X-Men: Renewed
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Cantaclarac
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Join date : 2013-03-05
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⊹⊹✰⊹⊹One Last Ride⊹⊹✰⊹⊹ Empty ⊹⊹✰⊹⊹One Last Ride⊹⊹✰⊹⊹

Mon Jan 18, 2021 2:35 am
The sun had set hours ago.

It sunk below the brush and hills like the most beautiful picture Jacob had ever seen. Something about these lands that are a little more untouched- the colors were always brighter, the air always clearer, the smell of the earth more intoxicating. Coffee tasted better out here too, god damn what he would do for a cup.

He had sat at his campfire, eating his plate of salted meats and beans, and just watched. Maybe it was a fool's errand to sit and watch the sunset only to pack up and keep trekking in the dark. But that was his foolish choice to make- he might have been sent to look for them, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy this slice of paradise that their friends had claimed (perhaps a bit selfishly) for themselves. Made him realize that, maybe, there was something to dropping the life and settling down, starting a family. Hell, Jake hadn’t seen them since their first could fit in the crook of his arm, and that had been near a decade ago.

Maybe longer.

He began to wonder if this life they had made for themselves was actually worth leaving their old one. Something quiet and quaint and big enough for two. Maybe 3. Or 5. Their own little patch of the world, he mused, one that didn’t have the regulations of the government. Or the worry of law on their back. Or rival gangs trying to stamp them out like a stale cigarette. Sleeping in an honest to God bed, doing God's honest work.

Jake had laughed at the thought, and placed his hat on his hair, pulling on the brim to secure it over his red hair. With a quick tear down, he was back up on his ride by the time the sun was almost tucked into the horizon. Another swift kick and pull of the ropes, and Jake headed toward it, the red glow illuminating his freckled face and sideswiped smile. He chased the sun, as he did most his life, and gloried in the thrill of the thudding hooves beneath him and the wind pushing against him. There truly wasn’t anything better than this, quiet life be damned!

Now, Jacob McKinely found himself on top of a hill, overlooking a quaint little farm. An emphasis on little- the farmhouse was right cute, with a small second-story overlooking the first. Although, second story was generous, it was more of a loft than a true second floor. He could see the chimney pushing out some smoke into the night, and lights flicker in the windows. There was a fence around the property, and a small pasture was a milking cow grazing on a late-night snack. Nearby was a chicken coop, although, Jacob expected the hens to be nestled in for the night, waiting for the morning and their eggs to be grabbed by gentle fingers. If he listened carefully, he could hear the soft braying of a goat and huff of a horse faintly behind the grey barn. Even further still, he saw the start to a crop- wheat maybe. All in neat little rows, waiting to grow big and tall for their caretakers, he mused. Tobias was always good with plants, but life on the road didn't truly allow him to show off his skill! Jacob slid off of his mount, and watched the little scene play out, and more sounds drifted up to his spot. Crickets, an occasional bell laugh. There’s a clatter that perks up the ears of his horse, met with an annoyed huff.

“Easy now, boy, easy.” A scarred hand reached up and gently stroked the soft nose of his pony. Jacob truly believed that a person grew into their steed- if your horse was big and mean, you’d find yourself growin’ a spine and a sharp glint in your eye. Meanwhile, the horse that Jake had acquired was a short, speckled Appaloosa with enough personality to fill a vaudeville stage. Spry and all knobbly knees, he was sure that he had found the fastest pony this side of the Mighty Miss! Sure, he might have been short, and sure, the gang leaders might have made fun of how his legs ‘almost touched the ground while he rode. But, by God, Jake loved his pony! And he was dotted as much as Jacob was freckled! It was as if the horse had been made especially by God just for him- there was no use for them to grow into something together, they already fit like a puzzle. Jacob loved Buzz more than just any ol’ horse. He was his one companion he could count on in his line of work, and they had escaped so many capers together.

But now was not the time to get skittish.

