Context: You were the lone daughter born to Daniel Collier, head of a crime family known as the Lone Wolves. Your older brother, Tom, and his associates get to go out and do exciting gang things while you're stuck at home, working the farm almost by yourself. You wouldn't think anything was wrong until Harry, one of the associates, brings up that your father might be treating you poorly. It's fine, though, he's gonna go have a word with him now.

Setting: The Listener's home

Tags:[MM4F][Cold Gangster Speaker][Abusive Father Speaker][Innocent Listener][Southern][Argument/Confrontation][Period Piece - 1940s][Protective][Soft for Listener][Rescuing]['Romance'][Watch Out][I Think Harry Likes You][CW: Abuse/Gunshots]

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[H] = Harry Evans, never feels anything (or so he says)

[D] = Daniel Collier, family lead, mean father, potential lizard person

[Scene opens on farmland, near an old house - 1940s]

[SFX: Footsteps over brush/an old-timey car pulling up]

[The sun is starting to set over the farm. You’re just getting the sunflowers watered when a car pulls up on the old dirt road. Your older brother and his best friend pull up to the house. Tom, your brother, waves and then heads inside. Harry, his friend, meanders over]

[Pause!!]

[H] “Easy now, don’t want you crushing your sunflowers in a hurry to say hello.”

[He grunts as you embrace him, but gives you a half-hug back. As always, he gives you a tiny smile from around his cigarette]

[H] “Hey, Minxy.”

[Pause!]

[H] “Yep, just got back into town from that last heist. Cop got run off the road, this time, hehe. Got out of his car, stomping, hooting, and hollering, ‘I’ll get you damned Lone Wolves!’. Heh… Sure he will. How’s little Miss Minx, been?”

[Pause…]

[You tell him about your day, but his small smile fades as he seems to notice your limp]

[H] “...Hate to interrupt your wild hare stories, sweetheart, but you’re shifting your weight from foot to foot… You got a limp…”

[...]

[H] “Mmh. Still running around barefoot while working the farm, huh?”

[Pause…]

[He sighs and takes off his hat, setting it gently on your head]

[H] “Mmhm, sure you ‘don’t know better’. The hat of honesty is on you, now. You know what that means, right?”

[Pause…]

[H] “Mmhm. You have to be honest so long as you wear the hat. Now… how come the old man hasn’t gotten you shoes like I asked him to?”

[Pause]

[SFX: Cicadas to fill in]

[Harry is impossible to read, like normal. He seems as uncaring as always but you can tell he’s listening]

[H] “...So he decided to punish you for some nonsense that wasn’t even your fault by making you do all the work barefoot? Did Tom at least stand up for you this time?”

[Pause…]

[Harry exhales smoke from his nose, sharp eyes looking toward the old house]

[H] “...I’m gonna go have a word with him.”

[Pause?]

[He lets out what might be a laugh. Or a scoff]

[H] “I do not look mad, and you know it. I never look anything… I just want to talk to him real quick is all and, given I’m one of his best associates in the ‘family’, I’d like to think he can spare a minute or two to discuss his sweet little Minx.”

[...]

[This time, he smiles. It is immensely shark-like]

[H] “Hehe… Did Tom say I was filling your head with nonsense when it came to standing up to your old man? Interesting.”

[SFX: Harry patting the Listener on the head twice]

[H] “Here, have some headpats. You wait out here with your sunflowers, alright? I won’t take long.”

[With that, he stands up and marches leisurely toward your home. Somehow, you think he might be a little upset]

[Pause…]

[SFX: Minxy creeping closer to eavesdrop because the fuck else is there to do in a small town in the South]

[H] “-is absurd, Dan. That’s your daughter out there, running around and doing all the chores barefoot! You have the money to hire help, and you know it!”

[Your father barks out a laugh]

[D] “Don’t you start, Harry. You ain’t getting my blessing, no matter how you protest. Minxy’ll empty that head out and marry into a good family. Good money’ll get rolling back into these lands and the family business and you can go back to keeping your nose out of her business.”

