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thenightsmercy · 7 months ago

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[ „once unknowing.“ ] a.m

a high honor arthur morgan x fem!original character oneshot

summary; adeline lincoln and arthur morgan. a skilled, yet impulsive thief and a troubled outlaw. after one stirs up trouble, the two ride out to clean the aftermath—despite barely conversing in the past. a campfire is shared after months of jading work and small talk, leaving gnawing feelings that need to be released.

word count; 3.4k

a.n; first tumblr fic, please dont be a silent reader! this takes place during chapter two :) and this a slowburn, please treat the story as so. lowercase intended. enjoy!

✦ ✦ ✦

A WARNING FROM THE POLICE DEPT. ; SAINT DENIS, NH

To all persons in the state of New Hanover, the Saint Denis Police Department bring you a warning of the twice-escaped convict ADELINE LINCOLN, otherwise known as THE SILENT SHOT, a dangerous thief WANTED for the robbery of two shops, the murder of four policemen and one civilian.

{drawn picture}

If you know the whereabouts of this individual, REPORT IMMEDIATELY TO THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE, OR SAINT DENIS POLICE DEPARTMENT.

$100 DEAD OR ALIVE $100

✦ ✦ ✦

the morning dew hung in the air like small particles of light, flying around the camp like dancers in a town show. small murmurs of conversation rattled adeline’s brain, forcing her eyes open from the sleepless slumber. she rolled over onto her back, placing her hands behind her head and looking up at the blue sheet serving as her roof.

flashbacks of yesterday trotted around in the girl’s brain. usually she didn’t fuck up this badly, but recently too many things have been weighing on her mind. it caused her to lose focus; become distracted.

‘dutch is going to shoot me for this.’ she thought.

just as she sat up from her cot, the devil himself blocked the light coming into her makeshift room. adeline looked up and saw him lean his shoulder on the log of wood holding up the sheet. he had a yellow-tinted paper in his hand. from the light, she could see her inverted face drawn onto it.

she silently cursed and looked down at the ground.

“so… i know you didn’t do this on purpose, adeline. care to explain what happened?” he dropped the paper gracefully from his hands, making it land right in front of her eyesight. she picked it up and examined it. If there was a large hole full of shit, she would be at the deepest point.

but, like most times, she stayed completely silent, looking over to dutch’s face slowly changing from placid to animosity.

“now, I want you to hear this loud and clear,” he walked over and sat next to her on the shitty cot, pointing at the money on the wanted poster. “you and arthur are gonna go to valentine, and you two are gonna, discreetly, pay off this bounty. stay there for a couple of days so the air can clear, then come back at night.”

adeline nodded once, and dutch seemed satisfied after a couple of seconds. he got up and walked out of the shade, and turned his head to acknowledge her. “and adeline, no ‘jobs’ on this run, you’re in deep enough shit already.”

she swore he could read her mind. adeline knew he wanted her to pay with her own money, but she didn’t have enough, only half. she contemplated asking arthur, but she also knew he would probably give her more than needed. sighing, she got up, stretched her legs, and left the sweet bliss of shade to go find arthur.

adeline didn’t care for him that much. she didn’t mind him coming on runs with her, and she also didn’t mind having a conversation with him. they were at the brink of being friends, if you call having five-word-talks with each other being ‘friends’. there wasn’t anything stopping them, either, they just never have actually talked.

what she didn’t like, however, was his kindness. adeline had the stern mindset that being good won’t do any good in the world she was wrapped up in. she doesn’t take gifts strangers benevolently give her after helping them, nor does she accept any money they try to throw at her. why would she need any of it, when she steals all of the stuff she acquires anyway?

walking through the forest trail carved by horses and wagons, she spotted the familiar hat laying on top of a thin stick by a lake a couple of feet away. she made her way over to the rippling bits of light on the water, admiring the small fish leaping out and diving back.

she looked over to the right and spotted arthur, sitting against a large rock with one leg stretched out, the other acting as a stand to let the journal that he was drawing in lay on top of it. adeline walked up to see he was smoking a red rocket cigarette, using a rock to flick the ashes into the bright green grass. she tried to see what he was drawing, but he caught notice of her presence next to him, shutting the book quickly and putting down the pencil and looking up at her.

