Venom (Arthur Morgan x Fem Reader)

Arthur's Secret

You had now been with the gang for four months. Everything seemed to have come into place and it really felt like home to you now. Arthur insisted on getting a bigger tent and you moving all your stuff in with him.

Dutch seemed to have cooled off, though there was a talk about another bank heist, this time in Blackwater. You knew Arthur had mentioned there was something that went wrong in Blackwater some time ago, before you joined the gang. He seemed unsure of going back there, but Dutch was pretty adamant. The winter season was coming on fast and the nights were getting colder, so sleeping in the tent was less than ideal.

"You done daydreaming or whatever you're doing?" You were startled by the voice that came from behind you. You turned to see Arthur standing behind you, peering down at you as you stared off towards the camp stew.

"Next time let me know you're behind me." You rolled your eyes as you stood up and wrapped your arms around his torso. You rested your chin on his chest as you looked up at him. "You know, it's been a while since we've gotten out of here." You fluttered your eyelashes as Arthur chuckled.

"Didn't we just go for a run last week?" Arthur patted your head as you unwrapped your arms from around him. "Aw come on. One last trip before we go on this big heist Dutch hasn't stopped talking about." You bent down and picked your belt from up off the ground.

"Fine. Let me just talk to Dutch and Hosea for a second." Arthur walked past you, off towards the largest tent in the camp. You smiled as you strutted over to your shared tent with Arthur. You pushed open the canvas and looked around for your hat.

As you looked around, you spotted Arthur's journal, lying in the open on his cot. Even though you'd been together for a couple of months now, he has never let you even peek into his journal. Your lips curled into a wicked smile as you sat down on his cot and began flipping through his journal.

Each page was filled with writing, drawings or a mix of both. Your eyes fell upon a page that had a large drawing, accompanied with some writing. The drawing was of a woman that coincidentally looked like you.

You began to blush as you read the writing beneath the beautiful picture. "Y/N L/N, the woman I've fallen for. Hopefully I don't screw it up this time, especially since she can do better than an ugly fool like me."

You felt tears come to your eyes as you traced the image on the page. As you sat admiring the drawing of you, Arthur came bursting through the tent. "God dammit." Arthur cursed as he snatched the journal from you, tossing it back under his cot.

"You know I was gonna see it sometime." You stood up from his cot and wrapped your arms around his neck. "You're far from an ugly fool, Arthur Morgan." You pressed a kiss to his lips and began to lead him out of the tent.

"Alright, where are we going now?" You walked with Arthur towards the horses. Arlo and his horse were hitched together, waiting patiently for another trip. "I've got a place." Arthur jumped up onto his horse and waited as you quickly got on yours. You followed Arthur out of the camp and out East towards the ocean.

***

The ride was fairly long, long for just a quick day trip. It felt like you had been riding for almost an hour now without stopping for a break. How much further is it?" You asked as you rode right alongside Arthur. "Not too far now." Arthur looked straight ahead as he led you through the small patch of trees.

"Isn't this off near Van Horn?" You looked around at the familiar area, where the trees thinned out to a grassland dotted with trees. "I didn't know you were so good at directions." Arthur teased as he took a turn down a winding path.

"Oh shut up." You rolled your eyes as you trotted up the small hill that stood before you and Arthur. "Close your eyes." Arthur demanded as he reached back, grabbing the reins of your horse. "Huh? Just what are we doing?" You looked around, but there was nothing in sight except for grass and trees.

"Just trust me Y/N." Arthur led your horse as you hesitantly closed your eyes. You held onto the horn of your saddle tighter as Arthur made his way over the hill. You had your eyes closed for a couple minutes and you started to get antsy. "I can open them now, right?" You asked as you turned towards the general direction Arthur was in.

"Jesus christ woman be patient." Arthur gave one last tug of the reins and let go of them. "There. Open." Arthur looked at you as your eyes popped open.

Right in front of you was a small ranch house that was a little beat up. The roof was still intact, but some of the siding was falling off. You noticed the mix of old and new wood on the side of the house, along with the fence that surrounded the property. There was a beaten down barn to the left of the house and in front of that was a pile of wood, which looked like it had just been placed there.

"Arthur, what is this?" You jumped off your horse and walked around the grass, getting a good view of the house. Arthur landed on the ground, following you as he watched your face carefully. "Uh I found this ranch. It hasn't been occupied in years and I've been coming out here to fix it up every now and then..." Arthur looked over to the pile of wood near the barn.

You stopped in front of the barn, looking it up and down as a smile spread on your face. "And just why are you fixing it up?" You looked back at Arthur, who was nervously playing with the sleeves of his shirt.

"I've been thinking about what you said. The whole getting out of the outlaw thing. I just wanted to give you a place to go." Arthur tried to read your facial expression as your smile disappeared. "You'll be living here with me though, right?" You stepped towards Arthur, grabbing onto his arm.

Arthur was hesitant as he looked between you and the barn. "I ain't given that any thought." Arthur rubbed the back of his neck and tried to look away from you. "The only way I'm living here is if you are here too." You tugged on his arm and he looked back at you. "Please." You looked up at Arthur and his shoulders dropped.

"Stop givin' me that look. 'Course I wanna live here with you. It's just a little complicated and I don't know if Dutch will let me leave." Arthur patted your hand as you continued to grip onto his arm. "Well then I'll wait, cause I ain't going anywhere without you."