#beth x mary pat

[nakedmonkey]

I never found a prompt list I liked, but if you guys want, as a V Day gift, you can leave me a line of dialogue & a ship in my ask box, and I’ll write a little ficlet :) fluffy, funny, angsty, smutty. Whatever you want. 

[trulyhblue]

please can we get a caitlin foord fic 🙏

Bug and Bingo

Caitlin Foord x Daughter! Child! Reader, Lauren Hemp x Child! Reader, AWFC + CITY x Child! Reader.

Warnings: pure fluff, coarse language, bit long for what I hoped.

A/N — was feeling cute. So sorry if you don't understand what Bluey is. Also, not really based on the most recent match as there are several changes.

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You were waiting for your mama to finish the bunny loops on her shoelaces, humming the Bluey theme song with your Bingo toy in one hand and Gunnersauris in the other.

You swung your legs from your mama’s cubby, where your coat was pooled around your waist. Auntie Stephy was talking to Beth, and Auntie Lani wasn't in the Changing Rooms, even though she was here, playing today.

Your mama told you that Auntie Lani was playing for the other team, and it wasn't the same as when you were back with all of your other Aunties. It was the same as when mama versed Macca and Mini, and Sammy — but Sammy was watching Macca and Mini’s game instead of playing, which you aren't quite sure you understand.

Sammy’s wife-but-not-girlfriend — you couldn't remember the name — Kristie also played for West Ham, but she only picks you up when you're running away from Sammy trying to tickle your tummy.

You also remember seeing Harper last week, showing her your Bingo toy, and playing hot potato with her in the stands. You love Harper, she is your only friend who knows about Bluey, and she's Australian like you. In Kindergarten, you and Harper are the only ones who speak the way you do. Your mama always asked you whether your classmates would tease you, but Harper would poke her tongue out at them, and you’d ignore them and play with Harper instead.

Your Gunnersauris was lying next to your coat, and your Bingo toy was snuggled under your arm. You were wearing your mama’s Tillie’s jersey because you liked it more than the one she was wearing now. Your Auntie Ky would call the other jersey the Cotton Candy Jersey, and you liked Cotton Candy, so you wore that Jersey when everyone else was. You liked wearing your mama’s jersey because it had your last name on the back too, and number nine was your favourite number so that made it the best. Mama said you were born on the ninth of September, which is the ninth month, so you are very special.

But the most special thing about today was that you were in charge of the Lolly Jar.

“Mama, when we going?” You asked, patting Bingo’s head, hoping she was comfortable where she was. You were slouching against the wall, watching Mama pull up her socks over her shin pads.

She looked up at you and smiled, using her thumb to graze your cheek. “Few minutes, Bug, you excited?”

You nodded your head. “Wanna see Auntie Lani and Mary. Will they sit with me with the Lolly Jar?”

“No, Bug, they sit with the other City girls.” Mama picked you up, propping you onto her hip, jutting you slightly. “But you're sitting with Stephy for the first half, then Vivid and Laura when Stephy comes on. But if I let you take care of the Lolly Jar, you've got to share, okay?”

You weren't too keen on sharing your lollies, especially your strawberry and cream ones, but Laura liked the Sour candy that was too hard for your teeth, and Vivi said that she thinks Snoep is bad for your teeth, so you think you’ll survive.

“Mama want a Lolly?” You asked, motioning towards the jar filled with lollies of all sorts.

“No, thank you, Bub.” Mama laughs, kissing your cheeks and tucking away your fly-away hairs.

“Can I have a lolly, Bug?” Your little body turned to face the voice.

Ky Ky was walking towards you with a warm grin, her hand coming up to fiddle with your collar. You giggled when her finger came in contact with your neck, sending giggles to echo through the room.

“Ky ky no manners.” You spoke, nuzzling your head further into Mama’s neck. Your mama laughed at Kyra’s dejected countenance.

“Yes, you're right,” The younger Aussie player admitted, shaking her head and pretending to act frustrated at herself for forgetting such a thing.

You, however, didn't catch onto her sarcasm, feeling a wave of empathy surging over you. You pulled your arms away from Mama, reaching out and whining for Ky Ky to hold you instead. Your mama handled her over, and you gripped the back of Kyra’s shirt as she danced with you in her arms.

“Ky Ky ‘gonna score today?” You asked, feeling the nip of the cool air shiver down your spine as the girls started exiting into the tunnel.

“I’ll try my best for you, Bub. You've just got to cheer extra loud for me, deal?” Ky held you impossibly close to her chest, her arm protecting you from feeling flimsy, and her body cradling the front half of your body from the cold.

“Will give you extra lollies and cuddles if you do.” You could see Leah at the front of the line with her big red ribbon around her arm, though Mama had told you it was an armband. You told your mama that they should do ribbons instead, hoping she could change it soon because ribbons were very pretty.

You had two yellow ribbons in each of your pigtails, which Lessi had done for you on the bus ride. Lessi was the best cuddle buddy, after Mama and Ky. She would rub and scratch your back with her nails gently, and let you trace her tattoos on her hands. Lessi was your favourite cuddle buddy, even if she wasn't the best. She was always the one you fell asleep on, and she’d always share her blanket with you when you sat next to her on the bench.

“If you don't score, I’ll just give you cuddles.” You muttered, readjusting your position in Kyra’s arms. She helped you by lifting you just above her hip, your legs locked around her waist. “Cuddles are never not allowed.”

“That's very sweet, Bub, thank you.”

“That's okay. Love you, Ky Ky.” You added, not noticing your Mama coming up behind you.

“Hey, Bub, time to put on your coat.” She said, slowly threading your small arms through the holes of the thick fabric. While your body moved without fuss, you made sure to whine a little loudly and huff to show how much you didn't like wearing your coat.

The people who loved your mama — not as much as you — and watched her play with her teammates weren't always allowed to see you. The people in the stands would inevitably catch sight of your chubby cheeks and small figure huddled in a mound of warm clothes and cuddles, whether that be during the lineup or when you were sitting on the bench.

Mama didn't like people seeing your face on their phones. She told you that cameras could cause you to feel big girl emotions, and while you were a big girl, Mama always tried her best to keep you discreet.

You didn't care all that much. Lessi would let you take funny videos with filters on your face when you talk with her on long bus rides. Stephy and Bethy would do dancing videos with you, which you love. So overall, you weren't too concerned with missing out on all that much.

But sometimes you felt like you wanted to be normal. You were cold, obviously, and the coat would warm you up, but you knew your mama wanted you to put it on for a different reason.

“Wanna stay with Ky for standing, Mama. Don't want the coat.”

Kyra acted like she had zoned out of the conversation, not sure how to manage a discussion that sounded so innocent, but had a deeper meaning behind it.

“As long as Kyra’s okay with it then you can.” Caitlin took your hand, squeezing it and zipping up your coat. “But you need to keep this on or else you’ll get a stuffy nose and a sore throat.”

“Still want my Lolly Jar.” You mumbled, not entirely content with the defeat in your situation.

Your Mama nodded, swiping your cheek. “Auntie Steph has got it in her lap for when you sit with her, alright?”

While you weren't awfully content with her decision, you sulked as you let the sleeves cover your body, hearing the zip dousing your body in a new-found warmth. You would never admit that the sensation was relieving, but you chose to snuggle back into Kyra’s chest when both teams started walking out into the crisp air.

There were a few smiles exchanged between the teams, but you understood that they both wanted to win and have the ball more than the other. Your yellow jersey stuck out under your coat, your pigtails and their bright yellow ribbons drawing more attention to yourself as usual. Your face was clasped into Ky’s neck, her body bobbing you up and down in swift motions. The crowd was beaming in excitement as everyone shook hands. You were too busy playing with the hem of Kyra’s jersey to notice the people rubbing your back and smiling.

“Cuddles now?” You asked your Ky Ky, prodding to the comfy chairs where Steph, and Kim were chatting in hushed whispers. Wally and Cloé were laughing with Stina and Laia, but you couldn't find your Auntie Vivi anywhere.

“I'm playing with your mama, Bug,” Ky spoke, rubbing your back as the two of you trudged over to the bench. “You're gonna show everyone your Lollies, aren't you? Mama said Stephy has the jar.”

You knew that Mama only gave you your lolly jar when you were feeling restless before a game. Sometimes, you just want to be attached to someone, whether that be Mama, Ky, or especially Vivi. You weren't used to not having your Auntie by your side during matches. When your Aunties had sore knees, you would sit with them in the crowd, showing them Bingo and bouncing ecstatically in your seat when they’d play games with you.

Bethy always let you swing your legs, and Lau would squish your cheeks and play Bingo games with you. Lau would make you giggle when Lee was talking about the game, and you’d clamour into the blonde’s lap and babble on about how she was a nervous Nelly, cause that's what your Mama calls you when you go to school sometimes.

Bethy wouldn't always let you have your Lolly jar, even though your Mama gave it to you. She said that it made you wiggle more and wiggles were hard to get rid of. But Vivi would always slip you some strawberry and cream lollies when Bethy wasn't looking. She’d make sure you always had a handful of your favourites when Beth was Roo immersed in the game.

You loved your Vivi.

It wasn't too bad when Bethy left, because you still had Vivi, Lee, and Lau, but then Vivi left, and now Lee, and so Lau sits in the stands with other people, and Mama doesn't want to leave Laura to take of you by herself, especially when her knee was only just mending fully.

But Vivi must've hurt her knee again because you saw her and Lau sitting in the stands without you.

It made you even more restless knowing that neither Ky nor Viv was there to play with you. You loved all of your Aunties, but some of them didn't have cuddles like Ky.

“Hello, Bug!” You heard your Auntie Stephy say. Kyra was careful in sparing the last of your affection, kneeling in front of Steph and peeling you off her slowly.

You didn't answer your Aunt, feeling what your mama called big girl feelings when Kyra kissed your forehead and ran towards the team. You latched onto Steph, who was going to put you down beside her before you curled into her lap. She wrapped her arms over your small body, pulling her blanket over the top of both of you so that you were in a cocoon of warmth.

You grabbed Steph’s pointer finger and squeezed. Bingo was facing the grassy field while you had your head towards Lia.

“Are you playing with Mama today?” You asked, settling one of your arms over Lia’s lap.

Lia and your Mama were in love like Vivi and Beth, but Mama says that their friends now. You don't remember a lot without Wally living with you, but Wally wasn't your Mama like Mama was your Mama. You were Mama’s more than anyone else. Auntie Lani always called you Cait, and Auntie Macca would say that you were your Mama’s twin.

Lia was a very nice cuddle buddy. She read bedtime stories to you and let you sleep in her and Mama’s bed if Mama was already asleep.

But now Wally didn't live with you anymore, and the bed was a lot bigger without two cuddle buddies.

“I might be after the second half, but right now I'm here with you,” Lia answered, squeezing your flushed cheeks before drawing patterns on your hand.

You looked up at Steph, reaching for her face, and settling your hand on her cheek. “Where’s Lani and Flower?”

Wally and Kim laughed from either side of you. Mary’s real name wasn't Flower, but she was pretty like a flower, and you thought that Mary smelt like a flower too, so that's what stuck. You made the mistake of looking at your Mama’s team, unable to spot your Australian friends amidst the team.

“They're both on the bench, Bug.”

You peered across the seats around you, only finding Arsenal girls.

“Not this bench, darling.” Stephy shook her head. “Different one.”

“Why not all together?” You asked, folding your arms across your chest. The ball went out of play, and you forgot your question when you saw Mama retrieving the ball.

You squealed when your Mama waved, putting your hands in your mouth and blushing when one of the Lani-Flower teammates gushed at you in adoration.

The Lani-Flower teammate was blonde, and wore a ponytail very high on her head. While she wasn't someone you were particularly familiar with, you made the effort to wave meekly at her, feeling a blush film across your face when the woman waved back.

“Classic Hempo.” You heard someone say, and you wondered whether Hempo was your friend or not. She wasn't an Australian like you, because you had never seen her back home. Maybe she was one of Bethy’s friends, because when she yelled, she sounded a lot like her friends.

“Wanna give her one of my Lollies.” You announced, looking down at the jar that Steph had put on the floor, reaching down and using all of your strength to get it on your lap.

“Maybe after the game, Bug,” Steph spoke, opening the jar, and letting you pop one of the sweets into your mouth. “Lauren is playing at the moment. If you want, you can give her one at the very end, okay?”

Your eyebrows furrowed. “Who’s Lauren?”

Steph sighed, shaking her head with a soft smile. “The girl that just waved at you.”

“Hempo?”

“Yes, darling, Hempo.”

The game continued on for what felt like forever. No one was scoring goals, not even your Mama. Most of the girls on the bench had grown anxious leading into halftime, and now it was Steph who was playing with your hands as you watched both teams tread towards the Changing Rooms.

Kim was very scary at times, even when her scariness was directed at you. She was very, very stern, and sometimes you had to cover Bingo’s ears because what she was saying was not always appropriate for younger ears.

Lee was also letting out her frustration. Leah was definitely opposed to the lack of goals since she was encouraging all of the girls to get back out there and try harder. You wondered why the Lani-Flower Team was so hard to beat when Mary and Lani weren't even playing. You’d understand if they were on the field, but they must've had superpowers that made the team really good because they were on the bench that you couldn't see.

Leah had the big band around her arm — the one you thought should be a ribbon but wasn't. You wore your ribbons all the time, at home, school, games, everywhere. Mama would send photos to your Auntie Hayley all the time, showing how her legacy was proven charismatic on her daughter.

Hayley was someone you missed a lot, especially when she and Mama never versed each other. When you were in Australia, Hayley would do your hair, and she’d use her own special ribbons. She would spend a lot of time with you. She and Ellie Belly would go out with you on what they called ‘Big Girl Days’, where you’d play at the park, get ice cream, and go to the movies, all in one day. You loved Ellie Belly, she was as silly as you. She loved blowing raspberries on your tummy. She was always throwing you up in the air, giving your Mama a surprised face.

You wanted a Big Girl Day now, you thought to yourself. The weather in London wasn't nice. You liked swimming with Harper and Harley. You liked spending time with your Australian Aunties in the sun.

You were sitting in Lessi’s lap, keeping yourself still as she redid her hair. Your coat was left on your seat on the bench, but the Changing Rooms were nice and cosy so no one paid much attention. Your Mama was fixing her hair as well, something everyone seemed to do, so you paddled over to her and tugged on her shorts.

“Hold on a second, Bug,” Mama spoke, smiling down at you, patting the wispy bits of your hair behind your ears.

You didn't want to wait, so you sighed and waddled to the next available person.

You tugged on Katie’s shorts, latching onto her leg and beaming at the woman’s immediate reaction.

“Well, hello, Miss Yellow!” She uttered, jostling your bright-coloured jersey and fixing your ribbons.

“I'm not Miss Yellow!” You laughed loudly, swatting away her hand. “I'm Bug!”

“You're a bug and yellow?!” Katie’s eyebrows raised as she pretended to be shocked. Everyone looked on in adoration, but to you her shock was real. Your laughter emulsified. “That means you're a Bee!”

“No, I'm not a BumbleBee!” You grinned, clasping your arms around her neck, soaking in the way she held you close. “I'm just Bug!”

“Oh, you're bug!” Katie huffed, shaking her head and sighing. “You scared me, Bug. I thought you were a Bee.”

“A Bumblebee, Katie.”

“That's right, a Bumblebee.”

You huffed, deciding that you were just smarter. “You're so silly, Katie.”

Katie let you run over to Mama, who swung you playfully all the way to the bench again.

Everyone was coming back onto the pitch, and the refs blew their loud whistles so that they could start kicking the ball. Both teams were a little bit more aggressive in everything they did. Katie was pushing and getting shoved, and Hempo was doing the same. Another blonde Lani-Flower girl was getting angry at Katie, but the Refs didn't put up their naughty cards so the game went on.

It had been a little while since you were sitting alone on the bench with just Bingo and your Lolly Jar. You scanned the pitch again, wondering whether Hempo was, but couldn't find her. Everyone was warming up on the sidelines. Steph had told you to count how many lollies you could eat so that you were left with something to do.

But you were growing very bored when no goals were happening, and no one to talk to.

So, as your Mama always said, do what makes you happy.

So you did.

You clambered out of your seat, using your big muscles to lug the Lolly Jar with you. Everyone was still playing around you, but you knew that Lani and Mary were here somewhere.

Without thinking, you forget your coat in your chair.

You were careful with every step you took, making sure you were holding the Jar tight. You stopped and waited for people to pass by so you weren't in the way, and it didn't take long for Red Jerseys to turn into Blue ones.

You felt a little out of place with your bright yellow jersey, you thought that no one else knew what you were wearing. After a little while longer of trampling down the sideline, you found a similar bench to the Arsenal one, except there was not a blotch of red in sight.

It took you a few more steps until you shivered at the coolness. You felt silly for not remembering your coat like Mama told you, but you didn't want to leave your Lollies instead. Mama told you to always share your Lollies, so you were doing what she told you to do, just not everything.

You found a coat similar to yours alone on one of the seats. It looked very warm, and you wanted to be warm, so you put the jar down with caution and grabbed the jacket with ease, slipping it on like Mama had taught you.

It wasn't until you saw Mary being subbed on and a cautious hand grabbing your shoulder that you realised that you had one of your ribbons falling from your hair.

“Um, excuse me.” You heard a woman say, making your little head reel up. “I think you're wearing my jacket.”

The sight of Hempo — or Lauren, as Stephy said — sent you into shyness. Mama said you weren't allowed to talk to strangers, even if they seemed friendly and smiled. You didn't necessarily think of Hempo as a stranger, since Mama talked to her and Stephy knew her name, but you only knew her from today, so an introduction was needed in order for you to feel even remotely safe.

“Was cold.” You muttered, holding your Lolly Jar as tight as you could, making you realise that you had not only left your coat on the Arsenal Bench, but Bingo, too. “Sorry.”

This sent your big girl feelings over the edge. The combined factors of strangers, the loud noises of the crowd, your coldness, and no Bingo made your lips quiver and your eyes rimmed with tears. You struggled to put the Lolly jar down but did so in a hurry, avoiding Hempo’s eyes as you tried to shake off her jacket.

The blonde woman stood above you in shock, feeling a wave of guilt wash over her when tears flooded your cheeks. She hadn't meant to make you cry. She was just confused about why you were there, and not with Arsenal, and why you were wearing her coat instead of your own.

“Oh, no, I'm so sorry.” She spoke, shaking her head as she knelt on the floor, making sure you were okay with her being at your level. “You can keep my jacket, I swear. You're smart for staying warm—”

“—Mama says swearing is bad.” You retorted, tears drying the minute the blonde spoke. Sniffles fell from your nose. “Are you on the Lani-Flower’s team?”

Lauren looked at you incredulously. “The what?”

“My Auntie Lani and Flow— Fowler, is on that team,” You pointed onto the pitch, specifically Mary, who was carrying the ball down the wing. Lauren glanced across the field, noticing Mary had no clue about what was going on. She looked back at you and smiled meekly.

“Is your Mum or Dad in the crowd somewhere? I could always help you find them.”

The mention of a father made your eyebrows furrow. You had thought that Hempo had known your Mama, but apparently not.

“You were talking to my Mama just then!” You sighed, picking up your Jar and peeling off the lid. “I was sitting on Stephy’s lap when you waved at me.”

“What?” It took a beat for Hempo’s face to change, a flow of realisation painting her features. You popped a treat into your mouth. “Oh! You're Foord’s daughter! Sorry, wait-”

You watched as the woman kneeled down again, carefully using her hands to open the split of her jacket that covered your jersey. It revealed the bold Australian colours and emblem. You pivoted so that your shoulders showed off your last name.

“Want a Lolly?” You asked, holding out the heavy container.

“Sure… I guess.” Lauren hesitated but nodded after soaking in your adamant state. “I'm sorry for asking but… why are you over here?”

“I'm looking for Auntie Lani.” You stated, not bothering to ask the woman before making your way over to a spare seat. “Mama told me that I should share my Lollies, but my Auntie Stephy was warming up, and Kim is a little scary sometimes, and Wally was stretching, and Ky Ky was playing, so Flower and Lani were left.”

Lauren managed to understand your whines to help you up onto the chair, joining next to you. “Did Caitlin say you could come over here.”

“Um,” You pondered, slightly sheepish. “She didn't say no.”

“Oh,” Lauren replied, unable to conform to a solid response. “Um, do you want me to get Alanna for you, then?”

You thought to yourself for a moment, thinking about whether Hempo was nice enough to stay with you until you felt like moving again. You settled on a yes.

“No that's okay.” You spoke, leaving the Lolly Jar on your chair and moving into Lauren’s lap. “You can have more Lollies. Mama said I should share.”

Without thinking, Lauren shoved her hand down the jar, grabbed a handful of lollies and slowly popped them into her mouth one by one. She didn't know if keeping you with her was a good idea, especially after Laia shot a brilliant goal, sending City into the lead. Alanna was warming up, getting ready to go on, so no Australians could help her out.

You weren't affected by the score, too busy babbling on about how much you wanted some sort of Bingo that Lauren had no idea about. You were content on the woman’s knee, happy in the way she bobbed up and down rhythmically, similar to how Ellie Belly would when your Mama was in interviews.

You both fell into comfortable conversation, leading each other into new topics as the game went on. Lauren let you play with her hands, and you didn't mind how many strawberries and creams she was taking from your jar. No one from either team had noticed the two of you in your own little bubble.

Everyone except a man with a big camera and a microphone.

The English woman didn't know you well. She knew that Caitlin kept you away from the media and that you were a very private part of her life that she kept at bay. You were a bubbly child with a bright personality, she thought, but she also wondered whether you got yourself into trouble as often as it seemed.

Lauren knew the man from City’s media team. He was friendly, and nice to talk to, but she had never had the experience of a toddler in her arms to handle this kind of attention.

“Who might this be?” He spoke, holding the camera up to the both of you.

Before Lauren could answer, you swerved your front to face her chest, potent in the way you shoved your body away from the camera. Your Mama had taught you to do this from a very young age, and now it felt like second nature.

Lauren caught onto your worry almost instantly, shaking her head towards the kind man, waving his endeavours off.

The man must've caught on quickly, as the camera dropped as fast as it arrived. You kept your head buried into Hempo’s neck, curling your legs around her waist, thankful for the way she pulled your hood up.

“Don't worry, I don't like cameras all that much, either.” She cooed, rubbing your back in comforting circles, relieved at your tense figure softening as she did so. “Sometimes it's just good to talk without them, eh?”

“Yeah,” You muttered in agreement, pulling your head away slowly, taking your time to turn back around.

The game was coming to an end, heading into extra time, and you were feeling the effects of your long adventure hurling over your little body.

Arsenal were not playing to their strengths, and the frustration of their gameplay radiated in beams to everyone who watched.

You had just caught sight of Auntie Lani being subbed on before your eyes had drifted close and your breathing had evened. Lauren only noticed your deep slumber when the full-time whistle blew, and you made no more advancements towards your Lolly Jar.

Hempo tried extra hard to keep you sound as she curled her arms around you, lifting you into a cuddle, and walked towards her celebrating teammates and defeated rivals silently. With your hood still up and the blonde rubbing small patterns on your back, you held onto the woman peacefully, relishing the fatigue that had caught up to you.

Hempo had separated from her confused teammates — who were all questioning when Lauren ever had any affiliation with a child — and strolled over to the Arsenal bench, where a flurry of anxiety hit her straight.

Kyra was indefinitely pale. Wally and Leah were searching the parameters of the field. Katie was ridiculing fans, and Caitlin was an absolute wreck.

Beth was beside herself, Viv by her side, comforting her spouse with a strained expression herself.

A flooding red flushed Lauren’s face, the reality of the stress the girls in front of her were under hitting her like a truck. She was conflicted in keeping you sleeping and running over to announce that you were okay. She resulted in jogging cautiously, nearly dropping the Lolly Jar on the way.

Leah was the first to notice the young Lioness. “Lauren, what are you—”

The Arsenal Captain nearly collapsed at the sight of your tiny figure curled up in her arms, meeting the woman in the middle and calling out to the rest of the girls.

“Oh my fucking God, where was she?” Caitlin sighed, immediately taking you from Lauren’s chest and hugging the breath from your lungs.

You stirred out of your daze, surprised by the sound of your Mama’s voice and not Lauren’s.

“Mama swear.” You whispered, not comprehending the gravity of the situation as you found a new comfortable position in your Mama’s arms.

“She was just wandering around with her Lolly Jar, looking for Alanna and Mary,” Lauren spoke, her voice cracking at the amount of eyes on her. “I was with her the whole time. She just wanted to share her Lollies, and erm— she forgot her coat so— yeah… oh and something about Bingo—”

“Thank you so much,” Caitlin said, looking down at you and hugging you closer. “How long did you think she was by herself?”

“Oh, not long.” Lauren started. “I found her with my coat on, so she knew what to do with herself. But I made sure no one recorded her. I'm not sure about when she was alone though, sorry.”

