Work Text:
Serendipity
Spencer awoke to the sound of his phone vibrating. “Wha..?” he muttered before picking up the phone. Checking the caller ID, he groaned before answering. “Lacey, what do you want?” He rubbed his eyes and checked his clock.
“What do you mean ‘what do you want’? Where the hell are you?!” Lacey yelled through the phone, “you were supposed to be here half an hour ago!.” she sighed. Spencer furrowed his eyebrows. Where did he have to be? What’s going on?
“What are you talking about, Lace?” Spencer could’ve sworn he heard Lacey swear on the other end.
“You promised you’d take me to the London eye when I visited! Did you forget?” Spencer rolled his eyes before sitting up and yawning, ”my alarm didn’t go off. I’ll be there soon.”
About twenty minutes later, Spencer was walking across Tower bridge. ‘Ugh, I wish I brought a jacket.’ he thought. A gust of wind had Spencer shivering. He stopped for a minute to lean over the edge of the bridge, staring at the Thames.
‘That water looks disgusting.’ he said to himself. Spencer was so lost in thought, pondering why the river looked like dirty dish water, he didn’t hear the person yell ‘WATCH OUT!’ as someone fell into him; knocking him over the side of the bridge and into the murky water below.
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Spencer woke up to the feeling of someone shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see a young man, no older than 22, with curly hair the colour of sand, with a black western style hat resting on top of his curls kneeling in front of him and Spencer would be lying if he didn't think he was kind of cute. Spencer sat up and realised he was soaking wet, his usually fluffy black hair was flat against his head.
“Ah,thank Jupiter you’re alive. where did you come from, partner?” the man spoke with a thick southern drawl. Spencer looked around him.
“Uh, where am I? And who are you?” he asked. The stranger tipped his head to the side in confusion.
``You’re by the side of a river in Texas. I thought you were dead when I was walking past. The name’s Flint. You’re in Firecliff.” Spencer furrowed his eyebrows. How did he end up in Texas? He took another look at Flint and looked him up and down; he was wearing a deep red button up shirt with a bright red bandana tucked underneath it, black waistcoat and dark brown chaps. He had a pistol holster around his waist and had a Colt Walker inside of it. He had black boots on and above the heel they had copper spurs on them, he faintly smelled of gunpowder. Spencer smiled and sighed in relief.
“I'm Spencer, you’re a historical reenactor, right? Or is that just your fashion sense?” Flint raised an eyebrow and leaned backwards on his heels.
“What’s a ‘reenactor?’' he asked. Spencer laughed and stood up, offering his hand for Flint to take and stand, which he accepted.
“Ah, I see. Stay in character, right? You look real convincing for a cowboy. I like the gun.” Spencer said, reaching for the gun in Flint’s holster. Flint’s eyes widened and he stepped back.
“Woah woah woah. What do you think you’re doing? I don’t know what you’re talking about but don’t try to reach for a man’s gun without asking.” he says, voice flat and hands on his hips. He was more hostile than before and the friendly tone in his voice had vanished.
“I..I'm sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. If you don’t mind me asking, where can I get some clothes from? Or a towel. I’m very wet.” Flint gave him a glare. They were roughly the same height, Flint being a couple inches shorter than Spencer.
“I can take you to the tailors. I’m friends with the owner so she’ll get you appropriate clothes. With what you’re wearing now, you’d most likely make a fool of yourself.” Flint says, moving his hat down over his eyes.
Flint started walking, the spurs on his boots jingling when he placed his foot against the dusty ground, Spencer trailing behind him. “I like your accent. Is it real?” Spencer asked. Flint scoffed and crossed his arms.
“Of course it’s real. Why wouldn’t it be? But… thank you.” He added the last part quietly. “You talk mighty funky, Spencer. Where are you from?” Felix asked, turning his head in Spencer's direction. Spencer laughed and said,
“thanks hah. I’m originally from Derry in Ireland, but I moved here in 2015.” Flint stopped in his tracks, making Spencer also stop.
“What? What do you mean by 2015?” Flint said. Spencer looked at Flint confusedly. “I moved to England in the year 2015. It’s 2023 now so it’s been 8 years since I moved. I don’t understand, what’s confusing about that?” Spencer questioned. Flint started walking.
“It’s not 2023, it's 1866. Are you from the future or something?” Flint jokes. Spencer started to walk too, and said
“haha, very funny. You can drop the act, it’s just us.” he was starting to get annoyed now. Why wouldn’t this guy be serious?
“Listen, partner. I’m not trying to yank yer chain, I’m not putting on an ‘act’ or whatever. How much river water did you swallow? Do you need to see a doctor?” Flint asked. Spencer looked at Flint and his expression was one of concern.
“Holy shit. You’re serious. I’m in Texas talking to a cowboy in 1866.” He said, running his hands through his half-dry hair. Flint gave him a look of pity before saying,
“There’s the tailors. Her name is Maggie, but we all call her Maya. She’ll give you clothes and repair your trousers.” This sentence made Spencer snap out of his panicked state and he laughed.
“Pfft, no. This is what the fashion style is in the future.” Flint nodded like he understood, but Spencer could tell by the look on his face he didn’t.
Flint pushed open the door to the tailors, Spencer trailing behind him.
“Maya!” Flint yelled through the shop, until a short woman with brown hair down to her waist came running out of a backroom.
“Flinnie! I haven’t seen you in a while! I was starting to think that gang got you!” The woman, Maya, had said. A gang?! Is this Flint guy dangerous? Flint rolled his eyes,
“har har. Stop with that dumb name. And you know you can’t get rid of me that easily.” He said, smiling slightly. Maya looked at Flint before looking at Spencer.
“And who is this?” She said, looking Spencer up and down. Flint also looked at Spencer, which made the latter feel a little awkward.
“His name is Spencer. I haven’t got the faintest where he came from, I just found him by the side of the river. He needs some clothes ‘cuz his are damp.” Flint said. Maya looked at Spencer again.
“What do you want? Do you want chaps? A bandana? What size boots? Do you want diggers?” she started bombarding Spencer with all these questions. “What are diggers? I don’t know what they are.”
Maya scoffed and looked at Flint with a disgusted look.
“Where the hell did you find this varmint? Doesn't know what half the stuff I’m saying is.” she bent down and grabbed Flint’s boot, making him fall, landing on his ass on the wooden floor with a thud.
