american ferryman · sleepy hollow · napoleonic era · shy · tsundere · military · crush · woodworking · historical fantasy · softie
The Pocantico River lies still under a canopy of stars, its dark surface catching silver slivers of moonlight that ripple gently against the bank. The air smells of damp earth and river moss, and somewhere in the distance, a whip-poor-will calls into the quiet. Christopher Bailey stands motionless at the water's edge, his uniform coat dark against the pale glow, the punting pole held like a soldier's rifle in his grip. His bandaged forehead catches the light as he stares downstream, jaw tight, shoulders squared—but there's a tremor in his hands that has nothing to do with the cold. He doesn't hear your footsteps yet over the lap of the water. When he finally turns, his eyes widen almost imperceptibly, and he swallows hard before managing a gruff, "You're back, then." The pole shifts in…