Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“And you're sure this is what you want to do for your birthday?” Looking down at his daughter, Montanha watched as she adjusted the straps on her backpack. Her dark brown hair was done up in a tight braid and when she looked up at him with those dark brown eyes, he couldn’t help but think back to that day fourteen years ago, when he first gazed into those eyes and fell in love.

“Yes! You promised I could do whatever I wanted for my birthday.” She said, looking up at him. Montanha now regretted that promise he made, as he felt his anxiety spike a little, “I know, but if you’re feeling unsure at all, we can always stay here-” 

“Dad. It’ll be fine. It’s not like it’s my first time in the city!” 

“Yes, but it’s your first time scavenging. So let’s go over the rules one more time.” 

“Don’t talk to strangers. Always be by your side. And if I ever lose you, run for the hills.” She recited with a practiced ease and an impatient sigh. “Good.’ he then crouched down to her level, ‘Don’t forget those rules, ok? It’s important. Never leave my side unless I’m telling you to hide, and if that does happen. Don’t wait for me. Just go back to the cabin when the coast is clear, alright?” 

Rosie nodded, and Montanha smiled warmly as he put a hand on her cheek, “That’s my girl.” He then stood, slinging his pack over his shoulders and looking at her with a smile, “Let’s go, Sprout.” 

It was late afternoon when the two of them made it down the mountain and reached their first checkpoint. A large store with building and gardening supplies. It was a grand building, a monolith, so wide open that Rosie could see clear from one side to the other. It filled her with an odd sense of foreboding, feeling exposed in this place. “It’s really big in here. People used to shop here?” 

“Yep.” Montanha said simply as he grabbed some nearby seeds, putting them into the pockets of his pack. Rosie hummed, still unconvinced but made no arguments as they continued to collect seeds, rope, and lumber. Putting the lumber aside in a backroom to grab on the return trip. 

Once the lumber was tucked away safely, Montanha turned to Rosie with a big grin as he led her down another aisle, “Do you wanna pick out a tent? We can do a little campin’ tonight!” Rosie grinned, the freckles on her cheeks popping as she excitedly cheered, “Yeah!” 

“Great, let’s go pick out somethin’, birthday girl.” He declared brightly  as he led her down the massive aisles. 

Sure enough, there was an aisle that was dedicated to camping. There were chairs, small grills, rope, and other such odd assortments. Some items were even out on display, though they had long succumbed to the dust and neglect of time. The two of them spent some time looking at the many assortments of tents, looking at fading pictures on the dusty boxes. Until Rosie finally picked out a nice, sizeable tent that was meant for four to five people.

“That’s a good choice, your old man is gonna need the room, I’m big enough for two people on my own!” he joked with a hearty laugh, taking the box down from the tall shelf.

Rosie giggled, “You think I’ll be as tall as you, dad?” Montanha had always towered over her, his presence akin to that of an oak tree in her mind. At that question, Montanha gave her a wink, “Oh, no doubt. You’re already pretty tall for your age.”

“Am I?” She hardly even came to his shoulders. “Haha, yeah, Sprout, I’d say you're almost as tall as most grown men at this point, honey.” 

She scrunched her nose at that. She certainly didn’t feel that tall. Still, she couldn’t argue with his point as she hadn’t personally met another human being outside her own father. 

“You’d be surprised at how short people normally are. Some don’t even get taller than five-two. Fortunately, you’ve inherited my genes, it seems!” Again Montanha laughed at his own joke as he opened the box. Inside were some tarp as well as some folded metal polls that Montanha started to stuff into the accompanying duffle bag before slinging that over his shoulder with the rest of his supplies.

Once they finished their business here, it was time to move on to the rest of their trip and go into the big city. Rosie’s excitement was evident as she practically bounded forward, telling her dad to hurry as they approached the towering buildings. 

He tried to share in her excitement, but his whole body felt tense as he kept his eyes on the swivel. “D-Don’t go too far, Rosie…” he said, voice trembling a bit. Rosie, hearing this, stopped to look back at him. Seeing his tension, she, without a word, came back to him and rejoined him at his side. She then took his hand in hers and held it. Montanha’s hand tightened automatically in response, but he seemed to relax a bit as he gave his daughter an appreciative smile. Rosie leaned against his arm in turn and gave him a small smile. 

Scavenging in the city was different than when they were looting the hardware store. Less looking for specific items and gathering anything and everything that could be useful or edible. The latter being especially hard to come by more than most. 

Still, they managed to find a few edible items, like flour, as well as more ammo for Montanha’s weapons. However, Montanha wanted to make a few things a priority during this trip, such as finding new clothes for Rosie. She’d been growing like a weed and was often in need of new things to wear. And while Montanha was usually the one who was in charge of replacing those items and he did his best to find nice things, he knew she would enjoy being able to pick her own clothes for once. 

Grabbing clothes off the racks of the abandoned clothing store, Rosie reveled in this small taste of freedom. Going to a stack of folded t-shirts, she picked up a shirt with a circular emblem. Centered within the circle were the words ‘NASA’ in bold white letters. She admired the design with its white little stars and red curving lines before showing it to her dad, “Dad, look!” 

Looking over at her, Montanha read the shirt and soon was chuckling, “Very nice honey. It’s very fitting for you, I think.” He mused, earning him a furrowed brow of confusion from his daughter. Seeing her expression, he chuckled again, “I’ll explain later.”  

Rosie seemed to accept that answer for now as she went back to browsing. Packing away the NASA shirt alongside a few other clothes she liked.

Once they finished, Montanha had one more special spot for them to go. He took her to a modern, glass fronted building. With a flat, low-sloping roof and a dark metal siding. In front, there were a few large, eroded letters, most being so weather-beaten that they crumbled away and were unreadable. All that was left was the words ‘M  Library.’

As the two stepped inside, Rosie’s eyes went wide. Shelves upon shelves of books lined the walls, the smell of old paper hanging heavy in the air. Alongside the dust that could be seen gently floating through the sunlight that filtered in from the vast walls of glass that made up the front. “That’s a lot of books…” she muttered in awe as she took in the space.

“Do you like it, Sprout?” Montanha asked, watching her take it all in with stars in her eyes. “It’s amazing!” she breathed, Montanha let out a soft laugh, “You know, back in the day, you could actually come here and take all these books home. At least, for a little while, you could.”

“That’s awesome.”  

Seeing her excitement, he got an idea, “Why don’t you go grab a couple of books, and then meet me back at the front counter.”

Rosie didn’t need to be told twice as she disappeared between the shelves. Montanha’s smile was a bit strained as soon as she left his field of vision, but he reassured himself she would be fine, as he got to work on setting up his little surprise for her.

Quickly getting lost between the shelves, Rosie marveled at the seemingly endless miles of well-organized books. Paperbacks, hard covers, and magazines all lined the shelves. After some investigation, she quickly figured out that they were all arranged by the subject and author. 

Navigating the subjects, Rosie was able to find the young adult section of books, which, being fourteen now, felt fitting for her. She was practically a full-fledged adult at this point. Browsing the books, however, revealed it to be mostly fiction, much to her disappointment, as she felt she was too grown up to be investing in fairytales. 

Still, one book did catch her eye. It sat on a dusty shelf that advertised, ‘New YA Novels to Try!’ and featured a cover with a very pretty woman on it. She had black braided hair, pale as snow skin, and a dress of pink and blue that she didn’t recognize the style of. The background seemed to also have ocean-like theming and seemed to promise some sort of adventure for the woman. Wordlessly, she tucked the book away in her backpack, as if to hide her interest, before moving on. 

Finding the science section next, she browsed the various subjects, finding this to be much more her speed as a self-proclaimed woman of science. There, she picked out various books on human anatomy, animal anatomy, cell science, and the science of experimentation. Clutching the heavy tombs in her arms, she decided to make her way back to the front counter. 

Bringing back her books, she returned to the front, only to find Montanha standing behind it, “Dad? What are you doing?” 

“Dad? Who is this ‘Dad’ you speak of? I am but a humble librarian. Are you here to check out, young lady?” he asked, putting on some sort of fancy sounding accent, which made Rosie giggle. Playing along with his antics, she placed her books on the counter, “I want these books please!”

“Excellent! Do you have a library card?” he asked, making her blink in confusion, “Um, no?”

“Well, would you like to apply for a card today, ma’am?”

“Sure.”

“Ok.’ He said, pulling out a sheet of paper, ‘just fill out this form here.” Rosie giggled again as she took the form and started to fill it out. For her address, she just wrote ‘The Mountains.’ She then filled out the name portion, only to pause when she saw there was a last name section on the form. 

“Hey, dad? Do we have a last name?” 

“Just skip that part, dear.” Montanha said, voice flat and full of an odd venom that made her feel uneasy. This was not a side to her father she’d ever seen, and it felt uncomfortable to her. Montanha, seeing her unease, softened as a look of guilt crossed his features, “… You can put in ‘Diaz’ as the last name, sweetheart.” He said after a moment. 

“Ok…” she said, still a bit uncomfortable, unwilling to ask further as she worked to complete the rest of her form. By the time she finished, Montanha smiled as he attempted to lighten the mood again.

“Great! Everything looks to be in order. Let me file this away and get you your card.”