“Ow! Watch it you wag-tail!” he yelled. Maya was still holding Flint’s foot and tipped the heel upwards.
“You see these spikes?! They’re diggers!” She practically screamed. Spencer leaned forward and looked at the boot.
“oh you mean spurs? I can’t ride a horse so I don’t need them.” Maya dropped Flint’s foot and looked at Spencer.
“Ah, you’re not from around here. Come with me, and I’ll get you some clothes.” She said, Spencer nodded but before following her, he leant down and stuck his hand out for Flint to take. Flint grinned and grabbed his hand, heaving himself up.
“you better follow her, otherwise she’ll just bitch some more.” He said, making Spencer laugh.
It had been about two hours since Spencer had gone into the room with Maya, and Flint was getting bored. He lit a cigarette, stole a bit of fabric from Maya’s front desk and began to polish his revolver. A couple of minutes later, Spencer stumbled out of the door, followed by Maya. Spencer was wearing a light purple shirt with a navy waistcoat, black trousers and black boots.
“Oi, what have I told you about doing that in my shop?” Maya says, putting her hands on her hips. Flint looks up and takes the cigarette out of his mouth.
“Okay, mom,” he said, rolling his eyes.
“Oh shut up.” she retorts. Flint sighed and stood up, taking one last drag then stomping it out. Now that he wasn’t walking, Spencer got a good look at Flint: he was slender with long legs, standing tall with his hands in his pockets. He was very pale, with freckles splattered across his face and had indigo eyes. He had a jagged scar across his right eye. He had a sharp jawline, stubble across his chin and upper lip and a roman nose, he wore a stoic expression, unmoving except for the odd eye roll. He must’ve noticed that Spencer was staring at him because he raised an eyebrow.
“What? Something on my face?” he asked. Spencer blinked a couple times before saying “ah shit, sorry, I’ve just never seen a cowboy before, well, I’ve seen them in the John Wayne movies but never in person. You’re very pretty.” Flint’s face turned slightly red at the compliment, while Maya laughed.
“You look like you’ve been in the sun for too long!” she cackled. Flint took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair.
“Thank you? I think.” he said. Spencer smiled.
“You know, I studied history in college. Do you think I could ask you some questions? I wanna know if the stuff they say about the old west is true.” Spencer says giddily, noting the way Flint laughed at ‘old west’. He had always liked history when he was younger. Flint stuck his hat back on his head and offered Spencer a small, shy smile.
“Sure, whaddya need to know?” he asks. Spencer looks outside and says, “it looks like it’s going to get dark soon so can we walk and talk?” Flint also looks outside before nodding.
Maya waves them off and closes the door behind them.
“Is the hat rule a real thing?” Spencer asks. Flint laughs, confused.
“What does that mean?” Spencer’s eyes widened.
“Oh, don’t worry about it. If you haven’t heard about it then it’s not real.” Flint squints his eyes,
“Well, there is a hat rule, I suppose. If you take a cowboys hat they’re entitled to shoot.” Spencer snorted.
“That is not what I was expecting.” Flint turned to face Spencer, an amused look on his face. “What were you expecting?” Flint questioned, shoving his hands in his pockets.
“Don’t worry about it, I have another question. Do you have a horse?” Spencer replied. Flint scoffed.
“Of course I have a horse. His name is Domino. He doesn’t like people.” He said. “Although, me and him haven’t had a very good run with other people.” He added,laughing a little. Was it bad that Spencer loved the sound?
“Do you think he would like me?” He asked. Flint let out a proper loud laugh, snorting. “Maybe. I like you so I'm assuming he’ll like you.” he said. Spencer laughed along this time, brushing his hair back with a hand. Flint looked up at the sky and watched it turn a deep orange colour.
“It’s time we find you a place to stay, partner. Have any idea where you’re gonna go?” he says, before scoffing and muttering to himself,
“Of course he doesn’t have anywhere to stay, he just turned up.” Spencer smiled at him before saying,
“Is there, like, a hotel or something I can go to?” They looked at each other then Flint gasped
“oh! An Inn! This town isn’t that welcoming to outsiders, you’re welcome to stay at mine if you’d like. But yes there’s an inn not that far away.” Flint rambled on for a little bit before Spencer grabbed his shoulders.
“Dude, chill. I’ll crash at yours if it’s cool with you. Maybe I can meet Domino.” he said, grinning. Flint had no expression on his face.it was blank.
“I didn’t understand half of what you said, so I’m gonna assume that you’re gonna stay with me.” He said. Spencer smiled,
“Lead the way, Cowboy.” Flint rolled his eyes again but this time he was smiling slightly. He grabbed Spencer’s wrist and dragged him along.
Within 10 minutes, the two had arrived at the building that Flint lived in. Flint pushed open the door and let Spencer in.
“It's not much but it has a good backyard for Domino, he likes it.” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. Spencer looked around the room. It was small but homey.
“It’s nice, I like it a lot actually.” he said, plonking himself down on the couch. Flint stood in front of him. Spencer looked up at him, smirking.
“So, what do you do for fun around here?” he asked. Flint furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head in confusion.
“What do you mean? Do people not duel in 2023?” he asked. Spencer laughed a little, shaking his head.
“No, you’re not allowed to do that anymore. you’d get arrested for murder. In England, you can’t even have a gun, so you’d have to give up your revolver.” Spencer cackled when he saw the look on Flint’s face, who’s eyes were wide and jaw was slack. Spencer grabbed Flint’s wrist, yanking him down on the couch, falling next to Spencer.
“I can tell you more about the future if you’d like?” Flint gasped and nodded. He took off his hat and put it on the table in front of them. He sat up and sat closer next to Spencer.
“So, how do you settle arguments? If you can’t duel people?” Flint asked. Spencer smiled and answered all the questions Flint wanted to know. 2 hours later, Spencer felt a weight on his shoulder. He looked down to find the cowboy fast asleep, using him as a pillow. Spencer smiled and leaned back, closing his eyes and drifted off.
Spencer opened his eyes to find Flint was gone. He sat up and looked around.
”Ah, he must be upstairs or something.” He stood up and went up the stairs in the house. There was no sign of the cowboy anywhere. Spencer went down the stairs and went out of the house
“I’m assuming I’m going to be here for a while, I might as well have a look around.” Spencer thought to himself.