“it’s sunny out, why ain’t you wearing your hat?” adeline mumbled the question, her accent showing through.

arthur’s eyebrows raised up. “ ‘think this is the first time you started the conversation.” he chuckled.

she rolled her eyes, smiling slightly. “funny.”

she walked up to the rock, leaning on the open spot next to him. adeline looked at the small lake again. the sun shined down on the water and made it almost blinding to look at. she wondered how arthur could stand to be out here like this. she also thought about her next words, and how to make it as condensed as possible.

“we have to go to valentine.”

“and why is that?”

she looked down at his light brown hair, shining golden in the sun. he was smirking, like he had known about the run already.

“payin’ a bounty” she grumbled petulantly.

arthur ripped his eyes from her and shifted them to the ground, a grin stretched across his face. “alright. let’s get the horses.”

✦ ✦ ✦

the ride to valentine was filled with silence other than the bugs buzzing around the air around them. arthur started singing a quiet, happy tune as they got closer to the town. adeline didn’t mind it; the song distracted her from thinking too much about yesterday.

the cozy town was already bustling by the time they got there. they followed dutch’s orders and went straight to the post office first. arthur ended up paying for it all, with plenty of protest from adeline. “shut your mouth.” was all he told her as he went inside. after they were done, they hitched their horses and went to check into the hotel.

“it’s nice.” adeline mumbled to arthur.

they ended up having to share a room on account of almost all of them being full. arthur walked up to the bed on the left side of the room, placing his satchel and hat down. adeline went to the right side and mimicked his actions, pulling out a flask from her pocket.

“wanna have some fun?” she held up the flask.

“what-” he shifted his eyes over and saw the small steel container, “oh, sure.” arthur murmured, a sheepish rose tint blooming across his cheeks.

he reached his hand out. adeline threw it over and he caught it, opening the flask and taking a large gulp out of it. he tried to take another one, but only a drop came out. “shit.”

“what is it?” adeline asked.

“ ‘think you got a little bored on the way here.” he threw the small container back.

she caught it, noticed the lack of sound coming from inside the bottle, and muttered an apology. maybe arthur’s singing wasn’t that distracting.

“ you wanna head to the saloon nearby?” arthur started, “maybe they won’t run out.”

she noticed the teasing in his voice. adeline got up and walked over and flicked his hat off with a subtle smile. “sure, but i’ll pay, as compensation for drinkin’ all of mine.”

arthur agreed after a beat, and they walked out of the room and down the stairs.

✦ ✦ ✦

the saloon boomed with the echoes of intoxication. as soon as they entered, a man was already laying on the wooden floor in front of them. stepping over the drunk man, adeline made her way over to the front bar, arthur following in tow.

they ordered their drinks. adeline got a stronger one than arthur, of which he had to say something about. arthur drank a few of his own, but adeline could only have one since she was already feeling the effects of her previous session.

as adeline was taking her last sip from the glass, she felt a rough tap on her shoulder.

she turned, and saw a shorter woman with brown curls look up at her, brows furrowed with anger.

“i think i recognize you from saint denis.” the woman stated, a vexing tone booming in the noisy saloon.

adeline sighed and turned completely to her. she was wearing a simple dress with a brown belt tied around her waist. on the belt, adeline spotted a small knife.

“ma’am,” she looked into the woman’s eyes, “i don’t know you, and ‘m just trying to have a couple drinks with my friend here.” adeline pointed to arthur with her thumb.

the woman looked at arthur, and then looked back to adeline with a threatening glare.

the woman took a step up, face to face with adeline, malice lacing her voice “my name’s lucy. that woman you killed yesterday, charlotte? that was my sister.”

that was all she said before she punched adeline in the nose, making blood shoot out immediately. adeline stumbled back into arthur’s chest in which he grabbed her arm.

she looked back at him and he whispered, “need help?”

“lucy just needs to let off some steam.” she whispered back, looking at the woman. she already had tears coming out and dripping onto the knife she was now holding.

lucy swung with steel. adeline dodged it by stepping back, but the knife struck her arm as she was moving. she cursed out loud.