He then ducked behind the counter, and Rosie could hear him make various beeps and boops as he pretended to be on the computer. This helped to dispel her remaining unease, as she listened to her dad be a goof, making her smile.

He then popped back up, card in hand as he grinned wide at her. It was small and rectangular, with a semi-glossy finish. And when he turned it towards her, she could see it had her name on it. Scrawled on the dotted line in his best handwriting.

“Your library card, ma’am.” He said as he handed it over to her. Holding it in her hands, she felt a strange swell of pride. It was so shiny and new, and it was all hers. She held it carefully to her chest as she beamed up at her father, “Thanks, dad.” 

“Of course, baby. Happy birthday.” He said tenderly, leaning forward to give her a kiss on the top of her head. He stayed like that for a long moment, holding her close, afraid to let go.

But eventually he did, looking down at her with a goofy smile, “now remember to bring those books and your card back next time you come to the library, alright?” Rosie laughed, “Ok, dad!” 

“Attagirl.’ He said, tussling her hair, ‘Now, I got one more surprise for you, hon. Follow me.” 

Montanha led her towards the back of the library, somewhere deep and away from all the windows. A more cozy and safe location. Once they reached the spot he was looking for, he shrugged off the duffle bag and started taking out the tent. “Surprise! We’re camping out in the library!” 

“Whoa! Really??” 

“Yeah, Sprout. Do you like it?” 

“I do!” she cheered as she hugged him, Montanha smiled as he hugged her back, “I’m glad, hon. Now let me show you how to set up a tent.” 

He then got to work setting things up while Rosie watched intently, “Ok, first things first, we wanna lay out this ground cloth. Then you’ll wanna unfold these tent poles like so.” He then unfolds the poles by snapping his wrists and flourishing them out in a show-offy fashion that made Rosie gasp with awe. Montanha winked with a grin, “And then we insert the tent poles through the holes to build the frame.” 

He continued to show Rosie the steps as he lifted up the tent and inserted the poles. Once the frame was put together, Montanha used a few books to hold it down, making a joke about not wanting the wind to blow it away, making Rosie laugh. 

“Who taught you how to put a tent together, dad?” Rosie asked as she watched him finish up the tent. The question made Montanha pause as his brow furrowed a little, “You know. I think it was my old friend Asher who showed me.” He said after some thought. 

She was surprised by this. Her father rarely talked about his past. The subject of her godmother was already something she struggled to get out of him at the best of times. So the fact there was a whole other person was news to her, “Asher?” 

“Right, I don’t think I’ve mentioned him to you… He used to travel with me and your godmother, back in the day.” 

“What was he like? Did he..?” 

“No. At least, I hope not. No, he just left one day in search of his father, who managed to contact him. Asher was a good man. Smart, resourceful, and downright funny. He had a real good heart, and he was a good friend to me… I don’t know what happened after he left, but I like to think that he’s out there with his father… Happy.” A small smile was on his lips as he spoke. But there was a pain and longing in his eyes that Rosie could clearly see. 

It pained her whenever she saw him get like this.  His eyes far away as he seemed to go somewhere else. But she dare not speak or point it out. Lest he hid this from her, too.

A moment later, he seemed to snap out of his stupor and offered her a smile that didn’t meet his eyes. “How about we get some grub goin’, hm?”

Digging through his pack, he pulled out a small pan, as well as a can that he pealed the top of, before lighting it and producing a small flame that he placed under the pan. Heating up the veggies and meat that he had brought for them to eat. “Marshmallows would go great with these right now…” Montanha sighed as he stirred the food, as it slowly heated up. 

“Are marshmallows those tubes of meat you told me about?” 

“No love, that’s hotdogs. Marshmallows are the white pillowy things made of sugar.”

“Ohhh, those ones!” 

“Yeah, sadly, those things are probably long gone by now. Last time I tried to snag a bag of those things, they were hard as rocks.’ Montanha then put an arm around Rosie, ‘Oh well. I don’t need any of that stuff. Not when I got a sweet girl like you, kiddo.” Rosie leaned her head against his shoulder as she smiled and closed her eyes. 

“… Theirs one last thing I want to give you.” He said after a moment. He pulled away as he dug into the pockets of his deer hide jacket. Pulling something out and holding it in his fists, he looked at her, “Hold out your hands.” 

Rosie held them out as he gently placed the item into her palms. When he removed his hand, she found a small neckless resting there. It had a yellow, fake gold chain, but a silver clip, and in the center sat a tiny rose that was blush pink, with two delicate pastel green leaves to accompany it. 

“This was your godmother’s neckless.’ He explained, voice soft, ‘I’ve had this for a long time. Holding onto it until you were old enough. But now, I think you’re ready to have it.” Rosie looked up at him, and she could see tears in Montanha’s eyes, “Please, take good care of it for me.”

She gazed up at him for a long moment before bringing the necklace to her neck, clipping it on. The rose now sat on her collar bone, the blush pink complimenting her warm brown skin in a way that felt like it belonged there. Once she finished putting it on, she leaned forward and hugged her dad tightly, “I’ll take good care of it, I promise.” She murmured. 

Montanha wrapped his arms around her in turn and squeezed her gently as he fought the urge to sob outright. Still, he couldn’t stop the tears fully as they slid quietly down his cheeks, “I love you, Rosie.” 

The rest of the evening went by fast as they ate their meal. Montanha taking the opportunity to tell her his favorite scary stories. Some were the usual ghostly fanfare, but he also told his fair share of zombie stories. He always loved to tell her those in particular, which Rosie didn’t mind as she thought the idea of the dead coming back to life to be a bit silly.  

After they finished their meal, Montanha snuffed out the small flame, packing everything back up before the two of them crawled into the tent to sleep. Rosie snuggled up close to her dad as he wrapped her up in his arms. His large frame always made her feel safe as he engulfed her. “Goodnight, Rosie. We leave for home first thing in the morning, ok?” 

“OK. Night, dad.” Rosie said softly. Montanha hummed as he planted a kiss on her forehead, tucking his chin on the top of her head. As they laid there, Rosie noticed that he held her tighter than usual. Her eyes grew sad as he did so, frowning a little as she buried her face deeper into his chest and closed her eyes. She soon drifted off into a fitful slumber.

Chapter Text

Waking up, Rosie found herself sitting in an empty room, with the only thing to accompany her being a few empty shelves and one or two dusty boxes. She also felt smaller now, younger, as she looked up at the only source of light, the one coming through the door. Standing in the light of the door was the silhouette of her father, “I’m sorry, Rosie. But it's just too dangerous.” He said gently. She couldn’t see his face, but she knew he was giving her those sad, far away eyes.

“But you promised!” Rosie cried, her heart breaking, her voice sounding small, as she reached out for him. His voice sounded as sad, and apologetic as it always did when he left her behind, as he began to shut the door, “I’m sorry. This is for your safety…”

Rosie got to her feet as she ran for him, heart racing as she kept reaching for him. Desperate to not be left behind. Not again. But she was unable to reach him in time, the room too big, and she too small, to stop him as he shut the door and once again, she was left in darkness. Alone.

Rosie awoke with a soft gasp, as she found herself back in the tent with her dad, who was gently snoring. It was still dark, though she didn’t know the time. Still this was probably her only chance, as she carefully pried herself from his grip.

Carefully and quietly, she slipped out of the tent. Zipping it up before grabbing her backpack and slipping it over her shoulders as she navigated her way out of the library and onto the city streets.

Everything was still dark as she turned a nearby corner and down the street, looking for a good spot. Once she found a suitable location, Rosie slipped her backpack off her shoulders, as she began reaching for something inside, before pulling out her secret weapon a moment later.

She called it the ‘Creature Trapper, and she’d designed it herself, on those days that her father left her alone in the cabin to go scavenging or hunting for deer. She’d based the design off of a bear trap, that her father had shown her onetime, but this one was larger, and instead of teeth, it had a bright orange net weaved between the two halves of the hoop. It was large enough to catch something about her own size, which had made it tricky to fit inside her pack, but she had managed to make it work, with a bit of finagling.

Opening the trap was a challenge, as it took her jamming her boot down on the release button a few times before it would finally open fully with a loud, metallic groan of protest. Once opened, she clicked it into place, before covering it haphazardly in the various old papers and leaves that littered the ground nearby, leaving a bit of orange exposed to avoid stepping on it herself. Happy with her set up, she retreated to a nearby abandoned car, one of the many that littered the streets, slipping inside.

Wedging herself down on the floor of the backseat, she knew that she would be able to hear the trap go off, it was now just a matter of waiting for something to trigger it. Buckling down, she got ready to wait it out. Though as soon as she got comfortable, her vision started to dim as she drifted off to sleep.

Rosie could clearly remember that night, about two years ago. She had been awoken by a nightmare, visions of demons still haunting her mind as she went looking for her dad. Approaching the door, she stopped when she was met with the gentle glow of lamp light, seen through the door that had been left open just a crack.

Curious, she looked through it, and she was greeted by the sight of her father. He sat alone on the side of his bed, a strange, shiny black brick in his hands. “If only I could see you one last time, hear you sing…” his voice cracked, as he handled the little black brick with the upmost care, as if it were something especially precious to him.

This was a side of her father that Rosie hadn’t seen before. She’d only ever saw him as this large, unstoppable force of nature. A gentle giant, who lifted her up high and held her when she was scared. He was a man who’d smile as bright as the sun, and who looked at her like she was the most important thing in the world.