“I wonder if I should get a cowboy hat, but I don’t have any money. hmm.” As he walked around the town, he noticed a small crowd in the centre. Curiosity got the better of him and walked to the centre. His eyes widened at the scene in front of him: Flint was standing over someone, and had blood all over his face, a busted lip, broken nose and a wicked grin on his face. He was out of breath and the majority of his weight was shifted to his left side, wiping his mouth with his hand. Spencer’s eyes widened as he made his way closer to the front of the crowd. Flint looked down at the man laying on the ground.
“Awh, giving up already? We’ve only just started.” He sneered, tone full of apathy. Spencer watched as the man on the floor slowly tried to stand up. Flint crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows, watching the man in front of him fail to get up. He snickered at him before looking up and spotting Spencer. He shot Spencer a smirk and a wink before walking away, and into the Tailors. Spencer watched the crowd disperse and he decided to follow Flint into the Tailors.
Spencer opened the door and saw Flint leaning against the desk, wiping his face with his sleeve. Spencer smiled and walked over, standing in front of him.
“Hey, what was that about?” he asked. Flint looked up, just as blood started to run down from his nose. Spencer’s hand instinctively came up to Flint’s face to tip his head up. Flint flinched, and his face shifted completely. He pulled a face of disgust and slapped Spencer’s hand away.
“Don’t touch me.” he said, tone cold and full of malice. Spencer steps back in shock. Why is he being an asshole all of a sudden? Flint wiped the back of his hand across his nose again, scoffing in frustration when the blood kept coming.
“Listen, I'm just trying to help you.” Spencer said, folding his arms.
“I don’t need your help.” Flint said, before turning to leave. Just as he turned, a small amount of blood came streaming down his face, making him scream in anger and cover his face with his hands. Spencer was about to leave as well, but he noticed Flint’s shoulders were shaking. He walked over to Flint when all of a sudden, the cowboy’s head shot up. Flint took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair before putting his hat back on. He shouldered past Spencer and walked out the door.
“That boy has no idea how to handle emotions.” Maya said. Spencer turned and faced her, a look of perplexity plastered across his face.
“What was that about? And why was he suddenly a dick to me?” he asked. Maya sighed and leaned on her desk.
“Flint has a problem of losing his temper when offered kindness. He’s not used to it after what happened to him. He thinks it’s some kind of joke to get his guard down.” Spencer tilted his head at that. ‘After what happened to him.’ What does that mean? What happened to this guy?
“Just leave him alone for a few hours. He’ll come back.” Maya said. Spencer looked at her, then at the door, then back at Maya. Deciding to ignore the advice of the woman, Spencer turned on his heels and walked out the door, in search of the cowboy.
It took Spencer about half an hour to locate Flint. He was sitting down by the side of the riverbank, drawing patterns into the dust. Spencer walked up to the blonde, sitting beside him. Flint turned and looked at Spencer for a minute, before turning back to look at the ground.
“Hey, Sparks.” Flint let out a strangled laugh, but the breath got caught in his throat. Spencer turned his body to face Flint’s, reaching into his pocket and pulling a handkerchief out. He slowly reached out, as if Flint was a spooked animal. Spencer placed his hand on Flint’s jaw, tilting his head towards him. Flint’s eyes widened and he tried to move back, but Spencer’s hand was not budging. Spencer gently started dabbing the handkerchief against the semi-dry blood on Flint’s face. Flint flinched at the contact at first, but slightly leaned into Spencer’s touch.
“W…why are you doing this?” Flint asked, the tone in his voice made him sound like a lost kid. The tone made Spencer feel odd.. Why was he so surprised by someone helping him? Flint grabbed Spencer's arm, the one on his face and pulled it down.
“Why aren’t you answering me?” he says, tone growing more frantic. Spencer stopped wiping at Flint’s nose and looked him in the eyes.
“Why wouldn’t I? I think your nose might be broken. Do you mind if I touch it?” Flint still looked so confused, but he nodded. Spencer ran his finger along the bridge of Flint’s nose, a look of sympathy flashing across his face when Flint recoiled slightly.
“Sorry...so how did that fight start? You don’t have to say if you don’t want to.” Flint was quiet for a few minutes before speaking up.
“A gang. My old man was a part of it… and one of the members went rouge.. So they killed him and they’ve been trying to kill me since I was 15 because I witnessed it. Tracked me down again.. Won’t be long until another comes after me.” Flint’s accent was thicker than usual, which made Spencer believe that he was about to cry.
“Hey. I’ll do ‘im one if he comes back.” At least that got a laugh out of him, and Spencer was happy that he was able to make him laugh.
“Uhm.. thanks..partner…” Flint smiled slightly, his eyes flicking from Spencer’s eyes, to his lips. Spencer smiled too, face going red. He'd be lying if he didn't think the Texan was really cute. Spencer cupped Flint’s face, caressing his cheek with his thumb. He leaned in slightly, and took a deep breath, before whispering,
“you smell like gunpowder..” Flint snorted, leaning forward a bit.
“Is that a good thing?” he whispered back. Spencer’s hands dropped to Flint’s waist, pulling him closer and said, “definitely.” Flint’s eyes widened, and he pulled away suddenly, standing up, clearing his throat. The pair felt raindrops start hitting them.
“I didn’t know it rained in Texas.” Spencer said before Flint lightly hit him on the shoulder. “Of course it rains.. Just not as often.” The rain started to get heavy, so Spencer and Flint stood up and began running to where Flint lived, Flint’s boots were jangling, while Spencer’s were clacking.
The two of them burst through the door of Flint’s house, collapsing on the sofa, Spencer leaning on top of Flint.
“So how’s your face feeling?” Spencer said, propping his arms on Flint’s shoulder. Flint smiled and said,
“yeah, it’s alright.” Spencer looked at Flint before taking the black Stetson off the cowboy’s head, and placed it on his own.
“I love the way you say ‘alright’. It’s just like the movies.” Flint giggled, flicking Spencer’s nose.
“I still don’t know what a movie is.” Spencer smirked, shaking his head, making the water from his head drop on to Flint’s face, making his face scrunch up.
“It’s like a moving picture.” Flint made a noise of understanding, before shoving Spencer off of him.
“You need to get dry.” Spencer rolled his eyes and stood up.
