Slingin' from the hip, never the heart. | Open Post

[tinstar]

Raylan's job took him everywhere, from Harlan to Los Angeles to Paris. The Marshals service was demanding but Raylan leaned into the work, traveling as needed to get to get his man.

[Use this post to start threads or PSL'S!]

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[tinstar]

The impulse to look up right away still kicked and kicked hard, but it was a response to power that Raylan kept power of by not letting impulse win. His gaze slowly moves back up, that spit and fire always at a ready hand if he needed to use it. He remembers how Collins was that one time back in the Enclosure, how aggressive Collins was when he wanted something.

There was no question in his mind what Collins wanted. That wasn't going to stop him from asking, from making him say it. It also didn't stop his own personal struggle with trying to avoid having an.. engorging reaction. Sitting at almost half mast already, he was hoping it wasn't noticeable in the folds of his jeans.

"And what's that?" His tone was just as casual as it had been, only a little more pointed as it was posed as a soft challenge with a faint lift of his eyebrows and the edges of his lips.

[onlyhearmusic]

His smile grew into a cat's grin as if he had already seized himself the canary. "Another game, bull. You remember tha one."

He leaned over again, hand on Raylan's thigh once more, dangerously close to discovering the lawman's secret. Maybe it became apparent when he touched the tension filled pants, but it definitely became obvious when Collins shifted his thumb just so to trail a line over Raylan's member through the line of material. The Butcher's eyebrows rose in amusement at the same time his grin enlarged even further.

"Oh. You remember it well, apparently. Do you want ta play, then?" He asked and their faces were close, close enough to breath in each other, close enough to touch with minimum movement.

[tinstar]

A new shot of adrenaline races through his veins like liquid fire as Collins leans in, hand full of anticipatory reach, but to his credit, he doesn't jump or flinch at the touch. The same cannot be said as Collins brushes over him, whole body twitching once as he tilts his head like he might kiss him, breath sharply inhaled through lightly bared teeth.

"This ain't there, Collins. There's consequences here. If not for you, then for me."

In full honesty to himself, Collins scared him a little. He was very much a dangerous man, capable of putting Raylan down for good and cheating to do it. And what would Willa do, who would she become, without him around? The Barge provided him a guarantee of safety that the real world couldn't. He also couldn't trust that his inclination wouldn't be used against him here in a way that made it clear to others what he may or may not enjoy.

There was a lot of baggage built into the walls that kept Raylan Givens alive. A lot that he couldn't set down so easily out here.

That didn't stop his cock from continuing to get hard. For everything he had to protect in this world, a radical amount was denied. Can't exactly find someone willing to tie you up and whip you, and remain secure and anonymous. He wanted the rough tumble he knew was behind the words, but he couldn't have it.

[onlyhearmusic]

There was a flash of something dark and angry--and hurt--within Collins's eyes at the easy denial. Yet despite their position, the Butcher pushed away and straightened out without a fuss. No more touch. Neither of hand nor knee. The earlier expression was covered up as the killer now regarded Givens with a cool, impassive gaze from above.

"And what of consequences do you fear, bull?" he said, sounding bored.

The killer's gaze flicked to his hands now as he examined them. The blunt nails were a little less than immaculate and might need tidying up soon. He had a weapon on him and tools nearby if he wanted to grab one. He didn't think the intimidation would make a difference to the lawman and he wasn't certain he wanted that anyway. What was the point if it was just that.

But there was that desire to make the bull sing, listen to his song for one final time, then walk away. If he couldn't have it any other way maybe he would just go back to what he was good at. That had always been enough in the past. It would be fine now, too.

[tinstar]

God he wanted a drink. The soothing comfort of a warm burn would be perfect right now. He saw the expression change on Collins face, the air of detachment that Collins like to take that made other people wonder if what came before it was genuine or not - but Raylan's gut said the face he was currently looking at was the mask. The lie of it all, likely in the name of self protection.

And how often had he done that himself.