“ma’am,” she started, “i really don’t want to have to hurt you. just step outside and we can talk this out.”

but the woman only became more violent. she tried swinging at adeline with her fist again. learning from her last mistake, adeline grabbed her wrist and used it to throw the woman back. lucy made a large thud on the ground as she fell.

“ ‘m sorry, lady.” she said earnestly.

lucy stood back up and ran for adeline once again. this time, adeline threw the punch. her fist landed on her jaw, sending her onto a wooden pillar. lucy’s knife went flying and skid across the floor.

adeline ambled up to the knife, then to lucy’s stationary form. she leaned down and spoke in her ear.

“are you done now?” she softly pressed the knife against lucy’s cheek.

lucy grabbed adeline’s hand. she swung the hand and adeline had little time to dodge it before the blade cut her eye. still, it grazed across her left cheek. adeline stood up and stepped back, a groan escaping her lips as she caressed the now bleeding wound. adeline folded her arm and slammed her elbow into lucy’s forehead, knocking her unconscious and dropping to the floor.

“i think you just like causing trouble.” adeline heard a voice behind her. when she turned, arthur was walking up with a sly smile and a chuckle.

adeline scoffed with a playful grin. “i think…” she walked behind him and grabbed his newly filled glass. “…im ready to get the hell out of here.” she downed the rest of the spirits and passed it back to the bartender, making for the door.

“well, let’s go then.” he passed the amount of money due to the bartender on the desk as adeline walked out.

✦ ✦ ✦

conversations were exchanged as adeline and arthur ventured down the street. the lanterns had a dim glow and there were barely any people on the road. it must’ve been leading on into the morning by now. adeline walked up to the door of the hotel, when she noticed arthur wasn’t following.

“what’re you doing?” she mumbled out in the dark. he was at the foot of the stairs, looking up at her with something adeline couldn’t make out in her tipsy state.

“i don’t think it’s gonna be safe staying in a place with so many people who just saw that tussle.” arthur spoke clearly into the night. maybe he wasn’t as drunk as she thought he was. “we should, i don’t know, ride a little and find a spot to camp?”

she took a second to ponder. it was busy tonight at the saloon, and the bounty was just paid off, so it would be better to just play safe and spend the night in a non-populated place.

“alright, boss. let's get the horses.” adeline joked, recalling arthur’s words. the smile and scarlet tint on his face was missed as she turned around.

✦ ✦ ✦

the pair slowly made their way southeast of valentine, towards the bottom part of citadel rock. they were traveling at a medium pace; wanting to get there quickly, but leaving time to talk. also, it was allowing adeline to let her current state of mind wear off.

adeline looked to her right at her temporary partner.

‘he looks good at night, she thought’. she knew it was her messed-up judgement leaking into her brain. but for the moment, she let herself enjoy the eye candy. once golden hair now a medium brown under the illusion of the moon.

he was focused on something, a deep furrow in his brows as he looked down at his grey and black spotted horse. the leather on the expensive mammal being grasped by muscular hands and strong arms; arms strong enough to hold a rifle and barely have any kickback. hands skilled enough to do things adeline can only ima-

“what is it?” arthur’s voice boomed through the woman’s thoughts, exploding them out of mind. adeline looked up to his face, his brows now upward as if he was concerned over something. adeline was taken aback, not realizing the moon was that bright. she tried to search her scattered brain for some plausible response.

“ah, it’s just…” she noticed a loose buckle on the reins of the horse, “your reins aren’t tightened.” she internally thanked whatever divine intervention helped her.

he turned his head down and noticed the buckle. he thanked adeline quietly after fixing it. the smooth conversation allowed the entrance of a comfortable silence.

✦ ✦ ✦

the sounds of a campfire echoed into the darkness, combining with leaves brushing against each other from the soft wind blowing. beyond the fires reach, a large rock formation gave the illusion of a wall being used to guard from anything dangerous. the wall of rock was like a shadow being casted from the harsh lack of light. the air was chilly and filled with the smell of cooking meat and smoke.

a tense man and an oblivious, ragged woman smoking a cigarette sat on the cots surrounding the campfire. arthur sat cross-legged, a certain fidgety behavior to his every movement. adeline’s thoughts continued well into the night. she turned them over, wondering what he was so apprehensive about.

she studied the newly refilled flask he was downing, debating if it was empty, and if the way his eyes kept shifting over to her face signaled that there was something stuck on it. out of nervousness, she wiped her cheeks with her shirt sleeve.