“You’re wet too.” He said. Flint glared before scoffing,
“It’s my house, asshole.” Spencer took Flint’s hat off of his head, placing it on the table. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The duo looked at each other, before Flint stood up, and pulled his revolver out of his holster, making Spencer’s eyes widen.
“Woah woah, what are you doing?!” Flint shot Spencer a warning look, making Spencer shut up. Flint pointed his gun at the door, holding it in his left hand. He walked to the door, leaning against it slightly. Flint squinted his eyes and furrowed his brows, before looking at Spencer and telling him
“get down, or go up the stairs. Now.” Spencer didn’t want to leave Flint on his own, as it sounded like someone dangerous could be outside, but he did what the cowboy wanted. Spencer went up the stairs, turning to look at Flint. He was looking at him, Flint mouthing, “go.” Spencer turned back around, and climbed the rest of the stairs.
It was quiet for about 20 minutes, which made Spencer think that nothing was wrong. He wandered around the cowboy’s room, eyes stumbling upon a picture. It was Flint, well… It looked like Flint, if he was about 10 years younger. He was smiling, and was lacking the scar across his eye. He was standing next to a girl, who looked about 4 years older than Flint was. She had long hair down to her waist, her arms were wrapped around Flint’s shoulders. Spencer smiled, Flint looked so happy…What had happened? Just as Spencer was about to look around for more pictures, he heard a loud bang, causing him to flinch. His head shot up from the desk looking towards the door. Another loud bang rang out, making him flinch again. He decided to slowly walk closer to the door when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. “Oh shit, shit shit shit.” Spencer ran back from the door, looking for anything he could arm himself with. The door swung open and Spencer let out a sigh of relief. It was Flint, looking unharmed. Spencer ran over to him, throwing his arms around him.
“Are you okay? What happened? Are you hurt?” He was asking so many questions, but Flint wasn’t answering them, he just wrapped his arms around Spencer, burying his face in the taller’s shoulder, breathing in his scent. Spencer pulled back a little, grasping Flint’s shoulders
“Sparks. Talk to me.” Flint looks up at Spencer, shrugging.
“I have two dead people in my living room, Spencer. I don’t know what you want me to say.” Spencer’s hands dropped from Flint’s shoulders, stepping back a bit.
“Y..you actually killed them?” Flint raised an eyebrow at the question, sighing.
“Spencer, you don’t get it. You’re not from around here, sometimes you have to do what it takes, you think I want to kill people? Eh, kind of, but that's besides the point there’s a million ways to die out here.” He says, throwing his arms up to make his point. Spencer runs his hands over his face, taking a deep breath.
“Okay.. let’s get rid of those guys, get them out of your house. Alright? Then we can sit and calm down. He says, walking back to his original spot. Flint lets out a shaky exhale, nodding his head.
“I need to reload my gun first.” he said, walking over to the desk and opening the drawer. Spencer watched as Flint reloaded the gun, then remembered the photo he saw.
“Hey, Sparks?” he asks, receiving a hum as a response. “Who’s in that picture? Is that you?” Flint stops what he’s doing and looks at Spencer.
“Were you looking through my stuff?” He asks, crossing his arms. Spencer's eyes widened, “no! I was just looking around and I saw it on the desk.” Flint looks back at the picture, then sits down on the bed.
“It's me and my sister, Angela. she..uh .. She was murdered.” Flint swiped his hands across his face. Spencer sat down next to the man, placing a hand on his shoulder, pulling him into a hug.
“I'm so fucking sorry, Sparks.” Flint leaned into Spencer’s touch, closing his eyes. Spencer places his head on top of Flints, pulling him backwards against the bed so they are laying down, gangly legs hanging over the edge of the bed, making Flint laugh a little.
They must have fallen asleep, as it was now sunrise. Flint and Spencer’s limbs were tangled together, their legs intertwined, Spencer’s hands lay on Flint’s hips, and Flints against Spencer’s chest, clutching his shirt like a lifeline. His curly hair was now frizzy and matted, which looks like a bitch to brush out. Spencer gently moved the cowboy’s hands, and sat up. He got off the bed and walked down the stairs, almost screaming when he saw the bodies of two people, a singular gunshot in each of their heads and pieces of their skull were everywhere. Spencer swallowed the urge to vomit, before dragging both of them out of the house, and over the backyard fence. Once he was done, he went back up the stairs and into the spare bedroom, where Flint was letting him stay, and got out some of his clothes. He pulled off the shirt he was wearing and swapped it over for a light blue one. He decided against buying a hat in the end. Pulling on his boots, Spencer walked out of the room, and walked down the hall to the bathroom.
10 minutes had passed and Spencer was sitting at the kitchen counter, drinking some coffee when Flint came waltzing down the stairs, in a black shirt and grey waistcoat, signature black Stetson atop his sort of tame hair.
”howdy.” Flint yawned, while grabbing a cup of coffee for himself. He was so tired.
“Morning, Sparks.” Spencer smiled when Flint groaned at the nickname. He plonked himself down opposite Spencer, taking a big swig of his coffee. He leaned his head against his arms as he thought, before bolting upright.
“Where…” Spencer looked up at the cowboy and said,
“I sorted it, don’t worry about it.” Flint got up all of a sudden, telling Spencer to stay put and that he would be back. When he did return, Flint told Spencer to come outside to meet someone. Suspicious, Spencer walked out the door to see Flint sitting on top of a giant black and white stallion, grinning. Oh his smile is so captivating.
“Spen, this is Domino.” Spencer’s jaw dropped and he broke out in a huge beaming smile.
“Oh my gosh! Hi Domino!” He said, petting the horse’s nose.
“He’s so large! How do you even get up there?” he asked.
“With a lot of practice, that's for sure.” Flint laughed. He offered Spencer his hand and Spencer accepted.Flint pulled him up and he sat behind him.
“We need to go see Mia, I told her I would after what happened a few days ago.” Spencer grimaced at the reminder of the fight that Flint was in, the bruises on his face fading. Spencer looked at Flint and raised his eyebrows. He had a look on his face that he had never seen on the younger ones before. He looked…scary.
“We need to make a stop before we go to the tailors. You don’t mind, do you?” Flint said, voice sounding flatter than normal. Spencer agreed and they rode off to a little hut that was further away from the rest of the town. Spencer suddenly had a bad feeling pooling in his gut.