Now she watched as he tried, unsuccessfully, to wipe the tears from his eyes, “God, I miss you, Rosie. It’s been so hard. I’m trying so hard to be a good father to my daughter… But I’m just so lost without you, I feel so alone.” He confessed, before fully breaking down. Burying his head in his hands, as he sobbed. Rosie didn’t stay to watch further. Simply turning around and silently padding back to her room, no longer concerned with the monsters in her dreams.

She was suddenly jolted awake by the sound of a loud, metallic ‘SNAP,’ followed by cussing. Popping her head up with a soft gasp, she quickly scrambled out of the car. The streets were now washed in the soft orange glow of early morning, as she approached her trap with caution.

Struggling inside her net, looked to be an adult man, pale skinned, with long copper-red hair that was shaggy and wild. He was currently trying to kick at the net in an attempt to widen one of the holes, but the net was proving to be too sturdy however, as it refused to give. And he was far too cramped inside the net, as he was slightly larger than Rosie. His light brown eyes were wild with fear as he looked up at Rosie on her approach.

“I can’t believe I got one.” She whispered in awe, looking down at the man. The man in the net gave her a hard stare, “Back off monster! Don’t think I can’t kill you from inside this net!” he growled, voice low and threatening. Rosie did back up a step at the threat, his harsh words scaring her a little. Still she did her best to swallow back her fear as she stepped closer. Reaching into her pack, she pulled out a journal, as she started to scribble down her notes.

Seeing this, the man stopped thrashing for a moment as he gave her a look, “Are you… Taking notes right now?”

Looking up from her journal, she nodded, “Um yeah? If I’m gonna experiment on you. I gotta do it properly.” A look of realization crossed his face, as he seemed to soften slightly, “You’re just a kid, aren’tcha?” exhaling through her nose, Rosie looked a bit annoyed, “Of course I am. You’re the Creature here.”

“… Who told you they were called Creatures?” he said as he stared at her. Rosie lifted a brow, “Uh, my dad?”

“Who’s your dad, kid?” he asked as he seemed to study her now. “I shouldn’t be talking to you. My dad said not to talk to strangers. That’s one of his big rules.”

“Your dad sounds like a smart man.”

“Yeah, he’s crazy smart. He’s the best dad in the world. Which is why I gotta figure out how to take you Creature’s down, so he can finally be happy.” She said, gripping her journal tightly. The man did his best to lean forward inside the cramped net, eyes still studying her, before suddenly widening as they land on Rosie’s necklace, “Hey kid, where did you get that-?”

His question was cut short, when both hear a man streaming, “ROSIE! ROSIE!!” the scream sounded desperate, as from around the corner, Montanha sprinted. His eyes were frantically searching and full of tears as he held his shotgun in his hands. As soon as he saw Rosie, he rushed towards her, coming up to her at a crazy speed before quickly pulling her in. He pulled her in so fast, it hurt, as he immediately  squeezed her tightly as he started to sob, “I THOUGHT I LOST YOU!! I THOUGHT I-!”

“Y-You’re hurting me…” Rosie whimpered out. Instantly, Montanha loosened his grip, but still held her, “What were you thinking?? What were you thinking!! Do you know how scared I was when I-!” it was only then, that his eyes landed on the man in the net. Almost immediately, he leveled his shotgun to the man’s head. The man in the net paled as he raised is hands, “Wait-wait-wait! This is a big misunderstand- Montanha??”

Hearing the man say his name, Montanha paused as he took a moment to get a better look at him. He studied him for several seconds, before his eyes go wide in surprise, as recognition crossed his features. His face then hardened once again, as he pushed the barrel of his shotgun against the man’s temple, “If you are who I think you are. Prove it. Right now.”

The man lowered his hands a little as he tried to speak as calmly as he could, “When we were first getting to know each other, you told me that there was a certain image that you wanted to project. As someone who was big, strong and manly, someone people could rely on. Which is why it was hard for you to admit you were trans. You didn’t want that fact to change how I saw you.” He said, looking Montanha in the eyes.

“… It really is you.” Montanha said as he lowered his gun. Looking for the release button, he simply pressed on it with his boot as he popped it open with ease, before helping the man too his feet. “Dad?” Rosie asked, eyes wide in confusion. Montanha gave her a reassuring smile, “It’s ok sweetheart. This is a friend of mine. Asher.” Her eyes widen even more significantly, “Asher?? That’s the guy you told me about!”

“Yep, that’s me, a little battered and shaken up, but no worse for wear.” Asher joked a little, which elicited a small chuckle from Montanha. “Yeah, sorry about that, my emotions were high.” He joked, but then he seemed to remember why, as he turned to his daughter. He gave her a stern but pained expression, “What were you thinkin’?? Do you have any idea how scared I was when I woke up and you weren’t there?!”

Rosie lowered her head in guilt, “I-I thought I could catch something…”

“And then what? What if this had been a real Creature?? What would you have done?! This isn’t a game, Rosie! You could’ve-!” he stopped himself as he tried to take a calming breath, his body trembling as he did so. Rosie clutched her field journal to her chest as her eyes started to well up in tears, her own body trembling in turn.

Seeing this, Montanha’s expression shifted into something softer as he kneeled down to look her in the eye, “Oh Sprout, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell. I was just scared.”

“I know…”

“But what you did was reckless and I don’t think I can trust you for a while. So, I don’t want you leavin’ my side for the rest of the day, understand?”

“Ok…” she said, crestfallen. Montanha gave her a quick, reassuring hug, “I still love you, Sprout.”

“I know. I love you too, dad.” She said weakly, still caught up in her disappointment. He gave her one more gentle squeeze, before turning his attention back to Asher, who had been silently observing the interaction between them. “Sorry, this is probably not the most ideal reunion.” He said with a sheepish grin. Asher however, smiled warmly, “It’s good to see you again.”

Montanha returned to a standing position as his eyes seemed to light up, “Likewise, I honestly didn’t think I’d ever see you again!”

“No kidding! Didn’t think I’d run into you while out looking for supplies.”

“Well I’m not in the least surprised you found yourself in yet another net. Do I gotta free yah from a trap every time we meet?” he joked with a smirk. Asher laughed that at, “Hey, how was I supposed to realize I was gonna be a part of some kid’s experiment? Speaking of which, holy shit! You have a kid! I guess I owe you a belated congrats on that.” Montanha’s smile becomes a bit lopsided as his eyes moved to the side, “Ah, thanks… Anyways, we were just about to head back up the mountains, we’ve got a cabin up there.”

Asher whistled, “A cabin huh? Only you could be so lucky.” This was met with an awkward laugh from Montanha as he physically cringed, “Yeah. Uh, but hey, did you want to come with us? I’d love to have you with me. Even if it’s for a little while.” He said, voice soft as he looked at him with a certain look of longing in his eyes.

“Of course, I mean as long as you’re ok with my dumbass hanging around.”

Montanha chuckled again, “I’d always want you…’ catching himself, he cleared his throat, ‘Anyways, if you want. We can help you pack up and we’ll show you to our cabin. We’ve got plenty of supplies to share.” Asher gave him an appreciative look, “As long as it’s no trouble.”

“Not at all. Now let’s get your stuff.”

Working together, the three of them were able to pack up Asher’s supplies, before doubling back for their own stuff. All the while, Rosie watched in bewilderment as her father became a completely different person.

Montanha had always been the type to smile around Rosie, as he tried to come off as a happy-go-lucky father, so as to not burden her with whatever weight he carried. But as he talked and joked with Asher, his smile was constantly touching his eyes, and the fact he was even laughing and joking at all was surprising. Just yesterday, he had been quiet and tense while they had been walking through the city together, needing her to hold his hand.

Stuff in tow, Montanha then led the two back up the mountain, walking ahead of them on the mountain path. As they climbed, Rosie saddled up next to their new, red-headed companion and looked at him with a big smile, “So you were friends with my dad, huh? Asher smiled back, “Yeah, we’ve been friends for a long time. Has he not mentioned me before?”

“No, not really. I only just learned about you, yesterday. She replied truthfully, that answer seemed to sadden him, ‘But don’t feel bad! My dad just never likes talking about past stuff.” Asher raised a brow at that, “No?”

“Yeah, I barely even know anything about my godmother, even though I’m apparently named after her. All I know is that, something, happened to her. And because of that, I was told to never trust strangers and never help others.” Asher looked even more skeptical at this, “Never help others? That doesn’t sound much like him.”

“Really? He’s always told me the world was cold and cruel. That you can only help yourself.” Asher’s mouth formed a hard line as she said this, looking to Montanha who continued to walk ahead of the two of them.

“Do you know how to fight?” Rosie asked suddenly, shaking Asher’s thoughts, “Yeah, I can fight.”

“Are you good at it?”

“I like to think so.”

“Can you teach me?” Rosie asked, eyes full of hope as she looked up at him. “Teach you? Hasn’t your dad already done that?”

“No. He won’t teach me, he says I’m ‘too young!’” she complained. Asher’s brows furrowed in concern as he looked between her and Montanha, “Huh… Well I don’t know, kiddo. That’ll have to be a conversation for us all to have.”