“Don't be.” Caitlin sighed. “I'm just glad she was with someone.”

“Shared my Lollies, Mama.” You whispered out from her neck. “But I think we need more Strawberries and Cream.”

Katie came up behind you and Mama with your toy Bingo in her hands. She took off your hood and poked your cheeks. “I think that's enough lollies for you, Bumblebee.”

You took Bingo and hugged her, smiling like not a minute in the world had passed, content with the new friend you had made and the lollies you had eaten.

You hoped every match was like this.

________________________

[queers-gambit]

The Last Will and Testament of James Barnes, Sr.

prompt: The Boss passes away, and at the reading of his Last Will and Testament, your lover, Bucky, is named successor - not his older (adopted) brother, John. tension breaks at the funeral.

pairing: Mafia Bucky Barnes x female!reader

fandom masterlist: Marvel

word count: 4k+

note: author wants to remind everyone that there are 1,000 different ways to host a funeral; to celebrate a life.

warnings: Mafia AU, cursing, mention of deceased family member, depictions of violence, greed, spoiled brat behavior (not by reader or Buck, you'll see), entitlement, does author ever edit? where is this fic going? author lost sight of the plot but fuck it!

"The Last Will and Testament of James Barnes, Sr.; read on May 16th, after being last revised on January 3rd, - being of assured sound body, mind, and soul - is to divide assets and bequeath inheritance," the lawyer with thinning hair announced to the room, his baritone voice sending vibrations to the glasses of water set before him.

You tightened your hand in Bucky's flesh one, sharing a small glance together as his mother commandeered all attention by sniffling loudly from the middle of the room. It was a lively sort of office; a high rise with floor-to-ceiling windows, painted a light, pale yellow that glowed in sunlight, a long mahogany conference table, plush, leather rolling chairs, and an array of flavored waters to choose from. Both sparkling and flat.

It felt wrong to be there, totally unreal.

The Last Will and Testament of James Barnes, Sr., was read from behind a pair of thick-framed glasses by a portly man in a tacky, summer khaki suit. Mr. Happy had been the Barnes' lawyer for years now, someone The Boss, James Sr., trusted without a doubt. He was the only man trusted to see this division to the end and without conflict, fearing it'd upset Mr. Barnes' soul should his family begin feuding over material items.

"First, to my beloved wife, Mary Beth, who I know will succeed me in death. I to her leave our beach house, the penthouse on Fifth, every car in mine and her name is to be transferred solely into her name, the building, apartment leases in Manhattan so she might continue being landlord and earn a monthly, sizable income. In addition," Happy glanced at Mary Beth, "I bequeath a lump sum of 25% of my savings."

Everyone seemed to think this was acceptable, nodding in agreement as Mary Beth sobbed loudly into a crumpled, saturated tissue. However, Happy paused as he scanned over the document nervously. His throat cleared, informing that John was to get his own share - yet there was no mention of the organization's leadership and the entire room filled with tension. Finally, Happy sighed through his reading of Bucky's inheritance as you took a sip of coffee; revealing he had been chosen as Mr. James Barnes, Sr.'s successor.

Coffee sprayed out of your nose to splatter on the table, making you gag and cough instantly; Bucky patting your back in support as he turned rigid with confusing tension. Mary Beth Barnes gasped dramatically, insisting that couldn't be right.

"What!?" John raged, shooting out of his leather chair so fast, it toppled over. "That's impossible! That should not be possible!"

"I assure you, Mr. Barnes, it's - "

"Bullshit!" John snapped, snatching a copy of The Last Will and Testament of James Barnes, Sr..

Happy sighed, "Your father did not leave you the business, John, he left it to Bucky, instead."

"How the fuck - !?" Nobody moved as John read for himself what the legal documents said. He grit his teeth and tossed the padded file to the lawyer, glaring at his family. "So," he seethed, "Father's decided to name Bucky over me."

"What does all this mean!?" Mary Beth asked tearfully.

He smirked, "You two couldn't get pregnant. You tried, tried, tried, but just couldn't, so, you adopted me. But just 3 months after I came home, you were giving birth to Bucky - and even better, you gave him Father's name! My whole life, you've all tried to erase me because the adoption was final and there was nowhere to dump me, but then Father started teaching me about the business. He knew I was the eldest - and succession respects birth order!"

"I didn't ask for this," Bucky snapped, his hand flat on your back as you had stopped choking finally but he didn't want to lift his hand from your inviting warmth.

"No? That why you're the one benefitting from everything?" John sneered.

"Benefitting? From our father dying? I understand you feel scorned, but Father made his decision," Bucky reminded. "And I'm sorry he made you feel as if you were guaranteed this job, but this is how it works. Someone's appointed."

"If you were decent, you'd refuse so I could step in and take my place. You know I'm the better fit!"

Happy shook his head, "That's not how this works, kid."

"Excuse me?" John seethed, turning to the lawyer.

"Bucky can't just refuse and you accept," Happy explained. "If the chosen inheritor refuses, then there's a trial to elect a new Boss. You'd have to plead your case to everyone."

John huffed and turned to Bucky, demanding, "Well?"

"I'm not refusing what Father wanted," Bucky decided, making you freeze. "And I'm not useless, John, I know how to do this job."

He scoffed, "Whatever."

"Hang on a second," you whispered, grabbing Bucky's wrist to lean into his side, barely muttering, "baby, are you sure?" He nodded at you, not quite picking up on the question you asked between the lines.

The Last Will and Testament of James Barnes, Sr., had been officially read, and after naming Bucky successor, tore apart a fragile family that was barely knit together with frayed string. He knew his decision would cause disruption, yet Senior Barnes made a decision best based on the needs of the organization - not his sons.

Now that John had stormed off, Happy read the rest of the document to ensure there were as little questions as possible; everyone aware of the temper John harnessed - thinking this was his final trigger that made him snap. After hearing the division of assets, you all parted ways with Happy, who promised he'd be in contact with Bucky soon before telling Mary Beth the money would hit her account in a day.

25% of Senior Barnes' savings to Mary Beth. 25% to John. 50% left for Bucky to operate an ever-profiting business.

The Last Will and Testament of James Barnes, Sr. had torn apart a mother and (adopted) son; two brothers; and while you didn't want to add to the stress Bucky must've felt, you couldn't hold back. When alone in the car, you lashed out at Bucky - demanding to know how he could make such an important decision without at least consulting you.

"We're together, Bucky, and this is a partnership! One person doesn't get to do everything, we make big-time, life-changing decisions together since it's not just your life you're shaking up!"

"This has nothing to do with you!" Bucky snapped back.

"It's everything to do with me!" You argued. "You're not the only one in this relationship, so you don't get to make unilateral decisions!"

"It's not your job, it's not your family - "

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" You snarled. "Few weeks ago, it was, 'oh, baby, I'm gonna marry you one day. I can't live without you,' and now it's not my family...? What? Not my business? Not my concern?"

"It's up to me to deal with."

"Why couldn't you of just asked for a minute to think?" You asked in a defeated tone. "You could've used a minute or two to talk to me about it before jumping the gun."

"What would you've said?"

"That we could try it out and then if you didn't like it, let it go to trial..."

He nodded, "Not half a bad idea."

"But you didn't think to include me!"

"It's not your life!"

"Oh, go fuck yourself, it's our life. Okay? Like it or not, this is our life we're talking about. Fucking clue me in next time, you irrational fuck."

Bucky took a long breath, "All right, fine, fair enough. I should've included you. I'll do better in the future."

You huffed, crossing your arms, "I doubt it."

Due to the nature of your stress, you didn't push Bucky farther that night. He seemed distracted, and even when you got back to your penthouse apartment, he was sullen and quiet. You spent two hours in bed, alone, tossing and turning, before finally getting up to look for your lover. He was found on the balcony, dried tear tracks left on his cheeks; mutely opening his arm to welcome you onto his lap. Bucky needed you now more than ever, his tears starting again as the funeral now loomed over you all.

Two days later, The Last Will and Testament of James Barnes, Sr. was contested on May 18th by... John Walker? Who the fuck...?

"Hi, Happy," you greeted the lawyer at your hotel door, opening it to let him enter.

"Thanks, doll," he smiled. "Where's Mr. Barnes?"

"In here," you lead him to the sitting room, trying to ignore how everyone now called Bucky "Boss" or "Mr. Barnes". When you arrived, the three of you sat to listen to the lawyer speak about whatever he had called an emergency meeting about.

"Who the hell is John Walker?" You wondered softly. "Some rip-off John Wick?

"John, it's John," Happy snickered. "It's John - he's legally changed his adopted name to his birth name. From Barnes to Walker."

"When?"

"Yesterday. Today, he contested the will."

"Fuck's sake," you sighed.

"This inheritance is iron-clad," Happy assured, "but it's enough disruption to shake the men in the organization. Apparently, John's procured a plethora of followers - all ready to march behind him."

"He has fucking supporters?" Bucky mumbled in angry disbelief.

"Enough to make a small dent in our numbers..."

"Can I ask?" You interrupted. "What's John's issue? Why's he so angry?"

Happy glanced at Bucky and saw there was no answer on his lips, so, he told you, "Years ago, Mrs. Barnes struggled to carry children to-term. Eventually, they were told it wouldn't happen, so, they decided to adopt. It took about a year for them to adopt John, but Mary Beth was surprisingly pregnant - gave birth three months after they adopted John, who was about two at the time and understood he had to share the attention of his new parents. That's where the competition started..."

"So, John's mad...?"

"He's the eldest," Happy shrugged. "But Senior Barnes named his firstborn son..."

"What a slap in the face," you frowned, feeling sad for John. "To learn after his father died that... What? He didn't think John was really his son? Was really family?"

Happy nodded, "He was clear when he stated his firstborn son... They were in a feud when Senior Barnes made this revision."

"So, he was just angry - "

"More than that," Happy frowned. "Have you spoken Mr. Stark yet?"

"Tony? Not yet," Bucky answered.

"He's your father's investment banker, works with your father's accountant. John had an unhealthy habit of asking for more and more money to be bailed out. When your father tried to cut him off, he started stealing the money, leading their blow-out."

You blinked in shock.

Bucky just hummed and nodded, deep in thought. "Perhaps it's time to change the banker," he muttered.

"Tony's good," Happy assured, "but John knows how to manipulate people. Your father never wanted to see it, but when John burned through money, he got frustrated."

"Okay," you waved, "new motion. No more business talk until we lay Mr. Barnes to rest, okay? Just let us bury the man, then y'all can plot and plan and do whatever."

"Mr. Barnes - this, Mr. Barnes," he pointed at Bucky, " - has informed me you'll be present going forward...?"

"He did?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well, of course, but I'm still asking for a pause," you eased, trying to play down how off-guard you felt. "Let's get through the funeral and we can figure out what to do moving forward."

Bucky agreed and showed Happy out; returning to you not a minute later with his hands on his hips. You cocked your head in question and he answered, "He got rid of the Barnes name..."

"He did."

"He's contesting the will."

"He is."

"He's got supporters in the organization."

"He does."

Bucky took a long breath, telling you, "I'm gonna need your help getting through this, doll."

"That's what I'm here for," you promised.

It was strange, seeing your lover assimilate into such an intense role. You were grateful he had an ON / OFF switch with you, being the kind, sweet, soft-hearted, tender man you fell in love with in private, but the cold, calculating maniac when acting in his newly appointed job. It was intriguing to watch; always content to play dutiful wife when he requested your presence.

You had gone to law school, and because of that, you knew how to take lightning fast notes, so, he liked you being present at his meetings. It was only three days since reading The Last Will and Testament of James Barnes, Sr., and in the time, Bucky truly took control. He weeded out most of those who supported John over him, "removing" them from their position in the org., trying to set a precedence for the other men who meant to follow him. He wore suits everyday now, had two different phones, and assigned personal security to you and him.

However, come the 21st, everything came to something of a grinding halt at the funeral. It was a simple set-up: the morning started with a mass, then they'd congregate for a viewing, lastly, transport the body to the grave site. You wore black, like everyone else, and kept a hand on Bucky the entire time - knowing his anxiety made him skittish and prone to his fight or flight reaction. He was quiet, stoic, busying himself by keeping a hand on your form; be it your waist, hip, hand, around your shoulders. To save him from any awkward encounters, you accepted people's grievances with kindness.

The mass was pleasant enough. Short, simple, to the point; offering the death rite prayers Mr. Barnes had designated in his final documents. After that, Bucky kept busy by helping load the casket into the hearse to transport him to the funeral home while you intercepted any conversation. Once at the funeral home, you helped bring in all the floral arrangements as Bucky comforted his mother, no sign of trouble yet.

However, right in the middle of the some 600-person strong memorial, there came a small commotion. You flinched when you saw your security guards hit the floor, John emerging from the stunned crowd with a few men flanking his sides. "Well, ain't this real heart-warmin'," he smirked, eyeing the attending patrons. "Funny seein' you here, Tony, 'cause you always hated Old Man Barnes. You, too, Clint," he pointed out different attendants, "'cause I remember you sayin' you wished you hit The Boss with your car that one Christmas party. Mhm, and you, Natasha, so good to see you here after all the stress you and your little gang caused Father."

"John," Bucky grit, but your hands kept him anchored in place.

"Mhm," John eyed you both, "always restrained by your bitch, huh?"

"What're you doing here?" You deflected. "Why make a scene?"

"Ain't no other way to get y'alls attention," he spread his arms in gusto. "I see you haven't responded to my contention."

"Why would I?" Bucky shot back, taking a more relaxed stance as his arm slung around your shoulders. "It's just the woes of a spoiled brat not getting what he assumes are his dues. Didn't you steal enough from Father when he was alive? What's this? You wanna try again to fuck him up in death by stealing the position he left me?"

John's tongue licked over his teeth, "Strong words."

"You're one to talk. Look, for what it's worth, I am sorry you were short handed, but it's not something we can change. You made a mistake, I get that, but it was Father's money you fucked with, that you stole, and you proved untrustworthy. Why the fuck do you think he'd leave the business to you? Listen, I'd love for you to come into the org officially, but not if you're contesting Father's wishes."

"I'm owed more than I was given," John snapped. "Years I endured his wrath and ruin, years I posed as his perfect and diligent son. To find out now, after his death, that I am not even viewed as family...? I didn't ask to be born, I didn't ask for my parents to die, I didn't ask for your mother to have fertility difficulties, I didn't ask to be adopted, and yet it all happened, but he still, until the end, kept me at arms length. I'm owed more than I was given since he stated in legal documents that I am not his son!"

"This is not the time or place," Bucky warned. "Don't fucking do this."

"No? When, then? Why do it later? When I can get through your security now? You know, you're a tough guy to get close to what with all the security you've hired recently," John smirked, opening his arms in bravado, "and yet, here I am."

"When we are not at our father's funeral, we will talk."

"No," John smirked, shaking his head, "we do this now. Here, and now, at your father's funeral."

You yelped when Bucky shoved you down, ducking swiftly himself to avoid John's swinging fist; launching his own attack, and the entire funeral home erupting in chaos. You gasped when hands grabbed your waist and hauled up - yelping in shock when you recognized Steve's tattoos as he shoved through the crowd.

"What the fuck!?" You demanded when set down on the side of the room.

"Boss' orders," he explained, keeping an eye out on the kerfuffle. "Shit - stay fuckin' here!" He barked, turning for the crowd and disappearing. You felt your panic brewing to a new height as you couldn't see Bucky... In fact, you couldn't see any of the regular men you were used to.

A gun fired, you ducked down.

People screamed, a stampede erupting to empty the funeral home as fast as possible as another shot sounded. You were about to follow the mass of people when Sam became visible, obviously struggling to get to you through the throngs of rushing people.

"C'mere, honey," Sam panted, grabbing hold of you and keeping you close.

"What's going on!?" You begged, a third shot echoing, making the last of the people scream in terror and run faster - pushing people out of their way.

"John's come to play," Sam grit, people bumping into him as he did his best to stand as a pillar to keep you safe. "C'mon," he heaved, leading you towards a side door, opening it to reveal Bucky's mother, Mary Beth, and a few other women - gently pushing you inside and shutting the locked door.

"Fucker," you grumbled, trying to open the locked handle. You sighed, hands on your hips, listening to the commotion outside the door and turning to glare at Mary Beth. "Did you know?"

"Know what?" She asked stiffly.

"That your husband resented John because he was adopted?"

She blinked and lowered her head in thought, releasing a deep, long sigh. "I didn't think it was this bad, I honestly thought things were getting better."

"James wrote John out of the will and now Bucky's the one paying for it," you snapped. "How did you not see this coming?"

"John's always been a good boy - "

"You mean a Mama's Boy. But surely you have to realize, a boy needs both his parents. Especially if he can feel the one parent fostering resentment."

The door rattled and you turned for it, the swinging wood revealing your boyfriend's deranged person. He surveyed the room, a heavy glare on his face, blood and bruising visible through his snarl, and when he locked onto your form, he surged forward, breathing, "Sweetheart."

His hands instantly slid over your cheeks, looking frantic as he took in your appearance - searching for any sign of injury. "I'm okay," you promised him, holding his wrists, "but you're not. Fuck's sake, Buck, you're bleeding."

He scoffed, "John wore rings."

"Pussy boy."

"C'mere," he stooped to scoop you in his arms, "gettin' you home."

"Bucky," you whined lightly.

He readjusted you so you were koala hugging his torso, huddling your head into his neck and insisting, "Don't look. Don't look, baby, don't fucking look."

But you did.

Tears filled your eyes when you identified two dead bodies on the bloody floor, and trailing behind you both, Bucky's footprints - in blood. You tightened your hold on him and whimpered.

The fire crackled and coughed ash into the air, a comfortable warmth emitting into the otherwise chilly room. Ice cubes sloshed in crystal, the smell of book leather and stale cologne perfumed the air, and four minds all raced with different thoughts.

Bucky, still bruised and sporting cuts on his face, clenched his jaw as he weighed options in his head. Across from him, on a matching leather loveseat, Sam sat beside Steve, handing the blonde a refilled glass of his desired alcohol. You were pressed to your lover's side, everyone replaying the events of this evening.

Sam and Steve filled you in on what went down, Bucky not making a single sound as his men spoke. The details made you feel lightheaded but you wanted to know, and now, more than before, you understood your new reality. Sam told you the names of the two men killed, names you didn't recognize, before wrapping the story up by explaining there were getaway cars waiting outside for John and his men. You spared a glance at Bucky, then asked the two men across from you, "So, what now?"

Silence.

"Now..." Bucky grit his teeth, speaking lowly and evenly, "I do the job I was given. No successful leader ever wanted their position of influence and power, being a reason I know John's the wrong fit for this job. If I step down, he'll slither in..." He nodded, "Time to be the boss, finally."

Your heart cemented and throat constricted, only able to listen to Sam and Steve agree with Buck, then instantly start planning their next move - not wanting to wait til morning.

The Last Will and Testament of James Barnes, Sr., was meant to be something clean, peaceful, and fair, and yet, it was anything but. A family without their patriarch, two confused sons sans a father, millions of dollars worth of inheritance left to be fought over, a wife off the deep end and a mother unavailable to the world; a feud brewing and sides being chose.

It wasn't supposed to come to this, James Barnes, Sr., wasn't a vindictive man. He didn't anticipate this kind of reaction, he just wanted to do something "right" without contest. He was incredibly wrong, though he'd never know it; leaving a mess in his wake that Bucky was responsible to clean.

You listened to the men devise the beginnings of a plan before whispering to Bucky you were going to sleep. After bidding Sam and Steve a goodnight, you left Senior Barnes' home study - you and Bucky moving in basically after The Last Will and Testament of James Barnes, Sr.. It was a gorgeous home, lost in time; inviting guests into her many halls; to discover all her secrets.

You found the bedroom you and Bucky had claimed, trying not to overwhelm yourself with reality. Truth was, you loved Bucky more than life but you started dating years ago - when he was a different man. When his father's wishes were different. Where different circumstances seemed plausible to your future together. However, this wasn't what you signed up for; and never did you (or Bucky) anticipate for him to be named heir.

You went to bed that night frazzled, rattled, alone, cold, and with severe heart palpitations; wishing to God your man would back down, but knew it was foolish to waste hope on the inevitable.

So, you fell asleep wondering if life with this "new" Bucky was worth living... Did you truly want to be with a man with such a dangerous job? A job that caused a crowd-fight at a funeral before creating need for more funerals? A job that would steal his time, money, effort, attention... A job that would affect you both in ways you couldn't begin to fathom?

Was loving Bucky worth this kind of conflict?

Of course, he was!

requesting rules and masterlist

Marvel masterlist

[woso-dreamzzz]

Read

England Lionesses x Child!Reader

Mary Earps x Child!Reader

Summary: Your sister can't read

"Oh, shit."

The suitcase clatters to the ground.

"Mummy says that's a bad word," You tell your sister.

Your sister runs a hand over her face as you stare at her, unblinking. "Yes, well, Mum isn't here right now."

"Mummy's on holiday," You agree, bobbing your head up and down.

"She is," Mary says as she hurriedly tries to pick up all the bags," Which is why you're with me."

You look around the area as Mary takes your hand, holding it firm in her own as she brings you along to the entrance.

"Morning, Mary," A man behind a phone camera says," Who's this?"

"Morning," She greets, nudging you," This is my little sister, y/n. y/n, say hello."

"Hi!" You chirp before losing interest and looking around again. "Mary, I'm hungry."

"I'm not too sure when lunch will be. Sorry," Mary says as she grabs her room key.

"But I'm hungry now."

Mary flounders a bit, patting her pockets. All she ends up with is a half eaten protein bar. She's not sure if little kids are allowed to have protein bars. She gives it to you anyway.

"Here, rugrat," She says," Don't tell mum."

You cram it into your mouth. "Why?"

"Well...I don't know if I'm meant to give that to you."

"Why?"

"Because I don't."

"Is it because you can't read?"

Mary freezes in the middle of the hallway, trying to ignore the snickers of the teammates who have poked their heads out of their rooms to watch the interaction.

"Who told you I can't read?"

You shrug. "Mikey from school says footballers can't read because all their brain power has to go to their legs. If you can't read Mary you have to tell me 'cause then I need to find someone else for my bedtime story."

"I can read, rugrat!" Mary says a bit indignantly as she tries to wave away the other girls.

You give her a look. "Are you sure? You shouldn't lie, Mary, it's mean and I'll tell on you."

"I can read!"

"Don't worry, y/n!" Ella jeers from her doorway," I can read! I can do your bedtime story."

You smile. "Thank you, Ella!"

You like Ella. She plays with Mary at Manchester United and she's a little silly sometimes and you're sure that she can do all the different voices for the characters.

You turn back to Mary. "It's okay if you can't read," You say," I'm sure Ella can teach you."

"I can read!" She insists.

You pat her on the leg in comfort. "It's okay. You still have time to learn."

You leave Mary with Ella (who promises to help her learn to read) at lunch and scamper off to join Lessi. She used to play with Mary and she used to be your most favourite at United but now she's your most favourite at Arsenal.

She sits you up nice and high at a table with some of the other Arsenal girls like Lotte and Beth.

"My sister can't read," You say in greeting," Mikey from school says it's because United players are knuckleheads, except for Ella because she can read. Are Arsenal girls knuckleheads?"

Beth laughs under her breath and tries to disguise it as a cough but you know better.

"Are you asking if we can read?" Lotte asks.

You nod.

"We can read."

"That's good." You poke at your food. "It must be sad that Mary can't read."

Beth stifles another laugh, clearing her throat. "Yeah, very sad."

You glance around the room. "Can anyone else not read?"

Alessia shrugs. "I don't know. What do you think?"

"Mikey from school says Manchester City players are smart so that must mean they can read. Can Chelsea girls read?"

"Do you want to go and ask?"

You nod and hop off your chair. You pick out the Chelsea girls easily and tug on Jess Carter's hand.

"Hey," She says," Is everything okay?" She looks around. "Where's Mary?"

"Learning to read." You peek up over the table on your tiptoes so you can see everyone. "Mikey from school says Manchester United players are knuckleheads. Are any of you knuckleheads?"

Niamh snickers before sending a teasing smile to Lauren. "LJ's a bit of a knucklehead sometimes."

LJ rolls her eyes and flicks a pea at her teammate. "You're one to talk."

You gasp and wiggle away to take Lauren's hand, pulling her up out of her seat before you grab at Niamh too. You cart them away without explanation, mentally counting Fran and Jess out of team knucklehead.

You pass by Maya and Millie Turner and call out for them urgently.

"What's going on, rugrat?" Maya chuckles as you lead the group of four on. "Are you building an army?"

You shake your head as you wander through the hallways up to the bedrooms. You count three doors down from the elevator and drop Niamh's hand to knock.

Ella opens the door with a smile before it's dropped for a look of confusion when she's greeted by the equally confused group of four behind you.

"You building an army or something, rugrat?" She laughs.

"That's what I said!" Maya says and you shake your head, forcing everyone inside.

Mary's sitting on the bed, scrolling through her phone. She looks up and groans. "What have you done this time?"

"Haven't done anything!" You insist, sticking your tongue out at her before turning to Ella. You point at the girls. "They can't read!" You tell her," 'Cause Niamh and LJ are knuckleheads and Maya and Millie play for United."

"I play for United," Ella says.

"But you can read. You're special," You tell her," You have to teach them."

You sound so serious and Mary can't help but burst into laughter.

That annoys you a little bit but you know just how to shut her up.

"You can't leave until you've learnt to read!"

[sludge-saturday]

pencil and charcoal

you've been riding with the van der linde gang for a few months now, pulling your weight and helping out when you can. you've earned the trust of nearly everyone there with your hard work and are starting to capture the interest of a certain someone...

pairing: arthur morgan x gn!artist!reader

summary: you show arthur your artwork by the fire. how will he react when he sees himself amongst your drawings?

tags: fluff, arthur has low self-esteem, high honor arthur

warnings: very brief mention of alcohol consumption

word count: 1,141

a/n: i can't tell if my writing style is too corny or not so feedback is encouraged. :)

☆ the trotting of your horses' hooves served as gentle ambience as you and arthur watched the van der linde camp come into view. an involuntary feeling of relief washed over you, knowing that you were safe here. the two of you were just arriving from a particularly difficult bounty hunt, but your combined skills proved to be efficient. "a job well done," as arthur had told you.

☆ you both approach the camp and hop off of your horses, hitching them to an available post. arthur gives boadicea a gentle, appreciative pat on the neck. "i'm gonna go tell dutch how much we made." he says, walking toward where the gang leader is standing. dutch is next to one of the posts holding up his tent and a fire had been made not too far away by some of the other gang members. karen, tilly, charles, javier, and lenny all sat around the flame, a couple with bottles in their hands.

☆ you wanted to stop at your tent for your sketchbook before heading over to sit with them. now would be a perfect time to keep practicing, you thought to yourself. after making the short trip to where your belongings were, you swiped the leather-bound book and the rest of your supplies off of your cot. as you walk towards the fire you glance at everyone sitting around it. no one had left yet, but another person had joined: arthur.

☆ scanning for a place to sit, you decide on an open spot next to the gunslinger. you had to admit, you've grown fond of arthur's presence since you first started traveling with the gang. it was something about his get-it-done attitude, his undying loyalty to those he cares about, and, of course, his rugged handsomeness. you kept your affection for him a secret, though, afraid of what might happen if anyone ever found out. you drew one of your knees up to your chest, propping your sketchbook up on your thigh in an attempt to dispel the thought.

☆ arthur's gaze couldn't help but wander to what you were doing beside him. as you opened your sketchbook, flipping through the pages to find where you last left off, arthur's eyes were able to steal a few glances at what was inside. from what he able to see, there were sketched pictures of people he could have sworn he recognized. was that... dutch? and sean? and mary beth? arthur gestured to the book in your hands and spoke in a hushed tone, as if afraid someone else would hear what he had to say. "you draw too?"

☆ you looked up at arthur with a smile already on your face. "it's been one of my passions since i was a child. i practically clung to my pencils when i fell on hard times." your eyes sparkled as you spoke to him, and you could have sworn you saw the same kind of shimmer in his eyes as he listened. "can i..." he started, "can i see 'em?" arthur had never met anyone else that shared his love of drawing and thought he never would, he had made peace with that. but this new discovery, this moment he was now sharing with you, it made him feel more alive and more connected to someone than he felt in a while.

☆ a flush threatened to creep onto your cheeks as you process arthur's request. you can't remember the last time someone asked to actually see what you were making. anxiety bubbled in your stomach as your mind raced through everything that could happen if you agreed. but, when you looked at arthur, his features were graced with a subtle glow, an expression of wonder and pure curiosity. how could you refuse?

☆ "of course." you gave him a sweet smile. "should i start from the beginning?" your hand prepares to move all of the pages on the left back to the right, but you look at arthur for approval anyway. "sure." he answered, nodding his head.

☆ and so you do. you show him everything, from your finished portraits of the gang members to sketches of your horse to quick scribbles of plants and animals you spot on your adventures. and arthur found it all so breathtaking. your art style, the way you chose to characterize your figures, your ability to make photo-realistic images from just pencil and charcoal, he never knew you had this in you.

☆ he watched as you flipped through the pages, admiring your work and pointing out ones he particularly liked. the person drawn on the last page had a dark cowboy hat on with rope tied around the base. he had a dark kerchief draped around his neck and a stubbly face. "recognize him?" you smooth your hand over the paper, remembering the unforgettable process that was drawing arthur for the first time. "this is one of my favorites." smiling at the page, you turn to look at his reaction.

☆ arthur was utterly dumbfounded. he couldn't believe what he was looking at. someone, especially someone like you, had deemed him worthy enough of being a muse for artwork. he thought he was so... ugly. he thought everyone found him that way. at a loss for words, the man felt tears prick his eyes. he didn't know why he was getting so emotional! he couldn't cry in front of anyone, so he cleared his throat and searched for what to say. "is that me?"

☆ you noticed that arthur's eyes looked glossier and that his expression shifted. you couldn't gauge how he was feeling from the look on his face, so you looked back down at the drawing. "it is," you said, fiddling with the corner of the book. "you are a joy to create." your smile was genuine, the apple of your cheeks shining in the firelight as you turned your head to face arthur again. his expression was still unreadable, his gaze tilted down towards his lap. after a few seconds of silence, arthur speaks softly. "ya really mean that?"

☆ arthur's eyes were still glassy, but softer this time around. he looked like the answer to his question would make or break him. he looked... vulnerable. even you knew that this was not a disposition you would typically, if ever, expect of him. you were careful with your response, knowing that you held the very livelihood of arthur morgan in your hands. "i do."

☆those two simple words sent a small swarm of butterflies through his gut. for him, nothing would be able to compare to the way you just made him feel. for him, this moment would be occupying his mind for longer than he cared to admit. for him, this gesture was just another piece of the stunning mosaic created in your image. after this, there's no more room for doubt. he's smitten.

[wolvieswhiskeyclaws]

"Savior" ||

Arthur Morgan x GN!Reader

Rating: None

Length: 2.1k

Asked by: @photo1030

Ooo! Random thought, maybe can link to my last request. Reader (or character, your choice) gets hurt and Arthur has to take care of them. Maybe shot in the leg and he has to carry them. They get to see a softer side to him, being all caretaker and protective.

Protective Arthur is just... *chef's kiss* I can't explain it but seeing him so good with a gun, being able to down someone within seconds then to turn around and be so gentle with you?? I need it, crave it, even. Thanks for the ask, hon!~

*

It was supposed to be a simple bank coach robbery, just a quick in-and-out sort of situation, and you insisted that you go along to assist Mary-Beth and Sean, but with Arthur being as worried as he always was, he felt it was best to tag along and make sure Sean didn’t pull you into any other mischief. The Irishman, of course, took offense to that, but he didn’t exactly mind that you two wanted to tag along. The more the merrier, even if the cut of the pay was less.

As much as Arthur tried to insist you remain back, you were headstrong and refused to let him tell you what you were capable of. You’d had a successful string of heists you were able to pull off with the other gang members, so why would this one be any different? Without much argument afterward, you rode off on your horse behind Sean and Mary-Beth, and a disgruntled Arthur followed you all from the rear. 

It was difficult to put into words how this made Arthur feel, but he knew that going along to assist would have eased his discomfort, and hearing Sean’s plan to distract the coach was more than entertainment in itself. But with Sean being inept with firearms, Arthur had ridden alongside your horse to listen in on the plan. 

Mary-Beth was more than excited to get out of the camp and put her talent to good use, and even more so when you had offered to tag along if they wouldn’t mind. “Oh, this is excitin’!” She exclaimed with a large smile on her face. “Easy enough to flag ‘em down, I think.”

Sean was proud of his idea and felt that he should have had more credit, but Arthur, being who he was, was unsure and unimpressed with Sean’s usefulness when it came to stressful situations. 

“I’m just keepin’ an eye on you, MacGuire, I know they’re solid,” he stated matter-of-factly as his horse trotted along to the speed of Ennis. 

“Alright, alright, you get knocked out on a mission one time-”

“More than once,” Arthur corrected. 

The Irishman just scoffed and shook his head. “Look, you can write about it in your journals, but let’s get back to my job, the one I brought y’all in on!” He huffed.

You couldn’t help but laugh at how much those two men were always at each other’s throats, no matter what the other was doing. “Let’s focus, gentleman, the lady and I will have this done lickety-split, it’ll be a cakewalk.” You looked over at Arthur with confidence shining in your eyes, and you thought you caught a glimpse of a smile from across his face, but it was gone before you could blink. 

Sean led the way until they came to a crossroads, then he told you all to keep the horses out of sight as he scoped out where they could hide for the time being. “Alright then, here we are, they’ll be comin’ from the North any minute, you both know what you’re doin’, right?”

Arthur just scoffed and shook his head. “Course they know what they’re doin’,” he replied gruffly.

You jumped down from your horse and patted its muzzle gently. “Mary-Beth is gonna run out and flag ‘em down, I’ll be off a ways to scope out the guards, and you two will be behind the log. Sean will ring off some shots, and Arthur will come in and clean up while I pick ‘em off from behind. Easy.”

Sean looked satisfied with that response and nodded. “Alright, perfect! Now, Morgan, let’s go and get behind this log, you-” he pointed in your direction, “-get over to those trees and don’t be spotted. Mary-Beth, get ready.”

The redhead felt proud of this plan, he was sure everything would work out, and he had the details down to a T. Everything went fine until it didn’t.

Instead of spooking the guards to throw them off, Sean took aim after hearing the way one of the men spoke to Mary-Beth and scoped him from his spot behind the log. Arthur immediately began to fire, albeit reluctantly since Sean was deviating from the initial plan. He hadn’t caught sight of you yet, but he figured you were doing alright for yourself. Then suddenly, a man lunged for Mary-Beth and held a gun to her head, his arm clenched around her throat.

“Let GO of me!” She snapped, trying her best to claw at his arm.

“Got your little lady friend here! Drop your guns!”

Arthur removed his rolling block rifle and watched the man hide himself behind the woman through the scope. “Dammit, he keeps movin’, don’t got a clear shot.”

“I got it!” You suddenly yelled out, and before you had a chance to line up the shot, the man had heard you and took aim. The shot rang out and the bullet penetrated your upper thigh. 

Your scream echoed out and Arthur finally had a clear shot to take the man down for good. “Sean, get Mary-Beth! I got them!” He said as he threw the gun over his shoulder and took off running where you’d fallen to the ground. “Shit, shit, shit,” he mumbled to himself as he finally caught up to you. 

You were trying your best to hold onto your leg the best you could to apply pressure, but it didn’t help much, you couldn’t stifle the scream you released when it hurt a little too much. “Shit, guess I messed that up badly…”

“Nah, you didn’t, lemme see,” Arthur said as he moved your hands, checking out where the wound was. “Ah, right through the meat of the leg but just missed your femoral artery. You’ll be alright, just gotta treat it when we get to camp. C’mon, it ain’t gonna feel pretty.” 

Arthur grabbed his bandana and tied it around your leg the best he could to keep pressure, then he scooped you into his arms and carried you back to his horse. 

Sean and Mary-Beth had cleaned out the coach and the dead men’s pockets as he took care of you, but Mary-Beth felt awful. “Are they gonna be alright?” She asked, her tone laced with worry. 

He just nodded and helped you as carefully as he could onto his horse, but the discomfort was a lot, yet you remained as strong as you could and held onto the horn of the saddle. “Call my horse, please…” You whimpered. “Can’t leave ‘em here…”

“You worry ‘bout yourself, your horse’ll be fine,” the gunslinger assured you as he hopped on behind you. “It’s gonna hurt with the ride but the faster we get back the better. Y’all go on, we’ll split the money when we meet back, don’t let anyone follow you.”

“Sir, yes sir,” Sean said with a meek smile, feeling awful you’d been hurt. “Take care of ‘em, will ya?” 

Arthur nodded in response, whistled for your horse to follow, and rode off as quickly as he could. The ride was definitely painful, but you managed to hold out long enough until you got back to camp, where Arthur had taken you to your tent, which thankfully had some privacy. He left you alone for all of two minutes when he came back with all the necessities he needed to fix you up proper. 

You lay there on your cot, and as you tried to look up at him to speak, all you could do was groan in pain until he placed his hand gently on the back of your neck, having you sit up slightly. “Here, take a shot of whiskey, it’ll help a bit. I gotta dig the bullet out and cauterize the wound.”

After hearing all that and swallowing the burning liquid, your consciousness was in and out, very hazy, until you saw black and just heard the sound of Arthur’s voice. 

Hours later, you awoke with a dry hoarseness in your throat, your eyes blinked rapidly to adjust to the low lamplight that had been inside your tent, and you looked up to see Arthur beside your cot. He already reached for the deerskin and placed it to your lips. You drank greedily at the water until you felt satisfied enough to pull away, coughing from the coldness. 

“There you are,” Arthur greeted softly, removing the deerskin from your grasp. “You’re gonna be fine, just gotta stay off the leg for a while,” he commented. “You feelin’ alright?” He leaned over and dunked a cloth into a bucket of water, then wring it out, and placed it gently over your forehead. 

You looked over at him and smiled softly. “Didn’t know you were so caring,” you joked softly, chuckling to yourself. 

Arthur waved his hand dismissively and scoffed. “Had my fair share of bullets is all, makin’ sure you don’t pull a stunt like that again, you hear?” 

You nodded and a small smile crept across your face, you couldn’t help but stare up at him and admire the man. He acted as if he didn’t care much about others, that he wasn’t any better than a stone-cold killer, but here he was worrying about you and taking care of you. Usually, it was left up to one of the women who were more well-versed in bedside manner, like Miss Grimshaw, but Arthur had insisted on your behalf. Naturally, he didn’t tell you this, it was Mary-Beth who informed you when she came in to visit while Arthur had gone to refill the bucket and grab some more medical supplies from Strauss’s wagon.

“Oh it’s been real sweet, he ain’t left unless he needed to get somethin’ for you,” Mary-Beth beamed. “Almost like somethin’ straight out of one of my books, he’s been real particular, too.”

“Of what?” You questioned.

“He hasn’t let anyone other than me and Tilly into your tent, even was on edge when Charles offered to help.” 

This information made your cheeks feel warm, he was practically babying you back to health, you’d never seen this side of him before. “Wow, I would have never expected Arthur Morgan to be at my bed-side,” you teased as you looked up at the young woman. 

She nodded, still all smiles. “Well, I hear him comin’ so that’s my cue, better leave you to it or else he’ll kick me out,” she joked and stood up from the chair. “You feel better, and holler if you need anythin’ from us.”

“Thanks, Mary-Beth.”

She nodded her head and left the tent, then was quickly replaced by Arthur, who set the bucket down beside his chair and had a bowl of stew in the other hand. “You think you can eat yet?”

You hummed in response and wet your dry lips with your tongue. “I can try if it’ll make you feel better.”

“It would, now here,” he offered as he slowly placed his hand beneath your shoulders, giving you a little push to help you sit up.

“Heard you’ve been fussin’ over me since we got back, that true?”

Arthur sighed, knowing damn well Mary-Beth was going to say something to you at some point. “It ain’t a big deal, no big drama,” he waved it off. “Just makin’ sure you’re gonna be okay, which you are, by the way.” He held the bowl until you were ready to take it and try to feed yourself, but still leaned forward in case he needed to grab it from you. “Just rest up and you’ll be right as rain soon enough.” You grabbed the bowl and smiled over at Arthur, the adoration in your eyes quite apparent. “Arthur… thank you, I know you’re gonna think it’s no big deal, but it is to me. Couldn’t have made it without you,” you remarked. “I owe you-”

“You don’t owe me nothin’, well, except maybe one thing.”

Your head perked up and you offered him a smile. “Anything.”

With that, his mouth curled into a wide smile, thoughts running through his head as if he could have said so many things, but those thoughts would be shared later. For now, he figured he should settle on the obvious. “Promise me next time you ain’t gonna go runnin’ with MacGuire, you need a job done, you ask me.” He sat back in the chair and offered a lopsided grin. 

Thankfully you didn’t bring the spoon up to your mouth; you’d laughed and almost dropped the bowl. “Sure thing, Arthur, anything for you.” Your eyes locked with his and you couldn’t help but feel like you owed him more than that, but for now, you owed him to get better and listen for once. You’d show him how grateful you were when you could use your leg again. 

“Hey, Arthur?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks again,” you said softly. 

The man just chuckled and lit up a cigarette after getting your permission. “Anytime, sweetheart.”

[clarisse0o]

Camp Wiegman-Part 34

Lucy Bronze x Ona Batlle

Alternative Universe : Military School

Words: 5k

Masterlist

———————————————————————

Saturday, January 9th, 8:35 PM - Bar

- Move it! We’re late! We said 8:30, for crying out loud!

- Oh, come on, it’s only 8:35.

- Five minutes too late, she grumbles. I’m not someone who’s late.

I smile at her reaction. Today has been very enlightening. I’m slowly starting to get to know the real  Lucy, and I realize she’s not so different from the commander at the camp. So, I’m not surprised that she hates being late, both at school and elsewhere. I have to admit, though, I provoked her a bit. I took longer in the bathroom than necessary. It’s nerve-wracking, knowing I’m about to meet my supervisor’s friends. She tried to reassure me, but it was a lost cause. We just arrived in front of a bar with the sign *TheUnited* glowing in the dark. I hide my trembling hands in my jacket pockets. I distract myself by thinking about the end of our day. I loved spending time with her at the park, where she introduced me to the best smoothie of my life. Let’s not even talk about the exhibit. I still can’t believe she found that for me. I loved being able to chat with some of the artists, who were just a bit older than me. It was enriching to listen to their experiences, and it makes me more and more eager to pursue this path. Meeting people like that makes you realize that nothing is impossible. Given my situation, I should know that by now.

- Come on, Ona, are you going in or what? We’re already late, she says, annoyed.

- Sorry, I say, blushing.

- You know, they’re not going to eat you, she finally smiles. And it’s not like I’m going to leave you alone with them.

- Don’t say that. When Mapi tells me that, I always end up alone by the end of the evening.

- I’m not Mapi, as far as I know. I’ll stay with you, I promise. Now, are you going in, or do I have to hold your hand again? she teases.

I give her a stern look before walking into the unfamiliar establishment. The atmosphere of the bar relaxes my muscles. I wasn’t expecting something like this. The decor reminds me of Lucy’s living room, with a stone wall behind the bar. Plus, the ambient lighting adds a certain charm to the place.

- Come on, they’re over there.

I nod, still looking around. Lucy has to guide me forward with her hand on my back. Thinking about it, this is exactly the kind of bar I would like. Lucy and her friends have good taste. The anxiety I had begins to creep back as we approach a crowded table where I only recognize Jenni and Ingrid. At least Lucy wasn’t lying when she said I’d know some people.

- Here come the two latecomers, Jenni comments.

- Hey guys. Sorry, Miss here had a shower issue.

I blush as all eyes turn to me. It’s even more embarrassing since Lƒucy put me front and center by standing behind me. If she hadn’t done that, I would’ve definitely hidden behind her. We go around the table to greet everyone, and she takes the opportunity to introduce me to those I don’t know. I smile shyly as I reach one of her friends, who I recognize as the owner of the paintball place where Lucy took me. Beth, if I remember correctly. She seems to remember me, as do the rest of her friends, who don’t seem to consider me a stranger.

- I didn’t think you were so shy, Ingrid teases when I reach her. Come on, sit next to me.

She pats the empty seat next to her on the bench. I slide in, followed by Lucy. It’s strange to start a night sitting between my two instructors from school. I look at the new faces, trying to remember their names. Jenni, who’s sitting across from me, smiles. I smile back timidly. She’s sitting between Beth and someone I think is named Caroline. The ones at the end of the table are Aitana, who’s next to Lucy, and Mary, who’s across from her. They’re all pretty intimidating. If you ask me, these are the kind of people you avoid picking a fight with.

- So, you’re the famous protégé of Lucy? Aitana asks me.

- Don’t start, Lucy interjects.

- Bringing out the claws? Mary laughs.

- Want to see them? she challenges with her usual coldness, which no longer surprises me.

Her friend surrenders, raising her hands in a gesture of peace. I’m amazed at how much respect she commands here, just as she does with the students. It’s a good example that it’s not just about physical presence to be intimidating. I sink into the leather bench, trying to make myself as small as possible. Fortunately, Jenni changes the subject to ease the tension.

- How’s Alexia? she asks, making me smile softly.

- I don’t have a phone anymore, so I can’t text her, but she was doing great when I left her on Friday afternoon.

- You know her girlfriend? Aitana questions me.

- Uh, yeah... She’s my roommate at the camp.

- Small world, she chuckles. Who would’ve thought.

Her comment seems aimed at my supervisor, as if trying to rile her up. It seems to be working, judging by the way she looks at her. The waitress interrupts us, clearing her throat to get our attention. She was about to speak, but her gaze stops on Lucy, looking surprised to see her.

- Hey, Lucy! Didn’t think I’d see you here tonight. It’s been a while, huh?

- Hi Callie. Yeah, it’s true, it’s been a while since I could go out.

- Glad to see you back. What can I get for you and your girlfriend?

I quickly realize I’m the supposed “girlfriend” when I notice that we’re the only ones without drinks. All her friends have beers.

- She’s not my girlfriend, Lucy corrects. A beer for me. And you, Ona? she asks, turning to me.

- Same for me, I try.

- She’s only twenty. Get her a Coke, please.

- You’re no fun, I grumble.

- I’m responsible for you, she responds with a wink.

- Tsss... I’d prefer an iced tea instead of Coke, though.

- Got it, the waitress laughs. One beer and one iced tea, coming right up.

I pretend to pout, crossing my arms and puffing out my cheeks.

- Not cool, Lucy, one of her friends says in my defense. You’re not her supervisor outside of school.

- I have no mercy for her.

Of course, Lucy doesn’t buy my act and pinches my cheek to make me crack. I giggle and swat at her fingers to get her to stop.

- Did you just hit me? she asks, feigning outrage.

- You were hurting me! I retort.

I jump with a little yelp when she pokes my side. She raises an eyebrow, realizing what just happened before a certain gleam crosses her eyes.

- Hmm... So, you’re ticklish?

- Oh no, no... I see where this is going... I say, scooting closer to Ingrid. Don’t you dare!

I don’t have time to escape or block her hands before she attacks me with tickles. I squeal, writhing in all directions to escape her fingers, but it’s no use.

- St-stop! Please, please! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!

She laughs and finally stops under my pleas. I struggle to catch my breath. The waitress returns at that moment with our drinks. Before I can react,  Lucy pays for them without asking my opinion. I bite my lip to avoid saying something in front of her friends, but I plan to make up for it with the next round.

- Do you know how to play pool, Ona? Mary asks me.

- No, I’ve never played, I admit.

- What a shame! Caroline responds. We’ll fix that. I’ll go get the gear. Everyone up for it?

This activity seems to be a regular thing for them, as the group responds positively. I would have preferred it if they weren’t. I slightly lied when I said I’ve never played. I’ve had the misfortune of trying before, and it was a complete disaster. The balls flew everywhere but the table. All her friends head to the pool table closest to ours while Lucy’s friend goes to get the equipment. But I haven’t found the courage to stand up.

- You coming? Lucy asks, having stood up herself.

- I-I think I’ll just stay here. But go ahead. Someone has to watch our stuff.

- What’s wrong? she smiles softly.

I shrug. I don’t dare admit that I’m terrible at pool for fear of embarrassing myself. I sigh when she sits back down next to me. My intention isn’t to ruin her evening.

- I don’t want to make a fool of myself. I’m a walking disaster when it comes to pool.

- Oh... That’s all? she chuckles.

- It’s not funny...

- I was going to teach you, you know. I’m not leaving your side, remember?

I nod, but I’m still not ready to change my mind. Lucy seems to notice, given the small smile she gives me.

- Is there anything else I should know?

- Your friends are impressive.

- I won’t disagree with you, she laughs. Don’t worry, it’s just an appearance. They’re very nice.

- I didn’t say otherwise! They’re nice... But they’re still very impressive.

- Do you want to go home? I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable.

- No! I’m happy to be here.

She looks at me skeptically, but I reassure her with a smile. We watch her friends, who have started a game. I urge her to join them, but she refuses to leave me alone. So, we sit and sip our drinks side by side.

- Want a drink? she offers me her beer.

- No, thank you. I’m not really into beer, I admit. I just wanted to tease you and see your reaction when I said I wanted one, I add, yawning widely.

- Very charming, she smiles foolishly. Are you feeling tired?

- No, not really. By the way, um... can I wake you up tonight if I can’t sleep?

