heart of gold | timothée chalamet

part five - what we said by the river

you pull timothée up from the ground, though the thought to let go of his hand doesn't come to you. you retreat further into the cave, following the stream of water near the entrance. the stream grows larger and the cave cools. the sound of rushing water becomes louder; your grip on timothée's hand doesn't falter. the cave, from where it barely didn't scrape little john's head, expands into a grand cavern. there's an opening near the top of the cave, and water flows from it, forming a waterfall. little john walks towards a pile of rocks, hiding the sacks, while you walk closer to the river. you feel timothée's steps relax, so you look back to check on him. timothée's eyes are wide and full of wonder as he looks around the cavern. you can't help but smile.

the three of you wait by the river, occasionally drinking from the clear stream. a dull pain suddenly attracts your attention, pinpointed on your calf. you lift your leg from where it rests on the gravel. the brown of your pants had splotches of dirt, but you notice drips of blood dying the small pebbles, it coming from a red hole in your pants. you lift your pants to reveal a cut on your calf, dripping blood down into your boot. you gently touch the cut, swearing under your breath as pain shoots through you. the adrenaline of the chase fades, replaced by pain from your bleeding wound.

"you're hurt." timothée's voice invades your thoughts.

"i'm okay," you try to dismiss him.

"no, you're bleeding. let me help." you look at little john quickly, seeing his smirk. you huff at his expression, turning away from the stream and facing timothée and seeing his worried expression.

"just a cut, timmy," you reassure as he cups water to wash your wound. you don't outwardly express your pain, but your nails dig into your palms as he touches the cut.

timothée reaches for your pouch, hesitating to wait for your permission. you nod, and he opens it from where it's attached to your waist. he takes out his old tie and wraps it around your calf, finishing the pseudo-bandage with a tight knot. "good as new," he smiles, placing his chin on your knee.

you mirror his smile, ruffling his wild curls. "thank you, timmy."

you sit for hours by the stream. though, it's hard for you to keep track of time without the sun. the one indicator of time; however, is the rumbling of your stomachs. "we didn't have breakfast," murmurs little john.

dread settles in your stomach as your hand presses to your pouch around your waist. "and we left the food at the camp." your groan is followed by timothée's stomach.

"i'll go gather some fruit." before you can protest against john's offer, he put a hand on your shoulder. "i'll be okay, kit. it's been a while since we escaped, and they don't know the woods as well as we do."

"then i'll go with you!" you shift, placing your palms into the gravel of the cave to push yourself up, but the weight of john's hand doesn't give.

"not with your calf. it's better if i go alone anyway. if they're even still around here, it'll be harder for them to catch me alone. they'll follow your bloody trail back here, and there's no way i'm bringing timothée." little john adds the part about timothée with a playful grin.

you loudly exhale from your nose, protesting with your eyes. though timothée wrapped your wound, your calf is still burning with a dull pain. "fine. but i swear, if you get caught or–"

"i won't. promise." he smiles, patting your shoulder before standing and walking towards the entrance. "i'll be back with food quickly."

"i'll look after robin!' timothée cheerfully adds, attempting to lighten the anxious mood.

"more like she'll look after you, little guy," john remarks before entering the cave tunnel.

you sit next to timothée in silence, listening to the rushing waterfall. the gravel next to you rustles, caused by timothée standing. he mutters about the cave being chilly and walks to where little john hid the sacks. you watch as he pulls his jacket from one of them, walking back. only then does he notice that you're watching, and he smirks. you look back at the water, hugging yourself with the sleeves of your cloak. timothée rejoins you on the gravel, sitting noticeably closer. "to preserve warmth." his arm touches yours, and you feel somehow warmer.