tinstar | Slingin' from the hip, never the heart.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

"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.

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.

Someone was going to end up dead at this rate and Collins has pushed Raylan to bare survivalism, a million miles away from reason and whatever connection he was hoping to make.

Raylan bashes his hand down on Collin's elbow and uses the angle that it puts his hand to try and jam the point of the wood into the tender flesh just below Collins jawline. He wasn't looking to spear the man but if there was a little blood, he wouldn't mind.

He cried out, muffled and quiet from his own need to keep control, but clearly in pain from the strike to his elbow. His opposite hand came up to gain control of Raylan's before-

He froze with the sharp point of the wood in his neck, fingertips barely brushing against the lawman's wrist. It was a risk and he hesitated to act on it. Maybe he wasn't ready to die (again) just yet after all.

"Do it," he hissed. "Finish it."

"I oughta," he snarls again, hair just as wild as his eyes. There shouldn't be any doubt in his willingness to do it but he wasn't gonna be just stuck to a fucking chair after it was over.

"Untie what you can reach. Now."

Collins was still instead even after the command. If he waited long enough maybe Givens would do it out of frustration. He could go out in defiance instead of obeying like a good dog. It seemed reasonable to him.

The train of thought didn't hold for long against the weight of time. He wasn't suicidal no matter how much he talked about death like he was in love with the concept. His hand moved slowly at first until it hit the ropes and then automation kicked in, and he untied the knots around Givens's wrist, the other on the chair arm that was still intact.

As soon as his off hand is free, he's using it to untie his other hand free of it's unmoveable grip from the bit of wood he was using as a weapon. He couldn't help the talking out loud that followed, the first burst of actual free speech that didn't directly shoulder the responsibility of keeping him alive. Collins has already heard him in various levels of pissed off, but the venomous one sided conversation that followed was with a noticeably heavier Southern accent, things rounded and stretched out while others were cut short. Honestly, words got out faster this way somehow.

"Gave you so many goddamn doors; you stubborn jackass of a man - 'told you no' my ass. A soft touch of pushback and you swing back into insanity and try to tell me that I said no, like what - like your feelin's are more important than my drawin' air? And you want a connection," he scoffs in condemnation, swapping his improvised spear holding hand so that he could reach down and work on freeing one of his legs, eyes staying locked on Collins, the half mutter of true thoughts tumbling out of his mouth.

"Come here to kill me because I somehow made you feel a thing; don't tell me I popped your fuckin' cherry because you knew what you were doin'. Gotta be joking."

Edited 2024-03-11 01:18 (UTC)

"No, I want it gone," he snarled at Raylan but he was brought up short by the threat to his throat. Otherwise, the tension that surged through his body most assuredly would have meant him retaliating with physical violence. All he had instead were words so he glared angrily at the lawman and growled at him.

"None of this bullshite. Shoulda killed you and gotten rid of the only person who knows I even exist in this world. Back to business." He lifted his head, pressing the piece of wood so far into his flesh that it bit in and he bled. "Don't act like you care about everyone you fuck, bull. Ain't hard ta charm and get back on tha road tha next day. Certainly ya know that."

"Or you coulda left me the fuck alone and done that anyway, so what the hell are you doin' here in the first place," Raylan snaps back, face close like if he had half a mind, he could bite Collins nose off, leaning into the press of his makeshift weapon, heartless about the blood that was getting split now.

"Makin' it my goddamn responsibility somehow; I left to get away from this kinda bullshit. You sure you didn't garrote the Admiral, skip out through a portal? Standards must be slippin'. Now here's what's gonna happen," he continues, one leg successfully free.

"I'mma roll over on top of you and you're gonna work open these knots on the back. And don't presume to tell me shit about anythin' I feel - so wrapped up in how big and bad you think you are to consider anyone else." He didn't ask permission, just rolled over, mounting the awkward angle Collin's body lay in and not moving his makeshift stake in the slightest.

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

no subject

no subject

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

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

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject