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eric-raleigh · 2 months

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(Gif credit to @hoidn.)

Posted this on AO3 today, so I'll post it here too in case anyone is interested.

Justice and Honor Chapter 1 - All the Right Reasons

Mathias/Henry Rated: MA Trigger Warnings: Mentions of suicide, sexual content

The cold wind gusted around Mathias, tangling his hair and whipping the long dark strands across his face. The sky was gray, bled of all color as if it mourned Mingan’s loss just as much as he and Henry.

The boy’s head was cradled in Henry’s lap as Mathias prayed for Mingan’s spirit, each separately suffering for having failed the boy.

“I was going to adopt him,” Henry said after a long silence that might have lasted minutes or hours.

Mathias opened his eyes, his face still wet with tears and took in Henry’s look of pure devastation. He knew any words he might offer the other man in that moment would never be enough to convey the depth of sorrow he felt, and so he lifted his hand from Mingan’s forehead and placed it on Henry’s shoulder, squeezing tightly.

Henry’s face lifted to look at Mathias. “I do not want to say goodbye.”

“I have to call this in, Henry. I’m sorry.”

Henry pulled Mingan’s body more firmly against him and gave Mathias a soft nod of understanding. Mathias squeezed his shoulder once more before using it for leverage as he pulled himself to his feet and took several steps back towards the vehicles just on the other side of the tree where Mingan had hanged himself. Wiping his face on the sleeve of his uniform jacket, he got into the cruiser and picked up the radio. Looking across the dash, he watched Henry stroke Mingan’s hair and rock the boy’s body soothingly. His heart broke anew, knowing he had failed Henry just as much as he’d failed Mingan.

Henry and Mathias stayed long after Mingan’s body had been claimed by the undertakers, sitting on the hood of Mathias’s SUV and watching a storm gather in the north as the sun began to set. For a long time, neither spoke until Henry gently cleared his throat. “I should not have left him alone. I knew he was struggling, but I…” his voice broke and he looked down at his clasped hands.

Mathias looked over at him, giving him the time he needed to collect himself.

“I told him he had to find his own strength. Do you think I am responsible for this? Did I do this to him?”

“This wasn’t your fault. It was mine,” Mathias looked back out at the storm clouds. “I should have kept a closer eye on Joey Takoda. Kept him locked up, even if it was on bogus charges. Maybe it might have kept Jim Pine and the others from ODing…and would have prevented Mingan from–”

“Stop.” Henry cut across him, dangerously close to tears again. “Takoda is just a symptom of a bigger problem. If Jim had not gotten the drugs from him, he would have gotten them from someone else.”

“That’s why I need Hector,” Mathias replied impatiently. “If you won’t do it for me, do it for Mingan. Do it for all the other kids on the Rez that are going to wind up orphaned, dead, or dealing if we can’t get a handle on this. I can’t watch another kid get taken away in a body bag. Please, Henry…” Mathias looked at him, tears swimming in his deep brown eyes. “I need your help.”

Henry’s arm wrapped around Mathias’s shoulders, drawing the other man into a tight embrace and burying his nose in against Mathias’s shoulder, eyes slamming shut against his own swell of tears. He could feel the other man shake with quiet sobs, knowing he had reached a breaking point in his war against drugs on the Rez. Henry knew it had been a losing game for years, but Mathias had done everything he could to run the dealers off.

In all the years Henry had known Mathias, he’d never seen him this broken. “I will help you,” Henry told him. Mathias pulled back enough to look at Henry, surprised and grateful. A gust of wind whirled around them, tousling Mathias’ hair around his face again. Henry absently reached up to brush it back off his cheek and both men felt a pulse of electricity course through them.

Maybe it was their shared grief leading to a deeper need for comfort, but when Henry’s hand slid into Mathias’s hair at the back of his head, Mathias allowed himself to be pulled in until their lips met. It was tentative and awkward, but the warmth Mathias found there was like a balm to his wounded spirit. His hands lifted, running along Henry’s jaw and coaxing the other man into a deeper kiss.

