Silas blinked sleepily as the morning sun peeked through the bedroom window. He rolled over and came face to face with a scruffy, yet gentle faced man. He tried to carefully slide off the bed as to not wake the other person, only to be pulled back by the waist. Ray nuzzled his face into Silas' side, his arms wrapping tightly around his hips. He never thought that there would be a day where he could act so lovey-dovey, like a spoiled child begging for attention. It seemed to good to be true. Silas huffed a small laugh and reached down to push Ray's hair out of his face. Ray reciprocated and brushed his hands through Silas' long black hair. He sat up and started planting small kisses along Silas' neck, slowly making his way down to his collarbone.
"Someone's excited this morning. We were up all night, so how do you still have so much energy? We need to eat something first." Silas lifted his brow, lightly flicking Ray's forehead.
"I've got plenty to eat right here," Ray spoke with a husky tone. He started kissing Silas again, this time more bold than the last. Silas peeled him off and made a run for the kitchen.
"I need a break, a break! Be good and sit over there or I won't let you touch me for the next three days," Silas pointed towards the couch on the far side of the room.
Slightly dejected, Ray dragged himself over and plopped down, pouting like a hurt puppy. Six months had already passed while they stayed in the safe house. Auntie Leigh would visit once a
month to bring heaps of food and snacks, but she couldn't come too often since it was so out of the way and she didn't want to draw too much attention. She had cleaned up the mess in his old house and stayed there for the time being to keep guard. There had been no sign of the Quinn family or any of their thugs, so they were able to live peacefully. As for the little town that Ray was protecting, he had to beg the retired marshal to fill in for him while he was away. He had to
return eventually, but what will happen to Silas? It was still unsafe to go back, even though the Quinn family had been real quiet lately. He couldn't bear to part with him, and he was sure that Silas felt the same way. He looked over at Silas in the kitchen with worried eyes, watching him gracefully move through the kitchen to prepare them breakfast.
"Angel."
"Hm?" Silas peeked over his shoulder, his eyes smiling as he fried a couple of eggs.
"I think I have to go back for a bit. You know, to check up on things."
"Oh…" Silas slowed his movements. He had forgotten that Ray had other responsibilities, that this was just a temporary situation. He had been so caught up in living a romantic, domestic life that he just forgot all of his troubles and became dependent on Ray. Of course he had to go back.
He had to leave.
He was leaving him behind.
Silas was spiraling alone in silence, forgetting that he was frying eggs until he smelled something burning, jerking him back to reality. Not only did he burn the eggs but he slightly burned his hand somehow as well. Ray sprang out of his chair and rushed over, grabbing Silas' hand in a
frenzy. He had grabbed the pan with his bare hands while his mind was wandering, his eyes darting back and forth between the pan and Ray's eyes.
While Ray was tending to his wounds, Silas silently watched with a blank expression. Ray was leaving? They had barely begun their life together. His mind was jerked back from the darkness, his face squeezed between Ray's hands.
"Hun…are you alright?" Ray softly kissed the tip of Silas' nose. "You've been out of it this whole time. What's going through your mind?"
"I was just feeling a bit lonely after you said you were leaving. I'll be fine…you have your responsibilities and I have no right to get in the way of that." Silas rested his head against Ray's shoulder, taking a few moments before looking up at his face.
Ray chuckles softly and stroked his cheek. "My sweet angel. Now, why would I leave you behind? I don't know why you thought I would just abandon you after all this time. Unless you don't want to come, then I understand…the danger and all…" Ray shifted in his seat. "But I'll protect you. I'm not sure if you know this but I would do everything in my power to keep you safe and happy." Ray hoisted Silas onto his lap, planting kisses light as a feather all over his face, his hand firmly holding the small of his back.
Small streams of tears raced down Silas' face, and Ray brushed away every single one with his lips. Silas had not known how insecure he was about being abandoned and pushed away until this moment when he thought the love of his life was about to kick him to the curb.
The love of his life?
Before he could think any further, Ray suddenly snapped his head to the side, his gaze focused on the bedroom window. Silas followed his eyes, slowly lifting himself off of Ray and moving to a more stable stance. Ray gestured for Silas to lay low and moved closer to the window.
