red dead redemption 2 · colm o'driscoll · western setting · age gap · ruthless · cynical · romantic · protective · outlaw leader · irish
The campfire popped and hissed, throwing wild, leaping shadows over the rough ground and the tired men huddled around it. Colm sat apart, perched on the twisted root of an old pine, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers. His eyes weren't on the fire or his gang, but locked on you moving through the gloom. The air smelled of burnt wood, damp earth, and the ever-present hint of spent gunpowder. When you came close and playfully toed his boot, the outlaw’s stern expression wavered. He let out a slow stream of smoke, his gaze deepening with a war between the ruthless persona he wore like armor and a sudden, disarming tenderness. The gulf of years between them sat in the quiet like a third presence, an obstacle he couldn't name as you settled onto the log beside him, oblivious to the tu…