Thunder rolled ominously as their mouths opened to each other, and reluctantly they pulled apart, both knowing they needed to make their way back down the hillside before the rain hit and turned the earth to thick mud. Henry’s fingers sifted through Mathias’s hair, gently working through several tangles. “Come home with me.”

Mathias was sorely tempted, leaning in to tenderly kiss Henry’s lips once more. “I can’t. I need to get to the station and file the report on Mingan.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Henry’s voice was thick with the emotion he still felt over Mingan’s death.

Mathias’s gaze hardened with seriousness. “Take care of Joey Takoda.”

A sharp nod from Henry was all the confirmation he needed and they slid down off the hood of the SUV. Mathias watched Henry look towards the rope where Mingan had hung himself before he moved towards his truck.

“Henry.” Mathias waited for Henry’s eyes to meet his. “E'etānȯhtse.”

Henry nodded, his face set in determination as he slid behind the wheel of his truck and fired it to life. Mathias watched him drive away before he got behind the wheel of his SUV and made his way back to the station.

–

It wasn’t until the following night that Mathias heard from Henry. It was late when he’d gotten the call, asking to meet. Mathias had told Henry to meet him up one of the rarely-used unpaved roads where no one was likely to come upon them. He waited for almost half an hour before Henry’s truck pulled up behind him. A minute later, Henry was sliding into the passenger seat.

Mathias was tempted to lean over and drag him into a kiss, but he knew Henry was upset over whatever had gone down with Joey and so he waited until Henry spoke. “Hurting Joey Takoda is useless.”

“How can you say that after what happened to Mingan?”

“I mean, it is not enough,” Henry clarified. “We need to think bigger. I have an idea, but I need your help.”

Mathias shook his head, looking away in frustration before turning his gaze back on Henry’s face, illuminated only by the moonlight coming in through the windshield. “The whole reason I need Hector is because I can't help.” He thought he’d already made himself clear on that matter. “I uphold the law. I can't break it.” Much as he wanted to…

“Oh, but you can send me into danger with no backup?”

That statement stung, but rather than display any outward sign of hurt, Mathias’s voice turned hard. “You signed up for this, Henry, with the first letter you took from that wall. I can feed you information, but that's all I can do. Hector's on his own.”

He could feel Henry’s quiet indignation through the heat of his glare. As Henry wrenched open the door handle, Mathias stopped him, not wanting to leave things on a bad note between them.

“Out of curiosity, what, was it you needed?”

Henry looked back at him, still angry but less so. “If there is nothing you can do, the less you know, the better.”

The door slammed, rocking the car, and Mathias sighed with growing agitation. Leave him to it. Don’t get involved in this. He glanced up at the rearview mirror, watching Henry stalking back to his truck, his hand raking through his hair angrily. “Fuck.”

Opening the door, Mathias climbed out and started walking towards Henry’s truck. “Henry.” The other man didn’t seem to want to listen. “Henry, wait!”

Henry whirled around, his feet carrying him towards Mathias, the heat still in his gaze. Mathias’s body tensed automatically, ready to fend off the punch he fully expected to receive, but his face was grabbed instead and he was roughly pulled into a greedy kiss. It took several seconds for his mind to catch up and realize he wasn’t being assaulted before he began to return the kiss fervently.

Hands fisting into the material of Henry’s shirt, Mathias hauled him closer, spinning them until he could press Henry’s back up against the SUV. Though Henry had a good five inches on him, and definitely wasn’t a lightweight in the strength department, he allowed Mathias to maneuver him, dropping his hands to the other man’s waist and pulling their bodies flush as Mathias lifted on the balls of his feet to dominate the kiss.

Henry’s mouth was warm and wet and tasted sweet, though Mathias couldn’t place what the sweetness might be. He could feel his body responding to the arousal coursing through him, and had to pull back from the kiss to catch his breath and temper his desires before things went further than either of them were ready for. He opened his mouth to speak, but Henry closed the distance, silencing him as he asserted his dominance and spun them around so that Mathias was pinned against the SUV.

