Outlaws in Time - Billy the Kid x !Reader

Chapter 3. Boyfriend and Girlfriend

"Billy!" A feminine scream jolted you awake, beads of sweat forming on your forehead.

"Ma, I can explain," Billy hastily rose from his position, extending his hand to shield you from whoever was causing the uproar. As you surveyed the man before you, clad in white pajamas, the sole window in the room cast a feeble light, slowly revealing the room's size to be much smaller than you had realized.

You looked at the sickly boy in the bed next to you, his gaze both fatigued and amused, barely containing his giggles amid the commotion. Glancing down at your attire, the familiar sight of the same stained pink skirt and white collared shirt confirmed that yesterday's harrowing events were indeed not a dream.

"Is that..." The woman who had screamed finally laid eyes on your face, peering between Billy's failed attempts to shield you. "It's that girl from yesterday? The weird one!" Her accusatory finger pointed directly at you, identifying the waitress from the previous day, her weariness even more pronounced today. You met her gaze with a blank expression, unsure of how to react to being labeled as "weird."

"I can explain, Ma," Billy pleaded, attempting to usher his mother out of the room.

"I can't believe you brought a girl overnight, and in the same room as your brother?!" She yelled, delivering non-harmful smacks to Billy's face and back of the head. Before closing the door, Billy mouthed a 'sorry' to you, leaving you alone with the muffled echoes of a scolding mother behind the closed door—phrases like "How could you?" and "Is this how I taught you?" lingering in the air.

"Ma is very nice," the younger boy spoke up, taking a sip of water from the glass on the drawer beside him. He smiled at you, attempting to reassure you and alleviate any guilt about freeloading.

"Thanks." You smiled and sat up, facing Joseph, extended your hand, and introduced yourself as you didn't get the chance to last night. He weakly reciprocated with a feeble handshake.

"I hope my coughing didn't wake you up last night," he said weakly, covering his mouth with his shirt as he coughed.

"Oh, don't worry about me; I always sleep like a baby." Joseph nodded in reply, you noticed Joseph's messy brown hair. In a way, he was a much smaller version of Billy, the same color dark brown hair, though Joseph was missing Billy's striking blue eyes. You stretched your hands over, and couldn't resist playfully patting down his messy hair. However, each attempt only caused the strands to defiantly shoot back up, prompting a giggle from you.

"I'm in bed all the time, so I have permanent bed hair."

"Oh, do you?" You playfully patted his head again, staying there longer this time, and once more, his hair resisted any attempts to be tamed. "You might be right." A smile spread across your face, and Joseph reciprocated, "You don't play with your friends outside?" Observing his pale complexion, you couldn't help but notice that Joseph was likely Vitamin C deficient and needed more exposure to sunlight, something that the only small window in the room could not satisfy.

"I don't have any friends," Joseph looked down and said sadly, "I'm not allowed to go outside by myself, I'm sick." You frowned, wondering what Joseph had that didn't allow him to go outside.

"How do you spend your time then?"

"I wait till Billy or Ma comes home." As you looked at the frail boy before you, a wave of empathy washed over you. He reminded you of your past self, alone at home, awaiting your father's return.

You moved over to Joseph's bed, and cupped his face "Well, once you get better, you'll be able to go outside and make lots of friends." You squeezed his face together, though frail, he still had baby fat from his age, and you couldn't help but think he was adorable.