#imagine kieran and y/n camping together

[purerae]

(in my head Kieran is like this)

[Camping]

Kieran-"Who cares about a bunch of disgusting bugs? Hahahahaha"

Kieran's friends/fans:"Hahahaha"

Y/N-"what a beautiful butterfly, isn't it?"

Kieran-"Yes I agree with you baby, people should appreciate nature more"

Kieran's friends/fans-???

LM AOOOO this is so him it’s basically canon 🙏

[morgans-little-darlingwhore]

Arthur Morgan Headcanon - If Spirit was his stallion

Author’s note: I’m obsessed with “ Spirit stallion of the cimarron “ since I’m a child and couldn’t help but notice Arthur and Spirit have a lot in common: loyalty, courage, freedom. So, I imagined how would RDR2 have been if Spirit was Arthur’s horse, and if you met them :)

_________________________________________________

- The first time they met, spirit was in an O'Driscoll camp, attached to a pole, and Arthur freed him.

- A few months later Spirit found Arthur and helped him escape when he was kidnapped by the O'Driscolls. Then, he brought him back to camp and stayed with him as long as he was recovering.

- When Arthur visits Mary in Saint-Denis, Spirit bites him when he's about to go with Mary to the theatre, and Mary tells Arthur is horse is stupid and that he should sell him. Arthur then realises Mary is toxic for him.

- Whenever Micah walks near Spirit, he kicks him.

- He has never let anyone else than Arthur ride him.

- Sometimes he disappears for a few days and comes back when Arthur is in trouble, that's why people around camp think Spirit is a bewitched horse.

- Spirit is never afraid of wolves, gators, bears or gunshots. He's a real war horse and has saved Arthur's life many times.

- Arthur really likes to draw him and spends a lot of time alone with Spirit, cuddling him or brushing him.

- Sometimes Arthur thinks Spirit is his alter-ego.

- And he's certain about it when he realises Spirit likes to scare Kieran.

- Arthur never ties Spirit because he hates it and likes to wander around when he waits for Arthur.

- One day, Arthur saw you petting Spirit and was so surprised, because the stallion usually doesn't let anyone else than Arthur pet him.

- That's how Arthur met you. You gave an apple to Spirit and told Arthur that his stallion was magnificent.

- So Spirit started to strut, making you smile.

- And Arthur immediatly loved your smile.

- So he told you he'd be glad to let you ride Spirit, but the stallion doesn't want anyone else than Arthur on his back.

- You said it's okay, you used to have a mare that was acting the same way.

- Arthur became shy, realising how pretty you are, and wanted to leave but Spirit did not agree, wanting Arthur to spend time with you, so he decided not to move.

« Damn horse, I think I'm stuck in here for a moment. Maybe you'd like to have a drink ? »

So you and Arthur spent the evening together and he accompanied you to your house, not far from Rhodes.

- Spirit likes to change the route when Arthur is going somewhere, and he often passes near your house.

- So you often meet Arthur and spend time together.

- One day, Arthur decided to tell you he loves you, but when he came at your house to see you, he lost faith and decided to go away. You went out of your house and saw Arthur.

« Oh, Arthur, you wanted to see me ? »

« Oh, Y/N, yes, well, hum... » 

Spirit pushed Arthur with his head and Arthur fell on you.

« What the hell is wrong with this horse ? »

Arthur was blushing and you found it so cute. You couldn't help but take his face in your hands and kiss him.

He blushed even more, but then he kissed you once again.

« I think this horse knows better than us what we should do »  you answered.

- When Arthur was in Guarma, Spirit was waiting for him in Saint-Denis, searching everyday for his favourite hooman.

- And he directly dropped him right at your home when Arthur came back.

- During Arthur's last ride, Spirit was really nervous, and when Arthur got off of him, he rubbed his head on Arthur's chest.

When somebody shot him, he tried his best to keep running but couldn't do it anymore.

And Arthur understood it. His heart was broken.

- But Spirit didn't die and joined Arthur when he was lying on the ground. He watched over him until the end.

- When Arthur died, Spirit came at your house, and you directly understood that something was wrong. You were certain something happened when Spirit left you ride him.

He dropped you where Arthur was lying, and stayed with you all day long, when you were crying on Arthur's body.

Then he dropped you home and never came back.

- Sometimes you meet Spirit when you meditate on Arthur's grave.

And sometimes you see the beautiful stallion on the sunset, running with a deer.

Deep down, you know Arthur and Spirit are protecting you from afar. You’re sad, but you have the feeling deep inside that now, they’re evermore free.

I added so much media because omg I couldn’t choose between all of these beautiful pictures.

[cowboynuts]

Rotten Mood

Arthur Morgan x Male Reader

AO3: Rotten Mood

Word Count: 2.2K

It had only been a couple of weeks since Dutch had allowed Kieran to walk freely with the rest of the gang. He was still shy and skittish— and it didn’t help that a lot of the other men pushed him around and snarled at him. Arthur was kinder by comparison, but you knew he still came off as short and angry. After seeing the way he treated Kieran, you were extremely thankful that Arthur was sweet on you. If that was what decently nice looked like for Arthur, you didn’t want to imagine what it would be like if he didn’t get on well with you. Still, he was courteous enough towards the newest gang member. You felt pity for him. You knew what it was like being the new man around and how hard it could be— especially with someone they didn’t trust all too well. That, paired with your kind nature, and you found yourself wandering over and chatting with him more often than anyone else. He knew quite a fair share about horses and even taught you a few things you hadn’t picked up on. Although shy, he was a real sweetheart and you grew to enjoy his presence. Chatting with him in the shade one particularly sweltering afternoon, you learned why Arthur was being so nice towards him.

“You did what? ”

He smiled coyly, “He ain’t told you? Figured he would. You two seem close.”

“We are,” you frowned, “But no, he ain’t told me.”

Kieran shrugged, “Weren’t a big thing. He was taken off guard so I shot the feller. Reckon it saved me from bein’ thrown out on my ass, though.”

“That’s why Dutch been trustin’ you more.”