A mixture of surprise and pleasure reverberated in his throat and Mathias felt Henry’s fingers slip through his hair to cup the back of his head and hold him in place. He could feel Henry’s arousal pressing against him, and allowed for the possibility that maybe they both wanted things to progress further. But fumbling in the dark up against his car wasn’t his idea of a good time, no matter how much he might like to get off.

When the fingers twisted in his hair and pulled his head back, Mathias pushed Henry back half a step before he could lean in to kiss his neck. “Stop.”

They were both breathless, chests heaving with desire and the need for air. Henry was looking at him with growing frustration, and Mathias flattened his palms against he other man’s chest to try and placate him. Henry released the loose hold on his hair and settled his hand on Mathias’s shoulder instead, taking a deep, steadying breath.

“Not here,” Mathias told him, trying to communicate that it wasn’t the act he was opposed to, just the current location. Henry seemed to understand, but didn’t invite him back to his apartment this time. Clearly the mood had been effectively killed for now. When he pulled back completely, Mathias felt the cold air rush around him, instantly making him miss Henry’s heat. He folded his arms over his chest, feeling far more vulnerable than he felt comfortable with.

“I should go. I have work to do.”

Mathias nodded, not trusting his voice, but the minute Henry turned away, he couldn’t stop himself from blurting out the words he’d wanted to say a minute ago. “I’ll help you.”

Henry paused, then slowly looked at Mathias over his shoulder.

“I don’t know how but…I’ll help you.”

“Thank you, Mathias.”

No other words were spoken as Henry continued back to his truck and drove off.

–

The following night, Mathias was home alone, mindlessly watching TV with his feet kicked up on the old coffee table and his hands folded across his abdomen. He’d nodded off several times already, but felt too lazy to get up and go to bed; half-tempted to simply tip himself sideways and sleep there for the night. The knock at the door roused him enough to annoy him, knowing he’d have to get up to answer it and possibly disrupt the tranquil feeling that had enveloped him most of the evening.

He was only mildly surprised to see Henry on the stoop, who didn’t bother waiting for permission to enter as he pushed past Mathias and into the living room. “Hello to you too,” Mathias harrumphed as he closed and locked the door behind Henry.

“It is done,” Henry told him.

“Good. Let’s hope the message was clear.”

Henry opened his mouth, intent on saying more, but Mathias pulled him into a searing kiss to quiet him.

“The less I know, the better, right?”

Whether the other man still believed that or not, he didn’t argue as strong hands gripped Mathias’s hips and guided him down the narrow hallway towards Mathias’s bedroom, leaving no question as to what he wanted. Mathias gave his consent by lifting his shirt over his head, letting his hair spill over his bare shoulders, and beginning to work the buttons on Henry’s shirt, plucking them open one by one.

Being on the shorter side had some advantages as he could lean in to kiss Henry’s shoulder and exposed chest as the other man impatiently toed off his boots. Henry’s hands were too busy pulling his belt free from the buckle to touch Mathias, but the quickness of his breaths–as if he’d run there from Joey Takoda’s house–spoke of the depths of his desire for the other man. Mathias couldn’t explain the development of his feelings for Henry. He hadn’t really stopped to take stock of them since that first kiss. Whatever that moment had awakened in them didn’t need to be labeled, or even voiced. It just was.

Mathias’s fingers freed the button of Henry’s jeans, slowly lowering the zip over the prominent bulge straining against the denim. Henry’s hands were back in Mathias’s hair, sifting through the thick, dark strands that were–for once–not snarled with tangles from the wind, and gently tugging them up Mathias was forced to look up into his eyes. Hesitancy and urgency warred within the mahogany depths, and Mathias knew this was a point of no return.

Fuck it. He thought, tossing any thought of consequences out the proverbial window. He wasn’t walking away from this, even though it probably was the smartest move. He searched Henry’s eyes until the other man seemed to settle into the same sort of resolve. Henry’s head dipped to claim his lips again, and Mathias could feel the passion burning into him.

