#probably opposing redcoats as I write this

[tallmadgeandtea]

Seth Numrich in breeches…. The world is healing. In the distance, a newborn baby laughs for the first time. Poppies bloom in the field. The harvest is successful. Balance returns.

[sparrowrider]

I finally finished my part of the writing trade with @misfitsgalaxygt !! Sorry it took so long! Featuring their OC Reese and a certain ten dollar founding father :3

I hope you like it!! :D

Reese’s breath hitched in their throat as they raced across the ground. Their legs were aching, and the fact that the ground was dusted with snow did not make matters easier—it made it much more difficult to run, as their feet kept sinking downwards, and by now their feet were soaked and nearly numb. Despite this, they pressed onwards, knowing that if they were caught, things would be much worse.

By now, their scarlet coat was thoroughly soaked from the light snowfall that had occurred earlier—not that they cared. The only reason it was still wrapped around their frame was that it was their only source of warmth, though now it wasn’t doing them much good.

As Reese trudged onward, they desperately wished things hadn’t spiraled into this catastrophe. It started with being unwillingly drafted into a war they opposed strongly, especially as they had extended family who had sailed out to join one of the colonies. Though they’d hoped to get sent home for being part of the species that stood only a few inches in height, it turned out they had bigger plans for them: being a spy. Their first mission was supposed to down this evening, but they couldn’t in good conscience go through with it, and if they were caught they’d almost certainly be killed. The only solution was for them to run; refusing upright to through with it would land them in jail, or worse: a death sentence.

Of course, being caught running would lead to the same outcome—but if there was even a chance they could get away, they had to try.

Unfortunately, this had proved to be much easier said than done. Any minute now, they’d find their bed empty and set out looking for them, a thought that kept their legs moving despite the throbbing stitch in their side.

It felt like ages before they saw anything besides snow and trees. After squeezing through a thick bramble, they caught sight of a cluster of monolithic tents that had been set up near a frozen creek in a small, makeshift camp, which appeared to be deserted for the time being. Reese finally skidded to a halt, their legs burning and their breaths coming out in short puffs; the nearest tent’s flap was hanging open, beckoning them inside.

They hesitated for a moment. Obviously, getting close to a camp was incredibly dangerous; this one likely belonged to the enemy, after all, and probably wouldn’t appreciate a redcoat spy snooping around. On the other hand, the wind had picked up, carelessly flinging bits of snow from the trees, and they were shivering uncontrollably. If they didn’t seek shelter soon, they could be in serious danger; finding someplace to hunker down until the worse passed was critical.

Besides, their small stature did come with a few perks, namely getting in and out of place unseen.

Steely resolve filled them, and they set off towards the tent.

It was much warmer inside; the walls, however thin, provided welcome relief from the wind, and several candles scattered around the tent put some warmth back into the air. Reese breathed an audible sigh of relief as they trudged inward, edging towards a desk with several candles sitting atop it. Leaning against one of the towering legs, they allowed themselves to bask in the warmth for a moment, feeling their fingers begin to defrost. The exhaustion of their trek had finally begun to catch up to them, and the warmth was making them feel rather sleepy.

A quick nap couldn’t hurt, they mused inwardly, their eyelids already slipping shut.

Scarcely had Reese slipped into darkness when tremors in the ground, accompanied by a thundering voice, woke them. Groggily rubbing their eyes, they glanced around, and their heart leaped into their chest upon seeing a giant, dark shape wandering into the tent.

“...not backing down,” it as saying, an unmistakable defiance in its words. Unable to run without being caught, Reese simply edged their body behind the table leg, wishing they had better cover.

“Alexander, please—” a second voice pleaded, but the first person—Alexander, evidently—cut it off. “I told you, Burr, you can’t talk us out of this one. Laurens and I know what we’re doing, and this could really help us. Beside, we need all the help we can get.”

A pause stretched onward, followed by a deep sigh. “Alexander, I know I can’t change your mind, but...think about what you’re doing. About what you could lose if you fail.”

With that, the second person departed. The first one, Alexander, huffed indignantly and closed the tent, sealing Burr outside...and sealing Reese inside.

Reese pressed themself against the table leg, their chest constricting as they glanced at the ground. Alright, don’t panic, they reminded themself. He’s gotta open the tent back up eventually, and then I’ll escape. I just gotta wait it out ‘til then.

They weren’t exactly reassured by their own thoughts.

As Alexander made his way towards the desk, Reese felt their heart begin pounding so loudly they were sure it was going to burst out of their chest. His leather-clad feet were approaching now, sending tremors through the ground. Finally, they halted before the chair as their owner, Alexander, heaved himself into the seat.

