his chest. she’s okay with the small silence that follows; why did she miss this?... why does it just feel right? the thoughts terrify her; feels feel vulnerable yet safe as well as this odd fluttering in her stomach. she swallows hard, just trying to shove the sensations out. [color=#990000]” i went to the new badlands around my birthday, “ joey tells him, [color=#990000]” it’s a lot different... it was nice, a lot of fun, “ she’s speaking softly as they tread into uncharted waters. [color=#990000]” i want you to come with me next time, i think you’d like it, “ she suggests, fingers gently dragging across his skin to draw little circles. she wants to keep talking, keep telling him all the things that happened since they’d last actually talked, but the fear creeps back in; what if he really hates you?


[spoiler=tags, updated 02/07/2021]◜BASICS ┊ [color=#990000]I HAD A DREAM◞
&. ❝ josephine elena van doren ❞ |  joey, hoey | female [ she/her ] .
&. 22 years old . | november first ; scorpio .
&. reaper of flintlock lodge .

◜PERSONALITY ┊ GOT EVERYTHING I EVER WANTED◞
&. impulsive . outgoing . femme fatale . flirtatious . seemingly emotionless . guarded . self-destructive . obsessive . hot headed . reckless . kleptomania tendencies . selfish . brat .  assertive . loyal to those close to her . intuitive . stubborn . passionate . self-preserving . quick . nosey . reliable . non-committal . determined . secretive . resentful . resourceful . distrusting .

◜ APPEARANCE ┊ NOT WHAT YOU THINK ◞
&.  five foot six & one hundred and seventeen pounds ; reference .
↳ blonde hair just past her collarbone, grows a dirtier blonde, lightening up as soon as any sun touches it .
↳ slim, muscular build. legs on the longer side .
↳ big blue/green doe eyes, light yet well-groomed eyebrows, full lips, dimples .

◜ INTERACTIONS ┊ AND IF I’M BEING HONEST ◞
&.  [ 8/10 ] physically  |  [ 9/10 ] psychologically .
↳ difficulty w/ guns [ medium ] | difficulty w/ melees [ hard ] | difficulty w/ hand-to-hand [ hard ]
↳ combat information .
&. attack in bold #990000 | [member=570]scully[/member] | PM for any major plots .
&. friendly or nonviolent actions may be powerplayed .

◜INVENTORY ┊ IT MIGHT’VE BEEN A NIGHTMARE◞
&. [ 2 ] weapons | [ 0 ] armor pieces | [ 0 ] consumables | [ 2 ] aid items | [ 1 ] misc .
↳ one combat knife .
↳ a three piece throwing knife set
↳ a bracelet from her late mother, each one of her sisters has a piece to the same set, their mother having the biggest piece

◜ RELATIONSHIPS ┊ TO ANYONE WHO MIGHT CARE◞
&. elizabeth van doren (npc) x malcolm van doren (npc) | second youngest of nine children .
↳ cassian van doren, eldest, flintlock .
↳ beau van doren, second eldest, unknown .
↳ range rover van doren, unknown & scarlett van doren, dead .
↳ auden van doren, unknown & tara van doren, dead .
↳ maxine van doren, just older than joey, flintlock .
↳ richard van doren, youngest, flintlock .
&. pansexual, panromantic ; mongamous  . | scared of commitment, however enjoys casual fun .
&. lover to william stirling
↳ reoccurring friends with benefits.
↳ parents to rosalie willa van doren, five months old .
&. lover to theodore knope
↳ partner in the badlands
&. crushing on cassidy van den bergh[/spoiler]

[STIRLING.]

[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 6pt; letter-spacing: 2.5px; word-spacing: 0px; line-height: 12px; color: #000"]Oh, shit.

