heart of gold | timothée chalamet

part three - stuck together

the boy from the masquerade lays unconscious on the grass just outside sherwood forest. upon seeing little john standing over the body, panic starts to swell in your gut. you feel your breath quicken. your hands flying to the sides of your face, wrists digging into your temples and fingers gripping your tangled hair. little john silently looks at the boy. "john..." your voice only comes out as a hushed whisper. unprompted, john bends his knees, pulling the body up and over his tall shoulder. "john!" he finally looks at you, his eyes reveal the panic that he's feeling. "what are you doing?!" you try to yell between your rapid breaths.

"we can't just leave him."

you equip your bow and quiver without looking away from john. "why not? i don't want a hostage! we can't afford to have another person. not only that, but it's wrong!"

"kit," john supports the man on his shoulder with his hand, readjusting. "he saw your face." his tone is solemn, the weight of the situation pressing further. the mysterious boy saw your face, your bow, your cloak. "we can't leave him to tell the sheriff. he'll describe your face and they'll change the posters. they already have my face, and you're more notorious. can you imagine how hard it'll be to live? there would be nothing that we can hide!"

you begin to pace, frustratedly pulling at your hair. you mutter to yourself, fighting between your morals and being able to exist somewhat peacefully. you wouldn't be able to walk around as another person in town. you couldn't go to marian's in another outfit, pretending to be someone you're not. you'd be isolated in the forest forever. an exasperated yell escapes your mouth, startling little john. "let's go, (y/n). we can't stay here." he steps carefully into the brush as you pick up the two sacks of gold.

you thought that you would split the burden of carrying the half-filled sacks with john. the weight of the coins takes a toll on the speed of navigating sherwood. you are only able to walk for a little before you become too tired, the muscles in your arms screaming for rest. "john," voice an exhausted sigh as you drop the sacks.

"we'll stop here. should be fine until the morning." john gently places the boy on the ground before he gathers tinder and small twigs. his trained eyes know what to use to avoid heavy smoke.

"how long has he been out?" you ask, slumping onto the ground next to his body. "is he alive?" you closely watch his rising chest.

"he's alive, kit." john's voice is slightly distant, digging through shrubs. the boy's moon mask still blocks his face, slightly ajar compared to when he was in the party. you inch closer, carefully removing it. you feel your face heating up as your eyes rapidly travel the new features. "you know him?" you jump away from the boy and look behind you. little john has a handful of fuel for the fire, a smug smirk on his face.

"no, not really." you reach into your pouch for a preserved dinner. "talked to him at the party a bit. he was nice 'n we, uh..." you hand little john a portion as he sits on the ground next to you. "we danced together."

"you danced?" his tone is mocking, digging into his rabbit portion. you meagerly kick dirt and grass at john.

"he invited me to dance and i was being nice. it was fun," you pause, taking a small bite. "he thought that i was a man, though."

little john chokes on his food, coughing and beating his chest. "what?" his coughs and laughter combine.

"we talked about the forest, and he told me robin hood's a guy. said that he isn't allowed near here either."

"well, that rule's been broken." after john's comment, a strange silence takes hold of the makeshift camp. even though your mind is racing, you eventually find yourself back next to the boy's body. you feel an overwhelming sense of guilt looking at his unconscious body, and you fall into an unsettled sleep.