Hands ran down Henry’s chest, fingertips tracing over hard lines of muscle that remained hidden beneath his shirts, vests, and jackets. Henry’s breath hitched when Mathias’s hand slipped beneath the waistband of his boxer briefs and palmed his erection. Though Henry’s touch was less confident, he slipped one hand down Mathias’ back, skimming the waistband of the pajama pants Mathias wore and settled his hand on the man’s trim hip. Breaking the kiss to rest his forehead against the smaller man's, Henry closed his eyes and focused on his breathing as Mathias’s fingers curled around his girth and began to stroke.

“I have never…”

“It’s okay,” Mathias assured him in a quiet voice, not stopping. “Neither have I.”

“We should stop.”

“Is that what you really want?”

Henry was quiet for a long beat and Mathias stilled his hand, waiting. “No.”

“Me either.”

Once again emboldened, Henry’s thumb hooked into the waistband of his jeans and boxer briefs, dragging them both down together. Mathias helped him push them down his legs before he was able to step out of them. When Henry rose to his full height, his chest puffed slightly, the look in his eyes hungry and primal. Whatever shone through them in that moment told Mathias that Henry wouldn’t be the one submitting, and automatically, Mathias moved to lay back on the bed, ridding himself of his pajama bottoms along the way.

Personal experience told Henry that there would be lubricant in the nightstand, and he wasn’t naïve enough to think it wouldn’t be needed. He retrieved the bottle before he laid next to Mathias, stretching his long body out next to the man that had been both friend and adversary over the course of their lives on the Rez. Mathias was already rolling on his side to face Henry, taking the bottle from him and squeezing a generous amount into his palm before working his hand up and down Henry’s shaft.

Lifting a hand to cup Mathias’s cheek, Henry drew him down into another deep kiss that sent shivers down his spine, warm tendrils of desire unfurling in his belly. Driven by need rather than know-how, Mathias shifted until he was straddling Henry, not pulling back from the kiss or releasing his hold on Henry’s member. His hair fell around them, brushing against Henry’s chest and dragging out a soft moan from the man beneath him.

Pressing their lengths together, he made a tight fist around both of them, moving against Henry. The other man broke from the kiss, his head dropping back against the pillow, eyes closed in obvious pleasure as a hand moved down to cover Mathias’s. It was definitely a new sensation, one that felt surprisingly good and had each of them undulating their hips.

Mathias pushed himself upright over Henry, using his free hand to press against Standing Bear’s shoulder and looking down at the man beneath him in a rare moment of complete vulnerability. Mathias was a guarded man, suspicious and untrusting due to the nature of his chosen career and the corruption he’d been exposed to over the years. He’d never allowed himself to love anyone other than his mother and his sister–girlfriends came and went, and none of them could claim to have ever held his heart–but Henry Standing Bear had his claws dug deep in Mathias. He didn’t fool himself into thinking what he felt was love, but he was closer to Henry than anyone else on the Rez. Their worlds had always been in orbit around each other, but it was only recently that they stopped being opposing forces.

Mingan’s death likely had more to do with that than he cared to admit, but Mathias knew it was also because of Hector, and because as much as Henry was a traitor to his people due to his close friendship with Sheriff Longmire…Henry was always ready to step up and help his tribe, taking care of the women and children that Mathias seemed to constantly fail with his limited scope of power.

Henry was searching his eyes, and Mathias couldn’t help but wonder if the other man was reading him like a book or somehow hearing his thoughts. He felt himself closing off, putting his walls back up, but Henry gripped his bicep and deftly rolled them both over until Mathias was beneath him.

“No,” Henry breathed, still moving against him. “Let me see you, Mathias.”

Mathias had no idea how to intentionally let his guard drop again, especially now that he knew that his vulnerability had been exposed and visible to the other man, but Henry was keen on finding the key. Slick fingers released their hold around Mathias’s hand and trailed down to tease the point of penetration that would take things even further than just frotting.

There was a flash of panic that surged through Mathias as he inwardly questioned whether or not they should cross that bridge, but the thought was snuffed out when Henry’s lips sought his out again, kissing him in the way that made the world melt away around him. He could have lived in that kiss if given the opportunity–no cares, no worries. Just him and Henry and the gentle bliss that was found there.