William lay his head back against the pillow, staring up at the top of the tent as he rested clasped hands against his stomach. He felt the mechanical rise and fall of each breath, and soon he glided his hand up against his chest, expecting to feel each disconcerting heartbeat as rapid as a rabbit’s. With a long sigh, gaze darting across the tent, a thumb glided across his chest. Nothing, not even a beat.

Despite recovering from his initial and understandable shock, that very name was unable to leave his mind. William was never one to concern himself much about others — it often took away from his desire to prioritise himself above all, after all — but this was far more than worrying about a person. Hell, if it were any other man screwing Joey, William would barely bat an eyelid. But Walker?... This was someone who could destroy William’s reputation with one smooth blow.

This was someone who knew every deep and dark crevice of William’s alternate identity. The only person who understood the true abstraction of William Stirling. He was no average man with his morals aligned in the standard manner. No humble, charming smiles or playfully impudent challenges. He wasn’t everyone’s favourite rendition of the boy next door. He could hide his cold gaze, one could even hold his hand and feel warm flesh gripping onto theirs, but William was not the man Joey thought he was.

But Walker, he knew William back in the day where William was young and brazen, excited to share with someone like him those deep dark secrets that he’d kept to himself for years. The gratification for violence, the pleasure he’d feel the moment he was in complete control. Life could not throw him curveballs when he controlled life itself. All people at his helm, they liked him because they could never suspect that William was any less than the nonchalant man he claimed to be. Not only did he talk the talk, he also walked the walk and he had vast experience in weaving a disguise beautiful enough to even fool himself.

But Walker… He knew William. He knew William and knew that this secret was his only weakness.

William lifted his head slightly at the sound of his tent being unzipped, resting his head once more when his gaze met with Joey’s. She would try to challenge him, but William would not respond, instead allowing his eyes to flutter shut. Maybe Walker was more dangerous, perhaps not to Joey but to Will. ❝ Depends on how dangerous you think I am. ❞ He retorted in a low mumble, voice gravelly from his exhaustion from today’s walk. There — he’d neither agree nor disagree on the question. William believed that Joey had some sort of inclination that William would never be much of a vanilla man, but was that not why she was attracted to him in the first place? The adrenaline of being with someone maybe she shouldn’t have been with. Someone who could easily kiss her or kill her all the same.

William would say nothing more, laying unstirred as he listened closely to the sound of their breathing, until his eyes fluttered open when she spoke once more. They met each other’s gaze, William saying nothing before lifting the thin covers he lay beneath, offering a space for her to join. But, as she shuffled closer, Joey took his arm to position it in a way where she could lay in his embrace. William would not protest, especially since this had been something that he admittedly missed. Rosie had kept them apart but, with her absence, this almost felt as if they were able to return to what they once were. Return to their somewhat fucked up normal. He released a slow sigh through his nostrils, shifting to get comfortable as he pulled her slightly closer, free hand tucking the covers over her to keep her warm.

The mention of The Badlands captured his attention, William’s passive gaze peering across at Joey as he listened. They’d never spoken about a next time before, Joey outwardly wanting William to accompany her somewhere. Was she just saying this because she was stuck with him again for the inevitable future, or did she really mean it? Did she crave his touch in the same way as he craved hers? He contemplated wordlessly as she traced patterns against his skin. The lightness of her touch was the most the felt in a long time, William allowing his lips to part before he said, ❝ I’d like that. ❞ A hand went to rest on her waist, a move bold for a man who’d barely spoken with Joey for the past few months following their daughter’s birth.

But, this was exactly what he missed.

Either, he was pushing boundaries or initiating what they both hoped would happen, but William had a firm inkling that it was the latter. And so, he leaned his head closer to press his lips against her forehead, then slowly lowering his head to rest his forehead against hers. He felt her breath against his skin, eyes searching hers before he then began to smile, ❝ I best find myself a good enough suit and tie then, huh? I wouldn’t want you to completely outdo me. ❞ He'd clutch onto this thought for as long as she'd let him.

Whatever he could do to retrace her footsteps back to Walker.