Nah, Jake thought while flicking the reins over Buzz’s head. They were just going to go down and have a chat- not now, it seemed as if his old friends had enough to deal with right now. He could hear the commotion all the way from up here, he could only imagine what they were dealing with. Their notes and updates never mentioned the chaos, but Jake remembered the spitfire that the lady of the house had been when she was a youngin. He wouldn't be too surprised if the kiddos followed in her footsteps.

“Nah, Buzz, I reckon we’ll wait up here a bit. The kiddos’ll be in bed soon enough- Laz were pretty strict about talkin to them without the kids.” Jake sighed, beginning to take down his saddlebag and bedroll, setting up for a little stakeout. “Besides, knowing Tobias, they’re gonna catch onto us sooner than later.”

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The plate clattered to the ground and Noelle was thanking the Lord that they were too poor to afford fine china for Sunday dinner. The wooden plate bounced off the table and onto the ground, but not before the mound of potatoes that had been left on before the washing flew through the air, landing directly on the head of the intended target with a mighty SPLAT!

“MA! FERN SMACKED ME WITH TATERS!”

Lips twitch from stopping a smile, she can feel them next to her as her diligent husband dries the plate she had just passed. Her arms were in the washbasin, covered in water and the leftovers of tonight's meal, but she did hear the potatoes make impact. She knew what had happened, as it happened nearly every other night at this point. Tobi’s large body froze next to her, holding in his breath, his hand pausing at a particular dish. Noelle gave him a soft nudge with her elbow, before meeting those grey eyes with her own brown. She knew he saw them sparkle back at his amusement and knew the nudge inadvertently caused a chuckle to release from his chest. It was a sorta choked kind of laugh, one that she could tell that Tobias Maynard held very tight in order to not escalate the situation. But with the flying potatoes, the delirium after a Sunday filled with service and work, the warmth in their bellies, and his wife’s touch, he couldn’t help it! Brown eyes stare pointedly, but thin lips tightened to contain her own laughter- she knew her children would be sensitive to both of their parents laughing at their distress. She had to avert her eyes quickly- the sight of her husband's chuckle was enough to make her bust a gut too.

“PAAAAA! TELL ‘CUS I’M GONNA WRING HIS NECK IF'N HE DON’ APOLOGIZE FER WHAT HE SAID!”

There was a scuffle of feet, and Noelle turned swiftly enough to catch Fern’s 8-year-old body in her soapy arm before the small girl threw herself at her brother. Fern was a spritely thing-small, but tougher than seasoned jerky, and always ready to prove herself. A real tomboy, she was always eager to follow her pa to go fishing or work the fields but was often sent home with a note from her schoolmarm about some trouble she had been pulled into. She was a good kid, just very spirited. People assumed that her rough-and-tumble persona was a result of her father, but none of those people know the mischief her mother got up to in her youth. Noelle held her body in her arms, while the girl flailed, trying to reach her brother. She was getting tall, slowly creeping up past Atticus, a fact that he was currently very sensitive to. Noelle would not be surprised to find out that this incident was started by ern drawing attention to this fact.

“I didn’t say nothin’ that’s not true!” Atticus yelped, taking the wet rag his father offered to wipe away the potato. He was the scholarly sort, took after his mother that way at least. Nothing but praise from their teacher and their pastor, usually kept to himself after school, his nose in some large history book. Stayed awake by the lantern late into the night, studying for any subject that might have been brought. Annoyed his younger sister something fierce, what with their shared room. One of the many ways that they just rubbed each other wrong. Tobi stood next to him, staunch and drawing his face away from the chuckle that burst from his chest only moments prior. Noelle lessened her grip on Fern, before speaking

“Now- you both know how little food we have as is. So, I kindly ask that if you aren’t going to eat, instead of usin’ it in over-the-table warfare, maybe takin it outside to feed the pigs in their slop. But, that’s beside the point- one at a time, what happened-”

She didn’t know why she bothered asking one at a time because neither of them wanted to wait for the other to give false information on the other. The small house erupted into sound, Fern untangling herself from her mother's arms, stamping her feet on the ground, pointing, ranting and raving to her parent’s about her brothers slight on her-