"You pull some bullshit, I end up comin' after you, any case that might be made gets ruined right out if anyone finds out about us 'playin' games' together." Raylan didn't much care for that kind of vocabulary; they were adults and he was of the mind they should call a screw a screw, but it was hardly the most important thing right now.

"I'd like to think you gettin' off that boat means that maybe you aren't keen to take your normal well beaten path." Collins would prove him right or wrong either way, but Raylan didn't have enough information himself to guess which way the Irishman would go.

"Then again, I am strapped down to a chair currently."

[onlyhearmusic]

"Easy prey," he said with more lilt than typical. Like it was meant to represent the fun he was going to have of it, when in reality it was covering up the disappointment that easiness turned out to be.

Collins walked away. He knelt on the other side of the bed and the small sounds indicated he was rummaging through an assortment. When he stood back up he had a length of wire held between his hands. The grip was familiar and sure. He paused back in front of Raylan now.

He shook his head. "You come after me I'd expect you ta do tha courtesy of finishin' tha game permanently. Don't you remember? It's all I ever wanted."

Not all that Barge bullshit. He hadn't wanted any of that. The small community, the shenanigans, the magic, the forced lives and emotions that came along with them. All of it stuffed inside and hurting, confusing. Turning him into something he didn't understand much less want.

"But we can skip all that if ya want. I'll hear yer music either way."

[tinstar]

"If you were really here for sport, you woulda given me at least a chance to show you a good time," he counters, one finger gesturing from where it was tied down. "And I don't kill men unless I'm not given another choice, you already know that."

So Collins would have to force his hand. Make that choice.

Raylan didn't let it show, but his stomach twists in terrified anticipation as Collins stands with the wire in his hand. This could not be how Raylan went out. This was bullshit.

"This is bullshit," he states, now getting a little annoyed. "You didn't come here to kill me and you didn't come here just to fuck me either. You put me down, Collins, and whatever you actually came here for is gone and you have a whole branch of the US Government crawling all over this city inside 4 hours. Fuck yourself over and for what? Me not barkin when you say speak?"

No world that Raylan rolls over and begs or tries to trade on material things as desperate promises. He couldn't do much, tied as he was, but he is tense anyway, readied as he can be with an unmistakeable fury in his face.

[onlyhearmusic]

There were a lot of words that could be said. He thought of plenty of sentences that wanted to get out based on what Givens said to him first. Plenty of responses aching to get out. Most of them full of bravado and stubbornness.

Most of them useless in this moment other than as asides. The meat of the problem was buried somewhere deeper than all that. That left him with two choices: continue down the familiar path of anger and doggedness, or risk the fire leaping out into the open. He couldn't seem to make that first step, not on his own. He stared at Givens with that impassive expression on his face. But maybe the lawman would take it for him.

"And what did I actually come here fer then, bull? What great insight do ya have ta share today?"

[tinstar]

The fact that Collins didn't respond with some dick swinging bravdo was a good sign. Raylan was onto something. The question was could he narrow down to the specifics enough to really hit that nail home. Thankfully, his pissed off tone wasn't any louder than his normal speaking voice and there was nothing to do about it being angry either way.

But Raylan takes a deep breath in through his nose and his jaw works as he pulls himself back from telling Collins to get it over with it or let him up. A long moment of silence sat heavy between them.

"You came here for connection and understandin'. For someone who ain't here to coddle you or lie to you. For a way to survive and live a life that ain't myriad in blood and loneliness."

He pauses for half a heartbeat. "And I ain't sayin' no to that." Even if maybe he should be, considering.

[onlyhearmusic]

There was a stony silence between them after the words were said and gone. It matched the killer's lifeless stare. Then the image cracked as the Butcher burst into laughter, light and mocking.

"Is that what yer offerin'? And you see me goin' fer that?" His tone was easy but there was more mockery there, too.

Then it all disappeared again behind the brightness of fiery anger. An easy emotion to fall back on for someone like the Butcher.