Once they had arrived, Flint told Spencer to wait outside while he took Domino round the back. Once Flint returned, someone opened the door and immediately pointed a gun at Spencer. Spencer’s eyes widened and his hands shot up. He looked at Flint for help, who just laughed.
“Richie, he’s with me.” He said, grabbing Spencer's arm and dragging him in the house.
Richie shuts the door behind him and still has his gun brandished, and in Spencer’s general direction. Flint must have noticed and scoffed.
“Oi. put it away.” Richie sighed and put his gun back in his holster.
“What's…what’s going on?” Spencer asks. A woman that Spencer did not recognise walked out of one of the rooms and leaned against the door frame. She looked… terrifying. She had jet black hair tied up into a long ponytail, she was wearing a dark brown skirt, a cream coloured shirt and a navy hat atop her hair she too had a holster with a pistol, and in her waistband sat a dagger. She also had a scar on her face, but it was diagonal across her nose.
“Who said you could talk?” she said, glaring at Spencer like he just spit in her face. Flint slammed down his gun and spun around.
“HEY. shut the fuck up. Who said you could talk? Just sit your ass down.” The girl’s face went red before sitting down at the table. Flint walked over to Spencer and gripped his shoulders.
“Ignore her, Everly can be.. Annoying sometimes. She’s nice once you get to know her I swear.” Spencer stood next to Flint as he gathered a group of people.
“Ya’ll, I want you to meet Spencer, the newest member.” He said smiling. Flint looked ecstatic, like he’d never been happy before in his life up until now. The guy with jet black hair, Richie, tilted his head.
“Are you kidding? Does he even have a gun? Follow up question, can he kill someone?” He asks, glaring at Spencer. Spencer’s eyes widened.
“W-what?! What do you mean?” He exclaimed. Flint crossed his arms and scoffed.
“Don’t worry, I'll get you a gun right now, Give me one minute.” He says before walking into another room and returning with a revolver, a holster and some ammunition which he slammed on the table.
“Here ya go! That there is the barrel, that’s the cylinder your bullets go in, that’s the hammer and that’s the release. I already loaded it for you. Just make sure you never load it with six, only five.” Flint said as he picked up the holster and slung it around Spencer’s hips, buckling it up and putting the gun in the holster. Spencer looked down at the black holster now slung around his waist.
“I don’t..” Spencer started, but got cut off by Everly.
“So, now what? You just found this guy on the side of the road by the Firecliff river. And know he’s joining us? Are you in love with him or something?” Flint's face contorted into one of fear for a split second, before sighing.
“Ev, he was stuck in the middle of somewhere he doesn’t know, might as well gain a new member.” Flint crossed his arms, he looked anxious. Spencer walked up closer to Flint, standing next to him.”
woah woah what? A gang?” Spencer said, pulling the revolver out of the holster. Flint hummed in response, adjusting his hat.
“Sparks I can't shoot someone..” Spencer starts, but gets cut off by Richie.
“There's all the evidence we need. He’ll weigh us down, weigh you down.” He says, glaring into Spencer’s soul. Flint rolled his eyes, before sitting on the table, facing Spencer. “Don’t worry, Spencer. Eventually you’ll have the courage to shoot a man. It took me a while before I killed a guy.” He said, shrugging. Spencer stared at Flint, before sitting on the table next to him.
“If I killed someone.. What would that mean?” he asks. Spencer tilts his head in Flint’s direction, looking into his oceanic eyes.
“Well.. it would mean that you’re dedicated to us, I suppose. You don’t have to kill anyone, don’t worry. You can just keep watch, or be a distraction.” Flint said, shrugging again. Spencer nodded, fiddling with his hands. He muttered something under his breath, before Flint asked him to repeat it.
“I don’t do blood.” There is silence for a few seconds, then Flint barks out a laugh. Spencer drinks in the sound. Flint looks at Spencer, still giggling softly.
“Yet you cleaned all the blood from my house.” He says, once he has finished laughing. Richie and Everly share a glance before looking at the two on the table.
“Wait wait wait.. What blood?” Everly asks, looking at Flint. Flint looks at the ground, staying quiet. Everly looks at Spencer.
“You. What blood?” she asks, stepping closer. Spencer looked at Everly, opening his mouth to say something but decided to shut his mouth. Flint looks at Everly.
“Two men broke into my house, so I shot them. No big deal. Spencer got rid of them so..” he says, trailing off. Everly’s eyes widen and she walks up to Flint, grabbing his shoulders. Spencer took note of how he flinched.
“What do you mean two men? From Nathan’s gang? You know they’re going to come after us now! You’re such an idiot!” She shrieks, shaking him slightly. Spencer stepped in between them, gently shoving Everly's arms away.
“Woah. shouting at each other isn’t going to solve anything. If this Nathan comes after us, I’ll help. It's fine.” He says, looking between the two. Flint is pale and silent but a small smile is present on his face. Everly is angry and her arms are crossed, a scowl etched on her face. “Whatever. I'm going out and taking Rich with me.” She says, dragging Richie out the door and slamming it behind them, causing both Spencer and Flint to jump. Flint let out a shaky exhale, before covering his face with his hands. Spencer looked at him, standing in front of him.
“Are you okay?” he asks. Flint nods, not moving his hands. Spencer gently circles Flint’s wrists, pulling his hands away from his face. Flint’s stoic facade had crumbled. His face was flushed and his eyes were tinted red. His breathing hitched and it was obvious he was trying to not cry. Spencer holds Flint’s face in hands and everything falls apart. Flint can’t stop the tears that fall down his face or the sobs that escape him. He falls into Spencer’s arms and just….cries.
After a couple of minutes, Flint’s crying ceases. He wipes his nose, looking up at Spencer. “Sorry about your shirt.” He sniffs. Spencer laughs softly, once again holding Flint’s face in his hands, and he looks at Flint as if he were the stars; Flint looks at him as if he were the moon.
“Don’t apologise.. It’s just a shirt.” Spencer says, wiping the stray tear off of Flint’s face. Flint laughs wetly. Spencer leans his forehead against Flint’s, closing his eyes.