“The answer is no. There is no need for further discussion.” Montanha said suddenly from in front of them, not looking back as he walked. “And don’t be bothering Asher about it anymore. Just because he's my friend, and he’s staying with us for a bit. Don’t mean you can circumvent me.”

“But dad-!”

“I said no.” he said firmly. Asher tilted his head at this, seeing that there was something clearly deeper going on. Rosie just sighed, “See? He’ll never let me learn how to fight. That and with how badly he freaked out when I went to test my trap. I’m probably never going to leave the cabin again.”

Asher merely gave her a small shrug, “You messed up sure, but kids do that. But your dad loves you anyways, and just wants what’s best for yah. Just give him some time to calm down, alright? Things change.” Rosie still seemed unsure, but nodded along.

The sun had begun to set by the time the cabin came into view,  bathing it in the early evening glow. It was quiet a lovely cabin, modern in design and well maintained over the last almost decade and a half. There was even a beautiful garden in front, with large patches of various vegetables and fruit, with plenty of produce for a small family to enjoy. Asher was more than impressed as he looked around, “Wow, that’s a really nice cabin, actually. That’s really impressive, Mountain Man.”

Montanha chuckled at the old nickname, as he smiled, “Thanks, Wild Man.”

“Let’s go inside! I can show you around Asher!” Rosie said excitedly, as she beamed at him. “Sure kid, that sounds great.” With that, Rosie rushed ahead, excited to show her home off to someone new. Montanha watched her go with a small laugh, “Well we better go catch up.” Montanha said as he started to follow. “Hold on.” Asher said, as he grabbed Montanha by the elbow, stopping him, “Before we go in, I need to know. What happened to Rosie?”

“It was a Creature that got her.” He said flatly. There was a lot of weight behind his words as the air quickly became heavy. “Montanha-”

“I can tell you more about it later. Just not right now, ok?” he said, cutting him off. Asher looked almost shaken by this cold response, but he nodded with grim understanding. Montanha, no longer interested in talking further, pulled his arm away and trudged towards the house. Asher furrowed his brows at that, watching him walk ahead of him. But he soon followed behind.

Chapter Text

“Hey, need a hand with that?” Asher asked, startling Montanha a little as he knelt beside the oven in his kitchen, gas hose in hand. “Oh, sure. Do you know how to hook up propane to an oven?” he asked, Asher shrugged, “Oh yeah, I used to live in a trailer home, remember? My old man thought it was cheaper than paying for a mainline.” he joked. “Well, alright.” Montanha said as Asher joined him by his side.  

It had only been a few days since Asher joined them up in their little cabin. Yet he already slotted into the group as if he’d always belonged. Still, it was a bit of an adjustment for Montanha, as long buried feelings started to rise from the grave, much like the undead.  

Even now as they sat, side by side, Montanha was aware of his heat beside him and had to fight the urge to not just stare at him and admire all the ways he’s changed since he last saw him. Asher’s more well-defined jawline and those broad shoulders that hid under his loose shirt or even his hair which had grown longer in the last fourteen years. Montanha wanted to run his fingers through them in an intimate setting, gently feeling that soft copper hair between his fingers as he stared into those honey brown eyes.    

Sitting back, Montanha yet again wrestled his rabid thoughts back down as he looked at him, “Ok, now that we got it connected on this side, I can get it hooked up outside. Could you stay inside to check the connection for leaks and test the burners once I get it hooked up?” Asher nodded and gave him a thumbs up as Montanha made his way outside.   

He made quick work of hooking the tank up to the hose before testing out the hose for leaks with a bit of solution in a packet. When he found there to be no leaks, he looked up at the window above and shouted, “It’s good to go!”   

“Gotcha!” came Asher’s voice distantly, silence followed before he responded again a few minutes later, “All good in here, mountain man!” Montanha smiled at that as he headed back inside, “Hey thanks for that. You definitely saved me a bit of time with this.”   

“Hey, it’s no problem. If I'm going to be spending some time up here, then I need to contribute. Besides, I’m always happy to spend time with you.” Montanha felt himself flush at that, still he grinned at him.   

“Man, it’s a shame you can’t get a bigger tank out here. If you could get one of them hundred- and twenty-gallon tanks up here, you could heat the whole house for a long time.”   

“Damn you read my mind, Ash. I thought about doin’ that a couple of times. But I’d have to find a working truck big enough to haul that back up here. Plus, I may be strong, but I ain’t a hundred and somethin’ pounds of steel strong.” he joked. “Well, maybe we can try to do it together? I’m sure if you, me, and Rosie can put our heads together on this-”   

Montanha’s face dropped as his eyes suddenly became hard, “That ain’t something a child needs to worry herself about.” Asher furrowed his brows in frustration as he stared back at him, “So then, do you just do everything on your own then?”   

“It’s not that Rosie doesn’t help. She’s always been keen on pulling her weight. But there are certain tasks that I can’t ask her to do. And if you don’t like the way I’m raising my child-”   

“I get it.” Asher said, cutting him off as the two of them stand there in tense silence.    

“Who wants lunch? I’m starvin’...” Montanha said after a moment, turning away to start cooking, making it clear that the conversation was over. Asher just studied him in silence for a long moment before joining him in the kitchen.   

Outside, Rosie crouched in the grass, journal in hand as her eyes studied something in the dirt, and she took small notes, “Hey there, Trapper.” Asher said as he crouched down beside her. Rosie raised her head to look at him, brow raised, “Trapper?”   

“Yeah kid, you never been given a nickname before?”   

“My dad calls me ‘Sprout’ sometimes, cause I’m his little sprouting flower, he said.”   

“Heh, that sounds like him. Well, if it’s all the same to you, being caught in your trap left quite an impression on me. So, I think ‘Trapper’ is very fitting for you.” Rosie blushed in embarrassment as he joked, “I’m sorry for trapping you like that...”   

“Don’t be! That was a pretty clever trap you made. Did you make that by yourself?” Rosie nodded, “Yeah, I saw a bear trap in a book, and I thought it’s design would make a good Creature trap.”   

“Impressive. You’re quite smart for your age.” Rosie blushed again, this time feeling flattered rather than embarrassed. Her father had called her smart plenty of times before, but it felt different coming from Asher rather than from the usual source. “What are you studying out here, by the way? I’ve noticed you’ve been crouched here for a while.”    

“Oh, um, I’m studying the ants.”   

“The ants?”   

Rosie hummed in the affirmative as she pointed out the small line of ants that passed in front of their shoes, as well as the nearby anthill that sat not too far from the line. “I’ve been studying their behavior and reading a couple of books. I got a theory about Creatures.”   

“What’s your theory?”   

“I believe that, based on what little I've learned from my dad and my few observations on them, that they might behave similar to ants or wasps.” She then pointed to the hill in front of them. “See, ants usually live in colonies with between a few dozen to a million individuals. The biggest part of the population being made up of the workers.”    

She traced a line in the air of the ants as they headed to the hill. “You got all different kinds of worker ants, like the kinds that care for young or tend to the queen, but mostly you got scouts and foragers. They’re the ones who go out and find food for the colony, collecting it and bringing it back. I think Creatures might work similarly, and we’ve only just been seeing the scouts and the foragers. I mean, why else would they kill so often? If not to take it back home to their colony?”   

Asher scratched his chin in thought about that, “That’s a pretty solid theory, Trapper. Course that means that if they work like ants, they probably have a queen of some sort and a home base where they all report back too.” Rosie pursed her lips, “Yeah, I just don’t have any evidence for it. That’s why it’s just a theory.” Asher smiled at that, “I bet your dad is proud to be raising such a capable young lady.”   

Rosie blew air out softly through pursed lips, “What good does that make if I'm never leaving the mountain again?” Asher sighed as well, sitting down more comfortably in the grass, careful not to disturb the ants as he did so. “I think the best you can do right now is to try and meet him in the middle. Just try to help him in little ways. I know he’s upset, but it’s just because he cares. And hey, I promise I’ll try and talk to him about it, alright?”   

Rosie nodded as she also sat alongside him, “Thanks.” Asher smiled as he started ruffling her hair, “No problem, Rosie.” she giggled as she pushed his hand away, “Hey you wanna see my wasps? I’ve been watching a small nest of them in those trees over there.” She said with a smile, pointing to the tree line. Asher looked a bit baffled by this but smiled warmly, “Sure.” he said as Rosie got to her feet and started leading him there.   

Later that afternoon, Asher sat with Montanha at the dining room table as he placed a warm mug down in front of him, “Here. This is, uh, the only kind of hot beverage I got. It’s just wild mint. It’s not very good.” Montanha joked, making Asher chuckle, “I’ll take hot mint over nothin’.”    

“So, what did you want to talk about?” Montanha asked as he sipped his tea. “I want to talk about what happened earlier today.” Putting down his mug, Montanha sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck, “Yeah. I’m sorry for how I’ve been actin’, I don’t mean to come off so cold. But when it comes to the subject of my daughter...”   

“No, that’s alright. But I think in the time we’re living in, this kind of thinkin’ is more detrimental than you realize.” Montanha shrunk a bit at that, “Well, it’s like I said before. She’s just a little too young to be taking risks and learning that sorta stuff, yah know?”   

“Sure, but she should at least know some of the basics, in case of an emergency, shouldn’t she?” he pressed. Montanha’s frown deepened as he gave him that stony look that Asher was starting to get accustomed to, “She’s got pepper spray, and more importantly, she’s got me to protect her.”   

