Word Count: 1,389
Archive: DarkMagick.net, Apollymi’s Grimoire, and Archive of Our Own. Anyone else wanting it, please ask first. I’ll probably say yes, but ask first…[endsection]
“Everyone, final bets,” Eddy called, waiting in the corral for the cowhands and passing ranchers to ante up.
Goodnight lounged on the fence itself, back to the post and legs stretched out on the rail. He watched as Billy stood in the middle of the corral, sharply dressed as always even though he still had a few surprises tucked away. It had been nearly a month since they’d last visited Lafayette and his parents’ home, and although he did love to see them, it had been time to go back out into the world.
Maman T had long since begun to lament that their third may have passed on without ever meeting her Goodnight and his Billy, despite Daddy’s reassurance that sometimes it took a bit of doing to find all of a triad. I got damned lucky all o’ us were in New Orleans, he had reminded her once again. I reckon Goody’s are just a bit further afield.
Still, Goodnight and Billy were happy with their lot in life. Plenty of time to travel the west and a safe haven to return to every now and again when they needed to rest without looking over their shoulders. His parents may have paid off Billy’s bounty — and that had, indeed, scandalized the neighbors, that the Robicheaux boy had paired off with a felon — but neither really trusted that some idiot wouldn’t try something just because they were a mixed-race pair rather than part of a triad as yet.
“Arcade,” Eddy said, catching Goodnight’s attention again as he indicated the other opponent. “Billy Rocks. On my gun.”
The half-Creole took a long draw of the opium cigarette in his hand before swigging back some bourbon. His gaze drifted over the assembled men, but his attention sharpened on a younger man leaning on the gate.
He was a tall drink of water, build stocky but not overweight as Arcade was. No, Goodnight was certain that the man was pure muscle, and the fact that he was gritty from the trail was not a deterrent to his attractiveness. He estimated that the man had about a week and a half’s worth of scruff on his chin, and absently he wondered how it’d feel to kiss the other.
The thought was startling, as he hadn’t even thought of seducing another since he and Billy’d met so long ago, even though they didn’t stop hoping to find the rest of their triad. Goodnight shook it off, turning in time for Eddy to fire his gun and for Billy to draw a split-second faster than Arcade. From the corner of his eye, he could see the handsome stranger watching Billy walk over to him and noted absently that his eyes were a striking shade of green.
“Why don’t we do it for real?” Arcade suddenly demanded, and Goodnight could sense Billy turning to give the man the exact same you’ve gotta be fucking kidding me face he was pulling. The stranger at the gate had turned a similar look to the newly doomed man, and Goodnight felt his pulse jump. Could it be possible…?
“Come on, you sap-sucking runt of a man! Double or nothing!”
Well, then. Billy nodded to his partner and turned to return to his position, only to stop briefly before continuing. Goodnight was positive that his cher had spotted the handsome stranger just then and felt that same sharp dig of attraction. But his Billy had more self control — thank God — and took the time to deal with Arcade to prevent future problems.
As Goodnight hopped down from the fence, Billy caught his eye and tilted his head back towards the gate. The Creole nodded in reply before setting about collecting their winnings. He noticed that the stranger was still in the same spot, watching intently as he moved down the line… and Goodnight wasn’t surprised when Arcade’s friend refused to pay up. Chances were good the poor thing was one of the dead fool’s triad and wasn’t going to be thinking clearly for a little while.
“Easy, Goodnight,” said the familiar man standing by the new widower. “He’s drunk. He doesn’t mean it.”
“Mister Robicheaux, sir,” the drunk said, standing abruptly. “Had I known that was your man, I wouldn’t have been so disrespectful.”
Goodnight noticed that the stranger had straightened up, looking both pleased and slightly stunned. “That’s okay, son,” he addressed the man before him. “You just pay me double.”
That problem dealt with, he moved on down the line and managed to not stall at the gate when the stranger called to him by name. He did stop still, however, when he continued:
“Sam Chisolm’s sent us.”
Goodnight turned to face the man, meeting those green eyes he’d noted earlier and feeling his heart jump in his chest. From the way the stranger drew in a sharp breath, he’d felt it too.
Chisolm had gone and sent his other partner to him without realizing it.
Sadly, the conversation had been all business, what with the presence of young Joshua Faraday’s traveling companion Teddy Q… who looked halfway to scandalized upon realizing Goodnight and Billy were pair-bonded rather than part of a full triad as yet. Alternatively, Joshua himself was a delight; his immediate reaction to Goodnight’s story about how he and Billy’d met was to make a joke about killing a man with a hairpin and then not flinching in the face of his cher’s deadpan expression. Rather, the young man had just smiled brightly as if waiting for the punchline, and he had laughed like the sound was punched out of him when it came.
“You make your living off of his alley fights?” Teddy asked after Goodnight had finished the abbreviated version of their first meeting, leaving off the feeling like he’d only just started to live in that moment. Stories of a triad’s bonding, even in part, was a private thing that should only be shared with intimate companions; Teddy Q didn’t count, even if Joshua Faraday would as soon as they could have a private moment.
“Equal shares,” Billy replied. Generally, if asked, he would make some remark about prejudices, but in this case he continued with, “Triads are equal. Everyone knows that.”
Teddy was visibly biting his tongue, although Joshua had a small pleased smile crossing his face. Oh yes, he had indeed felt that bolt from the blue as well, then. Then the youngest of their small cadre spoke up again:
“Mister Chisolm said to come get you, but he didn’t say anything about your… friend over here.”
“He’s coming with.”
That had not been Goodnight, although he’d been about to say something similar. Nope, that had been young Joshua, turning to give the other man a hard look that dared him to argue. After a moment, the boy crumbled with a muttered yes, sir and a faint flush to his skin.
Goodnight turned a smile to both his Billy and young Joshua. “We understand each other,” he remarked. Billy returned the smile with that tiny pleased one he only shared with his partner, and Joshua offered a brilliant grin.
“It’s a day and a half to Junction City,” Joshua remarked, “and we’ve got two days. Normally I’d suggest we do half a day of drinking,” and here Goodnight let out a bark of laughter, because Maman T was going to love this boy, “but I’d rather just talk, if that’s okay with y’all?”
Goodnight grinned. “I like you,” he stated clearly, and he knew for certain that the more true I know I can love you came through clearly as well.
“Teddy,” young Faraday said, tilting his head to the other man, “can you go get us some more whiskey? Thanks, kid.”
Teddy looked a bit put out at being dismissed, but apparently whatever look Billy was giving him got him to moving, and in short order it was just the three of them. Billy dropped his feet from the table and leaned forward even as Joshua did likewise, both men sliding easily into Goodnight’s space.
“Now, then,” the older man said, a warm smile crossing his face, “let’s have that talk, shall we?”
When they rode out of Volcano Springs a few hours before dawn, the new Robicheaux triad appeared to be complete.
[section=Footer Notes]09 January 2017Translation Notes:
(All translations are taken from Google Translate or Adora’s shaky remnants of French)
French:
Maman – Mamma
cher – darling[endsection]