- Of course. That’s exactly what I want you to do. Why didn’t you want to talk to me about it anyway? There are some things about you that I’ll never understand.

- I... I don’t know, I shrug. I don’t like to spread my problems around. I tend to want to solve them on my own... But having you there when I woke up yesterday reassured me, I finally admit.

- I’m glad you’re admitting it, she replies with a little smirk. We’ll have to find a solution at school.

- Alexia will be there.

- Are you going to sleep with her? she laughs. I should warn Jenni.

- No! I giggle. I didn’t mean that, but I know she’ll be there if something goes wrong... Until now, I made sure she didn’t hear me when I was awake... But, well, you know me... I have two left feet.

- Two left feet? she laughs. What did you do this time?

- Let’s just say a bedpost hurts a lot when you bump into it, I say, making her laugh even more. It’s not funny, stop it, I giggle, hitting her arm.

- You’re really not skilled.

- I can’t help it if I can’t turn on the light because of the instructor in the hallway! I’d like to see you do better! By the way, do you know who’s on duty on my floor?

- Should I get you a flashlight? she jokes. And no, I don’t know since we’re never in contact with them, but I’ll find out, it seems.

- You’re going to talk to them, aren’t you?

- You know I have to. If they catch you wandering at night, you’ll get in trouble for nothing.

- Fine... I suppose you’re right... Well, should we join your friends now? I feel ready.

- Coward, she smiles. You always run away when things get complicated, she says, making me blush. But if you insist, I’ll teach you how to play pool.

Oh, the sly one. I had forgotten how good she is at making me regret running away. With no way to back out, I stand up to accompany her to the pool table. Jenni and Aitan a were about to start a new game when they saw us coming. Her other friends are chatting and laughing with a beer in hand.

- You playing with us? Jenni offers.

- Of course, Lucy agrees. How about a two-on-two?

- Yep.

- Are you sure about this? I whisper to her. I wasn’t kidding when I said I’m really bad, you know!

- Relax, she laughs. I’ll teach you.

I shrink as Lucy explains my problem to her friends. They tease me a bit but quickly reassure me by saying there’s a first time for everything. The atmosphere is quite pleasant, after all. The background music is just loud enough to be heard but not too loud to disrupt our conversations. Now that I pay attention, there are a lot of young people around. Yet, I remain one of the youngest.

- Here, she says, handing me the pool cue. Show me what you can do.

I grimace as I take it. I move towards the game, which has already started. I lean against the table and strike the cue ball with the pool cue. There are giggles behind me when I miss. They don’t last long, and I understand why when I see Lucy’s stern eyes on our opponents.

- Get back in position, I’ll help you.

- I told you I’m a real disaster.

- It’s okay, she smiles. Come on, lean in, I’ll explain.

I get back in position without much confidence and listen as she shows me how to better place my hands on the cue. She leans in to help position my fingers at the end of the cue, so they serve as an aiming guide. Once I’m in place according to her, she shows the mobility of this new position by moving the cue back and forth.

- Good, now you just have to gauge your shot, she says, looking at me.

- Should we do it together? I propose hesitantly.

- If you want.

She focuses on the game again. I try to do the same, but it’s very difficult given our position. Her body is completely pressed against mine, and her hands cover mine.

- At least you have the best teacher, she whispers, making me laugh nervously.

Unexpectedly, she strikes the cue ball. We stand up to watch it hit a colored ball, slowly driving it into the pocket at the other end of the table. I can’t contain my joy and jump into Lucy’s arms. She has no choice but to catch me. I quickly come to my senses and pull away, but she doesn’t seem to mind, given the smile she gives me. She hands me the pool cue.

- Try it on your own now. Ours are the solid colors, so avoid sinking the stripes. Look, try this one.

She pulls on my sweater sleeve to make me follow her. Technically, it’s hers since I put on her sweater after my shower. I lean in, waiting for her to adjust my position before striking the ball. I hold back a cheer when it sinks into a pocket again. I leave my place to Lucy, not wanting to play the whole game myself. She plays without hesitation. I’m amazed when she manages to hit a ball I would never have been able to touch. I chuckle at the disappointed looks on her friends’ faces.

- Damn, you haven’t lost your touch, Jenni says.

- It’s something you don’t lose, Jenni, she teases. Ona, come here.

I join her without thinking. I’m actually enjoying playing for once. When I reach her side, I listen attentively to her instructions for our next shot. She takes the opportunity to teach me some new tricks. I’m starting to enjoy pool. It’s so simple with her. We continue until I make a mistake, giving the turn to the girls. We’ve nearly pocketed all our balls in one go, so it’s not a big deal. The girls take over. They tell me that Lucy is an expert at this game. I didn’t need their comment to notice. We easily win the game. To think it started with them teasing me. I mentally note to always team up with Lucy. Even with a beginner like me, she managed to lead us to a decisive victory. My eyes land on a small blue chalk piece at the edge of the pool table.

- What’s that? I ask Lucy.

- Oh, that. You put it on the cue tip. It allows you to add spin and be more precise.

I smile mischievously as I pick it up and draw a line on her cheek to get back at her for tickling me earlier. I take advantage of her surprise to draw a second line.

- Hey! Stop that! she protests.

- Or what? I taunt her.

- Or you’ll regret it, she challenges me.

No one can resist such a challenge. At least, not me. I try to draw a third line, but this time she’s ready and grabs my wrists. She turns me so that my back is pressed against her chest, reducing my movements by holding my arms. This position leaves me defenseless. She takes the opportunity to grab the blue chalk and attack me in turn. I laugh, squirming as best as I can.

- Okay, okay! I surrender!

- That’s too easy, she laughs. This will teach you not to mess with someone stronger than you.

She continues until our heads collide violently due to my squirming. A loud thud is followed by groans. Her grip on my wrists disappears, allowing me to rub the sore spot. We burst out laughing when I face Lucy, who is in the same posture as me.

- All this because of your antics! You’ll see if I have a bump! I joke.

- Poor thing, I giggle.

- You should worry if you both have one on Monday, Ingrid intervenes.

I calm down, not having thought of that. I remove my hands from my head at Ingrid’s request to check for damage. Lucy also comes closer. I grimace when she presses on it. Ingrid slaps her hand away before I can.

- Stop that! Show me your forehead too.

- I’m fine, don’t worry, she chuckles. But she needs ice, she points to me.

- You too, given how red you are, Ingrid retorts. You’re both lost causes! she mocks. I’ll get some ice. Go sit down.

I chuckle as I see her forehead indeed turning red. A few minutes later, we’re sitting side by side, each holding an ice pack on our bumps. The situation is rather funny.

- "This is your fault!" she retorts.

- "You didn’t have to hold me."

- "You’re the one who started with the chalk! I had to defend myself."

- "Maybe, but you kept it going!"

- "Hey, enough, you two," Ingrid grumbles as she arrives and sets down new drinks in front of us. "You two are like kids together, honestly!"

- "Grumpy."

I snicker at Lucy’s comment. Ingrid rolls her eyes in exasperation as my supervisor laughs along. It’s the first time Ingrid’s the one complaining while Lucy’s laughing. She calls us hopeless cases before turning on her heel to join the others.

- "I take back what I said... You’re not as uptight as I thought."

- "Well, I should hope not!"

- "I thought you were too old to let loose..."

- "I’m not old!" she exclaims, offended.

- "I’d love to say otherwise, but I still don’t know your age."

- "You’re not going to find out," she laughs.

- "Oh, come on! I know everything else now! Your first name, last name, where you live, your friends..." I listed.

- "Not everything, since you’re missing my age."

I sigh, leaning back against the bench. She smiles before taking a sip of her beer. I guess I can keep dreaming about finding out her age. At least, that’s what I thought.

- "Twenty-five."

- "Twenty-five?" I repeated. "That’s it?"

- "That’s it?" she chuckles. "That’s more than enough!"

- "No, but... Seriously? You told me you started working at Camp Wiegman four our years ago! You couldn’t have started at my age... right? And what about your studies?"

- "I was doing an apprenticeship part-time the first year. I was in my last year of school and would come after classes. Ingrid was the one who trained me."

- "Wow... You were young. What about the others then?"

- "Who?"

- "Ingrid and Jenni."

- "Well, Jenni did the same thing and was trained by White. But Ingrid is a year older than us, so she had just started her first year full-time."

- "Oh, I see."

- "Anyway, let me see your head, please."

I take off my ice pack and take the opportunity to apologize. It’s my fault we’re in this situation, though we did have a good laugh. The bump gave me a headache. I hope it’ll be gone by Monday. We continue chatting. She changes the subject by asking me what kind of parties I attend in Barcelona. Since I can’t lie, especially to her, I share some high school party memories since she already knows everything about my recent outings. They’re nothing like this one, and that’s a shame. Seeing that I was uncomfortable talking about it, Lucy decides it’s time to return to her friends.

- "Here," she says, handing me a twenty-dollar bill. "Can you order another round from Callie and return the ice packs, please?"

- "Yep, I’m on it."

- "Don’t hesitate to get something for yourself, too."

I head to the bar to order this round. It’ll be the third since we arrived. Jenni paid for the first one and Caroline the second. It’s a weird process. Where I’m from, everyone pays for their own drinks. I lean against the bar between two high stools, waiting for the waitress. I turn my head towards the group when I recognize my supervisor’s laughter. A smile spreads across my lips. I have no regrets about being here tonight.

- "Another round?"

- "Yes, please," I replied to Callie, handing her Lucy’s bill.

- "And what can I get for you? Lucy said it’s okay if you want a beer."

- "No, thanks. I’ll stick with iced tea."

She nods with a smile before heading off to prepare our drinks. I notice she’s already picked up the ice packs I had placed on the counter. I turn again to look at Lucy. She’s full of surprises, it seems. I wasn’t expecting her to let me have alcohol. She seems so at home here. I bite my lip as I turn back towards the bar. I need to stop staring at her more than I should. I’ve been feeling unsettled around her for the past few days.

- "I didn’t know you were so calm."

I furrow my brow at the familiar voice. I look to my right and am surprised to find Alex, the guy I met during my afternoon at the ice rink with Joan.

- "Alex? What are you doing here?"

- "Hi to you too," he smiles. "Glad you remember me."

- "And here’s the change," Callie interrupts us. "Should I take the drinks over?"

- "Yes, please."

She sets my iced tea on the counter with a wink before taking the tray filled with beers. I thank her before she heads off with the tray.

- "So? What are you doing here?" I pressed Alex.

- "I told you last time we hung out that I also have classes in Manchester. Don’t you remember?"

- "No..." I replied, feeling embarrassed. "Sorry, I don’t remember much from the night we spent together."

- "I’m not surprised," he chuckles. "Did you come with friends tonight?"

- "You could say that, yes."

I follow Alex’s gaze over my shoulder to the people I came with. I’m surprised to meet Lucy’s green eyes. Ingrid is talking to her, but that doesn’t stop her from keeping her eyes fixed on me. She only breaks our eye contact when her friend taps her arm to get her attention. I turn back as well.

- "I sent you some messages not long ago. Didn’t you get them?"

- "Oh, um... Actually, I don’t have a phone anymore. I broke it a week ago."

- "That explains why I didn’t get a response to my offer."

- "What offer?" I asked with a small, friendly smile.

- "I wanted to see you again. I guess now you have no choice but to accept if you want me to forgive you."

- "Who said I want to be forgiven?"

- "You’re hurting me," he says, clasping his hands over his heart, making me laugh.

- "Poor thing," I mocked.

- "Honestly, I’d really appreciate seeing you again, if you’re up for it."

- "I’d like to say yes, but it’s going to be tough. I’m at a strict school that only lets me out on weekends if I’m granted permission."

- "Oh yeah, your famous military school that you wouldn’t stop talking about all night."

- "Really? I couldn’t have mentioned it that much. You must be exaggerating."

- "No, I swear," he laughs.

- "Is there anything else I should know about that night?"

- "Oh, I don’t know. Maybe that you kissed me?"

- "How about the truth instead?" I replied, making him laugh.

- "Am I that repulsive?"

- "I didn’t say that."

- "Still, what you just said is kind of hurtful."

I bite my lip, hoping he’s not offended. He must have been happy I was talking to him, given the circumstances. I say nothing and prefer to come up with another excuse, something a bit funnier than the real reason.

- "Let’s just say your flirting style is outdated."

- "At least it’s straightforward..."

I give him a playful tap on the shoulder at his dejected look. I hope I didn’t give him false hopes during that night. I really do like him, but he’s on the wrong track if he thinks he has a chance with me. I tense up when I feel an arm wrap around my waist and a head rest on my shoulder. I relax when I recognize the dark hair cascading over my shoulder. This sudden closeness surprises me, but I say nothing.

- "Is everything okay?"

- "Yes, yes. Sorry for taking so long. This is Alex, someone I met in Barcelona. I must have mentioned him to you."

- "Hmm, probably. Hi."

She lifts her head to look at him. Alex returns the greeting, his expression somewhat puzzled. A palpable tension has formed out of nowhere. Everything had been going smoothly until now. A certain glint flashes in Alex's eyes, as if he's trying to prove something.

"It's funny though," he jokes, "you say my flirting is outdated, but you still talk about me."

"That doesn't mean anything," I reply with a smile. "Sorry, but I’m going to have to decline your offer. Like I said, I don’t have control over my outings with school, and I don't have a phone anymore."

"At least let me give you my number again, so you can text me when you get a new one, Miss Unreachable?"

"I guess I can do that, if you enjoy torturing yourself."

He laughs and grabs a napkin from the bar, scribbling his number on it before handing it to me.

"I was warned you were a lesbian, but... Well, you know where to find me if you ever want to hang out."

"Who told you that?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Your best friend. Mapi, I think?"

"Oh, I see," I roll my eyes. 

"She told me I was wasting my time with you. Apparently, you’re already into someone."

He glances over at Lucy as he says this, making me grit my teeth and silently curse Mapi for this awkward moment. I don’t need her to scare off my would-be suitors. She really goes overboard when she wants to.

"Can we get back to my friends?" Lucy interjects.

"Yeah... we'll leave you to it."

"Just tell me if she was right," Alex persists.

"Alex, drop it," I reply, exasperated. "If Mapi was right about one thing, it’s that I’m not interested. Have a good night."

He wishes me the same. Lucy guides me with a hand on the small of my back. I don’t really understand why, since it’s not hard to spot her friends.

"Where’d you meet that guy?" she asks.

"I don't think it's worth mentioning."

"Hmm, that's what I figured. He seems pretty pushy."

"Totally," I chuckle.

"You two seemed to get along well, though."

"He's just a nice acquaintance. We’ve only hung out twice at parties, that’s all."

"Alright..."

I can tell she wants to know more, but neither of us says anything further.

"Let’s not stay too late, though, okay?" she says, surprising me.

"Can’t we stay a bit longer? I’m just starting to feel comfortable," I admit.

"No. It's getting late, and besides, I'm the one driving anyway."

"I should be the one driving after the drinks you’ve had."

"I only had three. I’m perfectly capable of driving, but thanks for the concern," she giggles.

"Well, I tried..."

"True," she smiles. "But the answer is still no. You’re not driving my car tonight."

I’m sipping my drink when we rejoin her friends. The night continues as usual. Another round of pool starts as we arrive. Lucy agrees that we can wrap up the night with this game. We split into two teams of four since there are eight of us. Naturally, I stay by the expert’s side to increase our chances of winning. It's also a chance to improve my skills. The game is accompanied by conversation, where they share memories of times they’ve spent together. I call Lucy a bad girl after learning all I did about her tonight. She’s got more spunk than I expected. She scolds me for drinking at parties, but it seems like she’s no better, even if she defends herself by saying it only happened once. And likely the last time, from what I understand. It’s a shame because I’d love to see her tipsy just once, just so I could give her a lecture in return. Eventually, we stay much longer than just one game. Each time she wanted to leave, her friends kept us around. She caved every time, agreeing to stay a bit longer. We ended up staying until the bar closed around one o'clock, when the waitress finally asked us to leave. Aitana suggested continuing the night at her place, but Lucy firmly refused on behalf of the both of us. So it’s late into the night when we finally get back to Lucy's place to crash.

Sunday, January 10th, 4:35 AM - Lucy's Place

It’s another night where I wake up in a cold sweat. I’ve been tossing and turning in bed for a good fifteen minutes. Lucy hasn’t barged into my room, which means I didn’t scream this time. That’s a good sign. Maybe my episodes are becoming occasional. Still, I can’t fall back asleep. I hesitate to go to her room. She encouraged me to wake her if needed, but I don’t want to disturb her again. I’m forced to do it anyway when I run out of options. I sigh, pushing the covers aside. I head to the living room first to grab a glass of water. The one she gave me yesterday helped calm me down. I lean against the counter, trying to clear the images from my head. It’s difficult, and they keep me fully awake. I finish my glass slowly before putting it in the dishwasher to erase any trace of my presence. As I walk back down the hallway, I’m faced with two options. The door on the right, or the door on the left. I curse myself as I push open the door on the left. The room is dark, with only the sound of soft, steady breathing. I close my eyes before moving forward in the darkness. I stop when I hear her shifting in bed. I let out a sigh of relief when I realize she just turned over.

“Lucy...?” I call out softly.

No answer. I gather all my courage to move closer to the bed. I call her name again. This time, she responds with a groan.

“I can’t sleep,” I murmur, hoping she hears me.

"Ona?" I hear her groggy voice.

I feel guilty for waking her. I bite my lip as she turns on her bedside lamp, blinding us both. She rubs her eyes, then checks her clock before looking at me again. It’s nearly five in the morning with all my nonsense.

"Again?"

"I-I'm sorry. It was a mistake. I shouldn’t have woken you," I stammer.

I try to leave, but she stops me before I can get too far. I freeze, too embarrassed to move. She sighs and sits up. Even in the middle of the night, she’s stunning, and that thought is starting to worry me.

"Don’t be silly. Close the door and get in bed," she grumbles. "And don't even think about arguing with me. I can get very grumpy when I'm woken up."

I smile shyly at her anticipation. She lets go of my wrist when I timidly nod. I close the door as she asked, then return to her bed, slipping in on the far side. She pulls the covers over me and turns off the light. Before I can do anything, she pulls me into the same position as last night. My back fits against her body as she rests her head near my neck. I pull the blanket up tighter, holding her closer. She must have noticed because she snuggles up to me a bit more. She wishes me goodnight, and with the same gentle strokes as last night, I finally drift off to sleep.

[twola]

Seven Deadly Sins - I

PAIRING: low to mid honor Arthur Morgan x Fem!reader

Summary: Because if one thing is true, it is that Arthur Morgan is a sinner. Pure, organic, non-GMO smut. A continuing series.

Lust: an intense sexual desire or appetite, uncontrolled or illicit sexual desire or appetite; lecherousness, a passionate or overmastering desire or craving.

➵ AO3 Link ➵ Fic Masterlist ➵ Next

That is the absolute last time he ever listens to some hare-brained plan dreamed up by Sean MacGuire. Abandoned cabin, he said, not a soul around, he went on. He just failed to mention that this cabin near Eris Field was a goddamn Lemoyne Raiders safe house. Not nearly worth the take, and now Arthur needed more shotgun shells. He made sure Sean caught hell before sending the boy off in the other direction. He cuffed him over the head for good measure.

Arthur swung around to the south of Rhodes to keep away from camp for a while, it was only a matter of time until those inbred hicks realized it was another gang encroaching on their territory. 

He spurred his horse into a gallop as the sun set over the west, and a full moon rose over the hill country of Scarlett Meadows. 

Arthur hits the shores of Flat Iron Lake just north of Braithwaite Manor.

He pats his mare’s head as she slows to a walk, breathing heavily, coat worked into a lathing sweat. “You’re alright, girl.”

Trailing along the shoreline, in the distance, he can see the faint lantern lights from the gang’s camp at Clemens Point. He stops the horse, allowing her to step down to the water and take a much-needed drink. Swinging off the saddle, he pops his shoulder, still feeling a twinge of pain from his ‘stay’ with the O’Driscolls weeks ago.

A sound reaches his ears, rustling of leaves, movement of water. 

He ties up his horse against a tree, unholstering his revolver as he sneaks closer to the small cove that the shoreline creates. He takes cover behind a wide tree trunk, slowly clicking the safety off his revolver.

He peers on the other side of the tree at the rocky shoreline.

It is not some bounty hunter, or robber, or frankly any kind of threat.

It is you.

You’re partially obscured by the outcropping of rock, but there is more than enough moonlight to trace the sinuous curves of your body.

You’re completely bare, nude as the day you were born, washing yourself in the waters of Flat Iron Lake.

He should be blushing and turning away, leaving you privacy while he reaches camp from another direction. But as the moonlight dances on your dewy curves, Arthur is guided by another notion.

He did always say that he wasn’t a good man.

Arthur holsters his gun, trying to be as quiet as possible. He watches you with the eyes of a predator, a hungry wolf with a doe in its sights. It hasn’t been since his untried youth that he’s so governed by an urge like this, being driven by pulsing blood and hotheadedness and want.

You’re wringing out your long hair over your shoulder, the expanse of your back and the curve of your spine above your hips visible above the water.

He swallows, hidden by foliage, behind the tree trunk overlooking the cove where you bathe.

Arthur can’t say he’s ever looked at you like this, thrumming with the singular need to sink his cock into your body. You’ve been around a few years, a dependable thief, a decent shot, he looked at you no differently than he looked at Karen, Tilly, or Mary Beth. But now, seeing you like this, he’s driven by a need that pounds in his blood. He knows he shouldn’t be here, dirty old man , but by some kind of force far stronger than shame, he is rooted to the spot, breathing in a deep breath through his nose.

He uncomfortably shifts, his hand over his gun belt that’s slung across his hips, tighter now against his hardening cock. He pushes at it awkwardly, trying to find some damned relief. 

You turn, humming to yourself while taking a step closer to the shore. More of your skin becomes visible to him as you rise from the water like some storybook nymph.

He swallows, tracing the rivulets of water down your frame, down over your pebbled nipples and the swell of your breasts, your soft belly, sliding down your skin into the thatch of dark hair at the apex of your thighs.

Arthur liked to think of himself as being above that. Not so completely enraptured by the female form that he could think of little else.

But right now? His stiffening cock pressing against his pants is his priority. With guidance that he knows could only come from thinking with his cock, he steps out of his hiding spot and down to the shoreline.

Leaves rustle on the ground.

You catch his gaze. Surprised, fearful, like a skittish doe in the jaws of that hungry wolf. Stunned into silence, into stillness. 

Water continues to drip down your body. Nothing is hidden from his eyes. 

Were he not but a trickle of that fresh lake water, trailing slowly down your skin, down your breasts, your soft belly, collecting at the cradle of your hips. Weaving its way through the hair there. 

Drip, drip, dripping to the hidden, dewy skin of your cunt.

-

You swallow. Your skin breaks out into gooseflesh as you shiver under the cold weight of his stare. You should scream, you should run, you should hide yourself from him.

Should, should, should. All of these things you should do.

But the way he is looking at you. The way he is staring. The shadow across his face from the brim of that old leather hat. The telltale sign of heavy breathing, his chest rising and falling. You can see his fist clenching at his side.

Arthur has always been distant. You had heard talk of a woman he had been involved with years ago, some high society girl that broke his heart. Not that you were particularly eyeing anyone in the gang for any self-gratifying reason - it was less complicated that way.

But now, now,  he looks at you with a hunger that needs to be slaked. Arthur Morgan. Dutch’s top gun. The enforcer. You’ve seen him break men with his two hands, those two hands that clench at his side as he struggles with some semblance of control.

In this moment, you imagine those hands on you.

Something, perhaps the traitorous clenching of your cunt around nothing when you look at him, goads you into speaking up.

“Want to join me, Arthur?”

-

Your voice is soft, breathy, when it reaches his ear. He continues to stare, gnawing at his lower lip for moments that seem like an eternity.

His cock is so hard it’s almost painful, straining against the fabric of his jeans. A cool breeze rushes in from the lake and you shiver, the goose flesh that springs up on your skin makes him itch to touch you. Even feet away, he can see your nipples darken and harden.

“Are you coming?” You whisper at him, your hand slowly raising toward his still form. 

The double entendre is not lost on him. 

Arthur hasn’t been one to be guided by his cock, certainly not recently. Not in years. He’s not one to seek out whores in far-flung cattle towns the gang rolls through like a prairie wind. But Christ , if you aren’t here, hand outstretched, beckoning him to come to you.

His gun belt lands on the ground with a clatter. Arthur is kicking his boots off while shrugging his suspenders down his arms, fevered in his movements. His satchel joins his belt on the ground. He refuses to look away from your figure, refuses to give up a single moment of the moon shining down on the expanse of your skin.

Arthur works at the buttons of his work shirt, one by one, as his breathing becomes heavier. He nearly rips his shirt off, it falls to the ground over his discarded gun belt. The Lemoyne heat and humidity are stifling, and he has forgone a union suit underneath his clothing.