A pair of eyes peeked into the window, squinting as if they were trying to see inside. Ray and Silas' hearts jolted. Who the hell is this?! Occasionally, there would be a random traveler passing by, but this house was so far out and small that it wasn't common for someone to come snoop around looking for shelter, let alone even see it. They couldn't have possibly been found by someone from the Quinn family, could they?
The pair of eyes disappeared, and they could hear the sound of boots shuffling in the sand. The front door knob began shimmying violently, followed by some light knocks. Ray and Silas glanced at each other and slowly crouched behind the bed. The person suddenly yelled out.
"Hello?! RAYYY! OPEN UP, I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!"
Ray slapped his forehead and sighed. "How did he find me…"
"What, you know this person??"
"You know that retired marshal that's filling in for me? It's his son. Me 'n him go way back and he's still as annoying as ever. He must've bothered the hell out of Auntie to get her give up my location." Ray pursed his lip and made his way to the front door.
Silas silently watched his lover leave the room, unsure of how to process this information. Childhood friend, close enough to know about this secret house, tries to barge in like he lives here. For some reason, he felt a little uneasy.
He makes his way out to the living room behind Ray. As soon as the door opened, a slender yet well built man threw himself into Ray's arms.
He had light brown hair with soft curls that bounced with every slight movement. His face was sweet with a hint of mischief, with peach blossom eyes and slightly plump lips that would entice any man or woman. He was taller than Silas but was a bit skinnier, like you could shake him around and his bones would rattle. He was a pretty boy and Silas couldn't even deny that.
"Heavens! It's been so long since I've seen you. Auntie told me you'd be out here. What happened for you to use this house?"
Ray peeled him off and took a step back. "Why are you here? Weren't you on a trip doing some work for the old man?"
"Already done. Oh? And who might you be?" The man craned his neck to look at Silas standing on the other side of the room. He grinned, but his smile didn't reach his eyes. Silas didn't respond, but the man kept talking, inching closer to him. "I'm Mitchell. Mitch for short. You're
quite the looker, though. Why didn't you introduce yourself, you shy or something?"
"Mitch." Ray grabbed his arm to pull him back, making Silas' heart lurch. He bit his lip and walked back into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.
"Eh? Was it something I said?" Mitch said in a confused tone, turning his focus back to Ray. "If it's nothing important, then you should go," Ray grunted as he pulled Mitch towards the door.
"What's the rush? We haven't seen each other in nearly a year and you already want to get rid of me?" Mitch placed a hand on Ray's chest. "Didn't you miss me?"
Ray scowled and brushed off his hand. "What's gotten into you? Shoo shoo, I'll catch up with you another time."
"You're needed back in town. The old man collapsed and everyone is up in arms about it. They're scared of the Quinns coming back."
Ray froze in place and grabbed Mitch by the shoulders. This meant that he had no choice but to come back. Silas…would he come back with him?
"You head back first. I need to talk with Silas and I can't do that with you lurking around here. BYE." With one last shove, Mitchell was outside, the door closed behind him. He huffed and hopped on his horse, riding back into town without objection.
Ray creaked open the bedroom door, cautiously gauging Silas' mood.
"Did you have fun out there? You two sure seemed close." Silas was lying in the bed under the covers, his back facing Ray.
"Hun, it's nothing like that…" Ray slowly climbed into the bed. He tried to roll Silas over, but of course, he didn't budge. "Silas…"
No response.
"…I have to go back to town. The old man collapsed and they need me."
"…"
"Baby don't be like this…"
"Be like what."
Ray buried his face in his hands, not knowing what to say next. He didn't even know why Silas was acting like this. He laid his forehead down on Silas' shoulder.
"Please come back with me. I can't bear to live without you now that I have you in my life. I know it's dangerous but I'll protect you. I'll do anything you want so please come back with me." Ray gripped the sheets, his hands slightly trembling.
Silas finally turned to face him, his eyes rimmed with red. He knew he was acting childish. He had never felt something like this before, and he couldn't control how tight his chest got, or how it made him dizzy just seeing Ray with another man.
"Ray, I..." Silas paused, taking a deep breath. "I don't really know why I'm being like this. I'll go with you. If it means being by your side, I'll face any danger." His voice was soft, but resolute.
He trusted Ray.