He nodded silently. You felt your jaw lock with irritation. Arthur had almost been killed. Not that he wasn’t in danger all the time, but this seemed like a much closer call than usual. Your stomach churned with equal parts anger and dread at the thought of coming so close to losing him.

“Thanks, Kieran,” you mumbled as you stood up, eyes scanning camp for Arthur.

“H-Hey. You ain’t gon go tell him I told you that, are ya?”

“Don’t worry,” you called as you started walking away, “I won’t let him pester you about it.”

You found him sitting near the canyon ledge, back against a tree and staring off into the distance. He glanced over at you as you approached and gave a huff before looking back in front of him, sulking. You nudged his thigh with your boot playfully, “Hey, cowboy.”

He set his jaw, “Ya need something.”

You frowned, a little taken aback, “I gotta need somethin’? Maybe I just missed you.”

He didn’t acknowledge you, just moving to clench his jaw silently. You let out a sigh and sat down next to him. He had picked a spot that was decently far away from camp and secluded in a cluster of trees, which you were thankful for as you sat almost pressed flush against him. He tensed, but didn’t move to scoot away from you. You looked out in front of you and took in the view of the valley. It was gorgeous— you could stare at it all day, but you had other things on your mind.

“Alright, what’s got you in such a rotten mood?”

He chewed his lip stubbornly and looked down at the ground. You let out a soft sigh and let your head fall back against the tree, “You don’t gotta talk to me. But you know you always can, right?”

He shot a glance sideways at you, curiosity and stubbornness in his bright blue eyes. You leaned against him slightly, shoulders bumping one another.

“Kieran told me he kept that O'Driscoll from putting a bullet in you.”

He snorted, his voice bitter, “ Kieran. ”

You narrowed your eyes, “What you got against him all of a sudden? He’s kind, Arthur. I was new here once, too. I know it ain’t the same, but—“

“Why don’t you go talk to Kieran if he’s so kind,” he snapped as he crossed his arms and leaned away from your touch.

Your eyebrows knitted together with confusion and then relaxed as you put the pieces together. You tried your best to hide your smirk, “Arthur, are you jealous ?”

He clenched his jaw again and refused to meet your gaze, “No.”

You smiled smugly, “You are.”

He finally looked at you with irritation, “I ain’t. ”

“Arthur, I know you like to be shut off with everyone else,” you touched his bicep lightly and softened your voice, “but I see right through it.”

He glared at you but didn’t move away. You let out another soft sigh, “I mean it when I say you can talk to me— you know that, right?”

You watched your words turn over in his mind as he looked away again. He kept his arms crossed over his chest, but his grip loosened and he relaxed a bit from his tense frustration. You reached over to rest your hand on his thigh comfortingly and he sighed heavily in response. He looked at you again, his eyes softer with exhaustion painting his features. You leaned forward to kiss his forehead gently.

“Talk to me,” you whispered.

“I just— I seen you with him and…” he sighed and looked down, “I don’t deserve you.”

“Why would you say a thing like that?”

He shrugged, chewing his lip, “I’m an old, ugly bastard, (Y/N). You should be with someone better than me.”

“Arthur,” you tilted his chin to meet his gaze, “From the moment I saw you I was sweet on you. There’s so many things I adore about you. We’d be here all day if I said every one of ‘em. I don’t want Kieran. I don’t want nobody else but you.”

He looked away, shaking his head. You took one of his hands in yours, thumbs brushing across his rough knuckles lovingly.

“Arthur, I don’t know what I woulda done if you got shot. I-if I lost you.”

You swallowed thickly as he looked at you again. You felt his fingers brush your cheek gently and you drew in a shaky breath.  

“You ain’t gonna lose me, darlin’.”

“Promise me you’ll be more careful,” your voice was barely audible.

He nodded, “I promise.”

You relaxed a bit and smiled, “And promise me you’ll come talk to me when you get caught up in that head of yours again.”

He chuckled lightly, “Alright, alright.”

You leaned against his shoulder and grinned as he rested his head down on top of yours in response. You two sat in silence together for a bit before you spoke again.

“Arthur?”

“Hmm?”

“You- you know I love you, right?”

You went still against his chest, waiting anxiously for his response. What you said was true, but you didn’t want to scare him off. You did love Arthur. Loved him more than you’ve ever loved another person in your life. Especially after what he had just confessed to you, you needed him to know that. Needed him to understand that you were his and his alone.

His heart thudded loudly in his chest and when he was silent, you leaned back hesitantly to look at him. He wiped his eyes quickly and cleared his throat and you felt your stomach churn with worry.

“I’m sorry if that was too much,” You stammered, trying to fix what you said, “I-I just--”

Arthur cut you off with a kiss, one of his hands moving to cradle your face gently. He pulled away with surprise lighting up his face, “Don’t apologize, darlin’. I…. Well, I had pretty much given up on the thought of someone lovin’ me, ‘f I’m bein’ honest.”

You blinked a few times, processing what he said. Did he really think he was so unlovable? That the people around him didn’t care for him endlessly?

“Why wouldn’t I love you?”

He shrugged with a sad smile, looking away from you to gaze out over the canyon. The brim of his hat covered his eyes as he tilted his head down. His voice was tight when he spoke, “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Arthur, people do love you. I see it every day. Folks care about you and want you to be happy.”

“That,” he sighed frustratedly, “That ain’t what I meant.”

“Well then, what is it?”

He shook his head and let out a long sigh. Looking away from you, he grumbled, “‘S nothin’. Forget it.”

“It ain’t nothin’ if it’s got you worked up like this.”

“I ain’t worked up.”

“You’re a real stubborn bastard, you know that?”

He huffed in frustration and stood up, walking towards the edge of the canyon. His hands rested on his hips and you heard him let out a long sigh as he stopped a few yards away and let his head hang down tiredly.

“(Y/N),” His voice sounded pained, “Anyone who’s ever loved me, left in one way ‘r another.”

“Arthur—“

He turned back to face you, his eyes shining with sadness as he finally met your gaze. You felt your chest ache in response.