You suck in a breath, and he sees a glint of hunger in your eyes, beginning to match what he’s sure is emanating from his own. 

His hands glide to the buttons of his pants, pressing them between the fabric eyes, his cock insistent against his fly. 

One, two, three.

-

You stare at him, your gaze darting downward from his hungry eyes to his broad chest, covered in wiry hair. His arms, muscled and sculpted and brawny. The way his waist slightly tapers inward down to his hips. He is hewn from decades of intensive labor, the chase of violence, living on the lam. 

The trail of dark hair from his navel that disappears under his pants becomes more and more visible to your gaze at each button he undoes. His fly hangs open for a moment, before he hooks both of his hands at the sides of his pants and slides them down, baring himself to you the way you are to him. He tosses his pants into the pile of clothing on the shore.

He steps into the water, unafraid, confident, driven. Wading toward you, the water creeping up with each step, up his calves, past his knees, up his thighs to where his engorged cock hangs heavy. 

Arthur reaches you, his hungry hands on your body as your breath hitches, shivering as you close your eyes. A thumb brushes over one of your nipples. Fingers dance across the soft skin of your inner thigh, moving closer to the apex, and you widen your stance unconsciously, as your hands find their way to his chest, palms spread wide over the planes of his solid pectorals. 

Your eyes snap open as your breath quickens, Arthur drags the knuckle of his pointer finger between your folds. You gasp, and in response his mouth hangs open, his other hand leaving your breast to dart down to his cock, stroking it slowly as he rubs at your core.

“A-Arthur,” you stutter, one of your hands moving to his forearm, clenching it tightly as he presses against you. 

“ Jesus , woman.” He slips a finger inside you and you keen, head thrown back and gasping to the nighttime sky. Arthur groans in response, his other hand moving from his cock to grasp roughly at the back of your neck, pulling you forward, nearly stumbling into him, and captures your lips with his own, smothering your high-pitched wail with his mouth.

The hard, hot line of him is pressed against your hip, insistent, and as you quickly get used to his ministrations in your cunt, you reach between your bodies to ghost your palm over his cock, taking the place of his hand that is winding through the hair at the nape of your neck.

It’s his turn to groan, and you feel the vibrations of the low register of his voice down your spine, he juts his hips against you. He pulls away, gasping, pupils blown. His hand moves slowly back from your neck to cup your jaw, the rough skin of his thumb tracing your lips.

You open your lips and take his thumb in your mouth, sucking gently. His eyes widen, mouth twitching for a moment. You feel him push a second finger into your cunt and you burn , your teeth clenching down on his thumb gently as you suck.

You know, you know , that there is no going back from here, that you’re about to tread on dangerous ground, but from the way your vision narrows to the pulsing of your blood underneath your skin, you don’t care.

-

Arthur stares down at you, his thumb in your mouth, fingers in your cunt. One of your hands lazily strokes at his cock, your thumb swiping over its head every few strokes.

He draws his hand from your mouth and leans back in to take your lips against his again. His tongue presses against yours. You’re completely pliant against him.

“Gonna fuck y’ now.” He pants into your mouth, taking his hands from their places and quickly grabbing the undersides of your thighs, hoisting you from the water as your hands find his shoulders. Your legs immediately wrap around his hips.

Your lips remain locked on his as he wades back toward the shoreline, and once he’s out of the water, he’s sinking to his knees, bending over to lay you out on the ground. 

Your hands card through his honeyed locks, as he presses his lips to yours again. He settles in between your hips, his cock pressing against your thigh.

You moan into his mouth, and one of your hands reaches between the two of you to grasp him, guiding him in between your thighs.

He pushes inside. 

It’s slow, as much as he wants to fuck you until you scream, he can get to that later. Inch by torturous inch, he presses forward, until the bones of both of your hips touch, and he is buried deep within you.

Christ, you’re just as tight, wet, and warm as he’d thought you’d be.

He grunts, rolling his hips back to withdraw, then pushing forward again, swallowing your moan as his lips remain on yours.

There he is, fucking you on the sandy shoreline of Flat Iron Lake, the both of you naked as the day you were born, kissed by moonlight. He pulls away from your lips, and you both breathe fast, panting breaths.

“ God -” you croon, your blunt nails digging into his back.

He chuckles lowly, “Not quite.”

Arthur loops one of your legs over his shoulder, and your babbling becomes incoherent as he widens the yaw of your legs, and you struggle to keep your eyes open.

He’s careening toward completion, that feeling deep in his gut where he knows he’s about to have this burning energy that’s overtaking him pulled out through his cock.

You’re shamelessly moaning beneath him, gasping syllables of his name. God, hopefully, you ain’t so loud the camp hears you, cause there would be absolutely no hiding what he’s doing to you.

“I’m, ooh- god…” you spit out, voice breathy as you begin to arch underneath him, your cunt embarrassingly wet, the squelching of his thrusts becoming louder as you cry out, clenching around his cock, scratching his back near painfully. Arthur continues to fuck you through your release, chasing his own as his breathing tumbles into panting as he slams his hips into your own. He lets your leg down from his shoulder.

Arthur pulls out with not a moment to spare, the hot spatter of his release against your inner thigh as your back continues to arch against him. He groans, his forehead against yours, out of breath, barely holding himself up as his forearms bracket either side of your head.

You sigh, satiated, breathy, slowly coming down from your high, “Mister Morgan.”

“At your service, ma’am.” He places his head in the hollow of your shoulder, nipping slightly at your neck before he rolls off of you. 

You’re both covered in sandy mud, streaks of the red clay that helps give Scarlett Meadows its name coating your skin.

“Looks like I need another bath. I was almost done, ‘fore you interrupted me.” You sit up, wiping at a smudge of mud on your hip bone.

“Mm, could help ya there, if y’ need it.”

You roll your eyes at him, and he reaches over to pinch at your hip, causing you to giggle and scoot further away from him.

“Arthur. Knock it off or we ain’t ever gonna get clean.” You scold but cannot keep the smile from your face. You push yourself up to stand, moving back toward the water, stepping in gingerly, wading out until you can sink down so the water covers your shoulders.

Arthur reclines back, propped up on his elbow, watching you pick leaves and twigs from your long hair. 

You turn around, catching his eye. “You coming in?”

Arthur snorts, looking down, but cannot keep the grin from his face. He pushes himself up from the ground, standing up and wading into the water.

“Y’know, Mister, you ain’t half bad.”

“You ain’t half bad yourself, Miss.”

He circles you, your hair fanned out in the water. You eye him with a glint of mischief.

“I wouldn’t mind if we did that from time to time.”

“Oh? Would you now….” He reaches toward you, and you push a small wave of water at him in response.

“Mhm. But not now. You’ve got mud on your face.”

[concretevampire]

An Indulgence

arthur morgan x f!reader ꔫ 1k ꔫ drabble/blurb about affection (or lack thereof) and whatnot

A/N: hi everyone, I'm back from the dead! sort of. it's an understatement to say that I've been busy. between exams, finals, and portfolio preparation, I can't seem to catch a break. I would have loved to have something more substantial to post but alas. hope y’all are well!

Hugs are not something that crosses his mind often. Nor remembers.

But it is no understatement to say that Arthur is touch starved beyond incomprehensible belief. For a long time, the closest thing he’d gotten to a hug in years (decades, he jokes sometimes) were the quick pats left on his back by the various men in the gang; festering marks of unbridled, masculine brotherhood, and nothing more. There’s an odd, silent code between all of them that touch– that love– cannot cross a certain line. 

And if it did, the world would simply collapse because hugs cannot formulate within the constraints of existence. It would break fundamental laws. If gravity no longer clawed at everyones boots and limbs, maybe then Arthur supposes he could share a hug with John. Or Dutch. Or Hosea. Maybe Charles. Sean too. 

When it comes to this, he often envies the affection that women give each other so freely, so often. 

He stares at the way Tilly braids Mary-Beth’s hair, how Abigail lets her fingers linger at the curve of your elbow, or the way you help Karen lay down and rest after a bit too much to drink— even if she’s slapping at your hands. 

He wants this. He yearns for this unbridled affection. Yet then he thinks about the other men in camp and realizes perhaps it’s best that they all keep their emotional distance. 

But Arthur likes hugs. He really does, and he’s not particularly frugal with them. 

The various women he’s saved along the road, each equally shaken and ruined, have wrapped their arms tightly around his chest, sobbing ‘thank you’s and ‘thank God’s into his shirt– and Arthur can never quite find it in himself to spare them of an arm around their shoulders, his hands rubbing soothingly along the space between their shoulder blades. He understands. 

He’s got a corruptive, self-hating need to be a hero. 

Not to forget his troublesome stint with Mary (which never seems to end), and the blink he shared with Eliza. Eliza and Isaac. It seems that beyond hugs, affection comes naturally in Arthur’s life, as rare as it is. This rarity has corroded and cauterized him, because whatever cottonball tidbits plug up his arteries, well, they might as well be non-existent. 

Time has tapped on his forehead diligently, and he’s become whatever sand-ridden, tumbleweed-pushing, gunslinging-outlaw history will immortalize him to be. To an extent, Arthur’s accepted that he’ll be nothing more. That this is his legacy. 

But then there are these moments where he’ll be in camp, standing in front of his small mirror, tilting his chin left and right. Do I need to shave? Maybe trim? And then he’ll feel it. 

Your arms, wrapping comfortably and gently around his middle. Loose enough for him to punch you away and put a bullet in your head if he really wanted to. When he doesn’t do this, you’ll press your cheek harshly to Arthur’s vertebrae, filling that metaphorical chip on his shoulder with the expanse of your lungs. One deep inhale in: mud, tobacco, sweat, sweetgrass, and pine. With your exhale he hears you silently say all sorts of things: I missed you. Did you miss me? How are you? Are you okay? You better be or I’ll kill you. 

It always makes him smile, gently and nearly silent under the thrum of crickets and frogs (you always make sure to embrace him when everyone else is half-asleep) and his hand drops lazily to splay over your own fingers, playing tug-o-war with his shirt. 

And with your deep warmth seeping into the sinew of his back, Arthur will then tangibly remember that he likes hugs; that affection is in fact a part of his day-to-day life. 

Even then, it’s not often that he can truly afford to wrap you up in his arms and press his cheek to your temple, murmuring abstract words quietly as he holds you to his chest. He doesn’t have the time and energy. Actually, it’s more capacity than anything else. He would kiss you if his lips were’t bruised and swollen from a brawl. Hold your hand if his fingers weren’t broken. Hug you if there weren’t a gunshot wound in his shoulder. Fuck you if he had gotten more than four hours of sleep in the past week. 

Arthur’s wealth in physical affection is generally meager. It is both his fault and the world’s. What can he say? He was dealt a poor hand, and like most men, he seldom knows how to play these cards right. 

But you’ve cheated the game. You peaked— perhaps to his discomfort— at his stack of ones and threes and inadvertently handed him your royal flush. Earlier on you probably would have played against him; but he’s blessed to find that you now share a weak real estate worth a pack of cigarettes. He knows this fact more than you. Of course, you’re not impervious to the result of your shared affection but you certainly aren’t aware of the extent to which it envelops him. 

How he adores you, wants to demolish you with gnashing teeth and teary eyes. And simultaneously, Arthur simply wants to wash the clothes you wear and clean the plates you eat from. 

It’s an uncomfortable dichotomy, one that encapsulates the push and pull of Arthur’s psyche that he can’t entirely wrap his own head around. You know about this struggle; he’s hoarsely whispered it to you after returning on week-long excursions on Dutch’s behalf. 

I killed someone, he’ll whisper. They didn’t deserve it. It’s likely they did, because he’s usually a good judge of character, but you have no real way to tell. He’s never quite shaken up per se, but he’s disappointed in himself, oddly enough. He’ll hold your hands tightly with both of his, thumb rubbing numbingingly to your strangely naked ring finger. Fervently, as if his confession will mutate him into the monster of the West’s legends. 

The only real thing you can do to soothe him is by forcing food down his throat and letting him sleep by your side. Let your nails scrape softly against his scalp and cultivate the fields of his dreams. 

So perhaps when things are harsh, harsher than usual, he finds it in himself to seek you out, rather than the other way around. And he’ll clasp one gently ruined palm around your forearm, and press your hearts together. 

[f0rg3t-me-n0t]

Shelter

🔞minors do not interact 

Arthur Morgan x Reader 

Summary: After fleeing to Colter you and Arthur take it upon yourselves to hunt some food for the gang. Everything goes south after a bear surprises you and you both have to take shelter in a small cabin.

Words: 10,3 k

Warnings: slight angst, fluff, one bed, smut, p in v, oral (female receiving), fingering 

A/N: It’s been a while since I last wrote something. RDR kinda has me in a chokehold since a few months so I decided to write something for my boy Arthur <3 enjoy!

Masterlist

~~~

The area around Colter was extremely cold. That was the first thing you had learned when you and the gang arrived in the small abandoned mining town after fleeing from Blackwater.

Even inside the small cabin most of the gang stayed at during the day it was freezing. The fire that was burning inside the old fireplace didn’t help much and the general mood around the people was pretty low. 

Blackwater had cost too much for nothing. Everything had gone so far south, that you didn’t even know if anything worse could’ve happened. You had lost Jenny and Davey and you had to leave Sean and Mac behind. Hell, you didn’t even know if both of them were still alive, plus, now all of you had a high bounty on your heads. The area around New Austin was completely taboo and the other states wouldn’t be completely safe either.

A sigh left your lips as you brushed your hands up and down your arms desperate for some warmth. Your gaze wandered around the room. Karen and Mary-Beth were talking in hushed voices, Mrs Grimshaw had her usual glare faced towards the snowy scenery outside, Hosea and Lenny were staring into the crackling fire and Abigail was tending to John who luckily had been found a day ago by Arthur and Javier. He had gotten lost in the snowstorm and nearly been killed by wolves.

Finally, you decided that you had to get outside for a bit. Colter was unforgiving. The gray landscape and the quietness and whisper of hushed voices were enough to make your mind go crazy about the last few days. The ache of your trembling body due to being tense constantly didn’t make it any better. You rubbed your hands together, breathing into them as you stepped towards the horses that were hitched in front of the cabin. 

„You good, girl?“, you muttered and patted Willow, your horse, who greeted you with a gentle whinny.

You smiled as she nuzzled into you, searching your clothes for something to eat and a soft chuckle fell from your lips.

„I know. Here, that’s all I have.“, you said and pulled some crackers from the pocket of your coat.

Willow curiously sniffed the treat and looked at you a bit disappointed. She was more used to the apples and carrots you normally gave her.

„Don’t look at me like that.“, you sighed and offered her the crackers once more. „We’re all kinda low on food right now. It won’t be long until I can get you some fresh treats. I promise.“

At least you hoped your words were true and you stretched your hand out for her. Again she sniffed the crackers that lay on your flat hand and finally, she took them from you.

„That’s my girl.“, you muttered with a sad smile and gently caressed her neck, then you heard some footsteps.

Curiously you turned your head and noticed Arthur walking over to his horse that stood right next to yours.

„Arthur.“, you greeted him and he gave you a little nod, then his steps slowed down and he gave his mount a gentle pat.

Even though he had lost his trusty mare Boadicea during the mess of Blackwater he still took good care of the old horse that he had picked up when he, Dutch, and Micah had stumbled upon the Adler widow.

You both had never talked much with each other apart from a bit of small talk so it quickly fell silent again and you looked back at Willow who was still chewing on the crackers you had given her.

With a sigh you began to pat her once more, your fingers slowly tracing through her thick and warm fur coat. By repeating the motion you tried to get some warmth off of her but your fingers nearly felt like they were frozen by now.

„Damn it.“, you cursed quietly and rubbed your hands together, blowing against them.

You would kill for some gloves. It had been a few months since you had joined the gang and until then you had only stayed in the warmer region of New Austin. Due to this, you hadn’t been prepared for what was to come after Blackwater and even the girls didn’t have a spare pair for you. „Luckily“ they had been able to give you poor Jenny‘s winter coat, bless her soul. You still couldn’t believe she was dead.

As your thoughts started to wander you didn’t notice Arthur’s gaze on you.

„Y/N.“, his voice finally managed to pull you out of your daze.

„Oh, I’m sorry!“, you flinched a bit and looked at him. „Did you say something?“

The corner of his mouth twitched slightly as he pulled something from his saddle bags.

„Here.“, he then stepped closer to you. „You can have these. I don’t need 'em anymore.“

Arthur offered you a pair of woolen gloves. There were a few loose threads and they were riddled with holes here and there, but they would surely warm your hands up.

„Oh.“, you muttered softly.

You hadn’t expected this. Especially since the two of you hadn’t exchanged more than a few sentences since you had become part of the gang.

„Thanks…that’s…real nice.“, you didn’t quite know what to say, but you were really thankful.

„Don’t mention it.“, he waved it off immediately, humble as always. „I don’t want you to freeze your fingers off. You still need 'em.“

He stretched his hand out and you finally took the gloves from him to put them on. They were a bit big but you felt better immediately. Arthur gave it a nod of approval, then he set into motion again, heading for the small cabin he, Dutch, Molly, and Hosea were staying in.

„I’ll see you around.“, he said and you could only mumble a quick „Y-Yeah.“.

Your gaze followed him until he was out of sight and you were still pretty taken aback by what had just happened. Sure, he had never given you any reason to think bad of him or make you think that he didn’t like you, but you knew that he was one to be skeptical of new additions to the gang, so it had been quite the surprise.

Slowly you rubbed your hands together again, the woolen fabric leaving a comforting feeling on your skin and another shout of your name made your head turn to the cabin you had left a while ago.

It was Miss Grimshaw. Of course, it was.

„Miss L/N! The work won’t do itself!“, she ushered and you rolled your eyes.

„Coming!“, you shouted back and gave your horse one last pat before you headed back inside.

~~~

The mood around the gang seemed to be getting worse and worse by the day. The Blackwater massacre was still deeply embedded in everyone’s minds and being on the last few rations of food didn’t make it any better.

After doing some chores you had decided to sneak away to escape the rest of the gang for a while. It just felt awful being with grumpy people the whole day and you were longing for some much-needed time to calm your nerves and mind. Strolling around the old abandoned mining town you hoped for some interesting discoveries, but after half an hour you gave up. Colter was just as boring as the gray scenery gave away.

With a huff, you kicked some snow around and slowly made your way back. Miss Grimshaw was surely looking for you by now anyway. Just when you arrived by your horse you overheard a conversation between Pearson, Charles, and Arthur.

„We really need some food.“, Pearson sighed. „I only have a few more supplies and people will begin starving by tomorrow evening if we don’t manage to hunt something. I already sent Lenny and Bill and they found nothing.“

Arthur chuckled after this.

„Well, Lenny's more into book readin' than huntin'. Bill's a fool.“, he snorted and pointed to the mountains in the background. „Unless those mountains are full of game that wanna read... ain't no wonder they found-“

„Enough of this. We'll go find something.“, Charles cut his words short with a sigh and they both started to walk towards their horses, coming closer to you in the process.

„What about your hand?“, Arthur asked and cocked an eyebrow as he looked at Charles. „You can't go hunting with that wound.“

You bit your lip as you eavesdropped. He was right. Charles had burned his hand during the chaos in Blackwater. He wouldn’t be of much use during the hunt apart from maybe helping him to track something. 

Should you offer your help? After all, you had often accompanied your father on his hunting trips before your parent had been killed and you had to manage your life on your own.

You gulped hard as the memories came back, but still decided to speak up.

„Arthur. Charles.“, you approached the two men who were still arguing and preparing their horses.

They immediately turned around to you with questioning faces.

„Hello Y/N.“, Charles greeted you and Arthur gave you the usual nod. „What is it?“

„I…uh…I kinda overheard your conversation and…“, you scratched your neck. „I thought I could go with Arthur. I have a bit of hunting experience so it would be no problem for me. You should rest, Charles. Your hand needs time to heal.“

In the beginning, your voice had been a bit meek and shaky but towards the end, it had gotten stronger as you found your confidence. You really wanted to help. Well, maybe not just that. Being away from camp would surely do you good, but you still mostly wanted to contribute to getting some food for everyone.

„You sure?“, Arthur furrowed his brows, while Charles seemed to be pondering about your offer. 

„Yeah.“, you nodded eagerly. „I‘ve hunted a few deer and rabbits, one time even an elk.“

It went silent and the two men were deep in thoughts.

„Well….we both know that you can handle a gun.“, Charles then said. „But you really gotta make sure that you catch something. We all depend on you. Are you sure you can do that?“

Arthur nodded in agreement and you went quiet for a moment as you reminisced your previous hunting experiences. You felt their eyes still boring into you as you snapped back to reality and finally nodded.

„I’m sure.“, you then confirmed. 

You felt nervous as you said this, after all, it meant that there was no option to fail, but your voice was firm.

„Alright then.“, Arthur muttered and Charles gave in.

„Fine. I‘ll leave you two to it then.“, he said. „Be careful.“

With that, he left the both of you alone.

The relief made you breathe out, a breath you didn’t know you had been holding in and you went over to Willow to get her ready for the trip.

„You ready?“, Arthur asked when you hat mounted her and you led your horse next to his with a nod. „Here. You’ll need this.“

He handed you a rifle that you hung over your torso, then you both finally left Colter. You rode silently for a while, following some leads Charles had given Arthur earlier, but soon Arthur spoke up.

„How come you have huntin‘ experience?“, he asked. „I always thought you were a thief and provided yourself like that. At least that’s what Dutch and Hosea told me.“

You met his blue eyes and sighed.

„You know, I had a pretty normal life before the thievery.“, you chuckled sadly. „I often went out with my Pa. He taught me all I know.“

After you had spoken Arthur just kept on looking at you for a while, his lips tightened and eyebrows furrowed.

„I see.“, he then muttered and didn’t press any further. 

It was like he had sensed that this was a sensitive topic for you.

Quietness engulfed the both of you again and you now began to look around for traces of animals since you both were nearing that spot Charles had told Arthur about.

After some time you noticed some dung and tracks in the snow.

„Here. I found something.“, you said and stopped Willow to dismount. „We should continue by foot.“

Arthur was with you seconds later and his gaze wandered over your findings.

„Must be some deer.“, he guessed and you nodded.

„Yeah, I’m pretty sure it is. They must’ve been here recently. Come on, let’s follow the tracks.“

You slowly began to move and Arthur followed right behind you. The snow crunched underneath your boots as you made your way through some trees and soon enough you spotted two does in the distance. Your steps halternd and you gave Arthur a sign to slow down as well.

„There.“, you whispered and pointed towards the animals. „Let’s get a bit closer. Be quiet.“

„Sure.“, he answered in a hushed voice and you both sneaked on.

This time you stopped him by his shoulder when you thought the distance was small enough. He had nearly been a bit too eager to get closer to the wildlife.

„That’s enough.“, you mumbled. „We‘ll scare them away if we get any closer.“

Arthur cocked an eyebrow as he turned his gaze to you.

„If you say so.“, he said, not really sounding like he believed your words.

Of course, he had a bit of hunting experience, and since the does still hadn’t noticed you he would’ve gone a bit farther. Just then the two animals looked up and he fell silent immediately.

„No word.“, you whispered. „You get the right one, I’ll take out the left one.“

You slowly pulled the rifle from your back and aimed for your target, movements calm and precise so as not to scare them away. Arthur did the same and you breathed out deeply before looking at him.

„On three.“, you muttered. „One.“

The both of you turned your gazes back towards the deer.

„Two.“

Your finger began to close in on the trigger.

„Three.“

Two gunshots rang through the air as you breathed out and you held the position until you could confirm that the both of you had managed to kill your prey.

„Would you look at that.“, Arthur seemed pretty satisfied with the outcome and rose to his full height as hung the rifle over his back again.

„We did it.“, you nodded and walked up to the dead animals with him.

„I gotta say.“, he began to speak as he kneeled next to the doe he had shot. „I was a bit skeptical about your abilities at first but I guess you proved me wrong.“

His gaze met yours.

„You did good.“, he added.

There was a barely noticeable smile on his lips and you felt some blush creep into your cheeks.

„T-Thanks, I guess.“, you said and cleared your throat. „I’m just glad that everything turned out well. Would’ve been some real trouble if we didn’t catch anything.“

„Right.“, Arthur chuckled and lifted one of the does. „You had quite some pressure on yourself there. But you managed well. Let’s get 'em back to camp now. The sun will set soon.“

You just nodded and Arthur helped you to stow the other deer on your horse after he was done with the one he had shot, then the both of you set off. 

For a while, it was silent until Arthur asked you about your little „adventures“ with your father. You hesitated at first, not quite ready to talk about this still-aching wound but after a few seconds of considering you began to talk. 

The talking lasted quite some time and it somehow did you good to talk about these memories. Every thought about your parents had hurt incredibly after they had been killed during a robbery. But talking to Arthur about your father was relieving, that you couldn’t deny.