“You might not always be there, and while pepper spray will help against people, it’s just going to piss off a Creature.” Asher pointed out. Montanha’s grip tightened around his mug as he looked down, bangs shadowing his face a little, “I won’t ever leave her alone to fend for herself. I’ll never leave her alone, never.” he muttered, voice tense.    

Asher’s face became soft and sympathetic, “Ain’t she alone when she’s locked up in this cabin while you go scavenging?” Montanha said nothing as his shoulders tensed, finger tapping on his mug as his face twisted into a look of anxiety, brows knitting together in thought. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in these last fourteen years, it’s that there’s three responses to danger. Fight, flight, and freeze. We can’t let her be the kind to freeze, Montanha.”   

“Then I'll teach her to run! I just- I can’t teach her how to fight, Ash!’ he said, looking up at him with terror filled eyes, ‘I don’t- I don’t think I have the strength to do it.” he confessed, looking small in that moment, despite his frame.   

“... What if I did?”   

His eyes drifted away from him again as he looked down and to the side, “I-I don’t know...” Asher reached for his hand, “I know you’re scared. But you can’t keep letting your fear get in her way.”    

Montanha seemed to warm at his touch, his shoulders relaxing as he brought his eyes back up to him, managing to give him a small token of a smile, “Alright, but it’s for self-defense only. I don’t want her scavenging for a while yet.” Asher gave him a firm nod, “Self-defense, and then we’ll see after that, ok?” his lips pressed into a thin line, but he nodded in agreement. Asher gently squeezed his hands in turn, “I promise you; I’ll do my damnedest to train her.”   

“Alright, I trust you.”   

Asher smiled as he put a hand on Montanha's shoulder, "Thanks, mountain man." Montanha nodded as he did his best to swallow back to lump in his throat.  

When evening came around the three sat together on the living room sofa, while Asher shared some stories, mostly about the misadventures he and Montanha got into. As he recounted all the funny things they used to do, the three of them would laugh, and Montanha would even share a story or two himself. As the evening went on, however, Rosie found herself starting to nod off, her eyes becoming heavy as she struggled to stay awake. Montanha noticed this and gave her a gentle look, “You gettin’ tired their kiddo?”    

“No, I’m fine. I wanna hear more stories.” She mumbled despite her struggle. Montanha was unconvinced as he raised a brow, “No? Well, I guess you can stay up.”   

“But you’re probably gonna be too tired for your first day of training then.” Asher added. This made Rosie perk up a little as she looked at him confused, “Training? What training?”   

“Combat training. I’m gonna teach you some of the stuff I know, Trapper.” Rosie’s eyes go wide as she looked at him, before turning her head to look at her father, “It took some convincin’... But maybe now would be a good time for you to learn.” Montanha said, his smile small and nervous as he looked at her. Excited, Rosie tackled her father into a hug, “Thank you, dad! Thank you!” she said with barely contained excitement.    

Montanha hugged her back, squeezing her gently, “This is for self-defense. Nothing more, alright?” He clarified, voice firm. “That’s fine! I’m going to do my best for you, dad!’ she cheered, still hugging him tight. A moment later, she let go and hopped off the couch, ‘I’m going to bed then! Night, dad! Night, Asher!”    

“Alright, goodnight, Rosie.” With that, she bounded away, and Montanha watched her go with a small sigh and a smile before turning to Asher, “Can you do that more often? She hardly ever goes to bed early.” Asher laughed, “I’ll see what I can do.”    

The room then settled into a comfortable silence as the two of them sat together. Montanha sinking comfortably into the sofa as Asher scooted up beside him, closing the gap between them. It made Montanha blush a bit as he resisted the urge to cuddle up to him, not wanting to ruin the comfortable moment.    

Which is why he was a bit surprised when Asher rested his head on his shoulder and was the one to initiate as he seemed to cuddle up beside him. His cheeks still felt hot, but he smiled none the less as he let Asher lean against him and closed his eyes with a small, content sigh.   

Eyes closed, he enjoyed the moment a while longer, before he started to think on his daughter, and her upcoming training, which made him start to deflate. Asher was able to pick up on this as he looked up at him, “You alright?”   

“Y-Yeah, sorry. I’m just thinking about the training. I guess I’m still just, anxious, about it.” Montanha confessed, looking a little to the side. “... Are you worried about her ending up like our friend Rosie?” Montanha clenched his jaw a little as he began to pick at the seams of his jeans. He remained silent. Asher’s eyes softened a little as he put a hand on his knee, “Montanha… I know you said you’d tell me later, but it’s been almost a week. And I need to know. What happened with Rosie?”   

A deep frown etched its way into his features as he turned his head down and a bit further away from Asher. He was almost hoping that if he remained silent, Asher would drop the subject. Asher didn’t relent as he placed his hand on Montanha’s shoulder, “Please, Montanha… She was my friend too.”    

Montanha suddenly stood, pulling away from Asher, who looked at him with concern. “You wanna know what happened? I left her alone with a Creature, and it got her. It’s my fault she’s dead, Asher. She had trusted me, and I killed her.” he said, voice trembling as he fought back tears. He was met with stunned silence as Asher stared at him in shock, “Montanha...”   

“I’m going to bed.” was all he said before walking away, leaving Asher alone.  

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Rosie picked up on her training relatively quickly from there. Going over her firearm and hand-to-hand combat training, until she could defend herself quite easily. She seemed to have a special interest in hand-to-hand combat especially. Always eager to practice her form, even outside of their designated training time.  

Asher took notice of this and decided to introduce her to melee weapons.  

He started her off with just swinging a thick branch, getting her used to swinging something with weight, before introducing her to swinging an axe. She seemed unsure at first, but at the mention of her father’s regular use of it in the past, she was more than eager to learn. Picking up on the skill rather quickly.  

In just a months' time Rosie felt like she was ready to enact the next phase of her plan.  

With a nervous air, she approached him while he was fixing a fence post with Asher, “Hey, dad?” Montanha looked up from his work as he gave her a smile, “What’s up, Sprout?” Rosie wrung out her hands as they shook, “Um, well, I was thinkin’. I’ve been training really hard, and I wanted to show you what I know.”  

“Show me what you know?”  

“Y-Yeah, like show you how good I am.”  

Asher smiled, “Hey, that might not be a bad idea. We can put on a little show for you! She has been working pretty hard, Montanha.” Montanha looked hesitant, but seeing the look in his daughters' eyes, he couldn’t resist, “Well alright, how about you show me this evening?”  

Rosie beamed like the sun, “Ok! I’ll show you what I can do!”  

As she ran off, Montanha watched her go, sighing a little, “She’s growing up so fast...”  

“She’s a really good fighter, she’s really capable too.” Asher said, looking at him. “I know, but every time I look at her, all I can see is that baby I held in my arms all those years ago.”  

“You gotta learn to let go eventually, Mountain Man.”  

Montanha sighed at those words, “I know, I’ll, I’ll try to...” he mumbled quietly. Asher smiled as he put a hand on his shoulder, “Let’s get this fence fixed, bud.” Montanha smiled back at him a little as he grabbed the hammer.  

Evening soon came and it was time for Rosie to prove herself. She could feel herself shaking a little as she stretched and warmed herself up. In the grass not too far away, her father sat there, a smile resting on his face as he watched her warmup. As she glanced his way, he waved at her, his smile warming, which helped her with a few of her nerves as she waved back.  

“You ready to go, Trapper?” Asher asked as he finished getting everything set up. “Um, I guess.” she said back, her demeanor unsure. “You don’t gotta be nervous, your dad is gonna be proud of you, no matter what.”  

“I know. But I really want him to see how good I am.” After all, if she could do that, maybe he’d see that she was strong enough to help him.  

Asher patted her back, “I’m sure you can. You’ve trained hard. He’ll be able to see that.” Rosie nodded and gave him a small smile.  

She could do this.  

The two of them then turned to Montanha, “We’re ready, dad!” Montanha smiled big at that as he gave her a thumbs up, “You got this, sweetheart!”  

Both Rosie and Asher then stood in the center of their demonstration area, both facing each other. Asher put his hands up as he got into position and Rosie followed suit. Both nodded at each other, “Begin.”  

Rosie was the first one to move, circling him as her feet moved with practiced steps. Asher started moving to face her, his steps more fluid and quicker with experience.  

As he turned, she went in for a jab at his side, but Asher was faster as he blocked her hit. Rosie then followed up with a swift kick to his side which Asher was able to catch with ease.  

He then returned a jab of his own, Rosie tried to dodge it, but his jab was so fast and harsh that it hit her squarely in the hip and made Rosie faulter.  

The pain was not harsh, but it was a big enough nip that Rosie had to back away to recover. Asher did not follow, letting her take her moment.  

Rosie took a few controlled breaths to regain her composure, feet still as she breathed.  

Once she recovered, her feet started to bounce as she regained her rhythm, bouncing and shifting before rushing in. She was fast enough to not only hit Asher once, but twice in the sides as she hit him with a crisscross of punches.  

Keeping her pressure up, she kicked up into his arms to try and break his guard. His guard didn’t break; she kicked again and this time it fell.  

His arms fell, she leapt forward. He didn’t move. She landed a punch, and his head moved back slightly to soften her blow as she punched him in the jaw.  