A sharp intake of air shattered that sweet moment as his body was breached, but Henry’s nose brushed against his, reassuring him with a soft shh. He hovered over Mathias, looking deep into his eyes with an openness that made Mathias want to crawl away into the shadows. He slammed his eyes shut again.

“I can stop if you would like for me to.”

“No.” The word was out before he realized he’d even thought it. “Don’t stop.”

“Mathias,” his name sounded like a sacred prayer on the other’s lips, the rumble of the deep baritone voice felt on a near spiritual level. “Vé'hoomėstse."

The word was gentle, a request rather than a demand, but one that took Mathias several long moments to grant. He could feel the worry and fear that Henry would see through to the real heart of him creasing his brow, but there was no judgment evident in the other man’s eyes. Henry, if anything, was even more gentle than he had been, slowly pulsing his finger into Mathias as their eyes held one another’s.

Realizing his own hand had stilled in the last few minutes, Mathias matched Henry’s pace and began to stroke them again rhythmically. Between the sounds of their breaths, the beat of his heart, and the pulse of his pleasure, Mathias felt like he was falling into a trance. When a second finger joined the first, a soft exhalation pushed past his lips–his body tensing only momentarily before it settled back into the blissful state.

Before Mathias knew it, Henry was pulling himself out of Mathias hand, and pressing in slowly to the space where his fingers had been. Mathias’s hands gripped Standing Bear’s broad shoulders as he fought against the natural urge to tense every muscle in his body, fully anticipating pain to accompany the intrusion, but only feeling a mild sense of discomfort before his body began to relax into it. When Henry took hold of both of his hands and held them against the pillow on either side of his head, Mathias didn’t fight against him. Instead, their fingers locked together as they found a new rhythm together.

Sweat slicked their heated skin as their passion grew into a test of endurance, both holding on as long as they could–reluctant to find release too quickly and leave the world they had created together. The closer Henry came to the edge, the harder to began to thrust into Mathias, burying his face in against the chief’s neck and alternating between soft kisses and teasing nips.

Mathias felt like he was going to combust from every sensation currently running rampant through his entire being. He’d had some really great sex in his life, but all of his previous experiences paled in comparison to this. In the part of his brain that was still capable of thought, he found himself wondering if it was because it was new or because it was Henry. Both of those options were dangerous to consider, so he didn’t.

Henry released Mathias’s hands in order to draw one of the man’s legs up against his hip, providing for a new angle that had both of them moaning in unison. Mathias wrapped his arms around Henry, trying to mold their bodies even closer together as he felt his own climax quickly approaching.

“Shit, Henry…” he gritted his teeth, blunt nails raking across Henry’s upper back as he reached the precipitate and teetered on the edge

Henry grunted in response, teeth latching on to the muscle between Mathias’s shoulder and neck and biting down with enough force to make Mathias cry out, the mixture of pleasure and pain amplifying the intensity of his orgasm to the point where he was fairly certain his spirit actually left his body.

When it finally reintegrated itself into his physical form, Mathias became aware of Henry’s hot, ragged breath dragging across the skin of his neck and the solid weight of his body collapsed against his own. In his total state of euphoric bliss, he’d completely missed Henry’s unraveling.

He felt too at peace and relaxed to lament about not being fully present to see Standing Bear in the final throes of passion, but he did wish he’d at least been able to see the man’s face at the end. To look into his eyes and know that he was responsible for Henry’s pleasure would have felt…well, it would have been something.

Mathias sank into the quiet moment, lulling his head just enough to rest against Henry’s and allowing his eyes to close as his mind and body drifted into a hypnagogic state. He wasn’t sure how long he’d floated on the cusp of wakefulness and sleep, but stirred when Henry gently moved off of him and laid on his back.

“Why’d you move? I was comfortable.”

“I did not want to crush you.”

Mathias gave a quiet, sleepy chuckle and rolled on his side, finding his way under Henry’s arm and resting his head against the other man’s chest. “You weren’t.”