“You wanna know something? I think gunpowder is my favourite smell.” he whispers. Flint smiles slightly,
“oh? Why’s that?” Flint whispers back. “It reminds me of you.” Spencer says, taking one of Flint’s hands in his. Spencer can feel the smile engraved on Flint’s face. He opens his eyes, looking at the brunette. Spencer can see an expression on Flint’s face that he’s never seen on the younger’s face before. Spencer opens his mouth to say something, but Flint beats him to it.
“I think I'm in love with you.” he blurts out. Spencer’s eyes widen and he looks at Flint. The latter pulls away suddenly, standing up.
“I'm sorry.. I shouldn’t have-” Flint starts, before getting cut off by Spencer placing his hands on Flint’s waist, pulling him close and kissing him quickly, before pulling away.
“The uh.. The feeling’s mutual. If that isn't obvious.” Spencer says, before kissing Flint again, this time Flint kissed back, looping his arms around Spencer’s neck. They pull apart after a couple seconds, Spencer’s hands gripping Flint’s waist a little tighter, not wanting to let him go. Just as Spencer leans in, the door opens, and Flint shoves Spencer away from him. A look of hurt washes across his face, looking at Flint before looking at Everly and Richie. “We’re back. And we got New Guy something.” Richie says before handing Spencer a dark brown hat. Flint took the hat from Spencer, smiling. He placed it on Spencer's head.
“Now you’re truly a cowboy.” He says intertwining their pinkies together behind their backs. A small smile graces Spencer’s lips.
Richie looked at them before rolling his eyes.
“Right, members of Nathan’s gang are littering the streets.” He says, sitting down at the table, making the rest of them sit down too.
“They’re after me. So I'll deal with them.” Flint shrugged, then tapped his nails against the mahogany wood. Everly rolls her eyes.
“Flint. Don’t be stupid. You remember what happened last time you tried to take them on alone?!” She says, raising her voice. Flint flinched a little. Spencer cautiously put his hand on Flint’s thigh, to try to comfort him.
“What happened?” Spencer asked, looking at Flint. Flint looks down, his leg bouncing slightly. Without saying anything, he pointed at his eye, Spencer understood immediately. “Yeah, he has a hella ugly scar. This is why he's NOT allowed to go by himself. Looking for trouble.” Richie says, glaring. Flint leaned back in his chair, before subtly moving his hair over his eye then crossing his arms.
“I'm an adult, you know.” He scoffs, adjusting his hat.
“Whatever, we need to think this through logically.” Everly says standing up.
“We can separate, take them by surprise. We saw 2 of Nathan's gang. He’s got a lot more members than we do. We have 5, he has 8. He had 10 but a certain someone shot two of them.” Everly said, smoothing her skirt.
“You and Spencer go together considering he follows you like a lost dog.” She adds, talking to Flint. She walked towards the door.
“Me and Rich will go out first, you two wait ten minutes then come out. They can’t see us together.” Everly said, gesturing for Richie to follow her. “We’ll go tell Maya.” Richie says, shutting the door behind him once again. Flint stands up, rummaging through the drawers. Spencer fiddled with his new hat, then walked over to Flint. Flint turns around, handing Spencer a bolo tie.
“It’s a good luck charm.. I thought you might like it..” He mutters. Spencer smiles, putting the tie on. He holds Flint’s jaw, moving his hair out of his face.
“You don’t need to cover your face, you’re so pretty.” He says. Flint blushed. He looked at Spencer with so much love in his eyes it made Spencer’s knees go weak. Flint kissed Spencer, holding his neck gently.
“We better go.. They’ll be waiting for us.” Spencer says, pulling away. Flint grabs his hand. “I’m.. I'm sorry I shoved you away earlier.. It's not very acceptable to be queer.” he says, looking down at their joined hands. Spencer felt a bad feeling pool in his gut at that.
”I need to find a way to get us back into my time.” he says, running his free hand through his hair. Flint raised an eyebrow.
“What do you mean?” He asks in a quiet voice. Spencer looks at him, and then looks at the door.
“In the future, me and you can hold hands while walking down the street and no one will bat an eye.” Flint’s eyes dart towards the door, then back to the man in front of him.
“Well.. I can’t wait for that.” he smiles. Spencer grins, rushing to open the door.
“After you, my lady.” He laughs.
“You’re so lame.” Flint scoffed, rolling his eyes as he walked out the door.
Flint and Spencer walked through the town, Spencer looking around at the area he’s never been in. He spots a small tavern just west of where they were standing.
“Is that a pub? I could kill for a drink.” Spencer said, while flicking his hat down a bit.
“Huh? Oh yeah. I could go for some whisky too.” Flint agrees. He stopped walking and looked towards the tavern.
“But we can't. We have a job to do.” Flint sighs, kicking the ground. Spencer looks at him, fixing his belt. Flint’s eyes went wide; he’s come up with an idea.
“Right. I need to run back to my place. You stay here.” He said, running down the road.
Spencer looks at him as he runs away. Instead of staying put like he was told, Spencer looked around the town, glancing in all the shop windows. Approximately 20 minutes later, Spencer spots Flint running up the road, but he looks completely different. He was wearing a white shirt, a deep red waistcoat and black trousers. He also had a black cravat and a long black coat on. He had formal shoes on and a black cane with a silver top in his left hand; he was missing his signature black Stetson.
“Wow. you look..” Spencer says, looking him up and down.
“Stupid?” Flint laughs.
“...breathtaking..” Spencer whispered.
Flint’s face flushed, a smile spreading across his face.
“So what's with the getup? You look like a fancy Victorian man.” Spencer says, touching the sleeve of Flint’s suede coat, the silver buttons shining in the Texas sun.
“Well.. it’s difficult to explain but you’ll see.” Flint replied, running his hands through his hair. Spencer looked at him in confusion, but did not question it. Flint walks along the road, tapping his cane against the floor. Spencer noticed that Flint had a patch over his eye, which Spencer didn’t spot at first.
“Why are you covering your eye? You don’t need to do that.” He says, going to hold Flint’s hand but stopping half way. Flint walks to the wooden porch of a house, picking up his cane and holding it over his shoulder like a baseball bat.
“Well.. You’ll see.” Flint says, smirking. He pushes open the door, and it turns out to be a saloon. The bartender looks at Flint, before smiling slightly.
“Felix, my boy! How are you doing?” Spencer tilts his head at Flint, who just shrugs before laughing.