After you were done with your stories you both rode in silence again. You were dwelling in the past for a bit, your gaze slowly wandering over the landscape in front of you, then it fell on Arthur who seemed to be a bit in thought as well. With a soft sigh, you averted your eyes from him to your hands that were holding the reigns.

For a few seconds, you just started at them, then you said: „Thanks for the gloves again.“

His eyes met yours and he looked a bit puzzled as if he didn’t get what you had said to him.

„I just wanted to thank you for the gloves once more. My fingers would’ve already frozen off if it weren’t for you.“, you repeated yourself and chuckled. 

A lopsided smile sneaked its way on his lips and he waved it off like the last time.

„'M glad to help. You’re better off with 'em than I was“, he shrugged. 

„Still.“, you insisted. „It’s not your task to look after me but you did nevertheless. I’m grateful for that.“

Now he just looked at you for a bit before he cleared his throat and nodded. He had never been good with people thanking him but you didn’t press it further. You knew he appreciated your words.

It fell silent again and suddenly your horse flinched, making you look at her.

„What is it, girl?“, you looked at Willow who was now tippling around nervously, deep exhales forming vapor from her nostrils.

„Stop.“, Arthur’s stern voice made you face him and he pointed towards the trees next to you.

Your eyes followed the direction and widened when they settled on a bear. It was slowly emerging from some trees. Your heart began to pound faster in your chest and you gripped the reigns tighter.

„Don’t move.“, Arthur whispered and you gulped heavily as you nodded.

Just then the predator noticed the both of you and started to head directly towards you, its steps fastening. Now, Arthur gave you a sign to carefully back away. He reached for the rifle on his back and just when he pointed it at the bear everything happened so fast that you couldn’t react.

Willow whinnied hysterically and the bear let out an angry roar. Immediately your spooked horse started to bolt and you were holding on for dear life as she galloped away with you.

„Shhh, easy girl!“, you tried to calm her down, but it was no use.

The fear had consumed her completely and it was like you were riding a wild beast instead of the calm mare she usually was. 

„Calm down, Willow! It’s okay!“, you spoke or well, shouted at her through the turmoil.

She was directly heading towards a patch of trees and you desperately pulled the reigns to stop her, which only made her climb and finally, you fell. The air was pushed out of your lungs as your back hit the ground hard. You cried out in pain and in the corner of your eye you could see her running away as fast as she could, then she was gone.

„Damn it.“, you murmured and sat up, rubbing your back.

„Y/N!“, you heard Arthur’s shout in the distance and looked behind you. 

He was directly steering towards you on his horse, the bear still hot on his tail and your eyes widened.

„Oh hell no!“, you blurted out and then you began to run. 

As fast as you could you sprinted for that patch of trees, hoping to not end up as that bear‘s dinner, but before you could reach it you were suddenly lifted from the ground. The impact knocked the breath from you again and before you knew it you were sitting in front of Arthur, his arm tightly wrapped around your waist as he ushered his horse to go faster, faster and escape that bear.

„Hold on tight! I’ll get us out of here!“, he assured you as you’re gazes finally met, your eyes staring at him like that deer before you had shot it earlier.

You gulped hard and gave him a slow nod, then you slung your arms around his torso, your eyes peeking over his shoulder as the two of you fled through the slowly falling snowflakes.

Through all the trouble you hadn’t even noticed that it had begun to snow, but now you also felt how the wind increased. Surely another snowstorm was nearing. Just perfect.

Again your eyes fell on the bear. It was slowly falling behind and a few more seconds and even more distance later it finally gave up and headed into the woods.

„It’s gone.“, you breathed out in relief and Arthur slowed down his horse, the grip on your waist loosening.

„Took it long enough.“, he muttered as you leaned back.

Your eyes met his, then they wandered to the tight space between your bodies, noticing how close you were. Immediately blush crept into your cheeks and you cleared your throat, squirming a bit uncomfortably in front of him.

„We need to find Willow.“, you said and averted your gaze from him to scan the landscape for any traces of her.

You had to squint your eyes as the storm had picked up a bit and the sun had begun to set. It would be pitch black soon. Arthur sighed behind you and scooted a bit backwards to give you more space.

„Listen…“, he then said softly. „I know how important that horse is to you, but…we won’t find her right now. Not with those conditions.“ 

He gestured around with his hands and you looked at him, opening your mouth to insist on finding your mare, but he already spoke again.

„It’s hard to lose a horse. Believe me…I know that.“, he tightened his lips. „But I don’t even know where we are right now. We gotta make sure to find our way back to camp first or find some shelter, plus we gotta wait the storm out.“

He now gave you a sorry look.

„But if you ask me. 'M sure your girl will be fine and already waitin' back at Colter for us. She’s clever.“, he then added, trying to calm your racing thoughts.

You chewed on your lip as you listened to him. He was right. You both just would get yourself killed if you looked for Willow right now. 

„Alright.“, you muttered, your shoulders slumping down in defeat. „Let’s try to get back to camp then.“

Arthur hummed and gave your shoulder a gentle pat, then he nodded over his shoulder.

„You wanna change the position? You could sit behind me. 'M sure it’s not that comfortable sittin' on the front of my saddle.“

Immediately you nodded. Your behind did hurt a bit, plus you were nearly sitting on his lap which made you quite nervous. Not that you found Arthur unattractive, but it felt strange with you both never having talked much to each other until this day. A lot had changed now, but it still felt too intimate for your liking.

After your answer, you carefully jumped down from the horse, next, Arthur lent you a hand to help you settle behind him. You sighed in relief when you were finally sat, glad about having your legs on both sides of the animal now and also about a much more comfortable base. 

„Alright, let’s go, boy.“, Arthur clicked his tongue after you had placed your hands on both sides of his waist and ushered his horse on.

As you stomped through the storm the both of you kept an eye out for any familiar structures that would help you remember the way back to Colter but the nastier the weather got and the more the night set in you slowly lost hope.

„Darn it.“, you heard Arthur mumble after what felt like hours.

You were shivering badly behind him, trembling against his back that gave you some shelter from the unforgiving snow that was relentlessly falling on you.

„We need to find some shelter. It’s no use keepin' on searchin' without being able to see clearly.“, Arthur finally spoke up. „Also we gotta warm up or we‘ll freeze to death. I can feel you tremblin' in my bones.“

„S-Sorry.“, you answered a big embarrassed through chattering teeth.

You hadn’t thought that it was that bad.

„'S okay.“, Arthur assured you. „Nothin' to be sorry about.“

With that, he led his horse towards the trees to your right. At least you would have somewhat of a shelter from the snow there. You slowly looked around as you rode deeper into the woods and just then your eyes caught the dark outlining of a building.

„Arthur.“, you muttered weakly, the hypothermia already getting to you.

He grunted in response.

„T-There. A c-cabin.“

You stretched out your trembling hand and pointed in its direction. 

„Well spotted.“, Arthur muttered and immediately steered his horse towards the little house. „Come on. Let’s get you inside.“

He dismounted and hitched his horse, then he helped you from its back. By now you were trembling so bad that you didn’t have the strength to do it yourself anymore. Gently he reached for your waist and pulled you down, his hand rubbing your back when you finally stood next to him.

„Get in, I’m right behind you.“

Arthur held the door open for you and you gave him a weak but thankful smile before you entered the cabin. It was small. A single bed stood in the right corner, a fireplace right next to it. Not far from the bed was a small table with two chairs and to the left of the entrance you could see an old stove with a cabinet. It all seemed to be abandoned for a while now.

„I’ll start a fire.“, Arthur said after he had closed the door behind you, finally stopping the merciless assault of the cold wind and snow. „Here, eat this. You need to get some energy.“

He reached into his satchel and pulled a tin of salted offal from it. You scrunched your face in disgust as you took it from him, which made him chuckle.

„I know it ain’t exactly what you would prefer right now, but that’s all I have. Pearson gave it to me before we set out.“, he patted your back, then he went to grab some firewood from the stack next to the fireplace, but stopped in his tracks. „Unless you want some deer meat. It’s still stowed on my horse.“

Arthur looked back at you and you sighed before shaking your head.

„I-It’s fine. You’ve been cold long enough, too.“, you said. „I’ll survive…e-even if it means that I have to eat…this.“

You opened the tin with your shaking hands and gave the contents a sniff, which turned out to be a bad mistake. Immediately you had to gag and put the tin down on the table.

„Let me correct myself.“, you muttered sourly. „I’d rather starve than eat this.“

A grin made its way on Arthur’s lips as he watched you and finally, he shook his head. 

„Not under my watch. I’ll get us some meat. I gotta eat too and to be honest…nothing will get me to eat that stuff.“, he said and grabbed his hunting knife before he opened the door to head outside again.

„Arthur…“, you protested, but he was already gone, the door closing with a harsh thump.

You softly exhaled and sat down on the chair as you waited for him. Despite your objection, you were thankful that he was getting the both of you some real food.

Just minutes after he finally returned a big chunk of meat in his hand. He had wrapped it in a cloth and handed it to you.

„Hold onto this while I take care of the fire.“, he said and you nodded, then he finally went back to get some wood.

Soon it crackled inside the fireplace as the flames danced around and the both of you sat down in front of it, eager to catch some warmth. The cabin was still pretty cold, but you hoped it would get better now that you had ignited a fire.

„Now for our dinner.“, Arthur looked at you and you gave him the wrapped meat, which he quickly unpacked and diced. 

„I reckon it’ll be faster to grill it over the fire instead of heating the stove for it.“, he muttered as he sliced the meat into thinner pieces.

„Sounds good to me.“, you nodded and watched him skewer a piece of meat onto his hunting knife, then he handed it to you and pulled out another knife to use for himself. „Thank you.“

You scooted a bit closer to the fire and held out your hand with the knife to slowly grill the meat. It only took a few minutes and during this time you warmed up immensely from being so close to the fire. A comfortable sigh left your lips after you took a bite and Arthur’s gaze fell on you.

„Feelin' better?“

„Yeah.“, you gave him a little smile as you chewed on your food. „'M glad we found this cabin.“

„Me, too.“, he agreed and pulled his knife back to eye his dinner.

When he was sure it was all cooked through he bit off a piece.

„You know.“, he mumbled while chewing. „I was gettin' real worried about you. You could’ve gone hypothermic, hell, I think you were pretty close, but luckily you still managed to spot this hut.“

„Mhm…“, you hummed softly. „'M still pretty surprised about it, too.“

You chuckled and he gave you a smile after biting off another chunk of meat.

„Well, it probably saved our lives.“, he then said. „Let’s hope the storm calms down overnight. We still gotta make sure to get the rest of that deer to camp tomorrow or else people really will begin starvin'.“

„Right.“, now you sighed and your thoughts wandered to your horse. „Maybe Willow managed to get back. Last I’ve seen, she still had that deer stowed on her back.“

You hoped your words were true. Willow had been your trusty mare ever since you had been on your own and you couldn’t imagine losing her. But Arthur was right. She was a clever girl so it wasn’t that far-fetched that she might already be waiting for you by the time you would arrive back home tomorrow.

„It’s a good thought.“, Arthur murmured and looked at you. „Your girl will be alright. I’m sure of it.“

It was like he had sensed your worries and he patted your shoulder before standing up.

„We should call it a night…regain some energy. We might need it tomorrow.“, he said and nodded towards the bed. „You take this, I’ll sleep on the floor.“

„Thank you.“, your gaze followed him as he went to fetch his bedroll from his horse.

As the door opened you could see that the storm was still raging outside and sighed softly.

Who could’ve known that this day would end like this? Your horse gone and you and Arthur in this cabin, stuck for however long this weather would continue.

You rose to your feet now, too, and walked over to the bed, sitting down on the squeaky bed frame. It wasn’t exactly comfortable but it was surely better than sleeping on the floor. You were really thankful that Arthur was such a gentleman.

Soon he returned and set up his bedroll in front of the fireplace before he grabbed another piece of wood to keep the fire going.

„That’s the last one.“, he sighed. „Let’s just hope we sleep through. It’ll surely cool down fast after the fire is out.“

You hummed in response and watched the flames consume the log for a while, then you looked at Arthur who was getting comfortable on his bedroll.

„Thanks again for leaving the bed to me.“, you said and your eyes met.

„Don’t mention it.“, he waved it off and held the eye contact for a few seconds before he turned his back to you. „Can’t have a lady sleepin' on the floor.“

His answer made you smile softly and you finally laid down, tugging the old blanket over your body.

„Good night, Arthur.“, with those words you closed your eyes.