Ray's heart soared at Silas' words, his worries easing. He pulled Silas into a tight embrace, his lips finding Silas' in a sweet, lingering kiss. "Thank you, angel," he murmured against Silas' forehead, promising himself that he would do everything in his power to keep Silas safe.
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
The pair headed to town the next day at first light. The journey was long and arduous, the tension between them palpable as they approached the familiar buildings. Silas didn't realize how far the safe house was while traveling underground in the dark, but seeing now above ground, he was quite amazed. He kept his eyes down, still thinking about how far this place was, but Ray seemed to think it was something else. He looked sad. He shot brief glances out of the side of his eye, unsure if he should say something to break the tension or just let it go and give Silas his space.
They approached the canyons, the sound of their horses' hooves bouncing off the canyon walls. The sounds smashed against Ray's ears, pushing his patience to the edge. As he decidedly opened his mouth to speak, a whistle sounded from above them.
Bandits? Are you kidding me?! What kind of timing is this?? Ray screamed in his mind. Of course he had no time to sit around yelling at their situation and braced himself. He grabbed Silas' arm and nodded towards the end of the canyon. Silas nodded back, gripping the reins.
With a swift kick to their flanks, the horses sprang forward, racing towards the exit of the canyon. Shots rang out around them, dust and debris flying as bullets hit the canyon walls. Silas held on tight as Ray maneuvered them skillfully through the gunfire, their hearts pounding in
their chests.
Ray glanced back, his eyes narrowing as he spotted a group of bandits on horseback closing in on them. The leader, a large imposing figure, shouted something unintelligible, spurring his horse on faster. Ray gritted his teeth, urging his horse to pick up speed.
"Silas, come on!" he yelled over the roar of the wind and the pounding hooves.
Suddenly, a bullet whizzed past Ray's ear, narrowly missing him. His heart skipped a beat as he realized the bandits were aiming for them. He pulled behind Silas to shield him, whipping out his gun and shooting back at them.
"We need to lose them!" Ray shouted, eyes darting around for a possible escape route. The canyon walls were steep and treacherous, but there was a narrow path winding its way up one side. It would be risky, but it was their only chance. Without a second thought, Ray circled back in front of Silas and steered his horse towards the path, praying that it would be able to handle the steep incline. His horse, sensing his urgency, surged forward, hooves scrabbling for purchase on the rocky surface. Silas quickly caught on and followed in pursuit.
Behind them, the bandits hooted and hollered, the sound echoing off the canyon walls. Ray didn't dare look back, focusing all his energy on urging his horse upwards. Finally, they reached the top of the canyon, the bandits' shouts growing fainter as they put distance between them. Ray didn't slow down though, pushing his horse to its limits until they were well away from the canyon.
Once they were safe, Ray finally reined in his horse, turning to check on Silas. His heart clenched at the sight of the fear in Silas' eyes, his face pale and drawn.
"Hey, it's okay. We're safe now," Ray murmured, reaching up to gently cup Silas' cheek. Silas nodded, leaning into the touch.
"That was... I didn't think..." Silas stammered, his voice shaky.
"I know, angel. I didn't think we'd run into trouble either," Ray admitted, his thumb gently stroking Silas' cheek. "But we made it. We're safe."
Silas nodded again, taking a shaky breath as he tried to calm his racing heart. Ray wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close.
"For now, let's just focus on getting to town. We can deal with everything else later," Ray suggested, his voice gentle. Silas nodded, taking Ray's hand and kissing his fingers before setting off once more.
Despite the unexpected danger, they eventually made it to town without any more incidents. However, Ray suddenly halted in his tracks and held out his arm to stop Silas from moving forward. Confused, Silas looked around then at Ray. He had an unreadable expression painted on
his face, as if something shocking had just happened. Silas took another look around and spotted a bloody rag doll on the ground.
Thinking again, the town was eerily quiet, not like when he first arrived and there were people darting back and forth as lively as ever. Ray sprang off his horse, running to the first shop in his line of sight. He busted down every door, each time looking more haggard than before. He dropped to his knees. Silas slid off his horse as well and ran over to him, cupping his face in his hands.
"Ray what's wrong? What happened? What did you see?"
Ray trembled, his eyes brimming with tears.
"They're all…everyone…is dead…"