“I lost Eliza and Isaac. I asked Mary Linton to marry me— an’ she told me I weren’t good enough.”

He shrugged and let his arms fall at his side, “I’m a hopeless fool, (Y/N). Seems I can’t change it.”

You just looked at him desperately, trying to find the right words to say. He watched the sorrow rest heavily in your expression and his face twisted into a sudden scowl. His boots thudded hard against the ground as he walked back towards camp, sneering, “Don’t need yer fuckin’ pity, boy.”

“Arthur! Hey!”

You scrambled to your feet and ran over to stand in front of him. He looked at you angrily as you blocked his path and crossed his arms defensively. His jaw clenched and unclenched with irritation and you frowned at him. Arthur had your whole heart, but you wanted to punch him right now.

“Ya can’t just keep shuttin’ me out, Arthur.”

He huffed, looking away, “Watch me.”

You moved a hand to rest lightly against his chest. Your palm landed over his heart, and you felt the strong beat speed up slightly at your touch. You smiled to yourself and watched his eyes soften despite the angry expression on his face.

“Listen to me,” you spoke softly, “I got no plans on leavin’ you, cowboy. I love spendin’ my days with you. I love your laugh. And your smile. Love your charm and your sarcasm. Love all the things you hate ‘bout yourself.”

His face had faded from irritation to endearment as you spoke and you felt his chest rise and fall rapidly under your fingertips. He looked down at the ground between you two as a light flush came across his face. You swallowed thickly and continued, words falling from your lips before you could even think about what you were saying.

“I-I wanna help you. Wanna care for you and love you when you don’t quite know how. Wanna patch you up when you do stupid shit and praise you when you don’t. I wanna sleep with you at my side and ride with you and-and— Christ, Arthur. I just want you to let me love you.”

You paused to catch your breath. Your chest was rising and falling rapidly and you felt your pulse pounding in your ears but you didn’t care because you were here with Arthur telling him the things you had wanted to tell him since the moment you looked at him. Your voice felt tight in your throat when you spoke again.

“I love you, Arthur. I-I just… I just love you.”

You realized your hand was white from gripping the loose fabric of his shirt. Like if you let go, you’d lose him. Hesitantly, you unclenched your fist and moved it to rest firmly where his neck met his shoulder. You gave a reassuring squeeze, and when Arthur didn’t look up, you whispered quietly, “You don’t gotta believe it or think ya deserve it. Just… Let me love you, Arthur. Trust me now and believe it later.”

There was a long silence before Arthur’s voice cracked, “Okay.”

He immediately cleared his throat and sniffled, wiping his nose with the back of his hand before looking up to meet your eyes. The corners of his eyes were wet and red with irritation but he smiled at you nonetheless. You moved your other hand to cradle his face, thumb stroking across the stubble on his cheek affectionately.

“We good?”

He chuckled softly, “Yeah, (Y/N). We’re good.”

You smiled and reached down for his left hand.  Pressing your lips to his ring finger, you mumbled, “Love you, cowboy.”

He let out blissful sigh before pulling you into an embrace. He enveloped you in his strong arms and you sighed against him happily. You felt his lips press against your temple and his voice was so faint you almost didn’t hear him.

“I know.”

[reddeadredemptiontrash]

I can’t remember who posted it, (if I find the writer I’ll tag them!) but a few days ago I saw an ask on a blog requesting some blind!Kieran where Kieran never died and it inspired me to write this because Kieran is a ray of sunshine and didn’t deserve what happened to him. So enjoy! My second piece of writing on this blog!❤️

“We need some help!” Voices rang out from the entrance of camp. Everyone perked their heads up, stopping from whatever they were doing to see what was going on.

Arthur, Charles, and Lenny all rode in, and another body was seen slumped against Charles. The body was beaten, bloody, and looking at if they were gasping for breath. Y/N and Ms. Grimshaw rushed to them, and Y/N’s eyes widened at the sight.

There was Kieran Duffy, barely moving. His clothes were ripped to near shreds, the white shirt he was last seen in now completely deep red with patches of brown and black dirt. There was a cloth wrapped around his head, from the bridge of his nose and across the top of his forehead, which was also soaked with blood.

“A gang of O’Driscolls surrounded us on our way to find a new camp site, they talked about having Kieran.” Arthur explains, hopping down from the horse and helping get his body from Charles.

“We managed to get one to talk about where he was, they tried to get him to say what we were, but he never breathed a word apparently, so they were torturing him. I trust in yours and Susan’s hands he’ll be okay. I think he’ll live.” Arthur says as both you and Susan rush begins Arthur as he goes to what was Kieran’s cot and lays him down gently, Kieran gasps loudly and chokes on a pained cough.

Y/N had always seen something in Kieran that nobody else did. She knew from the beginning that a boy that awkward and nervous was nowhere near an O’Driscoll and Kieran looked like he couldn’t hurt a bug without crying. She would always paused and try to talk to him before one of the men would rush her away, saying there was plenty to do around camp and trying to friend the O’Driscoll wasn’t one of them. She always tried to sneak him water or food, last at night when most of the gang were asleep or so drunk they couldn’t tell what she was doing. Kieran started talking to her more after Dutch decided to give him a chance after saving Arthur. They bonded over taking care of the horses together and she even went fishing with him once. She didn’t fish, but she admired the happiness and excitement that radiating off of him as she watched. When he went missing, no one seemed to react the way she did. She asked around because Kieran was ALWAYS somewhere. He was either asleep, with the horses, or down by the edge of the lake fishing. No one showed worry like she did and there wasn’t a day that she wasn’t thinking about him or what he went.

“He’s lost a lot of blood.” Susan states. “I’m going to go get some clothes, alcohol, and some sewing needles, anything to try and help keep him alive. Try to get those bloody clothes off of him, the best you can.” Y/N nodded, grabbing her pocket knife. She freezes as she watches Kieran visibly shaking, tearless sobs and gasps leaving his mouth in short pants.

“I-It’s bad, real bad... ain’t it?” He chokes out as she watches him. She shushes her gently.