[H, cold] “At least buy the woman some damned shoes… She’s out there with bleeding soles.”

[Pause]

[D] “Aye, well, ain’t gonna be running far like that, is she?”

[...]

[As you listen, you hear a gun cock and a cold pause]

[SFX: The gun cocking]

[D, barking out another laugh] “What, you gonna shoot me, boy?”

[H] “You know I will.”

[D] “Do it, th-!”

[SFX: A gunshot]

[D] “-GAHH! MY DAMNED KNEE!”

[H, coldly] “Ain’t gonna run far like that, are you? Old man.”

[Pause!!]

[SFX: The Listener rushing in]

[H] “Ah ah, Minxy… Don’t go to that man’s side… He don’t care for you, father or not.”

[You hesitate, panicked, and fearful for your father until he opens his mouth]

[P-Pause??]

[D] “Rrgh, you stupid bitch! Turning my best-damned men against me, now?! Over some damned shoes, even???”

[Pause!!]

[To your surprise, Harry gently uses his free arm to pull you to him and rub your back]

[H] “Shh… Don’t listen to that hateful old reptile. Don’t you listen to your spineless older brother, either, you hear? You work yourself to the bone to try and keep this miserable old turd afloat while he counts his money and kills his damned liver in the shine, and he can’t even be bothered to buy you shoes? Hell no. You go and pack your things, sweet girl, and we’ll buy you some nice shoes on the way back to my place, you hear?”

[P-Pause…]

[SFX: A gun faintly cocking]

[H] “Hey. You’re not a burden. Duck real quick for me, though?”

[You do]

[SFX: Another gunshot]

[D] “FUCK! Right through my godamned hand?!”

[H] “Shouldn’t have tried to take a cheap shot, you son of a bitch… No offense to your MeeMaw, Minxy.”

[...?]

[He perks an eyebrow, amused]

[H] “Eheh… This ain’t how you thought a gent asking for your hand would go? Aye, well… When the family is ninety percent criminals, they’re gonna attract more criminals. Reckon one of them is gonna fall in love with the prettiest member at some point, you know?”

[Pause!]

[He lets out a genuine laugh. You’ve never heard that laugh from him when he’s been sober, before]

[H] “Pfft, ‘who is it’, she says, all excited. Go get your things, sweetheart. If Tom tries to stop you, you tell me, alright?”

[...]

[His lips brush your forehead and crown. It’s so subtle that you aren’t even sure it happened]

[H] “Go on. It’ll be OK.”

[...]

[SFX: The Listener hurrying off as best one can/grabbing their things]

[Pause - VA’s discretion]

[You gather what you can, heart pounding. The house is eerily quiet, for once, as you head back down]

[SFX: The Listener hurrying back down]

[Harry is still in a stand-off with your father. Your father, meanwhile, is grumbling and wrapping the hole in his hand]

[H] “All set?”

[Pause]

[H] “Good. C’mon… Let’s get you to a proper home where you can actually walk around without being in pain.”

[D, muttering under his breath] “You’ll come crawling back…”

[H] “She won’t, 'cause she’ll have some fuckin’ shoes to walk in, you bloated idiot. See you at the next family get-together, Dan, hope you’re less of a damned fool in four months, bless your heart.”

[Pause!]

[Harry, again, laughs as he helps you outside and gets you loaded into the car]

[H] “Honey, I think ‘bless your heart’ might have been a bit nicer than shooting him twice. C’mon now, you’re gonna be alright.”

[SFX: The car starting up - 1940s style - and pottering off down the dirt road]

[You aren’t sure but you think you might be living a romance novel. A rather violent one but… Harry does have the build, the eyes, and the billowing locks for it]

[H] “FUCK-!”

[SFX: The car screeching before correcting]

[H] “Godamn possums in the road! Pick a better spot to die in, you cute little menaces!”

[...He might need to work on some things, though]

[To be continued?]

Note: Welcome to dating a Southerner, where we appear really charming until a fucking possum is taking up road space while we're trying to drive.