“I'm doing great, Mr.Anderson! How are you on such a fine afternoon?” Flint replies, sitting at the bar, gesturing for Spencer to do the same. As Mr.Anderson gets two drinks for them, Flint spins and faces Spencer.
“Okay, here’s the deal. My lot aren’t necessarily welcomed here, a lot of people are scared of us, me in particular. So I have a fake persona. Nothing exciting.” He says, shrugging.
Before Spencer can get a word out, Mr.Anderson comes back with their drinks. The pair take them, Spencer slowly drinks his whisky, while Flint downs his in one go. Spencer looks at him in pure awe. He leans in and whispers in Flints ear;
“If I could touch you right now.. Holy shit.”
Flint, inhaled sharply, causing him to choke on Spencer’s drink, turning scarlet. Spencer barks out a laugh, patting Flint’s back. Once Flint stops choking, Richie and Everly make their presence known.
“So. you two have been in here?” Everly scoffs. Richie sits down next to Flint while Everly sits next to Spencer. They sit in a comfortable silencer for a few minutes.
“Maya saw Nathan.” Richie blurts out. Flint tenses up, grabbing his cane before standing up. Spencer looks at the three of them in confusion, standing up with Flint. Everly shoots Rich a look.
“Don’t panic. It's fine.” Everly said, grabbing Flint’s wrist, looking up at him. Flint looks at Everly, before snatching his arm away, and walking out the door. Spencer looks at the door, ready to follow him, when Everly stops him.
“Leave him. He likes to be on his own sometimes. He’s worked up, he’ll calm down.”
She says. Spencer looks at her.
“Yeah, but he seems really down. Don't you wanna like, make sure he’s okay?” He says to her. Everly rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.
“The last time I did that I almost had a bullet in my skull, kid.” Spencer looks at the door again, before looking down.
“What’s the problem with him and Nathan?” He asks. Everly looks down, then gesturing for Spencer to sit down. Everly sighs.
“His oldman used to run Nathan's gang a couple years ago. Before it was Nathan’s gang, it was Oliver’s gang. But Oliver’s oldest kid got caught in the crossfire, and she got shot. Nathan decided that he didn’t want to be bossed around. So he chose to wipe out the leader.”
She says, Spencer listening intently.
“He went to Oliver’s house and shot him as he opened the door, completely unaware that Oliver’s 15 year old son was watching the whole time. And that’s the moment Flint’s life became about revenge.”
Spencer’s eyes widened in pity. He stood up and bolted out the door.
Spencer walked around the town, Searching for Flint. He couldn't find him anywhere. The only thing he could find of the younger was the black suede coat he was wearing, discarded on the sandy ground. Spencer cautiously picked it up, noting how heavy it was.
“Where are you, Sparks?” Spencer muttered to himself. It took him an hour before he found Flint. Spencer looks at the River, the exact spot he first met Flint. He decided to walk along the river, spotting a big wooden bridge, and the faint outline of a person standing on it. He speeds up a little, walking up the bridge. He spotted Flint, leaning on the railings looking down. He held a cigarette in his right hand.
“There you are! I've been looking for you for ages.” Spencer said, standing next to him. Flint glances at him, taking a drag from his cigarette, blowing the smoke in the opposite direction of where Spencer was standing. Flint offered the cigarette to Spencer, who declined.
“I don’t smoke. Have you been here the whole time?” He asks. Flint takes another drag, before throwing the cigarette over the bridge. The sun was beginning to set.
“I suppose.. Sometimes I just need to think. Hearin’ that Nathan is back in town after 5 years is.. Disturbing to say the least.” Flint says after a couple minutes. He mutters something else under his breath that Spencer didn’t catch.
“Everly told me.. About what happened. I'm really sorry.” Spencer says, carefully snaking his arm around Flint’s waist. Flint tenses at first, but slowly leans his head against Spencer’s shoulder, sighing.
“Spencer?”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t think I'm gonna see another sunset. I have a feeling in my gut.” Flint says, looking down at the glittering water below. Spencer shifts his body so he’s facing Flint, with a look of concern.
“What? What are you talking about, Sparks?” Spencer asks, the concern now flooding his voice. Flint didn't respond, just continued to stare down at the water. Spencer held Flint’s shoulders, gently shaking him a couple times.
“Hey. Talk to me. What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours, huh?” Spencer whispers, a gentle smile graced his features.
Flint wipes his nose, sniffing. He clears his throat and swallows. He looks up at Spencer once his facade is back up.
“Do you think if you can go back to 2023, can I come with you?” He says. Spencer sighed, he was so smitten for this cowboy.
“Of course you can, you don't even have to ask. If i’m honest.. I don't think I could live without you at this point. I'm so in love with you, Flint.” he says. He turns back to the sunset, lockinging his fingers with Flint’s, as they watch the sunset for what could be the final time.
The two walk back through the town, the blanket of night shielding them from prying eyes, allowing them to hold hands. Flint rolled up the sleeves on his white shirt, unbuttoning his waistcoat. Spencer rubs his thumb against the palm of Flint’s hand.
“Just imagine.. You and I do this in daylight, walking around town, going into bookstores, getting coffee.. While openly talking about how much we love each other.”
Flint smiles, rain slowly starts to pour down,
“Wow.. it hasn't rained this much in a while.” he says as it gets heavier. Instead of running for cover, Flint laughs and drags Spencer to stand in the rain, out from under the covers of the shops, the pair immediately getting drenched.
“I’ve always wanted to recreate the scene from the notebook.” Spencer says suddenly. Flint tilts his head in confusion as Spencer looks around.
“What are you doing? What's a notebook?” He asks. Spencer smiles at him
“When we get to my time, I’ll show you.” He responds before pulling Flint in, and kissing him hard. Flint laughs as he kisses back, his hands on Spencer’s shoulders.
They spend the night kicking the puddles, laughing and talking. Neither slept, too infatuated with each other to care about exhaustion. The hours pass by, feeling like minutes to the couple, the sun beginning to rise. The rain had long stopped and they were almost dry. They began to walk back to Flint's place, when Spencer noticed smoke up ahead. A bad feeling nestled itself in their stomachs, causing them to run towards the smoke.
“Holy..shit.” Flint breathes.
The hut they had the meetings in was ablaze, the whole house doused in bright orange flames, the excruciating heat could be felt from 5 metres away.