As Reese pressed their spine against the wood, they could hear the man above them mumbling incessantly under his breath—something about cannons and supplies. The sound of a quill scratching parchment rang out through the air as his mutterings grew more intense, and Reese’s heart continued pounding.

Suddenly, she heard a muffled curse on Alexander’s part. Without warning, a long, gray quill slammed into the ground besides her, its point still dripping with ink, startling them into leaping backwards with a tiny squeak of surprise. Before they could react further, a giant hand swooped downwards, its fingers grasping for the feather before them—they simply stared, their feet suddenly cemented to the ground in shock and fear.

“What the…” The voice rumbled through the air above them. The giant fingers, they vaguely realized, were hovering inches from the quill, which was lying mere inches from their feet. Suddenly, the hand closed around them, fingers easily as long as their body tightening around their waist as they were brought upwards. Reese squeezed their eyes shut as their stomach dropped and the pounding of their heart intensified; they were sure their captor could hear it from where he was.

As the motion stopped, the fingers around them unfurled, and Reese blinked as light flooded their vision. Before them was the enormous face of their captor himself. He was thin, with dark skin, eyes, and hair that was pulled back into a short ponytail. Though he was clearly young, dark circles rimmed his eyes, indicating a life of hardships, something Reese could certainly sympathize with.

His piercing brown eyes scrutinized them from their perch on his hand. Their heart was threatening to pound its way out of their chest, and fear tightened their chest, causing their breath to come out in short, panicked puffs.

Finally, he spoke. “You’re real, aren’t you?” His voice, though relatively matter-of-fact, was tinged with a childlike wonder. “I’ve heard of your kind. There’s not many of you on this side of the pond…” His eyes suddenly narrowed suspiciously, and Reese felt their heart drop into their feet. His other hand swooped down again, only this time in pinched their bright red coat between their fingers, and Reese realized exactly what this looked like.

“A redcoat,” he snarled, and his calm demeanor dropped in an instant. His fingers curled inwards, and Reese emitted a tiny squeal, though he didn’t seem to notice. “You were...you were in here spying on me, weren’t you? Trying to steal my strategies?”

His eyes bore down on them, glinting accusingly in the candlelight. A mixture of fear and defiance surged upwards in Reese, and without thinking, they blurted out, “Of course I’m not!”

Alexander’s eyes widened nearly imperceptibly. “What?” he responded, suspicion lacing his tone. “Then what else would you be doing?”

“I…” Reese wrung their hands together as they spoke. “I ran away.”

Alexander’s face softened for a fraction of a second. “You��re a deserter?”

“I never wanted to be in this war,” Reese recounted, now trembling involuntarily, as she continued, her words now pouring out. “I have family on this side, y’know—but the general wouldn’t ever let me not go through with the mission. I was their best shot at getting intel, and they’d already told me too many secrets, so...I had to go through with it. But I really, really didn’t want to, so, um, I just ran. And I didn’t mean to end up in your tent, I was just so cold and it was warm in here and I’mreallysorrypleasedon’tbemad—”

“Whoa.” Alexander stopped them, his eyes widening. His tone was noticeably warmer now, and his eyes glimmered not with wariness, but with sympathy. “I’m not angry. That...what you did took guts,” he rumbled softly, nodding appraisingly. His eyes darted over their frame once more, and Reese found themself shrinking back a bit, startled.

“So you are a runaway,” he mumbled. “Sorry about snapping at you like that...well, I can’t exactly chuck you back out into the cold, now, can I?”

“What?” Reese managed to stammer out.

Alex beamed at her. “You didn’t think I was gonna leave you outside, did I? Especially after you defied Britain like that? They won’t be happy with their best spy gone.”

Reese blushed a bit. “N-no, I suppose not…” they mumbled.

“Besides,” Alex hummed. “You said you knew stuff about their plans, huh? I don’t suppose you’d be willing to divulge any of that?”

Reese found themself smiling. Memories flashed through their head at being mistreated at the hands of their fellow soldiers, brutes who regarded them as nothing more than an object. Deep down, they knew they were rooting for the colonies to win out; they always had been. Knowing that they could play a hand in ensuring their victory caused excitement to bubble up inside of them.

“I’d love to,” they responded firmly, resolve crystallizing within them.

Alex beamed even wider, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “Great! Amazing! We need to get started right away—there’s so little time—see, I’ve been working on looking for ways to steal their supplies, and—oh, I almost forgot. I didn’t ask your name—how rude of me.” He smirked a bit at them. “So who are you?”

Reese smiled up at him. “My name is Reese,” they responded. Struck by inspiration, they held out their hand, an invitation for a handshake.

Alex’s eyes shone with amusement. “Nice to meet you, Reese,” he responded, smiling at them as he gently grasped their hand between a thumb and an index finger. “We’ve got some work to do.”