"You goin' ta set me on tha straight and narrow path, bull." He took a step forward. "Goin' ta make an honest man of me? You think I rolled over... and now I want that fake bullshite."

Another step, quicker, eliminating all space between them and he reached out to wrap the wire around Raylan's neck. The string was pulled taunt but not enough to impend breathing--not yet.

"What makes you so special then. Go on, sing yer praises. Tell us."

[tinstar]

"That's not what I-" But Collins was already moving and wrapping him up in the wire. Fuck. His hands grip into the wood, the corners of the armrests digging into his palms.

"I don't know. You're the one showed up here, I didn't go lookin'. You tell me. Or kill me and get it over with. I ain't a mind reader."

[onlyhearmusic]

For one awful moment the noose was pulled tight, biting into flesh and cutting off precious air. Then the killer's muscles relaxed and the wire let up. It still remained in place, posed to finish what it started.

"You were tha only one that weren't tainted... forced... by unnatural ways ta have a connection. Yer tha only one-" He was still angry. He couldn't keep it out of his voice if he tried. "-that I have ta wonder why instead of fightin' ta keep tha realities straight."

[tinstar]

Raylan struggles in his bonds, pressing his head back as hard as he can into Collins body, for what very little good it does him.

"Kill me and you'll never get that answer." If he were in a less precarious situation, he might have elaborated, but he was one good twist away from dying. Seemed like a time to be succinct.

[onlyhearmusic]

He made a frustrated noise that sounded an awful lot like a vicious growl. "You think I don't know that? That it wouldn't be easier ta just get rid o' you and not worry about it, ever?"

He released his hold on one end of the wire and slipped back in place to be in Givens's face. His eyes burned with a murderous rage and if the earlier noise didn't make it clear how irritated he was then the obvious frustration in his expression certainly did.

"I could go back to tha way things were. To how simple and rewardin' it was. I never asked fer any of that crap. I never wanted ta change." He was breathing hard, the tension in his muscles clear from his grip still on one end of the wire. "I never wanted any... connections... or- I didn't need any of that then! And it would be easier ta sever that thread, right here, right now!"

[tinstar]

Raylan knew Collins could do that, there were no delusions about how on the impulsive edge his fate rested right now, but all that matters is that the wire wasn't at his throat anymore - even if that was temporary, it was a reprieve. Striking out wasn't an option either as that would absolutely get him killed.

So he focuses instead on what Collins is choosing to say. A lot of past tenses. 'I never wanted connections, didn't need any of that'. Most importantly: 'its hard to kill you'. Even under the hard breathing and the obvious frustration, those weren't small things.

"Except if you not wantin' it, not needin' it factored into this, I'd already be bleedin' out. It scare you? Grip you with a concern that I'm gonna reject you and swear you off, promise to ruin your life, treat you the way you feel you oughta be treated-" Collins had earned a particular way of being treated and even though they weren't on the Barge anymore, Raylan could see the possibility in Collins. What he could become if he put in a little work and self reflection. What he could become if he had someone who understood, who might be able to support him.

This was not Raylan's natural way of thinking about things, but the time on the Barge had it's own effect. He knew progress could be made. He just had to make sure he didn't die in the midst of it.

[onlyhearmusic]

Collins went still at Raylan's words. Another shot hit it's mark dead center. Only this one hurt much more than the last. Rather than deny it, Collins decided to accept the truth.

That didn't mean the lawman was off the chopping block.

"You already did," he accused huskily.

The Butcher yanked on the wire in his angry frustration and it tightened around Raylan's neck--briefly, as it snagged against itself then miraculously slipped through the unintentional knot and came completely away from Givens's neck. It threw the Butcher temporarily off balance and he almost stumbled, catching himself quickly. But it gave the lawman more time nevertheless.

Short short tag bc I don't know what kind of openings this will give him.