„Good night.“, you heard him mumble back and only seconds later you were gone, no wonder, the day had really drained you.

~~~

You were awoken by the howling of the wind sneaking its way through the old cabin. Next, you noticed how badly you were shivering again and looked over to the fireplace that seemed to have gone out long ago.

„Damn it.“, you muttered quietly and pulled the blanket tighter around you. 

It was riddled with holes so it didn’t really help much and you sighed discontentedly. So much for your hopes of sleeping through.

Your eyes met Arthur’s sleeping form. He must’ve turned during the night because he was facing you again. His facial expression seemed tense and he also trembled barely noticeable. As you kept on watching him you couldn’t help but be thankful that you hadn’t gotten separated by that bear, it was already bad enough that Willow had run away.

„Do I have somethin' on my face or why you starin' at me?“, Arthur suddenly mumbled and his eyes opened.

You flinched a bit and immediately averted your gaze from him as a blush crept into your cheeks.

„S-Sorry, didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Didn’t know you were awake, too.“, you apologized and he chuckled softly.

„'S okay.“, he said. „You alright?“

His eyes wandered over your shivering body.

„Yeah.“, you nodded with a sigh. „It’s just pretty darn cold.“

„Mhm, tell me about it.“, Arthur grinned with a pained expression. „Maybe I should look for some wood outside, get that fire goin' again.“

He sat up but you stopped him.

„You really wanna go out in that storm? It’s even worse than when we went to sleep.“, you frowned and he shrugged.

„We need to warm up.“, he said. „Neither us will go back to sleep while shakin' like a leaf.“

You bit your lip and watched him stand up to walk over to the door. He even struggled to open it due to how much snow had piled up in front of it and how strong the wind was. At that moment you pitied his horse who had to stay outside but luckily the cabin had a little covered outside area where Arthur had hitched it so it was at least protected from the snow.

Arthur peeked outside for a moment, then he closed the door again and shook his head.

„Maybe you’re right.“, he said with a soft chuckle and laid back down on his bedroll. „Let’s…let’s just try to get some more rest. Ain’t got any other options, I guess.“

His eyes met yours and you nodded, still huddled up under that blanket. Somehow you both just kept on looking at each other and it seemed like he was pondering.

„You know…“, he mumbled after a while. „I know it…might be an absurd idea…but…we could share that bed. Sharing our remaining body heat could help us both warm up.“

He fell silent, waiting for your answer.

„Only if you're comfortable with it…I know we ain’t exactly close.“, he added.

His words made your heart rate pick up immediately. It had been quite some time since you had last shared your bed with a man. Though it hadn’t been just for sleeping.

„I…“, you began and cleared your throat. „Uh…yeah. That’s okay with me.“

Arthur sat up and cocked an eyebrow.

„You sure?“

You looked at him as he stood up and chewed on your lip, then you nodded.

„Y-Yeah.“

„Alright.“, Arthur came closer and you scooted over to make some place for him. 

He lifted the blanket and slipped under it while you turned your back to him, suddenly nervous. You felt him settle behind you and after a few seconds, his arm hesitantly sneaked around your waist, pulling you closer to him. You gulped hard but you couldn’t deny that you already felt less colder.

„That okay?“, he whispered and you nodded.

„Yeah.“

It fell silent and you closed your eyes, trying to finally fall back asleep and also calm yourself down. Your heart was still pounding far too fast inside your chest but a little part of you also liked how this felt. Arthur was an attractive man and now you had also learned that he was really kind, too. First the gloves, then him comforting you about Willow and offering you the bed, and now this.

Slowly you felt yourself calm down but even though you already had warmed up a bit with Arthur’s body right behind yours you couldn’t help but still tremble. You just weren’t made for this kind of region, not with you living most of your life in the hot area of New Austin.

„You’re still shiverin'.“, Arthur seemed to have noticed it, too.

His hand gently brushed up and down your side.

„Y-Yeah. I’m…really not used to this weather.“, you bit your lip, the feeling of his touch somehow making your heart beat faster again.

He hummed as he acknowledged your words and it was quiet for a few seconds before he began to speak.

„I…uh…I heard sharin' body heat works better with…less clothes.“, he seemed to be clearly embarrassed about his own words. „N-Not that I wanna do…uh…things with you…I just…“

He fell silent, fumbling hard with his words.

„Oh.“, you just managed to say and you blushed hard.

It was uncomfortable how awfully quiet it had gotten now apart from the raging storm, but after some time you nodded. You trusted him, that you had learned today, and you knew that he wouldn’t take advantage of you.

„Alright then.“, you finally answered and sat up.

You didn’t look at him but you could feel his surprised gaze on you before he turned away and began to undo his coat. After discarding your own one you pulled your woolen topper over your head. You hesitated as you reached for the blouse you were wearing under it. It would be the last item of clothing before your torso would be only clad in your undergarments. With a deep breath, you finally discarded it and quickly shimmied your pants off, then you pulled the blanket over your body again, now only dressed in your underwear. From the corner of your eye, you could see that Arthur had stripped down to his union suit and unbuttoned the top part before slipping out of the sleeves so he was bare-chested. Next, he faced you again and your eyes met, you blushing even harder, but you also noticed some faint redness on his cheeks.

„Uh…just…just turn around again.“, he mumbled and broke the eye contact, waiting for you to follow his order.

You quickly did and his hand gently touched your naked skin as he put his arm around your waist, making your breath hitch in your throat. Nervously you chewed on your lip as he scooted closer to you, his chest flush against your back and you could hear him gulp hard.

„J-Just tell me if anythin' makes you uncomfortable, alright?“, he then said.

You could just nod, your voice stuck inside your throat all of a sudden. After another shaky breath, you closed your eyes and it went silent, making you more well aware of everything that was happening. Your heart was pounding fast inside your chest, just like his against your back. Nervous inhales and exhales filled the silence and the touching of your skin made your mind race.

Why the hell was Arthur lying with you making you feel like this? It wasn’t even like anything more than that would happen.

Again you began to chew on your lip and even though the shaking of your body slowly subsided you just couldn’t seem to get some rest. His breath against your neck, his hand on your stomach, his body spooning yours…it was enough to make your thoughts wander, wander further than you had ever thought it would.

How would his lips feel? What would it feel like to be his, your body under his as he slowly pushes his-

You stopped your thoughts there, heavily blushing as you sighed shakily.

Why the hell were you having these thoughts right now? You barely knew him.

„You okay?“, Arthur suddenly asked.

„S-Sure.“, you nodded immediately, trying to not let those sinful thoughts get to you.

„We can…stop if it’s too uncomfortable for you.“, he suddenly said and you looked at him over your shoulder, your gaze meeting his. „I know it must be real strange doing this with a feller you barely know.“

He averted his gaze from you, his hand retreating from your waist, which made you turn around to him.

„It’s…it’s not that.“, you tried to assure him and his blue eyes met yours again. „It’s just…unfamiliar, but I’m not uncomfortable.“

Your voice was barely a whisper. His face was only inches away from yours which you didn’t realize right away, but when his hand settled on your skin again you suddenly became well aware.

„You sure?“, he muttered and licked his lower lip.

Slowly you nodded, not breaking the eye contact and his hand wandered higher to rest against your cheek.

„Me, too.“, he whispered. „'S like…I can’t manage to calm my thoughts around you.“

Now his gaze fell onto your lips.

„Why the hell can’t I stop thinkin' about ya?“

His face came closer to yours and he stopped just before his mouth could meet your own.

You breathed out shakily.

„'S not just you.“, you mumbled, your eyes meeting his one last time before you leaned in to close the gap.

Your lips met in a hesitant kiss and he softly groaned against your mouth, then he pulled you closer into him, kissing you with more intent, and gods did it feel good. You didn’t even know why you had craved this so much but it was unlike any other kiss you had had before. 

„What are you doin' to me?“, Arthur muttered against your lips and began to leave little pecks on your jawline, trailing down to your neck.

You exhaled softly and your body automatically arched against his as the kisses became more open-mouthed and sloppy, making more and more want flood your body.

„A-Arthur…“, you whined.

„Please tell me you want me.“, he muttered against your skin, his voice desperate.

You nodded as he then looked up at you.

„Want all of you.“, you whispered and he smiled in relief before he kissed you gently.

„Would’ve never thought that we’d end up like this, but I ain’t complaining.“, he gave your waist a squeeze and you chuckled softly against his lips. 

His kisses became more urgent then and his tongue sneaked its way into your mouth, meeting yours gently at first. Before you knew it you both were panting against each other as the kiss turned heated and sloppy, all tongues and teeth. During this he moved on top of you, settling between your thighs, and began to grind against you, making you feel how hard he was for you.

„P-Please…“, you whimpered weakly into the kiss and he chuckled before he looked at you with lust-filled eyes.

„Oh, I know what you need, darlin'.“, he assured you and leaned in again to trail kisses from your neck to your cleavage. „Let’s get this off of you.“

His hands grabbed the bottom of your chemise and slowly pulled it up, revealing your breasts to him and he groaned softly.

„Look at ya…so pretty.“, he mumbled, then his head dipped so he could wrap his lips around one of your nipples, while his hand gently massaged your other breast.

A quiet moan escaped you and you buried your fingers in his hair, tugging at the strands a bit. With a pop he released your nipple to take care of the other one, making his way to it with hot kisses and you squirmed under him impatiently.

„Hold still, darlin'.“, he muttered against your naked skin, his darkened eyes meeting yours shortly. „Gotta get you warmed up for me first.“

A huff left your lips and he chuckled, then he finally descended lower, his mouth grazing over your ribs, and your navel until his teeth nipped on the hem of your bloomers and you somehow couldn’t help but feel nervous all of a sudden.

Arthur seemed to notice it.

„You shiverin' 'cause you’re cold or what’s wrong?“, he asked and sat up, his hands gently caressing your sides in a calming way.

You sighed softly

„It‘s just…been a while since I last laid with a man.“, you then muttered.

He hummed in response and leaned down to give you a gentle kiss on the forehead.

„'S all okay, darlin'.“, he reassured you. „I’ll take good care of ya. You just relax and enjoy it.“

Arthur gave you a lingering peck on the cheek, then his lips connected with yours again in a sweet but also needy kiss, his tongue slipping into your mouth and making you yearn for more. His hand gave your hip a gentle squeeze as he continued to move his lips against yours, then he sneaked his fingers along your thigh and finally to your aching center. You whined against his mouth when he slowly drew circles on your sensitive flesh.

„That’s it.“, Arthur whispered when you spread your legs more for him, eager to get more of that addictive feeling.

He put a bit more pressure into his touch and continued with this for a few more seconds before he sat up again, you following his lips with a whine, not ready to part from him yet.

„Don’t ya worry, I’ll make you feel even better in a bit.“, he said with a smile, his hand against your cheek before he leaned in and gave you a peck, then his fingers hooked into the sides of your bloomers. „Just need to take these off.“

With that Arthur pulled and you leaned back with a soft sigh, lifting your hips to help him undress you. When he was done his eyes wandered over your naked body in awe and his hand gently traced your curves.

„Such a pretty girl.“, he muttered and dipped his head down to meet the skin under your navel, making you gasp softly as he came closer to where you needed him.

„Please, Arthur.“, you whispered, arching into him, desperate to feel him.

„Patience, darlin'.“, he smirked at you and skipped your glistening heat to kiss the inside of your thighs before he hooked your legs over his strong shoulders.

Your heartbeat quickened and you bit your lip as you watched him slowly kiss his way closer and closer to your folds and just when you were about to beg once more he finally licked a long strip through them, making you moan in surprise. You grabbed into the mattress underneath you as your body grew weak and your eyes rolled back.

„Oh god.“, you whispered and Arthur began to circle his tongue around your little bundle of nerves, his fingers gently caressing your thighs during this.

Again a soft moan escaped you and he hummed in encouragement, his hands spreading you more open to him as he moved his tongue against you harder, faster, intent to get you to that point of no return. Once more your hands found their way into his hair and then you couldn’t help but moan louder, freely, while he smiled against you.

„You sound so fuckin' pretty.“, he muttered against your sex and you blushed hard, but didn’t hold back either.

Instead, you began to grind your cunt into his mouth, desperate to feel more, get there, because Jesus, without much effort he already had you nearly over the edge.

Your eyes met his, face flushed and eyes sparkling at you with lust, then he buried himself even deeper into your heat, like a man starved, ready to devour you whole.

A sound of both surprise and pleasure left your lips and your head thumped back into the pillow, deep breaths coming out of your mouth as you whisper his name like a mantra.

„Come on, darlin'.“, Arthur whispered. „Let go for me.“

His tongue rolled over your clit, again and again, assaulting it sweetly and then he finally had you. Your mouth fell open in a silent scream as your body convulsed and bucked into him, the waves of pleasure crashing in harshly.

„That’s it.“, you heard him mumble through the ecstasy, his eyes watching as he pushed you over the edge.

When your breathing had calmed down a bit Arthur gently pushed your legs off his shoulders and leaned in to press his lips against yours. You tasted yourself on his tongue, tangy, a bit salty, and sweet.

„Need to work ya open a bit more.“, he then muttered against your mouth, his hand slipping between your thighs, cupping your cunt before you could even answer.

Instead, you mewled into him, breath hitching in your throat as his fingers slowly brushed through your wetness, once, twice, before he teased at your opening and gently pushed them inside. There was no resistance as his fingers sank into you and your jaw grew slack, a helpless sound leaving your lips.

„Taking me so well.“, Arthur praised, his lips tracing open-mouthed kisses along your jaw now.

Gently he began to pump his fingers into you, gliding in and out so easily that it almost made you embarrassed. No man had ever made you feel like this. Your pussy squelched around him and he groaned deeply at the sound of it, adding a third finger that made you gasp because the stretch ached. Not painfully, but so deliciously that your legs began to shake.

„A-Arthur.“, you choked out and he shushed you softly, connecting his lips with yours again and you whimpered desperately as his movements became faster.

„Almost there, darlin'.“, he whispered against you. 

You felt the addicting burn inside your belly again and you knew it won’t be long until he would make you reach another high, but just then, just when you were nearly there his fingers slowed down and he pulled them from your slick cunt. A protesting cry left your lips.

„Shh. Just needed to make sure you’re ready for me.“, he quieted you, before giving you a gentle kiss.

You reciprocated it eagerly and Arthur began to undo the last few buttons of his union suit before pushing it down. Next, he broke the kiss and sat up so he could get rid of it completely. You’re eyes fell onto his erect member and now you finally understood why he had been so intent on working you open first. He was really big. He smirked at you as he settled between your thighs again.

„You think you’re ready for me?“, he asked and you gulped hard, but nodded nevertheless.

You needed him badly.

„Alright.“, Arthur whispered, leaning in to press his lips against yours.

Your hands sneaked around his back as he began to grind against you, his cock brushing through your folds to collect some wetness a few times. It rubbed against your sensitive bundle of nerves during this and you whimpered against his mouth, your fingernails digging into his skin and he hissed softly.

„Getting impatient there, darlin'?“, he asked with a chuckle and you nodded. „Well…then…“

He changed the angle slightly and his tip caught on your entrance. Unintentionally you held your breath and looked down between your bodies to watch as he then slowly sank into you. He wasn’t even halfway in when a loud mewl escaped your lips.

„You alright?“, Arthur stopped immediately, his hand finding its way to your cheek.

„Y-Yeah, j-just…ah…“, you were fumbling with your words, mind a blurry mess. „You f-feel so good.“

Through hooded eyes, you met his and he smiled softly, leaning down to catch your lips in a sweet kiss.

„Oh trust me, darlin', you feel just as fantastic.“, he then whispered, lips trailing to your jawline and neck. „So damn perfect.“

And with that, he pushed deeper, your mouth falling open as more and more inches sank into you until he filled you up completely. Soft pants from both of you broke the silence and he nuzzled into the nape of your neck, his soft hair tickling your face slightly as he let you accustom to his size.

„Just tell me when I can move.“, he muttered against your skin which was now covered with a thin layer of sweat.

You nodded slowly and let yourself just feel him for a few seconds, how good he felt even though it was nearly too much.

„Ar-Arthur…please.“, you whimpered then, your hips pressing against his impatiently.

He groaned softly, his mouth trailing back to yours and finally he began to move. Gently he retreated before he ground his length into you again, making you gasp in pleasure, eyes rolling back while your fingers gripped onto his back for dear life.

„That’s it, darlin'.“, he murmured and repeated it one more time, his cock pulling out of your weeping cunt slowly before he pushed back in.

The stretch was so delicious, that you couldn’t help but moan his name and let your legs fall more open, inviting him in like an old friend. 

„Just like that.“, Arthur praised you immediately, his lips barely touching yours during this, before he connected them and let his tongue slip inside.

With a soft whine you met him, the kiss turning more eager as his gentle rhythm sped up just a notch. He ground his hips against you with purpose, cock rubbing against that special spot inside of you just right and you had to turn your head to the side, gasping for air. It was like there wasn’t enough of it all of a sudden. All you could consume was him and Christ did it make you dizzy, dizzy from all the pleasure you were feeling.

You hadn’t expected anything to happen today but you sure as hell would’ve never expected this.

Again you whined his name and he gently grabbed your face to turn it back to him, dark blue eyes meeting yours.

„Look at you, so beautiful for me, darlin‘.“, he whispered and one of his hands slipped between your bodies, sneaking its way to your clit to rub it gently.

„O-Oh!“, you moaned.

You were rushing towards the edge again with an immense speed and you began to meet his thrusts that were becoming faster and harder by the minute. Arthur smirked as he watched you.

„Gonna make you feel real good.“, he muttered and a sudden deep and especially hard push made you yelp, but Christ did it feel good.

„A-Again.“, you managed to choke out and he obeyed, hips slamming into you hard and with purpose.

The sweet ache between your thighs was almost unbearable now and you knew it wouldn’t be much longer now. You clenched around him, barely managing to keep yourself from falling over the edge and he groaned loudly.

„Come on, darlin'.“, he panted and his fingers circled around your clit faster, almost abusing it, but that was just what you needed.

He was fucking you so good in that moment, you couldn’t help it anymore and finally you came, crying out his name as your body shook, tensing up from the violent orgasm you were experiencing.

„Such a good girl.“, he praised you and his lips found yours, muffling the sweet sounds that came out of your mouth, his hips not stopping with their movements.

It was getting too much and you whined, squirming under him, but the way his lips moved against yours, tongue licking into you made you forget the pain fast, turning it into pleasure once more. 

„Arthur…“, you muttered and his hand caressed your cheek reassuringly.

„You alright there?“, he asked after leaning back just a bit to look at you.

His cock was still trusting into you, now a bit slower and more gentle. You managed to hum in response and he smiled softly.

„Good.“, his lips connected with yours again in a quick peck. „Think you can do it a second time?“

Your mind was all blurry and foggy so it took you a moment to get the meaning of his words, but then you nodded slowly. Right now you would give him everything.

„That’s my girl.“, he whispered and with that he was back at it, his thrust getting faster again, pulling a high-pitched moan from you.

Arthur ground into you hard and deep, but it felt like it still wasn’t all he was capable of and the more the delicious ache between your thighs intensified the more you were craving all of him.

„Don’t hold back.“, you whined into the nape of his neck. „Please.“

In a moment of surprise, he stopped and you cried in protest.

„You sure, darlin'?“, he sat up now, his brows furrowed a bit.

„Please.“, you nodded and stretched your hands out for him, desperate to be closer to him, even closer than just being connected.

He groaned softly at how you were looking at him and it was all it took to persuade him. His lips collided with yours as he finally continued to thrust and you gasped. His pace was unforgiving, skin slapping against skin hard, and when he pushed even deeper you moaned loudly, fingernails digging into his skin, tearing him open as he nearly split you into two.

„Aah-Arthur!“, you cried into his mouth and he grunted, tongue forcing its way between your lips and you knew he was a goner.

His rhythm was getting sloppy, hips just slamming into you like he was desperately looking for something. The bed was creaking under your bodies in protest but right now neither of you cared for that, right now it was just a race to get to that sweet release and before you knew it you came hard around his length. Your pussy clenched around him tightly, his thrusts stuttering and he was barely able to pull out of you when his hot spend already burst onto your stomach.

Heaving he sat in front of you, chest rising and falling rapidly while his eyes were faced to the ceiling like he was praying to god, then he breathed out deeply and he nearly collapsed on top of you.

„Goddamn, woman.“, he panted into the crook of your neck. „You nearly killed me there.“

His words let a laugh bubble from your throat and you gently caressed through his hair with your fingers. 

„Sorry.“, you giggled and pressed a kiss to his temple.

He lifted himself with his arms, eyes meeting yours and a lopsided smirk was displayed on his lips before he pressed them against yours.

„Don’t you ever apologize for that again, darlin'.“, he muttered.

His hand cradled your cheek sweetly and he sat up again to finally clean you both up a bit with the blanket, then he laid down next to you and pulled you against him. Silence engulfed the both of you and you hummed softly, your legs shaking a bit from how intense everything had been.

„Don’t tell me you’re still cold.“, Arthur looked at you with a lifted eyebrow and you chuckled while shaking your head.

„No, not anymore.“, you said. „You warmed me up quite a bit.“

He smirked softly.

„Good.“

It went quiet again, the silence only punctuated by your soft breaths and the howling of the storm outside. It must’ve been minutes until you decided to speak again.

„To be honest…I didn’t really expect this when we agreed to share the bed.“, you muttered and your gazes met.

„Me neither.“, Arthur nodded slightly and chewed on his lip. „You…don’t regret it…do you?“

His eyes looked you up and down with a hint of worry behind them.

„Absolutely not.“, you reassured him softly. „It was just surprising…that’s all.“

„Yeah.“, he nodded. „I get what you mean. We didn’t speak much until we went huntin' and now…“

He didn’t have to end the sentence. Both of you knew what he was implying.

„Right.“, you murmured. „Well, didn’t know what to think of you but…turns out you’re quite nice.“

Your words made him laugh and he pressed a kiss to your temple.

„Quite nice, huh? Now that’s somethin'.“, he whispered against your skin. „You know…when we finally leave that damn town Colter…maybe we could go out for a ride…spend the day somewhere nice. What do you say?“

Arthur leaned back so he could look at you. A smile made its way to your lips.

„Sounds good to me.“, you agreed and he breathed out softly, like he had been holding it in.

„Then we have a deal.“, he nodded and pulled the blanket over your bodies. „Now…let’s try to get some sleep until the mornin'. We still have a bit of a journey ahead of us tomorrow.“

„Yeah.“, you hummed softly and leaned your head against his shoulder. „Good night, Arthur.“

You closed your eyes, his body engulfing you comfortably. It would surely warm you through the night.

„Good night, darlin'.“

[azures-bazar]

Night owls 

I've been wanting to write a Kieran Duffy one shot FOR AGES. He's my ultimate fave along with Sean and Arthur and I deeply wish we could give him a good hug in game. 💔 OMG I MESSED UP WITH THE TITLE IT'S "NIGHT OWLS"

Next mission : Part 2 of Fairest of Them All ! I already have the whole plot, now I just need more time :')

Please excuse my aweful grammar mistakes. Like I said, I'm mostly writing these one shots by night due to my new job ! I can take requests if wanted, it might just take some time. ☀️

Kieran Duffy x GenderNeutral!Reader 

Word count : 2.5k

Short summary : You and Kieran are two night owls who found one another on the dock of Clemens Point to gaze at the stars.

Tags : cute, our favourite horse boah, Chapter 3, Clemens Point, Kieran being cute asf, insecurity, stargazing

"O’Driscoll."

Here’s what Kieran heard most of the time, in the most scornful tone. No matter what he was doing, no matter what he was looking at, no matter what he was talking about. He was an O’Driscoll boy, and almost everyone in the gang reminded him about his former allegiance, even little Jack. He always felt safe around horses, they would not yell at him for a simple mistake, or openly pick on him like Sean would do. Kieran was a shadow, hiding from the rest of the gang despite Bill’s or Arthur’s best efforts to have, at least, one beer with him. Kieran was scared of many gang members, but certainly not of you. 

Since Arthur brought Kieran, first tied up in Colter’s stable, you had been overwhelmingly kind to him. You had given him food and had the right to untie him for him to relieve himself. You hated Dutch’s decision to keep him tied up and not having the right to feed him, but your own motives won over his orders. You could not stand Kieran’s endless cries for food, you just wanted him alright. Since he was free and taking care of horses, Kieran kept offering you his gratitude by picking a few flowers nearby, carefully placing them on your cot. He was too shy to directly give his bouquets to you… and you never knew who gave you all these gifts. 

Just like Mary-Beth, you had fallen for him. When you were not on guard duty, you enjoyed looking at him from enough distance for him not to spot you. You were too shy to talk to him, somewhat intimidated by his gaze. His large green and arched eyebrows always made him look like a lost puppy, which was quick to make you forget about what you wanted to tell him. But one thing was quick to make your heart rate increase in a mere blink of an eye : whenever your gaze met his, he would quickly blush and smile at you. He was deeply fond of you and, despite being quite awkward with the rest of the gang members, was quick to show his emotions to you. 

That night, you were resting by the dock of Clemens Point. Not a sound could be heard but the faint noise of campfire’s burning logs, or Arthur’s snore as you passed by his tent. Even Dutch was silent after his numerous arguments with Molly, which were now a routine. You had wandered around the tents to see if there were no other lost souls, night owls like you… but everyone was asleep. You had walked to the dock and sat there, taking your boots off and pulling your trousers up, allowing your feet to rest in the cold water. You were facing West, taking time to appreciate how beautiful the sky was, with the Milky Way showing its most beautiful stars above your head, giving you a beautiful picture to enjoy. Gazing at the sky by night was something you often cherished as it was relaxing. 

"M…M-May I join you ?" 

You turned your head to your right, noticing that Kieran was standing there, dressed in his underwear. His voice was so faint and calm that you had barely heard it. You could tell he was blushing, his hands clenching on the bottom of his shirt, nearly tearing it in the process. You shivered, still intimidated by his presence, gently nodding while patting an empty space beside you.

"Sure." you smiled 

It had taken about two or three days for Kieran to make this first move with you. He had mentally rehearsed his speech, from his moves to his facial expression, deeply scared of making you run away. He awkwardly moved forward and sat beside you, the tip of his feet touching the water. His heart rate was incredibly quick, he could not come out with any decent word to make the conversation. In fact… neither could you. His sole presence felt calming enough for you to enjoy the moment, but you were terrified of saying a word, believing he would also run away from you. How wrong the two of you were ! 

"Crap! It’s cold !" Kieran gasped, quickly dragging his feet out of water

"C’mon, it ain’t so cold." you smiled as Kieran turned to face you

"It is !"

His reaction was heartwarming enough for you to chuckle. The simple fact that he wanted to do things like you, plunging his feet into water despite its temperature was not hot enough, made him look adorable. You had seen Kieran trying to fit in with the rest of the gang by mimicking them on a daily basis, often trying to hold himself like Arthur, sitting by the fire like Sean or helping Ms. Grimshaw with morning chores by repeating her tasks with her proudly watching him do better than the girls all-together. He had genuinely believed the water was somewhat warm when he saw you bouncing your legs back and forth and wanted to join you into this harmless activity. 

As soon as he noticed you laugh a little, Kieran blushed and turned his head down. He believed he had ridiculed himself before you, and was wrong ! He turned his head back to you and smiled as he quickly understood he had no right to be ashamed, judging by the comforting glance you gave him. He was so confused and charmed at the same time, enough for him to smile even more. At this moment, he understood that there was nothing to be scared about. In fact, he felt comfortable enough to speak again. 

"You… you like gazing at the stars, right ?" he asked 

"Yeah. I find it relaxing, especially after tough days. What about you ?" 

"Same for me. I love watching stars move above my head… it makes me realise how actually small we are compared with what’s up there." 

Your eyes open wide to this statement. Just like you, Kieran loved watching the sky, acknowledging how tiny humans were, and how vast the universe was above you. Centuries ago, you would have been called mad by believing something existed beyond Earth and probably burnt at the stake for heresy. What was above your head was fascinating enough for you be feel lost in your thoughts, but never could you have imagined that Kieran felt the same as you, especially since he could neither read or write. 

"My mammy used to say we’re tiny beings." Kieran restarted. "She used to bring me to fields to gaze at the stars and often told me stuff about constellations. Can’t but think about her when I look at the sky now." 

"What we she like ?" you asked

"Beautiful and kind. She had her ways, but she loved things that weren’t good for ladies. I was ‘bout six when I lost her and pappy to cholera." 

"I’m… I’m sorry." 

"Don’t be. It ain’t your fault."

You could help but feel bad about Kieran’s past. The way he childishly called his parents mammy and pappy made you remember your own life, how you had lost your family at a young age too. Having been left alone in the streets of your hometown for years, Dutch and Hosea finding you felt like a miracle, providing you with a family you never expected to have, with Arthur and John as your two older brothers, watching over you since your induction into the gang. Kieran was certainly not as lucky as you, having joined the army for some time before leaving, living on his own before the O’Driscolls got him. Poor Kieran had it worse than many folks of your gang, being an outcast for most of his life. 

As far as you remembered, you were still young when Colm and Dutch’s feud occurred and had time to see how cruel the leader of the O’Driscoll boys was with his men. Dutch had shielded you from him, not allowing you to be nowhere near Colm or one of his men. You could remember Arthur and John never leaving you alone when Colm was walking by, even dragging you behind them when he was glancing towards your direction. You felt terrible you heard Kieran speak about him by the fire, how cruel and merciless he was, how many of his men he killed to just replace them, believing he went through hell while riding with the O’Driscoll Boys. At least he was safe with you ! 

"B-by the way… it was me." Kieran mumbled 

"You ?"

"I… I-I’m the one w-who puts flowers on your cot." 

You shivered and blushed at this sudden confession. It might have taken so much courage for Kieran to admit such thing to you ! You had been questioning a few gang members for weeks about these gifts, not knowing who would give you flowers and why someone would even gift you something anyway. You were close to mostly everyone, but probably not enough for anyone to give you flowers. 

"You’re the one who’s been bringing me flowers all this long ?" you blushed, feeling your heart rate increase 

"Y-yeah… You’re so kind to me, and… you know, you didn’t treat me like a monster. And… well… you…"

Kieran kept loosing his words, turning his head down. Saying he was the one who was secretly giving you these beautiful flowers was already such a big step forward ! He could not even think about what he could say next, being overwhelmingly terrified about your rejection, still being somewhat aware that you were receptive to his sweet charms. Kieran kept his head down for a moment as his large eyes twitched a little towards you.

"You’re really attractive…" he mumbled 

