The Van der Linde Gang & Female Reader
Summary: After taking a few days away from the camp to process your near assault, you return but somebody notices how you're acting differently. This just turned into Hosea being the best father figure, I'm sorry. XD
Warnings: mentions of sexual harassment, nothing graphic.
Word Count: 1800
Checking that the door of the hotel room you just rented was locked, you rubbed your hands over your face before collapsing onto the bed. You just lay there, fully dressed and on top of the sheets, staring at the ceiling.
You knew that you weren't going to sleep that night, not well anyway. Every time you closed your eyes, all you could see was him. You could still feel his bruising hands on you, how his nails dug into your skin, his voice in your ear and the threats he made.
You shook your head and screwed your eyes shut to get rid of the image but then it was just replaced by the blood and the ringing in your ears. The image made you jolt up into a sitting position before you let out a shaky sigh. You welcomed the image more than the one of the man, at least that reminded you that you managed to fight him off and get away.
After a moment, you decided to have a bath, needing to get the feel of dirt and grime off of your skin. Tears pricked at your eyes once again when noticed the forming bruises on your body.
But you tried to ignore them, drying off and dressing before retiring to bed. Curling up under the covers, listening to the quiet rumble of the saloon below you.
You decided that you would rent the room for a few days, just needing some time alone. You couldn't even think about dealing with the rest of the gang right now, even though you knew they never meant any harm.
It wasn't completely uncommon for you, or other members of the gang, to be out of the camp for a few days. So you weren't all that worried about somebody being sent out to look for you, not for a little while at least anyway. You just needed some time to yourself.
-----
A few days passed and you finally decided to return to the camp. You had given yourself some time to just be alone but it was time to head home and you were happy too, you were starting to miss the place.
Kieran had greeted you with a smile, asking if you had a nice trip, as you dismounted your horse. You just nodded and gave him a small smile as you hitched your horse, letting him tend to her.
The majority of the camp had spotted you returning and, of course, Sean had come over to greet you properly. A long with a few other members of the gang.
Sean threw his arm around your shoulders and pulled you into his side. "It's good to have ya back, lass. I was startin' to miss ya face" he grinned, not noticing how your body tensed when he pulled you close.
"Thanks, Sean" you smiled slightly, casually pulling away from him. He didn't seem to notice that anything was wrong.
"It is good to have you back" Dutch reaffirmed as he clasped his hand over your shoulder. "But where were you?" he asked.
"Oh, uh, just looking for leads" you told him, subtly shrinking away from his touch.
"Did you find anything?" Dutch asked, dropping his hand from your shoulder.
"Uh, sure. I think I found something. I'll look into some more" you lied with a small nod but he appeared to believe you. He nodded and gave you a smile before heading back towards his tent.
Hosea was the only one who frowned at your actions, noticing how you tensed when Sean pulled you close and how you flinched away from Dutch's touch. Something wasn't quite right and Hosea knew it but decided not to comment on it, maybe you were just tired and it was making you a little jumpy. Maybe it was nothing...but he would keep an eye on you, just in case.
-----
Since you returned to the camp, Hosea continued to notice how you would react to touch. Something as simple as a touch on the arm had you flinching away, but you would always play it off with a smile.
Both he and Miss Grimshaw had noticed how raised voices made you jump a little, having noticed that when she shouted your name to get your attention, not even in a harsh way. They had also noticed how distracted you have been getting recently, while Miss Grimshaw seemed more irritated by this, Hosea was just concerned. Because he had noticed how you have been just distance in general since you got back, always being on your own as much as you could.
Worrying about you, Hosea had kept an even closer eye on you and noticed how you barely seemed present in conversations, the other women often having to wave a hand in front of your face to get your attention but he noticed how that also made you flinch a little before you shook your head and pretended that you had been listening the whole time.
-----
It had been just under a week since you got back. You were definitely feeling better than you did during those few days in that hotel room but the memory still came back to you from time to time.
It was a late night in the camp, most of the other gang member were sleeping, other than those on guard duty. But you were sitting alone at the campfire, sleep not finding you so easily. You watched the dying flames and didn't even notice that Hosea was approaching you until he spoke.
"Miss L/n, are you alright?" Hosea asked, getting your attention.
"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine. Thank you, Hosea" you smiled up at him, not wanting him to worry about you.