“I wish I could say I’ve seen worse.” She mumbles lightly.

“They... they did so... so much....” He sobbed out, cringing as he moves.

“Shhh, it’s okay. You’re home now Kieran, you’re home.”

“H-Home.....” His body stops shaking and her eyes widen.

“Kieran... Kieran!” She says in a hushed voice. She sees his chest moving lightly and mentally signs in relief. He’s just unconscious. She takes the opportunity to start cutting away at his messy clothes, gasping to herself as she sees just how badly injured he really was. There is only a few spots on his torso that isn’t covered with some sort of bruise or cuts, below his left side ribs, a huge cut is open and looks like it’s

in the beginning stages of becoming infected. His collarbone on his right side is swollen and he assumes it’s broken from the looks of it. Susan comes back with an arm full of supplies to try and repair as much of the damage caused by the O’Driscolls as possible. She opens the bottle of moonshine and sighs, knowing that it’s most likely going to wake Kieran up, and the last thing she needed is him going into shock. She slowly and gently scrubs the smaller cuts and dried up blood first, trying to get him as clean as possible and hoping that he would wake up before she had to clean the huge gash.

“You’re going to be okay Kieran.” She mumbles in a hushed voice as Susan watches over her before washing off his legs. He jumps slightly, groaning as he starts to shake again.

“I’m sorry, I’ll try to be gentle.” She whispers as he whimpers.

“Don’t take off this blindfold.” He chokes out in a gasp. Y/N pauses.

“Kieran, I have to clean-“

“Not yet, please just... just don’t.” He pants out. She glances at Susan who shrugs to her.

“I... I suppose it can wait until last.” She says, more to herself as she watches Kieran’s body relax before she pours the moonshine into the wound. Kieran’s blood-curling pained screams begin to fill the evening air around the camp.

A few days had went back and Kieran had slowly, very slowly became to regain enough energy to where he wasn’t blacking out every hour and could talk with a bit more ease. He was on bedrest and Y/N barely let him move a muscle without lightly scolding him and telling him she would help him with whatever he needed from her. He also though, refused to let her remove the blindfold, freaking out at any mention of it. She always felt too bad that she had sent Kieran into a panic attack, but she knew she needed to get those nasty cloths off, an infection probably hiding underneath.

“Are you awake?” She says quietly, sitting down the bowl of soup, cup of water, and clean bandages.

“Yeah, I am.” He says quietly as she sits beside his cot.

“Good, I need to change your dressings. I don’t see any blood soaked through, so that means most of the blood has seemed to stop, and last night your cut stitches were still in, hoping we can remove them in a few days.” She gave him some water and asked if he was hungry. He replied that he wasn’t really but would try after she changed his bandages. With a little bit of effort and a few pained groans from moving around, she was able to change the bandages and look over his injuries. His cut was fully closed up with no signs of infection, his bruises changing to that horrible but healing yellowish color, and the swelling on his face and body seemed to go down. She sat in silence for a few seconds.

“Kieran.... I know you don’t want me to, but... I really, really need to get those clothes off your face and see the damage.” She watches his body stiffen as a string of “no, no, no”s started to pour from his mouth.

“Why? Kieran.” She scolds and she sees his lip quiver.

“They did... awful... awful things to me miss.....” He says quietly.

“I know, but you’re healing, and we can’t continue that process until everything is looked over and cared for. It cannot be as bad as you think.” He lets out a harsh laugh that’s broken by a sob.

“You don’t know.”

“No, I don’t. Because you won’t let me, Kieran....” She pauses. “You’re still going to be Kieran to me, not matter what. I care about you, no matter what. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be taking care of you. You’re safe with us, you’re safe with me.” Silence fills the air for a moment.

“Do it.”

Her eyes widen. “Are... are you-“

“Please.” She carefully sits the cup in the hand down, slowly placing her arms around her to help lift him in a sitting position. He stays silence as she carefully cuts the cloth, hearing him suck in a breath as she begins to slowly remove it. She drops the clothes to the ground at the sight, completely frozen. She was staring into nothing but a black void of where Kieran’s bright happy eyes used to be.

“Oh my god.” She breathes out as Kieran turns his head to the side, a silence sob escaping his mouth as he tries to hide it.

“It’s bad.” He cries out, and Y/N is stunned. She didn’t know what to say, her mind just drew a blank.

“I....”

“It’s real bad. They ruined me.” He mumbles, still looking away.

Y/N slowly takes her hand, turning his stiffen head towards her as she looks at him for a few moments, keeping her hand on his cheek.

“I can feel you looking at me.” He says softly, a crimson color flooding his cheeks. “I’m a freak.”

“No, no, no.” She replies finally, shaking her head to herself.

“They... they’re all gonna pay. If we have to kill every one of the sons of bitches.” She says trying to not let her anger show.

“You’re... extremely brave and strong Kieran Duffy, living through something like that. I.... I can’t imagine.... how much that....”

“I don’t remember too much of it. I was so in and out that the pain was always numbing. The... the last thing I saw... was their faces. That’s the last thing I’ll ever see, and it haunts me every day and night. It’s always there.” Y/N didn’t realize her own eyes had flooded with tears. Kieran gently placed his hand on top of hers.

“Don’t cry miss.”

“I know, but... it hurts me to think that someone ever hurt such a gentle and kind soul like yours. You didn’t deserve that Kieran, no one does but.... goddamnit, not you.”

Another wave of silence surrounds them.

“It’s going to be okay. You know we’re all gonna help you, every step of the way. You ain’t gonna be ruined, Kieran Duffy. You ain’t.” And for the few time in days, Kieran felt a sense of hope.

“To the horses is twenty eight steps forward, step six move slightly to the left due to the table. Guide to Pearson’s cooking dinner and keep forward until I touch the horse’s hitching posts.” Y/N smiles at Kieran.

“Perfect, that’s exactly how to get from your cot to the horses. You’re doing so well.” She praised as blush forms on his cheeks, a smile spreading.

