John is trying to rob GN!Reader but they get so scared that he gets all soft on Reader and he even gives them safety advice and leads them to their home.
Robbery - John Marston x GN!Reader
gif by; @greasyjohnymarston
word count; 1,419
a/n; i honestly do not like this as i’m not used to writing john, so he’s likely ooc. but that’s the point of practicing!! thank you for the request, and i’m sorry for using your ask for experimenting
masterlist; here
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God, I already know this is a terrible idea. Walking to the train station in the dead of night, no weapon, no horse in this state is asking for a death sentence. It’s not my fault my damn horse got spooked and ran off! Probably took herself right home, too. Without me. Every person on horseback riding near me spooks me, you can never be too careful.
It’s cold, dark, and the moon is my only light. I’m very lucky it’s clear in the sky, otherwise I would have no clue where I was, nor where I was goin’. I walk down a road, abandoned and burned buildings surrounding me. I feel my hair stand up as I quicken my pace. If someone’s around here, I sure as hell don’t wanna meet them. My boots crunch against the dirt as I walk quickly, nearly in a jog. But within a blink of an eye, a man is suddenly standing in front of me with his revolver pointing straight at my forehead. I freeze and I feel my limbs grow cold from panic; are you fucking kidding me?
The man has long hair that reaches his shoulders, a black cloth covering his face and all I can see is his piercing gaze. My breath hitches as his thumb flips the safety off, the click deafening in my ears. I can feel my chest tightening. “You already know what’s happenin’.” His raspy, gritty voice fills my ears and it sends another wave of terror down my spine. I can’t feel my hands, nor my face. “T.. Take whatever you want, jus’ please leave alone.” I manage to shakily slur out. God, why is this happening to me? I have 20 dollars and an old pocket watch on me, that’s it. “Empty your pockets. Now.” He demands, stepping closer towards me. I shakily throw down my satchel, putting my hands up. “Everythin’s in there, jus’- please-“ I gasp out. My vision begins to get blurry, even dark around the edges. Fuck, I can’t breathe, this man is gonna fucking kill me! I don’t think I black out and I don’t think the robber hit me, but I find myself on the ground, gasping for air. I feel like I’m going to die, my lungs burning as I cough up the dirt I accidentally inhale which just worsens how I feel. I can’t hear the man, but he’s putting his revolver into his holster and he’s crouching down towards me. Fuck, don’t touch me! I whimper and try to scramble away, but his gloved hand grabs my arm. The leather feels like it’s burning me, and I stare at him in horror. Tears fill my vision once again as I can tell he’s saying something under the mask, but I don’t hear a word.
The man awkwardly pauses and glances around before he pulls down his mask, which makes me gasp from the movement,
In the midst of my panic, I try to scan his features but I can barely see from my tears. I sob out as his eyebrows furrow together, his words moving. I hear his muffled voice, the raspy tone of his being muffled by static. My arms are trembling as I protect my face.
“Hey you, calm down, I ain’t gonna hurt you.” His voice finally reaches my ears, and it’s not muffled. Not by static and not by the mask. I look at him from between my arms and I immediately notice his face, specifically his scars. They look lightly pink, freshly healed. My eyes trail up to his, and the robber, the man seems concerned. “I.. You can have your things back, why don’t I bring you back home?” He offers, standing up and looking down at me.
I shakily take a deep breath and I don’t move. “How do I know you aren’t going to rob my home?” I tremble, glancing at his holster. “Now, if I did that, I’d have to kill ya. I showed you my face, didn’t I? I trust you won’t go to the authorities..” The man mutters, putting a hand on his hip. He tilts his head and loudly whistles, and I hear a horse from a little ways away and begin to approach, it’s hooves stomping into the dirt. “I..” I trail off, slowly standing up, but not before I snatch up my satchel again. I throw the strap over my head, looking at him. “T.. Tell me your name first, and maybe then you can.” I demand softly, backing up from him. “Jim Milton,” Jim answers, motioning to his horse. “Now, c’mon already. It’s late.” He mounts his horse and holds out his hand, and I glance between him and his hand. I sigh. “I’m so stupid for doing this..” I mutter as I hesitantly grab his hand. Jim easily helps me up onto the rear of his horse. My hands immediately grab onto his waist to balance myself, and Jim looks over his shoulder, giving me a good view of his scars. “Where to?”
I take a moment to scan his features before glancing away. “In a cabin a bit outside of Valentine.” I answer, my heart keeping a consistent quickened rhythm. He’s clearly a killer, and I have to be cautious. “What’re you doin’ all the way out here near Van Horn??” He questions, grabbing the reins and looking ahead. We begin to ride down the trail I was walking before taking a turn. “I was tryin’ to find a train station,” I murmur before I grab onto him harder as we begin to ride faster. “God, if you don’t slow down, m’gonna fall off!” I cry out. Jim scoffs and takes another turn. “You’ll be fine, just hold on!”
I whimper quietly and wrap my arms around him and stuff my face into his back, fear taking hold of me again. Not of Jim, but of falling off of the horse. I hate riding behind the saddle, I always feel unsafe. After a few minutes, I notice the noises of the horses' hooves slamming against the ground slow down. “I, uh.. Slowed down a bit, for your sake. Should be better now.” Jim mutters. His back vibrates with his deep voice against my face.
I lift my head and look around, relieved to begin to see some familiar surroundings. “What were you doing all the way over there? ‘Sides from lookin’ for a train station.” Jim asks, the wind whipping through his hair. I sigh and loosen my grip on him. “I took a stagecoach to Saint Denis, paid the right price. I was supposed to book a hotel room down there to stay the night, but the stagecoach scammed me, dropped me off near Beaver Creek, I think it’s called,” I begin, watching the trees zip by as I talk. “Turns out, it was a fake stage coach picking me up. A new scam started, false stage coaches picking people up, taking their money and dropping them off somewhere nowhere near their destinations.”
Jim chuckles. “Is that right?”
I furrow my eyebrows. “What’s so funny?”
Jim shrugs and glances over his shoulder at me. “Wouldn’t have fooled me that easily.”
I huff and shake my head, looking away from him again. “I’m new to this state, been further north all my life. Ain’t my fault.”
The rest of the ride is silent, but it’s somehow a comfortable silence. Jim, the man who had robbed me, somehow has made me comfortable. “Here we are, I think.” He rasps out, pulling the reins back as we indeed pull up to my cabin. I smile and sigh in relief. “Thank the lord,” I say out loud. We slow to a stop and slide off of the horse, putting my hands out to steady myself. “Woo! Thank you so much, Mister Milton.” I hum, glancing up at him. “Sure, now get some rest. Maybe buy yourself a gun while you’re in town.” Jim says loudly. I feel his eyes on me as I walk up my front porch steps. “Good idea! Again, thank you for not robbing me!” I say with a smile, pulling out my front door key. I unlock the front door but before I walk in, I hear Jim shout “Hey!”
I turn to look at him with a puzzled look. He scratches his cheek, a sheepish look, maybe even sporting some pink cheeks. “Ah, my real name’s John. John Marston. Hope to see you again.”
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