Blood and Bruised Egos

We Loved Once, Tried and True

      "Oh, am I glad to see you three! Even Arthur, you sad, old bastard!" Arthur made sure to cut Sean's rope so that he would fall straight on his head. While he cried in pain, he got a good laugh from Javier and Charles both.

     "Maybe if you'd have shut yer damn mouth for once..." Arthur helped him up while he recovered from his new head injury.

     "Lovely seeing'ya Arthur, it really is! You looked better from the other angle, but lovely regardless." The older man's nostrils flared as he painstakingly listened to the younger, more annoying one.

     "Javier, Charles, you go on ahead and take Mr. Macguire back up to camp, I'll stay here and see what I can find." Arthur turned towards the bodies of all the head hunters they killed. All this, just to rescue Sean Macguire? Just to keep Sean Macquire?

      "Ay, you're making me go with this idiota right after riding with Trelawny? Just say that you hate me." Charles shook his head while Javier mounted his horse. Charles followed suit while Sean began rambling on and on about his "adventures".

     "I'll see you back at camp?" Charles pulled down his bandana and flashed Arthur a faint smile. Arthur responded with his own smile and a nod. While Arthur began to loot all the head hunters' bodies, he found himself thinking more and more about Charles. He occupied his mind at all times as of late. Of course, Arthur was not one to shy away from romantic encounters, but this one felt... Different. It brought him a kind of anxiety that left him shaky and sweating. Was he afraid of his thoughts of being with Charles? It's not like he's never been with a man before. There was John, but that was much, much different. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud screech from hell - some local do-gooder calling for help. Arthur got what he could and hauled ass out of there just as he saw the Blackwater police force come charging in. 

     "Thought you would be gone forever, Mister Morgan. There's a party and everything!" It was late in the night when Arthur returned, and seeing Kieran's face lit up by a lantern at the entrance of camp was the last thing Arthur Morgan wanted to see. All the former O'Driscoll got was a muttered "whatever" as he quickly tied Naquitas reins to the hitching post. 

     "Evening, Arthur." Charles' soft voice rang from the scout camp. Arthur removed his hat and held it at his stomach, giving Charles a friendly nod.

     "Evenin'." Arthur took a seat on the ground and gratefully accepted a beer from John. As the gang around the main camp began to sing, the three men sat in peaceful silence. Well, mostly peaceful. Arthur was left with his painful memories. What he and John had continued to swim around in his mind, taunting him. John had used him to keep away from Abigail and his son about five years back. Arthur was still pissed at him for being gone for a year, but it was nice to have some affection... Even if the reason why wasn't right. His thoughts were broken up when Kieran shouted for Charles' help.

     "Excuse me, gentlemen." Charles stood up and left with an overly confident stride over to where Kieran was. The once comfortable silence was now made awkward as Arthur and John were left alone with each other.

     "So..." John piped up after a couple of minutes, scratching at his relatively new scar. "About Abigail... I don't know how to... Talk to her? She always just tells me to piss off, or something. I don't know what I do wrong."

     "Maybe because you abandoned her twice?" Arthur chuckled and took a swig of his beer. "Ran off for a year, then ignored her for another 'cause you were busy with me. I know you're as dumb as a box of rocks, but Jesus, you should've guessed that at least."

     "Well, don't be pissed at me, Morgan! If you were in my position..." That unlocked something deep within Arthur. A flare of anger he hasn't felt in a long while.

     "In your position?" His voice was steady and filled with heat. "You think I wanted Isacc? The difference between you and me is that I was there for them. Was. You'll never know when they're gonna be gone, Marston," He felt his eyes sting with tears. Despite being years ago, it was still fresh in his mind. Coming back to his lovers' place and seeing their bodies laying there - dead and decomposing. "So you gotta be with them - for as long as time will allow. If I could go back and..." Arthur shook his head. John's eyes seemed to be stuck to his feet because he refused to look at him.

     "I know. You're right. You're always right."

      "So then why are you still sitting here? Haul your scrawny ass over to them. Be a goddamn family for once." John did as he was told for once. Arthur Morgan had decided that that was enough party. He went to bed dejected, the thought of Charles and his old family still lingering like a storm cloud over him.