It had been over a month since Kieran was found by some of the guys, and had improved significantly. Due to the break on his collarbone and ribs, he couldn’t lift heavy stuff anymore, but his love for the horses never declined. Y/N made a system of steps and directions for Kieran at the current camp so he could walk freely to wherever he wanted to without needing to be guided. Sure, at first he bumped into Uncle or Swanson drunkingly staggering around camp, or knocking over a thing or two, but he was getting better that he could do it almost perfectly now. The gang showed an overwhelming amount of support towards the boy, helping he get around at first, Arthur finding a pair of glasses for him to wear in the sun or whenever he didn’t feel like showing his face now, and even Hosea had Arthur help make a walking cane out of high quality wood so he can have a little something to help watch for objects in his pathways. None of the members referred to him as an O’Driscoll anymore, as he was fully part of the gang’s little family. They never tried to exclude him from anything, even games like dominoes or poker, to which one of the guys or mostly Y/N would sit with him and whisper what he had and he’d whisper back what move he wanted to make. Life was good and everyone felt truly happy and from there on out, it felt like luck was starting to turn for the gang and their adventures.

[zarcake-writes]

Gifts

This was commissioned by @im-not-sad-im-just-depressing and features their OC Thea attempting to court Charles Smith. It’s sweet and cute. I really like Thea, I think she’s adorable. Enjoy!

Warnings: fluff, shy gift giving, shy flirting

The leather bracelet in Thea’s hand feels heavier than it is. Her heart is pounding, her palms are sweaty, and her stomach is in knots. It is times like this she wonders if she really is cut out to be an outlaw. Robbing and killing folks don’t bother her, at least not anymore. Running cons with Hosea is easy, and often times fun. Thea even dresses the part of an outlaw; with pants and suspenders, a button-up shirt, a hat on her head, and a gun on her hip.

While her outfit and actions scream outlaw, the rest of her does not. Standing at barely five feet, she is one of the shorter members in the gang; hell, she probably is the shortest person in the gang. And her anxiety, god she is worse than Kieran. When someone she doesn’t know talks to her, or she was not prepared for the conversation, her face always gets bright red and hot, and she finds it difficult to talk.

While conversations are hard for Thea, giving someone a gift and showing them affection is even harder. Not many people have caught her eye, but Charles Smith did the moment he joined the gang. His looks were the first thing she noticed; his handsome face and his broad shoulders made her stumble when she first saw him. But it was his personality, his calm and patient attitude, and his soft smile that made her fall head over heels for him.

It took a long while for Thea to summon the courage to say one word to Charles, and even then, she nearly messed up the word ‘Hi.’ Eventually, though, she was able to have small conversations with him, and before she knew it, Thea was courting Charles. Even if it was in an awkward and shy way.

The first gift Thea gave to Charles was a colorful rock she found at Horseshoe Overlook. She was on guard duty when she found it or rather stumbled over it. The rock was covered in dirt and mud, but once she wiped it clean, the colors were clear for all to see. And it was smooth, so smooth and round. It reminded her of a worry stone.

It was later that night, when almost everyone was asleep, that she gave the rock to Charles. He was sitting by himself on the edge of the camp. His attention was on the clear night sky. Thea steeled her nerves and approached him.

“Hey Charles, mind some company?” she asked.

Charles turned to her and gave her a soft smile. He scooted over on the rock he sat on and motioned for her to sit next to him. Thea could feel her face grow warm and prayed he wouldn’t be able to see her red face.

“It’s a nice night,” she said.

“It is.”

“Oh, look at this pretty rock I found.”

Charles took the rock from her outstretched hand and smiled at it. “It is pretty and smooth. You found it like this?”

“Yes, right here in camp. I tripped over it.”

“Well, you are very lucky.”

“You can have it,” Thea said without thinking.

Charles gave her a surprised look. “Really?”

“Oh, um, yes! Yes. Go ahead and have it. Consider it, um, a gift.” She managed to get out. She gave him a smile then looked away. Thea could feel her face burning and her anxiety begin to eat away at her.

“Thank you. I’ll treasure it.” Charles tucked the rock into his pocket and continued watching the sky. The sincerity in his voice made her chest warm and heart pound.

The second gift Thea gave to Charles was a book on the local plant and wildlife in New Hanover. She found it in the Valentine General Store. The cover was worn and the spine was cracked, but whoever owned it before clearly loved the book. There were little notes on some of the pages telling the reader the best places to find sage and berries. Some of the handwritten notes were about some of the local animals, like the large buck that lived in the area and the best fishing spots.

For some reason, the book reminded Thea of Charles. She bought it with Charles in mind and tucked it away into her coat.

Later that night, Thea approached Charles, the book in her hand. He was sitting near the fire by himself, which she was thankful for. If anyone else was around, her anxiety would have made her run. Else she would run the risk of stumbling over her words and making a fool of herself.

Charles glanced up at her when he heard her approach. His face instantly softened and he gave Thea a soft smile. The way the light from the fire reflected off of Charles’s features was breathtaking.

“Mind some company?” Thea asked.

“Course not. Sit.” Charles motioned to the spot next to him and scooted over a bit.

Thea smiled and sat beside Charles. She stared into the fire and ran her fingers over the edge of the book nervously. You can do it, she thought.

“Is that a new book?” Charles asked.

Thea jumped in surprise and glanced at Charles. He was looking at her expectantly. “Oh, yes. I got it in Valentine today. It’s um, well, I actually got it f-for you.”

“For me?”

“Yes. I-I thought you would like it. It talks about the local animal and plant life.”

Charles took the book from Thea’s hand and opened it. He flipped through the pages and studied the pictures. He read the print and smiled at the little notes the old owner of the book left.

“I take it you didn’t leave the notes?”

“Oh, n-no. Some of them are helpful, a few are funny.”

“Funny?”

“Yeah, go to the page with the coyotes. They mention one that enjoys stealing bags and clothes.”

Thea and Charles spent the next hour reading the book together. Charles would often point to something in the book and make a comment. Like when he pointed to the image of a buffalo, he told Thea about his mother and how her tribe would follow them. The tender moment between Thea and Charles came to an end when Sean and Karen joined them at the fire.