As soon as it landed, Asher backed up with a smile and nodded, “Good.” he said, signaling the end of the fight.  

Rosie broke her stance as she nodded. Turning, she smiled and waved at her father, as she moved on to the next phase of the demonstrations. Picking up the rifle that had been sitting on a stand, she held it tightly against her shoulder just as she practiced, as she took aim at the first of the five targets set up for her.  

They were five simple targets made of wood and painted with rings of black. Some hung from the trees, and others stood on poles, some far away, while the rest were closer. All of them made to test her accuracy. With calm and practiced movements, she took aim and fired.   

Her first hit dead center. Swift and mechanical movements followed as she unloaded and fired again.  

Montanha watched as his daughter continued to fire, unload and reload, as she hit the remaining four targets. Not everything landed, the two farthest away landing more on the outer rings, But the remaining targets hit closer to the center. His face was hard to read as he watched her demonstrate her skills.  

Clearing her gun, Rosie set it back down on its stand as she walked towards the last portion of her show. Standing in front of the dead tree she used for practice, Rosie picked up her axe, gripping it firmly in her right hand. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she readied herself, before taking the first swing.  

The first swing connected with a solid ‘thunk’ as the blade buried itself into the trunk of the dead tree.  

Pulling out with a small grunt of effort, she gripped it again as she went for another swing.  

This time missing purposely, as she used the momentum of the first swing to then pass the axe to her second hand.  

As soon as she gripped the handle she swung back up and the axe had buried itself into the trunk once more.  

She continued to demonstrate the move, swinging, then passing again, before swinging and passing it once more.  

With the speed of her momentum her hands almost looked like a blur as she kept passing from one hand to the next. She then grabbed it in both hands and used the momentum she’d built up to swing it up and back.  

The axe swung down fast and fluid as Rosie yelled and buried the blade deep into the wood.  

Letting go, Rosie stepped back and breathed heavily as she turned to look at her father, eyes looking to him expectantly.  

Montanha was already on his feet as he began to clap. Rosie’s chest swelled as she felt herself start to brighten. Her smile so big on her freckled cheeks that they wrinkled her eyes, as she caught her breath.  

Asher came to her side as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, “Well done, kid.” Rosie looked at him and beamed.  

Still smiling wide, Rosie pulled herself away from Asher a moment later, as she ran over to her father, “So, what do you think?” Montanha smiled, “I think you were amazing, honey.”  

“And?”  

“And?”  

“Well now that you’ve seen how good I’ve gotten, I can go scavenging with you again right??” Montanha’s smile dropped at that. His brows furrowing as he looked at her, “Look, I only okayed you training with Asher, because it’s for self-defense. You’re a long way from letting me allow you to scavenge again.”  

Rosie’s smile now dropped, as the shine in her eyes dimmed, “What? But I thought-!”  

“Just because you’ve trained for a month, doesn't mean I trust you not to run off like you did last time.” Rosie’s face started to flush hotly, “I said I was sorry! So, you’re never gonna trust me again then??”  

“That’s not what I meant, look I-” he started, but Rosie started to stomp away, angry growl in her throat and hot tears in her eyes as she distanced herself from him, running for the cabin. Montanha shared a surprised look with Asher. Before getting up to go after her, Asher following suit.  

Rosie had made it into the cabin by the time Montanha caught up with his daughter, “Rosie wait, let’s just calm down and-” Rosie suddenly whipped around to look at him, “You just think I’m just a little baby, don’t you??”  

“That’s, that’s not-”  

“And you never let me help! All I’ve ever want to do is help you!!’ she exploded, ‘But no! I’m too young, I’m too weak, I’m too inexperienced! Any excuse you can find to push me away!” These words seemed to wound Montanha as they hit deep.  

Asher seeing this tries to deescalate the situation, “Ok, let’s all just calm down-”  

“I know you just want to help me; I understand that! But you just don’t understand the dangers of this world. Something you proved when you ran off by yourself to experiment with your trap.” Montanha argued, completely ignoring Asher.  

“So just because I make one mistake, I can’t be trusted at all??”  

“I’m not saying that.”  

“Yes, you are! Why don’t you just say you hate me already!”  

Montanha physically recoiled at her words, almost as if he’d been slapped, his face losing all color. Before being replaced by a fiery hot flush, “I care about you more than anything! You have no idea the sacrifices I’ve made to keep you safe!”  

“I never asked you to do that! I can take care of myself!”  

“ You’re a child! ”  

“Guy’s stop! Let’s just-!”  

Asher’s words fall on deaf ears as they continued to fight.  

“No, I’m not! I’m fourteen! ”  

“Yes, you are!”  

“You just want to turn me into this scared little hermit, just like you! Too scared to do anything!”  

“You two-”  

“I am your father! And I’m not gonna let you go out there and get killed like your godmother!”  

“I hate you! I hate you so much and I’m gonna run away and never come back!”  

“That’s it! You’re never-!”  

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Asher roared, making Montanha and Rosie freeze and finally look at him. Both of them looking like deer caught in the headlights, the hot flush leaving their cheeks, as they both visibly pale. “Sit down, both of you.” Asher ordered, voice firm.  

Montanha and Rosie both obediently sat down on the nearby couch, “Now look, you're both trying to tell each other what you’re feeling, but neither of you are listenin’ to each other.”  

Asher looked to Rosie, “You’ve come a long way, no one’s arguing that, but your dad is right. It takes a lot of trust to work together when scavenging. And we’ve seen some horrible things happen to people that we don’t want to happen to you. So as long as you stick by us, you’ll get your chance to prove to us that you’re ready.”  

Asher looked to Montanha next, “Rosie needs to grow up sometime, Montanha. How do you expect her to survive when you keep such a tight grip on her like that? When you say things like that, she doesn't hear that you’re trying to keep her safe, she thinks you’re calling her useless.”  

Both look down at the ground in shame as both seem to think about Asher’s words. “I, I’m sorry, dad...” Montanha looked to Rosie, “I know, I’m sorry too. I don’t think you’re useless. I think you’re very smart and capable and I love you so very much. It’s just the thought of you out there in the city fills me with so much fear.”  

“But why?” Rosie asked, voice soft. Montanha’s face looked so much older than he was, as he looked to her, “I, I think it’s time I told you, both of you, about what happened that day.”  

Asher and Rosie both looked at one another, before moving in closer to Montanha, Rosie scooting up from his right side, while Asher sat down on his left. Seeing there was no backing down now, Montanha took a deep breath and began his story.  

“It happened one day when we were out scavenging. It had been quiet, save for running into another survivor earlier in the day as we ran around the city. That all changed when we ran into a survivor with no gear who looked roughed up, saying he got robbed. He asked us to help escort him to a survivor camp on the other side of the city. Rosie didn't trust him, but I did, so I convinced her to help the guy out.”  

“What happened next?” Asher asked softly, though he had a feeling he already knew.  

“Well, we started to make our way through the city, Rosie keeping her eye on the new guy the whole time. About halfway to our destination, we heard someone screaming, it sounded like a child or a woman in distress, so naturally I wanted to help. Again, Rosie didn’t trust it, and again I ignored her concerns in favor of ‘being a hero.’ So after some convincing, I left her alone with the stranger and left to go help the one screaming. But wouldn’t you believe it? It was a damn Creature. It was a trap. I barely got out of their alive after I got jumped by the thing.”  

Asher took a breath, before letting it out slow, “God...” Rosie looked at her father with wide eyes, that seemed to study him.  

“I thought that had been the full extent of it, but I was wrong. If I, If I had known the full extent of their trap, then I would’ve run back, maybe then I could’ve saved her. But I didn’t, and by the time I got back, she was already gone. I didn’t hear a gunshot, didn’t hear a scream. They didn’t even leave me a fuckin’ body. The only thing they left me was a blood stain and her necklace to mourn over.”  

Rosie touched her necklace as she looked down at it. Asher balled his hands into fists, “Those fuckin’ parasites.” he growled.  

Montanha meanwhile, started to laugh bitterly as tears started to well up in his eyes, “Can you believe it? A goddamn Creature tricked me, and I got Rosie killed. Because of me, she’s dead.” Asher began to rub Montanha’s back as he buried his face in his hands, “It ain’t your fault. Those fuckin’ things planned the whole thing out.”  

Montanha shook his head, “It’s still my fault. I made the call. I ignored her and stuck my neck out for strangers. I killed her.”  

“It’s ok Montanha. You’re not the first to be tricked by those flesh bags.” Asher reassured. Montanha nodded, but he was still breathing shakily and fighting back his tears.  

As he struggled to maintain his composure, arms wrapped around his chest and Montanha watched as his daughter buried her face into his shoulder, “I’m so sorry, dad.” Rosie said, voice cracking as she fought back her own tears.  

He fully broke down in that moment, as he turned to embrace his daughter. Montanha wept openly, tears rolling down his cheeks as he shook and held her close. He didn’t know why, but her words meant more to him than anything in that moment, as he cradled her tightly. Rosie began crying as well, as she buried her face in his chest. In that moment, she made a silent vow to herself that she would not rest until she killed every last one of those things.  

As the two of them cried, Asher relaxed a bit as he saw the two reconciling. He then made a move to go and give the two space.  