“An’ he said, an’ he said I ain’t smart enough to lick his boots Don't you put, Atticus, you did, an' I'mma punch that pout off your face! He said that! I swear, he said tha’ Miss Lionel gonna rapp my wrists tomorrow for doin’ all the homework wrong', which ain’t true ‘cus I checked his for the right answers! He said it with that STUPID, ugly grin too- tha’ one! Righ’ there! An’ I told him to stop, an’ he didn’! So I threw my taters! An’ I was gonna kick his shins too-”

“She’s lyin’! First of all, she COPIED my homework, and when I told her to stop, she told me to go sit on a pin! I decided to let it go, but then at dinner, she kept making fun of me! You heard her, talking about me like that! You did, Fern, they heard you talkin' bull! So, if she’s allowed to make fun of me, I should be allowed to point out that she needs to do her OWN homework, instead of mooching off my answer. Pa, would you let Mr. Hendrickson mooch off your crop? No! You would stand up for yourself, jus’ as I was doin’! But, ‘course, Fern don’t take it that way! ‘Cus she think’s the world revolves aroun’ her bad decisions!”

“Ain’t true!”

“Only True!”

And it only escalated. Pretty soon, Fern was inching her way closer to her brother, fist raised, but Noelle pulled her back with a gentle tug. She let the kiddos get all their words out, she found that was the first step to these arguments. They were gonna fight, at least at this age, the most important thing was that they walked away coming to some sort of compromise. As parent’s, they were sure to interject a couple of words within their ranting and raving (‘Fern, it sounds like you didn’ feel good when your brother-’ ‘Atticus, you did a good job when you did your best to ignore Fern earlier-’), but they waited for any long-winded conversations until they had run themselves tired of speech. It took a while, but eventually, the yelling faded into pointed looks and tight lips, and Noelle and Tobi shared a glance. Which one would take the lead on this- they had perfected the talking through glances over the years, starting with their delicate job before quaint family life. Noelle's eyes seemed to say ‘I’ll do it, you’ve been working in the fields all day, you’re tired, you need to go to bed’, while Tobi’s eyes seemed to counter ‘you’ve had to break them up the past three arguments, you get ready for bed i’ll take care of it, darlin’. However, with a tug on her skirt, their decision was made for them.

“Ma, they’re bein’ t’louuud.”

Two wide brown eyes spied from underneath a mess of fuzzy brown curls, matching their mother’s down to the shape and color. Except on this baby, they looked more fitting on a calf in the pasture sticking next to his mama. Which is just what the baby did, slowly inching their way to their own mama, before hiding between her legs, fistfuls of her skirt in their thick little toddler hands. Noelle tutted softly and put a gentle hand in their frizzy fuzz, feeling their head lull with the motion. Another tug of the skirt, and Noelle leaned down, knowing what this meant. She murmured a soft ‘come here, sweetpea’ before hoisting her big toddler up onto her hip. Robin was dense, that was not up for debate, but she could not stand that there would be a day that she would no longer be able to carry her baby. She had decided when they started to gain some heft that she must cherish whatever time left she had to hold their chubby body close.

‘Course now, the baby was wiping their eyes in sleep, and with the yawn that showed all their baby teeth, it was a regular precursor to a heavy crash. Noelle gave her husband a sheepish smile, adjusting Robin in her thin arms, their big head resting ever so on her shoulder. She shifted her weight, her heart nearly melting when Robin’s stubby little thumb was inserted into their mouth, their eyes spying his siblings so sleepy. They even huffed in a tired sort of sigh, one that they all knew would turn into a distressed cry if they weren't put to bed soon

Well.