Ever since that night, Thea found herself thinking more and more of Charles. She remembers how warm his body was next to hers, how solid he felt when she leaned against him. The memory of his voice, soft and low, next to her ear made her blush and her body grow hot. Thea couldn’t help but imagine spending every night like that with Charles.

The third gift Thea has for Charles is the braided leather bracelet in her hand. The leather is soft and dark, and there are small turquoise beads at the ends. She bought the leather and the small beads and made the bracelet herself. It took her a while to make a perfect one, but once she did, she was ecstatic.

While the other gifts were a spur of the moment things, Thea wanted this gift to be special. She planned to give Charles the bracelet and then confess her feelings to him. But the problem with her plan is that Thea cannot summon the courage to give the bracelet to Charles. And she’s tried multiple times to give it to him, but each time she panics and basically runs away.

Despite how much Thea has been building herself up, she knows this next attempt will end the same. She’ll walk up to Charles and talk with him. During the conversation, her anxiety will win and she’ll leave without giving him the bracelet or telling him how she feels. Each time Thea leaves with the bracelet safely tucked in her coat pocket, she can’t help but think about how much of a fool she is.

Charles is sitting at the edge of camp when Thea finds him. He’s been in camp all day, helping out with chores and guard duty. She looks around and is thankful that not many people are around. She takes a deep breath and walks towards Charles.

“Ch-Charles?” Thea asked.

Charles turns to her and smiles. In the light of the evening sun, Charles looks absolutely gorgeous. His dark eyes shine, the soft smile on his face, and the way the wind lightly tussles his hair, Thea almost forgets how to breathe. “Hey, Thea. How are you?”

“I’m good. Do you mind some company?”

“Not when it’s you. I’ve come to enjoy your company and our little talks. Here, take a seat next to me.”

Thea smiles and looks away, knowing that the blush on her face is obvious. She takes a deep breath as she sits next to Charles. “I’m glad to hear that Charles.”

They sit there in silence for a moment. Thea is so anxious about giving Charles the bracelet and confessing how she feels that she can’t even think to start a conversation with him. Her mind brings up images of Charles laughing at her for making the bracelet. The thought of Charles scoffing or growing mad at her for confessing that she likes him, scares Thea. The feeling of Charles’s hand coming to rest on her shoulder makes Thea jump in surprise.

“Oh, I’m sorry Thea. Didn’t mean to startle you. Are you ok?”

“Y-yes. Just… I have something to tell y-you.” Thea glances at Charles, who is looking at her expectantly. He has a patient and warm look on his face. His eyes, so dark and beautiful, shine with a hopeful look.

“What is it, Thea?”

“Um, I… I like… Shit. I’m sorry, Charles.” Thea stood up and steps away from Charles.

“For what? Thea? Are you ok?”

“No, I mean yes. Fuck, I’m sorry, I’m so weird and awkward and you… you’re wonderful and so handsome.”

Charles’s eyebrows rise in surprise, and a small smile graces his features. And when Thea realizes what she said, she wishes the ground would open and swallow her up. She can feel her face grow hot, hotter than it already was. She turns to leave, but Charles’s hand wrapping around her wrist stops her. His grip is firm, but not crushing or painful. Thea can pull away, and as much as she wants to, she savors the feeling.

“You think that about me?” Charles asked.

“Y-yes. I do.”

“Is that why you’re giving me these gifts? Because you like me?”

“Yes. And I… I have a third gift for you.”

“You do?”

“Yes.”

Charles releases Thea’s wrist and scoots over. She takes a deep breath and slowly sits back down next to him. She pulls the bracelet out of her pocket and hesitantly hands it to him. Charles takes it and smiles down at it. His fingers glide over the leather and fiddle with the beads. The smile on Charles’s face makes Thea’s heart pound and leaves a warm feeling in her chest.  

“You made this? For me?”

“Yes.”

“Thea, it’s beautiful. Thank you.” Charles wraps the bracelet around his wrist, smiling softly to himself.

“You’re welcome.”

“How long have you planned this?”

“A while now. I was just… I was scared that me confessing how I feel would upset you. Or you would laugh at me.”

Charles’s hand comes to rest on Thea’s, taking her breath away and sending chills along her skin. “I would never mock you. You’re a brave person, and I’ll admit, I’ve been interested in you for a while as well.”

“You have been?”

“Yes, and I would like to get to know you better. Would that be ok?”

“Yes, that sounds wonderful.”

Charles smiles and stands. “There’s a nice spot down by the river I think is the best spot to watch the setting sun. Would you like to accompany me?”

“Yes.”

Charles smiles and holds a hand out for Thea to take. He helps her stand and leads the way to the horses. Sometime later, the two are riding out of camp together, side by side. Thea knows her face is red, but she can’t find it in herself to care. When she glances at Charles and sees he’s watching her, with a gentle look in his eyes, the warm feeling in her chest grows.

[micxhbells]

Fem!Reader and Micah p3

Here’s a short epilogue! Also posted on ao3 https://archiveofourown.org/works/16901778/chapters/39792441

Bill Williamson heard the familiar sound of a horse galloping and saw you ride in to Clemens Point. You stopped your horse right next to the man.

“What’s with that look?” Bill asked, noticing the huge smile on your face.

“You’re a bastard, Bill Williamson. But a magnificent one.” you said, oh so cheerfully.

Bill, like any other time, just looked confused. “Uh, you drunk or somethin?”

You shrugged. “Maybe.” Then rode away from him, hitching your horse when you got closer to camp.

As soon as you got off your horse, Karen and Tilly were already there beside you, looking very curious, worried, and excited all at the same time.

“(Y/N)! Uh, how’d it go?” Karen asked.

You gave her a small smile. “Wasn’t that hard. We ran into some trouble with raiders but took care of them real quick.”

Tilly looked even more frightened. “What? Is, is that why you didn’t come back last night? We asked Arthur to go lookin for you but then Dutch said-”

“Oh, I went into town right after, wanted to wash off and rented a room.” Was all you said. You really did love those girls and even though their little slip led you to one of your greatest nights ever, it was still fun to mess with them.

