An Unfortunate Face (Arthur Morgan x Reader)

(13.) The Golden Stag

You woke up only a few hours later. The light sleep had rested you well enough to stay awake for now, but you knew you'd probably be exhausted later.

There was something heavy on top of you, and you immediately tried to get it off. Realizing it was only a coat, you put it on again hastily to preserve its warmth.

You tried to imagine Arthur placing his winter coat on you to keep you from freezing. Why did he care? He could have left you to freeze, but he didn't. He had gone out of his way to keep you warm from the weather, even though it served him no benefit.

You glanced at the small gap in his tent, your eyes fixing on his peaceful face. He didn't look so mean anymore.

You wondered what Javier was thinking; someone had probably told him that you were off with Arthur, and you knew he'd be jealous. Mad, even.

You rubbed your face, trying not to think about Javier; you didn't want to deal with his overprotective nonsense at the moment. It came from a place of concern, you knew that, but it was overbearing.

Arthur stirred and you habitually turned towards him. There was silence again and you looked at the glowing embers in front of you. In the quiet of nature, there was a feeling of peace you had missed. Sleeping in camp was always more comfortable, but never as quiet.

You finished warming up your hands and moved towards your bedroll. You couldn't see your pocket watch in the dark, but Arthur would probably be up by morning anyways.

Relaxing into the thin fabric, you fell back asleep, warm as a bear in the forest.

***

"Y/n, hey. Wake up, we gotta head back to camp soon."

You turned away from the voice before realizing where you were. Mrs. Grimshaw wasn't there to give you chores; Arthur was trying to wake you up.

You sat up and rubbed the sleep from your eyes. Arthur already had coffee brewing, and you took a warm cup, grateful for his kind gestures.

You were still wearing his jacket, and upon noticing, your face got warm. When you looked up again to focus on something else, Arthur was looking at you.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or somethin," he said quickly, his face becoming red, "jus' thought you looked cold, didn't want you to freeze."

"I know," you assured him, a your hand reaching out to his without thought. You pulled away immediately, having realized what you'd done. There was a second of silence, neither of you sure what to say. "I—thank you, that was...kind of you. Real kind."

He smiled and sipped his coffee while keeping his eyes on the small fire he'd made earlier. If he looked at you now, he'd surely blush again, and he was already warm from your gentle touch.

"Don't tell Javier," you smiled, and a quick chuckle from Arthur followed. The mood was light again like it had been before instead of that odd, hanging feeling that seemed to occur when you and Arthur said more than small talk.

"You 'bout ready to head out?" he asked, and you perked your head up from the cup.

"Yeah, sure. Don't want Dutch to worry 'bout his prized pony."

"More like the workhorse," he scoffed. "I'll pack your things if you put out the fire?"

"You know, you don't gotta always do all the hard work. I ain't weak, I work hard."

He had already begun to pack up your tents but stopped to looked at you after your comment.

"I don't think you're weak," he confessed, his worn features relaxed. He looked so beautiful now.