It was decided

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She heard Tobi climb the ladder up after the two older kids, while Noelle carefully carried Robin back to their bed on the other side of the room. The house, though small, was separated neatly, just as she liked it, and the northeast corner was the youngest Maynard's domain. It was really only a bed and a small trunk, but she had also spent time carving little animals on the wall adjacent to the bed, as well as hanging dried flowers and herbs. Lavender was the baby's favorite, and she couldn't deny them the heavy smelling flower. She was awful careful to tuck them in with the utmost care and attention, leaving only the gentlest of kisses on their forehead. They had fallen pretty quick once surrounded by the warmth of their blankets and the little stuffed cow that Tobi had made the Christmas prior. There wasn’t any protest, unlike their siblings, when Noelle took a gentle palm and rubbed their face. Big eyes blinked tiredly, while lips tried to form words that their brain was too tired to communicate.

“Mama…. Love… Mama.”

“Oh, sweet baby Robin, Mama loves you too.” Her smile grew even more gentle, her hand even more gentle, cautiously pulling their blanket up to their chin “Go t'sleep, sweetpea. Mama is gonna need help with the milking in the morning- I need you to rest up. We're gonna need your strength.”

Robin murmured something else in their sleepy stupor, something near to ‘... strong… enough’, before pulling an arm out from the warmth and placing it on their mother’s face. Noelle followed, so gentle, until Robin nestled their face into her cheek, leaving a soft goodnight kiss. And once again, Noelle began to thank the blessings for what he had given her and allowed her to keep.

Robin was well off asleep by the time she heard the voices above calm and the heavy feet of her husband climbing down the ladder. After all these years, she still felt a special glow with those two simple words. Her husband. It was true when they first met, they had been wary. Life on the road did that to you when someone new came in without a trace, but something about Tobias Rudolf Maynard felt… different. She mused on those memories of high-speed chases and sneaking around his tent late in the night while making her way back to the kitchen to finish the dishes. Despite their respectively wild upbringing, she really thought domestic farm life suited them just fine for her fancy.

Her hands grasped the last of the plates in the basin, beginning to dry and laughing at the day at her feet. It had been like every day before that since they started here- plenty of chores and work, plenty of chasing children, helping with schoolwork, plenty of cooking. It filled her up, just as she needed, she thought absently, taking the last plate, about to place it on the surface of the table, but it was swiftly taken from her grasp. She didn’t even look- the rough knuckles that brushed her slender hand were enough to tell her that Tobi had come back to finish the job. He was dedicated like that, she smiled to herself as she turned to brush the wet onto her skirt.

With the kids all off to bed, Noelle finally turned to stare at her husband- she savored these moments each and every night. A soft step as she moved over across the wood floor, taking his large hand into her own delicate ones. They were both worn in their own ways- Noelle’s stick thin and nimble from the darning and knitting she often did, Tobi’s riddled with calluses from hard work in the field. Once upon a time, their fingers were well suited for other, less than legal, activities. But right now, in this moment, she was content to use her hands only to feel him underneath the pads of her fingers. She knew these hands, had grown to see these hands change as they changed as well, and she still thrilled at the feather-light touches that he gave her, unchanging since the beginning. Her hands fluttered under his as he finally grasped and pulled her close.

He was warm. Always warm, she hummed while placing her cheek to his chest, feeling the vibrations buzz from her bones to his chest. She reveled in the soft, deep thunk of his heartbeat, lulling her into the cozy embrace, signaling that it was, finally, the end of the day. It was so steady, the rhythm to her favorite song, one that she would happily dance to until their end of days. She knew that her eyes had closed, but she was so wrapped up in his arms that she didn’t need to see, she felt. She felt him envelop her completely and sway, as they did after particularly chaotic nights, as if the cadence he stepped to would lull her to sleep, just as the lullabies they sung to their babies. Lips brush and press against the top of her hair, the warmth starting and spreading once again until she felt the tingle in her toes. Those lips were rough, dry even, but the comforting pressure on her scalp connected them once more, she didn’t mind one bit. In fact, with a gentle tip of her head, she blinked open her eyes to see that he was staring down at her, with a smile so fond, it would have charmed the whiskers off a bobcat.