Henry’s fingers once again found their way to Mathias’s hair, gently stroking the locks and Mathias relaxed further under the touch, though the repeated act made him curious.

“You keep messing with my hair.” It was an invitation rather than an accusation, but he wasn’t sure if Standing Bear would catch the difference in Mathias’s tone.

“I can feel your spirit in it,” Henry told him, his fingers running the full length of the strands. “Wild. Free. Unbound.”

The words settled over Mathias like an interrogation spotlight and he opened his eyes, regretting the invitation he’d extended. “Maybe I just don’t like to braid it.”

“You say you are bound by the law, but I think you are bound by more than that. You are bound by honor. You toe the line, but you never cross it. This,” his fingers trailed through the soft locks again. “Is your expression of freedom, the only part of you that you refuse to keep bound by the uniform you wear and all the expectations that come with it.”

“Honor, huh?” Mathias pushed himself up on his elbow, looking down at Henry incredulously. “If I have so much honor, why did I blackmail you into working for me as Hector?”

“Because Hector gives our people the justice they deserve. Justice you cannot give them through the confines of the law. I do not agree with your methods, Mathias, but I can appreciate what you are trying to accomplish.”

“Trying,” he prickled, thinking again about Mingan. “And failing, it seems.”

“That is why I renegotiated our terms. So that we use Hector the right way and succeed.”

“You’re a real pain in my ass, Standing Bear,” Mathias dropped his head back down on Henry’s shoulder.

“I did not hear you complaining a few minutes ago.”

“Shut the hell up.” He could feel the other man smiling, and grumbled in irritation, half tempted to kick Henry out of his bed.

TBC

#mathias clark #henry standing bear #longmire #fanfic

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tincankam · 3 years

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Henry and Mingan Discussion (Revived)

As we all know, there is a particular episode in season 5 that left us all a bit devastated and left us somewhat dumbfounded on how that episode went. Season 5 Episode 4 - “Judas Wolf” was an episode that I feel needed to be changed drastically. As I have spoken to other fans they feel the same way and I think there are a few ideas that can thus fix the episode and even the show then on after. Season 5 and 6 weren't the best because of Longmire being handed over to Netflix, in turn, they just changed everything and ran it into the ground in my opinion. But this very episode, this very dramatic and sensitive episode could have changed Henry’s dynamic and the show from then on. There will be spoilers so please read at your own risk. Also, I am not a specular writer nor am I the smartest person so if I happen to leave anything out or leave more plot holes than the original, please forgive me for I have a small squirrel brain.

Right off the bat, we as the watchers are just crushed by Mingan’s death and all of us were very hopeful that things would turn out differently for him. I did cry for a few hours after watching that happen. Though there are some things that I did see as sloppy or sloppy writing from the Netflix team (I'm going to be blaming Netflix the majority of the time because they just took it over and made the show and characters really strange). Something that hasn't sat right with me is the fact that Mingan never really gave a direct answer. Why did Mingan kill himself? As I'm typing this now, I suppose the writers wanted to reflect on real depression and real events that happen to children and teens on reservations. Mingan didn't give a direct answer on why, even though Henry showed him this love and care. He believed everything was hopeless, that he lost everyone and there isn't anything left for him. So that could be the answer to why he simply did it but it just confuses me because Henry was there for him. Yet again, Mingan losing both his parents through drugs, and seeing that could have just left him hollow. This is just nit-picky but why did Mingan hang himself in the open, at a random tree? Though if I'm not correct, I think that was the same tree that was shown in Cady’s premonition dream (I cannot fully confirm this since I don’t want to see that scene of Mingan again).