You made your way to the pot of soup, grabbing a bowl. It was still warm, thankfully, as you arrived past noon. You took a seat by the table, Karen and Tilly following you all the way, as if figuring out what to ask you next.

“Uhm… where is Micah?” Karen asked. You looked up from your bowl and noticed that a few others had also moved closer, even Kieran looked at you from where he was brushing the horses.

You took a few more spoonfuls of soup before addressing the girls, and everyone else that was listening in. “He told me had some business to take care of before comin’ back. Should be here in a while.”

“The son of a bitch didn’t leave you during the fight did he?” Arthur asked suddenly, you knew how he felt about Micah, and appreciated the concern.

“Nah.” Then you smiled. “Didn’t leave me for one second yesterday. Even when I stopped by the town.”

Arthur looked confused, and after a few seconds, you heard Mary-Beth gasp. “You don’t mean-”

“There she is!” You and everyone turned around to see Micah casually stroll into camp, making his way to you, slinging something on his shoulder. “If all the other women here were like (Y/N), we’d have enough money for Dutch’s little plan by now.”

Complimenting you while making fun of others? You’ll take it. Baby steps.

Micah shrugged off the thing on his shoulder, which you now saw was a gun holster. He handed it to you. “Now this, this is for you, darlin’. Imagine how much more damage you’d make holdin’ two guns, eh?”

You stood up and accepted his gift, quickly placing it on you. By this point you didn’t care that everyone was blatantly watching. Ain’t your fault they got nothing better to do.

You smiled up at him once your new holster was secure. “I love it! And I assume you’ll be teachin’ me how to use two guns effectively, Mr. Bell?”

The look he gave you made you remember the way he looked at you the night before. Then he chuckled, smirking as if he knew what you were thinking about.

He leaned in closer. “Of course. And I shall aim to please.” He kissed you suddenly, but really, you saw it coming.

The others apparently, didn’t. You heard various screams such as “Oh come on, I just ate.” “Jack, look away!” “So, they did do it last night?”

Once Micah’s lips left yours, the blonde offered his arm out to you. “Shall we start lesson number one right now, darlin?”

You looped your arm around his, smiling wider than you ever had before. “The soup’s still hot. You ain’t gonna eat yet?”

“Oh, I ate plenty last night. This mornin’ too.” You blushed, left speechless by that remark.

“Ok, that’s it. I need a drink.” You heard Sean yell.

Once you were out of earshot from the others, you leaned closer to Micah. “I honestly thought you were going to do more to torture them.”

He chuckled. “I ain’t even done yet, darlin’. They’ll be hearin a lot more from us tonight, trust me.”

You kissed him and couldn’t wait.

__________

“Y’all won’t believe what I just saw. I think Micah and (Y/N) are together!” Bill said, walking up to everyone in camp.

They all simply stared at him.

He stared back. “What?”

John stood up from where he was seated by the campfire. “Took him two days to figure it out. Everyone pay up.”

[dolphinitley]

Arthur Morgan x Female Reader

The Best Sleep in Years

Reader awakes at Clemens Point by Arthur’s side the morning after he escaped the O’Driscolls.

Word count: 1,979

Master List

“What are you doin’ on the ground, girl?”

You awoke with a smile to Arthur’s gravelly voice. You lifted your right hand that had been resting on his hip while you slept.  He was weak but in a much better state than when he collapsed from his horse at camp last night after escaping the O’Driscolls.

“Takin’ care of your sorry ass,” you replied jokingly. The late morning sun felt nice on your face. You rose and began peeling off the bandage on his bullet wound so you could put on a fresh one. “You cauterize this wound yourself, Mr. Morgan?”

“Yes ma’am. With a file and a candle.”

“Oh, I saw the wax.”

“Thank you for cleanin’ up the wound.” Arthur looked at you, waiting to catch your eyes.

“You’re welcome,” you said softly with a concerned look. You finished up with his bandage. His gaze was fixed on your face and hands the entire time. He had always respected your medical skills, but watching you care for him now made his heart warm. He was also impressed because removing pieces of a bullet from a cauterized wound was the most complicated procedure you had done with the gang thus far.

“Why you lookin’ so damn sad, girl? I ain’t dyin’ am I?”

“No.” You lightened up a bit. “No, you’re not dying just yet Arthur Morgan. You do got a couple broken ribs, though.” You showed him the bandages around his ribcage. “Gonna have to take it easy for a few weeks. Let people help you get around.”

He grunted in response. “Well, who am I to disobey the doctor’s orders?” he replied with a wink, which earned a smile from you. It was a relief to joke with him again after his absence. Everything was okay for a moment, but then your stare drifted to the sparkling lake.

“I’m gonna kill Micah.”

“It’s gonna be alright.” Arthur was gently stroking a loose strand of your hair in his fingertips. He’d never done that before, but it was soothing to you.

You heard footsteps approaching.

“Y/N? I can sit with him for a while if you wanna take a break,” Karen offered.

You looked to Arthur and he nodded back to you. You accepted Karen’s offer and headed over to the horses. You checked on your horse and had a healing hug with her. Then you stroked Arthur’s horse, gave her a sugar cube, and thanked her for bringing him back safe. 

In the following weeks that Arthur took to heal, you were by his side. You felt pleasure in doing extra chores around camp that he was unable to do. You were constantly thinking of a way to leave and start a different life. Arthur’s injuries weren’t life threatening, but when he was a hostage he was in grave danger and could have easily been killed. The incident got into your head. This man was extremely important to you. You hadn’t felt like this for any man even before you started living on the run. You wanted Arthur to run away with you but you knew how fiercely loyal he was to Dutch and Hosea. So, you decided to stay for now and just keep going. 

You were playing with Jack on the morning that Arthur was officially healed. Arthur walked toward you and Jack and was smiling. He’d let you cut his hair while he was healing, but he wanted to grow his beard out. There was something a bit different about him now. The time he spent resting allowed him to do a lot of reflecting. He was wiser now, and stronger. He finally looked put together again. He was wearing a red shirt with the sleeves rolled up and light wash jeans. He looked very handsome to you. You loved to watch him play with Jack. You caught yourself imagining what a good father he would be, but then snapped out of your pointless daydream.