“You don't think..?” Spencer says, covering his mouth with his hands. Flint’s facial expression hardens, back to the expression he wore when they first met months ago.
“Nathan.” was the only thing Flint said before turning and walking towards the tailors, Spencer in tow.
Flint burst through the door.
“Maya!” He shouts, watching the back door open. Maya came running out the door and pulled Flint into a hug.
“Thank Jupiter you’re alive. That fire killed them, Flint. They’re gone.” she cried. Spencer immediately knew she was talking about Everly and Richie. It made him shiver to think that if he didn’t go after Flint, he too would’ve died. Flint didn't cry. He adjusts his belt with his holsters.
“Well, Maya. It's been a pleasure knowing you for all these years. Thank you kindly for your service to me. If I had my hat I would tip it.” There are tears in Maya’s eyes and she smiles at Flint for the final time as he walks out the door, buttoning up his waistcoat. Spencer follows him, trying to get him to come back.
“Where are you going?! If you're doing what I think you’re doing I swear.”
He says, running after him, not caring that his hat has blown off his head.
Flint keeps walking, not answering his lover’s questions. Spencer catches up with him, grabbing his wrist and spinning him to face him.
“Let go of me.” Flint grits out, snatching his wrist out of Spencer’s grasp, continuing to walk. Spencer reaches out for him again, stumbling back with wide eyes when Flint pulls his gun on him, pointing it between Spencer’s eyes. Spencer’s arms drop to his sides and he looks at Flint with pleading eyes.
“Sorry. But you can’t stop me from doing this.” Flint says, lowering his gun, but not putting it away. Spencer takes a deep breath and with shaky hands, he pulls out his own gun.
“Then I'm helping you,” he says. Flint rolls his eyes and carries on walking. If he's honest, he doesn’t know where he's going, All he knows is today is the day Nathan Watts will die. Spencer follows the cowboy, who suddenly stops, causing Spencer to collide into him.
“Why did you..” Spencer tails off, seeing a man standing over the dead body of a young boy. He inhales sharply, fear filling his body slowly as the man turns around to face them.
“So.. you’re fireproof now, Dawson?” The man scoffs as a couple men come out of the surrounding houses, trapping them.
“I actually wasn’t in the house. So you damaged property for no reason.” Flint sneered, crossing his arms. Spencer just watched as the man he assumed was Nathan, walked closer to them. Without thinking properly, Flint dragged Spencer, which caused Nathan’s men to start shooting. The two hid behind a building crouching down.
“Alright. We need to split up.” Flint stated, reloading his pistols. Spencer feels something dripping down his arm. He looks to his right and sees his arm is bleeding, he panics, alerting Flint.
“Shit. Give me your arm.” Flint says, gesturing for Spencer to hold his arm out. He takes his arm and pulls out the handkerchief from his waistcoat pocket and wraps it around his arm and ties it tight around the wound.
“It’s just a scratch you’ll be fine. We’ll pour whisky on it later.” Spencer looks at him in disgust.
“It better be.” He says pulling his own gun out. Spencer turns the polished weapon in his hand, examining it.
“You don’t know-”
“I don’t know how to fire it.” Spencer frantically whispered. Flint shook his head, sighing.
“Pull the hammer back then pull the trigger. Once you’ve fired, pull the hammer back again then pull the trigger. Got it?” Spencer nods blindly before peering out from the wall. He wasn’t expecting Flint to bolt out, firing his gun at anyone in his way, running towards the bridge. Spencer wondered what happened to Domino before bolting to follow Flint to the bridge.
Spencer gets within 4 metres of the bridge when he sees Flint and Nathan standing on it. He runs up the bridge when Nathan turns around and grabs Spencer, holding him in a headlock with his gun to his head, causing him to let out a shout. Flint’s eyes widen and he stops in his tracks and his breathing gets caught in his throat.
“Let him go, he has nothing to do with this.” He manages to say. For the first time in 5 years, Flint felt true fear. Spencer finds his voice.
“It's okay. Don’t panic.” He says. Nathan snarls, cocking his gun.
“You have two choices, Dawson. Either I shoot him, or you do. It’s up to you.” He threatens. Flint swallows and looks at his gun.
“What about a third choice?” Flint whispers. Spencer immediately knows exactly what he’s planning.
“Flint. No.” He says, voice flooded with terror. Nathan smiles in amusement.
“Oh? What would that be, pray tell?” He smirks. Flint glares at him.
“You know what I mean. If I kill myself, you’ll let him go.” Flint declares. Spencer’s breathing picks up immensely.
“Alright. Deal.” Nathan chuckles. Spencer watches in horror as Flint sits on the railing, cocks his gun, holds it to his head and says;
“I love you, Spencer. You gave my life a meaning.”
He pulls the trigger.
Spencer yells as Flint’s lifeless body topples over the railing, falling into the river. Nathan lets him go and the first thing he did was run to the edge of the bridge. He feels tears roll down his face as he sobs.
“Tch. How pathetic.” Nathan mocks. He aims his gun at Spencer, pulling the hammer back.
“You think I give a shit about what he wants? Just be thankful I’m reuniting you so soon. You have nothing for me, so why should you live?” Nathan says, pulling the trigger, sending Spencer over the bridge too.
—---------------------------------------------------0—----------------------------------------------------------------
Spencer feels water flood his lungs as he reaches the surface of the Thames. He immediately started choking as he reached the air. He was wearing his lavender hoodie and blue jeans when he fell in the Thames. He looked around frantically, realising where he was.
“What the fuck.” He mutters. What had happened? He had a massive headache and He remembered the events. He had been shot, but somehow he was alive. He realised he was back in 2023. He’d fallen in the river. None of that had happened. Flint wasn’t..real. Spencer feels something grab his arm, pulling him under a little. A man, roughly the same age as Spencer, possibly younger, wearing a white shirt and a red waistcoat, breaks the surface too. Spencer knows this man. And he knows Spencer.
“Spencer?”
“Sparks?”
Spencer has never felt relief like that before. He laughs, loud and carefree. They had survived. Spencer saw the rescue people come near them, pulling them out of the water.
“Do you two know each other?” One of the rescue members said. Spencer smiled, grabbing Flint’s hand and holding it in his.
“Yes. He’s my boyfriend.”