I WANNA BE YOURS ♡ arvin russell (d. kink)

21. LAW MAN

IWBY
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE: LAW MAN

it took a whole lot of coaxing to get aurora into the next car. the three minutes took a whole lot of reassuring, forehead kisses and trembling on aurora's behalf. whoever was driving the car was obviously frustrated, who the hell would be hitch hiking if they didn't even want to get into the damned car?

the two sat in the back seat together, aurora's arms tightly woven around arvin's chest, head buried in his shoulder. she was still shaking, as though she may never stop. the cap that had previously sat on arvin's head sat atop her own now, so that she could have access to his chestnut curtains. trembling hands wove through them effortlessly in hopes to calm herself.

the big blue car dropped the two off outside an old rickety building, the painted woodwork chipped and frayed. a man sat alone outside the building, in the shelter away from the dank weather. "howdy." he said, and the little girl held onto her boyfriend's hand tighter. "you look like you've been travelling."

arvin stopped suddenly, eyes fluttering between the man and the car that was driving away. he rubbed on the back of aurora's hand with his thumb, trying his best to stop her trembling. coming so close to death had frightened her to no ends, and she couldn't bare the thought of them both getting hurt again. "yeah."

"where you headed?"

"there used to be a house and a barn up on the hill over there. some lawyer owned it. you know it?" arvin shuffled, moving aurora behind him lightly. she tried not to stare at the man who was sat down for too long, in hopes that she didn't antagonise him. he looked harmless, muddy boots, flannel shirt rolled up to his biceps, denim dungarees covering almost every inch of his body.

"sure i do. up in the mitchell flats."

it started to rain on the two, and aurora was thankful for the blue hat covering her dainty head. arvin's curtains started to flatten against his head, and aurora frowned, taking the cap off her own head and putting it back on his. he squeezed her hands in thanks. "still there?"

"well, i'll be damned. you're that russell boy, ain't you?" aurora peeked out from behind arvin, eyes travelling between her lover and the middle aged man as though she were watching the ball at a tennis match.

jaw clenched, arvin nodded. "i just thought, seeing as i was this way, i'd stop by and see the old place again." the man stood up, rickety as ever, and aurora flinched. she tried to hide it the best she could, but the man still noticed.

"son, i hate to tell you this, but that place burned some years ago. they think some kids did it." the grip that arvin had on aurora's hand tightened and she swallowed thickly, her free hand coming to rest on the back of his denim jacket. she rubbed slow, comforting circles against his skin in hopes that it might comfort him, as he had been comforting her all day. "wasn't nobody ever living there since you and your folks."

"well, heck." arvin sighed. "we came all this way we might as well walk up there anyways."

"sure. just cut across the clarence's pasture. he won't say nothing." arvin nodded. he started to move, his hand pulling the tired girl with him. she gave the man a timid, toothless smile. then suddenly, arvin stopped.

"i never did thank you for the night my dad died." aurora's lip wobbled, connecting the dots between the two men. he had helped arvin. "you were awful kind to me, i just want you to know that i ain't never forgot it."

"you had that pie smeared all across your face. damn bodecker thought it was blood." the man smiled. "and you definitely didn't have a pretty thing attached to your hip." aurora knew that the compliment meant well, but she decided not to speak upon it, only sending another smile. arvin trusted him, so she should too.

"yeah, i remember everything about that night." arvin looked down as he nodded.

"he ain't the law man that i expected. shame about his sister though."

"w-why?" the small girl finally spoke up, looking the man in his kind eyes. "what happened?"

"well, his sister and her husband were found dead. not far from meade." aurora grew pale, stumbling in her step lightly. arvin too looked up, eyes wide. they both tightened their grip. god knows what would happen if they were caught. "you come back and see me. we'll sit down and drink some beer."

"i'll do that." arvin nodded before briskly walking away, pulling aurora with him. she quickly followed behind him, shyly waving the man goodbye and walking up the small hill.

they made their way into a woodlands quicker than they had even noticed, a low chatter between them. they were both trying their best to ignore the nagging feeling that they could be caught sooner than later in their minds. arvin had even gone as far as telling aurora about his mother's hair, and her pretty singing voice.

"i can't s-sing." she insisted as she followed behind her lover. "mother always said that was best left for richard."

"don't be stupid, you the prettiest sounding angel i've ever heard." his compliment seemed halfhearted, as though his mind were truly somewhere else as they trenched through the autumn leaves. aurora didn't even know how many days that they'd been on the road for.

she reached up into her hair, letting it fall down and tumble past her shoulders. she needed the extra warmth. arvin seemed to stop before suddenly moving fast again, almost forgetting the small girl's presence. he walked quickly down the steep edge of the woodlands, brown leaves kicking up with his footsteps. aurora tried following the best she could, she didn't want to agitate him, or pull his mind away from whatever he was thinking about going towards.

arvin had taken such good care of the blonde girl, not only in the past few days but in the almost whole year that she'd known him. he deserved to find a sense of peace with his old home, or whatever it was drawing him all the way back to where they were.

IWBY
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE: LAW MAN