"Do you mind if I sit with you?" Hosea asked politely.
"Of course not" you shook your head, earning a small smile form the older man as he sat down beside you.
"You've been a little distracted lately, are you sure everything is alright?" Hosea asked again, making sure to come across as polite and not pushy.
"Oh, I have? I'm sorry" you apologised quietly, turning your attention back to the fire.
"You don't have anything to apologise for. I'm just a little worried. Did something happen or is something bothering you?" he assured you, sounding genuinely concerned.
"Uh...no...no, everything's fine" you shook your head, not looking at him.
"I don't mean to pry but I know that isn't the case. You've been distant and distracted. You've also been more...jumpy than usual. Ever since you came back from your few days out of camp" Hosea observed and you shifted uncomfortably in your seat. "Alright, you don't need to tell me but just know that me and plenty of other people here are here for you if you ever want to talk" he reminded you as he went to stand up.
"Hosea" you sighed, instantly making him sit back down and wait patiently for you to continue. Maybe it would be better to talk to somebody, and who better to talk to about something like this than Hosea? "I stayed out of camp for a few days because I just need some time to myself...to...process, I guess" you told him.
"Process what?" Hosea asked softly.
"I went into town, was just passing through and grabbing some provisions. I didn't even get to the general store when, uh..." your words drifted off but he just waited for you to speak again, letting you take your time. "Some man approached me. I've dealt with men like him before, I'm sure all the women here have multiple times, but he was persistent and I was alone...we weren't even on the main street" he nodded along sympathetically, already able to see where this was going. "He grabbed me and pulled me down an alley and pushed me into the wall, I didn't even have time to reach for my gun...I couldn't...I tried to call for help or something but he covered my mouth with his hand and he...he tried...uh tried to..." you drifted off again.
"It's okay, take your time. You don't have to say it" Hosea comforted you as he cautiously took your hand in his, you allowed it.
"...I was panicking but when he pulled away to...uh...when he let go of me for a second, I grabbed my gun and just...shot" you told him, staring into the fire as you replayed the events in your head.
"Did you hit him?" Hosea asked.
"Y-yeah. My hands were a little shaky but I got him in the stomach" you nodded.
"Then what?" he encouraged.
"Then I just ran but I was crying and I could barely breath. I just couldn't come back to the camp and deal with everyone or the questions...so I rented a room in a hotel just outside of town. Stayed there for a few days" you explained with a small sigh.
"What happened to the man?" Hosea asked.
"I'm not sure, I just ran. Didn't even look back. I guess he either died in that alley or somebody found him and got him help" you shrugged.
"Whatever happened, I don't want you to feel bad for it. You just did what you had to do" Hosea told you, not wanting you to worry about having killed a man. Not in this circumstance.
"I know...I don't feel bad" you assured him with a small nod.
"I understand why you didn't want to talk about it but remember that there are so many of us here for you" Hosea reminded you.
"Thanks, Hosea" you smiled a little, looking at him this time.
"You just take the time you need, okay?" Hosea told you. He didn't say anything about it but he was considering having a word with Miss Grimshaw, not telling her anything she didn't need to know but just asking her to take it easy on your for a little while.
"Thanks..." you sighed, genuinely appreciating that he had come to talk to you.
"And I'll keep this between us, I promise. If you don't want anyone to know, they don't have too" Hosea promised you.
"I'm really glad you came to talk to me...it feels good to just talk about it with someone. To just not feel like it's some secret or something" you admitted.
"You don't need to carry these burdens alone, that's what we're here for" Hosea made you smile again. You really were thankful for the gang.
"Could you...just sit with me for a while?" you asked. You had spent days alone, letting memories replay in your mind, you didn't want to have to do that again. At least not right now.
"Of course" Hosea nodded, giving your hand a small reassuring squeeze.
He didn't comment when you rested your head against his shoulder, appreciating his calming and comforting presence. Hosea had always been a father figure to many members of the gang, including you, you didn't know what you would do without him or where you would be. If it hadn't been for him, you wouldn't even be with the gang. You wouldn't have had a home or a family like you do now.
When Hosea heard you sniffle quietly and felt your shoulders shake slightly, he wrapped his arms around you and let you shuffle close so that he could hold you more securely, hoping that it made you feel safer and comforted. It did.
Requests are Closed!