“I’m gonna head into town later,” Arthur told you. “Help Dutch with some things.”

You were the slightest bit annoyed at his show of loyalty to Dutch but knew you had no real reason or right to be angry. Arthur was going about his normal business that he’d always done before he’d gotten captured. It didn’t bother you before. The time you had spent together during his healing was so intimate and delicate. It affected you and you wondered how much it had affected him. Maybe you just needed time to get back into the normal routine of things.

Unfortunately, that couldn’t happen. Only a few days after Arthur’s full recovery, the law had found your camp. They tried to make a deal with Dutch and he refused. They left, promising to be back with 50 men. At that, Arthur and Charles went out to find a new camp location. You helped everyone quickly pack up over the next day and get ready for the move. Arthur and Charles returned, saying they’d cleared a huge abandoned house. You couldn’t believe it had been years since you called a house your home. Sure, the area was swampy and humid, but at least it was warm and the land was beautiful and secluded. The camp was happier for a while, but of course that never lasts. You thought you’d escaped the problems in Rhodes, but the Braithwaites had other ideas. They kidnapped Jack in the night and handed him over to a rich and dangerous man in Saint Denis. Dutch, Arthur, and John set out to find him. You tried to comfort Abigail as best as you could, but there was no consoling a mother whose child was missing. You loved Jack, too. He was a great kid and your friend. If those idiot Braithwaites could steal Jack in the middle of the night without anyone knowing, this camp was obviously much more vulnerable than you thought. You kept your gun and axe on you at all times now. You were very alert and could feel it affecting your stress level and emotions.

The men finally returned with Jack, safe and sound. Everyone in the camp could breathe again and you spent that night drinking and singing by the fire. At first you had a spot by yourself by the fire, smiling at the happy gang. Arthur came up behind you and nudged your shoulder blade with a beer. You looked up and smiled at each other. He sat down next to you and you clinked bottles.

“Nice job getting Jack back. I can’t put into words how relieved everyone is that he’s home and safe,” you said.

“I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if we hadn’t gotten him back,” replied Arthur. “I hate to say it, but this whole thing brought that family a lot closer.”

You looked at Arthur intently. He met your gaze and quickly ran his tongue over his bottom lip. You gripped his bicep and shook him a bit with a smile. He smiled back and took a swig of his beer.

The next day you decided that if you were going to ever have a chance of leaving, you’d have to start saving up more of your own money. You were going out alone a lot more often and Arthur noticed, but didn’t question you.

Arthur thought of you even more than you thought of him. He thought of how smart, gentle, and beautiful you were. He thought of how careless it was of him to develop feelings like this and become vulnerable. This was a dangerous life and he knew he could lose anyone at any moment. He couldn’t stop himself from getting closer to you. You were his best friend. Your presence was one of the few things that elicited genuine smiles from him. When you were resting or otherwise busy, he’d spend time with your horse, talking to her and brushing her. When you caught him doing it once, you smiled.

In the following months you had gathered quite a lot of money for yourself from hunting and scavenging. You hid it in a lock box inside a hole in a tree by the house. You were just putting it away one evening when you heard a scream. You ran to the front of the house to see Kieran’s body and decapitated head propped on a horse that was sent into camp. Your hand went to your gun. Then O’Driscolls began emerging from hiding spots, one after another. You took cover behind a shed and saw Sadie running toward you with her gun out. You and Sadie took out O’Driscolls one a time until you saw Arthur sprinting through the cross fire to retrieve you and Sadie.

“What are you doin’ out here?!”

“Takin’ care of these dumbass O’Driscolls!” replied Sadie.

You all sprinted inside and finished off the attackers. You cleared the area all around the camp and made sure everyone was accounted for. Nobody was hurt, but you were all a bit shaken. The attack strengthened your doubts about Dutch and your thoughts about leaving.

That night you lied awake even after everyone had fallen into restless sleep. You stared into the crackling fire in the fire place and ran through the events of the past few months. You tried to convince yourself that things would work out here. You couldn’t help but think that there must be a better life somewhere. A life where you weren’t in a constant feud with another gang. A life where you weren’t always checking that nobody was following you home or trying to scam you.

You lifted your blanket off yourself and put on a cardigan over your knee length nightgown. You padded to the staircase and quietly climbed up to the second floor. Your felt your heart beating harder, a lump in your throat, and butterflies in your stomach. As carefully as you could, you opened Arthur’s door and stepped inside his room, but the floorboard creaked. Arthur turned on his side and saw that it was you in his room.

“Y/N? What’s wrong?” He was visibly concerned.

“Nothin’.” You shook your head and tried to give him a comforting look. You took a breath and focused on what you needed tonight. At this point, in this world, nothing mattered but for you to be held by Arthur Morgan. You walked over to Arthur’s bed and got under the covers as if it were natural. You turned on your side, away from Arthur, and grabbed his arm to wrap around your waist. He was still and puzzled for a moment, but then relaxed into the embrace. He brought his chest to your back, his knees to the back of your knees, interlaced his fingers with yours, and rested his lips on the back of your head. There was so much warmth shared between the both of you. With his lips gracing your head, Arthur whispered, “You sure you’re alright?”

At this question, you thought of how wonderfully ‘alright’ you were in this moment. The satisfaction of sharing such genuine affection caused you to tear up. You nodded in response to him. When he lowered his nose to the crook of your neck, you shivered at the tickling sensation of his scratchy beard on your shoulder. Your squirming caused you to push into his body more and he held you tighter and began tickling your sides. Your shared laughter was so childlike and joyful. You turned to face him and he allowed you to grab hold of both of his wrists, finally stopping the tickling. You released his wrists and he cupped your face and kissed your forehead. You wrapped your arms around each other and exhaled in the pleasure of feeling affection. You talked for a while, and then had the best sleep either of you had in years.

Tags: @igotshinee