[tinstar]

"No-" was all Raylan got out before Collins yanked and as soon as he sensed the man was off balance, Raylan was throwing his weight into him and knocking himself and the chair over in the meantime. These chairs weren't much to look at - wood, yet to be replaced by the metal fashion chairs yet to come - and all the better for it as one of the arms cracks in its supports as it slams into the floor. Raylan wrests the broken piece from the rest, gaining enough freedom of movement to wield the piece.

Re: Short short tag bc I don't know what kind of openings this will give him.

[onlyhearmusic]

He was surprised even more by the lawman throwing himself forward, chair and all. He knew the bull was a fighting man. This should have been expected. It was just the timing-

The chair broke and Butcher growled in realization that he couldn't just take it leisurely. Ignoring the pain, he fought back. He needed to subdue the arm that was free and wielding a piece of wood as an improvised weapon now. He reached out to grab it.

[tinstar]

"Fuckin' stop," he snarls, punching at Collins' face with everything he had. All he could hope was that the wood beneath his fingers would add enough weight to stun the Irishman.

[onlyhearmusic]

He missed as Raylan moved through the motions of the punch and his hand went past the target. He grabbed at the lawman's shoulder but the punch landed and he grunted painfully as his head snapped to the side. His grip was weak. But he wasn't going to take a punch and just stop like a good dog when he was told.

"Make me," he growled around the iron tang in his mouth.

[tinstar]

Raylan knew Collins could do that, there were no delusions about how on the impulsive edge his fate rested right now, but all that matters is that the wire wasn't at his throat anymore - even if that was temporary, it was a reprieve. Striking out wasn't an option either as that would absolutely get him killed. He had to calm down and control that twist of panicked survivalism coiling tightly in his stomach.

So he focuses instead on what Collins is choosing to say. A lot of past tenses. 'I never wanted connections, didn't need any of that'. Most importantly: 'its hard to kill you'. Even under the hard breathing and the obvious frustration, those weren't small things.

"But you don't want to do that. Go back to the way things were. If so, you wouldn't be here. I wouldn't ever know you were in this world, save for this. So give us both a chance to get you what it is you're lookin' for here, Collins. This don't have to go sideways."

[onlyhearmusic]

There was a blitz of emotion that passed over Collins's face in confusion and disbelief and anger and annoyance over the situation and every little word that Givens said. His expression finally settled on frustration, his jaw set in an angry line as he huffed in response.

"You don't want-"

He started and stopped abruptly with an annoyed noise.

Collins hadn't come here for this in the first place. Tying up Givens hadn't been on the agenda so much as it had come out of the opportunity. He hadn't even planned on punching the man until he had seen him and the impulse struck him. It felt right at the time. But the lawman had gone down so easily, and then he'd had an unconscious body and everything he needed for an old bit of fun. It was so tempting.

A part of him hungered for it. An undercurrent in the music whispered to him in a familiar leitmotif that proceeded this type of entertainment for him. It was a tantalizing call, hard to resist.

Yet when he gazed at Raylan there was an unfamiliar song that sneaked its way into the harmony. It started off low, bleak, hard but somewhere in there a handful of major chords hit a higher note and the hope was undeniable. The slow tang grew on him until he had to admit the sounds were quite peaceful in their own way and he could get used to them being around more. If he concentrated on that theme hard enough, it began to form its own melody that drowned out the other tantalizing song.

He'd reached out to wrap his hand around Raylan's neck and for a moment the tension implied he would squeeze--then it ebbed out of him, and the Irishman slowly slipped the limp line of wire away from Raylan's neck. Collins stood there, quiet and with a war inside, staring at the lawman stoically, the emotion bled out of him.

"It would be easier," he repeated. His voice was low and quiet. "Than standin' here listenin' to you pretend to want to help me." The corner of his mouth ticked upwards slightly, but his eyes took on a hurtful sheen. "But you do talk a good game, even if it's only for yer own benefit."

His hand fell to rest on Givens's wrist once more, but it did not linger for long and eventually the ropes fell loose as the Butcher released his prey for the first time.