Your heart stopped beating for a second. If Kieran had told something like this during the day, he would have seen you turning red. Your mouth was half-open, you could not even respond to his sudden compliment. How sweet and genuinely kind Kieran was ! Enough for you to completely forget about your surroundings, and about Dutch who had been woken up, looking at the two of you between his tent flaps while Molly was asleep. The rest of the world did not matter much as you and Kieran, two night owls gazing at the stars above, finally found each other. Yes, finally.

"You… it’s alright… you can tell me to stop…" Kieran mumbled, shyly turning his head away while closing his eyes. "I ain’t probably the one you expected…"

"N-no ! Don’t ever stop, please." you gasped. "Don’t !" 

Despite feeling a vast amount of butterflies and bubbles inside you, you could not hold it any longer. You took a deep breath and dragged your feet out of water, moving a little closer to Kieran. Your hand rose to his directly, you lifted his face by gently holding his chin. What a move ! You could feel him shiver as he quickly opened his large eyes to look at you, still surprised. He even looked a little scared… like the lost puppy you thought him to be. 

"Y/N…?"

Your other free hand made its way to his cheek, his eyes opened wide. Nobody had even been so gentle towards him, so kind ! And there you were, there you were. His sunshine, his wildest dream. He would have never expected you to be this receptive to his words and act so gently with him. His eyes got filled with tears of happiness, he even moaned of pleasure as you rubbed his cheek with your thumb. The very last time someone had touched his face so gently was his mother herself, on her deathbed. It felt good enough for him to smile, bending his head for you to keep going while looking deep into your eyes. 

"You’re such a treasure, Kieran…" you smiled. "My treasure… I’m so glad I found you… "

"I’m… I-I’m happy I finally f-found you too…" Kieran stuttered

As you looked into his eyes, you had not noticed that Kieran’s hands had moved to your waist. He rose a little, moving his legs aside as he dragged you a little closer to him, carefully enough not to scare you. He did not want you to run away, he could not allow this… neither could you. You had found each other, and it felt like the beautifulest dream anyone of you could ever imagine. 

"I... l-love you." he whispered

You had no time to respond to such a beautiful sentence, Kieran had quickly moved forward to passionately kiss you. Your hands moved to his shoulders, you clung onto his shirt as you were softly pushed down, laying beneath Kieran who could not back away anymore. He kept kissing you so passionately that you even forgot about time and your surroundings. Nothing else mattered but the two of you, finally fusing into one being  beneath this endless star-filled sky. Kieran rose a little above you as you gently caught his face between your hands, gazing into his beautiful eyes. 

"I love you." you smiled 

Kieran smiled and arched his eyebrows, being overwhelmingly thrilled by what you had just said. No one had ever told him such thing ! He wanted to cry, but having you so close to him, ready to receive another kiss from him made him forget about all these negative and nostalgic thoughts he usually kept for himself. He kissed you one more time as you heard someone walk on the dock, causing the two of you to quickly stand up. Dutch was there, his arms crossed on his chest. You and Kieran stood still, turning your head down like two children who had been caught red-handed after messing around, which made Dutch smile. 

"What are you doing here ?" he asked 

"Gazing at the stars, Dutch." you responded

"We weren’t doin’ anything wrong, S-sir." Kieran added

"You sure weren’t, now go to sleep. Y/N, you’re on guard duty tomorrow, and we need Kieran to take care of horses." 

The two of you nodded, causing Dutch to chuckle a little as he watch the two of you walk away in line. Right before separating, you dragged Kieran inside your tent and closed its flaps. In no way could you just leave Kieran sleep by the tree alone again ! You allowed him to lie down on your cot first. He opened his arms to greet you into his embrace. 

"Cuddles ?" he whispered

Your heart melted one more time, you could not resist. You obliged and lied next to him, wrapping your arms around his waist. Your head quickly nuzzled in the crook of his neck as he placed a blanket above the two of you. 

"All good ?" you asked

"All good." 

It had been such a long while since Kieran did not get the right to lie down and enjoy a bed, even a bedroll, anything more comfortable than the bare ground ! He was quick to feel a relaxed, slowly drifting into sleep as he snuggled into your thin mattress. You rose a little to kiss his cheek, causing him to moan while holding you closer to him, held into your embrace on a comfortable bed, hiding under a warm blanket. He had forgotten how great it felt to have covers above him, how great it was to be loved. And, with you, he would remember what love felt like. 

"Goodnight, Kieran." you whispered

[euoniatz]

Hey I saw your post abt writers block! I never really see people write much for Charles smith x male reader, can I get a fluff + smut pleaseeeeeee?

hi anon! i don't really write smut sorryy :( but fluff i can definitely do! 🙊💕 my brain decided to go chaos mode with this so it's a little all over the place. i hope that's fine anyways and that you'll enjoy!

☆ charles smith x male reader

tags: fluff, first kiss, getting together, pre-canon

wordcount: 1417

(not proof read)

<3

no one notices him as he slips back into camp with a pack slung over his shoulder. no one except you.

ignoring your mare's protest to the lack of movement of the brush in your hand, you watch as charles, the one you can't seem to place, drops of a pair of hares at pearson's stand before heading back towards the edges of camp.

you furrow your brows and glance at the moon high in the sky. why he's heading out in to the woods at this time of night evades you.

he has a lean-to in camp. one that he sleeps in more often than not. one that you share.

you've come to know charles as someone far from what you first expected him to be like.

where you only saw broad shoulders, bulging muscles, and an aura steering even a drunk-off-her-ass karen away, he shows you kindness wrapped in crafted arrowheads and feathers for your hat.

he shows you gentle in the way he murmurs to the deer and the fox and the elk before stabbing his knife in their hearts. in the way he weaves his fingers together as he tells you about his sad, sad past and teaches you about things you'd never even thought of.

he shows you passion in the way his voice turns fiery with rage as you confront bison-killers together. in the way he's steady when he tells arthur or john or you that the fool at the end of your gun doesn't need to die.

yeah, it's safe to say you've never met someone quite like charles smith.

you barely even remember how the two of you got so close. it's only been half a year since you were thrust into the madness of the gang, but all the memories of being distrusting and unsure of yourself have been replaced with the one's of charles' hand brushing yours as you work together on chores or talks that muddle time in some crazy way only mary-beth and her novels could explain.

maybe you are simply both of the quieter nature. maybe your shared interest in nature and animals is what brings you together. or it's the fact that you're both relatively new to the gang. perhaps you just simply like each other.

nevertheless, charles sneaking off in the middle of the night after just returning tells that either he's taking a leak and will be back within the next minute, or this is a sign for you to talk to him.

you wait a minute. no sign of him.

making up your mind, you give your horse an apologetic pat and ventures into the dark of the surrounding woods. the moon is bright enough so you won't fall face first in the dirt, but you still fail to suppress a shudder as a crow caws above you and the bushes around you seems to move.

heart thundering like hoofbeats inside your chest, you swallow and push through the thick leaves ahead, eager to find charles before the silence of the woods consumes you, barely realizing the way your foot snags on something before you're falling-

someone catches you halfway on your descent to the thorns below. gasping, you quickly get your feet back under you to push the stranger away.

"woah, easy," charles says as you breathe a sigh of relief, hands hovering next to you before he realizes the fact and hastily clenches them at his sides.

"you fool," you huff, still breathless from your battle with the bushes or maybe the way his hands felt on your skin. "what are you doing out here?"

charles raises a brow, clearly amused. "could ask you the same thing, but i won't," he holds out a pouch full of bloodied and dull arrowheads. "i need to get this done before i forget."

that's a lie, he never forgets anything. you're about to make an excuse so he can be left to the solitude he so clearly went looking for when he nods to a patch of grass beyond the trees.

"if you're not busy doing... this," he gestures to the godforsaken bush again "you could help, if you want?" he asks, tone suddenly unsure.

you do. god, you do. you nod fiercly and set off for the clearing, really just hoping you won't fall over on the way there. you hear charles sigh behind you, and you think it's one of relief.

"here," charles says and offers a knife when you're both seated in the grass that you both made it to safely and without issue.

you shake your head and pull your own from your belt, grabbing one of the arrows instead. a comfortable silence envelops you as you both get to work sliding your blades against the bloody tips.

then, as you lay your finished arrow in front of you and goes to grab another, charles sighs and lays back in the grass. you watch him curiously, your brain not being able to come up with anything other than how peaceful he looks like this.

you go back to working to keep your hands occupied as he speaks, "dutch's and micah's plan - what do you think?"

you snort and work your jaw a bit before responding. "the boat job? arthur says he has a bad feeling, and he's right more often than he's wrong. i don't know, lotta money if it goes right, i guess."

you don't know much about the plan itself other than the fact that micah seems to think himself a genius for procuring it, and that arthur and hosea don't trust him or his reasoning.

dutch is onto that money like a shark though, and the way things usually go, he'll refuse to hear reason and do it anyway. will only get out alive and richer because arthur and the others will be there too, killing folk so they can get away.

"lots of death if it goes wrong," charles adds and you hum, tossing the knife and laying down next to him, looking at the stars above.

"you don't fancy it either, then?" you say.

charles is silent for a second, which tells you that no, no he does not.

"i think arthur's right about this micah feller," he says finally. "he only needs dutch on his side, though, to hell with the rest of us."

"yeah." you grind your teeth just thinking about it. everything you hear him say to the women and charles and lenny and tilly - you seriously doubt anyone but dutch and micah himself wants him here.

"but," you sit up, scooting closer without really meaning to. "we'll be okay, i know it."

charles blinks up at you, a soft smile tugging at his lips as he raises himself to his elbows. normally you would have moved away by now, excpet something is telling you to stay. you lick your lips, eyes flicking to his before they go back to his eyes.

"yeah?" he murmurs. "how do you know that, mister?"

the distance between you shrink inch by agonizing inch, and your eyes grow wide as you feel his breath on your face. for a moment, only your combined breathing can be heard in the forest, as if the world stopped when you weren't looking.

mind running a mile a minute, you gape in shock that this is really happening, neglecting to respond long enough for charles to begin pulling away.

"hey..." you quickly grab him and hold him steady beneath you, hoping your voice won't be shaking as much as your hands are. "because we'll be in it together."

charles smiles, wide and genuine. you don't have time to appreciate it before he's pulling you in - grabbing your face and setting his hand on your side - and kissing you.

it's like a dream, the way your lips move against one another as if that's all they were ever meant to do. you can't believe this is happening - finally happening.

when you finally pull back to breathe, you laugh breathlessly and kiss the corner of his mouth as he grins and wraps you in his arms. "you fool," he say into his neck, "i can't believe it took micah's foolishness to get us to finally do this."

and then finally you get to hear charles smith laugh, and you think you found the heaven people insist lies in the sky, right here on the ground, beneath you and around you and beside you - just as it should be <3

<3

thank you for reading! feel free to send me more writing requests 💗

[brighter-by-the-daly]

Rachel Daly x Reader

Right Person, Wrong Time

Part of the Beth McCarthy mini song series

She Gets the Flowers

But she gets the flowers, right?

The posts made about her

A love that is perfect, a love I deserved, yeah

A love that I gave

I got excuses and you got to use this

Leave me in the dust with nothing and just walk away

But she gets the flowers, right?

You hate horrors but being out voted by the rest of the squad meant film night was a terrifying ordeal at best. Scattered around the room on bean bags and blow up chairs were the England senior squad on our last night before leaving for the Sunshine Coast. Determined to stay awake as long as possible so we’d all sleep on the plane we had gathered all the sweets, cake and ice cream we could find out of chef’s kitchen before curling up in the games room. After Millie snatched your phone away earlier for distracting yourself from the gorey scenes with Candy Crush you were left with no option other than to give the film your full attention. Either that or count the tiles on the ceiling. You had tried to make an exit when you were out voted but being promptly sat on by Mary meant you were forced against your will to participate in film night. The snacks sort of made it worth it and the movie was kinda bareable until it got dark and they refused to turn the lights on. The thought of sleeping alone tonight was unbearable as you hid behind your cushion.

“FUCK OFF!” screaming and launching your pillow of comfort in their direction after being jump scared by Rachel and Millie.. again! More like daly annoyance than daly brightness! They found it absolutely hilarious sneaking up on you and as they dodged your pillow flying towards them with the camera rolling, your patience had worn out causing you to storm out. They knew you were scared and still played pranks on you, the worst friends a girl could have! There’s never a dull moment with them around but you hated being the butt of their silly jokes.

Earning your caps one after the other in 2016 meant you’d been firm friends throughout your senior careers and undoubtedly this World Cup will probably be your last all together. You’d been determined to enjoy every moment of it but when making that pledge you did not anticipate it starting with a film that would give you nightmares. You were quite susceptible to bad dreams lately, probably the stress and worry of travelling so far away from home. Living by yourself meant there was no one to comfort you when you awake in cold sweats and that’s probably the worst part of being single.

Your face glowed from the light on your phone, you’d woken up from a nightmare just as you had expected. Groaning at the time being only an hour later from when you flopped onto the mattress, you scoured Facebook trying to make your heartbeat return to normal. When that didn’t work you turned to your trusted Candy Crush, completing a few levels until somebody noticed you’d been recently active on Facebook.

R - Why you awake?

Y - Nightmares

R - Want company?

Y - 🤷🏻‍♀️

Not thinking Rachel would actually come over you grunted at having to get out of bed to answer the gentle knock on the door. Immediately crawling back under the covers and picking up your phone again “why were you awake?” you asked her with a mumble into the duvet. “Nightmares too, it’s very far away from home.. can I?” pointing towards the bed waiting for an invitation to get in. Patting the mattress to give permission she crawled inside the covers pulling you onto her chest and stroking your back. “Sorry for teasing you earlier, we went a step too far” humming in agreement as you continued the level on your game. You weren’t really in the mood for talking but you couldn’t hide the fact you instantly felt better with someone to comfort you. Spending 5 years single since your last relationship meant you missed being held and having skin to skin contact with someone.

A knock at the door awoke you both from your slumber, as Rachel went to answer it Millie’s loud voice made you wince. “OOOOHHH! What’s going on here then?” screeching as she entered the room. “Nothing, we both couldn’t sleep” Rachel dismissed your friend immediately. “Yeah, yeah I’ve heard that before!” she taunted you both, sitting herself down on the bed. You and Rachel had an on/off FWB situation since you first met but when she started dating Kristie and Millie T, that ended, well.. paused. For the most part anyway. You had linked back up again in between relationships (and during, mistakes on both your parts) but nothing ever developed further, just using each other to fill a void that was otherwise missing in your lives. At the time you were both young and neither could give yourselves to each other completely. You were at Arsenal, Rach was in America and you hadn’t hooked up since Millie T came on the scene. You knew how to fit together, no pressing conversations about actual couple drama like bills and schedules. Rachel’s needs were always physical however yours was more emotional and when you found yourself longing to be snuggled up with her whilst with your girlfriend, that’s when you knew nothing was going to work out for you unless it was with Rach.

You had started to find yourself jealous every time Rachel and Kristie posted about each other, then every game Man U won, Rachel would send Millie flowers. You gave her your undivided attention, always wanting a little bit more than she was willing to give you but that didn’t appear to be a problem for Kristie or Millie. The company at night was what you missed the most, knowing that was when your demons reared their ugly heads but when you were with Rach, that didn’t happen - maybe your brain knew something your heart refused to admit at the time. Your relationships just never felt the same, no one gave you the spark that Rachel did and that’s why nothing ever worked out long term for you. Choosing to put your career first rather than finding a mate and deciding you’re destined to be single for the rest of your life. Being held by her last night felt nostalgic no less.

—————

Finally in Australia you were close to falling asleep on the table you were stirring your coffee on when a camera was shoved in your face. “Here’s my roomie!” Rachel shouted, the noise making you cover your ears and delayed processing what she had said. When it finally hit, you jumped up with excitement nearly knocking over your coffee as your hip nudged the table. Squealing with her, pleased you had someone to bunk with you at least knew well enough to make the tournament bareable. The younger players didn’t know what was about to hit them - more rigorous training, tactics coming out their eyeballs, your fans being minimal compared to what’s expected at home. You were pleased you had a friend to share your mutual space with at the end of the day.

Weeks passed into the full swing of the World Cup and England had reached the quarter finals. Taking a midday nap had become custom when the sun was the hottest but you mustn’t have locked the door properly today, realising just as Millie burst in. About to say something before stopping in her tracks and changing her statement to a question. “Rachel, don’t you sleep in your bed?” Looking at both your suitcases dumped on top of the second bed appeared as if it hadn’t been slept in since you got here. The nightmares for both of you had continued since your arrival but you found you always slept better snuggled up together. There was nothing sexual about it, purely the comforting and familiar sense of two people connected one way or another. Rolling over and rubbing her eyes to see Millie stood there with a puzzled look on her face and waiting for a response from either of her best friends. “We don’t have nightmares if we sleep in the same bed so we’re just using that one as a shelf. We need to be well slept, you understand that right Mill?” Rachel informed her best friend. “So you’re not at it again?” her eyes squinty like she was trying to read between the lines something that wasn’t there. “Don’t be ridiculous, with Sarina’s rules? I don’t think so!” Rachel laughed, Sarina had very strict rules when it came to tournaments which even extended to what happened in the bedrooms. “Good because I can’t be dealing with (y/n)‘s heartbreak again” Millie said sporadically throwing herself between the suitcases on the spare bed. You were still facing the other way, not ready to move from your comfortable position on the bed but hearing those words suddenly made your eyes bulge out of your head. Rachel had no idea of the feelings you had for her and it had been that way for 7 years. Her eyebrows furrowed as she dissected what Millie had said. “I broke you heart?” she turned to look at you confused. Millie promptly excused herself after dropping that bomb and swiftly exited the room with a guilty expression. “I thought you knew it was just sex?” her voice soft as she sat back down on the bed. Still facing the opposite direction caused Rachel to nudge you, “hey, look at me” she urged softly as you finally gathered the courage to face the eye contact being shot in your direction. “I did know it was just sex and I was okay with it” which led to being quizzed like you were under investigation, “then why did Millie say you were heartbroken?” Biting the bullet knowing there was no way you were going to wiggle out of this one; “because, I didn’t realise until it was over that for me it was more than that. Nobody else made me feel as safe as you did, that’s why nothing ever worked out for me” you admitted. Sitting cross legged opposite each other she let out a light hearted whimper, “if I’d known that then I would have given us a shot!” she shoved your shoulder gently. “If I’d known that I would have told you!” laughing lightly at your complete blindness to each other’s feelings. “Really?” turning the questioning onto her. “Yeah! They say the best relationships start from friendship and we already know we’re compatible!” now with both of you laughing fully at your admissions.

The talking continued well into the evening, asking why she never acted upon the words you’re hearing now as she explained she didn’t want to spook you. Thinking that the other one only wanted a physical thing rather than a relationship meant you both missed the obvious signs that you clearly wanted each other back then. You were the reason none of her relationships worked out either, admitting that both of you had been searching for each other in other people for 7 years instead of just acknowledging there was more to it than you cared to confess. It was the reason you always came back to each other, you worked in more ways than just one but you were both too blind to see that.

———

Walking around the pitch for your lap of honour after lifting the trophy with your friends, Rach held you back from the rest of the team. With a tug on your arm your pace slowed until you were far enough away for them not hear what was about to be said. “Do you think it’s too late for us?” Rach asked covering her mouth so the cameras couldn’t pick up what she said. “No I don’t think so” you smiled, “actually I think the timing is perfect. I heard you’re moving to Villa too?” turning to look at the confusion in her eyes and nodding when you saw they were searching for the answer in your face - Carla had signed you both meaning for the first time other than national, you’ll both be on the same team.

[allzelemonz]

Suitors: Kieran Duffy X Male Reader

Pronouns: he/him, Reader referred to as ‘boy’, ‘lad’ and ‘man’ Physical Sex: None Mentioned Rating: T/Language Warnings: Sean is a bully, Bill is gay (cannon, literally just talk to him it’s so obvious), Kieran has game but he doesn’t know it, Reader and Bill are besties, this one is silly and messy but it’s fun Summary: Sean attempts to mess with Kieran by flirting with you, but you put him in his place with help from your best friend Bill.

Kieran has been working hard ever since the Van Der Lindes let him off of the tree. He enjoys working with the horses, but it’s grueling. Whatever free time he has is filled with torment from whatever Van Der Linde happens to be closest. Bill will invite him to drink on occasion, but after that incident with the tongs Kieran would rather keep his distance. It’s Sean that seems to seek him out for mild torture. He’s headbut him, threatened him, generally been cruel. But when the Irishman found out about Kieran’s little crush on you, it got worse.

You aren’t sweet on Sean by any means, you hardly talk to him. Most of your time is spent with Molly, listening to her drone about Dutch, or with Bill on jobs. But now Sean seeks you out, so long as Kieran can see. In an attempt to escape Sean, Kieran accepted Bill’s invitation to sit by the fire. Bill has been trying to be nicer, gesturing for Kieran to sit on the crate next to him and handing him a beer. Kieran takes the bottle and gives Bill a small smile, sitting on the edge of his seat given how he met the man he’s sitting with.

“Come on, lad!” Sean laughs. “Admit it! You’re in love with me!”

Kieran looks up to see you and Sean by Pearson’s cart, getting dinner for the night.

“You’ve been following me all day, Sean, and I only find you more annoying.”

“Come on now.” Sean says, following you towards the fire. “I’m a good, honest son a’ the soil.”

“Shut up, Sean.” You sigh, taking a seat on the log.

“He been followin’ ya all day?” Bill leans over to ask.

“Unfortunately.”

“Oh, you’ll fall for me.” Sean laughs, settling in next to you. “Everybody does.”

“Ain’t that what ya said ta Miss Tilly?” Bill asks.

You nod. “And Mary-Beth?”

“Oh, shut it, ya sorry sods.”

“Take your own advice.” You say, eating a spoonful of stew.

Bill laughs at that, miming a cheers to you with his beer bottle. Kieran smiles to himself, taking a sip from his own bottle.

“What’re you smirkin’ at, O’Driscoll?” Sean mocks.

“He’s not an O’Driscoll, Sean.” You sigh, having said it a hundred times.

Sean turns to you. “How’re we ta know he’s not still workin’ for Colom?”

“It’s Colm.” You say, putting your bowl down.

“It’s Colom.”

“He’s right.” Kieran says quietly. “It’s Colm.”

“It’s Irish, it’s Colom. We’ve had this little chat before, O’Driscoll.”

“Half the people here are Irish, Sean. They all say Colm.” You look at Kieran. “Does he say Colm or Colom?”

“Colm.” Kieran says.

“Good. Shut up, Sean.”

Sean groans. “You’re seriously sidin’ with the O’Driscoll over me?”

“I am.” Bill mutters.

“Unbelievable.” Sean says.

“He’s nicer than ya.” Bill argues. “Quiet too.”

“Come to think of it,” You look at Sean, knowing this will hurt him. “You’re Micah, just louder.”

“I am not!”

Bill laughs again, clutching his stomach because it’s more boisterous this time. Kieran smiles to himself again, careful to hide it this time.

“You’re comparin’ me ta that arse?” Sean stands, offended.

“Does that upset you?” You ask.

“You’re damn right it does!”

“Then yes, absolutely.”

“I ain’t nothin’ like him!”

You sigh. “Apologize to Kieran then.”

Kieran looks up at you as you stare Sean down.

“What?” Sean asks, screwing his face in confusion.

“You’ve been nothing but mean to him. Apologize.” You gesture to Kieran. “Micah would never do that.”

Kieran looks up again, avoiding Sean and focusing on you. Next to him, Bill finally has gotten his laughter under control and pats Kieran on the back.

Sean turns to Kieran. “Sorry, O’Driscoll.”

“Try again.” You shake your head.

Bill chuckles. “Like ya mean it!”

Kieran’s cheeks have turned pink from the embarrassment and attention.

Sean groans. “What’s he done to deserve my gratitude?”

“He’s been helpin’ us track Colm.” Bill says, making sure to say the American pronunciation.

“I take care a’ Ennis.” Kieran mutters.

You smile at Kieran. “That’s right. Your horse likes him, Sean. Why not you?”

Sean kicks his foot at the ground like a bored toddler and sighs. “Fine, fine.”

“Go on then.” You gesture to Kieran. “Apologize.”

“If it’ll make ya happy, love.” Sean faces Kieran. “I am truly sorry.”

Bill cheers, clapping Kieran on the back. “Ain’t that nice.”

“Ya in love with me now?” Sean asks, turning back to you.

“Shut up, Sean.”

He grins. “I’m warmin’ up to ya, I can tell these things, love.”

Sean walks off, claiming a victory with his own delusion.

“Okay, okay.” Bill leans forward in his seat, glancing between you and Kieran. “Now when are ya gettin’ together. I don’t wanna miss Sean’s fit.”

“What?” Kieran asks, a bit of a crack in his voice.

“I, uh, I didn’t tell him yet, Bill.”

“Oh, shit.” Bill exclaims. “I’m sorry, boys.”

“Tell me what?” Kieran asks.

“That I’m sweet on ya.” You lean forward to poke the fire with a stick as Kieran’s face flushes again. “Bill is too.”

“No I ain’t!” Bill argues.

“Bullshit, Bill. Look at you.”

Kieran looks between you two as you argue. He knows you’re good friends with Bill. This might be a common occurrence.

“I ain’t the one talkin’ about him like he’s some greek god!” Bill yells.

“That’s Mary-Beth, not me.”

“What?” Kieran asks again.

Bill laughs at that. “Sorry, Kieran, I ain’t so good at secrets.”

You laugh a little too. “You have a lot of people that’re sweet on you, Kieran.”

Kieran grips his beer bottle a little tighter as he takes in the information. “I do?”

Bill blushes a little. “Sure ya do.”

“Aren’t you two cute.” You muse.

“Shut up.” Bill mutters.

“Bill’s easy to fall, not so easy to admit it.” You say. “What was that guy from the saloon in Blackwater? Chris, Clyde?”

“Clark.” Bill sighs.

“Right.” You nod.

“So, you’re both sweet on me?” Kieran asks.

“He is more than me.” Bill says, taking a long drink of beer.

You chuckle, looking at the ground to hide the love-sick look on your face.

“I think I’ll leave ya to it.” Bill says after he finishes his bottle. “Just let me know when ya think Sean’ll throw a fit again.”

Before you can stop him, Bill is off towards the crate of beer to grab another and wander around. You turn to Kieran and give him a small smile. “Sorry about, uh, that.”

Kieran’s face is a solid pink and he can’t look you in the eyes. “It’s, uh, it’s alright, Mister.”

“You don’t have to call me Mister.”

“W-Were you tellin’ the truth?” Kieran asks, his eyebrows knitted in confusion. “About all that?”

You nod. “Yeah, all of it.”

Kieran chuckles lightly. “I didn’t take Bill fer the type.”

“It’s obvious once you spend some time with him.”

“Time with him?” Kieran asks.

You shake your head. “Not like that. He’s just my friend, Kieran.”

Kieran nods, looking back at the ground.

“Oh, for Christ’s sake!” Bill yells, stomping over. “You’re sweet on each other! Sit together, stare, kiss, somethin’!”

You laugh as you stand, taking Bill's former seat next to Kieran. “Happy, Bill?”

“You frustrate me.” He grumbles, stomping away.

“Is he, uh, he always like that?” Kieran asks, a small smile on his face.

“Usually.” You laugh. “He’s a sweetheart, I promise.”

“When he’s not torturin’ a feller?” Kieran laughs lightly.

“Exactly.” You smile, holding your hand out. “He’ll come yell at us again if we don’t do something. He’s been waiting for me to tell you for weeks now.”

Kieran grins as he takes your hand. “Ya sweet on me that long?”

“Sure.” You nod. “And I know Sean was flirting with me to mess with you.”

Kieran looks down, hiding his smile. You squeeze his hand a little tighter and look over to Bill. He gives you a thumbs up and takes another swig of beer. It’s not how you intended to tell Kieran, but nothing ever goes according to plan as a Van Der Linde.

[bourbon-ontherocks]

Gg's relationship with alcohol is truly fascinating yes! 🥃🥃🥃

(x)

I mean... I've been rewatching the show and that season 1 scene where Beth's like:

" Mary-Pat, you're gonna need a drink."

"It's three in the afternoon."

"Then let's have a double."

I was howling, it's like basically everyone in this show is a patented alcoholic and nobody ever addresses that, truly fascinating! 🥃

(s'not like I got my ENTIRE url from that fact either lol)

[i-am-a-bad-influence-writes]

Wherever I rest my head is home if it's with you

Part 2, At first sight

Masterlist Word count: 2 k Charles Smith x Fem!Reader Arthur Morgan x Mary Linton John Marston x Abigail Roberts Dutch Van der Linde x Molly O'Shea Mary-Beth Gaskill x Kieran Duffy

Summary: Looking for gold is a men's world in a town run by women. The amounts of violence and suffering these men go through with the hope of getting rich is insanity. Gold fever broke marriages and relationships alike until the settlement was nearly all women.  It's a small settlement, nearly a small town, next to the Elysian Pool. Most men red hot with gold fever pass through to stock up on supplies before heading down to the mines near Beaver's Hallow or Annesburg.  The settlement has only one law set in stone, as lawmen do not want to come there, and it is praised like it was one of the ten commandments. You do not harm the women.

Preview

Stupidly adorable. That was the first thing that came to Abigail's mind when she saw the scarred man standing in front of Sadie's porch. He had looked up at her like she was made of stardust, like she was more valuable and marvellous than anything else in the whole wide world. To her, he looked like a fool but an awfully likable one. One that could probably make her laugh.  On the ride to the tailer, he stumbled over his words and desperate attempts to flirt flung off his lips like he had rehearsed them a million times in his head. She heard herself giggling, a sound so unfamiliar to her but she can't help it. Now that he stands in front of her, getting his measurement taken by miss Tilly Jackson, looking as awkward as one can be, she can only feel a glow on her cheeks.  That's when Mary-Beth barrels in with some shirts for John to try. Tilly had been too caught up in measuring him up to notice Abigail's glowing cheeks, but Mary-Beth surely isn't. She had noticed the tension the second Abigail walked in.  Truth be told, Mary-Beth was only here to loiter around. Sadie had asked her to draft some political letter to send out to the Indians up north. She wants to help them, but Mary-Beth just couldn't find the proper words to use so she decided to take a walk and her walks always end at Tilly's tailor shop. Now that she's seen Abigail, she does have inspiration but not for what she was supposed to write. No, this is inspiration for one of her romance novels. A grumpy outlaw and a stubborn lady, what a story.  'Shut it,' Abigail sneers at her before she can start awing about the whole situation. Tilly turns and notices what is happening. A smile spreads on her face as she shakes her head in amusement. John, awfully unaware of the whole situation, gets the feeling they're laughing at him.  'I'm heading out, Tilly. I'll see you tonight. Abigail, are you and Lucky coming too?' She lies the shirts down on the counter and walks past Abigail and Tilly.  'We might,' Abigail grumbles as she crosses her arms in front of her chest tightly. Mary-Beth slips through the door and Abigail already knows where she's headed. If Mary-Beth finds gossip, Lucky is the first one to know.  'What is happening tonight,' John questions.  'That is for us to know and for you to find out,' Tilly says as she pats him on the shoulder, 'you can relax. Try these shirts in the back.' She shoves the stack of shirts in his hands as he turns around to look at Abigail once more.  'Thank you, miss Jackson,' he says, but he's not looking at Tilly. Abigail feels her cheeks heating up.  'No worries.' With one last look over his shoulder, John disappears into the changing room. Tilly turns to Abigail with a cheeky grin.  'You've got it bad,' she whispers.  'I know,' Abigail groans quietly, 'and he's a real fool too.'  'A handsome fool.'  'That he is,' Abigail admits with a sigh.