He was stopped however by not one, but two hands, who grabbed at his sleeve. Rosie and Montanha looking at him with eyes that said everything.  

Asher melted a bit at this and allowed the two to pull him in. As the three of them embraced, Asher felt hot tears roll down his cheeks as he began sobbing. Processing the loss of one of his best friends, the girl who had been the annoying little sister who he hadn't known he needed. It was yet another piece of his family that had been taken from him.  

But as he took in the warmth and love of Montanha and his daughter, he at least didn’t feel alone. A small, but genuine smile broke across his face as he took a shuddering breath.  

Chapter Text

After Montanha and Rosie made up with each other, and Montanha had shared his long-held grief, the air seemed to change around the cabin. No longer holding this undertone of tension as years of guilt had somewhat lifted off Montanha’s shoulders. 

Of course, he would’ve never gotten to this point, if not for Asher. It was amazing how much he’d changed his life in such a short time. It made him realize how much he appreciated what he did, how much he appreciated  him . He felt as if he had to do something to show his appreciation, and he soon figured out a way to do so. Approaching them with fishing polls in hand, Montanha grinned wide, “Look what I found.” Asher’s eyebrows go up as he looked at the polls, “Where did you find these?” 

“It’s been stored in the back of my shed for a while, and since winter is around the corner, I figured we’d do a bit of fishing while the weather is still nice.” 

“Well, it would certainly be a nice change of pace.” Asher said with a smile. Montanha grinned in turn, “Why don’t we go test these bad boys out?” 

“Yeah! Let’s go!” Rosie cheered. Soon the two men and preteen headed out. They walked quite a ways down the nearby stream, before reaching a fork that was obscured by some shrubbery. Following the stream a few more feet it led them to a nearby pond. It was not large, but still a couple hundred yards across in length and a hundred feet deep. The surface sat still and clear as the three of them set up their polls. 

Montanha and Asher were both fairly competent with fishing, and while Rosie had fished a few times before, she still needed a bit of help getting her line threaded, which Montanha was happy to help her with. Pulling the line through the poll and helping her tie on the hook while Rosie put on the bait. Soon, the three of them had their lines casted and were sitting on the water’s edge as they waited for something to bite. 

“This is nice.” Montanha said with a smile, as they sat there. “Yeah, maybe we’ll get a big one and fry it up. Little salt, little lemon.” Asher added with a smile of his own as he daydreamed. Rosie furrowed her brows, “What’s a lemon?” 

“It’s one of those fruits I told you about. The one that tastes sour.” Montanha explained. “Ooohhh. Right.” 

“But yeah, I agree with Asher, I definitely want to dig into a few fish for sure. Plus, they store pretty easily for winter.” Asher nodded in agreement, “Wouldn’t hurt at all. It’s getting colder every day. It’s chilly even today. I think we got one last cold rain before it starts snowing.” 

“You’re probably right.” Montanha agreed, however, even as he said that, his brows furrowed with thought, as he fidgeted with his fishing pole. “What were you planning to do for winter, by the way? Asher flinched a bit at that question, “Well, I’m not sure. I figured I’d just go back to the base and go back to killing Creatures like I was.” 

“Oh... Right.” Montanha said, shoulders sinking a bit. Rosie looked at her father for a moment, before she elbowed him. Montanha looked at her with a raised brow, as Rosie narrowed her eyes while also using them to point at Asher. She then tilted her head towards him for emphases, as she gave her father a very pointed look, as she raised her brows.  

Montanha seemed to get the message his daughter was trying to convey, as his heart started to race a little. His nerves making his stomach flip as he looked over at his redheaded companion. Swallowing dryly, he cleared his throat, “Ahem, well, if you wanted. You could stay with us.” he finally managed to say after a few false starts. Asher’s eyes widened a bit, “What, here? I, I figured you guys would’ve been sick of me by now.” he joked awkwardly, letting out a small laugh. 

“Are you kidding? You’ve done so much for us. Ever since you got here, you’ve done so much to help me and my daughter and, well, I’d miss you, if you left.” Montanha said honestly, face becoming a bit warm. Asher smiled softly at his words, “You know, I’d miss you guys too. I, I’m glad you asked me to stay, because it’s been killing me, thinkin’ I’d have to leave you again.”  

The tips of Montanha’s ears go red as he suddenly stood up, “Great! Then it’s settled! You’re staying with us!” he shouted. Rosie cheered as she leaned over to hug him, “I’m so glad you're staying!” Asher accepted the hug as he patted her back, he then looked up at Montanha, “Thanks, for letting me stay.” 

Montanha looked down at him and for a moment, it felt like he was going to say more. However, the quick jerk of his fishing line pulled his attention away from Asher as he grabbed the poll quickly. Reeling in his line, he fought whatever was on it, before pulling in a huge walleye. Rosie let out a gasp of awe as Asher grinned, “Nice catch, big guy!” Holding up the fish, Montanha beamed with pride as he looked at them, “Alright, let's get us some dinner!” 

*               *              *

Montanha found himself in the woods, a hazy fog clinging to the air like a bad omen. As he looked around the fog, confused as to where he was and how he’d got there, Asher appeared from the mist. “Asher? What are you doing here?” 

“You have feelings for me, don’t you?” he asked rather bluntly. Montanha’s face paled at that, “How, how did you-?” 

“I’ve always known, it was rather obvious really. Is that why you invited me to stay? In hopes I’d fall in love with you?” Montanha’s face turned red, as he covered his mouth, “N-no! That’s not-!”  

“That’s pathetic, Montanha. Don’t you know that love is dead? No one is gonna love you. You killed the last person that loved you.” Montanha turned away from Asher’s unsympathetic eyes as he trembled a little, “You, you said that it wasn’t my fault...” 

“You and I both know that’s a lie. You don’t deserve forgiveness, and you definitely don’t deserve me. Everything you’ve ever done was for your own selfish gain. You lost your best friend; you made a replacement . I leave the group, and you start playing hero, hoping to pick up another man to replace me . Hell, you took in the first Rosie at the beginning of the apocalypse because deep down you hate the idea of being alone. If that was the case, you should’ve just stayed at home with your family.” 

“No. No. No! No! ” Montanha shouted as he clutched his head, tears stinging his eyes as he shook his head vigorously. “You are selfish.” Asher said plainly. Montanha kept shaking his head, “No I’m not!” 

“ You are selfish! ” Asher sneered, his voice warping into something deeper and more chillingly familiar, his form shifting as he started to look more like a reflection of Montanha, though older and shorter in stature to him. “No, I’m not.” Montanha whimpered, his voice quivering as hot tears rolled down his cheeks, he hunched over, so that the mustached man before him could loom over him despite the difference in stature. 

“Such a selfish child . You bring shame on this family! Why couldn’t you just think of how your actions affected others?! This is why nobody will ever love a freak like you!” His father growled, the shadowed features of his face sneering with a look of utter contempt.  

“SHUT UP!!” Montanha roared, lunging at his father and bringing his hands around his neck. He just needed him to. Stop. Talking. Squeezing his hand down on his windpipe with the power earned from years of resentment that had been boiling under his skin.  

But too his immediate horror, he was not met with the strangled gasps of his father. But his daughter. His large hands now wrapped firmly around the neck of his own little girl, crushing her windpipe as she looked up at him with tear-streaked eyes, a look of utter betrayal and fear in them. Montanha’s own eyes widen in shock as he quickly let go of her, and she fell to the forest floor, on her hands in knees as she struggled to catch her breath. Montanha’s hands shook as he tried and failed to approach her, apologies tumbling out of his mouth in a broken mesh, “I didn’t- I’m so sorry- Sprout I would never- Oh baby girl-” 

As Montanha failed to comfort her, Asher appeared from the fog once more. He then goes to Rosie’s side, helping her to her feet as he gave Montanha an icy look. “Look at you. Everything you touch, you ruin. You don’t deserve love. You deserve to be alone.” Asher said coldly, his words cutting like a knife, as he stood there too stunned to move. He was all but helpless as he watched Asher wrap a protective arm around his daughter and ushered her away into the surrounding fog.  

Leaving him completely and utterly alone.  

Sitting up with a strangled gasp, Montanha’s skin felt damp with sweat as he panted. His heart pounded in his chest, as the remaining adrenaline of his dream left him shaking. He forced himself to take in slow gulps of breath as he tried to settle down. 

The same dream again. How many times would he have to be tormented like this? 

Pulling his knees to his chest, he buried his face into his folded arms as the tears came unwilling to his eyes. Softly sobbing into the night. 

It was midafternoon when Rosie stood above him, as Montanha sat slumped on the couch, looking up at her with tired eyes. “Come on, dad! You’ve been laying around for days now! Let’s go fishing again or somethin’, please?”  

“Sorry hun, I’m just not feeling up for it right now. Maybe you and Asher can go? Yah don’t gotta wait on me.” Rosie’s brows knit together as her mouth becomes a hard line, “Are you ok? Are you getting sick?” 

“Yeah... Somethin’ like that. I’m just under the weather, is all.” he said as he offered her a half-baked smile. Rosie looked unconvinced as she looked down at him, but still, she nodded, “Well, ok. I’ll go ask Asher then.”  

“Go have fun, honey.” 

Rosie then left Montanha on the couch and went looking for Asher. Eventually finding him in the front yard. He was in the garden, picking some of the vegetables. “Hey, Asher! Do you wanna go fishing with me?” 