[tinstar]

Raylan couldn't help but try to finish the rest of that sentence in his head. Don't want Collins? Don't want to help Collins? He didn't let any of that change his face beyond a tightening of his eyes, the slight shift making his gaze more focused, a subtle eagerness to hear what would follow. He could still see the war in the man and had been doing his level best so far, so any shift that wasn't towards ultra-violence that had just left his neck was a win. The eagerness in his eyes turned to self-steeling, a readiment, a reason to let loose the internal monster he hauls around called his temper as Collins thinks over squeezing. He didn't want this to go south but he was running out of angles and he expected to be further along in this than he was.

Best laid plans and all.

Collins hasn't said anything yet but the tension made Raylan think he would, give him enough room and space to do it. Not going and saying something stupid that turns this. And then he watches Collins deflate into that stoicism and the very thing that Raylan warned him about at the start. He wasn't going to say 'I told you so'.

But the ropes coming free, Raylan's brow twitched towards a furrow, not quite making it for fear of giving Collins some reason to change his mind. He waits until they're all loose, helping pull them off as he stands up and steps away, rubbing his wrists and watching Collins carefully. He needed the space, the control over self, needed to not be on the edge of getting murdered, but he'd let Collins keep the weapons, the hat, the control over that and that side of the room. Compensation. Compromise in it's own type of respect.

"I'll be honest with you Collins - I want to be alive more than I want to help you." But that's just nature. You put a man on the edge of death, most will chose their own survival from it. "But I meant what I said. I'm not a stranger to men in your position. Nomads from the past finding themselves in the modern time. I don't want you to fail here. For your sake and mine." He points at the small fridge and cabinet across to his left.

"I'm gonna get a drink. If you wanna.. check anythin' first." See? He could be reasonable and talked to. But he was still an alcoholic.

[onlyhearmusic]

He stood away and watched Givens with a flat expressionless demeanor as soon as the last of the ropes were untied. He gave the lawman a grim smile at the confession as there was not much else to do in response to that. There was no man on Earth that wouldn't say the same, or else be lying. It was a simple truth. He left it at that.

Collins's eyes flicked towards the small fridge across the opposite way but he shook his head and indicated that Givens go for it. He didn't want to check it out first.

He remained positioned near his bag, the bed, and the items he had taken off Raylan stacked in a pile near his bag.

"You mean you don't want me ta put a blight on yer name or cause trouble in a manner that you hear about later. You feel responsible fer me, bull?" Like yer lost fuckin' puppy, he didn't say aloud but the thought did cross his mind. His voice was steady with a hint of disdain under neath.

[tinstar]

Nodding a silent bob of appreciation, Raylan steps forward and gets into the cabinet, pulling out a half empty bottle of Jim Beam and a plastic cup. With a glance over - Not reaching for anything dangerous - he nabs the hotel's coffee mug and dumps out the prepackaged coffee that he hadn't gotten around to using yet.

"Neither, and no. You're grown, your decisions are your own; ain't my responsibility. I don't own you a thing since leavin' that space yacht and you ain't my dog." He remembers how fond Collins is of that analogy. He spins the cap off the bottle and pours them each a few fingers before setting it down in favor of picking up both cups and walking towards Collins to hold the mug out.

"Don't change my not wantin' to see you fail this place if something could be done to help. Or the fact that I'd rather not have to put you down, if I can help it. Call me sentimental." It was all a series of first steps and once Collins takes the mug, Raylan will step back and take a sip of his own, openly sighing in enjoyment as he eyes the cup.

"Last man I tried to help here was my husband. Much as it pains me to admit it, I failed. And maybe some part of me is tryin' to make up for that." He looks back over with the admission, nothing on him soft persay, but it was a carefully constructed 'easy' expression. Raylan hadn't been open on the Barge once James had left; most people didn't know about the union, even less knew what had come from it. His tone suggested that he'd already gone around all the barbs and self flagellation that could come from the shame of it all; digs weren't gonna bother him on a surface level, should Collins go that direction.