“you know you can say what you’re thinking about.” adeline stated. the tension got the best of her; it lingered in the air like the stuffy smoke entering her nose and lungs. she stared at the sparkling flames slowly cooking the small pieces of bird meat they had caught on the way to valentine.

arthur reacted with a scoff, similar to the one adeline gave at the saloon. “i don’t think these thoughts are for… casual conversation.” a laugh was stifled near the end of his sentence.

adeline’s nose twitched in confusion. she turned her body left so she could face the tipsy man.“what in the world could you be thinking about that isn’t fit for ‘casual conversation’ ?”

arthur just stared at her. in that moment, the distance between their cots didn’t feel that far and his green eyes seemed to glow in the bright orange of the fire. “well, i was gonna ask, for one, why there was still blood on your face.”

the question was one of evasion, and adeline was far too tired and hungry to continue the game any longer. she looked at her cigarette, and noticed the crimson stained filter adorning her hand. she shrugged as a response, and arthur shook his head with a smirk.

after a small beat, he spoke up again. “for two, i was uh… gonna ask if you would let me clean it,” he slid his large frame closer to hers and reached to your side for her cigarettes. “i think it looks better when it ain’t all dirty, anyway.”

a simple statement, yet leaving an attracting and swaying affect on adeline’s jaded mind. she grabbed the flask on the floor, chugging a decent amount of it. it wasn’t empty after all. half of arthur’s words were those of intoxication. adeline’s choice of drink was on the stronger side, and it was very interesting to see how it affected him. he didn’t behave as if he was too drunk, though, so she knew he was just feeling a little extra confident with his words.

“well, i would’ve told you to do what you want.” she replied, trying to play it cool.

he chuckled again, a raspy sound that hypnotized the woman’s brain. “it’s a good thing i didn’t ask then.”

adeline’s brows furrowed. “why’s that?”

arthur had a certain driven look to his face. he made sure she was looking and attentive, or his confidence boost would all be for nothing. “if you told me that, i would’ve done more than help you clean your face.”

it was as if all time stopped for a minute. adeline and arthur’s eyes locked and got tangled together in the various hues of each others irises. adeline couldn’t believe what arthur was saying now, and by the look on his face, he was trying to comprehend his own.

adeline took this moment as the time to gamble the beginnings of her and arthur’s friendship to try and win something much more. “like what?” she maintained the previous firm eye contact, and so did he.

in a rush, arthur leaned forward, risking everything even more than adeline. he cupped her bloodied cheek gently and used his other arm to get closer to her warm body, finally giving in and kissing her lips. smoke twirled around them as she became used to the movement of his mouth. adeline removed her hat and used one hand to grab the flustered man’s locks, that of which made arthur kiss her harder. soft and hidden feelings emerging as the two shared a moment only they would ever know. arthur ended up pushing the girl to the ground with the force of his body leaning onto hers. adeline only laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck.

after a moment, arthur pulled his lips off of adeline and took a moment to examine her face. adeline took this time to do the same. his defiant eyes changed color with the soft flicker of the flame next to them. there was something in them adeline could see now. desire. a desire for her, for her lips and to be on top of her like this. a smile matched the lust that was finally clear to the once unknowing girl.

adeline put both of her hands on the side arthur’s face. he leaned into the touch like he had never felt it before.

“i had always thought you were beautiful,” arthur whispered out of the blue. it only made the moment more significant to adeline. “ so beautiful.”

the pair spent the night in one cot. their legs twisted together as well as their souls. in the morning, they'll be cautious to leave the moment, but the awkwardness of the previous night will make them pack up camp and head back to horseshoe overlook. they might spend a night resurfacing what happened, and some new things might be experienced. but adeline can only imagine as her horse trots the trail down south.

hope you enjoyed the oneshot :) lmk if a part 2 should be made!

#arthur morgan #arthur morgan x reader #friends to lovers #red dead redemption #red dead redemption 2 #arthur morgan x original character #rdr2 #rdr2 arthur #arthur morgan rdr2

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