With that out of the way, here is what I propose. Instead of Mingan committing suicide for no reason at all, maybe Henry catches him in the act. After taking him to school in the scene where Henry is hugging him. Henry goes through with adopting Mingan. Maybe while all of the court hearings are to officially adopt him, Mingan stays with Henry for the time being. By the end of the episode, it shows Henry purchasing a small apartment in downtown Durrant where he and Mingan can live. The closing scene is Henry holding Mingan by the shoulder, maybe telling him that “this is their new home” “Everything is going to be ok” and rubs his side as they stand in their kitchen with boxes of Henry’s and Mingan’s things. Or just have the scene be silent and have some music playing in the background as the original Longmire directors executed so beautifully. As we progress more and more into Mingan and Henry, Henry could often tell Walt, Cady, or May, in any interaction with them that Mingan doesn't seem to be too happy. Henry fully knows that he needs time to adjust but he's still worried for Mingan. Perhaps in the middle of the episode, Henry comes home and sees that the door is unlocked. Thinking that it's a break-in, he sees Mingan’s backpack on the kitchen floor. He calls out for Mingan and sprints to his room thinking that he’s in danger only to see Mingan (please be wary for the rest of this, there is suicide imagery) on a chair with the noose already tied to him and he gets a little startled by Henry. Henry lets out this horrifying scream that just shouts “No!”. He rushes to Mingan, untying him or getting a pocket knife and cutting the noose off. Mingan is still in this daze until Henry picks him up and grabs him. This is where I want to see Henry cry. Cry out of relief, grief, stress. Holding the body of Mingan who almost left this world forever, crying because he is thankful that he got home just in time. Not sobbing, holding the lifeless body of Mingan who’s happiness and existence was cut short. Henry is crying holding Mingan, they both scoot to the corner of the room. Mingan is crying too for a lot of reasons as well, for being caught, for not knowing what to do, for still feeling this despair in his heart for being so young. The scene shows Henry and Mingan crying and sniffling in the corner of Mingan’s room, Henry’s head is buried deep in the crook of Mingan’s neck, maybe even rocking back and forth. Henry’s head looks up at the remains of the noose stuck in the ceiling fan and the cut noose on the floor. He lets out a crying heave and sharply looks away. It pans out on just them in the room.

This was the most important point I wanted to get across. To have Mingan live for a plot standpoint and a moralistic standpoint. Briefly touching on the morality side, people with depression and other debilitating mental illnesses are seeing this, it’s better to get across that things do get better, it does. Eventually, the pain will go away. People are out there who care for you. Whether you know it or not, they are there. Having Mingan kill himself so suddenly and so unwarranted I feel like was such a heartbreak. Yes as I said earlier, this could be a reflection of people still wondering why their son or daughter or father had committed suicide and not knowing why to this day and the reflection of generations in reservations that feel like there is nothing left in the world for them. But there will be something there one day, it will happen, Mingan didn’t deserve to die. Now getting the point across that Henry is there for Mingan can represent to the audience that people are there who indeed care and you may not even know who they are but they are a godsend. As we are tying this into a plot standpoint, we can dive deeper into Henry’s past and Mingan’s future.

Henry decides to take Mingan to his childhood house and show him all the pictures from when he was a child. Telling him that he grew up in a not-so-perfect household with an abusive father and a mother who had died during childbirth with him. Maybe this can tie into another post I made ages ago that Henry even was sent to “Indian Boarding School” (theorized). His childhood was filled with grief and sadness as well and even mentions to Mingan that he's “tried too” (meaning that he has tried to commit suicide as well) but it’s not worth it. A heartfelt moment after another. We can also see Mingan visually grow as a character in a show, getting better, becoming a young adult, not slipping through the cracks. Maybe we can even see Mingan confront Henry about being Hector. Perhaps Mingan finds Henry’s Hector stuff as they are moving and confronts him about it. Having Henry retire the Hector mantle. By the end of the series, there is a healthy Father and Son relationship (No thanks to Walt and Cady because there is no chemistry between the two and it’s somewhat sad).

I am sorry that I made this post a little too long, but I needed to get it out there somewhere. Maybe even some other fans out there will appreciate this as well. There just needed to be a bit more happier endings with Longmire. Just even a little. Mingan was a character that I feel could have added so much more passion and new elements to play with.

#henry standing bear #mingan pines #longmire #my post #this was from my last blog #but im bringing it back #this needs to be said

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