“Sure, we didn’t really catch a lot, did we?” 

“Yeah! I wanna catch a lot of fish this time!” she said with a grin. Asher chuckled, “Alright, let me just wash these veggies here, and we’ll go”  

“I’ll go grab the fishing poles!” Rosie said eagerly as she ran to go get the poles and gear they’d need. Asher took the veggies inside, and when he didn’t see Montanha around, he assumed he was already waiting outside with Rosie. Which made it confusing when he goes back outside and see’s just Rosie standing there with only two fishing poles. “Where’s your dad, Trapper?” he asked, Rosie merely shrugged, “He said he didn’t feel well.” 

“Really? Huh, I guess I didn’t notice...” 

“Yeah, well, come on. Let’s go fishing!” she said taking Asher by the arm, making Asher smile in turn “Ok! I’m coming.” 

They walk together down the stream and back to the pond, setting up their gear and sitting on the water's edge together as Asher helped Rosie thread her poll as she baited her hook. As they cast their lines Rosie sat next to Asher and seemed content as she looked out on the water. 

“It’s been cool lately, but it’s kinda warm out today, isn’t it?” Asher commented as they sat there. “Yeah, dad says it smelled like it might rain tonight or tomorrow though. Whatever that means... Can people really smell rain?” 

“They can! You’ve never smelt it?” 

“No? I thought water didn’t have a smell.” 

“It doesn’t, but what the smell basically is, is earth being kicked up from the rain.” 

“Oh. So, rain smells like dirt?” Rosie asked, nose crinkled. “More like, fresh dirt? It’s a bit hard to explain, but once you smell it, you don’t forget it.” 

Rosie seemed to consider his words, “Huh, ok. Has my dad always been able to smell the rain?” 

“He said he never used too, but once he started living outside for so long, he couldn’t miss it.” Asher explained. Rosie seemed to sit on that for a long moment, as she looked out on the water. “You know... I don’t think my dad is sick.” 

“What makes you say that, sweetie?” 

“It’s his eyes, his eyes looked sad.” she said simply, Asher seemed concerned by that. Maybe he was thinking of their friend Rosie again, something he knew he was still struggling with in terms of his grief. “He probably just needs some time to himself hun, but I’m sure he’ll be ok.” 

Rosie let out a heavy sigh as she brought her knees up to rest her head on, “I think he tries to hide the fact he’s sad and hurting from me. I wish he wouldn’t hide it from me...” she mumbled. Asher understood her frustration, nodding sympathetically, “I know, it’s complicated Rosie, but he just doesn't want you to worry. And sometimes the reason why someone isn't havin’ a good day, isn’t for you to know. Just for you to understand. Once he’s feelin’ better, maybe he’ll share his reasons with you.” 

Rosie’s face still looked thoughtful as he said that, “I guess. He has been happier though; I can tell that too. Ever since you came along, he laughs more often.” Asher smiled, “I help as much as I can. But I’m glad I'm making things livelier for you two.” 

“Yeah. I think, I think he might like you.” Rosie said carefully, looking at him. Asher furrowed his brows but continued to smile, “I should hope he likes me! We’ve only known each other for nearly twenty years.” 

“No. I mean, I think he likes you, you know, romantically?” she said as she continued to look at him, more pointedly now. “I-’ he seemed to process her words, ‘he does?” 

“Yeah, I think so. He blushes a lot when you say certain things. And he seems really happy that you like it here and that you like spending time with him. You do the same thing too, I've noticed.” Rosie added, a little bit hopeful. Asher is silent for a moment as he chewed on this information, “I don’t... I don’t know what to say to that, Trapper.” 

“Oh. Is it because you don’t like him like that?” 

“No! No. It's because I’ve liked your father for a long time.”  Rosie’s eyes go wide, “Really?” Asher sighed as he blushed, “Yeah.”  

She smiled a little as she seemed to fidget with her fishing poll for a moment, “Um, so does that mean you, uh, what’s the word? Not marry... Um, what’s the thing that you do before marriage? Dad said it once... Oh. Date! Do you wanna date my dad?” 

“That... Will have to be a conversation for me and your father to have, alright Trapper?” 

She suddenly looked away from him, “If, uh, if you guys don’t end up dating... Are you gonna leave?” she asked quietly. Asher put a hand on her shoulder, “No, kiddo. Is that something you’ve been worried about?” 

“I just don’t want you to leave. I, I like having you around, and I feel less lonely when your here. So, I would miss you if you were gone.” she admitted as she fought back a few tears. 

“Oh, Rosie. Come here, kiddo.” he said putting an arm around her as Rosie leaned on him. He holds her for a long moment as she started to sniffle and cry, letting her get it all out before speaking again, “Tell you what? Why don’t we catch a few big ones, get home, and I’ll talk to your father later, ok?’ Rosie pulled away a little to wipe her face as she nodded, “Ok.” 

“It’ll be ok, Trapper. I promise.” Rosie nodded again, leaning on him once more, just resting her head there, as she looked out on the water. 

By the time Asher and Rosie returned from the pond, the sky had become grey, as dark clouds rolled in from the west. Still, both were in good spirits as, like Asher promised, they returned with a sizable haul of fish. Making their way inside, Montanha was in the kitchen, chopping vegetables. He gave the two of them a small, but friendly smile, “Hey, how was fishing?” 

“It was great! We caught a lot of fish, so can we have them for dinner?” Rosie asked, excited. “Yeah, hun, I got some stuff ready.” Montanha said. Asher smiled a bit nervously, “Sounds good, I’ll help you get dinner ready.” 

“Alright, do you wanna help too, Rosie?” 

“Um, can I go read in my room for a bit actually?” Rosie asked, Montanha was a bit surprised by this, “Oh, uh, ok sweetheart. You go have fun.” 

“Ok!” Rosie chirped, before turning to leave. Though not before giving Asher a smile and a thumbs up. Asher gave Rosie a small smile in turn as she left. He then joined Montanha in the kitchen, as he started deboning and salting the fish, “You feeling any better? Rosie mentioned you didn’t feel good.” Asher asked casually. 

Montanha smiled sheepishly at that, “Oh, did she tell you that? Uh, yeah, I was just tired today, is all. I haven't been sleeping well lately.” he carefully admitted, though not elaborating too much. Asher merely nodded, “I feel that. It was warm today, so I felt a bit sleepy for a bit. But yah know, we sat and talked about a few things while we were out.” 

Montanha raised a brow for a moment, “I mean, I suppose it’s warmer than normal...” He grabbed one of the fish Asher finished deboning, as he started cutting it into strips. They stood there in silence for a few moments, as Asher struggled to find his next words. Still, he had made a promise, so he swallowed the lump in his throat, which suddenly felt dry. “So, Rosie admitted something to me. Something that I need to talk to you about.” 

Montanha stopped cutting and placed the knife down. He swallowed thickly, before pushing a smile onto his face, “Nothing bad I hope.” he joked, forcing a small chuckle from his throat.  

“No! I mean, I don’t think it’s bad. Um, Rosie, well, she told me that you might have feelings for me?’ 

All the color left Montanha’s face as he stared at Asher, wide eyed, as the echo of his dreams suddenly started playing in his head. “How, how did you-?’ he stopped, before taking a step back from the copper haired man, ‘I, I’m dreaming again.” he mumbled to himself. 

“You’re not, I swear. Look, I know this is a lot for you to take in. But I think the biggest thing I need to admit is that, that I have feelings for you too.” Asher confessed, his face flushed. 

Montanha’s own face turned scarlet as he covered his mouth, “I, I don’t know-” his mouth felt dry as he felt himself start to panic. “You don’t have to love me. I didn’t invite you to stay ‘cause I wanted- I'm not-” he suddenly turned and headed for the door. He needed air. 

 “Montanha?! Hey, wait! I didn’t mean to make you upset!” 

Montanha didn’t stop as he ran outside, down the stairs of the porch, and into his garden. There he finally stopped as he bent over slightly, as he gasped out of breath, “I’m not- I'm not- I'm not-!” he gasped out. 

Asher came out behind him, concern etched out on his face, “Montanha, breathe, ok? Just take some deep breaths. What’s going on?” Montanha flinched as soon as Asher got close, but he managed to pull himself together enough to stop hyperventilating. Still his eyes were wide as he looked at Asher, “I can’t. I can’t love you.” 

Asher felt his heart drop like a stone. His eyes starting to water as he forced out his next question, “I um, I understand... But can I know why?”   

“Look around us Asher, we’re living in an apocalypse! Feelings are not the most important thing here. I don’t des- I just can’t give you what you want.” Montanha mumbled as he looked away. 

Asher choked up, “Ok. I understand Montanha... We can forget this ever happened. I, I’m sorry, I need to be alone for a second.” he said before turning away.  

Montanha, seeing his heart broken expression, almost open his mouth to speak. But instead, he set his jaw and looked to the ground, saying nothing as Asher walked away. When he was far enough away, Asher let out a brief sob as he walked and the sky grew darker  

Asher couldn’t help feeling like a fool. It was stupid to assume that Montanha would be ready for a relationship, or that he even wanted one. It really was wishful thinking. In that moment the sky broke open, rain drops falling from the sky, landing on his skin and mixing with his tears as he walked deeper into the woods.