They rocked for a moment, memories of music whispering in ghostly shadows in her ear. Of nights where the skin was afire with thousands of stars and some warm drink filling their nose. Maybe coffee. Almost definitely cider. Someone had found a fiddle and struck it well enough that they had coupled off. Other songs played on, softer still, but still just as fond. Noelle sighed, placing her face to his chest once again, rocking to the melody that only they could hear.

And then-

“I love you, Maynard.” Noelle murmured so softly, but before she could say anything else, he had brought thick fingers to her chin. The brush of the rough skin was still thrilled her, evidenced by her heart fluttering as he led her close to his face. How was it that his heartbeat stayed so steady, while her’s picked up, even after all these years!?

A sharp breath is held in her throat, as he pulls so, so gentle. His blunt, bumped nose meets her own long, freckled one. Foreheads pressed to one another in desperate contact, but he didn’t press forward, didn’t meet her wanting lips. Yes, his own lips parted, she knew because, once again, she felt. She felt his hot breath meet her lips, but he still didn’t press forward, only lingered, drawing the tension in her own stomach to an unbearable standstill. It was like a string had been pulled so tight, that it would snap any moment! Was this all game? A way to toy with her even now? It was unfair, how he undid and untangled her over and over, after all these years together.

Really, she should return the favor!

Yet.


Those fingers trailed from her chin, along her jaw, before resting firmly on her cheek. At first, they stayed still, but he finally began to move his thumb along her jaw in soft, slow strokes, a touch that she sighed into against him. With a slight tilt, following the motion of his hand, she fit herself perfectly in his cupped hand, a thumb brushing against her lips ever so. They parted for him, of course, as he rubbed against her lower lip briefly before relaxing still. His other hand trailed down her side and pulled her even closer, grasping the other side of her waist in a firm tug. She did feel his fingers linger at a small hole on her bodice- it was just a tear that had grown a little from the rush of the past couple of weeks. She had meant to fix it, but keeping the children’s clothes proved more important, and then her husbands after that. And it wasn’t like she had other dresses to wear lying around- this was, in fact, still her Sunday Best, and her working smock had plenty of holes and tears. They didn't have money for much else, and the thread must go to mending the children's clothes, to Tobi's. A little rip didn't bother her. But he lingered there for a while, his eyes showing… something besides the matter at hand. He looked somewhere between apologetic and sheepish, and that simply would not do. Deciding to throw proprietary to the wind, she surged forward, meeting him finally with her lips.

They had been married for so long now, they had children now, they had lived two completely different lives in tandem, every step of the way matched with the other. And their late-night kisses, stolen when the children weren’t looking, still created fireworks. She felt as she did when they first kissed, two randy teens in the middle of nowhere. Owned nothing, but had everything to prove. It felt like that kiss, and every kiss since- absolutely incredible. Her own hands began to work, clutching on the placket of his button-down, thin fingers grasping ever so tightly to him, needing to hold something, but unable to wrap around his bulk while trapped under one of his arms. She breathed into the kiss, as she often had done before, parting her lips as he had done only moments ago. One of her hands removed itself from the buttons and snaked its way up to his hair, where she took a grasp of brown curls, her fingers scratching against his scalp with a light yank. It was just so. Just the way she knew he liked it, just as he craved it. And she knew he did, judging by the softest noise that escaped his mouth as they continued to meet between their lips. Nails scratched gently once more, eliciting another sound. It went like this for a little while, with Tobi trying to keep his voice low, as if not to wake up the children. Eventually, they broke.

Nose to nose.

Forehead to forehead.

These moments happened most often after long days, but the days were usually long out here. Long, and often thankless. She knew the looks she received when marching her way to the general store to sell her eggs for a measly profit, the looks and sneers their children got for the ‘country frocks’. Each day brought new challenges, but they were mainly sourced by their humble means. But these moments… it made it all worth it.

Teeth a touch sharp nipped at her lips once again, before creating a trail of wet kisses across her jaw, winding his way to her ear. And when his teeth made an appearance once again, and she responded with her own soft squeak, he redoubled his efforts. With wide wide eyes, the hand in his hair found its way down to his neck and held on tight, exposing more of her neck with the motion. She gasped once more as he tugged on her ear, and began to move once again, down her neck and toward her collarbone, with lovely little bites along the way.

“Tobias! I know where this lead last time- don’t you think three children is enough!?” Her voice was a harried hush, one that truly did not want him to stop anytime soon as his large body pulled her towards their own bed in the opposite corner of the house. She followed, trapped underneath him, longing so desperately to drive him as wild as he was determined to do unto her. He paused briefly at her frayed collar, blinking up those steel grey eyes at him, in genuine concern. Genuine concern that turned absolutely devilish once he saw the smile playing on her lips and flush on her cheeks. Another kiss and nibble were met with a return, as Noelle leaned forward, her long, spindly fingers catching his jaw, rubbing back and forth on his stubble. Soft lips brush that nose that had been broken many years before, in a fashion that could only be described as reverent.

Noelle never put much stock into religion- sure, they went to Church, but mainly because they were expected to in their small community. They said their meal prayers, they offered their intentions to those who needed the, But the act of belief in this invisible thing that surrounded them? That was responsible for not only them, but every other person on the planet? It seemed highly unlikely. And besides, Noelle had resigned herself to making her own decisions and forging her own life, not what fate or God or anything else deemed for her. Waiting for things to turn was a waste of time, in her opinion. You gotta carve out your own path.

But.

With this man in front of her. She believed in something so much more than herself, than either of them or the little family that they had created. Something intangible, but also something she felt every single day whenever her husband ever so much laid his eyes on her. When they woke up in the morning, nestled into their space, to when they got into bed at night and he pulled her into him. It was in every line on his palm, every strand of her hair, in every moment they spent with one another. With the rest of their family.

Noelle didn’t believe in much of a God. But she believed in her family, what she and Tobi had created. And it set her heart afire like any born-again zealot.

“Come.” She said softly, but not before placing another kiss on those lips she had memorized years prior “Plenty of time for that later. We’ve got an early mornin’ of chores- help me get ready for bed.”

Turning to the bed, Noelle smiled when she felt hands linger on her hips, blunt fingers beginning to unbutton her bodice in a slow, albeit calming, fashion. Despite all the work they had to do, she still felt like the finest lady in the country. How could she not with a husband like Tobias?

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To his credit, he was slow on the approach.

On foot, Jacob McKinely led his trusty steed down the hill, leaving the pony at the outskirts of the pasture before approaching quietly and carefully. He didn’t want to spook them to bad- hell, he wanted to make sure they recognized him! Ten years did a lot to a person, and the contact they had wasn’t very personal. Occasional letters, always in code, always in an unassuming post box. They didn’t know about the shock of white was growing at his temples, or the new scars across his neck and jaw from a particularly nasty run-in with the law. It was for the best he was sneaking around! Once he got close, he would just carefully knock on the door! They would hug, he would talk to them, and they would head out with him by morning. Maybe Noelle would even let him stay for breakfast and he could get to know the kiddos! He nearly whistled in his anticipation- this was a reunion years in the making!

But, of course, that was not what had happened.

Jacob, in his exuberance, forgot about Tobi’s big bastard of a horse. The man rounded the corner of the barn a little too quickly, kicking over a slop bucket, nearly losing his balance in the process. However, the sound was loud enough to spook the big boy himself. And while Buzzsaw was small and spry, Tobi’s ride was a literal ton of pure muscle. Even more than Jake remembered-must be the plowing and such, whatever draft horses did on a farm and not on the run with a bandit gang.

This was Jake’s last thought before the beast’s powerful back legs raised and kicked him into the fence. His poor, boney body clattered against the wood, in a sound that would even make a mountain lion wince. It echoed through the quiet night, and soon, the whole farm was alive with each and every animal voicing their concerns through some sort of bray, cluck, or baa.

So much for a subtle entrance.
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